People may be wondering why I'm posting something completely different when I've already got another story that's waiting on a final chapter. Rest assured, that is well on its way to completion and should be wrapped up in a few days.
Anyways, with Season 4's end well on its way I realised there were a few little story ideas I had for what I'd like to happen in the next few episodes. They're not particularly long or anything, nothing like my other story. I'll be surprised if this gets above 1 or 2 thousand words but we'll see. This is much more like the type of writing I was originally intending to do for my last fic before I got carried away in an unplanned multi-chapter story pushing on 40,000 words.
The Mid-Season trailer didn't give us much to go off of in terms of Ezra and Sabine... like at all. However, we got one little shot of Sabine using Ezra's lightsaber, presumably when he's away in the Temple. The shameless "shipper" that I am, my mind came up with some ideas of how that scene might go in a perfect world. So, I decided I'd write my version of how that scene goes. Obviously, it's going to be nothing like what actually happens and it's going to be weird to look back on this after the fact, but I couldn't resist. I also wanted it out before the real thing, so I'm doing it now while the inspiration is there.
So this has absolutely no link with my existing story and for all intents and purposes takes place in the normal timeline of the show, albeit in a few episodes time and some pretty major assumptions made about the plot. Those assumptions being that:
1) Hera has been rescued.
2) Kanan has died doing so.
3) Ezra has since had contact with the wolves and, like Kanan in Rebel Assault, 'knows what he must do'.
4) Sabine does really have feelings for Ezra and vice versa, but nothing has been said between the two up to this point.
This kicks off in a break in the battle that we see in the trailer in those 'mountain' things on Lothal. We know Ezra is there for some of it, so in my head he's going to leave as the Empire regroups and prepares for another attack, which is when this takes place.
This won't be anything massive or major, just my take on what's coming up. Granted, there'll be a fair bit more focus on Ezra and Sabine's relationship than the show will probably do, and I'm still not 100% on whether I think the show will get them together, but eh, I'll see how this goes.
Hera and Sabine ran into a small cave, Ezra providing cover with his lightsaber and Zeb picking off whatever Imperials he could see. The Empire had pulled back its forces slightly, but they were still taking an incredible amount of supressive fire from Imperial positions, intent on keeping them disorganised and in danger while the main Imperial troops could regroup and plan a second wave.
With the Twilek and the Mandalorian safely inside the Lasat nodded to Ezra, "Go inside, I've got you covered!"
With an acknowledging nod, Ezra pulled back into the small cave with Zeb unleashing a near-pointless volley of fire at the distant positions
"Zeb! Get in here!", Hera screamed at him, his rage clouding his better judgement for a few moments.
The Empire has ambushed them in the mountain ranges where they'd made their camp. They were putting up a fight, a damn good one, but their numbers were dwindling. Many of the local rebels had lost their lives already and while the crew of the Ghost and most of their long term allies were still alive, they were cornered and vastly outnumbered.
With a grimace and a pause, the Lasat ducked into the cave entrance that Sabine, Hera and Ezra had found refuge in. "Gah, Karabast!"
"Where's Rex? Or Kallus?", Hera's voice was quieter and more strained. It was taking every ounce of her strength not to break down in these last few hours.
The Lasat's fists tightened, "I don't know. We all got separated."
Right on queue, Hera's comm beeped. She grabbed it and held it to her mouth, "Rex? Ryder? Anyone who's there?"
The communicatior buzzed and the welcome voice of Captain Rex called through, "Ah, Hera. Am I glad to hear your voice. I'm safe, Kallus is here too and some of the local resistance. Got that pilot Mart and a few of your other friends like that bounty hunter woman and the pirate. How's your team looking?"
Hera's mouth gave the faintest hints of a smile, "That's good to hear. The four of us are safe for now, we're pinned in a cave near the outskirts of the mountain cluster."
"We'll work our way to you," The veteran clone answered, "Sit tight. Rex out."
The Twilek eyed the cavern they were in. The entrance gave way into a small corridor that led into a wider opening that had a handful of other smaller offshoot routes. Cave exploring was the last thing on her mind right now, the various tunnels could be dead ends that would trap them and leave the cornered by Imperial forces.
"What's our plan?" Sabine asked as she removed her helmet and caught her breath.
"You heard Rex, we sit tight and he'll get to us." Hera sighed as she leaned against the wall. It had been some of the hardest hours of her life that had led her here.
Leaning against the cave wall, she stared out at the rest of her family. Zeb was darting his attention between the Twilek and the entrance watching for any sign of Imperials, but his usual militaristic demeanour was infused with a rarely seen emotion from him; pure, unfiltered rage at the Empire. Sabine, her face uncovered, watched Hera with a pained but sympathetic gaze, no doubt feeling Hera's pain as well as her own. Ezra stood still, his back to them all, looking at the passages as he breathed slowly in an attempt to calm himself.
It hung over them all like a sickening cloud. It still hadn't sunk in. Kanan was gone, he was dead. Never coming back. Their family had been shattered apart by the Empire as Kanan Jarrus laid down his own life to give his crew, his family, a chance to live.
There hadn't been much time to deal with it. Zeb had tried to focus on preparing for the inevitable Imperial counterattack, preparation that probably saved their lives, but he took at it with a renewed purpose and anger at the loss of his brother. Sabine's mask of impassiveness and Mandalorian detachment has melted in the minutes after the event, letting herself cry out the pain of losing not only her friend but someone who was almost a second father to her. With Ezra, the first few seconds of rage had certainly pushed him far too close to the dark side. Only Sabine dragging him away to escape prevented him launching an angry and probably suicidal attack on his enemy. Soon after, he tried tempering his anger so as not to dishonour the memory of the friend, teacher and father that had just given his life. The two youngest of the crew, always close and caring for each other, had spent most of the last few hours together, needing the comfort of each other's presence. Then there was Hera. The heartbreak she'd felt at his loss had only grown. Their love had only so recently become more open and clear and now it was gone, ripped from her arms in moments. On paper, she was a General. It made sense to rescue her and to get her out, but that didn't console her much. Then, and now, she'd have given anything to have stopped him coming and just as much to have taken his place. Living without him wasn't something she was sure she could do again.
Sabine and Zeb stood in silence, no one giving voice to what was on all of their minds. Right now they had to focus and get their heads back in the game or they might lose them.
Zeb shifted his weight around and peered out of the cave, "Huh, looks like they've stopped. Won't be long until they come back again." He slung his rifle over his shoulder and sighed, casting a sympathetic gaze to the clearly broken captain of their crew.
Hera's spirit had been shattered but her resolve to defeat the Empire had hardened. Now it was for him more than anything else. Hera stood up again, forcing herself to focus on the mission at hand. The time to grieve was later.
"We have to ready for when the others get here." Hera announced, stepping forward and laying a hand on Sabine's shoulder, "I know it's tough but I'm not letting the Empire take another one of you." A pained smile appeared on the Twilek's lips, she meant every word of it.
The Mandalorian pressed her own hand on top of Hera's, trying to offer her a bit of the comfort she clearly needed. "How do we get out of her then?" Sabine asked.
"We'll have to split up, force them to divide their forces. We'll sort it out when Rex and the others get here." Hera turned around to look at Zeb, who acknowledged her orders with a nod. Turning to Ezra though, Hera saw he hadn't turned around and had remained completely unmoved the whole time. "Ezra?"
As she called, Sabine and Zeb turned to look at him too, but Ezra remained still. Zeb stepped back from his watch and took a few cautionary paces toward Ezra, "Ezra? Buddy? You alright?"
There was quiet for a few moments before he suddenly let out a deep breath, "It's time", he uttered in a strangely calm tone.
The Jedi turned around and faced his family, his face calm and focused but not disguising the hint of sadness in his eyes.
Sabine stepped forward, his action clearly worrying her, "Time? Time for what?"
Her question was answered in moments. A sudden movement in the darkness drew the attention of the Mandalorian and the others who were questioning Ezra. The glowing eyes and pure white fur of a Loth-Wolf trudged silently and ominously out of one of the dark cave passages. The crew had come to trust them and not fear them as they had at first, but their presence made them all uneasy, all except Ezra it seemed.
Hera stepped forward to stand face to face with Ezra, "Ezra what is it time for? Can't this wait, we've got to be ready to go with the others?", Hera pleaded with him.
Ezra closed his eyes for a second and sighed, "It can't wait, because I'm not coming with you."
"What?!" shouted Sabine, "What are you talking about?"
"I can't explain it. Kanan felt it too, before everything happened. It's the force, it's calling me for something. I don't know what, I don't know why, but I have to go." Ezra's voice was unusually calm, a stark contrast to the panicked and confused emotions of the others in the cave.
"You can't go now! We need you here! I need you here!", Sabine was getting worked up, her emotions taking over.
Ezra struggled to respond, in his mind he knew he had to go but he understood that it'd be difficult for the others to accept it. "It's what I have to do."
The Mandalorian stopped and tried to process everything, her mouth hanging slightly open in shock at the sudden change of heart of her friend. All the while, Hera had been close to him, listening intently to everything he'd said. Kanan had told her the force had been calling them to Lothal and to Ezra, he'd confided in her about that. Hera didn't fully grasp what it meant and she was sure Kanan hadn't either. Now though, she had no doubt, this was the reason. Whatever mission Ezra was being called for, he had to take it.
Hera reached out to him and pulled him into a hug, "I understand, Ezra."
The young Jedi seemed surprised, but in a few seconds he returned the hug. "I- Thank you, Hera."
"Whatever mission you have, I know it's got to be important. I want you to do what you have to and... and Kanan would too, dear." It hurt her to talk about him, but she knew how he'd feel. Ezra was no ordinary Jedi, he always had something unique about him, and Hera would be damned if she wouldn't let him fulfil his destiny.
The Lasat had come close and was as confused and surprised as Sabine was. As Ezra pulled away from Hera, he looked up to his friend. "You too, big guy. Thank you, for everything."
Zeb couldn't smile at him, only looking at him with searching and questioning eyes, "What does that mean? You're talking like you're not coming back."
Ezra quickly drifted his eyes away, hanging his head. "I don't know if I am. All I know is I have to do this."
The Lasat's face sunk and his ears drooped, "Kid... how do you...", Zeb shook his head. He understood what the force was and sort of how it worked well enough to know that Ezra wouldn't be able to explain it. Ezra just knew.
The Jedi had forced himself to look back up at his purple friend with a slight smile. Returning the gesture, Zeb brought his hands and fist together in a traditional Lasat salute, one reserved only for the greatest warriors and the closest friends. The young man returned it, a symbol of the unbreakable bond that had grown between the two over the years.
"Ezra." The quiet voice of Sabine called to him. She'd stepped slightly toward him and Hera and Zeb gave them a bit of space, letting them have their moment.
Without her helmet, Sabine couldn't hide the tears that she quietly let run down her cheeks. Her eyes met his as they stood speechless before each other. Ezra's own front of resolve wavered slightly, shedding a tear of his own as he looked at the young woman he'd come so close to over the last few years. There weren't any words he could give her to ease her pain to show he'd be alright. To see her like this though, it hurt him more than he could have imagined. There was so much he could have said to her. How he felt about her, how he'd fallen completely in love with her nearly instantly all those years ago, and how those feelings had never faded. Right now he loved her a thousand times more than he did back then. There might have been no words, but that didn't mean there wasn't a way to show her what she meant to him.
Ezra broke the gaze and looked down at his belt, his hands moving along it. Sabine watched them as they unclipped his lightsaber from its place on his waist and brought it to his front. The Jedi inspected it for a few seconds, taking in every detail, before gently extending his hands to Sabine, the lightsaber clutched in them. Sabine's eyes went wide at the gesture, her face a mix of confusion and heartbreak.
"Take it. I won't need it." Ezra's told her, his voice again showing the same resolve from earlier.
"I can't. It's yours." Sabine's hazel eyes found his own again.
"I won't need it. I want you to have it." Ezra moved the saber closer to her and with a bit of hesitation she took it tenderly in her hands. "You know how to use it anyway", he smiled to her.
The Mandalorian didn't answer him and instead ran her eyes over her friend's most precious possession. This weapon is your life, Kanan would tell him, and know he was handing it to her. Sabine ran her fingers over the metal and the ridges of the hilt, appreciating the time and effort that he'd poured into crafting his symbolic weapon. In an moment, her attention turned back to him. Ezra had been watching her inspect it, himself absorbing what might his final moments with the woman that meant the galaxy to him.
Sapphire met hazel again as they told each without words a million things that had still been unsaid. Sabine couldn't fight the urge, and drew him into a warm embrace. Her arms hooked around his shoulders as Ezra's wrapped around her waist, holding each other tightly for all it was worth. The action almost pushed Sabine to tears again, nearly sobbing into his shoulder.
They'd held each other earlier that day and last night but that was out of grief and comfort. This time their hug served only to tell each other how much the other meant to them. It was something Ezra had wanted for almost as long as he'd known her, the opportunity to hold her close in a way that told her how he felt. Sabine had come to appreciate Ezra in that way a bit later on in their relationship, but that didn't make the affection she had for him any less important. They'd never said anything to one another, truthfully the midst of an galactic war wasn't the best time to let those feelings air. Ezra had thought about it over the years but not once had he come close to actually doing it, to actually telling her what he wanted to tell her. The galaxy apparently decided he'd waited too long, and now there might not be another time. It wasn't how he wanted it to be or how he'd dreamed it would go, but Ezra wouldn't let this possibly last chance slip by.
"Sabine- I- Before I go..." Ezra whispered into her ear as they held each other, not releasing the caring arms he'd placed around her. "I have to tell you before I go, in case I never get the chance to see you again"
The Mandalorian almost smiled into his shoulder, knowing full well what he wanted to say. "Ezra...I know."
The Jedi loosened slightly and leaned back to meet her gaze, his eyes and cheeks wet from emotion. "You know?"
Sabine shook her head, "Of course I know, nerf-herder." Her lip curled slightly into a smile, all the while knowing this might be their last moments together, "I do too."
For the first time in days, it was happiness that showed on Ezra's face. No matter what happened they both knew, before the end, they both understood.
Pulling him in once more, she squeezed him tightly, "So you'd better come back."
Ezra gave a half-laugh, "I'll try my best."
Their moment was interrupted by a voice from the cave mouth. The welcome sight of a bearded clone soldier stood at the entrance,"You'd better get yourselves ready. Imperial walkers being dropped in.", Rex announced to them, a number of other rebels crowded behind him.
Zeb regarded the Jedi with a final look before readying his weapon and heading out of the cave. Hera, her own eyes misty, gave a motherly smile to Ezra and looked at Sabine, "We have to go now, Sabine. I'm sorry."
The Mandalorian slid out of the Jedi's arms, catching his hands with one of her own, the other still clutching his parting gift to her. "Be safe", she told him, taking one final look at Ezra.
"I'll try. You too." Ezra replied as he squeezed her hand tightly.
Rex was looking on at them, not understanding what was happening other than the fact that the Empire was knocking on their door. "Sabine! Hera! Ezra! We're out of time!"
Hera turned and drew her pistol, her mind focused on the coming battle. With one last heartwarming smile to each other, Ezra turned away and jogged up to the wolf that had been silently watching their exchange. Within a few seconds, he'd disappeared into the cave.
Clipping the lightsaber to her belt, Sabine turned back and put her helmet on, commiting herself to the job of fighting the Empire once again. She fell in behind Hera and Rex, the grizzled clone looking more than a little perplexed.
"Where's he off to?" Rex asked as he motioned to the cave passage.
Her helmet hid her pained smile, "He'll be okay. Wherever he's going."
Sabine looked over at the dark abyss where the wolf and Ezra had been moments earlier. She had no idea where he was going or what he was doing, but as the rebels begun to move out and prepare for the Imperial attack, all she could do was make a silent promise to him. I'll see you again.
That... went a lot better in my head than it did written down. I wrote this out in 2 other ways first and spent ages trying to figure out how to do this. I tried doing it from Hera's POV then realised it didn't make much sense given it's mainly a Sabine/Ezra piece. My attempts at a 1st person Sabine style also came out less than successful, so I ended up just biting the bullet and settling on this.
As I said, much shorter than my usual stuff but it serves its purpose and I don't know why I'd drag it out for any longer.
I might do a second chapter based only on my interpretation of that leaked music piece from a week or so ago, but I haven't decided yet. Honestly, I'm not too happy with how this went but it's done now and I might as well post it. After all, I can always delete it and pretend it never existed anyway.
Kind regards - Lothcat1138