Gemini was starting to get used to being shot at by stormtroopers. She didn't know if that was a good thing or not.
Also, Wookies were cute.
And fuzzy.
And strong.
And hated the Empire.
She liked Wookies.
After Ezra had freed the Wookies and they had helped out by pretty much destroying the remaining stormtroopers, a TIE fighter had appeared behind the Ghost and had started shooting at it. Hera managed to destroy a TIE, but the Empire wasn't done.
Oh no.
A transport rose out of the smoke, and before she knew it, she was on the ground. Her ears were ringing, and sound was muffled around her. Someone pulled her up, and she was running before she had fully risen from the ground. She looked to see Ezra pulling her from the huge squad of Stormtroopers firing at them.
She heard a small cry above the noise, and saw a small Wookie starting to run from a stormtrooper, but Ezra had pulled her behind some crates before she could do anything.
"I can't maintain position!"
"Go!" Kanan told Hera. "Lead the TIE's away and give yourself maneuvering room."
"I am not leaving you behind!"
Kanan paused for a second. "No you're not. We're running a 22-pickup."
"Seriously?" Sabine asked.
"You have a better option?" Kanan retaliated.
"Jump into the pit and get it over with," Zeb suggested.
"Alright. I'll be back. Make sure you're ready."
Ezra spoke up from behind her. "22-pickup? Care to let me in on the secret?"
Kanan turned to him. "Kid, I'm about to let everyone in on the secret." He then stepped over the containers and towards the squad of troopers and Agent Kallus. They continued firing, but Kanan simply moved his head, dodging the shots like it was nothing.
The tingling in her head came back, and it seemed to be surrounding Kanan.
The squad stopped firing. Kanan then pulled out the lightsaber, locking the two pieces together, and ignited it. He pointed it towards Kallus before gripping it with both hands by his side.
Everyone around her had straightened in surprise. Even she had inhaled a breath and tried to get a better look.
They way he held that lightsaber, the way he carried himself; he wasn't just a guy with a laser sword, and Kallus knew it too. Before he even knew what he was saying, he commanded the troopers, "Focus your fire on - on the Jedi."
Jedi - weren't all the Jedi wiped out by the Empire when it came to power?
Apparently not, since there was a real life Jedi deflecting the bolts of energy thrown at him like it was nothing right in front of her.
Kanan turned his head. "Time to go!"
"Right. Everyone, into the container!"
Zeb began helping, well more like dragging one of the older Wookies towards the container. That smaller Wookie must have been his son.
She looked back in the direction the little Wookie had gone. She huffed to herself before running in the direction that he had gone, ignoring Zeb's calls behind her.
Ezra must have had the same idea, cause he was right behind her as they started down a long catwalk.
"Hey!" She stopped and crouched, letting the tingling feeling take over for an instant. She jumped up and over the stormtrooper, an impossible jump that she couldn't have made on her own.
As soon as the trooper's back was turned, Ezra landed three quick shots on the stormtrooper, sending him over the side. Ezra looked over the Wookie's cuffs before taking a tool out of his pocket and unlocking the cuffs. She smiled at the Wookie, who sent her a grateful look in return.
"It's over for you, Jedi." They turned to see Agent Kallus stalking towards them, a blaster in hand. "A Master and an Apprentice are such a rare find these days. Siblings, however, are rarer still."
"I don't know where you get your delusions, bucket-head," Ezra responded. "We work alone."
"Not this time." The Ghost rose up from the chasm, with Kanan standing atop it.
She didn't know why she was so shocked, honestly.
Kallus fired a few quick shots at Kanan, but was hit by a deflected bolt and sent over the side as well.
They soon jumped over the side onto the ship, and found their way into the Ghost.
—
Gemini didn't stay for the reunion between father and son. She was sure it was touching, but didn't want to deal with all the touchy-feely emotions at that moment.
She had fled to the cockpit; for some reason, the stars made her feel safe. She was sitting in the co-pilot's chair with her knees to her chest, turning the crystal over in her fingers.
The ship jolted, signaling that they had detached from the Wookie ship.
The doors to the cockpit slid open after a moment. She didn't take the time to see who it was. Not like she needed to, anyway. Hera sat down in the pilot's seat. The seat behind her squeaked, signaling that someone, most likely Kanan, had claimed it.
No-one said anything. The silence was uncomfortable, and felt like it was waiting for someone to say something.
Gemini broke the silence, asking the question that had bugged her since those few seconds back in the cell. She turned to Kanan. "What's the Force?"
He straightened. "The Force is everywhere. It flows through everything and everyone in this galaxy. It surrounds us and penetrates us. It binds the galaxy together. And it's strong in you, Gemini."
She thought for a moment. "So, it was the Force that led me to this?" She held up the crystal.
It was Hera that straightened this time. "How did you get that?"
"It was with the data disk. It was singing." She looked down at it. "It still is."
And it was. Even though the song was softer than it was when she first found it, it still sang.
Kanan rubbed his chin. "This is happening a lot sooner than I expected."
She let her feet drift down to the floor. "Is something wrong?"
"No, not at all! I just wasn't expecting you to find a Kyber Crystal so soon." He looked back up to see the look of utter confusion on Gemini's face, and sighed. "Sorry, let me explain. A Kyber Crystal is what powers a lightsaber. I focuses the energy into the top of the hilt, forming the saber itself. Each Krystal has a unique connection to the Force that only one Jedi in the universe can sense."
"Which is why I could hear it singing when no-one else could."
"Exactly, but most Force-wielders don't find their crystals until much later."
Gemini paused for a second. "Then why did I find mine so soon?"
"I don't know."
No-one said anything for a few moments, but Gemini broke the silence. "I guess we're heading back to Lothal now?"
Hera nodded, still in thought.
She took a deep breath. "I want to go with you."
That made Hera's eyebrows jump up in surprise. "Why's that?"
"It doesn't feel right. I know it's Ezra's home, and it will always hold a special place in my heart, but if I'm being honest, I can't stay there anymore. I can't just sit still, especially not now when I know just how cruel the Empire is."
Hera looked at her. "There isn't any other reason?"
She looked at the crystal again before looking up at Hera. "I don't know who I am, Hera. I don't know where I belong in this universe. The only connection I have with my past is the Force." She looked at Kanan. "And you're the only person who can help me find myself."
Kanan's eyes softened and he put a hand on her shoulder. "I'll do my best."
She smiled at him. "Thank you."
"We will find where you came from, Gemini. That's a promise."
Looking back, Gemini realized just how truthful her statement had been without her knowing it.
