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Some people grow up in terrible situations, surrounded by terrible people. Some live with the good people all their lives or find them when they most need to. Everyone finds some good to hold on to. No matter how long or how hard the road to get to that point is at the end of the road you’re home surrounded by the people you know are the best people you could ever have.
Bodhi had never really been around good people before. Not because of who he worked for but because quite simply the people he was around were not good people. They were rough and damaged and aggressive. They picked on the small fry who wasn't good enough to be a pilot. They taunted him and jostled him when they paid him any attention at all.
Galen Erso was the first person to take any notice of him, The first to think that he could make a difference. The first to believe in him. Galen Erso trusted him when he was nothing. Galen Erso was a brave man, not just for the path he took to get to where he was but for taking a chance on him. Galen believed that he could trust Bodhi so he did.
Cassian was roughened and broken like the cargo pilots Bodhi used to run with, but he was softer too. He was broken by circumstance more than anything else; was too used to following orders that asked too much of him. He was under orders as was Bodhi and they both faced the wrath of failure. He was brave in ways Bodhi was not. He rescued Bodhi, trembling, mindbroken, tortured Bodhi; rescued him when he could have just left him. Cassian saved him, pulled him out regardless of intention; and it was one of the first moments of kindness Bodhi felt when his cage door opened up.
He was ushered under the arms of Baze and Chirrut who escorted him out of the crumbing building. They had heard his feverish whispers, had drawn attention to them. They found him when he thought he was lost. They moved so well together - silent conversations and little gestures - but they could read others just as well. They heard the pilot, The Pilot, and gave him another chance. They gave him a chance to prove himself again, a second chance to fulfil his orders.
K-2SO let him on board. Bodhi probably wasn't what he had been expecting, still a little shaken by more than a fallen city, but he was there. K let him look at their controls and status, let them fly that ship only days later. K trusted him to fly, to become the pilot again. K let him take the controls and fly them away one last time.
Jyn shined as bright as her nickname. Galen often spoke of His Stardust in the late nights when he planned his message. Jyn had been Bodhi's mission. She had been his goal. Getting to her, getting the message to her. It had been Bodhi's rebellion to get to her. She made him the rebel that Galen needed him to be. She was the shining star that guided him out of his miserable existence and inducted him into this group of outcasts that welcomed him, valued him and gave him a better purpose for his life.
Baze had surrounded his bad life with good people. He was an assassin, was trained in that life but he was also a Guardian of the Whills. He was around monks and those who had given up what they had to give something back to a city and her people.They was true of spirit, and often of faith. They were good people even when he was not.
Bodhi was scared and alone trapped in a cage like they were. He was as in need of help of they were, if not more so. He was shivering and muttering and looked shaken but it was truly Chirrut who saw this. Bodhi was tortured but he got his mind straight, defending his position and leading them to Galen. He knew his position, his role and stepped up to fill it as best as he could.
K-2SO was programmed in his way but he was as free as the rest of them. He still had his leaders and his orders but he was loyal and took them to where they needed to go. He was a good droid, loyal to Cassian and his cause.
Cassian was a little brash at times, eager to get to his goal despite the shortcuts he had to take. He shot first and worried about consequences later. He may act brash but he killed Saw Gerrara's men to protect Jyn, killed to ensure her life. It was an admirable quality in someone who didn't seek to be admired. Cassian protected Jyn like he protected Chirrut: without question or forethought.
Chirrut could see where Baze could not. He was a man of faith, a man who had trust in the unknown, a man who believed. He was the man who kept him straight when he could have gone rogue. Every time Baze had to become the lesser man he came back to a greater man. A man of patience and thought who heard the ways of others in ways that others couldn't even see. He was fearless, reckless to an extent and simply trusted that they were doing the right thing. He was the better half of them, even if he was inclined to wander off and let his mind and feet guide him somewhere that Baze would inevitably follow.
Jyn was someone he could follow. She was only a rebel, not a leader; not someone who gave orders or spent all of her time drawing up plans and concerning herself with warfare. She was as guilty of keeping her distance as he was at times. Yet when she was given a purpose, given a catalyst she knew she had to take advantage of she stepped up and did just that. She led them out to start a fire and the fire within her was something that Baze could follow, and was proud to.
Chirrut was a Guardian of the Whills, the blind monk of Jedha who held on to his blind faith in the Force. He was kind and welcoming, honest and true in all he was and all he did. Jedha may not have been home to the most favourable of creatures in the universe but there was still the good in those he saw. He saw the good in everyone he could.
He could hear the pilot in the cell next to them. He could sense the poor boy in his fear and reached out to him. He was the pilot they were looking for: Erso's messenger. He was a boy from the streets of Jedha, always looking for better. Now he had found it. Bodhi flew them through the rocks and rain of Eadu and navigated access to Scarif to get their little band to where they needed to be. Chirrut could sense a great accomplishment in him now that Bodhi had a fit purpose to serve well and people that needed him. Chirrut got Bodhi out of the cell and in return Bodhi got them to where they were needed.
K-2SO was a remarkable droid. He was as snarky as his friend, as clever and true. He flew them out of Jedha to safety when Chirrut's home crumbled and hope died within him. He flew them into Eadu and back out with only a running commentary and a few bumps. He tried to serve them, to save them and he did.
Cassian was a man of actions over words and Chirrut could respect that. He himself was like that too sometimes, as was Baze. Under his gruff exterior Cassian was a good man, one tired of being a tool of the Rebellion. He knew how to rally them all so they fought in what would be their last fight, the last mission.
Baze often said he was too reckless, too eager to trust the Force and nothing else. It wasn't quite true. Chirrut trusted in Baze before anyone else. Baze always had his back, allowed him to be reckless and go off because he knew that Baze would be right behind him protecting him. Baze was always right where Chirrut needed him to be, always covering his back with his marksman's aim. Always trusting in him. Always trusting in each other to be there for the other in any situation. Always having a full and unbroken trust in each other, as unwavering as Chirrut's own faith in the Force.
Jyn Erso had little faith. She had been abandoned and alone too often to believe that everything would be alright in the end. She didn't need the Force to guide her path. Jyn didn't have the same faith that Chirrut did but she had faith in people when she needed it. When they were heading out together Chirrut could sense the change in her. She was ready to lead them now that she had faith.
K-2SO was a reprogrammed imperial droid. He had seen the worst of people, seen them go about on their day to day business and felt no emotions towards them. He had no emotions to give these people. He was a droid. He didn't have to worry about emotions, only the schematics and statistics. Then he was claimed by the Rebellion and with the Rebellion came something akin to belonging and a sense of friendship and comradery that was so human.
There was the Guardians of the Whills. They were brave men and fought well together while K2 hid away and tried to avoid to avoid that blasted fire. They moved in sync, one picking up the slack the other had yet to get to. They finished thoughts and one answered the questions the blind man asked. They worked well together. Very effective. All of those years of comradery paying off. They were the first unexpected crew members when Jedha fell and the ship filled with more than just Cassian and the girl. They were a welcome addition and greatly improved their odds of winning at the end of the day. More marksmen, more expert fighters would always be welcome against such odds.
Bodhi was the pilot they were looking for: the one that went rogue, the one that lead them to Galen. He turned out to be a great pilot, helping navigate through Eadu at night and bring the human voice to K2's programming that sent them on their way to Scarif.
Cassian was the first person whom K2 would refer to as a friend after his recommission and reprogramming. Since then he could have friends, he could feel some semblance of emotions. The Rebellion allowed him to feel where the Imperial Army did not think he could. Cassian cared for very little but he cared for K2. Making friends with a droid may have been easier if he chose that option. K2 was Cassian's closest companion and loyal to a point, choosing which orders to follow and to what extent. Cassian was a friend of K2 and followed him for that alone if nothing else.
The first time K-2SO met Jyn he knocked her out. She was going against the plan and it was inconvenient so he made it convenient. Jyn was a convenience, the key to reaching Saw and their way to access the plans. But she became more than that. She become something akin to a friend to K2, someone he cared about.
Cassian was a good spy, a good soldier, a good killer. He was good at extracting the plans the Rebellion needed, good at finding the information they needed. They did not make him a good man, only a good little soldier. He had to be reminded that he was a good person, that there were ways of being a better person and better people he could follow in the hopes of being good like them.
There was Baze, an assassin, a killer, but a good man. He could kill others for money or for missions and follow the moral code of an assassin and nothing else yet he was still a good person because he served a worthwhile purpose. He served others as a Guardian; both a protector of Chirrut and civilians. He did not let his job taint him when he could stand tall and proud with a gun rightfully between his hands.
Chirrut was a good man. He had a grace to his servitude and to his fighting style. He spun around like he took pleasure from his dance but he was still a good man despite this. It did not detract from this because he killed. They had all killed. They all served someone.
Bodhi Rook was the pilot in the cell next door but by the fates of coincidence he was the man they were looking for and turned out to be just the man they needed. He followed where Cassian went and didn't question what he didn't know. He was a good soldier like that. He was a good man despite that. He was loyal and kind despite everything and when he smiled he glowed.
K-2SO had been his friend when he kept pushing everyone else away. K2 had stuck around, decided that Cassian wasn't what he tried to be. K thought he was a better man than his exterior. K fought back on his orders to a point but knew when to shut up and comply. He was the most loyal droid, even to a fault. K2 always followed him, even when questioning him and his orders. Always.
Jyn was an enigma. A contradiction of wanting to be alone and only fending for herself going against her need to protect others. She was braver than he was and made less excuses for it. She was tired but for different reasons. He had lived the rebellion, she had been running from it. She forgot about her own circumstances and beliefs to do the good thing when she was called upon to do so. Cassian often followed the orders that asked too much of him but following Jyn was exactly what he would do anything for.
Jyn Erso never thought her situation was great. Once she had a loving family but that was years ago. Now she'd been broken down by life and a war she wanted no part in. She was tired and angry and in no mood to be a pawn for the Rebellion. She knew running wasn't good but she had never wanted to be so integral to the Rebellion. She never wanted in, only out.
Baze was a little gruff but he followed his morals and stuck to his guns. Quite literally. He was a marksman by trade and it could be seen in everything, from his stance to his defence. But he was true to his cause, to their cause. He had followed something greater but when he came down to it he decided that she was pretty great and he took his gun and followed where she lead.
Similarly, Chirrut had a greater purpose to serve. He was a man of faith and served that as much as his city. When his city fell he redirected his purpose to helping Jyn. He had faith in her before she had faith in herself. He believed that she was following the right course and making the right decisions. He followed her blind, seeing her determination and strength of character she had forgotten she had. He saw in her the person she could become.
Bodhi was broken by circumstances like her but he healed her heart. He risked everything to be Galen's messenger, to get to her. He believed her instantly. He believed in her as Galen had. He had been told who Galen's Stardust was and Bodhi believed in the ramblings of a poor man. Meeting Jyn proved what he knew and proved to her that her father still believed in her.
K-2SO was not impressed by Jyn when he first saw her. He knocked her unconscious when she ran and snarked at her when she came to. He didn't trust her initially because he had no data to suggest that he should. They were at odds with each other but that was okay. Soon all inhibitions and mistrust faded away and they trusted each other. They could trust each other after so little time together,trust each other until the end.
Cassian was tired of the Rebellion in a different way but he got her to stop and reconsider. He hurt her by attempting to follow orders that would have caused her grief but once the anger had passed she understood. Some people just did as they were told. She was no different. After being out for as long she was back in because her father had asked her to do it for him. She was weak in that sense but Cassian made her strong because he a had strength that she stole from him - a faked confidence he taught. It was all she needed. It was all.
Maybe individually that weren't the best people. They were rough and broken, rebellious and too set in their ways. They had faults.
Yet they came together for the greater good. They put aside all that they used to be in order to do something good. They found the best they had within themselves and made the best come out in each other. They banded together to make each other better so that they could do something good regardless of their faults.
The imperial pilot who defected to pass a message from an estranged father to his lost daughter; the Imperial droid that had been recommissioned by the Rebellion to serve their purpose instead; the assassin who guarded his own ethics as well as his holy city; the blind man with his blind faith in a greater power controlling their destiny; the rebel captain who branded his own immoral ethics to serve his orders by any means necessary and the girl who had lived on the side of the imperials as a young girl to run from the rebels as a woman because she didn't want to be a part of it. They all played their part in shaping the mission and shaping each other into the best that they could be.