Darker the Night (A Star Wars Rebels AU)

Chapter Sixteen

After Caleb left her cabin, Hera stood in the same spot for a minute, staring blankly at the bulkhead opposite her. Too many things had happened in too short a period, and she didn't even know where to begin trying to parse all of it. Memories of the last couple of hours, in particular, kept replaying and pushing themselves to the forefront of her thoughts. Sweet as those recollections were, they made her want more of him, and she didn't want to hope and dream about someone she might never see again.

She shook herself out of her reverie and looked around the cabin for anything she might have left behind, and then she remembered that she hadn't had anything in her possession, to begin with. She walked over to the bunk and looked down at it. It was already hard to believe that Caleb had been lying there asleep just a short while before. She smiled, thinking about how difficult it had been to detangle herself from his arms. Even in a deep sleep, he had not wanted to release her.

There was a knock on the door. Much as she already wanted to see him again, she hoped it wasn't Caleb- she didn't want to say goodbye for the second time. She walked to the door and opened it to find Ahsoka standing there.

"Hi, Hera. I hope I'm not bothering you, but we'll be landing in just a minute, and I've been asked to escort you."

"Escort me? Where?"

Ahsoka looked sheepish. "Didn't anyone tell you? The High Council wants your report."

"The High Council?" Stop repeating everything she says.

"Yes. Don't worry, though. I doubt it will take long. You and Caleb were the only survivors of a Separatist attack on a diplomatic ship, so there's a certain amount of bureaucratic nonsense involved in that situation. I'm sure you're familiar with that, being a Naval officer."

Just then, Hera felt the ship touch down inside the Jedi Temple hangar. "Oh, I'm definitely very familiar with the Republic red tape," she said.

"There's also the matter of the terentatek," Ahsoka added.

"What about it?"

"Well, I'm not really sure." Ahsoka gestured for Hera to follow her down the corridor. "Caleb said it was corrupted by the dark side, so they want to know more about that. I'm guessing they also just want to meet you. Killing a terentatek is a big deal."

"I thought I was going to die," she said. The memory of it was hazy- she remembered feeling almost possessed, not like herself at all. She supposed it was just adrenaline and her survival instinct.

"You must have an incredibly strong will to have survived the venom. Killing it the way you did was really smart, though. And brave. I don't think many people in that situation would have the presence of mind or courage to go directly for a teretatek's brain by shoving their entire arm into its mouth."

"It was the only way I could think of to kill it. I had no idea whether it would work."

They made their way down the ship's ramp and into the bustling Temple hangar. Hera glanced around, trying not to be too obvious about it, but there was no sign of Caleb.

"Well, it did. So I suspect the Council is curious about you," Ahsoka said, smiling at a couple of Clones as they passed.

"Where's the High Council?" Hera asked.

"It's at the top of the High Council tower- one of the four spires surrounding the central spire. It sounds farther than it is- the lift is just up ahead. They designed it that way so that visitors could get to the High Council chamber quickly. Caleb is probably already up there. Try not to be nervous."

"Should I be nervous?"

Ahsoka smiled. "I won't lie- it's a bit intimidating."

"Well, now I am nervous!" Hera said.