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

Anchor

I found myself back in bed after my visit with Poe, knowing he was right about not being able to fly an x-wing properly without sleep.

It was still early in the morning, and I figured I could squeeze in a couple more hours in bed, due to the fact that I didn't need to go to breakfast, on account that I'd already eaten.

Once I was nestled under the sheets spread across the fairly large bed, I began tapping a simple rhythm with my index finger next to my ear as I laid on my stomach. Sometimes the beat of the rhythm could lull me to sleep.

Tap, tap, tap, tap.

Admittedly, I was so exhausted I could barely think. It was usually at this state I could fall asleep easier than at night, alone with the eerie presence of my thoughts.

Tap, tap, tap, tap.

In the mornings, I was comforted by the noise of pilots and their droids bustling around. My own droid, BB-6, one Poe found for me when I arrived, sat in the corner of my room, powered down. BB-6 knew my schedule, and I knew she'd wake me up when it was time to get ready.

Tap, tap, tap, tap.

It was better in the morning by far because darkness cannot hide from the Sun, no matter how hard it tries.

Tap, tap, tap...

...

BB-6 beeped at me, rolling around my bedroom, by means of waking me. Continuing to beep, she told me it was almost time to meet up with the recruits and give them the rundown of the plan for the day inside the main base.

I listened to BB-6, giving the thumbs up once I untangled my arm from the beige covers.

"Okedoke." I huffed, actually happy I got some sleep. I did feel better as a result.

Looking ahead, I eyed the orange flight suit that hung on a tarnished silver hook on the back of my closet door. I pulled my legs out from under the sheets on the bed and stood up, my bare feet not happy to meet the far cooler floor. I set about getting dressed, BB-6 patiently waiting to accompany me back out to the air field. Once my flight suit, white vest and boots were on, I picked up my helmet, tracing the Resistance's symbol on it: a red design that looked a little like an anchor. The Resistance was my anchor.

...

"Alright!" I projected my voice as best I could to the group of trainees under my and Poe's supervision, preparing to explain the day's task, inside the main base. "Today we're doing ejection."

"It's in your best interest to pay attention." Poe added, looking at the younger group of people.

"Okay, so what's going to happen is we're all going to fly over to this lake here," I pointed to the hologram that was projected in front of us, circling the lake with my hand. "And you are all going to eject, one by one."

A Torgruta girl who I recognised as Calista Eriston, raised her pale green hand.

Poe acknowledged her question.

"Yep?"

"Why over the lake?"

"In case you don't land properly." I interjected, meeting Calista's large, also green, eyes. "I know you all know how to use parachutes. The lake is insurance. If you do it right you won't land in the water, you'll land somewhere around the lake."

"And our droids will land our x-wings once we eject, right?" A boy spoke up, blonde with striking grey eyes. I recognised him as Strørm, who was around twenty-five. He was already displaying promise of being a fantastic fighter pilot.

"Yes, that's right." I responded, dipping my head in acknowledgement. "Thanks, Calista, Strørm."

"Callie." She corrected, bringing to my attention that she used the nickname.

After a few moments of quiet, I confirmed that no one else had any questions, before Poe went over technicalities.

Once he's finished with his spiel, we sent them off to their x-wings, Poe and I heading to ours as well. Standing before my blue and grey spacecraft, preparing to climb inside it, I thought about why we were teaching these people. How sad it was that we needed to teach how to eject in case they get shot down by the First Order, or how to gun down an enemy trying to kill them and all their friends.

But as I pulled on my helmet, proudly bearing the symbol of what meant most to me, and it reminded me of what we were all fighting for: freedom.

And that was not sad at all.

...

The first couple rounds ejections went smoothly, the recruits landing properly on the ground around the clear, blue lake. When Callie was next, I paid closer attention because when she was asking her questions earlier, I could sense a kind of fear around her.

"Ready?" Poe asked through our intercom, his dark x-wing circling above us.

"Uh, yeah." Callie responded, the flick of a switch in her x-wing audible.

"Go for it." Poe encouraged, as I imagined his warm grin on his face. A few moments later, Calista's x-wing opened and she flew out, uttering a high squeak.

Poe laughed, no doubt watching as the younger girl fell through the air, her parachute not yet deployed, which was odd.

"Pull your parachute, Callie." Poe said, his voice losing its light, laughing tone.

"It-- IT'S NOT WORKING!" Suddenly, Callie screamed, her parachute still not out.

"Have you pulled the string?" I asked calmly, albeit a little worried that the parachute wouldn't open.

"Yes! It's not working!" Callie shrieked, plummeting further towards the water. After a certain height, landing in water was just as bad as landing on concrete but we weren't at that altitude.

Calista was probably going to fall in the water at this point, even if her parachute did open: she didn't have enough time to steer over and land somewhere around the side of the lake.

In a flash, proving my assumption that her parachute wouldn't open wrong, her grey parachute flew open, ballooning out into the air, a wave of relief flooding over me.

"Calista, calm down, you're going to land in the water. Just swim to the shore."

"I- I can't!"

"What?"

"I can't- I can't swim!"

That was all she got out before she landed in the water with a splash, my blood running cold.

"Shít."

A/N: If you liked this chapter, give it a vote and maybe a comment or two to let me know what you liked!

Have a fantastic day everyone! :)

- TAAF_