Chapter Text
"So, you're not mad at me anymore?"
"I am. I just don't want to kill you right now."
"I appreciate it."
"You have to thank my…"
"Yes, I know, your friend, who really does exists."
"She does!"
"If you say so."
*
"Stop eavesdropping and go to sleep already!"
Ezra jumped and hit his head at the sudden sound of Zeb's voice. He winced, and rubbing his head, glanced from the upper bunk to the lower one. The Lasat's cat-like eyes stared at him from the darkness, two green lights piercing him with an irritated gaze.
"I thought you were sleeping" Ezra whispered. "Besides, it's hard not to eavesdrop when they're so loud!"
"You had your ear pressed against the wall."
"Not true!"
"I heard it."
"How could you hear me pressing my ear against something? " Ezra shouted, to which Zeb silenced him, not hiding his irritation.
"They're talking about some nonexistent friend of Hera's again!" this time Ezra tried to whisper.
"What do you mean, again? Kid, how often do you eavesdrop on them?"
"Sometimes! And only when they shout!" he said too quickly. "So what's the deal with it?"
Zeb sighed deeply, probably wondering why he had to share a cabin with a hyperactive teenager. However, Ezra's curiosity was stronger than his shame.
"Alright. What do you want to know? I'll tell you, but then we're going to sleep."
"I want to know who this friend of Hera's is!"
"I'd like to know too," Zeb laughed.
"But I thought you two had known each other for, like, twenty years! How can you not know who her friends are?"
"Twenty?" Zeb almost choked on his own saliva. "Ezra, how old do you think we are?"
"I don't know, about fifty or older?"
Now Zeb started coughing, but Ezra continued.
"Kanan and Hera, about forty-something? Something like that. So are you going to tell me what you know about this friend, or not?"
Zeb seemed to have no energy to comment, so he finally brought up the topic that was keeping Ezra awake.
"Okay, listen, I'll say this once, and then go to sleep!" he calmed his voice and resumed the conversation.
"Ever since I've been living with them, which is FIVE years, every time things get tense, I don't know, Kanan does something, either me or Chopper - Hera, to avoid killing anyone, locks herself in her cabin and uses her datapad. She says she needs to talk to her friend, but she never says anything about her in front of us. We've asked, but even Kanan doesn't know anything about her! Hera says it's for safety."
"And that's it? So what, you think she sits around texting herself? Hera doesn't seem like the type."
"Everyone has their quirks. But you're not alone in your theory that this friend really exists. We have a bet with Sabine, because she also says she has a feeling that Hera really does have a secret friend. That's all I know. Goodnight!"
Ezra heard Zeb roll over.
"But..." he continued.
"Kid, shut up and go to bed, or I'll say you're eavesdropping on Kanan and Hera!"
"Not fair," Ezra said under his breath.
5 years later
Hera was slowly getting fed up with this. She was running late for another meeting because her bladder had other plans again. She was starting to think about how soon she'd have to get another pair of bigger pants, when the sound of a sliding door brought her back to reality. Quick footsteps echoed across the tiles. Probably a woman, Hera deduced, and her suspicions were confirmed by the quiet words spoken just after the faucet was turned on.
"What the hell did they give me yesterday?"
Wait. She knew that voice. But she couldn't remember where from. She started to strain her brain, but she couldn't place the voice anywhere. She must have heard it a long time ago, maybe when she was still a child. Besides, she didn't have time for that.
She stepped out of the bathroom stall and froze, staring at the woman's reflection in the mirror. The woman did the same. They stood there for a moment, both too stunned to speak. The girl had a dark complexion, was tall, definitely taller than Hera. The woman had fair hair, longer than it had been when they last saw each other, which were tied in a high ponytail.
"I must be dreaming," she said first, turning away from the sink. "Hera? Hera Syndulla?"
If Hera had any doubts, they were dispelled by the strong Kamino accent.
"Omega!"
They threw their arms around each other, laughing, and unable to believe what was happening. They hadn't seen each other in so long. They hadn't written to each other for so long, yet Hera felt as if nothing had changed between them.
"You've grown so much! And your hair!" Hera touched her blond locks with a smile.
"We've both grown up," Omega interrupted. "What are you doing here?"
Hera proudly showed her the rank badge on her jacket, and the other one's eyes widened.
"General? I'm proud! And there's something you didn't tell me, I see."
She pointed to Hera's baby bump.
"Congratulations!"
"Sorry, I couldn't write about it; it's too dangerous right now," Hera sighed.
Maybe she could be a little late for the meeting? She had so many questions for Omega, she'd just run to the meeting in a moment.
*
Kallus tried to focus on what Draven was saying, but couldn't help, but check his datapad inbox.
When he first arrived on Yavin, he'd been obsessively punctual. Perhaps it was some twisted way to make a "good first impression," only for the second time. On the right side. Now, after a good five months in the Rebellion, he'd relaxed a bit, still being on time, well, usually on time. Unless someone worth his while took up his time (Zeb).
But ever since he'd seen Hera's file back in the ISB office, he'd learned that she'd been rebeling against the Empire for over a decade. And in that time, she'd never allowed herself to be late. Therefore, her absence from the meeting in the command center prevented him from fully devoting his attention to the matters being discussed.
He glanced again at his messages, which remained unread. He really hoped everything was alright. Lately, he'd been increasingly surprised by how much attention he'd been devoting to worrying about his new crew (and Zeb). How it was, that missing one of the people he'd been chasing for so many years made him anxious and want to ask if everything was alright?
He didn't remember anything from the meeting. Maybe someone would give him notes later, maybe Hera… Wait, she wasn't there, he realized, shaking his head. He needed a caff.
He gathered his things and headed for the docked Ghost. Not that they had the best caff, Intelligence had some pretty rare, caffeine-filled treats hidden in the lockers, but he liked spending his breaks with the crew (especially Zeb). Approaching the ship, he noticed a scene unfolding in front of him. Almost everyone was outside, some standing, some sitting on the lowered ramp. Before he could realize what exactly was happening, Zeb spotted him first, smiled, and shouted across the landing field:
"COME ON, KAL!" YOU NEED TO MEET SOMEONE!"
"COMING!" he shouted back, but quickened his pace.
Zeb ran out to meet him anyway, wrapped one arm around his shoulders, and Kallus let him drag him toward the group.
"Kal, remember how I told you about Hera's friend who doesn't exist? Turns out she did all along! I's Omega, right there!" he pointed to the tall blonde woman who held out her gloved hand.
"Kallus," he introduced himself briefly and shook her hand.
"I've been telling you all this time that Omega exists!" Hera said, rolling her eyes for the umpteenth time. Kallus only just noticed her.
"You weren't at the meeting!" he turned to her, and she flinched.
"Something came up," she muttered, quickly changing the subject. "You're on our ship tonight, we're having dinner, you all absolutely have to meet each other!"
*
They hadn't had an evening like this in ages. They barely fit at the table; some had to pull up chairs to join the gathering. They sat, eating, and drinking, almost all touching elbows. Hera glanced at the smiling faces. Kanan sat next to her, without his mask, relaxed, eyes closed. Then Zeb and Kallus sat, and Rex poured them another drink. When he was about to pour Omega's, she shook her head in disgust, quickly removing her glass from Rex's reach.
"Sorry, but…"
"Yes, we know, Antilles got you drunk yesterday, and today you have a giant hangover," Ezra interrupted, sitting on a metal crate next to the table. "More for us then! Pour me some, Rex!"
Hera wanted to give him a stern look, but she felt Kanan's hand on her thigh. He didn't have to say anything to her; she understood his gesture. Fine, let the young man have his fun. However, she wasn't alone in her doubts about the teenager's alcohol tolerance.
"Ezra, if you throw up in our bathroom again, you have to clean it up immediately, not like last time," Sabine said, which caused a burst of laughter at the memory of the last party.
"That was just one time!" the boy said bitterly. "Anyway, let's not focus on me, but on someone more interesting!" he turned to Omega. "Tell me, how did you and Hera meet?"
"Were we, what, ten? Eleven?"
"Ten," Hera confirmed.
"My brothers were smuggling weapons for her on the third moon of Ryloth."
"Ten-year-old Hera smuggling weapons?" Zeb said. "I didn't expect that at all," he added sarcastically.
"My uncle Gobi ordered the weapons, I only went with him because he told me he'd let me drive them," Hera explained, laughing lightly. "I've been figthing for a long time, but not that long. I invited myself onto Omega and her brothers' ship…"
"You know what she told me right after we met?" Omega interrupted. "'Flying is all about feelings!'" she mocked her long-lost Ryloth accent, which made the others burst out laughing, and Hera buried her face in her hands.
"Remind me, what was your flying expierience like back then?" Kanan asked, clearly teasing. "How many hours of being a captain have you had?"
"Okay, shut up, you know perfectly well that back then, all I could do was move a lever to hyperspace!" she replied, stifling a laugh. "Anyway, Omega left me her contact."
"And that's it?" Sabine asked. "You just started texting until now?"
"Well, not exactly, because as soon as we left, Hera was already calling us!" Omega continued.
"Wow, you must have been a really lonely kid," Kallus said to her.
"You know damn well I had no friends besides Chopper," Hera replied. "My parents and uncle were captured and framed for terrorism. There were stormtroopers and clones everywhere, and as we already know," she looked at Kallus with a piercing gaze, "I was a lonely kid."
"Admit it, you just wanted to spend more time with Omega." Zeb poured himself another glass.
Amidst peals of laughter and quick, witty comments from the crew, they recounted their first adventures together.
"Okay, Omega," Zeb began, rubbing his hands together. "I'm sure you have a lot of questions for us."
"Actually, no." Omega shrugged.
"You don't want to get to know us?" Ezra asked, surprised.
"No, don't worry, I know you very well. Hera, she wrote me all about you!"
The mood shifted immediately. All eyes focused on the Twi'lek. Ezra's mouth dropped open in surprise, Sabine raised her eyebrows, and Zeb choked on the contents of his glass, and started coughing. Kallus patted his back and coughed as well to hide his embarrassment.
"Hera," Kanan began, his voice calm. "I don't mean to upset you, but could you explain the situation?"
"Okay," Hera sighed deeply and straightened. "I wrote to Omega sometimes to vent about what you were doing when I'd had enough myself. And you know that already. We started writing even before I ran away from home."
"What about security? You've been telling us all to use pseudonyms, that it's best to talk anonymously because the Empire might intercept our messages. And you've been telling her everything all these years?" Kanan continued.
"Please, go easy on her," Omega chimed in. "We used nicknames too. No one who wasn't me or Hera would have any idea what our messages were about!"
Hera relaxed again and looked at her gratefully.
"Let's not forget that living with you isn't easy," Hera said, taking a sip of juice from her glass. "Sometimes I needed an outside perspective."
"So how did you know who she was texting you about?" Kanan asked Omega.
"Like I said," she continued. "We had our nicknames. We made them up as we went along."
"Oh, I want to know our nicknames!" Ezra perked up. "What's my name? Loth Wolf Alpha? Rancor?"
Sabine gave him a look that immediately silenced him and said,
"I have a proposition. We'll play a game. Omega says a nickname, and we have to guess who it is."
"And when are we drinking? When we guess?" Ezra interjected.
"Oh, no, you're not drinking anymore." Sabine grabbed the glass from his hand drank it dow. "So, are we playing?"
Agreements answered, voices perking up at the prospect of competition. Hera took another deep breath. This is going to be awkward. Despite everything, she smiled.
"Get this festival of embarrassment started, Omega," she said.
"Okay, so tell me which of you are 'Pronouns'?" The blonde looked around at the group.
"That's easy," Kanan smiled. "We only have one alt girl here." he gestured with his glass toward Sabine.
"What do you mean, 'alt girl?'" Rex asked, surprised.
"Kriff, Rex, we've had this conversation a few times already," Ezra scoffed. "Wait, where's my glass?" He looked around the table with distracted manner, and Hera and Sabine exchanged knowing glances. Of course Ezra would be drunk in three seconds. Oh well, she thought. He's a big boy, he'll manage, she sighed in mind.
"An alt girl is a girl with a unique appearance," Kallus explained calmly, rising from the table. He went to the cabinet and took out a clean glass, filling it with tap water. "For example: dyed hair, unusual clothing, or tattoos."
He handed the glass full of water to Ezra and winked.
"Here you go, kid, something special for you."
"But there's alcohol in this?" Ezra asked, eyeing Kallus suspiciously.
"Of course," he replied innocently, which caused laughter among the others, and Ezra rushed to drink the water as if he'd just run a marathon across the dunes of Tatooine.
"That stuff's strong!" Ezra exclaimed.
"Okay, so my nickname was 'Pronouns,'" Sabine said after putting the bottle of whiskey away from her mouth. "Why?"
"Why you do you still have to ask?" Zeb laughed. "After we got you on board, and you finally started talking to us, the first thing you did, was ask us all about our pronouns."
"I was trying to be polite!" Sabine exclaimed, offended, but Zeb continued, laughing harder.
"At first you wanted to blow us up, then you wanted to stab us, and finally you asked us how to address us," he burst out laughing, and Kanan and Hera joined him, remembering fourteen-year-old Sabine, who wanted to shyly thank them for their rescue and hospitality.
"Well, at least I knew what pronouns were, ulike you, Zeb," Sabine said, smiling.
"What are pronouns?" came a conspiratorial whisper. Ezra leaned over to Kallus to ask a question, which drew another round of laughter from the oblivious boy.
Kallus ignored Ezra, instead turning to Zeb:
"Don't you think it's time you carried him to his bunk?"
"I don't feel like it," Zeb stretched. "Give me a moment. Besides, look how funny he is."
"So, ready for another nickname? Which one of you is 'Boomer'?" Omega said, her smile never leaving her face. Hera knew she was having a great time.
They all responded to Omega's question at the same time by pointing at Rex.
Rex didn't comment, as he leaned back in his chair and began to doze off.
"Give us something difficult!" Zeb exclaimed, stifling a huge yawn.
"Fine, you asked for it. Beautiful blue eyes."
Hera felt herself blush, and the whistles around the table didn't help. Oh no, no, she's going to collapse in embarrassment. But she decided there was no point in hiding now. She lifted her head and added:
"In short: 'BBE.'"
"I think we might have a suspicion," Zeb said mischievously, glancing at Kallus, who just smiled and took a sip of his drink.
"Wait, I have blue eyes," Ezra muttered, now lying on the floor next to the crate he'd been sitting on moments ago.
Hera reached for a loose pillow from the couch and handed it to Sabine under the table, asking her to at least put it under his head. Sabine complied, then said:
"How on earth was that supposed to be difficult? We all know it's about Kanan."
"It can't be me," Kanan said, smiling. "I don't have blue eyes, see?" He opened his gray, unseeing eyes.
"Stop it," Hera scoffed, ignoring the laughter of the others, which signaled that another of Kanan's "blind jokes" had gone down well with the group.
"Seriously, though, I'm honored," he smiled and hugged her close. "When did she write to you about me? And when did she come up with that nickname?" he asked the Omega.
"I don't remember exactly," Omega mused, ignoring Hera, who gestured for her to keep the secret from others. "But very early on. Back when she was on Gorse. Unfortunately, I can't tell you the exact date."
At that moment, Chopper, who had been sitting in the corner, playing music, spoke up. He suggested he could connect to Omega's datapad and find the very first message about this "Blue-Eyed Bastard."
"Traitor," Hera muttered under her breath, but her attention was quickly diverted by Zeb and Kanan's lively conversation.
"Laugh as long as you want, Zeb, I wonder what they called you," said Kanan.
Zeb straightened proudly and scratched his head.
"You met me as a drunkard; I wouldn't be surprised if it was something like that," the Lasat laughed. "But then again, I'm sure Hera took my fighting skills and physique into account."
Hera and Omega exchanged glances and simultaneously burst out laughing.
"Are you going to tell him, or am I?"
"Okay, I came up with it, so I'll confess, as the captain of this crew should," Hera sighed heavily.
Everyone except the passed out Ezra and Rex held their breaths in anticipation. Finally, Hera lowered her head, suddenly very interested in her hands.
"Kitten" she said, quietly, hard to believe that at nineteen she thought this was a good idea.
"What?!" voices rang out.
"KITTEN?!!" Zeb repeated loudly, his superior hearing having heard her compromising answer the first time. Everyone burst out laughing, so loudly that Rex opened his eyes for a moment. Kallus laughed the loudest.
"Well, I don't blame her," he choked out through tears of amusement. "You're soft, you have fur after all…"
"Kal, stop," Zeb said through his teeth, clearly embarrassed, which Hera accepted with satisfaction. At least this evening wasn't just embarrassing for her.
"And you purr sometimes," Kallus added, taking a sip of whiskey.
"Not true."
"True, true."
"Get a room," Sabine said sheepishly.
"I wonder what your nickname is in their chat," Zeb called out to his boyfriend, still a bit offended.
"Well, since you're 'Kitten,'" Omega began, just waiting for him to spark another argument between them. "Kallus, logically must be a''Cat Lover".
Kallus spat out the entire contents of the drink he was currently holding. He blinked rapidly, looking from Omega to Hera, who were both openly laughing out loud.
"Brilliant," Sabine muttered. "Your nicknames are the best of us all!"
"We're honored," Zeb said sarcastically, still unable to come to terms with what he'd been called behind his back for so many years. Kallus simply sat there and continued to absorb this shocking information.
"Chopper says he's found the first information about Kanan!" Sabine exclaimed, grabbing the datapad from the droid, which was giggling in its usual way. She glanced at the screen and narrowed her eyes. She cleared her throat and, to Hera's horror, began reading aloud.
"He's a complete idiot, but he basically finished off the gang for me today. He came out of nowhere. He's talking nonsense, but you'll laugh at me." Sabine paused dramatically and stood up to solemnly read the rest of the message. "'You'll laugh at me because I CAN'T STOP THINKING ABOUT HIS BEAUTIFUL BLUE EYES!'" She practically shouted the last words, receiving a lively reaction from the audience.
"Wait," Kanan said, seeming a bit proud of himself. "You mean to tell me we spent a moment together and you couldn't stop thinking about my eyes?" A sly smile played on his lips, as if he were that young, flirtatious bartender from Gorse again.
"Maybe," Hera replied casually, but she smiled at him anyway. "But don't forget, you were the one who simply 'followed my voice,' as you said it."
"Okay, now we need to find out about Ezra's nickname!" Sabine interrupted.
"Blueberry," Hera replied calmly, immediately followed by cries of affection. "Because of his hair. And he was so little when we met him." Hera hated hormones, which, especially now, made her cry and feel emotional for Ezra and Sabine.
"And now look at him," she sniffed.
"Our little blueberry is drunk and passed out under the table," Zeb mimicked, imitating her sudden tearful voice.
"Our little Blueberry is growing up so fast," Sabine joined in. "He was learning to walk yesterday, and tomorrow he'll have a hangover."
"Okay, I think it's time to take our little Blueberry to bed." Kanan nodded to Zeb, who, still laughing, picked the boy up from the floor and carried him out into the hallway.
Kallus yawned and downed the last of his whiskey. Sabine followed suit, making Hera feel the need to yawn as well. The table quieted.
"I'll be going," Omega said sleepily.
"You can stay here for the night," Hera said. "It's a big ship."
"No, I'll go to the pilots' quarters." She stood and stretched.
"I'll walk you a little bit."
The air on the landing pad was cool and humid. Hera took a deep breath of the night breeze and smiled.
"A bit different than on Ryloth, huh?" Omega asked with a smile.
"You don't even know how much."
"Don't you miss home?"
Hera smiled.
"Maybe sometimes, but living on a ship has its advantages. You could say that Ghost is my home now. I have family, friends, and we've even started converting Kanan's old cabin into a nursery."
"Oh, I see the kid will be spoiled," the blonde laughed. "I had my own room in the gun turret my entire childhood."
"I remember. I'm so glad we could see each other again." She felt tears welling up in her eyes again.
Omega, seeing this, hugged her tightly.
"I'm glad too. And I'm glad I could finally meet them."
"You always have a place with us," Hera said, wiping her tears with the sleeve of her jacket. "I'm sorry, I've been crying all the time lately. Come visit us whenever you want."
Omega nodded and released her friend from the hug. She headed toward the temple, bidding her goodnight. After a moment, she slowed down and said over her shoulder:
"If anything happens, call me. At least you still have my contact, you know - for emergency situations!
Hera laughed out loud.