Kyber Heart - Poe Dameron

Chapter 13

Maz slipped away from the table, giving the reunited father and daughter some time alone to figure everything out.

Nova sighed, looking back down at the table for lack of a better option.

Han continued to stare at her in shock. Now that he saw her, she could not possibly be anyone else.

She had changed so much – no longer an impassioned, scrappy girl, but a mature, competent woman.

Not just a survivor. A soldier.

"Why didn't you come home?"

She shifted in her seat. "I couldn't."

"Why?"

"Because I failed. Because I wasn't the chosen child; I was never good enough. Because it was my fault, and I couldn't stop him!" Her voice had risen, now sharp like wind in a hurricane.

"I thought you were dead!" Han exclaimed.

"That was the idea." It was an unkind thing to say, but it was the unfortunate truth. The whole ordeal was unkind.

She ran a hand over her face and sighed. "I'm sorry, I – I thought Mom told you..."

Han looked down at the table. He had ignored most transmissions sent by Leia, foolishly. And then, when he had lost possession of the Falcon, it had not crossed his mind to try and contact her anyway.

By that time, he had lost hope that their daughter was still out there somewhere. Again, foolish.

"Nova –"

"You don't need to say you're sorry. I know what he meant to you," she muttered, her voice bitter. She had averted her gaze to the floor.

"What both of you meant to me," he corrected gently.

"Don't lie. I never lived up to my potential. What you and Mom wanted for me."

"We thought it was what was best for you."

"Well, you were wrong."

"I know." He stood, moving to the seat beside her. "Nova, look at me."

Begrudgingly, she obliged.

"This wasn't your fault, d'you hear me? There's nothing any of us could have done to stop this."

"I could have stopped him."

"We both know that isn't you."

She blinked, a single tear falling to her cheek. She swallowed the lump in her throat.

It used to be her.

"I wanted to make you proud."

"You've certainly done that," he smiled, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Resistance captain. Top pilot – I can take credit for that, right?"

Nova chuckled. "A little."

"Good enough for me."

All activity fell silent around the room as someone entered, urging them all in horror to come outside.

Nova and Han exchanged a worried glance as they followed the crowd, pushing their way to the front as they filed out of the building. Even Chewie joined them from the Falcon.

All eyes had turned to the sky, where a light had appeared. A light so bright it pieced the daylight in a streak of scarlet. Its origin was unknown, but whispers were going around – a star going nova and the like – but that was too simple. Too insignificant.

And Nova could feel it. She did not want to, but she had no choice. The millions of souls crying out from a million parsecs away were impossible not to feel.