Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars Rebels or any related material.

The Search for Sabine

The first thing Sabine felt when she returned to consciousness was a constant poking at her side. On instinct, she turned her head to the perpetrator with a blaster drawn, only to deadpan at her droid as she saw Twix poking at her with his claw. "Really?" The droid beeped sheepishly as Sabine turned back around to check on Ezra, who seemed to be fine. Thankfully, I took most of that damage. She slowly got out of the bunk, but the moment she stood up, she slightly lost her balance, still being slightly disoriented from hitting her head. She could feel a headache coming on, but she had to deal with it later. She made her way to the cockpit with Twix at her side. "Twix, how's the ship?"

Twix beeped out, "Communications and sensors are down. The engine is fine, but one of the wings was damaged and needs repair."

"Is there any way we can repair the comms?"

"Negative. The antenna was torn off during the crash."

Sabine groaned. "Great. So we're stuck here for who knows how long. What about the sensors?"

"I've been repairing them for the last few hours, but I need your help to finish them."

"How long have I been out?"

"About 10 hours."

"Haar'chak, let's get going then." Before Twix could warn her, she lowered the ramp, where she saw miles upon miles of nothing but snow. Shivering slightly, she said, "Hold on, Twix, I'm gonna change into a new bodysuit, this one's damaged and won't last in the cold. You've been working in these conditions for that long?"

The droid beeped proudly as Sabine shuffled through her spare clothes, which were mostly just more bodysuits. Once she found one designed for the cold, she made her way to the refresher, thinking about her situation as she changed. Okay, this ship has a small supply of water that I should save for drinking, so no showers. We have enough food to last for a standard month (35 days) for two. Wait, how am I going to feed Ezra? Oh no. Sabine realized that because Ezra was comatose, she couldn't give him any food or drink without him choking on it. Haar'chak, I should have left him on the Ghost. Now he might really die because of me. No, this is not the time for a pity party. This just means I have to do something within two days, instead of a month. Focus, Sabine. It has been almost a day since Ezra last ate or drank anything, and because of his actions the previous day, it's likely that Sabine only had one more day to find something to save him. Please let there be some kind of civilization on this snowball. Once she finished changing, she immediately ran outside and launched herself on top of the ship with her jetpack to where Twix was already working. "Alright, Twix. We have a day at most to get this and that wing done. Let's get to work." The droid beeped in acknowledgement as the two began the repairs.

One rotation has passed since Sabine, Ezra, and Twix were lost to the far reaches of the galaxy. The Ghost crew and Ahsoka decided to keep that news on the low, as everyone still believed that Sabine died on Lothal, and they didn't want to give their rebellion false hope. Commander Sato was the only one informed of her true status. They were currently having a discussion about the situation on the Ghost, where there would be no prying ears.

Hera adamantly pressed, "We need to go and find them. They're an integral part of our crew, and our family."

"Captain Syndulla, I want to look for them as much as you do, but we cannot afford to expend all our resources on a rescue operation. That would leave us vulnerable and unable to protect ourselves. What's the point in finding them if they have nothing to come back to?"

"Commander Sato," Ahsoka responded, "Sabine is one of the if not the most important person in this rebellion. Right now, no one but the people in this room knows she is alive. But, if we can bring her back to the fleet, morale will shoot through the roof. It will also make the Empire look weak as they try to cover up the death of a person that didn't happen. I suggest that we allow the Ghost to search for them, as well as me. If Kanan and I split up, we can cover much more ground with our abilities, assuming they're opening themselves to the Force. Allow me to take one of the blockade runners, as it has the proper medical facilities in case the two are found. Last I remember, Ezra was in a coma, so I want to be prepared."

"Wouldn't the crew of the blockade runner need to know the mission?" Kanan asked.

Ahsoka replied firmly, "Knowing the importance of the mission will make the crew work harder. Everyone here knows how important Sabine is to the rebellion."

Everyone pondered Ahsoka's plan for a few moments before Commande Sato finally spoke up. "I approve of your suggestion. Take the ship you believe has the most capable crew for the job. However, I cannot allow you to search forever, as I'm sure you know. You have two standard weeks to find a lead."

"Twix, how's the wing coming along?"

"We'll fly in clear weather, but any heavy wind, rain, or snow will ground us."

"It'll have to do for now. I just got the sensor working, let's head inside and see what we have."

Before going to the cockpit, Sabine quickly checked on Ezra. The boy's skin was slightly paler than before, showing clear signs of dehydration. We don't have long. She mentally called out to Ezra, knowing that he probably couldn't hear her. "Please, Ez, just hang on for a little longer." She called out to the cockpit as she walked up to it, "Anything on the sensors, Twix?"

The droid beeped excitedly, "There's something popping up about 50 miles north!"

Keeping her hopes cautiously optimistic, she replied, "Let's get going then! Hopefully it's nothing hostile."

It only took a few minutes to arrive, as Sabine's upgraded sub-light engines were capable of reaching up to 700 mph, speeds faster than the Ghost. She flew as close as she could to the ground to avoid higher winds in the upper atmosphere, which significantly reduced her speed, but the ship was still plenty fast enough. Sabine looked out of the cockpit in shock as the Cavalry approached the signal, revealing the wreckage of a massive triangular ship with two control towers towards the back and two large maroon hangar bay doors running down the middle, nearly entirely covered with snow. "Is that what I think it is? Twix, scan for any lifeforms." The droid complied as she thought, What is an old Republic Venator doing here, crashed in the middle of nowhere? Actually, where are we? She vocalized her thoughts, asking, "Twix, do you know what system or planet we're on?"

The droid beeped negatively. "This moon hasn't even been given a name. I only know that we're somewhere between Mandalore and Coruscant. Also, there are no life signs aboard, not even local fauna."

Remembering that most capital ships had a medbay, she quickly came up with a plan. "The main hangar bay seems to be open, but the rest of the ship is mostly buried beneath ice. We'll have to go in from there. Hopefully, the medbay is still functional. Did the Imps have schematics of this ship?"

"They used it during the early years of the Empire, so I have it in my databanks." The droid then displayed a cross-section of the ship, which Sabine studied. "The medbay isn't too far from the hangar. I'll get the Cavalry landed. Let's see if we can restore power to the medbay before bringing Ezra there, or else he'll freeze to death." Since there was no one around, Sabine landed the Cavalry in the center of the hangar in case the Star Destroyer collapsed and they needed a quick escape. When Sabine and Twix exited their ship and headed towards the medbay, they were met by frozen-shut doors and frost-damaged control panels. "Well, it looks like I'll have to start cutting. Hopefully the equipment in the medbay isn't as damaged as this." She ignited her royal amethyst blade and cut around a door, kicking it down as the two made their way down the hallway towards the medbay with their flashlights activated.

They could immediately tell that the power wasn't going to be coming on any time soon once they reached the medbay. "The entire ship's completely dead. I should have expected that, this thing's been here for over 15 years. Twix, you think you can rig something up to connect this room to the Cavalry's power cells?"

The droid beeped affirmatively, "Should only take a few minutes."

Sabine beamed inside her helmet. "Great! I'll go get one." She ran back to the Cavalry and uninstalled one of the ship's power cells, lifting it up with both her arms and carrying it back to the medbay. She met Twix at the doorway, who had good news for her. "Most of the medical equipment is still functional, including life support systems, so we just need power now."

"That's a huge relief. Come on, let's get this thing hooked up." The two worked for a few minutes before finally getting the power cell connected to the medbay. Once finished, Sabine asked, "How long will this last?"

"A standard week (5 days) maybe. The heater will use a lot of power, there's no going around that. But we can extend the duration slightly if we use minimal power for everything but the life support system."

"Alright, let's do that. We don't know how long we're going to be stuck here. Get the equipment ready, I'll go get Ezra."

The droid beeped in acknowledgement as Sabine left the room. However, once she reached the Cavalry, she heard a soft humming through the Force. The Force calling out to me? Here? No, it must be my imagination. Nevermind that, I'll deal with it later. Ezra comes first. She scooped Ezra into her arms, carrying him bridal style. Thank the Force he isn't fully grown just yet. I don't think I could carry him if he was. To make it easier on herself, she activated her jetpack and flew from the Cavalry back to the medbay. She gently laid Ezra onto one of the cots while asking, "Twix, is everything ready?" The droid beeped affirmatively from a nearby closet, coming out of it with all the equipment she needed. "So, what do I need to do?"

Twix consulted his databanks for a moment before replying, "All the IV solutions are expired, so our best option is to give him water through a feeding tube. We need to put it through his nose and down his throat."

Sabine cringed at the thought of that going through her. She sighed as Twix pulled up a holo-photo with instructions on how to do it. "Sorry, Ez, but this is the only way to keep you alive."

Ahsoka was currently in her own quarters on the CR90 on call with Hera and Kanan. "We've never gotten the chance to talk about what happened on Lothal with Sabine. I know you already reported to Commander Sato, but I was busy preparing this ship. I would still like to know what happened."

Kanan sighed. "It was the Sith Lord, the same one that was piloting that TIE. I believe he orchestrated the entire thing. Minister Tua was an unknowing pawn in his scheme, and he used her to lure us back to Lothal. I honestly think he wanted us to go to the Imperial Complex as well., as he was waiting for us when we made our escape from Capital City. He could have killed me many times, but he chose to toy with me. But for some reason, he went for the kill against Sabine. She didn't stand a chance."

Ahsoka immediately knew the reason. "It's because she represents hope. He probably thought that if he killed her, all hope in the rebellion would die with her. And he's not too far from the truth."

Kanan sighed again before continuing, "We were very lucky to have Ezra that day. He was able to hold off that man alone long enough for the rest of us to escape."

Ahsoka looked at the other Jedi skeptically. "And how did he do that? Based on what I know, you and him are similar in strength."

"Ezra utilizes Vapaad, which he learned mostly from Master Beq. I've been teaching him whatever I can about the mental side of it that Master Billaba taught me. He bested the Grand Inquisitor with the style very early on as well."

"I understand why Master Beq decided to teach it to him, but it's still very risky. I'm just worried about what would happen if one of your crew were to fall. Vapaad draws a very fine line between light and dark, and with how attached Ezra is to the crew, I don't even want to think about what could happen to him."

Kanan nodded in agreement. "I share the same concerns, but I've tasked myself to keep him on track. I've lost my way before, and I don't plan on repeating that mistake with Ezra."

Satisfied with the answer, Ahsoka nodded and continued asking, "So how did Sabine survive? You never got to that part."

"She was stabbed through the stomach by the Sith, but Ezra was somehow able to tap into levels of Force healing that even the best healers at the Temple couldn't dream of. Sabine was probably a few minutes from death at most, and yet he brought her back to full health, at the cost of his own."

Ahsoka nodded. "According to their story, Master Yoda called them a dyad in the Force, telling them they still had untapped abilities. Do you think this could be one of them?"

"It's very likely," Kanan replied, one hand stroking his beard. "I've seen them discover the ability to instantly transfer items between them no matter the distance right in front of me. Ezra had made a mistake against the Inquisitor, who was about to cut him down. I couldn't reach him in time, but Sabine's blade appeared in his hand out of nowhere before the Inquisitor could kill him."

"It seems to me," Ahsoka hypothesized, "That they learn about their abilities mostly through life and death situations. The Force could be guiding their instincts to unlock said abilities."

Hera interrupted, "What they're able to do won't matter if we can't find them. Do you have any idea where we should start searching?"

Ahsoka thought for a moment before replying, "You guys should probably head towards Mandalorian space. I doubt it, but maybe they would have heard something. Is Tristan on good terms with his family?"

Hera replied, "Not exactly. But it's not his fault. He doesn't talk about it much, but from the little I know his family was split apart by the Empire. It was a miracle that Tristan and Sabine found each other again."

"Well, it's worth a try. Maybe instead of going to his family, go to Kalevala. The Empire has no presence there. I'll contact their leader that you're going to be there."

"Alright, what about you?" Hera asked.

"I'll continue sweeping the outer rim, towards Hutt space. I did save Jabba the Hutt's son once along with my master. Maybe I can ask him for a favor. I doubt it, but like your mission, it's worth a try."

"Understood. I'll contact you if we have anything."

"Same here. Fulcrum out."

"This is Clan Kryze air patrol, state your business." Two Kom'rk class fighter transports flew at the Ghost's side as it descended into Kalevala's atmosphere.

Hera replied, "This is Captain Syndulla of the Ghost. I was told by my contact that she reached out to your leader about our arrival."

"And who is your contact, Captain Syndulla?"

"Fulcrum."

"Acknowledged. You will be escorted to the landing pad. Lady Kryze will meet you there."

The transmission then cut out. Kanan looked at her and said, "Who do you think this Lady Kryze is?"

"Dunno. Seems like she's a friend of Ahsoka's though."

Tristan, along with Zeb, were in the other seats in the cockpit, listening in. He filled them in on what he knew. "She's Lady Bo-Katan Kryze. My mother was her second in command during the Siege of Mandalore. Most Mandalorians still consider her the rightful ruler of Mandalore after the Empire took over. She visited Krownest a couple times, but that was when Sabine and I were much younger. I don't even remember what she looks like."

As the crew disembarked from the Ghost, they were met by three Mandalorians in blue and silver armor, one male and two female. The pilots escorting them had returned to their normal patrol routes once the freighter landed. The one in the center spoke up as she removed her helmet, revealing a middle-aged redheaded woman. "Welcome to Kalevala. My name is Bo-Katan Kryze. Ahsoka said you needed help with something. We can talk about it inside." She then turned around with the other two Mandalorians as the Ghost crew followed them inside.

"We've arrived in orbit above Tatooine, ma'am. There's minimal Imperial presence here, not even a Star Destroyer."

"Thank you, pilot. I'll go down alone. Bringing the blockade runner down would draw too much attention. Just leave the ship in orbit and be ready to move at a moment's notice. Phoenix-3, mind if I take your ship?"

"No, ma'am. Have fun down there."

Ahsoka rolled her eyes. "Don't I always."

Ahsoka decided to land at Mos Espa's spaceport, as it was the closest one to Jabba's Palace. She immediately put her hood over her head as she jumped out of the A-wing. Most people thought she was dead, so no one would be on the lookout for her, but it was better to be safe than sorry, especially after her encounter with the Sith Lord. As she made her way to the nearest speeder shop, she looked around at her surroundings and thought, This is where Anakin grew up, as a slave. Obi-Wan had told her Anakin's full story after their mission to Zygeria during the Clone Wars, after Anakin refused to say anything himself. And, according to Obi-Wan, where he won a podrace as a child. She snorted at the thought, seeing in her mind a chibi Anakin smoke a bunch of adults in a race. However, her thoughts of Anakin led her to think about the Sith Lord she encountered. No, there's no way that's Anakin. He would never fall so far. There must have been a mistake. She shook those thoughts out of her head as she approached the shop, run by a Toydarian, who asked dismissively, "What do you want?"

"A speeder to rent for a day," the Togrutan Jedi replied.

"Bike or landspeeder?"

"Bike will do."

"50 credits," The Toydarian demanded. Ahsoka knew that was a blatant scam, but she didn't have much of a choice, as she needed to stay as under the radar as possible.

She just sighed, "Very well." She handed the credits to the shopkeeper, who pointed towards the back of the lot.

"Back right of the lot, the brown one." Ahsoka just nodded and headed out to the lot. She made her way to the bike, which was an old 74-Y model, one that had been discontinued since the rise of the Empire. She noted it was still functional, but rusted in many areas and not the safest to ride. Oh well, I've had less to work with. She took the speeder to the south of the Mos Espa, where she exited the city and headed towards Jabba's Palace.

When she was about halfway there, she felt a familiar presence she hadn't felt in over fifteen years. No way, it can't be. However, just as the presence appeared, it instantly vanished. That can't be just a random feeling. I guess I bought myself enough time for a detour. She turned her speeder towards the direction she received the feeling from, her burning curiosity overtaking her current mission.

"Alright, I got a vague description from Ahsoka of who you guys are, but I got no names. Care to introduce yourselves?" Bo-Katan asked the group.

The Twi'lek spoke up first, introducing herself and the remaining crew. "My name is Hera Syndulla. That man is Kanan Jarrus, the Lasat over there is Zeb Orrelios, and the Mandalorian with us is… Tristan Wren."

Bo-Katan took a good look at Tristan's armor as he removed his helmet. "So, it is you, Tristan. I suspected it from the moment you walked off the ship, but I couldn't be sure. Last I heard, you were declared dar'manda by your family. And so was your sister. But I know Usra well enough to know that something's not right, so, what happened?"

Tristan sighed, not really wanting to talk about his past. "It's a long story that we don't have time for. The short version is that me and a friend blew up the Imperial Academy in Sundari, and the Empire was not happy."

Bo-Katan could tell Tristan wasn't willing to speak on it more, so she changed the subject. "So, tell me, what could have possibly happened for Ahsoka to ask for my help? We haven't spoken to each other since, well… since the Siege of Mandalore."

Tristan replied, "It's about my sister."

Before he could elaborate further, Bo-Katan replied mournfully, "I heard about the news. It has spread all the way to the core worlds. I'm sorry for your loss."

"Well…" Tristan looked at her sheepishly before continuing, "She's not dead. At least, I don't think so."

The Clan Kryze leader looked at him in shock. "How is that possible? The right hand of the Emperor was the one who confirmed it."

Zeb looked at Kanan. "THAT's who we were being chased down by? The Emperor's right hand?" There have been rumors swirling around the rebel fleet of the Emperor's right hand, but no one could come up with an identity. Until now.

Kanan just replied, "So it seems. That's just great, the Emperor's right hand is a Sith Lord."

Bo-Katan looked at him in confusion. "You mean like Maul?"

"If what Sabine and Tristan told me about him is true, then yes, like Maul. But this one is much, much stronger."

Before they continued to digress, Hera interrupted, "We have more important matters to deal with than the identity of the Sith Lord. Lady Kryze, Sabine barely survived. Our other missing crew member was able to heal her, but he fell into a coma from the toll it took on his body. The last we saw of them, they were going to rendezvous with us, but something went wrong, and we have no idea what. We were hoping that you may have some information on their whereabouts, but based on your reaction, that seems unlikely."

Bo-Katan responded with a thoughtful look on her face. "Unfortunately, that seems to be the case. I could provide you with data logs from our scanners covering the last few days, but that's probably all I can offer. Is there any information about them that we could use?"

Hera replied, "That would be much appreciated, Lady Kryze. They were in a modified Aka'jor class shuttle, but that's about all."

Bo-Katan nodded and turned to one of the Mandalorians next to her. "Koska, I'll leave that job to you. See if you can find anything out of the ordinary in those logs." The female Mandalorian nodded before exiting the room while Bo-Katan turned back to the Spectres. "Now that that's taken care of, why is the Emperor's right hand after your little crew? I heard Sabine's speech, as did much of Mandalorian space, but that in itself wouldn't warrant this kind of pursuit, would it?"

The Spectres all looked at each other for a moment, trying to decide whether or not they wanted to reveal her secret. After all, the Empire never released that information to the public. They eventually all turned to Kanan, who turned to Tristan. The Mando nodded, telling Kanan that Bo-Katan could be trusted, before speaking up himself. "To put it bluntly, Sabine's a Jedi. The first Mandalorian Jedi since Tarre Vizsla." His face then contorted in sadness as he remembered the day she left. "Her Jedi abilities are why she was forced to leave Krownest, and why my parents were forced to declare her dar'manda. She awakened her abilities to save my life during a spar. Later that night, we overheard our parents talking about what to do, and every solution they came up with resulted either in Sabine being taken by the Empire or my clan being wiped out, or sometimes both. She left that night without anyone but me knowing to protect us."

Everyone in the room, including the Spectres, were stunned by the tale. Neither sibling had ever told them the story of why Sabine left. Bo-Katan and the other members of Clan Kryze were still shocked by the revelation that Sabine was a Jedi. Since no one bothered to speak up, Tristan continued, "Lady Kryze, I'm sure now you see why we need to find her. Her very existence carries the hope of millions across the galaxy. If we can find her, and somehow find a way to prove she's still alive to the public, not only will it make the Empire look weaker, it will encourage more people to stand up against them, the government that lied to their face."

Bo-Katan responded with a sigh, "I understand how important this is to your cause. Unfortunately, I can't offer you any more than I already have."

Suddenly, Koska ran into the room. "Lady Kryze, I found something! I'm not sure what it is, but it's irregular."

Hera suggested, "It would probably be best to let Tristan look at it. Besides Sabine, he's the most experienced when it comes to ships."

Bo-Katan nodded as Koska pulled up the log on a nearby holoprojector, allowing Tristan to read it. "Something seems familiar about these energy readings, yet it stands out from everything else. Can you pull up a log of any ship exiting hyperspace normally?" Koska nodded as another log appeared next to the first one. "Okay, I was right. Whatever this anomaly is, it's still a ship exiting hyperspace, but for some reason, the energy readings are way off." The readings looked very familiar to him, but he couldn't remember when he had seen them before.

Hera took a moment to look at the readings, trying to interpret them herself. "It looks like the ship didn't drop out of hyperspace intentionally, more like it was flung out of it. Do we know what model of ship it is?"

Koska shook her head. "Unfortunately, no. This was recorded at the edge of Mandalorian Space, too far away for our scanners to get an accurate reading. The only reason why our scanners picked up on it in the first place was because of the abnormal energy readings."

Tristan was still mulling over Hera's observation when he suddenly remembered something. "I think I got it!" He tapped his wrist communicator and asked, "Chopper, do we still have scanner records on the Ghost that date back to Empire Day?"

As Chopper searched, Tristan heard Hera ask, "Empire Day?"

"That's the last time I saw these kinds of energy readings. I just want to verify it so we aren't chasing after a false lead."

Just then, Chopper beeped affirmatively through his communicator. "Great. Can you bring me the logs for when we detached the Phantom while still in hyperspace?"

After Chopper beeped in acknowledgement, Hera replied, "That's brilliant, Tristan! So this ship must have had hyperdrive damage for it to be flung out of hyperspace like that. And if I remember correctly, when the TIE hit the Ghost, the shot separated the Cavalry from the dock. The hyperdrive on that shuttle was split into two and mounted on the bottom sides of the main body, so that shot could have definitely damaged the left half."

Tristan nodded in agreement, but before he could voice his own thoughts, Zeb interrupted, "So you're telling me we're doing all this for a maybe?"

Kanan countered, "It's far better than nothing. And everything we've heard so far seems promising."

Just then, Chopper rolled into the room with the logs already being projected. Tristan pointed out excitedly, "Looks like a match! Which means Hera's theory is likely correct." He turned back to Koska, asking, "Is it possible for us to track the trajectory of the ship when it exited?"

Koska took a few moments to pull up a computer generated model of the hyperspace exit, but more than half of it was incomplete. "It looks like there are some possible ones that lead back into Mandalorian Space, but the rest lead out of it and out of the range of our scanners."

Tristan nodded as Chopper transferred the model to his databanks. "That's good enough to start with." He then turned to Bo-Katan. "Thank you for everything, Lady Kryze." She nodded to him as he turned around and ran out of the room, shouting back to the rest of the crew, "Come on! We don't have a lot of time, so let's go!"

It has been one rotation since Sabine hooked Ezra up to the life support system. While Ezra was safe for the time being, unfortunately for them, the heater was consuming more power than Twix had originally projected, leaving them with only two days worth of power instead of five. Sabine had taken blankets from the Cavalry and laid them over Ezra to try and conserve more power, but it didn't make too much of a dent. She was currently making her way to the Cavalry to refill Ezra's water supply when she felt the humming in the Force again. Okay, it happened again. There's no way that's just my imagination. What could be calling to me on an uninhabited moon like this? Well, I have nothing else to do today, so I guess I'll investigate it. Hopefully it's something useful.Once she returned to the medbay with enough water to last two days, she told Twix, "I'm going to investigate something. I don't know when I will be back, so stay with Ezra until I return. Got it, buddy?" The droid beeped affirmatively, wishing her good luck. "I made sure the water in the Cavalry is accessible to you in case I don't return by the time this runs out. I'll see you later, Twix." She mentally called out before she left, "I'll see you soon, Ez. I don't know if you can hear me, but I love you. Wake up soon, please."

She thought about her plan as she made her way back to the main hanger. I can't take the Cavalry, as Twix will need the water supply in case I'm not back in two rotations. She looked around the empty hangar, trying to find any old vehicles she could try to repair and use. Haar'chak, nothing here. On foot it is, I guess. She went inside the Cavalry to get a cloak before using her jetpack to launch herself out of the hangar. Once she landed on the hull, she put on her cloak and closed her eyes, listening for the humming again. This time, she could feel where the hum was emanating from. She slowly opened her eyes and walked towards the front of the wrecked Venator, feeling the presence coming from below her. She looked around at her feet, but all she could see was the snow covered ground. She jumped off the hull of the ship, softening her fall with the Force, hoping to get a closer look at her surroundings. When she turned around to check underneath the nose of the Venator, she spotted a glint of orange from the corner of her visor. Quickly making her way to the orange object, she gasped in shock upon arrival. It was an old, cracked clone helmet, the face being painted with orange and white markings. They looked familiar to her, but after everything that had happened recently, she couldn't quite make the connection. After looking at the helmet Sabine realized, This couldn't have possibly been what the Force was leading me to. There has to be something else around here. She quickly got to work, igniting her lightsaber and using it to melt the ice around her feet. She didn't want to cut through the ice, just to make sure she didn't cut through the object she was trying to find. After an hour of melting snow, she spotted a blue round object poking out of the ice. She quickly melted the ice around it and picked it up, but unfortunately for her, it was another clone helmet. This one was painted mainly blue around the back, with one large Republic symbol painted on the front and an outline of blue around the visor. This can't be it either. Force, what am I looking for? She closed her eyes again, trying to focus on the origin of the humming. After a few minutes of receiving nothing new from the Force, she groaned in frustration, not being able to get a more accurate location. It's times like these when I wish I focused more on the Force with Ez. Right, Ezra. I don't have much time. Come on, Sabine, focus. She sat down in a meditative position, closing her eyes once again as she attempted to locate the origin of the humming again.

Ahsoka finally arrived at her destination, a rectangular building made from synstone with a small dome at the top. There was an eopie stabled outside of the hut, as well as a communications array located towards the back. She closed her eyes briefly, making sure she was where she wanted to be. She reopened her eyes to the sight of a cloaked man at the front door, who slowly removed his hood, allowing the Togrutan to get a better look at his face. One that, despite all the white hair and wrinkles, she could never forget. They didn't end on the greatest of terms, but he was still one of her best friends and mentors early in her life, and she wasn't willing to cut him off over a disagreement. She took off her own hood, leaving the man to look back at her with a similar look of shock written on his face, not believing his own eyes. He was the first of the two to regain their composure, eventually greeting, "It's a relief to see you alive. Come in, we can talk more inside." Ahsoka just nodded dazedly as she followed the older man in.

A few hours flew by when Sabine finally felt something deeper than just the humming. A direction. Finally, I have a direction! She opened her eyes, gasping silently to herself as she looked up at the snow-filled sky, taking off her cloak as it had now been covered in snow. It was now dark out. Don't have a lot of time. I hope whatever I'm looking for is worth all this effort. She refocused on the source of the humming and started melting the ice. It took a couple minutes, but she finally reached what looked like a cylindrical object stuck in the ice. Is… is that a lightsaber? She carefully melted the ice around the lightsaber and pulled it out. After shaking off the remaining water and ice, she pressed the activation switch, revealing a short blue blade. She could feel the crystal inside the hilt calling out to her, as if it wanted to bond with her. I wonder who this belonged to. The Force clearly wanted me to find it. So why? Why would this blade choose me? She decided to file that question away for later as she activated her jetpack and flew out of the hole she dug and back into the Venator. She quickly greeted Twix and checked on Ezra once she arrived back at the medbay before climbing onto the cot next to his and settling into a meditative position with the newly found shoto blade in her hand, searching for answers to her questions.

"O-Obi-Wan, is it really you?" Ahsoka asked hesitantly, still not believing the man in front of her was real.

The older man responded with a kind smile, "It is, Ahsoka, although I go by Ben now. I'm glad you have managed to survive all these years. How are you holding up?"

The Togrutan smiled tiredly as she moved in for a hug. "As well as I can with everything going on. It's so good to see you alive, Obi-Wan," she said, completely ignoring his comment about his alias.

The two embraced tightly for a few moments, allowing their minds to finally catch up to reality. As Obi-Wan released her from his grip, he requested, "Tell me about it. An old man doesn't have much to do around here."

Ahsoka recognized that there was something deeper to that statement, but she filed that question away for later. "It's something I'm not exactly supposed to tell you about, but I could really use the advice right now. Are we secure here?" The older man nodded in affirmation, so she continued, "I'm a part of a rebellion right now, one organized by Bail Organa. Recently, we had just recruited a small group of insurgents from Lothal, three of whom are Jedi. One is Kanan Jarrus, or as you probably remember him, Caleb Dume, Master Billaba's padawan. The other two were too young to remember when the Republic fell. Ezra Bridger grew up on Lothal alone, as his parents were taken by the Empire when he was seven, but Sabine Wren was forced to leave her clan-"

"Wren? As in the Mandalorian Clan Wren?" Obi-Wan asked curiously. Ahsoka nodded, so he motioned for her to continue.

"From what I was told, she made her way to Lothal through a vision, one which showed her Ezra's home. They met up shortly after and have been growing up with each other since. They have some special Force bond, one they called a dyad in the Force. Have you heard anything about it?"

Obi-Wan thought for a moment before responding, "Yes, but only when Master Yoda mentioned it, and he didn't mention it often, so I don't know much. I only know of its existence."

"Master Yoda was the one who told them what it is. Apparently, their attunement to the Force was strong enough to attract Master Kelleran Beq's attention from orbit, who was making a supply run at the time. He managed to find them and train them to keep their signatures hidden. He also mentioned a Jedi temple before he left. That's where the two met Master Yoda through the Force and received their kyber crystals."

The older man stroked his beard, taking a moment to absorb all the information. "Good to hear another master survive. You have an interesting group of Jedi, yet I don't see what this has to do with your troubles. What else is there?"

Ahsoka sighed. "Sabine's missing. She was supposed to rendezvous with the fleet, but something went wrong and we have absolutely no idea what. And worse, she has a comatose Ezra with her. The rest of their crew is already searching for leads in Mandalorian space, so I took my crew to look through Hutt space. I was hoping that I could try and negotiate with Jabba for some information, so I came here."

Having a suspicion but wanting to confirm it, Obi-Wan asked, "Not to play devil's advocate, but besides being a Jedi, why else are you looking for her?"

"Their crew managed to spike the main Imperial comms tower on Lothal and transmit a message before the Empire took it down. Sabine's speech sparked hope in many in both neighboring systems and many further out. I don't know how far it's reached, but I've heard rumors of unrest in some of the core worlds. The problem is, a Sith Lord managed to fatally wound her. Ezra managed to save her, but the Sith Lord didn't know that, and declared her dead to the public. We need to find her and show the galaxy she is alive, to keep that hope alive and to damage the Empire's credibility and strength at the same," Ahsoka explained.

Obi-Wan nodded in recognition. "I understand. The news reaches far. I've heard rumors of an insurgent falling to the Emperor's right hand which is extremely irregular, as he usually hunts more skilled Jedi that the Inquisitorius cannot handle, so I dug deeper and eventually found and listened to her speech. I did not know she was a Jedi, but that explains Vader targeting her."

"Vader?" Ahsoka asked curiously.

"The Sith Lord's name. Darth Vader." The older man paused for a moment before continuing, "Unfortunately, you won't get anything out of Jabba. It's more likely he attempts to capture you than help you despite your history. Based on the information I've gathered, he has an unofficial pact with the Empire to not get involved with each other's operations, and he won't jeopardize that for you."

The Togrutan sighed in frustration. "Then what do I do?"

"Trust in the Force. Let it guide you. I'm sure an answer will come to you in no time. However, I still sense turmoil within you. What else is on your mind?"

She sighed again. "It's Vader. He felt familiar to me. I-I don't want to believe it, but he felt like Anakin. There's no way he could have turned, right?"

Her hopes of being wrong were crushed when Obi-Wan's face fell. "You already know the answer to that question."

She nodded dejectedly, feelings of guilt and remorse surfacing. "Maul knew. When we fought on Mandalore, he said Anakin was being groomed to be Darth Sidious' next apprentice, but I didn't believe him. And now-"

Obi-Wan interrupted, "It's not your fault, Ahsoka. No one would have believed Maul in your position."

"Master Yoda asked me if I had anything else to say and I didn't say anything! I could have stopped it from happening! I cou-"

"Ahsoka, stop!" Obi-Wan called out sternly before lowering his voice again to continue. "I know exactly how you feel. How do you think I felt both times I fought him? I continued to think to myself, 'What could I have done differently to help him?' But it is all in the past, and there is nothing you can do about it, just as I can't. All you can do is keep moving forward." He sighed as he continued, "I know you're pressed on time, so let's focus on your current mission."

Ahsoka took a few moments to calm down and nodded shakily, asking, "W-what do I do now if I can't go to Jabba?"

"Meditate with me," the older man answered. "Trust in the Force, and it may give you the answers you seek." The two sat down on the floor and settled into meditative positions, but for the next few hours, neither received anything meaningful, until Ahsoka felt a familiar tug in the back of her mind. She opened her eyes and turned to Obi-Wan, asking,

"Is it possible for a kyber crystal to bond to someone besides the original owner?"

Obi-Wan nodded, his eyes still closed. "Kyber crystals are not just the heart of the lightsaber. They are sentient, and just like they choose their first Jedi, they can also choose to bond with another if they feel that person is worthy of it." He then opened his eyes and turned to Ahsoka, asking, "Why do you ask?"

"I felt the kyber crystal in one of my old lightsabers calling out to me, yet I could also feel it bonding with someone else. And I haven't felt my old crystals since I left my sabers where the Tribunal crashed. I know it's a long shot, but I have to check it out. Care to tag along?"

"Unfortunately, Ahsoka, I have a job to do here. I cannot come with you," Obi-Wan replied apologetically.

Ahsoka looked confused and slightly hurt. "You don't want to join us?"

Obi-Wan shook his head, responding, "No, but not for the reason you think," but Ahsoka didn't look convinced. He sighed before continuing, "If you must know, Padme had twins before succumbing to her injuries, and yes, they're Anakin's. Leia went with Senator Organa to Alderaan, while I took Luke and brought him here to his relatives. I have been watching over him ever since, as I believe he can be the one to bring balance back to the Force. Ahsoka, wherever you go, you must not mention me or Luke. He cannot be found by anyone until the time is right."

Ahsoka recognized the name Leia as Bail's daughter and connected the dots, but decided to not mention that, knowing Obi-Wan probably already knew. He had been in contact with Senator Organa longer than she had, after all. Now understanding the significance of Obi-Wan's job, she nodded solemnly and replied, "I won't say a word. I must get going. Thank you for everything, Master."

The older Jedi simply replied, "May the Force be with you, Ahsoka."

The moment Ahsoka arrived back in the command room of her CR90, she was called by one of the bridge operators. "Ma'am, we're receiving a transmission from Captain Syndulla."

"Put it through."

"Ahsoka, we have a potential lead from Kalevala's sensor arrays. It led us to the edge of Mandalorian space, where a ship with a damaged hyperdrive was flung out of hyperspace. We don't know what ship, but we felt it was worth investigating."

"I have a lead in that same sector, slightly outside of Mandalorian space. I don't think this is just a coincidence. Let's regroup on your position so we can pool our information together," Ahsoka suggested.

Hera nodded. "Understood. We'll be waiting. Ghost out."

Once Ahsoka's CR90 dropped out of hyperspace, it quickly docked with the Ghost. Ahsoka immediately made her way to the smaller freighter, meeting the rest of the crew in the common room, who were already waiting for her. Hera spoke up first, asking, "So, what led you here up to this area?"

Ahsoka took a deep breath before explaining, "I felt one of my old lightsaber crystals call out to me while I was meditating on Tatooine, and I have never felt either of my lightsabers up to this point since I left them. Whoever found my lightsaber has to be Force-sensitive, and a phenomenon similar to the one you explained doesn't happen regularly. I feel like the two have to be related somehow."

Kanan asked, "Where did you leave your lightsabers?"

"On an unnamed moon somewhere between Mandalore and Coruscant. It's where my Venator crashed at the end of the Clone Wars. I never wanted to go back, but it looks like I don't have a choice. I can plot the course on the blockade runner, so just keep the Ghost attached."

Tristan asked, "Do you think you can pull it up on a map here? I want to match it with the possible trajectories we received from Lady Kryze."

Ahsoka replied, "Give me a moment."

She inputted coordinates into the dejarik table, displaying the aforementioned moon. Tristan had Chopper pull up the computer model from Kalevala, and after a few moments, confirmed, "The moon is a possible trajectory. It's definitely worth checking out."

Ahsoka nodded as she contacted the CR90, ordering, "Take us to these coordinates, pilot. The Ghost will remain attached. Also, alert the medical personnel to be prepared to receive patients."

"Understood, Ma'am."

Once she ended the transmission, Kanan added, "I'm going to reveal my Force signature when we arrive. Hopefully, Sabine will sense me and do the same so we can track her, if she's there."

Ahsoka nodded, liking the idea. "I'll do the same."

They all felt the ship enter hyperspace, silently hoping that their missing crew members were at their destination.

Sabine was still sitting in the medbay cot, hours deep into her meditation, when she felt two familiar signatures enter orbit. She immediately opened her eyes and jumped out of the cot, yelling excitedly to her droid, "Twix, they're here! I don't know how they found us, but they did!"

The droid beeped excitedly at her feet as she calmed down. "Wait, they might not know I'm here. I know all the long range stuff was destroyed in the crash, but see if there's any short range communications equipment around." The droid beeped in acknowledgement and rolled off to do its task, leaving Sabine with her still unconscious love. She closed her eyes and slowly let her mental shields fall, hoping that one of Kanan or Ahsoka could sense her. If Twix came up with nothing, this would be the only way for her crew to track her.

The Ghost crew and Ahsoka were currently crowded in the cockpit with Zeb in the tail gun, each member looking out the windows to look for any signs of the Cavalry. The CR90 was currently searching the other side of the moon with multiple A-wings deployed. Suddenly, both Kanan and Ahsoka tensed, before relaxing again. Tristan noticed it and asked, "What's wrong?"

Kanan smiled widely. "Nothing's wrong Tristan. Actually, everything's going right. Hera, if you don't mind, the controls. I know where she is and can guide us to them."

Hera looked over to Ahsoka, who nodded in agreement. "Alright, Kanan, go for it." She swapped seats with Kanan as Ahsoka contacted her own crew.

"Meet me at these coordinates. And have a hover-stretcher ready."

"Acknowledged. We're on our way."

The Ghost eventually came upon the large wrecked Venator, but the freighter couldn't fit through the slightly ajar hangar bay doors. Kanan handed the controls back to Hera. "I'm going to take the Phantom inside. Tristan, Zeb, you're with me."

"On it, boss," Zeb replied through the comms system. The two then left the cockpit for the Phantom while Ahsoka contacted her own crew to be on standby for further orders.

Once Sabine confirmed that Kanan knew her location, she told Twix, "They know where I am. Don't worry about the equipment anymore. Keep watch on Ezra for me, will ya? I need to go to the hangar to lead them here."

The astromech beeped in affirmation as she ran out of the medbay towards the hangar. The moment she reached it, she could see the Phantom descending through the crack in the hangar. She immediately took off towards where it landed and barrelled into Tristan, who was the first one to exit the shuttle. "You guys actually came! I thought it would be at least another week before someone found us. How did you find us?"

Tristan was still stunned from being nearly tackled by his sister, so Kanan responded when he stepped off the shuttle. "We honestly got very lucky. Ahsoka somehow sensed her lightsaber all the way from Tatooine to here. We also got information from Clan Kryze. You guys fell out of hyperspace right on the edge of Mandalorian space, so we only just managed to find your trail."

"What was Ahsoka doing on Tatooine?" Sabine asked curiously.

Tristan replied, "We split up to look for you. We searched through Mandalorian space while Ahsoka went towards Hutt space."

Sabine nodded before remembering her boyfriend. "Did you guys bring any medical equipment? Ezra's still in a coma, and this Venator's medbay is draining our power cells."

Zeb chuckled. "Ahsoka brought an entire corvette. Ezra will be fine. At least he will be when they figure out how to get in here."

Kanan received a transmission on his comlink a moment later. "Kanan, this is Hera. I need you to pick up a hover-stretcher from the blockade runner. They can't get inside." Everyone immediately fell to the floor laughing. "What's so funny?" an annoyed Hera asked.

"Sorry, Hera. Zeb was literally just talking about how they couldn't get in," Sabine responded, a stray chuckle escaping her lips.

"Sabine? Is that you?" Hera asked excitedly.

Sabine responded sheepishly, "Yeah, it's me."

Kanan cut off the conversation by saying, "I'm on my way, Hera. Anything else you need me to do before I come back here?"

"Ahsoka wanted to tag along, if you don't mind. She's waiting for you on the blockade runner."

"Alright. See you soon." Kanan then walked back inside of the Phantom and the shuttle took off, leaving the rest in the hangar. Sabine suggested, "Come on, I'll show you the way to the medbay. Tristan, you probably want to activate your flashlight." The three made their way to the medbay, where Twix eagerly greeted them at the doorway.

Tristan knelt down and patted his dome. "Hey buddy, how ya holding up?"

The droid beeped happily and spun around, leading the three into the medbay. There, Tristan and Zeb could see Ezra hooked up to a life support system, still unconscious, but paler than when they saw him last. Sabine answered their unasked question by saying, "I could only give him water with what we had. All the IV solutions here were long expired, and none of my rations in the Cavalry could be fed to him." The two nodded in acceptance before looking around again, this time noticing a power cell rigged to the power control panel.

Zeb asked, "That's how you got power into this place?"

"Yea, Twix was able to get it working when we got here."

Suddenly, Zeb's comlink began to go off. "This is Kanan. I just arrived back at the hanger. Hera wants someone to take the Cavalry and dock it with the Ghost."

Sabine responded into the Lasat's comlink, "Uh, there's going to be a problem with that. The docking hatch was completely ruined by the crash landing. Honestly, I don't even know how the ship survived the impact, Twix never told me what he did when I got knocked out. We might need to fix the hyperdrive here."

Just then, Hera joined in on the conversation. "That won't be necessary, Sabine. We can magnetically attach the Cavalry to the cargo bay, but the ship will need to be upside down. The wings can't be folded up either."

Tristan interrupted, "I can do that. That way Sabine can stay with Ezra. I've been practicing enough with the ship, so I should be able to pull it off."

"Alright Tristan. Take the Phantom back to the Ghost. You can fly yourself back inside the ship anyways."

"Got it. Kanan, I'll come find you and bring you he-"

"No need, Tristan. I tracked Sabine here. Here's a quick reminder to put your shields back up, Sabine. I don't want to know all of that."

Said girl flushed red, her shields instantly reappearing. She quickly shook it off when Kanan said, "Let's get Ezra on here." He pulled up to the cot with the stretcher and motioned for Zeb to help him. Sabine was about to join in when a voice called her from the doorway. "Sabine, may I speak to you for a moment?"

She turned around to see Ahsoka looking at her with a look of curiosity on her face. She walked out of the medbay with the Togrutan while responding, "Sure, Ahsoka. What do you need?"

"I'm sure Kanan told you already, but the reason we found you was because I felt my kyber crystal call out to me. I could feel it bonding with someone else. I just want to make sure it was you, right?"

Sabine slowly took the shoto blade she found from her belt and handed it to Ahsoka, belatedly realizing it belonged to the Togrutan. "I'm not sure. I think it was trying to bond with me, but I didn't really do anything with it. It was calling to me the moment I reached the Venator though. Here, take it. It belongs to you anyways."

Ahsoka shook her head and pushed the saber back towards Sabine gently. "I already have two blades. I have no use for it at the moment. It chose to bond with you, and I was told that only happens when it believes the Force user to be worthy." She then sent Sabine a sly smile. "Plus, you've wanted to dual wield for the longest time now, right? That one was my shoto blade, so it gives you the perfect opportunity to learn."

Sabine's eyes lit up in excitement at that thought, so caught up in her imagination she nearly missed Ahsoka walking back towards the medbay. "Ahsoka, wait!"

The Togrutan turned around and asked, "What is it?"

"Train me, please."

Ahsoka looked confused. "Why me? I'm no longer a Jedi."

"You're the only one that can teach me Jar'kai, as well as Ataru, effectively. Plus, Master Beq taught me and Ezra the Jedi code, as well as their beliefs, and you represent the best of the Jedi code and beliefs, even if you aren't one anymore. Kanan, Ezra, and I will always look up to you as a Jedi."

Ahsoka was flattered by the heartfelt response, and she never intended to turn Sabine down in the first place, but felt that there was something more. Attempting to get that answer out of Sabine, she asked, "And?"

Sabine responded with a look of determination in her eyes. "I wasn't strong enough before, and I nearly got myself and Ezra killed because of it. I don't want that to happen again. I don't want people to sacrifice their lives for me, especially Ezra. It hurts so much to see him like this." The Mando girl waited anxiously as Ahsoka thought to herself.

After what felt like forever to her, Ahsoka finally nodded in satisfaction and responded, "I will train you. However, it will not be easy. You will face challenges, both physically and mentally, that you must overcome. I will train you as my master trained me: to be able to survive anything. Do you understand?"

Sabine's determined glint returned to her eyes. "Yes, Master."

Ahsoka snorted and rolled her eyes. "Don't call me that, I'm not old enough to be called that yet."

AN: This is the first chapter that kind of goes off the rails. There was an indeterminate amount of time between The Siege of Lothal and The Lost Commanders, so this chapter is set in that blank period. Kanan could only effectively train Sabine in the basics, so she needed a teacher that could train her beyond that. This chapter sets that up. She now has a second blade and a proper teacher. And unlike canon, Sabine is a lot more Jedi than Mandalorian in this story. She still has both and will regain some of her Mandalorian traits later on, but for now, she's more Jedi, so Ahsoka won't have as much trouble training her as she did in canon.

For Ahsoka's visit to Tatooine, I used a map that had Ben Kenobi's hut on the pathway to Jabba's palace. There was another map that had conflicting information, so I just picked the one that suited my needs better. And like she promised, she won't tell the rebellion anything about her visit, including Anakin's identity. The only thing she will eventually reveal is the name "Darth Vader".

For those who think that they found Sabine too quickly, I didn't want the search to drag on for too long. One, I wanted to get back to the episodes, and two, there's literally nothing to do on a desolate unnamed moon. There basically would be no Sabine or Ezra POV in a Sabezra-centric story. This is one of the few chapters in this story that focuses more on other characters than Sabine or Ezra, for the same reason I mentioned above.

When Vader found Ahsoka's lightsaber at the end of the Clone Wars, he only found her main blade, not her shoto. I used it as an opportunity to give Sabine her second lightsaber so she can fight more naturally without needing to use Ezra's.

After this chapter, I'm going through all the old ones and fixing small mistakes to prepare for an AO3 upload before writing the next one. I didn't know you needed to be "invited" to create an account, but that's all set up now. Updates will be much slower for a while, as I have midterms approaching soon and finals shortly after.

Oh yeah, this was the first chapter I wrote actual dialogue for an astromech. I felt it would be weird to read if there were no dialogue responses to Sabine. I'll probably only do it in similar situations to this one, where there's only one other character to talk to. c: