The Unchronicled Adventures Of Ahsoka Tano, Book Nine

Chapter Sixty-One: A Beginning And An End

HERA SYNDULLA

As the hooded figure in the hologram faded away into nothingness, Hera seated herself on a corner of her bed, clasping and unclasping her hands. She sat there in silence for a long time, deep in thought.

The last hour had brought more than a few shocking pieces of information to the surface, as well as many things she hadn't been entirely sure were possible.

Was she really going to do this? Commit to rebelling against Imperial control of the galaxy completely? She had always known that her purpose in the galaxy was to take a stand against the Empire on a larger scale than just the occupation on Ryloth. But was this really the way to do it?

"Yes," she said, answering the questions that had been plaguing her for some time now all at once.

She had never had any real love for the Empire, and she remembered clearly when, having just bought the Ghost, she had started running jobs for an unnamed organization whose purpose was to cause trouble for the Empire's forces.

In the beginning, it had just been for the money to keep herself and her vessel shipshape. And if it was doing something to lessen the oppression of the free peoples of the galaxy, then that made it even better.

But then, Bail Organa had first asked her to join the Rebellion full-time.

He hadn't contacted her with information about more than a handful of jobs over the course of the past few years, most recently being a few weeks before. It had been for a mission to meet with a contact that had led to a series of events that to this day still made her head spin.

But it was best not to dwell on the past when the present needed her full attention. The sudden chime of the doorbell to her room illustrated that perfectly.

It's probably Kanan.

"Come in," Hera called. As the door opened, she rose to her feet, brushing the wrinkles out of her pilot gear as she did so.

Her eyes met Kanan's, and she crossed her arms over her chest. He leant up against the doorframe, his posture casual but the depth to his turquoise orbs suggesting that he had a lot on his mind; a lot of questions and doubts he hoped to find the solutions to.

For a moment, they were both silent. Then, Kanan stepped forward, letting the door slide shut behind him. The expression that Hera had learned in the years she had spent with him was a visual representation of his general distrust for what he didn't understand was on his face, and she braced herself for the worst.

"Are you sure this Fulcrum person is for real?" he asked finally.

"Yes. Trust me, he knows what he's doing," Hera told him patiently, remembering Fulcrum's instructions to refer to her as a male at all times except for when they were speaking privately.

"Then let me speak to him."

"No." Hera shook her head, her lekku bobbing around her face. "No, that wouldn't work. He said he would only speak with one person to maximize security, and he chose me. There's not much to see, anyways – it's just a hologram of a person with their hood on. You can't make anything out."

Kanan's eyes narrowed, and, belatedly, Hera realized that might have been the wrong thing to say.

In an attempt to remedy the situation before it got much worse, she spoke up before he could say anything. "I trust Fulcrum, and you trust me. Isn't that enough?" She took a step closer, taking his hand. "Accepting Fulcrum as an ally could be very beneficial for us, and we could help a lot more people this way. But I need you on board, Kanan."