Chasing Your Shadow (a sequel to Ezra Lost)

Chapter 12

12

REFUELING THE Ghost wasn't a huge task, but it was hard work when you had to do it by yourself. Hera didn't mind; in fact, she rather enjoyed the chance to focus on working in the semi-quiet of the docking bay. It might even provide her with some time to organize her thoughts and come up with a game plan.

Hera carried the fuel canister outside, struggling to see past it as she did so, then heavily set it on the ground. "Phew," she muttered, then approached the Ghost's stern to start prepping for refuel.

The only, single thing she hated about her wonderful ship: she was just a little too short to reach the fuel tank's access panel.

Hera growled and stood on her toes as high as she could, stretching her arms and managing to switch the panel on. Once that was done, she had to tap in the verification code -

..but her fingers couldn't quite manage to hit the right keys, resulting in several failed entries and a very angry jerk of Hera's lekku. She gave up with an annoyed hiss and walked back around the ship, then began to drag the fuel canister again in order to use it as a stepping stool.

"Looks like someone could use a little help, mm?"

Hera froze, her eyes narrowing instantly. The voice had come from behind her - and, she realized... she had heard it before. Her heart beat faster with fear even as she fought to stay calm.

The man behind Hera laughed. "Aw, whassa matter? Did you see me on the Holonet or something?"

"Yes," Hera said stiffly, slowly turning around to stare at him.

She had never seen him in person, and it was both startling and terrifying to see him leaning there against the wall. His light brown eyes regarded her evenly, a lopsided smile twitching at his lips. (Hera hated that instantly. She happened to know someone who smiled like that all the time - only he was much more handsome than this man when he did.) His dark hair had been grown out from its formerly shaved style, his face was now suntanned and rugged with stubble, and he of course wore different clothing now, but the image displayed in the Holonet warning report from several years before were still shockingly clear in her mind.

"Which one was it?" the man inquired, watching her closely. "As far as I'm aware, they still do put out the random sighting podcast."

"I'm sure you're not here to talk to me about your grand infamy," Hera snapped slightly, her emerald eyes burning into him. "Why are you here, how did you find out about us, and what do you want?"

He raised an eyebrow slightly. "So testy." He straightened and stretched, then smirked at Hera. "Vizago warned me about you. But, seeing as you're the only one of your little rebel crew out here at the moment-"

Hera's eyes widened with anger. "Vizago?... why am I not surprised."

"Oh, yes," the man mused with a rather infuriating smile, chuckling. "I do business with Vizago quite often. After all, it's not your average everyday citizen who's interested in selling a kyber crystal, now is it?" His watchful gaze flicked back to hers.

Hera's jaw dropped as she struggled for words, her hands, already balled into fists, squeezing even tighter. "Th-that - was you? You're the one who Vizago sold the -"

"Yep," he said with a yawn. "Any more questions?"

"Yes," growled Hera after a long, infuriated moment. "I don't believe you ever got to why you're here.. Starkiller."

"Call me Galen," Galen Marek corrected with a faint smile. "And the answer to that is a rather easy one: I'm here because you need me." His infinitesimal smile grew into a big grin.

Hera's eyes immediately narrowed again. "...What do you mean?"

"Allow me to elaborate," he said cheerily. "A friend of Vizago's happened to be intercepting certain com transmissions to certain vessels," Galen informed her, still with that incredibly irritating, smug grin on his face. "And that friend happened to catch one that recently left your lovely freighter."

Hera groaned, pressing her hands to her forehead.

"And I happened to be buying some fine-quality black market detonators from Vizago earlier this morning, and he happened to mention he'd gotten some new intel recently - so after a nice pouch of curiosity credits shifted pockets, well, here I am." Galen was still grinning. "I thought I might as well offer you some help, since your funny band is the reason why I got a lovely new crystal for my lightsaber five months back." He unclipped a hilt that was extremely different from Kanan's from his belt and gave it a twirl between his fingers. "Thanks for that, by the way."

"We didn't... we didn't know it would be going to you," Hera muttered, staring at him again. Her eyes were steel.

"It wouldn't have mattered," Galen said, almost smugly. "You would have done it if it had gone to the Emperor himself."

Hera opened her mouth, face going blank. Would we?...

"Anyway, please, let's cut to the chase, shall we?" Galen strode over to her. Hera snapped back to attention, backing away as he slowly followed her. "The information I bought, obviously, was that you've recently lost a crewmember again..." Hera's back quickly met the side of the Ghost and her eyes lit up in panic as Galen stood directly before her, grinning down. "And trust me... I'm just the man to find him."

"I-I don't trust you at all!" Hera exclaimed, looking up in anger and alarm. "And w-why should I?! You're a criminal, an assassin - a murderer-!"

Galen winced. "The last two... not anymore," he murmured, meeting her eyes. "I'm trying to atone for what I've done before... as much as I possibly can. I'm a rebel now... like you. There is nothing I hate more than the Empire."

Hera's expression of suspicion barely budged. But he seemed sincere-

He isn't.

It's a trick.

"They took everything from me.." His dark eyes burned. "My parents, my life, my future, who I wanted to be. Please, Hera - let me help you."

He took Hera's shoulder and she flinched, staring back at him hard.

"Trust me."

---

-plays a Greg Universe riff on guitar because Starkiller is awesome xD-

By the way, guys, I just want you to know -- I've never fully played the Force Unleashed, just a little more than past the beginning. So understandably, I'm unfamiliar with Starkiller's character -- but I do think he is awesome and it would be a shame to lose him to the death of the Expanded Universe completely. So I've basically made him my own character in this story. =) I hope you enjoy his oddly Kanan-esque antics -- because Hera sure doesn't!! xD See you guys next chapter.