Stowaway: A Star Wars Rebels Story

Detachment In Distress

I should have known they wouldn't leave a spaceship unwatched. Especially here, where our technology is not nearly as advanced. I had to send a warning to the crew, who were still hiding in the tall grass. They hadn't gotten caught yet, so that's good. After looking around for a bit, I noticed the helicopter's light was beaming away from the ship, searching the surrounding area. Most of the officers had their backs turned to me as well, deep in discussion. Seizing this opportunity, I snuck away behind the ship and into the tall grass, careful to not make too much noise. I kept looking through the grass but couldn't find anything, so I started feeling around until I walked into a big piece of metal. "Shhhh!" I told the droid. The rest of the crew was crowded right around me, wondering what would happen next. "The kid is gone," I heard an officer say. "What do you mean gone? Find him!" Another officer commanded. Making any additional noise was too risky, so I signaled them with my hands to follow me, go slow, and stay quiet. Taking caution with every step, the seven of us eventually made it out of the tall grass and into a small section of trees. "Stay here, I'll get us a ride," I said. Bolting towards the direction we just came from, I looked to see my truck still there. I saw an officer in the distance, but they had far better things to worry about than a car parked on the side of the road. I put my keys in the ignition and drove away. Looking back in the rearview mirror, none of the officers chased me. Good, now let's get the survivors. I made a U-turn further down the street and stopped at the trees I left them at. I opened my window and motioned for them to get in, I wasn't taking any chances of the law finding out that there were survivors. The boy volunteered to ride shotgun while the rest crammed in the back. "Everyone in?" I asked, looking back to the crew. They nodded, and I drove off, checking my rearview mirror again. Same result. Awesome. "I'll take us back to my house, they won't follow us there," I said, trying to diminish the confusion among the crew. Hope I didn't jinx myself there. After a few minutes of driving, I turned off my truck and looked to see nobody outside. Perfect. The crew followed me and I ushered them inside, quickly locking my truck and my front door once everyone was in.

"Apologies for not introducing myself earlier. I had to make sure nobody followed us. My name is Y/N. I hope y'all are feeling okay," I said. "Thanks, Y/N," the older male responded. "I'm Kanan, and this is Hera, Ezra, Zeb, Sabine, and Chopper," he stated, pointing to each member of the crew. "Good to meet you. Any questions you have, I'll try to answer them as best I can. I knew I might not be able to answer everything, let's hope this goes well. Like clockwork, everyone peppered me with questions. "Slow down! Slow down! One at a time, please," I cried out. Ezra was the first to speak. "Where are we?" "Earth," I replied. "Earth? What's an Earth?" Hera chimed in. "Uh, the planet you're on right now," I said. Was she this dense? "I've never heard of it, no such place exists like that on my star charts." I paused for a moment and thought to myself. So aliens do exist, and this crew is from a different galaxy. Could this day get any weirder? "Why did you take us here? We could have fixed the Ghost," Zeb questioned, referring to their broken spaceship. "Like I said before, you and Hera are aliens to the people that live here. They wouldn't take to seeing you lightly. Worst case scenario, you wouldn't see the light of day again," I said grimly, getting shocked reactions from the crew. "But don't worry, your secret is safe with me." They let out a sigh of relief, but Sabine showed doubt on her face. "Wait, how can we trust you?" "I pulled him out of a burning ship," I said, pointing to Ezra. "Doesn't that mean I care a little bit?" She nodded in understanding. "We need to fix our ship soon, we're in the middle of a war that we need to get back to," Kanan said. "A war? What war? There's only peace here," I responded. "We're rebelling against a galactic empire, they oppress the people in our galaxy and we have to do something about it," he remarked. Kanan went on to tell me about his travels over the years and how his rebel cell formed. It was a touching story, and it saddened me to hear that the fight wasn't over. "Wow..." I said, unable to complete my thoughts. I couldn't fathom the prospect of fighting against such a vast regime while being on the run all the time. "It sucks that you're stranded here. But I think I know how to help. Get some rest y'all, you need it. Crash wherever you like," I told them. The crew looked annoyed and the droid made some beeping noises that I couldn't decipher. "Sorry, that was in poor taste. There's a couple couches and a guest bedroom y'all can share." Feeling guilty about what I said, I went upstairs to my bedroom and sat on my armchair, trying to process everything that had happened over the past couple of hours.

I ran into the worst luck possible, and my day just kept getting weirder. Not even six hours ago I was working my final shift, and now I'm harboring people from another galaxy while my parents are away. I knew I had to get them home, but from what I remember, a good chunk of their ship was destroyed. I dealt with crashes all the time at work, but this was completely different. Some of the parts might not even exist here, so my mechanical skills may be useless to them. Even if I was theoretically able to fix everything, the parts I would need were back at the autobody shop. I couldn't return there without blowing my cover, and obviously taking the necessary parts wasn't an option. I dove deeper into my thoughts, frantically trying to find solutions to get the crew home, but slumber began to settle in. Maybe I just need to sleep it off, my ideas will be fresher in the morning. As I was about to pass out, I heard a faint knock at the door, redirecting me from my slumber. "Come in," I said, inviting the guest in. The door opened, and I saw Ezra standing there. "Hey Y/N," he said. "Oh, uh...hey. What are you doing here?" I asked. "I need somewhere to sleep, all of the beds and couches are taken." "Sure, take my bed. I'm not using it." I said, getting up. Proper sleep is important, and I have to gain Ezra's trust so he and his friends can go home sooner. I grabbed a spare blanket and pillow from my closet, giving myself some warmth and comfort. As I turned around, I saw Ezra lying fast asleep. Clearly, they were exhausted from today's disaster. Leaning back on the armchair, I finally let my eyes rest, hoping for better fortune tomorrow.

I woke up to sunlight pouring into my window. I checked my phone and looked at the time, and the screen displayed 9:15. Ezra was still sleeping, and I didn't want to wake him up. I took my clothes into my bathroom and started my morning routine. I deep-cleaned myself in the shower, brushed my teeth, threw on my clothes, and headed downstairs to make breakfast. I decided to cook 6 portions of eggs and bacon for me and the crew to eat. Their money probably wouldn't work here, and I needed to save my own, even though I got a hefty final paycheck yesterday. It would take a while to cook everything, so everyone would have time to wake up. More importantly, however, I thought back to last night. I was surprised at how quickly the crew trusted me, especially since they were light years away from home. One by one, the crew gathered around the kitchen table, waiting to be served. "Sleep well?" I asked them, hoping they were in better shape after last night's events. "Well enough," Zeb said. I knew he was lying, but some things are best left unsaid. The eggs and bacon were fully cooked, so I pulled my skillet from the stove and served the meal on plates, giving them to the rest of the crew. "Dig in you guys," I said cheerfully. As they took the first few bites, stars seemed to light up in their eyes. My cooking skills paid off. "This is really good, Y/N," Hera said in between mouthfuls of food. "Yeah, you made a great meal, kid," Kanan praised. "Hey, I didn't make this," Ezra joked. We all laughed and talked for a while. I'll cherish this moment, things like this don't come often. But I have work to do soon. Let's get them home.