This is the chapter we meet Alternate!Hera.
Kallus and Tua went down to the mess hall area of the ship. It was a room with a wall lined with cupboards and a counter. It wasn't huge, but it could house a crew of nearly twelve people.
The cupboards were stocked with fruit and ration squares, a supply that could last a standard week. Kallus grabbed a Jogan - a round purple fruit with soft orange insides that tasted like a combination of concentrated pineapple juice and apple juice - for Tua and a ration square for himself.
They sat down together, "So," Kallus began. "Wanna talk about that dream now?"
She sighed, once again retaining a hostile demeanor. "No."
He frowned, then bit into his ration square. It was made from multiple grains, and while rough and unsavory, it was guaranteed to keep his hunger off for a while.
"Remember when you first joined the crew?" He asked. "You were just as stubborn and untrusting." It was true. Tua had shot an Imperial officer out of anger and was chased by bucketheads. The crew had saved her.
"I trust you," She insisted. "I just don't wanna talk about it." She bit into the Jogan.
Kallus smiled lightly, wiping away a bit of juice that dripped down her chin. "But you're cut off."
She shook her head, then stood up. "I'm going to the cockpit." She said, then walked out the door.
Tua entered the cockpit. Out the main viewport, she saw swirls of blue and white. Hyperspace. In the pilot's chair was a male Pau'an that they knew as the Inquisitor. He was vaguely untrusting, so he refused to tell them his real name, but he was a great pilot and had a lethal aim with a blaster.
"How's the commute going?" She asked.
He looked at her, he had yellow eyes that looked as if they were crackling with electricity, gray stone-like skin, and red markings on his face and forehead. "We're on schedule." He also had a core worlds accent. "We'll arrive in a few hours."
The crew had stolen some cargo from the Imperials and were to sell it to a Devaronian crimelord by the name of Citrako Vizago. The crew loathed Vizago, but he was a source of income.
"I'll go check that the cargo's alright," Tua said before turning and leaving the cockpit.
They arrived soon enough. The Rebels pushed the crates through the halls while the Inquisitor docked in a red ship. He joined Tua and Kallus as they pushed the crates through the airlock. They were greeted by a protocol droid.
"I am CK-215 at your service." The droid said in a male voice. "Master Vizago is this way." The droid turned and led them towards where Vizago was.
They had been on this ship many times, so it wasn't that hard to navigate. The droid stopped outside a doorway that was open. "Master Vizago is in here." It said.
They pushed the crates through the door, Vizago was inside, waiting.
"It's good to see you, my friends." Vizago greeted them, but Tua wasn't sure if he was talking to the crew or the cargo.
"Just take the crates and pay us," Kallus said.
Vizago examined one of the blasters from the crate, then gave Kallus the appropriate number of credits.
Once the creds were secured, the rebels turned to leave. They headed back to the airlock, but when Dah'sen turned a corner, he accidentally ran right into something. He grabbed his forehead, which now had a dent in it. He looked up to see he had run into a female Twi'lek. She wore a brown leather top with a high neck and no sleeves, along with leather pants of the same color, and knee-high black boots. Brown fabric encircled her wrists and the back of her hands. She also wore a hands-free commlink, piloting goggles, headgear, tight bands around her head tails, and had a blaster pistol in a quick-draw holster at her belt.
Like those of her native species, she was naturally beautiful, with soft green skin and emerald green eyes. but any beauty she possessed was overthrown by the deathly glare she wore.
"Watch it, Slamo!" She snapped at him.
Kallus glared. Slamo was Huttese for slime ball. An old orange C1 model astromech behind the Twi'lek beeped in agreement.
"What's your problem?" He asked.
"Look, I'm on official business here, and you're getting in my way." She jabbed a finger into his chest. "So unless you want blaster bolts in your head, you better not do that again." She stocked past them, the astromech following.
Kallus looked after them in confusion. "Do what?"
They returned to the airlock and launched away from the ship. Kallus was still fuming with anger from his encounter with the Twi'lek. "Who was that?" He asked.
"Captain Hera Syndulla." The Inquisitor replied. "Big time smuggler, never accepts a job from the same person twice. Not someone you wanna mess with."
Tua looked at the Inquisitor in confusion. "You know her?"
He frowned. "I met her. Once."
Tua decided not to ask any more. Unlike Kallus, she didn't pry.