A.N: Boy… I'm still trying to process The Rise of Skywalker. The good news is, I enjoyed it in the theater. It even gave me an idea on how to close out the next chapter… because I actually have two more chapters which I'll update one FOR CHRISTMAS SO BE READY THIS COMING WEEK FOR DOUBLE THE UPDATE!

CalmSheJaguar: Thanks :)

Melissa: No one, not even th audience, want her to go.

Alejandra: Nitza is learning to take patience in change

Mogor: very true, this is sad... but don't worry, things wont be left hanging. Don't want Ezra and Kanan's final goodbye to be disappointing. And yes... Nitza would adore Lothcats... ;)

I don't own Star Wars, just Nitza

Reconnect

part 1

"We made it to the Felucia system, it's time to go," Hera said from outside the door to her room.

When the door slid open, there stood Nitza. She had on the makeshift dress that Hera made for her a long while back. It was now a little dirty but the grey color was still there with the rope tied around her waist. It had grown on her since she last wore it. It was, after all, an old shirt of Sabine's, now almost well past Nitza's knees but not too high as to show to much. She really was growing up.

The girl held her Bendu toy tightly in hand and nodded. The two walked to the cockpit and down to the cargo hold. All the while Nitza thinking about everything she was leaving behind, including the crew. The crew she had YET to talk to. But ever since she was told she was being sent off, she had been feeling less inclined to say anything.

Nitza and Hera soon walked into the living area. She saw Kanan going up the ladder and through the trap door to the Phantom 2 stationed above. Nitza was a bit shocked though to see Kallus and Rex standing by. She had completely forgotten they were joining the Ghost crew on their journey to Lothal.

Hera said to them, "Wait at these exact coordinates. Vizago should be showing up soon with his ship to take us to Lothal."

"Will do, Captain," Rex said as Kallus nodded. As Hera turned to go up the ladder, Nitza went and hugged Rex. The Clone leaned over a little so he could at least return the hug. "See you soon, kid," he said with hope an optimism.

Nitza didn't know if that was possible, the idea of seeing Rex and the other again after this. So she suppressed the thought. She thought about a happy memory with Rex, the day he explained to her about his brothers. This helped her give him a big smile as she stepped back and said, "Goodbye, Rex." Then she looked at Kallus.

The former Imperial cleared his throat and said, "Well… take… care of yourself," And he held up his hand for her to shake.

Nitza snorted, pushing his hand aside and giving him a hug as well. "Goodbye, Kallus."

Kallus was slightly shocked, though the knowing look Rex gave him meant he should have expected it. Nitza was just a child after all. Kallus patted Nitza on the head and slowly a small smiled appeared on his face. Nitza stepped back and gave them both a wave before going up to the ladder. Her head popped through a space on the floor of the Phantom II. Both walls on either side of her had seats built in. Ezra and Sabine were on the right with Zeb on the left. She sat on the left side and left one empty seat between her and the Lasat.

Yes, after days of wanting to talk with them she had no intention to anymore. What good would it do now anyway? She wasn't going to be seeing them for a long time. And even if it didn't take long to free Lothal from the Empire, there was still the Rebellion to go back to for the Ghost crew. They wouldn't stop until the Empire was stopped. And how long would that be? No need to make amends if she wasn't going to be around them for so long.

Zeb, Sabine, and Ezra looked to Hera and Kanan who were upfront. What should they do? Kanan and Hera didn't know. They were looking back at Nitza as she kept her gaze down and hugged her Bendu tightly in hand. All the twi'lek could say was, "All right, we're off." After flipping a couple of switches and pushing some buttons, the Phantom II was running and soon pulling out of its spot latched in the back of the Ghost.

That's when Nitza looked up to see the Phantom leave the Ghost behind in empty space and head towards a colorful purplish, blue planet. She watched wide-eyed as the ship suddenly landed in deep jungle. As everyone walked out, Nitza looked around.

It was gorgeous! There were colorful planets as tall as the coral rees back on Atollon. They were almost transparent, the sun's light casting a beautiful glow. Some were blue and looked liked flowers about to bloom. Some were skinny orange stems with one large leaf. In the distance, Nitza spotted rock formations that looked like archways. Nitza felt her toes get wet and she looked down to see the ground brown and muddy. "Wow…" Nitza gasped as she fanned herself. The air felt warm, but not dry. Wet? Was this what they meant by humidity?

Hera was the last one out, saying, "This should be a good spot to hide the Phantom, but we got to leave soon. Even if the Empire didn't catch us coming in with little to no barricade, they still could find us here if they patrol."

"Let's get to it," Ezra said as he ushered Nita forward up the crest of a small hill. When they got over it, Nitza saw a little way away in a clearing was one large structure surrounded by a wooden fence. A round red building with a dark grey dome-shaped roof. Children of all ages and different species that Nitza wasn't familiar with were outside in the wide-open space. They were playing games, running around, laughing out loud.

As the crew and Nitza made it down the hill, the kids spotted them. They all went running into the dome structure. The door slide shut behind them. The crew made it to the door so Hera could knock three times in a unique pattern. That's when the door slid open and short person only a foot taller then Nitza greeted them. He had pale-yellow skin. He had long stubby feet compared to his short round body and head.

His little beady eyes blinked several times as he fixed his trousers and asked, "I got a message a rebel cell was coming to drop off a child. I didn't expect it so quickly though. Fast ship?"

"Just a really good pilot," Kanan said with a smirk.

Hera smiled at Kanan before she kneeled down to say to Nitza, "This is Asmund, a Felucian native. This is his home which he offered to be an orphanage for children of war."

Asmund piped up. "Because my home is your home as I like to always say to every new little one who comes this way. And you are…?" He looked to the little girl in front of him.

"Nitza."

"Well Nitza," Asmund said as he motioned to the kids who came to stand behind him, "Why don't you get acquainted with some new friends here while I talk with these folks."

Nitza looked at all the children who stared at Nitza quizzically. It made her nervous and she stepped back. Sure they were around her age but she didn't know them. Ezra stepped in and put a hand on Nitza's shoulder. "I'll come with you if you want."

"Me too," Sabine added with Chopper alongside her.

Nitza didn't say anything but allowed them to guide her to the crowd of kids. As they did, Asmund asked Hera, Kanan, and Zeb, "Any special requests? What kind of trauma has she been exposed to? I need to make sure she has a smooth transition here."

"She's… well…" Hera began. "We ask that you take it easy with her around people. She's not used to children or any new person really. She grew up in the wild after her parents were killed in a crash when she was very young.

"Well, that is… strange… and unfortunate. But not entirely a lost cause. I'll make sure we keep up with her social skills and any form of education she is learning now."

Back with Nitza, she stayed close to Chopper's side as the children asked all sorts of questions. Sabine and Ezra would do their best to answer as the little girl stayed quiet holding her Bendu doll.

"Why do you wear a big shirt?" asked a togruta girl.

"We had to make a new dress of her out of mold cloths," Sabine answered for Nitza.

"She can borrow some of mine," said a human girl.

A zabrack boy asked, "How old are you?"

"She turned eleven a few months ago," Ezra answered him.

"Oh, oh, I'm eleven, too!" a Besalisk boy cheered raising all four of his arms in the air.

"What is that?" asked a human boy as he pointed at the Bendu doll. Nitza just looked away and held it tighter. Sabine and Ezra frowned, not knowing how to answer that.

But Hera soon said, "We have to get going now."

At the entrance of the orphanage, Asmund and the children stayed back by the door as Nitza stood in front of the crew. Each one hugged Nitza, giving her their best wishes. Nitza would hug back, saying goodbye as best she could. It wasn't that she was faking it. She just sounded.. disappointed. The crew started to feel more guilty than they already were. They failed Nitza. When Kanan tried to hug her she stepped back. Still mad at him out of all the others. Kanan made no move to try and hug her again. He gave a sigh before saying, "May the force be with you, Nitza."

Nitza stared at him, amazed. After everything she was doing, he still held hope for her. The crew waved goodbye and began their trek back over the mountain. They all kept looking back at her as she stood frozen where they left her. Asmund soon walked out to the little girl and said, "Come on inside and I'll get you settled in."

As much as the pain of seeing them go made Nitza want to turn away and follow Asmund inside, she didn't. Her feet wouldn't move. She didn't want to. She just kept her eyes trained on the Ghost crew as they went up the hill they came over. She tried to tell herself to look away. There was nothing else left for her with them. The talk she wanted to have with them, what use would it be now. She still had no idea what she wanted out of the crew. What hole in her chest to fill.

The rebels brought the war to Atollon and she couldn't go back. There, that's it. Done and over with. Right? She didn't need them right? She was ok here right? Better than the rebellion. Better then… better… then… being with them… because Atollon was the only thing that mattered… was it really?

Nitza dropped her Bendu doll as she froze and her breath hitched. What was she thinking?! Yes, all she wanted to do was be on Atollon with Bendu. But in fact, Bendu was preparing her for something like this so that she would know what to do. Be prepared for unwanted outcomes. Choose where she wanted to go. Be at peace with what little there is. But she was ignoring what she still had and what she learned. No, she still didn't care for the Rebellion, but she had friends that mattered to her there. And her really close ones were walking away right now.

Walking away without Nitza needed to tell them how she felt. How she really felt and what she felt she needed to hear from them. She didn't want this to end without any feeling of an end. Not with these people. Because she loved them. She didn't get a chance to properly say goodbye to Bendu… so maybe…

Before she knew it she was running. Running towards the Phantom where the crew slowly walking up the ramp to get back in. She yelled out, "NO! NO! NO!" Being the last one to go in, Kanan turned around to look back from the foot of the ramp. The others suddenly rushed back to the entrance in time to see Nitza sprinting like mad with tears suddenly trailing down her cheeks. "DON'T! DON'T!"

The others came rushing down the ramp to meet her, but Kanan stayed put. He expected to be the last person Nitza was going to run to. But to his surprise, he was the first. Kanan felt the need to kneel down in time so that when Nitza reached him, she threw her arms around his neck, She hung there in a tight hug as she cried into his right shoulder, "Don't go, don't go! I'll say anything, just don't leave me! Please!"

The crew came to sit crowed around Kanan and Nitza as the Jedi reached out and returned the hug. They immediately forgot about how she had been. Everyone kept saying that she was going to be ok and everything would be fine in order to calm down the crying girl. Even Chopper seemed to be saying comforting words even though Nitza couldn't understand him. It did help a little so the little girl could catch her breath. Her crying subsiding to hiccups but tears still coming down her face. Hera took the chance to say, "We wish we didn't have to leave you but it's too dangerous."

"Bu-but you—you can't—I can't—" Nitza pulled away from Kanan to wipe away her tears and give herself time to breathe. "I need—I need—I don't know!" She turned to look at everyone. "I don't want you to go be-because I just d-don't want you to—I… I love you… all of you… and I don't want to miss you. I miss Bendu… and it hurts…. I don't want to miss you too. But I didn't want to-to say it because… because I still want to be angry at you. I know you didn't know what would happen to Atollon… but it still happened. I want to blame you but I don't want to feel this way I- I can't I can't!" Nitza buried her face in her hands as she said, "What do I do?"

So much was said yet the crew didn't know how to answer. They felt hurt but rightfully guilty that Nitza wanted to blame them for Atollon. But they felt relieved and saddened that she still loved them no matter what and didn't want them to leave her. Kanan then did something he'd never thought he'd say, "Let's think like Bendu, ok?" He said to her as he put a hand on the girl's shoulder. "What would he say to you?"

Nitza nodded, thinking deeply and closing her eyes as she took more deep breaths to calm herself down and think straight. She imagined him standing in front of her, blocking the sun as his shadow loomed over her. His presence a comfort to Nitza. "He would say… beings have… many emotions."

"Exactly. It's ok to feel this way. Everything that's happened to you is a lot to process at your age. Now, what else would he say? About why you're angry at us? What would he tell you to say to us?"

"Say… what I need to say. I want to say…I need. I need to hear something." She looked up at Kanan. "From you all."

Kanan knew what she wanted to hear. "We would never have chosen Atollon if we had known you and Bendu considered it home. But we did chose it. We're sorry Nitza."

The others soon followed with their apologies. They had every chance of leaving Atollon for a place completely uninhabited. Even if they had no other place to go, they still stayed somewhere where they put people not part of the Rebellion in danger. And Nitza was a child. She needed her feelings to be heard and felt.

In hearing their words, the knot in Nitza's heart loosened. Something in her felt clicked and made her feel lighter. This…. Satisfaction. This is what she wanted. But she also remembered Bendu's other words about feelings. Sometimes they could be trivial without proper learning. She felt relief from getting what she wanted, this was a want, not a need. But this blame came out of her instinct. Nitza knew better. The crew had no idea the Empire would find them on Atollon. So Nitza said, "I'm sorry too, for blaming you all for something you didn't know was going to happen. For being mad. I was just thinking like Bendu."

That's when Kanan took off his mask. He only ever did that when things were serious. "Bendu is wise in experience. He knows what he's talking about. But we can never be like Bendu. He's beyond anything. All we can do is learn from what he taught us and make it our own thing. If there was anyone so young who loved to learn such vast ideas, it had to be you he taught. And it had to be both you and him to make us understand. You got it?" No one, not even Ezra, was able to follow that. But Nitza got it as she nodded. Kanan grabbed her hands and put them over her chest. As if she was holding her heart. "Keep him close."

Nitza looked to everyone. "I want to say goodbye, for real. Goodbye… but happy. I don't want my last goodbye to be angry."

Everyone was more than happy to even though they were saddened at the thought of a last goodbye. But all of a sudden, Zeb growled and said, "Ahhhh screw Mon Mothma. Who says this has to be the last goodbye. We still gotta get her home once the Empire is done for right? And why wait till then?"

"Zeb, you know why…" Hera said, but then she added, "But you also have a point."

Everyone was shocked and looked at Hera surprised. Sabine said, "Rebel Captain say what?"

"Funny…" Hera said coyly before suggesting, "I mean… the Empire doesn't have such a strong presence here after all. We can come every… few months to be safe. At least after we free Lothal."

"Maybe we can bring Nitza to Lothal at one point?" Ezra added.

"Really? I can see it when it's free?" Nitza gasped in delight.

"We'll have to think about that… but maybe," Hera finished.

"So, not the last goodbye…" Nitza began. "But a good one." Nitza hugged Sabine first, "I'll miss you being my teacher."

"I'll miss you too," Sabine said, hugging Nitza back before pulling away to say strongly, "But I expect progress when I get back." She pocked the little girl's nose and Nitza giggled.

Nitza then walked up to Zeb and said pointing up, "What's up?"

Zeb looked up confused before he was tackled in a hug. He laughed and said, "Oh I see, playing jokes on me now." He gave her a big hug before tussling her hair as he said, See you, kiddo."

"I do," said but winked to let him know full well what he meant.

She went to hug Ezra. "Save your home. Like you saved me."

Ezra hugged back as he said, "I will. So that one day we can bring you to your home. If I get to go back, so can you right?"

"Right!"

Hera was next, Nitza hugging her as she said, "You never stopped wanting to take care of me."

"And I won't stop now," Hera said hugging the girl back before kissing her on her forehead. Hera looked into the little girl's eyes and a small tear fell down her cheek. She wiped it away in time so she could say, "Never forget, though, that you are brave." Nitza swelled with pride before going to Chopper.

The droid was stunned the little girl even gave him a hug around his crop top as she said, "I know I never understood you, but I always loved you anyway." Chopper sounded like he was going 'awww' and leaned into the hug.

Lastly, Nitza went over to Kanan without hesitation as she hugged him around the neck. "Bendu may not like you, but I do. You always tried to understand us no matter what. You really are a great Jedi Knight. I'm sorry for being mean to you." She then leaned back and looked straight into his scarred eyes. "May the Force be with You."

Kanan smiled and said, "I don't think you and Bendu met by chance. He does what the force wills and the force willed you to be friends with something incredible. That makes you pretty special. Never forget that."

A.N: So since this chapter got so long i divided it up into two and im updating that one Wednesday along with the final chapter on Sunday! But want to leave you all tonight with a that FINALLY factor XD. See you all Wednesday! I'm KikakatTIOI, peace out!