Knight Hawk - Yavin system

Jarik POV...

"..." Mara was quietly mumbling, in a way that I knew meant she was about to say something.

"Yes, my daughter?" I finally ask her in exasperation.

"Are you sure leaving HK-47 behind was such a good idea?" she asks skeptically.

"No, but it's a lot better than having him on Yavin 4," I respond.

"It won't be a full day before we here about a Mandalorian shooting him, or him shooting a Mandalorian," she says warily. "He can't exactly shut his mouth."

R5 makes a comment of his own about that, highly amused.

"That's very possible," I admit, shrugging my shoulders. "But, I'm sure Bo-Katan and my uncle can keep him in check."

"Really," Mara deadpans.

"Yes, really," I say in reply. "Besides, he'll be much more satisfied in that environment than with the Alliance. I don't need more tension with Rebel Command over morality in war."

"Yeah, I guess that makes sense," she replies in agreement.

She lets out a sigh, spinning around carelessly in her chair, and I roll my eyes. R5 beeps at us once more, his demeanor full of sarcasm, and I give him a look.

"Yes, I can't call you the most annoying droid anymore," I say dryly, and he beeps in satisfaction. "Just the second most annoying."

R5 grumbles indignantly, rolling out of the cockpit with a few contemptuous remarks.

"Who's C-3PO?" Mara asks curiously.

Before I could answer the dashboard starts to beep, and I face forward in my seat to focus on piloting the ship, pulling the lever to bring the Knight Hawk out of hyperspace. The blue-green moon of Yavin 4 appears in front of us, the Gauntlet just a little farther ahead of us. I fly the ship down into the moon's atmosphere after the Gauntlet, coming in for a landing on a clear section of the runway. Once we've touched down, Mara, R5 and I disembark and join up with the others, who are in the middle of reuniting with Zeb.

"...gotten weak since I've been gone have you big guy?" Sabine teases.

"It seems like that may very well be the case," Merrin says with a neutral expression.

Zeb scoffs, but otherwise doesn't respond.

"Where's Hera?" Kanan asks.

"She's on a supply mission," Zeb tells him. "Come on, I'll show you around."

"Getting lovesick man?" I hear Cal ask Kanan teasingly.

"What? No!" he retorts with a scoff.

"I wouldn't be so quick to make fun of someone's love life, Cal," I chime in with a small grin of my own.

"Well I- hey..." he protests, frowning at me.

Kanan smiles in satisfaction while Merrin falls back a few steps, having taken notice of the banter.

"Cal, are you bothering our friends again?" she questions.

"He sure is!" Kanan declares, casually hitting him on the shoulder.

"Come on Cal, don't be rude," Merrin gently scolds him, though I could tell she was just as amused.

Cal looks at all of us with an irritated expression on his face, grumbling to himself at how everyone suddenly turned against him. I shake my head in amusement, and then step away to help Mara prevent another clash between R5 and Chopper. Their rivalry is even worse than R5 and Artoo, because at least Artoo wasn't a seriously antagonizing droid; Chopper is just as stubborn and rude as R5 is.

"So many different ships and people," Ezra says in amazement.

"There are cells gathered here from every corner of the galaxy..." Zeb replies, before looking downcast. "And it's still not enough against the Empire."

"We still have a long way to go before we can gather a fighting force that could come close to match the Imperial Navy," I tell them. "It doesn't mean we won't get there."

"Maybe we should try and take Corellia, or maybe even Kuat," Mara suggests, though that was more sarcasm than literal, and I roll my eyes.

"As long as we can help Ryder on Lothal, I'll take what I can get," Ezra says in satisfaction.

Just then I notice two familiar clone troopers rushing up to us, coming to a brief stop.

"Commander, you're back!" Boil says in pleasant surprise. "Got yourself a new arm I see."

"Hmm hmm," I nod in reply, giving him a small smile.

"Well your attitude hasn't changed," Rex scoffs in amusement. "Good to see the rest of you guys."

An alarm starts to beep urgently, echoing across the entire base, and I look up at the sky in recognition of the warning, spotting a squadron of smoking y-wing bombers approaching the base at a deadly velocity.

"Rex!" Ezra greets happily. "What's going on? Where's Hera?"

"Well, if you're looking for Hera, there she is," Rex states, pointing up at the sky. "Coming in hot with what's left of her squadron."

The rest of the group looks up as well, concerned, and the sound of the y-wing's blasting through the air reaches our ears.

"That doesn't look good," Sabine says worriedly.

"No it doesn't," Boil nods in agreement.

He and Rex rush forward down the runway with a group of rebel personnel alongside them, waving them onwards.

"Come on, come on, move it!" Rex shouts.

The Spectres begin running after them, and after sharing a brief look with Mara we follow them as well, watching the progress of the bombers. Thankfully they dump all of their fuel so as to prevent the risk of a fire or explosion on impact, though the others were still understandably worried.

"Kanan?" Ezra asks anxiously.

"Don't worry, she's got it!" he reassures him.

Soon enough, the y-wing bombers touch down on the runway, and the hit it hard. With their landing gear out, they skid across the stone ground at high speed, leaving broken trails in their wake, and crashing into the occasional structure they couldn't avoid, though nothing was large enough to be of any concern. Still, the bombers were moving too fast for my liking, and might possibly crash all the way through the inside of the temple hangar, if their landing gear didn't break first.

"Kanan, Cal, with me!" I call out to them.

Having no need to ask what it was I intended to do, the two moved up with me and bypassed Rex, Boil, and their group, who had come to a stop at seeing the ships still moving quickly. Coming to a stop moments later, the three of us raised our arms and called on the Force to aid us, closing our eyes in concentration. With our power we grabbed hold of the bombers, generating a loose energy field in order to slow them down. I grit my teeth from the strain, wavering slightly in my focus, but soon enough the y-wings come to a complete stop, though the lead bomber's front leg was broken off. We release our hold on the Force with heavy sighs of relief.

Some of the rebels nearby looked at us in awe and amazement, but at more urging from Rex and Boil they quickly refocused on their tasks and rushed over to the bombers, helping the pilots out and getting several teams out the extinguish the fires on some of the bombers.

"That went well, all things considered," I comment.

"Bit of a crazy first time here," Kanan says.

"Well, that's just our lives dude," Cal remarks, patting him on the shoulder.

Satisfied, I turn away from the y-wings and start heading back in the direction of the temple, allowing the Spectres to reunite with each other; Mara and R5 swiftly join me.

"Way to make our return here exciting," Mara says sarcastically.

"Eh, it could've been a lot worse," I shrug in response.

R5 lets out a long beep of agreement, and on our way towards the temple we passed by Agent Kallus.

"Commander, good to have you back," he pauses to greet us. "I'm about to collect the others, but you are also requested by Mon Mothma for a meeting."

"Alright," I nod in acknowledgement.

We resume walking after he continues on his way, but upon entering the temple hangar I falter in my step with a grimace, holding a hand to my head as a familiar pulse of dark side energy blows past, the whisper of evil being carried along with it. Mara looks at me with a worried frown.

"You okay Dad?" she asks in concern.

"I'm good Mara," I reassure her, shaking it off. "Just another dark side pulse."

She nods in understanding, and we continue on.


Mon Mothma stood with General Dodonna, General Draven, and a hologram of Bail Organa around the large holotable of the command center. A Mon Calamari admiral is also present, as well as another human with graying hair that I faintly recognize, but can't yet recall the name of; Cere was also present as well. They all look up upon my entry, small smiles coming to the faces of Mon and Bail.

"Jarik, it is good to see you again," Bail says pleasantly.

"You too Bail," I greet in response.

"No hello's for me?" Mara mutters sarcastically.

"Don't worry kid, I got you covered," Boil chimes in.

He pats her on the shoulder as he and Rex enter the room, and Mara grins up at him in response.

"I trust that the situation on Mandalore is resolved?" Mothma asks hopefully.

"The Empire still controls Mandalore, but the clans now have a leader to rally behind," I inform her. "Things are looking good on that front."

"I'd be more pleased if we are able to receive their support soon," Draven admits with a grim expression. "Their strength would be and invaluable asset to us."

"Once the Imperial occupation of Mandalore ends, only then could that be considered," I advise him, shaking our head. "They may consider us allies against the Empire, but Mandalore has always been firmly independent from the galactic government, and that's unlikely to change."

I can tell Draven isn't exactly pleased with that answer, but he concedes with a reluctant nod.

"Still, having Mandalore against the Empire works in our favor," Dodonna adds. "Our odds would be far dimmer if we had to worry about a Mandalorian society fully allied with the Empire."

"Indeed. And with every day that passes, our Alliance grows as well," Mothma states with a smile.

Just then, Kallus and the Spectres all enter the command center at that moment, and the Alliance leaders look over at them.

"Captain, I commend your bravery in protecting your fellow pilots," Mothma tells Hera.

"I just want to know what went wrong out there," Hera replies.

"As do I," she says, turning around. "Senator Organa may be able to shed some light on that for us."

"My sources in the Senate confirm that the Empire has established a new communications relay in the Jalindi system," Bail informs us, bringing up a hologram of the relay. "It greatly expands their command and control throughout the surrounding sectors, and enabled them to respond much more quickly to your incursion."

"Hmm. That thing is definitely a work of art, I'll say that," I say with a thoughtful frown, bringing a hand to my chin.

"Looks like Saw Gerrera's rumors turned out true after all," the middle-aged human states.

Getting a bit of a closer look at the man, I recognize him as Garm Bel Iblis, the Senator of Corellia, and a well known critic of the Emperor. Guess his time in the Senate finally expired as a result of that.

"How does Saw's ragtag group have better intel than we do?" Rex asks with a frown, looking at me questioningly.

Before I can respond, Kallus does it for me.

"Because Gerrera has absolutely no qualms about how he acquires it," he says with a disgusted scowl.

"That's one way to put it, I suppose," Cere cautiously responds.

I withhold a sigh, mentally prepping myself to act as a mediator between the council and Saw's actions once more. I notice Cere, Cal, and Merrin are also similarly anxious, probably because they've worked with Saw before and see him the way I do.

"Well if he gets results..." Ezra suggests.

"We do not, mistreat our prisoners," Mothma replies firmly, her gaze hardening.

Nevertheless, Ezra still looks around skeptically.

"It can't be that bad, can it? I thought that uh... Lux Bonteri, guy, was keeping him in check," he tries reasoning.

"It doesn't seem Bonteri can do enough," the Mon Calamari admiral replies, shaking his head. "Saw's a good fighter, but far too set in his methods to change."

"But-" Ezra continues to say.

"That's enough, Lieutenant Commander Bridger!" Draven interrupts sternly, narrowing his eyes at him. "Recommending we use Gerrera's tactics is out of the question."

Ezra frowns in annoyance and frustration, but recognizes that he won't get anywhere, and so nods his head in begrudging acknowledgement. Wanting to switch the subject, I cough into my hand to get everyone's attention.

"Well, if the most recent episode of Saw Gerrera is out of the way, maybe we should focus on the current issue?" I suggest, getting a mixture of responses from the others, ranging from amusement, exasperation, or some annoyance. "As to what to do about this relay, you have two options: destroy it, or utilize it to our advantage."

"Couldn't you just, I don't know, slice into it, sir?" Boil asks me.

I give him an exasperated look.

"This relay station is one of the most advanced models out there," I tell him. "If I wanted to slice it remotely, I'd need much better equipment than what we have here."

"Perhaps there is another way," Kallus says, walking around to the front of the holotable. "If a team could sneak onto the dish and directly patch us into the relay, we could use it to monitor Imperial fleet movements and adjust our own operations to avoid them."

"Can it be done?" Mothma asks Hera.

"My crew and I have done plenty of jobs just like it," Hera nods in confirmation.

"Are you confident your ship can get in and out undetected?" Dodonna asks.

"We don't call it the Ghost for nothing," she replies confidently.

"You are authorized to proceed," Mothma nods, shutting down the holoprojector.

After a farewell nod, Bail's hologram also disappears, and everyone splits off to carry about their next assignments. However, Ezra was not yet satisfied.

"That's it?" he asks, confused and disappointed. "But what about Lothal?"

"Ezra, now's not the time," Hera tells him.

She turns to leave, but he keeps going.

"If not now, when? Mon, we promised my people support," he says urgently. "Our attack failed, but they're still waiting. Ryder's counting on us."

Draven frowns at him, but before he could say anything Mon steps in.

"Lieutenant Commander Bridger, let's you and I talk for a moment," she says.

The Spectres leave the room, and the Mantis crew does so as well, chatting with each other about recent events. I watch Ezra and Mon step aside for a moment, and then notice Senator Garm Bel Iblis and the Mon Calamari admiral approaching.

"Commander Shan, it is an honor to meet you in person," Iblis says, inclining his head towards me.

"Senator Iblis, right?" I ask him in reply.

"That I am. And this is Admiral Raddus, of Mon Cala," he says, gesturing to the admiral.

"Your actions in this fight against the Empire have been a great inspiration," Raddus tells me with a smile. "I am sorry we could not have met sooner."

"That's perfectly fine, admiral. I can't take all the credit though for everything I do," I respond, gesturing to Mara. "This is my adopted daughter, Mara Jade."

"Hello," she waves a hand with a small grin on her face.

"A pleasure, Miss Jade," Iblis nods to her.

"The Alliance is lucky to have the support of two Jedi such as yourselves," Raddus states, grinning at us.

"Thanks," she replies, a bit sheepish. "Hey, Dad, I'm gonna go find Boil."

"Sure thing," I tell her, giving her permission.

Giving one last wave, she heads off to do just that while I return my focus to the admiral and senator.

"From what I've heard, you were one of the more prominent voices in the Senate against Palpatine," I remark, looking towards Iblis.

"That I was," he replies, a pained smile crossing his face. "But of course, the Emperor could not tolerate that for long and, like Mon, I was declared a traitor to the Empire, and was forced to leave before they had the chance to arrest me."

I sense there's a little bit more to his story, but the memories feel very painful for him, so I opt not to pry.

"Since then, I've spent most of my time leading my own resistance movement on Corellia," he continues to say. "Once it became apparent to me that I could not deal with the Empire on my own, I reached out to Senator Mothma in the hopes of joining forces with the Rebellion here."

"Really?" I ask curiously. "Well, I certainly wouldn't complain about having a man of your talents with us. Admittedly, this is the first I've heard of that, so you have my apologies there."

"You hadn't?" Iblis asks, slightly surprised, a deep frown of annoyance on his face. "I'm assuming Mon never mentioned it, then?"

"I suppose not," I shrug in apology. "In all fairness though, I'm not that actively involved in leading the Alliance, personally."

"But you are one of its founders, are you not?" Admiral Raddus asks, a bit confused.

"As the highest priority on Palpatine's hit-list, my presence can attract a lot of... unwanted attention, you could say," I explain, letting out a sigh. "Me taking an active role would be to great of a risk."

"I see," Raddus nods in realization. "I suppose launching a strike against the Imperial Palace would certainly earn the Emperor's ire."

We share a brief chuckle of amusement, and I allow a small smile onto my face at the comment.

"That it would," I say in agreement, looking towards Garm. "Do you and Mon hold some disagreement with each other?"

"Not necessarily..." he sighs, shaking his head. "She is an inspirational leader, and can rally a lot of support, but I worry she's becoming a bit too... addicted to power."

"Addicted?" I ask with a raised eyebrow.

"What do you mean?" Raddus also asks.

"While I don't doubt her resolve, I worry she may only take the place of the Emperor, should he be defeated," he admits with a troubled frown.

"Mon is many things, but I honestly could never see her taking the title of Emperor. She champions democracy far too much," I reassure him. "My only concern is the divide amongst her and several others about how the Alliance should be conducted."

"I'm inclined to agree," Raddus states in frustration. "Some on the council still think we can attempt to negotiate a peaceful resolution with the Empire. But if the Emperor truly is a Sith Lord, as you revealed Commander Shan, then the idea of negotiation is far out of the question."

"That, or a lack of military expertise required for war, which is inevitable against the Empire," Garm states.

"Believe me, I understand that completely," I say with a tired sigh. "It's an inner battle against two sides: one is too passive, the other too vicious."

"Such as Gerrera?" Raddus questions, and I nod in confirmation.

"I find Gerrera to be... a very complicated individual," Garm remarks with a thoughtful frown. "On one hand, he understands the full reality of what our struggle against the Empire will be: his resistance group was a great inspiration in how I conducted my own. On the other, he is cruel, merciless, and lacks any regard for the innocent lives he has destroyed in order to accomplish his goals."

"Saw and Mothma are two sides of the same coin," I scoff in agreement, shaking my head. "And I feel like I'm the coin."

"I sympathize with your dilemma," Raddus states. "Although I do not enjoy involving myself with the council often, I'd be happy to help relieve you of some of the burden that comes with resolving dispute, though I may be more blunt than you are."

"That's a kind offer, Admiral," I say with a small smile of gratitude.

"It's the least I could do after all you've done for the Rebellion," he replies firmly.

"On that, I agree," Garm nods as well.


Later that evening I found Mara and R5 with Boil and Rex in the hangar, interacting with each other and likely sharing war stories: mostly from the two Clone War veterans. As I walked up to them, I catch wind of what Boil is saying, and recognize he's talking about the Battle of Devaron.

"...Commander Shan was trying to impersonate a droid, but the tactical droid wasn't haven't it. As it turns out, it didn't matter, because we unleashed our payload on the rest of them and mopped up all the tanks in seconds!" he was saying.

"Seriously? Seconds?" Mara asked.

"I can't believe Waxer would've willingly given your trigger-happy fingers control of that things weapons," Rex scoffs, shaking his head with crossed arms.

"Hey, if there was anyone in the 212th who knew weapons at an experts level, it was most certainly me," Boil retorts.

"I'm surprised you weren't assigned to the 501st," Rex replies casually. "We were much better with heavy duty."

"Oh is that right?" he asks, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, I think you're overselling yourself Rex," I chime in, crossing my arms with a small grin.

"Hey, we had a much more lively spirit," he says defensively.

Boil coughs into his hand, though it sounds suspiciously like he's saying 'bantha fodder', and Rex looks at him with a frown. R5 and Mara both laugh in amusement, and the clone captain rolls his eyes in exasperation.

"Laugh all you want, kiddos," he says dismissively.

"I will never get tired of hearing you two bicker like an old married couple about whose legion was better," Mara snickers.

"Mine, of course/My men were top-notch," Rex and Boil both say at the same time, stopping in surprise before narrowing their eyes at each other.

"It's like looking at a mirror," I mutter, to myself, shaking my head in amusement.

"A mirror of who, exactly?" a female voice asks.

I raise an eyebrow in surprise and turn around to see a familiar purple-skinned Twi'lek walking up to stand beside me, an amused and slightly curious smile on her face.

"Rylla? Wasn't expecting to see you here," I admit, but smile nonetheless.

The two of us share a quick hug with each other, separating after a few moments.

"Just a short stop for the day, then Hayden and I are off," she tells me. "So, what's the mirror?"

"Rex and Boil bickering," I reply, looking back their way again.

"Plenty of people bickered with each other back in the good old days," Boil says defensively.

"Great, I'm surrounded by old people," Mara says with dry sarcasm, rolling her eyes.

"Old people?" Rex frowns, narrowing his eyes at her.

R5 beeps in laughter yet again, and the two clones shift their gaze to the astromech in annoyance.

"Yeah, laugh it up tin can," Boil murmurs, rolling his eyes.

R5 beeps at him indignantly, rolling forward to deliver a quick electric shock, but Boil jumps out of the way, grinning triumphantly.

"Hah! Not this time! I'm on to your tactics," he declares.

Irritated, R5 rolls away from him while grumbling in annoyance, and I shake my head with a small smile.

"Guess someone finally got the better of him," Mara comments in amusement. "To some old guy no less."

"This 'old guy' has a lot more experience and wisdom than you, kid," Boil retorts.

"You sure age isn't creeping up on you?" she teases.

"You are definitely a teenager," I say dismissively, prompting a frown from Mara.

"She's got the same attitude we had," Rylla tells me, shrugging her shoulders.

"Except for you, Ms. Goody two shoes," I respond, and she rolls her eyes. "Or as Vifi liked to say, a 'dreadful source of joy.'"

"Hilarious, Shan," she scoffs.

"Normally I'd ignore you old people talking about your lives..." Mara starts to say.

"I'm 34," Rylla mutters with a frown.

"...but I really want to know: how ridiculous were you as younglings?" she continues to ask, looking up at us expectantly.

I raise an eyebrow at her and share a look with Rylla, both of us shifting our gaze back to the redhead.

"Nope," we both say in sync.

Her face falls, and Rex chuckles in amusement.

"Sorry kid, you haven't grown up enough yet," he teases her.

We all share a laugh while Mara pouts in exasperation and disappointment, rolling her eyes while muttering to herself.


While grabbing something to eat during the scheduled meal time, I found myself sitting with Kanan, Cal, and Hayden—Rylla's friend and partner. I was partially surprised to see him joining us, but I didn't think too much of it. What was a bit more of a bother were the occasional looks from other people mingling around as they either passed by or got their own food, which I couldn't help but be slightly exasperated by. I understood it, because in the eyes of a common soldier three Jedi—especially me—were a rare sight, not to mention awe-inspiring.

Didn't change the fact that it gets old real fast, though thankfully everyone has the sense to not rush over to us like crazy fans or something like that. We simply ignored the attention so that it wasn't as much of a bother.

"Cal... Kestis, right?" Hayden was asking, narrowing his eyes at him thoughtfully. "I swear I've heard of you from somewhere."

"Really?" Cal asks, a bit cautious. "Like when?"

"I don't remember," he shrugs dismissively. "Maybe it was somewhere on the HoloNet, or just that usual call for your arrest. You are a Jedi too, right?"

"Yeah," he confirms.

"Probably that then, whatever," Hayden comments.

"Someone's getting famous," Kanan jokes.

"Oh please, we're literally sitting in the presence of a celebrity," Cal scoffs.

"Is that what I am now?" I ask with an exasperated tilt of my head.

"Technically, wanted criminal, but celebrity works to," Hayden says.

"How have you and Rylla stayed out of the Empire's wanted listed?" Kanan asks him.

"We are on the wanted listed," he deadpans.

"I mean, you're not nearly as high as either of us," he specifies, gesturing to himself and Cal. "Even though you also participated in the Coruscant strike."

"Because we're not as identifiable as you lot," Hayden says. "We stick to doing smuggling, bounties, blah blah. Not the Rebellion."

"Makes sense," I nod in agreement. "But wouldn't you be the target of other bounty hunters if there's a price on your head?"

"Nope. We're part of the Bounty Hunters' Guild, and follow the code. If others don't like us, then to bad," he says with a content smile, before frowning. "Unless it's a rogue bounty hunter, I suppose..."

"Never thought I'd hear it, but it sounds like 'honor among thieve'—" Cal starts to say.

"Hey, I'm a smuggler, not a thief. Big difference," Hayden retorts.

"Real big," Kanan says dryly. "But hey, I get it, I've worked in similar conditions before."

"Yeah, sounds about right for my crew as well," Cal adds in agreement.

"Meh," I say with a shrug. "Maybe."

I honestly don't recall doing much that I could consider similar to what a 'smuggler' does, but I suppose certain scenarios can correlated, such as when Ahsoka and I supplied various rebel cells, including the Spectres, with something to transport.

"Look at us! What a splendid thing we have in common," Hayden says with an exaggerated grin. "Not only that, but we're also a group of four straight human males with a romantic preference for non-human ladies!"

I practically choked on what I was in the middle of eating, while Cal had to put his drink back on the table and quickly cover his mouth to prevent anything from coming out of his mouth; Kanan sat up straight, looking in his direction, and if he wasn't wearing his face mask he would've been looking at him with wide eyes as if he was insane.

"What?!" Kanan demands incredulously.

"Hey there's no shame," Hayden quickly replies, apparently struggling not to life. "You've got the hots for General Syndulla, Cal's got a thing going with a Nightsister, and mister-blockade-destroyer here is married to a Togruta. Meanwhile, I'm with Rylla Tann, a terrific Twi'lek."

We all stare at him, bewildered, and he keeps grinning at us.

"Honestly, I think we're all epic for it," he adds.

"I- I am not..." Kanan sputters, trailing off into an irritated grumble.

"You are so..." Cal fumbles, frowning in confusion. "...weird."

"Where the kriff did that come from?" I ask Hayden raising an eyebrow at him.

"Where'd what come from?" he asks casually.

He looks at me as if everything that just occurred was perfectly normal, and I honestly have no clue whether or not he did that just for laughs or he's genuinely this wild. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if he is.

"Force have mercy on Rylla's soul," I shake my head in exasperation.

"You guys clearly don't appreciate my humor that much," Hayden deadpans.

"It's wild, I'll give you that," I scoff.


3rd person POV...

Cal smiled as he introduced his friends to his newfound ally, feeling quite positive about Saw Gerrera. He's a bit blunt, Cal's noticed, but he had no trouble accepting his help against the Imperial forces just now, and seemed quite eager to take the fight to the Empire. He had a good feeling about the man.

"What do you want with Tarfful?" Saw asks.

"Jedi business," Cal explains, although slightly hesitant still about the topic.

Saw gives him a skeptical look and scoffs.

"The Jedi are dead," he states.

"Not all of them," Cere replies with a confident smile.

She glances at Cal with an approving nod, and he reveals his lightsaber to Saw as proof of his identity as a Jedi. Saw looks down at the weapon, raising an eyebrow before looking back at Cal, apparently not yet impressed.

"You get that off a corpse?" he asks doubtfully.

"My master gave it to me," Cal answers softly, leaving it at that as he places his lightsaber back on his belt.

Saw gives another light scoff before looking ahead with a slightly thoughtful gaze, recalling a memory from what Cal could sense.

"I used to know a few Jedi..." he remarks quietly, a barely noticeable smile appearing on his face for less than a second. "Taught me a thing or two during the war."

He then drops his gaze with a sigh and shakes his head, his expression becoming serious and grim once more.

"Not that it matters anymore," he bitterly states.


The chamber was filled with the sound of Wookiee prisoners and rebels alike cheering joyously, celebrating their victory in taking the facility and freeing the slaves from captivity. Cal looks around in amazement at the sight, his spirits feeling high as well.

"Everyone!" Saw calls out.

Cal looks over to see Saw standing up on a few steps to appear more noticeable, his arm raised as he observes the assembled group before him.

"These have been hard years. We've lost comrades, friends, family... to the Empire. Dark times," Saw says with a firm expression, placing a fist over his chest as he paces back and forth. "And yet the fire, still burns. Hope... still burns. The Jedi are not yet lost! We are not yet lost! Kashyyyk is not yet lost! For the cause!"

The cheering increases in volume with every declaration he makes, and soon enough Cal found himself joining in, a wide grin on his face as he raises his arm up in support.


Cere sat outside near the edge of the base, where the forest connected to the landing zone. Kneeling on the ground in silent meditation, she listened to the sound of the wildlife resonating from the forest in front of her, the birds chirping in the trees. She came here every night to try and quiet her mind, to allow the Force to ease the sadness and distress she had often been feeling as of late.

Sometimes during her meditation sessions, she thought that she was approached by a spectral form of Shaak Ti, which left her shaken and unsettled every time: unsure of what it meant, she always brushed it aside as the dark energy generated by Yavin's Sith Temples trying to toy with her emotions and place fear into her mind. Master Ti is dead, and so therefore it couldn't possibly be her... dead because of her inability to face a monster.

Hearing the sound of footsteps approaching her, she draws herself out of her meditation slightly to identify the person approaching as Cal, who also seemed to be burdened with troubling thoughts in his mind. He pauses a few feet away from her, and she opens her eyes and turns her head to look back at him.

"Is there something on your mind, Cal?" she asks him. "You seem troubled."

Cal hesitates, looking at the forest with an unreadable expression before letting out a sigh.

"There's so much tension about Saw. When we first met him, he was nothing but a honorable resistance fighter devoted to freeing others from the Empire," Cal explains, frowning in disappointment. "But now, everything I hear about him is how he's anything but, even going as far as to harm innocent people."

Cere looks down thoughtfully for a few moments, contemplating, and then gestures beside her.

"Sit," she says, and once he does so she turns to face him. "I understand how you must be feeling about it."

"Not that great," he mutters sarcastically.

"Saw... is a complicated man," Cere says, giving him a sympathetic look. "I'm not sure what could've caused this change in him, but I do know he's experienced a lot of hardship in his life."

"But how could that make him so ruthless and... just, not a good guy anymore?" Cal asks, confused and frustrated.

"The same reason I lost my way as a Jedi for several years," she explains sadly. "After I saw what Trilla turned into I was horrified, and angry... and I felt so helpless. I failed her, and against someone like Vader, there was nothing I could do. If it wasn't for you showing up, I might've never been able to overcome that."

Cal listens intently, a sad expression on his face as Cere looks at the ground with a guilty frown, shaking her head slightly.

"Because of what I went through, I've come to recognize that Saw has faced similar loss," she continues to say. "He carries a lot of guilt over something that happened in his past, and against the might of the Empire he feels helpless to stop them, no matter what he may show on the outside."

"So you think that's why he's become the way he is? Because he feels like he has no other choice?" Cal asks.

"When consumed by fear and loss... it often brings out the worst in us," Cere states with a sad sigh.

Cal nods slowly in sad understanding, once more feeling glum at the reminder of how much the Sith's reign of the galaxy has taken from them, having caused a great deal of suffering to him, Cere, everyone.

Nearby, standing by the edge of one of the temple structures in the landing zone, Jarik watched the two converse with a sympathetic frown on his face. Similarly, Kanan was also conversing with his own apprentice close by at the edge of the forest: he was looking for Kanan and Cere, hoping to speak to the two of them about something, but for now opted to stay back and let them have their time for now. He couldn't hear much of what either party was saying, but he was able to gather enough to recognize what they were feeling, and it only furthered his belief in that he should now impart something important to both Jedi teachers.

Just then, Jarik was broken out of his thoughts when a large hologram appeared in the middle of the landing pad, revealing the head and shoulders of Saw Gerrera. He glances over in surprise and dread, knowing this could only end badly.

"Members of the Alliance to Restore the Republic. Your losses today stemmed from your leaders' cowardice, their unwillingness to take decisive action against the Empire," Saw states fiercely.

Dozens of rebels began to gather in order to listen to the message, varying levels of hate and curiosity among them.

"All across the galaxy, your people suffer while the leaders of this..." Saw pauses for a moment, giving a deriding chuckle. "...'rebellion,' refuse to act."

Having heard Saw's voice the moment he began to speak, Mon Mothma personally walked out to confront him with a firm gaze, and was flanked by General Draven. Not far behind, Garm Bel Iblis and Admiral Raddus also came out to listen. Jarik crosses his arms, frowning in exasperation and unease, but for now doesn't jump in.

"Should I shut it down, Senator?" Draven asks.

"No. I want to speak to him," she declines with a shake of her head.

Noticing her arrival, Saw focuses entirely on her with a scornful smile.

"Madam Senator, I'm honored," he greets mockingly.

"What is your business here?" Mon demands firmly.

"You ignored my warning about the Jalindi relay and paid the price," he says, rolling his eyes. "Now you have confirmation, yet still you refuse to destroy it."

"There are other alternatives to our problems than mere destruction," Mon replies calmly. "Commander Shan is more than capable of devising a solution—"

She's cut off by a spout of mocking laughter from the Partisan leader.

"Hah! Of course he is. In fact, he's doing everything for you poor excuses for rebels!" Saw sneers with contempt. "If it weren't for him, you wouldn't even have half the amount of support you do, Senator. So I ask you this: why do you continuously refuse to take action?"

Jarik closes his eyes, shaking his head in frustration and resists the urge to waltz forward right now. He knew the topic of himself coming up in this argument was inevitable, but it was still annoying.

"So long as our allies in the Senate have hope of a peaceful resolution to this conflict, I will not risk—" Mon starts to say, before she's interrupted yet again.

"You think the Empire will go down peacefully?! The Emperor is a kriffing Sith!" Saw roars, losing his temper for the moment. "You were with Commander Shan, Senator! You heard for yourself how Palpatine manipulated the galaxy like a dejarik board! If you continue to allow this war to be fought on the Empire's terms, not yours, you are going to lose!"

"I will not be lectured on military strategy by a man who has proven himself a criminal," she retorts coldly, her expression hardening.

"The Empire considers all of us criminals: you, me, Shan... and that's something to be proud of," he scoffs at her. "I'd rather act like the criminal I've been labeled as, than be the Senator who would stand by and watch as the Empire reigns unopposed."

"If you hold Jarik Shan in such high regard, then how can you call yourself a freedom fighter?!" Mon begins shouting, her voice filled with incredulity and emotion as even she loses her composure. "You target civilians, kill those who surrender, break every rule of engagement! If we degrade ourselves to the Empire's level, what will we become?!"

"There she is!" Saw cries out joyously, his eyes wide in satisfaction. "That's the leader the Rebellion needs! Where is that fire, that passion, when your people need it most?!"

Jarik looks between the two in concern and disappointment while the other four Jedi listen uneasily, Ezra torn between Saw's desire to fight and Mon's warnings against becoming just like the Empire. Hearing his glee at her exclamation, Mon hardens her gaze in frustration and narrows her eyes at him, keeping quiet.

"Were it not for Commander Shan, your Rebellion would've sunk to the ground by now," Saw says with a sneer. "I hope, Senator, after you've lost, and that Sith scum reigns over the galaxy unopposed, laughing at our graves, you will find some comfort in the knowledge that you fought according to the rules."

"That's enough," Mon tells Draven, who nods in acknowledgement.

"What are you afraid of, Senator? The truth?" Saw questions mockingly.

His hologram vanishes as Draven deactivates the astromech droid, and Mon takes a moment to compose herself.

"Return to your duties," she says to the gathered rebels.

As the group of people disperses, Jarik approaches her with an exasperated, and slightly annoyed, expression on his face.

"Senator, I say this with all due respect," he starts off, getting her attention. "Do you realize how frustrating it is having this tension between you two?"

"Commander Shan, Saw Gerrera is nothing more than a terrorist," Draven sternly replies. "Senator Mothma knows perfectly well how the Alliance should conduct itself."

Jarik frowns, looking at him with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm sorry?" he asks carefully.

"You have done more than enough to be deserving of the respect and admiration you receive. However, seeing as how you carry no rank of authority in High Command, I do not believe that gives you the right to lecture us," Draven states firmly.

Jarik is momentarily caught off guard by Draven's sudden disapproval in his involvement, but he quickly turns to stare at him, narrowing his eyes.

"I chose not to carry a rank, General. Because if I did, then my constant involvement would make the Alliance much easier to track, and this base would likely have already been found," Jarik tells him with a cold stare. "My rank means nothing when it comes to me providing counsel. Don't forget, the galaxy sees me as the most recognizable symbol of rebellion."

They stare each other down for a few moments, but Draven eventually backs off with an uneasy nod of acknowledgement, partially intimidated by the Jedi Knight.

"He does have a point, General, and I'm glad to hear what he has to say," Mothma gently advises Draven, before turning towards Jarik. "Jarik, I understand how it the conflict between me and Saw may be stressful for you, and I deeply apologize for it. But surely you do recognize why we cannot rationalize Saw's behavior."

"Of course I do. I don't like the fact that he's become as ruthless and bloodthirsty as he is," Jarik nods in agreement. "But what he does understand is that war with the Empire is inevitable: there is no negotiating with them, no peaceful resolution, unless it's about our immediate and unconditional surrender. At least, there will be none of that as long as Darth Sidious is still alive. And unless action is taken, I fear that it will outlast our very lives."

"What do you mean?" she asks, confused.

"The Emperor is one of the most powerful Sith Lords to have ever lived," he tells her. "I can guarantee you he's found ways to prolong his life."

Mon slowly nods her head, slightly unsettled at the idea. Jarik wasn't completely sure either, but he had no doubt that Sidious had some idea about the topic, given his complete confidence in ruling for ages to come.


Jarik POV...

The next morning after the little incident with Saw, I opted to meditate in my quarters aboard the Knight Hawk. I sat in a kneeling position on one of the two small meditation pads in the room. Keeping my eyes closed, I allow the Force the surround me, seeking to calm myself and keep the subtle darkness of Yavin's Sith temples at bay. The sound of the door suddenly opening brings me out of my meditation, and I look up to see Kanan and Cere both walking inside.

"You wanted to see us?" Cere asks me.

"Yes," I confirm, gesturing to the bench across from me, and they both sit down. "Mara and I will be leaving tomorrow, and I have a feeling we'll all be split apart for some time, seeing as both of your teams will be occupied with your assignments."

"I see. Is there something you need our help with?" Kanan asks curiously.

"I've come to the decision that there is something the both of you should know," I explain, looking down for a moment. "Something you have earned the right to learn."

Cere and Kanan both frown in some measure of confusion, the former slightly wary and skeptical.

"And what would that be?" she questions.

I look up and gaze at them seriously.

"One of Master Yoda's final teachings," I tell them.