Cosmic || Poe Dameron

Chapter Three

Vera followed her team out onto the bustling tarmac, thrilled to be home after spending two long weeks in Lothal. Exhaustion still threatened to take hold of her, the last of her adrenaline vanishing completely, but she fought it off. Her duties weren't over just yet.

She nodded to Vaughn as he and Viserys helped Captain Damari to the medical wing and Vera turned to assess her remaining team. They were all caked in dust and bits of rubble, exhaustion evident in their eyes. She dismissed them to their rooms and watched them fondly as they shuffled off, all too happy to oblige.

As Vera approached the nearest pilot from Black Squadron, she reached up and untied the leather cord holding her long hair in a tight bun. It cascaded over her shoulders and down her back in waves, and she sighed in relief as some of the tension in her temples lessened.

"Excuse me, where can I find your commander?" Vera asked as she reached the woman, her pilot's helmet balanced on her hip. She had mousey brown hair and dark eyes to match, subtle laugh lines framing the corners of her lips.

"Up the front there, in the black and orange X-wing," she said, pointing to the lead starfighter with a smile. "He should still be inside."

Vera nodded her thanks and made her way to the leading X-wing. The hatch was open, but from where she stood, she couldn't tell if anyone was still inside.

"Commander?" she called out and a sudden bang, followed by a groan, could be heard from inside. Vera fought the urge to laugh, an amused smile settling on her face instead.

"Just a second!" the Commander shouted with a muffled voice, ignoring the slight pain flaring in the back of his skull. He quickly finished fixing the wires that had come loose and closed the panel with a snap. He pushed himself back into his seat and leaned over the side of his X-wing, looking for the woman who had called for him. His jaw dropped when he saw her.

"You," Vera exclaimed in surprise, her eyebrows raised as she stared at the familiar man with dark curly hair.

"Me," he responded, a grin spreading across his face. "I was hoping I'd run into you again."

"I guess it's your lucky day," Vera replied with a tired laugh. The man climbed down from his X-wing and jogged over to her, his already windswept hair becoming more tousled as the slight breeze raked its fingers through it.

"Poe, Poe Dameron," he said with a lopsided smile, sticking out his hand for her to shake. Vera grasped it, noticing how warm it was, a nice contrast to the crisp coolness of D'Qar. She shivered slightly, internally cursing the Stormtroopers for destroying their ship with their coats on board.

"Vera Torreto," she responded with a grin. A lively beeping interrupted them and a small orange and white BB unit rolled out from beneath the underbelly of Poe's X-wing. Poe laughed as the small droid partially hid himself behind his master's leg, peering up at the woman he didn't recognize.

"And this little guy here is BB-8," Poe said, glancing down at his droid with an amused smirk on his face, muscled arms crossed over his chest. Vera crouched down to BB-8's height to introduce herself and offered him a gentle smile.

"Hey buddy, nice to meet you," she said softly. BB-8 hesitated for a moment, and then whirled out to greet her properly, deciding he liked her very much already. He beeped at her excitedly and both Poe and Vera laughed.

"You've got a lively one there," Vera commented as they watched BB-8 roll away towards the mechanics, whirring about his need for an oil change. Poe laughed and nodded in agreement, watching his droid disappear into the hangar.

"So, you're the Commander of Black Squadron? When you said you were the Resistance's very best pilot, you weren't kidding," Vera said with a laugh, a teasing look in her eyes as they began walking towards the command centre to deliver their reports.