Author's note: Spoilers for "Call to Action"! I did write this about a week ago, so you might have seen it on Tumblr. I waited to post it here because I know the Star Wars Rebels tag on Tumblr is filled with spoilers and didn't think they'd care, but I wasn't sure about here.

Disclaimer: I do not own Rebels! I do not own Star Wars!

In Absentia

Right now, Kanan can be defined by nots.

He is not awake in the middle of the night, playing dejarik with Chopper. He is not training with Ezra while Zeb watches. Sabine doesn't have him occupied with a discussion of art he'd seen as a Jedi initiate and then padawan. Sabine doesn't even have him in a discussion of which blast type has a better artistic effect. He is not alone in the 'fresher shower, clogging the drain with loose long, brown hairs.

He is not on the Ghost.

He is not on the Phantom.

And his absence is palpable.

It is felt by Sabine, her most trusted art critic isn't there to give his opinion on her newest piece.

It is felt by Zeb, who takes his anger out on the target practice dummies in the main hold.

Chopper feels his absence, not sharing about the pranks he's played on Ezra and Zeb. In fact, Chopper hasn't played any pranks since…

Ezra feels Kanan's absence as he sits and stews in his bunk, thinking over how they could have all escaped. It was a stupid plan, Ezra should have said so, said no, but… He thought of what he wanted to say if he ever saw Kanan again. How dare you? Why? I hate you! I miss you. How could you do this to me? He tries to feel Kanan through the Force but he doesn't know if it is really Kanan. And he has no Master to ask his questions.

But Hera feels Kanan's absence the strongest. He isn't there to talk with her, to plan. She doesn't wake up in his arms, brown and rough against her smooth, green skin. He doesn't bring her kaffe just the way she likes it. He doesn't try to sneak kisses in the cockpit or when he thinks they're alone.

He just isn't there.

So she sits in the cockpit of the Phantom, toying with the bracelet he'd given her, rethinking the mission and how it could have gone differently. She relives it. She hears his order, "Spectre 2, get out of here! And then his warning, begging plea, "HERA!" Hearing it again fills her stomach with knots ties by sarlacc tentacles, her head with the sound of Kawakian monkey lizards braying laughter, and her heart with cracks that fill with lonely sadness and fear.

She knows what the Empire does to its people and to its enemies. She knows what they could do to Kanan.

What he must be suffering now…

She has never been one to sit idly by and she won't do that now. So she plans to rescue him.