Sabine wondered about the situation she was in. The Ghost was in hyperspace heading to Lahn. The jump would take them over a day, but that suited Sabine well. It would help them lose any heat that they'd caught while on Kaller, and let them all get some much needed rest. Chopper had already confirmed with Syndulla that the Kasmiri was enroute as well. All they had to do now was wait, which was fine… Except she was stuck in a ship with two complete strangers and a very foul-mouthed astromech.

It wasn't as if Jarrus had confined her to some room in the ship. On the contrary, she'd been shown around and told she was free to go anywhere on the ship except for the personal quarters of the crew. She was allowed to use a spare cabin though, which blew her mind by itself. Though she did wonder why Bridger and Orrelios shared a room if there was clearly enough space for everyone to have their own.

Having done maintenance on her weapons and armor, she decided a little walk was in order. She took a look at the helmet that laid on the cot. Normally she wouldn't just leave it there. Beskar was too precious by itself. The fact that it was part of the ancestral collection that belonged to her family made her even more wary of just leaving it behind. But neither Bridger nor Jarrus gave off the vibes that they would steal it. They can't be that stupid to pull off something like that, she though as she finally closed the door to the room and headed down the hallway.

The artist was originally going for a stroll, not really having anywhere in mind she wanted to check out. However, she felt a pull towards a place in particular. To her surprise, as she approached the cargo hold, she could see two large splotches of color dancing around each other. It was like nothing she'd ever seen before. It was… "Incredible," she let out as she walked towards the colors, half hypnotized.

There, in the middle of the cargo hold, she noticed Jarrus and Bridger. They both were sitting on the ground, facing each other, eyes closed. The scene made Sabine feel nostalgic somehow. She could picture herself doing something very similar with her father back home. Her father would enter a sort of trance from time to time just before working on a new piece. When asked, he would say that it was a way for him to search for his muse. The memory brought a smile to Sabine.

Jarrus' sudden movement snapped her back to reality. The man had his back turned to her, and yet, it was as if he just knew she was there. "Care to join us, Sabine?"

Sabine quirked and eyebrow. "Join you doing… what exactly?"

"We're meditating," Bridger chimed in, now with his eyes open. "It's part of my training."

"Is that a…" Sabine found herself making a hand gesture in the mens' general direction, not really knowing what it was even supposed to mean. "A Jedi thing?"

An awkward silence filled the room.

"Did Kasmir tell you about me?" Jarrus finally asked.

"Sort of? I mean, he never talked about you by name. He only told me something about traveling with a Jedi years ago. And with everything that happened in Kaller…"

"I see Kasmir still has as big of a mouth as ever," said Jarrus. He'd turned to look over at her. Sabine chuckled, knowing full well what he meant. She was about to respond when her eyes fell onto the pair of lightsabers that had been set down between Jarrus and Bridger. She must've stared at them for a long while, because Jarrus picked them up before standing up. But instead of hiding them away like she expected him to, he walked towards her and extended them in her direction, one on each hand. "You can take a closer look if you're that interested."

"Hey! You didn't let me even touch your lightsaber until I'd been here for a few days," Bridger protested, following after Jarrus. The boy crossed his arms and frowned openly towards the older man.

"Should I remind you how you tried to steal my lightsaber even after we rescued you?" Jarrus countered. Sabine's eyebrows shot up. Now that she would like to hear. It would have to be another time, though, as Bridger grumbled something under his breath before moving to sit on top of one of the crates that lined the cargo hold. Turning his attention back to the Mandalorian, Jarrus once more moved the lightsabers closer to her. "It's okay. I can see you're curious about them. And after what you did, it's the least I can do."

Sabine hesitated. She could remember her history lessons clearly: the Jedi and the Mandalorians of old had been enemies for thousands of years. The arsenal of weapons, the fighting styles, and even the iconic armor her people wore were all products, one way or another, that came to be in order to best fight the Jedi. And while that all was left in the past, she couldn't help but feel the voices of her own ancestors telling her to step back. Tradition was very important to the people of Mandalore. What would her family think if they saw her fraternizing with a Jedi? Could they even judge her more than they already did?

"Is something wrong?" Jarrus asked, snapping Sabine back to reality. He looked calm, if not genuinely concerned. The voices around her vanished, and once more, Sabine turned her attention to the lightsabers, a bit more determined to take the offer. On one hand, Jarrus' own lightsaber. On the other, his Master's. She extended her hand towards the Master's, feeling that she wouldn't want just anyone to handle her weapons. But at the last moment, she thought better of it. The sentimental value of the other lightsaber was clear. If someone touching her weapons was bad, taking her armor would be that much worse. She decided it was best to take Jarrus'.

"It's a lot heavier than I expected," said the Mandalorian as she got used to the weapon. It still was much lighter than any blade she'd ever handled, especially compared to the vibroblades she'd trained with growing up. Examining the weapon closely, she asked, "how do you light it up?"

Jarrus chuckled, before explaining the proper way to wield the weapon. There was a button that had to be held in order for the blade to ignite. There was a dial used to adjust the blade's length according to the wielder's preference. And lastly, another dial to adjust the potency of the blade. "For now, keep it at the lowest potency. It will still cut through some surfaces and even burn your skin if you touch the blade directly, but you won't be losing any limbs by accident."

After much deliberation, Sabine ignited the blade. The humming of the blade was all she could hear as its blue glow washed over her. The way that the light danced as she moved the lightsaber was beautiful. It was one thing to have seen Jarrus use the weapon back in Kaller, it was completely different to have the real thing in her hands.

The sound of the second lightsaber snapped her back to reality. She looked over at Jarrus, who tested the other blade, this one green, in his own hand before taking a position in front of her, blade at the ready. "You're a Mandalorian, so I assume you have some experience with a blade."

"I-I trained with a staff and a vibroblade growing up," she said, her voice shaking a bit. Sabine didn't like where things were going. Was Jarrus being serious? Did he really expect her to do what she thought he wanted to do? There was a reason she didn't even carry a vibroknife with her! "It's been a few years—"

Jarrus didn't let her finish before he threw a blow her way. It would've hit her too, had she not felt it coming. Moving her blade into position, the blow was blocked just in time. "Hey! What's the big idea here?!"

Jarrus shrugged unapologetically. "I figured you were ready. Besides, with that armor of yours, the blade would just bounce off of you. Now, let's try that again. Two hits this time."

Once she knew to expect the blows, it was a lot easier to block them. But just because they were easier to block did not mean Jarrus was pulling his punches. Both times the blades collided, she felt her whole body shake. It was nothing like she expected or had ever experienced before. For whatever reason, she thought the blades would bounce off of each other, which was the complete opposite of what was happening; the blades were being pulled towards one another. She could feel a smile pulling at the corner of her lips as Jarrus threw three and then four consecutive blows her way.

"You're pretty good at this!" Jarrus seemed surprised at her ability, but also genuinely happy with her performance. Sabine wouldn't lie, she felt proud of herself. And with each attack she managed to defend against she felt more and more confident in what she was doing—just not enough for her to actually go on the offensive just yet. This wasn't so bad! She expected lightsaber combat to be much more difficult than what Jarrus was putting her through. The man took a step back, but his stance did not change, making Sabine's feelings of security waver. "Good. Really good! Now, let's see how you handle it when I hide my intent with the Force."

Sabine furrowed her brow at the comment. "What's that supposed to mean?"

She could almost hear the grin in Jarrus' voice without having to look at him. "You'll see. Get ready!"

This time, Sabine barely had enough time to move her blade to stop the attack. For whatever reason, the colors she'd associated with an incoming attack didn't appear around Jarrus. The second blow almost got her too. Sabine clenched her teeth as she pushed as hard as she could against Jarrus' blade to get some distance between them. It'd been only two attacks. Two attacks, and she already felt twice as tired from blocking those than from what felt like childsplay before. She could feel her brow starting to sweat. Whatever Jarrus had done, it was like nothing she'd ever experienced before… Not in Mandalore. Not in the Academy. Certainly not as she tried to survive with Ketsu or Kasmir.

"You've learned to read the Force well," Jarrus said as he continued his attack. "That's not something even most Jedi could do. But you've grown too reliant on it." Sabine started involuntarily taking a step back with each attack she blocked. "And now that you're faced against someone that can manipulate the Force around them, you've lost your advantage!"

"Kanan!"

Bridger's voice reverberated in her ears more so than the humming of the blade or the sound of them clashing against each other. Jarrus eventually got the better of her, hitting her right vambrace with enough force that left her hand feeling numb. She let go of the lightsaber and fell to the ground. She was gulping for air. Was that what real lightsaber combat was like? How had her ancestors gone against that in close quarters combat and survived?

"Too far, Kanan," said Bridger as he knelt down beside her and offered his hand. She was half tempted to push the boy away, too prideful to accept the help after such a shameful performance, but the short fight had taken her so much by surprise that she felt too exhausted to even do that. Bridger helped her up to her feet, but Sabine wasn't sure if standing up was a good idea; her knees were shaking and felt like they would buckle any second. "I know you wanted to test her, but come on!"

Sabine looked at Jarrus, eyes wide. "This was a test?! Are you kidding me?!"

At least Jarrus had the decency of looking ashamed as he scratched the back of his head. Moving back, he sat himself on top of the crate Bridger had been on until a moment ago. "I'm sorry, I had to make sure it wasn't just my imagination."

"What are you even talking about?" Sabine shot back.

"Sabine." Jarrus' tone switched completely, quenching the anger that had formed in her from being toyed with. The painter could see the vivid colors around him stretch out and reach out towards her in a way that she'd never seen someone do before. Not knowing what to do, she froze in place, expecting some sort of impact. Except nothing came. "It's not every day I see someone that is Force sensitive. I've been traveling all over the Outer Rim for years, and in all that time I've only found Ezra. Finding another one… let alone someone that taught themselves how to wield the Force the way you have... And that's not even mentioning the fact that you're a Mandalorian!"

"Wait," Sabine held her head, feeling like a headache was incoming. "You think I'm a Jedi...?"

"Not a Jedi," Jarrus corrected. "No one is born a Jedi nor can you become one just like that… But I can see that you, like Ezra, have the potential to become a Jedi—a powerful one at that. To wield the Force for good!"

The man had gone mad, Sabine was sure. She quickly shook her head at the thought. "I'm a Mandalorian! I can't be a Jedi!"

Jarrus raised an eyebrow. "You wouldn't be the first Mandalorian to become a Jedi. Tarre Vizsla—"

"I know my own history, thank you very much!" Sabine spat the words. She suddenly felt like she was a kid again, being taught things that she'd long learned about by herself. Datapads were a thing! Finding information was easy. Did people just forget about that stuff as they grew older? "Besides, how can you be so sure I can become a Jedi?"

"The duel we just had should be proof enough," Jarrus pointed out, a bit incredulous at her question.

"I could barely keep up!"

"That's because you're not used to fighting another Force user! I could teach you how to grow past that!"

Sabine scoffed. "You Jedi must be desperate if you're trying to get a Mandalorian to join your side—" She stopped herself midwary, instantly regretting those words. She knew, perhaps better than most, what had happened to the Jedi even if she didn't know what Order 66 was all about. The warm, comforting aura that Jarrus had been extending to her retreated. She could tell she'd struck a nerve. "...Sorry. I-I didn't mean it like that..."

"Let me show you something." Jarrus stood back up, pulling out some sort of golden cube from behind him. "This is a Jedi Holocron. It contains an innumerable amount of lessons—knowledge gathered by countless Masters throughout thousands of years—all here. When I first left Coruscant with my Master, she gave me this so that I could continue my studies whenever the Clone Wars gave us a chance to take a break."

"Should you really be showing a complete stranger something like that?"

"Probably not." Jarrus shrugged. "But I'm doing it anyway. Besides, a Jedi Holocron will not open to just anyone. You don't believe me when I tell you that you have the potential to become a Jedi? Then, here is a test." He floated the Holocron over to Sabine, who took it delicately, showing the piece as much care and respect as she could muster even if her brain was still trying to make sense of what Jarrus had just done. If he was lying about the object, then he was an incredible liar. She could feel the significance and grandeur of the object in her hands. "Only someone with the ability to manipulate the Force that hasn't dabbled with the Dark Side can open it in order to access its knowledge."

Sabine took a moment to examine the cube. She wasn't all that convinced about her potential in becoming a Jedi, but she was curious about the puzzle that was the box and all the secrets it held within; the challenge that came with it. She tried twisting it, pushing the center of every face, and pulling at the corners. Nothing happened. So much for potential…

"You can't just open it willy nilly like that," said Ezra. "You have to use the Force."

"I don't even know how to use the Force," Sabine insisted, rolling her eyes.

"Yes you do," Jarrus insisted. "You've been doing it all along! I've reached out to you through the Force twice already, and both times you responded, whether you noticed it or not. Once in Kaller, and again before you came into the cargo hold a few minutes ago."

"Fine, I'll play along." She looked at the Holocron once over. "So tell me how to use the Force to open it then."

Jarrus shook his head, pinching the bridge of his nose. "It wouldn't be a test if I just told you how to do it, Sabine. You want proof that you can become a Jedi? Get that open before we land on Lahn."

"What happens if I can't open it?" Sabine would be lying to herself if she didn't enjoy the excitement of the challenge, but she was still curious what was at stake here. Would Jarrus and Bridger cut her down right there and then to protect the fact that they were Jedi from leaking out? Maybe she should've brought her helmet after all.

"Then you can go on with your life as if nothing happened. We land on Lahn, you get back on the Kasmiri and move on with your life. At most, you get an interesting story to share in the future."

"...And if I open it?"

"Then you'll have a choice to make. You can still walk away from here and go back to the smuggler life with Kasmir and Jondo... Or, you can come with us, and I will teach you along with Ezra the ways of the Force as the Jedi Masters at the temple and Master Billaba taught me."

Sabine considered the offer. There wasn't anything to lose except maybe looking like a fool (though Jarrus would look double the fool if he was wrong) and a chink at her pride. It'll also give me a distraction for the rest of the trip, she thought, weighing the Holocron both physically and mentally. After a minute of silence, she finally agreed.

Jarrus and Bridger both left her to do her thing, reminding her once again that she could walk around the ship if she wanted. Jarrus even insisted on it, saying that a change in scenery could bring her some inspiration if she felt like she wasn't making any progress. And both of those things did happen. Try as she would, the damn thing would not open. Sabine tried every which way she could think up to do so, going as far as imitating Jarrus when he handed the Holocron to her. But it was no use. The minutes turned to hours, and the cargo hold changed to the common area/galley, the front turret, the cabin she was staying in, and finally back to the galley as she simply laid her head down on the table, letting out a long sigh. Perhaps this time she'd bitten more than she could chew.

"Going that well, huh?"

From the corner of her eye, the frustrated artist could see Bridger walking towards the caf machine. All Sabine could muster in response was a grunt and a small dismissive wave of her hand. Though the boy was out of sight, she could tell what he was doing once the smell of caf filled the room. Before long, he'd placed a cup in front of her.

"Sounds like you could use a break," Bridger said, taking the seat opposite of her, his own cup of caf still in his hand. The boy looked like he was about to drink from it, but when he brought the cup to his lips he scrunched up his nose and lowered it back to the table.

Sabine straightened herself, stretching her sore back first and letting out another sigh. "Thanks for the caf," he said, picking up the cup. When was the last time she had caf? Kasmir couldn't stand the smell, so he'd prohibit the drink on his ship. The drink brought her so much needed warmth. And while it was a nice feeling, when she noticed the still-closed Holocron on the table, she slumped on her seat once again with her head resting on the back rest, looking at the ceiling.

"How did you do it?" she finally asked.

"The caf?"

"Not the caf!" She chuckled at the absurdity of his question. "The Holocron! Jarrus has been training you for some time now, right? So that means you opened it at some point."

"Well, yeah…"

"So?" Sabine pushed once more.

"I just felt… a calling. And all I had to do was answer it. Back then, I'd only known Kanan for a little bit, so I didn't know anything about the Force or even the fact that he was a Jedi. I just… followed my instincts, you know? Lothal may not be as occupied by the Empire as other planets, but my instincts—the Force always kept me safe."

"But then, if that's the case, wouldn't Jarrus be wrong about me?" Sabine asked, though she was mainly asking herself. "I feel the weight of its significance, yes, but I'm not really getting any sort of calling the way you describe it…"

"Maybe you're coming at the problem the wrong way. Kanan says you have control over the Force, right? But before that you never thought of it like that. It was natural to you. The idea of the Force isn't. Maybe all you have to do is stop trying to use what you think is the Force and just do your own thing like you've always done."

Sabine turned to look at the kid and blinked twice. "That… actually makes a lot of sense when you put it like that." And he wasn't wrong either. From the moment she set off to open the Holocron, she'd approached in ways she thought a Jedi would do so, not how she would normally do it. Looking back at the object, while she'd felt a lot of things, she hadn't tried looking for the colors in it like she did when fixing up the Kasimiri, for example. Looking at it now, the Holocron did have an interesting set of colors to it, though they were hard to see. "I think I'll get some rest and try it again in the morning. Thanks, Bridger."

"Oh, sure, no problem!" The boy laughed, pumping out his chest. "But you know, you can call me Ezra. We already call you by your first name. It makes it weird that you're not doing the same to us."

Sabine considered that. Hiding her last name had become common practice for Sabine. It was not a good idea to leave trails of a certain Wren working on the Outer Rim; there was no way of knowing who could pick up that trail and come after her simply because of who she was rather than the jobs she'd been pulling with Kasmir and Jondo. For her, it was a practical issue. For Bridger—Ezra, she reminded herself—it was more of a social one.

"Sure thing, Ezra," she said, bringing a smile to the boy in question. She stood up, grabbing her almost untouched cup of caf and setting it down in front of Ezra, which he eyed curiously before turning his attention back to the Mandalorian as she spoke again. "I think I'll get some sleep and start fresh in the morning. I appreciate the caf, but if I drink any more of it I know I won't get a minute of sleep."

"Oh… Right! Yeah, yeah. You do that!" Ezra's smile wavered as he took a cup into each hand. Though Sabine was already out of the galley, she could still hear the boy talking to himself. "What am I supposed to do with two cups of this stuff…?"

Locking the door to the cabin she was borrowing, Sabine felt the mental exhaustion from the entire day catch up to her, the idea of sleep feeling even more alluring. Thinking it would be best to get a good rest, she took off her armor, holsters and blasters, setting each piece on the bottom bunk along with her helmet. I'll have to repaint the vambrace, she thought, looking at the piece. A large mark had been left there, evidence of the lightsaber reaching her during her "duel" with Jarrus.

"One step at a time," she told herself as she climbed up to the top bunk, bringing only the Holocron with her. She laid down, Holocron in hand, already feeling like sleep would take her any moment. Closing her eyes, she tried to picture the Jedi relic floating in front of her, trying to look for the colors she was so used to seeing in other mechanisms. In her mind, the Holocron was almost as high as she was tall. Thin black lines told her the general shape of the object. Blue blotches on each corner told her there was something there, she just didn't know what exactly.

She summoned a brush to her imaginary hand, trying to play with the paint to see if she could come up with any ideas. The black lines refused to play nice. Every time she manipulated them with her brush, they would snap back into place. It brought a frown to the girl, but nonetheless, it was an interesting find. The blue blotches, now those were interesting. She could pull at them, move them around, and even make shapes with them. Something about it reminded Sabine of her father. It felt right to paint the one person she missed the most, even if it was only in her mind.

"This is Master Obi-Wan Kenobi."

Startled by the sudden voice filling the room, Sabine snapped back to reality in the worst way possible. She must've been moving a lot without really noticing, because she found herself seconds from hitting the ground. Only after rubbing her head and pushing herself up did she notice the room. It was being illuminated to look blue. And when she finally found the source of the light, she gasped.

The Holocron… It was floating in front of her. Its corners were floating around it too. And on top of it, a small blue figure of a human was being shown. The robed man continued his message.

"I regret to report that both our Jedi Order and the Republic have fallen, with the dark shadow of the Empire rising to take their place. This message is a warning and a reminder for any surviving Jedi. Trust in the Force. Do not return to the Temple. That time has passed. And our future is uncertain. We will each be challenged. Our trust… our faith… our friendships. But we must persevere. And in time, a new hope will emerge. May the Force be with you… always."

With the message delivered, the Holocron closed once again, gently levitating down onto the floor, Sabine following it with her eyes every step of the way. "I did it…?"

"You passed the test." Sabine was startled by the voice. She'd been hyperfocused on the Holocron that she failed to see the door to the room opening. Jarrus stood there, leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed, a knowing smile clearly on his face. "I told you. You're strong in the Force."

"That message…" Sabine turned to look over at the Holocron once more, as if it would display said message once again. She felt more than saw the sadness surrounding Jarrus then.

"It was the last message a Jedi officially sent. It saved my life. I was on my way to Coruscant after… borrowing the Kasmiri after Order 66. I convinced myself that as long as I got back to the Temple, everything would be okay. I was a few hours into the jump when I got that message. The Jedi had a beacon back at the Temple. It was meant to be used to recall all Jedi back to the Temple in case of an invasion. I'd once asked Master Obi-Wan if it could be used to warn the Jedi instead… I guess he took it to heart."

"What is Order 66?"

Sabine was suddenly overwhelmed by a deep feeling of sorrow coming from Jarrus. Images flashed in her mind. A snow covered Kaller. Five dark figures running in front of her. Friendlies. Blaster fire. Something was off. She turns, and runs in the direction she came from. Then, an ear shattering scream.

RUN, CALEB!

She came back to herself, not having time to process what she'd seen. Her mouth hung open slightly as she looked at Jarrus, who was looking intently at the floor. "Maybe I'll tell you about it someday..."

Sabine knew better than anyone when to drop a sensitive subject. And after what she'd seen… Were those Jarrus' memories? If so, then she completely understood where he was coming from. The scream still echoed in her ears. Scooting closer to the Holocron, she lifted it up to get a closer look. It certainly felt… different from before. "Does this mean I'm a Jedi now?"

She could hear Jarrus chuckle. "As I said before, you have the potential to become a Jedi. A good one too, if you ask me. But that is ultimately your decision to make. For now, get some rest. Chopper found a faster route to Lahn. There should be enough time to get some shuteye and maybe have breakfast."

"Right…" She had even less time now to think things over...

"Have a good night, Sabine." He turned to leave.

"You too, Caleb," she called a little too late once the door had closed.