━━ CHAPTER FIVE / undercover op

The rec room was always so full of life and despite how Eliana felt, she didn't have the heart to pretend she was okay for long so it didn't take her long to leave for her room. Poe briefly stopped her in the hallway to ask about the time trials and they both knew the answer to that question. So, he nodded and told her to get some rest.

That is exactly what she planned on doing. The nausea hadn't subsided fully and her head throbbed. She wasn't sure whether that was the stress or the sudden changes in altitudes but either way, it hurt like hell. Poe would cover for her so she focused on getting better.

Eliana went straight to her room and flicked out the lights, got a wet face towel and lay in bed. Maymie would be on shift for another few hours at least and unless Nettie, Dow or Poe came in, she wouldn't be disturbed. Which is exactly how she wanted it.

She draped the wet towel over her face and closed her eyes. She wanted to try and sleep but she knew that it wouldn't happen despite her desperate wants. There were too many thoughts spiralling in her head and she could feel the leftover terror clawing at her chest. But she had to try, so she did. She took deep breaths and went through every technique to fall asleep in the book before she huffed out in annoyance.

She rolled onto her side and threw the wet face towel into the sink across the room. That wasn't working so instead, she pulled the covers over herself and curled up. Her head still throbbed but the nausea had at least somewhat subsided thanks to the cold towel. Her hands reached out for the second pillow and she cuddled up to it.

Whether she actually fell asleep or not was up for debate but the next thing Eliana remembered was Maymie opening the door. The noise brought her out of her fitful sleep and she blinked against the glaring corridor lights.

"I thought you'd be in here, Leia wants to see you," Maymie said and Eliana sighed. She nuzzled her face back into the pillow and let out a mumble of a response. Maymie couldn't understand any of it so walked into the room completely. She got onto the ladders of the bunk and dragged Eliana by her legs towards the ladders.

The brunette yelped and kicked her foot out, barely avoiding Maymie's face, "Get your ass up," Maymie said as she dropped back onto the floor. Eliana sighed and pushed herself onto her knees and turned around to sit down.

"What does she want?" Eliana asked as she pushed the covers off herself. Her eyes hurt from the change in lighting but other than that, she felt much better, just a little tired. Her hands rubbed her face and Maymie shrugged.

"She just wanted a meeting. You weren't answering your comm so her droid came to me," Maymie explained. Eliana sighed and reached into the pocket of the jacket that she had fallen asleep wearing. Her comm was lying dead in the pocket. That explains it. She then slid off the bed and dropped down to the floor.

"When does she want to meet?" Eliana's exhaustion was evident in her voice as she reached out for her shoes and pulled them on. She then walked over to the mirror on top of the sink and retied her hair up into a ponytail.

"As soon as." Eliana nodded and pulled her jacket over her shoulders a little more comfortably. She then dropped her comm into the charging port before she headed towards the door. The two women went their separate ways and Eliana headed straight to Leia's office.

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The corridors were as busy as always as Eliana turned into Leia's office. She opened the door without knocking and pushed an apologetic smile onto her face. Leia looked up from her desk and smiled back fondly in return. She gestured for Eliana to sit down and she promptly did. Her hands anxiously resting on her lap. There were only a few things this meeting could be about and all of them made Eliana worried.

"Why did you not answer your communicator?" She asked. There was no malice to her tone, simple curiosity.

"The battery died while I was asleep," Eliana explained in response. Leia nodded and Eliana gently tightened her ponytail needing something to do, "Did the mechanics inform you of what happened on my test flight earlier?" It had lingered in the back of her mind on the walk, that this meeting could be about her reckless use of the new X-Wing. Everything she did was irresponsible and Leia would surely see it that way too.

"I was informed but a flaw has been discovered so it is fine. That is not why I called you in for a meeting. I am waiting for our second participant." The reassurance made Eliana feel a lot better but knowing there was someone else that would join them made her worried. There were only a few people that would likely join her in a meeting. Poe being the obvious choice and if it was about the mission, it really could be anyone that held trust with Leia.

"What is this about?" Eliana asked as she shoved her hands into the pockets of her - Poe's - jacket. Leia opened her mouth to respond but then the door opened and a flustered Poe Dameron rushed into the room. He had a lop-sided apologetic grin on his face and dropped into the chair without question. He greeted Leia with the same respect he normally would and it was only a moment later that he realised Eliana was there.

She tilted her head slightly, silently questioning him about whether he knew what this was. But he seemed just as clueless as she was.

"Now that you are both here, we can get to the business at hand," Leia said as she pushed her chair forward into the desk. Eliana sat up straighter and Poe leaned in slightly, "As you are both aware, there is an undercover operation to Coruscant and I have assigned you as my operatives." That made Eliana's heart drop. An undercover op with Poe was something she knew she could handle but she didn't want to. His teasing would be relentless and she had no opportunity to hide from him. Those words alone sent her into a spiral.

"I chose the two of you due to Eliana's history with the Senate and Poe's military background. I have already sent the mission brief to your datapads but you will be undercover as a couple who are seeking to invest in the First Order. The details are all in your datapad." Eliana's face seemed to drop further the more Leia spoke.

"Did you say couple?" Eliana asked. Leia nodded her head and went into explanation as to why this was the most suitable option but Eliana tuned it out. Now, Poe had every reason to flirt with her because they had to keep up the façade. But she had to suck it up. The mission was more important than her feelings.

"Don't look so horrified, sweetheart. I'll make it realistic," Poe was teasing and it was the first thing Eliana heard when she came back to reality. But rather than being calmed by it, it just made her feel worse. She glanced at Leia who sent her an apologetic smile.

"Thank you, General Organa. When will we be leaving?" Eliana asked as she pushed her chair back. She stood up and brushed herself down. There was nothing to brush off but she had to do something with her hands.

"In a few hours. It is all in the mission brief." The older woman then dismissed them both with a wave of her hand and Eliana left. There was no chance for Poe to catch up to her and when Eliana passed by Nettie and Maymie in the hall, she grabbed both of their arms and dragged them back to her bunk. She needed to talk to somebody about it.

Eliana grabbed her datapad the second they reached the room and sat on the edge of Maymie's bunk, scrolling through the mission brief.

"What did Organa want?" Maymie asked as she sat beside Eliana on the bed.

"Mission brief," Eliana mumbled. Her eyes scanned over every word on the page. She needed to find the exact details of her undercover identity and how much she had to play up the love for Poe. It would also give her some idea of how flirty he would be. She could flirt just as easily back to him but dealing with it 24/7 would certainly hinder her ability to be so witty.

"Why do you look so horrified by a mission brief?" Nettie asked as she sat down, leaning against the wall by the door. Eliana read over the section about her undercover identity and her heart dropped into her stomach. She placed her datapad on the side.

"I have to go undercover with Poe," Eliana began and both Nettie and Maymie waited with curious eyes, "and I'm his wife." Maymie's face dropped and Nettie laughed, not believing her. But Eliana's face was enough to convince her that she was telling the truth.

"You and Dameron? Married? I mean, you play the part well already. That's his jacket, isn't it?" Nettie asked. There was a teasing lilt to her tone and Eliana shook her head, turning her face away. She knew there would certainly be some teasing and she didn't mind but Maker, if she had a blaster on hand she might have just shot herself.

Not only was his incessant flirting a disaster but he kept track of everything she did. So if she made a single mistake on this mission, her tally would go up. She could not afford that. She needed to beat him, not allow for his success. She had to be careful on this op.

"Have either of you got a blaster I can use to shoot my brains out?" Eliana mumbled as she stood up. She dropped the datapad on the bed and began to search through her wardrobe for what to wear. Most of her clothes would not live up to the Coruscanti standards and apparently, Leia had already prepared a suitcase but Eliana wanted some of her own clothes so she packed a small bag of her comfort items as Maymie and Nettie read over the section about her and Poe's identity.

"Organa really stiffed you with this," Maymie commented and Eliana hummed. Didn't she know it. Weeks with only Poe Dameron as company on the planet she adored so much, investigating the place she had spent much of her youth. To most people in the Resistance, that would be the dream but Eliana couldn't imagine a worse nightmare.

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