The gears were frozen in place, the once elegant rhythm had been silenced. Oil leaked out from the holes on the brass back plating, pooling across the deck beneath them like blood, black and glistening. The once vibrant optics that flickered with wit and quiet warmth were now dark, cold.


    Cassian knelt hunched and unsteady, cradling Aldric''s broken frame, his hands trembling and stained with blood and oil. He clutched hard, holding his only friend who had never lied to him. His heart didn''t allow him to let go.


    His throat burned from the scream that tore apart his voice moments before. The sounds of gun fire, of shouts, engines and tearing steel, faded into a dull muffled hum. Aldric had consumed the world around him, the loss collapsed over him like a great silence.


    The distinct sound of a hammer being pulled back echoed, as a gun barrel pressed against Cassian''s temple. Still hot from recent fire. The hot metal bit into the side of his head.


    "Back away from the robot," a low, gravelled growl followed.


    Cassian didn''t flinch, his eyes locked onto Aldric''s face plate, still gentle in its silence.


    "Do you hear me, rich boy? Step away. Now," he repeated, his voice raising sharply.


    The words cut through the fog that consumed Cassian, but he didn''t react. He stayed frozen, numb to the world except what burned inside him. He did not care about the searing hot gun barrel burning his skin. He did not care that the rest of the crew flew around them, shouting orders and tending to wounds. This part of the deck felt completely still. Cassian—in his mind—invited the trigger to be pulled.


    Cassian''s heartbeat slowed as he exhaled, air barely leaving his lungs. His pulse no longer pounded with adrenaline and fear, but with cold acceptance.


    Cassian whispered, "He''s not a robot."


    "You don''t get to play all soft after what you just pulled," the voice was tight with barely contained fury. No sympathy was found in his tone. "Whatever you did back there, it wasn''t natural." He shoved the barrel harder into Cassian''s head, leaning closer with a snarl. "You''re a bomb waiting to go off."


    A flicker of movement flashed, as Emilia burst between them, slapping away the pistol, her own pistol drawn. Pointed directly at his chest.


    "Koren. Back off." Her voice lethal. The wind whipped her hair across her face, but her hands remained completely still.


    Koren didn''t blink. He growled. "You saw the same damn thing I did. That wasn''t steam, it wasn''t tech, it was him. He could''ve pulled the whole damn city down into the mists." He jabbed a finger toward Cassian. "What do you think is going to happen to us? He would send us and the Nightwing spiraling into the fucking abyss."


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    "He saved our asses!" She yelled, her voice rang across the deck, "Without him, all those imperial eyes would be on us. If he hadn''t rattled them like that, there would have been no way we could''ve pulled that off. He gave us the seconds we needed to get in before they shot us out of the sky."


    "We?" He scoffed bitterly. "You were a useless rat trapped in a cage, too scared to go up against the imps. Don''t talk like you earned your wings today." He barked, knocking her gun out of her hands. It clattered across the planks, sliding out of reach.


    Emilia staggered slightly, but met his gaze again hard.


    "He''s bleeding out, holding what''s left of the only person who ever gave a damn about him," she said, her voice rough now, cracking with emotion. "He lost everything because of the Empire. He''s not a bomb. He''s broken. The Empire did that to him!"


    She took a step toward Koren, unarmed but unyielding.


    "He is on our side."


    A faint chime rang gently, as soft barefooted footsteps approached. A slender woman, a black cloak flowing behind her. She crouched down next to Cassian, not looking at the other, only him, and the first person to catch his attention. Her piercing blue eyes peered into Cassian''s intently. Gently, she pulled off her hood. Revealing dark, copper-toned skin, with long black braided hair gently swinging from the wind.


    "The storm has chosen him," she said, "It would not be wise to reject it''s wishes."


    Koren looked at her, snarling. "Don''t start with your riddles, Oza."


    "I''m not here to argue," she said, stepping between them, placing a single hand on Koren''s shoulder. Her voice remained calm. "You saw him cause chaos, yes. You felt the gravity shift as we flew in. But did you see how his powers left all those who weren''t imperials untouched?"


    Koren hesitated, though his gaze remained hard. He stared at her for a long moment, then slowly took a step back. "Jack''s not gonna like this," he muttered, holstering his gun.


    "Then let''s ask him," a new voice came from the far end of the deck. He spun a still smoking gun on his finger before holstering it with a flick. His long coat was dark with soot, one sleeve torn. His eyes scanned the situation, gleaming with amusement, not concern. He glanced at the dead automaton, Cassian, and the damages to the ship, before he placed himself in front of Cassian. "That was one hell of a trick, rich boy."


    Koren stepped forward. "Jack, I don''t think—"


    "No. I''ve had enough of this bickering, I wanna get a piece of this," he interrupted, holding up a finger to shush Koren. He crouched down, meeting Cassian''s eyes. "I''m not afraid of what you did back there, Vaelthorne. But you see these faces?" He pointed around. "That''s fear. And I can''t keep us all alive, if I have a crew that can''t focus. So make sure you keep it together, rich boy. If you so much as twitch a way I don''t like—" He pulled out his gun and placed it under Cassian''s chin, lifting his face. "I''m painting the deck with your brains."


    Cassian didn''t blink, no concern in his eyes.


    Jack smirked, holstering his gun, as he got up. "Put him in the brig." He turned, walking away, humming to himself. "And someone clean up this damn mess. He''s dripping noble blood all over my deck."