Chapter Text
Mace did quite a bit for Bail’s rebellion, in the background. Supply runs to get difficult to find resources where the subtle use of the Force was a great boon. Checking in on various groups and passing information onto them. Breaking out captured rebels and spies. All of the things that needed to be done in the background, covertly, to keep the Rebellion running smoothly. One of the more important parts of that was allying with other Rebel groups.
And Mace did meet such interesting people through that.
“Stagehand.”
“Luthen.” Mace greeted the latest ally he was talking to for Bail. Luthen was a fascinating individual, truly. Mace knew that he had resources to pull off the jobs he seemed to be connected to (and the ability to mask his involvement), but he had yet to figure out where those resources came from. He suspected Luthen was using personal funds for some (and where were those coming from?) but had a high-level ally helping with some of that. A wealthy executive? A high level official?
A senator, perhaps?
Mace had a feeling the senator guess was the right one (and he had an educated guess as to which senator as well), and that he and Luthen were more closely connected than they seemed. Luthen didn’t seem aware of that, though, so Mace would keep that to himself.
“What do you have for me?”
Mace passed Luthen a datastick. “The specs for the Max-7 Rono freighter, as discussed. Additionally, some information I thought you’d find interesting about a string of Imperial equipment thefts.”
Luthen pocketed the datastick and handed a different one to Mace. “I appreciate it. In exchange: I’ve heard some rumors of a shipment of a very particular kind of illegal weapons that the Empire is picking up on Garel. I have some things that will have my hands full around that time, but I thought you might be able to take care of it.”
Mace saw the underlying message here – Luthen was using this as a test to see how capable the rebels Mace was associated with were with this kind of mission. “I’ll pass it on.”
Luthen nodded sharply and turned to depart. Mace called after him, compelled to pass on what he had sensed lately in the Force. “Whatever it is you needed that information for – be careful. Events are beginning to unfold in unexpected ways.”
“I appreciate the warning, but I can handle myself and my affairs.” Mace hoped that whatever it was that Luthen had planned, it turned out as well as Luthen thought it would.
Kanan was meditating in his room, and finding solace from the noise of the rest of the occupants of the Ghost. Force he loved those kids (and Zeb) but sometimes the shenanigans were a lot. But it was good to hear them unwinding after the encounter with Vader. It was nice to have his own space to do this, though he most often stayed with Hera at night. This place was his own little sanctuary when things got too much; currently, it was a sanctuary from the kids.
Speak of the rancor, there came one of them. Kanan opened his eyes just in time to see Ezra poking his head through the door mock-casually. “So, uh Kanan?”
“Yeah kid?” internally, Kanan sighed in slight amusement. What had Ezra done now?
“What was your master like? I mean, you’ve mentioned her, and she sounds cool, but, uh, from what you’ve explained about Jedi we would have been family, right?”
“All of the Jedi were each other’s family, yes, but you would have been closer to her because you were in the same lineage.” A familiar lump of grief rises in Kanan’s throat as he thinks about it.
“Right. So. It would be nice to, know more about her? I mean, I don’t want to impose I can get going –” Ezra babbled anxiously as he backed out the door, clearly picking up on Kanan’s grief.
Kanan caught Ezra by the arm before he could entirely flee. “You’re not imposing.” He sighed. “This is your history and family too, so c’mere kid. I’ll tell you about her. About all of them.”
Hesitantly, Ezra settled next to Kanan on his bunk. Kanan tugged him a little closer, until Ezra was neatly and securely snuggled under his arm, just like how Master Billaba used to when she was telling him stories. Force. Where did he even begin to describe Master Billaba?
“My Master’s name was Depa Billaba. She was a member of the Jedi Council – so one of the leaders of the Order. Very wise and level-headed because of that. Always steady and calm in bad situations. She was serious when she needed to be, but playful when I was getting too stuck in my head.”
“Sounds awesome.”
Kanan chuckled. “She was. She liked to embroider to relax and connect with the Force; said it was meditative. She’d mend tears in our clothing and then cover them with embroidered patterns to ‘make them look nicer’. She taught me how to do it, but I could never do it as well as she did. I wish I had something she had embroidered; I could feel in the Force how much care had been put into it.”
Ezra smiled slightly at that, and Kanan continued. “She also taught me how to cook and bake. I already knew the basics – Jedi on missions had to be able to prepare their own food if necessary – but she taught me how to make Jedi dishes and dishes from across the galaxy. If we found something we really like while on a mission, we’d find a recipe and figure out how to make it ourselves afterwards. When we were back on Coruscant we’d have lineage dinners and all cook together.”
Kanan smiled, remembering cooking with Master Billaba and Master Windu on the rare occasions that they were all in the same place. Everyone working seamlessly around each other in the small kitchen, making sure the meal was perfect. Master Billaba and Master Windu spilling the flour and then playfully flinging handfuls at each other. The tiropita assembly line they all did together to make as many as efficiently as possible; Master Billaba spooning the filling out onto the dough, Master Windu deftly folding them, and Kanan carefully placing them on the cooking tray and brushing them with butter.
“Do you still make those recipes?” Ezra asked.
“Oh, all the time. The dumplings you like so much are one of Master Billaba’s recipes.” Kanan was the primary cook on the Ghost and had been since he joined the crew, because Hera had many talents, but cooking was most assuredly not one of them.
“Really?”
“Yes. We figured it out together after a mission where we came across it and decided to try to recreate it. Took us a week to get it perfect.”
“Could you teach me how to make it some time, then?” Ezra asked nervously.
“Of course. She would have loved that I’m passing it down to you.”
“Master Billaba sounds nice.” Ezra paused, hesitating. Kanan waited for him to finish his thought. “Do you . . . do you think she would have liked me? Cause I know I’m not a typical Padawan and –”
“There’s no such thing as a typical Padawan.” Oh, Ezra. How the boy hadn’t realized that he was so incredibly lovable yet, Kanan did not know. “She would have loved you, and how much you care about others and believe in doing the right thing. Would’ve said you were perfect payback for what I was like as a Padawan as well. Master Windu said that about me to her, to which she said she was perfectly well behaved as a Padawan, and he laughed at her. Never did get the story behind that.”
“Who was Master Windu?” Ezra asked.
Kanan blinked as he realized that Ezra had no context as to who Master Windu was. For Kanan, he had always just . . . been there, a constant. “He was her Jedi Master; my Grand-Master, the way Master Billaba would have been your Grand-Master. He was the head of the Jedi Council –”
“Woah really?”
“Yes, he led the Council for quite some time. He was very wise and steadfast; though he often complained about his time on the council driving him bald from dealing with the Senate. That’s a lie, by the way, he’d gone bald long before then. He had a purple lightsaber –”
“A purple lightsaber?? How come I don’t have a purple lightsaber! You didn’t tell me that was an option!” Ezra said indignantly.
Kanan chuckled. “A lightsaber’s color comes from its crystal, which reflects the Jedi who meditated over the crystal. Master Windu is the only Jedi I know of who had a purple lightsaber.”
Ezra’s eyes lit up. “Coool.”
Kanan smiled. It was nice to see the kid so excited about something, and he remembered his own excited reaction to seeing Master Windu’s lightsaber for the first time. “Yes, it was quite striking. He also loved the theater –”
“Theater?”
“Yes, he loved acting in and directing plays. Also watching them. He helped with the yearly play the younglings put on; I think that was the highlight of his year, honestly.”
Ezra’s eyes lit up with glee, sensing potential blackmail material. “Were you ever in that play, Master?”
Kanan sniffed theatrically, drawing on Master Windu’s direction in acting he’d given Kanan’s youngling group. “I’ll have you know that I did a wonderful job as background tree number 3.”
This had the intended effect; Ezra burst out into peals of laughter. Good. Kid needed more joy in his life. Force, Kanan sounded like Master Koon.
“There were many Jedi I knew; Master Billaba and Master Windu were some of the closer ones, but the Jedi Order was a vast community. There was always someone you could turn to, for any problem you had or anything you wanted to know.”
“And they’re all gone now. Because of the Empire.” The enormity of it seemed to be sinking in for Ezra, and Kanan’s heart ached for him. It was quite the thing to know that your entire people were gone.
“Yes, they’re gone but not fully. Everyone becomes part of the Force when they die, so in some ways they’re still with us. Besides, the Jedi can never truly die so long as I have my memories of them,” he taps the side of his head, then taps the same place on Ezra’s head, “and someone has stories of them. As long as someone is remembered they’re never truly gone.”
“Could you tell me more?”
Kanan smiles. Over the course of this conversation it had become easier to talk about; he’s just passing on his memories and stories of his family to his Padawan. “Let me tell you about Master Yoda . . .”
Ezra snuggled in further with wide eyes as Kanan tells the story of the time that he had found Master Yoda catching frogs in the Room of a Thousand Fountains. Yeah, he’s glad Ezra asked about Master Billaba and the Jedi. It was good to pass on the knowledge of who their people had been to his Padawan.
At the sound of the doors opening, Depa looked up from the map she was examining for the Cloud Riders’ next mission. Mace strode in with purpose, eyes slightly wild. “Depa! Did you hear the transmission beamed out from Lothal?”
Depa blinked. “No, I haven’t.”
Mace strode over to the holotable and inserted a datastick. A young boy’s voice played, giving a message of hope and rebellion.
“Stand up together. Because that’s when we’re strongest – as one.” The message finished, a harsh static sound indicating it had been cut off at that point. Good timing on the speaker’s part.
“That’s an impressive and inspiring speech, for sure.” Depa said, unsure as to why Mace was showing this to her.
“It’s from a group of Rebels from Lothal, they’re connected to Fulcrum. Took over an Imperial comms tower to transmit it, and the Empire destroyed the tower to try to prevent the message from being transmitted.”
“Sounds like them.”
“One of the group is rumored to be a Jedi. He was captured in their attack and was being transferred to Mustafar.”
Depa’s spirits rose at the news of another possible Jedi but plummeted once Mustafar was mentioned. It was where Jedi went to die, after all. It was odd that Mace was still in good spirits with that news.
“But! On the way there his group broke into Tarkin’s Star Destroyer, rescued him, he killed the Grand Inquisitor, and they destroyed Tarkin’s Star Destroyer as well. He’s still alive and escaped! Currently in Phoenix Group.”
That was good news, and explained why Mace was in such good spirits; he’d strongly disliked Tarkin for his involvement in Ahsoka Tano’s prosecution and that dislike had only grown since Tarkin had become Grand Moff. Anything that hurt Tarkin in any way was good news to Mace.
“Any idea who the Jedi is?” Depa asked.
Mace shook his head. “His name is Kanan Jarrus, but I don’t recognize that name at all. Could be a fake name, but it’s not like I knew every Jedi by name. Do you recognize it?”
Depa frowned. “No, I’ve never heard it either.”
“I suppose we’ll just have to keep an ear out, see if we can meet him and see who he is. And his Padawan – Ezra Bridger – the boy in the message.”
“May I?”
Kanan glanced up from where he was sitting in his room, doing some light maintenance on his lightsaber. Ahsoka stood in the doorway, from all appearances calm but underneath he could sense a current of nerves.
“Of course, come in.” Kanan rubbed the back of his neck. He’d never been that close to Ahsoka before, so he was at a loss about how to interact with her. “Uh, something in particular you wanted to talk about?”
“I just thought we should talk, in general. I haven’t come across a surviving Jedi – well, ever, really. Heard rumors about a couple, but they never last long. Something always gets them.”
“It’s not an easy galaxy to be a Jedi in, that’s for sure.” Kanan said.
“Indeed. Not that I’m truly a Jedi –”
At that, Kanan interrupted her. “Really? Because you were trained and raised as one and you follow the teachings and ideals. I’d say that makes you a Jedi at this time. More so than me, in some ways – I don’t have much training and I’ve spent a long time running myself and the past.”
Ahsoka shook her head. “It’s more complicated than that. I left the Order to figure myself out, and I was planning to return but I never got the chance to. I turned away and they’re gone. I cannot call myself a Jedi after that.”
“You still count in my opinion.”
“I disagree with that, but you are more of a Jedi than me. Yes, you ran for a long time, but that saved you. You’re not running now.” Ahsoka added, quietly. “You’d make Master Billaba and Master Windu proud.”
“I hope so.”
“I know so.”
“Still think you count as a Jedi.” Kanan said after a pause.
“I suppose we’ll have to agree to disagree on that subject.” Ahsoka responded. Kanan laughed. From there, it was simple to fall into a rhythm, sharing stories of happier times in the Temple and rougher stories of the times afterwards. Kanan was surprised to find that Ahsoka had sensed similar echoes in the Force.
“Sometimes I’d swear I’ve felt Master Billaba in the Force, but it’s impossible. I saw her die. Occasionally I’ll think I’ve felt Master Windu as well.”
“I’ve had something similar happen. I sometimes sense Master Obi-Wan but he has to be dead. Thought I saw Master Windu in a marketplace once, but I’m fairly sure the Emperor killed him personally and he wasn’t there when I doubled back. It’s kind of funny, how we think we feel and see people we know are gone. I guess it’s the Force’s way of keeping them in our memories.”
Kanan snorted. “It’s a weird way of doing that.”
“Oh, definitely. But it’s what we have.”
“That, and what they’ve taught us.”
Ahsoka smiled. “We’ll always have that, at least.”
The pain was agonizing. The air smarted against the open wound on his face and Kanan couldn’t see anything. The clashing, sizzling sound of Ahsoka’s lightsabers against Maul’s was jarring, but brought Kanan back to the present. He couldn’t afford to focus on the tidal wave of agony threatening to drag him under. There was a rogue Sith Lord nearby who had just tried to kill him, and Ezra was about to activate a Sith weapon that that very same Sith had tricked him into doing so. Ahsoka would need to go take care of that, and Kanan would have to deal with Maul.
But he couldn’t see. How was he supposed to do this without being able to see?
Master Billaba’s words from a long ago lesson floated back to him in that moment. “A Jedi doesn’t need eyes to see. All they need is the Force.”
Kanan’s fumbling hand found a mask; it felt like a Temple Guard’s mask. Quickly, he put it on and rose to his feet.
“Running away again, Lady Tano?”
“If you want to finish our fight, you’re going to have to deal with him first.”
“Go get Ezra.”
Kanan was going to handle this. He could do this. The Force was with him. And everything would work out.
Bail looked somber as he sat down across the table from Mace and Depa. “I have some bad news.”
Mace and Depa exchanged glances – in the Rebellion, there was always bad news, but rarely of the kind where Bail would see the need to personally break the news to them.
“The Jedi in Phoenix Squadron and Fulcrum – the first one – went to Malachor in an attempt to find a way to defeat the Sith. Jarrus was blinded during the mission, and Fulcrum didn’t make it back – Vader showed up.”
That was bad news.
“And, normally, I wouldn’t tell you this, but because Fulcrum is no more –” Bail took a breath, clearly struggling to find the right words. “She was Ahsoka Tano.”
Mace rubbed his forehead wearily. “Of course, that makes so much sense. I don’t know how I didn’t put that together sooner. The symbol, it’s so clearly her markings.”
“Yes, I did tell her as much when she proposed it.” Bail said.
“You’re sure that she isn’t just stranded.” Mace asked, reaching for any chance that Ahsoka had made it out. She had inherited her lineage’s resilience; it wouldn’t be the first time she had made it out of something that should have killed her.
“Jarrus and Bridger reported that she made them leave and stayed behind to fight off Vader. Reports showed Vader leave the system several hours later.”
Mace bowed his head in grief. Vader was thorough, and given his connection to Ahsoka, the likelihood of her surviving that encounter was slim to none.
When Obi-Wan showed up, Mace was going to have to tell him that his beloved Grandpadawan was dead, killed by her Master and his own Padawan.
Stories of the mysterious Kanan Jarrus and his Padawan Ezra Bridger continued to filter in to Depa and Mace, but at a slower rate than before. After some months, Jarrus had apparently recovered enough from his injury to return to running missions, and the Padawan, Bridger, was taking a more active role.
Mace and Depa were no closer to finding out who Kanan Jarrus was, but, if all of them stayed alive long enough, with the recent unification of the Rebel Alliance – they would all end up in the same place at some point. Then, they’d see.
Yavin was the current in a long, long line of Rebel bases. Mace definitely preferred it over the previous one he had been working on. If he never had to step foot on another ice planet again it would be too soon.
Depa sidled up next to him; it had been a while since he’d seen his former Padawan, but they were as in-sync as ever, automatically matching each other’s strides. A couple more gray streaks graced her immaculate braids; the amount of her dark hair that held on to its color after this long was dwindling. “Hello Master.”
Unable to help himself, Mace smiled. “It is good to see you again. How did things go with the Cloud Riders?”
“As well as could be hoped; we liberated most of the bacta in that shipment. No casualties, the bacta was delivered to a couple other cells as well, I brought a share back to Yavin, and the Cloud Riders are lined out with the latest intel. I just got back today.”
“That is good news, that was a major operation. Should mean we have enough bacta to last for a while.”
“Yes, and that will be helpful.”
Mace grimaced. “I have some bad news to tell you; you know the attack Dodonna was planning with Phoenix Squadron?”
“Yes, I’d had high hopes for that one. The weapons factories on Lothal are concerning.”
“The Empire found out about it, wiped out most of Phoenix Group and the Massassi fleet sent to assist. The survivors have come back here.”
“That is bad news; that attack could have been a great blow to the Empire and Phoenix Group was formidable.” Depa paused. “Any news on whether the mysterious Jedi made it through?”
“Yes, word is that they immediately went to Mandalore to help with the situation there and made it back to base a couple days ago.”
“That is a relief to hear.”
“Indeed.”
“Shall we go seek out them?” Depa said with a flourish of her hand. “Or Syndulla’s daughter; I hear she’s the surviving leader of Phoenix Squadron.”
Mace chuckled. “Of course Cham’s daughter is leading it, she sure seemed to take after him when I met her. Yes, let’s go seek out Phoenix Squadron. It’s high time we met them.”
Kanan was glad the kids got back safe from that mission with Gerrara – there had been a couple moments where it had seemed iffy, but as always, they pulled through. The kyber crystal was incredibly concerning, especially with the secrecy involved. Something was happening there, and Kanan had a very bad feeling about it. Didn’t seem like there was much that he could do about it at the moment. Ezra was getting increasingly antsy about Lothal – not that Kanan could blame him, he was also concerned – but he had a feeling that things weren’t going to be easy when they eventually went back to Lothal. He wouldn’t classify it as having a bad feeling, not yet – but it was something he was keeping note of.
Right now, though, he was helping move some supplies onto the ghost; food, and bacta, picked up by a resupply today. Ezra chattered away next to him, narrating obstacles in Kanan’s path when they came up.
Kanan paused suddenly, at the top of the Ghost’s ramp, and turned around, barely aware of his movements, and headed back down the ramp. The Force felt . . . odd. Full of tension, vibrating and pulsing. It felt like a string had been pulled back and was being held, on the threshold of being released, and the anticipation of the release of energy was building.
“— Kanan? Hey, Kanan, are you even listening to me? Hey wait, who are those people? –” Ezra’s voice filtered in through Kanan’s racing thoughts. Something was definitely off.
Kanan turned in the direction of the disturbance. The Force sang with the release of the tension and energy rippled outwards. He sensed two very familiar presences – but – it was impossible, it couldn’t be. Master Billaba died so that he could live, and Master Windu died fighting the Emperor, he knew this, he had gone looking. They couldn’t be here, alive, walking towards him.
“Caleb?!” a very familiar voice said, and the world as he understood it shattered around him.
Depa had not been prepared for who she saw when they reached the ship. She had expected the usual ragtag crew of misfits that characterized the Rebellion, with a Jedi tag along.
The tall man with a ponytail and a jagged scar over his eyes initially seemed to fit that description, but something about him told her he was far more familiar than he seemed.
He paused and turned towards them at the base of the ship’s ramp, tilting his head slightly. That was what did it. Caleb had always had the habit of tilting his head when puzzling something out, and this man was tilting his head at the same angle. Reaching out through the Force, she felt the same, impossible presence. She couldn’t refrain from calling out as she ran towards him, Mace hot on her heels.
“Caleb?!”
“Master??” he responded, sounding completely lost. She hugged him tightly and his arms came up hesitantly. Force, her Padawan was taller than her. All grown up and alive. Mace reached them and drew them both into his arms. They melted together into an overwhelmed and emotional group hug.
Kanan clung to Master Billaba and Master Windu desperately, unable to believe the evidence the Force and his senses were giving him. They were alive and he’d given up – he had ran and not looked back, hadn’t even looked for them. This couldn’t be real.
“Oh, Caleb,” Master Billaba sighed, sounding close to tears. Kanan tightened his grip instinctively.
“Who’s Caleb?” Ezra interrupted, his voice cutting through the clamor of Kanan’s thoughts and drawing him towards reality.
Mace disengaged enough to turn his head in Ezra’s direction. “This is Caleb,” he said steadily, with only a hint of confusion.
“No, that’s Kanan, are you lost? There’s no Calebs here.”
“Ezra!” The familiar action of scolding his Padawan for cheekiness and putting his foot in his mouth fully jolted Kanan out of his head and he partially disentangled himself. Master Billaba and Master Windu were here and alive. This wasn’t a dream. And, oh, Force, he needed to introduce them to his Padawan. He could do that now.
“My name was Caleb, Ezra.” He explained, then turned towards Master Billaba. “I go my Kanan now, and it’s been so long that I prefer it that way.”
“Kanan, then.” Master Billaba said, voice warm.
With that said, he twisted back towards his Padawan. “Ezra, this is Master Billaba and Master Windu, I’ve told you about them.”
Ezra’s shock radiated into the Force. “What? I mean, uh, aren’t you supposed to be dead? No offense?”
Mace chuckled, the Force vibrating in amusement around him. “None taken.”
“Masters, this is my Padawan, Ezra Bridger.”
Master Billaba let go of him and placed her hands on Ezra’s shoulders. “It is good to meet you, Ezra. I have heard much about you already.”
“Really?”
“Mace was very impressed with the broadcast you sent out some years ago.”
Kanan could feel how pleased Ezra was in the Force; if he had to guess, Ezra was probably wriggling with delight at the moment. “That’s cool! I mean, uh –”
Kanan cut him off, figuring Ezra would appreciate the time to gather himself and stop freaking out. “Masters, do you want to meet our crew?”
“I would love to. And, Kanan, you can call me Depa.”
“Yes, Kanan, you’re not a youngling anymore,” Mace teased.
“I’ll try,” Kanan joked. He was, after all, an adult and a Jedi Knight. If the Jedi Order hadn’t been destroyed, he would have been calling them Depa and Mace for many years. But it had been destroyed, and the habit from his early Padawan days was hard to kick.
Caleb, no, Kanan led them into the ship, moving a crate further into the cargo bay as he does so. He leads them into the ship’s living room where what must be the rest of the crew is gathered. Most were unfamiliar; only glimpsed in the Empire’s bounty posters. Mace recognized now-Commander Syndulla, of course, but to his great surprise, he also recognized Captain Rex. Syndulla didn’t seem to recognize him – she seemed more focused on and shocked by Depa – but Captain Rex’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. Mace nodded a greeting and Rex returned it.
Kanan walked to the center of the room and stood still, all attention focused on him. Mace and Depa hung a few steps behind him, with Ezra hovering near them, following in the long Jedi tradition of Padawans being excited about meeting older lineage members.
“Everyone, this is Depa Billaba and Mace Windu, my Master and Grandmaster.” Kanan said. He then turned towards them. “And this is my crew and family.”
He gestured vaguely in Rex’s direction. “You’ve already met Rex, I know.”
“It’s good to see you alive, General.”
“And you as well, Captain,” Mace said.
Moving on with introductions, Kanan motioned towards the colorful Mandalorian who was watching them like a shriek-hawk. “This is Sabine Wren,”
She nodded warily. “Nice to meet you.”
“Depa is who taught me about explosives and embroidery, Sabine, so I’m sure the two of you will enjoy talking about them.”
Depa raised an eyebrow at that, and Sabine’s expression brightened. “Alright then.”
Kanan then turned towards the Lasat sitting in the chair next to the Sabaac table. “And this is Zeb Orrelios. He was the Captain of the Lasan Honor Guard.”
Zeb waved. “It’s good to know that more Jedi survived. Kanan’s told me about you two.”
“And I am glad to see that a member of the Lasan Honor Guard survived as well.” Mace said. Zeb nodded jerkily.
The orange and gray astromech interrupted the moment by bumping into Zeb’s chair and scolding him in crabby binary.
“That’s Chopper, our droid.” The astromech made a rude noise in their direction and waved his arms at them. Kanan grimaced. “Don’t mind him, he’s always like that.”
“Hey, don’t insult my droid like that!” Commander Syndulla joked.
Kanan turned towards her, a smile lighting up his face. “And this is Hera, my partner.”
“I am so happy to meet both of you – Kanan has told me so much about you.” Hera said, standing up.
“I’m glad that you and Kanan found each other.” Depa said, turning Hera’s handshake into an embrace.
“It’s a pleasure to remake your acquaintance, Hera.” Mace said.
Hera hesitated, then said delicately, “Remake my acquaintance? I don’t think we met when you were helping my father during the Clone Wars.”
“No, we did not. I met you many years ago as an informant, when the Cloudshape Falls code phrase was still in use.”
“Oh, I thought you looked familiar! You were the informant who pointed me towards Gorse.”
“Yes.”
Hera laughed. “That is interesting, considering what happened there.”
“Oh?”
“Gorse is where I met Kanan and convinced him to join me in the Rebellion. It’s funny that you’re the one who set me on that path.”
“That is quite the coincidence, because I definitely wouldn’t have ended up here in the Rebellion without Hera.” Kanan said, wrapping an arm around Hera.
“The Force works in mysterious ways,” Mace said, amused. And it truly wasn’t out of the question that the Force had been in play. The Force did seem to like to orchestrate reunions.
The family that Kanan had found for himself is wonderful, and being welcomed into it feels like they are part of a wider family again. It’s not the same as the Jedi Order – they will never experience the warmth of being part of a family of thousands of Force users again in their lifetimes – but it’s still good.
Depa and Sabine bond over art – Depa’s embroidery and Sabine’s painting have little in common in terms of technique, but they can discuss the use of color in their pieces and various artistic movements.
They also shared a wide knowledge of explosives, and enjoyed discussing their merits.
Mace and Hera understand each other well. They both know the weight of leadership in tough situations, and putting duty first. They end up in many of the same meetings and Mace admires the steadiness and fire she has in those meetings. She was a fine partner for Kanan and Mace can see that they fit each other well.
Both of them get along well with Zeb; they all lost their people and cultures to the Empire and there was a shared pain that they understood about each other. He’s a good storyteller as well, and Depa and Mace laugh when hearing his retellings of various adventures that the crew have gotten into.
They both help Kanan with Ezra’s Jedi training. Kanan has done a fine job, and Ezra is in many ways very close to reaching Knighthood under Kanan’s tutelage. But having Mace and Depa there to pass on knowledge to both of them that they did not have the chance to pass down to Kanan during the Clone Wars helps to improve everyone’s skills. Ezra flourishes under the attention and settles further into the wonderful Jedi he is going to be, but a part of him remained focused on Lothal.
They both know that the Ghost cannot stay on Yavin forever. Lothal is calling the Ghost Crew back, and they will go. And no matter how long their time together is, it will always feel too short.
The time came for the Ghost Crew to go back to Lothal and finish what they started. Mace and Depa said goodbye to them on the landing strip, ready to leave on their own mission to track down the kyber crystals that the Empire was transporting and figure out where they were going.
Depa was going to miss her Padawan and Grandpadawan and their crew dearly. She could only hope they returned safe and victorious from Lothal and that they would all be together again. While Mace said goodbye to Kanan, she drew Ezra into a hug, ruffling his hair as she did so. He laughed and made no attempt to dislodge her hand.
“Take care of yourself, okay?” she said as she drew back, keeping a firm hold on his shoulders.
Ezra grinned crookedly. “You don’t have to worry about me, I can handle myself.”
Depa raised an eyebrow at that. Ezra looked slightly cowed.
“All right, all right, I’ll be careful, I promise.”
Satisfied that she had extracted a sufficient promise from Ezra, she turned towards Kanan. Depa then turned to hug Kanan goodbye, swaying them both back and forth. “Take care, Padawan. You have a hard task ahead of you.”
“I know, Master.”
Depa drew back, and rested her hands on either side of Kanan’s face. “Come back to us, alright?”
“I will, I promise, Depa.”
There was a final round of goodbye hugs and well wishes, then the Ghost Crew, Rex, and Kallus boarded the Ghost. Depa and Mace stood and watched the Ghost take off, unmoving until it vanished. Then, they headed to the ship they were taking for their own mission.
To track where the Empire was taking the kyber, they first had to figure out where the Empire was finding it. Some of it was likely coming from various caches that the Empire had seized from Jedi Temples. But Jedi Temples did not keep large amounts of the large kyber crystals that Ezra had described seeing. Jedi left those on the planets where they resided – they were a part of that planet, and they belonged there. Kyber was rare, but not so rare that it could be found on only one planet. There were many places to find it, they just had to figure out which one was being used. Ilum, as the biggest source of kyber, was an obvious place to check. With any luck, the Empire wouldn’t have found Ilum. But luck was rarely on their side, and Depa feared what they would find on Ilum. They did not go there directly; instead, they took a circuitous route and checked several Jedi Temples on the way from Yavin to Ilum to see if the Empire had found them. In most cases, the Empire had not, leaving Depa with a sense of hope that the Empire hadn’t found Ilum.
She was swiftly proven wrong when they finally arrived at Ilum; the desecration was visible as soon as they dropped from hyperspace, and it only got worse as they approached the Temple. Ilum had been destroyed – the once peaceful and pristine ice world that the Jedi had come to for millennia to find their kyber crystals was now overrun with machinery. Deep scars marred the landscape, and the Temple that once safeguarded the entrance to the caves had been demolished, shards of it scattered across the landscape in front of the gaping maw of the caves. Ilum had clearly been sucked dry years ago; they would have to go elsewhere to find the Empire’s current source of kyber.
But as they went to leave, Depa felt a pull in the Force towards another place on Ilum. From the stutter in Mace’s steady pace, he felt it too. There was something the Force wanted them to find. By mutual agreement, they piloted the ship to where the Force wanted them.
They landed in an unremarkable little valley surrounded by great ice ridges. The Force called them towards a sheer cliff peeking out of the snow drifts. As they got closer, a mural of three figures formed on the side of the cliff. Mace reached out and the mural moved – a doorway formed in the midst of the figures, the edges formed by stylized swirls of wind.
Depa looked at Mace. “Did you know about this Temple?”
He shook his head. “No, I’ve never heard of there being another Temple on Ilum. It’s definitely calling to us; we should head inside and see what knowledge it wishes to show us.”
Together, they walked through the doorway and stepped out into a place unlike any other that they had seen before. They stood on softly glowing walkway suspended in a sea of stars. Walkways crossed and intersected in many directions, creating a mostly spherical shape that twisted and looped in on itself in puzzling ways unbound by the usual rules that governed space. Looking at it too closely made Depa’s head hurt. Something about it whispered to her that this place was beyond the understanding of living beings. Along the walkways, doorways like the one behind them glowed gently. Voices echoed through the space, some familiar, some not. They said phrases, some that Depa had heard before, and some new.
“It’s up to all of you now. And remember, the Force will be with you, always.” Ezra’s voice echoed loudly.
They could feel a tug from the Force, leading them to the left. They followed, curious as to where it was leading them. Whatever it was, it had drawn them to this strange temple in the first place.
“People never pay enough attention to the world around them.” Kanan’s voice echoed clearly through the space as Depa stopped in front of a doorway, Mace a slight ways behind her. Loth-wolves ringed the circle, and as they stared at it the wolves began running around the circle and a pulse of light cleared the doorway, allowing them to see through.
On the other side, Kanan (with much shorter hair than the last time she saw him) held back a roaring wall of fire with the Force. Hera, in a prisoner’s uniform, ran towards him, clearly trying to pull him away. He held her back and pushed her away, to safety. Depa watched as Kanan directed the flames outward and understood that her Padawan was about to die and would if she didn’t do something. But she couldn’t just pull him through carelessly; if his control of the flames faltered Hera would die.
There! A gap in the flames, where Kanan was about to be overwhelmed. Depa reached and grabbed Kanan by the shoulder, ignoring the searing heat. She pulled and toppled over as Kanan went sprawling on top of her and the doorway faded to black.
He was safe. She wasn’t too late.
Kanan staggered to his feet, hissing and wincing and he hesitantly touched his back. The fabric had disintegrated, shiny patches of burned skin showing through. His cloudy eyes darted around unseeing. “What just happened?”
Mace, who had been too far away to help, answered. “Depa pulled you through before that explosion would have killed you.”
“Oh.” Kanan took the information about his certain death and unusual rescue with remarkable aplomb. He turned towards Depa with a wry grin. “Guess you helped me keep that promise.”
Depa smiled instead of crying, fond and exasperated and so relieved. Force, her Padawan was going to be the death of her.
Their reunion was cut short by a rumbling sound that radiated from a doorway nearby. As one, they turned towards it. The doorway lit up with an eerie blue glow, and a harsh cackle rang out, sending chills up their spines.
“Who has found their way to this space? And here I thought Bridger would be the key to this place. You will work well since he refused!” The doorway cleared slightly – just enough for a horrifically familiar hooded figure to be discerned on the other side.
The Sith hunched over a vat of blue fire, yellow eyes filled with malice fixed upon their group. He was momentarily taken aback when he saw who he was facing.
“What? All of you are dead!” he howled.
“I think you’ll find, Chancellor, that we are very much alive. Care to pick up where we left off?” Mace ignited his lightsaber and pointed it at Palpatine’s head. The light from the blue flames flickered along his metal hand and the hilt, a visible reminder of that almost two decades old battle. But Mace’s stance was as steady as it had ever been.
Palpatine’s eyes flashed briefly with something that looked like fear. He drew his hands up away from the vat, blue fire trailing in their wake.
“Mace,” Depa hissed, tugging at the sleeve of his off arm. “We need to get out of here, we can’t win this fight and we definitely can’t allow him to enter whatever this place is.”
“Depa’s right,” Kanan urged. “This is not a battle we can win in any way other than surviving.”
Mace took a deep breath and centered himself. They were right. He couldn’t win this battle without possibly bringing Palpatine in here, and that was far too big of a risk to take.
“I will finish this someday,” Mace said, both a promise and a warning. Palpatine directed the blue fire at the Jedi, and Mace flowed into a defensive stance, deflecting it back towards Palpatine. Behind him, Depa drew her own lightsaber and deflected the flames that snuck by Mace, and Kanan pushed the fire away from them with the Force. Together, they made their way to the doorway Mace and Depa entered from. Palpatine grew more desperate, sending out a thin whip of flames, intending to catch one of them. Mace cut through it easily and leapt backwards, through the doorway, Palpatine’s enraged wail echoing in his ears.
Kanan put his hands on his knees, panting after their desperate sprint away from the Emperor. Force, Kanan had started this day expecting to rescue Hera, and knowing it would end in a fiery explosion; being pulled through a strange doorway and fighting Palpatine had not been something he expected. Around him, he heard Mace and Depa catching their breath as well.
He winced as he straightened up, the movement pulling harshly on the fresh burns across his back. “This is not how I thought this day would end.”
He felt a flare of suspicion from Mace. “You had seen how that was going to end, hadn’t you?”
“I saw what I had to do.” He admitted.
Mace sighed. “I understand. Just, be more careful, alright?”
“I don’t intend on a repeat performance, no.” Kanan said ruefully. The burns were very painful, for one thing.
“On a lighter note,” Depa turned towards Kanan, robes rustling. “Now that we’re out of there, Padawan, what happened to your hair?”
Kanan laughed, running a hand through his recently cut hair. It felt strange after so many years spent long. “I cut it before the rescue mission. Felt right.”
“Well, it’s definitely something. Not sure if that something is good though.” Mace snorted.
Kanan deliberately pouted, pretending to be offended. “Hey, I did my best!”
They laughed and he smiled. He hadn’t been sure he would make it back to them when he left Yavin, and was glad that he was able to keep that promise.
Depa was awash in warmth and joy. Her Padawan survived certain death and had come back to them. “Come, let’s head back to the ship and get out of the cold.”
They hadn’t walked far when what appeared to be an escape pod streaked across the sky and crashed on the other side of the ridge. They stopped in their trek back to the ship.
“That can’t be a coincidence.” Mace said wearily.
“Our lives are never that easy,” Kanan agreed. Mace and Depa drew their lightsabers, ready to ignite them, and Kanan got ready to use the Force. Together, they headed towards the crash site.
When they reached the top of the ridge, they saw the still smoking remains of an Imperial escape pod. Warily, they descended towards the wreckage to see who or what had used the escape pod.
They startled backwards when the hatch popped open and a very familiar figure tumbled out, coughing and hacking from the smoke. Bewildered, Depa wondered how Ezra had even ended up here, given that he should still be on Lothal.
He staggered to his feet and looked around, eyes widening when he saw Depa and Mace in front of him. Ezra charged towards them with sudden frantic energy. “Depa! Mace! I am so glad to see you guys, you would not believe all that’s happened –” He paused, swaying where he stood when he saw Kanan. Voice cracking, he shouted, “KANAN?!”
“Hey, kid.” Kanan smiled wryly.
Ezra flung himself forward, burying his face in Kanan’s shirt and sobbing. “You died! You died I saw you in the world between worlds and I couldn’t save you!”
“I know kid. I’m sorry.”
After a long moment, Ezra pulled away. Wiping away his tears with a hand, he turned towards Mace. “We need to go, now. I escaped from Thrawn and he shouldn’t be able to follow me but we need to get out of here now.”
“What?”
“There’s possibly a Grand Admiral after us and we need to leave now so he can’t follow us!” the Force felt discordant and tense, which lent credence to Ezra’s statement. Mace and Depa led the way to their ship, with Kanan and Ezra following. Ezra kept glancing towards Kanan, as though he was reassuring himself that Kanan hadn’t vanished as soon as Ezra looked away. Depa worried about both of them.
When they reached the ship, Ezra was the first to scramble up the ramp and take a seat. He kept his hands clenched tightly and didn’t stop shaking with anxious energy until Mace put the ship in hyperspace. Then he went limp, slumping over onto Kanan’s shoulder. Depa could foresee that Ezra was going to be reluctant to let Kanan out of his sight for quite some time.
“We made it,” Ezra breathed.
“What were we running from?” Mace asked.
“Thrawn, possibly. I escaped his Star Destroyer by jettisoning that escape pod in hyperspace. The Force and the purrgil told me when to go – guess they wanted to lead me back to you guys.”
“What do you mean, escaped from Thrawn’s Star Destroyer? What was his Star Destroyer doing anywhere near Ilum in hyperspace? How did you end up there? Wait, what do purrgil have to do with any of this?” Kanan worried.
“It’s a long story. Thrawn isn’t heading this direction willingly.”
“Ezra, that just gives me more questions.” Kanan sighed.
“That’s understandable.” Ezra said. “And I will explain, I promise. But first, where are we going?”
It was Depa who answered. “We will go check some other places the Empire could be getting kyber from, complete our scouting mission. Then we’ll head home. In the meantime, Ezra, you can catch us up on what has happened on Lothal, and how you got here.”
Mace meditated slightly, keeping his breathing nice and even, as he watched Ezra pace back and forth in front of the medbay door. The family was stuffed into the tiny waiting room. Depa sat next to Mace, also attempting to meditate. Chopper was doing his own version of pacing, making a rumbling noise as he kept pace with Ezra. No one mentioned that Chopper was being gentle for once, out of fear of Chopper deciding that a better outlet for his worry was violence against whoever said that. Sabine was sketching frantically in her latest sketchbook, after Depa had gently shut down her attempt to make a mural on the walls.
Zeb had claimed one of the chairs and was fiddling with his old radio anxiously. Kallus was perched on the arm of the chair and appeared to be absorbed in his datapad – other than the fact that he hadn’t so much as scrolled in half an hour. Rex was methodically cleaning his entire armor set.
Kanan was in the room with Hera. The rest of them had all been crammed in the waiting room for the last two hours, waiting for the baby to be born. All signs pointed to it going well, but everyone was still anxious.
Depa stood up and placed a hand on Ezra’s shoulder, stilling him. “Everything is going well. You would sense otherwise if it wasn’t.”
The air escaped Ezra in a rush. “I know, I know. It’s just –”
“You’re worried. I am as well. But there’s nothing we can do out here other than remain calm.”
“Yes, Master,” Ezra grinned lopsidedly, fidgeting with nervous energy. Depa smiled at him, releasing his shoulder. Ezra immediately resumed his pacing. Everyone settled back into their routines, waiting for news.
There was a pulse of energy in the Force. Ezra stopped in his tracks and Mace and Depa looked up from their meditation.
“Did it happen?” Sabine asked, noticing that the Jedi had gone still.
“I think so,” Ezra said, tentatively. The tension in the room took on an anticipatory note as they waited for someone to come in with news.
A few minutes later, a medical officer poked their head out from the door. “Hera Syndulla’s family?”
“Present” everyone said, almost in unison.
The medical officer blinked, taking in the variety of beings crammed into the waiting room. “All of you?”
“Yes.”
They cleared their throat. “Right. So, Hera is healthy and so is the baby. It’s a boy!”
The tension broke. Zeb whooped loudly, flinging his hands in the air and dislodging Kallus from the arm of the chair, sending him crashing to the floor. Sabine dropped her sketchbook. Ezra halted his anxious pacing, the worry draining out of him. Rex dropped his armor and it clattered noisily. Chopper spun in a circle, honking triumphantly. Mace and Depa share a relieved look, nerves leaving them in a rush.
Depa said, wonderingly, “A boy,”
“Yes. We don’t want to overwhelm Hera and the baby, so not everyone can come in just yet, but four of you can.”
Everyone exchanged looks, and motioned for the Spectres in the waiting room to go first.
“Are you sure?” Sabine asked.
“Go,” Depa said, shooing her in the direction of the medbay doors. “Meet your new sibling. We can wait.”
As Ezra, Sabine, Zeb, and Chopper disappeared behind the doors, the rest of them settled in to wait just a little longer to see the newest member of their pieced together family. After some time, the rest of them were allowed to come see Hera and the baby. Mace, Depa, Rex, and Kallus went in eagerly.
Hera was on the medbay bed, looking exhausted and smiling at the chaos around her. Kanan sat next to her, holding her hand and beaming in joy. Ezra was seated close by, staring down at the bundled up baby in his arms in awe. Sabine leaned over his shoulder, clearly enraptured. Zeb smiled fondly from a chair on the other side of the bed. Chopper lurked close to Hera, quiet and clearly relieved that she was okay.
“His name is Jacen Luca Syndulla.” Hera said proudly.
“That is a lovely name,” Depa said, to murmurs of agreement.
“Luca is for your brother, right?” Mace said.
“Yes.”
“Do you want to hold him?” Hera asked Depa.
“Very much so.”
“Here you go, Depa.” Kanan took Jacen from Ezra’s arms with minimal protests and passed him gently to Depa. She stared down at the newborn in her arms and melted, swaying slightly from side to side to soothe him.
“Oh, aren’t you so precious, little one!” she cooed, entranced.
Tearing his gaze away from his Padawan and Jacen, Mace asked Hera, “How are you feeling?”
“Tired, mostly. Jacen definitely has his father’s stubbornness.” Hera smiled wryly and shot a glance towards Kanan as she said that.
Kanan pretended to take offense. “I’m not that stubborn, Jacen gets his stubbornness from you!”
“I am certain that you have equal blame for his stubbornness.” Mace said drolly. Kanan and Hera chuckled.
“Here.” Depa walked up and passed little Jacen to Mace. Carefully, oh so carefully, Mace cradled him close.
He was small, and perfect, and so, so wonderfully alive. Around them, their family filled the room. Old family and new; Mace’s Padawan and grand-Padawan; his grand-Padawan’s partner and the family they’d found and formed together. All of them there, alive and sharing this moment.
Looking at the new life in his arms, and at the family surrounding both of them, Mace knew without a trace of doubt that in the end, everything was going to work out just fine.