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WOBANI was a solemn, lonely planet in the Mid Rim, with an bitter air that tasted like a foul mixture regret and sweat. The Labor Camp was the kind of prison the Empire cared little for, where petty criminals went to sell their souls for crimes that once would have fetched a simple fine. But Kitra want there for any simple criminal.
"Kit, look." A sharp elbow to the side of the rebel caught her attention in an instant, snapping it towards the approaching vehicle trundling dutifully along the course of a worn dirt road.
Extraction Team Bravo of the Rebel Alliance was crouched on top of a small rocky hill, hidden from the eyes of the enemy. They all had their orders, and the knowledge that if they failed there would be nobody to rescue them.
"Ready?" Ruescott — her commanding officer — asked her as he handed her a menacing looking sniper rifle.
"We'll soon see." Kit shrugged and took the gun. Weighing the heavy blaster in her hands, she lay down on top of the hill, aiming the rifle toward the incoming prisoner transport.
"Make it count, Erso." Ruescott said quietly, "This is our only shot."
She ignored the directive and drew in a long, steady breath, eyes following the carrier as it approached the team's hiding spot. She pressed her lips into a thin line and held her breath to calm the slight shivering in her fingers.
Then she pulled the trigger.
Without warning the cab of the transport vehicle exploded, sending it spiralling off of the road before crashing head-on a dirt mound. On cue the Extraction Team poured over the lip of their hiding place, pounding towards the immobilised transport.
"Tooso!" Kit called out to the Imperial droid beside her —K-2SO — as he followed the others over the edge. "Follow me." She ordered, leading him around the back of the transport to block the exits while the rest of the team streamed into the vehicle to extract the prisoner.
She reached her destination quickly, still hugging her rifle to her chest as her eyes scanned the surrounding area for any reinforcements. She sighed, her tongue running over her chapped lips as she scanned the area.
A loud thud echoed from inside the transport, followed by a muffled shout and a frustrated grunt. Kitra repositioned her rifle to aim at the door just as the back exit flew open, revealing the wild-eyed prisoner running for her life.
Kit's throat swelled closed when her eyes fixated in on the woman's familiar green eyes, her shaking finger poised obediently over the trigger without any compulsion to move. She couldn't think, she could hardly even breathe, at the sight of the woman she'd come for — Jyn Erso.
Without hesitating K-2SO slammed out his broad arm, knocking Jyn off the transport and straight into the dirt. The former prisoner landed with a heavy thump, rolling over to fix the droid with a painful glare. She hadn't even noticed Kit yet.
"We are here to rescue you." The reprogrammed droid told her, "Please do not resist."
"Pull her up, Tooso." Kit ordered him, her voice sounding strained. The droid complied, yanking the woman to her unsteady feet so she was eye-to-eye with the brunette rebel.
As soon as Jyn had taken the second to realise who the woman in front of her her mouth dropped open, her eyes growing as wide as two green moons. "... Kitra?" She asked, unable to veil the surprise in her voice.
In the second Kit heard her voice one million thoughts rushed through the young rebel's mind, conflicting memories waging a silent war for her attention. Snippets of a small, green eyes girl in a field and a flash of her mothers smile. The familiar glint of a khyber crystal under her father's steady hands and the reflection of moonlight on Saw Garrerra's metal body. And as soon as they came she had locked them away again, shoving the past into a small box and hiding it in the dark reaches of her mind. Just as quickly she was back in her mission mode, her eyes a cold and fiery brown.
"What's the matter, sister?" Kit asked smoothly, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "You look like you've seen a ghost."
"You're dead." Jyn said disbelievingly, struggling against K-2's grip. Kit didn't have to have the force to feel the fear rolling off her sister like waves, the utter terror in her eyes churning a small sliver of remorse in Kitra's stomach. "I saw that building fall on you... you were crushed."
Kitra shrugged, smothering what conflicting thoughts she had with an air of nonchalance. "Not all of me, apparently." She tapped her metal prosthetic leg to prove the point.
Jyn shook her head, still straining against the grip of the far stronger Imperial unit. "No." She told herself, "No I saw you die! You're dead!"
"Not yet."
Kit brought up her blaster and struck Jyn over the head with it, watching her sister collapse, unconscious on the ground. "I hate small talk." She said, using the back of her hand to wipe the sweat off her hairline.
K-2 looked down at the limp body, his white eyes blank. "Those were not our directives." He pointed out.
"How else was I supposed to shut her up?" Kit questioned, hoisting Jyn off the dirt and over her slim shoulder. "Now, lets grab the others and get out this Empire's ass-crack of a system."
