Author's Note:

This is the continuation of the story that I started in "Shadow Chaser". If you haven't read it then it would be best to read it prior to this story. Please, review after you've read each chapter to help make this and future stories better.

"Answer me this," Kallus kept his pace with Valour as he ran alongside her. It had been a while since he'd been able to run; both due to his previous injury as well as being cooped up on the ship recently. No, he wasn't as strong or fast as he had been during their last run together but it did feel good to actually be out running. "When Kanan, and even Ezra, has had to run from the Empire, they never seem to have an issue with running no matter how fast they had to go. I thought that this was a force-type enhancement."

Kiara came to a stop since there was no way she could carry on a conversation while trying to run. She only had enough air in her lungs for one. She concentrated on slowing her breathing before she answered Alex's annoying question.

"Maybe it is was. Different people have different talents. Just like Ezra had the gift of connecting with animals. Plus, they are faster in general. If I drew on the force, I could run faster now but that wouldn't help me in the long run if I want to be able to run faster without the force. Like if the force suppression weapon is taken back up again and used. I can't just depend on the force."

Kallus considered what Valour said and nodded. Yes. Now that they knew that the Empire had tinkered with force suppression weapons (both Thrawn and Dume's scientists) building up strength and abilities outside of the force would be important. Both Kiara and Kanan had been forced to learn to go without their abilities that had been part of their lives for so long while on their respective ships. The experimental proton torpedo that had delivered an experimental concoction of some sort still affected both ships.

He waited for Valour to catch her breath before leading the way back to the base that they'd come to see Kanan on. Unfortunately, the crew of the Ghost had been sent on a mission and weren't here when they arrived. He had been told that they should arrive back either today or tomorrow, though. They had come to the base so that Kiara and Kanan could discuss his force vision more in depth than they had while communicating through subspace.

It had been the first vision that the man had gotten in regards to his apprentice since his disappearance from Lothal. He knew that the Ghost family all were clinging to this vision to help them bring their missing member back to them. Still, while visions weren't his area of expertise, what little that the man had said in his transmission to his sister hadn't sounded promising. Ezra can't return on his own and things are about to change. What did that even mean? If things were about to change, could they stop it? Can they help Ezra return?

As they approached the base the two looked up to see the Ghost approach. Kallus knew that Kiara would go and discuss her brother's vision with him so he headed back to the Shadow Chaser to get cleaned up. Once he was and had a fresh outfit on he went back to the living quarters that Kanan stayed in with his small family. When he got there he was let in by Garazeb. The rest of the crew were just waiting for the two force users to come out of their meditations. From what he could gather, Kiara was trying to help Kanan recall the vision and perhaps allow her to see or sense what the other couldn't.

Kiara focused on Kanan's vision and saw an assortment of images that she tried to catch the meaning of. There was a young boy. Not Ezra. There were purrgil; not surprising, really. There were images of more people she'd never met. Men and women of varying species. Loth-wolves. But most importantly, the overwhelming sense of helplessness and dread. The part that had most distressed Kanan. Like Ezra was trying to reach out to the rest of them but was being pushed away.

After a while, both siblings pulled out of their meditation and realized that the others were looking at them expectantly. Sadly, Kiara couldn't tell them that she could make any more of the visions than Kanan had. Her vision that she had before Kanan's incident on Lothal had been pretty straightforward in comparison. If she didn't intervene then he would die on that fuel pod. But this, it wasn't just one event on repeat. It was more vague. Still, there was one thing that she figured that she could do.

"Maybe going back to Lothal could help. After all, the Loth-wolves are just about the only specific marker for the vision. The rest, I only recognized the purrgil but... Well, they still are as much of a mystery as anything else."

"But we can't go back," Hera said with a shake of her head. "At least not right now. With so much going on. We're even supposed to help another cell set up their new base soon."

Kallus nodded. He had been asked to help, too, but he figured that they had enough time to at least make a quick trip to Lothal before then going to Hoth. "Perhaps Kanan can fly to Lothal with us and we could catch up with you after they have had the chance to see if there is anything there that could help them figure out the vision?"

Kanan considered the idea. But he also knew that there was another reason why he should go to Hoth. There was another force user that he'd been contacted regarding. In fact, it was the former princess of Alderaan who had been the one who had reached out to him. She wanted him to help a friend with his force training. Apparently, Master Kenobi had been the one to start off his training, himself. He had been sure that the man had died years ago. Still, he couldn't refuse the request. From what he had heard, the young man was the same age as Ezra and was even the one who had been the fighter pilot who had finally gotten the shot in that destroyed the Death Star.

"I can't. Not right now," Kanan finally said with a shake of his head. "After we get the cell set up I'll request some time away from the Rebellion to go to Lothal."

Kallus raised a brow but didn't press the matter. "Alright. Well, Kiara? Do you know what we should do when we get to Lothal?"

"Not really but I guess we'll figure it out when we get there," Valour shook her head as she thought about the images she'd seen in the vision.

"Hey, before you go," Sabine pulled out a box that she'd brought with her. "Kanan had me work on something for you."

Kiara looked between Kanan and then Sabine who was holding out a box for her. She opened it up and saw that there were a type of Mandalorian wrist shields.

"What's this?"

Kanan smoothed his hair down as he answered her question. "I know you didn't want to train with a lightsaber since you aren't a Jedi and you don't intend to become one..."

Kiara reached into the box and pulled out the gauntlets and after a moment of examination she put them on as Sabine continued where Kanan left off.

"He wanted to see if I could figure out a way to use the kyber crystals that were in the Inquisitor's double-bladed lightsaber that you came across back last year. I've figured out a way to use them as a shield but can also be used to go on the offensive if needed."

Kiara looked at the pair with suspicion and doubt for a second before activating the devices. A pure white light illuminated from the devices in the shape of small personal shields from each wrist but she could sense the life of the crystals inside. They were no longer the red that they had been when the dark acolytes had bled them to use them in their lightsabers.

"It took me a while to purify the kyber crystals. I actually had to focus on the means that I intended for them before they agreed to become your crystals," Kanan said as he sensed his sister examining the new devices. "And you will have the only shields like this in the galaxy. Sabine Wrenn originals."

Kiara chuckled. "I feel honored." She then said seriously, "Thank you. Both of you. Let's just hope that I won't need to use them anytime soon."

"Agreed," Kallus said as he walked closer to look over the new gift that the two members of the Ghost crew had worked on to give to Kiara. When she had activated the shields it gave the familiar whoosh and hum that he'd come to associate with the ancient weapons of the Jedi. Truly, a one of a kind type of weapon. Designed as a shield that will be able to withstand the assault of a lightsaber. "But I must say, I don't envy the individual who will be the first to have these weapons tested against them."

Kiara deactivated the shields. She and Alex wouldn't leave right now. They'd wait a couple of days so that they could get caught up on everything else with the crew, and the leadership could always use Kallus's input on missions and such when he was around. Kiara would enjoy her time spent with the rest of the family in the meantime before they left.

Hours later, Kallus headed back to the Shadow Chaser to grab a datapad that he'd left behind with some information that he'd been working on regarding a project that he'd been asked to look into. When he did he found that Kiara had taken Hera and Kanan's little boy back to the ship with her. She volunteered to watch him while the others were in a meeting. She was walking him around in the common area of the ship and would even release the small toddler as he tried to balance on his own for a step or two before she returned her hands to support him.

"I can't believe he's gotten so big so quickly," Kallus chuckled from the doorway.

Kiara turned her head and smiled. "Not so quickly. We've just all had a lot going on that we sort of haven't been able to pay attention. Not to mention, we've been away so much." Kiara swooped the little boy up into her arms and walked over to Alexsandr. "Want to hold him for me real quick? I need to go to the refresher."

Kallus's eyes grew wide as she stood waiting for him to reach out to take the little boy from her. "I..."

Kiara snickered when he hesitated. "Relax. He's not as small as he used to be and it will only be for a minute. It isn't like you've been recruited with minding him for a few hours by yourself."

Kallus awkwardly accepted the little boy as Kiara headed down the corridor toward the refresher. He walked further into the common room and figured that if he was going to be responsible for the little boy then maybe he needed to sit down. That way if he dropped the squirming child he'd be closer to the deck plates. Kallus carefully sat on the couch and then shifted the boy onto it beside of him instead of continuing to hold him.

A mistake since he no longer had a firm hold on the child. He squirmed and started to go over the side of the couch so that he could walk along the side of the furniture. After a step or two Jacen stumbled and fell backwards onto his bottom. Kallus moved forward to put a hand behind the child's head to prevent it from hitting the deck plates but fortunately he didn't go all of the way backwards. When the child twisted around to start crawling instead Kallus let out a breath of relief and eyed the corridor towards the refresher where Kiara had gone.

What was taking her so long?

Jacen moved over to where a bag of toys had been brought along for him and he started to rummage through it to find a stuffed animal that he seemed to be looking for and started to babble along to it.

"If only you could have seen yourself," Kiara finally said from the doorway while laughing softly. "I think you couldn't have look more terrified when I first handed him over to you than if you were told to watch over a gundart."

"Very funny," Kallus stood from where he'd been watching the young boy for the last few minutes and made for a quick escape. "Now, I have a meeting to return to. I only came back for this," Kallus held up the datapad in his hand.

Kiara moved from the door and let him pass with a smile. "Alexsandr Kallus; former Jedi hunter, former ISB Agent, and current member of the Rebellion leadership. Yet you are intimidated by a small child. I like finding ways to throw you off balance."

"I've never had cause to be around children, before. Well, not those too young to work for the Empire, at least."

"Neither have I," Kiara pointed out. "But I've learned to get used to a lot of new things in recent years. At least here on the ship, the force suppression bubble is still active. That means that Jacen can't use the force to get into trouble."

Kallus paused as he considered the child and the potential ability use the force already. "Like how?"

Kiara shrugged and answered, "Not sure. I know Kanan has been trying to work with Jacen to help him learn what his son may try to do when out at the living area of the base. I just didn't want to take any chances which is why I brought him here." Kiara put a finger on Kallus's chest before adding, "You aren't the only one who doesn't want to get overwhelmed by small child. I figured that if I was going to watch him alone for a few hours, not minutes like you just did, I'd best use the only advantage that I had. My own ship and home."

"You always seemed like you knew what you were doing in the past."

Kiara snorted. "Holding a baby a few feet from their parents is vastly different than taking care of one alone."

"I suppose it is," Kallus agreed before he left.

Two days later, both Valour and Kallus were seen off by the crew of the Ghost. No one knew what to expect when the two went to Lothal but they all maintained hope. After all, it was all that they had to hold onto.

Kiara and Alex set course for the planet that was the home of the Loth-wolves. It was the only real clue from the vision that they understood. They'd been trying to research the purrgil with little success. Kiara hoped to be able to try again with them once the ship's force suppression bubble dissipated. For now, they would concentrate on contacting the Loth-wolves. They had a strong connection to the force and had shown that they had a special place for not just Ezra but her and Kanan as well. Kiara hoped that would be enough to at least find out what the next step to finding the young man would be.

The two then left for the living area of the ship since it would take a rotation to get to Lothal. Tac would remain in the cockpit just to keep watch for any changes in their scans that Kiara had continued to run on frequency zero. That meant that the two former Imperials were able to head to bed in preparation for the next day.

Alex drifted off to sleep with Kiara tucked up between him and the wall of his bunk. The bunk wasn't really designed for two but they made it work when they wanted. This was certainly one of the better aspects of his life away from the Empire or even on the Shadow Chaser rather than the Ghost. As he fell into a dreamless sleep he rested a hand on the back of Kiara's head which she had resting on his chest.

Hours later, the ship rocked as if it had slammed into another vessel. The jolt was strong enough to send Kallus out of the bunk. He woke up in a daze and looked around from the deck plate. When another jolt tilted the ship he called out for Tac to report as he struggled to stand up and grabbed his trousers.

"We have been pulled out of hyperspace."

"By what?" Kallus asked as Kiara quickly got presentable as well.

"The purrgil, it would appear."

"That's a change," Kiara said exasperated. "I searched for months to find them the last time. Now they've come looking for us."

"But why?"

"I don't know, Alex. But I wish they would take it easy on my ship." She figured she'd best get to the cockpit to see about getting the ship out of the path the spacefaring creatures.

If it wasn't for the force suppression bubble that was still active around the ship, thanks to Moff Dume, Kiara would have tried to go out into space to try to connect with the creatures to see what had caused them to be upset with them. But for right now, there wasn't a way to really communicate with them. With the next strike to the ship it began to tilt end over end repeatedly; causing both humans to be knocked around hitting the walls, ceiling, and deck plates.

Tac used his boosters to fly around the ship to check on his mistress and master and grew concerned when they both were found unconscious floating around the ship where the gravity systems had been damaged. And that wasn't the only one. Among nearly half the systems that had been knocked out, life support was among them. That meant that he needed to start repairing them as quickly as possible before the ship lost either too much breathable air or heat.