Part of the Family
Grandma
"Um Hera. Is the base the other direction?" Sabine asked.
"We're not going to the base just yet." Hera answered.
"Then where are we going?" Zeb asked.
"I asked Commander Sato for some time off. I figured we could use a break. Especially after what those two went through." Hera said gesturing toward the hall that Kanan and Ezra where in. "That and I think it's time you kids meet Gradma." She adds slightly laughing.
Zaluna hated being called that as much as Kanan had always hated being called kid. However that's what this seventh unofficial member of the crew was often referred to amongst the Ghost crew's two co-leaders. She had told Kanan and Hera to come visit last time they saw her. That had been six years ago now. They had never found the time but now With both Jedi on temporary medical and mental leave and the rest of her crew members dealing with the repercussions of the Jedi's mission that scared both her Jedi and killed a third this break was well needed as much as earned. Rex tagged along to get away as well, but only for support.
"Go prep for landing we'll be there soon." Hera commanded.
Zaluna was sitting under the tree in her yard. Skelly's tree as she so often called it. She often thought back to the time when she could see, to the time when she met her so called adopted family. The two human men and the Twi'lik girl that had saved her home planet and it's moon.
"It's days like this Skelly I miss them. I miss you too. I wish Hera and Kanan would visit for once. It's been so long." Zaluna said to the tree. She had never once seen it or anything in this yard but she knew it was there.
"Then it's a good thing we're here." A familiar male voice said.
"Kanan?" The blind woman said.
"Nice to see you again Zaluna." Hera said.
"And Hera. You better have let him join you or else." The older women started to say.
"Kanan?" A strange young male voice asked.
"You brought others with you?" Zaluna asked. "Come here child. Let me see you."
"Yes, Kanan and three others have joined me. This is Ezra. The other two are inside. Your helper let us in." Hera explained.
"He's just a child." The older women said.
"I'm not a child." Ezra said.
"Maybe not in sprit, but in years you are. I can feel it. Now Kanan let me see you." The woman said. "You've changed."
"I have." Kanan said. Zaluna took his face in her hands and felt a mask.
"You're eyes why do you cover them like mine?" She asked. Ezra froze when she asked this.
"It was my fault. He was blinded because I trusted someone I shouldn't." The child said.
"I don't think it's anymore your fault child than it is Kanan's or Hera's fault for my blindness." The woman said. "After all I'm sure you didn't do this yourself."
"No… " Ezra started.
"Than it is not your fault at all. Besides you know it can be treated right? He can get his sight back." Zaluna said.
"Isn't that exactly what I told you?" Kanan ask.
"It is. Unless you've seen enough like I have. Your still hiding something from me Kanan." She said. "This boy is close to you. Almost like a master and Padawan."
Hera burst end out laughing at this comment. "Love I think you should tell her." She got out between laughs.
"I thought you said she was an old friend of both of yours. She doesn't know about you being a…" Ezra started to ask.
"Well I never told her. Hera learned by accident. Otherwise none of the crew would have known at all until you came along. What do you think should we tell her what we are?" The older Jedi said.
"I don't see why not. It's bound to get out sooner or later. Especially the empire and Maul after us." The boy said.
"What exactly is it that you have to tell me." Zaluna asked.
"Let's go inside. We'll introduced you to the rest of the crew and let you in on these two's little secret." Hera said. The four head in. Ezra helping Kanan and Hera helping Zaluna in. Once inside Zaluna heard two new voices and a familiar droid she had heard once before.
"Here let's all sit down. I'll let the Kids introduce themselves." Hera said looking at the two other crew members.
"Garazeb Orrelios, most people call me Zeb." The gruff new male voice said.
"Well Zeb, that name sounds like a Lasat name. Not very many of those these days." The blind woman said.
"I was a member of the honor guard back on Lasant. Now I'm just the muscles of this group." The Lasat said.
"Well I'm sorry about your home world. Mine would be destroyed as well if it wasn't for these two. I wish the Jedi were around to stop this nonsense." Zaluna said.
"Maybe they'll return someday." Zeb said looking at Kanan and Ezra.
"I'm next big guy." The young female voice said. "Sabine Wren, Daughter of Mandalor. House Wren, Clan Visla. I'm the explosions expert, form imperial, former bounty hunter, and resident artist."
"You sound a little young to have such a colorful background. That's an impressive resume you have. I used to love art." The woman said.
"I would be happy to show you some." Sabine said. "I'm working on a new type of art even Kanan can 'see' maybe I can send you some too."
"Thank you. I would love that." Zaluna said. Just then she heard the droid beeping again. "You still have that droid Hera."
"Chopper. Of course you remember him." Hera said. "Now you've already met our youngest member Ezra outside."
"Which reminds me. Kanan, you have something you would like to share with me?" Zaluna ask.
"I do. The question is how do I tell you this?!" Kanan says. "Let's see, do you remember back on Gorse when you started talking about the Jedi and what they used to do. I asked you what you knew about Jedi."
"And Hera said 'We could use one, now.' Like it was yesterday." Zaluna said.
"Well we could have, used a few more." Hera laughed quietly.
"I almost asked you how much you knew about them." The older women said.
"Well to answer that question. I know a lot about the Jedi. I was raised as one." Kanan said. "When I met you and Hera I had abandoned that path. That's why I asked you that question back then. However, things have changed since then."
"I knew there was something about you. So your a Jedi. Then I guess I'm right in saying the boy, Ezra is it, is indeed your Padawan?" She says.
"Yes ma'am, it's Ezra. Ezra Bridger and I am his Padawan or at least I guess I still am." Ezra says.
"Oh you still are. That's never going to change. Your stuck with me kid." Kanan said. "So you weren't wrong when you said that outside."
"Bridger, like the old transmissions from Lothal? You guys made the broadcast a few months back didn't you. That was his voice." Zaluna inquiries.
"Yes, the old transmissions were my parents and we did send out that broadcast." Ezra said with a mixture of pride and sadness laced in the words. Zaluna could hear guilt in his voice every time he spoke. It wasn't as strong as when he was talking about Kanan going blind but it was still there. She had to do something about that. Maybe she'd talk to Hera and Kanan about it first. Then she'd talk to the boy.
"So you have a Jedi from Coresant, a Twi'lik from Ryloth, a Lasant honor guard, a Mandolorian girl, a Astromic droid, and a Padawan with highly respected parents from Lothal all on one crew." Zaluna said. "You two sure know how to pick a well trained team. I'm guessing the ISB was monitoring Lothal too. I watched too many people disappear from my screens when I worked there back on Gorse."
"We don't exactly know. Ezra, here isn't very open about his past. He was living on the streets when we found him a year ago." Hera said.
"Does anyone really talk about their past? This is the first any of us have ever heard about her." Ezra says defensively.
"True, and I respect your privacy. We all have our share of secrets. Shockingly you and Kanan are the most shut off." Hera said.
"Well the Jedi always had their secrets. I guess that tradition continues." Zaluna said.
"Well what was there to share? Most of us only knew life as a Jedi. We didn't know our families or heritage. It's kinda hard to explain the force to people that can't use it. Other than that we were what we seemed." Kanan said.
"That's not true anymore though is it? You and your Padawan both have a different story than the Jedi of old. Not many Jedi could say that." Zaluna replied.
The Ghost crew stayed and talked for the rest of the day. They actually stayed on planet for a week. Rex joined them on the second day, however that's another story for another day. Zaluna was just happy with her "family" visiting rather new or old. The visit did help both Kanan and Ezra just as Hera had hoped it would. She promised that they would visit more often.
