AN: Hey guys! The first proper chapter is in (a little short, but I'm working on making them longer). Again, I own none of the characters, but am very appreciative of those who do. This fic inevitably contains spoilers related to Rogue One, and potentially the larger Star Wars universe. There is definite divergence from the canon, but I'm trying to stay as close to the story as I can, while bringing something new to the topic. Rated M for language, and for future chapters. Reviews are always very appreciated (I'm sorta making this up as I go). Enjoy!


Ep. 1 – A Forced Partnership

"Congratulations. You are being rescued. Please do not resist"

What was that goddamn droid on about now? Jyn pushed herself up onto her forearms and turned her withering glare towards the looming hunk of metal 'rescuing' her. The droid in question drew back a little, looking about as intimidated as robots could.

"Cassian, there is a thirty percent chance that this small human will kill you before we reach the ship," the droid said.

Jyn turned her scowl towards the man who stood out of reach behind the droid. Dressed in traditional Rebel garb with a Captain's insignia he struck an imposing figure, towering over her prone form. Much to her annoyance, he didn't cower whatsoever. Instead, his furrowed brow hinted at his suspicion and distrust of her – a distrust she had grown accustomed to seeing in the faces of nearly everyone she encountered.

"Well then, Kay-tue, it would appear that the odds are in our favour," the man replied without moving his eyes from her face. She noticed an unfamiliar lilt to his voice that indicated he, like her, was not a local.

Growing uncomfortable underneath the weight of his gaze, Jyn roughly pushed aside the hand the droid extended to her, rising to her feet with a slight groan. She stalked off away from her liberators, without a word to either of them. She made it no more than ten meters before she felt a hand circling her arm.

"This isn't much of a liberation if I'm not free to leave," she spat out, turning to face the man now looming in front of her.

"Kay-tue may call this a rescue mission, but you and I both know the Alliance doesn't risk its neck to set criminals like you free," Cassian retorted, still tightly grasping her arm.

"Thirty-seven," the droid interjected.

Ignoring the droid, Jyn tried to wrench her arm free, growling in frustration at her slight build. While she could take down entire squadrons of Stormtroopers with nothing but a blaster, there was only so much she could do against someone so much larger than her in close contact.

"Let go of me," Jyn snarled, chin thrust confrontationally in the air. She aimed a kick that should have left him writhing on the ground, but before it could land he shifted. Now holding her arm painfully behind her back, he began to frogmarch her towards a series of low-lying hills in the distance.

"With a thirty percent chance of you killing me? Sorry Erso, no fucking way."

"Forty-two," the droid mumbled.

On hearing her last name, a name she hadn't heard spoken aloud in years, Jyn froze, causing Cassian to smack his jaw into the back of her head.

As he let go of her and began to swear, Jyn fumingly turned on her heel, marching towards him until there were scarcely two inches between them.

"So, what, I'm supposed to come quietly? So you can force me into a fight I want no part of? I fight with no one," She spat at him, eyes blazing.

"You think this is a simple recruitment mission? That I risked the lives of my men to save you, a scrappy criminal who went and got herself captured by the Empire?" He indignantly returned.

"Forty-four"

"At least I'm worth capturing, unlike you. You Alliance are all the same – all holier-than-thou, militant, grade-A assholes who couldn't explain their cause if they tried."

"Couldn't explain the cause? At least I have a cause! At least I realize there's something worth fighting for! That there are people dying for no other reason than that the Empire didn't like the look of them!"

"Forty-Seven," The droid muttered.

"What?!" They both screamed, wrenching their gazes away from the others heated face to glare at Kay-tue.

"So sorry to interrupt," the droid drawled, "but the odds of Cassian being killed or seriously maimed between here and the ship has risen to forty-seven percent."

Jyn and Cassian both untensed slightly, distracted from the heat of the argument. As they mistrustfully glared at each other across the droid, who had taken the liberty of strategically placing himself between them, both felt their anger deflate slightly. At that very moment, K-2SO noticed a figure in the distance, rapidly growing closer.

"The probability of either of you making it to the ship has now reached a shocking new low," the droid commented in a panicked tone.

Turning their heads in the direction of K-2's gaze, both Jyn and Cassian recognized the silhouette of an Empire carrier drawing nearer. Without second thought, the trio began sprinting towards the distant hills, K-2SO effortlessly taking the lead due to his long build. As Jyn began to pull ahead, the carrier accelerated until it was nearly upon them. Although Jyn felt nothing close to affection for the smug captain, she wasn't about to allow the Empire the satisfaction of his capture, and slowed to help drag him along.

K-2 was already at the ship hidden between two sloping hills. Starting the engine, he began to prepare for a prompt evacuation when Jyn and a gasping Cassian stumbled aboard. Hastily lifting off from the blackened planet, K-2 piloted the vessel through a series of canyons and hills, attempting to lose the Empire craft. His efforts were to no avail, and the Imperial ship pursued them closely, firing sporadically but accurately at their vessel.

"Shift to lightspeed and get us the hell out of here," Jyn cried.

"Attempting to shift to lightspeed at such low altitudes while the engines have yet to warm up is almost certainly fatal," the droid argued.

"Shift to lightspeed Kay-tue or I swear I'll rewire you as a disposal droid," Cassian bellowed. Jyn glanced over at him, shocked by his show of solidarity.

Muttering to himself about the probability of certain death, K-2 pointed the nose of the ship towards the stars and started to accelerate. Everything blurred as the craft traveled at lightspeed past Wobani's orbit and out into the galaxy beyond. The ship groaned and clanked as the lightspeed drive began to fail, the vessel shuddering to a halt. Inertia threw Cassian and Jyn forward into the rigging, where they lay panting from the chase. Jyn swore she heard Kay-tue let out a cry of relief.


"Well the lightspeed drive is bantha fodder after that stunt we pulled, but the regular engines are still functional," Cassian grunted, pulling himself out from under the console.

"Looks like you're going to have to let the Alliance know that your glorified kidnapping is taking longer than you expected," Jyn smirked, revelling in the captain's annoyance. "Without your lightspeed drive working, I suppose I'll have plenty of time to slip away."

Not bothering to look up at her, Cassian motioned to the hatch. "There's the door, feel free to use it," he returned, brushing his hands off on his pants before standing.

"Who's to say I won't?" Jyn quipped, surprised that his words stung. She had gotten used to being alone in the galaxy, with no one to care whether she lived or died. Why should this be any different?

Cassian shrugged, moving to leave the cramped space, before pausing in the doorway. "The way I see it, we have three weeks Galactic Standard Time back to base on Yavin 4. I'm not going to waste my time watching over you. Just remember, if you kill me in my sleep you'll only have Kay-tue for company, and I can assure you he isn't half the ray of starlight that I am." Cassian turned to leave before pausing, "I eat at 1800, join me if you'd rather eat stale nutri-bars than starve," he said, leaving Jyn to her thoughts.


Three weeks… Three weeks of living in this piece-of-shit vessel with it's nerfherder of a captain, Jyn sighed. Sitting with a groan she pulled out her necklace, given to her by a long-dead mother. Running the jagged crystal between her fingers, she felt a stirring inside her. Memories of Imperial troopers slaughtering her parents rushed into her head. An overwhelming hate for the Empire and what they took from her resurfaced, spurred on by her recent escape.

For the first time in years, Jyn wanted to see them pay.