Rogue One: Resurrection

Chapter 32: A New Terror

Chapter 32: A New Terror

The X-Wing's engines worked smoothly & calmly, cruising at a constant speed in the extremely cold, blue skies. It is early morning, and the golden morning sunshine lit the entire sight before it. Cassian flies the X-Wing over the Jedi Straits: a cold, distant sea full of icebergs & glaciers. The Jedi Straits were a long 100 miles away from Echo Base, where the Rebellion sustained another humiliating defeat by the Empire. But Cassian's X-Wing had enough fuel to take him & Jyn across the glacier-filled sea.

Jyn & Cassian look around them: they see icebergs, snow, and glaciers in the dark blue waters below them. Jyn feels chills being shot down her spine. With every breath, her exhales were visible from the cold temperatures both inside and outside the X-Wing cockpit. Jyn thought, being alone in this vast cold sea gave her an eerie feeling...

Cassian breaks the silence after almost a 2-hour flight since their departure from the now Imperial-conquered Echo Base. "This place.....it gives me the creeps. How about you?" He says with a trembling voice indicating that he is shivering from the extremely cold temperatures of the icy environment outside.

Jyn continues to stare out towards the golden morning sunrise, where the sun's golden rays reflect off the ocean waters brightly. "My mother used to tell me stories about the Jedi....when I was little." She says, which Cassian finds interesting. "She says she believes these straits were where the Jedi originated from...." Jyn says in a gloomy and nervous voice due to the eerie & creepy feeling that she was getting just from flying above the sea.

Cassian thinks for a moment about what Jyn said, while surveying the icebergs and the numerous glaciers that inhabited the cold ocean waters below them. "So this is where the Jedi originated? This is where they were born? The Jedi Straits...." Cassian says as he exhales a deep breath that became visible as vapor due to the cold air inside the X-Wing's cockpit.

"Hmm. Yeah..." Jyn says as the hairs behind her neck stand up because of the increasing awkwardness her body gathered. Then, she realizes something that she decides to suggest to Cassian. "Hey, we need to keep our eyes peeled. I feel there is something hiding here somewhere. It's best if we go low and slow." Jyn suggests to her Captain.

Cassian pushes the joystick upwards so that the X-Wing descends downwards. "Good idea. All these icebergs are making me feel like some giant will come out and take us out." Cassian mutters as he focuses his attention directly in front of him. He lowers the X-Wing so that it is flying about less than 1000 feet above the surface of the sea. However, this gets Jyn curious.

"I said low, but not too low, Cassian." Jyn mentions with a frown.

"Flying below 1000 feet makes it harder for enemies to spot us on radar in certain conditions like this. All Y-Wings do this in bombing runs. The sea allows for smoother cruising at a very low altitude too." Cassian explains with a slight smirk.

Jyn scoffs before her lips form a tiny smile in reaction to her Captain being the wise geek. "Okay, Mr. Know-it-All. Just don't kill us." Jyn says playfully while warning Cassian not to fly too low above the water, or else the X-Wing will crash and kill both of them.

Cassian flies the X-Wing across the cold, eerie Jedi Straits, maneuvering the aircraft by yawing left & right to fly along a smooth path to avoid the many icebergs and glaciers that were in the way.

"Hang on, Jyn." Cassian says.

Jyn nods as she leans in to her seat.

Cassian pushes a lever forward, which is the throttle lever. It causes the X-Wing's four thrust nozzles to burn a brighter, more intense purple flame, and the X-Wing instantly gains speed. The great increase in speed causes pressure from the g-force introduced through the acceleration, causing Jyn & Cassian to be pushed back in to their seats, with their stomachs pushing against them & giving them a tickling feeling in the core. The speed meter reads '767 mph.' Suddenly, a huge cloud of condensation appears on the cockpit's windows, but disappears in the blink of an eye. After that sudden moment, the two Rebels couldn't hear the X-Wing's engines anymore. It is now completely silent inside the cockpit.