AN: A STAR WARS GAJEVY crossover fic for you, also starring the one and only Mest Gryder! And some others. This is also the very first crossover fic that I've written, so I hope no one is disappointed. This contains things from the recent Star Wars movies, really a mix of those and the original trilogy. This isn't a multi-chapter fic, rather a really long one shot divided into parts.

In Memory of Carrie Fisher.

Not gone. Merely flowing where the Force wills, invisible yet always present.

TIMES CHANGE: Hope's Tide

PART I

Striding confidently through the loud establishment's entry, his black boots clacked on the flooring. Following closely behind him was another set of footsteps, the boots creating the same menacing sound. The lighting near the walls was dim, giving off only so much light for the rest of the space, and the smoke added to the haze. It was so thick in some areas, a wave of a hand could slice through it, sending swirls to disappear into the air.

There were several handfuls of different local species in the building, all ranging in height and width, most were male -at least some were easier to tell than others- though some females could be seen with serving trays with the accessible cuisine. A few caught glimpses of the newcomers faces as they calmly walked between tables towards the back.

Finding the table he was searching for, Gajeel stopped in front of it. He stood with his back straight, his long black hair was pulled from his face with a grey headband. The black vest stood out from his white long sleeve shirt underneath it. The sleeves were rolled to his elbows. Red eyes gazed directly at the man before him. "Cassian," he growled.

The man's eyes narrowed slightly in annoyance. "It's 'Captain' Cassian."

Gajeel ignored the correction and continued as if it hadn't been said. "I need you to come with me."

"Ha," Cassian spat. "That's rich coming from a well-known smuggler. Do you know who you're talking to?"

"I'm aware." It was all he was going to give the seated man. His eyes never wavered.

"No." Cassian answered, then took a sip of the drink beside his hand. "Why should I?"

Gajeel kept silent, though a small, knowing smile crept up into his lips. His fingers itched to grab hold of the blaster pistol in the holster at his side. He wasn't in the mood to deal with the arrogant son of a bitch, though he couldn't lose his composure. "I have something that might interest you. Granted, I don't have it in my possession at the moment, but you'll want it when I do."

Cassian gave him a pointed glare. He could tell that he was serious. "Let me guess. This is some kind of ploy to get me to help you acquire something of little to no value to me, and stiff me my due for the assistance. I've worked with assholery before and barely survived with my dignity. No, thank you."

There was a growl behind Gajeel. The young man who had stood silent during the conversation now stirred. His hand rested on the blaster pistol in his own holster. The expression on his face was one of anger, though Cassian could see a flash of something else. Something had been pushed back into his recesses. Fear?

Gajeel turned his head slightly in warning, his eyes unlatching from the Captain to rest on the floor in front of his companion's feet. He held up a hand. The younger, dark haired man relented, but the apprehension in him couldn't completely be sated.

The Captain's eyebrow raised. "Interesting," he murmured.

Gajeel glanced behind him to look the man in the eye. He didn't say anything; his expression was well received as a 'shut up and stand down'.

"What's with the kid?" Cassian asked. He couldn't help himself. His interest was piqued.

"Look. I just need you to trust me."

"I have no reason to."

"Just get up off your ass and come with us," Gajeel's voice was low as he was losing his patience. The guy couldn't take a hint. "You'll want to be in on this."

Cassian considered Gajeel for a moment, lowering his head as he continued to stare at him. His gaze shifted to the man behind him. He raised his chin. "Who's that?"

"Gryder," the younger man voiced. His deep voice was similar to Gajeel's.

Now that Cassian looked at him now as he moved to stand beside his older companion, he saw that he was roughly the same height, had the same build. The same demeanor. The only differences were the eyes and the hair. Gryder's eyes were a piercing blue, and his hair was well shorter than the other's, settling to curl under his ears in a shaggy mop.

He narrowed his eyes again, then proceeded to down the rest of his drink with a flick of his wrist. He carefully stood up, aware of wandering eyes. He knew Gajeel's reputation. It was known for being reckless, and at the same time, it was a wonder if he ever failed in anything he set out to do. And this Gryder… it was just too unfamiliar. Maybe what Gajeel said was true.

"Alright. I'll come. Double cross me, however," Cassian pleasantly threatened, "And I will put a blaster hole through your money-making ugly mug."

"Likewise. Let's get." Gajeel lips turned in his replied and then turned to leave. Turning his back on someone who would rather not leave him alive was a sign of his need.

Cassian willingly followed the pair as they retraced their steps right on out the entry. Bright daylight assaulted their eyes when the door opened. They made their way at a fast clip towards the edge of town, weaving through side streets and avoiding densely populated areas, eventually arriving at their destination.

Cassian stopped in his tracks at the sight. "You've got to be kidding."

Gajeel stopped just short of the loading ramp to his cruiser. "Come again?"

"You fly… this?"

A grin spread on his face. It was a reaction the ship had always warranted; it wasn't exactly a new model. "Don't worry about it. Just get in."

Cassian's eyes roamed over the large craft. It looked like a junker, though he had witnessed other spacecrafts in seemingly less than desirable condition outmaneuver Imperial fighters with extreme ease. He cautiously boarded the large craft and followed Gajeel to the bridge.

Some sections of the passageway had missing panels, exposing the internal workings of the ship. Electrical wires were taped down. A green-domed R2 unit was plugged into one of the sockets. Its dome turned as it spied the stranger. It made a few beeps akin to a low, long but broken whistle.

"Is there something wrong with your R2?"

Gajeel grunted as he sat down before a huge dashboard spread with many controls. "No. He's unique…"

"Unique." Cassian repeated. Was it this smuggler's goal to confuse the hell out of him?

"He only works half the time."

"Why not just buy a new one?" Cassian turned his head for another look at the droid.

The green dome tried to swivel around again but it caught halfway and would go no further. The little droid furiously tried multiple times to complete the circuit. Its beeps turned from high pitched to deep in its frustration. The light on the dome flashed angrily before dimming.

Gajeel sighed. "He comes with the ship. Period."

Slowly nodding his head, Cassian puckered his lips before replying. "So you do pilot a piece of sh-"

"I wouldn't if I were you." Gryder calmly interjected. He kept his deep voice low, then sat down in one of the pilot seats and began typing in a location. His bright eyes darted towards Gajeel, who was trying not to smile as he started the ignition.

Cassian shut his mouth and simply took a seat behind the two men. He felt some comfort in the fact that he had his pistol on him, hidden under his jacket. He watched as the two of them handled the ship. Once they were in the air and past the planet's atmosphere, Gajeel flipped the ship to autopilot, directing the craft to a predetermined location. He turned the chair with him as he moved to face Cassian.

"I ain't gonna sugarcoat it," he spat, crossing his thick arms over his chest. "I received a distress call from the Princess. And it activated somewhere on Jedha." He announced, as serious as a Nexu intent on its prey.

The Captain blinked. "Ok, hang on. How did you get the call?"

Gajeel only stared back, keeping his expression slack. He wasn't about to tell someone he hardly trusted that precious detail.

"Then why is she on Jedha?" Cassian asked slowly when it was apparent the man before him would keep silent about his inquiry.

"I have no clue. It's an occupied planet. Unless she was in the middle of a secret Rebel strike we knew nothing about, your guess is as good as mine."

"Melina is with her," Gryder mumbled, entering the conversation. He turned the swivel chair. "I can sense it."

Snorting, Cassian mimicked Gajeel's stance and crossed his arms. "What are you, some sort of Jedi?"

He ignored the taunting question. "There is at least two others, excluding Melina. The Force surrounds them, but conceals their identities."

"And you know that this Melina is really with the Princess?" Cassian looked skeptical as he eyed Gryder.

"Melina goes wherever the Princess goes. She is one of her guard."

"I thought Jedi weren't allowed to have love interests." He took a wild guess, trying to diverge any other useful Intel. He tried to provoke the man further.

Gryder's lips broke his stoic expression. They faintly revealed some of his teeth in a smile. He could sense the Captain's intentions. "Times change."

Gajeel waved a hand, frustration threatening to coat his facial features. "That's not important. What is is that I need help gettin' into wherever she is."

Cassian sat back in his chair. "You have your young Jedi here to do that."

"Can you just shut up and focus for ten fuckin' minutes so I can explain?" Gajeel spat with brows furrowed. He leaned his elbows on his knees. "They're in trouble. Imperials won't kill the Princess, but it'll be real bad for the Alliance if they find out she's been taken captive. The distress beacon she has on her person went off a handful of hours ago. I know nothing other than what planet, region, and that she isn't alone. At least three others are with her according to Gryder. Once we locate where they're held, we can figure out an escape. But we can't do this alone, which is why I asked you to come."

Cassian listened, but refrained from making a remark about the last comment. Instead, he pressed, "Have you asked anyone else?"

"Two more, and they are meeting us at rendezvous." Gajeel replied with a thumb over his shoulder, indicating to the dashboard. The autopilot was set for the specific location.

"Why did you come to me?"

Gajeel took a deep breath. "I ain't one to take on extra help. The both of us do business just fine on our own," he motioned to Gryder beside him. "But this is some serious shit, a situation way over our pay grade. One slip up and our- the Princess and her guard are dead. I remembered your involvement in the last few years against the Empire. I just swallowed my pride and sought you out. Happy?" He sat back against the back of the chair with a huff.

He felt exposed after almost slipping up. His red-iris orbs flitted towards the young man on his left. Gryder was looking at him out of the corner of his eye before shifting his gaze to the brown haired, battle-experienced man sitting across from them. He sported a frown. Lines had appeared on his forehead.

The Captain was quiet, though there were so many questions swarming in his mind. How would a man like the dark haired smuggler and a young supposed Jedi know the whereabouts and business of a Princess? It didn't add up. There was something neither of them was saying. He was a smart man, but he couldn't piece it together. "So, let's say we rescue the Princess, but fail with the others-"

"That's not an option." Gryder quickly stated. He sat up straighter in his pilot's chair. His hands gripped the armrests. His knuckles slowly began to turn white.

"What do you mean? Of course it's an option. People make mistakes and-"

Gryder cut him off. His blue eyes narrowed slightly. His voice held an edge. "It can't happen. We rescue all of them."

Gajeel glanced to the young companion. "Mest."

The pause gave Cassian a chance to carry on. "Why can't it? If this female is part of the guard, it's her duty to give her life if need arises. All I'm saying, is that it's a possibility. A casualty of war. And she knows it."

Gryder met Gajeel's knowing glance. Each of them knew saving both the Princess and her guard was a must. Both were equally important. A vital for the Alliance and the future. Especially the Jedi. The wild cards were the other two entities that were apparently present with them. Misinterpret through the Force, and they'd have to reevaluate in the midst of their plan. And that could easily kill them all.

"We'll get her." Gajeel reassured Gryder with a nod of his head. He could tell the young man was trying not to get worked up. The statement seemed to calm him.

Looking between the two of them, Cassian took a breath. "If there's something important going on that I don't know about, please, let me in on it. Though I think I'm right on my guess."

Gryder stood up. The hem of his black cloak fell to his boots. "I'm sure you'll find out soon enough." With that he walked out of the small area towards the back of the ship, leaving Gajeel alone with the Captain. He reached out a hand to pat the R2 unit's dome as he passed.

His other hand rested at his hip, perched on one of the relics of a time that had long since passed. He'd bring it around again. And he wouldn't be doing it alone.

Hope's Tide PART II is coming-

There's more to come about the green R2 unit and the mystery surrounding the Princess and Melina. Who is the third and fourth presence? Who is going to help the trio in the rescue attempt?

Want to listen to one of the songs I listened to while writing this? Check it out: Miami Showdown - Digitalism