☆ 𝐄𝐂𝐋𝐈𝐏𝐒𝐄 ☆ 𝐂. 𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐎𝐑

thirty seven

The sun had risen again, as the group had returned to the two ships. Rex moved to his ship and relayed a message to the astromech that controlled the ship.

The insurgents thought it would be best to travel on the same ship together, as it limited the risk of the group being attacked. Therefore, Rex communicated to the droid to fly the ship back to base and tell Mothma about their plans to travel to Christophsis.

Kitra walked beside Cassian and stared up at him. She knew his patience was wearing thin, so their chances finally came to travel to Christophsis; a mission the man wanted to go on for a while. She knew he would not waste their chances.

The girl stepped beside the man, as she observed how he walked with determination. Although he wore a stoic front, Kitra could now see the softness that swarmed from within him. Kitra had to confess that she was sometimes taken by surprise by how quickly he could mask his true self. Kitra was glad that the Cassian she knew was the true, unmasked version.

She was glad he trusted her enough to show her his vulnerable side, as she was to him. Kitra did not crumble in front of many people, as the galaxy was full of desperate and greedy people who were ready to betray their closest allies in order to gain their own needs.

Cassian was not that person. He meant well, he was genuine; Kitra did not have to use her Jedi abilities to tell. Day after day, Cassian would always check up on her, constantly making sure she was okay.

After the previous night, the pilot had kept a close eye on the girl. Although she tried to move past it, she was still fragile. She was truly exposed to her past, as if she were walking with open wounds; she could easily be a target to her own demise.

Kitra could not muster up the courage to smile, but the feeling of gratitude swelled within her. Cassian understood her. He could reason why she acted the way she did, and in return he adopted a protective stance; as he finally knew about a huge section of her past that she had hidden from so many.

And Cassian will hold that information with him until his last days. He knew that it was not easy for Kitra to share. He could understand how traumatising an experience such as the one she ensured must have been for a girl her age. So he made a decision to honour her gesture. He will continue to prove to her that she can trust him, and act as a safe haven when she was surrounded by reminders of the past.

Due to the strict scheduling of the mission and the desperation of the team to gather the information; Cassian could not return to Yavin IV, they had to continue on. Meaning Kitra had to stay in Rex's presence. Although he believed Kitra was starting to warm to the man, Cassian still remained close, ready to pull her out of the darkness of her memory.

Kitra stepped into the ship as she placed herself near the cockpit where K-2 stood. The droid looked down at the girl, while Cassian, Rex and Mute worked out coordinates and plans. "You look like a Loth-Rat..." K-2 spoke, observing the tired girl.

The Jedi glanced up at the droid with a slightly raised eyebrow. "A drowned and beaten Loth-Rat." K-2 finished. Kitra folded her arms over her chest, as she rolled her eyes. "You really have a way with words, K-2." Kitra stated.

"Obviously. My programming system as far more advanced than your puny fleshy bits that store faulty pieces of information." K-2 answered, before stepping up into his seat. Kitra sighed to herself, as she moved away and leaned against the wall of the ship.

The band of rebels expanded from their planning. Cassian moved towards the cockpit, before he stopped in his tracks and turned to look at Kitra. The pilot muttered something towards the droid, who responded as the ship started to hover upwards from the ground.