Built on Hope (Cassian Andor FF)

20. Divided We Fall

Cassian shook his head and turned to Draven, who kept his eyes locked on him. Cassian wasn't sure if it was to find his inner strength, or to instill all of his hope into him in particular. "The Senators left to Corellia to form the official Alliance. We would have allies in every corner of the galaxy. But...Marek explained it was a trap set up by Vader himself. Marek felt betrayed. That's why he's contacted me."

Bile rose up in Talia's throat, threatening to leave her system. She pushed it back down as the aching feeling bubbled in her stomach. Only bad things seemed to happen on Corellia.

Someone hidden in the crowd called out, "What do you expect us to do? This is a suicide mission!"

"How did he even know to contact you?" A skeptical rebel asked.

"He approached the rebels in Mon Mothma's ship." The stress slowly filtered into Draven's voice. His clenched fist almost punched the closest object next to him, but he restrained himself. "It won't get traced back to here. Do not worry."

"Vader will catch us all! We'll be executed in front of the whole galaxy!" Rebels started shouting, sparking the frenzy in the crowd. Never before had Talia or Cassian heard so much negativity come from their fellow rebels, or citizens in general. Spews of hatred for one another slowly bubbled to the surface pertaining to the disloyalty some were exhibiting. Madness, delirium, and so much more threatened to show itself.

Until General Draven screamed out, "SILENCE!" Everyone instantly fell silent, stunned by his harsh tone. Following that cue, he continued in annoyance, "Marek is going to meet a small team on Coruscant. The team is going to go in, release the Senators, and get the hell out of there. We need volunteers."

No one moved a muscle.

A wave of unease drenched the room. Without a soul speaking up, or maybe even breathing, it was clear that no one wanted to even be there. Rebels crossed their arms. Lowered their eyes. Tapped their feet. Others sunk into the crowd behind the rest. Hope had been snuffed out in an instant at the mention of a Sith.

Clearing the awkward silence, Cassian stepped forward outside of the crowd with newfound determination. Despite the unforgiving odds, there was always a reason to try. Right now, he could think of three reasons. Each one contained the name of a senator. "I will lead the mission." He linked his hands behind his back and stood tall.

Talia's eyes flickered to him. He had sheer confidence. Strength. Willpower. Hope. Cass wouldn't sign up unless he knew there was an inkling of a chance that the mission would succeed. It was enough of a reason to trust his judgment. Talia cleared her throat, throwing her hat into the ring, "I'm in."

A hesitant rebel spoke up from somewhere within the crowd, "You two are insane to even try. They must've doubled security two fold by now."

Without hesitation, Talia replied confidently, "We got in there once. We can do it again." She released her arms from their crossed position and stood at full height. Negativity surrounded their lives constantly. Only together could they become the beacon of light the galaxy so desperately needed. She glanced over at Cassian, who nodded in acknowledgement.

"We're not smugglers. We can't smuggle people out of the most secure place in the galaxy."

Thinking back to what Xyrias said, Talia shook her head. Knitting her eyebrows and narrowing her eyes in confusion, she questioned, "Where's your hope?" Shouting from the crowd started back up.

"Hope? You're basing your contribution on something as minute as hope?"

"Where is hope going to get us? Killed, right before we rescue the senators. If we set foot into the capital, it's over."