Summary:

The Force-friends have a meeting.

Jinn and Ezra talk about Darkness.

Ahsoka and Rex go visit the peace movement.

Jinn talks to Maul.

Jinn talks to Ventress.

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32.

Ahsoka smiled as she watched Rex and Ezra prepare the evening meal. She appreciated the supplies Jinn bought from Mandalore. The forest provided a lot of natural resources, but it was nice to have supplies already on hand. After years hiding from the Empire in her own timeline, she knew how important a simple thing like a warm meal and a safe place to sleep were.

She looked up and saw that Jinn had returned from the forest. Fives and the medic team were trailing behind him. Ahsoka got up to greet them. Rex and Ezra joined her. Fives and Rex grabbed each other's arms with a smile and a hug. The medic team were as affectionate but gave their respect to her and the Captain.

Rex said, "It feels like forever since I last saw you, Fives. What's with the get up? That's not regulation."

Fives smiled and absently placed his hand over his Mandalorian armor and said, "Yeah, I thought all things consider that I should travel as a bounty hunter. It makes more sense to travel this way then in regs, Cap. After all, we are running rogue now. Though, I never thought you'd go against the rules."

Rex smiled back and said, "If doing the right thing makes me a rogue then you can count me in. Did you explain the situation to the men?"

Fives said, "Yeah, I explained before we left Coruscant. They know what they're signing up for. They all agree that the cure is more important than what the GAR thinks about it. Master Jinn here said you and me should brainstorm how to smuggle the cure to our brothers. I got some connections that could help with that."

Ventress stalked closer to the clones and said, "Don't you mean my connections?"

Fives grinned when he saw Ventress and said, "Of course, ma'am or should I call you Mrs. Kenobi?"

Ventress rolled her eyes and said, "It's ma'am to you, Fives."

He continued to grin and said, "Right, because if anyone were to change their name it should be Master Jinn. I think Master Jinn Ventress has a nice ring to it."

Ventress smiled and turned to Jinn and said, "Well, how about?"

Jinn awkwardly said, "We can discuss it in private, darling. Now, if you don't mind. I'd like to have a chat with Miss Tano. You and Bridge are welcome to join us."

Ezra shared a look with Ventress. The ex-assassin crossed her arms over her chest in response but said nothing. He then turned to face Jinn with a shrug and said, "Okay, I guess we'll come too."

Rex frowned but decided to hold his tongue. He'd find out what was going on from Ahsoka later. He just thought it was strange that Jinn was leaving him out. It wasn't like the Jedi to leave people out. Fives threw his arm over his shoulder and together led the medic team towards the campfire.

XXX

Jinn lit a torch and led his three friends back out into the caves. He had excellent night vision and had no trouble finding his way. He brought them to a large chamber he found the other day. He set the torch down and took a seat on the floor. He gestured for the other to join him.

Ahsoka was suspicious and raised her brow before she sat down with her arms crossed over her chest. "Alright Jinn, what did you want to talk about?"

"I wanted to discuss something with you that concerns Jedi matters. Remember when I asked you to contact your Jedi friend in the peace movement?"

Ahsoka frowned and said, "Yes, I told you, Barriss Offee is willing to meet us. I'm sure she and the peace movement would be willing to help us."

Jinn stroked his beard in thought. In the dim light, it would be hard to tell him and Obi-Wan apart. However, Jinn was still very thin from his ordeal with Dooku and his eyeshine gave him a Sith-like appearance. It was less than a month since he had been rescued from Dooku's castle.

"I don't doubt your friend, Miss Tano. Though, my reason for contacting the peace movement isn't solely for their support. I want to create a New Order. One that allows attachments. One that teaches both the Darkness and the Light."

Ezra was shocked and asked, "Wait, you can do that?"

Jinn smiled at the teen and said, "Why not? The problem with the Jedi is they are too close to the problem. They have become too militant. They have become an extension of the Chancellor's private army. They need out from the Chancellor's thumb. I believe if they were able to form attachments, then they would see the harm they are doing to the people. The Jedi can't sympathize with loss if they have never formed attachment and it's loss themselves."

Ahsoka pressed her lip and lowered her gaze. She couldn't disagree with what Jinn said. It was true that the Jedi were under the Sith Lord's control and out of touch with the regular citizens. The Martez sisters proved it to Ahsoka in her own timeline. She knew better than anyone how truly out of touch the Jedi were to the suffering of the people.

Yet, Ahsoka couldn't blame the Jedi for being so disconnected with other people. They had been taught from an early age not to form attachments. They didn't have parents. They didn't have ties. The closest thing a Jedi had to family was their master, but even that relationship was strained because eventually a student would become a master themselves and leave. Jedi simply didn't have strong ties like normal people.

"Alright, say we do create a New Order. Are you sure we could convince others to join us?"

Jinn said, "You know your friend better than I do, Miss Tano. Do you think she'd be interested?"

Ahsoka narrowed her brow and said, "In my timeline, Barriss saw the Darkness the Jedi were headed. She was willing to bomb the Jedi Temple to get their attention. I know she believes strongly that the Jedi are being led astray. I think she'd be willing to listening to our proposal to create a New Order."

Jinn said, "It's a start. Now, about Maul. I would like for him to be a part of the New Order."

Ahsoka frowned and crossed her arms over her chest and said, "You can't be serious."

Jinn raised his hand to halt her protests and said, "Just hear me out. I think if he had something other than revenge to focus on then he could be an asset. I thought I might convince him to join in a wager."

Ahsoka asked, "What kind of wager?"

Jinn said, "I thought I might challenge him to a duel."

Ventress glared from her spot against the cave wall and said, "You're not strong enough to face Maul in a duel."

"Yes, I know that, darling. However, since Maul is only interested in revenge, I figured I could wager a meeting between him and Obi-Wan. Though, I won't challenge him until after I've fully recovered."

Ezra pressed his lips and lowered his brow in thought. It sounded like a pretty good plan. He had sparred with Jinn plenty of times. He was a good swordsman. He knew based on skill alone that Jinn had a good chance against Maul. Though, he wasn't sure if Maul joining the New Order was such a good idea. He knew Maul better than anyone. He knew this version of Maul was younger, but that didn't mean he was any less dangerous.

"Are you sure you want Maul to join the New Order? What if he tries to turn the Jedi that join into Sith?"

Jinn replied, "If he tries to hurt anyone then I will slay him."

Ezra said, "No! You don't know him. You shouldn't even waste your time on him. You should just send him away. We don't need him."

Jinn raised his brow and said, "What do you know about him, Bridger?"

Ezra sighed and sat down beside the fire and stared into the flames. He reached up to rub the back of his head and briefly closed his eyes before he began to speak. "I met him in my timeline. He wanted me to join him. He wanted me to become his apprentice. I-I found a Dark holocron. I opened it. Maul wanted something. He said he needed my help. We opened both a Dark and a Light holocron so he could find it."

Jinn placed his hand on Ezra's shoulder and said, "It's alright, Bridger. It's in the past. Opening a Dark holocron doesn't make you a Sith. I told you, everyone has Darkness and Light within them."

Ezra gave Jinn an appreciative look and said, "Thanks. Though, I don't know if the version of Maul I knew found what he was looking for. All I can remember was that it was some place with two suns."

The amber Jedi covered his mouth with his hand and sat down beside Ezra. He shook his head as he could guess what Maul found on Tatooine. It didn't surprise him. If anything, he admired Maul for his tenacity. Instead, he turned his sight inward and wondered if he could turn things around.

"Perhaps I'm going about this the wrong way."

Ahsoka asked, "What do you mean?"

"Instead of a duel, maybe I can convince Maul with something else."

Ventress moved away from the cave wall. She moved to sit next to him and said, "What do you have in mind?"

Jinn met her gaze and said, "What if I offered to make him whole again?"

Ahsoka narrowed her brow and said, "What do you mean?"

"I mean literally. I have the healing machine. I could grow him a new set of legs. Darling, do you think Maul would join the New Order and play nice if we offer him new legs?"

Ventress rubbed her chin and said, "I don't know if that will change his mind, but he would be indebted to us."

Jinn replied, "Yes, perhaps that will be enough."

Meanwhile, Ahsoka was intrigued by Jinn's plan. She never would have thought to offer Maul help in order to gain his trust. As far as Ahsoka was concerned, Maul was the enemy. However, if there was a chance to resolve things without a fight then she was willing to give it a try. If Maul was on their side, he would be a big help in their cause. Though, Ahsoka didn't see them becoming friends anytime soon.

Ahsoka liked Jinn's plans and appreciated that he was working with her and the others as a team. However, she felt he was taking on too much on his own. He was still in no shape for a fight and he had growing responsibilities.

"Jinn, leave Barriss to me. Rex and I will go to Coruscant. We'll discuss the New Order and see if she and the other Jedi in the peace movement are willing to join us. You've already got a lot on your plate already. You and Ezra can handle Maul. I'm sure Ventress can make sure you two don't do anything too reckless."

XXX

As the group moved to leave, Ezra stayed behind. He watched as Ahsoka picked up the torch and headed back out towards the main chamber. She paused when she noticed Ezra's hesitation and lowered gaze. She sensed there was something troubling him.

She asked, "Are you coming, Ezra?"

He rubbed the short-cropped hair on the back of his head turned to his mentor and said, "Jinn, can we talk for a second?"

The amber Jedi replied, "Of course."

As Ahsoka and Ventress left the two behind, the cave was casted in darkness. There was an opening at the top of the cave that allowed a stream of moonlight down into the cave. Jinn reached into his belt pocket and pulled out a light that filled the cave with a soft orange glow. He then handed it to Ezra.

"Thanks."

"Now, what did you want to talk about?"

Nervously, Ezra said, "It's about Kanan. I was wondering what he'd think if he knew you were teaching me the Dark side of the Force."

"You don't think your former master would approve?"

Ezra turned away from Jinn and said, "No, he was against me using the Dark holocron."

Jinn said, "Well, I can understand your former master's fears, but you shouldn't fear the unknown. I believe it's important to find the truth for yourself."

Ezra lowered his gaze and said, "Is that how you learned about the Darkness? Did you do something horrible? Because I think I did."

Jinn said, "I highly doubt you did anything horrible."

Ezra balled his hand into a fist and said, "No, I have. I let Kanan down. He died protecting me and Hera. There was a blast and he sacrificed his life for us. I think he knew he might die. He seemed so sure about what he did. Later, there was a moment where I thought I could save him. I was in a place full of portals. I saw that moment in one of the portals and the explosion happened. I wanted to pull him out, but I couldn't. Ahsoka was there. I saved her, but I couldn't save him. She said his sacrifice would have been in vain."

Jinn said, "I'm sorry, Ezra."

Ezra turned around and faced Jinn and said, "Back in my timeline, I was fighting the Empire. I was about to blast into hyper-space in a broken ship by a swarm of purrgil. I had to save my friends. I did what I thought I had to. I thought I was doing the right thing, but instead this version of Ahsoka saved me. It isn't fair. Why do I get saved and not Kanan?"

Jinn pulled Ezra into a hug. Ezra was startled by Jinn's embrace, but a second later he wrapped his arms around him and hide his face in his robes. After a few minutes, Ezra regained his composure and the two sat down against the cave wall.

"I'm sorry. I know I should be grateful that Ahsoka saved me."

Jinn turned to Ezra with his glowing amber eyes and said, "You don't owe her anything. I can't give you an answer as to why you were saved and Kanan wasn't. All I know is that you're alive. You survived. Kanan would have wanted you to survive. Promise me Ezra that you'll always fight to survive."

"But what if-"

"Promise me, Ezra."

He sighed and said, "Alright, fine. I promise."

"Good. Now, as I recall, you said you wanted to master both the Darkness and the Light. You didn't seem bothered by what Kanan might think of it when you asked me."

"I know what I said, but what if Kanan was right?"

"Well, do you plan on becoming a Sith?"

"No."

"Then, there shouldn't be a problem."

"What if I do become a Sith?"

Jinn said, "Well, then I promise to slay you if you do. There, does that satisfy you?"

Ezra frowned and said, "No! I don't want you to slay me. You just made me promise to stay alive."

Jinn shrugged and said, "Life is full of contradictions. Now, I'm starving. Oh, I think I have one more protein bar left. Do you want to share it?"

Ezra shook his head and said, "What is with you and those protein bars? I had one and they're gross."

Jinn pulled the bar out from his pocket and said, "I know they're not the best, but I've gotten used to them. It's the only thing on the blasted ship I could tolerate. I don't even know what flavor it is."

"Here, let me see that."

Ezra took the bar out from Jinn's hand and brought the light closer to the label. Ezra narrowed his brow as he read the list of ingredients. Most of the ingredients seemed normal, but he paused when he read the name of the flavor.

"Oh."

"What?"

"It's assorted berries flavored."

"Oh."

"I think this has strawberries in it."

XXX

The next day, Ahsoka and Rex traveled to Coruscant in order to speak with Barriss and the peace movement. Meanwhile, the medic team started to rebuild the healing machine and manufacture the cure. They were even building several more machines to speed up the process. Fives and Ventress began working on a smuggling network in order to distribute the cure to the clones without the GAR consent and import more supplies.

Elsewhere, Maul was bidding his time and mediating in a cave with a waterfall. The water had eroded the cave. It created a large opening where the water flowed through into a lower level. Maul sat on a ledge that overlooked the waterfall. Sunlight streamed in from above from the opening above.

Maul didn't sense Jinn as he approached. He had hidden his Force-presence. He didn't know he was there until he sat down beside him and spoke.

"Well, this is a lovely spot. I can see why you chose it."

Maul kept his gaze forward and said, "What do you want, Master Jinn?"

"I wanted to offer you a deal."

Maul growled and said, "We already have an alliance. There is nothing more you can offer me."

Jinn smiled cunningly and said, "Hear my proposal first before you decided."

Maul groaned and turned to look at him. Maul hated how much Master Jinn looked like Obi-Wan. There wasn't much difference between them. Looking at him only served to reminded him of the hatred he felt for the other man.

Jinn said, "I can help restore your missing lower half."

The Sith skeptically narrowed his brow and asked, "How?"

"I have medical equipment that can regrow your missing parts."

Maul gave Jinn a critical look and said, "Why do you want to help me? Is this your attempt to try and stop me from taking revenge on Obi-Wan?"

Jinn said, "As I told you before, I have a warrior's mentality, not a Jedi's. If you want a fair fight with him then I won't stand in your way. However, I would rather you were an active ally rather than a passive one. I want your help creating a New Order in exchange for your new legs. Are you interested?"

"You want a Sith in your New Order?"

"I plan to teach both the Darkness and the Light in the New Order. I will even permit attachments."

"And you're not afraid that I will corrupt this New Order?"

"Most would consider the New Order already a corrupt idea."

Maul smiled and said, "True, but tell me, why include the Dark side of the Force? Is it because of your partner, Lady Ventress? Is she the reason behind your desire to permit attachments?"

Jinn wasn't rattled by Maul's questions and calmly replied, "Perhaps in part, but the real reason is because I am a student of both the Darkness and the Light."

Maul got up with annoyance and started to leave. "I'm not interested in listening to lies, Master Jinn."

Suddenly, a bolt of Force-lightning shot passed Maul's shoulder and a stone pillar in front of him. The pillar cracked and sparked where the lightning hit. The Sith turned around in shock and reached for his double-lightsaber. He saw that the amber Jedi's hand was outstretched from where he had released the bolt. He balled his hand into a fist and crackles of lightning sparked from around his hand.

"I had a feeling you required proof." Jinn then closed the distance between them and met Maul's yellow gaze and said, "I don't let titles like Sith and Jedi to put limitations on my abilities. I suggest you do the same."

Maul pensively watched as Jinn left the chamber. As far as he knew, only his former-master had the ability to use Force-lightning. He had yet to learn the Sith-skill himself. It seemed impossible that a Jedi could learn it before him. However, as Master Jinn kept insisting, he was not a Jedi nor a Sith. Perhaps there was some truth in what he said. Perhaps titles were limiting. Yet, Maul wasn't sure how far he could trust Master Jinn. He was uncertain of the extent of his abilities.

XXX

Jinn then left the chamber with the waterfall. He waited until he reached the next cavern before sinking down to his knees. He let out a shaky breath as he rested his forehead on his arm against the stone wall. He was stunned by how weak he felt. Normally a little Force-lightning was child's play for him. Jinn was used to exercising his powers a lot more before succumbing to fatigue.

He realized it wasn't just his body that needed to recover, but also his connection to the Force. Ever since Dooku forced him to retreat into his own mind, he had been afraid to slip back into his subconscious in fear of being trapped again. He had trouble sleeping and it was taking it's toll on his focus.

"You can't hide from me, Jedi. What did you do this time?"

Jinn looked up to see Ventress standing over him. He smiled at her and said, "Hello, darling. You're looking well."

The ex-assassin glared at him and said, "Don't change the subject."

"Yes, dear."

Jinn awkwardly remained silent as Ventress helped him back to their quarters. They had modified a chamber in the caves as their personal room. It wasn't anything fancy, but it had enough space for two. It had a comfortable bed, a table, two tools, a shelf and a chest for supplies. Ventress led him to the bed and sat him down.

Once he was settled, Ventress stood in front of him with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Tell me what happened."

Jinn looked up at her and said, "I spoke to Maul like we talked about. I gave him my offer to restore his legs in exchange for him joining the New Order."

"And?"

"He wanted to know why I wanted to teach the Dark side of the Force and I told him it was because I was a student of both the Darkness and the Light. He didn't believe me, so I gave him a demonstration."

Ventress huffed and said, "What kind of demonstration?"

Jinn took her hands and drew her close, so she was standing between his legs and said, "Oh, nothing much. Just a little Force-lightning. I wanted to make an impression. Now, enough about Maul. Let's talk about our wedding. Is there any custom or ceremony you'd like us to do? Maybe something from Dathomirian culture?"

Ventress smiled and said, "The Nightsisters preform something called the Selection."

Jinn asked, "Oh, what's that?"

"It involves three trails. The Test of Fury, the Test of Night and the Test of Elevation. If you pass all three then you get the honor of becoming my mate and servant."

Jinn pulled Ventress down beside him and said, "Interesting and what exactly do these tests involve?"

"Combat mostly. The first is fighting several candidates. The second is fighting in darkness. The last is fighting on top of a moving object."

In response, Jinn laughed and said, "Is that all? It sounds like an average day in the GAR. Though, it doesn't sound very romantic. Do you want me to undergo this Selection?"

She said, "No, you don't have to."

He said, "How would you feel about a warrior wedding?"

Ventress raised her hand and began toying with his red-ish brown hair at his nape. She curled his locks around her fingers and brushed her hand over his beard. Jinn had gained back some weight since she last saw him on Kenobi's ship, but still thin. She sensed through their bond that he wasn't at full strength.

"What does it involve?"

"Just us and our vows."

"What kind of vows?"

Jinn blushed and looked away from her a moment and said, "I don't think I can say the words out loud, at least not right now. Essentially, I'll promise my life to you and you promise your life to me. It's usually done during dawn or at dusk. It's a personal preference. Some like to think of it as start of a new life together or the end of their old life before. We don't need any witnesses or if you want, we can invite guests."

Ventress said, "I think I want to keep things private. I would prefer we do the ceremony at dusk. I've always been a night person. Though, I'm surprised that you'd want to marry someone like me."

Jinn took her hands and said, "What do you mean?"

"When we first met, I tried to kill you."

"Yes, but I happen to like it that you can."

"That's not normal."

"I never said I was normal."

"You certainly aren't. So, when was the last time you slept?"

"There's no need to worry, darling. I'm fine."

She frowned and said, "No, you're not. I felt how drained you felt through our bond. You're tired. You need sleep."

Jinn was too tired to put up a fight. He didn't want to worry her, but he knew he couldn't keep up a pretense. Especially if he couldn't pull off a simple demonstration of his Force powers in front of Maul. Putting up a tough facade would only put others in danger. He couldn't afford to bite off more than he could chew with Asajj and Ezra depending on him.

He looked away from her and confessed, "I don't think I can. Being alone with my own thoughts is the last thing I want. Dooku-he-he forced me to retreat into my mind. I've never had to do that before. I've always trusted my abilities. I've always been able to fight, but he trapped me. He took away my connection to the Force. I couldn't resist him. I was going to break."

Ventress remembered that state she found Jinn in Dooku's castle. He had been beaten and tortured, but worst of all was that he was catatonic. She was afraid that Dooku had killed Jinn's spirit. She was afraid that he was as good as dead.

She reached up and cup his face with her hand and forced him to meet her gaze.

"You didn't break. You came back to me."

He lowered his gaze and said, "Asajj, he could have killed you if I didn't wake up."

"Maybe, but he didn't kill me, and you did wake up."

"What if next time I fail?"

"You won't because I'll make sure of it."

Jinn smiled and took her hand and said, "Then, I'm in safe hands with a partner like you, darling."

XXX

TBC

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