Built on Hope (Cassian Andor FF)

11. Dantooine Base

"I'm a spy, and am currently following Captain Andor's orders. I can't see anything other than the hangar and medbay. This is for everyone's protection." Captain Andor wanted it to remain a secret, then let it be. Talia thought to herself. It was the only thing she could give to him right now in exchange for saving her life. She closed her brown eyes and let the other two lead the way.

The girl holding her declared in a rough voice, "I appreciate your dedication."

Dedication to the Rebellion was all Talia had left in the universe, and from the looks of it, it seemed Captain Andor was stuck in the same situation. Talia sighed internally and listened in on her environment. Rebels rushed in and out of corridors. Some talked about the new X-Wings. Others whispered to each other, and only the whistling of their words could be heard. Footsteps, droids whirring, engines starting up, it all clouded her mind to the point where she couldn't focus on just one thing.

Soon, the two rebels encountered a door and passed through it. The large door shut behind them, silencing the noise coming from the outside. A whole new fiasco started. Talia opened her eyes when the rebels set her onto a bed and glimpsed around.

Doctors swarmed around Captain Andor in an attempt to stop the bleeding and patch him up to the best of their ability. Their hands were already stained in blood, whether it was from handling his clothes, or his wounds.

A doctor that was on standby greeted Talia and treated her wound. The doctor was quiet for a long moment, his green eyes fixated on the wrappings. He slowly spoke up after glancing up at her a few times, "Thank you for saving Captain Andor."

"You're welcome, but it wasn't like that. He saved me," Talia replied softly, her eyes fixated on nothing in particular. She sighed and felt a panging erupt in the back of her skull, as if the bombs of battle were still booming around her. Cassian didn't have to come back for her, yet he risked his life to do it. She hissed in pain when the doctor moved her leg a certain way and closed her eyes to get her mind onto something else.

If only it were that simple.

She lay there for an hour before the other doctors were finished operating on Cassian. Meanwhile, other wounded soldiers came in one at a time, fresh off of the battlefield. Blood soon covered the floor, and cries of agony filled the room.

Talia stood up and rested up against the wall. She motioned to a doctor that the bed was free, and after a bit of disagreement, the doctor helped a wounded soldier claim the bed. Talia put her weight on her good leg and grimaced at the slight pain rising from her wound. A whoosh sound came from the hospital's door closing, and her brown eyes flickered up to it.

Standing there in the doorway was none other than Senator Mon Mothma herself.

She was just as Talia recalled. Thin and gracious in the way she carried herself. Same short red hair, soft blue eyes, and the small frown that settled on her lips. Talia couldn't remember if she had ever seen her smile before. Mothma glimpsed around the room at all of the wounded soldiers, a look of guilt and sadness slowly overcoming her features. When her eyes landed on Talia, she calmly strolled over. "I did not believe General Draven's quick report when you were mentioned to be in battle, yet here you are."

Talia straightened her posture, as much as her pained leg would let her, and smiled softly at the senator. "Captain Andor was wounded, ma'am. I couldn't let him leave Kuat alone."

A little hint of surprise sprinkled into the senator's expression, but she tried to play it off. "I always appreciate rebels who are willing to back each other when in need. Thank you for aiding Captain Andor. If he's told you his real name, he must trust you." Mon Mothma glanced over at the bed the spy had given up, and motioned to it, "You have a big heart as well, Ms. Revik."