A/N: Hi again! It's been really heartwarming reading all your reviews and getting notifications about alerts turned on for this story. Thanks for helping me believe in myself again! I'm really excited to know how you guys find this chapter, and I'd especially like to give credit to the Rogue One Visual Guide and the incredible community at Wookieepedia for supplementing this chapter a huge deal!
Enjoy!
Bodhi was sitting quietly at the main controls, occasionally glancing at Cassian and Jyn. Cassian was barely awake in the co-pilot's seat, and Bodhi noticed that he hadn't shifted his weight at all in the last hour. Jyn, on the other hand, was sitting on the floor away from the pilots where she could stretch her bad leg and lean against the tech station. She was turning her kyber crystal pendant over and over between her fingers, eyes staring into space in front of her.
Bodhi cleared his throat nervously. "Jyn?" he asked.
Jyn looks up.
"Where did you get that?" Bodhi makes a small gesture at the pendant, "That kyber crystal."
"It was my mother's," Jyn replies, a hesitant smile on her lips. "She…gave it to me as a sort of parting gift."
"Was she a Jedi?"
Jyn surprises herself by laughing a little. "No, I don't think so," she says, eyes brightening at the thought. "But she was sensitive to the Force. She taught me things about it, taught me to feel it, taught me to know it…" Jyn finds herself looking past Bodhi and into the blue hyperspace outside. "She taught me to trust it."
"What was her name?"
Jyn wonders why Bodhi asks, but she realizes it is probably to help him stay awake. "Lyra."
Bodhi's smile is sincere, "Lovely name."
Jyn smiles back, "Thank you."
Another pause.
"Galen would speak of her when he could. He'd mention you, too, but only as 'Stardust.'"
Jyn held the crystal between her thumb and index finger and looked straight at Bodhi, whose eyes had become solemn.
"He never dared mention your real name around imperial forces. He always believed you were still alive."
"Which is why he eventually sent you." Jyn returns the crystal under her shirt collar and her eyes drop to her hands, "How did you come to know him?"
Bodhi bites his lip and looks down on the deck floor, his brow furrowing as he gathers his thoughts. "I was flying regular cargo runs of kyber crystals to Eadu," he says. "We were told that the crystals would power a 'peacekeeping facility,' a space station that would house imperial forces and that could travel even through hyperspace so that the Empire could…" Bodhi hesitates and looks briefly at Jyn, "so that the Empire could maintain order in the galaxy."
"Did you believe that?"
"I didn't know better." Bodhi folds his hands together, "I grew up on Jedha, before the occupation. But even when imperial forces arrived, they took care of the city."
Jyn watches Bodhi intently and sees he is struggling to find the right words to say next. He settles for, "Little did we know, they were only after the crystals in the temple." Bodhi lets out a breath. "It was a long and smartly orchestrated occupation. By the time the mining started and civil wars broke out, I was already an imperial cargo pilot."
Jyn's brow creases. She waits patiently for Bodhi to continue.
"I'd barely finished my first week standard time transporting kyber crystals to Eadu, when I met your father. Not many pilots were entrusted with transporting the crystals, so few as we were, we each reported directly to Galen because he was the lead scientist and he would give us very specific handling and transportation instructions between the research facility and the Death Star." Bodhi nodded towards Jyn, a sad smile setting on his lips, "He was a different leader from any imperial officer I ever worked for. Most of us cargo pilots preferred to keep a distance, but I was too curious. After I got to know him a little more…I asked about the 'peacekeeping facility' and…and then I was told outright that it was a weapon of mass destruction."
Bodhi looks up, "I couldn't bear the thought that my work was fueling a weapon that would claim hundreds of thousands of lives at a time, and when Galen found that he could trust me, he finally sent me on my last mission…" he swallows, "to find you. He said only you could possibly understand what it meant to destroy something he created."
Jyn closes her eyes, refusing to let thoughts of her father, her papa, to drive her to tears. She's taken aback by what Bodhi says next.
"Cassian never meant to put him in danger, Jyn."
Jyn's eyes snap open and she regards Bodhi with a meaningful but pained look. Bodhi manages to hold her gaze despite the trembling in his voice, "He made a soldier's call. We all know what that's like." He turns again to face the control panel.
Just then, Cassian stirs and lets out a soft groan. Bodhi gets up and reaches to put a hand on Cassian's forehead.
"He's burning with fever!"
Jyn scrambles to her feet and rushes to Cassian's side, taking his head in her hands. Bodhi was right. Cassian's body temperature had risen considerably since she held his hand earlier. "It's probably an infection from his burns. How much longer to Takodana?"
Bodhi was looking over the control panel, "We still have about three hours," he says worriedly.
Jyn quickly looks through her pack by the tech station and pulls out a raincoat poncho. "We have to keep him warm," she says as she wraps the makeshift blanket around Cassian. This time, it is Bodhi who rushes to the back of the shuttle. Jyn starts to vigorously rub Cassian's arms in an attempt to warm him faster. She can hear Bodhi pushing aside supply crates in the storage compartment. He emerges carrying a heavy black roll.
"It's a thermal blanket," he says breathlessly, setting the roll down and undoing the strings. "It's actually meant for transporting cargo intolerant to cold. This should really keep him warm."
"Cassian?" Jyn keeps her voice low as she taps Cassian's cheeks. "Cassian, can you hear me?"
Bodhi quickly wraps the large blanket around Cassian and his seat. He hears the anxiety creeping into Jyn's tone.
"Cassian, wake up, please," Jyn takes a sharp breath as she holds the captain's face between her palms. "Please wake up, Cassian." Come on, please. She looks up at Bodhi, who is only able to look back at her with the same troubled expression.
"We should have kept him awake!"
"He'll come to," Bodhi says quickly. "Just keep talking to him."
Jyn taps Cassian's cheeks again. "Come on, Cassian!"
Cassian's eyes open slightly and Jyn makes out the dark pupils looking blankly at her. She breathes.
"Cassian? Cassian, can you hear me?"
His response is incoherent, but it is enough to reassure Jyn for now. Cassian tries to move his head.
"Slowly." Jyn brushes stray strands of hair from Cassian's forehead and tries to get him to meet her eyes. "Cassian, listen to me. I'm going to keep you awake, alright? Try to keep up."
He lets out a hum.
"Just like that," Jyn swallows. "We're almost at Takodana, just hang on."
Cassian's eyes start to close again.
"Hey!" Jyn snaps, and Cassian manages to open his eyes again to see her glaring at him.
"Cassian Andor, if you clock out on me, I will never forgive you."
Cassian manages the slightest smirk. "That…unacceptable," he mumbles.
Jyn turns to Bodhi, "There's still some water left in the canister. Let him drink it."
Bodhi takes the canister from the pack and hands it to Jyn who brings it to Cassian's lips. "Sip a little," she says as she slowly tips the canister.
"Can he take a tablet?"
Jyn watches Bodhi look through the field kit medpac around his waist. He hands her a small foil pack. "What's this?"
"Triptophagea. It's an anti-fever and has no recorded side effects on humans."
"Brilliant," Jyn tears the foil and drops a sweet-smelling white tablet in her palm. "Cassian?"
Cassian opens his eyes again. Jyn holds up the tablet, "This might keep your fever down until we can get you to a medic. Think you can take the whole thing?"
He nods. After Jyn is sure he's swallowed the drug completely, she relaxes and hands the canister back to Bodhi. "Thank you," she says.
Bodhi nods and returns the canister inside the pack. Jyn turns her attention back to Cassian and finds him looking at her.
"Sorry," he croaks.
Jyn pats his shoulder, "It's alright. Just stay awake."
"I know!" Bodhi says a little too brightly as he reappears on Jyn's side, "We should ask you questions."
Cassian holds his breath. Jyn is slightly amused. She doesn't think twice when she says, "Alright," and ignores the meaningful look on Cassian's face. "You start."
"Really?"
"Yeah, ask him anything."
"I'm not taking any questions," Cassian manages.
"And we're not taking any orders," Jyn replies. She gestures for Bodhi to ask a question.
"So…where were you born?"
Cassian can hardly believe he was about to comply. He was, after all, usually on the side of the interrogator. However, in this instance at least, he knew that staying awake was in his best interest. "Fest," he says shortly.
Jyn raises her eyebrows. She knew that Fest was like Hoth, known for its icy ridged mountain ranges and deep valleys. It had few wilderness areas, but a dense population. Any living species there had to fight to survive. That alone was revealing about Cassian Andor.
"Had you…" Jyn doesn't know why she bothers with this question, "Any pets?"
"Never."
"Why not?"
"Looking after other living things didn't appeal to me."
Bodhi's turn. "First encounter with the empire?"
"3257 LY. I was with a bunch of older boys hiding in the mountains above a valley on Fest. There was a caravan of clone troopers and we started throwing rocks at them. It was a game of who could knock out the most troopers."
"First encounter with the rebellion?"
"Around 3270, after a scuffle between rebels and extremist separatists. General Draven convinced me that the rebellion was more than the separatist movement, and he offered me a post in Intelligence."
"First encounter with a woman?"
Bodhi was met with blank stares. "What?"
"Really, Bodhi." Cassian seems to sink further under the blanket, his jaw rigid. Jyn doesn't say anything.
"I could mean any encounter," Bodhi says, but the way he fights a smile off his face betrays his intention. "But I could mean something more specific."
Cassian keeps his eyes on the control panel in front of him. "I never knew my mother, nor did I have a sister," he said, his speech becoming less slurry. "I knew some girls growing up, but life on Fest was too rough for more-than-friendly relations, especially when the empire started to build their industrial plants."
Jyn watches Cassian as his eyes remain fixed ahead of him, but his lower lip twitches slightly at whatever starts to run through his head.
"There was one separatist girl, but we were both too young to consider anything serious. I never heard from her after I left Fest and joined the rebellion. And then," he takes a breath, "some time back I met another Intelligence officer. I worked with her for a while, but missions got in the way. I let it go."
Neither Bodhi nor Jyn presses him further. Cassian seems to be wide awake now, as a result of the super drug and their brief session of question-and-answer.
"How are you feeling?" Jyn asks, her eyes watchful.
"Better, thanks to you and Bodhi," Cassian replies, his eyes shifting between his two companions. Jyn knows however, that despite what he says he was still in a lot of pain from his injuries.
"Can you move?"
Cassian leans his head back. "I'm not paralyzed, if that's what you're worried about. I can move."
Bodhi takes a breath, "I don't have any pain killers on me. I have Myoplexaril, but—"
"That's too strong," Cassian finishes for him. "I'd rather feel pain in my muscles than lose sensation in them."
Cassian watches Jyn as she folds her arms over her chest and leans against the control panel. He nods towards her. "Do we have a plan once we land?"
Trust his brain to go full throttle after that anti-fever, Jyn looks at Cassian. "I'll leave Bodhi here with you and get help."
"What do you mean?" Cassian frowns. "Take Bodhi with you. I'll be fine here."
Jyn glances at Bodhi and there's a brief silent exchange between them. "Cassian, you're not in the best shape. If anything happens, you'll need someone back here with you."
"I'm not cripple."
"That's not what I'm saying," Jyn returns calmly. "There's almost no cause for worry once we land in Takodana, but just to make sure, it'll be much easier for me to find help for all three of us if I move alone."
Cassian looks at Bodhi and back at Jyn. Reluctantly, he resigns to the decision. "Fine," he says. "But if you don't return within one standard hour upon leaving the shuttle, we're coming after you."
"Hour and a half."
"…hour and a half," Cassian affirms albeit reluctantly, his fists clenching under the blanket. "You know, up until a few hours ago, I was the one looking after you."
Jyn can't help but smile, "The Force wills I return the favor."
Cassian smirks and rests his head again. Bodhi takes a step towards Jyn. "So," he hesitates, "Who exactly is this 'friend' of yours?"
Jyn looks at Bodhi, "They call her the Pirate Queen," she says. "Ever heard of her?"
Neither Cassian nor Bodhi affirms.
"She provides a watering hole for space travelers. After I…after Saw Gerrera left me, I found myself at her sanctuary a couple times between odd jobs," she finishes. Jyn notices Cassian's signature untrusting look on his face. "She's a friend," she reiterates confidently. "She'll be there, I know it."
A loud alarm sequence suddenly blares through the shuttle, causing all three passengers to jump in their places. Bodhi is first to recover from the start. "That's a signal. We'll be within orbit in an hour," he walks past Jyn to the pilot's side of the control panel. "The drives are running on 18% power. We'll make it safely."
Cassian manages to bring his hand out from under the blanket to reach for Jyn's arm. She turns to him, eyes questioning. "Get some rest, Jyn," he tells her, his expression that of concern.
Jyn nods and gives Cassian's hand a reassuring squeeze, "I'll be fine. Just stay awake." She lets her hand linger on his a moment longer before she walks back to the tech station, doing her best to conceal her limp. She drops into the technician's chair and takes her necklace in her fingers again. She never before felt her faith in the Force so tested as in the last few days. She closes her eyes and then closes her fist around the crystal.
Please recognize me.
A/N: Thanks for reading! Btw, has anyone finished the Rogue One novelization and Catalyst? They finally arrived in the mail yesterday and I hope the hype is real! My little brother can't put Catalyst down though, so I haven't been able to start haha!
