Author's Note: I am just trembling with anticipation. How about you? :P


Capital City, Lothal - Outer Rim Territories

3rd person POV...

The entire fuel depot was a complete flaming wreck, even in spite of efforts to extinguish all of the fire. Ever since the explosion occurred Imperial workers have finally managed to contain the area and make it once again safe to move through, though plenty of structures were still burning, releasing plumes of black smoke into the air. Governor Pryce stood amongst the wreckage, stiff and more anxious than ever before. At the time, she was so focused on killing the rebels that she didn't think about the consequences. Now, however, as she gazed at the destruction, she knew that was a mistake.

Having worked with Thrawn for several years now, assisting him in his career with the political side of things, she has long since figured out where Thrawn's priorities were. Above all else, he would be willing to let even the highest of targets escape unhindered if it meant protecting the assets he considered critical: the fuel depot would certainly be among that list.

And she just ordered its destruction.

Pryce practically trembled with fear at the very thought of what Thrawn will do to her now. She's already on relatively short standing with Imperial High Command after the Battle of Atollon, even though she continually insists she was not at fault for the rebel's escape then. She's never seen the Chiss Admiral angry throughout the entire time she's known him, and she has no intention of changing that. Should he find out what has happened, she'll be done for. Thrawn might even send her to face punishment at the hands of the Emperor, or even Lord Vader himself, something that absolutely terrifies her. She heard what he did to Konstantine.

Hearing footsteps behind her Pryce turns around to see Commander Woldar approaching to give a report, and she nearly bursts with anxiety right then.

"Well, what have you found?" she demands.

"Com-scans indicate a stolen gunship escaped the blast," Woldar starts off, filling her with dread. "However, security recordings clearly show that the Jedi, Kanan Jarrus, has perished."

Pryce widens her eyes in astonishment and lets out a quiet gasp of relief. He's no Jarik Shan, of course, but certainly of enough importance to save herself from execution. Perhaps she still has a chance to turn things around for the better!

"The Jedi is dead," she whispers excitedly, though the cloud of fear still hangs over her head. "Are you certain?"

"Yes, ma'am, but the fuel depot―" Woldar says.

"―is not my concern at the moment!" she quickly interrupts.

Pryce waves him away dismissively, refusing to acknowledge what will most surely convict her for punishment. Woldar walks with her, insistent about the problem.

"But ma'am, with the loss of the fuel depot, production lines for the TIE Defender will halt," he states in unease.

"And who knows this, besides you and me, Lieutenant?" Pryce questions with deadly calm.

"At the moment, no one, but it won't be long before Imperial Command realizes what happened," Woldar insists, desperate for answers. "What are we to do?"

She comes to a stop in front of the main fuel pod, the one that she ordered the AT-AT pilot to fire on. It was a smoldering wreck, the remains of the structure's metal frame still burning even though every last drop of fuel in the complex has already been exhausted.

Thrawn can never be allowed to learn what happened here. Her life depends on it.

"We throw a parade to celebrate this victory," she tells Woldar, exuding utmost confidence.

The commander watches in dismay and confusion as she walks off, her head high with pride and assurance of herself. She didn't get too far though when another officer rushes up to her.

"Excuse me, ma'am, but we have a high priority visitor on arrival. Your presence is requested," he reports.

Pryce comes to a dead stop, overcome with fear. She whips her head around to stare at him with wide eyes, leaving the officer a bit unsettled.

"Who?!" she demands anxiously.

"M-magistrate Elsbeth of Corvus, Governor," he cautiously informs her. "Grand Admiral Thrawn sent her to help oversee the TIE Defender program."

Though still frightened by the prospect, Pryce nevertheless reigns in her fear with a sense of calm and assurance. She's still safe for the moment as it's certainly no Thrawn. Even if this 'Elsbeth' was sent by the Grand Admiral, she's certain that she can keep her ignorant to the loss of fuel. They couldn't be any more difficult to handle than Rukh, could they?

"Of course. Make preparations for her arrival," she instructs the officer.


Resistance camp - Lothal

Zeb nearly leapt for joy when he heard the sound of a gunship in the air, knowing it could only be the others returning from their mission. Eager to see Hera safely returned, he and Chopper walked out to the grass field to see the gunship on approach, dropping altitude to land on the ground. Zeb waves his hand out to them with a bright smile on his face, anxious to see the group back together again. The gunship lands on the ground, the cockpit opening up, and he starts moving forward to greet them.

However, to his surprise, Sabine suddenly rips her helmet off and threw it to the ground with a cry of rage. Zeb watches the helmet roll to a stop next to his feet, and looks up at her in confusion. She's crying, furiously wiping the tears from her eyes as she storms past him.

"Sabine? What's wrong? Sabine!" he calls after her, but she doesn't respond.

Seeing that Sabine won't give any answer he then turns around to see Hera and Ezra step out of the gunship. Hera seemed lost, broken, and defeated, walking aimlessly away from the ship. Ezra wasn't much better, looking at Hera with empathy before turning and walking off while shaking his head in despair. And Kanan... where is he?

Choppers immediately rolls forward on his wheels to chase after Hera while Zeb marches up to Ezra, the latter of whom was walking with a distant gaze in his eyes. Zeb grabs him by the shoulders with a firm gaze, stopping him in his tracks.

"All right, kid, what's going on?" he demands.

"Kanan's gone," Ezra quietly replies.

Zeb pauses to look back at the gunship, once again to see that Kanan isn't there. He looks back down at Ezra and tries to ignore what he was dreading to be the case.

"What do you mean, gone?" he asks, attempting to feel optimistic. "Like captured?"

"No!" Ezra suddenly shouts with anger, quickly dropping his head again in grief. "He's gone..."

Zeb widens his eyes in horrified realization at his fears being confirmed, and immediately pulls the young Jedi into a hug. Meanwhile, Chopper comes to a stop next to Hera and gently grabs her hand with one of his claws, and in response she curls her fingers around the claw as a tear rolls down her cheek. For the first time in over a decade, she has no idea what to do, lost in her grief.

Kanan is gone.


Ryloth - Outer Rim Territories

3rd person POV...

Merrin blinks her eyes, slowly emerging into the land of wakefulness with a weary groan. She sits up on the ground, shaking her head to dispel some of her exhaustion, and notices Cere, Boil, Numa, and Cham, all doing the same. They slowly get to their feet, and Merrin finally realizes that they're no longer in the cave, or even anywhere near the Imperial factory: they're somewhere else entirely. The area around them was forested, though the tree line was just a few feet away from them, leading to an open field with hills and rock formations in the distance.

"Uh... where are we?" Boil asks in surprise.

"I don't believe it..." Numa murmurs in disbelief, recognizing the landscape. "We're in the forest right beside our base!"

"Really?" Merrin asks, bewildered.

"How is that possible? We were just at the factory moments ago," Cham argues.

Even so, he was still fully in agreement with Numa's statement as he easily recognizes the area as well. Cere looks around, however, a frown on her face at noticing someone was missing from the group.

"Hang on, where's Cal?" she asks in concern.

Merrin widens her eyes in alarm, berating herself for not immediately noticing he wasn't among the group. They quickly turn every which way to figure out where he could've gone, but after a few seconds Merrin sighs in relief at spotting him just beyond the forest.

"There he is," she says.

She starts making her way over, as does Cere, and the rest of the group soon follow, still baffled. Merrin falters in her step when she sees that Cal isn't exactly alone either, as he was kneeling in front of the large gray wolf, which was sitting on its haunches. The group pauses when the wolf lifts its head to glance at them briefly, though it immediately returns its focus to Cal right after. Cal didn't seem to register their presence, his head hanging low and his hands clenched tightly into fists on the ground, and Merrin soon realized that he was upset. Merrin glances uneasily at Cere, who returns the look with similar worry in her eyes but gestures for her to move forward.

Concerned, Merrin carefully approaches Cal, a bit wary when the wolf glances at her though doesn't make any move to stop her. She then crouches down beside Cal and gently places a hand on his shoulder, feeling his body trembling with upset. Cal's head was angled down at the ground but his eyes were shut tight, he expression contorted into one of grief and despair, emphasized by how he weakly pounds his fist into the dirt while his body shook with silent sobs.

"Cal?" Merrin asks worriedly, also confused. "Cal, what's wrong?"

He weakly lifts his head to glance at her, surprising Merrin by how red his face and eyes were from crying.

"He's gone..." he whispers, voice laced with grief. "K-Kanan's gone..."

Merrin widens her eyes in shock, glancing back at Cere to see she had heard him and was similarly surprised, as well as saddened, though in a more subdued manner. Cal drops his head again, trembling as he tries to withhold his grief, and Merrin pulls him into a comforting hug, unsure of what to say. The gray wolf stares at them with a neutral, albeit sympathetic, gaze.


Temple Island, Ahch-To - Unknown Regions

Jarik POV...

For a long time I sat before the mosaic within the Jedi Temple, not entirely sure what to think beyond the unbelievable sense of loss and confusion.

Kanan is gone.

Ever since I was a Padawan I've been well aware of the risks that come with this type of lifestyle: fighting in battles, constant war, all of it means that it is very likely that something will go wrong, that people I know—even myself for that matter—may lose their lives in the process. And yet whenever it does happen, I always end up finding myself surprised. Kanan, Shaak, Mace, Kurhran, Weron, Vifi, Steela, Waxer, Barriss, Anakin... Ahsoka. All of them gone, never to return.

I stare down at my kyber crystals, which are still devoid of any life and energy whatsoever, now no more special than a common crystal of ice. My broken lightsabers, worthless bits of machinery and tech that seem highly unlikely to work again, especially now that the crystals are dead. It only adds to the frustration and sheer sense of helplessness that I'm feeling, and being forced into trusting Ahch-To's fate to whims of the Chiss Ascendancy is not helping matters.

I'm broken out of my thoughts when I hear the soft patter of paws stepping on stone, followed by the soft growling of a wolf. I look behind me to see the black wolf stalking forward with narrowed eyes, lips pulled back into a snarl as she glares at me. Instead of fear, however, I feel a rising sense of bitterness and contempt for the large creature and stand up to face her with a scowl of my own, clenching my fists tightly.

"Got something to say? By all means, say it!" I say irritably.

The wolf growls much more loudly and continues to advance, barking at me with clear anger.

"...DUME..." she snarls, and I angrily clench my hands into fists.

"If you wanted me to do something about it, then you should've actually told me how!" I respond scornfully, not backing down. "Saying his kriffing name over and over again isn't going to cut it!"

The black wolf lunges forward at me with a fierce bark, snarling viciously. I throw myself to the side to avoid the charge and whirl around to see her standing on top of the mosaic, growling, head down low. I narrow my eyes at the wolf, feeling nothing but disdain for the creature; if she wanted me to do something to save Kanan from dying, then it's her fault for not giving me any clear indication of what to do! She's more at fault for this than I am!

"This is your fault," I state coldly. "Not mine."

Another snarl rips itself from the wolf's throat and she narrows her eyes at me.

"YOU..."

The wolf glances down beneath her, where my crystals and lightsaber pieces were sitting on the stone.

"...HIDE."

She then stomps her right paw down, crushing my lightsaber hilt with an audible crunch. I widen my eyes in surprise and disbelief, and pure rage and indignation pounds its way through me. Clenching my fists in anger I then charge at the wolf first with a frustrated yell, bringing my left arm back in preparation to beat its skull in. Before I could do so, however, the wolf lunges at me first, mouth wide open as if to bite me.

*:*:*

I cautiously open my eyes, the blinding flash of white light fading away to reveal a seemingly empty plain of nothingness, the 'ground' obscured by pale mist. Everything seems to lack color, as if the concept of color itself didn't exist, yet at the same time it does...

'Ahsoka!'

I whip my head around at the broken and robotic voice, nearly crying out in shock to see none other than Darth Vader in front of me, crouched on the ground. Panicking I desperately reach for my lightsaber, faltering with dread when I feel nothing on my belt, remembering that it's broken. Vader takes in a labored breath and then turns his head to look at me, a glowing yellow eye peering at me through a crack in his mask.

'Ahsoka,' he says once more, sounding more like Anakin than Vader...

He slowly gets to his feet and I take a wary step back, baffled and confused by what I'm seeing. This... this has already happened.

'Whatever happens on Malachor, we'll always be there for each other right?' I hear Ahsoka's voice say.

'Always,' my own voice responded.

"What...?" I say in bewilderment, looking around at the empty landscape.

Vader's blood red lightsaber bursts to life in his hands, his yellow eye glaring at me with intense hatred. He begins to advance and I attempt to back away from him.

'We'll see each other again,' Ahsoka's voice gently whispered. 'I believe that.'

The cyborg Sith Lord now stands over me, lightsaber raised above his head in preparation to strike. I raise my arms instinctively to cover myself, and his blade falls.

"...Jarik?"

*:*:*

I collapse onto the hard stone floor with a grunt of pain, splashing through some of the water that collects on the Prime Jedi's mosaic. I lay there for some time, groaning in a bit pf pain, but more so shocked by what just happened. The sound of footsteps and breathing next to me reaches my ears and I slowly turn myself over onto my back to see the black wolf sitting a few feet away, no longer looking angry as it gazes down at me.

"What was that?" I demand, scrambling to my feet.

She doesn't respond, and I narrow my eyes in quickly rebuilding frustration.

"I'm not taking silence for an answer this time!" I exclaim. "Just tell me!"

The black wolf exhales heavily through her nose as she narrows her eyes at me.

"...SUN..."

I feel a strange sensation wash over me all of a sudden, and the wolf gives the faintest of nods of her head, gesturing elsewhere. I turn my head around to see a familiar green and white colored convor perched on a piece of rock outstretch from the wall, gazing down at me with intelligent eyes: Morai.

"...MOON..."

The strange feeling overcomes me again, a rush of energy from the Force, and I widen my eyes in realization. All of my anger, frustration, bitterness, and grief fades away as I listen to the call, filling my with ease... and for the first time in what feels like ages, the emptiness I've felt in my heart slowly seems to fill in. I return my gaze to the black wolf and incline my head in acknowledgement.

"What must I do?" I ask.


Imperial Complex, Capital City, Lothal - Outer Rim Territories

3rd person POV...

Governor Pryce stood firm and resolute in the hangar, watching as a Lambda-class shuttle flew into the Imperial Complex's main hangar. A small row of stormtroopers lined either side, as was customary whenever a person of importance arrived on sight. The shuttle lands evenly in the hangar, the ramp beginning to lower, and Pryce keenly observes Thrawn's magistrate so as to get a good idea of just who she will be dealing with.

At first glance, it was clear that Magistrate Morgan Elsbeth was someone of high class, and not at all dressed in the typical Imperial fashion: instead of the standard uniform, she wore a black cape fastened around her shoulders with a metal clasp, a deep red shirt underneath, and a long black skirt. Her brown, slightly graying, hair was neatly pulled back into several small buns leading into a ponytail, and curiously enough she sported a unique symbol on her forehead. Pryce could imagine Elsbeth's getup to be what one would typically wear to galas on Coruscant, which she herself has been to several times, but the most striking feature she noticed about the magistrate were her eyes, which glimmered with intelligence and quick perception, not that unlike Thrawn.

Pryce scowls internally at recognizing this, realizing that Morgan is not one who can be fooled easily, which only makes her efforts that much more difficult. However, it is not entirely impossible, especially considering the many cunning and slippery politicians she's had to deal with in her career. Composing herself, Pryce approaches Thrawn's magistrate with a reserved smile, her posture formal and inviting, yet maintaining her position of authority.

"Magistrate Elsbeth, welcome to Lothal," she greets politely.

"Thank you for the warm welcome, Governor Pryce," Morgan responds, inclining her head respectfully. "Grand Admiral Thrawn is hopeful that I may be of service here."

"I see. I take it that you are to assume the position of overseeing the TIE Defender program while the Grand Admiral Thrawn is away?" Pryce questions for confirmation.

"Indeed. I am eager to begin my work," she states.

"Then right this way, Magistrate," Pryce gestures, leading her out of the hangar.

Up on the catwalk above the hangar, Rukh gazes down at the two with narrowed eyes, glaring at the Lothalian governor.


"As you can see, assembly of the fighter has been met with great progress," Pryce informs Morgan. "Thanks to our most recent combat test, Thrawn believes that the TIE Defender is near ready for duty."

Pryce led the magistrate down a hallway with a window on one side, giving a few of the line of TIE Defenders hanging from the ceiling of the main factory's roof, along with conveyor belts and tons of other machinery, where other fighters were in the process of being assembled. Morgan observes the machinery with a critical eye, nodding along with Pryce's words.

"It certainly looks that way," she agrees, but notices something off. "But might I ask where the workers are?"

Knowing the question would eventually come up with someone like Morgan, Pryce was prepared to answer, but nevertheless would've preferred not to do so.

"They are currently attending a parade, which I have thrown to celebrate our most recent victory over the rebels," she explains.

"A parade?" Morgan questions, frowning. "What sort of victory would require such celebration?"

"As you likely are aware, Grand Admiral Thrawn successfully repelled an assault by the insurgents, leading to our capture of General Hera Syndulla," Pryce responds, scowling briefly at the name. "The rebels struck back, however, just before your arrival, in an attempt to rescue Syndulla and sabotage the factory: more specifically, the fuel depot."

"Was the fuel depot safeguarded from harm?" Morgan asks carefully, narrowing her eyes just slightly at the governor.

"For the most part, yes, though they did manage to cause some damage to one of the fuel pods by the time we discovered their intentions," Pryce admits, waving a hand dismissively at the look of alarm on Morgan's face. "But not to worry, magistrate. Although Syndulla escape, we managed to contain the fuel pod in time, and ever better, successfully eliminated this group's Jedi Knight, Kanan Jarrus."

"A sure accomplishment, Governor," she admits, though suspicious. "However, I would like to determine the damage for myself, if you don't mind."

"I'm afraid that will have to wait, Magistrate," Pryce quickly disagrees, turning to face her with a small frown. "Though we prevented any significant damage, the area is still highly volatile due to all of the fumes that were released by the rebels during their sabotage. Until engineering has reduced the gas to a safe level, they insisted that all unnecessary personnel be kept clear."

Morgan remains silent for a few moments to ponder Pryce's explanation, severely doubting its validity. Before she could question her further though, an Imperial officer approached them.

"Governor Pryce?" he says.

"What is it, lieutenant?" Pryce demands, partially frustrated by the interruption.

"There is a matter that requires your attendance," he informs her. "Urgently."

Pryce narrows her eyes at him, irritated, but eventually gives in with a reluctant growl of resignation.

"Fine," she snaps, facing Morgan again. "If you truly need to investigate the fuel depot, Magistrate, please wait until I resolve this matter so that I may accompany you."

Morgan gazes suspiciously at Governor Pryce, not trusting her words. If she really was being truthful, then there would be no reason she couldn't analyze these problems herself. However, she keeps her expression neutral so as to not give anything away, and nods in acknowledgement to the Governor.

"Very well, Governor. I hope it does not take too long," she replies.

Satisfied, albeit still very cautious, Pryce heads off with the lieutenant while Morgan turns around to look out at the line of TIE Defenders in the middle of production, determining her next course of action. When she's alone, however, Morgan hears quiet footsteps approaching and looks back to see Rukh striding over to her. She's familiar with the Nogri assassin, having naturally crossed each others paths before while under the service of Thrawn, but neither were personally acquainted with each other. However, both of them trusted the other's loyalty to Thrawn, and could therefore trust each other when it came to matters concerning him.

"Magistrate," Rukh grunts.

"Rukh," she acknowledges in reply. "I trust you are doing well."

"That is debatable," he responds gruffly. "There is something I believe you should know about Governor Pryce."

Morgan raises a curious eyebrow.

"I'm listening," she says.


Resistance camp - Lothal

Ezra slowly walks to the edge of the rock, the same rock Kanan had meditated on just before the mission, and gazes out at the grass fields with a sense of crushing hope and despair. Nearby, Sabine and Zeb took off on a pair of speeders, intending to fulfill their desire for vengeance against the Empire. Before, back during what feels like a life time ago, Ezra would've eagerly joined them, but now he hadn't the heart to even bother, as he knew the Empire wouldn't be at all bothered by a momentary disturbance, no matter how big theirs might be. He sits down on the rock with his head resting on his arms, trying to quell the grief threatening to come out.

"You didn't prepare me for this, Kanan," he says quietly. "What do I do now?"

He's soon brought out of his thoughts, however, by the sound of vicious growling. Turning his head, Ezra looks behind him in surprise and nervousness to see the white loth-wolf stalking towards him with a predatory gaze, snarling in clear anger.

"I guess you know about Kanan too, then?" he hesitantly asks.

The loth-wolf narrows its eyes at him, growling dangerously.

'...YOU...'

It barks at him, baring its teeth viciously, and Ezra stumbles back in alarm.

"Whoa! What's wrong?" he asks fearfully, continuing to back up while the wolf advanced. "There was nothing I could do!"

The loth-wolf barks at him once more and Ezra falls off the rock with a startled cry, grunting in pain as he hits the ground. He looks up with wide eyes to see the wolf still advancing, snarling at him from the rock.

"I don't know what you want!" Ezra shouts in frustration.

From either side of the rocks around him two more loth-wolves appear, growling and snarling at him in the same manner as the white wolf. Panicking, fearful for his life, Ezra scrambles to his feet and takes off running through the grass, and the wolves quickly give chase. He pushes his muscles to their limit, breathing heavily as he ran, but no matter how hard he ran the wolves remained right on his tail, quickly catching up to him. The two gray wolves speed past him and he skids to a stop, pausing to catch his breath.

Ezra whips his head around, extremely tense while searching for any sign of the loth-wolves, who have seemingly vanished from sight. In his mind though he could see them lurking silently nearby, their yellow eyes peering at him through the tall grass. He could hear their growls all around him, yet had no idea where they were; so he ran. Several loud barks warn him that the wolves were chasing him once again, and he could see the two gray ones come up behind him. He tries to avoid them, but the wolves were far faster and more agile than he was, criss-crossing in front of his path and causing him to tumble.

He falls to the ground with a grunt of pain and succumbs to his exhaustion, falling unconscious. The white loth-wolf walks up behind him with a much calmer expression now, almost disappointed in a way as it gazed down at the young Jedi.


Imperial Complex, Capital City - Lothal

In Governor Pryce's office, Morgan and Rukh stood before a hologram of Grand Admiral Thrawn, explaining recent events that have occurred. Needless to say, the Chiss Admiral was not happy by what he was hearing.

"...and you are absolutely certain of this?" he questions carefully.

"Unfortunately, Grand Admiral, there is quite literally nothing left that can be salvaged," Morgan states apologetically.

Thrawn's expression tightens slightly, his jaw completely rigid as he nods in acknowledgement.

"I see," he says calmly.

Thrawn, however, was anything but calm. He wasn't the easiest person to read, as he rarely ever expressed emotion no matter the circumstances, but Morgan had been apprenticed to Thrawn long enough to feel generally confident in her assessment of what he was thinking. And as of right now, she couldn't recall a time where she has ever seen him so utterly furious. The thought was also shared by Rukh, and he's been in Thrawn's service even longer than Morgan has.

In a way, Morgan almost felt sorry for Pryce considering the wrath that she has brought upon herself. As if by thinking about it the door to the office then opens, allowing Pryce to walk in. She falters for a moment, narrowing her eyes in annoyance and suspicion at seeing Morgan inside.

"Magistrate Elsbeth, may I ask why you are in my office without authorization?" she demands coolly.

"I wouldn't be so presumptuous at the moment if I were you, Governor Pryce," Rukh scoffs at her.

Pryce blinks her eyes at him in bewilderment, though a scowl quickly forms on her face at his complete disregard for her authority. Before she could respond, however, Morgan spoke up instead.

"Forgive me, Governor, it was not my intention to intrude on your personal space," she calmly informs her. "I simply required a secure holotable from which to communicate with Grand Admiral Thrawn, which Rukh was kind enough to grant me access."

As if noticing Thrawn's presence in the hologram for the first time, Pryce pauses for a moment with a bit of surprise and caution, but composes herself regardless, offering Morgan a small nods in reply.

"Very well then. Please make sure to inform me when you are finished," she states, turning around to leave.

"Just a moment, Governor Pryce," Thrawn speaks up for the first time.

Pryce immediately comes to a halt with a bit of tension, and Morgan and Rukh share a knowing look with each other, albeit a little wary as well; though they were eager to see the Lothalian Governor receive her due, being in Thrawn's presence whenever he became truly angry was still an unpleasant experience.

"Is there something I can help you with, Grand Admiral?" Pryce asks with a façade of calm.

"I very much hope so. But as it so happens, that remains to be seen," Thrawn states with a neutral gaze, giving no hint of his true feelings. "Morgan tells me that there was a recent incursion with the rebels. Is this true?"

"Yes, that is true," she admits hesitantly, walking around to stand by the window. "But I assure you, the situation was successfully dealt with."

"You call a freed prisoner, 'successful?'" Rukh says with contempt.

"Oh?" Thrawn queries, lifting a brow.

"Mind your tongue, assassin!" Pryce snarls, briefly losing her temper.

"I wouldn't worry so much about him, Governor," Morgan coldly responds, no longer as polite.

Pryce turns away from her in dismissal, gazing out the window down at Lothal's cityscape, where she knew a parade was currently being held in the streets.

"So you lost Hera Syndulla, yet you hold a parade," Thrawn says, looking at her expectantly. "Explain yourself, Governor Pryce."

"A celebration of our victory over the rebels, Grand Admiral," Pryce states, maintaining her composure with a look of calm reassurance. "As for General Syndulla, I have something better."

In her hand she reveals the recovered lightsaber of Kanan Jarrus, which had fallen from the complex after he was disarmed by Rukh. Thrawn acknowledges the weapon with a brief nod, but was far from impressed.

"Ah, it's true then. But the Jedi's death came at a cost, did it not?" he points out with narrowed eyes, and Pryce nervously widens her own. "Did you really believe that holding a parade would hide the fact that you destroyed our entire duel supply?"

She flinches in response to his statement, trembled as she stared down at the floor with growing fear. A smirk made its way onto Rukh's face as he walked forward while Morgan calmly observed the scene with a neutral gaze, though she was privately enjoying the scene as well.

"In defeating Kanan Jarrus, you have accomplished what the rebels, and even Jarik Shan himself, have failed to do," Thrawn states with a tense gaze, his voice nothing more than a deadly hiss. "The operation on Lothal, my TIE Defender project, has been compromised!"

"Grand Admiral, I—" Pryce stammers nervously in response, but Thrawn wasn't haven't it.

"I will deal with you when I return... 'Governor!'" he practically snarls at her, blood red eyes glaring with absolute fury.

Pryce's eyes were filled with absolute terror, and she took a weak step backward out of pure instinct.

"With their leader gone, the remaining rebels will flounder, the boy especially," Thrawn continues, addressing Rukh and Morgan now. "Use that against them, Rukh. Expect them to strike out recklessly. And when they do, eliminate them. As for you, Morgan, it seems that you are free to return to your original duties now that the need for your presence on Lothal has, unfortunately... expired."

He spoke the final word as if disgusted by it, making Pryce flinch in response.

"I fully agree with you, sir," Morgan nods her head. "I shall do my best to make up for this loss."

"I'm certain you will," he replies.

The transmission then comes to an end and Thrawn's hologram vanishes. Rukh smirks at Pryce as he and Morgan turn to leave the office, and she can do nothing but scowl back at him, though with minimal effort, as she knew what fate awaited her now. She had a feeling that even if Jarik Shan were to have died in Kanan Jarrus's place, it would have done little to improve her current standing.


Temple Island, Ahch-To - Unknown Regions

Jarik POV...

During the Clone Wars I was haunted by the shadow of Darth Revan for nearly a year, following the events on Mortis. His ghost tempted me, plaguing me over my fears in an attempt to push me to the dark side, and when I finally overcame him I had felt a much clearer sense of purpose for myself.

That feels like a lifetime ago. I didn't know it then, but that was only the beginning.

Is it really chance that I was led to discover the World Between Worlds all those years ago? For the longest time I thought it was just so that I could learn the truth about my heritage: Snoke revealing himself to me was simply by chance. But now... now I'm not so sure that was quite it. There's was a lot more too it than that, so much more for me to learn that I simply haven't understood until now. Learning about my family was important, yes, but there was another reason as well: it was to help me understand the true significance of the World Between Worlds, so that I would be prepared for what was meant to happen in the future―what has already happened, and where I am right now.

I know what needs to happen now. The wolf is right. Kanan's death isn't the event that leads to our doom, it's the event that leads to our reclamation. Kanan knew this, which is why he made the decision he did: he knew that despite his loss, his selfless act is what would set us on this path. And I won't let his actions be in vain, just as I know the others won't... Mara, Ezra, Cal, all of them.

Kneeling on a meditation cushion inside my hut, I place two pieces of cloth on a flat stone in front of me. Then, I carefully take out the broken and crushed pieces of my two lightsabers and set the respective pieces on their own cloth. Next, I pull out my dead kyber crystals, placing each one with their respective saber. Finally, I fold the cloth over all the pieces, tying them up so that I have two small pouches sitting in front of me, each containing the remains of my lightsabers.

I take a moment to sit in silence as I ponder what I've learned. Sidious is after the secret of Lothal's Jedi temple once again, and no matter how many times the door is shut he will not stop until he achieves ultimate control. But I know he won't. Because he never did succeed in controlling it. Because the temple didn't exist afterwards.

Of course, not everything is determined. If I go through, our fate on the other side won't be certain after a certain point. Mara might be left alone. And yet... I did go back with her―will go with her. I warned Mara about Atollon, just as she said. It has already happened. Now, I'm simply the last piece of the puzzle to finish.

I'm broken out of my thoughts when R5 suddenly bursts into my hut, beeping at me. I raise a curious eyebrow at him, pocking my lightsaber pouches in my belt for now.

"What's the news, buddy?" I ask him.

::Well, funny thing is... Ar'alani's calling.:: R5 tells me.

I blink my eyes in surprise, moving my thoughts away from the black wolf's instruction and instead focus on this more, less than inviting, problem.

"What? Are you sure?" I ask skeptically.

::Yes, I'm sure.:: he beeps back.

"Its only been a day! What the heck is she calling again for?" I say incredulously.

::How should I know, Master Jarik? Maybe you should be asking her that question!:: R5 sarcastically retorts, and I roll my eyes at him.

"Yeah, yeah... alright. Open the call," I tell him.

I stand up to face R5 fully and he projects a life-size hologram of Admiral Ar'alani. The Chiss woman stood straight and upright in her formal posture, gazing at me with a small frown on her face, eyes slightly narrowed. I get the feeling she isn't too happy about something.

"Jarik Shan. There is something we need to discuss, urgently," Ar'alani declares.

My concern starts to rise.

"I'm just going to get straight to the point: whatever it is you think I did, I didn't do it," I immediately protest.

"Rest easy, Shan. I am well aware you have nothing to do with this," she reassures me.

I pause in complete surprise, not expecting her to say that, and my nervousness fades.

"Oh. Well, thanks for the vote of confidence," I admit with a relieved sigh, though my concerns aren't addressed quite yet. "But... what makes you so certain that I've done nothing? In fact, what are you referring too?"

Ar'alani pursed her lips slightly before responding.

"I have just received word from Mitth'raw'nuruodo that, only hours ago, the TIE Defender program has been compromised," she informs me.

As if I wasn't surprised enough, not I'm astonished. I gape at her with wide eyes, silent as I struggle to formulate a response. How could something like that have happened under Thrawn's watch? I don't have agents that good... do I? No, I don't have agents involved in his project at all, thank the Force.

"I— uh... how?" I ask her.

"The fuel depot which supported the factories on Lothal has been destroyed, thus halting the project indefinitely," she explains stiffly.

I raise an eyebrow, crossing my arms with a small hum of approval.

"Huh. I guess the Rebellion's assault was successful then?" I deduce, pleasantly surprised.

Her expression hardens, her eyes glinting with a hint of simmering anger that I can just barely make out.

"On the contrary, their strike force achieved no success in its mission whatsoever," Ar'alani states coolly.

I furrow my brow in confusion.

"Then how did the—?" I start to ask.

In the middle of my question, however, I immediately start to think a bit harder about this, recalling what I've seen: Kanan's sacrifice in an explosion, Thrawn's project being compromised simultaneously? There's no way that can be a coincidence. And there's only one Imperial I know of currently on Lothal who is both ruthless, and prideful enough in their authority that could pull off such an upset like this.

"...Governor Pryce blew it up, didn't she?" I realize in slight bewilderment, but also a bit of amusement.

Ar'alani's frown deepens into a scowl, but she nods her head in confirmation.

"You have keen mind, Shan," she remarks.

"I know the type of people that the Empire employs," I respond with a small grin, shaking my head with a small amount of laughter. "Oh, Force have mercy on her soul. I can't imagine Thrawn is too pleased right now, am I correct?"

"Neither am I, for that matter," she growls in reply, looking more infuriated than I've ever seen so far in our short interactions with each other. "I simply cannot understand the sheer senseless idiocy required to do what even a cadet would be aware is insane."

"Well, that's Imperials for you," I shrug in reply. "You'd be hard pressed to find someone who doesn't put their pride and self-worth above all else."

"Unbelievable," she scoffs, shaking her head. "We agreed an alliance with the Empire would be in our best interest to repel the Yuuzhan Vong invasion, yet this incident puts the entirety of their credability into question!"

"Wow. Real shame," I muse with false thoughtfulness, withholding my laughter.

It seems that Thrawn's worst enemy is, once again, his very own allies!

Of course, Ar'alani doesn't share my amusement over the whole situation, and levels me with a piercing glare.

"Do not think to mock me, Jedi. This incident does not mean that our arrangement is still not in place," she fiercely proclaims, wiping the smirk off of my face. "The Empire's leadership may be inept, but that does not mean you can safeguard your primitive planet against them."

I narrow my eyes at her but refrain from any further mockery, knowing that she was right.

"So then what is the point of you contacting me then?" I demand.

"The point, Shan, is to inform you that because of this disaster, you need no longer be concerned about impeding on the TIE Defender, seeing as it can no longer be manufactured," Ar'alani states, her expression cold and neutral. "However, everything else in our arrangement is still fully in effect. Should you interfere with Thrawn, I give the order to expose your world. Should you miss a scheduled meeting, I give the order. Should you do anything against us, I give the order. Am I clear?"

I ball my hands into fists out of sheer frustration and annoyance over the ever-present threat hanging over Ahch-To, and my inability to do anything about it except play the Chiss's game. Reluctantly, I nod my head in acknowledgement of her words.

"Yes, Admiral," I say bitterly, and she nods in satisfaction.

"Very good. We will speak again in a week's time," she reminds me.

With that being said Ar'alani ends the transmission, her hologram vanishing. I remain standing in place for a few moments, crossing my arms while exhaling in an attempt to clear some of my anger and bitterness away.

"I hate her," I finally comment.

::You said it,:: R5 readily agrees.


Lothal - Outer Rim Territories

Ezra POV...

As I feel myself start to wake up I let out a soft groan, holding my arm across my head in exhaustion. It's far too early to wake up right now, unless it's time for Jedi training with Kanan—

...Kanan.

He's gone... the last thing I remember is... is being chased by the loth-wolves!

"Ah! What happened?!" I exclaim in total panic, wide awake now.

I quickly sit up and whip my head around, caught off guard by the fact that it is now the middle of the night. Out here in the wilderness, the night sky is clearer than ever, and the moonlight shines more than bright enough to make the landscape visible. Crickets were chirping in the grass consistently.

I'm not focused on the pleasant scenery, however, and scramble to my feet in preparation for the wolves to pop out of the grass at any second and attack me.

"I know you're out there!" I yell fiercely, looking all around me. "Show yourselves!"

After several long seconds I take a moment to stretch out my senses with the Force, looking for any sign of the wolves nearby. Unlike before, however, I can't get a feeling whatsoever of them anywhere close by: there certainly not watching me.

If they were chasing me before out of anger, why did they spare me?

I let out a weary sigh and shake my head in frustration, deciding to forgo thinking about the wolves for now.

"I better get back to base while I can," I mutter, and start walking.


Apparently, finding the way back to base is going to be a lot harder than I originally thought. It feels like I've been walking aimlessly for hours now, and yet I'm nowhere to close to where the base should be. Stumbling forward I look up by chance and come to a full halt in momentary surprise, squinting my eyes. I let out a sigh, however, upon realizing I was seeing things: a rock in front of me looks almost exactly like the Jedi Temple here on Lothal, but this one is far smaller, and therefore is not actually the temple itself. I take the opportunity to rest, leaning against the wall in exhaustion.

"I lived on this planet my whole life, and I can still get lost?" I groan in frustration. "I have no idea which way to go."

I slide down the rock and crouch down to sit on the ground, burying my head in my arms in defeat. I should know this planet like the back of my hand, by I suppose I just haven't been out this far in the wilderness before. Looking up I point a finger out at the landscape and resort to my last best option: guesswork.

"Loth-rat, Loth-cat, Loth-wolf, run. Pick a path and all is done," I murmur, pointing to various directions.

I pause with a frown, however, and shake my head.

"No," I scoff irritably, starting again. "Loth-rat, Loth-cat, Loth-wolf, run. Pick a path and all is done..."


Dragon's Edge, Outpost Island, Ahch-To - Unknown Regions

Jarik POV...

After Ar'alani's call, I ran over the various possibilities and ideas through my head of how I would proceed, but eventually decided on the most direct course of action. As long as I'm not messing around with Thrawn, I'm free to do whatever I wish without risking Ahch-To's safety. And what I need to do is not something he would be involved with. Once I was satisfied, I bid the Caretakers farewell, advising them on what to do should Dagur return, after which R5 and I flew in the Knight Hawk over to the island that the Dragon Riders have their outpost, using the clouds to remain hidden from any potential eyes along the way.

Upon our arrival, it seemed that nobody was currently there at the moment, so I opted to wait in the largest structure of the base, the 'Clubhouse' I believe is what Mara said it was called, while R5 of course stayed in the ship.

While waiting for their return I took the time to look around the base, decently impressed by it all. Considering that they built it all themselves in a relatively short amount of time, it's something they should definitely be proud of. The location is great, perfect for just about every category that determines a successful outpost, even for Republic standards: the Rishi moon outpost that existed for the first year of the Clone War was similar in how it's established on a cliff. There doesn't seem to be a hut for Mara right now, but it wouldn't surprise me if they end up building one.

By the time they returned, I was standing next to the fire pit in the center of the building, quietly looking at the silka beads in my hand, pondering what's going to happen. I'm very excited, yes, but... a bit nervous, also. Hearing a discord of voices coming closer I pocket the Padawan braid and look up to see Mara, Hiccup, and the rest of the gang walking inside.

"...getting Gobber to come over?" Snotlout was saying.

"Why not? I'm sure he'd love to know how to make Gronckle Iron, right?" Fishlegs reasons.

"Yeah, I guess that's true," Hiccup says in agreement.

"What I want to know is—" Mara starts to say before she and the others stop in surprise at seeing me. "Wh- Dad? When did you get here?"

"Ah! He's appeared out of thin air!" Tuffnut cries out in alarm.

"What? That's ridiculous," Ruffnut disagrees. "He can't teleport... can he?"

"I think not, dear sister, for I know this Jedi's secrets!" he declares. "You see, he has mastered the ability of standing so incredibly still, that the human eye is unable to perceive his mere presence!"

"Woah..." she whispers in awe.

I raise an eyebrow in bewilderment, everyone else gawking at them incredulously before showing varying levels of exasperation.

"That doesn't even make sense you muttonheads," Snotlout scowls.

I shake my head briefly with a small sigh of exasperation but quickly refocus on the reason I'm here in the first place, giving the group of teens a grim, serious look.

"Could Mara and I speak in private, for a moment?" I say gently, though not necessarily a request.

Immediately taking notice of how serious I was, Hiccup shares a concerned glance with Astrid and Mara before nodding his head in acknowledgement.

"Sure, Jarik, no problem. Come on gang, let's do some patrolling around the island," he tells the group.

He and Astrid lead them out, with some verbal annoyance and confusion from Snotlout and the twins but they don't resist the idea. Mara glances at them briefly to watch them go before looking back over at me, a bit confused but also seriously worried.

"Um, Dad, I think there's something we need to talk about," she says. "It's about the Dragon Hunters."

"I'm afraid it'll have to wait," I reply, grimly shaking my head. "Everything here on Ahch-To, will have to wait."

"Everything?" she asks, furrowing her brow in confusion. "But... this is actually kind of—"

"Mara," I interrupt gently, but firmly.

She stops, a bit annoyed but also extremely confused and nervous now, a worried look on her face. I let out a sad sigh before resuming.

"There's... no easy way to say this, but..." I admit, pausing briefly to take a deep breath. "...Kanan is gone."

Mara stiffens in shock and disbelief, widening her eyes in astonishment and horror. She sucks in a quick breath as her face goes pale.

"...what?" she meekly whispers. "He's... gone? You mean...?"

I nod my head grimly in confirmation. She looks to the side for a short while, gazing at nothing in particular before swallowing a lump of emotion in throat, bringing both hands up to cover her mouth in shock. Her eyes start to tear up slightly and she walks over to me, to which I open my arms to pull her into a comforting hug.

"H-how?" she asks.

"They went to rescue Hera after she was captured during the attack on Lothal," I explain, recalling the vision that showed me what happened. "He gave his life to ensure the others escaped."

Mara doesn't cry—as in she isn't bawling her eyes out in overwhelming grief—but she is in a state of shock and emotional distress at the loss of another person we both knew and consider a good friend. She hugs me tightly, pressing the side of her head into my chest for comfort while I hold her in reassurance, waiting patiently for her to come to terms with the news and compose herself.

"Why... why do they do this?" she mutters in cold anger. "Why do they have to take everyone away from us—!"

"Hey," I interrupt, leveling her with a stern gaze. "Don't say that. Don't ever let yourself think in anger that way."

She sniffles, looking up at me in bitterness and upset.

"Why not? It isn't fair," she growls.

"Maybe not, but we all know that there is a chance we may not survive one day. Kanan knew that. You mother and I know it too," I tell her gently, and she looks away. "But if we give in to our hate and anger, it'll tear at us until we lose sight of who we are, as it did with Vader."

Mara rubs her nose, her eyes pink and watery from the tears that have welled up in them, and glowers at the mention of the Sith Lord.

"But I still hate him," she murmurs.

I close my eyes at that, a familiar pang of grief briefly running through my heart as I remember the man that I once called a friend... something Mara still hasn't been told of.

"I think he does too," I say softly.

Mara doesn't say anything for a while, and neither do I, and we simply take comfort in each other's presence until she finally looks up at me with a hint of realization, having managed to perceive a sliver of my thoughts, and why I came here.

"You're going to do something about it, aren't you?" she asks knowingly.

"I am," I nod in confirmation, offering her a small smile. "Would you like to join me?"

She immediately replies with a nod of her own, her sadness fading away just a bit to be replaced with hopeful eagerness.


Lothal - Outer Rim Territories

Ezra POV...

Honestly, I'm sure at what point I passed out again, I just remember feeling super exhausted while thinking of which way to go. It's not until I'm roused from sleep by what felt like something big breathing down the back of my neck. I wearily open my eyes in confusion, my mind reverting to the default scenario in which I'm typically woken up by Kanan after sleeping in a bit too late.

"Kanan?" I ask, blinking my eyes.

I slowly turn around to figure out what was breathing down my neck, and come face to face with... the most abnormal, humongous wolf I've ever seen in my entire life. I cry out in surprise and scramble backwards in momentary panic, gaping at the 'loth-wolf' with wide eyes. It's sitting down, but it even like that it's got to be at least twenty five feet tall! Just a single paw alone is the size of my entire body, maybe slightly bigger even, and it's head... it could definitely fit three people in its jaws without biting them.

I glance behind me by chance, briefly considering if I could make another run for it like last time, despite that being severely unlikely just by the wolf's sheer size, but my thought process is immediately broken when I see the white loth-wolf standing there, growling at me in warning. The other two gray wolves emerge on either side of the giant one, growling but not making any move to attack me, so I force myself to calm down. The wolves didn't hurt me before, so there's no reason for them to do so now... I hope.

"Who are you?" I can't help but ask.

The giant loth-wolf opens its mouth, and I widen my eyes in astonishment when it actually starts to speak clear words.

"I... AM... DUME," its voice booms.

As if things couldn't get any weirder... I gaze up at the wolf in disbelief, also recognizing something else: the marking on its head... it's the same mark that Kanan wore on his shoulder pad!

"Dume... that was my master's name," I say slowly in shock. "What do you want from me?"

"YOU RAN," he states accusingly.

"Yeah, the wolves were chasing me!" I retort incredulously, gesturing at the white loth-wolf in frustration.

"WHY?" Dume growls, slowly inching his head closer

"I didn't mean to run, I just I feel lost without my master!" I quickly find myself admitting, collapsing to my knees in defeat. Everything starts to spill out of my mouth now. "He was wise and brave. And he cared. He was there for me when no one else was. There was so much more I needed to learn from him."

There's silence for a few moments before Dume huffs, speaking again.

"FEAR," he says, and I clench my fists in frustration.

"I am afraid! All right?" I yell at him, quickly returning my gaze to the ground in defeat. "...I'm afraid. Everything seems so hopeless now."

"FIGHT," he growls in response.

"How?" I ask skeptically.

"TOGETHER," Dume states, almost reassuring in a way.

Hearing more growling and the padding of footsteps behind me I turn around to see the white loth-wolf stalking forward, snarling at me. I raise an arm to protect myself, but it suddenly lowers its head to the ground instead. I realize it placed something on the ground and cautiously drop my arm to inspect what it dropped, noticing it to be a flat stone with several images on it: three circles, each containing a hand in an alternate position. The style of art seems a bit familiar somehow.

"This stone... Where's it from?" I ask Dume.

"JEDI... TEMPLE," he answers.

I look at the stone in thought, frowning in a bit of concern. Until now I'm starting to realize that I've never really given much thought to what became of the Temple after the Empire found it, and I'm starting to feel seriously guilty about that. I honestly can't fathom what the Empire could hope to find inside of the Temple, but at the same time I know very little about it as well, so I'm not the best one to make that kind of judgement... is there something in there that the Emperor wants?

"We accidentally led the Empire to the Jedi temple," I tell Dume. "We escaped, but they captured it."

"DANGER," he growls.

"Well, then the Empire's still there!" I exclaim in response.

"SECRETS WITHIN," he adds.

"Secrets?" I mutter, thinking hard. "What secrets? What else is inside the temple?"

Does Jarik know what's inside the Temple? He should, right? He's known about it ever since the Clone Wars... but wouldn't he have done anything by now if there was something wrong?

"KNOWLEDGE..." Dume continues, breaking me out of my thoughts. "DESTRUCTION."

He lowers his head down inches away from me, narrowing his eyes, and the white wolf advances as well with a low growl. I struggle to prevent myself from panicking, nervous at how they were behaving.

"Ahsoka and Jarik said we'd find knowledge in the Sith temple on Malachor," I quickly inform them. "But we were wrong. That's when everything changed."

"RESTORE... THEIR PAST," Dume declares, his voice booming. "REDEEM... THEIR FUTURE."

"'Their?'" I ask with a confused frown. "Who are you talking about?"

"MEND... DYAD," he adds.

What? What does that mean?

"How?" I ask in frustration. "Who is this for? How do I do this?"

Dume slowly lifts his head higher into the air in silence, filling me with some relief, and I continue to press for answers.

"Tell me!" I say urgently.

However, Dume's lips pull back into a slowly building snarl, his gaze now entirely predatory. I widen my eyes in alarm and start backing up fearfully, raising my arms to protect myself.

"No, no!" I plead with him.

With a terrible roar Dume lunges forward at me and I shut my eyes tight, screaming in fear.

"KANAN!" I cry out in terror.

Just like that... it's suddenly gone.

My heart racing I cautiously look around to view my surroundings, finding myself back in the same place I was before the wolves appeared to me... was it all just a dream?

When I look down in front of me, though, I nearly jump out of my skin at seeing the stone still laying on the ground right where the white loth-wolf dropped it. I gaze at it for several long seconds, realizing that it wasn't a dream.

...what do I do now?


Eastern Base, Ryloth - Outer Rim Territories

3rd person POV...

After determining their location the group made their way back to the Eastern Base. On the way, Cham contacted Gobi to inform him that a pickup from them was no longer required, which understandably confused his right-hand man a great deal. He nevertheless acknowledged his word, his full trust in Cham outweighing his bewilderment, and so he, Greez, and the other two rebels with them set about returning to the base, also reporting that the Imperial factory was indeed destroyed successfully. Once they were all back at the base, Cere got around to contacting Garm Bel Iblis to inform him of their success.

"...that is indeed good news," Garm says. "But I still am a bit lost on just how you managed to escape in time."

"I'm still trying to figure it out myself, Senator," Cere admits with a heavy sigh. "But in any case, I'm just glad it worked out fine."

"Indeed," he nods in acceptance. "A job well done on your mission then. You may take a day to rest, but I must advise you to return shortly. This is but a small victory, and there is still much to be done elsewhere."

"I understand. Thank you, Senator," Cere acknowledges.

Garm's hologram disappears as the transmission ends and Cere turns around with a look of concern on her face, pondering if she should tell Cal about what she and Kanan learned before Jarik's departure.


Ever since they got back from their mission Cal remained extremely quiet and unresponsive, though it was clear that he was in distress. He's currently sitting on the couch inside the Stinger Mantis, staring at the table in front of him with an empty look in his eyes. Merrin sat next to him, gently rubbing his back with her hand to provide some measure of comfort, but wasn't entirely sure of what to say. Eventually though, Cal spoke up.

"I just... I just don't understand," he murmurs softly. "Why does the universe have to be so cruel?"

Merrin looks at him sadly, and he continues to speak.

"For the longest time I thought he died in the purge, just like everyone else. I'd come to terms with being the only survivor," he says, shutting his eyes. "And yet... when we finally get to reunite, he's ripped away once again. It's just..."

Cal trails off into silence, the pain in his heart too much to keep talking.

"When I was alone on Dathomir, I mourned the deaths of my sisters for a long time," Merrin starts to say. "I let myself be blinded by the twisted lies of Malicos in the hope that I could one day get vengeance."

"I know that already," Cal murmurs bitterly.

Merrin gives him a look.

"And you want to know something else?" she continues to say, her voice firm. "I hadn't felt a shred of joy or comfort for years until you came along."

"What are trying to say, Merrin?" he asks tiredly.

"I'm saying that you still have friends who can help you, the same way that you once helped me," she states. "I don't know him all that well, but I'm sure that Kanan wouldn't want you to be wallowing around in despair like this."

Cal glances up at her, feeling a pang of emotion, and then looks back down at the floor. Merrin continues to rub his back soothingly, hoping that he'll be able to bring himself out of his misery.


Resistance camp, Lothal - Outer Rim Territories

3rd person POV...

Hera sat kneeling in front of a small stone bench in front of the cave painting, on which sat Kanan's mask and her kalikori. She carefully fastens a newly handcrafted piece to the kalikori, gazing down at it with tears in her eyes.

"For Kanan, so he'll always be remembered as a part of my family," she says softly. "You know, Chop, despite all his misgivings about the rebellion, he always believed we could change things."

Beside her, Chopper responds with a quiet beep, and she lets out a heavy sigh.

"That's what I'll miss the most, that when none of us could find the answer, Kanan could, and always in the most unexpected way," she says, a small smile on her face.

She then gets up and starts heading to the entrance of the cave room, hearing Sabine's voice calling out for her.

"Hera? Hera?" Sabine says.

Hera and Chopper exit the cave to see Sabine and Zeb walking forward, surprisingly more upbeat than she would've expected.

"Was your mission a success?" she questions.

"No, but yours was. The TIE defender factories have shut down. We didn't fail, Hera," Sabine answers, and Hera widens her eyes in surprise and newfound joy. "Kanan made sure of it. In their attempt to destroy us, the Empire blew up their own refinery."

"They have no fuel for the factories," Zeb adds with a grin. "Their entire production line has stopped."

"Then we have a chance," Hera says hopefully. "We can still beat them."

"And I know what our first mission is," Ezra calls out, walking forward with the stone in his hands. "The Jedi temple is in danger. And we're the only ones who can do anything about it."

"In danger?" Zeb questions, confused. "Not to be rude, kid, but it's just an old temple... it's not like the Empire can learn anything more than history from it, right?"

Ezra opens his mouth to respond, but someone else gets to it first.

"I wish it was that simple, Zeb, but not in this scenario," a familiar voice chimes in.

The assembled group look over in surprise to see Jarik and Mara walking forward.

"Jarik, Mara!" Ezra says in surprise. "You're here!"

"We sure are, Ez," Mara chirps in reply, and he frowns at the nickname.

"How did you get past the Imperial blockade?" Sabine asks.

"We have our ways," Jarik shrugs, a brief smile on his face before quickly becoming serious again. "But in any case, Ezra's right."

"Do you know what the Empire is doing there?" Hera questions.

"No. But I know what they want," he informs them, gesturing at Ezra. "And that stone is the clue to getting it."

They all look at the stone, which Ezra places on a stone table so everyone could see it clearly, where the images of three hands were clearly visible.


Author's Note: Shaniverse readers... the time has come. Execute Order W.B.W.

;)