2 BBY

Seventh Sister and Ezra sat together in the barracks, picking at their breakfast. Conversation between them felt easier these days, though always tinged with the unspoken tension of their past. Seventh Sister broke the silence, still digesting what Ezra had shared about his experiences.

"So, you're saying there's a being on Atollon that's neither light nor dark?" she asked, skepticism lacing her voice.

Ezra nodded, eyes lighting up. "Yeah, his name's Bendu. Kanan's met him. He claims to be 'the one in the middle.'"

Seventh snorted. "Psh… never heard of anything like that. All I've known are the Jedi or the Sith. You either pick a side or the side picks you."

Ezra leaned back in his chair, mulling it over. "Maybe... but what if we could use both the light and the dark? What if balance isn't about picking one side, but mastering both?"

Seventh Sister let out a low chuckle. "Mastering both? Sounds like another Jedi fantasy. It always comes down to loyalty in the end. You're either on one side or the other."

Ezra paused, eyes narrowing as an idea struck him. "Do you think Bendu could help heal your crystals? Turn them white like Ahsoka's?"

Seventh's expression hardened at the mention of her red kyber crystals, a flash of frustration crossing her face as she remembered her last attempt to purify them.

FLASHBACK

Ahsoka's voice echoed in her mind. "With all that anger and resentment, Spectre Seven, you won't be able to heal the crystals. Not until you let go."

Seventh had snapped back, the old bitterness rising to the surface. "Let go? Of what? Of the Jedi who abandoned me? Of Vader, who tortured me and made me a tool of the Empire? Let go of all that while they get to keep benefiting from my pain?"

Ahsoka had sighed, her patience unshaken. "The Clone Wars, the Jedi, the CIS... they were all manipulated by the same dark force. Both sides were blind to it. Letting go doesn't mean allowing the past to win. It means freeing yourself from it."

But Seventh Sister had remained unconvinced, her lips curling into a sneer. "Blind? The Jedi were more than blind. They were arrogant. And now look where that arrogance got them—slaughtered, while the Emperor and Vader rule the galaxy."

There was silence between them, before Seventh continued, her voice bitter. "All I ever knew was war. Dooku, the Separatists... I thought I understood the battles. But even back then, none of it made sense."

Ahsoka had nodded sympathetically. "None of us knew the full truth. But what matters now is that you have a chance to choose your own path. Bendu could help you heal your crystals, but only if you let go of your need for revenge."

BACK TO PRESENT

Seventh Sister blinked, snapping back to reality. "Oh... Bendu. Right." Her voice was quiet, distant.

Ezra studied her for a moment, sensing her turmoil but knowing better than to pry. He wasn't naive to the pain she carried, though he couldn't claim to understand it fully. He had narrowly avoided Vader on Malachor, but he never had to endure what she did. Kanan had managed to steer him away from the Sith Holocron, reminding him that their pursuit of it had only led to loss and chaos.

Seventh Sister finally broke the silence. "You think this Bendu can actually help me? Heal my crystals?"

Ezra tilted his head, surprised by the vulnerability in her voice. "Why not? Maybe it's worth a shot. But you need me to tag along?"

Her lips twitched into a faint smirk, though there was a trace of something deeper in her eyes. "Let's just say I have a feeling I need you there, Bridger. Call it intuition."

Ezra raised a brow, still unsure where her sudden reliance on him was coming from. "There should be more to it outside just healing your crystals..."

Seventh's expression darkened, her gaze drifting. "Of course." She paused, as if weighing her words carefully. "The dark side... it's all I've known for so long. If Bendu can help me, maybe he can help me find answers."

Ezra leaned in, trying to gauge her sincerity. "I see. Maybe he holds the key to something bigger... like defeating the Sith."

She glanced at him, eyes narrowing slightly. "Or maybe... we both need answers we're not even sure how to ask yet."

Ezra nodded slowly, the weight of her words settling over him. "Okay. I'll talk to Kanan. Maybe it's time I met this Bendu too."

As they finished their breakfast in silence, both of them felt the unspoken shift in their relationship. They weren't just reluctant allies anymore. They were bound by a shared search for answers, for healing—and perhaps, for redemption.