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Title: The Cement That Binds
Fandom: Star Wars Rebels/Rogue One, Post A New Hope
Pairing: Ezra/Bodhi, Kallus/Zeb, Hera/Kanan, Obi-Wan/Rex, Cassian/Jyn, Chirrut/Baze
Disclaimer: I own nothing to do with Star wars. It's not my toy box and I'm merely playing.
Rating: PG-13
Summary: The Ghost Crew adopts Rogue One. They’re not sure if they blame Kallus or Chopper, maybe Ezra? Chopper just wants to help rebuild K-2SO.
A/N: Established relationships are Hera/Kanan, Chirruit/Baze, and Kallus/Zab. Developing relationships are Ezra/Bodhi (the meet cute tag) and Obi-Wan/Rex (the second chances tag).Thank you to MapleOwl18 for the encouragement and answering so many questions.
Chapter 1:
“In family life, love is the oil that eases friction, the cement that binds closer together, and the music that brings harmony.” ~ Friedrich Nietzsche
There's something small stuck in his left strut. Chopper spots Zeb in the hanger and considers asking him for help. He starts to roll over, but pauses when he sees R5-D8 roll away from the main maintenance area. He heads there instead figuring he should use the Rebellions supplies while it's convenient.
The human he finds is sorting through parts with a container near him. Chopper makes a hopeful noise when he realizes how many Imperial droid parts are in the container. "Are you rebuilding Kaytoo?"
The man yelps as he spins around holding a protocol droid arm.
"Kaytoo would hate being a protocol droid!" Chopper chides waving his arms in an agitated manner in case this human doesn't understand him. Chopper asks who he is. He at least needs to know who K-2SO should blame when they rebuild him incorrectly.
"At least he'd still be bipedal,"the man tells him before introducing himself as Bodhi.
Chopper introduces himself back as he stretches out an arm for a handshake. Bodhi takes his pincher with a smile.
"When did Cassian back him up?" Chopper asks.
"Right before we left for Scarif thankfully," Bodhi answers as he pulls the container of supplies, that was behind the droid arm, closer. Bodhi yawns before running a weary hand over his face. He hitches up the blanket he's got around his shoulders. He's also got a med center robe over his shirt. Is he supposed to be in the med bay? Chopper decides it's more important to fix Kaytoo and also to figure out what's caught in his strut.
"I'll help scan for parts, but my left strut needs repaired," Chopper informs Bodhi.
Bodhi makes a noise of concern and stops digging through the container. He grabs a tool box and sits down near Chopper. He’s gentle and competent as he works out there’s a tiny pebble stuck in Chopper’s strut. When he’s done he puts his tools away and yawns. He runs a tired hand down his face smearing grease onto his cheeks. Chopper picks up a clean rag and waves it at him.
“Your face,” Chopper prompts.
Bodhi sinks down onto the floor next to him again and takes the rag. “Thanks.”
Then he just sits there, eyes drooping. Chopper pokes him, then demands, “Are you supposed to be out of the med bay?”
Bodhi startles back from him, eyes going wide. “Sorry! Sorry!”
Chopper backs away servos whirling in distress. How does he calm Bodhi down? What sounds would Bodhi find comforting? Where’s Hera when you need her? He lets out a loud long string of cuss words in the hopes that someone will attempt to rescue whoever he’s cursing at or chastise him for his language and then realize that Bodhi needs some comfort.
Bodhi sits up, crouches, and moves towards him making a soothing noise. “It’s okay. You’re okay. We’re okay.”
“You’re not,” Chopper complains.
Bodhi drops back down onto his heels as he exhales and admits, “I’m just really, really tired.”
“I didn’t hurt you?” Chopper asks. Will he be in trouble with Kaytoo if he’s hurt one of Kaytoo’s organics? He actually likes Kaytoo. He and Kaytoo might even be friends. What if he’s ruined all that?
“No,” Bodhi tells him before using the rag to rub out smudges on Chopper’s chassis. “I’m sorry I startled you.”
Chopper is relatively sure he’s the one who startled Bodhi. Clearly someone needs to watch over Kaytoo’s organics till he’s rebuilt. Chopper doesn’t remember Andor startling this easily, but then he’s still recovering from Scarif in the med bay. He hasn’t met any of the other Rogue One members, but what if they’re all as skittish as Bodhi? This could be a disaster!
“I promise not to make you get in a Y-wing,” Chopper beeps seriously.
Bodhi stills then tilts his head and regards Chopper.
“You still have grease on your cheeks,” Chopper reminds.
Bodhi folds the rag then uses a clean section to wipe his face. “Better?”
“It’ll do.”
Bodhi wipes at his hands next, then yawns again.
“Where are you sleeping?” Chopper asks. It might be better to escort him to his room than leave him to sort through parts he might fall asleep in. Maybe he can get Zeb to help, just in case Bodhi starts to fall asleep while he’s walking? He’s not willing to risk Bodhi damaging or losing any of the parts he’s already sorted out for Kaytoo.
Bodhi hesitates. Chopper prods him with his pincer.
Bodhi blinks at him slowly, then shakes his head. “I’m still in the med bay.”
“Stay here,” Chopper instructs. “I’ll get Zeb to carry the parts for you.”
“I can carry them myself,” Bodhi protests.
Chopper whirls over to the container and grabs it in his pincers. “I’m getting Zeb and you’re waiting here.”
“Okay,” Bodhi agrees softly.
Chopper resists the urge to pull Bodhi’s blanket around him tighter and sets off to find Zeb. Thankfully he’s still where Chopper saw him last.
“Come help me with this stubborn human!” Chopper demands. “He should be in the med bay!”
“Is he hurt?” Zeb asks.
“He’s going to rebuild Kaytoo,” Chopper informs him. “But he’s going to fall asleep and lose all the parts!”
Zeb looks down at him skeptically. Chopper grabs for him and Zeb dodges out of the way.
“All right, all right,” Zeb relents while rolling his eyes. “You know I can’t understand half of what you say. Where is he?”
Bodhi’s asleep when they make it back to the maintenance area. He’s sitting near his crate of parts, his chin resting on his chest, and the rag still in his hand. Zeb tilts his head. “Do you even know his name since you’re so concerned?”
“This is Bodhi Rook! He’s going to rebuild Kaytoo for Captain Andor,” Chopper informs Zeb in exasperation as he pokes at him with his pincher.
“Oh,” Zeb sighs, suddenly looking weary.
Chopper rolls back. What just happened? Zeb should be growling at him or swatting at him or…
Zeb takes out his commlink and gets someone in the med bay to talk to him about Bodhi.
“Is he sleeping somewhere safe?” the person on the other end asks.
Zeb looks around the maintenance shed and shrugs, “Suppose so.”
“He’s not getting enough sleep,” the person recommends. “If he’s safe and comfortable and not in the way I’d just let him be.”
Zeb agrees and puts his commlink away.
“You can’t leave him here!” Chopper protests.
“Course not, look at how he’s bent over. He’ll strain his neck then end up with a headache,” Zeb agrees. Then he reaches out as if he’s going to poke Bodhi.
“Don’t,” Chopper advises. “He startles easily.”
Zeb rolls his eyes and very carefully pokes Bodhi, who doesn’t react. Zeb nods to himself, then picks Bodhi up.
“His parts for Kaytoo!” Chopper reminds.
“Can’t you bring them?” Zeb asks.
“No.”
Zeb grumbles and Chopper ignores his complaints.
"Where are you taking him?" Chopper asks.
"Taking who?" Kallus asks as he joins them. He pauses then frowns as he takes in Zeb holding Bodhi. Zeb steps back to brush against Kallus's shoulder. Kallus shakes his head briskly, then squeezes Zeb's arm and asks, "How can I help?"
"Where were you earlier?" Chopper complains as he waves his arms.
"Cleaning out mine and Cassian’s offices," Kallus answers. "What's wrong?"
Chopper pushes the box of parts at him.
"Grab that, would you?" Zeb asks Kallus.
Kallus grabs the box. “Where are we headed?”
“Thought I’d put him in The Ghost, berth has to be darker than the med bay and the medic says he’s not getting enough sleep,” Zeb explains.
“Do you want to look for more parts?” Kallus asks Chopper.
Chopper rolls away from him and considers it briefly. “No. Bodhi shouldn’t wake up without them.”
Kallus tilts his head and Chopper doesn’t like the way he’s suddenly being assessed. He’s about to roll over Kallus’ toes when Kallus asks, “What’s wrong?”
Chopper ignores him and heads towards the Ghost.
“Pouting doesn’t make the question go away,” Kallus chides.
After getting Bodhi settled into Ezra’s bunk, and the box of parts on the floor with Bodhi’s boots next to the box, Zeb pokes Chopper. “Answer the question.”
“Nothing!” Chopper protests as he wheels away with the intent of complaining to Hera and then checking out the personnel records of the Rogue One team.
*
The last thing Ezra expects, when he makes his way to Yavin IV, is to find a man sleeping in his bunk on the Ghost. He sets his bag down and stares. Several of his things are still in his shared room, but there's also a storage box of droid parts near the foot of the bunk beds. Ezra steps closer taking the man in. He's beautiful with dark hair tied back in a small ponytail and he’s curling around himself hugging his knees. The way his pants bunch as he clutches his legs makes Ezra want to step forward and smooth out his fingers or ask why he looks so stressed as he sleeps. Ezra wets his lips.
The man turns his head and makes a noise of distress before his eyes open. He groans and burrows his face against the pillow. Ezra steps closer to the bed trying to make a soothing sound. The man’s eyes blink as he takes Ezra in with a drowsy furrow between his brows.
“You have really pretty eyes,” Ezra says before he internally berates himself for the words.
The man wets his lips and unfurrows slightly as their eyes meet.
“So do you,” he says softly.
Ezra smiles.
The man rubs at his face before yawning, “Where am I? This isn’t the medbay.”
“You’re in the Ghost,” Ezra informs him.
“The modified light freighter?” the man asks as he blinks slowly, as if he’s trying to stay awake. Ezra reaches over and moves the blanket to cover him.
“I’m Ezra, who are you?”
“Bodhi. It’s the VCX-100, the modified one with the transport shuttle on the back?”
Ezra shrugs.
“It’s beautiful,” Bodhi tells him before his eyes are closing and his breath is evening out.
“You’re beautiful,” Ezra says, then shakes his head. He can’t just say that to the guy he finds sleeping in his bunk and barely knows anything besides his name. Ezra holds his breath for a moment, but Bodhi doesn’t respond. Ezra’s shoulders sag in relief. At least Bodhi is sleeping and doesn’t appear to have overhead anything embarrassing? Ezra backs out of the room carefully and then sets off to find Hera.
As he stands in the doorway to her office Ezra feels as if the floor just suddenly shifted. He may need to sit down.
"That's a baby," he says more for himself than Hera. Her face lights up and she pulls him into a hug being careful of the baby strapped to her front in a sling.
"Why do you have a baby?" Ezra asks as he manages to get himself to hug her back.
Chopper beeps quickly and Ezra manages to catch that Hera had gone into labor early during the Battle of Scarif.
"Scarif? We went after the information on Scarif?" Ezra frowns. What would be so desperate that it'd need to be a battle and not an infiltration mission? Does this have anything to do with the sudden gaping loss he felt several days ago or the massive debris field he’d had to navigate around?
Hera squeezes his arm while giving him a tired, sad look before she suggests, "Maybe you should sit down."
“When have I ever wanted to take bad news sitting down?” he tries to joke, then shakes his head. “Honestly still stuck on the fact that you and Kanan made a baby. What’s their name?”
Hera adjusted the sling so he could see the small baby with green hair. Ezra smiles as he steps closer and smiles. “Hi.”
“Jacen Jun Syndulla,” Hera tells him with a soft smile.
“Hi Jacen,” Ezra greets softly. Jacen doesn’t react, just continues to sleep.
“Chopper no,” Hera instructs firmly as she glances over to her desk.
Chopper grumbles that she’s not helping him and he’s trying to help Rogue One.
“Rogue One?” Ezra asks. “Is there a Rogue squadron now?”
“A team,” Hera clarifies. “Give it time though, the way the squads were...we don’t have a lot of pilots and even less ships right now. We'll have to rearrange the squads again.”
Ezra decides that maybe he does want to sit down. He rubs a hand over his face and sighs in worry. “I felt this sense of loss so unfathomably large that it...what happened while I was gone?”
“Alderaan,” Chopper whistles softly.
“Alderaan? Something happened there? Are Leia and Bail…”
Hera sits down next to him and takes his hand. “What do you know?”
“I was still traveling with the purrgils. I felt all this death so I asked one of them to bring me back. She brought me to one of her favorite feeding places and I managed to steal an Imperial shuttle, then I came straight here. I was worried for all of you. I got here as fast as I could. There’s a debris field near the planet," Ezra informs her, then shrugs. "I don't really know much."
He feels guilty suddenly. Traveling with the purrgil had been an amazing experience, he’d been learning so much and he can’t wait to tell Kanan about the different Jedi temples he’s found in Wild Space, but his family needs him. What if he'd come back and they weren't here?
Hera squeezes his hand and tells him about the Death Star and the losses the Rebellion had suffered to stop it. She tells him of Jedha, Scarif, and Alderaan, and how they’d nearly lost Yavin IV as well.
“A planet,” Ezra shakes his head. How does he live in a universe where he knows what it feels like for a whole planet to be destroyed? “A whole planet. Is Leia…”
“Helping organize the evacuation of the base. We’re taking our time with it since the Empire is in a bit of disarray as well.”
“Bail?”
Hera shakes her head.
“I should...I…” Erza stops to shake his head, then meets Hera’s gaze. “What can I do to help?”
“Don’t wake up Bodhi!” Chopper trills.
“You put him in my bunk,” Ezra points out.
“Chopper,” Hera scolds. “We’re keeping the Rogue One team in the med bay so we can evacuate them together.”
“He was falling asleep in Maintenance!” Chopper defends. “Talk to Zeb. Why is Tonc getting transferred to Twilight? How did Hobbie break his arm?”
“Did you just slice into medical, when I specifically told you not to?” Hera questions, tone going quiet and dangerous. "Hobbie isn't even a part of Rogue One."
"No, he's a disaster waiting to happen and Sabine isn't even here to complain to!" Chopper argues. "What kind of idiot breaks his arm flying an X-wing?"
Hera shakes her head as she studies Chopper.
"Why would you complain to Sabine?" Ezra asks.
"She recruited him," Chopper blats in agitation. "He's her responsibility, not mine."
"Rogue One isn't your responsibility," Hera tells him.
"Kaytoo can't!" Chopper counters.
"Kay?" Ezra asks. "Is Cassian okay? Is Kallus?"
"Kallus has Zeb," Chopper informs him as he rolls over, then tugs at Ezra with a pincher. "Let's go see Cassian."
Before he can decide if he’s going to follow Chopper the door to Hera's office slides open. Ezra smiles as he greets Kanan, but as he steps forward to pull Kanan into a hug Chopper shoves himself between them and angrily asks if Kanan’s been released from medical.
Kanan takes a step back holding up his arms. “No more flu. I’m not contagious. I showered and put on clean clothes before I came down here. Can I hug Ezra now and finally spend some time with Hera and Jacen?”
Chopper beeps at him suspiciously, but rolls back. Kanan shakes his head with a laugh. As Ezra lets Kanan pull him into a hug he manages to tease, "I didn't think I was gone long enough for you and Hera to make a whole person."
Kanan pulls back with a smile. “How are the purrgil?”
For a moment Ezra wants to latch onto the subject change. He wants to tell Kanan how amazing it's been and about all the worlds he got to visit, but with so many recent battles the need to know how many friends he’s lost outweighs his excitement about his recent travels. Would some of his friends still be here if he stayed?
“They’ve been great,” he manages. “How’s everyone else? Where’s Sabine?”
“Sabine, Ahsoka, Rex, and Wolffe have been rotating in and out of Lothal to make sure the Empire doesn’t come back,” Hera explains as Kanan helps her take off the baby sling.
As Hera helps Kanan adjust the sling so he can wear it Ezra asks, “Is Ryder still in charge?”
“Yes,” Kanan tells Ezra as he smiles down at his sleeping son. “We’re keeping the government separate from the Rebellion, but also trying to offer aid if the Empire tries to exert control again.”
“That makes sense,” Ezra concedes. He’s grateful the Empire is staying away from Lothal, he’s not sure how conflicted he would feel if he came back and Lothal had been put under Imperial control again.
Kanan leans in and gives Hera a kiss on the side of her forehead before he asks, “When’s your meeting?”
Hera glances at her chrono. “I don’t need to leave for a few minutes, but I definitely don’t have enough time to keep Chopper out of trouble.”
“Might give us a reason to be evacuated to the same ship as Rogue One. It’d probably help Kallus if he can check in on Andor frequently,” Kanan points out. Chopper trills his agreement as he rolls out the door.
Hera’s eyes narrow as she watches Chopper, then she shakes her head as she leans into Kanan’s side and agrees, “Rook too. Knowing Kallus he’s probably still feeling guilty about not getting a team to extract him sooner.”
Ezra knows Hera just told him about this, but the information, especially the unfathomable amount of people who died, is a lot to process. He frowns as he attempts to clarify, “Rook was the defector that went to Saw?”
“And the one who flew Rogue One into and out of Scarif,” Hera confirms as she steps away from Kanan to grab a datapad off her desk.
“Do you want me to finish packing up your office?” Kanan offers.
“I’d appreciate the help, but don’t over do it or wear yourself out,” Hera tells him.
“I’ll help,” Ezra reassures.
“Thank you,” Hera smiles, looking relieved. “Ezra, the flu is still going around so be careful.”
“I’ll wash my hands.”
“It was awful,” Kanan groans. “There are still several people in the medbay recovering.”
Hera gives Kanan a fond smile before running a hand over Jacen's hair. Then she gives Kanan a kiss on the cheek and Ezra another hug. She pauses in the doorway to look back at Kanan. “If I see him I’ll let Master Kenobi know you’re up and about. He’ll probably want to meet you and Ezra.”
“Wait! He’s here?” Ezra asks, eyes going wide.
“Yes, he helped rescue Princess Leia off the Death Star,” Kanan tells him.
“Rex? Ahsoka? Are they…” Ezra starts to ask.
“They’re on their way here, but we haven’t told them why yet,” Hera answers. “It’s one of the reasons Sabine and Wolffe are on Lothal, so Rex and Ahsoka can make it back here before we abandon the base.”
“They might need our support,” Kanan points out.
“We’ll be there for them,” Ezra reassures. “They’re family.”
Hera agrees before she leaves for her meeting. As the door closes Ezra gives Kanan a teasing smirk that he knows will come across in his ton. "So are you going to be as nervous meeting Master Kenobi as you were Hera's dad?"
"I wasn't that bad."
"You were awful. It was embarrassing," Ezra teases.
Kanan grins, then shakes his head as he settles into the nearest seat. His smile softens as he rests a hand on his son's back. Jacen makes a soft noise and snuggles closer.
Ezra sits in the chair near Kanan and chews on his bottom lip trying to figure out how to ask the questions that are starting to weigh on him.
"You met him already," Kanan says, "on Tatooine."
"He helped me and Chopper. He seemed nice," Ezra admits. "I didn't know how to tell you. You seemed so certain he would be helping us and I didn't want to hurt you."
Kanan reaches his free hand out. Ezra takes his hand and squeezes.
"Well, now we know he was there protecting Luke."
“He’s the one that blew up the Death Star?” Ezra asks.
“He did,” Kanan says. “From what I understand he’s just starting to learn how to be a Jedi. He might appreciate talking to you.”
“I want to meet him too,” Ezra agrees, then he pauses briefly before asking, “You’ll still be my Master though?”
“I’m still here to teach you if you need me. I believe Master Kenobi will be teaching Luke,” Kanan reassures. “Right now though, you can help me make sure everything is organized for Hera by the time she gets back from her meeting.”
“The Rebellion,” Ezra laughs. “Always something to do.”
Fandom: Star Wars Rebels/Rogue One, Post A New Hope
Pairing: Ezra/Bodhi, Kallus/Zeb, Hera/Kanan, Obi-Wan/Rex, Cassian/Jyn, Chirrut/Baze
Disclaimer: I own nothing to do with Star wars. It's not my toy box and I'm merely playing.
Rating: PG-13
Summary: The Ghost Crew adopts Rogue One. They’re not sure if they blame Kallus or Chopper, maybe Ezra? Chopper just wants to help rebuild K-2SO.
A/N: Established relationships are Hera/Kanan, Chirruit/Baze, and Kallus/Zab. Developing relationships are Ezra/Bodhi (the meet cute tag) and Obi-Wan/Rex (the second chances tag).Thank you to MapleOwl18 for the encouragement and answering so many questions.
Chapter 1:
“In family life, love is the oil that eases friction, the cement that binds closer together, and the music that brings harmony.” ~ Friedrich Nietzsche
There's something small stuck in his left strut. Chopper spots Zeb in the hanger and considers asking him for help. He starts to roll over, but pauses when he sees R5-D8 roll away from the main maintenance area. He heads there instead figuring he should use the Rebellions supplies while it's convenient.
The human he finds is sorting through parts with a container near him. Chopper makes a hopeful noise when he realizes how many Imperial droid parts are in the container. "Are you rebuilding Kaytoo?"
The man yelps as he spins around holding a protocol droid arm.
"Kaytoo would hate being a protocol droid!" Chopper chides waving his arms in an agitated manner in case this human doesn't understand him. Chopper asks who he is. He at least needs to know who K-2SO should blame when they rebuild him incorrectly.
"At least he'd still be bipedal,"the man tells him before introducing himself as Bodhi.
Chopper introduces himself back as he stretches out an arm for a handshake. Bodhi takes his pincher with a smile.
"When did Cassian back him up?" Chopper asks.
"Right before we left for Scarif thankfully," Bodhi answers as he pulls the container of supplies, that was behind the droid arm, closer. Bodhi yawns before running a weary hand over his face. He hitches up the blanket he's got around his shoulders. He's also got a med center robe over his shirt. Is he supposed to be in the med bay? Chopper decides it's more important to fix Kaytoo and also to figure out what's caught in his strut.
"I'll help scan for parts, but my left strut needs repaired," Chopper informs Bodhi.
Bodhi makes a noise of concern and stops digging through the container. He grabs a tool box and sits down near Chopper. He’s gentle and competent as he works out there’s a tiny pebble stuck in Chopper’s strut. When he’s done he puts his tools away and yawns. He runs a tired hand down his face smearing grease onto his cheeks. Chopper picks up a clean rag and waves it at him.
“Your face,” Chopper prompts.
Bodhi sinks down onto the floor next to him again and takes the rag. “Thanks.”
Then he just sits there, eyes drooping. Chopper pokes him, then demands, “Are you supposed to be out of the med bay?”
Bodhi startles back from him, eyes going wide. “Sorry! Sorry!”
Chopper backs away servos whirling in distress. How does he calm Bodhi down? What sounds would Bodhi find comforting? Where’s Hera when you need her? He lets out a loud long string of cuss words in the hopes that someone will attempt to rescue whoever he’s cursing at or chastise him for his language and then realize that Bodhi needs some comfort.
Bodhi sits up, crouches, and moves towards him making a soothing noise. “It’s okay. You’re okay. We’re okay.”
“You’re not,” Chopper complains.
Bodhi drops back down onto his heels as he exhales and admits, “I’m just really, really tired.”
“I didn’t hurt you?” Chopper asks. Will he be in trouble with Kaytoo if he’s hurt one of Kaytoo’s organics? He actually likes Kaytoo. He and Kaytoo might even be friends. What if he’s ruined all that?
“No,” Bodhi tells him before using the rag to rub out smudges on Chopper’s chassis. “I’m sorry I startled you.”
Chopper is relatively sure he’s the one who startled Bodhi. Clearly someone needs to watch over Kaytoo’s organics till he’s rebuilt. Chopper doesn’t remember Andor startling this easily, but then he’s still recovering from Scarif in the med bay. He hasn’t met any of the other Rogue One members, but what if they’re all as skittish as Bodhi? This could be a disaster!
“I promise not to make you get in a Y-wing,” Chopper beeps seriously.
Bodhi stills then tilts his head and regards Chopper.
“You still have grease on your cheeks,” Chopper reminds.
Bodhi folds the rag then uses a clean section to wipe his face. “Better?”
“It’ll do.”
Bodhi wipes at his hands next, then yawns again.
“Where are you sleeping?” Chopper asks. It might be better to escort him to his room than leave him to sort through parts he might fall asleep in. Maybe he can get Zeb to help, just in case Bodhi starts to fall asleep while he’s walking? He’s not willing to risk Bodhi damaging or losing any of the parts he’s already sorted out for Kaytoo.
Bodhi hesitates. Chopper prods him with his pincer.
Bodhi blinks at him slowly, then shakes his head. “I’m still in the med bay.”
“Stay here,” Chopper instructs. “I’ll get Zeb to carry the parts for you.”
“I can carry them myself,” Bodhi protests.
Chopper whirls over to the container and grabs it in his pincers. “I’m getting Zeb and you’re waiting here.”
“Okay,” Bodhi agrees softly.
Chopper resists the urge to pull Bodhi’s blanket around him tighter and sets off to find Zeb. Thankfully he’s still where Chopper saw him last.
“Come help me with this stubborn human!” Chopper demands. “He should be in the med bay!”
“Is he hurt?” Zeb asks.
“He’s going to rebuild Kaytoo,” Chopper informs him. “But he’s going to fall asleep and lose all the parts!”
Zeb looks down at him skeptically. Chopper grabs for him and Zeb dodges out of the way.
“All right, all right,” Zeb relents while rolling his eyes. “You know I can’t understand half of what you say. Where is he?”
Bodhi’s asleep when they make it back to the maintenance area. He’s sitting near his crate of parts, his chin resting on his chest, and the rag still in his hand. Zeb tilts his head. “Do you even know his name since you’re so concerned?”
“This is Bodhi Rook! He’s going to rebuild Kaytoo for Captain Andor,” Chopper informs Zeb in exasperation as he pokes at him with his pincher.
“Oh,” Zeb sighs, suddenly looking weary.
Chopper rolls back. What just happened? Zeb should be growling at him or swatting at him or…
Zeb takes out his commlink and gets someone in the med bay to talk to him about Bodhi.
“Is he sleeping somewhere safe?” the person on the other end asks.
Zeb looks around the maintenance shed and shrugs, “Suppose so.”
“He’s not getting enough sleep,” the person recommends. “If he’s safe and comfortable and not in the way I’d just let him be.”
Zeb agrees and puts his commlink away.
“You can’t leave him here!” Chopper protests.
“Course not, look at how he’s bent over. He’ll strain his neck then end up with a headache,” Zeb agrees. Then he reaches out as if he’s going to poke Bodhi.
“Don’t,” Chopper advises. “He startles easily.”
Zeb rolls his eyes and very carefully pokes Bodhi, who doesn’t react. Zeb nods to himself, then picks Bodhi up.
“His parts for Kaytoo!” Chopper reminds.
“Can’t you bring them?” Zeb asks.
“No.”
Zeb grumbles and Chopper ignores his complaints.
"Where are you taking him?" Chopper asks.
"Taking who?" Kallus asks as he joins them. He pauses then frowns as he takes in Zeb holding Bodhi. Zeb steps back to brush against Kallus's shoulder. Kallus shakes his head briskly, then squeezes Zeb's arm and asks, "How can I help?"
"Where were you earlier?" Chopper complains as he waves his arms.
"Cleaning out mine and Cassian’s offices," Kallus answers. "What's wrong?"
Chopper pushes the box of parts at him.
"Grab that, would you?" Zeb asks Kallus.
Kallus grabs the box. “Where are we headed?”
“Thought I’d put him in The Ghost, berth has to be darker than the med bay and the medic says he’s not getting enough sleep,” Zeb explains.
“Do you want to look for more parts?” Kallus asks Chopper.
Chopper rolls away from him and considers it briefly. “No. Bodhi shouldn’t wake up without them.”
Kallus tilts his head and Chopper doesn’t like the way he’s suddenly being assessed. He’s about to roll over Kallus’ toes when Kallus asks, “What’s wrong?”
Chopper ignores him and heads towards the Ghost.
“Pouting doesn’t make the question go away,” Kallus chides.
After getting Bodhi settled into Ezra’s bunk, and the box of parts on the floor with Bodhi’s boots next to the box, Zeb pokes Chopper. “Answer the question.”
“Nothing!” Chopper protests as he wheels away with the intent of complaining to Hera and then checking out the personnel records of the Rogue One team.
*
The last thing Ezra expects, when he makes his way to Yavin IV, is to find a man sleeping in his bunk on the Ghost. He sets his bag down and stares. Several of his things are still in his shared room, but there's also a storage box of droid parts near the foot of the bunk beds. Ezra steps closer taking the man in. He's beautiful with dark hair tied back in a small ponytail and he’s curling around himself hugging his knees. The way his pants bunch as he clutches his legs makes Ezra want to step forward and smooth out his fingers or ask why he looks so stressed as he sleeps. Ezra wets his lips.
The man turns his head and makes a noise of distress before his eyes open. He groans and burrows his face against the pillow. Ezra steps closer to the bed trying to make a soothing sound. The man’s eyes blink as he takes Ezra in with a drowsy furrow between his brows.
“You have really pretty eyes,” Ezra says before he internally berates himself for the words.
The man wets his lips and unfurrows slightly as their eyes meet.
“So do you,” he says softly.
Ezra smiles.
The man rubs at his face before yawning, “Where am I? This isn’t the medbay.”
“You’re in the Ghost,” Ezra informs him.
“The modified light freighter?” the man asks as he blinks slowly, as if he’s trying to stay awake. Ezra reaches over and moves the blanket to cover him.
“I’m Ezra, who are you?”
“Bodhi. It’s the VCX-100, the modified one with the transport shuttle on the back?”
Ezra shrugs.
“It’s beautiful,” Bodhi tells him before his eyes are closing and his breath is evening out.
“You’re beautiful,” Ezra says, then shakes his head. He can’t just say that to the guy he finds sleeping in his bunk and barely knows anything besides his name. Ezra holds his breath for a moment, but Bodhi doesn’t respond. Ezra’s shoulders sag in relief. At least Bodhi is sleeping and doesn’t appear to have overhead anything embarrassing? Ezra backs out of the room carefully and then sets off to find Hera.
As he stands in the doorway to her office Ezra feels as if the floor just suddenly shifted. He may need to sit down.
"That's a baby," he says more for himself than Hera. Her face lights up and she pulls him into a hug being careful of the baby strapped to her front in a sling.
"Why do you have a baby?" Ezra asks as he manages to get himself to hug her back.
Chopper beeps quickly and Ezra manages to catch that Hera had gone into labor early during the Battle of Scarif.
"Scarif? We went after the information on Scarif?" Ezra frowns. What would be so desperate that it'd need to be a battle and not an infiltration mission? Does this have anything to do with the sudden gaping loss he felt several days ago or the massive debris field he’d had to navigate around?
Hera squeezes his arm while giving him a tired, sad look before she suggests, "Maybe you should sit down."
“When have I ever wanted to take bad news sitting down?” he tries to joke, then shakes his head. “Honestly still stuck on the fact that you and Kanan made a baby. What’s their name?”
Hera adjusted the sling so he could see the small baby with green hair. Ezra smiles as he steps closer and smiles. “Hi.”
“Jacen Jun Syndulla,” Hera tells him with a soft smile.
“Hi Jacen,” Ezra greets softly. Jacen doesn’t react, just continues to sleep.
“Chopper no,” Hera instructs firmly as she glances over to her desk.
Chopper grumbles that she’s not helping him and he’s trying to help Rogue One.
“Rogue One?” Ezra asks. “Is there a Rogue squadron now?”
“A team,” Hera clarifies. “Give it time though, the way the squads were...we don’t have a lot of pilots and even less ships right now. We'll have to rearrange the squads again.”
Ezra decides that maybe he does want to sit down. He rubs a hand over his face and sighs in worry. “I felt this sense of loss so unfathomably large that it...what happened while I was gone?”
“Alderaan,” Chopper whistles softly.
“Alderaan? Something happened there? Are Leia and Bail…”
Hera sits down next to him and takes his hand. “What do you know?”
“I was still traveling with the purrgils. I felt all this death so I asked one of them to bring me back. She brought me to one of her favorite feeding places and I managed to steal an Imperial shuttle, then I came straight here. I was worried for all of you. I got here as fast as I could. There’s a debris field near the planet," Ezra informs her, then shrugs. "I don't really know much."
He feels guilty suddenly. Traveling with the purrgil had been an amazing experience, he’d been learning so much and he can’t wait to tell Kanan about the different Jedi temples he’s found in Wild Space, but his family needs him. What if he'd come back and they weren't here?
Hera squeezes his hand and tells him about the Death Star and the losses the Rebellion had suffered to stop it. She tells him of Jedha, Scarif, and Alderaan, and how they’d nearly lost Yavin IV as well.
“A planet,” Ezra shakes his head. How does he live in a universe where he knows what it feels like for a whole planet to be destroyed? “A whole planet. Is Leia…”
“Helping organize the evacuation of the base. We’re taking our time with it since the Empire is in a bit of disarray as well.”
“Bail?”
Hera shakes her head.
“I should...I…” Erza stops to shake his head, then meets Hera’s gaze. “What can I do to help?”
“Don’t wake up Bodhi!” Chopper trills.
“You put him in my bunk,” Ezra points out.
“Chopper,” Hera scolds. “We’re keeping the Rogue One team in the med bay so we can evacuate them together.”
“He was falling asleep in Maintenance!” Chopper defends. “Talk to Zeb. Why is Tonc getting transferred to Twilight? How did Hobbie break his arm?”
“Did you just slice into medical, when I specifically told you not to?” Hera questions, tone going quiet and dangerous. "Hobbie isn't even a part of Rogue One."
"No, he's a disaster waiting to happen and Sabine isn't even here to complain to!" Chopper argues. "What kind of idiot breaks his arm flying an X-wing?"
Hera shakes her head as she studies Chopper.
"Why would you complain to Sabine?" Ezra asks.
"She recruited him," Chopper blats in agitation. "He's her responsibility, not mine."
"Rogue One isn't your responsibility," Hera tells him.
"Kaytoo can't!" Chopper counters.
"Kay?" Ezra asks. "Is Cassian okay? Is Kallus?"
"Kallus has Zeb," Chopper informs him as he rolls over, then tugs at Ezra with a pincher. "Let's go see Cassian."
Before he can decide if he’s going to follow Chopper the door to Hera's office slides open. Ezra smiles as he greets Kanan, but as he steps forward to pull Kanan into a hug Chopper shoves himself between them and angrily asks if Kanan’s been released from medical.
Kanan takes a step back holding up his arms. “No more flu. I’m not contagious. I showered and put on clean clothes before I came down here. Can I hug Ezra now and finally spend some time with Hera and Jacen?”
Chopper beeps at him suspiciously, but rolls back. Kanan shakes his head with a laugh. As Ezra lets Kanan pull him into a hug he manages to tease, "I didn't think I was gone long enough for you and Hera to make a whole person."
Kanan pulls back with a smile. “How are the purrgil?”
For a moment Ezra wants to latch onto the subject change. He wants to tell Kanan how amazing it's been and about all the worlds he got to visit, but with so many recent battles the need to know how many friends he’s lost outweighs his excitement about his recent travels. Would some of his friends still be here if he stayed?
“They’ve been great,” he manages. “How’s everyone else? Where’s Sabine?”
“Sabine, Ahsoka, Rex, and Wolffe have been rotating in and out of Lothal to make sure the Empire doesn’t come back,” Hera explains as Kanan helps her take off the baby sling.
As Hera helps Kanan adjust the sling so he can wear it Ezra asks, “Is Ryder still in charge?”
“Yes,” Kanan tells Ezra as he smiles down at his sleeping son. “We’re keeping the government separate from the Rebellion, but also trying to offer aid if the Empire tries to exert control again.”
“That makes sense,” Ezra concedes. He’s grateful the Empire is staying away from Lothal, he’s not sure how conflicted he would feel if he came back and Lothal had been put under Imperial control again.
Kanan leans in and gives Hera a kiss on the side of her forehead before he asks, “When’s your meeting?”
Hera glances at her chrono. “I don’t need to leave for a few minutes, but I definitely don’t have enough time to keep Chopper out of trouble.”
“Might give us a reason to be evacuated to the same ship as Rogue One. It’d probably help Kallus if he can check in on Andor frequently,” Kanan points out. Chopper trills his agreement as he rolls out the door.
Hera’s eyes narrow as she watches Chopper, then she shakes her head as she leans into Kanan’s side and agrees, “Rook too. Knowing Kallus he’s probably still feeling guilty about not getting a team to extract him sooner.”
Ezra knows Hera just told him about this, but the information, especially the unfathomable amount of people who died, is a lot to process. He frowns as he attempts to clarify, “Rook was the defector that went to Saw?”
“And the one who flew Rogue One into and out of Scarif,” Hera confirms as she steps away from Kanan to grab a datapad off her desk.
“Do you want me to finish packing up your office?” Kanan offers.
“I’d appreciate the help, but don’t over do it or wear yourself out,” Hera tells him.
“I’ll help,” Ezra reassures.
“Thank you,” Hera smiles, looking relieved. “Ezra, the flu is still going around so be careful.”
“I’ll wash my hands.”
“It was awful,” Kanan groans. “There are still several people in the medbay recovering.”
Hera gives Kanan a fond smile before running a hand over Jacen's hair. Then she gives Kanan a kiss on the cheek and Ezra another hug. She pauses in the doorway to look back at Kanan. “If I see him I’ll let Master Kenobi know you’re up and about. He’ll probably want to meet you and Ezra.”
“Wait! He’s here?” Ezra asks, eyes going wide.
“Yes, he helped rescue Princess Leia off the Death Star,” Kanan tells him.
“Rex? Ahsoka? Are they…” Ezra starts to ask.
“They’re on their way here, but we haven’t told them why yet,” Hera answers. “It’s one of the reasons Sabine and Wolffe are on Lothal, so Rex and Ahsoka can make it back here before we abandon the base.”
“They might need our support,” Kanan points out.
“We’ll be there for them,” Ezra reassures. “They’re family.”
Hera agrees before she leaves for her meeting. As the door closes Ezra gives Kanan a teasing smirk that he knows will come across in his ton. "So are you going to be as nervous meeting Master Kenobi as you were Hera's dad?"
"I wasn't that bad."
"You were awful. It was embarrassing," Ezra teases.
Kanan grins, then shakes his head as he settles into the nearest seat. His smile softens as he rests a hand on his son's back. Jacen makes a soft noise and snuggles closer.
Ezra sits in the chair near Kanan and chews on his bottom lip trying to figure out how to ask the questions that are starting to weigh on him.
"You met him already," Kanan says, "on Tatooine."
"He helped me and Chopper. He seemed nice," Ezra admits. "I didn't know how to tell you. You seemed so certain he would be helping us and I didn't want to hurt you."
Kanan reaches his free hand out. Ezra takes his hand and squeezes.
"Well, now we know he was there protecting Luke."
“He’s the one that blew up the Death Star?” Ezra asks.
“He did,” Kanan says. “From what I understand he’s just starting to learn how to be a Jedi. He might appreciate talking to you.”
“I want to meet him too,” Ezra agrees, then he pauses briefly before asking, “You’ll still be my Master though?”
“I’m still here to teach you if you need me. I believe Master Kenobi will be teaching Luke,” Kanan reassures. “Right now though, you can help me make sure everything is organized for Hera by the time she gets back from her meeting.”
“The Rebellion,” Ezra laughs. “Always something to do.”