'We have won,' Hera thought, as she watched the fireworks exploding in the sky of Endor. Earlier that day, the Death Star II had been blown up, along with the Emperor and Darth Vader. It was a great victory for the Rebellion, but there were still remnants of the Empire to destroy. Zeb and Kallus had joined the celebration, Chopper and AP-5 tagging along, while Sabine was on Krownest, leading her clan with Ezra there to help. Soon, word would reach them that the Emperor was dead and they would rejoice as well.
However, Hera was alone in the Ghost, which was parked a long distance from the celebration. Nobody was seated on the co-pilot seat, there was no sign of Hera's cocky co-pilot, sarcastic Jedi Knight in shining armor. Seeing the empty seat made Hera's heart ache. She always expected him to survive. He was a Jedi Knight, she told herself. But she also knew Jedi weren't invincible. When his lifeless body was recovered during the Siege of Lothal, after being gunned down, Hera was utterly devastated. She could not believe that Kanan Jarrus, her Kanan Jarrus, was gone just like that. The sadness and disbelief quickly morphed into pure hatred. Hatred for the Empire for taking Kanan away from her. Hera's rage motivated her. She gave her all during the missions she was assigned to, surviving on only about 1 or 2 hours of sleep per day. Hera did not cry once as the others mourned Kanan's death. She had to put up a strong front, she reasoned with herself, she had to be strong. She was Captain Syndulla after all. Other rebels around her thought her cold, emotionless but the rest of the Ghost crew were very concerned for her. They knew how close Hera and Kanan were. The Ghost crew expressed their concern in different ways, trying to help Hera anyway they could but she would always shrug off every single attempt. Eventually, the Ghost crew gave up and went along with Hera's quest for revenge.
Now the Emperor was dead and the Empire would begin to experience infighting, with the high ranking officers vying for control of the Empire. Hera slumped against the seat. Now that the Empire was all but defeated, what was she going to do? A memory surfaced in Hera's mind. It was about Kanan asking about their future together. Suddenly, the rage inside Hera dissipated, replaced by an overwhelming sense of sadness. Hera decided to finally take a few selfish minutes and allow herself to finally let go of the huge burden she had been carrying ever since Kanan's death. Hera started sobbed hard, all the bottled-up pain of losing Kanan pouring out of her. At that moment she was no longer Captain Syndulla, a pilot of the Rebellion, she was just Hera Syndulla who was mourning the loss of Kanan Jarrus, the person she loved most.
"Hera." Hera spun, looking for the source of that voice. That beautiful voice she had fallen in love with so many years ago. Her eyes settled on...on Kanan...His eyes were turquoise again. "K...Kanan? Is it...is it really you?" Hera stuttered, shocked. "Yes Hera, it is me," Kanan replied with a smile on his face. Hera was bewildered. "I'm so sorry...I'm so sorry, I should have done something...anything to save you, maybe if I fought harder you would still be here. I am so so sorry Kanan," the words flowed out of Hera's mouth. Kanan quickly stepped forward and hugged Hera. "There was nothing you could have done Hera, it's not your fault, " Kanan said, holding Hera tightly. "I may not be with you physically,but I want you to know I'll always look after you from the other side, live your life well Hera, maybe...maybe find another guy," Kanan said. "There will never be anyone else," Hera replied with a smile and Kanan smiled back. They stayed like that for a while before Hera whispered softly, "You know, I never did get to say goodbye..." "Well, now's your chance," Kanan said as he smiled down to her. "Goodbye luv, I love you," Hera said sadly. "Goodbye Hera, I will always love you, one day, we'll meet each other again, I promise," Kanan said and winked. They shared a tender kiss and then Kanan was gone.
Hera woke with a start. Gasping, she looked around. However there was no sign of Kanan. 'It was a dream,' Hera thought. However now, Hera felt a strange sense of peace, like Kanan really was there. She replayed the conversation in her mind, thinking about what Kanan said. 'Live your life well' he had said. Hera was not certain if the conversation was real but she was confident that they really would see each other again, someday. Standing, Hera wiped off some stray tears and started making her way to the celebration, deciding to join in on the fun. 'One day Kanan, we'll be together and we'll be happy,' Hera thought, 'until then, I will live my life to the fullest, I promise."