Across The Stars // Star Wars (Sequels)

✰Chapter 26✰

"Quick, quick, quick!" I call. "Poe!"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming. Hang on," he replies. 

"Come on!" 

"Ssh, he's just around the corner." 

A giggle escapes my lips but Poe quickly clasps a hand over my mouth, struggling to keep himself from laughing.

The footsteps fade in the distance and we burst out laughing. I rest my head against his shoulder as he wraps his arms around me from behind, hugging me close to his chest. 

"That was a close call," he says.

"Yeah, a bit too close for my liking," I reply, turning around in his arms and wrapping my own around his neck.

For the past two days, Poe and I had been sneaking off to steal moments and kisses. Making sure Chewie didn't find out turned out to be quite the challenge. The Wookie may be tall and clumsy, but he definitely isn't stupid. 

"Come on, it's almost dusk. We can still watch the sunset if we hurry," Poe speaks up, taking my hand in his. The two of us travel to the top of the tree we were staying in. A wooden platform with two soft blankets is waiting for us when we arrive. 

I settle down on the ground and Poe drapes one of the blankets around my shoulders before sitting down next to me, wrapping an arm around me. I lean into him and nestle my head in the crook of his neck. The cool evening breeze blows through my hair and makes me shiver, but I don't care. I couldn't be happier.

***

I wake up with a shock, sitting up immediately. I look around and although my vision is still blurry from sleeping, I realise what's going on. "Poe!" I wildly shake his arm and he groggily wakes up. "Poe, we need to get out of here. It's the First Order." 

"What?" he asks. 

I jump up to look over the edge of the wooden platform and my eyes widen. All around us, trees are on fire and several TIE-fighters fly over our heads. How did we sleep through that?

"Come on." I take his hand and sprint to the lower level where we run into one of the Wookies. He roars at us. "Yeah, we know! Where are the others? Where's Chewie?" I ask. Behind us, a wooden support beam falls down and a wave of flames follows. A red blast shoots right past us and I instantly draw my Lightsaber, holding it up just in time to fend off another blast that is shot by the First Order Stormtrooper rushing in our direction. Poe doesn't hesitate to aim his blaster and shoot him down. The Trooper drops to the ground, dead.

The Wookie from earlier roars over the havoc. "I agree. They're here for us. We need to get back to the Falcon!" I call to Poe and he nods. 

"This way!" He turns to the Wookie. "Will you be okay out here? We can call for reinforcements." 

The Wookie roars, nodding. 

"Okay, be careful!" I tell him before Poe and I take off, running down the many stairs to get back to the ground. "We need to find Chewie!" 

"Knowing him, he's probably already at the Falcon!" Poe replies, shooting down another Stormtrooper. We hide behind a wall and I peer around, trying to discover if the Falcon still stands. Luckily, she does, and just as Poe said, Chewie is waiting right next to her. When he sees me, he roars loudly, waving us over. 

I look over my shoulder before taking a sprint toward the Falcon, but before I can reach it, a red blast scrapes my arm, leaving me to cry out in pain and sink to one knee. "Rave!" Poe exclaims. "Come on, we have to go!" He hauls me off the floor and I stumble with him, clasping my arm. I can feel blood seeping through the spaces between my fingers and the stinging pain makes me lightheaded, but I force myself to keep going. 

Poe drags me onto the Falcon and sets me down before rushing to the cockpit with Chewie. We barely make if off of Kashyyyk without getting shot down, but we manage to make it into hyperspace safely. While Poe and Chewie set the right coordinates, I examine the wound on my arm. It isn't deep, but it bleeds heavily. With a piece of cloth, I try my best to stop the bleeding. None of us has the skills to properly patch it up, so I'll have to wait until we get back to D'Qar. 

Poe comes up to me, sitting down beside me and patting my leg. "You okay?" he asks, leaning closer to check on the wound. 

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's not bad, I think," I say. "We were reckless back there." 

"For letting down our guard for one night? No one could've known that the First Order was going to show up. They must've figured out where we were," he says. 

"But all those Wookies we left behind. What if they got hurt?" I ask. 

"Hey, if I know anything about Wookies, is that they are capable of defending themselves. Besides, the First Order came for us. Once they realise we aren't there anymore, they'll leave," he says. 

Chewie enters the room and Poe is quick to remove his hand from my leg. Chewie purrs softly, motioning at my arm. "I'm fine, Chewie. Thank you," I say, smiling. "Are you okay? Did they hurt you?" 

He shakes his head, angrily grumbling a few words. "Yeah, I agree," Poe says. "We have to be more careful next time." 

The computer behind us beeps, alerting us that we are approaching D'Qar. Chewie travels to the cockpit to land the Falcon while Poe stays with me. "I'm taking you straight to the medical bay," he tells me, placing a gentle hand on my back. 

"For once, I agree with you," I say with a cheeky smile. He chuckles at me, shaking his head. 

"Alright, let's go." He pulls me to my feet and with one arm firmly around my middle, we exit the Falcon and step onto D'Qar ground. Several Resistance workers rush our way to tend to the Falcon and a few ask if I need help, but I assure them I can make it to the medical bay myself. 

Poe sets me down on one of the beds before he rushes off to find a medical worker. I turn to my arm and slowly remove the cloth covering it, hissing as the air hits the open wound. The bleeding stopped for the most part, but it doesn't look good. 

Poe returns with a younger girl. "Hi, Raven. My name is Kali. Can I take a look at that arm?" she asks kindly and I instantly notice the warmth in her voice. The Force-energy flowing off her is nothing but pure goodness so I nod, removing the cloth fully.

While Kali works on my arm, Poe sits next to me, holding my hand tightly in his as I occasionally hiss. 

"There you go," Kali says, patting my knee. I look down and see a perfectly wrapped up arm.

I smile. "Thank you, Kali. That's way better," I tell her. 

"You're welcome. Just give it a few days rest and you should be as good as new," she says. 

"Will do," I say and she smiles a final time before she exits the room, leaving me and Poe on our own. I can feel his eyes on me and when I turn to my right, I find him looking down at me with a smile. "What?" I ask. 

"You're adorable, did you know that?" he asks. 

A blush creeps up my neck as I giggle softly. "Well, you're not so bad yourself," I say teasingly, lacing his fingers with my own. I sigh softly, lowering my eyes. 

"What's on your mind?" he asks. 

"Nothing, it's just..." I mutter. "Today really helped me realise why I'm doing all this. I have to keep fighting because I know how to defend myself but there are people out there who don't. It is my duty- our duty to keep them safe and to protect them." 

He nods softly. "What we do here... It's not for nothing. It may seem like that sometimes, especially when you try to finish the wrong map for months." I chuckle at his words. "But the work we do here matters and having you on our side really helps with that. It gives people hope."