Star Crossed

Korwin

I thought it was a little sad not to have Galen's point of view, so here it is. It will make the scenario a little more understandable as well. We could do without it, it would be more correct, from a writer's point of view. But I'm curious to know what he thinks. How about you ?

She was scrunching her nose whenever she allowed herself to get lost in her thoughts. From my office, I 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 our current predicament? To understand that, aside from faceting the crystals, we could force it to realign the lattices...

All would be lost then. For I knew Elya, by now. After a few months working by her side, I 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 me in the first place.

And I cursed, and blessed her at the same time. For this little woman was so bright that I couldn't help but admire how much she knew, already, at such a young age. She reminded me so much of myself, 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 I knew it was only a matter of time before she found the solution. Then, all would be lost.

At the same time, I was looking forward to it. Yes, the empire would have supremacy over the galaxy, but I was so close to giving up. Perhaps once the weapon complete, they would let me go, and I could gather my broken child, and carry her away. If only Krennic had been more patient, Lyra would still be alive, with me, in the farm. Lyra was dead, killed be her own foolishness. Grief still mingled with anger; if she had stuck to the plan, Jyn would still have a mother to take care of her. But no, she had to turn on her heels to attempt to rescue me. So foolishly pointing a blaster at Krennic, knowing his death troopers wouldn't miss her. Why had she choosen me, over Jyn? Why, why ... why? I'd yelled to the sky too many times to count, shed too many tears, yet the answer wouldn't come. Had Lyra thought me so uncapable of taking care of myself that she had to shed the plans carefully laid?

Now she had left me, and Jyn, without any hope of reunion. Two orphans that struggled in the harsh world.

I oscillated between the need for revenge, and the urge to run back to Jyn to be a father.

Now that I had a proper status on the research advancement, I didn't know what to do. Killing myself wouldn't prevent them from creating the most destructive, the worst weapon the galaxy had ever withstood. And I needed to find a way back to Jyn. She was safe if emotionally scarred for the moment. But I couldn't lose this from sight; Lyra had left, it was up to me to fill the void as soon as possible. This time, I wouldn't shy away from my responsibilities this time, I would not revert to the absent father I had been in the past, wouldn't disappear into the research to the detriment of my 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 my scrutiny, she cocked her head aside and gave me a discreet smile. Amber eyes met her greenish ones for a moment, then my gaze unfocused. I was so dead tired, and those Kyber crystals tended to make sleep elusive. As if I needed it!

What could I do? What should I do?

Two choices were led before me.

I could stall the research, learn to mislead Elya and pray she wouldn't fight me tooth and nails on every single circonvolution. Praying that she wouldn't pick up on my many, many incoming lies. Perhaps I would be able to delay the work for a decade ... and until then, I 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 me. She was strong, and spirited, like her mother. Yet, the idea of leaving my little girl alone in the middle of a war tore at my insides. I was used to separation; in the past, Lyra had left for a few months with our little girl to explore Alpinn's cave system. Yet, they were always a Holocall away. Today, I 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 my daughter when she cried?