Ezra Lost

Chapter 40

40

AFTER BRIEFLY formulating a plan of attack with Kanan and (over the internal com) the rest of her crew, Hera launched everything into action.

"I hope this works," she muttered softly, striking buttons in order to detach the Phantom.

"If not, Kanan is going to be blown to smithereens," Zeb remarked. (It was extremely uncalled for, but there was a lot of badly suppressed anxiety in his voice.)

That obvious and highly likely outcome really did not help Hera's nerves.

The Phantom detached just as Kanan sat down in front of the controls. Immediately, he began to work them as fast as he could, which was a little tough when one of your arms hurt to move.

Hera had instantly and strongly brought that up when he was planning with her. In fact, she had actually yelled at him at the top of her lungs. (Which was alarmingly loud, actually.)

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME, KANAN?! THIS IS NO TIME FOR JOKES! YOU'RE INJURED! HOW CAN YOU FLY THE PHANTOM PROPERLY WITH JUST ONE HAND?! AND GOING BY YOURSELF?! THAT'SSUICIDE, KANAN, SUICIDE! I CAN'T LET YOU GO!" To his astonishment, Hera had begun to cry. "Not now... not after losing Ezra - not ever!"

But (though he comforted her, of course), Kanan was extremely stubborn. The short argument had ended with Kanan hurrying to the Phantom - but not before he saw Hera vehemently twitch her head-tails at him.

He could only imagine what she had called him, but whatever it was, he almost definitely deserved it (and had almost definitely been called that before).

Kanan steered the Phantom towards the huge fleet of really huge Imperial Star Destroyers. (Seriously, they were so very enormous that they made the Phantom look like a tiny piece of space dust.)

Sooner rather than later, one of the battleships contacted him.

"Puny vessel, state your business."

Kanan raised his eyebrows. Puny? Gee, you'd think I'd know my own puniness flying up to a bunch of Star Destroyers.

"My business is my own business, sucka," Kanan taunted into the com. "Eat it!"

There was a long silence. Kanan could imagine the dumbstruck look on the straightlaced Imperial captain's face. What sort of complete idiot would speak to him that way?

The answer was undoubtedly (and perpetually) Kanan.

"Hey, I heard your mother kissed a rebel in Imperial dumdum school," Kanan went on, unable to keep himself from smirking. "Is that true?"

Just as Kanan had insanely hoped, the Star Destroyer at the head of the fleet began to turn off course, towards his vessel.

Kanan sat tight, watching with an amused grin on his face.

If you can't take rebels' insults, don't fly a ship with invaluable cargo inside, pal.