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smolbeandrabbles · 5 years

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Hero - Director Orson Krennic x Reader 2 (Rogue One)

I Think He Knows (Part 1)

Author’s Note: As TROS is out tomorrow, I thought it fitting to give you a Star Wars fic! @purebloodwitch gave me two choices on how to end this - Thank you once again for requesting these sweetie! It’s been SO much fun writing this relationship-! Although I once again put a little twist in your request, I hope you like what I decided on! 😘😘😘💜💙

Artistic liberties taken with the battle on Scarif, FYI.

Tully is back from Patience

Disclaimer: I own none of the plot/characters etc from Rogue one / lyrics not mine

Premise: After watching Krennic go through hell all the way through Project Stardust, you gain a front row seat to him going through hell on Scarif. And there’s no way you’re going to let him face this alone... Words: 9571 Warnings: Swearing / Drinking

_____ I'm gonna be risky, life and soul of the party No more stressing me out, pulling me down Making me feel like I'm better off lonely I'm gonna be fearless, And take care of my business Stop keeping me safe, I need to be brave... Try steal my powers right from me Just like a criminal But I won't have it... I never thought that you'd drain the fight out of me Oops look what you did to me Now I figured out... I'm living dangerous For what you did I'll make you pay for it See I know that you're scared Watching me over head I see you watch me every day now

I don't need no hero I can save myself, no hero Anything is possible Feeling indestructible I don't need no hero

---

Funnily enough since that conversation, you'd again worked hard and quietly away in the background, whilst your now lover became the forefront of everything the Empire was currently working towards. You'd counted on Krennic being a man who would bring all his work home with him and he often did. So those long talks curled up on your couch with whiskey became a regular thing. Only now you could cuddle up to him, and run your hands through his hair, and hush him, and agree with him on things... (Or not... as the case may be.)

Only while he was tinkering away on his little project, and during the many, many, many, many years it took to complete, (Including a rank demotion that had you marching into Mas Amedda’s office and demanding for it to be reinstated. Which, it ended up being, finally, because if you kicked off about something it usually got done. You weren't one for making noise, so it was noticed when you did.) you bumped a few rank bars of your own and ended up outranking him again. General had a nice ring to it; (Technically you ranked over this, but you liked taking the High off, else it being a mouthful for your officers.) and whether he was a little jealous or not, Krennic was extremely proud of you. Basically because he got to smuggly say he was sleeping with you. But no one was going to directly come ask you about that, were they?

After the rank bar escapade, and a few other little mishaps since, Tarkin seemed to like catching you in elevators. "Y/N... I see all your hard work on Krennic's rank is going about as well as anticipated." "If you mean he's doing a good job, you'd be right." You folded your arms and regarded him coolly. "Is he, though?" "Yes." You snapped. You had no patience for this, and Tarkin couldn't pull rank over you - whether he was in favour with the Emperor or not. "You seem rather touchy about it." You shot him a look; "I simply have no time to waste on people who have their own agenda for my partners work. Or anyone else's work I care about. Krennic will do what he does best, and I will be proud of him. You can keep your penny thoughts to yourself - I don't much care for them..." The lift slid to a stop at your floor; "Or you." You thought that might get your point across, and you liked the way your heels sounded clipping the floor as you walked away from him.

The man in question was standing at the far end of the corridor rocking back and forth - biting his lips together. "General..." His voice held that slight amusement in it that let you know he was calling you that in bed later, and you were both going to enjoy it. "Director." - Eh, it had the same effect. "Are you ready for this?" "Yes..." He breathed "I think so..." "Good. I'd like to see you wipe the smug smirk off Tarkin's face." You half turned to shoot a look back at the elevator. "I thought you were doing a good job of that in strategy meetings yourself..." You laughed; "Oh, now, Orson honey you can't leave all the hard work to me..." He mused this, and suddenly his sigh was of discontent "What if this test fire doesn't go right..." You stopped him from walking any further; "Galen has assured you it will, has he not?" "Yes. Would you trust what he says?" "You wouldn't?" "Y/N... He's run away before..." You didn't like that doubt in Krennic’s eyes, and you gathered his face in your hands "Orson... He's not running now. It's going to work. I believe in you, and this project. And you have made yourself indispensable with this one..." You gave him a smile, and touched your forehead to his "...I always knew you would..." He took a step back to press his lips to your forehead; "Has there ever been a time you didn't believe in me?" You gave a wink "No. So you go prove me right; you're doing an impeccable job of that so far!" He bowed gently with a smile of his own to your praise; "Thank you." "No, thank you." "For what?" "In advance. For hitting Tarkin where it hurts." "Oh," Krennic was weary, "He'll still talk, you realise that..." You blew out a breath; "I'm a General too, what can he possibly say." "Well, as long as your integrity is intact..." "Mine is hardly whose we should be worrying about..." You nudged him playfully "Enjoy your test fire on Jedha... I wish I could see it for myself - however I have an important meeting with-" "I know... You're needed on Coruscant... I'm escorting you to your ship... And I don't wish to make you late... General." "I shall be home to hear all about it, my darling." He smiled gently again, "I wish you could be there too..." You gave your best smile back, this wasn’t about you… "You go rule the world, Orson Krennic. You were made for this." "I hope you're right." "I am." You kissed him gently, turning to walk up the ramp to your craft; "...And like I said. You're the most important man in that room, don't listen to any of his nonsense. And don't take it." "...What, do I threaten him with you?!" You winked, amused; "Please do just that." "Nothing would please me more." "F**k all of them, that's what I say. By the end of the day, Director Krennic, the galaxy will know your name." He gave a nod "It'll only be worth it if they hear it from you..." You chuckled; "Oh, no. Not when you say my name as loud as I'm going to make you..."

** You were surprised to return from your meeting first. But it didn’t bother you, you had asked people to keep you out of the know – but it was a little hard for people to contain their excitement. So, you had high hopes. If it had gone well, then Krennic would be out celebrating and you were content to let him do just that before he returned to you. That didn’t mean it made you any less happy to hear your door open for him. You tried not to run across the floor in your own excitement; “How did the test fire go babe?!” The look on his face was agitated, making yours instantly fall; “Did... did it not work?!” You were poised to mainly damn Galen to hell. But Krennic shook his head; “No... it works. Its power is... immeasurable. It’s beautiful... Y/N...” He shook his head again, and the look in his eyes said it was clearly even better than he expected; “What it can do... the destructive potential.... the rebellion will be brought to its knees...” “But?” You finished, concerned, knowing it was coming “...They took it from me.” Your face fell even more and your arms dropped from being folded; “What-?!” “Tarkin. Took it from me.” You opened your mouth but you didn’t even know what you could say to make the situation better.

Krennic headed across your room and straight for the whiskey, which meant this was only one kind of bad. Trust Tarkin to completely ruin the evening you wanted to have... Apparently the woes didn’t end for him just there, though. “...And now I have been summoned to a meeting with Lord Vader...” “SHOOT! Orson!! What happened-?!” He gave a shrug, shooting his whiskey straight and pouring another “-Want one?” “…If this calls for it.” Oh, another evening on the couch, then! He poured you a glass and you instinctively both sat, “They’re saying the pilot who defected was sent from Eadu.” Your eyes widened; “You can’t think this was Galen-!?” “Who else would it be?” His voice was bitter and you didn’t like it – betrayed by his best friend, again? Though you bit your lip at the thought, Krennic hadn’t offered him much of a choice to come back. After all this time it might well have been – but you didn’t think you could exactly call yourself surprised. “Oh baby, I’m sorry.” “So I’m heading out there too.” “Why?!” “Because I have to know – and I will be expected to deal with it. Then I suppose I ought to respond to this summon…” He finished his glass again and put it down.

Groaning, Krennic tipped his head back, and stretching his body out closing his eyes. “For now, though…” He left that sentence unfinished, and you continued to sip from your glass and watch him – choosing to remain in that position. You knew what he was probably thinking, and you weren’t having that. Putting your glass down decisively, you shifted your body to straddle him. By the time his eyes snapped open, your lips already hovered over his and you didn’t even let him voice his question before you kissed him. Hard enough to have him elicit a growl, slow enough to pull him back to you, and tender enough for him to respond by winding his arms around your body. And you thought maybe this would work. When you broke apart his eyes searched yours; “…Y/N…What are you...?” “Director…” you bit your lip, “Don’t question it, just let me make you feel better…” **** Scarif was a beautiful planet. And you supposed the past tense was now correct, as you stood on your bridge looking out at the scene unfolding before you. Shit. Orson! What did you get yourself into NOW!? Usually you loved having to come out here to the records. There was so much to learn here, and you could spend a couple of days on the beach too for good measure. Gaining as much knowledge as you could possibly about both the Empire and the galaxy, led you to become as good as you were now. And you passed all you could onto your partner in the intelligence bureau. And the information you gained from him. Heck! What wasn't worth knowing!? You'd persuaded Krennic to come with you a couple of times, but for him it was a little out of the way. And at the time not all that useful... Only, now, he was down there all alone. And it was a War Zone.

You stared at the planet for a few seconds longer than you ought to have, and your assistant – Jarod - now severely up-ranked to stand beside you on the bridge, had to pull you back to the issue at hand; "Your orders, General?" You swivelled in place for a moment and took a deep breath; "Focus on the rebel ships, aim for their weapon systems first. Keep your eyes on the shield, as long as it remains up the fleet isn't getting through. And it looks bad enough down there. Until they need ground support, we focus here and do our part!" They all nodded and the siren rang out across the ship for battle stations. You took another deep breath, and paced for a minute in front of the main viewing window. As long as the shield remained up, he was safe from an aerial assault... But how could you protect him from what was down there...?

You turned again and headed straight for your communications team; crouching down you called upon your most trusted; "Sayra..." She turned to you; "General..." "I know that shield is up, but please try everything you can to contact Director Krennic, or his ship..." "Yes M'am..." "When you do patch him through to my coms." "I think we could bypass the shield using the generators own coms system, it might be patchy." "I trust you, just get him to me."

You walked back to the window Jarod in tow; "You're worried..." "Am I showing it?" "Your focus may be here, but your heart is there... You could take a small ship and go down..." You turned to him, giving a sharp look "What, and give the rebellion a small window of opportunity whilst the shield is down -!? That would put him in more danger, I will not risk that." "...Y/N..." You turned back, watching the TIE fighters swarm with the X Wings, as they continued to shoot at the gate; the structure could take hits, but if they continued to weaken it all hell would break loose. You turned back to your command center - "Get our fighters out there, protect that shield gate at all costs..." "Weapon systems are down on several rebellion ships general-!" You gave a firm nod; "Then get them out of the sky..."

There was a sudden beep to your communicator and you turned back to Sayra, she gave a gentle nod - you tapped it; "General, I have managed to patch a signal strong enough to get to his ship..." "Put me through, Sayra, thank you..." "General L/N." You knew the voice well enough to be his pilot. "Where is Director Krennic?! This is urgent!" "He's up in the main communications tower - M'am... Can I get him a message?" You sighed, what part of urgent didn't these idiots understand?! "No, but you can use your ship coms to get my signal to the main tower..." "Oh... Certainly!" There was a crackle and you rolled your eyes, half these men needed whipping into shape at the very least. If they were your officers… "General L/N!" There was a sound of surprise; "Where are you calling from!?" "I don't know if you realise that you're in the middle of a war zone down there, Commander, but you should see it from up here! We're keeping the rebel forces at bay as best we can, but I'm worried about the durability of your shields..." "They will hold General, just keep them off!" "Oh I will. I need something from you, though." "Of course! What may we help you with?" "Please get me Director Krennic, tell him it's urgent..." "Oh." "OH!?" You didn’t like that one bit! "The Director left a short while ago with his troopers - The Garrison was deployed and he-" You didn’t even wait for him to finish; "GET ME ON HIS CHANNEL IMMEDIATELY!" "General-!" Though his protest was meek at best "I SAID NOW, COMMANDER!" "Yes... M- M'am... Standby..." You tried to take a deep breath to calm down. Trying to be the f**king Hero now Orson!? Why can't you just stay in damn place when I need you to-!?

Twisting back to your control panel, you attempted to further improve the signal that Sayra was already boosting. Even just a little more might do it - but Krennic's personal communication system cutting through all that noise? That was likely impossible. And it was only made worse by a Lieutenant sprinting towards you. And you already weren’t in your best mood. "What?" You muttered to yourself, walking calmly to meet his run. "G- General! General! General!" "Yes, spit it out-!" His face was white; "I-I don't think… I should… It's just come over from the Excelsior for you..." He handed you the paper, encrypted from Tully. All it said was D.S. Your expression mirrored your Lieutenants. You turned back to Sayra "Get the Excelsior, keep trying for the Director too..." "Yes M'am!" She scrambled around; "...Tully. On Main." You ran back to your main viewing screen again, paper still in hand; "Tully tell me this isn't happening!" "On route, they're preparing to jump. They know Krennic is there, Y/N..." "SHIT!" It was about the most unprofessional you'd ever been; "And what!?" "Get him out of there, Y/N! Takin won't hesitate - when that ship arrives, he's gonna blow Scarif out of existence! HURRY!"

You turned to Sayra "DIVERT ALL NON-ESSENTIAL POWER TO COMS! GET THAT MAN ON THE LINE IF ITS THE LAST THING YOU DO!" You knew your panic was doing your talking for you, and you didn’t like ordering your subordinates like this. You hoped they would understand and forgive you… For a moment you bit your lip apologetically. Flicking your eyeline, and all your attention, back to the battlefield - doing your best to make sure you didn't send your entire crew into disarray. (Whilst also trying not to keep turning impatiently to your communications officer to see if she'd managed it yet). The ship rocked as she was hit with powerful beams of energy. Well, shields were necessary... You couldn't start draining power from there. It was unlikely anyone was about to let you lose your head over this.

** You were jumping from station to station to make sure morale remained high despite the inexplicable chaos all round you. All you were supposed to be was a niche architectural engineer... Turned out, you were pretty good at commanding people too, as you'd learned in recent years. Which is how you'd got this far. He'd be here if he didn't still cause trouble... You wanted to curse Krennic for that, but with him on Scarif and you here you didn't dare. You were nervous about the amount of fire that gate was still taking, but you quickly realised something else. Whilst it was still up, no one was getting off that planet either... Why is it always the rock and the hard place-!? And the arrival of that damned Death Star was about to make things a whole lot more complicated.

You whirled around as, even when quiet, Sayra's voice cut through everything; "Director!? No - Director! Wait stay on the line, I need to hand you to our General-!" You sprinted back to your platform and couldn't press the coms link quick enough; "KRENNIC!?" Your cry of his name was of relief. The line was bad - but it was almost a miracle. And if you thought it looked like chaos down there, listening to it didn't give you much hope either. "Y/N!?" There was a long pause; "Where are you!?" "Above you trying to keep these damn Rebels from getting down there!" "Bit late I'd say-!" His sarcasm was unhelpful. "LISTEN TO ME! We don't have time for this!" Orson sounded just as impatient with you; "No. We don't!" "KRENNIC-!" There was another pause and when you thought he might actually listen; you took a deep breath; "Tarkin is on the way with your little project... If he gets here, he will blow Scarif to pieces, and you better believe he will not give a damn that you are still down there - GET OFF THAT PLANET!" "Do you UNDERSTAND what's going on down here-!? They're stealing the plans, Y/N! GOD knows what the rebels can do with that information!!! Galen did something a lot more than just send messages, I'm sure of it." "Are you f**king LISTENING to me!? Don't you DARE make me pull rank!" There was another pause; "I need to stop them!" "NO! YOU NEED TO SURVIVE." "Y/N-!" "ORSON CALLAN KRENNIC!" You hit your control panel with your fist - which made the entire bridge quiet for a minute - you drew a breath to control your anger for the second time; "You do not have time-!!" His communication cut for a second, and then fizzed back "Standby." The line went dead. "FOR F**KING WHAT!?!"

For him to call back was the answer - and you were nervously watching the horizon by that time - running coded messages between yourself and the Excelsior. If Tully could hold his ex-boss off in any way possible, you would be grateful. But before long you knew you'd be in need of the weapon - even if you hated to admit it.

"We have a problem." "DIRECTOR! Those are not the words I want you to say-!" He sighed; "...Well, I'm back to my ship!" "AND!?" "It's... Look, even if that Shield comes down - which if it does we’re nearly all as good as dead down here, you realise that?! - but without it down, Y/N, you know I'm also stuck here!" An electronic buzz made you wince, but the renewed signal strength let you know you were now patched directly into Krennic’s ships coms; "...Can I take down the tower myself?!" "We both know you have no fire power on that thing." "...Eh, I wish you didn't." There was tapping as he keyed vital information in; "Y/N - If I get this thing off the ground... It'll be miracle enough... It will NOT make it through space to your ship..." "...I have an idea." "Y/N..." "Just trust me-!" Orson knew immediately you were going to ask them to put the shield down; "...Y/N..! That's insane!" You scowled; "Shut up and let me pull rank!" "Y/N! The Empire-!" "I don't give a damn right now - I give a damn about you. Take off, and wait for me." "I will not get this thing through atmosphere." He repeated. And you just had to trust maybe his judgement was right, even if you hoped this was Krennic typically overreacting. "No. You won't. But if you can get it to the Shield, I'll meet you there." "You're supposed to be commanding a navy vessel." "...Yeah. And you're supposed to be celebrating Jedha still." That shut him up for a minute. Realising you weren’t going to back down on this, Orson swallowed; "Be careful." "...And you. No games Krennic. I want you there." There was a 'hmph' of discontent, but your partner agreed anyway; "I'll get there..."

"Are you insane!?" Your assistant ran after you down to the landing bays; "You're gonna kill yourself for that man!" "If I don't do something then he dies anyway - and then I might as well be..." You snapped back, perusing the craft as quick as your feet could carry you, until you selected one that was light and fast moving. "That will not sustain many hits from-!" You glowered at Jarod to cut him off. “This was YOUR idea!” “Yes, it was when Tarkin wasn’t about to bring the battle-” "Will you stop! If my own ship can't defend me out there, we all deserve to die. Keep track of me. That’s an order." "Yes M'am." Your piloting skills hadn't ever been fantastic; besides the basics you had needed to complete your cadet training here. But you figured you could get yourself to the shield at Scarif and back pretty quick. Luckily you still had a score of unscathed TIE fighters, that you could have move around you in sporadic patterns, to keep you well protected until you made it to the generator... First thing was to call them up. "Shield gate team, this is General L/N on route to your location - requesting you open that barrier upon my approach for extraction, you may close upon my entry but you will also need to reopen upon my exit, do I make myself clear?" The responded instantly; "No can do, General." If it wasn’t obvious, you weren’t taking that for an answer; "On whose authority?!" "Our own...! If we open that barrier for even a second, those X Wings will be all over us." "What are the AT-ATs for then?! Honestly, am I the only one who paid any attention to any military strategy. Let me though." "We can't." "Because your superior officers say so-!?" There was enough of a silence for it to be admittance "Currently I'm the most senior ranked officer on this battle field, and I certainly outrank your on-planet commanders. In fact, I outrank the most senior officer on that damn planet at the moment. Do not make me report this one higher up the chain!" They held firm; "I'm sorry General, no can do." "LISTEN. You will be sorry in a minute. I have no qualms putting a hole in that gate myself if that's what it takes. But I'd rather you didn't make me do that." Again, there was dead silence as they tried to work out if your downright serious tone was just that. Might you be stripped of rank? Probably. Would you put the Empire in jeopardy? More than likely. Was Krennic worth it? Absolutely.

"...G...General that would..." "I'm aware, so what's worse, a few X-Wings that I'm sure you're apt at dealing with, or the whole damn rebellion!?" "...We..." Quiet once more. Your ship by this time was just about hovered over the center of the circular blue energy, and you were trying to ignore, once more, the chaos outside your viewing port. "Good. We're on the same page, now let's try that again shall we... Open. The damn. Shield." It was hardly enough for your ship to fit through - and you cursed them for that; running your accelerator harder than you perhaps should have, you entered Scarif’s atmosphere. It made you sad, to see those once gorgeous beaches now scarred from fighting. It would get worse. That shield would be down... The rebels would get through...

You couldn't care less right now. ** You were careful to keep your shuttles course steady, and wearily eyed the X-wings streaming past you, two or three made it through, but none more than that. Luckily, they were more concerned with the battle below, than two little ships with barely any weaponry.

Speaking of little Imperial ships you knew what you were looking for; an outclassed, now obsolete vessel, that Krennic had insisted on keeping even when advised otherwise by the builder. (That sounded about right.) But what you found, hovering not even at atmosphere, was a twisted mess. How the wings were keeping it stable you didn’t know - pieces were missing all over the place, and the battle damage was deep. It didn’t surprise you that he’d wondered how the hell he was supposed to get it off the ground. At this point, even you weren’t sure how Krennic had managed.

Down here, coms to him were at least a lot easier; “...What the hell happened?!” “I don’t know if you’ve realised there’s a war breaking out down there! Everything imperial is a target!” “...Well... I was going to tow you back to the Resolution, but looking at that it’ll fall apart before we make it!” “It’s falling apart now!” Krennic already sounded pretty exasperated, “Y/N, Darling, I will not get this any further into atmosphere in the condition it’s in - I’ve already got this far ignoring every pressure sensor that’s going haywire...” He left a pause, and all you could hear was the wailing background noise of possibly a million warning lights, telling Orson his craft wasn’t going to hold. “I’m dead in the air. I’m lucky it will even hover here...” “Well I’m not leaving you!!!” “I won’t allow you to die for me, Y/N, do you understand!? And if you dare pull rank-!” You were intent on ignoring him, and allowed your shuttle to descend slowly to his; “No! Get out of here while you still can!” “I just told you, I’m not leaving you...!” As you pulled alongside him you kicked the shuttle into autopilot; “I have an idea...”

You could see Krennic fairly clearly through your viewing window, and he looked pretty pissed off with you. (Probably rightfully, but you weren’t conceding that.) “If the Death Star gets here - you’re not dying at the hands of my own project!!!” “Will you shut up for once and let me save your life!?” He glared at you, “And how do you propose to do that!?” “Put your ship on autopilot...” He hesitated. “Krennic!” “…I’m not gonna like this, am I...” “Maybe not.” You admitted “But if I can’t tow you back, there’s going to have to be an extraction of some kind... Only we both know we don’t have time to go down to the planet’s surface to do it, so-” “You what-!?!” He sounded about as impressed with the idea as you expected, “...You’re going to have to jump for it.” “...in MIDAIR!?” Yes; definitely impressed, “Y/N, tell me you’re kidding!?” “You got a better idea, Director, I’d love to hear it!!” There was silence again, and you knew he was trying to calm himself down before he responded - but there was probably a lot of swearing going on in that cockpit right now. “Fine. But I don’t know how long this autopilot will maintain itself.” “...If you’re quick hopefully long enough...!”

Taking autopilot back off, you aligned your ship with his, as close as you could get to be safe, and create the minimal distance he would have to jump. It was still a pretty big gap, but you couldn’t think of how else you would be able to save him. And you only had one shot at this last-ditch effort. In the back of your mind was the ticking timebomb that was the approach of the Death Star. If you didn’t pull this off before it appeared, you’d both perish here. You had checked the pressure, and it was safe, but it was unlikely that you had much time. Especially with his shuttle in the condition it was in. You just hoped everything on his ship would work, and give Krennic the few precious seconds he needed to make the leap. Opening the doors up you took a deep breath and walked to the edge. Wind instantly caught your hair and clothes; tugging and teasing, and you realised, stupidly, this might be harder than anticipated. He’s going to rip into me if he makes it, that’s for sure...

The cargo doors opened a little slower on his ship than you expected, which you weren’t sure you liked, either, considering how little time you had. But, he was standing there waiting when they finally did. The freezing air caught Orson too, and it took a little while for him to regain speech. When he did, he judged the space between the ships and then looked to the ground below. Krennic swallowed hard, if he mistimed this he was as good as dead - if he didn’t take the leap it would be the same outcome. Still, he found time to glare at you; “THIS IS INSANE! YOU’RE INSANE!!” You sighed, yup, this is what you were going to get instead of thanks... “Will you just JUMP, DAMMIT!!!” He eyed the gap again and shook his head, there was no way he would have the momentum to reach you, he needed to make the one chance he had count, and it would not be from where he was standing. “What do you mean NO! Krennic! Please!!!” You were desperate, “We don’t have time to dawdle here!!” For one thing you were both imperial targets and whilst doing this complex piece of manoeuvring both ships were stationary. You couldn’t have been easier to shoot out of the sky.

He took a few good paces back, still shaking his head. This was so stupid; you were both going to end up killed. If you’d have listened to him, you’d be safe. Only Orson would have to lose his life. You might grieve but you would move on, he knew... Now he had the weight of your life in his hands. And he couldn’t stand to think about being responsible for killing you too. For a moment - with him still seeming to refuse to do it and backing away - fear struck you. Was he about to turn back to his controls and tell you to go on without him? If he was, he should know you’d be much more willing to die together than let him do this to himself...

Krennic stopped once more, and his eyes squeezed shut. Again, moments felt like hours you still didn’t have! and the last thing you needed was to panic, but he almost had you doing so. You took your own deep breath to swallow it; you needed a calm level head. You could panic later. Like if you need to pilot you ship to catch him, for example... When his eyes reopened, it was with a renewed focus. And a little unnerving as it was on you. He took a heavy breath that moved his shoulders; and suddenly you realised why he’d taken so many steps back.

Krennic ran for it, and even then he didn’t think he could possibly make it. You took steps forward yourself, as many as your ship would allow you to, until with your outstretched hand you were practically hanging out of it. As his feet left his own ship and he reached for you, everything seemed to (literally) hang in midair. A weird pause in time where every single sense was heightened. It finally felt like your heart hadn’t stopped, along with time, when Orson’s hand found yours. Although his momentum meant that not only did he reach your ship - he also had the two of you flying back to hit the metal flooring; and none too softly.

You looked over his uniform in the moment it took for both of you to catch your breath; “Have you been shot!?” He scowled, “WE DON’T HAVE TIME FOR THIS EITHER!!!” Even now Krennic was still going to yell at you. You were about to point out that you’d just saved his life, but the air was split by the sound of buckling and twisting metal, and it caused you both to look up. Somehow the rebels had managed to run a Star Destroyer through the shield gate, and the circular barrier was falling to pieces out of the sky; You grasped his hand, scrambling with him back to the controls, “We don’t have time for much of anything right now-!” “That’s not yours is it?!” You scoffed “As if!” Though you didn’t know if your ship would be able to withstand whatever the rebellion had done; “Besides, we’re over there!” You waved your hand – fingers dancing across the controls to get you both moving again. He looked at you wearily; “This is gonna be one of your masterclasses in piloting again isn’t it...” “Shut up!” As if this man had time enough to sarcastically sass you; “I’m saving your life!” “Dubious...” He turned back to the window, “At least tell me there are shields on this thing.” “Don’t worry...” you flicked the switch; “I came prepared, Director.” Even in the middle of a life-threatening situation, that moniker still made him smirk. “They gonna get us through that-!?” “I think so.” “Are your piloting skills?” “Uhm. Unclear!” He shot you a look; “So I just did death defying acrobatics for nothing!?” “Not if I can do this!” “Geez, I might as well die here...” You smacked his arm, and concentrated hard on your manoeuvring; “I did NOT come all this way to have us both die!” ***

It was a mess; desperately trying to avoid the Rebel fleet swarming in to help their ground troops save the day, and also their own fire at your little escaping ship. Luckily your shuttle was heavy duty and could take a fair few hits; or Orson’s concerns would be warranted. The cold dark of space would not exactly be your preferred way to go, you had to admit. Luckily the Resolution had picked up your signal, and was moving closer to the planet. A little too big to be taken out by most of the little Rebellion ships. Still, she had sustained heavy damage and you stared, horrified, at the marks that peppered more than just her paintwork. Looks like you might be spending a little while on repairs and maintenance.

Suddenly Krennic’s hand clamped hard on yours, “Y/N...” his attention was drawn to something on your far left. Your head turned, as your little ship beeped in warning at the unfathomable dimensions hurtling towards Scarif from hyperspace. And then there it was. You’d never beheld the finished construction. Of course, you’d seen many a plan on numerous occasions and been walked through it in great detail. The once or twice Krennic had invited you to see the spectacle of its construction at Geonosis, but you hadn’t been there for the test fire... so you’d never seen it at full potential.

“Orson...” you whispered, “Tell me we’re going to make it out of this...” “Single reactor ignition, yes...” Well, probably. He shook his head slowly, “If they use the full power of the weapon, I can safely say we may be blasted into oblivion.” Well, you turned back to your controls, you didn’t like that thought. Frantically pushing every non-essential system into your engines; you jet rocketed towards the safety of your larger vessel. You didn’t dare look back; Krennic couldn’t help his morbid curiosity.

As you touched down and opened the door to your shuttle, Krennic shot to the shielded open door of your hangar bay - just in time to watch the green laser ignite the sky, and then Scarif itself. You sprinted after him, still aware he had been shot at, and you hoped Orson knew he wasn’t getting away with not seeking necessarily medical attention. The vibrant colour from the laser was reflected in his eyes as you supported his weight on your shoulder. They were wide - watching Scarif detonate like that. You knew that he had to see the end of this, he’d been there for the beginning. In an intense flash the explosion drew itself towards the atmosphere of the paradise planet; In the complete silence of space it actually looked fairly stunning… And you felt a little sick admitting it to yourself. Paradise no more. “Oh my god...” you breathed, “is that what happened to Jedha!?” He nodded “Mmm hmm...” but then swallowed, thinking about how that could have been him, too. Without you. “... It is considerably less beautiful watching it from here...” You nodded yourself; how many lives were ending right now!? How many archives and data... were lost forever? You understood the need to keep the weapon safe, but had they?! You didn’t know. Did anyone know...? Maybe if you got back to your command post you’d find out... Suddenly you found yourself unable to watch anymore; you closed your eyes, burying your head in his arm. You felt like crying, glad that you had more resolve than that. Not just because of what you had just gone through, but because you knew what Krennic would now go through because of this. Both self-inflicted and otherwise… it was the otherwise you dreaded to think about.

You released him quickly, and began your walk away, hurridly; “I need to get back upstairs...” “Go, I’ll follow.” “NO!” You turned to Orson harshly, “You’re going to medical, right now. I’ll report back.”

So you left him, and when you returned to the bridge everyone was still - watching the resulting explosion. There wasn’t a sound but your boots as you walked to the view screen. “...My god...” It looked considerably worse from this perspective. “Your... partner... he built...” Your assistant turned to you, face pale; “He built a planet killer...” “He did...” you shook your head, unable to fathom quite what your eyes were beholding; “Then they took it from him... and destroyed our own base...” “To stop the rebels.” “And did it work!?” His head shake was solemn as he turned back to Sayra. “Report, Lieutenant!” Your louder voice broke the silence, and everyone still watching Scarif jumped to attention. She stammered; “We- we believe the rebel fleet may have the plans!” “And where does that leave us!?” “...Well. There’s not a trace of anything down there any more is there!” Jarod swallowed, “...It will take them years to find a way to beat something like that...” You squinted out the window, remember something Krennic had disclosed to you a lot earlier in the process. Could he trust Galen? What exactly had Erso done? Why had he sent the pilot? Why be so desperate to get here..?

Had anyone found out the answer to those questions? Or was Scarif sacrificed to make sure no one ever did?

You continued to watch the planet, eyes suddenly burning. With tears and rage - you realised right then and there what had been lost. And more importantly, what you could have lost. You turned to Sayra, “Sayra, please, get me permission to board the Death Star, now.” You wasted no time getting to the elevator “Wh- Where are you going!?” “Medical.”

Luckily Orson wasn’t that in need of attention, and was just told to rest up when they’d finished the examination. You were thankful, the last thing you needed was to worry about his life any more than you already did. But the intercom beeped to let you know that Tarkin had accepted your self-invitation to the Death Star, and you left Krennic quicker than he could stop you. Which meant he relentlessly chased you down the corridors back to your shuttle... “Y/N-! I think-!” You weren’t about to hear this either; “You are staying here!” He caught you up; “Well- where are you going-!?” “Your f**king project!” Krennic was hoping you wouldn’t say that; “Why?!” “Because my f**king rank bar says I can!” He didn’t like this one bit, if you were really intent on going over there, then he should go too. Like you’d just stated, it was once his project; “But- Y/N, don’t you think I should c-!” You opted to pull rank, instead of accept his offer; “That’s an order, Director.”

You made sure he’d taken enough steps back to not partake in any more stunning acrobatics, that would land him on your ship before you let your assistant take off. “You’re crazy. You know. I thought going to Scarif was stupid – but this!?” You narrowed your eyes at him, thinking he ought to be thankful you let your officers speak so freely; “What are you gonna do!? You’re not exactly friends, asking to board the Death Star is like asking for a death sentence...!” Then again, Jarod had been your assistant for a very long time, so he probably was about the only person able to sensibly talk you down from anything. Not this, however. “The one thing about making yourself indispensable is exactly that. What’s he gonna do, Jarod? Point that laser at the Resolution...!?” He raised an eyebrow, unfortunately willing to entertain the idea; “…We have announced ourselves accounted for?” There was a silence, and you looked across to him from checking on Krennic again – now backing towards the hangar exit, eyes still on your craft; “Fancy having to have a contingency against your own side...” you shook your head, “I’ll make sure the bridge has every detail logged, Jar, you just get me there.”

He did, and to your annoyance Tarkin didn’t even have the decency to meet you himself. You grumbled, but not nearly as bad as your partner would have. He’s testing me of course. But if he thinks riling me up further will give him any kind of high ground, Tarkin should probably be aware it’s the low ground I intend to take.

You were escorted directly to the bridge, where you found Tarkin meticulously going over data. What had been lost to the rebellion - and every little thing he wanted accounted for. You almost laughed. After what he’d just done!? He turned to you; “Ah, General L/N... to what do I owe the pleasure? I trust you have brought your battle report with you!?” “You will have my report when I’m damn well ready to send it to you, and not a minute sooner. We have a lot to recount, Tarkin. I must make sure not a detail is missed.” You stopped in front of him, close enough, feet firmly planted. His intimidation had never worked on you and it wasn’t going to work now. “As sure as I am you will make sure to get everything correct, General, it would be best to leave some details just as secret as Jedha city, don’t you think? A simple accident, or act of war by the rebellion will do. No need to cause unnecessary panic.” Just propaganda instead. You shook your head, glaring; “How could you even think-!? Do you have any idea what the Empire has just lost down there-!? How many lives have you just wasted?! How much data, and archives that we will never ever get back, have you blown out of existence to stop the rebellion getting their hands on this!?” You folded your arms; “You said it to Krennic yourself, if this pilot did or didn’t act alone... There could be many people out there that know everything; so we blew up a strategic base for what!? If you think I’m going to lie in my report for you of all people, you are sadly mistaken.” It was unfortunate that Tarkin gave as good as you wanted to give; “If the Director hadn’t have let the breaches happen in the first place, I wouldn’t have had to waste imperial lives to keep it secret.”

You took the step - and all your energy went behind your fist. “How dare you!?” You spat, “Those were good men and women! Don’t you dare drag Krennic into this!!! I know you knew he was there. You’d have killed him too - and I know that wouldn’t have been anything to do with keeping this f**king station a secret.” It was a hard, good hit - and everyone on the bridge gasped, and then froze, to create an eerie silence you couldn’t help but revel in. How often did this happen if Tarkin wasn’t creating it himself? “You took his life’s work from him, and then you were going to murder him with it. You think I’m not going to do something about that-!? Scarif is just insult to injury!” You took a breath and then ripped in some more; if he thinks I’m anywhere NEAR finished! “What else has been lost down there or almost lost down there - and at what COST, Tarkin??!! What have you cost the Empire doing what you’ve just done!?” The answer was clearly not nothing - with so many rebels, who knows whom was on planet that you could have captured and questioned. Well, not anymore...

Had the files really got out!? Then all that Tarkin had done was cause the loss of far, far, far more than just necessarily. Senselessly. And your lover had nearly been counted among that number. Hell, if you’d been a little later, maybe you would have been too. You shook that thought away quickly; but Tarkin would have loved that. Both in one laser strike? Priceless! He looked like he might actually be mad at you, so angry you might hear him yell. Just once. No snide remarks, but pure unleashed hate. Good; you didn’t want him to keep his composure. You wanted to expose Tarkin for the man he really was under all that snark. But you didn’t let him. Because you didn’t care. You were done. You shook your head and took a step back; “I never want to see your face again. Stay away from me. And stay away from him.” You glared - hard - voice now low and level, anger kept at bay in a way you knew only you could hold it; “That’s not an order, it’s a threat.”

You turned on your heel and swept from the room. Boots echoing in the continuing silence. Then you smirked; Tarkin wouldn’t dare test you. Or he’d find out exactly how powerful you really were. Sure, he was in favour with both Vader and the Emperor, but you had favours for yourself - and you didn’t see either of them coming for you in any hurry. You’d crafted all this for yourself in the hope that one day doing something reckless wouldn’t cost you a damn thing.

It pays to be indispensable, Honey. ** Jarod straightened up as he saw you stroll back into the docking bay alone. ‘What has she done now!?’ He opened the hatch for you to walk up and eyed you; “I didn’t realise that they just let you walk around in here unsupervised!” “Well-! My partner did build the damn thing-! I probably know it better than its new master.” You sat; “Back to my ship, kind Sir.” He raised a wary eyebrow; “...What did you do?” “What makes you ask..?” You stared at the radio, folding your arms “I know you, it’s radio silence on there.” “Then that’s also all you need to know.” “...I’m more worried about being grounded here!” “Well are you!?” You shot him a look; if Tarkin really wanted you to go back up and give him another slap, it would be your pleasure. “No, M’am.” At your snappy annoyance, your assistant decided it may be better just to address you formally “Good. Then I suggest we leave before we are grounded.” “So it is bad.” “Look. Jarod.” He still didn’t like your stare, or tone of voice. Any colour eyes could be icy, and yours were no exception right now; “I couldn’t give a shit if I get demoted, or completely stripped of any rank what so ever. He f**king deserved it, alright.”

You noticed how quickly he went for the controls then, and the shuttle was off the ground in no time, and flying through the debris left from the battle, towards your still stationary ship. You noticed the Resolution wasn’t the only one, and the gleaming hull of the Excelsior was pulled fairly close to yours; Tully... you smiled gently, which was all you could do, you weren’t about to look back to Scarif. You weren’t sure you could take that again just yet.

When you re-landed, after thanking Jarod for both his flying and his patience, Sayra was straight over the commlink. “Tully is sending over communiques, General.” “I’ll take it in my office Sayra, thank you.” “No problem General, I’ll patch him through...” “Do you know where our dear Director is?” “Oh... he’s on the bridge m’am.” “Oh-!” You rolled your eyes, of course he was... poking around into your command and data banks you could bet. “...Hopefully not making a nuisance of himself?” “No, m’am... he’s being fairly quiet... he does have the access key to your terminal though, and he is looking over the battle with interest...” Son of a bitch! “Of course he is!” You sighed “...Send him to my quarters, Sayra, the medical team said he needs rest after his audial.” Not that you believed that’s what it was. She of course didn’t question it; “Yes, General.”

** Tully’s hologram was waiting patiently for you when the doors to your office slid open. “General.” He greeted “General.” You nodded back, “It goes without saying that I can’t thank you enough...” “Think nothing of it, I wondered if you needed any support out here ... My ship is ready to provide any medical, or repair aid you may need.” “I thank you... but you must have your own to attend to...” You had to confess you hadn’t really paid attention to what the Excelsior looked like – just that it was there. “You were here a little longer than us, your structural damage doesn’t look entirely cosmetic.” “Thank you, Tully but you don’t have to do that...” He tipped his head in mock annoyance and disbelief, with that sweet smile he had that got him all the girls; “Come now, you don’t need to refuse my help just for your pride!” He chuckled, but you smiled sweetly back; “No, not at all General. I’m only fearful for your providing me aid, and the reaction from your ex-boss.” “Ah!” He looked to his shoes and scuffed his boot on his own ships floor; “What may you have done?” You recounted, in basic terms, what had transpired on the bridge of the Death Star. And try as he might, Tully couldn’t stay silent or neutral, and began cackling; “Oh! Y/N!! Why does this not surprise me!?” “Why indeed!” You grinned; “I’m the stoic one.” “But you don’t take any shit either. As soon as something’s off, you’re the one to point it out.” He tried to stifle his laughter; “Think you went a little far this time?” “No... but then again, perhaps. We will find out in the coming days, I’m sure...” His face was curious for a second; “Do you think you’ll get stripped of your command?” “I think I’ll get a stern slap on the wrist... I don’t see how they can demote me. Ground me, perhaps - no action and laying low for a little while. But I don’t think they can risk taking me out of this war, do you?” He grinned; “At their peril!”

After Tully insisted you at least take a little bit of his help on, you got crews working on surveying and fixing the damage. The two of you continued on, surmising the battle for yourself - which you had transcribed to make your log. Both of you agreed not to lie. The Death Star was going in the report, whether Tarkin liked it or not. However, you still insisted that Tully give you minimal assistance, he didn’t need to get involved in your personal vendetta and definitely didn’t deserve to be punished for it. As soon as you checked out of your conference call with Tully you called down to your quarters. A tired voice answered; “Yes?” “Oh. You can do as you’re told.” “Occasionally I like doing what you tell me, yes.” There was an edge to his voice that made you smirk - but you let your concern show first; “Are you okay...?” “We could have been killed, Y/N... I don’t think anything about the past few hours has hit me quite yet... how did the meeting go?” “Oh...” you breathed out as if it were nothing, “You know Tarkin.” “Indeed - which is why I ask.” “I’ll tell you about it in a minute. Sit tight, Director, I’m on my way down...”

** All you could see were miles and miles of dark sand and murky water. The viewing window of your quarters was one endless wall of just-off-rectangular glass. Like a picture window; just for the picturesque planetary views you would get to see from time to time, or to stargaze. You could lie awake all night and just watch them glow as your ship flew lazily passed. But the planet still below you was nothing like that, and the sight made your face pull into a frown, as you contemplated once again exactly what had been lost down there. Nearly every building that had been was scarcely even a twist of submerged metal now. Scarif was barely recognisable. You sighed in upset discontent, and drew the sheet you were draped in further around yourself – huddling in warmth that was not your own. You hardly registered the sound of Krennic padding over to you. Orson knew what was up, and he certainly wasn’t sure he wanted you to dwell on it. His arms wound around you, tucking your hair back as his lips grazed your bare shoulder. You laced your fingers with his, but continued your silent musing… eyes still stuck on the planet. Krennic continued his trace of kisses over your shoulder blade, and eventually you spoke; “…We should just go to some outer rim planet… Live the rest of our lives out there…” “You would miss this too much.” “…My friends, maybe. But not all this continuous political backstabbing.” “It will happen everywhere…” Orson twisted his fingers through your hair again; kissing your ear and your neck; “You’re about the only authentic thing about the Empire, you can’t leave now… they all look to you. They see hope in that – even I know…” You shook your head again; “But look what we just did…” “…Tarkin just did…” He corrected, returning comfortingly to your shoulder “But, Orson… you built it… How can… we let them all just use it to silence whoever they want? This wasn’t about just the rebellion. They didn’t even try to evacuate Imperials…” Krennic wished you would stop thinking about the Death Star, and wished even more you would stop staring at the now dead planet. “…Y/N…” instead you looked to the stars, because he couldn’t answer any of your questions either. Orson’s blue eyes watched you for a moment, lips hovering over your skin, he paused his kisses. And then figured he might have the one answer that would pull you back. “There’s a flaw in it... you know...” You finally turned your head away from the window and to him; “What-?” “The Death Star... the plans they transmitted... there’s a flaw Galen placed there...” You tipped your head, what had he been through on Scarif to find that out? “Does Tarkin know!?” “Apart from the rebellion, that information is privy to only those in this room.” You smiled almost absentmindedly as you began thinking. Gathering his hands back in yours you looked to them; “Are you going to say anything-?” “He stole it from me did he not...?” Krennic couldn’t help his grin as he kissed your neck, knowing you’d like this as much as he did; “It’s his problem now...”

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Thank you SO much for requesting annnnnd coming up with a sequel idea 💜💙 I’d totally be down for a third part just saying

@dennismitchell @happyskywhale @wltz-bby

#MendoTagSquad.

#Orson Krennic #Director Krennic #Rogue One #rogue one a star wars story #Ben Mendelsohn #Krennic #Krennic x Reader #Orson Krennic x Reader #Director Krennic x Reader #badass power couple 2 #MORE insane paragraphing #AU Lorena maybe. Though again she doesn't look like her in my head #I guess this is the r-r-r-r-r-r-r-retcon!#Cuz I decided I wouldn't not retcon it twice. It'll end up too much like Unapologetically...#She's too badass to die!#95 #I don’t care if she’d never get away with it and he outranks her! Let me have her punch Tarkin in the face dammit!!!

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