A/N: Pre-Star Wars: Rebels


22 Pickup

"Twenty-two pickup? What does that mean?" Sabine clutched her injured arm, blaster fire flew around them.

Kanan took two cylinders from his belt and locked them into one piece. "It means staying under cover while I provide a little distraction until Hera gets here."

"Kanan, you'll get killed if you go out there!" Sabine couldn't see how he would survive.

"Just stay where you are," Kanan ordered. Turning to face the stormtroopers he raised the cylinder. A blue blade appeared and Sabine understood.

Blaster bolts pelted toward Kanan, Sabine was sure he was going to die.

Kanan raised his lightsaber.

...

An Enemy

Sabine and Kanan sat at the table on Ghost. The air was tense.

"A Jedi?" Sabine's eyes widened in horror.

"Yeah," said Kanan. He watched her reaction closely.

The Jedi were the enemies of Mandalore. She'd heard that all her life. "You lied to me."

"I know." Kanan didn't pretend he didn't. "I wanted to protect myself and everyone else."

"I never would have joined you if I'd known you were a Jedi." She reeled from the thought that she'd betrayed Mandalore again.

"Sabine, just listen," Kanan started.

"No." Sabine rose and left the table. "I won't do this again."

...

Talk It Out

"Can we talk?" Kanan leaned in the doorway to Sabine's room.

"About what?" Sabine was frosty.

"About how you feel about me being a Jedi."

"I don't feel anything." A lie.

Kanan was earnest. "Sabine, I know it's not easy for you to accept."

"No, it's not." Sabine turned to him finally. "I'm Mandalorian, do you know what that means?"

"Yeah." Kanan sighed. "But you're also more than that, just as I'm more than my past."

Sabine didn't know what to think.

"Do you trust me?" Kanan asked.

She didn't want to trust a Jedi, but Kanan? "Yes," she said.

...

A Friend

The next time the lightsaber appeared, Sabine was ready. Kanan deflected the bolts and gave Sabine the cover she needed to aim her shots with precision.

Sabine gunned down a trooper who was trying to get an angle on Kanan, the trooper's finger squeezed the trigger one last time. The bolt came faster than she could react, but Kanan was there. His sword blocking the bolt.

"We make a good team, kid," Kanan called over the battle. He wielded the blade with amazing speed and accuaracy.

"Sure do!"

And they really did. A Jedi and a Mandalorian, who'd have thought.