A dark place, a city, a temple. Rattling thunder, power crackling up above. Ahead, horned, evil, yellow eyes flaring with malice. Red lightsaber. Sith.
"C-Caleb?"
Same brown hair, tied the same way, blue blade trying to come up. Apprentice. Sith wants to take his apprentice. Have to stop him, have to –
"Caleb!"
Sith leaps, one of those red blades passing his guard, too close, searing white pain, he can't – can't –
"Caleb, no!"
She jolted, hands gripping the cold durasteel floor as her pulse began to slow. Another vision – and this time not even a hopeful near-dream. Her own eyes closed as the afterimage of the searing white-hot light flared against her eyelids. Something was wrong, far away, and her only childhood friend was at the center of it. She pushed herself up from the floor slowly, rubbing the bridge of her nose with a grumbling sigh. It had been fifteen years and extra since she'd last seen him; she didn't know for certain he was still alive.
She would have gotten some water to slap over her face if the appropriated Imperial comlink next to her pallet didn't start going off. So much for getting a break to go salvaging. She picked up the comlink before sitting down on the thin padding over a metal frame.
"I'm here, what's up?"
"Timetable's moved up, that convoy's heading out with doubled escort in two hours, not six," a gruff male voice warned her over the channel. "You didn't leave any leads for them to wonder, did you?"
"It's not any fun if I can't make them nervous," she argued. "Not to mention you know it leaves those bucketheads scratching their actual heads."
"Yeah, and then when I don't do the same it makes them suspicious. Raen, you're going to get noticed soon. If not the Empire, by someone who'll figure you out."
"So that leaves, what, Black Sun? Some other cartel in Coruscant's underworld?"
"You know what I mean. If that happens I can't drag you out of trouble."
"Well," Raen noted casually before reaching under the pallet for a metal cylinder that she clipped to her belt, "I can probably bluff my way out. Like I did before you came along."
"And look how well that's worked out. Just…be careful. I'll find you in the morning."
Raen clicked the comlink twice before closing the channel, shaking her head. Her contact was a good man and risking everything to help her, but his old soldier's instinct was going to get them both into trouble sooner than her flash-and-dance techniques. If she'd finished her training, maybe she'd be more cautious, more careful.
"Careful is what a Jedi does best," she muttered before collecting jacket, blaster, and headscarf. "But there's no Jedi anymore."
Raen secured her blaster and shrugged on her jacket before wrapping the scarf about her silver-brown hair. As she made sure the scarf hid her face, Raen rushed out into the shafts that provided the warren of security around her hideout, and a brilliant shaft of yellow light led her way.
–
"An ongoing investigation into today's sudden terrorist attack on an Imperial military convoy raises questions as to how such violent acts can reach Imperial Center. Earlier today, insurgents struck the convoy – loaded with newly-trained troops and supplies bound to the Outer Rim – and not only destroyed at least three troop transports, but stole the vast majority of the supplies as well. Eyewitnesses claim anywhere from twenty to a lone vigilante pressed the attack, but Imperial Security spokespeople have informed HNN that the attack was likely carried out by at least six individuals –"
"Or," Bail Organa, representative of Alderaan in the Imperial Senate, noted over the HoloNet playback, "it may be only one. One very, very well-prepared individual."
Organa scanned the footage released to the network – most of it doctored to carry over the numbers the ISB were insisting – but managed to see what he needed to. Nearly-unnatural reflexes and agility, a preternatural instinct, and a golden lightsaber. All indicators of what he could never have expected but was apparent to anyone who looked closely enough. Organa reached over to signal an aide from his desk, someone trustworthy and could keep his mouth shut against Imperial spy equipment littering his office. Organa made sure to write up the message he needed delivered and handed it off to the aide once he had entered.
"Please transmit this information as quickly as you can," he ordered, brisk but not stern. "Some…disturbing reports need to reach some specific individuals who may be interested in events here in the capital."
"Straightaway, senator," the aide agreed, glancing briefly at the address for the recipient. "…ah. Yes, of course, I understand, sir."
"Very good; off you go," Organa noted, and sighed once the aide had scurried out. "We will need as many good people as we can get. And soon."
Chopper Base, Atollon
Three months. Three months in the dark. Kanan Jarrus sighed, trying to focus, to cut through the darkness. Ever since Maul had blinded him and his eyes had been healed as best as the rebel medics could do, he'd been trying to…do something. Anything. Zeb had led him out to the Lasat's private overlook outside of Chopper Base that morning; now the sun was starting to set, and Kanan was still out there.
Kanan remembered roughly how he had thrown Maul from the Sith temple on Malachor; it was recreating that sensation that was hard. It had been like sensing in the normal use, but the Force hadn't just come to his mind. It had enhanced…everything. He had heard Maul's footfall, softer than the crackling lightning from the temple summit; tasted the smoke from the dead Inquisitor Maul had left behind along with the dust in the Jedi guard helmet Kanan had put on to try and seal off his injury. And…he had seen Maul's lightsaber, or…some kind of echo of it. But trying to remember brought back the memory of the pain. Maul's spiteful snarl after crowing viciously about making Ezra his apprentice –
Suddenly Maul was there, laughing again, teeth bared. Kanan jumped to his feet, on reflex putting the hilt and emitter of his lightsaber together and just ignited the blade into a high guard –
"Kanan! KANAN!"
Hera's voice shattered the vision, dragging Kanan back into the dark. He shook, staring into the blank nothingness that comprised his universe, before clearly sensing Hera's worry and anxiety, edging closer. Her hands would be outstretched, to take his shoulders. She'd been doing that a lot more lately. It took a few more beats before Kanan heard the soft thrumming of his active lightsaber. Oh.
"Take it easy there; just me," Hera said once he'd thumbed the activation stud and dissembled his lightsaber again. "Still trying to see through the Force?"
"I don't know how it's supposed to happen," Kanan grumbled, turning towards where he could hear her. At least he could still remember how she looked: green skin and lekku loose down her back, the circular patterns tracing down to the tips; her smile, her eyes, everything. "Nothing I ever read about blind Jedi said how they did it."
"Well, either way, we do still need you," Hera insisted. Kanan sensed her coming closer and automatically leaned his cheek into her hand when he felt her fingers softly reaching for him. "I still need you."
"I need you, too," he admitted in a murmur, only fumbling a little as he stowed the lightsaber parts on his belt before holding Hera loosely around her waist. "All of you. I'm not going to be of much use for awhile. Not even to Ezra."
"Yes, you are," Hera insisted. "Come on, have something to eat, then we've got a late night mission brief with Commander Sato."
"Great. Another mission I'll be useless on."
"Don't be so sure, Kanan. This one's from Senator Organa, and it could mean something big."
–
"According to the reports from Senator Organa, these attacks have been carried out with exact precision," Sato said over the hum of the holoprojector; Kanan could only tilt his head towards Sato's voice to indicate his attention but really kept working on expanding his senses. He could pick out members of Sato's command, but from the Ghost there was only himself, Hera, and Zeb; Sabine was working on repairs to the Phantom with Chopper and Ezra was probably studying one of the holocrons. Kanan hated thinking that his apprentice could open that Sith holocron, but their few arguments after Malachor and forced him to reluctantly give way to Ezra's point of view. If they were going to defeat the Inquisitors, Maul, Vader, the whole Empire, they needed to learn about the Sith, and right now Ezra was the only person who could get the Sith holocron to respond.
"Military, then? Staged to keep the civilians panicked?" Hera asked, drawing Kanan's attention back to the present. That was becoming a bad habit.
"The targets are military, but whomever is attacking them is not," Sato replied. "The news reports are claiming at least a team of six has been behind these attacks."
"But lemme guess, Organa doesn't think so," Zeb growled. "Think they'd join up?"
"That is what the senator hopes," Sato confirmed. "Also, Senator Organa thinks only one person is involved directly with the attacks."
"…one?" Kanan asked, brows folding. "What kind of one?"
He heard some soft beeps as Sato likely brought up an image. Kanan couldn't help his jaw clenching before Hera's hand reached over his to calm him. His uncertain feeling got worse when he heard Zeb groan, and Kanan turned towards where he hoped Hera was.
"What? What is it?"
"…a Jedi," Hera told him; her voice was only a little to the left of where his head was turned. "Another survivor."
"On Coruscant?" Kanan scoffed a little. "Not likely, unless they're really damn good at hiding."
"Then this one's no good at it, that's for sure," Zeb pointed out. "Big yellow laser sword and leapin' around like a fool –"
Kanan's head snapped towards Zeb. Yellow lightsaber. It couldn't be…
"Hera, what's this one look like?" Kanan pressed. He'd thought the 501st had killed them all, everyone in the Temple and anyone dumb enough to try and regroup there. "Tell me!"
It can't be her. She's good but not that good. She was just a kid.
"Ah…she has a scarf around her head, hard to tell," Hera struggled, but her hand tightened around his. "Commander, can you enhance that image?"
"One moment, Captain." More button pushes, Kanan clutching Hera's hand tighter. If she'd survived…he still couldn't see how she could have, not after hearing how many clones had marched on the Temple.
"Hera…" Kanan pleaded as the whir of the holoprojector stopped. "Tell me."
"…she looks a little younger than you."
Her. Definitely a her.
"Eyes are blue, um…a little bit of green, but quality isn't so good this close."
She did joke once our eyes were like the meeting point of a sky and an ocean. She'd never seen water except rain and from a pipe but she guessed.
"I…I think her hair's brown, too."
"Yeah, but lil' bits'f silver, too," Zeb added. "Bit lighter than the rest. Kanan, what's goin' on with you?"
Maybe when you come back, Master Billaba will make you a Knight, and you can train me for real? Please, Caleb? I don't want anyone else. You're my friend.
"…how are we getting to Coruscant?" Kanan asked, surprise from everyone around him slamming over his senses like a tidal wave. He heard Zeb's mouth open in protest but he cut in, "Don't argue with me, Zeb. Commander, how are we getting to Coruscant?"
Hera's grip around his fingers was like to break bone if she'd had the Force, but Kanan had to ignore the silent demand for the time being. Fifteen years thinking everyone in the Temple was gone, but…she had survived. Somehow, she had survived. Normally he'd just lock that kind of memory into the back of his head or drink it away, but this time…
"Senator Organa can make arrangements for a small team to accompany Princess Leia," Sato explained. "She is to take his seat in the Senate in a few months, when she turns sixteen, and will be arriving on the capital to observe the Senate herself in a few weeks. A small security team will be the best cover you could ask for."
"Security, I can do," Zeb pointed out, "but if Kanan's comin' –"
"I'm more than sure that the senator has a plan for that, Zeb," Hera interrupted. "We can make it work. Sabine and Ezra will be safe here?"
"The Phantom still needs to finish out repairs, and with both my holocron and the…other one…Ezra has enough to work on," Kanan pointed out. "Yeah, I'm blind, but I can't sit this one out. I have to go."
"I will contact Senator Organa and see what can be arranged," Sato confirmed. "A third Jedi, even with incomplete training, can still be an advantage against the Empire. And, if she has an informant within the Imperial military, even better."
"It better be soon, commander," Kanan pressed. "I have to find her, before the Empire figures it out."
It was the least he could do. After everything that had gone wrong so far, at least he could reach back in time and make one thing right.
