Flying Through the Flames || Poe Dameron [The Force Awakens + the Last Jedi]

They'll Storm the Galaxy

Hello again, chapter one is here! Yay! It's dedicated to PotterLupinBlack because they read the prologue and gave me feedback. ❤️❤️ Plus, they're super cool and a great friend.

Please vote, comment, any of that good stuff. Help me get this ball rolling!

;D

Song: The Wolves and the Ravens by Rogue Valley

- TAAF_

The sun was just barely peeking up over the lush, grassy hills of D'Qar when I left my room, leaving at the first appropriate time to be outside and walking around with few questions from others. I hopped down the stairs of the building the x-wing pilots slept in, filling my lungs with fresh air once my skin hit it.

The tarmac was shrouded in fog, bringing me a sense of comfort along with the dewey atmosphere, a sense that no one could see me. It didn't take me long to walk to my x-wing, which was sitting in a miniature hangar meant for one or two of the spacecraft, the top of the hangar covered with grass like the rest of the hills, making great camouflage.

Though it would only go so far to disguise the base at first glance, it would come in handy if ever someone from the First Order came a'knocking.

I made it to my x-wing, my personal spacecraft that I'd tailored to my liking as well as to match my rank in the Resistance, but instead of sitting under it I climbed on top of the hollow hill it lived in. I folded my legs into a pretzel when I took a seat in the reasonably tall, rich green grass. As well as housing my own x-wing, the grassy sort of garage was home to my best friend Poe Dameron's x-wing.

Unlike mine, which was mostly grey with dark, medium and light blue strips along its nose, sides and top, his was unique in that it was predominantly black with paler orange strips.

Poe was "Black Leader", and unlike me, he didn't have a specific team, he oversaw everything and gave big orders to whomever he needed to.

I was "Blue Leader", given that my x-wing was partially blue, which meant I did have a full squadron of pilots willing to follow my orders the second I gave them. What made my x-wing the lead ship in the Blue Squadron was the multi-shades of blue it had on it instead of just one shade.

In addition to commanding squadrons, General Leia Organa had made me and Poe in charge of training new recruits, who were large in number now that the First Order had gotten as powerful as they were at that point in time. I was less enthused than my friend to be training people, some kids as young as sixteen. Outside of our x-wings our technical ranks were 'Lieutenant Tanager' and 'Commander Dameron'.

At first the First Order's ominous presence made General Leia nervous, and as they rose we began calling ourselves "the Resistance". To quote Poe we were "a Resistance that would not be intimidated".

But I was intimidated.

Though I didn't want to tell Poe, because it wasn't who I was. I was not the type of person that was easily intimidated.

The leader of the First Order, Kylo Ren, was hunting Luke Skywalker. Luke was "the Last Jedi".

Or so Kylo thought.

It was then that I heard a whistle, that really resembled more of a chirp: the imitation of a Scarlet Tanager's singing.

"Phoenix!"

I turned around to see Poe standing behind me with a hand on his hip, having just used one of his nicknames for me. Being the overachiever he was, Poe was already in his orange flight suit, his thumb hooked in the black harness-like belt. In his hands, he held what looked like a banana-bar, one of my favourite things to eat for breakfast.

"How'd you know where I was?" I huffed, flopping onto my back, looking up at my tall friend. Poe stepped a little closer so we were eye-to-eye, albeit upside down.

"I've known you for twelve years, Nyssa, I know where you hang out."

"Right." I smiled, letting my eyes fall closed as Poe sat down behind me, handing me the bar. "Thanks."

I shifted my head so it rested on his knee, which automatically made me uncomfortable.

I had no idea why I would've thought a kneecap would make a good headrest.

"Jeez, your knee is so bony!" I hissed, biting into my breakfast.

"I wonder why." Poe drawled sarcastically, looking pretend-puzzled. "It must be made of bone!" He declared, laughing as he pulled his leg away, causing my head to fall into the soft ground.

I giggled, relaxing as the moist grass tickled the sides of my face.

"Ah." I sighed, smiling with my eyes closed, so content as I finished the breakfast bar. "That's better." I could hear Poe moving in the grass, presumably straightening his legs into a more comfortable position.

"Did you get any sleep last night?" Poe asked, brushing his hand across my shoulder.

"Not much, no." I replied, deadpanning my answer, my eyebrows knit. "People are starting to talk, I can tell. They think I'm-- strange."

"I don't." My best friend said softly, taking my hand, the gesture platonic and comforting.

"I know you don't." I sighed. "You get me. You understand."

"Maybe, but you've got to figure out a way to get past this, Nyssa. You can't keep doing this. You've gotta sleep."

I gritted my teeth, inhaling sharply though my nose as I sat up, irritation sparking in my chest.

"Get past that people think I'm odd?"

"No. You know what I meant." Poe replied, locking his eyes with mine. "And you can't keep this up for much longer."

"Can't keep what up? Being afraid? You say 'get over it' like this is some food I don't like, but need to just 'suck it up' and eat." I snapped, my eyes narrowing, a gust of wind blowing through.

My orange baby hairs around my face that weren't a part of my rope-braid bun, flattened against my face. The wind tousled Poe's dark, wavy hair as well.

"That's not what I meant at all." Poe defended himself, his position shifting into something more rigid. "I know you think you can't, but there has to be a way. You have to sleep. You can't fly an x-wing if you haven't slept!"

"I know." I admitted through a sigh, knowing he was right. "But-- I don't know how to-- to let this go."

Poe huffed quietly, probably just as stumped as I was.

"What is it about this situation that scares you so much? I'm not asking because I don't think it's valid, just help me understand."

"If Kylo Ren finds out I'm alive, he'll have every single person in the First Order out to get me. There'd be a price on my head!"

"Alright." Poe began to process the information, as I saw the metaphorical gears turning in his mind. "How is that different from flying x-wings in the Resistance? The First Order wants every one of us dead, too. There's a pretty big target on both our backs already! The First Order's probably had a deadpool going for years with our names at the top of the list!" Poe laughed light-heartedly, before realising what he was saying, though it was true.

"You're not making me feel that much better there, buddy."

"My point is: what's going to change if Ren finds out that you're alive?"

I frowned, his inquiry causing me to think.

"The First Order's whole mission right now is to find Luke Skywalker and end him. They're going to stop at nothing. If they find out I'm with the Resistance they'll quadruple their efforts if that's even possible! They'll storm every planet in the galaxy if they have to!"

"We're going to beat them before they can do that, Phoenix." Poe stated as he squeezed my hand, his voice unwavering: determined.

In that moment I felt a wave of peace flood over me. Poe had that effect, he made everyone around him feel better through whatever he was saying.

"Sounds like a plan."