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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• p. dameron •
I LEARN NOW THAT YOU WON'T RECEIVE MY LETTERS UNTIL MUCH LATER AFTER I'VE WRITTEN THEM, but I promised that I'd write to you and I'm keeping that promise. You know me—I don't break promises. I miss home. I never, in all of my life, ever thought I'd hear myself say that I missed home. But I really do miss home. I miss you especially. I'm so homesick, it makes me nauseous. I can't wait to go back someday and see you again. — Poe Dameron
"Poe, is it?" Someone above me asks.
I turn my head, spotting a girl with tanned skin standing above me. She has her hands wrapped around her upper arms.
"Hi, I'm uh—Never mind. It doesn't matter who I am. I'm Jess. Jess Pava. I've been watching your work since you got here. Your rank—it's quite impressive. And how you pioneered that maneuver without ever having been in an X-Wing? Utterly brilliant!" She exclaims.
I bite my lip, then twist to spin around to face in her direction.
"Oh, so you're the observer?" I ask. "I've heard about you."
She cocks an eyebrow, shaking her head. I look back down at my letter.
"Heard about me? Like what? What have you heard about me?" She asks.
I look back up at her, shrugging. I haven't heard much about her except that she likes to observe people. I look back down at my letter. She grabs the pad of paper out of my hand.
"Hey!" I exclaim. "Give that back. That's private information."
She shakes her head, holding the paper above our heads.
"Then tell me what you've heard about me! Tell me who spoke to you about me!" She shouts.
I shake my head, standing. I reach for the paper but she lowers her hand and hides it behind her back.
"Give that back, now. That belongs to me and I really don't feel like hurting you." I say.
She shakes her head, sighing.
"Sorry, Poe. If you want this back, you're gonna tell me who told you about me. Unless you want me to tear this bad boy to pieces. I'm not above that. So, what's it gonna be?" She asks.
I'd really not like to spend the other half of my time re-writing a letter to my father. I have no choice.
"I was talking to the other pilots—Snap, Karé, a couple of others. It wasn't anything bad. They were just talking about how you observe people." I say.
She nods. She removes her hand from her back and hands me the letter.
"Here you are. One un-torn letter for your attempts at becoming a slightly decent person." She says.
She shakes her head, walking away. She stops at the edge of my bunk, sighing heavily.
"I just don't get it—you're not like them." She says.
I cock an eyebrow, setting down my paper on my bed in a safe place to avoid wrinkling it.
"I'm not like what? Is there something I'm not getting here?" I ask.
She spins around on her heel to look at me, her face twisted with anger.
"Your parents! Both of your parents were the greatest Early Gens heroes the Resistance has ever seen, other than the General, Han, and Luke Skywalker, yet, you're nothing like them." She says. "Your parents had a craving to be the best people they could be. But you... you've already picked two fights in the couple weeks you've been here. Nearly every person you meet isn't high enough for your standards. You don't get to be an ass with such great lineage. So, fix your attitude before someone with authority fixes it for you."
She stomps away, leaving me stunned.
* * * * *
"Snap, am I an Ass?" I ask Snap as we wait in line for food.
The line is obnoxiously long and I must resist the urge to bitch about it any more than I already have in fear that I may drive Snap to decapitate himself with his spoon.
"What? What makes you ask that?" Snap asks, checking his watch for the 50th time since we stepped into the line.
I cock an eyebrow.
"Snap, is that sarcasm I sense in your voice?" I ask.
He chuckles, shrugging.
"I don't know. Is it?" He asks, causing me to groan out in agony.
"Snap, this is highly serious! Am I an ass or not?" I ask.
We finally reach the dinnerware selection and I grab a plate.
He sighs, shrugging.
"Lately, you've been kinda sharp with everyone. But, I have no clue what you were like before, so..." He says.
I bite my lip.
"Damn," I say. "I've gotta stop this now before it becomes an even worse habit. I'm gonna be a more optimistic person from now on. Starting right now, I drop the 'ass' attitude. I'm being a better person from here on out."
Snap cocks an eyebrow and snorts quickly before regaining his composure.
"Yeah, sure. Good luck with that, bud." He says.
I shake my head, jumping in front of him, stopping him before he can walk away.
"No, Snap, wait. I'm being serious! I can prove it!" I say.
I look around the Dining hall for Jess. I spot her sitting at a table with Karé and a couple of the other female Pilot trainees as well as some of the medical staff. I run over to her, tapping her shoulder.
"Jess," I say. "I wanted to apologize for our argument earlier. I shouldn't have been so rude to you. You were right. My parents would have wanted me to be more polite. So, I'm trying. I kind of suck at this, but I'll get better, though."
Jess looks up at me and nods, sighing as she stands from her seat.
"Thank you, Poe. I really appreciate that." She says.
I walk away and return to Snap.
"See?" I ask. "I was the bigger person and apologized! Does that prove that I'm turning over a new leaf? That I'm trying?"
He nods, smiling.
"I'm proud of you, Poe. But, just one thing—" He says. "You lost your spot in line."
I look down the length of the line and groan.
"Dammit!" I groan out, starved after all of the work we've done today, as well as the fact that I missed Lunch too.
"Hey, I thought you turned over a new leaf. That you were going to be more optimistic." He mocks.
I groan and stomp multiple times and start the long walk to the end of the line.
