After they devoured the rest of their foodstuff, they set the room in some small state of order. Then they went exploring, because Jyn insisted that "although we don't have to run back to the Rebellion, we don't have to stop being curious." Cassian locked their room door and pocketed the electronic key as they headed out into the hot, moist air outside again. It was the middle of the day, and although the vendors in and around Scarif's measly spaceport remained, the refugee camp was nearly deserted by the time Jyn and Cassian reached it.
"Some of us have jobs." A grumpy looking man covered in blisters and warts scoffed, from the shade of his tent.
"We're looking for anyone who came in from the Citadel area." Cassian prodded, "I was told there would be at least two people from there. Are they here?"
The older man shook his head and retreated further into his dark corner. "You'd do well to hide, children." He warned in a gravelly voice. "Anyone who doesn't have credentials or a way off this planet will be made to work. I'm too old for them to bother."
Jyn shared a concerned glance with Cassian. New plan. Although they still had so many unanswered questions, first they had to find out who was now controlling Scarif. "Made to work"…what did the old man mean?
Cassian took her hand and took charge, leading them back toward the market. He and Jyn pretended to browse any time they felt too many curious eyes staring at them. The business of the fisherwomen and alien's market had a decidedly different feeling to it than when Jyn and Cassian had passed through it yesterday. Now they were alert. Scouting. And Cassian was back to gathering intel, only this time with the woman he loved at his side.
As they passed through alleyways, slinking from shade to shade they paused to kiss in doorways and look carefree, acting like a happy couple on their honeymoon.
"C'mon." Cassian murmured, pulling Jyn at last behind a sand coated building and up a rusty flight of stairs. Jyn kept silent, content to let her captain take the lead. She immediately approved of their new location. The roof was deserted and was a great vantage point. Lying on their stomachs, Jyn and Cassian watched the streets below for a long while.
After enough of observing humans and non-humans engaged in normal bartering, Cassian turned to the thoroughfares and metal transports. These were in short supply. Most everyone moving about the market did so on foot. But there, on the left was a metal transport approaching the Scarif spaceport. Cassian motioned with his hand to Jyn and, after making sure she was following, crawled on his hands and knees to the west side of the roof to get a better view.
Now that he was facing the spaceport, Cassian watched as the transport door opened. A dozen dirty, subdued looking locals of mixed races and species piled out. Just as they formed an assembly line to begin unloading a stack of supply crates, a burly Trandoshan jumped out of the transport and stood nearby to survey them, his rifle held at the ready.
"Jyn." Cassian hissed, indicating the lizard guard.
"I see him." Jyn nodded, scooting closer to him and resting her chin on the warm rooftop. "Those are the same aliens who were trying to manhandle us in that first village. The one you spent so many weeks healing in."
"Yes. They intended to force us into slavery." Cassian remembered. "Looks like they succeeded in finding other slaves."
"What are they unloading?" Jyn craned her neck. "Darn, what I wouldn't give for a pair of quadnocs right now…"
"It explains why we've been getting funny looks here." Cassian said quietly. "I'd guess that after the Imperials pulled out, these Trandoshans swooped in to salvage what they could from Scarif's remains. They may be the government here. Unless there's a puppet one we aren't aware of."
"We can lend credence to your theory later." Jyn nodded. "Right now we just can't be caught and put into slavery like the rest of those refugees." Cassian was sliding his body toward another edge of the roof. His sharp eyes scanned the horizon and found the direction the Citadel had once stood. Even without quadnocs, he could tell the ground was scorched black for miles that way.
Now that they had identified the one Trandoshan guard, Jyn could spot others stationed around the small city if she knew what to look for. The toothy lizards were well hidden at their posts, and all heavily armed as they observed the haggard looking people around them. What did Scarif have to offer besides hosting an Imperial data bank of vile secrets, and fishing? She strained, trying to remember the file K2 had brought up on the planet during their daring trip here from Yavin 4. His chattering voice had only buzzed in her ears back then. If only she had paid attention. She felt an ache of loss for the sassy, reprogrammed droid.
Cassian was poking her shoulder.
"Jyn, darling." She turned her head to him. "Where'd you go?" his brown eyes bore into hers.
"Just thinking." She said.
She kept watching. The transport was unloaded and the crates had all disappeared into the spaceport. That same spaceport they had been rooming this morning. Maybe not such a good idea anymore? Jyn thought glumly. They couldn't get a break. She had been hoping for more days of peace with Cassian—
"Jyn." Cassian hissed, pulling gently on her arm. There she went, daydreaming again. "Let's go."
She balked, blinking to regain her focus. What was it that they were "going" toward? A fight? She could use some exercise—
Cassian realized her hesitation and pointed. "The transport, Jyn. Let's follow and see where it goes." He walked in a crouch across the roof back toward the staircase. Jyn grabbed a handful of his shirt before he could get too far. She pulled and he fell back toward her, his expression hurt and confused.
"No!" she argued. "Look at our clothes. We look nice, Cassian. We won't blend in with that rabble down there. And we have blasters. I just got mine and I'm not letting anyone take it away from me anytime soon."
Cassian assessed the situation for another second. She was right, of course. He was acting headstrong, his desire to plow ahead and find out answers overriding his common sense.
Jyn smiled as she watched his mind work. "You're a terrible spy." She teased.
"I'm not. Just infatuated with you." He replied quickly, scanning the rooftops. Jyn's smile widened.
"Is that the reason? I'm a distraction?"
"Yes. A welcome distraction." He reached for her hand. "Fine. We'll stay up here as long as we can today," He indicated a rail system in the distance, the same one they had rode last night. "And then I want to take that toward the Citadel area when it gets dark."
"There's no outbound train on those tracks." Jyn observed, squinting in that direction.
"We can ride it as far as we can then." Cassian shrugged. "Don't worry, I won't let you get separated from your new blaster." He threw her a small smile.
Jyn shook her head. "Don't make promises you can't keep." She narrowed her gaze. "I do like your plan though. I'd like to see if there's…anything left by the Citadel." Cassian squeezed her hand. They were prepared to know the truth, but they still both hoped that somehow, by some small miracle, they weren't the last surviving members of Rogue One alive.