Chapter 24
"Ezra, talk to me," Sabine whispered gently, her right hand on the back of his neck, her left on the back of his head. She held him in a tight embrace.
Ezra, who was still shaking from the pain, his head throbbing, felt like his mind was being torn to shreds, his body like he was thrown into a vat of molten metals. The after effects of the sudden disturbance was like swimming in a salt water ocean in 10 degree temperatures. Those effects didn't last long, but it wasn't anything he's felt before.
"Something... Something's wrong... Something's terribly wrong..." he muttered.
"You mentioned screams... what did you mean?"
"Exactly what it means... A large crowd screaming..."
Sabine nodded, understanding it so far.
"But these screams were in terror..." Ezra said. He then looked up at Sabine, terror filling his eyes. "Then silence..."
Sabine's eyes shut tight and she pulled Ezra closer. He rested his head on her shoulder.
"Our ad'ika was really jumping, too," Sabine said.
"I-I know," Ezra said. "I can sense her distress."
"It's going to be ok," Sabine said. Her mind drifted off to a couple days before when they met 'Mari'.
"About two days from now, something horrible will happen. As you might be guessing I can't go into any specific details... Only that something terrible WILL happen."
"Ezra, that girl warned us about this," Sabine said.
"You're right," Ezra said. "She said in her timeline, we left not long afterward."
"We have to trust her, Ezra," Sabine said.
"I didn't sense anything threatening from her... She hid her signature well," Ezra said.
Sabine gasped a bit and her hands flew to her swollen belly.
"Sabine? What's wrong?"
"Nothing," she said. "She's just... kicking a little."
"Six months..." Ezra muttered.
Sabine smiled, "Roughly 3 more months of this. Can you stand?"
Ezra took a shaky breath, his mind and body finally at an unstable ease, and nodded. Sabine helped Ezra get back to his feet and they both finished cooking breakfast together, talking about anything that took their minds off their situation.
...
"What do you mean Alderaan is gone?" Hera asked surprised.
"It's not appearing on our scanners. There's just... nothing," a LT reported.
Hera's eyes grew wide, "I think I know what did this."
She ran to a console and a visual record appeared.
The footage showed nothing at first, but then a moon-sized space station appeared from hyperspace in front of the screen. The whole room grew silent as the footage showed the surface of Scarif erupt in flames and rock just a few moments later.
"That Death Star did that, so it's possible that wasn't it's full power." Then a realization hit her, "Senator Organa. He... He was on Alderaan!"
"General, we need to be on high alert. They wouldn't have just destroyed Alderaan by chance. They were making an example and they chose Alderaan for a reason," Kallus said.
"What are you saying?"
"I think Princess Leia is still alive... for now at least."
"So she saw first hand her planet's death," Hera said.
"Most likely," Kallus said.
"Set the base on full high alert. Nothing must leave the moon. Grey Team, Ezra and Sabine cannot be left alone right now. Stay with them, keep an eye on them," Hera said.
"Excuse me, General," Coren began, raising his hand. "Define 'cannot be left alone'?"
"They can have their privacy, but you need to be there for them," Hera said. It's called Common Sense, Coren!
"Yes Ma'am," the Mandalorian team said. They then left for their own special Kom'rk-class starfighter, similar to Ezra's Starbird. Equally so as it also has been modified similar to Starbird, without the paint job of course.
"What are we going to do?" Dodanna asked then.
"Get the base ready for evacuation. If the Empire has Leia, they could get our location. If that's the case, we have to be ready to leave," Hera ordered.
"Right away," an officer replied.
...
The Kom'rk fighter landed next to the Starbird and when the Mandalorians walked down the boarding ramp, they were met by T-6, Ezra and Sabine's personal astromech droid. His nickname was Trix. He greeted them happily and they explained why they were here so early.
"Can you take us to Ezra?" Jax asked.
Trix beeped and led the team inside the house to see a confused Ezra and Sabine talking in the kitchen.
"Coren? Guys? W-What are you doing here?" Ezra asked.
"Hera sent us to keep a close eye on you two... The Empire..." Max began, but her sentence faded.
"Did they find us?" Sabine asked.
"We don't think so, not yet anyway. But that's not why we're here," Jax said.
"It's what they did, isn't it?" Ezra asked.
"How did you..." Keith began to ask, but quickly shut his mouth, "Sorry. The Force..."
"I don't know exactly what they did," Ezra said.
"We do..." Max said, her face going pale. "Everybody back home heard the news already as well."
"Heard what? Are you saying something did happen?" Sabine asked.
"Alderaan... it's gone," Jill said.
"Gone? What do you mean gone?" Sabine asked.
Behind Sabine, Ezra slowly and steadily leaned against the counter. "Those screams... then the silence..." He began to break down.
"Ezra..." Sabine said, walking over to him and taking hold of his arm. He placed his hand to his head.
"I heard them die..." he said.
Everybody paled at the words.
"Kanan heard them die, even Mira heard them die!"
"Ezra, get a hold of yourself!" Coren said.
"Ezra... It's going to be ok. You're not alone," Sabine said.
Slowly, and with a bit of time, Ezra finally calmed down. He just sat on the sofa, deep in thought, a mug of caf in his hands.
"Sir, we'll follow you anywhere. Not because we have orders, but because you're our leader. What are your orders?" Jax said.
"We're... We're staying," Ezra said, remembering the warning Mari gave to them two days before.
Everybody nodded grimly.
At this time in the alternate timeline, where Future Mira was from, Ezra had said they had to leave, his team's response was still a grim nod.
For the rest of the day, everybody sat around the living room and talked. Their future was uncertain for them, but for Future Mira, everything was alright. She knows everything that happens from that point on, many things good, equally as many things bad, but overall her family was together again and that's what she set out to do. Risky, but successful.
"What if the Empire shows up?" Keith asks.
"We have to stay," Ezra said. "It's... complicated to explain."
There was a sound coming from the kitchen again and Ezra immediately jumped up and ran into the kitchen. Everybody stood ready in the living room when Ezra returned with a note.
"Sabine, come here," he said. Sabine stood up and walked over to him and he showed her the note.
It read: When I said don't leave the moon for any reason, I forgot to add another important fact. Whenever the Rebellion headquarters begins full evacuation of the planet after the battle, you can leave with them. That's when you're safe to leave. Sorry for the missed information. - Mari
"Well that's good to know," Sabine says.
"What does it say?" Max asked.
"Umm... We were warned two days ago that something was going to happen, what it was we didn't know. Our visitor didn't says what would happen. She told us not to leave under any circumstances but now sent a note saying we can leave when the Rebellion does," Sabine explained carefully.
"What do you mean?" Coren asked. "Why do you have to stay here?"
"It was a warning from the future. Somebody who knew us well went back in time to just a couple days ago and warned us not to leave. Something would happen not long after we left that leads to some event 16 years later that results in... everyone's deaths..." That last part was especially hard for Sabine to say.
"You seriously believe that?" Coren asked, looking at Ezra.
"She was strong in the Force, but something about her signature was familiar, felt like somebody we have trusted in the future," Ezra said.
(No idea if the Force can do that, but for the sake of this storyline, just deal with it.)
"Do you know who she is?" Max asked.
"No, she hid her identity very well. Her eyes were all black, but she explained that was because of special eye contacts she used," Ezra replied. "Her mental barrier was strong."
"I don't like the sound of that," Keith said.
"Well we know she can be trusted. She told us that something was going to happen and it did, and she told us two days ago!" Ezra said.
"We didn't come here to argue," Jill said. "We're just going to have to trust Commander Bridger."
"Please no formalities," Ezra groaned, placing his hand on his head.
"Sorry, Ezra," Jill corrected.
"So what do we do?" Max asked.
"We just stay here until the Rebellion leaves. Just relax," Sabine said. "Anybody want anything to drink? Or eat?"
Everybody looked at each other, then nodded.
Ezra looked down at the note and kept reading the words after the battle.
"Hey guys!" he exclaimed. "Check this out." He showed them the note. "Right here, it says After the battle."
"Does that mean there is going to be a battle here?" Keith asked.
"I think so," Ezra said. "We'll just have to wait and see."
Sabine walked back into the room with some drinks and a snack for the Mandalorian unit. She set the tray down on the table in the middle of the room and sat down on the sofa, Ezra sitting down next to her.
As they all ate and talked, the Rebel headquarters was undergoing heavy alert.
"All fleets on alert, General," Ackbar said from Home One, which was sitting in orbit above the moon.
"Good. As soon as you see any hyperspace signatures, signal us. We'll need to evacuate if the Empire does arrive," Hera replied.
"Acknowledged, General. If I may ask what about Commanders Bridger and Wren?"
"I have assigned Ezra's Grey Team to keep them secured. They have their own vessels. Once the team receives an evacuation signal, they'll leave."
The Admiral nodded and the communications closed as they Command Center watched for any sign of the Imperials.
...
Several Hours Later...
"General! We have picked up one hyperspace signature!" a lieutenant reported.
"Is it Imperial?" Hera asked.
"Negative. It looks like a modified YT-1300 light freighter," he added.
"Could be a trap. Keep the fleet on standby and the base on alert!" Hera ordered.
"Yes Ma'am."
...
"Unidentified craft, you have entered restricted space! Send access codes or turn back now!"
"What the he-" the smuggler began but Leia interrupted.
"I got this. This is Senator Leia Organa. I am transmitting clearance codes now!"
"Princess Leia? How did you escape the Empire?"
"I had some help. Obi-Wan and a small band of smugglers helped me," she said.
"I'm not a smuggler," Luke said bitterly, the scene running through his head over and over, trying to make sense of all this.
"I was talking about this guy and the Wookie," Leia quickly added apologetically.
"Obi-Wan helped you? Can we speak to him?"
There was a long pause...
"He's... gone. Vader... killed him," Luke said.
"Who was that?" Hera asked.
"That was Luke, one of the men who helped me escape," Leia said. "I think you'd be happy to hear he's a Skywalker."
"Skywalker? As in Anakin Skywalker?" Kanan said through the comms.
"I... I don't know," Leia said.
"Yes, as in Anakin Skywalker," Luke said. "Did you know him, too?"
"Not personally no, but he was a legend back during the Clone Wars."
"So I've heard," Luke said sadly.
"There's another matter we need to discuss, General Syndulla," Leia said then. "But we need to land first. We have the plans with us."
"Great news. You have been cleared, you know where to land," Hera said.
...
"Alright here's the problem," a mechanic said. "We scanned the Falcon and found this planted on the underside of the hull. They've tracked you here."
"Told you," Leia scoffed.
"Don't rub it in, I don't plan on staying anyway," Han said.
"Of course you don't," Leia muttered under her breath.
In the distance, Kanan was talking with Luke.
"You have a lightsaber," he said matter of factly.
"Yes... How did you know?" Luke asked.
"I may be blind, but the Force helps me through it. Also, my daughter keeps reaching for it. I can feel her movements," Kanan said as Dawn tried to take Luke's lightsaber from his belt, but before she could, Kanan used the Force to pull it into his hand and felt it.
"Common design, though in a certain way unique."
"What do you mean?"
"A Jedi's lightsaber is unique to the wielder, though they may have the same design and style. It's difficult to explain at times," Kanan said.
"Do you have a student?" Luke asked.
"I do, but he's off on the other side of Yavin with Sabine."
"Who's Sabine?"
Kanan smiled, "She's his wife. Though the old code forbade marriage or any emotional attachments, if you learn to control them, your emotions can help you through times the Jedi of old could not have done. And she's Mandalorian."
"I thought they were the..."
"Yup, but times are changing. Her family has accepted him as one of them, though he doesn't have a Mandalorian title," Kanan said.
"So what are they doing way on the other side?" Luke asked.
"That I'll leave to them to explain when they return," Kanan said.
"When will that be?"
"When we either leave, or when they decide to return," Kanan said.
"How old is your student?" Luke asked.
"He's your age, actually. Perhaps a bit older. You're 19?"
Luke nodded, but remembered Kanan was blind so he said, "Yes."
"He's a bit older than you. About 20 years I believe," Kanan said.
A/N: I know they are probably both 19 years old at this time with the actual SWR storyline, but writing AUs have perks.
"Really? What's his name?"
"You really are full of questions, aren't you?" Kanan asked amused.
"I lived my entire life on Tatooine. I just left that planet for the first time," Luke said.
"I see. Well, welcome to Yavin 4. As for my student's name, I'll let him tell you when you meet him. He's a great kid," Kanan said.
Before Luke could ask, Kanan answered, "You have things to do here. I felt Obi-Wan's passing, but it wasn't by Vader. He's one with the Force and he will guide you. Right now you need to get to the hangars. You know what's coming. You need to be ready."
"Alright," Luke said as he ran back to the hangars.
Kanan sat down on the ground and began meditating in the Force.
"Master Kenobi, what are you up to?" Kanan asked after a few moments.
"He needs to learn the ways of the Force, and in order for him to do that, he needs to learn to trust in the Force," Obi-Wan's voice said. His ghost wasn't visible, but his presence was felt.
"I understand. Is there any way I can help?"
"You can sit out on this one, Caleb. No, you go by Kanan now, don't you?"
"I do."
"You already have a student, and also waiting for your little one to be of age to begin training her. But you cannot have two students. It's about time you consider the next step for your current student."
"I was afraid of that," Kanan said.
"He is ready, though he might not believe it. What more can you teach him?"
"I'll see what I can do for the Trials," Kanan said.
...
"Boss, Kanan's calling for you," Coren said.
Ezra nodded and followed Coren into the comm room and Kanan turned towards Ezra.
"Kanan? Is something wrong?" Ezra asked.
"There's something we have to do," Kanan said.
"Which is?" Ezra asked.
"There is a secret Jedi Temple here on Yavin. Where it is I don't know, but it's here."
"How do you know?"
"I've spoken to Master Obi-Wan. He told me there's one here we can use."
"Use for what exactly?" Ezra asked.
Kanan pulled off his mask and opened his eyes, "staring" at his apprentice. "To finish your training."
Ezra's eyes grew wide Coren stared at Ezra.
"Training?" Coren asked.
"He's still and apprentice to the Force. This final test will give him the opportunity to become a Knight of the Jedi," Kanan said.
"Ezra Bridger, Knight of the Jedi Order..." Coren said, "Has a nice ring to it don't you think?"
"A Master cannot have two apprentices at one time. One must go through the Trials before accepting another," Kanan said.
"I understand, Master," Ezra said, bowing his head.
"I need you to meet me at these coordinates," Kanan said as the terminal at the base of the console lit up, showing coordinates on Yavin 4. "From there we'll search for the Temple and complete your training."
"Yes, Master," Ezra said as the communication was cut off.
Ezra walked out of the room and turned to Sabine, who was waiting outside of the room.
"What was that about?" she asked.
"I'm going out for a bit," Ezra said.
"Where? You're not leaving the planet are you?"
"No, I'm not leaving the planet. I'm meeting Kanan somewhere. He needs my help with something," Ezra replied. It was somewhat true.
"I'm coming with you," she said.
"Sabine, you can't. If it is Jedi business, then you can't be alongside him through it. Besides you're 6 months pregnant, you need to take it easy," Max said.
"Ezra..."
"She's right, Sabine. This is Jedi stuff happening. I need to meet him alone." Ezra said. He then placed a hand on her shoulder, "I will be back. I don't know how long this will take, but I will come back."
Sabine looked up into his sapphire blue eyes, then pressed her lips to his in a deep kiss.
"Be safe," she murmured after she broke the kiss.
"I will. I promise," Ezra whispered. He gently kissed Sabine on the forehead and headed out to the Starbird to get a speeder. After loading up a bag of rations, Ezra started up the speeder and sped away, heading to the coordinates Kanan had given him.