D'Qar was in chaos. Your fellow Resistance fighters were running around like insects to the First Order. Everyone was evacuating the planet. The First Order had quickly planned an attack after you'd destroyed Starkiller Base. 

You knew they were coming. You felt it inside of you --- and now, as you saw their ships appear in the sky, your heart sank with dread. 

"Oh, no," you whispered.

* * * 

"We've caught them in the middle of their evacuation."

Hux smiled proudly. "I have my orders from Supreme Leader Snoke himself. This is where we snuff out the Resistance once and for all. Tell Captain Canady to prime his dreadnought, incinerate their base, destroy their transports, and obliterate their fleet."

Hux's smile remained on his face. You would soon perish with the rest of your Resistance scum friends. His only regret would not being able to see your face as you burned. 

"General, Resistance ship approaching. Guns and shields in attack mode."

Hux's eyebrows furrowed and he walked over to the screen. "A single light fighter..." 

* * *

Poe steadied his ship right in front of the First Order's. BB-8 beeped to him nervously. 

"Happy beeps here, buddy. Come on," he said patiently. "We've pulled crazier stunts than this. I think. It's a whole new level trying to convince your girl's homicidal ex to not kill her."

"Just for the record, Commander Dameron, I'm with the droid on this one," Leia said in his ear over the radio.

"Thank you for your support, General," Poe said. "Tell me, is she off D'Qar yet?"

"Not yet, Poe. She will be. We won't let anything happen to her."

Poe nodded. "Thank you, General." He took a deep breath. "Happy beeps." 

He leaned over and flipped a switch. 

"Attention! This is Commander Poe Dameron of the Republic fleet, I have an urgent communique for General Hugs."

* * *

Poe Dameron. The name alone spiked annoyance in Hux's soul. "Patch him through," he ordered. "This is General Hux of the First Order. The Republic is no more. Your fleet are Rebel scum and war criminals. Tell your precious princess there will be no terms, there will be no surrender. And as for Officer ___, she will soon perish along with the rest of you worthless, revolting worms!"

A beat of silence.

"Hi, I'm holding for General Hugs."

Hux blinked. "This is Hux. You and your friends are doomed. We will wipe your filth from the galaxy! Tell her---"

"Okay, I'll hold."

He blinked again. "Hello?"

"Hello? Yup, I'm still here." 

"Can you..." He turned around. "Can he hear me?" 

"Hugs?"

"He can," Hux said. He shook his head. 

"Hugs with an 'H'? Skinny guy, kinda pasty?" 

"I can hear you," he said impatiently, "Can you hear me?" He looked out the viewport and saw him.

"Look, I can't hold forever. If you reach him, tell him Leia has an urgent message for him..."

"I believe he's tooling with you, sir."

"...About his EX-girlfriend."

Hux whirled around, anger bubbling out of him like water left to boil for too long. "Open fire!"

"BB-8, punch it!" 

Hux watched as the X-WING came shooting forward, not at their ship, but at the dreadnought. He couldn't believe what he was seeing in front of him. It made him smile. The Resistance was full of stupidity, and this filthy pilot that you had risked it all to save only proved that to him right now. 

"He's going for the dreadnought, sir." 

"Ha!" Hux grinned. "He's insane."

They watched as he fired at the cannons of the dreadnought. When Hux counted his fourth explosion, he began to grow worried. 

"Patch me through to Captain Canady!" he ordered. "Captain Canady! Why aren't you firing at that puny ship?!"

"That puny ship is too small and at too close range," he said. "We need to scramble our fighters!"

* * *

Your bag was knocking against your leg as you sprinted as fast as you could towards the ship. Lieutenant Connix waved you on board, and as you clambered up the ramp, everyone prepared for launch. You saw a glimmer of red out of the viewport --- the dreadnought had just fired at the base. 

"Punch it!" Connix screamed. 

The ship teetered as it rose off of the ground. Just in time, it launched into space, avoiding the fiery explosions far below.

Connix spoke to the radio. "The transport is in the air. The evacuation is complete."

* * *

Leia smiled. "You did it, Poe."

"She's out of there?" 

She nodded. "Everyone is accounted for. Now get your squad back here so we can get out of this place." 

"No, General! We can do this. We have the chance to take out a dreadnought. These things are fleet killers. We can't let it get away." 

Her smile vanished. "Disengage now, Commander! That is an or---"

He cut off her contact. She stared at it in shock, then pushed away from the table.

C-3PO looked at her. 

"Wipe that nervous expression off your face, Threepio," she said. 

"Oh! Well, I will certainly try to, General." She looked away from him. "Nervous..?"

 * * *

"Let's go, BB-8. It's now or never!" Poe exclaimed. He waited for the green light to fire at the last cannon. It exploded and he turned his ship around quickly and spun around, taking out two TIE Fighters. "Yes! All clear. Bring the bombs!"

"Bombers, keep that tight formation. Fighters, protect the bombers. It's not everyday we get a shot at a dreadnought, so let's make this count."

"Copy that, Blue Leader. You get us there, we'll give it to 'em." 

"Copy, we're on it."

"Fighters incoming." 

"Gunners, look alive." 

A swarm of TIE Fighters consumed the fleet of Resistance ships. Poe looked around, taking note of two of their ships going down within three seconds. Still, this was their shot. They had a chance.

BB-8 beeped loudly. 

"I see it," Poe said. "Tallie, they've targeted the fleet and begun the priming sequence."

"Copy that. We're almost there."

Poe tried not to get nervous. It was a struggle with him lately, not to let his personal feelings get in the way. 

"Bombardiers, begin your drop sequence."

The bombers began to open the bottoms of their ships, which held dozens and dozens of dangerous explosives, just ready to be dropped. 

"Bombs are armed." 

In that moment, a TIE Fighter that was flying out of control the bombardier. Poe heard his scream of pain over the radio before he was silenced forever, all of the bombs going off with the hit. A piece of debris hit one of them, which hit another ship, which hit a fourth one.

There was one last bomber. 

"Paige, come in!" Poe was screaming. "We're over the target. Why aren't your bay doors open? You're the only bomber left. It's all down to you!" 

She was silent; Poe began to panic. 

"Paige! Drop them now!" 

Poe watched, with wide eyes, as her ship was hit. Not completely destroyed, but hit. He held his breath.

"Paige!" he screamed. 

The dreadnought was ready to fire. It glowed red. In a moment, it would kill Leia, Connix, Finn, everyone. It would take out the entire Resistance. It would take out you. 

"Paige!" 

Finally, the bombs dropped. 

"Bombs away!" Tallie said in the radio.

Poe grinned, the orange flames of the explosion reflecting in his eyes. The dreadnought was destroyed. 

Paige was as well. 

In realization, Poe's smile disappeared.