Chapter 13
"Team, form up. We're coming out of hyperspace now."
Cassian jolted awake at the announcement. He sat up, somewhat in a daze, and looked around. It wasn't like him to take naps, but clearly he had drifted off while lying here thinking. He shoved to his feet, ran a comb through his hair, then stopped in the 'fresher to splash water on his face before heading to the meeting area in the main corridor.
Melshi outlined the plan, and showed a rudimentary map of the town. "Erso will go west of the area and plant some whizbangs. When everyone is ready, she'll draw attention there. Work fast. We won't have a lot of time to collect as much stuff as we can carry."
"How strong is the Imperial presence? Is it safe for K-2 to come and help, or would he be out of place?"
Melshi considered Bodhi's question, then asked one of his own. "How's that program you're working on, Tonc? Ready to go yet?"
"For K-2? Not yet. Still have more programming to do, and then testing to be sure it even works."
"Bodhi, you think you could bluff your way in as an Imperial cargo pilot and provide cover for K-2's presence?"
Bodhi's hesitation was evident. Taking a breath, Cassian said, "I could bluff my way in."
All eyes turned toward him, and he stifled his reaction to the attention. At length, Melshi asked, "You sure?"
Cassian knew the reason for the question. He hadn't exactly done a stellar job on his last outing; of course Melshi would wonder if he was going to freeze up again. He swallowed hard, then replied, "I can do it. I'll have K with me if there are problems."
Melshi studied him a moment, then flicked his eyes to Jyn who gave him a subtle nod. "Okay, then. Bodhi, looks like you sit this one out. The ship is yours. Erso, is our ship registration solid?"
"All set. It will pass muster."
"Landing in ten minutes," K called from the cockpit.
"Erso, with me. I'll tell you what I need." Melshi moved toward the armory cabin and Jyn followed, suspecting the real reason for this conversation.
Once inside, Melshi asked quietly, "Can he do this? Really?"
Jyn considered a moment, then nodded. "I think so. Coyerti was an odd situation. He had just been there recently and wounded. This should be simple enough not to trigger anything. And K will be with him if it does. He'll make sure Cassian gets out."
Melshi sighed. "Okay, I'll take your word for it. I had thought he intended to just pilot, but so far he's volunteered to participate in both missions."
She grinned. "Did you really think he could manage to sit idle while everyone else went out? He might want to, he might think he could, but it was never very likely he wouldn't feel the need to help. We just have to make sure someone is with him, and that the part he plays is relatively safe so he doesn't endanger others. At least until he's ready for more."
"Right. Anyway, as I mentioned, a few whizbangs to draw attention. The more confusion you create a good distance from the warehouse, the better. But, then, you're good at chaos."
"Oh, yeah! Lots of practice. Melee and mayhem, too."
The first order of business on the ground was for Cassian to acquire an Imperial outfit. That proved a little tricky, finding a suitable 'donor', but finally one was located, and he made the clothing change after the body was bound and concealed. He and K continued on to the supply storage warehouse as the others took up position nearby.
It took longer for Jyn to get in position than they expected, but finally she reported she was set.
"Team ready. Thief, light it up."
Jyn's bombs went off and immediately drew Imperial notice. Two squads left the warehouse and set off at a jog toward the site. Not nearly so many as they had hoped, though, to make this less likely to devolve into a firefight. Fortunately, Jyn wasn't done yet. Another, larger explosion went off a little ways north of the first, and the second one raised more concern. This time, they got the response they had wanted.
Cassian made his move, entering the facility. A squad of troopers were gathered at the door, looking in the direction of the explosions, but came to attention at the sight of him and the KX unit. "Is there a reason you men are not responding to that attack?" he snapped.
The squad leader replied, "We thought we should stand guard here, sir."
"If those are rebels or insurgents, and they do much damage, 'here' won't matter a great deal. Get over there and help. This KX unit can keep watch over the supplies."
"Yes, sir. With me." The leader set off, and the others fell in behind him.
As soon as they rounded a corner, Cassian drew his comlink. "Warehouse clear. Let's go." He turned to K-2. "Take a quick look around to make sure there isn't anyone else. We don't want any surprises."
Another explosion was heard, this time farther east, and Cassian smiled. Jyn would lead these Imps on a merry chase. He just hoped she wouldn't take too many risks to do it.
It proved to be a good haul: medical supplies, that were always sorely needed, and numerous weapons to help restock the armory. The team worked efficiently, loading as much stuff as they could into whatever could be carried quickly back to the ship. Chirrut and Baze made a trip while the others were loading up, and returned just as Melshi and Tonc set off with a load. They managed two more trips before Melshi called it. Baze grabbed another crate that had been readied, Chirrut shouldered several bags of supplies, and then Cassian and K followed them out with the last load.
Jyn skidded on board just as they were dropping the final haul in the cargo bay, and Bodhi began liftoff.
Once in the air, they convened for a debrief.
"Any problems?"
Everyone shook their head, but Baze reached over and dropped a satchel in Jyn's lap. "Present for you, little sister."
Bodhi leaned over to take a look as she opened it. "Ooh! You do love me, Baze."
"What are those?" To Bodhi, they weren't recognizable as anything useful.
"They're what make my bombs go boom."
"Detonators?"
"Initiators. The detonators trigger these and these trigger the bomb to explode. Nice find, Baze. Thanks."
Tonc snorted. "Seriously, are there any other women in the galaxy who would be excited with a gift like that?"
"I could introduce you to a few," Jyn retorted. "We're not so uncommon as you think."
She reached into her own satchel. "Speaking of gifts, I have one for Cassian."
"Me? Why?"
"Because I'm tired of rations. I want something good to eat. Next stop at a planet with what you need, you get to go shopping." She handed over a bag of credits.
"Where did you get that?" Melshi asked, his eyebrows scrunching together. "I thought you were busy blowing things up."
"I multi-tasked. Bombs and pickpocketing Imps. They very courteously funded the restocking of our kitchen. Though there's quite a bit, so I guess we should spend at least some of it on Alliance stuff, too."
"Untraceable?"
"Of course. Pulled coins off the chips at an automated system. They're easier and no trail." She looked mildly affronted by the question.
"Good work. Figure out how much we're keeping, and we'll turn the rest in with the other supplies when we drop them off. Anyone else have extra bounty to share?"
"I suppose since I neglected to return the uniform to its owner, that could be considered 'bounty'. I'll keep it handy in case we need it again," Cassian told him, removing the hat, and shaking out his hair.
"Okay, then. I'll go call it in. Dismissed."
Jyn started toward her cabin, and Cassian fell in behind her. "Is it always like this?"
"Like what?" She glanced back, but kept walking.
"So…relaxed? It's almost as though none of you are taking the mission seriously, but yet you are. It just seems like you're also having…a good time?"
She laughed. "Yes, I suppose so. I guess…I guess we're just comfortable with each other, and we trust the others to be doing what they're supposed to do. And that thing with Baze grabbing initiators for me and me snagging credits on the side, well, if we see little extras that we can do without compromising the mission or each other, we take advantage. This one went pretty smoothly, but some fall apart and some we just manage to get done what is needed and get out."
"And the…teasing? Like with you and Tonc."
She paused outside his door, considering it for the first time. "I don't know. With Bodhi, because he knew my father, I guess he always kind of felt like a brother to me. But Tonc, well, we just kind of fell into that, the teasing. I suppose he feels like another brother to me now. Considering I was an only child, I guess it's a little strange that I suddenly have two brothers."
"What about the others?"
"Oh, Baze and Chirrut, they're more like…like father figures, in a way. And Melshi… I'm not sure what Melshi is. He doesn't fit into any category as yet, at least none of the ones that already exist. Maybe because he's the boss."
She didn't mention where Cassian fit into the picture, and he wasn't sure he wanted to risk asking, so he stepped into his room as he removed the Imperial jacket. She stood at the door a moment longer, then moved on to her cabin.
Once she was gone, he pushed the door closed and sat on his bed, staring unseeingly at the Imperial hat in his hands. Being on this ship, on this crew, wasn't like anything he had previously done. Had Scarif bonded them all in some indefinable way that superceded military protocols? They still worked missions, and behaved in roughly a militaristic way, but he almost thought this camaraderie must be more akin to being a Partisan. The rest of the Alliance was still out there, supporting them as they supported it, but their intimate group was an island in the midst of that.
His thoughts still were deadened, along with his emotions, but pinpricks of feeling were starting to come through. For the first time since leaving the medbay after Scarif, he was eager to do something, and it wasn't related to the Alliance. He glanced at the bag of credits sitting on the table and smiled, thinking of what meals he could prepare for the team. He had forgotten how much he enjoyed cooking. There had been little opportunity for it in recent years, but now the thought of sharing that ability with the others was pleasing. He wasn't sure how Draven had been convinced to let him shift to Melshi's team under Onoran, but he didn't want to question the providence either. He needed to be here, wanted to be here, for as long as possible.
Jyn had been right. He could stay on the ship or offer whatever he felt capable of doing, and no one questioned either decision. He knew Melshi was still a little hesitant when he volunteered, and he had seen the glances at Jyn for approval. But he also knew it only meant they were concerned for him, and wanted to make sure he was safe. Like Jyn had said, they all had his back.
Abruptly he stood, and finished changing into his own clothes so he could rejoin the team. To his surprise, he wanted to seek out the company of others. Maybe he could help Tonc with that program for K-2.
xx
"Prepare to spend those credits I gave you."
Cassian looked up from the terminal screen, raising an eyebrow at Jyn.
"Melshi just told me. We're to layover on Chalcedon for a few days, before rendezvousing on Takodana to hand off our cargo. Then we'll have another mission out in this area."
"Too bad," Bodhi commented from where he sat tinkering with some part of the ship he was improving. "I wouldn't have minded seeing that Castle on Takodana again, for longer this time. How come we're not just laying over there?"
Melshi joined them just then and explained, "Too risky. With the Empire hot on our heels after Scarif, we don't want to bring that kind of attention there. Maz Kanata would have our necks and then ban us for life. Quick exchanges is one thing, but lengthy stays are inadvisable."
"But Chalcedon has a good marketplace with lots of variety. You should be able to find something to suit your cooking skills," Jyn remarked, returning to her original conversation.
Cassian nodded. "I haven't been there, but I'll have a look around to see what they have."
"Anything good to see or do?" Tonc asked, continuing his work at the terminal without looking up.
Jyn leaned back in her seat and shrugged. "Not so much, unless you're looking to buy, sell or trade. The planet is pretty nondescript and the atmosphere barely breathable, so the only thing of interest are the starports for ships traveling along the trade route. They can refuel, make purchases of supplies or sometimes pick up crew. You might be able to find a decent bar, if you look hard enough. Just watch out for thieves and pickpockets – spaceports like this always draw those in abundance."
"You've been there before?" Melshi asked, settling down to join them.
"I've been a lot of places before, but especially the Mid and Outer Rim – it's easier to escape Imperial notice out here. And busy spaceports usually meant I could find some kind of work." The conversation was tending in a direction that Jyn didn't particularly care to go, so before any more questions could be asked about her past, she shoved to her feet and wandered out. If anyone thought it strange, at least they didn't attempt to follow her.
That left her a little at loose ends though. After a moment, she made her way to the back of the ship.
"Hey, K." Jyn sauntered into the cargo hold the droid used for recharging, and escaping the humans. When he had worked with the team while Cassian was still recovering, he had claimed this hold for his own unless it was needed otherwise, and everyone understood to give him his privacy there just as they had in their cabins.
"Jyn Erso. Is there something you require?"
"No, not at all. I just wanted to see how you were doing. Other than when you're working, you don't spend much time up front with the rest of us."
"I have found that humans do not prefer interacting with me any more than I do with them."
Jyn grinned. "Well, you do have a strong personality sometimes, and your size intimidates them. But we're your friends. We're more used to your quirks."
"Quirks? Droids do not have quirks."
"Sure they do. Same as people. I suppose the techs usually call them 'glitches', but that suggests something is wrong. Quirks are just part of different personalities. You know that's why Cassian doesn't do memory wipes on you, right? Most people do those to prevent their droids from developing personalities. They're afraid the droids will get too smart and stage a rebellion of their own against sentients."
"I knew memory wipes were standard procedure, but I never gave much thought to why Cassian did not employ them. I assumed he never found it necessary."
"Exactly. He's never felt there was any reason to take away your memory. So don't lead a droid uprising or you'll make him look bad."
She settled down on the floor next to him, not surprised when he didn't react to her teasing. When he didn't respond at all, she asked, "So, what's really going on, K? You've been awfully quiet since you and Cassian came on board officially as part of our team. Have you decided you don't like being on a ship with so many humans?"
His photoreceptors focused on her. Finally, he said, "I thought it would help Cassian if you knew what was in his file."
Jyn sighed, and leaned her head back against the wall. She could guess the rest of the question – why hadn't it helped him on Coyerti?
"It does help Cassian that I know what he's done, but maybe not in the way you were expecting. My knowing can't fix all the things that are broken, all the messed up stuff going on in his head. What it does is make me aware of what those thoughts are, and what his reactions might be and give me some idea of how to help him cope. It may take a long while, but eventually I'm hoping he won't be as troubled. I'm hoping he can be more himself, just at ease." She drew her knees up to lean her arms on. "Coyerti was a bad place for his first mission. That's part of why I insisted on going. I knew he'd leave you on the ship and go into town alone, and I…I just didn't think that was a good idea." She rubbed a hand over her face, remembering. "Unfortunately, I was right. But I was able to get him back to the ship."
Silence intruded again. Finally, she looked up at K. "It wasn't all bad, though. Afterwards, Cassian and I had some talks – talks I don't think we would have had if Coyerti hadn't happened. It seems like those talks helped. He's not well at all, but he's a little better. For Cassian, 'well' might always be a relative term."
"And there is nothing I can do to help?"
She reached over and patted his arm. "Just keep being his friend, K. And you did the right thing after Coyerti – when we came back aboard the starfighter and I told you what happened while Cassian stayed silent? Not insisting on asking questions, asking him questions, was the right thing to do. Sometimes you have to stay silent and ask me later, rather than insisting he explain things. Okay?"
"Very well. But I must say, dealing with broken humans is extremely complicated and unpredictable."
She chuckled. "Yeah, it is. Sorry for the inconvenience." She sighed. "It's better for everyone if we don't get broken in the first place, but few of us manage to avoid it."
xxxxx
It took nearly a full day to reach Chalcedon, and Melshi decided to stay in orbit until morning so they could arrive fresh and ready for anything they might encounter.
The Imperial presence was light on this planet, so they left K-2 aboard rather than have him draw undue notice. The Guardians elected to stay as well and keep an eye on the ship, though they sent a shopping list with Cassian on the off-chance he could locate a few items they were interested in having.
Tonc wanted to explore, so Melshi accompanied him since he preferred no one going alone. He could always see what information he could pick up as he tagged along.
That left Bodhi and Jyn to go with Cassian in search of groceries. "Didn't expect you to come with us for shopping," Bodhi remarked. "You don't seem the type."
Jyn shrugged. "I'm not, really, but it's better than sitting on the ship." She grinned. "And I like the company."
As she was the only one who had been here before, Jyn led the way to the area where foodstuffs were most likely to be obtained, and then trailed along as the other two perused the wares offered by various vendors. While he didn't know much about cooking, Bodhi proved to be a good haggler for getting them the best price possible.
They had been out about half an hour when Bodhi noticed a Zabrak following them, paying them more attention than he liked. "Uh, Cassian? Should we be worried about that fellow?"
Cassian barely glanced at the alien who was trying to blend in as their gazes turned in his direction. "No. Just a pickpocket."
"Just a pickpocket?" Bodhi thought that was a very good reason to be worried, considering the coins they carried.
"Take another look without being obvious. Sweep your gaze behind him."
It took a moment before he saw it – Jyn. He had wondered where she wandered off to when she disappeared a couple of minutes ago. He thought she merely got bored.
"What's she doing?" he asked quietly.
"Tracking him just like he's tracking us, only she's less obvious. He hasn't noticed her trailing him. Don't worry – she'll deal with him."
Bodhi fidgeted nervously as Cassian completed his purchase, but finally couldn't resist another look. He turned just in time to see the Zabrak beat a hasty retreat in the other direction while Jyn strolled toward them. He couldn't suppress a grin. When she joined them, he blurted, "What did you do?"
She glanced back a moment, then shrugged. "Just convinced him that you two were the last ones he wanted to be stealing anything from, if he valued his life at all."
"How come I saw him sneaking around, but I didn't see you?"
"Because she's better at it than he was," Cassian interjected. Jyn looked rather pleased with the praise.
"Much better. If they see you, you could end up dead or in prison."
Bodhi was again struck by the sort of life she must have had to live. He'd noticed she retreated whenever the conversation turned toward her past. Maybe it was better if he didn't know too many of the details.
"Where to next?" Jyn asked. "What else do you need?"
"Haven't found any of the things on Chirrut and Baze's list yet. Do you know of any place that sells teas?" Cassian glanced around at the nearby vendors.
"Hmmm, down that way, I think. I never paid much attention, but I think I remember there being several of them."
"Did you spend a lot of time here?" Bodhi risked the question.
She shook her head. "We were refuelling on a cargo delivery, but the captain wanted to get a drink and I had some things I wanted to pick up. With an hour to kill, I wandered around, and ate at the foodstalls so that I could skip at least one meal of ship's rations."
Cassian smiled. "You really don't like ration bars, do you?"
She wrinkled her nose. "They'll keep you alive, but most anything else is preferable. I'm not a picky eater, but why settle when you don't have to, right?"
"I'm with Jyn on that," Bodhi seconded. "Ate far too many ration bars when I was flying shuttles. They often didn't give us time to go to the mess hall for food before they wanted us to leave again. If I have to, yeah, but if I don't, all the better."
"Well, I'll see if I can't give you at least an occasional break from that," Cassian promised.
The sky that had been overcast until now chose to finally divest itself of its moisture, so they passed on looking for tea in favor of returning to the ship. Chalcedon tended to have cooler temperatures in general, but the frequent rains caused the temperature to go even lower, leaving them chilled by the time they made it back. Ten minutes later, Melshi and Tonc put in appearance as well.
Cassian went to put away his purchases while Jyn convinced Bodhi to spar with her. "We'll be working up an appetite, Captain. Keep that in mind for tonight's dinner!" She grinned teasingly at him and he chuckled as they parted ways.
They had just finished their warm-up and were preparing to actually spar when Cassian showed up to watch. He settled on a bench with a drink in hand. He was glad of the chance to see Bodhi in action. Jyn was always worth watching, a highly skilled fighter, but he had only heard about the sessions with Bodhi. He automatically slipped into eyeing the action as an Alliance leader assessing a new recruit. It was evident Jyn had been correct – Bodhi was never going to excel at fighting, it wasn't in his nature. Even so, he could see that the man was doing better than expected. His biggest weakness seemed to be lack of confidence, causing him to back off from what he started to do rather than follow through on a move.
Cassian had been there some thirty minutes, with the hold getting more chill from the external weather. The drumming rain on the exterior almost felt like it was drumming the cold into him. Dr. Lesorid had warned about this – a susceptibility to cold.
"Are you okay?" Jyn's question pulled him from his thoughts.
"Hmmm?"
"Are you okay? You seem to be…in pain. Or at least discomfort."
She was unwrapping her hands, so apparently the session had ended, and the two combatants were making their way to the team hold.
"Just kind of sore. Those broken ribs I had, along with other injuries through the years. The cold settles in my bones and joints, making me uncomfortable."
"You should have Baze give you a massage," Bodhi suggested. "He's really very good. That might help you feel better."
"No, it's not that bad, but thanks."
"You sure?" Jyn encouraged. "Bodhi's right."
"I'll be fine. I just need to dress more warmly."
Jyn's lips pursed, but she didn't argue further, though Cassian suspected she wanted to. "Well, I'll make use of his skills even if you won't. Baze, how about one of those massages?"
Baze had been cleaning his gun, but glanced up and nodded. "Sure. Give me a couple of minutes to finish this."
Cassian used that as a diversion to slip away to his cabin and decide what to cook first for the crew. He had told them he could cook – he needed to make a good showing for himself.
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.