A/N - Breaking the pattern of my fics because I was inspired.
Regrettably, this fic is unlikely to be as updated as much as Use the Force, simply because the chapters will be longer. I'll try to get them out every 3-4 days, but no promises :-).
(Edit on 20/7/15 - Corrected some spelling errors and added some extra stuff to fluff out some dud areas.)
"Phew" Muttered Ezra, wiping his forehead. The crew had just finished 'redistributing' some weapons that Vizago wanted them to collect. Being a Rebel is exciting and all, but it doesn't put fuel in the Ghost or fuel in crew either.
"So, I suppose we can just sit back and wait for our next orders from Fulcrum now then?" guessed the padawan, but before he could plant himself down in one of the Ghost's cold, metal seats, Hera had some news.
"Looks like you'll have to wait for that seat, bud. Chopper tells me we've got mail." You could feel the ship itself groan. They never had Ops on consecutive days, let alone five minutes after the previous one. "Oh, snap out of it. That smash and grab was easier to deal with than one of Ezra's tries on Sabine." The quip generated laughter from all but one of the crew, who simply stood in the corner, frown on his reddening face.
"Back to the 'mail', please Hera" said Ezra, annoyed.
"Yessir!" said Hera "Chopper, please play the recording." Without hesitation, the orange astromech plugged into the Holotable and a blue image of Ahsoka flickered into life.
"Spectres, good to see you're all doing well. The intelligence team here on the command ship have good reason to believe that the Wookiees you rescued a number of months ago are in need of assistance." Pausing for a moment, the Togruta then continued
"3 days ago, we received a signal from Kashyyyk that we decoded. Our experts are saying that it means there is an uprising being staged there, and that the Wookiees require additional help and experience in fighting the empire, in exchange for sending some of their best warriors to fight for our cause. I need you to go to Kashyyyk and set up this cell, I will send you some data and reports around my time on Onderon during the Clone Wars. May the Force be with you all, Fulcrum out."
"Well, she certainly seemed enthusiastic." jibed Sabine.
"Anyone know what an 'Onderon' is?" asked Ezra "It sounds like a weird fruit"
Kanan sighed at his apprentice's naivety, explaining,
"No, Ezra, Onderon is not a fruit. It's a planet in a system quite near Mandalore, if memory serves." He glanced at Sabine, checking for any discomfort.
Sabine grimaced, the memories of her world were like an iceberg, frozen in her past and threatening to sink anyone who dared go near. She tried her best to forget, but they always seemed to crop up out of nowhere.
"We aren't actually going anywhere near Mandalore for this one, Kanan, Kashyyyk isn't exactly next door to it." and with the spiteful remark, she stormed out of the room.
Hera sighed, anticipating Sabine to react in such a way
"I'll go sort her out love, you four stay here and figure out a plan with the data Ahsoka sent us." The Twi'lek chased Sabine down the hall, leaving two Humans, a Lasat and a droid to take care of their next excursion.
The Intel Ahsoka provided was interesting to say the least, well to Ezra, anyway. It seemed to Zeb that he asked more questions during the planning than at any other point, ever. About twenty minutes after her rapid departure, Sabine returned, with Hera just behind her.
"Sorry about that guys, I guess I just lost it a bit. And no, Ezra, I don't want a hug" jeered the girl, already knowing what the kid would try.
Zeb grinned, knowing that would finally shut Ezra up for a few minutes. You could always rely on Sabine to do that, even at Ezra's most 'excitable', which usually when seeing the kid get shot down was funniest.
"Well, our combined genius has found a way to get past the Imperial blockade without too much hassle." explained Kanan, displaying a small datachip. "We just need to find a way to get the Wookiee resistance to meet us on the southern continent."
"I'll see if Ahsoka's still on comms." suggested Hera, waltzing out of the common room.
"Well, I've spoken to 'Soka and she says the intelligence team can't send a signal back, only receive, so, unfortunately, we're going in blind." said Hera, with a disappointed tone to her voice.
The crew scrambled back to their bunks, grabbing whatever gear they needed. The nature of the Op was in fact very similar to Tano's campaign over 15 years earlier, only this time, it was Wookiees on Imps, not Civilians on Droids.
Hera set a course for Kashyyyk, it was a good 12 hours away by hyperspace, even further than Imperial City, or 'Coruscant', as Kanan always insisted the crew call it. Zeb and Ezra, being themselves, decided their preparation for the Op was going to be limited to sleep. Sabine decided to cool off through her artwork and Kanan sit up in the cockpit with Hera, talking about Gorse and reminiscing about the past.
When they finally pulled out of hyperspace and used Kanan's new evasion algorithm to sneak through the blockade, Hera set the Ghost down in Kashyyyk's dense, lush forest.
While lowering the ramp down after arrival on the foreign planet, Ezra was confronted with something he'd never expect to see in this environment, a young Imperial officer, accompanied by a lone Wookiee.
"What's going on here, kid?" joked the officer, in a thick Corellian accent.
"I, uh, Uh... We were just-" Ezra tried to communicate, but he was at a loss for words.
"Look, kid, as much I'd like to sit here and see you squirm, I ain't got the time for it, I'm on the run and my commander is hot on my heels."
The man seemed sincere, thought Ezra, giving it some thought.
"Hop on board if you like, your friend here's welcome too." offered Ezra blankly, half expecting the officer and Wookiee to decline his proposal.
"Cheers, kid. By the way, the name's Han, Han Solo."
Dumbstruck, Ezra welcomed the unlikely pairing aboard the ship.
How'd you find that? Not sure I quite liked the way Han's intro went, might mean a re-write, please review/comment if you have any ideas about where the story should go from here or any improvements you'd make.
I'd love to hear 'em!