Chapter 32

Sabine POV

After their victory over Saxon's forces, Sabine walked up towards the bridge of the Beskad with her boyfriend beside her. Suddenly, Ezra pushed her up against one of the walls of the hallway and kissed her. Sabine was surprised, but she quickly relaxed and began to kiss him back.

After a moment, Ezra pulled away, and Sabine asked, breathing hard, "What was that for?"

Ezra smiled and gave her one more small kiss before saying, "Just for being so amazing. It's because of you that we finally have our home back. We won."

Looking down and smiling at his kind words, Sabine said, "Ezra… It was all of us. And probably mostly you, to be honest. Your powers are hard to match up to. You helped us get the cruisers, the Destroyers."

"But you beat Saxon at his own game, making him scared enough to surrender to us," Ezra argued.

He then leaned in and kissed her roughly once more, taking her breath away, and after he pulled away Sabine demanded once more, "What was that for?"

Ezra leaned his head against hers and answered, "For scaring me earlier today. You don't get to do that."

Confused, Sabine asked, "What do you mean?"

"I sensed you getting hurt in the Force," Ezra explained. "That was why I charged into the lab like that."

Smirking, Sabine said, "After taking out half of the Imperials in the hangar single-handedly, you made a big, dramatic entrance only to discover that I already had things under control. Aw, you poor baby."

Ezra stepped back from her and said, "I know you can handle yourself against your enemies. I'm just terrified that one day you're going to run into one that only I can handle, and I won't be there to help you. My enemies will eventually realize who you are to me, and they'll attack you to hurt me. That's why I've decided to give you this."

To Sabine's shock, Ezra then pulled the Darksaber from his belt and held the hilt out towards her.

With wide eyes, Sabine stammered out, "Ezra, I… But, that sword belongs to you! Why would you-"

"I want you to have something to defend yourself if you ever run into another Inquisitor or something that comes after me, and you've already proven that you're capable with this sword. It has a connection to you," Ezra explained. "And that's not all. This thing… This represents my past. A past I've held onto for so long. So long. Now… I think I'm finally ready to let go of it. And Kanan says my lightsaber is my life…"

He gazed at the Darksaber hilt for a moment, then held it out to Sabine, who looked at it, then up at Ezra with an expression of shock and disbelief on her face. "I think my life is better off in your hands," Ezra continued, then grinned. "Besides, I have one that fits my height a little better. But you better take care of this thing. It's… part of me now."

After a moment of hesitation, Sabine slowly reached forward and accepted the proffered blade. It had been a long time since she'd used it, but it felt right to have it in her hand once again. She held it up and ignited the black blade, so dark that it emitted light from the edges, and slowly moved it back and forth in the air.

She then deactivated it and turned back to Ezra before hugging him tightly and saying, "Thank you, Ez'ika. I promise, I'll take very good care of it."

Chuckling, Ezra wrapped his arms around her and said, "I know you will. And more, I know that you'll put it to good use."

Sabine clipped the Darksaber hilt to the back of her belt and grabbed Ezra's hand as she continued walking them both to the bridge. When they arrived, they found Kanan already standing there watching the new astromech plug itself into the Destroyer's computer. They made almost no sound as they walked into the room, but Kanan turned around at their entrance and told them, "Now that we have the cities back, hopefully we'll be able to get actual people flying these ships. I feel uncomfortable leaving droids in charge of a fleet of Star Destroyers."

Ezra clapped Kanan on the shoulder as they walked past the Jedi and told him, "Well, it's a temporary thing, but the droids are completely trustworthy. They come from various clans that have all vetted the droids' programming. This one is from my own clan, so try not to offend him."

Kanan looked at the astromech uncertainly, and it turned its head around to look back at him and whistle reassurance. "Do you seriously trust these things with your entire fleet?" Kanan asked. "I mean, not to be the pessimistic voice, but droids can be reprogrammed."

"Which is why I agree with you that we need to get more humans piloting these things as soon as possible," Ezra said.

"Do you even have civilians on Mandalore that can fly a Star Destroyer?" Kanan asked.

Sabine looked back at him and folded her arms as she said, "Given enough help and training, all of them can do it. Mandalorians built the first Star Destroyers, and civilian crews were common."

Frowning, Kanan asked, "Wait, really? Your people made the first Destroyers?"

"More like the predecessor to the Venators that the Republic used," Ezra explained. "They weren't quite the same, but we did make warships that were similar to what's still used today. Not surprising, really. The Kaminoans that made the Republic's Clone Army appropriated almost all of their designs based off ones made by Mandalorians. The vehicles of the Clone Army, the armor, the weapons. After all, the Clones were technically Mandalorians themselves, cloned from and trained by one of the strongest Mandalorian warriors of the age."

"Quite the legacy, if you think about it," Lady Kryze said as she walked onto the bridge as well, her helmet held under her arm. "No clan in Mandalorian history had ever been comprised of millions of members at once until Clan Fett. Fortunately or unfortunately, there aren't many left."

Kanan stepped towards Bo and said, "Lady Kryze, you have your planet back now. I'm sure you know that the Empire won't just give it to you without some further resistance, but I've upheld the Rebellion's end of our agreement."

Bo nodded. "And you are free to go. Bring our thanks to your leaders, and know that Mandalore will remain an ally to you from here on. Unfortunately, we must stay here for now to defend and rebuild our civilizations, but we will cone to your aid when we can."

Kanan bowed his head back in respect and said, "We understand." He then turned to Sabine and said, "Sabine, we've freed your father and your planet. We can still use your help. Are you coming with me?"

Sabine froze as Kanan put her on the spot. In all the chaos of the past few days, she'd forgotten that they were nearing the end of what she'd come here to do. Kanan was right. She'd wanted to help her father and free her people, and now she'd done that. Her other family still needed her, though.

Looking over at Ezra nervously, Sabine answered, "I… don't know."

Ezra met her gaze and said, "Sabine, if you feel like you have to do this, then do it. All I know is that wherever you're going, I'm following."

Lady Kryze seemed to jump at that and said, "What? Ezra, no! You need to stay here and lead our people! When the Empire comes back, we'll need you!"

"And I'll come back to help when you need me, but I'm no leader!" Ezra argued. "Besides, I'm not exactly leaving you shorthanded around here, what with the entire planet of Imperial weaponry and six Star Destroyers that I've now delivered to you, including two flagships!"

"All the same, you have the Darksaber, so you need to-"

"No, I don't," Ezra denied her. That effectively silenced his mother, and Sabine fidgeted uncomfortably as she pulled the Darksaber from her belt to show to the Lady. Bo looked back and forth between the two for a moment, then asked, "Ezra, did she defeat… No, she couldn't have. You gave it to her?"

"I don't care about the traditions, Mother," Ezra explained. "Sabine needed a weapon that allows her to fight people like Inquisitors, the people that would hurt her to hurt me. So I gave her the Darksaber."

"The Darksaber cannot be given away, Ezra," Bo warned. "The people will not accept this."

"I don't care if they accept it," Ezra responded angrily. "It's about time that they stopped chasing legends and myths from the past and start making their own history."

Bo still looked concerned, and Ezra scoffed as he grabbed the Darksaber from Sabine with one hand and grabbed her own hand with the other, then said, "Come on, Sabine. Apparently we need to do one more thing before we go. Mother, you follow as well."

Not waiting to see if his mother would obey, Ezra began to pull Sabine down the hall and towards the hangar. She didn't know where they were going, but she followed him without question.

He led them into the hangar and jumped out of the ship. They both activated their jetpacks and flew into the city of Sundari, where Ezra then led them to the royal palace in the center of the domed city. He landed them on a pedestal right in front of the city and told Sabine, "I need to make an announcement. I want all of Mandalore to hear it."

She nodded at him and turned to the control panel on the back wall, turning on the speakers and patching through the microphone to broadcast to all planets in the Mandalore system. She then nodded to Ezra and watched as several camera droids floated upwards to focus on Ezra, capturing the video of his announcement to turn it into a hologram that would be seen by all of the Mandalorian worlds.

Ezra faced forward and cleared his throat before saying, "I am Ezra Kryze of Clan Kryze, currently thought of as the future Mand'alor. I need to make an announcement. I am not a leader. I am a warrior only, and I cannot lead our people."

He held up the Darksaber hilt and said, "Yet because I have this sword, many feel that they are supposed to unite behind me, as they have done with its previous wielders. This is what must end. The future of Mandalore cannot be built upon the stories of our past. We must move forward, move beyond these fairy tales. In the past, this sword meant that you were the strongest, that you killed the previous leader and now had the right to lead yourself. But from this point forward, that is no more."

Sabine looked around at the cameras, wondering how the rest of Mandalore must be reacting as they watched this announcement being made live.

But Ezra wasn't done. "No more surrendering the will of our people to outsiders. My birth mother, Duchess Satine Kryze, was killed in this building right behind me because our people gave in to one of these outsiders. So no more Mauls. No more Darksaber. From here on, this thing is nothing but a weapon that represents the past. From here on, Mandalore makes its own history, led by someone who actually has some clue of what they're doing."

Ezra looked up into the sky and watched as his mother flew down to land next to him. The camera droids shifted their focus to include her in the image, and Ezra continued, "My adopted mother, Lady Bo-Katan Kryze, cares more about Mandalore than anyone I've ever known, and she knows how to lead us, walking the line between warriors and people. So I'm declaring her the leader of Mandalore. She will rule with justice and power, with a council made up of all of the other clan leaders, none exempted, and we will unite behind her to become stronger than we've ever been before. She will not wield the Darksaber, but she will have it and its master at her command."

He then looked back towards the cameras and added, "And I hope she'll command your loyalty as well. Today, we won a massive victory by being united, but it wasn't the last threat that Mandalore will face. We can face our future threats in this same way, by fighting together rather than fighting each other, by being smarter than our ancestors that could only unite behind some old sword. My mother knows this, and she always taught me that Mandalorians are stronger together. So I hope that she will have your respect, and the future of Mandalore can depend on us, relying on those that we can trust to lead."

At the end of all this, Ezra nodded back at Sabine, and she deactivated the announcer systems. The camera droids deactivated, and Lady Kryze turned to her son to say, "You just flipped thousands of years of our culture upside-down. You might've just turned all of the clans against us, after all our months of preparing, and with the Empire looming on the horizon."

Smirking, Ezra said, "Or I might've just secured the next thousand generations of Mandalore by finally convincing our people to stop living in the past."

Sighing, Bo said, "This child, I swear… Ezra, if they turn against me while you're gone-"

"I'll come right back and destroy their hopes and dreams," Ezra responded as he pulled his mother into a hug, leaning his head against hers. "But I doubt you'll need me. Just be you. Lead them, like I know you can. I'll look forward to seeing how you've changed the world when I come back."

Pulling back for a moment, Bo glared at Ezra and said, "You will come back, yes?"

Sabine stepped forward and placed a hand on Ezra's shoulder before saying, "He will. I'll make sure of it."

Bo looked over at her and ordered, "And you… Don't you dare marry my son while you're gone." Sabine looked down sadly, but then Bo added, "I want to be there when it happens."

Sabine looked up at Bo in surprise and said, "Wait, do you mean… Are you serious?"

Bo smiled and nodded at her as she answered, "Completely. I know we got off to a rocky start, but I would be pleased to have you for a daughter-in-law. You have gained my respect, Sabine Wren, and it was well-earned. Just… take care of my son, would you?"

Sabine smirked and leaned against Ezra as she said, "I will, My Lady."

"I know," the older woman responded. "And call me Bo."

At that, Sabine smiled in gratitude.

Ezra POV

Suddenly, the door opened behind them, and Kanan walked in. "Now I really see why you guys prefer to fly everywhere," the Jedi said. He turned to Ezra and said, "First of all, nice speech. I heard it over the speakers as I was walking the streets. You made quite the buzz around the planet."

"It was time for a change," Ezra defended.

Kanan just nodded and said, "It certainly was." He then turned to face Ezra's mother and said, "I also figured heard what Ezra said about his birth mother, and how you adopted him after. The Duchess was named Kryze? You must've been close to her. I'm sorry for your loss."

"She was my sister, and thank you," Bo responded. "But was there something else you wanted to talk to us about? I doubt you came all this way just to share your thoughts on Ezra's speech."

Kanan shook his head and said, "No, I didn't. There's someone here that wants to talk to you."

Kanan then stepped aside and revealed an Imperial Super Commando standing in the doorway, his helmet held under his arm as he looked down at the ground. By the red on his vambraces, Ezra recognized him as the Super Commando that had been accompanying Tiber Saxon aboard his Destroyer, the one that Ezra had knocked out. Not trusting the Imperial, Ezra discreetly placed his hand on one of his pistols, but Sabine reached over and gently placed her hand on top of his, silently telling him not to draw his weapon.

The Commando stepped slowly forward and kneeled on the ground before saying, "I, er… I know I'm in no place, but I wish to make a request."

Bo raised an eyebrow and commanded, "Speak."

Looking down, the Commando said, "My name is Captain Jett Hark, of Clan Saxon. I was Tiber Saxon's lieutenant, his second-in-command, but I never liked him. As far as I know, none of our clan did. He was… unhinged, but we couldn't oppose him. He was our clan's leader, and he had that… weapon that Sabine Wren designed. I hoped that by staying close to him, staying loyal, I could convince him not to use it. I was wrong. And now our clan are your prisoners, and I am here to request… that my people be freed."

"Are you insane?" Ezra asked angrily, stepping towards him, but Sabine stopped him with a hand on his chest and said, "Wait, Ezra! Hear him out! He really did try to stop Saxon, I saw it! When you showed up, Saxon had been torturing him too!"

Raising an eyebrow, Ezra scowled at Hark as the Commando said, "Please, I do not ask you this lightly. With Tiber Saxon in your custody, I have claim to all of Clan Saxon. We wish to renounce Tiber Saxon and join you as loyal Mandalorians. Clan Saxon would become Clan Hark as the last of Tiber's supporters fall away, and we can reforge our armor to normal standards and join you. Please, I am asking you to let us become loyal again, to let us regain some of our lost honor."

He turned to Ezra and said, "I… Well, I came here to pledge loyalty to you, Ezra Kryze, but I heard from your announcement that Lady Kryze is now…"

"You heard correctly," Ezra told him, crossing his arms over his chest as he looked down on the man, suddenly seeing him in a new light after hearing his story. If he was telling the truth, he was simply misled by his clan leader, but was willing to betray Tiber Saxon without a second thought. He certainly seemed plenty loyal to his cause, and Ezra didn't want to believe that any Mandalorian (except Tiber Saxon, apparently) would be happy to serve the Empire. Captain Hark reminded Ezra of himself, in a way. They'd both done horrible things for the Empire, but they were also both seeking redemption. Even after all this time, Ezra still couldn't forgive or forget what he'd done for the Empire, the fact that he'd ever worn their armor or symbol, but he understood wanting to make it right.

His mother turned to him and asked, "What do you think?"

Sighing, Ezra responded, "Well, I just gave the keys to the kingdom to you, Mother, so it's your choice. But personally, I think they deserve a chance."

Narrowing her eyes at the kneeling former Imperial, Bo said, "Hmm. Very well. Jett Hark, you and your people will be allowed a chance. One chance to correct your mistakes. You will live with your shame, but your people may rejoin us. And you, Jett Hark, will be given a position of equal standing to all other clan leaders on my advising council, so long as you and all your people swear loyalty to the current or future rightful rulers of Mandalore. You will be stripped of your armor and will not be allowed to wear it again until after you have reforged it in the Great Forge beneath the city. Is this all understood?"

Hark bowed his head low and said, "Yes, My Lady. Me and all my people thank you for your act of incredible generosity."

"This is not generosity, but justice," Bo told him firmly. "If you had made your own choices, I would have no mercy for you. Nevertheless, I understand that you were forced to obey your clan leader against your wishes, so I will give you a single chance to change. If you attempt to disappoint or betray your people willingly, however…"

She trailed off there, letting the threat hang in the air, and Hark stood before slamming a fist against his chestplate over his heart and bowing his head as he said, "Of course, My Lady. We understand. Clan Hark is with you."

The Commando walked back out the door, and Kanan made to follow him before he turned back to the other Mandalorians present and said, "Just so you know, he's telling you the truth. I can sense no lies from him. He really wants a chance to change."

"And now he has it," Bo said reassuringly. Kanan just nodded and walked out the door.

Knowing that it was time for them to go as well, Bo pulled both Ezra and Sabine into a tight hug before urging them to go along, and the two younger Mandalorians took each other's hands as they walked out the door and followed Kanan.

As they entered the throne room, a sudden chill forced Ezra to stop in his tracks, and Sabine looked at him with confusion. "Ezra?" she asked, concerned.

Ezra looked over towards the Mandalorian throne, and a quiet voice suddenly echoed in his head, a voice he barely remembered.

"I've loved you always. I always will."

Ezra remained planted in place for a second, trying in vain to ignore what he had just heard, and Sabine shook his hand again before saying, "Ezra? What is it?"

Ezra sighed as he looked back at her and simply answered, "The past."

He looked back towards the throne for another few seconds, consumed by memories, and Sabine followed his gaze before she pursed her lips in thought and gently but firmly tugged him along towards the exit. Ezra didn't fight her pull and finally tore his eyes from the old throne and followed after Sabine, lacing his fingers with hers as she tightly squeezed his hand to help him stay concentrated.

A/N: I can't quite recall what story it was, but I believe I've read some fanfiction somewhere that named Captain Hark of the Imperial Super Commandos as "Jett Hark". Again, no clue where it came from, but that's why his first name is Jett in this story. (Essentially, because I'm too lazy to come up with a new name for a minor character.) Anyway, I hope you're all enjoying! Leave a comment with your thoughts or concerns!