Jyn and Luke slowly separate from their unexpected kiss.
"Wow." Luke says.
"So, that what it's like." Jyn says.
That was...quite pleasant. Jyn thinks.
"I've kissed girls before, but I never felt anything like that." Luke says.
"Neither have I. I think it's something to do with the force." Jyn says.
"Whatever it is, I liked it." Luke says.
"So did I." Jyn says.
What was that? I've never felt anything like that before. The moment I kissed him, I felt a faint sensation, almost like...electricity. Jyn thinks.
"You are now bonded. This is the will of the force." The voice of Abeloth says.
Bonded? A...force bond? Like Revan and Bastila Shan? The Exile and Darth Traya? Jyn thinks.
"Indeed, Thana. The very same. Such bonds are rare, but quite powerful. The Jedi feared such bonds, and that is why they came to forbid love." Abeloth says.
Jedi hypocrisy at its finest. Jyn thinks.
"Indeed. I have come to warn you. There is a great disturbance near your location. Be mindful. The future is clouded. Uncertain." Abeloth says.
Who is it? Jyn thinks.
"I do not know. Their identity is obscured at the moment. As if they are aware of my existence, and are shielding themselves from me. They are indeed powerful if they can do this." Abeloth says.
Luke's comlink starts to beep, and he takes it from his belt to answer it.
"Skywalker here." Luke says.
"I know you're off duty, Luke, but, could you meet me in the main hangar in about...thirty minutes?" Hera asks over the comlink.
"Of course, general. I'll be there." Luke answers.
"Good. Contact Captain Erso. We'd like her there too." Hera says.
"Will do." Luke says.
"Thanks, Luke. Syndulla out." Hera says. Luke shuts off his comlink, and puts it away.
"That's strange. I wonder what General Syndulla wants both of us for." Jyn says.
"Probably wants us to help with some new pilots or something." Luke says.
Could this be the disturbance that Abeloth has warned me about? Jyn thinks.
"It is a possibility, Thana. I advise caution." Abeloth answers.
"I think something might be wrong." Jyn says.
"Do you...sense something?" Luke asks.
"Yes. I'm not sure what it is yet. We should be careful." Jyn answers.
"It didn't sound like a big deal to me. Hera would have said if there was something going on." Luke says.
"Would she? General Syndulla seems a bit...off, like she's hiding something. I'm not sure I trust her." Jyn says.
"Hera's a hero of the rebellion! You can trust her." Luke says. Jyn puts a hand behind her back.
"No, I can't, and neither can you. Trust my instincts on this one. Please." Jyn says, waving the hand behind her back.
"Okay. I'll trust your instincts on this one, Jyn." Luke says. Jyn smiles.
"You play him so easily. Although beneficial at the moment, he may become so blindly loyal to you that he has no will of his own. This could be a detriment in the future. Ask yourself this, do you wish to have a lover, who follows you willingly, or a mindless slave, who follows you because he has no choice?" Abeloth asks.
I am...uncertain. I'll have to think about it. Jyn thinks.
"Good. Then, you are listening. Now, I believe the boy requires your attention." Abeloth says.
"Thank you, for trusting me, Luke." Jyn says, taking Luke's hand.
"Anytime. We should get back to base, and see what Hera wants." Luke says.
"Of course." Jyn says.
Thirty minutes later, Jyn and Luke return to the rebel base, and make their way to the main hangar, where they see a newly arrived ship, painted red and white.
"What kind of ship is that?" Luke asks.
"It's an old Republic shuttle. The design was used by the Jedi Order." Jyn answers.
"It's a Jedi ship? There could be another Jedi here!" Luke says.
"Possibly." Jyn says.
"Let's go check it out." Luke says.
"I know you want to meet more Jedi. So do I, but we should be careful. This could be some kind of Sith trap. You know that their goal is to destroy us all." Jyn says.
"Yeah. I know. I'll follow your lead." Luke says. Jyn kisses him on the cheek.
"Thank you. Now, let's go." Jyn says.
Jyn and Luke get closer to the shuttle, and spot Hera, speaking to a woman in colorful Mandalorian armor, and a tall woman wearing a white cloak, whose face cannot be seen by either Jyn or Luke. Jyn grabs Luke's shoulder.
"Wait, Luke!" Jyn says. Luke stops walking, and looks at Jyn.
"Are you alright, Jyn?" Luke asks.
"It's the disturbance in the force. It's coming from the woman in white. Let's wait here for a moment and observe." Jyn says.
"Okay." Luke says.
Jyn and Luke look at Hera and the people she's talking to. Suddenly, the cloaked woman turns to face them, revealing that she's Ahsoka Tano. Ahsoka smiles mischievously.
Chit! Ahsoka Tano! Frack! Frack! Frack! Jyn thinks.
"I did not foresee this. Proceed with caution." Abeloth says.
"Chit! It's Darth Thana!" Jyn says, panic in her voice.
"Darth Thana? The Emperor's daughter?" Luke asks.
"Yeah. It's her." Jyn says.
"You know what she looks like?" Luke asks.
"Yeah, I do. She killed a couple friends of mine." Jyn answers.
"Why's Hera talking to a Sith Lord?" Luke asks.
"General Syndulla is obviously a spy. The Mandalorian woman, probably Thana's personal guard. Mandalorians are agents of the Sith, and have been for centuries." Jyn says.
"What can we do?" Luke asks.
"We have to confront them. It's our duty as Jedi." Jyn answers.
"You want me to...fight?" Luke asks. Jyn takes Luke's hands.
"Yes, Luke. You are ready for this. I believe in you. Now, let's go speak to them." Jyn says.
"Okay. I'm with you." Luke says.
Jyn and Luke approach Hera, Ahsoka, and the Mandalorian, who has removed her helmet, and revealed herself to be Sabine Wren. Jyn and Luke stop, and salute Hera.
"Reporting as ordered, general. What can we do for you?" Luke asks.
"Good to see both of you here on time. We have a problem that I think both of you can help us with. I'd like to introduce you to a couple of friends of mine. Sabine Wren of Mandalore, and Ahsoka Tano, formerly of the Jedi Order. Sabine, Ahsoka, may I present Commander Luke Skywalker, and Captain Jyn Erso." Hera says.
"Ahsoka Tano? The old head of intelligence?" Luke asks.
"That's me. Pleased to meet you commander." Ahsoka says.
"Commander. Captain." Sabine says.
"Hello again, Sabine Wren." Jyn says.
"You know her?" Luke asks.
"We met once, a few years ago. Did a job together. Stuck it to the Empire." Jyn answers.
"We sure did. So, what have you been up to?" Sabine asks.
"Prison. Battle of Scarif. Prison again. Then, I ended up here, flying an x-wing." Jyn says.
"Prison twice? You must really like it there." Sabine says. Jyn laughs.
"Actually, prison likes me. It just can't let me go." Jyn says.
"It's almost like you belong there." Sabine says.
"Maybe so." Jyn says. Sabine looks at Ahsoka.
"Enough of the charades! Let's just do what we're here for!" Sabine says.
"I agree." Ahsoka says.
"What's going on here?" Luke asks. Sabine looks at Luke.
"Why don't you ask Captain Erso? Or does she prefer Darth Thana?" Sabine asks.
Chit! They know! Jyn thinks.
"What? You think I'm Darth Thana? That's ridiculous!" Jyn says.
"We know you're Darth Thana! We know you massacred the senate, and killed several Jedi, including Ezra Bridger!" Sabine shouts.
"You are strong with the force. There is no point in denying the truth." Ahsoka says.
Frack! Think! What do I do? Jyn thinks.
"I am not Darth Thana! I am an undercover Jedi Knight, on a mission to bring back the Jedi Order! This togruta woman is the real Darth Thana! She is the one who massacred the senate, and murdered Jedi, including my master! A kind, gentle man named...Plo Koon!" Jyn says.
Ahsoka suddenly shoots a bolt of lightning straight into Jyn's chest. The impact throws Jyn back several feet and knocks her to the ground.
"Jyn!" Luke shouts.
Luke rushes to Jyn's side, and helps her sit up.
"I'm...alright. Get your saber ready. I'll call for HK-47. He'll help us." Jyn says.
"Provoking Ahsoka Tano was unwise, Thana. Let us hope that you do not face defeat today." Abeloth says.
Your faith in me is appreciated. Jyn thinks.
"I am simply being realistic. I now believe that Ahsoka Tano is the very source of the disturbance that I warned you about. I can only vaguely sense her presence." Abeloth says.
I sense nothing from her. It's like she's not even here. Jyn thinks.
"That is troubling, indeed. Retreat might be the best option." Abeloth says.
I'm not running. I still have the advantage. Jyn thinks.
Jyn takes out her comlink, and switches it on.
"HK, come in." Jyn says.
"Acknowledgement. HK-47 reporting, master." HK-47 says over the comlink.
"HK, the mission is compromised. Proceed to the main hangar. Skywalker and I need assistance. Kill anyone who interferes." Jyn says.
"Observation. I believe that it would be prudent to exterminate all meatbags within this facility. I do not believe that any of them would allow us to escape this place alive." HK-47 says.
"No. Don't kill anyone unless it's necessary." Jyn says.
"Resignation. Very well, master. I will proceed as ordered." HK-47 says. Jyn switches off her comlink, and notices that Luke is looking at her with disbelief.
"What is it, Luke?" Jyn asks.
"You ordered him to kill people. My friends." Luke says.
"They're Sith spies, Luke. We don't have a choice. We can't trust anybody except for each other." Jyn says, waving her hand.
"You're right. We don't have a choice. We can't trust anybody except for each other." Luke says.
Good. He would kill all the Rebels if I told him to. No. That's not necessary. The senseless slaughter would be a waste. Some of these people are Rebels because they felt that they had no choice. We should simply deal with Tano and her friends. Then, Luke and I will leave. We need to consider our future. I can't just take Luke to the Emperor. The old bastard might take him from me! Jyn thinks. She stands up, and takes out her lightsaber. Luke takes out his weapon as well.
Hera, Ahsoka, and Sabine observe as Jyn and Luke take out their lightsabers.
"I take it you knew this Plo Koon." Hera says.
"I did. He was the one that recruited me into the Jedi Order. We were quite close. I think she used his name just to piss me off." Ahsoka says.
"Looks like it worked." Sabine says.
"I'll get to the Ghost. Chopper and I can use the guns to take her out." Hera says.
"No, Hera. If Thana's as good as I think she is, then she'll be able to deflect blaster fire, even from the high powered guns of a ship. Go get some help. Sabine and I will handle this." Ahsoka says.
"Are you sure?" Hera asks.
"Yes, Hera. Now, go." Ahsoka says.
"We'll be alright, Hera. I have Ezra's lightsaber. I'm pretty sure I can take Skywalker." Sabine says.
"She'll be fine, Hera. She's actually pretty good with that saber." Ahsoka says.
"Okay. Stay safe. Both of you. I'll be back." Hera says. Hera leaves the hangar.
Ahsoka takes one of the lightsabers from her belt, while keeping her staff in her other hand.
"So, can that staff block a lightsaber?" Sabine asks.
"It can. It's made from a material called cortosis." Ahsoka says.
"Cool." Sabine says.
"Yes, it is cool. Remember, Luke has been brainwashed. He's not really the enemy. Just try to knock him out." Ahsoka says.
"Will do." Sabine says.
"You ready?" Ahsoka asks.
"I was born ready. Let's do this." Sabine says. She takes a lightsaber from her belt. Then, she and Ahsoka start walking toward Jyn and Luke.
There are about 3 or 4 more chapters to this story, so I am hoping to finish it by the end of January. Once it's done, this series will go on break for a while. Part 3 is being written now, but it could be a few months before I start posting chapters.