Chapter 7
One thing Cassian was sure of – Draven had not intended for him to be seeing the Millenium Falcon on the ground at Jakku, awaiting his arrival. His stomach tightened. Nerves? No reason for that. He was getting K back and could say hello to Jyn at least briefly. He wondered whether she or the droid would be the first to complain about Draven putting him back on active duty so soon on the heels of his recovery.
The welcome party that greeted him, however, didn't include any females. Solo explained she had joined Melshi's team and they had departed half an hour ago.
"I thought Draven just wanted you to drop K here and let him wait for my arrival on his own."
Solo grinned. "He did, but he failed to take Erso into account. She insisted we wait to see you, and she didn't want to leave the droid alone."
"I'm sure K would have been fine," Cassian said quietly, trying to quell the disappointment he felt.
"HE would have been fine, but I wouldn't if I abandoned him here."
"What do you mean?"
"Erso made it perfectly clear that if I didn't stay put until you got here, she'd track me down, shove me out an airlock and then use me for target practice. So, sorry, no way was I leaving until you collected the tin can. She would have done it."
Cassian smiled. "Yeah, she probably would. Well, thanks for that. I appreciate it." He turned to K. "I guess we should go, and let Solo get moving again before Command figures out what he's been doing."
"What I've been doing? Ship repairs. Always seem to need ship repairs at unusual times." He was quite pleased with himself.
"Right. How unfortunate for you." Cassian chuckled as he turned away. "See you around, Solo."
"Likewise, Andor."
xxxxx
Melshi had contacted Onoran while they were in hyperspace. Though he remained calm and collected during the conversation, Jyn could hear yelling several times, even from where she was seated on the corridor benches.
When Melshi finally closed the connection and came to the back, she raised a questioning eyebrow at him.
"He's letting me keep my team members."
There was obviously more to it than that, but it did cover the material point. "I heard my name mentioned." Her mouth tweaked with amusement.
"Yeah, probably several times. It appears that General Draven blames you for the recent spate of insubordination among some of the officers. He was nearby and felt the need to voice his opinion to Onoran about this reassignment."
She shrugged. "I admit nothing; I deny nothing."
The man didn't smile often, but that broke his reserve and he grinned. "You'll understand if I don't mention that to Draven any time soon?"
She smiled and changed subjects. "Any progress on the evacuation from Yavin?" Baze and Chirrut turned to listen in.
"The blockade is holding, but we're still slipping some small ships through. And losing a few. We got most of the heavy equipment out before they set it up, so it is more personnel and small stuff now. With so much of the Alliance Fleet off-planet, the Empire doesn't seem to want to risk a full out attack on the base for fear it will allow us to make a devastating raid somewhere else. And they're right – we would. But if they ease off the blockade to chase us down elsewhere, that could enable us to break the blockade and get more people out. So, for now, there are skirmishes both on and off the planet, as each side tries to gain the upper hand."
"Any luck finding somewhere for a new base?" Baze asked.
Melshi shook his head. "Still looking. Let's face it, the Empire controls more planets and systems than they do not. Staying off their screens isn't easy to do. Yavin was nearly perfect in that regard. I doubt we'll be so fortunate a second time."
"So what do we do?" Chirrut inquired.
"Same as SpecForces has always done – sabotage, information gathering, supply acquisition. Whatever opportunity presents itself, we step in and make use of it."
"We're still a rather small team," Jyn observed. "Granted, the four of us are good, but you're the only one who can fly the ship, and that will limit what we can do."
"There are others I'm working on getting assigned to us. You three just happened to be the first ones readily available to grab. I'm hoping to have a pilot within the week. I already put in a request."
Jyn didn't dare hope that it might be Bodhi. He had already indicated they kept him busy shuttling supplies and personnel as needed. Still, what the SpecForces team did was also essential, so perhaps that would make a difference – though she didn't want to count on Bodhi joining them.
"What's next, then?" Baze leaned back against the wall as he posed the question, hands behind his head.
"For the moment, we return to the fleet. If we get our pilot, there may be a mission immediately afterwards."
xxxxx
After so long separated, it took a little time for Cassian and K to get back into a familiar routine between them. Cassian had always been quiet, but now it seemed to K that he was even more so than usual, and the droid was uncertain what to make of it. Further, he did not talk about their former companions. When he had been recovering, Jyn had kept K-2 apprised of any contact with Cassian or the others, and even made sure he could speak with Cassian several times. Now they seemed to be completely cut off from the Rogue One team, particularly Jyn Erso.
"Cassian, I notice that you have not mentioned Jyn Erso in the past 8.4 days. Have the two of you quarreled? I understand that is often the reason humans do not speak to one another."
Cassian sighed. "No, K, we haven't quarreled. I'm not sure I can explain it so you will understand."
K's circuits whirred as he processed this response. "When last I saw Jyn Erso, she indicated that she missed you. Do you not miss her? Is that not what friends do? I am your friend and I missed you."
"K…look, I've done too much. Gone too far. Jyn doesn't know me – not well – it would make a difference if she did. Now, please, can we not talk about this anymore?"
"As you wish." But even as he fell silent, K continued trying to run the data to understand what had changed to make Cassian's behavior toward Jyn so very much different from before. For that matter, Cassian was much moodier than he had previously been, and K was concerned that there was some problem he was not voicing. His movements were more lethargic, and he had no enthusiasm for anything he did. To K's visual sensors, he was merely going through the motions of his tasks. How could the droid help if he did not know the issue?
It took another two weeks before Cassian was willing to talk about anything that had to do with Scarif. Only then did he finally ask about the details of K-2's escape. "I didn't realize you could be so persuasive, K. How's the stormtrooper doing? Tag, did you say?"
"Affirmative. I assume he is well. I have not been in contact with him since I left the tech ship, but he seemed satisfied with the chance to work repairing droids. I believe Jyn convinced someone to let him do it. Until then, he mostly only did odd tasks when they required it."
Cassian did not react to the mention of Jyn, though K had hoped he would. Initially, he had not liked the woman, any more than she had liked him, but that had changed. For all her recklessness and argumentative talk, she had gone out of her way to assist both Cassian and K. The latter had greatly surprised him. And then she had done the one thing no one else would – entrusted him with a blaster. He understood why the rebels were mistrustful of him, and Cassian had pointed out that he sometimes misunderstood human interaction and responded inappropriately, but still it had annoyed him that he was left somewhat defenseless while entering dangerous situations with Cassian. Granted he was never entirely defenseless, with his droid strength and quick reactions, but that was not always enough for safety. Only Jyn had been unwilling to leave him to defend himself as best he could without a weapon. He supposed he could have taken a blaster from one of the stormtroopers he downed, but it had never entirely occurred to him to go against orders. Minor instructions, yes, he sometimes ignored those, but 'no weapon' had always been a much stronger restriction. Jyn chose to defy the order and give him every possible chance of survival.
When they had worked together once they were off Scarif, she had not found another blaster for him, adhering to the Alliance's edict in that regard. But he had always suspected that if she deemed it necessary for him to be armed at any given moment, a blaster would be thrust into his hands. Perhaps he did not always understand the subtlety of not shooting the enemy on sight when trying to be inobtrusive, but when there were no such strictures she would let him fight. That was important to him.
Just as Jyn had proven herself with regard to him, she had also proven herself with regard to Cassian. It was 'frustrating', as the humans put it, not to be able to make Cassian see that. Some of what Jyn had done for K, while Cassian was in the medbay, he knew was more in consideration of Cassian than the droid. For some reason, Cassian did not seem to understand that, or appreciate it as he should. It would seem that human relationships were even more complicated than Jyn or Cassian had ever explained to him.
xxxxx
It had taken some effort, but slowly Melshi managed to build his team and get them working effectively together. It was a more disparate group than he was used to having, but with a little consideration he was able to figure ways to use them for the best benefit on missions.
He hadn't been disappointed with the skills Erso brought with her from her time in the Partisans. Those had been very useful. They were two months in and he was comfortable knowing everyone's capability. Certainly they were all willing to deliver whatever he asked of them.
The new mission assignment wasn't a great deal different from many others they had done. After closing out the line with command, he called back into the ship, "Erso, I'm gonna need some of your whizbangs."
"Okay, how many?"
"At least three, but six would be better. Fifteen minutes."
"On it."
Jyn rooted through the extra duffel with supplies that she carried, setting out the items she would need.
"Would you like some help?" Chirrut had, once again, silently materialized behind her. At least she had mostly stopped jumping when he did it.
"Sure. Have a seat and hold these." As he sat down, she pressed an orb into each hand.
"These feel like thermal detonators."
She grinned. "And what would a Guardian know about thermal detonators, hmmm?"
Innocently he replied, "I have merely heard of them."
"So well described that you can imagine what they must feel like, huh?"
"Exactly!" They both laughed.
"They're similar – same shape, but the ingredients and function of them is somewhat different. Both explode, though." As she spoke, her hands were working, compiling the pieces into the whole. Baze had joined them, and was now holding two devices also.
"You learn this from Saw Gerrera?" Baze asked.
She nodded. "We had to know a little bit of everything, but I was particularly good with explosives. Not sure if that was a good or bad thing, but it was useful."
"How are you able to put them together so fast?" Baze persisted.
"I compile parts of them during off hours, and then just do the final assembly prior to using them. That keeps them from being a danger, lying around, but produces a finished product quicker when they're needed.
"Those ready?" Melshi came up behind Jyn.
"Got four. Give me another two minutes and you'll have all six."
"You got two."
Melshi took the ones Baze was holding and Jyn handed the Guardian two more as she completed their assembly. When she finished, the Sergeant stooped down, briefly explaining their mission goal. "We'll need a distraction on the north side, so Baze and Chirrut can move in through the south entrance. Once Erso and I have set these, I'll blow them to draw attention away. As soon as they go off, we'll swing back around and cover your exit, hopefully with the information we want. Tonc can stand ready to provide cover for us returning to the ship if necessary. All clear?"
Everyone nodded and each began to gather what items they needed to take with them, while the ship landed, and then they set out. It actually turned out to be one of their easier missions. Everything went as planned – that didn't happen too often – and they were away in short order.
Back on board, Chirrut decided to take a nap, but Jyn and Baze settled in the hold they had repurposed for relaxing and socializing, sprawled on benches. "Those things don't do much damage, do they?" Baze observed.
Jyn shrugged. "Depends. These didn't, but it all depends on what I put into them. There's a mix for when you just want flash and noise, and then there's another one for when you want a more harmful effect. Melshi calls them 'whizbangs' when he just wants the flash and noise; he's dubbed the others 'nutcrackers'."
Baze chuckled and then fell silent. As they sat there, lost in their own thoughts, a beep sounded. Both looked around. "What was that?" Baze asked, standing to walk around, listening for the sound. It came again, but he still was unable to place where it was coming from.
Jyn rose. "Don't know. Maybe something with the ship. Excuse me for a minute." She turned toward the 'fresher before he could respond.
Once inside, she fished around in a pocket and brought out the comlink she had tucked there. It beeped again as she held it in her hand, eliciting a frown. She should have given this to K before they parted company, but she had forgotten she had it. When she found it among her things, she had stuck it in a pocket. It had stayed there ever since, through each change of clothing. There wasn't any reason to carry it, or to use it to contact K. To do so would just be awkward, and what would she say anyway. Cassian didn't seem inclined to stay in touch with her, and she was still trying to figure out what to make of that.
While he was recovering, he had been eager enough to hear from her, but since he was released and went back to work – silence. Likely Draven was at least partially responsible, but Cassian could have… The comlink beeped again, and decisively she pressed the button. "Yeah, K, what's up?"
The response was a series of beeps – short and long, and made no sense, except that it almost sounded like some sort of code. She chewed her lip a moment, then said, "Hang on, K – let me see if Melshi recognizes this code you're sending."
It would be embarrassing that she had the comlink, but on the off chance there was something wrong with Cassian and K, she would have to risk that. She found the Sergeant in the cockpit, chatting with Bodhi. Just Bodhi's presence gave her a warm feeling – she was glad Melshi had been able to secure him as the team pilot. He brought Tonc on first, but it took longer to persuade command to assign Bodhi to the SpecForces. That kept some of the Rogue team together anyway, all but two.
"Melshi, you recognize this?" She spoke into the comlink, "Go ahead, K."
The beeping started again and Melshi cocked his head listening attentively. When it stopped, he caught hold of it and answered, "On our way, K-2. Bodhi, set course for Coyerti."
Baze had followed Jyn to the cockpit when she hurried past him, and now all three eyed Melshi questioningly. "Distress signal. They need assistance. Andor explained it to me once – the droid can receive messages either silently, so only he hears them, or aloud so anyone standing near him can hear. But the only way he can respond is either verbal, which anyone could overhear, or if that is too dangerous, with a coded signal like this."
"Does he say where they are on Coyerti? I, uh, spent some time there," Jyn admitted.
"He was keeping his signal brief in hopes it would go undetected. When we're closer, we'll try to lock onto his comm to find them. But it might help if you know your way around." Melshi looked at Bodhi. "Expected arrival?"
"About forty minutes."
"All right, then, rest while you can, grab something to eat. If they've been forced to hide, this extraction might not go so smoothly as our last mission."
xxx
A blast struck the building above Jyn, showering her with debris. Well, better that than her head.
"Little sister, go!" Baze dropped to one knee and began his rapid fire, enabling her to bolt from cover and continue toward the ship. Once she was behind him, she turned and took shots of her own covering his retreat.
"Chirrut make it?" she asked, taking down two more stormtroopers who hadn't stayed behind protection.
"Should be onboard now. Just us, I think."
He backed away, and Jyn turned to cover their rear as they moved. When they neared the ship, she saw Chirrut by the ramp controls. "Chirrut," she called, "how many?"
He understood her meaning. "You two and then we're gone."
"Get to the ship, Baze. Then cover me." He nodded and made a dash for the ramp as she threw blast after blast toward their pursuers, discouraging them getting a clear shot in return.
An instant later, Baze yelled, "Now."
With that, she turned and ran, ducking low and allowing him to pick off anyone who tried to get a bead on her. The ramp started rising even before she reached it, but she leaped on as the ship was already lifting off.
She, Baze and Chirrut stumbled to seats while the craft rose in the atmosphere and then made the hyperspace jump. As soon as it steadied, Jyn was on her feet, moving to the cabin area to find Cassian. K stood outside the door, making the correct room easy to locate – his size made it difficult to fit inside the small space. She squeezed past him, and examined Cassian's injury.
"He lost a great deal of blood – I would estimate it is nearly a liter by now, though otherwise I do not think the injury would be so severe. However, we were forced to conceal ourselves and there was the potential the blood loss would take his life before we could escape and properly treat it. He has been awake once or twice."
"You did the right thing in contacting me, K." She fumbled through the medpac, digging out supplies to rebandage the wound. She found the Coagulin hypo and injected him, followed by Antishock, to be on the safe side. "Just get us to the medical frigate as fast as possible.
Without another word, the droid headed for the cockpit. He was replaced in the doorway by Melshi, grasping the frame above his head as he watched her work. "How is he?"
"If K's estimate of blood loss is accurate, and everything seems to indicate it is, I would say he risks going into shock. K says he's been awake, so that's a good sign. Hopefully the Coagulin I gave him will slow the bleeding." She shrugged helplessly. "That's all we can do until we get him to the medbay."
Melshi nodded his understanding. Before he could move away, she asked, "Did Bodhi and Tonc get clear with Cassian's ship?"
"Yeah, they'll rendezvous with us back at the fleet. No other injuries; just a few minor cuts and scrapes."
He disappeared from the doorway and Jyn leaned back against the bunk wall, catching hold of Cassian's hand. "Can't leave you alone for a minute, can I?" she murmured.
To her surprise, she felt slight pressure against her hand and a moment later, Cassian's eyes struggled open, staring blearily at her. "Jyn?"
"I'm here."
"H..how…?" He didn't have the strength to even finish the question.
She held up the comlink where he could see it. "I forgot about this when I gave your things to K. I had been carrying it around, using it on missions with K and didn't think about it still being in my pocket. He called for help."
Cassian's hand lifted and made a couple of weak attempts to bat at his chest, but then dropped to his side and he faded out again. Jyn sighed and brushed his hair back from his face. It didn't seem fair for him to be so injured such a short time after recovering from Scarif. She was just glad K had returned to his side before it happened.
At least the two hypos appeared to stabilize Cassian's condition sufficiently for the time it took to reach the medical frigate. Melshi went off to report in to Draven and Onoran about the extraction, and Jyn settled next to K in the waiting area so she could hear what the doctors said after they examined Cassian.
The two sat in silence quite some time, but finally K ventured, "How much is too much? And how far is too far?"
Jyn blinked. "What?"
The droid turned to gaze at her. "When I asked Cassian why he had not mentioned you, he said it would make a difference to you if you knew him better. He seemed to suggest you would not like him because he had 'done too much' and 'gone too far'. He would not explain it further. I am curious to know why you would no longer wish to be his friend."
Jyn drew in a long slow breath and carefully exhaled it. "I don't know, K. As he said, there are things in his past that…he's done things for the Rebellion that might be considered cruel and cold-hearted. Ruthless. On Eadu, when he was supposed to kill my father, I accused him of being no better than a stormtrooper, because he obeyed orders blindly and did terrible things. He probably thinks if I knew more of the things he's done I would…hate him."
K's circuits whirred, processing this new data. "Is it true that you would?"
She shrugged. "I don't know. I haven't exactly lived a pure life either, especially when I was with Saw. I know Saw shielded me from the worst atrocities he committed, but that doesn't leave me entirely blameless. Even if I didn't help, I knew – or at least suspected – they were happening. And I made mistakes that had horrific results whether I intended them or not."
They were both silent for several minutes more, and then she added, "What Cassian forgets is that I know the things he's done aren't the sum total of who he is. I've seen his concern and his compassion. Maybe there were times he lost sight of those things in himself, but they are still a part of him. I might not approve of some of what he did for the Alliance, but I don't think I could ever hate him."
"Are these things he's done the reason he sometimes has bad dreams and does not get proper rest? Why he sometimes weeps?"
Jyn pressed her lips together, biting back tears. She knew K was genuinely concerned about Cassian, but she was sure the man would be mortified to know they were having this discussion. Still, maybe it was necessary. If K was asking her about this, then likely he had never felt he could ask anyone else, and Cassian probably avoided speaking of such matters. "Yeah, K. Those are the reason. He does whatever he is ordered to do, whatever he has to do, but it comes at a cost. Each time he does something questionable, he wounds himself in the process. And there is no medical treatment to heal those wounds."
"Are you saying there is nothing I can do to help Cassian, then?"
She smiled at the droid. "You're doing as much as you can. You're with him, no matter what, watching his back, doing your best to keep him safe. He feels unworthy of friendship with other humans, so having your companionship fills a need in him."
The doctor appeared then, interrupting further conversation. "We have Captain Andor stabilized and comfortable. He was dangerously close to more serious repercussions. You got him here just in time."
Jyn made a face. "We seem to do that much too frequently."
"Indeed." He gestured behind him. "He's sedated, but if you'd like to see him for a moment, that would be all right."
"I will wait here. Looking at someone who is asleep serves no purpose," K announced, causing the other two to smile.
"Yeah, well, humans tend to do it anyway, K. Be back in a few minutes."
After Dr. Lesorid left the room, Jyn stood staring at Cassian from the foot of the bed. It wasn't right that he looked younger and at peace only when in a drug-induced sleep. K had once mentioned that Cassian was just twenty-six years old. Most of the time, looking at him, that seemed impossible. The weight he carried on his shoulders added a good ten years to his appearance.
What would he look like if his life had been unburdened by the cares of fighting in a Rebellion? For that matter, what would she look like, if her parents had lived and she had grown up in a normal family environment? Both of them had their childhood stolen, and had little choice but to grow up fast and hard if they wanted to survive. Without that, would he be married now, settled quietly on some planet with a wife and children? Would he be happy?
Her imagination wasn't strong enough to envision such a scenario, for him or for herself. Their past couldn't be undone, and it would shape their future – as little as there might be of it – no matter what.
She moved up alongside the bed. Could two wounded souls help each other heal, or would they merely tear each other apart even more? Until Cassian, she had never truly considered sharing her life with someone. True, she'd had feelings for Hadder when she was younger, and given time, that might have developed into more. The Empire had made sure nothing came of it, and ever since Jyn had been careful to keep other people at a distance. She could tolerate a lot of pain physically, but emotional pain was too overwhelming. It was much easier to keep it at bay from the outset.
Then along came Cassian and K, followed by Baze and Chirrut, then Bodhi, then the entire Rogue One team. There hadn't been time to get to know most of the team before they were lost on Scarif – more guilt and pain to eat at her – but she still had that core of a family in the others. And family was something she had never thought to have ever again, something she wasn't entirely sure it was wise to have. Yet some part of her could not turn it away when offered the chance. Cassian's words to her of 'welcome home' had struck a much deeper chord than he could possibly have imagined. And she had wanted, desperately, to hang onto her family this time, to keep them close and safe. They had been separated from one another in only a week.
Her jaw clenched, fighting to hold back tears. This again – she would not cry. She did not cry. She had stopped a very long time ago. The conversation K mentioned having with Cassian confirmed what she had suspected, that he was pulling away from her. Whatever they shared before and during the events at Scarif was being trampled under the expediency of war. He had said that he and the others on the Rogue One team wanted their past sacrifices to count for something, that they wanted something good to outshine their history. In death, hopefully they had found that. Even Melshi and Tonc had appeared more reconciled to their past now that they were back in the thick of fighting. Cassian…Cassian looked to have gone deeper into himself than ever before, if he was even shutting her out.
She drew a chair near and sat down hard, discouraged. She would gladly help him, if she could, but Draven and orders and war would separate them again soon, and there would be no opportunity for it. For that matter, what could she offer to help him heal? She was no less damaged than he was, except that perhaps she still clung to hope. That now eluded him, if his remarks to K were any indication.
Her knuckles whitened as her hands fisted. She wanted to scream, to punch something, kick something, break something. Now would be the time to turn her loose on a squad of stormtroopers with her truncheon. That just might be enough to bleed off some of this frustration. Or maybe it would require two squads. But this sitting here, doing nothing…it was maddening.
Her jaw clenched tighter and she stood decisively, striding out of the room. When she did not stop in the waiting room, K rose and followed her. "Jyn Erso, where are you going? Is there a problem?"
"I have something to do, K. It might be best if you don't come with me – you won't approve, but I can't allow you to prevent me from doing it."
"Does it have to do with Cassian?"
Her step faltered. "Yes," she admitted.
"Am I correct in assuming that it might be considered 'illegal' what you intend to do? Perhaps you think to access information that would not readily be given to you?"
"K…don't. You can't stop me. This is something I have to do, that I have to know."
"I was not going to stop you, Jyn. I was going to offer my assistance. If you are this determined, I am certain you think it might be helpful to Cassian."
She didn't look back at the droid. "You could get into trouble if you help me, K. They expect me to do such things."
"I will only get into trouble if we are caught, and with my assistance, the likelihood of that decreases by 18% over your acting alone."
She smiled, then said firmly, "Let's get started."
K guided her to the best spot to work without being detected. As his hands moved over the terminal keys, he inquired, "May I ask why you believe it necessary for you to do this? What purpose will it serve?"
She didn't answer for several minutes, watching him work, but also keeping an eye out for anyone who might be approaching. Finally, she told him, "If I'm going to tell him that everything he's done can be forgiven, or at least accepted, then I have to know within myself that it's true. If I don't know it, he'll know I don't know it, and he won't believe me."
"Understood. All of it?"
She straightened with determination. "Yes, all of it."
The download took far less time than Jyn had expected, but K was soon handing her a datacard. "I thought it best to give it to you in this form, in case you are required to leave before you have time to go completely through it."
"Thanks, K." She stared at the datacard in her hand. Part of her felt guilty about invading Cassian's privacy this way; she was sure he wouldn't want her looking at this. But she also thought it absolutely necessary if she was to help him at all. He'd read of her past, at least the part that was recorded in a file, and had accepted her. Now it was her turn.
She glanced back toward the medbay. "Are you going to stay with him a while longer? He isn't likely to wake for some time."
"There is not a great deal else that I can do. I will wait. Perhaps he will waken and wish to speak with me."
She nodded. "See you later – if I can. I'm not sure how long Onoran will let us stay here."
"Was our ship recovered?"
"Yes. I'll find out if it's returned yet." She held up the comlink. "Guess I ought to hang onto this for the time being."
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.
Ch 7 note: The ship Melshi ends up with for his team is a VCX-100 (same as the Ghost in other stories and seen at the Battle of Scarif) and I've based my details off what little we know from the other stories that include it.
Based on the Ghost, the ship's armament comprised a dorsal turret and a frontal-turret, the latter being controlled by a gunner in its seat or from the cockpit. The cargo bay and main entrance ramp of the VCX-100 was mostly located in the front of the freighter, below the forward-turret. VCX-100s also had a slot in between its main engines, into which a VCX-series auxiliary starfighter could dock. The VCX-100 was also outfitted with a magnetic cargo clamp on its ventral plating, capable of holding several bulk containers. From a labeled picture, it appears that there are 4 cargo holds in the ship (or it may be 1 single hold running along the belly of the ship below the main floor) – I've gone with 4 separate smaller holds.
The Ghost had the captain and a crew of 8 people + 2 droids (so 9 people total). It had sleeping quarters and since they often lived on board, a kitchen and at least one 'fresher are likely. The only mention seen of shared rooms is that Zeb and Ezra shared, so possibly there are 8 private rooms, but they are big enough that 2 could share. [I've assumed 4 cabins on each side of the central corridor, with a 'fresher in the middle of each. There is also a 'fresher near the cockpit for ready use of the piloting crew. I've placed the kitchen at the back end of the central corridor.
A picture on Wookiepedia seems to show 4 seats in cockpit: pilot and co-pilot, then a chair behind each of them.
The smaller VCX-100 Starfighter had crew of 1 and could carry at least 4 passengers, so larger freighter would hold more. All pictures that seem to show the Starfighter docked on rear of the Freighter have it very small in comparison, so freighter is much larger.
Ch 7 note: Hypovolemic shock, also known as hemorrhagic shock, is a life-threatening condition that results when you lose more than 20 percent (one-fifth) of your body's blood or fluid supply. [20% of 5 ltr = 1 ltr]
Ch 7 note: The details of bomb making/use are essentially accurate but they have been slightly modified to the Star Wars universe. Things that might not be possible in our world are in that world, mainly in what could or could not trigger them.