Chapter Text
The tarmac was a flurry of mechanics, ground crew and droids as they prepared the runways for the return of the x-wing squadrons. Clearing the runway, setting up repair stations and refuelling docks, it was all routine procedure, tasks that had be practiced and applied so many times it was all second nature to the resistance ground crew.
Overhead small specks began to cut through the atmosphere sending clouds into white puffs, swirling around the sky like ink in water. The squadron’s had returned from their latest run in with the First Order, their crafts all tarnished with the scars of battle.
Majors began barking the last orders to technicians and general hands as the x-wings began their descent to the resistance base.
It was an old rebellion era base that was situated on the planet D’Qar, it was small, undersupplied and short of staff but they managed.
Inside the control room General Organa sat quietly thinking over the events of the day. She was consumed in her thoughts, the harsh reality of their circumstances weighing heavy on her chest.
Around her, technicians finished up their duties, taking notes for the debrief that was to follow any mission that took place from the resistance. They shuffled around the general, taking tedious care not to disturb her in her thoughts. Though a month had passed since Starkiller Base, wounds were still fresh from the loss of her husband. The loss of such a passing never clouded her judgments or orders, in fact it was pushed off to the back of her mind when she was overseeing any mission, but once she was alone, her thoughts turned to the man she loved.
Control panels whirred and beeped furiously as they signalled the approach of the aircraft snapping the woman from her sorrowful thoughts. Dameron. She needed to see Dameron.
“Lieutenant Connix, greet Commander Dameron upon his return and tell him I need to speak with him urgently,” the orders sent the young woman into a flurry. Pushing herself quickly from her station to go and greet the commander out on the tarmac. It was of utmost importance that the General speak to the man before any formal debriefing. There was intel that needed to be investigated which took priority over anything else the man had planned.
The engine whined as it shut down, the lights on the dashboard turning off as the cockpit opened from above. Inside a man went to work removing his helmet and freeing his curls from their prison. Strands stuck to his face as small beads of sweat slowly ran down his brow unnoticed as he ran his hand instinctively through his hair. The man sighed and thought over what had transpired. They had been ambushed. Whether they had been double crossed or given bad intel still remained to be seen but no one had been hurt or died and to Poe that was greater than any success he could have earned.
Stepping out from the cockpit Poe climbed down off the fuselage and began walking to greet his fellow pilots. Around him droids and people alike were hurrying to landed aircraft, inspecting each one for damage and repairs. Medics running to pilots ready to tend to any wounds they may have received.
“Commander Dameron!” He knew the girl behind the voice but was confused to hear it out on the airfield. She was a control room technician, she would not have been sent out unless it was urgent.
Poe put aside his thoughts and stood tall, a serious demeanor taking over his form.
“Lieutenant Connix,” his voice was warming but loud as he turned to face the young woman who came bounding across the runway towards him. Her strides were quick and panicked and she was careless in her movements. Like a baby animal attempting to stand for the first time, Connix pushed herself forward as her legs wobbled ready to give out under each step.
Poe’s hands found their way to his waist as he eyed the young woman trying to suppress a laugh, curious to know what had her in such a mess before him.
“The General, she wants to speak to you. She said it was urgent.” Confronted by her words Poe simply gave a nod in response, giving the girl’s shoulder a light tap as if to comfort her. She had seemed far too worried to be carrying such harmless news. Poe was aware she was still new to the resistance and admired her passion to perform every task she was given quickly and efficiently but she would need to learn to stay calm in the face of many situations, such a skill only learnt over time.
Poe jogged off towards the control room, his life support equipment bouncing heavy on his shoulders with each stride. He tried to think over what could be urgent enough for the General to want to see him privately before the debriefing. Deciding against any answer his imagination could think up Poe pushed himself forward into the main buildings of the resistance base.
The sound of his boots could be heard against the cold metal floor as he descended the stairs of the usually busy control room. What was normally a room cluttered by movement and noise was now silent but not empty. Sitting alone by the control panel, General Organa watched as Poe entered the room, her face stone cold and serious making Poe worry that he was about to be presented with unpleasant news.
The woman stood, flicking a switch on the monitor sending it into action. A holographic figure appeared. It was an old human male but not one Poe knew in the resistance, perhaps an ally? He couldn't be sure, he was only certain that he was important.
The man’s voice was gruff and serious matching the weathered face the words came from, “I have news of our lost engineer. Speculations say that they survived the explosion and are now hiding on the outer sectors of Nar Shaddaa. We must hurry to find them. If the First Order gets to them first, then we will have lost before the war has truly begun.” The hologram flickered and vanished, signalling the end of the transmission. Poe did not know what to make of the man's message or why the general had shown him this. He could only conclude that he was about to sent out on yet another mission.
The air in the room was cold and stained with silence as the two stared at each other. One awaiting instruction, the other adjusting herself to lean upon the control unit. She was exhausted, her body tired and small, her face turned down and solum. It was a rare sight to see the woman so vulnerable. Her fragile state was usually a force to be reckoned with but now with only Poe in the room with her, the General let her exhaustion show.
Her voice though small never faulted as she finally addressed the man before her. “Poe, I understand you must be confused, so let me explain this as quickly as possible.” Her eyes met Poe’s locking in on them as she took in a deep breath before proceeding, her mind ticking over, finding the right words to say. “Five years ago, there was word of an engineer who discovered how to harness the power of Kyber crystals without the need of the force. Unfortunately, we were led to believe that following a devastating explosion that same engineer died. The explosion flattened several buildings and it was concluded that the origin was from one of the many kyber crystal prototypes the engineer had made. Everyone assumed that the designs had been faulty, but I believed otherwise. I believe they worked perfectly.
We have reason to believe that the first order was close to locating this engineer and they planned on stealing the designs for their own use. So I think that the engineer, having learnt what their technology could amount to in the wrong hands, purposely blew it all up, leaving no trace of the themself or their designs.”
“What does this have to do with me?”
“We recently received word that my assumptions were correct. Working out of the outer sectors of Nar Shaddaa lies a mechanical engineer that goes by the alias Speck. We believe this is the same engineer that harnessed the power of Kyber Crystals” the general's words clocked over in Poe’s mind. If this was true then the galaxy would never be the same again. Such technology could change the face of war forever.
“Your mission, Poe, is to take our transport ship with a small team of your choosing to Nar Shaddaa and investigate the lead on the engineer. We need you to find them, and test out their abilities. If you believe that this engineer is indeed the one we are looking for, then it is your job to convince them to return back with you. No matter the cost, this engineer and their designs cannot fall into the hands of the First Order.” The General’s words were firm, indicating the importance of this mission but Poe was all too familiar with it. Every mission he had ever gone on was important. Every single one was a matter of life and death. Even a simple supply run was a fight against the First Order. And with each fight brought hope. Poe couldn't allow them to gain any more power or control than they had already.
Poe gave the general a quick nod signalling he understood the severity of his mission.
“I'd like to request that Jess and Finn join me on the mission.”
“Finn?” The general questioned, joyfully surprised by his choice.
“I believe this would be a perfect opportunity for Finn to prove himself outside the walls of the base. The mission shouldn't be too dangerous or vigorous which is perfect for him now that he had healed.” Poe believed every word he said. Plus he knew Finn would appreciate the chance to stretch his legs. The friendship shared between the two men had only grown stronger over the past month and Poe trusted Finn with his life.
“Go now and prepare yourself. Dress casual and tell Finn to do the same, I'll send word to Jess. She will be waiting for you by the ship. You leave immediately.” Poe caught on that he would need to act quickly and change into something less formal. Narr Shaddaa was a moon known for its criminal populous. It was run by the Hutts and was the a hub of villainous behaviour and treachery. It had both Resistance and First Order sympathisers alike living on the moon with no true way to tell between them so they would need to blend in and stay low. If anyone caught on they were resistance fighters, things could turn deadly fast.
The engineer would most likely be selling illegal upgrades on ships and weaponry to earn money on the moon and would be well known for being one of the better mechanical engineers around. They wouldn't be too hard to find but they would be very good at hiding their true identity. To have gone unnoticed for so long meant that this engineer, whoever they may be, was good at blending in and remaining hidden.
The pilot quickly ran off after being dismissed by the General, he took the word immediately very seriously. He was known to not relax until every duty that required his attention was completed. This was definitely no exception.
His legs carried him as fast as they could manage across the base to where he knew he could find Finn.
Loud cracks and bangs echoed out from a bathroom, filling the hallway with sound. From inside a man worked tirelessly on finishing the repair he was sent to do. He mumbled to himself in between every movement, annoyed he had found himself in a situation all too familiar once again. “It's like I never left! I've only swapped the First Order toilets for Resistance ones.” His words mocked his situation. He was grateful for the change in command, he only wished he didn't have the same job.
Loud footsteps rang through the hall outside of the small toilet unit snapping Finn out of his frustrated thoughts. He looked back hoping to catch a glance at whoever it was in such a hurry, the noises becoming louder as they neared. The source of the noise however stopped right in front of Finn his eyes now fixated on boots. They were a dark leather boots that appear far too tattered to belong to anyone official. His eyes slowly run up the body of the person before him, noticing the clothes were in a similar state to that of the shoes. Worn and tattered, the colour faded from its former glory.
There was a long awkward pause between the two men as Finn finally met the eyes of the person who stood before him. He had not expected Poe of all people to be the one standing before him in such worn down clothes. Snapping to attention, Finn quickly sat up and used his dirty hands to flatten the wrinkles that had bunched up around him leaving finger marks stained along his tunic.
“Get up, we have been assigned to a mission” Poe's words set a fire underneath Finn sending him up quickly from his spot on the ground. Finn’s movements were rushed and clumsy, his excitement affecting his motions. “Mission? It's not more sanitation work is it?” Finn’s voice was sarcastic as he gestured to Poe’s clothing.
Poe laughed aloud before correcting the man before him “No, nothing like that. We have been tasked with locating someone very important.”
“Why me?”
“Your skills and knowledge of the first order could prove to be useful and besides, I thought you would be itching to get away from the site of a toilet.” Poe gestured to the poorly lit room behind Finn.
“Awesome. Why the clothes?”
“We have to go to a moon run by criminals. This place isn't pleasant on the eyes or nose. And if you don't fit in, you die.” Poe’s words were short and to the point. Poe couldn't waste time elaborating the extent of the mission. He only needed to convince Finn.
“Fair enough, I'm in.” Finn slapped his hands together in excitement and followed after Poe.
Outside standing by the transport ship stood Jess dressed in similar tattered clothing to Poe patiently waiting for both men to arrive just as the General had stated. Her arms were folded over her chest as she leaned on the door of the ship. This wasn't her first ground mission with Poe, he knew he could trust her with the ship alone and if the time came, Jess would be able to fly the ship out of danger without his assistance. Poe could always rely on Jess being exactly where he needed her without his orders.
“Getting me caught up in your mess again Dameron?” Jess said greeting her commander as he walked up to the transporter with Finn in toe. The transporter was a chimera of ships, each part recycled from other long forgotten ships, creating an ugly formation of twisted metal all welded together. It was operational and functioned well considering it origins but it was never an easy or enjoyable ride.
“Wouldn't have it any other way,” as Poe caught up to the woman he patted her on the shoulder before jumping into the ship before him, heading straight for one of the two piloting seats.
“The general gave me some supplies to pass onto yourself for the mission.” Jess handed over a large bag before taking the seat next to Poe. The bag contained two blasters, rations to get them by until their return and enough credits to bribe their way through the criminal town and pay their way into the heart of the engineer.
Poe smiled as he looked down into the bag. His mind clocking over many a witty thing to say but he decided against the idea.
“Finn hold this.” Poe threw the bag over his shoulder to the unprepared man behind him sending the bag into his stomach. With a loud ughnf, Finn wrapped his arms around the black material and fell back into the seat behind him, catching his breath after being winded moments earlier.
Laughing to himself Poe started the engines ignoring the cold stare he was receiving from his female copilot. Jess was always serious on long missions which was why they worked well together. Poe knew when to be serious but often enjoyed joking around when he could, how else was he meant to enjoy his time in the resistance? Poe often got himself in more trouble than necessary because of his wit and humour and that's when Jess would usually jump in and save him from winding up dead.
Last time Poe had gone out on a recon mission he wound up getting captured by the first order because of his big mouth. Unbeknownst to him at the time, that moment would become his saving grace as Finn saved him with the promise of mutual escape.
“One day Dameron you're going to get me killed,” voice cold Jess turned her gaze to the view in front, as the pilots prepared the ship for its departure.
“Not if I can help it,” he meant his words. He didn't wish for anyone on his squadrons to pass. Though it was a certainty that came with war, Poe tried his best to prevent any unnecessary death.
Jess just shook her head and smirked, “engines are ready.”
“Well what are you waiting for then?” Poe jeered at his copilot, laughing as she rolled her eyes at him in response.
Pushing the throttle forward, the engines roared as the ship pushed upwards towards the atmosphere sending them onwards to their mission.