On Dantooine, the base was in much better shape. It had only been a few years since it was abandoned.

The team wandered through, accompanied by Poe Dameron, who still knew the place like the back of his hand.

The signature Ben was burned into the floor.  He stepped a little harder on it, and heard as the shattered crystal crunched beneath his feet.

He continued down the halls.  "Here is the training room.  Barracks are that way, a meeting room is this way.  The mess hall is down this corridor."

He led them through.

But for him, each room took a different meaning.  Here was where Averann, Ilia, and Mei had died.  Here, where all the children were.  This closet, Kilya.  The mess hall, Aaron and Anina.

Poe couldn't wait to leave, to go back to D'Qar, to go to Cloud City.

He was glad he hadn't sent Afren here.  It would be too hard for her, knowing that she was standing where her sister lived and breathed and laughed and loved and trained and died.

Then again, he'd sent her to where her parents and Anonra had also lived and died.

Perhaps he'd made a wrong decision, sending her to Endor.  Maybe she would have been happier in Cloud City.

He shook it off, making sure the woman in charge of the Dantooine base was settled, and flying home, to D'Qar, again.

He was allowed a day's rest before he took the next group to Cloud City.  Lando Calrissian was waiting for him, and had sent loosely coded transmissions to let him know there would be a separate building, with a hanger, ready for them once they arrived.  He'd also invited the young pilot to a meal once he had the crew settled in their base.

Poe had agreed to come.

Jess walked around the base with him, as he surveyed the loading of supplies to be sent to Endor.

Poe made a note to visit soon, to make sure all was going alright, especially with Afren.

Jess touched his arm lightly to get his attention.  "Do you think the First Order knows where we are?"

"They sent a declaration of war, so if that's any way to tell, I'd say yes.  At least somebody does."

"Then why don't they attack?"

Poe chuckled.  "Do you want them to?"

"Well, no, but I'd like to know."

A young lieutenant, the one who'd taken Jacen Grisal's place, ran up.  "Captain, there's a transmission you should hear."

His stomach dropped.

"Oh, it's nothing bad," he said, then muttered something under his breath than neither pilot could hear.

The two friends exchanged a glance and followed the lieutenant.

There was a hologram transmission, showing the captain of the Dantooine base.  "We found a protocol droid, gold, who says he was Luke's, and that Kylo Ren sliced him when he went all crazy."

Poe groaned.  C-3PO.

The protocol droid popped up into the hologram and spotted Poe.  "Oh, Master Dameron.  So good to see you.  I was trapped in a closet for a dreadfully long time."

"Sorry about that, 3PO."

"Oh, no worries.  How is my companion, R2?"

Poe glanced around. "We don't know. Perhaps Luke took him?"

"No," Jess spoke up. "A worker found him in a crate, a few months ago, but he is in low power mode."

"You didn't tell me?"

She shrugged.  "Slipped my mind I guess."

He glared for a second and turned his attention back to the hologram.  "I'll send one of the ships carrying ground troops over on their way to Cloud City."

"Oh, and Master Dameron?"

"Yes, 3PO?"

"Can I have a new arm?"

Poe sighed.  "One of the mechanics will cover it."

"Oh, thank you!"

The pilot reached over and terminated the message.  He gave orders to pick up the protocol droid, and got ready to fly.

BB-8 hit against his ankles.  "Ready, little buddy?" Poe asked the droid.

The round droid whistled an affirmation as it was lifted into the X-Wing.  Poe laughed.  "Let's get going then."

"This is Black Leader, to Cloud City crew."

"CC One!"

"CC Two!"

The rest of the ten called their numbers.

"Alright, we're ready to go."  Poe was the first to fly.

They landed on Lando's hangar pad.  The old pilot walked out briskly to see them.

He locked Poe in a hearty embrace, laughing.  "Good to see you!"

Poe smiled.  "Good to see you too.  Still working in the smuggling business?"

"I may be a bit old for it, but the gambling pays off well."

"Someday that'll catch up to you," Poe warned.

Lando only laughed.  "Probably.  And how is your mother?"

Poe's face hardened.  "The First Order..."

The older man's face fell. "Dameron, I'm sorry."

It took all of his strength, but he shrugged it off. "Now, you said there's a building we can use as a base?"

"Of course.  I'll get in my ship, and you just follow me."

About thirty minutes later, they were landing on a huge levitating building in the atmosphere of the gassy planet.

Poe directed the captain of the Cloud City base to start to settle in, who promptly passed that along to Marc, so that he himself could go to the very top and look over the city.

The captain, whose name always slipped Poe's mind, had grown up in the City, and he wanted to see how it had changed.  For one thing, the building they were in was new.  Another, it seemed there were even more people, and houses.

Poe and Lando left the base, the Black Leader promising he'd be back to check up before he left.

Back at Lando's arching abode, a table was arranged.

The older man waited until Poe was seated, then took his own seat, clapping for the food to come out.

Captain Dameron surveyed the food approvingly.  "You've done well."

"Of course I have.  As I told you, gambling pays off well."

"Until it doesn't," he pointed out.

"Well, then let's toast to that never happening," Lando said, raising a crystal goblet, etched with the Jedi Order insignia.  Poe's had the same, he noticed it as he raised it.

After sipping, he looked at it closer.  "Where'd you get these?"

"In some abandoned Jedi temple, in my much, much younger days.  I was only about seventeen."  Lando took another sip of the rich wine.

Poe balanced the goblet lightly in his hand.  "Do you know where?"

Lando laughed.  "That was ages ago, at least forty years.  It was probably destroyed by the Empire.  It could have even been on Aalderon."

Poe looked at the chalice in silence, before placing it back on the table.  He knew what alcohol did to him.

Nothing good.

"I hear you've gotten yourself into a bit of trouble lately."

Poe glanced up. "Only a bit."

"And General Organa let you keep your position?"

"I'm her best pilot. I lost it for a while, flew in the assessments, and won it back."

Lando took another sip of his wine.

The past many years where all he did was gamble and host elaborate parties had taken their toll on him. He had a round pot belly, and his figure was filling out.

Poe turned his attention back to his food as a troop of musicians and a tall, green Twi-lek entered.

He didn't want to look at the dancer, in case she looked like Onya, but still he did. He was both disappointed and relieved. Despite the skin color, they shared few resemblances.

She wound and twisted to the music.

Well, that was a resemblance. Onya and this dancer were exceedingly graceful, but of course all female Twi-leks were. That's why they were often trained as children to be dancers.

He finished his meal and stood.

"Thank you, Lando. I'm sure Leia would appreciate your presence, if you wanted to come and see our base."

The old man stood and shook his hand. "Oh, I don't think she'll want to see me very much. Though I have seen Han lately."

"Really?" Poe raised his eyebrows in disbelief.

"He swung by to trade some spices. What did he do with my Falcon?"

"Stolen, years ago. Well, thank you for your hospitality, but they'll need me back at base."

"True, true."

They began to walk to the hangar, the music dying out behind them.

At the X-Wing, Lando admired BB-8.

"One of a kind," Poe said proudly.

Lando smiled. "Make sure you take care of it, alright?"

They embraced again, and Poe left Cloud City.

---
Hey a longer chapter!  I've finally gotten out of the doldrums, and had a bit of inspiration.  Going back to the actual characters helps.

And another reminder. I still need more characters for an upcoming battle. huxscat and flowercrownskywalker have both requested characters, but now we have about three characters (Marc, Vona, and Irvy). See the last chapter for the things I'll need.  I can't guarantee they'll live, but I also can't guarantee they'll die either.

♡