Good Intentions & Happy Ever Afters - orphan_account (2024)

Chapter 1: Prologue - Nightmares And... Visions?

Chapter Text

Good Intentions & Happy Ever Afters

Prologue - Nightmares and... Visions?:

D363/6 BBY, Mandalore

Sabine woke up swallowing a scream, not wanting to wake up the other girls in her room; the echoes of blood curdling cries of anguish and pain ringing in her ears.

Tears fell down her cheeks unheeded as she curled into a ball and shook with silent sobs of remorse.

The Empire had done it. They had used the duch*ess on real people yesterday. Her people. Just insignificant nobodies to the Imperials; streetrats and homeless veterans picked up from the dregs of the big cities and stuffed into Mandalorian armour.. People who wouldn't be missed. And they gave her a bloody commendation for her work. Within a day, every Clan in the Mandalore systems would know that Sabine kriffing Wren had invented an abomination that could kill her people in seconds.

It was the last straw in her growing disillusionment with the Empire.

Sabine determinedly wiped the tears off her cheeks and forced her body to stop shaking. It wasn't supposed to be like this. What had she done? She had to destroy the duch*ess. All of her hard work, wasted. Used against her wishes. It had to go. It was too powerful. And in the Empire's hands, it meant the end of her people.

I can't let that happen. Ever.

Sabine didn't close her eyes again for days. Not until it was done and she was free, thanks to Ketsu's help.

But the nightmare wasn't over.

Her mother had refused to let her go home to Krownest. Ursa Wren's hologram had looked stone cold when she said her daughter was dead to her and that all would know that Sabine Wren was Dar'manda.

Ketsu had been kicked from her home, too, just to add to the fun.

Sabine had never felt so lost. And the title of Dar'manda sat heavy on her shoulders, but she felt like she had earned it. She WAS a dishonourable traitor to her people and she doubted she would ever be able to live that down.

Sleeping at night became something she rarely did. And even then, as soon as she closed her eyes, the cries of terror came back to haunt her.

They would haunt her for the rest of her life.

D278/5 BBY, The Ghost

Flames engulfing the night sky. Electric oranges and yellows, almost to white. Paralyzing fear. Kanan's eyes. The vibrant teal green trying to tell Ezra something, flames reflecting within them. Extreme heat hit him in a wave, self preservation instincts making Ezra turn away. Looking back. Gone. Kanan was gone, nothing but flames where he had been standing.

Ezra woke choking on the fear that had his heart in his throat. His body was covered in goosebumps and cold sweat. Out of desperation, he reached for his bond to Kanan.

Needing to know he was still there.

Needing to know it was just a dream.

A bad dream.

Kanan's eyes popped open and he sat up abruptly, sensing Ezra's distress, disturbing Hera from her spot on his chest. Almost instantly, Kanan sent reassuring feelings back down the bond.

Ezra was soothed. A little. But it wasn't enough. He needed to see that Kanan was really all right.

Kanan rushed off his bunk and slid his legs into his pajama bottoms in record time, waving a 'later' hand at Hera at her confused, "What's happening?"

Ezra jumped off his bunk, shaky legs almost not holding him up. Desperately smacking the button to open his door, he tumbled out into the hallway.

Kanan was already there, bond wide open between them. Kanan gathered Ezra into his arms and held the shaking boy close, hand rubbing soothingly up and down his back. "It's okay, Ezra. It's okay. It was just a dream."

Ezra looked up at his Master, tears welling in his eyes. "But it was so real, Kanan. You died. I know you did," he all but wailed before sagging into a forlorn whisper. "You can't die, Kanan. I can't lose anyone else."

Kanan held Ezra by the shoulders and made him look up at him, staring into the wide sapphire eyes that were trying to break his heart. "It was just a nightmare. I'm still here," he reassured. "And I have no plans on dying anytime soon. Hera would kill me if I did." Kanan half smiled, hoping Ezra would get the humour.

His smile grew wider as Ezra relaxed and snorted, swiping at his face with his pajama sleeve. "Yes, she would." Ezra took a deep breath. "Okay. Just a dream. I can live with that. Just... don't go playing with fire anytime soon. Okay?"

Kanan chuckled. "I think I can manage that. Making things burn is more Sabine's job anyway." Kanan nodded towards his room. "Come on, kid. Since we're up anyway, why don't we go meditate? Ease your mind a little more. You can give the Force all of your emotions. It will make you feel better."

Ezra nodded eagerly. He didn't want to go back to sleep now anyway; afraid the dream would come back.

D184/3 BBY, Atollon

A crippling sense of foreboding. A man with short hair holding back the flames. Hera's voice screaming "Kanan!" echoing over and over in Ezra's ears. The flames engulfed the night sky. Electric oranges and yellows, almost to white. Paralyzing fear. Kanan's eyes. The vibrant teal green trying to tell him something, flames reflecting within them. Extreme heat hit Ezra in a wave, self preservation instincts making him turn away. Looking back. Gone. Kanan was gone, nothing but flames where he had been standing.

Ezra opened his eyes to the dim light of the room. Goosebumps and cold sweat once again covering his body.

The dream was back. The one that haunted him. Showing up two or three times a year. One tiny new detail every time.

He didn't know how much more of this he could take. There had to be a way to stop this. Ezra was sure the Force was trying to show him something important.

The boy's violent shivering woke up Sabine. She could actually feel it vibrating the mattress. She rolled over and saw him curled into a ball. Reaching over she rolled him over with a hand on his shoulder and sucked in a breath from worry; Ezra's haunted eyes looked almost black in the dark, shining with unshed tears, and his bones were stark under the gaunt shadows of his skin.

Sabine ran a comforting hand through his shaggy hair and cupped his face, searching his eyes. "What is it, babe? Is it that dream again?"

Ezra just nodded, not trusting himself to speak. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, needing the comfort of her presence.

After a long time, the tension finally drained from his body and they both breathed easier.

Sabine's soothing fingers running through his hair over and over helped to distract him from his nightmare. Ezra breathed in the wonderful floral scent of her hair and basked in the curves pressed to his body. It was enough. More than enough, just to hold her; his beautiful cyar'ika.

Finally feeling like he could speak without losing it, he sucked in a breath for courage, staring up at the ceiling of her room. "I don't know what to do, Sabine. I've tried talking to Kanan about the dreams, but he thinks they're just nightmares. I'm sure they're not. One day, I don't know when, Kanan is going to die in a fire. A really big fire. The Force must be showing me this for a reason. I must be able to prevent it, or save him, or something. I have to. I could never live with myself if I didn't."

Sabine hugged him as best as she could, heart breaking for Ezra and the fate of Kanan. "It's okay, Ezra. We'll figure it out together. We won't let Kanan die. I promise. Hera would kill us if we did."

Ezra cracked a small smile at the running joke.Thank the Force for my warrior goddess. I don't know what I'd do without her.

They spent the next couple of hours just talking. Not wanting to fall back asleep and waste any of their stolen time together. (Kanan and Hera had taken the Phantom up into orbit for some alone time and Zeb was too busy snoring to notice that Ezra was missing.) Tomorrow he was going to Malachor with Kanan and Ahsoka. Maybe he would find some answers there.

Master Yoda must be sending us there for a reason. Right?

Same night, above Atollon...

Kanan made his way through the ship, wondering why it was pitch black with not a hint of light to be found. His hands reached out in front and to the sides, feeling his way along the hallway until he reached the door that opened into the center of the ship. He felt for the ladder that led to the top gun turret and then walked around it, feeling for the door to the common room. He heard the hiss of the door as it opened and tentatively stepped into the main gathering place of their family. A few more careful steps and he'd reached the door of the galley. He stopped with his hands on the door, but didn't open it yet, because he could hear crying.

The Jedi rested his forehead on the door as the sound of Hera's quiet sobs broke his heart.

He heard soothing sounds from Sabine. "It's going to be okay, Hera. They're strong. They'll both get over this sooner or later. All we can do is be there for them until then."

Hera choked back a sob and Kanan could picture her wiping the tears off her cheeks. "I know they will, Sabine. It's just so hard. Ezra's a mess and Kanan won't come out of his room. I'm sure they haven't talked to each other since they came back. I wish I could have stopped them from going to...

"Kanan. Kanan," he felt himself being shaken. "Wake up, love." Kanan groaned and opened his eyes to see Hera's concerned face looking down at him and noticed that his cheeks felt wet. He reached up and felt the tears. "Are you okay?" Hera asked.

Kanan shook his head as he sat up on the air mattress they'd laid on the floor of the Phantom and ran his hands through his hair in frustration. "I was having a vision, I think. Something bad is going to happen to Ezra and I, I just don't know what or why or when." Kanan sighed and pulled Hera into his lap, needing the comfort of her body against his. "You woke me up before the vision could finish."

Hera wrapped her arms around him and pressed her forehead into his neck. "I'm sorry, Kanan. But you were shaking and crying. I thought you were having another nightmare about your Master's death. I know you don't like those."

Kanan kissed the top of her head and hugged her tighter. "No. It's not your fault. I'd rather you wake me up then let me have a nightmare." He closed his eyes and thought back through his vision, but there was nothing in any of the words spoken that gave him any hint as to what could possibly have happened to make Hera so sad. "I don't know what to do now, Hera. What if it's the trip to Malachor tomorrow? Is the search for knowledge really worth it?"

She looked up at him with sympathetic emerald eyes, fingers combing through his long hair. "I can't answer that for you, love. But you know what I'd prefer you do."

He smiled wanly and kissed her forehead where worry lines were taking up residence. "I know, darling. I'm sorry." His gut knew he was going to Malachor tomorrow. Now he just had to wonder if he was going to regret it.

D185/3 BBY, Malachor

As Maul struck him across the eyes, the red lightsabre was the last thing Kanan saw.

As the pain sent him to his knees, Kanan knew two things:

First, he knew what his vision was about the night before.

And second, he was going to have to break the promise he'd made to Hera just before leaving Atollon this morning.

"We'll see each other again, I promise,"had never sounded so much like a curse as it did when put on repeat in his mind on the flight back home to Atollon.

Kanan cradled a weeping Ezra in his arms, who in turn cradled a Sith holocron in his hands. Kanan's face was screaming in pain, but it had nothing on the pain in his heart that bounced from him to Ezra and back again as they mourned the loss of Ahsoka and Kanan's sight.

D187/3 BBY, Atollon

Dark. A neverending set of stairs that ran the length of a pyramid that rose into the abyss of the black crust above them. Red blades everywhere. Fighting for his life. For Kanan's and Ahsoka's life. Trusting Maul. Leaving Kanan behind for Sith knowledge. Maul attacking Kanan with his red blade. Kanan dodging at the last moment. What should have been a killing strike went across Kanan's eyes instead. Kanan's scream of pain. Ahsoka fights Maul. Kanan finds a mask. Puts it on. Faces Maul again. Kanan flows with the Force. Maul goes over the edge. Darth Vader. Evil. Cold. So Cold. Even worse than the Inquisitors. Lightsabre gone. Destroyed. Ahsoka fights the Sith Lord in black. The pyramid closing. Ahsoka left behind to die. Noooooo!

Ezra shot up from his bed, gasping for air, feeling like he'd been dipped in ice water and thrown out into space.

Why did I trust Maul? Why didn't the Force warn me about what would happen to Kanan's eyes?

Ezra knew that everything that had happened was his fault. All he wanted was a way to protect his family, to stop the dream of Kanan dying from happening, and it had all gone so very very wrong.

It was his talk with Yoda that had led them to Malachor. It was his trust in a stranger that had led to Kanan's loss of sight. He that had gotten Ahsoka killed by Darth Vader when she saved his useless butt.

The distraught teenager hugged his legs to his chest and glared at the source of his self hate, hidden in a helmet, the hint of red mocking him from the eyes. Ezra tried to connect to Kanan again for the hundredth time since they got back from Malachor, but the bond was closed from Kanan's side. Closed tight.

Kanan had removed himself so far from his connection to the Force, Ezra could barely feel him on the ship only a room away.

And that is my fault, too.

He desperately wished he could hold Sabine right now. But he didn't feel worthy to even be in her presence, least of all hold her so she could warm him up.

So he stayed in his bunk by himself, almost wishing for Zeb's snores below him so he'd feel less alone. Icy tears ran down his cheeks as Ezra felt frozen to the very soul.

D290/2 BBY, Atollon

The screams were haunting her again.

Picking up the Darksabre had brought it all back.

Sabine lay sleepless in her tent in the ebony night; a fitting reflection of her heart right now. Why had she agreed to this? To save a Mandalore that had rejected her for what she had done?

Going back was a really bad idea. Probably suicidal, but Rau did have a good point. With the Darksabre, maybe she could make things right again. But her whole being was whimpering at the very thought of facing her people again. Facing her family again.

Not able to stand being alone anymore, she squiggled out of her sleeping bag, pulled on her boots, and crawled out of her tent. She hadn't even bothered to get undressed aside from pulling off the armour plating; knowing that sleep was a bad idea right now.

Walking silently along the short line of tents, a glimmer of moonlight illuminating her way, she stopped at Ezra's tent. It didn't surprise her at all when he opened the flap and crawled out within moments of her arrival. He always knew where she was. It had freaked her out at first, but now she thought it was perfect. It made things a lot easier for them when they were stealing moments together. Somehow, he always knew when she needed him near, and he would just be there. Sometimes even when she thought she wanted to be alone, he would appear anyway.

Like earlier this evening when she'd stormed away from training.

She felt terrible for brushing him off, when all he was doing was trying to help. But he never blamed her for her bad moods. Ezra must be the most understanding guy in the galaxy to deal with her, and she knew it. She'd never find a man who suited her better.

Sabine held out her hand and twined her fingers with Ezra's as they walked silently through the camp and back to the rock where she had a breakdown earlier. After they sat on the rock with Sabine sideways in Ezra's lap, arms wrapped around each other in comfort, Sabine finally spoke. "I'm sorry, Ezra."

She felt him press a kiss to the top of her head and then lay his cheek on her hair again. "You don't have anything to be sorry for, Sabine. I understand this is hard for you. I wish I could take all your pain away and make it all better."

Sabine pulled back a little so she could see the gleam of his eyes. "Just having you hold me is enough. Thank you. With you by my side, I think I can do this. But I really wish I had never joined the Academy in the first place. My life would be so much different now." Then her eyes widened as she realized something. "No, I take it back. I never would have met you if I hadn't gone through everything I did first." She held the back of his head with one hand and cupped his cheek with the other. "You were worth all of it," she whispered.

"Sabine," Ezra choked out, before lowering his mouth to hers and exchanging a meltingly sweet kiss. He pressed his forehead to hers. "I love you, cyar'ika. And I'll wait for you, forever if I have to, while you fight for your planet. You keep me in the Light. I'd have been lost without you. I..."

Sabine stopped him from speaking once again about how perfect he thought she was with her mouth. She didn't think she was perfect, and right now, she really didn't want to hear it. She just wanted the comfort of his arms and lips and body. Pulling back just enough, she whispered against his mouth. "I love you too, babe. Now kiss me, everywhere."

Sabine felt his lips curl into a smile. "Gladly, my warrior goddess."

D3/1 BBY, Mandalore

Sabine struggled out of her sleeping bag, and slipped out of the tent. Hers was surrounded by a whole village of tents, where the gathering of clans had converged to prepare to destroy the duch*ess. She couldn't sleep. The imagined screams of her dead Clanmates were mingling with the very real ones she had heard years ago. Sabine wandered silently towards the edge of camp. She'd almost lost her mother and brother. All because she'd thought she was such a genius, building new weapons for the Empire. The remembered whine of the duch*ess powering up was enough to make her cringe in self loathing.

Walking aimlessly in the dark, over the barren earth of Mandalore, she eventually just came to a stop and sank to the ground. Wrapping her arms around her legs, and burying her face in her knees, she cried silently. Wanting desperately to scream her rage at the sky, but knowing that would draw attention and wake the others, she held it in. As she always had.

When Ezra's arms wrapped around her, and pulled her into his lap, she cried harder, grateful for his Jedi senses that always knew when she needed him.

They never said a word that night. Ezra just held her until it was time to get ready for battle.

It was enough. It was everything.

And then they finally freed Mandalore from the grasp of Imperial tyranny and her from her nightmares.

And Sabine found the Mand'alor she'd been searching for.

She thought it fitting that it was the sister of the original duch*ess.

D7/1 BBY, Saw Gerrera's U-Wing

A crippling sense of foreboding. Hera in prisoner orange, embracing Kanan in the dark. The squeal of blaster fire from a Walker. A short haired, clean shaven Kanan runs to stop the flames with the Force. Hera's voice screaming "Kanan!" echoing over and over in Ezra's ears. Hera runs to stop him or help him or die with him; he doesn't know. Kanan stops her, dividing his attention between her and the fireball. They share an endless moment before he throws her back towards Ezra and he catches her.

The flames engulf the night sky. Electric oranges and yellows, almost to white. Paralyzing fear. Kanan's eyes. No longer cloudy. In his moment of sacrifice, the Force heals him, so he can see one last time. The vibrant teal green focused on Hera and Ezra, trying to tell them something, flames reflecting within them. Ezra screams down their bond, but Kanan's closed it, not wanting Ezra to feel him die. Kanan pushes the gunship away from the fire with everything he has, turning his back to the explosion. Extreme heat hit Ezra in a wave, self preservation instincts making him turn away. Looking back. Gone. Kanan was gone, nothing but flames where he had been standing. Ezra yells at Sabine to, "Go! GO!" determined to save what was left of his family. He slumped to the floor, holding Hera in his arms as she sobs, the space where Kanan used to be inside of him empty. So Empty.

Ezra woke with a jolt, and almost fell off the bench he was sitting on, in the galley of Saw's ship. He was shaking and freezing and tears were running down his face. Ezra reached for his bond to Kanan, sighing in relief when he felt it there, faint but sure, because of how far apart they were right now.

Wiping the tears off his cheeks, he looked over at Sabine, asleep with her head on her arms, on the table, sitting beside him. He was loathe to wake her, but he needed to tell her. Every little detail he could remember might be important, the one thing that might make the difference.

"Sabine," Ezra said quietly, as he gently shook her shoulder.

Sabine sat up with a gasp, one of her blasters magically in her hand and pointed at him.

Ezra tried to grin, but really didn't have the heart for it. "Hey, it's just me. Please don't shoot me."

Sabine sighed. "You know better than to wake me like that when we're on a strange ship, Ezra." She put her blaster away and raised an eyebrow at the half eaten food they'd been too tired to finish. "What is it?" she asked, noticing the tear tracks on his face.

"I had the dream again," Ezra said solemnly. "I need to tell you. We need to be ready. I feel like this might happen soon. What I know for sure now is that the day Hera wears a prisoner uniform and Kanan cuts off all of his hair is the day we need to start being extra careful." Ezra's voice broke and he trembled as he continued in a barely audible whisper. "It's horrible, Sabine. You have no idea how hard it is to see Kanan die over and over. I am not going to let this happen. Whatever the cost."

Sabine reached for Ezra and pulled him into her arms, not caring if Saw or his pilot came in and caught them embracing. Ezra needed her. She rubbed his back soothingly as he cried quietly into her shoulder.

She was almost looking forward to the reality of Ezra's nightmare coming to pass just so she didn't have to watch him break like this anymore.

D20/1 BBY, Lothal

When Kanan came out of the cave with his hair shorn off and his face bare, Ezra had to hide his fear from Kanan.

This was it. This was the day he'd been dreading for years. It was actually coming true.

He exchanged uneasy glances with Sabine. She knew what Kanan's new look meant. It was do or die time. Literally. They were either going to save Kanan from sacrificing himself or die trying.

As Sabine flew up to the giant fuel pod in their appropriated gunship, she saw the scene Ezra had described: Kanan and Hera embracing, Hera wearing a prisoner uniform. Her heart leapt into her throat. This was it. THE moment they'd been anticipating for years. "Ezra!" she called back to him.

Ezra knew what she meant. Everything was the same. Just like in his dream. Vision. Whatever.

He set his chin and shoulders in determination.

He wasn't losing Kanan. He'd already lost one father; there was no way he was letting his second father die too.

"Hey! Enough of that. Time to go!" he called to them. He watched anxiously as they walked far too slowly towards the gunship. "Come on, come on," he encouraged them.

"What's the hurry?" Hera asked as she put her kalikori on the floor and started to climb in.

Ezra didn't get the chance to answer.

The expected crippling sense of foreboding hit him. Ezra fought past it and grabbed both Kanan and Hera with the Force while yelling at Sabine, "GO! NOW!" As Sabine turned the gunship away, the shot from the Walker hit the fuel pod, and Ezra dragged a very surprised Kanan and Hera into the trooper bay with every bit of concentration he had.

The millisecond they were in, he turned his attention to the flames roaring towards them. Even though he'd only had a little practice with the skill, he raised a Force shield and wrapped it around the gunship. After seeing Kanan use a Force shield on the flames in his dreams for years, he knew it was possible, so he just did it, desperation and determination helping him pull on the Force as needed.

When Kanan stood and added his strength to the shield, Ezra knew he'd done the impossible: He'd beaten a vision that had plagued him for what felt like an eternity.

After they cleared the blast radius of the fuel depot, Kanan turned to Ezra. "How did you know that was going to happen?"

Ezra grinned, exuberant that Kanan was still with him. "You know that dream I tried to tell you about all those years ago? The one where you died in a fire?" Kanan nodded, curious. "It wasn't a dream. It was a vision. And I saw it over and over and over again through the years. The Force was doing its best to tell me that I could save you. So I did."

Ezra umphed and almost fell over as a Hera shaped missile launched herself at him and wrapped her arms around him. "Thank you! I don't think I could live without Kanan. Survive, yes. But live? No."

Ezra knew exactly how she felt, as he glanced towards Sabine at the front of the transport. The months she'd spent on Krownest was exactly that. Surviving. But not living.

Kanan wrapped his arms around his Padawan and his soulmate, hugging them both and thanking the Force for how much he had been blessed.

He sent a little bit of his joy down the bond to Ezra because he couldn't help himself and felt Ezra send some back, making him smile. He had his Hera back from the clutches of Thrawn and Price, and he had the best Padawan ever; one who was willing to die for him to save his life.

Kanan had been having feelings of foreboding for months, finally coalescing into semi concrete visions of his family coping without him while feeling waves of grief. He had accepted the fact that he was probably going to die today. All that mattered to him was that Hera, Ezra, and Sabine survived. His life meant nothing without them; his soulmate and his kids.

And Hera, she was carrying their child. Not something they were planning on, but he had rejoiced anyway the first day he'd felt the new life force after waking up to a dream of an adorable young boy with emerald green hair and Kanan's skin tone.

He'd been trying to tell her before she left for Yavin 4 with the Defender's flight recorder, but they'd been interrupted, and she'd had to leave. He'd tried to tell her again not even half an hour ago, but he was once again interrupted by the Noghri assassin.

Now that he had a moment, he focused his senses on Hera and the tiny life within her.

Oh. No. No, no, no.

Perhaps there was a reason I never had the chance to tell her, since this would devastate her if she knew.

The flicker of a life signature within hers was dying and then was no more. Feeling helpless at the loss, Kanan wanted to rage at the Empire for torturing his woman to the point of killing his child, but instead he closed his eyes and drew the Force and Hera closer to him for comfort.

He told himself the time wasn't right to raise a child anyway, with the war with the Empire getting more intense every day, even as his blind eyes stung from the nonexistent tears he couldn't shed due to scarred tear ducts.

Kanan drew comfort from the knowledge that they could have more children someday.

When the time was right.

D26/1 BBY, Lothal

"If you truly wish to save Lothal, Commander Bridger, the only term I'll accept is your immediate and unconditional surrender."

"I shall demonstrate my power. Open fire."

"Enough! I surrender!"

"Come alone. If you attempt any... heroics, I will resume the bombardment and destroy your city, and then your friends."

"Looks like you lose, Thrawn."

"Whatever happens next, happens to both of us."

"That's the idea."

"The purrgil! Is this you?"

"They're about to jump into hyperspace!"

"Ezra, get out of there right now; that's an order!"

"I can't do that."

"And remember, the Force will be with you. Always."

"Oh, hells no," Kanan growled as he opened his eyes from his morning meditation, feeling anything but relaxed.

Even knowing he wasn't getting the full picture, just snatches of Thrawn's, Ezra's, Sabine's, and Hera's voices and their accompanying images, he knew there was no way he was letting his Padawan go out in a blaze of glory like that.

If Ezra is allowed to save me from sacrificing myself, then I'm bloody well allowed to save Ezra.

Kanan strode back to camp in time to hear Ezra say, "I had a vision. The Emperor's sending Thrawn back to Lothal. It's now or never."

"Then it's never," Ryder started to say.

But Kanan cut him off before he could get into the rant Kanan could sense building inside the older man. "No. Ezra's right. His plan is solid. It will work. I can sense that Hera's on her way back, so that part's taken care of. And you don't need an army to get into the Dome, you just need Price."

Ryder huffed and glared. "All right. I'll make the call, but kriff, Jarrus, you two better be right about this."

"We are," Ezra and Kanan said together, sharing a quick smile after at the unplanned unison.

Ezra's plan worked like a dream.

Price was captured with the help of a few more friends and some lothwolves and Kanan had his Hera back after she'd been gone for two days on a recruitment run.

Unfortunately, there wasn't time for more than a quick kiss and a very brief explanation of what he was about to attempt as everyone prepared for their roles in the upcoming liberation of Lothal. But Kanan was pretty happy to get that.

When everyone was loaded in the appropriated gunships, Kanan lingered behind, getting confused looks.

"Aren't you coming?" Ezra asked.

Kanan shook his head, still missing the sway of his ponytail as he did so. (Hera was right; he definitely needed to let it grow back. But she did like his clean-shaven jaw, so that was something.) "You're not the only one who had a vision this morning. There's something else I need to do."

Ezra studied him for a moment before nodding once. "Alright. Be careful. I'll see you later then?"

Kanan smiled. "You will," resolution firmly set in his tone. Kanan nodded at Hera through the transparisteel window, sharing a look for a second, before she nodded and took off. Her transport was quickly followed by the second ship that was being piloted by Ketsu.

Kanan turned around and found Mart, Vizago, and Wolffe giving him identical 'what the kriff?' looks.

Kanan just smirked and then walked away, out into the grassland, heading north.

Within a minute, a lothwolf was walking beside him, one of the darker signatured ones.

Kanan stopped walking and faced the wolf.

"I'm guessing you know what I'm going to ask of you,"Kanan thought to the wolf.

"Yes,"came back a very clear reply in his mind.

"Thank you."

The wolf nodded once, regally, and then knelt down so Kanan could climb on its back. It rose to its feet in a fluid motion and started walking again.

Within moments, Kanan could see the portal building within the Force in the ground in front of them. Kanan marvelled once again at the power that these wolves wielded so effortlessly. They were perhaps more the children of the Force than the Jedi could ever claim to be.

A flash and a dizzying ride later, the wolf was standing in the World Between Worlds and Kanan was dismounting and pretending he wasn't more than slightly nauseous.

This was now Kanan's fourth trip into the portal land, even if he was the only one who actually remembered where the wolves had taken them so many times. (The others all had hazy memories that involved voices but no details.)

The first was when the wolves had used the portals to transport them from one side of the planet to the other just after Hera flew away with the TIE Defender data.

The second was when the wolves used the portals again to transport them to the Jedi Temple so they could save it from the Empire.

The third was when he, Ezra, and Sabine had figured out how the mural in the Temple worked and it opened yet another portal to the World Between Worlds. And... Ezra saved Ahsoka, making Ezra's day, even though she ended up going back to Malachor. At least she didn't die at the hands of Vader.

One of Hera's side trips over the last couple of days had been to Malachor, to see if Ahsoka was still there, but she couldn't find her. Kanan could only assume his friend had found her own way off the dreadful planet and that he'd see her again soon enough.

Now, Kanan had a new mission.

He started walking up the pathway of light, trusting in the Force to help him.

That's when he heard the voice he'd been waiting for coming from a portal that activated just as he walked past it.

"Ezra? Ezra, get out of there right now; that's an order!"

Kanan froze at the sound of Hera's voice and whirled back to the portal.

"Hera, I have to see this through to the end."

Kanan honestly couldn't be prouder of his Padawan right now, he was showing such maturity and an incredible willingness to sacrifice himself for the planet and his family. But he still wasn't letting him do it.

"Ezra, please, get out of there!"Sabine's voice was heartbreaking in that moment, yet another reason Kanan couldn't let Ezra do this.

He stepped halfway through the portal, ignoring the immediate dizziness that besieged him and held out his hand to the fiercely glowing signature of his Padawan.

"I can't do that," Ezra said, tone full of determination as he built a Force shield around the bridge of the Chimaera with his willpower alone.

Kanan was impressed. "Yes, you can."

Ezra's head turned, and his signature flashed with shock as he took in what had to be the sight of only half a Kanan. "Kanan!"

Thrawn, wrapped in the tentacles of the purrgil, seemed equally as shocked. "I hate Force Users," he muttered, struggling to get free even as the purrgil and the Star Destroyer jumped into hyperspace.

Kanan smirked at Thrawn, giving him a quick one fingered salute, and then smiled at his Padawan and waved his hand in a 'hurry up' motion. "Come on, kid. You've got better things to do than get lost in space with Thrawn, trust me."

Ezra glanced at their enemy. "What about him?"

"Just turn on the emergency shielding. He'll be fine."

Ezra laughed. "Why didn't I think of that?" He looked around the bridge that had dozens of consoles in it with wide eyes and then stared at Thrawn expectantly.

Thrawn nodded his chin at the control panel by the bridge door, barely suppressing the urge to roll his eyes.Emergency shield controls are standard by every doorway in an Imperial ship. How does Bridger not know that?

"Right," Ezra muttered, still concentrating on his shield as he backed up over the bodies he'd made. He glanced behind him and pressed the button with the right marking on it, causing a blue shield to shimmer over all the broken windows, flowing around the purrgil tentacles seamlessly.

He then give Thrawn his own one fingered salute as he mentally reminded the purrgil to take Thrawn as far away as possible before letting him go. "Good luck, Thrawn," he called as he grabbed Kanan's waiting hand and was pulled into the World Between Worlds.

They woke up to a massive black nose sniffing at them.

Ezra stroked the muzzle fondly, smiling, before he rose to his feet and helped Kanan to his. Having stood in the portal for so long, Kanan was still woozy looking and kind of pale.

The wolf knelt down and they climbed on.

Ezra gave the wolf a pat. "Take us home, buddy," he said out loud.To our girls.

Ezra couldn't wait to see Sabine's face when he returned from his apparent trip to who knows where. He could almost guarantee she was going to punch him for scaring her. And then, when they got a minute alone, she was going to kiss him senseless.

He was very much looking forward to it.

Chapter 2: Challenge

Chapter Text

Challenge:

D364/1 BBY, Malachor…

Ahsoka fell out of the portal and landed hard on her hands and knees on unforgiving stone. But the pain was nothing compared to the ringing in her montrals that threatened to make her blackout again, or the burn on her arm from the Sith Lord’s Dark fire, or her cracked ribs from the fall off of the Temple where she had landed awkwardly on the stairs. Clutching her screaming arm to her whimpering ribs, she struggled up onto her feet, stifling a moan. Force, help me, it feels like my arm is still burning.

She looked around at the dismal, ash and debris covered Sith Temple that she’d just left not even twenty minutes ago. It didn’t look the same at all. The thin crust that had protected the underground Temple from daylight was gone. The upper levels of the Temple were also very much non-existent. Fortunately, the portal had very kindly spit her out on the first solid floor, which was about halfway up what the Temple used to be. She was surrounded by small triangle shaped structures that she didn’t even want to think about what their purpose might be.

The giant pyramid had been in the process of exploding when Ezra pulled her to safety through the portal. If that had just occurred, she felt like there should have been some residual heat or aftershocks or something.Instead, the whole planet felt like it had settled into a slow death. There wasn’t a single sound for her montrals to pick up. No wind. No running water. No movement of any kind. And the air was stale to the point of nearly being unbreathable.

It hadn’t been that bad when she was last here.

If I didn’t feel the Force still flowing through the planet, I would assume I was on an asteroid; it feels that abandoned.

I’m getting the sinking feeling that more time has passed here then what it took for me to be transported somewhere else, have a quick conversation with a decidedly older Ezra, fight for our lives against Darth Sidious’ alchemy, and then jump back through a portal that I should never have assumed would take me back to exactly where I was.

Stupid. How could I be so stupid?

Why didn’t I go with Ezra? If I was going to lose unknown years from my life anyway, then at least I would have been somewhere useful. This place doesn’t look like it has supported life for millennia.

Is it too much to ask for that handy portal to reappear?

She turned around quickly, but there was nothing behind her except for one of the triangle shaped stones, which had an impressive crack running across it diagonally. And Morai, perched on a chunk of what was probably the ceiling. Ahsoka couldn’t have been more relieved to see another living thing in that moment than if she had been cast away on a deserted island in the middle of nowhere for ten years straight. “Morai. Thank Force.”

The convor bird that was hers, and yet not, chirped questioningly and then flew over to land on her shoulder. She reached over with her uninjured arm and stroked her under the chin gently. “Hey. I followed you in here. I assumed you knew what you were doing.”

“Chirp.”

“Oh, really. You actually think I’m going to believe you don’t have a good reason for me to be trapped here?”

“Chirp.” And Morai, flew off, aiming for a triangular (what else) shaped doorway that Ahsoka hoped led down and out of the Temple that sent a chill down her spine even now.

“That’s what I thought. Well, I hope whatever it is is really good, because I’m getting hungry.” And I hurt. The non-Jedi Togrutan, who was more Jedi than the Order had ever been, looked at the bit of air that had spit her out and shook her head in near disbelief at everything that had happened to her in less than half an hour, making her lekku sway gently. I hope Ezra ended up back where he was supposed to and not stuck somewhere unpleasant like this. “May the Force be with you, Ezra Bridger,” she prayed out loud for him, to add more weight to her words. And I hope it’s not too difficult to find you once I get off this rock. IF I get off this rock, she thought with a resigned snort as she followed her bird down towards the doorway.

It turned out that the stairs led to a door that she couldn’t open, her non-Jediness just not Dark enough to trigger the Sith doorway no matter how much anger she tried to muster, so she trudged back up them and climbed up one of the broken walls that Morai led her too. Looking over the edge, she found one of the outside staircases running below her. “At least you got this part right,” she teased the bird.

“Chirp!”

Laughing almost silently at the blatantly haughty look Morai gave her, Ahsoka jumped down about two stories, using the Force to cushion her landing for the sake of her ribs alone.

And then it was a long trek down too many steps to count, but at least it was better than the trek up them had been, considering that was fraught with battles with Inquisitors at every corner and worry for Ezra doing its best to distract her. When the stairs ended, she was still about a third of the way up, and since the lifts only worked for two people (no more, no less, Maul’s voice echoed in her mind), she was forced to jump the rest of the way down.

Even with the Force to cushion the landing, it hurt.

But she’d learned to deal with pain and move on while on the battlefield at only fourteen years old, fighting at her beloved Master’s side. So she sucked in some air, stood up, and walked on.

If the ground had been rubble strewn before, it was ten times worse now. Ahsoka picked her way over the uneven footing carefully, not in a particular hurry to get anywhere. Her only real goal at the moment was to circle the perimeter of the Temple in ever expanding sweeps to see if someone had miraculously left a TIE behind, considering more than one Inquisitor had met their end here.

Twenty minutes later, Ahsoka hadn’t found a TIE yet, but she did rouse something almost as useful.

Just after she’d turned the corner to what could be considered the ‘front’ of the Temple yard, the rounded dome of a familiar looking Imperial droid popped up out of the debris, red optical lens focusing on her.

Morai squawked.

Ahsoka moved on instinct, her lightsabres ignited and in her hands in an instant.

The probe droid flew up into the air, beeping excitedly in Binary about, if she wasn’t mistaken, “Target found! Target found!”

She froze. What target? Am I the target? Of course I am. Who else disappeared from here right in front of Vader’s… well… eyes?

Vader…

Anakin…

I know I told Ezra I couldn't, but what if I could…

Instead of annihilating the droid entirely, which had been her original plan, Ahsoka came up with a new one in the space of only two heartbeats. She threw one of her lit sabres at it, using the Force to aim carefully to take out the anti-grav unit.

The droid dropped to the ground with a squeal.

Ahsoka bounded after it, pain forgotten, and caught her lightsabre as it spun back towards her. By the time she reached where the droid had fallen, some few hundred metres away, it was trying to crawl away from her on what was left of its spindly ‘legs’ and manipulators that were never meant for holding up its heavy body.

She stopped it with the Force. It turned its dome around so the main optical lens focused on her again. She grinned at viciously, showing off her rarely seen sharp canine teeth. “You’ll send a message to your masters for me, droid, if you know what’s good for you.”

“Why should I?” it beeped scornfully, ‘legs’ still flailing uselessly.

“Because if you don’t, I’ll take you apart piece by piece and use your comm unit to send it myself.”

“Fine,” the droid all but huffed, reminding her of Chopper at his sulkiest.

Wow. A year or two or whatever of being alone sure isn’t good for a droid’s personality. She smiled sweetly at the droid. “This message is for Darth Vader. I dare you to come finish what you started. Just you and me. The way it should have been all along.”

Then she let the probe droid go and turned away from it, walking proudly, unconcerned about possible retaliation from the armed droid. Choosing a nice flat piece of debris near the Temple wall, she blew off the accumulated ash and dust with a sweep of the Force, and then settled on top of it in a comfortable cross-legged position, hands resting on her knees loosely. Morai settled on the rock beside her, keeping an eye on the droid.

Ahsoka closed her eyes, prepared to meditate for as long as it took for her greatest regret to show up.

The Death Star, somewhere in space…

Vader entered the Alderaanian Princess’ holding cell, determination holding firm in his stone cold heart. The snarky little senator that reminded him way too much of someone he preferred not to think about would tell him where the Rebel base was this time if it was the last thing he did.

His impatient Master was practically riding his ass about his failure to find it on his own, after all, all while mocking him about not being able to break one tiny little female.

And Vader hated feeling like a failure. And having his figurative ass ridden.

The girl dressed in white looked up when the door opened, her doe eyes narrowing in defiance when she saw him. She’d repaired her ridiculous hair buns, which had been all but destroyed from his last session with her as she writhed on the floor in hallucination induced agony, and she once more looked as regal and haughty as the first time he'd seen her in the Senate a few years ago.

“I still won’t tell you anything, you vile piece of scum,” she spat like a hissing tooka, popping off the hard bunk and meeting him halfway into the cramped space, facing him down like he didn't outweigh her three times over.

Vader glared down at her, this tiny girl who didn’t even come up to his shoulders. If I didn’t loathe her so much, I might actually like her, he thought reluctantly. Such spirit is wasted on the doomed Rebellion. “You don’t have a choice, Princess.” And neither do I. “You WILL tell me where the Rebel base is.”

Her eyes widened as she looked past him to the interrogation droid that floated into the room behind him and then she looked back at him, defiance radiating from every pore. “No. I don’t think I will. You don’t dare actually hurt me or you would have done so the first time. If drugs and mind suggestions are the best you can do, then I think I’ll be keeping my secrets.”

Rage.

Rage filled him at her defiance and the truth of her words.

“Who said I didn’t dare hurt you?” he growled out as he raised a clawed hand, squeezing.

The princess gasped as her airway was cut off and she lifted up from the floor to float in front of him so their eyes were now level. The sudden fear in hers was exceedingly satisfying, so he squeezed with the Force just a little bit harder. “You will tell me where the Rebel base is or I will crush your bones one at a time, understand?” he said bitingly. He had to wait almost a full minute before she sagged in his invisible grasp and nodded feebly.Finally. Geez. Stubborn much?

He let her go.

She fell to the floor in a crumpled heap, eyes watering as she wheezed for oxygen.

Welcome to my world, little Princess. Try doing that every fragging second of your life.

The comm unit hidden on the back of his belt beeped.

Repeatedly.

He was going to ignore it, he really was. Or crush it if it didn’t stop. But the princess looked up from the floor and smirked. “Aren’t you going to answer that?” her voice was hoarse. Almost broken. He might have squeezed just a wee bit too hard.

Oops.

“No,” he growled

“But what if it’s important? What if it’s your Master?” Her spirit clearly wasn’t broken yet, though. He’d have to change that.

Bloody hell. Why does she have to be right all the time? Why does she have to keep reminding me of Padmè?

That comm was still beeping. Kark. Vader grabbed the comm and flicked it on. “What?!” he barked, as Tarkin’s image appeared in the hologram.

“I’m sorry, My Lord,” the grey haired and rodent like Grand Moff said, without sounding even remotely so. “You did say not to interrupt you for the next hour for any reason, but I do believe the transmission that just came in from our probe droid placed on Malachor is an exception.”

Malachor?!

Ahsoka.

“Put it through,” he said gruffly, heart and lungs trying to speed up with a combination of anxiety and rage, but his suit wouldn’t let then.

“I thought as much,” Tarkin said before his skeletal image disappeared and was replaced by a warrior Togrutan whose continued existence had plagued him for months before he’d found her on Malachor and then lost her again to a black gloved hand in a portal that had appeared out of nowhere behind her. (A portal system that his Master had a literal fit over because the Bridger boy had somehow denied him access to it. Permanently.)

The princess gasped and whispered, “She’s alive!”

Vader glanced down at Leia Organa, who was slowly rising to her feet, eyes locked on the holo image. Interesting. I’d hoped she’d be flustered enough to make a mistake for once. This confirms that they worked together for the Rebellion, since we know for a fact that my ex Padawan is, or was, Fulcrum. You just confirmed your doom, little Princess. I don’t have to worry about returning you to your father in one piece anymore.

Ahsoka Tano, looking exactly as he remembered her from a year and half ago, if maybe a little bit singed around the edges and dirtier, smiled at him. It didn’t reach her eyes, not like it used to when she was young. “This message is for Darth Vader. I dare you to come finish what you started. Just you and me. The way it should have been all along.”

That’s it. That’s all she said. And then her image turned and walked away from what he assumed was the probe droid’s holorecorder for a few steps and then the transmission ended.

Tarkin reappeared before he had time to do more than growl a bit in an automatic reaction of disdain. “Sooooo? What are you going to do about the Tano brat this time?” he asked without even a crumb of respect in his tone.

Vader was so tempted to give him a little squeeze from afar, but the last time he’d choked Tarkin out of spite, the scrawny rat had tattled to the Emperor and Vader had suffered through a scolding that had lasted for more than an hour about not killing or pissing off the few competent officers that they had. So, basically anyone who had a ‘Grand’ in front of their title was exempt from his wrath, and they had figured it out.

It was very frustrating.

So he swallowed his annoyance and growled out, “Go deal with her once and for all, of course.”

Tarkin gave him something that might have been a smirk, but it was hard to tell with the lack of lips. “I assumed as much. Maybe you’ll even be successful this time.”

The Sith Lord’s robotic fists clenched so hard that his synth-leather gloves squeaked in protest and threatened to tear at the seams. “I will be, or I won’t come back until I am.”

“I think I’ll hold you to that little promise,” Tarkin said, possibly grinning. (It looked more like a grimace, so there was always room for doubt.) “Your Master will hear about this, regardless.”

“You’re welcome to the telling,” Saves me the trouble. And from having to listen to another scolding about failure.

And never trust a promise from a Sith, you little maggot.

“Are you leaving right away?” the skeletal maggot asked almost eagerly.

Vader looked down at the wide eyed princess who’d been given quite an earful of juicy Imperial politics. “I was going to finish my session with our ‘guest’ first.” She backed up a step, eyes filling with fear.

Good.

“Don’t bother,” Tarkin said glibly.

What?! “Why not?”

The holo image sort of smirked again. “I have a new plan for making our ‘guest’ talk that is almost guaranteed to work. And has the added advantage of teaching the entire galaxy a lesson in obedience at the same time.”

Oooooo. Someone’s eager to use his new toy again. “Ah. Proceed then,” he said graciously. As if I have any say in what Tarkin does. Ha. “But if that doesn’t get her talking, she’s just revealed, without a doubt, that she is a Rebel as well by recognizing Tano by her holo image alone and knowing that she’s been missing.”

“Kriff,” the princess muttered, sitting down hard on her bunk.

“Perfect,” Tarkin purred. “Then we don’t have to go so easy on her. And we don’t have to give her back.”

“Exactly.” Not bothering with any sort of farewell pleasantries, Vader turned off the comm unit and hooked it to the back of his belt again as he looked down at the slumped girl, who was hugging herself with her arms. “You are now officially under arrest for treason against the Empire, Organa.”

“Wonderful,” the girl muttered.

He would have smiled in triumph if he could. But he couldn't because of his respirator, so he settled for a mental grin instead. Vader turned and stepped back towards the doorway that wasn’t quite tall enough for him, forcing him to duck. (Unfortunately, when he's first been placed in the suit, he'd learned the hard way that some doorways did not accomate his new height.) He shooed the hovering interrogation droid out before him then paused just before he left and said, “I’d say enjoy your time under Tarkin’s care, but I can guarantee you won’t.”

As the door closed behind him, the audio receptors in his helmet picked up the sound of her hoarse voice cursing him with a, “Shabla Sith shabuir.”

He paused and looked back at the door in surprise. Someone’s been spending time with a Mandalorian. Lady Wren, prehaps.

Or a clone.

Rex used to call Dooku that.

Rex…

What I wouldn’t give to go back to that time and do everything differently.

Ahsoka had only been attempting to meditate for a few minutes, not very successfully, due to the uncomfortable nature of the Dark Force that surrounded her and permeated the planet, when she forgot about her cracked ribs and heaved a sigh that sent them to screaming again.

Oooooowwwww! She clutched her side. Kark! Poodoo! How could I forget?! Morai fluttered at her side, chirping in worry.

Frag! “How am I supposed to fight him like this?” she asked the little green bird. When Morai just jumped on her knee and tucked herself under her hand for petting, Ahsoka laughed ruefully and did as commanded. “What I wouldn’t give for a bacta tank right now, even though I hate them.” She contemplated the bird perched on her knee and all but purring in bliss under her hand. “I don’t suppose you could pull off another miracle and heal me, could you?”

The bird opened her eyes and gave her a very clear look of exasperation. And then Ahsoka would swear upside and down that she heard the words, “Heal yourself,” in her mind in the Daughter’s distinctive, ethereal voice.

She blinked at the bird who had never once deigned to actually talk to her before in all the years that they had been together. “What?! Did you say that? Heal myself? But that’s just a mythical Force power that no can actually do.”

“Why not?”

Ahsoka blinked at the bird again, mouth now slightly agape. She closed her jaw with a snap and her eyes narrowed. “Why not, indeed? Those myths had to come from somewhere, didn’t they?”

Morai hopped off her leg and back onto the rock beside her, then turned her head and preened her feathers, the matter closed as far as she was concerned.

“All right, then.” Ahsoka resumed her meditation pose, and closed her eyes. Teaching myself to heal with the Force while surrounded by Dark energy.

No biggie.

Meanwhile on Tatooine, a weary man, old before his years, and a bright eyed farm boy were making the acquaintance of a scruffy looking smuggler, in hopes of rescuing a certain princess who had only yesterday begged via droid messenger, ‘Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi. You’re my only hope.’

Chapter 3: Prologue - Nightmares And... Visions?

Chapter Text

Engaged:

Yavin 4...

With happy grins and entwined fingers Sabine and Ezra escaped into the dense forest of purple barked massassi trees surrounding the rebel base. The further into the forest they walked, the more of the glowing orchids became visible. The sun was quickly blocked by the thick foliage, but the bioluminescent flowers provided their own source of light.

Everyone else thought they had gone to train, their usual excuse for snatching some alone time. (To keep up appearances, they did spar more often than not. Just not for very long.) Instead, they were heading towards their favourite ruin. They had discovered it the first time they had gone wandering in the forest. It was just stable enough to climb to the top without threat of injury, and just high enough that if they sat at the top, they could enjoy the sun filtering through the leaves, without being visible from above or below.

Once they reached the ruined square pyramid, Ezra gestured for Sabine to climb first. This was to his benefit in a couple of ways: If she were to stumble, he could catch her with the Force. Second, he got to admire the view all the way up. Sabine knew what he was doing, of course, but she just grinned to herself and thought, he might be sweeter than most, but he's still a typical male.

Once they'd reached the top, Ezra used the Force to clean off the dead leaves and other debris that had accumulated in their favourite cuddling spot. Sitting down with his legs spread, he helped Sabine sit in the space provided. She leaned back against his chest and he wrapped his arms around her middle while placing his chin on her soft chocolate and purple hair. Sabine hugged his arms and gave a happy sigh, enjoying the feel of his muscular chest behind her.

They both closed their eyes and got lost in the sensations of sunlight, whispering leaves, the occasional call of a creature in the forest, and each other's comforting presence.

Eventually, Sabine spoke. "Ezra?"

Ezra rumbled out a, "Hmmm?"

"I think I'm ready to stop hiding."

Ezra jolted more upright, his arms tightening in surprise. "WHAT?" Did she really just say that? He'd been waiting for her to say those words for years. Literally.

Sabine half turned in his arms, so she could see his face. She'd been thinking about this for a while now. Her family had met Ezra and Kanan, and hadn't killed them. Kanan and Hera had finally revealed they were a couple for everyone to see. (Not that everyone didn't know about them anyway, but they were official now.) She thought it was time that she and Ezra got to live together without having to lie about it all the time. The Mandalorian girl reached up and traced the faint scars on his cheek, given to him by an Inquisitor's spinning blade. From the very first, she'd decided that they made him look more manly and dashingly handsome. "With everything that's happened, I think it's time. Don't you?"

Ezra's beautiful sapphire blue eyes shone down at her, while his face cracked into the biggest smile she'd ever seen. "Cyar'ika, I've been waiting forever for you to say that." The boy who'd once believed he'd be a poor street rat for his entire life swooped down and kissed the living daylights out of the girl who'd inspired in him a driving need to be a better person.

Sabine wrapped her arms around his neck, her fingers delving into the short hairs on the back of his head, kissing him back like her life depended on it. Eventually coming up for air, they smiled into each other's eyes in a way that could only be described as sappily.

But then his eyes widened fractionally and she gave a little gasp as he picked her up by the waist and set her on her feet. "What the...?" she huffed. "What are you..?"

Her words died as he rose to one knee and reached into a pouch on his belt and he extracted something. Oh, stars! He isn't! Is he?"

She held her breath as he looked up at her imploringly and said, "Sabine Wren, I've waited more than a year to give this to you. Will you marry me?" He held a platinum chain necklace with an orange diamond, cut in the shape of a phoenix, on the center of the chain, pooled in the palm of his hand.

Sabine stared in shock at the necklace, then at Ezra's begging eyes, then back at the necklace. Tears came to her eyes, which she just couldn't stop. "Ezra," she whispered. "It's beautiful."

"It reminded me of you. Your eyes are the same color. And, well, the phoenix is your thing. And I know you don't like rings, but I thought this, you could keep under your bodysuit and it wouldn't annoy you too much. So, um, yah. Will you please put me out of my misery here, and say you'll marry me?"

Sabine finally came out of her shock. She gave a little squee of happiness, and then dove on him, knocking him onto his back on the stones. Planting kisses all over his beloved face, she said, "Yes, yes, yes, yes."

Ezra clasped the necklace on behind her neck and admired the way the phoenix and Sabine's amber eyes seemed to feed off each other, both getting brighter and seeming more full of fire. I did good, he thought to himself with a grin. Wrapping his arms around her, he hugged her close, shifting around to a more comfortable position on the rocks. (He was always happy to have her light weight on him, but the rocks digging into his back weren't fun.) "I love you, Sabine."

"Love you too, babe," Sabine answered back, before kissing him sweetly. She pulled back and rested her head on his chest, smiling to herself, and let her eyes close for a while, just enjoying the moment. She'd long ago come to the conclusion that the best moments of her life where the ones she spent in Ezra's arms.

Ezra couldn't have been happier if he tried. He had his very own beautiful warrior woman in his arms, they were finally going to reveal their relationship to their family, she'd agreed to marry him, and both of their worlds were liberated from the Empire's grip. Life is feeling pretty perfect right now.

Sabine thought so too, and decided a demonstration of how happy she felt was in order. Her fingers started wandering up and down his chest in teasing caresses and she nuzzled her nose into the crook of his neck before purring in his ear, "I'm thinking something really naughty right now, Ez'ika. Are you?"

Ezra's breath caught as her hand wandered lower and cupped his quickly hardening manhood through his trousers. "Uhhhhhh." Is that a trick question?

"I'll take that as a yes," Sabine said with a smirk before she swung her leg over him, straddling his stomach and pressing her lips to his in a passionate open mouthed kiss, her tongue darting into his mouth and teasing his.

I guess not. Ezra groaned his approval from deep in his chest and put his hands to work, stripping off her armour plating and undoing the top part of her bodysuit in record time. His hands slid up the silky skin of her bare back before stopping at the elastic hem of her sports bra and pulling it up and over her head, temporarily displacing the grip their mouths had on each other.

Sabine plastered her lips to his again, marvelling yet again at how well they fit together, and got busy undoing his orange jacket and then pushing it off of his ever broadening shoulders, leaving the sleeves stuck around his elbows. While his hands skimmed up and down her back, hers pushed his black t-shirt up to his armpits and then settled on his chest, teasing little circles around his nipples. She grinned to herself as he stiffened and gasped, the little nubs hardening instantly in response.

Sabine sat up, sliding back a bit so her core settled over his achingly hard length and teased them both. Her eyes were heavy lidded and they glittered at him through her long lashes. With her upper body bare, occasional patches of sunlight caught on her pale gold skin, making it almost seem to shimmer. Her perfect round breasts drew his eyes, his mouth watering in anticipation of the taste of them.

She gazed down at her fiancé, loving the wide blown pupils in his blue blue eyes, showing just how much he wanted her. His short hair was sticking up in spikes from her fingers, and his lips looked wonderfully full and well kissed. The muscles in chest and abdomen stood out under their copper coating of skin, framed by his clothes. "You're so sexy, Ez."

"You're the one who's sexy," Ezra refuted as he raised his hands and cupped the breasts that fit perfectly in his palms. "A more beautiful woman has never been created, I swear." This was said to her breasts, but she didn't mind. Sabine flushed in pleasure and rocked against him a little harder as a reward.

Ezra curled his stomach up, raising himself so he could bury his face between her breasts for a moment, just breathing in the citrusy scent of her skin. Then he turned his head to the left and lavished attention on the pert little nipple and the skin around it. Her other breast was fondled lovingly by his hand so it didn't feel left out.

She approved.

Sabine clenched her hands on the back of Ezra's head and closed her eyes, letting herself get lost in the sensations of pleasure jolting from her breasts, down to her core, and back up again. She was practically grinding herself against him now, reaching for a peak that wasn't that far off.

Sensing that she was getting close, Ezra wanted to be in her when she came. He pulled back, ripped his jacket off of his arms, his t-shirt over his head, and laid them on the stones. Then he turned them over, laying her on the paltry cushion. The bottom half of her bodysuit was pulled down to her ankles, his belts and holsters went flying, and his trousers were opened and shoved down to his thighs, freeing himself.

Sabine opened her legs and arms and he settled himself into the spot that felt made just for him, resting on his elbows so their chests could brush against each other. He kissed her breathless as he lined himself up with her hot and wet opening and surged inside, sending his long, thick length to the very depths of her channel.

Sabine gasped into his mouth and tightened her thighs around his narrow hips, the most she could do with her ankles trapped together by her clothes. "So good, Ez. So. Shabla. Good," she moaned between kisses. She pulled back a fraction and met his eyes as he thrust into her slow and deep and hard. "I swear you're made for me. No one could possibly fill me or fulfill me the way you do."

Ezra smirked proudly while he concentrated on keeping his rhythm steady. "I knew we were meant to be together the day I met you, cyar'ika. The Force made us for each other."

Sabine giggled at his cliché line and then gasped as he changed his angle slightly to hit her most sensitive spot inside. "You're such a romantic dork, Ezra."

"But you love me anyway," Ezra stated into her neck, grinning briefly before he sucked lightly on the tendon. He wrapped his arms around her back and pumped into her harder.

"Oh Force!" Sabine cried and gulped, her limbs starting to tremble and tighten as her core clenched in anticipation. "Yes, I do," she eventually managed to gasp out. "Now go faster!"

Ezra did as ordered most happily, pounding into her clasping tunnel, almost completely lost to the ecstasy now. He put everything he had into it, sweat pouring from him, and was rewarded a minute later by Sabine's muffled scream as she bit his shoulder and dug her nails into his back. Her channel clamped around him perfectly.

That sent him over the edge, the climax building in his sac roaring up and out, directly to Sabine's depths, flooding them in even more heat and moisture. Ezra muffled his own loud groan that sounded like, "Love you," against the soft spot where her neck met her shoulder, but kept enough sanity not to bite her in return. He didn't mind if she wanted to mark him as hers, but he couldn't bear the thought of marring her satin skin beyond the scars she already had from battle. Even the odd bruise he left on her from gripping her too tight in a passionate moment made him sorrowful, so Ezra had always tried his best to keep a leash on his Force enhanced strength.

Sabine held him in her arms, wrapping him to her as tightly as she could and just savoured the bliss coursing through her. This was her favourite moment of lovemaking; holding him as he lay helpless from his climax, their heaving breaths and heartbeats in sync, and feeling so incredibly well loved, both physically and emotionally.

If you had asked her five years ago if she would ever consider laying herself bare in such a vulnerable way, Sabine would have laughed and denied it. But Ezra had won her heart with his sheer determination and devotion. Now they owned each other; hearts, bodies, and souls. It was a beautiful thing.

They had just finished climbing off the ruin about half an hour later when Sabine said, "I have just three requests."

"Anything cyar'ika," Ezra said back. He held out his hand, and she happily laced her fingers with his as they walked back towards the base.

"First of all, we have to go tell my parents. We can't do anything else until we do. I want everyone to be there when we get married anyway. So we'll have to work it in between the war somehow."

"I'm fine with that. I'm ready for whatever you're family can dish out."

Sabine laughed. "I'm not so sure, but we'll tell them anyway."

Ezra chuckled back. "What's the next thing?"

"Let me pick the time to tell Hera and Kanan, although, I promise it'll be soon."

"That's fine with me. You're better at this kind of thing anyway." Ezra raised their hands to his lips and kissed the back of hers. "So what's the last request?"

Sabine pulled him to a stop. "I know we cut your hair short to make you look older, but you don't need that anymore. Will you please grow it back?"

Ezra burst out laughing. He had been expecting something totally different and hard to do, but this? Anything for my cyar'ika. And if I'm honest, I kind of miss my hair. I definitely miss having her play with it.

Sabine punched him in the arm for laughing at her request. Glaring at him, she crossed her arms over her chest. He didn't have to be a jerk about it. Geez.

Ezra sobered up quick. He knew that look. He gently extracted her hands from under her arms, holding them to his heart. "I'm sorry, Sabine. That is not what I was expecting you to say. Of course I can grow my hair back. Whatever you want, I'm fine with. All I've ever wanted is to please you."

Melting at his sincere expression, Sabine let her face transform back into a smile. "Ezra, you will always be a hopeless romantic, but you're my hopeless romantic, so I guess I won't kill you," she teased him. "When we get to Krownest, you might want to be more like the strong, silent type. Mandalorians eat hopeless romantics for breakfast."

Ezra chuckled. "I think I can handle myself."

"They may have accepted you as my friend but it's a good possibility they will try to kill you for courting me. Please be prepared." Sabine was deadly seriously when she said that, and she tried to convey it with her expression. "Anyway, we need to get back. We've been gone too long." As she turned back towards the base, she let Ezra keep one of her hands.

Kanan and Hera were sitting on top of the Ghost, watching all the industrious rebels scurry around the base. There were people moving supplies around, other people working on the fighters, making sure everything was as ready as it could be. There were rumours that something bad was coming, but only those at the top of the chain of command knew what.

Hera was one of the ones at the top. And she didn't like their odds. No one knew exactly where the Death Star was, or when or if they would actually run a mission to try and destroy it, but it was a looming shadow on everyone's minds that knew about it. Hera was supposed to be one of those industrious people, getting things done, but she had felt like she was going to break. She needed a time out, and the best way to sooth her mind was in the presence of her mate. So she had dragged an unresisting Kanan up here.

"What is it, Hera? You're positively seething with too many emotions to name." Kanan wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her in closer to his side, the weight of her lekku resting over his arm. They were twitching slightly with agitation.

"Kanan, what if we die soon?" Hera looked at him with her emerald eyes full of serious worry.

Although he couldn't actually see them anymore, he remembered exactly what they looked like when she felt like this in the Force. There was nothing about Hera that he would ever let himself forget. "Then we will die together, and I will die happy knowing that I lived the best life I could by your side, and that we'll be together again in the Force afterwards." Kanan hugged her closer and rubbed his hand up and down her arm soothingly. "What's troubling you? Is it that Death Star thing we saw yesterday over Scarif?"

Hera pressed a hand to his cheek, studying his cloudy, faded teal eyes. "What else? How come you're not worried too?"

Kanan put his own hand over hers, holding her slender fingers against his cheek. "Because I have faith in the Force and ourselves. I have too much left to live for to let something as big as a moon sized battle ship sneak up on me. If I can't see something like that coming and get us all to safety, then there's something wrong."

Hera snorted softly at his snarky words. "Cheeky Jedi," she mumbled into his skin as she nipped his clean-shaven jaw lightly.

"And you know it," Kanan said warmly, pressing a kiss to her temple and lacing their fingers together, rubbing his thumb along the back of her hand soothingly. "I know this is worrying you, but I promise that we'll deal with it, just like we always do." Kanan was trying to make light of it and brighten her mood, but even he knew that wasn't going to happen. He could feel something bad coming but he wasn't sure what.

Hera sighed, and then tucked her head down into his strong shoulder, her free arm tightening around his back, watching their fingers play together. "I know your Jedi confidence is usually more than sufficient to win the day, but this thing is supposed to have enough firepower to destroy an entire planet. It definitely wiped out Jedha City a couple of days ago and the Imperial base on Scarif just before we jumped to safety."

Kanan was silent for a minute, thinking back on the devastating fluctuations he'd felt in the Force during those time periods. He'd had to pull away from the Force and go blind for almost half an hour each time out of sheer self-preservation. I don't even want to know what the Force will feel like if an entire planet is eliminated all at once.

"And we don't even know yet if we succeeded," Hera continued when he hadn't replied. "Last we heard, Leia had received the plans, but the Tantive has been reported as destroyed. We don't know if she is alive, dead, or captured." Hera took a deep breath. "The point is that we may all be doomed. That's what I'm saying."

Kanan sighed softly, pulling her fully into his lap and hugging her tighter as he heard her effort at fighting back tears. "I'm sorry, darling. I don't know how to fix this for you."

Hera glanced up at him. "I don't expect you to, Kanan. That's asking more than any one person could ever accomplish on their own. All I need right now is exactly what you're giving me."

"That doesn't stop me from wanting to give you more," he murmured, fingers brushing down a lek gently.

They smiled sadly at each other for a moment, before Kanan bent down and kissed the tears off her cheeks and then pressed her head to his shoulder again, his hand moving to rub her back in slow, sweeping motions.

Unfortunately, her words of doubt had planted a seed in his mind. And it grew and grew as he thought of everything they'd been through for the Rebellion and how they'd almost lost each other at least a dozen times each. Eventually, he couldn't take his own thoughts anymore and blurted out, "Hera, you know I will follow you wherever you go, but do you really want this? Do you want to just die for the Rebellion? We have so much else to live for. Why can't you see that?"

Hera looked up at him in shock. "I can't just up and leave the Rebellion, Kanan. They need me! I'm a general for kriff's sake. You want me to just walk away?" Hera pulled away from Kanan and turned so her back was to him, her lekku stiff with anger. She couldn't look at him right now.

Kanan winced at the churning disappointment in her Force signature. Wow, did I ever mess that up. I should have just kept my stupid thoughts to myself. "Darling, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that." Kanan put his hands on her stiff shoulders. "Please, Hera, look at me?"

Hera reluctantly turned back around. "So what did you mean, Kanan?"

Kanan gently grasped and held on to her hands like they were a lifeline. "What I meant was; there's so much we haven't done. So much more than just fighting. What about living? What about raising a family? Don't you want that?" Didn't you promise me that we'd have kids of our own one day? How can we do that if we're dead?

Hera sucked in a breath as the promise she'd made him after she'd found out that she'd miscarried a baby she hadn't even known she was harbouring flashed into her mind, then buried her face in his chest as all her dreams and fears came rushing to the surface and overwhelmed her. She sank into him as he wrapped his arms back around her and held her as she shook with sobs. "I do want that, Kanan, I do!" she managed to say between choked out gasps for air, desperately searching for the control over her emotions that she usually applied with ease. Soon enough, she found it and her tears dried up. She finally whispered, "I just don't think it's going to happen any time soon."

When Hera looked up at him, he said with a heartbreakingly shaky smile, "It's okay, darling. I can wait. I don't want to raise children under the Empire's rule anyway."

Hera turned her head away. "You can leave if you want," she said quietly. "I know this war isn't where you're heart is. Go find some out of the way planet. Marry a nice girl. Raise a family. I won't stop you."

He almost snorted out loud. Like that's ever going to happen. Kanan put a finger under her chin and made her look back at him. "Hera, you're wrong, this war is where my heart is because YOU are my heart. I could never leave you. Nothing in this galaxy could make me leave you. Not even you." Then he added with a cheeky grin, "You're my favourite colour, anyways."

That got the reaction he was hoping for. With every one of his words, her face had slowly shifted from desolate to shining and at the end she giggled. "Silly man. But true, I'm sure. All you're shirts are green. I never made the connection." Hera glanced around to make sure no one was looking in their direction. She gave him a quick but loving kiss, then settled back into his side with her head on his shoulder. Kanan gave a lek a gentle stroke in return, then put his arm back around her shoulders to hold her to his side.

After a few minutes of comfortable silence, Hera said, "Kanan, I have an idea." She sat up and looked at him again. "There's nothing happening right now. Nothing could happen for weeks. I'm sure if I asked, I could get a couple days off. You know I consider us to be mates, but why don't we make it more formal? Why don't we get married? And have a little honeymoon, just the two of us. No kids, no pesky droids, no Zeb. And definitely no Rebellion."

Kanan's eyes widened in shock at her words, then his face lit up into the happiest grin he'd given her in a very very long time. "When?"

"Right now," Hera said with her own grin. She moved to stand. "Let's go." Then paused halfway onto her feet. "No wait. We have to tell the kids first. Where are they?"

Kanan shrugged as he rose gracefully to his feet and helped her up the rest of the way, hands resting on her slender waist. "Training, I think. Those two sure are dedicated. Zeb's probably sleeping somewhere, and Chopper's probably with AP-5. Why don't you just call them on their comms?"

Hera giggled. "Why didn't I think of that?" Pressing her wrist comm, she called to her family, "Can everyone meet me in the common room of the Ghost in ten minutes please?" She got a series of affirmatives in return.

Hera pulled Kanan back into the top hatch of the Ghost. As soon as they were on level ground and away from prying eyes, she launched herself at him, wrapping her arms and legs around him. "Love you, Kanan," she said before kissing him hard and deep.

When she finally let him up for air, Kanan hugged his practically vibrating twi'lek with a chuckle, twirling them around once, and then kissing her back. A few minutes later, between kisses, he breathed into her sweet mouth, "I love you too, Hera. Always."

Chapter 4: Family

Chapter Text

Family:

Sabine and Ezra picked up their pace into a steady jog after Hera called. "I wonder what she wants?" said Ezra.

"Maybe we have another mission, or a supply run or something." Sabine grimaced as her new necklace smacked her in the chin when she jumped over a fallen log. It was immediately tucked into the collar of her bodysuit. While still astonished that Ezra had managed to find something that suited her so well, she could definitely do without the bouncing as it still moved around a bit, even tucked in. Not sure if I'm going to wear this all the time yet or not, no matter how pretty it is. I guess it's going to depend on how much it annoys me. I hope he's not hurt if I leave it off most of the time.

Then again… If it's supposedly under my bodysuit all the time, how would he know if I'm wearing it or not?

You are a bad, bad girlfriend, Sabine Wren, her conscience chided. Especially considering that you're not even listening to him.

What?! Oh kriff, what's he saying?

"… could be. Or maybe another space battle has popped up nearby. Hopefully not as insane as yesterday's, though. That was intense." Ezra shook his head at the many lost lives.

Sabine was glad that it seemed like he hadn't noticed her temporary loss of focus and that it appeared like she hadn't missed anything important. "Yes, it was. That super weapon thing made the duch*ess look like a toy in comparison."

They both grimaced at the reminder of Sabine's greatest regret.

She forged on as if her chest wasn't suddenly tight with emotion. "But whatever Hera wants, it's probably nothing too grave. She sounded kind of happy to me."

Ezra grinned in relief at her as they emerged from the trees, having been momentarily worried that Sabine had opened up a topic that she usually avoided at all costs. "You're right, she did, now that I think about it.

The Ghost sat at the end of the long line of fighters and shuttles parked outside the tall, ancient, pyramid shaped Massassi Temple. They jogged all the way to the ramp of the ship where they met Zeb and Chopper, also making their way onto the ship. "Hey, do you guys know what this is about?" Sabine asked.

Chopper beeped a negative and Zeb shook his head. "Hopefully it's better than yesterday's mission."

Ezra chuckled. "We were just saying that too."

The purple striped Lasat smirked back. "Great minds, right?"

Sabine punched him playfully in the arm before ascending the ladder up to the co*ckpit. "You wish."

They found Kanan and Hera in the common room, holding hands and grinning like little kids with a whole bag of candy. Sabine was a bit taken aback by their unusual display of public affection, and even more so by their extremely good mood. It was seriously out of context with how solemn the base had been since yesterday's mission to Scarif.

Ezra thought the same, since he took one look at the giddy Force aura the two were emitting and immediately asked, "All right, what's up with you two?"

"Hey! Are you preggers?" Zeb asked excitedly. "Cause that would be awesome." As everyone blinked at the Lasat like he'd lost his mind, he continued blithely on. "I've been on this ship with you guys for years, and listened to you getting busy in random places for almost as long. It's about time you gave me a little cub to spoil rotten."

Hera inhaled, pushing back the embarrassment and the hurt at the fact that she actually had been pregnant, almost a year ago now, and hadn't known it until too late.

Kanan squeezed her hand in comfort, annoyed that Zeb was ignoring his sightless death glare.

"No. No, I'm not expecting," Hera said firmly.

"Just sit, everybody. We have some news," Kanan said directly after.

Sabine punched Zeb in the arm again for being an idiot and they all sat. Except for Chopper, of course. He just beeped out a, "What's up, Mother Unit?" inspiring Ezra to kick him for his insensitivity.

Fortunately, Hera just laughed. Because she was the mother unit of this crew and everyone knew it. And Chopper had been calling her Mother Unit for too many years to count.

With the happy mood restored, Kanan started the conversational ball rolling. "Soooo… Hera's finally making an honest man out of me!"

When everyone's signatures just looked confused, he elaborated. "She asked me to marry her. Finally." He gave Hera a teasing smile, which she returned with a laughing kiss to his cheek.

"Finally is right," Sabine said as she rushed out of her seat to hug them in congratulations, with Ezra right on her heels. "You two have been setting a terrible example for us younger people," she teased.

"What?" Kanan said with a wide, innocent expression. "Us? I don't know what you're talking about. Hera and I have been perfectly discreet."

"Ha!" Ezra snorted in amusem*nt as he let go of Hera so Zeb could take his turn hugging her. "That's a blatant untruth, as Zeb just pointed out, but we'll let you get away with thinking it."

Kanan huffed a sigh and glanced apologetically at Hera. "Sorry, darling. I guess they did catch us embracing once or twice."

"Once or twice!?" Ezra exclaimed in disbelief. "Are you kidding me? I stumbled upon the two of you snogging twice in the first week alone that I was on the Ghost."

"Ditto," Sabine and Zeb said in unison, then gave each other a fist bump for it with matching grins.

"So when are you going to get hitched?" asked Zeb, getting slightly more serious.

"Right now," said Hera. "Then we're going to escape for a couple of days. It's now or never. Things are quiet right now so we should be able to get away. Zeb, we're going to leave you the Phantom II in case you need a ride somewhere. And Ezra, you have your Gauntlet. Chopper, you can stay here at the base with AP-5. This is going to be a honeymoon trip, which means no droids needed."

"Or wanted," Kanan added under his breath.

Chopper beeped mournfully, so Hera patted his dome in consolation and he pressed into her leg, looking as glum as a faceless droid can look. Hera and Sabine were the only ones who noticed or cared.

"We're all really happy for you," said Ezra with a grin.

"Yah, and it really is about time," added Sabine.

"Thank you," Hera said with a bit of a shine to her emerald eyes. "You all are the best family a girl could ask for."

Kanan hugged her into his side again and kissed the top of her head as he smiled gratefully at his little family as well.

Shab, they look so happy right now! Is it bad of me to want add more to the moment? Would that be stealing from their moment, or would it make them happier? Sabine looked over at Ezra. Help me out here, Ez. Is this the right time? she asked with her eyes as she fingered the collar of her bodysuit.

Ezra caught Sabine staring at him intently. It took him a moment to figure out what she was trying to convey, but once he got it, he nodded enthusiastically. Yes! Go for it! Please. I've wanted to tell them for freaking ever!

Sabine's mouth twitched upwards for a millisecond, reading him so easily. They were nearly telepathic in their ability to talk with just their expressions, having spent years doing so as they kept their relationship a secret while still enacting it right under everyone's noses.

Except, this time they were being blatantly obvious about it, eye-talking literally right in front of their surrogate parents.

Said parents looked on in askance, sensing something going on between the two youngest members of the family.

Okay, here goes! Looking from one to the other, and then even glancing sideways at Zeb, Sabine pulled her engagement present out of the collar of her bodysuit.

Hera and Zeb froze at the sight of the beautiful fire colored phoenix.

Kanan frowned in confusion, sensing the movement, but not really seeing what Sabine was holding other than it was small and gave off mineral vibes. "What is it?" he whispered to Hera.

"A diamond necklace," she whispered back, making a mental note to tell him more details later.

"We have something to share as well," Sabine said bravely with a tentative smile at her 'parents'.

Hera gave her a small nod of encouragement and Ezra grabbed her hand, lacing their fingers together.

With a deep breath, Sabine blurted out, "Ezra and I are engaged too."

Kanan was suddenly sputtering. "But, but, but, you two are just friends. I'm sure I'd be able to feel it otherwise."

"No, we're not," Ezra said. "She's been my girlfriend for a very long time."

Chopper chimed in with, "I have evidence."

The younger couple sent a quick glare at the droid, not even wanting to open that can of blackmailing worms.

"But how did you hide it?" Kanan had been so sure there was nothing more than friendly, sibling-like affection between them, and he hated that he'd been wrong.

"Like this." Ezra took a deep breath, hoping this wasn't going to backfire on him, and let go of his hold on their Force signatures.

After seeing through his limited Force Sight how Kanan and Hera's signatures significantly brightened and merged whenever they were in each other's vicinity, Ezra had started experimenting with signature suppression just for the fun of it. As a street rat, the ability to hide himself in the Force had come naturally to him and was probably something he'd already been doing without knowing it. Once Sabine had deigned to acknowledge their attraction to each other, he'd started suppressing hers as well whenever he was near her, again, just to see if he could. And then, when Kanan had lost his physical sight and started relying on Force Sight alone, it had become a necessity until the girl of his dreams was ready to tell the galaxy that they were more than just friends.

Words could not express how relieved he was that that day had finally come.

Kanan sucked in a breath as the Force changed around Ezra and Sabine from just a normal light to a glow that rivaled a sunrise where their two signatures met and converged. "Holy kriff! How have you been hiding that?!"

Ezra blushed a bit. "With lots and lots of practice."

Kanan was speechless, his sightless eyes wide as his head looked back and forth between them, trying to believe what he was seeing in the Force.

Hera gave her kids a group hug. "I had a suspicion this would happen one day. I didn't realize it already had. I'm very happy for you."

Zeb burst out, "No wonder you seemed to be going to the refresher so much at night! You were sneaking into Sabine's room weren't you?" (The cabins were the only places soundproof enough to get frisky in without Zeb hearing it with his sensitive ears.)

Ezra and Sabine turned bright red. That was answer enough for the Lasat, who burst into nearly hysterical laughter, mutters of things like, 'priceless' and 'should have known it', escaping between guffaws.

Kanan returned to sputtering, his words unintelligible beneath Zeb's loud laughter until he eventually managed in an even louder voice that almost squeaked on the last word, "You've been sleeping together?!"

Zeb immediately stopped laughing, as this was too good to miss.

"So have you and Hera!" Ezra shot back in his defence.

"Yes, but we're adults!" Kanan's face was turned rather red as well.

"And so are Sabine and I!"

"No you're..."

"I'm almost nineteen, Kanan! And Sabine is well into her twentieth year, and you know it." Ezra's arms were crossed over his chest now and he was glaring sullenly at his Master / 'dad'.

Kanan crossed his arms back as they stood almost nose to nose, glaring at each other, cloudy teal meeting royal blue, more mentally than anything. "I'll bet you a hundred credits that you were both underage when you..." his voice trailed off, unable to say it. He huffed and glared some more, ignoring Hera's tugs on his arm.

Zeb and Chopper were simply standing back and watching the free entertainment with great amusem*nt.

Sabine was parked beside Ezra, looking like she was about to blow up, but she was incredibly proud of her man for standing his ground against his Master. "I don't think that's any of your business, Kanan."

Her voice was quiet but deadly and Kanan finally realized he might be overdoing the outraged, overprotective father bit. Who am I getting upset over anyway? Ezra? Or Sabine? He realized he didn't know. "I apologize. That was uncalled for."

Hera tugged on his arm again and Kanan finally unstiffened enough to let her lead him away a few steps. "Really, Kanan?" she hissed. "This was supposed to be a happy moment. For all of us. They wouldn't have told us if they didn't think we would support them."

Kanan sighed and hung his head in shame. "It's just... They're so young... And they're our 'kids'. And... Gah."

Hera raised a brow in warning. "Can you honestly tell me that if we hadn't met at the same age as they did, and we had lived different lives that didn't make us both a little broken so it took us forever to learn to love, that you and I wouldn't have jumped in a bed together when we were teenagers?"

Kanan thought about that for all of half a second and flushed at the immediate thought that popped into his mind. Yeah, no. Totally would have jumped into a bed with her at the first opportunity, Jedi or not. He swallowed down the hard lump of his pride. "No. I can't say that. I can guarantee that I would have loved you as a teenager too. You're my soulmate, darling."

Ezra and Sabine listened to all this with wide eyes, glancing at each other and feeling just a little bit embarrassed to witness a conversation that should probably have been held in private. But it wasn't, and it was better than a holo show, so...

Ezra glanced at Zeb, catching his eye and got a big wink and a grin from the lasat. Ezra chuckled under his breath as Sabine squeezed his fingers that were once again laced with hers. It was so nice not to have hide his affection for her anymore.

Hera smiled sweetly at her mate, her eyes flashing in both approval and warning. "Thank you for saying that in front of everyone, love. Now, go tell our kids you're happy for them, because I know you are, somewhere in that thick skull of yours."

Do I have to? Yes I do, unless I want a very mad Twi'lek on my hands. Kanan heaved a big sigh, turned to look at Ezra and Sabine, then grumbled out, "I'm happy for you."

Hera kicked him in the ankle.

"Owwww." He mock glared at her as he hopped up and down on one foot. "All right, all right! I guess it's not the end of the world. I'd be a giant hypocrite if I said you couldn't have love too." Limping to the younger couple, he hugged them both into his sides, his expression transforming into a smile. "I really am happy for you. You just shocked me that's all." Then he ruined it by saying, "At least tell me you've been careful."

"Kanan!" Ezra, Sabine, and Hera all but yelled in unison.

Zeb was all but rolling on the floor laughing now.

And Chopper was recording, sure this would make excellent blackmail material at some point in the future.

The Jedi Knight just stared at the young adults with a raised brow, more than ready to outstubborn them.

Sabine finally rolled her eyes at him and said, "Do you see any little Spectres running around the ship?"

Kanan shook his head, starting to grin.

"Then that's your answer," the Mando girl said in exasperation. "It's a good thing I love you, Kanan, cause otherwise I might actually be really mad about all this."

Kanan's grin widened and he grabbed Sabine and Ezra in another hug. "And I love you two too. Just try not to give me anymore shocks in the next decade or so, kay?"

Ezra snorted and pulled out of the hug. "I'm not promising anything."

"Speaking of shocks," Kanan said. "I still can't believe you mastered shielding your signatures to such an extent. I've never been that good at it."

Ezra grinned. "I guess it's my turn to teach you something, hey Master?"

Kanan groaned.

Ezra nudged him in the side. "Now, aren't you supposed to be getting married or something?"

The older male looked shocked for a moment. How could I forget?! Kanan was grinning widely by the time he said, "Right. Married. Definitely a priority." He grabbed Hera's hand and started dragging her towards the door. "Come on, darling, let's go find Mothma. Or one of the other Generals. I'm sure one of them can marry us."

"Wait!" Sabine called, just as Kanan hit the button to open the door.

The eager couple looked back, clearly impatient.

Sabine made it quick. "Hera, can you please ask if Ezra and I can go to Krownest for a couple of days? I need to tell my parents, and that should be done in person."

"I'm sure it'll be fine, Sabine. Make your plans." Hera smiled quickly and then eeped as she was pulled out the door by her eager mate on the last word.

Ezra gazed at the common room door with a thoughtful expression for a few moments in the silence that had been left behind in their wake. "When was the last time Hera and Kanan had some alone time for more than half a day?" he said suddenly. When no one answered, the young Jedi looked back and saw Sabine and Zeb scrunching their faces up as they wracked their brains, obviously coming up as blank as he had. He snorted lightly. "That's what I thought."

Sabine stared at Ezra, studying the expression on his face, and then she got it. "Are you thinking what I think you're thinking, Ezra Bridger?"

Ezra nodded as his face brook into an evil grin of mischief.

Sabine's mouth quirked up and her own expression soon copied his. "I am soooo all over this. Ezra, you're a genius. It'll even be worth it when Hera grounds us for life."

"Totally," Ezra said happily.

"Hey, whatever you guys are planning, I want in on it," said Zeb, looking from one to the other, confused.

"Me too," beeped Chopper.

"Excellent. So here's my plan," Ezra said, blue eyes glinting with glee.

Chapter 5: Married!

Chapter Text

Married!:

Kanan was just about to drag Hera down the ramp of the Ghost, when he remembered something very important. Screeching to a halt, he held his drop-dead gorgeous, green skinned, long legged, caring, and incredibly talented Twi’lek by the shoulders for a moment while he kissed her nose. "Wait here, I just need to get something."

Hera nodded, eyes going wide in disbelief as Kanan actually skipped the ladder, using the Force instead to jump up two levels through the small hole to the co*ckpit. Stars! Did he just do that?! I don't think I've ever seen him so excited about something. Ever.

Not counting our lovemaking sessions, that is, she added with a private smirk.

Her bouncing Jedi re-appeared less than a minute later, jumping back down the same way he'd jumped up. There was an absolutely massive, tooka-like grin splitting his handsome face.

She only had a moment to be surprised before Kanan pulled her into his arms and planted a grinning kiss on her lips that was more enthusiasm than his usual skill. Not put off in the least, Hera had just started to wind her arms around his neck when he pulled back.

Kanan cupped her face in his large hands, his blind eyes looking right into hers as if he could see her very soul, and softly said, "You have made me the happiest man in the galaxy right now. I don't even know if someone can even marry us at this very moment, but you finally asked me, and that's all I care about."

Hera was stunned by his sincerity. And nearly devastated that she had never thought of marrying him in the Human way sooner. I never knew a little piece of paper would mean so much to him. His culture is so different from mine. In her mind, they'd already been married for more than seven years; ever since she'd asked him to be her mate and he had accepted. Something had clearly been lost in translation.

Not wanting to ruin this moment for him, Hera resolved to explain the ‘little’ mix up later. So she just smiled at him, and said softly, “All I ever wanted was for us to be happy together.”

Kanan beamed. Literally beamed. She’d swear he was even glowing. Like he was manifesting the Force. Or maybe it was just the way the sun was shining into the cargo bay.

It didn’t really matter. He was happy. That was all that mattered.

His husky, “Thank you, my love,” proved that even more so. And then she let him pull her by the hand all the way to the command center of the base which was buried deep in the Temple, a bemused smile playing with her lips as she pretended to ignore all of the startled looks their passing caused.

It's not every day the hardworking people of the Rebellion got to see one of the most well respected generals get dragged by a clearly overjoyed Jedi. (More like never.) The whispered speculations started the instant they were out of sight. By the end of the night, the number of different theories about their strange behaviour had reached astronomical proportions. The funny thing was, not a single person guessed that Kanan was finally getting what he'd always wanted the most; married to his beautiful green twi'lek.

Just before her amusingly overenthusiastic Jedi could drag her into the command room, she pulled him to a halt by planting her feet. Kanan looked back at her in surprise, raising a brow in query. Hera smiled gently at him. "Let me talk to them, please. And a little dignity doesn't hurt either."

Kanan looked a little shaakish. "Sure, Hera. Sorry." He swept an arm towards the door and nodded regally. "After you, General."

“Thank you, kind Knight.” Hera grinned at her mate. He grinned back, sensing her mood in that Jedi way of his that he’d always been especially good at, even before he lost his real sight.

Before opening the door, Hera looked back down the hallway. Multiple people had been openly gawking at them. At her glare, they turned away and tried to look busy. With a smirk of triumph, Hera kissed Kanan on the cheek, then entered the command room with him trailing behind like a good soldier. Hera motioned for him to stay near the door when she saw Senator Mothma and Generals Dodonna and Willard in quiet conversation on the far side of the room.

As she walked through a space that was usually bustling with people, but currently felt abandoned, she caught Dodonna saying the words, "...evacuate you on a shuttle," to which Mon Mothma was emphatically shaking her head.

"But I belong here, with the Rebellion," Mon replied.

Dodonna was adamant in his opinion. "If the Death Star does make it here, you simply cannot stay. You are the face of this Rebellion. You must live."

Hera agreed with the older, grey haired general; the Senator was vital to the survival of the Rebellion cause. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but I agree with General Dodonna."

Mothma sighed in defeat. "Fine, if, in the absolute worst case scenario, I must evacuate, then I will do so." Then she looked at Hera with the heavy knowledge of impending doom in her eyes. "Is there something we can help you with General Syndulla?"

Hera smiled sympathetically at the older woman. The Senator had the weight of the galaxy on her shoulders. "I know this isn't a great time, but as there may not be much of any time left, I would like to ask a personal favour, if it's not too much trouble."

Dropping formality, Mon said, "Whatever it is, Hera. I'll try to make it happen. You have done so much for this Rebellion. I believe you have been fighting the Empire for more than a decade already, with hardly a day to yourself."

Hera hesitated. She hated to ask for personal favours. But then she looked back at Kanan, who was still practically vibrating with excitement. She gestured him over. Gathering her courage, she said in a rush, "Well, that's just it. Kanan and I were hoping one of you could marry us, then we'd like to go on a short honeymoon, two days at most. And Commanders Bridger and Wren are engaged, and they want to go to Krownest to tell her parents." Hera was relieved she'd been able to say all that without stuttering.

The ex senator of Chandrila’s teal eyes widened a little more with every one of Hera's words.

Dodonna and Willard started chuckling, and were in full fledged, side splitting, peals of laughter within a minute of her last word.

Hera, Mothma, and Kanan glared at them until they settled down. "This isn't a joke, gentlemen. I'm being perfectly serious," said Hera. "I want to marry Kanan before we die fighting this war. And my crew deserves the chance to be happy as well. Even if it's just for a day. Do you not agree?" The men sobered at the sad reality of what she was saying and then both nodded, ashamed of making fun.

"I agree," said Mothma firmly. "Come with me to my office. We'll have you married in five minutes and you can leave right away. Your crew too. Although you need to come back promptly. This war needs you. You and your team are an invaluable asset." Hera blushed slightly at the praise. She looked at Kanan with a happy smile at their success as Mothma addressed the other two Generals. "And you two buffoons can come as well and witness."

The white gowned woman led the small parade out of the command room, her bearing regal and with the hint of a spring in her step. She was smiling brightly on the inside. Hera's crew had become quite dear to her over the last few years and she was glad that they’d found a little bit of happiness amongst so much death and destruction. As Mothma left the command room, she was surprised to see a much greater than normal amount of people lingering in the hallway. "What is everyone doing?“ she snapped. “Get back to work!"

As everyone scurried away like frightened rodents, the woman sighed in exasperation, which turned into a raised brow as she looked back over her shoulder. I could swear I just heard Hera giggle. I didn’t even know she knew how. The Twi’lek was definitely smiling, so it was possible she hadn’t misheard.

Mon grinned a little bit, too. Sometimes, it’s nice to be the boss.

Back on the Ghost, Hera's family was rushing to get their tasks done before she and Kanan came back.

Ezra and Zeb had gone to acquire a couple weeks worth of supplies from AP-5.

Sabine and Chopper were reprogramming the nav computer. "Set it to randomly select a different planet or moon every time she tries to jump to Yavin 4 or anything in the Yavin system." Sabine said to the cranky old astromech as she sliced in a code that would expire in two weeks, preventing the computer from being reset again until then. Unless Hera is willing to purchase a new nav computer, she isn't getting back to the Yavin system, and the war, for two whole weeks of war free bliss, the girl thought with a satisfied smirk.

Chopper was chuckling to himself maniacally as he worked, as well.

As soon as their task was done, Sabine sent Chopper to undock the Phantom II while she went to her room to gather up whatever she would need to tide her over for a couple weeks until she saw her room on the Ghost again. Then she left Hera a note on a datapad on her bunk for her to find later, hoping the older woman would forgive her, and at least appreciate the present.

She met Ezra and Zeb on her way out of the ship with an armload of bags, on her way to deposit them in Ezra’s renamed Gauntlet class Mandalorian ship that was now painted an attractive silver with blue and orange stripes instead of the garish black and red it used to be.

"How'd it go?" asked Ezra, pushing a crate full of supplies. His eyes were positively twinkling with his excitement over their prank.

"Great. I have no idea where they're going to end up, but it's not back here. At least not for two weeks anyway. You two need to grab whatever you need from your room." Sabine gave Ezra a quick kiss before turning to leave.

"Hey," said Zeb. "Where's mine?"

Sabine laughed, then gestured for the Lasat to bend down so she could reach his cheek. Normally, she'd punch him instead for being cheeky, but today, she was just so happy, she actually kissed his furry purple jaw, then walked off laughing towards the Lothhawk as Zeb sputtered in surprise.

Ezra punched him in the shoulder to make up for Sabine's good attitude, grinning at his friend. "Welcome to the club, Zeb. You've officially been kissed by the galaxy's most standoffish Mando. As far as I know, you're only the second being to receive such an honour."

Zeb punched him back as they laughed and pushed their crates again. "She's not my type by any stretch of the imagination, but you are one lucky mooka, kid."

Ezra smiled beatifically. "Don't I know it."

"Hera Syndulla. Do you take this man as your lawfully wedded husband?" Mothma said.

The best pilot in the Rebellion who was notoriously cool under pressure gazed at her mate with a shine to her eyes that warned of imminent tears. "I do."

"Kanan Jarrus. Do you take this woman as your lawfully wedded wife?"

And the normally calm and somewhat standoffish Jedi Knight barely let Mothma finish her line before he blurted out, "I do."

Silently amused, the leader of the Rebellion asked, "Do you have rings?"

Oh no! Hera had completely forgotten about rings. She was about to say 'no,' when Kanan pulled a little green velvet bag out of his pocket.

"Yes, we do,” he said, very proudly.

She gawked at him as he emptied the bag into the palm of his hand. Two matching gold wedding bands gleamed. Each one had the same patterns as Hera's lekku engraved in them. Hera's brimming eyes overflowed slightly as she gazed in amazement at the beautiful rings, a tear sliding down each sculpted cheek. "Kanan." She could barely speak. "When?"

He shrugged bashfully as he poked at the rings in his hand, not looking at her. "I had them made eight years ago. It was just us and Chopper back then. Then our crew started to grow, and the time never seemed right to ask you anymore. Not to mention you asked me about the mate thing, and I thought that was as much as you wanted to commit to me, so I left it."

More tears escaped as she cupped his face. “Oh, love. That mate thing? That was me asking you to marry me in the Twi’lek way. On my world, we’ve been officially bonded for over seven years.”

Even the Generals teared up a little at that sob story.

Kanan was floored. And feeling a bit stupid. And ready to bounce around the room with joy. “Really?”

“Really,” she smiled. “But I would have done your Human ceremony too, back then, if I’d known it meant so much to you.”

“Force, Hera. I wish I’d known. But thank you for giving me this now. It means more than you can imagine.” He rubbed the tears off of her cheeks, kissed her sweetly, and then hugged her tight to his hard chest until Mon cleared her throat pointedly.

The happy and somewhat embarrassed couple looked over at her guiltily. “Sorry, Mon,” Hera mumbled.

The Senator just chuckled and continued the short ceremony, instructing them to put the rings on each other’s fingers.

They did so, emotions roiling, both of them trembling just a little and their eyes barely leaving the other’s face.

Mon Mothma said, "You may now seal the vows with a kiss. Again.” Her voice trailed off and turned into another chuckle as the newly married couple practically leapt at each other, kissing almost frantically. Leaving them to it, she prepared the wedding certificate. When it came time to write down the married names, she had to loudly clear her throat a couple more times to get their attention.

Hera pulled away from Kanan, her cheeks positively dark green with embarrassment at her behaviour. "Sorry again, Mon."

The auburn haired woman smiled gently at the younger female. "No apologies necessary, Hera. I understand. I need to know what your married names are going to be."

The newly (re)married couple looked at each other in question. As usual, Kanan knew what she was thinking, and said simply. "It's fine with me."

Hera turned back to Mon Mothma. "We're going to keep our names as they are. But if we ever have any children, they'll take Kanan's last name of Dume. It doesn't make sense for me to change my name. Everyone knows me as General Syndulla. If I change it to Dume, then everyone will think that Kanan got a promotion, even though most should know by now that he refuses to be called by any military title."

"True," Mon nodded in agreement, then finished the certificate. After everyone had signed it, she made a holo copy of it, for the records, then handed the original to Hera. "You are now officially married according to the Rebel Alliance. Hopefully we win this war, because I don't know how much good that paper is in the Empire's eyes," she said with a shrug. She then added, "Go. Enjoy your honeymoon. We'll be in contact if we need you to come back sooner."

Hera handed Kanan his precious marriage certificate. He held it reverently for a moment, trembling fingers running over the paper in a gentle caress before meticulously folding it into a small enough square to fit inside the velvet bag.

Hera couldn't stop herself. She gave the Senator a quick hug, which was thankfully returned. "Thank you, Mon." She shook the hands of Dodonna and Willard, thanking them for witnessing. Then she grabbed Kanan's hand.

This time it was her leading him back to the Ghost, as he was still gazing blindly in rapt fascination at the little green bag in his hand.

And the speculation from the Rebel menagerie continued. (Still getting it wrong.)

Ezra walked onto the Lothhawk, arms full of things. After dropping them onto his bunk, he used his bond with Sabine to find her. Sensing her on the bridge, and in less than positive spirits, he quickly made his way there. She was seated in the pilot's chair, elbows on knees, chin resting on her layered fists. Ezra knelt beside her so he could see her at eye level. He put a comforting hand on her thigh. "What has you looking so glum, cyar'ika?"

Sabine shrugged, dropping her hands. She reached out with one and stroked her fingers through his short hair, never tiring of being able to pet her tooka like Jedi. "I just feel bad for Hera and Kanan. They're getting married all by themselves with no formal clothes or guests or a party or anything. And I went and barged in on their announcement with our own. I know time is of the essence when you live in a war, but I feel like maybe I should have waited until they came back from their honeymoon."

Ezra cupped her face in his hand, thumb stroking over her cheekbone. "Hey, it's okay. They didn't feel upset, like they were being upstaged or anything like that. Aside from Kanan's hissy fit, they were both genuinely happy." Ezra closed his eyes for a moment and reached for his connection to Kanan. "And speaking of joy, there is a very, very happy Kanan and Hera coming back this way. I don't think they minded the lack of a formal wedding." Ezra stood, and taking both her hands, pulled her to her feet. "Come on, we should go congratulate them."

Sabine let Ezra lead her by the hand, her eyes still a little sad, but she felt better. It was nice having someone who could feel others emotions; it made things a little simpler sometimes. It was also a great relief to not have to hide her feelings for Ezra anymore. The years of masquerading as just friends had been really hard on her more often than not. She wasn't the kind of person who liked to hide what she was. Being able to express her personality through her art had helped a lot, but she still had felt like she wasn't being true to herself.

And then there was her amazing fiancé. Ezra had never complained once about having to sneak around, stealing moments of affection on the rare occasions they could be alone. She looked up at him as they walked. He seemed to be just a little taller and a little broader every day. His face reflected his happiness as he watched Hera and Kanan approach them. He really is growing into an amazing man. I’m proud to take him home and present him to my family. I just hope they can understand that he means more to me than a stupid old rivalry.

Kanan finally came out of his euphoric stupor when they had almost reached the ramp of the Ghost. It might be stupid that a few words and a piece of paper could make such a difference to how he felt, but he couldn’t help it. That little paper now said to the galaxy that Hera Syndulla was his and his alone. And he was hers. I’d write it in the stars if I could.

Reluctantly, he tucked the little bag back into his pocket, knowing that if he stared at it through the Force like a bedazzled idiot any longer, Hera would be fully justified in divorcing him on the grounds of lunacy.

He finally turned his focus back to the word around him, no longer needing Hera to lead him, but not tugging his hand away from hers. (He happened to like holding hands with his wife, thank you very much.) It was almost a shock to find that they were almost all the way back to the Ghost already and that Ezra and Sabine were waiting for them.

They were also holding hands, which was definitely still a shock. He still had no idea how he’d misread their relationship for so long, no matter what Ezra said about hiding their signatures. Surely I should have spotted them doing something suspicious in all that time? Or maybe I’m just a trusting fool. Other than at the beginning, when Ezra had followed Sabine around like a devoted puppy, his interactions with her had always seemed to be one hundred percent platonic.

Kanan frowned at the younger people as the gap between them closed. "You two must be incredibly good actors and have better self control than Hera and I. None of us suspected a thing. And that signature shield... I'm seriously impressed."

Ezra grinned at Kanan, pride and amusem*nt flowing down their bond. "Well, you know what they say: Necessity is the mother of invention. And I needed to be able to grow my relationship with Sabine without you finding out, so I started experimenting. I had to get even better at it once you lost your normal sight and started using the Force to see." His Padawan shrugged, then looked down at the tiny warrior girl with clear love radiating from him. "She was worth it." Sabine smiled back up at him then stood on her tip-toes so could kiss his cheek.

Hera and Kanan both melted at the sight. Their Force signatures really do look good together, all sparkly like that. And from what he remembered of their features, Kanan was sure that the two of them would make beautiful children one day. That thought lead to another. And another.

"Ezra," Kanan said very seriously. "If the lot of us ever have kids, we are not teaching them the shielding trick until they are least eighteen. I'll want to know what our kids are up to. Having one set of kids pull one over on me is enough for one lifetime."

Everyone laughed at poor Kanan's bewildered expression. Including Zeb and Chopper, who had joined them in time to hear the last part. Then Ezra realized what Kanan had said. "Are you guys planning on having kids soon?"

Both Kanan and Hera shook their heads adamantly. "No, we're going to wait until this whole war is over. This is not the kind of environment I want to raise children in," said Hera. "What about you guys? Have you talked about it?"

Ezra and Sabine looked at each other, startled. Neither of them had thought about having children. They felt like they were just starting to be adults themselves. Sabine raised her brow at Ezra in question. What do you think?

Ezra thought about it for a moment, then shook his head. Not yet.

Sabine smiled at him and nodded, patting him on the cheek. Good boy. Right answer. She turned to Hera and Kanan. "We're waiting too. The end of the war sounds good to me. Whenever that is."

“But what if it’s only another few months?” Zeb said, almost seriously.

“Ummmmm,” Ezra gulped. “Yeah, that’s too soon. Definitely too soon. I think I’m going to amend our statement to, either after the war is over or after I turn twenty-one. I think I want a couple more years as a free man first.”

“Hey!” Sabine punched him in the arm and the group laughed at the boy who'd just committed a relationship faux pas.

Grimacing, and rubbing his arm, Ezra quickly amended his statement to, “A relatively free man who is desperately in love with a very talented Mando girl and would do anything to spend more alone time with her.”

“That’s better,” Sabine said with a pleased smirk as she looped her arm through his and deliberately leaned her head on the spot she’d just punched.

Kanan smiled in commiseration at his wincing Padawan. Welcome to the Hopelessly Besotted Male club, Ezra.

Chapter 6: Overwhelmed

Chapter Text

Overwhelmed:

Malachor...

Ahsoka had never opened herself up to this much Dark energy before. (At least, not in a way that she remembered.) Never invited it into her being like this, and oh, it was a seductive thing.

She’d flirted with the Dark Force a few times in the past when anger or fear drove her to do reckless things, much like Anakin had on occasion, but it had always just been the barest hint of an acquaintance with the Dark before her Jedi training had kicked back in and calm clarity had pushed it away so she could draw on the Light to fortify herself in whatever situation had occurred.

Now, she was going beyond her training to experiment in something entirely new to her in a desperate bid to heal her arm and broken ribs before facing Vader again, and that left her vulnerable.

Power, the Dark whispered huskily in her very soul. You can have all of this power at your disposal. Feel it. Live it. Love it. Use it.

Be it.

And she did. She couldn’t help herself, not with what felt like a whole abandoned planet’s worth of Dark energy just looking for a host to play with. Her blood sang and her nerves tingled from montrals to toes as the Dark rushed through and swarmed her gleefully.

Force, this feels good, she thought as she trembled with the power flowing through her, her injuries suddenly inconsequential. Maybe even better than good, she thought with a hint of fear as a shudder of nearly org*smic bliss shook her to the core. She gasped and clenched her fists on her thighs, digging her nails painfully into her palms in an attempt to control the surges of ever increasing sensation.

Around her, rocks and debris shattered into thousands of tiny fragments as the Force responded to her actions. Morai squawked and flew up into the air.

Poodoo, she thought as she panted in alarm as another, even stronger wave of power surged through her and she definitely spasmed through an org*sm that left her lekku trembling, her nipples aching, and her underwear drenched. Maybe a little too good.

Only my mate is allowed to make me feel like this! her instincts suddenly screamed, shocking her into doing something about it before she was completely overwhelmed and left a wreck of boneless Togruta sprawled over the only intact rock left in the area.

It’s too much! I have to control it! Own it, before it owns me!

Pulling on her meditation training with determination, Ahsoka forced herself to calm. Forced her breathing to return to slow and even. Forced herself to ignore the tempting pleasure the Dark offered. And then she pushed back against the Dark.

Out! I don’t need this much! I don’t need an entire planet’s worth of Dark energy trying to set up camp in my body! Get out!

But I've been so lonely here, the Dark seemed to whimper back, imaginary tendrils clinging to her as, molecule by molecule, she started to fill herself with pure, real love instead, slowly but surely leaving less and less room for the Dark energy.

There was no Light side energy on this desolate excuse for an orbiting rock, but that wasn’t a problem when she could make her own just by calling to mind her mate and their unbreakable bond that had only grown stronger as they grew older. Rex could fill her with joy and Light energy just from the memories alone.

Like the first time they kissed...

D16/20 BBY, Drongar

“Come on, Commander, you are not walking back to base camp on that leg!”

“It’s nothing, Rex, honest. I’m fine,” she insisted as he - as gently as he could - cleaned her seeping wound and then applied an emergency bacta patch to it as she pretended it didn't hurt like hell while she looked over the decimated remains of the triple squadron of droids that had suddenly surrounded them while they had gone scouting for the hidden enemy base they KNEW was buried underground around here somewhere. (Needless to say, they found it.) The adrenaline had kept her on her feet and protecting Rex as they fought, but now that it was wearing off, she had to admit that she was lying through her gritted teeth.

Rex stood and pulled his helmet off and attached it to his belt, his golden brown eyes determined and his jaw set in a stubborn line. “You are NOT fine, Ahsoka. Don’t give me that osik. Your skin is almost as white as your markings from who knows how much blood you lost, you’re not putting any weight on your right foot, and your eyes are more black than blue with pain. I’m carrying you, and that’s final!”

If they weren’t surrounded by trees that seemed taller and denser than the buildings packed together on Coruscant and completely blocked out the sky with their thick canopy, Rex could have just called for a ship to evac them out, but they were (which was why they were scouting on foot in the first place), so she couldn’t fault his logic, but she hated being a burden. And the base camp was a good ten clicks back though rugged terrain.

Giving her a defiant look, he pushed the button on the comm on his vambrace. “General?”

Anakin’s voice came back almost instantly. “Sitrep, Rex?”

“Yes, Sir. Found the base. Or at least the edge of it. It was heavily guarded, but we dealt with the tinnies.”

“I wouldn’t have expected anything less,” Anakin said with approval in his tone.

“But the Commander’s been hurt,” Rex said bluntly, making her glare at him for blabbing. It's just a scratch. Really,she wanted to protest. One that might have partially severed something kind of important in my leg, but just a scratch. But it didn't sound like a reasonable argument even in her own head, so she didn't bother.

“WHAT?!” Anakin screeched.

“I’m fine, Master!” Ahsoka called.

“She’s not. Blaster bolt to the back of the leg. Almost zero weightbearing capability.” Rex blabbed again. “I’m carrying her back.”

Ahsoka glared harder. Rex gave her a look that actually had her hanging her head in shame.

“Thank you, Rex. I’ll start jogging your way. We can take turns carrying her.”

“Very good, Sir.” He turned off the comm, now wearing an inscrutable male look that did nothing good for her equilibrium.

She squeaked as he moved forward and scooped her up into his arms in a flash of lightning reflexes that she was just too shaky to dodge. “Put me down!” she insisted even as she wrapped her arms around his neck, her mating instincts playing havoc with her Jedi training. Can’t love him, can’t love him, she told herself firmly even as she snuggled into his armoured chest and buried her nose into the skin of his neck just above the collar of his bodysuit to inhale his amazing, musky male scent that had called to her for the last two years.

“Not even if the entire Jedi Council told me to,” Rex said firmly, melting her heart and resolve and showing just how serious he was. The way his strong arms made a mockery of her weight and his long strides were effortless and efficient as he traversed back through the path her lightsabres had made in the jungle terrain of Drongar did fluttery things to her insides that she couldn’t ignore.

The throbbing from the stray blaster bolt that had skimmed her just above the back of her right knee faded with each step Rex took, until all she could feel was the steady thump of his heart in her montrals, his warm breath ghosting over her lekku, and the way his arms cradled her against him as if she was the most precious thing in the galaxy.

Over the last two years, she’d spent a lot of time sighing over the handsome Captain and indulging in touching and hugging him as often as she could get away with, but this far surpassed her best reality to date and fell over into the realm of the fantasies that she never should have had as a good Jedi.

Too bad for her Jedi side that she’d found her perfect mate in the form of one sexy, alpha male all wrapped up in blue and white armour that matched the skin on her montrals and lekku.

Somewhat loopy on the after-effects of adrenaline and the anti-pain stim that was finally kicking in that he'd jabbed her with before dealing with her wound, Ahsoka took a page from the book of her Master and threw the ‘no attachments’ rule out the figurative airlock, finally giving into her feelings. Tilting her head up slightly, she pressed a kiss to Rex’s clean-shaven jaw just in front of his ear.

He froze and looked down at her, his arms tensing around her slightly. “Ahsoka... What are you...”

She didn’t let him finish, choosing to answer his question by pulling his head down to hers and pressing her mouth to his in a short and desperate kiss. His mouth didn’t move under hers. But his frame practically vibrated.

She pulled back and searched his eyes. He looked tormented. She knew exactly how he felt. “Ahsoka, I... I...”

She brushed her fingers over the spiky dyed fuzz on top of his head. “Ignoring regs and how this is completely forbidden for both of us, do you want me back, Rex?”

He practically shuddered as his eyes closed and his forehead fell down to hers. “Shab, Soka,” he groaned from somewhere deep in his chest, the sound feeling like a subtle earthquake in her montrals. “That’s like asking if I prefer sucking in fresh air over suffocating on the last dregs of what’s left in my suit while floating in vacuum.” He opened his eyes and all but pinned her with his hot amber gaze. “Of COURSE, I want you back! I don’t know how you can’t feel it; I’ve been dreaming of having you in my arms for years. I love you, Ahso’ika. More than anything.”

Feeling like her chest would burst with her own overwhelming joy and the emotions she could suddenly feel from him as he must have dropped his natural shields, Ahsoka beamed at him with shining eyes that threatened to leak. Moving one hand down, she cupped his cheek. “I love you too, Rexi, always have. Always will.”

“Ner kar’ta,” he breathed against her tingling lips as he ducked his head a fraction more.

“Kiss me, Rex,” she pleaded.

And thank the Force, this time, he did. Pouring what felt like his heart and soul into the gentle caress that quickly grew in passion as she kissed him back.

They were still kissing, having orally and digitally explored every millimetre of each other’s faces, heads, and necks (and wow, did her lekku ever like THAT) but now propped against the gunship-wide trunk of a tree where Rex had stumbled to and then slumped down the length of when his knees finally gave up in the face of their passion, when her Master cleared his throat loudly.

Amazed that she hadn’t noticed him approaching, Ahsoka pulled away from Rex’s face in instant embarrassment and terror at being discovered. Rex scrambled up to his feet with her still in his arms because he still refused to let her put any weight on her leg. “Master!” she cried at the same time as Rex squeaked out a strangled, “General.”

Through their bond, Anakin felt like he was torn between laughing his nerfherder head off and castrating Rex. Fortunately, he settled on crossing his arms and raising a disapproving eyebrow as his mouth twitched at the corner. “Do I need to give you two ‘the talk’ about the birds and bees followed by the lecture about why what I just saw needs to stay a secret until the end of time?”

If Ahsoka could have flushed to the colour of a ripe tomato, she would have. “No, Master.”

“No, Sir,” Rex said at the same time. His skin didn’t have the same density as hers and showed his embarrassment plainly. Unfortunately for him. (His cheeks actually WERE the colour of a tomato. It was kriffing adorable.)

“Good,” Anakin grunted. He moved to stand with his back to Rex and indicated to Ahsoka that she should climb on. “I think it’s best for all concerned that I carry Snips the rest of the way to camp, don’t you agree?”

His tone left no room for argument.

“Yes, Sir,” Rex said as he reluctantly loosened his grip on her.

“I suppose,” Ahsoka grumbled as she climbed onto Anakin’s back and hooked her thighs around his waist and her arms loosely around his neck.

He grabbed her under the knees to help hold her up and she hissed with the renewed pain that had been blissfully absent for the last half hour. “Sorry,” he winced and moved his right hand further back on her thigh.

They started walking in awkward silence that lasted for a whole minute before Anakin turned his head and gave Rex one of his best death glares. “You hurt her, ever, in any way, and I will make you regret it until there’s nothing left of you but a whimpering stump that not even the best bacta tank in the galaxy is going to be able to heal, you hear me?”

Rex visibly and audibly gulped. “Yes, Sir, I hear you. The Commander’s health and happiness will continue to be my first priority until I’m no more than dust in the ground.”

Anakin stared at Rex for a few seconds and then a huge grin broke out on his face. “Glad to hear it, Rexter. I’m holding you to that. You can even consider it an order if you want.”

Rex and Ahsoka exchanged pleased and relieved glances. Anakin was taking this a lot better than she ever imagined he would. But then, he DID know what it felt like to be illicitly in love. “I want, Sir,” Rex said enthusiastically.

Anakin grinned wider and let go of her with one hand to ruffle Rex’s buzz cut fondly. “Good. And since we’re practically brothers now with you being all attached at the lips to my little sister, don’t you think it’s time you finally gave up the Sir and called my Anakin, at least when we’re away from the men?”

Rex flushed with pleasure as he tilted his head ever so slightly into Anakin’s hand. “If that’s what you want.”

“I do,” Anakin said, putting his arm around Rex’s neck and pulling him into a quick side hug which had the added benefit of putting Rex within her reach for a moment. She kissed his cheek just before Anakin let him go.

Rex’s eyes flashed hidden gold fire at her with promises for future alone time as he said, “All right... Anakin.” He snorted softly. “Shab, that feels weird to say.”

Anakin laughed and Ahsoka leaned forward to press a kiss to his cheek too. “Thank you, Skyguy,” she whispered in his ear.

He squeezed her legs in acknowledgement as he turned his head to wink at her.

The long walk back to base camp was filled with more laughter and good-natured ribbing about secret relationships (including Obi-Wan's clear infatuation with a certain duch*ess) then a normal month’s worth combined, cementing the trio's friendship and love for each other into the realm of unbreakable, if it hadn't been at that stage already.

Even though it had rankled everyone that they'd had to temporarily abandon their mission to wipe out the underground Seppie base because she'd had to have surgery to repair the torn tendon in her leg, then keep it immersed in bacta for half a week, and then spend another week training that leg to work properly again, no one had wanted to leave her behind, which made her feel even more loved, if that was even possible. She'd never regret that injury or the faint scar still on the back of her leg, because it had led to the first time she kissed Rex and made her extremely overburdened Master laugh like a carefree youngling for a little while. The day had instantly become one of Ahsoka’s favourites of her entire life and still was.

The memory had her smiling as she floated above the rock and Morai came back down to settle on her shoulder with a trill of approval.

Light energy now coursed through her leaving very little room for the excessive amount of Dark that still swirled around her hungrily.

She let only a small amount of it back in, and this time she controlled it easily. Ahsoka was the master of herself again.

You want to be useful? she thought to the Dark. Then you can be useful. Let’s see how good you are at being used to heal so I can get Anakin back and go kiss my mate. Who knows how long it’s been for him since I last did so, but the day or so that it’s been for me is plenty long enough, thank you very much.

The powerful Dark energy throbbed within her as she directed it to the burn on her arm and commanded it to sacrifice itself for a good cause.

Mando'a translation:

Ner kar’ta = My heart.

A/N: I should probably mention that I just make all of this Force stuff up as I go. I hope it's believable. :P

Chapter 7: Honeymoon

Chapter Text

Honeymoon:

Hera hovered the Ghost above the ground so she could see her family as they waved goodbye. Even Chopper was waving one of his little manipulators. Hera and Kanan waved back as her heart filled with love at her perfectly unconventional family.

With divided feelings, Hera pivoted the Ghost on the spot and took off for the upper atmosphere of Yavin IV. She was overjoyed to be getting away from the war with Kanan for some precious alone time, but she had her usual anxious reservations about leaving the kids behind to fend for themselves. She pushed those to the back of her mind, determined not to let anything spoil this moment. "So, where do you want to go for our honeymoon?" she asked Kanan.

Kanan shrugged. "I honestly never thought that far. Anywhere is fine with me. Where do you want to go?"

Hera gave a little laugh. "I never thought that far either. I don't care where we end up as long as it comes with peace and quiet and I'm with you."

Kanan looked at the shining Hera shaped Force signature that was his wife. (My wife!) She reminded him of a star in the Force, with how brightly she shone with happiness.

...Ohhhhh. Stars!

But what if she thinks it's stupid? What the kriff, I'll say it anyway. "This may be a silly idea, but what if we didn't actually leave the ship? How about we find a quiet corner of space with a view? Like the imploded star cluster near Lira San?"

Hera looked at Kanan with amazement. "Kanan, love, that is an excellent idea. For what I have in mind, we don't need a fancy resort planet anyway." Her eyes twinkled at him as he sucked in a breath and gave her a blind look that spoke volumes. Turning back to the controls, she set the hyperdrive coordinates to take them to the star cluster.

As soon as the flashing stars of lightspeed illuminated the bridge, she jumped up from her chair. Pulling a grinning Kanan out of his, Hera raised her chin up as he lowered his head down to hers. Their lips met in a long, loving kiss. Without taking his mouth off hers, her mate picked Hera up in his strong and oh so capable arms. She gave a surprised squeak before wrapping her own arms around his neck and smiling against his mouth.

As he carried her to their cabin, she ran her fingers through his hair that was almost as long as it had been before he'd had his 'Caleb Dume' moment when he rescued her from Pryce. She'd hated the haircut, but he'd been more settled than ever within himself in his 'Jediness' and had decided to return to his original last name of Dume to represent that. She'd fully supported him in the decision. (With the mostly joking caveat that he grow his hair back asap.) Now she thrilled in the feeling of being able to bury her hands in his hair again almost a year later. It was such a unique sensation to a twi'lek, and she never tired of it.

Kanan opened the doors with the Force without even really thinking about it. He was entirely focused on the woman in his arms. She was still the most beautiful girl ever, even with his new version of sight. Her heart and kindness shone through even stronger in this version of her; there was just so much to love about her. He gently lowered her to the bunk, then settled himself over her. As he kissed her again, one hand held himself up, the other gently petted her lek causing Hera to shiver in delight.

The honeymoon had definitely begun.

Two hours later, the ship dropped itself out of hyperspace and chimed its arrival at an interstellar crossroads where they needed to switch to a different hyperspace lane. Hera didn't even notice, too lost in the keening pleasure rippling through her as Kanan thrust into her from behind at a lightning fast pace.

But Kanan did, too in tune with the Force to miss such a massive shift in what was going on around him. He slowed to a stop, fingers loosening their grip on her shoulders and turning more caressing.

Hera turned her head over her shoulder to gaze at him in confusion as her cherished sensations stopped just as she was about to reach the pinnacle of ecstasy. "Keep going," she said in a warning tone, thinking he might just be messing with her and drawing out her pleasure into something that more resembled playful torture.

Kanan leaned over her back and whispered in her ear cone, "The ship stopped, darling. We need to set new coordinates."

Hera craned her head over her shoulder and narrowed her eyes at him. "Kriff the ship, keep going NOW!"

Kanan chuckled huskily and did as ordered after giving her lower lip a playful nip. You know you're doing something right when you can make Hera Syndulla swear at her precious ship.

He started up slowly again, staying curled over her back and pressing kisses to her cheek and jaw before trailing his mouth along a lek.

Hera growled and wrapped her lekku around the back of his neck, pinning him down to her. "If you don't get a move on, Kanan Dume, I swear I'm going to tie you to something and torture you for hours. And I'll make it so you don't get to come either."

Inspired by her words, Kanan got impossibly thicker and longer within her depths, thrusting a fraction deeper. "Is that a promise?" he practically groaned huskily.

Hera turned her head once more, mashing her mouth to his and thrusting her tongue into his mouth the way she wanted his co*ck to thrust into her aching channel. She pulled back after a minute, panting. "You bet your cute tushy it is, love."

Kanan grinned at her, ridiculously pleased that she still thought his arse was cute after all these years. He kissed her back slowly and thoroughly, and then whispered, "Good. I'm looking forward to it." Then he wrapped his arms around her torso and pulled them both upright so he was kneeling with her in his lap. Her lekku loosed their grip on his neck and trailed down his back, writhing slowly against his skin in electrifying caresses as she gasped at the change of position and his angle and depth inside her.

"Kanaaaaannnnn," she moaned as he set a terribly slow pace that still managed to hit her hard at her very depths with every thrust. She arched against him, wrapping her hands around his neck backwards so she could get some leverage and join in the rhythmic motions.

No longer needing to hold her up, Kanan trailed one hand down the smooth plane of her toned belly to her core and teased her main pleasure center while the other moved up a smidge and cupped and fondled her soft, round breasts, the nipples poking out like berries from her extremely aroused state.

In only a minute or two of steady gyrations, he felt her clenching around him again, her inner muscles tightening with increasing tension as her moans grew in volume.

Kanan stopped again and moved his hands back to neutral territory on her stomach and ribs.

Hera pulled his hair, hard, growling his name in warning like a rabid mooka. "Kanan...."

He laughed and kissed the sensitive space on the top of her head between where he lekku started. "Sorry, darling,” he apologized in a throaty whisper. “I couldn't help myself. You're just so fun to tease. And you have to know I'm looking forward to your retaliation."

Hera huffed in exasperation, letting go of his neck and rising off of him. She spun on her knees and pushed him backwards and then crawled over him and impaled herself on his length while digging her nails into his chest to make a blatant statement about her mood that he couldn’t possibly miss. "It's my turn to be in control now, my frustrating mate. You had your chance."

Kanan couldn’t be more pleased with how this had played out. "As you wish, my impatient wife," he smirked. He didn’t even mind that she was deliberately forgetting the four org*sms he'd already given her in the past two hours. He linked his hands behind his head and simply enjoyed the show in the Force as her signature went wild above him. He added to the image with memories from before he'd lost his sight.

In his mind, her eyes were closed and her plump lips parted slightly as a flush of pleasure darkened her cheeks to a brighter green, increasing her natural beauty. Her head was thrown back, but her lekku were over her shoulders, caressing her own breasts which bounced delightfully with every movement she made. Her back was arched, highlighting her taunt stomach muscles, and making it easy for him to watch his co*ck disappear into her pretty nether lips over and over and over again as she rode him. Her efforts were aided by her hands on his thighs behind her and her strong and shapely legs.

This was probably his favourite memory of her in a lovemaking scenario and it continued to live on every time she felt the need to take control of their lovemaking, like she was doing right now. Nothing turned Kanan on more than when she did this and she knew it.

Hera was finally back on the precipice of a long awaited org*sm (or so it felt). She was practically slamming herself down on Kanan now and grinding her cl*t against his pelvic bone with every mashing of their bodies. She opened her eyes a slit and gazed at her now groaning mate, his hands clenched so tightly behind his head that every muscle and vein in his arms popped out in graphic detail. Stars, that is sexy as hell. I am one lucky girl. "Last chance to come with me before your torture session begins, my naughty mate,” she gasped out between rocking motions as she ground down on him so his perfect manhood rubbed against her cervix in a delicious mix of pleasure and discomfort.

Kanan stared back at her with cloudy, heavy lidded eyes. "Not a problem," he ground out through clenched teeth, his org*sm churning and just waiting to explode as soon as he let it.

"Good," Hera gasped as her eyes closed again and she concentrated on those last few bounces that would send her over the edge.

With a strangled scream, her body clenched impossibly tight and then she shuddered like a leaf in a hurricane as the strongest org*sm she'd had in recent memory hit her full force. Kanan's hot seed shooting up inside her as he groaned out her name and filling her to overflowing just drew it out even longer, their combined juices covering them in sticky satisfaction.

As the tension drained from her body, Hera collapsed forward, snuggling into Kanan's chest as his arms wrapped around her and their joined bodies throbbed with pleasurable aftershocks. Hera kissed his hard chest and closed her eyes, savouring the moment to the fullest.

Or at least as long as her conscience would let her.

Her ship was sitting at the end of a hyperspace lane with no one at the controls. Theoretically, it was safe enough, but you never knew when some other ship's sensors would decide to malfunction and ignore the readings and possibly crash right into them as they popped out of hyperspace. (This actually had happened, so she wasn't being ridiculous.)

I’m already regretting not bringing Chopper. What was I thinking?

Oh yeah. No pranks or arguments with Kanan as we enjoyed some peace and quiet for once.

Well, I guess that means I’m getting up.

With a muffled, “Kriff,” she extracted herself from Kanan, their sweat glued skin reluctant to part every bit as much as their arms were unwilling to let go. Then she rolled off the bed and stalked to the bridge butt naked, grumbling to herself the whole way about the idiocy of having a mate that didn’t get along with a girl’s droid.

Kanan laughed quietly to himself at his amusing wife as he heaved himself off the bed as well, but turned down the hallway in the other direction, aiming for the refresher. He was quite happy to be snarky droid free for a couple days, thank you very much.

Five minutes later, the ship was once again in hyperspace and Hera was searching for her mate. Her sensitive hearing soon picked up the sound of the shower running. Her expression quirked into a contemplative smile. An interesting option, but that’s not quite the location I had in mind for my revenge. She made a quick backtrack to her room and grabbed a long, thin blue lekku ribbon from her closet and then aimed her feet for the refresher.

Kanan sensed Hera's approach and grinned as he felt the sense of purpose in her signature. Excellent. She’s keeping her word on vowing to drive me insane. Not that I thought she actually would change her mind, but you never know. The Jedi Knight was looking forward to it with every atom of his being. To have her undivided attention on him as she caressed, kissed, stroked, tongued, nipped, and sucked on every millimetre of his skin was the best form of bliss he could think of. And if he was really lucky, she'd wind her lekku around him too. There wasn't a more illicit guilty pleasure in the galaxy than having her lekku give him a headtail job.

Hera opened the shower door, smiling at the sight of him all wet and sexy. "Are you ready for this, love?" she said in a throaty voice that brought his already half hard co*ck to full life in an instant. She stepped into the moist and steamy space, rubbing her softer body against his taunt, rock hard, and practically quivering with anticipation one as she reached around him to turn off the shower to conserve their precious water supply. She could tell by his fresh scent that he’d already soaped and rinsed his hair and body, so that meant that their water should be saved for later, when she wanted to clean up again. Which she most definitely would.

With his help, of course.

Kanan swallowed a groan, grabbed her around the hips, pressing her even closer, and kissed the very breath right out of her. Then he let her go and held out his hands to be tied. "Now I am."

"Good boy," Hera purred as she tied the scarf around one of his wrists loosely. She tugged on it, leading him from the refresher and towards the common room. Kanan followed her willingly, anticipation thrumming through him with every step.

She didn’t stop until they were in front of the ladder that led up to the Phantom II’s docking bay. Then she pushed him back against it, inspiring a quiet ‘ouufff’ from his lips. “Raise your arms above your head, love,” she commanded.

He obliged, smirking.

Hera climbed up the side of the ladder until she could reach his raised hands. She pulled the ribbon between two rungs and wrapped it around the one closest to his hands. Then she tied the other end of the ribbon around his other wrist. Loosely again, of course. This was all for show; she had no desire to actually mark his fragile Human skin.

“It’s been years since we made use of this ladder like this,” Kanan commented.

“I know,” Hera smirked as she dropped back down to the floor. “Much too long.” She eyeballed the truly delicious sight he made like that for long moment; muscles in stark relief, handsome face freshly shaven, showing off his defined jawline, shoulder length auburn hair looking nearly black and dripping beads of water onto his chest, and his lovely big co*ck twitching in anticipation. She trailed one hand up his chest and the other down his abs as she plastered herself to his side. “And if I recall correctly, I was the one tied to it and I remember thinking that I’d get you back one day. Didn’t think it would take this long, but it’s also been that long since we’ve had the ship all to ourselves.”

She moved so she was more in front of him and undulated against him like a paid dancer. Kanan rewarded her efforts by inhaling sharply and groaning out her name while the hard length of male appendage jumped in appreciation between their bodies. She reached up and twirled a lock of his damp hair around her finger, emerald eyes shining with a mischievous light. “I’m really looking forward to this,” she whispered against his soft lips.

"Do your worst, my darling wife," Kanan said after she finished kissing him like the interior of his mouth contained the last traces of chocolate in the galaxy. A grin played with his well loved lips, ecstatic to finally be able to call her that. He'd already used the title at least ten times. And that was just out loud. In his head, he’d probably chanted, ‘wife, wife, my wife’ about a hundred more while he was pleasuring her over the last few hours.

The fact that she’d always been so, just with a different term, was somewhat shocking, but it didn’t lessen the impact of being married by Human standards on him at all.

"I fully intend to, my dear husband," she breathed in his ear, feeling him shiver in delight. I really should do this to him more often. But it takes time. And time is something we so rarely have. Not to mention privacy.

“Force, you have no idea how long I’ve waited to hear you say that word,” he breathed as her luscious lips nibbled a path along his jaw. His blood felt like it was on fire already, and she’d barely even started.

“Hmmmmm. I have some idea, I think,” she refuted, before she slowly nibbled and sucked a path down the wonderful smelling skin of his neck, following a strong cord of muscle. Somehow, the generic soap that they all used never smelled anywhere near as good on any of her other family members. Not that she consciously tried to smell them, but her nose was sensitive enough that she could tell how the soap interacted with each of them in different ways. The soap loved Kanan.

Or maybe she was just biased.

Her hands ran over him in loving sweeps as her mouth explored further and further downwards, pausing to pay tribute to his adorable, tiny nipples – Kanan liked that, if his stifled groans were anything to go by – and then further downwards, over the taut ropes of abdominal muscles and all the way down to his straining co*ck that more than filled her two hands.

She wrapped her long fingered hands around his girth as she came to a complete kneel on the… cushion that had floated over from the chair in the corner to save her knees from the hard, durasteel floor. “Thanks, love,” she smiled up at him, and then rewarded his thoughtfulness by engulfing the remaining part of him that wasn’t covered by her hands in her eager mouth; a good ten cenntimetres worth of thick head and shaft. (Her mate was truly blessed in ALL of his physical aspects.)

“You’re wel… unngggg,” he gasped out. “Frag, that feels kriffing amazing.” Kanan wished his hands weren’t tied so that he could caress her lekku as she worked him over with her talented mouth and tongue like he usually did in similar situations. He made do with grasping onto the rung he was tied to for dear life instead and concentrated on not breaking it or making everything in the room float with the amount of Force energy he was suddenly channelling.

It was enough of a distraction to keep him from shooting off within the first minute despite her humming efforts to the contrary. There was just something about having her willing mouth on him that pushed the bounds of his control in a way that being buried in her delicate female flower couldn’t quite reproduce. It was more of a gift and a sign of trust than the other; you couldn’t strangle a girl by pistoning into their vagin*, after all.

And kriff, Hera was doing her best to inspire him to want to thrust as hard and as deep as he could into her perfect mouth. The memory alone of how she looked with her perfect pink lips wrapped around him as she looked up at him with those beautiful emerald eyes was nearly enough to drive him mad sometimes.

But he kept his control, because that’s what he did: be controlled and calm, no matter what. So his feisty, sexy, and oh so perfect Twi’lek wife could do her best to drive him up the wall (or the ladder), and he would just grin and love it.

Even when she climbed up the ladder, hung upside down from a rung above him so that his face was buried in her sweet, sweet puss* that still tasted like a mixture of them both and she let her lekku hang down so the ends wrapped around his happy co*ck and squeezed him rhythmically in time with the movements of his tongue.

Kanan knew he was a very, very lucky Jedi.

Chapter 8: Playtime

Chapter Text

Playtime:

After the Ghost had disappeared from sight, the remaining Spectres looked at each other with a 'what now?' look. Ezra cleared his throat. "Umm, well, I guess this is where Sabine and I disappear too. It's time to break the news to her parents. Wish me luck."

Zeb laughed at him, and then slapped him on the back. "Good luck, kid. Try not to get dead."

Ezra rolled his eyes at the familiar line that brought up old memories of when they first met. "Thanks Zeb." Addressing both Zeb and Chopper he said, "You guys stay out of trouble while we're gone."

Now it was Zeb's turn to roll his big green eyes (which was always kind of freaky looking, what with the tiny pupils). "Ha."

Chopper laughed maniacally in Binary.

Ezra kicked him. Fragging possessed bucket of bolts. "I mean it Chopper. Behave."

"Don't worry, I'll watch the rust bucket," Zeb said with a warning glare at said rust bucket.

Chopper laughed at Zeb, zapped him, and rolled off beeping, "In your dreams, meatbag."

“Gahhhhhhh!” Zeb roared and took off after the astromech from hell. “You’re going to regret that, you karking little piece of sh*t!” his shout filled the air of the parking area, drawing stares and eye rolls at the familiar sight of someone yelling death threats to everyone’s favourite droid to hate. (The only reasons Chopper was still in one piece was because he was clever at hiding when necessary and because he was General Syndulla’s droid, and no one was quite daring enough to inspire her wrath).

Ezra and Sabine looked at each other and laughed. "Some things will never change," Sabine said with a rueful shake of her head. "Shall we go? We only have two days leave. I'm sure we'll need every minute of it considering the flight is a good four hours each way."

Ezra smiled reassuringly at her when he felt her anxiety return as they walked into the Lothhawk. "Relax. Everything will be fine," he said as he closed the ramp behind them.

"I hope you're right," Sabine said, but not believing it. "Just remember to look as strong and confident as possible. Mandalorians have no respect for the weak."

"Come on. Don't I look strong? I'm sure I'm bigger than the last time I saw your parents. And confidence is never an issue." Ezra gave her a co*cky smirk and a wink.

Sabine punched him in the arm, rolling her eyes. "You can be such a conceited ass sometimes," she scolded. Nevertheless, she looked him up and down, unable to help liking what she saw. "Although... I do have to admit, you are growing an impressive set of muscles now that you're finally done growing taller.” She frowned. “At least, I hope you're done growing taller. I already have to stand on my toes to kiss you."

Ezra grinned in amusem*nt. "Hey, it's not my fault you're a shrimp," he said teasingly, knowing he was taking his life in his hands to do so. Then he took off running around the ship, looking forward to however she was going to make him pay for that comment, his laughter trailing behind him.

Sabine growled in semi mock anger, and then giggled to herself as she chased him. Like any good Mando, she loved to hunt, and he knew it. "You're going to regret saying that, Ezra Bridger!" she yelled as she came to an intersection and slid to a stop, head swiveling back and forth as she tried to guess which way he'd gone. To the bridge? The cabins? Into one of the wing sections?

"I bet you can't find me," Ezra's voice echoed playfully down the long hallway that led to the left wing.

“And I bet I can!” she yelled back as she bolted down the hallway. Of course he would choose a wing. My Ez’ika will always be a lothrat at heart, she thought fondly, enjoying the game. The wings were a maze of access shafts and narrow tunnels with not a single decent hallway to be found; a perfect hiding place for someone who grew up on the streets.

She stopped at the open access hatch, a new thought forming. Wait. What if this is a trick and I end up crawling all over the wing for nothing? She stuck her head in, peering up the ladder built into the small tunnel. "You better be in here, Ezra Bridger," she said in a warning tone.

Laughter echoed up the tunnel from below her, bringing a smile back to her face. She scrambled into the tunnel and monkeyed down the rungs towards the big engine compartment at the bottom of the currently upright wing. She jumped down the last few rungs and eyeballed the organized chaos of the left side ion engines and all the other miscellaneous parts housed down here that made the ship fly. There were plenty of places to hide. She started wandering around on carefully placed feet, squeezing past various components, trying not to make a sound.

Ezra watched her creep under him from his hiding spot braced near the ceiling between the walls of the narrow hallway that led into the engine room, barely holding in the urge to snicker. I can’t believe she she’s not looking up. It’s the oldest trick in the book! As soon as she was out of sight, he dropped down to the floor soundlessly and backtracked back to the ladder and scrambled up it in a blur of speed.

Sabine looked around the entire engine compartment twice before she realized she'd been had. Groaning to herself, she climbed back up the ladder and closed the access hatch with a haughty twirl of the latch. If he’s still in there, it serves him right.

Glaring at the hatchway, she had an epiphany. I’m not going to win this game, not on his terms anyway. The sneaky Jedi rat is way too good at hiding. Instead of wasting time playing by his rules, it’s time to play by mine.

Grinning rather evilly, Sabine strode for the bridge and plunked herself down into the pilot's chair and started flicking switches to warm up the ship. When that was done, and the coordinates for their destination of Krownest already entered into the nav computer, she turned on the ship's comm, her voice echoing with extra sweetness through the entire ship. "You have until I jump the ship to hyperspace to get your fine shebs into the bridge with me, Ezra, or I swear you're sleeping on your own for the next month."

Oh poodoo! Ezra's eyes widened in horror and he scrambled out of his new hiding spot in the closet of one of the cabins filled with bunks and literally streaked through the ship as he felt the Lothhawk leave the ground and punch it for space at its top atmospheric speed of 1000/km's per hour.

Kriff! Sabine’s not messing around! He could only be grateful he wasn't still in a wing right now or he'd be plastered to whatever wall was closest from the pressure. He was also grateful she wasn't pulling a desperate Hera move and jumping straight to hyperspace from the atmosphere. He had a feeling the only thing stopping her was the flack she'd get when people inevitably told Hera and High Command about the dangerous and unnecessary manoeuver.

Ezra opened the bridge door with the Force as he ran towards it and launched himself through the doorway in a headfirst dive just as Sabine was reaching for the lever to jump them to hyperspace. He twisted in the air and landed on his back beside her chair. "I'm here! I'm here!" he panted from the floor, looking up at her.

Sabine glanced down at him and smiled like a tooka. And thus, the prey is captured. She triumphantly pulled the lever and then scooched out of the chair and directly down onto his stomach, sending the air right out of his lungs in a huge huff as the blue light of hyperspace illuminated the co*ckpit.

"Why?" he wheezed out in a high pitched squeak as he reinflated his lungs.

Sabine grinned and readjusted so she was straddling him and sitting on his thighs. "That was for calling me a shrimp." Then she held up her hands and pulled her gloves off very deliberately one finger at a time as his gorgeous blue eyes widened in comical dismay. She wiggled her now bare fingers at him tauntingly, rounded nails looking suddenly dangerous. "And this is for trying to play hide and seek with me."

"No.. ooo... oooo... oooooo," Ezra laughed and wheezed and half-heartedly tried to buck her off as she attacked his ribs with her deadly fingers and tickled him near to death for endless minutes. "I'm... I'm... Gah... Sor... Sorry," he finally got out, much to her satisfaction.

Sabine stopped her tickle torture and smirked at him, hands now kneading his strong pecs like a lothcat. "Are you? I don't think you are."

Ezra nodded quickly. "Yes I am. I promise I'll never call you a shrimp again. And we'll only play hide and seek if you want to."

Sabine's smile changed to something else entirely as her eyes half closed and she crawled up a little higher on him and settled her core over his crotch, her hands sliding up to his shoulders and then planting on the floor on either side of his head as she seductively writhed on top of him. "I can think of a much better version of hide and seek to play," she whispered, her mouth only a millimetre from his.

Mini Ezra sprang to life in a breathless heartbeat. "Oh Force," he whispered back, staring into her fiery amber eyes as she ground down on him. "So can I." He pulled off his own gloves behind her back and tossed them who-cares-where, and then reached up and threaded his fingers through her long silky hair that now reached just below her shoulders. He tugged her down that last millimetre and dove his tongue into her mouth without any preliminaries and they duelled passionately in the depths of her sweet tasting mouth.

Sabine's hands moved to his head, holding him tightly as she felt the soft, short strands of his hair against her skin. After a minute, she pulled back, eyes glinting teasingly. "Is that your lightsabre or is someone happy to see me?"

Ezra rolled his hips up against her, hands sliding down her back and cupping her luscious rear end. "Oh, that's definitely my lightsabre," he said with a smirk.

“Really?” she drawled out in disbelief. Sabine rose up higher on her knees and reached down. She deliberately fumbled around in the vicinity of his groin, making him groan, before she unclipped a metal cylinder from his belt. She stared at it with mock suspicion for a moment. “Hmmmm, Not exactly what I was looking for.” She placed the cylinder on the chair beside her, then settled back down to her previous location and rubbed back and forth a moment on the rock hard length hidden in his trousers. "Oh, yes. This is definitely your lightsabre, Ezra."

"I told you," Ezra said proudly, amused by her teasing.

"Mmmmmmmm," the Mando girl hummed in contentment, looking very pleased with herself. She leaned down again and kissed him slowly and very thoroughly, exploring the depths of his mouth in detail before pulling back and sitting up once again.

Ezra watched in disappointment as she gracefully stood, his hands sliding down her legs as she did so, now looking quite tall from this perspective as she stared at him with her feet on either side of him. "You're so cute," she purred, making him flush with embarrassed pleasure. Sabine stepped away from him and sauntered towards the door, her hips swaying in an exaggerated fashion as she started pulling armour pieces off and dropping them on the decking as she walked.

Ezra rose to his elbows and gazed at her dumbly, heart pounding in his chest.

Sabine paused in the doorway, bending over and undoing a knee pad, giving him a wonderful view of her perfect, heart-shaped ass in her tight leggings. She rose and half turned back towards him, twirling the pad around her finger by its strap and raised a brow at him. "Are you coming or not? I thought we were playing hide and seek?"

Ezra nodded frantically as he scrambled off the floor, his jacket unzipped and tossed to the decking by the time he reached the doorway as well as he followed her sultry form with his tongue practically hanging out like a slavering mooka.

By the time they reached their semi luxurious Captain's cabin that had the biggest bed by far, they were both stark naked and there was a trail of clothes running down the hallway.

Ezra scooped Sabine up and tossed her on the bed. She landed giggling in the center of the soft mattress as Ezra immediately followed his own throw, leaping on top of her in a perfectly placed jump. He kissed her neck beside the chain that held his gift as her hands came to a rest on his back, then he smiled at her joyfully, eyeballing her perfect athletic form up and down before settling on the apex of her thighs for a pointed moment. "I think I'll start with the seeking part of the game," he said huskily, salivating in anticipation of her taste.

Sabine moved her legs invitingly. "That's the best idea you've had yet."

The Jedi boy smirked as he backed up a bit and settled into the space provided. “I thought so,” he said as he hooked her legs over his shoulders and dove in to feast on the sweetest piece of female anatomy ever created.

He had her moaning and swearing within a minute, much to his pride.

“Shab! Oh stars, Ez,” Sabine cried, then bit her lower lip as she griped the sheets with both fists. Her back arched, trying to push herself at him, demanding more. “Yes! There. Right. Fragging. There,” she panted as he used his talented tongue on her cl*t, lapping at it and then circling and then sucking.

Ezra very much enjoyed the way her slender thighs crushed his ears, because it meant that he was doing it right. He thrived on the pleasure she was radiating into the Force. Not to mention the way she called his name as she drew closer and closer to climax or the way she practically dripped into his hand as he filled her grasping channel with two fingers and hooked them upwards.

“Ez’ika!” she screamed as her body clenched and shook like a live wire in his hold, euphoria ripping through her relentlessly.

Ezra moved to lap up the tasty juices that had escaped around his fingers that were happily being strangled by her throbbing grip on them. His own length throbbed in time, begging to go where his fingers were, but he ignored it, mostly. (His hips may have been rubbing slightly against the bedding.)

When she finally relaxed and sagged back into the mattress, Ezra looked up her body, the fingers of his free hand following his gaze to brush over her abused and puffy lower lip. “Good?”

She looked back at him with a very pleased, heavy lidded look and sucked his pointer finger into her mouth teasingly. His co*ck wept at the electric shock that shot through him.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” he groaned and then wiggled the fingers still buried in her puss* teasingly.

Sabine gasped, body singing with sudden aftershocks, losing her grip on the finger in her mouth. “Yes. Kriff, yes. Force, you’re good at that.”

Ezra moved his free hand down to one of her beautiful palm sized breasts and squeezed as he ducked his head and licked a path up her bare slit again. “Only the best for my warrior goddess,” he rumbled into her sensitive skin.

Sabine grasped the bedding again. “Oh, shab, not again.”

He glanced up at her, his blue eyes practically glowing with mischief. “Oh yes, again.” And then he was thrusting his fingers into her rhythmically and his tongue went to work on her engorged bundle of nerves like he had a point to prove.

And boy, did he prove it, whatever it was.

By the time Ezra moved up her body and buried his very grateful co*ck in her spasming channel, he’d made her come twice more with his mouth and fingers, even going so far as to tickle her sensitive nether opening just to add to the overwhelming sensations that were assaulting her.

Sabine was practically limp with pleasure as her tireless Jedi thrust into her steadily and deeply, but she wasn’t too worn out to return his loving kisses that tasted like her or to wrap her arms around his neck and hang on for the ride.

By the tame he came in her some ten minutes later with grateful grunts and sloppy kisses that she adored, she’d finally gotten her breath back.

And her desire to drive him just as insane as he had done to her.

Sabine let him pant in her ear for a minute, his bigger body deliciously heavy on hers, and then she pushed him off and over onto his back. “My turn.”

Ezra blinked up at her as she ran a teasing finger down the center of his well muscled chest and abs. “Uh oh.”

She chuckled. “Oh yes, uh oh. You’re in for it now, Bridger.”

He sighed in a mock forlorn fashion as he crossed his arms over his chest. “I suppose I’ll just have to grin and bear it then, won’t I?” he said jokingly.

“Yep,” she said cheerily as she grasped his semi-hard manhood in both hands. “Just think of Lothal or something.”

Ezra moved his arms out of his line of sight and down to the bed. He gazed at the beautiful girl who was intently and skillfully bringing him back to full life with only a few strokes of her strong little hands. “Or something,” he agreed. You, for example.

“Such a beautiful specimen of manhood,” she murmured to herself, admiring the long and thick co*ck that rose just for her if Ezra’s romantic and somewhat cheesy claims were to be believed. Sometimes, she found it hard to believe that she used to think dicks were repulsive things and to be avoided at all costs. There were just some things a co*ck can do that fingers can never replace. Like fill her to her very depths in the most perfect way.

And act as the perfect tool to drive my man insane with, she thought as she lowered her head and sucked about a third of him into her mouth after happily lapping up the salty drop of fluid from the slit. Said male groaned in the most satisfying way, the muscles of his thighs and stomach tensing into durasteel. She planted one hand on his abdomen, just below his belly button to hold him down while her other continued to caress the length of shaft not in her mouth.

While basking in her praise, Ezra gripped the bedding to stop himself from doing the same to her hair, knowing she didn’t like it when he accidently pulled on the silky strands too hard. He loved when she went down on him, no question, but the test of his control was never something he looked forward to.

The first time she’d given him a blowj*b back when he was fifteen, he’d accidentally crumbled one of the pointy little mountains on Lothal into dust with the Force. After getting over the shock, they’d both been very grateful that they’d been outside and far from the Ghost at the time. He didn’t even want to think about what he would have damaged in Hera’s precious ship if they’d been inside it.

Ezra hadn’t let her give him a blowj*b anywhere near anything hurtable for a whole year after that until he felt confident enough in his ability to control the surges of the Force that ran through him when she did. It was funny to him that he didn’t have the same problem when he was inside her in the more conventional fashion, but he figured it was because he was moving and concentrating on giving her pleasure too.

Like this, it was just him trying to stay still and not let his hips take over like they wanted, and him having nothing to concentrate on but how kriffing amazing her lips, tongue, teeth, and throat felt on him, which built up the pleasure and energy inside him to volcanic proportions.

Speaking of throats… Sabine was currently using hers to drive him absolutely batty, her nose buried in his pelvis. She looked up at him through her thick lashes, the gleam of her eyes triumphant at her accomplishment as she held the pose for a few seconds before pulling back so only the head of his blissed out co*ck was still inside.

And then she did it again. And again. And one more time, just because.

And just when he thought he might die and explode at the same time, she pulled away from him completely, only to straddle him and sink onto his length with a shuddering sigh of bliss. His hands came up automatically to her waist to help her settle slowly on him.

Sabine leaned forward, hands planted on his shoulders as she writhed her hips on him slowly. “Now,” she whispered against his lips. “Let’s see if you can beat your record.” She glanced at the holochrono on the bedside table that said 9:33 A.M. “You only have to hold back until eleven forty-five.”

Ezra grinned as his hands slid down to cup her bottom cheeks and thrust up into her slightly. “And if I do?”

Sabine smirked back, her long hair trailing over his skin in a silky caress as she whispered in his ear, “Then I might be inspired to let you hide your lightsabre somewhere else when you’re ready to come.”

“Oh Force,” he breathed.

Sabine laughed huskily and nibbled on his earlobe, her hips rocking against him in a rhythm as old as time. “I thought you’d like that.”

He kissed the soft skin on her neck. “Kriff, I love you, cyar’ika. You’re the best.”

Her lips trailed back to his. “I know.”

Chapter 9: Alderaan

Chapter Text

Alderaan:

The Death Star…

Despite Vader’s warning that she wouldn’t enjoy her time under Tarkin’s care while the Sith Lord was off looking for Ahsoka, Leia had been left alone in her cell for an unknown stretch of time that felt like days but was probably only a handful of hours.

She’d spent the time either staring up at the ceiling or attempting to sleep while trying to ignore the gnawing ache in her stomach that cried for food, the stiffness in her limbs and spine from the granite slab masquerading as a bunk she was lying on, and the burn in her throat from it being squeezed almost to the point of irreparably crushing it.

Somehow, both the staring at the ceiling and the attempts at sleeping had actually been time spent thinking about past mistakes and what they meant for the bleak future of the Rebellion.

Her first conclusion was that she should have told the Ghost crew about the secret mission her father had given her to find the Jedi Master, Obi-Wan Kenobi, on Tatooine. She was fairly sure that Ezra and Kanan would have jumped on the chance to seek out another of their kind. And if she had, she would have been on the Ghost and not the damaged Tantive IV where it had been in the process of being repaired on Admiral Raddus’ Profundity, and thus been nowhere near Scarif to be pursued by Lord Vader.

Her second conclusion was that she should have reined in her prideful arrogance and desire to see the battle above Scarif for herself and had Captain Antilles undock from the Profundity and jump to hyperspace with a destination of Tatooine the moment the fleet had arrived at Scarif.

Her third conclusion was that they all should have listened to Jyn Erso in the first place and sent a proper army to Scarif to retrieve the Death Star plans. Again, the Ghost crew would have been the ideal candidates for infiltrating the facility, but Mothma and the others in High Command didn’t want to chance losing their only two Jedi, so they hadn’t even been invited to the initial meeting. And Commander Rex’s battalion of soldiers that had been whipped into shape under his guidance, performing very well on their first few assignments, should have been sent as ground support for the Ghost crew. And beyond that, the entire Rebel fleet should have jumped to Scarif right off the bat to take care of air support and distraction tactics.

She didn’t know for sure how much of the fleet had been lost, or if any of Erso’s small crew had made it off the planet before a huge section of it got blown up by the Death Star in one of the most terrifying displays of power she’d ever seen, but she did know that the Rebellion’s cowardice and delay in attacking the threat had cost them dearly.

Beyond her regrets, there was also the worry that ate at her soul.

Worry that Artoo and Threepio wouldn’t be able to find Kenobi and / or deliver the Death Star plans to her father before it was too late.

Worry that Ahsoka had bitten off about a dozen mouthfuls more than she could chew by challenging Darth Vader like that.

And worry about whatever Grand Moff Tarkin had in store for her that made him so sure he could make her talk.

As much as she’d like to think that she could take any pain they could dish out, a little part of her knew that she wasn’t as unbreakable as she liked to present herself as being. She had the willpower of royalty in her blood and soul, and it had stood her well so far; she could only hope that the torture didn’t go beyond her determination to remain silent.

Of course, she was so tense that she squeaked and jumped when the door to her cell suddenly slid open.

Kriff, I hope they didn’t hear that, she thought as four guards dressed in black filed in. Leia quickly stood, refusing to look defenseless.

She wanted to hiss at the guard that moved forward with a set of binders, but princesses don't hiss like pissed off tookas, so she just held out her hands before the expressionless man could ask and kept her glare pinned on the floor as the metal wrist bruisers were snapped on. And then she kept her dignified silence as two of them grabbed her arms and bodily escorted her out of the cell and down an endless series of hallways and lifts as the other two kept their blasters poking her back as if she were a dangerous criminal.

It was almost amusing.

Almost.

They brought her to the command deck of the Death Star where she only got a glimpse out the viewport before she was pushed into a side room, but it was enough to recognize the jewel tones of her home planet surrounded by small grey dots that she correctly assumed to be a blockade of Star Destroyers. Trepidation filled her instantly, knowing firsthand what this battle station was capable of.

And then she saw who was waiting for her in the office and outright fear filled her.

"Mom! Dad!" she gasped.

Her parents were bothstrapped into matching torture racks with their mouths gagged. Her mother’s eyes were pleading as she looked at her, and her father, after seeing her enter the room, looked like he could punch through durasteel (or commit outright murder), his gaze was so hard and hate filled as he focused on the man standing beside them. The skeletal and creep-inducing Wilhuff Tarkin smirked at her with his lipless mouth as she was pulled to a stop by her escort before she could rush forward.

“Ah. Our esteemed and beautiful young princess has arrived to complete our party,” he jeered, looking every bit the Imperial sleemo she despised so much, from his perfectly pressed uniform to his hands resting calmly at the small of his back.

“Governor Tarkin,” she sneered back, using his lowest title just to aggravate him. “I should have anticipated your underhanded methods right from the start. Let them go, you foul rodent. My parents are innocent and know nothing of my activities.”

Tarkin scoffed. “And now who’s fouling up her mouth with lies?” He slinked forwards and grabbed her chin less than gently, rubbing his thumb over her bottom lip. “Such a shame.”

Leia jerked her head away ever as her father shook the entire frame of his rack as he tried to break free. “Don’t touch me, you loathsome pervert,” she hissed. At previous meetings, the old man had always made her skin crawl with the way he looked at her, but this was the first time he’d gone so far as to manhandle her. She dearly hoped it was the last.

Tarkin only smiled at her – if you could call it that. “Charming to the last, little princess. You don’t know how hard I found it, signing the order to terminate your life. Such a waste.” He looked her up and down as if he could see through her white dress, making her wish she was wearing about a hundred kilos of thick armour. “Then again, no one really needs to know how soon you actually meet your end alongside your traitorous parents.”

Leia stuck her chin higher up in the air, refusing to show fear to this man. “As if you have the courage to do such a thing. The Emperor holds your leash just as much he does Vader’s. I’m sure he’ll want a public execution of all three of us to make his point.”

Her father’s eyes widened behind Tarkin, and then crinkled in approval as she made a bid to buy them time.

Tarkin narrowed his beady gaze at her, annoyed that she’d called him on something he should have thought of himself. “While that may be true, I still have the authority to do whatever I see fit to make you talk.”

“Do your worst. I won’t,” she vowed. Her parents nodded their support from behind Tarkin, filling her with boundless determination to see this through, no matter what Tarkin chose to do to them.

“We’ll see,” he sneered, spinning on his heel. He pulled a small datapad from his pocket and pushed a few buttons. Her mother screamed behind her gag as she was electrocuted.

Leia made a bid to escape the hold of her guards again, but their grip on her arms was relentless. Her father shook his rack again until he was electrocuted as well, making him groan past obviously clenched teeth.

Tears filled her eyes to see her parents in that much pain, with their limbs shaking in their restraints and their heads thrown back. “Stop!” she cried after an unbearable minute.

Tarkin raised a brow at her and pushed a button on his datapad. The electricity stopped. “Oh. Are you willing to talk now? Tell me where the Death Star plans are? Where the Rebel Base is?”

“I…” she started, but her father shook his head fiercely at her, and her mother did as well after another moment. Stars, if they can take it, then I can keep my mouth shut. “No,” she said firmly. “I won’t tell you anything.”

Tarkin glanced between her and her parents and then nodded to himself as if he had expected this result. “Very well. Let us adjourn to the bridge, shall we?”

Oh frag. Please don’t do what I think you’re going to, she thought as her guards made her follow him out of the office. She managed a quick glance back at her parents and mouthed ‘I’m sorry’ before she was poked in the back of the head by a blaster.

Tarkin strutted out into the center of the bridge like the ringmaster of a circus and then spun on a heel with a grand gesture of his sweeping arm, indicating what he considered the masterpiece around him. “Princess Leia, before your execution, I would like you to be my guest at a ceremony that will mark this battle station as officially and fully operational. With this to fear, no star system will dare oppose the Emperor like yours so blatantly does.”

Leia glared at him with hate to rival the look of her father’s. “The more you tighten your grip, Tarkin, the more star systems will slip through your fingers.”

He scoffed once again. “Not after we publicly demonstrate the power of this station, broadcasting the event across the galaxy for all to see. No one can stop us now, and they’ll see that fighting is pointless.” His eyes said that she better take the words to heart for their own future interactions if she knew what was good for her.

Leia thought now would be a good time employ her infamous selective hearing.

“Fighting is never pointless,” she said through gritted teeth, fists clenched below her manacles.

He only raised a thin grey eyebrow, satisfaction radiating from him. “If that’s how you want it.”

They both knew they weren’t talking about the rest of the galaxy anymore.

But then he got back on track with his current mental torture and she wanted to skewer him with Ezra’s lightsabre.

Right through the groin.

“I should tell you, Princess, that the Emperor was quite pleased to hear that he could officially act against Alderaan. Apparently you and your parents have been a headache to him for quite a long time. He was very happy to approve of my last choice in regards to making you talk.”

“It was never our goal to make the Emperor happy,” she spat.

“Yes. We know,” he smirked. “Since you are ‘reluctant’ to provide the location of the Rebel base or tell us where the Death Star plans are, I have chosen to test this station’s destructive power on your home planet of Alderaan.”

Even though she knew this was coming, she still protested. “No! Alderaan is peaceful! We have no weapons! You can’t possibly…”

He stalked towards her. “You would prefer another target? A military target? Then name the system!”

Leia opened her mouth but couldn’t make Yavin come out. Not even to save her planet. All of the hopes of the future were on the moon of Yavin IV. Including two of the last Jedi in the galaxy. (At least that’s where they were supposed to be, since she had seen the Ghost jump away from Scarif just before the Tantive IV had.)

Tarkin all but growled as he crowded into her personal space, making her already stiff neck hurt as she looked up at him defiantly. “I grow tired of asking this, so it will be the last time. Where is the Rebel base?”

Leia looked around his narrow shoulders and out the viewport at her beautiful green and blue planet that was ominously no longer surrounded by a blockade and came to a decision she didn't know she was going to make until she did it. “Dantooine,” she said firmly, saying the name of a base they had only recently abandoned, and was practically on the other side of the galaxy, which hopefullygave someone time to stop the Death Star before it got there. “They’re on Dantooine.”

“Good girl,” Tarkin practically purred, stroking a bony finger down her cheek.

As she shrunk back in revulsion again, he turned to a man she recognized as Admiral Motti, who had been hovering nearby. “Continue with the operation. You may fire when ready.”

The brown haired Human male nodded and spun, giving the order.

“What?!” She lunged forward, but the guards held her back once again. (She was really starting to despise them too.)

As he turned back to look at her, Tarkin had a gleam of mocking triumph in his eyes that made her want to claw them out. “You’re far too trusting,” he purred again. “Dantooine is too remote to make an effective demonstration. But don’t worry. We will deal with your rebel friends soon enough.”

“No,” she whimpered, once again trying to lunge forward. (To do what, she had no idea, but strangling the life out of Tarkin with her bare hands seemed like a viable option after she was done removing his eyeballs.) “Please, no.”

Tarkin smirked. “Sorry, Princess. But there’s nothing you could say or do to stop this.”

She slumped in the grasp of her guards, all the strength draining from her in an instant. And as much as she didn’t want to watch her world be destroyed, she felt like it was her duty as the heir to the throne to do so.

The tension and anticipation in the bridge was practically palpable as everyone waited with baited breath for the big moment they’d worked for years towards.

Leia wished that she’d died by Vader’s hand before it had come to this.

A huge green laser beam burst from the Death Star, causing more than one person to inhale in awe as it travelled across space towards her planet. Leia moaned almost soundlessly as her beloved planet was blown to smithereens with only one command by an egotistical maniac. The beam crashed into and through the planet and then the shockwave visibly travelled around it in what felt like only seconds before the entire thing exploded into millions upon millions of fragments.

Leia cried, tears streaming down her face as it felt like her heart had shattered along with it. Was rebelling against the Empire worth this? Is anything worth this? she thought bitterly just before a wave of what felt like extreme fear hit her right in the chest and she staggered in the guards’ hold, nearly falling to her knees. Oh kriff. What was that?!

Leia hung in their grasp, crying silently as she fought for every breath until Tarkin’s boots appeared in her blurry vision. “Poor little princess. Let’s see if we can make you feel worse yet, shall we?” Her head shot up as he addressed her guards. “Take her to my quarters. And move her parents to separate cells and continue their interrogations.”

“Yes, Sir,” the guard on her right said emotionlessly.

“No!” she screamed, desperate strength surging through her as she fought against the men holding her, kicking and twisting like a captured wild tooka. This time, she actually managed to break their hold, falling to her hands and knees in the process.

And then she froze as someone stunned her, her limbs going rigid and then boneless as her nerve endings reacted.

She welcomed the oblivion of unconsciousness as it took hold of her.

Chapter 10: Shockwave (part 1)

Chapter Text

Shockwave (part 1):

The Millennium Falcon…

As Obi-Wan watched Luke train with Anakin’s lightsabre, his emotions were stuck in what felt like a whirlwind of opposing forces.

On the one hand, he was proud of how quickly the boy was picking up his skills with the Force (just like his father had). On another, there was the deep regret that he hadn’t fought harder with Owen for the right to train the boy properly from the beginning. With his potential in the Force and his inherently sweet nature, Luke would have been a much easier Padawan to train than Anakin. And probably a better Jedi overall.

Not that it was Anakin's fault entirely - barring his propensity for attachments - he'd just had such an excessive amount of power to deal with that it was a constant struggle for him to remain calm.

He saw now that it had been almost criminal to deprive Luke of his innate abilities all these years. It left the once vaunted Jedi Master feeling shamed.

And then there was the even deeper regret of how he’d come to be in possession of Anakin’s lightsabre which Luke was now swinging so casually, like he'd always been meant to hold it. (The way Luke said the Kyber crystal within sang to him supported that theory.) The tragic fall of his former Padawan had haunted Obi-Wan for years. But it was the way that he’d left Anakin burning without any sort of mercy that had tormented him with a guilt that ate away at his soul and left him unwilling to oppose Owen Lars' wishes, not feeling like he deserved the privilege of teaching another Skywalker.

Because he'd eventually admitted to himself (and the ghost of Qui-Gon) that he'd deliberately tortured Anakin out of the spite that had stemmed from his desire to make the boy hurt as much as he had. He'd been so angry and disappointed that Anakin had succumbed to the lure of the Dark side that Obi-Wan hadn't taken the time to see that his best friend was anguishing in a decision that he'd been manipulated into making. Hadn't seen Anakin's various cries for help that were all silent but screamed so loudly into the Force that they still haunted Obi-Wan's nightmares nineteen years later.

All of that had made him question his right to call himself a Jedi for a long time. A very long time.

It still did, in fact.

Which is why his connection to the Force was still kept to a bare minimum, and why he was forcing all of his riotous emotions back into the little box that had kept him (relatively) sane all those lonely years in the desert, when he felt the Force around him stutter strangely just before a wave of something terrible made him waver on his feet.

He clutched a hand to his suddenly aching chest, fighting off the sorrow that threatened to overwhelm him.

Seeing him stagger over to a metal stool, Luke turned off the lightsabre and hurried over to his side. “Are you all right? What’s wrong?”

Obi-Wan looked at the boy who had so many of Anakin’s features, including the trusting blue eyes that had melted Obi-Wan’s stubborn Jedi heart time and again, and shook his head slowly. “I felt a great disturbance in the Force... as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror and were then instantly silenced. I fear something terrible has happened.”

Seeing the endless questions in Luke’s eyes and not ready to try and answer them just yet – he wasn’t even sure if he could – Obi-Wan waved off Luke’s concern and said, “You’d better get on with your exercises.”

“All right,” Luke said reluctantly with one last searching look.

Obi-Wan held his head as the sound of the lightsabre-that-brought-back-way-too-many-memories reignited.

I don't know what could have happened to cause such a wave of fear to hit me like that, but I do know that I’m grateful I wasn’t wholly connected to the Force or I would be in much worse shape right now.

As is, I feel like I was just hit by one of those dreadful concussion bombs from back in the Clone Wars.

Malachor…

Ahsoka pressed a hand to her previously broken ribs and smiled in triumph when it didn’t hurt.

I wish I'd known how to Force Heal long ago. There were so many times that it would have been useful or even saved lives.

But we've relied on bacta for so long now that even those few Jedi who study the healing arts couldn't have done what I just did.

Even my old scars are gone!she thought in surprise as she looked at her upper arm where Darth Sidious' blue fire had burned her as she freed Ezra from its evil grasp; not only was the fresh burn gone, but so was the faded scar from a blaster bolt that had skimmed across her elbow the day Order 66 had nearly been the end of her.

Ecstatic with the success of the experiment that Morai had convinced her to try, she gracefully and easily rose off of the boulder she’d been sitting cross-legged on. Joy further filled her when she noticed that, in fact, nothing on her hurt anymore. Usually, at nearly thirty-six years old, she would have stiffened up a bit after sitting so long on such a hard surface, but not this time. Even the old battle wounds that usually twinged every once in a while felt like they’d never happened.

Oh Force! Maybe l can de-age Rex! Oh, I can't wait to see him!

Inhaling deeply, she let the stale air back out on a peel of bubbling laughter and spun around in a circle, arms wide, head thrown back, and lekku flying. Morai flew down from wherever she’d been perched and joined in Ahsoka’s excitement. It almost sounded like the convor was chirping proudly as she joined in the Togrutan’s impromptu dance.

The Dark Side sputtered with disgust and retreated even further from the two beings that radiated the Light. It didn’t mind being used to create power (which healing oneself would do) because power can always be converted, but this business of childlike HAPPINESS simply didn’t sit well at all.

It much preferred sulking rage and fear.

But what is this?

Another shift in the balance of the Force?

How delicious.

The first warning Ahsoka received that something was wrong came from Morai, who froze suddenly and then landed on her shoulder, literally trembling and leaning into the side of her lek as if she’d like to disappear inside.

She reached up to pet the bird. “What is it, girl? What do you…”

Her voice caught in her suddenly constricted throat as she felt the sudden shift in the Force as well. It was as if the air had all been sucked out of an airlock, but with the Force instead. She’d never felt anything like it.

Both woman and bird stood frozen for maybe a dozen seconds as a horrid sense of impending doom battered at them.

And then the shockwave of terror and death hit, rolling over them like a tsunami of Dark glee.

Ahsoka staggered under the onslaught, wishing she was on any planet but this one, where the Dark fed off of the millions of terrified voices that had been suddenly silenced from afar and amplified it tenfold. She fell against a boulder and then just kept going as Morai continued to cling to her until suddenly she wasn’t. She tried, oh how she tried, but Ahsoka literally couldn’t shield herself enough to keep out the pain, the fear, the DEATH.

It was like she felt every single one of them die and the only way she could escape it was to hide in the deepest corner of her mind, throw up the thickest shields she could, and just endure as she curled around the practically comatose bird now held in her arms. Ahsoka didn’t even register that she was lying on the filthy, ash covered ground as the Dark side planet literally pulsed with escalating power that made a mockery of what she’d fought off before.

Unfortunately, because she’d retreated so far into herself, she didn’t feel the approach of her former Master.

Darth Vader had just exited hyperspace above the black, desolate planet in his custom TIE Advanced when he felt the sudden shift in the Force. Curious, he let his fighter drift in space for a moment as he tried to make sense of why the area felt like a void in the Force when the last time he was here it had literally felt bloated with the Dark side.

But then the Force came rushing back in a nearly overwhelming bombardment of fear and death that left him reeling for a minute. His respirator kept his breathing even, but if he wasn’t cursed with it, he was sure he’d now be panting with the sudden thrill of Dark power that came with the invisible tide of doom.

And the black, Dark side planet below him?

It was now pulsing with red light in waves that circled the planet that culminated where the wreckage of the Sith Temple stood.

Holy kark.

Surprising even himself, his first thought after that wasn’t how he could use the power of the planet for his own gains, but for his long missing Apprentice who was supposed to be down there.

Maybe it wouldn't have if he'd never fought her here before. But he had, and he'd had more than a year to think about how she'd vowed never to leave him again. (Even though she had, but it definitely didn't look like it had been by her choice.) How she'd fought him so skillfully but not once attempted a killing blow. (The swipe at his mask had been very deliberate. She could have taken his entire head instead with the same move. She'd just wanted to see his face to confirm that it was actually him.) How she'd weakened the floor in the last seconds before the explosion so that he could fall through, thus saving his life. But what got him the most was how after she'd pierced the floor with her beautiful white sabres, she'd bowed her head and accepted her death at his hands, her remorse for leaving him so long ago practically screaming down the dregs of their former bond. If the floor hadn't caved when it had and that black gloved hand hadn't pulled her away into nothingness, he wasn't sure if he actually would have gone through with his original fury filled determination to strike her down.

Because, despite her firm entrenchment in the Light side and her clear despair over what he'd become, his former Apprentice still cared for him.

Unlike literally everyone else in the galaxy, including his Master.

And that meant something.

Which meant that he now had to save her from the destructive Dark energy radiating from the planet that she would never be able to withstand. Only a true Darksider could, and Ahsoka was anything but that whether she called herself a Jedi or not. He wouldn't be able to live with himself anymore if he didn't. (He had enough self-loathing wracking his soul, thank you very much.)

And so Vader sped as fast as his fighter could go down to the planet and to the vicinity of the wrecked temple that had almost killed him.

It only took a minute or so, but if felt like a lifetime to the Sith Lord who suddenly cared about someone again more than himself.

He literally leapt out of the TIE’s pod and then started scanning for the familiar feel of his Apprentice’s Light side Force signature. When he didn’t find it at first amongst the distracting Dark power that battered at him, Vader feared that she’d already expired from the shockwaves.

Or she wasn’t here in the first place, his cynical side pointed out just before the HUD in his helmet informed him that there were two other lifeforms nearby, one of which was small and week (an animal most likely), the other humanoid sized and just barely in the normal range.

Vader mentally sneered at his cynical side for doubting Ahsoka even as he started running and jumping as fast as his clunky suit could go over the very annoying uneven surface towards where the HUD said the lifeforms were (on the other karking side of the temple, of course).

By the time he’d made it to the first side of the square base of the Sith Temple that had to cover at least a few square kilometres, Vader realized it probably would have been faster to just get back in his TIE and fly right over, but it was too late now to turn back. He didn’t know if he could make himself turn back anyway, since the HUD was now informing him that his Apprentice’s vitals were starting to drop and the animal’s were dangerously low.

What he did do was activate the autopilot option in the TIE that connected to the computer in his helmet and had it follow him so that he wouldn’t have to run back as well like a brainless moron.

He pushed himself even faster, performing even longer Force jumps and bursts of Force enhanced speed that he was rarely motivated to actually use anymore in a galaxy that was full of (mostly) subdued planets and severely lacking in Jedi left to hunt down. (As in, three, and one of them was finally within reach.)

Finally, (actually only about ten seconds later), he made it to the correct side of the Temple and he started looking for what his HUD said was not that far from him. Of course he didn’t see her at first thanks to her relatively small size and how she was curled up in a ball on the ground behind a boulder. Even her lekku had curled around her neck in a reflexive action of fear which he'd never seen from her before, despite some truly wretched situations they'd found themselves in in the past.

As he knelt beside the brave woman he would have previously said was fearless, Vader could finally feel her Force signature, but it was so faint he was almost surprised she was alive. But then he realized that she’d cut herself off from the Force to survive the Dark side apocalypse happening all around him that he had literally ignored until now and then brushed off easily again.

Oh, my poor little Snips.

The Dark side would never be for you, would it?

What a fool I was to think you would join me in this realm of hate and deceit.

He scooped her tense but unresponsive body into his mechanical arms and rose to his feet. Looking down at her, her ash darkened face was scrunched up in a grimace and her eyes were closed so tight it almost looked painful. In her arms, he somehow wasn’t surprised to see what he had a sneaking suspicion was the same green convor bird that had seemed to mock him on that blasted winter moon where he’d found her deliberately discarded lightsabres that he'd cared for so carefully and the graves of hundreds of their men in front of the crashed Venator. (Just a few more things to add to his growing list of pain that fueled the Dark.)

A green convor bird that looked and felt just like the one that had ridden on the shoulder of the Daughter a few times during his tumultuous and unwanted stay in the Mortis realm.

Not wanting to put the dots together, but doing so anyway in the back of his mind as Vader started running the short distance to his TIE that had landed nearby, he distracted himself by concentrating on the treacherous footing as the planet pulsed beneath his feet in still accelerating waves that was now making even the ground shake.

I think this thing’s gonna blow! he thought incredulously even as the little voice in the back of his head came to the conclusion that Ahsoka actually did carry the spirit of the Light side within her after the Daughter had given her the last of her Force energy to save Ahsoka's life. He'd always wondered, since her signature had changed slightly after Mortis, but the bird confirmed it in his mind.

Which meant that converting Ahsoka to the Dark would be unthinkable, even to him. (His prune faced Master would still try, though.)Which begs the question; what the kriff do I do with her now?

A few seconds after picking her up, he jumped up into the pod of his TIE, his former Apprentice and her bird held snuggly and safely against his chestplate. It felt amazingly good to hold her again after so many years, so he was understandably reluctant to set her down, but he did, placing Ahsoka and her pet in the small space behind his chair. He then took a moment to push some of the boundless Force energy that filled him at the moment into both of them to help stabilize their vitals, and then he was in the pilot’s chair and flying off the planet with all haste as a sense of 'move it!' filled him.

And none too soon either, because as soon as he'd cleared the atmosphere the black planet behind him turned brilliant red with one massive wave of Dark energy and then it all seemed to suck into itself for a second.

Vader pushed the switch for lightspeed just as the already fragile planet exploded into millions of pieces.

It wasn’t until they had safely achieved hyperspace that Vader took a moment to wonder where the wave of terror and death that far exceeded what he’d felt from Jedha and Scarif had come from.

Only one logical answer came to mind.

That rat faced bastard actually did it. Tarkin blew up Alderaan.

I wonder what my Master will think of that?

Probably cackle with glee.

Glad I won't be there to hear it.

Vader turned his chair around and looked down at the woman who was just starting to stir herself back to consciousness. As far as she's concerned, maybe it's best ifeveryone believes that she died on Malachor for a second time.

"But I still don't know what to actually do with you."

Chapter 11: Shockwave (part 2)

Chapter Text

A/N: I know I originally said that I was going to just tweak and edit MaybeImARebel's original story, but this chapter is literally all new except for one or two paragraphs of background info. Not to mention I've added the whole Princess Leia/Han and Darth Vader/Ahsoka arcs that weren't part of the story at all. I believe when this was originally written, season 4 of Rebels wasn't finished yet and Ahsoka was still more or less presumed dead. Her being alive and the World Between Worlds makes for so many more possible plot lines, it's not even funny. :D

Shockwave (part 2):

Krownest

After very reluctantly dragging themselves out of bed and getting dressed when his ship dropped out of hyperspace in Mandalorian protected territory – he loved cuddling his fiery Mando girl and basking in one of the few vulnerable sides she let him see - Ezra landed the Lothhawk near the glass and steel fortress of the Wren Clan at the same time as their paranoid escort of two Fang-class fighters did the same.

Sabine rose to her feet almost instantly before he’d even finished powering down the ship. She crossed the step between them and rested a hand on his shoulder. “Maybe not as good as Hera yet, but you’re definitely improving,” she teased.

He glanced up at her to see her lips tilted in a smirk. “Thanks,” he said dryly, flicking the last few switches to the off position.

“No, seriously,” she insisted, all while her silent laughter warmed their bond. “You’ve come a long way from the boy who was too scared to fly against a few TIEs.”

“I’d only had, like, three flying lessons before that!” he said defensively, somehow knowing exactly what day she was talking about. “I wasn’t scared, I was just being realistic.”

“Sure,” she said, drawling the word out in blatant skepticism, now laughing out loud too. “You keep telling yourself that, Bridger.”

He mock growled and rose to his feet, scooping her over his shoulder as he did so, prompting a squeak of protest from his instantly wriggling burden. “Put me down!”

“Nope,” he said, grinning to himself and tightening his grip across her slender thighs. “I like you right where you are, my impertinent warrior goddess. I’m thinking maybe it’s time you showed me some respect.”

“I do respect you,” Sabine protested as she grabbed onto the back of his belt for balance when he started walking.

Ezra called her helmet over to his hand with the Force and handed it to her behind his back. “You have a funny way of showing it,” he grumbled as he left the co*ckpit and walked towards the cargo bay.

“But I’ve always teased you.”

“And don’t I know it. But I figure now’s as good a time as any to set some new ground rules, what with you wanting me to impress your parents and be more like a crazy-ass Mandalorian.”

“I never said that!”

He shrugged despite his burden and opened the door to the cargo bay, not sure how their game had turned into something serious all of a sudden. “Close enough. Anyway… New rules. One, you don’t diss me in any way in front of your family; save your teasing for when we’re alone.”

He paused at the top of the ramp as it lowered and she kneed him in the stomach not so gently. Fortunately, no one was around to see him wince. “Ezra, now you’re just being ridiculous,” she protested to go along with her kick of admonishment. “When have I ever made you look bad in front of my family?”

He scoffed. “Does the word ‘jetpack’ ring any bells? I swear you deliberately avoided giving me private lessons with that thing just so I would look like a fool for your clan’s amusem*nt. I could sense them all laughing at me!”

“I didn’t!”

He smacked her upturned arse, maybe a fraction harder than necessary.

“Okay!” she half yelled from behind his back. “Maybe I did. I’m guilty of having a terrible sense of humour. I’m sorry. Now stop smacking my ass before I fry yours.”

Since she currently had a prime view of his own rear end and was wearing her gizmo filled vambraces, he fully believed her. He gave her offended butt cheek a caress in apology. “Sorry, I won’t do it again… Unless you ask me to.”

There was a pause from the girl on his shoulder and a brief sense of curiosity flickered down their bond before one of her arms wrapped around his torso in a hug. “We’ll talk about that one again some other time. Are there any other hidden grievances you’ve been harbouring that I should know about? Something that would inspire another rule?”

Ezra thought about it for a few seconds and couldn’t actually come up with anything. On the whole, he was beyond happy with his Mando girl and her colourful and generally dominating ways. “Actually… no. I’m good.”

She snorted and wiggled. “Glad to hear it. Now would you stop being a Neanderthal and put me down?”

He caressed her bottom again contemplatively while staring down at the small window of snow visible from the top of the ramp with mild revulsion. “Hmmmm. I don’t think so. I like you exactly where you are.”

“Ezra! Come on! You can’t carry me around in front of my family!” She moved to knee him again but he was ready for it this time, his spare hand coming down quickly to hold her in a better grip.

“Why not?” he laughed. “It seems like a strong, silent, crazy Mando kind of thing to do to me.”

“Because…” she broke off and went kind of limp against him as a sigh escaped her. “Actually, you’re kind of right. But please put me down anyway. I don’t want to greet my parents shebs-side first.”

Ezra laughed again. “Valid point.”

He helped her down, but kept her pressed up close against him with a hand behind her belted waist and searched her amber eyes for any sense of discomfort or anger at what he’d done. He found nothing but a wry amusem*nt and even a hint of respect, which thrilled him to no end.

She cupped his face with the hand not gripping her helmet and searched his eyes right back. Whatever she saw made her smile and rise on her toes to kiss him briefly than ask, “Are we done stalling now?”

He glanced down at the unwelcome snow as a gust of frigid wind blew up into the cargo hold and sighed resignedly even as he shivered once from head to toe. “Yeah. I guess so.”

She laughed at him and grabbed the sleeve of his insufficient jacket to pull him down the ramp. “Come on, you big baby, it’s not even the dead of winter yet. This is nothing.”

“It’s certainly something when you’re used to mild climates and aren’t wearing a space-worthy bodysuit,” he grumbled as his feet crunched down into beautiful white stuff that did nothing for him but inspire more shivers. Force, I hope I never have to live on this planet permanently. I’d do it, for her, but kriff, would it ever suck.

I’d definitely have to change my wardrobe.

He knew the possibility was there, though, that he’d end up living here. After the whole duch*ess thing, Sabine had been reinstated as next in line to rule her clan, but she was hoping to eventually convince her mother to make Tristan the heir instead. But if that didn’t work, or something happened to her brother, their eventual final destination would be this seemingly undesirable planet in Mandalorian space.

The Wren clan held and protected the entire planet of Krownest. Not that a whole lot of people would be fighting over a winter planet, but it was still impressive. Sabine had told him that under all the snow, there were diamond mines that kept their clan well-off without being blatantly so. They mined the planet sparingly and never in an obvious fashion, since it wouldn't do for someone else to figure out the snowy world was actually worth something. Money made from the sale of the precious gems was then invested in other ventures. Very few actually knew where the Wren's wealth came from, and they liked it that way.

Sabine's immediate family walked out of the stronghold to greet them, their gold and grey painted armour reflecting the weak sunlight. Even her father was wearing the traditional garb of a Mandalorian warrior, much to Ezra’s surprise. The artist looked like an entirely different person in it. More intimidating. It’s like he knew what I was going to ask today or something.

While Sabine was greeted fondly by her parents, her younger (but much bigger) brother gave Ezra a warrior’s welcome, where they grasped each other's wrists and exchanged respectful nods. Alrich was the only one to give her a hug. Being of a more demonstrative nature, he was much freer with his affections than his warrior wife. Countess Ursa Wren merely raised an eyebrow in inquiry at her daughter after Alrich let her go. "This is a pleasant surprise, Daughter. What brings you home? I was under the impression that your Rebellion war was quite active right now."

"Oh, it is Mother. In fact, we were just in a massive space battle yesterday over the planet of Scarif. Our biggest one yet. Many lives were lost.”

“At least they died honourably,” Ursa said in her own form of consolation.

“Yes,” Sabine agreed, nearly succeeding in hiding the sadness in her tone. Maybe Ezra was the only one that heard it because he was connected to her. “As to why we are here. Ezra and I were granted two days of leave, and since I have some news to share with you, I thought it best done in person."

"Really?" The Countess looked mildly intrigued. "Let's go to the great hall then. I'm sure the whole clan would love to hear your news. We were just finishing dinner."

Karabast.

Sabine and Ezra glanced at each other helplessly, and then followed the Wrens into the stronghold. He could tell that she agreed with him that breaking the news in front of the whole clan wasn’t the wisest course of action, but there was nothing she could do about it now; her mother's word was law.

They entered the great hall, where there had to be at least a hundred people from clan Wren seated at long communal tables. Alrich addressed them over his shoulder as he walked towards the main table at the front of the room. "Have you two eaten? It’s a simple enough matter to summon some plates for you.”

“That would be much appreciated. Thank you, Father,” Sabine said with a smile. “Breakfast was quite some time ago and we’ve been busy ever since.”

Ezra had to fight to keep his expression neutral at that understatement as Alrich made a quick signal to a small serving droid hovering at the periphery of the room near the table placed in front of the bank of windows overlooking the frozen lake. We were getting ‘busy’ all right, and then some.

"Anything to do with your news?" Ursa asked as they joined the others already at the main table: direct cousins mostly, whom Ezra had a passing acquaintance with. Everyone at the table went silent. This had to be something good, for Sabine to travel all the way here.

Sabine placed her helmet down on the table and then sat beside her father. Ezra was ‘guided’ to the other side of the table beside Tristan, much to his dismay. (He'd rather sit beside Sabine and play illicit footsie or something.) “Not really. Just Rebellion stuff,” she said completely straight faced as she lied with a casual shrug.

Ezra probably would have been stuttering and blushing, so he was glad she did the answering.

“So what is your news?” Alrich prompted as two heaping plates of food and glasses of mead were set in front of Ezra and Sabine by serving droids.

Since Ezra was starving after the ‘exercise’ of the last few hours and food like this didn’t show up in front of him very often, he dug into his plate of noodles with veggies and pieces of tender nerf steak like it was his last meal.

Given the fact that Mandos automatically hated Jedi and he wanted to marry the clan’s heir, it very well could be.

Sabine was much more restrained in the attack of her plate, but no less hungry. She took a bite, chewed, and swallowed before answering. “Firstly, the Empire has a moon sized battle station that is capable of destroying entire cities with one shot. Probably even more than a city. Maybe even a whole planet.”

This elicited a gasp from everyone in hearing distance.

“Are you sure?” Ursa asked, gripping her dessert fork so hard, her knuckles had turned white.

“Yes. I saw it myself just yesterday. It wiped out a huge chunk of Scarif in only seconds.”

“Mando help us,” someone whispered from behind Ezra.

The Mandalorians were also at war with the Empire, but waging their own instead of joining the greater Rebellion, only interested in protecting their already established systems and chasing the Imperials off of the planets they’d invaded since the fall of the Republic.

Sabine calmly ate another bite of food while murmurs of shock spread through the massive room as word was passed from person to person down the tables. She’d already had time to accept that they were probably going to lose the war, thanks to them talking long into the night last night whilst sitting on top of the Ghost. What had started as a bit of a freaked out panic attack by both of them had ended with them wondering what the galaxy would look like when the Empire was finished annihilating everyone they thought opposed them.

She hadn't said it, but he was pretty sure the Death Star was also one of the main reasons that Sabine had decided to throw caution to the wind and make their relationship public; because what was the point in living a life half lived if there was a good chance it was going to be short?

After a minute, Ursa raised a hand and soon enough the entire room was so quiet not even breathing could be heard. She pinned Sabine in an intense look. “Is there something that can be done to stop this battle station?”

Sabine shook her head. “There is supposedly one tiny weakness built into it on purpose by the head engineer that designed it but hated what he was doing, but our attempt to steal the schematics for the Death Star yesterday ended in utter failure. The Empire even blew up their own base to ensure that. From what I saw, there isn’t a ship or even a fleet of ships that could hurt the Death Star.”

“There must be some other way!” Tristan said, banging his fist on the table.

Ezra jumped slightly, along with the dishes, but kept right on eating. He and Sabine were the only ones still holding forks.

Sabine looked at her brother with resigned eyes. “Aside from an inside sabotage job, which I have a feeling would be nearly impossible to accomplish, the only options I can see to do is to either tell Bo-Katan to declare a truce with the Empire before they bring their super weapon and accompanying fleets of Star Destroyers to our space, or to go out fighting like the honour driven but crazy Mandos we are. If every Clan attacked it with every single ship we had at the same time, maybe we could take it out before the ISD’s and TIEs overwhelmed us. We’d at least be doing the rest of the galaxy a favour.”

Ezra looked at Sabine in surprise, because she hadn’t mentioned any of this before. But then again, she was always planning and looking for new solutions to things, so she might have just come up with this only moments ago.

He didn’t particularly want to die, though, but if Sabine was going to run a suicide mission, then so was he. He even had the right ship for it, thanks to Maul.

Ursa’s face was currently showing the most emotion Ezra had ever seen from her. Even her usually tightly shielded emotions were leaking into the Force, allowing him to feel and sympathize with her inner conflict. She rubbed her forehead tiredly and then looked at Sabine again. “I’ll have to talk to Bo about this and then we’ll have to get the Council of Clans together for a war conference. I’m sure she’ll want to you to be there.”

“I will if I can, Mother. But I’ve dedicated myself to the Rebellion for now and that’s not going to change,” Sabine said firmly. “Worst case, I’ll speak via holo.”

Ursa narrowed her eyes at Sabine and the younger woman narrowed her eyes right back in a brief battle of wills.

Sabine won.

Ezra once again was in awe of how brave his cyar’ika was, to stand up to her rather intimidating mother like that.

Ursa huffed. “Fine. That will have to do.” She took a deep breath and settled back into her chair in a more relaxed pose. “You implied there was more news to tell than just this Death Star?”

The whole clan had almost returned to their meals, but their Countess’ words had them avidly listening again.

“I did,” the girl said, smiling slightly as she took another bite of her meal, not above making her mother and clan wait.

“Well?” Ursa urged when Sabine had swallowed.

Daughter smirked at mother. “You’ll probably like this even less, just warning you.” Then she pulled her engagement necklace out of the collar of her bodysuit. The diamond phoenix that matched Sabine’s eyes caught the light instantly and drew the gaze of every person in the room.

Ursa stared at the necklace for a few seconds, and Ezra could practically see the thoughts spinning behind her eyes. She then looked from Sabine’s smug expression to Ezra and back again, coming to the correct conclusion with only a few clues. She frowned fiercely. “You’re right. I don’t like it.”

Alrich chuckled quietly to himself, giving Ezra a wink across the table. “I knew you protested too much when I first met you.”

Ezra shrugged helplessly. “She wanted it to be a secret,” he said by way of explanation.

Tristan looked at all of them like they’d lost their minds. “What the shab am I missing?”

Ezra decided it was time to make this official. Pushing his chair back, he rose to his feet and stood as tall and big as possible, radiating a confidence he didn’t actually feel. Sabine beamed at him, making his act more genuine with only a supportive look. He smiled back, thinking, Force, I love her. Then he turned his gaze to the one he needed the approval of. “Countess Wren, I would like to formally ask…” his words caught in his throat as a familiar sense of warning from the Force made all the fine hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. Kriff that. I’m asking for Sabine’s hand no matter what you say, he thought back to the Force and then opened his mouth to forge on. He was once again foiled by an image slamming into his brain that made little sense.

It looked like an explosion of fireworks in space.

Weird.

Ezra mentally shook it off as Ursa’s eyebrows rose and Sabine looked at him from across the table with suddenly worried eyes. Hecleared his throat as if something had gotten stuck and continued. “My apologies. I would like to formally ask for your daughter’s hand in…”

And then the wave of terror, death, and Dark side glee hit him like a Star Destroyer crashing into a planet.

His heart momentarily stopped and his psyche screamed as the force of it engulfed him. His eyes rolled back in his head and he slumped towards the floor, crashing into his chair and Tristan in the process. Before blackness completely overtook him, the last thing he heard was Sabine crying his name.

Chapter 12: Shockwave (part 3)

Chapter Text

Shockwave (part 3):

The Ghost

Much to his delight, Kanan and Hera were sharing the pilot's chair on the bridge and wearing only their bathrobes. (If space wasn’t so kriffing cold and they weren’t conserving power as much as possible, they’d probably be naked.) She was sitting sideways across his lap, her arm around his shoulders and his arm supporting her back. He fed her pieces of succulent meiloorun that they’d found left as a gift for them in the galley, with a ribbon around it and everything.

Hera had practically melted at the sight of the treasured treat, swearing they had the best not-actually-their-kids ever.

Now she was making the most delightful little moaning noises of pleasure as she savoured each bite and then shared the juice with him in sinfully hot and sweet tasting kisses.

Technically, they were supposed to be admiring the awe inspiring star cluster they were parked in front of, but at the moment, fruit and kisses were winning in the race for their attention.

Kanan remembered what it looked like before he lost his sight. Now, what he saw was actually very similar, due to the amount of Force energy the space phenomenon threw off. In the Force, the imploded star cluster still looked like an enormous amount of swirling light, the stars battling each other for dominance.

And it still lost in comparison to the woman in his arms. It always would.

It was highly possible that Hera had never been happier in her life.

She was pleasantly sore in all the right places, her limbs still felt somewhat jello-like from the string of org*sms her perfect mate had given her, said mate hadn’t stopped grinning yet from their marriage, and she was now being fed the best tasting meiloorun she’d ever had while curled up in his lap. I honestly couldn’t ask for anything more from an impromptu honeymoon.

And that spectacular view out the window that I’ve barely looked at doesn’t hurt anything either.

After pulling back from a drugging kiss that was only one step short of having them going at it like lothbunnies yet again, she smiled at her mate. "Kanan, this is one of the best ideas you've ever had. We have peace and quiet, I have you all to myself, and a million credit view. What more could a girl ask for?"

Kanan grinned at her, the burn scars across his nose and eyes doing nothing to detract from his handsome features. "Sometimes, I'm worth everything you've put up with, right?"

Hera rolled her eyes. “A little more often than sometimes, love. Give yourself at least a modicum of credit for being a person I couldn’t resist for long.”

His grin fell into a serious expression as he shook his head, frown lines crinkling his forehead and winged brows drawing closer together. "I don’t know what you saw in me back then. And sometimes, I don’t know what you see in me still. I know I haven't always been the easiest to deal with. I was an alcoholic jerk when we met, and I almost gave up on everything when I lost my sight, but you have always been there for me and cheered me on until I straightened up.”

Hera cupped his face in her hands, shaking her head in return. “Kanan, my love, you may have had a few problems, but underneath the drunken grumbles and the depressed mumbles, you have always had a light inside you that shone with how innately GOOD you are. Yes, you may have been a jerk on occasion, but you were still charming and handsome. My time spent with you has never been wasted, and I don't regret a moment.” She paused and leaned her forehead into his, looking deeply into his cloudy eyes, willing him to see the sincerity in hers even if she knew it wasn’t possible. (At least she knew he could FEEL it.) “I will never regret any time I spend with you and I’ll still be here for you when we take our lasts breaths together.”

Kanan swallowed hard, closing his burning eyes, both grateful and once again painfully reminded that his tear ducts had been rendered almost permanently useless thanks to Maul’s vicious strike. Hera was sending him so much love and support through their bond, he might have actually bawled like a baby if he could. But hopefully not. “Hera.” Her name came out like a prayer. “You are a gift. My gift from the Force that I know I didn’t deserve. But since I’ve met you, I’ve spent every day trying to prove that I’m worthy of you. I promise I will always be there for you too. Even if we're fighting in cursed wars for the entirety of our lives."

Hera smiled at him like the angelic being she'd proved she was time and again, blinking through the sympathetic tears he couldn’t shed as she touched their lips together in a heart-meltingly sweet kiss. "And that’s why I love you so much, my dearheart." Then she kissed his chin playfully, making him smile.

This was a relatively new display of affection for them, since he’d shaved his beard off back on that awful day on Lothal. And since she’d liked him clean-shaven so much, he hadn’t even grown back his goatee that he’d had for nearly as long as he could grow facial hair. She said she liked having more of his face to kiss, so who was he to deny her?

And she was currently demonstrating by running her lips along the line of his jaw, inspiring a hum of approval to rise unbidden from his throat. When she reached his ear, she nibbled on it for a moment, then whispered, “I found a box of double chocolate chip cookies too. You want one?”

He chuckled. “You know that’s a silly question, darling.”

Hera giggled as she nipped his ear playfully. “Yeah. I do.” She swung off his lap, snagging the empty fruit plate from the co-pilot chair on her way. by. “I’ll be right back.”

Kanan swung the pilot’s chair around to watch her leave with his Force Sight, appreciating the sway of her golden outline just as much as if he’d been watching her perfect arse for real. As she reached the door, a frisson of warning from the Force travelled up his spine. What?

He automatically swung the chair around to gaze out the transparisteel bubble, even though his Force Sight let him see behind as well as in front if he focused well enough. What he saw in his mind had him gasping in horror. “Hera,” he croaked through a throat suddenly frozen in a fear equal only to the time the clones had turned on him and his Master when he was thirteen.

And he’d thought he’d never be that afraid again in his life. But he was wrong.

For there, in the Force, a tsunami wave of ink black energy was sweeping towards them through space and through the star cluster, creating explosions as the already unstable stars reacted to something they should never have been subjected to.

There was no time to move the Ghost or even raise the shields. The main engines were powered down and only the auxiliary generators were on for heat, power, and light.

“What is it, Kanan?” Hera said from behind him. She must have heard his choked whisper just before the doors closed behind her.

He didn’t have time to explain. But he heard her gasp when she saw the stars reacting uncontrollably in front of them. ”Kanan!”

I know! Be glad you’re not seeing the wave of Dark on the heels of the solar flares! Flowing up to his feet and bracing them, the Jedi Knight drew on some of the clean Force energy from the stars that hadn’t yet been affected and every ounce of energy in his own body to create an invisible shield around the front of the Ghost.

It worked. Kind of.

His shield held against the solar flares, even if the shockwave from the nearest exploding star ended up pushing the ship back hundreds of kilometres before it dissipated. But his faltering shield of Light side Force energy was no match for the tsunami of Dark that hit him next.

Exhausted and depleted, he had nothing left to protect himself from it, so it hit him like a rampaging rancor, making the Midi-chlorians in his blood scream. His only consolation as he took his last gasping breath before the Darkness took him was that Hera was safe and hopefully unaffected, thanks to her very low M-count.

“Kanan!" Hera cried as his eyes rolled up and he collapsed.

Even standing right behind him, her hand on his back as he performed miracles with the Force, she still barely caught him in an awkward grip before he hit the decking in a boneless heap.

Trembling from the shock of nearly dying, and now seeing her love crumple, Hera made a semi-controlled fall to her knees while hanging onto her heavy mate. With shaking hands, she readjusted them so that she was sitting and his head and shoulders were resting in her lap.

The first thing she noticed was that he was much colder than he normally was. The second was that he was barely breathing. Gently stroking his face, she choked back sobs and whispered hopefully, "Kanan? Kanan? Please wake up. Please come back."

When that garnered no response, as she’d feared would be the case, she carefully lay him down fully on the floor and then wrapped herself over him to help him warm up, opening both their bathrobes so they were skin to skin. Stars, he’s never felt this cold. Not even when we were stuck on that blasted winter planet for a week. She lay her head on his chest, only marginally reassured by the steady beat of his heart.

Not until the temperature of their skin felt the same something like half an hour later did she move. Heart breaking because he hadn’t woken up yet, Hera rolled off of him, closed his robe, and then shucked her own and laid it over him like a blanket as well.

She stood and then shivered, her lekku curling around her neck for warmth from the chilly air compared to their little nest of shared body heat. First things first. Clothes. Air mattress, blankets and pillows to make him a bed here. Check Kanan with the med scanner. And then I fly us back to base if he’s not awake yet.

The first two items on her list were taken care of in only minutes. Rolling Kanan into his new bed, not so much. But she got him comfortable looking eventually. Maybe it actually would have been easier to drag his butt to our cabin. Hera sighed and kissed his forehead, happy to feel it only slightly colder than normal now. Oh well. He’s staying here now.

Next she retrieved the scanner from the medbay and ran it over him.

Unsurprisingly, it found nothing actually wrong with him except that he was comatose for reasons unknown.

Fighting back tears once again, she ran a hand over his soft hair and brushed a kiss over his mouth. "If you can hear me, Kanan Jarrus, you had better karking well wake up soon."

Chapter 13: Trust (part 1)

Chapter Text

Trust (part 1):

"But I still don't know what to actually do with you."

Between the tone and the audible mechanical breath taken after, Ahsoka registered who was saying the words many long confused seconds before she registered what he’d actually said.

Vader... Anakin... No. Vader. He’s Vader. Right?

Where am I? she thought as she became aware of the hard decking she was lying on. Cracking her eyes open, Ahsoka saw the familiar interior of a TIE (familiar due to a few missions in stolen TIEs), black armour encased shins ending in heavy boots, and a sleeping Morai in her arms. Vader’s TIE. That’s just kriffing great.

But wait… Wasn’t I on Malachor? Waiting for him? And then there was that wave of… utter evil. Does that mean that Vader saved us?!

Or more accurately, captured us, she concluded grimly.

But then her brain finally made sense of the words she’d heard when she first awakened and she became confused all over again. Wait. What? What to do with me? What does he mean by that? The only thing for it was to push herself off the cold durasteel floor (ignoring the way her montrals throbbed with the movement from lingering dizziness) and ask him.

Holding Morai carefully to her chest with one arm, she pushed off with the other until she was sitting on her folded legs and then looked up at her former Master. She thought about standing, but she was still feeling more than a little ill from the Dark side tsunami and she also thought it best to not do anything that might incite him into attacking. In her state, in this confined area, out in space (hyperspace no less), using her lightsabres would just be flat out stupid, and she could tell just from the feel of him that he would win with ease if she tried to overpower him with just the Force. He’d always had so much Force power flowing through him when she was younger, but this felt like ten times that in comparison. He’d been freed from the constraints that the Order had put on him, and that was why he was the most terrifying force of nature in the galaxy now.

Strangely, though, he felt different from when she’d faced him no more than a few hours ago in her own messed up time-line. Before, all she’d felt from their frazzled old bond was a seething mass of hate and despair - enough to send most people right off a cliff to make it stop. But now, their bond was nearly pulsing with awareness, the despair was muted, and the hate only a lingering curtain in the background. He still hated something, but he wasn’t concentrating on it and feeding it. Mostly, Vader felt like curiosity and confusion. Nor was he radiating cold like he had before, but the interior of the TIE certainly was. I think it’s only a few degrees away from actually freezing in here, she thought as she hugged Morai with both arms and tried to suppress a whole body shiver that suddenly shuddered through her. (Ahsoka might be warmer blooded than a Human, but she was still most comfortable in subtropical climates, and this most certainly didn’t qualify.)

Vader had been staring down at her silently for just as long as she’d been staring up at him, but at her shiver he startled slightly. If she hadn’t been looking right at him, she never would have seen it. “You’re cold,” he said in that deep, mechanical voice that was nearly as far from his own as it could get.

“Yes,” she admitted. “It’s a popsicle in here.”

“I hadn’t noticed.”

Wrapped up in that suit that looked spaceworthy, she wasn’t surprised.

But then he did something that completely surprised her. He raised his hand and summoned his long black cape from a hook on the side wall and floated it over to her so that it settled gently around her shoulders with an impressive show of Force control that would have made a youngling’s eyes pop wide with admiration. Her own felt very similar in her shock at the caring gesture that Anakin had done for her countless times in the past. (She would have bet her lightsabres that Vader didn't have a caring cell left in his body, whatever actual organic body was left under all that armour and material.) “Thank you,” she said almost breathlessly. Ahsoka pulled the edges of the heavy armorweave fabric closed over her chest and Morai, then ensured that it covered her legs too.

Vader inclined his head slightly in a silent acknowledgment. “It should warm up in here soon. I have raised the temperature settings.”

He’d never moved, not even to touch anything with a tendril of Force. “How?” she asked before she could stop herself.

He made a noise that might have been a chuckle before the vocoder distorted it. “HUD in helmet. Linked to my ship. You always were so curious about everything, Snips.”

She startled at the nickname she hadn’t heard in years, giving her a strange thrill of joy that warred with betrayal. The betrayal won. “Please don’t call me that. Only Anakin can call me that and you killed him.”

Vader leaned all the way back in his chair and crossed his arms over his light and button covered chestplate. “Well, I certainly thought I had – I put a great deal of effort into it at my Master’s insistence - but he’s been clawing his way back up from his grave with every interaction with you or something that belonged to you.”

“What does that mean?” she asked suspiciously, ignoring the little niggle of hope that was reborn with those words.

“It means, Snips,” he said very deliberately, “that I am screwed if my Master were to sense it. I’ve been burying Anakin back down under layers and layers of hate, but with this latest resurgence of his affection for you that won’t let me just kill you and get it over with, I don’t know if I’m going to be able to hide that. I wouldn’t be surprised if my Master can sense the change in me even now from Coruscant.”

She was horrified for so many reasons right now. “He can do that?”

“Unfortunately, yes. I’m a karking beacon in the Force that he seems to be able to find no matter where I go.”

“What about your shields?” She knew he used to have some pretty kriffing good ones back in the day. It was how he kept his real relationship with Padmè a secret from the Council for so long after all.

“Ineffective against him, He’s got something like a training bond with me that I never wanted, but I think he was building ever since I first met him. Now I can’t block it. I pass out if I try.”

For the first time, Ahsoka felt sympathy for Darth Vader. He may have done terrible things, but how much of it was under the control of Sidious and how much of it was voluntary?

Only one way to find out.

From within the circle of her arms, Morai chirped softly in agreement. Ahsoka hadn’t even noticed that the bird had woken up. But she seemed content to stay snuggled against her, so Ahsoka didn’t move, taking comfort from her presence in this strange situation she found herself in. (The cape wrapped around her brought comfort too, for reasons she didn’t want to think too carefully about right now.)

“I almost made an alliance with Darth Maul once,” she said softly as a starter.

“What?!” This brought Vader forward out of his standoffish position. “Why?”

“We were going to take out his Master together.”

“Who was also Sidious.” Somehow, the deep monotone of the vocoder sounded grim.

“Yes," she answered the not-quite-a-question. "I would be willing to make the same alliance with you. You will not try and turn me to the Dark and I will not call you my Master. Nor will you try and take his place - the galaxy doesn’t need another tyrannical ruler. But I will help free you from the Emperor’s unforgiving grip since I think you might be just as much a slave to him as the clones were. Together, I know we can do it.”

Vader stared at her for a long time, not saying a word, his regulated breathing the only sound in the co*ckpit of the TIE aside from the hum of the engines. She had no idea what he was thinking or feeling; he’d shut down her access to their bond as soon as she’d made the offer. Not even her empathic abilities could get through the shield he’d thrown up around himself. He was like a vague blur in the Force. If she wasn’t sitting right in front of him, she’d never know he was there. And Sidious can still find him and read him with shields like that? Shab.

“All right,” he said eventually, once she was starting to think that she’d made a serious mistake and that he was contemplating the best way to present her to his Master as a gift instead.

“All right?”

“Yes. Yes, we will destroy my Master - he has lied to me and used me more than long enough. Yes, I will not try to turn you. Yes, I will not try and rule the galaxy afterword. I’m tired. I just want it all to be over and finally be free of the pain. He won’t let me die. I’ve tried. From the very first, even when I was burning alive in lava, he wouldn’t let me die.”

Force help me. I want to give him a hug. Her chest hurt with sympathy and the misery he was now leaking down their bond. Unconsciously, she shifted a little closer to him. “You’re in pain?”

Vader didn’t answer in words, but he dropped his shields enough that she could feel him clearly for the first time since he was still Anakin and she nearly vomited from the physical agony he was in. His head felt like it was being crushed by a vice inside his helmet accompanied by hundreds of pinpricks that felt like knives shoving through his skull. His scarred lungs burned like hellfire with each breath his suit forced him to take. And all of his mechanical limbs felt like they were shorting out his nerves. But it was the pain in his soul that really got her. He loathed himself. To the extreme of the word. Even more than he hated all of the Masters he’s had that had controlled him for as long as he could remember, Anakin Skywalker loathed himself.

And the only way he could cope with it all was to bury who he used to be under the vile and evil persona of Darth Vader. Because Darth Vader could embrace the pain and the Dark and do his Master’s bidding without feeling remorse. Darth Vader could kill without mercy. Darth Vader could survive in his hellish cyborg suit. Darth Vader could pretend that he never used to know what love and joy and happiness was.

He was still Anakin, but he was BROKEN.

Ahsoka whimpered, now curled up around an also whimpering Morai on the decking, struggling to breathe through the shared pain. She’d hurt before, many times, but never like this. Never. Ever. Like. THIS. No wonder he wants to die. I would too.

And then it stopped.

He’d closed their bond back down to just a bearable trickle of his emotions and had completely hidden the pain away again. “Now you understand.”

After sucking in a deep breath to recenter herself in her own body, Ahsoka pushed herself back up into a sitting position. She looked up at her former Master, tears making his dark form blurry. “Yes. I understand. And I think I even forgive you for everything you’ve done because I know you’ll never forgive yourself.” Shrugging out of the cape, she put Morai down on the metres of heavy fabric and then stood. Which put her nearly on his toes due to the small space, but that was okay, since he was only watching her with miserable curiosity. Putting a hand on either side of his helmet, she stared into the soulless dark red eye visors, wishing she could see through them. “Anakin, I know you’re still in there, drowning under the Dark and the pain, but I need you to fight for me.” Her breath caught on a sob, but she pushed on, because she could feel that he was listening to her. “I need you to come back to me. I know how to heal most of your physical pain. And your mental pain, we can heal together by making everything right again. Please, Skyguy, fight the Dark. Please. You don’t have to hurt anymore. I promise, you don’t have to hurt anymore. You can be free without dying first. Free, Anakin. Doesn’t that sound nice?”

He raised his hands a bit, paused as he hesitated for two slow breaths, and then raised them all the way to hers. He took her hands and held them gently by his chest in his much larger ones, the gloves not entirely disguising the feel of metal under both. “That does sound nice, but I don’t know if I’m strong enough to change what I am now.”

Gripping his fingers tightly in return, she sniffed back the tears threatening to fall. “I know you are. Trust me.”

Another two heavy, pained breaths of waiting, and then, “I do trust you, Snips. I always have.”

“Master,” she breathed as she felt Anakin push down Vader to his former place at the back of his psyche, where she realized Vader had always lived within him. The tears finally fell as she tipped forward and leaned her forehead against the upper curve of his helmet. “Thank you. You won’t regret this, I promise.”

“Oh, I already am,” he rumbled, still carefully hanging onto her hands like a lifeline. “But if it means spending my last days with you, I’ll take the guilt with the Light and love you give me so selflessly. Have always given me so selflessly. I missed you, Snips.”

She smiled through a happy sob. “I missed you too, Skyguy.”

Chapter 14: Trials (part 1)

Chapter Text

A/N: This chapter is dedicated to Michael. Thank you! :D

Trials (part 1):

"Ezra!"

Sabine vaulted the table in a reflex action to get to her precious Jedi as fast as possible as he fainted right onto Tristan. Her emotions had gone from proud, to concerned, to flat-out panicked in less than a minute, and it felt like time had slowed to a crawl as she watched Ezra topple over.

She still wasn't fast enough to catch him before his head hit the floor, but Tristan was.

Her brother looked at her with wide eyes, leaning out of his chair, and a fistful of Ezra's shirt in his hand as he held Ezra's torso up off the floor by only centimetres. "What the hell?"

"Is he sick?" her mother asked at the same time, now standing so she could see – along with pretty much everyone else in the great hall.

"He has visions sometimes. Quite frequently, actually," she explained breathlessly as she fell to her knees beside Ezra and took him in her arms, resting his upper body in her lap with a little help from Tristan. "It's been a long time since one made him faint, though."

"Should we be concerned?" Ursa asked, surprisingly sounding like she actually was as she walked around the table to look down on them.

"I hope not. He's always woken up fine before." Sabine stroked the back of her hand over Ezra's cheek for a bit, which turned into a gentle pat as time passed and his continued unconscious state began to really worry her. "Come on, Ez'ika, time to wake up."

Ezra stirred in her arms a few seconds later, his eyelids fluttering, and he moaned as if in excruciating pain.

That doesn't sound good."Ezra? Come on, babe, come all the way back. You can do it," she encouraged, not liking how he seemed stuck in some sort of painful place, his expression scrunched up and his body starting to shiver in her arms. "Ezra!" she said louder, shaking him a little. "Come on! Snap out of it!"

This time, he heard her, because his eyes popped open wide, pupils wildly dilated as he stared through and beyond her, still seeing whatever was in his mind. He grabbed her arms in a death grip that would probably leave bruises, but she didn't care. "The Force!" he gasped.

"What? What's wrong with it?" She knew enough from overhearing his conversations with Kanan that the Force was a living entity that resided within everything and gave the galaxy life and that it was more or less sentient. ...Which meant that it could theoretically be hurt.

Ezra's eyes finally focused on hers and he looked like he'd just watched a lothcat kitten be murdered or something while helpless to do anything about it. "It screamed, Sabine," he said brokenly. "So much pain and fear, terrible fear. And on the tail of that, a wave of Dark energy like I've never felt before. Something bad has happened. Really bad."

"What do you mean by really bad?" Ursa asked, drawing Ezra's gaze upwards to her hovering mother.

Ezra must have realized that he was lying on the floor in her lap in front of a literal clan full of warriors, because he suddenly scrambled to his feet, but then weaved on them dizzily. Her mother caught his arm in support as Sabine jumped up to her feet as well. She wrapped an arm around Ezra's waist and her mother let go. Everyone pretended that the Jedi hadn't been weak for a moment as Ezra took a deep breath and she felt him physically get stronger and steadier in her hold as he called on the Force and recentered himself or whatever it was that he did. He then glanced around at everyone gazing at him with curious and somewhat concealed concerned expressions - whether it was about his wellbeing or his vision, she didn't know – before focusing on Ursa again. "I mean that something made the Force hurt. A lot. And something made billions of voices scream as one so that it echoed across the galaxy. And the only thing I can think of that can do that would be the sudden death of a whole lot of people. Like… a planet's worth… by the Death Star we were just talking about."

"Haar'chak," Sabine cursed under her breath as various other swears also echoed through the hall. "The Empire actually went that far, they must have."

"I agree," her mother said grimly. Ursa turned to her clan. Every single person had a look of grim disbelief on their faces. Not that she thought that they disbelieved Ezra; the Jedi were known to have fairly accurate visions after all. But to wipe out billions of people at once was an unthinkable act that only a psychopath would condone.Which our 'beloved' Emperor clearly is."Get on the comms and the holonet, see if you can find out anything." Several of Sabine's clan members scurried to obey. Then Ursa turned back to Ezra. "As for you, I believe you were trying to say something before your… vision?"

Ummmmm…

Ezra glanced at Sabine for confirmation that he should continue with what he'd started and was relieved when she gave him an encouraging nod, her eyes smiling even if the rest of her still looked and felt understandably grim. She gave him an encouraging squeeze with the arm wrapped around his waist too, which he appreciated very much and in more ways than one. He wound an arm around her in return and kissed her temple lovingly before addressing her mother again – a woman who wore a permanently stern expression on her face as far as he could tell. "What I was trying to say before the Force so helpfully knocked me out was that I would like to ask your permission to marry Sabine."

Countess Wren stared at him with narrowed eyes for what felt like forever, arms crossed over her armoured chest. If Sabine wasn't holding him and he her, he might have actually squirmed. "Granted."

Ezra and Sabine both almost visibly sagged.Whoa. That was nearly painless!

But then they were standing tall and tense once again as Ursa added, "On one condition."

Uh oh.

Sabine pulled her arm away from him to cross her own arms, giving her mother a suspicious glare as the warrior woman very subtly smirked at them. "And what is that?"

"Ezra takes the trials to earn Mandalorian status."

"What!? Mother!"

"But I don't want to be a Mando!"

Ursa's smirk became much more apparent. "Take it or leave it. Sabine, you are once again my heir and that means you will marry a Mandalorian. If you want Ezra Bridger as your riduur, then he must be one of us."

Ezra swallowed hard. Sabine had warned him that getting permission wasn't going to be easy, but this was even worse than he'd expected. "Can I still be a Jedi?"

Tristan made a soft snorting sound. "Not sure if you qualify as one now," he said under his breath, mostly teasing.

Ezra scowled at the younger (but decidedly bigger) boy anyway.

Sabine punched her brother hard enough to make him sway. He vowed to kiss her for it later. Wherever and however she wanted.

Ursa ignored her children. "For the trials, no. But after that, I don't care if you want to call yourself a Force Using Mando or a Jedi Mando, so long as there's Mando in the title."

That sounds fair. Can't believe I'm saying this, but…"Okay. I'll do it."

"Ezra!" Sabine said, looking very alarmed. "You don't even know what the tests are!"

He shrugged, turning fully towards her and cupping her face in gentle hands. "Doesn't matter. Whatever it is, it's worth it to have you as my wife."

Tristan made a gagging sound that everyone ignored.

Sabine's amber eyes softened and she raised her hands to hold his. "Ez… You don't have to. We can leave now and get married back at the base."

"But you would lose your status with your clan, wouldn't you?"

"Yes, she would," Ursa said grimly before Sabine could answer.

"It doesn't matter." The hollow look in Sabine's eyes and her rioting emotions said otherwise.

"Yes, it does," he said, stroking his thumbs over her cheekbones before leaning down and pressing a gentle kiss to her mouth. "Your families mean everything to you and I won't be the one that takes this one away from you again. I'll take your - probably crazy - tests and gladly be a Mando for you."

Sabine pulled his hands to her mouth and kissed the knuckles on both. "Oh, Ez. I don't even know how to thank you for this."

"Easy," he grinned, wiggling his eyebrows at her. "Marry me and then do crazy, naughty, wild things to me after."

Sabine's expression broadened into an eye-twinkling smirk and she licked his knuckle before letting his hands go. "I think that can be arranged."

"Ugh," Tristan moaned. "I did not want to hear that!"

Sabine punched her brother again as the remaining people in the hall laughed. Even Ursa's expression cracked into a hint of a smile for a couple seconds before falling into serious again. "All right, Bridger, are you well enough to start your tests?" There was an implied hint to her voice that said if he was not, then he should just give up now.

"What, now?" Sabine said, sounding shocked.

Of course now,Ezra thought with a mental eye roll.Force forbid I should get to finish my dinner first.

"Yes, now," the Countess repeated his thought. "You said you only had a two day leave, so we don't have time to waste."

"Fine," Sabine grumbled.

"I'm ready whenever," Ezra said, radiating as much confidence as he could despite the fact that he was still somewhat reeling from the echoes of the destruction to the Force; it was still doing something that felt a lot like weeping and shuddering.

"Good," Ursa gave him an approving half nod. She glanced at her son. "Tristan, run and grab a spare datapad from my office, please." The other boy darted off with a respectful nod. She looked back to Ezra. "Come with me."

Ezra and Sabine did, following the Countess out of the great hall, past a few dozen Wrens, who watched him with contemplative expressions, and Alrich, who gave him an encouraging smile and nod, and then out into hallway. From there she led him to the front door. He was getting a bad feeling about this.

"Now give my daughter any weapons you have on you. You will not need them." Ursa looked entirely too pleased to say this.

Ezra handed Sabine his lightsabre, blaster, and the large folding knife he kept in his boot. He gave her a 'what now?' look.

She shook her head slightly in response, hugging his weapons tight to her chest. "Good luck, Ezra. May the Force be with you."

He nodded in response, sending all his love for her down their bond as he touched her face briefly before he turned back to the Countess. "I'm ready."

Ursa led handed him a thick hooded cloak from a pile of them on hooks near the door and then the datapad that Tristan came running up with. "Your first test will be endurance. You will spend the next twenty-four hours outside. You may not use any buildings or ships as shelter. You will not be given any food or water until the time is up. You may catch or build any essentials you need for survival with your bare hands only, from whatever you can find in the forest. Because you are a Jedi, I cannot stop you from using the Force to assist yourself, but that will mean automatic failure. You will be watched. Do not disappoint me. Also, while you're out there, you will look up and learn the Resol'nare, which you will recite in both Mando'a and Basic to me when you return so that I know you understand what you are saying. That datapad has access to the holonet, I'm sure you can figure it out from there."

"Yes." He nodded once, tossed the cloak around his shoulders, and pocketed the hand-sized simple computer. Ursa opened the door and Ezra looked out at the frozen winter 'wonderland', doing his best to keep his expression blank; she didn't need to know that he had a serious aversion to being cold. Then he looked at Sabine one more time. He mouthed two words to her before he squared his shoulders and walked out the door.

Sabine watched her cyar'ika walk away into the twilight, marching through the fresh snow like it offended him (it did, Ezra really didn't like snow), and it felt like he was taking her heart with him. Knowing what the trials to become a Mandalorian entailed, she had every confidence that he would persevere for her, but it wasn't going to be easy on him. (They didn't let just any fully grown warrior wannabee into the clan. If Ezra had still been a child it would have been a completely different story, but he wasn't, so…)

At least she knew he didn't blame her for this, because his last two words to her had been, 'worth it.'

Chapter 15: Tribulations (part 1)

Chapter Text

A/N: And now... we have 5 chapters dedicated to Nuke656971, one of my wonderful readers that I appreciate very much. :D

Tribulations (part 1):

The Ghost, Wild Space

After sitting with her unconscious-but-at-least-he's-still-breathing mate for an unknown amount of time, most of which she spent petting his hair and praying to the stars for him to wake up, Hera eventually forced herself away from him when it became apparent that he wasn't doing so anytime soon. Standing on slightly shaky legs, she determinedly rubbed the drying tear tracks off her cheeks and then walked over to her pilot's chair to sit and start flipping switches to their 'on' positions.

While the (perfectly tuned, of course) engines purred to life, Hera leaned over to the navigational computer and typed in their destination. The computer beeped a confirmation and she looked away, confident in the machine's ability to get them to Yavin 4. She grabbed the steering yoke and spun the Ghost away from the cursed star cluster that would have fried them if not for Kanan's Force heroics and then pushed the lever to jump them into hyperspace.

With stars now streaking past the bubble of the co*ckpit in long blue lines, Hera rose to check on Kanan again, even though it had only been a couple minutes at most.

But she'd only taken two steps in his direction when the nav computer chimed that they had arrived at their destination and the ship fell out of hyperspace.

"What the kriff?" Hera spun around and gawked at the vaguely familiar planet that lived in a solar system very close to the star cluster. (They'd passed this way when searching for Lira San, and she never forgot places she'd been.) Lit by a weak red sun, the lightly inhabited jungle type planet should have been green, but looked more like a sickly brown from afar. "Nirauan? Why the hells are we here?"

Hera half expected to hear Chopper beep a chortle of glee at yet another successful prank (taking them to the wrong place was something he loved to do whenever he thought he could get away with it and it didn't actually jeopardize a mission), but no snigg*r of triumph came from the droid because he wasn't with them.

She made a sound of frustration anyway and stomped back to the console to glare at the nav computer as she called up the recent input history.

Yavin 4. 6 days ago.

Scarif. (Wince) 2 days ago.

Yavin 4. 36 hours ago.

Ashla Maelstrom. (Lasat name for the star cluster.) 7 hours ago.

Yavin 4. 3 minutes ago.

Nirauan. 3 minutes ago.

"What the frag?" she muttered. "I know I didn't mess that up." She narrowed her eyes at the nav screen. "Something definitely smells like rusty metal about this."

She typed in Yavin 4 again. The computer beeped acceptance again.

Humming skeptically, Hera watched the nav computer as she reached for the lever to push the Ghost into hyperspace again.

The destination changed to Mrisst in the Colonies Ring a fraction of a second before the blue streaks appeared.

Growling at the waste of fuel, Hera pulled the lever down and brought the ship back into real-space. "I'm going to turn that rolling menace into scrap!"This is probably revenge for leaving him behind.A twinge of guilt snuck in with the anger but she determinedly ignored it, in no mood to feel any sort of sympathy towards her droid right now.

She glanced back at Kanan, hoping that her rage against Chopper would have sunk through his coma and brought him out of it, knowing how much Kanan would have welcomed it in his own poorly hidden dislike of her (Quirky. The word you're looking for is quirky. Not psychotic, sociopathic maniac.) astromech. No such luck, though. Kanan remained motionless under his blankets, no hint of a smirk on his lips.

Sighing and thinking,The galaxy hates me sometimes, I swear,Hera sank back into her chair and reached over to the communications unit, keying in the encrypted codes for the Rebel base on Yavin's fourth moon. After a couple different lackeys argued with her for a while, pre-programmed to make it difficult for just anybody to contact the members of High Command, she finally got someone to put the Boss Lady herself on the comm.

Before she could even mention that her navigation system was 'glitching' and she might need a rescue for Kanan's sake, a very agitated and stressed looking hologram of Mon Mothma appeared and said, "Hera. Did your Jedi have a vision of doom and death too? I assure you, we are looking into it."

Hera reared back slightly in shock. "What do you mean my Jedi too? Has something happened to Ezra as well? Because Kanan is in a coma and he won't wake up."

Mon's harried expression gentled instantly into a sympathetic one. "I am sorry to hear that. We just got a comm from Krownest. Commander Bridger had a vision that knocked him out for a minute. The gist of it, according to whichever helmet-covered clan Wren member I was talking to – never got the name of him, unfortunately – was that young Ezra said that it felt like billions of people had been exterminated at once."

"That's not good," Hera said grimly, heart sinking in her chest and feeling like a ball of lead.If that's what Kanan experienced too… Stars. If something like that could knock out Ezra, what would it do to Kanan, who lives IN the Force almost all the time, so he can see? And after probably using all of his power to shield the Ghost?

A coma, obviously.

Frag.

"No, it's not," Mon replied just as grimly, the lines of stress on either side of her mouth deepening again. "We are currently making contact with as many of our people as we can on different planets throughout the galaxy. So far everything looks… Hang on."

The red-haired-but-you'd-never-know-it-by-her-astonishing-ability-to-never-lose-her-temper (no matter what idiocy people pulled in the name of The Greater Good) Chancellor and Commander-In-Chief of the Rebel Alliance turned to someone addressing her off to the side. After listening for a moment, her face became even more strained, as impossible as that seemed. Shaking her head in slow and mournful disbelief, she focused on Hera once more. "We can't get hold of Senator Organa or anyone else on Alderaan."

"Oh no. Not Bail."He was such a good man.

"I fear so."

"And his Queen. And Leia's fate is still unknown."

It wasn't quite a question, but Mon answered it as such. "Unfortunately, yes. I'm going to send a small, fast ship to investigate, but I have a really bad feeling about this."

"So do I. Alderaan is a perfect target to make the rest of the galaxy shake in their boots with fear and to let us know that the Empire isn't going to stand for any more push-back."

"Exactly," Mon agreed, eyes looking a little glassy with shock. She took a long, slow, deep, and visibly steadying breath. "Anyway, I hope Kanan wakes up soon, but in the meantime, you should return to base. Commanders Bridger and Wren too. We might need you sooner than we thought."

Hera nodded her assent. "I was going to come back anyway. Kanan will need medical attention if he doesn't wake up on his own soon. The only problem with that is my nav computer is having, um, issues."

Mon's left eyebrow rose. "I'm sorry to hear that."

"If I can't get it fixed shortly, I'll comm the base back for a pickup. I don't want to leave Kanan in this state unattended longer than necessary."

"Of course. Neither do I."

The 'we need him' was unspoken, but they both acknowledged it with matching slight nods.

"I'm also going to make a quick call to Krownest to inquire about Ezra. I'll let them know that Alderaan might be the affected planet and to return to duty as soon as they can."

"That's fine. That saves us a call. I'll see you when you return." With a vague, uninspiring attempt at an encouraging smile at Hera's nod of acknowledgment, Mon ended the holo-transmission.

Hera promptly entered another, very familiar transmission code that went straight to her pain-in-the-ass astromech.

He answered immediately – well, as immediately as could be expected for a transmission bouncing across a few relay stations to get there and back. "Mom! Are you missing me yet?"

Hera rolled her eyes at the cheerful binary beeps and went straight into pissed off General mode. "Don't 'Mom' me, you crosswired little death machine. What the kriff did you do to the nav computer?!"

"Uh oh. Um. Can't talk. Helping AP-5 with inventory. Huge pile of inventory. Too much to compute. And it wasn't my idea."

And then Chopper actually had the nerve to end the call on her.

Hera growled, actually showing off her sharp canines. "That's it. He's scrap when I get back." She just about commed him again, but then she realized that he might not have been talking about inventory when he said it wasn't his idea.Maybe the nav prank was someone else's. Like one of my other wonderful 'children'.

A sickly sweet, devilish smile settled on her lips as she entered the code for Sabine's home on Krownest.Someone's going to pay for this. I don't know when, and I don't know how, but I think it's time that I start taking part in the prank war that never quite seems to end in my family.

She had to go through another waiting period once the connection was made for someone to answer and then wait even longer for them to locate Sabine and bring them to the communications room.

Hera was distracted out of her visions of revenge when the girl showed up in hologram form hugging Ezra's distinctive weapons to her chest. "Hey, Sabine, what are you doing with Ezra's weapons? Is he okay?"

Sabine looked down at the things in her arms like she'd forgotten she was hugging them and then hugged them even tighter. "That's a long story, but the short version is yes he is, for now, and that he's undergoing tests to become a Mandalorian so he can marry me."

Hera blinked and then gave a mental shrug.Sounds reasonable, I suppose."I bet he's thrilled about that," she said with a little laugh.

Sabine smiled faintly and echoed her sarcastic tone. "To his toes. But it'll be worth it."

"I'm sure. You'll have to tell me all about it later. But for now… Chancellor Mothma told me that Ezra had a vision? One that knocked him out?"

At the reminder, Sabine looked heartbroken for a moment before she visibly pulled herself together. "Yes! It was awful. One minute he was fine – trying to ask for my hand in marriage - and the next he was collapsing in a heap! It only lasted a minute or two, but it left him really shaky, and now he's off in the freezing forest doing a kriffing endurance test!"

Hera raised her tattooed-on eyebrows at what sounded like a rather extreme test, considering that Ezra was very much a warm-weather being, but again left the questions and explanations for later – more emergency-like issues needed to be taken care of first. "Whatever knocked out Ezra took out Kanan too, but much worse."

"Oh no," Sabine breathed, her expression falling. "Is he… okay?"

"Not really. He's in a coma, and I don't know what to do for him. I need to get him back to Home Base even though I'm not sure what they can do for him, considering this is probably a Force related thing." She glanced at Kanan – still no sign of waking.

"Oh, Hera. I'm sorry." And then her expression went from concerned to very, very guilty, and Hera was pretty sure she knew why. "Ummm, Hera?"

"You messed up my nav computer, I know."

Sabine looked temporarily surprised. "How? Oh. You tried to go back already."

"Yes. I'm not impressed. Please tell me that I can fix it."

Sabine winced again. "Not without Chopper or a really, really good slicer."

Hera put on her best 'Mom' glare and crossed her arms over her chest. "If you weren't dealing with your own crisis-of-sorts over there, I'd say get your arse on a ship and come fix it yourself, young lady, but you are, sooooo, how badly exactly did you two mess up my navigation system?"

Sabine brightened at this. "Oh. Not as bad as all that! It's only supposed to be programmed to stop you from going back to Home Base for two weeks so that you could have a proper holiday. I left you a note on the datapad in my room, explaining in better detail. But… You should have no problems getting to a planet in a neighbouring system. Then Zeb could fly Chopper to you in the Phantom Two and you'll be back where you're supposed to be in no time!"

Hera raised an eyebrow. "You might have just earned yourself a reprieve, Sabine."

"Dare I ask a reprieve from what?" the girl asked cautiously.

"An epic scolding that includes many words about irresponsibility, and future retaliation at some point when you least expect it."

"Oh. Yes. Thank you. A reprieve is much appreciated." Sabine grinned cheekily.

"Don't get too comfortable," Hera warned. "It's only a temporary reprieve."

"Shab."

"Language."

Sabine rolled her eyes. "Yes, Mom."

Hera, being only eight years older, rolled her eyes right back. "I don't know how I got stuck as the mother figure to a whole pack of beings I couldn't possibly have birthed, droids and Lasats roughly twice my age included."

Sabine only shrugged. "But you're good at it."

"I suppose." Hera shook her head, her tense lekku swaying less than they normally would. "Anyway, back to current issues. At the moment, Alderaan seems to be the planet of origin as the source of the visions. No one can reach Senator Organa, or anyone else we know on the planet. Mothma is sending a small ship to go see what's going on." And now her lekku were curling with grief at all the lost lives.

Sabine's expression mirrored the mood of her headtails. "Oh, That's awful! The Empire has gone too far!"

"I agree."

They shared a moment of silence, mourning, Sabine staring blankly down at the weapons in her arms.

But then her head popped up, eyes wide. "Ezra!"

"What about him?"

"Maybe Ezra can reach Kanan! They have that telepathic bond thing. I'll see what I can do about getting word to him that Kanan needs him."

"Can't you just talk to him yourself?"

Sabine shook her head emphatically. "I'm not allowed to see him again until he passes the tests. And if he doesn't, I don't know if they'll let me see him to even say goodbye. It's killing me, not being able to help him or see how he's doing."

Hera tried to smile reassuringly, but she was pretty sure she failed. "Have faith in our lothrat. He's tougher than he looks. Don't forget he grew up on the streets. A little time in a winter forest isn't going to break him."

"Oh, I know he can take care of himself. It doesn't stop me from worrying, though."

Hera's expression turned grim again. "You're preaching to the choir on that one. I have my own impetuous Jedi who constantly makes me worry. Like right now. I wish he'd wake up already." Hera sighed. "I'll get him back to base as soon as I can, regardless of the fact that Mothma wants us back even sooner than that. I'll let her know that you might be delayed a bit, though. I'm sure these tests are rather serious to your future."

Sabine nodded solemnly. "Um, yes, the tests are important. If I want to get married and keep both my families, anyway." She glanced to the side for a second as someone (probably her real mother) called her from out of the holorecorder's view, then waved at them briefly in a, 'yeah, yeah' motion. "Anyway. I gotta go. I'll get someone to tell Ezra about Kanan. Good luck." Sabine said all of that in a rush and then quickly ended the comm before Hera could respond.

Hera just sighed again.I feel like I'm at least fifty years old already sometimes. I thought I taught that girl better manners than that.

After one more hopeful glance at Kanan immediately followed by a heavy sigh that heaved her slumped shoulders, Hera turned back to the nav computer and narrowed her eyes at it. "Okay, you little piece of scrap, you better take me to where I want to go or you're getting tossed as soon as I can buy a new one. At the next space port, even."

With a smirk, Hera entered Celanon into the nav computer – a popular world that happened to have a bustling space port and was close to the Yavin system. It chirped confirmation. With a wary eye on the computer screen, she reached for the hyperdrive lever.Time to go back to work. At least our pathetically short honeymoon was great while it lasted.

Chapter 16: Trust (part 2)

Chapter Text

Trust (part 2):

It was much easier to ignore the pain wracking what was left of his body with Ahsoka so close to him, Anakin realized as their not-really-a-hug drew on for a minute longer than he could have ever hoped for.

Eventually, though, the new light of his life drew back from where she'd been resting her forehead against his and pulled her hands from his as well with an inhaled, "Rex!" The bird squawked from her nest of his cape on the floor and flew up to perch on Ahsoka's shoulder.

"Rex?" Anakin replied through the hated vocorecorder, ignoring the knowing green eyes of the convor. "As in my Captain Rex? He's not dead?"

"Yes, Rex, my mate. Very much alive last time I saw him." Ahsoka slanted him a quick look that defied him to oppose either of those statements as she was searching the console of his TIE for… something. She continued as her eyes widened briefly when they landed on the chronometer. "Who doesn't know I'm still alive after apparently being missing for something like two and a half years."

Anakin didn't know how he felt about the first revelation. On one hand, he was very glad for Ahsoka and Rex that they'd found happiness together all these years. But on the other, he was jealous that they had. And on yet another, a tiny spark of hope that he'd have Ahsoka just to himself now was instantly extinguished and left him feeling way more bereft than two minutes worth of hope had any right to do. As for the second, he was glad Rex had survived the rise of the Empire. And as for the third, he wasn't surprised that she'd lost time, thanks to her appearance and what he'd seen and found out about the portals. (Not that Sidious had exactly been forthcoming about the aptly-if-stupidly named World Between Worlds, but he'd overheard his Master muttering a few times about the Lothal Temple and Bridger being the key to gaining access to it.)

"Ah-ha!" His unasked question was confirmed as Ahsoka's fingers flew over the previously concealed comm pad that he'd used his HUD to slide the panel off of, inputting a well memorized code. "Thanks, Anakin." She shot him a quick smile, having already figured out that he'd helped her out despite his disappointment.

"Hello?"

Her attention was drawn back to the comm unit when a person who looked about forty or fifty years older than the young but weather-beaten and weary friend he'd once known appeared on the holo. Rex had lost his buzz cut was just bald now with a faded-but-still-obvious chip-removal scar on his right temple and had chosen to grow a thick white beard instead. He'd broadened a bit everywhere and changed his outfit so that all that remained of his old clone armour was his faded and scuffed vambraces, but… his eyes were the same despite the red haze that covered everything Anakin saw through the mask - golden brown and wise, and somehow even wearier than all those years ago.

But then Rex saw who he was talking to and decades fell off his face as he lit up from within. "Ahso'ika?" The whispered word of hope and endearment made Anakin's already stressed heart hurt like it was being squeezed by Sidious yet again.

From the small space in front of him, Ahsoka smiled gently at the old looking clone. "Hi, Rexi."

The bird chirped too, saying hi as well, apparently.

"Are you real?" Rex breathed, holding up a hand as if he could reach out and touch her.

She laughed softly, reaching back and interlocking her fingers with his holographic ones. Anakin had missed that beautiful laugh. Apparently so had Rex, what with the way his eyes closed for a second before they popped back open and drank in her features. "Yes, I'm real. Believe it or not, it's only been a few hours since I talked to you last as far as my timeframe is concerned."

"What happened? Kanan said you were fighting Vader and then the Sith Temple exploded. He said he felt your signature disappear. He was sure you hadn't survived."

Anakin tensed, remembering the moment clearly when Ahsoka had been pulled away from his killing blow. That moment had haunted him for the entire time she'd been missing.

He'd almost killed his Snips.

Almost.

Too close.

Ahsoka sighed as she felt his leaking emotions. She reached her free hand behind her without taking her eyes off Rex. Anakin grasped it gratefully, reassured that she wasn't blaming him for his past misdeeds anymore. "I was fighting Vader. After fighting off a few Inquisitors and Maul, of course."

"Of course," Rex said wryly. He didn't sound surprised, so had probably been informed of that part already by Jarrus or Bridger.

Anakin, on the other hand, had not known that Maul had been on Malachor as well - the old Force User was too good at hiding his signature from him after being hunted by Vader at the behest of his Master for so many years. (And somewhat on Anakin's own part as well, since he wanted revenge for all the clones Maul had killed on the third Venator in the 50lst's fleet, The Tribunal, when old security footage had been pulled out of the wreckage.) He barely suppressed the growl that wanted to emerge even though it was much too late to catch Maul this time either.

Meanwhile, Ahsoka was still continuing her explanation of the events on that nightmare of a Dark planet. "And then the Temple decided that exploding was a good idea, so I took the opportunity to crack the floor further with my lightsabres, which I hoped would save myself and Vader from certain doom, but before I could fall, Ezra reached through a portal and pulled me into another dimension with a thousand or more portals to even more dimensions."

Anakin gawked at the back of Ahsoka's head.She never mentioned that I almost killed her first. Why not?

Rex gawked at Ahsoka for entirely different reasons. "Ezra did what now and pulled you to where now?"

She smirked. The bird basically giggled, assuming they could do that. "You heard me. It was an older Ezra, mind you. I'm assuming the one you currently know. He looked about eighteen. Fits in scout trooper armour and everything."

"Nineteen in two days. And he last visited Lothal almost a year ago when he made the Jedi Temple disappear and then he chased Thrawn's fleet off world with purrgils. I'm guessing that's when he saved you and never told anyone for reasons I'm sure only he could comprehend. The Rebellion has kept him busy ever since."

Anakin blinked a few times. He'd read the reports and had even suffered through his Master's rage at the turn of events that Bridger had unleashed on his home planet, but it had never occurred to him that the Bridger boy was quite as powerful as all that.No wonder I can never quite catch up with him and his Master to take them out. They'll be useful allies to help me deal with Sidious if I can win them over.

"Wow. Time flies," Ahsoka was saying dryly.

Rex levelled her with a look at the poor joke.

"Sorry, love," she shrugged. "Couldn't help myself. And I'm guessing Ezra didn't want to get your hopes up so he kept his secret."

Rex huffed. "Wish he told me anyway." A pause, and then, "So then what? Why were you gone so long?"

She shook head helplessly. "I don't know why I didn't return to the same time I left, I thought that's what I was doing when we were running from Sidious' awful blue flames and I jumped back through the same portal. But... the Force and mysterious ways and all that."

Anakin reared back slightly. More news that he hadn't heard yet.Kark. No wonder Sidious was raging so badly around that time. He was fuming for a week at the lost chance to grab Ahsoka and Bridger.

"Wait. You faced Sidious too in that other dimension?" Rex sounded just as unhappy about that as Anakin felt.

"Unfortunately, yes. Then I got back and taught myself how to heal with the unhelpful assistance of some Dark Side energy and then got hit by what had to be the worst wave of Evil energy I've ever felt in my life. Passed out and everything."

She was still conveniently leaving out any information regarding himself. Anakin squeezed her hand inquiringly and got a 'wait' squeeze in return. And the same down their bond. And a look from the blasted bird.Geez. I get it.

"You had a busy day."

"Had worse during the war, I'm sure… I think."

The bird chipped out something that sounded suspiciously like a 'yes'. Anakin was starting to think that Daughter's pet that had adopted Ahsoka was a lot more intelligent than he'd originally thought.

Rex shook his head ruefully, also staring at the bird for a moment. "Yeah. Probably."

Anakin almost said 'definitely', thinking of at least a dozen occasions where he'd almost lost Ahsoka during that Force-forsaken war. But then he remembered that Rex didn't know he was there as well and Ahsoka seemed to be holding off on revealing that information right now.

So he held his patience.

This lead into a few moments of silence where Ahsoka and Rex were just looking at each other with so much love it hurt to witness, her thumb moving over the other man's holographic hand as if she were actually caressing him… Then he realized that she was, through the Force, via a very strong telepathic bond that he could only just feel a glimmer of, even with being so close to her and having their own bond back in play – Ahsoka was automatically shielding her mating bond from the rest of the galaxy; a very smart move, all things considered.

He was impressed at her level of control, to say the least.

Rex cleared his throat after a few moments and said huskily, "So when will I get to see you again for real?"

"Soon, I hope," Ahsoka said with a smile in her voice. "Depends on how far away I am from you."

"Is this comm secure?"

Ahsoka looked back over her shoulder slightly. "Is it?"

Anakin nodded. He'd never have kept his many secrets from Sidious if it wasn't. Like his secret apprentice living in his secret castle on Vjun.

She looked back at Rex. "It is. Where do I set the coordinates for?"

Rex opened his mouth to reply then snapped it shut again. Wise man. Always had been. His eyes narrowed with suspicion. "Wait. Who's with you? How did you get off Malachor? Are you acting under your own free will?"

Anakin's hand clenched slightly around Ahsoka's as tension filled him.How was she going to answer this?

Ahsoka raised her other hand and stroked Rex's hologram from temple to jaw in a move he felt was also transmitted via their bond. "Easy, Rexi, I'm not being coerced into anything and I promise I would never bring danger to one of our bases."

Anakin almost protested that with a called out, 'Of course I'm dangerous!', but held it in just in time.

She sensed the mental thought, though, and sent him a quick,"Hush, Cyguy!"that nearly made him laugh out loud. (She'd once joked after a bad injury to his left arm that if he lost another limb and had it replaced, she'd have to start calling him Cyborg Guy instead of Skyguy. Apparently she hadn't forgotten and had decided to shorten it even further.)

Rex relaxed instantly at the telepathic touch and the reassuring words. Anakin wondered if perhaps a certain touch had been prearranged as a safe signal, because the Rex he knew wouldn't have taken just a single sentence as proof. Either that or the other man trusted Ahsoka that much, and then he was perhaps a fool.I hope it's the former.

"It is,"Ahsoka answered back without taking her eyes off Rex. "I'm bringing my rescuer with me, Rex, and I know you trust me enough to take my word when I say that he's not the same person he was even half a day ago."

"Why am I getting a bad feeling about this, then?"

"Because you're a smart man, my heart."

Rex only sighed. "As long as it's not Vader, then…" His voice fell off as Ahsoka made a noise that accompanied a very decided full-body wince. "Shab. It is, isn't it?"

Her only answer was to step to the side and Anakin leaned forward so that he was in camera range. "Hey, Rex, buddy. Been a while. Hope you don't use me for target practice now that I'm more clanker than not. I know you've probably missed it."

"Shabla haran!" Rex stared at Anakin with positively huge eyes. "No karking, fragging way!"

"Way, I'm afraid. Made a few bad decisions. Had a little run-in with some lava thanks to Obi-Wan. Got stuck living with said bad decisions. Made even worse decisions, and so on and so forth. And now, well, Ahsoka brought me back to the… maybe not the Light Side, but definitely the Not Such A Sith Asshole Side."

Rex choked on a laugh even as he paled visibly, looked at Ahsoka only to receive an encouraging nod, and then looked back at him. Anakin wished he could take his mask off so that the two most important people left in his life could see the sincerity in his (hopefully not still yellow and red Sith) eyes. But… dying of asphyxiation would be kind of counter-productive at this point. "All right. If it's really you under all that, tell me something that only General Skywalker and I would know."

Anakin thought about mentioning all the times Rex helped him make secret calls to Padmè but then cast that aside, since he figured that probably every clone in the galaxy knew about that, thanks to their gossip chain that spread faster than wildfire. Then he came up with something he knew for sure Rex would never share with anyone, not even Cody or Ahsoka. "I once told you in confidence that I hated the Council for forcing me to stop looking for Ahsoka when she was missing and that I wanted to make them all feel my pain, but tenfold. You're the one that talked me back to into a state of sensibleness. You and Ahsoka have always been able to talk me down. The only ones, in fact, once I lost my faith in Obi-Wan. If only you had been there when…"

Anakin off the flow of verbal angst abruptly, not wanting to layer his guilt on the two people he needed the most right now, what with his daring move to cut himself off from Sidious' control and all.

Ahsoka read him anyway and squeezed his hand while giving him a mental hug. "I wish I'd been on Coruscant at that moment too, Anakin. Trust me. I've thought about it long into the night many times after I realized who you were. Going over all of the what ifs and how fors. I'm…"

"Hang on," Rex interrupted, glaring at Ahsoka. "You never told me you figured out who Darth Vader was."

Fortunately for her, Ahsoka had perfected the guilty puppy look long ago. "I'm sorry, Rexi. I didn't want you to hurt the way I was after I was sure it was my old Master in the cyborg suit terrorizing the galaxy."

Anakin winced at the accurate description.

Rex only shook his head. "How many times do I have to tell you to stop protecting me?"

She half shrugged. "Only a few hundred more, I'm sure, my beloved Captain."

Anakin snorted. Those two had been trying to protect each other at the other's protest for as long as they'd known each other. He doubted they'd ever stop.

"Don't even get me started on your overprotective streak,"Ahsoka thought at him with narrowed eyes before saying out loud, "Anyway. Continuing from when I was interrupted, I'm sure Sidious made his move on you when you were separated from everyone who could have interfered. Me. Rex. Even Obi-Wan was on Utapau. Sidious was too clever by far."

"Yes," Anakin nodded once. "I'd also figured that out. And I hate him even more for it."

Ahsoka half smiled a little wryly. "A proper Jedi would tell you to let go of your hate, but…"

"You are no Jedi," Anakin repeated her words back at her that she'd said to him on Malachor a year ago.

"Exactly." She nodded once. "Light Side Master, perhaps, if you want to be technical, but I will never call myself a Jedi again, not as long as it comes with the same values and backwards code as what I was taught."

Anakin snorted (not a pleasant sound via his mask). The fragging bird actually mimicked him, making the other two snigg*r. "Don't look at me. I threw all those rules out the airlock basically from day one."

Rex and Ahsoka laughed even louder. "Yeah. You did," the clone said after he regained some semblance of control. "And the 501st loved to brag that we had the best Jedi General because of it."

Anakin would have raised an eyebrow at Rex if he could. "You know I still have command of the 501st and that a good fraction of them are still clones, right?"

"Really?" Both of his friends gawked with the same expression of surprise and hope.

"Really," Anakin repeated smugly, crossing his arms over his chestplate. "Including Cody, Keller, Bly, Bacara, Neyo, Davijaan, a couple dozen good ARCs, and even one Alpha ARC who chose to follow the Empire rather than go off on his own."

"The Alpha's weren't chipped?" Rex asked, wide eyed again.

"No. And before you ask, yes, Cody and the others are still chipped. Except for Thunder, all the clones in my command are. I tried removing the chips from a few a couple years after the Empire rose, but they all suicided at the first opportunity. I'll happily remove the chips from the rest if you can guarantee they won't eat their blasters."

Rex shook his head slowly. "I don't know if I can help them, but between Ahsoka and I, we've rescued quite a few that were doubting their orders and already fighting the chips and they turned out okay."

"Mostly okay," Ahsoka amended. "Wolffe still has nightmares."

"Don't we all?" Rex said quietly.

"True."

Rex levelled a look at Anakin. "All right, General. You promise to get me my brothers back from the 501st and I'll tell you where we are."

"I promise," Anakin said solemnly. "I also promise to do my utmost to take out Sidious before he causes the galaxy any more pain."

Rex looked at him as if he was reading him right through his mask. It was a little unnerving, but then again, Rex had always been able to see through his illusions of civility. He nodded once after a moment. "All right then. Come to Yavin 4. I'll tell them not to shoot you down."

The bird laughed again.

Chapter 17: Trapped (part 1)

Chapter Text

A/N: So... My muse randomly decided out of the blue as I was typing that this was going to be a Luke/Han/Leia story because it made it so much more interesting and funny. Oh boy. At least it’s not going to include twincest; they’ll be all about that Han lovin’, lol.

(It seems my muse is getting naughtier as the years go by. :P)

Trapped (part 1):

When Han Solo had accepted the commission to carry two passengers and their droids (the protocol one being incredibly annoying the whole way) to Alderaan, he should have known it would end up like this – his precious Falcon seized by the Imperials and stuck in a massive, moon-sized space station and himself squashed into tight quarters with the prettiest boy who looked barely legal and clearly was much too young for him – because that’s just how his life went.

Can the karkin’ galaxy just cut me a break for once? the disgusted smuggler thought to himself as he listened to heavy boots stomp up the ramp and along the durasteel deck above his head. In the cramped space he was currently sharing with Luke and Chewie, Han held himself still, barely daring to breathe as the Imps searched his ship for the crew they correctly assumed would be on board.

It wasn’t the Imps that had him holding his breath, however, but one lithe, Force magic believing, dimple chinned, blond, blue eyed farm boy from Tatooine who somehow managed to smell like the epitome of temptation in the incomprehensible form of oil, dry dirt, soap, and fresh sweat. Han’s shoulder and thigh were pressed against Luke’s as they knelt in the small hiding space definitely not meant for people and it was driving him crazy with awareness that made his skin tingle and his trousers feel much too tight. Even Chewie’s presence laid out in the long access shaft below the floor beyond their knees wasn’t enough to dissuade Han’s instinctive response to a person he was this ridiculously attracted to.

The boy had been concentrating on the footsteps and ruffling sounds above them, muscles feeling just as tense as his, until suddenly he wasn’t, looking directly at Han instead with a quickly indrawn breath. Han could feel the boy’s eyes on him, and it was making the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.

Almost reluctantly, Han turned his head to look back at Luke, feeling drawn as if he couldn’t help himself.

He met rich, gem blue eyes that glowed with a reflected light that couldn’t possibly all be coming from the muted lights in the crawl space near Chewie’s feet. Han’s heart nearly stopped at the awareness and glimmer of interested curiosity that he could read in those captivating orbs framed by the longest natural lashes he’d ever seen on a male (they actually left shadows on his cheekbones). He’d thought he’d hidden his attraction to Luke well up until now, playing it cool, but something must have given him away. Only the stars knew what, though.

His sudden lack of control over himself and weird Force mojo poodoo, it turned out.

Luke leaned closer to him, turning slightly, and pressed his hard chest against Han’s upper arm. “I can feel you now,” the boy all but breathed right into his ear, sounding awed, the words barely heard but felt all the way down to his toes in a rush of sensation. “Your emotions are clear as day and they’re glorious.”

Han deliberately knocked Chewie in the head with a knee for his quiet snigg*r (fragging sensitive Wookiee hearing) and turned his head even closer to Luke’s, his own mouth now flirting with almost touching an earlobe. “What? How are you...” Han couldn’t even finish his sentence because what Luke just said simply didn’t compute with how things were supposed to work and his brain simply quit in the trying to figure it out.

Luke pulled back just far enough and just long enough to flash a white-toothed smile at him, his eyes glowing even brighter now. (How was that even possible?) And then he was whispering in his ear again. “I’ll explain later, but let’s just say I feel it too.”

Then Luke kissed him on the cheek with a subtle brush of soft lips that literally rocked Han’s world before his attention was once again drawn to the footsteps above with razor focus.

Han was left staring at Luke in complete shock at the audacity of the boy and feeling Chewie’s mostly silent laughter rumble through his knee. It wasn’t often that someone took Han by surprise like that, and especially someone who was easily more than a decade younger, but Luke had, and Han found himself even more drawn to him because of it. Karking hells. I’m in so much trouble. That old man will probably skewer me with his lightsabre if I even look at Luke like he’s my favourite brand of whiskey after a long day. (Han had definitely noticed how protective Kenobi was of the boy. It was pretty hard to miss, after all, what with the way he watched Luke as if he was the most precious thing in the galaxy. It was a familiar look that every good parent adopted regarding their children, and it made Han wonder as to the actual relationship between the two.)

In a desperate move to help bring himself back under control, Han followed Luke’s example and turned every ounce of his focus to tracking the half-dozen or so Imps as they stomped all over his ship and made a racket while they searched what sounded like every visible cupboard and storage compartment. All while loudly gossiping, of all things.

At least it was interesting gossip.

“So, what we did to Alderaan... that was something, hunh?”

“Yeah. Wasn’t expecting that. But maybe I should have, after what we did to Scarif yesterday.”

“Yeah. Thought that was bad enough. Crater in the planet big enough to hide the Death Star in. But Alderaan. Dust. Just rocks and dust. Kark.”

“I know. Pretty awesome, right?”

“If you say so. I guess it was worth it if the rest of the galaxy stops fighting us.”

“That’s the plan, so I heard.”

“Speaking of hearing things, did you hear that Tarkin had the Princess taken to his quarters after?”

“What? No! He didn’t!”

“He did. And we all know what happens to people he takes to his quarters.”

“Ugh, yeah. They all look like they wished they were dead when they leave. I almost feel bad for the Rebel Princess.”

At this, Luke sucked in an audible breath, his gaze flashing to Han’s as a determined expression settled on his face. Han didn’t even have to ask out loud if they were going to go try and rescue the princess, he just knew. Normally, he would have rolled his eyes, hard, but his pathetic, attracted heart was feeling compelled to do whatever would make Luke happy at the moment. And if that meant risking his life to save a spoiled princess, then he guessed that’s what he was going to do.

“At least he’s not making her parents watch. I heard he has them too, getting ‘interrogated’ somewhere.”

“The Alderaanian Queen and her Consort?”

“Yep.”

“Tough day for that family, Sir.”

“No kidding.”

“Kriff. Tarkin’s coming. And I have nothing good to report. There’s definitely no one here.”

“Sorry, Sir. At least it’s not Vader.”

“True. Tarkin doesn’t strangle people who disappoint him to death.”

“No, just makes them wish he would.”

The grim chatter stopped as three sets of boots walked overhead and then down the nearby ramp.

Han grimaced, exchanging glances with Luke again. As Han well knew, working for the Empire as opposed to defying them wasn’t exactly a bed of flowers either.

It took another tense minute, but the last few searchers exited the Falcon, agreeing that, “There’s no one here.” Han smirked to himself. He loved his ship and all the hidden nooks and crannies (along with its speed) that helped make it one of the best smuggling ships in the Outer Rim.

(Now, he just needed to stop losing at Sabacc and maybe he’d actually be able to keep the credits he made and finally pay back Jabba for that loan he’d begged for a few years ago to buy new parts for the Falcon.)

With blaster in hand, Han reached up to the movable floor panel that was brushing the top of his hair and pushed it out of the way so they could get out while the getting was good.

Luke emerged, looking grateful to breathe fresher air. (Sometimes Han forgot that Chewie’s scent could be a little overwhelming in close quarters to those not used to it. He stifled a smirk.) Luke looked around them as well, double checking that the coast was clear. “Boy, it’s lucky you had these compartments,” he commented quietly as Kenobi also pushed his floor panel away.

Han did his level best not to let his gaze settle on Luke’s captivating face (The boy was like a magnet. It wasn’t fair!) as he explained, “Use them for smuggling. Never thought I’d be smuggling myself.” Luke shot him an amused look before he checked on Kenobi to make sure the old man was doing all right. (Wasn’t that sweet?) To help distract said old man, whom, Han was sure, was looking at him with judgement in his faded blue/grey eyes (more Force poodoo?), he said, “This is ridiculous. Even if I could take off, I’ll never get passed the tractor beam.”

Kenobi gave him a knowing look, clearly and silently saying his distraction was about as successful as their currently trapped situation was, and then his mouth flicked up in a hint of a smirk. “Leave that to me. You two go rescue the princess and her parents.”

Han all but groaned. Why does the old geezer think he can disable the tractor beam all on his own? “Damn fool. I knew you were going to say that. At least take the droids with you.”

Kenobi frowned down the corridor towards another secret compartment where the gold menace and his astromech companion had been turned off and stashed. “Hmmm. I think not. I’ll be just fine on my own, thank you.” To be honest, Han didn’t blame him for turning down Threepio’s help. The R2 unit surely could have been useful, though. “And as for being a fool...” Kenobi added with a perfectly straight and serene expression on his bearded face. “Who’s the more foolish? The fool or the fool who follows him?”

Han blinked, instantly stumped, as Chewie finally managed to finagle his long body out of the crawl space and pop his head up above floor level. Of course his wonderful, loyal, pain-in-the-ass best friend had an instant answer. “Meeeeeee,” he rumbled, sure as anything and sounding incredibly woebegone about it, implying that Han was the fool and the he was the fool stuck following him.

Luke snigg*red under his breath, having already demonstrated that he understood an impressive amount of Shyriiwook for someone who’d never left the hot dustball known as Tatooine... where Wookiees rarely venture for obvious reasons.

Kenobi sent Chewie a commiserating look.

And Han... Well. Kicking his friend in the head (gently, honest!) right in front of an old Jedi monk just didn’t seem like the thing to do, so he petted the giant furball on the head instead, knowing how much Chewie hated being treated like a tooka.

He received a subtle growl for his actions that only made Han grin as he pushed himself up to his feet. Against his better judgement, because he couldn’t help the urge to touch Luke in any fashion that he could get away with, Han reached down and offered his hand to the boy to help him to his feet as well.

Luke stared at his hand in clear surprise for a moment, flicked his gaze up to Han’s, and then with a nearly hidden smile of delight, he accepted it and let Han pull him up. Han swore his palm tingled where Luke’s calloused-but-elegant fingers touched it.

At that moment, two men in grey tech uniforms walked in to the Falcon carrying a crate filled with scanning equipment. The men, Han, and Luke (only halfway to properly standing) all froze, gawking at each other. Chewie managed to turn his head and shoulders around enough to see what was going on. And Kenobi – it had to be Kenobi because he was the only one left that Han couldn’t see – sent the two Imps flying into the walls with his mystical Force powers, causing a few crashes and bangs as they were flung away from the crate and sent slumping unconscious to the floor.

Han and Luke both swivelled their heads to gawk at Kenobi instead for a second – the old man still looked cool as can be from his seated position on the floor, but his eyes were definitely twinkling – and then Han realized that the crashes had to have been heard from outside. Where there were undoubtedly guards or at least other people hanging out in the hanger bay. Kark!

Thinking fast, because he was good at that when it really counted, he called out, “Hey down there! Can you give us a hand with this?!” as if the crashes were simply idiots who’d tripped on something and dropped the crate that should have been attached to an anti-grave unit. At the same time, he yanked Luke the rest of the way up to standing all while aiming with his blaster at the top of the ramp, flicking it to stun instead of kill with his thumb. (Didn’t want any unexplainable marks or gross stains on the armour if he was going to have wear it while embarking on this ridiculous rescue mission.)

Luke nearly collided with him, but caught himself in time to not ruin Han’s aim as he shot the two stormtroopers that had answered his call. The troopers dropped to the floor like limp sacs of plastoid and Han grinned at Luke who was now gawking at him instead. Han shrugged, reluctantly letting go of Luke's hand because he had to. “Disguises.”

The boy snapped his mouth shut and then he was grinning back, making Han’s stupid heart flutter. “Nice.”

“Thought so.” If Han felt excessively proud of himself in that moment, could anyone really blame him?

“What about me?” Chewie rumbled as he heaved his body out of the hole in the floor.

“You can guard the ship. Make sure no one finds the droids. They’re very important,” Kenobi said before Han could come up with an answer that wouldn't leave his friend feeling left out. The old Jedi was also standing, but Han had never seen him do so, making him wonder how long he’d gotten lost in Luke’s gorgeous blue eyes as he preened like a brainless bird for the boy.

Chewie rumbled his agreement just as a tinny sounding echo came from one of the unconscious trooper’s helmets, making Han and Luke startle. Kenobi levelled a serious look at them as he passed them in a rush, and then called back over his shoulder, “And you two better get changed and get going. I’ll take care of the men in the watch tower so they think that everything is fine down here.” And with a flare of brown robes, Kenobi was gone down the ramp, quick as a graceful shadow and completely belying his aged appearance.

“How’s he going to do that?” Han asked as he knelt down and started stripping the armour off of the slightly taller trooper. Luke followed his example with his own trooper, shrugging.

Chewie answered in an amused rumble. “Jedi. Mind control powers. Don’t you know anything?”

“Considering that I’ve always believed the rumours of mystical monks with powers to be a load of bantha poodoo, apparently not.”

Chewie huffed, leaning back against the wall. “The stories I know are true. Worked with the Jedi more than once in my time. Even been to the Coruscant Temple.”

Han glanced up as he was tugging off a white boot that he sincerely hoped would fit (it looked a size too small, but maybe he was wrong). “No way.”

“Way,” Chewie grinned through his rumbled word. “Favourite was a feisty little Togruta girl called Ahsoka who saved me from being hunted by Trandoshians like prey. She had also been captured and was leading a small band of other young Jedi. We fought the Hunters and won. Returned with her to the Jedi Temple for a two-day. Always wondered what happened to her after the Clone Wars ended and the Jedi were hunted by all. I hope she made it,” Chewie ended on a wistful, growling note that damn near made Han tear up.

“My father was a Jedi who fought in the Clone Wars,” Luke piped up, finished stripping his trooper down to the poor victim’s black boxers and socks and was now working on his own beige tunic, pulling it off his arms and tossing it near Chewie’s feet.

Han forgot how to breathe for a moment as his gaze locked on a lean-but-powerful chest and ab muscles defined by the thin, sleeveless, white undershirt Luke was wearing. His arms were no joke either. Kark. Farm Boy’s been working! Thank frag Lando’s not here! And stars, now he’s stripping off his trousers too!

By some act of will power that should have earned him a medal or something, Han managed to turn his head away before he saw more than a glimpse of white boxers and started on his own disrobing, tossing his belt and holsters to Chewie for safekeeping.

Meanwhile, Chewie and Luke had still been conversing, talking about Jedi as though it was the most fascinating thing in the galaxy. (Han honestly couldn’t care less about the monk wizards, not even Kenobi’s demonstration of telekinetic powers doing much to change his mind. But... it was information about Luke, so he endeavoured to pay attention.)

“Really?” Chewie had responded to Luke’s statement while Han was all but drooling over Luke’s fit body that definitely didn't look boy-like.

“Really,” Luke confirmed. “Ben said he served with my father during the Wars.”

“I thought the old man smelt familiar,” Chewie rumbled, smiling to himself. “I have met him before. I’m now sure he was the Grandmaster of Ahsoka. And... her Master’s name was Skywalker.”

Han had to see how the boy took that shocker of a revelation, allowing himself to look at him again. Luke was frozen with three limbs in the form-fitting black bodysuit and one sinewy bare arm hanging out, staring at Chewie with wide eyes. (Han did more repressed drooling, beyond glad that no one was looking at him right now.) “Holy kark! You knew my father!”

Chewie shrugged, Han’s blaster belt now slung over his wide shoulder. “Briefly. Two-day went by fast and only saw Skywalker at a couple of communal meals. He did seem very nice. Thanked me profusely for looking after his Padawan. Looked a lot like you, actually. Taller, though.”

Luke looked like he was going to faint.

Or throw himself at Chewie and hug him really hard.

Instead, he sucked in a breath and continued dressing twice as fast as he had been, hands moving in a near blur as he attached armour to himself. Han forced himself to do the same, praying for his uncontrollable erection to go away before he had to squash it behind an unforgiving cod plate. (It didn’t.)

“Stars. I can’t believe how small the galaxy is sometimes,” Luke said a little breathlessly. (Han wanted to make him breathless with his own mouth. So badly.) “What are the odds I’d run into one of the only Wookiees who’d met my father?”

Chewie laughed. “Pretty good, apparently, little Skywalker.”

Kark, how was it possible that Luke became even cuter when he blushed?

Han seriously needed his head examined.

It’s not like he was opposed to being attracted to another male – it did happen occasionally, even if he usually went after females for a good dose of fun – but Luke, despite his built body, was practically still a naïve little kid with zero life experience. (He hadn’t even seen hyperspace before!) He made Han feel horribly ancient in comparison, and that made him feel like an utter pervert to be lusting after the boy.

Which was why he was perfectly happy to shove an uncomfortable helmet on his head and pick up the E-11 blaster rifle that came with the outfit as an answer when the boy asked if he ready – at least now he could hardly see anything, lest of all the walking temptation known as Luke Skywalker.

Scratch that, he could still see enough to know that even in stormtrooper armour a size too big for him, Luke still managed to look sexy as hell. As he followed the boy down the ramp of the Falcon, his eyes seemed to have gotten glued to the butt plate of Luke’s armour, wondering how in the galaxy something that rigid and unflattering could look attractive right now.

Stars help me, I’ve officially lost it.

To help preserve some small iota of his sanity, Han quickened his step in his very uncomfortable, too-small boots and determinedly ignored the even more uncomfortable mashing of his genitals so he was walking beside Luke instead of behind him as they made their way through the hangar as if they knew exactly where they were going. Which begged the question, “Uh, kid, do you even know where you’re headed?”

Luke turned his helmet towards him for a moment, and somehow Han just knew the boy was grinning at him underneath it. He shrugged slightly. “Not exactly, but Ben has been telling me over and over to trust my instincts, so that’s what I’m doing.”

“Frag me,” Han groaned to himself.

They were soooooo going to get lost on this colossal sized space station and never find their way back to Chewie and his precious ship again.

He was definitely the most foolish one.

Chapter 18: Trials (part 2):

Chapter Text

Trials (part 2):

Ezra had known, more or less, that he’d end up a Mandalorian in some fashion once he married Sabine, but it had never dawned on him that he’d have to become one before.

It really should have.

Not that that would have changed his mind or anything – marrying Sabine was worth any sort of trial or inconvenience.

And so far, the tests didn’t seem that ridiculous. Mandos were all tough bastards, so it made perfect sense that the first requirement was one of fortitude and wit.

Not that it made it any less awful that he had to do this in the snow, though. Uggghh.

Why the hells does Sabine have to come from a winter planet?

I can take cold. I’ve been cold lots of times. But this kriffing white stuff is just a pain in my ass. Or legs, as the case may be. Force, why does it have to be so deep?

Since Ezra had been trudging through snow deeper than his knees for a while now, he had every right to complain about the burning in his muscles unused to the activity.

And here I thought I was in good shape.

Not.

Karabast.

As he grumbled to himself, Ezra had been traversing the edge of the lake, looking for a decent place to huddle in for the night while still keeping the Wren Stronghold in sight. (Having no wish to get himself cold and lost, thank you very much.)

The grey light of early evening illuminated the surrounding forest in varying degrees of shadows, making his search harder, but after maybe half an hour of searching (and trudging and grumbling) Ezra finally spotted a fallen tree whose upended roots had made a natural little cave. The ground was bare underneath and everything, showing a dense bed of old leaves and evergreen needles that had blown in.

It looked downright comfortable at this point.

And he’d definitely slept in worse places back in the day.

Grinning at his find, Ezra turned his attention to filling in the front of the small enclosure with something so that his body heat could potentially stay trapped within and keep him warm, knowing that it would likely fall to -20 Centigrade overnight. That something ended up being the branches of a dying evergreen tree, whose needles were about halfway to turning orange but had not yet fallen off. The boughs were still difficult to snap off, but not as hard as a healthy tree would have been.

Once he’d propped the fluffy (but very sharp and pokey) branches around the open part of his new shelter in a thick wall (leaving room for him to slip through on one side), propping the ends in the snow and winding the tips through the roots above, Ezra then packed more snow over the branches to fill in any cracks. Handling the evil, crystallized stuff made his hands ache with cold, and he was really wishing for more water-proof gloves at the moment, but he knew it would be worth it in the long-run.

Next, he made a small door out of more branches that he could prop up in the remaining opening, intertwining the smaller twigs to hold it all together and then winding his belt through it for good measure.

The last thing he did was take the removable hood off the waterproof (and thankfully very large) cloak and fill it with the cleanest snow he could find. He used the draw strings to pull it as tightly closed as possible, and then tucked the pouch of snow between his jacket and shirt to melt into water for himself.

Once all of that was done, his body was plenty warm – nearly sweating, in fact - and in complete contradiction to his wet trousers and freezing hands. But Ezra was proud of what he’d accomplished.

Before crawling into his new home for the next twenty-something hours, Ezra looked back across the lake towards the Stronghold. He didn’t have to stretch his senses at all to feel Sabine looking back in his direction, undoubtedly watching the show he’d provided through the zoom feature on her helmet, making him smile to himself. He figured it was safe enough to send her a little burst of love down their bond, positive there was no way that could break the ‘no Force’ rule since it had nothing to do his endurance test.

And what Ursa doesn’t know…

Sabine’s worried presence brightened considerably at the gesture, and he really wanted to wave at her, but that might be too obvious a use of his abilities, so instead, Ezra turned and gave a cheeky salute to the unlucky Wren warrior who’d been chosen to follow Ezra out into the snow.

The grey and gold covered man, almost completely hidden behind a tree a few hundred metres away startled slightly and then stiffened, clearly not expecting to have been found out in his spying. Ezra smirked to himself as he ducked into his shelter, dragging the door closed after him, imagining the report already. ‘The kriffing Jetti brat spotted me, Countess! What do I do now?’

Ezra laughed quietly to himself. He didn’t have to be a Jedi to know when he was being followed. That particular skill had been developed from an early age on the streets and had nothing to do with the Force, just an innate sense of possible danger that any good little street rat learned for the sake of survival and self-preservation.

All closed in, the tree root cave was nearly lightless and smelled of earth and cold moisture. It wasn’t unpleasant. Nor was he scared of the dark. In fact, he’d have no problem sleeping away the majority of his test if he felt like it. His stomach might rumble a time or two near the end, but even the lack of food didn’t concern him much, having gone hungry more often than not between the ages of seven and fourteen. And even after he’d joined the Ghost crew, food hadn’t always been in abundance due to lack of credits. Hera and Kanan had done their best to provide their family with as much sustenance as possible, often pretending that they weren’t hungry so Zeb and the younger members could eat, but Ezra had seen right through that almost immediately and called them on it whenever he could. Sabine had also learned through hard times how to make food last as long as possible, so the four of them eventually came to an agreement to share equally, while making sure that Zeb got enough dietary fuel to keep his much larger frame strong and healthy. (As their muscle guy, no one begrudged him the extra rations.)

Thinking about food made Ezra groan a little though, because he’d been essentially dragged away from his dinner… which had been particularly good and far above the fare usually offered to the rebels on Yavin 4. (He might be able to tolerate hunger more than most, but that didn’t mean he didn’t covet the good food when it appeared.)

At least I have a distraction in the form of the data pad Ursa gave me, Ezra thought as he curled up on the ground, snuggling under the large cloak, his boots and gloves now off and hopefully drying to some degree. With access to the holonet and a lot of free time, Ezra had no doubt that he could put a sizeable dent in learning Mando’a to impress the Countess and her clan with. Okay, and Sabine too, he added to himself with a little smile, imagining his beloved’s pleased reaction to hearing him speak her language fluently.

Or at least, not pathetically.

Hopefully.

With resolve in his heart to nail at least the learning of the Mandalorian creed known as the Resol’nare, Ezra turned on the data pad, blinking at the glow as his eyes adjusted to seeing bright light again.

Once he was able to focus, he grutned a little in surprise to see a message on the screen.

Babe! I have news! Text me back!

Ezra shook his head fondly as he smiled and typed back, I’m here. Because, of course Sabine figured out how to slice into his data pad, brilliant genius that she is. And nothing like a little command from her mother would stop her from talking to him somehow if she wanted to - as she’d proved years ago when Sabine first reunited with her clan and spent all those months secretly texting and holo-comming Ezra and her Ghost family against her mother’s wishes.

Thank kriff! I was worried you’d go straight to sleep first after all that exercise.

Ezra huffed to himself, rolling his eyes. It wasn’t that hard.

Liar. You know you wanted to die after walking in the snow for half an hour.

All right. He had to give her that one. Fine. Maybe not die, but it certainly sucked.

Hah!

Don’t rub it in.

Sorry, babe. (Heart)

Forgiven. (Heart eyes.)

You’re doing great, by the way. Everyone is impressed with your shelter. We all watched the live feed from Caden’s bucket like it was the best movie ever.

Ezra felt his face heat with pleasure at the praise. Thanks. But as much as he’d rather just chat lovey dovey nonsense with her for the next twenty hours, Ezra couldn’t help but remember the feel of the urgency to her first message. You said you had news?

Oh! Right! They’re pretty sure what knocked you out was the destruction of Alderaan.

Ezra gasped. Kriff! That’s bad! Leia’s homeworld! Oh, Force. Bail Organa! Didn’t he just return home yesterday?

Yes. He and everyone else on planet are presumed dead. And Leia is still captured as far as we know.

Frag. The sorrow of all those lost lives hit Ezra hard, forcing him to have to breathe deeply to regain his composure.

There’s something else.

A feeling of dread settled in his chest as the words popped up on his screen. What?

Kanan was knocked out to by the Force thing too and he’s still unconscious. Hera is really worried.

Double frag.

Exactly. Can you do your bond thing and get him to wake up?

Ezra tried to laugh at ‘bond thing’ but it came out sounding way too much like a sob. I’ll see what I can do. I’ll let you know if it works.

Love you, babe. Good luck.

Love you more, Sabie. Talk to you soon.

(Heart)

Feeling despairing, hopeful, and determined all in one, Ezra turned off the data pad to save the battery and then closed his eyes for what would most likely be the most important meditation session of his entire life.

As much as it ached, he could still feel the gaping hole in the Force where millions of lives used to be. The all-encompassing entity was hurting badly and still spreading its pain throughout the galaxy. Reaching for his connection to Kanan, he found it, but weaker than he'd ever felt before even with the distances that they’d been separated in the past.

It felt like… just like with the lives lost… Kanan was falling into the black hole. And that just wasn’t acceptable.

With grim determination, Ezra mentally followed the bond with his Master into the darkness.

Kanan was walking endlessly in the dark, and he couldn't find his way out. Everywhere he looked, there was just more deep black shadows.

This was worse than when he'd first lost his sight. At least then he still had his other senses. This was just an empty nothingness. He lost all sense of time and place the longer he was stuck there.

Desperately trying to keep his spirits up, he thought of his beautiful, courageous Hera, and his Padawan, Ezra, who had become as close as a son to him, and the rest of his unorthodox family. He had so much to live for, so he was determined to keep trying to find his way out.

He tried to remember what had sent him here, but his failing memory drew a blank.

Maybe it was better this way. He had a feeling it had to be something truly horrific.

At least I still have my memories of Hera.

As he walked aimlessly in what was probably circles with no clear path to follow, he replayed every moment he had spent with her, from their first meeting on Gorse until the last moment on the Ghost. The last thing he remembered was of watching his beloved stroll away from him – admiring the seductive sway of her golden image in the Force.

His mind substituted in an older memory of her, where she was actually in living color and not just a Hera shaped Force signature. He remembered her beautiful emerald eyes, the perfect features on her delicately shaped face. His favourite shade of green all over the soft skin of her perfectly curved body. The patterns on her lekku.

Which reminded him of his wedding ring.

He gently rubbed a finger over the engravings. He had spent so many hours feeling those engravings after he had lost his sight - his last connection to Hera's pretty lekku patterns. He drew strength from the familiar gesture. I made it through that terrible phase of my life, I’ll get through this weirdness too.

Minutes or hours later, he was still walking with no particular direction in mind and starting to forget why he was walking. He was getting tired and everything was getting a little fuzzy around the edges. Even his memories of Hera. But then a small light approaching caught his attention, causing the lost Jedi to freeze in place.

The light grew bigger and bigger. His heart filled with hope. Maybe I can get out of here after all!

Kanan’s eyes widened in shock as the golden light slowly morphed into a grown up version of his Padawan that he had never actually seen in full colour before. "Ezra?" His hair was really short, he was so much taller than he remembered, he'd filled out a bit, the scars on his cheek had faded, and he walked with a calm confidence he’d never had before. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Kanan knew all these things about Ezra as he was now, but he was so befuddled from wandering, he had actually forgotten. He had been relying on his memory of Ezra as he was before losing his sight, as that was the way he pictured him in his mind automatically.

This new Ezra was a bit of a shock, if a welcome one.

He had to touch him to make sure he was real.

Ezra rolled his eyes at Kanan as he was hugged much harder than necessary, but he didn’t really mind, just thankful he had actually found him. This pitch black hole Kanan was in was depressing as hell. At least Kanan looked fine, if a little confused. "Of course it's me, Master. Who else would follow you into this pit of despair?"

Kanan pulled back enough to look him up and down in a very obvious way, still hanging onto his shoulders. "But, but, I can see you!"

Ezra's eyes widened. "Really? That's great!" Now Ezra hugged Kanan, filled with joy for his Master, which he returned with interest. Stepping back before it got too awkward, Ezra posed cheekily with his hands on his hips. "So… what do you think? Am I grown up enough now?"

Kanan laughed at him. "No, you're still a brat." To which Ezra pouted jokingly. "I wonder why I can see you now?" the older man mused, tilting his head in confusion.

Ezra shrugged. "Probably because we are so deep in the Force, we are literally inside it as opposed to just being connected to it like we normally are. That’s my guess anyway."

"What? Where are we?” Kanan looked around as if the darkness would provide answers. “I don't remember much. I feel like I've been wandering in here for days."

Ezra shook his head sadly. "It hasn't been days, only a couple hours. You really don't remember the shockwave of fear and death?"

At Ezra's words, Kanan’s eyes widened and then he fell to his knees, crying out in anguish. Through their bond, Ezra could see Kanan’s memories reappear in his mind. The exploding star cluster. Saving Hera and the Ghost. The misery of billions of people dying and how it had ripped a hole in the Force. How Kanan's open connection to the Force and his exhaustion had dragged him down into the hole. He looked up at Ezra, the weight of the death of a whole planet reflected in his face, slumped shoulders, and tone as he forlornly said, "Why did you follow me here? Now you will be stuck too."

Ezra pulled Kanan up onto his feet. "I came because you needed me. I know you would do the same for me. I believe we will get out. And I don't think it is so much a matter of getting out as repairing the hole we are in."

"Correct you are, young one." Kanan and Ezra spun to see Master Yoda limping up to them, leaning heavily on his walking stick, with, believe it or not, Ahsoka and Darth Vader following behind him. They had been so focused on each other, they hadn't noticed the new Force presences approaching. "Fix the tear in the Force we must."

"What the kriff!" Ezra and Kanan said together, glancing at each other and then gawking again at the improbable trio who came to a stop in front of them.

“Ahsoka?” Ezra asked. He hadn’t seen her since they parted in the World between Worlds. He’d been worried that she’d gotten lost all this time. But she looked exactly the same and quite healthy, so that was good.

“With Vader?” Kanan continued. A Darth Vader who didn’t feel like a winter storm for once. (A small hurricane, perhaps, but at least not freezing cold.)

The Togrutan shrugged, a smile twitching at the corner of her mouth. “I saved him. He saved me. I saved him again. It’s a little complicated. But the short version is that he’s more Anakin Skywalker again than Darth Vader and back on our side and that’s all that matters.”

Kanan raised a skeptical eyebrow at Master Yoda. “If you trust him…”

The ancient Master nodded. “I do. Returned to mend his wrongs Skywalker has. With this one we will start.”

Vader/Skywalker huffed. “Not like I had much choice. You projected yourself into my Tie Fighter while we were in hyperspace, hit me in the knee with your stick and said, ‘Meditate. Now. Your power you will use for good for once!’ And then Snips agreed and here we are.”

Ezra looked at Ahsoka and the smug expression she was wearing and had to work really hard not to burst into (probably uncontrollable) laughter. “Only you could work such miracles with Vader.”

Ahsoka smirked wider. “What can I say? My Master has always been a sucker for my big puppy eyes.”

“Too true,” Vader grumbled, crossing his arms over his chestplate and looking like a massive, sulking child. “And you got us in so much trouble because I had zero ability to say no to you.”

Ahsoka glanced at Yoda, mirth in her eyes. “I believe that’s how our lineage has always worked, has it not? Masters running after their Padawans with unheard ‘No’s!’ floating in the air between them?”

“Unfortunately, yes.”

Kanan was outright chuckling. And even Yoda was snickering at this point. Ezra felt it was safe enough to laugh a little as well without dire consequences raining down on his head. (Like Vader's wrath.)

But then Yoda smacked Vader and everyone else in the shins with his stick with no warning and everyone instantly sobered. “Enough silliness. Heal the Force we must. Sit.”

And because he said so (along with the fact that they all now had stinging shins except for maybe Vader) they all quickly sank into a kneeling pose in a circle formation.

“Just one quick question,” Kanan said once they were all settled.

“Yes, Caleb?” Yoda asked, looking at Kanan with a tilt to his head.

Kanan startled a little at his original name, but then forged on. “I was just wondering, why can I see everyone in this place?

“Hmmmmmm.” Yoda narrowed his glowing green eyes. “Deep in the Force we are. Projections of ourselves we are. All mental this is.”

“Do you think… That I could see in real life as well?” Kanan asked tentatively. “It’s just… I made a promise to Hera…”

Ahsoka looked like she wanted to say something, but Yoda spoke first. “Through the power of the Force, possible all things are, young Caleb. Have faith and you will see again.”

Kanan nodded, relief radiating from him. “Thank you, Master.”

Silence reigned for a couple seconds, which Ezra decided to break. "So what do we do now?"

"Concentrate. Feel the tear. Find the edge and towards you pull. Think heal and safe and calm," Yoda said matter-of-factly, as if this was just an everyday training exercise.

Ezra concentrated. He had felt the tear from the outside. He should be able to find it from the inside as well.

It ended being more slippery than one would think, and the hole felt like it was still trying to expand, but eventually Ezra got a good mental grip on an edge and started pulling it towards their group in small increments, not wanting to shock the Force anymore than necessary – it was already in so much pain. He mentally urged the Force to think about healing itself, also making him absently wonder if it really was possible to heal their own bodies in the same way.

When they had the tear down to just a small hole surrounding their projected forms, Yoda opened his eyes and caught everyone’s attention. "Go. Finish I will. Done well you have, young ones."

And with a push from his mind that Ezra felt like a not so gentle hug, Yoda sent them all back to their bodies.

Smiling to himself, the ancient being finished healing the hole in the Force, then drifted in the restored Light, looking for something else to occupy his mind.

His swamp on Dagobah was a fruitful but boring place, after all.

Hmmmmm. What is my Great-Grandpadawan doing now?

Causing more chaos I see.

How fun.

Chapter 19: Trapped (part 2)

Chapter Text

Trapped (part 2):

Trust your feelings. The Force doesn’t lie.

Ben Kenobi’s words were on repeat in Luke’s mind as he followed the tug of what felt like an invisible rope through the moon-sized Imperial battle station in search of Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan. (He’d asked Ben who the hologram R2-D2 had played was of on the trip to Mos Eisley.)

Ironically, Luke had been doing exactly that his whole life; trusting his instincts, that is.

For as long as he could remember, he’d always been able to sense how people were feeling and if they were lying to him. He’d also been able to understand any of the many languages that showed up on Tatooine almost immediately, even if he’d never heard it before. It was a life-saving skill set that Aunt Beru had encouraged him to hide for his own safety. She'd never really explained why, though. After spending the last day with Old Ben, soaking up as much knowledge as he could, he now knew that was because he had unusually strong empathic and telepathic abilities thanks to his connection to the Force. Powers that would get him hunted if discovered.

Ben said his father had been the same. That Anakin Skywalker had been the most naturally gifted Force Sensitive the Order had ever seen. That teaching Anakin to use his abilities had been more about guiding him in how to use them correctly and ethically as opposed to developing them in the first place. That teaching Luke would be even easier because Luke was significantly more emotionally stable then Anakin had been at nine years old.

Luke had mixed feelings about that.

Of course he was ecstatic to find out that he was like his father. But on the other hand, quite a lot of resentment was brewing towards his uncle for preventing Ben from training Luke in his Force abilities years ago. Anakin got to be a Jedi that helped the galaxy through all of his teenage years. He was a general in a galactic war by the time he was twenty. His father had been everything that Luke had dreamed of being. Mainly, a hero. Luke could have been helping people all this time, doing things like rescuing slaves from cruel masters. He could have been so much more than a simple moisture farmer. He could have been the Hero of Tatooine

But Uncle Owen was dead now. Burnt to a crisp. And Luke had no one to vent his anger on. So he chose to push it away and into the Force, the way Ben had showed him to do when he received his first ever lesson on meditation only a handful of days before his nineteenth birthday.

It kind of helped.

What helped even more was to focus on Han's emotions.

They were entertaining, to say the least.

The handsome smuggler was grumbling to himself very loudly in his head about how uncomfortable he was in the stormtrooper armour. (It didn't fit Luke very well either, but too big was probably less painful than too small.) He was also harbouring a great deal of skepticism about following Luke into the depths of the battle station. And he was worried about Chewie and his ship, which was certainly understandable. But best of all, when he wasn't concentrating on any of the other things, Han's emotions were hovering back and forth between desire for Luke and self-flagellation for it.

Luke had had a couple of crushes before, but nothing had ever come close to how attracted and drawn he was to the older man. It was like Han was a magnet he couldn’t resist. Or a gravity well that Luke was more than happy to be sucked into. He knew Han had lived and experienced at least a decade more than himself, but somehow, that only made Han more attractive and irresistible.

As someone who'd never done more than casually make out with another person, the idea of having a lover who knew what they were doing was a very big plus in Luke's mind.

And despite his co*cksure attitude, it was nice to see to see that Han had a conscience about possibly hooking up with a much younger man.

Luke felt compelled to kiss him for it as a reward. Hopefully soon.

And in any place Han wanted.

The images that flashed through his mind – him on his knees… his mouth on Han’s strong neck… his back against a wall and his legs wrapped around his narrow waist as Han kissed him senseless – were all almost staggering in their realism.

Stars, he was getting too hot and bothered, considering the armour and bodysuit he was currently enveloped in. Not to mention their current situation of marching through scores of the enemy.

Maybe focusing on Han's emotions was a bad idea.

Fortunately, he had something else to catch his attention. And it was rather urgent.

"Han," he said as the elevator they were on took them downwards to an as yet unknown floor.

"Yeah?"

"We have to hurry. I feel someone's distress and anger. I think it's the Princess."

"How can you know that?"

Luke shrugged. "Force thing, I guess. I just know stuff." The elevator came to a stop. Luke concentrated on the tug and pressed a button for twenty more levels down.

"Hunh." Han stared at the control panel for a second. Then his helmet turned to look at Luke, the black visor seeming especially intense. "Like how you can understand Chewie when I bet you've never seen a Wookiee before?"

"Yeah, like that. But I have met another Wookiee. Called Black Krrsantan. Works for the Hutts. Fixed a speeder bike for him once. Interesting fellow."

Han visibly flinched.

"You know him too, I see," Luke chuckled.

"Yeah. If I didn't have Chewie to save my ass, I'd have been short an arm and hanging on someone's wall right now. Probably Jabba’s, but there’s a list. I’m a popular guy."

"That's a story you'll have to tell me later," Luke said as the elevator stopped again. Nope. Not quite there. He pushed the button for the next floor down.

"Sure." Han said, rather skeptically, reluctant to paint himself any further in an unflattering light.

Luke smiled to himself. He was so cute.

The elevator stopped again. Luke knew they were finally in the right place. The doors opened. Luke looked down the cold grey corridor in the direction the tug of Force was pulling him. There were two guards standing at a door nearby.

And the now practically screaming emotions from someone within had Luke basically hurtling down the hallway.

"Wai..." Han tried to say as he reached for Luke's arm to stop him, but Luke was too quick and too slippery in the plastoid armour. "Luke!" Han admonished rushing after him.

Luke ignored him. Leia (at least, he assumed it was Leia) was crying for help into the Force. And there was someone with her that felt malicious and evil. Nothing was stopping him from getting in that door.

Not even the two guards. Luke stunned them with his appropriated blaster before they could do more than look at him in surprise.

They slumped to the ground with echoing thumps.

Han was gawking at him, which normally would have had Luke blushing and preening, but Luke still wasn't giving the other man more than a fraction of his attention. He smacked the button to open the door, but only received an angry red beep in response.

"Locked. Kriff."

"Allow me," Han said just before he shot the control panel. Sparks erupted and the door opened enough to get his hands in the crack. Luke pushed the reluctant door open the rest of the way with a strength he didn't know he had, instinctively calling on his blossoming connection to the Force.

What he saw when he looked inside the luxurious cabin was a skeletal old man glaring at the door in surprise, one hand locked around a tiny brunette girl's struggling wrists, her back to his chest, and his other hand in the process of pulling up her white dress (the same one as in the hologram), revealing her bare thighs and tall white boots.

“Let her go!” Han growled from beside Luke, raising his blaster warningly.

Before Luke or Han could move to help further than that, Leia used the Imperial officer's moment of inattention and his own grip on her wrists to bend forward and flip him over her shoulder. The pervy old Imp landed with a surprised 'oof'. She followed him down, knees on his stomach, and smashed her palm into his nose, snapping his head back and causing an explosion of blood that stained her white dress. She then reached up and pulled out the hidden pins that held her hair up in two intricate side buns. Long and lethally sharp, she drove the thick pins right into his chest where the Human heart was. The man gasped, his body arching at the pain and then wheezing as she pulled out the pins and dropped them on the floor in revulsion. A red stain stated to spread on his white uniform instantly.

"That's for Alderaan, you fragging sick sleemo," she snarled as she rose to her feet, kicking the dying man once for good measure. If she wasn't a princess, Luke was pretty sure she would have spit on him too.

Luke was in awe.

And Han was in lust.

Which Luke couldn't really begrudge him for. It's not like they'd had more than a five second conversation so far about their own possible relationship. And Leia was magnificent in her fury, no question.

Luke was inexplicably drawn to her, but not in a sexual way, which was kind of surprising, considering Luke had never had a real preference between genders to be attracted to. Maybe it was because he'd already found Han and that was all he needed.

The blood-splattered princess turned to look at them, her chest still heaving in her ruined white dress, long hair in a braid on either side and starting to come loose from her recent, uhhhh, activities. She wiped her hands on the sides of her dress and then held them out mockingly. "Well, come lock me up again. With my parents, preferably."

"Oh," Luke laughed, pulling off his helmet with one hand. "We're not here to capture you. We're here to rescue you."

Leia raised a skeptical eyebrow as she walked closer and looked him up and down, then glanced at Han, who seemed to be stuck in statue mode, blaster still raised at no one. She huffed in amusem*nt. "If you say so, Shorty."

Luke rose to his full height and looked down at one of the smallest adult Human females he'd ever seen with a superior smirk. "Like you can talk."

She rolled her eyes at him and then walked past him and out the door, barely glancing at the unconscious troopers on the durasteel floor. Luke and Han followed, the later finally jolting into motion. "So, who are you anyway?" she asked as she aimed for the same elevator they'd come out of only minutes ago. "I don't recognize you as one of my agents, and I thought I knew them all."

He raised an impressed eyebrow at the implication that she ran the Rebellion spy network. "I'm Luke Skywalker and this is Han Solo, our pilot," he said as the elevator started rising. "We came with Ben Kenobi."

Her eyes widened at the last name mentioned. "Ben," she breathed. "Thank the Force."

"You know him," Luke asked in surprise. Old Ben had stayed on Tatooine for years as far as he knew. And he doubted that a Princess had any reason to visit such a desolate and uninteresting planet.

"He saved me once. A long time ago." Her warm brown eyes were unseeing as memories flashed behind them. He caught a glimpse of a man in a bright orange shirt, a young woman in black armour and a cape, and a younger-than-present version of Ben, some copper still in his hair and despair in his blue/grey eyes with a blue lightsabre in his grasp. Luke had vague memories of Ben looking the same back when he was a child. Funny how time made him forget that Ben wasn't always grey headed.

"Oh. That's wizard. Ben's teaching me about the Force," he volunteered, feeling the need to impress her.

Her eyes shot to his, widening again as she focused on him with decidedly more real interest than before. "You're Force sensitive."

"Yes. And so are you, aren't you."

She sucked in a breath in alarm. "No one's supposed to know that. How did you know? Not even Vader was able to get past my shields."

"Wait, she is?" Han said, finally joining the conversation, helmet still laser-focused on her.

"Yes," Luke answered and then shrugged. "I just knew. It was something about how I could feel you. Like we're the same."

She stared at him, her eyes seeming to look into his very soul. He could practically feel her mind joining his and her mental touch skimming his aura in careful curiosity. She didn't even move when the elevator came to a stop. And then, after an endless minute, with a sucked in breath, she whispered, "Stars, we are the same. I've never felt that before. Not even with Ahsoka or Ezra or Kanan."

He perked up at the name Ahsoka, but the others, he had no idea who they were. It was easy to assume they were also Jedi like Ben, though. He’d have to ask later. When things were a little calmer. "That's weird."

"Definitely."

They were still staring at each other, heads tilted in the exact same way, conveying their confusion, when Han groaned. "No wonder I can't choose between the two of you. I've always had a thing for twins."

Luke and Leia both turned to gawk at Han in identical fashions.

"What?"

"We don't even look the same," Luke protested.

"Not in colouring, maybe," Han shrugged, pulling off his helmet and using it to gesture at them with. "But there's something about your faces and your attitudes and you look about the same age."

They looked at each other again, reassessing. Maybe he saw it. The line of their jaws. The shape of their lips and noses. Maybe in the set of their eyes. "How old are you?"

"Almost nineteen. You?"

He inhaled sharply, the air catching in his clenching lungs. "Same. When's your birthday?"

"Two days after Empire Day. Sooo… three days from now if I haven’t lost track of time too much."

Luke couldn't breathe. "Holy hells. Same."

Leia moved closer to him, radiating fearful hope. "Did you... Did you know your parents?"

He shook his head. "No. I was raised by my step-aunt and uncle. What about you? Did you know Anakin Skywalker?"

Tears welled in her eyes, but they never fell. She was too stubborn for that. (Her planet was just blown up and she’d almost just been raped. Leia was tougher than a krayt dragon in his opinion.) "Was that his name? I never knew. They never told me. Like it was a life and death secret. I... I was adopted. They told me my real mother's name. Eventually. But never my father's. Despite how much I love my adopted parents, sometimes I felt so alone. Like I was missing something."

Thrusting his helmet and blaster at Han to hold, Luke cupped her narrow shoulders soothingly, feeling her sorrow and old annoyance very clearly. There was no doubt in his mind that this was sister. It just felt... right. He could sense that she felt it too. And he knew what she meant about missing something. He felt whole in her presence. Like all the pieces of his destiny were finally coming together. "Hey. At least we have each other now."

The dawning smile she gave him made him grin stupidly in return. "The Empire better run and hide," she teased, patting his cheek fondly. "Two tiny Force sensitive Humans are about to kick some ass."

Luke laughed and frowned at the same time. "I'm not that small!"

"Yes, you are," Han said, a hint of husky desire in his tone that had the twins looking at him with the same shock of interested awareness.

Luke blinked it off as something to pick up again later. But Leia continued to run her gaze over the incredibly good looking pilot assessingly. (Was he going to end up in a three way relationship of sorts? That would be kriffing hot! Definitely something to explore later.) "Whatever. Small or not, I've only had, like, a day of training with the Force and a lightsabre, but at least I'm good with a blaster."

"I bet I'm better," his sister said with a smirk as she moved out of his gentle hold to snatch his blaster rifle right out of Han's loose grip.

"Hey!" Luke protested. "That's mine!"

"Not anymore." And by the steely look of determination in her eyes, Luke knew he'd regret it if he tried to take it back. Leia turned to the elevator door, blaster rifle at the ready in a confident grip. "Come on, Shortstuff, Flyboy. We've got some parents to rescue, and a galaxy to save from the Empire's newest toy."

Sounded like a good plan to him.