Contains spoilers for an episode of Star Wars Rebels, "The Fire Across the Galaxy."
The Fire Continues to Burn
"So what happens now?" Ezra asked the beautiful Togruta woman before him, Fulcrum.
"I don't know. One chapter has closed for you, Ezra Bridger. This is a new day. A new beginning," she finished.
There was then a pause, small but significant, between those gathered. Hera then started to introduce those Fulcrum, now known as Ahsoka Tano, hadn't yet met.
"Well, . . ."
"Hera, please, Ahsoka." Hera gave a slight nod at the recognition of equality.
"All right. Well, you know me and Kanan. You know Ezra now."
"Hello Ezra."
"Hello, um . . . um . . . "
"Good enough for one so usually articulate." There was some laughter as well as an embarrassed smile from Kanan. "Your broadcast was short but many heard it and took hope from it. Not only on Lothal but elsewhere. You were brave, Ezra, very brave."
"Well, it was Kanan's idea."
"Don't sell yourself short Ezra. Please. It also gave hope to Kanan and so, in essence Ezra, you had a part in saving Kanan."
"You mean, on top of breaking him loose from the cell, holding him up while escaping, letting him use my light saber, fighting the . . . ."
"We get the point Ezra," interrupted Kanan before his charge could get much further. Laughs were all around.
After recovering, Hera continued the introductions, "This is Sabine."
"More than you know, Sabine, enjoy your artwork, . . . and your light shows." Laughter again. The crew were enjoying finally meeting Fulcrum.
Hera continued, "This is Garazeb Orrelios, also known as 'Zeb'"
"Or our 'Bucket-head Smasher Extraordinaire,'" Zeb added.
After a smile, Fulcrum looked rather sad at Zeb. "Zeb, I heard what happened on Lasan. I'm sorry for your loss."
"That's why I'm here."
"Well, Zeb, a word of advice. Don't take your revenge so far that you lose focus. I've seen the damage that can do," Fulcrum ended contemplatively, yet very sadly.
There was a noise at the bottom of the ladder. "Mommy?" Everyone looked to the source of the voice.
Ahsoka broke out of her thoughts. "Oh, hi sweetie. Good timing. Come over here."
Then, a girl about Ezra's age with obvious Togruta markings and stature and beautiful, long brunette hair came down the ladder and towards the group. She was dressed, unlike her mother, similarly to the crew, except for the Togruta sash Shili females wear, in a shirt, pants and a short jacket with a lightsaber hanging from her belt. She looked at the crew of the Ghost.
"Honey, this is Hera, Kanan, Zeb, Sabine, and Ezra," Ahsoka introduced the crew. "Oh, and the little guy over there is Chopper. Everyone, this is Mina." The crew of the Ghost said their hellos. Ahsoka's daughter raised her hand in greeting.
Mina then said, "Daddy says to tell you that we're in a holding pattern since the fleet may come by to pick him up," while all the time glancing at Ezra. She then looked straight at Ezra and put on a worried look. Suddenly, she pulled out her comm link and spoke in a language the crew had not heard before—even Sabine. As she did so, her mother looked towards Ezra. Ezra looked to Sabine, who just shrugged her shoulders in reply.
Soon, a human man about the age of Ahsoka came down into the hold. As he came up to the crew, they didn't know him but could see that he was wearing what seemed to be a uniform. He was greying slightly at the temples and had a small, brown mustache. To Hera, he was quite handsome. Ahsoka moved close to him.
"Here you go, Mina."
"Thanks Dad." As Mina went to Ezra with the medkit, Hera then lifted her eyebrows to Ahsoka, asking with them for an introduction. Ahsoka was about to introduce him but exactly then, a small fleet of what seemed to be very old ships came out of hyperspace. Ahsoka had a sudden look of sadness at their appearance. Soon, a comm link speaker could be heard through the hold.
"Commodore Bonteri."
"Bonteri here," answered the man standing before the crew after giving the crew a nod of apology. After Commodore Bonteri answered the connection, the crew's eyes became bigger.
"Sir, Intel has located three Munificent-class ships in dormant orbit off Saleucamai."
"Very good. Is Colonel Gerrera's boarding crew supplied?"
"As best we can, sir." The Commodore had a look of, 'We take what we can get,' as he heard that.
"All right LT, I'll be there as soon as possible. Make ready for immediate hyperspace."
"Yes, sir. See you soon, sir."
"Maybe too soon," the Commodore responded quietly after shutting off the comm link. "You men can go to the shuttle. I'll be there presently." Then, the four soldiers left the hold and entered the Imperial Transport. The Commodore looked after them. "I would say 'Shinies,'" earning a smile from Ahsoka, "But we're all 'Shinies' in this." He then turned to look at the crew. As he did so, he saw his daughter Mina dressing the wounds on Ezra's face. She was close to the boy. Maybe too close. Her father noticeably scowled at that and Kanan, seeing that, started to get worried for the boy. Ahsoka, meanwhile, was smiling.
Ezra, however, didn't know what to do. For the first time in his life, here was a pretty girl, a very pretty girl, touching his face and with her own face very close to his. As Mina looked into her medkit to get something, Ezra took the chance to plead for help, "Kanan, she's, she's touching me."
"Once word of advice, Ezra," returned his master very quietly in Ezra's ear, "Relax." Kanan noticed that Ahsoka's smile got slightly bigger. 'Oh, oh,' he thought, 'She heard that.' Presently, Mina finished but her father didn't stop scowling. Ezra noticed it, gave one of his usual cocky smiles but was surprised that crossed arms and a glare from the eyes were added to the scowl. 'Those smiles usually work on the Ghost,' he thought, too young to know that they wouldn't work on a very protective father.
"Well, Daddy will be Daddy," broke in Ahsoka, "Everyone, this is my husband and Mina's father, Commodore Lux Bonteri of Onderon for the Republic Fleet. Fortunately he was around for this spur-of-the-moment rescue."
"E'vin," he retorted, "You forgot the 'nascent' part about the fleet. How do you do. Lux Bonteri. Call me 'Lux' or 'Terry,' as my friends and family do."
During this time, Senator Organa reappeared in holographic form.
"Good day, Senator," Commodore Bonteri said.
"Good to see you, Terry. I hear of some news about Saleucamai."
"Yes, sir. I was just going there." He and Ahsoka looked sad at that. "My shuttle is on the other side of the Imperial Transport."
"Good, good," was all the Senator responded.
Hera then introduced the crew to the Commodore. He shook hands with Hera, nodded to Kanan, looked sad at Zeb, frowned at Ezra and complimented Sabine on her artwork. When he was introduced to Chopper, the droid had his usual, sophisticated greeting.
" €+%#=." Hera especially rolled her eyes.
"Well," the Commodore laughed, "I have a deck sergeant whom you could be great friends with. Now that's interesting language, little man."
"#%+^*=$&," responded the droid.
The Commodore walked to Chopper and kneeled to the level of the droid. "I'm sorry. I wouldn't like it either. I meant to say, 'Little Big Man.' 'Little man, big heart.'" The droid seemed to bow a little at that. "Thanks for the call. There are too few Jedi as it is," he finished as he rose and looked seriously at his wife, Ahsoka. He also looked towards Kanan.
Zeb butted sardonically in, "Yes, and with more Jedi, we get to hear again such classics as, 'There is no try; do, or do not.'"
Hera added with mocked seriousness, "Or, 'To answer power with power, the Jedi way this is not.'"
Sabine came in similarly with, "Then there's, 'Adventure. Excitement. A Jedi craves not these things.'"
Senator Organa contributed, "But don't forget, 'Train yourself to let go of everything you fear to lose.'"
Lux Bonteri finished the playful banter with, "Or that timeless classic, 'You must unlearn what you have learned,'" but with a Yoda-like impersonation. Then a round of loud laughter erupted throughout the hold and Ahsoka lightly punched her husband on the upper arm. "We can only hope so, Zeb," added the Commodore. "The return of the Jedi is one we hope for in this, and many not with the Force have willingly paid their lives for." Ahsoka, Kanan, and Mina and Ezra looked sorrowful yet honored by these words. "But in the end, it is nothing grand, nothing exalted, that I fight for, just what I can hold in my arms," he finished looking towards his wife and only child.
"Well," said Ahsoka quietly to her husband, "I guess it's time for you to go."
"Yes, it seems that way." There was a deafening silence.
Mina, who had been standing close to the crew, came over to her father. In front of the crew and the Senator, she suddenly hugged him. "Come back, Daddy," was all she could say quietly. She then left to the upper deck of the Ghost, to the cockpit area.
"I'll be leaving as well," said Senator Organa. "Perhaps we'll be seeing each other again. May the Force be with you Ghost," as his hologram picture vanished.
"May the Force be with us all. Come on, crew, let's follow Mina," ordered Hera. All the crew then followed her up the ladder leaving Ahsoka and Lux alone to say their goodbyes. When they got above, they could see Mina sitting quietly aft of the cockpit, in the crew meeting area. The crew sat with her. The air was heavy for a time and after what seemed too short a time, but was actually longer, they could see a shuttle going away from the far side of the transport, headed towards one of the distant ships. A little after that, they could hear Ahsoka ascending the ladder. As she reached the deck, she silently made her way towards the empty cockpit, not yet occupied by the crew. Mina joined her but the crew did not. They could hear what seemed a sniffle, but seemingly lower in tone to be Mina. What they couldn't see was Ahsoka putting her hand on the glass, reaching out to her husband. (This was their special way of saying 'goodbye.') They also couldn't hear the silent prayer she sent out, 'Come back to me, my love. Come back.'
After the small fleet went into hyperspace, Mina scurried past the crew, glancing at Ezra, which was returned, back to the Imperial Transport. Fulcrum returned to crew. "I cannot give you details of how we assembled. I do not know if what we did was right, but it happened. We do not know what response we have chased up from this. Now they know we are more, and that we can be organized. They will send their best, their deadliest after us now. And if I know who that is, we'd better be on our guard. It is best for the Ghost to return to Lothal. But be wary. We may have brought out a powerful force too soon with this; but only time will tell."
"What should we do with the transport?" Hera asked Fulcrum.
"Well, I think there are two choices. You can sell it or . . . "
"Give to the cause?" Fulcrum only tilted her head.
Hera thought a bit. Then she relaxed a little, showing she had made a decision. "We can do that, but only on one condition." Fulcrum looked interested.
"Only if Sabine," said Hera, "How shall I say, 'spruces' it up—and, it stays that way."
Fulcrum was silent for a second. Then, "It's a deal!" Everyone laughed and Sabine was overjoyed for not only the chance to do her artwork on a big transport, but also that others out there could see what a great artist she is. Everyone was pretty happy with the deal.
Then, as she left to go to her daughter and had descended the ladder and was in the hold, Hera descended as well and came up to her alone.
"Ahsoka," she started quietly, "We ruined yours and Mina's reunion with your husband, didn't we? I am so sorry for that."
Ahsoka was silent for a while, as if she was tallying up the pros and cons of this cause. Then she looked at Hera, woman-to-woman. "That's all right," she consoled, "It was worth it, wouldn't you say?" with a glance towards the upper deck. Ahsoka gave Hera a knowing look. Ahsoka knew that her husband fought for nothing grand, nothing exalted; and she too, fought for the same—for just what she could hold in her arms.
"Thank you. Thank you so much," Hera responded emotionally. Fulcrum then left to the Imperial transport to go to Onderon where they could reassemble, Sabine could paint the transport, and then part ways. Hera had the feeling that she would not allow her or the crew to meet the others of the cause—but Fulcrum did say the protocol had changed.
While this conversation below decks was taking place, Kanan and Ezra were having their own talk, privately.
"Kanan, I'm so confused. I feel like I never have before."
"Mina?"
Ezra only nodded. Then, "What should I do?"
In training Ezra to become a Jedi, he came to realize that what he could teach Ezra did not stop there at all. "Ezra, there are many things that you will discover in this life. You have taken a big step. I am here for you, Ezra, that is, as long as they take their time sending in another Inquisitor." They both smiled at that. Ezra was leaning forward as he was sitting. Kanan put his hand on the boy's upper back. "I am here for you. I will help you become a Jedi. And Ezra," he paused, "I will help you to become, and what it means, to be a man." There was a long silence.
"Well, knowing guys, that shouldn't take long," said a tongue-in-cheek voice belonging to a pretty, light-green Twi'lek lady in a flight suit and goggles, "Not long at all."
— —
Thank you for reading this. With the appearance of Ahsoka, I hope the fans can get more Rebels fiction up. I certainly think Ahsoka has become quite a beautiful woman.
Now that Ahsoka has shown up, I wonder if Lux Bonteri will too. Will he be a stooge for the Empire? A Separatist Holdout (see Wookiepedia)? Or part of the Rebellion? Or . . . .? Since he fought for freedom on Onderon, it is likely he would do the same during the Empire. (I had an inter-Rebel Resolve and Fire in the Galaxy idea where he shows up on Lothal as the Vice-Chancellor or something high in the Empire, goes up to Kanan when he was in the torture chair, winks at him secretly, and then helps to rescue him {of course meeting up later with Ahsoka and their children}. That would make him a spy in the Empire. I wonder what will happen to him. {Of course, there's the typically Hollywood way of dealing with the unwanted—killing him off.})
I also hope, unlike the reviewer on The ForceNet, that Kanan and Hera can have a relationship. To me, banning attachments tries to override something too big for it to take effect completely—human nature. (Are the Jedi so superior to everyone else?)
With the appearance of Ahsoka here, it has, I imagine, changed some stories in planning on Fanfiction. I myself was in the midst of writing a continuation of the Oasis story. I'll get the first chapter up and see what you all think.
johnt
PS. Other than Mina, all characters are the property of Disney.
