To Jacob – Thanks for the questions. I suppose the updates answer your first question. As for an Injustice sequel… I've given it quite a bit of thought and probably shouldn't have waited until the second game came out, and then the movie. Both of them really turns things around from the first game, and especially my first Injustice fic. It's not a no, to answer your question, but not exactly a yes right now either. The end of the N52 and the DCEU kind of took the wind out of my sails a bit, but I'm not going to close the door just yet.

There are a couple of jumps in here as I don't really want to rehash episodes unless I think it is unavoidable. We've all watched them so hopefully, no one has forgotten what happened during the episodes I build around.

Chapter 19: A Dedicated Pupil

Ezra ducked under a right-hook, and spun back to create more room to move. He'd been locked in this dance for what felt like days, but actually had only been a few minutes. He was already winded, and quickly running out of energy. Fenn Rau, on the other hand, seemed like the epitome of calm. He wasn't even breathing heavy, and he'd been the one throwing all the missed punches and kicks. Ezra tried to think back to things he learned from Rex before, and was sure there was something about a missed punch using up more energy than one that connected. Rau appeared to be the exception to that rule.

Ezra wasn't sure when or if someone would call an end to this sparring match, but if it didn't end soon, he surely wouldn't even reach a draw. Something had to change, and Ezra decided to push it. Instead of trying to dance away from Rau's next attack, he chose to follow up with a counterpunch. There wasn't much strength behind his punch, and it didn't land where Ezra intended, but as soon as he made contact, Rex finally called an end to the sparring session. Still, if Ezra was looking for some type of recognition, he was about to be sorely mistaken.

"Why did you wait so long, Bridger?" Fenn asked. "You seemed content to be on the defensive the entire time. There will be no victory with such tactics, regardless of what your Jedi teachings might say."

"It's worked so far," Ezra fired back in between breaths.

"And look at what you've got to show for it," Fenn countered, as he began to circle around Ezra while the others watched. "You're out of breath, a certain sign of exhaustion, and your only offensive strike was a powerless punch to my shoulder pauldron. In fact, I almost believe it didn't land where you were aiming for, either."

"How…" Ezra started to ask.

"I'm a Mandalorian, Bridger," Fenn interrupted, already knowing what was being asked. "Our people have been forged in combat, and I was the leader of the Protectors. My clan was made up of the best Mandalore had to offer."

Ezra nearly chirped about how the rest of Fenn's protectors were taken out by a group from the Saxon clan, but he just managed to rein it in. That would've been a low blow, and Fenn was trying to help the rebels by sharing his combat knowledge and experience. But why Rau seemed to have such an issue with him, Ezra couldn't figure out. As far as he knew, he'd done nothing to get on Fenn's bad side. One night, Ezra even asked Sabine if she knew why Rau had it out for him, but she only revealed that it likely had more to do with her than him. She also said she'd take care of it, but that seemed to have fallen by the wayside.

By the first day, Fenn had already pegged Sabine as his star pupil, and rightfully so. Everyone knew she was the best warrior among those Fenn was training, but one great warrior would never be enough. There had to be others who could be formed into talented warriors given enough time, and Fenn's job was to take advantage of what time the Rebellion had. To that point, Fenn had yet to find anyone he considered combat-ready, and only one trainee remained.

"Tanau," Fenn called out. "Step forward and get into your combat stance. We'll end this morning's session with you."

Following orders, Gavyn casually stepped through the small crowd of trainees and onto the training mat across from Fenn. He turned to face his pseudo-sparring partner and trainer, and crouched down into a fighting stance, waiting for Rex to call the match to begin. Meanwhile, Rau remained casual in his stance and didn't move until the match began. Gavyn was much more aggressive than Ezra, and didn't give Fenn much time before forcing him to make a move as the younger man charged in. The first thing Fenn took note of was that Gavyn wasn't wildly swinging, but there also wasn't much in the way of a strategy either.

Rau blocked a fair share of punches and kicks thrown his way, and countered in response too. He noted the boy might be sloppy, but there was still something to work with. Still, after a short time, just like everyone else, Gavyn made a mistake that Fenn took advantage of. Before the young man knew what happened, he was stuck in a chokehold.

"You are defeated," Fenn announced to his opponent. "Tap out."

Gavyn attempted to fight his way out, but the pressure on his neck made it impossible. His face turned a dark shade of red as he continued to struggle for his freedom, but after a few more seconds, everything faded into darkness.

Once Fenn noticed Gavyn stop moving, he quickly realized the boy had passed out. Rex was already closing in by the time Fenn released the hold he had on Gavyn, and helped lay the boy on his back. From there, they checked his vitals, but it was visible to everyone that Gavyn would be alright. His chest was still rising and falling with each breath, and the natural color of his face was slowly returning. After a minute or two, he woke back up to see two trainers staring down at him.

Rex offered a hand that Gavyn pushed away as he gathered himself and moved to stand on his own. Gavyn was visibly frustrated, which caused Fenn to move in and take the lead on the criticism.

"I liked your aggression," he started off. "But your attacks shouldn't simply be random. There should be a strategy behind your movements. That made your attacks sloppy and then predictable. You need to have more of an agenda when it comes to picking a fight."

"But don't allow yourself to be stuck to that initial plan of attack either," Rex added.

"The commander is correct," Fenn agreed. "Plans can go out the airlock depending on your opponent, but that does not mean you should flail about without a purpose. Allow your plan to be flexible. Try picking a part of the body to attack, and if that fails, choose another spot. But don't simply throw caution to the wind. That type of thinking will get you or your fellow warriors killed."

"Yessir," Gavyn replied, before falling back into line with the rest of the group.

"That will be all for now," Fenn said, addressing the entire group. "Get some rations, rest up, and finish your assigned duties. As I've been informed, there are some missions assigned to many of you. So, I won't see some of you for training in the next few days. I would advise that each of you take what time you can to improve your combat techniques on your own time if you cannot be here for the training sessions."

With that, everyone dispersed from the training area. Everyone except for one individual. An individual that Fenn noticed, still standing there. "Something I can help you with, Tanau?"

"Yessir," Gavyn responded.

"What is it?"

As Ezra and Sabine made for the Ghost, Sabine could tell that he was troubled. He remained quiet the entire time, and his eyes seemed more downcast than usual. She figured Fenn's correcting words, which were more discouraging than not, was at the root of it. However, she could only wonder if Fenn's focus on Ezra's perceived weaknesses was more about his opinion of the young Jedi, or if it was directed more at her relationship with Ezra.

Over the last week that Fenn Rau had been training rebel soldiers, he eventually stopped coming outright with his opinion on the matter to Sabine, but clearly hadn't changed his mind. Only now, it was coming in subtler words, as well as physical displays that weren't so subtle. Whenever Ezra squared off with him, Fenn seemed to focus on tearing him down, and there was never any building him back up. One time Ezra wasn't aggressive enough, and the next, he was too aggressive. Then Ezra was undisciplined, and finally, Ezra was too defensive.

It didn't matter what Ezra tried, nothing seemed good enough for the Protector. And while Ezra wasn't considered one of the best hand-to-hand fighters by any stretch, he was still a Jedi. He'd more than proven himself time and time again. Sabine trusted Ezra with her life, and no amount of Fenn's nitpicking would make her think otherwise. She'd seen him in action far too often to be swayed. Even when Ezra did something stupid, he still found a way to come out on top.

But, if it turned out that Fenn was trying to dissuade her from remaining in a relationship with Ezra, he would be disappointed about that too. Sabine's desire to stay with Ezra had only grown, even though it was mostly out of spite for Fenn's stance on the matter. Regardless of Mandalorian history with Jedi, Ezra had shown that some things in a culture shouldn't continue to hold water. He and Kanan both had proven that Mandalorians should reevaluate their stance on the Jetti, and if Fenn couldn't see through the past, then that was his problem. After all, Sabine had already been disowned by her blood relatives, but she had her new family who loved her unconditionally.

But still, even though Sabine wasn't letting Fenn's opinion get to her, it was obviously getting to Ezra. She wanted to help him immediately, but this wasn't a conversation for potential eavesdropping. So, she waited until they were inside the Ghost, and then grabbed Ezra's arm to keep him inside the cargo bay, while she went to the control panel to close the ramp.

"Spectres five and six are aboard," Sabine announced through the com system, before turning her attention to her boyfriend.

"We're cleared for takeoff," Hera replied, before powering up the ship.

"Ok," Sabine quietly said. "Now that we have a minute, I don't think you should take Fenn Rau's criticism too seriously."

"Says the star pupil," Ezra responded, and the despondent tone in his voice was palpable. "I just don't get why he wants to pick on me all the time. Am I really that bad?"

"No," Sabine said vehemently. "It's not even close. Rau caught you off guard the first time, and you've been questioning yourself ever since. But he doesn't see what I've seen during missions, Ezra. You've done things that I don't think anyone else could."

"I doubt that," Ezra replied, before trying to slink away, but Sabine wasn't having any of that.

"Oh really?" She questioned. "Do you really think that anyone but a talented Jedi could take on a swarm of bucketheads surrounding them with nothing but a lightsaber as protection?"

"Well," Ezra started to say, but stopped himself. Sabine had only given him Kanan as an out, and he didn't fit the criteria to counter her point.

"And that's only one instance off the top of my head," she continued, her thinking back to when Rau referred to Ezra as an expendable pawn. "Rau intentionally took away your main strength. I think he's letting his feelings about you being a Jedi cloud his judgment, and he wanted to prove what your kind is like without your powers. You're just being the victim of his short-sighted perception because of what you represent."

Ezra thought about what Sabine said. Before Fenn Rau began training the rebels, Rex hadn't forced him to refrain from using his Jedi abilities when he was the main person in charge of training. And Ezra had never given much thought to that until Fenn stated Ezra was not to use them. Had such a mandate caused him to change his tactics in an effort not to use the Force? He had to admit, that line of thinking did make sense.

"But I still want to learn from him," Ezra said. "I mean, whether he's okay with me being a Jedi or not, he's still a great fighter, and I'm sure he has valuable lessons I can learn from."

"Yeah, he does," Sabine agreed. "But he shouldn't be singling you out. No one's a perfect fighter, and he should know that. Just be sure you don't let his criticism get you down. In time, he'll see what I already have."

Sabine's thoughtful words were just the trick to lighten Ezra's spirits. Her words also made Ezra think that now would be a good time to try a little innocent flirting, but before he could, he heard someone coming down the ladder. Kanan soon came into sight, and that was enough to draw both their attention. "Come on you two," Kanan said as soon as he reached the upper level of the cargo area. "Hera wants to go over the details around the evacuation of Mykapo."

Everyone on Chopper Base seemed in a better mood than that previous status quo. Not only had the rebels successfully aided Mykapo's dissidents in fleeing before the Empire's arrival, but they also saved the latest incarnation of the Iron Squadron. While it was true the current iteration was comprised of three teenagers, their positive energy was rubbing off on everyone. Even Sato had a smile on his face for a few seconds.

By that evening, the base had a bonfire burning, and many rebels enjoyed themselves with drinks and accompaniment. Of course, Gooti, Jonner, and Mart were front and center of the pseudo celebration. Mart was a little more even-keeled than his counterparts, but he seemed to have accepted that staying on Mykapo was no longer a viable option.

Sabine, as always, was doing her best to stay around the edges of the festivities. It had become common knowledge that she'd rather be painting than partying, and she wouldn't have been there at all if not for attempting to locate Ezra. The young Jedi may have acted fine earlier during their mission, but Sabine knew better than to believe he'd completely gotten over what happened with combat training. She also knew that such a party only gave Ezra an easier path to slip away unnoticed, and she didn't want him thinking about any issues that Fenn had with him too harshly.

After two sweeps around the party, Sabine felt she could confidently confirm that Ezra wasn't in attendance. The party would certainly serve as the largest social gathering area for the evening. By getting the most difficult area out of the way, Sabine could move on to making her way through other sections of the base. First, she went to the spot where Ezra and Kanan had been going recently to meditate, followed by the supply storage area. But while she was there, Sabine caught the sound of something off to the side in the general direction of the training area. Her initial thought was that perhaps Ezra might be getting in some extra practice, but instead discovered Gavyn was working out there.

She didn't even try to hide the sneer appearing on her face, and didn't intend to stand there watching Gavyn. She couldn't help noticing how oddly familiar his current regimen seemed. And before she realized it, a few minutes had passed, allowing someone to catch her staring.

"Thinking of getting some additional strength training in?" The quickly approaching Fenn Rau said from behind her, which finally snapped Sabine out of her gazing stance.

"Just looking for someone." Sabine shared as she tried to focus only on the other Mandalorian instead of the training rebel.

"Bridger, I assume," Fenn responded as he came to a stop next to her.

"Yes."

"He would do well to follow in the path of his fellow compatriot there," Fenn surmised, pointing in the direction of Gavyn. "That young man has a drive that any Mandalorian would be proud of seeing in a fellow soldier.

"That's nice and all Fenn, but we've already gone over this," Sabine argued. "Ezra's not just some random soldier. He's been a critical part for lots of missions. He's done things no one else can like squaring off against red blades, and he's always come out on top. So, while Ezra may not be the best hand-to-hand fighter, or something a Mandalorian would like to see, he's still important to the cause."

"Only because he's a Jetti," Fenn pointed out defiantly before changing his tone. "Still, with a fledgling Rebellion, I suppose such abilities should be considered a boon, rather than something to be squandered because of other shortcomings. After all, as history has told, the Jedi were quite the formidable adversary, even against our Mandalorian ancestors."

"I'm sensing a but here," Sabine said.

"He still needs to focus more on his combat skills. If he doesn't show marked improvement, I fear that one day it will get him or his comrades hurt or killed." Fenn answered. "Even with such rare skills of being a Jedi, special abilities will only take you so far."

Not interested in continuing to defend her boyfriend, Sabine instead changed tactics back to her original task. "Speaking of, I don't suppose you've seen him."

"I didn't notice him in the commissary area," Fenn answered. "And that's the only other place I've been aside from here."

Mentally removing the commissary from her list of areas to find Ezra, Sabine excused herself from their short conversation as quickly as possible, without crossing into possibly being rude. She then made her way over to the speeders, checking the logs, but didn't find Ezra's name there either. Wherever the boy had disappeared, he was certainly making it more difficult than it should've been. With no other places left to look on the base, Sabine decided that perhaps heading back toward the Ghost and allowing Ezra to come to her would be best, but along the way, she spotted Hera talking to Kanan. For the direction they were coming from, Sabine figured they were likely coming from command, meaning there was a good chance there was a new mission. Up to that point, they hadn't spotted her, and as she closed in on them, she thought she heard Hera saying Ezra's name as she questioned the older Jedi. But before she could ask, Kanan turned his mask-covered face in her direction, letting her know that her presence had been noticed.

"Sabine," he said. "We were just about to comm you."

"We have another mission?" Sabine asked as she joined them and continued toward the Ghost.

"We think so," Hera answered. "Ezra received a message about some supplies the Rebellion needs. I'm just not sure the contact is reliable."

"Why's that?"

"Because it's Hondo," Hera answered, and that was all she had to say before everyone aside from Ezra would understand.

No one seemed to want to talk about a mission involving the space pirate until they entered Hera's ship, and could just make out the end of a holo conversation with presumably Hondo.

"Hey guys," he said, turning to the group from the front turret doorway. "I just confirmed the rendezvous coordinates. Hondo said he'll meet us there to go over the details for our mission."

"Alright," Hera replied as she began climbing the ladder to the cockpit. "Have Chop input the coordinates, and we'll see if Hondo follows through."

"He'll be there," Ezra said, confident that his friend would be true to his word.

A/N: So, this was a much shorter chapter than my norm by around 2K words, but I felt that we had a good stopping point which will allow me to do a bit of a time jump. There may be some flashbacks here and there to go back over some things after Wynkahthu. The plan is to touch base on Visions and Voices before transitioning into mid and post Trials of the Darksaber. There's lots of juicy stuff to explore after that, and I'm excited to get there sooner than later.