Kyber Heart - Poe Dameron

Chapter 21

Nova's scream came out as nothing more than a strangled gasp; reality crashing back into her. She hit the controls hard, dragging her X-Wing back up before it could collide with the oscillator, heading back for open sky.

The last light of the sun had been stolen, leaving them in darkness. Most of the battle had moved away from the surface and up to the very edge of the atmosphere. The planet was now bathed in hues of indigo and black.

"Nova," Poe's demand startled her over the comms. "What the hell –?"

"I'm fine. I'm fine," she repeated, as loud as her dry throat would permit. The two TIE fighters she left decimated in her wake helped to prove her point. Her ability to pilot had not been compromised as of yet.

The same could not be said for many other pilots, as more and more were being shot down.

"We just lost R-1," Karé Kun, a fellow Black Squadron member reported.

"We're overwhelmed," Jess said. "What do we do? This isn't working."

Nova forced herself to glance down at the planet's surface, hope fading faster than the light. Then, saw something – an explosion on the surface. A small ball of orange flame shining through the darkness and to the sky like a beacon. It was small, but it was something.

"I've got something," she said, drawing the attention of others. "There's a new hole in that oscillator!"

"Looks like our friends got in," Yolo said.

Poe did not need to think twice before jumping to action. "Red Four, Red Six, cover us!"

The two pilots pulled in beside him, already heading back down closer to the surface despite the swarm of TIE fighters.

"Everybody else, hit the target hard! Give it everything you got!"

With Poe at the forefront of the offensive, Nova, Snap and Jess followed him down into the trench, closely flanked by Asty and Bastian.

Instantly, they were faced with a barrage of fire from both sides; TIEs on their tails and heavy cannons lining the trench. There was little room for manoeuvre, the X-Wings being forced to fly single file down the tight gap. 

"I need some help here! I need some help!" Poe yelled, dodging and weaving between the onslaught from the cannons and fighters.

"I'm working on it!" Nova called back, throwing her fighter sideways to avoid a direct hit. The lower half of her port-side engine, sparking a string of muttered profanities to leave her mouth.

Bastian got in before her. "I'm coming in!"

Everything was becoming muddled over the comms as they drew closer to their target. Ahead of Nova, Asty's X-Wing took a critical hit, sending it careening into the wall of the trench in a ball of smoke and sparks.

Nova grimaced. "Bee, damage report?"

BB-6 responding with what seemed to be their customary nervous beeps and whirrs, reading off the damage to the ship's engine. It was manageable, but required caution from the pilot to not make it worse.

Her request reached Poe's ears, sparking yet more worry within the pilot. "Nova –"

"Focus on that oscillator, Dameron," she cut in before he could spew his concerns. "I can handle this!"

Poe grimaced, biting his tongue to restrain further comments he knew would not be appreciated. He knew he could trust her judgement – if she said it was under her control, it was under her control. But after her stunt on the bombing run, he was inclined to worry about her more than he did already.

He sighed, forced to make the decision. "All teams, I'm going in. Pull up and cover me!"

"Copy that, Black Leader," Snap replied.

"Poe," Nova's voice faltered as she failed to find the words. She swallowed. "Good luck. Blow it to hell."

She was the last to pull out of the trench, following Snap, Jess and Bastian back to the atmosphere. Most of the TIEs in the trench pursued them, leaving Poe to be tailed by one lone fighter, who he was able to avoid with little difficulty.

He let out a heavy sigh, trying to ignore the image of Nova's X-Wing going down in a ball of flames that his mind had conjured up to haunt him. Thinking she was dead was bad enough for him, but having to watch it and know he could do nothing was so much worse.

Only in the moments he thought he had lost her forever did he truly realise the full extent of his feelings for her. He figured out exactly why staying the way they were, a complicated spot between friends and lovers, was killing him inside.

Despite it all, he had fallen in love with her.

Nearing the breach, he shook it off; mind focusing back on the mission.

Locking the ship's S-foils together allowed for a smooth entry, and forced the last pursuing TIE to break away, unable to follow. Once in, he unlocked the S-foils once more to open fire.

And he did so with great satisfaction, blowing the base to hell as instructed.

Torpedo after torpedo was launched as he circled the interior, each one finding its mark in the exposed structure. The flames from the explosions roared in his wake, the oscillator slowly beginning to collapse in on itself.

He made it out and back into the open before the real explosion hit, sending sparks and flames sky-high into the darkness. Several more followed, going outwards across the surface, pushing up through the snow like volcanic eruptions.

"All teams, nice job!" Poe called to his fellow pilots, his voice breathless with relief and elation. "General, the target's been destroyed!"

Nova leaned back in her seat; eyes squeezed shut as she forced a breath from her tight chest. The mission was successful, and the sooner she could get out of the stifling cockpit, the better.

"Good." Leia's voice was warm but distant – and Nova did not need to guess why. She must have felt something too. Not the same way she had, but something. "Now, retreat immediately. The planet is unstable."

That much was obvious. The eruptions were growing in both size and power, catching low flying and scrambled fighters as they tried to make their escape. 

"If we retreat, we leave our friends behind!" Poe said without hesitation.

Leia's response was ready and rehearsed. She knew what he was like – loyal to a fault to those he cared for. While she could not exactly fault him for it, she could make her own point of concern clear. "If you stay to find them, we lose you all. Your group is all we have left capable of putting up a fight."

"With all due respect, General, we're not leaving them. Teams, who's with me?"

"We're all with you Poe," Snap said. "You know that."

Nova managed no such response, but her X-Wing did not break from formation. Though her hope was fleeting, she forced herself to stay strong. Her father had not been the only person sent to the Maker-forsaken planet's surface – the others could still be alive.

It did not take much searching for them to locate the Millennium Falcon. The battered ship rose through the trees; lights illuminating the surroundings in a soft white blue. A cold yet hopeful light.

The legendary ship took the lead as the fighters cleared what had been Starkiller Base, getting out of range in time for it to destabilise entirely. The power became too great to contain, and the planet burst into a new and blinding sun.

"Our job's done here," Poe sighed happily. "Let's go home."

New life, and a victory for the Resistance. But it had come at a high price.

The fleet, or the seven ships that remained, followed the Falcon to hyperspace one by one in silence.