Chapter 27

One Month Later

Ezra POV

The attack on Mandalore was a massive operation, far larger than Ezra had ever expected during his planning sessions.

He had expected to have the support of two or three clans. Instead he had almost all of them. Not to mention that they also had three Star Destroyers including Grand Admiral Thrawn's former flagship standing by for support.

Just before they began to launch their ships towards Mandalore, the plan had been for them to take their Star Destroyers and attack Sundari with overwhelming numbers and firepower. The planet only had a small Imperial presence, after all, just enough to keep the common folk in line and handle the odd insurrection or two. However, Ezra had scrapped that plan when he recalled that he'd promised to free Sabine's father as their first order of business on the planet. So instead, they had blockaded the planet with their Destroyers, cutting off all communication beyond the planet, and were now deploying their hundreds of Kom'rks and Talon fighters down into the atmosphere, accompanied by one of their two Arquitens cruisers for support.

Next to him in the cockpit of the Absolution, in the seat that was usually Sabine's, Kanan said, "I don't like this. For once, we're the ones with the overwhelming strength, blockading the planet and invading? It's not gonna be this easy."

Grinning, Ezra told him, "Lighten up, Jedi. You're riding with Mandalorians now, not just some rebels struggling to survive. We worked for this, and now we have what we need to handle the Empire's forces on Mandalore easily."

Kanan still looked uncertain and said, "Our arrogance may be the Empire's key to defeating us."

Ezra just rolled his eyes. Contacting Sabine's newly rechristened Kom'rk, the Convor, Ezra spoke into his comm and asked, "Hey, Bine, does Kanan always have to be the voice of doom and gloom?"

Her voice quickly responded, saying, "Actually, he used to be really cocky all the time. It wasn't until he lost his eyes that he started to get all moody. Have fun handling your Jedi Master, Ez!"

Scowling, Ezra argued, "He's not my Master! Just my teacher!"

Sabine didn't respond, though Ezra imagined that she was chuckling to herself on the other end of the line, and Kanan turned to Ezra to say, "Speaking of, I think we should do another training session once we're on the ground."

Looking at him in confusion, Ezra protested, "But Kanan, we're supposed to go after Sabine's dad. Our scouts think that they've located Alrich in one of the Imperial prison towers in Sector Four."

"And he'd be better off getting rescued by someone that knows what he's doing," Kanan countered. "Just trust me, Ezra. The Force is telling me that we need to do this. Besides, I want to talk to you."

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Ezra looked at Kanan suspiciously through the edge of his vision. Whenever Kanan said that he wanted to talk to him, it was usually some weird Jedi-y conversation. Nonetheless, Ezra just sighed and told him, "Fine. But then we need to move fast to get Alrich. Sabine's already tense enough. I want to get her dad out today."

Kanan nodded in acceptance, and Ezra refocused on his flying.

When they were nearly to the ground, Ezra contacted the rest of the fleet and said, "Gauntlets and Talons, begin setting up a camp. We'll prepare to go to Alrich's suspected location in two hours."

Countess Wren's voice said, "If we know where he is, why don't we go get him now? Less chance of the Empire moving him."

"It's for the best that we have somewhere to take him after he's free, somewhere that we can mount a defense against the Empire. And apparently our resident Jedi thinks that he should have a private talk with me before we move on the prison."

There was a short silence, then Ursa said, "Very well. Keep the cruiser in the air, and everyone else can make camp underneath it, but be ready to deploy fighters for support at a moment's notice."

The ships around them began to float downwards to obey Ezra and Ursa's orders, and Ezra steered the Absolution to land a considerable distance away from the rest of the group before he landed.

As they touched down, Ezra walked out of the ship and stood in place for Kanan to follow. When the Jedi came out, he was holding a bundled up cloth in one hand. He approached Ezra and held the hand up, then said, "Ezra. Over the past month, you've made great progress in your training. I thought that it was time that I gave you this."

He opened the cloth in his hand to reveal a finely cut crystal lying there.

Ezra gasped and said sarcastically, "It's… a rock. Thank you, Kanan. I've always wanted-"

"It's a lightsaber crystal," Kanan cut him off, sounding annoyed.

Nodding in understanding, Ezra said, "Ohhhh." He then held up the Darksaber and said, "I've already got one of those."

"You mentioned that the Darksaber is too short for someone of your height, and the blade length can't be adjusted on such an old lightsaber," Kanan said. "So I thought I'd let you make one that fits you. I have all the pieces you need to build your own lightsaber waiting on your ship. And if you want, I think you're good enough to learn how to dual wield lightsabers. It's tricky, but some of the best warriors have been known to learn how to do it on a regular basis."

"Hey, like my aunt!" Ezra said in familiarity.

Tilting his head in confusion, Kanan asked, "Your aunt?"

"Well, not my real aunt," Ezra explained, taking the crystal from Kanan's hand and examining it. "My mother just used to be good friends with this one Jedi that used two lightsabers at once."

"Well, I knew one myself, and she was quite the force to be reckoned with," Kanan said, then gestured back towards the ship with his head and told Ezra, "Go on. Go build your lightsaber, then show it to me once you're done."

Grinning with excitement, Ezra ran into the Absolution and found Kanan's small bag of metal parts that he had taken with him from Atollon. He then began to select and sort pieces, trying to find the ones that would best fit together to meet certain parts of his hand comfortably.

Once he had all that he needed, he lined them up on the floor, setting the crystal between all of them, and kneeled down on the ground in a meditative pose, setting his helmet to the side for now. Just like he had practiced with his armor pieces on numerous late nights, Ezra took deep breaths, closing his eyes, and reached out with the Force, feeling for the parts that he wanted to grab. Letting his feelings carry his actions more than his thoughts, Ezra instinctively allowed the pieces to float together to form the new weapon.

Remembering what Kanan had told him about lightsabers being dangerous if constructed incorrectly, Ezra mentally prayed that he was going about doing this thing right. Of course, he wouldn't know if he wasn't. He had never studied a lightsaber construction diagram, but Kanan had said that he didn't have to. The pieces would just find their way into the right places.

After the sounds of clicking stopped, Ezra opened his eyes to see a fully constructed lightsaber hilt floating in the air in front of him. Reaching out to tentatively to grasp it, Ezra immediately felt a connection to the new weapon. It fit in his hand perfectly.

Taking it outside, Ezra handed the lightsaber to Kanan, who examined it despite not being able to see it with his eyes, and finally told Ezra, "Feels good. Light it up."

Still nervous, Ezra accepted the lightsaber back from Kanan and held it out in front of him before hesitantly activating it. Without even sputtering, the lightsaber smoothly activated, extending a blade of pure energy, accompanied by a pleasant humming. It was perfect.

Well, almost perfect.

"Why is the blade green?" Ezra asked with a frown.

Crossing his arms over his chest, Kanan asked, "Should it not be?"

"No!" Ezra exclaimed. "I don't wear any green! My clan's color is blue. Your lightsaber is blue. Why isn't my lightsaber blue?"

"Hey, that was my Master's first lightsaber crystal," Kanan warned, like Ezra was going to offend the crystal if he didn't speak nicely about it. "Besides, it's not like you wear black, either."

Huffing in annoyance, Ezra tried to console himself by saying, "Well, you were right. The length is much better."

"Twist that knob on the side," Kanan advised.

Ezra obliged, and the blade shrank just slightly until it was the perfect size for Ezra to use comfortably at any range. Ezra gave his new weapon a few experimental swings, then smiled at Kanan and said, "Alright, I'll admit it. This thing is pretty cool."

Kanan stepped back and drew his own lightsaber, activating it and saying, "Well, let's find out if you can use it."

They sparred for the next few minutes, and Ezra actually found his new lightsaber growing on him with every passing moment. After a while of it becoming more and more comfortable in his grip, Ezra began to push harder against Kanan, and the Jedi began to defend himself more fiercely.

Ezra's eyes narrowed in concentration as he attempted to overcome the Jedi's strong defense, but he soon found himself getting pushed back, starting to lose. With determination in his gaze, Ezra used his free hand to draw the Darksaber from his belt, and then he switched up his style and began to fight even harder.

Surprised by Ezra's new power, Kanan began to back up under an onslaught of quick strikes, barely managing to keep his lightsaber between himself and Ezra. Suddenly, Ezra used the Force to push Kanan backwards just slightly. The Jedi managed to stay on his feet, but he stumbled in surprise just enough for Ezra to rush in towards him.

Kanan slowly raised his lightsaber to defend himself, but Ezra spun around as he approached, knocking Kanan's blade aside with his new lightsaber before holding the Darksaber blade up to the Jedi's neck.

There was a moment of silence, and then Ezra realized what had just happened. He had defeated Kanan! For the first time ever, Ezra had actually managed to defeat Kanan in an honest fight, and he hadn't even used his Mandalorian tools to do it!

Ezra deactivated both of his lightsabers, and Kanan smiled at him before saying, "Well done, Ezra. Now, begin your Force training exercises."

Shocked, Ezra said, "What? I just beat you! That should count as my Force training for, like, a week!"

Seeming to ignore him, Kanan just walked back next to the ship and kneeled on the ground, bowing his head in silent meditation.

Grumbling to himself unhappily, Ezra began to do his exercises. He started running around the Absolution in a wide circle, using the Force to propel himself along at high speeds and also using it to jump large distances into the air at certain times, trying to see how much distance he could cover each time, competing with himself at every next leap.

Due to his unwillingness to remove his armor in combat, Kanan had told Ezra that he would have to do all of his exercises in full armor and wearing all his gear. It made things more difficult, needing to carry so much extra weight when doing strenuous exercises for long periods of time, but Ezra was still better than any human should've been able to be. The Force sustained him, and Ezra was used to performing beyond his limits anyway.

Growing up, he had trained harder than any other Mandalorian to be better than the best, never wanting to resort to using his powers. It had been exhausting and painful, but worth it in the end. And now, Ezra could combine his powers with his exceptional skills to be something even more. Something impossible.

He'd discovered that with the Force, his impossibly perfect aim with a blaster could be even better. He could hit a target a hundred yards out with a single shot without even being able to see it. He could get over a giant chasm even faster than a Mandalorian in a jetpack could by simply using the Force to leap over it. He was faster, stronger, and more agile than anyone in his same state should've been able to be, and he was proud to know that his endless efforts were part of the reason for his success.

After a while of continuing to do his exercises without being allowed to stop, however, even Ezra was beginning to tire, even with the assistance of the Force to keep him going. Kanan had never kept him going nonstop for this long, yet he refused to stop until the Jedi told him to.

A couple of hours of constant exertion later, Kanan finally told him, "That's enough."

Ezra slowed to a stop, panting hard. His heavy breaths began to fog up the inside of his helmet, and Ezra pulled it off, allowing sweat to drip down from his hair. He could've kept it on and activated his cooling system, but Ezra thought that it felt even better to allow the wind to blow on his face, even with how dry the air was on the war-torn planet of Mandalore.

He crouched forward and put his hands on his knees, saying, "You know… *gasp* I didn't know what to expect *gasp* when I started this Jedi thing. But I'll be honest. *gasp* It kinda sucks."

Kanan just chuckled and walked inside the ship, saying, "Well, I'd have you keep going, but we've been away long enough already. You can take a shower once we get back to the camp. Otherwise, Sabine won't want to go anywhere near you."

Ezra groaned in pain and began to follow the Jedi on shaky legs. As much as a nap sounded nice right about now, a shower sounded even better. The idea of getting to see Sabine again after a few hours didn't exactly hurt either. She would hopefully let him take his nap with his head in her lap as she soothingly brushed her hand through his hair. The very thought made Ezra's mind begin to relax. If nothing else, Kanan certainly knew how to motivate Ezra to get going.

As they entered the cockpit, Ezra told Kanan, "On second thought, you can fly us to the camp. I'll just take my shower on the way."

Kanan turned to grin at him and asked, "Really? You, who never wants anyone to fly his ship, are now asking the blind guy to do it?"

"Just shut up and get us back," Ezra waved him off as he walked back to his cabin. He heard Kanan chuckling as he strode away, but Ezra was too tired to care. Force training was absolutely brutal. Every day, Kanan asked him to perform feats that would've killed a normal human, and he acted like it was just normal.

As he pulled off his armor to get into the shower, Ezra remembered that he still wanted to save Alrich today. He walked into the shower and closed his eyes as he leaned his head on the wall, the water being the only thing keeping him awake.

Sabine POV

Whatever Ezra had been doing with Kanan over the past month took an annoyingly long time. Each of their sessions lasted hours at least. A couple times, Kanan had pulled Sabine's boyfriend away and disappeared with him for a couple days at a time. She just hoped that they wouldn't be gone that long this time. Ezra had mentioned that he planned for them to rescue her father today. Sabine was trying not to get her hopes up, but Ezra had always fulfilled his promises in the past, and she doubted that he would change that now, even if she wouldn't blame him for being unable to accomplish such a feat on the first day of their invasion.

When she finally saw the Absolution return to land among the ranks of their other ships after only being gone for a couple hours, Sabine tried to remain composed, but she was cheering internally for Kanan and Ezra's return. Now that they were back, they could finally free her father!

She smiled as she watched the ramp lower and saw Ezra beginning to walk down it, but then her expression turned to concern as she noticed that Ezra was walking slower than usual. He was tired or in pain, though he hid it well, but Sabine knew him well enough to determine when he was simply disguising his hurt.

Stepping up and putting an arm around his waist to support him, Sabine asked, "What's wrong? What happened?"

Ezra waved her off and said, "Nothing, nothing. I'm fine."

Sabine raised a disbelieving eyebrow at him and spoke to Kanan as she saw the Jedi exit the ship as well. "What's wrong with him?" she asked.

"He's tired from training," Kanan responded. "We may want him to take a nap before we go after your father."

Sabine nodded in acceptance, but Ezra shrugged her arm off and said, "No, I'm fine. We can get Alrich, and then I'll-" He suddenly began to sway dangerously on his feet, and muttered out, "Maybe just… give me five minutes."

He began to fall towards the ground, but Sabine caught him before he could collapse and said, "Alright, tough guy. Let's have you lay down for a while."

Still unsteady, Ezra shook his head and said, "No, I'm… fine. I promised…"

"We'll help my father soon enough," Sabine told him firmly. "For now, you wouldn't be much good in the field anyway." Ezra was too tired to even respond to her claim. Sabine shrugged to Kanan and began to pull Ezra back on board the Absolution. She practically dragged him into the Captain's Quarters and helped him remove his armor before laying him down on the bed.

As she then began to leave, she heard him call out, "Wait."

Turning back to face him, Sabine asked, "Yeah, Ez?"

He looked a bit uncomfortable, but he managed to ask, "Would you… stay here with me? I think it would help me relax."

Sabine smiled and answered, "Sure." She walked back to the bed, pulling off her armor plates as she went, and climbed up to sit next to where Ezra lied, her back pressed against the wall. Ezra scooted closer to her and layed his head on her leg, and she instinctively began to run her fingers through his hair.

Ezra sighed to himself contentedly and said, "Ah. That feels nice."

Curious, Sabine asked him, "Why were you so tired today? I get the feeling that Kanan wasn't telling the whole truth. Is it the stress of our arrival on Mandalore?"

He shook his head and answered, "No, Kanan just worked me extra hard in training today. He had me run for a few hours, almost the entire time we were gone, without stopping."

Shocked and concerned, Sabine asked, "Really? Why didn't you just ask for a break?"

Ezra chuckled and responded, "Is that a real question? No way was I going to stop until he told me to. However strong he thinks I am, I have to prove myself stronger. 'Cause, you know, I'm a Mandalorian idiot that would sooner kill himself than admit defeat."

Frowning, Sabine told him firmly, "Well, you're my idiot, and I say no more nearly killing yourself just to prove a point."

"Yes, ma'am," Ezra mumbled sleepily with his eyes closed.

Sabine then leaned down to smell him, wanting to make sure that she wouldn't smell all sweaty when they left, and commented, "Well, at least you smell nice. I guess you already took a shower?"

Ezra nodded, beginning to fall into unconsciousness, and Sabine told him, "Good boy. Now, take your nap, Ez. I love you."

"Love you too," Ezra muttered, and then he slumped forward limply and fell asleep.

Sabine smiled to herself and leaned back against the wall, closing her eyes in relaxation as her fingers continued idly running themselves over Ezra's head.

Even if they didn't manage to rescue her father today, Sabine would be content to rescue him tomorrow as long as Ezra got his energy back, getting himself back in top condition for their invasion. Her dad had been in Imperial custody for years, and one more day wouldn't hurt him. Still, Sabine could hardly wait for them to make their next move.

A/N: And I'm sure that many of you sympathize with Sabine. All the same, it'll have to wait until the next chapter. There's a lot I want to fit into the next chapter, and this one's already gotten long enough. Anyway, please leave a comment with any thoughts, comments, or concerns, and I hope that you're all enjoying this story! Thanks for reading!