Chapter Text
There was something comforting in the familiarity of making caf to Hera, the rhythm of it. She’d done it so many times that muscle memory would generally take over, leaving her free to contemplate whatever was on her mind of late.
And considering everything that had been happening lately, she had plenty to think about.
It was a little over a month since they’d rescued Kanan from Tarkin’s Star Destroyer over Mustafar, and things had only gotten crazier since then. They’d started working more closely with the Rebellion— picking up fuel and cargo, milk runs, the like. Hera had to admit, she liked working alongside Phoenix Squadron and the others, being part of such a big team. For a while, things had been, if not normal or easy, at least peaceful. To some degree.
But then they’d gotten a transmission from Maketh Tua, and they’d returned to Lothal.
Things had gone very far downhill from there, starting with the shuttle they’d been planning to escape on blowing up and killing Minister Tua. Hera and the rest of the crew— excluding Okadiah, who’d opted to remain behind for this mission— had gone on the run with the Empire close on their heels. They’d made it to the Imperial complex and stolen a shuttle, but not without a fight.
A fight that was brought to them by a Sith Lord.
Hera didn’t know much about the Sith, only that they were the Jedi’s mortal enemies, and there had been a few around during the Clone Wars. And, judging by Kanan’s expression when he confirmed that they’d faced a Sith Lord, they weren’t to be messed with.
With a little help from Lando Calrissian— Hera was still unclear how Jyn knew the man, but it was very clear that he was more than a little intimidated by her— they escaped Lothal, and made it back to the fleet.
This had brought a whole other mess of troubles which they’d barely escaped from intact, including another encounter with the Sith lord, who turned out to be quite the pilot. Luckily for them, Hera was better. She felt herself smile as she poured herself a mug of the caf she’d made.
“Any of that for me?” Kanan’s voice came from directly behind her, and Hera felt his shoulder brush against her as he moved a little closer. Reflexively, she leaned towards the contact, and one of his arms slipped around her waist, pulling her against him.
Letting out a hum of contentment, she said, “Mugs in the cupboard if you want some.”
She could hear the smile in Kanan’s voice as he said, “I don’t know, I actually think I’m fine here.”
Hera felt her smile grow a little as she leaned her head against his shoulder. Things had been good between them over the past month. She’d never thought she’d be the kind of person to put much of an emphasis on a romantic relationship. But this one, what she had with Kanan… it was nothing like she’d ever expected. Every day she was grateful for him, for the fact they’d actually been brave enough to take the next step in their relationship.
They worked together flawlessly, just like before— although there had been a few exceptions. The most recent of these had been a few days ago, when they’d received Minister Tua’s transmission, and shortly afterwards, Kanan had told her that he didn’t want to be working so closely with the Rebellion.
They hadn’t exactly argued, not in the normal sense of the word. Force only knew Hera understood why he hated the military side of things, why he was reluctant for this to turn into a proper all out war. That didn’t change her conviction that they couldn’t avoid anything else, much though she wished it wasn’t true. Kanan had been less than willing to discuss the whole thing, but they were working through it.
They still didn’t totally agree on it, but that didn’t change what they were to each other. That was another thing Hera was thankful for.
Pulling her mind back to the present, she said, “If you want caf, you’d better have some now before your guests arrive.”
“Kriff— almost forgot about that.” Kanan released her and slid past her to grab a mug. As he filled it, he glanced at her, his brows furrowing. “You’re okay with this, right?”
“Meeting some of your agents for whatever mysterious meeting you and Ahsoka have planned?” Hera took a sip of her caf. “Of course. I’d be more concerned about how your agents feel about me knowing their identities. And security on your part, for that matter.”
“What, and keep secrets from you?” Kanan shook his head. “Not when I can help it. Besides, I want your input here, and you’ve actually met two of them already.”
Interesting, Hera mused thoughtfully. For the past few days, Kanan and Ahsoka had been planning some sort of meetup with three of Kanan’s agents. Hence why they were currently in the middle of space, with only Kanan, Ahsoka, Ezra, Chopper and Hera herself onboard the Ghost . The rest of the crew hadn’t been too pleased with being left on the Yellow Submarine with the fleet, but they’d grudgingly acquiesced.
Frankly, Hera just hoped that everyone was still alive when she got back. At least we didn’t leave Ezra with them, which lowers the chances of them killing each other significantly.
Her thoughts were interrupted by Chopper’s beeping from up in the cockpit. “Some ship just came out of hyperspace and is hailing us. This better be one of your scruffy Jedi’s people. Or better yet, it’s not and we can kill them.”
“Okay, relax, Chopper,” Hera said, taking a last drink of her caf before she set aside the mug and hurried into the cockpit, Kanan on her heels. She took her seat and glanced at Chopper. “Let the transmission through.”
Chopper beeped an affirmative, and seconds later a male voice crackled through the speaker. “This is the Banshee, hailing who better be the Ghost or we are royally kriffed. Anyone there?”
Hera’s eyebrows shot up as she recognized the voice, and Kanan chuckled softly behind her. “Looks like they’re here,” he said. “Do you want to respond or should I?”
“Go ahead, dear,” Hera said, waving a hand, and Kanan keyed the comm button.
“ Banshee , this is the Ghost, ” he said. “Come on and dock— oh, and please tell me you picked up who I told you to.”
“She’s here and ready to stab you for getting caught by the Empire,” the man said cheerfully. “See you in a bit!”
The comm clicked off, and Hera glanced at Kanan. “Should I be worried?”
“Not at all,” Kanan assured her. “Although I’m probably about to get smacked a little for being stupid.”
“I can live with that,” Hera quipped. “I’ll go get Ahsoka and Ezra, and meet you in the lounge.”
“Sounds good.” The two of them headed out of the cockpit, Kanan making his way to the airlock and Hera to Ezra’s room, where he was supposed to be meditating and was actually messaging Jyn to send him pictures of his loth cat, and then to Sabine’s room, where Ahsoka was staying temporarily.
The three of them headed into the lounge together, where Kanan was waiting for them, along with three others.
Two of them, Hera recognized immediately— a tall Kiffar man with a yellow tattoo, dark dreadlocks and an easy manner, and a slight woman with bone white skin and penetrating blue eyes, her hand lingering on the lightsaber on her hip. She’d met Quinlan Vos and Asajj Ventress shortly before she and Kanan had begun working together properly, and the duo were extremely unforgettable. Especially considering the circumstances she’d met them under.
Their companion, however, was unfamiliar to Hera. She was a human woman a few years older than Kanan, slightly shorter than Ventress with choppy black hair and blue-green eyes. Her clothing was simple and dark, and she wore a lightsaber and a thoughtful, slightly wary expression.
Her gaze landed on Hera, Ahsoka and Ezra first, but before she could speak, Ezra did. “Trilla!” he said, his voice delighted. “I didn’t know you were coming.”
The others turned to see them. “I wasn’t quite sure I’d make it,” Trilla told him, her voice lightly accented.
“It’s AWESOME that you did,” Ezra said, grinning hugely. “Hera, this is Trilla Suduri. Kanan found her in an underwater Force bubble and she taught him how to kick butt even better than he already can. Trilla, this is Hera.”
“I had a feeling,” Trilla said, studying Hera keenly for a moment. Then she turned back to Ezra. “How have you been?”
“Great— Kanan and Hera are dating now,” Ezra told her.
Hera felt herself flush, and Kanan winced. “Ezra—”
“About time!” Vos exclaimed, his grin huge. “I knew you two would eventually get together, it was fate. And the work of another extremely talented Force user in the room, if you don’t mind me saying so.” He directed a wink over Hera’s shoulder, to where Ahsoka was standing, and Hera turned towards her.
“Wait,” she said. “Did you—”
“I have no idea what meddling you’re talking about,” Ahsoka said, the barest of grins crossing her face. “But we should probably get this meeting started.”
“Ah, yes, the mystery meeting!” Vos said, rubbing his hands together. “I’m already excited. What kind of mission do you have for us?”
Kanan and Ahsoka exchanged a look. “It’s complicated,” Kanan said with a grimace. “Why don’t we sit down?”
“Does anyone want caf?” Hera offered, and Trilla, Ahsoka and Kanan all readily accepted, heading into the kitchen together, Hera following them. They returned a few minutes later, settling in their respective seats, and Kanan finally began.
“I’m sure you’re wondering why I called you all here—”
“You can say that again,” Vos agreed. “We have a bet going on, although I kinda want to change my guess to something involving you and Hera.”
Arching one brow, Ventress said, “You might want to tell us what it is that’s going on before Vos guesses something that embarrasses all of us.”
“Good plan,” Kanan agreed. “It has to do with the last time we were on Lothal. The Empire sent someone after us, someone—” he paused for a moment, seeming to falter, and Hera saw Trilla’s eyes narrow.
“What’s wrong?” Vos asked, his grin falling away. “Did something happen?”
“It has to do with the person that was sent after you, doesn’t it?” Trilla asked, her voice unreadable.
Nodding, Kanan said, “Yeah. There’s… no easy way to put this. The Empire sent a Sith Lord after us.”
Ventress swore softly, and Vos’s jaw dropped. “That was… definitely not one of our guesses,” he managed. “How— are you sure?”
“As sure as I can be,” Kanan said grimly. “I know you two have a bit more experience with them than I do, but the hatred, the fear, it was tangible. I’ve never felt the Dark Side more strongly. Ahsoka encountered him, too.”
All eyes turned to the Togruta woman, and she nodded. “I did, and Kanan’s right. It’s just like it was during the Clone Wars.”
“If Tano says it was, then it was,” Ventress said with a grimace.
“Not to be that person, but how the kriff did you escape?” Vos asked. “No offense to your skills, you know I respect you, but—”
“Sith lord. Yeah, I know. The first time was sheer luck— and he let us go, since he left a tracker on our ship. The second time…” Kanan paused, and a small smile crossed his face. “The second time, Hera handled him.”
“What?” Vos gaped at Hera. “How??”
Hera shrugged, striving to keep her tone matter of fact. “I trapped him in his own tractor beam and jumped to hyperspace.”
The three of them stared at Hera, their expressions dumbfounded, for a long moment. Then Trilla started laughing. Shaking her head, she said, “Of course you did. I like you. A lot.”
Kanan’s grin was incredibly smug as he said, “If there’s anyone who could pull it off, it’s Hera.”
“You’re exaggerating, dear,” Hera said, shooting him an amused look. “But thank you.”
“Aww, you guys are so cute,” Vos said. “But back to our imminent demise before I get too distracted. Why did you call us here?”
“I called you here because the more we know about this Sith, the better,” Kanan told him. “So I’m reassigning you three to research him, effective immediately. You and Ventress have experience with Sith, and Trilla—”
“Also has experience with Sith,” Trilla finished, her voice deliberately calm. “This one in particular.”
All eyes moved to her. “Really?” Kanan said, sounding surprised.
“You’re telling me it didn’t once occur to you that if there was a Sith in the Empire, a former Inquisitor would be the one to know about him?” Trilla pointed out dryly. Surprise flashed through Hera— she hadn’t known that Trilla was a former Inquisitor.
“It did occur to me,” Kanan admitted, “but considering you’ve never mentioned him, I didn’t think much about it.”
“I don’t talk much about that time if I can help it,” Trilla pointed out.
“Fair enough.” Kanan paused. “Is there something you can tell us about him?”
Trilla’s lips pressed into a deep frown, and she took a few minutes to answer. “Yes. But to clarify— he’s the one wearing all black armor? Terrifying breathing apparatus?”
“Yes— tell me you’re not implying there’s more than one Sith Lord,” Kanan said, frowning.
“Oh, there absolutely is, but that's not an issue for today,” Trilla said. “There’s only one currently trying to kill you. Lord Vader.”
A heavy silence seemed to fall over the room for a moment, broken seconds later by Ezra. “Wait, isn’t Vader that karker who tried to kill you?”
“Ezra,” Hera said, giving him a warning side glance. “Watch your language.”
“Sorry— isn’t Vader that karker who failed to kill you?”
Kanan let out a choked cough that Hera absolutely knew was a laugh. Hastily, he said, “Ezra, listen to Hera. But the kid’s got a point. That’s him, isn’t it?”
Trilla looked like she was trying not to laugh, although the expression vanished seconds later. “Yes. That won’t be a problem, though. I can handle this discussion. Especially if we’re planning to take him down.”
“Let me know if that changes,” Kanan said quietly, then gave her a nod to keep talking.
Seeming to rally, Trilla said, “He’s in charge of the Inquisitors— even the Grand Inquisitor took orders from him. His sole job is to hunt down the Jedi and exterminate them, at all cost. And he does it well. He… he killed Master Nu, and tried to kill Commander Fox before he disappeared.”
Kanan sat up straight. “Wait— he was the guy who tried to kill Fox? Why hasn’t Fox ever told me this?”
“Because he doesn’t do sharing information,” Trilla said. “It’s one of my favorite things about him.”
“Of course it is. What else do you know about him?”
Shrugging, Trilla said, “Only that no one knows where he came from, and he’s a ruthless killer. Not someone you want to tangle with.”
Letting out a sigh, Kanan said, “That’s unfortunate. Because I’m about to put you in charge of researching him.”
Trilla shrugged. “Well, what’s life without a few tangles with a Sith Lord?”
Hera saw Kanan hesitate, then said, “I want to bring Cal and the others in on this.”
Trilla stiffened. “That might not be the best idea,” she said, her voice tight.
“I know how you feel about—”
“It’s not about that.” Trilla grimaced. “Cal… has encountered Vader, too. So has Cere.”
Kanan stiffened, his eyes widening. “Oh. Kriff, I forgot about that.”
“Wait, I’m confused,” Vos cut in, frowning. “Who are we talking about?”
“Cal Kestis,” Kanan said, turning to Vos. “He’s alive.”
Vos’s eyes widened. “Seriously?” A grin crossed his face. “Shoulda known. That kid was pretty scrappy even back in the day. What’s he up to these days? Wait— is he one of your agents?”
“More or less,” Kanan said. “The Jedi survivor who’s been keeping an eye on him, Cere Junda, is a little… protective. Not my biggest fan. She probably won’t love the fact that I’m asking Cal to go after Vader. Especially since last time he almost died.” Shaking his head, he said, “I can’t believe that’s Vader. And I thought Cal was exaggerating. I hoped he was dead.”
“Didn’t we all,” Trilla said, her jaw tightening. Kanan studied her warily for a moment.
“I know you have your… reservations about Cal and the others knowing you’re alive,” he said. “But if this mission is going to succeed, I need you working with the Mantis crew. And this has to succeed. The Sith are too much of a threat for it not to.”
“And knowledge is power,” Ahsoka said quietly. She’d barely spoken throughout the meeting, her gaze far away as she listened. “Especially when going up against a Sith.”
A scowl crossed Trilla’s face, but she finally nodded. “Fine. But I have a few conditions.”
Kanan nodded, looking resigned. “Which are?”
“I get to tell them,” Trilla said immediately. She paused, then added, “And I want five minutes to talk to Hera. Privately.”
“What? Why?” Kanan looked completely blindsided by the request— and Hera couldn’t blame him. What exactly did Trilla want to talk to her about?
“Are you forgetting the definition of privacy?” Trilla said testily. “It’s none of your business.”
“I don’t mind,” Hera cut in. Standing, she gave Trilla a nod. “We can talk in the cockpit.”
“Excellent plan,” Trilla said, rising and following her out of the room and down the hall to the cockpit. Hera convinced Chopper to leave and give them a little privacy, and he reluctantly rolled out, grumbling as he did so.
The minute the door hissed shut behind him, Trilla turned to Hera. “We only have so long before Jarrus gets antsy, so I’ll get right to it. What are your intentions with Kanan?”
Hera’s jaw dropped, and she gaped at Trilla. While she’d been unsure of what exactly she’d wanted, this had never entered her mind. “I— I’m sorry, what are you— are you—”
“It’s pretty simple,” Trilla said matter-of-factly. “I’ve always wanted to do this, and I’m sure that Kanan’s already been threatened plenty. Also I just met you. And…” she shrugged, her expression becoming serious. “He saved my life, he and Ezra. Not just from the whole Force bubble thing, but also from— from the Dark side. Ask him about it sometime. But—” she shook her head impatiently— “that’s not the point. He’s family. And you seem nice and all that, but if you do anything to hurt him you’ll regret it. And I’ll be the one to make sure you do.”
Recovering from her initial shock, Hera said, “I’d never do anything to harm any of my crew members.”
“Kanan isn’t just one of your crew members,” Trilla pointed out, folding her arms. “Look— I don’t want to get involved in your relationship, that’s for sure. It’s none of my business. But he cares about you a crazy amount, has for as long as I’ve known him. He deserves to be with someone who feels the same way.”
Hera opened her mouth to respond, her temper flaring— then stopped abruptly. Because despite the fact that she and Kanan’s relationship wasn’t really any of Trilla’s business… she had a point. About Kanan deserving someone who cared about him. And in her position, Hera couldn’t say she wouldn’t be doing the same thing.
Although possibly with less threats.
“I understand,” she said. “And… I can’t promise you I’m not going to hurt Kanan, realistically. Neither of us are perfect, and I know myself well enough to know that I’m going to mess up at some point. But I’d never do it intentionally. He means a lot to me, too. This relationship… it’s one of the best things that’s ever happened to me. Even if I don’t show it in the same way he does.”
Trilla’s stoic expression softened a little. “Thank you,” she said. “And I’m sorry. Apparently I inherited my former master’s overprotectiveness of her people.”
“I can understand that,” Hera assured her. “And I definitely won’t hold it against you. After all, I’m working with Kanan, of all people. And he’s not usually too overprotective, but he has his moments.”
Trilla smirked. “I knew I was going to like you.”
“Once you were done threatening me?” Hera observed, and the other woman laughed.
“Right. After that.” She shrugged, her expression slightly amused. “If it’s any consolation, I didn’t really want to threaten you that much.”
To her surprise, Hera found herself giving Trilla a return smile— she already liked her more than she’d expected. “I’m not taking it personally, don’t worry,” she said.
“Good,” Trilla said. “Now, we should probably get back to the others before Kanan gets too impatient and sends Ezra to eavesdrop.”
“I doubt it would be hard to convince him,” Hera murmured wryly as they headed out of the cockpit together, and Trilla laughed again.
When they got back to the lounge, Kanan was intently discussing something with Ventress while Vos was telling Ezra some sort of story that involved a lot of hand waving and sound effects, while Ahsoka sat nearby, not really looking like she was listening to either conversation. Her expression was far away and troubled, like she had something serious on her mind.
Next to Hera, Trilla let out a soft noise. “Something’s bothering her,” she muttered.
“From what I could tell, it was the Sith lord,” Hera responded quietly. “She and Kanan were doing something with the Force, trying to find out more about him, and it knocked her unconscious.”
Trilla frowned. “Is that so? Hmm.” She studied Ahsoka for a minute, then seemed to dismiss it as she strode forward, catching the others’ attention.
“About time you got back,” Vos joked, sitting up with a grin. “You done with whatever you were talking about? And ready to tell us what it was?”
“None of your business, nosy,” Trilla said blandly. Turning to Kanan, she said, “Okay, what do we need to know?”
“I’m gonna send Cal a message with the bare essentials of what this is about— he’s teaming up with a couple other agents of mine to investigate an agent of the Empire that’s a serious problem for us. I won’t be telling him who you are or who he’s investigating, that’s up to you.” Pausing, Kanan added, “And you’re in charge, Trilla. This is your main priority right now. Got it?”
“Got it,” Trilla said briskly. “Anything else we should know?”
“No– actually, yeah. Vos, if you encounter Vader, under no circumstances should you do something dumb. Same goes for you, Ventress.”
“I resent that,” Ventress said, scowling. “But point taken. We will act in our adult selves. No, worse— we’ll act in our Kenobi selves.”
“Flirt with Vader?” Vos said, raising a quizzical eyebrow. Ventress buried her face in her hands.
“NO,” Kanan said emphatically.
“Oh, you mean Kenobi the killjoy. Okay, fine.”
“Act in your Hera selves,” Ezra suggested. “She trapped him in a tractor beam then got out of there without dying.”
Pointing at Ezra, Kanan said, “Thank you. Act in your Hera selves, please.”
Releasing a dramatic sigh, Vos said, “Fine. We’ll act in our Hera selves. Anything else?”
“We probably shouldn’t communicate any updates unless it’s face to face, except in case of emergency,” Kanan decided. “Oh— and we tell no one else about this, unless it’s urgent. Something’s telling me this is something we have to tread carefully with.”
“It’s Vader,” Trilla said grimly. “You’re treating this exactly the right way.”
“Good to hear.” Glancing around the room, Kanan said, “Is that understood? We don’t talk about this. At all. Ezra?”
“I get it, I get it,” Ezra said, raising his hands defensively. “I’ll act in my Hera self, too.”
Kanan gave him a nod of approval, then turned back to the others. “I think that’s about it, unless you’ve got anything else you need to report?”
“I found a place on Ord Mantell that makes really good burrito bowls,” Vos offered. “And before you ask what we were doing on Ord Mantell, you probably don’t want to know.”
“Probably not,” Kanan agreed. “Okay— I want a face to face meeting with one of you in a few months to check in. We’ll see you then.”
Vos and Ventress took this as their cue to leave, rising from their seats and bidding their goodbyes. Ventress was quick and matter of fact, while Vos stopped to give Kanan, Ezra and Ahsoka hugs. When he reached Hera, he clasped her hand with a grin. “Glad you and Kanan made it,” he told her. “Make sure I’m invited to the wedding, okay? I can’t miss that.” Without waiting for a response, he headed towards the airlock, looking slightly smug.
Trilla bid them goodbye next, giving Ezra a quick hug and Ahsoka a nod. When she got to Kanan and Hera, she said, “About time you two got together. Don’t mess this up, you two.”
“Really reassuring, Trilla,” Kanan said, rolling his eyes.
Patting him on the shoulder, Trilla said, “I have faith in you. Both of you. If there’s one relationship that’s gonna last, it’s you two.” She gave Hera a smile, then followed the others to the airlock. A few minutes later, the Banshee detached and slipped away, jumping to hyperspace not long afterwards.
Ahsoka seemed to take this as her cue to leave, slipping back into Sabine’s room with a few murmured excuses. Ezra went to make himself a snack, and Hera headed up into the cockpit and began programming the navicomputer, getting ready to jump back to where the fleet was waiting.
Kanan joined her after only a few minutes, settling in the co-pilot’s seat that had become his over the past few months. He didn’t say much, just helped where she needed it and kept her company. They fell into an easy rhythm, as they often seemed to, in a way Hera would never have expected she’d be able to.
And yet here he was, sitting next to her as she got ready to make the jump to hyperspace. A smile crossed her face at the thought as she reached out and keyed the internal com. “We’re about to jump to hyperspace,” she said. “Everyone hang on.”
Reaching out, Hera pushed the lever forward, and the black of space transformed into the blue-white of hyperspace.
Next to her, Kanan leaned back in his chair with a sigh. “Always nice to get away from a meetup like that intact,” he remarked. “Especially what with… well, what we were discussing.”
“Do you really think it’s that dangerous?” Hera asked quietly.
“I do.” A frown crossed Kanan’s face. “There were a few Sith around during the Clone Wars. I never tangled with them, but… I heard stories. I always knew that the Sith were dangerous— and that was before I actually fought one. He was so powerful. If he hadn't let us go… I don’t know if I could have protected Ezra. Protected all of you.”
Spinning her chair around to face him, Hera reached out and took Kanan’s hand. “But we did escape,” she said firmly. “And you don’t have to fight him on your own.”
Giving her hand a quick squeeze, Kanan said, “I know. Thank you. But my point is… it’s a good thing we sent Trilla and the others to investigate him. We need to know more. Plus, if anyone can handle a Sith lord, it’s Vos and Ventress.”
“I get the feeling there are quite a few stories you need to tell me about your operatives,” Hera observed. “Especially Trilla— how exactly did you meet and adopt an ex-Inquisitor?”
“First of all, long story. Second of all, it was Ezra who adopted her, not me.”
“Uh-huh,” Hera said, letting skepticism fill her tone. “And that’s why she threatened to make me regret it if I hurt you. Makes total sense.”
“She did what?” Kanan gaped at her. “What— oh, that is not okay. We are definitely going to have a conversation about this—”
“Relax, dear,” Hera said, patting him soothingly on the hand. “She meant the best. And besides, it’s not like Zeb didn’t give you the same kind of talk. And Chopper.”
“Point,” Kanan grumbled, sitting back in his chair with a huff of annoyance and folding his arms. “Okay, next time someone threatens you—”
Holding up her hand, Hera said, “Why don’t we just hope there isn’t a next time, alright?”
“Good plan.” Kanan was silent for a moment, then asked, “What did you say to her, anyways?”
“She was worried that I didn’t care about you as much as you cared about me,” Hera said calmly, turning back to face the viewport. “I told her that—” she paused, feeling herself flush slightly. “That you were one of the best things that ever happened to me.”
She couldn’t see Kanan’s expression as she kept her eyes fixed firmly ahead, and Hera wasn’t quite sure if she wanted to. The co-pilot’s chair creaked slightly, and Hera heard the sound of his boots as he moved across the cockpit, his hand coming down to rest on her shoulder lightly.
Bending down, he pressed a gentle kiss against her temple. “Thank you,” he murmured, his voice low and deep and so tender, it sent a shiver through Hera. “I feel the same way about you.”
Hera felt her breath catch as she turned to face Kanan. There was a warm, happy light in his eyes and in his smile, and she couldn’t help but feel a flash of happiness that she was the one who’d put it there. Wordlessly, she slipped her hand into his, and he pressed a kiss against the back of it, his gaze still holding hers.
There was a knock at the cockpit door. “Hey, you guys want something to eat?” Ezra called. “Ahsoka said I should ask you, and also probably knock first.”
Kanan, obviously holding back a laugh, called over his shoulder, “Yeah, we’ll be there in a bit.” Turning back towards Hera, he asked, “You coming?”
“Under one condition,” Hera said, rising from her seat, her hand still in Kanan’s. “I want to hear this long story about how you met Trilla. We’ve got time.”
“Your wish is my command, Captain Hera,” Kanan said, giving her a grin.
So they spent the next couple hours as they rushed through hyperspace, talking and telling stories and laughing. It was one of those small slices of peace they managed to carve out of the life they were living right now, and Hera treasured all of them, especially any of them where she got to sit next to Kanan and listen to him joke with Ezra or tell a story or even tease her about something.
She was incredibly lucky to have this man. This family. And she hoped she would never forget that.