Will of the Many~ Poe Dameron

So you want to start a war...

Sticks and stones may build a throne but you'll be up there all alone...

-Unknown

"Whatever you do... stay behind me." She took a short step into the hangar to give them the space to collect behind her. "I can protect you as long as you're behind me." 

"Serena-"

She cocked her head to the side just enough to catch Poe's gaze in her peripherals while still keeping an eye on Ren. "Do you trust me?" 

The tips of his eyebrows rose at the long running question between them. She watched the flash of recognition light in them like an ember over a flame. "On a good day." 

She swallowed and looked back to meet Kylo Ren's gaze straight on. The weight of his gaze stiffened her shoulders until her back ached, but she didn't dare let herself relax in his presence.

"Let's hope it's a good day."

Kylo Ren's anger stole all the heat from the room until she felt like she stepped back onto her home planet. Yet, there was no soft recognition of Csilla. No, all she felt was cold. A numbing, encompassing chill. 

She raised her chin as she strode to the middle of the hangar, getting Finn, Chewie and Poe closer to their freighter as discretely as she possibly could. 

Kylo Ren matched each of her steps until he met them in the middle. He stood closer to them than his own team of Storm Troopers lining the far right wall.  

She stopped abruptly and watched as his hand inched towards the hilt of his lightsaber. Her eyes dropped to the deadly device strapped to his hip. He hadn't drawn it yet. Yet. 

She lifted her gaze back to his black helmet to see it had been stitched back together with red lead. The black shined until the lights above reflected off of it to create distorted images that seemed to taunt her. 

The soft rattle of footsteps caused her to turn back. Coming from both entrances were long lines of Troopers, all armed with heavy artillery. She watched them file in along the back of the hangar, but none of them approached. 

Their lack of shooting made a trickle of sweat start at the nape of her neck. She begrudgingly looked back to Kylo Ren to see his hands lift to the helm of his helmet. Her eyes widened as she watched him release the pressure and lift the black, broken mask from his head. 

Under it she caught side of his pale, taut skin. The angry scar plagued the entirety of his left cheek and cut up through his eyebrow. Even from feet away she could see the tattered edges from a hacked healing job. 

His raven black hair fell to the top of his shoulders and pushed back from his face to allow her to see deep into his dark, endless eyes. 

"You said you wanted to surrender," his voice boomed through the wide hangar, roaring over the dozens of footsteps and muttering of machines, or maybe Serena was intuned to it. Maybe, like Poe, she had an inkling of his voice that allowed her to hear him no matter what. 

She pushed the thought aside as she took a small step towards the lowered ramp of their freighter. As she stepped Kylo Ren took his own further into the hangar. 

"Your officers were stupid enough to believe my lie," she openly taunted him and his precious First Order. "It allowed my vessel access to your hangar... you need better officers." She spat the insult as she took another step towards the freighter. 

His top lip snarled back as he lifted an angry hand out towards her. 

Her hand instinctively fell to the hilt of her lightsaber, but his aim wasn't directed towards her.