Hinges groaned unnervingly as the metal door slammed shut behind him, with a finality that echoed down the corridor. The thrusters were a distant and muffled roar, sending a small but constant vibration through the floorboards. The low, rhythmic hiss of steam and twists of gear valves breathed as Cassian sat motionless on the cold bench bolted to the wall, his back pressed against rusted steel.


    His body throbbed, blood still seeping through the crude bandages he got hurriedly applied. His shirt clung to him, partly with sweat, partly with blood. The toll of the power he unleashed at the plaza was nothing compared to his heart however.


    His hands were stained dark with dried crimson and oil, still trembling. Cassian clutched tightly around Aldric''s optic he pried from his faceplate when they grabbed him, the glass cracked and the brass frame dented. He stared at it as if it would light up again.


    The thoughts crawled in as the hollow silence of the brig consumed him like smoke. It was nothing like the noise of the battlefield or the chaos of orders being shouted on the deck above.


    Cassian swallowed hard, his throat raw, his lips dry and cracked. He raised the optic slowly, staring at it. His fingers curled around the optic until his fingers turned white.


    His head fell back against the steel, his eyes floating up to the ceiling, blinking against the dry sting in his eyes.


    Footsteps approached, slow and deliberate. The door''s small viewing slot slid open with a click and a creak.


    "Still breathing?" Emilia asked, her concerned eyes peering through the slot.


    Cassian opened his painful eyes, but didn''t move. "Unfortunately," he rasped.


    The sound of liquid pouring into metal echoed, followed with a clatter and the groaning sound of metal sliding on metal.


    "Drink," she ordered simply, offering water in a battered tin can. "Thought you might want something that doesn''t taste like blood."


    Cassian remained still.


    Emilia lingered in the silence. A slow exhale was audible from the slot.


    "You didn''t have to vouch for me," Cassian finally said.


    "I know."


    "Then why?"


    There was a long pause from the other side of the door. "Because, I''ve seen what it looks like when someone loses everything. And I''ve seen what happens to those people."


    Cassian turned his head toward the slot. "Why care what I might turn into?"


    Emilia placed a hand in the slot, crouching down. "You''re not worth losing to the Empire."


    He did not reply, letting his head fall back on the wall.


    A small sniffle echoed, before the faint sound of her footsteps trailing away into the bowels of the ship.


    Cassian looked back down at the battered optic in his hand. "You''d probably say something clever right now," he murmured, half expecting a response. "This is a rather dramatic turn of events, sir." He mocked, with a sad chuckle.


    He smiled, barely, sitting alone in the dark once again. For the first time since the execution, he let himself feel tired, weak. He pulled down the walls masking as strength, as tears seeped out of his eyes.


    Captain Jack Marlowe stood at the head of the table, his coat half-unbuttoned, a fresh cut down his temple slowly crusting. He lit a long-stemmed match of the table''s edge, firing up a cigarette. He took a long puff and exhaled slowly, before placing it between his teeth, leaning back on the table, his eyes wandering into the clouds outside his quarter''s window.


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    "Alright," he finally said. "Let''s talk about this rich boy we just hauled in."


    Tension cracked through the air like lightning.


    Koren sat at the edge of the room, his arms crossed, his jaw clenched tight. "We should toss him off at the nearest dock and be done with it."


    "He''s just a kid," Tessa scolded softly, arms folded gently but her voice was steel. "A bleeding, suffering one. Did you even see his eyes when we pulled him off the deck?"


    "I saw the eyes of a freak. They were blue, not like yours Tessa, but, glowing. He is a spawn of the hells," Koren spat. "The air bent around him. It was unnatural."


    Evander shifted awkwardly, the tools on his belt clinking through the tense silence. "To be fair," he said, "he did kind of save us. I mean if he didn''t do all that, who knows what would''ve happened to us?"


    "You all saw what I saw," Koren growled, standing up. "The imps flew. The stone cracked. That kid isn''t normal—he''s a weapon waiting to go off."


    "He was dying," Emilia snapped sharply from the far corner. Her exhausted eyes staring blankly into the floor. "He didn''t lash out. He reacted. He did what he had to, to survive."


    Tessa nodded. "He is just a boy. He held that automaton like someone would hold their own brother. That''s not something you fake."


    Koren shot a glare to Emilia. "You''ve got a soft spot for broken things, Emilia. Don''t be mistaken. Just because they are broken, doesn''t mean they deserve your pity."


    Before Emilia could reply, a metallic screech echoed from outside the Captain''s Quarters as a shadow moved fast.


    The crew''s eyes snapped to it, but Jack didn''t move, just took another puff of his cigarette, unblinking.


    "An Imperial Recon Crow," Koren growled.


    Jack exhaled, blowing smoke. "We''ve got two problems," he said, "One, the Empire knows he''s alive. And they''ll follow our trail like bloodhounds. And two..." he turned to face the table. "The Free Skies are expecting an answer."


    His words drew silence, as the room shifted uneasily.


    "We''re taking him to Vortessa?" Koren asked.


    Jack nodded. "They want to meet the boy who terrified the Empire. If he is as dangerous as I think, Commander Marek will put a bullet in him right then and there."


    "Then why take him to them?" Emilia barked, her dark eyes firing up.


    Jack smirked. "Because I have a bargaining chip," he said, "He''s Lord Vaelthorne. That name still carries weight, even if the Empire tried to burn it out of history."


    "You are forgetting another crucial part of the equation, Captain Marlowe." Oza''s soft voice came from the doorway as she entered. "He is touched. The mists moved when he tapped into his abyssal powers. He plays a greater part than we all know."


    Jack exhaled sharply. "You''re saying he''s one of your prophecy kids now?"


    "The Abyss is aware of him. And it does not watch idly." Her response was cryptic, as the room fell into an uncomfortable silence.


    Jack sat down, letting his boots rest on the table, taking his last puff of his cigarette before flicking it away. "So we got an exiled noble who''s got a cloud god whispering in his ear, the imps breathing down our necks and the Free Skies Commander wanting an answer. Great."


    "Then let this god have his prophecy kid back. Throw him overboard," Koren said, slamming a hand into the wall.


    "Can''t do that," Jack replied simply.


    "Why not?"


    "Because we owe Aldric," Jack said softly. "He gave us valuable intel on the Empire in the return for his rescue. Apparently, Cassian Vaelthorne is the key to all of this."


    Tessa nodded, her lips tight. "Aldric gave his life for the boy knowing what he was. It should count for something."


    Emilia sniffled softly to herself, then gathered herself. "And what about Vortessa?" Emilia asked. "The Market of Blades isn''t known for mercy. If we hand him over to them, we better be sure."


    Jack tapped the table with his fingers. "I will convince them."


    "We''re bringing this unstable weapon into the heart of the rebellion," Koren growled.


    "Oza," Jack suddenly said, "Your knowledge of the Abyss is the reason you''re here. The boy needs to be under control."


    The Kethari bowed her head slightly, the gemstones on her necklace jingled softly.


    "If Commander Marek approves, Vaelthorne fights for us—" Jack said.


    "He won''t fight for you," Oza interrupted. "He will fight for what''s coming."


    Jack''s face darkened as he leaned forward. "Then he better be quick to decide which side he''s on."