During their trip in hyperspace, a discussion began on how they would tell the rebel cell on Lothal that they were still alive. It would give Ryder and the others the hope and courage they needed to defend the planet, should the Empire return. For now, the Spectres decided to heed the Loth-wolf's warning and give Lothal a wide berth.

Vader might still be mad, but he'd have to take care of repairing his ship first. During that delay, he'd likely cool off somewhat. Hera was counting on it. Assuming Vader was intent on hunting down the Jedi, the Ghost crew would have to limit their stay in any one system. Fortunately, a life on the run was something they were all used to, and for now, they had some time.

Hera took the opportunity to use the refresher and grab something to eat. Then she entered the cargo bay to look at their inventory, noting which supplies they needed the most. Fuel was at the top of the list. The Nerint system they were going to hosted a neutral planet with heavy defenses. The businesses there took Imperial, rebel, and pirate customers alike, whoever would pay. She'd get the fuel they needed and get out before any of the few Imperials there recognized the Ghost.

They dropped out of hyperspace just as Hera re-entered the cockpit, which just held Kanan now. The other Spectres had dispersed to their rooms or the galley for a bite. Hera took her seat and gazed at the Nerint system before her, picking out her desired port. She was hoping to get something away from the business-class docks, so pristine and targeted by both Imperials and the wealthy. Her aim was on the cheaper, shadier side of the giant spaceport. She hailed the traffic control to request docking privileges. Once they were finally granted, she began to move towards her assigned harbor.

It was then that she noticed the tense look of concern on Kanan's face.

"Love, are you alright?"

"Something's ... hmm ... I'm not sure how to describe it." he said, "I feel an unease."

"Well, if you think we shouldn't dock at this port, let me know now."

"It's not the ports, it's-"

Suddenly the Devastator dropped out of hyperspace in front of them.

"THAT!"

The Ghost halted its advance immediately. Hera gawked at the still-ablaze Star Destroyer looming ahead. Her instincts guided her hand to switch on the ship's intercom and yell, "Battle stations!"

A moment later, Sabine and Ezra entered the cockpit.

Food crumbs still on his face, Ezra asked, "What's-?" he froze once he looked out the window and answered his own question, "Oh no."

Sabine was awestruck and silent.

"Hera, am I seeing what I think I'm seeing?" Zeb's worried voice asked from the dorsal gunner's seat.

"They didn't even stop to put out the fires." Hera noted in amazement. Clearly, she had underestimated Vader's obsession. An uneasy realization bubbled to the surface of her consciousness: how did he even know the Ghost was going to the Nerint system? There was an Imperial station closer to his last position which would have supplied him with the necessary repairs. Nerint wasn't equipped for repairing a Star Destroyer.

That wasn't the worst of it.

"Hera-!" Kanan's cry was short and pained.

She looked over to see him clutching his throat. Answering his call, she jumped out of her seat and pried his hands away to see what was choking him, only to find nothing around his neck. Confused, she turned when she heard Ezra make a similar gasp. The young Jedi grabbed his own throat as he coughed and collapsed to the floor. Sabine went to his side.

A feeling of helplessness enveloped Hera. Think, what could be causing this? Some gas toxic only to Kanan and Ezra? No ... She glared up at the Star Destroyer.

"Hera, what should we do?" Sabine asked from where she sat by Ezra on the floor, her voice betraying her panic.

"Prepare to jump to the Taikrono system," Hera answered her, returning to the pilot's seat and entering the coordinates.

The Ghost jumped away. Immediately, Kanan and Ezra were released from whatever had a hold on their throats. They compensated with deep breaths of air. Hera checked on both, "Are you ok?"

Kanan nodded.

Sabine helped support Ezra as he recovered, "What happened?" he asked, rubbing his throat.

"Vader tried to Force-choke us." Kanan explained.

"From that far away?"

"He's a Sith lord." Kanan answered dismally.

"Well, he's no longer doing it. Why?"

"Maybe he can't while we're in hyperspace."

Hera knew how much time they had left in hyperspace during this jump. She did not want to experience what she just witnessed again. She also knew that it may be inevitable. "We have another problem: Vader's Star Destroyer arrived in the Nerint system very shortly after us. I don't think it's a coincidence."

Kanan understood, "You're thinking we have a tracking device on the Ghost?"

"That, or Chopper's been compromised again."

As if on cue, the droid entered the cockpit. All heads turned to him, and Chopper asked a nervous question. Hera barely got out the first "sorry" before the droid had backed out the door and was now zipping down the hall, wailing cries of panic as the four chased after him.

Kanan Force-threw Ezra to catch up with the fast droid. The younger Jedi landed on Chopper's top and struggled to stay on as he reached for the switch, "Sorry, Chop, but it has to be done." He finally found the button and the droid powered down.

"Ok!" Hera stated, "Let's get to work finding that tracking device just in case it's not Chopper."

The Spectres turned the Ghost inside out trying to find anything that resembled a tracker. Sabine even took a look inside the Ghost's hyperdrive controls to see if one had been hidden there.

"Nothing." she reported, "It could be on the outside of the ship."

"Which we can't check while we're in hyperspace." Hera noted.

"I could run a basic scan from the Phantom II." Sabine suggested.

Hera nodded, still thinking. The kind of trackers planted on the outside of a ship wouldn't be able to tap into that ship's hyperdrive coordinates. Vader wouldn't have been able to know where they were jumping to with that kind of tracker. It would have taken him much longer to appear in the Nerint system than he did. Somehow, he knew exactly where they were going as soon as they jumped, and was able to match their coordinates, appearing within minutes after them.

Perhaps Chopper was compromised after all.

Hera took one last look at the droid, sitting silently in the lounge. "Sorry, old friend, but until I know for sure, you have to stay off." Then she turned to help her team.

After much searching, their hunt for a tracking device turned up empty. After sharing alternative ideas, the Spectres eventually found the next steps. Hera felt more confident in their next encounter with the Devastator. Assuming that even happened.

"Tell me again; what's the full plan?" Kanan asked.

Hera sat in her chair, "We wait for the Devastator to appear. If it does, then we jump to the Polkrisun system."

"But there's nothing there," Zeb commented over the comm, "Why not head to the nearest rebel base and request help?"

Hera shook her head, "That would lead Vader right to a rebel base. We're not compromising the rest of the rebellion just for our sake."

"And if Vader tries to choke us again in the meantime?" Ezra inquired, sitting behind Hera.

"That's why Kanan's sitting in the back next to you."

"We're going to have to help each other keep him at bay." Kanan told his padawan.

Ezra looked at him skeptically, "Will that work?"

Kanan shrugged, "I don't know, but it's the best idea I've got."

Sabine sat in the copilot's seat, examining the ship's stats along with other sensor displays, "If they do have a short-range tracker on us relaying jump coordinates, I might be able to pick up it's signature once the Star Destroyer appears."

Hera nodded to her, then focused her attention on her dashboard, "Zeb, you ready?"

"Yeah, but it doesn't sound like I'll have much to do." Zeb answered from the top gunner's seat.

"Just be ready in case we can't jump and there are TIEs." Hera told him.

"We're about to exit." Sabine reminded her.

Hera quickly reran through her mental checklist of their strategy. Either they'd find the tag once Vader's Star Destroyer appeared, or they wouldn't and assume Chopper had been compromised. This was all they could do. She hoped it would work. It had to work.

They entered the Taikrono system, and waited.

Several minutes passed. Hera began to wonder if they had actually lost the Imperials.

"There's the Devastator." Sabine noted when it finally came out of hyperspace off their port. It looked substantially less ablaze. The Imperials must have suppressed many of the fires during their trip through hyperspace.

Hera's wishful thoughts vanished. She went into evasive maneuvers to avoid laser fire, "Anything to indicate a tracker?" she asked Sabine.

Behind her, she could hear Kanan and Ezra's breathing start to strain. They were fighting hard against the Sith lord.

Sabine took entirely too long examining her custom displays. Finally she confirmed what Hera suspected, "Nothing..."

"Then it's Chopper. Let's go!" Hera punched in the coordinates and engaged the hyperdrive.

In the swirling blue safety of hyperspace, Ezra and Kanan could breath easily once again. So could Hera. She turned to Sabine, "Anything after our jump?"

Sabine was still pouring over the data. She shook her head, "No. Either they have a very sophisticated tracker that can appear as background noise, or there isn't one."

Hera glanced behind them, "You alright, love?"

"Yeah," Kanan acknowledged, his voice a little rough.

"Ezra?"

"I'm ok," he said, "Not sure how much more of that I can take, though."

"You shouldn't have to. Chopper wasn't active when we decided on this next destination."

Sabine looked skeptically at her "So you really think it was Chopper?"

"What else could it be?" Hera shrugged with palms up.

The Mandalorian took a moment to consider, "I honestly don't know. I've checked the dashboard, the hyperdrive controls ... I guess, I just feel we should have a backup plan in case this doesn't work."

"I agree." Hera rubbed her forehead as she thought, "It's almost like they can read my mind."

"Or hear your voice." Kanan offered.

"What?"

He clarified, "You've stated which system we're going to each time. Maybe Vader has a listening device in the cockpit."

Hera looked to Sabine with an expression that queried for a technology expert's opinion.

Sabine shrugged, "I guess anything's possible. They could have newer tech that I'm not aware of. But if they had time to get it aboard our ship, why not just place a detonator instead?"

"I don't know. Could they have launched it onto our hull?"

"Not the kind we're talking about. Although, if we're assuming we're dealing with new, unknown tech, then the sky's the limit on theories."

Hera realized they were chasing a digger-rat hiding in its deep, many-branching tunnels. It was pointless, "Let's focus on what we do know; there's two possible outcomes. Either Vader follows us to this system, or he doesn't. If the Devastator appears, I'll pick the next place to jump to, silently."

Hera prayed she wouldn't have to. Chopper hadn't been in the cockpit when she mentioned this next destination. Part of her wanted to believe the droid had been compromised, and that they wouldn't see the Devastator this time. The other part of her shared Sabine's doubts.

They exited hyperspace at the Polkrisun system and held their breath.

Moments ticked by. When the Devastator did appear, Hera was more disappointed than surprised. She enacted Plan B without hesitation.

Ezra watched her enter the jump coordinates as he strained to fight off Vader's attack with Kanan's help. They entered hyperspace, and the tightness on his throat withdrew once again.

Hera checked one more time on Kanan and Ezra.

"Hera," Kanan managed between breaths, "This time ... he tried to ... reach you."

"What do you mean?"

"Vader ... he tried to choke you." Ezra clarified.

Hera's hand reflexively went up to touch her throat, "I didn't feel anything."

"I stopped him." Kanan explained, finally reclaiming his breathing, "I think trying to Force-choke two Jedi and a third person was too much for him."

Hera tried not to dwell on the danger to herself too much. There were more important things to figure out first. She began to pace, "There has to be something we're missing."

"You're not convinced we've lost them this time?" Sabine asked.

"Considering our track record, no, I'm not." She thought for a moment; reviewing their encounters and searching for a pattern, "The Star Destroyer seems to appear at roughly the same time after we arrive."

Sabine filtered the data on her display, "Logs show them appearing between 6.08 and 6.92 minutes after us."

A million theories as to why it took that long streamed through Hera's consciousness. But none of them mattered. She needed to focus on the facts they knew for certain, and base her strategy on those.

Six minutes.

That wasn't much time. But perhaps, there was a chance they could use those six-plus minutes to their advantage. Hera brought up the star chart and reviewed reachable locations close to their next destination. One caught her eye. A plan began to form in her mind. It was a long shot. It might be successful in hiding the Ghost from the Imperials, but would it hide Kanan and Ezra from Vader as well? She didn't know the Force enough to know how Vader was able to reach across space to grasp the Jedis' throats. Was he reliant on the Star Destroyer's sensor data to target them? It didn't seem to her that Kanan or Ezra knew how he was accomplishing the feat either. And if they did have a tracker somehow listening in on their every word, she didn't want to discuss it out in the open.

The Ghost exited to the nameless system Hera had quietly picked. Six minutes later, the Devastator appeared as well. There was a black hole nearby, but the Imperials were not foolish enough to wander too close to that trap. It did nothing to abate Vader's Force attack either.

Ezra watched as Hera wasted no time entering in the next jump coordinates. To him, she seemed as close to flustered as Hera ever got.

The Ghost jumped again. Kanan and Ezra breathed easier again. Hera was beginning to see a pattern that had no end, except one. The grim reminder from fuel indicator added an unwelcome constraint. She leaned back in her seat and sighed, brushing a hand down her face. The other Spectres in the cockpit remained quiet. Apparently she wasn't the only one running out of ideas. They all knew the gravity of the predicament they were in. Kanan and Ezra had undoubtedly sensed her stress.

Sabine had not, "Hera, we've only got about two jumps worth of fuel remaining. What happens if the Devastator follows us to the last-?"

"Not now!" Hera snapped a bit harsher than she meant to. She was under pressure. They were all depending on her to get them out of this, and she couldn't find the answer. She held her head, trying to will herself into producing a viable strategy. When nothing came to mind, she got up and left the cockpit without saying a word.

Kanan watched her go. Her silence spoke volumes to the severity of the situation. After the cockpit door closed, he instructed gently, "Sabine, take the pilot's seat for now. Ezra, you're with me."

The younger Jedi followed him out. On their way down the hall, Ezra spoke up to Zeb to join them. Having sensed Hera's panic, Ezra thought it might be best to have more heads working on the problem. The Lasat climbed down the ladder and proceeded with them.

They found Hera in the lounge, turning on Chopper. The droid came to life and immediately blamed her.

"I know," she said impatiently, "It had to be done. I didn't know if they had taken control of you again."

The droid spat out a few more ornery phrases.

"Look, Chop, we're in a tight spot here. I don't know-" Hera trailed off when she realized Kanan, Ezra, and Zeb had joined them in the darkened lounge.

"What the next move is?" Kanan offered.

Hera sighed and nodded, "Sabine's right: we're running low on fuel. The next jump will be the last one we can do. I was going to see if Chopper had any ideas."

Chopper made approving noises. He knew he was an expert at most things and was glad someone was beginning to recognize that.

"Let us all help you." Kanan offered, taking her hands.

Hera squeezed his hands back, and looked to Ezra and Zeb affectionately before returning her gaze to Kanan, "We could use a miracle right now."

"Hey, I'm made of miracles." Kanan told her with a confidence he didn't feel but emphasized for her sake. Long ago, they had learned to recognize when the other was faltering under pressure. When that happened, the other would endeavor to restore their spirit. They weren't always successful, especially when the other was being stubborn, but Kanan could already feel her stress melting at his reassurance, "Let me meditate on it for a bit."

Hera nodded and slowly released his hands.

Kanan began to turn towards his cabin. He stopped before placing a hand on his padawan's shoulder, "Ezra, you too. Take a moment in your room to tune everything else out and listen to what the Force has to offer. Maybe one of us will find the answer."

Ezra acknowledged.

"Hera, let's see what we have to work with. Maybe I can suggest some ideas." Zeb offered.

"Thanks, Zeb," Hera watched both Jedi go to their respective quarters. Kanan shared one last encouraging smile with her and she returned it with a hopeful one. After he disappeared into his room, Hera turned her attention to Chopper and Zeb, "Alright, here's what we know ..."

Alone in his room, Kanan pushed away all distractions from his mind. He stated the problem he wanted to solve. Then he listened.

Nothing came to him.

Alone in the cabin he shared with Zeb, Ezra struggled to push away the distractions in his mind. He stated the problem he wanted to solve. Then he listened, just as his master had taught him.

Nothing came to him.

Kanan decided to alter the way he declared the problem. He said the words out loud, "What's the way out of this?"

Nothing was working. Ezra's frustration grew. His younger self would have given in and wasted more time cursing his bad luck with the Force. Fortunately, he had grown a lot since then. He knew how to avoid wasting time like that in these situations. Repositioning himself, Ezra ran through a short version of the breathing and calming exercises his master had taught him. If his original question wasn't getting him anywhere, then maybe he needed to change the question.

"Where do we go now?"

Simultaneously, both Jedi opened their eyes as the answer came to them.

Kanan exited his room just as he heard Ezra do the same. When they entered the lounge, Zeb's head popped up, "You found a solution?"

"Something like that. I need to see a star chart." Ezra told Hera, who brought one up on Chopper.

"A star chart? I only received a single word from the Force," Kanan said, impressed with his padawan.

"Don't get your hopes up yet," Ezra told him, "I only have a visual on what I'm looking for. I have no idea where it is."

"Well, then, maybe I have the other piece of the puzzle. Does the name Chal'la'ayem mean anything to anyone?"

They all shook their heads.

"I've heard of it," answered Sabine over the comm.

Kanan raised an eyebrow.

"I added Sabine to our brainstorming session." Hera explained, holding up the comlink.

"What is Challa-whatever? Is it a star system" Zeb asked Sabine, moving closer towards the comlink's mic in Hera's hand.

"No, it's a-"

"It's a rogue planet." Ezra finished for her as realization dawned on him, "Sabine, any idea where it is now?"

"Can't say for sure." There were some clicks and beeps as Sabine searched for information, "Looks like it was last seen passing by the Scarrantu system two years ago. That's the most recent info."

Ezra brought the area surrounding the Scarrantu system into the star chart's display. The rogue planet could be anywhere by now, "Kanan?"

The older Jedi understood the unasked question and placed a palm on Ezra's back to lend him support. They revisited Ezra's vision of the planet again, taking time to notice the other details in the background. With a bit more guidance from the Force, they were able to locate an area that had those features, "Here." Ezra pointed on the holo chart.

Hera peered at the location, "That's deep in the middle of nowhere. Are you sure?"

Both Jedi took a moment to verify with the Force. "Yes," they both answered.

Hera examined the new destination's features. There was nothing they could use to their advantage; no cover or explosive gas nearby. No signs of civilization nor space traffic to encounter. If they went here, they would be very alone and exposed, "I hope you're right."

They exited out to the next system that Hera had picked. It was a bustling system with plenty of spaceports. Traffic was quite heavy. It would be easy to blend in with the crowd ... if they weren't being hunted by a very determined Sith lord.

The Devastator appeared off their bow, and the system's semi-orderly traffic scattered into chaos. Apparently Star Destroyers were a rare occurrence here, and not a welcome one. Hera dodged panicked ships while trying to remain lost in the crowd. But the Imperials spotted them anyway, and destroyed some unlucky ships in the line of fire.

Behind her, Hera could hear Kanan and Ezra's strained breathing. So much for this plan. "Take us to our last jump, Chopper." she ordered.

Chopper, loaded with the exact coordinates the Jedi had supplied, acknowledged and sent the commands to the ship through the droid port he was plugged into.

The Ghost used its remaining fuel to re-enter hyperspace.

Disclaimer: I am totally making up the technical limitations described in this chapter for the sake of suspense. I've looked, and cannot find how long it takes a Star Destroyer to jump nor descriptions of the capabilities of tracking devices in the Star Wars canon universe. Since the reality doesn't exist, I inserted my own. :P