Chapter 3
Responses:
Guest(July 16): If you check out my other stories, you should find one called Rebellions are Built on Hope. That should explain all you need to know about Jyn and Cassian surviving. I usually keep my chapters at 1-2k words long, sometimes dipping under that like today, and I probably won't be changing anytime soon, sorry about that.
Guest(July 17): Do you mean reunited with his family as in Ephraim and Mira? Or the Ghost crew? This will be one of the latter, but I hope you'll enjoy it regardless!
(A/N If I owned Rebels, would I be sitting here writing fanfiction? Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about Ezra. Just have more inspiration writing Sabine right now.)
Following Cassian into the compound, Sabine noted how large it was for only two adults and a kid. There was an archway directly across the hall from the entrance, from what Sabine could see as they turned right, it led into a large grassy space, presumably for exercise or play. As Sabine followed the Festian down the halls, almost every ten feet there was another doorway on the right side, a lot of them seeming to be dormitories of some kind. Eventually Sabine's curiosity got the better of her and she questioned Cassian about it.
"What's with all the extra rooms? I thought it was just you, Jyn and the kid?" Cassian chuckled over his shoulder before twisting so he was walking backwards.
"We own the compound, but there's still a sizeable Imperial presence here on Fest. Travia Chan sent some forces over to help, now that she's with the Rebel Alliance. Or whatever it's called now. They go out during the day to track down remnant cells or renegade moffs and we let them stay during the night. Most of the rooms will be turned into storage after they leave though."
Cassian twisted round again, in time to walk into a dining/kitchen area. The walls were a colour somewhere between orange and yellow, some parts taken up by artwork, or windows into the grassy area Sabine saw before. Walking over to a cabinet in the kitchen area and placing down his rifle on a countertop, Cassian started pulling out food, including meilooruns, waffles, and some strips of unidentified cold meat. Piling it on a tray, Cassian came over to the table Ahsoka and Sabine had set themselves at, wearing a sheepish expression.
"We didn't get your transmission soon enough, otherwise I would have heated up the nerf meat." Taking a tentative bite, Sabine found it was enjoyable. Tough, but not so much that it hurt to chew. Swallowing, she smiled at Cassian.
"It's great, thank you." He returned the smile briefly before shifting to face Ahsoka.
"So, my friend. What can I do for you? I know this isn't just a social call." Ahsoka grinned guiltily at him before getting to the point.
"You're right, it's not. Do you remember the missing scout missions? The ones that kept going offline, only to reappear hours later across the quadrant?" Cassian leaned back in his chair, looking intrigued.
"You're not trying to go there, are you? We deemed it too risky to continue scouting, so we left the quadrant."
"On the contrary, Cassian. I was there during the Clone Wars, and now me and Sabine need to get there again. Do you remember Lieutenant Commander Bridger?" Cassian barked a short laugh.
"The Jedi? I remember him. But I thought he died in the Siege of Lothal." Sabine bristled at 'died' and spoke before she could catch herself.
"He was missing in action, Captain, not dead. If you have coordinates that can help us, then so be it. Otherwise, we need to get going."
"Sabine." The Mandalorian felt a hand on her shoulder, gently pressuring her down. She hadn't realised she was standing up. Settling back down she took a deep breath and offered an apologetic look towards Cassian, only to find him studying her face.
"What?" Cassian shook his head amusedly.
"You will know, Sabine. You must think highly of your friend to imagine he has survived all this time, in Wild Space no less, if your guess is right. You think he has?" He locked eyes with her in a challenging stare. Sabine stared back, unflinching.
"Yes."
Cassian sat forward again, apparently satisfied. "I can give you the coordinates, and a better ship than that old shuttle. You can't have been thinking to travel on that, were you?" Ahsoka shrugged nonchalantly, unperturbed by the rapid change of the room's emotions.
"We could have done so, if that's what you're asking. Although it is a bit old, so why not. What did you have in mind?" Cassian started listing off options.
"There's a couple of liberated Lambda shuttles, but you probably wouldn't want an Imp ship, a couple of different Corellians, all pretty heavily modified, and there's a VCX-100, I know you're familiar with those." He spread his arms. "Honestly, take your pick. I owe you a lot more than one, Ahsoka, and if I can help you out in some way, then I'll do so." Ahsoka reached across the table and grasped his hand.
"Thank you, Cassian." The Festian shook his head.
"Don't worry about it. Let's head out to the platform, and you can see-" Cassian was interrupted by a loud cannon blast, not on the room itself but clearly another part of the compound. He was on his feet instantly, the calm, relaxed demeanour gone completely. In its place was a cold mask, laden with anger and fear. Without another word he picked up the blaster rifle from the counter and ran off into the corridor, which was now starting to fill with unsettled dust.
(Kind of an awkward place to leave it, but I didn't want to add the fight scene in here. I didn't particularly like the way Cassian acted in this one, and I actually planned to bring Jyn in at some point, but it just turned out this way. Next time, honestly I can't say if it'll be Sabine or Ezra. I've just been having inspiration for Sabine, so that's who I'm writing, but also I need parts of the story in Ezra's POV to explain things, like the apparent time difference. I'm starting to see accidental parallels to my other multi-chap, Quest For Eileithyia, so those five or so people who read both, feel free to review with any you've spotted.
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