Happy December! This is by far the longest chapter in this story at about 5,000 words, so I hope you like it!

1 ABY

Kal readied the light freighter that she was given for the mission to meet with Boba Fett after transmitting him a message to meet her on Alsakan. He already knew where on the planet. Her stomach bubbled with giddy nervousness at the thought of seeing him again. He hadn't exactly been kept in the dark with her joining the rebellion, but they hadn't actually talked since before she had joined. She wondered what their reunion would be like. Would he be mad? Glad? Apprehensive? He was practically the father Obi-Wan hadn't been. She wanted it to go well.

Massaging her scalp, Kal bent over in her seat to try and calm her mind as she waited for her friends. The word sounded strange. Friends. Growing up she did exactly have friends. Market stall workers didn't count. Her dad didn't count.

"You alright, Kal?" a feminine voice said.

Kal picked up her head to see Sabine walking into the cockpit. She smiled at the pink-clad Mandalorian rebel and her ever-changing hair. "Yeah, just nervous, you know?"

Sabine sat down in the copilot chair, setting her helmet on the console. "Of course you're nervous. Your rebel friends are about to meet your bounty hunter friend. I get why you didn't announce your relationship with Fett at the meeting. I was worried for a moment there myself."

Kal offered her a reassuring smile. "Thanks. I'm sorry he attacked you guys."

Shrugging, Sabine didn't look too particular put out. "It's alright. He probably doesn't remember Hera much anyway from their first meeting. Also, it's a job. You take on a job, you've gotta be willing to follow through, regardless of personal feelings." Sometimes Kal forgot about Sabine's experience as a bounty hunter.

"I knew I chose the right person to join."

Sabine laughed at her statement. "Along with three cute boys."

"Switch off," Kal grumbled, turning away to make sure the ship was fully warmed up and ready for takeoff the moment the three pilots arrived.

"I haven't met Skywalker yet. I'm kinda excited."

Kal rolled her eyes with a clenched jaw, especially at Gray's amused beeps. Between Sabine, Hobbie, and Wedge, Kal wondered how she would make it through the trip without murdering one of them. She didn't even like Luke like that. Sure, he was attractive. She's not blind. But she didn't like him like that.

Boots thudded through the ship, growing louder and louder until they reached the cockpit. In walked the three rebel pilots that Kal had decided to share her secret with. All three were ready to go and dressed in civilian clothes and blasters hanging from their belts since as pilots they didn't have armor. Although Luke looked a little apprehensive due to the poor outcome of their training session earlier that day, he was fully present and prepared. The three plopped down in the other chairs with their overnight bags at their feet.

"So, where we going, boss?" Hobbie asked with his charming smile.

"Alsakan," Kal replied. "Strap in." Her crew listened as they lifted off. Gray got to work inputting the coordinates in the navi-computer as Kal flew the ship out of the hangar bay. The moment they entered hyperspace, Kal and Sabine turned around in their seats to look at the boys. "This mission, if you could even call it that, shouldn't be dangerous. There is no anticipation of a fight, but I need to know that you three, no matter what happens, will not disclose anything you learn to anyone."

The boys shared wary glances at Kal's seriousness. Sabine had no patience. "We mean it. Even command can't know at least half of what you'll see and hear."

"What's going on, hunter?" Wedge asked, leaning forward with a concerned expression.

Kal looked sternly into each of their eyes. "Promise me." Each of them nodded quickly and said variants of 'I promise'. "I know that all sounds strange, but I just needed to be sure. The bounty hunter Boba Fett along with a few others who are currently unknown have been interfering with rebel supply runs. As you very well know, I'm a bounty hunter. That's not exactly a secret, but what Rebel Command doesn't know is that Boba Fett is the one who trained me." Each boy had various levels of shock etched into their expressions. "I know him. I trust him. We're just meeting to talk about what has been going on. Hopefully, there will be no issues and Fett will be forthcoming with information. But I need you ready. I chose you three because I trust you." Kal twisted her head towards Sabine with a smile. "And you. Can't forget about you. You're amazing."

Sabine laughed and shook her head, amused. "You're a walking disaster."

"Thank you. So kind of you to notice." Kal turned back to the boys and looked particularly at Luke. "Luke, this is Sabine. She's a member of the Ghost crew. Keep your valuables to yourself if you don't want them spray-painted."

Luke smiled, chuckled lightly, and held out his hand. "It's nice to meet you."

Sabine shook it politely and said, "She's not joking."

"She painted my helmet bright green one time," Hobbie pitched in helpfully. "Was a bitch to clean off." Not knowing how to react, Luke kind of just nodded his head awkwardly and sat back in his seat with a mildly confused expression. "Lighten up, Luke. We're in the company of two beautiful women."

Kal's face pinched with a mocking smile and stood to hopefully find a quiet place to meditate, leaving her droid to watch over the controls. As she left the cockpit, she heard Wedge say, "Both of whom would gladly shoot you with their blasters."

Sabine left shortly after, running to catch up with the mission leader. "Whatcha need, Sabine?" Kal asked as they entered the main holding area.

"I was wondering if we could spar. I don't think I've actually gotten a good fight in a while."

Kal fully faced the young Mandalorian. "Really? You want to spar?"

"Don't look at me like that. I just want some practice in. Haven't exactly been able to without Ezra or Kanan." Kal could see the sadness clouding Sabine's eyes, but it wasn't present on her face. She was good at compartmentalizing her emotions. Or at least better than she had been years before when they had first met.

"If only we could spar with sabers. I never actually had the chance to see you and the Darksaber."

Amusement sprung up on Sabine's face. "If I'm being honest, I kind of miss fighting with it. There's nothing like using a lightsaber."

It was like someone flipped a switch in Kal's mind. "Would you want to?"

"Use a lightsaber?" Sabine asked. Kal nodded. "Uh, sure, but I don't actually see how that's possible. I gave the Darksaber to Bo-Katan Kryze so she could lead Mandalore, like her sister had before the Clone War."

"I don't mean with the Darksaber."

Sabine practically pouted. "I'm still confused."

Kal gave her a broad grin and yelled, "Farmboy! Surprise training session! Get your butt over here!" The three pilots came rushing in carrying their bags, Hobbie and Wedge laughing while Luke looked embarrassed. Kal didn't know or care about what they were making fun of him for. She had an idea. Sabine wanted to spar. Luke needed training. "Luke, come here. You two need a proper introduction." Hobbie and Wedge leaned against the walls of the ship with curious expressions as Luke walked over to the girls. Kal grabbed his arm and pulled him closer so he stood in front of the Mandalorian. "Sabine, did Kanan ever talk about some of the Jedi Knights and Masters?"

Sabine, still confused as to what was happening, said, "Yes, but usually only with Ezra or Ahsoka. I don't remember most of them, though."

"But you know the main heroes, right?" Kal asked. Sabine nodded hesitantly. Kal clapped Luke's shoulder. "This is Luke. Luke Skywalker."

Sabine didn't need a refresher on his last name. She already knew it. But what she hadn't pieced together was the connection to him and the famous Jedi Knight. "As in-" Her eyebrows to emphasize her point without actually saying it. She also mimed a lightsaber swinging.

"The very one." Kal gestured to Sabine. "Luke, this is Sabine Wren of Mandalore, former wielder of a lightsaber infamously known as the Darksaber. It was the first lightsaber ever created by a Mandalorian. Huge symbol of power to Jedi and Mandalorians alike and, interestingly enough, the only known lightsaber with a black, curved blade. Currently, it's being wielded by someone trying to unite Mandalore, but Sabine here learned lightsaber combat from a former Jedi, Kanan Jarrus, who was a padawan during the Clone War. Now, where's your lightsaber?" She looked pointedly at his belt where it wasn't hanging from.

"It's just in my bag," Luke replied quickly, hurrying over to where he dropped his bag by the other two pilots. He grabbed his father's lightsaber and joined the girls again.

"Good." Kal unclipped hers and handed it to Sabine. "Go easy on him. He just started lightsaber combat today."

Both of them looked at her as though she was crazy, but Sabine recovered faster than Luke, igniting the saber and its weightless blade. "Woah, it's heavier than Ezra's and the Darksaber," she realized after swinging it around a few times to get used to the grip.

"Oh, I'm sure it's heavier than Ezra's saber." Kal smirked as she leaned on the wall next to Hobbie. Sabine looked up from the cyan blade to glare unamused at Kal, not appreciating the innuendo. If Sabine was going to make baseless accusations of Kal having a crush on Luke, Kal was going to call Sabine's close relationship with Ezra into speculation. Both of the pilots next to Kal, who had met Ezra before his disappearance and presumed death, smirked and snickered along with her.

Luke, not having paid attention to the exchange, glanced between his unignited lightsaber and the Mandalorian in front of him and sighed. There was only one way to get out of sparring, and that was going through it. He turned on the laser sword and readied the blade in one of the stances Kal had shown him in their training session earlier. He had a bad feeling, knowing he was going to lose against the obviously more skilled warrior in front of him. He just didn't want it to be in front of two of his pilots and someone he had an ever-growing fondness of.

Hobbie slouched a little to whisper in Kal's ear, "Poor guy. He'll do anything to impress you, you know that right?" Kal ignored the blond in her ear as she watched Sabine make the first move using her lightsaber. Hobbie, instead of watching the spar, preferred teasing Kal. "He's always super excited before and after spending time with you, too. Big, goofy grin on his face. Walking with a spring in his step. Is there something you wanna tell me, beautiful?"

Kal huffed in frustration and harshly grabbed Hobbie's jacket, dragging him down the hall with her, away from the main group. Wedge watched in amusement before turning his attention back to the slow spar in front of him, shaking his head with a knowing smile. It was going to be a long trip.

The disappearance of the pilot and the bounty hunter didn't go unnoticed by the Jedi-in-training and the Mandalorian. Sabine definitely noticed Luke's change of pace growing more erratic until she finally disarmed him, snatching his weapon from the air. Granted, it would've happened sooner if she hadn't been going easy on him.

Holding out his saber after turning both off, Sabine said, "Control your emotions when fighting, otherwise they'll get the better of you."

Luke took his father's lightsaber back. "Pretty sure you got the better of me because you're better."

Sabine smiled. "Well, that too. But still. Even the most skilled fighters can be taken down due to not controlling their emotions. Has Kal given you the whole 'anger leads to the Dark Side' spiel yet?"

"The what?" Luke asked, his face scrunched together.

"I'm assuming that's a 'no' then," Wedge pointed out from his spot against the wall. He kicked off of it and walked over to the two. "She's told you what she is, right?"

For a moment, Luke was almost unsure of what to answer. What was Kal? She was a whole bunch of things. A spy. A Fulcrum. A Force-User. A Jedi's daughter. A bounty hunter. "A Gray Jedi?"

Both Sabine and Wren nodded. "She's a Gray Jedi because she doesn't allow her emotions to control her," Sabine explained. "But unlike the Jedi, she doesn't bury them. She uses them, but they don't overpower her. When I trained with Kanan to learn how to wield the Darksaber, he deliberately made me angry which, at first, made me lose. It wasn't because of the blade. It wasn't because I can't use the Force. It was because I was conflicted within myself and didn't know how to use my emotions to better my abilities. The same can be said for you. You would have lasted longer when sparring if you didn't let your jealousy distract you."

Luke's cheeks and ears heated up and he was about to argue, about to tell her he wasn't jealous, but Wedge cut in, saying, "You were jealous. Don't deny it, Luke. She's an attractive woman. Nothing to be ashamed of. I know she wouldn't mind." If Luke could be more embarrassed, he did. Crossing his arms and looking away from the two rebels in front of him, he was unsure of what to say.

Thankfully for him, Sabine asked, "Wanna go again?" She held up Kal's lightsaber and raised her eyebrows.

"Tha-that'd be great, thanks," he stumbled out. Wedge simply smiled and shook his head at his friend and superior officer's unease and discomfort at them picking on his liking of a girl. Granted, Kaleena Aput was an impressive girl, but Luke Skywalker was still fun to tease, nonetheless.

After hours of traveling through hyperspace overnight, the small band of rebels arrived at Alsakan the following morning, fully rested and gearing to go. Kal flew the light freighter to the valley in which Boba had trained her, finding that her former mentor hadn't arrived yet. Setting the ship down, Kal then ran her hand through her hair and took a deep breath. Waiting didn't seem fun.

The ramp opened, allowing Kal to leave the ship and embrace the warmth of the sun. The small breeze was calming, helping put her mind at ease as she took deep breaths and long exhales. Until she felt a presence at the top of the ramp. A conflicted presence that she had grown used to feeling. Kal turned her head and waved her hand, silently telling Luke it was okay to join her. His heavy boots thudded as he descended the ramp and stopped next to her, looking out at the forest around them. For a moment, they just stood there, enjoying each other's company and the relaxing atmosphere.

But Kal broke the silence. "I'm sorry about yesterday. . . for what I said in the cargo bay." She shifted her gaze down to her boots as she dug her toes into the dirt. Apologizing wasn't something she did often, but she felt it was necessary at that time. "I-I didn't mean to be rude or harsh. I know using the Force is a touchy subject. I didn't mean to-" Her voice broke and she shut her eyes. Taking another deep breath, she picked up her head and fully turned to Luke and his wide, sad eyes. "Everyone has their obstacles. Once you overcome this, I know you'll be a great Jedi. And I hope I'm there to see it."

A yelp escaped her lips as Luke brought her closer without warning. Long arms wrapped around Kal's upper torso, pulling her into a hug. She froze before slowly allowing the surprise hug, lacing her arms around Luke's lower back. He didn't tower over her like Han or Boba or Hobbie, but she still felt small in his arms. And she kind of liked it.

As much as the two wanted to continue hugging, it was their first actual hug together, disregarding the super quick one after Luke blew up a huge battle station, and they both became awkward after a couple of seconds. The two pulled apart quickly and stood a foot apart.

Wedge, Hobbie, and Sabine stood just out of sight, still in the ship, shaking their heads in exasperation at the two Force-users. They couldn't believe their friends and how much they continued to dance around each other and how they felt. Hobbie looked at Wedge and quietly said, "You'd think she'd realize."

Wedge shook his head again. "Nah, she won't realize even if we lock them in a cockpit together. You should've seen his face though when she pulled you away."

"Would it technically be a mutiny if we locked up our commanding officer?" Hobbie asked.

"Yes," Sabine replied with exasperation, disbelieving what she was hearing from the two pilots. She wanted to smack Kal and Luke together as much as them, but forcing them probably wasn't the way to go in order to get good, lasting results and avoid Kal shooting and/or stabbing them in retaliation. It didn't help that Kal could be a 'act first, think later' type of person at times, so if she felt like she was in danger at all, she was likely to whip out a blaster or her lightsaber, meaning, locking them up was likely a recipe for disaster.

Everyone was pulled from their thoughts at the sound of a ship approaching. Kal and Luke looked up at the sky while Wedge, Hobbie, and Sabine left the ship to join the two at the base of the loading ramp.

The Slave 1 landed in front of Kal's temporary freighter. Kal wiped her palms on her pants, trying to be discreet about her nervousness. But Luke noticed. He shot her a supportive smile which admittingly did help calm her but not by much. There was a bounty out on basically every known rebel. Sabine was a known rebel. Hobbie and Wedge were known defectors, but Kal wasn't sure if they were known rebels. Luke, however, Kal wasn't sure about at all. His status was a wild card. Kal tried to have faith that Boba wouldn't try anything against her friends, but sometimes even Boba seemed to be a wildcard. And who knew what he had been up to in the past year?

The hatch slid open to reveal Boba Fett in all his armored glory.

At the sight of him, Kal's shoulders released all their tension as she smiled brightly. She broke out into a run as he walked down the ramp of his ship. Her body slammed into his once she jumped into his arms. Boba's sound of surprise could be heard through his helmet but he hugged her back. It had been over a year since they had last seen each other, after years of almost never leaving each other's sides. Nothing was more comforting at that moment than seeing the other again. With everything chaotic about the rebellion, Kal almost wanted to be a young girl who was still learning how to shoot once again. But she knew that could never happen. She had friends. She had a family. And hopefully, Boba wouldn't ask anything of her that she couldn't deliver.

Kal slipped out of his arms and took a step back to fully take in the elder bounty hunter. "Thank you for coming," she said quietly, looking up at the darkness covering his eyes.

"You made it sound urgent," he replied. Boba patted her on the shoulder. "Plus, I always told you I'd come if you called."

A light chuckle passed between them. "Yeah, I guess you did."

Boba tilted his head to look over at the group of young rebels still waiting at the base of the other ship. "I see you've made friends."

"No thanks to you," Kal said snarkily as she folded her arms over her chest. Sensing his confusion, she continued. "You attacked one of them less than a few days ago. We want to know why and were hoping you could give us information about other bounty hunters doing the same thing."

Boba huffed. "Invite them in." He turned on his heel and walked back up the ramp of his ship, disappearing inside. Kal gestured for her friends to follow. The small band of rebels entered the ship and made their way to the galley, following Kal at a wary pace. None of them knew what to expect. While they all trusted Kal, they didn't trust the mysterious bounty hunter with an infamous reputation. Not many bounty hunters were known across the galaxy, but Boba Fett held that honor.

The group settled in the galley, sticking close together around the seating while Boba stayed separate, near the counter, and Kal settled in between, as a mediator of sorts.

As the tallest one in the room, Boba Fett was an intimidating sight and a foreboding presence. His green armor laced with hints of red and yellow was covered in dents and scrapes and scorch marks from blaster fire, accounting for his numerous fights and wins. The braids hanging from his shoulder were trophies he had collected from prey. Nothing about Boba Fett put the minds of the young rebels at ease. He even frightened Sabine, but she refused to show it, having donned her own Mandalorian armor and helmet before he had fully landed. She did take pride in the fact that hers was real. Beskar, not the lesser durasteel.

Boba knew without much thought that the kids in front of him were rebels. Mismatched clothing. Black market blasters. A colorful Mandalorian. A ragtag group of individuals who would probably never be thrown together any other way. He had heard of the rebel Mandalorian, Sabine Wren, but never thought for a second that he would ever meet her. Not that he wanted to. The other three were most likely pilots or with Rebel Intelligence. Definitely not high-ranking officers or anything of the like otherwise they wouldn't be meeting him. Why Kal had decided to ally herself with the underdogs, he had no idea.

"So you actually joined the rebellion, huh?" Boba said quietly, so hopefully only Kal could hear. But Luke, the one closest to Kal from the others, picked up on it. "Thought I taught you better."

Kal clenched her jaw, trying to reign in her dislike of his wording. She wasn't quite sure why his statement got to her but it did. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up, almost like the Force was warning her. "Look, we're just here to ask you a few questions. Then we'll be out of your hair."

"What's in it for me?" She had seen it coming. Always make certain you'll benefit from a deal. "The highest bid makes the rules. If the rebellion can pay better than the Empire, then I'm all ears."

"So it is the Empire?" Sabine interrupted, leaning on the table next to her, her voice more robotic-sounding with her helmet on. "They've hired bounty hunters to disrupt our supply routes. Probably tracking where you hit us and what direction we're going or coming from to try and find our command ships." Wedge subtly raised his hand a little hire to make sure Sabine didn't attack as her voice grew harsher and more agitated. "Using bounty hunters to try and throw us off instead of their own fighters."

Boba gazed at the young Mandalorian female. "And how would you know about how the Empire strategizes? Unless you are familiar?" Sabine, Wedge, and Hobbie tensed at the accusation. Boba took special note of how the shorter blond didn't react, who instead kept his sole focus on Kal. Not a former Imperial but definitely important in some way. "Imperial defectors are so often found amongst the rebels."

"Boba," Kal said, drawing back his attention to her. "Just tell me who else has been hired. Embo? Chanath Cha? 4-Lom? Jas Emari? Sugi? Mercurial Swift? Zuckuss? IG-90? Santy?" The attempt of rapid-fire names didn't work to her benefit as Boba reacted to none of them.

He fully faced his former pupil. "I'm on Vader's bad side right now, so give me one good reason to not collect the bounties on all of them."

For a moment, all Kal could see was the monster everyone else saw. She couldn't believe it, but there he stood, threatening the lives and well-being of people she cared about. "Because they're my friends."

He tilted his head. "Friends? You've always cared too much about others for this job."

Scoffing, Kal stood straighter, eyes narrowing dangerously. The job? It wasn't a job. It was a dark pit of despair that paid the heartless well enough to ruin the lives of others, sometimes people who had done very little wrong. Kal was tired as she realized something. "Why? Because I'm not a merciless, empty monster like you? I've defended you to everyone I know. I thought I'd be happy to see you again. I thought you'd be happy or. . . or proud of me. You're not much different than my father. You both enforced your will, your ways of life on a young impressionable girl to better your agenda. At least my father was outright with it. He told me exactly what I was being trained for. You, on the other hand, were more manipulative and volatile. You held a blaster to a girl you had lived with for three years who you found out could use the Force. You held a harmless teenaged girl up against a wall to extract information on a pathetically easy bounty. You made her shoot a man in a crowded cantina when his information didn't fit your liking." Her words hung in the air, seeping into the growing anger and frustration surrounding the group.

But Kal continued. "Tell me: if I was still by your side when you officially joined the guild, would you have used me to take out the hunters standing in your way? People you had fought beside?" She didn't give him time to answer. "I ran into your arms because I thought you'd be better than my father. But you're not. I'm more like him than I care to admit, and if you're anything like yours? Then I'm glad Master Windu beheaded him like the bounty hunter scum he was."

Boba Fett hit his breaking point, grabbing her by the throat and slamming her against the wall while the others stood behind him with their blasters primed and aimed, ready for the triggers to be pulled. Kal didn't struggle and raised her hand calmly to keep her friends from shooting, staring into the black visor in front of her with no emotion as she ignored the grip that was just tight enough to be threatening.

"That's the difference between you and me, Boba. I made my own path away from what my father laid out for me. I found and forged my own friends and family and life. I would gladly fight tooth and nail for each rebel behind you and lay down my life for them. If it came to it, would Dengar or Bossk do the same for you? You know they wouldn't. Given the chance, they'd save their own skin every time. There was a time I would've given my life for you, too. But I guess I know better now. And if you don't want to meet the same end your father did? You'll let us leave this planet unharmed and never mention our presence to anyone."

For a tense moment, Kal and the others were unsure of whether or not Fett was going to let her go. But he slowly drew his hand away from her neck, curling his fingers into a fist once he brought his arm down to his side. He would comply.

Keeping their blasters trained on him, the rebels made their way off of his ship, Wedge grabbing Kal by her arm and pulling her along with them as she stared at the bounty hunter until they were out of his sight. The group ran back to their ship, climbing on board. Wedge and Hobbie slid into the pilot and copilot seats, respectively, and took the ship off the ground the moment it was able. Kal slid helplessly to the floor just inside the ramp as the ship flew away, staring blankly at the bland wall in front of her. Luke and Sabine sat on either side of her, providing much-needed comfort to the conflicted girl as she thought over what had transpired.

Bounty hunting never truly suited her. Neither did being a Jedi. Maybe being a rebel was exactly what she needed to be.

They hadn't even gotten the information they needed.