Author's Note: (Prepare for a long chapter. Personally, I loved this chapter, and I think you will love it. Hopefully this chapter answers some questions you viewers might've had about the plot.)
Chapter 25: Archenemies
K-2SO
U-Wing, thermal control position/gunner
Imperial Weapons Facility, Planet Sadon
It is about an hour & a half into the Rebellion's raid on the Imperial weapons facility. Blasters went off everywhere. X-Wings and Y-Wings engaged Imperial TIE fighters in the airspace above. Transport shuttles delivered reinforcements on the grounds just yards away from the main entrance of the facility. Sadon was a cloudy, warm planet, and it was going to be nightfall soon. All the Rebel officers & their special squads were commanded to stay back, and out of the battle until the Rebel infantries on the ground secured the area just enough for safe landing of more reinforcements.
And one of those special squads is Rogue One, in their U-Wing, high up in the sky above the facility where the ground battle is taking place.
Cassian pilots the U-Wing at such a slow pace, so that it encircles around the entire area of operation. Jyn kneeled next to the cabin door, which was open, so that she could watch the battle below with her own eyes. She has binoculars in her hands so that she can survey the grounds for K-2SO. And K-2SO sat below the U-Wing in the gunner's chamber, where he commandeered the controls for the gun cannons.
Cassian adjusts the microphone on the collar of his brown jacket, and he speaks. "K-2SO. We've been cleared to engage enemy ground hostiles. Activate onboard weapons."
"Affirmative." Replies K-2SO, who begins flipping on several switches at the controls in front of him. A screen in front of him turns on, and it shows a black & white thermal imaging of the grounds below the U-Wing. K-2SO sees both Rebel and Imperial soldiers near the facility complex engaging one another. "Activating thermal imaging cameras." The security droid informs his Captain.
"How many do we have on the ground, Jyn?" Cassian asks, keeping his eyes focused in the sky in front of him as he tilts the U-Wing to the left to give K-2SO a better angle of the view of the grounds.
Jyn looks through the binoculars and surveys the entire battle zone. "About five hundred. Both sides."
"Acknowledged, Sergeant." Cassian says. "Rebel troops on the ground, K-2. Danger close." Cassian warns him by raising his voice a little bit to emphasize the importance of the warning.
K-2SO nods and gets his hands ready at the controls. "Yes, Captain. Weapons are ready."
Cassian nods and increases the speed of the U-Wing slightly so that they were not like sitting ducks up in the sky, for there were also X-Wings and TIEs dogfighting just a couple of miles below their position in the gray skies. "Open fire."
And with the command given, K-2SO moves the joystick over to an area near the side entrance of the facility. Through the thermal image screen, he sees Stormtroopers exiting through it and then hiding behind cover. K-2SO pushes a button on the control panel in front of him, and a loud bang is heard: a large missile is launched from a cannon mounted under the U-Wing, and, instantly, a large explosion occurs exactly where the Stormtroopers were hiding on-screen. "Missile launched."
"Confirmed kill." Jyn informs after she watches the Stormtroopers killed in the blast through her binoculars.
"Copy that." Cassian replies as he brings the U-Wing to the northside of the facility.
K-2SO aims the thermal camera to the rear entrance of the facility, where AT-ST walkers were being deployed. They were accompanied by a group of Stormtroopers also. "Walkers sighted. Launching missile." K-2SO presses the button, and another air-to-ground missile is launched; the missile didn't take long to reach the AT-ST, and it impacted with it, destroying it instantly, as well as destroying the other 2 AT-STs near it, & killing all the nearby Stormtroopers. "Splash." K-2SO says as he sees the explosion on-screen.
Jyn nods as she sees the kills through her binoculars. "Walkers destroyed. Enemies eliminated. Move to next target." She mentions over to the security droid.
While the missile cannon is reloading, K-2SO notices an Imperial transport shuttle landing on the ground where nearby Rebel soldiers were taking cover, preparing to fight off the Stormtroopers that were about to exit the shuttle. "Imperial shuttle spotted below. Deploying enemies." K-2SO informs Cassian.
Cassian looks out the window and focuses his eyes well to spot the Imperial transport aircraft, seeing bodies of white armor scattering out from it. "Acknowledged. Switch to 40mm ground bombs."
"Yes, sir." K-2SO replies. He flips on a switch on the control panel, and a loud beep rang out, indicating the activation of another cannon under the U-Wing that had its projectile loaded & ready.
"Engage." Cassian commands his droid as he looks out the cockpit window to watch the Imperial shuttle.
"Firing unguided ground bombs." K-2SO says as he pushes some buttons, and the cannon sounds less loud than the bigger cannon. Five ground bombs release from the cannon, and they fall through the gray skies, slowly. After a few seconds, the sounds of an exploding shuttle and the deaths of Stormtroopers rang out on the battle grounds. However, the ground bombs had a smaller blast radius than the large missiles the U-Wing carried. K-2SO sees that on the thermal imaging screen. "Fox Two."
"Tangos down. Good shot, K-2." Jyn says as she takes the binoculars off her eyes.
"Good." Cassian says. However, his eyes widen when he hears a very loud beeping noise that rang in quick small intervals, and he looks at the onboard radar. A projectile was coming in fast from behind them. "Incoming proton torpedoes!" The Captain yells, with his heart now in a rapid pace. Jyn turns towards the rear of the cabin, shocked as well.
"Intercept!" Cassian yells, hesitating about whether or not to evade the torpedo.
Unbeknownst to Jyn & Cassian, K-2SO was already on it: he aims the camera at the incoming torpedo, and he switches the cannon weapon to the larger missile. Upon hearing the lock-on sound for aircraft lock, K-2SO fires a missile at the torpedo, and it makes contacts with it, making both projectiles explode in mid-air. "Torpedo eradicated, Captain! Missile reloading!" He informs.
Jyn approaches Cassian from behind his seat. "Evade!"
Without hesitation, and with quick reflexes, Cassian applies the airbrakes. The U-Wing slows down, and they see the TIE fighter zoom past above them. Cassian's lips form a slight dirty smile as he presses down a trigger button on the flight joystick. A barrage of blue laser bolts projects from underneath the U-Wing's frontal laser cannons, and they take down the Imperial TIE fighter. "Eliminated the bastard! I'm glad they made major modifications to this ship!" Cassian exclaims happily as he looks at Jyn, who returns the smile before returning to the open cabin door. Cassian returns the U-Wing back on course, where it is now encircling near the front entrance of the Imperial weapons facility.
"Cassian, we need to get down there, quick." Jyn calls out to Cassian while keeping her eyes focused on the grounds below. Acknowledging her words, Cassian adjusts his microphone and speaks to K-2SO.
"How's our troops doing down there?" The Captain asks.
"It looks like they're advancing to the main entrance. The Imperial garrison is diminishing." K-2SO responds after noticing Rebel forces taking cover near the front entrance. Stormtroopers exit out of the front entrance and shoot at the Rebels.
After deciding between two scenarios, Cassian makes his final call. "Danger close, droid. Switch to blaster guns."
"Affirmative." K-2SO responds as he flips another switch. A loud beep rings out, indicating that the U-Wing's underside manned blasters were online.
"Blast them away." Cassian commands.
K-2SO holds down the trigger button while maneuvering the thermal camera's joystick. Blue bolts of energy poured down at the front entrance, eliminating every Stormtrooper in the area one-by-one, like death raining from above. K-2SO cleared the front area of the facility, and the Rebels are seen onscreen advancing into the entrance now. The blasters had to be used for a more accurate elimination so that the Rebel infantries nearby don't get killed accidentally. "Hostiles eliminated, Captain Andor. I believe the area is cleared enough to land safely."
Jyn immediately sits next to Cassian in the co-pilot seat, and she places a hand on his arm. "We've got to help them. Let's land now!"
After quickly glancing at the young brunette woman next to him, Cassian nods and lowers the U-Wing from the sky to the ground. K-2SO exits the gunner's chamber and climbs aboard in the cabin.
After grabbing his A280C assault blaster, Cassian points at K-2SO and speaks with a serious tone. "Stay here. Our aircraft needs additional air support. We'll get out with the other troops." He commands before hopping off the U-Wing, with Jyn following from behind with her rifle-configured A180 blaster.
"Yes, Captain. Will do." K-2SO says before closing the cabin doors.
((()))
"Archenemies"
1730 hours
Rogue One
Sgt. Jyn 'Stardust' Erso
Imperial weapons facility, Planet Sadon
The squad of Rebels lead the battle into the main cargo hold of the facility, where they eventually find the enormous metal containers that held the Imperial weapons & supplies. There were doors & stairs in all directions, and Jyn & Cassian coordinated a perimeter so that there were at least five Rebels covering each door while the extraction crew was extracting the weapons.
"Come on! Get those droids over here, now! Hurry!" One of the extraction crew members yells out through his commlink, calling for the extraction droids to proceed with the objective.
A group of Stormtroopers enter the door through which Jyn & Cassian is covering.
"Look alive, people!" Cassian yells out as he raises his A280C assault blaster and holds down the trigger, sending red bolts of plasma energy at the white-armored infantries. Jyn does the same, taking aim with her rifle-configured A180 blaster and killing the group of Stormtroopers ahead.
More Stormtroopers begin to enter the area from all other directions. Red blaster bolts fly everywhere: from the ground to the ceiling, across one side to the other, from body to body, from rifle to wall. The huge squad of Rebels chatter in distress as they fire back at the Imperial soldiers & defend the weapons cache.
As the door in front of Jyn & Cassian opens again, a Stormtrooper with a heavy machine blaster appears. He looked tough, and he looked like he is about ready for Rebel bloodshed. "We got heavies!" Cassian warns after taking a few swift steps back to use the stairs as cover.
However, being the quick, reckless, dangerous female Rebel she is, Jyn takes out a device out of her brown vest and she activates it. It beeps, and a red light blinks rapidly. She throws it at the Heavy Stormtrooper. "I have something for you!" Jyn yells out. The Sonic Imploder grenade then detonates, sending an extremely bright flash of blue light towards the Heavy Stormtrooper, and it blinds him temporarily. Jyn & Cassian take this chance to raise their blasters and eliminate the Heavy Stormtrooper from their sight.
"Tango down!" Cassian says while looking behind him to see the other Rebels holding up well with the defense of the weapons cache. The extraction droids were already lifting the metal containers towards the enormous hallway from where they came in from.
"Let's move out, team!" The leader of the extraction crew calls out to all the Rebel soldiers in the area.
Jyn & Cassian acknowledge it, but as they turn to face the door they were guarding again, a group of Stormtroopers with melee batons come dashing through the door straight at them like maniac psychopaths. "Watch out, Jyn!" Cassian yells out as he positions himself & changes his stance so he is in a defensive position, ready to strike back with the butt of his assault rifle blaster. Jyn whips out her truncheon rod, and she whacks the first Stormtrooper she came into contact with. Another Stormtrooper attacks her: she dodges, and she whacks him one time in the gut, and the second blow to the head, sending him unconscious. Cassian blocks an overhead strike from another trooper using his blaster, and, noticing an opening at the trooper's gut, he kicks him down the floor, and Cassian finishes him off by blasting him several times. Jyn takes out the last Stormtrooper with a truncheon rod's blow to the head and a roundhouse kick, sending the trooper flying back and sliding across the floor. There were no more Stormtroopers coming through the door.
Cassian looks at Jyn and raises an eyebrow. Her truncheon rod combat reminds him of her close quarters combat against the Stormtroopers in Jedha City. "Reckless, aggressive, undisciplined, eh?" He comments, referring to General Draven's official description of Jyn Erso.
Jyn shrugs her shoulders as she holsters her truncheon rod and picks up her A180 rifle-configured blaster. "That was undisciplined…..for an Imperial." She jokes.
Suddenly, Jyn and Cassian notice something through the doors. A large smoke screen suddenly engulfed the entire hallway behind it, and some of the lights along the entirety of the hallway flicker. The two Rogue One members frown, for they are suspicious.
The extraction leader calls out to them. "Captain! Sergeant! We've got to go before more Imperials come!"
Cassian raises a hand at him. "Yes! Affirmative! We'll be there! Just go!"
The extraction leader nods without reply and exits the premises.
Curious to what is beyond the hallway, Jyn and Cassian proceed slowly into the hallway, with the large, black double doors sliding open for them to enter through. Gray smoke lingers the air, and lights flicker with every step. It looked as though a bomb went off in there. Every step that Jyn & Cassian took, it looked like something or someone would appear out of the blue. Their hands tighten on the grip of their blasters with every careful stride they take, their palms become sweaty from the increasing impatience, and their eyes shift left and right to survey the hallway.
However, Jyn could feel a very strong presence ahead. She doesn't know who it is, but she senses the Force is telling her it would be bad. It got bad when Jyn clutched her chest, because her heart started to ache from the strong feeling she could sense in that very hallway. "Ah! C-Cassian…" Jyn struggles to speak.
Cassian places a comforting hand on Jyn's back and pats her a couple of times. "Hey, it's okay. Come on."
Keeping their gazes forward, they walk a few more steps until they see that a figure stood amidst the smoke. Jyn and Cassian both raise their blasters, taking aim at the figure. At first, it appears as a dark shadow. But the closer they get, the clearer the human figure became. Eventually, the true colors are revealed, because Jyn & Cassian's eyes widen when they see who it is.
It is a tall man. A tall, old man, with gray hair.
White uniform. Black pants.
Black officer's cap.
White cape.
The cold blue-gray eyes stare at the two Rebels with bitter lust for murder.
His black-gloved hands are crossed over the front side of his waist, appearing as though he was expecting them to come.
Jyn & Cassian lower their blasters, and they slowly look at each other for a brief moment, then back at the man they sighted in the hallway, staring right at them:
Orson Krennic.
Jyn and Cassian look at each other once more. As they look at each other, Cassian can tell in those forest-green stardust eyes that there is hatred and anger erupting in her veins. He can see Jyn's anger and lust for vengeance in her eyes, and she wanted it badly. Knowing how reckless, aggressive, and undisciplined Jyn is, Cassian didn't have to think to know what Jyn is going to do now.
They face Krennic's direction again, and they notice that he begins to walk away.
With rage flowing in her, Jyn's breaths become rapid as she detaches her A180 hand blaster from the rifle configuration mod, letting it hang freely behind her back with the shoulder strap she integrated onto it. Then, she & Cassian run forward towards Krennic. Cassian knows Jyn switched to her A180 pistol blaster, despite its decreased range, firepower, & accuracy, because he knows this was personal for Jyn. This was a personal vendetta Jyn wanted to settle, given her family's history with Orson Krennic. If she was going to kill Orson Krennic, it was going to be a personal kill, and she wanted to make it a personal kill. She wanted it to feel personal.
Jyn & Cassian begin shooting their blasters at Krennic. The red bolts of energy plow through the smoke and impact the walls at the end of the hallway. However, they kept missing as Krennic walks away into the hallway to the right, making him disappear from view. They noticed that Krennic walked as though he wasn't scared of them. He walked smoothly & calmly, like as if he was invincible and he had nothing to worry about. Jyn grunts in frustration as he escapes from them. They turn to the hallway to the right, and continue chasing down Krennic.
Jyn & Cassian eventually arrive at the end of the hallway just in time to see Krennic entering a capsule-shaped elevator encased in clear glass. The two Rebels stop instantly in their tracks and raise their blasters, and they fire at Krennic. However, the clear, blaster-proof elevator door closes in time before any could hit Krennic. Krennic looks down at them as the elevator ascends towards the ceiling until he is no longer in sight.
Jyn & Cassian approach the other elevator next to it, and they start mashing the buttons on it to activate it. However, the lights on its control pad wouldn't light up, and the elevator won't respond.
"Damn it! It won't work!" Cassian groans in frustration while banging at the control pad.
Suddenly, Stormtroopers arrive at the other end of the hallway from where they came from. They start shooting their E-11 blasters at the two Rebels.
Cassian pulls Jyn's arm along with him as he has them evade to cover, with their backs against the wall. Cassian peeks out the corner and shoots back at the troopers, then hides back to cover repeatedly.
"There's got to be some way out…" Cassian mutters loudly.
Unbeknownst to him, Jyn notices her kyber crystal necklace glowing under her gray jacket & brown vest. She could feel a strong sense throughout her body and her mind. She figured it was the Force calling out to her. 'Trust the Force…' Jyn thought to herself, repeating her mother's last words to her younger self. And that is when Jyn gazes at the elevator's control pad directly across from her.
With her back against the wall, her A180 blaster pointed at the ground and holding it with both hands, and with her eyes closed, Jyn takes a deep breath. She inhales. Then she exhales. Repeatedly. She focuses her mind to the unthinkable.
After taking cover again after shooting a Stormtrooper from afar, Cassian looks to his right, notcing Jyn with her eyes closed. Confused as to why she is doing that, one idea came to his mind. "What is she…? Hmm…I hope she knows what she's doing." The Captain thought to himself before returning fire at the Imperials again.
Jyn eventually opens her eyes at the sounds of the elevator door opening surprisingly, much to Cassian's surprise. "Come on!" Jyn says as she pulls Cassian along with her quickly into the elevator. Once in, she pushes the button to close the elevator door, and they watch as the red blaster bolts make contact with the ascending elevator's blaster-proof glass.
During the elevator ride, Cassian decides to break the silence, for he anticipated it was going to take a while. "I'm guessing you did that. You know, with the….Force." Cassian says, panting.
Jyn looks at him. "Hm."
Cassian shrugs his shoulders and lets his A280 blaster hang freely behind his back using the shoulder strap attached to it. "I'll take that as a yes." He says.
After a long moment, Cassian faces Jyn, and he places his hands on her shoulders so that he turns her so she can face him. The 27-year-old Captain looks down into the 21-year-old Sergeant's forest-green eyes, and she stares back up into his chocolate brown eyes. "Jyn, Orson is getting away. We need to get to him." He warns her.
"I know…" Jyn says softly, deciding not to remove her gaze from Cassian's eyes.
And at that moment, Jyn & Cassian feel something strong in their minds. Jyn's kyber crystal was still glowing bright underneath her jacket. The two Rogue One members feel, somehow, this elevator ride felt so very familiar to them….It felt like déjà vu. They both know they've done this before….
It is then that both Jyn & Cassian realizes why this moment seemed so familiar to them…
The elevator ride down in the archive tower in Scarif, moments after sending the Death Star plans and incapacitating Orson Krennic. They remembered staring into each other's eyes and cherishing that moment like there was no tomorrow in that elevator ride down in the Scarif archive tower.
Though, they don't remember if they had kissed each other in that elevator or not.
In Scarif, they were riding the elevator down: down to their last moments of their first lives.
But, this time….they were riding the elevator up: up to triumph.
But, Cassian decides to take the initiative by placing a hand on Jyn's cheek. They both stare into each other's eyes like a strong connection. "In case anything happens…" Cassian says softly.
Without hesitating, Jyn & Cassian have one passionate kiss just before the elevator reaches the top of the building.
The two pull away from the kiss, and they grab ahold of their blasters, getting back to business. They run out of the elevator as fast as they can, and they reach the middle of an aircraft landing platform, where they look up to see Orson Krennic in an Imperial Lambda-class T-4A transport shuttle with its entrance ramp left open, accompanied by his new personal Death Troopers dressed in black armor and heavy blaster rifles. The shuttle is already up in the air off the platform.
Jyn & Cassian stop dead in their tracks in the middle of the platform, and, though not raising their blasters, they look up at Krennic with serious eyes.
"KRENNIC!" Jyn yells out at the top of her lungs, trying to overpower her voice over the sound of the shuttle's loud engines.
The Imperial weapons Director, Orson Krennic, gives Jyn a dirty smile as she said her first words to him since their last encounter on Scarif. "Jyn Erso! Oh, how nice to see you again, with your little friend here!"
Jyn's eyes widen with increasing rage. "HOW!?" Jyn asks loudly, asking how he is still alive, just as much alive as she & Cassian were. "HOW DID YOU SURVIVE THAT DEATH STAR BLAST!?"
Orson chuckles and shakes his head. "Awwww! I could ask the same about you! Have you not figured it out yet? It's obvious!" Orson remarks with an evil smirk.
Jyn looks at Cassian, confused to what Orson Krennic is implying. Cassian, confused as well, gives her a puzzled look. Then they turn their focus back on Krennic, with their hearts beating rapidly from anxiety and stress.
Carefully and slowly, Orson inserts one of his gloved hands under the top of his white uniform, and he slowly pulls something out of it. A white kyber crystal dangles from the black leather cord that he held in front of him to show the confused Rebels in front of him: the very Rebels that took him down in Scarif. "Hah! I'm surprised that the fact was right under your noses! You really think I could let disaster take me away that easily!?" Orson remarks with a sinister laugh.
Hearing the unexpected reveal, Jyn & Cassian both look at each other with wide eyes, because fear now ran through their veins. It conquered them, just like how Krennic conquered Cassian's nightmare.
"You know, Jyn, working with your father has really benefited me in all the ways possible! You really didn't think his knowledge of kyber crystals can lead to second chances? I know everything, just like he did! I'm very much alive again, just as you are! Your father's legacy has led me to a new path!" Krennic remarks, laughing evilly again.
Cassian looks at Jyn immediately, because he knew that every word that Orson said greatly aggravated Jyn, and he knew she was going to raise her A180 blaster at the old man any second. And Cassian was right: through gritted teeth and an angered facial expression, Jyn raises her blaster directly up at Orson Krennic, and her finger was already close to squeezing the trigger. However, Cassian grabs Jyn's upper arm, attempting to prevent her from taking the shot.
Feeling her true anger fueling her blood, Jyn screams out at the top of her lungs. "No….NO, NO! YOU USED HIM, YOU BASTARD! YOU USED HIM LIKE HOW YOU USED ME AND MY MOTHER! YOU MADE HIM YOUR LAB RAT! HOW DARE YOU!"
Seeing Jyn's angry reaction, Krennic laughs again. "Awwww! Are you going to kill me, darling? Don't forget! I have my tool of survival right here, just like you!" Krennic says, putting his own kyber crystal necklace back under his uniform.
And Jyn grunts angrily, trying to struggle free from Cassian's strong grasp, but to no avail.
"My Death Star may have killed me once! My Death Star may have been destroyed! But I've got nothing to worry about, because I've found a new plan! A new plan that will be more superior than the Death Star! The most superior of all Imperial plans! Your father's knowledge of kyber crystals and weapons development was just the beginning, Erso girl! I will continue to thrive in the Empire as the most supreme leader in the galaxy!" The Imperial Director in the white uniform yells out with a smile.
Jyn & Cassian both grunt in response to Orson's statement about the 'new plan.'
Then, Orson Krennic's smile suddenly fades into a mean glare. "…And I will not have you two interfere with my plans again, rebel scums!"
And with those words in the air, Orson's Death Troopers suddenly raise their heavy blasters at Jyn & Cassian down below at the landing platform. Jyn & Cassian stare up at the troopers with fearless faces, and they don't attempt to raise their blasters at them, for they are clearly outnumbered in the situation and the current location.
Jyn shakes her head angrily, then raises her A180 hand blaster at Orson again. "No. You won't win again!"
The moment Jyn mimicked the exact words and the exact action of her mother 13 years earlier during her encounter with Krennic on Lah'mu, as well as her words under the signal dish on the Scarif archive tower, Orson Krennic rolls his eyes in annoyance. "Oh, those words are getting so annoying! What's with you, Erso girl!?"
Jyn decides not to answer. She can only stare at Orson in disgust.
Orson continues to speak. "Well, unfortunately, it seems both of you arrived just in time for the show! But…you've also arrived just in time for your deaths! Time for me to go! Duty calls!" Then, he laughs an evil laugh once more. "Time to say goodbye this time, daddy's little girl." He blurts out loudly enough for Jyn to hear.
((()))
Just before the Death Troopers could unleash their heavy blasters, the doors that Jyn and Cassian came through earlier behind them opened, and a squad of Rebels came rushing through to their rescue, armed with assault blasters. Both surprised and relieved, Jyn & Cassian raise their blasters at the Imperial transport shuttle and return fire just as the Death Troopers unleashed theirs at the other Rebels. While they were shooting, Jyn & Cassian notice Orson Krennic looking down at both of them as his shuttle ascends higher into the sky.
Suddenly, a loud voice and a roar is heard behind the two Rogue One members. Jyn & Cassian turn to see who it is: two people appear, and they recognized them from a while ago in their return to the Rebel base: Han Solo & Chewbacca.
Han approaches them, equipped with his DL-44 hand blaster. "Hey, kids! I'm here to get you out! Let's get outta here before they blow this place to hell!" He advises Jyn & Cassian, knowing that the Empire doesn't want to leave traces of their operations to the Rebellion or any third party out there.
"Come on, let's go!" Cassian says to Jyn, who nods and follows them from behind.
They follow Han and Chewbacca through the doors the came through before, and Han eventually leads them down the end of a hallway where there is a hatch on the ceiling. Han shoots it open with his DL-44 blaster, and they climb up and out of there. Ending up on the rooftop on the other side of the facility, the Millennium Falcon hovered next to the roof, waiting for their extraction.
"Come on, come on, come on!" Han says, gesturing for Rogue One to run into the ship. Cassian reaches for Jyn behind him, and she grabs ahold of his hand as he leads her up the loading ramp, and it closes once they enter the ship.
The four Rebels jog to the Falcon's cockpit, where each of them take a seat, with Han & Chewbacca occupying the front 2 seats which were the pilot seats.
"Let's get back to base. Set the ship in hyperdrive. They're about to blow the place." Han orders Chewbacca, who roars and flips on a few switches near the ceiling.
Laying down their blasters and sighing in relief, Jyn & Cassian give Han confused looks. Cassian speaks to him. "I thought you left the Rebellion?"
Han shakes his head while keeping his eyes focused, and he lifts the ship so that it ascends into the sky. "Not yet, kid. But let's just call this a friendly favor. I'm actually thinking about me and Chewie staying just a bit longer." Han answers Captain Andor. He pulls a lever down, and a large hum is heard from the rear of the Falcon. Its thrust vectors activate, and the Falcon begins to gain speed.
Jyn & Cassian watch as the Rebels detonate the explosives that were planted in the facility during the raid earlier, and the facility explodes into flames everywhere, high in the sky. It was the picture of a victory for the Rebellion. And most importantly, they were able to extract the Imperial weapons cache, which was onboard another Rebel transport ship heading off into hyperspace.
Wondering how K-2SO is doing, he raises his wrist to speak into his commlink bracelet. "K-2SO, do you read me? Where are you?"
After a long moment, Cassian sighs in relief as he hears the robotic voice that is so familiar to him. "I read you, Captain. I'm in the U-Wing, flying with the X-Wing & Y-Wing squadrons."
"Alright." Cassian says, relaxing into the chair. "Return to base. Jyn and I got a ride out of here."
"Yes, sir." K-2SO responds before cutting off comms.
"Jumping to hyperspace." Han says as the view outside the cockpit comes to a blur, and everything outside turned into a blue flash, as the Millennium Falcon enters hyperspace, with the destination set to the Rebel installation on Yavin 4.
Although, the Rebels completed their mission, Jyn & Cassian were still shocked at who they just encountered. Orson Krennic escaped, and the longer he is alive, the more dangerous the Empire will become. The Rebellion's leaders know how vital Krennic is to the Empire's weapons division, just as much as Galen Erso, Jyn's father, was during the development of the Death Star. Cassian looks over at Jyn, whose forest-green eyes stare out the window of the cockpit in reflection of the encounter. He knew her anger still lingered in her body. He could see how much she hated Orson Krennic, and how much she hated the sight of him. Cassian knew that Krennic's 'new plan' would be another major threat both to the galaxy and the Rebellion, and he knew the Rebellion will now have to work harder on their survival if they are to persist & triumph over the Empire soon.
And that wasn't all. Cassian could tell just from the brief encounter how great of an archenemy Orson Krennic is to Jyn. But, now that he and Jyn are lovers now, Cassian will stand by Jyn's side no matter what.
And that means…
…If Orson Krennic is Jyn's archenemy, then that makes him Cassian's archenemy too.