|
|
« Reply #43 on: November 15, 2017, 08:36:16 PM » |
|
Chapter 21: Something in Common
The 21-year-old former criminal stands there, in the vast crew lounge, holding her tray of food as she shifts her head & eyes left to right and vice versa. Apparently, Jyn found no one to sit with for lunch. Actually, she usually doesn’t find anyone to sit and chat with at the Rebel base on Yavin 4, given her reputation and criminal history despite sending the Death Star plans and miraculously coming back to life with her Captain, Cassian Andor. Though, Jyn never managed to make any other friends in the Rebellion other than Cassian, K-2SO, and possibly Leia & Luke. There were some female Rebels present too, but given her dark, rough past and her aggressive, cold personality, she felt she wouldn’t be able to socialize & bond with the other female Rebels, because she knows she isn’t like them. She knows she was still the lonely girl trying to find her place in this journey.
Luckily, she is able to find a completely vacant table that was isolated away from the other tables full of infantrymen, after minutes of searching. It was situated outside, under the sunny afternoon, and it was under a tree that provided shade, luckily for Jyn. Once she sits down, she begins to munch away at her food.
She had seen Cassian earlier in the morning, where he told her that he was going to go into a meeting with Mon Mothma, Princess Leia, General Draven, and the other superiors to discuss something important. He said it would take a very long while, so Jyn decides to spend most of the day by herself since she had no obligatory duties for the day.
“Same as always.” Jyn thought to herself quietly as she picked the fork at her food. “Oh, well.” She adds. She was picking at her food with one hand, and the other arm was bent so that her elbow leaned on the table, propping her cheek & head up. Jyn was bored.
However, she felt a strong feeling around her. Her kyber crystal started to warm up, and Jyn notices a blow glowing aura right next to her. Turning her head to see who it is, her lips form a slight smile when she sees the Force spirit of Bodhi Rook, her deceased Rogue One teammate, sitting next to her. However, despite his appearance, she still felt lonely without Cassian around.
“How’s our little sister?” Bodhi asks, referring to Jyn, who was called sister by Baze Malbus before their raid on Scarif. He tilts his head to the side, curious about what was going through Jyn’s mind.
The reckless, undisciplined female Rebel sighs a long sigh after turning back to her food. “Nothing, I guess.”
Although, Bodhi nodded and accepted her answer, he nevertheless didn’t believe she was fine. So, he shrugs his shoulders and looks out into the distant dunes of trees below the balcony. “You know, I was just like you. You know…” Bodhi starts to explain, causing Jyn to gulp down some food and look at him. “…while I was still with the…..the Empire.” He finishes. Jyn nods and still gazes at him, urging him to continue. “I wasn’t always exactly happy with the way things were….or how I turned out.”
“That’s why you joined…us.” Jyn declares, and Bodhi nods as in ‘Yes.’
“Well, not only that. But I’m glad I did. It was Captain Andor who found me.” Bodhi states, still looking into the waves of trees in the distance. Jyn looks up at the sky, reflecting back to their time in Jedha when they were captured. ‘The cell, perhaps.’ Jyn thought. But that is where Rogue One started, right there and then.
“You know, Captain Andor really goes for you, you know?” Bodhi blurts out after a long moment of silence. Thus, Jyn immediately looks at him with her stale, cold green eyes, and she is curious as to why he is bringing up Cassian.
“Yeah..?” She replies vaguely.
“He would go to the ends of the galaxy for you, it seems. I’ve seen the looks on his face when he sees you. Even when he hears your name, I sense the hint of happiness that I’ve never seen from him before.” Bodhi declares, and he finally turns to her to inspect her facial expression.
Jyn suddenly turns her head back to the trees, thinking of Cassian. Because, now, she feels as though she couldn’t breathe if Cassian was not within an arm’s length around her. Whenever they parted for some circumstance, even if they’re just separating to sleep in each’s own quarters, she felt the pain in her chest. She felt the anxiety on her shoulders. She felt the whole galaxy was weighing down on her.
“ Cassian. That is what is troubling you lately. Am I right, little sister?” Bodhi asks; though, he knows he is exactly right. He just wants to see if Jyn would deny it.
Jyn finishes the last of her food, gulps down a whole can of water, and leans her back against the table, silent. She just stays silent as her response to her deceased friend.
“You love him so much, it hurts. To…to think something will happen to him anytime. That’s where the fear is, yeah?” The former Imperial asks, nodding his head with the question.
Jyn still stays quiet, because she feels a tear about to burst from one of her eyes.
Bodhi looks down at the floor, then up at the sky. “I wouldn’t worry much. Both of you made it this far. Captain Andor would do anything he can to protect you and the ones he loves.”
“I hope you’re right.” Jyn mutters, sighing after shifting her gaze to the ground.
“Have faith, Jyn. The Force is with us.” Bodhi declares to Jyn as he places his hand on her shoulder. Though, she can’t feel his touch because of his spirit form.
“Thanks.” Jyn says. But as she turns to look back at Bodhi, he is gone.
((()))
Leia sighs in slight frustration as she walks out of the command center where the meeting took place. She hated long meetups as much as she hated Stormtroopers, and it already made her day aggravating. It was a few hours later, and she & the other leaders, as well as Cassian, just got done with their discussion of some Rebel operations going underway at the moment. The whole time, she thought of how Luke was holding up, since he was with an infantry unit in some planet out there as well. The Princess needed a break, and she definitely needed someone to chill out with.
Coincidently, and surprisingly, as Leia turns a few more corners of some hallways, she sees Jyn, who is commanding one of her base infantrymen under her command. Indeed, Jyn had her own unit to lead in the base. Her unit was doing inventory of weapon supplies, and she was in charge of making sure her men get tasks done efficiently. Leia smiles as Jyn ends her discussion with the young Rebel and part ways. Jyn then proceeds to walk towards Leia, who is also surprised to see her.
“Sergeant Erso!” Leia calls to her.
“Oh, Princess Leia. Hi.” Jyn responds with a hint of respect to her superior by slightly bowing & keeping her eyes glued to the floor. Much to Leia’s amusement, she shrugs off the act.
“No need for formalities, Jyn. Behave like you normally would. Please.” Leia chuckles.
“Umm…sure!” Jyn shrugs, feeling slightly embarrassed, since she still felt awkward about appearing to a superior of the Rebellion after being a former criminal for some time. Though, she realized it must take some getting used to from now on.
The two young women walk together, shoulder-to-shoulder down the long hallway while other Rebels walk past by. Leia walks steadily and calmly, with her hands behind her back and her white dress gliding along the floor with every stride, whereas Jyn walks with a sense of nervousness, letting her hands hang down both sides of her thighs and balled into tight fists. Leia is the first to spark the conversation.
“Enjoying your rest time, I see?” Leia asks.
Jyn, at first, was reluctant to answer. She gulps nervously before answering to her leader. “Pretty much, yes. How did the meeting go? How’s Cassian? Is he still in there?” Jyn asks away, much to Leia’s amusement. Leia knew that Jyn was very anxious about Cassian, and that she yearned to know what he was up to the whole day.
“He is fine! Don’t worry. He’ll be dismissed shortly, I assure you.” Leia laughs & answers Jyn, while Jyn just nods calmly, with a shot of relief rushing through her now.
“Princess?” Jyn says as they turn a corner leading to another hallway.
Leia looks at her Sergeant with curiosity, her eyes gazing at her, urging Jyn to speak out. “Yes, Jyn?”
“Why does this conflict…this war…have to go on?” Jyn asks Leia when her head hangs down, so that she is now looking down at the floor, dismayed. Seeing Jyn in a gloomy mood, Leia shrugs and tries to come up with something to say.
“The people have done this. They caused this war, and all the pain that came with it.” Leia explains. “That’s why the Rebel Alliance is here to keep the peace.”
Hearing that from Leia, Jyn begged to differ. She knew what she has witnessed in her past thirteen years of her life, and it was not pretty. “But all this has brought to me is pain, up until the moment Cassian and I came back.”
Leia shrugs and smiles a small smile. “Well, it’s not bringing you pain now.” Perhaps, Leia is right, Jyn thought. Because she feels so close to Cassian, she cherishes him greatly, that she doesn’t feel pain from the effects of the Rebel operations and the Galactic War, but from the effects of being in love with Cassian and missing him whenever he isn’t by her side. “Oh…right.”
“War. Pain. Suffering. The inevitable. Conflict won’t stop itself. Question is, what do we do about it?” As she asks this question, both women stop walking and look at each other.
Hesitant for a response, Jyn says the first word that came to mind. “Fight. But….I feel like it’s not enough…”
Leia comes up with a better answer. “We protect the ones we love.”
And that brought a slight smile to Jyn’s lips, for a sense of hope and joy rushed up her spine. She looks at Leia.
“You see all these Rebels here?” Leia looks around her, while Jyn does the same. Many infantrymen walk by them at a faster pace. “They all have a reason to be here. They came here because fear conquered them. Now, they’re here because they are fighting for something. They may not know it, but I treat them all like they’re family. It’s my duty to protect them. If we can protect the ones we love, then we can protect the very thing that we all hope for in the galaxy.”
“Peace…” Jyn whispers loudly so that only Leia heard it. Leia nods and they continue walking down the hallway.
“I know how much Director Krennic’s surprising existence is troubling you and Captain Andor. He may be even more dangerous than your first encounter with him now that he has the ability to start more massive destructive weapon projects for the Empire.” Leia says, catching Jyn’s immediate attention.
“How is the intelligence coming along?” Jyn asks.
“Right now, we have units in other planets undergoing field operations, but we should have more information within the next few days. It won’t be long before we have another major operation. And you, Captain Andor, and that droid of yours had better be ready.” Leia informs the 21-year-old woman.
Jyn nods in response. “Right.”
Leia stops in her tracks, causing Jyn to stop walking too, and Leia turns to Jyn to face her. Their eyes gaze into one another’s, reinforcing the confidence and trust they had between each other. “Listen, Jyn. This war, and Krennic, is the only thing standing in the way between you and Captain Andor. The best you can do, the best anyone can do, is fight for him. Embrace him to the end. Jyn, if Captain Andor is really worth the universe to you, fight for him.”
Upon saying that, she places a gentle hand on Jyn’s soft cheek, and when she did, Jyn instantly felt a tear about ready to fall down her cheek. The statement was heartfelt and true and encouraging. Jyn couldn’t help but grab ahold of Leia’s hand and squeeze it gently, signaling to Leia that she absorbed the wisdom and encouraging words. Leia smiles at her 21-year-old Sergeant, for she knows Jyn is strong enough.
Suddenly, R2-D2 approaches the two young women from behind, catching their attention by making beeping noises. Obviously, it had something to say to them.
“What is it, R2?” Leia asks, bending down to R2-D2’s level. R2-D2 replies with some more beeps. “They do? Okay.” Leia stands back up and looks at Jyn. “Han and Chewbacca want me to meet them in the Millennium Falcon. You want to come?”
At first, Jyn is hesitant to say anything. Eventually, she plucks up the courage to accept. “Sure!”
“Also, R2-D2 says he needs some maintenance done. Do you know how to fix a droid?” Leia asks.
Jyn shakes her head and smiles slightly. “Maybe a thing or two.”
((()))
It was Jyn and R2-D2 alone in the center lobby of the Falcon, where the round table was. Leia, Han, and Chewbacca went to run a couple of errands while Jyn stayed behind to perform a few repairs on the small blue & white colored service droid that stood before her. Jyn sighs as she pulls out some old wires from inside one of the compartments on the main body.
“You’ve probably been through a lot, haven’t you?” Jyn asks with a hint of playfulness in her voice. She notices how the white and blue paint on the droid were faded out, compared to the vibrant colors on the newer service droids that she’s seen around the Yavin 4 base.
R2-D2 beeps a few beeps.
“So have I…” Jyn mutters, referencing her rough childhood.
R2-D2 makes a few high-pitched beeps.
“Oh, if you were human, you’d feel like hell too.” Jyn gently bangs the side of R2-D2’s dome-shaped head, causing it to chirp loudly. Jyn shakes her head and begins replacing new wires into the compartment she was working on. R2-D2 then beeps, asking another question. “You mean, K-2SO? Oh…right.” Jyn says, reaching into the compartment that held some of R2-D2’s tools. “He can be hard-headed.”
Hard-headed. No pun intended…
R2-D2 chirps in a way that indicated it is laughing about Jyn’s comment.
Jyn struggles to splice the wires, so she tries harder, shifting positions for a better angle. “What is it with you droids always getting shot at? It’s funny…how you and K-2SO attract so many blasters….but you never get shot, and K-2SO does. Huh….” Jyn wonders as R2-D2 beeps in amusement. “I wish I was that invincible.” Jyn mutters under her breath. It didn’t take long for Jyn to finish up the last repair on R2-D2 before sighing in relief.
“There you go. Happy? Ya slimy bugger.” Jyn playfully says, patting R2-D2’s head before standing up on both feet and throwing the wrench aside. R2-D2 beeps some more.
“You have something for me!?” Jyn tilts her head to the side, curious.
R2-D2 chirps.
Predicting that it’s a surprise, Jyn shrugs and nods. “Cool. I’ll wait upstairs.”
|