Star Wars: Edge of Hope

Chapter Nineteen: Resurrecting Lost Hopes

Poe couldn't understand any of it. How was it possible they didn't know about any of this?! Everything felt like it was falling apart, Leia was trying to hold  everyone all together...keep our Hope alive. Poe watched the balancing act continue everyday, the world would tip one way, and there she'd be pulling it back from the brink. The last signals went out to many past members of the old rebel alliance still in hidding, but for all tenses their rally cry had fallen on the ears of a deafened darkening galaxy. Poe couldn't see past the dim view of the reality he was stuck in. How could there be anything more left for them? They'd fought on to the end, but now...this would be the final nail in the coffin that would bury the Resistance for good. The spark that Holdo and Leia believed so fervently in had been extinguished. And he was the messenger...Poe tried to duck past the command center. His eyes were tired from peering through the scope of his onboard scanner, but there wasn't anything beneath the hellish fireball that gave off signal. He hadn't seen anything but the Finalizer floating in almost invisiblility. They'd kept their active relays open but the main communication dish was turned to focus in on the planet below as it hurdled through the black emptiness of space. Poe waited on the midline attitude of Mustafar and opened the channel Retcon used to pick up broad waved communication transmissions. If the First Order were broadwaving code to the surface there wasn't a reply. And that was when Poe picked up the one thing he had hoped he wouldn't. The sound of Hux's voice pinging off the small antenna...he was trying to contact Ren on the surface, but there hadn't been any reply for hours. Poe didn't know much about the Mustafar system, but he did know was down below was a stronghold built and utilized by Darth Vader and his Inquisitors. It wasn't a place the faint of heart dared to venture into without cause. Even though most of the rats jumped ship when the Empire fell, there were rumors the Fortress was still heavily guarded by those under the sway of the Darkside. But Poe didn't believe in fireside tales of ghouls and men warped by the darkness within them. Real evil was simpler than all that, he'd seen it before, the real threat lay beneath the surface of every man. All it took was the right amount of pressure, the right temptation in measure, and they would set the world aflame and never ask why. Poe almost made it clear of the command center...almost...Rose spotted him and even though he mouthed..."No" shaking his head. She narrowed her eyes and mimicked a questioning expression, "What are you doing?! She's waiting...I'm telling her..". She made the first few steps over towards were Leia was bent over the communication relays trying to work out a new signal they were recieving from the Da'Iasc system. Poe, kept waving her off, but Rose just shrugged mouthing back, "This is stupid! I'm not lying to her!".

Leia: Poe? When you and Rose are finished with your plan to distract me get your butt over here, please.

Poe sighed throwing an exasperated look towards Rose, who only shook her head as she watched him walk into command past her.

Poe: Thanks for the assist, Rose. I really appreciate the help. No, it's good to know who I can count on for support.

Rose: You're the one trying to br sneaky. I thought spies were good at gathering intelligence. It's not my fault you can't string the words covert and mission together in the same sentence.

Leia: You're both worse than children... Are you two done now? Good, Poe. What did you find out? Is it true? Are the First Order...

Poe: I'm afraid it is. They're looking for...Well, Surpreme Leader Kylo Ren...is looking for a private fleet. He's planning to use them to raise the First Order from the grave. That's why they went to Mustafar...they needed a map, they haven't found them yet. But it's just a matter of time the way their looking for these things, their not giving up any time soon.This Imperial Armada was commissioned under a secret orders by Darth Vader himself. Supposedly, from what I picked and an was able to decode from their communication dispatches...these new ships, were equipped with Death Star weapons capabilities. And...