CHAPTER EIGHT: CONVINCING

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Yavin 4 was unlike anything you'd ever imagined, and yet it was exactly what you imagined at the same time. It was so overwhelming but empowering. The air was whirring with the anticipation of war and the drive for freedom. The air smelled of oil and smoke and through all the sounds of chatter, droids, ships, and machines, it was difficult to hear yourself think. You were absolutely overwhelmed in the best way possible.

You followed Cassian off the U-WING and through the base. Several rebels stopped when they saw him. He greeted them with a curt nod and a small polite smile. You hardly knew the Captain, but you knew he wasn't one for much small talk.

"Are you nervous?" he asked, looking back at you. 

"A little," you admitted. "I don't know what to say." 

"You'll simply say everything that you saw," he said. "You'll tell them your story." 

"And if they laugh at me?" 

He smiled. "That won't happen." 

"I don't know," you said. "It just seems a little silly to believe a girl from Tatooine."

He slowed to a stop, the smile still on his face as he looked at you. "You are not just a girl from Tatooine, Jedi." 

The grin on your face wasn't something you could control. Your feelings for the Captain had changed so much in a matter of hours. And as you stared at the teasing yet kind face of your friend, you felt yourself stand taller with confidence you hadn't felt before. You nodded.

He was right. You weren't just a girl from Tatooine. You were much more than that. You were a Jedi. A daughter, a Kenobi, a rebel. And they would believe the truth because the Rebellion stood for the truth.

"This way," he said, his hand falling on the small of your back to guide you the right way. Your skin felt strange under the touch of his fingertips, even though it was as light as a feather behind you. "We'll find Mon Mothma and tell her what you saw."

In a dark room full of strange looking screens and rebels hard at work, you found yourself thrust directly into the center of rebellion. You were so distracted until Cassian murmured your name --- your name sounded so ridiculously beautiful coming from his lips and you hated how it made your heart jump when you heard it --- and you looked at him. He nodded towards a table that was surrounded by people in uniform.

"There," he said. His eyes were on them and his steps were quick and eager.  "Now I will introduce you and then you will explain---"

"Captain Andor."

Cassian's head turned and his steps slowed. You followed his gaze to the figure stepping into the room, his hands behind his back. "General Draven."

General Draven was a man with a stern face and light, thin hair. "I must admit, I was surprised when you contacted us. We all were. Everyone here feared you had been lost forever to us, Captain."

Cassian smiled. "Well, truthfully, I would have been lost forever, had it not been for my friend here." He gestured to you, his fingers leaving your back. "General Draven, this is ___. She's the one that rescued me."

"Hello, General," you said, nodding.

"Hello," General Draven said, glancing over you suspiciously, as if he were trying to decide where you came from. He was probably wondering why Cassian had brought you on base without any authorization, or how you thought to find him in the first place. You swallowed hard, glancing up at Cassian with a look of doubt, but he looked calm and sure. It made you feel better.

"We were just looking to speak to Mon Mothma about some discoveries we made in my rescue," he said.

"Ah, yes," General Draven said, clearing his throat. "We were hoping you'd come back with information. This way, Captain. And --- er, I do believe it'd be best to leave ___ here until we are finished debriefing."

Cassian's eyebrows pulled together. "Why? The whole rescue was her operation. She's gathered the information---"

"Yes, and we are grateful for what she has done for the Rebellion," he said, completely ignoring you in his blatant lie about gratefulness, "but this is a discussion meant for you, Captain. Please obey my orders."

You narrowed your eyes at him. He was brushing you away so easily.

"Yes, sir," Cassian said quickly. "My apologies. I..." At a loss for words, he looked at you and you nodded him on, putting a fake smile on your face. General Draven walked on without him.

The uneasiness in your stomach certainly wasn't going to go away now, but you kept the fake smile on your face nonetheless. "Go on, Cassian. You could probably explain it better than I could, anyway."

"I doubt that," he laughed nervously. "I promise I will make sure everything is told the way you told me.

"I trust you." 

His hand touched your arm again. "I know you do. I'll be right back, ___. Wait here for me."

"I will," you promised, thinking of the feeling of his fingertips as he let them trail against your skin as he walked away. 

His posture was perfectly straight as he walked to the huge table in the next room. The stares on you from inside told you that you should back up and wait outside the doorway, where you weren't intruding. Of course, you weren't intruding, but you weren't going away either. This was your mission and your story. You stayed pressed against the wall so you could listen without being seen.

"Mon Mothma," he said. 

"Captain Andor," she said. "They told me you contacted them but I just couldn't believe it. It's a miracle you're still alive."

"I have to agree with you. I was scheduled for termination. But then my friend out there found me and... it is a miracle I am standing here right now."

"Ah, yes," she said. "The mysterious girl you've brought along. And who is she?"

"It's a long story, and one that she is probably better fitted to explain---"

"I would like your explanation, Captain," she said. Her voice sounded so sharp. "You've come with information?"

"Yes. The woman that rescued me is a Jedi from Tatooine. She had a Force vision that guided her to the Star Destroyer that I was on. There is no other logical explanation for how she found me when she did not know me and I did not know her. When she saved me, she had all of these stories of what she saw in her vision --- glimpses of the past and of the future. A planet killer. The Empire is building a planet killer that they call the Death Star. I'm unsure of what is used for such a weapon, but I can only assume that is the reason they're gathering so many kyber crystals."

Murmurs of shock rose out of the group around the table. In that quick summary of everything that had happened to you, Cassian had dropped a lot of information. You held your breath as you waited for a real response. 

"Has this Jedi girl seen this planet killer?" Mon Mothma asked.

"Not with her own two eyes," Cassian said, "but in her vision---"

"I'm sorry," General Draven said. "She hasn't seen it?"

"No," he said. "We're not even sure where they're building it. But---"

"You're basing all of your information on this girl's vision?"

"Visions," Cassian corrected. "Sir, I saw her when she came to from one of these visions. I can't give you a clearer explanation than she can, but I can assure that you---"

"A Jedi girl from Tatooine," General Draven said. "Captain Andor, please."

"Please what? Sir, she rescued me."

"With stories of Force visions!" General Draven scoffed. "Did it ever occur to you that these stories were fabricated of lies so she could make her way into our base? How are you so easy to trust her?"

"I already explained that to you," he said. "This girl knew my name. She saved my life on two different accounts when she had no other reason to." 

"Yes, we understand that, Captain." Mon Mothma pressed her lips together as General Draven grew red. "I'm sure what you went through was horrific and scarring and I am sorry it got to that. But this girl... we cannot trust what she says. These aren't leads, Captain. They're stories."

"No." Cassian shook his head. "You don't get it."

"Captain---" Mon Mothma stared at him, shocked.

"She's the daughter of General Kenobi," he said. He was too busy making sure he looked at every single person around the table to notice Bail Organa's glance in his direction, the change in his expression, or the way he stiffened slightly. "I know you all know him---"

"General Kenobi has been dead for seventeen years," Mon Mothma said.

"He isn't dead. He's in hiding. Look, if you only let her explain---"

"You expect us to believe General Kenobi has been alive during all of this and has chosen to spend his days hiding on some desert planet in the middle of nowhere?" General Draven shook his head as he bitterly spoke, "She's confused you, Captain. With her stories. She's confused you."

"These aren't stories!"

"Take a break. Get some rest. You've been through so much. I can't even begin to imagine the torture you endured, but just know that we are grateful you did not reveal any information crucial to the survival of the Rebellion." There was a long string of silence that followed her sentence. "We have a mission for you. Tivik has contacted us and he has information regarding the Empire and their plans. Captain, you'll be dispatched to Byytak, where he plans to meet you in the heart of the city with the information. You have three days, Captain. Use them to rest. Please."

Cassian's jaw was clenched tight and he made no move to leave. He had so much to say, so much to argue with---

"Captain," his General snapped. "You are dismissed."

He had no power here. He backed up, hands folded together behind his back. He quickly left the room, his eyes flickering to where he left you. 

He wasn't surprised to see that you were gone. 

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