Jyn woke to the familiar sensation of dirty water dripping from the ceiling and splattering on her forehead. She opened her eyes looking straight up at darkness with her back laying on the slab that was generously called her bed.

She had been in worse spots. Usually at the hands of some local crime boss or warlord she had angered after stealing weapons or supplies or whatever else she had needed. Over the years she had discovered first hand just how much more creative they were in their methods than imperials. Of course, then it had been different. Back then, she had an out; a friend on the outside, a hidden blaster, or at the very least a knife. Here on Wobani, she was alone.

She glanced over at the sleeping form of her cellmate and wondered idly if this was the day the alien was going to kill her. Nail had told her as much the day before. It was said so casually, one might have assumed it was an empty threat, but Jyn knew better. The type of people sent to Wobani did not make empty threats.

But she supposed it didn't matter. She was going to die on Wobani, one way or another. Nobody ever lasted long. Any sentence longer than five years meant death, and she had been sentenced to twenty.

She was going to die. She was at peace at that, or at least as peaceful as one could be with their own death. The only real choice she had was whether she died of a broken body or a knife in her chest. Out of those two options she preferred the latter.

A slight banging caught her attention as the Stormtroopers made their way down the line, opening random cells for the workers for the day. This stirred Nail out of her sleep, glaring at Jyn through black eyes as if she had been the one to do it.

"Today's the day," Nail rasped.

Jyn nodded her head, but said nothing. There wasn't anything to say.

Then, suddenly, the whole room shook with a violent explosion.

The bars of Jyn's cell rattled and a loud ringing echoes in her ears. The source of the explosion was too far away for her to make out what had caused it, but she could see the smoke and debris spray out from the small opening of the cell.

Jyn leapt to her feet, but Nail beat her to it, pressing her face against the bars.

The Stormtroopers making the rounds paid them little mind as they rushed past towards the ensuing chaos.

"E block is busted open," Nail commented. "Everyone is getting out."

Jyn's eyes widened in shock as she could hear the commotion coming from down the wing. Blasters were being fired. People were cursing and yelling in different languages and more and more Stormtroopers ran past the door towards the outbreak.

Jyn stayed where she stood.

Just her luck. Some breaker explodes, and it didn't affect her cell.

She wandered back to her "bed" and sat down, knowing Nail wasn't going to move from her place any time soon. At the very least, it delayed the alien's instinct to kill her.

As she sat there staring at the opposite wall, she almost didn't notice a new body take a place in front of the bars.

"Liana Hallik," a female voice called.

Jyn turned her head. Liana Hallik, it wasn't her favorite name, but it was the one she had when they arrested her. She thought she was going to die with it, but as she stared at the person on the other side of the cell, she wasn't so sure it would be the case.

An imperial cadet stood at attention, but something seemed just a bit off. She was a little short, even for a cadet, looking to be a few inches smaller than Jyn with a uniform that looked about half a size too big.

"Her," Nail bit out, pointing in Jyn's direction. "Who wants to know?"

The cadet didn't answer. Instead, she stepped back and shot Nail through the bars with a stun shot. Nail crumpled to the floor and Jyn's eyes widened in shock. Jyn looked back at the cadet who now approach the cell opening.

She pulled up her visor enough to reveal a young girl's face. She could have only been about sixteen, seventeen at the oldest. Her expression was stern, which looked almost comical when contrasted against her soft features and wide grey eyes, but Jyn didn't laugh. Young or not, Jyn knew a soldier when she saw one.

"I'm with the Rebel Alliance," the girl said. "I've come to get you out of here."

Jyn couldn't believe her ears as the girl put down her visor and unlocked the door with what Jyn presumed was a stolen key.

Rebels.

They had found her. They had come for her.

Her first instinct was to run. She could take down a teenager easily enough, but the girl was smart. Her blaster didn't leave Jyn the entire time, keeping a proper distance away as Jyn exited the cell.

Jyn only got a glimpse of the mayhem as she peered over the ledge of the walkway.

Some of the Stormtroopers were fighting a fire which had erupted in one of the corners of the block. Inmates poured out of their cells, racing towards the warden's office and exit. Some were fighting the guards, while the ones left in their cells yelled and cursed demanding to be let out.

To her surprise, the girl was pushing her in the opposite direction, towards the soldier's barracks.

"Trust me," she insisted, answering Jyn's unspoken questions. "I've got a way out."

Jyn very much did not trust her and had to question whomever was in charge of this mission as to why they had sent a literal child to retrieve her. Unfortunately for her, the possibility of Saw Gerrera giving the orders wasn't too far off the table. Saw had trusted her with such missions at a much younger age than the girl currently pointing a blaster at her back. It made it all the more precedent for her to make her escape as soon as possible.

They made their way down the hallways and staircases of the prison without incident as all the other Stormtroopers in the facility where already informed as to what was happening. The girl only spoke to give an order, a right here and left there until finally Jyn recognized the back way leading towards the kitchens. They turned another corner and to Jyn's horror, they weren't alone.

Three troopers stood guard, halting their progress.

"Where are you taking this prisoner," the middle one asked.

"Cafeteria sir," the girl said, in the tone of someone who had their orders, but were unclear as to why. "I was told to place all prisoners here until the fire could be contained."

"Our orders are to put the prisoners back in their cells," the middle one spat.

"I don't know what to tell you sir," she said. "I just do as I'm told."

Jyn imagined under normal circumstances, the girl made for a talented liar, but it did them no good here. The troopers were now on edge, and unwilling to take any chances. All three of them raised their blasters towards the pair of them.

"Put down your weapon," the middle one ordered. "Take off your helmet and let's see some identification."

The girl let out an annoyed sigh but did as she was told.

Jyn watched her out of the corner of her eye as she placed her weapon on the ground, and with deliberate hands, removed her helmet revealing a braided mess of dark red hair.

It confirmed Jyn's suspicions of her being somewhere in the range of sixteen to eighteen. It also, did little to ease the situation.

"Keep your blaster on this one," the girl instructed the trooper on the left. "She's got a lot of fight in her."

The trooper heeded her advice and kept his blaster and attention right on Jyn.

Jyn wanted to curse the girl. There were only three of them. If she had allowed Jyn the element of surprise, they could had gotten out of there by now. She doubted the girl had the proper clearance to get past the guards. Playing nice with them was only stalling time.

She gritted her teeth, as her whole body tensed, ready for a fight. She glanced at the girl, but stopped as she noticed, tucked neatly in the back of the girl's pants, was the outline of a compact blaster.

Without warning, the girl tossed her helmet to the middle trooper causing him to lower his blaster and catch it on instinct. By the time he realized what was happening, it was too late.

The girl pulled out her blaster and shot him straight through the chest. The one on the right following immediately after.

The one pointed at Jyn spun around firing blindly at the girl, but she had already dropped to her knees and with one last blast, the trooper fell dead.

Jyn stared at her.

The girl's hands were beginning to shake as the adrenaline started to leave her system, her eyes were wide, and her breath uneven.

Suddenly, Saw Gerrera didn't seem as likely an option. The girl was still soft. At least, she showed it too readily. Jyn herself remembered when her hands would shake after a fire fight, but that had been years ago. Saw had drilled it out of her. So, either the girl was a new recruit, or she was with somebody else.

The girl rose to her feet, some of her composure coming back to her. She turned her back to Jyn to check on the two troopers behind her.

Jyn looked to the ground at the one at her feet and the girl's helmet laying just beside the body.

"C'mon," the girl said. "We've got to keep moving."

She turned to Jyn only to be knocked to the ground as Jyn slammed the helmet right into the girl's face.

Jyn didn't bother to check on her as she grabbed one of the fallen Stormtrooper's blasters and made a break for the exit.

She was going to get off Wobani. She could find one of the vehicles and flee across the landscape. Far away from imperials and rebels alike. She would change her name and disappear to where nobody could find her. She was going to be free.

She never made it.

As she rounded the corner back the way she had come, a large metal hand grabbed her by the chest, lifting her up into the air and effectively jolting the blaster out of her hand. She was then slammed back into the ground, knocking the wind right out of her.

She looked up to see an Imperial security droid looking down at her with cold white eyes.

"You are being rescued," it said politely. "Please do not resist."

Jyn struggled for breath as she cursed the droid and the girl came back into her vision.

"Kay," the girl berated. "You've got to be more careful with people."

"I was merely doing my job," the droid said indignantly.

The girl rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to Jyn.

Jyn waited for a blaster or a sneer to be shoved into her face, but it never came. Instead, to her complete and utter surprise, the girl offered her a hand.

"C'mon," the girl said. "We've really got to go."

Jyn stared at the girl in astonishment, but it did little to phase the other. The girl's hand remained patiently waiting, as her face portrayed an understanding, if not urgent expression.

Hesitantly, Jyn took it and the girl pulled her to her feet.

Jyn was tempted to grab her fallen blaster, but a quick glance reminded her of the droid at her back. The girl might have been willing to forgive her, but she doubted the droid would be so inclined.

She continued to follow the girl past the fallen Stormtroopers, only pausing when the girl bent down to pick up her helmet, before continuing on. They ran through the kitchens and back to the loading bay where a freighter stood waiting.

Jyn understood then. The rest of the inmates were headed towards the vehicles or control panels to call for a ship, unknowing of the unscheduled delivery having been made earlier that day, or of the three troopers stationed to guard it.

The three of them made it into the ship without incident. The girl climbed up the ladder leading from the cargo bay to the cockpit as the droid closed the cargo bay doors behind them. Jyn made to follow her, but the droid gripped her by the shoulder keeping her securely in place.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," he said coolly.

Jyn glared at him but made no move to fight. She wouldn't win.

"Strap in," the girl called behind her as she prepped the ship.

Jyn wasn't given much of a choice as the droid pushed her into one of the side seats just as the ship lurched upward.

Jyn leaned forward enough to see the cockpit window. The uniform grey sky came closer and closer until nothing, but clouds consumed them. The clouds then made way for the black and white of space. The girl fiddled with the controls and soon the spots of light turned into star lines and they were off.

Jyn let out a small breath of relief as she watched the blue and white lights of hyperspace reflect through the glass, but it only lasted a moment. Her eyes then drifted to the girl in the pilot seat.

She made her last few adjustments to the instruments and pulled out something that could only be an encrypted radio and pressed a few of the keys. Jyn couldn't make out the code from where she was sitting, and the droid standing in front of her made it impossible for her to get any closer.

The girl then placed the radio back in its place, paying little mind as she slid down the ladder. She didn't even look at Jyn as shed off her imperial uniform in exchange for one for the rebellion.

Despite her better judgement and pride, Jyn could no longer keep silent.

"Who are you," she asked sharply.

The girl looked at her, clearly surprised at the question, but her expression quickly shifted into a warm smile.

"Oh sorry," she said politely. "I'm Lieutenant Sera Darros."

She stuck out her hand with the intention of Jyn to shake it. Jyn did no such thing and met the girl with only an icy stare.

"No, I mean who are you," Jyn demanded.

Sera's smile faltered as she retracted her hand. None the less, she kept up the polite attitude.

"I told you, I'm with the Rebel Alliance."

"Who sent you?"

"I'm sorry, that's classified."

"What do you want?"

"Me? Nothing," she shrugged. "I just do what they tell me."

"Since when," the droid cut in.

Sera eyed him with a pointed look, but it did nothing.

"The point is, I can't tell you," she said, turning back to Jyn. "I'm sorry."

She sounded like she meant it too, but that didn't mean she was telling the truth. Jyn was having a harder and harder time understanding the girl in front of her.

Sera in turn seemed to realize she was going to get nothing more from Jyn and made her way back up to the cockpit.

"Aren't you going to shackle me," Jyn called after her.

Sera was part way up the ladder when she turned back to Jyn giving her an ironic smile.

"Why? You going to try and steal the ship?"

Jyn's lip tightened.

That was her initial thought. Knocking out one teenager wouldn't be difficult, but the moment Lieutenant Darros said the words, Jyn knew how stupid it would be. She'd have to get past not just her, but her imperial security droid, and she didn't have a weapon. No, it would be a waste of energy.

Sera seemed to notice her train of thought and nodded when Jyn reached her conclusion.

"You might as well make yourself comfortable," she said. "It's a long way home."