AN: Hey guys! So this is my first Star Wars fanfiction, and the idea came to me soon after watching Rogue One. I thought that interweaving RO and A New Hope was a brilliant move as it gives alot of continuity to a series that frankly deserves it. So sit back and enjoy the ride :)
I would like to dedicate this fanfiction to Carrie Fisher. RIP Carrie, you were a wonderful person and you will be missed.
Disclaimer: This is a non-profit fanfiction. Star Wars belongs to George Lucas, Lucasfilms and Disney. Please support the official release.
"Leia, why was it so easy?"
Luke watched as Leia turned towards him with a puzzled expression. She moved aside on her bed and Luke sat next to her. It was another day of hard work on Hoth. Han and Chewie had explored the planet for any material they could use to enhance the shields while Luke had engaged in training his Force abilities. Leia on the other hand, supervised the defenses set up around the base and made sure that everything could be smoothly activated should the Empire choose to play guest unexpectedly. In the blink of an eye, night had fallen, and everyone had retired to their quarters. However, as Luke lay in his bed, he thought of how he used the Force to guide the missiles into the exhaust port of the Death Star.
'Well, it's a good thing the port was so wide – it was stupid design, frankly…making a port that big. Why would they do that?' The more Luke thought about it, the more bizarre it seemed. It made no sense that the Empire would do it intentionally, but at the same time, it looked so obvious that it was meant to be fired into. It troubled him to no end, and so, here he was, asking the only person he knew who had been in the Rebel Alliance long enough to know how the Empire worked.
"Luke, what are you talking about?" Luke continued, "When we blew up the Death Star….it was too easy. It was like the thermal exhaust port was built to be fired into. Why would the Empire, such a mighty army, overlook such a simple design flaw in arguably the greatest weapon in their arsenal?" Leia sighed. Luke immediately caught on and started, "I know it's late and that it's probably a pointless question to ask because it holds no importance now but-
"It's not pointless, and the answer isn't as simple as 'they made a mistake.' I guess you have a right to know, seeing as how you helped the Rebellion so much – not to mention you're the last Jedi."
Luke narrowed his eyes at this and said suspiciously, "So there IS a reason then? What is it?"
Leia said in a solemn voice, "Right before I was captured by Darth Vader, we obtained the plans to the Death Star from a group of rebels who had broken away from the Rebel Alliance. They got the plans from an Imperial base on the planet Scarif. Luke nodded. "But that doesn't explain why the Death Star was built in such a flawed way." Leia said, "Patience, Luke – I'm getting there. A long time ago, a researcher by the name of Galen Erso helped construct specific parts of the Death Star after the Empire threatened his family. His wife was killed and his daughter, Jyn Erso, fled their home planet. Fifteen years after this happened; a young girl was brought to a rebel base on Yavin 4. She was taken on a mission to retrieve her father from the planet Eadu."
Luke nodded and asked, "And this girl…was Jyn? How did they find her? Is she a….." He let the question hang in the air, a certain sense of hope building inside of him. Leia shook her head. "I do not know if she could use the Force or not. I never met her. As for how they found her, a soldier named Cassian Andor and a droid, K-2SO found her held captive. They freed her and brought her to the base.
Luke nodded and unconsciously started fiddling with his lightsaber, which he kept on him at all times. The thought of Jyn being a Force sensitive excited him, for it would mean that there would be someone to figure all of his new abilities out with. Leia continued, "Her father had somehow built a flaw in the Death Star, something that would make it susceptible to attack." Luke said, "But I thought his loyalties lay with the Empire – why did he turn?"
"No idea. A pilot named Bodhi Rook was the one who defected right from under the Empire's nose and brought the information to the base at Yavin. From there, Jyn, Cassian and K-2SO went to the planet to try and free him. Sadly, it didn't happen, as there was crossfire. Galen died, but not before telling his daughter of the plans that could bring about the fall of the Empire's most deadly weapon."
Luke's eyes widened. "Galen was in charge of building parts of the weapon? That means….the exhaust port – that was deliberate?! He put the exhaust port there so that it would lead to the reactor?" Leia nodded. "It was genius move on his part, because the Empire couldn't question him on it as they knew nothing of the technicalities of such a huge weapon." Luke smiled and said, "It was brave of him to do such a thing. What happened then?"
"The details were initially stored in a hologram, but it got destroyed in the crossfire. Jyn saw the message once but no one else did. Because of this, nobody would believe that such a flaw existed and as a result, the Rebels had nothing to go on, and they didn't want to raid Scarif on a hunch."
Luke stood up and said forcefully, "But they had to take a chance, right? I mean this is the Empire we're talking about! Any chance to cause any sort of damage to them should be taken without question!" Leia replied in a stern voice, "Luke, think of the manpower that would have been needed to carry out a full invasion of Scarif. It would have been too much for the rebels to handle! It's not brave, it's foolish." Luke stared at Leia long and hard before sighing and sitting back down. "What happened then?"
"A group of soldiers broke away from the rest of the rebels and tried to retrieve the plans anyway. Jyn, Cassian and K-2SO were among them, along with the rebel pilot, Bodhi. I've also heard reports that a monk and a mercenary were also there, but I'm not sure. Anyway, when they were leaving the base, a guard asked them to identify themselves….and they said that they were 'Rogue One'. A fitting name for their mission, I suppose."
Luke chuckled. "So I'm guessing that they went to Scarif, carried out some near impossible plan and managed to transmit the plans to you, but not before the Empire caught wind of it and sent Vader after you?" Leia nodded. "That would be an accurate description." Luke noticed a slight shift in her tone but thought nothing of it as he stood up and stretched. "Well, that was enlightening. I want to meet this crew – are they on another rebel base?" He looked at Leia expectantly, but found that she would not meet his eyes. "Leia, where are they?"
Leia looked at him and said with a solemn expression, "Luke, the members of Rogue One are all dead." Luke, who had been about to leave the room, stopped dead in his tracks and turned to face Leia with an expression of shock. "What? But…how? They escaped, didn't they?" Leia shook her head. "No one knows what happened down on Scarif. However, from what I heard, the Death Star showed up at the planet just after they transmitted the plans to us. They fired at the Imperial base – every rebel who went there was instantly wiped out, lost to the memory of time." Luke looked stunned at this information. He sat back down and took a deep breath. Leia said, "Their sacrifice enabled us to strike a huge blow to the Empire. Without them we would have never been able to find the flaw in the Death Star, and who knows how many more planets would have been destroyed?"
"How many people know about them?"
"Sorry?"
"How many people know that it was because of them that we got the plans to blow up the Death Star?"
"Not many. The information was kept confidential for a while – why?"
Luke sighed and stared at Leia. "It's not fair, right? I mean, they are probably some of the most important people in this war, and yet…..nobody knows them. Nobody knows what they did and how important it was for us to get our first victory!"
Leia nodded sadly and said, "Sometimes the best way to remember fallen heroes is to fight for their ideals and for what they believed in. The crew of Rogue One knew that there was a strong possibility that the mission to retrieve the plans might be their last. Yet, in spite of that, they did it anyway because they truly believed that their actions could bring the Rebel Alliance one step closer to restoring peace to the galaxy. I only hope that we all find that kind of courage within ourselves to do whatever it takes to stop Vader and the rest of the Empire."
Luke nodded. After bidding Leia good night, he retired to his chambers. Lying down on his bed, he thought about the crew who had given their lives to their cause. He gazed up at the icy ceiling, imagining the stars that lay beyond it and said in a soft voice,
"Thank you….you guys gave us something that we haven't had in a long time…..hope."