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1. Zeb
The door hissed shut behind them, and Zeb dropped his pack with a groan. "Thank Ashla that's over. 'm not budging for a day." The Lasat tottered to their bed and promptly fell face-first into the mattress.
Kallus scrubbed his filthy face with an equally grimy hand. "Did you have to do that before a shower?"
Zeb snickered at him. "You got a problem with a bit of mud now? You're dirtier 'n me, after that nice tackle you gave wot's-his-face." He smiled in reminiscence. "Never seen a Rodian squish like that."
Kallus sighed. "This isn't going to be pleasant to sleep in." Even as he complained, Zeb could see the man inching toward the bed. "And I'm not cleaning your sheets tomorrow."
"'Course not." Zeb said cheerfully. "I'll foist them off on Ezra. He owes us for saving his butt today anyway. Now, 'mere." He rolled over and patted the stained bed.
Rolling his eyes, Kallus climbed on, adding his own layer of dirt.
Some time later, he opened his eyes to stare blearily at the shifting lump beside him. It twisted, laying first on its back, then front. He squinted as the lump huffed and rolled again, this time putting his back to Kallus.
He blinked. If he had been more awake, he might have hesitated. As it was, the ex-agent hitched himself closer and folded himself around the presented back. It was reassuringly solid and warm. There might have been a brief stiffness, a reaction to his arms wrapping around a furred waist, but it was gone before Kallus could really think about it. He sighed, as a steady rumbling lulled him back to sleep.
---
"Last night-did you purr-"
"Not a word."
2. Ezra
"What. Are you doing." Kallus drawled.
The boy in question grinned at him from his precarious position. Ezra was balanced with one foot in a ceiling vent and the other wedged between a generator's tubing. "Waiting." He said in an amiable tone. "What are you doing?"
"Eating...this wouldn't have anything to do with what Hera's droid did with the water supply yesterday morning, would it?"
"It might." Ezra shrugged.
"And that computer spike in your hands, would that be an important component of whatever plan you're waiting to enact?"
"There's a good chance." The boy casually tossed the tool between hands. "What, no prank-pulling in the ISB?"
"Hm. Occasionally. A touch more well-thought out...and lethal."
A gleam appeared in Ezra's eyes. "Y'know..." He whispered in a conspiratorial tone. "Chopper was the one responsible for that little glitch in your environmental suit. Just saying."
Kallus paused in the act of pouring his kaf.
"Did you know old C1 units have a secondary outlet below their exhaust?" He said. "Most units have only the minimum of security there, as uncommon and often unknown as they are."
"Oh, really?"
---
A few minutes later, Zeb leapt out of the way as Chopper spun screaming down the hall, sparks showering out behind him. Back in the kitchen, Ezra held his ribs as he cackled breathlessly. He propped himself up on Kallus' shoulder.
"Ohhh, yes. That'll teach that bucket of bolts. Any other tricks we can pull on our little friend?"
"There might be."
3. Kanan
"Pinned." Kanan grunted. He closed his eyes, brow twisting in concentration. "And another squadron coming on this one's heels."
"Hardly surprising. We can hold them off until Hera arrives." Kallus hissed as another bolt grazed his arm. "...probably. Zeb and Sabine?" He wondered who these particular 'troopers had for a drill sergeant. Certainly no one he had met.
"Still on the platform below. They're holding out alri-no, wait-" Kanan shook his head. "The new squad went after them instead. Ahh-that's no good, there's no cover down there. New plan-you can stay out of range here for a few, right?"
"Yes, but-what are you doing?"
Kanan yanked off the remnants of his disguise. "Bad for wind resistance. Hold this, will you?" He tossed his belt over, and leapt from their hiding place, dodging blaster fire. Reaching the edge of their platform, he swan-dived over the edge.
"Crazy." Kallus announced to no one in particular. He stared down at the belt in his grip, and the lightsaber dangling off of it. "All of them. Crazy."
---
"This is yours, I believe."
"Ah." Kanan smiled. "Thank you." He fastened the belt around his waist, before looking up with a frown. "I'm sorry for the lack of warning."
"It was a bit unexpected, but I am getting used to your antics."
"Yes, I-" Kanan rubbed the back of his neck. "I just want you to know-I jumped because I knew you could handle the 'troopers there, and I had to go where I was needed." He shrugged awkwardly. "I don't want you thinking I would just dump you there without support if I didn't think you could handle it."
"Ah...thank you."
"No problem." Kanan cleared his throat. "Well, that's out of the way. Oh, and don't tell Ezra you were holding on to my 'saber for me-he still hasn't shut up about last time."
4. Hera
"Everyone aboard?"
"We're good, Hera. Get us out of here."
Kanan nodded to the holovid in Kallus's hands. "Could you run that up? I'm going to check on Sabine and Ezra."
"Of course."
Kallus scaled the ladder, following the path to the cockpit. Chopper trailed him lazily, swerving in wide arcs.
Hera glanced up at his entrance. "Kallus. All's well?"
"Yes. Coordinates found and supplies...acquired." He laid the holovid in front of their captain, activating it and displaying a few old bases. "Several new locations for us to examine."
"I see...these two show promise...ah, we'll have to skip that one, runs a little too close to one of my father's old compounds."
Kallus looked at her in askance. "One of the general's old-and this would be bad?"
She snorted. "Yes. Yes it would." Hera opened the Ghost's navigational charts. "Here, here, and here, are evacuated compounds of the rebel Twi'leks. Just three examples, but look-" She displayed past and current pictures side by side. The old pictures showed planets with various Empire operations taking place. Current pictures displayed the same planets...only now as uninhabitable, cratered remains.
Kallus leaned back, tenting his fingers. "He...left a few surprises, I take it."
"Surprises...yeah. My father ensured that anyone that tried to take one of his old bases would end up as space dust, regardless of what side they were on." Hera closed a few of the maps, fingers tapping steadily. "The first thing I did after joining was show every location he went to. Anyway, while I'm here..." She pulled up another set of locations. "Here they are. The rebel Twi'leks, and a few others."
Kallus looked down, and looked back at Hera. She nodded encouragingly. "Sooner or later, you're going to need to learn the coordinates of our allies, enemies, and everyone in-between. We've got some time before our next assignment. Go ahead and take in what you can, and meet us for supper."
"Hera?" Kanan poked his head through the door. "Are you all set?"
"For the moment." Hera stood, stretched, and walked over to loop an arm around Kanan. "Cockpit's yours, Kallus."
5. Chopper
"Gah! What-"
The droid gave a strident whistle of victory before jabbing him again.
"Get away from me, before I-" Kallus caught himself. "My apologies, Hera. I didn't mean to threaten your-would you stop that!"
"Oh, I wouldn't apologize. Zeb and Ezra certainly don't." Hera's lips twitched. "So good to see he isn't playing favourites."
"Is that what it is." Kallus swiped one of the laser tools from the bench. He kept one eye on Hera, but she didn't seem perturbed by her droid's impending doom. "Excuse me, captain."
She waved him away as he stalked Chopper in a menacing stride.
+1 Sabine
"Next mission specs are up, people. Take a peek, I need to comb over some details with the commander." Hera tossed the datapads on the table and departed.
"Eh, looks like another split mission." Zeb grumbled. "How we doing this?"
"Well, between the six of us on ground-" Kanan shifted through the 'pads. "Make that four. That's not much time to work with, we're going to need these crates unlocked and transferred fast. Zeb, I'm sorry to stick you with him-"
Zeb knocked one hand against Chopper's head. "S'fine, mate, I'll try not to toss him off."
"Right. The rest of us will make drop at each corner..."
---
"I could take them out, if-" Sabine shook her head, snarling.
A new breed of droids blasted their way through another wall, raining concrete and metal down on their heads. Not far from their hideaway, Ezra crouched behind his own piece of debris, clutching what looked to be a broken wrist. Kanan was busy running the gauntlet to the main energy core.
Kallus watched Sabine's eyes dart from droid to droid, assessing their make-up. "What do you need?"
She met his gaze. "A distraction. A big one."
He made his own assessment of the battlefield, noting a few old generators sparking dangerously. "Right. In three. Two."
Sabine's armour creaked as she tightened her grip on the twin blasters.
"One."
He ran, back turned to the line of enemies behind him. Two charges from the bo-rifle had a pair of generators detonating on either side, and a solid swing and hit had a third flare up.
He could hear their spindly feet clacking against the ground-the rumbling of their weapons charging-
And the sound of a devastating explosion that threw him forward. Kallus winced as he landed on his bad leg, but rolled to the side and brought his weapon up to focus on the smoking mess that was the remainder of the elite droids.
"Phlegh." Sabine spat before dropping beside him in a crouch. "That was nasty. Nuclear cores. Never a good idea. Makes for pretty fireworks, though."
Kallus laughed hoarsely.
---
"Mission. Success." Kanan and Ezra limped up the ramp. "Status. Same as always." Kallus followed them up.
Zeb took his tattered state in with a glance. "You alright?" He patted Kallus' torso down, cupping his chin to peer at his pupils.
"He's fine, you sentimental lump." Sabine came up, the least injured of the group. She gave Kallus a shoulder bump on her way past. "Thanks for the back-up."
Kallus felt a smile work its way onto his face, matching the ones appearing on the rest of the pleasantly surprised crew.
"Anytime."