Chapter 12: Height

Jyn and Cassian's apartment was cluttered. Cassian had nearly picked up every piece of scrap equipment in Theed to work on various appliances with Matthew. After giving up for several months, they returned to their chief project of making a radio to the Resistance. The somewhat clunky device sat on the table, backlit by the orange light of the spring sun coming in through the small window.

"It has to be a faulty barometer. There's no reason why this shouldn't work." Matthew said, reading from a manual pad and gesturing to the creation.

"Let me go see if I can find another one." Cassian got up and began to search through the many wires and metal parts. Jyn walked through the door then, holding up a small poster.

"The fucking Empire sent out another damn decree restricting yet another race from entering Naboo." She said, her frustration mounting. "Sorry I just…"

"It's alright Elia. We understand." Matthew said, looking down. Jyn walked over to him at the table, putting her hand on his shoulder.

"How's your mother Matthew?" She said earnestly, sitting down opposite.

"She's alright. The winter hit her pretty hard though."

"Yeah I didn't see her leaving much to go work at the market."

Matthew looked outside. "Speaking of Mom, I should probably go. Thanks for the bread Jeron." Cassian nodded as Matthew left a silence in the room.

"He really looks up to you, you know." Jyn said to Cassian, his back turned from the door.

"If he cared about me, he'd listen to me and know those extremists are trouble."

Jyn got up and walked over to Cassian, grazing his arm and turning him around. Not knowing what to say, she instead pulled him close and wrapped her arms around him tightly. They stood there locked in an embrace, a place of safety and comfort they could always retreat to. Cassian started to kiss her neck, causing tingles and butterflies and replacing the anxiety that often overcame the pair. Sex brought them away from this war, away from the oppression of the Empire that they couldn't fight back on Naboo. But ultimately it reminded them more of their great sacrifice to the cause nearly three years prior and how incredible it was to be alive.

Cassian woke up to a loud banging on their door, instantly alert and frightened. He noticed it was still dark outside.

"What is it?" Jyn asked, turning over and getting up from the bed. Cassian put pants and a shirt on and walked over to answer it.

"Jeron!" Neera said as he opened to door to the frantic blonde woman. "It's my Matthew, he hasn't come home and there's another commotion in the square."

"What? It's early morning." He said, checking the device on the counter for the time. "What do you mean he's not home? He left to hours ago."

Jyn came up alongside him, hearing the noises of the awakening city. Panic began to set in, much like the last time there was a big demonstration.

"Lets go." Said Jyn, returning to their room to dress appropriately.

"We'll find your son Neera." Cassian reassured her.

Stormtroopers littered the square and people were running in all directions. Jyn and Cassian ran up to a corner and peered behind it to see the situation clearly. It seemed that one of the weapon's stores next to a block of apartments had been raided and the extremists were still inside. Stormtroopers had aims on the whole area.

"Come outside!" The robotic voice of the squadron leader demanded.

"Look!" Jyn whispered to Cassian, pointing to a man on the roof.

"Do you think he's going to shoot them or drop a grenade on them?" Cassian asked as he peered around for Matthew.

"I don't know."

"Matthew must be somewhere near here. Maybe he's on the roof with that other guy."

"Or he's inside." Jyn looked at Cassian, his eyes unhappy with that conjecture. Suddenly, gunfire came from behind the Stormtroopers, catching them off guard. Several were hit by what seemed to be emanating from the roof next to Cassian and Jyn. In fact, gunfire was coming from all around the square, surrounding the ambushed Stormtroopers.

"Cassian! We have to fall back. If we are anywhere near this square we are in the line of fire." She pulled his clothing and he reluctantly followed. They waited in the back for several minutes until the gunfire ceased.

"Alright let's go." Cassian said, running to the corner again. Over a dozen Stormtroopers lay dead in the square, white and black mixed with bright red on the dirt. The dust started to settle, revealing the other casualties.

"MATTHEW!" Yelled Cassian, darting to the young man sitting up against the tan building, his weak hands cradling his abdomen. Jyn ran after him, crying echoing from several others in the early morning light. As she got closer she could see the blood dripping down his fingers, staining his clothes in deep red. Panic was plain on his young face.

"Jeron. I'm sorry, I was trying to… to…" He said weakly through the shock.

"No, Matthew. No. Don't be, you're alright." Cassian said, putting a hand on his cheek and glancing at the damage.

"Where's my mother?" Matthew pleaded, his face paling from the loss of blood.

"I'll get her." Jyn said, leaving the pair alone.

"Jeron?" Babbled Matthew, looking into Cassian's dark eyes.

"Yes?" Cassian replied with a false strength in his voice. Matthew lifted his hand to grasp Cassian's, squeezing slightly before slumping over.

Jyn ran through the streets, back towards the square with Neera. She knew what she would find when she got there and she dreaded every step. Cassian laid Matthew down on the ground, covering up his body with a scarf he found nearby. He did not cry, but simply stared down like a soldier that had seen this many times before. But this was not like other times.