Everything seemed to move in slow motion. Cassian's eyes darted over to the hall. Talia heard the sudden silence of the room and began to run. Closer. Closer. The door closed, as if by magic. He could hear a thud, and Talia on the other side was desperately trying to open it.

Cassian's blaster was already in his hand, as if he reached for it by not even thinking, while his other fished out his communications device. His brown eyes landed on Vader, who stood in the middle of the circle of raised blasters and rebels that nearly sweat in their spots. He held the door shut with the force using one clenched fist.

BOOM!

A deep, overbearing explosion from the closest hangar caused a ripple effect of chaos. The rebels were thrown off balance, hindering their aim. Vader used the force to grab a gun from one of the soldiers and used it against them. One. Two. Three. Rebels dropped like flies. The handcuffs linking his hands did not hinder his aim at all.

General Kota used the force against him, crushing the end of the gun in Vader's hand. The General went for his lightsaber. Vader quickly threw him against the opposite wall as hard as he could and snatched up the lightsaber.

And ignited it.

Everything became an overwhelming sea of events. Wave after wave came the screaming. The screams of pain, agony, and ice cold fear echoed in the room and rose as a chorus. Shivers bolted through Cassian's body and he swallowed hard. He couldn't hear himself think. All he could focus on was the panic. The blood that splattered the walls when Vader crushed the rebels' bodies, causing the bones to protrude in scary ways. Vader hacked at one person at a time. It was precise. Elegant. And all the more terrifying as limbs slid off of the rebels and hit the ground with a sickening plop.

The only thing that brought Cassian out of his haze was the sound of Talia's voice on the other end of the communications line. "Cassian, I'm going to get you out of there!"

His heart leapt into his throat. All of the muscles in his body tensed up harder than before as his heart thudded as strong as the screams around him. He nearly yelled into the device, "No! No! Find the senators. I'll find a way out."

"Cass-"

"Please."

Maybe it was the fear in his voice, or simply the clear tone of worry, but Talia reluctantly agreed. He couldn't lose her this way. Not like this. Not chopped up or mauled into...into whatever was happening in front of him. Cassian glanced around, finally taking a second to find an escape. Time was running very, very low.

And very, very fast.

Vent? No. No windows. No ceiling ducts. Unfortunately, no secret tunnels. Distraction?

Okay.

Distraction.

He could work with that. That's what they needed. A much needed distraction to take Vader's attention off of holding the door shut.

If only it was as simple as it sounded.

A hand touched Cassian's shoulder.

He whipped around, and almost fired at his friend Halron. Cassian exhaled, his nerves standing on the very ends of existence. When did he get here? Was he always here? Cassian had been too focused on Vader to really notice.

Now that was bad.

"Remember that mission we had on Ralltiir?" Halron looked at Cassian, his black eyes wide. Sweat had drenched his red hair and made it stick flat on his skull. Halron held out a smoke grenade.

How could he forget? It was one of the best missions he has ever had. No civilian casualties on a core galactic trade world, the targets' entire building sabotaged, and they managed to steal some information before they left. All they used were smoke grenades, their wits, and a fish.

Well, this time it wasn't going to be as easy.

Cassian nodded and watched as Halron threw it. Black smoke began to fill up the room, causing the living rebels to panic. In seconds, they weren't able to see anything but the soft glowing outline of the lightsaber. Some rebels shot out into what they thought was Vader, while others began to throw things at him. Cassian grabbed a chair and chucked it in that general direction.

Except, it seemed Vader could see it all coming. He hacked. Slashed. Some items hit him, but the rest of it was deflected back into the group. Rebels cried out and hit the wall behind them or dropped to the ground. Cassian and Halron went to the door and tried to pry it open themselves. It remained firmly shut. They dug their nails into it and heaved, yet it was like trying to move dry concrete.

A loud yell came from one side of the room and suddenly, the lightsaber's light shone closer to the floor. General Kota had managed to tackle Darth Vader, and other rebels joined in as well.

The exit door slid open.

The high pitched squeal of the grenades attached to the rebels belts started up.

Halron looked down at his belt, revealing the blinking red light. He pushed Cassian out of the room and shut the door manually.

"No!" Cassian yelled. Every single nerve in Cassian's body screamed at him. MOVE! He bolted down the hall.

BOOM!

Cassian gasped as goosebumps rose on his skin. A violently cold chill climbed up Cassian's spine. All of those rebels were dead. Not even in a calm, quick fashion. They exploded, painting that room and the villain in it red with their blood. Sweat formed on his temples at the sheer thought of it. Vader could really do that? To all those grenades? All of his fellow rebels... People he once talked to. Spent lunch with. Worked alongside. Halron! Hal-

No. Not now. Not when the tears can come out.

Cassian shoved away all the racing thoughts in his head and focused on the halls in front of him. Thick fear blossomed in his chest, weighing heavily on him as he pushed to keep going. I need to get Talia and Kaytoo off this forsaken planet.

If he held onto his comms device any tighter, he'd break it. Cassian eased off on his grip and brought the comms unit to his lips. "Kaytoo, I need you to start the ship!"

"One step ahead of you." Kaytoo's voice was scratchy, as if there were interference somewhere. There's a pause on the other end. "Things sound bad in there."

Very bad.

A reddish orange glow emanated from around a corner in the hall. Cassian slid around the corner and stopped dead in his tracks. The entire hangar was on fire. Some of the ships had been blown to smithereens, and with them, bodies burned to a crisp. Scorch marks lined the walls right where those rebels had fallen.

Blaster marks.

Someone else was here other than Vader.

"Talia!"

His heart sunk deeper. Was that possible? How did the Empire get so coordinated for an impromptu capture?

It didn't matter right now. All that mattered was the heat blasting like an oven in front of him in a hangar that his friends commonly hung out in. Were they in there when this happened? Did this happen after Talia had left the hall?

Oh no.

If she had, and he told her to go, then it would be his fault. Cassian's stomach lurched and he froze in place to keep it all in. If he lost it now, it would be over.

I've gone through worse.

Yet that thought did not settle his nerves.

He pushed the button on his comms device. "Talia, what's your location?"

...

Cassian took in a shaky breath.

...

He clenched his teeth to keep himself focused.

...

Fear managed to latch onto his words as he spoke once more through the silence, "Talia, where are you?"

Smoke covered his vision as he attempted to peer in further. All he could hear was the fire crackling, and the screeching of the starships as they wailed. He coughed a few times and covered his mouth. Did he hear any screaming? Calls for help? Was anyone trapped alive in there?

"-here."

An ocean wave of warmth and relief crashed against his chest, nearly causing him to sway in his spot. Thank you whatever or whoever is listening. At least one thing was going right at the moment. "Can you repeat that?"

"-stuck near medbay. It's horrible over here."

Cassian tore himself away from the gruesome scene and started running down the other hallway. "I'm on my way."

He shoved his communicator back in his pocket to give his entire focus back on his blaster. Voices echoed off of the walls. Behind him, cries for help and screams. In front of him, yelling orders as if they were in battle.

Choose the lesser of the two evils to get there.

He surged forward and passed by the communications center. The stations were all abandoned, the technology broken and turned off. General Draven's entire office was on fire, along with a heaping pile of papers. Burning the evidence before the Empire gets to it. Smart.

As Cassian got closer and closer to the fighting, the more he came across blood. Droplets here and there. A pool in the center of a hall. No bodies.

He took a deep, shaky breath.

Which ended up being the wrong idea. The metal hanging in the air landed on his tongue, causing him to gag. His hand tightened on the grip of his blaster to avoid dealing with the rising bile in his throat.

More blood stained the walls, dripping down towards the ground like claws. Flashes of red painted the ground, splattered over windows, and dragged into separate rooms.

Are all these rebels...dead?

Pulled into rooms in an attempt to revive them. Save them in any way they could. Or did they pull the bodies away for morale, while the rebels ran down corridors to join the battle?

Chills ran up Cassian's spine.

Keep moving.

The longer he sat and thought about it, the more he spiraled. His legs pushed him forward. Blaster marks scorched the walls and partially the ceiling. The yelling up ahead had died down a bit, which hopefully meant the rebels had kept pushing on.

When he turned a corner, Cassian stopped dead in his tracks.

Talia.

She peered around a corner at the end of the hall, holding her blaster at the ready. She talked with a few rebels and pointed ahead, and before Cassian could say anything, the rebels moved. Talia looked around to cover their backs, and her sight landed on him.

Both of them began to run to each other, huge smiles adorning their faces. There's blood on her clothes, and nearly dry blood all along her arms and hands, but with how she ran, she shouldn't be hurt. Either that, or that'd be one hell of an adrenaline rush to not notice. Cassian wrapped his arms around her, holding onto her as if she were his lifeline. "You're okay," he whispered, more to himself than her.

Talia hissed a bit, reminding Cassian of her burns. He made a small gasp and lessened his grip on her. Talia opened her mouth to say something, but stopped. She hugged him tightly and sighed in relief. When her brain caught up to the moment, she settled for saying something simple, "The senators are safe. I escorted them to their ship."

"Thank you."

Blaster shots and screaming started to get closer to their location. It was only a matter of time before the rebel line of defense gave out. Talia grabbed Cassian's hand and tugged him towards their ship. "Come on."

As they started to sprint towards the other hangar, the thought couldn't help but to stick to his mind. The flames, the metal groaning, the soon to be explosions from the oils in the ships... "What happened to the hangar?"

Her grip tightened around his hand. There was no point in looking back at him to show how her expression instantly soured. Talia might not have been able to meet his eyes either way. Her voice lowered, "Sadako was in the hangar when it blew up. I found her and...she said a bounty hunter did it. Boba Fett. He's here to help Darth Vader clear the base."

Next was the dreaded question. One which he didn't want to ask, but he had to know. Not knowing would have killed him more. "Where is Sadako?"

Except his answer was silence. Talia shook her head, eyes trained forward as they kept moving. Her other hand held a blaster, yet her grip couldn't get rid of the constant trembles. "She didn't make it."

Cassian's stomach churned at the thought of all that blood on her being Sadako's. It must have been horrible, holding your comrade as they die in your arms, and there was nothing you could do. You're just helpless. His jaw clenched and his gaze drifted down to her hand that held his. Flaky and somehow still a bit wet of sweat and blood. Her arm wasn't in a sling anymore, but it was discolored in hues of yellow, purple, and brown. The dry blood dampened the coloration, and he hoped it didn't feel as bad as it looked.

They turned into the cargo bay where the firefight had moved to. Rebels hunkered down behind crates, metal boxes, and ships where possible. The landing pad was right outside. They were almost there. What was stopping them? Vader was still in the building.

"Keep him pinned!"

Jumbled orders and screaming melded together as rebel soldiers stood their ground. Blaster fire flew towards the landing pad entrance where the enemy was hiding behind a crate. Flashes of forest green and white popped out right before they returned fire. A smoothly shaped helmet reflected the light of blaster fire.

A bounty hunter? Some kind of personal guard for Vader?

Talia ducked behind a transport vehicle and pulled Cassian down with her. "Who is that?"

To say he didn't know out loud would panic both of them more. Clearly it was someone with enough cojones to storm into Rebel headquarters on their own to get Vader out. Or, at least, alone is what Cassian hoped.

That means he tracked Vader here. Cassian exhaled steadily, calming his racing thoughts. One problem at a time. He let go of Talia's hand reluctantly and pulled out his communications device. "Kay, status update."

An explosion rumbled against the ground, sending metal and debris across the bay. Over all of the blasters, he couldn't hear the rockets or explosives being fired. The fact threatened to unease him, but he forced it out of his mind. Focus.

Kaytoo responded, "I am circling the area now. The ship would have been at too much risk to stay grounded."

"We're trying to leave through the cargo bay. Give us a moment," Cassian informed him. He stashed the device away and watched the area the enemy was in. The yelling had died down, which was a poor choice of thought. The rebels themselves had been dying, causing the bay to become more silent in between the shoot out. He nudged Talia. "You first."

Talia shook out her shaking hand and nodded. "On three."

One.

Two.

Three.

Cassian peeked over the vehicle and shot at the enemy, while Talia ran over behind some terminals. Blaster fire whizzed past his head, so close that he could feel the heat of the shots. Cassian ducked and waited another three seconds before sprinting to where she had gone.

With each round, Cassian and Talia got closer and closer to the landing pad's entrance. The ships, or the hunks of metal that used to be ships, were outside just out of reach. The roaring sounds of the brand new X-Wings vibrated the walls for a short second, and were gone just as fast.

Air support? Good. The Empire's army would most likely be on them any minute.

When they reached the entrance, they bolted out towards the landing pad. A ship had landed to pick up some rebels, now closing its doors and gearing up to get the hell out. Cassian motioned for it to go faster, to leave with a shaky take off and damn it all.

Fate, or whatever else was there in the universe, decided otherwise.

Cassian grabbed Talia's arm and dragged her down to the ground, shielding her as soon as he heard the whistle of a rocket launcher. The ship blew up on take off, scattering debris and fire along the center of the pad. The creaking of metal wailed as it spewed oil onto the pavement.

That was close.

Too close.

Talia grabbed the communicator out of her pocket as both of them stood up and spoke into it, "Kay. The side. Land where you can't see the entrance." She coughed into her sleeve before they took off running again to the new landing zone.

Some straggler rebels had begun to run behind them, covered in soot and sweat. As Cassian entered the ship, Talia stopped to help them on board. Cassian put on his headset and started pushing buttons before even sitting down next to Kaytoo, who inspected his condition.

"There's a forty-five percent chance we will not survive."

A rebel booked it towards the ship, arms flailing as he screamed, "He's coming!"

Talia urged a few more soldiers inside and braced herself up against the cold steel wall. "Cass!"

"Now it has jumped to seventy," Kaytoo grumbled to himself.

"Please, brighten the situation even more, Kay." Cassian closed the hatch and started to lift the ship off of the ground. A few more buttons to be pushed, and then they'll be fully set to take off.

Talia peered out of the window at the building they came from. "We need to jump into hyperspace now." The doors to the building burst open, allowing Vader to stride out. His black armor had been painted in blood and tiny chunks of meat. The gleam of the red lightsaber and the sunshine beating down only made him glisten in sickening hues of red and brown. Talia attempted to keep her voice steady as she nearly screamed, "Now!"

Cassian yelled back, his voice just as urgent, "I'm trying not to blow us to pieces!" Before he could slam on the hyperdrive, the ship stopped. Cassian pushed on the wheel. Nothing happened. He raised his hands, his dark eyes widening. "What's happening?"

"Go!" One of the rebels shrieked.

"No!" Talia yelled, eyes locked on the terror outside. "If you use the hyperdrive while he's using the force, it will tear the ship apart."

Kaytoo turned his head to look at his comrade. His usual bright white eyes seemed a tint darker. "Failure has gone up to one hundred percent."

No. No. No! Not now. Not when we are this close. Cassian opened comms to anyone in the area, "Can anyone hear me? This is Captain Andor. We need immediate air support near the cargo bay!"

This was it.

Damn it! This was it.

Vader knew the senators escaped. Now, he was going to take them and torture them for information on where the senators went. Everyone on this ship was already dead.

"We hear you, Captain Andor. Hold tight."

Cassian could have cried out in relief in that short moment at hearing Wedge Antilles' voice. He chose not to as the fear coiled in his chest, tighter and tighter until he could barely breathe.

X-Wings flew up above and raced in from the other side of the facility. They fired at Darth Vader, but the Sith lord only deflected them with his lightsaber. They all spread out to avoid the backfire in quick efficient moves. One X-Wing took a quick nosedive and shot a bright blue ion bolt right at him. There was a split-second decision that had to be made. Vader, as much of a begrudging hold as he had on the ship, chose to let go and focus on holding the ion bolt.

Talia gasped as she watched everything unfold. Vader held the bolt in stasis with his free hand. He started to shift away from it, careful to get out of the blast area so his armor wouldn't deactivate. Talia projected her voice to the front of the ship, "We're clear!"

Cassian hit the hyperdrive as fast as he could. The ship flew faster and faster until finally, thankfully, praise to anything out there listening to the other rebels' silent prayers, they were in hyperspace. He'd never been so happy to see the multiple blues and whites dashing passed the viewport in front of him. Cassian let out the breath he didn't know he was holding and let his shoulders sag for a second. He set in the coordinates to a planet called Abran I. A random and perfect place to lay low in a desperate time of need. At least for a couple of days to make sure they weren't followed. Cassian stood up and set his hand on Kaytoo's shoulder. He managed a tired smile to cross his lips. "You did good, Kay. Thank you."

Kay looked at Cass' hand, then up at his copilot. The droid processed the scene, and almost remarked something snarky as usual, but held back. Kay seemed to soften under Cassian's hand, as if the droid had relaxed as well. "You are most welcome, Cassian. You did well by not getting yourself more injured than you already are."

It took all of his energy to stifle a laugh. Kay at least tried to be sincere. Cassian patted his shoulder and was about to talk to the other rebels when he noticed something wrong. His free hand shook. Not a calm shake one can easily hide when holding an object or shoving their hand in their pocket. No. His hand quaked so bad that even trying to hold it still took focus.

Just jittery. I'm fine.

Or, at least, he thought until his other hand joined in. Then, the thought clawed its way back into his mind. Halron and Sadako weren't ever going to be in his presence again. His best friend...his colleagues. His comrades. The ones he could actually talk to when things went horribly. How many more of them died? How many family members did he lose in the span of ten minutes?

Cassian's chest tightened, his airways narrowing until the panic threatened to take over. Tears formed in the corners of his eyes, and in that one moment, he wanted everything to stop. To scream. To cry in a heap on the floor. For the fear he felt. For the base they lost. For the people that were slaughtered. For Halron and Sadako. Where was their hope now? Their numbers dwindled, their technology lost, their base, everything.

In order to distract himself, he turned his attention to the forlorn rebels occupying the rest of the ship. Some were splattered in the blood of their fellow comrades. Some cradled themselves, whispering or sitting silently, staring at nothing in particular.

Talia handed out some medical supplies to some of the ones that groaned in pain from sprained wrists, ankles, or minor injuries. If there were any of them with major injuries, they didn't show it. The adrenaline hadn't run off yet, or maybe it was the shock. Once she was done, she managed to squeeze past some rebels to stand behind the two pilot chairs. Her glassy eyes were fixated on the viewport as she hugged herself.

No. They hadn't lost everything.

Cassian immediately wrapped his arms around her in a light hug. At first, she hesitated, arms still folded up against both of their chests. Then, she melted into him and wrapped her arms around his torso. She set her head against his chest and listened to his rapid heartbeat. Cass allowed himself to close his eyes, relishing in how good it felt to have her safe in his arms. This right here? Kaytoo safe, and Talia safe in his arms? This was one of the most relieving moments of his life.

Talia's voice came out not much more than a whisper, "What are we going to do?"

"We'll stay low until the dust settles. Then I'll contact Mon Mothma to find out what happens next." Cassian said quietly. He backed up and his eyes studied her face, as if to take all the details and engrain them in his mind. "I'm glad you're okay, Talia."

Talia's face softened and the tiniest curve of a smile lifted at the corner of her lips. "Likewise, Cass." She noticed him lean in a bit and hesitate. He glanced from her eyes down to her lips, and then back up. Cassian tried to be subtle most of the time, but in a moment like this where he was open and unguarded, none of that mattered. It was an in the moment gesture, and he fought himself internally. Had Talia forgiven him? Is this the wrong time?

Talia could see him pondering it, especially as his eyebrows twitched. She leaned in and kissed him. A mixture of smoke and saltiness lingered between their lips from a battle that had nearly cost them everything. Talia was warm. So very warm and inviting that he wanted to deepen the kiss. She pulled back a bit, unsure of how Cassian was going to react. Would he open up more? Or would he feel like he's getting too close again and close up?

It didn't take more than a second for Cassian to decide. He pulled her closer and kissed her again. The first one was all too brief. It didn't matter if they had an audience. Cassian didn't care. All he wanted was to kiss her again. To taste the sweet taste of her soft lips. After a few more moments, Cassian set his forehead on hers and a half-smile formed on his lips. "I missed you."

"I missed you too." Talia brushed her fingers through his damp hair. She closed her eyes to avoid looking at him and sighed. "Everything we fought over...I mean, in the end, you didn't go through with the order. I'm so sorry."

The corners of Cassian's lips sunk into a frown. As much as he wanted to avoid everything that happened, like shove it deep into a corner and never touch it again territory, they had to touch the surface. Maybe a graze. He just...wanted to compartmentalize it along with everything else. "I'm sorry, Talia. For everything."

A silence settled between the both of them, yet it wasn't awkward. It burned with despair and regret.

"Do you think karma's going to get us for everything we've done?" Talia whispered at first, so much so that he barely caught what she said. She opened her eyes, a tinge of craze and fear in them still clear as day. "Maybe that's why this happened?"

Cassian nearly winced just contemplating it. "Maybe." Karma. Damn. Through everything, he thought everything he was doing was good for the cause. But...most of it was twisted. All that death? All that destruction? Being on the good side was only a perspective. Didn't mean all they had done would suddenly be washed away. Guess that means Karma would be there eventually. Cassian kissed her forehead. "I hope not."

Cassian wouldn't know karma's venomous bite until much later. What came after was his payback. His karma. The never-ending screams that would rise from his heart and echo to his soul.

The pain that reverberated throughout his entire body would haunt him until the end.