Kyber Heart - Poe Dameron

Chapter 8

Safely drifting through space, the crew of the Millennium Falcon breathed a collective sigh of relief.

Rey scrambled from her seat, still high on the excitement of the escape. A sentiment that was dampened when she saw Nova was not sharing in it.

The older woman remained glued to her co-pilot's chair, staring out at the stars, though her eyes were not taking them in. Instead, they saw the darkness between them, allowing her mind to become lost in it.

The scavenger placed a hesitant hand on her shoulder. "You coming?"

Nova started a little at the contact, pulling her gaze away from space. "Yeah..." Her voice was a shell of itself; the news of her friend's death catching up with her. The adrenaline fading away in her veins.

Reluctantly, she pushed herself from her seat, following Rey to the door. There, she hesitated again. Her throat and chest felt tight with restrained grief.

"I'll catch up with you. I just – I need a minute..." she trailed off, already looking to her escape.

Rey nodded in understanding, letting her go without further question.

Nova set off for where she knew the crew's quarters to be, letting her façade crumble. She did not bother to shut the door behind her – she would not be disturbed anytime soon. She could hear her comrades enthusing about their escape down the hall.

Perched on the edge of one of the bunks, she allowed herself to mourn openly. She was no stranger to losing friends – it came hand in hand with the job most days – but to lose someone like Poe was a price she had been unprepared to pay.

Despite what she had tried to convince herself, Nova and Poe had not been simply friends. Over the years, years filled with the most extreme situations for them to share, something had developed. Something deep.

But she had not been ready to admit her defeat and surrender to it.

Even now.

Instinctively, her left hand reached for her necklace, pulling at it until the chain dug into her skin. Her thumb and index finger traced the pendant.

It was a simple, silver heart. The sides were detailed with carved leaves and flowers, delicately forming the shape. It was a small constant in her life; always resting beneath her shirt, never far from her heart.

It had in fact been a birthday gift from Poe, despite her refusal to celebrate it – she was not even sure how Poe found out when her birthday was. But Poe had refused to let her wallow all day, and so the evening had been spent in the hanger with Black Squadron, drinking and playing card games.

Nova came out of that affair fifty credits richer and in (temporary) possession of Poe's jacket.

Before she could further drown herself in mourning, the hiss of something bursting on the other side of the ship reached her ears. And not a moment later, BB-8 appeared to report the situation.

Nova sighed, dried her eyes, and followed the orange and white droid back to civilisation.

---

Rey was already beneath the floor, surrounded by white vapours, scoping out the issue. "It's the motivator. Grab me a Harris wrench. Check in there."

Finn set rummaging through one of numerous, disorganised toolboxes. "How bad is it?"

"If we wanna live, not good."

"They're hunting for us now. And we've gotta get out of this system!"