Ahsoka's Shock:

D45/0 ABY, Lothal

Every hundred days or so, Ahsoka and Lux had to return to civilized space for fuel and supplies since their shuttle didn't hold much. Fortunately, the return trip was a million times faster than getting there had been, since the space was now charted in their nav computer. Last time, they'd gone back to the Rebel base on Yavin 4 and seen a very pregnant Hera and spent some time with Rex. Today, Ahsoka decided it was time to check up on Sabine as a surprise, and she had a feeling she'd find Hera here as well, hopefully carrying the child in her arms instead of her midsection.

As they emerged from hyperspace in front of the planet, they were met by a green and purple painted TIE design that Ahsoka had never seen before. They were instantly hailed by the TIE. "This is Loth Two of the Lothal Planetary Defence. Please state your intentions or you will be shot down," a familiar female voice said.

Ahsoka raised a brow and smiled a little. "Loth Two, this is Ahsoka Tano. I see that things are going well for you, Ketsu Onyo. I like your fighter. What is it?"

Ketsu's voice warmed up considerably as she answered. "Ahsoka! You're back. I knew that ship looked familiar. It's been awhile. And this is my TIE Defender, courtesy of the Empire. We have two whole fleets of them now."

Ahsoka laughed lightly at the obvious pride in the other woman's voice. "Good for you. I'm here to get more supplies and see Sabine. I'm assuming I'll find her in her usual spot by the tower?"

"She's actually at work right now, still busy building something or other, but you'll find Hera in the Ghost in the same spot," Ketsu replied.

"Thank you, Ketsu. Come visit with us later when your shift is over," Ahsoka invited, correctly assuming that Loth Squadron rotated guard duty on the planet.

"Will do, Ahsoka. It's nice to have you back."

"It's good to be back," Ahsoka replied, before flying down to the planet.

Ahsoka and Lux admired the new paint job on Ezra's Gauntlet before parking beside the Ghost. The Mandalorian ship had been repainted in a base coat of silver with alternating orange and blue streaks on the wings and body, giving the impression of feathers. Sabine had made another beautiful piece of art. As they walked up to the Ghost, Hera was already standing on the ramp to meet them, a big smile on her face and they exchanged hugs in greeting.

"Hera, you're looking well," Ahsoka complimented. "I'm guessing I have a new little nephew to meet."

Hera beamed. "Yes. Come on inside and I'll introduce you to Jacen. And just wait until twilight. You're in for the surprise of your life."

Ahsoka raised a brow in question, but Hera refused to elaborate, so Ahsoka just gave a mental shrug and followed her friend up the ladder with Lux following behind.

Jacen was officially the cutest baby Ahsoka had ever seen and holding him in her arms made her realize that she just might want a child of her own; one with Lux's gorgeous thunderstorm grey eyes. She gave a little wistful sigh at the image of the tiny pale skinned girl with her lekku and Lux's eyes that popped into her mind, knowing it would never happen. Togrutans and humans were simply too different. The odds against them conceiving were astronomically high. So high, she wasn't even bothering to take contraceptive shots.

Sabine came home from work and joined Hera, Ahsoka, and Lux in the common room with a tired sigh, flopping into the chair in the corner and putting her legs over the arm. She gave Ahsoka and Lux a smile and a wave before her eyes closed and she fell asleep in only a few seconds. Ahsoka studied the girl curiously, because despite being exhausted, she seemed incredibly content. Ahsoka had never sensed such a level of peace coming from her before.

Hera seemed to be very happy as well, which Ahsoka had thought was due to her new child, but now she was starting to get a feeling that there was something else going on here. There had been too many hints that Ahsoka was going to be very surprised about something. She was actually starting to get impatient for twilight to arrive so the mystery would be revealed.

"What has Sabine so tired?" Ahsoka whispered to Hera as she somewhat reluctantly gave the twi'lek her baby back. "I thought the majority of the clean up and reconstruction was finished?"

"She's been working on Ezra's tower apartment lately, after everything else she does," Hera whispered back as she shook her head ruefully. "She's determined to finish it as quickly as possible, despite having a perfectly good ship to live in." Hera cuddled a cooing Jacen to her chest and smiled down at him as he reached for her lek and gently grasped the end in his tiny hands. This was obviously a gesture they did a lot because Ahsoka had never seen Hera put a lek in front of her shoulder before, as she was usually content to just let them hang down her back. Now she tossed it over her shoulder with a twitch of her head as soon as Jacen reached up. It was adorable and Ahsoka suddenly wanted the same interaction with her own child. She chalked it up to her biological clock trying to get her with the program. Well, her clock was just going to have to shut up, because Ahsoka had chosen Lux and she wasn't going to change her mind. Maybe they could adopt a child or two whenever they finally got to settle down for real. One day, Ezra would be back where he belonged and the war would be over. Maybe they could find a Force sensitive orphan to raise. The thought made a hopeful smile cross her face.

"Why? What's the rush?" Lux asked, joining the conversation just as quietly.

This brought on yet another one of Hera's mysterious smiles. "You'll see soon enough," was all she said.

Ahsoka almost rolled her eyes but managed to restrain herself. Just.

Ketsu walked in at this point, and she wasn't alone. Aside from carrying in sacks of delicious smelling dinner, she was accompanied by a man who appeared to be in his late twenties or early thirties. (Ahsoka was never completely sure when it came to humans ages, since they didn't have lekku that were easy to read.) Lux immediately popped out of his chair, obviously excited to see another male to talk to. Introductions were quickly made and everyone moved into the galley to eat, including Sabine, who woke up from her nap the instant the door to the common room opened. Jacen was placed in Chopper's manipulators while Hera was otherwise occupied, making Ahsoka wonder if the boy had every been set down at any point that didn't include sleeping in his crib.

At some point during dinner, Sabine looked up at Ketsu and grinned. "Hey, I almost forgot. Ryder and I had a little meeting today and we've decided that since you two are basically already doing the job, the Lothal Defence Military is yours to run as you see fit. That would mean official promotions to the rank of Admiral for both of you. With Joshua running the ground forces and Ketsu in charge of the air forces, your partnership has made one of the best run armies this galaxy has ever seen, I'm sure. I hope this is alright with you two?"

Ketsu and Joshua stared at Sabine, wide eyed and they both nodded slowly as the news sunk in. Ketsu eventually broke into a big grin. "If only my clan could see me now. They thought I was worthless and threw me out when we left the Academy. Now I'm an Admiral." She turned to Joshua and grinned up at him. "We're Admiral's, Josh'ika! Now there's just one thing left for us to do on my new bucket list."

Joshua grinned back, flushing a little. He bent down and murmured in her ear, making Ketsu gasp and her skin darkened considerably.

Ketsu abruptly stood and pulled Joshua up with her, eyes sparkling. "Uhh, sorry for the abrupt departure, but Joshua and I have to... ummm."

Sabine and Hera laughed, waving them off, and the couple left quickly, holding hands and giggling like children.

"One hundred credits says she's expecting by the end of the year," Sabine said once the door closed.

"You're on, but I say next year, in the spring," Ahsoka replied.

Hera shook her head. "I'm calling two months from now. She's a Mandalorian, and we all know how determined they are once they set their mind to something," she said with teasing smile at Sabine.

Everyone laughed, and the bets were on.

Lux sidled a little closer to Ahsoka and wondered if she ever thought about having kids. They'd never talked about it since they both knew that their species were pretty much incompatible. Maybe he'd bring up the subject one day, just to see where her mind was at on the subject. They did have a ridiculous amount of time to kill on their quest for Ezra.

The conversation had turned back to Jacen as Hera and Sabine described all of the adorable things he'd done since he was born a whole forty-seven days ago when the somewhat transparent figure of a young man Lux had never seen before appeared in the room beside Sabine, making the conversation come to a dead stop as she turned to him and said, "Ezra!" with an adoring look in her eyes. Lux almost fell out of his chair in shock and Ahsoka was no better, as her big eyes got bigger than he'd ever seen them and her vibrant orange skin turned a much paler shade so her white markings were much less visible.

"Ezra!" Ahsoka cried as well, but not in a good way. "Please tell me you're not dead! Because you look like a Force Ghost and I've been searching for you and..."

Hera put a comforting hand on Ahsoka's shoulder to stop her rapid fire words. "It's okay, Ahsoka."

Ezra took in the new people at the table and grinned at them. "Ahsoka! You're here! You made it back from Malachor all right? I know Sabine said you had, but you know, gotta ask. And you must be Lux! And yes, I look like a Force Ghost, but this is really just a spirit projection. My body is safe and sound somewhere on another planet far away."

Ahsoka blinked, as the shocks just kept piling up. Ezra wasn't dead but he was doing a Force trick that she'd only heard whispers about? It was said that Master Yoda could do the same thing but Master Yoda was ancient and had something like nine hundred years to perfect his tricks. Ezra was... nineteen, she was pretty sure. How in the galaxy had he managed to learn that? She was just about to ask him to explain further when Ahsoka was hit with another shock.

"He may not be a Force Ghost, but I am," Kanan said as he appeared with a smirk on his face and a twinkle in his teal eyes, sitting right beside Hera in a space apparently left for him. Hera leaned into his side with a look of utter happiness in her eyes and he wrapped an arm around her.

Ahsoka gasped, swaying as her brain shut down for a moment and she stopped breathing. Lux wrapped a steadying arm around her waist and Ahsoka remembered to inhale. "Okay," she finally said after gawking at Kanan, then Ezra, and then back to Kanan. "Somebody please explain."

Ezra went first, telling her all about his new planet with the amazing Force Users and their crashed Jedi Masters; both the still living Tia Fisto, and the Ghost, Zen Guji. "I promise I'll show you everything I learn when we're together again," he finished with.

Ahsoka nodded eagerly. This was great! After leaving the Order, her training in the Force had come to a halt and that had always bugged her since she knew there was so much more to learn than what Anakin had had time to teach her in between fighting a never-ending war. She turned her attention back to Kanan. "Alright, your turn."

Kanan nodded with a half smile. "I guess I'll start with the day Hera was captured, since that was the first day I knew I wasn't going to make it. That I had a purpose that I had to fulfill."

Everyone was looking at Kanan now with rapt expressions since he hadn't told anyone this story yet. Ezra and Sabine's were a little on the hurt side. "You knew you were going to die and you didn't tell us?" Sabine asked, trying not to sound too accusing.

Kanan sighed. "Yes. I'm sorry. It was the only way."

"I understand," Ezra said. "I had my own choice that I had to make and I never told anyone either."

Sabine glared at him. "Remind me to punch you for that when I see you again. I'd do it now, but..."

Ezra rolled his eyes at her, but grinned nonetheless. "You can punch me as much as you want, cyar'ika. I deserve it. Just so long as you kiss me too."

That got a chuckle from everyone and the good mood was restored.

Kanan got back on subject, knowing he and Ezra didn't have a lot of time left before they were too exhausted to stay in their current forms. They both still had a lot of practicing to do. "As I was saying, it started the day Hera was shot down over Capital City. I was on my way back to the city to rescue her when a lothwolf appeared in front of my speeder bike. I crashed, avoiding it and then..."

"...Suddenly I was in this empty place and my Master was there. She and a veritable plethora of Masters began my admittedly hurried training in how to use the Force to be a Lothwolf and a Ghost and other things," Kanan finished with. "I've had more than a year now to get pretty good at it."

Hera smiled up at him and kissed his semi solid cheek. "It's good enough for me."

Kanan and Hera exchanged looks of love and adoration. Their life together wasn't ideal, but it was more than either of them thought they would get. Kanan got to watch over his family and actually interact with Hera and his son for a short time every day. And whenever he could manage, Kanan would take on a solid form again once Hera was in bed and watch her sleep while holding her in his arms. And if she woke up? Well, let's just say they expressed their love with more than words.

Ahsoka was basically just flabbergasted. So much had happened while she didn't exist and then was flying around in space endlessly. She was feeling awfully left out of the loop right now. Hopefully once all of this searching stuff was over, she could finally go back to a normal life where she was involved with her friends' lives and not just hearing about it months or years later.

Ahsoka and Lux returned to searching for Ezra with a new zeal, now that they knew he was definitely alive and had travelled approximately twelve hours in hyperspace before leaving the Chimaera. They were so focused on finding Ezra again that Ahsoka forgot about finding someone to marry her and Lux. She also forgot to ask about the Death Star and who had managed to destroy it.

Was she ever in for a surprise when they next came back to known space and rendezvoused with the Rebels on Hoth.