█▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀█
chapter eleven: black squadron
█▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄█

     THERE'S A MOMENT of calm before the inevitable storm. Indira watches as the general snaps into General Mode, barking orders amongst the Resistance members within the command center with all the confidence and surety of a seasoned military veteran. A flurry of activity begins, spreading throughout the room like an unstoppable fuse that has been lit as the reality of a possible threat sinks in.

      "Beren," General Organa says tersely, turning her focus onto Indira. "Do you know how to work a subspace transceiver?"

     Indira nods her head quickly. "Yes."

     "Good," the older woman replies curtly. "I want you to try to contact Poe with one of our transceivers. As soon as you get a hold of him, let me know. Understood?"

      "Understood," Indira confirms.

     Having assigned her a purpose, the general moves onto the next person in her line of sight. "Connix," General Organa barks out, nodding her head at the young blonde-haired girl. "Come with me."

     "Yes, General," the lieutenant replies obediently, following the older woman out of the room.

     Indira takes a seat in front of one of the radios, slipping a headset over her ears and adjusting it slightly before fiddling with the communication device. She switches frequencies with the small dial located on the front of the radio, searching for a channel that will give her something other than static. When she finds a clear station, Indira begins speaking into the comm unit.

      "Black Leader, this is base HQ," she says. "Do you copy? Over."

     No response.

     Sighing, Indira switches to another channel before trying again. "Black Leader, this is base HQ. Come in if you copy. Over."

     Still, no response.

     Fear begins to work its way through Indira's veins, poisoning her bloodstream slowly but surely. Her heart starts to beat faster in her chest, thumping so wildly that she can hear it in her ears. What if we're too late? She thinks. The thought sends a chill down her spine. What if something terrible has already happened to him and that's why he isn't answering? Before her thoughts get any further out of her control, Indira forces herself to stave them off and continue trying different frequencies on the radio.

      "Black Leader, this is HQ. Come in if you copy. Your immediate response to this transmission is required. Over."

     Absolute silence.

      Gritting her teeth, Indira switches dials on the radio once more. "Damn it, Poe," she hisses, aggressively twisting the nob in search of a station that is working. "Answer. The. Godsdamned. Transmission!"

     Suddenly, the radio crackles to life. "I'm pretty sure that's not standard voice procedure," Poe Dameron replies drily. "This is Black Leader. I copy. Over."

      "Oh, thank the gods," Indira mutters, closing her eyes momentarily before pulling her headset off.

     "Hey, you," she snaps her fingers at a nearby patrol droid. "Find General Organa. Tell her I got ahold of Commander Dameron."

      The droid blips in response before speeding out of the command center. Indira watches it disappear before slipping her headset back on. "Poe, are you still there?"

      "I — yeah, I am," he says, sounding confused. "Beren, is that you? What are you doing on comms?"

      "Long story," she replies through gritted teeth. "Listen, Poe, where are you? What's happening?"

      "What's happening?" He repeats. "Uh. I'm in hyperspace. Just left Kaddak. We successfully obtained the information the General asked for, so I'm headed back to base now —"

      "Where's Oddy Muva?" Indira interrupts, not waiting for him to finish.

     "Oddy?" He asks. "Oddy is ... gone. I lost him during a chase with some First Order agents. Haven't seen him since. I would have stayed behind to look for him, but I needed to get this information back to base and it was too important to wait. I took Black One and Threepio with me, but I left him a cargo ship to find his way back."

     Indira rubs her temples, feeling a dull ache beginning to spread there. Part of her wants to think that Oddy being gone is a good thing, but her instincts are telling her otherwise. If Oddy is gone, it can only mean trouble — especially if he has been reunited with his First Order overlords. For all they know, he could be leading them to their base right this instant and there is nothing anyone can do to stop him.

      "Poe, Oddy is the traitor," she announces without warning, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I was wrong about L'ulo. I'm sorry. It was Oddy all along."

      "What?" Poe demands, suddenly sounding more alert. "How do you know?"

     "I found a box full of First Order tech in his locker," she says tiredly. "General Organa told me to contact you as soon as we found out. She went off with Connix somewhere, but she should be back soon —"

     "Oddy?" He repeats, sounding dumbfounded. "Working for the First Order? That doesn't make any sense."

      Indira winces. "I know, Poe, and I'm sorry —"

     "Something's not right," he mutters, voice muffled slightly. "I'm pulling out of hyperspace."

     "That's probably for the best," she agrees, knowing that it's safer for everyone on base for Poe to stay put until they can obtain more information on the situation.

     "I'll have BB-8 send my coordinates," Poe adds, sounding distracted. "I'm just not sure why — shit!"

      Indira's heart stops in her chest. "What happened?" She asks. "Poe, are you still there?"

     "Shit, shit, shit," he mutters into his comm link. "There's a whole godsdamned fleet tailing me. They came out of nowhere — they must've been tracking my ship ever since I left Kaddak."

     "Oh, dear," Indira hears C-3PO's concerned voice echo in the background. "This really is terrible."

     A blast echoes through the headset, making Indira flinch. "Poe, what's happening?"

      "I'm taking fire," he shouts into the transmitter. "I can't outrun these guys, but I might be able to distract them while BB-8 calculates a new set of jump coordinates."

     "Sir," C-3PO interjects, "with the number of enemies we're facing, I'm not sure that tactic will —"

     "Shut up, Threepio!" Poe shouts as another blast goes off in the background.

     "Beren!"

     The technician looks up immediately, head spinning to see General Organa rushing back into command center. Behind her are the remaining members of Black Squadron: Jessika, Karé, Temmin, and L'ulo. Each of them are already dressed in their orange flight suits and ready for combat, having already been informed of the situation at hand and of Oddy's treachery.

     "You got a hold of him?" General Organa inquires.

     "He's in trouble," Indira replies, knocking the headset off to minimize the background noise of the blasts rocketing Poe's ship and his loud swearing. "There's a fleet of ships on him and he's taking fire. I'm not sure he can stave them off on his own for much longer. BB-8 was supposed to send me their coordinates, but I don't know if they went through —"

     "I've got them!" Connix shouts triumphantly from across the room. She types something onto a datapad quickly before a map springs up on one of the holos. From what Indira can see, Poe is quite literally in the middle of nowhere. The only nearby planet is a small desert moon, with no safe places for him to hide.

     "Blast," General Organa mutters. "He's too far away for any of our other allies to step in and assist him."

     "Then we'll go to him," L'ulo interrupts. "Give us the order, General; we'll go. Our commander needs us."

     The other members of Poe's squadron nod in agreement, standing in solidarity with L'ulo's statement. General Organa studies them, seeming to weigh her options carefully before nodding hesitantly. "Alright," she agrees. "But you get in there and get out. Do not open fire on any First Order ships if possible. We don't want to escalate the situation any further."

     L'ulo looks at her incredulously. "Don't open fire?" He repeats. "But they started it!"

     "L'ulo," General Organa says sternly. "You know the rules of engagement. Do not give the First Order an excuse for retaliation against us. Am I understood, Captain?"

     "General —"

     "Am I understood?" She repeats, narrowing her gaze at him. "Or do I need to keep you grounded for this mission?"

      L'ulo sighs in defeat. "You're understood."

      Her eyes soften and she squeezes L'ulo's shoulder gently. "Good," she confirms. "Save the fight for another day; I'm sure there will be plenty more opportunities in the future. For now, I expect all of you to return to me — with your commander intact. Bring him home."

      "Yes, ma'am," L'ulo replies confidently. "You can count on us."

      In a flash, the group of four is on the move, sprinting down the halls so quickly that they might as well be flying. Indira watches them go anxiously, hoping that the small squadron will be enough to rescue their wayward commander.

      General Organa takes a seat next to her, picking up a spare headset and placing it over her head. "Poe, can you hear me?"

      There's a crackle of static before his voice comes through. "Afternoon, General," he says cheerfully. "You'll be pleased to know that I obtained the information you requested from the Nunzix droid. Mission was going real smooth until — ah, shit! We've been hit."

      Indira gasps. "Poe, are you alright?"

      He grunts in response. "Been better, sweetheart."

      Indira freezes at the nickname, watching as the general casts her a sideways glance. Mortified, she shakes her head quickly; something that brings a flicker of a smile to the older woman's face.

      "I'm gonna have to try and land her on this planet," Poe says mournfully. "I don't think Black One can fly like this for much longer. She definitely can't make the jump to hyperspace. BB-8, cut engines two and three. See if you can get that fire out. And plot me a landing course." There's a pause where all Indira can hear is BB-8 frantically spitting out short, clipped noises in binary. "Where? Anywhere!"

     "Oh no," Indira mutters, glancing over at Leia's stricken expression. "If the fleet follows him onto the ground, he'll be —"

     "— finished," Poe finishes grimly.

      "Dameron," the general interrupts sternly. "If you break my droid, you'll be demoted. Is that understood?"

     He barks out a laugh. "Yes ma'am. Threepio, you'd better hold on to something!"

     "Respectfully, sir," C-3PO speaks up, "do you really think that will help?"

     Poe laughs again; the sound breathless and more than a little desperate. "Figure of speech, Three —"

      There's a sickening crunch before total radio silence.

      Gasping, Indira rips her headset off and looks over at the general with wide, terrified eyes. "Oh, gods. Is he —"

      "No," the older woman says sharply. "The crash probably just knocked his communications offline."

     "But —" Indira begins.

     "He's fine," the general repeats firmly, taking both of her hands and squeezing them gently. "Now, I want you to take a deep breath." Indira does as she asks, inhaling and exhaling deeply. "And I want you to go back to the hangar and make sure that everything's set for Black Squadron's departure."

      Indira nods quickly, standing from her seat. Panicking wouldn't do anyone any good; there's too much to be done and too much at stake. "I can do that," she confirms before taking off, sprinting back down the hallways towards the hangar.

      A flurry of activity encompasses the ship bay. Technicians are scattered around the various ships, detaching them from power cables and double-checking their safety features. Every pilot from Black Squadron is surrounded by a team, save for one on the very end. Indira watches for a moment as L'ulo L'ampar bustles around his ship, attempting to run the checks by himself. Without thinking, Indira runs over to him and falls into step beside him. "Mind if I join you?"

     The Duros male barks out a gruff laugh. "Not at all," he replies. "In fact, I'm almost done here. All that's left for me to check is the fuel gauge —"

      "Trust me," Indira cuts him off, "you're full; I've checked. Multiple times."

     "Then I'll take your word for it," he says cheerfully, climbing the ladder up to the cockpit. His astromech droid waits patiently before being pulled onto the ship and situated in the back.

     L'ulo pulls his helmet on over his head, adjusting the goggles and visor briefly, whilst muttering something under his breath. Indira feels a flicker of guilt as she watches him; this man she had been so quick to judge as a traitor, when in reality he was the first to volunteer to go to Poe's aid. She had let fear and paranoia make her blind and stubborn, but L'ulo deserved better than that.

      "L'ulo," she says hesitantly before he can close the shields around the cockpit. "I want to apologize for the way I acted the first time we met. You were nothing but kind to me and I was rude."

      He waves her off. "It's nothing," he tells her. "Poe came to me and explained. It's water under the bridge."

      "It's not nothing," Indira insists stubbornly. "You deserve an apology. I thought ..." she cuts herself with a shake of her head. "I misjudged you based on a false assumption and I'm sorry. You did nothing to warrant that kind of treatment."

     "Then consider your apology accepted," he reassures her. "You were only doing what you thought was right. I won't hold that against you, kid."

      "Thank you, L'ulo," she says sincerely, taking a step back. "Be safe out there, alright?"

      "Don't worry about me," he grins. "I'll bring Shara's boy back — either that or I'll have hell to pay in the next life once she gets her hands on me."

      Indira shakes her head, watching the hood of the cockpit lower in order to seal him inside. Her eyes take a quick survey of the hangar to check the status of the other pilots, making sure their ships are ready to be cleared for takeoff. In the distance, she watches Temmin and Karé embrace before hopping into their separate ships. Further down, she spots Kali and Jess saying their goodbyes. Jess is already tucked away in the cockpit, but Kali climbs the ladder quickly to press a kiss to the top of her girlfriend's helmet before resting their foreheads against one another. Then, she steps down from the ladder and allows Jessika to seal herself inside of her ship.

      With all of their engines cleared for take off, the members of Black Squadron begin their departure from the base. One by one, each ship goes flying down the runway before soaring into the open skies of D'Qar. Indira holds a hand over her eyes, squinting as she watches them grow smaller and smaller before disappearing in flashes of incandescent light as their ships jump to lightspeed. Even after they're gone, she remains outside, starting at the sky helplessly while awaiting their return. Will they even come back at all? She asks herself. Four ships against an entire fleet is not even close to something that resembles a fair match.

      Footsteps on the gravel make her aware of the presence of another person. Turning her head slightly, Indira smiles half-heartedly when she sees Kali standing there. "Hey," she greets her friend hesitantly.

      Kali returns the empty smile; chin quivering and eyes rimmed with red. "Hey."

      There's an awkward stretch of silence between them before Kali breaks it by rubbing her nose harshly and clearing her throat. "You know, I really hate it when we fight," she confesses. "We make much better friends than enemies."

      Indira chokes on a laugh. "Yeah, we do," she agrees, throat tightening.

      She isn't sure who moves first, but the two of them crash into an embrace. "I'm sorry for being so terrible," Indira says, the words muffled by Kali's shoulder. Their petty little argument from the night before seems so insignificant now in the face of real danger. "I shouldn't have spoken to you like that. You were only trying to be nice."

      Kali shakes her head. "I was being mean and you know it," she says, laughing through her tears. "And I'm sorry." She pulls away and wipes underneath her eyes. "Let's agree to never be mean or terrible ever again."

       Indira stifles a laugh at that. "I'll try," she compromises. "But I'm not in the business of making promises I can't keep."

       The smile on Kali's face fades away as she stares up at the open skies. "Do you think they'll come back?" She asks, voice small.

     Indira's face falls and she looks away. "I don't know," she admits, fingers finding the pendant around her neck and squeezing it tightly. "But I hope they do."

     SHE ISN'T SURE how much time passes before Black Squadron makes their return. Instead of letting herself wait around in a state of constant worry, Indira reverts to doing what she does best: fixing things. She's in the middle of repairing a faulty hyperdrive on an A-wing when an alarm begins to blare, alerting the base to the presence of incoming ships. As soon as she hears the familiar sound, Indira casts her work to the side and scrambles down the ship's hull as quickly as she can.

      Seconds after her feet touch the ground, General Organa enters the hangar, followed by an entourage of several dozen other Resistance fighters. In the hours since Black Squadron had departed, word had travelled fast around the base of Oddy Muva's treachery and the dangerous rescue mission that Poe's team had embarked on. Indira supposes that they, too, are anxious to see what has become of the best team of fliers that the Resistance has to offer.

     As she watches approaching ships on the violet hued horizon, the first thing Indira notices is that there are only three of them. That alone strikes fear in her heart due to the fact that there had originally been four. Beside her, Indira can see Kali coming to the same conclusion and she reaches out and grabs her friend's hand tightly, lacing their fingers together in mutual worry.

      It feels like an eternity before the ships finally land; a lifetime before their occupants begin to disembark. Karé Kun and Temmin Wexley are the first ones out of their respective vessels. The female pilot's ship is severely damaged and her head is sporting a bloody wound; one that has her swaying and stumbling until Wexley is able to support her. He places an arm beneath her shoulders, helping to steady her as they walk towards the team of medical specialists waiting. Neither of the pilots say a word.

      Where is Poe? Indira wonders anxiously, feeling her stomach twist. Where is Jess? Where are L'ulo and BB-8 and C-3PO?

      After what feels like a thousand lightyears passing, the hull of the third ship rises. Two dark heads pop up from the cockpit; one with a head full of short, unruly curls and the other with a sleek, straight ponytail that tumbles over her shoulders. Indira exhales sharply at the sight of Poe Dameron and Jessika Pava. Kali squeezes Indira's hand tightly when she sees them; a gentle reassurance to the both of them that what they are seeing is real.

      In the cockpit, Jessika stands with ease, climbing down the ladder swiftly. However, she makes sure to wait for Poe at the bottom, who appears to have some difficulty leaving the ship. One of his hands has been wrapped in a makeshift bandage of sorts and tied up in a sling, keeping the wound elevated. It makes his descent awkward, but he manages to do it without falling down. Jessika offers him a shoulder to lean on once he's down and he graciously accepts, limping towards the entrance to the hangar. Behind them, BB-8 is lowered from the back of the ship and C-3PO is freed from the X-wing's cargo compartment. Even so, Indira can't help but notice the painstaking absence of the last member of the squadron.

     L'ulo L'ampar is nowhere to be seen.

      She's not the only one to notice this. Around her, people begin whispering softly to one another. The noise only seems to grow louder as Poe and Jessika get closer. Tear tracks stain Jessika's cheeks, leaving her eyes rimmed in red. Poe's eyes are dry, but he seems entirely shell-shocked; swaying slightly on legs that aren't steady. Temmin Wexley, who'd stayed behind after Karé's departure, rushes forward to support Poe's other side.

      "Pava," General Organa calls softly, forcing the young woman to meet her gaze. "L'ulo?"

      Jess chokes back a sob. Fresh tears well up in her eyes before they spill down her cheeks. She shakes her head, eyes downcast. Beside her, Indira hears the general give a barely audible sigh of defeat before forcing herself to stand tall, masking whatever grief she feels behind an image of calm, collected strength.

      "Get Dameron to medical," the older woman orders gently. "And then get some rest. All schedules are cancelled for the rest of the day and tomorrow. You're all dismissed."

      Slowly, the crowd begins to disperse, breaking off into groups of twos and threes as people go their separate ways. Some leave in silence; some leave in tears. No one seems to know what to do or to say. Indira wants to say something, to do anything, but her feet are frozen to the spot and no words grace her lips.

      It isn't right, Indira wants to protest. He shouldn't be dead!

     She had spoken to L'ulo only a few hours ago in this very hangar; joked with him, laughed with him, asked him to be careful before watching him fly away. His entire life had been dedicated to fighting injustice in the galaxy — no matter what shape or form it came in — and now he's just gone; another casualty in a war that has yet to even start.

     Indira wonders just how many more lives will be lost before it ends.

a/n: RIP L'ULO MY DUROS KING

EDITED ON:
08.19.19