The Dark Side

~22~

An eerie quiet had fallen over the ship. The hallways were empty. Silence reigned. No sound of sirens, not even the faintest whisper of boots on the metal floors.

All was still.

Neri'el kept going through plans in her head. She needed to find Poe and escape. Every idea that crossed her mind was more outlandish and desperate with every lost minute.

She could take out this guard and run, but where to? Even with her extensive stay aboard StarKiller Base, she still had no clue where anything was. Except for the med bay, possibly.

Perhaps she could use a mind trick on this guard and convince him to take her to a ship? But without anyone noticing? That was unlikely.

The best thing she could do was wait. And be patient.

Two things Neri'el hated to do more than anything.

It fought against her very being.

She wanted to act. To escape. To bring down The First Order. To avenge Tekka's death.

But no. That could not be her mission. Revenge was not the Jedi way. Revenge did nothing but destroy the avenger.

As she pondered this, a hand closed on her upper arm and dragged her into the nearest room.

She yanked herself free immediately and got into a fighting stance, fully prepared to fight her way out.

"Whoa, Neri! It's me!" the trooper said pulling off his mask.

A sweaty looking Poe Dameron grinned over at the girl as he clutched his mask under his arm.

"Poe?" Neri'el asked, obviously surprised.

"That's my name," the cocky man said still smiling. His pearly teeth shone out in the dimly lighted room.

Neri'el felt herself mimic his smile slightly. But just as soon as it appeared, it vanished.

"What are you doing here, Poe?" she asked seriously, "What happened on Jakku? And what happened to the map?"

Poe's smile faded slowly.

"Well first off, I'm here to save you, of course," he said trying to maintain his aura of cheerfulness but losing it completely with his next statement. "Everyone in the village is dead. Ren had them all murdered." Poe's face twisted. "I'm sorry about Tekka. I know how much he meant to you."

Neri'el's throat went dry. She had know it was coming. But that didn't soften the blow. Her mentor was gone.

Poe placed a hand on her shoulder, his brown eyes filled with empathy.

"I'm so sorry, Neri'el."

She nodded, refusing to break down.

"Wha-" her voice broke and she paused. Pain raged within her, tearing her apart. Every moment with the man she could have called her second father appeared in her memory. His warm smile, his wizened hands holding her own when she most needed it, his laugh that revealed slightly crooked teeth and his patience that spread from his very soul. For a moment, Neri'el could see him in her mind's eye, raising a hand in one last farewell.

Poe's hand squeezed her shoulder, bringing her back into reality. Neri'el took a shuddering breath then she regained control.

"What happened to the map?" She asked, finally able to look up and meet Poe's gaze.

His frown grew larger and a small worried crease appeared between his eyebrows.