**Okay guys. Here's the non-slash fic. I'm trying something new. I'm writing this one chapter by chapter instead of prewriting the whole thing. We'll see which one works out better for me Enjoy!** ~Ocean

Chapter 1: Flying Lessons

TIEs were heard screaming across the mountains in hot pursuit of their target. Ahead of them, in the tiny space vessel was Hera and Ezra. The two had been on a supply run only to have been discovered. Now Hera was taking sharp twists and turns through the mesa in hopes of losing the fighter crafts, or destroying them.

Hera was keeping her cool as usual, seeming to find way too much joy and fun in their Imperial run in. Across her face was a devilish smirk as she took a nose dive, pulling up just in time to zoom under a natural arch causing one of the TIEs to crash.

"One down." She said as she made some adjustments on her control panel. The Twi-lek let out of soft cough. Ezra glanced at her; she had done this four times in the market and when he asked if she was okay she waved him off.

"Two to go. Are you sure you're okay?" The teen asked, eyes widening slightly as she flipped up and spun around so that they were heading straight for the TIEs.

"I'm fine Kid." She said, once again shrugging him off. She felt a little tired, but that could wait. She was never sick. Hadn't been since she was very little, so she assumed that this was just a mild cold or just a throat irritation from the pollution in the air.

"If I didn't know any better Hera, I would say you've flown this course before." Even with his Jedi senses Ezra was having a hard time keeping up with all the turns; Hera on the other hand seemed to know exactly where she was going. He stared at the fast approaching vessels, a little spooked but for the most part unphased. Hera did this often enough and they always made it out alive and kicking.

"I have. I've flown this course thousands of times. I learned to fly on this space rock." She launched a series of cannon shots and knocked one of the TIES out of the air. One to go.

"Wait. This is Ryloth? Where was I when you told me we were going to your home planet? Hera does Kanan know were here?" Ezra was volunteered to go with Hera on her fun flying adventure, but they were supposed to be on a different planet, in a different sector. Why were they here? He thought back to when he was told trying to see if he missed something.

"Ezra. Get ready. Hera and you are going on a supply run. You leave in 15 minutes." Kanan came into the commons where Ezra and Zeb were currently trying to lock the other in neck lock. They froze when the Jedi walked in, as if trying to hide what they had been doing. Kanan simply crossed his arms and looked at them with his normal, unamused look.

Ezra got off of Zeb straightening his hair.

"Why me? Normally Sabine goes with her. I thought we had training this afternoon?" Kanan sighed. Ezra always questioned him. He was starting to understand what he put his master through.

"Because Sabine is doing something else and she specifically said you. I'm not questioning her, but if you want to question the Captain of the ship you're living on, be my guest." He said with a small grin.

Zeb laughed, knowing that Ezra wouldn't.

"I'm sure if you wanted to stay and help Zeb wash the Fresher and the Cargo hold instead I could persuade Hera to let you stay." He continued knowing that Ezra wouldn't ask anymore questions.

"Uh, no it's okay. I'll be ready to go in 15." His student took off past him heading to get his things.

"Why do I have to clean the Fresher?" Zeb whined at their leader as he turned and walked out of the room.

It had been years since Hera had been here and nothing was the same in the city life; One, for the natural formations far from the cities and the reaches of the Empire.

"Kanan doesn't need to know." She fired taking out the last TIE before she zoomed high up into the clouds leveling out the ship and hitting the auto fly button.

"Why doesn't he need to know? Sounds to me like he should know. What if something happened and we needed him?" Ezra cocked an eye brow before moving to sit on one of the back benches. It wasn't like the Twi-lek to lie about her whereabouts, especially to Kanan.

"I needed to meet someone and pick up something important to the rebel fleet. Just a little detour. Nothing happened did it? Besides, Kanan doesn't need to know because he would have been upset." Hera gave him a pleading look as she sat across from him.

"Why because you lied to him? And that was something. We were being chased by TIE fighters." Ezra was an accomplice at this point and as such, he felt he deserved a full explanation of her motives.

"No, because he knows how much it hurts for me to see my home world in this much distress and he doesn't like to see me upset." Hera looked down. Ezra could feel now the hurt she was in.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to..." Ezra started feeling like he made her feel worse.

"You have nothing to be sorry about. The Empire is what caused all the destruction here. That's why I do what I do." Hera was stopped short as a coughing fit racked her body.

"I won't tell Kanan, as long as you rest when we get back. You really don't look so well." Ezra stared at her. The young Jedi didn't like when any of his friends were hurt or sick.

"It's a deal." Hera smiled tiredly.

"Alright, let's head back. Before we have any more visitors." Ezra said.

"Do you want to fly?" Hera thought this through before they had left and that's why she brought Ezra. It was time that he learned how to properly fly her ship, at least the one they were currently in.

"Really?" Ezra said with huge eyes a smile creeping across his face. The pilot nodded with a smile.

Hera was going to let him fly? The excitement started building as he sat down in the pilot chair looking over everything.

Hera pointed everything out to him explaining the basics before turning off auto-pilot letting Ezra take over. At first Ezra's skills were shaky and so was the craft he was flying but soon he got the hang of it and it became a smooth ride.

"You're doing well Ezra. Now work on making slight changes in your directional path." Ezra turned the yoke suddenly not expecting the ship to roll how it did.

"Whoa!" He said, Hera grabbed the controls and leveled the ship out again.

"Try again and this time you only have to apply slight pressure." Ezra tried again and did much better.

His lesson continued to go smoothly.

At least until something hit them from the side causing them to jerk violently, sending Hera into the wall hitting her head and rendering her unconscious, leaving Ezra on his own. Alarms were sounding all over and it was becoming overwhelming.

"Hera? What am I supposed to do. This is too early for a test." He looked back to see the Twi-lek laying on the floor, out cold. In his panic he caused the ship to fly straight up hoping to get them away from what had hit them. As he did the engines cut out and soon the ship was angling down into a nose dive.

Trying to figure out how to restart the engines Ezra began to push buttons, one of which was the radio transmission to the Ghost.

The Padawan started screaming trying to get Hear to wake up as the ground was quickly getting closer.