Chapter One: A Risk Worth Taking

"I will get us out of here," Cassian whispered, as he hugged Jyn tightly, on the beaches of Scarif. He didn't know how he would get off this destroyed planet, but he would. His droid, K2S0 was gone. So was every friend he made on this mission, except Jyn, and he was determined to let her live. She didn't answer his whispered promise. She probably couldn't hear him over the roar of the wind that blew across the water. They watched together, as the water evaporated and boiled, like a pot on a stove, and then Cassian got an idea. A brilliant idea. He couldn't believe it had taken him so long to think of it.

"Jyn, do you trust me?" Cassian asked. Even if she didn't, he didn't care. He stood up, dragging her to her feet. Ina swift motion that seemed impossible with the pain in his ribs, he began to run. All he had to do was make it to the control tower, where they had just sent the Death Star plans to the Rebel ships. Jyn stumbled along behind Cassian as they ran. She didn't understand what he was doing. You couldn't run away from destruction of this scale.

"What are you doing?" Jyn finally asked, as they reached the base of the control tower.

"I'm going to upload us to the same ship we sent the plans to." Cassian laughed. He sounded crazy. He pounded the up button on the elevator shaft until the doors slid open.

"You're going to upload us?" Jyn scoffed as he pulled her inside the elevator.

"Yes! It's an experiment that the Resistance has been working on. Teleportation. Instead of putting the data chip in the control module, we open the entire hub, and instead of transferring a chip, we transfer us. It will work!" Cassian rambled excitedly as the elevator ascended the side of the tower. From the height, Jyn could get a full view of the destruction that was being caused. The entire planet of Scarif was being ripped apart, molecule by molecule and Cassian was telling her that they could teleport to a ship.

"I hope your right." She said, watching as the beach began dissolving. If they had stayed on the warm sand, they would have certainly met their death.

"Me too," Cassian said, too quietly for Jyn to hear him. The doors of the elevator opened and Cassian took off toward the transfer console with the speed of a man who was not bleeding to death. Jyn evaluated his injuries. She estimated that the blaster may have caused minimal damage, but the fall from the data tower probably broke several ribs. She didn't understand how he was walking. His leg was clearly broken.

In a matter of seconds, Cassian had the hub of the control module wide open. Jyn stood behind him, watching him work on the machine. There appeared to be just enough room for one person. He had no idea how he was going to fit him and Jyn into the hub, but if he had to choose he would send her.

"Get in." He commanded. Jyn took a step forward and considered the entrance Cassian created. "Come on, quickly. I don't think there's room for both of us." He admitted.

"There's either room for both of us, or neither of us are going anywhere." Jyn barked defiantly. She stepped over some cables and entered the pod. It would be a tight fit, but Cassian hoped he would be able to squeeze in beside her. He typed a sequence into the control panel then maneuvered himself around the cables. Standing in the pod with Jyn, he realized how tiny she was. She was at least a foot shorter than he was. Her slender frame came from years of living as a fugitive, skipping meals because she couldn't afford to eat. He fit with just enough room between her and the opposite side of the pod. The control panel chirped once and the pod began to shake.

It's now, or never, Cassian thought to himself as the teleport sequence started. He looked down at Jyn. She wasn't paying attention to him. She was looking out, toward the top of the data tower.

"Hey." He said, bringing her focus back to him.

"Yeah?" She asked. The pod shook harder. Without thinking, Cassian leaned down and kissed Jyn. His lips pressed against hers in a hurried, needy way that briefly made Jyn want him to do more than kiss her. Her lips were dry—a product of years of desert air and outdoor labor. He brushed her hair away from the side of her face as he deepened the kiss. They were still kissing when their ears simultaneously popped. Jyn yelped in pain, pulling away from Cassian. Instinctively, his hands flew to his ears. Everything around them was gone. White, blinding light flooded the pod. The shaking intensified, lasting a few seconds and then everything went black.

"Ackbar, incoming transmission." Admiral Raddus barked. General Ackbar swiveled his chair around to look at the control panel behind him. It was a transmission, but the codes that were flashing on the screen he had only ever seen in training.

"That's no transmission." Ackbar spoke in basic to his superior.

"What is it then?" Raddus asked.

"That's a teleport." Ackbar stood up and went to the control panel. "It's a teleport from Scarif." He typed in a code to accept the teleport, and then prepared for the worst. His claw went to his blaster and waited for the teleport to appear. A human's form began to appear on the teleportation pad, and beside that, another human was appearing as well. Ackbar drew his blaster and pointed it at the pad.

"I am Cassian Andor. Pilot of Rogue One." Cassian's voice began to come to Ackbar, echoing through the stabilization process. "I mean no harm. I have Jyn Erso with me. We are unarmed and injured." Cassian continued. Ackbar reholstered his weapon.

"Pilot Andor, it is a pleasure to see that you have survived." Ackbar greeted him when the stabilization process was complete. "It is my greatest pleasure to have worked with you on this mission." Cassian nodded, unable to say much else. "I will send message to the medical team and they will take care of you." Ackbar added. Cassian helped Jyn to the steps that led to the teleport pad and sat down, straightening his broken leg, and putting an arm around Jyn.

"You have a teleportation pad." Cassian laughed. It wasn't a question, it was a statement of awe. He hadn't even thought of what would happen if the ship didn't have one.

"It's new. It was installed right before this mission. The Princess insisted that it would be useful to me. I now understand." Raddus said. He had joined Ackbar in greeting their new guests. "I am Admiral Raddus, it is a pleasure to serve you." He said. He extended his claw for Cassian to shake. Cassian grasped the hard, smooth claw that served as Raddus's hand

"The medical team will be arriving shortly." Ackbar informed Cassian. Jyn sighed, whether in pain or impatience, no one could tell. Cassian kept his arm around her, supporting her, but also needing to be near her.

"Thank you." Cassian said.

"I do have to ask, Andor, how did you know that we would have a teleportation pad? The idea is still in its infancy." Raddus asked. Cassian shrugged. There was no good answer, he just knew that it would work.

"Something told me that I had to survive, that I had to make sure Jyn survived. I wasn't sure if it would work, but I had to try. It was my only hope." Cassian admitted.

"I was against teleportation until now," Raddus said. "It always seemed so unnatural. The idea of moving living beings like we do data disturbed me. Now I am glad that the Princess convinced me to install a pad. Without that pad, I don't know what would have happened to you."

"It was a risk that I had to take. I'm glad I did." Cassian was losing energy. His voice was getting softer and softer as his shirt grew darker and darker with blood from his injury.

"It was a risk worth taking." Ackbar concluded.