into the chaos! → luke skywalker ✓

i. the plans

⋆☆* ✧✰.✦

SCARIF WAS A BEAUTIFUL PLANET, there was no denying it. The clarity of its ocean water rivaled that of Alderaan's and its beaches were more beautiful than any Cassia had ever seen. It would have been an ideal vacation spot had it not been for two very significant factors. First, there was the Imperial presence so strong they had a shield gate to keep out any unwanted visitors, and second there was the battle that was raging on around them, both in the space above and on the planet's surface.

She supposed she couldn't complain; at least the mission had come from Bail himself and hadn't been yet another high-risk plan courtesy of Leia. Still, it was a bit nerve-wracking. Cas had gotten used to helping out the Rebellion years ago, but she hadn't exactly planned on being at the heart of it during such a pivotal moment. She wasn't scared, no, she was just concerned and annoyed seeing as the young woman she was supposed to be protecting was in a significant amount of danger and there wasn't a damned thing she could do about it.

Yeah, so maybe Cas had some control issues to work out.

They had arrived late to the battle, but that was irrelevant. Their only task before heading to Tatooine was to get the plans for the Empire's weapon to the Rebellion, which was simple in theory but unfortunately quite complicated in process. The shield gate managed to prevent any sort of transmissions from getting on or off Scarif, and by the time it was disabled the battle had been going on for far too long in Cas's opinion. She hated the waiting, and that was just about the only thing she was able to do at that moment.

"You can stop pacing, Captain, we'll have the plans soon enough," Leia reassured her and she stopped in her tracks, but they both knew that wouldn't last for long. She had been like that on and off for the past ten minutes, and frankly it was a miracle she hadn't started the moment they arrived. She always got antsy when she was in a situation and couldn't do anything to help.

"I don't like this, Your Highness," she repeated for the third time since their arrival. She didn't elaborate, because she didn't want to sound as if she were questioning Bail's judgement. She trusted him implicitly and Leia knew better than to question that. She was just concerned, and Leia gave her a comforting smile.

"We will be out of here in no time." Cas nodded, then redirected her gaze to the viewport where the battle continued on. Leia knew the woman was still on edge and rightfully so, but she received some comfort knowing the pacing had at least stopped.

Soon after they met, Cas and Leia had developed a unique relationship. They had hit it off almost instantly; knowing what their arrangement would require, they let their guards down and came to realize they had a great deal in common. In private, they saw each other as friends, perhaps the only true friend either of them had. There were no secrets between them, and that wasn't just for safety reasons; they truly trusted each other. They would talk for hours and would make each other laugh, or they simply wouldn't talk at all and would keep each other company. Their mere presence comforted one another, their shared experiences keeping them close.

In public, however, they were completely professional, and it wasn't just for show. At the end of the day, Cas was there to protect Leia at all costs, and that was what she was going to do. She couldn't let her guard down, she had to be vigilant and keep her head on a swivel, just as Leia had to take care of her own responsibilities. It was an interesting arrangement, but it worked for them and neither really minded it.

A voice came over on the comms stating that they had received the plans from Scarif, jolting Cas out of her thoughts. She stood around the communicator, Leia taking her place by her side, and the two listened as if their lives depended on memorizing every word. The main ship had the plans, they transferred them to a holodisk, and then...silence.