Built on Hope (Cassian Andor FF)

15. Laying Low

The next few days were stagnant.

Cassian kept his distance, still upset over the holochip incident. He went out, supplied fresh food each day, then went back into his old bedroom like clockwork. Some hours he felt too little, laying on his bed motionless. He stared at nothing in particular, experiencing nothing but the calm heartbeat in his chest.

Other hours he felt too much, hunched over, hands clawing at the skin on his chest. Through heavy tears, he begged for the emotions to stop. Cassian used to think knowing what happened to his mother would put him at ease.

Only to find out he was horribly wrong.

Talia spent her time coming up with things to say to the senators, that is, if any were going to be present at the base when they arrived. A part of her yearned to make an excuse to stay at home base to make use of her mechanical skills. She fought against her wish to be more realistic. Fieldwork was always in demand, especially with so much ground to cover.

The only thing that kept her going was the need to avenge her.

Her train of thought crashed when Cassian left his bedroom for the first time in days, breaking his cycle. She turned to him as she stood in the center of the living room, arms crossed. Talia sucked in a breath. "Are we on speaking terms?"

She hoped they would. It wasn't a necessity, but it surely made things less awkward.

Cassian stepped towards the couch, reaching for both his captain's jacket and the heavy blue one. Should I take her with me? An immediate defense set itself up in his mind. No! She kept that message from me. He averted his worn out eyes and focused on putting his jackets on. The softer side pushed its way through. She's been stuck in the house the entire time. Going stir crazy isn't the best. His mind lunged as the defense yelled. If I hadn't gone to her, I would've never seen it! Forever wondering what happened to my mother!

"Enough," he whispered, ceasing his thoughts altogether. Cassian's eyes drifted to Talia's, his mouth drawing breaths as if he were trying to catch words in the back of his mind to say. She waited patiently, raising an eyebrow in curiosity. Cassian put on his gloves and declared steadily, "We need to get some air."

Agreeing wholeheartedly, Talia hastily put on her jacket as Captain Andor left the house. She followed behind, minding her step into the crunchy white snow. Cassian stayed ahead of her without stopping, so she let him have his space. She peered around at her surroundings, eyes burning from the freezing wind.

The two spies passed by groups of people of all kinds. Little Ewoks brushed against their legs as they squeezed by. When crossing the first bridge, Talia peered down at the gaping crevice below. Pitch black darkness waded in the depths, causing Talia's stomach to drop. She glanced away and slid her hand along the railing.

Tall skyscrapers lined the land, leaving no ground untouched. With so little space in the valley, the people had to make due with what they had. A strange symbol composed of two different shapes mashed together had been painted in random spots all over town.

Talia caught up with Cassian, standing next to him as he pushed his way through the crowd. "What does the symbol stand for?" She shoved her numbing hands into her pockets and shivered.

"We were at war with Mantooine some time ago. After the Empire formed, the Imperials attacked them. We set aside our differences and joined forces with the survivors to create the Atrivis Resistance Group, named after the star system we're in," he said lowly, his warm breath forming into a white fog against the cold air. "Mothma convinced the group to join the Rebellion. Since the Alliance doesn't have an official symbol yet, we made their own."