Hunted

XXXV. The Beginning

Things moved quickly after Poe received word that the First Order was arriving. Both of them had run for the base, Serela waddling as fast as she could after him and Poe communicating his position to someone on the receiving end of his radio.

"We need to find Serela," she heard Admiral Statura's voice emit from it when they paused to rest for a minute, after Poe assured her it was not that much further.

"I have her here with me," Poe spoke into the device, "Send someone to the camp to find her mother and bring her to base. Tell the locals to stay put. We'll help them evacuate tonight when it's dark. But make sure you get Reha first."

Serela's heart swelled: He had remembered her.

The baby was awake as they made for the safety the base provided, and he seemed to sense the urgency, kicking with such gusto that she thought he was trying to lend himself to her speed. When they finally came upon where Serela knew one of the side entrances to be she balked, "Where is the door?" she cried.

Poe grabbed her hand and led her to an overgrown patch in the wall. The greenery hanging from the roof of the base looked fake and he stuck in his hand, seeming to find something and twisted it. With a rusty creak he pushed the hidden door open and swiftly pulled Serela inside, locking it carefully behind them.

"One of our precautions," he explained to her with a wink and a tap of an index finger to his forehead. Their hands were still joined and before Serela could move to change that Poe was jogging again through the labyrinth of hallways, half-dragging her behind him.

At the junction between three hallways Poe skidded to a stop as the speakers began to blare the voice of Leia, "Members of the Resistance, this is not a drill. Report to your stations immediately, the First Order will be here within the hour."

Serela's throat felt dry and when she tried to swallow she felt like she was going to choke. This was all happening so fast, and all because of her... The walls seemed to be closing in around her and she could feel the familiar sensation of beginning to pass out.

"Serela!" Poe cried, and she felt his arms under her shoulders and knees as she slipped quickly into the vision.

This time Kylo was on board the Finalizer, standing in a large room with a high ceiling and a throne in front of him which shimmered with a menacing figure atop it.

"Have all the preparations been made?" the ghastly creature spoke down at Kylo's masked self.

"Yes."

"You will find the girl, and bring her back here to me."

"Yes."

"And if you fail to retrieve her willingly, what must you do?"

"Kill her."

Serela opened her eyes to see Poe looking down at her, his strong arms still encompassed her body.

"Are you alright?" he asked, and tried to set her back down on her feet.

"Y-yes," she stuttered, but unlike previous times she found her balance quicker and stood with only one hand on Poe's arm.

"Can you make it a little further?"

"I think so....yes. Yes, definitely."

He smiled, and she felt his hand on her arm now as she dropped hers.

"Poe!" the radio sounded. It was Snap Wexley's voice this time. "Get Serela somewhere safe and meet us in the room closest to the launch pad. The General wants us in the air in 30 minutes or less!"

"Got it," Poe responded, and pulled her into the hallway on the left that she had never been down before. She remembered him saying that this was the barracks the first day he had shown her around here. They stopped in front of a door in the middle of the hallway and Poe let go of her hand to fumble in both pockets until he heard the jingle of keys.