SYZYGY
/ˈsizijē/
(n) an alignment of celestial bodies
Orona Erso was never ashamed of herself, until who she was shattered before her very own eyes.
Cassian Andor was ashamed of unspeakable things he had done, and spent most of his time convincing...
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Most of the rebels were trying to rest, scattered about the U-Wing wherever space could be found, entirely silent aside from the low hum of the ship's engine.
Orona, however, fiddled with something in her hands anxiously and leaned forward, her elbows on her knees. Her eyes were glazed over as she stared into space, unsure of what to feel. Her father was alive. Saw Gerrera was dead. Her emotions contradicted each other, a great tug of war between mourning and elation, waiting to see which destroyed her first.
Then, there was the message.
"Saw, you must ensure Orona that I love her regardless, she mustn't become like her true—"
Her true what? What was he so afraid of?
Cassian left the cockpit to check on Orona, telling Kaytoo to take over.
"If I must, but the woman's probably fine. Just give her some chocolate and she'll be back to her annoying self."
Cassian glared. "Watch it, Kay."
The passenger cabin was darker now that they were in hyperspace, and Orona barely noticed Cassian approach. He sat down beside her, brushing her hair aside to check the wound on her head.
"Did the stitches tear?"
Cassian shook his head. "No."
She sighed, sitting back and leaning into him while his arm fell naturally around her. All she wanted to do was tell him every single feeling she felt, even the fluttering heat in her stomach at his touch, but she couldn't find the words.
"Are you alright?"
"No," she whispered. "I don't know. The message—my father—before it was disconnected—he wanted me to know that he loved me regardless of my true... something."
Cassian spoke into her hair, which still vaguely smelled of her flowery soap despite the blood and grime from battle. "Something?"
"The message cut off before he could say what that something was."
Jyn looked up from the corner of the ship she sat in, watching the interaction between the captain and her sister. She wanted to feel happy for Orona—it was obvious there was a deeper connection than friendship—but guilt overwhelmed her.
"Cassian."
"Hm," he hummed in response.
Orona opened her palm to reveal a small crystal, slowly turning from transparent to a cloudy violet-blue. "Chirrut gave this to me."
Cassian leaned forward, inspecting the Kyber crystal. "Was it always this color?"
"No." A shaking breath escaped Orona. "My mother had one on a necklace once, when she was alive. She believed in the Force. I never did, exactly. She gave the necklace to Jyn, but it never changed color. Never."
