Previously on The Long Way Round . . .

"Is Ezra okay?" She asked Kanan. "He pushed away my greeting this morning."

—

"You're connected with every living thing in the universe," said Kanan. "But to discover that, you need to let your guard down. You have to be willing to attach to others."

—

"TIE pilots on search patrols? What's going on?"

"Imperials have locked down the ports and put destroyers in orbit. It's a full planetary blockade."

—

Ezra nodded, grasping a card of some sort. He looked up at her. "The rodian the Empire is after, Tseebo. I know where he is."

—

"You were coming here today," Kanan realized. "This was your home, wasn't it? Where you grew up?"

"I grew up on the streets, alone." Ezra shoved the door open.

—

Tseebo perked up when Ezra was out of earshot. "Ezra Bridger. Son of Ephraim and Mira Bridger. Born fifteen years ago today."

"Oh . . . Empire Day," Sabine put together. "It's Ezra's birthday."

—

Kanan crossed his arms. "I'm surprised, honestly. I never would have thought you possessed a rare ability like this."

"Why is it only surfacing now?" She asked.

"Whatever happened here with Ezra's parents left an impression, not just on him but in the Force as well. This must be the first time it's strong enough to pick up."

—

"The secrets in his head must be damaging to the Empire," Kanan realized. "We'll need to smuggle him off Lothal."

"We gotta smuggle him out of town first," Sabine said.

—

The ship jolted harshly. She lurched in her seat, checking the shields. "The shields can't take much more of this!"

Hera clenched her jaw, a motion Gemini recognized as Hera's game face. They were in for a rough ride.

And now the conclusion . . .

"Chopper, I'm rolling us starboard. Be ready to fire those rear guns," Hera ordered.

Instead of Chopper, Zeb's voice came through the speakers. "Karabast! Chopper's down! I've got you covered Hera. Roll away!"

Hera rolled sharply to the right. Gemini looked at their scanners. "Zeb got one!" More blips appeared on their scopes. "But we've got more TIEs incoming." The ship jolted harshly.

Hera cursed. "Sabine, I need you in the nose gun, now!" She rolled slightly, dodging more incoming fire. "Someone want to explain to me why we're extra popular tonight?"

Kanan spoke up as Gemini pressed a few more buttons on the scanner. "We've picked up a passenger, the rodian the Imperials are hunting."

"And he's important because . . ."

Sabine spoke up next. "Because his cybernetic implant has downloaded half the Empire's secrets."

"Okay, I can see why that's important. Let's get him out of here."

Another barrage hit the Ghost. The console in front of her sparked, spewing out smoke. She waved it away, coughing. "Shields are down!"

"Ezra, I need you in the cockpit!" Hera said.

"Yeah, on my way."

As soon as Ezra entered the cockpit, Gemini immediately knew that something had happened. He was angry and upset, much more so than he was earlier.

"Ezra, nav-computer's offline. With Chopper down I need you to fix it."

"That's not exactly my speciality," Ezra said nervously, crouching down to the console.

"Well, make it your specialty and make it fast," Hera ordered, "or this ship becomes a real ghost."

Gemini looked up at the two Star Destroyers nervously, eyes widening at the large group of TIEs coming straight for them. "We could really use that nav-computer, Ezra."

"I'm rewiring as fast as I -"

Tseebo entered the cockpit suddenly. "For fast travel over interstellar distances, hyperspace is optimal." Tseebo crouched, reaching under the console.

"What is he doing?" Hera asked. She dodged incoming fire from the TIEs, glancing downward when the nav-computer beeped. "I don't believe it. Hang on!" She ship jumped to hyperspace, placing them far out of reach of the Empire.

Ezra helped straighten Tseebo as Hera stood to her feet and placed her hands on her hips. "Uh, Hera. This is Tseebo."

"And did Tseebo just signal hyperspace coordinates directly to my ship?"

"That would be my guess."

"Well, then, thank you, Tseebo." Hera sighed. "I think you saved our lives."

Ezra rolled his eyes, walking out of the cockpit. "Yeah, I guess there's a first time for everything," he said bitterly.

Hera eyed him as he left. She turned around, raising an eyebrow at her.

Gemini shrugged. "Don't look at me, I have no idea what's up with him."

Hera sighed. "C'mon."

Gemini stood, gently leading Tseebo back to the common room. Zeb was dragging Chopper to the middle of the room, where Hera and Sabine had already crouched down and grabbed tools to fix him.

Ezra was sitting at the dejarik table, fiddling with his fingers awkwardly. She reached out, probing his mental shields. They were up so high there was no way he didn't have a headache. She could tell he was trying to seem normal, but she felt his anger towards Tseebo. He was doing an almost decent job of hiding it, she had to admit.

Kanan was standing by Tseebo, waving a hand in front of his eyes.

She decided to stand by the door, close enough to Ezra to keep an eye on him.

"So, now what do we do with him?" Ezra asked.

Kanan waved his hand in front of Tseebo's face again. "We have a few ideas." He walked over to the table, putting his hands on it. "But you're the one who has history with Tseebo. What do you think we should do?"

Ezra grabbed his helmet off of the seat next to him, putting it on. "Don't know, don't much care."

"Ezra, you'll never advance as a Jedi if you can't be honest, with yourself, at least."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ezra got up and walked off.

Kanan grabbed Ezra's helmet and removed it from his head. "It means Tseebo matters to you. You do care what happens to him."

"Why should I?" Ezra pointed angrily at Tseebo. "He did nothing to save my parents."

"What could he have done against the entire Empire?" Kanan asked.

Sabine stood up. "And besides, look at what he's done since." She walked over to Tseebo, grabbing his implant. "The Imperials encourage these implants, but they're not mandatory. Not yet. He must have volunteered, then uploaded their secrets and ran. Maybe he's trying to make up for letting you down." She turned back to Ezra. "Why else would he take on the Empire alone?"

Tseebo's implant whirred. He then said something in a language gemini couldn't understand.

Sabine's eyes widened. "He said the Empire can track the Ghost."

Zeb scoffed. "Oh, please. The Imperials can't follow us through hyperspace, can they?"

Tseebo projected an image of what some sort of device. "Imperial XX-23 S-thread tracker was developed by Sienar Systems to trace ships through hyperspace to destination."

Kanan turned to Hera. "Hera, could they have tagged us with that thing?"

"I guess we'd better find out." She finished up with Chopper, booting him up. It took a second, but he started waving his arms around and chirping vehemently. "Whoa, calm down, Chop. You were just off-line for a few minutes." Chopper calmed down, and she sighed in relief. "We need you to scan the Ghost for that." She pointed to the hologram.

Chopper chirped.

"Stop grumbling and find that tracker, you rust bucket!" Zeb escorted a grumbling Chopper out of the room.

Gemini rolled her eyes, turning back to the hologram of the tracker. She tilted her head, thinking. If the Force was everywhere, and she could use it to find people, though maybe not Chopper, maybe she could use it to find the tracker too. She closed her eyes, opening herself to the Force. She could feel Ezra's irritation and anger stronger now, as well as Kanan's curiosity when he noticed what she was doing. She reached out, allowing the Force to guide her.

If the Empire had tagged them, it would logically be somewhere on the rear hull of the ship. She ran her senses over the back of the ship, pausing when she came across an anomaly on the hull of the Phantom. Whatever it was, it didn't belong there.

She grinned, opening her eyes. "I found it."

Kanan raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Oh?"

She nodded. "It's on the hull of the Phantom."

—

Everyone was currently in the cockpit of the Ghost, looking at a hologram of the ship. The hull of the Phantom was highlighted in red, signifying the location of the tracker.

"So they did tag us," Sabine asked.

"Yes," Hera confirmed, "but the good news is the tracer's actually on the hull of the Phantom."

Gemini crossed her arms from her spot in the co-pilot's chair, smirking at Kanan.

"How is that good news, exactly?" Zeb asked.

Kanan walked closer to the hologram. "It'll allow us to detach the Phantom and lure the Imperials away from the Ghost and Tseebo."

Sabine raised her voice in shock. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! You want to detach while in hyperspace? Do you know how incredibly dangerous that is?"

"Not as dangerous as what I plan to do with the ship."

Zeb rolled his eyes. "Can't wait to hear this."

Kanan crossed his arms. "I checked our current trajectory." He looked at Hera. "If you can modify the hyperspace coordinates . . ."

"I could . . ."

". . . then we can pass by the asteroid field where the old clone base is."

Sabine narrowed her eyes. "You mean the base with the nasties who live in the shadows?"

Ezra spoke up for the first time. "Wait, what? Why would we want to go down there?"

"He's right, Kanan. Why not just drop the Phantom into our trail and let the Imperials chase after their tracker?"

Gemini sighed. "Because it's not that simple, Hera. The Inquisitor is with them."

"She's right," Kanan agreed. "Back on Lothal I sensed it. As long as Gemini, Ezra and I are on board the Ghost, we're jeopardizing Tseebo's escape."

Ezra's Force rose up in anger. "So I gotta leave the Ghost and go to this nasty-filled asteroid as a favor to Tseebo?"

"As a favor to all of us," Kanan corrected. "And don't worry. Gem and I'll be right beside you."

Ezra exhaled sharply, crossing his arms and leaving the cockpit. Zeb rolled his eyes and left as well, closely followed by Sabine.

As soon as she was alone with Kanan and Hera, she turned to Kanan sheepishly. "I suppose you're going to want me to fill Hera in?"

"You would guess right," he confirmed with a smirk.

Hera looked at her expectantly.

She opened her mouth to say something, but couldn't find the right words. Instead, she took a deep breath, drawing on the feeling when she touched Ezra's couch earlier. She tilted her head, describing the images she saw. "I see blaster fire, bodies scattered around fallen debris. You're there, standing right in the path of a falling catwalk. You spot him, and stretch out your hand to stop him from getting hurt. Instead, he turns his gaze upward, stretches out his hand, and suspends the catwalk centimeters from your heads. There's amazement in your eyes when you realize what he is, then understanding. You smile, taking his hand and pulling him away."

She opened her eyes, allowing the images to fade. Both Hera and Kanan were staring at her in amazement.

Hera spoke first, unable to form a complete sentence. "H-how did you - that was -"

"That was the day Hera found out I was a Jedi," Kanan spoke for her. "I don't understand."

Gemini shrugged. "I don't understand either. I simply drew on what I felt at Ezra's house, and described what I saw in the Force."

Hera took a deep breath. "So you can see memories?"

"From what I understand, past events can leave imprints, or echoes in the Force. I have the ability to read them." She sighed, crossing her arms. "It's cool, sure, but it still doesn't help us figure out who I am."

"Well, maybe not," Kanan said, "But it certainly helps narrow it down. Like I said earlier, in order to use your ability, you have to be born with it. That fact plus the fact that you most likely escaped from an Imperial prison, helps us narrow it down."

Hera smiled kindly, putting a hand on her knee. "We are going to figure this out, Gemini."

She smiled back. "Thanks." She stood to her feet. "I'll head up to the Phantom."

Kanan stood up after her. "I'll get Ezra and meet you there."

She stopped by her room to quickly shrug on her jacket. She climbed the ladder into the Phantom to see Ezra pulling a seat down.

"Strap in," Kanan ordered. He continued as she settled into her seat. "Prepping for separation," he announced. "Once we're out of hyperspace, we'll head towards the asteroid base and lead the Empire there."

"You sure about this? You won't be any more welcome there than the Imperials."

"That's what I'm counting on."

"Just be safe. And Gemini? Look out for them."

She smiled. "I will."

"Ready for separation."

Kanan pressed a few more buttons. "Copy that, Ghost."

As Hera started her countdown, a bundle of nerves rose uncomfortably in her stomach. She gripped her seat nervously, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath.

At Hera's order, Kanan detached the Phantom. The shuttle shook horribly, and bright light shone all around them as they suddenly exited hyperspace. She reached out to steady herself, trying to focus on the cool metal of the shuttle and not on the awful spinning sensation.

The Phantom gradually steadied, coming to a stop. Kanan was breathing heavily. "Okay, okay." He chuckled, trying to sound nonchalant. "That was the easy part."

She and Ezra stood to their feet shakily as Kanan approached the asteroid. "Should we go over the plan again?" Ezra asked.

"I never told you the plan," Kanan countered.

"Exactly."

"You remember the nasty creatures Hera and Sabine found here?"

"I didn't exactly meet them, but yeah."

"Well, I'm gonna need you to connect with them like I was trying to teach you before if we're going to survive this."

She fiddled with her fingers nervously. "Is now the best time for a lesson?"

"No, but I figure it's learning like he does best, by surviving."

"Kanan, I can't," he insisted. "I'm afraid."

Kanan chuckled. "I got news for you, kid. Everyone's afraid, but admitting it as you just did makes you braver than most, and it's a step forward."

"Yeah, into the jaws of a nightmare." Ezra began to breath heavily as Kanan edged the shuttle into the hangar. Ezra tried to calm himself down, but judging by the quiver in his voice it wasn't working.

The shuttle landed with a thud. "I'll get the tracking device off the Phantom," Kanan said as he opened the back hatch. He pointed two fingers at the pair of them. "You two get to make some new friends." He placed his hands on Ezra's shoulders, gently guiding him out of the Phantom. "Here we go."

She and Ezra walked a little further into the hangar. Ezra looked at her nervously. "You're not scared of those things?" He gestured to the growing number of glowing eyes in the darkness.

"Oh, I am," she said confidently. "I'm just better at hiding it." She swallowed, reaching out with the Force. Those things were getting closer, coming in groups of two or three at a time.

Ezra extended a hand shakily as they came even closer. "One with the Force . . . Once with the Force . . ."

"You don't sound very one with the Force," she commented.

"Shut up! I'm trying."

"Are you, though?"

The creatures crawled closer as Ezra tried and failed to make a connection with them. She herself was trying, but the doubt and fear projecting from Ezra was insanely distracting.

One of the creatures screeched, making to claw at them, but she felt Kanan stretch out with his Force, barely forcing the creatures back. "You're blocked! Let go."

"I can't!"

More and more of the creatures emerged from the darkness. "Don't be afraid," Kanan tried.

"I'm not afraid of them," Ezra said, clenching his eyes shut.

"Then what?"

"I don't know."

She groaned. "Yes you do! You've been projecting doubt and fear all day, Ezra!" She stepped closer to the Phantom, the creatures getting dangerously close.

"I . . "

"Ezra!" Kanan demanded. "What are you afraid of?"

"I'm afraid of . . . I'm afraid of knowing. I'm afraid of the truth!"

One of the creatures in front of her snarled, crouching in preparation. "Ezra!"

The next words Ezra spoke rippled through the Force. "I'm sorry!" He said. "I'm sorry, I forgive you Tseebo!"

She closed her eyes, taking in the change in the Force. She opened them, only to be met with one of the strangest sights she had ever seen in her life.

Ezra stood with his hand outstretched, focusing in the Force. The creatures that had been dead-set on eating them only moments before were now sitting calmly on their haunches, looking expectedly at Ezra.

Ezra's own Force was drastically different than it was only a few moments ago. It was calmer; the doubt and fear nowhere in sight. She knew in that moment that connecting with animals would be one of Ezra's talents.

She looked at Kanan, who seemed just as surprised as she was. This was going a lot better than she thought it would.

—

Gemini felt the Imperial shuttle when it landed, as well as the moment the Grand Inquisitor set foot on the asteroid. They were getting closer now.

She released her fear into the Force, focusing on her meditation for the time being. She felt Kanan and Ezra to her right, glowing brightly in the Force, as well as the creatures' rudimentary signatures all around them.

She raised a hand and gave the mental command when the troopers spotted them. The creatures leapt without hesitation, attacking them instantly. The stormtroopers started firing wildly, screaming when one of them met their end.

The Inquisitor's Force flared with darkness. "This was your plan? To lure us here and allow these creatures to do your work for you?"

Kanan stood to his feet and ignited his saber, his own Force flaring with light. "How do you think it's going?"

She winced slightly when one of the creature's signatures went out suddenly. "Pathetically," The Inquisitor answered.

"I guess if you want something done right," Kanan said, charging at the Inquisitor.

She focused on her breathing, focused on the creatures that were still alive and guided them to their enemy. She felt Ezra beside her doing the same, targeting the remaining stormtroopers. The Force rippled, alerting her when Kanan was knocked unconscious. Her eyes snapped open, standing to her feet and allowing Ezra to pull his saber towards him.

She locked eyes with the Inquisitor, who simply started to laugh. "I will give you one last chance, girl. Join me freely, and I might let your friends live."

"I already told you: not gonna happen." She was proud of the confidence in her voice.

"Very well. Subject 2-0-1-4, report for duty."

Her mind exploded with pain. She cried out, gripping her head and falling to her knees.

"What are you doing, again?" She asked Icheb. "I thought you had already programmed the nano probes to the Doctor's satisfaction."

"I have," he confirmed, his gaze fixed to the monitor in front of him. "I simply wish to account for all passible problems you may encounter in the future."

She chuckled, sliding slowly off the bed in Sick Bay. "You can't think of everything, Icheb."

"To do so would be impossible," he agreed. "I am simply ensuring that the nano probes will be able to respond quickly if I cannot."

She raised an eyebrow. "You're programming Borg nano probes to adapt?"

"Put simply, yes." He paused, looking up at her. He smiled. "You are the first person on this ship I ever truly felt . . . close to." He stepped closer to her. "I don't want anything else to happen to one of my only friends on this ship."

She smiled. "Don't worry.

In a way, a part of you will always be protecting me."

Her vision cleared again, the pain splitting her skull fading. She sat there for a moment, breathing heavily. "If that never happens to me again, it'll be too soon." She chuckled tiredly. "Thanks for the assist, Icheb."

"No!"

The air turned cold. Pebbles started lifting off the ground, the Force flaring warningly around her.

Ezra was angry, so incredibly angry. Behind him had to be the mother or queen of the creatures they had been using. It rose up behind Ezra, flaring its nostrils in anger. Ezra thrust out his hand, commanding it to attack the Inquisitor. The creature roared, leaping toward the Inquisitor, and Ezra collapsed.

She ran forward, ignoring the pain in her head flaring again, and knelt next to Ezra. Kanan was beside Ezra in another instant, cradling Ezra's head in his hands. "Ezra."

His eyes fluttered open. "Kanan? What happened? Is Gemini okay? I feel so cold."

"I-I know. We're both okay. We're leaving." He looked at her questioningly.

"I-I'm okay, too. I'll go prep the Phantom." She ran off without another word, running past the Inquisitor and the huge beast and entering the Phantom. Kanan entered a few moments later.

"Go!"

She grasped the controls, lifting the Phantom off the ground. She fired at the Imperial shuttle as she flew past, hearing it explode behind them.

She didn't relax when they were well out of range. Even when Kanan explained what Ezra had done she looked straight ahead, knowing she would probably break down if she met Kanan's concerned gaze.

She felt Ezra's Force probe hers through their bond, she quietly accepted it, allowing herself one last moment of acceptance before she told them what had happened; before they all hated her.

—

A few days later, Ezra asked to speak with her privately. They sat in her shared room with Sabine quietly for a few moments before Ezra asked her what had happened that day. He said he had felt something break through their bond. He described Icheb, and asked her if she had known him before.

She broke then, her indifference towards her situation crumbling in an instant. She instinctively reached for Ezra through the Force, feeling only kindness and acceptance. She took a deep breath, gathering her thoughts.

She told Ezra everything. About her world, how she had been born to unloving parents, how she had faked her father's signature to get into Starfleet, and about the accident that had brought her there. Ezra never said a word, just sitting quietly and letting her talk.

After she had caught him up on everything that had happened, including her theory on how she somehow had a past here, the only thing he said was that she should tell the others. When she asked him why he wasn't angry or upset with her about lying to him and how he could believe her at all, he simply said he understood what it was like, being thrown into a world that he didn't understand.

She felt a weight lifted from her shoulders. Ezra believed her; even more than that, he accepted her anyway. And when she told everyone else, Ezra was right by her side when they said the exact same thing.