Rogue One
Sacelties was too small to do any real damage to Kapteinis but he flung himself at her anyway. The bobcat barely moved as the marten scratched at her face, though Cassian flinched. Eventually Jyn, too angry and too devastated to form coherent words, stormed off, bending slightly to let Sacelties jump onto her arm. If her fingers brushed the edge of Kapteinis' fur and Cassian's knees gave out, they didn't look back to care.
Jyn sat down in the lower level, glaring at the stairs in case anyone tried to join her. Sacelties was on the floor, scratching at himself and pulling out chunks of fur.
'Hey, hey.' Jyn said, picking him up. 'Don't do that to yourself.'
'To you, you mean.' The marten said, nodding to the red patches forming on her skin.
She levelled him with a glare and he sighed, shuffling around to rest on her neck.
'We tried so hard. And then we lost him.' He sniffed, and Jyn had to look up to stop herself crying. 'Papa's gone, Jyn.'
'I know.' She said, voice breaking. 'I know.'
There was movement on the stairs, and she swiped at her eyes to stop the tears. She looked down, ignoring Chirrut as he sat down. He didn't say anything, just held her hand, Dvasia wrapped around his wrist. A second later, Baze sat on her other side, Teroristas at their feet. She can see Cassian on the stairs, holding Kapteinis.
The pain doesn't stop. But it weakens.
She landed first and he landed on top of her. Later, in the few moments he had to think, he will wonder if Jyn thought Kapteinis had disappeared then, had lost sight of his dæmon and assumed the worst. If he couldn't feel his dæmon's fur beneath his hand, Dust slowly seeping away from, he would assume he was dead.
'Cass?' She whispered, voice broken. 'Cassian, we need to move.'
He shook his head, too weak to do anything else. They won't get anywhere, her not dexterous enough to move on her own and him not strong enough to carry her.
'Cassian.' She said, more powerful this time. 'Jyn needs you. Sacelties needs me.'
He finally looked up, staring at her face. This will be one of the last time he sees her face, until they are swept away by light, Cassian holding Sacelties and Kapteinis stretched across Jyn's lap. For now, her bobcat eyes are lidded and the scars on her face, fresh from Sacelties, seem more pronounced than ever.
'Jyn needs me.' He repeated, nodding.
She stood, pushing him up enough for him to grab one of the data cards and pull himself into a crouch. She wobbled as she moved forward, draping herself over his back. He pulled himself to stand, glaring up the tower. He can just see Jyn, pulling herself through the gap. He knows he won't be able to do that.
'Alright. Long way round.'
They start moving. They won't let Jyn down again.
Chirrut leant backward, feeling the bond between himself and Dvasia shift ever so slightly. The snake crawled up his arm, the Dust connecting them ebbing and flowing with the Force. Chirrut smiled, letting out a deep breath and letting the Force move around him. Dvasia, coming to rest around his neck, let out a content sigh.
Chirrut tilted his head to the side, sensing something new in Jedha. Chirrut was not a Jedi, he would never be a Jedi but he is more sensitive than most. Dvasia thought it was due to the way his blindness affected her; her eyes and the end of her tail were pure Dust leaving her, and him, connected to the universe in a unique way.
'Who is that?' Dvasia said, her head tilted in the direction of the newness. Chirrut just smiled, feeling the newness split into two, then four, two individuals with their dæmons. Dust, and the Force, flowed from them to him and he can feel Dvasia beaming. It is rare anyone so important to the Force comes their way, let alone two. The last time it happened, he'd met Baze.
'I don't know. Try not to scare them off.'
If snakes could blush, Dvasia would have. She had gotten far too excited to meet Baze and Teroristas hadn't wanted to speak to her. 'Oh, shut up Chirrrut.'
He smiled, the smile widening when he felt the two new ones stepping into the courtyard.
'May the Force of Others be with you.'
When Teroristas first met Dvasia, the snake had jumped off Chirrut's arm and wrapped around the wolf's leg. Teroristas had panicked and tried to through off the poisonous animal. Chirrut had laughed and collected his dæmon, smoothly introducing himself to Baze.
Now, Dvasia is wrapped around her leg again and she is fading away.
'Stay.' Teroristas said, begging. Dvasia, Dust streaming from her eyes as always, look in her direction, as if she could actually see the other dæmon. 'Please, you can't go.'
'We have fulfilled our purpose, Rori.' Dvasia said, turning her head towards Chirrut.
The two landed apart.
Teroristas stood, walking over to Chirrut. Realising Dvasia couldn't move, she placed her head on Chirrut's belly, bringing her paw up to rest on his chest. It didn't hurt, like she'd always been told it would, even as Chirrut brings his free hand onto her back. Baze's hand was resting on Dvasia's scales, even as more Dust escaped from her.
'The Force is with me. I am one with the Force.'
Baze muttered and Teroristas looked up at him. He looked back briefly before turning his full attention onto Chirrut, whose eyes are closing slowly.
'The Force is with me. I am one with the Force.' Teroristas joined in this time, watching Dvasia float away into Dust, joining the Force fully at last. The wolf nudged Chirrut with her nose before standing, snarling at the Death Troopers walking towards them.
Baze loaded his gun and they got ready to fight.
'Bod?'
There was no response. He didn't even move.
'Bodhi? Are you okay?'
He turned his head, looking straight at her but not really seeing her. The little robin hopped onto his knee, staring at him intently.
'Bod, don't let him take you away from me.'
Pailarr didn't move as people were shoved into the cell next to them. Bodhi hadn't spoken since they had been thrown in, since Gerrera had let that thing touch him. Pailarr had flown out of the bag they'd put her in and gone into the rafters, having to look down as it got him.
Suddenly something was pressed against the bars, grabbing at Bodhi and asking frantically. 'Are you the pilot? The shuttle pilot?'
Pailarr's wings flutter nervously but there's nothing she could do about the bobcat in the other room. The two dæmons stare at each other until Pailarr looked back to Bodhi, flying to his shoulder.
'Pilot?' Bodhi muttered staring at the other man.
'What's wrong with him?' Someone said from the other cell and Pailarr hopped towards the man at the grate, making him back away slightly.
'I'm the pilot.' Bodhi said, voice clearer. 'I'm the pilot. Pail!'
He grabbed her off his shoulder, holding her tight. 'I'd thought you'd gone away. I couldn't feel you.'
She chirped happily, shaking her wings to straighten her feathers. 'I was right here, waiting for you to get back.'
Bodhi grinned, stroking her wing with his thumb. Gerrera wasn't going to stop them helping.
Vjolenti didn't notice the man running into the room, pulling Jyn out with him. She didn't notice Jyn's dæmon jumping onto the man's dæmon's back, clinging to her tightly. Vjolenti could only see Jedha City, a city no more.
'Vjol?' Saw gasped, coming to stand next to her.
'This is it, Gerrera.' The wolverine said, glancing up at him. The destruction is getting nearer to them, slowly. It will be on them soon. They will be dead soon. 'Too late to move now.'
'It was always too late.' He said, letting his hand rest on her back. She was just tall enough, and him just broken enough, for him to not need to lean. 'We'd have only slowed them down.'
Saw looked down at his legs, then over at her. She was missing an ear and was blind in one ear. Her entire left side was supported by robotics and she had spent most of the last few months curled up, unmoving. They were both useless now.
'Jyn will save them.' Vjolenti said, as the dust from Jedha City started getting closer. The building around them was shaking and Saw could feel his dæmon shaking. 'She'll get to Galen and get the plans and...'
She trailed off as the building shook even more. Saw stumbled, falling backwards. Vjolenti cried out, moving towards him and collapsing next to him. He wrapped his arms around her, both of them wincing slightly as he held her too tight.
But he didn't let go.
Missier stared at the holopad, fingers fidgeting. The design was brilliant, Orsen would be very pleased. The Empire would have its superweapon and all its enemies would be dead.
'They'll win.'
The monkey looked up at her man, eyes wide. Galen was staring straight ahead, watching the holopad with dead eyes. Missier leant against his arm, trying to bring him back out of his thoughts. 'We could stop them. Refuse to build it, stop it happening.'
Galen shook his head. 'We're not the only engineer in the galaxy. We refuse to finish it and they'll just find someone else. Maybe someone less skilled, someone who will take longer but we will be replaced. Our rebellion would be pointless.'
'So what do we do?' Missier said, closing the holopad and turning to look at him. 'Just build them a superweapon? We can't do that Galen.'
He said nothing, staring into space. He was, as always thinking of Jyn, of Sacelties, trying to remember their faces and imagine what Jyn looked like now, what Sacelties had settled as. Missier sighed. She thought for several minutes, on Jyn's childhood and their own.
'Galen?' She said finally. 'Remember, when we were kids and dad wouldn't let you help in the shop?'
'You would change to be something helpful.' He smiled weakly. 'And you kept helping until he couldn't manage without you. Then we would get to stay.'
He looked at her, eyes wide. She nodded. Without a word, he turned back to the plans.
'No.'
Krennic lifted his head, staring at his dæmon. She was resting on his hand, staring up at the sky behind him. He knew then what she was seeing. Their masterpiece, come to kill them.
'They'll get the rebels.' He muttered, reassuring her, reassuring himself. 'It will be worth it.'
Tlift fluttered her wings weakly, trying to fly closer to his face. The mosquito's wing failed and she started creeping instead, crawling up his arm. 'The rebels have the plans. If Galen...'
'They'll get the rebels.' He repeated, as the Death Star started to charge. 'It will be worth it.'
'Orsen.'
He brought his other hand towards her, lifting her onto his finger. He moved her towards his face, so he could speak softer. His voice was already failing and he wanted to talk to her until he died. 'It will be worth it, Tlift. I promise.'
Tlift's wings gave another flutter before stilling. Dust started leaking from her wings and Krennic took a deep breath. They both knew they would be gone soon. They would die even if Tarkin hadn't betrayed them.
'Vader will get them. Tarkin will get them. Someone will get the rebels.' Tlift said, even as her wings completely disappeared. Their breathing, in sync as it always was, became heavier, quicker, as they tried to stay together, even as the Death Star charged up behind them. 'The Empire will succeed, Orsen. I promise.'
Tlift faded from existence, Krennic drew one last breath and the Death Star fired.