FIVE YEARS AGO, I was sent on a mission that would change my life forever. Little did I know, it would end it as well...
As a Trainee in the Aviation program, Poe Dameron comes from a broken family. His mother died when he was Eight, his Father brok...
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MY MISSION WENT LESS THAN WELL. Upon my return to Jakku, BB-8's biometric signature was nowhere to be found. It was what I feared more than anything else—he was probably torn apart, scrap by scrap in a junkyard. Unkar Plutt's goons were probably eating well while bits and pieces of BB-8 sat in the back of his scrap hut. — Poe Dameron
"Have you heard anything from Elyse?" I ask, an eyebrow raised at Marlene and Piper.
They both shake their heads, exhaling sharply. Piper retrieves her com-link and checks it again for any messages from Elyse. Nothing.
"I hope she's alright," I say. "I don't doubt her skills, but Jakku is probably crawling with First Order goons right now. They're all searching for BB-8."
Piper sobs out momentarily and covers her face with her hands. She shakes her head and lifts her eyes back up again.
"Sorry, it's just... We've already lost her once. I don't want to lose her again." She says.
I nod, exhaling sharply. Is she still searching for me? She thought I was dead, willing to fly to Jakku to search endlessly for my body. But, so endlessly that she was willing to search for me during possibly the biggest fight of Resistance history? I look at my watch and exhale sharply.
"I'm gonna head down to the bridge. Keep in touch. You hear anything from Elyse, anything at all, you call me." I say.
Piper and Marlene nod. I spin around, pressing my hand to my forehead. I exit the med bay, ignoring the ache in my stomach from the stitches, and walk down a flight of stairs to the bridge.
"No news from Elyse. Piper and Marlene haven't heard anything in two days. They're starting to get genuinely concerned. Have you heard anything from her?" I ask General Organa.
She shakes her head, retrieving her com-link.
"Just this message when she arrived on Jakku." She says.
She presses a button on her com-link, playing back a message received from Elyse.
'It's almost as if he isn't here, Mom. I've searched for hours and haven't found anything. I found the X-Wing and the burnt down village and all the bodies I dreamt of, but Poe isn't here. I mean, we got the communique that he was dead. And his X-Wing is here. But BB-8 isn't. And neither is his body. I just feel like I'm going on a whim and following the wrong path here. I'm going to search a little while longer before I begin my return to base. I'll call you later.'
"That message was sent to me two days ago. And her com-link is now dead silent. None of my messages will go out to reach her." She says.
I cross my arms over my chest and exhale before leaning down against the large hologram table.
"She must be in a dead-zone. That has to be it." I say, staying optimistic as much as possible.
She exhales and nods. She takes a seat beside me, leaning against the table as well.
"General," I whisper. "As much as I want to stay optimistic for you and your daughter's sakes, a part of me is terrified."
She raises her eyes and furrows her brows.
"Why, Poe? Do you sense something?" She asks.
I nod, exhaling sharply.
"Something bad is about to happen. Something that the First Order is at the heart of." I say. "And Ben. Not the Ben I remember, but I can feel him there. It's weak, like that piece of him that I know is gone. But a remnant of who he once was still remains as if the conflict in him still exists and Ben is still really alive somewhere deep down."
She exhales sharply, closing her eyes momentarily.
"Damn, I hope your intuition is right, Poe." She says.
The bridge doors open and a swarm of people run in, surrounding the table with us. I furrow my brows and look around.
"Whoa, what's going on?" I ask.
Marlene and Piper run in, shoving their way towards me.
"Poe, General Organa!" Marlene exclaims, taking Piper's arm in her hand, dragging her through the masses.
I raise an eyebrow, watching them. They reach me and huff out sharply.
"What the Hell is going on?" I ask, an eyebrow raised. "What happened?"
"BB-8 is on Takodana. He's in Maz Kanata's castle. We just got a report from one of our informers in the area." Marlene says, handing me a slip of paper.
I take the paper in my hand and furrow my brows, looking down at the ivory page.
"Alert the Resistance—Their missing droid is here." "The Orange and White BB-8 model is here, in Tokodana. Get here as soon as you can! The First Order probably isn't far behind. Informants for both sides find solace among these walls."
I raise an eyebrow at the General and exhale with relief.
"How in the Hell did he get to Tokodana? No way in Hell he stole a ship on his own." I say. "You know what? It doesn't matter. He's still alive, that's what matters. This letter is right. If we caught a whiff of his trail, the First Order did too. I want to scramble all fighters for Tokodana, General, permission to launch?"
Leia smiles up at me and spins around to face her rebel fleet.
"Take it away, Commander. I expect that droid and his package returned in one piece as well as anyone who may be accompanying him." She says.
I kiss her cheek and smile at her.
"Squads, five minutes to launch. I specifically want Black Squadron, Blue Squadron, and Red Squadron upfront. Tokodana is a waterhole with a castle in the center. Water can be our smoke and mirrors. Let's get going." I say.
