Hunted

XXXVI. The Chance

The next three weeks seemed to pass in a never-ending cycle of the same repetition day after day. Serela and her mother shared a bunk bed in an empty room close to Leia's in the officer's quarters. In the mornings Luke and Rey joined them in the room for breakfast, and a table from the cafeteria was produced exclusively for this purpose. It was brought down the morning after Poe's departure, and when Serela resisted, Finn and Rey reminded her that it would not be missed. Most of the Resistance was still occupied out in the field and the kitchen staff did not need to provide nearly as much.

No word came of Poe specifically for the first week, just general bits of information about the success of distracting the First Order while the natives had either fled to their distant relatives or taken shelter in the bunkers of the Resistance base.

Luke continued to train her and Rey, though without being able to venture outside it proved difficult. In the mornings Serela and Rey worked with Luke on controlling the powers in their mind, moving objects and restricting movement in one another. Now one week shy of being in her 8th month of pregnancy, Serela was usually too tired in the afternoons to participate in anything else, even just watching Rey practicing lightsaber feints and jabs made her feel winded.

Sometimes Luke asked her to let him see the visions she had witnessed again, and she always obliged him. Afterwards however, she would note with concern the way he looked at her as if she were some kind of ticking time bomb. She didn't let on that she felt this way, as she had almost perfected the art of keeping her thoughts a secret to herself, unless she wanted to share them.

Dr. Kalonia continued to monitor the pregnancy and said that Serela had no cause for concern other than the uncommon amount of stress on her shoulders during her condition. A derisive laugh at the scolding had been her only answer. She saw the doctor conferring with Luke once when she had been roaming the halls for exercise, their heads bowed low in hushed conversation. Serela had been curious, but moved along when Dr. Kalonia gave her a look that said this was not a conversation for her ears.

It was obvious that Rey was worried for Finn almost as much as Serela was for Poe. He had been sent on a ground mission to another nearby base to try and fortify what reserves they could in case of an invasion here. The majority of fighting had taken place in the air during the daylight hours, and Serela and Rey both breathed sighs of relief every time a list of casualties was produced at the nightly meetings without Poe or Finn's name on it.

There was still no sign of Kylo or Hux, and during a meeting in the second week, Admiral Statura speculated that the First Order was likely trying to weed out what members of the Resistance they could through superior firepower and sheer mass of numbers.

"They're trying to wait us out," he explained, "They know we can only last but so long through an air assault. Once we abandon the attempt to combat them primarily in this way, they will launch a land invasion and it will be massive. It is likely then that Kylo Ren will make his appearance. We've received intelligence that once they capture Serela their plan is to level the rest of the planet, sparing no one."

"Which we will not allow to happen," Leia quipped when she noted the pale expression on Serela's face.

"Agreed," Statura continued, "But we desperately need a plan that will allow us to protect Serela and the child while at the same time defeating the First Order. Anyone with ideas we advise to please come forth with them now."

Silence answered him, and shaking his head, Statura looked around the group of people, his worried eyes finally coming to rest on Serela.

"Very well. Dismissed."

The grouping for their council meetings was now much smaller with many of the others off working and fighting, and it felt hollow to her when she looked at the empty space beside her where Poe would have stood, and Finn next to Rey. Both girls looked at each other and tried to give one another a comforting smile. Serela was about to leave, even getting so far as the doorway when she turned around to look for the Admiral and ask him something.