30

HERA WALKED back into the Ghost and almost immediately crossed paths with Zeb.

She got the uncanny feeling that he'd been looking for her. Zeb paused and stared down at Hera for a moment, then asked blankly, "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine, thanks," she answered, well aware of the blush on her face deepening. Hera quickly changed the subject. "Did you need me for something?"

Zeb nodded. He looked troubled, she noticed, and had even before he'd spoken to her. "Er... yeah, actually. I wanted to know... if Tseebo and that Zare kid didn't know where Ezra went off to... then... what now?"

Hera's green lekku twitched. "I've been thinking about that, too," she told him softly. "I'm sure everyone has - and everyone needs to know my answer to that question. Could you call Kanan inside and meet me in the common room, please?"

Zeb frowned. He nodded and headed past her. As he did, Hera saw that he'd removed the bandages from around his ankle. That made her very happy. She knew that Zeb (like Kanan, and everybody else, really) hated being kept out of the action because of an injury. Now he was back in the game.

Hera smiled faintly, but her smile faded instantly as the matter at hand abruptly returned to her mind. She turned around and proceeded to the common room.

Sabine and Tseebo were still there, playing Dejarik together. The instant Hera entered the room, she could tell that Tseebo had won every game. Sabine looked like she was on the verge of throwing a fit.

"Best eleven out of fifteen!" she blurted, then immediately realized that Hera was there and looked up. Her pretty Mandalorian face had frustration written all over it. "Hera? What is it?" She could tell right away that their captain had something very serious to talk about.

Hera sat down beside Tseebo as the light green Rodian raised one suction cup-tipped finger. "The probability of Sabine Wren winning a game of Dejarik against Tseebo is one out of fifty-three."

Sabine growled. Hera spared Tseebo a funny look; if she hadn't known any better, she might have thought that Tseebo was actually gloating.

Then Hera fixed her emerald gaze on Sabine and switched off the new game of Dejarik.

"I'm calling an urgent meeting," she said, then stated the obvious. "And it's about Ezra."