Star Wars: A Resistance Story. Book 1.

Chapter 17: A Jedi Stuff.

How many times passed since they landed on Affavan? Days? Weeks maybe? Poe lost all notion of time. The only thing he was sure of was his suffering. His wrists were bloody because of the handcuffs. His body was wearing the marks of the mistreating such as several cuts, bruises and other burning scars. It also has been a while since the last time he heard Ly'ra. He heard her screaming during what seemed to be hours, but now: nothing. Hux left when a soldier came to warn him about the arrival of their spy and he didn't show up since.

Everything was silent. Nearly everything. Dameron heard the door of his cell being opened and two Stormtroopers untied him and led him out of the building. The fresh mist of Affavan Prime woke him up slightly and the pilot was trying to see where he was taken. They passed by the Hutt's Palace, and then, he was led inside a dark tunnel. Poe frowned slightly and tried to see through the darkness, but he was only welcome by growls, metallic noises et some pain cries.

"Well that sounds pretty encouraging..."

The soldiers ignored his comment and, after a moment, they pushed him in another cell. Dameron groaned under the pain before he started coughing. It was really dark, but he could still see that the ground was covered with sand. The room wasn't very big but it was empty. The only source of light was coming from the roof, a line going from a wall to another. The man got up onto his feet with some difficulties and, as his eyes were starting to get used to the darkness, he heard someone coming closer to his cell. Poe turned around and got ready to fight with all the strengths he had left. No matter what would come in, he would not let it get out alive.

The door of the cell opened and two Stormtroopers threw something inside before closing the door again behind them. The pilot cautiously stepped closer and after a second, the mistrust gaze he had turned into relief.

"Ly'ra!"

Despite his pain, he hurried towards the young woman, still unconscious on the ground. He moved her with great care and leaned her against one of the cell's walls. With the few light he had from the slit in the roof, he could see how badly injured she was. Cuts, burns, bruises, she had blood everywhere. Poe tore up his shirt and started to wipe softly her face. Slowly, the young woman was waking up.

At first she thought she was still in the torture room and the presence of someone so close scared her. A surprise cry escaped her lips and she tried to push back her enemy.

"Hey, hey, hey! It's me! Ly'ra, it's me, it's Poe..."

The young woman froze, her gaze slowly coming back into reality.

"Poe? Where... Wh-where are we?"

"I have no idea to be honest... We've been moved from our cells to here. All I know is that we're closed to the Palace. I saw it when they took me here. Wait... Don't move..."

Ly'ra looked down at her hands. They were covered with blood. A wave of fear and worry invaded her and she started breathing too quickly.

"Oh no... M-my hands... Poe, my..."

"Hey calm down. Calm down. Breathe..."

The pilot softly caressed her face before looking at her injuries. He understood the young woman's fear. Without her hands, she would never be able to fly again. They both knew that they might never leave Affavan and that they might never fly again, but right now, she needed to be reassured. Thus, he checked her hands attently before looking up at her.

"It's nothing. Just few cuts. Your hands are perfectly fine..."

The young woman sighed in relief, leaning her head back onto the wall behind her. She closed her eyes and tried to calm the frenzied beatings of her heart by using an old exercise Dante taught her. "A Jedi stuff..." She smiled softly when she heard her friend's voice in her head and finally, after several seconds, she felt her heart calming down and her breathing slowing down. She then looked back at Poe and sighed again.

"I'm sorry... You should never have been involved into this mess..."

"If I remember correctly, I volunteered."

Ly'ra nodded softly before offering a sad smile to the pilot. She studied him as he was taking care of her, putting on some bandage around her wounds without even worrying about himself a single second. He was badly injured too but he didn't seem to care.

"How can you do that?"

Hearing her question, Poe looked up and frowned, intrigued.

"Do what?"

"Please... I'm sure Hux told you a lot of things about me, but you're staying here, taking care of me and you don't even seem to hate me."

The pilot stopped his movements a minute before fixing her in her eyes. He sighed and raised a shoulder.

"You know, he didn't really say anything at all. I guessed things more than he said."

"And yet you don't hate me? Poe, I worked for the First Order... I..."

"You dated this dumbass named Hux, yeah I got it..."

"Actually... We were engaged..."

Dameron froze at her words. He didn't see that coming. Slightly ill-at-ease, Ly'ra sat up, bringing her knees against her chest. Poe looked at her and ended up sitting next to her, lying an arm on her legs.

"Okay... When we were aboard the Dawn, you said that your past was a very long story. I think we have a moment in front of us now. So... Go ahead."

The young woman fixed him in his eyes few seconds, nodded slowly before taking a deep breath, provoking in the same time a pain wince.

"Alright... So I was born on Coruscant. My mum died few days after my birth. My father... My father is the Colonel Kaplan..."

Poe raised a finger in front of her, stopping her story.

"Wait... Your nickname... Cap'? Wouldn't it be more linked to your family name than your grade?"

Ly'ra arched a brow, tilting slightly her head on one side.

"Are you going to let me even start or are you going to interrupt me each second?"

"Sorry... Go ahead..."