2 BBY

Alarms rang through the Slave 1 as they were blasted by another ship. The enemy ship flew by, shooting their hyperdrive and guns as they passed. Boba Fett did everything he could to try and maneuver around the blast shots, but with failing systems and the engine on fire, there was only so much he and his copilot could do before the ship was hit and they blacked out.

Boba's helmet protected him from the initial cranial impact and increasing lack of oxygen flowing through the ship after becoming unconscious for a few minutes. As his eyes blinked open, he spotted Kaleena still out of it a few feet away. The warning system was still blaring throughout the ship as the bounty hunter pulled himself up to the dashboard and sent out a distress signal, hoping that the people who attacked them wouldn't be the ones to pick it up. He hadn't recognized the ship. They had come out of nowhere. But he did spot a symbol painted on its side.

Dragging himself over to the unconscious girl, he sat up against one of the control panels and pulled Kaleena into his lap. Blood caked the back of her head. Boba stared regretfully down at the young girl. She was still breathing, but it was growing shallower. The air in the cockpit was getting thinner.

With his gloves covered in Kaleena's blood, he undid his helmet and gingerly slipped it onto her head. Boba's lungs were in agony as his body reacted to the lack of oxygen, but Kal's breathing grew steadier and stronger. He slowly slipped back into unconsciousness as he watched her.

Kaleena groaned in pain as she shifted her head and arms. The odd pressure around her head made her snap her eyes open. The last thing she could remember was being attacked when Boba and her were upgrading the shields on the Slave 1. While it was a terrible name, Boba told her it was bad luck to change a ship's name. The current surroundings were familiar to her, simplistic, but she couldn't place it as she pushed herself up into a seated position.

"Woah, easy there," a voice said. Kaleena looked around and spotted someone she didn't think she'd see again sitting in a chair to the side.

"Ezra." She couldn't help it. Kal launched herself at him, wrapping him in her arms tightly. "It's so good to see you." She pulled away and chuckled. "You cut your hair."

He ran his hands through what was left and sheepishly smiled. "Yeah." Then he shook his head. "But that doesn't matter. You're hurt. You should be laying down."

"I'm fine," she insisted. "Where's-"

"Tha Mandalorian? He's with Hera, I think." He gestured to the door before folding his arms over his chest. "Speaking of, when did you become buddy-buddy with a bounty hunter?"

The harshness in his voice was evident, but Kal thought nothing of it. "Not too long after I left the Ghost. I'm surprised Sabine isn't with him, asking about his armor."

"Actually. . ." His voice trailed off, but Kal raised an eyebrow and looked at him sternly to get him to spill. "She's on Mandalore. She's trying to free her people. It's just, her leaving is a little bit of a touchy subject."

"How have you been?" she asked, trying to change the subject.

"Oh, you know, hurting the Empire, getting hunted, the usual. We have a base now, too. You should come and see it." The two young Jedi laughed together.

"That's good, I'm glad." She specifically didn't address the invitation on purpose. "Zeb still giving you a hard time?"

Ezra scoffed but his smile didn't leave him. "Yeah, but he's gotten better ever since we found some of his people."

That was surprising. Lasats were a rare find ever since the Empire committed genocide on Lasan. Kal's eyes were wide at the thought of more. "You found more Lasats?"

Ezra nodded enthusiastically. "It was cool getting to know more about Zeb's culture and background. What about you? What have you been up to? Besides befriending a bounty hunter."

She rolled her eyes. "You've got to let that go. You are literally a fugitive. My bounty hunting hasn't gotten me a bounty to rival the cost of a planet's treasury."

Ezra's eyes bugged out of his head. "You're a bounty hunter, too?"

Pinching her nose, Kaleena sighed. "Look, Ezra, a lot has happened since we last met. But if it makes you feel any better, I stay away from bounties on rebels."

"And your friend?"

"Unless he's specifically hired by the Empire, he doesn't go after their open bounties." Kal narrowed her eyes at him, studying his stance and annoyed expression. "Are you jealous?"

"Uh, no, why-why would-no," Ezra sputtered while blushing.

Kal didn't believe him and with good reason. "Have you seen him without his helmet? He's old. Like almost old enough to be my dad."

His face pinched. "He hasn't taken his helmet off since he got it back and cleaned it."

"What do you mean?"

"Do you even realize your head is wrapped in a bandage?"

Kaleena's eyebrows furrowed as she glanced upward and brought her hand to her head. Sure enough, that was the pressure she had noticed when she had woken up. She had forgotten about it at the sight of her old friend. "What happened? I remember being attacked and then nothing."

"Your head was bleeding and your ship was losing oxygen. Your buddy gave you his helmet to stabilize your breathing. We got there after he had passed out, too. Him, Hera, and Chop are trying to fix the ship. He's not much of a talker. Didn't even give us his name. Was surprised we knew you, though."

"Yeah, that sounds like Boba. Can you take me to him?"

With that, the two walked out of the room, which Kal realized was Hera's room. Ezra took Kal through the Ghost's airlock and into the Slave 1, keeping an eye on her just in case she collapsed. Hera's stern voice sounded through the ship as she told Chopper to do something. Ezra quickly followed the sound, Kaleena following him.

As Hera's form came into view, the Twi'lek smiled at the two kids. She stopped what she was doing, setting down her tools. "It's nice to see you walking around. We were pretty worried," Hera said to Kal, pulling her into a hug.

Kaleena returned the hug. "Thanks for helping us, Hera. I'm glad it was the Ghost crew." They pulled away from each other.

"Although, I will admit," Hera began, "the tattoo was a bit of a shock."

The young girl snorted at her comment as Boba walked into the engine room holding a datapad. "I tried to talk her out of it," the veteran bounty hunter added.

Kaleena folded her arms over her chest. "Yes, he did, but I got it anyway." She could practically feel Boba's exasperation. She ignored it. "Where's Kanan, Rex, and Zeb?"

Hera grinned. "Kanan and Zeb have the Phantom. Rex is working on the guns. So, do you know who attacked you?"

Kal shook her head, glancing up at Boba. "I didn't recognize the ship. Boba?"

"There was a symbol on the side." The graveness in Boba's voice was ever present to Kal.

Hera definitely didn't look happy while gazing at the bounty hunter, but she was still courteous. "Could you describe it? I might recognize it."

"Unless you run around with pirates, I doubt it." Boba handed Kal the datapad he was holding, so she turned it on. On the screen was her first solo dangerous bounty. Safonne Pendon. In the corner was his gang's symbol. Kaleena let out a frustrated groan. "Must be one of his lackeys looking for revenge. I thought you took out everyone in the building."

"I did," Kal told him.

"Who are we talking about?" Ezra asked.

Kaleena looked up from the datapad and at her friend. "A pirate that I collected the bounty on. Safonne Pendon."

"That was you?" The shock was evident on Hera's face. "I heard about that. Kanan and I were surprised to hear about his death, to say the least. He'd been causing problems." She cut herself off before she said something about the rebellion, but Kaleena understood. Pendon had been targeting their supplies, not just the Empires.

"Yeah. . ." Kal trailed off. Between Ezra's worried look and Hera's shock, she didn't want to discuss bounties that she had been a part of.

Thankfully for Kaleena, someone walked in. "The guns are back online," Rex announced as he stood just inside the doorway to the engine room. The group collectively turned to look at him. "Kaleena, it's nice to see you up."

"Your engines are good now, too," Hera added. "As long as Chop has fixed your deflector shields, you should be good. Well, at least long enough to get to a planet and get professional repairs and new parts." She wouldn't outright say it since she liked Kaleena, but she wanted the bounty hunter gone. Anyone who wouldn't reveal his name was someone she wouldn't trust.

"Good, thanks," Boba said stiffly. He looked at Kal. "You ready to go?"

She wasn't. She couldn't make herself say yes. Ezra's invitation to the rebel base echoed in her mind. The rebellion was growing, and she wanted to see it. "Can I talk to you for a second?" His apprehension was obvious as the two walked out of the engine room, leaving Rex, Hera, and Ezra to wonder about their friend and the bounty hunter. Kal and Boba walked down a ways away from the engine room. "I want to stay with them for a little bit."

"How do you know them?" Boba asked. He didn't ask why or for how long. He just wanted to know who these people were. Kal already had his trust.

"The boy, Ezra, he got me out of an interesting spot. I stayed with them for a few days. They helped me out. They're good people." Good people were hard to find during the reign of the Empire.

Boba nodded slowly. "Alright. I'm going to take the ship to get repaired. I'll transmit you my coordinates. Meet me when you're ready."

Kal smiled softly. "Thank you, Boba." She wrapped her arms around his torso without warning. While he was shocked at first, the man relaxed and patted her on the back. It was as affectionate as he was going to get.

"Be safe."

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