CONSTELLATIONS | Poe Dameron

CHAPTER XVII

Three days had passed since we heard of the slaughter on Jakku, and still no word from Poe or BB-8.

If I wasn't in the wing or my room, I was in the meeting room, giving support to the commanding staff and Leia when needed. I'd usually tuck myself out of the way and take notes on my readings, always keeping my ears open for any message coming from the other planets. It was getting harder to focus. I never could have known that in such a short time, Poe would come to mean so much to me. I missed the annoying man. A lot.

Tash would come by and sit with me when she was off, reading with me or just chatting to keep my mind off things. Even Ezra had asked me if there was any word on my friend's whereabouts. Really the only silver lining about this situation is that I had plenty of time to figure out the testing of my capsules. I had a plan that Tash didn't even know the details of, and I didn't plan on sharing it until I was one hundred percent sure it worked. Leia would have to know, but now wasn't the time to brief her on it.

I walked back from the canteen with two teas in my hand. Walking up to the General, I placed one in her hands. The wise woman was looking tired with worry for her best pilot and the fate of the map leading to her hidden brother. Just as she went to thank me, Lieutenant Connix spoke loudly over the room.

"General! We are receiving a transmission from Jakku."

Teas forgotten, we both made our way to the middle of the room. A child-like voice in a language I didn't know came through the message. I watched Leia's face closely as the message continued and I could see the light coming through her eyes.

"They have Commander Dameron. He's injured, but doing fine and is safe. He's in an outpost on the far side of Jakku." She looked over to Tally, who had slipped into the room, already donning her bright orange suit. "Permission to fly. Bring him home." Tally wasted no time, running out to the hangar as a member of support staff yelled out the transmission coordinates to her. I reached over and grasped Leia's hand, giving it a tight squeeze which she returned. My heart was thumping wildly in my chest as relief flooded over the entire room.

"General, did it give any details on his injuries?" I asked over the lively chatter that had filled the space.

"No, but go ahead and get a room ready to examine him just in case."

I shot her a smile and quickly made my way to the med wing. Pushing the doors open, I called for Tash who had just turned a corner towards me. The woman pulled me into a strong hold as I recalled the message sent from Jakku. We both set off to get the room by my office ready for his return. Not knowing the extent of his injuries, we prepared for multiple different scenarios.

The next few hours crawled along as we waited for his return to the base. Changing into my usual uniform, I pulled my hair into a high bun out of my face before pulling on my med coat. My heels clicked along the hard floors as I made my way back to the meeting room.

"Dr. Dreis," I was greeted by Lt. Connix as soon as I made my way into the now almost empty space. "Perfect timing, they are making their descent now."

"Thank you!" I told the woman as I spun on my heel and headed out to the hangar, surprisingly giddy at the thought of laying my eyes on the pilot again. I wouldn't allow myself to fully believe he was okay until I saw him.

It seemed like the majority of the base was gathered around the ship as it landed, all awaiting his return. I stayed back as the ladder was let down and Tally dropped out of the star cruiser, followed by the dark haired man we were all waiting for. As he turned to face everyone, he had his signature, cocky grin on his face as if to say "See? I'm back." However, scanning him with a trained eye, I could see numerous injuries that littered the man's body.