"Okay Kanan, spill. Why is Ahsoka so important to you? Really," The Twi'lek added, seeing the Jedi's protest before it even fully formed. Kanan sighed, rubbing an eye. He held up a single finger to Hera, to wait, and poked his head through the door of his cabin out into the hall. A quick glance-around told him that the Spectres had allowed Kanan and Hera this one moment of privacy to discuss what had happened.
After ducking his head back in his room, Kanan swatted at the single air-vent over his room, also checking for any small eavesdroppers that may or may not be residing above them. The absence of a protesting shout proved that they were alone.
"Hera..." He laughed once, not out of mirth but tension, before continuing, "I guess there's no easy way to say this, but I... I'm scared for Ezra."
The Twi'lek cocked an eyebrow, not out of judgment or vice, but in an invitation for him to continue. That was one of the things Kanan liked about Hera; that she always saved judgment until she had all the facts. Kanan cleared his throat.
"When we were escaping the Imminent Pursuit with Ezra, Vader probed both of us." Hera nodded, he had already told her this, but Kanan now went into more detail than he had before.
"Hera... if he wanted to, he could have crushed both of us then and there. Ezra was out cold and I, well, I was no where near as strong as I had to have been to hold him off. But he didn't. Vader just... he just kind of, retreated, after he saw both of us, and I swear, he was... amused.
"I couldn't think too much about it then and there, because we were flying for our lives, but afterwards... I thought about it some more. I think he's interested in Ezra." Upon seeing the worried look Hera was showing, Kanan waved his hands hurriedly.
"Not like the Inquisitor was, for power, but... I don't know. It was the only thing I could think of that explained why he didn't just kill both of us right then and there." Hera nodded, but her eyes were still narrowed in worry.
"That would also explain the increased wanted level on your heads. And why the Imperials are still trying to find you two with vigor even though the Inquisitor's gone." Even though the main Jedi hunter in the Outer Rim had been vanquished, the Imperials were still doing their best to hunt down Kanan and Ezra. That wasn't too surprising, but so far Kanan hadn't heard of the instalment of a new Jedi-vanquisher. So the fact that the efforts to catch to two Force-sensitives could only be because of direct orders to locate them, delivered by a higher-up in the Empire. A higher up like Vader.
"So? Why do you think Ahsoka could help with that?" Kanan looked up into Hera's emerald eyes.
"Because she was the apprentice to Master Skywalker, like I said. The Chosen One."
Kanan had long ago told her about the prophecy of the Jedi, in which a single boy would destroy the Sith and bring balance to the Force. Kanan himself had never delved too much into it as a Padawan, instead learning how to fight efficiently in the Clone Wars, as was wont for the Jedi to do in that time-period.
But he had known that Skywalker was one of the essential pivots in the Clone Wars, using his head and gut in equal pairings to pull himself and his men to victory even when it seemed impossible. Frustratingly, Kanan knew even less about his apprentice, other than that her talent had seemed to stem directly from her Master. Then, she had left, for reasons almost completely unknown to Kanan, and had never been heard from again.
"Master Skywalker was the hope of the Jedi through the Wars. They thought that he would be the one to end it all... and he would have been, if events hadn't played out the way they did. He was un-beatable in the Wars. Wherever he went, victory followed.
"But then he was defeated. Darth Vader killed him, seemingly on Mustafar. After that, the Jedi just fell like dominoes, one by one, until we managed to get enough sense through our skulls that this one fight couldn't be won... after all, our main go-to guy had been downed; killed off. What chance did we stand against Vader?" Kanan rubbed his eyes, plopping down onto his cot.
"And if that is taking an interest in my Padawan, I just can't help but feel that our days are numbered."
"Don't say that!"
"Hera..." Kanan leaned forwards, putting his head in his hands.
"If Vader really is interested in Ezra, he won't stop until he's converted or killed him. The only reason why he hasn't done so until know is that we've been staying in the Outer Rim. Vader, being one of the highest commanders in the Empire, can't just come down here whenever he fancies it to check on a pet project of his. He most probably has to receive orders from the Emperor.
"Now, with the rumors you brought back to us, I'm convinced that he's been given leave by the Emperor to personally deal with Ahsoka. That gives him access to us. And even if we somehow aren't detected by him and he leaves the system without ever catching our scent, he'll keep looking. He'll keep looking until he finds Ezra... or kills him." Kanan rubbed his temples soothingly, trying to get across to Hera everything that was going on inside his head.
"That's why I've almost been training Ezra non-stop the past year. I'm scared for him. I'm so scared, Hera, because I know nothing I can teach him will be good enough or powerful enough to protect him. Vader's just too strong." Kanan took a deep breath, steadying his breathing and focusing on the news the senator-in-exile had delivered to them.
"That's why I want- need -to rescue Ahsoka. She was apprenticed under the man who only Vader was strong enough to defeat, and if she can teach what she knows to Ezra, he might just have a chance against Vader. It's my only hope right now." Kanan looked up at Hera, to see her staring at him with an odd look in her eyes.
"What?" The Twi'lek shook her head gently, leku swaying slightly.
"You two really are something. I don't think I've ever met someone so determined as either one of you to keep each-other safe." Kanan blinked, caught off guard. Hera smiled.
"Now, how's about we go prep for our missions?" Kanan smiled slightly, nothing more than a twitch of his upper lip. Hera knew to take him seriously, the Twi'lek was probably just as worried as he was. But she knew to conceal it; to concentrate on the task at hand instead of dwelling on it. He could learn from her in some areas.
"Sure. I'm pretty sure you're just itching to take out that facility, aren't you?"
"Well, a girl has to stay busy somehow, right?"
"No matter who gets done first, everyone flies to these coordinates after their mission, alright? We need a safe rendezvous point, and if we're going to have Imps on our tails, we'll need to keep it away from a planet to avoid them pulling out reinforcements too quickly." Hera pointed at the blank space of space on the star-chart somewhat close to the planet of Yavin Prime, where Kanan and Ezra would be heading to.
"Isn't that a little too far from us to be an equal distance to jump to? That'd take a lot more fuel out of the Ghost than the Phantom." Hera nodded at Sabine.
"That's intended. The Phantom can go into hyperspace, but it's just a small excursion vessel. It wasn't meant for extended periods of jumping. Besides, don't you think that our convict would appreciate a shorter ride in the Phantom than a longer one?" Sabine chuckled slightly, looking back at the star-charts.
Yavin Prime, a giant gas planet in the Yavin system, was uninhabitable for humanoid life-forms. Three of it's twenty-six moons however, were. The particular moon that the rescue team was heading for, Yavin 4, was lush with jungles and forests. If the ex-senator's information was correct, then Ahsoka had been stuck on that moon for a while, nearly a year. The Mandalorian could see her wanting a short trip off of the planet, instead of going from one type of confinement to another.
"And since neither me nor Ezra are complaining," Kanan added, "we're gonna stick to this. You're mission should be a short one, so by the time you finish it, we'll still probably be carrying out the mission. Sorry, but you guys are most likely gonna have to wait a few hours before we finish and rendezvous back with you." Ezra nodded, hair bobbing slightly as he agreed with his Master.
"Now, if you two-" Hera pointed in the direction of Kanan and Ezra, "even think about getting yourselves hurt, I swear I will personally scramble both of your skulls. Ahsoka's important, yes, but so are the two of you. Don't go getting yourselves killed, am I clear?" Kanan smiled slightly at the Twi'lek, while Ezra gave a mock-salute.
"Ma'am, yes ma'am. Don't get killed. I'll add that to my priority list, numero uno." Hera nodded.
"Then that's everything set. If we want to act fast, we'd better get going. Kanan, you'll want to pack some rations and med-supplies, just in case Ahsoka's in worse shape than we hope." The Jedi nodded, having already gone over this with the pilot.
"We got that taken care of; Ezra's gonna be our pack-mule." Said teen pulled a face at his Master, who'd referenced the bulging orange pack on his shoulders, filled with whatever Hera had thought might be useful in their journey. Like, whatever she though could be useful. Sabine was surprised Ezra could even stand with the thing on his back, but he did indeed look like some form of transportation animal. "Are you guys sure that you'll be alright taking out the Tie base without us?" Zeb rolled his eyes while Sabine crossed her arms.
"We've been alone on a Star Destroyer before, haven't we? We'll take care of the bucket-heads, you two just do whatever you Jedi-folk do." Ezra smirked, while Kanan shook his head. "Just be sure to blow them sky-high for us."
"Oh! Speaking of which," Sabine pulled out three metal spheres from her side holsters, throwing them to Ezra, who caught them. "Just wanted to make sure that you two are set with some of the best miracles I can make." Ezra looked pleasantly surprised, tossing the small bombs in his hands. The Mando knew that he appreciated her work, and knew just how useful having three small explosives could be, whether they had lightsabers or not.
"Thanks, Sabine. I'm sure these'll make themselves veeery useful in the future." Sabine cocked her head, raising an eyebrow. "Would they ever be anything but useful?" Ezra chuckled, pocketing the devices. "Well, maybe if we weren't highly dangerous terrorists against the Empire..."
Sabine just smiled.