006 ──────────────── ALDHANI

(6 BBY)

 "Fuck!"

 Eris Krennic banged her fists on the console of the TIE Fighter, frustration in her tone. The sharp edges of the control pad cut the smoothness of her knuckles. "It's—kriff. It's stuck!" Eris yelled. Behind her sat Cassian, watching in horror as the TIE swung back and forth in the hangar of the Imperial ship. "Just—oh, Maker! Cassian, fucking shoot them!" Eris screams, snapping her head to look at him. Cassian scrambles into the seat behind her,  spinning around and turning on the control pad—aiming at the surrounding Stormtroopers. "Cassian!" Says Eris, jamming buttons on the console.

"I'm fucking trying, damnit!" Cassian yells in reply.

Eris searches the buttons in a panic, sweat beading at her forehead. "Come on! Come...on! Fuck!" Eris almost cries, blinking away hot tears. They were in some deep, deep shit.

"Eris!" Cassian warns.

"I'm—I'm trying!" The windows of the TIE are hit by blasters. Eris flinches at the contact, trying to swallow a sob. "Something! Something, I need—"

She finds it. Accelerate.

"Hold on!" Eris pushes the small lever, and the TIE Fighter lurches forward harshly, Eris is almost thrown backwards against her seat, and Cassian yelps in surprise. A loud bang sounds from Cassian's side of the ship—most likely the chord that kept them in the hangar snapping.

"Go! Go, damnit!" Cassian screams.

They abruptly soar into space—Cassian cheers loudly. "Dank farrik! I thought we were total bantha shit back there." Eris chokes out, watching as they traveled in sublight speed. Cassian let out a dry laugh.

"Did you just say dank farrik and bantha shit in the same sentence?" Cassian asked.

"Oh, blast it. Why's it matter, Kassa?"

Cassian chuckled again. "Just asking."

(5 BBY)

 "Here," Nemik says.

 He hands Eris a warm drink, leaning down to her where she sat against the rock Cassian was atop of— she takes the cup without thought. The warmth of the cup soothed her numbing fingertips—she thanked him with a smile. "How are you feeling?" Nemik asked Eris and Cassian, looking between the two of them. Cassian looked rather irritated this morning, his arms crossed and a scowl on his face—plus a funny looking hat on his head. Eris wore a cap of her own, but Cassian's? His was comical to her.

"Fine." Eris replied, sipping the drink. The taste was bitter and sour at the same time, but it warmed her so nicely. Cassian shrugged.

"I couldn't sleep." Nemik admitted, sitting on the rock across from the two.

"It's natural." Cassian reassured.

Nemik shakes his head. "I need to be at my best."

"Don't worry," Cassian begins. "The excitement will kick in."

Eris chuckles. "Nothing better to wake those nerves than adrenaline."

Nemik doesn't seem to hear it. "I'm starting to wonder why my faith doesn't calm me. I believe in something—and you, you have nothing." He gestures to Cassian. "You sleep like a stone. I write when I can't sleep. I wrote about you last night. Not you, specifically. Not Clem. No, I'm assuming that's not your real name, anyway." Nemik says.

Cassian is silent.

Nemik turns to Eris. "And you, you're like me. You feel the anxiety fester in your stomach and you let it get to you. You toss and turn."

"I've gotten used to it." Eris interjects.

Nemik sighs. "My conclusion is simple; weapons are tools, those who use them are extensions that we must use to our best advantage. The Empire has no moral boundaries, why should we not take hold of every chance we can? Let them see how an insurgency adapts."

Cassian looks to the ground. Eris is stuck trying to process Nemik's words. "You're half right. The Empire doesn't play by the rules." She says.

"And how am I wrong?"

Cassian stands, handing the cup back to Nemik. "They don't care enough to learn. They don't have to. You mean nothing to them."

Nemik doesn't meet Cassian's eyes. "Perhaps I'll think differently tomorrow."

"Be careful what you wish for." Cassian warns.

Nemik grits his teeth. "You think it's hopeless, do you? Freedom, independence, justice. We should just sit here and be thankful? Just take what we're given?"

Eris watches as Cassian furrows his brows. He leans in close to the young boy, eyes darkening. "Do I look thankful to you?"

Nemik swallows hard. "No. And I'm glad that you're here. No matter what the reason.

Cassian leans back.

"Don't worry. You'll be fine. You'll sleep when it's done." Cassian reassures, walking away. Eris stays in her place on the ground, fiddling with her fingers. Tension is in the air.

"He has no ill intent, you know." Eris informs. Nemik nods.

"Your real name, what is it?"

Eris chuckles. "I'd only tell you if you were dying."

Nemik nods.

 "Fuck."

 Eris throws herself onto the ladder, coughing up water. Her lungs burn intensely, and she feels like she's suffocating. Eris pries the goggles off her face and tops them on her head—everything feels tight. "Keep up." Vel orders, looking down from above, brows furrowed. Eris looks up, irritated. This fucking sucked. Eris gives a nod instead of arguing, dropping one hand from the ladder and pulling the radio on her back tighter. Above Vel and Eris is Cinta, who freezes abruptly. She looks down, holding a single finger to her lips. Eris almost stops breathing in order to remain quiet. She feels a cough itch her throat—yeah, this really sucked. On the bridge is guards, one yelling at what Eris presumed to be soldiers. Their loud footsteps sound against the concrete, "don't let Gorn catch you!" The authorative voice orders. A smaller, quieter voice sounds from further away, and the man's footsteps echo off until the only sound is the water below them.

Cinta reaches above and grabs the ladder, continuing move up. Vel and Eris follow, trying to be quiet as possible. Eris can feel the slide of her wet boot slip across the metal ladder. Sucking in a breath her foot reaches for the next step—then, she misses. Her feet slip. Eris almost lets out a scream as she drops downward, one hand remaining on the ladder, another clamped over her mouth. Her limbs burn as she holds herself with only a hand. If she drops into the water, they're dead for sure. Vel and Cinta snap their heads down to her, eyes widen in fear. Eris almost cries out as she feels her arm hyperextend—she manages to swing herself back to a sturdy position. Vel lets out a breath of relief, giving Cinta a nod.

The three of them continue on, soon coming to the bridge. As soon as their feet hit the concrete, they're stripping themselves of their wetsuits. Eris sets her goggles down gently, then grabbing hold of the radio on her back. Unzipping the watertight bag, she turns it on. It beeps. Cinta begins tying their ropes to the railing and Vel sprints away to attach the device to the building, and Eris messes with the radio. "Call them." Cinta orders.

"You're sure?" Vel asks.

Cinta grimaces. "You're stalling."

"Cold feet." Eris acknowledges. Vel shoots her a dirty look. Eris brings the radio to her lips.

Echo-One. Echo-One.

Vel reluctantly nods to Eris.

"Valley-One. Valley-One at go."

"Call it." Tamaryn demands.

Vel swallows hard. "Are you on point?" She asks.

"Yes. We're here...on point. Are we going or not?" His voice is frustrated.

Vel and Cinta exchange a look. "Vel." Cinta warns. Eris grabs the radio back from her. Vel let's her take it.

"Go." Eris demands.

"Copy."

Eris and Cinta stand, followed by a hesitant Vel. Eris mounts the railing, tying the cord to her belt. Cinta checks it quickly before nodding. "Good."

"Good." Eris echoes before dropping down the side of the building, her feet touching the ground within seconds. Soon, Cinta and Vel join her. Vel leads them to the entrance, and soon enough they're entering the room holding the others and the Commandant and his family.

Eris finds a guard has a gun pulled on Nemik. His finger is moving to the trigger. Eris holds her large blaster up and shoots—the man's head becomes a mess of bloody slush as he falls to the ground.

Cassian's eyes meets hers. She almost smiles at the sight of him.

She looks to Nemik, his young eyes wide. You alright? She mouths. All Nemik does is nod. She strides to him, clapping a hand on his shoulder. "No name yet, sorry mate." Eris whispers. Nemik cracks a smile. Even around the chaos, his nerves are calmer than he would've thought.

Eris meets with Cassian, helping direct the Commandant into the elevator. Eris poses herself right behind Cassian. Without thought, she admires his back in the uniform. She's seen him in Imperial getup before—but, she's finding that the armor doesn't look too poor on him.

"You do everything they tell you." Vel orders.

The Commandant is shoved into the elevator beside Cassian. "Just what are you after?"

"You'll be taking us to the payroll vault." Eris speaks, startling the Commandant. He snaps his head over his shoulder with wide eyes.

"That's insane."

Vel nods. "Or we die together."

"I can't open the vault."

Tamaryn nods to Nemik. "Time check."

"Falling behind." Nemik announces.

Cassian and Eris exchange a glance before Vel is ordering them to move. The Commandant springs forward—"Didn't you hear me? I don't control the vault." Cassian and Tamaryn hold him back, shoving in back towards the wall. Eris shoves the blaster towards him.

"I don't control the vault! It's on a code from the airbase. It's done remotely."

Vel rolls her eyes. "Keep lying and I promise, it'll be a short night for you. We know the vault and how it works. We need your hand to key the sensor." Vel states, looking to Eris.

Eris nudges him with the blaster. "We could just take that if you'd prefer." She says, jamming the tip of the blaster into his hand.

"You'll never make it out." The Commandant says.

"You better pray we do. One path! One choice! We win, or everyone dies. Go!" Vel orders.

"It starts now." Eris finishes, watching as Cassian pushes the button for the elevator. Eris smiles to Cassian. He can see that wicked glare in her eyes. He'd be lying if he didn't have one too. The elevator moves for a few moments before halting harshly. The doors open and two men stand at the opening with trays.

"Welcome, sir!" Their faces drop.

"Put it down." Eris orders. They drop the trays without hesitation. Glass shatters across the floor.

"In the corner, move!" She passes them on to Tamaryn, who corners them.

Following Cassian, the doors open and two young men look back at them. "Hands away from the console." Cassian orders.

Their hands raise and he orders them up. "Get up. Now!" His voice is like rock-salt and deep. The two of them keep watching until Nemik makes his way into the control room.

He saunters to the console and states each button to Cinta. "Lights, parapet, base floods, turrets, launch tunnel. Comms, you know. This? Don't touch that. The Alkenzi, that's the Air Base link." He explains.

Vel matches to the Commandant. "You're coming with us, and everyone else stays here. Your comms have been disabled. Ours are working. If you don't help us, your family will die. If you slow us down, if you stall, if you argue, if you play us in anyway, they'll die."

The Commandant grits his teeth. "You'll kill us anyway."

Vel shakes her head. "'Cause that's what you do, right? No. If we get what we came for, everyone walks away. But if we go down, you're right there with us."

"Fourteen minutes!" Nemik announces.

Vel looks to the rest of the group. "Move."

Eris follows Nemik and Cassian into the elevator once again and suddenly they're descending towards the vault. Vel turns to Cassian, eyes burning through him. "Clem and Daia, you're out first." Right, disposables. Eris rolls her eyes and raises her blaster, in step with Cassian as they enter the dark vault.

"Vel and Skeen, you take him. Clem, with me. Daia, you're with Nemik." Eris nods.

As a group they march through the corridor, surrounding the Commandant. They saunter into a group of men gambling in front of the vault. "Commandant on the floor! Commandant inspection. Line it up!" Tamaryn bellows. The soldiers scramble into a line, looking nervous. "Move! Move!" He orders.

Skeen is the first to raise his blaster. "Hands on heads!" He screams, and then they're all pointing weapons at the soldiers. Eris stomps into the ship they'd be taking and clears it, nodding for Nemik to come in. Eris strips off the Imperial uniform. She turns to find Cassian doing the same. Nemik is getting his devices ready—Eris stops above him as she flicks on the power of the ship. "You've got power?"

"I do indeed."

"Fantastic. Cass, get that." She says, pointing to the console next to him. Nemik looks up at the new name. He smiles slightly. Cass, he mouths to himself. Clem—Cass, Nemik knows something now.

Eris can hear the muffled screaming of the soldiers and the group as they push them to load the stuff out of the vault. Cassian looks out the window. "They're in."

"Go! I'll just be a minute." Nemik says.

Eris sits in the piloting seat of the ship, switching buttons and pulling levers to readybthem for take off. Eris sucks in a breath, turning around watching as heavy loads of credits are loaded into the ship. "Shit. This is psychotic." She says, causing Nemik to look up.

"I know, right?"

"Time check!" Vel yells.

Nemik stops for a moment, holding a load of credits. "Five nine!"

Cassian huffs. "Faster! Let's go!" Eris hops out of her seat, grabbing her blaster and marching onto the ramp. She holds her blaster tightly—intimidatingly. "Move it!" She barks.

"Get ready, Daia!" Tamaryn orders. Eris almost doesn't respond—before running back into the ship and readying the shop.

"We're good?" Gorn asks.

She nods. "We're good!"

"Right! Let's go!"

Eris threw herself back into cockpit—but she freezes when everything goes eerily silent. Turning in her seat slightly, she looks to see another man enter the vault. Suddenly, it's gunfire everywhere. Eris moves again before Cassian is pushing her to the ground away from shots, her head hits the ground and she can feel her whole body seize for a moment.

"Eris!" Cassian screams. Nemik hears the name. Eris, he tastes how it feels coming out of his mouth. Eris and—

"Cassian!" Eris cries, watching as the Imperial soldier grabs him around the neck, slamming his head into the console. Eris watches with blurry vision as Cassian struggles on the ground, kicking his legs—trying to get the man off of him. Weakly, Eris reaches for her weapon. Before she could even aim it, the man drops to the ground, dead. Nemik.

"Get this thing in the air!" He screams.

Cassian scrambled to Eris successfully this time, pulling her up and into the piloting seat. "Come on, Eris. Get us out of here." Eris can barely make out which button is which until she screws her eyes and blinks hard. Things don't get any better.

"Cass—Cass you have to." She begs, not opening her eyes. Cassian is silent for a moment.

"What?"

"I can't. My head."

Cassian touches her temple before urging her out of the seat. Eris makes her way to the back, falling against a wall.

"Hang on!" She can hear Cassian say.

The ship suddenly lurches forward. Eris watches as everyone grips something, their bodies moving harshly. The credits slide backwards. Eris looks for Nemik before hearing a painful grunt. "Nemik!" She screams out, running towards him despite her dizziness.

"Move! Move this! Skeen, Vel!" She yells.

The cart of credits is pushed off slowly, and Eris is dragging Nemik out. "Nemik—Nemik? Are you okay?" Skeen helps her, pulling him into the middle of the ship.

"I can't! I can't feel my legs!" Nemik cries.

"Nemik, can you hear me?" Vel asks.

Nemik doesn't respond, reaching down and trying to feel his legs. "Nemik! Look at us!" Skeen urges.

Eris feels her eyes burn with tears. He was just a kid. "I need a flight path!" Cassian calls.

"He's—he's hurt, hold on." Eris chokes.

Cassian looks again, watching as Eris has hot tears streaming down her face. He knew she didn't do well with death—especially with someone as young as Nemik.

"What is that?" Skeen asks.

"Med-spike. Keep him still." Vel orders.

Skeen shushes Nemik as Eris keeps him still. As soon as Vel injects the spike, Nemik calms. "Where am I heading? I need numbers." Cassian yells.

"Up! We need to move Nemik!" Eris orders.

Skeen grabs Nemik's navigator and hands it to him, and they pull him to lay behind Cassian's seat. Eris sits in the chair behind Cassian, looking out the window. Colors of all kind shined brightly around them. Eris wiped away the tears.

"Climb!" Nemik choked.

"Climb? Look out the window." Cassian responds.

Nemik shakes his head. "Climb! Full climb, now!"

"What did you give him?" Cassian asks, his half-assed attempt to lighten the situation.

"I'm stuck here! I don't have the speed to make it!" Cassian looks to Eris for help. She can fly anything, Cassian had said. Eris lurches forward and grabs the handles.

"CLIMB!" Nemik screams.

Eris pulls the handles back, and Cassian falls backwards, holding onto the chair for support. "Dive!" Nemik screams. She pushes them forward, and it feels like they're falling. "Vector six-five-five-five-one! Full boost, thrust on level!" The ship begins to shake, and the windshields are cracking.

Eris swallows hard and pushes away the worry. "Hold on!" She yells. "Come on!" Eris screams, pushing the handles harder. The color surrounds them, engulfs them, even. And then, it's darkness.

As soon as they're far away, Eris leaves the cockpit, bending down to Nemik. He's out now. She pulls his head into her lap and strokes his cheek. Like a brother, she thinks. Throughout all the trouble they'd had with the group, Nemik always showed her the kindness they didn't. "You can make it, Nemik." Eris whispers. "I know you can."

Cassian watches her with sad eyes. "He'll be okay." He reassures.

Eris nods, sniffling. "I know."

Eris leans down closer. "Eris." She says.

In the end, Karis Nemik didn't make it. The doctor had done all he could. But, Karis Nemik died—he died for his cause.

Cassian Andor and Eris Krennic fled with their cut, paying the farmer for a ship and getting the hell out of there. Eris didn't care where they were going. She didn't speak much the night they left, only sitting alone in the cockpit as she took them far away. Karis Nemik was dead. Eris feels like she gave him an omen. I'd only tell you if you were dying. She'd said it just days earlier. And now, Karis Nemik was dead.