Kanan Jarrus stood on the bridge of the command ship Liberator, staring out into the infinite sweep of stars before him. The distress call had come in just minutes ago from Hera's Concord Dawn mission team. He reached into the Force, trying to calm his anxiety. Attempts to contact the team had been futile.
A fighter suddenly emerged from hyperspace. "Sabine? What happened?" Kanan demanded. "We picked up a distress call. Where's Hera?"
"She was right behind me," Sabine answered, sounding panicked. "Kanan, we didn't have a chance! These Mandalorians work for the Empire, too."
Just then, another ship jumped out of hyperspace. Hera's ship. But it was on fire, smoking, spinning out of control. Kanan punched the comm button, yelling, "Hera! Hera, can you hear me?"
He heard Sabine gasp. "I see her! I see her, Kanan! It's bad. You've got to hurry. Please hurry!"
Kanan stomach clenched painfully at the thought of losing Hera. In all the time they had been together, there had been too many close calls to count...but nothing like this. He was not ready to let her go. He closed his eyes, and he could picture her scowling at him. He could imagine what she'd say. But he wasn't ready, and if he was going to save her, he knew he had to push his feelings aside and focus his mind on that single task.
He raced to the airlock with Ezra, Zeb and Chopper close on his heels. Because the damage to her ship was too significant to enable docking at one of the docking rings, the rescue team had tethered her A-wing to the command ship with tow cables. Kanan could see Hera slumped over in the cockpit of the smoldering ship.
"That ship is going to blow," he said grimly, jaw clenched. They had, at most, minutes to rescue her. He glanced at Ezra, who looked terrified. "We'll get her out. Be ready to release the tow cables as soon as she's clear of the ship."
The rescue crew, having never seen Jedi in action, acknowledged this command with silent nods and no small degree of awe. Kanan nodded at Ezra, and Ezra nodded in return, his fear giving way to determination. They extended their right hands, eyes closed. Kanan saw the locking mechanism on the cockpit hatch in his mind, and he released it. He felt Hera in the Force, and knew she was alive, if barely. That knowledge gave him a surge of strength, and he could feel that Ezra had sensed her, too. Working together, they tugged her free of the smoking ship, her nearly lifeless body floating towards the shield. They pulled her through, and Kanan caught her in his arms. Cradling her broken body against his, he stared with wide eyes at the wounds on her face, unable to speak. The medical droids sped over to assist her as the rescue team released the damaged A-wing from the tow cables, notifying the bridge to move out of range. Three minutes later, the Liberator's hull shook with the explosion of the severely damaged ship. But Hera, miraculously still alive, was already safely in the med bay.