The girls and I spend the next hour telling each other our experiences on the mission, from the air, D'Qar, and Starkiller. We all decide to go to the command center where we think Poe will be and when we get there we see Snap and Poe laughing with each other. When we get over we join their conversation and Poe puts his arm around me, smiling. While they are busy with whatever they're talking about I can't help but notice BB-8 and a newly awake R2-D2 in the corner beeping at each other with C3PO and Chewy next to them. I nudge Poe next to me, "Guys, R2 is activated again."
"Wha-" Poe says while turn to where I was point, cutting himself off at the sight. "He hasn't been working since Luke vanished." Snap says. The old droid goes up to a surprised Leia and pulls up a map, with a missing piece out of it, a missing piece that Beebee has. BB-8 quirkily rolls up to Poe beeping quickly at him that he needs the map. "I know buddy one second." Poe says, running to the center console and ejecting the map we were using early. He puts the map back into the droids system and Beebee runs to R2, virtually plugging in the missing piece, showing the full map. The full picture of what Leia has been looking for for years. "Luke" she quietly says to herself while everyone else gasps with joy.
I see Leia walk up to Rey telling her something that seems important but Poe just turns around with a big smile on his face and hugs me quickly. "My mission wasn't for nothing!" He says, making me laugh. "I going to my room to get freshened up, do you want to come?" He asks me but before I was able to respond, I feel a hand on my back, a hand that belonged to Leia. "Sorry Poe but I need to talk to her for a little bit." He nods and walks off in the direction of his room, leaving me with the General. "Can we talk in my office, I need to show you something."
"For sure." I saw and she smiles before turning around and heading to her office that is right across the hallway. I enter the room and sit across from her desk like I normally would. Leia takes a deep breath before speaking, almost as if she's preparing herself. "I am sending Rey to go to Luke, so she can train, I'm sure you can sense that she is most defiantly force sensitive." I nod, it was very obvious how powerful Rey was, almost that she was too powerful. "However, I knew since the moment I first saw her that she didn't have just any power, it was dark and powerful."
"Me too, she told me able what she saw when she picked up Luke's saber." Leia nods and continues, "I hope you know that this will stay solely between us, not even Poe can know." she pauses, and I'm slightly scared to know what she will say. "Yes of course." Leia's demeanor changes to very serious. "I think. No. I know that she is a Palpatine, she is his granddaughter." the air is taken out of me when I found this out, it makes so much sense, but it is also very dangerous. "I want her to figure out herself before she has the pressures of her family against her. Thats why she's going to Lukes." I nod, agreeing with her, I just hope that her hiding this from Rey doesn't turn into what happened when she hid Ben's grandfather from him.
"I was originally thinking I wanted you to go with her, but a message I got while you were in the clinic for you arm changes it all." I nod, scared for what she's about to play. She turns on her hologram system and the face of mother showing up is not what I expected and when I heard her voice for the first time in over a year my chest tightened.
"Leia, I hope you are able to get this message, I've heard about all of your successes recently with the Resistance and I'm so happy you're doing well. You probably know about the terrors that have been going on in my Kingdom but I am happy to say that the First Order left our Kingdom. The left us with horrible economy and destroyed architecture but they left. I do not know why, I think it had to do with our inconvenient location, but we signed a treaty and they left us. I have not heard from my darling Elise, she may still be on Tatooine but if what I hope is true she is with the Resistance. Please send a response back if you have any clue where my girl is, May the Force be with you and the Resistance."
As soon as the message stopped I had tears of joy and sadness running down my face. She looked the same except for more tired and skinnier, obviously the First Order took a huge toll onto our kingdom. "I sent her a response saying that you are safely with us, doing amazing things. However after watching this, I think that you should go to your home. Not permanently because we need you, but you need to see your mother and help get your Kingdom back on its feet. You were a princess before you were a badass Resistance member." I laugh sadly at what she said, I want to go and I know that I need to go, but what about the stability I built here. For the first time in my life I have my friends who I love and I have my Poe. "I know this is a tough decision, but at the end of the day I think you know what you need to do. You can come back to us whenever you need." It's hard to say but I basically give her my response, "And if the Resistance ever needs a new base or a place to get literally anything, we will welcome you with plenty of beds and open arms."
Leia stands up from her chair and stands there with open arms and I fall into a hug with her, for the past week Leia has been the mother that I needed and I know that she will always be that for me. Tears continue to roll down my cheeks as I hold her tight. She pulls back and wipes my tears away, "Princesses don't cry, trust me I know." I laugh and wipe my eyes, which are definitely puffy by now.
"When should I leave?" I ask with hesitation. "Well, the First Order will probably be back on their feet in no time, and we will probably have to abandon base with them knowing where we are, so although I'm selfish and don't want to see you go, I suggest you leave tonight." I nod my head and leave to say goodbye to the girls first, because Poe will be the most painful one.
As I walk around the Base that has been my home for only a small amount of time I take in the walls and the atmosphere of the laughing techs and happy computer workers. I see Connix, Paige, Jess, and Tallie all sitting together at one of the dining tables and walk up to them, "Hello beautiful." Jess says to me as I stand in front of them, "Hello my loves, can I talk to you guys, in my room?" they all look at each other confused but get up anyway, "Oh no she's breaking up with us." Connix says, jokingly. Once we get into Connix and I's bedroom I totally breakdown. I start crying heavily and the girls gather around me as I sit on the floor, "Sweet girl, what's wrong." Paige says brushing hair out of my face.
"Leia was sent a message from my mother, she's alive and the Order left my Kingdom, but they left the Kingdom as a total mess. Leia told me that I should go back, and I am, I just don't want to leave you guys. I love you guys." They all hug me, and immediately Jess started crying too. "That is such good news though, you get to see your mom!" Tallie says and I nod, agreeing.
"But you guys have been the first friends that I've truly had, I will be coming back to the Resistance, once everything is calmed down. But what if there is nothing to come back to, what if something happens to one of you guys?" They all look at the ground, knowing that I have a point. "Well, even if one of us is gone, no one is ever really gone. We will always be with each other, we love each other too much."
"When do you leave?" Jess asks, talking the quietest I've ever heard her. "As soon as I'm done saying my goodbyes, I leave. So is Rey, she's going to Skywalker." Connix asks the question everyone was thinking of, "What about Poe?" and I grow silent, I honestly don't know what he is going to say, I hope he understands. "That is the part I am dreading, it's only been a few days, but we're the closest than I have ever been to anyone. And Poe being stubborn, I don't know if he will take it as well as you guys are." I wipe away another tear. "I am sure he will understand, if he doesn't then he doesn't deserve you." Tallie says, but I notice how Jess' face stays straight, not showing emotion, and I think that she knows it won't go well. She knows him the best out of the rest of the girls.
"I think I need to go talk to Poe, but can I have a minute with Jess? I'll make sure to give you good hugs before I take off" they nod, giving me smiles and once they leave Jess tackles me with the biggest hug I've ever had. "You bitch, you're making me cry. I don't cry." Jess says into my shoulder, and I laugh a sad laugh at the typical Jess that I will miss so much. "You're my best friend, Jessika." I say with tears flowing down my face. "And you're mine, Elise." I feel her tears fall onto my neck and I can't help but laugh at how much of a mess we are.
"I know you know this already, but Poe probably isn't going to be as nice as we were." I let her go and sat on my bed and she flopped right next to me. "I know he will be sad, I just hope that he won't be angry. I don't want us to fight before I go." She nods and puts her arm around my shoulder and I put my head on hers. "Do you need help getting everything together?" Jess asks and I shake my head, "I basically have everything I came with, I just have to put some clothes in a bag." We stop when we hear a knock on my door, it's Poe I can feel it. Nerves fill my stomach as I yell a nervous "Come in" Jess waves goodbye and walks out of the room and Poe looks at her confused because he could tell she was crying.
I stand up and wipe my eyes before standing in front of Poe, he's looking back watching Jess leave, "What was that abou-" he stops when he looks at me, eyes red and puffy, just like Jess's. "Darling, are you okay, what happened." knowing this may be the last time I am able to I ignore his question for now. "Can you please kiss me, I'll tell you after." He nods suspiciously and kisses me, just like he did in his room just a day before. I kiss him with all the love I have for him in my body, and all the passion. Soon my tears mix between our lips and Poe pulls back, obviously very worried.
"Okay, Elise. Seriously what's wrong." I pull back and get ready to tell him by sitting down and taking a deep breath in. "Leia showed me a video that was sent to her by my mother. It told her that our kingdom was abandoned by the First Order and while everyone is happy about it, they left a truly damaged area economically." He nods, listening closely. "Leia told me that I should go back, not permanently but for long enough so that I can help build them back up and see my mother again." Poe stiffens next to me, "And what did you say?" He said sternly but quietly.
"I told her yes." Poe stood up from next to me, "You said what?" Poe said angrily at me. "Poe, for the last year I have though that the First Order killed my mother, or even worse my entire Kingdom. I know have a chance to go back to them, they need me." I said defensively yet still calm.
"We need you Elise! We're in the middle of a fucking war, we need every person we have. Especially you!" I shake my head, knowing this was going to end poorly. "Poe, this isn't permanent, I will be coming back. I just need to be somewhere else fighting this war."
"By the time you come back what will you be coming back to? We could easily be wiped out tomorrow, you were the one that was saying that you wanted to die for a reason, yet here you are abandoning us." Poe says loudly at me. At this point I'm mad at him too, "Poe, you have to look at this from my point of view. If you had a chance to see your mother again wouldn't you?" I hit a sensitive spot when I said this because I was given the meanest look of my life, "How dare you bring my mother into this." he said scarily quiet.
"You know that wasn't my point. My mother in my mind has been dead for a year and Im finally given the opportunity to see the one person who was always there for me. Stop being so selfish Poe, you don't want me to leave because it would risk the Resistance, you don't want me to leave because you love me and have feelings for me." I say with angry tears threatening to spill. "How could I love you Elise! You've been here not even a week." My heart shatters at this, it hurts because I know I love him with every bone in my body, and I foolishly thought that he did too.
Just as I was about to say something we are interrupted with the speakers giving us an announcement, "Everyone please make their way to the meeting center for a speech given by Leia." We look at each other again, him shaking from anger and me from hurt. "If you leave today, you shouldn't come back. You leave with everything that we could've had." Poe says, giving me an ultimatum.
I take a deep breath and shake my head, looking at him one last time,"I love you Poe Dameron, Goodbye." Is all I say as I storm out of the room quickly getting to where the rest of the resistance seems to be. I spot Jess, who seems to be looking for me, she sees me and she has a worried expression. Once she sees my pain from afar her face softens and she runs up to me. She pulls us to the back of the room so that no one can hear our conversation, "what did he say?" she whispers to me.
"He said that if I leave, I leave with everything we could've had. He said I was abandoning you guys. He also said that he doesn't love me." Her face holds sorrow for me, yet anger at Poe. She doesn't say anything, just hugs me. I try hard to keep from crying, knowing that Leia is gonna mention me leaving. As we hear Leia's voice we walk up to join the group.
"Hello you all, I know we all had a long and exciting day but I just wanted to update on our plans. Due the the Order knowing our location we must abandon beautiful D'Qar, we will be boarding the Raddus tomorrow. However, we have two powerful young ladies and one famous Wookie that won't be joining us. Rey and Chewy are going to go find Luke for us, and our lovely Elise is going back to her Kingdom, Religne, to help them with this fight. Luckily both brave ladies will be back with us one day." The Resistance claps for us and cheers, so luckily some people are happy for us.
I make my way to my ship that I will be taking and say goodbye to Rey and Chewy, telling Rey how amazing she will be at being a Jedi.
I take one last look at the resistance. Leia, Connix, Tallie, Paige, and Jess are all waiting by my ship once I get there. I give them all a huge hug, telling them how grateful I am for taking me into their group. The last two people to say goodbye are Leia and Jess. Leia walks up to me and hugs me tightly, "You are a strong young women, your mother did a great job at raising you. Give her my love will ya?" I nod, "I see you soon General." she smiles and hands me a glowing blue bracelet, a binary beacon, "I gave one to Rey too, it's to light your way home."
As she walks away I'm left with my last person, Jess. "We've already said our goodbyes pretty much, I just wanted to tell you that I love you and if I don't see you soon I might kill you." Jess says, with a smile on her face. "Be safe, I need my best friend. I will send you messages through Leia, not matter how much I start to annoy her." I respond to her as I bring her into a hug.
I get onto my ship before I could change my mind, from the cockpit I can see Poe standing from afar, watching my ship. So I go, I leave with a broken heart and everything that Poe and I had.
(AN)-I cried, I'm ngl, but that is just because I am overly emotional. I also linked a very sad billie eilish song that I felt fit the end of this chapter so if you care, take a listen. Thank you and stay safe!