Ouroboros

Seventeen

Seventeen:

It was with a sense of relief that Poe and Chewie landed the Millennium Falcon on D'Nolos, a reasonably cosmopolitan planet that was famed as a major trading post and a venue for all sorts of outlandish and Galaxy-spanning events. And Maker, if this didn't qualify... The climate was humid and sticky, the skies permanently overcast and the lush vegetation corralled in parks around the low-rise and crammed cities, especially D'Nomolos, the capitol with its buzzing space port, huge markets and slave auctions.

The group glanced around amongst themselves before they left the Millennium Falcon and without any discussion, they armed themselves. Tamini decided to wait on the ship, refusing to be left on the planet and repeating her demands to be taken home. It was only when they landed that she revealed that she had been sold through the slave markets on D'Nolos years earlier and that she had sworn never to set foot on the planet again. Despite his exasperation at her intransigence and her complaining, Poe felt a shiver of sympathy and had allowed her to curl up in one of the cabins and wait.

Somehow, Finn was the most chipper of the group, ensuring he had a blaster firmly strapped to his hip as well as a second blaster and a spare. He and Poe had both adopted regal-looking deep blue cloaks and they had managed to find pins with the Resistance symbol on to display while Chewbacca hefted his bowcaster in his arms. Poe glanced over at his buddy, seeing Finn smile back at him.

"You know we gotta pull this off?" he asked the former stormtrooper.

"I'm just pretending to be you, Poe," Finn told him. "But we need to act like the leaders of the Resistance-because that is what we are. We led the Battle of Exegol-and now we are going to get back our two most important missing members. Jedi Master Rey of Jakku-and our secret double agent and the only man who can lead us to her-Ben Solo, the man formerly known as Kylo Ren."

"Good speech," Poe complimented him with a broad grin. "Wouldn't say it so loud though. Half the galaxy wants to dismember him and the rest want to just shoot him! And we have to smuggle him away before all chaos breaks out." Chewie growled and the two men glanced up at the Wookiee.

"You can see them?" Poe murmured as the Wookiee struck out, heading towards the lithe shape in a burgundy jumpsuit topped by an all-enclosing yellow metal helmet. He gave a yowl and exchanged a few words with Zorii, who replied in kind before starting to laugh.

"What?" Finn asked as Poe scowled.

"He said that he was very grateful she saved our asses because us two certainly weren't able to-thanks, pal!" he translated. The woman tilted her head and he could imagine, under the helmet, the smug look in her luminous eyes. Their relationship in the past had been friends, rivals, comrades, even lovers...but now, he was glad she was a friend because Maker, they needed them.

"You know, would it kill you to thank me in person?" she asked, though they could hear the grin on her voice. He smiled back though his eyes remained serious.

"Thanks," he said honestly. "Though I ought thank Rose for sending you as well." She folded her arms and he could imagine her pouting. "But thanks, Zorii. I mean it."

"You're welcome, Dameron," she said, lifting her chin. Then she relented. "I know some of those guys. They were playing for keeps. Your boy has certainly managed to unite them all in a way he couldn't when he was Supreme Leader." Finn chuckled.

"Maybe we should point that out when we see him."

"If we see him," Zorii interjected. "He's worth a system's ransom. Can't see even this crew being stupid enough to let him go."

"I can be very persuasive," Poe offered.

"Don't kid yourself, flyboy," Zorii teased him. "Even you couldn't charm the pants off these guys."