It was done. Mostly. Jyn let out a haggard breath she didn't even know she had been holding. Now it seemed as if everything suddenly was too much. She could hear Cassian's rapid breathing behind her as he slowly bled out, the wind seemed to whistle through her head and the smell of burning flame and smoke assaulted her all at once. The air seemed less full of fighters now than it had only moments before. The white cape billowing out from the figure lying facedown on the platform caught her attention again. Krennec. The bastard was possibly still alive. She lunged towards him, intent on finishing the job.
"Hey no," Cassian still had some inner reserve left as he grabbed her vest and pulled her back. "Let's go, he'll be dead soon anyway." No sooner had the words left his mouth than there was a deafening boom and it was like a pulse ray a million times stronger than usual had hit the ocean. The tower swayed as the enormous satellite at the top crumbled from its foundation and tumbled to the earth below. The entire tower would not be far behind. Jyn ceased her struggling and draped one of Cassian's arms around her shoulders as he leaned against her to limp to the elevator. Hopefully it was still operational. Jyn closed the doors as well as she could with one hand and pushed the button. Cassian was leaning heavily on her now, she could feel the blood soaking through his jacket into her sleeve. He would die, and soon, if she didn't stop the bleeding. Almost as if he read her thoughts, his eyes caught hers in the flickering light as they descended, a strange calm look on his face. "It's alright," he murmured softly. She didn't flinch away as he gingerly touched the side of her face. The warmth of his hand evoked a picture in her of a gentler time, her father hugging her tightly before laying her down to sleep, his soft voice in her ear calling her Stardust and telling her he loved her.
The elevator rattled to a stop. Jyn's mind was blank. She suddenly couldn't remember what landing pad the ship was on. There was too much smoke and haze and everywhere she looked there were bodies, rebels and Stormtroopers alike. Cassian gestured past the trees.
"Over there."
Jyn offered no resistance. They both began to slowly move through the scattering of bodies and destroyed equipment towards the beach. It seemed to take hardly any time before they stumbled out of the underbrush onto the sand. The explosion was still a distance yet, causing the water of the ocean to begin to roll back, just like the ground in Jedha. It was the same. In that moment, Jyn knew she would die. That Cassian would, that everyone on Scareth would. The empire had turned the Death's Star on its own installation, its own planet.
"Here." Cassian stopped, breathing heavily. Jyn helped him slowly lower himself to the ground before dropping down beside him.
"At least we got the plans out," she offered in an awkward attempt to fill the silence. He nodded and took her hand, looking out over the water. It almost felt like a sunset, orange light filling the sky.
Years of running away, of cheating death, flashed through her mind. All the times she thought that she had met her end and had come through it unscathed. Now a feeling of dread began to twist itself in the pit of her stomach. She was going to die. They all were. She looked away from the water and at Cassian. So much she would never know about him or he her.
"I'm sorry we didn't have more time." His voice was soft and oddly comforting.
"Time for what?" she asked, half-hoping he would say what she thought he would.
He leaned closer and kissed her in response. After a lifetime of steering clear of attachments or anything of the like, Jyn found herself not knowing how to react. It only lasted a moment before he gently pulled away, wheezing with the strain. If only they had more time.
"Your father would have been proud of you, Jyn."
"I know."
She tightened her grip on his hand. She didn't want to die. The thought terrified her. The water moved closer, the light almost blinding now.
"Let's die on our feet, shall we?" Cassian struggled as he shakily stood, a defiant look on his face. Jyn climbed to her feet, the knot in her stomach seemed to become so tight she could barely catch her breath. The end was close now, she could feel it. He reached for her hand. When she took it, he pulled her in close. She could feel his cheek against hers, the pounding of both of their hearts intensified in her ears. She tightened her grip around his neck and felt his grow stronger around her waist. Tears filled her eyes for the first time since she was a child.
"Thank you for not letting me die alone," she whispered in his ear. The world turned blindly white and for an instant, Jyn thought she could see her father walking towards her, his hand outstretched.
"Come home, Stardust. It is time."