AN: In case you missed it, our boy Cassian is getting his own series on Disney's streaming service! It starts filming next year <3 My heart is so full. Hope this huge word count chapter makes up for the hiatus!

Ringing overpowered Cassian's hearing, causing him to clutch one ear in pain. Blood dripped down onto his fingertips, smearing all over his hand. He blinked a few times, attempting to comprehend what actually hurt on the inside. He yearned to speak, but his deafened ears prevented him from hearing how loud he actually spoke. "Is everyone okay?"

The others that had fallen near him talked to one another. Some held their wounded arms. Sprained wrists and legs were stretched out, the rebels too in shock to even feel the pain through the adrenaline. Others caressed their heads where some blood fell from. Cassian stumbled over to the Senators, helping them stand up one-by-one, even if he could barely keep his balance. All of them nodded, their words muffled by the ringing and numbness of Cassian's ears. Once composed, they helped the others.

As Cassian's hearing slowly came back and the ringing disappeared, he heard himself mumble over and over, "Talia?" His dark eyes searched around frantically; his hand gripped the broken chunk of wall to catch himself. Panic built up in his system when he didn't see Talia at all. She was right next to him when the ship crashed. Where could she have gone?

A noise clambered from the cockpit. A few seconds later, Talia barely braced herself against the doorway, the blood on her hand caused her to slip. Her dazed self stumbled for a second, eyes wide and full of fear. Dark red plasma seeped into most of her Imperial coat.

In a rush, Cassian dashed over to her, his chest constricting with worry. "Are you hurt?" He reached his hands out to set on her shoulders, eyes glancing over her for wounds in an attempt to find out where all the blood came from. I don't see anything. Under her clothes, maybe? Did something stab her? Hot metal? Glass? More thoughts piled up rapidly, making his head spin more than it already was.

Talia paled. Had something hit her? Was she wounded? Her body felt numb; the pain hadn't settled in yet. Shock tore apart her thought process. Her brown eyes looked deeply into Cassian's, but the daze prevented her from forming words. She shakily pointed to Kalla in the cockpit. A belt and cloth stanched the blood on the starfighter pilot's leg.

Even during the crash, Talia thought about others. Admirable in Cassian's eyes. A crashed pilot would be hurt worse in any situation, so it was quick thinking, despite being in shock herself. Talia could be stubborn all she wanted, but she'll always have a kinder heart than him. He'd never admit that out loud, though. He called out to the others as he squeezed Talia's shoulders lightly in appreciation, fighting the urge to hug her tightly, "Kalla needs help walking."

Sadako stood up, wobbled a bit, and walked over. No one else was capable of helping a half-conscious Kalla, much less aiding themselves. "I'll take her." Talia nodded and shakily hoisted Kalla up, setting the pilot's arm onto Sadako's shoulder.

Kay-Tuesso spoke up from the sidelines, "Cassian, the crash d-damaged my system." He held out his left arm as it spazzed out, jerking from side-to-side in small bursts. A spark or two flew off from the circuits inside of him.

Inhale. Exhale. Cassian looked at him in the eyes as hesitation tore at his core. The Rebellion needed a droid like him. On the other hand, there were always casualties of war, and right now, the only one he was willing to lose was a droid. "You need to protect the Senators at all costs. That is still your job right now."

Noticing Kaytoo's head tilt signifying confusion, Talia rested her shaking hand on his malfunctioning arm. She forced her breathing to steady, and in between breaths, she took mental notes on his condition. With a small smile, she reassured him, "I can help patch you up when we get back to the base. For now, you will be okay."

Kaytoo nodded before throwing a side-glance at Cassian. The words came out more cold than intended, "I prefer her comfort over your authoritativeness. You should learn that."

"We can shelve this topic for later." Cassian breathed for a moment, cooling down all of the on-end nerves. My father would be proud...My father would be proud... With another deep breath, he straightened his composure and cleared his mind. Sharp. Focused. Ready to make a daring escape. "We have to go." Cassian pulled out his blaster and ushered everyone out of the broken ship.

All eyes landed on the rebels. Bloody. Beaten. Sore. Ghastly expressions haunted the faces of citizens around the courtyard as they watched the rebels descend from the broken ship. Cassian led the dazed group into alley after alley, attempting to find a safe area to take shelter in for a few minutes.

The capital crawled with higher security than usual. Between the crowds and the large open areas, it instantly became a huge set up to get caught. All of them tried to keep their faces hidden and heads down low, but the blood covered clothing was a dead give away. As more and more people turned to look, troopers of all kinds noticed.

The heart in Cassian's chest thumped loudly, almost clouding over all the other noises. Gasps. Vehicles. Chiming of miniature holoprojectors. Footsteps of the stormtroopers starting to close in. The rebels' communications beeped as it came back online, and Sadako's short-breathed prayers appeared loud and clear. Talia whispered under her breath, but behind the prayers, Cassian couldn't make out what it was.

The crowd. Utilize the crowd and we will be safe. The troopers won't shoot with innocents nearby. He waved the group to rush a bit more as they headed to the more compact part of the city. A mile more and they'd be there.

But luck was never on their side.

The rebels lost and lost and lost. Their fellow brothers and sisters perished left and right. Now, here they were, on the most riskiest mission to date, and they still lost. Even after a Jedi Knight himself died to save them, the luck shone down its hate.

Stormtroopers began to run towards the group, causing Halron to panic. He pushed the group forward and exclaimed, "Cassian, move!"

That's when all of them broke out into a haggard run. The Senators stayed in the middle, surrounded by the wounded rebels. Cassian led them through parts of the crowd, weaving passed everyone he could. If there was a time he could ask his parents for advice, it would be now. His heart raced and he felt bile rise in his throat.

They weren't going to make it out.

He held up his head to show strength, yet it was the bitter lie that made him grimace. When he turned the corner, he saw a large squad of troopers patrolling the area. Cassian turned around and ushered everyone back the other way, but was met with more security. The first shot rang out from one trooper, initiating a whole shooting arena around the civilians.

So much for civilian safety...

Screaming erupted as people ducked for cover or ran the opposite way. The stray bolt hit a civilian, their body crumpling to the floor in a heap. Cassian pushed everyone back behind a bunch of metal crates and food caches, giving them some cover.

Blaster bolts burned into the metal, but never through to where it hit the rebels. All of them fired back, taking turns in between the reloading. The blaster shots. The burning plastic. The wretched aroma of fried flesh that filled the air. It all sent shockwaves through the rebels, causing their dazes to wear off and sharpened their minds to the situation at hand.

"To the left!" Sadako called out. She covered Kalla with her own body and shot at the oncoming bucketheads flanking them.

"Cassian," Halron began as he paled. Pain crawled up his wounded arm, reminding him of their mortality. Halron dodged a blaster shot before he continued somberly, "This is it."

A yell rushed out of Cassian's throat before he could even comprehend what he was saying, "No! No. There's a way out."

Kay-Tuesso reached down and lifted a chunk of metal nearly half the size of his body. He set it in front of himself, shielding the Senators from ricocheting blaster fire. "Chances of success have dropped to ten percent, Cassian. A more drastic plan might be successful in saving the Senators' lives."

No! We have made it so far. Think. THINK! Cassian paled, yet his expression told a different story. He held onto his signature spy blank face for dear life. No one could know how he felt on the inside. Someone had to remain strong. Have hope. His job was to minimize losses, but the variables changed too often. "Let me think."

Master Kota listened in on the environment and allowed the force to guide him. In sharp moves, he deflected shots with his lightsaber. Some of the bolts were sent flying back and downed a few troopers. Kota remained silent on the matter, his mind brewing with any potential ideas that could save them.

Hearing what Kaytoo said only made Talia's heart sink. His calculations could be wrong, but honest to the force, she didn't know. Predictability in war is always a shoddy guess. She took a few shots at the enemies and ducked back down. "Communications is shot. If we split up, we won't find each other. If we don't, we're a huge target." Talia gently rested a hand on Cassian's arm, "I'll take point on the distraction team."

"We really need to talk about your constant attempts at sacrifice." Cassian shook his head and set his hand on top of hers. His breathing hitched as he stared into her eyes, knowing that this might be their last stand. "But we've gotten this far. I'm not giving up now." The way she looked at him with such admiration and care killed him on the inside. If only he was as good of a man as she saw him...

A buckethead called out from behind his cover, "Lord Vader is on his way! It's over, rebel scum!"

Both of them dropped their hands quickly at the sound of it. The rebels nearly jumped out of their bones in unison. Hearing that dreadful statement solidified their fears of dying here. They would never stand a chance against Darth Vader. Cassian glanced around in an attempt to calm his skittish insides and caught the sight of a metal building. "Kota, can you make a hole in this wall?" Even if they could push the Senators in there and defend while they ran, it was a risk worth dying for.

Master Kota cried out as he thrust his hand forward in the air, launching the stormtroopers backwards. He huffed for a second to catch his breath. "Give me a moment."

The hope of a dedicated rebel never ceased. Cassian's hard work and dedication made it all that much harder to even think of letting him down. If she ran out there, she was as good as dead. They couldn't stay there either. Splitting up only created a slight chance of survival. As she contemplated scenarios, a blaster shot whizzed passed her head, causing the heat to wash over her. Talia panicked and ducked down further.

A burning hot sensation enveloped her hand; her narrow eyes fell on it in confusion. The bolt hadn't hit her hand, yet it burned as if it had. The heat...she thought back throughout the mission to when she came in contact with something similar. Lightsaber? No. Heated metal? Maybe, but doesn't make sense. What...?

A dawning expression of realization swept over her features. She frantically searched her pockets, her heart nearly beating out of her chest. When she grabbed a hold of the item, she pulled it out and exclaimed, "I got it! I got it." Talia raised the flare gun and shot it into the sky.

Cassian so badly wanted to scoff. "How is that going to help us?" Bring more stormtroopers? Light up the entire area as if she rang the dinner bell? Hey, look Imperials, we are here! Don't worry, Darth Vader, we're waiting!

"Starkiller was talking to Juno. She had to be his escape plan. He didn't walk in there for his last stand," Talia explained. Master Kota straightened up at the name. He almost nodded, but kept to himself and tried to cut open a hole in the wall.

Kay-Tuesso snidely commented, "I will never understand your capacity of hope."

Wasn't too bad of a plan. Cassian almost wish he had thought of it. "And if she doesn't aid us?" Which happened to be among one of the worst case scenarios. Best case was she saved them. Next best was that they were to die quick and painlessly.

"Then we cut and run." A short silence kicked in. Talia rubbed her fingers against her warm palm, the heat sensation in her skin cooled down steadily. Her mind etched the sensation in her brain to remember for later. Further examination was needed. For now, a smile crept over Talia's lips as her eyes locked onto a sleek metallic black ship in the sky. "Have some hope, you two."

"You've got to be joking." Sadako's eyebrows furrowed as she scowled, venom seething from her words, "There's no way in hyperspace I am going to get on that damned ship! Not when it destroyed Callos' entire ecosystem!"

Kaytoo questioned quizzically, "You would rather stay? And here I thought all of you rebels wanted to live another day."

The Rogue Shadow reigned fire down on the oncoming stormtroopers, slaughtering them in one quick burst. The blaster fire stopped, allowing the rebels to catch their breaths for a second. An aroma of melted plastic and cooked flesh rose into the air, burning Cassian's nose as he turned to her. "This is our only chance."

"That pilot aided in the murder of hundreds and thousands of lives, animals or not."

Talia urged Cassian to get everyone on board as she rushed over to Sadako. She grabbed her by the shoulders and stared deeply into her eyes. A tone of slight fear shone through her voice, "What she did is terrible, but it was under the orders of the Empire. Now, she is aiding us. Darth Vader is on his way, and we have to go now. Please, Sadako. We can sort out our hatred for the Empire later."

Weighing options took only a matter of seconds. Live to fight another day triumphed over dying at the hands of a Sith lord himself. Sadako nodded reluctantly, biting back anything else she had to say as both of them got into the ship before it took off into hyperspace.

The beautiful nature of Kashyyyk held brighter colors than Talia had seen. The lumbering trees provided much cover for the wooden houses they held up above the ground. Dirt roads weaved between the grassy areas, leading to different parts of the village. Water surrounded most of the area, rushing every now and then when the wind picked up. Clouds hung low as they drifted passed the mountains, allowing the sun to pass through crevices and reflect against the water. When the rebels had gotten there, they admired the scenery on the way in. An encoded transmission had come in with coordinates and a call sign Senator Organa recognized.

Galen Marek's home was void of most life. No pictures, drawings, or art hung onto the wall, much to Talia's surprise. Galen did admire the painting back at the palace for a while. All the little wooden home contained was a few scattered chairs and a stone table in the center of the room covered in a thick layer of dust.

The Senators stood in front of the group of exhausted rebels. Tattered. Torn. Beaten. Wounded and still barely bleeding. Mon Mothma couldn't be more proud of their dedication to the cause. She spoke loud enough for all of them to hear, "We can't thank you enough, Captain Andor, for leading the rescue. And to all of you, the Rebellion will not only live to see another day. The fire that keeps it alive burns inside all of your hearts so fiercely. Thank you for your service."

Senator Bail Organa bowed his head in agreement. "It was very brave of you all to do this. Thank you."

Cassian clasped his hands behind his back and nodded. Being the leader of the operation, he spoke up first, "You are welcome. We weren't going to stand by and let it happen."

"We will talk to General Draven about all of you," Senator Iblis stated and leaned against the metal chair behind him. Even through his initial shock of being held hostage, only his shaking hands revealed that. The Senator held such strength in his calmness.

As the Senators made rounds with each rebel personally, Talia rocked back and forth on her heels. She wrung her hands, not nervously, but a sort of impatience. The question of the heat sensation plagued her mind. Mon Mothma broke her out of her train of thought when she stood in front of her, a bright twinkle in her eye. "Good to see you back, Ms. Revik."

"Thank you, Senator. Happy you're alive and well," Talia bowed her head for a short moment in respect.

Senator Mothma set a hand on Talia's wringing hands, stopping them completely. Talia sharply inhaled as their eyes met, and the Senator peered right through her. Mothma lowered her voice to a calming level, "You have changed since I helped recruit you. Your work with the rebellion has molded you into our family, and you are incredibly more open. I am proud of you, Talia. I have no doubt your daughter is too, wherever she may be." She retracted her hand and glanced over at Cassian. "You are also impacting others with your actions."

The old self Talia used to be would die on a hill of revenge. Nothing could stop her from burning the Empire to the ground. Now? Now she worked with people. Became group oriented instead of a lone bantha. Her daughter would be proud. A small smile tugged at the corners of her lips. "Thank you."

When the Senator moved on, that is when it all hit Talia. The exhaustion. If she could throw herself onto the ground without being looked down upon, she would have fallen asleep on the spot. Joy from the mission's success bubbled below the exhaustion. She had done right in the name of her daughter. That's all that mattered. At this point, Talia didn't know whether to throw a party or knock out on the first cot she laid eyes on. She dragged her body out of the room to get some fresh air.

Bail Organa clasped his hands together. Dark circles hung under his tired dark eyes, but exhaustion wouldn't stop him from one of his greatest contributions to the galaxy. "Are we ready to finish what he started?"

Senator Mothma nodded, "Better late than never."

"Then at last, the Rebel Alliance is born. Here, tonight," Bail declared, his voice clearer than ever. Uttering those words out loud was so incredibly powerful that it caused shivers to crawl up everyone's spines. What they've waited for so long was now here.

A petite woman stepped out of her watchful post from the back of the room. She gently removed the white hood from her head as she walked towards the table. Her shiny brown hair hung up in buns on the sides of her face. "We need a flag to rally behind. A symbol... A symbol of hope." The woman's soft, dark eyes gazed around the room before she wiped the dust off of the table, revealing Starkiller's family crest.

Senator Ilbis set his hands down on the table, tracing his fingers over the outline of the crest. A solemn expression took over his features, and his voice stated lowly, "Not only a memory, but the beginning of a strong foundation." He looked at the rebels, then his fellow senators. "To Galen Marek."

"To Galen Marek," everyone repeated in unison. They hung their heads for a moment of silence.

Cassian felt odd to respect a man they had questioned not even half a day prior. Marek's motives or intentions could have soured at any time like they expected, but he held true to his word. He got the senators out and righted his wrong. If only the rest of the deeds done in the Rebellion were that simple. Cassian quietly slipped out of the room and out into the warm Kashyyykian night.

Torches lit up certain parts of the bungalows and huts strung in between the bridges. Thumping and chanting echoed in the distance. The nature around him chirped their own song as the breeze swept through the leaves of the trees. Cassian spotted Talia messing with her hands near one of the bridges. He walked over and leaned against the wooden railing, neck craned upwards to stare at the twinkling stars above. "Beautiful night."

Talia peered over at him, her eyes taking in every detail of his face. Scruffy beard. Glowing skin. Dark, tired eyes. Cassian licked his lips before he sighed softly. Talia smiled a bit to herself, despite the nervousness rushing through her body. She looked away from him and joined in admiring the stars, "Yeah. It is."

"Thank you for trusting me."

"You're welcome. You've more than earned it by now."

Cassian nodded and looked over at her. Her messy hair covered parts of her face, making Cassian eager to push it away behind her ear. Beautiful eyes. Gentle hue of red on her cheeks. Soft pink lips. Cassian tore his eyes away before he could get caught staring, "We did well today."

"Saved the entire rebellion? Pretty much a blue milk run if you ask me," Talia joked. She chuckled to herself. That mission was anything but a boring run.

Cassian laughed, a grin blessing his lips. This, this is what it felt like to feel light again. The weight removed itself from his shoulders and he could finally breathe. They were alive, against all odds! Honestly, he couldn't remember the last time he felt this way. So...free. Happy.

And with that realization, his body tensed up. His nerves stood on end as he remembered what he wanted to do. Wasn't there a manual or something to make this easier? Out of all of his communication lessons, this one was always difficult for him. A scratch rose up in his throat, clawing at his skin. Dehydration? Maybe. Nervous? Definitely. Enough to chicken out? Stars, no. "We make a great team."

"Even if we do reckless stuff, we're each other's rock."

"Which is why..." Cassian inhaled for a short second, a pink hue forming on his cheeks. "I wanted to ask if you want to have dinner with me."

Talia immediately turned to him, eyebrows hitched. Did he really...? Cassian Andor, the annoyed rebel from way back when, seriously declared that out loud? Did he hit his head a bit too hard in that crash? When Talia's brain finally stopped joking, a slow smile spread across her lips. "If past you heard present you say that, I'm sure he'd have a heart attack."

"We've had our differences, but I have to try at least once, or I'll regret it."

"It gets too lonely in this job...doesn't it?"

Cassian nodded slowly. Words confirming that out loud only made it sound worse than it was. Or it would make Cassian sick to think of how the job crushes his dreams for a family.

Talia continued to play with her hands, rubbing where the heat sensation occurred. "The Emperor is going to want our heads. How are you going to live with laying low and not partaking in missions?" The question was playful, but didn't strike much emotion out of Cassian. Talia quieted down, slowly contemplating about her fallen girlfriend and her hateful ex-husband. Back then, she would've ran and hid again and again. When her daughter finally perished, she would die rather than back down now.

"It'll only be for a little while. I'm not out of the game completely."

Talia thought back to how hot her hand felt earlier. Was that her daughter speaking to her through the force? Talia hoped so. She hoped with every fiber in her being that her daughter was out there, somewhere among the stars watching over her. The only way to find out was to keep up with the Rebellion.

Keep up with Cassian.

If she could make her life a little more fun and full of once dead emotions, why not try?

"Yes."

Cassian's body suddenly enveloped itself in a warmth emanating from his heart. He eagerly turned to Talia, searching her eyes for clarification. What did she mean yes to? Yes to not being out of the game? Yes to it gets lonely? He finally uttered in a nervous sputter, "Y-yes?"

"I'll have dinner with you."