Hours had excruciatingly passed by.
Finding Montoya Chizznov was a bust.
Cassian had searched Montoya's place first. Holochips from Talia were hidden in a secret compartment in his wall. Guess the storm troopers didn't find these. After the first sweep, the place seemed to be clean. No hints of where he had gone, or where his captures had taken him.
Captain Andor searched the streets of Pikula twice over, questioning citizens and searching any empty buildings he came across. No one had heard of the guy before, or at least pretended not to. If anyone got taken away by the Empire, people tended to turn a blind eye.
That was something Cassian never understood. If there's something, anything, you can do to help someone, then you should do it. No questions asked. This Empire...this tyrannical government...needed to be stopped. That started with rebellion. But if you don't stand up for the little people, then what kind of person does that you?
Children rushed in front of Cassian, catching him off guard. He stopped suddenly and allowed them to pass. He grunted quietly. Those children are so innocent. So carefree. Luxuries I didn't have. The thoughts trailed across his mind, and a small ache pounded in his heart. Cassian exhaled quietly and continued on his journey down the street.
Eventually, he was in the outskirts of the city. Captain Andor pulled his blue coat closer to his body as a cold front moved in. The winds started to pick up, and suddenly the nice cloudy day formed into an upcoming rainstorm. I have to find him before the storm starts. He wandered for a while against the winds, searching for something, anything as an indication of Imperial activity.
Come on.
Cassian came up to an abandoned warehouse that used to store Republic luxury goods. A small symbol was carved into the door, resembling something like a TIE Fighter. He ran his fingers over it in thought for a moment before his eyes flickered to a window. He peeked in, carefully at first, until he realized he couldn't see in at all. The windows had been boarded up sometime ago.
I'll do this the hard way, then.
There was no way to tell how many storm troopers were inside. This was either an abandoned warehouse, or a secret base for the Imperials. Either way, he had the chance of being outgunned. Cassian considered the odds carefully, but quickly. Thunder roared above him, giving him the best cover for sneaking around. He decided to bite the bullet and infiltrate using an alternate route. The symbol had to mean something, and he was obligated to check it out.
He slipped around the back of the warehouse and observed every inch he could see through the dim sunlight. A window was open on the second floor, but climbing up that high would be a pain in the ass. The loading dock door wouldn't budge, but there was a back door on the side that looked easy enough to open.
The rebel took the latter, which was an easier route. He'd rather be safe than sorry. Dropping in from the second story window could be dangerous, and most likely give away his position. Cassian pick locked the door and succeeded after the third try.
The warehouse was large and empty. The cold atmosphere made Cassian shiver, even through his nice warm jacket. The metal walls appeared deteriorated and rusted over; the concrete floor was littered in dirt and puddles of water. Everything seemed quiet until a noise rang out from the hall to his left.
Must be the office area or something. Cassian took out his blaster pistol and held it close to his chest. He scolded himself internally for removing the silencer back on Dantooine. He should've known to keep it on.
A loud interrogation was taking place in one of the offices. The closer Cassian got, the more distinct the voices became. He counted at least three bucket heads. Nothing he couldn't handle. He'd faced worse before. It reminded of his time on Rhen Var where-
Footsteps echoed down the hall.
A storm trooper was headed towards Cassian. He pushed himself against the wall, calmly waiting for the trooper to walk out of the hall. He held his blaster tightly and kept his breath steady.
One step. Two steps. Silence.
The storm trooper exited the hall and had stopped in his place. His hand lazily held his blaster rifle as he looked at nothing in particular. Cassian took this opportunity to put him into a chokehold. The trooper struggled, making short breathed gasps until he succumbed to death. The Captain slowly dragged the body out of sight of the hall.
The hard questions met Cassian's ears with more intensity as he walked closer to the origin point. He cringed, but much to his surprise, he didn't hear an answer. The hostage they had weren't talking, and a warm feeling rose up in Cassian's chest. He wasn't rescuing a traitor, and that meant a lot to him.
He hoped the hostage was Montoya, though.
The door was open, allowing him to peek in. The room was lit up nicely, revealing the bloody and sweaty man tied to the chair in the center. Three storm troopers stood around him, harshly interrogating him. They had tortured the man enough, judging by the way he looked at first glance. Their backs were turned to Cassian, allowing him to have the advantage.
Cassian shot his blaster twice, taking down one of them before he had to duck into the hall. The storm troopers shot at the wall in hopes it would pierce through. The loud noises rang in Cassian's ears, causing him to cringe. He pushed the feeling aside and whipped around the corner. He pulled the trigger one, two, three times before seeking cover. One of the two storm troopers screamed in agony and hit the ground with a thud.
"Shit..." the remaining storm trooper whispered to himself. He stepped forward, heading towards the door in a calm manner. His hands trembled as he held his rifle.
Cassian took a deep breath. He listened for the heavy footsteps as they approached the doorway. The storm trooper's blaster rifle shot out into the hall in an attempt to scare the rebel, but to no avail. Cassian stayed silent, well until he took the opportunity to shoot the Imperial scum. The bucket head fell to the ground, lifeless. The Captain stepped over the body to examine the hostage closer.
"Help m-me, p-please..." Montoya sputtered, blindly searching the room for his rescuer.
Cassian refrained from making another sound and observed the full horrific image the bucket heads put the handler through. Montoya's skin was cut up in several places, dry blood sticking to his skin like cracked clay. His fingers on one hand appeared to be broken and contorted in different ways that made Cassian's skin crawl. The man's eyes are what pained him the most. The storm troopers had blinded him with a small blade. The blood seemed pretty fresh, but it was mixed with a black substance. Poison, maybe? Cassian couldn't tell.
"Th-thank you f-for saving me."
You're welcome. It wasn't every day that someone thanked him for his actions. The action almost made him feel good about himself. He responded in a soft tone, "Why did they take you?" If he responded in a soft tone rather than a harsh one, he could get more answers. That's if he wanted to talk.
Montoya spit out some blood and groaned. "I'm..." He sighed heavily and hung his head in shame. "I'm...with the Rebellion." Water from his eyes, presumably tears, mixed in with the blood on his face. His chest heaved heavily as he started to sob. "I'm sorry...Tell the Rebellion I'm sorry..."
He told on us. That sculag... Cassian's expression contorted into anger, but he held his tongue. He looked at the weak minded fool in front of him, wondering how long it took before they broke him. How long did it take before he decided to give up his family? His home? The fate of the galaxy?
The pity that Cassian once had for the man vanished. His hand curled around the blaster tighter; he brought it up to the traitor's head. Your actions have put us all in jeopardy, and yet you get a swift death. Life isn't fair. With those thoughts trailing his mind, Cassian pulled the trigger. The once sobbing man crumpled in his seat, the blood and tears falling onto the floor beneath him like a soft rain.
Cassian backed away from the body. A grave expression quickly settled on his face. His hands were surprisingly steady and he lowered his smoking blaster. A bubbly nauseous feeling surfaced in his stomach, causing him to be unnerved. It was definitely a step up from last week when he had killed the senator. But this wasn't meant to be an accomplishment. Learning to kill with ease was something to be afraid of, and Cassian never let himself forget that.
The man had told too much. That much torturing could've subjugated him under the Empire's rule. There's no way he'd fully be loyal to the Alliance. At this point, he was more of a liability than an asset. What I'm doing is for the greater good. For the survival of the Alliance. For hope. Cassian reminded himself.
If Montoya gave any information to the Empire, that would mean Talia would be next.
Cassian pushed his sick feeling aside, and focused on getting to Talia's place undetected.
Talia Revik unlocked her door with ease and stepped inside. Her mind screamed for rest, and the bags under her eyes agreed. Sleep sounded so delightful.
Well...until she noticed there was a dim light on in the other room. She pulled out her blaster pistol as quietly as she could, and slowly turned the corner. Her eyes darted around the living room until she found her target. Once she noticed who it was, she immediately lowered her blaster. "How do you know where I live?"
Cassian sat in one of the living room chairs comfortably, back slouched and legs wide open. When he noticed Talia, he let out an internal sigh of relief. Command wouldn't chew him out for losing another operative in the field. He sat up to a more formal position, back straight and legs closed. He had to be on his guard now. He spoke up softly, as if people were listening in on them, "Followed you the night we met."
Talia ignored how creepy that comment sounded and placed her blaster on the table next to her. I would have told him where I was staying. This is getting more dangerous by the minute. She hoped, and almost prayed, that he wasn't a double agent. His loyalties seemed to be with the Alliance, but having this much information on Talia came off as shady to her.
She was playing with fire the more she talked to him. "What are you doing here? People could've noticed you," Talia growled as she dropped her bag of tools onto the ground. "I never have people over. Don't you know how dangerous that is?"
"Maybe that's why your home reeks of loneliness..." his voice trailed off, not realizing he said that out loud. Her home felt a lot like his. Cold. Bland. Empty of many personal things. These days, he considered his ship his home. He was constantly travelling without a break. It took a toll on him, but what was he supposed to do? Say no to missions from his superiors? Take a break from trying to take down the Empire? Over his dead body.
Talia grit her teeth in anger. Did he really just say that? She pointed her finger and warned him, "I'm ten seconds away from kicking you out." She glared at him with a fiery intensity, and her words only threw more gasoline into the fire, "Don't make me repeat myself."
It didn't take him any time to notice her hostility. Cassian stayed calm and collected, his winning poker face glued to his expression. He ignored her threat for a moment and got up to look out the window cautiously. His fingers brushed the curtains, but quickly put them back in place when he saw nothing out of the ordinary. "I needed to check up on you. Make sure you weren't followed."
What? Did someone find out my true loyalties? There's no way. Talia bit her lip in thought. Her insides twisted in fear. If the Empire had found out, they would be on their way right now. She would be executed as a traitor by Darth Vader himself, or worse, the Emperor. Talia's eyebrows knit together in confusion; she lowered her voice to almost a whisper, "Followed? Why would I be followed?"
Might as well tell her the bitter truth. No need to sugar coat it. If it'll fuel her anger towards the Empire, then all is well. Cassian turned to her and left the view of the window. He took a seat and watched her carefully. He wanted to see her reaction and prove if it was genuine or not. "I found your handler. He was tortured and killed. I thought if he gave up any information, you'd be next."
Talia's face fell instantly. She closed her eyes and cursed under her breath. Tortured and killed...Poor Montoya. Even though she didn't know the man, it was hard not to care. She wouldn't wish that death on anyone. The Empire took too much from everyone already. Torturing and killing someone? That's like stripping away someone's dignity until they wish to die. She kept her focus on the conversation to remain strong in front of the rebel. "You actually care? Surprising."
Her reaction seemed genuine, but still a little off. She hid her eyes, which usually was considered a telltale sign of lying. Then again, she just lost her handler, a member of the Rebel Alliance. With so few numbers already, it was hard to handle losses. Now her life was in jeopardy. Cassian glared at her after his brain registered her words. "What makes you say that?"
She opened her brown eyes and huffed. "Well, to start, you have trust issues. Remember the first time we met? You wouldn't let me do my job alone."
"It's called being cautious and tactical."
"You also don't give off this friendly vibe." Talia leaned against one of the chairs to lift some weight off of her aching feet. She loved challenging this man to see what he was made of. It was the only real social interaction she's had in a while, other than answering to her boss.
"Neither do you." The words were clear. Precise. A stab in Talia's ego that didn't really bother her. Yet, the words were true.
The truth almost brought a small smile to her face. It wasn't everyday that people told the truth to your face. It felt like a breath of fresh air, refreshing and delightful. Talia remarked, mocking his stern tone, "I'm posing as an Imperial worker. Do I really need to be friendly?"
She proved a point. Cassian took note of her wittiness and placed it in the mental file with her name on it. Every bit of information she gave could be useful in the future. He almost huffed, but held back, and grudgingly admitted, "Point taken." Cassian paused for a second and stated with sincerity, "I'm here because it's my mission to keep this operation running. If you die, it's on me."
"Wow, you really know how to charm a girl." Talia smiled at the comment, even through her sarcastic tone. The Captain does have a heart after all...or maybe he's just watching his own back. Either way, he has to care.
That reply earned a scoff from Andor, "If I were trying to charm you, I would succeed." He was a little rusty. He could admit that. But if he were really trying? He would definitely win in the end. He smiled faintly for a second, and it disappeared just as quick as it formed. It was the first time he had smiled genuinely in a long time.
"Overly confident. Nice touch." Talia rustled her hair a bit and thought about what to do. There was no point in kicking him out. Having him there ensured her safety, or at least gave her a better chance of survival. "You're welcome to stay here, if you'd like. I am going to sleep." When met with silence from the Captain, Talia studied him for a moment. I can trust him. She pulled out a holochip from her pocket and set it on the table in front of him. "Here's the information I've collected today. If you're bored, you can sift through it."
Cassian stayed quiet. There was nothing more to say. He had found useful information on the last one, though. He bit the inside of his cheek as he mulled it over. Maybe I should say thank you.
By the time he snapped out of his thoughts, Talia had already gone to her room and shut the door, leaving him to nothing but silence.