POE

"Do you see this?" Poe asked Zorii over the headset. They'd been flying in formation, with him in front and her behind, all the way to Exegol, but now as they drew closer they positioned their planes side by side.

"The nebula?" Zorii asked. "It was here the first time we came." Her voice crackled through the headset speakers, which were now getting interference from the nebula they were flying through.

Poe squinted into the bright red gasses, not sure of what he was seeing. The outskirts of the planet was filled with space debris and the red gasses; pieces from ships in the last battle that took place here, but also the nebula had biological looking aspects to it that made it feel like they were flying through the insides of a large organism.

"Try to keep up," Zorii said and Poe realized he'd fallen behind in their formation. He increased his speed and soon they were past the red nebula. The high levels of electricity on planet disrupted his flight settings and Poe scrambled to readjust as they neared the rocky and barren surface of Exegol.

Zorii landed first and Poe made a perfect landing beside her. He powered off his engine and hopped out of the plane.

In the near distance, the entrance to Palpatine's ancient citadel loomed. Poe couldn't really see any damage from the last battle, at least not from up here. A thick, flat rock surface hovered above the ground, about eight feet or so high, with no pillars to hold it up, only lightning bolts and static electricity surging between the two surfaces.

Poe looked left and right but could see no end to the unsupported rock ceiling that remained above the ground, like an ominous rock thunderstorm.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Zorii asked over the headset.

Poe jumped at the sound of her voice. He removed his helmet and tossed it into the plane. It bounced off a metal surface and a series of beeps rang out in complaint.

"Sorry little buddy," Poe laughed, yet he also felt bad that he'd forgotten BB-8 was with them. He'd been so preoccupied with Zorii flying with him on a mission, the two of them together once again. He helped BB-8 get down to the dusty ground then went to stand beside Zorii, who still wore her sleek, gold helmet.

"All this energy," she said once he'd joined her. "They can use it to build ships and weapons and never have to pay for energy or steal it. It's all naturally occurring." Her speakers allowed her to be heard even with her mask on. Poe wanted to ask her to remove it so he could see her face, but the air was so dry and dusty that it was probably better she wore it. To Poe, helmets were too restricting and he always took his off as soon as he could.

The lightning in the near distance crackled and zapped. Zorii walked ahead, fearlessly. Poe hesitated. All he had on was his flight jacket for protection. The odds of being hit by lightning before they got past the citadel entrance seemed pretty high. Perhaps that was the point of having such a dramatic entrance.

"Wait!" Poe called after Zorii. Her suit had metal.

She stopped to look back but her heels dragged on the dusty ground, pulling her backward and towards the citadel entrance. She leaned forward and reached out her arms as though to balance the backward pull, but it only pulled harder like some invisible force. She yelled something into the wind but Poe couldn't hear over the crackling of lightning. He was running toward her, shouting over his shoulder to BB-8 to stay back. It was the rock surfaces, above and below. They had to be magnetic, opposing charges with opposite poles.

But it was too late. Poe's fingers brushed Zorii's gloved ones only for a moment before she went flying back. She hit hard with a loud bang, held fast to the rock ceiling above.

BB-8 began to beep loudly and Poe turned to see him being dragged across the ground and picking up pace. The little robot was trying frantically to roll in reverse but it made no difference. He too was pulled fast to the rock surface above. Poe ran to them, reaching up his hand to catch BB-8's head which looked like it would fall. But it stayed attached and BB-8 oriented himself.

"Hold on, BB-8!" Poe yelled.

Zorii wasn't saying anything, or at least he couldn't hear her. Had she been electrocuted? He couldn't tell since she couldn't move.

Poe took a running leap, but he couldn't reach her.

He cleared his throat but it only made the dryness pinch more. The atmosphere was so dry, and under the rock ceiling Poe's hair stood up on end with static. He ran both his hands through the upturned strands, at a loss as to what to do now.

BB-8 rolled, with great effort, toward Zorii. Poe felt his watch being drawn to the magnet above. His ears hummed with the power of the opposing surfaces that he stood between. His chest also hurt.

A jolt of lightning snapped loudly to his right. Any second one would go straight through the top of his head if he stayed under the rock. He ran out and stood as close as he dared.

"Zorii!" he called out, hoping to get a reply.

BB-8 extracted his tiny blowtorch and started to cut through Zorii's metal arm bands. It would likely burn her skin, but there was no time to wait for assistance from the Resistance. She could already be in medical danger.

Poe cursed under his breath. They should have brought back-up. But this was supposed to be a negotiations trip and the specifications were strictly that only he show up, the new Resistance General, to negotiate the release of Ma, who the Final Order now had.

The Final Order no longer had a large army. They had nothing. The Resistance was stronger and had more support from the people. But, the Ruling Order had Ma. And Poe wouldn't let anyone be left behind. He didn't want to risk anything happening to her by bringing a swarm of planes.

A piece of metal fell away from Zorii's arm as she flung it aside. It stuck to the ceiling. Her right arm was free. She reached for her helmet to try and remove it. She was alive!

Poe let out a large breath of relief. He ran under again to see if he could help in any way.

"Don't touch me!" Zorii yelled down. He quickly withdrew, as though stricken. He'd heard those words before and they still stung.

She yelled something else, motioning with her one free arm for him to get away, but the lightning drown out her words. Yet he heard the word 'electrocuted' and backed away, realizing that if he touched her, they'd complete a circuit and both get electrocuted.

"You'll have to jump down!" Poe called to her. "I'll catch you!"