Disclaimer: Though I am a fan of Star Wars I am not as well versed as many, so there very probably will be some discrepancies with my story. Please note that this entire story is a divergence from canon, so if you have a problem with some of my mistakes just think of it that way. Thank you!

8

la·cu·na

an unfilled space or interval

Jyn's first look at Tatooine was disappointing. It was a planet made up of varying shades of brown and once they'd entered the atmosphere she noticed several dark clouds of brown hovering over the ground.

"Sandstorms." Cassian said from his place next to her as he deftly guided the ships away from those places. "They move faster than you'd think, more than one mission has been put into jeopardy by their fickle nature."

They landed in Mos Espa an hour later, the city was large and full of domed buildings made of sunbaked clay. Jyn watched people bustle about the shipyard, they along with their clothes were covered in a thin layer of dust that seemed to cover everything.

Jyn helped Cassian unload everything that they had brought with them-including several jugs of fresh water. When he loaded those onto the ship she'd been curious and now she could see why. The people around them had begun to gather at the sight of the water.

"Water is a commodity on Tatooine." Cassian explained quietly as they loaded everything onto an old hovercart. "I figured we could fetch a good price for it to insure that we have enough money for room and board."

"Isn't it wrong to sell water at such a high price to people who need it?" Jyn asked as they locked up the ship and paid the shipyard master out for the rest of the week.

"The people who need it the most would not be able to afford it no matter how low I make it." Cassian replied with a sigh "Jyn I am not being cruel, Tatooine is a very different place than what you are used to. There is no central government and the Empire looks over it often."

Jyn wanted to argue despite her rocky moral footing, but kept her mouth shut in hopes of bringing it up later. Instead she observed their surroundings as they headed further into the city of Mos Espa. They entered a marketplace where stalls lined either side of the road, it was similar to the market in Corellia except there were more people shouting and bartering for food and other goods.

Cassian set up shop at the end of the row of stalls, not bothering to unload the cart. Voices shouted over one another asking his price for the water and when Cassian replied with a price she could hear their hiss of shock. Then several came forward with money out for the taking and small containers for them to pour water into.

They were nearly finished emptying three of their jugs when a dust-caked woman approached with two children in tow. She was young, Jyn could see, only a few years older than she was. But deep lines stemmed out from her eyes and mouth, and her black hair had more than a few grays in it.

She held out money to Cassian who took it and moved to pour water for her. Jyn nearly opened her mouth to tell Cassian to return the money to the woman, surprised that he would take it from someone who needed it. But then her eyes caught sight of him quietly slipping the money back into her hands when he gave her back her container full of water. The woman looked like she was about to protest but Cassian just smiled and sent them on their way.

Jyn's chest squeezed at the sight and she kicked herself for thinking that Cassian was being heartless in selling the water for such a high price.

They told water for the next twenty minutes until they were down to two jugs. "We will keep this for ourselves, we will need it."

"Will we be staying on the ship?" Jyn asked as she helped him load the empty jugs back onto the cart.

"No I figured that you'd be itching to sleep anywhere but on that ship, how about renting a room?"

"A room?" Jyn asked, feeling a little stupid.

"Yes, a place where people go to sleep." Cassian replied impishly as they rounded a corner into what looked like a residential area of Mos Espa.

"Thank you for your astute definition. I know what a room is. Do you think we will be here long enough for renting a room to be worth it?"

"I don't know how long we will be here, but I do know that staying on the ship permanently will draw unwanted attention to us and I would like to blend in as much as possible."

Jyn was awoken by the sound of the door opening the next morning. They'd finally found a room just as evening set in the night before-it was exorbitantly priced by a seedy looking alien that she'd never seen before but it featured two beds and a sturdy looking door. The best she slept in was by far the most comfortable thing she'd slept in since longer than she could remember and she'd fallen asleep almost instantly after a meal of dehydrated rations.

"Jyn wake up." Cassian said as he threw open the shutters letting the light flood the room.

"Whats wrong?" She asked, groggily sitting up in bed. Cassian looked agitated as he paced the small width of the room.

"I should have noticed something when we were in Corellia… it was in our faces but it didn't register with me until today."

"What?" Jyn stood up and grabbed the sleeve of his shirt, stopping his pacing. "What happened?"

"It's been three years." Cassian's voice belied his shock, "Actually over three years."

"Three years since what?"

"Since Scarif. Since we died."

Jyn sat down hard on the bed, her fingers still gripping Cassian's sleeve.

"I was out in the marketplace this morning and someone was talking about the Empire and I made an enquiry and some old man launched into a story about the rebellion destroying the Deathstar."

Jyn smiled hopefully, her chest expanding with hope. Could their mission have already been finished for them? If the Deathstar was gone, then what was there for them to do? But Cassian's face was ashen causing a sick feeling to quickly replace her joy.

"They are rebuilding a second Deathstar-though thats only a rumor." Cassian chuckled darkly, they'd had enough trouble with people thinking the first Deathstar was just a rumor.

"Do you think there is a failsafe in this one?"

"I doubt it. The rebellion is no match for the Empire, I hear that it's scattered right now."

Jyn sat on the bed trying to wrap her head around everything, the world had moved on so far without them and so much had happened. Where did they fit into this puzzle? After a moment Cassian sank down onto the bed next to her with his shoulders hunched.

Sensing his despondency she hesitantly reach out and slid her hand into his, contact that they'd avoided since leaving Lah'mu.

"The Force has a reason for us being here. There is still something we can do." She said gently and when he didn't reply she gave his hand a little squeeze "You know, someone once berated me quite soundly for not having any hope."

Cassian smiled weakly and Jyn knew that if she'd been the one to discover their three year timeskip, that she'd probably be in the same state.

"Cheer up." She knocked into him with her shoulder playfully, "You have more optimism and hope in your pinky finger than most people will in their entire lives and don't forget that you fight in order to achieve that."

"Really you think so?"

"Yes but if you tell anyone I told you that then I will deny it." She stood up and they grinned at each other.

"Noted."

- Author's Note -

Here is a shorter chapter than I would have liked but it definitely revealed a lot. It is also a good cut-off place in order to introduce the next few chapters which will be very filler for the overarching plot of the story but will be full of development in... other ways.

Hopefully this will reveal more about my direction of the story but I can assure you that there will be more surprising aspects just around the bend!

-LittleMoonLover-