Ahsoka pulled down a small lever on one of the sleek metal walls. The floor panels slid upwards forming small high back benches with a circular table in the middle of the hangar. Sabine took a seat on one of them, the coldness seeping through the material of her pants. She shifted, slightly uncomfortable. Ahsoka pressed a button hidden under the lip of the table and the top peeled back to reveal its function as a holo-table. Her former master inserted a small chip into the console and a planetary system appeared. She zoomed in on the largest of the planets,
"I found it here, on Arcana," she slid to the next image and revealed a scan of an area that Sabine assumed was once a great city. Ahsoka's next words confirmed this, "it was once a stronghold for the Witches of Dathomir," Ahsoka went to the next of her scans that revealed the interior of a building, a temple of sorts. The walls were covered with symbols and around the edge of the room, three statues were equally spaced out.
"What happened?" Sabine asked, leaning in to study the finer details of the place.
"Many thousands of years ago, something or someone razed the surface," Ahsoka explained.
"Wonderful…," Sabine trailed off for a second as unbidden memories threatened to resurface, "I'm not familiar with witchcraft, but I take it all these patterns have meaning?" she zoomed in on one of the pillars and Ahsoka nodded.
"Some helped me unlock the location of the star map, but neither I nor Huyang have been able to figure out a pattern for the map itself,"
"And this is why you need my help?" Sabine lifted the star map up to eye-level to study it.
"You have the artist's eye, tell me what you think," Ahsoka said, crossing her arms and leaning back into the balls of her feet.
"I think," Sabine began, "that the key, or a codex of sorts, is probably hidden in the patterns," she gestured vaguely to the walls on the outside of the room and the lines and dots littering the stone floor of the temple.
"Do you think that you could unlock it?" Ahsoka asked, a note of excitement in her normally flat tone. Sabine smiled slightly. The earlier tension was finally beginning to dissipate and so she let herself finally relax.
"I think so…," Ahsoka smiled, the relief evident and Sabine couldn't help but ask her next question as she pretended to study the map and the hologram, "so… where do you call home these days?" Ahsoka sat on the bench across the table from her and gestured to the interior of the ship.
"This ship serves me fine," Ahsoka said, and Sabine couldn't keep the surprise from her voice as she asked,
"Still? Don't you ever get tired of moving from one place to another," Sabine recalled her own youth spent aboard the Ghost, the constant need to travel from planet to planet, or system to system to avoid the Empire. It was a necessity that she didn't miss, though some aspects of that life would always fill her with warmth. Still, she'd always preferred the time spent on Lothal to days spent in the cold expanse of space.
"I go where I'm needed," Ahsoka's words were neutral, but they reopened an old wound within Sabine.
"Not always," Sabine said, lowering the map to lock eyes with her former master. Part of her wanted to move on, Ahsoka had come here for her help not to relive old arguments but another part of her refused to; at the very least the togruta owed her something, an apology perhaps. Sabine didn't understand her own feelings, and her opinions of her master were a tangled mess of confusion, resentment, and betrayal.
"You never make things easy…" Ahsoka's voice was calm and composed, kind like always, but Sabine had made up her mind.
"Why should I? You never made things easy for me… Master," Ahsoka narrowed her eyes. She was weighing her next words, trying to anticipate what sort of reaction they might provoke. Sabine shifted uncomfortably under her former master's intense, calculating gaze.
"There is nothing easy about being a Jedi. You knew this when you first started training," she left the rest unsaid, but Sabine didn't, she couldn't.
"But not when I left?" this time, the bitterness did creep into her words despite her best efforts to escape it, "if I remember correctly, that was a choice you suggested, a decision you encouraged,"
"Because I knew…" Ahsoka clamped her mouth shut before the words escaped her mouth. They stared at one another, the past dangling between them, an old wound that still festered despite the years. Luckily, Huyang chose that moment to enter the hangar.
"Lady Tano! I have an update," he said before noticing the tension between the two.
"Not right now Huyang," Ahsoka said, but Sabine had had enough.
"Go ahead, we're done catching up." Ahsoka narrowed her eyes at the statement. It was a lie of course, but Ahsoka retreated and moved to follow Huyang back into his workshop, a small room filled with all sorts of gadgets and parts.
"Before you go, I'm gonna need this scan," Sabine gestured to the hologram of the temple room." She waved the star map as an explanation.
"Where are you going?" Ahsoka asked.
"I need my tools, and I want to go somewhere I can think more clearly," Sabine explained.
"I'm not sure that's a good idea," Ahsoka said.
"Why?" Sabine asked, baffled. Ahsoka returned to the table, her hands resting on the metal as she leaned forward.
"This isn't just about finding Ezra. It's about preventing another war," she explained. Sabine rolled her eyes, but still considered her next words. Of course, she knew that if there was a chance Ezra could return, then there was a chance Thrawn might not be far behind. Ahsoka had already alluded to that during their earlier discussion. Still, Ahsoka had chosen to approach her with the idea of helping Ezra return, not preventing Thrawn's. Why?
"You think I don't know that?" She finally asked, but Ahsoka shook her head and turned to the leave the room.
"If you need to fetch your tools, then please do. But the map stays here." She followed Huyang back into his workstation. The door hissed shut behind them and Sabine waited about three seconds until she could hear them speaking. Then, without hesitation she stuck the star map in her leather pouch and grabbed the holo-chip from the table. After pulling the lever, she left, leaving behind Ahsoka's still half-full glass of water alone on the floor of the hanger.
"I see the two of you are getting reacquainted," Huyang said, but Ahsoka ignored the well-intentioned gibe.
"So, what did you find?" He turned back to his workstation and pulled up a hologram of the two mercenaries' lightsaber hilts.
"Well, as you requested, I've run an analysis on the lightsabers. The image was corrupted, but using my extensive database I was able to reconstruct the details of the two hilts. They are quite elegant, with several classic design motifs. This one however," he spun the hologram image until the larger of the two was closer to them, and then zoomed in, "is unique. You see, its hilt is longer than what was once considered standard for a jedi's weapon. They were often referred to as great lightsabers, but they fell out of use towards the end of the republic…" he trailed off, his metal fingers tapping a rhythm on the hologram's console.
"It's all very fascinating, but do you have any leads?" she asked, bringing him back to the topic at hand. He nodded.
"Yes, of course. You see this is where it gets interesting. The construction and overall design of the weapons are executed exactly the way I taught younglings to build a lightsaber at the Temple." Ahsoka straightened up leaning closer to the hovering blue images.
"So, they're Jedi-trained."
"Yes, however," he indicated the smaller of the two hilts, "this one I do not recognize, but this one," once again he shifted the hologram to the great saber's hilt, "as I was saying earlier, in the last 500 years, I've only known one student who built a saber such as this. His name was Baylon Skoll."
"Do we know what happened to him?" Ahsoka asked but Huyang shook his head, eyes narrowing in a way that Ahsoka had come to realize was how the droid expressed his grief.
"He disappeared at the end of the Clone Wars. Like so many of the Jedi," Ahsoka placed a hand on his metallic shoulder as she mulled over the information. They had their confirmation then, but it did little to improve their situation if the two decided to reappear as she suspected they might.
"We were correct then, a master and his padawan," Huyang snorted in displeasure, all traces of his earlier sorrow vanishing.
"They might be jedi-trained, but I wouldn't refer to them as such, not now at least. Not after their display on the prisoner transport," Ahsoka rubbed between her eyes in irritation. She struggled to tolerate the droid's adherence to the fallen order on a good day, and she didn't know if this day fell into that category. Still, sometimes it was best to humor him.
"A master and his apprentice then," she said, glancing up at him to see his reaction. He nodded sharply and turned off the hologram.
"That would also be my assumption," he said, causing Ahsoka to roll her eyes. He narrowed his gaze in displeasure but pressed on, "if both trained in the jedi arts, they will be formidable adversaries for you alone," his eyes wandered back to the door into the hangar, "of course, you might not be alone for much longer," Ahsoka said nothing to that last comment.
"Thank you Huyang," she said and headed back into the hangar, "Sabine, you are going to want to hear…" her voice trailed off as the empty space greeted her, her glass of water resting on the floor. She felt Huyang's presence behind her as he peered past her into the room.
"Hmmm, I must say, I'm not surprised," a note of smugness lacing his voice as he turned away, leaving Ahsoka alone to deal with her boiling frustration. What was the mandalorian thinking? Taking a steady breath, she smothered her irritation letting it sink into disappointment at her former padawan's disobedience. It was a feeling she was much more comfortable with.
For the second time in two days, Sabine returned to her home in the comms tower as the sun's last rays kissed the lush golden plain down below. However, this time excitement coursed through her as she set the star map down on the table and began digging through her tools. She heard Murley jump up beside the map and turned to see him sniffing at the strange object. "We're looking for a key," she said as her attention was drawn back to the drawers. Her fingers finally found what she was looking for: a holo-tablet and stylus. She pulled them out.
Behind her, Murley emitted a deep irritated sound from his throat. When she spun to see what had gotten him worked up, it was just in time to see him bat at the map. His attack sent it rolling off the table and across the floor towards the doorway. "Murley!" she admonished and lifted the heavy creature into her arms. She set him down on her bed, tapped him on the tip of his nose and said, "if you don't want to help, the least you could do is not sabotage me," and then leaned down to pick up the star map. To her relief, it looked no worse for wear.
He didn't respond, but he stayed where she placed him. Sitting there, his paws tucked beneath his tail and head tilted to the side in curiosity. She smiled and went to work. After inserting the holochip into her tablet she placed it on the table and plugged in a small portable projector. Together the two allowed her to project an image into the air and then draw on or manipulate it using her stylus. It worked wonders when designing gadgets or modifications for her different weapons, armor, or her bike, or really anything she supposed. It had been a good investment, she thought as she let her mind slide into a state of focus.
Sabine studied the intersecting lines and dots covering the walls and floors of the temple. They were, she realized, similar to the patterns engraved on the outside of the star map, but not identical. While the occasional symbol was the same, its location on the star map versus in the temple was different. Still, she began highlighting these similarities whenever they occurred. Her attention then shifted to the three figures engraved into the wall and while each was unique, she noted a symmetry in the design. At the base of their pillar was a teardrop shape that extended into the center of the room. It was easy to lose the shape among the twist of lines, dots, and circles within, but the three intersected in the middle around the pillar that would have once held the star map. Sabine smiled.
After grabbing a glass of warm caf that she downed in a single gulp, she turned her attention back to the star map. As she expected, a smaller version of the symbol sat between the different rotating parts of the map. She confidently began rotating the different sections of the star map until the lines formed a three-leaf shape around the center symbol and connected the symbols of the statues' pillars.
The map clicked into place and Sabine looked on in wonder as it became weightless, hovering in the air on its own. Stars and planets poured out of it in a pool of cerulean mist and shaped themselves into a familiar galaxy, her galaxy. Then a single line of gold-threaded blue shot out from the mass of stars and planets to a distant galaxy that appeared at shoulder height, "this is it," the words slipped from her lips as her heart raced in her chest. The path to Ezra.
She wandered out into the cool mist of the night, binoculars in hand to see if she could catch a glimpse of the stars. But a fog had settled over the plains, obscuring even the distant ever vibrant lights of Capital City from view. Murley's familiar footfalls followed her out and she knelt beside him, "looks like I'm going on a trip," she told him. All friendliness suddenly fled from the lothcat as he screeched in terror and dove back into the room. Seconds later, she heard clanking footsteps behind her.
Sabine spun around, finding herself face to face with an assassin droid. It reached out and she tried to duck, but her reflexes had grown slow without practice. Its metal fingers buried themselves into her hair and then slammed her head down into the metal railing. Hard enough to stun but not to kill. It released its grip and then rammed a knee into her stomach. Sabine doubled over against the railing. Trying to focus against an onslaught of muddled thoughts. Anger flashed within her, granting her a moment of clarity. A second was all that she needed. When the droid moved to grab her again. Still kneeling on the ground, she ducked and grabbed its arm, twisting it so that the droid's momentum carried it face first into the metal railing which snapped in two.
She kicked the back of its metal kneecaps, letting the momentum push her further from its reach. Slowly, it turned to face her, its eyes narrowed as it reassessed her threat level. She ran the back of her sleeve across her forehead, smiling as she wiped the blood from her skin, "sorry, I was just returning the favor".
It strode towards her again, its movements sharp and precise as she rose to meet it. As it swung a metal fist, she noticed for the first time the unused blaster at its side. She dodged the punch. The droid's greater height lending her an advantage as she moved under its arm to yank the blaster free and switch off the safety. She let her momentum carry her a few steps past the droid and then turned, the blaster raised, ready to fire. But before she could, another set of metal arms wrapped around her torso, lifting her feet clear off the ground.
The second droid crushed her against its chest even as their fingers fought over the trigger. The other droid disappeared into her room as the blaster was finally ripped from her hands and tossed lazily to the side. She hung in the droid's arms, unable to loosen its grip on her. Light from blaster fire emitted from the darkness of her room. The droid reappeared then, the star map in his hand. "Get rid of her," the droid droned, then headed for the lift.
The droid carried her toward the ledge. Sabine redoubled her efforts to get free. Her arms still pinned to her side. When they were close enough, she tucked her knees towards her chest until the bottom of her boots landed on the top railing, then with all the strength she could muster she pushed backwards. The explosion of movement caught the droid off guard. They were sent tumbling backwards. And when the droid leaned forward to counterbalance, her feet touched the blessed metal floor. She curled in on herself. The droid hurtled over her shoulder, his grip loosening enough for her to wriggle free.
Sabine dived for the still discarded blaster. Her landing crushed her shoulder, but she ignored the pain to roll onto her back and lift the weapon at the quickly approaching footsteps. The droid was nearly on top of her when she fired. Three times. Each bolt struck the droid in its chest, and he collapsed. She didn't dally.
Sabine chased after the other droid, but she reached the lift just as the door shut, air hissing out of it. She turned her commlink back on as she sprinted back towards her room, the second droid had vanished, but there was no time for caution, "Huyang! I need back-up now!" she yelled as she entered her room. The entire place was in shambles. Her equipment was destroyed. But she couldn't waste any time. She knelt by an all too familiar box as her fingers sifted through it until they closed on the strange but comforting weight of the lightsaber hilt. She took a second to calm her racing heart then gave chase.
When she emerged from the tower, she found the assassin droid waiting for her, but it wasn't alone. A cloaked figure stood beside him. Sabine halted, uncertainty returning. A young woman threw back the deep cowl of her hood. Her chin-length pale hair was silver in the moonlight now that the fog had cleared, and intense eyes lent her an imposing stature that her shorter height wouldn't normally have suggested. A curious glint flickered in the woman's hostile gaze as her head tilted a little to the left. A hunter assessing its prey.
"We came here for you, but I think this will suffice," she reached into her cloak and pulled out the star map, seeming to dare Sabine to try and take it from her. Sabine lifted the hilt, pointing it towards the girl.
"That's too bad since I'm going to need it back," Sabine said igniting the blade, its light a familiar green that flickered to the rhythm of her heart. To her surprise the woman smiled and passed the map back to the droid. She pushed her cloak to the side, revealing the lightsaber hilt that dangled there. And for the first time, Sabine noticed the braid hanging down past the girl's shoulder. A padawan? The woman moved closer as she fell into a stance that Sabine didn't recognize, her blade emitting a deep orange that hovered on the brink of red. What was she?
"I was hoping it would come to this," the other woman said and then lowered her blade, letting it fall to the side and singe the earth beneath it. She wanted Sabine to make the first move. Sabine didn't hesitate, rushing towards the girl to attack with a flurry of strikes whose names she could barely recall, relying on her strength and speed to overwhelm her opponent. The girl blocked them with ease, not bothering to parry as she danced around Sabine, testing her resolve. When at last Sabine retreated, her lungs aching for air, the girl attacked.
Sabine expected to hear Ahsoka's teachings in her mind, cold voice berating her, but it didn't. Instead, her mind seemed to stretch back further, "remember the forms Ezra taught you," Kanaan's voice began, and a cool sense of calm pushed Sabine back into stance. The woman's strikes echoing in her mind as he counted them off, "one, two, three, four, five, six. Faster!" Each of the woman's attacks grew quicker, stronger, and Sabine felt herself struggling to keep up until one of the strikes caught her off guard and, in an effort to block it, she stumbled to the side. The woman didn't pursue immediately, giving Sabine the time to recover and go on the attack once more. The frustration and anger that had been building within her exploded and she charged the girl, her attack wild and uncontrolled. But the girl matched her, her opponents own rage seething within every one of her attacks.
Sabine's overhead strike slammed into the woman's blade, but she parried it to the right exposing Sabine's full torso. The woman pressed her advantage jabbing her blade back toward Sabine who pulled her hilt back in. The movement redirected the fatal attack straight down into her thigh. A frustrated growl tore itself from the other woman's lips as she slid her blade down and out. Sabine's entire leg gave out, her weight sinking to the earth as pain pulsed through her veins. The woman swung down, their blades locking together.
Her opponent pressed downward, their faces mere inches from each other as Sabine's free hand braced against the ground to keep her from falling onto the ground below. Then a great beam illuminated them, and the girl pulled back, a flicker of uncertainty in her eyes as the light faded slightly to reveal Ahsoka's shuttle. Sabine tried to take advantage of the distraction, swinging wildly at the girl but she blocked it and then stepped back, letting her blade vanish. She reached a hand toward Sabine, lifting her from the ground. For a brief second, Sabine hung there then she was sent flying back toward the side of the tower as the girl fled with her droid.
Her back struck first, her head snapping back into the reinforced steel. Stars exploded in her vision, her body crumpling to the ground.
Vaguely, she heard Ahsoka's voice calling to her, as a warm liquid ran down the back of her neck. But she felt nothing. The initial pain of impact and the burning in her leg were gone without a trace. Vanished. Her thoughts were slow, muddled. And though she knew something was wrong, she couldn't pinpoint what. Ahsoka's face appeared before her, but everything was disappearing into black smoke. Her former master's lips moved, worry creasing her brow, but Sabine heard nothing. Instead of panicking she relaxed. She let her eyes close, mind slipping away into blessed unconsciousness.