I do not own Star Wars in any capacity.

Enjoy chapter 28!

"I-It's… It's you!"

The more Cal turned the statement over in his mind, the more disturbed he felt. Maybe it was a case of mistaken identity, but unfortunately, he could easily consider a number of alternatives to explain the young Inquisitor's reaction. The Inquisitorious was very familiar with the crew of the Mantis, particularly of Cal and Rida. It was possible that they used old holos as part of their training - brainwashing, really. Depending on what other aspects of his training had been paired with said holos… it wasn't a stretch to see how just seeing him might trigger a panic attack.

The ship's captain - Hera Syndulla - was standing to the other side of their common room, clearly uncomfortable and worried. She kept glancing in the direction of the ladder that led down to the belly of this freighter. It was obviously she'd rather be looking after her crew than keeping an eye on a stranger.

"So…" Cal said, wanting to break the tense silence. "How did you meet this Kanan?"

She shifted slightly, her expression slightly guarded. He understood her reservations. Fulcrum had warned the Mantis crew that Captain Hera Syndulla was very protective of her crew. And considering the circumstances surrounding the largely mysterious Kanan Jarrus and his daiima, he couldn't blame her.

"We met on a planet called Gorse," Captain Syndulla finally said slowly. "I was following up on some intel from Fulcrum, and… Kanan just happened to be there."

Cal waited, but she didn't elaborate and he knew better than to push. Still, Cal and Rida were both insanely curious about Kanan Jarrus. Fulcrum didn't know the name of the daiima, but they didn't recognize the jemma's name, so they probably hadn't known them at the Temple.

The little they did know was… fascinating to say the least. Kanan wielded a red blade but was not an Inquisitor? Or even an ex-Inquisitor, according to Fulcrum. Unfortunately, that was the extent of his informant's intel. Cal and Rida came into this mostly blind. But they had to see this child Inquisitorial defector, even if it meant potentially crossing paths with an unknown red blade.

Perhaps the red blade was incidental. Maybe he was just a survivor who happened upon an abandoned Inquisitor blade. It was with some mirth Cal imagined a Jedi survivor coming upon the Nineth Sister's blade on Kashyyyk.

The only way to know for sure was to talk to Kanan and his daiima directly.

Speaking of… "Can you tell me his daiima's name?"

"Hmm? Oh, her name is Nara."

Rida cocked her head slightly, her tail tightening around Cal's waist.

[What is it?] Cal asked.

[...Wasn't Naramu the name of Caleb Dume's daiima?]

The door suddenly hissed open, and Kanan Jarrus marched into the common room. Cal's eyes widened as he straightened and realized Jarrus was towering over him. And Cal was no small man at 180 centimeters. Cold rage was radiating in the Force, and Cal's heart skipped a beat at the familiarity of it. The man's good eye wasn't yellow, but it held the same heavy darkness that he had seen in so many Inquisitors. The same he had seen in Trilla.

Rida curled more tightly around Cal, her claws digging into his shoulder as she tucked her head beneath Cal's chin. [W-Where's his daiima…?]

Nausea rose up in Cal's throat. The sight of a jemma without their daiima, knowing there was no way that giant wolf could have climbed the ladder with him, was unnatural. It was as if Kanan was just a corpse kept animate by invisible strings.

Merrin was also daiima-less, but that was different. Her magick came through a conduit, not through innate Force sensitivity. They knew Kanan Jarrus was Force sensitive, they had seen his daiima. How was this possible?

But they would have to hold that question for later, as Jarrus literally growled and jabbed a finger into Cal's chest. "Fulcrum said that you had saved other Inquisitorial Candidates, other children being held by the Inquisitors. Is that true? Or was Fulcrum mistaken?" Kanan spat.

Cal held his hands out defensively, slowly extending his arms to try and create space between the two of them without actually touching Jarrus. "It's true," Cal assured. "We've been fighting the Inquisitorious since we were seventeen. Part of that was making sure the Inquisitorious didn't get their hands on Force sensitive younglings."

Jarrus gave a humorless laugh. "And yet the Inquisitorious has a fresh new generation of teenaged Inquisitors!"

"Hey, that's not fair!" Rida hissed, perching up from Cal's shoulder. "We're only one crew! We can't be everywhere in the galaxy at once!"

"We saved as many as we could!" Cal drew himself up, not about to be cowed by this man, no matter his size. "We took down the one training center we found and never heard of any more. We thought that was that. Obviously we were wrong."

The silence that fell between them was tense. Jarrus was still glaring down at him, his oppressive anger pushing against Cal's shields, but Cal held fast, glaring right back up at him. He was not going to just stand there and be dressed down by a stranger.

"... Ezra and Tara were there."

Cal's glare faltered. "What?"

"The training center you 'took down'... It was on Arkanis, wasn't it?"

Rida stiffened as Cal's blood went cold. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying, you missed one," Jarrus spat sardonically.

"No." Cal shook his head in denial. "No, that's not possible, we checked every cell…"

Jarrus took a step back, giving an exaggerated shrug. "And yet, here we are. Ezra and Tara petrified in the cargo bay because the last time they saw you, you left them behind."

Cal's breathing was a bit too loud in his ears as he wracked his brain. It wasn't possible. It wasn't. They had even made sure to scoop up the kids who had hidden in terror, mistakenly believing that Cal was an Inquisitor. And when they were helping to rehabilitate the younglings, to find their families, none of them had ever mentioned anyone being missing.

Jarrus scoffed, crossing his arms. "Do you have anything to say for yourself?"

He just continued to shake his head. If what Jarrus was saying was true, that they left a youngling behind to be tortured and twisted into an Inquisitor...

Jarrus scowled, turning away rubbing his hands over his head from hairline to nerftail. His shoulders were hunched up and tense, his Force signature quivering in agitation. Then he let out an explosive sigh, his body relaxing as his arms fell to his sides. "Ezra is convinced you left him behind because he was weak," he said quietly, not turning back around.

The wording yanked at Cal's chest. "That's the Inquisitorious talking," he said with conviction. "They believe that there is nothing worse than weakness, and weakness is anything that doesn't bring them closer to power."

Jarrus' back was still to him as he nodded slowly. "Yeah, sounds familiar," he scoffed.

Syndulla stepped forward, keeping a wary eye on her partner. Given her reaction, Cal got the impression that this kind of outburst was not very common for Jarrus. That was reassuring. "How is Ezra doing?" she asked him quietly.

"He's terrified," Jarrus said bluntly. He turned back around to give Cal and Rida a soft glare. "This isn't going to work. You're not going to be able to help them."

"Let us talk to them," Rida said. "We can explain ourselves, we can apologize."

Jarrus suddenly smacked the side of his thigh in agitation. "And what good exactly will that do?"

Cal's mind went back to the cold and dark interrogation room on Nur. Trilla kneeling and leaning heavily against Silik, both of them panting from the aftermath of their fight. For all that it mattered, Cal and Rida were effectively not there, their attention fixated on their former masters.

"I failed you…"

"We failed you."

"I don't know," Cal admitted. "But it's a first step. But I'm willing to bet one of the reasons the Inquisitors were able to get their claws into him was their belief that we left them there on purpose. That they weren't worth keeping safe. If we can do even just a little to show Ezra and Tara that that's not true…"

Jarrus was still glaring at them, but his stance was not nearly as stiff or aggressive as it had been earlier. He seemed to be silently considering his options, calculating whether or not Cal's suggestion was worth the risk of potentially exposing Ezra and Tara.

As intimidating and off putting Jarrus had been earlier, Cal was finding his response to all of this to be promising. He and Rida hadn't known what to expect from this mysterious red blade, but they had prepared for the worst. That this Inquisitor child had been swept up by yet another Dark Side user. Even if Jarrus and Nara were not technically Inquisitors, there was no telling how successful they had been in coming back to the light, if at all.

Jarrus had anger, yes, but it didn't completely control him. And his anger was born of a fear for the youngling. Jarrus was prioritizing Ezra and Tara's wellbeing above all else.

"Let me talk to them first," he finally said.

"Yes, of course," Cal quickly agreed. Obviously they didn't want to trigger another panic attack, but this was important. They weren't going to walk away from this, especially not now. If the Inquisitorious was still active, they needed all the information they could get. And of course, if this was a chance to reunite a lost youngling to their family…

Jarrus rolled his shoulders, looking slightly uncomfortable. "Just… go back to your ship."

He turned and left the way he came in. As he passed Captain Syndulla, she put a hand on his arm, briefly stopping him. They shared a glance for a moment, conveying something that wasn't even discernible in the Force.

Then Jarrus went on, disappearing behind the common area door.

Almost none of the questions Cal had been holding before had been answered, but he still felt accomplished. Things hadn't gone the way they had anticipated, but they were still moving in a good direction. With any luck, they would be able to properly apologize to Ezra and Tara… and then they could begin to untangle this whole mess.

Kanan watched Ezra carefully. He had explained Cal and Rida's perspective of what had happened all those years ago. Kanan had his own reservations about their account, although there was no reason to doubt their word.

[Inquisitors lie] Nara reminded. [Cal and Rida were sincere…]

[I know] Kanan insisted. [I just can't can't shake this feeling that something is off.]

Ezra's gaze was downcast as he ran his hand over Tara's fur. He had taken in the information with a neutral expression and seemed to be slowly processing it now. "He… wants to talk to me?" he asked hesitantly.

"Yes," Kanan affirmed quietly. "They want to explain themselves personally and… they want to apologize." The words left his mouth, and he hated them. They were empty, and even if Cal and Rida were earnest, he could not see the point. Maybe Cal and Rida just happened to miss Ezra and Tara on Arkanis. But what did it matter? Intentions aside, they had been left alone to suffer the aftermath.

Ezra and Tara shared a glance with one another, a soft whisper in the Force indicating that they were speaking with one another.

"Will… will you guys stay with us?"

"Of course," Nara immediately replied. "We have no reason to think Cal or Rida would want to hurt you, but if they try, they're getting a quick trip out the airlock."

Ezra gave a little smile at that. It even reached his eyes, and Kanan felt a little lighter at the sight. It was a good sign if Ezra was able to feel a bit of mirth under these circumstances.

But then his smile faded, and he looked a bit nervous again. "O-Okay… I'll listen. As long as you guys stay."

Kanan had been half hoping that Ezra and Tara would refuse to hear the Jedi out. It wouldn't have been unreasonable considering they had shut down at the mere sight of them. But apparently they were taking Cal and Rida's version of events to heart. Which meant they were going to have to go through all of this again.

Nara turned her head slightly to give Kanan a look, which he resolutely ignored. Over the last few days, he had been emotionally yanked back and forth with regards to Cal and Ezra and their future. He felt over stretched and a bit unstable. At least, more unstable than his normal cheery self.

When Ezra and Tara first collapsed in fear and as they quietly explained what had happened years ago on Arkanis, an almost primal instinct had risen up in Kanan. In some ways, it was similar to the icy cold rage that would occasionally overcome him, but this was hot. It simmered just below his sternum, and it consumed him with the need to protect. The growls that were drawn from his throat weren't tics as much as a warning.

So much as look at the little ones the wrong way, and I will rip your throat out.

And so Kanan conveyed Ezra and Tara's wishes back to the others, and they decided to find a more neutral place to meet up again. The crews of both ships needed a chance to meet one another, and while the Ghost was bigger than their Mantis, even the loading dock was not nearly large enough for all of them. Evidently the pilot of the Mantis knew a moon just a few parsecs away. There was a small colony center in the Northern hemisphere, and it was otherwise unpopulated.

That was a relief to Kanan, he knew he'd be able to breathe easier somewhere out in the open. Still, he was a bit annoyed. It felt as if they might as well have just stayed on Denova. It was certainly open, remote, and safe from prying eyes. Of course, that would mean revealing their safe haven to strangers so he supposed this was still for the best.

Stars, he was exhausted.

A quick hyperspace jump later, and both ships were breaking atmosphere as the Ghost followed the Mantis to a predetermined rendezvous. By the time the Ghost landed, the crew of the Mantis were waiting at the base of their ramp. Walking out of the Ghost, Kanan took stock of the others. Besides Cal and Rida, there was a large Lasat, a Latero man, and a grey skinned humanoid whose race Kanan didn't recognize.

Ezra stepped closer to Kanan, not quite touching but close enough to feel his body heat. Kanan reached back and put a hand on his shoulder. "We don't have to do this…" Kanan reminded gently.

Ezra quickly shook his head. "No I'm fine."

Nara stepped up so she could lean up against Kanan, resting her head over his shoulder. Kanan sighed and reached up to pet the side of her head. [I'm fine too.]

Nara's only response was to press up harder against him.

"So… that's the Jedi," Sabine said slowly. She was eyeing Cal carefully, one of her hands on her hip inches from her holster.

"Yes, and play nice," Hera chided gently.

"I don't think I'm the one you should be worried about," Sabine retorted, glancing at Kanan.

He pointedly ignored this, instead choosing to take the initiative and walk across the short distance between the two ships. The others followed closely behind him, Ezra almost tripping over Kanan's feet in an attempt to stay close. The crew of the Mantis met them halfway.

Cal gave Ezra a small smile as Rida climbed down from her perch to the ground. "Hello," he said gently. "I'm sorry we weren't able to introduce ourselves properly before. My name's Cal Kestis, and this is Elvarida, although we just call her Rida.

Rida stepped up a little closer to Tara, who was using one of Ezra's legs as a barrier between them. Her ears were pulled back as she looked Rida over with wide eyes. "You're Tara, right?" Rida said.

Tara gave the barest nod, stepping out a little from her hiding spot to sniff in Rida's direction.

"And this is the rest of our crew," Cal said broadly to all of them. He gestured to them one by one. "Our pilot, Greez, our muscle, Zeb, and the brains, Merrin."

Greez waved with a nervous smile, gazing at Nara as if she might try to eat him whole at any moment. Kanan had never met a Lasat personally, but Zeb was large, with bulging muscles to match. He didn't smile or really show any sort of greeting when he was introduced besides to give Cal a smirk at his description.

Then there was Merrin. Kanan couldn't really put his finger on it, but something about her that made him incredibly uneasy. Perhaps it was the dark tattoos that framed her face. The sharp angles and tapered points were just a little too familiar.

There was a soft trill, and that was when Kanan noticed a small explorer droid that had been hanging onto Merrin's back. Merrin gave a half smile as she glanced back at the droid.

"Oh, and Beedeeone," Cal added with a slight chuckle. "He's pretty handy when we're breaking into Imperial facilities."

Chopper practically scoffed at that, mumbling that there was no way that little droid was better than he was.

"Chopper," Hera reprimanded, giving his dome a slap before stepping forward. "It's a pleasure to meet all of you. "I'm the Ghost's captain and pilot, Hera. This is Kanan and Nara, and you no doubt already heard of Ezra and Tara."

Ezra shuffled awkwardly, his shoulder now actually gently pressing against Kanan's side.

"This is Sabine, our weapons specialist, and the grumpy droid is Chopper."

Chopper proceeded to blather on about his qualifications before Sabine stepped forward, cutting him off. "What is that?" Her voice and gaze were filled with a sense of wonder as she pointed to the device slung across the Lasat's back.

Zeb raised an eyebrow. "You mean my bo-rifle?" He reached back for it, unhooking and pulling it forward. It looked to be a folded up staff, handles made of bone on either side and worn strips of linen wrapped on either end where Zeb was holding it.

Like a puppy with a shiny new toy, Sabine practically leapt forward, her eyes wide as she looked it over. "Are those plasma conduits? Is this thing some sort of electrostaff?"

"I suppose?" Zeb said, clearly amused by her enthusiasm.

"I mean, I can see the structure that obviously makes up the rifle…" Sabine said thoughtfully. "But I've never seen a model quite like this."

"Uhh… is there a reason this chick is fawning over this thing?" Greez asked, looking at her like she was a little crazy.

"I'm a Mandalorian," she said simply, her eyes practically sparkling. "I see a weapon, I gotta know about it."

"It's nice to meet all of you," Kanan said, hoping he sounded at least somewhat genuine. "But I think we should be going off with Cal and Rida to…" What was it they needed to do again? Talk? Talk about the Inquisitorious? Force, this was going to be awful. "... to do what we need to do."

Cal straightened and nodded. "Right." He turned to the others. "I guess you all should get acquainted. Ezra, Tara… do you want to come with us?"

Ezra looked up at Kanan with a panic, but Kanan immediately stepped forward, putting a hand on the boy's shoulder. "We're coming with you," Kanan said firmly.

Cal just gave a small shrug as Rida climbed back up his body. "Yeah that's fine. Ideal, really." As Rida settled back on his shoulder, he turned and waved for them to follow. "I'd like to talk with you as well."

Kanan grimaced at that. That did not make him feel any better.

[It'll be fine] Nara assured, nudging him with her snout as they followed.

[Tell that to my stomach.] He did genuinely feel as if he would throw up any moment now.

[Just focus on the little ones…]

A growl rumbled out of his throat as his grip on Ezra's shoulder tightened. It was good advice. Focus on Ezra and Tara and don't panic. Besides, whatever questions might be asked of them could be easily ignored. They didn't need to know anything about them in order to help Ezra and Tara.

Just focus on the little ones and keep himself under control. There was nothing else he could do.

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