Solo's Jedi ~Poe Dameron/Star Wars ~

Chapter Twenty Two: Help

"Dad!" I hissed excitedly, running down the remaining corridor to my father.

"Luci!" He called to me, engulfing me into a tight hug once I was close enough. He pulled away, holding my arms still, to look me up and down, examining me carefully to check for injuries.

"I'm okay," I promised before he could ask. "I'm fine,"

"Are you sure? Your mother felt him hurting you," he said the last part sharply, like it angered him to say.

"Nothing Uncle Luke's training hadn't prepared me for," I brushed his worry off, smiling, though it hurt to think of Luke after he'd appeared to me. "Dad, I'm really sorry for the way I acted before. You were right, I was acting like a child. But I understand now, and that's okay. Mum was right, Ben's our priority, and then Uncle Luke,"

He looked at me, almost surprised, a small smile creeping into his face. He looked a little relieved as he "Luce... You're a good kid,"

"And you're a nerd herder," I grinned, hitting his arm. "Come on, let's go home,"

As I turned, I was met with a big hairy wall. I'd walked straight into Chewie, though he didn't seem to care as he pulled me into a tight hug, his large hands stroking my back as he roared something at me.

"I know he cares, he's not that much of a fool," I grinned in response to the wookiee, smiling into his fur. "Neither are you, you big walking carpet, I love you too,"

"Hey!" Dad called, rolling his eyes at my hug with Chewie, as well as the embrace Finn and Rey were caught in. "We'll all have a reunion party back at the resistance, I'll bring the cake. Escape now, hug later?"

"Hypocrite," I muttered to Chewie as we began to make our way outside the base, my wookiee uncle grunting in agreement. "Hey dad, do you have my weapons?"

"Here," Finn offered, holding my lightsaber and blaster out. Grinning, I put my blaster back in the holster, tossing my lightsaber between hands. As it fell into the grip of my left hand, I felt it sting, the pain of the old wound on my left arm still aching despite it being almost six years.

"Thanks, buddy," I grinned, despite the pain in my arm. I pulled Finn info a hug, before saying, "This rebel business suits you,"

"Thanks, I think," he said as a faint flicker of a smile crossed his face. "We need to get out of here,"

"It's freezing outside," Dad told Rey and I, though we'd both already noticed, considering we were only stood by the thick metal door inside the base and could already see our breath, the hairs on my neck standing to attention in response of the cold.

I looked over at Rey and noticed she was shivering. Finn noticed too, as he offered his jacket to her. She wrapped it around herself tightly, shivering into it. I pulled my own jacket closer to me, though it didn't do much, considering its thin material was sewn to be a streamlined outfit for fighting. Dad noticed and took off his own leather jacket, tossing it to me.

"Are you sure?" I frowned as he shrugged.

"What sort of father would I be if I didn't give you my coat?" He grinned lopsidedly as I slipped the jacket on, watching as Chewie threw a thick coat at my father, before pressing the button to open the door.

As we stepped out, I felt the cold immediately bite into me, despite the two jackets. That didn't bother me though; what bothered me was the amount of X-wings in the sky. The resistance was outnumbered heavily by TIE fighters. Pilots must have been shot down, killed. My heart skipped a beat as I thought of Poe, actually dead. Izzy and Erika too, they couldn't die, I needed them, all three of them. Closing my eyes, I extended my feelings out to the X-Wings, almost sighing in relief as I felt them still up there, alive.

"Be safe, may the force be with you," I mouthed, closing my eyes slightly.

I missed them. I'd had them back, all of them, for just a few moments and now I craved to see them all again, Poe, Izzy and Erika. I wanted to be with them, wanted to spend long evenings sat out by the ships, sitting in the corner of some storage room sneaking drinks from hip flasks, curling up by fires we'd lit out in the clearings we'd camp in during our watch over base. All the memories I'd treasured from my teenage years, I wanted them to happen again, except in a time that didn't taste bittersweet, to make memories in a galaxy that isn't war-torn.

Then I sensed something different. A feeling of loss, death. It made me run cold, in a way the weather couldn't. If we didn't do something, didn't help, I would lose them, and not just my friends, the resistance would be lost too, and then the whole galaxy would be lost to the darkness.

"They're losing," I heard Rey say, speaking my thoughts. I wondered if she felt it too, or if it was just stating the obvious. I assumed the latter, though it made me feel sick.

"We need to do something, this is our fight as much as it is there's," I bit my lip, thinking of Poe, and my mum back at the resistance base.

"We've got a bag of explosives, how about we help that way?" Dad suggested, his hand squeezing my shoulder. I nodded, turning to face him again.

"Back inside," I directed, remembering all the times I'd led operations for the resistance (all twice, since after the last one I was arrested and then my mother said it'd be safer for me to stay at base). "Rey, we need you to hack us into the main operations deck, it's over there I think, Finn stick with her. When the doors are open, we'll go inside and blow that place up. Then we can go home,"

The word home made me smile, though the rest of them were too busy thinking my plan through to notice, not that I minded. The plan was dangerous, had obvious holes and risks within it, only thought up moments ago but yet we were now relying on it for the survival of the resistance, and so, us too. If our survival relied on it, we were pretty much screwed, though I was fine with that. From the age of fourteen, I knew I'd die fighting against the First Order, so although this situation wasn't ideal for the rest of them, it was expected for me.

"May the force be with us," I closed the discussion, not wanting a sentimental goodbye whilst people were dying. "Rey, remember your promise, Finn, don't die, buddy,"

I grabbed Dad's arm, pulling him away in the direction, trying not to look behind me, where the conflict was still unfold.

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Word count: 1179

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I'm sorry this is such a long time coming! I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter!
~Olivia