Theodosia

Chapter 7

"Is she scary?" Astrid asked as she walked with Poe to the main office of the Resistance base. He had told her last night she was supposed to meet with General Organa, joking that she had better impress the woman so she could secure a permanent spot on the base.

"She's fierce when she wants to be, but she's fine," Poe shrugged. "Kindest person I know, and she just so happens to run this whole base, so if you can get through her, you can get through anyone."

They turned a corner and nearly ran straight into a girl. Astrid looked at her, recognising the two buns at the side of her head.

"Sorry, Kaydel, didn't see you there," Poe said. The girl waved off his apology, but she stopped when her eyes met Astrid's. It would seem the girl recognised her too.

"Penelope, right?"she said, sticking her hand out for a handshake. Poe's eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"Penelo-"

"Hi again," Astrid cut him off quickly, taking her hand and shaking it. "I didn't get your name yesterday."

"Kaydel, Kaydel Connix," the girl said with a smile. "It's nice to see you again. I'm sorry if Matt freaked you out yesterday. You left in such a hurry."

"Matt?"

"Our radar technician," she said. "He was the one beside me. But I'm glad you managed to find your brother."

Poe's eyebrows shot up even more. "Brother?"

"Yes," Astrid said quickly, her eyes begging Poe to play along. He gave her a quizzical look before catching on to her silent plea.

"Yes, my dear little sister," Poe said with a forced smile, slinging his arm around Astrid. "Reunited at last with this one."

The blond girl smiled. "Well, I better get going. Lots of work coming in," she said. "I'll see you both around some time." She gave them one last smile and turned the other direction.

As soon as she was out of sight, Poe rounded on Astrid. "Penelope?" he asked in disbelief.

"I panicked! I had to come up with a name, so I told them I was your sister," she explained, grinning now that she was thinking about it. He cracked a grin.

Her smile faltered when she remembered what she had found out when she lied. She came to an abrupt halt, and Poe stopped in his tracks too, looking at her curiously.

"Did you forget something?"

She regretted the obvious reaction to her realisation. There was no taking back the reaction, not now when he noticed. She tried finding the correct words to say. She looked up at him, softening when she met his brown eyes, before asking:

"What was Shara Bey like?"

His mouth opened in surprise before a small smile graced his face a few seconds later. "So you heard about her, huh?"

"By accident," she admitted, gently bumping his shoulder as they started walking.

"She was wonderful," he answered. "She served in the Alliance as a pilot. She and my dad fought in the Battle of Endor before they retired."

"Is that why you became a pilot as well?" she asked.

"She used to teach me how to fly. She would let me sit on her lap while she  flew around in her ship, and I would press the buttons on the control panel," he recalled fondly. Astrid smiled warmly, taking his hand in hers and giving it a squeeze.

"She sounds lovely," she said.

"She was," he nodded with a smile, squeezing her hand back. They rounded another corner until they reached a white door with a hand scanner. "Alright, Jones, this is it."