Battle Scars

Chapter XV

Diana landed the stolen interceptor next to her x-wing outside of the Resistance base. She hopped out of the interceptor heading for Poe. His smile said it all. They did it. They got their shot at getting some very valuable information on the First Order. He ran towards her and picked her up planting a kiss on her lips. 

"I gotta admit, your plan worked." He smiled as he put her down. 

"It's not successful until we get that information." 

"Yeah, but that's the next step." Poe's smile didn't last long as he noticed it was too quiet. The pair looked around to notice that most the people were glaring in their direction and Kare was whispering to Snap. "Hey, what's up?" 

Kare walked closer with a concerned look on her face. "One of the pilots was scrolling through the bounties earlier this morning when he came across this." She handed Poe the hologram that he saw while he was on Kaddak. 

"Shit," Diana whispered. 

"Shit is right. I figured Poe and the General knew about this, or else you wouldn't be allowed near any form of communication." Snap joined the three. 

"She was the one who got me here after I left the First Order." 

"So, a defect. No wonder Poe had a soft spot for you," Snap smirked. 

"Defecting from the First Order is different from Defecting from the New Republic Navy," Kare glared, "Either way, I have little issue with you being here. It seems to have already proved fruitful." Her smile made Diana smirk. "I hate to say that it's not the case with everyone else in the Resistance. Especially your roommate." 

A knot instantly formed. This is what she was afraid of. People finding out and instantly hating her. And what's worse is that she didn't get to tell Mae herself. "They think I'm a spy." 

"Some, others are furious since you're responsible for the death of their friends and family." 

"Great." Diana hung her head trying to get the courage to go into the base. There were already mechanics and other pilots glaring daggers at her. 

"Don't worry too much. Remember, you still got me." Poe's smile was warm and inviting. At least she had him. 

"And me. You could have shot me down a lot out there, but you didn't. You've earned my trust." Snap placed a hand on her shoulder. 

"As a defect myself, you got me too. No matter what fleet you defect from, it's a hard decision to do. I can't image what you had to go through to get here." Kare pulled Diana into a hug. It caught Diana by surprised. She never thought of Kare as much of a hugger. She had friends who would stand beside her and the General. Still, the glares were just as hurtful as blaster fire. 

"Well, now I got to face the music," Diana said as she began to head towards the hangar doors. 

"Like I said," Poe interjected as he held her hand, "Not alone." The four walked into the building heading towards debriefing. Whispers and glares surrounded them as she walked through the halls. Poe noticed Diana shaking and tighten his grip on her hand. 

She took a sigh of relief when they entered the debriefing room. No one else was there except for General Organa. 

The General had a neutral look on her face as the four entered the room. "Good job out there. This has helped the cause immensely. And I have you to thank for that." She gestured towards Diana who smiled bashfully. "I wish that your homecoming was a little more celebratory."

"I knew it would come out sooner or later." Diana felt horrified when she knew she should be feeling victorious. She was terrified to go back to a First Order base. Star knew what would happen to her if she got caught. Her stomach churned at the thought. Elrik and Hux would want her alive to torture her.