A/N: Zeb will be continuing to survive on the jungle planet with his little furry companion Ne'Roos and without others to talk to, he will start to become depressed and a bit paranoid. Due to a bad storm hitting the planet, Zeb will have to quickly learn how to fly the alien ship or perish! He will end up on Nar Shaddaa again and meeting up with a favorite character from the "Rebels" series, Hondo Ohnaka. The old Weequay pirate will help the Lasat to get home...

Chapter 12 Jungle Planet Escape

It had been nearly two years since Zeb had arrived on the jungle planet and almost seven months since he defeated the hunter leader. The Lasat, craving companionship other than that of his furry friend Ne'Roos, was becoming depressed and a bit paranoid. He became jumpy at any loud sound inside or outside of the ship and began to have bad dreams all the time. Even though he had access to food, Zeb didn't eat much and continued to lose weight. It would take a major storm to bring him out of his depressed state.

Towards the rainy season that Zeb recognized was coming, he had just returned to the ship after going hunting for something else to eat besides roots and berries that he would harvest around the area of the ship. He watched the sky seeing that the clouds were darker than normal and his Lasat senses told him that this storm could be a bad one. Walking back into the ship and having Ne'Roos nearly knock him over when she leaped into his arms, he took his newly killed lizard creatures to the galley to prepare them for storage. Lightning flashed in the distance and a clap of thunder sounded making him flinch.

"Bad storm coming, girl," he said to the furry creature that was shivering in his arms. Ne'Roos was nearly as big as her mother Ashla was. "Don't worry, we're safe as long as we stay inside the ship. You lay here on the floor and let me get these things cleaned and ready for the cooler."

Awhile later, Zeb, carrying Ne'Roos back to the control center, sat in the pilot's seat and gazed out at the darkening clouds and the flashes of lightning that were picking up in pace as well as the claps of thunder. Ne'Roos refused to sit in the other seat and Zeb didn't mind. The approaching storm was unnerving him as well. He had never seen the sky so dark and when no rain fell from the clouds, the Lasat began to worry. One lucky strike to one of the tall trees could spark a wildfire that would become a threat. He looked over the controls on the console in front of him and was glad that the past few months he had learned which buttons and levers controlled different functions on the ship.

He had just returned from the galley with a cup of tooka root tea, when a bright flash of lightning blinded him for a moment and then a clap of thunder sounded making the ship shake. Ne'Roos let out a squeal of fear and jumped onto his lap burying her face in his chest. Another bolt of lightning appeared and struck a tall tree close to the ship. The thunder shook the ship again and a loud crash sounded after the thunder. Zeb jumped at the loud noise and saw a glow on the starboard side of the viewport. Ne'Roos let out a sound he had never heard before; a scream of terror.

A fire had started and Zeb began to panic. He looked down at the control console and for a moment forget how to work the alien controls. Taking a deep breath and slowing his breathing down, the Lasat stared at the controls and becoming calmer, he was now able to push the right buttons and levers. His face in a look of deep concentration, Zeb pushed the blue button and the ship's engines began to fire up and ease into a hum that was almost soothing to him. He pushed a lever upwards knowing that was what would aid in the ship taking off, but it wouldn't move!

"Karabast!" he cried out and tried again with the same results. The ship was being held down by something. he looked out the viewport seeing trees imploding in flames and the wind driving the fire closer.

Getting up, the Lasat ran down the stairway and out to the entranceway where he opened the hatch and lowered the ramp. He immediately was overcome by thick smoke and coughed, his eyes watering. He glanced to the the right side of the ship and saw an immense tree on fire and wedged against the ship, thus blocking it from taking off. Not caring if he got hurt, Zeb ran over and with both hands began to try and move the tree away from the ship. Smelling the scent of burning fur and flesh, Zeb let out a growl and with all the strength he could muster in his slim body, he managed to push the tree away and it fell with a loud crash. Zeb's watery eyes saw that a fire had started from the lightning strike and was getting close to the ship. He knew that he had to get out of there and quick!

Panting with effort, the Lasat ran back into the ship and closed up the hatch. He ran three steps at a time up to the control center where Ne'Roos was whining on the co-pilot seat. Giving her a quick pat on the head and strapping her in, he sat down and began the take off sequence that hopefully would work. He closed his eyes praying to the Ashla and placed the straps around his chest and waist, cinching them as far as they would go and pushed the lever up near the blue engine button. The alien craft shuddered as if a giant hand had ahold of it and as Zeb watched, the burning trees began to look like they were shrinking as the ship started to lift off. He again offered a prayer and pushed the lever as far as it would go.

"Ne'Roos, hang on!" he yelled above the engine noise and the cracks of thunder, "Don't exactly know how to fly this thing!"

The little animal curled up, her head buried in her fluffy tail and she was shivering. Zeb wanted to comfort her, but knew he had to keep his attention on flying the ship. The alien craft continued it's climb out of the burning jungle when a lightning bolt hit the ship near the stern and sent it almost crashing back into the ground. With a loud cry, Zeb pulled on the lever and the steering mechanism that had popped up when he started the engines.

"C'mon!" he yelled above the din, "Don't crash! Please don't crash!"

The ship shuddered and with sweat pouring off his face, the Lasat pulled back on the lever and steering mechanism relieved that the large vessel was gaining altitude. Soon the burning trees and smoke disappeared and was replaced by dark clouds and a driving rain with lightning flashes below them. Finally the ship entered an orbit and Zeb could relax but saw a light blinking at the controls. It was a warning about the ship's hyperdrive that Zeb recognized.

"Oh, Karabast," he groaned, "Well, Ne'Roos, it looks like we'll be limping home and it will take us longer. Let me see if the navigation controls still work. Good, I'll check the readings to see if there is any worlds nearby that we can land on and see how much damage occured with that lightning strike. Hopefully where we land isn't an Imperial occupied planet."

He pushed a button and a holographic map popped up and he recognized one planet that was far but they could reach it if the fuel held out. The fuel indicator showed that they didn't have nearly enough to reach Yavin IV, but enough to reach Nar Shaddaa. He groaned at the thought of landing on that scummy world but beggers can't be choosers. After landing, maybe he could contact Hera and Kanan and they could come pick him up. The thought of seeing his friends again gave him new hope.

After making sure the ship was fine on autopilot, Zeb headed to the medbay to take care of the burns on his hands and feet. He had burned them while removing the tree off the ship. Ne'Roos followed him to the medbay and sat while he washed the burned fur and skin off before putting medicinal salve on them. He found some bacta-type bandages and wrapped up both of his hands and the tops of his prehensile feet.

"Kriff, that hurts!" he muttered and gave himself a pain shot as the burns were becoming increasingly painful.

After bandaging his wounds, the Lasat went to the galley to get a cup of water to take back up to the control center. He didn't want to be away too long from the controls in case there were a problem. With Ne'Roos snuggled on his lap, Zeb settled in for the four day journey to Nar Shaddaa...

On board the GHOST that was nearing Yavin IV after an unsuccessful search for Zeb, Kanan Jarrus felt a familiar presense through the Force. He was sitting next to Hera in the cockpit and she noticed the change in his expression.

"Kanan, what's wrong? Is it the kids?" she asked putting a hand on his arm that was trembling.

"Zeb...," Kanan whispered and a smile crossed his face, "He's...alive."

"He's alive?" Hera asked feeling hope for the first time in a long time.

"Yes, I can feel him in the Force. I can't pinpoint his location but he's alive and that's all that matters."

"Should we call Ezra and Sabine? They need to know."

"No, Hera," he answered, "Let's not jump to conclusions, yet. Kriff...I lost him."

"No..."

Back on Yavin IV, Leka and Ezra felt Zeb's presense as well and they became excited at being reunited with the Lasat after so long. Ayessa, with her strong telepathic abilities, also sensed him and she looked forward to seeing her sycha again and holding him in her arms. Ele and Sabine stood seeing the looks on the young Force-users faces knowing they sensed Zeb and that he was alive.

"Zeb! He's alive!" both Ezra and Leka cried out. Suddenly, they lost the connection.

"Karabast!" Leka grumbled and felt tears in his eyes. He looked over at Ezra and saw the same lost look on his face. Sabine, Ele and Ayessa put hands over their faces to hide their tears of disappointment.

On the alien ship, Zeb spent most of the time in the control center and brought up a blanket from the cabin to keep him warm. The temperature was alot cooler on the ship now that it was in space. Zeb couldn't figure out how to regulate the temperature and decided to just deal with the cold and wrap up to stay warm. He also had put the shoulder armor back on, hoping that would help keep him warm, but it didn't help. Ne'Roos didn't seem to be bothered by the cold with her thick fur coat.

"You're lucky to have such thick fur," he said to his furry companion, "Usually the cold doesn't bother me, but with all this weight loss, I don't have the insulation I used to. At least there isn't a shortage of blankets."

A day out of Nar Shaddaa, the alien ship developed an engine problem. Zeb was asleep in the seat and felt the large vessel lurch as if it hit something.

"What the?!" he cried out, "Did we hit a meteorite or an asteroid?"

He checked the engine readout and his green eyes widened in shock.

"Oh...Karabast..." he said and grabbed the steering mechanism in his hands feeling it shake, "We're almost out of fuel! Ne'Roos, I don't think we're gonna make it to Nar Shaddaa!"

He closed his eyes in a silent prayer and held onto the steering and lever hoping they could at least land on the planet. With wide eyes, he caught a glimpse of the Hutt world and aimed the ailing vessel towards it. Praying in his Lasat tongue, Zeb readied landing coordinates and hoped the ship's computer would take them. He still had a little trouble deciphering the hunter's symbolic language and was glad he knew enough. The ship lurched again and then a voice came over the com unit.

"Unidentified vessel, you are entering Hutt space. State your name and your reason for landing on Nar Shaddaa."

Zeb took a deep breath and pushed the reply button:

"This is Captain Garazeb Orrelios of Phoenix Squadron on an alien ship of unknown origin. I was captured on Nar Shaddaa nearly two years ago and taken to another world. I just escaped a few days ago. My ship is out of fuel and I don't know how to land it! Please contact Hera Syndulla and Kanan Jarrus if I don't make it. Clear the landing area of any other ships because I'm coming in hot!"

"Captain Orrelios," the voice sounded again over the com, "Try to adjust your vector and enter these coordinates. We're clearing the area, so you'll have plenty of space."

"I'll try," Zeb answered his voice shaky, "This landing isn't gonna be pretty! Receiving coordinates."

In the newly rebuilt cantina Black Diamond, an elderly Weequay pirate and his Ugnaught sidekick were enjoying a much needed drink between missions when several humans came running into the building.

"Everybody, move your ships! There's a big vessel coming in that's out of fuel with an inexperienced pilot at the helm!"

"Melch!" the Weequay yelled to his little friend, "Let's move the OHNAKA'S PRIDE before that ship crashes! Just got my baby repainted after that last mission!"

Melch the Ugnaught let out a snort and ran out followed by Hondo Ohnaka his friend and fellow pirate. They made their way to the landing zone along with other pilots who had the same idea of moving their vessels out of the way. The two pirates climbed aboard their former Imperial shuttle and got her airborne. They landed it in a safe area next to the other ships.

"There it is!" a Twi'lek male called out as he landed his ship near Hondo's.

The Weequay looked up and saw a ship he had never seen before and it was twice as big as his! The ship was obviously in distress and smoke was pouring out of what looked like the exhaust ports. It was shuddering and the old pirate gasped as he looked up into what was the vast viewport of the cockpit. The being operating the ship looked familiar.

"Purple Guy?!" he whispered and heard Melch grunt next to him, "Melch! Move back! That ship's crashing!"

Zeb held on for dear life to the steering mechanism and shut his eyes knowing he could die. He pulled up with all the strength he could muster and the alien craft skidded along the ground trailing sparks and smoke as it came to a stop near Hondo's ship. He was thrown from the seat and hit the other seat with so much force, that the old injury in his right thigh opened up and his right arm refractured in nearly the same place. A cut opened up on his forehead above his left eye and he finally fell in a heap near the stairway. Ne'Roos had been thrown from her seat but huddled underneath as Zeb went flying by her. After the ship settled, she ran over to nuzzle her friend and whimpered when he didn't move. She sat on her haunches and began to howl thinking he were dead.

Outside the wrecked ship, Hondo, Melch and several others boarded the craft seeing the ramp had opened after crashing. Acrid smoke filled the vessel and Hondo had to cover his mouth with a scarf he had around his neck. Melch was hiding his snout inside his tunic. The Weequay pirate made his way to where a stairway lead to the upper part of the ship. Hondo and Melch walked up the damaged stairs and spotted Zeb laying still on the floor and a furry animal was standing over him baring it's fangs. The old pirate and his friend started at the animal's protective nature of the injured Lasat.

"Purple Guy!" he said and made his way over to the motionless Lasat expecting to see that he was dead, but the green eyes were halfway open and he was groaning. The animal growled more, "Easy, I need to check your friend out."

"Hondo?" Zeb asked in a weak voice, "Why..."

"Why am I here on Nar Shaddaa?" he answered, "Collecting on a job I'll probably be stiffed on. You need help, my big purple friend, and fast! These are some bad injuries. You need to let your animal friend know we won't harm you."

A group of medics appeared out of nowhere and entered the ship to help Zeb. The Lasat was carried out on a floating stretcher and into a nearby aid station that wasn't far from the cantina. Hondo and Melch followed the medics to the station and watched as they stabilized the Lasat's many injuries. Ne'Roos lay on his chest and the medics didn't move her when she growled showing her big fanged teeth.

Zeb murmured to Ne'Roos and she nuzzled next to him licking his bleeding forehead.

"Does he have any family?" a medic asked not having seen a Lasat before, "Not many Lasat left."

"He has family," Hondo said, "And I will take him home to his family. I have to contact them. Oh...and let the strill stay with him. They are very protective animals when they bond to someone or something. It looks like Captain Orrelios has a Tarkaalian strill taking a liking to him. When they bond to someone, the bond is very strong and only death will break it."

"We have to make sure he's stable enough to travel through space, and I mean a stable ride. Garazeb needs the care of a full medical facility and soon! His leg and arm are going to need surgery. Contact his family as soon as you can. He has possible head and internal injuries."

Hondo nodded and went back to his ship to contact Hera and Kanan.

"Kanan!" Ezra called out as he ran from the rebel command center, "We're getting a call from...Hondo Ohnaka of all people!"

"Hondo?!" Kanan asked wondering what the old pirate wanted now, "Hondo, what do you want?"

"My Jedi friend, are you missing any crewmembers? Perhaps a big furry purple guy?"

Kanan felt his stomach drop to his knees. He gestured to Ezra to get Hera, Sabine, Kallus, Rex and Ayessa. Ele and Leka heard the commotion and ran to see what was wrong.

"Hondo," Hera said as she came up next to Kanan, "Is Zeb all right?"

"Captain Syndulla," the pirate said in his oily voice just for her, "The big guy is injured, but the medics at Nar Shaddaa spaceport, got him fixed up enough. I will be bringing him home to you in a few days."

"Hondo, can we talk to him?" Hera asked tears falling from her eyes. She looked back to see the others were just as teary-eyed.

"He's under heavy sedation right now and won't wake up for awhile. It is merciful that he stays sedated. The big guy has some broken bones, burns, cuts and possible internal injuries. I'm surprised he landed that ship in one piece like he did."

"Please bring him home, Hondo," Hera pleaded, "We'll pay you anything."

Ayessa stood nearby and crossed her arms over her chest, relieved that her sycha was alive and was coming home! Rex and Kallus closed their eyes offering a prayer for Zeb's return home.

"Well..." the old Weequay answered, "I just need a few supplies since my ship was raided a few days ago on Tatooine. Other than that, Melch and I are in fine shape for another adventure. Say hi to Ezra for me. See you in four days."

Back on Yavin IV, the family of Garazeb Orrelios embraced each other as they cried and waited to be reunited with him after so long...