The Bond Between Us

eighty-four

 The First Order had found the Resistance base not long after Rey had left. This forced you and Leia to call for an immediate evacuation of the base. Though you urged everyone to be swift, not even half the fleet was off of D'Qar before First Order star ships arrived. Poe came to you and Lisa with an idea to distract the First Order ships, allowing the fleet to get away. Leia wasn't the biggest fan of the idea but you were. Poe's plan reminded you of plans Anakin would come up with, making you feel young again. You and Leia stood in the Resistance command ship, around the holo table, watching what was going on outside.

"Happy beeps here, buddy, come on," you overheard Poe tell BB8. "We've pulled crazier stunts than this."

"Just for the record, Commander Dameron, I'm with the droid on this one," Leia said.

"Thank you for your support, General."

"This so something Anakin would do," you muttered with a smirk. "I—"

"No, you are not joining Commander Dameron in your own fighter," Leia told you before you could say anything.

"Remember that I rank higher than you in both this Resistance and the family."

"And it would do you good to remember that you are no longer as young as you were."

"Fun killer."

You turned your focus onto the holograms where Poe had begun to take out the surface cannons of the larger ship. It wasn't long before a giant blast fired and hit the D'Qar base.

"The last transport is in the air," Lieutenant Connix informed you from the last transport. "The evacuation is complete."

"Thank you," you responded. "You did it, Poe. Now get your squad back here so that we can get out of this place."

"No, General! We can do this!" Poe retorted. Both you and Leia shared a wary look, knowing where he was going with this. "We have a chance to take down a dreadnought! These things are fleet killers. We can't let it get away."

"Disengage now. Commander, that is an order," Leia demanded. She sighed when Poe's comm turned off. She turned to C3PO. "Wipe that nervous expression off your face, 3PO."

"Well, I'll certainly try, General," he responded. He looked at you. "Nervous?"

You shrugged. "Guess I'm just used to your nervousness."

You watched as Poe took out the final cannon and called in the bombers. You shook your head as your heart sank with each bomber that was destroyed. It was a stupid call on Poe's part. The Resistance was now losing more resources than it could afford. Leia knew that, that's why she didn't want Poe to continue with this plan. The final surviving bomber sacrificed itself to bomb the dreadnought and complete it. You and Leia's eyes caught sight of the causalities as others celebrated and the fleet headed into hyperspace.

"He's still a kid, Leia," you tried to defend the Commander's actions.

"We both were younger when we began fighting," Leia argued back.

"Leia..."

"That was a loss we shouldn't have had to deal with— we can't afford to deal with."

~~~

You and Leia could both feel that something wasn't right when the ship suddenly exited hyperspace. The two of you headed back into the command center where Leia immediately found Poe and slapped him.

"You're demoted," she told him.

"What?" He questioned in complete shock. "We took down a dreadnought."