From A Galaxy Far, Far Away to A Galaxy Not All That Far Away At All, Thursday Evening, Fandom Time
It wasn't that Kanan had been in any hurry to part ways with Hera and Zaluna; really, the opposite couldn't have been more true. But, besides the fact that he had to leave a trail placing him on Gorse through all the previous action so that he'd be just another suicide flier who'd left the planet when work dried up, he'd come back to this galaxy with a plan in mind. He would be damned if after all of that, he went back to Fandom without his ship. Especially now that the Expedient was space dust at best, having been at ground zero when Forager blew. The planet that they'd relocated Zaluna to was quiet. Kind of pretty, actually, for a sparsely populated agricultural world. The sun was warm, different from anything Zal would have experienced in a lifetime on Gorse, and the locals were pleasant.
Hell, even Kanan found himself enjoying the walk to Zaluna's new home from the spaceport where he'd parked the Escape. And he couldn't help but smile as he approached Zaluna's new home to see her making her way up a pathway toward a large tree.
"Keep walking, Zal, and you'll bump into it."
Zaluna smiled. "You're still here, Kanan!"
"Enjoying the weather. Gorse was a steam bath," he placed a guiding hand on her shoulder. "You doing all right?"
"Better than ever." With his guidance, she navigated her way around the tree. "What do you think of my garden?"
"It's good," Kanan replied. He hesitated for a moment, and then ventured, "You know you can get those eyes treated, right? To get your sight back."
"Like Vidian?" Zaluna chuckled and shook her head. "No, I think I've seen enough. I have a place to live, and a little girl who visits daily to help me with things. But I'll be helping myself soon." She gestured backward. "And look! I have a tree!"
Kanan laughed. He couldn't imagine possibly being in such good spirits himself, if he were in her shoes. But she seemed to be taking the loss of her sight not only in stride, but as something of a blessing. He had no idea how she did it.
"I'm thinking it's Skelly's tree," Zal continued. "A nice monument, don't you think?"
"Well, there are some twisted clinging vines over there I would have thought of instead."
"No," Zaluna turned her face skyward and sighed. "Skelly's ashes are probably still back there, raining down on Cynda. I think he'd like that."
Kanan was silent for a moment, and then: "That works, too."
Hera came up the walk from the house and found them there. “I’m ready to go." She hugged Zaluna. “Take care-and thank you.”
Zaluna walked to the edge of the gravel road with them.
“And now,” Kanan said, “I get the pleasure of walking this gentle lady back to this mysterious starship of hers.”
He'd heard so much about it. Or, rather, he'd gathered so much about it just by how much Hera had been frustrated by the late Expedient that the suspense was killing him, now.
“I see,” Zaluna asked. “Are you traveling together?”
“We haven’t discussed it,” Hera said quickly.
Zaluna smiled. “You’d better take him with you,” she said, “or I’ll put him to work.” She turned and walked back toward the garden.
“I think she’ll be fine,” Hera said for the third time as they walked toward the little town where she'd rented a hangar. The medic had said Zaluna was healing nicely, but she couldn't help but fret a little.
As they came up on the hangars, she asked Kanan without looking at him, “So what’s next for you?”
“Well," Kanan said, shrugging his shoulders, "you know me. A force always in motion.”
Though really, with the possible exception of Kasmir and Kleeve, at this point Hera probably had a better idea of that than anybody else in the galaxy.
Like Kasmir and Kleeve, Kanan figured he could trust her with that.
“I do know you.” She kept walking. “So what do you think about what Zaluna said?”
He could do a lot of good if he came with her. She wanted to grab him and insist, but as she'd said earlier, forcing people was the Empire's way. If Kanan just wanted to keep himself alive, she couldn't make him care.
“What, going with you?” Kanan shrugged, blowing out a breath and smiling wryly. “Well, you know what I’ve said. You’re great company.” He eyed her. “But I don’t think you’re looking for a traveling companion, are you?”
She was looking for a revolutionary. And that... that, he wasn't. He'd already fought his war.
“Not like that.” Hera stopped outside the door to the closed hangar and looked up at him. “What’s happening to the galaxy is serious, and I mean to do something about it. If you mean only to mind your own business,” she said, offering her hand, “then I wish you luck in your travels.”
He looked down at her hand, and then at her. His mouth had gone dry, and the idea of shaking her hand and seeing her off on her way seemed... wrong. The way turning his back and walking away from Kasmir had felt, a twisting feeling in his guts that left him almost short of breath.
“I still haven’t seen this ship.”
“And you won’t," Hera said. "The fewer people who see it, the better.”
What Kanan didn't know couldn't be coerced out of him.
He had to be caught before he could be coerced. He scratched his beard.
“It sounds pretty large. Must be a lot on it to keep up.”
Hera stared at him for a moment, then nodded. “Yes, there is.”
“You might need a crew for something like that.” He looked at her pointedly. “Not a traveling companion. Not a revolutionary. Crew.”
Clearly he had lost his mind. That was what this was. He'd just gotten his own ship back. She was some kind of revolutionary looking to start war with the Empire, and he was a not-quite-Jedi on the run, trying to avoid notice by that very same Empire.
Even so, he thrust his hand into hers.
Hera flashed him a shrewd smile and shook his hand. “I can live with that.”
She could use crew. And if he wanted to pretend he wasn't getting involved, well, he'd been doing that all along - and he'd still helped.
"Welcome aboard."
[OOC: This one's mostly NFB because spaaaace, though if you want to mention that a ship landed in a junkyard and out came Hera and Kanan, that's cool! Once again, some bits were pulled straight from A New Dawn, and preplayed with futurespacemom! Other posts: One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, and Nine! That's all there is, there isn't any more! For about another six years. Hera and Kanan are gonna keep nattering on in the comments, now. Thanks for being patient with my canonspam.]
Hell, even Kanan found himself enjoying the walk to Zaluna's new home from the spaceport where he'd parked the Escape. And he couldn't help but smile as he approached Zaluna's new home to see her making her way up a pathway toward a large tree.
"Keep walking, Zal, and you'll bump into it."
Zaluna smiled. "You're still here, Kanan!"
"Enjoying the weather. Gorse was a steam bath," he placed a guiding hand on her shoulder. "You doing all right?"
"Better than ever." With his guidance, she navigated her way around the tree. "What do you think of my garden?"
"It's good," Kanan replied. He hesitated for a moment, and then ventured, "You know you can get those eyes treated, right? To get your sight back."
"Like Vidian?" Zaluna chuckled and shook her head. "No, I think I've seen enough. I have a place to live, and a little girl who visits daily to help me with things. But I'll be helping myself soon." She gestured backward. "And look! I have a tree!"
Kanan laughed. He couldn't imagine possibly being in such good spirits himself, if he were in her shoes. But she seemed to be taking the loss of her sight not only in stride, but as something of a blessing. He had no idea how she did it.
"I'm thinking it's Skelly's tree," Zal continued. "A nice monument, don't you think?"
"Well, there are some twisted clinging vines over there I would have thought of instead."
"No," Zaluna turned her face skyward and sighed. "Skelly's ashes are probably still back there, raining down on Cynda. I think he'd like that."
Kanan was silent for a moment, and then: "That works, too."
Hera came up the walk from the house and found them there. “I’m ready to go." She hugged Zaluna. “Take care-and thank you.”
Zaluna walked to the edge of the gravel road with them.
“And now,” Kanan said, “I get the pleasure of walking this gentle lady back to this mysterious starship of hers.”
He'd heard so much about it. Or, rather, he'd gathered so much about it just by how much Hera had been frustrated by the late Expedient that the suspense was killing him, now.
“I see,” Zaluna asked. “Are you traveling together?”
“We haven’t discussed it,” Hera said quickly.
Zaluna smiled. “You’d better take him with you,” she said, “or I’ll put him to work.” She turned and walked back toward the garden.
“I think she’ll be fine,” Hera said for the third time as they walked toward the little town where she'd rented a hangar. The medic had said Zaluna was healing nicely, but she couldn't help but fret a little.
As they came up on the hangars, she asked Kanan without looking at him, “So what’s next for you?”
“Well," Kanan said, shrugging his shoulders, "you know me. A force always in motion.”
Though really, with the possible exception of Kasmir and Kleeve, at this point Hera probably had a better idea of that than anybody else in the galaxy.
Like Kasmir and Kleeve, Kanan figured he could trust her with that.
“I do know you.” She kept walking. “So what do you think about what Zaluna said?”
He could do a lot of good if he came with her. She wanted to grab him and insist, but as she'd said earlier, forcing people was the Empire's way. If Kanan just wanted to keep himself alive, she couldn't make him care.
“What, going with you?” Kanan shrugged, blowing out a breath and smiling wryly. “Well, you know what I’ve said. You’re great company.” He eyed her. “But I don’t think you’re looking for a traveling companion, are you?”
She was looking for a revolutionary. And that... that, he wasn't. He'd already fought his war.
“Not like that.” Hera stopped outside the door to the closed hangar and looked up at him. “What’s happening to the galaxy is serious, and I mean to do something about it. If you mean only to mind your own business,” she said, offering her hand, “then I wish you luck in your travels.”
He looked down at her hand, and then at her. His mouth had gone dry, and the idea of shaking her hand and seeing her off on her way seemed... wrong. The way turning his back and walking away from Kasmir had felt, a twisting feeling in his guts that left him almost short of breath.
“I still haven’t seen this ship.”
“And you won’t," Hera said. "The fewer people who see it, the better.”
What Kanan didn't know couldn't be coerced out of him.
He had to be caught before he could be coerced. He scratched his beard.
“It sounds pretty large. Must be a lot on it to keep up.”
Hera stared at him for a moment, then nodded. “Yes, there is.”
“You might need a crew for something like that.” He looked at her pointedly. “Not a traveling companion. Not a revolutionary. Crew.”
Clearly he had lost his mind. That was what this was. He'd just gotten his own ship back. She was some kind of revolutionary looking to start war with the Empire, and he was a not-quite-Jedi on the run, trying to avoid notice by that very same Empire.
Even so, he thrust his hand into hers.
Hera flashed him a shrewd smile and shook his hand. “I can live with that.”
She could use crew. And if he wanted to pretend he wasn't getting involved, well, he'd been doing that all along - and he'd still helped.
"Welcome aboard."
[OOC: This one's mostly NFB because spaaaace, though if you want to mention that a ship landed in a junkyard and out came Hera and Kanan, that's cool! Once again, some bits were pulled straight from A New Dawn, and preplayed with futurespacemom! Other posts: One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, and Nine! That's all there is, there isn't any more! For about another six years. Hera and Kanan are gonna keep nattering on in the comments, now. Thanks for being patient with my canonspam.]