A/N: Finally got something finished. It isn't the looooonnnng one (70 pages and counting), but it's longer. I am still working on the other one, though, so it still may show up eventually.

Many like Bodhi, but he doesn't seem to get many stories focused on him and his journey. I wanted to explore that a little, how he went from Saw's captive to the person who contacted the fleet in the midst of a fire fight. At some point he changed from stammering, stuttering and uncertain to a determined soldier, finding ways to accomplish what needed doing and risking his life to make the mission succeed. This is one possibility for how he got there.

Wind of Change

Chapter 1

Hesitantly, Bodhi stepped into the hall, glancing both directions before moving. He was pretty sure going right would take him toward the hangar. The trouble was, he didn't know where he wanted to go in particular.

Cassian had gone off to report to his commanding officer almost as soon as they landed. The Captain had asked another man, a pilot named Wedge, to see them all settled. That was half an hour ago, and he hadn't seen the others since then. He suspected most of them were taking advantage of a bed and catching up on missed sleep. But he was too…restless for that. Granted, the room, though small, was a dramatic improvement from the cell he had at Saw's hideout.

He mentally veered away from thinking about that place, or what had happened there. Maybe if he could find something to eat, it would help him relax enough to sleep. He struck off to his right and after winding through several corridors, found himself in the hangar. Not where he intended to go, but at least it looked familiar. He didn't see anyone he recognized, and he might have asked for directions except that everyone who looked his way… Maybe they didn't say anything, but they saw an Imperial pilot. Whether they knew he had defected or not, whether they believed he had or not, there wasn't an outpouring of welcome coming from any of them.

Well, he could stand here all day, lost, or he could wander aimlessly and hope for the best, or he could screw up his courage and speak to someone. It took several minutes to find a face that seemed marginally friendly – or at least not too hostile – and approach the woman. She eyed him up and down twice before reluctantly replying to his question.

"If you go over there, around the X-wing they're working on" – she pointed to it – "you'll…" She stopped, reconsidered and then said instead, "I'd better take you there. So you don't get lost."

Her tone suggested she meant 'wander' rather than 'lost'. He tried to ignore the implication that she considered him untrustworthy. Likely he'd have to get used to it. "Thanks..uh, thanks. I..I appreciate your help."

She looked him over again, but merely said, "Yeah."

She turned and walked off, apparently assuming he'd follow. It was clear she didn't intend to walk beside him as a friend and hold a conversation. He suppressed a sigh and trailed after her. As it was, she didn't even take him all the way there. Maybe she didn't want to be seen with him, appearing to socialize.

"Down there, end of the hall." She pointed toward a set of double doors.

"Thank..thank you. I appreciate your help." He winced. He'd already said that earlier; he was babbling. She turned and left without saying anything more.

Slowly he continued on, hoping most would have already eaten and left so that the room wouldn't be crowded. When he reached the doors, he came to a stop, unable or unwilling to go inside. At least three people left while he stood there, giving him suspicious looks before moving on.

Well, it couldn't be much more awkward in there than standing out here. He pushed open the door and entered, slipping in and to the right of the door to stand along the wall and look around. He was in luck – it wasn't crowded. For several minutes, he looked over the setup and room occupants. Only at the last did he glimpse someone sitting alone off in a corner. Jyn.

The giddy sense of relief he experienced was rather comical, if anyone else had known of it. Still, he didn't feel much like laughing. Forgoing food for the moment, he weaved around tables in her direction.

Not until he had almost reached her did she glance up and notice him. A faint smile slid over her face, giving him encouragement to join her.

When first he sat down, neither spoke, but feeling awkward, he decided to attempt conversation. "I..I thought you might be..be sleeping."

She shook her head. "Maybe in a little while. There's too much on my mind right now." She held up a cup of caf. "Besides, I was hungry. When I finish this, I'll check out what they have to eat. Can't be any worse than prison food or ration bars, though."

He wasn't inclined to tell her that he hadn't eaten in three days except for the ration bars on the flight.

"Are you okay?" She was studying him thoughtfully.

"Yeah..yeah, sure." Likely the stammer and the quaver in his voice weren't very convincing of his words. He shivered, involuntarily remembering the feel of the tentacles…

"Not sure I believe that."

Her eyes were sympathetic, understanding, and before he could check the impulse, he told her, "I just keep thinking about..about…at Saw's and everything…" She looked more closely at him and he added in a whisper, "Bor Gullet."

Jyn reached out and silently clasped his hand in hers. After several minutes, she said tightly, "I'm sorry about that. My father wouldn't have known how paranoid Saw had become since last he saw him. But he probably thought sending you to an old friend was safer than sending you to the Alliance as a messenger of an Imperial scientist. Some of Saw's methods… I'm sorry you had to go through that."

He managed a weak smile. He hadn't been seeking sympathy, but hearing it was somewhat comforting all the same.

"You hungry, too?" she asked, glancing toward the food laid out for personnel to claim at will.

"Yeah, I could eat."

"Come on, then." She rose and led the way.

Even though people still stared and hostility bubbled below the surface, being with Jyn was different from being alone. The way she carried herself with confidence made people keep their distance from her. Bodhi wondered if he might be able to cultivate that ability; somehow he doubted it.

The food workers eyed the two of them, but made no move to prevent them dishing up plates, though they did nothing to assist. When they had their food, Jyn marched to a table right in the middle of the room and plunked down. For a moment, he was alarmed at this display, but then he had to bite back a grin. Confident, indeed. He guessed this was her way of taking a stand, daring them to confront her. When he sat down across from her, she met his gaze and he saw the humor in her eyes. She knew exactly what she was doing, and was inviting him to share in it. Oddly enough, it boosted his confidence that she believed he was capable of such bravery.

They both ate in silence for several minutes. At length, though, she asked, "Did you know my father well?"

"Sort..sort of. They had me flying shuttles between Jedha and Eadu, delivering the kyber crystals, so I met him when the crystals were delivered. More and more he befriended me, I suppose to gain an ally to carry his message to Saw."

She shook her head. "Not just that, I'm sure. Father might not have recognized evil in others so quickly as my mother, or been so determined to fight against it, but he wouldn't have simply used someone. I'm sure he chose you because he saw potential in you, someone who had the courage to succeed at the task, but also would benefit from escaping the Empire's oppression."

Courage wasn't a word that Bodhi could readily connect to himself. He had spent his entire life being a coward, doing whatever he was told by anyone even slightly bigger or stronger than he was. He was ashamed at the number of times he had almost changed his mind about defecting, almost turned back and kept to the safer course of serving the Empire. Maybe the only reason he hadn't given up on it was seeing the Imperials threatening and harming the people on Jedha, his people. He had the chance to make a difference and maybe improve their lives, their situation. It hadn't turned out so glorious a victory as he had imagined – torture by Saw and then the Empire's destruction of the Holy City. Everyone he knew was pretty much gone. Not many Jedhans left the moon to live elsewhere. They would have been there, unsuspecting, when the Death Star struck. He only hoped it had been quick and fairly painless for most of them in the city itself.

"Where are you from?" Jyn asked, taking another bite of food.

He sharply drew in a breath at the question, and her brow knit with concern. Then she seemed to understand. "Jedha?"

He nodded. "I..I think that was part of the reason your father chose me. I was familiar with the city and the surrounding area, so he thought I had the best chance of escaping and finding Saw. I..I'm not sure how he knew Saw was there – he didn't say."

"Did you ever get to see your family when you picked up shipments on Jedha?"

He shook his head. "We were expected to stay near the shuttle while it was loading or unloading, and only allowed to be away from it when at Imperial facilities. I guess they wanted to keep a close eye on us. That's one of the reasons I formed the friendship so readily with Galen. I missed my family." He paused, then added quietly, "And I never got a chance to say goodbye. I hadn't seen them in over three years…"

She looked up from staring at her plate. "Just remember this, Bodhi – what you did, what you've gone through is all toward preventing that happening to other cities or worlds or people. We couldn't prevent that attack, but if there's a way to stop this thing, we'll do whatever it takes to accomplish it. Or I'll die trying."

Her jaw was set and he believed she meant every word. His back stiffened with resolve. "Me..me too." Galen had made revenge possible; now they had only to follow through with it. Just like Galen, they might have to give their lives, but he would follow Jyn wherever she led, to whatever end. He had seen his home destroyed. He wanted a chance to fight back and punish the Empire.

Something inside him settled, calmed, and he began eating with more relish, yielding to his hunger. Neither spoke again until they were finished. They sat a while longer, enjoying another cup of caf, and then finally Jyn rose. "I suppose I should try to get some rest. You coming?"

He nodded and they dumped their trays before heading out. She had a better memory for how the base was laid out, though he had heard she was here once before, prior to coming to Jedha. He knew they had all been quartered in the same area, so he simply trailed along beside her, trusting her to lead the way. As they drew nearer to their rooms, however, his unease increased. He needed sleep, desperately, he knew that, but he also knew what he saw every time he closed his eyes. It was part of the reason he hadn't slept more.

They reached his door first and he hesitated, eyeing it reluctantly. When he wasn't thinking about things, about what he'd gone through, it was easy to contemplate sleep. Now that he was faced with climbing into a bed and actually attempting it, the prospect was more daunting.

Jyn was studying him again, though he tried to pretend not to notice. At length, she said, "Listen, I sometimes have bad dreams, and I sleep easier with someone else nearby. Would you mind if we hauled your mattress into my room while we sleep?"

He didn't entirely believe her about needing someone there, certainly not him, but it did offer him hope of getting some rest. "O..okay. Sure." He keyed open the door and they set to work piling the blankets and pillow on top of the mattress, and then together they dragged it down the hall two doors to her room.

"The rooms aren't very big, but I'll try not to get up and step on you." She grinned, and he appreciated the teasing remark. He'd never shared a room with a woman before; he had no sisters or brothers. Sleeping in the barracks with the other shuttle pilots wasn't the same. Don't make a big deal out of this, he reminded himself. She's trying to make this easier for you. Just accept it and don't overthink it.

She rooted in a small closet and came out with some clean clothing. "Check your room, see if they left you something clean to wear. Guess we use the clean stuff to sleep in and then put our usual clothes back on." He nodded and ducked back out the door.

He changed clothes in his room, too embarrassed at the thought of doing so in her room. She had a small 'fresher he could have used, but it would still have felt awkward to him. Leaving his dirty pilot's uniform there, he returned down the hall, knocking softly at her door. Probably she had left it unlocked, but there was no way he was just going to walk in unannounced.

When she opened the door, her mouth twitched, but she didn't comment. He knew his face was red, but there wasn't anything he could do about it. Each of them settled onto their respective beds, but he gazed in her direction. If she had been with Saw's rebels at one time, he wondered how that had worked for her. He hadn't seen many women among Saw's group. Had she slept, and changed clothes, amongst the men? Oddly enough, a surge of protectiveness swept through him on her behalf. She wasn't his sister or anything, but she was Galen's daughter, and somehow it felt like he had a responsibility to look out for her.

Which was ridiculous considering she was probably better able to look out for him than vice versa. Still, if she ever did need him, he'd do everything in his power to be there for her. Maybe his family was truly gone now, but he would make a new family among his friends. He thought of Baze and Chirrut and felt certain he could indeed number them as friends, friends who would come to his aid if necessary. After he'd become an Imperial pilot, he had never really felt like he could count the others as friends. There was always a sense of either trying to outdo one another to gain the best advantages, or suspicions that anything you did might get reported by someone. Not until he met Galen had he felt like he again had a friend who actually cared about him. With those consoling thoughts, his eyes slipped shut and he slept.

The room was dark when Bodhi came awake, unsure what had awakened him. It wasn't a bad dream, which surprised him, but something… He heard it again – a whimper. It was coming from Jyn. She'd said she sometimes had bad dreams; this must be one. But what should he do? Try to wake her? He'd seen soldiers wakened a time or two and they tended to come awake fast and deadly. Approaching her might be dangerous. On the other hand, he had just recently vowed to be there for her when she needed him, and this would certainly qualify.

He sat up. "Jyn?" No response came, but her distress was increasing. He stood and moved a little closer, speaking more loudly. "Jyn!"

With a gasp, she abruptly lurched upright calling out, "Father!"

He stumbled back, tripping and nearly falling on his mattress. His heart pounding, he hurried over and turned on the light.

Her eyes blinked rapidly in the brightness, confusion etched on her face. Then, slowly, she seemed to become aware of her surroundings. "Bodhi?"

"You..you had a bad dream, I think."

She swiped a hand over her face and shivered. "Yeah."

What now? He'd never had to comfort someone who'd had a nightmare, had no clue how to go about it. "Do..do you want to talk about it, or something…?"

She'd pulled her knees up and slumped over them, but looked up at him through her tangled mop of hair. "Nah. I don't think that would help. Probably would just upset you, too. I was…remembering Papa's death."

He shifted nervously where he stood, then reached for the lone chair in the room and drew it near to sit in. "I..I know Cassian went up there to kill him, I was sure of it. But still I let him send me back to the ship – I didn't try to stop him."

"It wasn't your fault, Bodhi. And I doubt you could have stopped him even if you tried. The man is trained to kill."

"Yeah, but…but I don't…I think he really was just following orders, but then he realized he couldn't and that's why he didn't. Shoot, I mean." He was babbling again, and making no sense. "I just mean…well, I think he means well. That he's trying to do what's right, even if sometimes it seems like the wrong thing to others."

"I know." She sighed. "I shouldn't have said what I did to him. And I don't think Papa wanted to stay a prisoner of the Empire any longer. This freed him, even if I wasn't ready to let him go after just finding him again."

"He never got over your mother's death, or losing you," Bodhi told her softly. "He would talk of both of you all the time. I..I think he liked having a friend who would listen to his ramblings. He didn't..didn't dare mention either of you to anyone else but..but me, I don't think."

She turned her head to the side, resting it on her arms on her knees and gazed at him for a long moment. "When they broke me out of the Imperial prison on Wobani and brought me here the first time, they asked if I knew where my father was. I told them I liked to think he was dead. That was true, you know? I preferred to think he was dead rather than an Imperial prisoner. Or that he…he could have come to get me but didn't."

"No, if he could have come, he would have. I'm sure of that," Bodhi told her, and he was sure.

"Yeah, I know that now. It was just after all those years, I started to wonder. I even wondered if he actually was dead, if Krennic had killed him for some reason. For a long time, Saw became like a father to me."

"Why did you leave Saw's rebels, then?"

Her mouth twisted. "I didn't leave them – they left me. I guess I understand why, now anyway. Saw explained it when we were on Jedha. He left me alone in a bunker, saying he would return, but he never did. I was sixteen then, and until Jedha I never knew why he had done it."

Something inside him cringed. Having met Saw, he could believe the man capable of that, but still to abandon the girl at such a young age, leaving her to fend for herself. No wonder she'd ended up in an Imperial prison. She would have had to find some way to provide for herself, and likely none of the skills Saw might have taught would do much toward earning her an honest living. "I'm sorry," he whispered. He meant it, though he knew it couldn't possibly help any.

Even so, she smiled at him. "Thanks." She stretched and then laid back down. "Sorry I woke you. Shall we try to sleep a little longer?"

He considered and glanced at the chronometer on the wall. "It's nearing suppertime. Maybe we should go eat first, and see if the others are around. That might put us on a more normal sleep schedule to get through the night."

She groaned, but sat up again. "You're right." She looked down ruefully at the clothing she wore. It was sleep rumpled but clean. "Shall we wear our 'nightclothes' to supper?"

He laughed. "I'm going to. In fact, I think I'll try to wash out my uniform tonight and let it dry. So it'll be at least a little cleaner."

"Good idea." She stood. She looked at the chrono. "Let's do that and freshen up a little, then meet in maybe 20 minutes to go to supper?"

"Okay." He stood also, putting the chair back where it had been, then glanced at his bedding.

She followed his gaze and said quietly, "It would be okay with me if you stayed here tonight, too. If you want. Maybe we'll both sleep better."

He relaxed slightly at her words, but still asked, "You..you're sure?"

"Of course!" Her tone brooked no argument and he smiled in relief.

"See you in 20 minutes then."

The small sinks in their 'freshers were not intended for washing clothes, but Bodhi managed in spite of that. He'd been wearing that uniform nearly a week now. If he had a change of clothes, he might even destroy it just to be rid of the reminder.

Jyn's door opened before he could knock and she stepped into the hall. They paused at Baze and Chirrut's door, but when there was no answer, they continued on to the mess hall. It was more crowded this time, and many heads turned to stare at them, but Bodhi steeled himself not to cower. He didn't want to embarrass Jyn. She marched them straight up to the food line and handed him a tray as they joined the queue. While they waited, he spent the time glancing furtively around the hall, hoping to find at least a couple of friendly faces amid the sea of distrust. His eyes landed on Baze and Chirrut, sitting alone off to the side, and he nudged Jyn. He gestured with a nod of his head toward them and after looking, she gave an acknowledging nod in return.

Their food obtained, Jyn led the way through the maze of tables to where the guardians sat. Baze hadn't yet noticed them, but Chirrut piped up with a welcome. "Will you join us, friends? We were going to invite you to come when we headed in this direction, but thought you might be sleeping."

Jyn answered for them. "We were, but woke, washed out our clothes and then headed here."

"We stopped at your room first," Bodhi added.

They fell to eating, but only five minutes later, a small group of officers sat down at a table not far from them. Bodhi quickly snuck a look at the others to see if they had noticed. They had – the other two were staring over at Cassian also. The Captain didn't appear to have seen them, and was seated sideways to them so they wouldn't readily be in his eye line. Almost as if there was a signal, the three of them looked at each other, though none voiced their thoughts.

Baze returned his attention to his meal and Bodhi followed his example, though he noticed Jyn continued to flick glances in Cassian's direction. He suspected she wanted to apologize for her outburst on the ship, for the accusations, though probably she didn't want to do it in front of his fellow officers. He had been keeping his distance from them – at least it seemed that way – all day. It was possible he considered himself done with them, having delivered them to the base.

It was too bad, really. Bodhi rather liked Cassian. He knew what he had done, but he just had a feeling he was a decent person trying hard, maybe too hard, to overthrow the Empire. He snuck another glance toward the Captain, and this time Cassian was looking their way – he had seen them. Bodhi couldn't read his expression. It wasn't unfriendly or hostile like so many others were, but it wasn't friendly either. Jyn had said he was a spy and assassin. He supposed that meant the man had to be good at concealing his thoughts and not letting his expressions give him away. Somehow it just felt right that Cassian should come join them.

But he remained where he was, and returned his attention to his companions. Bodhi was itching to know what was going on, and Cassian was the only one on the base he might have dared ask. It was disappointing that everyone was leaving them in the dark. Probably that had to do with not trusting them. Well, not trusting him or Jyn. He didn't think anyone had a problem with the two former guardians.

The four ate the rest of their meal in silence, but when they finished, no one seemed inclined to separate as yet.

"So tell me, Bodhi, how did you manage to escape the Empire? I am curious."

Bodhi considered Chirrut's question, not entirely sure he wanted to talk about it. But Baze appeared mildly interested also and Jyn was giving him encouraging looks.

"I was picking up a kyber shipment on Jedha. Shortly after I landed, I chanced to hear someone remark to someone else that there was a certain shuttle part they couldn't keep in stock and it made it hard to keep the shuttles running on schedule when those broke. So I managed to sneak in and break the one on my ship. When they checked with the techs, to have it repaired, they learned there were no parts available. Then I told the stormtroopers that I had been instructed to hurry back with this shipment because there was some important person who wanted to see a demonstration and this shipment was necessary to do that. They didn't want to get in bad with a superior officer who could make their lives miserable, so when I said I was from Jedha and knew someone in the city who might have the part, they agreed to let me go check. They did send a stormtrooper to accompany me, but I grew up on those streets and knew every twist and turn of alleyways and passages. I managed to give the trooper the slip and then concealed myself until I could make contact with someone I thought could get me to Saw's rebels, and then to Saw. The rebels smuggled me out of the city with them."

Each fell into their own thoughts for a couple of minutes, until Baze broke the silence. "Well, I'm going back to bed. So long as we're here, we might as well take advantage of a comfortable place to sleep and plenty of food to eat."

Jyn drank the last of her caf and rose. "Might as well join you. You coming, Bodhi?"

He nodded as he stood, sneaking another glance toward the officers. None were looking in their direction, but he was sure Cassian watched them from the corner of his eye. If he were braver, he'd go over and speak to the man, but the others were heading to drop off their trays and he followed them without finding the courage to act. At the door, he glimpsed Cassian watching them leave.

Back in Jyn's room, they sat talking and he told her of the time he had spent with Galen. It was clear she was thirsty for any tidbits he could share. It was sad that she only knew her father as an adult by what others told her.

TBC