Close to Me {Poe Dameron}

twenty-three

AN: I apologize for the wait. We're getting closer and closer to where I've left off writing and I want to be pretty far in advance before posting the next chapter and well I also took a bit of a break from writing it to work on another project of mine. Kat and Poe had been so loud for so long that I jumped at the chance to work on something else when they quieted some. ANYWAYS I hope you like this next chapter and happy holidays!

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Once the connection ended, Kat made her way back to the control station. She didn't know what Ben had to do but she couldn't dwell on that. She had a Resistance to lead and a plan to create. Poe looked towards her, tears in his eyes, when she approached, D'Acy having just delivered that the First Order had destroyed Kijimi.

"What's happened?" She asked, placing a hand on his arm, concern written all over her face.

He winced slightly at the tenderness he still had after the bacta treatment for his arm. Kat noticed and figured that was where he had been shot. She gently swiped her thumb over the spot, trying to soothe any aching as she waited for him to tell her what was going on.

"A blast from a Star Destroyer has just destroyed the entire planet of Kijimi." He told her and she immediately brought him into a hug.

"When did Star Destroyers have that kind of gun power?" Kat asked as she pulled away to face the others standing at the main console. She slid her hand into his while she waited for an answer. He gave her hand a squeeze and she turned back briefly, smiling softly before returning to business.

"It was a ship out of the new Sith fleet, out of the unknowns," D'Acy answered.

Beaumont came around from the other console to speak with the group. "The Emperor sent a ship from Exegol. Does that mean that the entire fleet..."

"Has planet-killing weapons." Poe finished the other man's thought. "Of course they do. All of them. This is how he ends it."

Some static started to come through their main communications hub as a new message from the Emperor was sent out. "Listen. It's on every frequency." Rose pointed out.

"The Resistance is dead. The Sith flame will burn." Beaumont translated from the muffled sound. "All worlds, surrender or die. The Final Order begins."

Everyone turned to Kat and Poe, who then turned to look at each other. Tears sprang to her eyes. Would she ever stop crying today? There was so much coming at her and this was easily becoming the fight of their lives and neither newly appointed general was confident in their leading abilities.

"I need a moment." Kat gasped out before hurrying off to Leia's quarters.

Rose started to go after her but Poe stopped her. "I got this, this time." They both shared a small smile before Poe hurried off after Kat.

He found her at the side of Leia's bed, head buried in her arms as her shoulders shook as she cried. He made sure to announce his arrival before sitting down next to her. When she still didn't look up, he touched her arm gently. "You know I think I prefer the pacing to this." He said, trying to get some kind of reaction out of her.

She let out a strangled laugh and finally raised her head to look at him. "How are we supposed to do this, Poe? All of our previous plans ended horribly. Now we're up against a massive fleet with Death Star level weapons on all of the ships? How are we supposed to win this one?"

"I gotta be honest, Kat. I'm not really sure. I don't know how Leia did this. How you do this. I'm not ready for this but I will be by your side however you need me to be."