A/N: Hi! Sorry for the long time between updates! I had a conference for work and was on the road a lot the past week. As you can see, though, I've been working on this. Please let me know if you're still liking this! :) First up, a flashback.

3.

THEN

Maia Alata led her child into the room they'd rented and glanced around, feeling her stomach clench at the bareness of it. There was one bed, barely big enough for them both, and a threadbare blanket thrown over it. The one strip of lighting that still worked was on the far side, throwing the rest of the room into shadow. There was a window that probably didn't open which looked over the street below. As she walked to it, she caught a glimpse of herself in the transparisteel.

She looked as tired and worn as she felt. There were dark shadows under her eyes and her long blond braid was disheveled. She pressed the button that would shade the window and turned to regard her daughter. Poor Phae wasn't much better than she was. Her blond curls stood up in whirls and spirals like the waves of a stormy ocean. She sleepily dragged a backpack with her that was almost as big as she was. She'd been asleep on the transport, while Maia watched out for them both.

Maia set her black duffel bag against the wall and took Phae's backpack to set it beside her own. She didn't unpack their belongings in case they had to leave quickly.

"Sweetheart, are you okay?" she asked. Phae was standing in the middle of the room, looking around with large brown eyes. The mother knelt in front of her little one and reached up to push her child's unruly curls out of her face. Through the Force, she could feel Phae's fear trembling—she was like a snowflake caught in a spiderweb.

"Nooo. I don't like this place, mama." A big tear ran down her cheek, followed by more. She sniffled as Maia wrapped both arms around her.

"I'm so sorry." Maia kissed her on the side of the head. She held Phae as she wordlessly wept. When the girl had cried herself out, Maia picked her daughter up and set her gently on the bed. "It's going to be okay. I promise," she said, wiping the tears from her daughter's cheeks.

"Time…time for pajamas?" Phae asked in a watery voice.

"No, sweetie. Just take off your boots, in case…" In case the boogeyman finds us, Maia thought, "in case we have to leave quickly."

Phae understood. "You mean if the bad Jedi finds us," she said, fists clenched. Her eyes darkened.

Maia nodded, not trusting her voice as she bent her head to work out the knots in Phaedra's bootlaces. Her vision blurred, and she tried to blink away the teardrops. She carefully shielded her thoughts so that Phae wouldn't pick up on her sorrow.

When she'd finally gotten the laces unknotted, a rumble ran through the room as the furniture trembled. Maia looked up at her daughter and saw that Phaedra's fists were clenched and her eyes were squeezed shut. "I hate him," she said through clenched teeth. "I hate him, I hate him." Little earthquakes of Force energy ran through the room as her daughter's anger grew and her brown eyes flashed.

"Stop," Maia pleaded. "Don't do that, Phae, please." She reached up and placed her hands on both sides of Phaedra's face, pulling the girl's eyes to hers. "I'm here. You're safe right now. All…you need to do…is sleep. Let your anger go into the Force." They'd been having trouble again with her self-control. When they'd first began to run, Phaedra tried to hide everything from her daughter, but when her child began to demonstrate a strong ability with the Force, she'd had to teach Phae some self-control techniques, and explain a few basics about the Force.

"I'm sorry, Mama." Phaedra began to relax as her mother began flooding her with the light side of the Force. "I just get…real mad."

"I know, little love. Sleep." Slowly she lowered Phaedra down to the mattress and pillow. She remained, kneeling beside the bed.

"Mama…" Phae tried to speak, but she began losing the thread of wakefulness and with her mother running a hand through her hair, she dropped completely into sleep.

After a time, Maia stood up and looked through her bag. It was the work of a moment to find what she was looking for, hidden in a pocket of her duffel. She took it and went into the small 'fresher.

With the knife in her right hand and her braid in her left, she cut through the hair with a sudden firm motion. She looked into the mirror as her hair fell around her chin, but in her mind, she saw a sudden flash of her life, many years earlier, in the temple. She saw her Master, Tren Vevan standing in front of her and severing her Padawan braid with his lightsaber after she'd passed her trials. She had moved her hand up to feel the short cut strands in her fingers, just like she was doing now. Maia had been so much younger then, she thought, looking down at the golden braid of hair in her hands. She would have to dye it tomorrow. Changing her appearance might help them stay under the sensors.

Her thoughts drifted back to the past. What would Master Vevan think about her now, she wondered as she fingered the short hair around her face. She missed his gentle wisdom, and the reassurance he'd always provided. His steady presence would guide her in the right direction, were he here with her. But that could never be. He hadn't been wise enough to see what was coming, and she'd felt him die at the hands of the 501st, while she fought her own battle to survive.

The Jedi Purge had taken everything from her. Now, she was walking a path she'd never imagined-her life on the run was very different from life in the temple. For a long time, she'd been lost-hiding in plain sight, moving from planet to planet with the tides of refugees uprooted by the Empire. It had been easy to stay unnoticed because no one asked questions of a dirty, tired refugee. Most people just wanted them to move on. She worked many different jobs—a mechanic, a body guard—pretty much anything she could make money doing.

Eventually, a night of drinking to excess and a bad decision led to being told she was pregnant by a meddroid on Aksen Prime.

She wouldn't have called Phaedra an accident-nothing in the Force was by accident, (she believed it with all her heart) but she hadn't planned on bringing a child into the world with the kind of life she lived, but when she'd felt that spark inside of her, and realized her child was strong with the Force, there was no question she was going to have the baby. And after Phae was born, despite Jedi tenants, Maia had been attached to her. Phae had been a good child from day one and Maia loved her fiercely.

The former Jedi found that she was now standing over the bed, watching her daughter sleep. She didn't even remember leaving the 'fresher. She reached out and smoothed her daughter's curls again and listened to her sleepy murmur. Emotion, yet peace, she thought. Death, yet the Force. What would happen if she were to die and leave Phaedra alone? She had thought about it often, but there was no good answer. She could trust no one with her daughter and their secret. No one.

She turned off the light, then moved to the window. After a moment, she sat on her heels in the dark, stretching out her senses to see if she could feel danger stalking them in the night. Was the Inquisitor scouring the last planet they were on to see which way they had gone? Or had he landed on this planet already? He had followed them to each planet they'd stopped at, despite her precautions—he kept the scent like a rathtar pack on the hunt. She'd thought him dead at the last place they'd met him, but he'd survived a fall from a cliff after a lightsaber battle.

She lost herself in the safety and warmth of the Force as she sought answers. And as the night passed, the Force passed in swift currents. She let it sweep her into the depths, losing herself in the waters of the Light. When she had fallen deep enough, she began to see a vision. A man. He was tall, with dark hair and two different colored eyes. She saw him, holding a green lightsaber, back to back with another person, this one a young man, with brown hair and lekku. There was danger, but they were ready to face it. She did not know how to explain it, but it had something to do with Phae. Somehow the Force was allowing her to know that her daughter would be safe. She wasn't able to trust anyone with her daughter's safekeeping, but she could trust in the Force. She would trust in the Force.

Rest easy my child. Her master's voice whispered as she fell asleep, her mind coming to rest like a giant leaf on the surface of a great river.

Later in the night, something shook her and she opened her eyes. She was sitting back against the window sill, the icy dark side crawling up her spine. The Force was singing in her bones, all danger and alarm. The Inquisitor was coming.

Maia scrambled to her feet, but Phaedra was already sitting up on the bed, looking at her with huge brown eyes. "Mama…"

"I know. We have to go. Boots."

Phaedra got off the bed and began to pull on her boots. Maia tied them quickly, then rummaged through her coat, feeling in the concealed pocket for her lightsaber. "Mama…Your hair…" Phae said, her eyes wide.

"It's okay. Take your backpack, Phae," Maia said, throwing on her coat and leading them toward the door. She hid the lightsaber in her sleeve and shouldered her pack with the other hand.

They exited the run-down hotel quickly, making their way along a dark street. When Maia saw four stormtroopers, she sidestepped, tugging Phae down a narrow way between two buildings.

It was then that Maia heard a familiar sound that struck fear into her heart. The snap-hiss of a lightsaber. She turned and saw the bloody red blade of an Inquisitor standing at the head of the alleyway. "Padawan Alata and your spawn." A voice said with pleasure. "After so many near misses…"

Maia pushed Phae behind her and ignited her own blade. "That's Master Alata to you."

There was the sound of laughter as the evil being stepped forward. "I hardly think that twenty-four hours as a Master before the fall of the Jedi makes you deserving of the title." He clucked his tongue and shook his head. "Tell me, did you run from the temple right away, or did you try to fight before you lost your nerve and turned tail to run? If you promise to tell me how you escaped us that night, I promise to kill you off before I take your child and turn her to the dark." He removed his visor and threw it to the side, taking a guard position.

Phae clutched her mother's coat as she saw the glowing yellow of his eyes. The Inquisitor's face was misshapen, due to scars he now bore. Across his jaw, toward his ear, was the hot, red, still-healing scar of a lightsaber wound from Maia's blade. There was also a misshapen look to one side of his skull, under the short buzzed black hair there. She realized suddenly that it was damage from the fall.

"I will tell you nothing, darksider." Maia reached back and found Phae's hand. "I need you to run, Love. Run and hide." She began to push her daughter away from her, holding the lightsaber in a guard position.

"Noooo…" Phaedra cried, her voice a hoarse whisper, backing up against the wall next to them and shaking her head. "Don't hurt my mama!"

There was a woosh of Force energy from Phaedra. It moved through the alley and flapped the Inquisitor's coat, as if he had a huge set of black wings flying out behind him. He fell back a step and grinned ferally. "Now your child, Jedi…she is something. She would be a strong weapon for the dark side, with some tempering."

Maia advanced and lunged in attack. The Inquitsitor leered as he deflected her blade. "Juyo? A desperate move."

Maia fell back in a defensive Form II stance, saying nothing. The Inquisitor edged forward and the exchange of blows began. Back and forth, the battle ranged as Phaedra watched in terror. In reality, the fight took a very few minutes, but in Phaedra's mind it was interminable. Maia's sword flashed like lightning, as she lunged and defended. She wasn't fast enough. When the bloody blade ran her through, she was stunned, glancing down at the glowing blade impaling her.

The Inquisitor pushed her off his blade and she fell in a useless heap. Then he turned on Phaedra.

"Now, little one…" His voice was thick and dripping with poison as he turned on her…

"And then he came toward me." Phaedra said, in a soft voice. It was hard not to be intimidated by all the eyes watching her, and she looked down at the cup of blue milk in her shaking hands. She'd been hungry before, but now the food felt like a lump in her stomach.

When done with dinner, Ezra urged Phae to tell what she remembered about her mother. It was a terrifying story, made even more so because Phaedra had been around the same age as Caleb when he'd been taken, also by an Inquisitor. Sabine couldn't help thinking about it as she watched the curly-haired girl telling her story.

"Force, Phaedra…how did you survive?" Caleb asked.

"I can't explain it," she began. She reached out slowly in front of her, holding her hand out. "My mother's lightsaber just flew into my hand. He came to attack, and I blocked each one—I don't know how."

"I do." Ezra murmured. "The Force guided you."

She nodded. "It felt like something moving my hand through the air to block. Then I stabbed into his chest," here she extended her hand in front of her, "and it…it hit home. Then he was at my feet, dead." She drew a shivering breath as her hand dropped to the table.

Ezra's eyes went to Sabine's, then Zeb's. He had no idea what to say; anything he could say wouldn't even come close to expressing how her story made him feel. It reminded him of his life on the street, and it reminded him of what Caleb had been through.

"That might be one of the bravest things I've ever heard, kit." Zeb murmured.

Phaedra shook her head. "My mom. She was the brave one. I…went over to her and she…she was dying. I knew it. Her breathing was all wrong and her lips were b-blue." Here she wiped her downcast face with both hands. "Before she was gone, she said if I ever met a Jedi I should trust that they would help me. I…I never met anyone like that until…until you two." She sniffled as Sabine laid a hand on her shoulder again.

"Well, you met the right two people." Sabine said.

Ezra smiled at Sabine. "What happened next?" he urged.

"My mom told me to run. Then she died. I knew because I saw her eyes…I saw how her spirit faded and she was…gone." She took a deep breath. "So, I ran away before the troopers came. I hid behind some scrap metal in a nearby alley."

Sabine glanced at Ezra. She knew that her husband had been in the same situation at seven years old, and so her heart went out to the girl. In her heart, she could still see the scruffy teenager Ezra had been when Hera and Kanan had rescued him and her heart twisted.

"I slept on the streets. I fell in with some older kids back then, and they helped me learn what to do…how to make it on my own."

"What happened to your mother's lightsaber?" Caleb asked.

Phaedra nodded and continued. "Last week, I was asleep and this guy…Estin Devian, a low-level lackey for the local boss, broke in to the building where I stay sometimes, and lifted it from me. I asked around and found he skipped town, but nobody would tell me where. I'm pretty sure he skipped the whole karking planet. The only way I know it was him because he showed my mom's sword to this musician that plays at the Adagio, a drummer named BoDan. BoDan told me it was a laser sword with a golden grip, so I knew it was hers." She looked from one of them to the next.

"Lightsabers would fetch a heavy price, these days." Ezra murmured to himself.

"I wouldn't have stolen your droid's core, but…I was trying to save up some money for passage to go and search for it. I'm sorry." Phaedra said.

Ezra stood up and placed a hand on her shoulder as he spoke. "Don't trouble yourself anymore about it," he said, turning toward the Ghost's cockpit.

"Where are you going?" Phaedra asked.

Sabine watched as Ezra turned, smiling as if he was up to something, with his arms open and walking backwards. "I'm going to put our network to good use."

"We have a really good network," Caleb whispered, as if sharing a secret. Phaedra let out a soft, short laugh in response.

When Ezra reached the cockpit, Chopper rolled out and made his way to the common room. When he saw Phaedra, he let out an electronic scream and waved his shock prod, zooming toward her.

Caleb was the first up, and he knelt in front of Chopper, putting his hands on Chopper's dome. "Chopper. Listen to me. Phaedra's sorry. She made a mistake stealing your core."

Chopper rocked back and forth on his struts angrily.

"Chopper? That's your name?" Phaedra scooted as far forward on the seat as she could, leaned out and looked into his ocular sensor. "I'd like to apologize, if you'll let me."

Chopper squawked irately.

"Chop…don't use that kind of language." Sabine said.

"I really am sorry. Please forgive me."

The droid swiveled his dome toward Zeb, as if to ask what his position was.

"Chopper, she's just a kit. Gotta let it go," the Lasat said.

"She won't try it again, buddy. You're safe," Caleb promised.

There were a few more indignant squawks, which Phaedra didn't understand, and then Chopper rolled back towards the cockpit, possibly to plead his case to Ezra.

"I don't think he forgives me," she said sadly.

"He doesn't, but don't let it keep you up at night. He has a long list of people he doesn't like," Sabine said with a grin.

"Who else is on it?"

"Ah…most of us." Zeb said as he scratched his beard, then grinned.

Phaedra snickered and was about to respond, but she let out a huge yawn instead.

"If someone will help me get you to the 'fresher, you can change into pajamas and get ready for bed."

"Oh…uh..I can sleep in this…I don't want to be any trouble."

"You're not going to be any trouble," Sabine said, suddenly realizing things like pajamas must be luxuries for a kid like Phaedra. "You can borrow a pair of my sleep pants and a shirt. That way you'll be comfortable tonight. Caleb. You bunk with Zeb, okay? Get what you need out of there while I help Phaedra get ready for bed."

"No problem, Sabine." Caleb said.

Sabine smiled. "Come on, Phaedra let's slide you out of the booth."

Phaedra could actually put a little weight on her leg as long as she could lean on Sabine and Zeb when it hurt. They got into the 'fresher and Sabine helped her get ready for bed. Phaedra rummaged around in her backpack until she found a toothbrush.

"You carry a toothbrush around?" Sabine said. She was standing next to the shower, ready to help if Phaedra faltered.

Phaedra nodded. "I carry everything I own around. That way I can just take off if I need to."

"Oh," Sabine's gaze softened, remembering the backpack Ezra had carried with him when he had first come on the Ghost. It had never left his side those first few weeks, but what that meant had never occurred to her. He must have been afraid he'd have to take off if he did something wrong or things just didn't work out. "Ezra was the same way," she said thoughtfully, her mind going back to those first few days.

Phaedra spit out a mouthful of foam to ask, "What do you mean?"

"Hmm? Oh. He was on the streets, much like yourself…" she smiled faintly. "But that was before he met us all. Before Kanan convinced him to stay with us."

"His parents were Jedi, too?"

Sabine shook her head. "No. They were good people, who fought against what the Empire was doing in the early days, but they weren't Jedi. The Empire took them away and Ezra was on his own. He was only seven years old."

"And…the Kanan guy you mentioned?"

Sabine blinked as if coming back from her memories; she looked at the girl in front of her with a sad smile. "He was someone very special, Phaedra. I'll tell you about him sometime."

"What about Ezra's parents?" she asked around her toothbrush.

"They were killed by the Empire."

Her eyes were shining with sympathy. "Oh no, I'm sorry."

Sabine sadly smiled at her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I think everyone lost something during the years that the Empire ruled. But, look, I know you're tired. When you finish here, I'll help you back to your room, Phaedra, and you can sleep."

Phaedra spoke very softly. "You can call me Phae. It's what my mom called me." Phaedra immediately blushed, looking quickly down into the sink and rinsing her mouth and toothbrush.

"Okay, Phae," Sabine said gently, laying a hand on her shoulder.

"What about Caleb's parents? Did the Empire get them too, or did he have to give them up to become a Jedi?"

"Another long story, and you're tired." Sabine said. "But if you must know, his father was a Jedi. He died. His mother, however, is very much still with us." She smirked, thinking how Hera would like this brave, inquisitive girl. "You might get to meet her, depending on how we decide to go about helping you." She reached down and took Phae's bag, slinging it over one shoulder and holding out an arm for the girl. "Come on."

"Okay. Thanks, Sabine. I don't know why you guys would do something like this for me…"

"It's just what we do, Phae," she replied.