Sera concentrated on her breathing. She couldn't make out anything through the hood as they made their way across the barren desert. She kept her eyes closed and willed her heart to stop racing. Her hands to stop shaking. And for some semblance of moisture to return to her throat. None of it came. She gave up, instead, focusing her attention outward to the sounds of Saw's men and their shuffling feet in the sand.
She could hear code words whispered and tried to unravel them in her mind. It was an exercise in futility, but it kept her occupied, at least for a little while. A few words here and there spoken in plain basic, but nothing to give away their location. Of course, she wouldn't had known where they were even if they did say something. She had given up counting her steps almost as soon as cobblestones turned to sand beneath her feet.
In the distance, the low rumble of a ship leaving the atmosphere echoed across the landscape. A small cheer came from their captures. The Star Destroyer's roar faded away and a solemn silence returned.
The Tognath spoke then in his native tongue, low so only the man beside him could hear.
"Saw will know what it means."
In the background, the low chant of the blind man who had saved them remained constant.
"I am one with the force, the force is with me. I am one with the force, the force is with me. I am one with the force, the force is with me."
A part of her was comforted. She couldn't say exactly why, maybe the voice of someone she knew to be on her side was enough.
She wanted to say something. To ask a question about him and his silent partner whose armor she could hear clank a few feet behind her. But, as the rough material pushed up against her still sore cheek, she thought better of it.
Her thoughts then turned to Cassian. She hoped to at least hear his breathing somewhere beside her, but there was nothing. Only more padded footsteps.
A panic went straight through her heart and she felt the urge to call out to him, but she pushed it down. She wasn't a little girl anymore. She was a soldier in the Rebel Alliance. She didn't need Cassian holding her hand, telling her it was all going to be alright. Still, the fear persisted, and she tried to think of something else.
She strained her ears for Jyn instead, but met the same empty air.
To her slight surprise, the absence of sound didn't frighten her as much as she thought it would. These were Jyn's people after all. They wouldn't harm her, at least until they reached Saw Gerrera. She would be alright, but Sera couldn't speak for herself or for Cassian.
Would they kill him?
It was a strong possibility. They had seen him kill one of their own and these people didn't strike her as merciful type.
Would they kill her?
Not as likely, but still not far off the table.
These rebels, who threw a grenade into an area surrounded by civilians. The ones who didn't care if they were killing the very people they were trying to protect. So long as a few Stormtroopers died in the crossfire. These were the people they were dealing with. She knew civilians died in war. She knew sacrifices were necessary. She wasn't that innocent. But seeing it first hand made her stomach turn.
She thought back to the boy on the roof, making her flinch.
You had to, she told herself. He was going to kill you. You did nothing wrong.
Still the memory of his searing flesh lingered in her nose as bile acid burned her throat. He must have seen her aim for his friend before Cassian got him. He was acting out of grief. She would had done the same thing. The thought only made her sicker.
She shook her head and tried to take her mind away to someplace else.
She landed on a memory; a different place, a different body. She was barely twelve at the time. She sat on the floor of a dark room. The only light coming from the moon and the occasional explosion down the street. She was pressed up against the wall. Her whole-body trembling as she stared and the lifeless heap in front of her. Cassian knelt beside her. His hand covered hers as he lowered the blaster to the ground. His voice was low as he promised over and over again everything was going to be alright.
The memory flashed forward in time.
She was back on base. She sat on the small cot in her room. Her legs dangled over the side as she kept her eyes on her lap and hands.
"Does it get easier," she asked.
Cassian knelt on the ground across from her, trying to get her to look at him, but to no avail.
"No."
She nodded her head in understanding as she felt the hot pressure of tears forming behind her eyes.
"I wish I could be more like you."
He didn't say anything for a long time. After a moment, he took her hands in his giving them a small squeeze.
"I don't."
She looked up at him then. His expression was soft, and unreadable.
"You're good person Sera," he said firmly. "Stay that way."
A shove at her shoulder jostled her out of the memory.
They were someplace else now. The ground beneath her feet has shifted into something more solid. First gravel, rocks, and then smooth stone. She could hear the echoes of their feet on cavern walls, combined with the louder echoes of new voices, the clamor of blasters, and the sounds of wooden pieces on a game board. The bag was then torn of her face before being she was shoved into the dark wall of a cell. The two guardians were already inside.
She spun around just in time to see Cassian thrown in as well as the door to be slammed behind him.
"Hey!" he called. "Jyn Erso! Where is she?"
Of course, nobody answered him.
She could just make out a handful of rebels on the other side of the bars. Her assessment of a board game was correct. A few more were in a corner cleaning their weapons and she could just make out her own gear on a table close by.
She allowed herself a deep breath of unfiltered stale air bringing her back into focus. Their cell was partially carved into the cavern itself. Skulls lined the walls, undoubtedly the bones of old priest buried centuries ago. They must have been in the catacombs of an old temple. Of course, that information didn't help their situation.
The bars were too thin for her to wiggle through. No ventilation shafts. No bunk she could hide under. There wasn't even anything over head she could cling to. She was properly trapped, and this time, Cassian was on her side of the bars.
She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to Cassian, looking at her intently.
"Are you alright?"
It was a silly question, but one which still needed to be asked. She answered him with a wry smile.
"I've had worse days."
Cassian let out a dry laugh, which caused her to smile to turn genuine. At least he could still take a joke. Their situation couldn't be too hopeless.
He took a place beside the door and Sera followed. The lock itself wasn't too sophisticated. Sera knew between them; she and Cassian had enough tools stashed away in their boots to break out of just about anything. The issue was the confined space. The guards stood only a few feet from the door at all times, and the rock interior allowed sound to carry. Even if the guards did leave, the lock was hardwired to an alarm which would bring them down in a matter of seconds.
Sera let out a huff of frustration. She had often found cheaper cells harder to break out of then those of the Empire. This was no exception. Still, a part of her had to admire the ingenuity.
"You pray," the armored man asked.
Sera turn to the blind man in the corner. She'd hardly noticed until his partner pointed it out. She supposed she had just gotten used to the chanting.
"He's praying for the door to open," the man mocked.
"It bothers him, because he knows it's possible," the blind man said indignantly.
His partner laughed a hollow laugh, only to be ignored.
"Baze Malbus was once the most devoted Guardian of us all," the blind man continued with conviction.
Baze Malbus. At least she had a name. It was unfamiliar to her, but that was hardly a surprise. The question of his partner's name remained a mystery to her, but at that point, it seemed odd to ask.
The pair of them left her in wonder. She knew Baze claimed neither of them were Jedi, but she couldn't believe that. Even if they didn't carry lightsabers, the stories she had been told as a child were too close to the abilities the blind man displayed in the plaza.
"I'm beginning to think the Force and I have different priorities," Cassian said, pulling her out of her musings.
"Relax, Captain. We've been in worse cages than this one."
"Yeah, well this is a first for me."
"There is more than one sort of prison captain. I sense you carry yours wherever you go."
Sera frowned at that as Cassian turned back towards the door, and decidedly away from the blind man.
"And what about you? Lieutenant…" The guardian trailed off waiting for her to fill in the gap.
Sera hesitated. As far as she knew, she hadn't told him she was a lieutenant. Her instinct was to keep her mouth shut, but for some reason, she didn't think it would make much of a difference. She had the impression he knew exactly who she was. He was only asking her name for formalities' sake and to give her an excuse to ask him for his.
"Darros," she answered, her curiosity getting the better of her. "Sera Darros."
The man smiled. "So, Lieutenant Darros. Why do I get the impression you make a habit of breaking out of cages?"
It was starting to feel like the oddest conversation she ever had.
"Only my share," she said carefully. "But, I've always had help."
"We still do."
She grimaced. "Maybe, but I don't think either of them respond to praying."
Her first thought was of Jyn. She had saved her life back in the city. There had been no reason for her to do so, but she had. Maybe she would do it again. However, Sera had no idea what sway Jyn still had with Saw to make that a guarantee.
Her mind then with to K-2. He was still out there waiting for word. Could they get a signal to him? She doubted it. There was the chance he'd go looking for them on his own. But, then again, the chances of him finding them were slim to none.
"Have faith little one," the guardian said gently. "You'll see."
She looked at the man in front of her, feeling something close to nostalgia. Her mother told her stories of the Jedi. It was one of the few solid memories she could cling to. Even when her mother's face became only flashes in her mind, she could remember her voice as clear as day. She never asked where her mother heard the stories. She never knew if they were true or not, but they were real to her. And that was all that had mattered.
He may not have been a Jedi, but he had the faith of one. Despite being strangers, she found an odd comfort in it.
"What's your name?" she finally asked.
"Chirrut Imwe," he answered with a half-smile.
She smiled in turn. She couldn't think of anything to say. And yet, she knew he understood the gesture.
Sera leaned her back against the cell bars, deciding to get comfortable. They'd get out of there. Get Jyn. Find the pilot and get out. She didn't put her faith in praying, but at the very least, she could sit and think.
Jyn was ushered through the catacombs, her face uncovered, and her hands bound. It was coming back to her. The faces now surrounding her were different, but the scars and dirt and smell were all the same. Old memories and people she hadn't thought about in a lifetime came flooding back to her. These were Saw's rebels and, even after all these years, her people. She hated it.
For as long time Jyn had pictured seeing Saw Gerrera again. She had spent more than one late night practicing hurtful words until she could recite them in her sleep. But the need and the anger had long since died away until the fire was nothing but embers. She wasn't sure she even wanted to fight anymore. She just wanted it done.
Her mind flittered back to Cassian and what would happen to him. She knew what Saw did to traitors. She had seen him tie and gag a would-be deserter and drop him beaten right in front of an imperial outpost. What Cassian did for her would come at a much higher price.
She shook her head. She couldn't think about it. He made his choice. It wasn't her problem. She had more important things to think about. Saw was the only thing she could allow herself to think about.
They came to a curtained doorway. Without warning, the Tognath pushed her inside, revealing small chamber. Jyn took a quick glance around. It was empty with only the view of the Holy City to mark it as any former place of importance within the old temple.
The alien cut her roughly bonds, before turning on his heel and leaving without another word.
A metallic clank pushed her back into focus.
"Jyn," a raspy voice called to her. "Is it really you?"
She steeled herself, turning her head to face Saw Gerrera. What she found, was only his remains.
In her mind, she remembered a soldier. A man scarred, but strong and imposing as he watched over her. Now, all she saw was an old man, held together by scaffolding and strings.
"I can't believe it," he whispered.
"Must be quite a surprise." She made sure to keep her voice cold and distant. She had prepared herself for a fight. She wouldn't let him cheat her out of it. Not now.
"Are we not still friends?" His voice was gentle. The voice of the man who, behind closed doors, treated her as the daughter he never had. She didn't want that Saw. She couldn't fight that Saw.
"The last time I saw you," she said bitterly, "you gave me a knife and a loaded blaster and told me to wait in a bunker until daylight."
"I knew you were safe."
"You left me behind."
"You were already the best soldier in my cadre," he reasoned.
"I was sixteen."
"I was protecting you!"
"You dumped me!" she bit out. The fire was starting to burn again. She could feel it rising in her.
"You were the daughter on an Imperial science officer!" he snapped. "People were starting to figure that out. People who wanted to-to use you as a hostage."
His eyes softened. "Not a day goes by that I don't think of you."
No. She wanted to scream out. She didn't want this. She was so close. She had felt the fire start to come back only for it to die in the kindness of his voice.
There was a shift then. A glimpse of the warrior she once knew.
"But today, of all days?" He trailed off, taking a step towards her, examining her with paranoid eyes. "It's a trap, isn't it?"
"What?"
"The pilot!" he snapped. "The message. All of it." His hand when to his mask, taking an intake of oxygen, momentarily breaking the illusion. He lowered the mask once again. His expression changing to something almost wounded. "Did they…send you? Did you come here to kill me?" He gestured to the rest of himself. "There's not much of me left," he said with hollow humor.
Jyn gritted her teeth. The soldier was still there in the wreck of a man, but this was not the fight she had expected. She needed it done. It just needed to be over.
"The Alliance wants my father," she said simply. "They think he's sent you a message about a weapon. I guess they think by sending me you might actually help them out."
"So, what is it that you want, Jyn?"
He stared at her intently, but she refused to give him what he wanted.
"They wanted an introduction, they've got it," she said. "I'm out now. The rest of you can do what you want."
"You care not, about the cause?"
She didn't know whether to scream or laugh. Her belief in the cause died a long time ago. Somewhere between Saw leaving her in the bunker and being trapped on Wobani, she had allowed it to wither and crack until nothing remained but dust.
"The cause?" she snapped. "Seriously? The alliance? The…the rebels? Whatever it is you're calling yourself these days? All it's ever brought me is pain."
"You can stand to see the Imperial flag reign across the galaxy?" Saw asked.
Jyn only shrugged. "It's not a problem if you don't look up."
She wanted the words to hurt. She needed them to hurt. She needed to see the fire she knew burned so strongly in him to come back. If only to know hers could return as well.
But he did nothing. He only stared at her, as if coming to a new revelation.
"I have something to show you," he said. "Come."
"Who is the man in the next cell," Chirrut asked.
Sera lifted her head in surprise, looking over to the small gap in the wall between the cells.
"What?"
Baze beat her to it, walking over to the hole and blocking her view.
"An imperial pilot," he spat.
Sera turned to Cassian who was already looking right at her, both of them thinking the same exact thing.
"Pilot?" Cassian breathed.
Baze let out something resembling a growl, reaching through the cell bars.
"I'm going to kill him!"
Both she and Cassian sprung to their feet. Sure enough, just through the opening, Sera could make out the grey of an imperial uniform.
"Back off. Back off!" Cassian said, stepping between Baze and the opening.
Sera wasn't sure what Baze could do from his side of the bars, but she was certain she didn't want to find out. She slipped passed him to get a look at the pilot. A pang of pity went through her. His whole body was shaking as he mumbled to himself. His face curled into his knees and his dark fearful eyes were far away from where he was. Whatever Saw had done to him, it had taken its toll.
"Hey," she called gently, "are you the pilot?"
The man blinked, but he didn't move from his spot. "Pilot?" he asked somewhere between a groan and a whisper.
It wasn't much, but it was a start.
"You're Bodhi right?" she asked, hoping the sound of his name might trigger something. "Bodhi Rook?"
It didn't work. The man curled back into himself squeezing his eyes shut.
Her mind raced for something else that might snap him out of it.
"Galen Erso."
The pilot stopped his mumbling. She took it as encouragement.
"Galen Erso sent you?"
His eyes opened once more. He didn't stop trembling, but his breaths seemed to calm.
"I brought the message," he said. "I'm the pilot." His eyes went wide as if discovering himself again. He turned towards her. "I'm the pilot. I'm the pilot!"
Sera couldn't stop the sigh of relief from escaping her lips or the smile that formed.
"Good," she said. "Your name is Bodhi Rook right?"
He nodded. The energy that had come at hearing Galen Erso's name was starting to fade. He was not as afraid as he was before, but she knew she had to be careful with her words.
"My name is Sera Darros," she continued kindly. "This is Captain Cassian Andor. We're part of the rebel alliance."
Bodhi looked to her and then to Cassian.
To his credit, Cassian tried to give what was supposed to be a gentle look, but it came across as forced. Bodhi averted his gaze.
Sera cursed herself at that. She wished Cassian could practice a look other than grim annoyance when it came to strangers. She understood his frustration. They had come looking for a pilot and from what she could see Saw had done his best to break him.
She kept her voice as calm and soothing as she could. "You brought the message, right?"
Bodhi didn't look at her, but he nodded.
"Can you tell me what the message said?"
Bodhi began mumbling again. She couldn't hear any clear words aside from pilot or planet killer. All old information.
No direct questions then.
"You're a pilot right?"
He nodded.
"What did you fly?" She faintly heard the words cargo ship.
"What kind of cargo ship?" she asked.
"Zeta-class," he said, clearer that time.
Older model, usually used for transporting raw material, minimal crew. So, not transporting anyone of importance within the Empire. He didn't meet Galen Erso by transporting him planet to planet then. Most likely they met wherever Galen was stationed.
"Pretty good ship," she mused. "Better than the Lambda-class anyway. Those things couldn't outrun a ten-year-old rusted bulk-freighter on their best days."
Bodhi didn't look up, but he stopped trembling and the grip loosened around his legs.
"Where were you stationed?"
The pilot stiffened.
Sera's eyes widened. "Bodhi…"
He curled back into himself and began to mumble again. She let out a breath of frustration.
Baze grunted behind her. She could feel Cassian's growing need to tear down the cell wall and shake the answers out of the pilot himself. Neither of which were appreciated, but she couldn't deny she was starting to feel it too.
If she ever got her hands on Saw Gerrera she was going to throttle him.
"Bodhi," she repeated a little strained. "You brought the message. Galen Erso sent you to bring the message."
The mention of Galen's name seemed to pull the pilot back into focus.
"I brought the message," he said. "Brought it from Galen."
"Where is he Bodhi," she asked. "Where is Galen?"
"This is the message I was sent," Saw said, approaching the edge of a console.
Jyn's throat tightened. She hadn't prepared for this. She was only there for Saw, not whatever was coming next. But, for some unknown reason, she stayed perfectly still.
The holoprojector flickered to light and a man she barely recognized appeared in soft pale blue light. She knew she recognized him, but how she knew him fogged in her memory. When he spoke, she knew his voice.
"Saw, if you're watching this, then perhaps there is a chance to save the Alliance."
Galen Erso spoke those words as if signing a last confession.
Every instinct told Jyn to run. To hide. To break the holoprojector into a million pieces and spit it all back in his face.
My father is alive. Galen Erso is alive. My father is a traitor. Galen Erso did not raise me. Galen Erso is not my father.
But she did none of those things. Instead, she stood and listened.
"Perhaps there's a chance to explain myself and, though I don't dare hope for too much, a chance for Jyn, if she's alive, if you can possibly find her to let her know that my love for her has never faded and how desperately I've missed her."
What good is that? She wanted to scream. You left me. You let my mother die. You did this to me.
But the recording kept on speaking.
"Jyn, my Stardust, I can't imagine what you think of me.
"When I was taken, I faced some bitter truths. I was told that, soon enough, Krennic would have you as well. As time went by, I knew that you were either dead or so well hidden that he would never find you. I knew if I refused to work, if I took my own life, it would only be a matter of time before Krennic realized he no longer needed me to complete the project."
He spoke the words quickly as if anticipating every accusation she could possibly throw his way.
Jyn could feel her legs beginning to fail her, but she stood straight as if to somehow defy the man in the hologram.
"So I did the one thing that nobody expected: I lied." His words were firmer now. As his he'd finally come to solid ground. "I learned to lie. I played the part of a beaten man resigned to the sanctuary of his work. I made myself indispensable, and all the while I laid the groundwork of my revenge."
There was a pause. Galen's eyes betraying the insurmountable guilt he surely felt. "We call it the Death Star. There is no better name. And the day is coming soon when it will be unleashed."
He took another breath, his words rushing once again. "I've placed a weakness deep within the system. A flaw so small and powerful, they'll never find it. But, Jyn. Jyn, if you're listening. My beloved, so much of my life has been wasted. I try to think of you only in the moments when I'm strong, because the pain of not having you with me. Your mother. Our family. The pain of that loss is so overwhelming I risk failing even now. It's just so hard not to think of you. Think of where you are. My Stardust."
Jyn knew the words were important, but she couldn't bring herself to fully understand. The whole world seemed to be crumbling around her. The ground beneath her feet was unsteady. It was only then she realized she was crying.
"Saw, the reactor module, that's the key," Galen continued, the urgency persistent in his voice. "That's the place I've laid my trap. It's well hidden and unstable, one blast to any part of it will destroy the entire station."
The roar in Jyn's ears only seemed to grow louder. The rocks around her felt as if they trembled. She looked to Saw, to see he and the console were trembling too.
"You'll need the plans," Galen spoke quickly as if he too realized he was running out of time, "the structural plans for the Death Star to find the reactor. I know there's a complete engineering archive in the data vault at the Citadel Tower on Scarif. Any pressurized explosion to the reactor module will set off a chain reaction that will destroy the entire station…"
The hologram cut off without prelude and Jyn crumbled to the ground.
"Bodhi, where is Galen," Sera repeated gently.
"Brought the message," he mumbled. "Brought it from Eadu."
Sera let out a relieved breath. She turned to Cassian. He stood still a moment running the planet's name through his memory. Whatever he remembered seemed to be enough as he looked down at her and gave her a curt nod.
Then the cave began to rumble.
"Proton bombs," Baze commented, looking at the ceiling.
Cassian shook his head. A cold dread spread through Sera's body. No, not proton bombs. It was too big. Much too big.
Cassian got to work on the lock. Another wave knocked her out of her daze, forcing her back to focus. She shot to her feet, taking a spot beside Cassian.
Saw's men were already evacuating, and therefore paying their prisoner's little mind. The cell door sung open, and the four of them bolted to the table and their gear.
"Kay-tu?" Cassian shouted into the comm. "Kay-tu, where are you?"
"There you are," the mechanical voice cracked over the radio. "I'm standing by as you requested. Although, there's a problem on the horizon. There is no horizon."
Sera stiffened at the comment but didn't have time to linger as Cassian continued quickly.
"Locate our position. Bring that ship in here now!"
He grabbed his pack, but instead of heading to the exit, started his way further into the cave.
"Where are you going," Sera snapped.
"I've got to find Jyn," he said. "Get the pilot and meet me up top."
His tone left no room for argument. Sera gave a stiff nod in understanding before gathering the rest of her gear. Cassian turned his attention to Baze and Chirrut.
"If you want a ride out of here, follow her."
He didn't wait for an acknowledgement as he ran out the room and up the stairs.
As Baze and Chirrut claimed their weapons from the table, Sera loaded her blaster. She marched toward the cell door, and raised the weapon.
"Stand back," she warned before shooting the locking mechanism.
The door unlocked, but Bodhi didn't move. His eyes were wide with fear as if waiting for her to shoot him too.
Sera could offer no words of encouragement before Baze grabbed the pilot roughly by the arm.
"C'mon pilot," he spat yanking him out of the cell as another rumble hit.
Bodhi stumbled forward. He barely kept himself up right as Baze and Chirrut rushed past him. Sera was a step behind them, stopping only to shake the pilot's shoulder.
"We have to go."
Whether it was her words or the shaking ground, she didn't know, but Bodhi came into focus long enough to follow.
There was barely enough light to navigate the catacombs. Cassian could only go on the flashes of swinging lights overhead. He steeled himself for a fight, but none of Saw's men bothered to look his way.
He called Jyn's name as he climbed up the steps on the monastery. The collapsing rock echoed through the chambers like thunder, making him choke on the dust. He pushed forward all the same, finally coming to a doorway covered by a tattered curtain.
Raising his blaster, he pushed away the fabric.
"Jyn!"
He turned a corner and found what he was looking for.
Jyn knelt on the floor of the chamber, her shouldered slumped and her body limp. He might of thought she was dead, if not for the armored figure crouched in front of her.
Saw Gerrera lifted his head to Cassian. He looked like a wounded animal and Cassian approached him as such.
"Jyn," he urged. "We've got to go."
She seemed to hear him, but made no movement. It was then he noticed. The need. The fire. It was all gone.
Leave her behind.
It's what he should had done in the first place. Sera was out there on her own, while he was just sitting there, but he couldn't.
"I know where your father is," he said.
Jyn blinked. Her eyes flickering toward Cassian. Without further protest, she rose to her feet.
"Go, Jyn!" Saw's voice commanded. "you must go."
Jyn's body seemed to stabilize at the words. Cassian tried to pull her away, but she reached out to Saw, desperately grabbing his hand.
"Come with us," she said.
"I will run no longer," the soldier declared. "You must save yourself."
Jyn's still grasped for him, but Cassian grabbed her other am more tightly tugging her toward the doorway.
"Come on," he said, as she stumbled toward him.
"Go!" Saw urged, straightening up to be the man Cassian had understood him to be.
Cassian pushed Jyn in front of him as she took one last look at the old rebel.
"There's no time," Cassian snapped. He pushed her forward again, and now she was moving, gaining speed with every step.
"Save the Rebellion!" Saw cried. "Save the dream!"
Sera sprinted through the maze of collapsing hallways. Soon, she was right on guardians' tail with the pilot only a few steps behind her. Saw's men ran past without acknowledging them for which she was grateful. The last thing they needed was a fight.
Behind her she heard Bodhi's trembling voice.
"They're going to kill us. You don't know these people."
Baze laughed so loud she could hear it over the tumbling rocks. It was an ugly sound.
"Forgive my friend," Chirrut said. "You would think it's funny, too, if you knew he wanted you dead most off all."
Sera grimaced at the comment glancing back at Bodhi. Clearly, he didn't think it was funny either.
"Nobody is going to kill you," she said, sounding more certain than she felt. "You're getting out of here with the rest of us."
Bodhi glanced at her, finally meeting her eyes. For whatever reason, he seemed to believe her. His shoulders relaxed, and he gave a short nod.
They continued through the catacombs until sunlight hit them. She paused a moment at the mouth of the cave to let her eyes adjust to the sudden brightness. She scanned the valley floor. The rebels were scattered, some just getting into their transports. She moved her eyes upward trying to catch a look of a U-Wing on the horizon. Her stomach dropped as K-2's words echoed back to her.
There is no horizon.
Nothing but a wall of earth, and smoke, and death lay in front of her. Her stomach twisted as she snapped her eyes forward spotting a glimpse of metal in the distance. Her legs started moving before her mind did.
The planet killer is real. The Holy City is gone. They had done it. The Empire had really done it. The pilot was right.
She came to a sudden halt.
The pilot.
She whipped around to see Bodhi had not moved from his spot; instead, he was staring in awed horror at the sky. She followed his gaze to the face of the monster hovering above the cold desert planet. If she hadn't known any better, she would have thought it was a small moon.
They needed to move.
She sprinted back to the pilot and desperately grabbed his hand.
"We need to go," she said no longer bothering to hide her fear.
He looked down at her. The consistent terror in his eyes was still there, but something else came to the surface. The only word that came to mind was guilt.
Her eyes softened as she gently tugged his hand.
"Come on."
For a moment, she was afraid he wouldn't follow; that he would stay rooted to his spot and let the wall of earth consume him. But as soon as she turned to move, he followed.
She didn't let go of his hand as she picked up the pace. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Cassian and Jyn running towards the ship only a few feet behind them. As they reached the ship she tugged Bodhi in front of her making sure he got on board first before following. She didn't have time to buckle in as the ship gave another decisive shake. The force slammed her against the opposite wall, head first. Her vision blurred, but she shook of the feeling the best she could and stumbled to the window.
Roaring brown sands and earth tore through the air around them. Only faint hazes of light seeped through. Suddenly, the constant roll of the ship didn't seem so bad.
Her teeth clenched. They needed more speed, but there was nothing she or anyone could do about it. She closed her eyes and tightened her hold of the side of the ship.
Her mind took her far away, back to when her mother was still alive. She was maybe six at the time. They had flown into an ion storm running away from someone she couldn't remember. Strapped into her seat, she clenched the sides as her mother navigated the storm. She remembered the streaks of white lighting in the darkened sky. She remembered the beeping instruments going haywire and dials spinning across the dashboard. Most of all she remembered how calm her mother looked, her grip almost relaxed on the helm and her eyes hard. Her mother had later told Sera there was nothing to be afraid of.
"Trust your ship," she always said. "Trust the force."
Her eyes snapped open as Cassian gave the order the punch it. Another jolt from the ship sent her to the floor, but she couldn't find it in her to care. Outside the windows the darkened brown sky turned into streaks of blue and white. A wild grin spread across her face.
They made it.
