Darker the Night (A Star Wars Rebels AU)

Chapter Four

Captain Enneb was a tall, wiry human with short graying hair and a kind but overall very no-nonsense demeanor. Hera was in awe of her and usually hung on every word the woman said. That afternoon, though, there was a Jedi standing next to her as she began the pre-flight briefing in one corner of the noisy Starfighter Corps hangar. None of the cadets were listening to a single word the Captain was saying.

The human Jedi was quite tall, and young- a bit older than the cadets, but not by much. The slightly curling ends of his reddish-brown hair just reached his earlobes, and there was a skinny braid that started behind his right ear and extended down the length of his neck. He wore the usual Jedi garb- long brown cloak, tall brown boots, off-white tunic, and loose pants. His skin had a dark golden hue.

Hera, for her part, was at least making some effort to focus on the Captain. The rest of the squadron was fidgeting and whispering back and forth. Keran, ever the class disruptor, elbowed her and murmured, "Do you know who he is?"

"No," Hera whispered back. "Why would I know who he is?"

The murmurs and fidgeting quickly reached a level of disruption that the Captain could no longer ignore.

"It seems that you're all having difficulty acting like professionals this afternoon," she sniffed, irritated. "Cadets, this is Caleb Dume. He will be evaluating your performance in flight and giving instruction as he sees fit. You will extend to him the same deference and courtesy you would any superior officer."

Hera heard Keran sigh as she leaned towards her. "Whew. It's really too bad that those Jedi aren't allowed to have relationships, huh?" she whispered near Hera's ear cone.

Before she could stop herself, Hera rolled her eyes at Keran's comment. It was a bad habit that her mother had always hated. When her eyes returned to the front of the squadron where the Jedi stood, she saw that he was looking right at her. Had he heard Keran? Had he seen her behave in such an incredibly unprofessional manner? His expression was serious, but his green eyes were sparkling with amusement. Her cheeks flushed deep green with embarrassment. Nevertheless, Hera lifted her chin and continued to meet his eyes. She made it a point never to lose her cool.

As they looked at each other, a jolt passed between them, following the path of their locked gaze.

Hera's eyes widened in surprise, and she felt a powerful desire to look away- but the Jedi looked away first. He glanced around for a second or two as if not entirely sure of exactly where he was, and then seemed to return to himself. His youthful appearance and apparent awkwardness were disarming.

The Captain was less impressed. She gave him a curt nod, said, "I'll leave you to it," and strode away towards the control room. It was Hera's understanding that the Jedi were always superior to even the most superior officers of the Judicial Forces- even some of the Jedi who hadn't yet passed the trials. This Jedi- Caleb Dume- cleared his throat and took a few steps forward, closing the gap between himself and the squadron. He glanced around at the faces, carefully avoiding hers.

"You all can call me Caleb, or Dume, if it makes you feel more comfortable- the Jedi aren't militarized," he told them. "I think we'll start with some basics today, so I can get an idea of what your strengths and weaknesses are- individually, and as a squadron. Nothing too basic, of course. I'm told that this squadron is pretty good." His voice was deep and warm, with just a hint of a sardonic undertone. He spoke with far more confidence than she had been expecting, and she wondered if she'd been mistaken about him being awkward.

"It's mostly Syndulla," Keran the class disruptor said, pointing at Hera. The cadets laughed. Hera had already become their unofficial squadron leader, and by that time, everyone knew that she was the reason for their excellent performance. Dume's eyes lit on her and moved quickly away.