Temple Life

Blue eyes

"What just happened?" Kanan asked himself as he entered his cabin.

"Did he give it back?" Hera asked from the door.

Kanan opened the drawer under his bed and pulled out the holocron.

"Not yet, I told him he could choose between keeping it or joining us." Kanan answered.

"You gave your lightsaber to a kid on the streets?" Hera asked.

"Well the empire knows what I am and what he is. I'm either going to have embarrass being a Jedi, or completely give it up. The kid has to decide whether to embrace the force and train or ignore it. Hera our destinies are tied together. His decision will effect mine." Kanan explained.

"But your lightsaber is part of you, part of your identity." Hera said in response. Then she whispered so only he could hear "It's all you have left of being Caleb Dume."

"There's a bond between Ezra and me. I can't ignore that. The Empire already figured that out already. He's in more danger now then he has ever been because of it. That's why I gave it to him." Kanan explained. "Besides this isn't going to be the last we see of Ezra Bridger even if he chooses not to join us."

Hera smiled. "You do realize that if he joins us you have to be both Caleb and Kanan right?"

"I told you that whatever it was I felt on Lothal would change our lives. It was him." Kanan answered. "Now I need to meditate."

Hera looked at the holocron. "Is this a good bye or a welcome back?"

"Not sure yet. That's what I'm trying to figure out."

"I'll let the others know not to disturb you."

"If Ezra comes the doors unlocked."

The door closed behind Hera. Kanan kneeled down and placed the holocron in front of him.

"Ok I'm listening." He said as he closed his eyes.

He thought about the vision he started having when they first arrived on Lothal of a boy with blue eyes and dark hair. He had originally thought the kid would just be getting in there way and the force was warning him. Kanan had never looked much into it. Now that he had meet a kid who fit the description of the boy in the vision perfectly he knew he had misinterpreted it.

Would Ezra cause nothing but trouble? If he did join the crew training him would increase the danger for everyone. On the other hand the force was not letting this go. If Ezra didn't join them they would probably be constantly running into him until he changed his mind or something else happened to him. Kanan really didn't want to think about those possible outcomes.

Kanan closed his eyes and focused on his crew. He knew what each member was doing and where even though he had his eyes closed and was in a different room. Then again he knew his crew pretty well so he could probably had guessed it even without the forces aid. Now he could see their force signatures and knew for sure.

The holocron opened. The last order he had ever received from the temple started playing. Kanan couldn't help but think about when he had asked Obi Wan if the signal used to send this message could send a message like this. One that would serve as a warning to the Jedi to not return to the temple.

"What if no other orders come?" He had asked his master.

"Then maybe you'll find another answer some other way." She had replied.

He never thought it would actually be used in his life time or that it would actually happen just months after he had asked the question.

"What if a friend betrays us? Then wouldn't you identify them as a friend when their intentions are that of an enemy?" He had once asked Master Skywalker.

"When is that ever going to happen in the Jedi temple?" Anakin had asked in response.

"It could happen to anyone who turned. Even you, Master Skywalker could deceive the Jedi Order then." had been his answer.

Kanan wasn't sure how right he was on that account. Maybe Anakin Skywalker wasn't the one who betrayed the Jedi Order, but someone had. The Clones had turned on them and killed many of the masters and the Padawans. They didn't burn the temple or murder the younglings inside. Whoever was on Mustafa killing any Jedi sent there since the purge did that. Kanan didn't know who it was.

As the message got closer to the end a somewhat new force signature appeared on the ship. It was stronger than the others, stronger than his own really. Kanan still knew who it was even though he had only recently started sensing it.

Ezra had made his choice.

Kanan opened his eyes to see a blue holoimage of Obi Wan just before the message cut off. Ezra was standing in the room with the lightsaber in his hands. He handed Kanan back the lightsaber.

"So you decided to join us?" Kanan asked.

Ezra sighed. "It's not like I have any better options."

Kanan smiled. "I figured you join us eventually."

"I almost didn't. I still don't know why I should trust any of you. I do trust my instincts though and they seem to keep leading me back here."

"Then it's the will of the force that led to your decision."

"Instincts, force, whatever you want to call it." Ezra replied with an eye roll. Then he did a small grin. "Then common sense kicked in."

"Regular meals, a bed to sleep on, running water, and some place warm to go to?" Kanan asked.

"How'd you know?" Ezra confirmed his suspensions.

"Kid, I've lived that life myself once." The Jedi replied. "When I was fourteen."

"I was seven. Been on my own since."

"You definitely have me beat their. I wasted on the streets long before someone helped me out and eventually took me in."

"You were lucky!"

"Not really."

"Trust me if anyone living on the streets gets taken in by someone other than the empire they are lucky." Ezra said as he rolled his eyes again.

"You've made it this long. Now I guess you just got lucky." Kanan replied.

"Maybe I have." Ezra smiled.

"Welcome to the crew." Kanan said with his own smile.

He looked up into the blue eyes of his new padawan. The vision wasn't of a kid that would cause nothing but trouble. It was telling him he was about to meet his padawan. The one his master said he would one day have.

"Um, not that I'm not ok with Ezra joining us, but shouldn't we at least tell the others?" Hera asked standing at the door.

Ezra looked at her.

"After all we have to make sleeping arrangements for him as well as adjusting to having a sixth member of the crew." She continued.

"We probably should." Kanan agreed.

"You sure they'll agree?" Ezra asked.

"They don't really have a choice." Hera replied.

"Even if they did they would agree. Well, at least two of them will." Kanan added.

"Zeb?" Hera asked the Jedi.

Kanan nodded. "Yeah, he probably won't be happy about having to share his cabin or having another mouth to feed."

Ezra looked nervous.

"He'll come around. He's out voted anyways." Hera said reassuring the kid. Then she picked up her com.

"All specters in the common room now. We have a group meeting."

The three walked into the common room to find the other three.

"The kid's back?" Zeb asked upon seeing Ezra.

"You decided to join us after all?" Sabine asked with a smile. "What changed your mind?"

"Same thing that got me to jump on this ship in the first place." Ezra replied.

"Kanan's persistence?" The girl teased.

"Kid's too stubborn for even my persistence to influence him." Kanan said with his own eye roll.

"Can we just get to the point. So, the kid is joining our crew. Where's he going to sleep because we're all out of cabins." Zeb said.

"Well about that?" Hera said.

"No, no, no, no! I am not sharing my cabin." Zeb yelled.

"Well he can't stay in mine. He's drawn to some personal items I have hidden in there." Kanan said.

"And my cabin only has one bed." Sabine said.

"Not that he could share a room with you anyways. I have an extra bed but that's out of the question." Hera replied.

"But that only leaves my room!" Zeb complained.

"Consider it your punishment for leaving him behind on that star destroyer and not telling us until we were already in hyperspace." Hera replied.

"Hey, we went back for him." Zeb reminded her.

"You voted not to go back for him to save gas." Sabine said.

"You voted against it too."

"Because it was too risky. I wouldn't have left him behind in the first place." She snapped back at him.

"Enough you two. Ezra is going to be a valuable part of our crew just as the rest of us." Hera said.

"Just so we're all clear I offered to train Ezra." Kanan said.

Sabine looked at Ezra. "Your one of them? That explains a lot."

"He has the potential." Kanan corrected her.

"So that's why you joined?" Zeb asked.

"Maybe part of it. I have other reasons." Ezra replied. "Not that I'm sharing them."

"That went surprisingly well." Kanan noted.

"Welcome to the crew Specter 6." Hera said.