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Enjoy chapter 58!


T-19 days until Kyber Shipment

Sabine tried not to squirm too much as she stood in line with the other new ISC recruits. These grey suits they were forced to wear were just stiff and uncomfortable. She also couldn't decide if they were ugly because they were boring or if they were simply ugly on top of being boring.

The nearby lift opened, and an Imperial officer stepped out. All of them suddenly straightened, although it was clear that most had terrible posture. Sabine had to force herself not to be too formal or else out herself as an ex-cadet.

The academy on Mandalore had been much more established and formalized than the academy here on Lothal. The Empire had come in and helped convert the old training facility in Sundari for their needs. They had promised Mandalore - particularly Clan Vizsla - that they would help revive the warrior culture of old that the Duchess had tried to destroy. Sabine had been one of many children of the clan eager to prove themselves and their families that they could wear the mantle of warrior proudly. As such, all the cadets knew how to conduct themselves properly under the guide of their buire.

This academy was an entirely different story. Not only were all the cadets separated by sex, but the recruits were all so painfully green. They were about Sabine's age, but she would bet her armor that none of the other three girls here had ever learned how to throw a punch correctly.

"Good morning, recruits," the officer said, standing in front of them at ease. She had shortly cut black hair and tan skin with yellow undertones that was common among native Lothalians. "I am Lieutenant Harrow. I will be in charge of your initial testing and subsequent training." She started to pace in front of them. "You're all here because you have some skills that are invaluable to our Empire, particularly as we ramp up operations here on Lothal. For the first three months, you will split your time between basic training and classes on Imperial protocol."

Sabine internally groaned. These were going to be the longest few weeks of her life. Not least of which because she was going to have to feign ignorance and incompetence.

"Now," Harrow said, standing at one end of the line-up. "Each of you: state your name, age, and planet of birth."

A few seconds of silence passed, and Sabine knew Harrow was waiting for the first girl to sound off. Sabine glanced at her out of the corner of her eye. She was thin with pale freckled skin and thick auburn hair. The girl glanced at the officer in confusion before she gave a tiny shake of her head, suddenly realizing that she was supposed to start off. "Oh, uh… Maya Landry. Fifteen. Garel."

The next girl was petite with dark brown skin and wiry curly hair pulled back tightly into a small bun. Her expression hardened as she pulled her shoulders back and stood stiff at attention. "Ohana Creo. Sixteen. Lothal."

The girl next to Sabine didn't even bother straightening all the way. In fact, she seemed the least professional, with her long wavy black hair loose and draped over her shoulders. Her skin was just a shade lighter that Lieutenant Harrow's but with the same undertones. Which was why Sabine was surprised when she sounded off. "Sarah Bemming. Sixteen. Coruscant."

Coruscant. Sabine wondered how a Core girl ended up all the way out here. But Sabine didn't miss a beat as she recited, "Ria Talla. Fifteen. Garel." Just like her papers would say.

Harrow gave a short single nod, apparently finding their newbie performance acceptable. "Follow me to the Arena."

It was exactly how Sabine imagined it. Not quite as sophisticated as the training facility on Mandalore, but there was a pit and separate areas devoted to shooting practice and hand-to-hand combat.

As expected, Harrow led them to the pit, where four floating platforms were sitting along the edge. Harrow turned toward them and waved her hand out to the platforms. "Go on."

Sabine immediately stepped up on one of them, the others quickly following suit. Once they did, Harrow pulled out a remote and pressed a button. The platforms moved out over the pit. Maya and Sarah each gave a little gasp while Ohana and Sabine remained steady.

"Your objective is simple," Harrow said as they were slowly lowered into the pit. "Make it to the top as fast as you can."

The platforms settled into the ground, leaving a smooth floor surface. Maya and Sarah were looking around in confusion. "Uh, how exactly are we supposed to get to the top?" Sarah asked.

"Just wait for it," Ohana said impatiently.

Almost on cue, platforms at various heights began to slide out of the walls, streaking across the open space. The modular wall shifted and moved to accommodate the movement and to create visual confusion.

Sabine had done this test a dozen times with a dozen different variations. This was child's play for her, but she couldn't let the others catch on to it. So she feigned surprise as she looked up at the platforms, waiting for someone else to make their first move.

It didn't take long. Ohana took a few steps in a circle, analyzing the movement, before she jumped up and grabbed the rail of the lowest passing platform. She didn't even glance at the others as she climbed up and eyed her next target.

Taking her cue, Sabine and the others also began to make their way up the pit, platform to platform. For Sabine, she had to hold back her instinctual impulses to leap without looking to where the next platform would be. She had this sequence memorized years ago. But holding back her muscle memory was actually making her one of the clumsier recruits.

Which was fine. She wasn't here to excel, she was here to act as back-up for Ezra and help him with Imperial protocol. So she took these missteps and half jumps to observe her peers.

Ohana was clearly the most ambitious. She probably would have made a good cadet if she hadn't missed the age cutoff. If only she had been born a few years later… Although she was honestly better off with just the ISC. Maybe she wanted to get off her homeworld and see the galaxy, but Sabine knew she would be happier in the long run if she was forced to stay domestic.

Maya, while eager, seemed to be a bit on the slower side. And did not appear to have much for balance. She kept struggling to figure out what platform to jump to next. She was several levels below even Sabine, despite her self-imposed stumbling. Maya kept getting knocked off the platforms as they sank into the walls.

Sarah was actually the most perplexing of the small group. Despite her crisp Core accent and relaxed attitude, she was actually not far behind Ohana. She didn't seem to be as analytical, and she had no physical grace the way she clambered over the platforms. She couldn't even get to her feet without losing her balance, so she generally stayed on her knees as she looked for her next target. Usually less than a second would pass before she would be leaping or reaching for the next platform.

But it wasn't important. Not for Sabine. It was most likely that Harrow was controlling the platforms to give the Core girl a leg out to curry favor with her family. It would be far from the first time an officer gave the wealthier students a leg up in order to further their own political career.

Ohana got to the top and stood at attention, her chest heaving as she tried to catch her breath. Sarah didn't bother trying to appear professional as she climbed over the edge and slumped on the ground. Despite not even breaking a sweat, Sabine took slow deep breaths to simulate exhaustion. It was nearly a minute later before Maya managed to climb up with the rest of them.

Harrow was gazing down at a datapad, her fingers gliding across its surface as she made notes on their performance. "Creo and Bemming. Good work. It's a shame about your age, or else you might have made excellent cadets. Particularly you, Creo."

Ohana gave a short nod. "Thank you, Lieutenant."

Sarah managed to get up on her feet and was now fussing with her uniform, wiping it and straightening it out. "Th-Thank you, Lieutenant."

"Talla, Landry. Your results were… acceptable."

Maya looked down, but her sigh and slumping shoulders actually read more like relief than disappointment. She must come from a poor background and saw this as her opportunity to actually make a decent living. "Th-Thank you, Lieutenant…"

"Thank you, Lieutenant," Sabine echoed.

"Now return back to your quarters and get a good night's sleep. Your training begins early tomorrow."

After being given leave, they followed another officer to their shared quarters where their luggage had been brought in earlier. They were sharing a single room which had two sets of bunks. Maya immediately flopped down on one of the bottom ones. "I don't think I've ever been so nervous in my entire life…"

"Oh come off it," Ohana said, rolling her eyes. "This is the Service Corp. Their standards aren't exactly high."

"They're high enough that not just anyone can get in," Sarah snapped, going to the far corner and opening up one of the boxes.

"Says the girl from Coruscant," Ohana almost sneered. "Let me guess: none of the real Academies saw fit to let you in?"

Sarah shot her a glare before returning her focus to whatever it was she was doing. "If you must know, my mother didn't appreciate the restrictions other Academies set on my attending them. This one was less stringent, and…" She paused, looking almost pained as she forced the next few words out. "... I am technically a native."

She stood up and all three of them jumped back as they realized she had a yellow lizard in her hands. "What is that?" Sabine asked. Did this girl just smuggle in some sort of pet?

"This is for my protection."

With a frown, Sabine took a couple steps closer to get a better look. Its coloring was typical for a creature accustomed to hiding, with shades varying from an almost-brown yellow to a dull gold streaking along its length. It had both scales and a mane of short yellow hairs. With two pairs of eyes, it blinked rapidly at them, cocking its head as it observed the three of them. It was also quite long. It perched naturally on Sarah's shoulder, its head sticking out from under her hair. With its hindquarters over her back, its tail curled around her ribcage. The claws were covered in some sort of bright blue caps, presumably to protect Sarah's flesh.

"What is it? Some sort of attack dog?" Maya asked.

"It's a ysalamiri," Sarah said, matter-of-factly, scratching the lizard's chin. "My mother insists that I keep it with me at all times. Especially on a - " She suddenly stopped herself, clearing her throat. "My mom's convinced it'll protect me. Thankfully I've never had to test that theory."

"The Academy just let you… keep it with you?" Maya asked.

"Not at all times," Sarah admitted. "My parents struck a deal with the Academy. When I'm in class or training, I have to keep it here. But otherwise, it's free to stay with me."

"Does it at least have a name?" Ohana asked.

"I just call it Sal," Sarah said with a shrug. "My mother never let me have any other pets, so I guess this is the next best thing." With that, she climbed up the ladder to the top of one of the bunks. "I'm going to take a nap. Let me know when you girls are getting something to eat."

Sabine shook her head as she sat on the other lower bunk with a sigh. This Core girl and her family sounded… actually, pretty typical for a rich family from the Core. Or like those cadets at the Academy on Mandalore that came from wealthier and more esteemed houses. Spoiled and entitled.

Well, Service Corp or not, she imagined Sarah would get a lesson in real life quite soon. And if not from the officers, then almost certainly from Ohana.

Laying back on the bed, Sabine put her hands behind her head and stared up at the bunk above her. This should prove to be an interesting couple of weeks to say the least.


Ezra breathed deliberately even as he stared down the sights of the dummy blaster. It was heavier and bigger than what he was used to, but the principles were still the same. He kept both eyes open and focused on the moving targets. It was just like Chopper with the stormtrooper's helmet…

He let out a soft exhale before taking his first shot, the target blinking red and disappearing with a loud honk. Ezra swiveled slightly and aimed for the next target, quickly getting off another shot. He fell into an even rhythm, hardly even thinking as he picked off the targets one by one.

The last one disappeared and the system went dark with a gentle jingle. Ezra blinked, lowering the blaster and turning towards their supervisor, Commandant Aresko. He was a tall and thin man with pale grey skin with harsh lines on his face accentuating his expressions.

"Hmm, quite impressive, Morgan. You almost handle that weapon like a professional."

There was just the slightest hint of suspicion, making Ezra's heart skip a beat. "I-I grew up on a farm…" he said carefully. "We have to keep the loth bats at bay."

The Commandant seemed to accept this with a small nod. "Ah, yes. I suppose that would make sense. Well congratulations. It's certainly a promising start to your career."

Ezra couldn't help but smile. Not only had he lied with ease, but he could tell that Aresko's praise was genuine. It was… nice to hear from someone other than his family. He put the blaster down on the rack before joining the other boys in his class. There were five others, most of whom were natives of Lothal or Garel. The only ones of note were a larger boy with a round head and shortly cropped brown hair who glared at every single other cadet, and a skinny shorter boy with floppy auburn hair. The latter was only notable because he was nearly as small as Ezra, the two of them easily the smallest of the class by far.

At the moment, Ezra couldn't remember any of their names. He was too focused on his own name and backstory, even though he had more than memorized every little detail before Kanan had allowed him get anywhere near Capital City.

"That concludes our testing for the day," Aresko said, jotting down a final note on his datapad before turning it off and putting his arms behind his back. "Your first class begins tomorrow at 0600. Do not be late." He let a pause of silence hang in the air. "You're dismissed."

Ezra relaxed slightly. He did it. He made it through the first day. Now all he had to do was keep his head down and keep performing well so that -

"Hey… you're Dev, right?"

Ezra jumped, spinning around to find the kid with auburn hair standing right next to him. He instinctively stepped back to put a bit of space between them.

"Oh sorry!" The auburn kid took an additional step back. "I didn't mean to startle you."

Forcing his shoulders to relax, Ezra shook his head. "You didn't startle me. I was just… surprised…" He cringed at how idiotic that sounded.

But the auburn boy just gave a small laugh. "But I didn't get your name wrong, did I? It's Dev?"

"Uh, yeah. Dev. Dev Morgan."

The boy began to bring his hands up to his chest to do a traditional Lothalian greeting, but he seemed to think better of it and just thrust his right hand forward. "I'm Jai Kell."

Ezra took his hand and shook it. "Nice to meet you."

"That was some awesome shooting earlier," Jai said with a great big grin. "You learned to do that on a farm?"

Ezra nodded slowly wondering how long he should let this conversation last for. "Yeah, we grew jogans."

"Maybe you could teach me a thing or two! I mean, I think I did okay, but you're something else."

Ezra gave a nervous laugh, rubbing the back of his neck. "Th-Thanks…"

"I was about to go to the commissary to grab some dinner. Wanna eat with me?"

That sounded kind of risky. Ezra honestly hadn't considered the fact that someone might actually want to hang out with him. Didn't Jai see his scars? He must have, right? But he didn't seem put off by them at all. Jai just had a small smile as he looked at Ezra expectantly.

Well, Ezra needed to eat anyway. And eating with Jai seemed more fun than just eating all by himself. So he gave a small nod. "Okay, sure."

The other cadets had already scattered. Most were ahead of them walking to get dinner while a couple had just gone back to their bunks. Jai started some idle chatter as they walked. "So did you get tired of shooting loth bats? Is that why you're here?"

Ezra shook his head. "No, it's kinda a long story…" It's a story he had concocted with Sabine and Kanan's help, but he didn't want to use it up unless he absolutely had to."

"Oh… Yeah I get that," Jai said, looking a bit down. "I'm here for complicated reasons too."

"Complicated?" Ezra asked.

"Yeah…" Jai said wistfully. "I probably wouldn't be here if it weren't for my dad. My mom seems convinced that this is my only chance to move up in life. Especially with the Empire taking over everything."

"So what does that have to do with your dad?" Ezra asked purposefully. Sabine had told him that asking questions was the easiest way to avoid getting caught in a lie. Get people to talk about themselves instead of asking about you.

"My dad died a couple years ago," he said matter-of-factly, although Ezra could sense a hint of intense grief that was quickly shoved back down out of sight. "He was an engineer and… Well, there was an accident. After that, my mom's been really struggling to keep us afloat. The stipend she gets from the Empire with enrollment helps a lot."

"A stipend?"

"Yeah. Do you not get one?"

"Um…" Ezra had no idea what a stipend was. Would it be suspicious if he didn't have one? Or if he didn't even know what it was?

"Maybe they don't give one to all the cadets," Jai continued on, lost in thought. He bit his lip. "I should probably keep quiet about it then."

Ezra just nodded, relieved that Jai dealt with the inquiry all on his own.

The got to the commissary and got in the line for food. There were boys and girls here of a variety of ages. Ezra glanced around, trying to spot Sabine. She had to dye her hair black as 'unnatural' colors were against regulation, so she would be harder to spot in these crowds than usual. Although even if he did spot her, he knew not to approach her. They had agreed that they were to avoid contact until Ezra officially got a way into the Imperial Dome. Meeting up or talking with each other would only arouse suspicion, since there was no reason for Ria Talla and Dev Morgan to know one another.

After they loaded up their trays with food, Jai told Ezra to follow him. He led them over to a small empty table he had spotted. "There's not as many recruits here as I thought there'd be…" Jai noted, looking around the dining hall as he sat down. "My old school had more kids in it."

"Yeah, but you have to pass a series of tests to get in here," Ezra pointed out. Those test results were some of the many documents they had forged. Although Sabine had assured Ezra that he would have passed easily if they were to go the 'official' route anyway.

"That's true," Jai conceded before taking a bite of his food.

Ezra looked down at his tray, wrinkling his nose at the smell. It somehow smelled old while looking like it had just come dripping out of some fresh grease pot. It looked even worse than meal supplements. He cut off a piece of the mystery chunk of food and took a hesitant bite.

He screwed up his face and groaned. It tasted exactly how it smelled.

"Don't like it?" Jai asked, eating his own dinner no problem.

Ezra swallowed. "I've definitely had better." He supposed it wasn't the worst food in the galaxy, but he was going to sorely miss Kanan's cooking. Heck, he could probably whip up something himself that was better than this. But that wasn't an option, and he could practically hear Kanan and Hera insisting he needed to eat.

"Tastes alright to me," Jai said. "But I also haven't had pre-prepared food in aaaages…"

"Your mom cooks?" Ezra asked.

Jai scoffed. "If you count boiling as cooking. She doesn't have time or money for that, so we usually just eat different kinds of boiled grain…"

Ezra couldn't help the small cringe. Frankly, that sounded awful. And it was horribly reminiscent of his own childhood.

"But it makes me really excited for Visiting Day!" Jai said with a big smile. "I bet they'll have good food for that, so my mom can actually eat something nice."

Oh great, something else Ezra had no idea about. "Visiting Day…?"

"Yeah, it's at the end of the month." Jai seemed completely unbothered by the fact that Ezra had been ignorant about the event. "Basically our families are allowed to visit if they want. It only happens once a year, so we're lucky in that we're coming in now."

Ezra frowned. "When exactly is it happening?"

"Herfmon thirty-fifth, last day of the month."

"Oh. Well, that sounds fun," Ezra said casually, trying to cover up his surprise. That was the day the kyber shipment was going to be sent out from the processing station. With any luck, Ezra and Sabine would be long done with their mission by then.

"You got any family that can visit?" Jai asked him.

"Uh… my dad," Ezra said. "Don't think he'll come, though. He's really busy too."

"I know my mom's already asked for the day off," Jai said. "Says she'll be missing me too much by then. Maybe your dad can do the same."

Ezra just nodded and smiled. He was starting to like Jai, and it was a little sad knowing that he was lying through his teeth at him. "Yeah. Maybe," he murmured. He tried to focus on his food and not the uncomfortable squirming in his stomach.


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