Sabine woke to the smell of something frying. Whatever it was, it smelled really good. She rolled out of bed, got dressed, and followed the smell down the hall to the kitchen. There, she found Hera happily singing to herself as she made breakfast.
"What's got you all excited this morning?" Sabine asked as she sat down at the table.
"That'll have to wait" Hera said with a grin "I want to tell the whole crew at once."
"Well I hope they get here soon, I'm starving, and now I'm curious." Ezra said as he walked in. He leaned down and kissed Sabine on the way to his seat.
"Good morning to you too" she laughed.
"What's with the kissing and making breakfast?" Zeb asked, still half asleep. Chopper was hot on his heels, beeping and wurring in his droid language.
"Chop, we talked about this" Hera said "No foul language at the table."
Chopper groaned and sulked off to his spot near the wall. Hera reached down and plugged a charging cable into the droid. He made a sound like a cat purring, and was quiet.
"Where's Kanan?" Ezra asked
"I don't know" Hera said "He was awake when I came in here."
"Well can we eat without him?" Zeb asked
"No, today is a special day, and we're all going to eat together." Hera replied.
"Kanan, get in here, Heras starving us!" Sabine yelled.
A few moments later, Kanan walked through the door. "Whatever it is, I didn't do it" He said.
Sabine noticed he looked almost as happy as Hera.
"Shut up and sit down so she'll feed us" Zeb said.
Kanan took his seat, and Hera passed out the food. Nerf bacon, pancakes, and eggs, all made to perfection. Sabine loved these moments. It actually felt like they were a normal family having breakfast, instead of wanted criminals who hadn't slept ten hours in the last week.
After leaving Yavin, Phoenix squad had been ordered to draw the Empire away from the Outer Rim. They had been wreaking havoc up and down major hyperspace lanes in the inner and mid rims ever since, using hit and run tactics to disrupt Imperial supplies and keep their focus away from the Rebel forces as they relocated from Yavin.
They had received news of the Death Stars destruction a day after they had left, as well as word that there was a young man called Luke Skywalker claiming to be a Jedi. Their orders were to stay where they were for another week, to allow the Rebels to relocate, but Sabine knew Ezra was excited to meet the new Jedi.
"So can we hear the big news now?" Ezra asked.
Everyone turned and looked at Hera, who smiled and looked down. Sabine couldn't help but notice the Twi'lek's cheeks turning a slightly different color of green.
"I uh, I'm pregnant." She said.
The room erupted into chaos. Zeb choked on his food, and Ezra spit out his drink. Chopper began beeping loudly.
Sabine let out a squeal of delight. "Hera, that's amazing!" She said
"Yeah congratulations." Ezra said smiling.
"You already knew, didn't you?" Zeb said to Kanan.
"She found out last week, but she wanted to be sure before we told you guys" Kanan replied.
"Congratulations mate" Zeb laughed.
Later
"Ezra. Ezra wake up."
Ezra sat up at the sound of his name, looking around his dark, empty room.
"Who's there?" He asked, reaching for his lightsaber.
He jumped a little as the figure of an old man wearing Jedi robes appeared before him. The man looked familiar, and it took Ezra a second to recognize him.
"Master Kenobi?" Ezra asked, a little more than confused.
"Yes Ezra." Kenobi replied. "It is good to see you again."
"How… how are you here?" Ezra asked.
"I have become part of the Cosmic Force." Kenobi said "I was killed by Vader, but through training I acquired over the years, I have the ability to speak to you."
"So you're like a ghost?" Ezra asked
"In a way." Kenobi replied. "I have come with a message. Do not train Luke. He has his own path, just as you have yours."
"Don't train him?" Ezra asked, confused. "I thought it was our responsibility to train new generations of Jedi?"
"It is." Kenobi replied "But for now you have other responsibilities."
"What responsibilities?" Ezra asked.
"Becoming a proper Jedi Knight." Kenobi replied. "Go to the planet Dagobah. You must find Yoda, and speak with him. You must also go alone, do not even bring your master, he cannot help you."
"I understand." Ezra replied, standing. "Thank you, Master Kenobi."
"May the Force be with you, young Bridger." Kenobi replied. "And if you should ever need help, I will not be far away."
With that, the old Jedi faded away. Ezra blinked a few times, just to make sure he was awake and hadn't dreamed the whole thing. He jumped as he heard a knock on his door.
"Ezra, you okay in there?" Kanan asked.
"Yeah." Ezra replied "Come in here I need to talk to you."
The door opened and Kanan walked through. "I heard voices." Kanan said. "Who were you talking too?"
He sat as Ezra explained his meeting with Master Kenobi, and about his instructions to go to Dagobah to meet with Yoda.
"So, it's that time then." Kanan sighed.
"What do you mean?" Ezra asked.
"It's time for you to move on." Kanan replied. "You've grown so much over these last few years, and I've taught you everything I know. But there's a time in every Jedi Master's life when he has to let go of his student, and let them grow on their own. This is that time."
"Thank you, Kanan." Ezra said. "For everything. I don't think I say that enough."
"Just doing my job." Kanan said, smiling. "I never got to take my formal trials, but my master was getting me ready for them. One of the last things she told me was this; There cannot be light without the dark. You'll understand that when its time too. Now get your things, you need to leave as soon as possible."
An hour later, Ezra was standing at the base of the ladder to the Phantom, surrounded by the rest of the crew.
"Are you sure we can't come with you?" Hera asked.
"No, this is something he has to do alone." Kanan said, putting a hand on her shoulder.
"I'll be fine Hera." Ezra laughed. "I always come back in one piece."
"Make sure you do kid." Zeb replied. "Otherwise I'm taking your stuff."
"Good luck with that." Ezra replied. "I'm leaving it under Sabine's protection."
"Well that's a big mistake." Sabine said "It might be scrapped for parts before you get back."
"It better not be." Ezra said.
He turned around and began climbing the ladder, then looked back and motioned Sabine to follow him. She climbed the ladder and stood with him while he did all of the pre flight checks for the Phantom. When he was done, he turned around and smiled at her.
"Well, I guess I should get going." He said.
"How long do you think it'll take?" Sabine asked.
"I don't know." Ezra replied.
"I asked Kanan the same thing, and he just said 'As long as it takes.'"
There was a pause as they looked at each other, then Sabine stepped forward and kissed him.
"Good luck Jedi." She said, smiling.
She knew if she didn't leave right then she never would, so she turned and began climbing down the ladder.
"You'd better come back to me in one piece Ezra Bridger." She said as she closed the hatch.
"Like I said, I always do." Ezra replied.
When the hatch sealed, he detached from the Ghost and headed for Dagobah. He had a little time, so he sat in the floor of the ship and meditated. He thought back in everything that had happened over the years, trying to recall every single word of training Kanan had ever spoken to him. Before he knew it, the little ship exited hyperspace.
"Now, how am I gonna find Master Yoda?" He said to himself.
He thought for a moment, then chose the obvious answer. He closed his eyes and concentrated, letting the Force choose where to go. Suddenly, a small, muddy clearing came into view. He opened his eyes and pushed forward on the controls, following the Force as he flew toward the planet. He flew through the swampy fog, and eventually, the clearing came into view. He landed and shut the ship down, making sure he had fuel to get back home.
"This is a strange place." He said as he stepped out if the ship.
"Strange?" A voice said to his left, making him jump. "Hmm, yes, strange it is."
Ezra looked around for the source of the voice. He had only heard it a few times before, but he recognized it immediately.
"Master Yoda?" He said, still searching through the fog.
He finally saw the small green figure sitting on a rock a few feet away. Excited, Ezra approached and sat in front of the old Jedi.
"Young Ezra." Yoda said "Good to see you in person, it is."
"Master, I've come for your help." Ezra said.
"Help?" Yoda asked, amused "What help?"
"Master Kenobi sent me." Ezra replied "He said it was time for me to become a Jedi Knight."
"Did he?" Yoda asked, looking over his shoulder. "Join us, my old friend." He said.
The blue figure of Kenobi appeared out of the fog beside Yoda.
"The boy is ready Master." Kenobi said. "He has already passed most of the trials."
"Hmm, perhaps." Yoda said. "Ask him, we shall."
Both old Jedi turned to look at Ezra, who was still sitting on the ground.
"So, wish to become a Jedi Knight, do you?" Yoda asked. "Pass the Trials, you must."
"What trials?" Ezra asked.
"In the days of the Republic, the Trials were five tests used to measure a padawan's abilities, and to determine if they were ready to become Knights." Kenobi said. "For you, however, it will be different."
"How so?" Ezra asked.
"Passed some of these, already you have." Yoda said. "Courage, Skill, Insight, Flesh. All these, passed you have. Only one remains."
"What is it?" Ezra asked.
"The Trial of Self." Kenobi answered. He motioned to the entrance of a cave a few meters away. "Enter the cave, and you will face every Jedi's greatest enemy, yourself."
Ezra stood and slowly walked toward the cave. He could feel the Dark Side flowing from the cave.
"What's in there?" He asked.
"Only you will know." Yoda replied. "If successful you are, a Jedi, you will have become."
"And if I fail?" Ezra asked.
"Most padawan's that failed this trial either died or slipped into madness." Kenobi said. "To be a Jedi Knight and protect others, you must learn to control yourself."
"So I have to beat my dark side, then?" Ezra asked.
"You will see soon enough." Kenobi said.
"I understand." Ezra said. He took a deep breath, then stepped toward the cave.
"Ezra wait." Kenobi called. "Leave your lightsaber. You must face yourself alone."
Ezra nodded and unhooked his lightsaber from his belt. He sat it on a rock, then stepped into the cave. He didn't know how long he had been walking when he heard the laughter.
"Who's there?" He called.
Instinctively, he reached for his lightsaber, and was surprised to find it attached to his belt. He thought he had left it, but was glad it was with him. He activated it, and the white glow filled the space around him.
"Well well well." A strangely familiar voice said "Look who came crawling back home."
Ezra turned and came face to face with himself, but it wasn't him. More like a shadow, with bright red eyes and a red lightsaber in hand.
"Who are you?" Ezra asked, taking a step back.
"Well it's obvious isn't it?" The Shadow said. "I'm you. But I'm the better you."
"You mean you're the dark me." Ezra said.
The Shadow hissed, then put away its lightsaber. "Well, yes." It said "I'm what you could have been."
The Shadow motioned toward the wall of the cave, and a series of images appeared, almost like a movie. There he was, sitting on a throne on a mountain of wealth on his home planet. Not running, not hiding, not fighting. And the best part was, Sabine was right by his side.
"What...How did this happen?" Ezra asked.
The image changed to him holding the Sith holocron they had found on Malachor.
"For starters, you weren't so weak when it came to the holocron." The Shadow said. "Your master had abandoned you, and you knew it. So you embraced your anger, your hate, and your passion. You used it to strike down the one that failed you, and then you set off to make things right."
The image changed again, showing him standing over a pile of stormtrooper bodies and running his lightsaber through Darth Vader's heart.
"You took revenge for Ahsoka, and killed Vader." The Shadow said. "Then you took his place at the Emperor's side. Not to become the apprentice, of course, but to become the master, as you should be."
The image changed again, this time showing him standing over the Emperor's body, red lightsaber in hand and a black cloak around his shoulders.
"After killing the Emperor, you reformed the Empire, and brought the crime lords and corrupt politicians to heel." The shadow said. "For the first time in history, the Galaxy was at peace, a true peace."
The image of him and Sabine sitting together appeared again, and he smiled. It looked so calm. No fighting, no running, just each other and the Galaxy.
"It's not too late to have this, you know." The shadow said. "All you have to do is accept me, and kill the old fool outside. After that, taking the Galaxy will be simple."
Ezra smiled and reached toward the image. Sabine was smiling, and she looked truly happy. It had been a while since he had seen her like that, not worried about anything. Sure she smiled and joked, but they were constantly looking over their shoulders for the Empire. Here, she just looked peaceful. Ezra sighed and turned toward the Shadow, leveling his lightsaber with its chest.
"No." He said. "It isn't right. I don't want this."
"Then you'll die here, alone in this cave." The Shadow laughed.
Ezra blocked as the Shadow charged, then swung his lightsaber across the Its chest.
"So you can face what could have been." The Shadow laughed, holding its chest. "That's unfortunate. Let's see how you do against the rest of yourself."
It turned and ran off into the darkness. Ezra followed, and the cave around him changed into the hallway of some kind of space station. He rounded a corner and saw a young girl, probably about 10, with long, jet black hair standing in the middle of the hallway.
"Who are you?" Ezra asked, deactivating his lightsaber.
The girl turned, and Ezra saw his own bright blue eyes staring back at him.
"I'm your fear." The girl said. "Everything you fear to lose."
"But I've already beat you." Ezra said "In the Lothal temple, years ago."
"You beat me then." The girl said. "But I've changed."
She pointed toward a door, and Ezra could hear voices coming from the other side.
"We're loosing her!" A voice yelled.
"Sabine?" Another voice, his voice, said as the distinctive wine of a heart monitor signaled death.
"Sabine no!" His voice yelled.
The voice let out an animal like howl and Ezra was flung backwards by the shockwave of a Force blast. The door he had been standing in front of slammed into him, and he was thrown into darkness again. As he hit the ground, he heard an evil sounding laughter again. Ezra activated his lightsaber as the Shadow appeared in front of him again.
"You can save her, you know." The Shadow said. "Just come with me. We'll kill Yoda and you can make it so nothing can ever hurt Sabine again."
"No!" Ezra yelled, swinging his lightsaber and cutting the Shadows arm off. It simply laughed and ran off again.
Ezra followed, and found it standing in a large room. Against the wall was a large white triangle with a circle in the middle.
"What is this?" Ezra asked.
"Regret." The Shadow laughed. "Trust me, I know you have a lot, but this one stands out."
The circle in the triangle started showing an image, and Ezra immediately knew what and where it was.
"Ahsoka!" He cried, seeing the female Togruta fighting Vader.
It was a different angle, and was after the temple closed. As he watched, Vader lifted his lightsaber above his head, preparing to make a killing blow.
Out of instinct, Ezra reached out with the Force and pulled Ahsoka toward him, out of danger. The next thing he knew, something large and solid hit him, sending him to the ground.
He sat up and shook his head, looking for the source of the impact. With a start, he saw Ahsoka lying on the ground inches away from him.
"Ahsoka?" He said, touching her arm, not believing she was real.
Ahsoka opened her eyes and sat up. "What...what's happening?" She asked. "Who are…Ezra?"
"This keeps getting stranger and stranger." Ezra said.
"Am I dead?" Ahsoka asked.
"No." Ezra replied. "I think you're alive. You don't seem like a vision."
"What vision?" Ahsoka asked. "What's going on?"
"I'm on Dagobah, finishing my Trials to become a Knight." Ezra said.
"So how did I get here?" Ahsoka asked. "The last thing I remember was fighting Vader."
"Well, I pulled you out of that..wait, where did it go?" Ezra said, looking around.
The triangle was gone, and so was the Shadow.
"It was just here." He said, standing up."
"Well, it looks like the way out is this way." Ahsoka said.
Ezra looked to where she was pointing, but all he saw was darkness.
"What are you talking about, there's nothing there." He said.
"What do you mean?" Ahsoka asked. "It's right...wait a minute."
"What?" Ezra asked.
"You remember the Lothal temple? How we could all see doors none of the rest could see?" Ahsoka asked. "If this is your Trial, then in order for you to complete it, maybe I'm supposed to leave."
"Maybe you're right." Ezra said.
Ahsoka nodded and walked toward the wall. Suddenly, she vanished.
"Kriff I thought she'd never leave." The Shadow said, stepping out of the dark.
There was something different about it though. The Shadow was clearly angry.
"I'm done playing games!" It yelled, activating its red lightsaber.
Ezra barely got his lightsaber up in time, and the Shadow drove him back. Ezra blocked left, then right, then left again. He swung high low, and side to side. He went on the defensive, then switched to offense, doing his best to kill the Shadow. He fought as hard as he could, but could never gain the upper hand.
'What am I doing wrong?" Ezra thought, blocking another swing. 'I can't win this.'
Suddenly, he heard Kanans voice in his head. "There cannot be light without the dark. You'll understand when it's time to."
Ezra deactivated his lightsaber and sank to his knees. The Shadow stopped mid swing, clearly confused.
"What are you doing, you coward?" It asked "Get up and fight!"
"I can't beat you." Ezra replied. "But I figured it out. That's the point of this trial. I'm not supposed to beat you. It's not about destroying you, it's about accepting you."
"Wha...Lies!" The Shadow yelled.
It charged again, but this time Ezra picked it up with the Force and brought it inches away from his face.
"You're mine now." He said.
The Shadow screamed one last time, then exploded, knocking Ezra to the ground. He sat up and looked around, squinting as a light appeared behind him. As he stood, he realized it was the entrance of the cave. He walked out of the cave and back into the clearing, where he found Ahsoka, Yoda, and Kenobi waiting for him.
"Ezra Bridger." Yoda said. "Approach." Ezra stepped forward slowly, looking between the three older Jedi.
"Kneel." Yoda said, activating Ezras white lightsaber. Ezra did so, listening to the humming of the lightsaber as Yoda brought it close to his shoulders.
"By the right of the Council, by the will of the Force, Ezra Bridger, rise you may." Yoda said. "Knight of the Jedi Order."
"Thank you Master." Ezra said, standing.
"You have done well." Kenobi said. "Your master should be proud. You must return to him now, he will need you in the days ahead."
"Need this, you will." Yoda said, giving Ezra back his lightsaber.
Ezra nodded, then turned toward the Phantom, where Ahsoka was waiting for him.
"Mind if I tag along?" She asked.
"Of course not." Ezra replied, smiling. They took off through the fog and into space.
"So how long was I gone?" Ahsoka asked.
"About three years." Ezra replied as he set the hyperdrive computer.
"What!" Ahsoka cried. "How much have I missed?"
"Well, before I left for Dagobah, Hera announced she was pregnant." Ezra laughed.
"Oh wow." Ahsoka said. "You're gonna have to fill me in on...well everything I guess."
Ezra smiled and activated the hyperdrive, then did his best to explain everything that had happened, from Maul to Thrawn to the Death Star.
A/N: Thanks to everyone who reads this and thanks for the reviews!