Rise of the Old Masters

At the moment, Ender was struggling slightly.

This was because he was currently handstanding, as part of his current lesson with Kanan. He was struggling as he hardly did this before, and especially not for as long as he was at the moment.

And adding on top of that, he was handstanding on top of the Ghost, which was hovering among the clouds of Lothal, in particular, he was handstanding on the glass shield around the dorsal turret.

"Focus. Focus on letting go." Kanan instructed Ender, standing near Zeb and Chopper, who were there watching and soon to help out with the lesson.

"When you say 'let go', do you mean metaphorically?" Ender asked, hoping that was the case, as he didn't want to literally let go.

"Yes. Now, focus." Kana insisted as Ender tried handstanding on one hand, but failed, now groaning in pain.

"I'm trying, you know." Ender replied.

"Do or do not, there is no try." Kanan told him, using the very advice that legendary Jedi Master Yoda used many times when the Jedi were around.

"Okay, how does that even make sense? How can I do something if I don't try it?" Ender questioned, as he couldn't wrap around such logic.

"Well, see -" Kanan stammered, struggling to come up with an answer, grumbling as he did so. "Actually, that one always confused me, too. But Master Yoda sure used to say it a lot."

Zeb then yawned out of boredom.

"I really thought this Jedi stuff would be more interesting." He said as he stood and stretched before stepping forward. "No wonder the old religion died."

Chopper chattered before he followed after Zeb, who now stood in front of Ender.

"Come on, kid. Do something. Amuse me. Use the Force." He teased him before turning the turret's barrels side to side, causing Ender to trip and fall off into an open crate full of empty bottles.

He glared up at Zeb as he got out, who laughed while Kana walked past him and joined Ender's side.

"Is it necessary for him to be here?" Ender asked Kanan, who walked to the front of the Ghost, his hands together behind his back, with Chopper now next to Ender.

"He's annoying, but there will always be distractions. You need to learn to focus through them." Kanan told him as he looked out at the clouds. An idea then came to him, making him turn to walk up to Ender. "Here, let's try something else."

He connected his blade emitter to his lightsaber hilt and handed it to Ender.

"You sure about this?" He asked Kanan.

"I'm sure. Activate it." Kanan nodded as he stepped aside.

Ender turned the lightsaber on, its blue blade extending out, being too long for Ender's size.

"There's a control on the side that adjusts the length to your height." Kana told him, standing behind Ender and pointing out the control.

Ender adjusted it, making the blade shorter and more suited to his height.

"I think it should be a little shorter." Zeb taunted as he sat on the glass shield, making Ender and Kanan glare at him as Chopper laughed.

Kanan then joined their side, leaving Ender as he walked to give some more distance between them.

"Okay, close your eyes." Kanan ordered Ender, who faced him and the others, closing his eyes and holding the lightsaber in front of him.

"Let him have it, Chopper." Kanan then told the astromech, who was handing one of the empty bottles by Zeb, holding it with one of his mechanical arms. He then spun at a fast speed before letting go and throwing it at Ender.

He swung the lightsaber, but missed as the bottle hit his head, knocking him back slightly.

He then swung again, but barely missed, getting hit in the stomach.

"Be precise." Kanan advised. "Keep the blade -" Ender got hit in the chest, making Kanan wince. " - up."

"That's it, kid!" Zeb laughed, finding it to be very funny. "Use your body to slow down the trash!"

He handed Chopper another bottle, which he threw at Ender, hitting his head again.

Ender swung the lightsaber when he heard Chopper spin, but got hit in the stomach. Then the head again.

Ender raised the lightsaber over his head, but before he could swing it, he got hit in the head again, then the chest.

"No, you're not focusing." Kanan told him, but his words fell on deaf ears as Ender got hit in the crotch, making him sigh.

Zeb then dumped many bottles all at once on Chopper, who spun his head and rapidly fired the bottles at Ender.

Deciding he'll open his eyes, he saw them coming his way and sliced a few, but ended up being pelted by the rest, all knocking him back to the point that he tripped and fell over the edge, dropping Kanan's lightsaber as he did so, which shut off.

"KID!" Zeb cried out in horror as Kanan ran to the front of the ship.

Ender slid down on the windscreen of the nose turret, shocking and worrying Serah, who sat in the turret.

Kanan reached out for him, but Ender ended up falling off the ship, screaming as he did so, disappearing through the cloud underneath the Ghost.

He continued screaming as he fell through more clouds in the sky.

But when he fell through the latest, he suddenly stopped falling and levitated upwards.

"What the hell?" He gasped as he rose out of the cloud.

He turned and looked up to see Kanan with his eyes closed and hands held out, using the Force to pull him up.

Hera, who was in the cockpit, pressed some buttons, opening up the ramp, where Zeb showed up.

He reached out for Ender, who reached out for him, but they were just out of reach.

"Zeb!" Kanan grunted, about to let go of Ender, as he couldn't keep this up.

Eventually, he did let go, making Ender drop, but was grabbed by Zeb.

"Got him!" Zeb informed Kanan.

"Pull me up!" Ender cried out.

Zeb pulled him up and let go, watching the seventeen year old in mid air before he crashed on top of him.

"Thanks." Ender said as he lifted his head up.

"Don't mention it." Zeb shrugged.

The pair then heard Chopper laughing, turning to see the astromech at the top of the ramp with a bottle in one of his mechanical hands.

He spun his head and threw it at Ender, who ducked to avoid being hit, glaring at him.

"If Hera didn't restrict me, I would rip you apart and keep you that way." He snarled.

Down on the ground, the bottle hit the head of one of the local fauna on Lothal: a Loth-cat. It's a feline creature with thin legs, a thick tail, pointed ears and a large mouth. Their fur ranges in different colours, with this one having fawn and brown fur.

It screeched and shook its head, knocking off the bottle, before looking up at the sky to see the Ghost fly off high in the sky.


Inside the ship, Ender walked through a doorway that opened, revealing Kanan, who climbed down the ladder to the dorsal turret.

"You weren't focused." Kanan scolded him.

"How could I when falling to my death?." Ender retorted, continuing past Kanan before he was stopped and was turned to face him.

"You wouldn't have been falling to your death if you were focused." Kanan pointed out as Zeb and Hera walked out of the cockpit and headed towards him and Ender. "You're undisciplined and full of self-doubt."

Ender ripped his arm out of Kanan's grip.

"And whose fault is it for not helping me deal with it properly, Master?" Ender coolly snapped before turning his back to him, which made Kanan sigh.

"It's difficult to teach." He then said before he walked into the common room.

Zeb then grabbed Ender and turned him around to face him.

"He means it's difficult to teach you." He told Ender, nudging him back.

He then followed Kanan into the common room while Hera looked at Ender as Chopper joined her side.

Ender looked away, realising that he had been difficult. He's still adjusting to being told what to do in terms of being taught since joining the crew. And he's been snippy and temperamental when being told off during Jedi training.

Hera walked up to him and led him into the common room with Chopper by their side.

Ender was about to talk to Kanan, but the table activated a hologram playing something from the HoloNet.

The hologram showed an interpretation of what Ender and Zeb did with the TIE fighter.

"The stolen TIE fighter was later used to attack a transport full of innocent workers." An Imperial voice said, making Ender and Zeb snort.

"You liar! We set 'em free!" Zeb then corrected the statement.

The hologram then crackled, now showing the profile image of a man with tanned skin, grey eyes and black hair that was greying at the temples, wearing formal clothes.

"Citizens, this is senator in exile Gall Trayvis. I bring more news the Empire doesn't want you to hear." A new voice said.

"Who's Gall Trayvis?" Ender asked everyone, as he was the only one to not know who he was.

"The only member of the Imperial Senate with the courage to speak out publicly against the Empire." Hera explained.

"One of the Republic's greatest peacekeepers…" The hologram now showed two stormtroopers escorting a female green skinned Mirialan in prisoner clothes. "...Jedi Master Luminara Unduli, is alive."

Both Kanan and Hera glanced at each other before focusing on the broadcast with their full attention.

"She has been imprisoned unlawfully somewhere in the Stygeon system." Gall continued. "As citizens, we demand the Emperor produce Master Unduli, and grant her a fair trial before the entire Sen -" The broadcast was cut off, now playing the standard Imperial broadcast, which had Zeb sit down and shake his head. " - marking another successful planetary liberation, utilising the Base Delta Zero initiative."

Serah turned the hologram off, which turned the lights back on in the common.

"How well do you know Master Unduli?" Ender asked Kanan, who closed his eyes and held his chin in thought.

"I met her. Once." Kanan replied as he opened his eyes. "She was a great Jedi Master. Brave, compassionate, disciplined." He then closed his eyes and held his chin again for a moment. "In fact, she'd make an excellent teacher for you."

Without knowing it, Kanan's words stabbed Ender, who frowned and looked away from Kanan, which Serah noticed.

"There've always been rumours she survived the Clone Wars, but they came with a specific location before." Kanan told Hera. "We can't pass this up."

"Was hoping you'd say that." Hera said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I'll set course for the Stygeon system."

"The rest of you, prep for an op." Kanan told everyone else as Hera walked off for the cockpit.

Kanan followed after Hera as Zeb patted Ender's shoulder while walking past him. Serah followed after Zeb, giving a concerned glance to Ender, leaving him and Chopper in the common room.

Chopper then chuckled.

"He's done with me." Ender coolly said. "He's just gonna drop me off to some stranger. He clearly regrets trying to train me."

Chopper merely chuckled and chattered before he left the common room.


As they travelled through hyperspace to the Stygeon system, everyone gathered in the cockpit, where Chopper displayed a hologram of a tall structure on a rock formation.

"This is the Spire on Stygeon Prime, the only Imperial detainment facility in the system. It's also impregnable." Serah explained to everyone.

"That's never stopped us before." Kanan said, making Serah chuckle slightly.

"That's because we've never faced anything like this. It's truly a work of art." She replied before counting with her fingers. "It's blast proof, ray shielded, protected by anti-ship weapons, has TIE fighters and both short and long range scanners."

"We can fool the scanners." Hera said confidently.

"Perhaps, but that still leaves us with an army of stormtroopers and guard posts on every wall." Serah pointed out, pointing at the walls she was talking about. "Fact is, regardless of us getting in, getting out's the hard part, since it's a prison."

"Well, what would happen if we go in low and sneak onto the landing platform?" Ender asked, pointing at the landing platform.

"We'd have to deal with a heavy trooper presence and reinforced blast doors. So it's impossible to go in and out through there." Serah explained.

Kanan examined the hologram, soon spotting a secluded platform on a lower level.

"Here. There's only room for a couple of guards." He said, pointing at it, making a red dot form, which he formed into a line as he pointed up through the structure. "We take them down, make our way to the upper isolation cells, free Luminara and come back out the way we came in."

Chopper then chattered as he shut the hologram off, noting how crazy this whole plan was.

"He's right." Serah agreed with him. "Anyone who wants to go ahead with that kind of plan is crazy."

"Let's hope the Empire thinks so, too." Kanan grinned.


They soon exited out of hyperspace and headed directly for Stygeon Prime ahead of them.

The ship entered the planet's atmosphere and flew through the clouds in the night sky.

Everyone, except for Chopper, entered the Phantom, which Hera activated in the pilot's seat.

Everyone else sat in the passenger seats towards the back, drenched in red light. Ender sat next to Zeb, with Kanan and Serah sitting opposite them.

Chopper then jabbered through Zeb's communicator.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Chop. We just don't need your damaged logic circuits on this one." Zeb mocked.

Hera disconnected the Phantom from the Ghost and flew towards the Spire, Chopper chattering in annoyance as he watched them fly off in the cockpit.

Hera made a diagonal descent through the clouds, which caused the Phantom to shake.

Zeb rolled his neck, Kanan closed his eyes and Serah put her helmet on, all prepping for the mission.

Soon, the Phantom broke through a cloud and the Spire was now in view.

"Thirty seconds." She told everyone as they stood, getting ready to exit the shuttle. "Good luck."

"Luck? We're gonna need a miracle." Zeb retorted with a frown.

"Here are three." Serah grinned as she pulled out three thermal detonators, two of them being taken by Ender and Zeb.

"Try to stay focused." Kanan told Ender.

"I thought trying wasn't allowed." Ender remarked with a raised eyebrow as he pocketed his thermal detonator.

Hera made her way towards the platform Kanan spotted on the hologram, seeing a couple of stormtroopers standing on guard duty.

She opened the back of the shuttle and turned so the back faced the platform.

Kanan then leapt out and landed with grace on the platform in front of the troopers, who were surprised by his presence.

One of them aimed their blaster at him, but he disarmed them within a second and grabbed the other's blaster, using it to knock them onto the ground.

Kanan then kicked the blasters off the platform and kneed the remaining stormtrooper in the stomach, who then tried throwing a punch at him, but Kanan grabbed his arm and punched his helmet, knocking him out.

Ender watched all this in amazement, especially with how quick he took them down.

"Nice and quiet-like." Kanan grinned to himself. He then signalled Ender and Zeb.

The two jumped out of the Phantom and landed on the platform, Ender stumbling upon impact, though Zeb helped him stay on his feet.

Serah then jumped out and landed on her feet among everyone else.

She then walked up to a panel by the door, at which she pressed some buttons, but it hummed in a low tone, meaning it didn't open the door.

"Ender, can you unlock the door?" She asked.

"Shouldn't be a problem." Ender replied, walking up to the panel and pulled out his lockpick.

Meanwhile, Zeb grabbed the two knocked out stormtroopers and dragged them to the wall as Kanan dodged a spotlight that went across the platform.

Ender worked on the lock, hearing certain beeps that told him he was close to unlocking the door.

"Ender." Kanan urged.

"Shush. I'm actually focusing, here." Ender hissed back as Zeb stood the two troopers up and leaned them against the wall, making them look like they're still guarding the platform.

In seconds, the panel made a hgh beeping noise and the door opened.

Everyone then ran inside, the door closing behind them.

With Hera, she parked the Phantom on the rock face right below the platform, leaving her vertical, and shivering from the cold weather.

Everyone walked through the corridors, which were all empty and had no stormtroopers anywhere, which set off alarms in Ender's head.

"Am I the only one thinking this may be a trap?" He asked aloud his suspicions.

"Nope, I'm starting to think that, as well." Serah admitted.

Kanan, who was ahead of the others, stood and closed his eyes, trying to sense Luminara through the Force.

"Luminara's here. I sense her presence, but it's clouded." He told everyone as they joined up with him, touching his forehead.

Serah then went ahead of him, looking up on a floor plan on a small monitor setup.

"Where's Master Unduli?" Kanan asked her as he, Ender and Zeb joined her side.

"In detention block CC-01, isolation cell 0169." Serah replied, surprising Kanan.

"They have isolation cells on the lower levels?" He questioned, looking at the monitor. "We planned off outdated schematics."

"Which means what?" Ender asked as Kanan slammed his fist on the monitor.

"It means the plan changes." Kanan replied.

"You got a backup plan?" Zeb questioned, being used to Kanan's change of plans by now.

"Figuring one out right now." Kanan replied before walking up to a turbolift. "Zeb, Serah, you're coming along."

"Weren't we supposed to hold our escape route here?" Zeb questioned as Ender and Serah joined Kanan in the turbolift.

"Now the turbolift is our escape route. Let's go." Kanan said, making Zeb enter with everyone else.

The turbolift then closed up and took them up the upper levels of the Spire.

"His plans get worse each time." Serah groaned to Zeb.

"Just hope he doesn't change it again." Zeb bemoaned.

"I'm standing right here." Kanan reminded them.

"We know." The two replied in unison, making Kanan grumble and fold his arms.


Back with Hera, she was relaxing at the moment when the sensor beeped, making her look to see that there was some movement nearby.

"Uh-oh. Company." She muttered, worried that it was the Imperials.

She looked through the windshield, keeping her eyes open for any sign of them.

Initially, there was nothing, but then a large shape flew overhead from right to left, moving so fast she only saw it as a blur.

Now on edge, Hera looked around until another large shape flew overhead from left to right.

She looked to her right, soon coming face to face with a large creature that had a horizontal face and green eyes.

"Whoa!" She gasped, seeing it hover right next to the Phantom. "Okay, you're not a TIE fighter."

The creature, known as a Tibidee, flapped its wings to hover on the spot, squawking as it did so.

Serah's jammer beeped right before the Tibidee nuzzled against the shuttle.

"Hey! Watch it, buddy!" Hera frowned as the shuttle shook.

The jammer beeped again, and the creature screeched. After another beep, it squawked and nuzzled the Phantom as another Tibidee appeared, nuzzling the Phantom, then another appeared.

"Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no." Hera repeated, realising what was going on as she looked at the blue and white symbol that represents the jammer on the console. "Serah's jammer is operating on the same frequency as these creatures. It's sending out a…" One of the Tibidee nuzzled the Phantom again, chittering and cooing in a loving manner. "...mating call."

All three Tibidees crowded the Phantom, which Hera activated, realising these creatures will draw unnecessary attention.

"You lovebirds are attracting too much attention." She said as she readied to take off. "Hope I'm not needed anytime soon."

She pulled off the rock face and flew off, the three Tibidees following her.


Inside the Spire, two stormtroopers guarded the door for the turbolift.

It suddenly opened and Kanan grabbed them, pulling them inside and ended up being beaten up until they were knocked out.

The door opened back up and Kanan stepped out into the corridor as Zeb brushed his hands.

"Maintain comm silence. And whatever you do, hold this lift." Kanan instructed Zeb and Serah.

Ender joined his side, and the pair were about to go down the corridor when two stormtroopers appeared from around a corner.

"Hey, you! Stop!" One of them ordered as he and the other aimed their blasters at the pair.

Kanan tapped into the Force and pulled the two troopers at him and clotheslined their throats, knocking them out, shocking Ender with how brutal that move was.

"Jeez, you're not messing around tonight." He said.

"There's a lot more at stake than you realise." Kanan reminded him.

The two then walked down the corridor while Zeb grabbed the two troopers and dragged them into the lift, though the door slammed shut on one of their helmets, making the Lasat grumble as he pulled the helmet in, closing the door.

In the corridor that had the cell Luminara was held in, two stormtroopers stood guard outside her cell.

"Ever seen this Jedi Master?" One of the troopers asked the other.

"Don't have the clearance." The other trooper replied.

Kanan then appeared to their left and held his hand out, while Ender hid by the corner they came from.

"Shouldn't you be guarding the Jedi's cell? It's on the next level." He told the two troopers, confusing Ender.

"It's on the next level." One of the troopers repeated in a monotone voice, shocking Ender, seeing that Kanan was using the Force to influence them.

"You better get moving." Kanan told them.

"We better get moving." The other trooper said before they both ran off, leaving the cell on its own.

"When does one learn that?" Ender asked as he joined Kanan's side.

"Luminara will teach you…" Kanan replied, using the Force on the panel by the cell door to open it. "...much better than I could."

His words added salt to the wound that was already there for Ender as they entered the cell.

There, they found Luminara sitting on a bench in front of them, staring at them.

"Something's wrong." Ender said, those alarms going off again.

"You're right." Kanan couldn't help but agree as Luminara stood and walked up to him.

"Master?" Kanan questioned her.

She turned and walked right up to what looked like a sarcophagus, where she shimmered, like she was a hologram, and turned, stepping back into the sarcophagus, closing her eyes and vanished, revealing the corpse of the actual Luminara, shocking Ender and Kanan.

"So it was a trap all along." Ender said with realisation.

"How right you are, young one." A voice replied.

The pair turned to the door, seeing the Inquisitor standing there. "I am the Inquisitor." He then pulled out a lightsaber hilt that had had a circular guard on it, igniting its red blade, as he stepped into the cell properly, the door closing behind him. "Welcome."

Kanan ignited his lightsaber as Ender moved to stand behind him.

"Yes, I'm afraid Master Luminara died with the Republic. But her bones continue to serve the Empire, luring the last Jedi to their ends." The Inquisitor sneered.

Ender then pulled out his communicator.

"Spectre-3, come in. It's a trap!" He said into it, only getting static.

"There will be no reinforcements." The Inquisitor bragged.

Kanan charged at him and swung his lightsaber downwards, but the Inquisitor dodged his attack with ease and blocked his next attack with just as much ease.

Then he ducked under a swipe and pointed his red lightsaber at Kanan's face.

Kanan then hit it with his lightsaber and deflected it away to lunge at the Inquisitor, swinging at his head twice, missing him as he ducked before blocking another swing to his left.

He moved his lightsaber down Kanan's with a malicious grin before Kanan knocked it away and thrust his lightsaber, which was deflected away from the Inquisitor's chest, who then tried hitting Kanan on his left, but was blocked and soon locked blades and staring each other down.

"Interesting." The Inquisitor said curiously. "It seems you trained with Jedi Master Depa Billaba."

"How…? Who are you?" Kanan questioned, shocked to hear that he knows of his late master.

The Inquisitor nudged Kanan's lightsaber aside and tried hitting him, but was blocked, and again just as Ender went around them and stood by the door.

As the fight continued, Ender pulled out his thermal detonator, which made him hatch an idea.

The Inquisitor thrust his weapon, which got blocked, and he swiped at Kanan, who ducked and stepped aside when he thrust his lightsaber, putting a hand on one of his forearms.

"The temple records were quite complete." The Inquisitor said before ducking to avoid Kanan's swipe for his head. He then swung his lightsaber at his head, but was blocked. "In close quarter fighting, Billaba's emphasis was always on form three…" He made Kanan step back towards the sarcophagus. "...which you favour to a ridiculous degree."

Ender fired a shot with his slingshot, making the Inquisitor turn to block the shot, giving Kanan an opening to charge at the Inquisitor, who jumped over him and kicked him towards the door, where Ender knelt next to him as his lightsaber shut off.

"Clearly, you were a poor student." The Inquisitor insulted Kanan with a grin.

"No one likes a condescending prick!" Ender snapped before firing his slingshot again, hitting his chest, though it had no effect.

"Is that really all you've got, my boy?" The Inquisitor asked as he spun his lightsaber slightly.

"I have that." Ender pointed at the thermal detonator he placed by the door, which was beeping before it exploded, causing the door to open up and smoke to form.

Ender and Kanan then ran out of the cell and down the corridor with the Inquisitor following them.


With Zeb and Serah, the latter was trying to make contact with either Ender or Kanan through the comms.

"Spectre-5 to Spectre-1. Do you read?" She said, only getting static. "Great, if they're jamming our signal, they know we're here."

"Here in this lift, or -"

"Here, period!" Serah snapped at Zeb as she shut off her comms. "They lured us in upstairs at the prison's weak point. Naturally, we're expected to exit the same way, so there's going to be troopers waiting for us. We'll never make it out of the lift."

"So what do we do?" Zeb asked.

"Time for that miracle to kick in." Serah replied, pulling out her thermal detonator.


Back with Ender and Kanan, the latter faced the Inquisitor again, who ignited a second lightsaber blade from his hilt, making it double ended, before they exchanged strikes and blocks.

"Are you paying attention, boy?" The Inquisitor asked Ender when he locked blades with Kanan. "The Jedi are dead, but there is another path, the dark side."

"I'll pass!" Ender instantly rejected the idea, firing a few shots from his slingshot, making the Inquisitor shove Kanan back to block the shots. He then Force pushed Ender down the corridor, crashing into the hexagonal wall and landing on his chest on the floor.

"Have you taught him nothing?" The Inquisitor questioned Kanan, who glared at him as Ender got to his hands and knees, before charging at him.


Three stormtroopers stood and aimed their blasters at the door for the turbolift, waiting for Zeb and Serah, hearing it coming to their level.

The moment the door opened, they fired a barrage of shots.

"Hold your fire!" One of them ordered, and they stopped firing.

Among the steam from their shots, they looked to see only the troopers that were knocked out earlier.

Then they heard beeping, making them look up to see Serah's thermal detonator, which exploded within seconds, taking out the turbolift and the stormtroopers.

Elsewhere, Zeb and Serah stood in the middle of another corridor, both with their blasters out.

"That's one lift offline." Zeb noted as Serah joined his side.

"I managed to disable the other two. There's other ways down, but it'll take 'em a while. Now, let's move." She told him before they ran down the corridor.


Meanwhile, Kanan and the Inquisitor continued fighting, blocking and dodging each other's attacks until Kanan leapt back and made distance from his opponent.

"Do you really think you can save the boy?" The Inquisitor asked him, making Kanan glance back at Ender, who got to his feet. "For his sake, surrender."

"I'm not making deals with you." He spat.

"Hmm. Then we'll let him make one, shall we?" The Inquisitor suggested before Force pushing Kanan further down the corridor, getting launched past Ender and crashing on his back and having his lightsaber turned off and knocked out of his hand.

"Kanan!" Ender cried out in worry before he turned to glare at the Inquisitor.

"Your master cannot save you, boy." The Inquisitor told Ender. "He is unfocused and undisciplined."

"Then it's meant to be!" Ender retorted before firing his slingshot, his shots getting blocked by the Inquisitor, who then charged at him, but was about to jump off the wall to avoid his lightsaber, making his back face Kanan.

"I do so admire your persistence." The Inquisitor said as he twirled his lightsaber. "Ready to die?"

He then charged at Ender, just as Kanan woke up and saw what was happening.

"NO!" He screamed, getting to his knees and held his hand out.

He froze the Inquisitor in place as he was about to strike down Ender. He turned to glare at him just before he was lifted up to the ceiling and stuck there.

"Run!" Kanan told Ender, who instantly ran up to him and helped him up on his feet as the Inquisitor jumped back down on the floor.

He turned and ignited his double bladed lightsaber again, the circular guard now being a full circle, which allowed the blades to spin, shocking Ender and Kanan.

"Time to go." Ender gulped.

"I agree. Move!" Kanan replied before they turned and ran away, Kanan grabbing his lightsaber hilt.

Ahead of them, both Serah and Zeb showed up.

"Come on, this way!" The former told them just as they joined up, all running through the corridors.

"You figured out it was a trap?" Kanan asked as they turned a few corners.

"Yep." Serah replied. "And Luminara?"

"Long gone. Our new exit?" Kanan asked.

"The landing platform." Serah replied.

"Thought it was impossible to get out that way." Kanan reminded her.

"Then let's hope the Empire thinks so." Serah argued as they turned a corner.

Ender glanced back, seeing the Inquisitor still following them, his lightsaber still spinning.

"Secure the facility. Full lockdown." He ordered through his comlink.

"Now that's just cheating." Ender groaned as shutters started to close all along the corridor they're running down.

Of course, the Inquisitor now started running after them.

Serah fired a few shots with her blasters, but the Inquisitor blocked them.

Now everyone started jumping through the shutters, Zeb jumping onto the one ahead of them and forced it open for the others to jump through.

"Can't do this all day!" He grunted as Serah leapt in between his left arm and leg.

Kanan then curled up through and between his legs, as did Ender as the Inquisitor squeezed the small gap through the shutter behind them.

Zeb then jumped off, allowing the shutter to close right as the Inquisitor reached them.

He grinned before the Inquisitor's lightsaber stabbed through the shutter, making him join up with the others.

They all ran down the corridor and were now face to face with the hangar door, where Zeb grabbed his bo-rifle and shot the panel for the door to the corridor, shutting it close.

Everyone then ran up to the panel to open the hangar door.

"Come on, come on." Serah muttered as she pressed buttons, only for the panel to warble, which made her groan in frustration. "Great, I'm locked out of the system! Ender?"

Ender tried his lockpick, but when he inserted it into the panel, he got electrocuted and was knocked onto his back.

"You okay?" Serah asked concerningly as she helped him up.

"I'll live." Ender groaned in pain.

"Ender." Kanan grabbed his shoulder and led him to face the hangar door. "Together."

"You sure?" Ender questioned.

"Yes. Picture the locking mechanism in your mind." Kanan instructed, and the pair closed their eyes and held their hands out, focusing on said locking mechanism.

As they did, Zeb and Serah saw that the Inquisitor was now slicing through the door with his lightsaber.

"Excuse me, but can we train Ender later?" Zeb questioned as he and Serah aimed their blasters at the door, ready to fight if needed.

Both Kanan and Ender started lifting their hands up, still focusing on the locking mechanism, which worked, as the hangar door soon opened up, giving them a view of the landing platform, which was full of stormtroopers among some crates and parked TIE fighters.

They aimed and fired their blasters at the four of them, who all fired back at them.

"One last miracle here." Zeb told Serah, pulling out his thermal detonator. He then primed it and threw it at the stormtroopers, exploding within seconds and taking out some of them.

The four then ran forward as they continued firing, or deflecting with a lightsaber in Kanan's case, and hid behind some crates for cover, still firing back.

"Spectre-5 to Phantom. We're on the landing deck, ready for pickup." Serah informed Hera through her comms.

"On my way, Spectre-5. And I'm bringing the fleet." Hera reassured her.

"We have a fleet?" Zeb questioned.

In the sky, the Phantom showed up, now with several Tibidees.

"We do now." Hera grinned.

The stormtroopers now started firing at the creatures, their shots having little to no effect on them, before getting whacked by them.

Hera fired the Phantom's guns at one of the TIE fighters, which exploded after a few shots.

Kanan signalled everyone to move, and so they ran forward, just as the Inquisitor managed to slice through the door and try to get them.

One of the turrets on the platform started firing at the Tibidees and the Phantom, but kept missing.

As they ran past it, Zeb shot the turret, destroying it with a few shots, allowing the four of them to have a clear run for the Phantom, which lowered and opened up the back at the end of the platform.

Kanan then heard the Inquisitor's lightsaber, making him turn to see it spinning before it was thrown at him. He deflected it when it was close enough, sending it back to the Inquisitor before joining everyone back on the Phantom.

"Does yours do that?" Zeb asked Kanan as he shut his lightsaber off.

Hera then flew off and closed the back of the shuttle.

Upon leaving the planet's atmosphere, Ender sat on one of the passenger seats and hung his head while Kanan joined Hera's side.

"Master Luminara?" Hera asked him.

"Gone." Kanan gravely replied, shocking the Twi'lek. "We'll have to find a way to spread the word."

"How's Ender taking it?" Hera then asked, her and Kanan oblivious to him and Serah overhearing them.

"Not as bad as I am." Kanan replied. "I guess he's stuck with me. For now."

Ender's head hung lower, making Serah place a hand on his shoulder to try and comfort him.


After joining back up with the Ghost, they all headed back to Lothal, where they landed out on the grasslands.

Inside, Serah was approached by Kanan in the common room.

"Hey, do you know where Ender is? He's not in his and Zeb's room." He asked her.

"Try the cargo hold. And Kanan, you and he need to talk." She replied.

Confused, Kanan entered the cargo hold, where he saw Ender sitting on the open ramp, looking out at the landscape before him.

"Don't even bother saying it." Ender told him without turning to him.

"What are you talking about?" Kanan questioned.

"You wanted to get rid of me. Why else would you be so eager to dump me on Luminara?" Ender replied, making Kanan realise that he made Ender feel unwanted.

"Ender, I wasn't trying to get rid of you." He sighed as he sat down next to him. "I just wanted you to have the best teacher."

"Well, have you considered that I don't want the best teacher? That I want you, instead?" Ender questioned, leaving Kanan wide eyed.

"Then I'm not gonna try to teach you anymore. If all I do is try, that means I don't truly believe I can succeed. So from now on, I will teach you." Kanan replied.

Ender grinned, also now understanding Yoda's phrase: that trying suggests you don't believe yourself.

"Well, we may fail, but at least we'll do instead of try, Master." He said, making Kanan grin.

"Then let's continue your training." He said, handing him his lightsaber.

The two then got up and walked onto the ground, facing each other.

Ender activated the lightsaber as Kanan grabbed some stones.

He then threw them at Ender one at a time, who was able to deflect them, showing some progress, both with their relationship as master and student, and in Ender's training.

As long as they've come to an understanding, things may end up going more smoothly than before.


Honestly, even if Luminara was still alive, she wouldn't have been a good teacher for Ender, because, like Mace Windu and Ki-Adi-Mundi, she represents the flaws of the Jedi during the Prequels, and would've rejected the idea of training him, as he already has emotions and attachments.