Kyber Heart - Poe Dameron

Chapter 50

Poe had already situated himself beneath one of a pair of speeders by the time the girls caught up with the group.

"You got that other one?" he asked Nova, pulling at the wires to try and bring the engine to life.

"On it."

It had been a while since she had had to hot-wire something, but the skill still seemed second nature as her fingers worked. Her father, much to the disapproval of her mother, had taught her such things at a young age. For what purpose she had never been sure, but she was none the less thankful for it.

Finn frowned, looking between the pilots sceptically. "How do you know how to do that?"

The question went ignored.

It was not long before the locals noticed their theft, and they began shouting in their native tongue. From their tone, profanities were undoubtedly among the things being thrown their way.

Nova slammed the panel shut as her speeder sparked to life. "Let's move."

The group divided themselves between the vehicles, and soon enough they were away, speeding across the sand with tails of golden dirt spraying out behind them. The stray grains whipped and stung their faces, forcing them to squint through that and the sunlight.

The First Order were on them in an instant, heavy treadspeeders rolling out in pursuit and opening fire. Most shots went wide and hit nothing but sand, but one or two were able to set the speeders shaking.

Nova gripped the steering mechanism of her craft tighter, willing for it to go faster. Her teeth gnawed at the inside of her cheek as she tried to keep her balance within the chaos.

Rey and Chewie did their best to offer a counterattack, but were easily outmatched in firepower. Finn and Poe were fairing no better to their left. They were going to need a strategy, and fast.

"Switch!" Nova yelled to the Jedi, relinquishing control of the speeder and freeing her blaster as Rey took control of driving.

The bodies of the enemy speeders lurched suddenly upwards, launching a pair of troopers forward. Jetpack engaged, they began to close the gap, their shots erupting great geysers of sand around their targets.

"Oh, they fly now!" C-3PO wailed.

"They fly now?" Finn was in disbelief.

Poe seemed almost resigned as he groaned a final "They fly now."

Nova's jaw clenched as her mind raced for a manoeuvre. Searching their surroundings, she found a divide in the landscape. "Split up! Take the canyon, you can out-manoeuvre in there!"

Poe pulled away wordlessly, becoming lost behind the sandstone wall, taking one of the treadspeeders with him.

Nova's gloved hand held the speeder for support her other gripped her blaster. Her finger squeezed the trigger rhythmically, each shot quickly calculated by instinct and reflex, but the jerky movements of the speeder and surprising nimbleness of the airborne troopers made it hard to land a shot where intended.

A shriek caught in Rey's throat as she drove them forward. Her free hand shot out to brace herself on Nova's shoulder – as she often found herself drawn to the older woman for support, though she knew it would always come in a complicated form. What Rey often needed was also often taxing for Nova to supply.

BB-8 beeped frantically from beside their ankles, demanding their attention.

"Not now, Beebee-Ate!" the Jedi snapped.

The droid was undeterred by her tone and set about his own plan. With an appendage, he tapped into on the canisters they were carrying, causing it to release a spurt of air and yellow smoke. The pressure grew until it was launched backwards into the air, exploding seconds later in a cloud of colour.