Summary: The Rebellion makes an alliance with the Golden Empire. Ezra befriends Nightlight and meets a certain general. Someone that makes his heart beat faster than a pump.
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This idea has been in my head for a while, and it had driven me NUTS! DX
This is my first time writing from the Golden Age. Aaand, Kozmotis's armor is my own personal design. Oh boy… good luck to me DX
DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN NEITHER RISE OF THE GUARDIANS NOR STAR WARS REBELS. But I think I own the ship Blackberry/Blackbridger
Enjoy!
X
The Ghost traveled through the depths of hyperspace. In the cockpit, Captain Hera Syndulla and Commander Ahsoka Tano sat by the pilot and co-pilot seats, awaiting their descend from hyperspace.
They were going on an alliance mission, to ally themselves with another Empire, called the Golden Empire, to battle against the Galactic Empire. They had gotten knowledge about them from a mysterious contact, and after a brief contact with the leader of the Golden Empire, Tsar Lunanoff, they had been granted permission to come and form an alliance.
Ahsoka had never heard of this Golden Empire before. She had her doubts and was wary, but after the discussion between her, Commander Sato and Tsar Lunanoff, she had a feeling this alliance would help them and their lack of soldiers in the Rebellion.
Hera, however, wasn't sure and was still doubting their trust.
"Are you sure this is a good idea, Ahsoka?" The Twi'lek have the other a disapproving look. "We've had many allies, and not all of them were trustworthy,"
"It's worth the risk, Hera," Ahsoka answered with a reassuring smile. "The number of soldiers and pilots that we have are lessening by every mission, and we cannot underestimate the Empire when they strike. We need as much help as we can get,"
"And if they betray us?" Hera's eyes narrowed at the Togruta.
"That is why I trust you, Rex and the rest of your crew to come with me to the alliance," Ahsoka replied. "It will be enough to help escape a betrayal, but it will also not seem obvious that we are wary of them,"
Hera sighed. "I don't know, Ahsoka…"
"Trust me, Hera," Ahsoka set a hand on the Twi'lek's. "I know you do,"
"I DO trust you, Ahsoka," Hera flipped her hand to intertwine them with the Togruta's. "I'm just worried because our new 'ally' will still be a, you know, Empire,"
"Tsar Lunanoff is far from Emperor Palpatine," Ahsoka assured her.
"I sure hope you're right," Hera stood up and turned, her lekku flicking and swaying around behind her. "I'll go check on the others. Comm me when we're out of hyperspace, okay?"
"I will," Ahsoka nodded.
She watched the Twi'lek take her leave then she swiveled the co-pilot's chair to face the window. The vast blue of hyperspace was so bright that it was blinding. She let out a sigh and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath.
'There is always hope.'
X
"Forward! Side!" Kanan Jarrus instructed, lunging forward with his lightsaber blazing.
"Woah!" Ezra Bridger jumped back but managed to deflect the blue blade with his own. "Easy there, Kanan. Are you planning to wound me or something?"
"You need to know how to defend yourself before an attack," Kanan explained as the duo lunged and blocked each other's attacks. "You can't expect Inquisitors and Siths to 'take it easy' when we fight,"
"I know that," Ezra grumbled, turning to avoid getting stabbed.
"Come on, kid!" Captain Rex called out from the side, where he, Sabine Wren And Garazeb Orrelios watched the sparring session. "Do the Shot Sweep!"
"The Shot what now?" Kanan looked clueless as he narrowed his eyes at his now snickering Padawan. "What's he talking about, Ezra?"
"This!" Ezra deactivated his lightsaber and held out the hilt to stun.
"Gah!" Kanan leaped back to avoid the shot. "Ezra— ARGH!"
The Jedi yelped as his legs were swept by the boy's foot, knocking him off balance and down on the ground. He groaned, rubbing his head before glaring up at his Padawan, who was now laughing in amusement.
"Very funny, Ezra," he snarled then he turned to see the clone chuckling beside the boy. "You too, Captain? I should have known,"
"Well," Rex grinned and held out a hand down for the Jedi. "if you were an enemy, we would've won,"
"Barely," Kanan sighed and took the hand to let the clone help him stand. "If I was an enemy, and you guys planned to turn your backs on me, I'd slice both of your heads off,"
"Don't be so bitter, Kanan," Sabine cackled as she and Zeb made their way towards the group. "Ezra DID defeat you,"
"Not in the Jedi way," Kanan shook his head. "The reason for this training is to test his skills on his lightsaber. Not the hilt, but the actual lightsaber,"
"Kanan, you and Rex are a thing," Zeb deadpanned. "That's not the 'Jedi way' either,"
"That's… That's not the point!" Kanan roared out, his face reddening.
"I think it is, kar'taylir darasuum (love)," Rex wrapped an arm around the Jedi, a smirk on his face.
Ezra laughed even more as his Master's eyes glared daggers at the clone. He set his lightsaber hilt on his belt and turned to leave, trying not to tip over from laughing so hard before making his way to the ladder. He gripped it tightly as he tried to control his breathing, but he ended up choking in his own breath.
"Woah, take it easy, Ezra," he shakily looked up to see Hera grinning at him as she went down to pat his back. "What's got you so happy?"
"Oh… pfft, nothing," Ezra coughed to keep himself from laughing. "Just… Kanan being an in-denial guy, that's all,"
"As usual," Hera sighed, rolling her eyes before making her way to the chaos in the middle of the hanger, where Kanan was ready to strangle Rex, who was cackling and backing up to avoid the other's deadly hands. "Come on, you two. Break it up,"
"HE started it, Hera!" Kanan complained.
"Ow, that hurts," Rex feigned an offended expression.
"I don't care who started it," Hera shook her head. "I'm ending it. Look, once we make it to planet Lunaria, we need to stay focused and stay alert. No more of this nonsense,"
"What's the deal with planet Lunaria anyway?" Sabine tilted her head. "I've never heard of that planet before,"
"It's where the Lunanoff Family live," Hera replied.
"The Lunanoff Family?" Ezra stepper forward, laughter diminishing into curiosity. "Who're they?"
"The rulers of the Golden Empire," Rex sighed, smile faltering. "Not sure if they're trustworthy, though,"
"Ahsoka keeps insisting that they are," Kanan crossed his arms. "Commander Sato does too,"
"I get Ahsoka, being a Jedi and all, but how does Commander Sato know?" Zeb questioned, an ear flickering in slight irritation.
"No idea," Hera shrugged. "but I trust them enough to go through with this,"
"I don't," Sabine huffed, a hand on her hips. "but I guess we don't have a choice, huh?"
"No, we don't," Kanan let out a sigh. "We just have to stay vigilant. Don't let your guards down. And, Ezra," He turned to the boy sternly. "mental shields up. Watch your back at all times. Got it?"
"Got it," Ezra nodded in approval.
["10 minutes until we exit hyperspace."] Ahsoka spoke through the comm.
"That's our cue," Hera sighed and turned to head back. "Kanan, Rex, with me. The rest of you, to your rooms. We have to be prepared for anything. Get the weapons you need, but not too much. We don't want to seem futile, understood?"
"Yes, Hera," The group gave a nod before following the command, with Rex and Kanan following the Twi'lek to the cockpit while the other three specters walked off to their rooms.
X
"We must be presentable for our future allies," Tsar Lunanoff spoke as he and his family stood in front of their palace, waiting for the arrivals. "but we must also remain cautious. Nightlight," He turned to the young boy with glowing white hair and ice blue eyes. "keep your dagger at all times, but do not attack. Protect Lunar until General Pitchiner and the guards arrive, do you understand?"
Nightlight nodded in understanding, patting the dagger in his belt. He then gave a smile then he looked up with wonder and amazement. He pointed up and blinked.
"You see them?" Tsarina Lunanoff watched him nod in reply before looking up herself with a gasp. "They're here, dear! They're here!"
Tsar glanced up and smiled. He took a step forward and watched an arriving ship descend in front of their home. Once it was on the ground, he started to move towards it as the ramp slowly opened.
An orange Togruta came out, white and black striped lekku waving by the sides of her shoulders. Behind her, a green Twi'lek appeared, leading a small crew behind her with her long lekku swinging from side to side as she looked around the place.
"Circaa ohk cla rha toe sei anasan… (This place is too bright for my liking…)" she spoke in a language that neither of them understood.
The Togruta turned to give the Twi'lek a glare before telling her off in the same language. "Korjin tilor Libil, Hera.(They speak Basic, Hera.)"
"Do ktan. (I know.)" The Twi'lek sighed.
Tsar didn't have to know the language to know how wary the Twi'lek was, which was understandable. He cleared his throat to call their attention, and they all turned to him. The Togruta smiled.
"Tsar Lunanoff, an honor to meet you," she spoke, stepping forward to bow. "I am Ahsoka Tano, one of the commanders of the Rebellion,"
"The honor is ours, Commander Ahsoka Tano," Tsar returned the bow then he turned to his family behind him. "This is my wife, Tsarina Lunanoff. This our son, Tsar Lunar Lunanoff, and his protector, Nightlight,"
"Honor to meet you all then," Ahsoka motioned to the group behind her. "This is the Ghost Crew, one of the best fighters we have in the Rebellion,"
"Greetings, your highnesses," The Twi'lek reluctantly bowed. "I am Captain Hera Syndulla," She then turned to introduce the others behind her, motioning to them one by one. "This my crew. This is Kanan Jarrus, Captain Rex, Sabine Wren, Garazeb Orrelios, and our youngest, Ezra Bridger,"
"WUP WUP?!" A rusty orange droid came rolling towards them, beeping angrily and waving it's metal arms around. "WUP WUP-WUP WUP!"
"Oh, and this is Chopper, our droid," Hera finished.
"A pleasure to meet you all," Tsarina offered them a smile. "Come, we can discuss everything inside,"
"Of course," Ahsoka nodded and followed as the Lunanoff Family turned to enter the palace.
Nightlight was the only one to stay behind, his eyes at the boy with the crew as he passed by. He looked older than he was but only by a few years, with identical blue hair and eyes, but his eyes were a darker shade of blue, and his hair was as blue as the midnight sky. Curiosity fell upon the stellar boy as he turned to walk behind the youngest rebel.
Why was a child as young as him in a Rebellion full of grownups and warriors?
X
Ezra winced as he felt eyes on him while he walked. He gave a mere glance to the side to find the light blue-haired boy, Nightlight, as he remembered, eyeing him closely. He gave another shudder before picking up the pace, grabbing Kanan's arm. The Jedi turned to him, confused.
"Ezra? What's wrong?"
"Uh… 'he' is looking at me," Ezra spoke in a whisper, subtly pointing over to the boy behind him. "I don't know why, but he's been staring at me for most of the walk,"
"Maybe he's just curious about you," Kanan replied, his voice just as quiet. "Or maybe suspicious? Either way, it's a natural behavior. They've never seen someone like us before, like we've never seen creatures like them before. They're not… human. At least, not normal humans like Sabine may be,"
"How can you tell?" Ezra's eyebrows furrowed.
"The Force," Kanan hissed. "There's… There's something about them that makes them different from any other person. I don't know how, and I don't know why, but there signatures in the Force… it's not strong, so they aren't Force-Sensitive, but it's not faded either… I don't know,"
"Well, I'm not going to be clueless and wait for that boy to strike," Ezra huffed before snickering. "Since we're already here to make allies, I might as well make some friends too,"
He began to walk backwards and finally fell in step with the other boy. Nightlight only watched as he did, not a single reaction even as they walked beside each other.
"Hi there," Ezra waved with a grin. "It's Nightlight, right?"
The stellar boy did react to that, eyes widening slightly in surprise. He then smiled and nodded in response.
"Cool, my name's Ezra," The Padawan held his hand out to shake, which the other boy took with a lit up smile. "Not much of a talker, are you?"
Nightlight shrugged and let out a silent giggle. He cleared his throat a bit before giving a small grin.
"I speak," he said in a small voice. "but rarely,"
"Woah," Ezra wasn't expecting the stellar child to actually speak. "I… I see. Well, good to know. Anyway, while the adults do their work, how about a little game of tag? Do you play tag?"
"Yes," Nightlight beamed and nodded.
"Great!" Ezra's smile reached his eyes as he patted the other's shoulder before dashing off. "You're It then!"
Nightlight laughed silently before running after the Padawan.
Ezra forgot all about his suspicions and eerie thoughts and kept laughing as he ran through the halls to get away away from the stellar boy. It had been years since he had a chance to play with those of his age or even a few years younger than him. In his planet, or any other planet in his galaxy, most teens were already preparing to serve and fight for the Galactic Empire. Others worked for the survival of their family.
No fun and games. Even in the Ghost, they focused on training, sparring, missions and supply runs. Most of the population of the Rebellion were adults, after all. No one young enough, or brought up young, for him to play games with. Not even Sabine.
He snapped out of his thoughts and gasped when he felt Nightlight closing in on him. He grinned and tapped on the Force to enhance his speed. His legs were soon running faster than ever, the hallways becoming a blur as he ran.
He had never felt so alive.
X
Nightlight was amazed when the other boy seemed to speed up. He had never met someone who could do that before.
'Not normal.' He thought, but it wasn't a bad thing. He himself was a star, after all.
He sped up with his light, his surroundings blurring as much as they dashed through the halls. They both twisted and turned, trying to avoid bumping into servants and guards as he gave chase.
Ezra's laughter echoed through the palace, cheering as he ran straight into dead ends before turning to a different hallway. Nightlight scowled but accepted the challenge on running to follow the other boy through the next hall.
The duo were all around the castle by then, not paying attention to their surroundings. Only bright light from the stellar boy and giggles from the Padawan were seen and heard as they ran around and played.
Nightlight payed attention to the people they were avoiding to hit, but he disregarded the confused and annoyed expressions on their faces. He only gave them a small grin before dashing after the other with more speed.
"Come on, Nightlight!" Ezra playfully taunted, turning to him with a mocking smirk. "You can do better than that, can't you?"
Nightlight chuckled, but before he could reply, his attention was swayed to someone walking. He moved his head a bit to see who it was. His eyes widened, recognizing the person and halted to a stop.
"Ezra!" He called to the other to catch his attention. He had never shouted loudly before, but it was worth the alarm.
"Huh?" Ezra turned his head towards the spectral boy. "What's the ma— OOF!"
He yelped as he suddenly smacked into heavy armor. He let out a gasp, falling back onto the ground with a hiss as he grasped his forehead.
"Hmm… I've never seen you before,"
"Argh, of course you haven't, you—" Ezra looked up to glare, but the sight in front of him took his breath away.
A man stood before him, with slick black hair and bright golden eyes. He wore some kind of black and silver armor, with golden shoulder bits and a glowing blue moonstone on the chest. He had a long neck and an interesting nose shape as he stared down at the Padawan with curiosity and slight concern.
"You're not from here, are you?" He asked, his voice smooth and laced with new interest.
"I… Uh…" Ezra couldn't help but stare, not bothering to respond to the question. "…"
Nightlight swallowed for a moment before rushing to them. He helped the other boy back on his feet, his head bowing in regards to the man.
"General Pitchiner,"
"Nightlight," The man nodded at the acknowledgment. "I see that you know of this boy, but I do not think he is from here,"
Nightlight made sure Ezra was firmly standing before turning back to the General with a nod. "A guest, General. From the Rebellion,"
"Ah, is he now?" The man's eyebrows raised in light surprise. "Is the alliance today?"
Nightlight nodded again in reply then he turned to Ezra. The Rebel boy was too stunned to react or even notice the stellar boy looking over at him. Cheeks red up to his ears, eyes wider than the sky itself, but the Padawan was too frozen up to be self-conscious.
"Oh, where are my manners?" The man gave a bow. "I am General Kozmotis Pitchiner, High General of the Golden Empire,"
At last, Ezra was snapped out of his trance. His body began to quiver before clearing his throat and attempting to return the bow.
"G-Greetings," he stuttered. "I… I'm Ezra, Ezra Bridger. N-Nice to meet you, General P-Pitchiner, sir,"
Kozmotis Pitchiner blinked at the boy for a moment before chuckling. "I assure you, young Ezra, I will not cause any harm, especially if you and your Rebel friends are here to form an alliance with the Golden Empire. Speaking of alliance," He turned to walk past the teens. "I must join my King and your Rebel leader to discuss the arrangements. Farewell to both of you,"
Neither boys spoke as they watched him take his leave. Nightlight waited until the General was out of the halls before turning to the Rebel.
"Are you alright?" He quietly asked, patting a hand on the other's shoulder to call his attention.
"Who… He… I…" Ezra was toppling over, causing the spectral boy to wrap an arms around him to help him stay up.
"Ezra?" Nightlight glanced at him with concern.
"I…" Ezra groaned, dropping his head down for his bangs to cover his eyes and the deeper red tint in his cheeks. "Force, he's hot…"
'WHAT.' Nightlight didn't know how to react to that statement. All he could do was stare at the Rebel for a moment before shaking his head, dragging the other off. 'I think we had enough of playtime…'
X
Help me, I love this TT Too cute