Flyboy: Poe Dameron

Arrival at Kessel

Poe came back to the cockpit just as we were dropping out of hyperspace. We were greeted by a planet that looked rather unassuming, but I knew that wasn't the case. 

"Have you ever been to Kessel before?" I asked Poe. 

"A very long time ago," he answered. He looked worried, almost as if he was reminded of something he'd rather forget. I wondered what he was thinking about, but thought it best not to ask. 

I piloted through the atmosphere and saw the planet's surface for the first time. Mines covered the rocky terrain. Steam was rising through vents and it seemed the entire planet was enveloped in a warm yellow hue. There was a giant black structure located in the middle of a mine that towered over everything and dwarfed the buildings in the surrounding area. It was the First Order base. 

"Land over there, it looks clear." Poe pointed at a small deserted landing site. 

I directed the ship towards the pad and parked it with a small thud. I got up, but Poe hesitated. "Are you okay?" I asked. Poe sighed. "Yeah, I'm fine. Let's go." We made our way to the cargo bay and the exit. The door opened with a whoosh and we stepped outside.  

It was hot, sticky hot, the kind of hot that makes you sweat without even moving. I hated this type of climate and was not looking forward to having to work in it. 

Poe had already climbed down to the double doors that connected the pad to the entrance. Eager to begin I guess, I thought. He knelt down and opened up a control panel, crossing some wires and fiddling with the inner workings. In no time, the doors flew open. 

We walked inside, the stark interior greeting us as we made our way deeper and deeper. We had only been walking for a little while, using a map Leia gave us as a guide, when I heard the unmistakable sound of troopers. Before I knew it, they had spotted us and started shooting. I grabbed Poe by the arm just in time before a blaster bolt that nearly hit him struck the back of a wall. 

"Thanks," he said. 

"Don't mention it." 

The two of us ran the other way, eager to escape the barrage of bolts headed in our direction.  

We ran for what seemed like forever and stopped to catch our breath in a secluded corridor. But, I knew we had to keep moving. Officials were alerted to our presence and squadrons of troops were now looking for us.   

"Well, that didn't go as planned," Poe laughed. "Yeah, no shit," I replied while pulling out the map and seeing that we were completely turned around. We needed to make our way west again to reach the vault were the schematics were being kept. 

"We need to go back, get the plans, and then get the hell out of here."

"I was thinking the exact same thing," Poe said. Just as he said that, I felt something heavy land on my head. I fell down, but stayed conscious just long enough to see Poe beaten down by troopers before the world went black.