Built on Hope (Cassian Andor FF)

8. The Tyranny

AN: I really enjoyed writing this chapter! How are you guys enjoying the story so far? 

Talia had changed out of her Imperial uniform into casual winter clothes. Dark pants, a thick red jacket in case it started to rain, and a signature soft gray Kuat scarf. Her uniform would draw too much attention, especially since they're going to a hangar bay where non-Imperial ships were located.

Cassian still ached all over; his wounds stung and tugged at the stitches. He forced the feeling away. He's had worse injuries. If his mother saw him now, she would say the same. The mission was ore important than his health. All they had to do was make it to the ship without being caught in order to find out what the objective was.

Talia held onto Cassian's arm to keep him upright. He stumbled every so often, giving others the impression that he was drunk. It was a good cover. No one would suspect much, or see the dark blood stain underneath his jacket.

She wondered if all his missions ended like this. Were they full of excitement? Adventure? Maybe it was adrenaline inducing. Heart rate increasing. Heavy breathing. Running. Shooting. Trying to escape alive. A part of her wanted to experience that. The other part, the deep-rooted insecurity about what had happened to her,... God. She couldn't even think of her name without putting herself through unwanted pain. It was unwanted, yet it was her drive. Taking down the Empire meant so much if she were avenging her.

The mechanics from earlier were still in the hangar, and glanced over as they took their break. Cassian chuckled faintly, a fake smile plastered onto his face. He had to keep up the act, at least for his sake. They entered his Allanar N3 Light Freighter and closed the door behind them.

The ship was small, but had enough space in the cargo hold below. A bag of clothes was open, and a few articles of clothing were strewn about on the ground around it. Messy wrappers littered the floor. He had no time for cleanliness when he had a mission to complete. Ahead of them were two chairs for a pilot and a copilot. The dashboard lit up when Cassian turned the battery on. He collapsed into the pilot's chair and started pushing buttons.

Talia stood behind him, watching his every move. No rest for the wicked. She thought, and almost laughed out loud at the fact that the Alliance to Restore the Republic was wicked in a way. Cassian killed somebody in front of her before, and she was sure that wasn't the only time. The Rebellion took lives as they see fit. If it came down to it, and there was no way out, she'd have to kill too. Talia wasn't looking forward to that.

Cassian put on the communications headset and started the recorded transmission.

A voice came through his headphones, one that Cassian had known all too well. The famous rebel pilot Captain Raymus Antilles. He'd been known to carry out incredible successful wins for the Alliance, especially with a limited number of team members. Now, he was reaching out to Cassian for help. "Captain Andor, this message is being relayed to you using an encoded transmission channel. The Alliance needs your help in completing this mission."

Antilles continued with confidence, "It's time to retire those old Z-95s! The Alliance received an encoded transmission from Incom Corporation saying they have newly built prototype ships ready to go. They don't want to be tied to this in any way, or the Emperor would have their heads, so we're going to make it seem like we're infiltrating the facility. I'm sending you the facility's map now. These T-65 starfighters can handle anything the Empire can throw at us!" There was a pause, and a heavy grief was detected in the pilot's voice, "Our pilots never made it to Fresia. The last message that I received from them detailed the discovery of the Imperial I-class Star Destroyer Tyranny in orbit around the planet."