Chapter 3

As Cassian was carried away, Draven's eyes fell on the rest of the crew. "Melshi, Tonc – follow me. I'll need your report."

He had already started to turn away, expecting compliance, when Melshi said, "Sergeant Erso should come as well, sir. She led the mission with Captain Andor."

Even on a planet as warm as Yavin, Draven's glare would have frozen water. "Sergeant Erso?"

"Yes, sir. Lieutenant Sefla felt she needed to have rank if she was to lead the mission."

Draven's jaw tightened. "Erso. Follow me."

Jyn's gaze had been trailing after Cassian; she had fully intended to go with him to the medbay. Before she could say so, however, Melshi caught her eye and gave a slight jerk of his head for her to comply. She supposed he wanted her to be there to represent Cassian and report based on their role in the mission. Only because it might be best for Cassian did she yield and fall in beside the other two members of Rogue One.

Several leaders were gathered in the debriefing room when they arrived, but Draven led the session. He turned on Melshi first. "Why was she leading the mission, Sergeant? You and Andor should have known better than to place a civilian in charge of a military operation. Giving her military rank to legitimize it was unwarranted."

Jyn slouched a little lower in her chair and crossed her arms. " 'She' is sitting right here, General. If you have questions about her actions I suggest you ask her."

If anything, Draven's jaw clenched even more as he glared toward her. It was a wonder his teeth didn't crack. Jyn didn't particularly care. He sat safely on base sending men like Cassian and Melshi off to do the dirty work. He let them have the deeds on their consciences and suffer the nightmares that came as the result of them. Cassian might feel the need to follow his orders and treat the man with respect, but she didn't, fake rank or not.

Everyone in the room was avoiding looking at the two combatants, but Jyn could feel Melshi's gaze on her and turned to meet it, willing to hold her ground against any argument. To her surprise, the tiniest of quirks blinked at the corner of his mouth and was instantly gone. She would have thought she had imagined it if not for the look in his eyes. After just a moment, he gave a tiny jerk of the head toward Draven.

You can trust him, Cassian had said. Maybe she needed to do so now. He knew Draven better than she did, and she didn't want to cause problems for Cassian considering he had followed her on this unauthorized mission. When her stiff posture relaxed slightly, Melshi turned away.

"What did you want to know about the mission, General?" Her clipped tone just barely managed to disguise her disdain. She was sure Draven knew how she felt about him; probably it was the same as he felt about her.

General Onoran stepped into the silence to start things moving. "Mission report, please, Sergeant Erso."

Between the three of them, they were able to cover the entire operation rather thoroughly. Each had been positioned at different locations and so could give a more complete overview of what had taken place. The session had gone for well over an hour when General Onoran suggested, "Perhaps we should let these three seek medical attention for their injuries, and then get food and rest. I think it has been well earned. Sergeant Melshi, will you see that Miss Erso is given quarters?"

"Yes, sir." The three rose in unison and Melshi led them from the room.

On the way to the medbay, Melshi stopped at a terminal to check quartering status. "We'll put you in Section 12 for now, Room 417. We may move you later." Tonc glanced at him quickly, but made no comment.

If Jyn suspected there was something they weren't telling her, she was too tired to ask about it. The past week seemed to finally be catching up to her. They continued on to the medbay.

The others had already been treated and released, or given a bed in the medbay, so the three took seats to wait their turn. It was only minutes before each was led to a treatment area based on their particular needs. Before he followed the droid, Melshi looked back and gave Jyn a nod. Then he was gone.

Any other time, she might have pondered his behavior during the briefing and since, but her mind didn't want to focus on that right now. They had made it back – at least some of them had – which was more than she expected at the outset. And the mission had achieved its purpose. On the return trip, Luke Skywalker had told them how they got the plans and were able to destroy the Death Star.

"Where's Cassian? Captain Andor?" she asked abruptly. That was the one thing she still didn't know – where he was or how he was doing.

"Captain Andor is being treated for his injuries." The droid's unemotional and unsatisfying response provoked her out of her inertia.

"That isn't what I asked. Where is he? I want to see him."

"You need to have your injuries treated and then rest. Captain Andor will be well cared for by my fellow droids."

She slid off the table. "Fine. If you won't tell me what I want to know, I'll find him for myself."

"I have not finished tending your injuries," the droid protested.

"Yes, you have. Nothing more gets done to me until I've seen Cassian." She pushed past the droid only to be met by a human doctor blocking the doorway.

"Is there a problem here?"

"I want to see Captain Andor. Now. How is he doing? Will he be all right?"

He held up his hands to stifle further questions. "Captain Andor is resting comfortably and being treated. His injuries were severe, as you apparently know, but I believe he will make a full recovery in time. At the moment, we have him in a bacta tank where he will stay for several hours, so there is nothing for you to 'see' at present." His firm tone softened somewhat. "Let us get you treated for now. Then go eat and get some rest. If you come back in a few hours, he'll be out of the tank and you can check on him personally. I'll send someone to get you when he's back in a bed."

Jyn relaxed slightly, studying the man. She had learned how to quickly judge a person. This man was sincere. With a nod, she returned to sit on the table for the droid to continue examining her leg and ankle. The doctor gave her a smile and left the room.

Another twenty minutes and she was free to go. As she stepped into the waiting area, the same doctor was there and looked up from a datapad. "All done?" He turned to a terminal and called up some information. "Let's see where you're quartered and I'll have someone take you there." He reached a certain screen and hesitated. "Room 417? Who quartered you there?"

"Sergeant Melshi." She was starting to wonder why that room assignment was drawing so much attention.

"I see." He typed in a door code on his datapad and showed it to her. "This will get you in, then. I assume you don't know the way."

From the tone of his voice, she didn't think he assumed that at all, but just then Tonc reappeared. "I can show her."

The two left the medbay side by side. After they had walked a short distance, Tonc asked, "Want to get something to eat first? Something slightly better than ration bars?"

She had to grin at that comment, but paused. She was very tired, yet food was probably a good idea, and likely he had suggested it because he was hungry himself. "Okay, lead on."

Eventually things began to look somewhat familiar from her previous visits to the base. She recognized the mess hall, anyway. At this hour, not many people were there so they were quickly through the line and settled at a table. After just a few bites, she had to agree with Tonc's assessment – better than ration bars, slightly. They ate in silence, but as they stood afterwards, she finally asked the question that had been niggling at her. "Why's everyone so interested in the room I've been assigned?"

It was difficult to tell on someone with dark skin, but she felt sure the man was blushing. Certainly he kept his gaze averted from her. "It's just…well, that's Captain Andor's room. I guess Melshi figured he wouldn't be using it for a while and wouldn't mind your staying there. It was a quicker solution to quarters for you than figuring out what was presently available."

Jyn stayed silent, unsure how to respond to this new information. She didn't have a problem sleeping in a bed used by someone else, but she did wonder if Melshi was presuming something between her and Cassian that wasn't necessarily there. Sure, maybe it could be eventually, but she'd only known the man for two weeks. She drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. This was giving her a headache and she didn't want to think about it right now. She and Cassian could work that out later, when he was well. The rest of the walk to the room was made in silence.

"Thanks," she told Tonc as he turned to go to his own room, and he responded with a smile before stepping away.

She took a deep breath and entered the door code, not sure what to expect. As the door slid closed behind her, she ran her eyes over the space. One thing was clear, Cassian was tidy. The room was more immaculate than any space she'd ever occupied before. What little was there was functional, not decorative. No pictures, no mementos, nothing of a personal nature was on display. A datapad on the small desk, a couple of books on a shelf with a few datacards. If she didn't know better, she'd almost think the space had no resident. Considering Cassian's line of work, she supposed that was understandable. It was very likely he didn't spend a great deal of time here.

She kicked off her boots and went to check behind the two closed doors. The first was a small closet with a few extra pieces of clothing in it. The other led to a 'fresher, including a shower with actual water. Tired as she was, the thought of being clean after so very long made the idea of a real shower too enticing.

She looked around. She could wash out her clothes, but it was unlikely they would dry quickly in the humid environment of Yavin. A closer look in the closet found pants and a shirt. It was certain they would be too big on her, but they would be clean until her own clothes dried. And she'd just as soon not wear her filthy clothes to bed.

Quickly she stripped down and stepped into the warm water. She dumped her clothes on the shower floor to let the worst of the dirt get a first soaking of water and soap while she bathed. The water felt so good that she spent longer than necessary, just allowing it to run over her and relax her tight muscles. When was the last time she had been fully relaxed? She couldn't even guess when it might have been. Long before Wobani, certainly.

At length, weariness persuaded her to get moving. She finished bathing, washed out her clothes and hung them to dry and then put on Cassian's shirt. Lucky for her he wasn't a large man or it would have dwarfed her. But it would do for the time being. With a groan of pleasure, she crawled under the covers and was soon asleep.

For a change, she slept so deeply that dreams – or, rather, nightmares – couldn't penetrate. Even so, she awoke feeling sluggish, unsure how long she had been out. The chronometer on the desk told her what time it was now, but she didn't really remember what time she'd laid down. She thought they'd arrived back at the base around midday, then there was the debrief, medbay, food and the shower. Maybe around 1600 hours, then, that she went down and now it was nearly 2100. For several minutes, she just lay there, unwilling to get up but slowly coming more awake so that returning to sleep was seeming unlikely. Five hours or so of sleep was pretty good for her.

Her stomach growled, wanting attention. She hadn't eaten a great deal earlier with Tonc so perhaps that was in order. No one had yet come to notify her about Cassian, but maybe she would stop in the medbay anyway and check. With a sigh, she threw back the sheet and shoved to her feet. As she had expected, her clothes hadn't dried much in those few hours. She glanced down at the now-rumpled shirt and then shrugged. She wasn't trying to win any beauty contests here; she'd stick with the clean clothes however poorly they fit her. She climbed into the pants, having to turn them up several times so they cleared her boots, and located a belt to cinch the waist.

Fortunately, she had a good memory and recalled the path Tonc had led her on between here and the medbay. Once there, she stood in the waiting area, watching for someone to come so she could ask about Cassian and where he might be. If she had to, she'd start poking around, but until that became necessary she'd respect the privacy of any other patients who might be here.

"May I help you?" A 2-1B droid came through a doorway and scanned her. "Do you require medical attention? I see that your leg injuries have already been treated. Do they trouble you?"

She raised her hands to stop the questions peppering her. "I'm fine. I'm not here about me. I came to check on Captain Andor. Is he still in the bacta tank?"

"May I ask who you are? I am not permitted to give medical information on patients to just anyone. Are you related to Captain Andor? One of his officers?" The droid's scan ran over her and if a droid could look skeptical without facial features, this one did.

"I…" What should she say? No, she wasn't related to Cassian or an officer, but still…

"It's all right, 2-1B. Miss Erso may be given information about Captain Andor." The human doctor from earlier reappeared and took over. Obediently, the droid turned and moved away.

"We weren't introduced before. You are?" Jyn raised a prompting eyebrow.

"Dr. Lesorid," he said, gesturing for her to follow him. "We just took Captain Andor out of the bacta a little while ago, and he's now been cleaned up and settled in a bed. I haven't had a chance to send anyone for you since that occurred."

"How is he?" She knew the doctor had said they expected a full recovery, but she couldn't quite let go of the worry on Cassian's behalf.

"The bacta helped a great deal. He'll need more treatments, of course, but this first session served to stabilize his condition." He looked back at her. "It's fortunate you got him here when you did. His various injuries were beginning to overwhelm him. If he had gone much longer without proper treatment his recovery would have been tenuous."

She nodded, unable to speak at that realization. What if they had gone to Tatooine and Luke hadn't found them? Chirrut insisted the Force had guided the young man to them, bringing medical help with him, but there were so many things that could have altered the outcome. She shoved such thoughts away. Those things hadn't happened, and Cassian was safe now. That was what mattered.

Dr. Lesorid led her behind a curtain and there he was. She inhaled sharply. Never had she seen him looking so pale and weak. Somehow even on their escape shuttle he had appeared stronger, or had that just been wishful thinking on her part? Cassian wasn't supposed to look like this. She bit the inside of her cheek to repress the tears trying to water her eyes. Jyn Erso didn't cry.

"He'll be unconscious for quite some time, but you may sit with him a short while if you like. I'll be nearby if you have questions."

"Thank you, Doctor."

As the doctor left, she slowly approached the bed, letting out the breath she had been holding. "I'm sorry about this, Cassian," she whispered softly. "I never meant for you to get hurt like this. I never wanted anyone to get hurt. If someone had to, it should have been me."

She stopped, hearing his voice in her head, protesting her words, and it brought a slight smile to her face. They were two of a kind in that respect – each expected to suffer so that others didn't have to, but sometimes the suffering of others couldn't be avoided. If Cassian hadn't sent her on up the tower while he held off Krennic and the death troopers, their mission might have failed. If nothing else, he had slowed Krennic down and bought her time. If he was this hurt, she couldn't even begin to guess what strength of will had pushed him to follow her upward, and shoot Krennic so she could send the plans to the fleet.

She drew a chair near and sat down. "Thanks, Cassian. For coming with me, for making it possible, for helping me avenge my family. I know you probably did it to save the Rebellion, but thanks anyway." She reached over and caught hold of his hand. It surprised her how warm it felt. Hopefully that was a good sign, a sign that the doctor was correct about his recovery. She didn't know what else to say, so she just sat and watched him sleep, his hand clasped in hers.

Eventually, she heard the 2-1B droid enter the room. "It is time for me to administer Captain Andor's medication, if you would step aside, please."

Reluctantly she stood and shoved the chair back where it had been, out of the way. "See you later, Cassian." She gave his hand a final squeeze and left without looking back. As much as she would have liked to tell herself she had felt an answering hand squeeze, she knew she hadn't. But maybe soon that would change. There was hope.

At this hour, the mess hall was nearly deserted and she was through the food line before she became aware that Bodhi, Chirrut and Baze were gathered at a table in the corner. Only as she started walking toward them did they seem to notice her, and Bodhi stopped with his food halfway to his mouth, staring. "Jyn? What are you wearing?"

Baze snickered as Jyn glanced down. She had forgotten about her attire. "Oh, I borrowed some of Cassian's clothes. Mine were filthy. These don't exactly fit, but they are clean. I didn't have anything else to put on."

"I think I can remedy that situation."

All heads turned to see Luke approaching with a young woman. Bodhi rose instantly and gave her a nod. "Princess Leia."

Jyn settled across from the three men, but eyed the newcomer. Luke had told them about Princess Leia's role in the Death Star's destruction. Somehow she had pictured someone older and more stately, more like Mon Mothma. This girl was probably near her own age.

"What do you mean?" Jyn blew on her caf to cool it and then took a sip.

"I'll have a word with the quartermaster and have him find clothing that will fit you."

Jyn grinned ruefully. "Good luck with that. I don't come in the standard size. It can be hard to find things for someone as small as me."

Leia laughed. "And you think I don't? If all else fails, I'll let you have some of my things. We're about the same size."

Jyn's eyebrows rose at this assertion. No, not like Mon Mothma at all. She looked over at her Rogue crewmates. "So, you've already met the Princess?"

Leia answered so the men could continue eating. "You got dragged off to the debriefing, but I wanted to meet, to thank, those of you who made our victory possible."

Jyn stirred her food thoughtfully. Made the victory possible, yes, but her father had made it necessary in the first place.

"Each of us must make choices in our lives and sometimes the lesser evil is the best we can manage," Chirrut observed. Only Baze did not turn to look at this pronouncement.

Leia dropped a hand on Jyn's arm. "He's saying that your father likely had little choice in what he did, but he made effective use of the chances he was given. The Empire isn't known to take no for an answer, but sometimes when we are very lucky their own arrogance betrays them. They thought Galen Erso was beaten into submission. They had no idea the poison they had released into their own system."

Jyn gave her a grateful smile. She rather thought she could like this woman. Even if she was a Princess.

Changing the subject, Chirrut asked, "How is Captain Andor doing?" All eyes turned to look at Jyn. Apparently everyone assumed she would know.

"I stopped by the medbay before coming here. They had just taken him out of bacta. He isn't conscious yet and will need more treatments, but the doctor says he should be fine."

There were murmured comments of pleasure at the news, but Leia had become silent and serious. After a moment, she told them, "I am glad to hear Captain Andor is recovering. One thing you should all know, and prepare for, however, is that we will soon be evacuating this base. The Empire now knows we are here. We need to leave before they can regroup from the loss of the Death Star and make another attack. New locations are being scouted, and we will be evacuating as much as we can over the next couple of days. General Dodonna does want to leave a group here to defend this site. I'm not sure I agree with that, but he thinks it could be useful. And evacuation will take time."

She looked around apologetically. "I'm sorry to put a damper on the conversation, but time is short. I know most of you are recovering from injuries, but any assistance you feel you can provide would be greatly appreciated."

Jyn pushed her tray away, no longer having an appetite. She had gotten most of it down before this unpleasant news, though she should have expected it. Saw would have been moving his base the same day if it had been located. She supposed only the size and number of personnel made the difference here. Quickly she swallowed the last of her caf and looked at the Princess. "My leg's still sore, so I won't be running any races, but otherwise I'm ready to do whatever you need."

The others gave similar assurances and then Leia rose. "Let's see what we can do about clothes that fit you, Jyn."

By the time Jyn returned to Cassian's quarters, it was nearly midnight. She hadn't done much while out and about, but already she was inclined to head back to bed. Looked like she still needed to make up for the lost sleep over the past couple of weeks.

Even so, she sat on the side of the bed, considering all that had happened in the three hours around the base. She would feel better if Cassian was awake before he had to be evacuated, but maybe that couldn't be helped. She'd make sure to pack up his room and take his things with her. It took her several moments of contemplation to realize she was disappointed that they needed to leave so soon. She should have known it would be necessary, but she had rather hoped for a little time to just relax. It didn't look like the Empire was going to make that possible, but then, when had they ever made her life easier.

Her eyes fell on the clothing Leia had secured for her and then she looked down at what she was wearing. She ran a hand down the front of the shirt. For some reason, she'd be a little sorry to give up the clothes now that she had another option. Still, Cassian would probably need them back.

The quartermaster had provided other necessities and she headed in to the sink to brush her teeth. Time to get some more sleep. She had promised to turn up for work by 0800.

xxxxx

Crossing the hangar on her way to breakfast the next morning, she heard someone calling her name. "Jyn! Jyn!" Bodhi was racing toward her like a madman, though the excitement on his face suggested good news rather than bad.

He skidded up to her and grabbed her hands. The cast on his arm seemed to be helping make him more functional. "You…You'll never believe it! He's here! He's here! Come on!" He turned, trying to drag her behind him.

"Bodhi, slow down. What's going on? Who's here?"

He kept tugging at her hand. "Come on! It's K-2 – he's here!"

At that, she dug in her heels, pulling them both to a stop. "That's not possible," she said hoarsely, her eyes wide. "It can't be."

Catching his breath and trying to talk slower so he made more sense, Bodhi explained, "I don't know all the details yet, but somehow he managed to escape and make it back to base. He's been here all this time, but they had him helping to load the heavy equipment and he hadn't heard we were here. And no one thought to tell us. You'll never guess – he brought back a stormtrooper with him! He talked the guy into helping him!"

Jyn's brain simply wouldn't absorb this news. K-2, alive? She allowed Bodhi to drag her along, still trying to get her mind around his words. Her thoughts went to Cassian and she smiled. If K was really here, that would be a very nice surprise for him to wake up to. A few minutes later, she and the KX unit were face to face.

"Jyn Erso. I am pleased to see you are here and in one piece."

She laughed. "You, too, K. You got a stormtrooper to help you escape?"

"I did. Regrettably, I must inform you that I no longer have the blaster you were kind enough to give me."

A man walking past announced, "You're not allowed a blaster, certainly not on base."

Before he got very far, K-2 called after him, "I do not recall asking your opinion."

"K, do you know about Cassian? Did Bodhi tell you?"

"He said Cassian is in the medbay, but still unconscious. I am expected to remain here and continue working."

Jyn didn't miss his petulant tone. "I know, but he is unconscious. As soon as he wakens, I'll make sure you're told and I'll make sure they let you come see him. For now, it probably is best if you continue working. The Empire knows where we are, so the sooner we get out of here, the sooner all of us will be much safer."

"Acknowledged. Thank you, Jyn Erso."

"Listen, I need to go eat and report for work myself. If they give you time off that you don't need for recharging, come and find me. Or stop by and see Cassian. I'll talk to the doctor so they allow you to be there." She stopped, smiling broadly at the droid and feeling her spirits lift immeasurably. "I'm really glad to see you, K."

"Likewise."

"Oi! Droid! Back to work."

"Perhaps it is wise they do not allow me to have a blaster," K observed, turning away, and it was all Jyn could do not to laugh outright. Yes, K was definitely back.

Bodhi fell in beside her. "I'll come with you to eat."

"What happened to the stormtrooper K brought with him?"

"They're still keeping a close eye on him. Obviously, they don't trust him yet. He isn't imprisoned, but he doesn't have free run of the base either. Someone is watching him all the time. I'm going to try to talk to him if I can. Maybe I can help him find a place with the Rebellion, if that's what he really wants. I'm still not sure why he assisted K's escape."

Jyn skidded to a halt, her eyes wide and fists clenched. "Why that lousy, stinking…mudcrutch!"

Bodhi's eyes went round, and he stumbled back a step, startled by the sudden venom in her voice. "Wh..what? Who?"

"Draven," she seethed. "He knew. He knew all along and said nothing."

"Knew what? What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about K. He stood there and listened to our mission report, including me saying that K was destroyed, and not once did he mention that wasn't so. He didn't tell us about K, and he didn't bother to tell K we had survived – that Cassian had survived. And people wonder why I despise that man."

Bodhi laid a soothing hand on her arm. "Yeah, okay, I know he can be irritating, but the important thing is that K is alive, and so are we. Draven can just go…go…well, you know."

That elicited a chuckle from her. "All right, Bodhi. I guess that is the most important thing. You didn't see the look on Cassian's face when we thought…"

"Well just remind yourself how happy he'll be when he finds out the truth. Now, come on – food. I don't want to have to go to work without eating first."

To be continued…

invented characters:

Sergeant Daster – head of the tech shop on the tech frigate

Dr Lesorid – kind doctor caring for Cassian

All other characters actually are taken from the existing Star Wars universe.