First, let me apologize for the long intervals between updates. I have been working on "Broken" and this story and things are proving to be more difficult than they should have been. However, I made some progress on this story, so I hope you enjoy the update. Hopefully things will get better and the muse will be kind and I will be turning out one chapter a week like before. Reviews help me keep going during the tough times, so let me hear from you! Thanks for being patient, too.

8

The Spectres departed in the late morning. Phae, Caleb and Hera had some quick shopping to do and would visit the local security office afterwards. Zeb and Sabine had left a little later, planning on surveilling the Langan Auction headquarters. They were all gone by the time Ezra went to comm Kallus. The agent was at home, and Ezra hadn't wanted to call too early. He had been expecting Kallus to answer but was surprised when a different face appeared.

Roxi Shan.

The years had been kind to the one-time kidnapper and bounty hunger, whose eyes widened when she saw Ezra. It was evident that she hadn't expected him on the other end. "Oh! Hello…Mr…Br—Master Bridger…" she blushed.

Ezra smiled. "Just Ezra, please. How are you?"

"Fine," she said. "How's everyone on Lothal?"

"We're great." Ezra had only spoken with the woman a handful of times since his recovery at the medcenter after that first horrible battle with Tarek, but he had kept up with her through Alexsandr over the years. Roxi had flourished in the New Republic under Alexsandr's watchful eye; under his tutelage she had become an agent for the New Republic's Department of Intelligence, and she'd eventually risen to become one of the most valued agents in the ranks.

"Who is it?" Kallus's voice came across the comm.

"Ezra Bridger." Roxi glanced back and stood, to allow Kallus to sit near the holoprojector. Ezra didn't miss the way she brushed one of his shoulders with her hand and moved out of the viewer.

"No wonder you haven't had time to visit us." Ezra said with a teasing grin.

Kallus colored and cleared his throat. "Well, it's…fairly a recent development."

There was a feminine chuckle from off screen.

"Alexsandr, no one deserves happiness more than you." Ezra said, letting him off the hook.

Kallus was still blushing. "Well, I no longer supervise her directly, so it is acceptable and within department guidelines."

Trust Kallus to cite the rulebook, Ezra thought with an inward chuckle. "Wait until I tell Hera. She'll be thrilled for you two."

"Um…well, yes." Kallus nodded. "Thank you, of course."

"Yeah. Well, I was calling to ask if you had gotten the information about our local bad guy, Sekkak." Ezra had called the night before, and Kallus had promised to pull everything he could.

"Oh yes." Kallus rummaged around in his desk and found a data file. "This is Marcel Sekkak." A holo of a man with an unhappy frown on his features came up. He was dark haired, with pale skin and a spreading bruise on his face.

"He's younger than I thought." The man was surely no older than 18 in the holo, Ezra surmised. He had a hungry look—there was a cruelness to his eyes that seemed to announce itself from the holo.

"That's his 'intake' scan—it's old. He was another Inquisitor in training. An apprentice of the Ninth Brother."

Ezra ran through the Inquisitors in his mind. "Never heard of him."

"Ah, that's because Nine, in true darksider style, decided to make his move to take out his Master, the Grand Inquisitor. You can guess how that went."

"Hmm." Ezra nodded, remembering the cruel Pau'an that had almost killed him.

"Apparently, after the death of the Ninth Brother, our target here had to flee. He must feel it's safe to come out now."

"Yeah. He's equipping his men with lightsabers."

Kallus raised an eyebrow. "This is alarming."

"Yeah." Ezra said grimly.

Kallus began tapping on a datapad. "I can send…"

"Not just yet." Ezra shook his head and Kallus looked up, "I think the Force has guided us here…at the right place at the right time to stop this criminal. It's good to know what I'm dealing with, though, so thanks." Ezra nodded.

"Ezra…are you certain? I'm sure I have operatives that can be there in practically no time."

"Let me find out what we are dealing with first. I'll be in touch. It was good to see you, Roxi."

She peeked back into the frame. "You too, Ezra. Please let us know if you need anything further. I can be there in a few quick hyperspace jumps with whatever you need."

"Thanks, but we're good at this point. I'll keep you both appraised of the situation. Have a wonderful…" he had think a minute and figure out what time it was there, "afternoon."

He signed off and chuckled a little to himself. He shouldn't have been surprised that Roxi and Kallus had fallen for each other; it had been clear that she had always been in awe of the former Imperial agent. Kallus too, had always kept a watchful eye on the half-Theelin woman. Both Hera and Zeb would be delighted to find out about the match.

He stood up and headed back to his quarters, strapping on his blaster and hanging his lightsaber from his belt. He pulled on a jacket to hide the saber. Now that he knew what he was dealing with, he wanted to be prepared for anything.

The walk to the Southside gave him enough time to think about what they should do. It was clear now that they were going to have to take Sekkak out. It was probable he was locating Force-sensitives and training them as darksiders, and that couldn't be allowed to go on, no matter what. At the best, he was training non-sensitives to use lightsabers, and Ezra couldn't allow that either.

He pulled up his hood and thrust his hands in the pockets of his jacket as he moved from the tree lined area of the great market to the more industrial sprawl of the Southside. It was fall on Jantal, and even though it was early mid-afternoon, there was a chill in the air.

He made his way past more than a few seedy bars, hotels and brothels sprinkled throughout the streets like garish neon glitter. He was passing the fourth bar when he picked up someone following him. He smirked as he continued on, neither increasing nor decreasing his pace. This was going to be interesting.

Sabine placed her back against the wall again as she checked the time on her comm. "It's been almost an hour and we've seen nothing," she whispered to Zeb, whose turn it was to watch. They were on the roof of the Langen Auction House. They'd only seen one man, setting up chairs for the auction tomorrow night in the large room below the skylight, but since then there'd been nothing.

"Look, you've gotta be patient, kit." Zeb murmured. "It's—wait. I see someone." His ears twitched and Sabine turned to peer into the skylight as well. Two men were standing in the auction room having a conversation, but they couldn't hear what was being said.

"I want to get a closer look." Sabine whispered. She headed for the corner of the building where the door to the lower two floors was. "Stay here."

"Wait—"

"Stay here, Zeb." She knew the door would be locked, but she tried it anyway. It didn't open; reaching into a backpack, she pulled a screwdriver and had the plate off of the door in 30 seconds. She took a pair of snips, clipped several wires and the door slid open.

"Hold this." She stashed the tools back in the bag and gave it to Zeb. Then she drew a blaster and entered the stairway.

"Be careful," Zeb whispered.

Sabine nodded as she made her way down the hallway, using the HUD in her helmet to detect heat signatures, but she saw no one. The next floor down from the roof was an upper loft area, filled with a few computer terminals. Expensive artwork adorned the walls. Ignoring the computer terminals and the art for now, she crept to the balcony of the loft and looked over.

There were voices down below.

"All I'm saying is that HE wants to make sure you have the merchandise for sale tomorrow before he sends over a proxy."

"As far as I know, the seller will appear with the item at six PM tomorrow. He requested to remain anonymous, so that's all I can tell you." This must be the auction house employee talking, Sabine realized as she leaned forward and enhanced the audio in her helmet.

She didn't need to however, because they began walking closer to the balcony. She ducked back.

"Very well," said the first voice. "Just remember that my employer wishes to be notified if any item such as this ever comes up for sale. A yellow blade is a rare acquisition."

Sabine looked around the corner again, and saw that the man speaking was dressed in a few pieces of assorted armor. What she saw on his back made her pulse pound. He carried an Inquisitor blade-there was no missing the semi-circular construction.

"Zeb. I see an Inquisitor blade on a man inside," she hissed over their private comm network. The two men walked toward the back of the building. At the same moment, Sabine heard the turbolift doors open on the loft floor. She held her breath.

"Hey! What are you doing up here?" An angry, heavyset blond man was headed her way, his hand reaching for a blaster at his hip.

"Time to go!" Sabine called over the comm to Zeb. She pulled her blaster, and turned toward the lift. Too late, though, she realized someone was targeting her from down below as well. As she shot at the man from the lift, another shot blew a chip out of the wall she'd just been leaning on just before she had ducked. As she ran, the next shot burst hotly against her side and she went down on one knee, skidding in the direction of the stairway.

As she fired at the man from the lift again, she heard the unmistakable sound of a lightsaber igniting. There was a whistling sound through the air as the blade hummed past her, a whirling circle of red death. Had she still been standing, she would have been dead, she realized. The saber embedded itself in the wall behind her, but was pulled back to its owner's hand below with the Force.

"The guy carrying the blade is a darksider!" she cried over the comm, pulling a flash grenade. She willed herself to her feet as she aimed the grenade in the area from where the shots had originated. Firing to make the blond duck down again and back off, she threw the grenade as she fled for the stairs. As much as she wanted to fight, it was a better plan to get out before the Force-user with the Inquisitor's blade reached her. Zeb met her half-way down the stairs. They gained the roof, and he fired a blaster shot into the disabled lock panel, which caused the durasteel door to hiss shut. "We'll jump to the next roof," he said.

It was a slight leap downward, and Zeb jumped first, easily making the next building. "I got you, kit." He called as he held out his paws, just in case Sabine was a little short. She backed up to get a running start as she heard someone slicing through the thick access door to the roof. She leaped and was short, but Zeb's arms caught her.

"You're bleeding," he said as he felt the dampness against his fur.

"It's not important. Run," she said, as she looked backwards and saw the glow of a red blade coming through the durasteel door. "NOW!"

They didn't slow until they had run across no less than seven rooftops. By the eighth one, Sabine was grimacing. On this roof, there was a little boy bouncing a blue ball. He was the first person they'd seen during their flight and upon seeing them, the child stopped and looked at them with large, frightened brown eyes.

"Kid, I'll give you twenty credits to show us the way to the street," Zeb said.

The boy's eyes went wide. "This way…" he said, bringing them to the door on the roof and activating it with a code.

They followed the boy down, with Zeb closing the door behind them and punching the lock pad so hard it broke on the inside. He held one arm around Sabine as they eased down the stairs.

"Getting hurt was stupid." Sabine muttered. "I hope Ezra didn't run into anything like that…"

"Don't you worry about Ezra," Zeb said. "The best thing we can do for him right now is to get you back safe."

As they climbed down the stairs, Zeb realized they were in a run-down apartment building. "How many more floors, kid?" he called.

"Five more."

Sabine groaned and sagged against the Lasat.

"Come on, kit. Put that Mandalorian grit to use." Zeb gently jibed, knowing it would keep her going.

"I might just shoot you for that, Zeb," she deadpanned as she lifted her head.

The kid looked over his shoulder with wide eyes.

"Just kidding…I'm kidding," Sabine said. "Come on." She took a deep breath and started moving again.

Ezra entered the first abandoned warehouse he came to, strolling past abandoned equipment, until they were far enough out of sight of any passers-by. Then he stopped, stretching out his Force senses easily.

He heard the snap-hiss of a lightsaber being ignited. So, his enemy had come to him, he smiled to himself.

"Gimme your credits. Now." The voice was rough and angry.

Ezra smirked as he turned to see the pale blue light cast by the thug's saber. The Jedi extended his hand and his own lightsaber smacked into his palm with a satisfying thwap; he ignited it and pointed it at his opponent. "That blade does not belong to you." He could tell that the man facing him was not a Force-sensitive from his weak signature in the Force.

"Yeah? Well, kriff you!" The man snarled as Ezra moved his saber into a Form III stance.

"Give me the blade and you can go," Ezra said. "It's more than you deserve." He could feel the cruelty in the man's thoughts, but Ezra still gave him a chance to do the right thing.

The thug swung for him, and the Jedi blocked easily, drawing him out by retreating and blocking the frenzied, sloppy attacks, until he saw the depth of his opponent's training. The man showed some evidence of having rudimentary skill. He was switching back and forth from a few Form I attacks to wild slashing movements, akin to some sort of Form VII offense. He wasn't good at it.

"Who gave you this weapon?" Ezra asked, coming back with a Form V attack, driving the criminal back towards a far wall. "You're carrying a Jedi's blade. You WILL tell me what I want to know," he said, pushing with the Force.

The man let out a harsh laugh as he answered. "You can't use the Jedi mind trick on me."

"Very well." Ezra replied, continuing his powerful strikes.

"Sekkak will crush you, Jedi." He said, his teeth clenched in hate. "My Master is powerful with the dark side."

Ezra smirked. "But if his men are as untrained as you, he will lose." He threw a wave of Force energy at Sekkak's follower and slammed him against the wall so hard that his lightsaber went flying.

Ezra motioned with his hand and the hilt flew into his grip. Lowering his blade, he hooked the unfamiliar saber on his belt. As he did, the Force flared. Trusting completely in it, he used his blade to deflect the blaster bolt back into his opponent without conscious thought. As the man fell lifeless, his holdout blaster went skittering across the floor.

About to search the thug, Ezra felt a tug along his bond with Sabine. At the same moment, he startled as he both heard Kanan's voice at his left ear and felt a hand on his shoulder. "Listen to the Force, Ezra."

Kanan had told him many times that he had a talent for making connections with others, and he'd had a deep bond with his Master, almost from the beginning. It had taken him a while to realize that his talent had helped him forge bonds with everyone on the Ghost team. The bonds weren't like the one he'd had with Kanan, or like the one he had formed with Caleb, but they were there just the same. Something was wrong with Sabine and he needed to get to her right away.

He tucked his lightsaber into his belt and left at a near run, letting the Force direct him back through the streets toward the Ghost.

Upon arriving at the station, Hera, Caleb and Phae had been asked to wait inside Security Chief Catton's office. They'd been told he would be with them in a few moments. "He needs to hurry UP!" Phae growled, looking over her shoulder at the tall human with a crew cut who was obviously the chief by his insignia on his uniform. He was outside the office, talking to someone's holo for the last 15 minutes. "I wonder what's taking him so long."

"Don't know." Caleb said to himself as he settled back on the bench next to Phae. He watched her in profile, noticing the graceful lines of her face once more. She was beautiful, even as she bit her lip in frustration and narrowed her eyes at the target of her annoyance.

Hera was in front of them, sitting in the chair across from the chief's desk. "Staring at him isn't going to make him come in here any faster." Hera said, a hint of a smile on her features. "Caleb, what would Ezra tell you to do right now?"

"To listen to the Force." Caleb said as he continued to steal glances at Phae. She huffed in frustration, turned and threw herself back against the bench, chewing on her bottom lip.

"You gotta be patient, Phae." Caleb murmured, brushing the back of her hand with the back of his own. She glanced up and smiled reluctantly.

"Okay, but I don't do—this," she gestured.

"What?"

She sighed with frustration. "Waiting." She began to bounce her knee impatiently.

"Caleb, see what you can feel in the Force." Hera suggested in a low voice. "We can use all the help we can get."

Caleb closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths. Then he spoke again softly, "He's on his way. He doesn't want to meet with us, but isn't sure why." There was a pause for a moment, then Caleb said "Wait. It's my lightsabers. He saw my lightsabers and they make him uneasy."

Hera nodded. "Good to know."

Phae glanced at Caleb, suitably impressed. The young half-Twi'lek murmured, "Wait. He's coming."

The Security Chief entered the room, running a hand nervously over his crew cut. He was an older man, just a touch younger than Kallus, Hera realized as she was able to get a better look at him. "Ah, yes. Sorry about the delay, ma'am. I had to handle a situation rather quickly."

"Everything okay?" Hera raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, it's fine." Hera nodded as Chief Catton settled into the chair behind his desk with a sigh. "Old bones are getting a little creaky." He laughed gently. "Now, what may I do for you? Are you visitors to our fair city?" Again, his eyes brushed over Caleb's lightsabers nervously.

"Yes." Hera said. "My name is Hera Syndulla. These are my children, Caleb and Phae. They're traveling with me."

"Syndulla. Where have I heard that name before…" The security chief stroked his beard. "Syndulla…I know I've…"

"I was General Syndulla during the war; perhaps that's why it seems familar." Hera said with a tight smile. Caleb could feel how she hated throwing her title around, but knew it was one of the quickest ways to open doors and achieve her objective. "I am a close colleague of the New Republic's Inspector General of Intelligence, Alexsandr Kallus."

"Ah yes. He has written a wonderful monograph on city security," Catton said, his brown eyes lighting up as he leaned forward. "I know much about him."

"He is certainly a shining light in our New Republic, and one of my very close friends. To get to the reason I'm here: Inspector Kallus has heard some disturbing news about the Great Market. He has heard that there are thugs with lightsabers stalking the streets. Can you explain what's going on, so I can relay the information back to the Inspector General?"

A strange expression flitted over Catton's face. "General Syndulla…unfortunately I have no information on such a subject. I have had reports of people robbed by this gang, but we cannot substantiate the incredible claims that the perpetrators were carrying lightsabers." He cleared his throat, glancing again at the weapons that hung at Caleb's hip. "We have been tracking these men, but so far have found nothing. It will probably turn out to be someone's idea of a joke."

"But haven't you lost men recently? Men who decided to investigate these claims?"

"I know nothing about that. We have lost two officers, and we're currently investigating the causes for their death. As of yet, we've found nothing."

"Really? That is disappointing."

"I'm sorry, but I just can't comment on these unsubstantiated rumors."

"I think I understand." Hera replied thoughtfully.

"Mom? May I ask a question?" Caleb stood and took a few steps in her direction. She turned to gaze at him, hoping Chief Catton would do likewise. The security chief cleared his throat nervously as he faced the young Jedi.

"You seem a little nervous, but please don't be. You will tell us what you know about the gang carrying lightsabers." Caleb stayed calm as he pushed with the Force.

"I know nothing about men with lightsabers." Catton's eyes became blank and unfocused. "They are a nuisance only, and really not worth bothering about."

There was a furrow of worry on Caleb's forehead. Chief Catton's mind was a cold block of durasteel.

"You WILL tell me about the gang in town that carries lightsabers. Now." Caleb pushed harder.

"I know nothing about men with lightsabers. They are a nuisance only, and really not worth bothering about." Where they'd seen a focused expression and business-like air on Catton's face before, they now saw nothing.

The man remained still and quiet as Caleb glanced at Hera. "I don't know…I think he's been mind tricked before, maybe. I know I did it right. He should be telling us everything, but there's…nothing there."

"Alright. It's okay, Cale." Hera said, squeezing his arm.

Caleb released his hold on the Force and Catton sat back, blinking as if he wasn't very sure what had just happened.

"Since you're not feeling well, we'll leave you alone, Chief Catton." Hera said, standing up. Caleb and Phae followed.

"Oh, um…alright." Catton was in a suggestible state, Hera knew, and this would work for getting them out quickly. They were almost to the door when Catton rose nervously. "Oh, General Syndulla. I hope you will report favorably to the Inspector General?"

"Oh, have no fear, Chief Catton. We will report that local security forces are doing their best against this threat. I would think the Inspector General will send forces to help with this much sooner than you realize. I'm sure he'll be in touch."

As they made their way outside, Caleb felt Ezra reach out along their bond. He stopped in the street, concentrating inwardly.

"You okay?" Phae raised an eyebrow. There was a strange look on the young Jedi's face and his eyes were far away. She took his hand, but his fingers were slack. "Caleb?"

Hera came back. "What is it, Cale?"

"Ezra. There's something wrong. He's checking on us." Caleb focused and sent back a wave of reassurance that they were okay.

Phae glanced to Hera, worry in her eyes, then they both looked back at Caleb. Suddenly Cale's hand tightened on her own. "It's Bean. Sabine's hurt or something's wrong or…" Caleb blinked a few times, clearing his eyes. "Ezra's worried." His master was trying to hide it, but their bond throbbed with a growing apprehension. He searched his mom's eyes while still holding onto Phae's hand.

"Where are they?"

Almost home, he felt over the bond. Ezra was sending back a reassurance, but it rang hollow in the Force.

"The Ghost. We need to get back there, now."

"Let's go," Hera said, letting Caleb and Phae lead the way.

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