Kyber Heart - Poe Dameron

Chapter 6

Rey had already knocked the man to the floor by the time Nova and BB-8 caught up. She stood above him; quarterstaff held tightly, ready to strike again if needed. "What's your hurry, thief?" she spat.

"What! Thief?" he exclaimed, the accusation leaving him astounded.

BB-8 rolled over to his side, opening one of his panels to produce a small device. This device then administered a sharp shock to the man, to which he loudly protested.

"The jacket!" Rey said. "The droid says you stole it!"

"I've had a pretty messed up day, alright? So I'd appreciate if you'd stop accusing me –" he was cut off by another zap from BB-8. "Ow! Stop it!"

"Beebee-Ate, leave him," Nova said firmly.

The droid complied, backing off to rest behind her ankles, though he continued to glare – as well as a droid could – at the stranger.

"Where'd you get it?" Rey continued. "It belongs to his master."

He looked between the group, his gaze catching on BB-8 as he properly looked at the droid. His mind seemingly putting two and two together in relation to something.

With a sigh of realisation, his expression became grave. "It belonged to Poe Dameron. That was his name, right?"

BB-8 backed up again, looking to Nova for an explanation she was struggling to give.

"He was captured by the First Order," he explained. "I helped him and his friend escape, but our ships crashed."

"You?" Nova said, stepping closer. Everything had come together in her mind, the distorted memories becoming clear.

The man before them was Finn, the rogue stormtrooper.

"Me?" he asked, frowning nervously.

"You're the one who broke us out."

"You?"

Nova nodded, her heart beginning to race. If Finn made it relatively unharmed, Poe had to have too. "What happened?"

Finn's face fell. "Poe didn't make it."

Nova's heart sank.

She felt like she was falling, like gravity was pulling her down and down to the core of the maker-forsaken planet and would never stop. She was unsure if she would want it to stop.

Poe had been so much more than a friend to her. He was the person who knew her better than anyone – knew the evils of her past she would never utter to anyone else. She trusted him with her life, and he trusted her just as much. Despite everything, all her wrongdoings, he had shown her nothing but kindness. Given her the chance she had never expected in a million years.

BB-8 hung his head with a low, mournful beep for his master – his friend.

"Look, I tried to help him, and I'm sorry."

The droid rolled away in silence, disappearing around the corner.

Nova clutched at the chain around her neck, fingers running over the pendant that hung from it.

Poe could not be dead. She would have felt it. At least she had always thought she would.

Rey too had fallen silent, feeling the despair of her companions, for it was close to palpable. She placed a hand on Nova's arm in comfort, an effort that earned her a watery smile of gratitude.

Turning back to Finn, she looked over him again. "So you're with the Resistance?"

"Obviously." Finn jumped to his feet. "I'm with the Resistance, yeah. I am with the Resistance."