Star Wars IX- Balance Of The Force

Chapter 12 - The Escape Plan

Colonel Poe Dameron stood to attention at the holo table at the command centre at the Resistance's base on Ealor. He was waiting for the other leaders to join the meeting; he needed to speak to Princess Leia, General Organa, head of the New Republic, and General Calrissian, Leia's second in command, with regard to the New Republic's leaders. Colonel Dameron was also waiting on the heads of the Resistance:- Admiral Nunb and General Ematt. All the Resistances' previous leaders, most notably the renowned Admiral Ackbar, were dead after the First Order attack after fleeing D'Qar. Those who were left had to step in and step up, including Poe. Colonel Poe Dameron did have a nice ring to it, but as a result of his promotion, he'd been sitting or standing at this table more and more. What he had to tell the other leaders was mostly bad news. Some information was interesting information, but nothing that would necessarily lead anywhere but to more bad news.

R2-D2 had returned to base without Rey; this hadn't been wholly a surprise if she'd been able to capture Kylo Ren with the ground fighters on Fondor that had been the plan. However, from the open comms device Rey had been wearing, R2-D2 was able to ascertain that the ground troops were mostly dead on arrival. R2-D2 had overheard her encounter with Kylo Ren, and R2 had gone on to beep animatedly that Kylo Ren had turned on his Knights and that Rey and the Supreme Leader had fled- together! Poe had asked R2 many questions, but the droid had said the comms device had cut out. R2 assumed due to the transport in which Rey had fled, leaving planetside and had, as ordered, returned to base. Although all this news had alarmed Poe, the information that followed had given Poe every reason to fear and request this meeting with the other leaders.

After Crait, Finn had come to Leia with a suggestion- infiltrate the First Order. He had given a good argument. Most stormtroopers like Finn had no choice in their membership. They were programmed from childhood, if not from birth, to be soldiers and obey. They were nameless and, with the helmets on, faceless soldiers. In the troops' barracks, however, when given time to rest and eat, troopers interacted with each other. They were a close-knit team, even friends. Given the option to be something else, anything else, or have a genuine home, how many stormtroopers might also deflect? Finn's plan was for a few Resistance members to infiltrate each ship and recruit, potentially bringing the First Order down from the inside or providing useful intelligence. Finn had trained a small group- enough for one to two on each ship, eventually increasing that number over time. He'd taught them fighting styles, how to stand, and how to respond to the higher officers. When a conflict of low significance they knew about was taking place, they'd capture a lone stormtrooper or two- swap the clothes and a Resistance fighter had taken their place aboard the returning shuttle. The captured stormtroopers were then given a choice- freedom or join the Resistance. Poe had been surprised that all had chosen the Resistance. Finn reminded him, however, that it wasn't necessarily because they believed in the cause; it was more likely because they had nowhere else to go. Every stormtrooper was an orphan, and the First Order was their home.

Poe had received his recent worrying and dreadful news from three separate resistance fighters within the First Order. Both Jakub and Kira had made contact from onboard the Supremacy, and then equivalent information from Altor on one of the Dreadnaughts had confirmed the situation. Poe was pulled out of these deliberations when the holo table in front of him finally came to life- Leia, Nunb and Ematt greeted him.

"Good morning. Princess, we've had intel that I feel you all should be aware of. I've called you here to discuss our next steps".

Even through the hologram, Poe could see Leia cringe when he called her Princess. The members of the New Republic had insisted she no longer be referred to as General. As the leader of the Resistance, she'd been General Organa. As the voice of the New Republic, her former title was necessary- they had said. Necessary; how could you call yourself a Princess when the world you were a Princess on was long gone, had been Leia's argument? Her annoyance had simply amused Poe; the memory of what Lor San Tekka had said stirred 'To me, she's royalty', and she was. Leia had told Poe once about her mother, not her adopted mother who was, in fact, Queen of Alderaan, but her birth mother- Padme Amidala, once Queen of Naboo. Apparently, on Naboo, Queen was a political title, someone voted into power to serve the Senate. Poe had smiled at her and told her to consider the title Princess to be the same thing. The Resistance and Republic had voted, and she was their leader, their voice. That had brought an end to her arguments, but she still grimaced whenever someone said it.