Jarik POV...

I frowned, pulling my attention from Satele's book and holding a hand to my head. I could sense something wrong with Mara, which terrified me. It didn't seem life-threatening... but she was in pain. The door to the hut opened and Ahsoka walked through, a grim expression on her face.

"You can feel it to?" I asked quietly.

She nodded her head. "Mara is in emotional pain right now," she answered.

I sighed helplessly. "We should've gone with her, at least on the ship."

"We could've, but it wouldn't change the fact that she has to start learning the reality of the universe. The viking's misguided views on dragons isn't enough," she replied. "When she gets back, and of that I have no doubt, we can help her."

I looked back at her, a little doubtful but nodded my head in resignation. It wasn't like we could do anything anyways, we had no ship. Now that I think of it, maybe we should get another for emergencies...


Mara POV...

I stared wide eyed at the group, bewildered by how Kanan could have possibly known of my Dad rescuing me, and Sabine's extreme reaction. She was practically shaking with anger, and then I remembered Mom and Dad's warning about Mandalorians. For whatever reason, any Mandalorian from a warrior background despised him and his entire family line, basically anyone with the last name of 'Shan.' Why exactly, they haven't told me yet, but I was determined to learn why eventually.

Speaking of which...

"You're telling me that you were raised by Jarik Shan?!" Sabine exclaimed, glaring at me.

"What- Sabine! What is the issue?!" Kanan demanded incredulously.

"The issue, is that the Shan's are a bunch of dinii's! Demagolka's against Mandalore!" she seethed. I flinched, before glaring back just as hard. I don't know what those words mean, but I doubt it was even close to a compliment.

"Wait wait wait, what's going on here?" Ezra asked in confusion and bewilderment. Zeb shrugged. "Beats me."

"Whatever you have against Jarik Shan, who by the way was a war hero in the Clone Wars isn't relevant right now Sabine." Hera retorted sternly. "Besides, we don't even know if she was trained by him."

She and Kanan then turned to me with a raised eyebrow, the latter with a slightly hopeful expression. "Were you, trained by him?" he asks hopefully.

I tore my furious staring contest away from Sabine to look at him, eyeing him warily as I considered. Eventually I gave in, sighing lightly. I guess telling them about my Dad would be fine, but according to him Ahsoka is considered dead, so I shouldn't say anything about her yet under any circumstance.

"I was saved by him when I was an infant," I admitted quietly.

Sabine growled dangerously, reaching for her pistol, but a warning look from Hera stopped her. Zeb stood beside the enraged Mandalorian, ready to stop her if things got rough.

Kanan smiled widely. "I can't believe it... he survived!" he said happily. Sabine scoffed, glaring down at the ground.

"Wait wait, hold up," Ezra pleaded. "Can someone tell me who exactly Jarik Shan is?"

"One of the greatest Jedi to ever fight in the Clone Wars. He was the Padawan of Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, and a dueling prodigy even as a youngling." Kanan explained. "If he's still alive, then he could help bring some serious fight against the Empire."

Ezra widened his eyes in awe, looking back at me after I confirmed Kanan's words with a small nod. "Woah... so where is he now? If he's such a war hero then he's gotta be fighting against the Empire somewhere, right?"

"I, guess you could say that," I answered.

"How did you ever get to be trained by Jarik? Did he send you to help us?" Kanan asked curiously.

"Hold up Kanan, not so many questions at once," Hera reprimanded him, and a sheepish and apologetic look formed on his face. Sabine stayed silent, doing everything she could to look anywhere except me.

"Well... he saved me when an Inquisitor tried to..." I breathed slowly, forcing the memories back. "...tried to abduct me when I was three."

Everyone except Sabine widened their eyes in surprise, a look of sadness coming on their faces. Sabine's expression softened, although just slightly, and Ezra narrowed his eyes.

"The Inquisitor he saved you from... it was that second one right?" he deduces. I nodded my head in response.

"Since then he's kinda of... well he's become my adopted father." I admitted nervously.

"Oh that is it!" Sabine exclaimed. "I can't take this kriffing junk anymore! Shan is basically your father now as well?! I can't believe we've been doing missions for that naast!" she yelled furiously.

"Sabine!" Hera said in disbelief.

I leaped up from my seat, glaring daggers at her. "What's your problem with him?! He is one of the greatest people ever!"

"It's just my problem with him, it's Mandalore's! The Shan's have been a haran against my people forever! They humiliated, scorned, and killed hundreds of us!" she shouted. Everyone's eyes were wide in shock at the confrontation. "And now I'm figuring out that Fulcrum is actually him?! I might as well be even less of a Mandalorian than I was already!"

"Who ever said anything about my Dad being Fulcrum?!" I demanded. His identity as Fulcrum was supposed to be a secret...

She scoffed. "Pretty easy to figure out. You're an agent of Fulcrum. Shan, a Jedi well known for his slicing abilities, is apparently your father! I just put the dots together!"

"Wait, srsly?" Ezra said quietly in surprise. I had to cover this up somehow, since I doubt Mom and Dad want anyone to know the identities of Fulcrum yet.

Hera shook her head. "Sabine, he's-"

"Well you're wrong! None of your messages have ever been of my Dad, you've been speaking with Fulcrum, a different person! Not him!" I shot back. technically, that is true since while Dad uncovers the intel, Mom is the one who reports it and informs different groups of their missions.

Sabine narrowed her eyes dangerously a me. "There's no way I'm trusting you jehaatir. I may not have anything against the Jedi, but as a Mandalorian I would rather fall in battle than to help a Shan!" she spat out.

Everyone widened their eyes. "Sabine!" Hera shouted in shock.

I glared back at her dangerously, getting in her face. "Fine. If you don't like me here then I'll leave! With, the crystal!"

"Don't even-" she started to retort.

I laughed mockingly. "What the kriff are you gonna do with a massive kyber crystal Sabine, sell it? I doubt even Vizago would buy something with such a high target, and there's no way my Dad, Fulcrum, or I am going to let it be taken by the Empire again just because Mandalorian's hate my the Dad for something I know he'd never do!" I exclaimed, daring her to refute my claim.

We stared each other down for a few moments before she growled angrily, shoving past me and leaving for her room, letting out a cry of rage and frustration. Her door slammed, and I collapsed back in my seat, slightly exhausted and feeling vulnerable now that my rage for her had dissipated.

"What... just happened?" Ezra asked, stunned.

"I've never seen her so upset before," Zeb replied, just as shocked.

Hera sighed, looking at Kanan, who had a look of shock and worry on his face. "I... I don't understand, what... what could Jarik have possibly done?" he whispers quietly.

"I'll talk to her later," Hera tells him, looking down at me. "I'm sorry for how she's been acting Mara, I don't know what's gotten into her," she apologized.

I shrugged, leaning against the wall casually in an attempt to hide my emotional state. "My Dad warned me about that..." I admitted, much to their surprise. "Every Mandalorian with a warrior background he's come in contact with absolutely despises him. He has yet to tell me why though..."

"I think 'despise' is quite the understatement," Ezra muttered.

"I'll prepare the Ghost for transporting the crystal," Hera told me, to which I nodded, and she left the room, Zeb following after her. I then noticed something shimmering on one of the shelves in the corner of the room next to Ezra.

"Is that a holocron?" I asked curiously, trying to draw my mind off of Sabine and the Inquisitors.

Kanan looked over in surprise before leveling an irritated look at his apprentice. "Care to explain why you left the holocron just sitting around in the open?" he asked.

"What? It wasn't my fault, we were busy!" Ezra said defensively. "Besides, Mara's a Jedi too!"

"But what if someone else saw it? We'd be exposed," he retorted. Ezra remained quiet, finding no argument against that. Kanan sighed before turning to look at me.

"To answer your question, yes, it is a holocron. Mine, to be precise," he answered.

I nodded my head. "My Dad has several of these. He uses them for teaching lessons often, or for storing messages and information."

"Really? Kanan does the same thing," Ezra said.

"That's what the holocron's are meant for. To help teach us, and speak the truth of what we need to know." Kanan said.

"Truth from a certain point of view," I muttered.

"Huh? What does that mean?" Ezra asked.

I smiled sheepishly. "Something my Dad likes to quote. My M- he says its a saying he picked up from Master Kenobi. I never met him though," I stammered, catching myself before I revealed that I also had a Mom. That would definitely raise some questions, since the Jedi Order never had attachments or relationships. Stupid in my opinion, and I'm glad they agree.

Kanan frowned thoughtfully before shrugging. "I suppose..."

Ezra casually picked up the holocron and fiddled with it absentmindedly, and accidentally caused an image to pop up. It showed a hologram of a teenager, obviously a Jedi from the look of it, and he seemed to be teaching a class or something. For some reason he seemed very familiar...

"Form III, also known as Soresu, or the Way of the Mynock, is one of the seven classic lightsaber forms, and is a development of Form I. It is mostly used for a strong defense in battle, being considered the ultimate expression of our non-aggressive philosophy," he says, and I widen my eyes in wonder, recognizing who he is.

"Wait a minute, that's my Dad!" I say, rushing up to watch the hologram.

"Wait, what?" Ezra asks in confusion.

Kanan nods his head. "You're right, that is Jarik."

"Wait wait, this guy is Jarik Shan?!" Ezra asks in surprise, while I watch the hologram. He looks so much different, but at the same time I can definitely recognize his face. Seeing him with short hair, a braid, as well as Jedi robes looks so strange. Gotta say I prefer his roguish Jedi look with the cloak and long hair much more. I grin lightly at the idea that I now have something to make fun of him. The holocron's he's shown me never had a video file of him as a kid! I wonder why...

"Yup. This was only a few days before the... before the Empire took over," Kanan says sadly, and that drops the mood fairly quick. I glance back at Kanan and Ezra, recognizing the look on the former's face. It's a look that I've seen Mom and Dad share plenty of times during Empire Day, or a mention of what they lost. Jedi Master Plo Koon, the Jedi, Anakin Skywalker...

"I recognize that look," I told Kanan, and he looks over at me. "Dad has the same expression sometimes."

He nods slowly in understanding, and the holocron then switches to the next file; it's someone I've never seen in person, but recognize in an instant.

"This is Master Obi-Wan Kenobi." I've seen the message before on one of Dad's holocrons, but I still rewatch them from time to time, wondering what my life would be like if the Jedi never did fall... Would I have ever met my adoptive parents...? "I regret to report that both our Jedi Order and the Republic, have fallen, with the dark shadow of the Empire rising to take their place. This message is a warning to any surviving-"

Ezra then carefully turns the holocron off, and gives it to Kanan, who pockets it away. Just then, Hera re-enters the main room.

"Crytsal is ready for transport," she tells me.


Temple Island, Ahch-To

Jarik POV..

Me and Ahsoka stood before the steps at the bottom of the island, watching as the Knight Hawk came in for a landing. Attached to the hull was the massive, glowing blue kyber crystal Ahsoka had uncovered in the report. It was almost as big as the one that Obi-Wan, Anakin and I had prevented Grievous from taking during the Clone Wars. So yes, very much dangerous for sure.

The landing gear extended, allowing the ship to land successfully, the crystal still locked onto the hull. The ramp lowered, revealing Mara and R5, the former walking down with a haunted expression, which we immediately took notice of.

"Good job on your first mission Mara," I praised, becoming concerned. "Are you alright? What happened?"

She stopped before us, R5 rolling by and beeping that he had to do something. I nodded to him lightly, and Ahsoka stepped forwards, putting her hands on Mara's shoulders.

"Mara, sweetie, what's wrong?" she asks worriedly.

She looks up at her, and then me. "...I fought that Inquisitor," she answered quietly.

I raised an eyebrow. "Which one?" I asked gently.

"That, Inquisitor. From the..." she trailed off, and I widened my eyes, sharing a look with Ahsoka as we understood who she was talking about. The Second Sister.

"Oh sweetheart, I'm so sorry that happened," Ahsoka says, pulling her into a hug. I join in, wrapping an arm around them both. "If she messes with you again, I'll kick her kriffing (beep) for you, alright?"

Ahsoka glared at me in exasperation for my language. "Jarik!"

Mara giggled however, which me and Ahsoka started to share, glad that she got a good laugh out of that. I was too, even though I said a bad word in front of Mara... it's not as if she didn't know them already. I know Mara's been secretly learning that language from somewhere. The nerve of that girl...


Imperial Palace, Coruscant

Darth Sidious POV...

I sat on my throne, an irritated scowl etched on my face as I considered what I had just learned. The kyber crystal, a massive one almost as large as the one Grievous failed to secure during the Clone Wars, was once again lost me. It would have gone a long way in helping to power the Death Star, the ultimate weapon, yet the Inquisitor's failed to keep it safe, even with Second Sister sent as a reinforcement to security. I would deal with their failure later, but the reason for their failure... was an unexpected surprise.

Mara Jade, the youngling I sent Second Sister to capture, had made an appearance, turning the tides and helping the rebels escape with the crystal in tow. Which meant Jarik Shan was involved with this, just like he was with the last crystal.

I growled lowly. Shan, I would deal with later, and I would not be entrusting an Inquisitor to do so, he's without a doubt grown far to powerful for even the Grand Inquisitor to handle, so Lord Vader would deal with him. Right now, I was focused on Mara, who I had originally planned to have serve as my Hand. Obviously, that possibility is near non existent, seeing as how Shan has taught her in the ways of the Jedi. Absolutely despicable. However, Jade may already be a powerful warrior, but she is still but a child, suffering from the... 'tragic' deaths of her parents.

I will exploit her weaknesses, and get her to serve me as it always should have been. If not, then she will die alongside Shan. And I will not be merciful to them.


Hope I wrote out angry Sabine correctly! Wasn't too sure entirely how she would have acted in a situation like that. I've never been to good at writing protagonists angry at and insulting each other.

Thanks for reading, and glad you guys continue to enjoy this series!