"A planet full of pirates in the Inner Rim? This is where we hide?" Kanan was not happy. He had already been in a bad mood with the ysalamiri taking away his Force-sight and leaving him wholly blind. His stomach rumbled, reminding him he was hungry as well. If he was hungry, he wondered if Hera was starving. She sat silently in the pilot's chair. He tried to reach out with the Force to sense what she was feeling, but was frustrated by the ysalamiri's Force-neutralizing ability.

The rest of the Ghost crew sat or stood in the cockpit, examining the holo projection of their next destination.

"Myrkr is the only place where you have any chance of being safe from the Emperor and Vader." Ahsoka explained, "Yes, many of the people here are pirates. But they don't trust the Empire any more than we do. The largest organization here has heavily fortified bases armed with space-reaching weapons. They've held up against both the Old Republic and the Empire."

"Is that forest?" Sabine asked, getting closer to the hologram.

"Yes, the whole planet is covered in a vast temperate forest. It offers protection from ground assaults. There are dangerous native creatures as well. I've compiled a list of the flora and fauna for you." Ahsoka handed a datapad to Hera.

She examined it, "The ysalamiri are here as well?"

Ahsoka inclined her head, "Myrkr is their home world. They'll hide you from Vader, the Emperor, and any Force-sensitive assassins they may send if our ruse with the Neteru was not convincing."

"Great." Kanan deadpanned.

Ahsoka understood his annoyance with the arrangement. Traveling with the ysalamiri for so long had tempered her initial irritation at not being able to sense the Force. She couldn't imagine being blind as well, "It may not be perfect. But it's the only place I could find where you could lie low, and prepare for the little one to be born." Ahsoka stated gently.

Silence descended on the crew. Looks of shock and surprise were evident on the others' faces.

Hera raised an eyebrow at her lover, "Kanan?"

"I swear I did not tell her." Kanan held up both his hands. Sweat started to form on his forehead.

Sabine beamed with realization, "Hera, you're-?!"

"So that's why you've been eating so much." Ezra was satisfied to get some closure on that minor mystery.

Hera threw the young Jedi a disapproving look.

"Forgive me, I didn't know it was a secret," Ahsoka assured, "During my planning, I had sensed through the Force that you were pregnant."

Zeb looked to each of his comrades, breaking the next round of awkward silence before it went on too long, "So ... are we really going to wait on Pirate Planet for a baby to be born?"

"We're getting ahead of ourselves. Let's make sure the first part of our plan worked: that Vader isn't still tracking us." Hera told them, hoping her confident tone distracted them from the blush forming on her cheeks.

Not long afterwards, the Ghost dropped back into real space. The planet Myrkr lay before them. There was a fair amount of traffic flowing around the world, and Hera made doubly sure that the Ghost's stealth systems were up and running before they moved any closer.

Avoiding the planet's gravity well, the Ghost waited patiently in a high orbit. Hera had conferred with Ahsoka on their next destination should the Devastator appear. The Twi'lek pilot already had the jump coordinates locked in. But after seven minutes, there was still no sign of any Imperial ships.

"It would seem our ruse worked." Ahsoka noted.

Hera frowned as she kept her eyes glued to the sensor readouts, "I'm still not entirely convinced." The proximity warning beeped and Hera maneuvered the Ghost away from an incoming pirate ship to avoid detection, "I think I'm done waiting up here, though."

Hera moved their ship closer to the planet. They had discovered, from Ahsoka's datapad, that the high metal content in some of the trees scrambled sensor readings. Now all they had to do was find a suitable place to land.

The largest pirate base was visible from space. Hera avoided it and all other signs of what passed for civilization on Myrkr as she orbited near the equator.

Finally, she spotted a vast green forest, dotted with sparkling lakes reflecting the evening sun. A large ring of mountains surrounded it, giving the appearance of a huge, gem-filled nest. It was breathtaking.

"How about that area?" Ezra pointed at it in awe.

Hera smiled. Apparently she wasn't the only one attracted to the landscape.

"The nest it is." Hera agreed, entering the atmosphere.

As they approached the nest, they could make out more details. The green landscape rippled into hills nearest the mountains. Hera spotted a particularly tall peak which dipped all the way down into a lake. Green forest covered it's lower, more gradual slope.

She scanned the area for any signs of existing inhabitants. After another pass, she was satisfied to find none. Breaks in the trees revealed tiny patches of meadow. Hera found the flattest one, and set the Ghost down.

They heard the screech of tree branches scraping the ship's hull as they landed.

"Careful!" Kanan flinched away from the unknown sound.

"It's alright, love. I have to stay close to the trees for cover." Hera focused on lowering the Ghost gently onto the ground. Once landed, she began to power down the engines and turn off some of the more detectable systems.

"So now what?" Zeb asked.

Hera stared up at the clear evening sky, "Now we wait, and watch for any sign of the Devastator."

"How long?" Ezra inquired.

Hera's brows furrowed in concentration, "At least until tomorrow. I want to make absolutely sure we've lost them."

They all stood by, watching out the view port for any sign of the recurring danger they had faced today.

The evening sky turned into night, giving them a clearer view of space.

Ezra's adrenaline had waned. The fear of another fight against Vader's Force-choke had been keeping him on his toes. But as time stretched on, fatigue began to overtake him.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Sabine taking a break from reading her limited sensor scans to yawn. It was contagious.

Ahsoka must have seen it because she covered her mouth to stifle one of her own.

Zeb definitely caught it and did nothing to hide his loud, drowsy stretch.

Hera took her eyes off the sky for a moment to look at Zeb and her tired crew, "You've all had a rough day. Get some sleep. Chopper and I have this."

"You don't have to tell me twice." Zeb was already heading to his bunk.

Kanan entered the cockpit just as Zeb exited.

Hera regarded him, "You too, love."

"Hmm?"

"Get some rest. You can take my bunk."

Kanan heard Sabine move past him to the exit, tiredly. Ezra stood up from his chair and lined up to head out after her. Now Kanan understood what was going on. No, Hera is not putting me to bed while she stays up all night in solitude.

Ahsoka seemed to have similar concerns. Kanan heard her offer to take the first shift. Hera rejected that, insisting Ahsoka get some rest first.

Kanan hid a smirk as he heard the Togruta try and fail again. It was pointless when Hera was in this mood.

Eventually Ahsoka relented and agreed to take Kanan's quarters for her rest. Kanan didn't mind giving up his cabin to her. He was just as grateful to Ahsoka for saving them as Hera was. Plus his cabin was the most fit for a former student of the Jedi Order, and certainly the cleanest. He heard Hera assure her she would call everyone to attention if anything came up.

As she moved past him, Kanan wondered if Ahsoka was giving him a silent expression of worry that he could no longer sense. She didn't need to worry. Exhausted or not, Kanan wasn't going anywhere without Hera.

After Ahsoka left, Kanan plopped down in the copilot's chair next to his beloved, with a certainty that told her his presence was not up for debate. He held out a plate of space waffles to her, along with a drink.

"What are you doing, Kanan?" Hera admonished adoringly.

"Just thought you'd be hungry." he said, ignoring her real question.

She accepted the plate and drink from him with a smile. Anticipating the warm fragrance of her favorite beverage, she was disappointed when it held no smell. Taking a sip, she found it to be only water.

"Are we out of caf?" she asked him.

"No, but I thought it might be a good idea to lay off the caf for a while."

Hera exhaled in disappointment, "My pregnancy has turned you into a mother esuu hen." Hearing herself say it out loud, and having Ahsoka reveal it to the entire crew, made it all too real to ignore. I really am pregnant. Kanan and I are going to have a youngling together! The thought both thrilled and frightened her as she suddenly thought of the overwhelming list of things that must be done in preparation. And those were just the tasks she remembered her own mother going through when Hera was just a child. Who knows how many other important ones escaped her young attention back then.

She glanced away from the view port to look at Kanan. He was leaning towards her, waiting. She thought his behavior was odd until she realized he could no longer sense her thoughts. Thanks to the ysalamiri, their one-way telepathy was disconnected. They were just like ordinary people now; not completely aware of the others' mood, thinking different thoughts, full of potential miscommunication.

With him wholly blind, she realized she'd have to give him more patience. Especially during disagreements. And if he started to separate himself from everyone again, well, she wasn't going to have it. Hera would not let their distance grow again like it had when he first became blind.

His expression was the same one Hera remembered him holding when they were alone in the cockpit, right before they shared a string of passionate kisses. A wry smile formed on her lips, and she put away her worries for now, "Are you going to help me stay awake or distract me?"

"I'll do my best to help you stay up. But honestly, I'd rather have you get some rest. Vader's put you through enough today."

"I could say the same to you."

He smiled and leaned back in his chair. Kanan extended an open palm to her. Hera met him halfway with her own. Their hands remained joined as Hera ate the waffles and watched the sky.

Zeb had a problem. It wasn't the dark circles under his eyes or the fact that he couldn't sleep despite being exhausted. Those were only symptoms of the problem. Zeb's problem sat perched on a fake tree limb in a tall cage in the corner of his room, with four eyes, a small lizard-like body, and a relentless voice that sounded like nails on a kriffing chalkboard!

He watched as the creature's mouth opened slightly to release another round of blaring screech-chirps which he was certain would make his ears bleed soon, if they weren't already.

"KRIFF!"

Above him, Ezra's snoring stopped as the young man sat up, alert but not fully awake, "Zeb! Wha-?! What's ... ?"

Zeb was half-crazed and furious, "How can you not hear those things!?" he asked, pointing a large hand to the ysalamiri.

"What?" Ezra asked, rubbing his eyes. He peered down to see Zeb's hand and followed his pointed finger's vector to the ysalamiri in the corner of the room, "Oh ... really? They seem pretty quiet to me."

"So I've noticed." Zeb grumbled. He winced suddenly, and covered his ears again from the squeak of the lizard, "Blast human ears! Ok ..." Zeb struggled to think, "Hmmm ... I've got it; you bunk up with Kanan and get this thing out of my room!"

Ezra frowned, "Um, I think Ahsoka took Kanan's room so Kanan's sleeping in Hera's room and-"

"So?"

"I'm not sleeping in Hera's room! What if she decides she's tired and comes in to see Kanan? It'll be awkward!"

Zeb was about to reply when another screech wrecked havoc on his eardrums. "Karabast! Well then why don't you just sleep with Sabine?!"

"WHAT?!"

"Hey, wait," Zeb contemplated. Then his expression lit up with an epiphany, "That's a perfect idea! Why didn't I think of that one first?"

"Uhhhhhhh..."

"Yeah you still totally have a thing for Sabine. This is like the best-case scenario for you. Come on." Zeb got up and dragged Ezra with him. Pushing the young Jedi into the hallway was much easier now that the kid didn't have his Force powers. It didn't seem like Ezra was even attempting to fight back, other than dragging his feet. Zeb took that as a sign of hesitant agreement. This was a good idea.

Sabine was painting on a scrap sheet of metal when she heard someone at her door. She hit the control with her elbow to open it, keeping her eyes on her painting and subjects.

The first sound she heard was Ezra's continuing "Uhhhhh-Hey ... Sabine."

She shushed him, "Ezra, quiet. You'll scare them."

"Scare who?" Zeb bellowed, coming into her cabin. On the ysalamiri's nutrient frame in Sabine's room, a dozen smaller critters simultaneously turned their heads in Zeb's direction. Then they all let out cries of fear audible only to Zeb.

"AHHHHHHH!" Zeb plastered his hands to his ears.

The lizard critters scattered with incredible speed.

"Whoa!" Ezra lifted a leg and tried not to step on them.

"They move fast for hatchlings," Sabine noted with amazement.

One climbed all the way onto Zeb's chest. It gave a shrill screech when it reached his face. This made Zeb scream, "AHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"WHAT THE KRIFF IS GOING ON BACK THERE?!" Hera called from the cockpit.

"Younglings!" Sabine replied, delighted.

"Young ysalamiri" Ezra clarified, amused as he watched Zeb try to reach the small one that crawled down his own back.

The commotion woke up Ahsoka, who ventured out of her cabin to find out what was going on.

Zeb saw her, "NO! Don't open the-"

A couple lizards ran into her cabin.

"-door..."

Another one ran up Ahsoka's leg, all the way into her palm. It halted and looked up at her, unsure of where to go next. "I didn't know they could move this fast." Ahsoka admired the youngling curiously, "The adults hardly ever move from their branches. Perhaps the young venture to find new trees for themselves."

"What's going on?" asked Kanan.

"Will you all please handle whatever just happened so I can concentrate on the sky again?" Hera called.

"We will." Ahsoka affirmed. She turned to the others, "Let's round them up and release them outside."

"Is that a good idea?" asked Sabine.

"YES!" Zeb spat out.

"This is their home world." Ahsoka assured.

Ezra looked at everyone else and realized he was the only one in his sleep clothes, "Uh, ok, let me get dressed first."

The next hour was spent hunting the hatchlings. Ahsoka, Sabine, and Ezra captured nearly half of them. Zeb helped locate where each one was by their squeaks, which no one but him could hear. The team then moved into Kanan's room to find the next couple.

In the cockpit, Hera kept her eyes on the sky, but her ears tuned to the commotion behind her, "Do you think any got in here?" she asked.

Kanan shrugged, "I don't know. Zeb's the only one who can hear them. I wish I could help."

Just then they heard a muffled crash coming from his room.

"I think you should just be grateful you're sitting this one out, love."

Suddenly he stood up, lifting his arms away from his sides. Hera's gaze snapped to him, mystified. Kanan's own expression was bewildered. Then she noticed a small disturbance under his shirt moving from his side, across his chest. With a swift motion, Kanan grabbed it. Then moved it gently out through his collar.

"I caught one!" Kanan called to the team.

Kanan created a cage with his hands over the creature. The small lizard wriggled in a panicked struggle to get free. Hera watched as Kanan calmed it by stroking it's back lightly, shushing. The hatchling appeared to find it soothing. It cocked it's small head to look up at him with curiosity. Hera smiled.

Finally, Sabine came to retrieve it from his hands.

After she left, Kanan sat back in his seat.

"You're good with younglings." Hera remarked warmly.

Kanan chuckled and rubbed his tired face, "It's easier with the Force."

"I think you'll do fine even without the Force."

Kanan raised his eyebrows. Was she really considering accepting Ahsoka's offer of settling down here?

His expression must have conveyed his thoughts perfectly, because Hera immediately stated, "I'm not saying I'm ready to make plans here yet. We still need to watch for Vader."

He smiled, "Of course ... baby steps?"

The only reply he received was a small sigh, but from its tone he inferred that she was giving him a tired smirk at his pun. He felt her hand reach for his again. They fell into comfortable silence as Hera's gaze returned to the heavens.

It was very late when the hatchling team released the last ysalamiri youngling into the nighttime wilderness outside the ship.

Zeb held a hand to his face, "Ow my head is still ringing. And it's even noisier out here."

The cargo bay door closed and the team moved wearily back up to the main living area.

Zeb walked into his cabin and was greeted by another screech of the adult ysalamiri. "Oh, you!"

Sabine had just opened the door to her cabin when Zeb's opened, with the nutrient frame coming out of it.

"Make room, Sabine." Zeb called, pushing the nutrient frame with ysalamiri into her room.

"Hey!" she protested.

"Sorry, but you get two new bunk mates today." Zeb said, finishing the move, then walking tiredly back into the hallway. He stopped, as if he just remembered something, "From now on, my room is off-limits to all Jedi!" He said loud enough for Hera and Kanan to hear. Then he retreated to his room and shut the door.

"I'll see you in the morning." Ahsoka bade Sabine and Ezra a tired goodnight, returning to her cabin.

Sabine turned to Ezra, "So ... when Zeb said I get two new bunk mates ..."

Ezra rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, "Is that not ok?"

"No, it's alright." Sabine said.

"Really?" Ezra could hardly believe it as he followed her cautiously inside. He gazed around her room, barely ever getting a chance to see it from the inside. The decor changed so frequently as Sabine painted over old designs with new colors. He examined the sheet of scrap metal she had been painting on tonight. It was a still life of the hatchlings.

"They are cute, aren't they?" Sabine noticed him lingering at the painting.

"Yeah, and you drew them even cuter." Ezra smiled.

"Come here," Sabine motioned to him.

Ezra blushed and followed her to the ysalamiri's nutrient frame. She pointed at some broken jelly-like nodules attached to the frame. "These are the eggs they came out of."

"Weird." Ezra said, a little fascinated by the critter eggs, and a little hot under the collar to be this close to Sabine. Alone. In her room. He knew how she felt about him. At least, she had been clear about it in the past. Recently though, Sabine had become much more comfortable around him. Comfortable, and perhaps, something more? He thought back to the night they freed Lothal. Her Force energy had shifted to something new then. Before he could discern exactly what it was, she had broken her gaze with him and looked away, shutting her emotions completely off from his Force senses. He wondered how some people like her could do that so well.

Sabine had now moved to her bunk to sit down. She began taking off her boots.

Oh yeah ... Ezra was brought back to the present. Now he really wasn't sure what to do. In his normal nighttime routine, he would be donning his white sleep clothes ... which weren't here. The thought of going back to his room and grabbing them briefly crossed his mind, until he remembered he wasn't allowed back into Zeb's room. Even if he did manage to get them, where would he change? In front of Sabine? That thought alone made him blush a shade deeper.

Sabine laid back on her bunk, only her boots and helmet had been removed, the rest of her armor was still on. Was she going to sleep in it? Ezra wondered how often she did that.

"It's crazy to think that we're going to have a youngling running around on the Ghost soon." Sabine broke the silence.

Ezra swallowed, "We?"

"Kanan and Hera's kid?" Sabine gave him a look that wondered how he missed something so obvious.

"Oh, right." Ezra was finding it hard to guess her meaning now that he couldn't sense the emotional direction of her thoughts. Being alone with her in her room wasn't helping his tired mind either.

Suddenly, she sat up and scooted closer, "Ezra?"

"Hmm?" He was standing a few feet away but with her eyes on him, leaning towards him, she may as well be embracing him. His heart started pounding. What was she going to ask?

"Why didn't you tell us that Ahsoka was alive?"

"... Oh ... "

An awkward silence ensued for a moment as Ezra fought to formulate an answer, "... Back at the Lothal temple, in the portal ... I saw many doors to moments in time. I saw Ahsoka fighting Vader and I ... I reached out and pulled her to safety."

Sabine appeared to be hanging on his every word. This was going better than he thought.

"While she was in that ... world between worlds with me, the Emperor found us. He attacked using a Sith magic I had never seen before. Ahsoka told me to go back to my portal as she went back to hers. I guess she had been planning to rescue us ever since."

Sabine stared at him, and for a hopeful moment, Ezra imagined that she was enthralled by his story. Then she said, "That would have been helpful information to us right after the temple sank into the ground."

Ezra scratched the back of his head, "Yeah ... I kind of got distracted after that."

He really felt bad for forgetting to tell them, and fully expected one of her glares to be directed at him. When he opened his eyes, however, he saw her blushing and averting her gaze. That's odd.

"We've had a day." Sabine said suddenly, laying down and covering her eyes with her arm, "Let's get some sleep."

"Uh, right." He looked around for some place to sit, but found no other chair or stool available. Carefully, he sat on the edge of her bed by her feet. She moved them when she sensed the dip in the mattress. Ezra focused as much as he could on removing his boots as fast as possible.

Finished, he stood up and moved towards her head, only to realize the ladder was at the other end.

Sabine lifted her arm off her eyes and misinterpreted his confusion as a question, "What is it, Ezra?"

Ezra struggled to come up with something to say, "Nothing! Just ... thanks for letting me stay."

She watched him as he moved to the other end and ascended the ladder. Ezra laid down on the top bunk and tried to get comfortable in his day clothes.

"Hey, Ezra?"

"Yeah?" He leaned over the edge to peer at her from the top bunk.

Sabine smiled up at him, "Remember, I'm still a Mandalorian warrior ... So don't try anything."

"I swear I won't-I wouldn't!" he promised nervously.

Sabine chuckled, "I know." then she reached over to turn out the light, "Goodnight, Ezra."

"Goodnight, Sabine." Ezra laid back awkwardly on the bunk. He blamed the excitement from the earlier ysalamiri hunt for keeping him awake. Really, it was a combination of everything. Especially the excitement of sleeping in Sabine's room, this close to her. Ezra thought about talking to her more. His tired mind was running through many versions of the perfect thing to say to her, when he heard her steady breathing. Sabine was asleep. He decided against waking her. They could talk more tomorrow. Soon, his own exhaustion carried him to sleep.

A few minutes later, Sabine awoke faintly to Ezra's light snores.

It had been a long time since she had shared a room with anyone else. Memories of the Imperial academy that she'd rather forget popped into her mind. She reminded her tired, anxious brain that this was different. She wasn't there. She was home, on the Ghost. And this wasn't some Mandalorian-hating bully she had to constantly watch her back with. This was Ezra. He was part of the new family she loved.

Embarrassment crept up onto her cheeks as she replayed what had happened in her room tonight. She had gotten so comfortable with him, that she had started to undress in front of Ezra without realizing it. It wasn't until she had taken her boots off that she noticed he had been staring at her. Perhaps waiting for her to take off the next article of clothing. He would just love that, wouldn't he? It wasn't going to happen. After her boots, she had reclined onto her bunk to give him the hint that the show was over. Nothing else was coming off.

Sabine now shifted uncomfortably in her armor. She thought about undressing quietly in the dark now and slipping into her sleep clothes. But she had no idea where they were. Turning on a light would definitely wake Ezra, and she didn't want to have to explain why she didn't change earlier.

So she resigned to sleeping uncomfortably as she was. It was for the best, because if Zeb saw even one of them in the morning with their sleep clothes on, his taunts would never end. An image Zeb's heckling expression came to mind. The same reaction he displayed on the driller when he caught Sabine stroking Ezra's soft hair absentmindedly.

She could feel her face redden again as she remembered Ezra's words: ... I kind of got distracted ... Had he been awake while she was playing with his hair? Was he being too polite to say anything about it? Or had he taken the wrong hint and thought it was her way of flirting with him?

She frowned. Was that why he had come up to her tonight instead of going to the ladder at the other end of the bed? Was he planning on admitting his feelings and asking if she felt the same way before he had lost his nerve and covered it with that lame thanks-for-letting-me-stay excuse? Was he planning on giving her a goodnight kiss?

Normally a punch would have been her answer to any unwelcome advances from anyone. Instead she had jokingly warned him not to try anything. Sabine knew the warning wasn't necessary. It had been a long time since Ezra had tried anything close to the annoying flirtation she remembered. He got defensive whenever he was reminded about that.

Sabine smiled. He was way more fun to tease now.

Settling in under the covers, in her armor, Sabine did her best to keep her thoughts from wandering, and get some sleep.

A/N: I took a wild guess as to the life cycle and abilities of ysalamiri hatchlings. I have no idea how canon ysalamiri behave. This just seemed plausible to me, and it made for some fun antics.