Chapter Text
"This will begin to make things right. I have travelled too far, and seen too much, to ignore the despair in the galaxy. Without the Jedi, there can be no balance in the force." Lor San Tekka's voice filled the small hut.
Poe was deeply concentrated on his words.
"And it is my pleasure to be in the presence of one..." Tekka's voice trailed off as his eyes left the leather sack once Poe had it secured in his hand, and his gaze met mine.
Smiling slightly back at him, I cringed at what he was referring to.
This was one of my first missions of upmost importance and maybe my tenth with Dameron. I was ready for the hard stuff, or that's what everyone else thought.
I had just finished training with Luke at age 16, unknowing that he was the last Jedi in the galaxy.
I needed a parent figure and he showed up on his own, knowing my ability without having to ask.
"Well, because of you, now we have a chance. The General's been after this for a long time." Poe replied assuringly with his eyes lit up like it was Life Day. It was the map to Skywalker after all.
However, Luke had been nowhere to be found the past 6 years. He had left me a mile from the station of the Resistance, sending the map to Tekka, and no explanation for me.
"The General. To me, she is royalty. Well, she certainly is that." Tekka stated as his face seemed to fall then light back up again as his gaze returned to Poe and I.
Suddenly, out of the curtained doorframe, BB-8 rolls into the hut, frantically, beeping. We all turned to realizing the emergency and I swear I could feel all of our stomachs turn.
"We've got company." Poe says as his gaze met back with Tekka.
We immediately stand on our feet and exit the hut knowing the only company we'd be receiving was The First Order and this wasn't my first encounter with them. However, it was the most I had seen all at once.
Tens of the First Order ships with spotlights glared from above us, lighting up the dark night around us.
"You have to hide!" I yell to Tekka noticing his face was ten times more alarmed than me or Poe's as our eyes gazed at the enemy ships in the sky.
Tekka turned to us. "You have to leave. Go!"
Ready to take off on my feet towards the ship, Poe hesitates, turning to Tekka. His eyes are full of hesitation. Tekka's eyes seem to disregard him, then Poe's gaze leveled with mine and we hurry off into any shield of a darkness we can find.
I was barely able to keep with up with Poe. My feet pounded the desert ground causing mini clouds of dust to follow behind me.
We maneuver ourselves through the small village. Our eyes widening as our gaze catches the locals equipping themselves ready to put up a fight.
A roar of wind and dust erupts as the First Order Transport lands and stormtroopers quickly exit beginning to fire at the villagers.
It was a quick outcome. One that seemed as though every five locals that went down, only one trooper followed.
Blasts exploded above our heads as we ducked our way to Poe's X-Wing which was thankfully parked at a distance behind a large rock.
Upon getting closer to reach it, I looked behind me and BB-8 was far too behind me.
"Come on BB-8! Hurry!" I yell and he rolls quickly catching up next to me.
Reaching ship, Poe and I quickly pull ourselves onboard, me behind him, and with BB-8 in the co-pilot.
A large explosion suddenly shook the ship causing sparks to shoot from our seats to the sky.
I turned behind me and sure enough the left engine was on fire from a blast.
Oh maker, what were we going to do now.
"I see 'em!" Poe yells grabbing his controls and begins firing at two shooters nearing towards us using the X- Wing.
I watched in the rearview as the troopers are blown in the explosion.
"Lets get out of here!" Poe says with stress and heavy breaths as he attempts to start the ship, which caused a sputtering sound to start in the exploded engine behind us.
"It's not going to get us anywhere, Poe!" My voice was harsh. He nodded in return. I could sense the defeat he felt and the panic uprising in both of us. We released ourselves from our seats, dropping back to the ground below.
Before we could even think to plan our next move, another explosion suddenly shook the ground. This was loud, meaning it was very big. My ears began to ring, and my vision blackened.
"Amara!" Poe sounded so distant.
Moments went by and the ground had become still once again. When my vision returned, I was looking right up at Poe. My feet were barely on the ground as my senses returned to feel Poe's arms around my waist and my head resting on his chest. "You almost fell..." He said softly. Too soft for the situation we were in. "Are you alright?" His eyes darted looking into mine, as if making sure they were actually there.
"Yes, I-I Think so," Touching my feet to the ground and letting go of Poe, I examined our surroundings. Fire had cause the air around us to feel as if it were boiling in heat. Smoke filled my nose, burning my throat. "Poe, what are we going to do?"
"I think I have a plan, but I just need to make sure you will be safe no matter what." His eyes held something endearing in them. "You need to take the map and run as fast as you can, Amara."
Shaking my head. "Poe, you know I can't run that fast. What if they see me?" I know I didn't do well to hide the stress or maybe it was just fear that dripped in my tone. Poe leaned down and lifted his hand up to my cheek. "Wait." An idea entered my head. "Give the map to BB-8!"
Poe's brows furrowed, then he nodded and kneeled down to BB-8.
"You take this. It's safer with you than it is with us. You get away from here as fast as you possibly can! Do you hear me?" What started off as a calm statement from Poe, turned into a command. He pulled the leather bag out of his pocket, releasing the bag revealing a chip. Inserting it inside of BB-8, then closing it.
BB-8 froze, hesitating.
"We'll come back for you! We promise." Poe whispered the last part. BB-8 took one last look at both of us, then left over the desert hill next to us. He was out of our sight faster than we could blink.
"Amara!" Poe grabbed my attention, and stood up looking down at me. "Go find some place to hide or run.. until they leave." Poe broke eye contact for a split second as he turned to the burning village. "I will distract them enough." His hands lifted to hold my face in his palm and nodded reassuringly. I could see the sadness and regret laced in his eyes.
"Poe-" I started, not wanting to split up from him.
"Go!" He released his hold on me and ended by grazing the touch of my fingers with his.
Chills ran through me. Was this the last time I ever saw Poe?
Taking in my surroundings, as Poe ducked and approached the areas surrounding the ships, I noticed the troopers were getting closer to the side of the village we had been residing. They were extremely close...
Even though my heart tore at the thought of Poe getting killed or captured, I knew it was in everyone's interest I had to find my own way out of this as soon as possible.
I ducked and stuck to the shadows as I made my way to the other end of the village.
Taking deep breaths as I did so, reminding myself that no matter what happens, I had my saber.
However using it in front of the First Order was too risky. The General, and everyone my whole life at the Resistance had compelled me that they wouldn't hesitate to kill me due to my ability in the force. The question was if they knew about my existence or not, but it was never too late to avoid it.
Ducking behind a hut at the end of the village, I knew if I made it to the clearing they could catch me just in their peripherals.
So I stayed in the dark behind one of the huts, as blasters and cries flooded my ears. My heart sunk to the floor as I knew based on the surrounding sounds, The First order was winning.
I could only hope that Poe was okay, and that BB-8 had gotten away.
"You there!"
Feeling as though the voice was directed towards me, I slowly turned around.
My mouth dropped just a bit realizing it was a pair of stormtroopers making their way towards me.
My heart in my chest. Never have I almost been caught, but I guess this is what it felt like.
"She isn't a local!" The voice from the mask said as they pointed both blasters at me. "Hands in the air traveler!"
I suppose the rest of the villagers were close to being defeated if there were some lone troopers looking for survivors.
No words were able to escape my mouth, but I knew I could do something about the two lone stormtroopers in front of me.
Raising my hands above my head, I nodded at them respectfully.
The stormtroopers were now right in front if me at this point.
"Search her." The trooper on the right demanded as I watched with wide eyes as the other slid away his blaster to his back and leaned down to reach my height with both of his hands raised.
Starting from my ankle, the trooper began padding down both of my legs.
I cringed realizing they would find my saber, however that wasn't an option for me.
Right as the trooper's gloves made contact with my waist, my hand retreated from the air to pull out and ignite my white saber into his helmet. The trooper slid down from my waist and landed with a thud with a burnt bloody hole visible through his helmet.
The remaining trooper began firing at me immediately, causing me to take a couple steps forward to block the blasts with my blade.
Trying to think quickly of how I can get away from this last guy, while still blocking blasts, I disarmed the dead trooper taking his blaster and shooting it while I deflected another blast into the troopers legs.
Immediately the blast caused him to cripple into the sand.
Before I could process another second , another trooper was in vision, and this one was right in front of my face.
The loudest thud I had ever heard came in contact with the side of my right temple causing me to to lose my balance, and my vision to fade out.
"Ah!" Pain erupted throughout my skull as I crashed into the ground feeling the affects of the oncoming concussion the solider just gave me.
"Boss says to take her Alive."
However I was too out of it to realize what was happening.
My empty stomach was doing somersaults and my vision, even though I think my eyes were open was black, and fading back in slowly. My lightsaber was still in my hand however, until it was taken out and instead of the cold metal in between my palms, a cold metal was placed around my wrist.
"Get up!" A voice demanded.
My free palm did it's best to push myself off the sandy floor, trying to balance myself, however I quickly felt the ground return to my ass as my legs seemed to not be able to hold my own weight.
"Ugh," an annoyed sigh replied to my weak state as I felt two cold, hard grips pick me up by my shoulders and and another one lift me up against cold, hard armor.
My hands, which were currently dangling in the bridal position I supposed I lay in, were brought on top of my torso by the hard gloved hands. Then the cold cuff around my right wrist was around my left as well.
"I will keep searching." A voice said from above me.
I attempted to move, to lift up my head, or just get in a more comfortable position, but my head felt like it had been shot. It pounded furiously and I swear I felt a hot thick liquid drip down my temple.
"L-let me," It came out as barely a whisper and I couldn't even speak or say the rest feeling my throat tighten and my head scream at me as my eyes closed in a somewhat relief.
After what only felt like a few moments, we came to a stop, and a familiar voice perked my ears.
"It is just very hard to understand you with all the..." Where have I heard this before...
I opened my eyes slightly to see a blurry version of what Poe had been wearing. It was him. At least he was alive, he was still here. However a blurry tall dark figure a distance ahead of me covered the majority of a kneeling...Poe being held down by two troopers.
"Amara!" Poe yelled as I felt his his eyes on me, which caused the tall figure's silver face? To turn toward me as well.
"No! Let her go! Don't kriffing touch her!" Rage flooded his tone. My focus came back slightly and I could see the anger on his face as his soft eyes went from me to return glaring at the creature standing above him.
"Put her aboard." A strange voice demanded calmly and I was quickly marched aboard the ramp of a ship I was too out of it to even notice was there.
Poe was completely out of my vision and instead bright lights inside the ship blinded it.
I was set down on a chair and a shadow leaned above me while buckling me in to the seat.
"Ugh," I groaned resting my back into the chair and feeling my head pound as my eyes remained closed.
"All right. All right!" Poe's voice pricked my ears again, causing me to open my eyes and watch him being walked across the room by two troopers.
"Amara!" He noticed me and tried to stop his feet like they were suddenly glued into the floor as his gaze met mine, then the troopers pushed him to keep walking. "Hey!" He said as his body was pushed past me. "Where are we going! Let me see if she's okay!"
He disappeared from my view. His voice and yells faded from my hearing causing me to lean back once more and rest my eyes.
The cuffs, I assumed were anti-force? How does that even work. Reaching up to feel my head with both my hands due to the goddamn cuffs, I touched my temple and sure enough there was a coat of sticky blood on my fingers as I pulled down.
Part of me couldn't believe they got me, so much so the other half of me didn't even care what happened next. I just knew it was going to be my end.