7BBY: Planet Balanor (Outer Rim Territories)

Fourteen year old Jyn watched as the medical droid attempted to treat Saw. Her foster father was in a terrible mood and had threatened to turn the droid into scrap numerous times. They had been on this rainforest planet for two weeks now, having to hide suddenly from imperial detection. A few assortments of ships housing various insurgents had landed with them, setting up temporary shelter around the small convoy of shuttles. It wasn't the ideal location, but it served its purpose to keep them hidden. The rainforest was thick, most areas having the treetop canopies covering the indigo sky above. Jyn rather liked it here; she and Maia would frequently venture out on their own reconnaissance missions. On their third day, they had stumbled upon a small ravine filled with clear, cool water. They had bathed in it, relishing the cool water against their skin.

Jyn had become close with Maia, spending most of her spare time with the younger girl. She was the opposite of Kenna; calm, quiet and kind. Saw appreciated Maia's innocent appearance as it made her the ideal candidate to send out to gather information in areas that were difficult for a rebel or criminal to obtain.

"Hurry up," Saw huffed at the droid. Jyn stalked over to where he lay on the poorly kept steel medical bed. She pulled up a stool and took the tray of supplies from the droid. It was better she did this part. Saw had a terrible gash to his right bicep.

"It's deep," Jyn said, observing the laceration closely. "Bacta will take a while to work."

Saw's mood had shifted once Jyn took up her spot next to him. He was always calmer, softer around her. "The sooner it's on, the better."

Jyn got to work cleaning the wound. "You shouldn't blame the droid for your own fault."

Saw smiled at her through the pain. "Always forthcoming, my child."

"You raised me to be like this," she murmured. "This will sting."

Saw sucked his breath between his teeth as she applied the antiseptic. "I will track that bounty hunter down once I get off this kriffen' forsaken planet."

"Oh, this planet isn't so bad." Jyn wiped away the excess blood that had oozed out. "Good shelter."

"We cannot stay here long," Saw continued. "Tell them to prepare to depart in two days time."

Jyn's heart dropped at his command. She had been hoping to stay at least another week. She smoothed the bacta patch over his bicep. "There, all better."

Saw observed her work. "In another life you could have been a medic."

"I prefer making the wounds, not fixing them," Jyn remarked as she dipped her hands into the bowl of water to clean them.

Saw chuckled. "You are fast becoming my child."

Jyn smiled over at him. "I am."

They remained in a companionable silence while Jyn cleaned up the supplies, letting the droid dispose of the medical waste.

"Jyn."

She turned at the sound of her name, placing her hand in his outreached one. He pulled her over to him, placing his hand on her back.

"You are the daughter I never had," he began, keeping his eye contact sombre. "I have no other family but you." He paused, looking for the right words. "When the time comes, there are things... belongings of mine that I want you to have."

Jyn wanted to protest. The notion of Saw no longer being around was a foreign thought. Saw raised his hand to silence her before she could protest.

"My home planet – Onderon. I have something there for you, but you cannot have it until I am long gone."

"What is it?" Jyn asked, her voice sounding small.

"Information," Saw answered. "Everything about my insurgency, all the data on my soldiers and those I have helped keep protected from the empire. It is located somewhere safe; somewhere nobody will ever find it unless they know where to look. When I am gone, you must go to Onderon and find an Ithorian by the name of Kruineph Hunew. Can you remember that?"

Jyn frowned as she repeated the name. "Kruineph Hunew."

"Good," Saw said. "He will be in the capitol Iziz working at a factory he owns called Shelson. He knows of you and that I intend on passing this information on to you. I told him your name is Kestrel Dawn. He will take you to my first safe house. There you will find what you seek."

Jyn repeated all his words, trying to remember. "Kestrel Dawn, Shelson, Iziz, Kruineph Hunew."

Saw nodded with a small smile. "Yes, my child. I have no one else to pass this on to. You are my successor. That is, if anything is left of my work by the time I am gone."

Jyn held his hand, giving it a squeeze. "I will make you proud."

"That, I believe."

...

0BBY: Planet Yavin IV

29 Hours before Battle of Yavin

Cassian had woken up confused. His body felt numb, cold and heavy. He had been in a bactatank before and the after affects felt like this. His toes tingled constantly and a medical droid had told him the extent of his injuries. The bruising on his spine attributed to the tingling which would eventually fade in time. He was glad he could at least feel his toes. He thought of Scarif, of Jyn. Where was she?

He had asked the medical droid.

"Lieutenant Erso has been discharged from medical," it replied.

Lieutenant Erso? How much had changed during his slumber? The droid was not much helpful with information, telling him that General Draven would be visiting shortly. In the meantime, Cassian slowly picked away at the food he had been given. He was not very hungry, probably from the heavy sensation of his ribs healing.

When Draven finally arrived, Cassian had finished eating and was picking away at the bacta that had crusted under his nails.

"Captain Andor," Draven said, walking over to the bedside. "Glad to see you awake."

"General," Cassian replied, wincing as he sat up.

"At ease," Draven said, waving his hand. "When you're feeling up to it, I'd like a full report of the events that took place on the Citadel." Draven grimaced at a thought. "Erso told me her version of events..."

"Jyn," Cassian interrupted, but paused. "I heard she is being called 'Lieutenant' now."

Draven grumbled. "Mon Mothma's insistence. I would have preferred her to leave the rebellion, but it appears her efforts – granted, were brave – have risen her up in the council's respects. She is even talked of in high praise among the soldiers. Still, I do not trust anyone who was trained and fought for Saw Gerrera."

Cassian focused his attention ahead of him, keeping his face neutral. It was best not to argue with Draven, especially not where Jyn was concerned. Draven had always been narrow-minded.

Draven continued. "We gave her the choice of alliance intelligence or pathfinders." Draven paused, waiting for a reaction from Cassian. None came. "She chose intelligence."

Carefully, Cassian turned his gaze back to Draven, cool features etched across his face. "Jyn joined intelligence?"

"Yes," Draven answered begrudgingly. "I have informed Mothma that if Erso proves too reckless I will be transferring her to ground support. In the meantime I have her grounded; going over the intel we have received about Saw's movements over the years. May as well get her to confirm what is true or what isn't."

Cassian nodded. That was a good plan. "When will she be assigned?"

Draven hesitated, placing his hands into the pockets of his jacket. "General Cracken and I have been discussing Erso... and you."

Cassian wanted to frown, but chose to keep his cool persona.

"You did well on Scarif," Draven went on. "Infiltrating the Citadel could not have been an easy feat. While I did have my reservations of Erso accompanying you on Operation Fracture, it appears she knows what she's doing."

"She's more than capable of keeping up," Cassian confirmed.

Draven nodded. "Andor, you are one of my best operatives to date. Once you are cleared for active duty I would like you back out there. That being said, I can see something about you has changed."

"Changed in what, sir?"

Draven levelled his steady gaze to match Cassian's. "Operation Fracture was the first time you've worked with a team in a long time. Those who survived Rogue One's ground assault have commended your leadership skills, especially under pressure. You managed to get past the shield-gate undetected and command a ground assault in enemy territory while simultaneously infiltrating their main base of operations. Not many in the alliance can add that to their resume." Draven pulled out a rank insignia from his pocket.

"Congratulations, Major Andor."

Cassian watched as Draven placed the square metal rank of major in his hand. Major Andor.

"Sir, I am... thank you for your trust in me."

Draven merely nodded. "As major you will continue to work for intelligence, but this time you will have your own operatives at your disposal. This will require you to work as a team more often, will that be a problem?"

Cassian would be the first to say he preferred to work alone. Working as a team meant that he could not always be in control. Operation Fracture showed him just that, but it also showed him the camaraderie that he had been missing out on. He thought of K-2 and his heart plummeted. He had reprogrammed K-2SO two years ago and had been Cassian's constant companion ever since. His only friend. Cassian's lips twitched as he thought of Jyn and Bodhi. Maybe not his only friend anymore.

"I will have no problem working as a team," Cassian finally said.

"There will be times when you will need to operate alone, but that can be discussed later," Draven said. "For now you will need to come up with a team, one you can trust." Draven's eyes narrowed. "I take it Erso will be on that list?"

Cassian smiled genuinely for the first time since Draven had arrived. "I trust Jyn with my life."

Draven brisked. "Well it does seem you have a... calming effect on her. Perhaps it's for the best you two work together."

Cassian wouldn't argue with that. He rested back against the pillow, eyeing his new rank in his hand. It glittered in the light. Major Andor. It was a rank Cassian never thought he would reach, partly due to his belief of never living long enough to reach it.

Jyn. Cassian's mind continued to wander back to her. He had yet to see her, and wondered if Draven was responsible for that. He remembered waking up after falling from the data tower. His back ached with a seething pain that tingling down his legs. He was amazed when he found he could stand up. He had glanced up trying to catch a glimpse of Jyn, but she was out of his sight by then. He remembered grabbing his blaster, giving a cry of agony as the muscles around his ribs contracted. All he thought of was getting to Jyn. He couldn't leave her, couldn't let her down. When he had finally reached her, his heart had skipped a beat when he had seen Krennic standing before her with his pistol raised. The thought of Jyn dying was unimaginable to him, so he had raised his own pistol and shot. He had been aiming for the man's head, but alas, his injuries threw him off target. Still, the shoulder wound had thrown Krennic to the ground and Jyn was smiling at him. It was the first time she had smiled at him directly, because of him. Her smile at him as they entered through the shield-gate had been because of their success – this time he was the reason she smiled, and it made his chest feel warm.

Not long after Draven left, she who had been on his mind entered his private medical room in a cautious state. Perhaps she had been afraid at what she would see. Relief relaxed her features and Cassian couldn't help but raise his brows at her. She looked... well different. Her clothes were different; she had a rebellion issued jacket that was a shade darker than his with a lieutenant insignia pinned to her right breast. What caught his eye more was that her hair was down, coming just past her shoulders.

"Hey," she said softly, walking over and sitting on the edge of his bed. "Draven told me you were awake."

Cassian smiled gently. "I'm feeling okay, though I have felt better."

"Good." Jyn's eyes flickered down to where his hand rested. He wandered if she would take it. She didn't. "Draven offered me a job."

Cassian's smiled widened. "I heard. Congratulations."

"What else have you heard?"

Cassian wondered what she was referring to. "Nothing much. Draven wants a debrief already, not that I can blame him. I heard only a third of Rogue One survived."

Jyn inhaled deeply. "Alderaan is gone."

Cassian was mute. Gone? What did she mean by that?

Jyn met his gaze. "The empire... they used the Death Star..." She couldn't form any more words on the topic. He saw her swallow hard, no doubt suppressing her emotions.

"Jyn." His voice was soft, almost a whisper. He gently grabbed her hand. He basked in its warmth.

She looked down at the clasped hands. "Admiral Raddus transferred the plans to Princess Leia Organa, but she was captured by Darth Vader. We don't know what happened to the plans."

Now Cassian was beginning to understand why her composure was so fragile. This was a major blow to their mission, to her. It began to make sense to him why Alderaan had been targeted; it was Princess Leia's home. "Tell me. Tell me what happened."

Jyn shrugged. "No one really knows what's going on. I overhead Mothma talking about an outrage over the destruction of Alderaan. The galaxy is in shock. But, news is sparse."

Cassian ran his thumb over Jyn's fingers in an attempt to comfort her. "This isn't your fault."

Jyn laughed bitterly. "Draven would disagree. He demanded to know why I didn't take the hard copy with us."

Cassian wanted to sit up, to be closer to her. His body retaliated from too much movement. "Draven just wants to understand what really happened. He doesn't blame you, not really." Cassian sighed when he saw his words didn't help. "He is frustrated, like you."

"There are reports the plans may be on Tatooine," Jyn said. "I wanted to go myself but Draven grounded me. Said it was too rash."

"Tatooine?"

"Draven thinks Princess Leia might have sent the plans down there. A lot of troopers landed on Tatooine not long after she was taken." Jyn let go of his hand and stood up. "I hate sitting around."

"Well all do." Cassian's raked his mind for all the information he had on Tatooine. It wasn't much; he had never been there. "Draven mentioned he had you looking over files on Saw."

Jyn smirked. "It's rather amusing how inaccurate your reports have been. Yes, his methods are brutal, but some of your agents have overreacted." Thinking of Saw, a memory came to Jyn. "I have an idea that may help the alliance, maybe."

Cassian arched a brow. "What idea?"

Jyn looked as if she wanted to sit back down, but refrained. "Saw once told me that there was valuable information on Onderon that only I can access."

This piqued Cassian's interest. Many questions came rushing through his mind. "What kind of information?"

"Don't know. He briefly mentioned intel on his insurgencies and soldiers once. It was a long time ago. I won't know exactly until I go there." Jyn paused. "He told me to only find this information after he died."

"You want to go to Onderon?"

"Yes."

Cassian watched her carefully. This was personal, again. "Have you spoken to Draven about this?"

Jyn shook her head. "No. I wanted to run it by you first because... well, I trust you."

Cassian faintly smiled. "Any information from Saw could benefit the rebellion."

"I know how to find it," Jyn confirmed. "I can go alone, but I was hoping you would come with me." Jyn's eyes flickered across this body. "Maybe I can take Bodhi instead. You need to heal."

"Actually," Cassian said, shifting under her gaze. "Draven just promoted me to major."

"Oh," Jyn said surprised. "Congratulations." She frowned, thinking. "What does this have to do with me wanting to go going to Onderon?"

"As Major I can assemble a team." Jyn smiled. Cassian was beginning to enjoy the sensation of making her smile.

"A team? Like Rogue One?"

"I suppose. I haven't made a decision on who..."

"You have your team," Jyn interrupted, crossing her arms. "Your team accompanied you down to Scarif."

"You want to keep Rogue One together?" Cassian asked. "Or what's left of it?"

"Of course I do," she replied, stepping closer to the bed. "We owe it to all those who died down there. To Chirrut and Baze... and everyone."

"I'll have to speak with Draven..."

"I will speak with Draven," Jyn concluded. "I'll tell him about Saw's information on Onderon."

"He will like the idea," Cassian admitted.

"Thought so," she remarked dryly. "He seems like the kind who wouldn't pass up on information that would benefit the rebellion."

Jyn clasped her hands together at her waist, watching him. "I can wait, though. If you like, that is. I mean, if you really want to come?"

Cassian noticed how her uncertainty made her fluster. "It may be a while before I am out of this bed."

"Well," Jyn concluded. "Draven is yet to confirm it. Though I could just commandeer a ship and go on my own agenda."

"I would advise against doing that," Cassian said dryly. "Not the best first impression you could give before being assigned."

Jyn smirked, folding her arms. "You know me."

"I am beginning to."

Jyn felt her cheeks warm under his gaze. She turned away. "So, Rogue One?"

"I am not entirely sure who survived," Cassian said.

"Besides us and Bodhi, there are Tonc, Sefla, Rostok and Basteren," Jyn replied, counting them off her fingers. "The rest perished on Scarif after being unable to reach the evacuation shuttles." Jyn's shoulders slumped. "The rest - Chirrut, Baze and Melshi ended up being surrounded by death troopers. Didn't stand a chance."

Cassian briefly closed his eyes. So many had been sacrificed to avoid the possible outcome that had become Alderaan's fate. Now those plans were missing and...

Cassian opened his eyes. He couldn't think on it. It was too much. Nothing had gone as planned. He just hoped those death star plans would be found before the empire beat them to it. He looked at Jyn until she finally met his gaze. "We will find those plans, one way or another."

A small, faint smile formed on her lips. "I hope so."

"Speak with Draven about Onderon. It could be a good lead," he said. "I'll get to work on my report and seeing if I can keep Rogue One together. It may be that the others may want to work elsewhere."

Jyn shook her head, confident. "No. No, I think they will stay. After Scarif – what we all went through. No one can walk away from that."

"You may be right."

"Well," Jyn concluded. "I'll let you rest. The sooner you heal, the sooner we can get off Yavin IV and back into it."

Cassian couldn't help but grin at her sudden enthusiasm. "I look forward to it."