A/N: Not sure how to do an intro. Shout-outs to RagnarDanneskjold for being supportive of this first chapter. Go check their Rebels stories. They are a fun read. I do recommend reading this with a very small page width. Like super small. The layout just looks weird when put into a large window... but that's just my opinion. Anyway, let's get right into the first chapter of my first fanfiction, "Star Wars Rebels: Second Dawn".
The bounding cheers of celebration filled the cantina. It had been like this for three days now, not that anyone was complaining. After all, the Emperor was defeated along with his battle-station of death. The Empire that had ruthlessly ruled this system and several others for the past twenty-four or so years was crumbling, and its last remnants were scattered and on the run from the victorious rebellion.
Nearly every patron of the cantina since then had been involved with the rebellion one way or another. The rowdiest bunch always seemed to be the pilots. Every now and then the standard level of excitement in the room would be overcome by a drunk choir of them singing increasingly different versions of their squad-song because they were too drunk to remember it correctly. Friendly contests would even take center stage at least once a day to see whose song provided the best entertainment. However, the greatest moments happened when the entire room would settle down to listen as separate groups would detail their exciting encounters with the Empire. Some stories left the room in a fit of laughter, leaving many to wonder why they had ever been afraid of the Empire's seemingly incapable armies. Others put the room in a graveyard silence from the sheer tension and near hopelessness of the encounter, and many ended with poignant toast saluting the comrades whose sacrifice made their victory possible. And It was just after another one of those stories, amidst the audience's excited cheers, that the Mandalorian Sabine Wren entered the cantina.
"Give me a Blue Mappa," Sabine told the Barkeep, taking a seat at one of the bar's stools and placing her helmet onto the one next to her.
He gave her a tough look. "Maybe after you set your helmet somewhere else. Bars too crowded to take up more than your share of space."
"Then make it two Mappas. A friend I'm meeting here is going to need it. As well as this seat." Sabine smiled, sliding some credits towards the Barkeep. "And please… keep the change."
"I'm sorry, but saving seats is not… ", the Barkeep paused before re-counting the amount Sabine had given him. It was more than the two drinks were worth, much more. Even those luxurious lounges in the upper city wouldn't charge this much. "Two blues coming up."
Sabine smiled as the man set down two drinks before her before promptly attending to another patron. While some things had changed, she was happy to see that money still talked. Of course, there was another reason for her good mood as well. She was going to see her old crewmate, Ezra Bridger, for the first time in years. In fact, he was the only crew member of the Ghost she hadn't seen since their disbanding. Well… besides one other.
"Kanan…"
Sabine lost her smile and simply stared at her reflection in her drink. If only things had gone differently on that fateful day. Perhaps if even one decision she made that day could be changed, then Kanan might still be here… and the crew—no, her family—would be together with her right now, celebrating as they always would after a huge victory.
Sabine sighed, deciding it best to keep her thoughts focused on Ezra. Besides not seeing him for four years, she also had little idea of what he had been up to. The only thing she knew was that he remained a part of the rebellion. She remembered how at least once a week for the first year she would request an update from Command on the status of each ex-member of the Ghost. Of course, she was never allowed to know the details of their missions, only that they were alive. But then weekly check-ins turned into monthly, and sometimes bi-monthly. Sabine was a bit ashamed, she never would have expected to lose that tenacity for making sure everyone was okay. Granted, her occasional run-ins with Hera, Chopper, and sometimes Zeb likely had something to do with her loss of anxiousness, but it was no excuse for her negligence with Ezra's wellbeing. But finally, the war had ended. And the first thing Sabine did was check up on everyone's status once again. They had all survived, and the information left Sabine in thankful tears that night. And before she could even begin to get in touch with everyone, the next morning began with her receiving a written message asking her to come to this place, signed by none other than Ezra himself.
The thought of Ezra's first decision after the war being to meet with her left Sabine feeling warm. What did he look like? Was he still the kind of person to deliver quippy one-liners in the face of danger? Or did the last four years of war change him completely? The thought of him being a closed-off, battle-hardened veteran made her sad. However, Sabine knew that no matter how much he had changed, she was ready to accept him.
"Unless maybe he went back to that stupid haircut," Sabine joked to herself, almost choking on her drink from the chuckle it gave her.
"Attention rebel!" A commanding voice suddenly sounded behind her.
Sabine peeked over her shoulder, only to be caught off guard by the sight of a Stormtrooper standing close behind her.
"I need to see your papers immediat-AGH!"
With a swift kick the chest, Sabine sent the Trooper flying into the wall beside them. Immediately she brought out her blaster side-arms and prepared to shoot, only to realize that her victim wasn't a Stormtrooper at all. The helmet was the only piece of Stormtrooper armor they were wearing, and the rest was just normal clothes except for the jacket—which had a clear emblem of the Rebellion sewn onto it.
"Ughhhhh…" The person she kicked groaned, barely managing to sit themselves up against the wall.
"You've gotta be kidding me." Sabine lowered her weapons as the fake Trooper removed his helmet, revealing the familiar face of her old crew-mate from under it.
"Hey Sabine. Long time no see… oof..."
"Ezra…"
"How in the world did you think you think wearing one of your Imperial trooper helmets was the best way to greet someone in a Rebellion Cantina?" Sabine scolded her long awaited visitor, at the same time shining a light into his eyes to check for any signs of head trauma.
"Well, y'know. Figured it would be a rare opportunity to catch you off guard. I mean who would expect to see an Imperial soldier after they lost the war?"
"And I'm sure no part of you considered getting kicked across the room… or shot in the head."
"C'mon you know me. I'd dodge a blaster no problem."
"Oh, but a kick is too much to avoid?"
Ezra raised a finger and opened his mouth as if the pose itself would help him think of the greatest argument in the galaxy. Unfortunately, the only thing that made it into his brain was that he had no argument.
"Okay, so mayyyybe it wasn't the greatest idea," He conceded. "But maybe I was just too excited that I wasn't thinking clear-OWW OWW!"
Sabine pulled hard on Ezra's right ear just like Hera used to do whenever he did something stupid—which was usually all the time.
"Yeah, well I was pretty excited too until you decided to pull that stunt." Sabine said as she took her seat next to Ezra and tossed back another drink. She was only half serious, but the fact that her gaze was now avoiding his direction did give Ezra a clue that a part of her was annoyed.
"Well then… maybe I can start over."
Sabine swiveled her stool a bit in Ezra's direction to get a look at him but was caught off guard once again, this time by the gentle placement of his hand on top of hers.
"It's been a long time… and I'm really glad you're okay, Sabine."
"…"
Sabine's mouth opened, yet no words were found by her. She had become lost in Ezra's gaze which gleamed a gentleness she wasn't familiar with. A sudden heat filled her eyes, causing her to look away to hide a trace tear that found its way down her cheek. Her hand remained under his however, and that was the only clue Ezra needed to understand this was a good reaction.
"Idiot…" Sabine whispered, sneaking a wipe of her cheek before turning back to Ezra with a smile and the faintest touch of red in her eyes.
"…I'm glad you're okay too."
"So, you've been undercover this whole time?" Sabine awed.
"That's right, I journeyed to several Imperial systems in the mid and outer rims. Every time gathering intel on potential Rebellion sympathizers and Imperial defectors present there."
"Shut up!" Sabine shouted, hitting him in the shoulder. "I spent the last two years coordinating ally extractions from those same sectors!"
"Seriously!?" Ezra exclaimed in amazement.
Sabine looked down at her cup, tracing the rim of it delicately with her finger. "That's amazing… I wonder how many of the missions I drew up were based on your intel?"
"Hard to say," Ezra mused. "There were a good number of us spread throughout the galaxy."
"That's true… and besides, my Commander was the only one with the clearance to know our informants' identities. Wait, is there a chance you knew him? Commander Kraine?"
"I wish I could say yes, but I was never given the names of my Rebellion contacts, only temporary aliases which were kept secret between us. And there was never a hologram for me to see their face so I really have no idea who any of my contacts were these past four years."
"Ugh, that's so annoying. We'll probably never know how close we came to being a transmission away from each other."
Ezra laughed, "And how would you even have gotten a transmission to me?"
"By stealing Kraine's access codes, duh?" Sabine pushed back.
"Oh sure, risk compromising the Rebellion's comm-links just so you can nag me again."
"Mmph!" Sabine punctuated her argument by playfully sticking her tongue out at Ezra.
This unexpected response made Ezra break into a fit of laughter followed immediately by Sabine herself, which accidentally caused her stuck-out tongue to turn into a full-blown raspberry.
"AH-UCK! You spit on me!" Ezra flailed backwards in a fit of half laughter and half disgust, doing his best to wipe his face clean of the Mandalorian's spit.
Of course, this only made Sabine laugh even harder. To the point that tears started to fill her eyes and breathing became impossible. Sabine couldn't remember the last time she laughed this hard. In fact, there was a real possibility that this was the first time. Eventually though, the two managed to wind themselves down, battling the occasional stifled laugh until they were calm again.
"Have you gotten in touch with everyone else?" Sabine started. "From my occasional run-ins with Hera and Zeb, it was clear that they didn't know where you were either."
"Actually, I ran into Zeb pretty much immediately. His unit regrouped onto the same star cruiser I wound up returning to. He actually helped me get my message to you, and then we bunked together—trading war stories and all that."
"And he couldn't come?"
"I asked him to… but he said his unit was going to re-deploy immediately. Some kind of clean-up of the remaining Imperial bases."
Sabine sighed. "Then I'm sure Hera and Chopper are in the same situation. With her piloting ability and passion for the Rebellion, she won't stop until the Empire's remnants are wiped out completely."
"Probably… I wonder if she even wants to see me after all these years."
"Ezra, stop. You know she doesn't blame you for Kanan—or what happened with the Ghost."
"Her reaction to it after said otherwise… not that I blame her. The Ghost was her strongest tie to Kanan… and I destroyed it."
"You saved us-"
"But it was my fault we needed to be saved!" Ezra slammed his hands onto the counter, voice raised. Immediately he regretted it however, bowing his head down against his folded hands. "If I had just been more careful… If I could have just sensed what was going to happen…"
Sabine leaned over, placing her hand gently onto Ezra's shoulder. "It was just a starship, Ezra. I know Hera said those things, but I also know that's not the way she feels now. Ezra, she regretted it so much after you left. And she also knows she's not the only one who lost an important memento of Kanan that day."
Ezra looked worriedly at Sabine. "You told her…?"
"That that was the same day you lost your Jedi powers, and the Saber you used alongside Kanan? …Yes, she knows."
"Sabine… you promised not to do that."
"I had to, Ezra. Even Zeb agreed. It was the push she needed to realize her mistake."
"I just… I just don't know if I'm ready to face her. Even if she has forgiven me… I'm just not sure that I deserve it."
"Just wait until you see her again, Ezra. She'll make you understand."
Ezra let out a stunted laugh at Sabine's words. Hera always was good at getting her way. Maybe he was being foolish, holding onto this idea that he didn't deserve Hera's friendship anymore. Maybe he would give a meeting with her a chance.
Still feeling a comforting hand on his shoulder, Ezra looked into the set of gentle eyes of the woman beside him. "Thanks, Sabine. I'll be sure to have a proper talk with her about it one day." He told her with a warm smile.
"Let's hope that day comes sooner rather than later." Sabine smiled back, settling into her own seat again. "I can't wait until the spectres are back together and saving the galaxy once again."
"Me too." Ezra agreed.
"Hey Barkeep, get us another round!"
"…wait does the galaxy even need saving anymo-"
"Shut up, Ezra."
A/N: Can I just say that I did not expect to have to do so much research for this one chapter. I learned way more about the Star Wars universe in three days than I've known for the past twenty years. At one point I was going to have Ezra say he visited half of the Empire's systems, only to look up an actual list and find that it was a freaking huge amount of planets. So yeah, had to cut that out. Anyway, hope you enjoyed it and got something out of it. Hopefully my plan worked an you are just dying to know what happened to the Spectres all those years ago. Definitely more to come. This honestly could become a long one (~60k) with my current outline. I'll try my best to see it through to the end... because honestly I'd rather you all not have a bad impression of me especially when I plan on sharing one of my actual, non-fanfic, original web-novels that I'm working on. Only 3 chapters in that one right now, but part of the reason I'm writing this Rebels fic is to warm up my writing skills and get into a better groove with that story. ANYWAY, that's all still down the road, see ya for now.