A/N: Updated with grammar and dialogue edits.

escape to raydonia

. . .

The hum of the starship in light-speed was the only noise filling the cabin.

Cassian Andor sat on a seat to the side, watching the medical droid they found on their stolen Imperial ship treat Jyn Erso. It was an old 2-1B model droid that the Imperials had reprogrammed. It was a simple matter of flipping a switch in its systems to turn it back to a neutral state.

As he was studying the droid's work, he caught Jyn watching him with a mulish expression.

He had insisted that she be treated first, even though his leg was most likely broken—a 98% chance, had K-2SO been with them. She wasn't pleased in the slightest, but he remained adamant and refused to be examined first. If only to know she was okay and calm his anxiety-fueled mind that hadn't relaxed since his fall down the Empire's databank shaft on Scarif. She could clearly manage herself though, given everything they had already survived together.

Once Jyn's cuts, burns, and sprain were tended to, the droid turned to him. Cassian winced as his leg was tethered firmly to a splint. His bruises and cuts were wrapped, and the droid powered down when it was finished.

She continued her silent staring. As he leveled his own gaze to hers, he noticed the glower had faded into a look of quiet contemplation and sheer grief. But there was something else there that he couldn't quite place—relief? Hope? Determination? Maybe a mixture of all three.

They both survived a near-suicidal mission, after all.

But they were alone. They had no idea if the rest of Rogue One survived. It was clearly weighing on her.

It weighed on him too.

The silence could only go on for so long. They had to keep moving and surviving. It was clear they were both proficient at that, caged by their childhoods and forced to learn it at early ages. He broke the silence first.

"I set a course for Raydonia. Since it's in the Outer Rim nearby, it should be a good place to gather supplies. That's its main import. It's also a neutral planet, so there won't be any strong Rebel or Imperial presence as far as I know."

Jyn nodded solemnly. "Have you been there, Cassian?"

He shook his head. "No, I wasn't ever sent there. The Rebellion had no interest in it."

That seemed to make her think. "Do you think the Death Star plans were received?"

"We can only hope," he said grimly. That green superlaser from the space weapon had destroyed both Jedha and Scarif; Cassian wasn't certain they could survive it a third time. And with the threat it posed looming over the galaxy, was any planet truly safe?

An alert from the ship controls sounded, interrupting their conversation. Jyn looked in the direction the sound was coming from and stood before Cassian could try to, moving to study the controls.

After a moment of pressing a few buttons, Jyn spoke again. "We'll be arriving at Raydonia soon. I acknowledged the hyperdrive's warning system."

Cassian nodded, hiding his surprise. She never made herself out to be proficient at understanding starship controls. "Good. We'll be exiting hyperspace just outside of the planet's atmospheric proximity."

He finally stood up and hobbled awkwardly to the pilot's seat. Jyn observed as he struggled to sit down, and with delicacy and a slight smirk, she took his arm and let him use her as support to sit in the chair.

It was very small and almost unnoticeable, but that upward quirk of her lips caught him completely off-guard. Cassian kept his gaze averted to the control console as he flipped a few switches and studied the starship's status on the touch monitor. He heard her take the co-pilot's seat next to him.

The swirling blue trails of light that signified hyperspeed abruptly stopped, and a blue-green planet took up almost all of the viewport instead, reflecting beautifully in the transparisteel. Two moons orbited around the planet.

"Because we're in a Lambda-class Imperial shuttle and don't want to attract the wrong attention, I'm going to land outside of the settlement picking up on the scanners. We'll have to walk to the settlement, though." A grimace appeared on Cassian's face.

Jyn blinked. "I can go by myself. I doubt you're up to the task of walking far."

Cassian stared at her, hardly surprised by the suggestion. This was Jyn after all. Her charisma and sheer will got them this far already. "Very well. Prepare for landing."

The shuttle successfully landed among bioluminescent trees and other flora. The sky was a deep plum color, and the weather seemed pleasant enough. It was a strange, intriguing world.

Jyn straightened her vest, clipping the small communication device to it. They had no credits to buy supplies, so she would have to improvise on getting them. Her experiences on being a criminal would serve her well here.

Her and Cassian had planned it—the idea was to scope out the prices of items they needed and barter what they had for them. It wasn't much, but taking an inventory check of the ship revealed objects that could be of use. Even selling the ship was an option.

If that plan didn't work... her only choice was to steal. She had no moral qualms about it at this point.

Cassian pressed a button on the control console to lower the ship's entry ramp. With a brief nod to him, Jyn extricated herself from the co-pilot's chair and turned to leave the shuttle.

"Wait." Fingers gently grasped her wrist and made her pause.

She shifted to face Cassian, who braced himself against the pilot's chair awkwardly.

"Here, take this." He struggled to unclip the blaster pistol from his holster, but when he managed to remove it he handed it to her.

She studied it for a moment, then slowly took it from his hand. Sheathing it in her own holster, she met his dark eyes with no purpose other than to look at them.

The lines around his eyes crinkled as a content expression crossed over his face. "May the Force be with you."

Keeping a decent pace, Jyn moved through the glowing foliage in the direction of the settlement. The cool air was refreshing compared to the heat of Scarif, and the quiet soothed her mind.

Walks like this always helped her keep her head on straight. Kept her focused for her next task.

The settlement eventually loomed into view. There were moderate homes, some made of natural elements while others were forged with durasteel. Large hangars placed randomly allowed for starships to dock, while whole floating platforms were dedicated to the transport ships that came daily.

The streets were crowded, tight and compact—not dissimilar to the former moon Jedha. Many stalls were set up, with many more humans and other creatures buying wares and goods.

Walking more slowly to observe the stalls, she identified the ones that carried food, medical supplies, and weapons. Everything was imported, making it slightly costlier, but that was the reason for haggling.

Or stealing, she supposed.

Besides looking at the stalls, Cassian had asked her if she could also look out for communication terminals. He had said he wanted to contact someone in his network of spies to find out information.

Slipping down an alleyway, Jyn spotted an antenna among other electronics attached to one of the buildings. Looking around to make sure no one was watching, she skirted to it, then crouched and opened the small maintenance door. Pulling out the small hacking terminal Cassian had given her, she inserted it into the port on the system.

He had inlaid a coded message into it before she left, something small to be sent on a private frequency.

"Cassian?" she whispered into the communication device, bringing it close to her face. "I found a terminal and inserted the device. What's the code for the frequency?"

There was a delay before she heard anything. "Jyn? Good. The code is 'sentinel'."

Jyn keyed in the letters, waiting for confirmation before withdrawing the hacking terminal.

"The message is sent. Repeat, the message is sent," she murmured into the communication device.

"Good. Have you scoped out any good places for supplies?"

"Yes," she confirmed. "I'll be coming back to get items for bartering."

"Acknowle—" a loud, incessant beeping cut Cassian off on his end.

"Cassian? Cassian?" Jyn throat suddenly felt too dry.

Static filled her ear before Cassian's voice did. "Wait, Jyn. Don't come back... I think the ship was found. Multiple contacts are picking up on the scanner. Stay away." His voice disappeared shortly after.

"Cassian?" Nothing. "Cassian!"

The chatter of many conversations at once in the distance was the only sound to greet her.

Clenching her teeth, Jyn hooked the comm device and the hacking device to her vest and moved from the alleyway, merging herself easily back onto the crowded street. There was no way she wasn't going back.

Leaving the unallied settlement, she pushed her way through the glowing flora, growing increasingly desperate.

Nearing the location of the shuttle, Jyn dove to the ground by reflex when she heard the screaming drone of a TIE Fighter overhead.

Her heart sank. The ships on the scanner had been Imperials? But Raydonia was supposed to have minimal Imperial influence. That could only mean...

The shuttle had a tracker. The Empire had to have followed it.

If the Empire found Cassian on that shuttle, and they knew the shuttle came from Scarif, they would know he was a Rebel that attacked their planet.

Picking herself up off the ground, Jyn ran, frantic to find him before the Empire did.

If they hadn't already.

Ducking under the branch of a large tree, Jyn hid herself behind a large rock. Just beyond, the shuttle was landed in a small clearing, right where Cassian brought it down. There was a lot of sound coming from that direction, too much for it to be him alone.

She peeked her head out and narrowed her eyes, watching the numerous stormtroopers in the area moving in and out of the stolen shuttle. They appeared to be looking for the occupants.

"This ship's code indicated it came from Scarif! The Rebels just sabotaged the planet, it was probably used for escape! Secure the area, and find those Rebels." A stormtrooper's command reached her ears. At least Cassian seemed to have hid himself. But how far could he have really gotten himself in all that time?

Pulling the blaster from its holster at her hip, she once again started running, only this time it was away from their stolen ship's position.

"Cassian?" Jyn hissed quietly into the comm device. "Where are you?"

As expected, she got no response. Frustrated, she paused by a thick cluster of trees to catch her breath. Stormtroopers were only getting closer, if she didn't find Cassian now, they would both be separated permanently.

"Come in, Cassian where are you?" She tried the comm device once more.

Stormtroopers calling out could be heard in the distance. Jyn cursed to herself. Had they heard her? She scanned the direction she came from—

—and was shocked when a hand pressed tightly over her mouth while another controlled her hand holding the blaster. The arms belonging to the hands moved her backwards towards her attacker's body, their arms wrapped around her shoulders and stomach. "Shh—" her assailant began.

Jyn reacted without thinking, fueled by anxiety and fear. She elbowed her attacker and bit the hand covering her mouth. A small grunt told her she landed solid hits. In the half-second that followed, Jyn put all her weight backwards, continuing the momentum that her elbow jab allowed her.

Her attacker tipped backwards into the thick undergrowth. The hand gripping her hand that held the blaster continued to hold on, pulling her into the glowing flora with them.

Jyn wrenched her hand away to free her weapon mid-fall. She let the planet's gravity carry her all the way down, hoping to land on the person's solar plexus. She heard the gasped breath, then wasted no time in flipping over to gain the advantage, straddling them to the ground. She dug her knees into their side as she pointed her blaster right in their face.

Right in Cassian's face.

They stared at each other in shock.

His head thumped to the ground in exertion, breaking their eye contact. He didn't say anything for a long moment, breathing strained. "I wanted... to get your attention without scaring you. Or shooting me. Didn't expect you to... fight so fiercely back." His expression had the pain he was in written all over his face.

Heart still racing, Jyn sheathed the blaster and moved off Cassian. "I'm sorry," she said quietly. Realizing his splint was loose, she secured it.

"It doesn't matter now."

Jyn helped him sit up against a tree, ripping away leaves in the undergrowth to make them slightly more comfortable. "How did you manage to get this far on that leg?" she asked finally.

"It's not how, it's what choice did I have?" Cassian said with a glum sigh, eyes half-lidded.

Before she could respond, the sound of footsteps crunching leaves underfoot could be heard nearby.

Jyn stiffened when the steps grew louder, nearer. A pair of white-encased legs could be seen from their position in the undergrowth. Jyn stopped breathing when the stormtrooper stopped, the only sound being the static jumble coming from the trooper's comm unit.

"Report—nothing in the area. One more sweep and we'll return back to command. Those Rebels are long gone by now."

When the stormtrooper finally left the area, Jyn felt the tension knotting her muscles relax. She looked at Cassian with the intent to convey her relief, but the nervous pang that coursed through her spine stopped her. He looked unfocused and dazed, and his face was damp with perspiration. His wounds were catching up to him, and Jyn didn't have a single piece of equipment on her to help him.

They waited until the sky was a deep purple color, signifying Raydonia's night, before they even considered moving.

Cassian had been quiet the entire time, filling Jyn with worry.

"What do you want to do?" she queried him gently. They had no supplies now, no shelter, no money, no ship, and no hope. They were as good as stranded on this planet and they had no real way of obtaining mobility.

"Sleep." His response was a whisper, as if he wasn't present.

That wasn't a good thing, she knew. Sleeping unprepared in the wilderness was dangerous. Sleeping from too much pain was dangerous.

Cassian was still propped up against that tree; he hadn't moved from earlier. Carefully, Jyn hooked her arms under his to pull him to a spot just under a large rock nearby. It had a convenient overhang to protect him from any weather… whatever meteorological phenomena even graced the planet.

Re-checking his splint, Jyn pulled off her tattered vest to put under his head before she stood and quietly left their refuge.

Green lasers and explosions pierced the clouds, hiding the nearby star. He was running, running, before an overwhelming light blinded him, and...

The faint glow of light from the bioluminescent flora filled his gaze when his eyes opened. They were heavy and he felt too warm. Confusion swirled around him until his memories caught up with him, and he had to stifle a gasp when the pain did too.

Cassian forced himself pick at least his head up. He looked around slowly, focusing on the person splayed out next to him. She was on her stomach, head turned towards him. Her breathing was calm and rhythmic.

Jyn.

He tried with all his strength to remember what happened after the stormtroopers had left. That part in his mind was completely unclear.

Around him, he could see various fruits on the ground, as well as random medical syringes and bacta pods. A water pouch was within his reach.

It took a moment for his addled mind to consider everything around him, but he was eventually able to piece it together. She must gave gone back to the settlement, and possibly more than once. The new cuts and dried blood on her lip told him it was likely, and that it hadn't been easy, especially seeing that the blaster he gave her was still in her hand.

Cassian's brows furrowed, and he slumped his head back against whatever was underneath it. The peachy sky that was visible past the overhang of the rock he was under revealed that it was early morning. He recalled them landing in the early evening. Had she been running around all that time? With the potentiality of stormtroopers nearby?

He was stunned. Just how driven was Jyn Erso?

Cassian examined her face carefully. She was so deep in sleep that her features were completely relaxed and at peace; her typical stony and guarded face was not present. It put him at an odd peace of mind.

He could watch her sleeping forever, but Cassian knew he had to do something now.

Reaching for the water pouch, he took a few sips to bate his thirst. Then, with his good leg, he nudged the bacta pods and syringes towards himself. He assumed he was running a fever, or the tail end of one at least. The fact that one syringe was used meant that Jyn must have injected him with one already, probably at the high of the fever.

Filling the syringe with the contents from one of the pods, he injected himself at the thigh. He felt himself cooling down and becoming more focused almost immediately.

Bacta pods were medical supplies that were mostly painkillers with trace amounts of bacta material. Because bacta was so expensive and hard to come by, it was only introduced into these pods in infinitesimal amounts. Many sellers claimed to have bacta within them, but most pods didn't have even that, although they did have other healing agents. Those that were verified were costly within themselves.

Cassian propped himself up on his elbows, eventually able to sit up. He saw that his head was resting on her vest and he stared at it for a moment. He dusted it off and re-folded it, then stretched over to prop it under her head instead.

Using the overhang of the rock as a hold, Cassian hauled himself up from the ground, holding on to a rigid vine. He pulled it out of the ground, and using it as a crutch, hobbled over to the edge of the makeshift camp. He couldn't see anything of note in the glowing forest; it seemed like they were alone.

It was a few hours before Jyn awoke. Cassian had since cleaned up their small clearing, organizing what they had into little piles. He was sitting on a rock, water pouch in one hand and a piece of fruit in the other when he heard Jyn stir behind him. He glanced over his shoulder to look at her. She was sitting up, rubbing her eyes.

"I see you're awake," she mumbled sleepily.

"I see you're not," he teased back.

What he said made her gaze grow slightly wide as she seemed to remember where she was and the situation they were in. Her usual alert expression had also returned, and her eyes were traveling him up and down. Relief was also evident on her face.

"I went back to the settlement last night and stole the supplies that I see you have already used. It was in a more... affluent sector, so we should probably avoid it. There is also Imperial activity in the settlement now, so we can't stay on the planet for long. We have to find a way to smuggle ourselves off," Jyn explained.

His mouth was a thin line as he listened to her. That was indeed a problem. Hopefully settlement representatives would boot the Imperials off the planet, but they couldn't count on it. Jyn had given him an idea though.

He tossed her the water pouch before speaking. "We'll try to leave today. We don't have anything to offer anyone but ourselves, so that's exactly what we'll offer. We can find a ship that trades work for passage.

Jyn nodded after taking a drink. "Very well. That's one way I jumped from planet to planet and evaded the Empire... for a while, at least." Commander Solange and Admiral Rocwyn of the Five Points system had seen to the end of that part of her life, incarcerating her on Wobani. She never expected to live much longer than the six standard months she was there, but then again she never expected to be rescued or feel hope again.

Cassian knew her charges well. They could handle whatever work was thrown at them, he had confidence in that. "Were there a lot of ships in the ship bays?"

"A decent number, yes," Jyn confirmed. "I don't know how long they'll be there for, though. We should leave as soon as we're ready."

The walk to the settlement was slow. The vine he was using as a makeshift crutch was starting to wilt and lose some of its sturdy structure. Jyn was supporting some of Cassian's weight as they went along, but it still wasn't enough.

Glancing around, Jyn told Cassian to wait by the tree they stopped at as she moved through the foliage. There were snapping sounds before she returned, and when she did, she was holding a branch with a sharp end. "This should be stronger." She checked his splint once more, then continued offering her shoulder to him.

The settlement was as active as it had been the previous day. Jyn kept her head down, but she noticed from the corners of her eyes that Cassian was receiving a lot of unwanted gazes. He was a prime target for thieves in that hobbling state. Her hand drifted down to the blaster at her hip, comforting herself with the thought of using it if anyone tried anything.

Being in the seedy sector of the settlement had its benefits and drawbacks. They had no right to be picky, especially if they wanted to board a ship that had the best chances of being free of the Empire's influence. Smugglers were their safest bet.

Despite the attention, Cassian seemed to be outwardly confident, forging through the crowded street as if he was walking normally, even though he wasn't. Jyn wondered what was keeping potential petty thieves at bay, until she noticed the chilling, icy expression he was wearing. He looked like a man ready to kill at even the smallest disturbance.

Cassian spoke quietly, seemingly unaware of her internal scrutiny. "There's a cantina nearby. Let's see if we can find a pilot there."

Her parents had always warned her about straying into strange places.

Saw Gerrera had always praised the abundance of information that could be found there.

Upon entering the cantina, it was reaffirmed to Jyn that both sentiments were correct. She was quite used to cantinas, but she had started avoiding them once they became more detrimental than they were worth.

She felt herself being pulled against her companion, and Cassian whispered in her ear, "Stay close."

She let him guide her to a table, and sat down as he went to speak to the bartender. Cassian returned as quickly as his leg would allow, sitting next to her instead of across from her with a pained sigh. The splint and bacta injections were certainly doing their job, but his discomfort was still obvious.

"I spoke to the bartender. Said he'll do me the favor of bringing potential pilots to the table in honor of being a 'veteran' of the war." Cassian said after a moment, his smile sly and bitter.

Jyn raised a single eyebrow. "Veteran?"

"Of the Clone Wars," he supplied. "I got a bad leg from the fighting as a child, okay?" he spoke in a quieter tone. "My name will be Aach."

"Okay, and who am I?"

"You're—"

Before he could finish, a male Bothan and a female human sat at the other end of the table.

The Bothan looked out towards the cantina, clearly disinterested. The human female leaned forward, and began speaking. "Barkeep said you were lookin' for a crew to work for?"

"Yes, we are. My pilot here, Aach, couldn't avoid the asteroid debris and we crash-landed on this planet. The ship and all our supplies were lost. His piloting skills from the Clone Wars surely saved us." Maybe they would be enticed with the knowledge of hiring a skilled pilot?

"Oh, a crash, huh? Most unfortunate. So, you have nothing to offer for passage?" The human female, clearly Mandalorian, leaned back slightly, apparently uninterested in their Clone Wars bait.

"No, that's why we're willing to work for passage." Jyn clasped her hands together under the table to avoid becoming visibly impatient.

"Aach and...?" The woman inquired.

"Kestrel."

"Hmm." The woman smiled. "Grothor, what do you think?" She looked up to the Bothan.

"Nothing. I do not care for this, Felu. Let us go already." Grothor sounded bored.

Felu turned her gaze back to Jyn and Cassian. "In terms of crash-landing... There have been a lot of Imperials swarming the area lately, looking for someone who stole a shuttle. Questioning all the poor folk who are trying to go about their business. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that... would you? There's a hefty reward for their capture." Her voice was sweetly soft, and the look in her eyes unnerved Jyn.

Grothor's eyes suddenly turned to them, piqued.

She felt something cold press against her kneecap under the table, and Jyn froze. Swallowing, she kept her voice steady while she pinched Cassian's hand, signaling that something was wrong. "No, we know nothing about that."

Cassian gripped her hand with his own in response.

"I'm sure the Empire can decide that. Seems like the both of you won't be walking out of here any time soon... Liana Hallik, right?" Felu chuckled at the sinister double-meaning, eyes glowing victoriously.

Jyn felt swift movement from Cassian, and the cold was no longer on her knee. He had kicked the blaster away just as the woman had her finger on the trigger. Almost simultaneously, a blaster shot could be heard hitting the ground as Jyn shoved the table towards the Mandalorian and the Bothan.

The cantina fell quiet as Jyn and Cassian rushed out. She felt a blaster bolt whiz by her ear.

"Hey, not in here!" a voice shouted from inside the cantina, distant to the two of them as they were already outside.

"So much for honoring your veterans," Cassian muttered as they hurried away.

"Just keep moving." Jyn pushed him forward slightly to increase his pace, watching him stagger unevenly with his splinted leg. How did that woman know her as Liana Hallik? Because she couldn't remember the woman at all. Were they paid to find her? If so, who would know that information?

The duo slipped down an alleyway, taking a few random turns. They were near the ship bays now... Jyn wondered if they could steal a ship, since it was their only option at this point.

"Come this way."

The sudden voice from another shadowed alleyway made Cassian freeze. Her gaze swung in the direction the voice came from as her hand dropped down to her blaster, struggling to pick them out in the shadows. Cassian looked ready to rush forward and bash the speaker with his crutch, but Jyn rested her fingertips against his back in a silent gesture. When it became apparent they weren't going to be jumped or surprised, she forced the tension out of her shoulders. "Follow," she urged Cassian. She knew better than to go against aid in the middle of danger.

Once she saw him limp after the receding figure, Jyn pulled out her blaster when she heard rapid footsteps approaching down one of the alleyways. She pulled the trigger at the owners when they appeared, the woman and the Bothan from the cantina. They darted for cover, and she took the opportunity to run after the unknown person and Cassian, knocking over a stack of barrels on her way to block the path.

The shadowed alley opened to a ship bay with a beaten-looking YT-1300 freighter docked there.

Cassian was leaning heavily on the stick, next to a brown-haired human male. Jyn approached them cautiously.

"So, as I've been saying," the man began once he noticed Jyn, "if you both want to make it off this planet, you should come on board. I think trust is luxury right now, one that neither of you have."

Jyn glanced towards Cassian and saw that his jaw was set. "What do you think?" Cassian asked her. The clear distrust of the situation reflected in his gaze told her it was more of a rhetorical question.

"I don't think we have any time to discuss this right now." Her point was proven by the woman and the Bothan running into the ship bay, blasters raised and ready to fire. Jyn ran up the freighter's open ramp without letting Cassian reply, knowing they needed to get off the planet. He had a strong will, like her; they would just have to face potential consequences later. She missed the smug look the stranger gave Cassian.

The stranger and Cassian followed behind her.

"Chewie, raise the ramp! We're leaving this forsaken glowing planet!" The stranger called as he ran down one of the ship's curving corridors. A roar sounded back, muted by the distance and design of the ship.

"Jyn." Cassian took firm hold of her sleeve, the miffed tone he used adding weight to the single syllable.

Jyn turned towards him. "This is no different than what you and the Rebellion put me through before, Captain. I'm doing what's necessary for us to survive." She could hear the stubbornness in her own tone.

Cassian regarded her with equal intensity, although she could see him almost wilt at that address. "Did you think about how they knew exactly where we'd be? What if they're mercenaries hired by the Imperials, just like those other two might be? We would have been better off stealing a ship."

The freighter shook violently upon takeoff, making Cassian stumble and drop his stuck. Jyn caught him and pulled him close, their faces almost touching. She was aware of that possibility. But she wasn't going back to Wobani again. Her voice was frosty, indicating that the answer to her question would be important. "Do you trust me?"

The strange man yelled something about TIE Fighters from the cockpit, and the unknown creature snarled in response. That alone made it apparent that they weren't working for the Imperials; while it wasn't of much reassurance, it at least meant they were out of immediate danger.

Cassian didn't move away. The anger in his eyes dissipated and he relented. "Yes."

She pulled away slightly at his answer. "And I trust you. These people seem like exactly the kind we were looking for. We're doing this for Rogue One. Are you with me on this?"

His voice was muted, but his eyes seemed a little bit brighter. "Every step of the way."