Star Crossed

Her Hero !

It should have been a good day; I was giddy when my mentor, Lieutenant Director Krennic, told me we were going to retrieve Galen Erso. That man held no title, no rank, nor anything that could have been remotely significant in the all the empire's positions except for his brain. That man was a genius, and, according to my mentor, his friend.

I knew little of the reasons why he was away; I was not privy to this information. And albeit I respected my mentor and was eternally grateful for picking me up and offering me this bright future in the research section, Director Krennic was a man who didn't overly share. He had been kind and supportive when my mother died, watching over me from afar, making sure I made it into his team of scientists. His appreciation of my skills in the crystal research meant a lot to me; his support, had, many a time, insured my survival. He had also ensured I was given the necessary training to defend myself. It gave me a new purpose, a sense of power I had never felt before. From a great brain, I became capable of killing and incapacitate. I trained both body and mind daily, growing in power, growing in knowledge. It was easier to be deadly when treading in this world of men; being a lovely woman in her mid-twenties would have been much more uncomfortable had Director Krennic not insisted upon this training.

So now, whenever one of my fellow scientists mocked me or scorned my findings, I could stand my ground with confidence.

I'd always been in an awkward position; too bright for my age, too grave. I had too many questions to ask, too many whys. I needed to redemonstrate everything I was presented for the sake of understanding. My brain just didn't work like the others did, overlooking things that seemed weird to my fellow scientist, and digging into theories that were obvious to them. This difference had caused me to adapt; with my strange vision of things, I had to think twice as fast to settle the basics in my brain. What teachers gave me for granted, I worked, twisted, looked at it at every possible angle before I could integrate it. But once it was done, I knew more about said theory than anyone else.

Luckily, I needed little sleep. Year after year, my knowledge grew. Bound by my father's career with the republic and my promise to a dying mother to remain true and work hard, I became any laboratory's bane. I asked too much and accepted too little. And sometimes, my stubbornness and different vision caused a breakthrough everyone had overlooked. My thirst for knowledge gave me little time for romance and emotion. There was no place for feelings, except for respect. I respected the people I worked with, until I moved past them, and realised they were not as great as I thought. So far, no one had been able to keep me interested more than a few years. Every single time, I outgrew my admiration, moving from one subject to the next. Outgrew their knowledge as well.

But Galen Erso was another character. A genius, a pacifist – so weird. I had worked on his notes for a long time, trying to stabilise the chain reaction of the Kyber crystals with fellow scientists. I became, soon enough, an expert in the problem, especially thanks to Erso's notes. They were disorganised and complex, more obscure than any religious' mantras. But my difference brought me to break through many of his discoveries. Unfortunately, my arrogance had brought me to a stop. No matter how intelligent I thought I was, this man was greater than I would ever be. His mind, unprobed, could reason and form more advanced theories than mine. I was at a setback, and it didn't even piss me off; my admiration for the man only grew.

So when Krennic burst into the facility, stating that the great Galen Erso was going to take over the group and resume his research, and that I, Elya Talatheen, would be his second in command, my heart leapt into my throat. My hands trembled upon my vest when I passed my uniform that day, my long, reddish hair braided tightly. Director Krennic smiled at me when I boarded his private shuttle – he was very high in the chain of command under Emperor Palpatine now – and I responded with a giddy expression. The man's blue eyes twinkled a moment, catching my uneasiness, then a cold mask settled upon his face; eight storm trooper, dressed in black, followed me inside. The price of being high in the chain of command.