7 Return to Lothal

Lothal

It was weird being home again, Ezra thought as he stared out over the gently swaying tall grass bridging the distance between himself and the gleaming city that sprawled out before him. But, at the same time, it was wonderful. When the purrgil came, as he had seen in his vision, he never thought he'd make it back here, back to this planet he knew and loved as home. Yet, here he was, back on Lothal...back where it all started.

"Ready?" Sabine asked as she slipped on her helmet, pulling his attention back to the present. He glanced back behind him at Ahsoka and Hera, standing in the darkened entranceway to the Ghost with Jacen and Chopper close by. "Ready as I'll ever be, I guess," he said with a slight smirk.

Then they were off - racing over the meadow. He leaned closer to her, wrapping his hands around her waist. For a brief moment, it was like he had never left. The sights and smells of his homeworld were like they were before everything turned his world upside down, and the familiar feeling of just being with her.

He searched the countryside for loth-wolves, but the surrounding lands were empty. No howling drifted to him as they soared over the grasslands. Only the roaring of their speeder bike cut the silence of the meadow.

"I haven't seen any since you left," she yelled over the noise of the engine.

"The wolves?"

"Yeah," she tossed back at him. "I always hoped I would see them, but I haven't. Not even one."

"Perhaps they aren't needed anymore," he yelled so that she could hear him.

They came to a slow crawl as they entered the city. He was taken aback by the stark contrast that spread out before him. When he'd left, the city had been dark and gloomy as the oppression from the Empire reigned down on them. The people had been sad and hungry - fighting just to survive.

But...now, what a difference! The buildings shone in the bright sunlight. The walkways were clean, devoid of litter and trash. And, the people - they were smiling as they walked through the marketplace. Laughter rang through the air. Someone waved to him as they passed by, bringing a smile to his lips.

"It looks so different!"

Sabine slowed to a stop before an old apartment. He stared at the familiar walls, feeling a vague sense of recognition.

"Is this…?"

She nodded. "Welcome home, Ezra."

#

"Aw, Mom," Jacen pouted. "I don't understand why I couldn't go with 'um!"

Hera shook her head at her son. He was so much like Kanan, she thought. "You'll get your chance soon enough."

Chopper let out a digitized chortle as he tugged on Jacen's pant leg and gently pulled the boy towards the lowered ramp.

Hera nodded. "Good idea, Chop. You two get outside and play for a bit. You've been cooped up inside the ship too long, Jace."

Jacen kicked at the floor then stomped down the ramp after the rambunctious droid.

Hera rolled her eyes upward at the pair. She missed Kanan always, but at times like this - she really wished he was here. Going it alone was hard enough as a single mom in the galaxy, but being a single mom to a budding Jedi was rough. If Kanan was here, he would know what to do. How to handle Jacen's spirited ways.

Her eyes misted over. She blinked back the tears as she inhaled a strengthening breath.

At least Ezra was back. Thank the Force for that, she thought.

She had seen a bond forming between the pair that was similar to the bond she had witnessed between Kanan and Ezra. She hoped that when Jacen was old enough, Ezra would teach him, as Kanan had taught him.

How will I know when Jacen will be ready? How will I know when he's old enough to undertake the responsibility that comes with such power?

She swallowed hard. Kanan would know.

A gentle hand settled itself on her shoulder.

Hera started at the light touch. She turned to see Ahsoka smiling down at her.

"Don't worry, Hera. You'll know," Ahsoka murmured.

Hera followed Ahsoka's line of sight to Jacen chasing after Chopper, his laughter floating on the wind. "But, how will I know?"

Ahsoka just smiled down at her. "You just will."

#

He couldn't believe his eyes as he walked through the old apartment that used to be his parents' home. When they'd last been here, the place had been trashed. But, it appeared that Sabine had taken time since his departure to fix the place up. "You did all this?"

"Sure did," she replied as she leaned against the counter in the small kitchen.

He swallowed hard. "I don't know what to say… I mean, thank you, Sabine. This...this means a lot to me."

She shrugged lightly. "You're welcome."

He gave her a small smile in return as he toured the room, picking up the things that he had collected over the years.

"You kept all this stuff?" he asked, as he picked up the scout helmet and stared into its black eyes.

"Well, yeah...of course, I did."

He set it down gently. "Why?"

"Why? For you - that's why."

Ezra moved in closer until he was just a breath away. There was no one here but the two of them. No Jacen dashing in between them with Chopper hot on his heels. No Zeb or Kallus giving him nudges and whispers of encouragement. No Ahsoka staring at him with a level of concern shining in her bright blue eyes. Or Rex…or Hera, no - it was just the two of them. Alone in his old home. The childhood home that he had dreamt about so many times while he was gone. Dreaming of when it would be their turn to live here. Their turn to be together.

He paused, reminding himself once again that those were just dreams born out of a need for some sort of normalcy when everything around him was spinning out of control.

"Why?" he asked again so quietly, the words the barest of a whisper on his lips. He knew how he had felt for her so long ago. He was in love with her once, and if he was honest with himself, he still was. He thought she might have felt that way towards him but the last few weeks since his return, she had been distant, leaving him with feelings of uncertainty.

He stared intently at her as if she was the only woman in the world who mattered, his piercing blue eyes gazing into her brown ones. His gaze dropped to her throat as she swallowed hard.

"Because…all this stuff...it reminded me of you. When I would come here, it felt like you were here with me," she said with a soft reply.

His heart quickened with excitement. Was it possible? Did that mean she felt the way he felt towards her too? "There were times that I felt you were with me, too. Times like that helped me get through being away from you all. Away from my family. Away from...you. I used to dream about you, you know."

Her eyes locked with his. "Wha-what did you dream about?"

"It was random," he answered, unsure of just how much to tell her. Would it frighten her for her to know the depths of his feelings towards her? "Sometimes it was just us, training with Kanan or off on a mission like the ones that we used to run together back after we had started working with the Rebellion. Other times, it was you and I - just talking like we used to. Talking about our family. About our future."

"Ezra, our future…"

"The Rebellion is over, you said we won. The Empire is gone. We can be together, just you and I."

She frowned. "B-but, you're a Jedi."

"So was Kanan, and look at what he and Hera had with each other."

He sighed as he took a step back and shifted his focus on the objects before him, stuff he had collected during his travels with the Ghost crew.

"Ezra," she sighed. "We're not Kanan and Hera."

He nodded as he turned to face her. Memories of the dreams he'd had while locked away were still fresh in his mind. Dreams that weren't a reality, but she was. She was here with him now, in the present.

Always be mindful of the here and now. Wasn't that something Kanan had taught him? And, Ahsoka too? Don't look to what the future could be, look to see what it is.

He stretched out his hand towards her. "You're right, Sabine. We're not. Maybe we could start over and see what happens? Be friends again."

Moments passed as he held out his outstretched hand, hoping that she would take it. Could they start over? Start fresh? Her hand landed softly on his, and he pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her.

He pushed the urge to kiss her out of his mind, sensing she wasn't ready for that quite yet. He knew without a doubt that he wasn't ready for that either. It was too soon. Neither of them was ready for that - but friendship? That was something they both desperately needed.

So instead, he held her quietly in his arms, happy that he was with her. "I missed you, Sab."

She sniffled as she relaxed and slid her arms around his waist. "I missed you too, burc'ya."

#

Mount Tantiss - Wayland

Grand Admiral Thrawn tenderly stroked the ysalamiri's head that rested upon his shoulder as he stood in the shadows taking the growing crowd. He listened to the circling murmurs that floated around the room. He waited, planning his entrance until just the right moment.

"Why have we been gathered here?"

"Who has called this meeting? Gallius Rex is dead- buried in the sands on Jakku. I know. I was there."

He chuckled softly to himself, enjoying their discomfort. Their confusion. Not to worry, all will be made clear soon enough.

The murmurings of the crowd increased until he felt he should wait no longer. As he stepped out of the shadows, a hush fell over the amassed crowd before him.

Thrawn squared his shoulders as he moved to address them. "I am Grand Admiral Thrawn. I have been away, but now I have returned. The so-called New Republic is all but floundering in its infancy, and I am here to help guide the way for the Empire to return to its former state of glory."

A small huff of disbelief sounded in the crowd. One of the lesser Moffs, Darro Syko, stepped forward. "How do you suppose that will happen, Thrawn? In your absence, you have not seen the heights from which we have fallen. We lie in hiding - our numbers sparse and few. Our stormtroopers fleeing in the night, deserting us in our hour of need. Our forces have been dwindling for years. The Emperor's Contingency Plan and Operation: Cinder did nothing to help matters any."

Thrawn nodded, his eyes sharp and narrow. "Yes, I have heard of the Emperor's Contingency Plan and Operation: Cinder." The words left a poor taste in his mouth. "Foolish. Why destroy when we could retake what was ours?"

"The New Republic-"

Thrawn turned his eyes onto the booming voice that dared walk into his meeting late. "Ah, Moff Gideon, so pleased you could join us."

Gideon paused, looking taken aback. "Apologies for my tardiness, Grand Admiral. The Mandalorians' were most keen on keeping me."

Thrawn took in Gideon's shabby appearance and the scientist who stood at his side. The scientist looked out of sorts with the Moffs and Captains who made up the room. Thrawn noted the way he shuffled side to side and shifted his round glasses back up onto the bridge of his nose. "Yes, the Mandalorians are a persistent bunch. Tell me, where are my dark troopers I ordered?"

Gideon's throat worked fast as he swallowed hard. "They were, unfortunately - destroyed."

Thrawn's eyes narrowed, his crimson gaze never leaving Gideon's. "What could possibly destroy so many squads of dark troopers?"

"A Jedi."

Could it have been Ezra? Thrawn wondered as he recounted HK-77's report that Zero Station had been compromised and the Jedi held within vanished. "What Jedi?"

"I don't know. He never gave his name."

A flash of fear entered the Moff's eyes at the mention of the Jedi, one that Thrawn did not fail to notice. Thrawn's keen gaze took in Gideon's shifty stance and the way he motioned the scientist back, almost silencing him. Intriguing, to say the least.

"The Jedi are gone. Destroyed by Vader and his lackeys. Surely you are mistaken," Thrawn said, his voice dangerously low.

"I know a lightsaber when I see one." Gideon sneered.

No, it could not be Bridger. The timing is all wrong. It is much too soon for Bridger to be striking against me. He knows nothing of my plans. My grand design for rebuilding the Empire.

"The dark troopers are no matter. A loss, true but one we can rebuild. Were you able to bring the design plans with you?" Thrawn asked.

Gideon gave a slight nod. "The plans are safe. The originals are here, in safekeeping with Pellaeon."

The meeting proceeded without further interruptions. Thrawn was pleased with how the cloaking shield technology was coming along. The Empire had amassed a great amount of Kyber crystals, which they had used to weaponize the Death Star. Thrawn had learned through his studies with the Chiss that the ancient Sith had used kyber to give their large star destroyers and dreadnoughts shielding capabilities. While shield generators were not unheard of for the use of smaller ships, being able to cloak such a large vessel was rare indeed.

Furthermore, the New Republic was so sure they had a traitor among their ranks. The mind-controlled operatives had done their job well, installing the old Clone Wars surveillance technology on the worlds of Chandrila, Coruscant, and Naboo, just to name a few. Planted deep within the underlayers of the cityscapes, listening devices had been set up all with the intention of shuttling information to him.

He grinned slyly. He knew their every move. He knew how each and every cloaked star destroyer that slipped from the New Republic's grasp filled Mon Mothma's heart with terror.

It was like art, after all. Each stroke...each move...masterfully planned and set into motion.

It was perfect.

#

Jacen Syndulla was having a great time playing as he chased Chopper through the high grass in the foregrounds in front of the Ghost.

Chopper extended his multi-tool arms and waved them in the air at Jacen while emitting a high-pitched, "pppbbbbhhhh!"

"Chopper!" Jacen slid to a stop, red-faced and panting from running after the silly droid. A soft mewing sound caught his attention. He swiveled his gaze out over the grassy meadow, wondering where the noise originated. "Hey, Chop...d'ya hear that?"

Chopper quieted down, listening for the noise in question. He extended a small dish-shaped device and listened intently, beeping no softly in reply.

"No, I know I heard something," Jacen said as he headed towards the area that he thought the sound had come from. He walked slowly, carefully parting the grass. "Hello?"

A small white loth cat grinned up at him.

"A loth cat!" Jacen exclaimed. He'd heard stories of the small little beasts but had never seen one. Aunt Sabine said they used to see them all the time, back before Ezra went away.

The cat cocked its head at him before running off. "Hey! Wait!" Jacen yelled as he ran after the wayward feline with Chopper beeping wildly behind him.

The loth cat was fast. He could barely keep up with it. He ran, not paying any attention to the fact that he was going much further away from the Ghost than his mother normally allowed.

With his sides aching and his lungs burning, he ran as fast as he could in pursuit of the small cat.

Suddenly, he stopped. The loth cat had disappeared. "Hey, where d'ya go?!"

He whirled in a circle, but the small white cat was gone. Chopper stopped beside him, warbling fast at him. "Whoa! Slow down, Chop! I can barely understand you!"

He turned in the direction he thought the Ghost should have been but saw only the grassy flat plain extending in all directions. "Uh, Chop, where's the ship?"

Chopper chirped fast and furiously at the small boy.

"What do you mean, that's what you've been tryin' to tell me?" Jacen looked gloomy as he sat in the grass. "Ah, Mom is gonna kill me, Chop. Where are we? And, where's that blasted cat?!"

Chopper swiveled his orange and yellow top around as he turned, letting out a sharp high pitched beep.

What now? Jacen thought as he stood to see what the droid was raving about now. He let out a sharp gasp of surprise.

Where before there had been nothing but plains and grasslands, now there was a tall mountain looming over him. Standing at its base, with his head cocked and tail swishing, was the missing loth cat.

Jacen ignored Chopper's furious trilling as he edged closer to the door he could make out at the base of the mountain.

He tugged out of the droid's grasp as he got closer to the door, now open, and followed the loth cat inside.