Jyn entered the back door of Club Super Nova, flushed and breathless from her run. She had been so caught up in doing other work that she didn't realize how late it was. So she literally ran through the streets of the city, dodging pedestrians and vehicles in order to get to work on time.

"Made it," she gasped in relief. She wasn't even a minute late. There was no way Carpo could be angry with her now.

She made her way down the hallway to the dressing room designated for the female employees. Upon entering, she was surprised when the girls who were already in there getting ready jumped slightly at her sudden arrival. They stared at her for a moment before realizing it was only her and going back to what they were doing.

That was strange. Usually when she arrived, it was to warm greetings or indifference. To see her fellow dancers look so alarmed and uneasy worried her. She wondered what had happened to put them on edge.

Jyn sat down on the bench in front of the mirror to do her make up for the night. Her friend Krissa, a blue Twi'lek sat beside her. When she glanced over, Jyn could see that Krissa's hands were shaking slightly as she applied her eye shadow.

"Krissa, what's going on?" Jyn whispered.

Krissa looked over at her friend, her brown eyes wide and her expression nervous. "The Imperial Military is here tonight," she replied.

Jyn felt herself get nervous when she heard that. She could see why everyone was on edge now. And they were right to be, because from what she heard the Empire was not to be trifled with. Their presence at the club was definitely going to make the evening a tough one.

"I'm scared," she heard another Twi'lek, a green one by the name of Laree, say from behind her.

Turning around, Jyn gave her a comforting smile. "Are you kidding, Laree? One look at you and the soldiers are going to have their minds blown."

Laree gave her a small, grateful smile then sat down on the other side of Jyn on the bench. "Tell us about your adventures today, Jyn," she requested.

"Come on, my life isn't that interesting," Jyn replied as she was trying to decide how to style her hair.

"Please? It will help take our minds off—things," Laree pleaded with a nervous look down at her bare legs.

A couple of the other girls had gathered around to listen in. They all lived at the club and didn't get out much. Hearing about Jyn's other work and her times spent in the city fascinated them. Carpo, their boss, had numerous times offered to let Jyn live in the club too but she refused. She liked the freedom of being able to roam the city, a freedom that would be severely limited if she stayed at the club. Carpo didn't like his girls wandering too far out of his sight.

So Jyn told them about their day. She recounted how she had been asked to smuggle some drugs on her person into a restaurant on one of the nicer parts of town. A rich man had wanted to purchase some, so the dealer Jyn worked for sometimes had instructed her to deliver them.

The girls oohed and ahhed as Jyn described the fancy outfit she got to wear to get into the restaurant. They continued to do so when she told them about the restaurant itself, and the handsome gentleman she met there. When she told them how she punched the dealer in the face for trying to cheat her, they gasped and applauded her.

"You are so lucky, Jyn," one of the girls, a blonde human named Marnie sighed wistfully.

"Yes," Krissa agreed "your life is so exciting."

Jyn clenched her jaw but refrained from arguing the point. She didn't want the life she had—it was a dangerous one. Running from law, being held at gunpoint, dealing with unsavory criminals, and being threatened daily was not a life to be coveted.

The only reason she did the things she did was to get to a better place in life. Having a mother who died and a father who left her when she was fifteen, Jyn resorted to crime. She was trying to make enough money to leave Coruscant and start over somewhere else. In a new place, she could have a better life. City living was just too difficult and dangerous for a young woman.

Before she could finish telling them about how she escaped from the dealer after punching him and taking her promised share, there was a knock on the door. The girls all froze and looked towards it as though they expected a Rancor to come bursting through any moment.

"It's me, Carpo," came their boss's voice on the other side of the door. "Are you decent? I need to come in and talk with you all."

The half-dressed girls quickly pulled on robes while Krissa got up to open the door. A short, orange alien with several green eyes on his head entered. There was a bag in his hand, which he set down beside him before turning back around. He wore nice maroon robes and a fancy, beaded hat to match. Though he was small and stout, his voice was loud and he knew how to command the attention of a room. He was tough, but treated his employees fairly. His real concern though, Jyn suspected, was with the club's business.

"Alright listen up, my beauties," he said, moving to stand in the middle of the room to get all the girls in his sights. Which wasn't hard to do since he had so many eyes. "Tonight is a very important night. As you may have heard, we got a whole bunch of them military boys in here. I know you're all probably nervous, but don't be. As long as we give 'em a good show, they'll behave just like any other customers."

"How many are there coming?" Marnie asked, her voice trembling slightly.

Carpo shrugged. "I'm expecting maybe fifty or sixty, but who knows? They're gonna be in town for a while so it won't just be tonight that they're here. Me and the boys will keep an eye on 'em. All I want you girls to worry about is making sure they enjoy themselves."

The girls exchanged nervous looks. Their job was solely to dance and entertain those in the club. However, the Empire was powerful. If the soldiers wanted more than just dancing from them then there was no refusing. They would have to do whatever they said, just to stay safe. It was not a good prospect, and Jyn saw tears in several of the girls' eyes which they struggled to hide from Carpo. She clenched her fists. This was not fair—why couldn't they go somewhere else?

"Jyn," Carpo barked at her suddenly "change of plans for you tonight."

She frowned at him, confused. "Sorry?"

He reached behind him and grabbed the bag that he had brought into the room with him. Presenting it to Jyn, he said "You're gonna wear this tonight instead of the blue outfit."

Jyn peeked into the bag. There was a silky white material inside that made her nervous. Different outfits applied to different music. And each music had its own dance to it. So tonight, she would have to do the dance that went along with this new white outfit.

"Carpo, I don't think I—"

"Now Jyn," he interrupted in a chiding tone "I know you aren't very confident in yourself, but I am. You're the Jewel of Club Super Nova, the best we have to offer. When those military boys see you dance, they're gonna be begging for an encore."

She gripped the handles of the bag tightly. "I don't even know what dance goes along with this one. This is a new outfit."

"Exactly," Carpo confirmed "it's a new piece of music that Jern composed last night."

Jyn was ready to punt him through the roof. "Carpo, how can I dance to a piece of music I don't know the dance for though?"

"You'll improvise, of course!" he boomed proudly as though this was the best idea he ever had. "This is the best idea I ever had and it's gonna blow them all away."

She closed her eyes, feeling very anxious now. Improvise? She had never done that on the stage before. She knew all the dances by heart and how to execute them perfectly. How was she supposed to create her own moves to a piece of music she had never heard before?

"Oh, and I want your make up to be light tonight," he went on, going over to the makeup counter in front of the mirror. "Hm let's see…scarlet for your lips, this shade of blue for your eyes and—ah—have Krissa draw some designs in blue next to your eyes."

With that, their boss gave his loud wishes of good luck and left the room. The girls immediately surrounded Jyn, sympathizing with her for her plight. She allowed them to lead her over to the bench while they swarmed in to help do her makeup. Jyn sat there, feeling sick and defeated. She was not looking forward to the night before her at all.

Director Orson Krennic sat at a table in the back of the club, feeling rather bored. He wished he could go back to his room at the inn to spend the evening there. However, the men needed to see their superiors there. It made the night more enjoyable if they saw the higher ups letting loose too. A morale-raiser, in a way. So even though he didn't really want to be there, he had to be. At least the drinks were good. He did enjoy relaxing and having a good drink every now and then.

While he sat there, he saw the owner of the club approaching. He had been around at least six times, checking to make sure all the soldiers were enjoying themselves. Krennic was amused by it. It was good to see that the military's presence commanded respect from the citizens.

They would be stationed in Coruscant for a couple weeks. There was business there to be done—people to be enlisted in helping them with the project. Coruscant was a good place to round up assistance, and make a good impression on the people living there. Krennic enjoyed the city and hoped their stay would prove fruitful.

"How is everything, Director Krennic?" the orange alien asked as he approached his table.

Krennic lifted his drink to him. The alcohol was making him mellow and much more good-natured than usual. "Your bartender certainly knows how to make a fine beverage, Mr. Carpo."

Carpo looked relieved at that. "That he does. Just wait 'til you see our girls perform. We got the best-looking girls on Coruscant."

Krennic suppressed a scoff. He felt like everywhere they went, club owners boasted having the best-looking women. Yet every time he saw them, he found himself bored. It was usually the same thing, skinny little Twi'leks or human girls parading around in skimpy outfits and too much makeup. Krennic had yet to see one that kept his interest.

"I'm sure they'll put on a good show," he replied, choosing to be polite instead of condescending.

The little orange alien nodded eagerly. "Oh yes, they sure will. And at the finale, you'll see the prize of my collection here—the Jewel of Club Super Nova."

"Sounds good," Krennic mumbled back before taking a long drink from his glass. His head was starting to feel fuzzy and as Carpo went on about this Jewel, he felt his attention slipping away. At least getting drunk would allow him to have a better time at the club.

The owner seemed to realize that Krennic was no longer listening because he quickly scampered off towards the door by the stage, disappearing behind it. A few of Krennic's men stopped by to ask him how he was enjoying himself too. They laughed with him upon realizing how drunk he was.

"Behave yourselves now," Krennic warned them jokingly. "I've instructed the club owner to inform me immediately if any of you get out of line."

"Don't worry sir, we'll behave," one of the underlings loudly promised him.

"I dunno, once I see these girls they keeps talking about, I might misbehave a little," said another one with a mischievous grin.

Krennic shook his head and took another drink. "Now Kratzen, this is not a brothel. If you want girls, you go down the street to Shiner's and they'll set you up. The girls here are just dancers so nobody touches them."

"I didn't know you had a soft spot for club dancers," Kratzen remarked boldly.

The Director waved him off. "I don't, but it paints us in a better light if we show respect for these people. After all, we don't want to be feared—we want to be respected."

The men nodded in understanding. It made sense, but they were still disappointed. Dancers tended to be better looking than brothel prostitutes. But the Director was right—they shouldn't do anything that would make people afraid of them. After exchanging some more light-hearted conversation with Krennic, the men took their leave and moved towards the stage to watch the upcoming dances.

Krennic finished his drink then ordered another from a passing male Twi'lek server. He was pleased that the men were enjoying themselves. They had been working hard and earned a few nights of fun. Krennic was starting to enjoy himself a little more now that the alcohol was hitting him. Perhaps tonight wouldn't be so bad after all.

Jyn looked nervously through the curtain at the waiting crowd around the stage. There were tons of Imperial soldiers there—probably about fifty or sixty as Carpo had said. Her fellow dancers were already out there performing, dancing in a group and making the men cheer and whistle with excitement.

She wished that she could dance in a group. It could be so nerve-wracking and lonely dancing solo. When she first came in for the audition to become a dancer, Carpo saw her dance and immediately hired her. He said with her combined beauty and moves, she was worth her own dance. And so, Jyn became a solo act—eventually becoming known as the Jewel of Club Super Nova.

And tonight, Jyn certainly looked the part of a jewel. The new outfit Carpo had given her to wear was white and silver. It was a bikini style, like all their costumes, but made with a white, silky material that had a silver lining and was studded with white gems. The bottom had a long white skirt attached to the silver belt. It wrapped around her back half but left the front bare and open. Her makeup was minimal, with some pretty blue spiral designs on each side of her face done with care by Krissa. To top it all off was a silver crown embedded with white gems that she wore atop her head.

"Marvelous!" Carpo praised as he approached her backstage. "You're a vision, Jyn—a real Imperial princess."

Jyn wanted to argue with him that it was a mistake to have her improvise the dance but she knew it was useless. Carpo was stubborn, and once he had made up his mind there was no changing it. So she held her tongue and waited anxiously for it to be her turn to dance.

"Good luck, Jyn," Krissa said as she went back stage when her dance had finished. She hugged her friend tightly and gave her back a gentle rub. "I know you're going to be amazing."

Her heart raced as Carpo got on stage to announce her. The way he talked her up—she absolutely could not afford to mess this up. Everyone would be expecting something amazing and she had no choice but to deliver. Taking deep breaths and trying not to shake, Jyn climbed the steps and headed out onto the stage.

The lights were bright on her, but she was used to that. It was a packed house too which was scary, but not something she hadn't seen before. The crowd fell silent when Jyn was onstage. She could hear the men muttering to one another, quietly appreciating her form and beauty.

She heard the music start, and instincts kicked in. To start off, she began to sway a little to give her some time to hear the beat of the music and decide what sort of dance to put with it. Fortunately, it sounded a bit like the dance she wore a green outfit for. So she went with some moves for that. The stage was large and went outwards into the crowd like a runway. While she danced, Jyn made her way down it so that the men could see her from all angles. It was a little embarrassing, being ogled at when her body was only minimally covered. But it made her money and it brought in business, so she put on the best show she could.

Her body moved to the music, almost entirely instinctually. There was no plan, so she did whatever moves she thought worked best with the music. She made them sexy, seductive, just what the crowd liked to see. She used the skirt to her advantage, making it twirl around her to give her form an extra bit of grace to it.

Though everything was unplanned and purely improvised, the men loved it. They cheered and whistled for her as she moved. Jyn began to feel better as the dance went on, seeing as she was succeeding in creating an enjoyable show. Carpo's idea had been a risky one but it seemed to be paying off. If the military was happy with their club then it could benefit them greatly.

As she made her way to the end of the stage, a man sitting at a table in back caught her eye. Normally, she didn't focus on faces in the crowd while she danced but this one captured her attention. He was older than her, with grey hair and a rugged, attractive look to him. She wasn't sure why she was stuck on him—perhaps because she usually kept her focus on the back wall of the club and that's where he was sitting.

His attention was completely on her and he seemed captivated by what he saw. Jyn kept her eyes on him as she moved, and when they met his she smiled and winked at him. He seemed a bit taken aback by that at first but then his lips pulled upwards into a returning smile. He wore a white shirt with a high collar that was buttoned all the way up and black pants, boots, and gloves. He also had a white cape that was slung over the chair beside him. Jyn wasn't sure who he was, but he looked important.

In a way, she felt like she was starting to direct her dance moves towards him. After all, their eyes were locked on one another to make it feel more personal. Knowing better than to show favoritism, Jyn turned away from him and began to make her way back down the runway. She felt a warmth in her cheeks as his intense gaze was still burned into her memory. The way he looked at her…it was unlike any look she'd ever received before. It stayed with her, even when she tried hard to push it out and focus on the dance.

Fortunately, the music died down and Jyn finished with a pose that made the men go wild. They clapped, cheered, and whistled for her. She was pleased, but still distracted by the man in back. Squinting through the light, she could see that he had gotten to his feet and was clapping for her along with the rest. His gaze was still locked on her.

Jyn smiled and blew a kiss to the crowd. After her bow, she turned and walked off stage. The other dancers met her and she was given hugs, pats on the back and congratulatory words. It was a huge relief to be off the stage. She did it. She improvised a dance and pleased the entire Imperial military.

Back out in the club, the men were calling for an encore. Jyn was grabbed by Carpo and instructed to quickly go change into the lilac outfit. Relieved to be allowed to do a dance she knew, Jyn hurried back to the dressing room to change while Carpo went out to inform the crowds that the Jewel of Club Super Nova would return after a short break.

As she changed, she thought about the man in the back some more. She wondered who he was in the military ranks and if she would be seeing him again after the show. Perhaps he would use his high rank, if he was highly ranked, to get close to her. Carpo had promised the girls they wouldn't have to give themselves to any of the military men, but what if the man decided he wanted her? He could bend the rules, if he really wanted to, and there wouldn't be much they could do to stop him. Jyn hoped that wasn't the case. Though she found him attractive, she didn't think she was ready for something like that just yet.

Krennic continued staring at the stage, even after the girl had gone. Watching the other dancers had bored him, but when the one in white and silver had come on—he couldn't look away. Never before had he seen someone so elegant, so beautiful, so tempting. He'd watched her every move, wanting her more and more as the dance went on. And when she'd looked at him and winked…

He reasoned that it was probably the alcohol messing with his head. It was making his feelings stronger, making him want her more than he would if he hadn't been drinking. That didn't change the fact that as he sat there, he imagined the Jewel of Club Super Nova in all sorts of compromising positions with him. He burned for her, wanted her so badly he nearly got up to go backstage himself.

Krennic checked himself despite his current state of mind. Though he was drunk, he had to calm down. As he had told his men, the dancers were off limits. Just as they wanted the Empire to be respected, they also had to show the people respect. And besides, when sober Krennic respected women and treated them well. After all, he worked with a number of women on the Empire's project.

Carpo announced the girl would be returning for an encore dance. Krennic took a deep breath and another drink from his glass. He was tempted to slip into the bathroom and dump some cold water down his pants. After all, if these feelings kept up he was sure that it was about to get very uncomfortable down below. Resolving to keep calm and push the feelings away, Krennic clutched his glass and waited for the girl to make her reappearance.