When Athena finally reached the top of the ladder, she was met with the wide-eyes of Ahsoka and Hera.

Athena felt like a seal as she attempted to turn around and get off the ladder and onto the cockpit's floor. She crawled across the floor and grunted in exhaustion.

She looked to Hera and gave an awkward wave. "Hi, Space Mom."

Ahsoka came over to her Padawan and picked the girl up - Athena once again being held up by a bear hug.

"What are you even doing?" Hera looked to the girl. She saw the girl's ankle was swollen and purple, but at least it wasn't bleeding.

Kanan's head popped up from the ladder and he looked to Hera. "She wanted to be stubborn, so she dragged herself all the way up the ladder by only using her arms."

"I made it, though!" Athena cheered in exhaustion. Her upper arms burned.

Ahsoka looked down to the girl in confusion, "You couldn't use the Force? Or your right leg?"

Athena froze as she realized that. She let out a sigh of defeat. "I hate myself sometimes."

Kanan chuckled as he stood in the cockpit now. He looked to his side to see the streams of space swirl by them as they sped through the galaxy. He looked to his pilot.

"So, where exactly are we meeting up with the rest of the fleet?" Kanan asked. "Are all of them recovered yet?"

"A good portion, but we're the first to complete our 'mission', so everyone else won't be able to meet with us for at least two rotations."

"We had a mission?" Athena questioned.

Ahsoka looked back down to the Padawan she held up in her arms, "Yes, to keep you hidden from the Empire and the Inquisitors."

"Uh…" Athena gulped.

"It wasn't your fault," Hera looked to Athena, still sitting in her pilot seat. "I should have made sure there were no Imperials on the planet still before you guys went to the city."

Ahsoka walked over to the green seat behind Hera and carefully sat her injured Padawan down in it. She stepped back and looked down to the girl. "You may have been injured but you escaped. That's all we care about."

"I'm actually amazed you were able to take them on," Hera admitted. "You're pretty darn new to this stuff, yet you managed to live an attack of two Inquisitors at the same time. No lightsaber either."

"I had my lava," Athena shrugged. "I think I severely injured two Stormtroopers, burned the ugly guy Inquisitor's arm, then got a little lava on the creepy woman Inquisitor's foot."

Kanan chuckled, "That's better than what I could do on my own. Especially with no weapon." he looked down to his belt and took off the circle saber that once belonged to Fifth Brother. He held it out and gave it to Ahsoka. "Speaking of, here's Fifth Brother's lightsaber. At least we got this from him."

"The Empire will supply him with another, I'm sure," Ahsoka took it into her hands, examining it. She turned to her Padawan. "But, it is invaluable to us."

Athena confusedly and nervously looked to her Master, "What?"

"Did I ever tell you how I got the kyber crystals for my lightsabers?" Ahsoka asked.

Athena shook her head.

"I took them from an Inquisitor. Sixth Brother."

"But aren't yours, like, white? I thought an Inquisitor's crystals were always red."

"They are, but I can teach you how to purify them with the Force," Ahsoka smiled. "I think you're ready."

Hera and Kanan shared a look of pride. Looking at how this little Earthling came into their lives a little less than two months ago and was already deemed ready for a lightsaber made them a pair of proud Space Parents.

Athena could see the encouragement and pride in her Master's eyes as she handed Athena Fifth Brother's lightsaber.

Athena had a smile on her lips but was terrified behind it. Her Master may have deemed her worthy of a lightsaber, but Athena did not deem herself worthy at all.

She was an idiot. She ran towards the Inquisitors with no thought of consequences. She was too reckless. Yes, she may have gotten better at lightsaber training over the past month - even have graduated from sticks to using Kanan's lightsaber during practice - but she still felt unworthy.

She wasn't used to having someone have so much faith in her. So much hope. Someone who saw potential. Athena could help but to feel like she would fail her Master's high hopes at every turn.

As the girl carefully turned the lightsaber in her hand, she said, "I...a lightsaber?"

"You're ready, even though you may not feel like it," Ahsoka nodded. "You've handled lava, lightning, ice, and much more. A lightsaber shouldn't be a challenge for you."

"And blood," Kanan added, shivering at the memory.

"Blood?" Hera questioned.

Athena nervously chuckled and ran her hand through her hair, "Yeah...I uh- can control blood. I figured I could since it's just another liquid...but I just confirmed it in the cargo bay while cleaning up the mess my foot left."

Kanan commented. "It was creepy."

Ahsoka's eyes widened and she looked to Athena, "Blood? Really?"

Athena shrugged.

She chuckled, "And you still think you aren't capable?"

"I think I'm too stupid," Athena admitted.

"You were pretty darn smart during that fight I heard," Ahsoka said. "You used lava since lightsabers can't deflect it, you used the wind to get into the air, and you used several Stormtroopers and Agent Kallus as ammo when you threw them at the Inquisitors."

"You're ready, Athena," Kanan assured. "I've seen your progress this last month or so. You are shaping up to be one of our most valuable Jedi."

Athena offered a weak smile.

It felt nice to have words of encouragement, but she couldn't help but feel as if these guys were going to be let down by her. What if Rae hadn't shown up in time? She would've been killed. Zeb could've been killed. The only reason she was alive was pure luck.

"Kanan, can we use your cabin?" Ahsoka looked to the Jedi.

He nodded.

Ahsoka looked down to her Padawan sitting in the chair. "Come on. I'll teach you how to get those red blades to turn another color."

Athena gulped and nodded.

"Want me to pick you up?" Ahsoka asked.

Athena sighed, "Yeah…"

Ahsoka put one arm underneath Athena's knees and the other cradled her back as she lifted the Padawan into the air.

Athena sighed as Ahsoka held her up, "I feel ridiculous."

Ahsoka chuckled as she held her Padawan, "Ah don't. You took on two Inquisitors and you're still alive."

Ahsoka took the girl out of the cockpit and soon entered Kanan's cabin. She sat the girl on the meditation seat and then took a seat across from her.

Athena looked over the circular saber with curious eyes, then looked to her Master. "I...I can feel the crystals. There's two."

Ahsoka smiled. "You are already connecting with them."

Athena didn't know what her hands were doing when she opened up the main hilt. A mass of wires, metal, and all sorts of technology Athena was yet to even learn about inside. Two bright red crystals shined inside.

She felt a buzz around those crystals. They floated into the air in front of her now.

They seemed to dance above her uplifted palm, now. The red crystals swaying back and forth, her eyes studying every movement.

"They almost feel...alive…" Athena placed the hilt of the lightsaber to her side as she focused on the crystals.

"Kyber crystals are strongly connected with the Force," Ahsoka said. "Right now, they are filled with dark energy - put there by the Inquisitors."

"It's...not darkness…" Athena mumbled, looking at the red crystals. "They are hurt. It's like they are filled with impure blood."

Ahsoka watched with curious eyes as the girl's hair began to glow once more. It floated around her now, emitting an array of different colors. She'd never seen more than one tone of color emit from the girl, so this was interesting. Her eyes remained teal.

The togruta gasped as she looked to her left, the draw on Kanan's second bunk clattering and shaking. Soon enough, the draw opened.

Teal.

A teal bracelet floated just by the bunks now. Athena's eyes, the same color as the glowing bracelet, looked over to it.

"My mother's bracelet. I gave it to Kanan to hold onto last night." she looked to Ahsoka. "Is that a good sign?"

Ahsoka let out a deep breath and looked at the girl with multicolored hair. "I don't know. You tell me."

Athena's right hand reached out to the bracelet and it soon flew onto her wrist. The obsidian ring on her right index finger glowed orange now.

She looked back to the kyber crystals.

She didn't have so much fear now. It was like all her apprehension melted away as soon as she laid eyes on those crystals.

"They weren't born evil," Athena murmured, studying the crystals. "They were forced to be this way. They were forced to bleed."

Ahsoka watched with intrigue. Even though the cabin's lights were out, Athena's hair, eyes, crystals, and bracelet lit up the room in an array of colors. The togruta was wide-eyed as she looked down to the ground where Athena's feet rested. Her left ankle was no longer purple and swollen.

The Master looked back up to the girl and saw the crystals continue to dance in the air

They still had that red in them, yes, but not the kind of dark red like it was before. It was more of a fiery red. Then it was orange. Then yellow. Then green.

The colors didn't stop morphing.

A pair of iridescent crystals shone brightly in the dark cabin. They danced above Athena's hands, her teal irises surrounded by black instead of white now.

"The Father taught me about kyber crystals last night," Athena looked to Ahsoka. "Not much more than a quick mention, but he told me that the Sith make them hurt. He told me how they were forced out of their natural state of balance to be red."

"He taught you well," Ahsoka said.

"You taught me better," Athena said. She gulped. "You have faith in me when they don't. You see me as a human kid. A person. They don't."

"You're my Padawan," she spoke softly. "It's my job to see you as you are. I know when you are ready for something and when you are not."

After a pause, Athena looked to her Master again. "Why aren't these crystals white like yours? Did I do something wrong?"

Ahsoka took a lightsaber off her belt and held it in the palm of her hand. "I took away the darkness of the crystal, leaving it pure." she looked to the iridescent crystals in Athena's hands. "You didn't take away the darkness, you just added light to balance it out. It seems as if it can take many forms now."

"Should...should I have taken the darkness out?"

Ahsoka shook her head. "No. You did what was best for yourself and the crystal."

"Why are they multicolor then? Why not just flash between red and blue? Or red and green?" Athena asked.

"Evil and good are not just left and right, or just black and white," Ahsoka said. "There's a whole spectrum to it all. It seems as if you already know this by the looks of you."

Athena looked down at the dancing crystals in her hand. It felt like an extension of herself. They felt alive. No longer were these crystals hurt and crying as they bled red. They were free to be whatever color they wanted. Red, orange, yellow, green, indigo, blue, violet, black, white, anything. They were everything.

"I…" Athena let out a chuckle of disbelief. "Got multicolor crystals now?"

Ahsoka smiled as she watched her Padawan's eyes light up with joy. "You always manage to surprise, that's for sure."

For a procedure that took Ahsoka hours upon hours to complete back when she was about eighteen, it sure took Athena no time at all. Figures, Ahsoka thought, the girl was not only the pupil of her own but the pupil of the Mortis Gods. This girl was being taught the most advanced things right off the bat.

Ahsoka paused for a moment as she watched the girl in front of her still staring at the iridescent crystals.

With this girl going as fast as she was, when would Ahsoka's teachings become obsolete? Ahsoka was but a Padawan herself when she left the Jedi Order. How much could she teach the girl before she ran out of things to teach her?

"You teach me more than just Jedi stuff, Master," Ahsoka's teal eyes looked to her Master. "You are teaching me how to be a good person. You give me experience. And you know what Rex says: - "

Ahsoka chuckled as they both said: "In my book, experience outranks everything."

The togruta blinked a couple of times in amazement and looked to her Padawan. "Wait, you can-"

Athena nodded. "Read thoughts. Only if they are fairly obvious, though."

"Since when could you do that?" Ahsoka questioned.

"I first started noticing it right after the whole volcano thing," Athena admitted, her rainbow hair slowly dimming down - settling back to blonde as it laid on her back once more. Her eyes, ring, and bracelet went back to normal as well. The crystals settled onto the palms of her hands.

"That…" Ahsoka pondered how to handle this. "That's amazing."

Athena gave a weak smile. "I didn't want to share it with you until the moment was right. I've been working on it for a while now. Though, if the thoughts are a little too personal I tune right out." she shivered. "Somethings are meant to not be read by others."

Ahsoka chuckled. "You sure amaze me every time when it comes to your training."

"Hey, if Hera's my Space Mom, does this mean you're my Lightsaber Mom?" Athena joked.

"Lightsaber Mom?" Ahsoka laughed.

"Yeah, you don't go by the term 'Jedi' so I figured Lightsaber Mom would fit better for you."

"Okay, I guess I'm your Lightsaber Mom then," Ahsoka chuckled.


Rae bordley leaned back in the wooden chair in the common room, scrolling through her datapad. She sighed and slumped her shoulders. Her usual bright smile now diminished to dismissive. Her usually bright eyes now solemn.

Kanan entered the common room and saw the Padawan in purple armor reclined in the chair. "Hey, Rae."

Rae nodded and a "Hm." from her throat acted as her greeting.

Kanan could tell there was something up with this one. Athena and Sabine, he expected this dismissive teenage behavior from - Ezra too every once and a while. Rae was rarely this indifferent. She was the bright, happy, cheerful one of the bunch.

But now she sat there. Alone.

He felt bad for the kid. Raised in the Imperial Academy, then thrown into Project Harvester, taken by Second Brother, then trained by Master Luminara up until she was killed by the Empire. This kid didn't have a Master now. Ezra had him and Athena had Ahsoka. Rae didn't have that kind of bond with someone - not anymore.

"You okay? You seem down," Kanan said, sitting on the orange couch a little ways away from the girl.

"It-" she sighed, putting down her datapad and looking at Kanan. "-I don't wanna sound like a jealous baby, but…"

"You miss having a Master."

Rae's brown eyes sadly glanced down to the floor as a small frown formed on her lips. She spoke softly. "Yeah. It's not your guys' fault, though. You have a Padawan already, and so does Ahsoka."

"I can take you on as a second Padawan if you want," Kanan said. "There-"

She shook her head. "No, no. It's fine. I don't want another Master right now."

"You just miss having one," Kanan nodded. "I completely understand. I was about your age when I lost my Master. It's hard."

"Yeah," Rae sighed, slumping her shoulders. "I- I guess I'm kinda jealous of what Ahsoka and Athena have, especially. They- they just get along so great. I get along great with you guys...just not like that."

Kanan nodded as he listened to the girl. She obviously needed someone to talk to about this.

"I remember when I first made these lightsabers with Master Unduli," Rae took a silver cylinder from her belt. "I originally had a red double-bladed sword from Project Harvester, but Master Unduli taught me how to purify the crystals. I got purple. My favorite color."

"And Ahsoka and Athena making purifying those crystals right now reminded you of Master Unduli," Kanan said.

Rae nodded, looking at her lightsaber with somber eyes. "Yeah. I guess."

"It's okay to feel this kind of way, Rae," Kanan assured, looking at the girl to see if he could manage to create any sort of eye contact with her. "Losing a Master is extremely difficult. Trust me, feeling this way is completely normal and okay."

"I...want to feel happy for Athena. She's like my best friend," Rae finally met his eyes. "But I can't help but be reminded about what I used to have with my Master whenever I see Athena and Ahoksa getting along so well. "

Kanan nodded. "You're a good friend and person, Rae. It's just hard to handle the loss of someone special, especially when you are reminded of them in some sort of way."

Rae put her lightsaber back on her belt and looked back to Kanan. "You're right. Thanks, Kanan."

Kanan offered a small smile. "That's what I'm here for."

"So, what lightsaber do you think she'll get?" Rae asked, trying to distract herself for the moment.

Kanan shrugged, "I don't know. The kid never seems to deprive us of surprises, so I'm just going to expect the unexpected."

Rae chuckled, "Yeah. I was guessing colors with her back a few weeks ago. Who knows what color she'll get?"

"Hopefully she'll get her lightsaber built here in the next few weeks and will be able to take on those Inquisitors a lot better," Kanan said. "If it weren't for you blocking Seventh Sister's blades with your own, she would be dead. Thank you for that."

Rae nodded, "She's my friend. I would never hesitate to protect her."