AMARA APPROACHED Vira, they were readying the speedsters and about to jump face first into some serious fire power.

"Vee," Amara says, "You're not a pilot."

Vira was about to climb into her speedster looks at her friend, "I use to pilot ships before," She says, "My old life."

Amara doesn't say anything.

"Mar, look." Vira turns away and placed her hands on her friend's shoulders, "I am doing this because we have no other choice. I can't sit in here and wait."

"I could pilot the speedster instead," Amara says.

Vira grins, "Sorry, Commander Solo, but I don't believe I've ever seen you pilot anything that didn't have a co-pilot."

Amara frowns.

"I have to do this, Mar." Vira says, "I've been lurking in the shadows of the Resistance for years. I need to do something that is meaningful."

Amara shakes her head, "Vee."

Vira pulls Amara in for a hug. It was something in that hug that was both sweet but also sad. Amara had a feeling, she had a small feeling that Vira was saying goodbye, just in case.

From afar, Poe stood watching. He had BB-8 nudging his leg, trying to get him to go over to Amara, but Poe knew the girls needed a moment. He didn't force Vira to do this, she volunteered. She knew that almost all of the pilots had volunteered, but despite that left one spot open. Poe knew Vira volunteered after Rose and Finn did, because she didn't want Amara volunteering.

When Amara and Vira parted, Vira pats Amara on the head and goes to climb up the speedster. Amara's eyes drift from her friend to Poe. Amara walked over to him and he does the same. The two meeting each other halfway. They stood staring at each other in silence in the hangar as people were quickly getting things together for the speedsters and comm links.

Poe takes Amara's hand, "You know," He says, "I can't promise anything."

Amara looks into his eyes and placed a hand on his cheek. She takes in his features, he was exhausted but no doubt was she. He looked like he aged a few years in the few days.

"I know," She says, "I'll manage the comm link inside."

He nods.

Poe lowered his head on her forehead, the two of them closed their eyes. Amara took in a deep breathe and slowly exhaled.

He opens his eyes and then looks at her with a small smug, "One kiss, for good luck?"

Amara grins and shakes her head, "Come back to me," She says, "And when this is over, you'll get that kiss."

Poe grins but instead kisses the top of her head regardless. Amara never wanted that to end, but sadly it did. She watched him part away from her. She watched him jog to his speedster.

Amara saw Finn holstering himself inside his speedster. Amara saw Rose checking the comm link. Amara saw Vira putting on her helmet. Amara's eyes dart back to Poe. He had climbed into his speedster, his was in the front. He took charge of this attack.

Amara hitched her breathe and mutters tightly, "May the Force be with you all." She says.

{THE LAST JEDI}

RED AND WHITE were the colors being bleed together on this salt planet. Poe's eyes were straight ahead taking in everyone as he and the other Resistance members were piloting their speedsters in the direction of the First Order barrage. Poe felt his speedster wobble and shake as he forces it downward, willing the small craft to work with him instead of being against him. Poe claims to be the best pilot in the Resistance, surely he could pilot this craft.

"Alright, listen up." Poe announces through his comm link, "I don't like these rust buskets and I don't like our odds but-,"

Just as he had said that, a small panel beneath his foot pops out of the speedster and falls onto the ground below him. Poe looks down and behind him briefly.

"What the hell-," Poe shakes his head before continuing, "Just keep it tight and don't get drawn in too close until they roll that cannon out front." He orders.

He as well as the others piloting their speedster pressed onward.

"Ground force, lay down some fire!" Poe requested.

Fighters inside the trench copied his order. They were releasing a stream of artillery fire against the First Order ensemble from the cannons near the base. Poe grimace. Much to his dismay, he sees that the blasts mostly ricochet off the armor and do little to no damage against their opponents. Poe was about to say something, anything, hell even swear, but instead grit his teeth. A squadron of TIE fighters pull up from above the walkers in the distance. The TIEs rush toward the speedsters, diving down and opening fire at the point-blank range.

"Fighters, break off!" Poe orders before yanking his ship into a sharp and sudden sideways turns to evade unfriendly fire.

Instantly, two speedsters were caught by the guns of the TIEs. Poe didn't have time to even process it, or even know who it was. Poe swerves again, forcing his ship into a cloud of the red dust.

"Come on!" Poe yells through his comm link, "We gotta hold them until they pull up that cannon!"

"Rose!" Poe hears Finn's voice through the comm link, "You've got three right behind you!"

Poe watches from his own speedster in mute of the horror that Rose tries and fails to maneuver away from the three TIEs fighters on her tail.

"I can't lose them!" Rose exclaims.

Just then, a speedster hits against Rose's speedster, allowing the young woman a break from the TIEs. Vira was piloting the speedster.

"Vira-!" Rose exclaims.

When Rose was free from the speedsters, Vira was taking fire from the TIE fighters. One hitting the back end of the speedster.

"Vira-!" Poe shouts, "Get out of there!"

Poe watches as Vira's speedster drifts and moves smoothly. She turns gracefully, despite how rusted these speedsters are.

"Poe," Poe hears Vira's desperate call through the comm link, "Keep her safe for me."

"Vira-!" Poe shouts and then watches in horror.

After he shouts, Vira's speedster was fired yet again and couldn't handle another shot. The ship went up in flames.

{THE LAST JEDI}

AMARA FELT broken. She collapsed onto her knees inside the command center. Her eyes widen. She knew it. She knew it.

Vira.

It wasn't just overhearing it through the comm link, but it was the feeling. Amara could no longer sense Vira with her. She was just gone. Amara felt tears seep down the side of her face.

She knew this was a sad reality in war, she knew it the moment her father died more so than other. Before Starkiller Base, she was on D'Qar. She never went to the battlefield, she never saw death first hand. But now, now she was living through it. She wasn't sure which hurt more, knowing that she was not coming back and not saying more or not convincing her not to go in the first place.

{THE LAST JEDI}

ROSE HAD the three TIE fighters back on her six. She winced as she struggled to out run them, she drifted and dodged hits. Poe grits his teeth. He wasn't loosing anymore people. He goes to head over towards Rose, he was determined, but as he was about to the TIEs were hit by something from the ship. Swooping in was the Millennium Falcon, soaring above. The guns of the ship continues picking off the fighters, engaging with them before looping around and dragging the TIEs away from the speedsters.

"She drew them off!" Poe exclaims, "All of them!"

Finn laughs through the comm link, "Oh, they hate that ship!"

"There is it," Rose says indicating the cannon, "That's a big gun."

Poe can see the center of it glowing. This causes Poe to swallow nervously, for a brief moment, he believed he wasn't coming back to Amara. Instead he shook his head, he didn't need to be plagued with these thoughts now, not in the middle of battle.

"Okay, it's heavily armored." Finn says, "Our only shot is right down the throat."

The closed metal rings at the center of the cannon expands, causing more light to flood the center of the weapon. A sure sign that it was close to full capability. They were running out of time and Poe begins to doubt that they can even make it.

"The cannon's opening!" Finn exclaims, "This is our chance!"

A new round of gunfire comes raining down from the First Order's walkers, pouring onto the small speedsters in a hellish manner. Poe sees as two ships get taken out instantly, and the doubt begins to flicker over him. There were just so many losses he could take before he knew that the ends doesn't justify the means.

Poe grits his teeth, "They're picking us all off." He mutters, "We're not gonna make it."

"Alright," Finn announces through the headset, "I'm making my final approach. Target in sight. Guns are hot."

Two more pilots go up in flames. Two in the start, Vira, two more, and another two more. They were being destroyed. They started out with thirteen and now six of them remain.

"No!" Poe shouts, "Pull off!"

Finn seemed confused, "What?"

"The cannon is fully charged!" Poe shouts, "It's a suicide run!"

The painful memory of before came flying through Poe. The memory of the dreadnought and all the lives that were loss because of his call. All of the deaths, and that included Paige. This weighted heavy on Poe's chest, burning his heart. He wasn't going to let this happen against.

"All crafts!" Poe yells, "Pull away!"

"No!" Finn shouts stubbornly, "I'm almost there!"

Poe shakes his head, "Retreat, Finn!" He yells, "That's an order!"

Poe steers his ship back towards the base. He sees the others following suit, but in the headset, he hears Rose attempting to coax Finn out of disobeying Poe's command.

"Finn?" Rose calls out, "It's too late! Don't do this!"

"No!" Finn shouts, "I won't let them win!"

"No!" Rose shouts, "Finn, listen to Poe! We have to retreat!"

It seemed Finn was done listening to Poe, Rose, and anyone else who wanted to retreat. He needed to do this, they needed to stop them. As soon as his speedster is close enough to the trench outside the base, Poe forces it to a stop and flings himself out of the rusted hull of scarp metal. He is standing on the salted earth briefly, before he runs towards the trench. He slides himself on the ground and manages to fall into the dugout structure.

Poe looks at those inside the trench, "Move!" He yells, "Go, go!"

Poe glanced back, seeing the cannon beam hitting the blast door, before he followed the soldiers back inside the base.

{THE LAST JEDI}

AMARA SENSED them. Finn and Rose. A glint of hope appeared in her eyes after seeing Poe and the others remaining come inside. The second Poe's eyes caught Amara's, he ran over to her. He held onto her tightly. Amara felt him in her arms and wanted to cry, but she needed to get a grip. Poe pulls back and looks down at her.

"I'm sorry about Vira-," Poe says in a somber tone.

Amara's hand rested on his chest, looking at his mother's wedding ring before looking up at him. A sad smile escaped her lips.

"I know," She says.

The two move, heading into the command center. Amara and Poe step inside and find the others in there with distraught faces, Amara had missed something. But she looked around the room, trying to look at someone in the eyes. But no one was looking up, they're gazes were down.

"Wha- What is it?" Amara asks.

Kaydel looks over at Amara with a mournful look at her station, "Our distress signal's been received at multiple points, but no response." She says.

Larma D'Arcy frowns, "They've heard us, but no one is coming." She says.

Amara frowns, "What?"

She shakes her head. This isn't how it was suppose to happen. This is not how their story ended. They were suppose to win, that's how it works. Right? Good guys win and the bad guys lose. Amara shakes her head again, until she felt someone touch her arm. She looks to the person and sees it's her mother. Leia. The older woman had seen it all. She had fought in the most battles than anyone inside this base. She held the most hope, but right now seemed to have accepted it.

"We fought till the end, but the galaxy has lost all its hope." Leia says, "The spark is out."

Amara turns from her mom to Poe. He reached out and offered her his hand, she accepts it and is pulled into his embrace.

Leia looks to her daughter. As she sits in front of not only the remain Resistance, but her own child, she wonders how they ended up here. So alone without anyone to come to aid them. How the galaxy lost hope. Leia kept her eyes on her daughter. This was not the future she had wanted for her daughter, and the same went for her son. She wanted them to live in a war free world. To grow up normal and be able to be anything they wanted.

As Amara held onto Poe, a sense of sadness washes over her. She was going to die, they were all going to die. She was about to start crying, when she sensed someone. She pulled herself out of Poe's hold, he turns to her in utter confusion, before turning to where she looked. A cloaked figure had appeared in the room. He held his two hands, a real hand and a metal one, to pull down the hood. To most, it was a stranger, but not to Leia and Amara.

"Luke," Leia says looking at her brother.

Luke kept his eyes on his sister as he walked over to her. He knelt down in front of her, taking her hand in his. The twins never moves their gaze from one an other.

"I know what you're gonna say," Leia smiles, "I changed my hair."

Luke smiles, "It's nice that way," He frowns, "Leia, I'm sorry."

Leia nods, "I know. I know you are." She tells him, "I'm just glad you're here at the end."

Luke pats her hand with his metal one, "I've come to face him, Leia. And I can't save him."

Leia gives her brother a sad smile, "I held out hope for so long, but I know my son is gone." She tells him.

Luke shakes his head, "No one's ever really gone." He says and stands.

Leia opens her hand to reveal a gift Luke had left for her. A pair of golden dice, golden dice that once belonged to Han. She looked at them and inhales sharply. She didn't have anything of Han's, and this was such a treasure to hold. Luke looks at his sister and leans down to kiss the top of her head. Luke stands up now. He begins to walk out, but pauses. He turns to his niece. Amara and Luke look at each other, neither knew what to do. Amara moved over to him and gives him a sad smile.

"Uncle Luke," Amara says, "I- I have so much I want to say."

Tears were building in her eyes. She had so much to ask him, so much she wanted or rather needed to know. Not just about the Force stuff, but about Ben about her father, about everything. She wanted to hug him, but didn't know if she should.

Luke placed his hand on her head and smiles at her, "I know, kid." He says.

Without adding anything more to the conversation, Luke goes and walks on. He passes C-3PO and looks at his old droid one last time.

"Master Luke," 3PO says.

Luke winks at the droid and walks onward.