Hey. So this is short, but rather heavy. I hope you enjoy.

Her quarters resembled her cold mannerism more than her inner tumult. Not a piece of clothing out of place, only order. Given the small size of the room, I gathered that she probably didn't own much. Dedicated to science. Standing in front of the door, I had trouble understanding why she had dragged me here. Yet, as she sat on the bed and motioned me forward, I shifted uneasily. The bruise upon her neck showed in the harsh light; I couldn't believe I had attacked her so ruthlessly. But again, any thought of Jyn made my blood boil. Nothing, save for my little girl, could make me loose my marbles.

— "Galen ?"

She'd never called me by my rank – major – nor with my honorary title. To her, I had always been Galen. Just like Lyra. Was it a ploy, or a genuine interest of her part to speak to the human being rather than the scientist ? Deciding that I could give her a chance, I walked to her bed, and sat, back ramrod straight. My hand lifted, trailing the collar of her shirt to assess the extend of the damage. Guilt gnawed at my insides; in my rage, I had failed to consider her diminutive weight. Had she not reacted so swiftly, I might have done much damage.

— "I'm sorry for…"

The young woman shrugged it off.

— "Don't worry, it won't show under the collar of the uniform."

Stubborn lady; I wondered how many bruises she had gathered from her training.

— "Still…"

She cut me there, refusing to understand what I meant.

— "You caught me off guard, that will be a good lesson. Now, how about the dessert I promised…"

My stomach clenched, adrenalin dying down now that the confrontation was over.

— "I'm not hungry"

I wasn't new to this strange game; sitting with someone, sharing a drink or a delicacy, all the while wondering what danced in his mind and if his goals would align with mine. After Orson's skilful manipulation, I was wary of any gesture of friendship. But for the first time, I saw childish anticipation on her face and I couldn't help but think of my Jyn. For once, Elya seemed less guarded.

— "This, my friend, has nothing to do with hunger. Meiloorun fruits are all about sweetness."

Friend. Was this how she saw me ? Why she had set that blanket around my shoulders, the other night ? Could I trust her ?

— "How about you tell me why I'm here ?"

Elya seemed to ignore my stern tone as she fished a knife from the automatic drawer by her pillow, and retrieved a rounded, reddish fruit from a bag.

— "My quarters are not bugged, unlike yours"

My eyes widened; I suspected that Orson would keep an eye on me, but not so blatantly. How much else did she know ? And more importantly, what side would she chose ? Would she even pick one, or refuse to do so, like he had so many years ago ? The young woman started peeling the fruit, exposing a lovely, orange flesh that caught my attention. A token of peace, or another ruse ? With the cameras in the corridor, I was sure that Orson would be informed, soon enough, of my presence in Elya's quarters.

— "Rumours will spread. Orson won't be happy"

The young woman shrugged, her eyes still set upon the fruit.

— "Rumours are good, they keep people busy. More efficient than certitudes. At any rate it will only increase Krennic's satisfaction to think I managed to lure you in my bed"

Something lurched in my stomach; the idea of using Elya like a high-class whore didn't sit right by me. But it wouldn't be above Krennic to push her in my arms. Still… Would he really buy that I had forgotten Lyra so easily ? He'd seen me so absorbed in my research on Coruscant that I had pushed my family back to our flat while I stayed at the base… I guess Orson couldn't have guessed how attached to my wife I was, despite our very independent way of life.

— "And it will give us a good cover…"

Elya's words startled me.

— "A cover for what ?"

— "Hang on, I need sugar to have this conversation"

I found her insistence mildy amusing, but my mind had gone in overdrive and didn't accept that this woman, so cold an collected, could ever be childish in private. Perhaps her evening with the pilot had loosened her a little. I nearly blushed at the idea of what might have occurred, on this very same bed, two hours prior. Still, it had done Elya some good for despite my attacking her, she seemed pretty at ease with my intrusion in her quarters.

The fight with the sweet fruit was going awry; a droplet of juice slowly descended along her hand. Her little pink tongue licked it before it could soak her undershirt. As my second in command, so to speak, she wore the same dark grey and blue outfit than I. A constricting, austere and harsh uniform, compared to the white one our other colleagues wore. In the lab, we were two facets of the same coin; one male, one female. One tall, one small. One set against the empire… and the other ?

— "Give me a second", she said, rushing to the fresher.

Probably to wash her hands. When she returned, the fruit was disposed in a bowl and she handed me a knife.

— "Dig in"

And she did, without waiting for me. A piece of orange fruit disappeared behind her lips, her mouth quirking up in satisfaction as she munched on the delicacy. Silence greeted us, and I decided to follow, if only to keep the meeting cordial. I dropped a piece of fruit in my mouth, and couldn't help but marvel as acidulated and sweetness mingled.

— "You are planning something"

The fruit nearly rerouted itself in my windpipe. I coughed violently, pissed to be caught off guard in my plans. Elya bent over, slapping me on the back several times before I could deny her accusations.

— "I don't…"

Cough.

Her glare could have sent any soldier jumping for cover.

— "No need to lie, Galen. I am having serious doubts with this project, and the people that lead it, so I'll stand by you"

I was too stunned to understand, fully, what she meant. My eyes had probably been reduced to the side of Tie-Fighter wings, but no word could pass my lips. The seeds of defection had been sown, Korwin being the turning point. Was she playing me, or being truthful ? This remained to be seen, for I knew how talented an actress she was.

— "Why ?", I challenged.

The young woman cocked her head aside, picking up another piece of fruit in the bowl. Wondering, perhaps, why I was asking such a stupid question to which I knew the answer. Her nod told me she understood my need to prod her reasons.

— "You know why", she said. "If this weapon, supposed to support peace, is used with the same consideration for human life than they use our scientists… Korwin was airheaded, but he didn't deserve to die"

I cut her there, stating my point bluntly.

— "They mean to make an example of a world"

She blanched, swallowing audibly.

— "What ? Are you sure ?"

My eyes captured hers; I needed to see her reaction to what I was about to reveal.

— "Orson told me once, while I worked on my 'renewable energy' project, that they meant to make an example of one world. At the time, I thought they would install a source of sustainable energy on a planet that needed it."

The bowl was set on the nightstand with less grace than her usual moves.

— "What does it mean, exactly ?", she whispered.

— "We fled when Orson failed at giving me any return on the supposed facilities they had been building. Lyra had uncovered his motives. But I think the meaning is clear"

Silence greeted that statement. For a few moments, we both retreated to the safe havens of our thoughts, trying to assess where that left us. Then, Elya reached for my sleeve, and gave it a tug.

— "Listen. You have no reason to trust me, and I'm not so sure myself where I stand. I need more information to understand where I'm going. Much more information on this weapon, and the empire."

She took my silence as a cue to continue. Far from my mind the idea to interrupt her; I was done with half-truths. After Orson's betrayal, I had sworn to never let anyone manipulate me like a puppet.

— "Then we'll find a way to get you out of here. You'll get your daughter, and hide in the confines of the galaxy where the empire cannot find you both."

I wondered if she had ever been so truthful, but somewhere inside of me, a little beacon of hope ignited. Would it die out, or thrive to engulf me in its flames ? Released from Eadu, free from the empire… is that what she wanted for me ? It touched me deeply that she would care enough to consider such a plan, but then, there was a major flaw. A Lyra sized flaw.

— "You are exactly like her."

Things were getting clearer now, and an unwelcome wave of anger surged from within; Lyra had flung herself in a trooper's path, choosing death over her obligation to our daughter. Acting without thinking. Her impulsiveness had killed her, reduced my heart to shambles and laid such a heavy blanket of guilt over my shoulders. I couldn't afford to go that way again.

— "Uh?"

— "Lyra. She was the one who orchestrated our escape. But they found us. YOU found us, remember ?"

Elya's face fell at the accusation and she retreated to the headboard, her arm circling her left leg. Vulnerable. I knew I was being unfair; Orson's manipulation had brought her to my doorstep. It was the sadness talking… Yet, I admired her courage because her eyes didn't leave mine.

— "How could I forget ?", she murmured, her voice barely audible. "I keep wondering what I could have done"

I blinked, my throat closing. So I wasn't the only one who replayed this dreadful scene over and over again ? The words were difficult to push past the lump that constricted my airways.

— "She should have escaped with Jyn, but she came back for me…"

My voice broke and I dropped my head; the mood had gone to slightly confrontational to a gigaton heavy. Elya remained where she was, giving me some needed time to gather myself. I snorted then; would I ever feel complete again ? My wife, dead. My daughter, scattered to the winds in a rebel's military outpost. The goal of my life; to delay the building of a super weapon able to wipe out entire planets. At last, I felt a hand on my upper arm; a shy, tiny contact that conveyed just the right amount of support.

If she stood by me, we might have a chance to delay or even sabotage the creation of the laser weapon. A meager consolation to the broken man I was, but one that could save millions of lives. I took a deep breath, and wiped moist from my eyes.

— "What do you want from me, Elya ?"

She gave me a penetrating stare.

— "Tell me about Krennic. I need to know who I'm fighting"

And I watched her features turn to stone, her green eyes growing cold. I couldn't help but admire her, the young woman who was willing to see what I couldn't. Willing to fight when I had fled. Ready to turn on the mentor that had woven his web of deceit around her, and yet failed at breaking her will. This evening, sitting beside her, I saw the woman she would be, and not the child I had taken her for.

And a great wave of gratitude washed over me; together, we still stood a chance against the empire.

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