"I'm staying here, Hera", Sabine blurted out as she and the Twi'lek loaded cargo containers onto the Ghost.
Hera bit her lip as she contemplated the Mandalorian's words. In the two days since Lothal had been liberated from the Empire, the General had noticed the young woman deep in thought more than once. She clearly had something on her mind, and now it had finally bubbled to the surface.
"If you're asking for my permission, Sabine, you don't need it."
"You... you mean it?"
"I know you're doing this for Ezra. If you're so intent on fulfilling his trust, then I suppose I couldn't stop you even if I wanted to."
Sabine was dumbfounded. She had expected Hera to give an entire lecture about how the Rebellion needed her and how one soldier can sometimes change the course of an entire war. Hearing her words of support shook the young woman down to her core.
"Hera... I... I don't know what to say."
The Twi'lek let go of her crate and put her hands on the Mandalorian's shoulders. "You don't have to say anything. Ezra was right to put his faith in you. I know you'll do him proud." Sabine lurched forward and caught Hera in a hug, both of them welling up with tears. Suddenly, the human felt something touch the back of her leg. She turned around to see Chopper, holding a holotape in one servo while tapping her with the other.
"What is it, Chop?"
The droid held the holotape out and Sabine knelt down and took it. He made a series of noises, the translation of which made her eyes widen.
"From Ezra? For my eyes only?"
Chopper nodded (meaning he rocked his entire chassis forward and back).
Sabine gently ran her thumb across the tape, wondering what was inside for only a brief moment before sliding it into her belt and turning back to Hera.
"So... I guess this is goodbye for now."
"For now", Hera responded, "Hopefully not forever. Zeb, come down here and say goodbye to Sabine!!"
The Lasat walked out of the cargo hold, an over-stocked datapad in his hand. "Goodbye? What do you mean?"
"She's staying here."
Zeb's ears drooped slightly. "Oh... that's unexpected."
Sabine chuckled and gave the hulking purple alien a jab on the arm. "Did I finally catch the great Garazeb Orrelios off guard?"
"Yeah. I guess Mandalorians get the upper hand on everyone eventually. I'm gonna miss ya."
"I'll miss you, too, big guy."
They shared a quick hug before going up to Sabine's cabin to pack her things. The artist was shocked once again when she found all of her art supplies, clothing, and essentials packed and ready to be moved.
"She knew... she knew before even I did", she said to nobody in particular. Zeb chuckled and nudged her arm. "Just as perceptive as always, isn't she?"
With the Lasat's help, it took less than an hour for them to transfer Sabine's belongings from the Ghost to Ezra's old tower. When Zeb asked her why she wanted to stay in the old, practically decrepit structure, Sabine shrugged and said, "I just feel like it's where I need to be."
Finally, after another series of hugs and goodbyes, Sabine watched through teary eyes as the Ghost lifted off from Lothal's scorched grass plains. She suddenly remembered the tape that Chopper had given her, taking it out of her belt and running back to the tower. Once she was inside, she slipped the tape into the holoplayer and turned it on.
The dimly-lit room was suddenly illuminated a bright blue as a holographic projection of Ezra appeared in front of Sabine. The Mandalorian had to choke down a sob at the sight of her lost friend.
"Sabine... I'm not sure exactly when you'll see this, but I'm recording this message and leaving it with Chopper just in case. I'm not sure why, but I had a vision last night. It was a vision of you, most likely in your current position. You were anxious, fearful, and... sad."
Sabine bit her lip. He was right, down to the iota.
"The only reason I'm not talking to you about this right now is because... well, it's because you had a different hair color in my vision than you do right now, which means you're not going through this just yet. I just want you to know that... whenever you may have these feelings, just know that you'll have someone who's always there for you, someone who cares for you..."
He trailed off, and Sabine looked at the hologram quizzically, almost begging Ezra to finish his sentence.
"... someone who loves you. Whenever you go through this, just talk to me. I'll be there."
After uttering the last sentence, Ezra flashed his usual cocky smile, and the hologram froze. Sabine turned off the projector and put her head in her hands, now beginning to release the tears she had been holding in for two days.
"Ezra... why did you have to leave?"