A/N – Hi, welcome back to my main project for the moment. Sorry for any delay, was on a short break.
I've seen other writers do this feedback thingy with reviews. I'll probably start that next chapter with any that I get on this one.
Happy reading!
A short while later…
"Sooo, you want me to lead you back through that jungle I came out of?" Solo asked, somewhat cautiously.
"In short, yes. Since you know where the main camp for the Wookiees is." replied Kanan
"What makes you think I remember at all?"
"Well, Umm. It was quite a while ago actually. Maybe you don't..." Kanan admitted, face in hand.
"!I remember, Jedi, worry not." growled Chewbacca.
"Sorry, Sabine, what did he say?"
"Chewie said that he knows where the camp is" Sabine responded, happy with her translation.
"You forgot to mention you were a Jedi, Mr. Jarrus." Solo shot out.
"Wait, what?"
"I'm not the only one who understands Shyriiwook, Kanan." he replied smugly, raising an eyebrow.
"Ah, yeah. I kinda forgot about that bit..." Sabine said, backing into the corner slightly.
Kanan shot her a glare, and then asked the Wookiee "How could you tell?"
"!I served with the greatest of your Masters, Jarrus. I developed an affinity for noticing them. I, however am not sensitive myself though."
"Well?" Kanan asked, eyeing both Solo and the Mandalorian teen.
Finally Sabine coughed up "He said he can sense Jedi, but hes not force sensitive. And that he served with the greatest of the Jedi."
"I see, a shame you cannot use the force, Wookiee Jedi are very rare." Kanan trailed off. "Anyways, if we are to succeed in our mission, we should get moving. Please lead the way 'Chewie'" Kanan smiled. He was a fan of nicknames.
The group trudged through the undergrowth, eventually making it to a clearing. Ezra had been non stop gasping and questioning the entire hike. Kanan thought he was turning into some kind of curiosity machine.
"Ah, I remember this place. The camp's not far from here." Solo said.
"Good, this clay is starting to sating my boots" complained Sabine, trying not to sound too miserable about it. She hadn't stopped smiling at the ex-Imperial, but he just rolled his eyes every time he caught sight of her. From what he gathered, this was what it was like being her with that kid around.
The rebels made their way across the clearing, towards an imposing cliff-face. It looked like it was a similar size to the Imperial complex on Lothal, only it had much more life in it, and less grey, much less grey.
"This way!" it seemed as though Han had taken over from Chewbacca leading the group through the forest. "Just up here, past the third cave and..."
The team turned around the corner, waiting to see what the anticipation was about.
"BING- Oh." Han finished. "I coulda sworn it was here."
"Well, it obviously isn't, Solo. Where else did you go?" Kanan asked, some annoyance in his voice. He'd taken a dislike to the Officer's bolshy tone. He was almost as bad as Lando, in fact he thought they'd probably be good friends.
"No, it was here." Ezra cut in "But it looks like the Imps got here first..." He winced at the end of the sentence, as he looked over to a burned-out tent and smouldering piles. He didn't want to know what they used to be.
The rest of the crew gasped in shock at the sight, and Chewbacca just wailed at the sky.
"We should get outta here, no chance we'll find much resistance here." Sabine said, with a vengeful tone.
"I agree, unfortunately. We should get back to the fleet before the Imps find the Ghost as well. Someone contact Hera and tell her to prep the ship. We're leaving." Kanan barked out as they started to jog back.
An exhausting trip later, and the crew were back home. The Ghost wasn't just their ride around the galaxy, it was their space, where they belonged. And none of them wanted the Empire to set foot anywhere near it. The Ghost rose up from the forest, still surrounded by the enormous trees that occupied much of this incredible world. Flying up through the clouds, Hera input Kanan's algorithm once more and the ship entered hyperspace.
"Han, we're going to take you back to the rebel leaders, they'll no doubt fix you up with some equipment and a ship. I'll put you into contact with someone else who can help you out as well. And, uh - you might want to brush up on your Sabacc while you're at it." Kanan explained, he smiled at the memory of Calrissian, as much as he disliked him, he had no doubt helped them escape Lothal a few weeks ago – at a cost mind you.
"Sure, whatever you say K." Han had certainly loosened up since their departure, he seemed to realise the Empire was something he was never going back to, so he decided to drop the formal tone as well as his old uniform. After the exchange, Han decided to find a quiet place to sit on his own. He didn't really want to talk at the moment.
Solo stared out of the forward turret's window into the blue streaks of Hyperspace and began thinking about life after the Empire. About twenty minutes of contemplation were al he had before Ezra joined him.
"Oh, uh, hi Han, didn't realise you'd be down here." Ezra was slightly surprised at Han's presence in the compartment, as it was usually only him that ever came down here.
"Its no problem, just staring out and thinking. What'ya down here for anyways?"
"Umm, I just came to uh. Get something..." Ezra slowly reached for a magazine that was hidden beneath the gunner's chair and slipped it into his jumpsuit.
"Ah, I see." Han replied, smiling and shaking his head as he glanced at the kid's cheesy grin. "Well, anyways, what can you tell me about the rebellion? I'm kinda curious as what to expect."
"What about it? All I really know is what kinda stuff they got there, like fighters and Corellian frigates." Ezra offered, that was pretty much all he knew, apart from the leader's names, and the other cells. But Kanan had told everyone not to tell Han much, because they weren't sure if he was genuine yet, although his Wookiee friend seemed to trust him completely.
"Oh Ok" Solo replied, seeming a little crestfallen. "I guess you're not allowed to tell me much more. But I imagine I'll know a lot more when we arrive." Han chuckled at the last part of his sentence, he was still somewhat shocked at his sudden departure from formality.
The silence between the two was ended when Ezra backed up at hit his head on the ladder before climbing back up it to continue his day. Han meanwhile stayed below decks thinking.
Hours later, after the Ghost exited hyperspace, Hera, being the capable pilot, guided the freighter through the large asteroid system in which the remnants of the rebel fleet were hiding in. Pulling alongside the central frigate, the ship slowed and the docking ring made a loud hiss as the two vessels connected.
"Here we are, docked with rebel frigate Octagon don't ask me why its called that, captains are so strange when it comes to names these days." Hera said, trailing off as she usually did. "Anyway, we'll be here for the next few days or so, and then we'll be off again. So pack your things ladies and gents, we're living in a shape for now!"
More chapters soon, I promise!
Enjoy the rest of your week, readers. I'll be delivering many more snippets, updating and maybe some new additions to my library. See you next time!