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Damian ducked under Zera's lightsaber, then extended his other blade to block it as it swung back around instantly. He smiled. She was improving quickly with Proxy drilling her every day. According to Proxy, she was already able to handle his lower level, and even a couple of mid-level forms. However, she still had a lot to learn. She spun away, swiping where he had been, but just as she realized he was gone, he landed behind her, twisting and stinging her in the side with one of his blades. She yelped, retreating from the blade before sighing.
"Well done," Damian said, deactivating his lightsaber. "You've improved quickly."
"Thank you," Zera said as she healed her burn, a skill she had worked for a week straight to learn.
"So, how are you and Shia?" Damian asked.
"We're fine," Zera smiled. "She's been enjoying herself with those two Twi'lek and the Chiss, and she always makes sure to leave plenty of time for me, as always. Why?"
"I was just making sure you two get enough time to spend together between training and whatever Sato has you doing for work," Damian said. "I understand just how preacious time alone with the person you love is."
Zera nodded. "About that, have you two figured out how to proceed?"
"We have an idea, but we haven't gotten to try it yet," Damian said, then decided to change the subject. "You know, I noticed your lightsaber's a bit short. I could extend the blade a little if you want."
"No thank you," Zera said. "Personally, I prefer it a little shorter. I can use it in tighter spaces than most people without worrying about having to slash through a wall."
"True," Damian agreed. "Alright then." He turned to leave, but Zera spun him with the Force.
"You're worried that there's something wrong," Zera said.
Damian sighed. "I forget how perceptive you are thanks to you natural abilities mixing with the Force."
"You don't have to worry," Zera said. "Her heart hasn't changed, nor will it, and she's not just doing it to make you happy. She truly does want to do it for herself as much as you."
Damian was silent for a moment before nodding and smiling. "Thank you Zera."
Zera smiled and nodded, then frowned. "Something's wrong."
She ran past Damian, out of the ship and Damian followed, getting outside just as Shia, Jek, and Shaeeah reached them. They all looked up, seeing the sky above them filled with Imperial Star Destroyers. Damian swore.
"Get to the Wraith, all of you," Damian said. "Jek, call the others on the way and get them there. I'll go and head off the Inquisitors before they can reach Ezra."
The others nodded, turning and running toward the Wraith as Damian ran toward the Ghost. He rounded a corner toward it in time to see Ezra, furious and desperate, charging at the two Inquisitors just before a two foot thick blast door slammed closed, separating him from the Inquisitors. Damian extended a lightsaber blade, eyeing the Fifth Brother's two metallic arms. Both spun toward him, raising their lightsabers but not charging.
"What, no confidence in your abilities this time?" Damian asked. "Good. You're learning. Maybe I won't amputate a few more limbs today."
The Fifth Brother cracked, snarling in rage and raising his lightsaber, only for the Seventh Sister to hold her arm out, stopping him.
"He's baiting you," the Seventh Sister said. "We need to fall back. We can't beat him."
The Fifth Brother growled in frustration but nodded, the two turning and fleeing. Damian chased them until they reached an empty hangar. The two Inquisitors kept running, but as Damian was passing through, he suddenly shot skyward, then flipped and landed on the ramp of the Wraith between Ahsoka and Barriss. He walked inside, closing the ramp and the Wraith took off, opening fire with both guns on any TIE fighters or Star Destroyers in range. A TIE fighter group swung around to target one of the ships, but whoever was operating the top turret, Damian suspected Jek, blasted two of the three and the third broke off. Then, the command ship was caught in a tractor beam.
"Cloak," Damian said.
Shaeeah nodded, both guns stopping firing as the ship's stealth tech activated. They swung up to the top of the star destroyer both turrets came to life again, spraying the ship anywhere they could. Within seconds, the guns had blasted through the shields and shots were ripping through the ship, causing massive balls of fire to bloom across the ship's hull like a field of deadly flowers. Then, the ship began to fall and Sato's ship was free, moving out of the Star Destroyer's way. Jek and Shaeeah stopped firing again until they were with the rest of the fleet. Once they were, Jek opened fire again on the TIE fighters pursuing them once again, blasting a good couple handfuls before the fighters scattered.
"Wraith, have we ever mentioned how much we love having you around?" Rex asked.
"You could stand to compliment my baby more," Shaeeah and Damian both said, both cracking up and beginning to laugh instantly.
"Well, I guess we know who the ship's getting passed down to," Shia smiled.
"And from me to Alina once she's old enough to learn to be a Jedi Smuggler Thief, just like her parents," Shaeeah smiled.
"Should we be concerned that we're already planning to have our infant daughter be a criminal?" Ahsoka asked, accepting Alina from Riyo, only for Alina to cry and reach for Damian, who smiled and accepted her.
"Eh," Damian shrugged. "I'm not worried."
Ahsoka smiled, shaking her head, and returned her attention to the outside where the other Star Destroyers were still firing at the fleet, mostly ineffectively. Finally, all of the ships, minus the Phantom, which Kanan, Ezra, and Chopper had apparently left in, jumped to Hyperspace. Damian gently rocked Alina in his arms and she babbled happily, clutching at her teething ring, alternating between trying get ahold of it and using her forearms to hold it in her mouth as she gummed it to death.
"How old is she?" Shia asked.
"A little over six months," Damian said.
"May I?" Shia asked.
"I suppose so," Damian said, carefully passing her Alina, who smiled up at Shia, then at Zera as she leaned over to get a better look at the child.
"She's beautiful," Zera smiled. "You must worry constantly."
"Yes, but also no," Damian said. "Riyo's a natural mother, so she's always been able to take care of her when we needed to go away, with some help from nursery droids. And for protection, there's constantly at least two of our PROXY droids with her, and usually also Barriss. So we know she's safe."
Shia nodded, then smiled as Shia grabbed the end of her lekku to try to teeth on, only for Zera to take it away for Shia.
"No no, little one," Zera smiled. "That's not a chew toy."
Alina, despite having her prospective toy taken away, simply made a happy shouting noise and returned to teething on her own toy.
"Leave it to a pair of Zeltrons to be able to make parenting look easy," Damian smiled.
"True," Ahsoka nodded, also smiling.
"Transmission from Sato," Shaeeah said as Jek walked into the room with Enfys.
Damian nodded and Proxy stood, transforming into Sato.
"We are heading to Safe Haven, as we were before landing on Garel," Sato said. "Once there, dock with the Command ship and we will discuss our plan further."
"Understood," Damian nodded.
Damian watched as the Ghost departed to retrieve Kanan and Ezra, as well as pick up the three cruisers Organa was arranging to deliver the Rebels. Damian wasn't sure how he'd manage it, but the usual maneuver was for Rebels to steal the ships, as Damian had done a couple of times, so he was assuming they'd do that. Meanwhile, that left the Wraith crew with downtime.
"Hey," Ahsoka said as she walked into the observation deck Damian had had all to himself for the last hour. "You've been up here a while. You alright?"
"I'm fine," Damian smiled. "I was just thinking."
"What about?" Ahsoka asked.
"Currently, how to go about acquiring more ships," Damian said. "Also where to make a new base. And about you. I want to take a vacation. Somewhere nice, just the two of us. Maybe somewhere with a beach."
Ahsoka smiled. "Alright. I'm sure Alina will be fine with two Zeltrons, Riyo, and Barriss all looking after her."
"Plus Jek, Enfys, and Shaeeah," Damian said. "Where's Sapphire been? I don't think I ever found out what she does."
"Apparently, she's not much of a fighter, so she stays on the command ship to help out in the medical bay," Ahsoka said.
"Oh, that works," Damian nodded.
Just then, the door opened again and Barriss walked in, walking over to stand beside Ahsoka, the two of them glancing at each other.
"So, we talked it over, and Barriss agreed to help," Ahsoka said, then added, "unsurprisingly, and Riyo agreed to allow her to."
"We agreed that we want to do it sooner, rather than later, so we were thinking maybe tomorrow?" Barriss asked.
Damian looked between them before sighing, smiling and nodding. "If that's what you want, then I'm all for it."
Ahsoka smiled and nodded, kissing Damian. "It is."
"Then tomorrow it is," Damian smiled, kissing her again.
After a few seconds, she pulled away and stepped aside. Before Damian had realized what she was doing, Barriss's arms had wrapped around his neck in place of Ahsoka's, and Barriss's lips captured his. Damian's eyes widened and he glanced over at Ahsoka, but she simply smiled and nodded. After a second, Damian decided to go with it and closed his eyes, kissing Barriss back. After a few seconds, Damian pulled away and Barriss sighed, stepping back.
"See you for training later," Barriss said, smiling teasingly before turning and walking out of the room.
Damian turned to Ahsoka. "You're sure you're okay with this?"
Ahsoka nodded. "I am."
"Alright," Damian nodded. "Then in that case, I'm going to go train with Proxy for a bit."
Ahsoka nodded and Damian gave her a quick kiss before heading to the cargo bay, finding Barriss and Proxy training, Proxy currently as Luminara, as always when Barriss had him be Luminara using his personality data of Luminara to impersonate her for Barriss. Damian remained silent, not wanting to interrupt. After a moment, Zera rested a hand on his shoulder, making him turn.
"Can you spar with me?" Zera asked.
Damian nodded and followed Zera to the common room, the only other room big enough for training, if the table was retracted into its small alcove in the floor, along with the benches, and the two of them ignited their lightsabers, only for Zera to stop, looking conflicted, and maybe a little confused.
"Who was she?" Zera asked. "The woman the droid turned into."
"Barriss's former master," Damian said. "Barriss betrayed her, along with the rest of the Jedi, a long time ago, but before Barriss had the chance to apologize and show her that she had changed, Luminara died."
Zera nodded. "She's punishing herself."
"Yes," Damian nodded. "Barriss has never forgiven herself for what she did."
Zera nodded and struck at Damian, who deflected the blow, the two beginning to strike back and forth rapidly, Zera once again displaying just how much she had improved since they had met her.
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