Thanks to OechsnerC, united88 and hellothere209 for the feedback!

united88: Yeah, that makes sense. I just always found it odd that the Empire went from loyal clones, to FN-2187 and Inferno Squad. Imagine if clones had continued to be used? Well, actually, there might have been more of those defectors.

hellothere209: Welcome to the wagon! We have cookies! And whatever the light side offers. Lemon wafers? The nature of the Force is fascinating to me, more so because we view the Saga from the viewpoint of the Jedi, who definitely aren't biased at all definitely. The Jedi believe balance means no darksiders, only light. Which isn't balance, is it?

Enjoy!

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Anakin frowned slightly as he listened to the argument in the next room. As much as he didn't want to get involved, he could still hear it, and it sounded like Ezra was defending him to Sabine. Sighing, he inspected his newly cut hair and opened the fresher door, catching the end of Ezra's sentence.

"-he's not our enemy!"

Sabine folded her arms. "I once thought the same thing with Kei, and look how that turned out!"

Nodding at Rex, who returned the gesture, Anakin leaned against the fresher wall, trying not to remember the past.

"We'll…divide the 501'st! We'll promote Rex to Commander and have him lead the new division! Ahsoka can got with him as an advisor.

That's what friends are for.

Master Kenobi says there's no such thing as luck.

Good thing I taught you otherwise.

Shaking the memories away, Anakin refocused on the argument.

Ezra nodded. "I know. Believe me, I know. But think of Ketsu. You and her once fought; we considered her an enemy! But-"

Sabine reluctantly finished his thought. "But she joined our side."

Ezra gestured excitedly to Anakin. "Exactly! And with him on our side-"

"Is he?" Sabine shot a glare to Skywalker. "Are you? On our side?"

Anakin nodded. "I know you all have no reason to trust me. I know my actions have destroyed the lives of many, and that I will spend the rest of my life seeking atonement that will never come." He briefly glanced at Rex, who adverted his eyes. "I'm not asking for forgiveness. Not yet. But the Emperor has to be stopped."

Hera, who had stayed silent thus far, glanced at the former Jedi. "How?"

Anakin sighed. "I'm not yet strong enough. It's my destiny, but I need to balance myself first before I can balance the Force. The darkness in me has to be purged before I am of any use."

Rex stepped forward. "So, what are you suggesting, General." He shook his head. "Anakin."

Anakin gave a small smile. "The only idea I have is a bad one." He glanced at Rex. "GL-537."

As Rex shook his head in bewilderment, Ezra leaned forward. "What is it?"

Anakin's smile fell. "Ezra, listen to me. The idea I have is dangerous. It's too dangerous."

"Even for you?" Ezra gestured to himself and Rex. "You healed my eye. You helped Rex become young again. What can't you do?"

Sabine scoffed. "Not fall." At everyone's-minus Anakin's-stare, she scoffed and stood. "I'm done here. I'm going to my room."

As the doors closed, Anakin nodded. "I deserve that. And a lot more, if we're being honest." He looked at Rex. "If you wanted to go with me on my mission, I wouldn't oppose."

Rex sighed and grabbed his helmet. "Retrieve the mask of Darth Revan. Somehow that's the least crazy thing I've seen today."

Ezra sat up straighter. "Darth Revan?" He asked excitedly. "The ancient Jedi!"

"Well…" Anakin scratched the back of his neck. "Kinda. Revan didn't always adhere to the light."

Hera frowned. "So you want us to help you retrieve a Sith artifact?"

Anakin folded his arms. "Some Sith relics carried the Force Essence of their wielders. Revan was a force for good, but his dark spirit lingered after his death. Wreaked havoc on the galaxy."

Hera shook her head. "I can't approve a mission like that. Kanan mentioned something like that. Said that the spirit inside the vessel could possess the user."

Anakin looked down. "I am aware there are risks. That's why I wanted to go alone. If I fail, no one of any importance dies."

"And you create something worse than Darth Vader!" Hera stood. "I won't allow a mission that threatens everyone here. I'm sorry."

Anakin nodded. "I'm not so sure how good an idea it was anyway." He looked at Ezra. "Care to spar?"

Ezra looked uneasy, and Anakin nodded to himself. He had been expecting something like that. "Rex, care to watch Commander Bridger and I spar?"

Rex chuckled and slipped on his helmet. "Anytime, General. I may even give the Commander a run for his credits with fighting someone more skilled than stormtroopers."

Ezra smiled at Rex. "I can beat you anytime, Captain."

Rex laughed. "Experience outranks everything, Ezra." He stood. "Let's go find out how skilled you really are."

. . . . . . . . . .

Hera was inside the Ghost, absently watching Anakin and Ezra spar, with Rex taking shots every so often. Normally she'd keep a keener eye on the pair, but Sabine was avidly watching them. That and the person she was talking to had big news.

"Hera, you have to tell her."

Hera shook her head. "If I tell her, Sabine will go straight back home. When she finds out her people are gone, she'll become Ezra."

"I understand. One vengeful rebel dealt enough damage. But she has to know."

Hera sighed. "I just…don't know how to tell her."

"Unfortunately, everyone who may have known is gone. Bo-Katan, Fenn Rau, all dead."

Hera lowered her head. "I am sorry for your loss. I know you were close with Bo-Katan." She closed her eyes briefly. "I'll tell Ezra. He'll know the best way to break it to her."

"Good luck, Hera. May the Force be with you."

Hera turned back to the holoprojector. "You too, Ahsoka."

As the hologram dissipated, Cal Kestis entered the room. "Afternoon, General." He looked out the viewport at the rain. "Or night. It's hard to tell here."

Hera gave a wan smile. "How's Anakin doing with fighting?" She had seen Cal fight Skywalker briefly. "Any concerns?"

Cal shook his head. "Not really. If there is a darkness in him, he's not letting it consume him." He paused, regarding Hera. "You're not going to tell her, are you?"

Hera whirled around. "What?"

Cal gave a sad smile. "My Master was once friends with a Mandalorian warrior. That warrior contacted me, desperate for help. She said the Empire had begun to crack down on Mandalore. That was three weeks ago." He peered out the viewport at Sabine. "I tried to contact her today, but there was no response."

Hera sighed. "I don't know what to do."

"I do." Cal handed her a datachip. "I had Cere slice into the Imperial Network. They have an operation coming up. Its codename is 'Night of a Thousand Tears'."

Hera inserted the chip into her data pad and skimmed the contents. "They're going to destroy Mandalore…"

Cal nodded grimly. "We have to go. I can contact Fulcrum, see if the Rebellion can spare some assets." His gaze shifted over to Sabine. "But she has to know what you're going in to."

Hera sighed and touched her comm. "Spectre Two to Spectre Five, I need you in the Ghost."

After a moment, Sabine picked up. "Alone, or is Six and Rex able to come?"

Hera glanced at Cal, who shrugged. "They can come."

Once they were all onboard, Hera handed Sabine the data pad. "Mandalore is under attack. We-"

Sabine looked up. "This is more than an attack, Hera. The Empire is going to destroy my world just like they were planning to destroy Lothal."

Ezra, who was reading over her shoulder, nodded. "We can't let that happen." He looked at Hera. "When are we going?"

Hera glanced at Anakin, who was waiting in the commons. "Now. But if we're going to be of any help, we have to put aside all of our mistrust with one another." She eyed Sabine. "We all have to work together."

After a long silence, Sabine frowned. "I'll work with him, but that doesn't mean I trust him."

Hera nodded. "That's good enough for now." She stood. "Grab any gear you need. We leave in ten."

Ezra watched with concern as Sabine marched out of the cockpit, anger written on her face. "This might be a problem."

Cal, who had just finished relaying the details to the Mantis, joined him. "They'll work it out."

Anakin stood as Sabine joined him. "Sabine." He could feel her anger in the Force, and decided to be cautious. "I've been helping Ezra, and-"

"You might have everyone else here buying your transformation." She hissed. "But not me. So let me tell you something right now." She took a step closer to him. "You make one step backward, one slip-up, give me one reason to make me think you might hurt Ezra, then you won't have to worry about your destiny anymore. Because I'll make sure your destiny ends right there and then. Permanently."

She turned around and stalked past Rex, who was just entering the ship. Perturbed, the Captain stopped beside his former General. "What was that about?"

Anakin sighed. "The truth."

. . . . . . . . . .

Chapter Notes!

I). Sabine harbours more animosity towards Anakin, and a part of that is because of Hoth. Anakin-as Vader-blinded Ezra, and Sabine can't see past that.

II). So, the Night of a Thousand Tears. Online Fandom link that event to the Siege of Mandalore, but I'm not so sure. In my head (I could be wrong) The Night of a Thousands Tears took place at the end of the Great Purge, which changed everything for Mandalorians. Moff Gideon says Siege of Mandalore, but then he also says gunships with cannons decimated Mandalorian recruits. Doesn't really sound like the Republic. So I had the idea, what if the Empire continued the Siege of Mandalore? And here we are. Again, could be completely wrong.

III). I was watching the new episode while working on this, so the latter half of this story looks familiar. Anakin and Ahsoka rushing to Mandalore to save the planet from some evil being wielding the darksaber.

Thanks for reading!

Judge