"Phantom attached." Fulcrum's voice crackled through the Ghost's intercom, and Ezra was pulled out of his concentration. His legs were going dead beneath his weight, and he could feel the Ghost humming with movement as Hera calculated the jump to hyperspace. Peeling an eye open to peek at his Master, he saw Kanan was still seated neatly across from him, eyes closed in deep meditation and his hands relaxed on his knees.

Ezra opened both eyes, cocking an ear towards the footsteps and the faint, unfamiliar voices entering the ship. He could make out the footsteps of the Clones, Ahsoka, and their new allies.

"Focus, Ezra." Kanan's eyes remained closed even as he spoke. "Look inside yourself. Ignore distractions. Open your mind."

Ezra huffed. Inside of him, there was blood and nerves and guts. Ezra did not want to see it. What he did want to see were the rebel connections Ahsoka had brought on board the Ghost.

"And straighten your posture."

"I didn't know the Jedi Code included etiquette."

"Etiquette is discipline. Discipline is the Jedi way." Kanan's voice was detached, and Ezra imagined that he was somewhere in a galaxy far, far away. Maybe in a galaxy where the Empire never existed.

Ezra closed his eyes. He wished that galaxy existed.

"So, where are the Jedi? Meditating? Spouting useless platitudes?" Vermillion stood behind Ahsoka as they stepped out of the Phantom. Ahsoka pursed her lips. "I thought they'd be here waiting for us in the doorway- ready to pounce on the ne'er-do-wells."

"I'd say most of them are rotting in the Temple." Nerra answered shortly. He didn't even have the grace to whisper. Ahsoka clenched her fist.

"Is that where your manners went?" Rex grunted, elbowing Wolfe and Gregor like old friends sharing a joke.

Nerra didn't respond.

Ahsoka led them down the short hallway in the quarter hold of the Ghost. The smell of paint fumes wafted out of Sabine's closed door, but something much more powerful tugged up ahead.

"Please don't tell me I have to deal with that smell the whole time. I don't want to be high on paint fumes." Nerra held a hand over his nose, dramatically rolling his eyes into the back of his head.

"You'll get used to it then!" Sabine's muffled reply came through the cracks in the door. Ahsoka tried not to smile. Sabine reminded her of herself.

They continued down the hallway, and the tug got stronger. Kanan and Ezra must have been meditating. Ahsoka led them to the cockpit, where Hera was relaxing as the Ghost continued its slow, auto piloted path around the abandoned satellite.

"Shouldn't your ace pilot be calculating the jump to hyperspeed?" Vermillion drawled, jutting out a hip. "Perhaps your confidence in your pilot was misplaced, Ahsoka."

With a jerk of Hera's arm, the stars elongated around them, and the satellite was replaced with the swirling tunnel of hyperspace.

The Twi'lek lifted an arm and activated the internal comms. "All Specters meet in the lounge. Time to meet our new allies." Hera swiveled her chair to face them, and stood up.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." Hera bobbed her head to each of the allies, a soft smile spreading across her face when she saw Nerra. Nerra did not return the gesture.

"Hera will stay on the Ghost. Ahsoka will be in the cloud cover in the Phantom, engaging air assaults. Ahsoka, be ready to pick Sabine, Zeb, Ezra and I up on the roof."

Kanan sat before the holograph of the Imperial Security Station on Lothal. It was tall, with imposing spires and a domed roof in the center. Ezra sat beside him, tapping his feet and listening intently. Zeb leaned against the wall behind him, and the others stood by the far wall. Chopper was pacing circles around the room, testily bumping into their new allies' legs.

Vermillion growled as he ran his tread over the toe of her spiked boots and roughly kicked the droid away. "I hope you all aren't as defective as your droid?" She hissed loudly.

Chopper let out a whirl of insulting and amused binary, having gotten the reaction he was pushing for- and retreated to the space between Ezra and Zeb.

"Chop just likes to know who he's working with." Ezra supplies, shooting the droid a sidelong glance. They had grown to tolerate each other, which was certainly a lot of progress for them. "He's just sniffing you out. Wants to see what you're made of."

The Zeltron's eyes, a blue that could compete with Ezra's, flashed dangerously, and Ezra wiped the smug smile off his face.

"Well, I would be happy to show the droid what It is made of." She snapped.

Ezra, Sabine and Zeb frowned at the misuse of pronoun, and Chopper buzzed irritably, threateningly rolling towards Vermillion. Sabine rested a hand on his dome, and he shuddered, finally stopping.

Kanan rubbed his eyes. A headache was blooming in the back of his skull.

"The Clones," Every time Kanan looked at them, a sharp spike of fear and hatred twisted in his gut. The face they wore had haunted his memories for years. "You three will be a diversion on the ground. Attack here. Try to bomb the hangar here, Atiniir, right?" Atiniir nodded above his crossed arms.

"This plan is already doomed." Nerra flicked one lekku over his shoulder, and Hera huffed as if he had made a very rude gesture. Twi'leks had a way of speaking without words, with simply the movement of their head-tails.

"Sabine and Zeb will enter here and engage the Imperials. Sabine, you disable the elevators and block these hallways. There's a staircase here. This will lead you to the roof, where you will meet Ezra and I. Ahsoka will pick us up on the Phantom. Hera will pick up the Clones, Vermillion, Atiniir, and Nerra. Ahsoka will attach to the Ghost, and we'll take off."

'Ezra will hack into the security system and download the files on this chip. I'll cover him."

"The brat's what, fourteen? I doubt he has a brain behind that baby face. How is he supposed to hack into the Imperial Security System?" Vermillion crossed her arms, glancing down her nose at Ezra. Zeb choked on his own laughter.

"You're talking about a Jedi Padawan, skilled con-artist and a master pickpocket." Ezra shot back smartly, his tone proud. He sniffed, eyeing the outlaws' heavily laden weapons belts as if she were unimpressed. "I could have you picked clean before you can say 'karabast'."

Vermillion smiled sourly, almost as if his outburst had earned him some respect. "Kid, I know all the tricks. Your sad excuse for a master couldn't teach you a single mind trick-"

Ezra shot to his feet, slamming his hands on the holotable. The holograph wavered. "Kanan is a Master Jedi!" Kanan shook his head. The kid didn't know what he was talking about. He put his hand on his sleeve, tugging him to sit back down beside him. Ezra scowled, brushing his hand off, but he remained seated.

"There's a reason all the Jedi are dead, Kid," Nerra sneered, folding his arms tightly against his chest.

"Nerra." Ahsoka cut in sharply, as if she were scolding a child. She narrowed her eyes, and the Twi'lek man averted his eyes.

"At this rate we'll all be dead if you people don't shut up," Sabine threw her hand up in the air.

"K'uur! I agree with the Mando'ad girl." Atiniir spoke for the first time, heavily accented. He held his helmet in the crook of his arm, and his face was exposed. His head was bald, and a scar curved under his left eye and up his forehead. He must have been at least forty, with tanned, wrinkled skin like leather.

Kanan blinked. He had never learned Mando'a, and sincerely hoped Atiniir didn't just curse them out. Sabine nodded bobbed her head, flicking her bangs out of her eyes.

"He said hush." Sabine smirked. "Finally someone says it."

Kanan stood. "We will go over the plan again tomorrow before we attack. Right now, settle yourselves in." Kanan opened the door.

Nerra tugged on his shoulder. "Shouldn't we go now? We have the cover of night! They won't see us coming!"

Ahsoka stepped forward. "Which is exactly why the Empire increases security at night. They might be pompous, but they're not all stupid. Trust me, I've done my research."

Vermillion sighed, picking at her nails. "And I thought this would be fun. Now I have to deal with three Jedi and a bunch of cowards. Come on! They're Stormtroopers. Their aim is uglier than any Hutt I've seen."

Gregor snorted.

"The Empire has been targeting us, and they're finding new weapons to throw at us. I don't think any of you would want to fight a Sith tonight. If I can prevent unnecessary casualties by stalling the mission, it's a risk I'm willing to make." Kanan was not willing to rush in at night at the cost of lives.

And you were willing to run while your Master bled? Kanan clenched a fist. Fourteen years. It had been over fourteen years and he was still dwelling on the past.

Vermillion's mouth twisted, eyeing his stiff fist. "I was always told you Jedi were too righteous for your own good." Her voice was teasing, velvety and seductive. Kanan wished he could punch her in the face. Kanan relaxed his hand, and it lay flat on his thigh. He glanced at Hera, and she gave him a sympathetic smile. Kanan sighed.

"I'm going to meditate." Kanan walked out the door, and he could hear Nerra and Vermillion's muffled sniggers. Ezra followed, shooting cold looks over his shoulder.

"You shouldn't allow them to ruffle you. You need to learn discipline, you need to learn to pick your battles. The right battles." Kanan folded his arms.

Ezra sat on Kanan's bunk, looking up through his bangs. "But they were insulting you! They were insulting the Jedi!"

Kanan cocked his brow at him, smiling bitterly. "This is not the first- or last time I've heard such ideals, Ezra."

Ezra scowled and scuffed his foot against the floor grating.