It's been two weeks since Jarik, Ahsoka and Mara returned to Ahch-To after escaping Oryx and the Dreadnaught, as well as Thrawn's own escape right under their noses. A day after returning to the Temple, Mara had requested to spend some time on Berk with Hiccup, Zenna and the gang, and maybe even help them out in regards to Calder, the Force-sensitive Outcast.

Her parents agreed, and brought her there, although let her and the Vikings know that they could not stay on Berk, having business matters they needed to attend to back at the Jedi Temple. Knowing that some of it involved their encounter with the Taken King, Mara had understood and watched as they left Berk, leaving her on Berk with the rest of the gang.

Since then, the two Force-wielders spent time doing more work for the Fulcrum Agency, pondered over Elita-One, and also mulled over matters regarding the Force, specifically Oryx and his massive fleet. And also Jarik's irritation and guilt.


Jedi Temple; Ahch-To

Jarik POV…

I gasped, recognizing with terror the face of the monster in my visions.

Oryx, the Taken King.

"JEDI! REVAN'S BLOOD!" his horrible, growling voice booms loudly, stunning me to the core.

He knew I was a descendant of Revan!? The one he fought thousands of years ago?!

"THE LIGHT OF YOUR SOULS, WILL BE MINE!" he roars.

Behind him, the Dreadnaught has now stopped turning, allowing the super-weapon to fully face the Knight Hawk...

*:*:*

The planet was in chaos, the invaders attacking and killing everyone, the roar of the whales terrifying to her ears. She fought against her captor desperately, when she was suddenly released, turning to someone else.

She looked up... and saw him, frowning down at her.

"What's wrong little one?" his deep voice questions.

"My mother... where is my mother!?" she pleads helplessly, tears welling in her eyes.

He only kneels down, offering her a reassuring smile, as if nothing was wrong.

It was cold.

I blinked, brushing aside the brief flashes of memory. The whole escape had shaken me up quite a bit, knowing what we were up against, but i've managed to keep it on the down-low. Although that other memory was unfamiliar... perhaps a family during the Clone Wars? Ah well, no use trying to think about it when it's confusing.

Focusing back on my work, I skimmed through the words of the blue holographic screen, determining what information to pass onto Ahsoka, who would give it to some rebel cell, or what to dismiss as false, or unimportant. Since the encounter with Oryx, I'd come to realize that without a unified galaxy, no one would survive his invasion. Only problem is, the Empire rules the galaxy with an iron fist under Palpatine. It'd be reasonable to suggest that the Empire should stay in place to resist the Hive, being the most dominant force to exist in the galaxy for a long time.

However I know that won't be the case. Thrawn may believe that the Empire stands the best chance but, with every day that passes, more unrest and rebelling against Palpatine's rule happens, in opposition to them. It's far enough along that people will only grow to dislike the Empire more, instead of the other way around. Therefore, the only way to truly unify the galaxy against the threat is to defeat the Empire before they arrive.

Telling the galactic population about the Hive will only cause mass panic and chaos, and then it would be that much easier for Oryx to win. Luckily, Palpatine knows this, as does Thrawn, which is why they haven't revealed it yet.

The door to the hut opens, and Ahsoka walks in. I give her a sparing glance before returning to the screen, decrypting an Imperial file that I'd be sending to Bail.

"What's new today?" she asks.

"Well, I'm just finishing up with this file, which I'll be sending to Bail soon," I told her casually. "Phoenix Squadron managed to refuel their fleet, and some time last week they managed to secure a hyperspace route through Concord Dawn."

She frowns. "Isn't Concord Dawn under control of a group of Mandalorians?"

"Yep. Apparently they got their leader, Fenn Rau in custody, forcing an alliance of necessity. They don't want to fight the rebels for fear of drawing the Empire to their stomping grounds," I explained.

"I'm sure Sabine had fun with that," she scoffs in amusement. "I'd advise them not to mention you around that group, otherwise that alliance is gone in a second."

I rolled my eyes. "Trust me, I sent them a dozen messages already that clearly described that. Me and Sabine are actually in complete, honest agreement for once."

"I thought you already talked about it to her?"

"Yeah, I did, but it's still just a professional standpoint."

"Good point," she agrees.

"Hmm hmm," I reply in agreement. "So, how's Mara been doing over there on Berk?"

"She's doing pretty well actually, all things considered," she says.

I look back at her warily, hands leaving the keyboard of my computer. "All things considered?"

"Life's been a little hectic from what Mara's told me. Mildew tried another anti-dragon revolt-" she explains.

"Typical," I mutter sarcastically.

"-Toothless had to settle a grudge with a Whispering Death dragon, nasty things; and a chief from another tribe visited to renew their annual peace contract," she finishes.

"What tribe?" I ask curiously.

"I think it was the Berserkers," she replies.

"That's nice then. From what Stoick's said once, their chief, Os.. wald, I think? He should be a nice guy," I remark.

She smiles sheepishly. "Actually their chief was a kid named, 'Dagur the Deranged,'" she says, adding a mock dramatic flare with her hand, shifting her position.

I raise an eyebrow at her. "Mara?"

"Mara," she agrees. "Anyways, he's... a bit of a lunatic, but he hates dragons. Luckily, they managed to keep the peace by staging a fake dragon attack, forcing him to leave the island for his own safety."

I shake my head in amusement. "Every time I see the Vikings do something crazy, I always think they couldn't get any crazier."

"Well, at least their lives aren't boring," she points out.

"True. Although ours aren't either," I reply.

"Except for right now," she says with a frown, and I look at her in confusion.

"What do you mean?"

"You've been doing nothing but work yourself to death for several days now. Relax, take a break," she replies.

"I thought that's what we came here for... to work on the problems we have?" I retort.

"Not like the way you're doing," she says in disapproval, before sighing. "Do you still feel guilt about Thrawn escaping like that?"

I narrow my eyes and turn back to the computer screen. "Yes, and I'm trying to make up for being a moron."

"You weren't being a moron Jarik," she argues. "Thrawn is smart, one of the smartest people in the galaxy! You can't blame yourself if he outsmarts you as well."

"Unlike most of his opponents, I should know how he works! And I lowered my guard, let him bait me to approach him, and then he nabs my comlink! It was the oldest, most well-known trick in the book," I insist angrily. "I should've seen him coming up with a plan!"

"Which is how he got you in the first place," she agrees, taking a few steps closer. "He knew you were wary of him, expecting him to be capable of anything! So he does what none of us would expect; use a cheap, simple plan."

I let out an irritated scoff. "Way to make me feel better."

"No, I'm saying this so that you understand it wasn't your fault!" she exclaims. "Can you please just look at me?!"

"Fine, happy now?!" I reply, swiveling around to face her.

"Now until you stop blaming yourself," she insists.

"Yeah, well it was my fault. He took advantage of me, and now he's back with the Empire, now likely thinking of ways to take down the Rebellion," I retort.

"Jarik," she says firmly, leveling me with a look. "I'll say it again: Thrawn is good... probably their best there is. You can't be so hard on yourself if he outsmarts you like that. You're only hurting yourself by doing that."

I stay silent for a few moments, letting out a quiet sigh and shift in my chair slightly, looking at the stone wall. After a brief silence, I answer her. "Fine. We can do something later tonight, I suppose."

I hear a few footsteps behind me, and then she drapes her arms around my shoulders, leaning down.

"Thank you," she says softly, giving me a peck on the cheek.

I glance at her with a brief smile in return, before she stands back up and leaves the room. Looking over at the computer, I reach a hand out and shut the hologram off, ridding the hut of its blue glow.


Later in the evening, we were both seated at a stone table near the edge of the village that was overlooking the ocean. The twin suns were low in the sky, bathing it once again in a brilliant orange, pink, and purple. The windy breeze blew past us, the smell of ocean salt and rain evident.

"The caretakers set this up?" I asked Ahsoka, gesturing to the meal of spetan channelfish.

"Yeah, I asked for an offer, and they happily obliged," she replies, taking a bite out of it.

"Talk about diligent workers," I remark, taking my own bite out of the fish. It was pretty good.

"Yeah well, you know how much they respect Jedi," she shrugs. "I don't think we appreciate Ahch-To's food enough."

"I guess not, considering we just bring things from other markets here to eat," I comment in agreement, frowning. "We should stop sometime."

"Yes we should," she replies. "It's about time we actually let ourselves eat real food instead of the fake packaged crap."

"Oh I'm sure you'd like that," I say with a small smile, taking a sip of green milk.

"Of course I would! I'm a carnivore!" she exclaims, making a face at me.

"Hmm hmm," I say casually, a small smirk on my face.

She huffs, crossing her arms. "You know how much I need proper meat. The Clone Wars gave us enough synthetic food to last a lifetime."

I nod my head in agreement, sharing the sentiment that Clone Wars food was absolutely horrible. "When the clones are eating giant salty desert worms as a substitute, you know it's bad."

"Sure is," she agrees. "Speaking of which, did you know that Katooni helped out the Spectres the other day?"

"Really?" I ask her in surprise. "Since when?"

"She and Leia traveled to Lothal with three cruisers, which were, 'stolen' from them," she explains.

"Wow, didn't think I'd here about her being in the action," I admitted in surprise.

"She definitely took her lessons of confidence to heart." Ahsoka remarks.

"Definitely," I reply. "I wonder how she's been doing as one of Leia's handmaidens? It's hard to think of her as something other than the youngling we know."

"She still is compared to us," she says. "Does she know about Leia?"

I falter slightly, knowing what she meant. "No, she doesn't. Just that she's adopted."

Ahsoka frowns and sighs. "Probably for the best though. It's good to know that she's watching out for Anakin and Padmé's daughter."

"They are good friends from what I've heard," I reply in agreement, taking another sip of the green milk, before eyeing it curiously. "Anyways, where'd this green milk come from? I've never seen it before."

Ahsoka levels me with a serious look, and answers dryly. "It came from the Thala-siren's."

I take a moment to register what she says, before widening my eyes in horror and absolute disbelief.

"WHAT?!" I yell out.

A grin breaks out onto Ahsoka's face and she starts laughing as I look at the cup of green milk in absolutely disgusted horror. She could barely keep herself together, much to my irritation.

"Ahsoka! Why would you do that?!" I demand, pushing the cup away as far as possible. "Those things are revolting!"

"It's... just a- a practical joke!" she laughs, clutching her abdomen.

"I just drank one of those karking, fat seals milk, and you're laughing a me?" I exclaim in disbelief.

She keeps laughing, managing to pull herself together a little bit. "Don't blame me for this it was Alcida-Auka's idea!"

"Oh, that little rascal," I growled, crossing my arms furiously. "So much for being a 'caretaker.'"

She keeps giggling, making me droop even lower in my chair as I continued to sulk. "You're so adorable when you sulk like that."

"I hate you," I muttered.


The Ghost; Phoenix Squadron

Boil POV...

Rex was off on another assignment for Phoenix Squadron, using our knowledge of the Outer Rim to help us find a suitable base. In the meantime, I decided to join up with the Spectres on their next assignment, one that I could be a great help to. Walking through the hallways as our guests docked with the ship, I caught the group as they were going to meet them.

"Mind if I join in?" I ask them.

"Sure Boil," Hera says, and I step in line with the group, headed for the door, although she offers me an inquisitive look. "I have to ask, what's got you so interested in this mission?"

"Well as a matter of fact, I could be of some help with this. I was a part of the mission with General Kenobi to help liberate Ryloth," I explain.

"Wait, really?" she and Kanan both ask in surprise.

"That's pretty cool! Was Jarik a part of that mission too?" Ezra asks me with interest.

"No, Commander Shan wasn't apart of Ryloth's liberation. He wasn't a padawan until months later," I tell them.

Kanan frowns. "Well, unless I'm wrong, I'm pretty sure Master Skywalker was a part of that battle, so wasn't Ahsoka as well?"

"She was," I confirm.

"Master Windu took part in freeing the capital city of Lessu, so he's remembered the most," Hera adds.

We continue on towards the docking port, and I take notice of how Kanan seemed to look nervous, fiddling with his collar. I raised an eyebrow at him, but he doesn't seem to notice, and glanced at Ezra.

"How do I look?" he asks quietly.

"Hmm, same as always... why?" he replies in confusion.

"No reason," Kanan says stiffly.

A grin starts to form on my face as I realize something. Hera Syndulla... Syndulla, as in Cham Syndulla? Oh boy, we got a lover in here!

We stop at the door, and Kanan nudges Ezra stiffly. "Straighten up a little bit, you're making me look bad!"

"What's the matter with you?" Ezra questions in bewilderment, still not getting it.

"Oh, I see," I say slowly, a smirk on my face. "Kanan here, is looking to impress someone!"

They all glance at me, and Hera sighs in exasperation, while Sabine starts to laugh a little bit. I sling an arm around Kanan's shoulders, and he glares angrily at me as I start talking.

"Word of advice, if you're trying to impress the father of your lady-friend, you're doing a horrible job at it," I mutter quietly to him.

"What?!" he hisses at me, shoving me away. I just chuckle in amusement at him, the grin still on my face. "Nothing is happening, so just- calm down!"

"You calm down!" Ezra retorts.

Before Kanan could say anything else, the door opens up to reveal three twi'lek's, the man leading them being Cham Syndulla. I never met him in person during our strike, so I can't say much, but he is supposedly very passionate about Ryloth. The blue twi'lek woman beside him though seems familiar... though I can't place it. Then she glances at me, and I get the feeling that she shares the same sentiment. We continue to analyze each other, trying to figure out the resemblance when Hera speaks.

"Its been a long time father," she says calmly.

He doesn't respond, glancing around before laying eyes on Kanan. "Ahh... you must be the Jedi I heard about?"

Kanan steps forwards, and I roll my eyes, getting Ezra's attention, sending him a knowing grin. He snickers quietly.

"Jarrus. Kanan Jarrus, I've-" he says, clearing his throat while Hera rolls her eyes. "-heard a lot about you too sir," he finishes, bowing his head.

Cham regards him with a small smirk, and he gestures towards the rest of us. "This is the rest of our crew, Sabine, Ezra, and Zeb," he says... completely backwards. Chopper beeps at him irritably for being left out.

Fortunately that seems to be enough for Cham. "A fine group of fighters," he says with a smile. "Cham Syndulla, at your service my friends," he says, bowing his head with a smile.

"The Liberator of Ryloth?" Sabine realizes, a smile coming to her face. "I studied your Clone War tactics at the academy."

"Yes, the Empire is still trying to figure out how to beat me," he says proudly, before noticing me, and his eyes narrowed dangerously. "A clone?"

Uh oh. Forgot about the whole... Republic, turning to the Empire... thing. Apparently the rest of the group seemed to realize that too, judging by their alarmed looks. Thankfully, Hera quickly placates him.

"Father, you can trust him. He's a trustworthy, and he was once a part of the mission to liberate Ryloth from the Separatists," she reasons.

This clearly catches him off guard, and he regards me with a new sense of respect, although there is plenty of suspicion. To my surprise, the woman beside him whips her head to look at me in new interest, a hopeful look on her face.

"Well, in that case you've earned my respect trooper," he says. "However I also remember the Republic turning into the Empire," he adds suspiciously.

I rub my head. "Unfortunately, us clones didn't have a choice. We had chips implanted into our heads before we were even born, to force us to do what the Chancellor wanted."

He narrows his eyes, analyzing me for any deception. "Humph. If so, that is unfortunate," he remarks, giving me another look. "I must ask you though trooper, what group were you apart of?"

"Father, we don't have time for this," Hera sighs in frustration.

"It's alright Hera," I reassure her. "I never met you during the battle sir, I was with General Kenobi's strike force. My name is Boil."

They suddenly widened their eyes at me in surprise, and the woman gasped, bringing a hand to her mouth, much to my confusion.

"Boil, of the 212th Legion? The one that helped retake the city of Nabat?" Cham questions.

"Uhh, yes?" I ask, slightly confused.

"Wait, do you guys know each other?" Ezra asks me.

"I don't know..." I trail off warily.

"Boil? Sei nerra?" the woman suddenly says softly.

I widened my eyes upon hearing her voice, and the words said, looking at her. She slowly approaches, staring at me with wonder and happiness, and I slowly realize who this was, causing me to widen my eyes in disbelief as well.

She's... so much older!

"Numa?" I whispered quietly, stunned.

"Nerra! Do garei tarhan Do fic dey dan rao!" she exclaims happily, throwing her arms around me in a tight hug. I quickly return it, stunned and in a state of disbelief, but happy to see her.

"Ok, does everyone seem to know each other except us?" Ezra mutters.

"Small galaxy," Zeb grunts sarcastically.

"Quiet you two," Kanan scolds them.

I pay their conversation no mind, and the two of us eventually pull away, smiling at each other. "I... I can't believe it," I say quietly.

"I thought you might've been dead," she says softly.

I scoff lightly. "And look how old it made you," I remark.

"Like you're one to talk," she replies fondly.


Oh wow, a Boil and Numa reunion! This is wonderful to write!

...and sad. Poor Waxer...

Translation:

Nerra! Do garei tarhan Do fic dey dan rao! - Brother! I never thought I'd see you again!

Boil? Sei nerra? - Boil? My brother?