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THE AIR IS WARM and balmy when Poe steps outside, even though the sun has long since set — one of the many perks of having their base set on a jungle planet like D'Qar. As a child, he had heard stories from his mother and father about their time on the rebel base on the icy planet of Hoth during the days of the Alliance. He shudders to think of just how cold it must have been for them and thanks his lucky stars for his good fortune.
From a distance, he can see a group huddled around a bonfire drinking and exchanging stories in loud, unabashed voices. The sound of their laughter warms the part of his heart that had gone a little cold ever since he learned about L'ulo's death. He watches as Snap regales the crowd with a retelling of one of their first missions as Black Squadron, imitating L'ulo through peals of laughter.
"My finger slipped!" Wexley shouts, voice slurred as a result of having had a tad bit too much of the alcohol that the general had provided them with. "That's what L'ulo said. The man opens fire on a bunch of First Order assholes and he says my finger slipped; can you believe that? Like we all didn't know exactly what he did. What a legend. That lunatic saved our asses so many times. Gods, I'm gonna miss the crazy bastard. To L'ulo!"
"To L'ulo!"
The cry echoes around the gathered troops as they all lift their flasks and take a sip. Poe spots Jess and Karé amongst the crowd, mouth turning upwards when he sees the smile on Jess's face. Out of all of his team members, she had taken the loss the hardest — a testament to her youth. Karé and Snap had lost people before. Hell, Poe lost his own mother when he was only eight years old. Grief isn't a stranger to him, but Jess is younger and doesn't have as many years under her belt. To see her now with a smile on her face after so many tears helps to ease his guilty conscience and silence the part of his mind that keeps on telling him it's your fault.
As if sensing his thoughts, Jessika meets his gaze and waves him over quickly. Not wanting the spotlight, Poe shakes his head and hangs back in the darkness. With a sigh, the younger girl hands her drink off to Karé before making her way over to where Poe is standing.
