A/N: Please don't be too mad at me. I decided to make a decision that might be a gamble. Let's hope it pays off.

10.

They had finished eating dinner and making plans for the next day. It was decided that everyone but Sabine would go to the auction. Zeb would wait outside, while Hera, Ezra, Caleb and Phae went inside to buy the saber back. If there was no trouble, they would simply return to the Ghost and wait for Alexsandr's people before mounting an attack. If there was trouble, then Hera, Zeb and Caleb would be there to assist.

They were cleaning up the dishes when Caleb turned around to see Sabine standing in the doorway. "Bean!" He ran over to put an arm around her, worried that she might fall.

"'M fine." She muttered as he eased her over to the bench and into the seat.

"Sabine…we told you to stay put," Ezra said as he came over. Phae took a few steps toward the table, but then remained in the galley area, watching with big eyes. Hera came up beside her and put a guiding hand on her shoulder.

"It's okay," she whispered to the startled girl. "Come on." They came over slowly.

Zeb was chiding her when they approached. "—listen, kit. You were supposed to rest."

It was obvious Sabine was under the influence of the pain medicine because her voice was slurred. "Guess it's just all that Mandalorian grit I have."

"Let's put you and the grit to bed." Ezra said, shaking his head at her as he hauled her up to her feet once again and let her lean on him. He guided her to their room.

When they reached their quarters, Zeb keyed the door. Ezra settled Sabine on the bed. "Hungry?"

She shook her head. "Maybe later, but I'd kill for some water."

"I'll get it." Caleb said, moving past everyone to the galley. When he brought it back, Sabine drank greedily.

"Careful." Ezra said, holding out a hand for the cup so that she didn't drop it. She let him take it and laid back on the pillow.

"I'll be good to go for the morning," she said, glancing first to Ezra, then the rest of the Spectres and Phaedra, peering into the room.

"No. You're not going on this one, Sabine." He reached down to smooth back strands of her hair in a tender gesture.

She glanced up at him, surprised. "I can't just stay here…"

"You're staying back at the Ghost, with Chop. If we need a pick-up, you'll come for us." Ezra said.

She sat up in alarm. "Ezra, there was one of Sekkak's redblades there. There's another person who is supposed to show up at the auction tomorrow night."

"And we'll deal with it," Ezra nodded. "But what you need to do now is rest, okay?"

She settled back down to the pillows, pouting a little. "I don't have to like it."

"You're right." Ezra replied. "You don't, but you do have to rest. I'll be back in in a little bit."

When he was sure she was going to rest, he ushered the rest of them out.

There were a lot of people at the auction. It was decided that Ezra and Phaedra would sit away from Hera and Caleb. They were connected over a private comm network by earpieces and so could coordinate actions. Zeb was also on the same network outside, watching the street traffic.

There were various beings from all classes and species at the auction. Ezra and Phaedra sat on the right side; the girl was covered by the hood of the jacket she wore, just in case the person selling the lightsaber was actually Estin Devian and she would be recognized. She was nervous and shifted continually in her seat until Ezra reached out and put a hand on her forearm. "Emotion, yet peace, Phae." He murmured to her, using the Force to help her calm her nerves.

She looked up, into his calm, bi-colored gaze. "Okay," she whispered. "I'll try."

"A calm mind is the ultimate weapon." He murmured, glancing around the room again. A young man with a worried Force signature came up the center aisle and sat in a front row seat. He sensed Phae stiffen when she saw him. "Our target?" He breathed.

"Yeah." Phae said, pulling her face back into her hood. "I'm pretty sure that's him. I recognize his blaster."

Ezra nodded. He sat back, crossing his arms on his chest and extending his ankles out in front of him, his posture showing that he was fully at ease—just as any bored customer might do. He stayed that way even when he sensed another Force user enter the building.

"Caleb keep your shields strong. I sense a presence."

"Me too." Caleb replied.

Ezra kept a steadying hand on Phae's forearm. "The one in the blue cloak." He nodded toward the man, flanked by two bodyguards, who took a seat in the front row.

Phae's face hardened but she was able to resist the impulse to jump to her feet. More people filtered in, and eventually the auction began.

They auctioned off all kinds of things. Pairs of blasters, armor, droid parts, crates of rations, and rebuilt ship parts were just a few of the things. Toward the end of the auction, the auctioneer came forth with Phae's mother's lightsaber.

"Now this, gentle beings is a truly unique item. It is a pre-rebellion lightsaber. An unusual weapon, to be sure. Built by a Jedi, this yellow blade is not often seen in weapons of this period." The auctioneer held up the hilt and ignited the blade. There were gasps all around the room. "A true thing of beauty. The bidding begins at 1,000 credits."

And the bidding began. A Rodian made the first bid. Other bids came in, but as the saber price climbed, they dropped off.

"Okay. Our last bid by the gentleman in the front is 10,000 credits. Do we have another bid? Going…going…"

"10,100." Ezra raised a hand.

The auctioneer looked surprised. "We have 10,100. Do I hear 10,200?"

"11,000 creds." The voice said in the front.

"12,000 credits." Ezra gestured.

The man in the front row turned around and glared openly at Ezra. He narrowed his eyes, and Ezra felt a mental push against his shields. Suddenly the man grinned as he turned back.

"I think we've been made." Ezra said softly to Phaedra.

"Kriff."

"12,000 once…twice…sold to the gentleman on my left."

The crowd applauded politely. The Force user arose with his bodyguards and walked down the aisle, making eye contact with Ezra. "Win some, lose some." Ezra offered, getting a good look at the dark-haired man with light blue eyes the color of ice. He said nothing, but continued to eye Ezra and Phaedra until they passed.

"They'll be coming out." Ezra said over the comm. "Three guys, Zeb."

After a second, Zeb replied that he had visual contact. Ezra stood up, and Phae followed him as they made their way to a cashier window.

Ezra presented his identification to the woman at the window.

"I will need you to enter your banking information." The woman, an older Theelin with feathers woven into her pink hair, gestured to a terminal beside her. Ezra entered the appropriate series of numbers, then waited while the transaction was processed. Phaedra looked on in horror.

"You…you can't."

"Why not?" Ezra asked, raising an eyebrow.

"It's…It's a lot of money!"

"Money is unimportant." Ezra said, taking the receipt. "Thank you."

"Take your receipt to the back of the auction house and they will give you your item. Thank you for letting us serve you."

"It's 12,000 creds!" Phaedra said.

"Yeah, it is." Ezra laughed gently and put a hand on her shoulder. He glanced around the room and saw Hera and Caleb making their way over.

"We have to go to the back to pick up the saber," Ezra said, leading the way. When he reached the back, he dealt with the guard and auction official while Phae, still stunned, glanced up at Hera.

"He's crazy. He just paid 12,000 creds for my…my…saber."

"He's a Jedi." Hera replied, as if that phrase explained everything.

Ezra turned with the saber in hand. "Here. This is yours."

Phaedra held it tightly in her hand, cradling it against her chest. "Thank you," she said, tears in her eyes. Ezra wrapped an arm around one shoulder and Caleb came to wrap an arm around her other one.

"It's nothing. Caleb will work off the money anyway. How long do you think it will take to work off 12,000 creds?" Ezra jibed.

"Oh, I'd say that is at LEAST doing the dishes and scrubbing the Ghost for life." Hera teased, seeing Phaedra's eyes grow large.

"We're just kidding," Ezra said with a smile that quickly grew serious. "Now, though, we have more important problems. Getting back to the Ghost." He tapped his comm. "Zeb?"

"They're out front." Zeb said. "Just waiting."

Ezra raised an eyebrow, unsure what to do. Surely, they hadn't had time to call in reinforcements, had they? He struggled between splitting off Hera and Phaedra and sending them back to the Ghost out the back or confronting the problem head on. He closed his eyes, searching the Force to know what to do.

"Wait…they got a message on their comm and they're leaving."

Zeb's voice continued. "Yeah they're going back toward the Southside. I'll be waiting by the entrance."

Ezra sighed, relieved. Maybe the showdown wouldn't take place tonight and Alexsandr's men would have time to show up.

The Jedi closed his eyes for a moment, and Phaedra saw that Caleb gave him a surprised look. When he opened his royal blue eyes, he fixed them on his Padawan first.

"Caleb." He put a hand on Caleb's shoulder. "I want you in the front with Hera. Focus your senses on what's around you, just in case this is some kind of elaborate set up." He moved to Hera, a hand on each of her shoulders. "I need you by his side if we are attacked." She nodded in reply. "And Phaedra…you are in the middle." He put a hand on her shoulder. Strangely she felt lightened by his touch. It was a tingly feeling that went from the top of her head to her toes, taking away all her fear and worries.

When Ezra turned to lead them outside, Caleb whispered in her ear. "It's a battle meditation. Did you feel braver after he touched you?"

She nodded.

"It's to make us work better as a team." Caleb said as they moved outside. The both of them watched as Ezra laid a hand on Zeb's shoulder as well.

"It's amazing," she said, feeling the sensation of light and right flow through her heart. It was a lot like meditating with Ezra the first time she'd seen and known the Force.

"Okay. Let's go." Ezra said. Caleb and Hera set off, with Phaedra, Zeb and Ezra following. They made their way to the end of the street, and turned to head back toward the spaceport. The streets were lit dimly and the shadows seemed to crawl after them in the darkness. Three streets over, near a darkened warehouse, Caleb felt the first stirrings of unease. He reached for his bond with Ezra and could tell that his master felt the same sensation.

It was then that a red blasterbolt streaked by, grazing Zeb's shoulder. The Lasat immediately fired back with his bo-rifle.

Caleb drew both sabers and began deflecting the hail of blaster-fire flashing about them. Hera fired from over his shoulder, yanking Phae back toward her. Briefly Hera thought to call Sabine in the Ghost, but she realized that Sabine would be able to do little in the narrow streets where they were.

The blaster fire began to slow, and there were the distinctive snap-hiss of three lightsaber blades, lighting up the darkness as the figures approached out of the warehouse. The saber blades were all red.

"The yellow blade belongs to me." The tallest of the group, a man unfamiliar to Caleb, stepped forward. Hera took a shot, which the tall man deflected with a lazy gesture of his sword. Caleb kept the reflected bolt from hitting Hera.

"Sekkak."

"You will turn over that blade and leave the planet. Unless you wish to join us?" The former Inquisitor apprentice grinned.

"If you are darksider enough to wield that red blade, then you already know my answer." Ezra said, lifting his green blade to a horizontal ready position over his head.

"Very well. Perhaps I can convince your whelp over there to join me once I take your head."

"Kriff off!" There was a blast of Force energy as Caleb pushed the darksider back two feet.

"Caleb." Ezra held out a hand toward him, never taking eyes off of Sekkak. "You must keep your center. He is all talk." He lowered his head and kept his eyes on the ex-inquisitor apprentice.

There was a grin as the darksider began to advance with the blade-wielder to his right. "Tal—take the boy; he's about your speed."

Tal was a bit older than Caleb, with a long line leading down his cheek and onto his neck. The skin around the area was twisted and shiny with scar tissue, and it caused the corner of his mouth to turn down. Caleb could feel that he was a true Force user, and not just some thug with a lightsaber. The dark side twisted and coiled around him like a snake.

His opening move was to hold the saber over his head and bring it down with a twisting motion as he locked with both of Caleb's blades. If not for his recognition of the attack from his training, Caleb most certainly would have been disarmed. The best his opponent could do, though, was to was make a quick twist of his wrist and cause a burn along Caleb's left arm, from the wrist to the elbow.

He hissed in pain, but threw a wave of Force energy at his opponent that pushed him almost back to the warehouse. Behind him he could sense his mother had placed her back against his and was firing at other opponents behind them.

"Caleb?" A high fearful cry from Phae. There was the snap-hiss of her lightsaber. She held it in front of her like he'd shown her, like a youngling, Caleb saw. Her eyes were fierce as she dropped into the same position he'd taught her only days before. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." He could feel reassurance along the battle bond he shared with Ezra, and he readied his sabers for defense. He needed to observe his opponent before he decided how best to attack. Using the Force, he pushed back the pain in his arm and stood ready as the redblade advanced once more.

Ezra made several forceful slashes at Sekkak while pushing the other Force-user (the one from the auction), back fifteen feet into the warehouse. Zeb began taking shots at two others with blasters who were coming up from the warehouse on the opposite side.

"You will die like all the other Jedi. Screaming." Sekkak spat as he advanced again.

"I have felled redblades before, and they were the ones who screamed. You will be no different." They began to trade blows, Ezra keeping to the basics of form three, while Sekkak tried a mixture of Juyo and other forms.

Parry, parry, riposte. Caleb was keeping it simple and holding his own against the badly trained redblade. Either the man had not been a redblade very long or he was having trouble focusing. Cale had hit his opponent in the shoulder with one of his blue blades, and now the redblade, Tal, was off-balance. Perhaps he was not used to fighting someone with dual blades. Caleb readied himself as Tal approached with a growl.

"If you continue, I will be forced to kill you." Caleb said.

"It's you who will die, boy!" Tal growled, and lifted his sword, gathering power.

Trust. Let go, the Force seemed to be saying. Caleb closed his eyes and let go of winning, of protecting his family, of keeping the Force-user at bay and gave himself over completely to the light. And when he opened his eyes, he saw that he had planted one of his swords into the darksider's chest. The other sword was blocking the downward swing, enough so that instead of splitting his shoulder from his body, the sword only cut into his shoulder a small amount before the darksider was falling to his knees. Then the red blade bounced away harmlessly as its wielder fell backwards into the street.

Caleb glanced over to where Ezra and Zeb were fighting the two darksiders who were left. Hera and Phae were facing off against an assailant who was behind some crates in the opposite warehouse. Phae was moving the golden saber in a simple arc, and she deflected a shot. Caleb realized that she had tapped into the Force in a very primal sort of way. It was elementary, yet powerful at the same time, moving her hands to the right places.

Stay with them.

Caleb glanced back at Ezra; even though he'd heard his master's voice, Ezra hadn't had time to make eye contact. He was battling the strongest of the darksiders, their blades were flashing like a star, moving so quickly it was hard to see where the red blade began and the green one ended. Zeb was keeping his single darksider opponent at bay with blasts from his bo-rifle.

He turned back and moved out front to begin deflecting the shots of the man in front of them. With a scream, one of their opponents went down.

The Force pulled him to turn back toward Ezra and Hera; however, it was a moment too late. He'd been scanning the warehouse in front of him for other opponents, but the danger was coming from behind them. Turning, he saw and felt his mom's sudden pain. She dropped to her knees, and then curled in on herself.

"No!" Caleb shook his head, and suddenly saw the shooter in an upper window of the warehouse behind them. The man had a blaster rifle and had targeted first Hera, now Caleb. He sent the bolt sizzling back towards the shooter and hit the target.

Caleb and Phae reached Hera almost at the same time. Caleb kept one saber out, but hung the other one from his belt and went down on his knees beside his mom.

"Mama…" He said, choking on the word as he tried to turn her over.

She looked up at him, then at Phae who was kneeling beside her as well. "Go." She hissed in a whisper. "Get out of here."

"No, Mom! Not without you!" Caleb felt himself unraveling as he glanced over her wounds, remembering everything he'd been taught about first aid by Ezra, Sabine and his mom. The blast had caught her in the abdomen, and it was bad. He felt tears gather in his eyes at the amount of damage as he finally turned her over.

Ezra knew the moment Hera was hit. He felt the blast in his stomach and actually looked down to see if he was injured, but then he realized Hera had gone down. Knowing she was hurt made staying focused on his own fight a struggle.

At this point, Ezra and Sekkak were both tiring. Zeb had gotten close enough to take out his darksider's knee. He'd knocked the Force-user's saber away and now they were grappling hand to hand.

Ezra parried Sekkak's next attack and struck home on the riposte, his sword biting into his opponent's side. A wave of fear hit him through his bond with Caleb and his lesser bonds with Phaedra and Hera. It was bad. He could feel panic and terror from Caleb; for a minute it threatened to drown him, but he fought his way above it and narrowed his focus. Sekkak was staggering back.

Ezra didn't know much of Juyo, but he used what Kanan had taught him. A rapid Juyo attack took the injured crime boss by surprise and before the man could recover, Ezra had stuck him between two ribs. The smell of burned flesh hit his nostrils and made him want to retch. Retreating for a moment, he waited to see what Sekkak would do. The darksider staggered back, a snarl of anger on his features as he gathered himself for a Force-assisted leap.

Ezra gathered as much Force energy as he could and used it to catch the injured crime boss in midair, then slam him into the wall of the warehouse. Something crunched and Sekkak slumped to the ground, his blade falling from his hand. Ezra called it from the ground where it had fallen and tucked it into his belt. It was then he noticed Zeb was standing, gasping for breath, having defeated his own opponent. "Zeb, can you cover him?" Ezra asked.

"Yeah. This one's done for." Zeb pointed his rifle at Sekkak as he limped over.

Ezra turned and made for Hera, Caleb and Phaedra. His padawan had pulled Hera behind some nearby shipping crates, and he and Phaedra were kneeling, doing something to try and help while they still were taking fire from one of the upper windows. The shooter targeted Ezra but with one flick of the Jedi's wrist, he sent the bolt back. A scream signified that he hit his intended mark.

When he got there, he saw how bad it really was. Caleb had his hands over the wound, trying to apply pressure to stop the bleeding, but it was no use. There was too much blood pooling underneath Hera. If they had a medic right here, with a medcenter…it would almost certainly be too late. He heard sirens of the local law enforcement in some distant part of his consciousness, but he was completely focused on her. She was a pale green, and her lips were tinged with her magenta-colored blood.

"Hera," he took her hand.

Her green eyes found his. "Get the kids…out…of—" she said.

"It's okay. We're out of danger." Ezra felt the weakening of Hera's usually strong Force signature.

"Ezra…We need to get her to a med center," Caleb began, his anguished face searching Ezra's bi-colored gaze.

"No, Caleb." Ezra shook his head, his eyes holding Hera's.

Hera understood, Ezra could see it on her features as she nodded. She turned her head to Caleb, all of her focus centered on her son. "Caleb," she whispered. "Listen to…me…"

His eyes were latched on to her. "Mama. N-no. You're gonna be okay."

"Caleb, it's okay." Her blood-spattered hand reached for his. "I'm okay with it. I…just…want you to know how much I love you. How proud I…have always been..."

Tears were flowing freely down Caleb's face as his heart broke inside. This couldn't be happening. His mother, Hera Syndulla, the hero of the Rebellion, shot down by some thug's blaster in an alley. It wasn't right. He buried his face in her shoulder. "No, Mama. I'm not losing you. Don't leave me."

She brought a hand up to place it on his brown hair. The older he got, the more he looked so much like Kanan. Suddenly she remembered Kanan's words to her, the last time they'd seen each other in that place between worlds. "Kanan said…he'd be there." She shifted her eyes to Ezra. "So, I'm not afraid. Watch over him Ezra…Watch…out for Caleb."

"I will," he promised, tears streaking his own face. "I will, Hera."

Caleb had raised his head as she mentioned his father. "No, Mom…"

"Caleb, I love you…" As her eyes closed, Caleb screamed out his grief.

It was bright. Hera was looking into the face of the sun and it dazzled her eyes. When they became adjusted, she saw that Kanan was above her, between her and the dazzle of light.

"Easy there." He said in that deep voice that seemed to resonate with her soul. "I've got you."

Hera sat up as he helped her, and she realized that she was in the Ghost's cockpit. They must have been floating near a sun, and the brilliance had streamed through into the cockpit, lighting it with a beautiful yellow-white glow. For a minute, she wondered if it was another dream. Kanan looked like he'd looked when they were young. His hair was short and there was an easy smile on his face.

"Oh…" She reached out to touch him. "This is a dream. Or is this real?" Was she dead? That was it. This wasn't a dream. It was just like he'd promised. He'd waited for her.

"It's real." He captured her hand gently in his own and kissed its fingertips. "But you shouldn't be here, Hera."

"What do you mean?"

"You're not meant to be here yet." Kanan looked confused, a crease forming on his forehead. Hera realized that Caleb had the same look when he was confused.

"Kanan? How..."

The scene shifted and they were under a night sky on Lothal. There was a ring of Loth-wolves around them; the creatures' golden eyes were glowing brightly like coins in sunlight. "We have to wait and see." Kanan said, still holding her hand, but sitting on the grassy ground in a meditation position.

"Wait for what?"

"For the young one to find her way," Kanan said as he closed his eyes. The wolves followed suit, bowing their heads as if concentrating. Hera could feel the whole landscape vibrate with power.

Phaedra looked down at her mother's lightsaber in her hand and dropped it. It was the cause of all this trouble. If not for her stupid insistence on regaining the weapon, they would all be okay! But instead, Hera was dying. She pressed a hand against her mouth to stop the sob building up. She couldn't face losing someone like this. Not again.

Caleb had his hands on his mother's stomach, pressing down with his jacket folded under his hands, trying to stanch the flow of blood. "No, Mama. No…" He cried over and over, his hands trembling as he tried to hold back the inevitable.

Ezra took Caleb's hands in his own. "Stop. She's gone, Cale."

Caleb looked up at him, stunned. "No…Ezra. We can't give up! She wouldn't!" He snatched his hands away from Ezra's and continued to give first aid, but the Jedi stepped around Hera's body and pulled him up into his arms. Caleb fought him for a moment until he gave in to the dark water of his emotions and sagged against Ezra, sobbing.

"Her Force signature, Caleb. It's gone. She's gone." Ezra said, his arms around the boy. "I'm so sorry." He kissed the top of Caleb's head as he clutched the teen close.

Phaedra's heart ached as she reached out for Hera's hand—the Twi'lek's fingers were still warm and it made Phae begin to cry. She bowed her head, but movement out of the corner of her eye caused her to look up.

There was a man beside Hera that looked somewhat familiar to Phae, but she couldn't place him. He took Hera's other hand but never removed his eyes from Phaedra. She saw that his brown hair was short and spiky. There was the shadow of an old wound around his eyes, but it had faded for the most part-long since healed, whatever it had been. "Use the Force, Phaedra Alata," he said.

"What do you mean?"

"She is not yet lost, but you must find your own way." His blue-green eyes were fixed on Hera as he spoke.

She turned to Ezra and Caleb, but neither one had noticed the man, and when she looked back, he was gone.

"Kriff." Phaedra squeezed her eyes shut and tried to connect with the Force. Nothing happened. Trying to focus, she gritted her teeth and reached for the Force again. It flared to brilliance around her this time, but immediately died away.

"I can't," she whispered. "I don't know what to do." She looked up and saw that Zeb had joined Ezra and Caleb. He had wrapped his arms around the two and held them tightly.

"Please…please…" She wasn't sure if she was praying to the Force, the specter of the man who had appeared or her mother. "Let me help her. Please." She closed her eyes and reached for the Force.

And it flooded her with light—light brighter than a star.

I hope you liked it...sorry for the cliffhanger but this is as far as I have written. Thank you for reading and let me know what you thought! I love to hear from you guys!