𝘾𝙃𝘼𝙋𝙏𝙀𝙍 𝙀𝙄𝙂𝙃𝙏
—𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘸𝘴—

AFTER POE SHOWED Bexley around the pilot quarters, he led her onto a freighter where she sat down in the co-pilot seat. Poe was determined to teach her how to fly, but he would have to get her comfortable with being on a ship first. And so he decided to show her what flying was like from the front seat.

"Please don't let me die," Bexley pleads, her hands latched onto the seat she sits in. She had already tightened her seatbelt, sitting stiff in her spot as she panicked. "I haven't even graduated flight school yet, now is not the time to die."

"You need to relax," Poe tells the blonde, flipping on the control pannel. "I haven't even started the ship yet. Besides, do you honestly think that I'd purposefully kill you? I don't think so."

"Yeah, you think," she sighs, not relaxing a bit. "You don't always plan to die, Poe, accidents happen. Believe me, I would know."

"Just be calm, okay?" Poe's tone softens as he looks to her. "I promise I would never put you in a risky situation if it could cost your life. Trust me, okay?"

It took a moment of staring into his eyes before she finally relaxed into the seat, her hands no longer latched onto anything. Bexley sighs as she allows herself to calm down and take a deep breath, nodding as she does so.

"Okay," she says quietly. "I trust you."

Poe finds himself smiling at her words, starting up the ship. Bexley rests her hands on her lap, watching carefully as he moves different dials and switches, knowing that soon enough she would have to grow accustomed to it. She would be flying soon, almost as soon as she passed the course. And, at the moment, she wasn't sure whether or not she was overly excited about it.

"I won't take you to a planet today, mostly because of safety issues," he starts, buckling the seatbelt as he glances over to her. "But I will soon enough. Right now, space is on my mind."

Bexley nods along with his words, preparing herself as he presses one last button.

"Hold on tight," Poe grins, flipping a switch.

In an instant, the ship rushed forward, and out of the quarters. Around them, the light turned to darkness, and stars flashed as they passed by. Bexley was shoved further into her seat at the rush, not having the mind to fully comprehend everything around her. But what she could see was the smile- the beautiful smile- that rested upon Poe's lips.

The smile, alone, was enough to comfort her. Bexley sat a little straighter, her eyes finally focusing on her surroundings. Outside of the ship was a world of blurring stars, flying past them like streaks of white chalk on a black canvas. It was extraordinary, and Bexley found herself staring at everything. And all too soon, Poe pressed a button that slowed them down to a normal speed.

In that time, they could fully see the stars- only yards away from them. Small asteroids floated around, going no place in particular. Rocks the size of their fingertips tapped the glass of the ship as they moved into the path. It wasn't something the girl had ever saw in her life, and she was impressed. Soon enough, this is what she could do in her free time. It was peaceful, and quiet, and everything she had hoped it would be. And being there with Poe made it all the more amazing.

"I never thought it would be like this," she says in a daze. "This is perfect."

Poe's eyes find her, nodding as he stares at the girl. "It's definitely perfect."

And it was, now that Bexley was here.

The ship felt complete, and that's the way it was always meant to be.

---

Bexley was happy with their trip as she and Poe arrived back. They left behind the freighter, and traveled to the cafeteria while chatting away. Dawn waited impatiently for Bexley, tapping her foot against the marble floor as she skimmed over her packet again. She had news, and it didn't happen to be the good kind.

Heath and Spencer weren't sure if they should question Dawn and her information, so they stayed silent, patient as they waited for the blonde and her mentor. And, thankfully, it wasn't long before they arrived. But it was quite a surprise that- instead of leaving Bexley with her friends- that Poe followed her back to the table, a tray of breakfast in his hands.

"Good morning," Bexley greets the others, pulling out her usual chair and sitting down. "Dawn, did you get to talk to General Organa?"

Poe took the chair next to her, nodding to Heath and Spencer in a silent greeting. They seemed occupied, though; their eyes were already on Dawn.

"Why is everyone so quiet?" Bexley chuckles, hesitating as she looks between all of them. "You should be talking, at least."

"Yes," Dawn clears her throat, finally speaking up as she places a packet on the table- much like the one she had the day before. "I spoke with her this morning, and we made a discovery. Although we aren't sure of their route, things have changed."

"Then tell us," the blonde suggests, her eyes finding Poe. "I'm sure we all want to know."

"Bexley, I'm not so sure you'd want to," Dawn's face shows pain; a silent plea for Bexley to change her mind. "It's a bit too much, if you ask me-"

"Dawn," Bexley cuts her off, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "What did you find?"

The brunette's attention flickered to Poe for a moment, warning him of what would come. But Poe wasn't about to stop her; he was curious, too. Although he knew it wouldn't be good, he couldn't imagine what they could have found.

"While we were looking back, through the explosions that weren't recently, they all showed similarities." Dawn pauses, flipping through the packet and stopping on a specific page. "Most of them were nuclear, and wiped out much of the space around the explosion."

"They were around nuclear power plants," Bexley says, the confusion still clear on her face. "But what does that have to do with anything? These explosions could have been accidents- my mother died in one of them."

"The first explosion took place eight years ago," Dawn disregards her, pointing to a place on the paper. "It was recorded to have been an accident, caused by a radiation tank mishap. According to this record, no one could have known that, because there were no survivors. It was a guess . . . an answer for the people."

"Are you suggesting that the First Order has been dropping bombs on the nuclear power plants?" Poe asks.

"I'm not suggesting," Dawn swallows back her guilt, closing her eyes. "There were traces of bombs at the sight, after troops were sent in to investigate. General Organa has reason to believe the First Order is trying to wipe out Takodana."

"They wouldn't do it without reason," Bexley forces out, shaking her head as she sucks in a deep breath. "And they wouldn't have started so long ago . . . these bombings can't connect to accidents that happened years ago, Dawn."

"Bexley, I'm so sorry," Dawn frowns, her hurt showing. "But when your mother passed in an explosion seven years ago, it wasn't an accident. The First Order dropped a bomb on her workplace."

"With what reason?" The blonde demands, slamming her hands onto the table. "They wouldn't try to wipe out a planet without reason!"

"I don't know," Dawn says quietly, flinching at her outburst. "But General Organa believes they're looking for someone of something. Takodana is hiding something from its people."

The cafeteria had gone quiet, murmers filling the air as they listened to the conversation. Bexley sunk into her seat, her face stone and grim as she stared at the table. Could Dawn be right? Did the First Order take her mother's life?

If what Dawn was saying was true, the past seven years of her life were a lie. The First Order killed her- and the others- on purpose; solely because they weren't getting their way. The girl felt sick, her head spinning as she stayed still.

"They could have bombed a new place each time they were denied," Poe puts the pieces together. "That would make sense."

"But what are they looking for?" Heath joins the conversation. "What would Takodana have that they would want?"

"I need to leave," Bexley stands, feeling the need to get away from everyone. "I . . . I'll see all of you tomorrow."

She was out of the room in a moment's time, shoving past many recruits as she moved. Her heart was beating too rapidly, her head was pounding. Bexley needed to lie down and be by herself.

Poe stood from his seat, watching as she left. He wanted to comfort her, to chase after Bexley and tell her everything would be alright. But he knew that it would be best if he didn't.

Yet he followed her anyway.

_______