Starlight, a star wars rebels fanfic

A/N: So I just finished rewatching Rebels and an idea was born out of the scene in the dome when Zeb jumps into the disabled shield generator to distract Rukh and Kallus is all "wait Zeb no don't-" because I ship them so hard (it's fucking canon, deal). Basically this is just a slight rework of "Family Reunion - And Farewell" followed by a little extra to give Kalluzeb a proper happy ending.

Disclaimer: *cue the Ha Ha Ha version of What Makes You Beautiful* Riiiight, okay, if I owned Rebels Kalluzeb would actually be canon and Kanan wouldn't be dead, so...

Starlight

"Stardust...
In you and in me
Fuse us...
Into unity
Primeval...
We're coupled
Born from
The universe...
Farewell...
(The void) Is calling
Don't fear...
For futures and dreams
They're fleeting,
Retreating
It's okay
I promise...!"

Kallus had never expected, five years ago when he first encountered these rebels, that he'd end up fighting side-by-side with them in a desperate attempt to liberate the planet he now called home from the very people he'd once served so blindly. He'd never thought he'd glance to the side and see Sabine Wren in full purple-and-yellow-painted Mandalorian armor blasting incoming stormtroopers with a vengeance as he did the exact same thing. He'd never expected to be fighting almost back-to-back with Garazeb Orrelios, one of the last surviving Lasats, fending off the Empire as the stormtroopers kept coming.

He heard Vizago's "We're still outnumbered!" and had to agree, blasting wave after wave of troopers out of the way. They just kept coming.

"Not for long!" Ezra Bridger replied. He raised his voice so every gathered rebel could hear as he shouted, "Fall back to the cave!"

Everyone mobilized. Kallus followed Sabine as they half-ran for the cave entrance, still returning fire as the stormtroopers closed in. Behind him, he heard Zeb mutter a quiet "Karabast" and had to smirk briefly. He still had never figured out exactly what that word meant.

It was a tight fit in the cave with them all packed in there, but the brief shelter did give the rebels a chance to breathe. Kallus glanced at Zeb.

"You good?" was all he asked.

Zeb nodded. "Never better. You?"

Kallus shrugged. "I've had worse."

"Quiet, you two," hissed Sabine. "Ezra needs to...do whatever he's planning to do."

Kallus shut up, though there was more to say. Over the last few years, much to his dismay, his feelings for the Lasat beside him had turned from hatred into what Kallus thought was love. It confused him to no end, but he'd lately found himself wondering if Zeb could ever feel the same. There had always been some obstacle in the way of getting a moment alone to sort things out, however, and Kallus had kept the feelings to himself. It probably wasn't good for him, but there was a war going on.

Kallus watched as Ezra did his Force thing (something Kallus had never understood) and as the Loth-wolves appeared around him. Somehow knowing the wolves were on their side, Kallus felt no fear, though he was a little amazed at Ezra's power.

Thrawn's pet assassin, Rukh, appeared in the cave entrance, flanked by half a battalion of stormtroopers. Rukh sniffed the air, perhaps sensing something was off. Kallus waited with the others in the dark behind Ezra and the wolves, wondering what Rukh's next move would be.

"Where is your army now, Jedi?" Rukh growled.

The white wolf rose to its paws behind Ezra, followed by the three black ones. Kallus couldn't see Rukh's expression, but he guessed the Noghri looked as close to afraid as his half-expressionless features could get.

Ezra activated his lightsaber, the green blade lighting up the cavern and illuminating the snarling wolves. Even from behind without a clear view, Kallus could tell it looked badass, not to mention inspiring for the other rebels.

With a silent command from Ezra, the wolves sprung.

Stormtroopers yelled in fright and alarm as the white one scooped Rukh up, leaping out of the cave and presumably startling the Imperials outside. The black ones followed, chasing the remaining troopers out of the cave. Ezra turned back to his rebels. "Come on!" he yelled, and the ragtag team followed the wolves out of the cave.

Kallus was right behind Ezra as the young Jedi led them outside, and they paused to take in the utter chaos the wolves had caused. Stormtroopers ran about, terrified and not quite knowing what to do, as the four wolves jumped from spot to spot, siezing troopers and throwing them over the edge or into the mountainside. Pryce was running from the white wolf like the coward she was. Rukh was nowhere in sight; Kallus hoped Thrawn's annoying little pet was dead.

Quite the rebellion, young Jedi, Kallus thought, a brief smirk crossing his face.

Hera and Ketsu flew by in the Ghost, chasing down the Imperial gunships while Hondo and the Ugnaught, Melch, shot them down. Seeing the Ghost fly by seemed to give new strength to the rest of the rebels, because as one of the black wolves snapped up another stormtrooper, the rebels rejoined the fight, blasting whatever troopers happened to get in the way while shooting at them, the Ghost, or running from the wolves. Kallus fought side-by-side with Rex and Zeb, pushing forward through the rapidly-being-beaten Empire. It was oddly satisfying, seeing Ezra's little rebellion take down Imperial after Imperial and knowing he was part of it.

A few fast-paced minutes passed as laserfire flew everywhere and the wolves continued to wreck the Empire's forces. Finally, with wolves surrounding them and rebel blasters pointed at the rest, the remaining stormtroopers raised their hands in surrender.

"I'd drop your weapons if I were you," Zeb said, bow-rifle aimed at a trio of stormtroopers. Kallus had ended up a few steps behind him, blaster aimed at the nearest buckethead.

Slowly, the stormtroopers dropped their blasters. Kallus exchanged a look with Zeb. Now that was a satisfying sight.

Ezra walked through the battlefield that had been their camp leading the white wolf, which had a frightened and struggling Pryce in its jaws.

"Please don't let it eat me," begged Pryce, something that satisfied Kallus immensely. He'd always hated that woman, more so since joining the Rebellion, and seeing her beg was satisfying in a slightly twisted way.

The wolf dropped her in front of Ryder, Kallus, and Zeb. Kallus could see Zeb's smirk out of the corner of his eye and couldn't resist his own smirk, glancing over at the Lasat without him noticing. Governor Pryce, finally in her rightful place. What a nice sight.

Ezra offered Ryder the binders. "Why don't you do the honors, governor to governor?"

Ryder grinned and accepted them. "It would be my pleasure."

"I don't know what to say...!
But I'm going to want you till the stars evaporate...
We're only here for just a moment in the light...!
One day it shines for us the next we're in the night...
So say the word and I'll be running back to find you...!
A thousand armies won't stop me, I'll break through...!
I'll soar the endless skies for only one sight...
Of your starlight..."

There was a moment of relative peace in the aftermath of the battle. With Pryce secure aboard the Ghost for now (after annoying Kallus with her "you're a traitor" speech, of course), most of the rebels either rounded up the stormtroopers, stealing disguises for the next phase of Ezra's plan, or took breaks to rest and refuel. Kallus suspected the only reason Pryce and the stormtroopers weren't trying to run was because of the continued presence of the wolves.

Kallus himself was taking a breather in a quiet corner of the base. The fight had taken a lot of energy, and they still had the dome to take. He needed to be at the top of his game if they were going to win this - they all were.

Zeb was standing not too far off, directing a line of cuffed troopers into one of the captured gunships. Kallus took a moment just to study the confident Lasat. He knew Zeb well enough by now to know that he was tired, despite pushing on to get the troopers rounded up. He sighed. Zeb worked too hard sometimes.

"Zeb," Kallus called once the last trooper was aboard and guarded by a wolf. The Lasat turned. Kallus waved him over.

"Something you needed, Kallus?" Zeb asked once he was close enough for the human to hear him over the background noise of the camp.

"Yes," Kallus replied. "Well, something you need, rather."

Zeb tilted his head, confused. "I don't -"

"You need a break," Kallus interrupted. "You look exhausted."

"I'm fine," protested Zeb. "I'm not tired. Besides, Ezra -"

"- can do without you for a few minutes," Kallus said pointedly. "You're working too hard again. You need a break. Besides, we're not moving on Capital City immediately. Everyone needs at least a few hours to rest and recover before we finish this."

"But -"

Kallus glared at him pointedly. "Zeb. Do I need to get Hera?"

Zeb sighed, his ears flattening slightly in defeat. "Alright. Fine."

Kallus rolled his eyes with a fond if exasperated half-smile. "Are all rebels this stubborn? I've been with the Rebellion for over a year now and none of you ever seem to know when to take a break."

Zeb grinned. "Aren't Imperials the same way?"

"I'm not," Kallus protested. Zeb gave him a look and Kallus looked down, hiding a smile. "Alright, maybe I am a little."

Zeb nudged his shoulder affectionately. "It's war. We're all bound to get in a little over our heads sometimes."

Kallus sighed. "I suppose we are."

They fell silent, neither of them really knowing what to say. Kallus was trying to figure out a decent way to phrase "I think I'm in love with you" without sounding too...abrupt. Maybe if he could find a way to sort of transition into it...

"I never told you my name, did I?" Kallus asked, somewhat out of the blue.

"Er...what?" Zeb asked.

"My first name," Kallus clarified. "I never told you what it is."

Zeb thought for a moment. "No, I don't think you did."

Kallus smiled a little. "For a while, I thought I'd forgotten it. But it's Alexsandr. My name is Alexsandr."

"Alexsandr," Zeb said, testing it out. Kallus decided he liked the way Zeb said his name. "Huh. It kinda suits you, actually."

"I'm glad you think so," Kallus replied. "Because for the longest time, I didn't. With the Empire, I was just ISB Agent Kallus. No one cares who you are in the Empire unless you're part of the command staff. With the Rebellion...with you...I have an identity again."

Zeb didn't quite seem to know how to respond to that. "I knew the Empire doesn't care about its soldiers, but...wow."

Kallus shrugged. "I wasn't even the worst off. Stormtroopers don't even have names."

Zeb winced. "Yikes. Yet another reason to hate the Empire, right?"

"Something you convinced me to do, if you remember," Kallus reminded him.

Zeb smiled. "Yeah, I remember. I thought we were never gonna get off that ice rock."

"I thought for sure we'd either freeze or get eaten," Kallus reminisced. "I still have that little warm rock you found."

"You kept that thing?" Zeb asked.

Kallus nodded. "I don't think anyone has ever noticed that I suddenly aquired a strange glowing rock. The Empire certainly didn't."

Zeb chuckled. "The Empire doesn't notice a lot."

"True that," Kallus sighed. He glanced out across the camp at the resting rebels. "They'll notice this, though."

"That they will," Zeb replied.

Kallus wanted to say something else, but Sabine chose that moment to walk by. "Ezra wants us in the cave. Come on, boys."

Zeb exchanged a look with Kallus and shrugged. "Tell him we're on our way."

Sabine nodded and kept moving. Zeb turned back to Kallus. "S'pose we better move."

Kallus sighed. "We do have a war to win."

Zeb turned to follow Sabine, and Kallus added mentally as he watched the Lasat who had somehow captured his heart walk away, And maybe after we win, there'll be time to tell you how I feel.

"Tell me...
Just tell me to stay
I'll turn...
I won't look away
I'll stay here...
I'll never go but
You don't
Feel the same
Farewell...
Farewell and godspeed
Light years...
Between you and me
I'm fading...
Your beauty conquers
The darkness...!"

It seemed impossible.

Ezra's plan seemed to be failing, but improvisation was Phoenix Squadron's forte. Currently, Kallus, Zeb, and Gregor were fighting their way through the Imperial dome to the generator room to turn on the shields before Thrawn recommenced the planetary bombardment. It was harder than anticipated, considering they'd trapped themselves in a building with thousands of stormtroopers also conveniently locked inside. Zeb complained about this over the comm when Hera checked in.

"Team B, where are you?" the Twi'lek pilot asked.

"We're heading towards Sector GL-44, but you know that plan we had to trap all these stormtroopers in the dome?" Zeb reported between blaster shots as the three of them ran away, running down a dead-end hallway with two branching corridors. "It just occurred to me: we're trapped, with all these stormtroopers in this dome!"

The sound of laserfire as the stormtroopers continued their pursuit nearly drowned out Sabine's reply of, "We got it! Ryder, close blast door 5858!"

The blast door began to close behind them as the troopers began to gain on them. Kallus, Zeb, and Gregor skidded to a halt with their backs to the wall, watching anxiously to see if Ryder had closed it fast enough. The door shut just as the troopers on the other side reached it, and Kallus breathed a quiet sigh of relief.

"You should have a clear path to the shield generator now," Sabine informed them. Zeb glanced at Kallus, who offered a slight nod in return, and the three of them ran down the right-hand corridor.

They entered the shield generator room to find an active warzone. Team A traded laserfire with Imperial troops from a level below, and Rukh led a team of stormtroopers from a platform across the room.

The three of them opened fire, targeting the troopers in black armor (Kallus couldn't tell if they were Thrawn and Rukh's Death Troopers or just the techs that operated the generator, but it didn't really matter - they were Imperial, they were the enemy). The comms crackled to life again.

"Rex, we need those towers back online, now!" Sabine said.

"I can't get to the control panel, you've got to extend the bridges," Rex countered. Kallus glanced down to find that the clone had moved to crouch behind one of the numerous control stations close to where the bridge would usually be.

Chopper's "Whrr whrr whrr!" sounded through the comms, which Kallus hurriedly translated as "I've got this!" He hoped the droid did indeed have it, but a strangled noise followed by Sabine's, "Ugh, Chopper's been fried! The circuit was protected!" told him otherwise.

"Great! Now what?" Rex asked, sarcasm dripping from his voice. I like this clone, Kallus thought.

"Find an override panel," Sabine instructed. "You should be able to do it manually from there."

Kallus couldn't see if Rex had found one, but he heard the exchange between the old clone and Ketsu.

"Got any ideas?" Rex asked.

"Yep, but I'm gonna stay anyway," Ketsu replied.

When the bridge started to extend and Ketsu exclaimed, "Got it," Kallus figured the former bounty hunter had figured it out. Kallus spared a glance down as Melch, chased by a stormtrooper, ran in on Rex's level, jumped over Hondo's position in the middle of a ring of control panels, and dashed out onto the bridge with a squeal.

"Look at him go!" Hondo shouted, a note of pride in his voice.

Melch squealed again, shooting at whatever troopers he saw. Kallus looked away, back to his own battle, but he could still hear what transpired next.

A blaster bolt must have hit Melch, because the Ugnaught started squealing in pain and Hondo shouted, "No!" Kallus glanced down again for a second to see Hondo run out onto the bridge, shoot down two of the stormtroopers in the direction the shot had come from, and collapse next to his friend, dragging the little soldier onto the opposite platform.

"Melch! What were you thinking?" Hondo asked, though it appeared Melch was dead. "You're not a hero! You're a pirate like me."

Blasterfire intensified over whatever Hondo might have said next, and Kallus returned his attention to his own fight. As Kallus narrowly dodged a bolt, feeling the heat as it whipped past his face, Gregor said, "Even with that bridge extended, there's just too many of 'em! We're gonna have to do something drastic!"

There was a moment of hesitation, and then Zeb said, "Alright. I'll do it."

Momentarily distracted by the fact that the man Kallus loved had just volunteered himself for what was, knowing Zeb, likely going to be a suicide mission, Kallus looked back at him, alarmed. "Zeb?" He turned as Zeb ran for the edge, his eyes widening in panic as he realized what the Lasat was going to do. "Don't -!"

Too late. With a mighty roar, Zeb jumped off the edge of the platform, rolling past a handful of troopers before leaping again and tackling a surprised Rukh out of the way, over the side and into the ring of deactivated generators. Gregor appeared at Kallus' side, looking over the edge in alarm.

"Wh-ah - He's crazy!" Gregor exclaimed, sounding just as shocked as Kallus was.

"Well, it was your idea!" Kallus pointed out, a hint of a snarl entering his tone as he turned his head to glare at Gregor. If Zeb dies, I'm blaming you, he thought. Aloud, refocusing on the fight they were currently in the middle of, Kallus added, "Come on!" He ran out onto the bridge, Gregor right behind him, blasting Imperial techs out of the way as they ran for the control panels. Kallus knocked out one tech before darting cros the ring to the other terminal while Gregor blasted the last tech and took the one behind him. Kallus started typing; he'd been trained for this sort of thing as a backup, and knew Imperial technology well enough to figure out what he didn't know fairly quickly.

Apparently one of the techs was still awake, because Kallus heard a shot and Gregor's cry of pain and turned. Gregor threw the tech over the side, and as Kallus rushed to the clone's side he heard Rex shout, "Gregor!" from below. Kallus caught Gregor as the dying clone stumbled backward, lowering him to the floor as gently as possible.

"Get that shield up," Gregor ordered, voice rough from the pain as he somehow managed to hold himself in a sitting position. He shoved Kallus away, further motivation.

Kallus didn't want to leave him behind, but they were running out of time. He rose to his feet and darted back to the terminal, furiously recalibrating the shield generator.

He glanced below; Zeb had Rukh trapped, and Ketsu was ready on the lever. A few final commands, and the generator was ready.

"I think we're out of time." Hera's voice came through the comms.

"Guys, it's now or never!" Sabine exclaimed.

Ketsu pushed the lever back into position. "Now!"

Kallus looked down. "Zeb...?"

The Lasat looked up at him from the top of the generator. "Don't wait on me!"

Kallus sighed and typed in the final startup command, hoping Zeb could get out of there in time. The generator powered up one sector at a time, and Zeb jumped out of the way just before the lightning-like power surge hit him. Kallus breathed a silent sigh of relief.

Hera's confirmation of victory came over the comms. "Shields up!"

Thank the Force, Kallus thought.

He abandoned the terminal to reach Gregor's side again, laying the clone down as Rex climbed up to be with his dying brother. Kallus stepped back to give them room, feeling a little out of place as he watched Gregor's final moments.

"It was an honor...to serve with you, Rex. It was an honor," Gregor gasped, "to fight with you for something that we chose...to believe in." Gregor slumped back as Rex took his hand.

"Heh...we did it, Gregor," Rex said as Gregor drew his last breath, his hand going slack in Rex's. "We did it."

Kallus left Rex to grieve his friend, making his way over to where Zeb still hung from the edge of the bridge.

"Zeb," Kallus said to announce his presence. "This is quite the predicament you've gotten yourself into."

"Just pull me up, Alexsandr," grumbled Zeb.

Kallus offered his hand, smiling a little at hearing Zeb use his first name, and with only slight difficulty because the Lasat was a lot heavier than he looked, managed to pull Zeb back onto solid footing.

"Heh...thanks," Zeb said. "Hanging there wasn't exactly fun."

Kallus glanced around at the other rebels, who were all taking a moment to breathe before heading back to "base," and proceeded to push Zeb backwards along the bridge until they were relatively hidden from view behind the central tower.

"Whoa! Alexsandr, what are you -?!" Zeb tried to ask, but Kallus effectively cut him off by kissing him.

Hard.

He didn't give a surprised Zeb a chance to respond, either, because he pulled away, glaring at the Lasat.

"Garazeb Orrelios, don't you ever do that to me again!" Kallus scolded. "What were you thinking?! You could have gotten yourself killed! And I can't believe I'm saying this because I never thought it possible, but I won't let you die - for me, for the rebellion, for Ezra, whatever - I won't let you die because I love you!"

Before his nerves could get the better of him, and without letting a stunned Zeb reply, Kallus turned and walked away, head spinning from what he'd just done.

The secret Kallus had kept buried deep within his heart was out now, and all he could do was wait for Zeb to make the next move.

"At night the earth will rise...!
And I'll think of you each time I watch from distant skies...
Whenever stars go down and galaxies ignite...!
I'll think of you each time they wash me in their light...
And fall in love with you again
I will find you...!
A thousand armies won't stop me, I'll break through...!
I'll soar the endless skies for only one sight...
Of your starlight..."

They'd won.

Somehow, against all the odds, they'd won. They'd driven the Empire from Lothal. Thrawn and Ezra were gone, lost somewhere in the Unknown Regions, and Kanan and Gregor were dead, but they'd won.

And they'd decided to stay on Lothal. There was always a chance the Empire would return, and they needed to be ready for them. So they stayed, Phoenix Squadron and Hondo and Vizago and Ketsu and Wolffe and Mart and Ryder's rebels. Despite their losses, despite the sheer unlikeliness of their ragtag group, they had beaten the Empire together, and so together they stayed.

In all the chaos of their escape from and subsequent explosion of the dome, Kallus hadn't been able to find another moment with Zeb when they weren't surrounded by people. He didn't know if that qualified as a good or bad thing - they had yet to talk about the kiss and Kallus' accidentally-on-purpose admission of his feelings, but at the same time Kallus wasn't quite sure he was ready to talk about it yet.

But the conversation had to happen eventually.

Zeb found him back at the base. They'd decided to divide their forces between the city and the base, rotating every two months. The rebels residing in the city would oversee rebuilding and relief efforts that Hera and Rex were in talks with Mon Mothma to send while the ones at the base were technically on active duty for the Rebellion while monitoring for signs of the Empire's return to Lothal. The Ghost's fate was as yet undecided, though Kallus figured the ship would go wherever Hera went. Currently, Vizago, Ketsu, Sabine, Ryder, Wolffe, and Mart were in the city; the rest of them remained at the base.

Kallus was lingering in the cave, unsure what to do with himself while Hera and Rex negotiated with Mon Mothma. Zeb found him there.

"Reminds me of that ice moon," Zeb said. Kallus looked up.

"Except it was slightly brighter there," Kallus reminded him. "Even with the lamps on in here, it's dark."

Zeb chuckled. "Fair enough." He came farther into the cave until he was standing directly across from where Kallus leaned on the wall. "Listen, uh, about earlier..."

Kallus knew immediately what he meant. "I knew we'd have to have this conversation eventually."

Zeb scratched the back of his neck anxiously, his ears slightly flattened with the hesitation. It was actually rather adorable. "Yeah, uh...did you mean what you said? About...loving me?"

Kallus took a deep breath. "Yes," he replied. "Yes, Zeb, I meant what I said. I love you. I never thought it possible, but it is, it's real, and we're here now. I don't know how, I don't know why, but I love you."

Kallus waited, wondering what Zeb's reaction was going to be as the Lasat took in what Kallus had said.

Finally, Zeb smiled. "Good. I was worried that you hadn't meant it."

"You...were?" Kallus asked.

"Yeah. I mean...I hoped you'd meant it. It's kinda hard to be in love on your own," Zeb said.

Kallus raised an eyebrow. "Are you saying what I think you're saying? Because this is a very roundabout way to tell me you love me, Garazeb."

"How about something a little more direct, then?" Zeb smirked, and before Kallus could form a reply he found he didn't have to, because Zeb was kissing him.

Kallus hesitated for a half-second, a little surprised by the suddenness of it, but then returned the kiss in kind. Zeb was gentler with him than Kallus had expected, but he couldn't say he minded - there was something sweet about it. Having been leaning against the wall already probably helped, but Kallus barely felt the stone at his back; his current focus was entirely on Zeb, whose hands were gentle on his waist and the only thing keeping any distance, however small the amount, between their bodies. Unsure exactly what to do, Kallus ended up looping his arms loosely around Zeb's neck, succeeding in pulling the Lasat closer as he tilted his head back, forcing Zeb to move with him to continue the rapidly-getting-heated kiss. Without any prompting from Zeb, Kallus opened his mouth into the kiss, a silent invitation that Zeb took immediately. Kallus moaned softly into the kiss, something that seemed to please Zeb greatly.

Only when air became an absolute necessity did Zeb pull away, and even that seemed reluctant. Both of them stood there catching their breath for a moment before Kallus looked back at Zeb, meeting his lime-green eyes with his own amber ones and trying to puzzle out the expression in Zeb's.

"So..." Zeb trailed off.

"Kiss me again," Kallus half-ordered, half-requested.

Zeb smiled. "I take it that means you liked it?"

Kallus halfheartedly glared at him. "Was my response not answer enough?"

Zeb chuckled. "I love you, Alexsandr."

"Feel free to shorten my name," Kallus told him, tilting his head back again. "'Alexsandr' is a bit of a mouthful."

Zeb half-shrugged. "I like it."

"So you've mentioned," Kallus chuckled.

"So...what's next for us?" Zeb asked, changing the subject.

Kallus looked at him again. "What do you mean?"

"I mean...now that we've established how we feel...what's next?" Zeb asked. "What happens now?"

"Well, that depends," Kallus said. "What do you want to happen now?"

Zeb considered. "I just want you," he said after a moment. "I don't know what that means, exactly, but I want you."

Kallus smiled and kissed him softly. "Then you can have me. Whatever happens next, despite our...complicated history, one thing is absolutely certain: I'm yours."

"Don't leave me lost here forever...
Show me your starlight and pull me through...
Don't leave me lost here forever... (lost here forever)
I need your starlight to pull me through...
(Bring me back to you)
Bring me back to you..."

Of all the thousands of star systems the Empire could have chosen to build their (second) Death Star in, why did they have to pick Endor?

Kallus wasn't complaining about the planet itself - it was a nice world, with a temperate climate and an easy color palette to blend into with the right camouflage. But the Ewok residents were another story entirely.

"Remind me again why we volunteered for the ground assault?" Kallus muttered to Zeb as he watched the Ewoks either converse with Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Leia Organa or pray to C-3PO, the annoying golden protocol droid that accompanied the trio of rebel leaders and was apparently some sort of god to the Ewoks.

"Because Hera forbid us from flying in the Death Star run," Zeb reminded him. "And because I like punching bucketheads."

Kallus chuckled. "That you do." He sighed, staring into the flames of the Ewoks' bonfire resolutely.

Zeb noticed his mood. "What's wrong, Alex?"

"It's just...I suppose we can do more good down here anyway, but things are getting dangerous," Kallus explained. "You heard the reports. The Empire is coming. Our pilots, including Hera, are locked in a death trap above with no way out until we destroy that shield generator, which is impossible while it's so heavily guarded. Our resident Jedi looks like he's contemplting doing something stupid, as Jedi do, and Captain Solo, General Organa, and Commander Rex are trying to enlist the help of a tribe of living teddy bears that are busy praying to a droid. Sabine's up there with Hera leading her own squadron on what is beginning to seem like a suicide mission. Not to mention we left Jacen with Hondo and Vizago back on Lothal - not exactly the best babysitters ever." He sighed again. "It just feels rather impossible, and quite hopeless."

Zeb pulled him close. "It's not hopeless," he said. "We've faced impossible odds before. Besides, look how much the Rebellion has accomplished in the last five years. We've blown up a Death Star, grown our ranks, even liberated a few more worlds. We'll make it through this."

Kallus smiled at him. "How is it that you always know exactly what to say to lift my spirits?"

Zeb smiled back and kissed him lightly. "Time and practice, I guess."

Kallus leaned in contentedly. "Tomorrow will decide this war. One way or the other."

Everyone could see the fireball as it lit up the sky over Endor.

That had been the second Death Star...and the Emperor. Victory codes sang through every rebel ship in the area, and according to Hera, the news was already spreading like wildfire: the Emperor was dead. The war was over. They'd won.

They'd won.

A great cheer arose from the assembled rebels, and amidst the celebration Kallus turned to Zeb, a grin wider than it had ever been lighting up his face.

"We won," Zeb said, sounding slightly shocked.

"We won!" Kallus echoed, and kissed him. "By the Force, Zeb, we won!"

"You know there's gonna be a huge celebration all over the galaxy tonight, right?" Zeb laughed.

Kallus smiled. "Hell yes there is."

Soon after that, the rebel pilots descended, landing at the now-disoperational shield generator to join the rest of them. Luke Skywalker was among the landing pilots; Kallus hadn't even realized the Jedi had left the planet, but then he didn't know Skywalker very well. Lothal was, at this point, rather far removed from the war, and though various members of Phoenix Squadron had left on missions for the Alliance repeatedly, none of them had done something this large-scale since Ezra disappeared.

As night fell, the galaxy celebrated. The Ewoks had lit a huge bonfire, and the rebels gathered with them to drink and laugh and revel in the fact that it was all over. They'd won. The Empire had lost all its leadership in one fell swoop, and the Rebellion would be more than capable of tying up loose ends.

Kallus found himself making the rounds through the party, talking with Rex, Hera, Sabine, Wedge, and a few other familiar faces interchangably. Finally, he ended up once more at Zeb's side.

"Hello, you," Kallus said.

"Fancy running into you here," Zeb teased. "Where've you been all night?"

"Apparently," Kallus replied, "everywhere. I've talked to too many rebels tonight."

"We're not really rebels anymore though, are we?" Zeb asked. "I mean, with the war won and all."

"Ah, who cares," Kallus shrugged. Okay, so maybe he was a little drunk. Pretty much every rebel there was a little drunk, some far more so than others. "We won. We can figure out what that turns the label 'rebel' into later."

"Fair enough," Zeb chuckled.

The pair fell silent, looking out over the laughing, dancing crowd. "Look what we started," Zeb marveled.

"Look how far we've come," Kallus added. "It's been quite the journey, hasn't it?"

"Yeah," Zeb agreed. "To think this time ten years ago we hated each other."

"This time nine years ago you convinced me to question the Empire and everything I believed in on that ice moon," Kallus reminisced. He was building up to something he'd been thinking about for a while. "This time nine years ago you recruited me to the Rebellion. This time nine years ago you opened my eyes." Kallus took Zeb's hands, looking deep into his eyes. "This time nine years ago you saved me. And for that, I will forever be grateful. And now, with all our history behind us and a hopeful future ahead, I think I'm just drunk enough to have the courage to say this..." Kallus got down on one knee, still holding one of Zeb's hands in both his own. "Marry me, Garazeb Orrelios. Marry me and make me the luckiest man in the galaxy."

Zeb looked stunned. "I will," he said after a moment, a smile spreading across his face. "I'll marry you, Alexsandr, I'll marry you."

Kallus smiled, stood again, and kissed him as the fireworks began to explode above their heads. This was truly the start of something new.

A new day. A new beginning. And Kallus couldn't be happier.

"Zeb! Zeb, where'd Jacen run off to?"

"Karabast. Hera's gonna kill us if we manage to lose her son."

"He's got to be around here somewhere. We need to find him."

And so the hunt for little Jacen Syndulla began, with Kallus and Zeb searching through every inch of their little home on Lira San for the elusive little pilot. Hera was on a relief supply run to Bespin, but due to the run being with Lando Calrissian, she'd opted to leave her son with his uncles. Now the kid was missing.

Kallus found him first. "Zeb," he called. "I found him."

Zeb wandered in. Kallus was looking out the window. Jacen had disappeared outside and was playing with a little Lasat girl.

Zeb smiled. "He looks like he's having fun."

"So does the girl," Kallus smiled. "It's good that he's making friends."

Zeb shifted awkwardly. Kallus turned from the window, raising an eyebrow at his husband. "What's up with you?"

Zeb scratched the back of his neck the way he did when he was anxious. "D'you ever think about...adopting kids?"

Kallus shook his head. "Not really." He smiled as it hit him. "Zeb, are you saying you want kids?"

"Well...watching Jacen got me thinking," Zeb said. "There are plenty of orphans out there that need a home. And well..." He smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, I kinda want kids. If you think you're up for it...?"

Kallus kissed him. "Zeb," he said, "I think that's a wonderful idea."

Zeb slid an arm around his waist as they turned their attention back to the window. They'd been through a lot, Kallus thought. But in the end, he wouldn't change a thing.

In the end, it was all worth it.

Phew! Force, that took me for-FUCKING-ever to write because my keyboard hates me. But I hope you liked it! Please leave reviews, I need them to keep me going after the move I went through the day before this was posted. Thanks!