Elya's mentor, Director Krennic, wants her helf to retrieve Galen Erso - her hero ! - from his farm. As a faithful little spy, she does Krennic's bidding without knowing that she is stepping in the first circle of hell. Will the events to come teach...
She was scrunching her nose whenever she allowed herself to get lost in her thoughts. From his office, Galen watched Elya, her greenish gaze lost into space, imagining the Force knew what. A cute expression for a very dangerous woman.
How long would it take her to go beyond their current predicament ? To understand that, aside from faceting the crystals, they could force it to realign the lattices...
All would be lost then. For he knew Elya, by now. After a few months working by her side, he had no doubt she would unlock every little secret of those crystals, and unleash their potential. She had been on the verge of finding the path... to the dark side ? If Krennic had been a little more patient, or perhaps, if she had been nudged in the right direction – the Force – they wouldn't have needed him in the first place.
And he cursed, and blessed her at the same time. For this little woman was so bright that he couldn't help but admire how much she knew, already, at such a young age. She reminded him so much of himself, ten years ago. Naïve, carried away in her research, embedded so deeply in it that nothing else mattered. She blended with the subject, delved so deep within that he knew it was only a matter of time before she found the solution. Then, all would be lost.
At the same time, he was looking forward to it. Yes, the empire would have supremacy over the galaxy, but he was close to giving up. Perhaps once the weapon complete, they would let him go, and he could gather his broken child, and carry her away. If only Krennic had been more patient, Lyra would still be alive, with him, in the farm.
But Lyra was dead, killed be her own foolishness. Grief still mingled with anger; if she had stuck to the plan, Jyn wouldn't have lost her mother. But no, she had to turn on her heels to attempt to rescue him. So foolishly pointing a blaster at Krennic, knowing his death troopers wouldn't miss her. Why had she choosen him, over Jyn ? Why, why... why ? He'd yelled to the sky too many times to count, shed too many tears, yet the answer wouldn't come. Had Lyra thought him so uncapable of taking care of himself that she had to shed the plans carefully laid ?
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Now she had left him, and Jyn, without any hope of reunion. Two orphans that struggled in the harsh world.
Now that he had a proper status on the research advancement, Galen didn't know what to do. Killing himself wouldn't prevent them from creating the most destructive, the worst weapon the galaxy had ever withstood. And he needed to find a way back to Jyn. She was safe, if emotionally scarred for the moment. But he couldn't loose this from sight; Lyra had left, it was up to him to fill the void as soon as possible.
Galen wouldn't shy away from his responsibilities this time, he would not revert to the absent father he had been in the past, wouldn't disappear into the research to the detriment of his own daughter.
A great sigh came from the main desk as Elya pushed the datapad away, and pinched the bridge of her nose. Her long reddish hair was tightly braided, her cheekbones flushed from too many caffs. Then, as if she had sensed his scrutiny, she cocked her head aside and gave him a discrete smile. Amber eyes met her greenish ones for a moment, then his gaze unfocused. He was so dead tired, and those Kyber crystals tended to make sleep elusive. As if he needed it !
What could he do ? What should he do ?
Two choices were led before him.
He could stall the research, learn to mislead Elya and pray she wouldn't fight him tooth and nails on every single circonvolution. Praying that she wouldn't pick up on his many, many lies and detours. She admired him; he could use that leverage for the moment, perhaps delay the work for a decade... and until then, he would find a solution to embed a major flaw in the design. Yes, that could work. But Jyn... Jyn would have to grow up without him. She was strong, and spirited, like her mother. Yet, the idea of leaving his little girl alone in the middle of a war tore at his insides. He was used to separation; in the past, Lyra had left for a few months with their little girl to explore Alpinn's caves system. Yet, they were always a Holocall away. Today, he had no idea if Jyn still breathed, or if she cried her mother's death. If anyone was with her, and if she had toys to occupy her mind with. If she was cold at night. Who hugged his little girl when she cried ?
The other option was a gamble like no other. To trust in Elya's good sense, and bring her to see the truth. With her as an ally, they would be powerful. But is was a dangerous plan. Krennic had her wrapped around his little finger; he could nearly see the stars in her eyes when she talked about him. He didn't blame her; at the time, Krennic had fooled him enough. Despite Lyra's warning, he had been so sure to be working in renewable energy so that the empire could provide peace. His old friend had pushed all the right buttons; guilt, success, food for his brain, a challenge... giving him the ideal environment on a plate, manipulating him so skillfully that he had bought it all.
The empire wanted to pick a world to make an example... Now, Galen knew that if research succeeded, a planet would probably disappear. But Elya couldn't see it, despite her intelligence. Trapped in Krennic's web... Or perhaps she knew, and just didn't care. None of the team seemed quite privy to the brutal truth; they knew they were building a powerful weapon for the empire, but had not grasped the severity of it, nor the way Palpatine projected to use it. No one but him knew what it meant to 'make an example of one world'.
To trust, or not to trust ? When faced with the truth, would Elya follow the same path ?
— "Galen ?"
The scientist jerked in his seat, his had lost contact with the world for a moment. Elya stood in the doorway, a steaming cup into her hand.
— "I brought you some caf, but I don't think it is going to do the trick. How many sleepless nights ?"
Damn, she was blunt. As much as he used to be in his youth. The attention touched him, though, and he grunted a thank you as she set the cup down on his desk. Silence settled as he brought the bitter liquid to his lips, grimacing at the taste.
— "It's the Kyber", he eventually said. "I also couldn't sleep in the facility on Coruscant"
Her eyes turned to the second containment cell where a massive Kyber crystal awaited further testing. Its greenish color was so deep that Galen found himself staring into it more often than not.
— "Yes, it is affecting us all. They are pretty powerful."
Another grunt; a standard response whenever he wanted to be left alone in his thoughts. Elya seemed to catch the hint, for she straightened and fished a twisted orange twig from her uniform. Putting it on the desk, she explained:
— "I use this, a little bite each evening. It eases my mind, and allows for proper sleep."
Galen's eyebrows rose, considering the piece of coral she was offering. He knew the substance, a slight psychotropic that came from her home planet. The empire didn't encourage it, for it created a slight addiction, but they tolerated its use and the resulting black market. Something tightened in his chest, causing his throat to close as he nodded his thanks. Elya turned around without another word, the selfless act leaving him bereft. Unberknownst to her, that success-oriented woman had reacted like Lyra used to, taking care of him without the need for gratitude. Just because she could make his life easier, she did it.
Hey, I want to thank whomever left a few votes, it really made my day. I though no one liked this story.
