The sun started to rise over the hills and thick forest that surrounded the base, painting the sky different hues of oranges, reds, and purples. Kaytoo landed the ship in the main hanger, and waited for the two rebels to exit. The hangar was dead. Everyone was most likely asleep, or just waking up and heading to the cafeteria for breakfast. The crisp, fresh air greeted Talia and Cassian as they walked out onto the pavement hand-in-hand. The little rest they got was enough to give them strength for at least a few hours, but they still headed towards their rooms to get some more.

At least until General Draven called Cassian over when they passed the communications center.

Cassian nodded, and gently let go of Talia's hand before heading in. She watched Cassian's posture change from tired to serious and as straight as he could manage. It seemed like he let Draven do all the talking, and all he had to do was nod in response. When what she thought was a debriefing was over, Cassian returned.

"I have a new mission."

He didn't try to make an excuse, or look her in the eye too long. Talia yearned to sigh. Tell him to not go. Tell him to just stay and rest with her. After all, they just got back from a hard mission. But all she could muster was, "I'll go with you."

Cassian simply shook his head. "You're injured. You need to rest."

"So are you."

"I'm fine."

Talia inspected his expression. Tense. Serious. Like someone flipped a switch and he was back to his old self from when they first met. Cold. Closed off. Even the energy radiating off of him was rough and intimidating. Talia grabbed his hand gently and tried to make him look at her. Her voice lowered as she got closer, "What did he say to you?"

The rebel spy pasted on a small smile and kissed her hand. "Only mission details. I'll be back soon." He motioned for Kaytoo to join him, causing Kay to glance back at Talia wearily before following his lead.

She watched him walk away out into the hangar bay. Talia turned her attention over to Draven, who was already staring at her before turning to the console and communications officer in front of him. A wave of icy coldness hit her, digging under her skin. This cold felt like Death's hands. She knit her eyebrows together in confusion until she remembered what the Queen of Ord Gimmel had said.

That man has a cold heart and a taste for blood.

Talia shivered. Whatever it was, this mission was not good for Cassian. Assassination? Cassian seemed to lose a bit of himself when he killed someone. That means Draven would have needed an assassin. Talia beelined for one of the smaller hangars to see if Essja had woken up early. If anyone knew anything, it was her.

And lo and behold, she was.

Essja was underneath her U-Wing, messing around with tools and wires. Oil spilled in spurts from an unknown area. She reached her hand up, twisting in between the metal parts to find the origin. Oil dripped down her arm, shading her dark blue skin in a sickly gray. Essja's tan jumpsuit changed color as well with the mix of oils and dark marks on it from the ground. Unfortunately, the ship wasn't going to repair itself.

It wasn't until Talia approached that she noticed her. Essja smiled largely. She pushed herself out from underneath and stood up, wiping her hands on her outfit. "Nice to see you back." When her sunset colored eyes skimmed over how hurt Talia was, her smile fell right off. "What happened out there?"

"You know how missions go when Draven hands them out." Talia shrugged and watched her reaction. All of the emotion dropped off her face, leaving a stoney one. She quickly replied, "It was actually pretty cool. We'll have to tell the story when Cassian gets back."

"Where is he? Thought he'd be glued to your hip." Essja attempted to brush off the sudden seriousness with a chuckle and a tinge of a smile, yet it didn't quite reach her eyes.

"He went on a mission for Draven. Wouldn't tell me what it was." Talia glanced around the hangar. Only a few people walked around, either staring down at a device they had or grabbed items to repair their ship. No one could hear this. Talia spoke quietly, "He wasn't himself, Essja. It's like he reverted back to his old self."

Essja's face fell once more. She fidgeted with her tools, grabbing one and immediately went back to work. For some reason, she couldn't bear to look at her. "Draven tried to get me to go on the mission. I refused."

That bad? Talia got closer and whispered, "Please, Essja, what is it?"

But as Essja told her about it, the more she wished she had asked Cassian to stay. The more she wished Draven had called in someone else. Why did it have to be Cassian? Of all the rebel spies? That's why Draven stared at her. He was making sure she hadn't succeeded in asking him to stay. Talia's eyes went wide and her stomach flopped.

"Why isn't Talia with us?"

The abrupt noise stirred Cassian from his slumber. The bright blues and whites of hyperspace sped by them, illuminating Kay-Tuesso in the copilot chair next to him. The droid's white eyes stared right at him, awaiting an answer. Cassian closed his eyes again, waiting for slumber to whisk him away from this conversation. "It's a quick mission."

"She looked worried."

Now? Really? What part of you copilot while I sleep did he not understand? "Talia is always worried."

Kaytoo agreed in silence. She worried for good reason, of course. Kay waited, configuring the next thing to say. "Why are we going to Toprawa?"

"That's classified." Maybe if he cut things short enough, Kaytoo would finally stop questioning him. Cassian turned the other way and attempted to relax against his chair. The stiffness aided his sore back, while not so much for sleeping.

"Cassian?"

All he got in reply was a grunt.

There was a pause. Kaytoo's voice nearly sounded unsure, "Are you going to be okay doing this mission? Mentally?"

That...was a well thought out question. One he probably wouldn't have asked if they hadn't gotten close. Kay chose wisely. It's not like he was going to get an answer. The mission was simple. Get in. Secure the information. Take out everyone. Get out. Simple actions, hopefully not too much on his mind. He'd rather not think about it.

The next time Cassian opened his eyes, they landed on Toprawa. Green, lush forests surrounded the city and what appeared to be a relay station. Imperials and their forest planets. Why can't it be somewhere cold or different for once? It almost reminded him of the forest moon of Endor with the way the trees were red giants, swarming the sky as if they were the stars themselves. They were so tall, they obscured any light the glowing night sky made.

Cassian gathered his belongings and holstered his weapon. He inhaled and stretched in a long fashion, making sure not to injure himself any further than he already was. He heard the scrapes of Kaytoo behind him, moving in his seat and his feet sliding against the ground. It was more than enough to indicate how nervous, though Kaytoo would deny it, the droid became. Cassian opened the ship's hatch and spoke up, "Wait for me."

With that, he stepped into Toprawa City.

Failure of a name, sure. Most common thing in every star system is to have a city named after the planet. Which Cassian found to be the most ridiculous thing. A pet peeve, really. Couldn't the people have more originality? Creativeness? None of it really mattered when they had too many cities to name, apparently.

But the buildings towered, much like the trees. If there weren't lights at all in the city, it could have blended in with the environment. The paints didn't stand out, no culture showing in anything. If he didn't know any better, then he'd assumed the Imperials were the first ones that made the city. Perhaps they've beaten the differences out of the creative souls to match with their own. And why was this forest..sticky? The humidity clung to his body like a leech. Another reason he preferred the cold over greenery. It always was predictable. Not sticky, rainy, warm, cold, or all the above. It stayed cold until it got warm for a little bit. Then straight back to cold. Plus he loved being wrapped up in jackets and extra clothing. Here? He couldn't take his captain's jacket off, or it would hinder him.

Let's see how many souls Cassian could save with this mission.

General Draven explained it short and to the point. A secret outpost on Toprawa sent out word that a communications officer by the name of Relain Espereth received scandocs on numerous rebels. Hera Syndulla, Wedge Antilles, Talia Revik, Cassian Andor himself, among others. It is unknown as to how she received the information. Officer Espereth was last seen leaving from a bar intoxicated and stumbling. Intercept her before she gets to the communications relay station in the morning. Go alone, retrieve the scandocs, and make sure everyone in the home dies. Cassian is to not take any chances on who has the information.

Cassian's eyes stayed focused ahead of him as he headed away from the Toprawa Relay Station.

Imperials, stormtroopers, and citizens intermingled and attempted not to bump into each other in the crowded town streets. An Imperial transport slowly inched its way through the crowd, but they didn't appear in any hurry. Mainly to just patrol. Cassian's stomach tightened and kept his focus straight forward. Being in the heart of Imperial territory never sat right on his nerves. Anything could go wrong.

It was times like this where he wished he could bring Kaytoo along without being stopped and questioned. Being thrown into jail was not part of the agenda for the night.

Thankfully, the difference between this city and the one on Kuat was the Imperial officers lived wherever there was availability. No special quartered off area where there were walls and guards. As much as he liked a challenge, climbing with injuries may not be the best course of action at the moment.

Cassian navigated through the city as if he had been there a dozen times. He moved fluidly through the crowd, sure not to look any imperials in the eye. Rather, his eyes darted around, catching sight of all the possible alleys and places he could run through without having to climb too much. For such a controlled space, the markets were going strong with many customers in line. The aromas of smoked meats and fresh vegetables hit his senses, and amongst all the voices in the area, it almost overwhelmed him by reminding him of how he hadn't eaten much in the past twenty four hours.

It wasn't long until he arrived in front of the right house. The building appeared small, a simple two story home with a bit of yard space on each side. Neighbors were pretty close. He'd have to make this a quiet one. Damn.

Quiet interrogations and kills were the most difficult. At any moment, they could screw everything up. Maybe this officer would be smart.

Cassian could only hope.

Front door. Locked most likely, but who enters through the front unless they want their chest blasted immediately? Windows appeared sealed tight. Huh. With the heat up this high with humidity, you would think the windows would be open. Or the air conditioner turned up so high with a bill to match with it. Cassian walked around the building, careful to stay on the grass rather than the sidewalk. He stuck to the shadows, searching the whole building for an open spot.

Turns out the only open spot was the back door, unless he wanted to jimmy one of the windows open. Who knew how much noise that would make, though. He opted in for the safest option and took out the security kit he kept inside his boot. It didn't take long for him to unlock the door and slowly open it.

A blast of icy air hit Cassian as he entered the room silently. He peered around, inspecting everything while he clutched his silenced blaster in his hand. He remembered the silencer mod this time! The room was a modern creme color with matching sets of furniture. Bland. To the point. There were few splashes of color here and there, with blankets draped on the couch and bookshelves lining the walls to his left up until a staircase led up to the second floor. On his right was a small kitchen. Hardly used, except for a huge mess on the stove as if a child made their own dinner. Being drunk and hungry is probably the worst combination when having to cook yourself.

The living space curved around a large wall in the center of the house. He slowly walked in, hearing the static electricity of a television on somewhere ahead. The lights around the room were dim, casting small shadows on the ground. Cassian stepped on the rug to mask his footsteps, and as he approached, he saw the officer thrown onto a chair, head tilted back as she relaxed. Some program on the television kept her entertained. At least that part was easy.

Cassian couldn't get a good angle to get her into a chokehold. The chair's back was too tall. He weighed his options quickly, and went with the best one he could think of. He wrapped a hand over her mouth and pushed the blaster in her side.

Officer Espereth screamed, the sound muffled by Cassian's hand. She struggled and hit him in the head with the remote hard. Cassian fought to not let go. Her teeth sunk into Cassian's flesh, drawing some blood. He strained to keep quiet, the vein in his neck becoming visible. He didn't want to shoot her just yet, so he used his blaster to hit her in the gut. She grunted and fell to the ground, her left arm almost giving out entirely from the sudden weight on it. Espereth crawled over to the bookshelf, presumably where she kept a backup blaster.

Cassian rushed over and lifted her up into a chokehold. She clawed at his skin and threw herself backwards, attempting to throw him off balance. When it didn't work, she used both of her hands to claw at Cassian's face and eyes. He hissed when she ripped skin off of his cheek in three long marks, and rapidly pulled her to her feet.

The sudden rush of gravity pushed down on Officer Espereth's stomach, causing her to vomit all over the floor in front of them.

Gross.

Regardless of the mess and the acid aroma rising from the wooden floor, it was right where Cassian wanted her. "Who gave you the information?"

Officer Espereth attempted to turn around and fight, but she struggled to even stay on her feet. "What information?"

"Don't play dumb with me." Cassian dug the blaster into her stomach, shoving it hard until the officer winced. There was no time for games. "Who gave you the scandocs?" She didn't answer. Typical. Cassian lowered his voice as he leaned in closer over her shoulder, and a gravelly threat played on his lips, "I will kill everyone in this home if you do not tell me."

There was a long hesitation where she contemplated her choices. At least, to the best of her abilities. This scene must've sobered her up pretty quick. "Erdan Scraf."

"Go on. Where are they located?" Cassian waited. Maybe she thought he was bluffing with his threats. Oh, what a world she must live in to even think that. A rebel hurt an imperial? Never.

"I-I don't know! I'm just the messenger."

"How did they obtain it?" When his question was met with silence, he moved the blaster down and shot her leg. The officer gasped and subdued her scream, her face turning darkened shades of red in the process. Cassian asked once more, his voice low as he nudged his blaster over to her other leg, "How did they obtain the names?"

Officer Espereth's glossy eyes widened. "I don't have any other information! We verify the transmitter and just take what they give us. That's all."

Fine. Let's say for a minute, he believes her. A high leveled communications officer not knowing a thing...Hm. Or, maybe their system was as built up as Fulcrum was. He knew how difficult it was to become one. Cassian trained his eyes on the places she focused on around the room. Glances, here and there, at nothing in particular. A bookshelf. Table. The rug on the ground. "Where are the scandocs?"

"Promise me you won't hurt anyone else here."

Cassian hesitated. The amount of fear in her voice was so palpable, a chill ran through him. He'd have to tear the whole house apart if she didn't tell him the location, and who knows even if he had that kind of time. He thought against it. This was bad. But what else was he supposed to do? "Promise."

Officer Espereth eyed the rebel, trying to determine if he was telling the truth. With the stoney expression, he knew she wouldn't be able to decipher it. And it was only a matter of time before he'd shoot her again. She decided to speak up, "There's a datacard stored in the kitchen."

"Get it for me." Cassian let her out of his hold, but grabbed hold of her left arm. He held his blaster to her back.

Espereth walked over to the counter island in the kitchen and pushed a button underneath the small overhang. A small wooden piece of the bottom of the cabinet came off, revealing a small cubby for items.

Smart. Wonder if she put that in or the Empire did.

The officer moved the stools to the side and knelt down slowly, sticking her hand into the hole and grabbing hold of a holochip. She hesitated, not looking back. Instead, she stared at the secret hiding spot a moment more before handing him the holochip.

Information secure.

With one quick move, he shot her in the head.

Quick. Painless. Something more than most imperials deserved. A weight fell right off his chest, allowing him to breathe lightly again. Yet the more seconds that passed, a bigger weight slowly set on his shoulders and shoved downwards. He knew what he had to do. Orders were orders.

The sinking feeling in his stomach told him otherwise. Leave. Don't come back. Maybe he could lie to Draven and say the mission was done according to plan. He could lie his way out of most things, but would Draven believe it? Cassian caught his hands twitching and shook them out one by one. He finally looked over the bookshelves to see if the officer had left any other important data lying around.

What had been subtle twitches in his hand morphed into shakes. The airways in his lungs constricted as his dark eyes landed on a photo frame sitting on a shelf. The Imperial hugged a small child, both of them smiling at the camera in some lake area. Sweat dripped down on both temples. Bile rose in his throat and all he could think about was running out of there.

There was a child in the home. That's why she was so adamant on Cassian not killing everyone in the house. No pictures at all of a father or father figure. He'd have to do a sweep of the home just to make sure. But Draven sent him to...murder a child? An innocent child? Why? What was the endgame?

He could end up like me, but working for the Empire.

Cassian closed his eyes. It was inevitable. One way or another, whatever answer he chose was going to screw someone over in the end. There was no happy ending. The child could vow vengeance. He could be so brainwashed that he'd join the Empire. Or, he could get help from the Rebellion, but then get drafted into it by some choice he was persuaded into. Cassian could kill him to end it all. Save him from either side of the war. Taking lives was never easy once it was all said and done, but a child's? Could he gather enough strength to pull the trigger?

Damn!

He yearned to throw things. To scream out. To curse Draven out to whoever was listening. Yet he couldn't. He stood in the heart of an Imperial's home, in a busy town near a huge Imperial base. Orders were orders, no matter how horrible they may be.

Cassian almost sighed in relief when he spotted Talia sprinting through the front door. Instead, he questioned quietly, "What are you doing here? Don't tel-"

A small, hopeful tinge of a smile crested on Talia's lips. She exhaled loudly, winded from the run. The sound of gratification and relief coursed through her voice, "You didn't finish the job yet."

"I need to do a sweep of the house."

"Cass, you can't just..."

Both of them turned their attention towards the stairs. A child entered the room. He couldn't have been more than ten years old. Messy white hair, adorable blue onesie pajamas, this kid just hopped out of bed because of the commotion. He rubbed his bright green eyes and yawned. "Mamu, I heard y-"

Talia saw the panic in his eyes and calmly went over to him, holding her free hand up to show she meant no harm. The child almost screamed, but tears took over and a sob got caught in his throat. His dead mother lay on the ground. Talia whispered reassurances to him and rubbed his arm soothingly.

"Talia, get away from him." Cassian flushed of color. He attempted to keep his poker face up for as long as he could. Nervousness set in, pinching around his stomach as his hand twitched near his holstered blaster. Draven said everyone in the home.

"No. He's just a kid..." Talia turned around and hid the kid behind her. The boy took the opportunity to run up to his room. She eyed Cassian, seeing the hesitation in his eyes. "You don't have to do this. Please."

Anxiety crawled its way up his back, tensing every muscle as it went. It would change him entirely to kill a child. How could he? Especially when he knows how it is to be him. Sometimes Cassian wished someone had taken him out early on. Those moments where he was alone, no one to turn to, no parents, no one by his side, no one but several generals who only handed him orders. Being part of a war from a young age, and that's all you know? Cassian wouldn't want that for anyone else.

But seeing the way Talia looked at him, with such disappointment and fear? It was enough to send him over the edge. He rested his hands at his sides as he swallowed down the bile in his throat. "I'm not going to hurt him."

Talia's stance loosened just a bit, allowing some of her muscles to relax. Her brown eyes widened. "You...you aren't?"

"The orders stated otherwise." The anxiety and nervousness that doused his system in scratch marks died down. He nodded. "I'm not going to compromise myself for a twisted mission."

Cassian watched as Talia completely relaxed, relief running through her body. She still locked eyes with him, except this time her features melted into calm and collected. Talia hesitated, the gears in her head turning. Cassian knew what she was thinking. He thought about killing a child. That was definitely a conversation he'd have to get into later.

Talia walked towards him and set a hand on his sweaty cheek. Her eyes dropped down to study his face. It must have been like looking at a shadow of who Cassian was. This, in all of its not-so-much glory, was the Cassian he hid from the world. The one on the verge of breaking. Talia ran her fingers through his hair for a moment before replying, "Let's go home."

The kid ran down the stairs, his feet heavy on every step. Instead of wearing his blue pajamas, he had changed into regular clothes. Dirty jeans, sneakers, and a thick jacket. On his back was a backpack filled to the brim. Most likely with clothes and other necessities, if Cassian had to guess. His mother probably trained him how to go on the run in case something happened. That wasn't what worried Cassian.

What made his gut twist inside his stomach was the small EC-17 hold-out blaster the kid held in his hands directly pointed at them.

Tears streamed down his chubby face. His reddened eyes glistened against the minimal light in the room. He had been trained to hold the blaster steady, despite his chest quickly breathing in and out. The shake in his voice was prominent, "I'm n-not going with y-you."

Cassian stepped in front of Talia instinctively. "I'm the one you want. Not her."

"Everyone calm down right now," Talia ordered steadily.

The child nearly screamed, "He killed my Mamu!"

Talia slowly walked in front of Cassian. He tried to grab her arm; despite his effort, she still managed to tug her arm away softly.

Why could nothing ever go right for once?

Talia put her free hand up in defense, surrendering to the boy. She begged, "Please put the gun down. We can talk this out."

"You're sticking up for a killer? Is that all the Rebellion is?" The child hesitated, never swaying from his aim. His face started to turn a few shades of red as well, except for the trail of tears that cooled a slim part of each cheek. "The Empire will crush you all."

The Empire already had a strong hold on him. His views. He just witnessed two rebels in his house and his mother's dead body next to them. This whole situation was sinking down the drain, and very quickly. Cassian reached out for her, but didn't want to startle the boy any more than he already was.

Talia tried again. "The Empire is going to turn on us all. It has already started. You haven't seen it yet. You are still very young."

There was a second where he wavered. Weighed his choices. It all evaporated when his eyes glanced where his mother lay. Anger rapidly replaced any thought as his eyes narrowed and eyebrows scrunched downwards.

Talia would not give up on a child. She continued, "Let's sit and think for a moment. Please."

"You rebel slime will pay for what you've done!" The child shot twice at Cassian. Cassian and Talia dropped to the ground, the bolts barely missing them. The kid ran for the door and shot again, only this time it was a flash-stun. Both rebels covered their eyes, yet it was too late. Bright white washed over their sight as they tried to get up. They clung to the furniture near them and blinked rapidly. Soon enough, the white slowly faded into color again, revealing their surroundings. Cassian bolted for the door to stop him.

The kid was already gone.