Built on Hope (Cassian Andor FF)

29. The Ties that Bind

The sun started to rise over the hills and thick forest that surrounded the base, painting the sky different hues of oranges, reds, and purples. Kaytoo landed the ship in the main hanger, and waited for the two rebels to exit. The hangar was dead. Everyone was most likely asleep, or just waking up and heading to the cafeteria for breakfast. The crisp, fresh air greeted Talia and Cassian as they walked out onto the pavement hand-in-hand. The little rest they got was enough to give them strength for at least a few hours, but they still headed towards their rooms to get some more.

At least until General Draven called Cassian over when they passed the communications center.

Cassian nodded, and gently let go of Talia's hand before heading in. She watched Cassian's posture change from tired to serious and as straight as he could manage. It seemed like he let Draven do all the talking, and all he had to do was nod in response. When what she thought was a debriefing was over, Cassian returned.

"I have a new mission."

He didn't try to make an excuse, or look her in the eye too long. Talia yearned to sigh. Tell him to not go. Tell him to just stay and rest with her. After all, they just got back from a hard mission. But all she could muster was, "I'll go with you."

Cassian simply shook his head. "You're injured. You need to rest."

"So are you."

"I'm fine."

Talia inspected his expression. Tense. Serious. Like someone flipped a switch and he was back to his old self from when they first met. Cold. Closed off. Even the energy radiating off of him was rough and intimidating. Talia grabbed his hand gently and tried to make him look at her. Her voice lowered as she got closer, "What did he say to you?"

The rebel spy pasted on a small smile and kissed her hand. "Only mission details. I'll be back soon." He motioned for Kaytoo to join him, causing Kay to glance back at Talia wearily before following his lead.

She watched him walk away out into the hangar bay. Talia turned her attention over to Draven, who was already staring at her before turning to the console and communications officer in front of him. A wave of icy coldness hit her, digging under her skin. This cold felt like Death's hands. She knit her eyebrows together in confusion until she remembered what the Queen of Ord Gimmel had said.

That man has a cold heart and a taste for blood.

Talia shivered. Whatever it was, this mission was not good for Cassian. Assassination? Cassian seemed to lose a bit of himself when he killed someone. That means Draven would have needed an assassin. Talia beelined for one of the smaller hangars to see if Essja had woken up early. If anyone knew anything, it was her.

And lo and behold, she was.

Essja was underneath her U-Wing, messing around with tools and wires. Oil spilled in spurts from an unknown area. She reached her hand up, twisting in between the metal parts to find the origin. Oil dripped down her arm, shading her dark blue skin in a sickly gray. Essja's tan jumpsuit changed color as well with the mix of oils and dark marks on it from the ground. Unfortunately, the ship wasn't going to repair itself.

It wasn't until Talia approached that she noticed her. Essja smiled largely. She pushed herself out from underneath and stood up, wiping her hands on her outfit. "Nice to see you back." When her sunset colored eyes skimmed over how hurt Talia was, her smile fell right off. "What happened out there?"

"You know how missions go when Draven hands them out." Talia shrugged and watched her reaction. All of the emotion dropped off her face, leaving a stoney one. She quickly replied, "It was actually pretty cool. We'll have to tell the story when Cassian gets back."