CONSTELLATIONS | Poe Dameron

CHAPTER XXXIX

"L.T. one got by me!"

"I see him, I see him." The fighter was on my tail, but I pulled up and locked down my ship causing the TIE to get slightly ahead of me before it could turn around. I pressed the trigger and let one shot out, destroying the enemy ship, but I didn't have time to celebrate.

I narrowly missed more shots as I flew around the disintegrating Order formation. Rose and the Devaronians were making quick work of the group, but a few strong TIE pilots were making us work for it.

"I've got some I can't shake!" I heard Nafay say through the radio.

Despite the two I was trying to out-maneuver, I knew I was close enough to her to help. Pulling down, I saw Rose coming towards our end as well. "Rose, I'll take the left," I said as I closed in. She shifted to the right side, and almost simultaneously we shot the TIE's from the sky, freeing Nafay for a moment.

Unfortunately, one of the pests still following me clipped the edge of one of my wings, rocking me in the cockpit. I groaned loudly. Poe would kill me.

"I could use a little help here guys!" It was a free-for-all now. The First Order's formation was completely gone and now it was all a fight to outrun and out-shoot the other side.

Rose's voice filled my ear. "I'll pull one of them away!" And she broke off, taking one of the fighters with her on her tail.

The one behind me began to rain down shots, and I spun the ship several times, letting the blasts fly by the wings. After steadying it out, I gave myself a moment to think. Up ahead, Daak had a TIE following closely behind him. If I timed it right, I could squeeze between them and have the TIE's collide.

But I'd have to hurry.

"It'd be real great to have BB-8 right about now," I mumbled under my breath as I prepared to launch the ship. I pulled to the left one more time before punching the ship forward, making sure the fighter was following. The space between Daak and his tracker was closing, and I was beginning to second-guess my shoot the gap plan.

Maybe it was a good thing BB-8 wasn't here. He'd be on the fritz.

"What are you doing?!" Daak yelled once he noticed me.

I smirked, "Hopefully getting rid of these fighters without dying in the process!"

The gap was thin as I went through it on the X-wing's side, and I pulled up and back over just as the TIE's collided.

Daak began laughing. "Damn L.T.! Who taught you moves like that?"

"Just some Resistance pilot," I replied through my grin, already turning towards the others that were continuing to fight.

Tigua's voice was loud when it came over our radios. "Well if that pilot taught you any more tricks, I sure would like to know some!" My eyes found her ship, seeing she was being chased by a handful of enemy ships.

To be honest, I thought the attack was going to be much shorter than it was. We miscalculated the number of TIE fighters, but we were able to adapt and hold our own against them. There were plenty of near misses that had me holding my breath or sending a curse over the radio. But damn could his team fight.

We surrounded the last two ships, easily picking them off. The five Devaronians cheered and didn't stop even as we touched back down on the planet that now had clear skies. I climbed down the ladder with stiff limbs, barely able to drop my helmet before Daak picked me up, crushing me with his large frame.

I laughed as he shook me back and forth, my legs dangling like a pendulum. "Great work out there, Daak!"

The others joined our celebration with rare displays of affection. Rose and I stood off to the side, watching our new friends celebrate their victory together. Other Devaronians began to fill the hangar to join in. I felt a presence walk up behind me and I turned, bowing slightly when I saw Yunish.