He hadn't expected the hug, but when she wrapped her arms around him, he instinctively returned the gesture, drawing her head to his chest for a brief second. There was a quiet moment of understanding on Yerbol's part, a comprehension of something important that had occurred in their innocent display. He couldn't pin down WHAT that piece of knowledge was, but he knew he would discover what it was sooner or later. For now, he wouldn't say anything, although he had a sneaking suspicion that Aria felt it too. Whatever "it" was. 

He snorted a laugh, quipping back:
"I suppose I'll just have to shake your hand from now on? Maybe shoot you a polite nod? Would that be better? Cause you know, hugs are awful things to be avoided." His teasing seemed(to him) to make her blush, his partner brushing past him with the excuse of wanting to check up on the storm. 
"I'll be with you in a sec." 

____

Indeed, it was seemingly only a second that he would be able to spend with her for the next several hours, their movement towards the training facility naturally separating them to different duties. Yerbol stayed onboard with Neta to help scan for a clearing that was closer to the facility, allowing the others to forge their way ahead to their new base of operations. It took some time along with swearing from both pilot and co-pilot at the gusty conditions which were wreaking havoc on the stabilizers, but they spotted an area about seventy yards away from the training facility that was clustered with trees. With some precise blaster fire from the turrets, Yerbol cleared enough of a space for the ship to land. Getting to the ship on foot wouldn't be too hard, but transporting supplies would require some deft movement("Oh please, one time I had to extract a durasteel crate filled with contraband through the wilds of Kashyyyk. This is nothing, especially for the Force...right?"). 

They had sleeping arrangements sorted out and the main hall would be the common area slash meeting hall, so for the first time since they had started their journey there was a relatively safe place they could hide out in, which came as a relief to the Knight, who was currently looking at the training droids with Manso to see if they could be reprogrammed for security purposes...well, it was more Manso doing all the work while Yerbol stood at the ready in case the droid decided to use it's well preserved training blade mounted on it's back to whack Manso unawares. 
"Think we'll be able to get these guys up and running?" Manso had been tinkering with the back panel of one droid for about thirty minutes, mumbling to himself about compensators, gear switches and technology older than a Hutt. Yerbol needed a status update to maintain his sanity.
"Uh...well, kinda.'
"Kinda?" Manso peered at Yerbol from behind the panel. 
"Yes and no?"
"Just give me the bad news." Manso sighed, standing fully upright and closing the panel before proceeding:
"So it's simple enough to activate them, but..."
"But what?"
"But their A.I. programming is totally set. I tried to reset the scripts, but there was no chance I was going to be able to do anything without ruining the droid's programming completely."
"Right, so why is that a problem?"
"Well, it might not be if they think we're their Masters." Manso gulped, pointing at the twenty or so droids that cast eerie shadows dancing in the dim lighting above. 
"If their security protocols perceive us as threats, then we're done for." Yerbol grimaced, looking the droids over. 
"Activate one."
"What?!"
"Just do it, Manso. I can handle one droid." 

________________

"Beacons would be a smart idea, but they would need to be bright enough to see through the storm." She pursed her lips in thought, hands on her hips. The pilot stood in the entrancway, examining the muddy, sleet covered path up to the training facility with a wary eye.
"There might be a big enough clearance for a small shuttle, but the landing would have to be extremely precise. We would need some kind of cushioning on top of navigational assistance to help the shuttle land without crashing into us." Neta's eyes then widened.
"Aria, you mentioned something about crystals, how they cast a bright light...if we could maybe get some of those in a circular formation and light them up with your powers, get them to stay lit for a period of time and use those as our temporary beacons?" 

_____________________

"Wild Space." Bex flatly commented, not able to find the correct words to grasp the gravity of their latest operation. He turned to face Zora, her olive green complexion seeming to turn a tad lighter as they barreled towards the coordinates they had been forwarded by Bek, who didn't have to use much of his famous persuasive acrobatics to get them to at least listen his proposal. 
"We're sure these are the right coordinates?" Abbeth asked, looming in the doorway to the cockpit, his normally placid demeanor laced with a hopeful anxiety. 
"Yeah...yeah, we're good." Zora responded, hand on the throttle as she guided the ship even closer. Boots clicking in a measured stride came echoing towards the gathering, a woman of about five seven with blonde hair tied back in a severe bun appearing, hazel-blue eyes examining the planet from the viewing window. 
"I don't like this, Chief." Bex grumbled. 
"Neither do I, Bex, but what choice do we have?" Her Imperial accent made the question even more severe than she had intended, but wouldn't apologize for the tone or their change in direction. They wouldn't stand idly by while the rest of the galaxy burned. Not if she were still around. 
"Send a communique to the comm unit number we received. Let them know we'll be there shortly."