This chapter displays almost literally a set of scenes I love from the movie Rogue One. :-)


Cassian, Jyn, Tikus and Kay were on the outskirts of Jedha City, studying it from a nearby hill. A Star Destroyer was hovering above the city, blocking most of the sunlight and coating it with unnatural shadows.

"The Empire is plundering the Temple of the Whills, taking all the kyber reserves," Cassian explained, passing his binoculars to Jyn.

"Because it's the combustible for the weapon," Jyn stated. Cassian had been updating her on the details of the mission. "That's why the Destroyer is there."

"So it seems. Let's get going." Cassian turned to his droid. "Kay, go back to the ship and wait for my instructions."

"Why am I the only one who stays behind? I can help. I have the appearance of an Imperial droid and can go unnoticed," Kay countered.

"That's precisely why you can't go unnoticed. Half those people will want to shoot you, and the other half will try to reprogram you," Jyn needled with a smirk.

Kay turned his head to her, and Cassian imagined him narrowing his eyes in annoyance at the pricking woman. "And why are you suddenly so concerned about my wellbeing?," Kay asked Jyn sharply.

"I'm not. I'm only worried that they'll fail and shoot Tikus or me instead," she retorted.

"That wouldn't look so bad to me," the droid replied back, deadpan.

Cassian intervened, or otherwise the bickering would go on for the whole day. "Come on, Kay. You know that if I need you, I'll call you. Promised."

The droid made a movement that could be interpreted as a sigh of defeat. "I hope you have fun."

"I doubt we'll have any fun in an occupied city." Cassian turned to the rest of the group. "Well, let's get moving. My contact we'll be waiting for us at the entrance of the temple."

Cassian, Jyn and Tikus started their march to the city, while Kay strode in the opposite direction.

Tikus had been given clearance to go to the mission. He was born and raised on planet Iridonia and became a veteran of the Clone Wars, fighting for the Republic. It was evident that he was an expert in fighting and was accustomed to the thick of battle, so Draven saw his usefulness.

As soon as they crossed the gates of the city walls, a restless crowd surrounded them, and a voice, amplified by loudspeakers, warned about the possible presence of the deserter cargo pilot and offered six hundred credits for his capture. A hologram displaying the face of the subject (he looked young, with big, dark, innocent eyes and long dark hair) was visible in a few streets, but people came and go without apparently paying attention. The citizens of Jedha weren't supportive of the Empire, even less with the oppressive presence of Imperial troops everywhere and the plundering of kyber, which was sacred for the followers of the Church of the Force (and there were a lot of them in Jedha).

There was a tension in the air which didn't promise anything good. Cassian was glad to see that his companions were as watchful as himself. A skirmish could break out any moment and they'd better be ready for that contingency.

Cassian left Jyn and Tikus for some minutes to check that Tivik's sister was at the arranged place (he again pushed the guilt deep down; he'd lied, telling her that her brother had died when some stormtroopers shot him; he'd made her believe that his death had been heroic). He saw her from afar, disguised under a heavy cloak which covered her head, unobtrusively sitting on a corner of the temple's stairs. There were stormtroopers patrolling the area, but luckily they seemed to ignore her, as if she only was one more ordinary citizen taking a short rest there.

When he went back to his companions, it seemd that Jyn had earned the attention of a Guardian of the Whills, a blind man who offered his services to read the future of the passersby in exchange for credits or, most probably in Jyn's case, her kyber necklace. Cassian had noticed that she always wore it, like a precious treasure. He didn't deem her as a believer in the Force, but perhaps she hid it well. It was dangerous to be an open follower of the Force.

Shortly after the incident with the Guardian, and before they could meet Cassian's contact, a pitched battle erupted between what looked like a batallion of Partisans and the stormtroopers tasked with carrying the stolen kyber from the temple. Cassian, Jyn and Tikus found themselves in the middle of the fire and sought shelter behind dilapidated pillars and walls. Suddenly they heard a little girl crying, in risk of being shot to death at any moment. Jyn reacted by instinct, running to catch the kid with a complete disregard for her own safety. Cassian felt an intense surge of admiration, fear and annoyance for her impulsiveness, and shouted at her to get out of there. The kid's mother appeared and, speaking in Jedhan very agitatedly, took the girl from Jyn's arms and disappeared. Cassian felt momentarily relieved for the little girl's rescue, but Jyn herself wasn't out of the woods. The battle was raging around her, and she ran to the only spot where the shots wouldn't reach her for a brief respite: one side of the tank carrying the kyber. But that respite would be very short lived; Cassian saw a Partisan on the top of a building, getting ready to throw a bomb at the tank. Without thinking twice, Cassian shot at the bomber, who dropped like a stone, causing an explosion which killed a few of his own comrades. Jyn took advantage of the chaos and rushed to seek shelter behind a pillar. The three of them started to fight their way forward, and Cassian witnessed Jyn's and Tikus's skill with their weapons. Jyn was magnificent with her truncheon and blaster, taking down an entire group of stormtroopers by herself. When the whole batallion was killed, she shot by instinct a KX droid who walked into the scene and who dropped dead instantly. A second later, another KX droid hurried behind the former one and stopped, taking in the whole scene. His demeanor immediately identified him as Kay. "Did you know it wasn't me?," he asked Jyn suspiciously.

"Of course," she hurried to answer, and Cassian almost laughed at the bizarre situation. It was obvious that she hadn't known. She'd only shot at what seemed one more enemy coming for them. It was just good luck what had prevented Kay from being killed by her. Serves him well, for being a wayward and reckless pain in the ass, Cassian thought, between amused and exasperated.

"I told you to stay in the ship," he admonished.

"Yes, but I thought that staying in the ship was boring. Besides, there were too many explosions for three people who didn't want to draw attention to themselves," Kay replied breezily. He then caught on the fly a grenade thrown at them by a trooper, and threw it back to where another batallion was approaching. The explosion blew all of them up. "You were right. I should have stayed in the ship," Kay added as an afterthought. Jyn and Tikus snorted loudly and Cassian couldn't help a smile.

The four of them headed back to the temple, but then they were intercepted by a fresh batallion of troopers.