As twilight fell on Yavin, the relative quiet of the command center was broken by a seemingly random string of chirps and clicks coming from one of the communications consoles. Following transcription and decryption, the comms officer approached General Draven's desk.

The General looked up from his reports.

"We've received a coded message from Captain Andor, sir. 'Weapon confirmed. Jedha destroyed. Mission target located in Eadu. Please advise.'"

Draven took the offered paper and read it over. "Destroyed?" He took a deep breath. "...Tell him my orders still stand. Tell him to proceed with haste and keep to the plan. We have no idea what he's building for the Empire. We have to kill Galen Erso while we have the chance."

The ketch had taken a fair amount of damage before it had entered Hyperius with most of it being to the deck. More pressing were the tears in the sails, which Kay-Tu had drawn down at Cassian's order. He set to work on the patches soon after all while complaining about this being a nautical automaton's duty.

Cassian meanwhile had retreated below deck to await a response from Command. Once it came through, he read the decrypted words and sighed. He took the paper over to a lantern and set it alight.

Topside, Baze, Chirrut, and Bodhi sat at the bow. They had been silent since their brush with death. Of the three, it was Chirrut that spoke first.

"Baze, tell me... All of it? The whole city?"

Baze said nothing.

"Tell me," Chirrut repeated, this time with an edge.

"All of it," Baze answered, audibly still shaken.

Jyn had been silent since leaving Jedha. As she sat against the port side railing, she replayed everything that had happened over in her head with each time stirring a different emotion. The sum total of it all was a numbness which Jyn wasn't sure that she was comfortable with.

Cassian climbed out of the deck hatch and looked to Kay-Tu. "That's good enough. Put it back up and set a course for Eadu."

Jyn looked up. "Is that where my father is?"

"...I think so."

Bodhi looked over to Jyn. "So your Galen's daughter?"

Jyn felt a flutter of excitement. "You know him?"

"I am Bodhi, the pilot."

"You brought his message!"

"Yes. Your father, he said I could get right by myself... He said I could make it right if I was brave enough to listen to what was in my heart... Do something about it..." Bodhi shook his head. "Guess it was too late..."

"It wasn't too late."

Baze frowned at her. "Seems pretty late to me."

"No. We can beat the people who did this." Jyn looked up to Cassian. "My father's message, I've seen it."

Cassian raised an eyebrow.

"They call it the Death Star. But they have no idea there's a way to defeat it. You're wrong about my father."

"But he did build it."

Jyn stood. "Because he knew they'd do it without him. My father made a choice. He sacrificed himself for the Rebellion. He's rigged a trap inside that thing." She looked back to Bodhi. "That's why he sent you - to bring that message."

"Where is it?" Cassian asked. "Where's the message?"

Jyn's face fell.

Cassian went cold. "You have that message, right?"

Jyn shook her head. "When the quakes started... a falling rock smashed the recording drum."

Cassian clamped his eyes shut and hissed. He took a deep breath and looked at Bodhi. "Did you see it?"

Bodhi shook his head sheepishly.

Jyn frowned at Cassian. "You don't believe me?"

"I'm not the one you've got to convince."

"I believe her," Chirrut said.

"That's good to know," Cassian sighed.

"What kind of trap?" Baze asked.

Jyn looked to him. "Hm?"

"You said your father made a trap."

"The core of the weapon. He's placed a weakness there. He's been hiding it for years. He said if you can damage it, it'll destabilize and backfire, taking the fortress down with it." Jyn turned back to Cassian. "You need to send word to the Alliance."

"I've done that."

"They have to know there's a way to destroy this thing. They have to go to Scarif to get the plans."

"I can't risk sending that. We're in the heart of Imperial territory."

"Then we'll find my father, bring him back, and he can tell them himself."

Cassian pursed his lips and nodded.

Under the light of the moons, the Death Star had lowered itself into the sea off the Jedha coast far enough away to be free from the ash and sand that choked the water at the shoreline. Ships came and went from the equatorial drydocks that ringed the fortress, ferrying troops and supplies. Leaving at the same time was a black scaled shuttle, in the multi seat saddle of which was Director Krennic and his security detail.

Krennic sat slumped with his gloved hands gripping the sides of his head. He should have known that Tarkin would do this. That conniving bastard would step over his own mother if it meant more acclaim.

Perhaps, Krennic thought, there was still a chance that he could redeem himself. If Tarkin was right about the pilot not acting alone, finding the rest of the rats himself would be a start and he knew the first place to look. It was time to pay a visit to an old friend.

Since the earliest days of its colonization, Eadu has borne the moniker of "The Land of Mountains and Storms." Though only describing the minority northern highlands, it paints an evocative image as to the hardiness of the people that called the stony land home. Much of the native plant life consisted of mosses, lichens, and grasses with small forests of hoary oddly shaped trees in some of the valleys. While not ideal for most forms of livestock, it was found to be perfect for nerfs, the leather and meat from which were Eadu's chief exports.

The inhospitable terrain of the northern highlands however drew the attention of Imperial engineers. They found it to be a perfect site for building what was officially a second facility for the development and production of chemical weapons under the Rainbow Star Program. In truth, the new facility was for a very different kind of weapon and the remote location was seen as ideal to prevent collateral damage or intelligence leaks should an experiment get out of hand.

The ketch pitched about wildly in the stormy seas as Cassian sailed it towards the jagged mountains of Eadu. Nerves ran high among the passengers as the ship's hull creaked and cried around them. Chirrut chanted his usual prayer, which did little to calm his fellows.

Jyn meanwhile held onto Charami in his little wooden birdcage. She found the fact that the pigeon was completely unbothered by the storm and the erratic movements of the ship oddly comforting.

A single avenue of approach existed to connect the Imperial facility to the outside world: a sheer-sided ravine known as the Cleft. Cassian had a feeling that reaching the Cleft would be the easiest part of this mission which did not bode well. Between the cover of darkness and the storm, he couldn't see beyond the bowsprit.

"Twenty degrees to starboard," Kay-Tu instructed, using his enhanced vision to guide the way.

Cassian turned the wheel. "How much farther?"

"We're nearly to the entrance," Bodhi quickly replied, trying desperately to not succumb to the panic attack he had been riding since coming out of Hyperius.

"I want you to know I don't like the odds of our success," said Kay-Tu. "I estimate a twenty-six percent chance of failure. Ten degrees to port."

"We won't have to worry about the storm once we get into the ravine."

"It's not the ravine I'm worried about. Five degrees port."

Bodhi chuckled nervously. "He's right. There's aerial patrols, sentry posts, and magic detection fields guarding the approach."

"That last one's why you're going to deactivate him once we're in." Cassian jerked his head towards Kay-Tu.

The automaton recoiled. "I agreed to no such thing."

"I knew you wouldn't. That's why I didn't tell you earlier."

Kay-Tu's glowing eyes bored holes in the back of Cassian's head. "...I now estimate a thirty-five percent chance of failure. Fifteen degrees starboard."

Right before passing into the Cleft, Bodhi deactivated Kay-Tu. Occasional lightning gave Cassian brief glimpses of the path ahead, but each one also made him paranoid that Imperial eyes could see him too.

As the ketch pushed deeper and deeper into the Cleft, Cassian squinted into the darkness ahead. "I'm sailing blind here. How much further until we can reactivate Kay?"

"Ehh," Bodhi vocalized. "I'm not sure. I don't know where the fields end. I think it might be just before the turn."

"A turn? I can't see a turn."

"It should be coming up soon."

"How soon is soon?"

A flash of lightning lit the ravine just for a moment. Cassian's eyes shot wide at the sight of the wall of black rock dead ahead. He spun the wheel hard to the left but knew they were far beyond any chance of making the turn.

The ketch hit the side of the ravine at an angle, crushing the starboard bow but retaining enough speed to scrape against the rock. Hull boards snapped like kindling and tore away while all aboard were thrown around like ragdolls. After several long seconds, the ship ground to a halt against the remains of a rock slide.

"We should've heard back by now," General Draven said. "Try them again."

"I am sir," replied the comms officer. "The signal's either been deactivated or it's dead."

Draven put his hand over his mouth in thought. After a minute of pacing, he pulled it away. "Squadron up. Target Eadu."

Chirrut helped Jyn pushed up off the now slanted floor. She thanked him and touched her stinging cheek. Her fingers came away with a few drops' worth of blood from a cut, but it wasn't as bad as she thought it would be. She wiped her cheek with a sleeve.

Jyn looked around to her fellow passengers. By and large, they seemed to have escaped, like her, without any serious injuries. Charami perched on a still swinging but extinguished lantern nearby, having escaped from his cage. Jyn collected the cage from the floor and turned her head upon hearing Kay-Tu's voice from the top deck.

"...What happened to the ship?!"

There was a muffled response before the deck hatch opened. Cassian and Kay-Tu climbed down through the hatch and looked to each of their comrades. Bodhi followed down shortly afterwards, quaking as though from bitter cold.

"What happened?" Jyn asked.

"...We've arrived." Cassian looked to the hanging lantern and the bird sitting atop it. He took the lantern from its hook and transferred Charami to his shoulder.

"Wrecking the ship wasn't part of the plan was it?" Jyn handed him the cage.

"It is now." Cassian placed Charami in the cage then clipped it to his belt. He moved back towards the hatch and lit the lantern from the one hanging there.

The flame illuminated the gaping hole at the front of the hold and the stone of the ravine wall beyond.

"I don't think we're going anywhere in this," Kay-Tu said.

Cassian sighed. "Bodhi, how far away are we?"

Bodhi gasped as though hearing his name had startled him. "What? Oh, from the facility?"

"Yeah. Is it within walking distance?" Cassian hung the lantern back on its hook.

"The flight docks are. They're at the end of the ravine along with the airship depot."

"You're sure?"

"Yes!"

"We have to hope there's an airship for us to steal." Cassian knelt down next to a long chest and fished a key from his pocket. "Hopefully the storm keeps up and keeps us hidden. Bodhi, you're coming with me. We'll head for high ground and check things out." He pulled out a rifle in a leather scabbard and slung it over his shoulder.

"I'm coming with you," Jyn said to Cassian as he and Bodhi turned back to the hatch.

"No. Your father's message. We can't risk losing it. You're the messenger."

"That's ridiculous. We all got the message. Everyone here knows it."

"'The core of the weapon,'" Kay-Tu quoted, "'if you can damage it, it'll destabilize and backfire, taking the fortress down with it.'"

"You just stay here and wait," Cassian said. "All I want to do right now is get a handle on what we're up against."

Chirrut's brow twitched.

"Bodhi and I are going to move up carefully and see what's what. We'll be back soon." Cassian turned to Bodhi. "Ready?"

"Yeah."

The two of them climbed out of the hatch and into the pouring rain.

A minute passed in silence before Chirrut took a deep breath. "Does he look like a killer?"

"No," said Baze. "He has the face of a friend."

"Who are you talking about?" Jyn asked.

"Captain Andor."

Jyn frowned at Chirrut. "Why would you ask that? What do you mean 'does he look like a killer?'"

Chirrut leaned his head back. "The Force moves darkly near a creature that's about to kill."

"He did take his sniper's rifle with him," Kay-Tu said.

Jyn's eyes darted to the deck hatch.

Traversing the ravine had been far from easy, especially with the slippery rock and runnels of rainwater but Cassian could finally see the lights of the docks along with stacked crates bearing an unfamiliar hexagonal seal. Following a brief pause for him and Bodhi to catch their breath, Cassian continued onwards.

Bodhi grabbed his shoulder. "No, no, wait. You won't be able to see much that way." He pointed up. "There's an outcrop up there."

Cassian squinted against the dark and rain. There was indeed a large boulder that world make for an ideal vantage point. "Good call."

Far away in Yavin, bomb-laden batels and their arcwing escorts lifted off into the night sky.

A muffled announcement from the docks echoed up the ravine as Cassian and Bodhi scaled the rock but went unheard by the pair over the rain. The climb had been much more difficult than either had expected with loose rocks nearly being the death of them. Bodhi was the first onto the boulder and he held his hand out to help Cassian.

Below and behind them, Jyn had reached the point where she too could see the white magelights of the flight docks. The sudden realization that her father was so very close struck her like a bolt of lightning. Lost in thought, she stared for a moment before remembering that there was a very real chance that Cassian was going to kill him. She continued her trek to the facility.

Chirrut pulled himself to his feet with the aid of his staff. Baze didn't think much of this until the monk started to climb the ladder for the deck hatch. "Where are you going?"

"I'm following Jyn," Chirrut answered. "Her path is clear."

"Alone? Good luck!"

"I don't need luck. I have you." The monk climbed out, purposely leaving the deck hatch open behind him.

Baze sat for a few seconds before groaning. He grabbed his Treeby and followed Chirrut.

Kay-Tu sat in silence glaring at the hatch. "Oh, no. I'm fine with waiting here. Thanks for asking."

Jyn stopped and panted, leaning against a grated outflow pipe that fed into the ravine. For the briefest of moments, she wondered if perhaps it was the easiest way into the facility but she had neither the tools nor the time to attempt to remove the grate. Instead, her only option seemed to be the maintenance ladder a short distance away that led directly to the docks' loading deck above. At least it was mostly shielded from the rain.

From the vantage point, Bodhi focused his borrowed binoculars onto the cargo docks. Cassian meanwhile unslung his sheathed rifle and checked the small gauge on the top of the butt stock. Just a little over three-quarters charge left in the air flask. More than enough. "Do you see anything?"

"...Something's happening. I see researchers and someone from the ISB."

"Do you see Erso among them?"

Bodhi focused on the assembled Imperials.

Baze looked at the docks ahead. "We've come too far."

Chirrut smiled. "Patience, my friend."

Baze sat heavily on a nearby rock and frowned at the raindrops plinking against his pauldrons.

Jyn's hands burned from the cold metal of the ladder rungs, but she tried her best to ignore the pain. She was over halfway up. She just needed to push herself a bit further.

"That's him," Bodhi said, passing the binoculars to Cassian. "That's Galen in the dark suit."

Cassian narrowed in on Galen soon enough. Behind the binocular lenses, his eyes narrowed.

Wing beats from overhead startled the pair and they quickly flattened themselves against the ground. A shuttle flew past, its black scales glistening wetly in the light from the docks.

"I don't like this," said Cassian, watching the shuttle land. "Get back to the ship and get Kay to help you find us a ride out of here"

"What?"

Cassian drew the rifle fully from its scabbard. "You heard me."

"You said we came up here just to have a look."

"I'm here. I'm having a look. Go. Hurry!"

Bodhi sighed in exasperation and started his descent.

Krennic stepped down from his shuttle's saddle and out of the rain-repellant bubble ward. He frowned as the cold water quickly soaked his uniform. The Director passed between the rows of his death trooper security detail heading for the assembled researchers. "Excellent news, Galen. The fortress is complete. You must be very proud."

Galen smiled faintly. "Proud as I can be, Krennic."

"Bring your fellow artificers forward. I have an announcement to make."

Krennic's unusually friendly smile unnerved Galen, but he turned and beckoned his cohorts to join him nonetheless.

Jyn heard several voices coming from the platform above her but she couldn't quite make out what they were saying over the rain. Still, the voices acted as reassurance that not only did she have just short distance more to climb but also each rung brought her closer to her father.

Krennic looked at the line of damp artificers before him. "Is this everyone?"

Galen gave a single nod. "Yes."

Unbeknownst to the Imperials, the cross hairs of a sniper's scope trailed over them one by one.

"Gentlemen," Krennic began, his smile vanishing, "one of you here has betrayed the Empire."

Hushed gasps spread up and down the line.

"One of you has conspired with a pilot to send messages to the Rebellion. I urge that traitor to step forward."

As the artificers muttered amongst one another, the cross hairs danced over their target.

After several seconds of waiting, Krennic scowled. "Very well, I'll consider it a group effort then." He waved the death troopers over. "Ready!"

The troopers levelled their guns. Overlapping voices pleaded with Krennic, but he ignored them. He had just put his teeth to his lip to begin saying "fire" when Galen rushed forward with his arms out.

"Stop, stop, stop! Krennic, stop! It was me!"

The cross hairs followed Galen to his new position. Cassian controlled his breathing.

Galen took a deep breath. "It was me. They had nothing to do with it. Spare them."

Krennic pouted and prompted Galen to approach. The artificer did as instructed.

Cassian followed Galen and lined up his cross hairs over his head. He breathed in as preparation for the fatal shot. Slowly, very slowly, he applied pressure to the trigger. Then he stopped.

Cassian fully released his held breath and moved his finger away from the trigger. He couldn't do it.

Krennic looked Galen over. He sniffed and shallowly nodded. "Fire!"

A hail of bullets erupted from the death troopers' gun barrels, perforating the artificers Galen had tried to save. Galen himself clamped his eyes shut and shook, silently apologizing as the men with whom he had worked so many years screamed their last.

Krennic held up a hand to order the the gunfire ceased. Cassian watched through his binoculars as the white clad Imperial backhanded Galen across the face. The artificer fell backwards, stunned.

Krennic squatted in front of Galen. "How do I know that the weapon is complete? Let me share with you some details," he growled.

Jyn climbed onto the deck of the docks and found herself next to a stormtrooper. Before he could even realize that he was no longer alone, the trooper was over the edge of the deck and falling.

Though the trooper's screams may have gone unheard, his death did not go unseen. Cassian swore under his breath as he watched Jyn sneak towards the Imperials while concealed by the stacks of crates.

Cassian's comm crystal suddenly called out his name, badly startling him.

"Cassian, can you hear me?" Kay-Tu asked.

"I'm here. You've got one ready?"

"Not yet as such, no. We're still at the ship. We have a problem. There's an Alliance squadron approaching. Clear the area."

"No, no, no, no! Tell them to hold off! Jyn's on that platform!"

Krennic cocked his head and grinned. "Jedha... Saw Gerrera and his band of fanatics... The Holy City, the last reminder of the Jedi... Gone."

"...You'll never win," Galen said, defiance piercing his melancholy.

"Now where have I heard that before?"

Back in Yavin, one of the secure comms channels crackled to life. "Relay from Captain Andor," Kay-Tu's voice said.

The comms officer looked up. "General?"

"Captain Andor requesting a delay on squadron support. Alliance forces on site. Please confirm."

Draven paled. "Get the squadron leader on! Get him on now!"

The tactical officer grimaced. "They've already engaged, sir."

Alarms started to blare across the entire Imperial facility. Galen tilted his head up. Could it be?

Krennic stood and looked to the facility's ISB agent. Before she could say anything, spotlights lit up the ravine and the Rebel squadron tearing through it.

Baze flinched and nearly fell from his rock when the first arcwing screamed past. Chirrut on the other hand continued his standing meditation. Elsewhere, Cassian swore at the top of his lungs as he helplessly watched the winged reptiles and their riders begin their attack.

Treeby shells thundered down on the docks, filling the air with explosions, shrapnel, and flame. Some of the shattered crates flung out scores of Kyber crystals glowing with self-defensive energies. A pallet of punctured whale oil barrels fed a growing lake of fire.

Cassian stared in slack-jawed horror as the scene below unfolded. "...Jyn... No..." He pushed himself to his feet and started running.

"Return fire!" Krennic yelled to his detail from behind cover. He then seized the facility's ISB agent by the front of her uniform. "Mobilize the garrison! Get our ties in the air now!"

Bombs from the batels blasted the stone from which the facility had been carved. A few of the upper tunnels collapsed under the explosive rain but most stood strong, if only for the time being. The Rebel squadron swung around for another pass and to survey the damage.

Galen rose from behind a metal crate and surveyed the destruction around him. He was alive, but for how long?

Jyn ran towards him. "Father!"

Galen turned. That voice couldn't be addressing him, could it? Then he saw Jyn's face and in it he saw Lyra.

Krennic too noticed the Rebel's sudden appearance and raised his pistol.

A bomb hit the platform, obliterating Krennic's shuttle and sending Jyn, Galen, and Krennic along with several unfortunate troopers flying.

A dozen ties took wing from the nearby hangar with one downing an arcwing soon afterwards. More spotlights lit the sky followed by streaks of antiair fire.

A dead arcwing and pilot hit by one of these shells slammed into the ground near Bodhi and Kay-Tu as they headed back towards the facility, making the former jump and nearly drop his box of cargo.

Further ahead of them, Chirrut ended his meditation by bending his staff and stringing it with the braided cord from around his waist as though it were a bow. The monk raised the staff and drew the string as dim cerulean light filled the swirling patterns in the Uneti wood. An arrow of light shot from the mystic bow and struck true against a tie as it flew past.

"Showoff," Baze muttered. "Come on. Let's go."

Jyn opened her eyes to see the blurry glow of fire. She heard shouting but couldn't quite understand it over the ringing in her ears. An involuntary groan escaped her as she tried to move.

Krennic howled at the pain in his collarbone as a pair of death troopers helped him stand. Together, the three of them headed off towards the airship depot for evacuation. The Director stole one last glance back at the crumpled form of Galen Erso still lying on the dock and spat a curse.

Jyn tried to stand only for a wave of vertigo to bring her down to her hands and knees. She crawled over to her father and rolled him onto his back before holding him up in her arms. "Papa. Papa, it's me. It's Jyn." Her eyes trailed down to a thick trail of dark blood gushing from around a jagged piece of metal in her father's right side.

The corners of Galen's open mouth curled into a smile. "Jyn... My Stardust..."

"I saw your message. The one you gave to the pilot. I've seen it."

"It must be destroyed..."

"I know. I know. We will."

Galen reached a shaky hand up to his daughter's face. "Jyn... Look at you..." A tear rolled down his face. "I have so much to tell you..." Galen's hand slowly fell away. His smile faded as did the light in his eyes.

Jyn felt her father grow heavy in her arms. "...Papa?"

No response came.

Jyn shook him, desperate for her father to show any sign of life. "Papa! No! Papa, come on!" She screamed and rocked the lifeless Galen back and forth, her anguished wails rising over the aerial combat above.

Her cries caught the ears of a trio of garrison troopers, who rushed to her location. "There's one! Take them down!"

Cassian charged them with pistol blazing before the Imperials could take aim at Jyn. He looked around to ensure that more weren't in the immediate area and ran over to the grieving young woman. "Jyn, we've got to go. Come on."

Jyn didn't move. "...We can't leave him."

Cassian knelt down and gently leaned Jyn's head back to force eye contact. "Look at me. He's gone. There's nothing you can do. Come on."

Jyn completely broke down. "I can't leave him!"

"You have to. Come on!" He stood to lead the way.

Jyn did not budge.

Cassian sighed and grabbed Jyn's arm to pull her away. She sobbed and staggered while looking back over her shoulder, but she did finally leave her father behind.

As the pair of them made for the airship depot, two squads of stormtroopers spotted them. Cassian pulled Jyn into cover behind a fallen metal support just before the first shots rang out. Louder shots followed those, followed by terrified screams from the troopers. Cassian dared to poke his head out of cover to see Treeby shells raining down on the troopers from the direction of the depot.

Baze paused his barrage to check for any more movement among the stormtroopers then watched Cassian and Jyn run from their cover a moment later. The gunner waved his arm towards one of the airships. In the cockpit, Bodhi nodded and started the rotors.

More troopers chased Jyn and Cassian as they made a break for the airship, weaving between maintenance equipment. Baze provided as much covering fire as he could until his gun jammed.

Bodhi watched in horror as the stormtroopers pinned Jyn and Cassian behind a dismantled engine. Only a short distance lay between them and the salvation of the airship. Thinking quickly, Bodhi took hold of the control for the cockpit's chin Treeby gun and opened fire.

Maimed stormtroopers flew in several directions but more importantly their living comrades dispersed. The threat dealt with for the moment, Cassian and Jyn sprinted for the airship's ramp.

Bodhi released the Treeby controls as though they had grown red hot. He stared at the gun for a moment.

"Congratulations," Kay-Tu said. "You are now a Rebel."

Cassian ran into the cockpit. "Come on! Let's go!"

Bodhi gasped in surprise and put his hands back onto the flight controls. The whirr of the ascension rotors grew and the airship pitched slightly as it lifted away from the deck.

With more ties moving to join the air battle, the Rebel squadron leader ordered the remaining batels to drop everything they had and regroup with the arcwings at sea. Massive explosions wracked the facility as this final payload came down. The refuelling tanks for the airship depot sent an enormous rolling fireball into the air and turned the stormy night briefly into day.

Cassian collapsed into one of the passenger seats and let out a tension-relieving sigh. He leaned his rifle against the wall next to him and took Charami from his cage.

"I'm keeping the engines slow until we're out to sea," Bodhi explained. "Crosswinds."

As Jyn walked past a meditating Chirrut, he reached out and grabbed her hand. She looked to him, knowing why he had stopped her. Her anger was obvious even though her face did not show it. Jyn pulled her hand away and finished her journey over to Cassian. "You lied to me."

Cassian did not make eye contact, instead stroking his pigeon's head. "You're in shock."

"You went out there to kill my father."

"You don't know what you're talking about."

"Deny it. Look me in the eye and deny it."

Cassian looked up. "You're in shock and looking for a place to put it. I've seen it before."

Jyn narrowed her eyes. "I bet you have." She pointed back to her fellow passengers. "They know. You lied about why we came here and you lied about why you went out."

Cassian sighed. "I had every chance to pull the trigger. But I didn't." He raised his eyebrows. "Did I?"

"...You might as well have. My father was living proof and you put him at risk. Those were Alliance bombs that killed him."

Cassian bolted out of his chair, startling both Jyn and Charami. "I had orders! Orders that I disobeyed! But you wouldn't understand that."

"Orders?" Jyn scoffed. "When you know they're wrong? You might as well be a stormtrooper." She turned away.

Cassian moved around in front of her. "What do you know? We don't all have the luxury of deciding when and where we get to care about something. Suddenly the Rebellion is real for you. Some of us live it. I have been in this fight since I was six years old!"

Jyn stared into Cassian's face undaunted.

"You're not the only one who's lost everything. Some of us just decided to do something about it."

Jyn shrugged. "You can't talk your way around this."

Cassian leaned in close. "I don't have to." He walked back towards his chair.

Bodhi's voice drifted in from the cockpit. "Kay, where are we going?"

"Yavin. I'll let them know we're coming in with a stolen airship."

Before Cassian took his seat, he looked to Chirrut and Baze with resentment. "Do either of you have anything to say?"

Chirrut elected not to react while the reclining Baze shook his head.

Cassian dropped into his chair with a frustrated growl and returned his attention to his feathered friend.