CONSTELLATIONS | Poe Dameron

CHAPTER XXX

We had just learned that our last support ship was shot down, and I was unsuccessfully trying to calm Poe down as we stormed to the command bridge.

"Poe going in there with guns blazing won't do anything. You aren't even supposed to be up here." I looked over at the man, noticing his jaw set in a hard line. He briefly met my gaze before looking back at our path.

"I'm the impulsive and dangerous one, right? She really can't expect me to follow the rules then." I rolled my eyes, giving up on getting him to stop. Commander D'Acy was at the door, and I gave her an apologetic look as we approached. "Is she in there?" Poe asked.

"The Admiral has banned you from the bridge. Let's not have a scene."

"No, let's," the man said as he breezed past her. "Holdo!"

We entered the room and all eyes were on the pilot. The Admiral looked over with a bored expression. "Fly boy-"

"Cut it lady. We had a fleet and now we're down to one ship and you've told us nothing." He walked down the steps to the woman, looking around the room at everyone and holding out his arm. "Tell us we have a plan! That there's hope!"

I took Poe's place at the top of the stairs, causing Holdo to hold my gaze for a moment with a furrowed brow before looking back to the pilot. "When I served under Leia, she would say that hope is like the sun. If you only believe in it when you see it-"

"You'll never make it through the night," Poe finished for her in a calmer voice.

"Yes," I heard the Admiral reply in a whisper.

During their exchange, my eyes were drawn to the fuel monitors on the other side of the room. I slowly walked down the steps, feeling everyone's eyes on me. "Are you fueling up the transports?" I asked, never taking my eyes off of the screen. My question was met with silence, but the monitor told me everything. I turned back to the woman. "You are."

Poe walked past me right up to the screen. "All of them?" He asked, spinning back to Holdo. I could tell that he was livid. "We're abandoning ship? Is that- that's what you got, that's what you've brought us to?" Poe turned and kicked a box of equipment before pushing over a chair. I could see some of the staff jump at the loud noise that filled the room. "COWARD!"

I stood up next to Poe, feeling his anger radiating off of him. I looked out at my fellow rebels lining the room. "Those transport ships are unarmed. Unshielded." I locked eyes with the admiral.

"If we abandon this cruiser, we're done. We don't stand a chance. No, you are more than just a coward. You are a traitor," Poe's loud voice exclaimed. The Admiral's bouncers were behind her as she glared at the man beside me.

"Get this man off my bridge." They came up to escort Poe, and I went to leave as well before her hard voice stopped me. "Not you, Sienna. You stay."

Poe stopped and looked at me before he was urged forward and out of the room. I slowly turned, leveling my gaze. "Yes, Admiral Holdo?"

"I thought you said you'd keep him under control."

A short laugh escaped my throat. "I am not his keeper, Admiral. And who can blame him for his outrage, hm?" My voice was eerily calm. I tried to bring the level of tension in the room down just a notch. "We are jumping from one risk to another taking those transports. We will be sitting ducks out there. It is your duty to try to protect us, yes, but it is also your duty to be honest with us. So please, excuse Poe for his anger. We just aren't used to having a leader who keeps us in the dark."

With that, I turned and left the room, ignoring the calls after me. I ran back to our room to catch up with Poe. He was just setting the radio down as I walked in. "They found a code-breaker, doc. They are almost there. They just need a little more time."