Star Wars Rebels: A Slightly Different Path

Disclaimer: I still don't own these characters, all Star Wars Rebels remain the property of Disney and Lucasfilm Ltd.

Chapter Three

The Ghost

Kanan was deep in thought as he left the bridge, and Hera, and began making his way back towards the common room. As he'd told Hera he had a very good idea what the Force wanted, why it had arranged for him and Ezra to meet here and now. He hadn't been surprised that she'd known it as well, as unlike Zeb and Sabine she'd met other Jedi back when she'd been a little girl and Jedi led clone forces freed Ryloth from Separatist occupation. He was just grateful that she'd agreed to give him time to think and meditate on it instead of trying to force the issue then and there.

He just wished he could stop thinking about it himself. It was after all an absolutely crazy idea, and he had to wonder what in the universe the Force thought it was doing by trying to impose this upon the two of them. There was no way he could be a master. He wasn't even a proper Jedi Knight due to Order 66 and the death of his master before she could finish teaching him all he needed to pass the trials and become a knight. So how could he become a teacher in the Jedi way to anyone let alone someone as gifted in the Force as Ezra seemed to be? Though what was even more insane was that there was a part of him – a part that felt far more like Caleb than Kanan – that actually wanted it, wanted to have that Force bond with another of his kind again.

Abruptly he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up as a faint echo of a presence that had once been the entire world to him came through the Force. One that seemed to be calling him to go to his cabin. Following the feeling he changed direction and went straight to his cabin. The moment the doors closed behind him he closed his eyes for a moment and let the Force flow through him even more than he normally did.

"Caleb," a half forgotten female voice said sounding both real and ethereal at the same time. At the sound of his almost forgotten birth name Kanan's eyes flew open...

…to find himself face to face with a transparent blue woman in Jedi robes. She was a Force ghost and as he translucent hands reached up and pulled back her hood it was immediately obvious who she was.

"Master," he breathed feeling his eyes begin to sting slightly with the emotions that wanted to come out. Though it had been fifteen years since that terrible day the loss of his master, especially how she'd sacrificed herself for him, was still a painful wound in his soul. A wound that he knew would never truly heal.

"Hello Caleb," the Force ghost form of Master Depa Billaba said smiling warmly at her old padawan. He had grown so much since she'd last seen him, she'd been watching him from the Force for years and had quietly despaired as for a long time he'd turned his back on the Jedi way becoming both a drunk and a drifter, moving from system to system and job to job never staying anywhere for very long until that was he met one Hera Syndulla on Gorse six years ago. Since then he'd steadily pushed that black period in his life behind him and started to re-embrace the ways that had once been so dear to him, and now it was time for him to take the next step to being the Jedi he'd always been meant to be. "Though I believe you call yourself Kanan these days."

"Yes master," Kanan replied. "Master if I may ask what you are…"

"…doing here," Depa finished for him. "I've always been with you, watching you my old padawan but until now it was not time for you to see me. Now the Force is letting us meet again, at least for a little while. You have questions?"

"I have many," Kanan admitted bringing a smile to the ghost's face as she well remembered his habit of regularly bombarding her with questions during his apprenticeship. "But I'll settle just for this one. Why has the Force done this? Why is it trying to push me and Ezra together?"

"Because you need each other," Depa answered with the smile that had always made him feel safe, even during the darkest days of the Clone Wars. "Teaching Ezra, becoming his master as I was with you is the next step on your journey to becoming the Jedi that you were born to be. Just as you are Ezra's next step on his own path to becoming the Jedi that he was born to be. You can learn much from each other as both of you have skills that the other lacks. Do not the ghosts of the past, and your own fears, affect what must be.

"It is not just yours and Ezra's future that depends upon it," she continued, "but the future of the Jedi, and the only chance to truly drive back the darkness that has fallen upon the galaxy and the Force depend on it as well."

"Master I'm afraid that I don't understand," Kanan replied with a puzzled frown on his face and wondering just what it was about Jedi Masters that made them love being so maddeningly cryptic. It was one of the few things that he hadn't missed about the Order.

"Look in my holocron, I know that you still have it. Look for the Prophecy of Three," Depa told him, "I cannot tell you who the others are but I can tell you this that Ezra is one of the three it speaks about. I would say more but unfortunately I have no more time. The only advice I can give you is to trust yourself, trust the Force and it will not see you wrong."

As soon as she finished speaking the Force ghost of his former master faded away leaving Kanan once more alone in his quarters now more than a little confused. What's the Prophecy of Three, he thought as he didn't remember hearing about that particular prophecy back at the temple, the only prophecy they'd ever been taught about was the Prophecy of the Chosen One. And the belief by the Jedi Council that Anakin Skywalker was said Chosen One. Though that had obviously proven incorrect as like most of the other Jedi Skywalker had certainly perished during Order 66 no doubt shot in the back by his own troops when Palpatine gave the fateful command.

He made a quick mental note to access the holocron later and look it up. He did not have time at the moment as a change in the engine pitch told him that they were dropping out of hyperspace over Lothal. He had the supplies to drop off at Tarkintown first, then there was the meeting with Vizago and the rifle trade to deal with. Plus, he would need to talk to Ezra and see if the younger Force sensitive was indeed willing to become his apprentice. He wouldn't make the formal offer to take the teen as a padawan learner if he wasn't willing to at least consider it.

His comm bleeped to life at the moment making him jump. "Kanan we're coming in to land at Tarkintown. You need to get down to the main cargo bay," Hera's voice said from the tiny grill as he retrieved the offending object from his belt.

"On my way, Hera," he replied into the unit before returning the comm to his belt and leaving his quarters pushing all other thoughts, including his former master's prophecy mention, out of his mind for now. There would be time to think about, and to meditate, on it all later. Right now he had a mission of mercy to oversee.

Sometime Later

Ezra sat a short distance from the boarding ramp of the Ghost deep in thought. Kanan and the rest of the ship's crew, with the exception of the astromech Chopper, were currently down in the refugee camp a few dozen meters away from where he was currently sitting on a convenient boulder. He'd initially gone with them down into the camp, named Tarkintown by the people who had no choice but to live there after the camps namesake stole their homes and lands from them for Force only knew what Imperial purposes.

But he hadn't stayed there for long.

After a few minutes the feeling of despair, helplessness and sorrow that had hung like an all smothering fog in the air of the camp had started getting to him a bit, the same empathic awareness that let him connect with animals so easily coming back to bite him. He'd never been around such a strong concentration of such negative feelings and emotions before and keeping it out of his head had put an uncomfortable amount of pressure on his shields. So, after telling that Lasat where he was going he'd returned here.

Now he was here deep in thought, his mind occupied by everything that had happened to him today. From the odd sensation in the Force that had bothered him all morning, to encountering the Ghost crew and finding himself here on a part of Lothal that he'd personally never been to before. Not that it looked any different to the prairie grounds around the capital city as much of the supercontinent that made up Lothal's primary landmass was like this. He was experienced enough to know that everything had happened was the will of the Force, he just wished he knew why.

As if in answer to that thought he felt a shiver in the Force. Closing his eyes he opened himself up a little more to it and felt like something aboard the Ghost was calling to him. After a moment he decided that he had nothing to lose by following the feeling so he opened his eyes and stood up, brushed some dust off himself and made his way inside the ship.

It didn't take him long to follow the beacon in the Force to a locked cabin on the ship's crew deck. Seeing the locked door Ezra hesitated, knowing that if he opened it then he would be violating someone's privacy, something he was normally much loathed to do. But with the pulling sensation in the Force so strong he closed his eyes for a moment and reached out with the Force, feeling the doors locking mechanism in his mind. It was a standard civilian model lock, held closed with high strength locking pins. A quick telekinetic nudge caused the pins to retract unlocking the door, a second telekinetic nudge causing the doors to smoothly open with a faint swish. Opening his eyes Ezra smiled at the now open door before slipping easily inside.

He was completely unaware that he'd been seen.

Tarkintown

Kanan smiled as he felt some of the despair and hopelessness lift from the refugees forced to struggle to survive in the ramshackle shelters of Tarkintown. The relief supplies they'd brought from the capital weren't much but they'd at least help the people here survive for another couple of days. He just wished there was more they could do for them, unfortunately there wasn't and it made the Jedi in him angry to see proud people reduced to such a pitiful state by the faceless, merciless military machine of the Empire.

Unfortunately, no matter how much he might want to, there was nothing he could do to redress the injustice done to these people by the Empire. The only thing he could do, the only thing the entire crew of the Ghost could do, was exactly what they were doing now. Bringing the people food and medical supplies to at least make their bleak existence just that little bit more bearable. Still doesn't stop me wishing I could do more, he thought sadly a moment before his comm bleeped.

"Spectre One here," he said taking the small cylindrical device off his belt. Immediately the electronic bleeps of Chopper, speaking in rapid fire binary, came from the device. Kanan frowned as he mentally translated what the astromech was saying. "What do you mean the kids come back to the Ghost and gone into my cabin? I thought he was with Zeb and how did he even get the door open."

Chopper responded with another barrage of bleeps. "He used the Force to unlock and open the door," Kanan repeated surprised, he'd known the kid had some impressive Force skills already – the force ghost of his former master had confirmed that – but he hadn't realised he had enough fine telekinetic control to do something like that. "No Chopper don't do anything, I'll come right back and deal with it. Spectre One out."

Returning the comm to its place on his belt Kanan looked around and spotted Hera nearby prompting him to quickly walk over. He gestured to indicate they needed to talk a moment, causing the Twi'lek to throw him a look of concern before moving away from the refugee's she'd been talking to. They both kept moving until they were out of the earshot of any of the refugees.

"What is it," Hera asked. Kanan quickly explained the situation, prompting an expression of mixture surprise and concern to flash across her beautiful features. Like him she was surprised to learn that Ezra had enough fine control with his abilities to open locked doors. "What do you want to do," she asked after he'd finished speaking.

"I want you and the others to finish up here," Kanan replied, "also find out why Zeb didn't tell us that Ezra was going back to the ship. In the meantime I'll head back to the ship and talk to Ezra."

"I'm surprised you don't appear to be angry with him violating your privacy?" Hera commented.

"Normally I would be," Kanan admitted. "But I sense the hand of the Force in this. That's why I need to go back to the ship… alone."

Though it was clear from her expression that Hera wasn't happy with that announcement she nodded in understanding and acceptance. She'd known Kanan long enough by now to know when he said something like that he meant it, knew that it was some Force or Jedi related thing that she would never understand since she wasn't a Force sensitive herself. "Alright I'll talk to the others and finish up here," she said, "while you go straight back to the ship."

Kanan nodded back and hurriedly walked away, heading in the direction of the Ghost. Hera watched him go for a moment, not for the first time marvelling at how far Kanan had come from the moody drunken freighter pilot she'd met on Gorse six years ago. In that time he'd really started to reembrace his Jedi past and the powers that came with it, which had made him a formidable and valuable fighter for the slowly growing rebellion against the Empire. And if she was right then he was about to gain something that was incredibly important to a Jedi – a padawan in the form of one Ezra Bridger.

After a moment she put that out of her mind for now and headed towards where Zeb was supervising the distribution of the last of the food supplies. She was fully intent on getting answers out of the Lasat warrior as to when exactly Ezra had returned to the ship, and why he hadn't thought to inform the rest of them of the young Force user's departure.

Kanan's Cabin

The Ghost, That Same Time

Ezra waited for his eyes to adjust to the dim light of the cabin. He could have turned on the main lights, instead of the rooms nightlights but that would certainly show up on the ships systems monitors as a power spike. Which would certainly bring the astromech Chopper to investigate what had caused it, and the very last thing he wanted was for anyone to find him here.

Once his eyes finished adjusting to the low light he looked curiously around the cabin. It was quite a barren room with no real personnel effects present. Off to one side was a circular platform on top of which was a cushion that looked big enough for someone to knell comfortably on. He could tell immediately that this room was Kanan's as the Jedi's Force signature was everywhere. I wonder why the Force has led me in here, he thought as he continued to listen to the silent sirens call in the Force, which seemed to be leading him over to the bed – or rather to something underneath it.

Squatting down Ezra carefully examined the base of the bed. At a first or even second glance it seemed to be nothing but a plane sheet of metal but as he looked closer he could see the faintest outline of a hidden drawer. Cautiously he reached out and pressed the drawer causing it to spring open. Inside he saw a series of small compartments – lying in the largest one was a lightsabre which wasn't surprising given the older Force sensitive was a Jedi. But it wasn't the lightsabre that was calling to him, instead sitting in the next compartment was a metallic cube with clear diamond shaped inserts on all the faces. He couldn't help but gasp as though he'd never seen one in person he knew immediately from the information his father had left him what the cube was.

It was a holocron.

Reverently, knowing just how precious it and the information it contained were, he lifted it out of its slot and closed the drawer. Then he sat on the floor, slipping into the meditative posture with practiced ease. He closed his eyes and let the Force guide him, felt an invisible tendril of power reach out gently from his mind and caress the holocron, carefully rotating all the corners bringing the holocron to life. He felt it leave his hand…

…then a voice spoke.

"This is Master Obi-Wan Kenobi," the voice said prompting Ezra to open his eyes to see the hexagonal core of the holocron floating in the air and glowing with a soft blue light. Around it the corners floated serenely like moons orbiting a gas giant. Projecting above the top surface of the holocron was the image of a man that he faintly recalled his father having a great deal of respect and admiration for. "I regret to report that both our Jedi Order and the Republic have fallen, with the dark shadow of the Empire rising to take their place.

"This message is a warning and a reminder to all surviving Jedi, trust in the Force. Do not return to the Temple, that time has passed and our future is uncertain. We will each be challenged; our trust, our faith, our friendships but we must persevere. And in time a new hope will emerge. May the Force be with you always."

"I do trust in the Force, Master," Ezra said softly as the holographic recording of Master Kenobi disappeared, to be replaced by another human-looking figure.

"Greetings young one," the figure said in a feminine voice. "I am the custodian of this holocron how may I be of assistance?"

"What does that mean?" Ezra asked.

"It means young one that I am the guardian, the protector of this holocron and the knowledge and secrets of the Jedi Order that it contains. It is my function to ensure that it is not abused or misused in any way."

"I see."

"What is your name young one?" the custodian asked.

"Ezra, Ezra Bridger."

"You have a question, Ezra Bridger."

Ezra considered what to say for a moment as it was true he did have a question. After a moment he decided to just be blunt about it. "Why did you call me," he asked, "does it have anything to do with why the Force has manoeuvred me into meeting Kanan."

"A good question. The answer is simple the time has come for you to begin fulling your destiny, Ezra Bridger. It is time for you to take the first step on the path you have always been fated to walk."

"I don't understand," Ezra exclaimed not noticing the doors to the cabin open or Kanan come to stand in the doorway, watching him interact with the holocron's custodian with an impassive expression on his face.

"That is as it should. You know will know when it is time for you to know." As soon as the custodian finished speaking she disappeared leaving the holocron still floating and glowing.

"Hey come back what's that supposed to mean," Ezra complained.

"Don't bother asking. If there is one thing I know about holocron custodians it's that like Jedi Masters they can be maddeningly cryptic when they want to be," Kanan said from the doorway, grinning when he saw the kid jump and turned startled and alarmed eyes towards him even as he reached out with the Force and commanded the holocron to switch off and close. Prompting the glow to disappear and the corners to re-join the core turning it from a hexagon back into a square box. A box which then shot through the air into his waiting hand.

For a moment tense silence hung in the air then slowly Ezra stood up and looked down. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to invade your privacy like this," he said softly "I just felt…"

"…the holocron calling to you through the Force," Kanan finished for him as he stepped fully into the cabin allowing the doors to close.

"You're not mad?"

"No I'm not angry with you, Ezra. I know how hard such calls through the Force can be to resist. Though I am curious as to why you came back to the ship. Was it the call from the holocron?"

Ezra shook his head. "No I just couldn't stay in the camp," he answered, "it was too much, too much fear, hopelessness and despair for me. I've sensed those emotions before but never so much all at once. It felt like it was smothering me, I just couldn't stay there."

"I understand," Kanan said nodding and he really did understand. Dealing with the negative emotions of others, especially when there was such a large concentration of it as there was in Tarkintown, was hard. "Sensing the suffering of others like that is never easy for someone like us, Ezra. Though tell me what did you feel when you saw them living like that?"

"Angry, sad," Ezra admitted, "I hate that they have to live like that and wish I could do something about it, something to make right the wrong the Imperials have done to those people. Is that how you feel?"

"It is it's a perfectly natural reaction for a Jedi," Kanan told him.

"But I'm not a Jedi."

"No you're not. Not yet anyway," Kanan admitted before hesitating. Did he really want to bring this up here and now? He hadn't meditated on it or anything but somehow it just felt right. "But you are well on your way to becoming one. Your mental skills are already quite well developed for your age. If you want I am willing to teach what else you need to know, complete your training in the ways of the Force."

Ezra gaped at Kanan for a few moments. Was he really suggesting what he thought he was suggesting? Ever since his parents had been taken from him his chances of becoming a true Jedi padawan had been less than zero. While the recordings his father had made for him had helped a great deal there was so much they couldn't help him with. With a jolt he realised that this was why the Force had manoeuvred him into this position, why it had wanted him and Kanan to meet in the way that they had.

"Are you suggesting what I think you are," he asked the Jedi in front of him wanting to be sure.

"Indeed. If you're willing Ezra Bridger, then I am prepared to take you as my apprentice."

"What about the rest of the crew?"

"Hera already suspects that I was going to ask you, she knows me well enough, and knows enough about the Force to guess I would offer to finish the training that your father began," Kanan replied, "I also wouldn't be surprised if Zeb and Sabine suspect as well. Trust me when I say kid none of them will really have a problem with you being here."

"Even Zeb?"

"Even Zeb," Kanan confirmed while making a mental note to have a word with the somewhat rough around the edges former Honour Guard and make it clear that he wasn't to hold the kids actions in the city against him and to make him feel welcome here. No doubt he'd be able to get Hera to back him up as well.

"So what do you say, Ezra," he asked after a moment.

Ezra closed his eyes again and took a deep breath before letting it out slowly the words of the recording of Master Kenobi echoing in his mind for a moment. Especially the words to trust in the Force, advice that he would naturally take as the Force had never let him down before now.

"I say thank you," he said opening his eyes again and looking up at Kanan, "master."

Kanan smiled.

Imperial Palace

Coruscant, That Same Time

Sitting in his private study the undisputed ruler of much of the galaxy, known to many as Emperor Palpatine and to fewer as Darth Sidious, looked up from his readings of some of the restricted texts recovered from the Jedi Achieves. He sensed something, something in the currents of the Force was changing. Now what could this be, he thought as he reached into the Force to investigate.

What he found sent a jolt of shock through him. After fifteen years of being completely suppressed by the dark the light side of the Force was stirring, something had happened. Something had changed that was starting to rouse it out of its long dormancy. Knowing this was not something that he could allow he tried to use his foresight to see where the distortion was going to lead. Only to find that the future was veiled somehow, for the first time in his life he could not see what was going to happen down the road and plan for it accordingly.

Concern growing by the moment he attempted to determine where the distortion in the Force was coming from. Only to once again meet with frustration as while he could tell that it was coming from somewhere in the Outer Rim he couldn't tell exactly where. Scowling he tapped one of the controls on the arm of his throne.

"Get me the Grand Inquisitor," he ordered.

"Yes your highness," the voice of Mas Amedda answered immediately.

Dagobah

Sitting deep in meditation Yoda allowed a small smile to grace his aged features as be sensed the same change in the Force that the Emperor was feeling on distant Coruscant. However unlike Darth Sidious he knew full well what was causing it, one of the more obscure prophecies of the Jedi Order was beginning to come to pass.

"Begun the resurgence of the Jedi has," he said softly as he opened his eyes while continuing to smile. After so long in darkness hope was kindled.

Authors Notes: Well another chapter bites the proverbial dust. I hope everyone enjoyed the little cameo appearances by the Emperor – I so wish he'd appear in the canon show as it would be nice to see Darth Sidious in all his evil glory again – and Yoda at the end of the chapter.

I know it might seem that Kanan is being a bit out of character with being so willing to take Ezra as a padawan but in my view he is merely responding to the will of the Force as any other Jedi would. The fact that the force ghost of his old master Depa Billaba has told him to take Ezra as his padawan is only helping matters along and short circuiting the procrastination of the canon Kanan on the issue.

As for the Prophecy of Three that's my own idea and one that will play a vital role later on in the fic as it's a prophecy for the resurrection of the Jedi Order like a phoenix from the ashes. Three Jedi – all born on the day the old order fell – will rise and together usher in a new era for the Jedi. Ezra is one of the three, Luke is another though I will leave you all to guess who the third one is though I will say it's not Leia.

Until next time.