Chapter 6

Ezra POV

Ezra woke up in the co-pilot's seat aboard the Absolution.

The seat had been reclined so that he was laying flat, and he realized why as he tried to sit up. He groaned as a feeling of nausea overcame him, and he layed back down on the seat, closing his eyes and bringing a hand to his face to pinch the bridge of his nose as he tried to recover his senses.

A familiar voice next to him said, "Oh, you're awake. Good. You probably don't want to be asleep when we arrive."

More hesitantly this time, Ezra slowly opened his eyes once more and looked around. The person next to him was Miss Wren, though how she'd managed to open his ship… Of course. He remembered that she'd been wearing his vambraces last he'd seen her. They'd been in a fight for their lives, and… Ezra groaned once again.

He'd used the Force to save Wren from injury. He hadn't used it in years, never needed to, but when he'd seen her in danger, and felt like he couldn't do anything to save her, he'd acted without thought. Yet it wasn't even instinct that had caused his reaction. His instinct was to not use the Force. He'd just felt a desperate urge to protect her, even though he now realized that she probably would've been able to handle it herself, though she would've sustained minor injuries.

Sitting up in his seat, Ezra looked at her and tried to explain, "Listen, Wren, what happened on Beyrov-"

"Sabine," she suddenly cut him off.

He stared at her for a moment and asked, "What?"

Still not looking at him, she explained, "You keep calling me Wren. We're friends, and I call you Ezra, you should call me Sabine."

Ezra remained silent for a moment, trying to process what she'd said. They were friends? He didn't know when that happened. He wasn't even sure if he knew what a friend was, but as he thought about it, he realized that Wre- Sabine might actually be his friend. He hadn't trusted anyone he'd met in seven years, but he suddenly realized that he did trust Sabine, if nothing else, to watch his back.

He still didn't understand or respect the amount of dishonor and disloyalty she'd shown to her family, but some bond had been formed between them after their recent battle, in which they'd each put their lives on the line for one another without a second thought. Ezra hadn't even fought alongside someone else in years, not even stormtroopers, but he had trusted Sabine with his life after only knowing her for a short while. Such was the way of Mandalorians, he supposed.

Trying not to stammer, Ezra continued, "Alright, er, Sabine. I think I need to explain what happened on Beyrov. You may have seen… something that you may not have understood, but-"

Once again she cut him off, saying, "You're Force-sensitive, like Kanan. Yeah, I already knew that, but I'll admit that it surprised me when you used it."

Confused, Ezra asked, "Er, you… already knew?"

"Kanan told us," Sabine explained. "At Reklam Station, he sensed that you were like him."

His eyes widening in realization, Ezra facepalmed and said, "Of course. Kanan had me dead to rights, but then he stopped and said 'You're like me', then just started to walk off. I almost shot him as he left, until I saw his jaig eyes."

Sabine turned towards him and said, "You seem awfully interested in Kanan's jaig eyes. What, did you think that I or Rex would've let him wear them if he hadn't earned them?"

Ezra scoffed. "No, I had a feeling you would've stopped him if that were the case. It's just that I used to wear them myself. They have a special meaning to me."

Sabine's eyes widened in surprise. "You wore jaig eyes?"

He nodded in response. "Just like your Jedi friend. Given to me by my mother."

Sabine continued staring, then said, "I've never seen anyone so young with such a high honor."

Ezra glared at her, suspecting that she was doubting his own worthiness, and responded, "Well, I did, and I earned them. My mom gave them to me when I was ten. I was training by the shore on my home planet, Kalevala, when a shriek-hawk flew by and ate me."

Sabine's eyes widened even further, but Ezra wasn't done. "It had created a nest nearby, and it'd kidnapped several of our own before, but I didn't wait for any kind of rescue. I still had my training blade in hand, so I did what was necessary. Killed the hawk from the inside, then nearly drowned as it fell into the ocean below, but I managed to swim back to shore. My mother told the rest of the clan that I'd not only saved myself, but done the whole clan a great service by killing the shriek-hawk, so in return, I got to wear its eyes on my helmet for the rest of my life."

Sabine had listened attentively to the whole story, then said, "But you didn't. You earned the eyes, but you never wore them on your armor in the time I've known you."

Ezra lowered his gaze and explained, "Once I joined the Empire… I'm not worthy of wearing them anymore. They're one of the highest Mandalorian honors, and I betrayed all Mandalorians by joining the Empire that enslaved them. Besides, I wasn't going to let Gar Saxon employ any Mandalorian that possesses such a symbol of honor or bravery."

Sabine remained silent through all this, then sadly nodded back at him and returned her gaze to the controls. Ezra wasn't sure how he felt with her flying his ship. Since he'd gotten the Absolution, he'd been the only one to fly it, but for whatever reason, he didn't feel any real problem with Sabine flying.

Looking at the set destination, he saw that she had indeed steered them towards Krownest, willingly going back to the place she was afraid to return to, just as she'd promised him. For years he'd doubted that Sabine Wren had any sense of honor whatsoever, but now he realized that he'd been wrong.

Speaking of, he needed to get ready for their arrival. Looking down at himself, Ezra realized that he wasn't wearing his armor. Panicked, he began to look around the room, trying to find his armor.

Sabine, noticing his distress, asked, "What's wrong?"

"My armor!" Ezra exclaimed as he searched underneath his chair. "I don't know where my armor is! Did we bring it?"

Sabine smiled and told him, "Don't worry, Ez. Your armor is in the back." She gestured over her shoulder towards the hold, and Ezra sighed in relief.

"Thank you," he told her before he stood up and walked out of the cockpit, trying to hide how much each step hurt his still-healing body, even though someone (presumably Sabine) had given him some bacta patches to accelerate the healing process.

Sabine POV

Keeping the ship steady as it neared the end of its trip through hyperspace, Sabine suddenly heard Ezra walk back into the room, and she turned to see how he looked. She'd carried his armor back to the ship after what happened on Beyrov, so she'd already seen the finished product, but she still wanted to see what it looked like on him.

As she'd expected, he'd reforged the armor back to something that looked much more like her own, though with the T-visor more straight and brutal-looking. He'd also painted it with the colors of Clan Kryze, mostly a dark gray with blue lining and the symbol of his house on his right shoulder as it had been on his Imperial armor, and added a rangefinder antenna on the side of the helmet.

Ezra walked into the room, spread his arms, and asked, "So, how do I look?" Looking over the armor, Sabine had to admit that it looked good, and he sounded almost relieved to be wearing the redesigned armor once more, but it also looked somewhat… bland for her tastes, and all she could think to say was, "Well, it's alright. Maybe a bit more color would be good."

Ezra seemed to deflate as she said that, clearly having expected some sort of praise. "However," Sabine added innocently, "I am an artist. Perhaps if you let me touch it up here and there…"

Ezra quickly shook his head. "No thanks. I've seen what you've done to your armor, and I'm not letting you turn me into another walking canvas."

"Just a little!" Sabine pleaded with him. " I promise I'll make it look good! I just think you could… stand out a little more."

"I stand out plenty!"

"Yeah, I was getting to that," Sabine added, looking behind Ezra at what was on his back under his jetpack. "Is the cape really necessary?"

By far the part of Ezra's armor that made it stand out most was a light blue cape going over his shoulder and down his back. It was a lighter shade of blue than the rest of the armor had, making it really stick out.

Ezra just nodded. "Absolutely necessary. It makes me look awesome," he said, striking a majestic pose with his hands on his hips and directing his gaze to the sky. Sabine just snorted in amusement.

Ezra stepped forward and waved for her to let him take the pilot's seat. "Now, move and let me fly." Sabine huffed in annoyance but nevertheless stood up so that Ezra could retake his seat as he removed his helmet. Silently though, Sabine was coming up with a plan in her head on how she could ambush his armor with her gear.

Looking at Ezra's vambraces, which once again were on his own arms, Sabine sighed out as she moved to the co-pilot's seat, "I am going to miss those things."

Ezra looked over at her and followed her gaze to the vambraces, then chuckled. "Yeah. They're pretty useful, aren't they?"

"And fun," Sabine responded with longing.

Ezra chuckled once more and said, "Well, I'll get you your own pair if we get out of here alive."

Sabine frowned. "I don't know if I should be more excited or scared by that statement." Ezra grinned with humor.

"What about a jetpack?" Sabine asked hopefully.

"Don't push it, Wren."

Soon, they pulled out of hyperspace and Sabine looked at her home planet for the first time in about seven years.

Seeing her apprehension, Ezra placed a hand on her shoulder as a voice came over the comm system. "Kom'rk fighter/transport Absolution. You are flying in royal Mandalorian airspace. State your name and purpose."

Ezra pushed the button to respond and said, "This is Ezra Kryze of Clan Kryze. I seek an audience with the Countess Wren."

The voice responded, "Countess Wren is a busy woman, and we aren't due for an Imperial inspection for another month."

Sabine saw Ezra clench his teeth, but then he said, "I'm not here for the Empire, even though your scanners will say different. I'm here to bring the Countess's daughter home. I have Sabine Wren on board and am bringing her in for judgment."

There was a small silence, then the voice said, "Governor Saxon ordered for all dar'manda to be brought to him in Sundari."

"Well, I don't know about you, but I never much liked Governor Saxon anyway," Ezra responded.

There was another silence, then the voice said, "Permission to dock. Landing bay one."

Both Ezra and Sabine let out a collective sigh of relief, though Sabine's was more subdued. As great as it was that they'd obtained permission to land rather than being shot from the sky, she'd almost prefer the action to what she saw as a direct path to facing the wrath of her mother.

Ezra looked over at her as he engaged the automatic landing and told her, "Sabine… There's something you should know before we get there."

Sabine met his gaze and he continued, "While you were gone… your father was arrested by the Empire."

Sabine's eyes widened, but Ezra said, "That's not all. I don't know where he is, but he's alive and somewhere on Mandalore. But when he was captured, your brother Tristan… he joined the Empire to help your family regain some sort of respectability, at least in Gar Saxon's eyes. He's a Mandalorian Super Commando, like I was, but it's only to keep your family safe. I questioned him about you, and I don't think he cares about the Empire, just protecting his family."

Sabine lowered her head, trying to process what Ezra had told her, then said, "Thank you. For telling me. It'll be easier to know rather than just to see. But my father… I need to help him." Ezra nodded, remaining silent as they approached the landing pad.

When the Absolution touched down, both of them stood up and put on their helmets before they walked towards the back of the ship and went down the ramp.

All around them, they could see Mandalorians standing ready, some flying on jetpacks, some standing on the platform, others crouching behind crates for cover. All of them had their blasters directed at Sabine, who was grateful for her helmet that hid her expression of worry.

To her surprise, Ezra suddenly stepped in front of her, making the blasters all aim at him instead, and called out, "She doesn't plan to make trouble. As you can see, she is not bound. She came here willingly, and now we wish to speak with the Countess."

From above them came another Mandalorian, flying down on a jetpack, and this one was wearing the armor of an Imperial Super Commando and caring a blaster rifle. The armor looked just like Ezra's had, except without separate arm guards or the dark blue lines that Ezra had worn. Instead, his only defining feature on the white armor was a small amount of yellow on the shoulders, no doubt Gar Saxon's way of grudgingly letting this soldier wear a small amount of his clan's colors.

Dreading who was under that helmet, Sabine heard Ezra greet him, "Tristan."

The Super Commando pulled off his helmet and clipped it to his belt, revealing the face of Sabine's younger brother. He had aged well in seven years, now looking very much a full Mandalorian warrior, despite the fact that he was only just seventeen years in age and quite possibly the youngest one on this platform.

He looked at Sabine over Ezra's shoulder once, then directed his gaze directly at Ezra's visor. "Captain Kryze?" Tristan asked. "Is that really you?"

Ezra pulled off his own helmet and smiled at Tristan, putting up an arm to shake Tristan's hand. "Indeed it is, Tristan Wren. It's been a long time."

Tristan looked over Ezra's armor, then looked warily over his shoulder like he was expecting Saxon to be standing behind him. "What are you doing, Captain?" Tristan whispered to Ezra. "What did you do to your armor? If Saxon sees you like this, he'll-"

"He'll do nothing, Tristan," Ezra cut him off. "As of just recently, I am quitting the Empire. I accomplished my assignment, now I refuse to serve them any longer."

"There is no quitting the Empire, Captain," Tristan whispered back, and Sabine was interested to detect a certain level of concern for Ezra in Tristan's voice. Apparently, her brother had developed a sense of respect for Ezra at some point, even though it seemed like they didn't know each other all too well.

"Gar Saxon can tell me that before I put a blast through his head," Ezra argued, and the conversation was instantly over. Following Ezra's fearless threat of treason, Tristan seemed to lose all sense of fight in him.

His shoulders slumped and he said, "You're really leaving us, aren't you? Well, you will be missed, Captain. And I think I'll just keep this discussion of ours between us, shall I?"

He then turned to face Sabine fully and said, "So, Sabine. Is it really you?"

Sabine removed her own helmet, ignoring the threatening moves of the Mandalorians around her in response to seeing her face, and said, "It is, Tristan. It's good to see you."

Tristan looked her over and commented, "You changed your hair."

"You know me," Sabine responded.

"Do I?" Tristan asked. The hurt and awkwardness in his voice was obvious, and Sabine wondered to herself what Tristan must have been through after she left, feeling some guilt for leaving him in the dark for so long.

Tristan stared at her for another moment, then sighed. "I'll take you to the Stronghold, but I'm sure you know that you won't be greeted well."

Ezra nodded. "We know."

Tristan nodded back and put his helmet back on, and the other Mandalorians around them closed in to surround Sabine and Ezra before escorting them towards the Wren Stronghold.

Krownest was covered in large amounts of snow. The snow rarely fell, but the planet was too far from any sun for the snow to melt very much. The Stronghold itself was a large, boxy gray building with a large glass box, the throne room, slightly hanging out over a frozen lake, and entirely surrounded by tall, green trees.

All around them were Mandalorians of the clan, wearing white armor that helped them blend in with the environment, but lined with small amounts of yellow. Camouflage wasn't the primary nature of a Mandalorian, after all, even when it was an option.

Overall, the place hadn't changed much since Sabine had left, except that it felt less friendly. Looking at it, this place no longer felt like home to Sabine. Despite only really knowing him for a short time, Ezra was by far the most comforting thing on this planet, and Sabine was glad to have him here with her.

Sabine had expected to speak to her mother in the throne room, but they found her waiting for them right outside the Stronghold, leaning against a glass railing and looking down at them. Ursa Wren, the proud and mighty leader of Clan Wren, glared down at her daughter and coldly said, "So it's true. My wayward daughter has returned."

Refusing to back down under her look, Sabine simply greeted, "Mother."

"Put her in a cell," Ursa ordered her troops. "She'll be held for trial."

Ezra POV

Ezra had expected some level of disdain directed at Sabine from the Countess Wren, but not such utter disregard for her only daughter as to instantly dismiss her. He understood how complicated Mandalorian families could be, and his own mother figure had been forced to speak negatively of him for years now to keep up the illusion of his betrayal, but she'd always maintained some sense of honor when it came to dealing with him, and she'd also spoken highly of Ursa Wren's similar sense of honor.

Stepping forward and trying to keep his anger in check, Ezra called out, "Countess Wren!"

Instantly, all of the Mandalorians present save for Sabine, Tristan, and their mother, drew their weapons and directed them at him, clearly apprehensive of some sort of threat from him. Sabine looked at him and shook her head, and Ursa raised an eyebrow as she rested one hand on one of the pistols at her hips.

Ezra held up his hands in a placating gesture and continued, "I am Ezra Kryze, son of Lady Bo-Katan Kryze. You served under my mother in the Nite Owls."

Upon hearing his mother's name, all of the Mandalorian soldiers slightly lowered their blasters and looked to their Countess for direction, clearly recognizing his mother's name, though he noticed that Sabine just looked confused. It seemed that she didn't know the full significance of his mother's accomplishments.

Not stopping, Ezra said, "After a long time spent working to get here, and many sacrifices made, your daughter willingly came along with me to face judgment. If I may, I request that we simply go to trial now rather than wait or imprison your daughter."

There was a short silence, then the Countess Wren narrowed her eyes and said, "Out of respect for your mother, Ezra Kryze, I shall agree to your request. Besides, I think we've put this off for quite long enough."

She nodded to her soldiers, and they all hesitantly holstered their various weapons, causing Ezra to let out a sigh of relief. They all walked into the throne room, where the soldiers of Clan Wren lined up along the side walls and Tristan moved to stand on one side of Ursa's throne as she sat down in it. Above the throne hung a masterfully painted portrait of Countess Wren in a seated position, her helmet on her lap as she looked sternly ahead of her, an image that almost perfectly matched the live sight in front of them.

Ezra escorted Sabine to stand directly in front of the steps leading up to her mother's throne. Once Sabine was in place, Ezra looked into her face to see her expected expression of nervousness. He gave her a reassuring smile, which she tried to return but only succeeded in grimacing back, and then Ezra went to stand on the other side of Countess Wren's throne, a place reserved for him as the guest of honor, and the trial commenced.