4ABY

Three months after the Battle of Endor

Planet: Corellia

It was dark as the dim streetlights failed to give adequate lighting for the path ahead. Jyn kept her walk brisk, her hand constantly brushing against the blaster at her hip. She wasn't expecting danger, but one could never be too careful. The fallout of the Empire had left its mark all over the galaxy, and Corellia, once being a hive for imperial presence, had felt its downfall hard. The last time Jyn was on this planet it was bustling with imperial officers and stormtroopers. Now, the streets lay mostly deserted, citizens too afraid to venture out after dark as guerrilla stakeouts made their presence more and more public. Jyn would not stay long on this planet. She wasn't even supposed to be here, and if Cassian discovered she had ventured away from their new home on Hosnian Prime he would probably end up posting a guard at their front door. Jyn sighed; she couldn't blame Cassian for his protectiveness given that she was currently seven months pregnant. Still, she needed her freedom as much as she needed air, and this unofficial trip was something she needed to do. It was closure. In any case, she wasn't alone. Han Solo was with her.

Jyn glanced over at the tall man keeping pace beside her, casually taking in their surroundings. "It isn't much further, I think."

Han glanced down at her, "You said they knew we were coming."

"The message I received was brief, but yes, they know we are coming." Jyn allowed herself to frown, contemplating on the welcome they might receive. They would not be harmed, but still, one could never be too careful with a band of resistance fighters that were not officially part of the alliance rebellion. The Corellian resistant fighters had been a constant thorn in the Imperials side during the long years of the late Emperor's reign, and now with the planet liberated, some of those rebels had become cocky and downright thuggish. Fortunately Jyn and Han were meeting with those who had previously fought for the alliance resistance before joining the Corellian resistance; therefore she believed they had clearer heads on their shoulders.

Movement ahead caused Jyn and Han to slow their pace, Jyn's fingers began to twitch on her blaster's halt. She would shoot anyone on site who dared harm her in her condition. An empty bottle rolled along the sidewalk up ahead, followed by a man who gave the bottle another kick sending it flying across the street.

"Nice night for it," the man spoke, placing his hands into the pockets of his Corellian-cut jacket. He jerked his head at Han,"Husband?"

"No," Jyn replied, "Friend."

The man hummed, taking a step back to assess the two of them. "You're expecting!"

"Looks that way," Jyn replied wryly.

"Interesting," he continued, "I had a friend who knew a young lady who was expecting."

"I doubt my friend here is the only woman in the galaxy who is expecting," Han added. Jyn had asked Han to accompany her as Corellia was his home planet, that and she knew Han would keep this little trip from Cassian without lecturing her.

"What's your name, girl," the man asked finally. His hands were no longer in his pockets but out, visible for Jyn and Han to notice he was not armed. Well, not holding a blaster at least.

"Kenna."

Jyn saw his eyes narrow at that name. "Kenna, you say. The friend I mentioned, her name was Kenna."

"A common name," Han added, causing the man to nod.

"She was an incredible woman," the man continued. He held out his hand for Jyn to shake, "The name's Joraah. I've been expecting you. Follow me."

Jyn glanced up at Han who gave her a half crooked smile, gesturing for her to walk ahead of him.

The underground facility was old, poorly kept and the main light kept flickering at odd intervals. A few rebels lingered to the side, speaking amongst themselves in hushed tones while throwing sideway glances at Jyn and Han. As seedy as their environment was, for a brief moment, Jyn felt home again. This was the kind of environment she was raised in for most of her childhood. Jyn placed her hand over her bump as if protecting her unborn child from such a place. While she had conceived during the reign of the empire, Jyn and Cassian had vowed their child would not be born nor raised in the same background they had been.

"Take a seat," Joraah said, gesturing to a round table surrounded by several chairs, "I'll get her belongings."

Jyn sat down, silently relieved to be off her feet. Her back was starting to ache at a constant these past few weeks, and the last thing she wanted was to look weak and vulnerable. Han sat down besides her, kicking the empty chair to his other side around to place his feet up. "Been here before?"

Jyn shook her head. "They kept on the move on Corellia, especially in the capital. The last time I was here their base was further west towards the outskirts of the outlying neighbourhoods. After the bombing I was caught in they abandoned it and moved elsewhere." Jyn closed her eyes, remembering the emotional pain she felt that day. Rage had consumed her after what Kenna had done. Even though the two childhood friends had reconciled in the years that followed, Jyn never truly forgave Kenna.

Joraah returned moments later carrying a large, red box made out of thin metal. He placed it down with a large thud in front of Jyn and handed the key to the box's lock. "Most of Kenna's belongings were rationed out to her fellow resistant fighters, but she left explicit orders for us to give you the contents of this box should she die."

Jyn turned to Han, silently asking him for privacy. He took the hint, stood up and asked Joraah if he was up for a game of cards. Having been left on alone, Jyn opened the lock and lifted the box's lid. She truly did not know what to expect. Kenna was never sentimental; never merciful. Inside pieces of loose papers mostly took up Jyn's view. She noticed a few old holoimages in the mix along with what appeared to be a data package. Where to begin with all this? Part of Jyn's mind said to close this box and take it back to Hosnian Prime with her. It would mean she would end up home sooner, and a much greater chance of Cassian still being off planet. Then again, Cassian had hated Kenna, and the feeling was mutual. She felt guilty for lying to Cassian about her trip; then again he was already off planet when she received the message for her to come here so it wasn't like she outwardly lied to him. No matter how she tried to justify her actions, she had promised Cassian no more lies; no more secrets.

Kriff what a mess.

The baby kicked causing Jyn to smile down at her belly. "You don't approve either." Sighing, Jyn picked up the first piece of paper and noticed it was a list of important personal within the empire her former friend had personally killed. "Seriously Kenna," she muttered, "this is what you chose to leave me?"

Jyn frowned, noticing a few names the alliance believed to still be alive. Interesting, Jyn thought, setting the paper aside. Kenna was, if anything, extremely resourceful, something she had in common with Cassian. Had Kenna joined the alliance, she would have been an incredible asset. The problem was however, that she was too much like Saw. Had she lived longer, she may have ended up as equally paranoid as he became. Her paranoia had already begun to show in these scraps of papers. Kenna had preferred paper to a datapad as it was likely to be stolen.

A holoimage towards the back of the pile, partly peeking out caught Jyn's attention. She retrieved it and felt warmth flood through her. It was an image of her, Kenna and three other girls who had once been Jyn's friends. The five of them had only worked together once, but it was the most successful and longest assignment Jyn had ever worked. It had been Kenna's master plan, and she had devised it for Saw. Jyn had only been 16 at the time this picture had been taken, a mere two months before Saw would end up abandoning her. Jyn ran her fingers over the image, remembering all their faces. Out of the five of them only two remained alive – Jyn and Luella. The war had taken the other three, Kenna being the last. Jyn had not seeing Luella in eight years and wondered what her life was like. Last she heard Luella had settled and married on the outskirts of Lothal. Kenna had accused her of being weak and a coward for choosing that way of life. They had not parted on good terms, and while Jyn held no personal grudge against Luella, she followed Kenna nonetheless to Kessel where her life as a petty criminal began.

Jyn probably should have thanked Kenna for her bad influence all those years. If it was not for Kenna, Jyn would never have survived as long as she did. Her unborn child would never have been conceived, and she may never have met Cassian, or if she had, she may never have gotten the chance to know him as she now did.

All of this happened because of Kenna. She had said that to Cassian not long ago, who scoffed and said 'don't give that girl so much credit.' Placing the holoimages back in with its fellow contents, Jyn shut and locked the box, deciding it was best to return to Hosnian Prime. The act of standing up caused Jyn to sway, latching onto the chair as she began to see lights flicker in her eyes. This wasn't an easy pregnancy; her body had decided that from the get go. Feeling her blood pressure returning to normal, Jyn took a deep breath and went in search of Han.

By the time they made it back to the Millennium Falcon, Chewie had the engine running. Jyn was relieved to hear its hum, enjoying the comfort of a softer seat as Han placed her box of Kenna's belongings on the chair beside her. He had insisted on carrying it for her, something she was immensely grateful for.

"Homeward bound," Han said cheerfully as he made his way to the cockpit. "Get some sleep, you look like hell, and I for one do not want to be in Cassian's firing line should you wind up in a med clinic due to you over exerting yourself.

Jyn smiled tiredly, rubbing her bump. "I'm fine. Its normal to feel this tired when you're pregnant."

"Somehow I think Cassian won't be comforted by that."

"Leave my husband to me."

"Oh I intend to."

With that the Millennium Falcon took flight. Turning to the red box, Jyn wondered if she should continue to shift through all of Kenna's belongings. Maybe later, for now she needed sleep. She sensed an argument ahead.

...

13BBY: Planet Yanibar

17 Years Earlier

Jyn was standing in front of Saw Gerrera as one of his agents conversed with him quietly. Jyn shuffled her feet, watching her fingers entwine with another. It had been less than a week since Saw had rescued her from Lah'mu and every night Jyn wondered when her papa was coming to get her. She remembered Saw from their first meeting four years ago when he had taken her and her parents to Lah'mu for the first time. It was a pleasant memory, but now these days she felt something in him was different. He was just as kind to her as he had been those years ago. Maybe he just looked older?

"Come here, child," Saw said, reaching his hand out for her to grab. His agent had left, leaving man and child alone in the quiet solace of the room. Jyn stepped forward and onto his lap, waiting for him to speak. "We will not be staying here for long," he continued, "My men have short work to do before we depart, which is what I need to talk to you about."

Jyn waited, believing finally that he was going to say her papa was on his way here. Maybe he planned on arriving before Saw left?

"It's about your name," Saw said sadly.

Jyn frowned, looking up at him, "My name?"

"Jyn Erso is no longer a name that is safe for a little girl."

"But how else will papa know where to find me?" she asked.

Saw sighed, setting Jyn off his lap and placed both his hands gently on Jyn's shoulders. "Child, we have discussed this; you father is not coming to get you. He has gone far away to keep you safe from harm."

Jyn lowered her head. How could her papa keep her safe if he wasn't here? Whatever I do, I do it to protect you, say you understand? She remembered her father's last words to her.

"My name is Jyn."

Saw gave her a steady gaze, one that showed her that this was a topic she could not win. "You must choose a new name for the time being. One day you can change it again."

"My whole name or just my last name?"

"Your whole name."

Jyn thought, staring off to the side wondering what name she would like to be called. She turned to look at Saw and became more aware of the man in front of her much clearly. He had rescued her from those troopers and had allowed her to embrace him on the ship as it departed Lah'mu. He had held her hand four years ago as they both departed the cockpit to tell her parents of the planet they had found together. She even remembered asking her parents if Saw could live with them on Lah'mu.

"Can I have your name?" she asked hopefully.

Saw smiled, "Saw Gerrera is not a safe name either."

"No," Jyn began to explain, "I mean your last name. I've seen the way those who follow you say it. They like Gerrera. Can I be a Gerrera too?"

Jyn hadn't realised the emotional impact her words had on Saw. He had no family living anymore, no child of his own. He had come to feel protective of Jyn even in these few days. "Child, I am not su-"

"My name is Jyn Gerrera," she said proudly, "and it's spelled G-I-N-N, Ginn."

Saw laughed. "Ginn sounds the same as Jyn."

"I know," Jyn said smiling. "It's different and you said I had to change it. So I have. You never said it had to sound different."

"Clever girl." Saw sighed, glancing at the time on his armguard. "We will discuss this later. For now I need you to get some rest before we leave. I fear the shuttle will be quite noisy." Saw stood up allowing Jyn to take his hand. "I have someone for you to meet. A companion if you wish it."

That piqued Jyn's interest. "Who?"

"We found her on the outskirts of the city. My scouts retrieved her after she attacked a few troopers with a stolen blaster." Saw led her down a narrow corridor. "From what I have been able to assess, she is the same age as you are." Saw stopped outside a door and knelt down to Jyn's level. "Do you think you could do a job for me?"

Jyn nodded, feeling excited to be given such a task.

"I want you to talk to this girl. She will not speak to us, but she may speak to another close to her age. Find out her name, her family if she has one and anything else that may have to do with the city close by. I would also like to how she got her hands on a blaster. Perhaps there is a group of smugglers we are not aware of. Can you do this for me?"

"I can," Jyn replied. Saw opened the door slowly, ushering Jyn into the small room. A single mattress strewn with blankets and a limp pillow lay to one side of the wall and a basin with a single plastic cup lay to the other side of the room. The lighting was dim, but Jyn could easily make out the girl sitting on the hard floor at the foot of the mattress. Jyn turned at the sound of the door closing, feeling a little nervous. The girl had her knees tucked up to her chin, allowing her messy, brown hair to fall loosely around her frame.

"Hi," Jyn said in a small voice.

The girl lifted her head and met Jyn's gaze. Her eyes were a soft brown that matched her skin tone. She stretched out her legs and cocked her head to the side. "Did they get you too?"

"What do you mean?" Jyn asked.

"They grabbed me," she clarified. "I was only doing what I wanted. I wasn't shooting at them."

"Have you really fired a blaster?" Jyn asked.

The girl smirked, finally standing up. "I take it you haven't?" She crossed her arms and glared. "Are you a princess or something? My mama told me that only princesses and rich girls don't use blasters."

Jyn frowned, making a fist with her hand. "I am not a princess or rich and my mother is dead."

"So is mine," the girl replied. "My papa killed her; did yours kill your mama?"

Jyn felt tears forming but refused to let them spill. She lifted her chin defiantly. "My mother was killed by a trooper and then they took my papa away. He would never hurt my mother."

The girls remained silent for a moment, finally uncrossing her arms. "Troopers are scum and they all deserve to die." After another long moment the girl decided to continue. "So why are you with those people out there?"

Jyn took a deep breath to steady her voice. "Saw – the man who bought me here – he saved my life from the troopers that killed my mother."

The girl nodded. "They kill troopers?"

Jyn mimicked the girls nod. "They don't like the empire."

"I don't like the empire either." She smiled. "What's your name?"

Suddenly, Jyn remembered why Saw had wanted her to come here in the first place. She had a job to do. "My name is Jyn."

The girl smiled and held out her hand. "Kenna."