From Flames, I Soar

by Kurenaino

With the Empire at the height of its power and the shadow of a greater threat hanging above all those who would oppose Palpatine, the Specters, led by former Jedi Padawan Kanan Jarrus, are forced to contend with the Sith Lord that set the galaxy ablaze. Sequel to In Chaos, I Thrive.

51. Homecoming

AN: HOLY SHIT.

Guys, this chapter took longer because it's basically two chapters in one. Really, it's the longest one yet. Some things happened in it I wasn't anticipating and...well, you know how it is. From this point on, I'm rushing headlong into our act two finale, I have the next...four or five chapters planned out exactly, and all other projects are on hold until these are done because I've been wanting to write these chapters for a LONG time. Don't expect lightning fast updates, since the chapters are going to be long, but trust me, I'll be working on it.

Let me know what you think, kids! Character development here, lots and lots of it!

Chapter 51: Homecoming

There was something off about Kenobi. Something that had changed in the short time he had been gone, and Ezra couldn't quite put his finger on what that something was. He had mentioned it to Kanan, and the Jedi was quick to brush it off, told him that Obi-Wan simply had his hands full with the training of his two former Inquisitors and the education and integration of the Gemini into the greater rebellion, but it was clear that Kanan had seen the same thing Ezra did. Obi-Wan was distracted, the strain of almost frantic desperation undercutting his every action, his every mission, the very feel of him as he restlessly stalked and paced during their strategy meetings.

Ezra had only really seen Kenobi in passing, not long enough to ask the Sith Lord if he could spare the time for some training, which the teenager was using as an excuse to have a chance at discovering the source of his troubles. So after the Ghost's last mission to secure desperately needed fuel from an Imperial depot, a mission where Ezra had made massive strides in his own powers and discovered, perhaps, the heart of where his talents lay, he had the reason he needed to seek out his Dark Side teacher and show what he had learned from the Purrgil. Massive, deep-space creatures that had a natural ability to fly through hyperspace, the Purrgil were considered dangerous by most because of their propensity for flying directly into ships in the hyperspace lanes, resulting in enough deaths to cause most pilots to fire upon them on sight.

When the creatures showed up in a massive swarm near the Imperial Depot where the Spectres were stealing their fuel, their presence was enough to distract Ezra from the mission entirely, his attention drawn to the soft, gentle pull of the Force calling him toward the lumbering Purrgil. It was enough to put his life in danger, enough to make him an easy target, and when his life was in danger, the Purrgil inexplicably saved him, and the teenager formed a deep, almost instant connection with the creatures, giving him an almost perfect understanding of them, even though they could not openly communicate. They understood each other on a deeper level, and in the end, it was Ezra's connection, the gentle harmony between him and the swarm of creatures most considered a menace, that allowed them to be as successful as they were.

When the Ghost landed on Dagobah to meet with Kenobi after their separate missions Ezra immediately bounded out of the ship in search of the Sith Lord only to be stopped by Cody, the clone adamant that Obi-Wan was in communion with the Force deep inside a cave where the Dark Side was strong, a cold nexus strong enough to even mask the powerful presence of the tiny Jedi Grandmaster that lived in isolation within the swamps. With a defeated sigh, Ezra dragged his feet across the damp, loamy ground, resolved to ask Kanan to train with him instead when he caught sight of someone he had been itching to get to know better ever since he first saw him fly.

The Gemini Agents.

Or, at least one of them. The boy, Luke, he recalled from their brief, rushed introduction on Lothal, was clad in highly valued armor of blue and gold, his helmet resting on the wing of his starfighter, a black X-Wing accented with lines of bright green running along the ship's length, his golden blond hair in a state of slight disarray as he quietly tended to Kenobi's massive rancor. Ezra could feel himself grinning, and before he knew it, he was stomping toward the blond boy, the opportunity to get to know the young talent too good to pass up, to say nothing of the excitement he felt for getting a chance to spent time with another boy roughly his age. The chance he had before, the few days spent in Phoenix Home after their successful theft of the Hammerhead Corvettes, he had only seen Luke in passing, despite his best efforts, and always in the presence of Obi-Wan, which didn't give Ezra the freedom he wanted to talk with the young pilot. But now...

"Hey, Luke!" Ezra called, the boy swiftly turning to face him and holding his hands behind his back as if he were hiding something, and Ezra couldn't keep himself from laughing. He wasn't sure what the relationship between Luke and Kenobi was, but he couldn't even begin to imagine what it was like for this quiet, skittish boy to work beside the commanding, frightening Lord of the Sith. With a deep breath, Luke smiled softly, his shoulders relaxing as the other teenager drew closer, his hands returning to the rancor and dragging the rag in his grasp over it's horns to polish them.

"Hello, Ezra..." Luke said softly, almost shy, his eyes averted while he worked, and he sighed heavily when the rancor snarled, rolled on to his belly, and pushed up to sit upon his strong hind legs when Ezra drew too near.

"What're you doing? Ezra asked in a singsong voice, beaming when Luke glanced up at him with a look that said it should have been obvious what he was doing, but he was too polite to speak his irritation out loud.

"Trying to tend to Yoda..." Luke mumbled, stroking the rancor on the flank in an attempt to soothe him, but the beast was having nothing of it. "It's one of the things the Shadow King demanded of Leia and I as part of the terms for being allowed to travel with him, but apparently Yoda wasn't consulted on the matter because he's being fussy."

"Oh yeah?" Ezra asked, his head tilted at he observed the frustrated boy. "So...where is she?"

"...Leia's a bit wilder than me," Luke mumbled, though he couldn't keep the slight smile of his face. "She's no doubt thought of some clever way to avoid working. She's probably taking advantage of being here on Dagoba to misinterpret our directions and sneak some training time in with the Yoda." Luke laughed, a strange mixture of bitter and amused. "Whaaaaat?!" he said, his voice a high-pitched mockery of Leia's. "I'm so sorry! I thought you meant Yoda the Jedi, not Yoda the rancor. My mistake, it won't happen again!" He paused, the mocking amusement dropping from his face to leave a slight, displeased scowl on his lips. "And then it will happen again..." he drawled, and Ezra couldn't help but laugh.

"Sounds like something I would do..." Ezra said with a cocky smirk. "Sounds like little miss princess and I have something in common. Hey! Do you-"

"Don't even think about it," Luke snapped tiredly, like he had done this a hundred times before and was sick of it, shaking the rag in his hand admonishingly at Ezra. "You might think yourself a rebel, or a bad boy or whatever, but you aren't even close to the sort of scoundrels my sister is attracted to."

"N-no!" Ezra gasped, his face flushing a deep red as he desperately tried to backpedal. "I didn't mean...I mean, I was going to ask..." He sighed heavily, his fingers threading through his hair and averting his gaze when Luke's eyebrow arched skeptically. "I got distracted. What I meant to say was...do you need any help?"

Luke sighed, his shoulders slumping slightly. "Yeah, that'd be great..." he muttered quietly, the shyest smile touching his lips for just a moment before he looked up at tense, snarling Yoda and frowned. "If we can even get him to cooperate, he's been fussy and difficult since we returned from Moraband."

"Why?" Ezra asked, his hands held before him as he approached the rancor slowly as if to calm him, the bearing of the creature's teeth a good indication that it wasn't working. "Was the mission that bad? I asked Kanan about it, but he just said Moraband is a place where a Jedi should never, ever go and wouldn't say anything else."

"He's right..." Luke muttered absently, his gaze seeming to drift somewhere far away as he stared out into the swamp. "Your Master sounds wise. I hope I may learn something from him one day..."

"You have the Force?" Ezra asked slowly, gently as though the question may turn the already quiet, mysterious boy away from talking to him at all. He knew that having the Force was something of a death sentence these days, but he had assumed, perhaps wrongly, that having the gift as well could help him open up, but Luke said nothing, only appeared more distant than before. Of course he was wary. Ezra could have kicked himself for asking. "Kanan said you might be," Ezra muttered in explanation, trying to recover the groung he had thought he lost with the other teen. "I never felt anything to suggest it, but-"

"He's right," Luke said, his voice flat and distant before he snapped back to attention with a soft gasp, his eyes flicking to Ezra for a moment and smiling gently before he returned to staring at the ground, the rag wringing in his hands. "Most people can't feel our connection. Our Father-" Luke stopped suddenly, his eyes wide with surprise as his gaze darted up to look at Ezra. He chewed on his bottom lip, a crease forming on his brow as he thought and observed the obviously confused Spectre, and with a heavy sigh, Luke hung his head, his cheeks flushed pink with embarrassment. "Our Father taught us how to make ourselves nearly invisible in the Force. I'm...not so good at it as Leia is. She's always been more cunning than me, I suppose..."

"Obi-Wan?" Ezra asked, and Luke winced at the mention of the name. "Your Father is Obi-Wan?"

"...I've never been much for lying either..." Luke grumbled. "Yet another talent Leia possesses that I do not, it's no wonder she's taken to politics so well..." A slight, resigned smile passed over Luke's lips when he saw how wide Ezra was beaming. "Yes...I'm Luke Kenobi. Obi-Wan is my Father."

"That's so cool!" Ezra nearly shouted, yelping and jumping back when the rancor barked a vicious warning and swiped at him with a large, dangerous claw. "Does that make you a Prince?" Ezra asked, much quieter than before, nervously eying the snarling rancor.

"N-no, our situation is...complicated," Luke muttered, his hand out to calm the rancor, but Yoda was having none of it. With a confident smile, Ezra stood beside Luke, his hand extended before him and his eyes closed in focus. He could feel the rancor in the Force, a tight and trembling ball of tension and rage deeply corrupted by the Dark Side, and when he reached out to it, it drew back, hissing in rage, and feeling the dark thrum that ran through the creature, Ezra tapped into his own darkness, his secret feelings of anger, selfishness, fear and loneliness held deep and safe within him. He could feel the rancor's attention drawn toward him, the massive, dark eyes staring intently at him with interest and understanding. Slowly, slowly, the rancor lowered himself to the ground, laying upon his belly, and with a deep, reverberating groan, the beast rolled on to his side.

Ezra flashed a bright grin when he saw Luke, slack-jawed, wide eyed and deeply impressed, running a hand through his ruffled hair and slowly approaching the rancor, and the beast didn't budge when he laid his hand upon his head, its breathing deep and even in its relaxation. "You have a gift, Ezra," Luke said softly as he returned to polishing Yoda's horns. "It's little wonder Father has taken an interest in you."

"Has he?" Ezra asked with a laugh. "You wouldn't know it with how hard he is on me, nothing I ever do is good enough for him."

"He sees your potential," Luke said, a smile on his lips as he ran his hands over the sweeping horns on the rancor's head, feeling for rough spots that still needed attention. "If he did not take a keen interest in your progress..." He shrugged. "He simply wouldn't care. Father doesn't waste his time on things he believes are unworthy of his attention, and in your case, it's obvious what he sees." When Ezra didn't answer, Luke sighed and gestured to the other teen. "You have a talent for understanding creatures beyond the comprehension of most others. The way you connected with the rancor...nobody does that, he's been bound to Father since before I was born." He frowned slightly. "Did Father teach you?"

"No," Ezra said swiftly. "I learned about opening myself up and connecting with others from Kanan, but on my last mission..." Ezra took a deep breath and shook his head slightly, a smile on his lips as he thought about his time with the Purrgil. "I don't know. There was a creature there, the biggest I've ever seen, a whole swarm of them. They...spoke to me. I can't explain it."

"You opened yourself up to them, and you came to understand them," Luke said, smiling brightly and his voice filled with wonder. "My Father...he controls beasts as well, but it is harsh, commanding. He demands submission and obedience, he overrides their desires, their needs, their will and supplants his own in its place. His is a brutal command, but you..." Luke closed his eyes and breathed deeply as he felt at the Force. "Yours is a mutual connection. You open yourself to them and they respond in kind. It's harmony, and it's beautiful."

"I-it's not that impressive..." Ezra whispered modestly, his face burning fiercely, and he found he couldn't look at the other boy when he turned gentle eyes on him.

"It is," Luke gently insisted. "This galaxy is dark enough. We could stand to have a bit more light."

Ezra tried to find something to say to that, but no matter how valiant his attempts, he only found himself tripping over his tongue like some idiot as he watched the blond teen and his relaxed smile as he dutifully and carefully tended his Father's rancor. He couldn't comprehend how this boy, this son of a Lord of the Sith, could be so firmly rooted in the Light and allowed to remain so. He wanted to learn everything about how this Not Prince came to live in harmony beside a Sith, how he fit in with the unquestionably odd family he was a part of, what had led him here to them, everything...

Ezra wasn't sure why. He just felt it was important.

But instead of any of the hundreds of deep, meaningful, profound questions Ezra had, all he managed to stammer was, "Why's the rancor named Yoda?" He tightened his fist to keep himself from slapping himself in the face, though Luke's face seemed to light up as he tenderly stroked the rancor's head.

"That was before I was born," Luke said, a light laugh lining his words. "Knowing Father, it was most likely a mockery of the Jedi, but Master Yoda certainly didn't take it that way. He loves this rancor." Luke's eyes roved over the tense, uncomfortable boy, and he smiled sympathetically when he felt how awkward the other teen had suddenly become. Leaning against the rancor and putting aside his work for the time being, he decided to save Ezra any further embarrassment and quietly asked, "How long have you been training to use the Force? You are considerably skilled, so either a very long time, or you are just uniquely talented." The intention had been to make the boy less uncomfortable, but the beat red shade of Ezra's face suggested he'd done quite the opposite, though Luke couldn't find it in himself to regret it. At the very least, the tense silence had been broken.

"You're just trying to flatter me or something..." Ezra muttered, his voice a bit too tense and high pitched, and he had to clear his throat to make himself feel like less of a fool. "Kanan found me when I was fifteen, so two years, I guess. I started working with Kenobi about a year ago."

"So you're just talented," Luke said with a wry smirk, watching with extreme amusement as Ezra practically squirmed where he stood. He would have felt bad about teasing the other boy, it was, after all, exactly the sort of thing he regularly admonished his cunning, manipulative twin for, but Luke found himself to be actually enjoying watching the other boy grow flushed and flustered. It was little wonder Leia did it so often.

"I'm not-" Ezra started, exhaling sharply, not in annoyance, but in embarrassed frustration. "Look, I don't know what I am, but if Kenobi is to be believed, I'm a hopeless case." He locked eyes with his amused interrogator, eager to change the focus of the conversation, since he was worried about changing the subject to something as completely vapid as the one he had stupidly sputtered before. "What about you? You're his son, right? You must have been training your whole life, but I've known Kenobi for two years, and I've only ever seen you once, and that was from a distance."

"As I said, my living arrangement has been complicated," Luke said with a shrug as he brushed the light dusting from the rancor's horns off the fine, elegant armor he wore. "But yes, I have been training all my life. If not with Father, than with several other teachers. Master Yoda, Ahsoka, Qui-Gon, some of the particularly talented of the Jedi Father saved. They've all had a hand in my education."

"So you must be very good," Ezra said, trying to sound sly and teasing as the other boy had been, but he only managed to come across as awed and impressed. Luke simply shrugged and smiled modestly.

"Not so good as my sister, and I am as nothing next to my Father, but he says the path I am on is...slower. More patient and gentle than the path he and Leia walk upon. My progress takes time, but it is no less worthy."

"...but he's Sith," Ezra said, his brow drawing together in confusion. "Doesn't he urge you to use the Dark Side like him?"

"Father has never pushed me or Leia toward the darkness," Luke almost whispered, looking up into the sky and absently scratching around the softly growling rancor's tiny ear. "He taught us the Force, taught us how to feel it, touch it, move it, taught us about the light and the dark and everything in between. He armed us with knowledge so that we may forge our own path. Leia chose to follow him. I did not."

"That's...not what I expected from him," Ezra said, drawing closer to the other boy. "Kanan said the Sith-"

"The Jedi had a very limited understanding of the Sith, and they died for it," Luke quickly cut in. "No two Sith are alike, just as there were differing views among the Jedi. Just as you and I cannot possibly see eye to eye on all matters. Our experiences inform our opinions, our beliefs, our actions, and no two being has experienced life in the same way." Luke closed his eye and took a deep breath, felt the sudden tension in his shoulders release. "My Father is not Darth Sidious, nor any one of his Sith apprentices. He should not be held too the standard they have set."

"I-I'm sorry..." Ezra muttered. "I didn't mean to insult your Father. I like Obi-Wan, I didn't mean to make it seem-"

"No, no, you've nothing to apologize for..." Luke said with a heavy sigh. "I'm the one who should be sorry. I didn't mean to..." He huffed in irritation, his fingers raking through his hair. "My Father doesn't need defending, but I...can't seem to help myself, not after..." Luke stopped, was still for a moment, and slowly shook his head. "It isn't important. Yes, my Father let me choose my own path. The way of the Dark Side is filled with pain and loss and loneliness. Power and pleasure as well, it could not be so seductive if it weren't, but there is always a cost, and that cost is high. All must eventually pay for it, and it is not a path my Father would ever impose upon anyone, having suffered for it himself."

"I understand..." Ezra said quietly, returning Luke's shy, modest smile. "But you didn't answer the question. Are you good?" For just a moment, Luke's eyes widened, his focus darting back and forth between some unseen objets for a moment before he drew up to his full height, which was not terribly tall, his chest swelling ever so slightly with pride, though he never seemed to appear cocky or arrogant. No, his pride looked earned.

"I am still a student and will remain so for a long time yet," Luke said confidently. "But, if I must say so, I am quite skilled with a lightsaber. I'd be more than happy to train with you at a later date and show you what I know."

"I would love that."

For just a moment, the swamp felt still, peaceful, silent, not the awkward sort that had hung above them earlier, but something serene and comfortable that made Ezra feel as though he had always know Luke, like they were old friends who had never been separated, and in that moment, he could feel something, something strong and bright and powerful that lived secretly tucked away inside the other teenager. Luke was powerful, more than Ezra knew, and he only just had a glimpse of it now.

The moment was ruined when Leia came bounding into their area, sliding under Luke's X-Wing and skidding to a stop between them. She leapt up quickly, snatched the rag from Luke's hands, and grabbed hold of one of the rancor's horns to swing up upon its head, where she immediately set to swiftly polishing the ivory horn.

"Shhhh!" she hissed when the two teenage boys looked at her curiously. "I've been here helping the whole time!" When Luke arched an eyebrow and calked his hip, the girl only glared at him and defiantly scrubbed at the horn faster. "Father's coming!" she hissed to her unmoved brother, and Luke simply rolled his eyes.

"If you had been here helping earlier, Father being here wouldn't send you into a panic," Luke lazily drawled. "I'm not covering for you."

"Luke, please!"

"No," he said firmly. "Not again, not anymore."

Leia glared at him, raised her hand, and passed it in the air before her. "You will tell Father I was here," she said in a flat, commanding monotone, and Luke simply barked a harsh laugh, much to his sister's disapproving stare.

"Are you trying to mind trick me?" Luke scoffed. "Give it up, Leia, you aren't Father."

"Not yet..." she muttered under her breath, her gaze slowly drifting toward Ezra, and a slow, wicked grin spread across her face. "Oh, hello, Ezra..."

"Oh, no!" Luke said firmly between clenched teeth. "No, you do not get to corrupt Ezra with your...with your mind magic!"

"I wasn't going to, Luke!" Leia snapped back with her hands firmly upon her hips. "I was going to seduce him, it's different, but since you're so worried about your boyfriend, Luke, I'll be nice!" When Luke flushed a bright shade of red and sputtered incoherently, a sly, triumphant grin spread across Leia's clever face. "But if you tell Father I'm not helping, I'm going to tell him how strong, handsome Spectre Six has your heart fluttering."

"It is nothing like that!" Luke shouted, though his voice was muffled by the hands that covered his face to hide the flush on his pale skin. "Father would never believe you!" There was a brief pause, Luke staring intently at his sister through his fingers. "Fine!" he snapped in resignation. "Fine, Leia, you win..."

Before Leia could begin gloating and mercilessly teasing her brother and the stunned, confused Ezra, a loud, furious scream echoed across the swamp, the avians in the trees taking to the air in fright and the rancor swiftly rising to his sit on his haunches, knocking Leia off of him with an inelegant squeak. The rancor's head swivelled, its nose working at the air to discern anything unusual in the area as thick lines of viscous drool dripped from its jagged fangs. The massive claws began pawing at the soft earth as Yoda barked, short and loud, and his stubby tail began wagging ferociously as he set his eyes on the Ghost and the Sith Lord that walked off the boarding ramp, hands in his pockets and whistling happily.

Behind Obi-Wan, held by the legs with the Force and dragged upon the ground, was Kanan Jarrus, bare chested and in a considerable state of disarray, shouting for Kenobi to stop as his fingers dug deep furrows into the swampy ground, futile efforts since the Sith Lord showed no indication of stopping or letting him go. The teenagers stood beside the rancor, staring slack-jawed at the two men and trying to decied if it was wise to intervene on poor Kanan's behalf, since it was very likely that the unassuming Jedi hadn't done anything to deserve treatment like this, though in the end, they collectively decided that it was safer to stay out of the way.

"Damn it, Kenobi, let me go!" Kanan snapped over his shoulder at the Sith, the expression on his face furious, and a moment later he was granted his wish when, with a wide, sweeping gesture of his hand, Obi-Wan sent Kanan flying up into the air, only to come crashing down in the middle of one of the swamp's many murky lakes. The Jedi emerged in a flurry of splashing and sputtering as he swiftly made his way back to land, hopelessly drenched in the swamp's grimy water and looking like a Loth-cat caught in a rainstorm, and no less angry than one.

"Well," Obi-Wan drawled, gazing at the Jedi's frustrated visage with a look of infinite amusement. "I do think that's enough fun for one day. Don't you?"

"Do you have any idea how difficult it is for Hear and I to have a moment alone?!" Kanan snapped, his voice high and tense with borderline mania. "Between the missions and the kids and the kriffing Empire, we are lucky to find ourselves even a moment alone!" He was silent for a moment, his breathing little more than heavy panting, and despite his best attempts, he couldn't find it in him to take the calming breaths he needed. "I need this, Kenobi..." Kanan growled between clenched teeth as he drew closer to the amused Sith. "Months of close quarters and moments between us and finding a minute to slip away only to be interrupted..."

"Oh no!" Obi-Wan gasped, dramatically laying his hands on his cheeks. "That is awful!"

"It's because of you!" Kanan shouted as he stepped up to the Sith Lord and loomed over him. "You know, it's not just me that's suffering! Hera needs this too! You're pissing off Hera, Kenobi! Do you really want to be on that woman's bad side?!"

"Sith Hells, Kanan, you're so uptight!" Obi-Wan chided, smacking the man on his bare chest. "Sounds to me like you need to get laid."

"I'm kriffing trying to!"

"And since you're not, I think it's time to get back to work," Hera said as she came out of the Ghost and purposefully strode toward the two men, setting a small holoprojector on the ground and activating it as she thrust Kanan's hastily discarded shirt and armor against his chest. For as flustered and disheveled as Kanan was Hera was equally cool and collected, the very image of calm and composure, as if she and her lover hadn't had their impassioned embrace disrupted by a vengeful and malicious Lord of the Sith, and Obi-Wan couldn't help but think that had Hera the gift of the Force, she would have been an ideal Jedi for how quickly she could set aside her emotions to focus on something larger than herself.

"Our last transport run ended badly," Hera said quietly, her fingers flicking across her datapad as she pulled up the relevant information to be displayed in the holographic field. "We managed to get the cargo we were after, but Imperial pursuit made sure we suffered heavy losses for it. Six starfighters and their pilots are gone, and Fulcrum repots more losses everyday. We're losing more starfighters and pilots than we can reasonably replace. Phoenix Squadron is rapidly shrinking." She sighed heavily as she watched the others of her team and the crew aboard the Umbra slowly drift toward them from where they had been training or practicing or simply relaxing around the clearing in the swamp to stand in a wide circle around her, Kanan, and Obi-Wan. "We need a base."

"Maybe we'd have one of Kenobi didn't spend all his free time waiting to drag me off on impromptu training sessions the moment I had a second to myself..." Kanan muttered bitterly, and the Sith Lords simply grinned, his hands folding behind his back as he rocked on his heels.

"Yes, well, those moments aren't spent by yourself, and that's rather the point, isn't it?"

"I said I was sorry! How was I supposed to know that you and Moff Bo-Katan were getting ready to-"

"Boys, please," Hera quickly cut in, silencing her lover with a swift glare, which was enough to keep the others gathered from getting as distracted as the Jedi and the Sith Lord. "All of this can be discussed when we aren't busy trying to save this rebellion! We need a base, which I understand is a difficult thing to find!" she said pointedly when it appeared as though Obi-Wan would speak. "Fulcrum received your suggestions, Kenobi, and I thank you for your efforts, which have been...surprisingly helpful this past week." She looked at him skeptically, waiting for the Sith to say something, but he remained silent. "None of them have panned out, but we'll keep looking."

"We have a list of possible bases, and we can't use any of them?" Kanan asked. "Not even temporarily?"

"It doesn't solve our immediate problem," Hera quickly dismissed. "If the Empire finds us, be it in space or in a temporary location, we still have to run, and our forces are scattered. It makes them easy to pick off." She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, steeling the nerves that were making her lekku gently squirm. "We need a carrier ship to consolidate our forces. One that's large enough to have the shields to protect us long enough to get to hyperspace."

"You can't just get a ship like that," Leia said, and every eye turned to the commanding young Princess. Ezra slowly backed away from her to stand closer to Luke, who was shaking his head in dismay. "Not too long ago, you needed ships, and Alderaan sent you what we could spare. Ships the size you're looking for just aren't something we have access too, and even if they were, they're not exactly easy to hide. Ships like that go missing and people notice."

"I am aware of the difficulties involved, Princess," Hera said, respectful and calm. "But I wasn't planning on asking for these ships." Silence hung heavy around them as they each came to understand what the daring pilot was suggesting, but it was Luke that finally gave voice to what everyone was thinking.

"You want to steal the ships?" Luke gasped. "From who, the Empire? How. A ship the size you're talking about is-"

"No trouble at all for the galaxy's greatest ship thief," Hera finished, her eyes drifting slowly to look at the Sith Lord, who didn't appear to be paying attention at all before her gaze flicked back to the teenager. "Or have you forgotten that your Father's speciality is commandeering ships from their captains?" There was a brief moment of shock and discomfort from the twins as all eyes fell upon them, including Kenobi's hard, searching stare, and Hera scoffed with irritation. She had no time for this. "Oh, stop it, how long are we going to pretend? We're all a family here, so get over yourselves. We all have secrets, but this shouldn't be one of them."

Before any of them, the sputtering twins or the tight-jawed Sith Lord had a chance to respond, Hera threw the image of a large ship from her datapad into the holoprojection. The ship was a massive, triangular construction, not the long, sharp knife blade of the Imperial Star Destroyer, but a much broader ship, more cumbersome, to be sure, and not nearly so long, with four separate hangar bays in a long row beneath the ship for quick deployment of their fighters, should the need arise. It wasn't an ideal ship for combat, but it was perfect for their needs, and could serve nicely as a temporary mobile base until they found something more permanent.

"This is Quasar Fire-class carrier-cruiser," Hera said, pointing to the ship in the projection. "This particular ship is current in orbit over Ryloth, and we're going to steal it."

"Why?" Obi-Wan asked, crossing his arms over his chest and meeting Hera's gaze when she glared at him. "Ryloth is a heavily occupied Imperial territory. If you're going to steal from the Ryloth blockade, why not go big and go for one of the Star Destroyers they have in orbit?"

"Because that's insane," Hera drawled and was met with a quick, dismissive scoff.

"No more insane than stealing a Quasar cruiser. They're both big ships, I think they're going to notice it's being stolen." Obi-Wan shrugged almost indifferently. "So why not just upgrade and go for the Destroyer? It's a bigger ship with just as much space to carry starfighters with the additional benefits of greater speed and firepower. It's not like I haven't stolen a Star Destroyer before."

"He has..." Kanan said flatly. "In one of the first battles of the Clone Wars, and he continued to steal ships throughout the war. It was a serious problem, we had to take all kinds of precautions when we deployed for the surface, but we always knew it was never enough."

"What stopped you from stealing more?" Ezra asked, the Sith Lord looking at him out of the corner of his eye. "What's stopping you from stealing them now?"

"Before, it was my Master," Obi-Wan quietly replied, his eyes drifting to look at Cody and Rex, the two clones standing close together at the edge of the circle. "Don't forget that the Clone Wars was the product of Sidious' machinations. There was only ever one side in that conflict, and he often had to hold me back. The Jedi were fair game, but when it came to winning battles, we had very strict directives when we could and could not be involved." He waved his hand dismissively. "Now, it's a matter of discretion, and Bail Organa has been very diligent about keeping my activities at a minimum. There is no rebellion if the Empire destroys it before it begins, and we never had the numbers or the need for ships of that size or magnitude." Obi-Wan tapped his finger against his chin. "But we have need of it now, and soon enough, there will be no reason for me to hold back..."

"I'm not sure we could use a Star Destroyer even now, Kenobi," Hera said with a shake of her head. "We just don't have the personnel to staff a ship that large."

"We won't need it," the Sith Lord growled softly. "Give me a few days, Captain Syndulla, and every Imperial on that ship will be committed to our cause..."

"You said you wouldn't keep slaves anymore, Obi-Wan..." Kanan softly warned as he and several others shifted uncomfortably where they stood. "You cannot make slaves of every Imperial on that ship, there are thousands of men and woman aboard."

"Who said anything about slaves?" the Sith said, smooth and even and chilling despite the lightness of his tone. "Slaves are ultimately useless, mind broken fools capable of so little. I merely aim to make them understand my purpose, and when they see, they will join my cause."

"We'll...continue to discuss this," Hera said after a moment of careful consideration, throwing up an image of the Star Destroyer over Ryloth next to the Quasar cruiser. "Do we have any questions? This plan is still in the making and nothing is set yet, so if anyone has anything helpful to add, now would be the time." There was a soft cascade of muttering, though nobody seemed to have anything else to add. Nodding her approval, Hera shut off her datapad, the hologram going dark with the loss of input. "Very well. We'll be departing in the next few hours after we assess our resources and solidify the plan. Make your necessary preparations." Immediately, they began to drift away, muttering quickly to each other with offers to train or to check their gear or run ship maintenance, or in the case of Ezra and Luke, quickly parting to avoid the immediate, relentless teasing of his twin sister.

"Kanan, Kenobi," Hera said quickly, and the Jedi and the Sith stopped and turned to regard the pilot. "A word in private, if you will." They didn't respond, only nodded as they fell in step behind the woman and followed her across the clearing and up the ramp into the Ghost and stayed silent until she pushed them into her room and locked the door behind her.

"Is this finally going to happen?" Obi-Wan asked, his eyebrow quirked and a sly, cocky grin sliding across his lips when Kanan buried his face in his hands and muttered curses under his breath. "Have I finally wore the indomitable captain down?" He laughed softly when a tense smile curled the edge of the Twi'lek's lips. "I knew it was only a matter of time before you and I became lovers."

"Well, you do know best, my Lord..." Hera drawled, stepping closer to the Sith, the cocky, teasing expression dropped in favor of stunned shock, a look that Kanan echoed when she ran a light, suggestive hand down Obi-Wan's chest. He swallowed hard when the hand drifted lower, a barely audible whimper in his throat when the beautiful woman's hand traced a slow circle around the crotch of his pants before she flashed the Sith a wicked grin and gripped him hard through the soft, black fabric. Obi-Wan's eyes widened in pain, his breath held as he swallowed a hard gasp as he stared at the devilish woman who literally had him by the balls. Even Kanan backed away from the pair, his hands in the air in an attempt to distance himself from the unfortunate Sith and the wrath of his lover.

"Listen up, you lascivious bastard..." Hera chirped cheerfully through clenched teeth, her grip tightening and twisting slightly to wring a strangled gasp out of the man. "I don't take shit from anyone. Not from the Empire, not from scoundrels, and not from Sith Lords. One more look in my direction I don't like, one more attempt to get me to go to bed with you, once more, Kenobi, and I will make you eat your genitals." She fleshed him a bright, manic grin. "Do I make myself clear, my dear, sweet Obi-Wan?"

"Crystal," Kenobi squeaked, and he breathed a deep sigh of relief when Hera released him.

"...I am so turned on right now," Kanan muttered from his place pressed against the opposite wall, and a swift, warning glare from the Twi'lek made him swallow hard and nervously chuckle, both he and the Sith sharing a swift, sympathetic look when Hera turned her back on them.

"Commander Sato thought it prudent to contact Ryloth's rebel movement for help in this matter," Hera said, turning back to the two men and holding a small comlink in her hand, her fingers grasping it tightly and her body more tense than either Obi-Wan or Kanan had ever seen her. "The Free Ryloth Movement," she said almost bitterly, and Kenobi's eyes widened in understanding.

"Led by Cham Syndulla," the Sith said softly, the Jedi's eyes filling with knowing concern as he looked at the Twi'lek as she grimly nodded.

"My father, yes," Hera almost whispered, her voice weak, almost vulnerable before she cleared her throat and shook her head as if to banish the thoughts that ran through her mind. "We've been estranged for years. Our relationship is very complicated, but to simplify, he disagrees with my devotion to the rebellion, and I disagree with his methods, among other things." She scoffed and tossed the comlink to Kanan. "I'm telling you this because I did contact him, and he's willing to meet with us to discuss the plan, and I didn't want you two blind sided." She shrugged. "And I understand that you and my father have worked together before, Obi-Wan."

"If you consider blatantly throwing every suggestion I made back in my face in a foolish attempt to succeed in a task doomed from the start to fail, than yes, we worked together," Obi-Wan drawled. "The fool expended every resource and every soldier he had in a bid to kill Darth Vader and the Emperor, and he was too blind by his own idiocy to listen when I told him that it was allowed to happen. It was an obvious trap set specifically to end his little opposition before it even began." He shrugged almost indifferently. "From what I understand, the trap was a success. Cham lost everything and all he had to show for it was a few hundred dead Imperials and one less Star Destroyer in the skies above Ryloth...which inevitably brought more Star Destroyers."

"Nobody's arguing that my father's short-sighted actions are the cause of the severity of Ryloth's occupation and sanctions," Hera muttered. "If you don't mind me asking, what is it that put you in contact with him?"

"Fulcrum," Obi-Wan said quietly with a wave of his hand. "Bail Organa, the rebellion as a whole. Ahsoka fought on Ryloth during the Clone Wars, she remembered Cham as having a substantial fighting force against the occupying Confederate army."

"Your army," Hera said in a tone that was almost an accusation, and Obi-Wan couldn't help but laugh.

"Our campaigns on Ryloth were early in the war, before I took over the leadership, so no, not my army, though I was there." The Sith Lord shrugged almost indifferently. "Regardless, Ahsoka remembered being impressed with his rebels. Fighting against centuries of oppression is no easy feat, and his people fought well. When she assumed the mantle of Fulcrum, she thought he may still be fighting. The oppressor has taken many forms throughout Ryloth's history, as you well know, and Cham seemed intent to fight against them all. Turns out she was right."

"Father always did love his causes..." Hera sighed. "So you went to him on behalf of the rebellion?"

"I did," Obi-Wan swiftly confirmed. "In the early days, I was often sent out for recruitment purposes. They didn't call me the Negotiator for nothing, and not all my successes were the result of my ability to mentally influence. I have been very successful in recruiting people to our cause, though..." He sighed and shook his head. "Your father was not one of them."

"I imagine not," Hera grumbled. "The only thing that ever mattered to him was Ryloth, he cares nothing for the rest of the galaxy. Let the galaxy burn, so long as Ryloth is free."

"The source of your contention, from the sound of it," Obi-Wan said gently, and Hera nodded curtly.

"At least a part of it..." the Twi'lek sighed. "Damn it, I was hoping that your presence would help make dealing with my father easier."

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, Hera, truly, I am," Obi-Wan softly apologized. "My working relationship with your father was very, very brief, long enough only to discuss joining forces, and then watch as he sent his men to die against Vader and Maul and Sidious, despite my urging for patience and to turn back while he still had a chance, which he stubbornly refused to do."

"Sounds just like him..." Hera growled angrily, and Kanan lay a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Maybe he learned from his errors," the Jedi hopefully suggested. "It's been a long time since then, right? Working your whole life for something, only to lose it all in a moment...it changes you," he said quietly, looking at the Sith Lord opposite him. "You know that as well as I."

"I do..." Obi-Wan agreed. "Hera, do you believe he will sabotage your plans for this ship?"

"It's a possibility I've considered, yes," she said, laying her hand over Kanan's, a faint smile on her lips as she intertwined her fingers with his. "He brought down one ship over Ryloth before, and it's exactly the sort of grand, idiot show of strength that he loves, and he has always loved his symbols. Nothing sends quite a message like an Imperial ship burning as it's destroyed in the atmosphere...

"And nothing closes the Empire's fist quite like it either," Kanan muttered to Hera's silent agreement. "He must see that is the case. If he's done it before, he knows the cost of such actions."

"I'm certain he knows, but not certain he cares," Hera said firmly, her voice betraying none of the anger that burned in her bright green eyes. "Making the Empire appear weak by bringing down one of their ships sends a powerful message, and the violence that comes from their retaliation may be exactly what he's hoping will finally spur the people of Ryloth to rise in greater numbers against their oppressors."

"You know as well as I that will not happen," the Sith said slowly, almost careful as the pilot turned her angry gaze upon him. "Many Twi'lek accept the rule of the oppressor and the bonds of slavery. You come from a slave race, Hera, it is a part of your culture. People like you and your father are the exception, not the rule." A slight, sardonic smile touched his lips when he felt the Force ripple with Hera's rage. "Ride the storm rather than defeat it, as your people say, and even if things get worse, your people will ride it out. Cham will never get the uprising he seeks, not from Ryloth."

"They are not slaves, Kenobi!" Kanan snarled, instinctively pulling Hera closer, and the woman soothed her lover's temper by laying a hand upon his chest.

"I hate it, Kanan, but he's right," Hera whispered, a small, sad smile on her lips as she ran her fingers along his jaw. "It's awful, but my people's place in the galaxy has amounted to little else than pleasure slaves for the influential. To free Ryloth, we must save the galaxy. There is no other way."

"Let's hope your father sees it that way," Kanan said as he kissed the top of her head. "You worked with him, Obi-Wan. I know it didn't go well, but do you think you can make him see reason?"

"Honestly, Hera has a better shot at that than I," the Sith Lord said quietly. "When last we spoke, I abandoned him to his fate. One cannot save a fool committed to his own destruction, though I'm certain Cham doe not see it that way, even though I gave him every opportunity to abandon his idiot mission and save his men."

"We'll just have to see where he stands when we meet with him," Hera said with a heavy sigh, her hand running absently over one of her squirming lekku. "Thank you, Obi-Wan. I know we didn't get anywhere, but it was still good to discuss it. I feel more informed than I did before."

"I could just try and steal this ship myself, Hera," the Sith Lord suggested. "I've done it before, more than once."

"But never completely alone, I'm willing to bet," she said with a faint smirk. "You've no doubt had distractions in the past to aid you, and you're part of a team now, Kenobi. I can't let you go alone."

"You should," Kenobi said flatly. "This isn't how I end..."

"Just because you've seen the future doesn't mean it ends that way," the Twi'lek said firmly. "You could die before then, and I won't have it be because I was careless enough to send you alone on a mission we should be undertaking together. I'm in no hurry to have your death on my conscience." Obi-Wan said nothing, but bit his lip and nodded stiffly, and with a gentle smile, she plucked her comlink from Kanan's hand and tossed it to the Sith Lord. "My conversation with my father is saved to that, along with the information he sent me about the ships in orbit over Ryloth. I'd like for you to review it before we leave."

"It would be best if we reviewed this together," Obi-Wan said, his brow knitting together in confusion when Hera flashed him a tight smile.

"I need some time alone with Kanan," she said smoothly, her fingers hooking around the Jedi's belt and the man gasped softly with the sudden and intense swell of unfulfilled desire. "I know you have some idiot score to settle, but you've interrupted us one too many times. Don't forget, dear, you aren't just keeping Kanan from release, you're keeping me from it."

"An unfortunate side effect," Obi-Wan growled, "but-"

"But nothing, dear, I need this," Hera said in a tone that left no room for argument. "Especially if we mean to face my father. This debt you seem to believe Kanan owes you has been settled, and the next time you have a chance with Bo-Katan, you have my word that nobody will interrupt you." She grinned devilishly. "Unless, of course, you want an endless stream of curious teenagers keeping you from having her..."

"...your point is well made," Kenobi quickly muttered with a tight bow. "I'll see to it that you're left alone." He slammed his hand on the door release and stepped out into the hall just as the Twi'lek's wandering hand drew a desperate, keening moan from her Jedi lover. "Have fun, kids," he called, and slammed the door closed on the pair, allowing them to finally have some peace.

---

Kanan was, in short, a nervous wreck, pacing madly back and forth across the hold, smoothing back his hair, smoothing the folds in his clothes and repeatedly making sure the rest of the crew looked sharp and neat and clean, much to Ezra's irritation. Part of him hoped that he'd be thrown on the Umbra where he could wait with Luke and Leia for the mission to begin, but he was also very keen on meeting Hera's father, a man that Sabine had spoken about at great length and with great respect as a famed military leader and hero during the Clone Wars. Though he suspected that meeting the man was exactly the source of Kanan's restlessness.

"You keep pacing like that, Kanan," Obi-Wan drawled, laying lazily on the curved seat of the couch in the Ghost's small converted lounge, "and you'll wear a hole in the hull, exposing us all to the cold of space, and the subsequent horrible death that comes from it."

"You don't understand," Kanan growled, shooting the Sith a glare witch lost some of it's effect, as Kenobi's head was dropped back over the edge of the couch so that he may look upside down at the Jedi. "Cham-"

"I don't understand?" Obi-Wan scoffed. "Of course I understand your frankly ridiculous need to prove yourself to your lover's father, but he is just a man, and an idiot, like any other man. You're making a big deal out of nothing."

"It's not nothing, Obi-Wan!" Kanan sighed in exasperation. "Cham Syndulla is-"

"A lousy father, that's all you should care about," Hera grumbled from her place by the wall, a scowl on her face and her arms crossed tightly over her chest. "He's been observing the Empire's occupation of Ryloth for a long time now and we need his information to make this go as smoothly as possible. He's here because we need him, and that's it. You shouldn't care about what he thinks about you because I certainly don't care what he thinks about you. I've never needed his permission for anything I've ever done, and I'm not going to start suddenly caring now."

"You don't get it, Hera," Kanan muttered. "It's a...it's a..." He drew up tall, bit down on his lower lip, and nodded resolutely, pleased with some conclusion he had reached. "It's a man thing."

"Sith Hells, this is why I only get romantically involved with women that don't have parents..." Obi-Wan grumbled as he sat up, his elbow on the table and his head resting against his palm. "Ezra, Apprentice, take note. Sabine has parents. Luke and Leia have a very violently protective parent," he snarled, his hand extended and using the Force to drag the suddenly terrified Ezra to him, the Sith's fingers curling into a fist in the boy's collar. Ezra swallowed hard, closed his eyes when he could feel the golden gaze burning deep in his mind and exposing all his secrets to him, could feel the sudden panic overtake him as the Sith pawed at the sudden spark of new feelings within him, things he had yet to truly understand. The hand suddenly loosened, the eyes grew more gentle, less accusatory, and he pat the boy on the head and pointed toward the Lasat across the room. "...Zeb doesn't have parents. Zeb is safe."

"Zeb is not interested!" the Lasat snarled. "You humans reek!"

"You two share a room!" Obi-Wan protested. "It's completely ideal!"

"Yeah, don't remind me..." Zeb grumbled as he sniffed at the sleeve of his shirt. "I'll never get his stench out of my things..."

"Wait, I smell?!" Ezra said incredulously with a disbelieving laugh. "Do you have any idea what it's like to be in the same room as you?!" He pointed an accusing finger at Kanan. "Here's an idea. Maybe you and Hera could share a room so I could have my own! It would solve all our problems!"

"Hey, they're here!" Sabine said quickly, pointing at the console on the wall that scrolled with the approaching ship's codes requesting permission to dock, and the Mandalorian swiftly sent the access codes as Kanan renewed his fretting and his pacing, snapping at Ezra to stand straighter lest he make him look bad. The Jedi only grew more tense, more nervous as they heard the ship docking with theirs, his teeth grinding as the minutes ticked by, and all the while, Hera continued to grow more and more irritated with the need to contact her father, and began to regret not simply letting the Sith Lord Lumis loose on the hapless Imperials. She looked back at the lounging Sith Lord who, in typical fashion, had refused to move from his place on the couch. Sure, it was dangerous and probably nearly suicidal, but Kenobi had survived worse.

They didn't need to wait long, but to nervous Kanan, it seemed to take an eternity for the airlock to slide open and for two Twi'lek, young adults, a man and a woman, blue and teal respectively, to step through the hatch, eyeing the gathered rebels warily and gripping their blasters close to them. Behind them, tall and proud, almost regal in his bearing, came Cham Syndulla, his eyes critically examining each of them in turn. Kanan stiffened and drew up straight when the Twi'lek looked at him, his mouth pressed into a thin, nervous line and hoping, praying that he didn't look like a fool, that his hair was neat, that Hera's father would like him.

"It's been a long time, Father..." Hera said as she stepped forward, eyeing the man almost cautiously, a look which the older Twi'lek returned, his red eyes examining, analyzing quickly before his gaze drifted away from his daughter and to the anxious Jedi behind her. His thin lips split into a knowing smirk, revealing filed, sharpened canines.

"Ah..." Cham said softly, effectively ignoring his much more suspicious daughter and smirking as Kanan stood up taller, straighter, and nudged the teenager at his side to do the same. "You must be the Jedi I have heard about."

"J-Jarrus!" Kanan stammered, stepping forward to stand beside Hera and nervously bowing as if uncertain of the best way to treat the man with proper respect, and, deciding that it was too much, he quickly righted himself. Beside him, Hera rolled her eyes. "Kanan Jarrus, I've..." The Jedi swiftly cleared his throat when he heard his usually deep tones to be uncomfortably higher, not at all the sort of man he wished to present himself as. "I've heard a lot about you too," he said, calmed this time. A lie, yes, but not a malicious one, and suddenly nervous about the untruth he had told, he swiftly bowed his head again, convinced that yes, the bowing before had been good.

Silence followed as Cham once again looked the crew over, and unable to take what he considered to be a tense, uncomfortable, awkward quiet, Kanan drew up tall, stood at attention, and without looking, very incorrectly introduced the remainder of his crew, Ezra's nose wrinkling when the Jedi laid his hand upon his shoulder and proudly told the Twi'lek freedom fighter that his name was Zeb. And in the corner of the room, still lounging upon the couch, Darth Lumis decided that he too, had enough of this uncomfortable reunion. He stood from the couch and casually strode toward them, Cham looking at him once, twice, and on the third take, his eyes widened and he swiftly backed up toward the airlock, only to find it being slammed shut and locked tight.

"Don't just stand there, shoot him!" Cham shouted at his men, and no sooner had the weapons been pointed at the Sith were they torn from their hands to fly into Kenobi's waiting grasp. The Twi'lek's backed against the wall, and the Spectres parted to make way for the Sith, Kanan pinching the bridge of his nose as he muttered quiet curses under his breath.

"Now, now, Cham..." Obi-Wan drawled, spinning the blasters in his hands and pointing them menacingly at the Twi'leks. "That's no way to act toward an old friend, is it?"

"You are no friend of mine, Kenobi!" Cham snarled, his gaze darting to look accusingly at Hera as he pointed a long finger at the Sith Lord. "You would have that on your ship? As a part of your crew?! You disappoint me, Hera, that man is a Separatist!"

"There aren't Separatists anymore, Father!" Hera snapped back, and Cham only scoffed as if she were a fool.

"You are too young to remember the Clone Wars, but I do!" he snapped. "They killed our people, enslaved them! Much like the Empire does now, he is no better than them!"

"That seemed to matter to you less when you were ready to join forces with me before..." Obi-Wan drawled, looking at the blasters in hand with disdain and casually tossing them over his shoulder.

"And I was rewarded for that folly with betrayal!" Cham snarled, and Obi-Wan couldn't help but roll his eyes and exchange a tired look with Hera. "You could have helped us, and you left us to die!"

"Oh, please, like you even intended to join our cause, you only meant to use us for your own benefit and leave when it no longer suited you," Obi-Wan drawled, bored out of his mind and already fed up with the self-righteous Twi'lek. "And I did warn you to pull back after you stupidly attacked an Imperial Star Destroyer and after I warned you it was a trap. Your resources may have been expended before I even got there, but your men were still alive. And what did you do with my warning, Cham?" Obi-Wan asked harshly, pointing a stern, accusatory finger at the fuming man. "You hung up on me. You only have your own stubbornness to blame for the deaths of your men."

"That's enough!" Hera snapped, stepping defiantly before her father when it seemed as though the outraged Twi'lek may do something stupid like move against the Lord of the Sith. "We didn't come here to discuss the past and how wronged we were! Yes, Obi-Wan committed atrocities during the Clone Wars, and yes, you're an idiot, Father." Hera glared at the two men, the Sith shrugging in quiet acceptance, and the Twi'lek crossing his arms in denial. She turned her furious eyes on Cham, her fists on her hips, and dared him to speak up. He didn't. "What matters now is today, and we have a lot to discuss, so let's get moving." Without another word, Hera turned her back on them and walked swiftly to the holotable, Obi-Wan shooting Cham a cocky grin as he followed the pilot to the table.

"The Empire has several ships stationed over Ryloth," Hera said as she dimmed the lights and quickly activated the holotable to display the image of the planet and ships in question. Slowly, the Spectres and Cham's soldiers moved in, eying each other warily and standing on opposite sides of the table from each other. When Obi-Wan moved to stand beside Hera so that both he and Kanan protectively flanked her, the Jedi leaned over to give the Sith Lord a small, grateful look. "Six light cruisers, two heavy cruisers, a light carrier and a Star Destroyer by the name of..." Hera paused, squinted as she peered closer to the datapad, and frowned. "The Subjugator."

Obi-Wan burst into helpless laughter, earning himself disdainful glares from the Free Ryloth rebels, and heavy sighs from the Spectres. Kenobi didn't seem to notice, and if he did, he certainly didn't care.

"Say what you want about the Imperials, those are a bunch of funny sons of bitches!" Lumis said between his gasps for air. "Oh, the Subjugator over Ryloth...because the Twi'lek have always been subjugated...oh, that's funny..." He leaned over to read Hera's datapad over her shoulder, ignoring the ferocious glares from Cham and his soldiers. "Does it say who assigned this particular Star Destroyer to Ryloth? Was it Thrawn? Oh, I bet it was Thrawn..."

"Intel from Fulcrum suggests that Thrawn has no command over the Subjugator," Hera said, smacking the Sith's hand away when he reached for the datapad. "It isn't part of a task force, so far as we can tell, which means it was likely put there by the Naval High Command when the need to closely watch Ryloth arose," Hera said as she glared through the hologram at Cham. "That should be good news for us. An isolated force will make reenforcements slower to arrive, which will make that carrier easier to steal. If we divide into two teams-"

"No." Hera was still for a moment, her gaze trained on the table and her lip caught firmly between her teeth before she slowly looked coldly at Cham Syndulla.

"Excuse me?"

"No," Cham firmly repeated. "That carrier houses hundreds of ships and weapons that have rained death upon Ryloth and her people. It's not enough that it simply vanish." His hand cut across the air in a gesture of finality. "No, my people need to see it fall from the sky in flames as a symbol of our strength!"

"Yes, because that worked so well for you the first time..." Obi-Wan drawled, Cham grimacing and glaring at the aloof, mocking Sith Lord. "Let us not forget that the Imperial fist closed around Ryloth because you destroyed a Star Destroyer in a pitiful assassination attempt."

"That would have been successful had you intervened!" Cham spat, and Obi-Wan barked a harsh laugh.

"Or my story would have ended prematurely on Ryloth, as would the rebellion." He shook his head. "No, it was too great a risk, and you left me little choice. Unlike you, I would sacrifice Ryloth to save the galaxy. Your world isn't worth hundreds of thousands."

"It is to me!" Cham snarled, slamming his hands on the holotable and causing the image to flicker. "We are changing the plan, we are destroying that carrier! Without our surveillance, our timetables, our schedules, you would have nothing to go on, Hera. I have weapons, and I have bombers, and I know when the ship is most vulnerable."

"And if you could have destroyed it, you would have done so already," Hera said, crossing her arms in front of her chest, the woman more frustrated than angry, and Cham, lekku squirming in agitation, was forced to relent. "You need us, obviously, and we need that carrier."

"We need each other," Kanan said, diplomatically stepping in when he felt the tension rise between the stubborn father and his headstrong daughter. "We have no chance without Cham's intel, Hera. That's a lot of ships out there, way more than our combined efforts can handle. And," he said, looking over at Cham, "Hera's plan is ultimately what works best for all of us. If we destroy that ship, things will only get worse on Ryloth, like what Kenobi said happened after the last time."

"Like what happened with Lothal," Ezra added morosely, and Kanan nodded in agreement.

"We make the ship vanish, and Ryloth loses one of its tormentors, Imperial eyes in the sector start looking outwards for rebels instead of inwards at your isolated movement, and we get our carrier." Kanan shrugged and grinned broadly. "This is what works best for both of us. We can all win in this situation."

For a moment, Cham quietly conferred with his warriors, the three whispering in their native tongue, their lekku twisting and waving in non-verbal communication, and Hera leaned in, her eyes narrowed, and couldn't find it in herself to trust her father. Her gaze flicked up to the hologram floating above them, and she couldn't help but wonder if this was what was actually best.

"Very well," Cham said lightly, a smile on his lips. "With a Jedi on our side, how can we fail?"

"No." This time, all eyes turned to Hera, wide and shocked and so, so still, the crew wondering if their fearless pilot had somehow lost her mind entirely. She drew up, shoulders back and head held high, her arms over her chest and a clever, coy smirk on her lips. "The plan has changed. We won't be going after the carrier after all." Never losing eye contact with Cham, that smirk never leaving her face, she pointed at the holographic representation of the Star Destroyer. "We're going to steal the Subjugator."

"Oh, yes!" Obi-Wan groaned, closing his eyes and moaning softly as his shoulders slumped with relief. "Oh, I am so turned on right now. Hera Syndulla, you're a woman after my own heart. You're a lucky man, Kanan." He laughed, sharp and excited as he leaned in to look at the targeted ship. "Oh, what a woman!"

"We don't have the resources for such a thing!" Cham protested, his eyes quickly darting between his smug daughter and the triumphant Sith at her side. "Kenobi, you know well what it took for us to bring the first one down! All of the resources I had gathered over the years since before the Clone Wars started, everything I had went into bringing that ship down, and I have so much less now!"

"Mm, we aren't talking about destroying the Subjugator, Father," Hera slowly drawled, laying her hand on Obi-Wan's shoulder. "We're talking about stealing it, and as it so happens, we happen to have the galaxy's greatest ship thief as a member of our crew."

"I don't have good surveillance on the Destroyer!" Cham hissed in protest once again. "For the carrier, we have a complete schedule, we can predict their movements, where they go, what they do and for how long. We know when it is most vulnerable and more importantly, we know how to attack it! I have no such thing for the Subjugator!"

"And how do you suppose we steal that carrier with that Destroyer and all those cruisers in orbit?" Hera scoffed. "It's a joke to believe that the carrier is ever vulnerable, but if we can take that Star Destroyer...the combined efforts of all those ships couldn't keep us from getting away." She patted the Sith's shoulder. "Kenobi says he can do it. Go big or go home, isn't that right?"

"Just so, Captain..." Obi-Wan said absently, his eyes still darting over the information displayed in the holographic field.

Cham hissed a string of curses under his breath as he closed his eyes tight and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Do you...have any sort of a plan for this madness?" The Twi'lek managed to grind out between clenched teeth, and a sly smirk spread across Hera's lips.

"I am so glad you asked." Hera quickly snatched up her datapad and began running her finger over the screen, the holographic projection before them altering as the Twi'lek drew up the plan. "We'll be using your TIE Bomber as you proposed to get on the carrier," she said swiftly. "If your intel is good and the carrier is as vulnerable during this time as you suggest, we should be able to hold the hangar and cause a big enough scene to draw the attention of the other ships." She tapped her fingers on the table. "We're a distraction. While the Imperials are tied up dealing with us, Kenobi should be able to slip on to the Subjugator and do what he does best. Correct?"

Obi-Wan nodded curtly. "Yes. Once I assume command of the bridge, the entire ship is mine. I'll recall the troops and issue new directives to the cruisers, and the confusion should be enough to give you an opening to escape. It won't take them long to figure out the Destroyer was the target."

"Which...could give us the opening we need to take the carrier too!" Ezra said with mounting excitement. "Right?!"

"Let's not get overly ambitious," Kanan quietly warned. "Too many objectives and we may find ourselves struggling to meet them."

"We'll keep the option open..." Hera muttered, her fingers held to her chin as she considered the plan laid out before her. She nodded slightly after she made a few slight adjustments. "Familiarize yourselves with the plan. We'll meet at rendevous delta after we've managed to escape. Kenobi, you-"

"I'll be in touch, but I can't meet you at the rendevous, the ship is too big, and I'll need time to make the necessary adjustments." Obi-Wan frowned as he looked at the image, raised his hand, and made the whole thing zoom out to a full view of the galaxy. "I'll send for my own team to follow me in the Umbra to speed the process along, but I'm probably going to have to take her to the Unknown Regions."

"Dangerous..." Hera said with a frown and a look of concern, and a faint, cocky smirk crossed Kenobi's lips.

"Not if you have the right guide."

"I'll trust your judgement," Hera said softly before deactivating the holotable. "We'll set a course and be at our destination within a few hours. Take the time to prepare yourselves. Make sure you're ready." They all nodded and muttered their agreement and slowly began to drift away, chatting quietly with each other and reviewing the plan on their datapads, but Obi-Wan didn't move, only stared at Cham and his two soldiers as they turned to leave, looking at them less with his eyes than with the Force.

"Syndulla." It was harsh, a commanding summons more than anything else, and while Hera quickly turned to face him, it was clear that Kenobi was after the attention of her father, his eyes nearly seeming to burn holes in the Twi'lek's back as he slowly turned to meet his gaze. "I have, in the last few years, grown to be quite fond of your daughter and her crew. If you betray us, there is nothing in this galaxy that will protect you from me." With a vicious sneer, Cham Syndulla turned away and walked with his soldiers out of the room.

---

Hera had spent most of her time alone in the cockpit reviewing the intel, their strategy, the hasty plan she made on a whim, and couldn't decide if it was a stroke of genius or a fool's errand. She felt like an emotional idiot, impulsive and defiant for the sake of frustrating her father like some rebellious teenager, something she had always professed to be above. She usually was. Contacting Cham in the first place had taken some time to swallow her pride, but she had done it for the rebellion. She brushed off Kanan more often than she would have liked to, kept herself distant more than two people who have been together as long as they have been should be, and though it wounded her because she knew it wounded him, she did it anyway because the rebellion was more important than either one of them.

And now, she felt like she had compromised a careful plan because she was proud and defiant, like she had put her own ill feelings for her father before her work.

She felt stupid.

With a heavy sigh, she checked the navicomputer and the hyperspace coordinates and removed herself from her seat, stretched, and walked into the hallway, ducking back into the maintenance corridor to grab some needed tools from one of the storage rooms so that she could run her usual upkeep on Chopper so the little droid could be running smooth for the mission. She frowned when she heard loud laughter from down the hall, Kanan prattling on with Cham as he attempted to make a good impression that ultimately nobody but him would care about, and despite her irritation with the matter, she couldn't help but be pleased that between the two of them, at least one of them was willing to be the adult and smooth things over with volatile Cham Syndulla. Kanan had always been good for that, for covering her weaknesses when she faltered. She'd have to make sure her lover was properly appreciated for it later. She didn't wish to dissuade him in the future from taking a stand she wouldn't take. It helped keep her balanced, helped keep her mind open to seeing things in a new way, and she needed him for it.

So talking about her concerns with Kanan was out, for the time being. It would have to wait until later, after the mission was over, with any luck. She pressed her hand to the button beside the door and stepped inside when it slid open with a hiss, and the woman nearly jumped when she looked up from her thoughts to see Obi-Wan sitting upon one of the sturdy seats beside a workstation, his face lathered in white foam and a sleek razor in hand as he carefully shaved.

"You know..." Hera drawled in amusement, leaning against the doorway and smirking when the Sith Lord stared at her, nearly as surprised to see her there as she was to see him. "We have a 'fresher for this sort of thing."

"Garazeb has been in there for the last hour," Obi-Wan muttered, dipping the razor into a bowl of water he had sitting on the workbench in front of him and dragging the blade across his jaw line. "Not only does that beast smell terribly, but he sheds everywhere. The last time I used the facilities after him, I had to take a chemical bath to get the stench off of me and spent the next week picking purple fur out of my robes. I've learned my lesson. Never again."

"Well, do you mind if I intrude upon your solitude and sit with you?" Hera asked quietly, the Sith Lord looking over her carefully in silence for a moment before nodding slightly.

"Not at all," he said, gesturing to the seat beside him, and Hera swiftly took it, quietly watching as Kenobi returned to shaving his beard, smooth, hairless skin left in the razor's wake.

"Have I made a mistake?" Hera asked after a long, surprisingly comfortable silence had passed between them, the Sith looking at her out of the corner of his eye as he carefully scraped the razor under his nose. "Did I make a stupid, spiteful decision out there to go after the Star Destroyer instead of the carrier as we were supposed to?"

"You made a decision..." Obi-Wan said slowly as he considered each word. "I'm not the one to say if it was spiteful, though I could hardly fault you if it was. Your father is a difficult man."

"I should be better than this," the Twi'lek said with a bitter laugh. "The rebellion may ask things of me that will be harder than this, but I will still have to do them. I can't go acting selfishly when so much is at stake..."

"Hera dear, you were willing to leave Kanan behind on Lothal in the hands of the Empire for the sake of your mission. I think it's safe to say that being selfish isn't your problem." He dipped the razor in the water and brought it to his other cheek. "In any case, what's done is done. I didn't know there was such a large force over Ryloth, their rebel activity these days is hardly even worth attention. Stealing the carrier from a heavily armed force of that size may not have been possible. From where I was standing, it seemed as though our commander was simply adapting our mission parameters to adhere to a more significant threat. I would have done the same." A sly smirk curled Obi-Wan's lips, a usually devious thing that only served to look comical with a half shaven beard and patches of foam upon his face. "Subjugating the Subjugator is the most logical course of action."

"You've just been waiting to say that, haven't you?"

"Yes, but since Garazeb's been in the 'fresher, I haven't had a mirror to practice in front of." He frowned and eyed the Twi'lek. "Did it sound alright?"

"You're delivery could use a little work," Hera said sternly, but just for a moment, unable to keep the smile off her face as Obi-Wan rolled his eyes and resumed shaving. "Do you think we can do this? You really think we can get away with stealing a Star Destroyer?"

"I wouldn't have suggested it earlier if I didn't think it was a possibility," Obi-Wan said absently as he finished, a hand running over his cheeks and chin and correcting any spots he had missed. "And with the plan you have put in place, I believe our chances of success are rather high." He placed the razor on the workbench and ran his hands over his face, picked up the neatly folded black jacket of an officer in the Starfighter Corps on the bench beside him and shrugging it on before he turned to face the Twi'lek. "So? How do I look?"

"Like an absolute child. Honestly, it should be a crime." She tilted her head as she looked around him, examining him with a critical eye. "And this is enough to get you where you need to be?"

"Just this by itself?" Kenobi scoffed as he brushed off the shoulders and adjusted his rank plaque. "Don't be ridiculous. Loathe as I am to admit it, I have never stolen a ship this size on my own before. I may be strong in the Force, but I can still be killed, and the army of hostile people aboard a ship like that is enough to kill just about anyone, were they to throw enough people at the problem, and the Imperials would. They have a frankly disgusting attitude toward their human resources."

"Of all the things you could criticize the Empire for, I wouldn't have expected you to care about that," Hera said, and Obi-Wan reflexively rolled his eyes.

"Think about it, Syndulla. The dead are of no use to us. Loss of life is unavoidable in wars, but senseless loss is just wasteful." Obi-Wan closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "I was taught to fight smart and to fight careful. Sidious once believed that before he saw the revenge of the Sith fulfilled. I will not make the same mistakes he has. I will not crush my enemies with overwhelming might, I will do so by being smarter." He looked at her quickly, a small smile on his lips before he quickly looked away to smooth out the Imperial uniform he wore. "I'm digressing again, you should have stopped me."

"Maybe I like hearing you talk," she said with a shrug and Obi-Wan chuckled softly, a modest smile on his lips.

"Destroying and disabling a ship is one thing, but capturing one is a whole different matter. My theft of the Republic Star Destroyers back during the Clone Wars was always done during battle when I had a suitable distraction that allowed me to bypass their security. Chaos and confusion have always been the conditions under which I operate best," Kenobi quietly explained. "Too many things can go wrong without it, and while I can make myself nearly invisible to those around me with the Dark Side, it doesn't fool droids and security cameras. With your plan in action, yes, simply looking like an Imperial officer with something important to do is enough. The rest..." He shrugged. "Simple suggestion. A panicked mind is not a guarded one."

"We'll do our best to make as big a mess as possible," Hera said with a nod. "If it's safe, maybe they should try to steal the carrier as well, as we originally intended."

"That would certainly cause the necessary chaos I need. Ezra's suggestion was a fair one. You should do it." The gold eyes narrowed slightly, his mouth twisting into a concentrated frown as he pointed a warning finger at the Twi'lek. "Keep an eye on your father, Hera. He cannot be trusted, and he agreed to this mission far too quickly."

"I'm well aware of my Father's priorities, Kenobi, and I know he's willing to stoop to incredible lows to get his way. Don't worry. I'll be careful." Hera sighed heavily, felt the lekku droop limply down her back like they hadn't since the moment this all began. "Thank you, Obi-Wan. I...feel much better about all of this. It was good to talk about it."

"Always happy to be of service, Captain," Obi-Wan said softly, inclining his head toward the woman, and with a soft smile, Hera picked up the Sith Lord's discarded robes and swiftly folded them into a neat bundle. The door behind them hissed open, and the two quickly looked to see Cham Syndulla standing in the doorway, his face impassive, though the corner of his mouth twitched in disapproval. Hera took a deep breath and held it, could feel herself physically bristling at being closed in like this until Kenobi's hand rested reassuring and protective upon her shoulder.

"It's almost time," Cham said quietly, drawing up and clasping his hands tightly behind his back, the very image of command as he examined his daughter and the Sith Lord. "We should be heading out soon on this..." He flicked his hand dismissively in the air with a sneer. "With this foolhardy, impulsive mission. It's not too late to revert to the original plan, Hera."

"And, which plan is that?" Hera asked, her arms crossed over her chest. "The plan where we try to steal a ship under the guard of a Star Destroyer? Or the one where we blow up the carrier we're trying to steal?"

"Targeting the Star Destroyer isn't the best course of action, Cham, it's the only course of action," Kenobi said quietly, though his tone was warning, challenging, and left no room for argument. "We will succeed in this."

"Destroying the ship is easier and less of a risk to us!" Cham snarled, and Hera scoffed dismissively as she rolled her eyes and looked impatiently at her father.

"Destroying the ship is short-sighted, a temporary victory that will not last," Hera snapped, and Obi-Wan recoiled slightly, her usual gentle words suddenly cold and harsh and heavily accented with the thick dialect of the Twi'leks, a thing he had never heard in her voice before. "You would win a battle to lose the war, Father!"

"If you gave me half the attention you gave this...this Separatist scum," Cham snapped, pointing a rigid, accusatory finger at Obi-Wan, "we'd have liberated Ryloth by now!"

"Don't you bring him into this," she growled as she stepped forward. "He has nothing to do with what's between us!"

"And this is exactly what is wrong with you, child!" he scolded, his tone haughty and patronizing, and within a moment, Hera's fiery anger seemed to freeze into ice. This was a conversation they had many times before. "You hold on to the wrong things, things that shouldn't matter to you! You devote your time to lost causes." He scoffed in disgust and crossed his arms, his red eyes flicking between the silently seething Hera and the dispassionate Sith Lord at her side. "What a waste..."

"I am not wasting my life!" Hera seethed, her hands balling into fists by her said as she glared at her father, and while she had always wished that Cham would one day see reason, she couldn't help but hate herself for rising to his taunts, knowing full well that it wasn't worth it. "I help people! I lead ships into battle, I am part of something bigger than just myself and my people!"

"I would have thought by now you'd have learned that you can never trust outsiders!" Cham hissed, his pointed teeth bared as he met the fury of his daughter. "And now I find you here cavorting with one of the leaders of the Separatist army! One of the people that attacked and invaded Ryloth! We trusted the Republic, and look what happened! They helped liberate us from them, only to turn around and enslave us the moment they became the Empire!"

"The same thing is happening all across the galaxy, we are fighting to free everyone!" Hera said almost pleadingly, and Cham's hand cut across the air to silence her.

"I do not care about the rest of the galaxy! I care only about Ryloth!"

"So I've noticed..." Hera said quietly, bitterly, her heavy accent gone as if it were never there to begin with, her presence calm and focused once again.

With a sneer, the Twi'lek turned away from Hera and began to stalk away when he was stopped by Kenobi's swift call of "Cham, wait." The muscled in his back tensed as he turned to face the Sith Lord, his eyes narrowed and angry, his teeth grinding together as he observed the calm, dispassionate man. "No one planet alone can defeat the Empire," Obi-Wan said quietly. "Individual rebel cells have risen and fallen, and the Empire relies on us being too disorganized and self-interested to unite. It's how they have maintained such a strong hold for so long. Resistance is met with destruction and enslavement, you know that."

"They have not stopped me yet!" Cham snapped, and Obi-Wan laughed softly and shook his head.

"No, they haven't. But your people aren't fighting, and they aren't rising up, and no ship burning in the sky is going to do that when the very next day they are looking up at a fleet of Star Destroyers and an orbital bombardment. Not when there is no chance of victory, and without help, you know where your path leads."

"I will free Ryloth."

"Yes..." Obi-Wan whispered. "But not so long as the Empire rules." With a sneer of contempt, Cham stalked away, leaving Hera and Obi-Wan to stare at the spot the angry man had until recently occupied.

"Stubborn, small-minded fool..." Hera muttered under her breath. "He always has been."

"I bet he's thinking the same thing about you."

"You're probably right..." she sighed, her lekku twisting in agitation as she looked up at the Sith's face and ran her fingers over the clean shaven cheek. "You missed a spot."

"Damn it, I never had this much trouble when I was a Padawan..." he muttered, snatching up the razor and swiftly dragging it over the spots that Hera was indicating. "At least we know where Cham stands."

"One to be watched, as you said," she said quietly. "It seems like you and I have work to do before the mission begins."

"Seems like it." Smiling at the woman when she decided that his grooming was finally done, Obi-Wan tucked his things under his arm and pushed the button to open the door, gesturing for her to go through. "After you, dear. I'll follow your lead, as always."

---

"I miss the Umbra," K-2SO bemoaned as he lumbered at an accelerated pace beside Obi-Wan, the man dressed sharply in full Starfighter officer uniform and his command cap pulled down low over his face to at least partially concealed his glowing golden eyes, the first and surest thing that something was wrong, off about the man. He quietly cursed his inability to mask that particular sign of Dark Side corruption as Sidious and Dooku had been able to, but he simply lacked the knack for it, as Sidious was devoid of the talent to steal Force energy from the living and task it to heal the weathering of age. It was an irritation and an inconvenience, but little more than that, and soon enough, it wouldn't matter anyway. When he was Emperor, he would have nothing to hide.

"Who's going to fly her?" K-2SO continued to wail after they had passed quickly by a squad of Stormtroopers rushing for their battle stations, not giving the pair even the slightest glance in their direction. "Who's going to make certain the systems are running at optimal levels? Master, in precisely...forty three minutes, she is due for her routine main processor defragmentation, and she is very picky about it! The last time I missed one, she threw a proper fit and slaved my functions to her central database for nearly a week!"

"I don't need to know about your personal life, K2," Kenobi muttered. "Some things are meant to stay in the bedroom, and this sounds like one of those things."

"Well," the droid scoffed with great offense, swiftly plugging into a wall terminal beside an elevator when Obi-Wan stopped and indicated toward it. "I can assure you that this is a serious matter, Master. Who is to do any of this if I don't?"

"Cody's been flying her since before you were manufactured," Obi-Wan said when the elevator slid open, his arm holding the door as the droid disengaged from the wall and they both stepped inside together. "Believe me, that clone is more than capable of satisfying the bitch."

"Not the way she needs, Master," K2 said with a dismissive electronic chortle, his visual receptors looking over the suddenly beaming Sith Lord, and he drew back, a low groaning whir deep in his mechanical chest. "Wait. Are we even talking about the same thing?"

"In a way, I suspect we are," Obi-Wan drawled, pulling down the command cap and taking a few deep breaths as the elevator rapidly climbed through the floors. "Do try to focus, dear. I know the Umbra is a sexy thing, but you mustn't be distracted. You'll be back to plugging inside her in no time at all!"

"I see what you're doing there, Master," K2 droned in the most flat, unimpressed way possible. "And I am not amused. The interactions between myself and the Umbra's interface are far more dignified and much less messy than the organic mess you are insinuating to."

"I don't know, K2..." Obi-Wan drawled, his eyes focused on the elevator's display as the numbers climbed upwards toward their destination on the command deck, K2's entered codes giving them the clearance necessary to access it. "There was that one time a few weeks ago, you got oil all over the-"

"That was one time!" K2 cried indignantly. "And I apologized. Many times. When are you going to stop bringing that up?!"

"I don't know, when you do something more embarrassing I can use against you," Kenobi said with a shrug and he swiftly rapped his knuckles on the droid's armored chest. "Look alive, we're almost there."

The door slid open, and Obi-Wan dashed out into the halls, the alarms blaring around them with a monotonous cadence and frantic officers and technicians running to command posts and to deliver messages and updates on the battle that was happening just outside. With his own quick pace and the Imperial droid at his side, Obi-Wan fit right in, and as he suspected, the chaos and confusion of the mess upon the carrier made certain that he wasn't questioned and rose no suspicions. The stakes had been raised significantly when Hera had the inspired idea to put Kanan in Obi-Wan's armor, and while the Jedi was a fair bit larger than Obi-Wan and the armor didn't fit quite right, the fear and panic that it inspired would be enough to send the Imperials into chaos, which was exactly what had happened.

With every Imperial around Ryloth certain they were dealing with the Shadow King, there was a hard push to surround and capture the carrier, which was putting a great deal of pressure on the Spectres and Cham's group as Imperial forces converged upon the carrier's main hangar. The stress, the tension was palpable, could be tasted in the very air, and Obi-Wan thrived on it. Every Imperial here in the command center knew exactly what they were dealing with, knew how dangerous the situation, knew the stakes involved, the rewards of success and the inevitable punishment for failure.

They were frightened and uncertain, used to small attacks by Cham's movement on the ground, not the crippling attacks from the Empire's most dangerous criminal and so many of the men and women he saw were so young, petty officers right out of the academy looking for glory in bringing stability to unstable Ryloth. They hadn't been ready to deal with distant Lothal's rebel cell, and certainly not prepared to deal with the Force sensitive nightmare that was the Shadow King. It was pitiable, really, and as Obi-Wan slowed his jog to a fast walk, he reached out with the Force to gauge the tumultuous emotions, to revel in their fear, their confusion, their desperation. These people would not be difficult to turn, especially not when faced with the thing they feared and an ultimatum. Especially not when he kills their commanders.

A subtle wiggle of his fingers and a soft command convinces the Stormtrooper guards outside the bridge that they have important business elsewhere, and after they rush off, K-2SO plugs into the wall, inputs the necessary clearance codes to gain access to the bridge, and the heavy doors slide open. They step on to a command bridge that is just as tense as the rest of the ship, less panicked because they know the entirety of the situation upon the carrier, but more fearful because of it, the fearful, shouting holographic relief of the carrier's commander projected before the command chair where the Subjugator's Admiral sat issuing terse commands to the bridge crew.

Gesturing to K2 to seal the door, Obi-Wan drew up tall and strode purposefully forward, the bridge crew ignoring his presence, but the officers on the deck quickly turning to face him and glare expectantly. Kenobi lowered his eyes and saluted, the heels of his shiny black boots snapping together at attention. "Hello, Officers!" Obi-Wan chirped, grinning when he heard K2's electronic purr of satisfaction as the door's locking mechanisms whirred into place. "I have new orders for all of you."

"W-what?!" the Admiral sputtered in outrage as he rose from his seat, his face growing redder by the moment as he looked the impertinent young officer over. "Just because we are in the middle of a crisis, Lieutenant," he spat, glancing quickly at the rank plaque on his chest, "doesn't mean that you get to throw protocol and procedure out the airlock! You will address us properly!"

"But of course..." Obi-Wan muttered contritely. "My apologies, Admiral."

"Do not think that you can escape punishment for this transgression with a simple apology!" he growled, his tension shifting targets away from the uncomfortable situation on the carrier and to the much more comfortable, more familiar reprimanding of inferior officers. "What are they teaching these children at the Academy these days?!" His ruddy face reddened with rage as a small, amused smirk touched the officer's lips, and the Admiral's eyes darted momentarily out the viewport to see the fleet of cruisers converging upon the compromised carrier, bringing him back to the moment. "What orders?!" he barked. "From whom?!"

"K2, please cut all outgoing communications and transmissions," Obi-Wan quietly ordered, and the droid inclined his head and set to work, the communications officers quickly rising from their seats as their stations went dark and pulling their blasters when they felt something seriously wrong. Obi-Wan breathed deeply and reached out with the Force, felt the swiftly mounting tension and fear, the confusion, the desperate need to be told what to do in this strange and unusual circumstance, but their leaders weren't answering. Their emotions lay bare, raw, spread out before him like a swirling picture of red rage and blue fear and uncertainty rippling green across the Force, and through it all rushed the Dark Side, laughing and triumphant as it pierced through every mind, every body, every will, leaving all but the strongest among them filled with black dread and despair. He had them, and there was nothing they could do about it.

"Droid, what are you doing!?" the Admiral shouted as he drew his blaster and pointed it at Kenobi's chest. "Countermand that order at once!"

K2 looked blankly at the Admiral, back to the wall where his arm was plugged into the access port, and then back to the Admiral. "Master said I had to," the droid droned, and the Admiral grit his teeth, looked back at the insolent officer, and felt his chest seize in fear when he found himself gazing into glowing golden eyes.

"The order came from me," Obi-Wan drawled, removing the command cap from his head with a sneer of disdain and dropping it upon the floor and ruffling his golden hair, the slightest gesture from his other hand causing the scrambling bridge officers to cease moving, caught mid-action by a wordless command and a compulsion to obey. Only a few still moved, gasps of effort and panic torn from constricted throats as they fought against themselves. A wicked grin spread across the Sith Lord's face as fear filled the Admiral's eyes, his hand shaking as he tried to pull the trigger when he realized what was happening, but his finger floated just above it, almost as if a magnetic field repelled his attempts to press down, pushing back harder the closer he got to it.

"I'm now in charge of this vessel," the Sith said, loud and firm as K-2SO disengaged by the wall and navigated carefully through the maze of petrified officers to reach his side. "K2, open the shipboard communications channel to the entire ship. I need to speak with my crew."

"It must be nice to make demands all the time..." the droid mused, slowly making his way to the communications station and carefully stepping over a high ranking officer on his hands and knees and panting with pain as he fought with the Sith's silent commands. "I wish I could make demands..." He grabbed hold of the twitching communications officer by the back of her gray collar and moved her out of the way, the frozen woman collapsing in a heap upon the ground as K2 plugged in. His visual receptors ran over an officer beside him, an older man's eyes wide with fear and not even attempting to fight his paralysis. K2 looked back quickly at the Sith Lord when he spotted the weapon on the officer's hip. "Master! Can I have a blaster? HK-45 gets a blaster and he never lets me use it because he is programmed to be a selfish child."

"Sure, why not..." Obi-Wan said with a shrug, and K2 gleefully drew the blaster from the officer's holster.

"Shipwide communications are open, Master," K2 said, looking over the weapon in his hand. "Ready to broadcast at your command."

With a curt nod and a deep breath, Obi-Wan stepped up to the communications hub, gave the droid a signal that he was ready, and waited for the display before him to flicker as the audio picked up. "This is your Captain speaking. The rebel threat has been neutralized. All deployed units are to be recalled and all personnel is expected to return to their duties posthaste." The display lit up with the swift acknowledgment of the orders from the commanders throughout the ship, the switchboards on the opposite side of the command deck flashing with red and green lights as TIE Fighters returned and were locked back into their places in the hangars and weapon systems were taken offline. Some of the officers around the deck struggled, some managed to move or lurch forward or cry out in pain and outrage as they watched the light and heavy cruisers slowly begin to follow the Subjugator's lead and back away from the carrier.

"My orders, officers," Obi-Wan drawled, a pleased smile on his face as he slowly strode toward the command chair and sat upon it, his ankle crossing over his knee as he looked at the men and women on the deck, the Admiral jerking unnaturally against a will not his own as he aimed the blaster at the Sith, but failed to fire. "Kneel."

They all obeyed. Some swiftly, as if their legs lost the ability to keep them standing, some slowly as their stubborn wills struggled to obey the command, but in the end, every man and woman on the command deck was kneeling before the Sith Lord, each and every one slaved to Lumis' will. Lumis tapped his fingers on the arm of the command chair, carefully observing the hazy eyes of those awaiting his orders and those who defiantly glared at him as they fought bodies they no longer had control over, though there were very few of those. It was no matter. The ship was his regardless.

The com on his wrist began to beep, and he absently answered it, his eyes locked on the Admiral as he stifled screams of pain and grabbed at his wrist as he tried to force the blaster to point at the Sith, his attempts to struggle against the forces that controlled him only sending the fangs of the Dark Side tearing deeper within him.

"It took you long enough!" Hera said over the com, her voice tense and stressed and angry, but there was an undercurrent of relief within her. "I thought you were an expert, I thought stealing ships was your speciality!" she drawled in a mockery of Kenobi's accent, and he couldn't help but chuckle softly, his gaze drifting to watch K2 wander around the deck and curiously prod at the kneeling Imperials with the barrel of his appropriated blaster.

"I'm out of practice, Hera, my apologies..." he muttered, silently commanding the officers at the helm to return to their posts and plot a course for hyperspace and gesturing for K2 to join them and input the coordinates for their rendevous with the Umbra. "I have command of the ship, and I'm ready to cover your escape." He gestured for the officers at the weapon's stations to return to their positions, all but one mindlessly obeying the order.

"Yeah, well you're going to have to wait on that, Kenobi," Hera growled, and Obi-Wan could hear the rapid sound of the woman's fingers on a switchboard and a heavy sigh. "We're in position to steal the carrier."

"Hera..."

"Kenobi, your HK unit cleared out the entire ship!" Hera said with marked agitation. "I thought he would just be a good way to keep us alive, but that homicidal droid scanned the entire ship for life forms and didn't stop until they were all dead!"

"I told you, he's very thorough..." Obi-Wan drawled, smoothing out the creases in his uniform and gesturing for the Admiral to come closer. The man rose slowly and with stiff, jerky motions, he made his way before the Sith, the blaster shaking in his hand slowly rising to point again at the man in his chair. "And Cham?"

"Betrayed us, as we correctly suspected," Hera said flatly, and Obi-Wan could practically feel the woman bristle. "He shot us with stun blasts and restrained me in the ship..." She laughed softly. "I mean, I knew it was going to happen, just...not quite like that. Though I'll tell you, it was really satisfying to watch him seethe when he found out we stole his explosives."

"That was a good call," Obi-Wan said softly. "Hopefully Cham was not much trouble after that."

"There was little choice but for him to help us," Hera quickly dismissed. "It was either help us, or fail entirely, and my father is too proud to allow the Empire even a small victory, as you well know. Though I have to say, he sulked the entire time."

"Certainly something you had no trouble in dealing with. You deal with moody teenagers all the time."

"Yes, well..." Hera chuckled softly, but abruptly stopped, the com silent for a moment before she quickly said, "Sabine and Zeb got the hyperdrive back online, Kenobi, we're ready to fly. Cover us?"

"Always. I'll see you all in a few days with the Destroyer." The com cut, and with a satisfied smirk, Obi-Wan leaned back in his seat, his hands folded in his lap as his gaze swept over the deck. "Alright, my people, we have a ship to defend. Open fire on any cruisers that harass that carrier. If they release TIEs, send our own to engage them. The moment they jump to hyperspace, we jump to our own coordinates." The monotone affirmatives droned across the command center as the officers set to work, leaving only a few behind suffering on the floor as they continued to resist, their motions becoming slower and sluggish as they broke upon Lumis' unyielding control. All but the Admiral, who continued to glare defiantly at him, his jaw tight as the blaster shook in his hands in his failed efforts to shoot.

"Shadow King," the Admiral snarled. "You won't succeed..."

"I already have, fool," Lumis scoffed, rolling his eyes and looking over the manned stations. "Look around you. Your ship is mine, your men obey my every command." His gaze landed on a slight woman, her hair tied tightly at the nape of her neck, and with a wolfish grin, he grabbed hold of her with the Force to get her attention. "Come here, beautiful..." he drawled, the woman rising obediently and staggering to his side to sink to her knees beside him, moaning softly when the Sith's hand rested upon her head.

"We will never serve you," the Admiral snapped, revulsion and disgust playing across his face when the Sith Lord laughed, a gentle tap to the woman's forehead quickening her breath and sending a deep flush to her face as she softly moaned and her pupils dilated.

"But they do, and they will when they understand what I mean to accomplish." He hooked his fingers under the panting woman's chin. "This one will be servicing me very soon..." Lumis sighed heavily. "But you are correct in one respect. You will never serve me, so I fear you are of no use." Lumis drew a large, lazy circle in the air with his finger. "Put your blaster to your head." Fear finally filled the Admiral's eyes as his hand stopped shaking and smoothly, quickly moved to do as the Sith Lord commanded, the barrel pressed firm against his temple. "Last words, Admiral?" Lumis asked in a low, deep voice.

"P-please..." the officer stammered. "I-"

The blaster fired, the sound loud and heavy in the silent stillness of the command deck. A moment later, a second shot rang out when K-2SO, never one to be left out, discharged his blaster into one of the struggling officer's heads, swiftly looked over his shoulder at the Sith that stared at him, and shrugged. With a contented smile on his face, Lumis looked out the viewport as the carrier made the jump to hyperspace, and a moment later, with the moaning woman climbing into his lap as she shed her coat and the other officers silently and diligently at work at their stations and the droid plugging in to strip the ship of identifiers, Lumis shut his eyes and sighed in contentment as his Star Destroyer jumped to hyperspace. There was still work to be done, thousands of soldiers to lull into his service, a capital ship to convert for his personal use, but that was work for another day.