CASSIAN ESCORTED Jyn back to her rescuers’ U-wing gunship, which sat ready to fly on the tarmac outside of the hangar. He wasn’t particularly thrilled about being forced to take her along on this mission, but he didn’t see how he could accomplish it without her. Saw Gerrera and his forces would otherwise shoot him on sight.

It wasn’t just that she wasn’t a rebel soldier or a spy. He’d dealt with many such amateurs before. But she didn’t care a bit about the Rebellion, and that, he worried, might come back to bite them all.

General Draven followed them out of the hangar and called Cassian back. Cassian left Jyn in the custody of K-2SO. The reprogrammed Imperial security droid had helped free her from her prison. He could keep an eye on her for now.

The older man spoke to Cassian in a low tone, far enough away from Jyn to make sure she couldn’t hear. “Galen Erso is vital to the Empire’s weapons program. There will be no ‘extraction.’ You find him, you kill him. Then and there.”

Cassian made sure to keep his expression neutral. He didn’t want General Draven to know about his distaste for such orders. Cassian would kill if necessary, but he didn’t like being ordered to assassinate someone.

And he didn’t want Jyn to see that on his face, either.

When Cassian joined Jyn and K-2SO in the U-wing, Jyn was already glaring at the droid, who had sat down at the starship’s controls.

“You met Kay-Tu?”

“Charming.”

“He tends to say whatever comes into his circuits. It’s a by-product of the reprogram.”

“Why does she get a blaster and I don’t?” K-2SO called back from the cockpit.

“What?” Cassian shot Jyn a cold look. Who would have given her a weapon? A better question: from where had she stolen it?

“I know how to use it,” she told him with a smug look.

“That’s what I’m afraid of.” The last thing he needed was for her to shoot him in the back and escape. He held out his hand. “Give it to me.”

She sat back and refused. “We’re going to Jedha. That’s a war zone. Trust goes both ways.”

She had a point, and she was determined to be stubborn about it. He didn’t have the time or the energy to argue with her. He knew she already had a pair of truncheons tucked inside her jacket, anyway. What more was a blaster?

He gave her a shrug and sat down next to K-2SO in the cockpit.

The droid couldn’t believe it.

“You’re letting her keep it?”

Cassian didn’t want to discuss it. He started the preflight check.

“Are you interested in the probability of her using it against you?”

Cassian said nothing, hoping the literal-minded droid would take a hint for once.

“It’s high.”

Cassian did his best to ignore K-2SO. “Let’s get going.”

“It’s very high.”