Kanan Lives! (Star Wars Rebels Kanera AU)

It's a...

     Hera sprinted down a hallway in the Imperial Dome on Lothal. The crew had been forced to split up after a run- in with a squad of stormtroopers. Now, Hera was trying to make her way back to the control center. The only problem was she had no idea where she was.

Hera hurtled down the hallway, blasting stormtroopers as they appeared. So far, she didn't appear to be getting any closer to the control center. Still running, Hera reached for the comm link on her belt.

"Come in, Specter Five!" she yelled, hoping Sabine had had better luck than she did. To her relief, Sabine's voice crackled over the comm.

"Hera! Thank goodness! Where are you?"

"Well, I was hoping you could tell me that," Hera panted, stopping to catch her breath. She opened a door to her right, sincerely hoping that she wouldn't find troopers on the other side. To her luck, there was only a deactivated medical droid and a bacta tank in the corner.

"Sabine, I think I'm in the medical wing-"

Hera was interrupted by shouts coming in her direction. She frantically closed the door to the hallway and ran to duck behind the bacta tank. She turned her comm link off and stayed as still as she could, listening hard. She heard the troopers' boots in the hallway... then mercifully, they passed. Hera let out a sigh of relief and turned her comm link back on, standing as she did so.

"Specter Two! Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Specter Five, but I think I'd better stay put for now. A squad of troopers just ran past my new hiding spot, so I'll wait a few minutes before moving out. Try and find where I am. I'm definitely in the medical wing, or some branch of it. The room itself isn't very big, maybe meant for an intensive care patient...? I'll contact you when I'm ready to move."

"Hang tight, Hera, I'll try to get a fix on your location. Specter Five out."

Hera placed her comm link on a nearby table and examined her surroundings. It was definitely some form of intensive care unit; now that she was looking closer, Hera could see the extremely sensitive equipment that was tucked away in the opposite corner. Struck by a sudden thought, Hera turned back to face the bacta tank. It didn't appear to have an occupant, but then again the only light in the room was provided by a red emergency lamp on a desk. Best to make sure. Hera made her way to the wall, and felt across it until she found a light switch. She flicked it on, not really expecting anything.

It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the sudden blinding light. But when her gaze fell on the bacta tank, she recoiled in shock, crying out.

It was Kanan.

His hair had grown out, there was stubble on his cheeks, and his torso was covered in scabs, but it was unmistakably him. Him, who had given his life to save her. She had watched him die, had seen him fall into the explosion. It couldn't be... no one could survive a blast like that, not even a Jedi. Yet here he was. Hera felt herself drawn towards the tank. She reached out a hand and touched the glass, still not believing what she was seeing. She was sure she imagined it, but she could have sworn she saw Kanan's hand twitch at her touch.

"This can't be real..." she whispered.

Suddenly, the Dome's intercom crackled, and a calm, quiet voice spoke. A voice Hera recognized.

"Oh I assure you, General Syndulla, it is very real. Unfortunately for you, it is also a trap."

Thrawn.