Defiant | Star Wars/Rogue One

Part IV

Mirax's hand itched to reach for her blaster, concealed under the jacket she wore. Groups of troopers appeared more frequently and in greater numbers. A tank ambled down one of the streets, surrounded by more of the faceless, white-clad soldiers. Here and there, she noticed people—both humanoid and alien—whose movements didn't quite blend in with the rest of the crowd's. Rebels.

"How far is your contact?" Jyn asked, eyeing the troopers.

"Half a dozen blocks over," Cassian answered. Mirax quickly estimated how long it would take them to walk that far, trying to determine if they could make it before chaos started raining—she didn't like the conclusion she came to.

She didn't know which side threw the first grenade. The deafening blast made her jump, so startled that she nearly lost her footing. Years of training took over and she dove behind a column as blaster bolts started flying through the plaza.

She glanced over and saw Cassian and Jyn had taken cover nearby. "Well, we found Saw's rebels," she called over. Cassian shot her a glare that sent a clear message: not the time. She shrugged, not going to apologize for her way of coping with stress, before drawing her blaster and firing three quick shots at the closest trooper. Her first two went wide, but the last caught the trooper in the right side of his chest.

More shots, more felled troopers—more from Cassian, Jyn, and the rebels than from Mirax. But for every stormtrooper that fell, a rebel collapsed with a smoldering hole in their chest or an innocent pilgrim was caught in the crossfire. Somehow, over the roar of battle, a child's cries reached Mirax's ears. As Mirax's eyes frantically searched for the source of the cry, she saw Jyn dart across the plaza and scoop a young girl into her arms.

Mirax watched as Jyn handed the child off to a woman—the child's mother, judging by how hysterical she seemed—but looked away when Cassian suddenly yelled, "Get out of there!" Mirax turned to see where he was looking, then followed his gaze to the tank in time to see it fire at one of the buildings. At first, she thought it had been some sort of misfire, a technical malfunction, but quickly realized they were trying to bring the building down onto the rebels.

A fresh group of troopers ran into the street as Jyn sprinted towards the tank, where she took cover as the soldiers ran past. Movement at the top of one of the walls drew Mirax's gaze away from Jyn and the child. One of the rebels stood, an explosive of some kind in his hand. It didn't take a genius like Moria to tell from his stance that he was about to throw it at the stormtroopers closest to Jyn. Acting reflexively, Mirax raised her blaster and fired—for once, her first shot found its target.

The rebel collapsed, but did not remain on the wall, as Mirax had hoped. Instead, he fell to the ground, still clutching the explosive, and landed in what Mirax thought was a merchant's tent nestled in a corner between the wall and a building. The ensuring explosion sent sparks and debris up and into the plaza, lifting rebels off their feet and tossing them as if they were children's toys.

Jyn sprinted back to Mirax and Cassian, no one having to say that it was time for them to leave. All three ran down an alley, firing at troopers and dodging blaster bolts as they went. Mirax was a few steps behind Cassian as he rounded a corner, but slid to a stop when she saw him raise his blaster and fire it before turning in the other direction. "This way!" he called to Mirax and Jyn, who had caught up with him. Their escape route was cut off by more troopers, forcing them to take cover in a outcrop in one wall.

Mirax's hand flew under her jacket to the collapsible staff, an exact replica of the one Moria carried, that was held against her back by a custom harness. She drew the weapon and skillfully flicked her wrist, bringing the staff to its full length. Grasping it with both hands, she sprang back into the alley, targeting the troopers' joins—the insides of elbows, the backs of knees, necks when their heads were turned—until she could slam the staff into the sides or backs of their heads, knocking them out as her sister had done on Coruscant. Nearby, she saw Jyn doing the same with a truncheon and could hear Cassian firing his blaster.