Ever since she had been, for all intents and purposes orphaned at age five, she knew she was a loner. Even when part of Saw's gang, which she hadn't been part of for two years. Saw had left her in a bunker with a blaster and orders not to come out at age eleven, when the backwater planet they had been operating had started considering her a woman and the others in the squad(terrorist group, really, just one with really good intentions she no longer held) either wanted her to pay for her father's crimes or they viewed her as a woman and a woman's job was to cook and be attentive.
She knew that Saw had done it for her own good. She had been considering running away as one persistent squad member became increasingly hard to fend off without physical violence that drew a lot of attention. Jyn knew that if she had run away Saw would have tracked her down and executed her for deserting and stealing a weapon, and going weaponless was not an option. Being abandoned by Saw was as lucky as having been found by him six years previous.
Since then she had stayed mostly out of trouble. Some run-ins with local law enforcement but the Empire didn't care. Jyn kept her head down as Tanith Ponta. Actually some run-ins was an understatement but between bribes and lying she got out of most of her trouble.
Unfortunately she must have made some enemies because falsified warrants for her under all of her aliases were all over all her typical planets. The falsified parts made her laugh. They knew her aliases but not her crimes. Someone was good, but not good enough and had a grudge, but not a big enough one because they evidently weren't trying to hard as this had been going on for five months. She just hunkered down on Wobani, figuring the high Imperial occupation would dissuade. She knew if the Imperials had wanted her they would have found her. If they wanted Jyn Erso they would never be able to find her. She had destroyed any trace of her existence for the most part. Krennic still knew but staging an assassination was a little obvious and political so she elected to keep her head down.
She was careful with her money and knew quite a few tricks since she had been accountant to Saw. Even rebellious terrorist groups needed accountants. Most of her real crime was financial and computer based. Harder to get caught. She figured getting caught meant death so as long as she could minimize risk she would.
Today was her monthly ration getting day. She was staying in the inn of a conveniently kind and not noisy grandmotherly woman. As long as she had the rent and food money monthly and chipped in for repairs and payed for her own electricity because she used a lot, the grandmother didn't complain. Except for when she walked, because evidently that was stomping.
Jyn suited up in her going outside clothes, complete with a large blaster, two small hidden blasters, and three hidden vibroblades, plus other armaments. Anything left in the room could get stolen, after all.
She wandered down the stairs and past the window for the first time in a month, taking the opportunity to stretch her legs. She trained every day, but stairs were different from what she could do in her tiny apartment and she appreciated the variety while silently acknowledging how pathetic her existence was at the moment. She had almost found where the false warrants were coming from though and hopefully would not make this small pilgrimage again. She wanted off this sandy planet. She promised herself to find a nice planet like Naboo or Alderaan next time.
She knocked on the door to the grandmother's apartment. The door slid open and she entered like the previous five months, money in hand for a quick exchange.
"Hello Yolanda. I'll leave the money on the counter for you to count," She said, walking over to the counter to deposit the money and looking for the crate of rations.
She found a straight-faced young man holding a blaster to a tied-up Yolanda instead. Her reactions were fast, but not fast enough to save Yolanda. That is, if Yolanda was worth saving. She raised an eyebrow at the intruder.
The intruder said nothing either. His eyes darted about her, sizing up her threat. She purposely made herself seem smaller and more innocent. Which was a joke because she had killed with the worst of them.
She kept standing there. It didn't matter to her how long they stood there. She had all the time in the world. She could see him getting antsy. This was apparently not how this robbery, kidnapping of Yolanda or kidnapping of her was supposed to go. Could be a murder as well.
The young gentleman of the criminal persuasion subtly pursed his lips like he was about to say something. He wanted her to break first and give him the advantage but Jyn was not going to make things that convenient for him.
She started to whistle.
He started, tensed and almost discharged the blaster into Yolanda.
"Do not startle me like that if you want her to live!" he growled.
"Maybe I don't care." Jyn said. She did care, but maybe he could be talked out of it.
"You care!" he again growled, a scowl settling in. He looked out of place among Yolanda's overenthusiastic doily decorating scheme.
"I don't." She replied, leaning against the counter.
"Fine. I'll kill her." He said calmly, scowling even more as he moved the blaster to Yolanda's temple.
Jyn rolled her eyes. Evidently he was a little erratic.
"What do you want?" she enquired.
Almost breathing a sigh of relief, he lowered the blaster a little. Yolanda glared at Jyn.
"You will come with me," he stated.
"No," she countered, as if they were negotiating.
He grimaced and raised the blaster again.
"Fine." Jyn rolled her eyes again.
He lowered the blaster.
"Come here, let me restrain you." he said.
"Didn't agree to that. And you've already threatened to shoot her so many times. You need some other leverage." She figured she could shake him. She didn't want the inevitable warrant that would come if Yolanda was murdered, and Yolanda was a gem to boot.
"You know what? Fine. Just come with me," he said.
"Ok," she replied.
They stood there, him with blaster half raised, her leaning against Yolanda's counter.
"Get going!" he said, shooing her out of the room.
"Where?" She said, annoyance spreading through all her features, "You're really bungling this whole kidnapping thing."
"Out the front door. Wait there-"
She shrugged and walked out the door, not listening to any further instructions he was trying to impart. He was making the whole escaping thing really easy.
She walked to the entrance.
A blaster shot echoed behind her.
She took off at a run towards the shippark. Yolanda would no longer be needing her ship evidently.
Halfway through the short stretch a metal arm rammed into her stomach.
"Congratulations! You are being recruited!" an imperial droid proudly announced.
She tried to squirm out of his hold.
"Please do not resist," the droid drawled.
A/N: Only saw movie once and have not fact checked. Bear with me. AU Jyn is 13, so Cassian is 17 or 16 depending on how birthdays fall and where in the year they are. Maybe I'll figure it out later. Updated to bring a little closer to the movies and fix stuff.