Darker the Night (A Star Wars Rebels AU)

Chapter Two

Hera's mornings at the Judicial Academy were spent in class, absorbing every bit of information she could. Afternoons were for flight training, and it often extended into the early evening. That was fine with her- she was flying ships she'd only ever read about on the HoloNet, and she was flying them better than anyone else in her class. It should have earned her a few enemies, but her sincere willingness to help her classmates improve their skills won her a devoted group of admirers instead. In any case, they were all too tired to expend any energy on fighting amongst their ranks.

Initially, her flight instructor had her flying a BTL-B Y-wing, but within a few weeks, she was given a Delta-7 Aethersprite-class light interceptor.

"You can handle it," Captain Enneb, her flight instructor, told her.

Hera was stunned. "This...this is..."

"A Jedi starfighter?" Enneb finished, slapping the hull of the dark red-and-white painted ship. "Yes. Much more responsive controls."

"I'm not a Jedi, how could I possibly..."

"You may not be a Jedi, but you're just as good a pilot as most who fly these ships. In a few years, you'll be better than most. A Y-wing isn't a challenge for you."

Hera lifted her chin with pride. "Thank you, Captain."

"You earned it, Syndulla. No need to thank me. Now...these ships don't strictly require an astromech, but as we start flying missions for the Navy, we'll want astromechs on board for safety reasons. You might as well head over to the droid shop and get one before you take this ship up- find one you'll like working with."

Hera took one last lingering look at her new ship and headed off across the hangar towards the droid shop. Coming towards her from the opposite direction were two robed figures. Her pace slowed- these were undoubtedly Jedi. The duo was in the midst of a heated argument and did not notice Hera rather rudely staring at them.

The slightly shorter, bearded Jedi was saying, "Anakin, for the last time, we are not going to ignore a direct mandate from the Council."

The taller Jedi snorted and rolled his eyes. "Was it a mandate? Or was it more like a guideline?"

The bearded Jedi seemed at a loss for words, but he nodded politely at Hera as he passed her. The taller one ignored her completely, evidently lost in his own thoughts. A few seconds later, they were out of Hera's earshot. She smiled. So that was the famous Anakin Skywalker she'd heard so much about.

She had seen a number of Jedi, at a distance, in the few weeks she'd been on Coruscant. None of the locals were remotely fazed by them, but Mid and Outer Rim folk- the yokels, her classmates joked- were still working on getting over the sight of, say, a Jedi having a drink at one of the cantinas the students frequented. Sometimes even with the students.

Her closest new friend, Keran, was from Hosnian Prime and made fun of her constantly. "It's only because I like you," she'd tell Hera, chuckling. "Anyway, you can take it. Everyone I've ever met from the Outer Rim is tough, but you're tougher than durasteel."

Hera didn't always feel tougher than durasteel, but she'd never let anyone know it. She reached the droid shop and found it manned by a disgruntled-looking human in dirty coveralls. He was not the slightest bit interested in assisting her, and merely jerked his thumb at a row of astromechs when she inquired about them.

She walked down the row, looking them over. They were mostly R2 and R4 units, all in reasonably good condition. At the end of the row, there were several units that were being worked on- one of which was was missing a leg, and very angry about it. He was a smaller C1 unit, white with orange and yellow accents. He was waving his grasper arms around and complaining loudly that the organic who ran the shop was too lazy to reattach his leg.

A wrench came flying across the shop, and it clanged against the little droid's dome and nearly knocked him over. Hera immediately reached out and steadied him to keep him from toppling.

"Be quiet, you little rustbucket, or I'll take the other leg before I wipe your memory!" the dirty droid mechanic yelled.

Hera's lips pressed into a thin line for a moment. "I'll take this one," she said.

"That one's not ready. Can't you see it's missing a leg and it needs a memory wipe? It's seen action- a skirmish with the Separatists. Pilot was lost. It's a bad droid. Really should be disintegrated, if you ask me, but times being what they are-"

"I said I'll take this one," Hera repeated, this time more forcefully. "I can fix his leg."

"Look, girlie-"

Hera stalked towards the man, her eyebrows drawing together into a fierce scowl. "I'm taking that droid, whether you like it or not. And don't call me 'girlie'."

The mechanic's mouth, which had been hanging open, now closed with a snap. He'd recognized that the slim, attractive Twi'lek was, in fact, not someone to be trifled with. "It don't make no difference to me, lady. Less work for me to do. There's a dolly by the loading dock."

The droid's grumbling had subsided somewhat, but he continued to berate the mechanic all the way across the hangar.

Keran was waiting for Hera when she reached their squadron's training area. "Is it true?"

"That I just acquired the crankiest droid on Coruscant?" Hera said. "Yes. It's true."

"No!" Keran said, entirely ignoring Hera's new acquisition and his sorry state. "The Jedi starfighter! Captain Enneb said you were going to be flying it!"

Hera rubbed the back of one lek sheepishly. "It's true."

"At first, we thought she was joking, but then we had to ask ourselves when Enneb has ever made a joke..."

"That's a valid point," Hera acknowledged.

"I can't believe it!" Keran squealed. "I mean...I can believe it. You're an amazing pilot. But a Jedi starfighter is a big deal."

"I know. Help me move this thing, will you?"

Keran gazed doubtfully at the one-legged droid on the dolly, who was still grumbling. "That is one awful-looking, angry astromech."

Hera grinned. "I think he's going to be great."