A Pilot: A Poe Dameron Story

Time

He took to borrowing starships to pay his weekly visits to Naboo. As the Resistance grew and it took care of other issues, Poe kept Queen Arraii supplied with seed pods. The two of them would journey from her current location back to Theed and meet with a growing number of willing volunteers, training with weapons and methods to ready to take back the city.

In time.

Time galled Poe. He watched, week by week, as Arraii grew gaunt with the stress of her occupied country. Through working with her people, he saw how Ramsey and other First Order officials tormented the artisans of Naboo. He appealed to General Organa weekly – more than that, when the opportunity arose – and received the steady answer that help would come soon. In his opinion, 'soon' would still be too late for both Naboo and Arraii herself.

Poe loved to watch the queen with her people. He saw for himself how much they looked up to her, and how well she deserved their respect through her consideration and respect for them, too. He himself felt a bit of the Theed volunteers' admiration. As Arraii had told him, there were no pilots among the people of Naboo, so Poe set about fixing that situation. At night, out by the remains of the ruined lake palace, he drilled novice pilots in rounds around the lake, trusting the waters to mask whatever wrecks occurred and cushion trainees against serious injury. When Arraii showed an interest, Poe delighted in sharing everything he knew about piloting with her.

And he started to think that Arraii might be showing an interest in him – just him – too.

It had started when they first met. Now that Poe knew what to call the feeling – the attraction – he felt for the queen, it was even harder to grapple with. It seemed like everything he saw her do just made him love her more. He kept careful control of his behavior, if not always his words. He loved making Arraii laugh, though, and his honest mouth was good at doing that. Poe ached with the need to know if the queen felt anything for him. Sometimes it seemed so clear that she did – that she might – like when she shared a quick look of pride with him at the accomplishment of a volunteer fighter, or when she laughed with no breath at something he said. Poe couldn't help but think that Arraii was being very careful, too. She knew as well as he did that the circumstances in which they were in were probably the worst to start a relationship.

Poe wondered if they ever would get their chance. As the volunteer Naboo army took shape, as Arraii continued to hide out from Ramsey, as only weekly deliveries from Poe kept her alive...Poe wondered how it would all end.