Chapter 5
Chapter Prologue
Ezra is standing before Ursa in what feels like a trial for him. Sabine is standing next to him, as Alrich is trying to explain everything to Ursa, but she wants to hear it from Ezra and Sabine. Sabine starts to choke up, trying to control her emotions, and Alrich is finally able to explain everything to Ursa.
Ursa finally relaxes, knowing it was Sabine's choice, but still orders Ezra to be tested to see if he's worthy to date her daughter.
End Chapter Prologue
"You ever do this with your Jedi training?" Tristan asks Ezra as they prepare to duel.
"Well nothing like this, but I think I can get the hang of it," Ezra says. He's very nervous and for good reason. All of Clan Wren is watching Ezra in his first test.
"This test is simple, Ezra. You have to subdue Tristan 3 times. If you manage that, then you pass only the first part of these tests," Ursa said. "Now if Tristan subdues you 3 times, then you will not be allowed to date my daughter. However, you can not use the Force on an offensive level."
"Mother, this was my decision, not Ezra's. I chose to be with him..." Sabine said, trying to stop all this.
"Silence, Sabine. This is how it has to be. You should know this as well as the rest of us," Ursa said.
Sabine was about to speak again, but Ezra gave her an assuring nod. Then he looked up to Ursa Wren.
"Alright, then. I'm ready," he said, the fear in his voice was gone. He seemed calm, focused. Ursa took note of this thinking, He's not afraid? He's not afraid to do what it takes to protect Sabine. Admirable, but it's not enough to convince me.
Ezra took his position, as did Tristan.
"I'll try not to kill you," Tristan said to Ezra.
"Don't worry about it, I've gone through worse."
Their duel started when a bell was rung. Ezra charged Tristan, who was expecting that. Their training weapons connected as Ezra attempted a downward strike, which was easily blocked. Tristan went to strike at Ezra's side, but that, too, was easily blocked.
Their dual went on for a couple minutes, before Tristan kicked Ezra legs out from under him and pointed the staff at Ezra's chest.
"That's one point for me. You gotta do better than that," Tristan said helping Ezra back to his feet.
"I'm just getting started," Ezra replied.
With that, their duel continued. This time, Tristan made the mistake of jabbing at Ezra, but he just sidestepped to get behind him and pushed Tristan to the ground with his staff.
Tristan blinked, What the- ... I didn't even see him get behind me
Ezra helped Tristan back to his feet now.
"1-1. This is taking longer than I thought," Ezra said.
Ursa noted this, too. Doesn't seem to take things seriously, though.
Half an hour later, Ezra and tristan were tied at 2-2. Everybody was on the edge of their seats, the tension rising.
Ezra just stood there, letting Tristan circle around him.
'What is he doing? Why is he just standing there?' Tristan thought to himself.
30 more seconds went by, nothing happened. Ezra was still standing there, like he was waiting.
Sabine's eyes grew wide as she noticed his eyes were closed. Ezra, don't do anything stupid. Ezra was waiting for Tristan to become impatient.
Eventually, Tristan became very impatient and swiped at Ezra, but Ezra fell back and rolled. Before Tristan could react, he was shoved to the ground with a metal staff pressed against his back.
Everybody cheered, which was strange because Mandalorians were cheering for a Jedi. Ezra won the duel 3-2, fair and square. There was no rule against using the Force at all, just not offensively; Which meant he couldn't lift, freeze, or push anybody with the Force.
"You did well, for a Jedi," Ursa said. "But you're still not finished." She walked away then.
"That was fun. I hadn't had a challenge like that since Sabine left," Tristan said, shaking Ezra's hand.
"I didn't think I would have been able to beat a Wren," Ezra admitted. "So what is your mother going to have me do now?"
"Well now she has to see how much of our culture you know, and how much of our language you can speak," Tristan replied.
"What does that have to do with me and Sabine? Those aren't even part of the test," Ezra said.
Tristans stared at him, "How did you know that?"
"I borrowed some things from Sabine to..." Ezra started but Sabine interrupted him.
"When he said 'borrowed' he means stole," she said smiling.
"But I gave them back," Ezra added quickly.
Tristan raised an eyebrow, "You might just pass your tests, Ezra Bridger." He leaned closer so Sabine couldn't hear, "If you do pass, take care of my sister."
Ezra blushed, but replied, "Believe me, I will."
Tristan left the room, leaving Sabine and Ezra alone.
"Alright, what did he tell you?" Sabine asked, a playful tone in her voice.
"It was nothing..." Ezra tried to say, but received a kiss from Sabine.
"You can tell me," she cooed.
Ezra gulped. "He just told me to take care of you... if I passed these tests."
"Ezra..." Sabine said then, "Even if my mother doesn't want me with you, I'll still be with you. I'm a rebel remember?"
Ezra smiled nervously, "I'm just afraid what your mother would do to me."
Sabine laughed.
"Ezra, how much Mando'a can you speak? Or is it you can't speak Mando'a at all?" Ursa asked.
"Ibic kaab guuror mando at gar?" he replied, just as an example. He hoped Ursa knew it was just for an example which, fortunately for him, she did.
"I'm impressed. You didn't hesitate, and there was no flaw in the pronunciation," Ursa said.
"Now..." she continued, "Answer this question in Mando'a: 'pehea much vaabir gar kar'taylir darasuum Sabine?'"
"Ni kar'taylir darasuum kaysh ti an ner kar'ta," he replied, flawlessly.
Sabine blushed, hearing what they said.
"Kelir gar hiibir baatir be kaysh?" Ursa asked.
"Ratiin," Ezra replied.
Sabine gasped quietly. All she wanted to do now was hug and kiss Ezra and nothing else. She didn't want to wait anymore.
"How much of our culture do you know?" Ursa then asked.
"Originally from the planet Mandalore, hence the name Mandalorian, uh.. completely separate government from the rest of the galaxy at the time of the Republic and even before," Ezra just kept listing important facts about Mandalore.
"Ravaged by wars for centuries, the Jedi and Mandalorians naturally do not get along, at least at the time of the Republic, the armor is sacred to Mandalorians as each set has been passed down for generations," eventually Ursa made him stop talking.
"I think I've heard enough..." she said.
"I-I'm sorry I went a bit far didn't I?" Ezra tried to apologize.
"No you didn't go too far. I need time to think about this now..." she said, leaving the room. The entire room was silent, and Ezra looked over to Tristan and shrugged as if he was saying, Did I do something wrong?
Tristan knew what he was trying to do and shook his head, but also shrugged his shoulders.
"Well?" Sabine asked her mother, hopeful.
Ursa sighed, "You'll know at dinner." She looked back into the room and called, "This session is over."
Everybody filed out of the room and Sabine found Ezra.
"What did she say?" he asked.
"She said we'll know at dinner tonight. Which might be a good sign," Sabine said.
Ezra sighed, "I don't know what I would do without you, Sabine."
"Ezra, without you I would be insane right now," Sabine reminded him.
"I know... but still..." Ezra paused. "Ni kar'tayl gar darasuum, Sabine Wren."
Sabine couldn't take it anymore. She pulled his head down to hers and they kissed.
"Ni kar'tayl gar darasuum, Ezra," Sabine said when they broke the kiss.
Ursa was just around the corner when she heard and saw all this. She knew now how much they mean to each other, then. No test could prove that.
*Later at dinner*
Sabine and Ezra walked into the dining room of the Wren's stronghold, and found only two seats were not taken. Ezra and Sabine looked at Ursa nervously, who only nodded.
Sabine went to sit first, and Ezra helped, trying to make a last minute impression on Countess Wren. He then sat down next to Sabine.
Everybody ate in silence, until Ursa and Alrich both stood up.
"I've thought a lot about these tests, and on Ezra's performance," Ursa said. "And I suppose Bridger has been proven worthy... if anything too worthy for a Jedi."
Ezra and Sabine looked at each other, then back at Ursa, excited.
"Ezra Bridger, you have my permission to... date my daughter," Ursa finally said. All the tension left the room as Sabine threw her arms around her mother, who seemed surprised with Sabine's response.
"Now, Sabine," Ursa said. "Don't get me wrong, I'd rather you didn't date a Jedi, but I suppose he deserves a chance."
"Thank you, mother," Sabine said. Ursa looked over to Ezra, waving him over.
"Ezra, I expect you to take good care of Sabine for us. Don't make me regret this decision," she warned.
"I won't let you down, Countess," he said, bowing.
*Later that night*
Sabine was holding Ezra's hand, and resting her head on his shoulders. They on the balcony of the stronghold, watching the moon rise.
"Ezra," Sabine said.
"Yes, dear?" Ezra responded, much to Sabine's liking.
"This didn't go as bad as I thought it would," she said.
"Honestly I thought it would have been much worse," Ezra said.
"How much worse?"
"I thought every Mandalorian would have shot me on the spot."
Sabine laughed, making Ezra smile. But then, somebody grabbed his shoulder.
"Here's your lightsaber, Ezra," Alrich said, holding the lightsaber.
"Thank you, sir," Ezra said grabbing the lightsaber and clipping it to his belt.
"You can call me Dad if you want," he said.
Ezra and Sabine turned red. "I- We're not..."
Alrich laughed, "I'm only messing with you. But I will tell you now, if you do decide to get married, you'll always have my blessing. Ursa would agree with me, but she won't admit it."
"T-Thank you... uh..." Ezra said, extremely confused.
"No problem, son. Take care of Sabine for us when you're away." Alrich left them alone for the night.
Sabine laughed, "Don't worry about it, Ezra. My father has always been a bit of a jokester."
"That's what's worrying me, I never know when you people are joking," Ezra said. Sabine kissed him. It wasn't a quick kiss, but a long and loving kiss. They didn't want their moment to end, but they were still in the Wren's household, so they couldn't go too far.
"I can't wait until we can leave, Ezra," Sabine whispered.
"What, why?" Ezra asked surprised.
"I want to do more than that, but my mother wouldn't allow it," she replied, referring to their kiss just a few seconds before.
Ezra smiled, "I'm sure it won't be long before we can head back."
Sabine laid her head on his chest, "But how long will this take?"
"I don't know. But right now, I'm going to be spending some time with my girlfriend and her family," he said.
"Yeah spending time with my family shouldn't be a good thing," Sabine joked.
Pretty soon, the pair grew tired so they left to their quarters for the night. It would be the first night since Ezra's near death experience that Sabine wasn't with him, and she was already a bit scared.
*Back on Yavin base* One week later
"General Syndulla, a ship of unknown design just came out of hyperspace. Do we attempt to contact it?" a flight control officer asked.
"Let's see it first," she replied. The officer pressed a button and a hologram of the vessel appeared. It definitely wasn't Imperial, could be smugglers or civilians just passing through.
"Hail the vessel," she ordered.
"Yes ma'am." the officer pressed another button and nodded to Hera.
"Attention unknown vessel, you have entered restricted space. Identify yourself!" she said.
An all too familiar voice came over the comms. "Hello Hera. It's good to hear from you again."
Everybody sat or stood perfectly still. They were hearing Delphine's voice, "Delphine Katz!" Hera said. "We thought you died!"
"I thought I did, too. But fortunately I'm still alive. Sabine didn't think it would be that easy to kill me did she?" Delphine said. "Speaking of Sabine, where is she? I'd like to see her again."
"Send an MC80 battle group to intercept," Hera quietly said to a flight controller. She turned her attention back to the hologram. "We won't tell you where she is."
"I'm guessing she's with Bridger. It's too bad, him and I would have been perfect together," she said almost dreaming.
"Is that what it's all about? You getting Ezra to yourself? You make me sick, Katz," Hera said.
"Now now, I don't want to fight anybody," she said, smiling. "But yes, I do want Ezra for myself."
"Well good luck finding them. They're not here," Hera said.
"I'm good at tracking. I can find them."
"Good luck leaving the system, then," Hera said closing the connection. A hologram of Rebel space appeared and an MC80 warship came out of hyperspace, along with two CR90 corvettes, four GR-75 medium transports, and two EF76 Nebulon-B frigates.
"They've built their fleet of ships better," Delphine said, though mostly a bit scared. She was cocky and that always got her in trouble. She piloted her custom built ship away from the fleet in an attempt to escape, but there were multiple wings of X-wings and A-wings already in flight. Delphine's ship shook as she lost power in her engines and hyperdrive.
"Delphine Katz, in the name of the Rebellion High Command, you are under arrest," The captain of the battlegroup said, listing all the charges against the Rebellion. "Attacking and capture of superior officers, resisting arrest, causing harm to fellow officers and crew... Should I continue?"
"No..." Delphine said quietly. She was trying to think her way out of this situation, but her ship's engines were damaged and was caught in a tractor beam. Escape pods wouldn't work either. Finally she had an idea, but it was one that could get everybody killed.
She ran over to the communications console and attempted to get a message to the Empire.
"Sir, I'm picking up a transmission from the captured vessel. It hasn't been sent yet, but it's close," an officer said.
The captain didn't even think, "Jam the transmission, all squadrons attack the communications relay!" he ordered.
Before Delphine could send the transmission, there was another jolt and saw her comms relay floating in space, completely useless.
She gulped, "They really don't like me now do they? They're going to kill me right here..."
Another jolt, but this one was different. She heard the airlock open; She has been boarded.
Hours later, Delphine was in the Rebel court, on trial for her crimes against the Rebellion. After the prosecutor read all the charges, they asked what her plea was.
"Not Guilt-" her robotic lawyer was about to say, but Delphine knew she couldn't deny anything so she answered for herself.
"G-Guilty," she said, knowing there's no way out of this anymore.
Sabine and Ezra were just sitting in the common room, talking with some of the Mandalorians, when Tristan walked in.
"Sabine, mother is requesting your presence and Ezra's, too," he said almost sad.
"Why? What's going on?" Sabine asked.
"Just go talk to her," Tristan said. Sabine looked at Ezra who only shrugged.
"Alright let's go," Ezra said.
Moments later they were in Ursa Wren's private office.
"I just received a transmission from Yavin Base," she said. Ezra and Sabine looked at each other, hope and worry filled their eyes.
"What is it about?" Ezra asked. By now he's been treated as if he was family. None of the Mandalorians hated him. In fact they enjoyed his company and thought of him as another brother.
"They have confirmed Delphine is still alive. She... apparently jumped into your system and started blabbering," Ursa said.
"Sounds like Delphine," Sabine said, surprised she was still alive.
"She was arrested with multiple charges and one of them was trying to alert the Empire to their presence," she continued.
Ezra's eyes grew wide as did Sabine's. "She contacted the EMPIRE?"
"Tried to, but as stupid as she sounds she didn't succeed. I don't know all the details, but I figure you'll be debriefed on the situation," Ursa said.
Ezra looked sadly at Sabine, "Does this mean we have to leave?" He asked the Countess.
"I'm afraid so. You are under orders to return as soon as you can," Ursa said, just as sad. Not only was her daughter leaving again, but she grew fond of the young Jedi's presence and learned to appreciate him as part of their family.
"I'll, go pack our things," Sabine said quietly.
Before Ezra could leave to grab his belongings, Ursa stopped him.
"Bridger," she started, "I want you to know that I've learned to appreciate you around us. You are welcome to visit anytime with or without Sabine."
"You are most kind, Countess," Ezra said with a small bow.
"Take care of Sabine for us. It's clear you care about each other's safety, so I won't have to worry," she said smiling.
"Thank you again. It was a pleasure to stay with your family," Ezra said.
"Ezra! Are you coming or not?" Sabine yelled from down the hallway.
"Go! Don't keep her waiting," Ursa said.
Ezra left the room and followed Sabine to their quarters to collect their items. When Ezra entered his room, he saw a package with a note.
It read: To Ezra Bridger from Clan Wren. Do not open it until you leave.
Ezra was tempted to open it, but he wanted to honor their wish and open it after they left.
A few minutes later, Ezra and Sabine were on board Starbird getting ready to liftoff.
"Starbird Ezra Bridger bal Sabine Wren at Clan Wren, tsikala at ba'slanar," Ezra spoke in fluent Mando'a, much to Sabine's surprise. He learned a lot from their week on Krownest.
"Gar cuyir utrel'a at ba'slanar, Starbird," the Mandalorian replied. Ezra closed the channel and piloted the ship to space.
Once they were clear of the planet, he jumped the ship into hyperspace. Ezra sat back and looked at Sabine. They almost didn't want to leave, but orders were orders.
"Come with me," Ezra said to Sabine.
"W-Why? Is something wrong?" she asked a bit worried.
"Everything's fine. There's something your family gave to me before we left. I'm going to see what it is," he replied.
"Alright, let's see what my family gave you," Sabine said.
They went to Ezra's quarters and he pulled out a package. The note was still there and Sabine read it.
"I guess you can open it now, then," she said.
Ezra opened the box and much to his surprise, there was a Mandalorian bodysuit with some armor. There was no color to it, but there was another note in the box.
We figured Sabine would paint it. Also, we know you collect helmets. Make sure Sabine paints this, too.
Ezra and Sabine looked at the closet. He opened it and sure enough there was a Mandalorian helmet.
"I guess they figured out I collect helmets. It wouldn't feel right for me to wear it, though," Ezra said.
"You won't have to wear it, you can if you want, but the armor shouldn't be put on display," Sabine said, her voice full of curiosity. "I wonder how you'd look in Mandalorian armor."
"This means something doesn't it?" Ezra said.
Sabine nodded, "It means they accept you as part of our family..." She paused then, a random thought popping in her mind. She blushed and shook her head.
"Sabine?" Ezra asked.
"I- I'm... I'm ok," She stammered.
Ezra frowned, "You're not having a panic attack are you?"
"No Ezra I said I'm fine. Just a silly thought," she replied, turning red again.
"Alright then," he said turning back to his new outfit.
Sabine bit her lip, "E-Ezra..."
"Hm?"
She pushed him to the bed and climbed on top of him and started making out with him.
"Mmm... Sabine...?" Ezra said, trying to get her attention. This was all very sudden.
"I can't hold it back anymore, Ezra," she said, gripping his shirt.
"I... I'm a little confused," he said. "You said something about your family, and then this..."
"Ni copad at ganar a aliit ti gar, Ezra," she said. Now that's something Ezra didn't understand. He could understand some of it, but couldn't figure it all out.
"Wait... You what?" Ezra said, but Sabine was already kissing him again. She then managed to get his shirt off, then she started unclipping her armor.
What is Sabine doing? Ezra thought to himself, as she finished stripping off her armor. She seemed to know what he was thinking.
"I love you, Ezra," she said, grabbing his hands and setting them on her stomach.
Ezra's eyes grew wide. "Are you...?"
"No I'm not, but..." she bit his lip. "I want to be."
Ezra didn't know what to do. Yes they've made love a few times before, but they weren't trying for anything. This time it's different.
"S-Sabine... a-are you sure you want to..." he didn't get to finish. Sabine pinned him to the bed with her body and pressed her lips to his. Obviously her answer was a Yes.
Sabine started to take off her bodysuit, so she was naked from the waist up, not counting her bra. She really wanted this, and she made sure Ezra knew it. But the ship wasn't set to automatically drop them out of hyperspace.
"Sabine, wait!" Ezra said, breathing hard.
"I can't Ezra. I can't wait any longer," she replied.
Before she could do anything, Ezra started to speak, "Sabine, I didn't set the ship to drop us out of hyperspace."
She finally stopped for a few moments. "Haar'chak, Ezra!"
"I-I didn't know we were going to do... this..." he tried to explain. Sabine came to her senses and blushed.
"I-I'm sorry..." she apologized.
"You don't have to apologize for anything, dear. If you want, we can continue later," he said.
Sabine smiled, "I'd love that." She kissed him again, but this time when they parted, she started getting dressed. Ezra was going to put his shirt back on, but Sabine stopped him.
"How about I set the autopilot and you put on the armor. I'd love to see how you look in it," she said, a slightly seductive tone in her voice.
"Y-Yeah, uh... sure thing," he stammered as he watched Sabine walk out. Ezra looked at the Mandalorian armor, still surprised that they already trust him enough to let him have it.
Sabine was sitting in the co-pilot's chair when the door opened. She turned around and saw Ezra in full-body silver Mandalorian armor. It was obviously brand new armor, made during their visit.
Sabine's heart about stopped and her jaw dropped. "E-Ezra... y-you look..." she stammered.
"Like a Mandalorian?" he asked.
"I didn't know the armor was still silver," Sabine said, thinking it had a normal Mandalorian paint job, but it was untouched.
"So? What do you think?" he asked, turning around in a full 360.
Sabine slowly stood up and walked over to him. She inspected the armor and she already had designs thought out.
"I-I-I need to... uh, paint it... uhmm..."
Ezra laughed. This was the second time Sabine was speechless.
"Y-You look g-great!" she finally said.
Ezra blushed, "If you want to paint it, be my guest."
"Do you want it like your scout helmet? No! This needs to be different..." Sabine said, asking and answering her questions for him. She was practically entranced with ideas for Ezra's new suit. Even when they came out of hyperspace and landed, Sabine still seemed like she was in a tranced.
The Starbird's ramp opened and the first person Hera saw was Sabine, though she didn't seem focused on anybody. She just kept saying something about painting armor as she walked to her room.
"Okay what was that about?" Hera thought out loud. She saw Ezra starting to walk down the ramp.
"Ezra, what's wrong with Sab-"
She saw what Ezra was wearing and was speechless for a moment.
"Hey Hera. How's it going?" Ezra asked.
"Ezra? Where did you get that armor?" Hera asked.
"Oh this? It was a gift from Sabine's family," he said.
"They gave you Mandalorian armor?" she asked surprised then.
"They gave me a full body suit. It's a bit different than what Sabine has," Ezra explained.
"It looks the same to me, only without the color," Hera said.
"This one is armored to almost every spot. The entire leg, back, chest and abdomen. It's all protected," Ezra pointed out.
"Alright, well did you enjoy the stay?" she asked then.
"I almost didn't want to leave, and I could tell Sabine kind of didn't want to either," Ezra said.
"Well she just walked past me with a glassy look in her eyes, muttering something about painting your suit..." Hera studied the outfit and saw he was also carrying the helmet.
Rex walked up to them then. "Hey Ezra, looking good in that armor. I'm guessing Sabine's family gave that to you?"
"Yeah. They trust me with Sabine's life already, and agreed that I am worthy enough to have this, apparently," he said.
"Well I just bumped into Sabine a moment ago. She's looking for ya," he then whispered. "Make it quick, too. She's carrying her paint applicator."
"I should probably get going, then," Ezra said.
"Don't forget you two have to go through debriefing..." Hera started.
"Yeah yeah I know," Ezra called as he ran off to find Sabine.
"Done and done," Sabine said, smiling. She thought Ezra would look good in the newly painted armor. It wasn't as colorful as it would usually be, but she thought it best suited the style of the armor.
"Sabine are you almost done in there?" Ezra called from the other room.
"Yes, love, I just finished. HOWEVER!" she called back. "You are not allowed to see it until it's dry."
"Aw seriously?" Ezra complained.
"Relax, you can still wear something over the suit... You really like the suit don't you?" Sabine asked smiling.
"Like it? No, I absolutely LOVE IT! Now I understand why you Mandalorians wear this all the time."
Sabine walked into the same room Ezra was in laughing. She just stared at Ezra then, and started thinking about what happened between them earlier.
"Ezra?" she started to ask.
"Yes?"
"About what I said earlier on the Starbird..." she started, "I really mean it..."
"Sabine, whatever you said I didn't understand much of it..." he said. "Sorry."
Sabine turned red, "I... I said..." she sighed. "I-I can't tell you...I want to tell you, but I..."
"Sabine..." he started. "What... what are you trying to say?"
Ok really quick before I end this chapter, the translator is likely not 100% finished, since many words I try to use to not get translated into Mando'a, so some of the things said in Mando'a might not make sense.
With that said, what is Sabine trying to tell Ezra? (You might already know from when she said it in Mando'a)
What does Ezra's new armor look like? (Site doesn't seem to allow links or pictures and I don't know how to describe it)
Best way I know how to describe it is to email me. Gmail: icfr0st1real.
Chapter ideas are welcome, just make sure you are caught up with the story beforehand to avoid any confusion.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Star Wars Rebels characters. They rightfully belong to Disney.