𝘾𝙃𝘼𝙋𝙏𝙀𝙍 𝙏𝙃𝙄𝙍𝙏𝙀𝙀𝙉
—𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘥—

     POE DIDN'T WANT to be emotional as he arrived back on base, trying to keep his expression neutral. No one around the pilot quarters asked questions as he asked to see General Organa, and Spencer decided it would be best to just follow behind him. There wasn't anything either of them could have done; if the two of them had stayed back to help with the blonde girl's ship . . . they, too, would have suffered the consequences.

"Gener‒ Leia," Poe pauses, swallowing back his urges to yell. "We just arrived back from our mission, and there's a problem."

"Oh, what is it?" Leia turns from her previous conversation from a pilot, scanning over the two. "And where is Bexley?"

"She didn't turn around, Leia," Poe's voice is no longer strong, and the cracks are clear as he closes his eyes. "They shot her ship down, and we had to get out."

The general was clearly surprised, her expression turning into one of a mourning parent. Leia places her hand on the wall next to them for support, her frame shaking as she runs her free hand down her face.

"Poe, where exactly was she shot down?"

"Somewhere over the plains," he shakes his head, his voice breaking as he looks to the ceiling to hide the stinging in his eyes. "And I'm here to ask permission to go back and find her‒ alone."

"Oh, honey," the general says in sympathy, moving from the wall to place her hands on his shoulders. "I don't think she's . . . You can't go back there, Poe. It's too dangerous, and I won't lose another pilot."

"No, no, you have to," he insists, finally looking into her eyes, "because you don't understand‒ I can't lose her, Leia. She's all I have left."

"I'm so sorry," Leia drops her hands, letting out a loud sigh. "We'll call off missions for the next few days, and the two of you can have a break for a bit."

Spencer only looked to Poe, hoping that he would try again with his begging. They couldn't just leave Bexley there, could they? No pilot was to be left behind, especially if they were so important to the people around them.

"I don't need a fucking break, I need Bexley," Poe clenches his teeth, not bothering to wipe away the stray tear that fell from his eye. "I'm sorry General, but she means more to me than life itself. And I'm not about to just let her go."

He gives the General one last glance, before he turns and disappears into a bigger ship. Spencer was ready to go after him‒ he wanted to go, too. But Leia only shook her head as she placed a gentle grip on his forearm.

"Let him go," she says softly, breaking the silence around them. "I dread to see the time when he comes back empty-handed . . . and all we can ever wish is for his safe return and closure."

---

Bexley was trapped. It was clear as she opened her eyes to the darkness around her, smelling a hint of smoke in the air. It was almost too dark to see; almost. The blonde was glad she couldn't see the fire from here‒ but was terrified of what that might mean. She threw the helmet off of her head, only to gasp when a shock of pain ran through her arm. There was a glass shard wedged into her skin, and it took everything in her to not look away.

Bexley yanked out the glass, clenching her teeth as it drew blood. But she ignored that fact, and focused on grabbing the flashlight from her beltloop. As she turned it on, she sat still, anticipating what was going to happen next.

"What the . . . " Bexley begins, looking around her to find that she was buried inside the crashed ship. "Shit."

It was clear how she got into the situation, but she wasn't sure how to get out. Bexley wouldn't have much time, seeing as how the humidity was sinking into her lungs along with the smoke. Either dehydration, deadly inhalation, or the fire would kill her. Maybe the ship would even collapse. But wouldn't Poe be looking for her?

Bexley assessed her wounds, glad that there weren't too many. Most of the damage was caused by the glass of the broken windshield. Somehow, she managed to stay buckled in her seat as the front of the ship pummeled into the sand dunes below.

The blonde unbuckled herself, flipping to lay on what was once the windshield. Facing the back of the ship, she looked for anything‒ tools, of any sort‒ that would help her out of this situation. And when she came up with a wrench, she used her good arm to start working away at the chunks of damaged and dented metal. It was a long shot that she would get out on her own, but all she had left was hope.

And in minutes, it was likely that Poe would come for her; to the rescue, like usual. It was like him to never leave anyone behind‒ that's one thing he always repeated to her. By far, she remembered it during every mission she was on, and didn't fail to complete what he advised.

The smoke settling in the air reminded her of all the times she and her parents shared during the winter season. It never snowed in Takodana, and was mostly temperate; but that didn't mean there weren't chilly nights when her father would light a fire in the hearth. Her and her mother would watch him, before taking his side and watching the flames come to life. Then, it was almost magical. Her family was together, and were all focused on one thing; the flame sitting atop of the wood.

And now, all Bexley could think of was how all of that was gone. How her mother had once been trapped, too; back when the factory slowly exploded, one section at a time. This might just be how Bexley died, all because she was too stubborn to listen to Poe's orders. Maybe there was a line that she had crossed when entering independence.

"No, no, no!" Bexley yells, tears setting into her eyes as she realizes she hadn't done any damage to the ship. "You've got to be kidding me."

She slowly drops the wrench to the ground, her anger growing soft. It didn't matter how much she tried, there would always be the same defeating outcome. Her parents didn't raise a quitter, but there wasn't another option but to give up and have peace with what last few minutes she had. Bexley didn't have a chance anymore.

A wracked sob leaves Bexley's lips as she lowers her arm to the cool sand around her, accepting defeat as it came. Maybe Poe had got out safe, she hoped; and maybe the others did too. Maybe she was enough of a distraction to save everyone else.

She wasn't about to stop the tears that came rushing down, nor the small sounds that escaped her lips as she did so. This wasn't the way she was supposed to die. Bexley was supposed to make her father proud first, and to become an assassin like she planned. The blonde was supposed to get married and have children, and to share her stories with them like her father did with her.

Bexley was supposed to live a long life, not a short one. And she certainly wasn't supposed to go down without a fight, or without a choice.

It was only minutes before she had run out of tears to cry, and had turned off the flashlight. The smell of smoke was growing stronger, and burned the back of her throat as she inhaled it. Bexley breathed in softly, licking her dry and cracked lips. At least the heat wasn't too bad now‒ the shaded sand made it better. She allowed her body to form with the ground below, feeling the tension release from her joints.

As Bexley listened closely to the cracking of the fire outside, she though she could almost hear the voice of her mother. It may have been a long time since she heard those same words, but they were as clear as day.

"Count the stars," her mother's voice instructed. "Count the stars."

Bexley's eyes were open again, and she searched the enclosed space above her, aching to find the stars. But she couldn't find them. Bexley knew it was a long shot, but closed her eyes again, before releasing a heavy breath and opening them.

A

bove her, as she stared close enough, she could see a twinkle of light coming through the top of the ship. And then it got a bit bigger, sparks flying around it as it continued to grow. She smiled in the darkness, watching the star grow bigger.

And then it formed a line; one that went straight across. It turned into a square soon enough, and Bexley was no longer aware of what was happening. As the square was lifted from the ship, the heat and brightness of the sun hit her all at once. Bexley squinted as arms wrapped around her, pulling her up from the ground.

Poe‒ he must have saved her after all. But that didn't come as much of a surprise, seeing as how he always to her she should never leave . . . but as Bexley fully opened her eyes to see who was holding her, she realized it wasn't Poe at all.

A black mask shielded the face of the person who was holding her tightly, a cloak draped over his shoulder.

But that's all she could comprehend before a needle was jammed into her neck, and the world faded away before her very eyes.

_______