He hears the crack of the gun dimly through the headset, built to block out the intense and constant noise of the helicopter. He doesn't flinch, but he does count them.

He tries not to count the swarm.

"Come on, come on," He mutters under his breath, going through his flight checklist faster than he ever has, his fingers flying over switches.

Half fuel. They hadn't finished refueling it before all this started. Whatever this was. He cursed under his breath. Fine. Better than nothing. They'd get off the ground.

The helicopter blades whirred faster and faster, and slowly they started to lurch off the ground. But Poe could feel the extra weight, even if he couldn't see it, and he swore again.

"They're gonna weigh us down! Fuck!" The helicopter lurched and swayed a foot into the air, another, three--