Out of Darkness
At night, flying among the canyons of Lothal was Hera in the Phantom, with Ender and Serah in the passenger seats, being chased by a TIE fighter.
She performed a barrel roll before flying to the left, dodging some shots from the TIE.
"Shouldn't we be firing back, Hera?" Serah questioned.
"Stay calm, it's all part of the plan." Hera assured her confidently before she made a right turn.
"Then I guess getting blasted out of the sky is part of the plan, because it's going great, so far." Ender retorted.
"Ender, you should know better." Hera replied.
She fired the rear turret on top of the Phantom, hitting the TIE, which burst into flames as it crashed and exploded on one of the rock formations.
"There isn't a pilot in the Imperial fleet that can outrun me." Hera bragged as Ender and Serah joined her side in the front of the shuttle.
"You know, it wouldn't hurt to teach me some of those high flying moves of yours." Ender suggested.
"You? Fly my ship?" Hera questioned with a chuckle. "I don't know, Ender, you really think you're ready?"
"Not yet, but I will be." Ender replied before he glanced forward, seeing three TIE fighters flying right at them. "Look out!"
The TIEs fired at the Phantom, but Hera flew to her left and turned around, now getting chased. She then tilted the Phantom when she neared various rock formations, firing stray shots at the TIEs as she did so.
"Quite the fine mess we've found ourselves. The latest one at that." Serah said, her eyes focused on Hera.
"I admit it's a little messier than our intel indicated." Hera replied.
"Which has been happening a lot lately!" Serah frowned. "Where do you even get all this intel, anyway?"
"You may ask that." Hera replied, not really giving her an answer, which made the Mandalorian scrunch her face up in annoyance.
"Excuse me, but now's not the time to bicker, now's the time to focus on not dying!" Ender reminded them of their current situation.
"Hang on!" Hera cautioned before she gained speed and turned the Phantom vertical, grazing against a rock face in a narrow ravine before she flew out of it.
Of course, one of the TIEs tried following her through the ravine, but it exploded, as it was too narrow for the shape of the starfighter. Naturally, the other two TIE fighters flew around the ravine and continued chasing after the Phantom.
Ender heard one of the monitors beeping, which made him look to see what it was saying.
"According to this, there shouldn't be any real damage, excluding some scratched paint." He informed Hera.
"Oh, there's damage. Steering's off." Hera replied, moving the controls, which were more jerky and loose than they should be.
"And yet it doesn't say so on here." Ender pointed out.
"It's what I say, and I know my ship." Hera countered.
"Look, I'm all for sticking it to the Empire, but what was so important about that convoy? You never explained why this mission was so important!" Serah told Hera, sounding fed up and frustrated, which Ender didn't understand. Why was she so demanding of an explanation?
"I've told you before, Fulcrum's intel is on a need to know basis." Hera replied, Fulcrum being a contact Hera has to gain intel. Of course, Ender could understand that. If something's not needed to be known, he can ultimately live with that, as long as it does good.
"And I told you beforehand, I need to know more." Serah muttered coolly.
The two TIEs continued chasing and firing at the Phantom, which made Hera turn the rear turret and fire at one of the mountains, making a cloud of dust and debris, which blinded the pilots in the TIEs. Because of this, they tried flying out to continue the chase, but they ended up colluding with each other, exploding both starfighters.
Now that the chase was over, Ender, Hera and Serah let out a collective sigh of relief.
However, they were all unaware that the Phantom's fuel tank had sustained damage and was leaking.
They later reunited with the Ghost in outer space, connecting to the slot the auxiliary fighter fit in.
Hera was the first to climb down the ladder into the common room, where she met up with Kanan, Zeb and Chopper.
"Everyone okay?" Kanan asked as Serah slid down the ladder with her helmet in her arms.
"We're fine, but I scraped the Phantom's underbelly." Hera told him as Ender slid down and Serah sat at the table, sulking as she did so.
"You?" Kanan grinned teasingly.
"It was somewhat unavoidable, once your plan went south." Hera retorted, flicking Kanan's chin.
"Ah, there we go." Kanan playfully grumbled as Zeb walked around him. "Knew there had to be a way this was my fault."
"And you were right, dear." Hera replied as Ender, Zeb and Chopper tried creeping into the kitchen. "Zeb…" The three froze before groaning and turning to face her. "...I'll need the Phantom ready to pick up the supplies from Fulcrum. Adjust the steering and run a diagnostic. Chopper and Ender will help you fix any problems you find."
"Really? Have you met him?" Zeb scoffed, pointing at Chopper.
"Yeah, he causes more problems than fixes them." Ender agreed with Zeb, making Chopper grumble and growl at the pair, who glared at him.
"And I'm leaving soon, so get to it." Hera pointed out before turning to head for the cockpit.
"Come on, let's have some peace before it gets ruined." Ender sighed before he and Zeb climbed up the ladder to the Phantom while Kanan and Chopper entered the kitchen.
This left Serah in the common room, who still sulked because of the mission, and even all the other times Fulcrum gave them intel.
In the cockpit, Hera entered the Ghost into hyperspace, and took this opportunity to relax.
A few minutes later, Kanan entered with two drinks.
"What happened out there?" He asked.
"Well, we took out the target." Hera replied, taking one of the drinks he offered her.
"Yeah, I got that part." Kanan said knowingly.
"Fulcrum was right about the timing and route, but underestimated the Imperial defences." Hera further explained just as Kanan sat in the co-pilot seat, sighing.
"It's getting harder to anticipate the Empire's moves, that's for sure." He said as Hera took a sip.
The door then opened and Serah appeared, clearing her throat.
"About that, why is it that we're relying on intel from Fulcrum, whoever they are?" She questioned.
"It's Hera's job to find missions that create problems for the Empire and profit for us." Kanan replied as he turned to her and walked to her. "If she trusts the contact, I trust the contact. No questions asked."
"Yeah? Well, when I was at the Imperial Academy, they told me to not ask questions, and look how that turned out. That's why I ended up here." Serah frowned bitterly.
"And we're glad to have you." Kanan replied, making her groan.
"You're not even taking away what I'm trying to tell you! You are so frustrating!" She hissed.
"Yeah, I've heard that before." Kanan retorted as he left the cockpit, the door closing behind him.
"Okay, I am done asking questions." Serah frowned at Hera, stomping towards her. "I am coming on your run to meet Fulcrum, whether you like it or not."
"You know, you can be pretty frustrating, too." Hera told her.
"Yeah, thanks to you and Kanan." Serah retorted.
With Ender, Zeb and Chopper, they were still working on the Phantom. Ender was working on the steering in the repair duct, Chopper was by the pilot's seat and Zeb was by the computer, which showed the readings for the diagnostic, which was taking so long, he slammed a fist on the wall next to the computer with a grunt.
"This diagnostic's taking forever." He grumbled before turning towards Ender in the repair duct. "How's it going in there?"
"Turns out Hera was right, the steering's out of whack." Ender replied, popping his head out. "But I've almost fixed it."
He popped back down as the computer beeped, making Zeb see what it was saying.
"There we go. Life support filters need cleansing." He said before turning to Chopper. "Chopper, as soon as Ender's out of the repair duct, purge 'em."
Chopper acknowledged, and turned to a knob.
"Done!" Ender said, wiping his hands.
And as he was about to climb out, Chopper chuckled as he turned the knob and purged the filters, unleashing the contents right on Ender.
"HEY! STOP IT!" Ender roared as he now climbed out in a blur.
"Chopper, knock it off!" Zeb growled before he turned to the computer and looked at the readings. "Steering and life support are back in working order."
"Chopper!" Ender snarled at the astromech, who was about to leave the Phantom, through his coughing before he jumped onto him and smacked him with the wrench in his hand. "You've had this for a long time coming!"
"Hold it, we're not done here!" Zeb reminded Ender as Chopper yelped and tried shaking Ender off. "The diagnostic's still running!"
"You can finish when I've done giving this droid his deserved beating!" Ender replied as Chopper rolled out of the Phantom, rolling over one of Zeb's feet in the process.
This made Zeb yelp in pain as he hopped for a moment, before growling and running after the pair, unaware of the computer picking up on the fuel leak on the hull.
Just as the Ghost exited hyperspace, Ender and Chopper were now in the hallway with the cabin doors, and Zeb chased after them.
"Come back here, you little monong!" He roared at Chopper, who had managed to throw Ender off, though he was caught by Zeb, who put him down.
They were about to pummel Chopper, but the door to the cockpit opened, revealing Hera and Serah, making the two grin, and for Ender to hide the wrench in his hand.
"I take it you've finished the repairs?" Hera asked them as she and Serah folded their arms.
"You were right about the steering, which has been fixed, by the way." Ender replied, holding up the wrench.
"And life support filters needed purging, which we also did." Zeb added, putting a hand on Ender's shoulder and grinned.
This annoyed Chopper so much, he shoved Ender and shocked Zeb before rolling away.
"CHOPPER! I'm gonna dismantalate that nut bucket!" Zeb roared as he chased after the astromech.
"Leave some bolts for me!" Ender called out as he followed after them.
"Let's go." Hera told Serah, leading her to the Phantom.
Upon boarding, they detached from the Ghost and flew away.
"What's the deal? Is this Fulcrum a crime lord or smuggler like Vizago? Why have all this secrecy?" Serah started questioning Hera.
"It's no secret we're fighting against the Empire. We need as many allies as we can get." Hera replied as she pressed a few buttons.
"That's not really answering my question, and you know it." Serah frowned.
"Phantom, this is Fulcrum. Come in." A warbled and modified voice said through the comlink.
"This is Spectre-2, Fulcrum." Hera acknowledged.
"Why don't I talk to them?" Serah suggested.
"Don't you dare." Hera hissed warningly.
"Already at the rendezvous, Spectre-2. Supplies are unloaded and ready. Should I wait?" Fulcrum said.
"Yes, please. Spectre-2 and I would like to have a talk with you." Serah butted in before Hera could reply.
"Spectre-2, what's the problem?" Fulcrum questioned.
"No problem, Fulcrum. Spectre-5 decided to help with the supply run." Hera replied.
"Understood, Fulcrum out." Fulcrum replied before they cut off from the comlink.
Hera then sighed as she flicked a switch.
"You know an outburst like that is not appreciated." She then scolded Serah.
"Neither is all this secrecy." Serah coolly retorted.
They flew towards an asteroid belt, which was actually the remains of a planet called Anaxes, which was destroyed because of a cataclysmic event.
They especially flew right for asteroid PM-1203, where what was left of Fort Anaxes remains, having been used during the Clone Wars, which was largely built into a cavern within a sheer cliff face, along with a landing pad and outbuildings.
Upon landing, the pair exited the Phantom and saw no sign of Fulcrum.
"Where's the mystery contact?" Serah questioned in annoyance.
"I don't know, maybe Fulcrum didn't like your attitude. I know I didn't." Hera retorted.
Of course, the two were unaware that the Phantom's fuel was leaking out onto the landing pad.
Anyway, they approached several crates, one of which Hera spotted having Fulcrum's symbol: two lines that formed a diamond in the middle.
"I'll take that one." She told Serah, who reached for it, grabbing it before her, activating its anti-gravity capability.
She pushed it to the Phantom, with Serah pushing another crate as well.
However, they were unaware that they were being watched by something that hid in the cavern, something that had glowing yellow eyes.
"Hera, the reason I've become difficult lately is because things seem to be getting more and more dangerous every day, especially with an ISB agent and an Inquisitor hunting us." Serah told Hera. "And I just need to know that I can be trusted by you and Kanan."
"We trust you, Serah. We just can't tell you everything. It's for the safety of the whole crew. If captured, you can't reveal what you don't know." Hera explained, making Serah stop in front of her.
"You think I, of all people, would talk?" She asked, offended that Hera would think that of her.
"I think - we think the Imperials can make anyone talk. You've seen what they're capable of." Hera argued.
"I have, hence I need to know." Serah replied.
"You already know exactly what you need to know and no more." Hera told her, moving past her and continuing to the Phantom. "I need you to trust me now."
"Really? You're asking me to just blindly trust you like I did at the Imperial Academy on Mandalore? Where I trusted their orders blindly to the point that I couldn't live with myself if I stayed there any longer?" Serah scoffed bitterly.
Hera realised she used the wrong wording, as she knew full well how much what happened to Serah affected her. She then placed the crate in the Phantom, followed by Serah, and they walked back out to get the rest of the crates.
"I really want to believe that we're actually doing good out there, but the harder we fight, the harder things get. To the point that it'll be impossible to take on the Empire by ourselves." Serah continued on. "It's why I have to know that this isn't all for nothing. I have to know that I'm taking part in another nightmare."
"What you need is faith." Hera said as she turned and grabbed Serah by the shoulders. "Faith that there is a long-term plan that is bigger than you or me, bigger than Lothal, bigger than the entire Outer Rim. Have faith in that and in us. We - Kanan - he knows what he's doing."
"Then actually trust me." Serah said as Hera walked on.
She followed after her, but Hera stopped upon seeing something odd.
"Look." She said, making Serah see there were some claw marks in the landing pad.
The two looked towards the cavern.
"There were more crates, but someone's dragged them away." Hera said suspiciously.
"Could it be Fulcrum?" Serah questioned.
"No." Hera shot that idea down.
"Well, does anyone else know this place?" Serah then asked.
"Not sure. This base was abandoned years ago, after the Clone Wars. Besides, why drag them? Why not use the anti-grav?" Hera questioned, baffled by these key points.
The sun was then blocked, making them look up at a stray asteroid that hovered in front of the sun for a moment.
"Sunrise is very sudden around here." Serah noted.
"Let's see what else is around here." Hera suggested, pulling out a flashlight and her blaster.
Serah pulled out hers and they entered the cavern.
Hera shined the flashlight around, seeing trashed vehicles and equipment from the Clone Wars, soon finding one of the crates, which was on its side and had claw marks on it, like something was slashing to get the contents out.
"I'm thinking that we're dealing with a something and not a someone." Serah told Hera as they walked up to the crate.
"I think you're right." Hera replied, very on edge, especially when they heard clattering nearby, making her shine her flashlight on a vehicle that had claw marks on it as well.
Then they heard chittering from some kind of creature nearby. Then they heard movement to their right, making Hera shine her flashlight, finding nothing.
"Was it known why this base was abandoned?" Serah asked Hera before hissing was heard from somewhere in the cavern, making them aim their blasters, ready to fight back.
"I'm starting to have my suspicions." Hera replied.
They kept their eyes and ears open for whatever made those sounds, backing up in the cavern.
However, upon hearing some growling behind them, they turned and gasped upon seeing a creature called a fyrnock, which had yellow eyes, as well as a maw full of sharp teeth and dark skin with markings all over its body.
It roared at them and they started firing at it, though Hera dropped her flashlight, which turned off a moment later.
When the fyrnock leapt at them, Hera shot it under its jaw, causing it to falter and run away.
But then more fyrnocks appeared and surrounded the pair, which they fired at, taking some of them down, though there were too many of them and they kept coming.
"Serah, run!" Hera ordered.
They ran out of the cavern, turning to see the fyrnocks chasing them, but stopping upon reaching where the sunlight touched the landing pad, making them run back into the cavern.
They stopped by some canisters and aimed their blasters, watching the fyrnocks not coming after them, hiding from sight.
An asteroid then blocked the sun, its shadow looming over the base, soon reaching the cavern.
Upon seeing this, the fyrnocks all ran out at Hera and Serah, who instantly fired their blasters at the creatures.
But then the shadow moved, preventing them from reaching the pair, and making them run back into the cavern.
"Whatever those creatures are, they can't take the sun." Hera noted, getting up on her feet, as they put their blasters away.
"That's good and all, but that asteroid would be a problem." Serah pointed out, pointing up at a rather large asteroid. "That'll block the sun for a while."
"How long?" Hera asked as she folded her arms.
"How am I supposed to know? All I know is that it'll be long enough for us to be their next lunch!" Serah snapped impatiently.
"Luckily, we weren't planning on staying." Hera said before she and Serah walked towards the rest of the crates. "Alright, let's get to work."
And so, they went ahead and put the crates in the Phantom.
"This is the last one." Serah told Hera, pushing the last crate in.
"Good, let's go." Hera replied, turning off the anti-grav on the crates, before sitting in the pilot's seat.
She tried activating it, but was shocked to find out that there's now very little fuel.
"No, no, no, no, no!" She said frantically, slamming her fists on the console. "We had nearly a full tank when we landed. Now we're out of fuel?"
Back on the Ghost, both Ender and Zeb were in the kitchen, listening to some music while digging in on some food. Ender was having a slice of jogan fruit pie and Zeb was having a bowl of space waffles.
"Finally, some peace from Chopper." Ender said as he took a sip of blue milk from his cup.
"Yeah, there are times I question how Hera can even tolerate that rust bucket." Zeb agreed with him as he took a bite out of a waffle.
But then their good mood was ruined when Chopper burst in, warbling and beeping, spinning his head and mechanical arms.
"Oh, go away, Chop!" Ender groaned after having a bite of his pie.
Chopper bumped against him, causing Ender to knock over his blue milk all over Zeb's waffles.
This had Chopper warble nervously as Zeb growled and Ender glared.
"That's it!" Zeb snapped as he and Ender got up. Ender got on top of Chopper and smacked the cup that had his blue milk in previously against Chopper, who was held in place by Zeb, making sure he didn't get away.
"Spectre-2 to Spectre-4. Come in. Spectre-2 to Spectre-4. Come in!" They then heard Hera's voice through Zeb's communicator.
This made Ender get off Chopper and Zeb let him go, warning him with a gesture, before grabbing his communicator.
"Go ahead, Spectre-2." He said.
"You did run a full diagnostic on the Phantom, correct?" Hera asked him.
"Of course." Zeb replied.
"And you checked the results?" Hera then asked, making Ender and Zeb look at each other wide eyed, realising they forgot to do that.
And so, they, and Chopper, ran into the hallway, reaching a computer that had the readings of the Phantom. Then they looked and realised that they didn't know of the damaged fuel tank.
Chopper warbled gravely with guilt as Ender and Zeb shared a horrified glance with each other.
"Um, Spectre-2, there might be a small problem with the fuel line." Zeb told Hera, unaware of the situation her and Serah were in at the moment.
"Small problem? Uh, guys, we have a situation!" Hera snapped at him, Ender and Chopper.
"Well done, Chopper! I hope you're happy putting Hera and Serah in trouble because of your stupid prank!" Ender snapped at the astromech with real anger.
"I'm gonna check you right into the wall, you trash can!" Zeb growled, making Chopper shudder.
"Just how do we tell Kanan?" Ender asked Zeb.
"Well, let's just say it wasn't our fault. Well, technically Chopper's." Zeb replied.
They opened the door to Kanan's cabin, finding him meditating on a seat.
"Kanan." The two said in unison, but stopped when Kanan held his hand up.
"Hera and Serah are in danger." He said.
"We were too loud, weren't we?" Ender asked knowingly.
"You would be correct." Kanan said sternly, making Ender wince.
"We're on our way. Ghost out." Kanan assured Hera before cutting off communications.
"They won't be able to get here before the sun's blocked." Serah pointed out right before they heard the fyrnocks' screeching. "And holing up in the Phantom ain't gonna help, considering the torn up shuttle in there."
She then glanced over at the canisters, realising she knew what was inside them based on the markings, making her walk up to them.
"Looks like we might have some hope to hold out long enough." She said as she pressed a button on one of the canisters, powering it up. "This, here, is one of my oldest and most explosive buddies: rhydonium."
"It's good to have buddies. So what's your plan?" Hera said as Serah now had a thoughtful look on her face.
"Considering we don't know how many of those things there are, we'll set up these canisters into clusters and take them out one wave at a time." Serah explained.
"How will you get the creatures close enough to the rhydonium to be effective?" Hera asked a fair question.
"With bait." Serah simply replied.
"Where do we get that?" Hera asked.
"We are the bait, Hera." Serah pointed out.
With the plan in place, the pair turned the various canisters on their sides and rolled them in place in clusters between the Phantom and the cavern.
Just as they finished, the large asteroid blocked the sun, causing a large shadow to loom over the base, though it hasn't reached the cavern yet.
"Wave one. Move." Hera told Serah, the pair charging forward and kneeling behind a canister, now much closer to the cavern.
They saw one of the fyrnocks dragging its claws against a canister and growled at them from behind it before charging at them.
Hera fired at the canister, making it explode and take out the fyrnock.
Just then, the shadow finally reached the cavern, where she and Serah gasped upon seeing a large number of fyrnocks appear.
"Okay, that is a whole lot of those things." Serah gulped.
"Steady now. Follow the plan." Hera reminded her before she ran back towards some other crates, Serah following her as she fired some shots at the fyrnocks, as did Hera, which started chasing after the pair.
"Fall back! Wave two!" Hera told Serah.
They ducked behind a couple of crates for cover as Hera shot and took down a fyrnock that was about to leap at them.
"Wait for 'em." Hera said before firing a shot at another fyrnock, taking it down, as did Serah with another. They then glanced to see a fyrnock on top of a couple of containers. "NOW!"
They popped up and fired at the containers, hiding behind the ones they used as cover when they exploded, taking out the fyrnocks that were charging at them.
"It's working well, so far." Serah said optimistically.
"Wait. You doubted your own plan?" Hera playfully questioned.
"Not really." Serah replied in the same tone.
"Good, 'cause I sure did." Hera then replied, turning to the Phantom.
"Oi!" Serah whined.
The fyrnocks then started to get back up and charge at them.
"Come on. They're closing in." Hera pointed out. "Wave three."
They ran and got behind some more containers, firing at the various containers among the fyrnocks, taking them down, though more kept coming.
"Wave four, incoming!" Hera told Serah before they got up and ran to the Phantom, where they fired at the fyrnocks that closed in on them before they fired at the remaining containers, all exploding at once, taking some fyrnocks out and making the others back off before they braved themselves up and ran past the fire.
"Coming in from both sides." Hera said as she and Serah watched the fyrnocks charge at them.
"And what about wave five?" Serah asked as they backed up towards the Phantom.
"We didn't have a plan for wave five?" Hera revealed.
"Well, that's unfortunate? And the Phantom?" Serah then said.
"Not inside. Go up top." Hera told her, helping her up onto the top of the Phantom. Serah then pulled Hera up before they fired at, and kicked off, as many fyrnocks as they could.
"They just keep coming!" Serah groaned as they kept firing their blasters.
"Tell me something I don't know!" Hera retorted.
"Oh, I don't know, perhaps that we'll end up dead?" Serah suggested.
"That's no secret!" Hera replied.
They just kept firing and kicking off more and more fyrnocks until they all started backing away suddenly.
Confused, they soon heard a ship rumbling and saw a bright light overhead. They looked to see that it was the Ghost, which lowered down towards them via Kanan piloting.
As the ship got close enough, the ramp opened up, revealing Ender and Zeb, both ready to help.
The fyrnocks backed away from the Ghost's lights before one of them put its limb in the light, not being affected by it, which wasn't good.
"The light isn't hurting those things!" Serah gulped.
"Then we better move!" Hera replied before the two fired at the fyrnocks.
Ender and Zeb fired their weapons at the fyrnocks as well as the Ghost lowered itself even more.
"I got your back, Serah!" Ender said as he jumped onto the Phantom and kept firing his slingshot, knocking down some fyrnocks while Serah and Hera jumped onto the ramp.
Ender then turned, about to jump back onto the ramp, when a fyrnock jumped on top of the Phantom, growling at him, which he heard. He turned to shoot at it, but it pounced at him before he could, making him fall onto his back and hold its maw back from biting at him.
Serah, deciding to return the favor, jumped off the ramp and aimed her blasters at the fyrnock, making sure she wouldn't hit Ender, and fired at it, taking it down.
Ender shoved it off of him and got helped up by Serah before they jumped back onto the ramp.
Zeb punched away a fyrnock that leapt at him before firing his bo-rifle at some more, as did Ender, Hera and Serah as the Ghost lifted up in the air.
Hera then turned to get into the cockpit.
"Chopper, close her up!" Zeb told the astromech, who warbled as he turned to the controls and pressed a button to close the ramp up, which it did, though a fyrnock got stuck, keeping it from being fully closed.
"No hitchhikers!" Zeb growled as he turned his bo-rifle into its electrostaff form and electrocuted the fyrnock, throwing it out and making the ramp fully close.
Meanwhile, several fyrnocks managed to get onto the Ghost's hull, running all over it, and one was scratching the windshield of the cockpit.
"Kanan, we're all aboard." Zeb informed Kanan.
"Something's wrong. She's not responding." Kanan groaned as he flicked some switches while Hera had just entered the cockpit.
"Rerouting auxiliary power to the hull." She said as she flicked some switches and buttons, causing the hull to electrocute and shock the fyrnocks, knocking them off the ship.
"Didn't know the Ghost could do that." Kanan confessed.
"There's a lot you don't know about my ship." Hera replied flirtatiously before contacting Chopper through the comlink. "Chopper, reroute coolant to the engine."
Chopper acknowledged as Serah grabbed onto the ladder.
"Thanks for saving me back there." Ender told Serah before she could climb.
"No problem." Serah replied before climbing up, Zeb patting Ender's shoulder with a grin.
Chopper then did as he was told and informed Hera about that as she flicked some more buttons and switches, grinning at Kanan as she did so.
The Ghost was lowered right over the Phantom, placing it right where the magnetic lock is.
"Engaging magnetic lock." Hera said as the Phantom was grabbed via the lock.
She then pulled the controls up as Serah got into the nose turret and fired down at the fyrnocks to make sure they didn't jump onto the Ghost as it took off and left the asteroid belt.
Once they were far away from the base, they loaded the supplies into the cargo hold, where Ender and Zeb shared a guilty glance.
"Look, Hera, I'm sorry about not checking the diagnostic." Zeb apologised.
"All of us are. Especially Chopper, since he caused this to happen, right, Chop?" Ender said, sternly glaring down at said astromech, who warbled at Hera. "We'll actually make sure to fix the Phantom, this time."
"Don't worry about it." Zeb reassured.
"Now, why would I worry?" Hera said sarcastically as she walked up to the ladder.
"Perhaps it's because the last time they 'fixed it', we nearly ended up as a meal for some dangerous creatures?" Serah reminded her as she exited the nose turret, making the three wallow up with guilt.
"Oh, right. That's why." Hera said, glancing at them before she and Serah climbed up the ladder.
Both Ender and Zeb glared at Chopper, who was the most responsible, who also shuddered under their looks.
Serah made her way to her cabin, and was about to enter, when Hera approached her.
"Serah, I know you have questions, questions I can't answer right now. But know that I trust you. I just trusted you with my life down there." Hera explained.
"I know. All I wanted was reassurance that I'm not gonna be a blind follower again." Serah replied, wrapping her arms around herself.
"I can assure you you're not. We are making a difference, Serah. And I promise: we won't always be fighting this battle alone. Do you think you can trust me?" Hera asked.
"I will try." Serah promised.
Satisfied with the conversation, Hera left while Serah entered her cabin with a grin.
This episode/chapter I think does a good job at show how blind loyalty can have its problems, especially when it comes to following something or someone as evil as the Empire. And how such problems can cause trust issues with those that are definitely on the side of good, considering that keeping secrets can prove harmful, especially to those like Serah.
And this chapter will establish the type of brotherly bond Ender and Zeb will have for the rest of the story, where they now don't bicker and fight with each other, instead they get along better, and have solid banter.
