Poe Dameron - Reentry: A Love Story

Part 1: Yavin

I was so optimistic on the first day of my pilot training program. I had worked so hard to get in, and was dead set on making a name for myself. That changed the minute Poe Dameron sauntered through the door.

That morning, I had arrived early to class. I was the first one in, and I slowly scoped out the other students. By the time our instructor had introduced himself, I had a handle on how the program might shake out. I was the only female student in attendance. The others were eager young men from around Yavin 4. I knew most of them by reputation. They were all great pilots, but I was pretty sure I had them all beat. My test scores and flight demonstrations to get into the program had been exemplary. I was going to graduate at the top of the class. Enter Poe Dameron.

Our instructor had just begun to talk us through the upcoming training modules, when a lone figure appeared in the doorway of the room. He rapped his knuckles on the door frame loudly, garnering the attention of everyone in the room. I recognized him immediately, but couldn't believe my eyes.

"Ahhh." Said our instructor.

"Mr. Dameron, how good of you to join us, I was wondering if you'd show."

Poe Dameron nodded and flashed a smile at the instructor. I knew that smile. Poe was a bit of a local celebrity. The golden boy of Yavin 4 whose parents had been heroes of the Rebellion against the Empire. Poe's mother had been an incredible pilot. She had passed away a few years ago from an illness, and Poe took it exceptionally hard. It landed him in trouble with the Yavin Defense Force.
The last I heard, he had left Yavin 4 for a joyride around the galaxy with a crew of spice-runners. There were rumors that he had gotten into some extremely illicit work.

I hadn't seen him in 2 years, but he looked good. He had the same mischievous grin and wavy black hair that I remembered. Now though, his jaw seemed more defined, and his forearms looked stronger. His once-smooth chin had some stubble on it. He had always been confident, but now he had a swagger of someone who had seen danger and survived it. There was a rugged edge to him that was hard to define but easy to see. I guessed that a year or so of spice-running with criminals would do that.

"I wasn't sure I would show up either." Poe said to our instructor.

I saw him glance around the room, eyeing the other students.

"But hey, what else is there to do on this rock?"

I sighed silently. Poe was cocky as hell, but he had the talent to back it up. I'd seen him fly before. He wasn't just good. He had been a prodigy. If I had any desire to make a name for myself during this program, I was going to have to ignore Poe Dameon, and somehow outfly him as well. Shit I thought.
Only Jedi perform miracles.