Vision of Hope

At the moment, with the Ghost parked out in the grasslands of Lothal, Ender was in the middle of a training session, wearing the TIE fighter pilot helmet he got when he and Zeb were out to find meilooruns and saved Sumar and his wife, which was painted by Serah with the pattern of a wolf.

He was also wielding his lightsaber, using it to block blaster fire from Zeb, Serah and Chopper.

So far, he was doing a good job, though his movement was stilted, thanks to something nagging him.

"You've got the blocking down but you seem to be struggling with deflecting the energy at the target I gave you." Kanan told his Padawan, referring to a stormtrooper helmet resting on a rock.

"I will. Eventually." Ender replied just before he blocked a shot from Zeb, actually nearly hitting the helmet.

Kanan sighed before he signalled everyone to stop firing and walked up to Ender, who shut off his lightsaber.

"Is something wrong?" Kanan asked him.

"I seem to be having a splitting headache for no reason. I was hoping it would go away on its own, but it hasn't." Ender explained.

"Well, you'll just have to push through and hit the target, as well as not get stunned." Kanan told him gently before walking back to where he was previously.

Ender reignited his lightsaber and Kanan then signalled everyone to fire at Ender again.

When they did, they were delivering a barrage, and didn't stop, making Ender dodge while also blocking the shots, trying to deflect them at the stormtrooper helmet, which had Kanan shake his head with a sigh.

"You there." Ender then suddenly heard, but it didn't sound like it was external, it sounded like it was in his mind.

"Senator, you're in terrible danger." He then heard Hera's voice, and this is just as his headache was getting worse.

"Put your saber down, boy, now!" He then heard what sounded like Gall Trayvis' voice.

"The Empire knows you're here. Stay close, Senator." Hera's voice then said, as Ender continued blocking the blaster fire.

"You want me to go in there?" Gall's voice then questioned.

Then suddenly, Ender closed his eyes and experienced something he hasn't before.

He saw himself wearing a cadet helmet in an alleyway, being cornered by some stormtroopers with someone behind him.

Then what he saw turned to white before he now saw Gall approaching an opening sewer entrance with everyone by his side.

Then he saw Gall, Hera and Serah climb down the ladder into the sewer with blaster fire above, no doubt from stormtroopers.

Then he saw some stormtroopers appearing in two sewer tunnels, approaching a large space.

And finally, Ender saw Gall in the same space as before, and with a grin on his face, one that Ender suspected to be more malicious and antagonistic in nature.

"Your parents were very brave." He said.

Then it all stopped and Ender woke up with a gasp, finding himself on the ground and with his helmet off.

Ender groaned as he sat up, with Kanan's help, noticing everyone by his side.

"Did I get stunned?" He asked Kanan, who he noticed looked surprised.

"No, you deflected every blast back at the target." He revealed, making Ender frown as he looked to see the stormtrooper helmet on the ground, scorched and smoking.

"Kanan, I saw something." He revealed.

"Saw? You had a vision?" Kanan asked, surprised to hear this.

"Yeah. Of Gall Trayvis. And he seemed to know my parents." Ender replied before he stood up and grabbed his helmet. "It seemed so real. We were with Trayvis, heading into the sewers with stormtroopers after us."

"That sounds like an average day to us." Serah replied, though she and Zeb were taken aback to hear of this vision.

"With the added detail that we had Trayvis with us. He also said 'your parents were very brave'. He was clearly talking to me in the vision." Ender replied.

"Be careful, Ender, visions like these can be misinterpreted." Kanan cautioned him as everyone started walking back to the Ghost.

"I'm aware, I'm just confused as to why I had this vision now." Ender replied.

"Guys, Senator Trayvis is on!" Hera called out, showing up on the ramp before heading back to the ship.

With this, everyone jogged.

They all then made their way into the common room, where Hera sat at the table, where a hologram of Tua was displayed, not moving, meaning it was on pause.

"I started recording before he came on." Hera told everyone before she unpaused the recording as Ender sat on one of the stools.

"The insurgents terrorising our world will soon be brought to justice. I have assurances from -" Tua's speech was cut short when Gall's broadcast took over.

"Citizens, senator-in-exile Gall Trayvis here, coming to you with a reminder that the Empire applies the term 'insurgent' to anyone who dares defy their tyranny such as some very courageous souls on Lothal." Gall's voice said, drawing the whole crew's attention at being addressed by Gall.

"To those rebels, I have a message." Gall continued, surprising the crew even more. "The sun may have set on the Old Republic, but a new freedom can be won if we are brave enough to fight for it today. See you soon, my friends." The broadcast was then cut off with the standard Imperial HoloNet broadcast. "In other news, Lothal's mines are -"

Hera shut off the recording.

"He's coming here to meet us." Hera said in amazement.

"Uh, how do you know that?" Zeb asked.

"My contact, Fulcrum, says the senator hides coded messages in his transmissions. When Trayvis mentions a world, it's always the next one he visits." Hera explained.

"How come the Empire hasn't caught him?" Kanan then asked, curious about this particular point, since the Empire would've caught on by now.

"Fair point. He pirates the Empire's own signal, like my parents did." Ender replied. "Something like that is bound to have him caught soon enough."

"But the clues he puts in his messages, where to meet him, are obvious to the locals, but go right over the Empire's head." Hera pointed out. "Watch."

She played the recording again.

"The sun may have set on the Old Republic, but a new freedom can be won -" Hera cut the recording off.

"He said 'the Old Republic' and 'a new freedom'." Hera pointed out, looking at Ender, since he's from Lothal.

"Well… there's the New Freedom mural, which is… painted on a wall inside the Old Republic senate building!" Ender replied.

Serah activated a hologram on the table showing the building Ender mentioned.

"This place has been abandoned since the Empire built the Imperial complex. Solid place to meet up." She noted.

"Yeah, but when's this meeting?" Zeb questioned, looming over Ender's shoulder.

"He said 'today' and 'sunset' in the message. Which is obvious, perhaps too obvious." Ender replied, glancing at Kanan.

"My thoughts exactly." Kanan agreed with him. "We should have some insurance in case the Empire is more clever than we think."

"You've got a friend inside the Imperial complex, right?" Hera asked Ender. "So find out for sure."

"Alright." Ender nodded as he stood. "We'll meet up at my parents' house at seventeen hundred." He then left the common room.


In the streets of the Capital City, a cadet walked past several stormtroopers, who he saluted, and looked around to make sure no one could see him before walking into an alleyway.

"Hey, Zare." Ender greeted the cadet, who gasped before laughing.

"You're a stealthy one, Ender." He greeted as he opened up his helmet, seeing Ender was wearing a cadet helmet that had patterns painted on it with blue, red, black and white colours.

"One can't be too careful when you're a rebel." Ender smirked. "Thanks for meeting me last minute, by the way. How'd you even get past the gate?"

"I've been promoted. Got class three clearance now." Zare revealed.

"Congratulations, I guess?" Ender said, unsure of how to feel about that, considering Zare also has a dislike for the Empire.

"To both of us. New clerical and courier duties give me greater access to intel you can use." Zare revealed, pausing to hear that some stormtroopers were walking nearby, making Ender hide behind the crates he stood next to. "Unless I'm caught, in which case -"

"I know. Especially since you want to find out what happened to your sister. So what do you know?" Ender asked as he popped back out.

"Agent Kallus and every section commander have been in secret tactical meetings. He's gathering troops for a massive operation." Zare explained.

"Any ideas on what this operation's for?" Ender asked.

"Something to do with the old senate building. But it might just be a drill. I'm not sure." Zare replied.

"It isn't a drill. I need to go warn the others." Ender told him as he turned to leave.

"Hey, one more thing." Zare called out, making Ender stop. "I'm being transferred offworld to the officers academy on Arkanis."

"In that case, I hope we still maintain contact, somehow." Ender sighed, turning to him.

"You there." A voice said from behind him. He turned and found himself being cornered by three stormtroopers, just like what he saw in the vision he had earlier. He then turned to Zare and closed his helmet back up.

"Sorry about this." Ender said before he shoved Zare out of the way and ran off, being chased by two of the stormtroopers while the third stayed with Zare.

"Cadet, you alright?" He asked Zare as he got back up on his feet.

"Yes sir." Zare replied. "I caught that Loth-rat selling black market goods."

"We'll get him." The stormtrooper replied before running off, Zare closing his helmet back up and following him.

Ender kept running, the three stormtroopers and Zare on his tail, making him pull out his lightsaber hilt and fire a couple of shots, which hit and stunned two of the troopers, while the third and Zare jumped over them and kept chasing him.

He then turned a corner, finding a dead end, but he climbed up to a rooftop, where he ran off.


Ender kept moving through the city until he was sure he wasn't being chased anymore.

He then made his way back to his parents' house by seventeen hundred and slotted the remote through the lock, opening the door to let him in.

He took his helmet off when he saw and heard Chopper ahead of him on his own.

"Where's everyone else?" He asked the astromech, who pointed at the hatch that led to the basement.

Ender placed the helmet on the footstool and walked up to the hatch.

"It's pretty old. Ender said his parents used it for their broadcasts." He heard Serah speak to the others.

"I don't get it." Zeb sighed as Hera examined the radio. "They weren't soldiers, just citizens. So why'd they risk it all?"

"They had hope." Hera replied as Ender climbed down the ladder, which Serah noticed. "That they could do something to make the galaxy a better place for their son."

"Hera." Serah nudged her, nodding to Ender, making the Twi'lek and everyone else be aware that Ender just arrived. "You were cutting it a bit close."

"Yeah, thanks to some unwanted attention." Ender replied before turning to Kanan. "The Empire knows where the meeting is and is setting up a major operation, led by Kallus."

"The Imperials will have numbers." Zeb noted as Kanan folded his arms.

"We'll have surprise." Kanan replied.

"And what makes you think that?" Serah asked him.

"I'm being optimistic." Kanan grinned.


At sunset, the crew were scouting the senate building by a bannister.

Serah looked through her viewfinder to get a better look, seeing a red shuttle on a landing platform with a couple of protocol droids.

"I see a dignitary shuttle and two protocol droids on the platform." She informed everyone. "Trayvis must be inside, already." She then lifted the viewfinder up and looked over at Kanan. "I didn't see Imperials, though."

"Well, they gotta be around." Kanan replied, pulling and seeing through a pair of macrobinoculars down at the streets below, where he spotted some stormtroopers. "Yeah, I found them. Looks like they have the whole area locked down."

"We need to get Gall out of there before the Empire moves in." Ender said as Kanan put away the macrobinoculars.

"Wait. Why haven't they moved in?" Hera asked.

"They want us, too. It's a trap." Kanan said with realisation.

"So maybe we don't walk into it for once. We don't even know if this senator is in there." Zeb voiced his thoughts.

"Then how do you explain we join up with him in my vision?" Ender retorted.

"If we can get up there without being seen, maybe we fly him out on his own ship." Kanan suggested, helping spark an idea in Ender's head.

"And I happen to know a way in, one where no one will see us." He told everyone, "Perks of surviving on my own against the Empire for nearly nine years. Let's go."

He led everyone onward.


Down on the streets, an Imperial astromech circled around a sewer entrance when Chopper appeared and electrocuted the astromech, shutting it down. He then went up to and turned the switch to open the entrance and pushed the astromech down into the sewers, which the others saw as they just arrived, hearing loud clattering and crashing as the astromech fell.

Chopper then made triumphant chirpings and flexed his mechanical arms.

Zeb looked down the entrance and sniffed, cringing at the foul stench below.

"That's a sewer pipe." He said.

"I know. And my experience told me that unless you're being chased, you won't find stormtroopers down there." Ender replied.

He then climbed down the ladder, followed by Hera, then a sighing Zeb and then Serah, with Kanan stopping to tell Chopper something.

"Okay, Chop, stay here, just in case we need a backup strat -" He was cut off when Chopper turned the switch to shut the entrance, making Kanan duck his head down. "HEY!"

Chopper then made mocking chattering.

"Originally there was too much water down here to walk, but it's been dry ever since the Empire started rationing." Ender told everyone as he led them through the sewers.

"Well, it hasn't helped the smell." Zeb bemoaned, fanning his hand in front of his face.


After a while, Ender led them all to a ladder, which he climbed up, followed by Kanan, Hera, Zeb and Serah.

Upon reaching the top, Ender, Kanan and Hera peeked out, finding themselves on a walkway on the senate building, which also gave them a view of the shuttle and the protocol droids on the platform.

"They might see us, you know." Ender told Kanan, who groaned, knowing he was right.

"Better safe than sorry." He said before closing his eyes and holding his hand towards the platform, where he caused a noise that distracted the droids, making them turn to investigate.

The three then climbed out and onto the walkway, followed by Zeb and Serah.

"Hold on." Kanan said, turning to the pair. "You two, up top."

"Want a lift?" Zeb asked Serah before giving her a boost up onto the roof. He then jumped up and pulled himself onto the roof, grunting as he did so.

Ender, Kanan and Hera then entered into the senate chamber, where at the other side of the room was the New Freedom mural, and standing in front of it was Gall Trayvis by a podium and with two protocol droids on either side of him with staffs.

The three cautiously walked up to Gall, looking around for any signs of Imperials, Hera even wielding her blaster and Ender his lightsaber hilt.

"Hello. Who's there?" Gall called out, as he didn't have a clear sight of the three.

"Senator Trayvis. We're friends." Ender replied.

"Welcome!" Gall greeted them. "I was beginning to think no one on Lothal got my message."

"Senator, you're in terrible danger." Hera told Gall, which was what Ender heard before he saw the vision. "The Empire knows you're here."

"That's impossible." Gall said in disbelief.

A blaster shot was fired, which Kanan dodged, hitting the protocol droid to Gall's right, then another shot hit the droid to his left, both taken out of commission.

The three turned to see Kallus enter the chamber with stormtroopers, who all aimed their blasters at the three and Gall.

Hera ran up to Gall to protect him as Ender and Kanan ignited their lightsabers.

When Hera and Gall joined up with the pair, they then found themselves surrounded by more stormtroopers that appeared from elsewhere.

"Kanan Jarrus, Jedi Knight." Kallus said as he walked up to the four. "Padawan Jabba." Tua then entered the chamber. "And what have we here? A Twi'lek I've yet to meet." Hera glared at him. "From your regalia, I suspect you must be our talented pilot."

"Where is the Lasat and the Mandalorian girl?" Tua asked, noticing Zeb and Serah weren't present.

"If you won't talk, then my troopers will become a firing squad." Kallus warned.

"You'd better do as he says." Gall advised, earning questionable looks from the three.

"There's nothing to worry about. Our friends will help out soon enough." Ender replied.

High up on the rafters was Zeb and Serah, who each primed two smoke grenades and threw them down, filling the whole chamber with smoke.

Zeb then roared as he jumped down and activated the electrostaff form of his bo-rifle, striking a stormtrooper next to him, then struck down another.

With her viewfinder down to see through the smoke, Serah fired her blasters down at some stormtroopers.

Hera fired off her blaster as she stayed by Gall's side, even shooting a trooper that came up behind Gall.

"Stay close, senator." Hera told Gall as she led him through the smoke.

Kallus and the stormtroopers fired in various directions, unable to see through the thick smoke.

"We've gotta get Trayvis out of here!" Kanan told Ender and Hera.

"Stay close and follow us!" Ender advised Gall before they ran for the exit, with Serah providing cover fire from the rafters. She then jumped down and shot a trooper that was about to fire at the four.

Just before she left the chamber, Serah primed a thermal detonator and threw it before she ran out.

She was grabbed by Zeb, who joined up with the others, and pulled away in time as the detonator exploded.

When the sparks and smoke lingered, the two shared a look, Zeb laughing and Serah lifting up her viewfinder. They then looked toward the platform, seeing that the shuttle's missing.

"Was really hoping that shuttle would still be here." Hera groaned before a Sentinel-class shuttle hovered up and faced the group.

"And that's not the ride we're looking for." Kanan added with concern.

Everyone ran to the sewer entrance, which opened up, thanks to Serah's computer linked gauntlet.

"You want me to go in there?" Gall questioned, cringing at the smell.

"You'll just have to deal with the smell." Ender replied.

Shots then fired at the group from behind, making them turn to see Kallus and a couple of stormtroopers on their tail, running up to them.

"Go!" Kanan told the others after he and Ender ignited their lightsabers.

Gall went first down the ladder, followed by Hera, then Serah and Zeb, all of whom slid down the ladder into the sewers.

Ender and Kanan blocked and deflected the blaster fire from Kallus and the stormtroopers by his side until they both jumped down the entrance into the sewers, which Serah closed up before Kallus and his troopers could follow after them.

Then everyone started running, hoping to make it back to the entrance they used to enter the sewers and meet back up with Chopper.

However, both Ender and Hera noticed that Gall was lagging behind, seemingly out of shape and tired as he leaned against the circular wall.

"Yes, I'm… I'm coming." He panted as everyone stopped.

"Senator, we have to get outta here as soon as possible." Ender urged, though his suspicions were acting up.

"I apologise, my young friend." Gall said as he panted, now standing up properly. "I've been pursued, but never in such a place as this."

Even Hera started getting suspicious of Gall, raising an eyebrow.

"Figured you'd be used to running from the Empire." Kanan stated.

"Well, I… uh… I've never come this close to capture before." Gall replied just before stormtroopers appeared behind him.

They started firing their blasters, making everyone get to cover via two tunnels in an intersection, Kanan, Zeb and Serah on one tunnel, Ender, Hera and Gall the other.

"We'll draw them away! Get Spectre-2 and Trayvis to the hatch!" Kanan ordered Ender as Serah fired back at the troopers, firing back as well, taking down one of them.

"But how will you find us?" Ender asked back.

"Don't worry about that! Just go!" Serah replied, making Ender nod before he, Hera and Gall ran down the tunnel they were in.


"You're so well organised." Gall noted when they felt safe enough to walk through the sewers. "To evade the Empire as you have, you must have quite a support system. Good funding, powerful allies."

"Not really. This is all we are." Ender replied.

"You can't be serious." Gall said, shocked with disbelief, though the way he reacted caused both Ender and Hera to be suspicious still.

The three soon found themselves reaching a large space where a large fan was ahead of them, and they had to jump down.

"Come on." Ender told Gall before he and Hera jumped down and landed.

But Gall screamed as he ended up falling and landed on his hands and knees. This made Ender and Hera help him up, though Ender noticed a look of disgust on Gall's face as he looked at where he and Hera grabbed him to help him on his feet.

"How do we get past this thing?" Hera questioned about the large fan ahead of them.

"Cutting its power might do the trick." Ender replied.

He then walked up to the fan, grabbing his lightsaber hilt. Hera was about to follow before she turned to Gall.

"Watch our backs, will ya?" She said, holding her blaster to him, which he took.

When Hera joined Ender, who was examining the panel that operates the fan, Gall aimed the blaster at the pair.

"That's enough." He told them, making them turn to him. "We're not going anywhere."

"About time you showed your true colours." Ender scowled at him.

"Put your saber down, boy, now!" Gall demanded, which Ender did, dropping it by his feet.

"All of your transmissions, those planets you visited. How did word not get out about you?" Hera questioned.

"Because no one ever knew… not even my own droids." Gall revealed. "Insurgents are not arrested. They're identified and watched. The troublesome ones have… accidents after I'm gone."

"So you manipulate people to oppress them further, pretending to be a light in the darkness." Ender's scowl deepened with contempt. "You're nothing like my parents."

"Parents?" Gall questioned. "No one has spoken against the Empire on Lothal since…" Realisation dawned on him. "...the Brand transmissions. I remember them. The original voices of freedom. You're their son."

"Just why would you join those fascists?" Ender questioned him, shaking his head.

"I joined the Empire because they provide stability and control. Your parents should have done the same, for their lives, for you." Gall replied as Hera scowled and shook her head. "Your parents were very brave and very foolish. Where are they now? I'll tell you, my boy. They're gone!"

"Shut up, you scumbag." Ender snarled.

"They're not gone, Trayvis." Hera then said as she started walking up to Gall.

"Stop right there." He ordered, but she ignored him.

"As long as we fight, all that they spoke out for lives on." Hera continued.

"I said stop!" Gall snapped right before Hera stopped right in front of him. He then pulled the trigger, but the blaster didn't fire a shot. "What?" He tried again and again, but it still didn't fire. "No!"

Hera snatched her blaster back from him and Ender grabbed his lightsaber hilt, firing a shot at Gall, stunning him and making fall to the ground.

"A true rebel would know if he's holding a charged blaster." Hera frowned as Ender joined her side, charging up her blaster.

"I started to suspect he was no good after we fell into that trap involving Luminara's corpse." Ender admitted to her.

"And it was obvious he was trying to get us to surrender. And he wasn't tired when he stopped. He was just waiting for Kallus to catch up. And he wanted our secrets." She added.

"It just seemed too good to be true, I guess." Ender sighed in disappointment.

The pair then heard footsteps approaching them, making them look to see Kanan, Zeb and Serah showing up, jumping down and joining up with them.

"What happened to the senator?" Zeb asked them.

"Turns out he was working for the Empire." Ender replied.

"Why can't there be anyone on our side?" Serah groaned.

"So guess he stays here. What's our plan?" Kanan asked.

"We were gonna stop the fan to get through." Hera replied.

"But what's to stop our friends from following us?" Serah pointed out.

"We only stop it long enough for us to get past it. Cover me." Kanan explained, having Hera, Zeb and Serah face the tunnels they all came out of with their blasters ready and Ender with his lightsaber ignited while he faced the fan and closed his eyes with his hand out to use the Force.

Within seconds, he was able to slow the fan down as Kallus and his stormtroopers showed up, firing shots at the group, missing them or having their shots blocked and deflected by Ender.

"Move it, rebels!" Hera ordered.

"Blast the Jedi!" Kallus yelled as Hera, Zeb and Serah ran through a gap in the fan while Ender continued blocking and deflecting blaster fire.

"Ender, let's go!" Kanan told him.

The pair got through to the other side and ran to catch up with the others just before the fan continued working as it normally does, preventing Kallus and his stormtroopers from following them,

Kallus then glanced down at Gall with contempt for failing him.

The group made it back to the sewer entrance, finding it to be forced shut, so Kanan activated his lightsaber and cut through it, which made it open up. He peeked his head out, being face to face with an annoyed Chopper, who grunted as everyone climbed out and ran.

"Hey, you're supposed to be glad to see us." Kanan retorted as they continued running.


It was at night when they all made it back to the Ghost, all feeling frustrated that their mission failed.

"I guess that vision I had was trying to warn me of Gall's trap." Ender told Kanan and Hera, all three stopping on the ramp while the rest continued on into the ship.

"It's a good thing you didn't let your emotions cloud it. It usually takes training and discipline to see things clearly." Kanan replied. "Visions are difficult, almost impossible to interpret."

"Did you ever have any visions?" Ender asked him curiously.

"Once before. And I misinterpreted it." Kanan sighed before he walked up to and climbed up the ladder to the cockpit.

"You know, I wanted to believe in Trayvis." Hera sighed before she sat down on the ramp.

"So did I, what's wrong with us?" Ender asked as he joined next up to her.

"We have hope, hope that things can get better. And they will." Hera replied, which gave Ender some new found optimism as they looked up at the night sky and the many stars that filled it.

And she was right, as long as they have hope, they can achieve great things, and help many others against the Empire.


Ender didn't have high hopes, like Ezra did. More proof to show how different he is in comparison.