Warning: major character death ahead...
On Kamino, the remaining Imperial forces are quickly defeated. Alliance fighters now patrol the sky, leaving the Ghost and the Millennium Falcon free to land. Taking a look around, Kira notices something.
"Where's Finn and Poe?" Kira asks.
"It's… gonna take a minute to explain." Ezra answers.
"what do you mean? What happened?" Kira asks.
"Come with me, Kira." Ahsoka says. She starts walking, and Kira follows her. Eventually, the two reach the unconscious Finn, and the body of Poe Dameron.
"No…" Kira says, as tears form in her eyes. Ahsoka puts a hand on her shoulder.
"Relax, Kira. It's not their time." Ahsoka says. She waves her hand, and Finn awakens. The wounds on Poe's body begin to heal. Soon, he starts breathing. Ahsoka continues to heal him as Ezra approaches. He gently touches Ahsoka's arm.
"I think you've done enough, Ahsoka. He'll live. Bacta can take care of the rest. Speaking of rest, maybe you should get some." Ezra says. Ahsoka stops healing Poe, leaving the man with only a few minor wounds.
"I'll… think about it." Ahsoka says.
"You alright?" Ezra asks.
"Yes. Just tired. Give me a moment." Ahsoka answers. She slowly walks to a large piece of debris nearby. The hunk of stone is fairly smooth, and large enough for someone to use as a seat, which Ahsoka does with Ezra's help as Kira watches.
"Hey…" Finn says. Kira looks at him, then suddenly embraces him.
"You're okay! Thank the force!" Kira says.
"What about you? What's going on?" Finn asks
"Poe's passed out. He'll need a few hours of bacta, but I think he'll be okay. Umbra and Aphra ran away, and the rest of the bad guys are dead. So, kind of a win, but not really." Kira answers.
"We didn't win a damn thing. We're alive, but we didn't win. Stalemate at best." Ezra says, as he returns from helping Ahsoka.
"What happened to you? It looks like you were knocked out." Kira says.
"I was. Your father put me to sleep with the force." Finn says.
"What?" Kira asks.
"I had to." Ezra answers.
"Had to? What the hell for?" Kira asks.
"I have an inhibitor chip in my head, Kira. It must have been put in there when I was a stormtrooper. I didn't know about it until… Umbra switched it on." Finn answers.
"Oh, no." Kira says.
"She… tried to force me to kill Poe and Jacen. I tried to fight her, but I couldn't. You can't trust me, Kira. You can't be around me. For all I know, Order 66 is somewhere in my head, waiting to be set off." Finn says. Kira embraces him.
"You listen to me, Finn. We are going to get that chip out of your head, and you're going to be okay. Daddy, can we ask Ahsoka…" Kira says.
"No. She's done enough. We'll wait until she's rested up." Ezra says.
"Okay." Kira says.
"Please, Kira. Stay away from me." Finn says.
"You're my friend! I'm not going to abandon you!" Kira says.
"You have to, Kira. It's for your own good. General, you can't let me run free. Lock me up. Freeze me in carbonite. Whatever. I'm too dangerous." Finn says.
"We'll discuss it later. For now, get on the Falcon." Ezra says.
"What about Poe?" Finn asks.
"I'll call a stretcher for him. Go ahead. We'll see you back at base." Ezra says.
'Understood." Finn says. He briefly looks at Kira, then walks away.
"Commander Erso, there's a landing craft on one of the platforms. You and your people should be able to fit on it." Ezra says. Jyn nods, then activates her comlink
"Erso to Rogue One. Mission's over. Head for the Imperial lander. That's our ride out of here." Jyn says into her comlink.
"Oh, one more thing." Ezra says.
"Yes?" Jyn asks.
"It might be helpful if you know where our base is." Ezra answers.
"That's probably a good idea. It beats me trying to guess where we're supposed to go." Jyn says. Ezra chuckles.
Oh, great. Another sarcastic one. Don't we already have enough of those? Ezra thinks.
"The Garos system." Ezra says.
'I know where that is." Cassian says.
"Really?" Ezra asks.
"Went there once, on a mission." Cassian answers.
"It's a little over a day in hyperspace from here." Ezra says.
"Good. We could use the rest." Jyn says.
"We all could. Now, we'd better get to it. These ships aren't going to fly themselves out of here." Ezra says.
"You're right. Cassian, K2, shall we?" Jyn asks.
"Right with you, Jyn." Cassian answers. Jyn walks away, followed by Cassian and K2.
"Kira, Ben, go get the Ghost ready for takeoff." Ezra says.
"Preflight's already done." Kira says.
"You know that for sure?" Ezra asks.
"The ship's in good hands." Kira answers.
"You better go double check. Chopper is about as reliable as…" Ezra says.
"I never said it was Chopper. Remember what I said earlier about someone else being at the controls?" Kira asks.
"Okay… what's going on here? Who's flying the Ghost?" Ezra asks.
"Turn around." Kira says. Ezra shakes his head, but does as his daughter asks, and turns around to face the Ghost, which is now landed nearby. He stares in disbelief at the person walking down the ship's boarding ramp.
Juno… Ezra thinks.
"I… feel her. She's… real." Ezra says. Kira takes his hand, and squeezes it.
"Yeah. She's real." Kira says.
"She's… alive…" Ezra says.
"Ahsoka likes to say that anything is possible. I didn't really believe that. Until today, when I saw my mother return from the grave and kill the person that took her away from us." Kira says.
"She… killed Vastia?" Ezra asks.
"Yeah. Blaster shot right through the heart." Kira answers.
"Then, we've… had our payback." Ezra says.
"Now, the family's whole again." Kira says.
"It's… like a dream, isn't it?" Ezra asks.
"If it is, I hope I never wake up." Kira answers.
"Same here." Ezra says. He watches as Juno steps away from the Ghost, and walks toward him.
"What are you still standing here for? Go on!" Kira says. Ezra chuckles.
Ezra lets go of his daughter's hand, and walks toward Juno. Soon, husband and wife run to one another, and embrace. Tears form in Kira's eyes as she watches her parents reunite. Ben walks to her, and wraps an arm around her. Kira leans closer, and wraps an arm around him.
"Your mother?" Ben asks.
"Yeah. I get a second chance with her. Thanks to Ahsoka." Kira says.
"I'm happy for you, Kira. I got my second chance, now you get yours." Ben says.
"Thanks, Ben. It's just… I get this feeling… that things are going to get more complicated before they get better." Kira says.
"I get that feeling too. The Emperor's still out there. Now, we have Umbra to deal with too." Ben says.
"I don't think the Emperor's going to be a problem for too much longer. Umbra plans to kill him and take the throne." Kira says.
"That doesn't surprise me. After what we saw her do, I think she'll succeed." Ben says.
"Then, It's up to us to make sure her reign is a short one." Kira says.
"You okay?" Ben asks.
"Yeah. I just… want to watch my parents for a bit." Kira answers.
"Okay." Ben says.
"Why don't you go ahead to the ship? I'll be along in a minute." Kira says.
"Okay. I'll head to the cockpit, and make sure we're ready to go." Ben says.
"Thanks, Ben." Kira says. They briefly kiss, then Ben leaves. Kira looks at Ezra and Juno once more, and smiles as she sees them still embracing.
So much love and peace. After all that's happened, I never thought I'd feel this again. The old Jedi code forbids family attachments, but I believe our attachments are a vital part of who we are. If I am to one day train others in the ways of the force, then I will teach them that. Kira thinks.
Eventually, Ezra and Juno separate from their embrace, but continue to hold hands.
"You went and got old on me, Master Bridger. You weren't supposed to do that. Not without me." Juno says.
"Well, my plan to freeze time didn't work out." Ezra says. Juno chuckles.
"You didn't need to. It looks like everything worked out." Juno says.
"I guess it did, didn't it? You, me, and Kira… all together again." Ezra says.
"Speaking of Kira, you should be proud. You trained her well." Juno says.
"She figured a lot things out on her own. I wasn't that big of a help." Ezra says.
"You did wonderfully. You should have seen her! She was brilliant! She was dead even with that darksider! Kira's exactly what I'd hoped she'd be! Although, all of those weapons might be a little much." Juno says.
"That's what I thought too, but nobody listens to me! Now, she has another lightsaber! I think she's gonna run out of hands!" Ezra says.
"She seems to have handled herself rather well." Juno says.
"Yeah, I guess she did." Ezra says.
"You ready to get out of here, Old Man?" Juno asks.
"Old Man?" Ezra asks.
"You're a decade older than me now." Juno answers.
"It's like time stood still for you, while the rest of us aged thirteen years." Ezra says.
"It doesn't matter. I still love you." Juno says. Ezra and Juno kiss again, then they slowly separate.
"Kira, get moving. Make sure everyone else gets on board. I'll help Ahsoka to her room." Ezra says. Kira nods, then walks toward the Ghost, followed by Juno.
Ezra walks to Ahsoka, who is still seated on the fallen debris. Her eyes are now closed.
"Ah, Ezra. There you are. Are you ready?" Ahsoka asks.
"At your convenience." Ezra answers.
"You… misunderstand. I ask… because I need to know if you are prepared." Ahsoka says.
"Prepared for what?" Ezra asks.
"Change." Ahsoka answers.
"I don't… what are you talking about?" Ezra asks.
"You'll see." Ahsoka answers.
"Okay… you're being mysterious. As usual." Ezra says.
"Perhaps I am making perfect sense, and you will see that… at the proper time." Ahsoka says.
"I hope so. By the way, thank you. What you did… " Ezra says.
"What I did, I had to do." Ahsoka says.
"At what cost?" Ezra asks.
"A few years… of a life that should have ended a long time ago." Ahsoka answers.
"Ahsoka…" Ezra says.
"This was my choice, Ezra. Even knowing what the price would be, I brought them back. You're going to need the others for what's to come. As for Juno, I did it… because I wanted to. For you. For Kira." Ahsoka says.
"I owe you. Big time." Ezra says.
"Until my debt to you is paid, you don't owe me a thing." Ahsoka says.
"What debt? What are you… " Ezra asks. He doesn't finish, as Ahsoka suddenly points up. Ezra looks up, and sees a Death Star in the sky.
Oh, shit. Ezra thinks. He activates his comlink.
"This is Bridger! All ships take off now!" Ezra says into the comlink.
"We're not leaving you and Ahsoka behind!" Kira says over the comlink.
"Get the Ghost in the air! Ahsoka and I will be fine!" Ezra says.
"You better be." Kira says.
"Everything will be alright, Kira. Now, takeoff." Ahsoka says.
"Okay. We'll hover nearby with the ramp open." Kira says.
"That'll work. Now, get to it." Ezra says.
"Understood." Kira says. Ezra shuts off his comlink.
"Why don't you… you know, teleport us?" Ezra asks.
"I can't." Ahsoka answers.
She's more worn out than I thought. Probably doesn't have enough energy for a teleport. Ezra thinks.
"I could carry you." Ezra says. Ahsoka slowly gets up. Ezra offers his hand, but Ahsoka doesn't need it, as gets to her feet without help.
"Thanks for the offer, Ezra, but… I'm… not going with you." Ahsoka says.
"What?" Ezra asks. He gets no answer, as the Death Star fires on their position. As Ezra watches in horror, Ahsoka extends her hand, and the blast from the planet killer stops several feet above.
"What the… You… froze a Death Star blast?" Ezra asks.
"At least, for a moment. Just long enough." Ahsoka answers.
"Long enough to get away?" Ezra asks.
"For you to get away, yes. As for me, it's… my time." Ahsoka answers.
"Your time? As in… no… " Ezra says.
"This… is how it must be. When this conversation is over, you will be on the Ghost, and I will be here, facing my destiny." Ahsoka says.
"There has to be another way!" Ezra says.
"This was always the plan, Ezra." Ahsoka says.
"No… " Ezra says.
"If I don't do this, we all die. Is that what you want?" Ahsoka asks.
"You know I don't!" Ezra answers.
"I know it's going to be hard for you. For Kira as well. But, I ask that you… accept this." Ahsoka says. Ezra closes his eyes as a single tear rolls down his cheek. After calming himself for a moment, he opens his eyes.
"I... I don't want you to go." Ezra says.
"I know. You saved my life a long time ago, and everyday since then has been a gift. I told you that I owe you my life. Now, I will give up that life. For you. For your family." Ahsoka says.
"You're my family too." Ezra says.
"As you are mine. Before we… part ways, I have something to ask of you." Ahsoka says.
"Of course. Anything." Ezra says.
"Jyn Erso. She's strong and a natural leader, but she has much to learn about the force. You're her best hope to learn what she needs to know. Please, finish her training." Ahsoka says.
"I will." Ezra says.
"Thank you. I also have… one last request of you." Ahsoka says.
"What's that?" Ezra asks.
"Take my place as the Bendu." Ahsoka answers.
"I still don't fully understand what the Bendu is supposed to do." Ezra says.
"As you know, I use all aspects of the force." Ahsoka says.
"I know that part." Ezra says.
"Most of the Bendu of the past avoided conflict at all costs. I am not them. I have adapted the role to suit my beliefs. You will do the same. You know the power that will become available to you, and you know the cost of using that power. When the time comes, others will share that power with you." Ahsoka says.
"Kira and Ben." Ezra says.
"Yes. Others too. There's more. You will see things that others do not. You will understand things that others do not." Ahsoka says.
"It sounds like I'm going to be very busy." Ezra says.
"You'll manage." Ahsoka says.
"There's so much I don't know." Ezra says.
"You'll learn. It took me a while too." Ahsoka says.
So, this is really happening. She warned me, but I'm not ready for this. Ezra thinks.
"I'm gonna miss you." Ezra says.
"You're going to be okay, Ezra. You all will. I haven't said it enough, but I think you know what you mean to me. You are my brother, and I love you." Ahsoka says. Ezra starts crying.
"Ahsoka…. " Ezra says. Ahsoka briefly embraces him, then kisses him on the forehead.
"You take care of yourself, little brother. It's… time for you to go now." Ahsoka says.
Suddenly, Ezra finds himself in the cockpit of the Ghost, in one of the rear seats. He buries his face in his hands.
"Ezra? Are you okay?" Juno asks from the seat next to him.
"No." Ezra answers. Kira, who is at the controls, turns around, and sees her father, now being embraced by Juno.
"Daddy? What's wrong? Where's Ahsoka?" Kira asks. Ezra wipes away his tears, and looks at his daughter.
"She's not coming." Ezra answers.
"Not coming?" Kira asks.
"You heard me. Now, get us out of here." Ezra answers.
"We're leaving her?" Kira asks.
"It's her choice, Kira. She's doing this to save us, and there's no stopping her. So, we respect her wishes. We go. Now." Ezra answers.
"Alright." Kira says.
"We'll jump to hyperspace as soon as we're clear of the planet. Signal all Alliance forces to retreat and return to base." Ezra says.
"Retreat? We're not going to try to take out that Death Star?" Ben asks.
"We don't need to." Ezra answers.
"What do mean we don't need to? If we have a chance to destroy that thing, we should take it!" Kira says.
"Ahsoka… will take care of it." Ezra says.
"Why? Why does she need to do this? We can destroy that thing! Then, we can go down to the planet and pick her up!" Kira says.
"It's already been decided. There's nothing we can do to change it. Now, Ahsoka can't hold that Death Star blast forever, so stop arguing, and takeoff!" Ezra says.
"Okay. Sorry." Kira says.
The Ghost takes off, followed by the Millennium Falcon, and the Imperial ship carrying Rogue One. Ahsoka watches as the three ships leave the planet and jump into hyperspace, then she turns her attention to the frozen Death Star blast above her.
Safe travels, my friends. My family. I will always be with you. Ahsoka thinks.
Ahsoka begins to emit a blinding, white glow. The Death Star blast above her is pushed back into the battle station in orbit, destroying it instantly. On the surface of Kamino, there is now only a pile of white robes where Ahsoka once stood.
In memoriam:
Ahsoka Tano aka Fulcrum: After the rise of the Empire, the former Jedi played a vital part in the early days of the rebellion, serving as head of intelligence. She was presumed killed at the hands of Darth Vader, but later returned thanks to Ezra Bridger manipulating time to save her. Ahsoka and Ezra would have a decades long friendship, with Ahsoka acting as an older sister figure for Ezra, while also advising him on matters of the force. In her later years, she took on the role of Bendu, becoming a neutral force user with access to many unusual abilities, including resurrecting the dead by giving of her own life force.
I am an Ahsoka fan, but in this story, I made her into an elder mentor type, and I felt that she should go out in some sort of noble sacrifice. The rest of the heroes survive to fight another day, but one of them has to give up her life for that to happen. Some of you won't like this, but that's okay. I won't take offense. All of you are free to like what you like, and no one else can control that.
I previously said that there would be 41 chapters, but I've changed some things. There will now only be 39 chapters. The final chapter will be up within the next couple of weeks. Thanks for reading. Any comments, questions, or suggestions are welcome.