The morning brought torrential rain and thunder. Hera was not happy. The clouds blocked the view to space. The lightning and forest's high metal content further messed with the Ghost's sensors.
"We're blind!" she threw up her hands in frustration as she paced in the cockpit.
Kanan sat calmly in the copilot's seat, "There's nothing we can do but wait and listen."
"Listen to what? The sound of a Star Destroyer landing on top of us?" She continued her pacing. Her gaze caught the comm panel, and an idea came to her. Reaching over to it, she turned on the system.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
"Listening," she turned the frequency knob steadily. Suddenly the static noise gave way to a man's smooth voice.
"What's that?"
Hera tuned it as best she could. The storm was interfering, but they could eventually make out most of what the broadcaster was saying.
"... continue to be partly cloudy here this afternoon. And our Natato sector station says its clear skies will continue for the rest of the day ..."
"It's a weather station?"
"Who's broadcasting it?"
They waited for more clues. However, the man's report ended with little more detail. All they could gather was that the broadcast was from an outpost far enough away from their storm to know about it.
Hera held her chin, "It must be coming from one of the pirate bases."
Kanan nodded, "If so, it sounds like at least a couple of them can see the sky clearly."
Hera looked at him, "Yes, but do you really think they'd sound an alarm on this unsecured, general broadcast if Imperials were to show up?"
Kanan shrugged, "They might."
The DJ's smooth voice came back, "... And now, a fine treat we have for you today: Myrkr's own Hook Gang will play their latest jazz hit."
Easy listening music began to play through the radio.
Kanan and Hera each raised an eyebrow.
Ahsoka woke up better rested than she had the day before. It was no wonder. She hadn't had an exhaustive hatchling hunt last night. She had slept longer, and that made all the difference.
After a brief morning meditation, she stood, and acknowledged her four-eyed roommate with a gentle pat to its head. The creature responded with eyes soothingly closed. Ahsoka smiled. She was forever grateful to the ysalamiri for helping to keep her and her friends safe. Even if it came with the uncomfortable side effect of not being able to sense the Force.
Ahsoka wondered if the others were feeling as relaxed and optimistic as she was, "Who knows, today might be the day Hera and them finally accept the protection you and this planet offer." She scratched the chin of the ysalamir before heading out of her cabin.
After grabbing a quick breakfast, Ahsoka entered the cockpit.
She was not prepared for what greeted her inside.
Kanan and Hera were in the middle of an argument over staying on this planet. The lightning and pelting rain outside seemed to match their moods. The thunder caused them to raise their voices so they could be heard over the storm.
And through all of this, the comm seemed to be playing smooth jazz.
"What's going on?" Ahsoka asked, bewildered.
The couple froze mid-sentence to face her.
"Ahsoka," Hera walked over to seek her knowledge, "Assuming the rouse worked, how long do we have to stay here before it's safe to return to the rebellion?"
Ahsoka released an exhale slowly as she thought of the most delicate way to tell her, "... I'm sorry, I couldn't see that far ahead. What I do know is that the Emperor and Vader are putting in a great deal of effort to track down all remaining Jedi and eliminate them. They may not be constantly searching the Force for them right now, but if you were to leave the protection of the ysalamiri, they would eventually find and lock on to Kanan and Ezra's signatures. And the pursuit would begin again."
Hera considered this. Then she asked, "What about you? Are they pursuing you as well? How are you even alive? The last I heard, you had perished on Malachor."
Ahsoka brought her thoughts to the past, "When I was pulled into the portal world by Ezra, the Emperor did find us. We barely made it back to our original times. I arrived a couple hours after the Sith temple collapsed. Vader was gone. Still, they sent another Sith assassin to take care of me. I was able to steal his ship and get away. I could sense I was being hunted by someone, but I couldn't tell if it was the Emperor or another assassin. I managed to outrun them. It was during that time that I had a vision of this haven. The planet appeared to me as a void. I could not see what happened once I entered it, but after I came out, there was a sense of peace. So I took a gamble and went to the coordinates. I arrived here, at Myrkr. After meeting with ... my contact here, I formed a plan to travel with ysalamiri, allowing me to hide from Vader and the Emperor. But before I did, I wanted to first consult with the Force to find the best path forward. I left the planet briefly. And that's when the vision of your peril came to me."
"And you prepared to help us." Hera and Kanan understood now.
Ahsoka inclined her head to confirm, "I couldn't just let the last of the Jedi perish by evil's hand. And Hera, you've done so much for the rebellion. You all have. I wanted to at least give you this chance at a more peaceful life."
Hera's heart warmed at her sentiment. It was the reason she liked the Jedi. Their selfless kindness for others was the reason she eventually fell in love with Kanan, once his true colors showed.
And just like the Jedi, Hera still wanted to help others escape from tyranny. She discussed a few more alternatives with Ahsoka, seeking feedback on them. To her dismay, the risk was the same; with or without the Force, the Emperor would find and eliminate them, possibly taking out the rest of the rebellion as well.
Hera processed all the information in her head, coming to a common conclusion, "So neither Kanan, Ezra, myself, nor the Ghost can be seen without alerting Vader to seek us out again?"
Ahsoka nodded sympathetically.
Hera sighed and held her head.
"Take another day to rest," Ahsoka offered, "I can keep watch now."
Reluctantly, Hera accepted. Before leaving for her cabin, she pointed to the comm, "Keep it on this channel. Since we can't sense anything beyond the storm, we'll have to rely on the pirates' broadcast for any signs of trouble."
Ahsoka watched her and Kanan leave for their bunk. Then she turned her attention to the comm, which was currently playing music. Ahsoka cocked her head slightly, perplexed.
Hera entered her cabin in a hurry. Kanan followed more slowly, giving her the space he suspected she needed. He locked the door behind them. The hiccup in her breath confirmed to him what she was feeling. Distress.
"Hera ..." Kanan wasn't sure how to comfort her. He wanted to hold her, but he knew she was currently not in a state to want that right now. "I'm sorry," he said instead, "I know this isn't exactly what you wanted to hear."
He listened as she took a few calming breaths from the Jedi technique he had taught her years ago. Kanan missed those days; when it was just her and him throwing a small punch at the Empire every now and then. Lately, it seemed like the stress of her new role as a general of the rebellion was consuming her. He hated seeing her like that. But he also knew the role aligned with her passion.
And all he ever wanted was for her to be happy.
"Hera-"
"I don't want to abandon our friends in the rebellion." she said, and he could hear the conviction behind her words.
He wanted to support her, "Maybe there's another way we can help out."
"How?"
He shrugged, he had no ideas at the moment, but he knew that time and again, their challenges had produced inventive solutions, "Maybe something will come to us after we've had time to give it some thought." He took a step forward, and his tone took on more optimism, "In the meantime, we can raise another rebel. We can teach her or him how to stand up against the Empire. How to free the oppressed."
Hera released a short breath, which he could tell was beginning to have some of its mirth return.
She took a few steps over to him, and gently laid her hands on his chest, "I wish the war was over. That's when I wanted to marry-to start a new life with you. When the Empire was defeated."
Kanan reached up to cover her hands with his own, "I know this isn't perfect, but it's better than a lot of alternatives I've seen."
The memory of his recent struggle against Vader came to Hera's mind. And before that, the memory of Ezra telling her Kanan had almost been lost forever at the fuel depot.
Hera threw her arms around him. Kanan held her close as her tears soaked into his shirt.
The cargo bay door was open and its atmospheric barrier left off to let in the fresh air. The thunder and rain added a lively background noise to Ezra and Sabine's sparring contest.
Sabine pinned him again, clearly enjoying their fights now that he did not have access to his Force powers.
Ezra struggled, growing more and more frustrated with each round he lost. There wasn't a single match he had even come close to winning.
Exhausted, he was about to concede again, when suddenly, he noticed an opening. Too eager for a win to care if it was a trap, Ezra took it. Sabine was thrown off balance. If she had been wearing armor, her collision into him might have hurt. Instead his cheek came into contact with the soft fabric covering her chest.
Ezra blushed.
Sabine quickly re-situated herself to pin him down again. Ezra was too distracted to wrestle away in time.
"I win again," Sabine said playfully.
"You cheated," he frowned.
"What? How?"
Ezra searched her feelings but was frustrated once again by the ysalamiri. It drove him crazy to not know if she was genuinely innocent or covering her tactic.
If distracting him with a breast to his face had been her tactic, it was a pretty low one. He knew flirting and moves of that nature were off limits. Especially when they were sparring. She had made that expressly clear long ago. Was she starting to hold a double standard now? Why? Was it because he was close to winning a match? He had no hint from her Force signature to point him in the right direction.
Taking notice of how still and dejected he was, Sabine slowly released her grip on him and stood up. Ezra stayed down, looking crestfallen.
"I didn't cheat." she insisted.
Ezra rolled over and slowly got up. He walked to the cargo bay door to watch the rain, "I'm done for today." he sighed.
Sabine rolled her eyes, grumbling something in her native language. "Fine. I'm heading to the shower then."
Ezra listened to her fading footsteps, but didn't turn around. Instead he kept his focus outside, at the pouring rain and thunder. It was so disorienting without the Force. Not being able to sense others' moods left too many what-ifs and unknowns.
Had it really been an accident and not a tactic?
Did she even notice the collision? Did she feel the same embarrassing thrill that he did when they touched? Or was she just annoyed?
He'd never know.
It wasn't just Sabine that he had disconcerting unknowns with. His other crewmates would accidentally surprise him when they suddenly appeared from around a corner. He couldn't sense danger or opportunities. He couldn't even win a sparring match.
Was this what it was like to be ordinary?
How could Sabine, Zeb, and the others stand it?
The longer these thoughts spiraled in his mind, the more Ezra realized he needed to talk to someone about them. But with Kanan asleep, there was really only one other person who would understand.
Ahsoka turned her head to glance at who was entering the cockpit, "Hello, Ezra."
"Do you ... have a minute?" he asked hesitantly.
"Of course."
Ezra took a seat in the co-pilot's chair. He began to explain what was bothering him, "... I don't know what anyone is feeling anymore ... if they're angry or happy. I can't foresee my opponent's next move. I can't do anything anymore!" he held his head.
She placed a hand on his shoulder, "It's like you've lost one of your senses."
"Yes, exactly! How do you deal with that?"
Ahsoka thought for a moment, "It was disorienting at first, being cut off from using the Force. But I slowly learned to adapt. I took more precautions. I didn't rush into dangerous situations as I used to. I took time to prepare. I learned to read people the way non-Force users do."
Ezra mulled this over and frowned, "From what I've seen, I don't think ordinary beings can read people at all."
"They definitely don't have that confirmation from the Force that you and I usually had access to. And without that validation, they are less confident of their abilities. And now, we are less confident of our abilities. But there are ways to read others without the Force. And with practice, you will gain back confidence."
"I don't know if I can."
"Have patience with yourself. you're learning a new way to interpret the world. Listen through your other senses. You will discover and learn patterns. And as far as people reading goes, the more time you spend with someone, the more easily you'll start to recognize those patterns intuitively and know the direction of their thoughts."
Ezra considered this for a long moment. Finally he sighed, "Ok, I'll give it a shot. But I don't have much hope for it."
Ahsoka smiled and patted his shoulder, "Do not try, just do, and you'll do fine."
It was late in the evening when Hera woke up. She expected everyone else to have eaten dinner by now. When she met with the others, she was surprised to learn they hadn't. They were waiting to see if she might cook more of the delicious meat again.
Hera shook her head and smiled. It was nice to be needed, but one of these days, she would need to teach Ezra and Sabine, and maybe even Zeb, how to cook a proper meal so they wouldn't be so reliant on her.
Noticing the galley was out of curry powder, Hera went down to the cargo bay to see if they had any more.
It was there that she felt a breeze. Walking over to it's source, she discovered that the cargo bay's atmospheric barrier was off. Hera stepped down the ramp a little further and breathed in Myrkr's humid night air. It was pleasant, and reminded her of special summer nights on Ryloth that she used to share with her family long ago.
A mild pain materialized in her abdomen. Touching it, she noticed the pain faded almost as soon as it began. She had never been pregnant before, but she was certain this was a sign. There truly was a youngling growing inside her. One which was helpless and completely dependent on her. She had to make a choice, as hard as it was.
The truth was, there were still several options open to her.
Hera could oppose Ahsoka's efforts to protect them, and charge straight at the Empire's throat. That would likely lead them to a fiery end. And while Hera hated the Empire with a passion, she was not suicidal.
Kanan was right. The other choices seemed grim compared to the one already made for them. And the truth, which she wanted to hide even from herself, was that she was secretly beginning to like the idea of taking some time off to prepare for the new life she and Kanan were bringing into the universe. She felt incredibly guilty for wanting that. Accepting that feeling seemed more like abandoning the rebellion than hiding out on Myrkr. She knew what Kanan would say to that. He had already said it. It did little to alleviate the guilt she still felt.
Turning back around to go inside, Hera made her choice.
After the meat was done, Hera turned off the stove and headed towards the cockpit. Ahsoka and Chopper turned to see her enter.
"The sky is still covered by clouds, but everything sounds all clear here," Ahsoka tapped the comm panel, which was currently broadcasting music.
Chopper beeped his own validation.
Then an idea came to Hera, "Chopper, could you take over monitoring that broadcast?"
Chopper warbled an Of course! Followed by a long complaint of how little recognition was given to his incredibly wide range of skills, each of which he was an expert at.
Hera just smiled, "Thanks, Chop. Listen to it silently and come with me and Ahsoka to the lounge area. I have something to tell everyone there."
Everyone else was already in the common area, helping themselves to the dinner that Hera had finished cooking in the galley.
After she had their attention, Hera announced her plans, "We're staying here."
"Hera," Zeb grumbled tiredly, "We've been here for 3 days and nothing's happened. I think it worked. I think we can go now."
"No, we can't." Ahsoka corrected.
"Why not?" Zeb threw up his hands, "We have these horrible creatures on our ship. We should be able to go anywhere we please, undetected by the Emperor."
"They may not be able to detect us through the Force," Kanan recalled from their earlier conversation with Ahsoka, "but if the Ghost were spotted somewhere, it would certainly attract the Empire's attention. And they wouldn't need the Force to overwhelm us and finish the job."
"Well that's just great. What are we supposed to do here?" Zeb was growing more frustrated.
Ahsoka placed a hand on his shoulder, "I'm sorry I couldn't offer you a better alternative. But until the rebellion deals with Vader and the Emperor, I'm afraid you're all safest here."
Ezra looked at her with disappointment, "Why do I get the feeling you're going to leave us now?"
Ahsoka inclined her head sadly, "I'm afraid I'm needed elsewhere soon. I have foreseen it."
"How are you going to leave?" Zeb asked.
"I was thinking of using the Phantom, if it's ok with you, Hera."
Hera nodded, deep in thought. She was running through alternatives, and double checking scenarios; searching for anything they might have missed.
Sabine brought one up, "We can't exactly hunt and gather forever. We're going to exhaust the resources outside and around our ship quickly. We'll have to travel further and further to find food."
"We could move the ship." Ezra suggested.
Sabine gave a half shrug, "Yeah, maybe. Then there's the issue of where to refuel. I don't exactly trust the shops around here."
"Maybe we can work out a deal with the pirates." Ezra offered.
"No!" Everyone else said in unison.
Kanan placed an apologetic hand on his padawan, "Sorry, Ezra, but we'd have no connection to the Force while we're here. I wouldn't want to go up against pirates or anyone in our current state."
Ezra's enthusiasm diminished, "Oh yeah."
Hera remembered the scenery outside the cockpit. When they first landed, she had caught the best glimpse of the beautiful forest surrounding them. There was a creek nearby. There were fruits growing in trees and on vines. There was another small meadow up ahead. "What if we grow our own food?"
Ezra raised an eyebrow, "Grow? Like farmers?"
Sabine elbowed him, "Not up to the challenge city-boy?"
Ezra scratched the back of his head, "No, I am. I mean ... yeah, how hard can it be?"
"Farming? Here?" Zeb groaned, "Look, Hera, I really do want to help, but I can barely get enough sleep as it is with all the lizards screeching through the thin walls. And farming, well, it's not really my thing."
"You don't have to, Zeb. You can leave with Ahsoka."
"Really?" Zeb said a little too eagerly. He coughed and corrected his tone to something more neutral, "Really?"
"Wait, if someone spots him, won't they come looking for us?" Ezra asked.
Hera shook her head, "Not necessarily. Even if the Emperor and Vader realized that Zeb was onboard the Ghost when we left Lothal, he could explain that he escaped in the Phantom II before it crashed. Surely, they noticed that the Phantom wasn't docked on the fake Ghost before it crashed into the asteroids."
"Plus they're not after Zeb. They're after Hera, Kanan, and Ezra." Ahsoka explained.
Sabine turned to him, "Looks like you're free, Zeb."
"My ears thank you. However, I am worried about you guys. You'll need non-food supplies eventually." Zeb turned to Ahsoka, "What if I brought them supplies every now and then in the Phantom? Would that attract too much attention?"
Ahsoka thought for a moment, "I honestly don't know. My goal was to bring you to safety from the Empire's pursuit. But truly, it's up to you to decide what you want to do now."
Hera turned to the Lasat, "Zeb, that's asking a lot of you, are you sure?"
Zeb rubbed his head "Well yeah. You're really the only family I have left. I want to help you out where I can."
Hera smiled, "The Phantom is small, and as long as we don't store loads of highly valuable items on it, I don't think it will warrant attention from our neighbors. Thank you, Zeb."
They spent the next few days planning.
Sabine and Chopper searched the trees around the immediate vicinity to map out where the wild ysalamiri were and were not. This allowed them to calculate which areas Kanan and Ezra could safely wander outside.
Hera decided to permanently transition the nightly Imperial watch duties to Chopper. He could listen to the broadcast and watch the skies as well as any of them. Better than any of them, as Chopper had put it. Hera couldn't argue with that. She certainly welcomed the chance to be awake during most of the daylight hours again.
Food and supplies were set aside for Ahsoka and Zeb's trip. Hera and Kanan took a detailed look at their inventory, prioritizing a list of necessities they would eventually need Zeb to bring back during one of his visits.
"Baby clothes?" Hera placed a hand on her flat stomach, "I think it's a bit too soon for that, love."
"Maybe, but we will need them eventually."
"I'll put it lower on the priority list."
On the day of Zeb's departure, Sabine helped Ezra move the ysalamiri cage back into his old room.
Ezra felt disappointed. He really enjoyed staying up late with her, chatting.
Things had smoothed over between them after that night Hera announced they were staying. Back then, Ezra had been dreading the chronometer's steady countdown to bedtime. He procrastinated by staying up late with Hera and the others, listening to their planning with half-interest as the frequency of his yawns increased. He wasn't sure if it was his own fatigue or everyone else's which gave Hera the wrong signal, but she decided to call it a night for them all too soon.
As he made his way to Sabine's room, he had more conflicting emotions than the first night he spent in her cabin.
As soon as the doors closed behind him, Sabine brought it up, "What happened with you today, during our spar?"
Her tone was more concerned than anything, but to Ezra, it sounded accusatory.
"Nothing." he said defensively.
She gave him a half-frown of disbelief. Her voice sounded warmer as she said, "Seriously, I'm worried about you."
"Really?" for a hopeful moment Ezra wondered if she was beginning to care for him in a more-than-friends way.
"Yeah, really." Sabine said in her usual platonic half-teasing tone, crossing her arms.
Ezra's hope vanished. But he was able to see the optimistic side, at least I know where we still stand. He thought back to his conversation with Ahsoka, Have patience ... you're learning a new way to interpret the world.
He promised Ahsoka he would learn to read people the ordinary way. It was just going to take a while.
Sabine was still waiting for an answer from him.
"It's just ... " he began, "Not being able to sense the Force, it's ..." he struggled on what to say next. Looking back, he should have just explained how he was feeling. Instead he said, "I just need you to go easy on me."
Sabine attempted to connect how this was related to their sparring, "So, you want me to let you win a match?"
"What? No!" The last thing he wanted was to be given a victory out of pity.
"Good, because I have a lot of matches to win before we're even."
"Even?"
"Yeah, or have you forgotten all our past spars where I lost?"
"You didn't lose all of them." Ezra thought about this for a moment, "Wait, how have you won so many times without using the Force?"
"Practice," Sabine stated simply with a half-smile. Then she smacked his chest playfully with the back of her hand, "And we're on for tomorrow."
The tension between them eased after that night. Ezra's chaotic feelings had settled as he realized Sabine likely did not cheat. Their collision had been an innocent mistake. She was a very competent fighter, and he was intrigued to learn learn from her how to spar without the Force.
In the days since, he still couldn't win a match, but he practiced giving himself more patience when he lost. They could enjoy their spars and company once again.
But now that he was moving out, he wondered if they would start to grow apart. Ezra wanted to remain close friends with her, but didn't want to overstep his bounds.
He couldn't tell if Sabine was feeling the same way or not. Right now, she was half in the hallway, fiddling with something on her door. He decided not to disturb her with a question just yet.
As Ezra carried his folded sleep clothes back into his room, Zeb met them in the hallway. Glancing between the solemn duo, he asked sarcastically, "Divorced already?"
Ezra rolled his eyes.
Sabine quickly stopped what she was doing to rummage through her toolbox until she found her welder. She held it up to Zeb mockingly, "Just setting up a prank for you: I'm going to weld the cage to the floor of your room so that when you come to visit, you'll have Ezra and an ysalamir for company."
Zeb chuckled, "Thanks. I hate sleeping."
He moved towards the Phantom II then stopped as he realized something. Turning back around, Zeb said, "You know ... I don't think there's any reason you have to stay here, Sabine. You can come with us if you like and return to your family."
Ezra's gaze immediately snapped to her face to see her reaction.
Sabine kept a neutral expression and hesitated.
The young Jedi awaited her answer with bated breath.
Sabine considered Zeb's offer carefully.
Although she had made amends with her real family, she wasn't quite prepared to go back. If she did, she was certain her mother had her entire life planned out for her, and would make sure Sabine adhered to every last detail of it this time. Sabine wasn't ready to face that just yet.
Another option would be to just tag along with Zeb, and not return to her family.
It would allow her to visit Hera, Kanan, their kid, and Ezra whenever he did, all while affording the opportunity to blow up something Imperial with the rebels during the rest of the time.
Still, even that option didn't seem as attractive to her as simply staying.
She couldn't explain why. Somewhere between the anticipation of seeing Hera and Kanan's new child, the beautiful forest outside, and her late night chats with Ezra laid the answer.
Sabine could feel Ezra watching her this moment. Her curiosity wanted to see his expression, even though she had a good idea what it would look like. Instead, she kept her eyes on Zeb, as any glance to Ezra would incur another insinuating joke, which she was beyond tired of.
"Thanks, but I want to stay." she finally answered him.
Zeb raised an eyebrow, "Oh? Why?"
Kriff. If her reason involved Ezra in any way, even platonic, both Zeb and Ezra would get the wrong idea.
Before Zeb had stopped by, Sabine had been thinking of what to say to Ezra as he moved out. She would really miss the late night chats, and wanted to find some way to continue them without it being awkward. To buy herself time, she pretended to fix something on her door. Then Zeb appeared and had busted her train of thought with his suggestive humor. It had prompted her to quickly come up with that lame idea for a prank to distract him from making any more ascribing comments about Ezra and her. And now she had another dilemma along the same lines.
Sabine crossed her arms, "I just ... want to help Hera out."
Zeb rubbed his chin for a moment, considering. Then he shrugged, "Ok, suit yourself."
He walked past her, taking his bag to the Phantom.
After he was gone, Ezra and Sabine quietly released a breath of relief.
Once the last of his and Ahsoka's supplies were onboard the Phantom II, the rest of the Spectres met Zeb and Ahsoka in the Ghost's lounge. Hera brought them two plates of her cooking, "Can't let you leave on an empty stomach."
Ahsoka and Zeb were grateful.
As they ate, the Spectres went over the details of the message that they would send to Ryder and the other rebels on Lothal. It was safer to keep it cryptic. Something that neither directly confirmed nor denied their demise, but hinted that they might not have met as disastrous an end as the Empire undoubtedly wanted everyone to believe. It would give their comrades hope, while looking to any Imperial interceptors as merely wishful thinking concocted by the rebel propaganda.
Ahsoka and Ezra helped add some choice words into the message which they knew Kallus, Rex, and Ryder would recognize. This would confirm only to them that the message really was from the Spectres.
Sabine modified a copy of it with some of her own cryptic wording, which she knew only her immediate family would pick up on. She asked Zeb to transmit this version to her parents.
"No problem," Zeb assured her. Then he turned to Hera, "What about you? Anything special you want me to send to your dad?"
Hera crossed her arms, "I think the general message we came up with will be enough."
"You sure?"
Hera merely hummed an affirmative.
Kanan came closer, placing a comforting arm around her shoulders, "What about our child? Wouldn't he want to know?"
Hera looked at him, "If the Empire finds us again ... for our child's safety, I don't want the Imperials or anyone knowing about our youngling."
Kanan considered this precaution. It dawned on him that their child was both a blessing and a liability. He nodded his agreement to Hera, though he wished things could be different.
"Well alright then," Zeb stood up, "I'm ready to leave whenever you are, Ahsoka."
She nodded, "Yes, let's depart," standing, she took a moment to look at each one of the Spectres, "I hope you find happiness here. May the Force be with you."
"I was about to tell you the same thing," Kanan smiled.
Zeb placed a large arm on Ezra's shoulders, "I'm gonna miss you, kid. Try not to mess up my room too much while I'm gone."
Ezra smiled back, "No promises."
Zeb chuckled. He then turned to Sabine. Her immediate reaction was to recoil and prepare for an insinuating remark in front of everyone.
"Sabine, have fun hunting slimy deer without me."
After a moment she relaxed and agreed cautiously.
"Kanan, Hera, if you need any help naming the little one, I know a few great ones from Lasat history."
"Thanks, we'll keep that in mind," Hera smiled, holding Kanan's hand.
Just as Zeb began to head into the Phantom, Chopper rolled in front of him and warbled his long farewell.
Zeb smirked at the droid, "Heh! I still don't understand a word you say."
The droid gave a sad trill and hung disappointingly.
"I'll miss you though." Zeb patted his metal top.
With that, he and Ahsoka climbed into the Phantom II.
The cargo bay door opened. Sabine and Ezra stepped out onto the meadow, breathing in Myrkr's fresh atmosphere.
The noise above them caught their attention. They waved as the Phantom II maneuvered off the Ghost and up into their line of sight.
In the Ghost's cockpit, Hera sat with Kanan and Chopper.
"Safe travels you two." Hera watched the Phantom depart.
Ahsoka answered her over the comm, "Don't worry, we won't take any unnecessary risks."
"Ok, see you knuckleheads in a few!" Zeb added.
The rest of the Spectres watched as the Phantom II rose away higher into the atmosphere, until it vanished from sight.
Once the sky gave way to the blackness of space, Zeb propped his feet up on the copilot's dashboard and rested his hands behind his head, "So, where's the first stop?"
Ahsoka began inputting their jump coordinates, "To a small trading outpost where I go by a different name. I plan on acquiring a new ship there. Once I do, the Phantom is all yours."
Zeb nodded, "You going back into hiding?"
"From the Empire, yes. But I will continue to help the rebellion where I can. Covertly."
"Makes sense."
"How about you?"
"Well, after the messages are delivered, I'm planning on joining up with the other rebels and finding out where I can smash the most bucket heads without risking getting captured."
Ahsoka looked pointedly at him, "You'll have to be cautious about that ... knowing what you know."
"Yeah, I know. I promise I'll be careful." He yawned, "I might take a nap now. I haven't been able to get a good night's sleep since we put those kriffing lizards on the Ghost. I will definitely not miss them."
As if in response, he suddenly heard the all-too familiar screech at the frequency only he could hear.
"What was that?!"
Ahsoka's attention snapped to him, confused.
Another screech allowed Zeb to locate the source. He turned around to see an ysalamir in a cage tucked behind the rest of their supplies.
"What. is. that doing onboard?"
Ahsoka followed his gaze to the ysalamir. Then she understood, "I still need to keep one so the Emperor and Vader can't track me." her sympathetic expression held a hint of apology.
Zeb sighed in defeat as he watched the creature blink all four of its eyes, "How ... how long until we reach our destination?"
"You don't want to know."
"Oh ..."
The Phantom II jumped away to lightspeed.
A/N: By the way, thank you all who commented to share their knowledge and wisdom about the canon lore. I know this fic has violated a few canon bits (some on purpose, some on accident), and while I've done some research to help prevent that, I just haven't had the time and other resources I needed to really discover all the information before formulating the key plot points. To all you wonderful lore masters, I implore you to continue to share your wisdom on starwars fandom com(slash)wiki and its ilk to help prevent future fics and authors like me from making dumb mistakes. :D
Also, it might take me a bit to get the sequel posted. I've had the basic flow/structure of this whole fic laid out in my head months ago. It's just a matter of fleshing it out, and life is starting to get in the way. :) I will get it published as soon as it's ready. Thank you all!