Unsettled/Disillusioned

Chapter 17: the Mission

"You're going to Koboh," Andor had said bluntly, in the shortest mission briefing Kanan had experienced since the Phoenix Squad had joined the Massassi Group on Yavin IV. The Spectres didn't usually take orders from Draven's side of the Rebellion, but Bail Organa had supported the mission and let Andor give them what little details they could.

Kanan had replayed the transmission over and over in the co-pilot's seat of the Ghost as the blue light of hyperspace washed over the ship.

"I humbly request the assistance of the Rebellion, the Ghost crew, for a rescue and retrieval case. The Empire has intercepted a smuggling operation of my own. I cannot risk its details leaking over comms. Please, Kanan, I'm asking as a friend. Come to Koboh and I'll tell you everything once you're here," Cal had said. Little more than 'come to Koboh'. But Organa thought it was urgent enough to respect Cal's request and sent the Ghost crew on the Jedi's merit alone.

"Kestis doesn't normally act like this, I think whatever he needs help with might be really important. Take the Ghost crew to Koboh to investigate," Andor had instructed, "we'll send Kallus along to assist you. It seems Kestis will give you a full briefing once you're there."

For the last hour of their trip, Kanan stayed in the cockpit and replayed the transmission again and again, had Cal hidden a message in the transmission as well? Had there been another test, a hidden message Kanan could only sense through the Force? Kanan wasn't really complaining; his friend needed his help and he'd jump at the chance to give him that aid. He just wished Cal had given them a bit more to work with.

"— I'll tell you everything once you're here," All Kanan could sense was the slight hint of genuine fear in Cal's voice that he had tried to hide under the Fulcrum vocode.

"So, rescue and retrieval, eh?" Zeb pondered as he entered the Ghost's cockpit and pat Kanan on his shoulder. They would drop out of hyperspace soon, so Zeb strapped into his seat behind Kanan. Ezra and Chopper also barrelled in behind the Lasat. Kanan sensed Sabine and Kallus stayed behind in the galley, still studying the datalogs on the planet and Cal Kestis himself.

"Does he want us to retrieve some artefacts for him?" Ezra asked from his seat.

"Cal used his Fulcrum frequency to send the transmission," Hera said from beside Kanan, "Cal's serious about that kind of work. I don't think he'd use Fulcrum for something as trivial as trinkets," she said as she pulled on the ship's yoke. The world shifted as the Ghost jumped between the dimensions, the ship hummed with the energy of real space. Kanan could sense three main bodies before them; the large but calm presence of the planet Koboh, its small, cold moon and beyond that... a devouring maw.

"Whoa, what's that nebula nearby?" Ezra asked. Chopper warbled about some celestial anomaly on the edge of the system and brought up the datalog on the planet and surrounding region.

"Says here, it's called the Koboh Abyss, a ship eater. Cal warned me about it, but it's further out than Koboh's moon. We're safe at this distance," Hera explained from the readout. With a few beeps and whistles, Chopper had plotted a course to descend onto the planet, steering clear of the celestial anomaly.

Kanan tried to focus on the planet itself, but the Abyss clawed on his psyche no matter how much he tried to ignore it. It felt so strange in the Force, like time and space itself had been warped and tangled up around a single point deep within a mess of energy.

"Karabast, what happened to the moon?" Zeb swore as the Ghost wove past a debris field.

"Looks like it got shattered," Ezra gasped as they made their way closer to the planet.