Starstruck

Echoes - 4

Note: I just really love this picture!

"Your archives are rubbish." Jyn was seated at a desk wrapped in several blankets. She'd been given the task of hooking up the data systems in the new base and had decided to snoop when Cassian had caught her. "Draven called me petty, there's almost nothing on kyber crystals and according to this, my mother barely existed."
"Update it. Write a statement about what really happened and present it to Mon Mothma. She'd listen to you." Cassian pulled a stool up beside her.
"I don't really want to relive it, thanks. These mental blocks have taken me years." She laughed hollowly.
"What was your mum like?"
"I don't remember much, but she was nice. Didn't take any of the Empire's trash. She had no regard for rules, yet managed to be one of the most polite people I've known."
"You just described yourself."
"No, she wasn't as deeply traumatised as I am. I remember her learning to fire a blaster from Saw. It scared the Force out of my father."
"She sounds like you."
"We shared a deep-rooted hatred of Director Krennic. That's why she was eager to get her hands on weaponry. This was hers." Jyn pulled her necklace over her head and held it up for examination. On the end was a small clear crystal with symbols intricately carved down the side. Just from the pure feelings radiating off it, you could tell what it was. "How did she find a kyber crystal?!"
"She either stole it from the Empire out of spite or found it."
"Either way, I have respect."
Jyn smiled, tucking the crystal expertly out of sight. "I don't think they'd listen if I tried to recount my life story."
"If you've got information on other rebels and Imperial ties, we need it."
"Not much, but I have some. A lot of Imperial officers are too busy arguing amongst themselves. That's the difference between them and us. We actually care about each other. We need to trust each other, or we can't win."
"Tell them! We need everything you've got. As soon as Bodhi's defrosted, we can ask him. Baze and Chirrut might know something about the kyber research. We're desperate for anything you can tell us."
"I'll try."
"Thank you. We want to know what happened to you. You can clear your name, your fathers name and get your mother recognition. This is what wins wars."
"I just had a weird idea. Fancy a road trip?"
"Sorry?!"
"Well we saw Jedha and Saw's base. I want to show you my house. You can show me past bases. It'd be fun to relive it. Rogue One flies again!"
"You want to go through that again?"
"Not Scarif. Never again. Nor Jedha or Eadu. I'll show you Coruscant and Lah'mu and you can show me Fest and Dantooine. Don't look at me like that. Leia already told me all your past bases, I didn't snoop that much."
"Shall I inform the crew?"
"We probably ought to run it past the generals first. They wouldn't like it if I ran off again."
"They won't mind if I tell them it's a research mission. They trust me."
"And not me?!" Jyn looked indignant.
"I think they trust me significantly more than you. I'll tell, them in the morning. In the meantime, sleep! You're frozen and traumatised. Better to be warm and traumatised, I've learnt."

Jyn barely slept that night. Partly due to the painful cold, but also the idea of going back. She'd kind of liked the idea of seeing how things had changed since she was last there, but the idea of remembering everything that happened there and reliving it didn't sit well. Eventually, she gave up and headed to the hangar to check the ship. If necessary, she could forge credentials if things got bad. She didn't know how much Imperial attention any of the stops had. Bodhi and K2 were already flipping switches and passing on instructions when she arrived. Bodhi was bundled up  in several scarves and thermal jackets and even K2 had his joints covered to stop them freezing. He gave her the droid equivalent of rolling your eyes and Bodhi waved. He still had some scarring across his face from the burns and moved carefully across the ship to talk to Jyn. Chirrut and Baze turned up fairly soon with Cassian and an arm full of documentation and the all clear.

Leia, Mon Mothma and a gaggle of pilots turned up to wish them luck on their first mission back, with General Draven reluctantly patting Jyn's shoulder, which she hated. It had been assumed he'd died on Scarif, but he'd turned up shortly before they'd left for Hoth in an escape pod with a slightly cowed attitude and newfound respect for Jyn. She didn't expect it to last. As soon as she opened her mouth, he'd be back to normal. Luke hugged Bodhi, Chirrut and Baze (who he'd formed fast friendships with), Han gave Jyn a mock salute and Cassian bowed slightly to Leia. They'd all bonded fairly fast with the Millennium Falcon crew, apart from K2 who had wanted nothing to do with C3PO, but held a grudging respect towards R2, purely because they shared a love of mildly offensive remarks and statistics no one else wanted. Rogue One boarded the ship (Cassian's battered U-wing they'd managed to salvage and repair from the wreckage of Eadu. A scouting mission had been sent when they arrived on Hoth) and K2 assumed his position of co-pilot, mumbling about stupid, sentimental humans and their families. Jyn was about to deliver a blaster bolt to his neck, when she remembered Scarif and thought about what happened to K2. Where droids sensitive to flashbacks? She still couldn't look at the sunset and knew Cassian couldn't either and Bodhi got jumpy around fire. Even if he didn't, Cassian would still throw her out the airlock for killing his droid. But was it worth it? Jyn was considering this, when with a jolt, the ship began to take off. The imaginary heroic fanfare played in her head as the pilots below shrunk and the hangar began to look like an anthill with tiny rebellious ants, all with their own lives, worries and missions. Rogue One was back.