"It's okay, Kanan, I think I can explain things to her."

Kanan looked up to see Ahsoka with a comforting smile. He then glanced back to Athena, only slightly startled by the presence of the togruta now. Better than before, at least. Kanan stood, thanked the Commander, and walked away. Ahsoka did seem to already have some sort of connection to this girl, anyhow.

Ahsoka sat on her knees in front of the hole in the ice shield, starting to drip as it slowly melted. The girl peered with scared, yet curious, eyes at her.

"So...you're Ahsoka? You're a Jedi?"

"Well...I used to be. I don't go by that term anymore," Ahsoka said.

"What am I?" Athena asked. "Kanan said that you guys don't do things like this-" she gestured to the ice around her. "You guys pick stuff up with your minds and are connected to the universe and all that."

"There's more to that, but yes. I've never seen anyone do this," Ahsoka joked as she gestured to the ice. "It's impressive."

Athena chuckled, "Call me Elsa."

"What?"

"Oh...it's a character from a popular movie on Earth. This character Elsa, she can control ice," Athena explained. "I'm sorry...I'm just so used to being on Earth. Everyone always knows what I'm referring to."

"It's alright," Ahsoka assured. "This must be very terrifying for you, being away from everything you've ever known and everyone you ever met." she sniffed the air and coughed a little. She waved her hand in a fan motion. "What is that smell? It smells like something was burning."

"Oh...uh sorry. I was smoking," Athena sheepishly admitted. "I- I know it's a bad habit, but it helps calm my nerves." she chuckled. "I actually had just quit before all this crap. Before I basically ruined my life."

"Why would you say that?"

Athena went solemn, seeming to remember a nasty memory. She leaned her back against the ice and looked down at her feet. "I- I messed up. I…" she remembered that girl in the cafeteria. All the blood. "I was getting my life on track. I- well I've always been a bit of a juvenile delinquent. Stealing. Fighting. Smoking. I wasn't really taught any better. Most kids who've spent as much time in the foster care system as me usually end up dead or homeless by the time they get to adulthood. It was just what I was expected to be…" she paused as she sadly reminisced. "Then I met this family. The Novellas. Though they couldn't legally foster or adopt me because of the size of their house, they took me in like their own...They got me some counseling, got me to quit smoking, got me to go back to school, got me to stop fighting…"

"What happened?" Ahsoka asked. "They sound like very nice people. Why were you in those streets looking for food?"

"I hurt a girl. Bad," Athena admitted. She didn't know why she was telling this strange woman anything, let alone this much. But...she felt something with her. It was stronger than that feeling she had with Kanan and the others on Earth. This was stronger. Warmer. Closer. "She was pulling my hair, calling me names, and spat on me. I got mad. I threw her too hard. She- she started bleeding and wasn't waking up. I panicked and ran. They would have arrested me, thrown me in jail as long as they physically could because they can. No one would bat an eye if they threw me in there forever."

"What about the Novellas? You said they cared for you."

"They did. They did," she sighed. "It's just...I was afraid they'd cut off the deal. See me as too dangerous to be let into their home."

"I thought you said that they couldn't legally adopt you anyhow. So what-"

"I was going to marry the son when I turned sixteen. That way I could legally be emancipated," Athena spat out. "Me and him had been dating for a while, so we decided that would be my best bet. No one was ever going to adopt me, so it was my only chance of getting out of the foster care system."

"How old are you?"

"Thirteen, almost fourteen here soon," Athena sighed. "I know, I'm too young to be committed to marriage, but it was going to be my only way out. I couldn't live like that anymore...bouncing from house to house."

"So...the foster care system- it's where kids who don't have families-"

"Are traded around from foster home to foster home. Family to family, seeing if any one is willing to take them in. I've been in it since I was a baby," Athena sighed. "It's a miracle I'm not dead."

"Well, now you got us," Ahsoka said with a smile. "And, if you'd like, I would love to train you in the way of the Force. I am not a typical Jedi and you obviously don't have typical Jedi abilities."

Athena paused. "If I train with you, what will that mean? What will I be doing?"

"Learning to control powers like this," she gestured to the ice around her. "To find inner peace, to connect with the Force, and to fight the Empire-" she paused. "-and from what I hear, you are already very intimidating in combat. Scarring Kanan? He's twice your size!"

"I've taken down men bigger than him with my bare hands," Athena solemnly said. "I never want to. I never want to fight for no reason."

"If you train with me, you'll be fighting for a cause. Freedom fighters. Liberators. Peacekeepers," Ahsoka said. "And you'll never fight alone. We'll be by your side. We defend each other no matter what."

"You...you guys aren't really thinking about taking me in, are you?" Athena questioned. "I threatened those guys, I swear, I smoke, and I don't listen well to authorities."

"Because you've never had a family like ours before," Ahsoka said. "Now come on, let's get you out of this ice."

"If this was from my powers, and you're supposed to be my mentor, why don't you try and teach me how to make the ice disappear?" Athena suggested.

"Uh…" Ahsoka eyed the half-sphere of ice. "I honestly don't know where to begin. Well...let's figure out how you formed it in the first place."

"I was scared," Athena said. "I wanted to hide and I was scared."

"And now it's starting to melt…"Ahsoka pondered. "Perhaps you formed the ice when your fear became overwhelming, so to melt it, you have to focus on letting go of that fear. Concentrate, close your eyes and imagine your fear melting away."

The girl did as told, shutting her eyes as she now sat with her legs criss-crossed.

"No one is going to hurt you. You can trust us. There is no threat here. You're safe," Ahsoka coached in a calming voice.

Athena had never heard such a calming voice. It was so comforting and assuring, it made her believe in the togruta. Ahsoka was wide eyed to see the ice melting faster and faster until it was barely a thin sheet with holes all around it, having to stand up to avoid getting wet.. Athena opened her eyes and was surprised to see all the water in a circle around her, a shell was left of the ice. Easy enough to break once she stood.

The girl put the black backpack on and turned to the woman with white markings on her face with an unsure smile. She'd have to get used to seeing non-humans all the time now. Ahsoka took her back to the med bay where she got her stitches out, her wounds completely healed. They grabbed a couple of towels and cleaned up the water caused by the melted ice.

As they did that, Ahsoka explained to her in simple terms about the Clone Wars leading to Palpatine's evil rule over the galaxy. She didn't mention Inquisitors or the Sith Lord, however. No need to scare her right off the bat in Jedi training.

Then they went over to the Ghost. Ahsoka forgot how terrifying Zeb would look to Athena. Ezra thought it was pretty hilarious when Ahsoka led Athena into the common room where Zeb and Ezra were playing a quick game of Sabacc. The poor girl looked frozen in fear. Ezra couldn't hold back his laughs.

"Man, Zeb, you're so ugly you're scaring the new girl!" Ezra roared with laughter.

"Shut it!" Zeb snarled at Ezra. He turned to Ahsoka and Athena and gave a friendly smile. "The name is Zeb." He stuck out his hand for a handshake.

The girl was still frozen in fear.

"You've only seen humans in your life, eh?" he chuckled. "I get it, I look a bit different. But, I'm not gonna hurt you."

The girl put out a nervous hand and he shook her hand. Weird. He only had three fingers and a thumb.

Zeb winced once he touched the girl's hand. Crazy cold. It felt like dry ice, the cold was so brutal. He shook his hand in pain.

"Karabast! Is Earth like an icy tundra or somethin'?" he yelped. "You're freezin'!"

"Sorry!" Athena apologized. "I-I don't know why my hands- I just-"

"It may be from fear," Ahsoka said. "You created that shield of ice when you were scared. You might be able to summon cold and ice in the Force whenever you're scared."

"So...she's literally frozen with fear?" Ezra joked. He received several glares for the pun.

"Why...Why is my body doing this?!" fear filled her eyes again. "This has never happened before! The most supernatural thing that's ever happened to me is having a really dark shadow-" she froze as she gestured to her shadow. No longer was it so dark. No longer did it smile at her.

Ezra was surprised too, "Hey! Your shadow isn't that dark anymore!"

"What about a shadow?" Hera asked as she walked into the room.

"My shadow...why is it like this now?!" Athena was getting colder. Frost was creeping on her hands. "What's happening to me?"

"Maybe because you're off Earth..?"Ezra suggested. "Maybe the light from your sun was different or something."

"No, she had a dark shadow when she was on the ship," Hera shook her head. She shrugged. "I wouldn't worry about it. It's just a shadow."

"This- this is crazy…" Athena shook her head. "I-I've never…"

"Maybe because you were opened up to the Force," Ahsoka suggested. "That shadow might have been something to do with your blockage to the Force." Ahsoka had no idea what the real reason was, she was just trying to calm the girl down. Frost was now creeping up her arms.

"Yeah...yeah...okay...that TOTALLY makes sense…" Athena mumbled.

"How about we eat?" Ezra suggested. "As a group. That way we can all introduce ourselves to her better."

Hera nodded, "Alright, we can do that."

Athena nervously looked to the captain, "So...you're Hera?"

She nodded, "Yeah, I know. My father knew of your planet's gods and named me after one. I imagine the same thing happened for you?"

She shrugged her shoulders, "I never had a dad. Or a mom."

"Don't worry, we're your new family now!" Ezra said with a smile.

She returned it with a small smile and a soft "Thanks."

"We can have a welcome party dinner for her!" Ezra suggested gleefully. "We can have ewok jerky, noodles, waffles-!"

"You guys have noodles and waffles?" Athena was wide eyed in amazement. "You didn't know what a chicken nugget is and you got all that stuff?"

"Yeah! Earth has all that stuff too?" Ezra got more excited.

"I don't know what an ewok is, but yeah!" Athena beamed with joy.

"Hey, you guys did just get all that Earth food, maybe we can eat that too," Zeb suggested. "Kind of a galaxy mixing food party."

"Woohoo!" Ezra cheered.

"Didn't you just eat?"Hera sighed in annoyance.

"Teenage boys," Ahsoka joked. "They'll eat whenever the chance arises."

"My guts kinda got shot out of me, so I'm kinda hungry too," Athena smiled.

Soon, Athena sat in the middle of the orange couch surrounded by the Ghost crew plus Rex and Ahsoka. Kanan sat on one side of her, Ezra on the other. Hera sat next to Kanan and Sabine next to Ezra. Zeb pulled up his wooden stool and Ahsoka and Rex sat on the orange stools near the Dejarik table. Chopper wheeled around and beeped every once and awhile

They put out all the foods they got from Earth: the nuts, the meats, the fruits, the snacks, and the veggies. The crew was able to dig out some of their favorite foods from the cupboards of the command ship. Some waffles and noodles.

"Okay, let's all introduce ourselves properly," Kanan said. He stuck out his hand and shook hands with Athena, her hands now slightly warmer. "I'm Kanan Jarrus, aka Specter one."

Ezra shook hands with her, "I'm the guy you kicked in the nuts, Ezra Bridger, aka Specter six."

Sabine waved from the other side of Ezra, "I'm Sabine Wren, Specter 5."

Rex smiled, "I'm CT-7567, aka Rex."

Ahsoka waved with a smile, "I'm Ahsoka Tano, aka Fulcrum."

Zeb smiled, "I'm Garazeb Orellios, aka Specter four. Just call me Zeb."

Chopper beeped. Ezra translated.

"He said his name's Chopper, Specter three, pain in the butt."

"You understand him?"

"Yeah, it's just droid language," Ezra explained. He gestured to Hera. "Hera, your turn."

"I'm Hera Syndulla, the captain of this ship. Specter two."

"If you're the captain, why are you Specter two and not Specter one?"

Hera shrugged, "Because Kanan wanted to be Specter one."

Athena shrugged, accepting that as a decent answer.

"Why are all of your foods so sugary?" Sabine questioned as she eyes the Twinkie in her hand.

Athena shrugged, "Americans, man. We're here for a good time, not a long time."

"Ha! I love that, that's a good motto!" Rex laughed and reached over to the girl and she returned the high five a little sheepishly.

As the girl looked over to one of the bottled drinks the crew had brought out, she squinted in confusion.

"Is that drink in a different language? I can't read it."

"No, it's in Basic," Kanan assured. He held the bottle between the two and gestured to the words. "It's just in a different writing system than Earth's. That's why we couldn't really get any food without you. We couldn't read your signs."

"Oh…" she said. "Now I feel bad for judging you guys for not knowing what a pear was."

He patted her shoulder, "It's okay, kid. You didn't know people from outer space were real."

"I am still half-convinced I was killed in Family Dollar and this is just my last bit of brain activity working," she said with a shrug.

"Well, you technically were dead for about a minute in the med bay," Ahsoka said.

"I was what?"

"Your heart stopped beating for about a minute," Hera said. "Ahsoka was able to bring you back, though."

Athena sighed, "The fact that that is the least concerning thing that happened today."

"I still can't believe that blaster discharged and shot her," Sabine said. "Are Earth blasters really that sensitive?"

The girl gave an unsure shrug, "Kinda. " she paused. "Wait- what do you mean discharged? I thought that robber shot me on purpose when I took down his partner."

"The first shot was from him," Kanan said. "I knocked him out and he dropped his blaster. It discharged when it hit the ground and hit you in your stomach. I had no idea that your blasters could do that."

"We call them guns," Athena said. "But, yeah. Sometimes that happens."

"Well, we're just happy you're alive," Kanan gave a small smile to the girl.

Athena glanced over to that bottle again. Those markings...they were so familiar. These new symbols were already ingrained in her head. She had seen them before. She scanned her eyes over them again and again, trying to decipher them ever since she could read.

After they cleaned up the big meal, the crew went off to do their own things. Athena kept a piece of paper clutched in her hand as she wandered through the Ghost. She eventually found Kanan in the hall that connected everyone's cabins and cautiously approached.

"Umm...hey, Kanan?"

He turned to the kid, two bullet holes still ripped through her black shirt. She held an old piece of paper sealed in plastic. "Hey, what's up?"

"Can you read this for me?" she handed him the piece of paper "It's the note that was found with me as a baby. I've kept it since I was an infant. I- I recognized one of the letters on that bottle to be the same as what was on this note."

"Oh...uh sure. I can try," Kanan took the laminated piece of paper in his hands carefully. He was wide eyed to see that she was right, this piece of paper was in Aurebesh.

So her parents were from this galaxy.

She rubbed the back of her neck, "I-I laminated it a long time ago so it wouldn't get ruined. It's all that I have from my infancy, that and my bracelet. Maybe- maybe my parents were from this galaxy, I think. I don't know, maybe I made a mistake. It could just be gibberish for all I know."

"No- no, it's in our writing system," Kanan stuttered. He gulped as he looked at the piece of paper. He froze once he read over the couple of lines. One word, one name, stood out to him.

Dume.

"What does it say?" she asked.

"Uh...give me a second. The writing is a little sloppy, it's hard to read," Kanan lied. He was just reading over first. His eyes went wide.

Caleb.

My dear Syla, please don't be saddened by us having to part ways. It hurts me more than anything to see you cry. I have always loved you, just as I have loved your father and your older brother. Though this planet is not the nicest, it is your only chance for escaping the Empire for now. I won't let them take you like they did your uncle. You won't be able to read this until you go back to my home galaxy - by then you should be strong enough to handle the challenges that you will be forced to face. When you return to that galaxy, I have faith in the Force that you will have better luck than me and your father in finding your brother Caleb. Hopefully the Empire will fall before you return there, but I have my doubts. Palpatine is powerful and the Empire is ruthless. But, you my little Syla, you have a gift. It will not always be easy for you, but you are far more powerful and enduring than you know. You are a Dume. Please stay strong and know I love you. May the Force be with you, always.

-your mother, Cyla

Kanan stuttered the words out, one by one. He couldn't just not read it to her. This was the only thing she had left of her parents.

Dume.

Her name was Dume.

Her brother named Caleb.

When he was done reading he looked up from the paper to see Athena standing there. Confused. So many emotions flooded in her at once. Those were the departing words of her mother. So, she did have someone in this universe who loved her. Really loved her. Her mother wasn't just some random pregnant lady who discarded her kid on a doorstep without a second thought. She had history. She had people who loved her. She had a name. A real name.

"My name...is Syla?" Athena blinked. She didn't know why tears were trying to form in her eyes. "Syla Dune?"

"Dume," Kanan said as he gulped.

"Oh...did you know any Dumes?" Athena looked to Kanan. "Maybe you knew my brother or mother."

"It's a big galaxy," Kanan handed the note back and turned away. "Don't worry about it."

He walked into the cockpit, his eyes downcast at the floor as the door shut behind him. Hera turned around from her pilot seat, having just put down her datapad. She gave a questioning look at the seemingly distressed Jedi.

"Luv, what's wrong?"

"It- it's…" Kanan shook his head. He met Hera's eyes and nervously questioned. "Do- do you think she looks like me? Athena?"

"What?" Hera was shocked at such a sudden and random question.

"Just be honest. Does she look like me?"

"Why?" she furrowed her eyebrows. "Do- do you think she's your kid from a fling or something-?"

"No, no it's just that...she's a Dume," he let out a sigh. "It said on the note she had from when she was a baby that her name is Syla Dume. Apparently she has an older brother named Caleb. Caleb Dume."

She raised her eyebrows. He almost never brought up that name. He hadn't told anyone on the crew other than herself about that old name. "She- what was this note-"

"It was the note her mother left with her when she was a baby. It was written in Aurebesh. I was right, her parents were from our galaxy," he said. "I-I just can't believe that…"

"How common is the name Dume?" Hera asked. "Maybe-"

"I never heard of it anywhere else," Kanan solemnly said. "Dune is common, but her name was clearly written out as 'Dume'."

"So, that means you two are probably related?" Hera questioned. "That would explain you two having similar eyes."

"I-I just can't believe that out of all the Earthlings we could have run into, all the other cities we could have landed in, all the other places that wormhole could have sent us-" he paused. "I ran into another Dume."

"Well, you always say that the Force makes the strangest thing possible," Hera said. "Did you tell her you're Caleb?"

"Not- not yet," he admitted. "I'll eventually tell her."

"That- that is kind of crazy, though," Hera said. "I guess you got a little sister now."

"Yeah, I guess I do," Kanan chuckled in disbelief as he sat in the co-pilot seat, next to Hera. "And you wanted to leave her on Earth."

Hera rolled her eyes, "In my defense, I was right. The kid nearly had a heart attack when she saw me and Ahsoka."

"Surprisingly she had a better reaction to Zeb I guess," Kanan lightly laughed. "At least she didn't scream and run away from him."

"I don't look scary, do I? To humans?" Hera asked.

Kanan smiled, "No, Hera, you're beautiful. Athena never had seen a twi'lek before, she was just in shock. She was even afraid of that medical droid."

"Hmmm…" Hera pondered. "So, you think she can be trained like a normal Jedi with all those ice powers she has?"

Kanan shrugged, "Anything is possible. We'll just have to see."

"Will Ahsoka be training her?" Hera asked.

"Possibly, depends on how the two get along. They seem to be getting along well so far," Kanan said. "Ahsoka was able to talk her out of that ice shield."

"Should we just give her the title of Specter 7 then?" Hera dismissively said as she looked to her control panel. "It seems like she's going to stay with us for a while now."

"You aren't that big of a fan of hers, are you?" he said. "Hera, I promise you, this kid will turn out to be a great addition. She just needs someone to care for her. You saw what I was like when I was alone for all those years after the Empire versus how I am now. Now just imagine a kid who was alone from the very beginning being given a place to call home."

"Alright, but she better not cause any trouble," Hera sighed. "And she needs a shower. I can't stand that smokey smell on her. Smells like tar."

"Yeah…" Kanan said, running his hand through his hair.

"She'll need clothes. I got a shirt I can give her and I imagine that Sabine can give her one of her old clothes," Hera said. "Having a bloody shirt on with blaster holes through it isn't exactly ideal."

"She said that she has some clothes in her bag," Kanan said. "She apparently lived out of that bag most of her life."

Hera looked back at him, "How do Sabine and Ezra like her? Do you think she'll get along with the kids?"

"Sabine was the one who first invited her to come live with us," Kanan smiled. "As for Ezra, I think they'll get along as long as he doesn't pull the same flirting crap he tried with Sabine."

"No promises there," Hera rolled her eyes. "That boy is desperate."

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