The Rebel Queen - Poe Dameron

Chapter XI: Inferno

Zeeke

Zeeke bit into a ration bar while Paige worked above him with a plasma torch. He stared at the Somnambulist, wondering about the message waiting to be played in the comms room. Anxiety settled in his belly like bad hooch on an empty stomach, he didn't think Gareth would get back to him after the way they parted.

Takodana was the closest to disaster he'd come in a long while, the initial shock and fear had overcome his senses and at that moment he knew he didn't want Gareth's last memory of him to be the one where he had walked out on him.

Never in a million years did Zeeke ever think he'd get a reply. At least he had work to distract him, it was the breaks in between that ate at him, moments like now.

"Shit!" Paige exclaimed as a heavy bolt burst from expansion.

Calista gasped in freight, eyes momentarily removed from Koa's hunched over figure a few ways off.

Zeeke started as well and instinctively ducked down before he let out a shaky laugh, "Easy there, we're supposed to get the tower operational, not the other way around"

"Old piece of junk!" Paige kicked at one of the towers numerous panels being worked on.

Over the comms, one of the Resistance officers spoke: "We need an engineer at the top deck, one of the clamps is none responsive."

"Copy," Paige huffed with exhaustion. She looked down at Zeeke with big eyes, "I've still got this section to fix up, think you can go up?"

Zeeke smiled, happy for another distraction, "Gladly."

As he picked himself up, he looked over at Koa and something tugged at him. He couldn't help but feel sorry for her, she was lost and more importantly, he assumed her to be too prideful to ask for help, to show vulnerability. In a way, this side of her reminded him of his younger years.

Zeeke figured that if he needed a distraction, there was no doubt in his mind that she too needed something to numb her thoughts.

He made his way over to Koa and she welcomed him coldly, avoiding eye contact and insisting on fighting the resistance of her prosthetic. The hood of her anorak kept the upper half of her face obscured, but he could see the muscles in her jaw tense.

"Hey," Zeeke announced himself.

Koa answered in a brusque tone, "What do you want?"

"Ahh..." Zeeke fumbled for a moment before catching his quaking vocal cords. "Paige is sending me up to do some repairs and I need an extra hand."

"Take the Jawa, isn't that his thing?"

"He doesn't have the reach," Zeeke shrugged.

Koa looked up, "Is that a joke?"

"Maybe."

"It's terrible."

Despite her tone, the corner of Koa's lips wobbled by a fraction, her body language still unreadable. Behind them, Zeeke saw Poe and Calista make for the Interceptor, a liveliness sparked in their steps.

Koa frowned, her prosthetic clenching into a fist that refused to close all the way. She hissed at a barely audible tone before taking a deep breath.

"You don't approve?" Zeeke asked.

Koa quirked a brow, choosing expression over talking.

He ruffled his curls, "I'm annoyingly perceptive, I know."

"I could care less," she said.

He crouched down so they were the same level, "Doesn't seem like that from where I'm standing... or was standing."