Pressing my back against the wall, I listened for any sign that I had been discovered. But as I waited, no one came and I knew I was in the clear - for now, at least. Releasing a breath of relief, I pushed myself off the wall and out into the open.

I pulled my helmet down tighter over my head, hoping no one could recognize me despite it. But as I wandered past the other pilots, Poe's bright orange flight suit I had commandeered essentially sold them on my nonexistent piloting skills. In fact, a few even nodded to me as if they knew me. Hm.

But it was the rows and rows of ships that pulled me from my thoughts as I glanced up. The sleek, shining vessels drew the air from my lungs. I may not be a pilot like the rest but the mere idea of it filled me with fascination and admiration. In fact, Poe had been in the process of teaching me how to fly when...

Swallowing down the lump in my throat and the melancholic thoughts pervading my brain, I kept moving forward. My boots squeaked on the black tiled floor as I made my way to a ship situated just to the right of the entryway. It was dark blue and looked to have gone through one too many battles in space. However, it was also just the type of ship that no one would miss. Smiling to myself, I managed to slip inside easily without being noticed.

Once inside though, a frown formed on my face as I surveyed all of the various dials and buttons. Now it was time to put what limited knowledge of piloting Poe had taught me to use...if I could. Biting my lip, I punched the power button and the ship roared to life. The rest was not so easy to figure out however. As I took the controls in my hands and the ship began to lift up into the air, it started to wobble. Now that gained a bit of attention.

Thankfully, I was able to right the ship just as I pushed the controls forward to steer it out of the docking bay. The rest of the journey was, well, mostly smooth. At least it didn't look as if I had been followed. And the coordinates of Poe's last transmission I had swiped from the briefing room seemed to be accurate. I just hoped that I was able to find him before...

After a few hours and a few jumps through hyperspace, I was able to find the last location before Poe had disappeared. It was a First Order base on the moon of Er'kit, small and out of the way. In fact, it was slightly unorthodox of a choice on their part. Usually, incognito was not their forte. Finding a less used port, I made a swift landing before disembarking the ship.

Now it was time to find Poe. I just hoped that I wasn't too late... Thankfully, combat was in my skill set even if piloting had not been. I managed to knock out a wayward First Order trooper and steal his armor. It was a little too big for me but I think I pulled it off. If you, uh, didn't look too closely at the way it hung off me, that is...

Swaggering into the base through a side entryway...wait, no, that wasn't right. Stopping myself in my tracks, I made sure to put one foot in front of the other and not sway my hips. Yeah...yeah, I think I had it now. Readjusting my helmet slightly, I made my way through a crowd of other troopers in stark white armor. So far, so good. No interruptions or questioning glances, at least. In fact, I had already made it down a couple of corridors when finally...the worst happened.

I saw his shadow before I saw him. Of all the Resistance debriefings I had been to, of all the ghastly firsthand reports I had heard - nothing quite prepared me to find myself standing in the presence of the Sith Lord, Kylo Ren. He wore a midnight black cloak that swept the floor as he walked and a dark, menacing mask that hid his face. Not to mention how tall and imposing he was. No, really. He was so tall, his head nearly hit the ceiling as he walked.

Of course, that...could have only been how I perceived it. I was about a foot shorter than him as I stood (pun intended). Pushing myself back behind a wall, I peered around the corner as he talked to a trooper. How in the galaxy was I going to get past him? He'd sense it in the Force if I tried to sneak around him...but maybe...

As the idea formed in my head, I took a deep breath. I could do this. Just had to put on my poker face. Placing one foot in front of the other, I marched up to the Sith Lord and walked right on past him. My chest was tight from anxiety yet lessening with every step I took...until a deep voice broke through my thoughts, stopping me in my tracks.

"1137509, where are you headed?"

My face paled beneath my helmet and I thanked my lucky stars no one could see the terrified expression I wore at that very moment. Boots thudded on the tile, coming closer until they were right behind me now.

"1137509, I order you to tell me your assignment." Kylo Ren told me sternly in a tone of voice that was used to getting his own way.

Ever so slowly, I turned on my heel to face him. Good news for me, this stolen helmet had a built-in voice modulator that would disguise my real voice.

Clearing my throat slightly, I decided to take a risk, "Trooper 7855526 said the prison cell needed...um, cleaning?"

I cringed at that pathetic excuse for a lie. I was not a natural-born liar and clearly, that was showing. Kylo Ren was silent for one agonizing moment before finally, he spoke again.

"I wasn't aware 7855526 had the clearance to make that decision. Especially when the prisoners are usually my domain," he said coolly.

"Wow. You mean 7855526 really exis-" I coughed suddenly before finishing that sentence, covering up my faux pas as I continued, "Uh, it's a, um...new promotion...to be honest...sir."

Another cringe at my informal Basic. This time I bit my tongue so nothing else stupid flew out of it. Another bout of silence and finally, Kylo Ren nodded.

"Well...we'll see about that. Looks like I'll be having a word with General Illusaran about this."

With this last, he spun on his heel and began to stride in the opposite direction.

"You're free to go, 1137509. Report back to me when you're finished." he threw over his shoulder as he swept down the corridor and out of sight.

Closing my eyes, I let out a breath I didn't realize I'd been holding before clarity overtook me. Right. Time to find Poe. Quickly making my way down to the prison cells in the sector below, I surveyed the many doors. Which one held Poe? Suddenly, something General Organa once told Rey drifted back to me.

"Close your eyes. Concentrate. Tune out everything else and focus only on your goal. The Force will guide you in the right direction... It's an old Jedi trick."

I was no Jedi by a long shot. I wasn't even a pilot like Poe, just one of many Resistance soldiers spread out across the galaxy. But I had to find him. I wasn't leaving here without him and this was my only hope.

Taking a deep breath, I let my eyes flutter shut as I stood there in the darkened hallway and tried to quiet my racing thoughts. It felt like minutes yet in reality were mere seconds to focus my attention on the task of locating my boyfriend. Inexplicably, I began to sense other forms in the cells - a Zabrak, an astromech unit, two Bothans, a Clawdite, etc...

Wait! The second to last cell held a humanoid. I could sense...yes, the being was angry at being held hostage just like the rest but...there was something more. An underlying...cockiness?

My eyes all of a sudden flew open. I found him! Racing over to the cell, I quickly put my hand to the keypad and let it scan the code imbedded in the fingertips of the armor I wore. The light above the numbers blinked bright green, clearly recognizing my trooper number assignment and the door hissed open.

And there he was before me. His wrists were bloodied and chained to the wall, his eyes bleary and only half-open with bruises and cuts peppering his olive skin. The ebony curls that usually fell gracefully across his forehead were matted with dried blood and his lip had been busted open, I assume, from one too many smart remarks. But most important: he was still alive. He was still breathing.

Finally, noticing someone was in the doorway, he lifted his head up slowly to meet my gaze.

Cocking his head to the side, he couldn't help himself but to quip, "Aren't you a little short for a First Order trooper?"

"I'm not short, I'm fun-size actually." I spoke through the voice modulator inside the helmet.

He frowned, still a bit out of it, "A fun-size trooper?"

I hit the keypad and the door slid closed behind me to allow us privacy before I removed my helmet. His dark brown eyes lit up and he cried out my name just as I raced to him, my arms wrapped around his frame before pressing a hard kiss to his bruised lips. But on his honor, he didn't cry out once.

"Oh, Poe...I missed you so much, we all thought...I thought-" I choked up, unable to finish that thought as I ran my hand through his hair lovingly.

"You can't get rid of me that easily, star-struck." he said softly, pressing a kiss to my jaw.

I nearly laughed despite myself and the situation at the once-annoying nickname he'd bestowed upon me on our first meeting. He was the most famous pilot in the Resistance and I was just second-rate soldier. Admittedly, I had been star-struck when we met - blushing, stuttering, the whole bit. Thankfully, Poe found it adorable and the rest is history.

"Uh, babe...can you unlock these chains, though? I mean, while you're here and everything."

I rolled my eyes with a smile on my face as I swiftly helped him out of the chains that bound him. Together, we managed to leave that prison cell behind and sneak back aboard my ship. As Poe sat in the pilot's seat and I took the co-pilot's, we quickly began setting the coordinates.

"So how exactly did you manage not to crash on your way here, anyway?" Poe asked me, smirking in my direction.

"Well, you know how you pilot right? And all you taught me in the past few months?" I returned with a smile.

"Yeah."

"I just did the opposite of that."