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:
Welcome to the beginning of the end of my story! At long last, the climax rapidly approaches! I estimate there are about two more sections after this one. This particular part is mostly set-up for the remaining events. Yes, stuff happens, but not the stuff that leads to the finale. You'll see what I mean as you read this.
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, including murder.
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
Kathmea Proan...Anna Marie Dobbins
Jeek Warler...Marcus Rosner
Erik Rydel...Jason-Shane Scott
Piter Yyse (mentioned only)...Corin Nemic
Geea Wislin...Megan Best
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.
"Waite's calling for a speeder," Viena informed Jyn and Cassian as they exited the hospital. "It should be here shortly."
"Thank you," Jyn told her as she sat in a hoverchair, Ashlyra in her lap. (She would have been fine walking out on her own, but the discharge droid had insisted it was procedure. She would have protested if it weren't for Ashlyra, who was obsessively feeling her stomach for signs of the baby. She had become fixated from the moment she had been told that she was going to be a big sister and both Jyn and Cassian were happy that there was something new to take her mind off of the pool incident.)
"Has Irack updated either of you today on the investigation's progress?" Cassian asked Viena.
They hadn't heard anything from either Irack or Captain Yyse since yesterday and Jyn was eager to know if the surveillance team had been placed on Mirella yet. The idea of going anywhere without knowing Mirella's exact whereabouts made her very uncomfortable. (The negotiations had been cancelled for today due to Mirella needing time to "recover" from the "injuries" she'd supposedly sustained from the "attack" in the locker room.)
Her biggest concern for when (not if, because she just knew that this wasn't over) Mirella tried again was Ashlyra's safety. At the pool, Mirella had sent Ashlyra away with Kathmea because she obviously didn't want her assistant to witness the murder. But what if the next attempt was made when Jyn was alone with Ashlyra? Would Mirella even spare a thought for the little girl? Or, even more horrifying to contemplate, would Mirella harm her too? She hoped she never had to find out.
"One of the teams searching for where the pambitden was purchased has found a promising lead," Viena replied. "It was discovered early this morning. I'm not at liberty to say more without verification, but facial rec is being run on all surrounding footage to trace the suspect's trajectory. If this checks out, then we should have enough to bring the suspect in for questioning."
Jyn felt some of her anxiety begin to ease at this development. Was it possible this ordeal could be over much sooner than she thought?
"How confident is Captain Yyse about this lead?" Cassian wanted to know.
"Captain Yyse hasn't come in yet today, so he is unaware of the discovery," Viena informed him. "No one has heard from him since yesterday, but to be honest, that isn't unusual. He has a tendency to stay out of contact when he's following a lead of his own."
Jyn felt encouraged by the news. Yyse had made it very clear that he believed that Mirella was behind the attack. Maybe he'd found something that needed to be investigated immediately.
Oh, if he had found the crucial piece of evidence that could put an end to this whole thing in one fell swoop...
"He'll go dark when he's in the same area as the rest of the team?" Cassian questioned, sounding surprised, and Jyn remembered that Cassian had shared with her that he had often had to be out of communication when on his missions to avoid being detected.
If Cassian was asking about Captain Yyse's behavior, it meant that it was unusual for an intelligence agent.
Viena shrugged. "It's just his way," she said as Waite came over to join them. "But he never fails to bring us new intel when he does get in contact. He's very good at what he does. You have nothing to worry about."
"The taxi is on it's way," Waite spoke up, unaware of the conversation topic. "The driver droid said it should be here in no more than eight minutes."
"Thank you," Cassian accepted before turning his attention back to Viena. "So you have no idea what he might be looking into?"
"You talking about the captain?" Waite jumped in. "He has a habit of keeping his hunches to himself until he can personally confirm them. We won't know what he's pursuing until he tells us."
"Any chance that he'll get in contact today?" Cassian asked.
"It's possible, of course, but we have no way of knowing for sure," Viena let him know. "Irack will let us know of any new developments as they are confirmed."
"Will he also let us know where Mirella is when we need to know?" Jyn spoke up.
Confused expressions crossed both guard's faces.
"We have ways of finding out, of course, but-"
"Captain Yyse told us he was having surveillance of Leader Reedl ordered," Cassian interrupted Waite. "Did he not put the order in?"
"This is the first I'm hearing of it," Viena told him. "When did he say he was putting the order in?"
The relief that Jyn had started to feel disappeared in an instant. "Captain Yyse told us that he was going to order it as soon as he left us yesterday. He didn't mention it when you last spoke with him?"
Jyn felt horribly exposed. No one knew where Mirella was and she and her entire family were just standing in the open.
What if...
"Our last contact with the captain was around 1740," Waite informed them. "He checked in with all the teams and received updates. He didn't give an orders."
"That's around the time he left us," Cassian determined. "I wonder why he didn't put in the order when he called in like he told us he would."
"Based on past experience, the most likely explanation is that he came upon the new lead while he was receiving our updates," Viena proposed. "The surveillance order probably slipped his mind in the wake of whatever he discovered. But don't worry. I'll call Irack now and set it in motion. A team will be sent to Leader Reedl's current location as soon as it goes through."
"Thank you," Jyn told her, relief flooding through her.
If Mirella was anywhere nearby...
"We know that Captain Yyse suspects that Leader Reedl is behind the attack," Cassian said. "He shared that much with us yesterday. Is this the current consensus of the investigation?"
"We can't give you any actual details as of yet, but yes, that is the direction things are heading," Waite confirmed as the taxi arrived early. "Hopefully, the captain will have the next piece of the puzzle when he checks in."
"I hope so too," Cassian replied. "No one wants this resolved more than Jyn and I do." He stepped forward and opened the speeder door. He moved around to the front of Jyn's chair and lifted Ashlyra from her lap. "Do you need any help?"
"I'm good," she assured him as she got out of the chair. "I'm just ready to get back to the apartment."
"I'm going to tell Tookie about the baby!" Ashlyra announced as Jyn got into the speeder and slid towards the middle of the seat.
"I'm sure she'll love hearing all about it, Sweetie," Jyn told her, welcoming the distraction as Cassian put the little girl down next to her mother. She preferred not to think about the possibility of Mirella being close by without their knowledge.
"She'll want to feel your tummy too!" Ashlyra decided as Cassian put on her seatbelt.
Jyn chuckled as Cassian closed the door so he could walk around to the speeder's other side. "I don't think she can, baby. She doesn't have hands."
Ashlyra looked confused. "Yes, she does. I touch them all the time, Mama!"
Amusement at her daughter's view of the world pushed away the fear and worry for the time being.
"No, what Tookie has are called paws," she explained to the little girl, understanding that the concepts of different species having different anatomies was still new and confusing to the four-year-old. She of course had been shown and could identify many animals from holos, but reality was always a different experience. "Paws are like feet. Tookas walk on all four of their paws like we walk on our two feet. Do you understand?"
Ashlyra's face scrunched in concentration as the door on the other side of the car opened and Cassian got in.
"So Tookie only has feet and no hands?" Ashlyra asked as she tried to wrap her mind around this new idea.
"That's right," Jyn confirmed, giving Cassian a knowing smile. "And what are those feet called?"
"Paws!" Ashlyra recited as the pieces of the concept fell into place.
"Very good!" Jyn praised her.
"Yay!" Ashlyra cheered.
"Did you just learn something, little one?" Cassian asked Ashlyra.
"Yes, Papa! Tookie doesn't have hands. She had four feet and they're called paws."
"You are so smart!" he praised. "I'm so proud of you!"
"Yay!"
Ashlyra then resumed her quest to try to feel the baby by placing both hands on Jyn's stomach.
Cassian just shook his head. "I think our daughter has found a new obsession. Poor Tookie is old news now."
Jyn laughed softly. "Oh, I'm not so sure about that. Once she sees Tookie again, I think it'll be the baby that's old news."
"At least until she can feel her new sibling moving in there," Cassian pointed out. "Which, luckily for you, won't be for a few months. But when that happens, get used to having Ashlyra permanently attached to you."
"It will only last until I go to the bathroom for the one billionth time in five minutes," Jyn predicted. "Remember how much Ashlyra made me go."
"It only really got bad in the last two months," Cassian reminded her. "Maybe this time it will only be in the last month."
"One can hope," she agreed. She then turned her thoughts back to the fact that Mirella was not yet under surveillance. "Is it okay if we just stay in the apartment the rest of the day? I don't want to risk running into Mirella before anyone knows where she is."
"Anything you want, my Stardust," he assured her. "Do you want me to comm Kathmea so she can take care of Ashlyra for a while while you rest?"
"No," she declined, shaking her head. "I want to keep Ashlyra close to me. Besides, I think Kathmea is busy making sure Bodhi's recovered from being stunned."
When Kathmea and Bodhi had come to visit her hospital room yesterday, Jyn had taken immediate notice how attentive Kathmea was being to him. Yes, he'd only been stunned, but for someone like Kathmea who had no experience with blasters, it was a major injury. Jyn saw no reason to correct Kathmea's assumption if it meant they would spend extra time together. And in Jyn's opinion, the more time they were together, the closer they would become.
"You don't give up, do you?" he teased, lightening the mood once again.
"I still say they're perfect for each other," she defended herself. "I don't need Kathmea today. Let her spend the day with him."
And the best part was that it would keep Kathmea away from Mirella.
"All right," he conceded. "Whatever makes you happy."
"It does. Thank you," she said. "But you know what will make me even happier?"
"What's that, my love?"
"You, me, and Ashlyra all snuggling together in bed," she told him.
"That can most certainly be arranged."
((()))
"All right. If Jyn's sure," Kathmea spoke into the comlink as she sat next to Bodhi on his couch. They had been watching a holofilm when Cassian had contacted her. "But you call me any time if you need me. I have no problem coming right over."
"Enjoy your day," Cassian's voice transmitted over the speaker. "But I promise to let you know if anything changes."
"Please do," she insisted. "I'll talk to you soon."
"You too," he replied. "Bye."
"Bye," she said, ending the call. She turned to Bodhi. "You heard what Cassian said. I'm not needed today for Ashlyra. So I guess I'm all yours." She blushed as she realized what she'd said. "I mean, I'm free to stay if you want me to."
Although the circumstances leading to their time together were horrible (he'd been shot!), she was enjoying every second of it. Bodhi truly was the most amazing person she'd ever met. He was sweet and funny and caring and just wonderful to spend time with. She honestly felt like she'd known him her entire life rather than just a few days.
And he made her feel things she'd never felt before...
Which was why she was determined to do everything in her power to help him recover.
Bodhi kept telling her that he was all right, that being stunned was nothing, but he seemed to forget that he'd hurt his head fairly badly when he'd fallen to the hard bathroom floor. The medical droid that had examined him at the hospital had declared that there was a forty-seven percent chance that he had a concussion and had required Bodhi to undergo numerous head scans. It was only because they'd all come back negative that he'd been released, but she wasn't taking any chances with his health. He had a very large lump on his forehead and he had a crushing headache that still hadn't entirely gone away. (She'd been very reluctant to leave him last night, but she'd needed to be back at the hotel ready to go over Leader Reedl's schedule with her the next morning. It was pure luck that Leader Reedl had cancelled everything today and she'd been allowed to return to his apartment as early as she had.) She was worried that something could still happen despite the negative results. It made her feel better to be able to keep an eye on him.
"I want you to," he smiled at her. "I really like having you here."
Kathmea felt herself turn redder. "Thank you. I, um, really like being here."
"So what do you want to do after we finish this holo?" he asked. "Watch another one? Go out somewhere?"
"That's up to you," she told him. "How's your head?"
"It's much better," he assured her. "Just a little achy. I barely notice it."
"But you still notice it," she pointed out. "Maybe we should just stay here all day. The more rest you get, the better."
"As long as you're here too, I'm fine with that," he declared and Kathmea felt herself blush again.
"Put the holo back on," she quickly changed the subject. "I'm dying to see if Brindin makes it in time to save his family."
"You really haven't watched a lot of holofilms, have you?" Bodhi lightly commented.
"No, which is why I really want to finish this one," she playfully shot back. "Now put it back on, please."
She'd told Bodhi of her childhood and school years. Her parents hadn't believed in wasting too much time doing recreational activities like watching holos. (Making something of herself was much more important.) She had spent most of her time learning and developing skills that she could apply to any number of prestigious careers when she grew up. Fun had no place in her life according to her parents.
"Yes, ma'am," he teased as he unpaused the frozen image of the hero rushing to stop the villains.
Kathmea leaned back and turned her attention back to the fictional world.
And in the back of her mind a single thought began to form.
I am falling in love with this man.
((()))
"Tell me what you've made me," Mirella said as she eagerly accepted the small square-shaped device from Erik.
"It's a compact thermal detonator," he described as she examined it, "which will activate when the biometric sensor detects the one person it was programmed to scan for, which in this case is Jyn Andor. The moment it senses her: boom! There won't be any sound indicating it's about to go off, so she won't have a chance to know what hit her. She'll be a dead woman the second she enters the detection zone."
"It's perfect," Mirella declared. "It's everything I could have hoped for. You always come through for me, Erik. I can always count on you."
If it were any of her other servants, she would have put down the explosive and immediately taken him to her bed. But Erik, thankfully, wasn't a fan of much physical interaction. (Thankfully, because he was terrible at anything sexual. Oh, she'd slept with him a few times over the years, but she was always left thoroughly unfulfilled afterwards and had to call on one of the others, usually Jeek, to satisfy her need.)
He just shrugged. "It was a fun challenge and not that hard once I figured out the biometric part." He gestured to the device, redirecting the conversation. (He had never cared much for praise.) "Now, if you look on the back, there's both a magnet and an adhesive so you can attach it to any surface. All Jyn needs to do is step within three feet of it and then it's bye-bye to her and anyone within the blast radius."
Mirella admired the perfect little weapon. She couldn't have designed something better herself. Erik's mind never failed to amaze her with the things it could come up with. He was an asset she hoped to keep with her for a long, long time.
"You should make sure you don't get anywhere near her while you have that on you," Erik helpfully added. "The scanner is already active."
"I don't think that will be an issue," she assured him, her mind already sorting through places to plant the bomb. She knew she had time since Jyn had only returned to the apartment with Cassian and the child a few hours ago. She doubted she'd be going anywhere any time soon.
The trick was to make sure Cassian was as far away from Jyn as possible when she was lured into the trap. The entire point of this endeavor was to get him back at her side. His death would ruin everything.
The best scenario would be for him to be with her at the time of Jyn's death. That way, he'd have no reason to think she had anything to do with it. She had no way of being in two places at once, now did she? So how to get him to come to her? With the negotiations on hold for the foreseeable future (at least until Jyn was taken care of) she would have to think of another way to get him to meet with her.
"Have you decided how you'd like to be rewarded for all of your hard work?" she asked, having decided it was more expedient for him to choose his own reward rather than trying to come up with something that would please him. She wondered if it would be yet another piece of obscure tech that would cost her a lot of credits. (But if it kept him happy and willing to do whatever she wanted...)
"Of course," Erik replied. "I have a few things that I really want to get my hands on."
"They're yours," she promised. "Send me the list and I'll have them waiting at home for you when we get back."
"You'll have it by this evening," he told her. "Thanks, Mirella."
She nodded and, making sure she had a good grip on the device, left the room.
She had a lot of work to do if she wanted Jyn gone within the next day.
And the first step was figuring out where to plant the bomb.
((()))
The holocomm in the corner of the bedroom issued the incoming call sound and Cassian put down the datapad he was reading. Jyn and Ashlyra lay beside him in the bed fast asleep. Careful not to disturb them, he slid out of the bed and quietly made his way out of the room. He quickly hurried down the hall to the next available comm unit.
He accepted the call and Draven's image appeared on the screen.
"Captain Yyse has been murdered," Draven said without preamble. "His body was found early this morning in the alley outside of a bar located in the Farish district of the city. There were no holocams inside or outside of the bar. There were no witnesses either. He was last seen by the bartender droid in the company of a woman."
Immediately pushing aside the shock as he had been trained to do (he had not known Yyse more than a few days, but his senseless death disturbed him. He had been a good man), Cassian turned his attention to the only person who could have been responsible: Mirella.
"Did the droid give a good description of the woman?" he asked, certain that it would match Mirella.
Yyse had made it very clear to Jyn and himself that Mirella was the prime suspect in the attack on Jyn and Bodhi. He had shared some of the circumstantial evidence with them and Cassian had agreed with him at the time not to go to Draven until he had a direct link between Mirella and the crime.
So this morning, when Viena and Waite had told them that he had gone dark, most likely chasing a lead...
"He did and before you say anything, yes it was an exact match for Mirella Reedl," Draven answered. "The team has caught me up on their current findings and shared with me Captain Yyse's belief that Leader Reedl was the perpetrator. Intelligence has taken over the investigation from local security because of this. The working theory is that Captain Yyse tracked Leader Reedl down, confronted her with his suspicions, and she killed him to silence him."
"I agree that that's most likely what took place," Cassian said. "Mirella is very protective of her public image. She wouldn't want Captain Yyse's accusations getting out.
"How was he killed?" he asked, curious if she still carried her beloved vibroblade with her. He had known about it since almost the beginning of his time with her, but he hadn't seen it until the night she had cut him. The way she had used it... "Was it by any chance with a vibroblade?"
"Yes, it was," Draven confirmed. "He had two wounds, both of them fatal. One was to his neck and the other was through his heart. We're waiting on the autopsy to determine which was inflicted first. I take it she carried one during your mission?"
"In a thigh holster," he told him. "She had it with her the majority of the time. And she was very highly skilled in wielding it. I'm sure the autopsy will show that she inflicted both wounds in close succession. She would have wanted to make sure that he was dead with no chance of survival. Remember what she did to Khyrin Bastin when he did nothing other than break up with her. He survived her attack. She wouldn't have wanted to make the same mistake twice."
"This is all good intel, Andor," Draven said. "Unfortunately, we can't use it unless we find a way to directly link her to the killing. Our best option for arresting her remains finding the purchase point of the pambitden, which is what Captain Yyse believed as well."
"He was right," Cassian agreed. "Once the seller learns the drug was used in an attempted murder and he'll go down for it without another suspect, he'll reveal the buyer to save himself. Once we have confirmation that it is a member of Mirella's entourage, it won't take much to get him to give up Mirella as the one who asked him to buy the pambitden. I get the feeling none of her 'companions' are the most intelligent."
"That's true for most of them," Draven pointed out, "but there are some, like her bodyguard and the slicer, that could give us trouble. But we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. First priority is finding the seller.
"And because it is a priority," Draven added, "I have all of Intelligence and local security working on it. That includes your protection detail and the surveillance unit that was about to be assigned to Leader Reedl. I suggest you and your family remain where you are unless there's an emergency and even then you aren't to go anywhere without contacting me directly first. No one can get past security without clearance."
"I'll let Jyn know," Cassian told him. "I don't see her wanting to go anywhere right now anyway. She's still rattled by what happened."
He hated to see Jyn so shaken, but this was a terrible new experience for her. Her background had involved enemies very overtly trying to take her out in open battle where there were two clearly defined sides. Never before had anyone painted a direct target on her just for being her. He had a feeling it would be some time before she recovered from her ordeal.
"I'll inform you the moment we locate the seller," Draven promised. "I'll be in touch."
And with that, Draven disconnected the call.
"Cassian?"
He turned around to find Jyn standing in the doorway.
"How much did you hear?" he asked.
"Not much," she informed him, entering the room and coming over to where he was. "Just that we lost our security team and there'll be no one watching Mirella. What happened?"
"Captain Yyse was murdered last night," he let her know. "And Draven believes that Mirella is the one responsible."
"Oh, Force!" Jyn gasped. "Does he have any idea why she would have killed him?"
"He thinks that Captain Yyse somehow told Mirella that she was a suspect and that she killed him to keep the word from getting out," he shared with her. "There's no actual proof that it was her, but she was spotted with him not long before he was killed."
"No proof? Is he positive about that?" she questioned.
"There were no cameras either inside or outside the bar where he was killed," he let her know. "The murder took place in a dark alley, so there are no witnesses either. That's why Draven wants to intensify the search for the source of the pambitden. If he can't take Mirella down for murder, he can get her for your attempted murder."
"As long as she's arrested, I don't care what it's for," Jyn asserted. "I'll feel better knowing she's in a place where she can't hurt anyone ever again."
"Draven doesn't think it will be much longer before the seller is found, but he doesn't want us taking any chances while our protection detail is away," he explained. "That's why he doesn't want us leaving the apartment."
"Fine with me," she told him. "As long as we keep Ashlyra busy, she won't mind either."
"I think Tookie will be a big help in that area," Cassian decided. "And," he added, placing a hand on her flat stomach," so will the baby."
A smile appeared on Jyn's face at the mention of their future family member.
"I still can't believe we're finally having another baby," she said. "We've been trying for what seems like forever."
"Our project has been successfully completed," he smiled back. "I love you so much, my Stardust. You and our children."
"I love you too," she replied.
And with that, he kissed her.
((()))
The holofilm's credits started rolling and it dawned on Kathmea that she was leaning against Bodhi's shoulder. She didn't even remember when she had shifted positions and she had been so comfortable that she didn't give it much thought. But now that the film was over...
She quickly sat up, mortified by what she had done. She and Bodhi had been sitting together watching holos for several hours. There had been a little handholding during emotional scenes, but nothing as intimate as full body contact. She had no idea what had changed during this last film (another romance-a choice that had surprised her), but somehow she had laid herself against him. They had only known each other several days and while she knew he liked her (at least as a friend), she wasn't sure if he felt the same way about her the way she did about him (she was most definitely falling in love). Leaning on him, as her parents had taught her, was a very forward action that had a very specific meaning and if he didn't feel the same...
"Hey, everything okay?" Bodhi asked.
"O-of course," she assured him. "Why do you ask?"
"You sat up kind of fast," he told her. "Was I hurting you? Is my shoulder too bony?"
"H-hurting me?" she stammered in response. He thought he was hurting her? "No, absolutely not! I was very comfortable in fact."
Bodhi looked immediately relieved. "Good. You had me worried for a second."
"Why would..." She trailed off, realizing that that he was literally telling her that he had liked having her lay against him. Did that mean...? "You were all right with it?"
"Why wouldn't I be?" he asked, sounding confused. "I want you to be comfortable." He smiled at her. "It's not like you're heavy or anything."
She blushed at the tease though the implication of him not being bothered by her accidental bold move made her nervous.
He wasn't going to... Was he?
"My parents taught me that a proper woman shouldn't be so forward with a man she isn't married to," she told him, sure he already knew this. "It isn't acceptable."
"They considered laying your head on a shoulder forward?" he questioned incredulously. "Really?"
Suddenly, she was the one who was confused. She had assumed that this was common knowledge and taught to all children by all parents galaxy-wide. "Didn't your parents tell you the same thing? That it is inappropriate for a man and a woman of a certain age who aren't married to have certain types of physical contact?"
"About, um, sexual contact, of course," Bodhi told her, looking as embarrassed as she felt. "But laying a head on a shoulder? I've never heard that one."
"They didn't tell you that if a woman touches you in a certain way anywhere other than your hand that it... That it..." she started, her embarrassment growing with every second. "Well, that it gives a specific kind of signal?"
"Signal? What kind of signal?"
She was stunned that he didn't know any of this. Her parents had made it sound like this was the way all men were galaxy wide. She'd never thought to discuss this with anyone else and see if it really was. Truthfully, there had never been a reason to bring it up before. Even before her entire life had revolved around fulfilling all of Leader Reedl's wants and needs, she had never done much socializing. The few men she had interacted with had been part of her very small friend group. Bodhi was the first one she had ever had any feelings for.
"Um, the kind that..." She trailed off, feeling more uncomfortable and embarrassed than she ever had before in her entire life. "Well, the kind that lets a man know that...that he can have his... His..."
"Way with you?" he finished for her and she felt her face go redder than it ever had before.
"Yes," she answered, looking down at her lap.
To her surprise, he started laughing and she looked back up at him, startled.
"You thought-? You thought that-?" he tried to say and only ended up laughing harder.
His reaction stunned her and she slid away from him, her feelings deeply hurt. Why was he laughing? She had just shared something very important about herself and he found it funny? Just because he hadn't been taught the same things didn't give him the right to humiliate her. Had she misread his feelings for her all along? Where her feelings as one-sided as she had feared?
Finally, after a few more moments, his laughter began to subside.
She waited patiently for him to explain himself, worried that this would be the end of their time together.
"I'm sorry for laughing, but, Force, Kathmea, I don't even know where to begin," he spoke at last. "The fact that you'd even think I'd do something like that. Wow! Have you met me? I would never, ever force myself on anyone. Especially someone I really cared about."
She remained silent, his words filling her with hope that she hadn't been wrong about him liking her after all.
"I know your parents meant well, but I have to be honest, what they told you did you a disservice," he continued. He reached out and took her hand, an act that sent warm feelings throughout her body. "The man who would do that to a woman without her explicit permission is no gentlebeing. That they were completely right about. But to tell you that anything other than handholding is not acceptable or too forward was completely wrong. Lots of men and women who are friends hug and lean against each other and it doesn't mean anything other than what it seems. For example, the only thing you laying your head on my shoulder signaled to me is that you were relaxed and made yourself more comfortable. It would be some major leap of logic to think you were giving me permission to do anything, um, more to you at all. " He smiled at her. "And as much as I'd like to do more with you, we haven't even hugged yet let alone kissed."
His admission startled her. "You-you want to d-do those things with me?" she stammered, hoping against hope that she hadn't misunderstood him.
If Bodhi were to put his arms around her and pull her close...
"Of course," he answered matter-of-factly. "I really, really, really like you, Kathmea. I've wanted to kiss you since almost the first moment we met."
He wants to kiss me! she thought dreamily, unable to believe that this was really and truly happening.
"I really, really, really like you too," she said aloud, unsure of what she should do now. "More than I've ever liked anyone."
Bodhi had just admitted he liked her and wanted to kiss her, but the truth was that their time together was limited. As soon as the negotiations ended, she would have to return home to Tyrat. While he'd already promised that he would keep in touch, would it be fair to him to try to maintain a relationship with her when they would probably never see each other again? (Leader Reedl barely gave her any time to herself.) How could she ever tell him the truth about her feelings for him? That she was falling in love with him?
"I'm so happy to hear that," he said. "You are the most amazing woman I've ever met, Kathmea, and I think...no, I know, that I'm falling in love with you."
She gasped at his admission. He felt the same! Oh, Force, he felt the same!
He slid closer to her on the couch, his other hand joining the one already holding hers, and her breathing sped up at his close proximity.
"I know we aren't married and we haven't known each other very long, but would it be all right if I kissed you?" His eyes searched her face. "Right now?"
"Bodhi," she breathed, not knowing how she should answer.
While her rational mind told her that she shouldn't let him out of propriety, everything else in her screamed that she should let him. If she would only be able to experience a kiss once in her life, shouldn't it be with this man? This man she wished she could have a future with? (As long as she worked for Leader Reedl, there was no prospect of her having a life of her own. Her days were spent at the Leader's beck and call.)
"Yes," she finally answered.
And then he did.
((()))
Mirella held up the fabricated ID badge to the security droid after entering her code, and as before, Erik's masterful slicing came through for her. The droid waved her through the second checkpoint without a moment's hesitation.
She made her way down the hallway to the set of moving stairs that would carry her to the staff preparation area on the lowest level of the building. From there she would board the very same elevator that she had been on the previous day that would take her to the forty-ninth floor. Once there, she would switch to the public elevator, plant the bomb, and then leave exactly the same way she came in.
And then tomorrow would see the end of the obstacle named Jyn Andor.
It had taken her almost the entire day to arrive at the decision to plant the explosive device in the apartment's elevator. She had run through countless other scenarios but almost all of them had ended with Cassian meeting his end as well, something that she couldn't, wouldn't let happen. The only way to take her out was to do it in the last place that Cassian would think it wasn't safe to leave her alone: their home.
Of course, now came the trick of getting Cassian to actually leave her so that he wouldn't be around when Mirella found a way to summon Jyn from the apartment. (She was still toying around with a few ideas. She'd listen to the most recent holofootage when she got back to her hotel to get the best sense of what would appeal to Jyn's current mindset.) She knew she'd have to strike ridiculous early to catch him before Jyn was anywhere near ready to go anywhere. (She'd always found "Dominik's" early rising annoying and had told him so on multiple occasions. But now that she knew his true identity his behavior made perfect sense.) She already had Erik working on something that he would not be able to resist coming to see for himself. It was about Jyn, of course, and it perfectly lined up with the story she'd created about the attack.
But first things first: the bomb had to be planted or all of her work would be for nothing.
She entered the preparation area and found it deserted most likely due to the late hour. (She'd purposely chosen this time to place the bomb because there would be less people and droids around to notice her presence.) The main space was filled with countless service carts, the majority of them filled up with the supplies needed by the staff to keep things neat and clean. (She had to admit she was more than a little impressed with this detail. Most apartment buildings required residents to supply their own cleaning staff. This one was incredibly high-end and she knew that it must cost thousands if not millions of credits to live there. Cassian and Jyn had no idea how lucky they were to be staying in such a place.) There were several doorways, at least two to locker areas for the employees. The elevators sat on the far side and she headed in that direction.
Unfortunately, as she was still walking, the second elevator chimed its arrival and the doors opened to reveal one of the last people Mirella ever wanted to see again.
"Hi!" the overly-friendly and annoying maid whose name she had already forgotten greeted her as she stepped out. "I looked everywhere for you yesterday and I couldn't find you! How was your first couple of days? I see you still don't have a uniform. Didn't your supervisor tell you that you can't be out on the floors without one? It's required!"
Mirella just stared at her as she rambled on. What was this woman's problem? Was she unable to take a hint that she wasn't interested in talking to her? She thought she'd made that very clear in the elevator yesterday. What would it take to get her to go away?
"Luckily, I have an extra one you can borrow," the maid babbled on, oblivious to Mirella's opinion of her. "It might be a little short on you since you're taller than me, but it will do until we can get you your own. I'm surprised no one's said anything to you. Who is your supervisor? I can get mine, Tadir that is, to talk to yours and figure out why you weren't told about the uniforms." Without missing a beat, she turned and headed towards the female locker area. "Come on. Let's get you properly dressed. By the way, I never caught your name. Mine's Geea. I told you yesterday, but I'm guessing you didn't hear me since you didn't respond."
Ugh! she silently groaned, realizing that now she had to waste time killing this annoyance.
Why did she have to run into the one maid who wanted to get into her business? If only she had just kept on walking like everyone else would have done! But, no, she had to start asking questions and offering to help her! Killing her was the only way to ensure she wouldn't mention her presence to the wrong people.
Mirella automatically began to reach for her ever-present vibroblade before stopping herself. The blade was too messy and getting dirty was not an option. (Jeek couldn't get into the building to clean up after her.) So she needed to find another way to dispose of the pest.
She decided to check one of the service carts to see if it had anything that could be useful. Almost immediately, she found a solution to her dilemma: a trash liner bag. (She thanked the gods for small favors such as the strange Chandrilan custom of using trash containers rather than the compactor chutes she was accustomed to. Even her hotel suite had these small cans strewn throughout the rooms.) It wasn't ideal, as suffocation took much longer than her preferred methods of instantaneous death, but it would have to do as it didn't leave any physical mess.
Of course, that left the problem of disposing of the body, but one step at a time.
She pulled the bag from its container and then started opening it as she walked towards the locker room where Gee or whatever her name was had gone.
She followed the sound of objects being thrown around to locate her.
"I know it's in here," the maid was talking to herself as she rummaged through the open locker, dropping items to the ground as she moved others from one shelf to another. "I literally just saw it!"
Mirella soundlessly approached her, not wanting to alert her to her presence until it was too late. There was a bench between the two of them and Mirella decided it would be helpful during the prolonged killing.
"Ah-ha!" the woman triumphantly announced as she straightened up with a crumpled uniform in her hands. "I knew-"
She didn't get a chance to finish as Mirella made her move and pulled the bag over her head.
Shocked, the maid dropped the uniform and started trying to dislodge the bag from her face.
Mirella simply pulled tighter and knew this was going to take a while. Luckily the woman wasn't very tall or strong and keeping the bag in place was an easy task. The problem was waiting for her to die.
As expected, she thrashed around and desperately tried to free her head from the bag.
After what felt like an eternity, the maid's legs began to buckle and Mirella lowered her to a sitting position on the bench. She still struggled to pull the bag, but her strength was rapidly dwindling.
Another seeming eternity passed and after an increasingly half-hearted struggle, the maid stopped moving.
Careful to not prematurely remove the bag, Mirella laid her out on the bench. She studied the maid's body. There was no detectable movement anywhere on her, chest included. She picked up her wrist and felt for a pulse and didn't find one.
Satisfied that the woman was dead, she finally took the bag off of her head. The eyes were closed and her mouth was slightly open, further proof of her death.
"Thanks for the advice about the uniform," she told the deceased. "It's actually a good idea."
Not wanting to wear the horribly rumpled one, she began the distasteful task of taking off the one the woman was wearing.
She'd put the messy uniform onto the maid's body to ensure there'd be less questions when she was eventually found.
She changed as quickly as she could into the ugly little dress and stashed her own clothing into the bag she had used to suffocate the pest. Then she redressed the corpse.
Now, where could she dispose of the body?
Annoyingly, she would have to take care of that before she could move on to planting the bomb.
It irked her that this simple task was taking far longer than she had planned.
She hoped she wouldn't be too tired when she got back to the hotel to complete the rest of her plans.
It was imperative that she was ready to get Cassian out of the apartment as early in the morning as she could. Any delay would lead to disaster.
Success was the only acceptable outcome.
((()))
"No, Mama! No, Mama!"
Jyn was jarred awake as Ashlyra began thrashing and crying in her sleep, her daughter in the midst of another nightmare.
She quickly sat up and pulled the little girl into her arms. She and Cassian, who was also now awake and sitting up, had decided to let her stay in their bed for the night after everything that had happened, a decision for which she was now extremely grateful.
"Shh, shh, baby. It's okay, love. Mama's here," she smoothed as Ashlyra continued to cry.
"Don't go, Mama! Don't!" Ashlyra sobbed, her eyes opening as she woke up.
She buried her face against Jyn's chest.
"I'm here, I'm here," she assured her as she held and rocked her. "I'm not going anywhere, baby. It was just a dream."
And she hoped to the Force that a dream was all it was...
"Another one so soon?" Cassian quietly asked.
"Are you really that surprised?" she replied as Ashlyra continued to cry. "Look at what's she just been through. She nearly lost me the other day. That would give any child nightmares."
She didn't want to voice what she really thought, what she believed to be true...
Mirella was still free and no one knew where she was...
"But can we really be sure it's just a dream?" he pressed. "Considering what happened after her last nightmare."
She shuddered at the spoken reminder of the Force vision that had come true just yesterday. "No, we can't."
"Mama," Ashlyra spoke up, her sobs having subsided into sniffles. She lifted her face so she could look up at Jyn. "No elevator, Mama. Don't go in elevator. It gets loud and hot."
Jyn and Cassian exchanged glances at the strange proclamation.
"What do you mean, Ashlyra?" Cassian questioned. "How is the elevator loud and hot?"
"It makes a big boom that hurts my ears," she told him through her sniffles. "And then I got very hot."
Jyn and Cassian looked at each other again as Jyn realized with horror that Ashlyra was describing what sounded like an explosion.
"Did you see where the elevator gets hot and loud?" she asked, trying to keep the fear and shock out of her voice.
There was no question that this was a Force vision. Ashlyra was seeing an elevator explosion that most likely killed her and from the sounds of it, Ashlyra got hurt too. But where and when did she see it taking place?
"No, Mama," Ashlyra admitted. "I didn't see. I'm sorry."
"You have nothing to apologize for, baby," she soothed her. "I'm more worried about you. Did the elevator hurt you too?"
"Uh-uh," Ashlyra told her, shaking her head. "Just my ears hurt because it was so loud. I couldn't hear. And I was so hot. I didn't like it."
"Of course you didn't, little one," Cassian spoke up and Ashlyra looked up at him with tear-filled eyes. "But you're safe now and nothing is going to hurt either you or Mama, all right? Papa's here to protect you both."
"And the baby too?"
"And the baby too," he agreed and she buried her face back against Jyn's chest. "We're all safe now."
Jyn wished she could believe his words, but the vision made it very clear that they weren't safe at all.
"This is very bad," he quietly stated to her. "If she's still seeing you die..."
"I think it's time to tell Leia about the dreams," Jyn told him as she continued to stroke Ashlyra's back. "The first one already came true, but maybe with Leia's help we can learn how to keep this second one from happening."
"We'll comm her in the morning," he agreed. "We'll ask her to come over as soon as she can."
"The earlier the better," Jyn said. "And if she can clarify what Ashlyra saw, maybe Draven can find the site where it happens and locate whatever causes the explosion. I'm worried that Ashlyra and I wouldn't be the only ones effected."
"Mama?" Ashlyra spoke up, looking up at Jyn's face. "I don't want to sleep anymore. Can I go see Tookie?"
Tookie's enclosure had been moved to their bedroom when they had set up camp in there earlier in the day.
"Of course, baby," Jyn told her, gently helping her into a better sitting position. "Go right ahead."
"Thank you," the girl said in a subdued manner.
Cassian helped her out of the bed and Ashlyra rushed over to the enclosure and opened the little gate. Tookie was curled up in a ball, fast asleep, and Ashlyra laid down next to her. The kitten responded only slightly as the little girl began to pet her.
"I want this to be all over," Jyn declared as she watched her daughter. "I hate how this is effecting Ashlyra. Her nightmares have never been this bad before Mirella came into our lives."
It was frightening how one person could be the cause of so much horror. Ashlyra didn't deserve to be exposed to such evil. It wasn't right or fair to the little girl.
"Draven really does think it's only going to be a few more days until the seller of the pambitden is found," Cassian assured her. "Once they have that person and he or she is able to identify the buyer, linking it to Mirella will be easy. We just have to continue to be patient and not leave the apartment."
"As long as we're all safe and out of her reach, I'm fine with it," she assured him. "All that matters is she can't harm any of us while we're in here. I don't care about anything but you, Ashlyra, and the baby."
She honestly had no problem not leaving the apartment. They had everything they needed in there. There was no reason to go out-no reason at all.
"We're going to get through this, my Stardust," he promised, pulling her close. "A few more days and then Mirella will be out of our lives forever and we can go home."
"I really like the sound of that," she said.
"Home."
((()))
"Good night," Bodhi said once again as he ended the gentle kiss.
"Good night," Kathmea responded, her head spinning and her heart pounding from Bodhi's amazing touch. "I'll see you in the morning."
"You better," he mock-threatened. "Or I'll have to send a search party for you."
She smiled. "I'm already counting the minutes until I'm back at your apartment."
She wasn't lying. She had never experienced anything as amazing as Bodhi's kisses and now she found herself craving them. How she was going to be able to go back home now and leave him behind? She literally couldn't imagine a life without him after today.
"Me too," he told her. He kissed her once more. "Sleep well."
"You too," she replied.
And with that, she left him and entered the ambassadorial hotel.
As she made her way through the vast lobby and then rode the elevator up to her floor, her mind kept replaying the events of the day over and over. Her and Bodhi's first kiss. The second. Their third. And so on and so on. (They had kissed so many times, she'd lost count.) They had talked, cuddled, and watched holo after holo. It had been a glorious day. She was honestly sorry that it had to end.
But when she'd noticed the time (1100 hours!), the end had most definitely come. She'd never been out so late before! She had been having such a wonderful time with Bodhi that she'd lost track of the actual time. But it was imperative she return to the hotel so she could get some sleep before her normal early wake-up call. (Leader Reedl always expected her to be prepared for their morning meeting, which took place whenever the Leader decided to emerge from her room for the day. Because of the unpredictable schedule, she had to be fully ready first thing in the morning.)
The elevator arrived at her floor and she took a deep breath to steady herself. She had to be extremely quiet when entering the suite. She didn't want anyone to know she'd been out so late because she'd ultimately have to explain herself to Leader Reedl, which was the last thing she ever wanted to do. (There was no way of predicting how Leader Reedl would react, which is why avoiding having to tell her about it was best.)
She reached the suite's door and pulled her key card out of her purse. She pressed it to the reader and the door slid open to reveal a dimly lit space.
Kathmea released the breath she'd been holding when she realized no one else was awake. She stepped inside and quickly pressed the panel to close the door behind her.
Relieved that there was no one to witness her very late arrival, she started moving towards her waiting bedroom.
And then immediately stopped when she heard a very loud voice coming from upstairs.
A very loud voice that belonged to no one other than Leader Reedl.
She couldn't make out what was being said, but the words were very heated and angry. She wondered what could be upsetting the Leader this late at night. Had something happened while she was spending her blissful day with Bodhi? Did the Leader need her assistance for whatever was wrong?
She tried to think what she would do. As the Leader's personal assistant, it was her job to be available to offer her aid whenever it was required. While the Leader clearly hadn't come looking for her yet (thank the Force), wasn't it her duty to let her know that she was here and ready to assist?
But then again, Leader Reedl hadn't called for her yet. Maybe she didn't need her?
She was torn. She knew what her job was, but she was also very tired. She needed to get some sleep. But what if the Leader got angry at her in the morning for not coming and offering to help her with her issue?
Making her decision, she put down her purse on the nearest table and started up the stairs.
As she got closer to the second floor, the Leader's words became clearer.
"I've never felt so dirty and disgusting in my entire life!" she was ranting to someone. "Just the fact that I had to take care of it myself! Ugh! All I wanted was to call for you. But I knew I couldn't."
"I would have taken care of it for you," the voice she recognized as Jeek's replied.
"I know you would have," Leader Reedl said, seeming to calm down somewhat. "But you couldn't, so I had to. Hopefully, they won't find her until after the Jyn problem is taken care of."
What? Kathmea gasped to herself as she reached the landing. "The Jyn problem"? What did the Leader mean by that? What are they taking about?
"I'm sure it won't be long before she's been killed," Jeek said matter-of-factly and Kathmea felt her heart drop into her stomach as she moved closer to the Leader's closed bedroom door. "You picked the perfect place to plant it."
They were going to...kill Jyn?
Oh, Force!
"I think so too," Leader Reedl agreed. "I'll keep Cassian occupied while you lure Jyn out. I'll let you know how I want you to do it before I leave in the morning."
"Yes, Mistress," Jeek answered.
No! No! No!
Kathmea was too shocked at first to react. But she had to warn Jyn! She needed to know that Leader Reedl had a plan to kill her! She had to call her right now and-
Her comlink! She couldn't call her without her comlink, which was in her purse which she had left downstairs. She needed to go and get it and call Jyn immediately!
She turned around and started back down the hall when the most horrible thing in the universe happened: the floor creaked.
Loudly.
Kathmea froze at the sound and was unable to move as the Leader's door instantly opened.
Jeek stood in the doorway, his blaster out.
"What are you doing here?" he demanded to know.
She found herself unable to talk as Leader Reedl herself pushed past him.
"Kathmea! What a surprise to see you awake at this hour," she said in a very casual tone. "What are you doing up here?"
"I-I..." she tried to say, but she was unable to form any words as fear gripped her.
"I didn't quite catch that," Leader Reedl went on. "So I'll ask you again: what are you doing up here?"
Kathmea swallowed, her whole body shaking. "I-I...heard...y-you talking angrily," she stammered. "I-I t-thought you needed help."
Leader Reedl laughed. "You thought? You thought? Thinking is not what I pay you to do. In fact, I hired you because you don't think, which is exactly what happened tonight."
Kathmea's fear rose as Leader Reedl started coming towards her and she started to cry.
"What exactly did you think you were going to help me with, Kathmea?" she demanded. "You know I don't work this late. And even if I was, I would have summoned you if you were needed."
"I-I'm sorry," Kathmea managed as the Leader reached her, tears falling down her cheeks. "I didn't-"
"I want to know exactly how much you heard," Leader Reedl ordered as she grabbed her arm. "You had to be listening if you thought I needed help, so go on. Tell me what you heard me talking about."
Kathmea was afraid to speak. She feared if she opened her mouth all that would come out would be a wail. She felt like her ability to form words had abandoned her.
Leader Reedl started dragging her down the hall. "You know I don't like it when my orders aren't obeyed immediately. So you will tell me right now everything you heard."
Kathmea stayed silent, her fear exceeding anything she had ever experienced.
"All right, have it your way then," Leader Reedl said as they came to a stop at the top of the stairs, sounding almost disappointed. "If I knew what you thought you heard I could have explained it, but you refused to tell me, so I can only assume you aren't interested in hearing the truth. And if you aren't interested in the truth, that means you believe whatever misinformation you heard and I just can't have you spreading that around to anyone. That would just be rude. So you've left me no other choice."
Kathmea braced herself for whatever was coming next, her tears coming even faster.
Her mind briefly turned to Bodhi and what she had experienced with him today.
Bodhi, I love you.
"Replacing you is going to be such an inconvenience, but oh, well," Leader Reedl declared and then she shoved her.
Kathmea screamed as she fell backwards and, after an eternity, hit something hard.
Then the world went black.
