Serendipity (Poe Dameron Fanfic)

13. Mission

I woke up when Poe got up. Either his alarm didn't wake me up or it didn't go off. I didn't bother getting up with Poe at that very second, deciding to stay in bed for longer. Poe's bed was more comfortable than my cot and his blankets were just so warm.

Poe disappeared into a different part of his quarters, only to reappear with only pants on. He moved around the room, getting ready for the day. I watched him, still too lazy to get up.

Poe grabbed a shirt to put on, finally looking at me. "Like what you see?"

I hummed. "You'd have to call me a liar if I said no."

Poe chuckled. "Funny. What's on the list for today for you?"

I rolled onto my back, yawning. "I don't know. I'm sure I'll be helping Tallie with something. What about you?"

"I got a few meetings with General Leia and the other commanders," Poe replied. "One is going to start soon so I should be heading out soon."

I looked Poe in the eye. "Sounds boring."

Poe snorted, chuckling. "Yeah, it will be. I'll see you later this afternoon though."

"I know you will."

Poe leaned over the bed to kiss me. "See you in a bit, love. I love you."

I stared at him, surprise written all over my face. It was the first time he had told me that he loved me and the first time he had called me a pet name. I didn't get to say anything before he left. I sat up on my elbows, thinking. I did love him but I didn't know if I could say it back. Not yet, at least. But that didn't change the fact that I loved him.

After about half an hour, I got up and got dressed. I headed out to the hangers, staring at the floor with my mind flooded with thoughts. Though I couldn't ponder over my thoughts for very long before the busyness of the hanger snapped me out of my thoughts. My stomach dropped as I sensed something was wrong. I rushed to find Tallie, finding her with some of the other Blue Squadron members.

Once she saw me, she signed with relief. "Naaraa, you're here. Have you heard the news?"

I shook my head. "What news?"

"We're packing up everything," Tallie replied. "We're leaving the planet. Now."

"Why?" I asked. "What happened?"

"The First Order is arriving soon," Tallie replied.

Panic filled my veins but I set my jaw, trying to settle myself. "Where do you need me?"

Tallie listed out the things that she needed to get done. Once she was done, I was all over the place doing what I needed to do. I saw Poe a few times, running around as well, but I didn't have the time to say hello. Everyone was too busy running around and getting things ready to leave to stop and talk about the weather. Within a few hours, everything was packed up and ready to go. The only time we stopped was when General Leia had to talk to us. She talked to us about the plans and everything else that we needed to know.

I stood with Blue Squadron, my hands in my pockets. Everyone was somber and listened quietly to the general. We had to leave as soon as possible and there wasn't anything to do except do that. Because the First Order was coming and they would kill us if we were still on the planet. I was especially in danger because I was a Jedi. Kylo Ren would recognize that I was one as soon as he laid eyes on me. I had been training by Luke and had shortly left before Kylo committed his slaughter. He knew what I looked like and knew I was still out there. He just didn't know where.

After General Leia finished talking, we headed to the ships we were assigned. I was with all the other squadrons. That was purposeful in case we all needed to get sent out at the same time. Our x-wings had been moved onto the ship and everything was ready to go. Everyone moved to the ships they were assigned to. I was in the middle of a group of people but Poe still ended up finding me. Just his presence was comforting enough.

"Feeling alright, Naaraa?" Poe asked.

I nodded. "Yeah. What about you?"

Poe shrugged. "We'll make it out. We've got everything we need." He grabbed my hand momentarily. "We'll make it out."

"I know we will," I replied. "Where are you headed first?"

"The bridge," Poe replied. "I have to talk to Leia. Do you want to come with me?"

I shook my head. "I need to find Tallie. But I'll find you soon enough."

Poe nodded. "Yeah, see you soon enough."

Poe squeezed my hand before turning to disappear into the crowd. I went to find Tallie. When I found her, she was elbow deep in a box of something, cursing at whatever she was trying to find.

"Do you need any help?" I asked, half teasing.

Tallie snorted. "If you could be so inclined. I have a million things to do and not all the time to do it. Start going through this."

She tossed a bag at me. I went through it, talking with Tallie as we worked. In all the chaos that was going on around us, it felt good to have a quieter moment with Tallie. It allowed for a moment to think clearly without having to do a million other things at a time. But I knew eventually we'd have to be pulled away from the calmness of our moment. Which was cut short by Poe briskly walking towards us.

"Yes?" I asked, causing Tallie to look up.

"General Leia wants to talk to you," Poe replied. "And I need to talk to you, Tallie."

I nodded, stepping away. I found the general on the bridge. She was talking to a few other officers. I waited until she was done before I made my move towards her.

She turned to me and smiled softly. "Hello, Naaraa. I have a mission for you."

I smiled back at her. "Okay. What is it?"

"I need you to follow Rey," Leia said. "I have the path she took. She's going to find my brother, Luke. I want you to be there with her. I know what your skills are and you'll be good for Rey as she continues her journey."

I nodded. "Of course, General. Do you want me to leave now?"

"Yes, please," Leia said. "And please, make haste."

"Of course, General. I'll leave right now." I turned away but stopped to look at Leia. "Can you make sure Tallie knows I'm leaving? I don't want her to wonder why I disappeared."

Leia nodded. "Of course. Now go. And I'll make sure Poe knows you're leaving. I know he cares about you more than he likes to admit."

I squinted and tilted my head to the side, curious as to why she said that. I knew Poe cared for me as a friend but he didn't like me more than that. We were just friends. He couldn't like me more than that. Could he?

Leia dismissed me and I left to pack. I only took what I had packed from the base, which was only two bags worth of things. Basically, all of my belongings were in those bags. After I grabbed my things, I went to my x-wing. BB-40 was already waiting for me. As she was being put in my x-wing, I heard my name being called. I turned and found Poe jogging towards me.

"Where are you headed?" Poe asked.

"Leia's sending me on a mission," I replied.

"Oh . . ." Poe trailed off. "Do you know how long you'll be gone?"

I shrugged. "No idea. I just know I'll be on a mission."

Poe put his hands in his pocket. "Well, we'll miss you around here. You're a kind face in a sea of strangers."

I snorted. "Yeah, okay. I'll see you on the other side, Poe."

Poe's lips turned up. "See you on the other side, Naaraa. Come back safe."

I laughed, starting to climb to the cockpit. "Can't promise anything, Poe."

"I mean it, Naaraa! As your commanding officer, I order you to come back safe."

I snorted as he watched me climb into the cockpit. Once everything was ready, I took off. I waved to Poe as I flew away, leaving everything behind. His comments made me think though. Just something tugged at the back of my mind. Something that connected what Leia said and what Poe said. But I couldn't think of that. I had a mission to do.