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FAILURE had never frightened Kitra. After all, she grew up in a galaxy doomed to fail from the beginning. Failure, like death, was always something Kit saw as inevitable. One day she would fail, one day she would die, but there would always be another Rebel to pick up her blaster and carry on.
Now, however, failure wasn't an option. The fate of the Alliance, and every planet in the galaxy, was resting on the shoulders of every Rebel on Scarif. If they failed now, there would be nobody to pick up after them. But before they could even leave the shuttle they had to pass the inspection test, and already Kit could feel failure biting at her heels like a hungry beast closing in for the kill.
It felt like the weight of the universe was pressing in around her the closer she squeezed herself against the console, shoved into the space between the wall and Cassian's sharp shoulder. She listened, her heart hanging from the barber hooks in her throat, to the boarding ramp descend and the voices of the inspection crew carry across the metal deck. Fighting against the urge to let her laboured breaths be known, Kit strained to catch the murmured introductions by Bodhi and the scuff of boots as he led the Imperial crew through what should have been an empty cargo cruiser.
"Hey, you're probably looking for a manifest ..." Bodhi said, the confident lie he'd constructed deteriorating every time he spoke.
"That would be helpful," another replied abruptly.
"It's just down here."
Kit's throat tightened around the barbs embedded inside it as her finger jilted over the trigger of her blaster. The sound of boots inched closer and she ran through the possibilities in her mind; she might be able to launch herself out of her hiding space given the chance, but there was nothing to stop them searing holes into her a second after.
She heard the squeal of metal as the cargo compartment was opened. If she'd breathed too loud for a second longer she would have missed the sudden muffled cry and trio of bodies hitting the deck. Confused and partly curious, Kit squeezed out behind Cassian in time to find Baze emerging from the cargo hold, a wicked grin on his chapped lips. Behind him, Bodhi stared wide eyed among the Imperial bodies at his feet.
