Hi, everyone. New chapter is done, so here you go. This story is drawing to a close in the next five chapters or so, but all my writing seems to be coming r-e-a-l-l-y s-l-o-w-l-y lately. Any comments you might have would be incredibly motivating!

9.

By the time they had reached the Ghost, Zeb was carrying Sabine. He had commed Chopper about any medcenters in the area, but found that the Ghost's medbay was closer. Of course, Sabine had protested when he'd lifted her into his arms, but he'd ignored her. By the time he reached the Ghost, she had settled against him with her eyes closed, which was either a really good thing or a really bad thing.

"Sabine…say something," he rumbled as he clutched her a little closer.

"How close are we?" she rasped out, opening her eyes only a little.

"We're here." Zeb looked up to see the cargo bay ramp opening. The murder droid had come through after all, the Lasat thought with a smirk. He carried Sabine to the medbay, and gently sat her on the bed. Her head hung low, and he could feel the pain in her every breath. "I'm going to find the painkiller and the coagulant, okay kit?"

"Yep," she said, her breath heavy. She realized he always called her kit when he was taking care of her, and it caused a pale smile on her face. "Zeb, I'm feeling a little dizzy too."

"Yeah, I'm here." Zeb came over quickly, baring her arm and providing a sprayhypo of painkiller. Then he helped her lay down on her good side, so that the blaster wound was visible. The Lasat began to remove pieces of armor, then said, "I need to slide up your shirt to get this as close to the wound as possible."

"Mmm-hmm." She murmured, her eyes drifting closed as the painkiller took effect. Zeb pressed the other hypo gently against the skin under her ribs. She winced, but then the tension in her face eased.

Zeb was relieved to see the bleeding slow. He had turned to find a pair of scissors to cut the shirt away from her wound when footsteps made him turn.

Ezra was there. He didn't linger in the doorway, but came immediately to Sabine's side and knelt so that his face was even with her own. He smoothed back her hair with a gentle touch. "Bean? You okay?"

"Yeah." She opened her eyes. "It's just a graze."

He kissed her forehead. "Just rest. We'll slap some engine tape on it—it'll be okay."

He stood and watched Zeb cutting away the side of her shirt so he could reach her wound. It was a bit more than a graze. It was a blaster wound, not quite all the way up to the bottom of her undergarment. It was deep, but not to the point that she'd need a bacta tank. With a small pair of tweezers and a practiced hand, Ezra began picking out small shreds of clothing where they were embedded into the burned and torn flesh. An inch or more to the right and they would have been dealing with internal organ damage. He let his gratitude flow into the Force as he focused on his task.

When he was done, Zeb handed him the bacta. Ezra gently slathered it on and Sabine's soft groans turned to sighs of relief. While Zeb bandaged her up, Ezra brushed his fingers along her hair and took her hand.

"Does she need a medcenter?" Ezra asked.

"We got back here pretty fast, and I've got the bleeding stopped, so I don't think so. If she gets a fever, then maybe, but for now, I think she's gonna be okay." Zeb told Ezra. "She scared me though."

Ezra was about to ask what had happened, but Hera spoke first from the doorway.

"Ezra…Zeb…How is she?"

"She's stable." Zeb said. "If it had taken us five or ten more minutes to get here…I'm not so sure. But we're good."

Sabine opened bleary eyes and began to adjust herself on the small medical bed to get more comfortable.

"Don't move too much. We can't risk any more bleeding." Ezra placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry…feel fine. Wanna go upstairs." She tried to sit up.

"No can do, kit." Zeb said. "Not right now."

She was obviously irritated as she rolled her eyes. "Fine." It was the most protest she could give before she fell back asleep again. Ezra took her hand.

"Thanks for getting her here." Ezra said in a tight voice as he met Zeb's eyes.

"You bet." Zeb nodded.

There was a sniffle.

Ezra looked over his shoulder and saw two worried faces peeking in. Caleb was obviously worried, but Phae was inconsolable. "I'm so sorry," she said, tears streaking down her face. "Is she…is she gonna be ok?"

"Yeah. Come here." Ezra held out both arms and the teens came over and leaned against him. Phae was openly crying; Caleb was composed, but he looked pale and his emotions were rolling like choppy water during a storm. "She's going to be fine. It was a blaster shot—it caused some bleeding, but she's okay now. She's going to be fine."

"But…but it's my fault." Phae managed. "I should never have involved you all in this."

"Nothing is your fault. We don't even know what happened," Ezra said, holding them close. Finally, he let them go and looked down at first Caleb, then Phae. "Now go upstairs. I'll get Sabine settled, then I'll be back up top. We'll figure this thing out together, okay?"

They nodded, and turned to go.

Ezra returned to the bed where Hera was removing Sabine's boots to make her more comfortable. "What happened, Zeb?"

"There were two people at the auction house. Sabine went down to get a closer look before she knew one was carrying an Inquisitor blade. The guy came for her. We barely got out of there, Ezra. He cut his way through the door and was following us, but thank the Ashla, we had a head start."

Ezra nodded, tucking a blanket around Sabine. "Was it their leader?"

Zeb shook his head. "I'm not sure."

Hera thought a moment, then spoke up. "We met the Security Chief. He's…strange."

"What do you mean?" Ezra asked.

"Caleb could tell that he'd been mind tricked to forget anything about Force users or lightsaber wielding thugs. He will tell you more about the details, I'm sure. The man seemed a little confused to me, but well-meaning. He wanted to know how his men got killed, but he just had no clue."

Ezra nodded thoughtfully. "I was attacked by one of those lightsaber wielding thugs, not long after I passed into the Southside."

"A darksider?" Hera asked.

Ezra shook his head. "He had been trained, but was not Force sensitive."

"You obviously won," Zeb said, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, I liberated the saber." Ezra pulled it from his belt, looking at the construction of it. He couldn't help wondering where it came from. Some Padawan had spent his or her time crafting the hilt after being awarded a kyber crystal, and holding such a personal object of someone else's did something to him. He could sense the kyber crystal inside murmuring its sad song, and knew that the Force user that had owned this blade had been dead a long time. It made him sad, and he realized that he probably now knew how Kanan had felt. Being one of the last Jedi was lonely.

When had this Jedi met his or her end? He touched the activation button and the light green blade flared to life. He contemplated it as the weapon cast a glow around the room. "The guy pulled a blaster on me, and he didn't make it." He extinguished the blade and remained looking down at it as the crystal went silent again.

Hera took a step and put an arm around Ezra. "I'm glad you made it back safe."

He leaned in, taking comfort from her strength. "Thanks, Hera." His eyes drifted to Sabine's sleeping face. "I need to talk to Caleb before we decide on the next steps. Zeb…mind staying with her?"

"No problem." Zeb said, pulling down the jump seat beside the bed.

Ezra and Hera headed to the upper level.

"Hey, it's okay." Caleb said, reaching out to brush Phae's arm with his fingertips. Her knee hadn't stopped bouncing since they sat down.

"Yeah." Phae said morosely, not sounding convinced. Her arms were wrapped around herself as if she were cold, but Caleb reached out and took her hands in his own.

"You've gotta calm down. Look, just breathe."

She was reluctant at first, letting out a sigh and rolling her eyes, but then, as he waited patiently, she began to take slow even breaths, copying his example.

"That's right." He nodded. "Now close your eyes." He demonstrated, taking a small amount of the Force and giving her a gentle nudge toward calming her mind. Ezra had used this technique after he'd returned home from being kidnapped by Tarek. There had been some bad dreams, until Ezra had helped him get them under control. Helping Bean had taken longer, but thanks to Ezra, they'd both gotten better.

"This…is nice." She breathed out softly. "I feel…better."

"Yeah." He had to admit it—it WAS nice. Sitting and holding hands with her did something warm to his heart. She felt the flutter over the Force and opened her eyes wide.

"What was that?" She raised an eyebrow.

"What was what?" he asked, leaning in with a slight smile on his face. He could see a slight flush on her lips and cheeks and her brown eyes were so dark they were almost black.

"That feeling in the Force. It was…pretty…amazing," she bit her lip as they drew closer together.

Caleb could see himself kissing her, and was inches from doing so when he heard the tink, tink, tink, of Hera and Ezra coming up the ladder. He drew back but gave her hands a squeeze. He knew he was beginning to like her more and more, the longer they spent together. She wasn't the first girl who had caught his eye—there'd been that girl who worked at the repair shop in the city, but he hadn't had much luck with her. She'd probably been too shy to talk with him or too in awe of who he was. It seemed like everyone on Lothal knew his family.

And his family had been very protective of him. He'd only had one or two friends growing up—they lived too far out of town for a "casual" visit when he was young and after Tarek…his family had had a hard time letting him out of their sight. Being able to feel their fear meant he understood and tried not to push them.

Phaedra was incredibly different than anyone he'd ever met. She'd lost her mom, just like he'd lost his dad. Also, both he and Phaedra had been attacked by an ex-Inquisitor. They understood each other in a way that no one really had…before. Was she as inexperienced as he was, or would he seem like a clueless boy to her? He didn't know.

"You two okay?" Hera asked as she came over and put a hand on each of their shoulders. They both nodded. "Good." She slid into a seat, and Ezra followed, placing a silver object on the table.

Caleb looked up in surprise. "A lightsaber?"

Ezra nodded. "From the thug that attacked me on the Southside. I was there on the street about ten minutes before he began following me."

"Is…is it a red blade?" Caleb asked, eyes wide. He hadn't seen one since Sabine had fought Tarek. He'd peered out of a crack in the closet door watching them fight, and could still see the bloody glow in his memory. He was a lot older now, but the thought of seeing one again made his hands tighten into fists. Ezra had told him how the red blades were made by bleeding the crystal and turning it to the dark. His jaw tightened as the very thought of it made his heart fall.

"No." Ezra shook his head and Caleb relaxed. "He wasn't a Force sensitive. Just someone who could fight with a blade a bit. Sabine's a lot better trained than this guy, so either he was new or…just disposable."

"Did you kill him or did he get away?" Phae asked, leaning in with wide eyes.

"I was going to let him take a message back to Sekkak, but he pulled a blaster on me when my back was turned." Ezra said with a note of regret. "This is going to be a little tougher than we thought. Bean saw a Force-user with an Inquisitor blade, and I got information from Alexsandr that Sekkak was an Inquisitor apprentice during the war. That's two trained Force-users plus whoever else is trained with a blade. And that's all we know of." He looked grave. "There could be more."

Hera looked worried as well. "I'm not sure we should go in there…"

Ezra nodded slowly, thinking. "Caleb. Describe what you got from the security chief."

"I tried to get him to tell us about them, but it was blank. Like a big block of durasteel. When he repeated he knew nothing, he did it the same way both times, as if…"

"As if it was a suggestion from a mind trick?"

"Yeah, but he wasn't a bad person. I could sense it. I don't think he is working with them, but…they got to him anyway."

"You also said he didn't feel good about you wearing lightsabers." Phaedra looked from Caleb to Ezra. Caleb nodded.

"Makes sense." Ezra said, thoughfully, reaching out to trace the lines of the weapon on the table. "I need to think a bit and consult with the Force. Until we figure this out, no one goes out without me. They know we're here and probably that we're on the other side." Unless Sekkak and his men were complete idiots, Ezra mused. Of course, however, Sekkak had to have some sense to have hidden his activities for so long. "No one goes out without me," he repeated, eyeing both of the kids. They nodded. "Good. I'll be back up later."

He stood up, and after placing a hand reassuringly on Caleb's shoulder, he left the room to go down to the medbay.

"This is a lot bigger than us." Caleb said softly.

"How can you tell?" Hera asked.

He looked at his mom, then Phae. "The Force. It's doing something weird. Flowing differently now. Like wind before a storm." He was reminded of the summer storms of home and the one before that last fight with Tarek on Lothal. Things were building to a crescendo and it made him feel uneasy.

"I think we can trust that Ezra will know what our next steps are. I'm going to make a call to Alexsandr. Cale, can I put you in charge of dinner? We still have leftovers from last night that can be reheated."

"Sure, Mom."

"I'll help." Phaedra offered, smiling at Caleb and anxious to pitch in.

"Thank you, both of you," the Twi'lek nodded, before she headed to the cockpit.

As Ezra slipped into a light meditation in the medbay, he reached for Sabine in the Force. She was weak and dimmed from the medication dulling her senses, but she was still steady, and that was good. He wrapped her in the Force and made her as comfortable as he could.

When she was resting easily, he allowed himself to float through the warm Force currents. He felt the tide of love that Hera had for Caleb. Zeb's protectiveness over them all was a fierce purple light. Then, Ezra sensed the golden strands of light between Caleb and Phae, and felt the growing connection between the two teens. There was something there that he couldn't yet see, but it was going to be important.

The Force-current changed, pulling him deeper. After so many years of meditation practice, Ezra knew to allow the Force to push and pull him in the endless ebb and flow of light, trusting that it would lead him the right way. For a long time, he felt weightless, and slowly he began to sense an immense field of stars around him.

When he opened his eyes, he saw the grasslands of Lothal, under a night sky that seemed to contain every star in the galaxy. He brushed his hand along the tops of the grass, feeling the blades reach up to tickle his palm.

Lothal.

The scent of green growth and rich earth reached him on the summer air. He felt his heart lift a bit as he reveled in the way the Force beat in the earth, grass and rocks around him.

Why had he been brought here? He began to see familiar rock shapes around him and realized that he was near the kyber crystal cave where Caleb had faced his test.

"I don't understand," he whispered, looking up at the many silver stars. He heard a snort and turned around.

A giant silver-grey loth-wolf was standing behind him, face close to Ezra's own. It was the large one, with the mark on its head. It leaned in to sniff him, nosing the side of his head so violently that it almost pushed him over. Then it licked him. "Okay," he laughed, reaching up to run his hand through its coarse fur. Suddenly, Ezra felt his old bond with Kanan flare to life with brilliance, dissipating the constant ache that he'd grown used to over so many years.

"Ezra."

He whirled to find Kanan standing behind him. His master was clothed in robes that were the same silvered color of the wolf's fur.

"Kanan—" Ezra cried as he reached out to embrace his Master.

The Jedi returned the hug with as much enthusiasm. "I've missed you, kid."

"I…it's been…a while," Ezra admitted as he stepped back.

"You've gotten older." Kanan said, a bittersweet smile crossing his features.

"Yeah." It was then that Ezra realized that they were almost the same age now. It struck him hard. "Kanan…can I ask a question?"

"Of course."

"Did you always know what to do when you were training me?"

Kanan shook his head, a smile still touching his features. "No…I didn't. I had doubts." At Ezra's wide eyes he went on, "The doubts had nothing to do with you, they were all about me. But Ezra, I loved you just like you love Caleb. I had to hope that what I would do would be right because of that. I know you're worried," he went on, "but you've been a good teacher for Caleb. The best I could have hoped for. I hope you know that."

"I taught him the best I could. The way you would…would've."

"I know." Kanan reached out and put a hand on Ezra's shoulder. "I also know you're worried. I can sense your fear."

"Yeah. There are darksiders…and…I'm…I'm not sure if Caleb's ready…"

Kanan nodded. "I felt the same about you, but you were just fine." He looked out into the darkness a moment, then returned his gaze to Ezra's. "I don't know what the future holds, but I do know this. You have to let Caleb take his first steps on his own. You can't protect him forever."

"What's happening?" Ezra startled as the scene around them changed and they were in a Jedi Temple dojo. "Where is this?" Ezra asked, looking around the bright room. Lightsabers lined the walls and there were mats at his feet. He could sense that many Padawans had practiced here. Their echoes were still vibrating in the Force.

Kanan looked around him with surprise and recognition in his eyes. "Oh." He smiled wistfully. "This is where I learned the same lesson you have before you. You can't protect him forever, Ezra. You have to let go."

"But…but I've got to keep him safe." Ezra said, coming back over to Kanan. "He's…" He stopped abruptly as if afraid to go on.

Kanan waited patiently, then gently urged Ezra on. "He's what?"

"He's…" There was a long pause. "He's all…all we have left of you." Ezra said suddenly, the words bursting out of him like a held breath. They left him feeling trembly and tired.

Kanan smiled ruefully and looked down. "I see. So, you protect him because you feel like you couldn't protect me from my fate. Do you plan to keep him safe his whole life?"

"Yes…I mean no…I…" Ezra didn't know what to say as he met Kanan's blue-green eyes.

"You think you're holding on out of love, but it's fear, Ezra."

"No." Ezra dropped his eyes, realizing it was a lie.

Kanan approached him and placed a hand on his shoulder again. "It's fear, Ezra. Call it what it is."

Ezra struggled for long moments, then looked up with tears in his eyes. "Okay. I admit it. I am afraid. I don't want to lose him, and I…I don't want to fail you."

Kanan smiled. "You haven't ever failed me. Not once. But Ezra, you have to let him make his own mistakes. All you can do is what you've done: train him the best that you can. It'll be enough, Ezra. It was with you, and it will be the same with him."

"Do you know that for sure?" Ezra asked.

"Nothing's for sure, but in every future I can see, this is the path you must take."

Ezra bowed his head for a moment, then nodded. "I'll do the best I can."

Kanan nodded. "I know you will." The temple began to melt around them and things slowly grew dark. When Ezra realized what was happening, he raised his gaze and frantically searched out the features of Kanan's face, lined in starlight once more. "Trust in the Force, Ezra. It has brought you this far. When things are the darkest, do not despair. Look for the light."

Gradually, Kanan faded into the void and Ezra was alone again. Their bond was dark once more, but he felt a calmness he'd not had when he sat for meditation. Opening his eyes, he saw he was back in the medbay.

He unfolded himself and stood beside Sabine's bed, stretching his muscles that were cramped from being so still for so long.

It was then he noticed that Hera was sitting beside Sabine's bed.

"Hi," she said softly. "You okay?"

"Yeah. I…uh…yeah." He blinked a few times, trying to adjust his perception to the real world again. Sabine was sleeping deeply and he reached down to take her hand. He could feel her pulse steady and strong.

"Hera? How…how do you feel about Caleb on the mission with us tomorrow night? I wasn't too sure at first, but I think…maybe…it's time." He glanced up at her to see her reaction.

She nodded slowly but her lekku were stiff with worry. "I don't like it, but I suppose I wouldn't like it no matter what age he was." She smiled ruefully. "Just think about all the things you were doing at his age."

He made a face and chuckled softly. "Let's NOT think of some of those things."

They laughed a moment, then Hera grew solemn again. "Ezra, I trust you, if that's what you're wondering. You've trained him as well as Kanan trained you. He's becoming everything he's supposed to be and…if he didn't fight against injustice, no matter where he found it, he wouldn't be my son."

Ezra nodded slowly. "I think the Force is pushing us in that direction too. Um…meditating a while ago…I saw…"

She raised an eyebrow. "You did see him…" Suddenly, her eyes shone with emotion.

Ezra was surprised. "How did you know…"

"I could feel him. In the room. I thought it was my imagination. It was just for a moment, then it was gone. Not like it is on Lothal sometimes."

"He's…stronger there, I think."

She nodded. They both remembered what it had been like after Kanan had shown himself on Lothal at the conclusion of the fight with Tarek. Since then, every once in a while, they would sense Kanan's presence. They'd only spoken of it once, while repairing the engines on the Ghost. Ezra had admitted feeling his connection to Kanan flare back to life from time to time, especially when he was meditating. Hera had often sensed a gentle touch on her shoulder from time to time.

What she hadn't described to Ezra was the soft scent of the herbal soap Kanan had always used. Each time she had a nightmare about Caleb and the kidnapping, she would awaken to the scent of Kanan's soap and the feeling of his arms around her. No. That memory was just for her, she thought again as she looked up to find Ezra's hand on her shoulder and an understanding look on his face.

Hera wiped under her eyes with her gloved fingers. "Sorry. What…what did he say?"

"He said that it's time to let Caleb go. To see how he handles himself on his own." Ezra watched her reaction with a raised eyebrow.

Hera bowed her head. She'd given Kanan the same advice once, when he was training Sabine to fight with the Darksaber. If he was going to have to put everything in practice that Ezra had taught him, then she knew that her son would have to risk danger. "I knew it would come to this one day."

"Don't think this doesn't scare the kriff out of me too," Ezra added.

"I might be letting him go try this on his own, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to be right there to jump on anyone coming after him," she said.

"I know. If things look like more than we can handle, we can always abort the mission and I'll hold them off while you and Zeb get the kids out."

Hera nodded slowly. "I called Alexsandr earlier. He's sending a few agents. They should be here in about 23 hours."

"I'm glad you didn't turn them down," Ezra murmured thoughtfully.

"The kids have gotten dinner ready. Let's go eat, then we can bring something down for Sabine. Her vitals are still stable." Hera said, reaching out and feeling Sabine's forehead. "She's not spiking a fever, which is a good sign."

Ezra nodded, leaning down to place a kiss on her forehead. "Back soon, Sabinika," he whispered.

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