Chapter 9, everyone. :) Enjoy. :) And as usual, I ask you to please ignore any mispelled words.

Chapter 9: Leaving Comfort, Entering the Unknown

The more Kanan Jarrus stayed on this planet, the more decisions he madethat he knew he'd regret later. And the decision to leave the Shire and get Frodo to this Bree was one of the choiceshe regretted. Don't get him wrong, he was very fond
of the hobbit. However, the Jedi Knight feared that he was getting his crew and himself into more trouble. They were dealing with something that they didn't truly understand.

However, there was another side of Kanan that was telling him he had made the right decision. During his years in the Jedi Temple, he had been a coward. A coward that had the nerve to leave his master to die with the rest of the Order.A coward that
wouldn't defend himself against a squadron of clone troopers as they killed everybody around him. Kanan closed his eyes and clenched his fist. No more.

He had made the right choice. Helping Frodo was the correct path. No more running. No more cowering. It was the right course of action. Despite this not being their own problem, Kanan knew that if they let the hobbit go alone, there was a possiblechance
that he wouldn't make it to Bree alive. They had to do this.

A majority of the Ghost crew had turned in for the night, along with Frodo and Sam. Gandalf had advised them to rest up, because they were to leave at the crack of dawn. Kanan, however, decided to stay up for a bit and check to see if they had all
they needed for the journey. Some of the crew were a bit disappointed that it'd basically be their last night in the comfort of Bag End.

After a full inspection of the supplies, Kanan decided that they might have to make a quick stop by the ship to grab some more things that they needed. Fortunately, they'd have to travel to Bree down that same direction. Kanan knew that Hera wasn't fond
of the idea of leaving her ship in the Shire, but sadly, they had no choice.

He finally stood up, and suddenly jumped when he saw Gandalf standing at the doorway, looking at him. He hated it when he did that!

Gandalf smiled and chuckled, "Forgive me, Kanan Jarrus. I didn't mean to startle you."

Kanan nodded, calming down, "It's-It's fine."

The wizard sat himself down in a seat by the fireplace. He then took out from his cloak a long brown pipe and began to smoke it. Kanan just sat across from him and watched as some rather large smoke rings hit against the ceiling.

What was interesting though was that the smoke didn't smell so bad like the other ones he had smelled before. This had an aroma to it that actually made it kind of addicting. Kanan almost wanted to try it out, but decided not to be a bother and just watched.
Gandalf noticed and simply smiled.

"Old Toby," he explained, "It's actually considered the finest weed in the South Farthing."

Kanan nodded, "I've seen it before. A lot of the local hobbits here tend to smoke it a lot almost everyday."

Gandalf chuckled, "Indeed. Hobbits always tend to have a deep interest in the smoking of pipe weed, as well as the brewing of ale." He accidentally inhaled too much smoke and coughed.

Kanan smirked and leaned back in his chair. "I can definitely understand why they love the ale."

Gandalf nodded, chuckling again. He then blew a couple more smoke rings, some that were very small, and others that were almost as big as the fireplace itself. Kanan wondered how he did that, but then reminded himself that he was looking at a wizard here.
And wizards always tended to be mysterious in everything they did.

Finally, after a good long smoke, Gandalf put away the pipe and eyed Kanan curiously.

"You seem to have a very protective crew, my friend," he said with a smirk, "I was honestly surprised at how fearless and defensive they were, especially at me."

"Yeah," Kanan replied, scratching his head nervously, "Sorry about that."

Gandalf smiled and shook his head, "Don't be. Honestly, their fearlessness is actually what Frodo might needon this journey."

Kanan nodded, although he immediately looked down, not wanting the old man to see the look on his face. Unfortunatly, Gandalf seemed to be really good at seeing things, so it was useless for the Jedi to hide his feelings.

The wizard frowned, "You don't think it wise for you and your friends to go."

Kanan shrugged, "No offense,Gandalf, but we've been through quite a lot."

Gandalf nodded understandingly. "Of course, my friend. It is quite understandable why you do not wish to leave the Shire." He then gave Kanan a hard stare, "However, even had your apprentice not volunteered to help Frodo in his task, you'd have hadto
go with him anyways."

Kanan rose a brow, confused by the wizard's words, "What do you mean?"

Gandalf stood up from his chair and began to pace, putting his hands behind his back.

"Sauron is a far more dangerous foe than you may realize," he explained, "Should hediscover that a Baggins lived here, he'd send his forces to wipe out whoever was in the residence. Imagine what a surprise he'd have if he discovered strangers from another world."

Kanan's head immediately shot up at that. His eyes had gone wide as he lookedat the old man. Gandalf had both his brows raised and stared straight at him. He had a look in his eyes that indicated that he had known all along about who they were and
where they had come from.

Kanan didn't know how to react.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about, sir," he stuttered, doing a horrible job at lying.

Gandalf smirked and crossed his arms, "I am no fool, Kanan Jarrus. I know perfectly well that you and your crew came from beyond the stars." He pointed at Kanan'scloths, "I've walked through Middle Earth for more than a hundred years, and I've never
seen beings dressed in such an odd attire. Nor have I ever come across any species called (what was it?) Twi'leks or Lasats or droids." He chuckled, "I'm sure this old mind would remember such names."

Kanan was speechless. He didn't realize it, but his mouth was hanging open. This wizard was smarter than he had thought. When he had first met him, he knew that Gandalf seemed to be good at reading minds, but he didn't realize he was this good. He didn't
know how to respond. If Gandalf knew that they came from another planet, how much else did he know?

However, Kanan knew that he couldn't lie to the wizard. The truth had to be let out eventually. And considering that the old man was a very trustworthy person, the Jedi saw no problem telling him everything. He was sure Gandalf could keep a secret.

Kanan sighed, "Well, you're right. We're not from here." He then pointed to the symbol on his shoulder plate. "Me and my crew work for a group called Phoenix Squardron, a small rebel force built to overthrow a cruel and corruptgovernment called
the Galactic Empire."

Gandalf looked down at the floor in thought, "Hmm, I've never heard of such names before."

"That's actually kind of a surprise," Kanan replied with a frown, "We've been to several planets and each one of them at least know the tyranny of the Empire."

Gandalf rose a curious brow, "So there are other worlds beyond Middle Earth?!"

"Yes," Kanan nodded, "More than I can count."

He then told Gandalf everything. He told him of the legendary Jedi Order and his past as a padawan learner. He told him how the Republic's leader, Chancellor Palpatine, had secretly been a Sith Lord who managed to turn the Clone Army against the Jedi,
making them all go extinct. He also explained of how the Republic changed into the Empire and put the galaxy intofear and dread.

Kanan then went on and told him of how Hera had found him and convinced him to join a cause: To overthrow the Empire and restore theRepublic. Although, he did not realize how big the cause was until he had been captured by the Imperialsand
rescued by Hera and Phoenix Squadron.

Gandalf was very interested in everything that the Jedi described, but remained silent throughout the whole story. He had never heard of soldiers called Stormtroopers, or Sith Lords, or even Jedi. However, given how he had travelled through Middle Earth
for many years and had seen many strange things, he was not surprised to find that something like this actually existed.

Finally, once the Jedi finished, Gandalf spoke with deep concern in his voice. "Tell me, Kanan. This 'Empire' you speak of. Do you think they'll come here?"

Kanan looked down for a second before he shrugged. "I don't know. I mean, I doubt it. This planet isn't even on the 've been waiting for 8 weeks, hoping the rebel fleet would arrive here, but no one's shown up. I don't think the Empire
would have any better luck."

Gandalf nodded, looking a little bit relieved, "Let us hope it stays that way. The last thing Middle Earth needs right now is another dark force against them." He then frowned, "I fear of what Sauron will send to retrieve the ring. He has many beings
at his disposal: Orcs, trolls, and worse."

Kanan didn't like the sound of that. They might not have the Empire to worry about right now, but they most definitely had Sauron to worry about. And he was not very fond of hearing that this dark lord might have something 'worse' that could track poor
Frodo.

He decided to ask the question. "Gandalf, what if it is the worst?"

Gandalf looked at him. A shadowseemed to havefallen across the room, and it made Kanan slightly shiver.

"Then I fear that you all will be in fargreater danger," Gandalf replied.

Kanan was afraid he'd say that. However, that hadn'tstopped him before. Despite not wanting to be a part of this trip, he swore that he'd protect Frodo and his crew at all cost.

Kanan all of a sudden stood up, grabbed his lightsaber, held it out in front of him, and pressed the button. Instantly, the bright blue laser blade shot out, casting a blue glowacross the room. Gandalf's eyes had gone wide in complete bewilderment.
He had never seen such a remarkable weapon before in all his life.

"Not if I can help it," Kanan promised the wizard.

It was at dawn when they set out. A couple members of the crew, specifically Zeb, didn't want to get up. It took an electric zap from Chopper to wake him up, much to the Lasat's aggravation. Frodo had already had his things ready and within a few minutes,
he was setto go. Thanks to Kanan packing everything during the night, the crew of the Ghost didn't have to worry about rushing to get ready.

Sabine made sure to attach all her valuable items, specifically her paints and twin blasters, to her belt. There was no way in the whole galaxy that the Mandalorian was going to leave those in any backpacks. She didn't really trust people with her things,
especially Zeb and Ezra.

Rex, on the other hand, was more than ready to go. He loved the peace and quite of the Shire, but the clone veteran missed action. And judging by the fact that this dark lord person was sending forces to retrieve this mysterious ring, Rex figured that
he'd get to deal with tons of action. If there was one thing that a clone was good at, it was combat.

Everybody else was a bit depressed about having to leave. For the past 8 weeks, Bag End had basically been their home away from home. Ezra hoped that somehow someway, they'd be able to see the little hobbit hole again once all of this was over. When would
it end? The padawan had no idea.

Sam was also accompanying Frodo and the crew. Gandalf had suggested that the hobbit could help out in the journey,especially since he had eavesdropped last night. However, unbeknownst to everybody else, he had pulled Sam aside and told him a couple
things.

After that, they set off. Gandalf was leading the way into the forest, pulling a horse along with him. He explained that he needed to make a trip somewhere toask for help with the ring. He assured them, though, that he'd meet them in Bree.

Sam was at the rear of the group, making sure that none of the items he brought in his pack were falling out. He just brought some basic stuff. Like pots, pans, silverware, etc.

Gandalf glanced back at the hobbit. "Come along, Samwise. Keep up."

Sam quickened his pace, but was still falling behind. Sabine glanced back at him sympathetically. She stopped and waited for him to catch up.

"Need some help?" the Mandalorian asked.

Sam shook his head. "No thank you, Ms. Sabine. I can carry it all."

He was about to walk on, but she held up a hand for him to wait. Without another word, she removed two of the five bags attached to his backpack and swung them across her shoulder.

"Nonsense," Sabine smirked, "I can pull my weight too."

Sam wanted to argue, but deep down, he was actually very greatful. So he just smiled at her and they ran to catch up with the others.

The sun was officially up once they were deep in the forest. They finally came to the point where Gandalf would have to go his own seperate way.

"Be careful, all of you," the wizard told them, "The enemy has many spies in his service: Birds, beasts."

Zeb chuckled and gave a passive wave with his hand. "Oh,thatshouldn't be a problem. If I see any, I'll just shoot them on sight," he said, patting his bo-rifle.

Gandalf frowned at the Lasat, "Don't underestimate the enemy, captain. Sauron isa formidable foe. You will find soon, if not later, that your weapons will not always be a match for the minions of Mordor."

Zeb fell silent to that. Ezra smirked and patted him on the shoulder.

Gandalf looked at Kanan, "You said you had to stop by your ship?"

Kanan nodded, "There're a couple things that we need to get from the Ghost before we head down toBree. It won't take real long."

Gandalf nodded. "Just be sure to make haste, my friend. I do not know if the enemy is in the Shire yet, but if they are, you'll need to get out of here as fast as you can."

Kanan nodded, understanding.

Gandalf then looked at Frodo. "Is it safe?"

Frodo nodded, placing a hand on his front coat pocket. None of the crew had actually gotten to see the ring, but the wizard had thought it for the best. He told them that as soon as they saw it, they'd immediately develop a deep desire for it. Said desire
was already in Frodo's heart, but the hobbit knew that he had to get rid of it.

Gandalf knelt down and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Never put it on. For the agents of the Dark Lord will be drawn to its power." He then whispered to Frodo, "Always remember, Frodo, the ring is trying to get back to its master. It wants to be
found."

With that, Gandalf hopped onto his horse and rode off till he was out of sight. Everybody jumped when they suddenly heard crows take off from the trees. However, they sighed with relief, assuring themselvesthat they were just normal birds.

Hera spoke up, "Alright everyone, let's get to the Ghost. If we need to get to this Bree as soon as possible, then we need to get what we need from the ship and then get going. We got a long journey ahead of us."

The Twi'lek then took the lead. Everybody else exchanged quick glances before following. Frodo and Sam were actually quite curious to see what their ship looked like. Gandalf, of course, had told them the truth about the crew. The hobbits couldn't deny
that it was a lot to take in, but despite this, they trusted them. They had known them for 8 weeks, and they seemed no different than any other being in Middle Earth.

They traveled for an hour into the forest. Frodo recommended that they stay off the road, so Rex used his comlink to find the location of the ship. Before they knew it, the crew came out of the trees into an open area. Straight ahead was the Ghost. Frodo
and Sam's eyes went wide in shock at the sight of it.

Hera lowered the ship's ramp, and then she, Sabine, Zeb, Kanan, and Rex went inside. Ezra and Chopper stayed outside with the two hobbits. Sam ran his hand against the side of the ship in awe. It felt so cold, almost like steel. The only thing made of
steel that the hobbits had seen were swords. But a whole ship made out of metal was something extraordinary.

Ezra watched them amusingly, crossing his arms over his chest.

"My Old Gaffer would never believe me if I told him about this," Sam exclaimed, "I've never seen anything like this before!"

Frodo felt the shipas well before looking at Ezra, "How does this ship sail?!"

Ezra burst out laughing at that and shook his head, "Oh it doesn't sail. It flies."

Sam's eyes went even wider, "Flies?! As in, flieslike a bird?!"

Ezra shrugged and nodded, "Yeah, basically. Believe me guys, where we come from, there are a ton more." He pointed up at the sky, "Usually, you'd find even bigger ships called Star Destroyers flying about. However, if you see one of those, then it's not
really your lucky day."

Frodo rose a curious brow, "Why's that?"

"Because they're Imperial. And if you ever come across the likes of the Empire, it's never your lucky day," Ezra replied.

Sam frowned at that, "You know, these 'Empire' people don't really sound that great."

Ezra smirked and shook his head, "You have noidea."

After 10 minutes of waiting, the rest of the crew descended from the Ghost. Zeb and Rex werecarryingbackpacks full of malurun fruits and had grabbed a sniper rifle, which sheswung around her shoulder. Sabine
had grabbed more paint cans, which Ezra had no idea what they'd need them Kanan had just grabbed his Jedi Holocron.

Ezra rose a brow at that. Why was he bringing the Holocron? Of course, he knew Kanan would never tell him unless it was really important.

Hera then closed the ramp up again. As it finally sealed itself shut, the Twi'lek just stared at her ship,not saying a word. She once again found herself saying goodbye to it. This time, she had no idea how long it'd be. She had never left the Ghost somewhere
for this long before, and it honestly kind of bugged her. Hera traced her hand along the edge, as if it'd be the last time she'd ever see her ship.

Kanan walked up to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, we should get started."

Hera slowly nodded. She ran her hand against the ship once more before turning away.

Before she had gotten very far, she glared at Kanan, "And you said we'd be right back." She then walked off to join the others.

Kanan just watched her and then shook his head. For some reason, he always tended to make promises that he couldn't keep. This was one of them.

Thus the journey out of Hobbiton officially began. Frodo, knowing the way to Bree, led the way. Sam and the rest of the Ghost crew followed behind. According to Rex's comlink, the village of Bree would be a 5 days journey, much to the disappointment
of everyone. They were fortunate to have enough food for those days.

However, as they continued on, many of them forgot their complaints and found themselves once again becoming fascinated with the world. They all immediatelylearned that the Shire was only a small part of a much larger world. Frodo led them out of
the forest and over some rather coollooking streams. Ezra kind of wished they could stop just to have a taste of the , the hobbit wanted to press on, under fear ofthe enemy being in the Shire.

They then came upon a great open plain. They could see both trees and much larger hills all around them. Ezra even thought he could see mountains in the distance, which looked really amazing. The more they gazed at the scenery, the less tired the Ghost crew
became, even as hours went by. To them, it seemed shorter than that. Probably because they were enjoying themselves.

They didn't really see anybody. Only a couple farmer hobbits driving their carts to somewhere opposite of where they were going. Zeb kind of wished he could steal a piece of their corn to eat, but sadly thought against it.

It was a big help that it wasn't so hot outside. There was a cool breeze blowing across the land, and they all enjoyed it blowing against their faces. Even Chopper didn't do much complaining, which was kind of shocking.

It was soon late afternoon, and the group soon came to a corn field. Unfortunatly, there was nothing on the plants because they were still growing, much to the disappointment of Zeb. They were a bit tired, but knew that they could still walk on for at
least a couple more hours.

Just then, Sam suddenly stopped in his tracks.

Sabine looked back at him, a concerned look on her face. "Sam? You okay?"

Everybody else stopped and looked back at them.

"This is it," Sam exclaimed.

Frodo tilted his head, "This is what?"

Sam leaned against his walking stick, "If I take one more step, it'll be the farthest away from home I've ever been."

Ezra shot a look of sympathy towards the hobbit. They had been traveling for only a day, and he was already homesick. The Jedi felt sorry for him. From what he had heard about hobbits, not all of them were fond of going off on some long journey.

Frodo walked up to his friend and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Come on, Sam."

Sam looked at all of them, and then he slowly began to walk again. Sabine patted him on the shoulder and smiled at him. Then, the Mandalorian took the backpack from the hobbit's back and threw it towards Zeb and Ezra. Both the Jedi and the Lasat glared
at her before they eachcarried a bag.

Sam looked a bit relieved for not having any weight on his back.

Frodo smiledand wrapped his arm around him. "Remember what Bilbo used to say, 'It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to.'"