Hey, guys! Hope that you liked the last chapter. Sorry about the length. I just couldn't find a perfect place to cut it off. That and I wanted to add a little bit more to the Sabine and Ezra romance. Please let me know if you think it is sappy or cliché. Anyways hope you like the next chapter of brothers.
Galen worked over the stove in the tiny kitchen aboard the Rogue Shadow. While the kitchen itself was very compact due to space being limited. It was outfitted with a stove a microwave and a fridge. Even a tiny oven for if they wished to make things like a roast. But that is not what he was making right now. He instead was making just a simple meat stew, it included some natural vegetables that they could only find on Tython. Whistling a simple tune that he remembered his mother used to sing to him, he turned toward the common room table and let out a call.
"Alright, guys soups on!" Galen shouted. Immediately Juno appeared from the cockpit laughing alongside Hera as a disgruntled Kanan and Rex came out. It was obvious that the two pilots enjoyed swapping war stories. Each one trying to outdo the other. However, they seemed to be having a wonderful time with it. And judging by the look on his bandaged face the Jedi had been the subject of some joke that was being told. Sighing as he knew that he would receive a complete play by play breakdown of it later, Galen turned to his wife and kissed her on the lips and sat down at the head of the table.
From the back of the ship, a tired Lasat came. His nose leading his way to a delicious smell that was coming from the common room. Following behind him was a seemingly stoic Ezra and a humming Sabine. Galen knew that he would be on the receiving end of some rant from his brother about it later. But decided to put it off for the time being. The others sat around the comically small table, as it was designed to only be a simple caff table instead of a full blown dinner table.
Everyone dug into the soup and seemed to love it as seconds, and thirds in Zeb's case were passed around. Despite being a trained sith assassin Galen, in fact, was a very good cook. Mostly due to necessity due to both Ezra and Juno seemingly being able to burn and or over-spice things. So, Galen actually took the time to sit down and read a few cookbooks in his downtime on Tython. This is when things started to slow down and the crews started to exchange a few pleasantries. It started with Rex actually, a simple question about the rescue mission.
"So, where did you two learn to fight like that?" Rex said. He had been watching the whole thing through a camera feed on the brother's masks.
At first, it looked like Galen and Ezra would refuse to answer. But they were stopped by Juno who replied for them.
"It was mostly Kota. He taught Galen a few things about the force and swordsmanship. The rest they learned through recovered holocrons we found throughout our travels." She said instantly dispelling any tension that had arisen. Accepting the answer Rex nodded.
At this Hera asked Juno something from their previous conversation that had to do with power coils. And from there everyone seemed to sit in either silence or talk to the person closest to them. Kanan turned towards Ezra and asked him something that did silence everyone after a short while.
"Why the red and blue lightsabers?" He simply said. This seemed to shock everyone at the table as they figured that he wouldn't know due to his now blind state. But instead, he had felt the alignment of the force flowing through the crystals. He knew that one of them was surging with dark side energy, while the other simply flowed with the light side.
"It's to symbolize my stance in the force. Never drawing to close to one side or the other. Just staying in balance." Ezra stated in a cool voice. He scooted back and set the sabers before the crew. Igniting the red one first he simply stated, "This represents the Bogan or the darkness." Igniting the other one he finished, "This one represents the Ashla or the light. On their own one will constantly be in imbalance. But when one is in balance they can do things that no Jedi or Sith could ever do."
Nodding as he shut off the sabers. Everyone began to clear the table and help with the dishes. Which led to some unfortunate mishaps due to the size. Nothing was broken but a few cups were dropped and a plate nearly broke, but Kanan caught it with the force. After everything was put away the brothers led Hera and Kanan to Ezra's room and told them that is where they would be staying for the night. Sabine would get Juno's old room that they used as storage. But after a little moving, she had a nice space cleared out for her. Ezra would be sleeping on a cot in the training room with Zeb, who was already asleep.
Galen nodded at Ezra as they pushed the table to the far wall and pulled out three worn mats. Turning to Kanan, Galen addressed him. "Would you like to meditate with us?"
Stunned Kanan nodded and kneeled on one of the mats. As he released himself into the force he could feel the members of his crew beginning their nightly rituals. Sabine was probably deciding on some new paint scheme for her armour. Zeb was snoring away on his cot. Hera was reading over something. It would be a good night he decided. They had barely any time as husband and wife since their marriage. It would be nice to actually be around her and not feel as though at any moment something could go wrong. As he fell deeper into the force Kanan felt the two brothers meditating beside him. At first, it surprised him that they were meditating on emotions of passion and hatred. But after thinking things over he knew that it was probably something that would cause arguments. He knew that they were keeping their pasts secret from them for some reason. Unsure as to why he decided to feel their presence in the force. It amazed him. He always thought of someone's force connection was best explained as a web of interconnected pipes that had water flowing through them. Some had larger pipes signifying more of a connection, others it was barely a trickle. But these two, it was like a raging river barely contained within its banks. They would have been able to put council level masters to shame with their ability. He only felt two connections that seemed to compare and that was of Anakin Skywalker, and Grandmaster Yoda. It was amazing. He would have to see if they would be willing to stay awhile at Atollon so as to just study them.
Of course, after an hour he felt them pulling out of the dark side and rise. They exchanged a few words in the tongue that he couldn't seem to understand. Turning towards them as Galen walked out he asked, "What language are you guys speaking?"
"Tythonic, we learned it from one of the holocrons we found," Ezra said as he sat on the ground in front of the Jedi. Wincing a bit as his ribs got jostled.
"How are your cuts doing? Proxy said that you were cut up pretty bad, but most of it was superficial." He continued.
"I am fine. The bacta has worked wonders. Just wish it could fix my eyes." Kanan said with a sigh.
"Hmm." was all that Ezra said as he rose, "Well, I hope that you and your crew feel better in the morning. I will be down the hall if you need me."
Offering the Jedi a hand up he led him to the room that he and Hera would be staying in. Then took off to the training room to sleep with Zeb on a cot. Along the way, he passed the room that Sabine was staying in and smelt what he thought was paint. Knocking softly, the door opened to reveal Sabine in a set of sweats and a tank top that she had borrowed from Juno repainting her armour.
"Oh, Ezra, did you need something?" She stated as she moved back towards her armour.
"No, Just smelled some paint and wanted to check it out." He replied as he leaned against the doorframe, "Why are you painting it?"
Smiling Sabine went back over to the chest plate that she had just applied a fresh coat of paint too. "I like to use it to express my individuality. I also do murals. You should see the inside of the Ghost. Hera lets me paint the walls." She said with excitement in her eyes.
"Oh, well was just checking in on you. Hope you sleep well." Ezra said as he turned to leave.
"Wait. I know that you haven't lied to me, well, not exactly, but why are you and your brother so guarded about your guy's past?" Sabine called out before he could go.
Sighing Ezra turned, and looked at her, really looked at her, trying to get a read on her. using both skills he learned as an assassin and with the force, he probed outwards. He felt the energy around her. Closing his eyes he started to have an internal war with himself. Trying to decide if it was worth it. If he told her, there would be more questions, but if he didn't she might get upset and not trust him. This bothered him. Inside his mind, something sparked to life. Something he hadn't felt since before he was homeless. Despite this new spark that was gradually flowing outwards like a wildfire. He couldn't. He couldn't tell her the whole story, it was too risky. So he turned to her and merely said, "Someday you will learn the truth about my brother and I. And when that day comes I only hope that you can forgive me." As he left the door frame shut the door behind him as he went.
Confused Sabine sat back and stared at the doorway that he had been standing in. Sighing she went back to work, mumbling to herself about the whole ordeal. Finally getting the paint scheme she wanted she set it to dry and would add the artistic parts of it in the morning. Going over to the bed she began to think about the two brothers. And about her future. She didn't want to be a warrior her entire life, despite what her people were they did have lots of other attributes other than fighting. She imagined herself as a roaming painter, but that seemed lonely. Maybe when the war was over and peace and justice ruled she could tag along on the Ghost and help Kanan and Hera as they did legitimate business throughout the galaxy. But that still didn't seem like something she wanted. Sure she would always consider Kanan, Hera, and Zeb as a family. But she didn't want to be tied to them forever. Maybe she would get her own ship and become an explorer for the new republic, that would allow her to have all the time she wanted to paint. And she could be charting new star systems the entire time. But once again the whole loneliness thing seemed to pervade that idea. So she decided to think about the Je'daii.
They were odd, even by Sith and Jedi standards. Her people had a long and storied history of being able to take on force users, mostly the Jedi, but there were a minor few skirmishes between her people and the old Sith empire. This leading to an all out distrust of any force user, and with the exception of Tar Vizsla there were no Mandalorians who were ever recruited into the Jedi or Sith orders. She wondered what her mother would think of the Je'daii.
She wondered if it would make her even more of a pariah to be with them. Or even, dare she say feel something other than friendship for one of them. Now she wasn't some immature teenager of her youth. She knew that at the very least she was attracted to the younger one. And she could make an argument that it what she felt went beyond simple attraction, but she had just met them, and they did save her life. Maybe that was factoring into what she was thinking at the moment. But she did know that she liked him. He felt like a kindred spirit. Someone who was trying to right the wrongs of their past. Maybe, just maybe that is why he said what he said before he left. Laying in the bed as she closed her eyes she let the happiness of better times seep into her dreams, and she distinctly saw a tall dark haired Je'daii in them.
Okay, so that is Chapter 6! Tell me what you think. I hope that this doesn't seem to dragged out. Especially on the Sabezra. But I want to try and make a more realistic version of them getting together. Feel free to comment any criticisms that you have. Also shoutout to Filius Hibernia et Germania for the idea that the language that the brothers speak is Tythonic. Keep the comments coming. Until next time.
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