Inside the Ghost, the ship that had once been a haven of harmony and camaraderie, there was now a tense and discordant atmosphere. The laughter that used to fill its corridors had been replaced by heated arguments and uncertain looks. And the reason for this division was no mystery.
"What do you mean we can't rescue Galen yet?" Sabine Wren's voice echoed with restrained fury, aimed directly at Hera Syndulla.
The Mandalorian stood in the middle of the common room, fists clenched and jaw tense, as if she could barely contain herself. Since Galen's sacrifice, Sabine had emotionally distanced herself from the rest of the crew, especially Kanan, whom she blamed for not allowing her to come to Galen's aid when he needed it most. That distance had been palpable for days, but when Hera informed the crew that she received information about Galen's possible whereabouts, their tension exploded into an inevitable confrontation.
"You heard me, Sabine," Hera replied, maintaining her composure with effort. "With the resources we currently have, we can't invade an Imperial base like that. If we go, none of us are likely to return."
"Galen is there! Who knows what they've done to him so far? We have to go help him!" replied Sabine with a mixture of urgency and desperation. Her eyes were shining, but not from tears, but from the fierce determination that characterized the Mandalorians.
From a safe distance, the rest of the crew watched the scene. None dared to intervene. The intensity of the discussion was such that any intrusion could make them the target of Sabine's fury.
"I know, Sabine," Hera insisted, her serene tone fighting the storm in front of her. "But it won't do any good if we go now and get killed before we get to him."
"No, you're wrong. If we're a small team, the Empire will never see it coming. We'll be able to infiltrate more easily."
"And if we get caught, what? You think Galen would want that?"
Sabine took a step forward, stepping close enough for her words to come down like a hammer. "How can you know what Galen would want? You never bothered to meet him!"
Sabine's words came as an unexpected blow to Hera, who for an instant didn't know how to respond. The Mandalorian had never shown such anger before, at least not directed at her. Hera opened her mouth to retort, but Sabine was already turning toward the door.
"You know what? Forget it. If you won't help me, I'll go rescue him by myself."
"What? Sabine! Sabine, get back here!" shouted Hera, but her words were useless. Sabine had disappeared through the door before she could stop her. Hera made a feint to follow her, but a hand on her arm stopped her.
"Leave her." Kanan said in his calm, firm tone. "She just needs to think."
"But, Kanan, she plans to go rescue him alone."
Kanan sighed, shaking his head. "She didn't mean it. What ship is she planning to go with? I'm sure she'll be back once it cools down."
For a moment, Kanan's words seemed to calm Hera. But quickly her expression changed, reflecting her concern. "Maybe you're right..." she murmured. Then she looked up at him, with a mixture of determination and pleading in her eyes. "Kanan, can you talk to her?"
Kanan folded his arms, cocking his head to one side. "Me? Hera, Sabine won't want to see me either. She's barely said a word to me since Galen."
Hera stepped closer to him, lowering her voice. "Yes, but you're not the target of her wrath now. That works in your favor. Please, love."
Kanan stood motionless, hesitant. But then, Hera took a step closer to him and whispered something in his ear, so low that the rest of the crew couldn't hear.
Kanan's gesture changed immediately. His shoulders tensed, but his gaze took on a resigned air. "Mmmm... okay, I hate it when you do that."
Hera smiled, watching him as he turned and walked in the direction of where Sabine had disappeared. "Thank you, Kanan." She murmured, her eyes following his figure until he disappeared down the hallway.
Kanan followed Sabine's footsteps to the Ghost's common area. He found her sitting on the bench at the center table, her legs crossed and her helmet placed to the side. The dim lights from inside the ship made the markings on her armor glow slightly. Sabine had her arms crossed and her gaze was fixed on some distant point beyond the confines of the place.
The Jedi sighed at the sight of her, noting the tension in her posture. She walked with slow steps until she stopped by the table.
"Mind if I join you?" He asked, his tone trying to be casual but betraying his concern.
Sabine looked up for barely a moment before lowering her gaze again. "Do whatever you want." She replied, dry.
Kanan took that as permission, although the lack of enthusiasm in his tone did not give her much confidence. He sat down opposite her, leaving the table as an unspoken barrier between them. He was silent for a few moments, searching for the right words as he watched the monitors in the room dial up the Ghost's operating systems.
"It's a quiet night." He finally commented, gesturing toward the nearest window that offered a view of the stars from Lothal's orbit.
"I guess so." Sabine replied without taking her eyes off her helmet, which was now slowly spinning in her hands.
Kanan sighed, aware that he was treading on delicate ground. Finally he decided to cut to the chase.
"Hera asked me to talk to you." He admitted, leaning his elbows on the table with a resigned gesture.
Sabine looked at him for the first time, raising an eyebrow in disbelief. "To make sure I don't go out looking for him?"
Kanan blinked, surprised at the directness of her comment. "Well... maybe."
"Maybe?" Sabine set the helmet down on the table with a thud, looking at him with irritation. "Is that an answer or a question?"
Kanan threw up his hands, as if in surrender. "All right, all right. Let's start over."
Sabine watched him for a moment with a hard look before speaking. "You know what your problem is, Kanan?" she began, her words as sharp as a blade. "You never trusted Galen. You always looked at him with distrust, as if you were waiting for him to betray us. And now that he's gone, you seem to want to make amends. But it's too late now."
Kanan opened his mouth to defend himself, but Sabine wasn't finished.
"Galen isn't here, and I'm not going to sit around waiting for him to show up," she said firmly as she jumped to her feet, grabbing her helmet.
"Sabine, wait." Kanan tried to stop her, standing up as well.
"I'm sick of waiting." She replied without looking at him, as she headed for the ship's access ramp.
Kanan stood there, frustrated and with a weight on his chest. Before he could think of how to follow her, he heard the unmistakable sound of the Phantom's starter motor. He ran to the control room window and sure enough, he saw the Ghost's auxiliary craft begin to undock.
"Oh, no. Sabine, don't," he muttered to himself as he ran toward the main cockpit. He arrived just in time to see the Phantom slide out of the docking port.
"Sabine! Get down from there right now!" he shouted over the communicator, his voice echoing through the cockpit.
Sabine, however, did not respond. From her seat, she manipulated the controls with precision as the Phantom turned toward deep space.
Kanan closed his eyes and let out a long sigh, leaning his forehead against the window pane.
"Hera's going to kill me." He finally muttered as he watched the small craft disappear into the vast night sky.