A Father's Pride
Cham Syndulla, who aged none too gracefully since the end of the Clone Wars and the fall of the Jedi and forced into hiding, from his family, including Hera Syndulla, who was very dear to him, his only living relative, his only daughter, had no knowledge of his whereabouts.
He knew he'd probably never see her again.
He had a secret radio transmitter and flipped it on one day. The little slime, Gal Trayvis, had attempted to eliminate a group of rebels. Cham watched in silence. His face lit up when he recognized Hera and Gal Trayvis stated that her group were terrorists for fighting the Empire. Cham turned off the radio and grinned broadly. "That's my girl," he smiled proudly.
"Well done, Hera," he whispered to the stars that night. "May the Force protect you, my child."
A few months later, he listened to a broadcast from Hera's crew. No names were given but Cham felt prouder than ever of his daughter.
After the Ghost crew was reunited and Fulcrum's true identity of Ahsoka Tano was revealed, Hera asked, "So, where are we going?"
"Ryloth," Ahsoka replied. "The rest of the ships are headed elsewhere. But our two ships are going to Ryloth."
"Why Ryloth?" Everyone asked.
"I mean, I know Hera's parents probably came from Ryloth or Twi'lek colony, but why are we going there now?" Ezra asked.
"There's someone there who's waited a long time to see little Hera again," Ahsoka replied.
Hera grabbed Kanan's arm tightly. "My father is still alive?" Her voice broke and she trembled violently as Kanan wrapped one arm around her waist to hold her steady.
They soon reached Ryloth. The group followed Ahsoka to the far reaches of what had been a small village.
Hera squeezed her eyes shut. "My, my, mother was buried here when I was born. Father and I left as soon as I could travel," Hera murmured. "And he swore he'd never return."
They soon reached a small inhabitance. "I brought guests, including the one you asked to see," Ahsoka knocked.
Cham motioned for the group to enter. They all walked in. Cham swiftly picked out. "Hera," he walked over and attempted to hug her.
Hera threw her arms around his neck. "I've missed you, Daddy," Hera murmured.
"And I have missed you, my child," Cham replied.
Ezra's eyes widened. "And our family has grown," Cham said, smiling warmly at the rest of the crew of the Ghost.
They all blushed. Then Cham said, "I called you here only partially because I wanted to see my daughter again."
"There was another reason?" Kanan asked.
"Yes, I wanted to tell you, all of you, in person, how proud I am of each of you. Most of you are not related to me, but I see in Hera's eyes just how much all of you mean to her," Cham stated.
"Thank you," Ezra said. "But it's Hera who deserves a lot of the credit in bringing us together. We're not just a crew. We're a family. And you, sir, are a part of it, even if you don't travel with us."
Hera smiled and the team and her father all embraced and Ahsoka whispered a silent prayer that the end of the Empire was near.