The Rebel Queen - Poe Dameron

Chapter IX: Telos IV

Poe

Poe made his way into the Somnambulist on sluggish feet, it wasn't because he was tired, it had more to do with the fact he wasn't completely on board with being sent on a second mission so soon after he got back from the last one.

The cargo bay was still as packed as before, maybe more so. To the side, Koa and Calista barely made eye contact with each other, their bodies refusing to close in like two magnets of the same pole. In the other corner, leaning his large frame against a panel, face covered in shadow, was Odhen. He was silent, almost freakishly so, as he stared blankly at his feet. Mokk-Toh was sitting in the centre of the bay, legs folded and arms placed palms down on his thighs as he mediated. Poe didn't bother trying to decode his emotional state, even in his relaxed pose Mokk-Toh was still as rigid as ever.

It was only Paige and Zeeke who seemed to be in good spirits as they helped other Resistance pilots with their hauls. The X-wing race earlier had been a good call considering Paige hadn't lost that smile of hers since they docked. Zeeke was still an enigma to Poe, the boy always carried that bright spark with him, no matter how bad his day got. Even now, covered in engine grease and cooling fluid staining his green overalls, that toothy smile of his was still stamped to his tired face.

"Hey, Dameron!" Connix shouted from down the tarmac, datapad in hand as usual. "The refueller is all set. Ground Control gave the all-clear. All our pilots are accounted for."

Poe raised a brow, "Then what's the problem?"

Connix smiled and pointed at the shaking droid cowering behind her feet, "We found a stowaway."

BB-8 beeped in a mopey tune, his exoskeleton vibrating with anxiety.

Poe ran a hand through his hair and nodded at Connix, "I'll handle this."

Connix pursed her lips and marched off, blaring orders into her comms as she saw to the other ship preparing to disembark.

"Hey buddy," Poe got down to BB-8's eye level. "Tryna hitch a ride?"

BB-8 spun around and beeped softly. Poe sighed, a weak smile on his face.

"I know I just got back, but this is the last one pal. I promise. I'm going to be glued to this base for so long you'll get tired of me when I get back."

The droid didn't change his tone and decided to roll himself into Poe's legs repeatedly.

"Hey," Poe nudged BB-8. "Finn still needs someone to take care of him while I'm gone. There's no one I trust more to keep him safe than you."

BB-8 let out a slightly more cheery tone just as Ton-Ton came waddling over, spanner held clumsily in small hands. The Jawa whispered something in a suspiciously cunning voice and tapped the side of BB-8's body with his spanner. Whatever it was the Jawa said made BB-8 go on the offensive and he immediately zapped him with his conductive prong. Ton-Ton jumped higher than Poe thought he was capable of reaching and yelped in a shrill voice. Satisfied, BB-8 made his way back to the compound while Ton-Ton continued shouting after the round droid with his fist in the air.

The Jawa looked to Odhen for back-up, presumably, but Odhen just shrugged and let out a deep exhale. "Don' bite off more than you can chew," he said snidely.

Odhen coughed, deep and wet and then scratched at his beard. Poe was remiss to see some of Odhen's grey hairs fall out at the action. The stout pilot simply sighed when he saw his hairs fly away with the wind. As if that were some warning sign, Odhen pulled his frame off the wall and dragged his feet further into the bowels of the Somnambulist.

Koa, noticing the pilot's odd behaviour and asked, "What was that about?"

Ton-Ton waved his arms dismissively and followed after the Captain.