Disclaimer:
The following is a work of fanfiction. All characters and situations belonging to the Star Wars saga are copyrighted to Lucasfilm Ltd. and the Walt Disney Company. Everything else, including original characters, are of my own creation.
Author's Notes:
So, yet again, it's been a little while since my last update! Real life (as well as a few new tv obsessions!) got in the way of my writing. I also struggled with a couple of the scenes in this section for weeks. But I got the section done and now it is available for everyone who is reading the story to enjoy!
This section is still part of the set-up for the main plot, which will begin in the next section.
I would like to remind everyone that this story is inspired by the Lifetime Channel original movies and incorporates many of their common plot elements. Like those movies there is sexual content and violence.
This section also references the "Forces of Destiny" episode "The Stranger."
Although this story is a follow-up to my "Rogue One" AU "Chances," all other canon events follow the movies. The timeframe for the story is a year and a half after "Return of the Jedi."
Here is the "cast" for the original characters in this part of the story:
Mirella Reedl...Lindsay Hartley
Nicrae Linner...Panos Vlahos
Erik Rydel...Jason-Shane Scott
Jeek Warler...Marcus Rosner
Mentioned only:
Piter Yyse...Corin Nemec
Larg Sonin...Tanner Zagarino
Zaid Dlirk...Eric Roberts
There are additional original characters whose roles are so small that I did not "cast" them.
All questions and comments may be sent to me at my e-mail address. Please see my author profile for details.
Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy the story.
Jyn held tightly onto Ashlyra's hand as she, Cassian, and Bodhi approached the door to Leia Organa's apartment. The little girl was completely awake now and too full of energy to be carried. She was fascinated by her new surroundings and wanted nothing more than to explore everything around her. Jyn was finding it a challenge to keep a hold on her so she wouldn't slip away. (Growing up in a completely safe environment, Ashlyra was used to being allowed to run around freely. Even the largest settlements on Lah'mu were small compared to places like Hanna City. Jyn and Cassian had never worried when she'd gotten away from them because there was always someone around who knew who Ashlyra was and who her parents were.)
"Let's go over there, Mama!" Ashlyra declared as she started pulling on her mother's hand. "I want to see!"
"Later, little one," Jyn promised, trying to keep the nervousness she was feeling out of her voice. "Don't you want to eat first?"
"Yes!" Ashlyra decided, not missing a beat. "I'm hungry!"
She smiled despite herself. Ashlyra's enthusiasm never failed to bring her joy.
Even through her worry about meeting the princess of Alderaan.
Alderaan.
The planet Papa's weapon had wiped out of existence...
She hadn't said anything to Cassian (he had enough worries of his own), but she was extremely nervous to be meeting Leia Organa. The moment Mon Mothma had mentioned her name... And then to be told that Leia wanted her at this first meeting... There was no question that Leia already knew who she was. After all, her father and his role in the Death Star's development were the very reasons the Alliance had chosen to free her from Wobani. And her involvement in the events around Scarif were a well-known part of galactic history. But Leia's knowledge of her identity was not the issue that had her on edge. No, it was how Leia might feel about her that had her so unnerved.
Jyn was the living reminder of the man who had created the Death Star's weapon-the very weapon that had destroyed Leia's entire planet along with all of its people. With Papa now dead, Jyn was the closest target for Leia's hatred and rage for the loss of her world. (There was no one else left.) So why would the senator want her in her home? The reasons she had given Mon Mothma were rather flimsy. (Cassian could easily pass that information on to her later.) Why did she want to meet her?
Jyn's best guess was that it had to do with making a good first impression on Cassian, whom Leia had to work closely with in the foreseeable future. Leia, who was a career politician, would have learned as much as she could about Cassian prior to this first meeting. And the one fact about Cassian that would have stood out was that his family was his priority. He valued his wife and daughter above all else, even the New Republic. (It still amazed her after all these years that he'd chosen to leave behind the cause to which he had dedicated his life to start a new life with her. How had she gotten so lucky?) If Leia wanted his full cooperation, she would have to show him that she understood that.
Which meant that Jyn was safe from being openly attacked from the moment Leia laid eyes on her. Leia wanted to make a good impression on Cassian. (Angrily confronting his wife in front of him would have the exact opposite effect. No, if anything was going to happen, Leia would wait until the two women were alone, which Jyn would do her best to prevent.) But that didn't mean she'd receive a warm welcome from the senator. She had a feeling that she would be greeted with the same kind of cold politeness that she had witnessed Saw and his reluctant allies use with each other over the years. (She had been aware from a young age that most of the other rebel groups that Saw collaborated with had not approved of him or his methods. They had only worked with him out of necessity.) Voices had never been raised, but seemingly friendly words had been filled with veiled insults that had gone over her head until she was old enough to recognize them for what they were. And while she didn't think any hidden insults were going to be hurled at her during this first meeting, what had her incredibly worried was the possibility of Cassian picking up on Leia's true feelings towards her despite the senator's best efforts to hide them.
Because once that happened...
Due to his background as an intelligence officer, Cassian was very good at detecting the true emotions and intentions of those around him. (It was a skill that served him well even as a civilian.) If Leia even gave a hint of her ill-feelings towards Jyn and Cassian noticed it... It would spell the end of their working relationship before it even began. Cassian would immediately turn into the protective husband and confront Leia, not caring that she was a galactically important figure. His complete focus would be on defending his wife. It was a disaster waiting to happen.
And it was the very last thing they needed when their entire focus needed to be on being ready for whatever Mirella was planning to throw at them.
On the flight over from Lah'mu, they had discussed all sorts of possibilities for Mirella's revenge against him. Cassian had insisted that whatever she would do, it would be violent and in-person. He wasn't sure if it would be out in the open or if she'd try to lure him somewhere private, but he was certain that she would want to do it herself. Jyn, on the other hand, felt that she would take a more subtle approach, especially if Mirella was being genuine about wanting her planet to join the New Republic. She wouldn't want to ruin her planet's chances by being caught committing a crime. But the one thing that they did agree on was that she would do something and it would be devastating if they weren't ready for it.
Especially if Cassian was distracted by Leia's feelings for Jyn...
Which meant she had to do whatever it took to ensure that the two of them were able to work together. And the best way to do that would be for her to interact with Leia as little as possible. The less words spoken between them, the less chance for Leia to say something that Cassian would find objectionable. As long as she did not react in a negative way, she doubted he'd pay too much attention to what was being said to her. (At least, she hoped he wouldn't...)
She was drawn out of her private thoughts when Ashlyra loudly asked, "Can we eat now?"
Cassian, who remained thankfully unaware of Jyn's worries (the fact that he hadn't yet asked her if something was bothering her meant she was doing a good job of covering her nerves), gave a small laugh in response to the question. "Very soon, little one. But first Mama and Papa are meeting with a very important person and we need you to be on your very best behavior for Uncle Bodhi while you wait for us. Can you do that?"
"Okay," Ashlyra agreed. "Then we can eat?"
"Yes, baby, then we can eat," Jyn told her as they finally arrived at Leia's apartment door.
"If you'd like, I can take her somewhere to eat while you're busy here," Bodhi offered as he activated the door chime. "I think she'd like that better than just sitting here. You can just comm me to come get you when you're done."
Jyn opened her mouth to object (she wanted to keep Ashlyra with her as a buffer between the senator and herself), but Cassian responded before she could.
"It's up to you," he told Bodhi and Jyn knew she couldn't object without making him suspicious. "I know Ashlyra loves spending time with you."
"What do you think, Ash?" Bodhi asked. "You want to go eat with me?"
"Okay!" Ashlyra enthusiastically answered. "I want candy!"
Jyn couldn't help but laugh. There was no denying the little girl had a big sweet tooth, which both she and Cassian freely indulged. (They wanted her to have everything they hadn't been able to have as children.) If she had her way, she would eat all desserts all the time.
"You can have candy after you have real food," Cassian informed her. "Is that clear?"
Ashlyra pouted. "Yes, Papa."
"Don't let her bully you," Cassian warned Bodhi. "She knows she can't have treats until after her meal."
Bodhi winked theatrically at Ashlya, who giggled, and Jyn knew Ashlyra was going to get whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted. (Bodhi could never say "no" to her and spoiled her terribly. And she and Cassian didn't mind one bit.) "Whatever you say."
She was going to make a comment on the likelihood of a healthy meal first when the apartment door began to open.
She braced herself for the forthcoming meeting with the princess of Alderaan.
The door fully retracted into the wall and revealed a golden-plated protocol droid waiting to greet them.
"Hello! I am See-Threepio, human-cyborg relations!" the droid enthusiastically welcomed them. "Whom might I announce is here to see Senator Organa?"
"Major Cassian Andor," Cassian introduced himself. He gestured to Jyn and Ashlyra. "This is my wife Jyn and my daughter Ashlyra." He then indicated Bodhi. "And this is Lt. Commander Bodhi Rook. The senator is expecting us."
"Yes, I am," came a voice from behind the droid. "That will be all, Threepio. I can take it from here."
"Yes, Senator," the droid responded and moved away to give Jyn her first clear in-person look at Leia Organa.
The first thing Jyn noticed was that she was dressed extremely casually. Every time she had seen the senator on the Holonet, she had been wearing the finest of clothing like every other politician she'd ever seen. (She'd never forget the well-dressed senators who dismissed Papa's story and outright called him a liar at the disastrous meeting before Scarif.) But here in her own home Leia wore a plain shirt and simple pants. If Jyn hadn't known better, she would have thought she was meeting a friend rather than a powerful senator.
The second thing she noticed was how tiny Leia was. Jyn knew she herself was very short, but the senator was even smaller. Yet for her diminutive height, she radiated strength and authority. She gave the impression of being someone you did not mess with. (Jyn had heard stories of what happened to those who attempted to cross Leia Organa, such as Jabba the Hutt. She was the last person you wanted to have as an enemy.) This matched everything she had ever heard about the woman, who had a reputation for being very blunt about her opinions.
If Leia held her father's actions against her, she would know soon enough...
But to her utter surprise, Leia warmly smiled at them. "Cassian, Jyn, welcome," she said as she gestured for them to enter the apartment, which they did. "Please come in, all of you. I apologize for my appearance. I literally just finished putting my son Ben down for a nap as you arrived. He just ate, so I'm hoping he'll sleep for the next several hours. Not that I'm ever that lucky. Tell me, how long did your little one sleep when she was six-months-old?"
Jyn was too stunned to respond. This was definitely not how she had expected to be greeted!
But before Cassian could say anything, Ashlyra gave a huge gasp.
"You're just like me!" she announced, looking up at Leia with wide eyes.
She then immediately clamped a hand over her mouth as she realized what she had done and looked guiltily at her mother.
Since she was old enough to talk, Jyn and Cassian had drilled into Ashlyra that she was never to tell anyone about her abilities unless they gave her permission. (Bodhi was the only person who knew. They had even kept the truth from Draven.) She didn't understand why she had to keep it a secret, but she had promised that she wouldn't tell and, until this moment, she had never broken her promise.
Jyn opened her mouth to tell her that it was all right, but Leia held up a hand before kneeling down in front of the little girl.
After studying her for a moment, she commented, "I am, aren't I?"
She looked back up at Jyn, who was still holding Ashlyra's hand.
"No one mentioned that your daughter was Force-sensitive," she stated matter-of-factly. She paused. "Or how powerful she is."
Again, Jyn was too shocked to speak. How did she...? And then she remembered that Leia was the twin sister of Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker. Of course she would be Force-sensitive too! It seemed obvious now that she thought about it, but it was one of those things that never seemed to be mentioned on the Holonet.
"It's not common knowledge," Cassian responded when it was clear that Jyn wasn't going to say anything and Leia turned her attention to him. "When we realized what she was capable of... We thought it best to keep her abilities to ourselves. We know that there are still many out there who fear anyone who can use the Force. We just want to keep her safe."
"It's very important to us that she has a normal childhood," Jyn spoke up, having finally gotten her emotions under control. "We want her to have the kind of life that neither one of us had."
It was a risk revealing something that personal to a complete stranger, especially one who could possibly feel nothing but hatred towards her. Based on Leia's behavior so far, Jyn was starting to wonder if she was wrong to worry. However, she wanted to make Leia understand why keeping Ashlyra's abilities a secret was so important to both Cassian and herself.
Leia simply nodded at her before returning her attention to Ashlyra. "And what kinds of things can you do, little one?"
Ashlyra looked to Jyn for guidance on what to do.
"It's all right," she assured her. "You can tell her."
And Jyn knew that it really was all right. She had given Leia the perfect opportunity to make her true feelings known and the senator had not used it. (Leia would know that the reason Jyn had not had a normal life was because of Papa and his service to the Empire. If they had not been found on Lah'mu...) Instead, Leia seemed genuinely interested in Ashlyra and her abilities. If she hated Jyn the way she'd feared she did, it was unlikely she would devote this kind of attention to her daughter, the grandchild of the man who had created the weapon that destroyed her world.
Jyn allowed herself to fully let go of her worries as Ashlyra turned her attention back to Leia.
"I have dreams about Mama and Papa," Ashlyra explained to the best of her ability. (Because she was so young, they hadn't taught her about the Force and that it was the source of her dreams. All she knew was that she dreamed things and could sometimes make things happen, like opening doors, just by thinking about it.) "I see all kinds of things about them. Sometimes I see things that happened a long time ago and sometimes I see things that haven't happened yet. Mama and Papa have to tell me which one is which. Most of the times the dreams are nice, but sometimes they can be very scary. I don't like the scary ones."
"No one likes scary ones," Leia assured her. "What else can you do?"
Ashlyra took a moment to think about the question. "Um, I can think at a door and it opens," she said.
"Really?" Leia commented, sounding genuinely surprised. "And just how did you learn to do that?"
Ashlyra shrugged. "I just do it."
"How?"
She shrugged again. "I just want it open and it opens."
"Impressive," Leia commented before briefly glancing up at Jyn. When she refocused on Ashlyra, she asked, "Anything else?"
"Umm..." Ashlyra thought some more. "I can sometimes make things go up by thinking at them."
This was news to Jyn. Of course she'd known Ashlyra had levitated objects inadvertently as a baby. But to find out she's now been doing it purposely and hadn't told them about it... What else was her little girl hiding from her and Cassian?
"And did anyone teach you how to do that?" Leia questioned.
"Uh-uh," Ashlyra shook her head. "I just do it."
"Well, that makes you a very special little girl," Leia told her with a warm smile. "Even I couldn't do any of that until someone taught me."
"Really?" Ashlyra asked.
"Really," Leia said. "My brother Luke had to teach me."
"He's like us?"
Leia nodded. "He is."
"Can I meet him too?" Ashlyra wanted to know.
Jyn slightly tightened her grip on her daughter's hand. If Luke Skywalker, the last Jedi, was to meet Ashlyra, a highly Force-sensitive child...
A new fear took hold of her. What if he wanted to take Ashlyra away for training? What if he didn't care that she and Cassian didn't want that for their daughter?
She felt Cassian place a hand on her back, letting her know that this time he had noticed the change in her demeanor.
"Unfortunately, he's not here right now," Leia let Ashlyra know, much to Jyn's relief. "To be honest, I'm not even sure where he is. He's not very good about staying in contact these days. But I know he would very much like to meet you.
"And I hope he will one day soon," she said as she rose back to her feet and refocused her attention on Jyn and Cassian. "You two have a very special daughter. The Force is incredibly strong with her. Both the fact that she's having such powerful visions at a young age and that she had taught herself how to use the Force to manipulate objects without any kind of training... It's practically unheard of, even in the old Order. If they were still around today, Ashlyra would be considered a prodigy."
Jyn tried to keep her astonishment hidden. She and Cassian had known Ashlyra was powerful. But if what Leia was saying was true...
"I know you want her to have a normal life," Leia went on, "but the truth is she is always going to be different because of her abilities. Abilities she must learn to control. She is going to need a teacher and based on the rate she's teaching herself how to do things with the Force, she needs one sooner rather than later."
"She's so young," Jyn pointed out as Ashlyra finally freed herself of her mother's grasp and started to explore the room they all stood in. "She's not even old enough for school."
Despite her protests, she knew what Leia said was true. Ashlyra would need to be taught to control her Force abilities. She and Cassian had discussed it many times since discovering what Ashlyra could do. (Which had led to discussions about their future children possibly being Force-sensitive as well...) But it was something they always felt could wait until she was older. They just wanted her to be the child she was for as long as she could.
"The Jedi started training when they were younger than she is now," Leia pointed out as Jyn watched Ashlyra excitedly running around and grabbing everything she could get her little hands on. (Much to her relief, Bodhi, who had remained silent since they had entered the apartment, had joined Ashlyra as she went on her expedition. He would keep her from hurting herself or breaking anything fragile.) "But I understand where you are coming from, believe me. I feel the same way about Ben, who's already showing signs of his Force abilities. As their mothers, we just want them to be happy and carefree for as long as they can. But because they are both Force-sensitive, there are dangers they face that the non-sensitive never will."
She instantly tensed up when Leia said "dangers."
"What kinds of dangers?" Cassian demanded to know and he slipped an arm around Jyn's waist, pulling her close.
"How much do you know about the Force?" Leia questioned instead of answering. "The light and dark sides? What about the Jedi and the Sith?"
"Very little," Cassian told her. "But enough to know that the Sith are evil and use the Force to cause harm."
"Not just the Force," Leia corrected. "The Sith use the dark side of the Force, which is fuelled by negative emotions, such as fear, anger, and jealousy. Any Force user who isn't in complete control of his or her emotions is at risk of falling to the dark side, which is all-consuming. It...changes you. You become...someone else."
As she spoke about the dark side, Leia's demeanor slightly changed, which made Jyn wonder if she was speaking from personal experience. (Jyn had only noticed because she had seen the same thing with Cassian many times over the years.) Had Leia known someone that fell to the dark side?
"To remain in the light, a Force user must learn to separate him or herself from their emotions," the senator continued, her manner back to the way it had been. "He or she cannot use the Force without a calm and focused mind. Emotions can be a distraction and a hindrance. Someone as young as Ashlyra, who doesn't really understand the Force and how she's calling on it, might inadvertently use the dark side out of anger and frustration and there are no telling what the consequence would be. She could accidentally hurt someone.
"Or herself."
Leia's words sent a new fear coursing through Jyn's body. Because Ashlyra, loving, sweet, and kind Ashlyra, had a temper. A temper she had inherited from her mother... Like most children her age, she was emotionally volatile and her mood could change in an instant. She was stubborn, impatient, and headstrong. And when she got mad...
The connection between emotions and the Force was an entirely new concept to Jyn. Mama, who was the one who taught her everything she knew about the Force (the little that it was), had never mentioned it. And Chirrut, the first actual Force user she had met, had not been in her life long enough for her to ever get the chance to ask him questions about it. (But he had always been so calm and serene...) Ashlyra's visions came to her in her sleep when she was completely relaxed, but when they turned into nightmares... And her use of the Force to open doors always was a result of her needing to find her parents because she was extremely scared and upset...
"I know it's a lot to take in and I'm sorry to throw all of this at you at once, but these are very important things to know when you're dealing with a Force-sensitive child like Ashlyra," Leia went on. "The earlier she learns control, the better off she'll be as she gets older. My husband Han and I know that we'll have to do the same thing for Ben when he's old enough."
"We're not sending her away," Jyn firmly declared, letting Leia know that this was a non-negotiable issue. Ashlyra was never going to go through what she had, even temporarily. "She's our child and she's going to stay with us no matter what."
Cassian pulled her tighter against him. "We have no problem with a teacher coming to her. We know that the Jedi were raised away from their families, but we-"
"When did I ever say anything about sending her away?" Leia pointedly cut him off. "I only said that she needs a teacher. The old Jedi Order and their ways are gone, destroyed by the Empire. But there are still survivors of the purge out there and my brother Luke is working to find as many of them as he can. There is someone out there who will be the right fit for working with Ashlyra. And when he or she is found, you will be the first to know."
Jyn allowed herself to relax a little. Knowing that she was not in danger of having Ashlyra taken from her and Cassian...
She scanned the room to see what Ashlyra was currently up to. The little girl was opening the drawers of a long table and, after digging around in a drawer, proudly showing her discoveries to Bodhi, who was taking them from her and discreetly putting the items back where they belonged. Jyn smiled at her daughter's innocent fun. This was what she and Cassian were fighting to protect. Ashlyra deserved to have a normal childhood, Force abilities be damned. And when she grew up, she could choose to be whoever she wanted to be.
And if that was a Jedi...
"But in the meantime, if you are open to it," Leia continued and Jyn returned her attention to her, "I can work with her a little while the three of you are here on Chandrila. It isn't a very well-known fact, but I do happen to be a fully-trained Jedi Knight. I may have made the decision to follow a different path, but Luke taught me very well and I can teach her some of the basics that she needs to know."
Once again, Jyn was stunned by the woman before her.
"You would...do that?" she asked, aware of how generous such an offer was.
"Of course," Leia told her matter-of-factly. "I know I just met her, but I like Ashlyra very much. And I get the impression that she likes me too. And my belongings too, apparently," she commented, gesturing towards where Ashlyra was still rummaging through drawers. "I think it will be a good experience for the both of us. After all, I'm going to have to do the same thing for Ben when he's old enough. I might as well start now."
"I don't know what to say," Jyn said. "I..." She turned to Cassian. "We..."
"Say you accept," Leia prompted. "I want to do this for her. As I mentioned earlier, she's very special."
"Yes, she is," Cassian agreed. "If you feel you have the time to-"
"There's always time for the important things," Leia waved him off. "Look, I want to do this. And we have to spend time together because of these negotiations anyway. I'll be perfectly candid: the hoops Leader Reedl is making the New Republic jump through are most likely a delaying tactic. From what I've learned about her, she's the type of person who knows exactly what she wants and doesn't like to waste time getting it. The fact that she is dragging things out indicate that bringing her world into the New Republic is not her main goal here."
"No," Cassian confirmed. "It's me."
Jyn once again tensed up as the conversation finally got around to the true purpose of this meeting and Cassian gently squeezed her waist in reassurance.
"I very much agree," Leia stated. "I've been briefed on your original mission to Tyrat and your...experience with Leader Reedl. General Draven told me that you believe she wants revenge against you."
"I honestly can't think of any other reason for her to insist on my presence," Cassian explained. "I hurt her all those years ago, so she wants to hurt me back."
"And she's using the New Republic as a way of getting to you," Leia concluded. "It's a devious approach. She's giving us something she knows we want to get what she wants. That tells me that she's smart.
"Which means we have to be that much smarter," she declared. She glanced at her wristchrono. "Which will be a lot easier after we've gotten some food in us." She gestured for them to follow her deeper into the apartment. "Let's all five of us have lunch and then you, me, and Jyn can start to work out how to both give and deny Leader Reedl what she really wants. And then later I can give Ashlyra her first lesson. Sound good?"
Jyn glanced at Cassian and waited for him to answer Leia.
"Let's do it," he answered and he released his hold on Jyn.
"Ashlyra, Bodhi," she called over to where her daughter was now peeking inside of a closet. "Lunch!"
"Food!" Ashlyra happily replied, forgetting all about the closet. "I'm so hungry!"
She ran over to Jyn, who grabbed her by the hand.
Bodhi followed behind her, slightly shaking his head.
Jyn smiled at him. "Thank you."
"My pleasure, as always," he assured her. "She's fun."
"Jyn," a voice said as a hand was placed on her arm.
She turned to see Leia standing in front of her.
"I just wanted to check in with you," the senator said. "I've been sensing a lot of nervousness from you, even before you came in. Everything all right?"
"Y-yes," she stammered, suddenly nervous all over again. Leia had sensed her feelings? Was that why she was being so friendly and informal? To make her more comfortable? Did that mean...? "I'm fine, really."
"Are you? Because you don't seem to be," Leia pointed out. "Is there something I can do to put you at ease?"
Jyn just looked at her in disbelief. Leia Organa was asking her what she could do for her? It was a surreal moment.
"Mama?" Ashlyra asked, not understanding what was going on. "Aren't we going to eat?"
"Yes, baby," Jyn answered as she composed herself. She released Ashlyra's hand and Bodhi immediately moved in to take it. "Go with Uncle Bodhi and find Papa. I'll be there in a minute."
"Okay," Ashlyra said and allowed herself to be led away.
Leia studied her for a few moments. "This has to do with the first Death Star," she said in a knowing tone. "Let me guess. You believe I hold what happened to Alderaan against you and your father. I'm right, aren't I?"
Jyn widened her eyes in surprise.
"I don't know why you would ever think that," Leia said when Jyn didn't answer. "Neither you nor your father were even there when it happened. Governor Tarkin is the one who gave the order. He was the one who had been looking for an excuse to use the weapon at full power and I gave it to him by resisting interrogation. It was all Tarkin. Not you. Not your father. Tarkin."
"But Papa..."
Leia took her hands. "He made up for his part in its development by trying to warn us and helping get the plans. He died a hero. And you nearly died doing the same thing. Why would I be angry at you when your actions saved us all? Luke may have fired the shot that destroyed the Death Star, but that shot was only possible because of you and your father's sacrifice."
Jyn found herself speechless once again.
"Now that we've gotten that settled, let's go eat," Leia matter-of-factly informed her. "I'm starving!"
Jyn simply smiled and followed Leia further into the apartment.
((()))
Nicrae allowed himself a slow smile as one by one images from inside of the Andor residence appeared on his datapad.
"Very, very nice," he commented as room after room displayed with multiple view options available.
He had known that Erik was good, but these microcamera droids were exceeding all expectations. (He'd been skeptical when he'd been handed the small canister shaped device that he'd been instructed to plant in the Andors' luggage, which he'd easily done right under the security agents's noses, but he had no problem admitting he'd been wrong about it.) In a matter of minutes, they had infiltrated the entire apartment, every single room holding multiple cameras.
Mistress Mirella was clearly going to get the eyeful of the Andor family she desired. Which meant that he was going to get the "reward" (sex) he'd been promised upon completion of the job.
As he'd learned early in his "employment," sex was everything to Mistress Mirella. Her life revolved around it. She wanted it constantly, which was why she kept a household full of men. She would randomly choose a partner or two when the mood struck her, which was often several times a day. She also used sex to reward her servants for a job well done. (She may have called them "servants," but in actuality they were nothing more than a harem. Sure she gave them menial tasks to perform around the house, but that was just a way to keep them occupied. ((The chores were mainly done by droids.)) The same way the punishment system was used to weed out the unworthies...)
Nicrae had been with the mistress for six years, making him one of the oldest servants. Only Jeek, her head of security, had been with her longer. (He hated the smug piece of poodoo, but he was very careful not to let Mistress Mirella know it. She would choose Jeek over him in a heartbeat.) Unlike most of her more recent acquisitions, such as his annoying job partner, he knew exactly what he had signed up for and knew how to stay there. (Mistress Mirella had become less exacting in recent years, "hiring" men for their looks alone, which was why she had such a high turnover rate. Every time a man disappeared after getting a fifth strike, a new one would appear to replace him no more than a day later.) He'd figured out her mind games early on (it hadn't taken him long to realize she told every single one of the men that they were her favorite, especially during sex) and had learned that the best way to appease her was instant obedience with no questions asked. He would do exactly as she commanded, no matter how unappealing, the moment the words finished leaving her lips. (Most commands, of course, were sexual. She had a habit of making one servant go down on her in front of others.) All in all, it was a cushy arrangement that was much better than having an actual job. (When he'd first met her, he'd been completely burned out from his executive career. He had needed a change and Mistress Mirella had offered him something very appealing: he'd be given room and board and lots of mind-blowing sex in exchange for performing household chores. Only a fool would turn something like that down and he was no fool.)
He pulled out his comlink and activated the connection.
"Are you getting the images?" he asked Erik, who was onboard Mistress Mirella's ship, which was currently orbiting one of the moons of a planet near the edge of the Chandrila system.
Mistress Mirella had arrived in the system several days early in order to make sure she could have her surveillance team in place before Andor's arrival. Erik had been monitoring comm traffic to find out where and when his ship was landing. Nicrae and Larg had arrived in Hanna City two hours before the Andor family did, which had given them a comfortable window to get into position.
"They're coming through beautifully," Erik told him. "I've set the system to start recording when it hears sound or sees movement. Mirella won't miss a moment of activity."
Nicrae smiled at Erik's casual reference to Mistress Mirella by her first name alone. He was the only servant in the household who wasn't forced to call her "mistress." (He was also the only one who wasn't falling over himself to be chosen for her bed partner. He preferred his droids and inventions to most interaction with living beings. Nicrae was one of his only friends. But that didn't mean he'd turned her down when he'd been given the opportunity to sleep with her. He was still, after all, a man...) And the reason he got away with it was because he was one of the best droidsmiths in the galaxy. He was able to create anything Mistress Mirella asked for and then improve upon her ideas. It would be impossible to find anyone else with his abilities, which was why she let him get away with things no one else would be permitted to do.
"Especially in the bedroom," Nicrae commented, noting that there were more microcamera droids indicated in that room than anywhere else in the apartment.
Erik chuckled. "I figured that was where she'd want to see the most. From what I've overheard, what she misses most about this guy is how he was in bed."
One of the perks of being friends with Erik was that he was in the position to eavesdrop on a lot of Mistress Mirella's conversations, especially the ones she had with Jeek. Apparently this Cassian Andor, whom he and that idiot Larg had been sent to follow and record, had been one of Mistress Mirella's lovers many years ago and then left her. For some reason, despite having numerous men at her disposal, she had never gotten over him leaving and wanted to get him back. It didn't seem to matter to her that he had a wife and child.
"I'm sure she'll see a lot more than she would like," Nicrae stated. "With such a pretty little wife, I bet Andor can't keep his hands off of her."
He'd caught a glimpse of Andor's wife at the spaceport and he'd immediately noticed that she was very attractive. (Completely different from Mistress Mirella, who was extremely beautiful herself, in every way.) If he wasn't "employed" and she wasn't married... Andor was a very, very lucky man.
"Maybe Mirella will change her mind about getting rid of her," Erik off-handedly remarked. "You know she likes-"
"Getting rid of her?" Nicrae repeated, stunned. "You actually heard her say that?"
In Mistress Mirella's world, "getting rid of" usually meant death. But surely she wouldn't kill a man's wife just to get him into her bed again.
Would she?
"Those exact words," Erik confirmed. "She instructed Jeek to select someone for the task. She wants it done as soon as possible."
Nicrae knew it shouldn't affect him so much since Mistress Mirella had people killed all of the time (there were rumors that the previous Leader Reedl's death had not been as natural as the reports had claimed), but this was different from the usual assassinations she ordered. This woman hadn't done anything that affected the mistress directly. She was not a political enemy or someone who had crossed her in some way. Her only crime was being married to a man that Mistress Mirella wanted to bed.
And, even more disturbing to him, she was a mother...
"What about the kid?" he questioned, wondering if the mistress would sink that low.
"Don't know," Erik told him. "She hasn't mentioned anything about a kid."
Relief washed over Nicrae. Murdering adults was one thing, but kids? They were the epitome of innocence in his opinion. (He'd grown up with several much younger siblings, so he had a soft spot for kids.) If Mistress Mirella actually harmed a kid... He doubted he'd be able to look at her the same way. (Not that it would be enough to make him leave her "employ." He'd never find another gig as perfect as this if he scoured the entire galaxy. He was here for the long haul.)
"That's good," he finally said. "You'll let me know if that changes, right?"
Not that he could do anything about it, but he still wanted to know anyway.
"You got it," Erik promised. "So, hey, your work is done. The cameras are planted and the feeds are perfect. Mirella isn't arriving there until tomorrow. The rest of the day is yours. What would you like to do? I can set you up anywhere with anything."
In addition to being a galaxy-class droidsmith, Erik was also a fairly decent slicer. While he couldn't break into elaborate networks or systems, he was pretty good at making appointments and reservations appear in exclusive places, where it normally took someone a year or more to get in. (Mistress Mirella was not patient when she wanted something.)
"Honestly, I just want to go to the hotel and crash," Nicrae informed him. "Where did you put us up again?"
Since the two of them were supposed to keep a low profile, he and Larg had been told that they would be staying the night in a small hotel on the outskirts of Hanna City. The idea was that they would not be recognized when they later joined up with Mistress Mirella and the rest of the Tyratian delegation. It made perfect sense to Nicrae, but slime-brained Larg had complained from the moment he found out. (Truth be told, there was very little Larg didn't complain about. Nicrae didn't understand how he'd lasted as long as he had. He was one of the most annoying beings he'd ever met.)
"For you, my friend, I took the liberty of making a reservation in a very nice hotel near the city center," Erik let him know. "I've sent the details to your datapad. For your buddy Larg, on the other hand, I found the worst dump in the city. It's in a fairly noisy location too, so he probably won't be doing much sleep."
"Well, well, well, look who's showing his sadistic streak," Nicrae smiled. "Remind me to never get on your bad side."
"I'll always have your back," Erik assured him. "That's what friends do for each other, right?"
"Of course," Nicrae said, knowing it wasn't entirely true as the words left his mouth.
While he'd of course offer help if he could, if helping Erik or any one of the other friends he made in Mistress Mirella's household put his position in danger, he would put himself first.
He had worked too hard and too long to risk losing the lifestyle to which he'd become accustomed.
He could always make new friends.
((()))
Cassian held Jyn's hand as they strolled through Hanna City, Ashlyra and Bodhi walking not too far ahead of them.
They were headed back to the apartment after spending a few precious hours playing tourists. (This had been their one and only opportunity to explore the city as a family before the negotiations began. Once they started...) It was still fairly early in the evening, but Cassian had to meet with Yyse at 0700 at the senate building to go over all of the security measures, so he and Jyn had decided that it was best not to stay out too late. But they had spent their time wisely and they felt like they hadn't missed anything.
Ashlyra, of course, had had the best time of all of them. As a reward for her good behavior while waiting for her parents to finish their meeting with Leia, she had been allowed to pick out two new toys as well as get some candy. Bodhi, who was acting as their tour guide, had brought them to the best toy and sweets stores in the area. (Making sure she only got TWO toys had been a challenge as she'd wanted EVERYTHING she saw! The only way to get her to relent was the promise of coming back before they returned home.) The little girl had especially made out like a bandit in the sweets store and was currently using her candy-fueled energy to try to break out of Bodhi's grip so she could run amok.
"We are never getting her to sleep tonight," Jyn declared. "Do we even know how much of the candy we bought her she's already eaten?"
"All of it, I think," he answered. "I'm not even sure most of it made it out of the store."
"And that's on top of her dinner and very large dessert," she said with a shake of her head. (Bodhi had taken them to one of his favorite restaurants for dinner and it just happened to be very family-friendly with a dedicated menu for children. A children's menu with an extensive dessert selection...) "How in the galaxy does she not have a stomach ache?"
"It's a mystery that does not need solving," he informed her. "Just be glad she doesn't have one. Remember the last time?"
Jyn groaned. "Ugh! Don't remind me. It was a mess."
Less than a year ago, on one of their monthly ventures into Yan'um, there had been a new vendor who specialized in confections. Ashlyra had immediately wanted to try everything being offered. Her parents, always happy to give her what she wanted, had purchased the sweets for her without a second thought. But Ashlyra, who had still only been three at the time, had eyes bigger than her stomach and ate herself sick.
Physically sick.
They had been up with her all night, comforting her as her little body purged itself of the treats. It was an experience neither of them wanted to repeat.
"At least it happened at home," Cassian said. "I think if she gets sick like that here we'll be thrown out of the building!"
"And maybe banned from the entire city!" Jyn added.
The idea made the two of them laugh.
"And the negotiations would end before they even began thanks to a four-year-old!" she quipped.
The mention of the impact of his presence on the negotiations, even as a joke, quickly sobered Cassian up.
As much as he didn't want to be here, Chancellor Mothma had made it very clear how important these negotiations were for the New Republic. If he was the reason they fell apart...
"Oh, Force! I'm so sorry," Jyn apologized as she realized what she had said. She came to a stop and turned to face him. "I wasn't think-"
"It's all right," he assured her, squeezing her hand. "I'm the one who started it."
"But I'm the one who took it too far," she pointed out. "As I said, I wasn't-"
"Jyn," he gently cut her off. "It's okay." He gave her a smile. "I believe this makes us even now."
He still hadn't entirely forgiven himself over his earlier lapse when he'd failed to notice her nervousness about meeting Leia. (Of course she would have been nervous! Leia was from Alderaan and Jyn's father had built the weapon that had destroyed it.) He was normally so attuned to his wife's moods that he'd been shocked to learn that he hadn't picked up on her anxiety. (The only reason he'd found out was that he'd gone back to find out what was taking Jyn so long to join him and he'd overheard the end of her conversation with Leia.) He had allowed himself to become so distracted by his impending "reunion" with Mirella that he hadn't paid enough attention to Jyn's emotional state. He had apologized profusely while Leia was giving Ashlyra her first Force lesson (which had gone very well-Leia had been very impressed with Ashlyra, who had proven to be a quick study and picked things up almost immediately) and Jyn had waved him off, just like he was doing to her now. (She had told him that she hadn't wanted him to notice and that it turned out that she had been worried for nothing-Leia didn't hold a thing about the Death Star against her or her father.)
"Well, I wouldn't say we're exactly 'even," she teasingly shot back. "But I can think of a couple of ways that you can make it up to me."
"Just a couple?" he questioned, pulling her closer to him and wrapping his arms around her waist.
"Uh-huh," she answered, gently resting her hands on his chest. "Just a couple."
"Is this one of them?" he asked before pulling her into a deep kiss.
In the back of his mind, he wondered what their security team thought of this very public display of affection. (Yyse had had the three member team waiting for them when they had first arrived at their apartment. Although they weren't officially needed until tomorrow, Yyse had wanted them to get a head start. As promised, they were discreet and professional. The only reason Cassian had been able to spot them when he'd taken the time to look for them was because he had met them and knew what they looked like. Irack and Waite were humans while Viena was a Twi'lek. Viena's decorated lekku had fascinated Ashlyra and she had impressed Cassian and Jyn when she had patiently answered the little girl's questions.) Was it something they would have expected?
When he finally ended the kiss, he said, "I love you very much."
"I love you too," Jyn breathlessly responded. "And that was definitely one of the ways."
He gave a knowing smile. "I think I know what another one of the-"
A loud and excited squeal coming from ahead of them cut him off.
"Ash! Come back here!"
They turned just in time to see Ashlyra, who had broken free of Bodhi's grip, disappear into an alleyway.
"Ashlyra!" Bodhi cried after her. "Come back!"
Then he too disappeared into the alley.
The momentary shock that had paralyzed Cassian and Jyn wore off and they took off running after their daughter.
"Ashlyra!" Jyn called. "Ashlyra!"
Cassian heard the same panic in her voice that he was experiencing.
What in the galaxy had caught Ashlyra's attention so completely? What had made her run off like that?
Within moments, the two of them had reached the opening to the alley and immediately entered it.
"Ashlyra?" Jyn called into the darkness.
"Here, Mama!" came Ashlyra's excited voice.
Cassian's panic immediately subsided at the sound. The fact that she was excited and not afraid indicated that she wasn't in any danger. Whatever had drawn her into this alley was not going to harm her.
As his eyes adjusted to the dim light, he was able to immediately spot his daughter's bright clothing. She was on her hands and knees next to a large trash dumpster.
Bodhi was crouched right next to her and they were both looking behind the dumpster.
Bodhi turned to look at them.
"Jyn, Cassian, we're over here," he waved them over. "You'll understand why Ashlyra ran off as soon as you see what's back here."
The two of them crossed the distance and Bodhi stood up to make room for them.
They dropped down to the ground on either side of Ashlyra and peered behind the dumpster to see what had caught their daughter's complete attention.
There, looking completely terrified as it pressed up against the wall, was a tooka kitten.
"Kitty!" Ashlyra stated. "It's a baby kitty!"
Judging by its tiny size, Cassian guessed the feline was no more than several weeks old.
"Ash saw it run across the street and took off after it," Bodhi explained. "I tried to stop her, but-"
"Is everything all right, Major?"
Cassian looked behind him to see Irack, Waite, and Viena entering into the alley.
"Everything's fine," he assured them as they came over. "My daughter spotted a tooka kitten and took off after it."
Which means its our tooka now, he realized.
Given Ashlyra's fixation on the kitten, there was no way she was leaving the alley without it. (Did their apartment allow pets?) They had never really discussed getting a pet, but he didn't have any objection to adding a tooka to the family and he knew Jyn wouldn't either. (She'd always loved animals.)
"There are unfortunately a lot of stray animals around here, sir," Viena spoke up. "The longer you stay, the more you'll find. It's a sad fact of city life."
"Get the kitty, Mama!" Ashlyra cried out and Cassian turned around to see Jyn squeezing her body between the wall and the dumpster as she crawled towards the kitten. "Kitty!"
"I'm not going to hurt you," she softly spoke as she neared the hissing and crying animal. "Don't be afraid, little one."
The kitten was too terrified to move and Jyn easily scooped it up.
"Gotcha!" she triumphantly cried.
"Yay kitty!" Ashlyra cheered. She looked at her father. "Mama got the kitty, Papa!"
"I see that, little one," he agreed as Jyn crawled backwards while holding the struggling and crying kitten against her chest.
"We've got a wild one here," Jyn announced as she emerged from behind the dumpster with the furiously wiggling tooka.
"Kitty!" Ashlyra happily cried and reached out to pet the kitten.
Cassian caught her hand, worried that she'd be bitten by the terrified animal.
"Not yet," he told her. "Wait until it calms down."
"Aww!" Ashlyra pouted. "I want to pet the kitty!"
"Soon," he promised as Jyn stood up.
"It's definitely a baby baby," Bodhi commented as he moved in to take a look at the tooka. "I hate to say it, but if its all alone out here at such a young age then the mother's most likely dead."
"You poor thing," Jyn murmured, holding the tooka close against her chest.
The kitten was starting to slow its struggle as it got used to being in an embrace.
"Turn it over so we can check its gender," Bodhi suggested. He turned to Cassian as Jyn readjusted her hold on the tooka. "I grew up with a lot of tookas," he explained. "My family always had at least two."
"It's a girl," Jyn announced after scanning the animal.
"Pretty girl kitty," Ashlyra said.
"She is, isn't she?" Jyn agreed as she righted the kitten in her arms. "She reminds me of a tooka I met many years ago. This one has the exact same coloring."
"What's her name, Mama?" Ashlyra wanted to know.
"Well, since she looks exactly like her, why not give her the same name?" Jyn said as the kitten tried to bury her head in her chest. "Tookie. Her name is Tookie."
"Tookie?" Cassian softly repeated.
"Her owner was a young orphan girl," Jyn explained with a shrug. "I don't think fancy names were important to her."
He wondered when she had encountered the little girl and her tooka. It was a story he'd never heard.
"Hi, Tookie!" Ashlyra happily addressed the kitten. "Pretty Tookie!" She looked up at Cassian. "Can I pet her yet, Papa?"
"Yes, you can pet her now," he told her. "Go ahead."
Tookie was no longer struggling and growling, so he no longer feared that Ashlyra would get bitten.
"Yay!" Ashlyra cheered and she gave the tiny kitten a tentative stroke. "I love you, Tookie!"
Tookie gave a little mew and Ashlyra started to pet her more confidently.
"We need to get her to a vet," Bodhi spoke up. "She might have some health issues from being on her own at such a young age." He looked at the security team. "Do you know where the nearest one is?"
"Let me find out," Irack told him, taking out a datapad.
"Thank you," Bodhi said.
"We'll have to pick up some food for her as well," Jyn put in. "I'm sure she's starving."
"Let's wait until she's checked out," Bodhi told her. "She might need a special prescription diet at first."
"You really know your stuff," Jyn smiled.
"Like I said, I grew up with tookas," he reminded her. "I picked up a few things over the years."
"I've located the nearest vet's office, sir," Irack announced. "It's three miles from here." He turned to his teammates. "Waite, go flag down a taxi."
"Yes, sir," Waite accepted and left the alley.
"So much for our early night," Cassian commented as he took a turn petting Tookie.
"Well, you're exchanging sleep for a new pet, so it's not that bad of a trade off," Jyn lightly pointed out.
"Tell that to Captain Yyse when I fall asleep at the meeting tomorrow," he shot back.
She gave a soft laugh. "Yeah, that might not go over so well. Good luck with that!"
He opened his mouth to retort when Irack came back into the alley.
"Major, ma'am," Irack said. "We have a taxi for you."
"Thank you," Cassian told him.
"Come on, Ashlyra," Jyn said to her daughter who was still petting the kitten. "Let's take Tookie to see the tooka doctor."
"Okay!" Ashlyra agreed.
The group left the alley and found the waiting taxi speeder.
Cassian opened the door and allowed Ashlyra and Jyn to get in first before sliding in next to his wife.
Bodhi, Viena, and Waite climbed in next and took the seats across from them.
"I'll ride with the driver," Irack said before closing the door.
Jyn leaned against Cassian, Tookie still firmly held against her chest.
Ashlyra was still petting and kissing Tookie, who was starting to fall asleep.
"We've just officially made this her best trip ever," she declared.
"For tonight at least," he corrected her.
In the front seat, Irack gave the driver droid the address to the vet's office and the speeder took off down the street.
((()))
"He's got the patience of a Jedi," Jyn commented as she and Cassian closed the door to Ashlyra's bedroom. "He'll make a great father some day."
Bodhi had volunteered to spend the night to "help" Ashlyra with Tookie, who had been placed in a playpen that had been set up in her room. (In other words, he was there to actually care for the six-week-old kitten. Ashlyra was too little to actually do anything herself and, in her enthusiasm, might inadvertently hurt her new pet. Bodhi's job was to keep an eye on both her and Tookie.) Jyn had created a makeshift bed for him on the floor next to Tookie's enclosure. He would be able to tend to all of the young tooka's needs, such as administering her medication and helping her learn to use the litter box.
"Some day," Cassian agreed, "but I don't get the impression he's in any rush to have kids of his own. He's quite happy borrowing our daughter every chance he gets."
"And Ashlyra just loves her Uncle Bodhi," Jyn smiled as they walked down the hall to their own bedroom, which was three times the size of their room at home. (The entire apartment they were staying in was ridiculously oversized. In her opinion, their little house back home could fit inside of it and there'd still be room left over!) "But it would be nice if he could one day have a family of his own. He's got a lot of love to give."
She and Cassian had grown to love Bodhi as a brother in the years since Papa's actions had brought them all together that fateful day on Jedha. As the sole survivors of the core team that had initiated the Scarif mission, they had bonded in the aftermath. She wanted him to find the same happiness and fulfillment as she had with Cassian. She knew Papa would have wanted that for him as well.
"I'm sure it'll happen when he meets the right person," Cassian assured her. "Which he clearly isn't looking for at the moment. I can't even remember the last time he mentioned going out on a date."
"I think it was over a year ago," she told him. She sighed. "I just want him to experience the kind of happiness that we have, you know?"
"I know," Cassian replied as they reached the door to their room. "And he will. Just give him some time."
"I suppose," she said as she decided that it was time to focus on the fact that she and her husband were now completely alone and it was very unlikely they were going to be interrupted by their daughter any time soon. (Ashlyra was infatuated with Tookie and didn't want to leave her side.) And since this was probably the only night where they wouldn't be stressed and worried over the potential threat Mirella's presence posed to their family... She gave him a seductive smile as he opened the door. "Now, I demand that you give me all of your time for the rest of the night."
"Oh, you demand it, do you?" he shot back teasingly, taking her hand and gently leading her inside their bedroom. He then closed the door behind them. "What if I don't want to?"
She wrapped her arms around his waist. "Allow me to remind you that you are supposed to be making up to me for your earlier, how did you put it, lapse. You, my beloved husband, owe me."
"Is that so?" he retorted, leaning his face closer to hers. "And just what do I owe you, my Stardust?"
"A sparring session!" she playfully burst out before releasing him and backing away. She loved teasing him this way. It was fun and it always led to such amazing lovemaking... "It's been a few days and I need to work on my Terä s Kä si!" She moved into a fighting stance. "Come on, Major Andor, get over here and test your might! Fight me!"
Cassian mirrored her position. "It won't be much of a test," he informed her in a deadpan voice. "We both know which of us is the better fighter."
"If you say so," she shot back. "But I'm going to prove that it's me!"
With that, she launched into an "attack."
Cassian was of course the superior fighter (as if there was ever any doubt) and after exchanging a few half-hearted punches and kicks (there was no power behind any of them-this was a game, after all), he caught her by the leg and swept her into his arms. She squealed with laughter as he carried her over to the huge bed (like everything else in this apartment, it was insanely oversized), where he gently dropped her onto the mattress.
He climbed into the bed and crawled to where he was positioned above her.
"Flawless victory," he declared before kissing her passionately.
And then he began to make love to her...
((()))
Mirella stared at the projected holoimage of Cassian Andor and his wife Jyn having sex with morbid fascination.
No, they weren't just having sex.
They were making love.
That was the only way to adequately describe what was playing out in front of her in full three dimensions. They were doing more than just having intercourse. They were constantly kissing and talking (about having another child, no less!) and, even more strangely, laughing. (Who laughed during sex?) There were also a lot of gentle caresses that didn't appear to do anything for their arousals. (What was the point of them?) It was so different from anything Mirella had ever experienced and she was trying very hard to understand how either of them were getting any sexual pleasure out of it.
Cassian, who was even more handsome and perfectly shaped everywhere than she remembered, was doing all of the work. Jyn just laid there and let him do whatever he wanted to her. She never once gave him any guidance on where or how to touch her. (She hadn't even had the courtesy to shave her pubic hair for him.) All she did was react and based on those reactions, she was experiencing a level of ecstasy that didn't match what Mirella was witnessing.
None of it made any sense. Jyn was not giving Cassian any direction on what she wanted. He was making all of the decisions and Jyn just went along with him. How was that even enjoyable for her? There was no way he could know what she needed at any given moment. Men were clueless when it came to women's bodies. What was wrong with her? Did she not realize what she was missing by not instructing him on how to pleasure her? Or, even worse, did she not know about it?
Which was most likely the case, Mirella realized. After learning of her existence, she had assigned one of the many other detectives she had on retainer to research the woman who had stolen her intended husband. (He wasn't as skilled as the late Dlirk, but he got the job done.) Jyn Andor, formerly Jyn Erso, had not only been a petty criminal, but she had spent years as a member of a terrorist organization. (Granted, she had only been a child and teen during those years, but she had still belonged and participated.) She had never stayed in any one place for too long and she always lived under an alias, never going by her given name for some reason. (Mirella supposed it had something to do with her father being an Imperial something or other and the majority of her criminal activities were anti-Imperial.) That kind of lifestyle did not lend itself to luxuries such as regular sex. And given her plain looks, Mirella doubted she'd attracted many men, if any at all. It was possible she had been a virgin at the time of her marriage to Cassian.
Which led her to once again question why Cassian had married someone like Jyn at all, especially after he'd had a taste of someone like Mirella. She had been a criminal and if the Rebellion hadn't found a use for her, she'd probably still be rotting in the prison from which they'd liberated her. (Then she would have never met Cassian and stolen him...) What had attracted him to her? It couldn't have been her looks, which were non-existent. And it definitely couldn't have been her body. Jyn had small breasts and hardly any curves. She was the exact opposite of what men wanted. Yet Cassian had and did want her.
Repeatedly.
Despite his wife's heinous sin of never reciprocating manual and oral stimulation, Cassian made love to her over and over again. He didn't seem to care that the only times he orgasmed was when he was inside of her. (Which, in all fairness, had happened multiple times. He and Jyn were quite the energetic lovers, coupling repeatedly with only small breaks in between. They seemed insatiable for each other.) In fact, he seemed to enjoy pleasuring his wife.
Mirella wondered what it would feel like to have him do the same for her. To have that mouth (after he shaved that facial hair, of course-how did his wife stand it?) and those hands have free reign all over her body without her directing them.
For him to enter her when he wanted rather than when she demanded it...
The thought of having him inside of her again increased the arousal that she had not been able to completely satiate while viewing him and his wife. (Watching others have sex never failed to turn her on.) She'd had to manually take care of herself several times as she rewatched the footage again and again. (She was trying to understand where their enjoyment was coming from. She only needed to view the rest of their day once since nothing very exciting happened. But the sex merited careful studying.) And as soon as she'd brought herself to climax, her arousal immediately returned. She was going to have to take a more drastic measure if she had any hope of getting any sleep tonight. (He was no Cassian, but Jeek was still an amazing lover. And he never complained when she summoned him in the middle of the night. Yet another reason why he was truly her favorite.)
In the hologram, Cassian and Jyn had finished their latest coupling and were again talking. Since this was her fifth time viewing their intimate activities, she barely paid any attention to their words. Instead she focused on Cassian's voice, which had surprised her the first time she'd heard it after ten years. Gone was the perfect Coruscanti accent that he had spoken with as "Dominik." His natural accent was much less refined, but still extremely pleasing to the ear. It made her wonder what the language of his homeworld was like to create such an attractive sound. In an ironic twist, it was Jyn who had the posh Core accent. (She had spent her early life on Coruscant before embarking on a life of crime.)
As Cassian kissed his wife and told her for the numerous time how much he loved her, Mirella again contemplated how she was going to have Jyn killed. (Permanently removing her from the picture was the only way to ensure that Cassian would be completely hers. As long as the wife lived, he would want to reunite with her and she couldn't allow that to happen.) It would have to look like an accident, of course. There could be nothing that indicated it was a targeted attack. And if the daughter happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time... Oh, well. Not her problem. (She needed Cassian to give her a child of her own, after all. The council was adamant she produce an heir as soon as possible.)
In the hologram, Cassian moved away from Jyn and his full body came into view. Mirella paused the image so she could once again admire the perfection. (It was a shame it was only an image...)
"Very soon," she whispered as she reached out and traced the shape of him.
Her arousal skyrocketed as she imagined having him inside of her and she decided it was time to have it taken care of to ensure she got a good night's sleep. Tomorrow was going to be a busy day, after all.
Shutting off the hologram, she turned to her bedside table and, after putting down the small projector, pressed one of the buttons on the communications device.
"Jeek," she spoke when she heard it connect. "I need you."
"Yes, mistress," the voice on the other end replied.
Mirella smiled at his prompt response. Jeek never failed to please her. He was so very, very loyal.
She stretched her naked body back out in her bed and waited for his arrival.
