The Tragic Jedi | Anakin Skywalker

𝓢𝓬𝓮𝓷𝓮 𝟖𝟎

❈✱❉✤❈✱❉

Astrid blinked in surprise when her hood was suddenly yanked off of her head. She squinted against the harsh sunlight that glared in her eyes as she tried to examine her surroundings. She wasn't given much time to do so before she was shoved into a dark, dingy cell. Astrid grunted as she fell onto the dusty, dirt ground, and the sound of the cell door clanging shut greeted her as she sat up and faced the door. 

She glimpsed the rebels who'd thrown her into the cell as they strode away towards a door at the end of the hall.

"Well, I hope Jyn isn't being murdered right now," Cassian muttered, and Astrid flinched in surprise at the sound of his voice beside her. She hadn't noticed his presence until now.

She twisted around to see him sitting near the wall, a frown gracing his features as he gazed out between the metal bars of the cell door.  Astrid realized she and Cassian were the only ones in the cell; Jyn and K2 were gone. 

She felt a pair of eyes on her from across the hallway, and she spotted the blind monk in the cell across from them. His pale blue eyes were riveted on her, and Astrid frowned before she bent her body to the side to see if his eyes would follow her movement. 

They didn't. 

"Who are you?" Cassian asked gruffly to the monk, having taken notice of Astrid's attention on the monk and of the monk's attention on her. 

"Chirrut Îmwe," the monk replied calmly. "I am a Guardian of the Whills." 

Astrid cast Cassian a questioning look, and Cassian murmured in answer to her unspoken question, "It's a religious order. They are protectors of the Temple of the Kyber, which the Empire pillaged a few months ago for the kyber crystals. There's nothing left to protect at the temple now, so the guardians are just causing trouble for everybody." 

"I am one with the Force, and the Force is with me," Îmwe intoned, and Astrid's curiosity piqued. Anyone who was a follower of the Force was a friend of hers. 

"What's that weapon on your back?" she asked, wondering how he'd managed to keep it away from the rebels who had locked them up. Thankfully, her lightsaber had been hidden away underneath her clothes, so the insurgents hadn't taken it away.

"It's a lightbow," Îmwe answered calmly. 

Cassian let out a low appreciative whistle before he told Astrid, "A lightbow has the capability to take down an entire TIE fighter with one shot. That thing is powerful... and useful." He jerked his head towards Îmwe as he asked, "How do I get one of those?" 

"Only Guardians of the Hill possess them," Îmwe replied evenly. 

Cassian made a sound of disapproval, and he sat back against the wall from where he'd been leaned forward eagerly. He drew his legs up and set his forearms on his knees as he absently picked at his nails. 

Astrid sighed before standing up and walking over to the cell door. She gripped the metal bars of the door as she peered out at the hallway, wondering where exactly Jyn was located. She had to be talking to Saw Gerrera now. Where else could she be but with him?

An idea-- one that was so simple and mainstream that she laughed incredulously at her initial thoughtlessness-- occurred to her then on how to escape this prison cell, and Cassian and Îmwe regarded her curiously. Astrid grabbed her lightsaber from where it had been hidden away underneath her cloak. The lightsaber let out a low hum as it ignited, and Cassian startled at the unexpected sight of it as Îmwe smiled.