Restraint

Restraint was an important quality to have as a Rebel. When dealing with Imperials in a fight it was the difference between being a hero, or standing up in the open and yelling "For the Rebellion!" at the top of your lungs and being the first fool to get shot. It meant that you had the mental fortitude and perseverance to handle a given situation, and the wisdom to know when to act. Usually it was the leadership of their resistance that were exemplars of these traits, though there were exceptions to this, as was always the case with anything.

The crew of the Ghost knew this well, due in part to Hera having to be the responsible member of their little group and trying to hammer it into the rest of their skulls. Restraint was key when operating as an independent Rebel cell. Don't overstep your bounds. Don't go after a larger target than what you know you can handle. Don't steal a TIE Fighter, but hey they left the keys in the ignition and it's not like we knew they would try to get it back or anything, Zeb and Ezra. Don't blow up half of the enemy base with high-yield explosives because the explosion would be so much better, and yes space mom I found the armory and the N-20 Thermal Detonator stockpile was calling to me, Sabine. Don't teach your hopeful Jedi Padawan by training on top of the Ghost at three thousand kriffing feet resulting in a potential fall to his death and, hey he's mostly over it and only slightly twitches at the thought of going anywhere near the top of the Ghost while it's flying anymore and it builds character anyway, Kanan. Don't use your electroprod to wake people up or otherwise get their attention, but the purple one was only on fire for 4.512 seconds, lost only 23% of his aft fur, and is the most durable organic of the group anyway so what's the big deal? Chopper.

As far as any outsider looking in could tell, the Twi'lek pilot was a saint. To deal with her group as she did, and all the shenanigans that resulted from that, she could be nothing less. Don't get her wrong. She loves her little family, all of them. But the fact that she has to keep an oversized bottle of aspirin on hand is not a good thing. Kanan was the de-facto leader of their cell so to speak, but the role of commander seemed to always fall to her. The Ghost was her ship after all, so it made sense. But that meant that she had to be the one to take charge and make decisions, and bear the consequences of those decisions. The Twi'lek discovered very early on that such a thing wasn't as easy as she'd have liked.

"No, General Dodonna, I'm afraid I don't have an explanation for why my two Jedi requisitioned an entire shuttle's worth of Rebellion soldier helmets. However, I'm sure it has no connection to the news of Senator Millidus of Corellia being admitted to a mental institution."

A single snow colored brow lifted ever so slightly on the other end of the holo. "Truly? Perhaps you may wish to inquire with them. We were aware of the Senator's more dubious contacts on Coruscant, but we wished to find more conclusive evidence before taking action against him. Your people seemed to have jumped the gun prematurely on that Captain Syndulla."

The image on the holo changed to show the interior of an upscale apartment. Marble countertops, actual wood flooring, large sliding doors leading to a balcony, various amenities… and then the image changed again.

Hera sighed and massaged her temples, feeling the onset of a migraine that was sure to intensify the longer this conversation continued. Now the image depicted was that of a bedroom, as evidenced by the massive king sized bed taking up the majority of the picture. Around it however, were various helmets hanging from the ceiling. Very familiar helmets, all angled down from their scattered positions around the room to stare at the bed. More specifically at the pillow, where the senator would have been resting his head. Painted onto the helmets were various angry facial expressions, each with a different color. On the walls around the bed were phrases written in bold red paint. 'IMPERIAL DOG!' 'WE KNOW WHAT YOU'VE DONE!' 'WE SEE EVERYTHING!' 'YOU CANNOT ESCAPE OUR SIGHT.' 'WE FEAST ON YOUR SOUL AS YOU SLEEP.'

The wind was effectively taken out of the sails of her denials. Hera's head drooped, a heavy exhale of air escaping her as she did so. "I honestly don't know what to tell you, sir."

The General was nonplussed, seemingly anticipating such a response. "I expected as much, Captain. While the methods of your crew were a bit… extreme? They did indeed remove a potential problem from the Senate. I will overlook it this time, but please try to keep a tighter rein on their actions in the future."

She nodded in acceptance, feeling her headache lighten slightly at the lack of further chastisement. "Understood sir."

He offered the woman a brief smile. "I know you are in a difficult position Captain Syndulla, and that you are doing the best you are able. Your crew of… eccentric allies seems quite difficult to manage at times. I fear for the day their madness spreads beyond the confines of that ship. Know that you are in our prayers."

Hera choked out a laugh, or maybe a groan of sorts. "Thank you sir, they are appreciated. But I'm sure I'll be able to manage them. At least, for a bit longer."

The holo clicked off.

The first time someone told her that her crew was not well in the head, she tore them apart with scathing words, defending her people, her family. The second time it happened she had toned her words down, and instead balanced it out with a glare that would flash-freeze Mustafar. Then it happened a third time. And a fourth.

…and a fifteenth. And it was then that she began to look. To really, truly look at her collected family of misfits. And she came to the startling conclusion that she was indeed the Captain of a flying insane asylum.


Here we go into new territory. The characters will all be the same ones you know and love, Hera more so than others. The rest will just have some... quirks. If you want drama with a solid canon-abiding storyline, this may not be for you. But if you're just looking for a laugh you've come to the right place.

Thanks for reading. -TCR