─────── ⋆ ☾ ⋆ ───────CASSUS FELT HER HEART START POUNDING as she stepped into the meeting room of General Organa. Into the belly of the beast. And, having been inside a Sarlacc Pit, she could say that it was pretty accurate.
Except this time, the walls weren't closing in on her. If anything the room felt far too open, with only a long conference table to take up space.
Cassus felt terribly exposed. She rubbed her arm, feeling goosebumps on her bare skin. It was too cold. And without her helmet's visor, she had to squint to see properly in the low light.
But what was even worse was that she wasn't there to shoot anyone. She was there to...talk.
Two of the chairs at the table were occupied. Poe's face lit up as soon as he saw her enter, standing to his feet. The other person sat facing away from the door, but when she turned around, Cassus caught her breath.
Leia Organa.
Cassus had heard countless stories about the woman. The princess. The general. The legend. She remembered sitting on the hard floor of Slave I at her father's feet, wide-eyed, hanging on every word as he spoke of the Rebellion. Boba Fett had always held a grudge against Han Solo and a disdain for Luke Skywalker, but he always spoke of Leia Organa with respect. She was a strong leader who fought alongside her troops on the battlefield against the Empire. A rare leader that a Mando could admire.
The general stood from her chair slowly, batting away Poe's offered hand. Cassus couldn't help but smirk.
She tensed, though, as the general stepped closer. Leia regarded her with scrutinizing eyes. Brown eyes. They sent a jolt through Cassus.
She had only just been acquainted with Kylo Ren's eyes, but it was unnerving to see the same eyes now. Kriff, this is weird.
The general looked Cassus over before meeting her gaze. And her face softened into a smile. "You must be Lara," she spoke. Her voice wasn't all that Cassus had expected. It was worn, but it somehow still held warmth. "Poe has told me a lot about you."
Cassus glanced at Poe, and he gave her a reassuring smile. "And I've heard a lot about you." She held out a hand. "It's an honor, general."
"Please," the general said, shaking her hand, "Call me Leia."
She moved to sit back down, and Cassus and Poe followed. "I must say, I admire you for what you did," Leia spoke, "It was incredibly brave."
Cassus warmed under the praise, feeling like a girl again as her father patted her on the back after their lessons. "Thank you. It's just...it started out easy, working for the First Order. The pay was good and the jobs were challenging. But then I started actually paying attention, looking at the people that we were sent to kill. It wasn't right. I knew I had to get out somehow." She shook her head. "I just feel like I've lost so much time to them."
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𝐆𝐑𝐀𝐕𝐈𝐓𝐘 𝐋𝐈𝐄𝐒 ▹ KYLO REN [2]
Fanfiction" It's just a cover. " In which a mission to infiltrate the Resistance has a Mandalorian mercenary reconsidering who her enemy really is and how committed she is to this war. Star Wars | Kylo Ren Book 2 of the Songs of Mandalore Series Pre-The Forc...