SYZYGY
/ˈsizijē/
(n) an alignment of celestial bodies
Orona Erso was never ashamed of herself, until who she was shattered before her very own eyes.
Cassian Andor was ashamed of unspeakable things he had done, and spent most of his time convincing...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
The stolen ship was stuck in a silence worse than death. If they spoke, everything would be too real. The hours were long, the monotonous hum of machinery lulling the crew into a dream-like state between reality and disbelief. They lingered in the quiet after the commotion ceased.
Iksene did the best he could to treat their wounds with the small med-kit he was required to carry at all times. He had no form of pain relief, and while he stitched Cassian's leg, the captain fell unconscious.
Orona woke up an hour or so ago to soft murmurs between Jyn and Iksene. Her head aching, she now sat hunched over, tracing the outline of Cassian's jaw, his head resting in her lap.
His face was relaxed now, no longer contorted in pain. He looked peaceful, strangely, so much so that it worried her. Anytime his sleeping breaths came in too long of an increment, panic thudded in her chest, and she checked for a pulse. Only when she felt the thumping beat of his heart did she relax.
She knew everyone was being careful around her. Of course they are, I was taken and tortured and almost died, she reminded herself, but the reluctant stares nagged at her. She felt like a chained wild animal. In her corner, everyone else was a few seats away at least, watching. She could break at any moment and reign havoc. Why do they look at me like that?
In her free hand, she squeezed her turquoise Kyber crystal that Chirrut had gifted her only days prior. She held it close to her. She prayed for the Guardian to survive, to appear out of some magical light that he'd claim was the Force, but she knew he didn't.
None of them did.
She tried not to think of that.
Instead, she wondered where the ship was headed. Kes took over the controls, trying to calculate where exactly her numbers were taking them. She only knew that it wasn't Scarif, which was all she cared about.
Orona turned to her sister, feeling her gaze searing, and found round blue eyes slanted by worry.
"Rona," whispered Jyn.
"Yeah?"
The eldest girl flickered her gaze over the dried blood and purple bruises littering Orona's skin. Orona knew she felt guilty—it was written all over her face—but she didn't understand why. It wasn't Jyn's fault she was captured. It was her own.
"I wanted... after everything, I wanted to say that you're still my sister. I know about Krennic and our mother."
Iksene moved to the back of the ship, sensing the tender moment. He pretended to adjust the brown cowl around the roots of his lekku to feign distraction, but his curious brown eyes drifted nevertheless.
Meanwhile, Orona frowned. She hadn't even thought of how Jyn would feel about being half-sisters. A twinge of regret hit her for being so selfish, thinking of the rebellion before even her sibling. Family meant everything to her those days, and Cassian and Jyn were all she had left. She chewed on her cheek, thinking; perhaps the rebellion did change her.
