9.
"Now…focus." Ahsoka's calm voice cut through her concentration but didn't break it. "Nice and slow. Don't try to rush it."

Her brow was furrowed, and beads of sweat had broken out on her forehead, despite the chill of the ship. Her arm was stretched out in front of her; she moved it slowly, from one side to the other, using it as a focal point for the Force.

On the other end of that invisible connection—and on the opposite side of the cargo hold—was a small object, floating in the air. It moved as her hand moved, inching its way towards the other small mechanical part she had already placed on the floor.

The furrow in her brow deepened the closer it got, and finally, the part settled gently onto the floor, next to its companion. She released her hold on it and dropped her arm, panting slightly. She opened her eyes and looked at Ahsoka, who had her arms crossed but looked pleased.

"Well done," Ahsoka said. She gestured to the side of the hold opposite the two parts that Jaina had just moved. "Three more to go."

Jaina nodded and took a deep breath. They'd been at this for hours, although she'd barely noticed how much time had passed. She'd already moved all five of the small parts from one side of the hold to the other, twice now, and Ahsoka was having her do it again. As taxing as it was, Jaina didn't mind. It wasn't like they had anything else to do.

And every time she did it, it got a tiny bit easier. That was encouragement enough to keep going. Although, she didn't think it'd ever become easier when the lesson had first started. No, she had essentially dismissed the task as impossible, as soon as Ahsoka had told her what she'd be learning.

It didn't help that Ahsoka made it look incredibly easy when she'd demonstrated it herself. With barely even a flick of her wrist, Ahsoka had picked up all five of the parts and moved them across the hold, setting them down in a neat row on the floor. Jaina couldn't help but feel frustrated before reminding herself that Ahsoka had been doing this far longer than she had.

She closed her eyes again and reached through the Force, quickly finding the next part in the line. Stretching her hand out, she focused the Force through it; a few moments later she had a hold of the part and lifted it into the air.

When she'd first started, grabbing onto the parts through the Force was like trying to grab a feather while it floated in the air. Eventually, though, she'd gotten the hang of it. Now, the hard part was trying to keep her hold on it while simultaneously moving it. It required more focus and concentration than she'd ever used before.

The part was halfway across the cargo hold when an alarm started blaring throughout the ship. It instantly shattered her concentration, and the part fell to the floor with a loud clang. The alarm had sounded so suddenly that it sent a jolt of terror through her, and she could've sworn her heart stopped beating for a moment.

Ahsoka was already out of the hold before Jaina finally realized what was going on. She sprinted after her, and they made it to the cockpit seconds before another ship blinked into existence directly in front of them. Jaina strained to see if it was General Syndulla's, but it was still too far away to tell.

She didn't have to wait long to find out. The ship's comm chimed, and Ahsoka activated it.

"Fulcrum, this is Spectre-2." Jaina breathed a sigh of relief as she heard General Syndulla's voice come through. She looked at Ahsoka, who gave her a relieved smile. She usually never felt much in the way of emotions from Ahsoka, but she could feel the relief pouring off of her now.

"Spectre-2, this is Fulcrum," Ahsoka replied. "It's good to hear your voice."

"Likewise," came the response. Jaina could hear the relief in her voice as well. "Mind if I dock with you?"

Ahsoka began turning some of the ship's systems back on. "Not at all. See you in a minute." She switched the comm off and went back to work. Jaina watched out the viewport as General Syndulla's ship grew larger and angled itself alongside them.

Ahsoka finished what she was doing and Jaina followed her out of the cockpit and to the airlock. A few moments later, the door slid open with a hiss. She'd expected to see General Syndulla, but Emry and Rex were a total surprise.

"You're alive!" she blurted out. Everyone chuckled and Jaina felt her face growing hot. She quickly tried to backtrack. "I mean—I thought—" Emry crossed her arms and gave her a look.

"You thought what? We couldn't hold our own against the Empire?" She smirked and Jaina shook her head.

"No…I just didn't know—"

"—We just didn't know when we'd see you again," Ahsoka finished for her. Jaina shot her a grateful look. Ahsoka walked forward and shook hands with Rex and General Syndulla, continuing, "But I am happy to see you're still alive."

"Same here," Rex said. "I won't lie, it was touch and go there for a while. But in the end, we pulled it off." There was no mistaking the pride in his voice and Jaina couldn't help but smile. Emry hung back with her as General Syndulla led them deeper into her ship.

"Have you been waiting out here this whole time?" Emry asked as they walked.

"Yep," Jaina replied. "Ahsoka explained what was going on once we were in hyperspace. Is it…?"

"Destroyed? Yes, it is." She sighed. "Rex wasn't wrong though. It was close." She sounded tired, and Jaina wondered how bad the battle had been. She laid a hand on Emry's arm, stopping her.

"I didn't mean to sound so surprised," she said apologetically. "It's just…I know how deadly the Empire can be, and when Ahsoka told me about Alderaan and what they'd done to it…" She sighed. "I couldn't help but think the worst."

Emry's eyes searched hers for a second and Jaina could see they looked just as tired as she sounded. "I honestly didn't think any of us would make it out alive. A lot didn't. But a lot more of them didn't either."

There was a grim satisfaction behind her words, and Jaina had to suppress a shudder. As much as she'd tried to put it behind her, her loyalty to the Empire still wasn't completely broken. She mentally shook her head and pushed those thoughts out of her mind, choosing to focus instead on what was right in front of her. Which was her friend, alive and well.

She pulled Emry into a hug, which Emry seemed to gladly accept. "Two months ago," Emry said, as they started walking again, "if someone would've told me I'd be happy to see an Imperial, I would've laughed in their face." She grinned at Jaina. "But, here we are."

"Ex-Imperial," Jaina reminded her, with a grin of her own. "And if someone would've told me the same thing about you, a rebel," she wrinkled her nose in mock disgust, "I wouldn't have believed them either."

They emerged, laughing, into the common area of the ship, where Ahsoka, Rex, and General Syndulla were gathered. Emry walked over and took a seat next to Rex and General Syndulla at the table, and Jaina went and stood next to Ahsoka.

"Ahsoka was just telling us that she kept you awfully busy while you were waiting," Rex said, and Jaina thought she saw a twinkle in his eye. "Mind showing us what you were up to?"

Jaina looked at Ahsoka, surprised. "Go ahead," Ahsoka told her. She glanced around the room then pointed: "Use that."

Jaina looked to where she was pointing and saw a small wrench sitting on top of some stacked crates in the corner. She glanced back at Ahsoka, suddenly terrified of being put on the spot. Not only did she not want to fail in front of everyone, but she also didn't want to let Ahsoka down. And—if she was being honest—she really didn't want to embarrass herself in front of Emry.

She looked around the room and saw everyone was watching her expectantly. Ahsoka gave her an encouraging nod, so she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying as hard as she could to force the fear out of her mind. She reached out through the Force and found the wrench easy enough. Now came the hard part.

She stretched her hand out and focused as hard as she could on trying to grab it. She could feel everyone's eyes on her and heard the wrench begin to rattle around as she tried to grip it. It had been much easier in Ahsoka's ship when no one else had been around to watch her.

"Relax," Ahsoka murmured in her ear, sensing her anxiety. "Just like we practiced. Forget about all the distractions, and focus."

Jaina nodded slightly and took another deep breath. This time, she blew it out slowly, using it to help clear her mind. Everything else quickly faded and then it was just her, the Force, and the wrench. She tried again, faintly smiling as she finally grabbed a hold of it. She lifted it into the air and slowly moved it, in the direction of Rex, the general, and Emry.

She stopped it in front of them, and let it hover there. "Take it," she heard Rex say. She felt someone grab the wrench and released her hold on it, dropping her arm and opening her eyes.

Emry was staring, open-mouthed, looking back and forth between Jaina and the wrench she now held in her hand. Rex and General Syndulla, on the other hand, were smiling and looked genuinely impressed.

"Well done," General Syndulla told her. Jaina beamed at her, then looked to Ahsoka who gave her a pleased smile.

"Yes, excellent job," Rex said. He fixed Ahsoka with a playful look. "Guess I need to be more careful about how close I'm standing to the two of you now…especially if we're up high."

Jaina frowned in confusion, but Ahsoka laughed. "That was one time, Rex. And we caught you before you hit the ground."

Rex laughed and shook his head, then got up to follow Ahsoka and General Syndulla down the hall. Emry stayed seated and Jaina walked over and joined her. Emry had set the wrench down on the table and was staring at it like it might move on its own again. She glanced up at Jaina as she sat down next to her.

"That was amazing," she said, and Jaina could hear the wonder in her voice. "I didn't know you could do that."

"I didn't either," Jaina replied, "until a few hours ago."

"I wonder what else you can do," Emry said. The way she'd said it and the look she was now giving her, sent a small jolt of electricity through her.

"I guess we'll find out," Jaina said, blushing slightly.

Rex reappeared just then, with two bowls of something that smelled amazing, setting them down in front of them. Jaina hadn't realized how hungry she was until now, and her stomach growled in response. They thanked him and he disappeared down the hall once more.

Emry recounted the battle while they ate, describing in detail what the Empire's superweapon had been. Jaina had no idea it had even existed and told Emry as much when she'd asked. Thankfully, Emry believed her.

A small part of her might still feel some loyalty to the Empire, but she felt no remorse when Emry told her they'd destroyed it, along with the countless lives that had been on it. The Empire hadn't played by the rules when they'd blown up Alderaan. In her eyes, this was a just punishment for that crime.

Rex, Ahsoka, and General Syndulla never returned from wherever in the ship they'd gone, but Jaina could hear talking and laughter coming from down the hall. Everyone seemed to be in a good mood; it was something she hadn't felt or seen from any of them in the entire time she'd known them.

After they finished eating, Emry challenged Jaina to a game of dejarik, and handily beat her in what Emry boasted was record time. It had been ages since Jaina had played. It wasn't like she'd had much downtime in her former life, and she'd gotten rusty. It also re-awakened the fact that she hated to lose.

She immediately requested a rematch, and then another one after Emry beat her again. The competition was heated but friendly. They were in their fifth or sixth game—Jaina had lost count—when she finally noticed how tired Emry was. She couldn't stop yawning, and finally, Jaina shut the game off, right in the middle of her turn.

"Hey!" Emry protested, angrily crossing her arms. "That was my move."

"You're about to fall asleep," Jaina said. "Why don't you go lay down?"

"No, I'm not," Emry retorted, but Jaina could tell she was trying to stifle another yawn. "You just don't want me to beat you again."

"I'm pretty sure I was winning." Emry said nothing; she knew Jaina was right. She couldn't stifle the yawn any longer and Jaina gave her a look that said: "I told you so."

"Fine," Emry replied. She was trying to act upset, but Jaina could feel that she was relieved. "I guess I am a little tired."

Jaina had expected her to disappear into another part of the ship—she assumed there were berthing compartments somewhere—but instead, Emry laid down next to her on the bench. She didn't quite fit and her legs draped over the other end, but she didn't seem to notice or care.

"Is that even comfortable?" Jaina asked her, raising an eyebrow as she looked down at her. Emry's head was right next to her leg; she looked up at Jaina and nodded.

"Uh-huh…" She was already starting to drift off, and Jaina turned the game back on, switching it over to single-player mode. If Emry was going to sleep, she was going to practice, so she'd maybe have a shot at beating her when she woke up again. She felt Emry twitch and looked down, seeing her eyes were open again.

"Wake me up before you leave?" The was a subtle hint of anxiety in her tone and Jaina gave her a reassuring smile.

"Of course," she replied. Emry sleepily smiled back and her eyes fell shut again. Jaina watched her for a moment, then turned her attention back to the game. A few minutes later, she heard Emry's breathing slow, and felt her relax completely.

She fared even worse against the computer, losing two in a row before finally giving up. Without the distraction of the game, or Emry to talk to, it wasn't long before she noticed how tired she was. The hours of concentrating and practicing on the ship had taken a bigger toll on her than she'd realized.

Leaning her head back against the seat, she closed her eyes, figuring she could at least doze until Ahsoka came and got her. She could feel Emry's presence next to her more clearly than she'd been able to before; it was relaxing and within minutes she fell into a deep sleep.

She was in the middle of a particularly pleasant dream when she felt a hand gently shaking her awake. Opening her eyes, she saw Rex was standing over her.

"It's time to go," he said quietly, and Jaina nodded. Looking down, she saw Emry was still sound asleep next to her. She looked so peaceful, Jaina didn't want to wake her up, but she'd promised.

She gently shook her awake, giving her the same message. Neither of them was fully alert yet when Ahsoka and General Syndulla walked into the room. Ahsoka looked troubled, and Jaina instantly felt uneasy, wondering what was going on.

"Are you ready to go?" Ahsoka asked her. Jaina nodded and reluctantly stood up. She gave Emry a quick hug and followed Ahsoka back down the ramp into their ship.

"What's wrong?" Jaina asked her, as soon as the airlock resealed. "Is it the Empire? Did something else happen?"

Ahsoka shook her head, frowning. "No, nothing happened." She sounded distant and was staring vacantly past Jaina's shoulder. She shook her head again, as if clearing a bad memory, and gave Jaina a faint smile. "Everything is fine."

She didn't elaborate further and Jaina followed her into the cockpit. Ahsoka began getting the ship ready to go and Jaina sat down in the co-pilot's seat again, watching her. Something was clearly bothering her, but Jaina didn't feel like it was her place to ask.

"So…what now?" she asked instead. "Where are we headed?" The ship shuddered slightly, and a few seconds later, General Syndulla's ship moved in front of them. Before Ahsoka could answer her, the comm chimed and Ahsoka activated it.

"We're ready to jump now, but give me a bit of a head start," General Syndulla said. "I don't think there will be any issues, but I want to make sure. Once you arrive, wait in orbit until I signal you."

"Copy that," Ahsoka replied and switched the comm off. Jaina watched as Syndulla's ship pulled farther in front of them, then with a flicker, disappeared.

"We're going to Lothal," Ahsoka finally replied. It was the last place Jaina had expected to hear, and her face must've shown her surprise. Ahsoka raised an eyebrow at her. "I take it you're aware of what recently happened there then?"

Jaina nodded. "What makes you think the Empire won't bother us there? Especially after what happened." She had a hard time believing the Empire was okay with allowing the destruction of an entire fleet of ships with no repercussions.

"So far, the Empire has shown no indication of returning." She chuckled slightly. "And after today, I think Lothal is the least of their worries. We should be completely safe there."

She sounded confident and Jaina could see no evidence she felt otherwise, so she shrugged and let the rest of her argument go. "If you say so."

"I know you're worried," Ahsoka said sympathetically. "And I can't blame you, especially after what happened on Akiva and again on Yavin. Trust doesn't come easily for me either."

They sat in silence for a while, and Jaina wondered how much of a headstart they were going to give General Syndulla. Eventually, Ahsoka reached over and flipped a switch on the center console. The stars elongated and the mottled blue of hyperspace surrounded them once more.

"I trust you," Jaina said slowly. The swirling colors outside the viewport had a hypnotic effect and she felt herself growing sleepy again. "I just don't trust anyone or anything else."

"That's fair," Ahsoka replied. "You have good instincts though. Don't be afraid to follow them."

Jaina nodded. Those good instincts had kept her alive, so far. She couldn't fight it any longer and her head dipped. She dozed the remainder of the journey through hyperspace, waking only when she heard the navicomputer beep, signaling their arrival at Lothal.

She drowsily watched as they entered realspace again. The planet of Lothal came rushing up to greet them, and Jaina couldn't help but notice how terrible it looked. Her second observation was the complete lack of Imperial ships surrounding the planet. Ahsoka was right; the Empire hadn't returned at all.

As instructed, Ahsoka settled into orbit, waiting for General Syndulla's signal. Jaina's curiosity finally got the best of her: "Why do we have to wait up here? Why can't we just land?"

"The Empire might not occupy this world anymore," Ahsoka explained, "but their occupation took its toll on the locals. Off-worlders are not allowed on the surface without having a legitimate reason for being there. General Syndulla is friendly with the new governor. That's why she went ahead of us, to ensure we can land safely and are cleared to stay for as long as we need to."

"I see," Jaina said, nodding. The Empire had certainly left its mark on the planet. Even from up there, she could see how devastated it looked.

After a while, the comm chimed, and Ahsoka switched it on. "Fulcrum, this is Spectre-2. You're cleared to land. Docking bay 15. We'll meet you there," General Syndulla said.

"Copy that, Spectre-2," Ahsoka replied. "On our way." She switched the comm off and angled the ship towards the planet.

They entered the atmosphere and Jaina was finally able to see how damaged the planet was. Large swaths of land had been scorched, and once-green grasslands were brown. She now understood why the locals were being so cautious, and couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt. She'd seen destruction like this on countless worlds in her time with the Empire and had always turned a blind eye to it.

The city itself wasn't in much better shape. As they came in to land, she saw many of the buildings had either been reduced to rubble or were so badly damaged no one could feasibly live in them.

As Ahsoka smoothly set the ship down in the docking bay, Jaina couldn't help but feel nervous. "… it isn't going to be easy. You're going to be tested, in more ways than you can possibly imagine." The warning Ahsoka gave her before their first lesson had begun replaying itself over and over in her mind, and she wondered what she was about to get herself into.

Ahsoka powered down the ship, they grabbed their things, and she followed Ahsoka out of the cockpit. Walking down the ramp, she saw that General Syndulla was waiting for them, along with Rex and Emry. A fourth person was standing with them, wearing the tell-tale armor that the warriors among her people were famous for.

A long-forgotten memory flashed through Jaina's mind. She'd been about five or six years old and her father had caught her poking around in a closet she knew she wasn't supposed to get into. She hadn't been in there long before he ushered her out, but it was long enough for her to get a good look at what was in there.

Two sets of matching armor and helmets, very similar to what this woman was wearing, were hanging next to each other. She'd started to pull one of them down when he'd caught her, and had scolded her severely. His resistance to her being in there had only made her more curious, but every time she tried to sneak back in, she found the closet locked. Ultimately, she'd forgotten about it.

But now the memory had come rushing back. She'd, of course, learned what the armor stood for as she'd gotten older, but hadn't put two and two together until just now. And along with the realization came a slew of questions. Ones she'd make sure to ask her parents. If she ever got the chance to see them again, that is.

Ahsoka must have sensed her distraction because she nudged her arm as they approached the others. Jaina mentally shook her head, clearing away the memory and questions. She caught Emry smiling at her as they walked up, and she returned it, feeling the nervousness of what she was about to face dissipate completely.

"Well I'll be damned," the armored stranger said to Ahsoka, extending her hand, "you are still alive." Jaina couldn't see her face, but she could tell by her voice she was smiling.

"It's good to see you, too, Sabine," Ahsoka replied, chuckling. She shook her hand, then gestured to Jaina. "This is Jaina."

The stranger—Sabine, apparently—extended her hand to Jaina. "Welcome to Lothal, Jaina."

"Thanks," Jaina replied, returning the handshake. Not being able to see Sabine's face as she spoke to her, was making her uneasy. It made getting a read on her nearly impossible. Her loyalty officer days might be long gone, but her training on how to read people would always be there. And she didn't like not being able to read someone.

"Shall we?" General Syndulla said. Sabine nodded once, then turned and started walking towards the docking bay doors. The general fell in alongside her, Ahsoka next to Rex, and Emry and Jaina brought up the rear.

Jaina couldn't let her uneasiness go, and she put her hand on Emry's arm, stopping her. Emry gave her a questioning look, but Jaina didn't speak until the rest of the group was out of earshot.

"What do you know about Sabine?" Jaina asked her in a low voice, getting right to the point.

Emry shrugged. "Not much," she admitted. "I know she was part of the general's old rebel cell that helped overthrow the Empire here. And she's Mandalorian, like you." Jaina frowned. That wasn't much to go on.

"Did you ever have armor like that?" Emry asked as they started walking again. Jaina shook her head.

"No," she replied. "I haven't seen armor like that in years. Only the warriors wear it."

"Oh, so you're not a warrior?" Emry said. Jaina shot her a look, thinking she was teasing her, then quickly realized she was being serious.

"No," she replied. "Not every Mandalorian is a warrior, like some of the stories I'm sure you've heard, would have you believe. I wasn't raised that way. Sabine was, apparently."

"Hey, you two! Keep up!" Rex yelled to them, finally noticing how far back they'd gotten. Jaina and Emry exchanged a guilty look and quickened their pace.

"Sorry," they echoed when they caught up. Jaina saw the look of disapproval on Ahsoka's face and gave her an apologetic one. They followed Sabine to two sets of speeders parked on a side street. As they approached the speeders, Jaina felt a sudden shift in Emry's emotions and her heart sank.

"You're not staying, are you?" Jaina asked her, the disappointment evident in her voice. A small part of her had hoped they would stick around, at least for a few days. She knew Emry's duty was elsewhere and hers was here, but that didn't make it any easier to say goodbye again.

"No," Emry said regretfully. "Rex and I have some errands to run with the general, and once we're done, we're leaving."

Jaina sighed. The only comfort she had was that Emry looked just as crestfallen as she felt. Once again, she felt like she had a thousand things she wanted to say, but zero time to say them in. Emry pulled her in for a hug, and as Jaina wrapped her arms around her, she realized she had no idea if or when she would ever see Emry again.

"Be safe," Emry told her, hugging her a little tighter.

"You too," Jaina replied. She caught Ahsoka giving her another disapproving look, and reluctantly pulled away.

Emry climbed into one of the speeders with Sabine, Rex, and General Syndulla, and Jaina joined Ahsoka in the other one. Both groups went their separate ways, with Ahsoka slowly navigating them through the city and finally out onto the plains. Ahsoka didn't seem to be in the mood for conversation, which was fine by Jaina. She sat quietly next to her, staring straight ahead.

A whole host of thoughts and emotions were running through her, but all she could focus on was the unknown. She had no idea what to expect or what she was about to face. Ahsoka's warning echoed in her mind again, and she shivered slightly.

She'd told Ahsoka before that first lesson, that she was ready. "We'll see," Ahsoka had said. Doubt suddenly filled her mind and she swallowed nervously. She wasn't ready. In fact, she was the furthest thing from it, but it was too late now. There was no turning back, and as the plains of Lothal flew by them, she readied herself for whatever Ahsoka and the Force decided to throw at her.