An almighty noise broke through the thick woods, like a machine drilling through solid rock. Pidge and Lance both shot up immediately from the makeshift benches they were slumbering on.

Pidge made a grab for her crutch, but Lance motioned for her to stay still, then he snuck a look behind the front flap of the tent. He leapt back from the sight, and put a finger to his lips, urging them both to stay silent. He put one hand up, then drew a circle on it with his pinky. The sign for galra.

Pidge could hear heavy footsteps circling the tent, two pairs. Obviously sentries, the intruders clearly had a naturally slow pace, but that wouldn't give them much more time to get out of there.

She looked over at Lance. He was none the wiser than she was. Oh for the love of-

Suddenly, the familiar drill started again, this time from right above them.

The soldiers outside stopped, then one of them said, "That's gotta be it, come on, help me up so i can get a good look."

There were sounds of a struggle, then the doltish soldiers had obviously fallen. The drill started again, this time right where the soldiers had collapsed. Pidge turned around and peaked through a gap in the tent's lining, the intruders were tied up with what looked like the string her bayard used to emit, but this one was orange. She turned back to tell Lance what had happened, and nearly fell over.

A bounty hunter, dressed in typical stolen clothes and wearing a mask, was holding Lance by the neck, she screamed.

"How in the name of quiznak did you get in here?" Pidge yelled.

The bounty hunter put Lance down. "Sorry for that ruse, I had to make sure you were who I thought you were. Haven't seen you in a while, Aunt Pidge." The hunter removed her mask, and Pidge let out a sigh of relief. It was Joanna.

"You can be really scary at times, you know..." She grabbed her crutch, and got off the bench, "How did you know we were here?" She asked.

Joanna sat down next to Lance, then began: "I rescued Mira's folks from a sticky situation breaking out from a prison, then we rescued mine. After we had all been pleased to meet each other,s acquaintances, we got a message from the Atlas, saying we had to meet someone there. We were going to head straight there, then Alex noticed an Alterean base that had been abandoned. He nagged Uncle Hunk into scanning it fir life forms, found one and went on board. The base still had life support systems going, so all the humans could breathe."

Lance knitted his eyebrows. "Did you find anyone there?"

Joanna sniffed, "We found Aunt Veronica, she was on the brink of death out there, but we brought her back to the Atlas. We stayed there a while, then Captain Shirogane called us to the bridge and told Mira and I that they had sent you two to get a crystal from a near balmera, but had lost contact. When I found the balmera, I was told by a couple of locals that they had managed to escape, so I retraced my steps, searching every planet i found, then I landed on this one."

"Mul'Boorja." Pidge started, accidentally.

"You know?" Lance asked.

"I mean, I guess. Mul'Boorja's known for its woodland." She quickly covered up. He couldn't know.

Lance leaned back on the bench, nearly falling through the tent flap. Joanna caught him.

"I have a ship just outside," She mentioned. "I could get you and the dumb one out of here if you want."

Lance leapt up. "Yes! Thank you!" He fisted the air.

Pidge swallowed. "I have to stay." She blurted out.

Lance and Joanna looked at her in confusion. "But you're the most vulnerable here! Why would you need to stay where the galra are clearly present?" Lance argued.

"I-I can't tell you. Just take the crystal and leave. I have business here that I need to attend to by myself."

Lance pouted, then got up and walked out the tent flap. "Joanna, you coming? I don't know where the ship is." He called.

"I have to go." Joanna picked up her bag of supplies, then, before leaving, said, "Good luck, Aunt Pidge."

Pidge smiled to herself, and out of hope for Joanna and Lance. "Good luck, Joanna. Fly safe." She saluted Joanna. A running joke between the two of them. Joanna saluted back, then left the tent. Pidge could hear Joanna and Lance carry the weight of the enourmous crystal. The drill of the spacecraft began again, and Pidge was alone in the tent.

Now she had to find Green.