AN: Back into writing...This is definitely a start. Please let me know what you think. 

Minutes of silence and static reigned in the Allanar Freighter. Cassian held the communications headset to one ear, desperately waiting for someone to pick up. He tapped his fingers against the wall, falling in sync with the harsh clinking of the hail outside.

Talia sat on the side, rubbing her arms to create warmth. Why would people ever live on such a freezing planet? Kuat was so much nicer than this... Her brown eyes watched the rebel pilot carefully, attempting to deduce what he was thinking. The man had an incredible poker face. It's as if nothing in the world mattered and he was an empty shell. Talia yearned to be taught how to do such a thing. "Are you sure we can get a signal out here?"

"We should..." Cassian halted abruptly when another voice picked up in the transmission. "Captain Andor reporting in. Is anyone there?"

"Is that Captain Andor?" General Draven's voice popped up in the background before the rebel communications officer could speak. "Let me speak to him." Static and rustling erupted in the headphones, causing Cassian to flinch.

Here we go... "General," Cassian greeted, his tone low and calm. He remained as composed as he could, standing straight with his arms at his sides. The second nature stance had been engrained in Cassian's brain, even if the general couldn't see him.

"Where have you been?" The question came out rough and bitter, almost as if Draven scolded a child. "Your missions are being neglected."

"An urgent task came up, sir. A fellow agent was in danger."

"Please do not tell me it was that Ms. Revik. Her face is plastered all over want ads across the galaxy!" Draven paused, eagerly waiting for a response. When the spy failed to speak up, Draven's voice heightened with an ounce of anger, "You risked yourself, your operations, and our timetable for someone who is already dead?" He hesitated, presumably glancing around his environment before lowering his tone to nearly a whisper, "If you aren't going to give her a merciful passing, you should've left her to the wolves. The Empire will not make light of the situation."

Cassian's body straightened out into a rigid form. His brow furrowed as he contemplated what was just said. Is he...right? A ball of uncertainty curled up in his chest, causing Cassian's eyes to stay glued to the transmissions console. It took every ounce of strength to not look at Talia, who was inspecting his every move in curiosity. If she could actually read his body language, she'd confront him after this. Lies formed in the back of his mind, mostly with intentions to protect her from the harsh truth of what was said.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Cassian responded, "She's willing to pull her weight still. Pure rebel, through and through. Ms. Revik is one of our best."

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Talia smiling in both confusion and gratitude. Such high praise from Captain Andor shouldn't be taken lightly. It was an honor.

The General remained silent for a moment, pondering the next decision. Talking in the background came through the vacant mic, until Draven replied, "She will be risking her life. Don't get yourself killed trying to save her. That is an order. Now, scouts indicate that an Imperial Captain by the name of Berilyn Calway boarded a Rebel sympathizer's ship and took credible information we were waiting for. I need you to intercept her before she makes it to her commanding officer on the planet Wecacoe. One of our allies managed to plant a tracker inside of her jacket. Sending you the information now." He hesitated. Even through the mic, Cassian could feel the hard stare Draven was giving at the console. Draven sighed heavily, "Bring Revik with you. She can take this opportunity to prove herself."

With that, the line went dead.

"What was that about?" Talia questioned, her head slowly tilting to the side. Her brow furrowed slightly as she attempted to read Cassian's blank face.

He averted his eyes and made no eye contact whatsoever. Intercept meant assassinate. Cassian knew Draven all too well to know otherwise. His eyes locked onto the screen in front of him, which displayed the coordinates of the Imperial Captain. Different answers danced around Cassian's mind. Should he tell her the truth? A lie? Somewhere in between? He licked his lips before turning to her. "We need to intercept an Imperial Captain before she gets to her commanding officer." Captain Andor brushed passed Talia to open the freighter door.

Talia's eyes followed him, a frown forming on her lips. The tone in her voice deadpanned, "So, this is a need to know mission? I know you're not a man of many words, Cass, but you didn't say anything else."

Cassian paused, leaving his hand hovering over the button. "Ask me a question then."

"Where are we going?"

"Wecacoe. It's a backwater world, so I don't think we'll see much in the way of a storm trooper presence," he stated calmly. There was no need to mention the assassination, intel, or even the fact that they might have to get their hands dirtier than that.

Talia mulled it over, yet something tugged at the back of her mind. She let her arms fall to her sides as she stood up to face him directly. The thought dripped from her mouth slowly, "Wecacoe...I remember some of our newer droids were sent there. And before you ask, no, I do not know why.

Captain Andor nodded and pushed the button to open the door, ending the conversation. "We leave in five, and we aren't coming back," he called out as he stepped out of the freighter.

He soaked in every ounce of freezing cold air as he could on the walk back to his childhood home. The snowfall twirled in the air, accompanying the high-pitched howl of the wind. The ridges creaked beneath his feet, and as it echoed beneath his ears, he could've sworn he smelled his favorite food emanating from his home.

Well...except it wasn't home anymore.

The barren house lay void of life. Quiet. Echoes of the past whispering amongst the walls. Talia had taken a liking to it, but it wasn't enough to give it back the spark it once had. The love it shared had died out with his mother, father, and the little boy who never thought he was good enough.

After gathering his things and locking the door, Cassian glimpsed inside the window one last time. His heart yearned to see his mother cooking and his father setting the table...All he saw was a dark room and his own crisp reflection.

"Stay close," Cassian instructed Talia in a whisper. He pushed his way through the crowd, making sure not to get his tan captain's jacket caught on anything. His dark eyes glanced down at the small tracker in his hand. The Imperial Captain was close, but not close enough. The sun's rays shined down on the hot desert, causing Cassian to start sweating. He wiped it away and glanced around the area.

Even though Wecacoe was a backwater world, the city's capital, Wecacoe City, buzzed with life. Stormtroopers patrolled the area in groups of four, surveying the area for suspicious activity. Rodians, Verpines, and Klatooinians stood out most from the crowd, even if they were bundled up in clothing to protect themselves from the sunlight like everyone else. Chatter lightened up the area, and soon, an aroma of freshly fried food floated around the street.

Talia pulled Cassian back to halt him as a Caamasi cut him off. It's long, furry snout twitched as it eyed Cassian and spoke in its native tongue, presumably an apology. For all they knew, the Caamasi could've hurled an insult his way. It folded its big ears downwards and continued on its path. Talia held back a laugh before declaring, "I'll lead. Tell me which direction to go."

Cassian hitched an eyebrow. Taking the lead on a mission? One corner of his lips curled up into a smile. This is the start of a great adventure. He gave her directions, and for the next few minutes, she weaved them through the crowd in a quick manner. When the dot finally showed up in the vicinity, Cassian searched around.

Target acquired.

Berilyn Calway appeared to be a short Arkanian. She took her long white hair with her four clawed digits and pulled it up into a tight bun beneath her gray cap. Calway's sensitive white eyes had been covered by dark goggles. She smoothed out her gray outfit before reaching the Imperial base.

Talia followed Cassian's gaze and headed in that direction. Her hand twitched towards her weapon, but she pulled it back. Thoughts raced in her mind about when she killed the Imperial assassin, and a dark feeling knotted in the pit of her stomach. The mission called for interception, not assassination. She repeated that in her head over and over to calm her on-end nerves.

Calway turned the corner sharply, causing Cassian to tug Talia back. He backed up against the wall and peered around the corner. Multiple stormtrooper squads and multiple droids stood outside a large, stone gray building. He cursed in his mind and almost uttered them out loud. "This can't be right! Why all of this manpower on a nowhere planet like this?"

"Hidden stations might be the easiest to deploy from in attacks....or maybe there's something here that we don't know about." Talia glimpsed around him until something caught her eye. She tapped on her partner's arm and nodded, "Do you know what type of droids those are?"

"KX-series," he replied shortly.

She shot him a doubtful look. "If they find us, they will take us down. We need to be careful."

Cassian nodded instantly and checked his blaster. "You read my mind." Rebel Command would argue the odds were too great to go in. Retreat and reassess was too long of a process to complete. They didn't come all this way to leave empty-handed. "There's a drain over there we can go into. Should lead into the facility."

"The officer's rooms are usually located in the back. We should have enough time if we hurry." They walked over to the drain out of sight and dropped into it. Once at the bars, Talia slipped through first, then Cassian. The discolored goop they stepped in sloshed around with each movement. The smell burned the inside of their noses, and neither of them could tell if it was raw sewage, or crude oils from the ships.

The drain led to a cold, unused hangar bay full of ships in dire need of repair. A couple of TIE-Fighters were grouped in the corner, while the main space was taken up by an Imperial Star Destroyer. The metal walls slanted to the side until they reached the high ceiling.

Talia's jaw dropped a bit at the sight of a Star Destroyer up close. Just the back of it alone was gigantic and almost scary. Five thousand workers could fit on one alone. The mere thought of being stuck on one of those things in space sent chills up her spine. Nowhere to run. Nowhere to hide. The only option was to be captured by the Empire.

"Hey," Captain Andor lightly pulled on Talia's wrist, "we've got work to do."

"Right. Let's go." She started off in a sprint across the hangar, despite her almost slipping from the gunk on her boots. The sounds of their pounding feet against the smooth tile echoed in the silent room. Talia spoke up, "What's the plan, exactly?"

Cassian's silence spoke volumes.

That's when it donned on Talia. How could she expect more from an intelligence officer? From a spy that had the first instinct to murder instead of inspect? "There are other ways to go about this. Murder isn't always an option."

"And risk the fact that she may have seen the intelligence? I am not taking that chance." Cassian held his blaster close to his chest as he closed in on a door. He glanced around the corner, finding the dark tiled hall empty. Most of the troopers must be outside. He lightly stepped into the hall and walked quickly to the next corner, as if it were a game of leap frog. Cassian checked the scanner.

Calway was close.

Captain Andor's eyes locked onto Talia's for a short moment. Now that they had started fresh, a wave of calm sincerity washed over him. A whisper left his lips, "I need you to trust me. This is the only way." The only way to ensure our safety.

She rested a hand on his shoulder as she stared at him. His eyes appeared bright, yet holding so much pain. Cassian's usual stone cold expression had been overshadowed by a hint of uncertainty.

If he was asking for trust, then he had it.

Talia nodded, reassuring Cassian and putting him at ease. Realization dawned on him as a heavy weight lifted off of his chest. What was that? No. Not enough time right now to focus on it. His mind switched back into mission mode; he continued down the adjacent hall. He sidled up against the wall and kept his steps light, barely making any noise. Talia watched the other side of the hall to make sure no one came up from behind. The tracker showed Captain Calway around the corner. Everything went according to plan.

Until it didn't.

Calway turned the corner and immediately whipped her hand out to move Cassian's blaster to the side. In surprise, Cassian fired a shot. An unnerved feeling formed in his stomach. How did she know? He reacted and used her arm to throw her up against the opposite wall, pulling her out of possible view.

Calway hit the wall, but quickly bounced back. She no longer wore the goggles. Instead, her white, pupil-less eyes stared back at Cassian. A small smirk played on her lips as she attacked his chest, "You humans give off so much heat. I could see you right through the wall. You won't shoot me. The entire facility will be notified."

A scoff left Cassian's lips. Watch me. He used all his weight to push her off, sending her onto her ass. She skidded across the floor, attempting to catch her bearings. Before she could, Cassian sent another blaster round off, piercing her neck through and through.

Calway's expression contorted in horror as blood pooled around her. She attempted to crawl into the other hall, but fell short and collapsed. Her claws scratched against the ground, making a shrill sound in the air.

Cassian's expression fell as his surroundings melted away. He let out a held breath, looking at what he had just done. Not even a clean kill. She suffered until her dying breath. He paused. His stomach twisted and reacted with his buzzing mind.

He killed them.

All of them.

And for what?

Hope?

While lost in thought, Cassian blocked out the sound of the facility's siren going off.