Ch 11:

In the Low Lamp Light I was Free

Baze sat in the hold of yet another stolen shuttle. It was becoming second nature now, riding in cargo holds. He'd spent most of his life on solid ground in the Temple. He would carry the ache of Jedha's loss with him for the rest of his days, but he was beginning to find reasons to like this new chapter.

Shuttles were one of those reasons. This life was an adventurous one.

Chirrut was deep in his prayers and meditation beside him, while Galen loomed in the doorway of the cockpit talking with their new pilot Shara and her husband Kes, who was attempting to co-pilot, but from the grumbling coming from Shara, was doing a spectacularly bad job of it.

Baze liked this Shara Bey.

The couple had volunteered to help because Galen allegedly knew Shara's father and Shara and Kes were, if not friends of, then at least acquaintances of Captain Andor.

Baze thought of the Captain and Jyn, of Bodhi and K-2. Chirrut was certain that they lived. Baze was not, but he would never voice it.

He hoped for Galen's sake that they were alive. The man didn't look like he could take much more.

The rebel scouting party had returned from Scarif bearing bleak news. Nothing had been found. Galen wouldn't rest until he tried. So, to Scarif they went, to conduct their own search in hopes of uncovering something. Anything.

"You are thinking very hard about something." Chirrut interrupted his thoughts.

"It is what I do best." Baze responded. "I was thinking that Scarif is a waste of time. They're not there."

"Ah." Said Chirrut. "No, I do not believe they are there. I feel that they are somewhere else now. It is crowded where they and dangerous."

Baze laughed, "You got all that from your meditating? Sounds about like every other planet in the Empire. Ask the Force to be more specific."

"We will check them all if we have to." Galen said, intruding on their conversation.

Kes shouted from the cockpit. "We are tied-in to all the rebel frequencies. If they contact the Alliance, we will know."

"Then, that will have to be good enough." Baze settled back against the ship wall and closed his eyes. Trying to conceal his discomfort at the thought of seeing Scarif again so soon after they'd fled it.

Chirrut's hand settled atop his and he said, "I will be beside you, and the Force is with us."

Baze sighed, he should've known it was no use hiding his thoughts. Not with Chirrut beside him.

Jyn huddled beside Bodhi, watching Cassian as he worked. They were in some back alley pawn shop. Jyn didn't want to know how or why Cassian knew about this place. Even Liana Hallik would've turned her nose up at this. Every surface looked like it could give you a disease of some kind, and it smelled like urine.

There were a few other customers in the shop. One of them was inching ever closer to Jyn, licking his fang-like teeth while another was sniffing a used ship battery like it was a fresh baked treat.

But they were not the source of her distress. Her distress was anchored on the two people talking with Cassian. First, the Aqualish…she just hadn't had good experiences with them. The Zeltron woman beside the Aqualish didn't look trustworthy either. Maybe it was the way her lilac eyes appraised Cassian. Jyn found herself clenching her fists and readying for battle at the first sign of threat—be that a weapon or a flirtatious smile.

"Come on Basca, you owe me." Cassian had his most charming personality on display. Sometimes she forgot what he was. The man collected personalities like some people collect trophies. Today, he was talking with his hands, leaning a fraction toward the woman. He was a god-actor but this was entering eye-rolling territory. "Unless, you want Koda to accidentally stumble upon your new location."

The woman's flirtatious smile evaporated into a scowl. She looked passed Cassian to where Jyn and Bodhi were huddled. "You're friends, are they Alliance?"

"Yes." Cassian said too quickly, "They won't cause any trouble. Isn't that right?" Cassian called over his shoulder.

"No trouble." Bodhi smiled. Jyn did not. She cast a narrowed glare at the woman that she hoped was threatening. It was hard to do. She wasn't feeling particularly threatening in her borrowed imperial clothes…not to mention her new found status as mother-to-be.

"You. Girl. I know your face." She said appraising Jyn.

Cassian gave a disarming laugh and said. "That's unlikely. Isn't it Kalla?" He looked at her, waiting for her to corroborate the identity he'd just given her.

Jyn had other plans. The Zeltron needed to be put in her place. Jyn sauntered to Cassian's side and wrapped an arm around his waist. "Yes, we've only just been married you see…I've never left my home planet but Cassian insisted on a tour of the galaxy for our honeymoon. He's such a romantic."

Now, Basca straightened. Any fluidity in her body that Cassian had drawn out with his easy smiles and compliments was gone now. Cassian wrapped an arm around Jyn and squeezed a bit harder than he needed to as if to show his annoyance.

"And you are?" Basca pointed at Bodhi.

"My brother…half. On my father's side." Jyn cast a self-satisfied smile in Cassian's direction and batted her eyelashes a few times. Bodhi's shoulders were shaking, his face cast at the floor.

Cassian forced another smile, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. "We just need one night, and enough fuel to get us to the outer rim."

"It must've been quite the honeymoon if you've found yourself broke and out of gas in my town."

"We were robbed." He said curtly, not even bothering to sound convincing at this point.

Basca clucked her tongue. Then she opened a drawer and rifled through the contents eventually coming up with a key card. "I can give you one hundred credits…and nothing more. You can stay upstairs for the night." The woman didn't sound pleased but Cassian seemed to have some leverage with her.

"My wife and I are much obliged." He said, taking Jyn's hand and yanking her toward the door. "Bodhi! Let's go."

The moment the were outside the shop, both of them were laughing at him. Cassian suddenly remembered why he never took a partner on his missions. "What you pulled back there wasn't funny, Jyn." He said, though it wasn't as threatening as he wanted it to be.

This only caused more laughter. "Oh, okay, so that's how it is?" He stomped away from them, mumbling curses that, thankfully, neither of them could understand. He headed around to the back of Basca's shop where the scaffold stairs led to the upstairs apartments that Basca rented out to those who were less than friendly with the Empire.

Jyn and Bodhi followed, red-faced and stumbling along. By the time they reached the rooms Jyn had sobered enough to say, "Serves you right, bringing me here…then flirting with that woman."

"I was doing my job! You need to let me."

"Your job? Yes, I remember exactly how you used to do your job."

"That's in the past. You did some questionable things yourself Liana." That silenced her. Cassian shook his head and unlocked the door. It was a small apartment with two bedrooms (more like closets) connected by a common area.

Bodhi hooked a thumb toward the left bedroom. "I'm beat, so I'm just going to catch a nap and let you two work this out. Cassian, get me when you're ready."

Cassian nodded, "We need to fuel the ship and try to get a message to the Alliance. I think we should leave in the middle of the night just to avoid as many witnesses as possible. I'll wake you in a few hours, sound alright?"

"Perfect." Bodhi loped off to the left bedroom and shut the door. He probably was tired, he was the last one of them on piloting duty…but he was also avoiding them. That seemed to be Bodhi's way…shying away from conflict.

Cassian went into the other bedroom to find Jyn seated on the bed, arms folded across her chest. He watched her right hand unconsciously settle near her mostly flat stomach and knew there was no point in pretending that he could ever stay mad at her. With a huff, he laid on the bed beside her, pulling her down to lie across him. She didn't stop him but her lips stayed in a pout.

"I should go find us something else to wear. You can't keep traipsing around in that." He said, feeling more an more tired just at the prospect of getting up from the bed.

"I don't know. An imperial uniform might be my safest bet until we get out of here." She said. Then, after a pause she added, "I'm sorry."

He craned his neck to see her. Bottom lip jutted out, eyes round and repentant. "I'm not mad at you, Jyn…but you are a terrible spy." She snuggled up against his chest, her fingers playing with the buttons of his shirt—or the buttons that were left. She'd gotten a bit carried away in the shuttle bathroom.

"I always preferred the truth…and a blaster if the truth didn't suffice."

He laughed, "This from the woman with as many known aliases as me—a career intelligence officer?"

She shrugged, "Self preservation."

He shifted so that they were lying face to face, noses almost touching. She reached out to trace the panes of his face with her fingers, as if trying to memorize him by touch alone.

"It wasn't a terrible cover story." He said, gauging her reaction.

Her fingers stilled and he felt her tense. "I know. I'd buy Bodhi as my half-brother easily. We have very similar bone structures."

He chuckled. "I love you," He said as he rolled to sit up, "and I'll be back."

"Do you have to leave right this minute?" Her arms snaked around him from behind and her mouth was wet and warm against his ear. She did something utterly maddening with her tongue and he almost gave in…but the sooner he got them supplies, the sooner they could be away from here. The sooner he could get his family home. He smiled at that. He had a family. Jyn was his family.

He had welcomed her home…and he'd left it to her to interpret what that meant. But for him it meant all of it—him, his love, life and soul if she wanted to take it…and she had.

After a moment of her lips and tongue and breath on his neck, he'd utterly forgotten what he was planning to do. So, he let her pull him back to the bed, let her undress him and love him the way he'd never let anyone before her.

Later, as they lie there, sunset pouring through the grimy window of the apartment, Jyn pointed to the scars that decorated his skin, asking about their origins. He told her about Fest, and his early days in the Alliance. The times he'd been shot, stabbed, and broken. The marks they'd left, not just on his body but on his soul.

Jyn had her own stories and battle scars. From a home on Coruscant or a farm on Lah'mhu or an extremist's travels. The life she'd lived amazed him, not just because it was so similar to his own but because it had shaped her into this woman who was his equal in every sense of the word. This woman who had finally been the one to see him and understand him, who demanded nothing from him but took everything all the same.

He pulled her warm skin flush with his and let his eyes drift closed dreaming of a little girl with hazel eyes, tawny skin, and her father's reserved nature. After that came a boy with his mother's spirit and his father's dark features. He never thought about having a family, but now that he could almost touch it he found that his imagination wouldn't be silenced.

He dreamed of holidays without war. His gown children gathered around a dinner table while their children played in the field.

He dreamed of life. He dreamed of a legacy.

It was the chill that woke her. When Jyn opened her eyes the light from the window had gone dark and the bed beside her was cold. She sat up, rubbing her palms against her exposed skin for warmth. She squinted in the darkness. "Cassian?"

She waited for an answer that didn't come. He and Bodhi must have gone to get supplies and left her to sleep. If he thought he was going to get away with treating her like a breakable doll for the rest of this pregnancy, he was in for a rude awakening.

She climbed out of bed and fumbled through the dark for the light switch. The light, when it came on, burned her eyes and she flinched waiting for her vision to readjust. Her gaze fell at once to the nightstand. Cassian's blaster. There was no way he left without that…

…Unless he left it there for her to protect herself. He'd liberated a vibroblade and a truncheon from the stolen shuttle. Maybe he had those with him.

She pulled on her clothes. Cassian was right, she needed to get rid of this imperial costume. She'd been wearing it since Scarif and it smelled worse than Bantha piss. She padded out into the common room and her eyes shot to the front door—hanging open like some menacing invitation into the hereafter. She went back for Cassian's blaster.

She held it ready as she knocked on Bodhi's door. Please don't answer. Please be out with Cassian to get supplies.

"Jyn?" Bodhi's sleepy eyes saw the blaster and he reeled back, "Whoa! It's just me!"

"Cassian didn't wake you?"

"No…he didn't." Bodhi looked from her to the open door. "Why didn't he wake me?"

"Get your things." She said, her voice grave.

Bodhi, armed only with a vibrobalde, raced after Jyn down the scaffold steps and back to the entrance of Basca's shop. Jyn practically kicked the door down and stalked in, blaster raised and ready. Bodhi hung back, not wanting to get in her way, lest he also be kicked down. Briefly, just for a fraction of a fraction of a second, he considered the fact that his life as an Imperial cog had been at least predictable...normal in a twisted way. His life with one Jyn Erso was anything but that.

"Where is he!" She yelled a general statement to the shop's occupants. There were a lot of people there for the late hour, Bodhi observed.

The shop came alive with a chorus of…

…Where's who?

…Watch where you're pointing that thing!

…Who the kriff is this?

Basca, summoned by the commotion, appeared from what might've been a back room. She cast an amused smirk at the blaster, clearly unaware of just what Jyn was capable of. "There she is. I'm surprised it took you so long—Liana Hallik."

"That's not my name." Jyn said.

"Of course its not." Basca rolled her eyes. "I forgot your Kala...on your honeymoon."

Jyn stalked closer with the blaster. Bodhi followed, wielding the blade toward the onlookers the way he imagined Baze would do if he were here, all grounded and snarling, the words Try Me on his lips.

"My name is Jyn Erso…and you took something that belongs to me."

Basca didn't seem fazed by the name. "Captain Andor and I have a score to settle. It doesn't involve you—whoever you are—most of my customers have bounties on their heads and I'm no rat. So, consider this your chance to walk out of here a free woman. I promise that you won't get the same offer from the Imperials."

Jyn adjusted her aim and fired a shot that whizzed by Basca's left ear, only missing by a hair's breath. "Where is he!"

"Ah, Jyn." Bodhi tugged at her sleeve, trying to redirect her attention to the group of very imposing looking gentleman who were now blocking the exits.

Basca snarled, "I take that as a no."

"Jyn, we've got company."

"Cassian!" Jyn yelled. Her eyes searching.

"Jyn, we've got to go…now!" Bodhi, took her arm and ripped her away from Basca. He ducked his head, squared his shoulders and barreled straight into a ceiling-high display shelf. The thing teetered before tumbling over on top of Basca's men. Glass shattered, and wood splinted and it was all an unholy mess. Somehow, in the chaos, he and Jyn slipped out the door.

He was sprinting. Jyn was being as burdensome as humanly possible. Kicking and screaming Cassian's name, trying to get free of Bodhi's grasp. He ran for the shuttle bay, not sure where else to go. They sailed past the Harbormaster's office and onto their shuttle without a word to any of the workers who came to help them.

Bodhi didn't want to imagine what it must've looked like. Him hauling a woman by the arm onto a shuttle while she screamed out a name over and over like she'd lost her will to live and that name was all she had left to cling to.

He wanted to say something to her. Anything. But there wasn't time. They needed to get up in the air; get away from the city and make a plan. They took off with Bodhi, eyeing the fuel gauge as if staring at it would fix the problem. He didn't go far, just away from Corulag City into the bamboo covered outskirts where Basca's men wouldn't be looking. Where there was no fuel to be found or supplies to be foraged.

When they were hidden, he turned to Jyn. She was taking measured breaths, her lips pressed into a thin angry line, nostrils flaring with each rise of her chest. "Go back." She demanded.

"Jyn—"

"We have to go back. We fought our way out of Jedha, Eadu, Yavin, Scarif—I think we can handle one jealous Zeltron woman."

"It wasn't one Zeltron woman!" Bodhi argued. "You were too busy waving your gun around to notice—there were dozens of them in the shadows. Men who made Baze look like an Ewok! Of course we have to get Cassian back, but barging in there wasn't going to do it. Stop and think!"

Jyn looked at once impressed and irate. She blinked at him, he blinked back. He straightened his shoulders, cleared his throat and said, "Right then. Now that that's out of the way…what are we going to do?"

"The comm." She said. "I know Cassian didn't want us trying to reach the Alliance from an imperial shuttle, but it's our only choice for now. We send out a message and then we abandon the ship. Rogue on needs rebel assistance on Corulag—but nothing more. We will walk back toward town. If the Imperials track the signal all they'll find is this ship. We will be lost in the city."

"What about Basca?" Bodhi asked.

"She wasn't after us in the first place. As soon as they think we've taken off they'll stop looking."

It wasn't a bad plan. Bodhi nodded, "Okay."

"Okay?"

"Okay." His fingers trembled as he tuned the frequency scanner and prayed someone was within range, prayed anyone was listening. "This is Rogue One, calling for assistance on Corulag. Repeat Rogue One calling for any and all assistance on Corulag."

Kes lowered the commlink. His eyes went to Shara. She was looking at him. They shared the same smile they'd shared the last time Rogue One had risen from the ashes, when the survivors returned and the tapes were transmitted.

In unison, they both turned in their chairs to the man behind them. Kes didn't often see grown men cry. It made him uncomfortable if he was honest…but Galen Erso could cry all he wanted.

"Shara, set course for Corulag."

Galen mouthed something that might have been, thank-you…

Thank-you to everyone who has read, reviewed, liked or otherwise interacted with this story! I love hearing your feedback and suggestions!