Star Wars: Rebel Rising(44)

“You looking for a job?” the woman called back.

The Lannik spit his disgust at Jyn and walked away, mumbling about vagabonds and thieves.

“Yeah,” Jyn said, jogging up to the woman. “Got a job for me?”

“I’m not sticking around,” she said.

“Suits me.”

“Aren’t you a little young to be flying?” she said, frowning.

“Old enough,” Jyn shot back.

“You don’t mind leaving the planet?”

Jyn laughed mirthlessly. “Why would I stay?”

“You don’t even care where you’re going?”

“Nope.” Jyn stuck her hands in her pockets.

The woman leaned back on her heels. “Can you fix a broken droid?” she asked.

“Absolutely,” Jyn lied.

The woman stuck her hand out. “Name’s Akshaya Ponta,” she said.

“Jyn.” Jyn said immediately. She was tired; she knew better than to give her real name. “Jyn Dawn.”

Akshaya gestured to the SC3000 freighter behind her. Someone had handpainted the ship’s call sign on the hull: Ponta One . “Welcome aboard,” she said.



Jyn helped Akshaya finish loading up the ship. She was surprised to see that the crates were filled with ore; this hadn’t looked like a mining planet.

“I ship for the little guys,” Akshaya said. “Small operations, usually family-owned, not the corporate or government stuff.”

Akshaya took Jyn to a common area in the heart of the freighter. A small table was bolted to the floor, and there was a bowl of meiloorun fruit in the center. Jyn stared at it, hunger and exhaustion sweeping over her. She let her pack drop to the floor.

“What’s that?” Akshaya asked.

Jyn looked down to where she was pointing. Her pack had opened slightly, and the blaster Saw had given her on Tamsye Prime peeked through the top of the bag.

“That can’t be on this ship,” Akshaya said firmly.

“You won’t see it again,” Jyn promised, picking the pack back up and closing the top.

Akshaya shook her head. “No, give it to me. I’ll get rid of it.”

Jyn stared at her with wide eyes. “Look, I appreciate the ride off this rock,” she said. “But a blaster is a tool, and I intend to use it in the future. You can’t just get rid of it.”

Anger flashed in Akshaya’s eyes, but it melted away quickly. “I don’t really know who you are or where you’ve come from,” she said in a gentle voice. “But I don’t live like that, with the need to be armed just to feel safe.”

“It’s not—” Jyn started.

Akshaya was already shaking her head. “No weapons,” she said again. “I’m a peaceful operation. I don’t get involved with violence. Skuhl—the planet where I’m based—is neutral. You want to join my operation, you follow my rules.”

She crossed her arms and waited for Jyn’s reply.

“You need to make a choice,” Akshaya said, her tone growing louder. “Choose a peaceful life with my unit, or go back to a life where you need a blaster.”

Jyn weighed her options quickly. Finally, with a sigh, she handed over the blaster. She had enough credits, she knew, to purchase another one. A better one. It was more important that she get off-world than that she keep her blaster.

“Thank you,” Akshaya said, taking it. “There’s a spare bunk down there,” she added, pointing. “Help yourself to some grub and rest up. The droid can wait. When you’re ready, the pieces are there.” She pointed to a small door off the hallway. “I’m going to take care of this,” she said, hefting the blaster in her hand and walking off the ship.

Jyn gratefully sank into a seat by the table as Akshaya left. No need to tell her about the knife in my boot, she thought as she sucked the pulp from the skins of the fruit. She’d eaten three before Akshaya came back.

After the jump to hyperspace, Jyn made her way to the bunk Akshaya had offered and sank onto the bare mattress with such bone-weary relief that she fell asleep immediately.



Bang! Jyn startled awake, scrambling up. Her stomach churned with fear and disorientation before she was able to remind herself where she was and how she’d gotten there.

Saw had left her.

The planet had burned.

She was on a ship.

Another bang rattled through the metal of the SC3000, and Jyn forced her aching body up. She stumbled blearily through the hall and saw Akshaya signing off on a second load of cargo. Jyn had slept the entire time they were in hyperspace, through the landing, and even through the new cargo being loaded into the main bay.

“Sorry,” she said sheepishly.

“Don’t apologize,” Akshaya said with a friendly smile. “You clearly needed a rest. That it?” she asked the droid with the cargo. It beeped its assent and left the ship.

“I mostly do little hops from system to system,” Akshaya said, heading back to the cockpit. Jyn followed her. “I like it, getting to see the different worlds, meeting the people. Always a friend on each world.”

“Sounds nice,” Jyn said absently.

“Keeps me up to date with the news, too,” Akshaya said. She settled into the pilot’s seat and waited for Jyn to strap into the copilot chair. She launched the ship, and Jyn got a glimpse of the planet—green and lush, with an exposed quarry off to the side—before they broke atmosphere. “For example,” Akshaya continued, “today I dropped in the diner before picking up my cargo, and I heard about a planet that had experienced some trouble.”