Chapter Text
It had been a rather straightforward mission. The Resistance desperately needed suppliers they could trust and Poe had established some connections in his travels. He was going to meet with his contacts, see what they could set up to keep the Resistance supplied, and then return to base.
Well. It would have been easy if Poe had made it back as scheduled.
Rey could feel the tension in everyone around her, as if they were afraid to take a breath too deep. She could see the concern written on the General's face as she paced, waiting for news, good or bad, about Poe's return.
But as night fell and everyone but the night crew retired to their quarters, there was still no sign of Poe, nor any comm chatter. Rey got a sickly feeling in her stomach as she laid down in her bunk, closing her eyes and trying to shut out the world, but her worry kept her from sleeping.
She tried reaching out, thinking that maybe, somehow, the Force might connect her and Poe together, but all she got was silent darkness. It worried her more than it should have; Poe was very capable and could survive almost anything, but when she felt only darkness, she allowed the worry to consume her. By the time dawn broke on the horizon, she had formulated a haphazard search plan that she hoped General Organa would agree to.
As Poe left the atmospheric pull of the planet behind him, he didn't suspect anything was amiss. It was surprising that a mission had gone off without a hitch - for once he thought - and without interference from the pesky First Order. Finally they would have some supplies they desperately needed to keep going; parts to fix some of the ships, food rations, and perhaps most importantly, some Corellian whiskey that Poe wanted to surprise the crew with. They'd survived a lot - too much - and everyone deserved a bit of a reward.
He was about to sit back and set his ship to hyperdrive for the journey home when BB-8 started beeping frantically - Poe had always been a keen pilot (one of the best in the Resistance, he liked to remind people), but even this attack came too quickly, and from seemingly out of nowhere to avoid. He didn't even see an enemy fighter on the scanners, eyes sweeping the horizon quickly for any sign of what could have caused the strike.
The X-Wing lurched forward and Poe fought for control as the impact took out an engine and sent the craft into a spin. The gravitational pull wasn't helping things along as it dragged the X-Wing back towards itself and Poe, choking on smoke in the cockpit, tried desperately to regain some kind of control. BB-8 could do little to help aside from re-routing some electrical and power supplies, which Poe hoped would keep the X-Wing from exploding on impact.
Trying to keep calm as the ground approached far too quickly, he braced for impact. He wanted to say comforting things to BB-8 but fear gripped him as he watched the ground creep up at an alarming rate. He thought about the ones he loved and gripped his mothers ring that hung from a chain around his neck, closing his eyes as the alarms sounded.
His body was thrown about the cockpit and his helmet met the side of it with an unforgiving smack, bringing about an immediate unconsciousness. The front of the X-Wing crumpled like a child's toy and thankfully, Poe wasn't conscious when the metal caught his leg and bit into it mercilessly, twisting and fracturing the bone. The cockpit became uncomfortably tight, the flight controls contorting inward with the force, crushing against Poe's body, immobilizing him further and breaking ribs. Cooling fluid poured from the console, and wiring smoked. A wing was shorn off and strewn from the wreckage, and BB-8 whistled and beeped concern for Poe when he didn't answer. His world went from black to grey as he floated in and out of consciousness, his body aching all over. He knew, somewhat, that he was trapped, and that he might not survive, but he couldn't keep his head up long enough to think of a way to get out.
He laid bleeding in his broken X-Wing for untold hours until he was found in a marshy area, troopers sinking up to their knees in soft soil and moss. It was hard work pulling back the twisted metal and avoiding the sparks of the flight consoles, but somehow they managed to pull the occupant inside free, surprised when he stared up at them for a brief moment before falling unconscious again. The small squad had been sent on a reconnaissance mission, but were returning with a better prize than information; Poe Dameron himself.