AN: Thank you as always to aewgliriel for A LOT of Star Wars knowhow. I had many questions leading into this chapter. Also if you like, go back and re-read the last chapter, I made a minor correction to have events fully gel.

Chapter 9: Evacuation pt. 2(Cassian/Bodhi/Baze)

Sorrow found me when I was young
Sorrow waited, sorrow won

Don't leave my hyper heart alone on the water
Cover me in rag and bone sympathy

—Sorrow, The National


Cassian and Jyn eventually left the med bay to get back to work. Bodhi had decided to wait with no indication of how long he would be there for. Jyn had given him a sympathetic pat on the shoulder and left him to his solitude.

They parted ways in the hall with quiet farewells. She half smiled and said, "See you!" with a loose wave of her hand and he had smiled and waved back thinking they would indeed be seeing each other again soon.

He would regret that later.


When Bodhi has time to sit alone, he stews over the conversation he had with Luke.

His friend was obviously off his head at the time, but that doesn't necessarily mean what he had said was made up or wrong.

He said Bodhi was his best, best friend which Bodhi is not going to dwell on.

No, he isn't, because Bodhi is not that pathetic.

(Except for the way Luke looked at him as he said it made Bodhi want die a little bit, but it also made him so very happy which was confusing.)

(If Luke wants to be his best friend, then Bodhi will absolutely be his best, best friend without hesitation)

It's the other part of their conversation that has Bodhi truly worried. The part of about seeing Obi-Wan and this other Jedi master who can help him complete his training.

Bodhi isn't really clear on how the Force works, but he does know that his friend has that whole fate and destiny thing generally hovering around his person. It would not surprise Bodhi if Luke somehow got a visit from his former master's ghost with exactly those instructions.

Also Luke insisting that it happened was probably the most lucid he got during their entire talk. His blue eyes were wide and he had tightened his grip on Bodhi's hand to try and make him understand.

Bodhi does understand, or near enough. The real issue is the part where Luke would have to leave for some undisclosed amount of time going who knows where (He hasn't stopped in the Dagobah system, he's only flown through it) and he would presumably go alone.

This is the part Bodhi takes issue with.

He also knows that if Luke is going to leave for his Jedi training, then there is nothing Bodhi can do about it. Luke is right that a fully trained Jedi can really help the Rebellion. How can Bodhi argue if this training could help Luke save lives?

He really can't.

He's glad to stop thinking these thoughts when a nurse gets him and lets him know that Luke's awake.

(Properly awake this time)


Draven has set up a decent work area in what he has claimed as his office in a room neighboring the command center. It was built in a similar fashion with several work stations scattered around the room, monitors, and far too much ice for what's supposed to be indoors.

Cassian sits at his workstation reading through files from other ops. Accounts of intel gained that need decoding and so on.

Generally operatives keep fairly detailed records while out in the field, but it's all in codes and cyphers left to be decoded when the operative returns to base.

Cassian glances up from his file to see Draven sitting, shivering at his desk.

It still privately amuses Cassian to see such a stern man who handles the climate they're in so poorly. Draven seems to notice his stare and sends him an aggressively neutral look clearly meant as a warning.

After two years, he is definitely no longer on probation, but he figures it would be best to not try his commanding officer's patience.

He returns to reading the file. There are rumors of a new weapon the Empire plans to build and Cassian wonders if the operative has switched cyphers again because this isn't making a lot of sense. A weapon that is both old and new?

Perhaps the operative didn't have time to take clearer notes, it happens sometimes.

Still, he stares at the file. An Imperial weapon that is both old and new.

It sounds like a riddle and something about it sets his teeth on edge.

And then alarms start to sound all over the base and the walls tremble like they are taking enemy fire.

He wonders, for an instant if it's a quake and then the base shakes again.

This can only mean one thing.

The Empire is here.


Bodhi follows the nurse into Luke's room. The door slides open right as he sees his friend sitting up on the bed, eyes wide and alert.

And then the entire station rocks on its axis and Luke's gaze flies up to meet his own.

A second shake comes and then the alarms.

Panic seizes him and it matches the fear in Luke's eyes.

"I-I…" he tries to say something and Luke shakes his head.

"If the Empire found us they'll be sending out the squadrons to fight back. Go to the hangar, I'll be there as soon as I can."

And there's that hero thing again, putting steel in his friend's spine.

He wants to say something, but he can't speak. He turns to the door and misses the look softening his friend's face.

"Bodhi," he says and Bodhi stops and turns back to look at him, "May the Force be with you… I'll see you out there."

And Bodhi nods and leaves before he says or does something stupid.

Running down the hallway, it strikes him how familiar this feels, and yet how different.

He hopes it will be different enough.


Everything is happening too quickly and a tech runs into their office, "Rieekan and Organa have ordered evacuation procedures," they say and the room devolves into chaos. Everybody races to start the self-destruct sequences on their workstations. (A dramatic name for what amounts to causing the stations to internally short circuit until the files are irretrievable.) Backups are stored and datapads are packed away or destroyed.

Draven moves fast at his desk. Smashing datapads and burning any physical documents that aren't coming with them. There are only four of them total, including Draven. When one of his fellow operatives is done, they race out the door and towards the hangar where their transport is waiting. He doesn't fault them for running, he knows it's his transport, too, and he needs to move fast, but he stops to make sure all the workstations have been properly disposed of. If even one didn't complete its destructive sequence and it's found by the Empire, they could be finished.

By the time he's done, only Draven is left and they run towards the hangar, feet pounding against the grounds that moves unsteadily beneath their feet.

It occurs to him then, to think of where the others are. Everyone ought to be accounted for and they are assigned the same transport. He'll need to look for them when he gets to the hangar. Bodhi is off flying with Rogue Squadron but he'll need to make sure the others are all there.

He refuses to think about what would happen if they aren't.

They'll be there. It's procedure and they all know it. Bodhi will probably be out with Luke and Rogue Squadron. But the others…

While he slowed down, briefly lost in his calculations, Draven had kept running. He has a moment to register this before the hall shakes so badly he loses his footing and crashes against the wall.

Then the ceiling caves in on top of him.

A cold, heavy chunk of ice cracks against his skull and everything goes black.


The pilots were briefed and now Bodhi's getting ready to fly a snowspeeder with Shara Bey as his gunner. She grins at him, loose and wicked.

"Looks like you get me as your co-pilot, rookie," she says before her eyes flick to something behind him with a nod.

It's Jyn, running up to him with panic written all over her face. He says her name like a reflex, his stomach tightening at the fear in her eyes.

"What's happening?" she asks him and he shakes his head a little, looking down at the ground.

From behind him Shara says,

"The Empire happened." Jyn glances at her once with a nod and then back to Bodhi.

"Have you seen any of the others?" she asks and Bodhi's stomach dips again as he shakes his head. He hadn't thought to worry about the others yet but now he's very worried.

In answer to her question he mumbles,

"L-Luke should be catching up to us here in the hangar soon, he was properly awake when I left the med bay. Leia was just h-here for a briefing. Other than that…" He lets the sentence hang like a loose thread and she nods her head, glancing at their speeder.

"They're putting you in speeders? You can't break atmosphere with those," she says and Bodhi shrugs.

"The X-Wings t-take forever to start and it looks like we have Imperial ground troops to ward off out there. Rogue Squadron w-will have to come back and grab our X-Wings when it's time to leave I guess. All the other squads are escorting transports to the rendezvous p-point," he rattles off the explanation they had been given with this plan. The explanation that is burning a hole in his stomach because he can see a lot of scenarios where they end up dead with this plan.

For her part Jyn watches him, clenching her fists. He's not quite prepared when she grabs him for a rough embrace, but he hugs her back just as hard.

"Good luck," she says tightly before taking a step back, "I'm going to find Cassian and the others."

Bodhi nods back unable to speak around the lump in his throat. The base trembles again reminding them how little time they have. She gives him one last nod and bolts, leaving Bodhi with Shara.

He looks back at her where she's still waiting for him by the ladder.

"She's very intense, that friend of yours," she says as a note of observation before climbing up the ladder into the ship.

"C'mon, Rookie," she yells from the cockpit, "I want to blow up some Imperials today!"


Baze and Chirrut were sitting in their quarters when the attack started. Chirrut had been meditating and moments before the base started shaking around them, his eyes flew open.

"We have to go," he says to Baze and then as if to prove his point, the base thunders and trembles around them.

As he does so often, Baze does the smart thing and listens to his husband.

When they step out into the hall, they almost get separated, the rush of people pulling them apart. He can tell the moment Chirrut is no longer behind him and he turns around with a sense of panic trying to find him. After a minute he spots the other man with his back to the wall and his mouth tight. One hand is feeling along the wall for any obstructions in his path. His husband has incredible senses for a blind man, but with this many people and this much noise Baze knows he must be lost.

Baze fights his way over to him and touches a hand to his arm so Chirrut knows he's there. They don't need any more words to explain.

Chirrut latches onto his arm and he gets a tight grip on Chirrut's belt. Now they can navigate the crowd without getting separated.

The halls are stilĺ chaotic though with crushing waves of people running to and fro. He's white knuckling his grip on Chirrut's belt and Chirrut has a crushing grip on his elbow

As soon as the halls begin to clear a little, Baze says, "We'll need to find the others when we get to the transport," and when Chirrut doesn't reply, he glances back at the other man. There's that tightness in his expression again.

"What is it?"

"I'm not sure everyone will be there," he says and Baze stops right there in the hall, ignoring the way the walls shake dangerously around them.


"What do you mean?" he asks and Chirrut doesn't reply. There's a sadness in his eyes and his hand tightens on Baze's arm.

"I'm not sure everyone will be there," he repeats and Baze shakes his head, knowing what that could mean and not liking it one bit.

Luke shows up just as they're starting their speeders. Bodhi can hear him talking to his co-pilot Dack before the transparisteel dome of Bodhi and Shara's speeder seals over them, dampening outside noise.

"I bet you wish you were flying with your boyfriend," Shara murmurs from where she sits in the seat behind him with a smile in her voice. Bodhi just shakes his head and starts up the speeder, turning on the comm in helmet for check in.

He and Shara are Rogue Two, to Luke's Rogue Leader.

(He still feels a little odd about the moniker for their squadron, but Luke loved the idea so much he relented and so did Jyn).

Once their squadron sounds off, it's time to fly.

This is the part he likes and a calm seeps into his bones as their ship lifts off the ground and speeds out of the hangar.

The rush of gravity being left behind fills him with a short lived glee. Shara lets out a little whoop behind him as he spins the ship up high to get a look at what's coming for them.

A whole load of AT-ATs are out there, waiting for them with laser blasts already flying. Bodhi swallows hard at their numbers. It's already a lot and more will be coming for them soon enough he's certain. Rogue Squadron is barely a fraction of the force the Empire can bring to bear on Hoth and he lingers for a moment, feeling his palms sweat.

Shara doesn't say a word, instead she waits patiently for him to find his nerve.

Then he hears Luke's voice through the comms, "Echo station Five-Seven. We're on our way."

His ship goes flying by and that's encouragement enough for Bodhi to lean into the control column and send them speeding into the fray.


When Cassian comes to, he's very cold. That's the first thing he notices: the cold.

That and the distant sound of some sort of heavy pounding or scraping and raised voices.

He feels disconnected from all of it and tired. It's hard to think as he tries to recollect anything that makes sense as to why he's here. Although the ache in his head is making him reconsider consciousness.

The noises get louder and now he can make out words.

"Lieutenant, help me lift this."

There's more grunting and scraping and suddenly there's light and it feels like somebody is driving a knife into his skull.

There's hands on his arms pulling him. Somebody has a hand on his head, forcing him to duck under something as they pull him to standing.

"Come on, Sergeant Andor, on your feet."

That's Draven. Why is Draven here?

Something about evacuating...they're evacuating something.

He's very dizzy.

"Sir, he may have a concussion," another voice says from somewhere to his left.

"Yes, I can see that, Lieutenant. I can take it from here, get to your transport."

Opening his eyes does not help with the sense that the room is spinning. He reaches up to touch the back of his head and his hand comes away tacky and red.

"We can deal with that later, sergeant, right now we have to move ," Draven says and his arm is tugged over someone's shoulder.

Draven's shoulder.

Cassian wonders if he's hallucinating this. But as they begin walking, he leans into the other man.

It's either that or collapsing in a heap.

"Where are we going?" he asks, glancing sideways at his commanding officer who is currently leading him and staring straight ahead with a tight expression.

"Transport," he says and Cassian nods because that makes sense with an evacuation. Then he regrets nodding and tightens his grip on Draven's shoulder trying very hard not to throw up or fall down.


Bodhi sees when Luke's ship takes fire and it takes all his self control to not shout into the comms.

"Steady, Bodhi, eyes front," Shara says from behind him as they both hear on the comms,

"Rogue Three."

"Copy, Rogue Leader."

"Wedge, I've lost my gunner. You'll have to make this shot. I'll cover for you. Set your harpoon. Follow me on the next pass."

He hears Shara wince behind him at the loss, but Wedge simply replies, "Coming around, Rogue Leader."

To him Luke says, "Steady, Rogue Two."

And Bodhi bites his tongue a moment before simply replying, "Copy Rogue leader," and dodging around the legs of an AT-AT.

He tries not to think about Scarif, but the presence of the walkers keeps reminding him of that beach. He has to keep reminding himself that there's no sand or palm trees here.

They provide cover fire as Wedge and his gunner maneuver cables around an AT-AT's leg, tripping it up and taking a second one of them down in the process.

"Good shot, Wedge!" Shara cheers from behind him as they hear his triumphant cry.

"Nice work, Wedge," Luke says, "Now, Bodhi, let's set up a harpoon against another one of these guys."

"Roger that, Rogue Leader," Bodhi says tightly as he pulls up in formation beside Luke's ship.

Luke doesn't have a gunner, Bodhi wants to tell him to pull out, but he's the commander and Bodhi can't do that on the comms for everyone to hear.

Still, it's got him on edge as they prep to take down another AT-AT and its lasers are aimed right at them.

He dodges one blast that flies so close he swears he can feel the heat of it through the transparisteel.

Before he can let out a curse, there's a sound from beside him and Luke's ship is suddenly down a wing.

"Bodhi, I've been hit!"

"Luke!"

"Don't worry, I think I can maneuver enough to land."

He cranes his head to see as the other ship goes down and his heart practically leaps into his throat as it impacts.

"Luke, are you alright?" and that's Wedge asking because Bodhi's lost the ability to speak as he flies circles overhead and tries not to get shot by the remaining AT-ATs.

"On your left, Bodhi," is all Shara says, and he swings to the left to avoid another laser bolt as it flies by. He glances back at her to see she's tight lipped and keeping a sharp eye on their surroundings.

"I'm alright, just a little bruised is all. I think I can set that harpoon from here," Luke says from below.

"Then get to your X-Wing after that, Luke, you can't do anymore here," Shara says from behind him and he's glad she's talking because he can't. Out the viewport they can both see a small figure down below, climbing out of the ruined ship to give them a thumbs up.

Bodhi exhales and then jerks the ship into a barrel roll to avoid another laser blast.

"Your boyfriend is very lucky," Shara comments dryly and Bodhi doesn't have the energy to fight the 'boyfriend' thing. Also, privately he agrees. Luke is so lucky it almost defies reality and physics and Bodhi prays that he remains so lucky.


"Do you have everybody?"

They finally reach the hangar and Draven's been talking into a commlink as they approach.

"Well, I suppose it will have to do, we'll be aboard in two minutes and then take off."

Cassian concentrates on remaining upright as they walk up the steps and into the ship. The door swings shut behind them and Cassian blinks rapidly at the bright overhead lights as he looks around. People are still milling about and he immediately spots Chirrut and Baze with a sigh of relief.

He untangles himself from Draven and makes his way over to them. (His balance is still off, but he manages).

Baze reaches out grips his shoulder to steady him when he stops in front of them.

"Where's Jyn?" he asks.

They say nothing for a long moment. The look they sends goosebumps crawling up his arms.

"We know Bodhi is out flying with Rogue Squadron," Baze says slowly and Cassian can feel his hair standing on end.

"I know that, too. Where is Jyn? "

Chirrut slowly shakes his head and a new horror descends on Cassian.

"Is she still on the base?" he demands and again Chirrut shakes his head as if to say 'no' and 'I don't know' at once.

The engines are starting, the rumble of them echoing through the hold they're standing in and he can feel the ship beginning to lift.

He has to do something. He has to.

And with that thought he races for the airlock.


They get the order to retreat to their X-Wings and Bodhi rushes through his startup sequence to get airborne. Through the comms he can hear the others checking in as they finish the startup and take off. He gets in the air shortly after Shara and with all the transports away, it's just about getting to the rendezvous point at Haven.

Above the atmosphere of Hoth is exactly as bad as he expected, with the last transport retreating and X-Wings covering them trading volleys with TIE fighters while dodging Star Destroyers. He's breathlessly inputting the coordinates for the first away point on an indirect route towards Haven when his comm unit crackles to life in his ear.

"Bodhi, it's Luke."

His hands freeze above the control panel. "C-can the others hear this?"

"No this is a direct link...I may have memorized your ship's call codes."

They should leave right now, they can't dawdle here. At any moment some TIE fighter is going to start gunning for them, but for the sinking feeling in his stomach…

"You're l-leaving, aren't you?" he asks past the growing lump in his throat.

Luke is quiet for what feels like an age before he murmurs, "Yes… I have to."

Bodhi can't fight him on this… Not on this.

"Well, come back s-soon yeah?" he asks and his voice cracks. Outside his viewport he can see Luke's X-Wing and the vague outline of Luke himself in the cockpit. It almost feels like Luke is looking back at him.

"Yeah," Luke says, sounding rough in his ears, "I'll come back as soon as I can."

That's when a TIE finally notices them and comes out shooting.

Bodhi hears a soft "Goodbye," before Luke's X-Wing darts away in hyperdrive. With him safe and gone, Bodhi trades fire with the TIE fighter and yanks the lever to activate his own hyperdrive.

To nobody at all he says, "May the Force be with you."


Cassian makes it all the way to the hall, away from a roomful of prying eyes and just a few steps from the airlock before the others catch up to him. Baze is the one who restrains him with an arm around his chest. He fights against the hold, but Baze is strong and Cassian is not his best right now. It's a futile waste of energy and he keeps trying to pull away and get to the airlock door anyway.

Apparently Draven followed them as well because now he walks up to Cassian, struggling against Baze's hold.

"What are you going to do? Throw yourself out of the airlock and hope you find her before you or the base collapse?"

He glares at Draven because the answer is yes.

It's always yes with her.

How could he have been so stupid to not think of her this whole time?

He should have been looking for Jyn, making sure she got out safely.

Maybe he just assumed...

He's been so stupid.

"We do not know where she is, but I know she is alive," Chirrut says from where he stands beside Baze.

"How the hell do you know that?" he demands, pushing back against Baze.

"The same way I knew you were alive when you were gone for months at a time and she asked me," he says and Cassian stops fighting Baze to stare at his friend.

"But you can't say where she is?" he asks with slightly less venom and Chirrut nods.

"I wish I could, but I can tell you that she's alive."

Cassian doesn't say anything, staring out the transparisteel at their base as it shrinks with distance. He can feel Baze tighten his grip on him and he wonders if it's meant to be a comforting hold as well as a restraining one.

It feels like his insides are being torn in two and one half of him is down below on the surface. It feels like being punched in the chest.

"Can you tell if she's hurt?" he asks and the words crack as they pass his lips.

"I can tell her life force is strong. She shines brightly in the Force," Chirrut says and Cassian stares at the other man some more, trying to decide if he finds that comforting or not.

Nothing feels comforting right now.

"You can let me go now, Baze," he says quietly.

"You're not going to do something stupid if I do?" Baze asks, a gentle rumble in his ear. And Cassian deflates a little more.

"No… I won't."

And Baze releases him, letting him stand unsteadily on his own two feet. That steadying hand is back on his shoulder moments later and Draven is still watching them with appraising eyes.

"Make sure he goes to the med bay, I believe he suffered a concussion when some ceiling fell on him," Draven says shortly, before turning and walking away. Cassian sighs and sways into Baze a little feeling deeply exhausted.

"Let me be the one to talk to Bodhi when he gets back," he says and Baze nods slowly. From Baze's other side, Chirrut says,

"We'll make sure of it, Cassian."

And Cassian nods again, feeling exhausted and empty.

He thought he knew what failure felt like in the moments after Scarif, when they thought it had all been for nothing.

It turns out that was but a prelude compared to this.

Compared to losing her.

This is the thought that runs circles around him as Baze and Chirrut lead him to the med bay.

AN: So um...everything sucks a little bit? I thought about Bodhi going with Luke but I do think he would have more interesting stuff to do with Cassian and co. Also did y'all catch the Sleepless in Seattle bullshit I was pulling to make this work? Jyn did run by that cave in at some point between it happening and Draven finding him there.
Idk I struggled a lot with this chapter since it's everything I suck at (Space battles, plot, movement) so I hope you enjoy it.