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They always go into these missions with a plan. A clear objective, a clear series of actions, as little risk as they can anticipate, and --

And almost every time it turns into this, a last-minute scramble with the pressure on, Kanan way outside his position and requiring a quick extraction, weapons blazing.

Just . . . usually it's a pretty simple maneuver to break atmo and run into hyperspace. This time, not so much. The planet's surface is covered with elaborate stone structures, most of which function like a forest canopy, just made of stone. And of course the cities are all built under this multi-shelled stone forest.

So now there's a maze to thread, at high speed, with TIEs firing at them and someone taking his time actually getting inside the damn ship.

"If you don't get inside in the next two minutes, Spectre-1, I'm going to send Chop out to get you. With his stim-prod."

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Kanan doesn't answer. His eyes are still closed, one hand gripping the back of Hera's chair as he lifts the other, raising it up, and toward the incoming ships. He stays steady as the Ghost rocks, barely noticing the movement, focused only the harpoon, on the locks bolting it to the pirate ship's hull, on the launching mechanism.

It's enormous, and far, and he won't be able to see, or hear, the locks snap open. And yet, he knows.

"All right." He can feel Hera's tension, but has to dismiss it. He can't let it distract him now. The harpoon ship dives in closer, below them, likely to get a good angle toward their cargo doors. One of the other freighters mirrors its movement along the Ghost's other side, while the third stays in their path.

It's their only shot, before the pirate ships can get the angle they need. Kanan closes his hand into a fist.

"Hera -" He slams his fist back, and there's roar like thunder below them.

With the harpoon having smashed into at least one of the neighboring ships, and the explosion expanding from below them, Hera gives the Ghost its head and aims full throttle for the ship that remains in front of them.

Said ship is flying directly into the explosion, which means it's about to get out of their way with extreme rapidity. Hera's eyes narrow as she waits for the smallest indication of whether the ship will roll left or right, adjusting the Ghost's approach in one great swerve once she can see those tiny tells.

The shift to hyperspace is quick, after that.

"Nicely done, everyone."

And, with a look up at back at Kanan.

"You're all right?"

Kanan presses his hand to his forehead, stepping sideways and collapsing into the chair next to hers.

"Yeah."

He slides his hand down his face, sighing and leaning back in the seat. "I can't believe that worked."

"I can't believe they had a harpoon," Hera protests.

But she also leans over to rest her hand on Kanan's shoulder for a few seconds, squeezing gently.

"We'll try not to make you do that again, though, right?"

"Cheaper than a tractor beam."

He leans into her hand, still breathing deeply.

"But we probably can't count on things like that."

"No, we really can't. I'm glad you were able to pull something off this time, though."

She shakes her head, lekku flicking gently in a pattern to underscore her relief.

"I hate to think what would have happened if I'd had to calculate a different exit."

"Then let's not."

He's spent enough time around pirates to never want to be on the wrong end of that attack.

"Let's think about something more pleasant. Like how we'll fix the cannon."

Hera does not groan, she would like everyone to know.

"We can probably cobble something together out here, but it'll last one shot, maybe two if we're lucky. I think we're going to need to stop and see what spare parts we can scrounge."

The biggest question is where to actually go.

"Somewhere in the Outer Rim, unless you've got a significant contact I don't know about."

"Well -"

Kanan nearly winces as he says it. "We might think about a pirate."

Not quite what Hera most didn't want to hear, but . . . close.

"As long as this one doesn't have a harpoon."

Then she raises an eyebrow and looks at Kanan even more intently.

"Or, at least, if you're sure this one isn't going to try to use the harpoon on us."

"I'd keep the Ghost far from any rendezvous."

He lets out a breath. "But you know they've got plenty of weapons."

Hmm.

Hera's frowning a little, but this one is thoughtful, not . . . judgmental.

"Leave me with the Ghost, and you and Chop can take the Phantom down to get what we need?"

Kanan blinks to her, but then looks back out to the blur of hyperspace beyond.

"We can try it."

"Or I could leave Chop here and come with you."

She's still thinking.

"It depends on what's more likely to get you in trouble with your pirate friend. Or their friends."

"Well..."

He looks back to Hera, with a half-smile. "Chop's more likely to cause a scene."

She laughs, quiet and a little tired, but still a laugh, for all that.

"Understood. So . . . where are we going? I can get started on plotting a course while we're in hyperspace. And there'll be plenty of time left over for slipshod cannon repairs."

Kanan leans forward in his chair, thinking this over.

"Have you been to Vuchelle?"

She takes a moment to think this over, then --

"No. Anything in particular I should know about it?"

It's easy enough to look things up on her datapad, but those aren't the kind of 'things' Hera means when she asks that question. Not of Kanan.

Not now.

"It's on the Braxant Run, which makes it convenient for legal and illegal trade."

But he knows that's not what Hera's asking. Kanan looks down, thinking over his answer. "A few decades ago, the Jedi used it as a base when they were fighting a group of ... notoriously brutal pirates. The Jedi dispersed them, but the Republic and then the Empire were too busy to do much there since.

"The pirates that replaced them are..."

He glances back up at her, and shrugs. "... mellower."

"I'm not going to ask how you know them," Hera says, not quite gently. "Though I would be curious, if you ever wanted to tell me. All right."

She takes a deep breath, stretching the kinks out of her neck and shoulder. There probably won't be any time to loosen up tension later, if they're going to be dealing with pirates.

"Right. The Braxant Run it is. We go in with our signal scrambled?"

"Let's just say it was an 'any port in a storm' situation."

Kanan nods, lifting his hand and rubbing the back of his neck, before he rises from his chair.

"I'll go see what Chopper can do with it in the meantime."

"I've had a few of those," Hera allows, looking back at Kanan with a faint smile.

"If it'll help, tell Chop I said to keep his complaining to a minimum until we actually get where we're going."

(It won't help. Much.)

Kanan's sure it won't help.

"I'm sure it will," he calls.

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