Rogue Alliance
The swallowing light reaches out to devour them—but a blast of thrusters and the swift cool of a shield halts it for just an instant. An instant that Jyn and Cassian seize. But this salvation may yet lead to death, for where else is there to go but back into the arms of the Empire?
CHAPTER ONE
She held him. She had to. There was no one else, nothing else, in the entire galaxy left for her to hold onto. Her shaking fingers wound like vises through his shirt; with every tight, short breath she drowned in the scent of him—sweat, oil, and cedar. His thundering heart hammered against her breastbone. Hot blood from the wound in his middle soaked into her shirt. He crushed her to him, winding his strong arms around her. The stubble on his cheek scratched her neck. His shattered breaths roared in her ear. She gripped him tighter.
Thoughts raced and bumbled and charged through her head—words leaped onto her tongue, but she couldn't summon them through her locked jaw.
Heat. Impossible heat swelled toward them. The light of an unbearable sunrise rolled toward them like a wave of fiery teeth, ready to boil the flesh from their bones. There was no use running. Besides, with Cassian's wound—he couldn't even stand up.
They would die. Here, right here. Knees dug into the sand. Wrapped in each other's arms. Total strangers mere days ago. And now—
Jyn squeezed her eyes shut. Heat seared across her face.
It was coming. Any second, any moment, any breath—
The marrow in her bones vibrated.
A blast of wind from behind her—so powerful it almost tore her out of Cassian's grip.
She couldn't pry her eyes open—the light would blind her. Even now, it glared like a supernova through her eyelids. A bellowing, mechanical roar enveloped her.
And suddenly, a striking, cool gap—like whiplash—swept over her.
And something large, stiff and metal smacked into her back. She lashed out with her right hand, in reflex…
Caught something. A bolt, a strut. Something!
And then it started to pull away.
It started to pull up.
She gasped—her throat burned. She lifted with it—Cassian clawed at her. With all her strength, she wrapped her right arm around the metal strut, then wrapped her legs around Cassian's middle, and with her left hand she took his shirt in a death grip.
The metal jerked upward.
Jyn screamed—she couldn't even hear herself. Heat scalded her bare skin. She almost ripped in half.
Cassian hung from her, his arms bound around her waist—an excruciating weight. The metal bit into her arm. She bared her teeth and kept screaming, but she did not—she would not—let go. Not of the strut—and not of him.
Tornadic wind buffeted them, swirling and lashing, fighting to knock them free. But whatever metal beast carried them, it rushed onward, higher and higher, further and further, until the heat faded back. But Jyn locked her muscles, did not open her eyes. Her arm spasmed and shook, her back strained to breaking…
Slap, slap, slap, slap!
Leaves cracked against her legs, against Cassian. Whatever carried them suddenly dipped—
Jyn's arm slipped.
She gasped. Her eyes flew open.
They broke loose and fell. Through green—branches, leaves, trees—
Sparkling blue.
Splash!
THUD.
She slammed into and under ice-cold water. Cassian came loose of her.
Her vision blacked out, and she remembered nothing else.
To be continued…
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