Built on Hope (Cassian Andor FF)

20. Divided We Fall

AN: Dedicated to KellyLangston58 for the votes! I also read that interview you did for your fic, and thanks for loving this story, and Talia, so much!! <33

Rebels stood around the main control room, watching General Draven intently. The General remained silent as he leaned over the communications hub, shoulders slouched. His light blue eyes didn't meet any of theirs; his fingers curled around a communications headset, tightening every moment. A heavy smell of fear and desperation filled the room. Draven couldn't stand it.

Everything slowly crumbled down.

He took a few more moments to compose himself. Daring to risk his voice cracking took too much energy. More than he had, really. All he could muster up were the words no rebel ever wanted to hear, "The Senators Bail Organa, Mon Mothma, and Garm Bel Iblis have been taken."

Someone called out from the back, "To where?"

Pinching his nose eased the aching pain in his mind, but didn't push down his stress. Telling the truth would send the room spiraling. Telling a lie wouldn't help anyone. Someone had to act strong, and right now, he was the highest ranking commander in the facility. General Draven lifted his head and stood up straight with conviction. "Sources say inside the Imperial Palace on Coruscant."

Disbelief rang around the room in scoffs, short laughs, and straight up fearful whimpers. Many rebels got skittish, wringing their hands, or swaying from side-to-side slowly. One person shouted out, "That's the Imperial capital!" After that, more and more rebels spoke up.

"Please tell me we're not falling for this death trap."

"We can't risk everything we have already!"

"The Imperials might know where we're located!"

Halron, standing with his arms crossed, glared at everyone mentioning disloyalty and abandonment. The air filled with chatter from side conversations, and none of the topics were positive. Halron's eyes finally landed on Draven, giving him the idea to join part of the interrogation. "Who the hell is our source?"

Draven's eyes locked onto Cassian's dark ones. Cassian stood up a bit straighter, hands behind his back as if he were about to get an order. To his surprise, the General didn't utter a word. Cassian took the hint and responded in a calm manner, "Someone that's willing to help us on this rescue mission, I hope."

Silence reigned. A hot blaster could drop and no one would make a sound. If the communications officer hadn't yelled out that the Senators were captured, this whole mess could've been avoided. But no. The officer couldn't contain himself. Draven made a mental note to move the officer into another position later. "His name is Galen Marek."

Talking of all sorts exploded in the room upon hearing the name. Some rebels left the room. Others clung to themselves in an attempt to maintain their fear. Some spout profanities. More began to bicker. Over the sea of fear, Talia could barely make out someone saying, "You mean Starkiller?"

"Starkiller?" Talia questioned Cassian. Her brown eyes searched the room, watching as all the spies, pilots, mechanics, and more discussed the situation. She slowly crossed her arms and put her weight onto one foot.

Cassian got a bit closer to be heard better, "Darth Vader's apprentice. We've heard rumors about him, until one rebel came in contact with him. She died the next day from her wounds."

Darth Vader's...apprentice? Talia's brown eyes widened as chills slithered up her spine. With a title like that, he must've been someone to be feared. Merciless. Murderous. Everything that the Empire exhibited through their ruling. The words came out more mumbled than a whisper, "You're kidding."