Disclaimer: See Summary.
A/N: A'right. Time to get down to business. Sorry if this chapter doesn't contain as much action as you might like. I'm basically the Sans of Fanfiction, though I don't know how well my humor goes. Please tell me in the reviews if I've done a decent job adding humor in my stories. But I mean that I can be a bit lazy with my content, though I do what I can to give it as much depth as possible. It really all depends on the amount of sleep I've had.
Anyway, on to chapter 10.
The battle to retake Ryloth had gone fairly well. Within the planet's capital city, Cham Syndulla was meeting with the newly elected Chancellor Mon Mothma, discussing the inclusion of Ryloth's native resistance into the larger rebellion.
"It is good to hear that the rebels sent to your aid have helped you successfully retake your planet." Mothma said, smiling.
"I expected nothing less from those serving under my daughter's lead." Cham replied, proudly, as he looked back at Hera.
"When I heard that the Imperials were retreating, I had feared it was because they intended to destroy you." Mon Mothma added. "It is fortunate that no such thing happened."
"We feared it as well, your Excellency." Aayla added.
"Were there any that remained?" Mon asked, referring to Imperial stragglers.
"Nah," Kuron said. "Poor cowards took the easy way out. If there are any left out in the wild lands, me and the 327th will find 'em."
Mon Mothma seemed upset that the Imperial officers would have rather died than surrender.
"Don't be so worried, Madame," Kuron suggested. "It's likely they didn't have any useful information on them anyway."
"So, now that Ryloth has been freed, what's the plan?" Kanan asked.
"I am willing to provide any type of aid available to the New Republic and the Rebellion." Cham said.
"Your contributions to our cause will be greatly accepted." Mon Mothma replied. "Thank you."
Cham nodded, before his face grew solemn. "Send my condolences to Senator Organa," He said. "I heard about the fate of Alderaan."
Mon Mothma nodded. "I understand." She said. "We must do what we can to ensure that such a fate does not fall on anyone else moving forward." Taking a deep breath, she added, "I will dispatch teams to assist in any reconstruction plans necessary. May the Force be with you all."
"Thank you, Madame Chancellor." Cham replied as the transmission ended. He turned to the rebels. "Many thanks are in order," He began. "However, first, we must focus on cleaning up the mess left behind by the Empire."
Kuron's com link began to beep, and he reached for it. "Mother," He said. "What's wrong."
"A few imperial Droids activated out here, and your father and I could use some help." Ventress replied. The sounds of blasters going off could be heard in the background.
"I understand," Kuron replied. "I'll be right over with reinforcements shortly."
He turned to Commander Bly. "Well, Commander, get the speeders ready. I'm going to go get the troops organized." The clone soldier nodded.
Kuron located the troops, some of whom were busy playing Sabaac. The young man wraithed into the room. "What's going on in here?" He asked, as he reappeared.
The troops startled, then shot to their feet at attention. Kuron suppressed a chuckle as he said, "Alright. My parents found some stragglers out in the wilds. We need to back them up."
"Sir, Yes sir." Several troops said at once, before they scrambled to get their gear back on.
"One last thing," Kuron said, as he turned to leave. The troops stopped. Kuron smiled as he added, "When we get back, remember to deal me in. You know how much I enjoy Sabacc."
Some time later, Ezra and Shisuta were sparring. Ezra had already figured out her style: A hybrid of Makashi, Soresu, and Ataru. As they fought, he accidentally made eye contact with her. There was something about the way the light caught in her eyes. He hesitated, and was rewarded with a kick to the ribs, sending him to the ground, hard.
Chopper started laughing, as did Zeb. Kanan tried to suppress a smirk as he said, "You see, kid? This is why you still have some work to do. You can't afford to get distracted by a pretty face."
Chopper and Zeb laughed even harder. Then, the Lasat turned to Kanan and asked, "Wait, how can you tell?"
Kanan chuckled a bit. "Twi'leks do tend to be particularly beautiful."
Ezra groaned as he made an effort to get up. "So why haven't you told Hera how you feel about her?" He asked, as Chopper and Zeb started laughing again.
Kanan chuckled, shaking his head. "Well played, Ezra," was all he could say.
Shisuta bent down, offering Ezra a helping hand. "You alright, Ezra?" She asked.
"Eh," he replied with a shrug. "I've been through worse." He brushed himself off, using the Force to retrieve his lightsaber.
"So what happened?" Shisuta asked. "Did you finally break after watching all of this..." She gestured to herself, "...move around?"
More laughter from Zeb and Chopper followed, as Ezra blushed. "N-No." He stammered. "I just...sigh...I just got lost in my thoughts. That's all."
"Something on your mind, Ezra?" Asked the young Twi'lek. He nodded. She turned to the others. "Can we have a minute to speak in peace?" She asked. Zeb nodded as he, Chopper, and Kanan turned to leave, though he and the droid were still chuckling.
Shisuta smiled and turned to her friend. "What's bothering you, Ezra?"
"Well," Ezra began. "I guess I'm still worried about Sabine. We haven't heard anything from her since she left."
Shisuta nodded, finally understanding what he was going through. "I know the feeling." She said, earning a curious look from Ezra.
"Kuron is always worried about me." She went on. "At first, I'd poke fun at him, pretending that he was suggesting I couldn't take care of myself. Then, I think a year before we joined the Alliance, he told me how he felt about me. I...well, I was surprised, to say the least. I'd always thought that he was going to fall in love with Mina. After he told me that he felt he was in love with me, I didn't know what to do. Then, after a while, I decided to tell him how I felt. We've been a couple ever since. So we know how hard it can be, worrying about those we love. I am right about the idea that you feel strongly for Sabine, aren't I?"
"Well," Ezra replied. "She and I...uh...never really mentioned anyhting like that to each other. Guess we were always too busy fighting in the rebellion."
"It worked out for me and Kuron." Shisuta said.
"I mean, yeah, but..." Ezra sighed. "I guess I was just..."
"Too nervous to say anything?" Shisuta guessed. He nodded. "You must have been worried that she wouldn't feel the same way about you. Is that right?" He nodded again. "And I bet you're worried that you might not have the chance to tell her, right?" Again, she was correct. "Well, know this. Sabine is strong, brave, and determined. She is Mandalorian, after all. Those traits are pretty much in her blood."
"So," Ezra replied. "What does that mean for me?"
"That you'll get a chance to see her again. Trust me." Shisuta answered.
Ezra took a moment to process her words. "Thanks, Shisuta." He said.
"You're welcome, Ezra." She replied.
He smiled at her, before something crossed his mind. "Am I...going to need to worry about Kuron knowing about this."
"Hmmm..." Shisuta pondered. "Probably not. Kuron isn't exactly the jealous or possessive type. Now, if you'd, for example, been distracted by a different part of my body, and not my eyes..."
"Okay, okay." Ezra said quickly. "I got it, I got it." Shisuta chuckled. Then, her com link beeped.
"Speak of the devil," She said, as she answered. "Hello?"
"Hey, Shisuta." Kuron said. "Is Ezra with you?"
"Actually, yes." She replied. "Here he is, now." She handed the com to Ezra.
"What's wrong, Kuron?" He asked. "Need my help with something?"
"Actually, no." Kuron replied. "But come to the plaza in the city and wait there."
The two young adults looked at each other, before Ezra handed the com back to Shisuta. "What's wrong, love?" She asked.
"You guys might want to see this for yourselves." Kuron replied, before shutting off the comlink.
The two looked at each other again. "He sounded pretty worried." Ezra said.
"I could sense a bit of happiness in his voice," Shisuta added. "We'd better get ready for whatever he has planned."
When the two of them made it to the plaza, Ezra immediately noticed what Kuron was talking about. Gathered in the plaza were a few starfighters.
Mandalorian Starfighters.
Brightly colored Mandalorian starfighters.
Ezra stood there in surprise, and Shisuta asked, "Mandalorian troops? Ezra, you know what this means, right?"
Slowly, he turned to her. "Mandalore's joining forces with us?"
She face palmed, covering her eyes with one hand and chuckling. She said nothing, and chose to wait for Ezra to put two and two together. He raised an eyebrow before the fact of the bright colors on the Mandalorian ships finally clicked into place, and he rushed down into the plaza, trying to ignore the laughter he heard behind him.
Meanwhile, a Mandalorian soldier was speaking with Kanan and Hera. "It certainly is a pleasant surprise to see you both after so long," said Fenn Rau.
"I wish I could say the same." Kanan replied dryly, despite the smirk on his face. Ezra came running up to them.
"Ah, Ezra Bridger." Fenn said. "What a pleasure to see you again."
"Fenn Rau." Ezra said, nodding. "What's happening, anyway?"
"Mandalore has heard of the Rebellion's victory above Yavin IV." Fenn explained. "Governor Ordo has expressed his approval to provide aid to the Rebel's, as well as discuss politics with the New Republic. It was through these meetings with Chancellor Mothma that we learned of the Ghost Squadron's presence here on Ryloth. We found the Clones fighting Imperial Droids out in the wilds. They looked like they needed our assistance."
"Well, it will be an honor to have Mandalore on our side, now." Hera said.
"We're eager to help." Fenn nodded, before turning to Ezra. "And yes, Commander Bridger." He said. "The colors present on these star fighters are courtesy of Sabine Wren, and she is in fact here."
"Wh-How did you know?" Ezra asked.
"Your Master told me about your connections to her." Fenn replied.
"And..." Ezra began. "You said she was here, right? Well, where is..."
"Right behind you," Answered a voice. Ezra slowly turned around. To his surprise, standing just fifteen feet away, leaning against one of the ships she herself had painted, was Sabine Wren. Ezra was in complete shock.
She certainly had changed a bit in the past two years. She'd repainted her own hair again; now it was pink, with blue at the end. She'd also redone her armor. But other than that, she still had the same confident look in her eyes, and the same smug smile on her face.
Ezra stepped closer to her, slowly. She chuckled as she stepped away from the ship, folding her arms. "Well," She began. "Are you just gonna stand there with your tongue hanging out your mouth," She spread her arms. "Or are you going to come over here and say hi to me?"
He slowly shook himself out of his daze and walked to her, accepting her offer for a hug. As they broke apart, he said, "It's good to see you again, Sabine."
"Good to see you too, Ezra." She replied. "You certainly look like you've been busy lately."
"Oh, he's been busy alright." Kuron spoke up, having wraithed over to them. "Busy fighting Imps and missing you."
"Is that so, Kuron?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. Ezra started getting a sinking feeling.
"Yeah," Kuron replied. "He even accidentally mistook me for you one morning. And on top of that, sometimes he uses your call sign when he speaks with me instead of using mine."
Sabine chuckled, casting a playful look at Ezra. "Is this true?"
He sighed, having failed to keep Kuron from saying anything. "Yes." He said, though he was staring at the ground.
"Oh, and I think there's something he's been dying to say about you." Kuron added, shrugging at Ezra's warning glare.
"Really?" Sabine asked. "And what would that be, Ezra?"
Ezra sighed. "Come on, man." Kuron said. "We don't have all day."
Ezra looked up at Sabine. "Well, I...sigh...I've felt that you and I have been...a team for so long... And, yes, I've been a bit off since we went our separate ways. The thing is...it was because...I'd wanted to tell you..."
"Go on," Sabine said, turning her finger in a gesture for him to continue. "Spit it out."
Ezra sighed. "I've wanted to tell you that...I, uh...liked you. I mean, like really liked you."
"I figured you did." She replied. "And now?" He gave her a confused look. "What do you think now?" She clarified.
Ezra sighed again. "Now...I still feel that way about you. I was worried...that I wouldn't be able to see you again."
Sabine gasped. "Ezra Bridger, how dare you have so little faith in me?" She asked, though he could sense that she was messing with him. She punched him lightly on the shoulder.
"Hey, listen." Sabine said. "I'm here now, and I've been worried about you too."
"Oh," Ezra said. "I see." He punched her lightly in the arm. "Well, then how dare you have so little faith in me?" She smiled, as Kuron and Shisuta chuckled nearby.
"Well, now that you guys are together again, what are you gonna do?" Kuron asked.
"Oh, um, I don't..." Ezra began, before Sabine grabbed him by the shoulders.
"Oh, just shut up and come here, Ezra." She said, before pulling him in and kissing him on the lips. Kuron and Shisuta started clapping.
As they separated, they became aware of the others. "Do you mind?" Ezra asked.
"Right." Kuron said. "Keep in mind that there are still a ton of other people here. Maybe save the mushy stuff for later. We'll let you have your moment."
As he and his own girlfriend turned to leave, Kuron looked at Zeb as they passed him. "Guess you owe me fifty credits, big guy." He shrugged.
"We never bet on anything." Zeb replied.
Kuron chuckled. "I know. I meant that you'll probably owe me some money later when I beat you at Sabacc." Zeb chuckled as he and Chopper headed off to go say hello to Sabine, when Kuron added, "And no betting Chopper like you did last time."
The little droid looked up at Zeb, giving him the closest thing to a stink eye.
A/N: There it is. Sabine's officially back. And she and Ezra are finally together. As for Kanan and Hera, they've already gotten together as couple, and it isn't much of a secret, but Kanan has yet to ask her "The big question."
Also, despite Shisuta and Barriss being such powerful healers, I decided not to go down the route of Kanan getting his sight back. I feel that having Kanan rely less on his eyes and more on the Force and his other senses is an important part of his development as a Jedi.
Also, Mandalore as of now in the story is not a part of the New Republic, but that may change in the future. And credit goes to jojobinks01 for the idea of Canderous Ordo, the new leader of Mandalore.
Next chapter, we turn to Luke and the gang. I would include details about that chapter, but I feel that doing so would spoil anticipation. Know that two characters...scratch that, two pairs of characters each develop closer bonds. (Wink Wink)
Until then, please RRF&F, and I'll see you all next time. Peace out, and may the Force be with you. Always.
p.s, Don't forget to check out my newest story, Uncertain Futures.