hyperspace! → star wars ✓

xiii. responsibilities

"Exactly," Poe interrupted. Finn must have realized it too, because his eyes widened.

"Where'd the crystal critters go?" They all looked around once more, this time hoping to find a stray that could show them the way. Nova's gaze soon fell upon one, one that made eye contact with her.

"There," she whispered, pointing to the one she saw, and Poe looked just in time for it to turn and trot away.

"Follow me," said Poe, and while Nova and Finn began to head that way, the others looked to Leia. The woman looked amused.

"What are you looking at me for? Follow him." And so they all broke out into a jog, following the creature through the base until they reached the exit...not that it was much of an exit. It was blocked by rocks, far too many for them to move, and they watched as the creature squeezed through the smallest of openings, leaving them to their dismay.

Nova heard Poe shout, but her mind had wandered elsewhere, as she was distracted by the feeling of a familiar presence, one that was incredibly near. It wasn't her brother, nor was it Luke—it was Rey, and she was just outside the opening. Suddenly, Nova was given a newfound optimism about the whole situation, and a faint smile danced across her features.

"What the hell are we supposed to do now?!" Poe panicked, but Nova knew the answer.

"Patience," she told him, and she could feel his exasperated look without even glancing his way.

"Patience?! I don't know if you've noticed, Solo, but—wow." His expression was replaced by one of surprise, and his gaze was no longer on her, but instead the exit. The rocks began to move, clearing the way until there was a perfect path through the snow to the Falcon, which was parked just outside. Nova looked to Rey, and the two exchanged a certain look that said more than words ever could.
"And you knew this was going to happen?" Poe asked Nova quietly, and she just chuckled and headed for the freighter.

Nova stood just outside the ship's ramp, keeping watch as everyone loaded up; she was far more hopeful than she had been before, but she still didn't want to take any chances of being snuck up on. It was as the last few boarded that she felt something, something that made her heart sink. She looked up the ramp at Rey, and she knew the young woman had felt it too. It was a solemn moment, but there was something about the moment that brought Nova some relief. It wasn't a devastating feeling like the one that had stunned her following her father's death; as she felt Luke fade away, she knew that he was at peace, content, and that he died the way he would have wanted to. He went out with purpose, on his own terms, and that brought her a great deal of comfort.

"Solo." Nova's gaze snapped to her left, the voice of Poe Dameron bringing her back to the present. They had to go, the First Order would surely be there any moment. She had to go, no matter how easy it would have been for her to stand there and think for the rest of the day.
"You good?"

"I'm good," she replied, and she really did mean it. He nodded, then the pair boarded the ship.

The Millenium Falcon took off moments later, and Nova found herself sitting beside her mother, allowing herself to relax into the bench.

"He sacrificed himself for the Resistance," the younger of the two murmured, and the older donned the faintest of smiles as she thought of her brother.

"He wouldn't have wanted to go out any other way." Nova let out a soft chuckle.

"I shouldn't be surprised. He always did have a flair for the dramatics." Leia scoffed.