Star Wars: Duel of the Fates

Chapter 9

Poe entered the bridge and saw Wrobie Tyce still in a First Order pilot's uniform, talking with her wife Commander D'Arcy. Leia was examining a holographic display on the large console in front of her.

The Commander smiled at them before taking a memory drive and exiting the room.

"I hear that Finn isn't a big fan of your flying," Wrobie said coming towards him.

"He told you."

"He never complains when I fly him," she said grinning broadly.

"Kid wouldn't know a good pilot if they helped him escape from a Star Destroyer."

"I heard that you crashed doing that."

Poe shook his head, "Finn really needs to stop focusing on that part of the story. We both survived."

"He said you'd say that."

"Of course he did," he said, "Anyway, moving on...you look unnerving in that little getup."

"Well some of us have been actually working while you've been gallivanting."

Leia chuckled softly behind them.

Wrobie went to the door and paused, "Now I actually have something useful to do. I'll just leave you standing here...doing nothing."

"Always a pleasure!" Poe called after her as she stepped into the corridor and out of sight, before shaking his head and muttering, "Gallivanting?"

He moved to stand beside Leia, glancing out of the viewport at the twirling patterns of pale blue energy circling outside, travelling past them at unimaginable speeds.

BB-8 approached him, beeping loudly and ramming into his legs.

Kneeling beside the droid, Poe placed a hand onto his rounded side, "Hi BB-8."

The droid made an angrier series of chirps causing Poe to frown, "I didn't take the Sentry droid because I didn't want your help; it's just able to access the First Orders security systems."

BB-8 drew back; his head sliding back as the lens in the eyepiece focused on Poe's face.

"Honestly," he reassured, "I would never replace you: never."

Another series of beeps followed.

"I know you came with us last time, but they've improved security so standardised astromechs aren't able to access their systems anymore."

The droid's lens adjusted back and forth, the sound comically repetitive.

A single trill was emitted before BB-8 exited the bridge.

Poe stood, "Well BB-8 can join the queue of things currently angry with me."

Leia continued to examine the hologram, "Never underestimate a droid."

Poe chuckled hoarsely, "The extraction went smoothly. We gave them food and they're in their rooms."

Leia nodded.

He goes on, "I always hate how quiet they are."

Finally, Leia looked up at him.

Sighing, he folded his arms and leant against the counter, "Kids should be noisy...but they're always so silent. Connix startled them when she asked if they were happy with the pairs we put them in for their rooms."

Leia smiled, patting his forearm.

He sighed again feeling the weight of the day, "Every time it reminds me of how much damage the First Order does. Every time I have this fresh sense of what they're doing...and I just want them to stop...for all of this to stop. I want to be able to destroy every single one of their bases, every destroyer, down to their last TIE fighter using nothing but my X-Wing."

"There are things that you cannot solve by jumping in an X-Wing and blowing something up."

Poe laughed, remembering the last time she had said those words to him.

"We have to be smarter than that," she said patting his cheek and stepping back, "Our future may depend on it."

"I know that compared with where we were...there's no comparison but it...it just feels like we're always hopelessly outnumbered, that there are only a few of us against all of them."

"I will do everything I can to help."

"I'd expect nothing less," he said walking to the doorway and winking at her as he left.

She shook her head wryly, before turning back to the display and continuing to study it.