Star Wars Rebels: Hera & Kanan

Chapter Sixteen

Seven-ish months after A New Dawn and about two weeks after the previous chapter

"This is a terrible idea," Kanan said, leaning back in the co-pilot chair and looking over at Hera. "This is the worst idea you've ever had."

Chopper grumbled agreement from the back corner of the cockpit.

"I never have bad ideas, and I wish you'd stop saying that," Hera said, checking their location with the navicomputer. "We've got about another 15 minutes in hyperspace."

"Are you kidding? Most of your ideas are ridiculous and dangerous, but we make it work somehow. And the fact that Chopper is actually agreeing with me about this only proves my point. If he thinks it's a bad idea, then you should know that it's definitely a bad idea, Hera! Unlike you, I've actually been to Nar Shaddaa. It's a terrible place." Kanan shook his head in disbelief. "I would never have agreed to this if I'd known that was where Vizago was sending us."

"If you recall," Hera said, "I found out about the drop location at the same time you did."

"I do recall that, yeah. What kind of scum just gives coordinates? Remind me to properly thank Vizago when we get back to Lothal."

Hera shot him a look. "We need to stay on his good side, Kanan," she warned. "Anyway, what's the big deal? We can handle it."

Kanan laughed without mirth. "You're worried about getting on Vizago's bad side? Do you know what Nar Shaddaa is full of? Hutts, Hera. It's full of Hutts, and their bounty hunters and slavers."

"We'll just avoid them," Hera replied, completely unconcerned.

"That's like saying you're going to avoid a gundark, and then deliberately walking into a gundark's nest."

Hera shrugged. "Vizago said all we have to do is land, unload the blasters, get the credits, and we're out of there. You worry too much."

Kanan spluttered incoherently for a few seconds, folding his arms across his chest and glaring across the cockpit at Hera. She had no idea what she was talking about. Nar Shaddaa, also known as the Smuggler's Moon, was just one giant city populated almost entirely by the worst people the galaxy had to offer. He'd been there many years ago, thinking it would be a good place to find work and have a good time. At first, the vast urban sprawl had reminded him of Coruscant. But Nar Shaddaa only truly resembled the deep lower levels of Coruscant- it was a polluted, decaying cesspool, and its denizens were, almost without exception, utterly vile. Kanan enjoyed a fast and loose planet with minimal Imperial presence just as much as the next guy, but Nar Shaddaa took it to another level. Murder was a very regular occurrence, and he'd been appalled at the sheer volume of poorly-treated slaves he'd seen- many of them Twi'leks. All Kanan had wanted to do on Nar Shaddaa was help the continually preyed-upon weaker inhabitants that he saw everywhere he looked. It wasn't a good place for a former Jedi Padawan with occasional noble impulses. He'd tried to avoid Hutt-controlled planets ever since.

"And don't bother giving me dirty looks," Hera said dryly. "You're the one who keeps complaining that you need drinking credits."

This was a low blow, and Hera knew it. Over the two weeks since she'd kissed him, she'd seemed dead set on punishing him for it. The morning after their fight in front of Old Jho's Pit Stop, he'd woken up on the floor of the cargo bay with a hangover that felt like a miniature reek was trying to smash its way out of his skull. Hera had given him a look that held no sympathy, and she'd resumed her focus on work with such tenacity that it seemed unlikely she would ever talk about anything else ever again. She hadn't spoken much to him for a couple of days, but they'd gradually and awkwardly regained some vague semblance of their former friendship, albeit with a lot more snark coming from Hera. Kanan, meanwhile, had always managed the difficulties of his life with drinking, and he saw no reason not to resume his most reliable coping mechanism. When they were on Lothal, he'd spent most nights at Old Jho's, drinking and avoiding the beautiful green-skinned menace.