Star Wars: On the Job

Chapter 6: Clean Up

Hera kept one hand poised over the switch that would vent the cargo hold to the vacuum of space and waited for Kanan's signal. All around her lights were still blinking angrily, but she didn't have time for them just yet.

She knew when Kanan opened the hatch because it was accompanied by the song mite's screeching whine pouring into the Ghost in a flood of sound. Her lekku curled and her skin puckered. The cacophony vanished and Kanan's voice echoed down the hall. "Do it!"

Hera flipped the switch.

To an outside observer it wouldn't look like much. A few ice crystals would form as the water in the air froze on its way out, creating a whitish cloud that quickly dispersed. A more curious sight would be of an orange-red hazmat suit and– most unusual– a green shirt. But Hera didn't see any of it as she guided the Ghost far away from the invisible cloud of space-borne mites before they could float into her ship and try to reattach themselves.

Hera's eyes flicked between the gauges monitoring the cargo hold. The temperature dropped to nothing. Life support registered zero atmosphere. After fifty seconds the interior and exterior environments equalized. Whatever was going to get blown out into space was out there. Any stragglers that had survived the rush of wind she planned to kill with lack of oxygen and freezing temperatures, and for that she would have to give the cargo hold a good, long airing.

Even though the displays around her were blinking like a casino, Hera breathed a sigh of relief. Those other problems weren't going anywhere for the time being. Right now she needed to check up on the hero.

As she turned the corner to the starboard hall, she found Kanan stripped down to his underwear, dousing himself with a strong-smelling chemical cleaner. The clear-purple liquid splashed onto the deck and walls leaving an astringent, slightly floral scent in its wake.

"What are you doing?" she asked holding her nose with one hand and waving away the smell with the other.

Kanan poured the cleaner on the back of his leg and rubbed it into his skin.

"Kanan?" she tried again and when he didn't stop she shouted, "HEY!"

His head popped up. Loose hair was splayed over his forehead. "WHAT?" he said too loudly.

"WHAT ARE YOU DO-ING?" she asked in loud, slow syllables.

When he answered his voice was more subdued, but still twice the normal volume. "What does it look like? I'm making sure none of those little monsters hitched a ride on me. Would you give me a hand? I can't get the back." He tossed her the bottle.

Hera sprinkled the liquid between his shoulder blades as he rubbed it in. He was flexible enough to reach every spot on his back and his muscles rippled under his fingers. The pattern of freckles on his shoulders was like a map of the stars.

"Here, do my head." He bent at the waist and flipped over his long, brown hair.

"Are you sure it's safe?" She wrinkled her nose.

"What?" He eyed her without straightening his back.

"This is pretty strong stuff." She pointed at the bottle and frowned.

Kanan gestured towards the hatch. "Would you rather go through that again?"

"Of course not," she said. But she didn't want him to lose all of his hair, either. She squeezed the mostly-empty bottle. "I have another idea. Hold on."

Hera went to the galley and took the cleaner with her just in case Kanan tried to do something without her. A few open cabinets later and she found what she was hunting for. When she came back, Kanan raised an eyebrow at the towel draped over her shoulder and the large baking pan in her hands. It was filled with warm soapy water.