On D'Qar, General Organa exhaled as she listened to the communications. She knew the battle was a lost cause. "Get them out of there before we lose all of them!"

"If they try to go to hyperspace, they will become easy targets for those TIEs!" Admiral Ackbar protested sharply, drawing a harsh stare from General Organa.

She turned her attention back to the display on the holotable. "We have to take that risk! I can't afford to lose Commander Dameron or Colonel Veraan!"

A warning chime suddenly echoed through the room. A young lieutenant stared down at the display before looking back up to General Organa with a wild expression. "General, another group of signals is entering the sector! Imperial TIEs are approaching the battle!"

Ackbar shook his head in disgust. "Prolov has shown his hand! He's officially joined the First Order!"

Organa held up a dismissive hand. "We don't know that Admiral…yet." She turned to an officer to her right. "Send in the frigate Star Fire. Order them to jump to hyperspace once they extract the survivors."

"General, we have another problem!" Lieutenant Connix cried out from her station. "The First Order and Imperial TIE's have increased in number. There are over two hundred of them closing on the battle!"

Organa nodded, remaining rigid as she absorbed the information. "Get the Star Fire in there now."

Across the galaxy, Poe continued to try to outmaneuver the enemy. He attempted a braking move that pulled his X-Wing behind a pair of TIEs. He faked a quick turn to the left before pulling his fighter to the right sharply. The TIE pilot was confused by Poe's quick thinking, which allowed Veraan to line him up in his sights before blasting him into flaming debris.

A quick check over his shoulder confirmed his fears, though. His jockeying had given several TIEs the time to line up on his tail. He began to bank and roll, trying to avoid fire from them. But to his surprise, they just remained behind him. Their numbers increased rapidly as more pulled up, some flanking him on both sides.

"Something's not right here, Shadow Leader!" Colonel Veraan said into the commlink, scanning his surroundings. "TIEs surround me, but they are not taking the shot."

"I am in a similar situation, Shadow Two!" Poe responded, glaring at the TIEs on his right and left. "It looks like they are trying to herd us towards the gate."

Veraan huffed loudly as he shook his head. "We need to shake them somehow! I don't want to go into that thing!"

"Affirmative, Shadow Two!" Poe said with a frown. He didn't want to fight a losing battle against impossible odds, but knew Veraan was right.

A chime rang in Veraan's cockpit. He glared down at the display, narrowing his eyes when he read the information. "New signals are coming in, Shadow Leader! It's the Empire! They are joining the fight!"

"I guess Admiral Prolov has chosen sides!" Poe Dameron exclaimed as he double-checked the information on his console. He looked up at the gate they steadily approached as an idea came to mind. "I have a plan, Shadow Two! Arm aft flares and wait for my signal!"

Poe and Veraan held their positions while drawing closer to the gate's edge. Behind the twenty fighters trailing them, the Imperial TIEs approached rapidly. Poe knew his efforts would only be a minor distraction, but that was all he and Veraan needed. Poe locked his eyes on the gate, just seconds away from Veraan and himself. He drew in a breath and waited for a second or two more.

"Now, Shadow Two!" he shouted as he pressed a control in front of him.

A series of energy bursts blasted forth from the rear sections of the X-Wings. They streaked towards the First Order TIE's, erupting into a blinding flash of light. With the TIEs distracted, Poe and Veraan pulled their fighters up at a steep angle and banked back toward the dazed First Order pilots. Poe began to attack the first line of fighters closest to him. Two were blown to pieces. Poe nodded and smiled at the flash of the disintegrating fighters.

The jubilation wasn't to last, though; half of the group broke off to follow him closely. The other half took off towards Veraan, who had just taken out a couple of the fighters himself. Poe began to dodge back and forth but couldn't shake his pursuers. It was the same for Veraan, who tried everything but could not evade the First Order TIEs. In the distance, the Empire closed in on the battle, and Poe knew that soon, this would be one of the most lopsided fights of his life. And probably one he would not win by any stretch of the imagination.

"Move closer to those Imperial TIEs!" Poe shouted through his commlink. "We might be able to confuse them enough to make a break for it!"

Veraan grimaced at Poe's words. "That is if we don't get blown out of the sky first!"

"Just do it, Shadow Two! It's the only chance we have, buddy!" Poe shouted back, keeping his eyes on the approaching Imperials. "Besides, the fighters are increasing in number!"

The two remaining X-Wings turned and headed for the Imperials while attempting to dodge the continuous fire from the First Order TIEs. Veraan's X-wing took a nasty hit from behind as the distance closed. He worked the controls just enough to keep in line with Poe.

"They are chewing us up, Shadow Leader!" he reported, dodging another blast. "Aft shields are holding, but for how long, I don't know!"

"Just do the best you can do back there, buddy!" Poe replied as he swerved to miss shots from the First Order TIEs. "We'll get out of this somehow!"

Ahead, the Imperials drew closer in tight formations. Poe glared at the lead fighter and prepared to pull up just in time to blast him from the sky. He turned his attention to his targeting display and waited for the opportune moment to fire. He drew in a deep breath, keeping his eyes locked on his target. Seconds passed by so slowly that they seemed like hours. Poe had been in many battles before and had even been frightened at times. However, nothing prepared him for what he faced now, the past and the present colliding on the same battlefield.

The fighters drew closer, almost within attack range. The lead Imperial filled Poe's target display, moving towards the center. Poe waited anxiously for the tone signaling the target was locked on. He pressed a control on the panel before him, arming his last two proton torpedoes as he prepared to strike.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

He focused on his approaching enemy, determined to strike first. And then he heard the lock on tone. He began to squeeze the trigger, but his ship suddenly lurched from a massive explosion. His craft viciously moved to the left, momentarily causing him to lose control. He could feel the controls of his X-wing were not as responsive as before but were still manageable.

"Bee Bee Eight, see what you can do to bypass any damage to flight controls." He said, smiling as the droid's affirmative beeps filtered through the commlink. "Shadow Two, what's your status?"

"Still alive here, Shadow Leader," Veraan replied with irritation. "You got lucky, though, man. Are you alright?"

"Except for a bit of difficulty with flight control, I'm fine," Poe replied with as much optimism as he could muster. "I'll be able to compensate enough to get through this."

The First Order TIEs were still following them closely. A warning signal turned Poe's attention back to his sensor display. Two First Order TIEs pulled up behind him, firing as they advanced. He banked to the right before cutting back to the left, but it was useless; they were still locked on his tail.

He braked hard, hoping they would pass by so he could take the shot, but they followed suit and remained behind him. A quick check of his ship's status display confirmed the worst. He had no shields left at all. He frowned as he realized that surviving this battle depended solely on his flying skills. And he also frowned, knowing that until they got a handle on the current situation, they couldn't risk attempting to jump into hyperspace without becoming an easy target.

Then, his sensor display confirmed a fear in his mind. He watched as the Imperial TIE Interceptors trio pulled in behind him.

I don't know how we will get out of this one.

Another series of warning chimes rang out in his cockpit. Poe glanced down at the display and gasped. Two Imperial II-class Star Destroyers raced out of hyperspace, cutting off his only clear escape path.

"Things just got interesting, Shadow Two," Poe called out. "Look who just joined the party."

"Yeah, but they're not the only ones, Shadow Leader," Veraan replied. "Check your scope."

Poe's display filled with three newer Agony-class First Order Star Destroyers emerging from the gate. The Agony ships retained the basic shape of standard star destroyers except for sporting a slenderer design compared to the Resurgence-class vessels. The edges of their hulls swept back in a sharper blade-like profile. Known as the enforcers of the fleet, a trio of Agony-class ships could take on and defeat starships several times their size if used under the right conditions.

Explosions suddenly ripped across the hulls of the Imperial ships. A Nebulon-B frigate soared into view and continued to pelt the Imperials. The First Order ships increased speed and released several squadrons of TIEs under a barrage of covering fire.

"Shadow Squadron, we're opening our landing bay to you," said the voice of Sunrise's Mon Calamari commander, Leeca.

Poe turned his fighter towards the Sunrise and smiled. "We will be there before you know it, Captain Leeca!"

A dark object caught Poe's eye as he raced toward the Star Fire. A heavily damaged First Order TIE sped towards the landing bay opening on the frigate's side.

"Star Fire, this Shadow Leader, increase your port-side point defense fire!" Poe warned. "You have a fighter threatening your hangar bay! Star Fire, do you copy?"

The TIE spun into the bay, firing its blasters and a salvo of concussion missiles before slamming into the rear bulkhead. The landing bay erupted like a destructive volcano, blowing large pieces of debris and severely twisted fighters into space. The explosion continued to move through the hull, blasting out viewports and the large viewport in the medical section.

"Shadow Leader, this is Star Fire," a wheezing Captain Leeca called out over the comlink. "We have suffered severe damage. We have many casualties. Our hyperdrive is offline. We're increasing the power of shields and weapon systems. We cleared your path. Go home!"

"And we need to go now, Shadow Leader!" Colonel Veraan said. "The fighters are turning to engage the Star Fire. They'll cover for us. There's nothing we can do for them."

Poe glanced at the burning hulk of the Resistance ship. He held his hand up for a few seconds as if offering a greeting. "May the Force be with you, Star Fire. Let's get out of here, Shadow Two!"

"Thought you'd never say that," Veraan replied. "Coordinates set."

The pair of surviving Resistance X-Wings streaked into hyperspace. Once they were clear, the mortally wounded Sunrise positioned itself between the battlegroup of ships and fired weapons. The capital ships closed on the Sunrise and unleashed a fatal barrage of turbolaser and concussion missile fire.

Fighters swarming the doomed ship like angry hornets strafed the outer hull. The ship shuddered under the massive assault. It broke in two and exploded in a brilliant flare as bright as an overhead sun.

Captain Phasma turned down a remote corridor during her patrol in the labyrinth of passageways within Starkiller Base. She moved into a small, seldom-used staff room and shut the blast door behind her. She drew in a trembling breath and removed her helmet. Setting it upon the table in the room, she made her way to the refresher sink in the rear.

She waved her hand over the sensor. Fresh, crystal-clear water poured from the dispenser. She gazed at her reflection in the mirror. Beads of sweat formed on her forehead like liquid diamonds placed within a jeweled crown. Her golden hair was a tousled mess from wearing the chromium helmet.

Her sapphire blue eyes peered out from her reflection, outlined by her beautiful but stern features. In another life far apart from the First Order, she would have been the desire of many males across the galaxy. Phasma was a curious paradox of beauty blended with a cold and calculating warrior.

But something was different in her today. The past several nights had been devoid of relaxing periods of sleep. And any rest that did come to her was interrupted by dreams of walking along Admiral Garren Prolov's side in battle, tethered with an emotional bond of the sort she rejected. In every instance, the woman's vision in the dark cloak broke those moments, muttering stern warnings to avoid any contact with Prolov.

But something was drawing her to him. It was beyond hero worship or admiration for his accomplishments. Being in his presence had pierced her soul. Prolov even had done what she had long deemed impossible by reaching into and taking hold of her heart.

Am I going to be so foolish to fall for him? she thought while splashing her face with a handful of water. She paused and examined her reflection. The dark circles beneath her eyes told the tale without saying words. On the contrary, I am falling for him.

Spending time with him had awakened something within her soul. She was like a person with an addiction who had all they could take of a forbidden substance but not all that they wanted. She had fulfilled her mission for the First Order. Yet, her interaction with Prolov felt like something had been left unfinished.

She cupped her hands and delivered another splash of water to her face. She shook her head and silently reasoned, Pull yourself together, Captain. You have a duty to fulfill. The First Order needs you.

A chime turned her attention away from her thoughts. She quickly grabbed her helmet and slid it over her head.

"Phasma, what is your location?" General Hux asked via the helmet commlink.

She grimaced at the thought of having to deal with the likes of Hux. "General, I am patrolling Sector 52. I remember you said-"

"Never mind that," Hux replied scornfully. "Your presence is demanded in the main conference room." Hux paused for a moment. "We have important developments concerning your friend, Admiral Prolov, that we need to discuss."

And there it was again. The name Prolov. It swept through her soul like a rushing wind and nearly knocked her tall frame to the floor. She struggled against it but succumbed to its current like a person caught in the raging flow of a flash flood.

"Captain, do you read me?" Hux snapped. "Captain Phasma?"

"Yes, I read you," Phasma responded while struggling to maintain composure. "I will be there shortly."

"You better be," Hux growled. "Hux, out"

Phasma released the lock and left the room at a hurried pace. Stormtroopers moved out of the way of their commanding officer as she rushed through the corridors. She refrained from acknowledging them, not due to her usual callousness but because her mind was elsewhere.

She would be charged with treason against the First Order if they were audible to anyone but her. Despite that fact, she let them swim freely in her mind as they had given her the only glimpse of hope she had ever felt in her entire existence.

I would gladly trade my life in the First Order for one dedicated to serving and standing by Prolov's side.