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█▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀█ chapter twenty-three: torn apart █▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄█
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FROM THE COCKPIT of his ship, all Poe Dameron can see is blue as hyperspace streaks by in a vivid tunnel of light. Drifting somewhere in space, he anxiously waits for the all-clear message from base HQ. Come on, come on, he thinks restlessly, knowing that the status of the shields directly ties into the well-being of his girl. If the shields are still up, it means that Indira hasn't gotten to them yet, which could mean any number of terrible possibilities. But, if the shields are down, it means that — at least for the time being — she's alive and wreaking havoc somewhere down on the ground below him.
The sound of his radio crackling distracts him from his thoughts and he listens intently to the transmission. "Black Leader, the shields are down," Rear Admiral Gulch informs him and Poe lets out a deep breath that he hadn't realized he had been holding in. "Go to sub-lights on your call."
After silently thanking every lucky star in the galaxy, he switches on his comm unit to respond. "Roger, base," he replies to the rear admiral before addressing his squadrons. "Red Squad, Blue Squad — take my lead."
One by one, the various members of the fleet drop from hyperspace into the atmosphere of Starkiller base. Outside his window, Poe gets his first real look at the base and grimaces at its unnatural structure. As the fleet approaches the surface, he catches a glimpse at the terrain that they'll be flying through — snow, mountains, and trees. Just looking at it makes Poe shiver and he finds a newfound appreciation for D'Qar's tropical climate. The thought of being confined to a frozen wasteland like that makes his skin crawl and it reminds him of his parents stories about Hoth. Damerons definitely aren't suited for the cold.
"Almost in range," he warns both of the squadrons as they approach the oscillator. "Hit the target dead center; as many runs as we can get!"
"Approaching target," Snap confirms over the comms.
As soon as he's in range of firing, Poe focuses his gaze on the hexagonal shaped building that Finn had pointed out during their meeting. He knows that there's a lot at stake right now and that he hasto be at his best. There's a chance that this flight could be the single most important flight of his entire life and he cannot afford to slip up.
