I'm back with an update! Just that I got bored and had time to write…
Anyways, here's chapter 3! Did I forget to mention that Cleo is from Lothal? By the way the crew is still on Lothal, also. This mainly takes place right after Ezra gets his first lightsaber.
I'm still new at this so, SORRY!
6-29-18
Going through some edits because Loth-wolves play a more important part in future seasons now that I finally caught up with everything.
Ezra and I climb down the ladder and go out the cargo bay ramp. He climbs up the ship's hull with me on his heels.
"That's actually a nice view," Ezra gestures at the horizon. The sun is still a ways from setting but the clouds and glowing plains makes beautiful scenery.
"I have got to paint that one of these days," I sigh in relief and comfort. I really prefer the outside instead of a stuffy ship.
"I bet it would look great," Ezra agrees and smiles at me.
"Thanks," I smile back, this time not forcefully, "Now let's see that lightsaber!"
"Oh yeah," Ezra had forgotten what they were up there for. He unhooks the handle from his belt and holds it out in front of him. He presses a button and a blue blade appears. He swings it around like he was fighting someone, making a sound similar to vrãu every time the blade swished through the air.
"Awesome!" I shout with joy, "I kinda wish I had one."
"That would be so cool for practicing!" Ezra agrees. We both laugh loudly but stop when we hear a loud thwak! Ezra looks at me as if to ask if I knew where the noise came from. I reply by shrugging my shoulders, I decide to talk to him through the Force. I reach out to him, what do you think it was?
-I dunno, you wanna go check? It'll be more fun if we don't tell the others though.- Ezra surprised look that I had used the Force soon wears off.
Sure! I think it came from behind one of the rock structures to the right. I point in the direction of a large assembly of rocks that are stacked on each other.
-Maybe, here follow me.- Ezra leaps off the hull of the ship and walks through the grass (AN: is it grass or wheat? I'm not really sure.) I follow him closely.
I hear something growling. I perk up my ears and hear a deep rumbling.
-I hear that too.- Ezra stalks towards the rocks.
Wait! I think I recognize the growl! Don't do anything!
I realize that it could be a creature I know and I get in front of Ezra and stop his advance with his lightsaber. "Just wait right here and only come when I scream," I tell him slowly aloud.
"What? You 'recognize the growl'? Shouldn't I be the one to tell you to wait here?" Ezra protests but his tone confused.
"Just wait right here," I say quickly, slowly approaching the structure. I hadn't noticed one of the wolves creeping behind Ezra.
I peek behind the rock and see a patrol of Loth-wolves, two of them to be exact. I look at their features to see if I knew them from the den. The first I recognize to be my friend from years ago, her name is Vhaar, the second I remember to be one of the hunters, a male named Cabi. I look at Ezra and a third Loth-wolf had knocked him out cold. I recognize the third to be named Reize, he is also a hunter. I approach them and let them figure out who I am. Vhaar is the first to remember me; she immediately pounces on me with joy and starts to lick my face. She yelps and barks in happiness translating to, "Cleo! Cleo! It's so great to see you! You haven't come to visit in ages! You're all grown up!" The other two recognize me when Vhaar starts to shout my name.
"So you're the human cub that we picked up all those years ago, you have grown taller," Reize nods in approval of my aging progress.
"Who's your friend behind there?" Cabi asks me, pointing his snout in the direction of sleeping Ezra.
"Oh, that's Ezra," I get Vhaar to stop licking me.
"Your friend? Can we meet him?" Vhaar jumps up and down in more joy.
"You put him to sleep!" I exclaim looking at the three Loth-wolves.
"He's not exactly ready to meet us," Cabi mutters.
"Ok," I turn around and look at Ezra, "But knocking him out! He's my friend!"
"Your friends? His scent is only on your shirt! Why are you wearing his shirt!" Vhaar growls.
"Because his teammates picked me up from a small thing I was doing earlier." I try to explain what happened without making them too overprotective.
"Sure." Cabi huffs.
"So can we meet these friends of yours?" Reize asks.
"I don't think that's such a good idea." I say hesitantly.
"I think it's a great idea!" Vhaar's ears perk up slightly.
"Fine," I say, defeated. "Only Kanan."
"Only the Jedi?" Reize questions.
"I forgot that you guys have a sensitivity thing. Yes only the Jedi." I grumble and drag Ezra to the base of the ramp of the ship. "Stay here and don't knock out anyone else."
The Loth-wolves sit next to Ezra as I go get Kanan.
I step into the lounge and look for Kanan. He's easy to find as he's sitting at the table with Sabine discussing something about paint supplies. They look up at me when I enter the room.
"What's up kid?" Kanan asks me as I shuffle towards him.
"Did Ezra cut off his own finger?" Sabine jokes.
"I need to talk to Kanan about something," I say, "outside."
Kanan stands and smiles, "Sure, Cleo."
We walk silently to the ramp and Kanan eyes glance at me then the Loth-wolves then at Ezra's sleeping corpse.
"So," I say awkwardly, "meet my family."
With that Kanan promptly fell forward and was caught by Cabi
"Reize!" I shouted.
"You can stay here." Reize says to me.
"Just be very careful." Cabi lowers Kanan to the floor.
"Thank you. Now would you please leave and come back when you don't have to put all my friends to sleep?" I exaggerate a bit.
"When we come back is not always up to us." Reize flicks his ears and walks off the ramp.
"See ya later then." I frown.
Vhaar licks my cheek and nudges me. "We're always around."
I look away and sit Kanan and Ezra up against a crate inside the loading bay.
Hera walks in and looks at us. "Looks like it's been an eventful day. So let's have dinner." Hera smiles and Kanan and Ezra wake up, confused as ever.
"Good morning you two." I smile as they get to their feet.
"What happened?" Ezra asks me as we walk back to the lounge.
"You decided to take a nap in the sun." I improvise.
Ezra frowns and sits next to me at the table. Hera dishes out the food (AN: not really sure what they eat) and Kanan glances at me, probably wanting to talk but once Ezra or anyone else wasn't able to listen in.
"Thanks, Hera," I say and then start to chow down on the potatoes.
We eat most of what Hera cooked, Ezra eats lots of seconds and so do I. Everyone looks happy that I'm eating more and they also look like they're glad I'm opening up more. I honestly think that joining their crew might not be so bad.
"That was so so so good!" Ezra rubs his full stomach. Sabine and Hera gather the plates.
"I'm glad you liked it," Hera says, proud of her cooking.
"It was good," I say to her.
"I know it means a lot to you," Hera smiles.
"I like it here," I admit aloud, blushing after I say so.
"So you do like being around others!" Ezra exclaims.
"I guess," I blush more.
"How about you go to bed, you've still got bags under your eyes," Sabine suggests after putting the dishes to wash.
"Yeah," I say, holding back a yawn.
"You can shower in the morning," Kanan says. "We can talk later."
"About what? I'm going now, good night," I stand and leave before anyone can question me.
"Night," everyone says as I leave the room.
This place is pretty cozy. I wonder if I could fit in. I smile to myself, realizing that I found a place to call home. I snuggle the blanket and fall asleep. I don't sleep peacefully this night.
"What are you doing here?" a hissing voice asks me.
"Loth-rats aren't allowed. GET OUTTA OF HERE!" another loud voice shouts.
I feel myself wince and cower in pain as someone kicks my side.
"Makes a pretty good punching bag, for a rat." The hissing voice laughs, loud and low.
Even more kicks and punches hit my back, legs and arms as I curl into a ball. I hear a loud crack in the air. I look up to see where the noise is coming from. A whip, it has some weird static surrounding it too. I look at the holder and see evil in his eyes. I'm frightened, scared for what's coming.
Someone lifts me up and the whip snaps again. I feel something hit my leg and then my stomach and finally my cheek. The final blow ends with electricity coursing through the wound. I feel blood running down the long cuts the electric whip left.
"I've got a drink for you," the louder voice laughs.
I hear water in a large jug and someone unscrewing a cap. I knew the whip was still around my neck, I can feel the electricity and knew what they were trying to do. I stand up to run but my legs buckle and I collapse. My heart races and I feel tears coming to my eyes. I see the open jug in front of my face and the water beginning to pour out. The pain is indescribable. I hate this feeling. The electric whip had already sent electricity throughout my body but the sensation when the water was added onto it, was unbearable.
I wake up in a cold sweat. I sit up and look around the room, still frightened by my dream. I trace the scar on my cheek; the jagged line feels like it's burning my skin. I hiss in pain. The clock says it's only 3 am. I look at Sabine, still asleep, I sigh with relief that I didn't wake her. I groan in pain as the other scars on me start to burn up. I curl up in a ball at the head of the bed and start to whimper. I try to catch my breath but I can't immediately. My throat is dry again and I still feel the pain of the whip and electricity. I whine again and dig my nails into my arms. I hear the doors slide open and look up to see who it is.
Kanan stands there, looking panicked and worried. I hadn't realized that tears have started to stream down my face; I wipe my eyes and look at him. I hear more footsteps and see Ezra run into Kanan at the doorway. They look at me and Kanan walks over to the bed. I feel my muscles tighten out of habit and my tears start flow more. Ezra looks concerned as well but he stands at the doorway, not knowing what to do. I shove my head between my knees, as Kanan gets closer. He sits on the edge of the bed and pulls my balled up form closer to him. I feel warm arms around me and I start to uncurl. I look at Kanan's face and see that he is trying his best to comfort me. I bury my face in his chest and slowly stop crying. Ezra strides over and rubs my back. I stop crying altogether and the burning subsides to a low numbness.
"You okay?" Kanan asks me quietly.
"Fine," I lie.
"Liar," Ezra mumbles, seeing right through me.
Kanan lifts me in his arms and carries me to the lounge. Ezra hands me a cup with water in it. I reject the glass, remembering my dream. Ezra looks at Kanan confused. Kanan replies with a shrug.
"Do you need a drink?" Ezra asks.
"Juice," I mumble.
"Right," Ezra leaves the room quietly.
"What happened?" Kanan asks as he starts to rub my back.
"Nothing," I reply, leaning into his warmth.
"What did you dream about?" Kanan ventures further, knowing that this is a touchy subject.
"Things," I avoid the topic as Ezra hands me a glass with apple juice in it.
"Everyone gets nightmares," Ezra tells me, "It's normal if you're scared."
"How'd you guys wake up?" I sip on the juice, the cold liquid soothing my dry throat.
"Your pain was transmitted to us through the Force. It's tough to explain," Kanan says.
"Most things are," I lick my cracked lips.
"You think you can go back to sleep?" Kanan asks me.
I look at him with fear in my eyes and shake my head 'no', multiple times.
"Why not?"
"Scared." I set down the now empty glass.
"If you bunk with me will you be scared?" Kanan tries to help me get back to sleep.
"Maybe," I mumble.
"Then we'll try this, you sleep on the top bunk of my room and if you feel frightened you can climb down to my bed," Kanan comforts me.
"Okay."
"Ezra, you can go back to your cabin," Kanan sends his padawan back to his room
"Good night," Ezra says to us and leaves.
"Follow me," Kanan guides me to his room.
"Thanks," I say and climb up to the top bunk.
"Not a problem," Kanan goes to sleep.
I do too, thankfully, not dreaming anything for the rest of the night.
I wake up to something rocking me back and forth. I open my eyes and see Kanan rocking me. I rub my eyes and sit up.
"Breakfast," he tells me.
"Do I shower?" I ask as I climb down from the top.
"If you like, you were sweating a bunch last night," he notes.
I look at him with an expression that asks 'are you going to tell the others?'
"No. I've asked Ezra not to say anything either," Kanan reassures me.
"Thanks," I hug him and see he's holding a new set of clothes for me to wear.
"Go shower and get changed," he smiles at me.
"Yeah," I hurry to the shower and notice Chopper charging, Zeb and Ezra are still asleep, Hera is making breakfast and Sabine is helping her.
"Good morning!" Sabine says as I pass through on my way to the shower.
"Mornin'!" I reply happily.
"Breakfast is almost ready," Hera tells me, "Sabine, can you wake up those two sleepyheads?"
"Sure," Sabine answers with a laugh and leaves to wake up Ezra and Zeb.
I laugh and leave the room. The bathroom looks the same but the dirty clothes in the basket are gone. I lock the door, strip and hop in the shower. The warm water even more relaxing than it was a couple days ago. I end my wash quickly because I smell eggs and bacon from behind the door.
"I sure am bony," I look at my figure in the mirror. I don't exactly look like skin and bones but I do look like I need more food. I still have small dark circles because of my nightmare and there are nail marks from when I squeezed my arms. I trace the scar on my stomach for a minute and snap out of my trance. I get changed into the clothes Kanan gave me. They look like Ezra's. The top is a short-sleeved shirt and solid blue. The pants look like they were torn off from a jumpsuit. I toss my pajamas into the hamper and put my necklace and shoes on. My hair looks like it's not so tangled but I tie it up anyways.
I walk into the lounge and see everyone sitting at the booth. There are steaming plates of bacon and eggs for each of us, excluding Chopper. I smile and sit next to Ezra who is looking at his plate hungrily. After I sit, we all start to eat. I can't remember the last time I had bacon, or a breakfast.
"Seconds?" Hera asks me.
"No thanks," I drink my juice, still not used to eating so much.
"I'm guessing you won't want lunch?" Ezra speculates.
"We'll find out later," I say.
"Right," Ezra says with a sarcastic tone.
Ezra has a few more helpings and Hera puts the plates in the dishwasher after everyone's done. I stretch in my seat and sigh happily.
"What are we gonna be doing today?" Ezra asks eagerly.
"Kanan, Zeb and Chopper are going into town to look for work for us," Hera says, "We could use the credits."
"Why can't we go?" I ask.
"Because you two-," Sabine points to Ezra and me, "-are going to help me fix the hover-bike."
"Fine," Ezra says stubbornly.
"Good," Hera says with a smile, "Now you three hurry up and get us some work."
"Right," Kanan says leaving with Chopper and Zeb behind him.
~a few hours later~
Ezra is sitting on top of the stack of crates on the left side of the cargo bay; I'm sitting on the crate one step below him. Sabine is on the hover-bike and Hera is holding onto Sabine's shoulder so she doesn't slip, I think. The ramp is open and I can smell the Loth-wolves from yesterday. I look up and see Ezra tossing his helmet in front of him. I jump up and slip my head into the helmet when he throws it up.
"Hey!" Ezra shouts playfully and takes the helmet off my head.
"Where'd you get it?" I ask him, smiling.
"I have a few ways," Ezra smiles mischievously and continues to toss the red and white helmet.
Zeb and Chopper soon come up the ramp and Kanan follows them. Chopper is yelling angrily at Zeb who looks ashamed about something.
"Hi," Zeb says holding up his hands, "I can explain."
"Explain what?" Hera asks.
"Hera, Sabine, Ezra, Cleo. This is Lando Calrissian,-" Kanan gestures towards the man trailing behind him, "-he needs a fast ship to move some cargo past the Imperial blockade of Lothal."
"Yes," Lando agrees, "for some reason this planet has an unusually large Imperial presence."
I look at his suspiciously and make it obvious to the others that he bugs me, Ezra seeming wary of Lando, too. Kanan smiles nervously and scratches the back of his head. Hera squints her eyes and studies Lando carefully.
"But are you sure you can get this vessel past the blockade," Lando questions Hera while gesturing around him, "Captain Hera, is it?"
"It is," Hera says with her arms crossed, "and the Ghost can mask both its signal and signature, we'll get you past the blockade. What's the cargo?"
I sigh and realize that this would be my first mission with this crew. I haven't worked in a team in years. I wonder if my corporation skills are rusty? I snigger thinking about everything that could go wrong.
"I was told no questions asked," Lando says smugly.
"That's fine, it just costs more," Hera counters.
"Kanan and I already settled on a price, but I assume he requires your approval," Lando says sarcastically.
"He doesn't," Hera notes.
"Excellent," Lando smiles and shakes Kanan's hand, "When the job's done you'll be paid handsomely and as agreed I'll return your droid."
"What? Droid? Return?" I look sideways at Zeb.
"Return our droid?" Hera repeats surprised. Chopper hits Zeb on the leg with his mechanical arm and beeps a sentence. Hera pushes him back so Zeb can speak.
"Uh, yeah," Zeb admits, "Funny story, you see Lando and I were playing Sabacc 'n I kinda bet Chopper."
Ezra, Hera and Sabine's expressions all change to surprise and Hera's a bit angry.
"Garazeb Orrelios!" Hera shouts furiously, "Chopper wasn't yours to bet!"
"What do you call that?" I whisper to Ezra, pointing to Hera's expression.
"Huh?" Ezra looks at me and takes his eyes off the argument, "Oh that? That's Hera's mother-mode. Sorta. It happens whenever someone in the crew gets hurt, sick or what's happened to Chopper today."
"Mother-mode?" I ask with a confused look on my face.
"Seriously?" Ezra sighs, "It's when Hera turns into an overprotective person, like a mother would be protective of her child. Therefore the word 'mother-mode'," Ezra smiles and looks back at Hera who is now starting to yell at Kanan.
Hera turns to Kanan with her eyebrows furrowed in anger, "And you should know better, Chopper is a valuable member of this crew!" Hera stands before Kanan and sets him straight, Kanan putting his palms in front of his chest.
"Whoa,whoa, whoa. We should go, I need to pick up my cargo and I don't want to keep my squire waiting. Besides, if all goes well there won't be anything for you good people to argue about," Lando points out to get Hera to stop yelling.
Hera looks at Kanan with her enraged expression and punches him, not saying a word. She grumbles a bit and walks back up. Kanan shrugs his shoulders at Lando.
We all go up the ladder and Hera, Kanan, Lando and Chopper walk into the doors opposite from the doors that lead to the lounge. I flick Ezra's neck and he turns around, annoyed.
"What?" he asks me.
"What's that?" I point towards the area with all the controls that manage the ship. There's a big bubbly looking glass too, Hera's sitting on the left chair and doing something. Kanan sits on the right, Lando in the chair behind Hera and Chopper in the isle next to Lando.
"The cockpit, where the controls to fly the ship are. Now come on or we're gonna miss something." Ezra tugs me in the direction of the lounge as I doze off while looking at all the switches in the cockpit.
I feel the ship take off from the ground and we end up in space faster than I thought possible. Zeb, Ezra and I wait in the lounge until we arrive somewhere. Where are we even going? I sigh and rest my head on the table, knowing that my jaw is going to be sore later on. Zeb sits in the big wooden chair and Ezra next to me on the booth. After we jump into hyperspace I look at Ezra sideways. Ezra sighs and tells me what just happened.
"We're traveling through hyperspace," he explains to me simply.
I don't really understand but I'll ask Hera later. I nod to tell Ezra that I understood but really I don't. Lando walks in and Chopper hands him a coffee cup. Lando thanks 'his droid' and drinks his coffee.
"I can't believe that bolt-bucket is actually waiting on that guy," Zeb complains.
"I can't believe you lost Chopper," Ezra teases, "Good think I wasn't there, you'd of bet me." Ezra points to himself.
"Naw," I join in, "He probably would'a bet the both of us." I raise my head from the table and smile.
Zeb grumbles for a while, "Hmm. Nah. You guys wouldn't have covered the part. Besides I think Calrissian cheater." Zeb whispers, irked.
"I bet you're just a sore loser," I comment.
"Yeah, Lando seems nice enough," Ezra nods and agrees with me.
"I'm tellin' you, I don't like the guy." Zeb whispers again and gestures towards Lando. Who is checking out Sabine's painting with Sabine walking up to him to explain it? Maybe.
I look at Ezra who is looking at Lando and Sabine. I giggle to myself and see that Ezra's mighty jealous and maybe even mad.
Ezra stands and waves his hand at Sabine, "Hey, I told you your art was good months ago."
"Yeah but you didn't know why," Sabine retorts, crossing her arms.
"Oh please, that's hardly fair. He's just a child with no experience of the galaxy," Lando says with his long drawn out tone.
"He does know that he doesn't know us, right?" I ask Zeb quietly. He shrugs in reply, covering his mouth to keep from laughing at Ezra.
Ezra looks even madder now. Sabine invites Lando to look at more of her works and they leave. Ezra says angrily, "I don't like that guy."
I laugh so much that my stomach starts to hurt. "You sure do get envious easily, Ezra." I laugh again.
"Right," Ezra says sarcastically, "Well at least I'm the first to make you laugh out loud." Ezra brags to Zeb.
"True, true. But you still haven't learned everything about me," I say.
"What percentage do I know about you?" Ezra asks, trying to provoke me.
"You know about 14% of me. Kanan knows 22%, Zeb 11%, Hera 7%, Chopper 6% and Sabine knows 19%." I look at him proudly.
"I'm in third place!" Ezra says loudly.
"If you hadn't gotten knocked out during the meeting you would be in 1st." I say quietly to myself.
"What was that?" Zeb asks.
"Nothing!" I say. I know Zeb heard me. His Lasat ears are way better than Ezra's. Zeb is now at 12%. Maybe I should keep track of this. Like a competition I'm hosting without the contestants knowing. I giggle again.
"What's so funny?" Ezra inquires.
"Nothin'." I smile again.
I hear the Ghost exit hyperspace. We docked on an old, worn out ship. It was a dusty and muddy brown with small white lights on the outside. Zeb left a few minutes after docking. I look at Ezra in question; in return he shrugs his shoulders and heads towards the cargo bay, I follow him closely. I hear the Ghost detach from the rusty ship and hear footsteps heading to the cockpit. With my sensitive ears I can hear Lando's, Sabine's, Zeb's and Kanan's footsteps. I listen harder and don't hear Hera's steps. What happened? Where's Hera? I'm pretty sure I heard her get off the Ghost… I sigh knowing that something bad probably happened. Ezra looks at me sideways. I shake my head in an exhausted manner and he works on the bike from earlier. Soon after Lando, Zeb, Chopper, Sabine and Kanan enter the cargo bay with a white box that's hovering above the floor. I look for Hera and don't see her. Ezra stops fiddling with the bike and leans on the box with both hands.
"What's in here?" he asks with a cynical look on his face.
"Weapons?" I guess, equally confused. I look at the sides of the box and try to sniff it. An old habit from when I lived with the Loth-wolves.
"Sophisticated mining equipment," Lando answers Ezra's question and turns off the hover.
The crate shakes back and forth, a snort escaping from it. I look at Ezra with a puzzled expression. He bends down and stands back up.
"Uhh. Sounds like your sophisticated mining equipment is snoring," Ezra states the obvious and crosses his arms, unconvinced.
"Just don't open the box," Lando backs towards the ladder that goes up, "and whatever you do, keep it calm." Lando leaves up the ladder. Chopper says something else and follows Lando. Sabine and Kanan leave to pilot the ship and wait for Hera.
Ezra and Zeb look at the box with a doubtful look on their faces. The box snorts again and Ezra and Zeb exchange a similar idea.
"You're not gonna listen to him are you?" I ask, knowing the answer.
I hear Hera come back aboard in an escape pod and the Ghost jump to hyperspace again.
"Calrissian said not to open it," Ezra says with a dangerous tone.
"Yeah," Zeb says with the same tone, "He did." Zeb clicks a few buttons on the side of the crate and the front slides up.
I inch towards to opening and hear the snorting noise again. After a few seconds, a sand colored pig with spots and gray horns exits the crate. I soon recognize the creature as a Puffer pig. I smile in joy of meeting a new creature.
"Uhh. Kinda cute?" Ezra says hesitantly.
"I like it!" I sit in front of it, "If it wasn't cargo I'd might keep it."
Zeb bends down and sniffs the squealing pig. Apparently scaring it with his massive structure and grumpy face, the Puffer pig begins to back away and squeals more. The pig soon runs off and up the ladder.
"Let's hurry and catch the guy!" I yell at Ezra and Zeb, running after the pig.
The ladder leads to the cockpit and Kanan turns towards us, hearing the sudden snorts of the pig. I ignore his confused stares and chase after the Puffer pig. Ezra smiles nervously and continues to run, Zeb right after him. We run past Lando, Hera and Sabine who are walking out of the corridor that leads to one of the two airlocks. The pig makes a u-turn at the ladder between the two airlock corridors and runs into Zeb. I use the ladder and rotate myself and hear Ezra fall as he tries to do the same. Zeb catches the pig and holds it up. Scaring it more, remembering Lando's warning I snatch the pig out of his hands. I look at it and see fear in its eyes. Not knowing what to do, I act like it's a baby Loth-wolf and try to calm it down. It seems to work well.
"WHAT is going on here?" Kanan asks furiously.
"It's a…Puffer-," Ezra tries to explain but gets cut off by Kanan.
"I don't wanna know," Kanan turns back to the cockpit.
"At least you didn't scare her," Lando says.
"Woah!" I look out the bubble glass of the cockpit. The starts are blurred and the sky is different shades of blue.
"That's right," Hera stands next to me, "You've never seen hyperspace."
"So cool!" I say in awe and adjust the way I hold the Puffer pig.
Lando says something about smuggling mining equipment a week ago but I don't pay attention. We exit hyperspace and there are a few star destroyers. I look at Kanan and he sighs.
"We can't mask the Ghost's signature without Chopper fixing it," Hera says as two TIEs follow the Ghost.
"Now you're catching on," Lando says and bends down to Chopper, "Alright my little friend, would you like to be a hero and fix it for me?"
Chopper replies in his droid language and wheels back to fix it. The screen to the left of Kanan turns blue.
"Signature modulator's back online. And just on time," Kanan notes.
"What's that?" I point my nose in the direction of the star destroyers.
"Star destroyers." Ezra says, "they belong to the Empire."
"Oh," I say softly, remembering what Kanan had told me about the person in the white armor.
I hear a scuffling noise behind me. I turn around and see Zeb backing into me. I squeak as the heavy Lasat trips onto me. I manage to toss the Puffer pig onto the chair to Kanan's right but Zeb's weigh pushes me onto the control panel. My hand press a few buttons and a loud alarm sounds throughout the ship. Zeb gets off me and looks at Kanan. The screen that was blue turns yellow and the Empire must have found out that our signature was masked. They send out more TIEs and I start to feel worried. Hera tells Kanan to go into the clouds for cover, Sabine already getting rid of a few TIEs earlier. Kanan shoots down the rest of the TIEs in the clouds and we land back on Lothal.
We leave the Ghost and onto Lando's land. He says he bought it from a guy named Vizago.
"Can we keep her calm this time, guys?" I tease Ezra and Zeb and set the Puffer pig onto the ground.
"It's not my fault," Zeb tries to brush off the blame.
"No, it's your face's fault," Ezra says quickly.
I laugh and punch Ezra on the shoulder. He yelps in pain and rubs where I hit him.
"Sorry!" I say, "I forgot to control my power output…"
"S'fine." Ezra smiles and continues to walk.
"We're done here," Kanan says to Lando, "now pay us."
"He has other debts to pay!" a voice says from behind a crate. A Jablogian walk out, he looks kinda big.
Maybe he eats too much. I snort, trying to keep my laughter inside me. The Jablogian has dark pink, wrinkly skin and is wearing a white shirt with a puffy green color. His pants are gray and his shoes blue. I look around and see gray human-looking droids with blasters pointing at us appear.
"Azmorigan?" Lando looks at the Jablogian, apparently knowing who the guy was.
"Did you forget that I introduce you to Vizago?" Azmorigan points a small blaster at us, "I knew where you were headed."
"But your ship, you couldn't have hidden it anywhere close. Did you walk here? You don't walk anywhere!" Lando answers his own question.
"Well I do what's necessary to claim my property, Calrissian." Azmorigan says rudely.
"What do you even want?" I ask curiously.
"My demands are simple, I want my pig back and you. Plus this ship and this crew as compensation for my sore feet! But first, I want to bury Calrissian!" he replies and steps closer.
"Someone's got a grudge," I say sarcastically.
"Yeah, yeah. I understand the feeling, but no," Hera says, pulling me towards her.
"Now wait, let's consider that last demand," Kanan jokes.
"I've run out of patience!" the Jablogian shouts, enraged.
He holds up his gun and starts to fire. Zeb pulls out his bo-rifle and shoots back, the droids also raining fire on the crew, though, with terrible aim. I duck down and cling to the first thing I touch, which happens to be Hera's arm. Hera shouts something and Sabine and Zeb break off while the rest of us duck behind crates. I shut my eyes and run while sticking to Hera's arm. I hate the sound of gunfire. I curl up once I sit behind a crate with Hera and Lando. Ezra and Kanan are across us. Kanan is using his blaster. Ezra pulls out his lightsaber but Kanan slams him against the crate. They exchange words and Ezra ends up having a blaster attached to his lightsaber. Sabine takes out more of the droids and Zeb somehow ends up hostage to Azmorigan. Chopper shoots behind them and knocks Zeb and Azmorigan over, allowing Zeb to put Azmorigan at gunpoint. I sigh with relief that the blasts have ended and focus on catching my breath.
"Our terms this time," Hera says, "you and your men leave and we let you live. Start walking."
Azmorigan grumbles and starts walking, Zeb kicking him on the back. The two remaining droids soon run after him. Hera says something to Lando and gets Chopper back but something about Lando owing her one. I stand to leave with the others back to the Ghost. I take a step and my leg buckles underneath me. I grumble and lean on a nearby crate. Kanan turns around and sees me struggling and jogs over.
"You need a little help, kid?" he holds out his hand to help me.
"I'm fine," I say stubbornly.
"You are one of the worst liars in the galaxy," Kanan laughs quietly.
"Shut up," I say and duck my head, taking his hand. Kanan wraps my arm around his neck and helps me to the Ghost.
"Are you injured?" Kanan asks me as he escorts me up the ramp.
"No," I mutter. I hear the ramp fold up and something about Chopper stealing fuel.
"I want you in the med-bay just in case," Kanan smiles and looks towards Hera.
"Don't you dare!" I shout at him.
"I do dare," Kanan continues to smile, "Hey, Hera!"
"Yeah?" Hera turns around and sees me hanging onto Kanan, "My stars! What's wrong with you?" Hera runs to me and looks me over.
"Nothing!" I squirm out of Kanan and Hera's grip. I gasp and feel my legs start to give out again.
"What are you doing?" Kanan sighs, "You can't even stand." He helps me up and supports me by wrapping my arm around his neck again.
"What's up over here?" Ezra looks at the fuss that I was making.
"NOTHING," I say while gritting my teeth.
"Right," Ezra says unconvinced, "Kanan holding you up to stand is nothing."
"Fine, so it's something," I admit slightly, "but still, you don't have to worry."
"Right," Hera says, "Med-bay, now." She points towards the area of the med-bay.
"Come on, kid, let's get you checked out," Kanan carries me up the ladder and into the med-bay."
"Why do I even need to do this?" I ask as Kanan sets me on the exam table.
"Because, everyone does," Kanan says, "Besides, I bet you have too many old injuries that are long overdue a checkup."
"I'm not wearing anything underneath this," I say truthfully.
"Then I'll have Sabine and Hera come in here," Kanan leaves the room.
I wait quietly for a few minutes, listening to the engine running quietly. After a while Hera and Sabine walk in. Hera looks worried and Sabine looks concerned. I look to the side and try to avoid their gaze.
Hera breaks the silence first, "Here put this on," she tosses me a bra, "You're not wearing one right? You can keep it."
I nod and they turn around to try giving me privacy. I take off the borrowed shirt and slip on the bra. It was surprisingly an almost perfect fit. I look at Sabine and Hera's turned backs and wonder if I should take off the pants.
"Do I take off the pants too?" I ask them.
Hera thinks for a while and responds, "Yes, but you can leave your underwear and bra on."
"Okay," I sigh and shimmy my feet out of the pant legs. Feeling slightly embarrassed I sit back on the table, "I'm done," I say in a small voice. I look at my thighs as they turn around. I remember how I looked this morning in the mirror. I trace the whip scar on my leg unconsciously. I flinch when I hear Hera gasp as she looks at me. They'd only ever seen me in pants, shorts and a shirt so it's no surprise when they react shocked. I feel warm arms surround me and I look up. Hera's hugging me tightly and Sabine is getting some bandages from the cabinet. I feel tears welling up in my eyes; I had forgotten what it felt like to be loved. I think I'm starting to remember. I lift my arms and hug Hera back, she rubs my back soothingly but I wince when she touches a few cuts.
Hera stops hugging me and looks me in the eyes, "Will you let us look you over now?"
I nod and blink away the tears starting to collect in my eyes. Sabine approaches me with a cotton balls and a brown-tinted bottle. The scent of the liquid escaping the open bottle reeks terribly. I cover my nose in disgust.
"What's wrong?" Sabine asks me confused.
"That stuff smells funny," I pinch my nose.
"It's rubbing alcohol, to clean your cuts," Sabine wets a cotton ball and starts to rub the soaked cotton against the scrapes on my legs. I blink at her and she looks up at me, "It doesn't sting?"
"No," I shake my head, "is it supposed to?"
"For some people," Sabine goes back to dabbing the cotton against my legs.
"It just means you have a high pain tolerance," Hera explains as she wipes my back with a wet rag.
"What are you doin'?" I peek over my shoulder at Hera.
"Cleaning your back," Hera smiles and says in a motherly tone, "You didn't do a very good job."
"Meh," I shrug my shoulders in indifference.
"I'm done here," Sabine stands when she finishes cleaning the few cuts on my legs, "where are the band-aids?"
"Over there," Hera points towards a box on the counter.
"Luckily, you don't have to many injuries on your legs," Sabine says, "Just tons of scars."
"Anyone who's been on the streets has got scars," I reply simply.
"So," Hera says slowly, "Sabine says that she invited you to join our crew."
"Yeah," I nod my head, "I haven't decided yet."
"Stay," Hera says.
"What?" I ask bewildered.
"Stay," Hera repeats and sets the wet towel on the counter. She picks up more cotton and wets them with rubbing alcohol.
"You want me to stay with you guys?" I ask again.
"Well, it seems that some of the crew rather enjoys your company. Ezra seems to like having someone younger than him here, too." Hera rubs the cotton against the scabs that I had reopened.
"How old do you think I am?"
"12," Sabine replies and cleans the nicks on my arms.
"Wrong!" I say in a low gaming voice, "I'm 14." I say proudly.
"I wasn't that off!" Sabine notes her excuse.
"Right," I say sarcastically.
"So are you joining?" Sabine asks again.
"I dunno," I sigh, "I think I'll just get in the way if I join."
"You won't," Hera denies my statement.
"If you didn't notice earlier, I'm pretty useless. I'm scared of blasters, explosions and any similar," I says loudly.
"But somehow you're not scared of Loth-wolves," Hera tries to contradict my uselessness.
"I grew up with them being nice to me," I note, "most creatures are really nice."
"You didn't have a problem with Ezra showing you his lightsaber," Sabine remembers.
"I don't have any idea why I wasn't scared of that one," I think hard, "it just didn't terrify me."
"Why not?" Hera begins to wrap bandages around my stomach so they can hold up the bandages on my back.
"The lightsaber kinda gave off a safe maybe comforting vibe. It's hard to explain," I groan in frustration.
"Maybe you should tell Kanan," Hera suggests, finishing with the bandages.
"I will," I reassure Hera.
"We're done patching you up," Hera inspects the rest of my body, "Think you can stand?"
"Let's find out," I inhale and exhale a wavery breath.
"We're right here to catch you if you fall," Sabine reassures me.
I nod my head in an understanding motion and get ready to set my feet on the floor. I slide off the table slowly and let my feet get used to touching ground. I lift my feet up slightly in a marching motion. I decide to take a step forwards and feel my knees waver but not give in. My breath catches in my throat as I do so. I warily walk around the table with Sabine and Hera on either side of me.
"I think I'm good," I say and reach for my clothes.
"If you ever feel something wrong again make sure to tell us," Hera says in her motherly tone again.
"Mhhm," I mumble as I slip the shirt on. I step into the pants and leave the med-bay.
That took a while. If it was still short then sorry!
I'm not good with character build up either so sorry for that too. Review if you want because I SUCK! Anyways, I'll write next chapter whenever I have the time to.