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Chapter Text

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...

He'd lost the boy.

Luke was alive. That much Obi-wan knew.

He'd been too late to save Owen and Beru. He'd felt the danger, felt the imperial goons moving towards the humble homestead and moved to intercept them before they could reach it.

But he'd been caught off guard. He'd been knocked down the canyon, hit his head and fallen unconscious. When he'd come to, he'd rushed to the Lars, but knew he was already too late.

The homestead was burning, Owen and Beru were dead, and young Luke Skywalker was nowhere to be found.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDj-WFQiSzw

Breathing heavily, Luke ran through the crowded streets of Mos Eisley SpacePort. He dodged and weaved around people who would have otherwise trampled him without even noticing, small as he was for a thirteen-year-old.

Mos Eisley was a diverse town, where smugglers, crooks and bounty hunters alike swarmed for one conniving, illegal purpose or another. The Imperial occupation was virtually non-existent, and what little there was was so corrupt, that there was scant law enforcement, making it a wild kind of haven for criminals everywhere, as long as they minded own business and kept an eye out for trouble. None of them noticed or cared about the scrawny teen making his way quickly through the streets.

When he felt he'd been running long enough and made enough twists and turns, he slowed his pace but kept moving. That was survival 101. If you think you're being pursued, and don't have a place to hide, always keep moving.

Luke really didn't know where he was going. He knew his best option at this point might be to simply leave the planet. After what he'd done, whatever it was that he'd done, he was sure he'd be searched for.

And it wasn't as if there was anything left for him here anymore.

But how would he manage to leave? He had nothing, certainly not enough credits to buy passage on a ship.

Maybe he could barter his skills as a mechanic. Aunt Beru had said Luke had a magic touch and Uncle Owen said he was already a better mechanic than most people on this planet.(High praise coming from his uncle who didn't complement much, though Luke rather thought it was an exaggeration.) Thinking of his family brought back the still very fresh ache in his heart. He tried not to let the images, the sounds come to mind. He tried to focus on walking. On where his feet were carrying him and blocking out all else.

Don't look back!

Biting his lip and holding back tears he shook himself. He could grieve later. Right now he had to figure out how to get out of here. Because he still didn't know!

He thought of what his guardians would tell him.

Uncle Owen would clap his shoulder, tell him to keep his chin up and keep moving forward.

Aunt Beru would smooth back his hair and tell him to have courage and use his head.

He took a deep breath and made a decision. He would find the shipyard first and foremost. He would figure it out from there.

After asking for directions from a less threatening-looking individual, Luke found the shipyard without too much difficulty. His next challenge was actually finding a pilot who would take him aboard.

He tried offering to do repairs, but everyone he asked told him to beat it. After hours of asking and being rejected he settled down in one corner of a landing pad and cried silently.

He stayed still. Watching the hustle and bustle around him that was dying down somewhat as the day got later. The suns were setting now, bathing the shipyard in dim, warm light, and casting long shadows.

Should he steal aboard a ship? He didn't like the thought of being so sneaky and getting a ride for free. His aunt and uncle had always taught him to do everything honestly. Only cowards and bums tried to steal and cheat, living off the labor of others. That was what his uncle had always taught him.

But still, what options were left to him? He could stay here and try to find work. Try to earn enough to for passage off world. But he was in danger here, something told him. Deep down, he knew he had to leave, and soon.

One way or another.

Only cowards, bums and desperate people. Maybe he was a coward, but he wasn't a bum. He was willing to work his way out but no one would give him a chance. More than anything though, he was desperate, he thought as his eyes landed on an old freighter with its hatch open.

He could make out two figures loading cargo of some kind aboard. Luke had always loved ships, and this one looked fairly big with plenty of nooks and crannies for a small teen to hide. And if those two were,(hopefully) the only crew members, keeping out of sight would be easier.

Making up his mind, Luke crept towards the ship and ducked behind some crates waiting to be loaded. He saw the two people- crewmembers?- clearly now as he peeked over the crates. One was much larger than the other-...was...was that a wookie? Luke had never seen one in the flesh before! The other was a young human man, obviously a foreigner, maybe in his early twenties, with brown hair.

After hesitating for one more moment, Luke slipped silently up the gangplank and ducked inside. He tried not to let himself become distracted by his fascination and curiosity. He'd never been on another ship besides his skyhopper!

Keeping an eye out for any other crew members, though some instinct told him there were none, He crept through the passenger area and found the cargo hold which was already mostly full with the crates and whatever else these...smugglers? ...were hauling. He found an open space towards the back, well out of sight where he could hunker down. Just in time too as he heard the two people approaching. He listened to them coming back and forth, settling the rest of their cargo in the hold beyond his hiding place. And after what felt like an eternity to Luke, they stopped coming. Then eventually Luke heard one of his favorite sounds; the telltale whirring that meant the ship was starting up, and then they were lifting off, and luke let out a sigh of relief mixed excitement.

Don't look back.

Alarm began to swell within Obi-wan. Luke's presence was fading from his senses. He could hardly feel the boy now. That could only mean one of two things, either he was getting too far away for Obi-wan to sense him...or he was dying. His breathing quickened at the thought but another, fiercer probe at Luke eased that fear. Luke's Force presence was as vibrant and strong as ever. And he felt no pain coming off him. Some apprehension, but no pain. It was just growing distant. Was Luke even on Tatooine now? The child had always been resourceful, had he found passage off world somehow? If that were the case his job would very quickly become a great deal more difficult and he felt his heart sinking and he urged his legs to an even faster pace.

He would complete his search to confirm Luke was no longer on the world before he risked contacting Bail.

Han Solo sat back in the pilots seat, allowing his copilot to take over for a while. It had been a good haul this month. They'd had a number of relatively smooth runs, though of course relatively smooth for them meant only a few shootouts, a few tussles and a few double-crossings, and they had a fair amount of credits building up in their bank account. It was nothing sensational, but enough for them to be comfortable for a while, and Han was content-

Something went bang somewhere in the ship.

….figures.

With a groan, Han got up from his seat just as beside him, Chewie growled a question. "Naw, you keep flying, Buddy, I'll have a look.

It sounded like the loose compartment had fallen out again...or the stabilizer...or the radiator...He sighed, his old girl was in desperate need of repairs. He and Chewie rarely had enough time and manpower to give the Falcon the proper attention. Maybe they should take advantage of their currently stable situation and take a few days to see to their ship.

His train of thought was abruptly cut off by a bolt being blown out a gasket, hitting Han in the face and making him yelp.

Yeah, they definitely needed to give this old girl some attention. He thought ruefully as he rubbed his head.

Luke could hear shouting coming from elsewhere in the ship.

"Chewie! Where's the hydrospanner?" Luke heard a responding roar and could only wonder what was happening. "It is not in the toolbox! I looked there already! You were the last to use it!"

Should he reveal himself now? Maybe he could make amends for sneaking aboard by helping them out somehow. It wasn't as if they could boot him off the shop now. ...Or could they? He didn't know what kind of people these transporters were. If they were the kind to space a kid for stowing away. It would probably be wiser to stay hidden and sneak off when they reached another planet.

"Ah, kriff!" Han scowled at as the stabilizer popped up again.

He was crouched in the engine room, trying to get the forward engines to stabilize.

He yelled over his shoulder. "Chewie! Hey Chewie! Put her on autopilot and come here for a second, will ya?" Han idly wondered if they ought to look for a mechanic as an addition to the crew. But the idea of a stranger putting their mitts all over his precious Falcon made him want to shudder.

Naw, he and Chewie had managed so far, they'd manage now.

He heard a rustling behind him. "That you Chewie? About time, ya furball. Find me that hydrospanner! I know you were the last to use it."

He heard rummaging sounds and the hydrospanner was thrust in front of his face. He took it gratefully. "Thanks. Next grab that new circuit box, huh? And make it fast."

He heard a soft clunk beside him and looked to see the circuit box had been placed beside him. He began attaching it and found himself in an awkward position trying to hold a wire in place while welding.

"Hey, just hold this here for me." Two smaller human hands reached out and held the wire in place.

"Thanks." He said.

Han did a double-take. Then he leapt up a little too quickly, banging his head on the fuel line, and he let out a string of curses from between clenched teeth.

"Who- ...what- ...Where the karking hell did you spring from kid?!"

Because there was a- a- a kid squatting beside him! A kid who now looked up at him rather fearfully. He stood up slowly. His mouth opened and closed as if struggling to get sound to come out.

Shaking himself, Han whipped out his blaster and pointed it at the kid, whose eyes widened and he threw up his hands.

"You got three seconds to explain what the kriff you are doing on my ship."

Luke didn't know what to do. He'd risked coming out of hiding. He'd wanted to see what was going on. He mentally cursed his insatiable curiosity.

The man had mistook him for the wookie crewmember. He'd asked for a hydrospanner, and Luke...Luke wasn't sure what had come over him. His sixth sense had told him the hydrospanner was underneath a compartment where it had slid at some point. Presumably that was why the man couldn't find it.

Now the man was pointing a blaster in his face.

Luke backed up slowly, his hands still raised in front of him. He kept backing up- right into something big and furry.

A roar, one that he was sure was of surprise and anger, sounded above him. Instinctively, he tried to duck away, but he was just a moment too late as two huge furry arms grabbed him, lifting him off the ground.

He turned his head to look into the dark eyes of the wookie.

"Please!" He finally managed to say. "I don't mean any harm, I just- just-"

"Just thought you'd hitch a free ride?" The man in front of him said, his dark eyes narrowed dangerously, and Luke looked away in shame.

"I'm sorry. I- I didn't want to stow away, but- but ...I tried to get someone to take me, and I could work in exchange, but no one would help me!"

Han was still mad, but he was starting to calm down as he gradually realized this boy was no threat. He lowered his blaster but didn't put it away.

Han took a moment to inspect their little stow-away.

It wasn't hard to guess that they had picked him up on Tatooine. He wore the traditional garb of a Tatooine farmer or shop owner. He was scrawny, not uncommon for Tatooine peasants, and looked to be in his early teens or so. He had a mop of sun bleached blond hair, heavily tanned skin, and startlingly blue eyes.

Han also noted the bruising on his face and smudged blood on his chin. Whatever situation he had escaped from, it more than likely hadn't been a good one.

Chewie growled a question directed at the boy, though not harshly. He too was beginning to understand the boy, whatever he had done, really had meant no harm. He lowered the boy to the floor again, but kept a firm hold on him.

Han leaned forward to look the kid in the face and arched an eyebrow as he translated Chewie's question. "What kind of work, Kid?"

The boy relaxed slightly. "I- I can fix things." He glanced around. "I could help you with your ship. It obviously needs a lot of work."

Han felt a flare of annoyance at the indication. "And how could you help?" He snapped.

"Like I said, I can fix it up." The kid seemed to gain a little more confidence. "I'm good with machinery, I can fix anything."

Han raised a skeptical eyebrow at the last statement, but considered. The kid was here, there was no changing that. He looked at Chewie to see if he had an opinion. The wookie looked him in the eye. "Let's give the cub a chance."

But Han hadn't survived this long by being stupid. There was a time to mind your own business, and there was a time to ask questions... Like when a random kid appeared on your ship who was obviously running from something.

He leaned forward again. "One question, runt. Why exactly were you so keen on getting off Tatooine?"

The kid visibly swallowed. "Well, who wouldn't be?"

Fair point. Few people stuck around on that dustball if they didn't have to.

But Han knew a dodge when he heard one. The kid may not be a threat in himself, but if he was going to bring them trouble…

He raised his blaster and pointed it in the kid's face again, making him stiffen and eyes widen again.

"Tell me the truth, runt. Someone's after you, aren't they? Are you a runaway? A thief? What?"

"I- I-."

"Spit it out!"

"The Imperials! They're after me!" The kid shouted.

"Kark." Han muttered. "Kark, what'd you do to tick off the Imps, kid?"

"I don't know! They killed my family, but I don't know why!"

Han sighed. Great. An orphan on the run from the Empire. Just what they didn't need right now. He had to admit though, the kid looked pretty pathetic and miserable. He was either a darn good actor, or he was just what he seemed to be: a desperate, scared kid with nowhere to go. His cynical survivor side told him the former. But his gut said it was the latter. He sighed again.

"Alright kid, alright. I believe you." He saw hope fill the boy's eyes.

"Now don't look at me like that, you're not staying, not a minute longer than you have to. We'll let you off on the next planet we come to."

The boy's face fell a little, but he nodded gratefully anyway.

Han glanced at his copilot. "Might as well go back to the cockpit, Chewie." Chewie yowled and Han raised an eyebrow. "I think I can handle one kid if he starts acting up."

Then he looked the kid directly in the face. "But that won't be necessary. Right, Kiddo?"

"Right. " He said quickly. Han breathed out heavily and glanced between the kid and the tools on the ground. "Well. Since you're here, might as well take you up on your offer . Starting with helping me attach this here." He said gesturing.

The boy perked up a little and nodded eagerly. Chewie watched with some amusement as the kid moved forward again. Then the wookie turned and strode out the engine room.

Han eyed the boy with distrust. "Don't you dare touch anything if I don't tell you to, you got it?"

"Okay." He responded, kneeling and awaited instructions dutifully.

The two got to work, Han directing him, and the kid handled everything like a seasoned mechanic. Never needing clarification or advice. Even making suggestions that Han begrudgingly admitted made sense. He worked nimbly and efficiently, and they worked at more than twice the rate that Han would have alone. Despite himself, Han was rather impressed, and he found himself wondering what else the kid could do. Soon enough, they'd completed all the immediate repairs. Then the boy cleared his throat.

"Um, my name is-"

"I don't wanna know." Han said quickly and a little sharper than he meant to. The kid shrank back, and Han softened his tone slightly.

"It's best for both our sakes, Kid." He explained. "If you're running from the Empire, I don't want to know any more about you than I already do. And vice versa. That way neither of us can sell out the other, see?"

The kid nodded, eyes down. "Yeah, okay. That makes sense." He looked down, rubbing the toe of his shoe into the floor. "...Sorry by the way, for sneaking on board. I really didn't want to cause any trouble."

"It may already be too late for that, Kid." Han grumbled, as he rummaged through a junk box. "But I appreciate it, I guess." He then pulled out a busted comm. unit he'd given up on months ago and tossed it to the kid, who caught it deftly.

"See what you can do with that, eh?" He wanted to know the extent of the kid's ability.

The boy's eyes brightened and he nodded enthusiastically as he settled down and got to work, and Han chuckled to himself, striding out of the engine room.

His eagerness was sort of endearing Han realized, then he swiftly scolded himself. The kid wasn't staying for long, he reminded himself. They had to get rid of him as soon as possible.

The last thing you need is to get attached, Solo.

"For the last time, Chewie, we are not letting that kid stay! We can't go around taking in every stray with a sob story! We're not running an orphanage here!"

"You said yourself, he has already proved more than useful."

"I said he has skills, yeah! That's the good part! With that kind of gift he should have no problem getting work at a scrap or repair shop or something."

"He could help keep the ship running properly, and as a result we would be much more efficient with our business."

Han sighed exasperatedly. "Look. Just cause he's not half bad at repairs, doesn't mean he's cut out for this kind of life. If he stays with us, becomes a member of our crew, he'll be facing dangers of all kinds. Thieves and bandits, bounty hunters and imperials. ...Which reminds me, let's not forget the little detail of him being on the run from the Empire."

"I doubt the Empire is going to waste much of its resources looking for one child, regardless of who he is or what he might have done."

"Erg." Han pushed his hands over his face and through his hair.

...He didn't want this. He didn't want to do this again. Chewie was enough for him. Chewie was all he needed. He didn't want to put that much trust in someone again.

He swore to himself that day…

"No."

Chewie gazed at him knowingly and sympathetically, but he let it go. At least for the moment.

They sat in heavy silence for several minutes before Han cleared his throat.

"Better finish our run before dropping the kid off."

Chewie yowled his agreement. They were already late thanks to the Falcon malfunctioning, and their client, a devaronian by the name of Deeko, wasn't a patient being.

They landed smoothly and Han looked at the boy, who had slunk out of the passenger area and was standing at the entrance to the cockpit.

"Stay in here and out of sight. We're making our dropoff, then we'll take off again to find someplace safe to leave you."

He pointed a finger in his face. "Don't touch anything, don't do anything, and most of all stay put, or you'll regret it. Understand?"

The boy pressed his lips together, but nodded resolutely.

Han turned on his heel to follow Chewie.

Minutes later they were striding down the gangplank, both pushing hovercrates down onto the turf.

"Deeko." Han greeted the devaronian, sliding easily into his cocky, swaggering, roguish, persona.

The devaronian turned to face his workers and jerked his head in the direction of the ship. Obediently, they walked past Han and Deeko to continue unloading the cargo.

"Solo." Deeko clipped, promising his usual, sour, conniving mood. He was a little short for devaronian male, brown skinned with the usual dark, shifty eyes common for his species. He wore trophies from a number of creatures. Teeth, claws and bones. He enjoyed collecting such things. Anything he couldn't wear, he kept in what he called a gallery on board his ship, the Ravager.

"You're late. You were due here at 0800. Deeko has been waiting nearly two hours for you and your pathetic scrap-pile of a ship."

Han had to coax down the swell of irritation. If one more person insulted his ship today-

"Just a little delay, Deeko. Won't happen again, you have my word."

The slimey devil barked out a laugh. "Your word? Your word is worth as much as mine. Nothing."

He paused, and eyed Han, reminding him unnervingly of a vulture assessing a possible meal. "The more important thing is how you are going to make up for wasting Deeko's time."

Han had a suspicious feeling in his gut. All of this felt off, but he couldn't put his finger on exactly what. As Chewie came up behind him, Han discreetly inched his hand closer to the blaster on his hip, but otherwise tried to appear unfazed. If he showed any uncertainty it was as good as over.

"What are you suggesting?" He growled.

Deeko raised his eyes innocently upwards, rubbing his chin. "Oh, I think, four thousand off our original deal is reasonable."

Han choked. "Four-four thousand? The original deal was for six thousand!"

Deeko pretended to look thoughtful still. "Was it?"

Han's mind zipped from one thought to the next, anxiously searching for the best way to resolve this.

Apparently he hesitated too long, for Deeko narrowed his eyes and signaled to his henchmen, who raised their blasters threateningly.

Han was about to tell Deeko not to be hasty then try and negotiate when-

The unimaginable happened. The turrets on the Falcon sprang to life. Han heard them cock- and fire on the loading bay.

Some goons dove or ran for cover as others were shot and/or blown to bits.

Han for his part, simply dashed for the Falcon, weaving through smoke and debris, and shouting for Chewie as he went.

They tore through the ship, throwing out any remaining henchmen of Deeko's and Han burst into the cockpit. He found the boy where he had left him, except he was at the guns, still firing them on the docks.

"What the Kriff are you doing, kid!" Han bellowed as he seized the boy's collar and dragged him away from the controls, throwing him behind him and sitting in the pilot's chair. He barely waited for Chewie to find his seat as he began the take-off.

"Saving your skins!" The boy shouted back.

Deeko and his remaining crew were firing their blasters on the ship, but they pulled up and zipped away before too much damage was done.

Han irritably wondered what had happened to the shields, before he remembered that the shield generator had been malfunctioning this week.

The moment they were free of the atmosphere, Han rushed through pre-flight checks and then punching hyperspace coordinates(more carefully), and soon enough they were away.

Han slumped back in his chair grumbling.

"We won't be able to come back here for a while, that's for sure."

"Better than being dead." The kid muttered. Han jerked around to glare at him, breathing heavily through his nose.

"Look Junior! I had everything under control! How would you know they were gonna kill us? You trigger-happy little runt!"

"Because- Look!" The kid tossed something into his lap. Han frowned and picked it up, then sucked in a breath.

It was a remote operated thermal detonator.

"One of those guys that came aboard stuck it on one of the interior walls. I figured out what it was and disarmed it. Then I went up to the cockpit again to see them turn their blasters on you two. Those guys were always gonna kill you."

Han realized it was true. Deeko had most likely planned to blow up their ship as soon as the cargo was completely unloaded, if he didn't just shoot them, or they managed to get away somehow.

Han was silent for a long time. The kid had saved their lives…

"Y'know…" He began. "I told ya to stay put." He looked up with a glare at the kid.

The kid glared right back.

Neither one broke it off.

Then, inexplicably, Han began laughing.

Maybe it was the adrenaline from the chaotic life or death situation they'd just escaped from, but Han laughed. Long, hard and loud as the boy blinked and both he and Chewie stared at Han like he'd gone nuts.

Heck, maybe he had. But if this was what it felt like, maybe he wouldn't mind it so much.

At some point he calmed down enough to speak.

"You got guts, kid." He said, clapping him on the shoulder.

He looked over at Chewie, and he knew they were thinking the same thing.

"Listen." He started hesitantly.

"We'll take you wherever ya want, but… if you've got nowhere else to go, which I've a feeling you don't, how'd you like to... stay here and work for us? At least for a while I mean?"

The boy gaped at him, his big blue eyes wide, and pitiful looking and...Kriff it, someone needed to look out for this kid. "You… mean it? I can really stay here with you?"

Han resisted the urge to snort. "Wouldn't be asking if I didn't mean it, kid, trust me."

"Yes!" He shouted. And Han winced.

"I'm Han Solo. This is Chewbacca, or Chewie for short, and this here is the Millenium Falcon. What's your name, kid?"

The boy grinned for the first time.

"Luke. Luke Skywalker."

Chapter Text

A few days later...

The Grand Inquisitor stalked down the ramp of his shuttle.

Tatooine. He loathed this whole sand-blasted system. He considered the climate unfit for habitation.

He approached the sniveling Governor of this pathetic province awaiting him at the bottom of the ramp. He was accompanied by two stormtroopers, and all stood a little stiffer as he neared.

"Welcome to the Tatooine system, Grand Inquisitor. Though, I'm certain it wasn't necessary for you to come in person-"

"Let us hope it is necessary. For your sake, Governor. Although if you and your soldiers could perform your duties adequately, I'm sure it would not." He drawled.

Governor Pyon visibly swallowed, but also tried to remain resolute.

"I assure you My Lord. My men are well trained and dedicated to serving our great Empire to the height of their ability. As am I of course. But," He began, a little less confidently. "There was no possibility of predicting this event and...no way of...preparing for it…"

The glare on the Inquisitor face made him trail off.

"But regardless, allow me to escort you inside. It's unbearably hot at this time of day, as I'm sure you've noticed."

Once inside, the governor offered the Inquisitor a drink, one which was refused with disdain.

"I am not here for pleasantries, Governor. I am here to investigate the incident that occurred under your jurisdiction, in your province." He hissed.

"Of course, of course. Right to the meat of the matter. I appreciate a man who gets right to the point."

The Inquisitor glared, unblinking.

The Governor cleared his throat nervously. "But concerning the matter of the... incident, I am afraid I was not present at the time. These troopers here, are the only survivors, and remaining witnesses to the event itself." He gestured to the two troopers, obviously glad to have the Inquisitor's attention not focused on him for the moment.

The Inquisitor retained his demeaning, unimpressed aire.

"Well, then. Why don't they tell me what it is they witnessed."

One of the troopers, clearly the braver of the two, stepped forward.

"Well, Sir. It's like this. We were on a routine search for rebels reported to be on planet. We got a call about one kid, a human boy, who'd escaped from one household held under suspicion. The occupants were being detained, but showed resistance.

We caught up to this kid in Mos Eisley and brought him in for questioning, as per our orders. We were performing the routine interrogation process, when, well, we were all hit across the chest... somehow, and sent flying."

The Inquisitor turned to the other trooper.

"And you? Do you have anything to add to his recount?"

The trooper's discomfort at the attention from the powerful dark-sider was palpable in the Force, but he steeled himself before the Inquisitor's irritation had a chance to flare.

"There's not much to explain, Sir." The trooper replied. "It's as he said. We were interrogating the boy, and everything seemed normal, when we were suddenly blasted back by- by nothing. I've never seen anything like it."

The inquisitor nodded. He'd heard similar stories when investigating cases of a possible Force-sensitive. Often an accidental/instinctive use of the Force was what exposed the young being, unaware as they often were of their power.

He didn't typically attend to such minor matters personally. That was the primary duty of his inquisitors. But Seventh Sister, the one initially sent to investigate, had contacted him and implied that this particular case required his attention. And considering that the inquisitors knew all too well the consequences of bothering him with trivial things, he deemed it significant enough to make his way here to the outer rim.

There was more to this.

"And the boy? What became of him?" He pressed.

The man's nervousness increased. "Well, Sir… we weren't just knocked down. The building itself collapsed somehow and we were knocked unconscious. We're not sure what caused it yet, we think it must have been a fault in the foundation."

He shifted but went on. "I'm afraid that by the time we came around, and got dug out of the wreckage, the boy was nowhere to be found. His body wasn't buried in the ruins. We've so far been unable to locate him."

The inquisitor's attention spiked. Now that was interesting. This must be why the seventh sister had passed off this case to him. He kept his face carefully blank however. Rather, he very deliberately raised an eyebrow. "I see."

"We've searched for the boy throughout the city, Sir. But there's been no sign of him so far." The first trooper continued uncomfortably.

"Take me to this building."

The Grand Inquisitor studied the wreckage of the structure, deep in thought.

It was not the strongest or most well made of housing. But to be capable of tearing down a building and knocking down several full-grown men simultaneously… What sort of raw power this child must possess!

He sensed the trooper approach from behind cautiously.

"Well, Sergeant?"

"There was a sighting of the boy late yesterday Sir. A civilian reported seeing him in docking bay ninety-four. We assume he left aboard a ship, though we are uncertain which one."

The boy would have to be found and either killed, or if he was as strong as was indicated here, he would make quite the inquisitor.

The Jedi could not be allowed to return. They had been destroyed by their own arrogance. And any pesky survivors would be stamped out. Any young Force-users would be killed or trained before any remaining Jedi could get their hands on them.

They would turn, or be destroyed, as was the fate of all Jedi.

Months later...

"Alderaan is so green, Han!"

Han chuckled at his young friend hanging off the back of the pilot's seat and staring rapt with awe out the viewport at the planet below them.

Luke had taken to life as a smuggler so easily, almost scarily easily, that Han sometimes forgot that the kid was originally a farmer. And the Falcon had never been in better condition. He had more than once wondered if he would end up regretting inviting the kid to join the crew, but so far he'd been more than useful.

Luke had spunk, guts, and even some sass that showed itself readily now that he wasn't in the awkward situation of being a stowaway.

"Not the greenest, but sure."

Chewie growled something at Luke and the kid looked at Han expectantly. Luke was picking up Sheriwook pretty quickly all things considered, but he still needed translation most of the time.

"He said you should see his home planet Kasheik, sometime. He's right, it's mostly trees there."

"I'd like to see it." Luke said wistfully.

"We'll get back there one day." Han promised.

"So… are there many imperials here, Han?" Luke asked, looking down.

Han turned to look him in the eye. "Now don't go getting jumpy, Kid. This planet is under Imperial occupation, it's true, but they aren't fond of the Empire here, and the people are mostly good folks. Just stick close to me an' Chewie and you'll be fine."

"Okay." Luke said. But he couldn't rid himself of the stirring in his stomach.

Viceroy Bail Organa sighed to himself as he strode briskly down the streets of Aldera, the capital city of Alderaan. Two royal guards followed in his wake.

Leia had escaped from her escort again.

The royal princess of Alderaan had been on a short walk through the commerce, accompanied by the royal guards tasked with the duty of keeping the princess safe. The dratted girl was always running off if she had an opportunity to do so.

Bail didn't blame his daughter too much for it. He understood all too well the stifling atmosphere that was the life of a high ranking person. He also knew there were times when one would do anything to escape it, if only for a while.

Also, she was thirteen. No longer a child but not quite a grown up, she was in an awkward stage of life.

Still, as a parent he couldn't help the deep pit of worry that burrowed in his gut whenever his daughter went out on these excursions. And each time he called for royal guards to spread out and search the surrounding areas.

Leia usually couldn't hide for more than a few hours before being discovered, but the girl had a knack for dodging and avoiding being seen when she chose. A skill that could serve her well in future years, but in this particular instance made for a nuisance. At any rate, nothing serious could happen to her right here in the Royal city.

So he kept telling himself at any rate.

Han carefully tucked his remaining credits into an inside pocket.

He felt Chewie nudge him.

"One sec, pal."

He picked up part of the supplies, taking stock of everything as he did so. Supplies here were expensive, but always good quality, and people were almost always honest.

Chewie nudged him again, this time with a soft, concerned growl.

"One sec, I tell ya!" He said, still not turning around. "Now how many spare power converters did I say we need?"

Chewie nudged him again.

He spun on him with an irritated scowl.

"What?"

Chewie yowled.

"Whaddya mean, where's Luke? He's right…" He trailed off and blinked as his brain registered that the space he was gesturing to was in fact, completely vacant.

"...Blast that kid!"

Luke wandered idly through the stream of beings. He slid his gaze enthusiastically over everything, taking in all he could. This city was so big!

He was moderately worried about getting lost here, but he hadn't gone too far yet, and he was careful not to make many turns.

Not to mention he had, at times, an uncanny sense of direction, one that had made itself known more apparently over the last few months.

He'd wandered off almost without thinking. Awed and entranced as he was by this planet. He was dimly aware that Han and Chewie would be worried, but somehow he couldn't bring himself to care much just yet.

Because he was distracted. There was a... tugging in his chest. It was that strange singing feeling again he realized. That sixth sense that he still didn't have a name for, but he'd learned to pay attention to and had saved him on more than one occasion as a result. It was at times however, difficult to decipher the mysterious feeling, such as now.

He scanned around him, looking for the source of it, and his eyes were drawn to something small in the corner of his vision.

A small figure, dressed all in white, wearing a hood pulled low, concealing their features, was walking briskly from stall to stall. Every once in a while they would glance around them, as if looking for something.

Or watching for something.

Curiosity aroused, Luke watched for a time. Then coming to a decision, surreptitiously made towards the creature. The closer he got, the louder the singing got. It was almost starting to hurt in a strange way.

He followed them for a few blocks until he saw them duck into an alleyway.

A thief? He wondered. Based on the way they moved they didn't appear to be. And he didn't know much about clothes, but the ones this being wore seemed to be nice, and well-made. A spy maybe? But what were they doing exactly? Following someone? Investigating something? But why be that obvious about it?

He followed them discreetly at a distance for several blocks.

He turned a corner and suddenly found himself face to face with the figure. They looked up simultaneously and blue eyes met brown.

Luke blinked.

It was a girl. A human girl, no older than him, with silky brown hair done in an elaborate hairstyle, and deep brown eyes. She was staring, surprisedly at him.

Her surprise swiftly morphed into a glare.

"Who are you?" She demanded.

Han paced back and forth pulling his hands through his hair over and over. After frantically rushing around the immediate area looking for any sign of Luke and asking everyone vicinity if they'd seen a short blond kid wearing street clothes and leg wraps and receiving only negative responses, Han had taken to pacing like this.

"It's-It's fine. It's fine. He'll be fine, right? Alderaan's a real safe, peaceful planet. Nothing's gonna happen to him, right?"

Chewie growled mournfully.

"Kriff." Han said in reply and paced faster. "Kriff, you're right. He might just get picked up by some child protection service or something! I guess there's such a thing as too safe. We gotta find him!"

Luke gaped, dumbstruck.

He didn't think he'd ever seen a prettier girl in his life. Not that he'd met a whole lot of girls, but still.

She, on the other hand still glared suspiciously at him as she placed her hands on her hips and got in his face.

"Well? Who are you? Were you following me? What do you want?"

Luke shut his mouth and stammered. "I-uh, my- my name's Luke. And I- um. Uh, who are you?"

The girl raised an eyebrow. "You don't know who I am?" She looked him up and down curiously. "You're not from around here, are you?" She observed, though not condescendingly.

"Well, uh. No. No I'm not." Luke admitted. "I've never been to this planet."

The girl cocked her head, and opened her mouth, when shouts were heard from one end of the market, and both she and Luke whipped their heads around to see several armored guards rushing towards them.

Luke frowned and glanced at the girl beside him. Her eyes were wide, and Luke was about to ask, when without any warning she grabbed his arm, spun around and pulled him after her all in one motion.

Luke yelped as he was yanked backward, and ran to keep up as she led him behind her, zig-zagging through crowds of people and dodging stalls.

Luke thought frantically. Were they after him now as well as the girl? He should probably just break off and go his own way. He couldn't afford to get caught up in anything.

But...the thought of leaving this girl on her own while in trouble was somehow unbearable to him.

Luke cast his gaze about, searching for anything that would impede their pursuers and his eyes found a pile of loosely stacked crates.

As they passed it, he kicked one of the bottom ones as hard as he could. It was enough to bring the whole stack tumbling down in the path behind them.

Before he realized, the girl was leading him in what appeared to be an abandoned old docking bay. They ran up stairs, turned corners and jumped over old crates and gaps.

Luke was just about to ask if she actually knew where she was going, when she jerked to a stop. Luke almost ran into her but managed to pull back in time.

A good thing too, as the reason she'd stopped was that there was a wide, gaping break in between two upper stories of the docking bay.

They were trapped.

"Look for some way across!" Luke said.

The girl shook her head despairingly. "Never mind, it's-"

But just then Luke spotted a thick rope hanging down from above, tied to a beam overhead. The end was wrapped around a railing on their side of the gap.

In these moments when instinct took over, it hardly occurred to him to be afraid.

He gripped the girl's hand and pulled her closer.

He guided her arms around his shoulders. She was too surprised to resist.

"Try not to strangle me and hold on tight!"

He grabbed the rope in one hand, tightened his hold, leaped, and they swung across the trench.

They barely made it to the opposite side, and Luke had to release his grasp of the rope. It swung back towards the opposite edge, not quite reaching it.

They tumbled onto the edge and rolled to a stop, both breathless from the adrenaline.

By the time the soldiers made it to edge on the other side, the rope was already dangling down the middle of the gap, well out of reach. They couldn't get across, but for good measure the two ran down a stairwell and into a hidden overhang. There they finally stopped to catch their breath.

"Nice work." She complemented, a little giddy. "That was quick thinking."

Luke blushed slightly, and rubbed the back of his neck. "Thanks."

"You said your name was Luke, correct?"

"Ah, yeah."

The girl stood a little straighter and bobbed her head. "Well then, It's nice to meet you, Luke." She gave a genuine smile. "I'm Leia."

Luke smiled sunnily back. "Nice to meet you too, Leia."

Leia wasn't entirely sure what to make of this boy, but he seemed very nice. He was daring and resourceful. She was impressed by his methods and natural skill. He'd kept up and moved easily, despite the oversized smuggler's jacket he wore.

Plus, he had helped her when he no doubt thought she was in danger from the soldiers.

She liked him.

What had possessed her to grab him and drag him along after her like that she would never be sure.

He of course asked why those men had been chasing them, but she brushed it off and was relieved when he didn't press her. She instead asked about him about himself, and after some initial reluctance, he started telling her all about the smugglers who took him in, how they looked after him and all the scrapes they got into and planets they'd traveled to so far.

She listened to it all with rapt attention.

"We have a ship. It's called the Millenium Falcon. It's a good ship, although it's a fairly old model by now and it's been basically a home to Han and Chewie for years, and now me. It kinda malfunctions a lot, and needs a lot of repairing all the time. But it's fast. The fastest in the galaxy according to Han."

Leia smiled, genuinely interested. It wasn't often she got to talk casually like this with someone her own age, who wasn't some stuffy, spoiled elite.

And for some reason this boy intrigued her beyond the stories of daring and adventure. It was as if something in her that had been restless her whole life was now content and at peace. ...Whole.

...Only it was about then that they were discovered and caught.

Luke was oddly fascinated by this girl, and her attention on him for some reason did not make him self-conscious. Rather, it made him feel warm, and inexplicably happy. Something in him felt complete and reveled at being in her presence.

...Was this what first crushes felt like? ...Possibly. But that didn't not seem right. This did not seem so menial as that. It was...something more infinite, more pure.

But he was so distracted that he didn't notice the guards in the vicinity until it was too late.

When Bail received word that his daughter had been located a great weight seemed to lift off his chest. Now if only his men could hold onto her long enough for him to collect her.

His worry dissipated completely the moment he laid eyes on the small white figure amidst the royal guards.

"Leia." He said upon approach. "You really can't keep doing this sweetheart, you…"

He only this moment realized his daughter was not, in fact, alone.

He blinked, surprised, then smiled pleasantly. "Well, hello young man."

Leia gestured to the boy standing a little nervously beside her. "Father, this is my friend. He watched out for me today. His name is Luke."

Bail's thoughts automatically stuttered and came to a halt at the name. His mind remained blank for several seconds, and then an absurd thought danced across it.

He dismissed it immediately, berating himself mentally. ...And yet...

He studied the boy before very closely, and the boy shrank a little under his scrutiny.

He ran his eyes over him, taking stock of the blond hair, blue eyes, slight stature and he was about the right age…..

It couldn't be.

He kept his face carefully neutral, falling naturally into his friendly politician's persona.

"Well, I appreciate you keeping my daughter company, ...Luke. She has a habit of running off on little adventures whenever she gets the opportunity."

His daughter blushed slightly, while Luke figited and shuffled his feet, clearly very uncomfortable.

"Ah, it was nothing. Though I didn't know she was a princess."

"Perhaps I could invite you back to the palace for a while. I'm sure you must be tired and hungry.

Bail didn't miss the way that Luke's eyes widened, not in surprise or awe, no.

In fear.

Interesting.

"Sorry... I mean! Thank you, but I really need to go. My crew will be looking for me." He turned towards his daughter. "Um, it was really nice meeting you L- Princess Leia."

With that he spun around and ran off before Bail could persist. The small boy disappeared almost immediately in the throngs of people.

Luke could not for the life of him understand the inexplicable sense of loss and emptiness he felt as he left the princess's presence far behind him.

He didn't dare go back to the palace, though. He'd already drawn too much attention to himself. Figures when he's trying to keep a low profile is when he winds up accidentally meeting a princess! And the Viceroy himself! And get invited to the palace of all things! Han and Chewbacca would never believe him.

Speaking of Han and Chewie, he really, really needed to get back to them before Han got fed up and decided to leave him.

To his surprise, but relife, Han and Chewbacca were about where he left them.

Han was pacing back and forth, muttering something about CPS, and kidnappers and Chewie was attempted to get him to snap out of it so they could actually go look for Luke, when Luke appeared.

Chewie spotted him first and yowled. He let go of Han to bound up to Luke and catch him in a hug. This was enough to garner Han's attention and make him stop wringing his hair that stuck all up in a wild mess.

"Kid!" Han's utterly relieved expression darkened a moment later and he stalked towards Luke.

"Where the heck you been, huh?" He placed his hands on Luke's shoulders and shook him, anger and anxiety roiling off him.

"I'm sorry." Luke squeaked, shrinking under Han's glare.

Han glared a few more seconds then sighed, running a hand over face. "Luke. We can't have you disappearing on us like that, Kiddo."

Luke had the decency to be ashamed and regret making his friends worry.

"I know. I'm really sorry. It won't happen again, Han."

"If only I could believe that." The smuggler grumbled.

Bail Organa and his daughter sat in their speeder as they were driven back to the palace. Both father and daughter were uncharacteristically silent.

Bail, for his part, was deep in thought, pondering, assessing.

"Leia." He said suddenly, and she seemed to come out of a trance as she flicked her gaze up to meet his questioningly.

"That boy. What did he tell you besides his name? Did he mention where he came from? His family? Anything?"

Leia's brow furrowed slightly in confusion. "Um, not really. He's not from here, he's just visiting here with his friends."

"Anything else?" He pressed calmy.

"They have their own ship. He said it was called…" She narrowed her eyes in thought for a moment. "The Millennium Falcon." She said confidently.

He repeated the name in his mind and carefully filed it away.

"Papa?" She waited until he looked at her. "Why are you so interested in Luke?"

Bail considered her. "If your friend... is who I think he is ...well, there are a lot of things that will need sorting out."

She frowned. "What things? Wait, who do you think he is?"

"The answer to that is long and complicated, and one you'll very probably hear eventually my dear."

She pressed her lips together stubbornly, but sighed. "Alright Papa." She said. He could tell she wanted to demand an answer immediately, but knew that she probably wouldn't be getting one for now. He sighed quietly in relief.

It was about then that they arrived back at the palace, and they climbed out of the speeder and made their way inside.

"At the moment," He told her. "there are a number of questions that require answers." With that he strode briskly for his office, leaving his daughter in the charge of the guards, who hopefully could do their job this time.

"Where are you going now?"

He threw her a glance over his shoulder.

"To contact an old friend."

Chapter Text

The Grand inquisitor was meditating when the trooper returned. He was at the Imperial outpost in Anchorhead. He'd gone to inspect the charred ruins of the homestead where the boy had lived, but found nothing of significance. There was only the remnants of the life of a family of simple farmers. Nothing out of the ordinary.

There had been three graves a short distance outside the homestead. Two that bore the name Lars and one that had only the word Shmi engraved. Something else had been carved he'd noticed. A last name perhaps, but it was ground out. Odd.

He had thoroughly questioned all the Stormtroopers involved in the situation at the moisture farm, and turned up with no further information.

One crucial thing the Stormtroopers had neglected to mention, was one old hermit who had briefly attempted to impede their progress towards the homestead, and fallen into a canyon after a blow to the head and was now presumed dead...

The Inquisitor was delving into the Force, hoping it would provide him with answers, or at least hints in some form when the trooper reported back to him.

"Sir, there's no record of the boy."

The Inquisitor was struck momentarily speechless. "What?" he hissed.

The trooper continued in a smaller voice. "There's only the two other occupants of the farm. Owen and Beru Lars: A married couple. But there's no record for the boy." he repeated. "All we uncovered was a medical history linked with the Lars' at the local clinic in Anchorhead, and that lists him only as L. Lars. ...He-he was the couple's son I suppose?"

What did this mean? There were no records for the boy? Had they been destroyed? Lost or misplaced on this Force-forsaken planet? ...Or had they never existed in the first place? And had it been intentional either way? Or was this merely an accident...?

Too many questions and too few answers.

All of this was becoming more and more suspicious. There was something going on here, and he very much wanted to know what.

Should he inform his Master of this?... Not just yet. The task of rooting out minor nuisances such as young Force-sensitives had been entrusted to him and his inquisitors. More directly, him.

He couldn't have his Master believing him incapable of performing his job. He knew all too well that if there was one thing he despised, it was incompetence. No. Best not to bother him with this unless absolutely necessary. Or at least until he knew more. And he knew entirely too little.

Only one thing he did know. The boy had to be found.

Approximately two years later…

Phoenix squadron was gathered in the briefing room on board the command ship of the rebel fleet.

The people present included Jedi Knight Kanan Jarrus, Captain Hera Syndulla, the doid C1-10P, Garazeb Orellios, Sabine Wren and Ezra Bridger.

Also present were Commander Jun Sato of the Rebel fleet and Captain Rex.

The door swished open and Ahsoka Tano stepped through.

"Thank you for coming Ahsoka." Hera said.

"Of course. You said it was important." She said, by way of prompting the reason she was here.

Hera nodded and glanced at Commander Sato who said. "We have Senator Organa on the line. He's requesting to speak with you."

"With me?"

"Well, with you and us." Hera said. "But mainly you, according to him. Which is why we asked you join us here."

Ahsoka nodded. "Let's not keep him waiting then."

The holoprojector beeped. Hera reached over to activate it and Bail Organa's head and torso flickered to life. He scanned the room, taking in all its occupants, his gaze coming to rest on Ahsoka.

"Knight Tano." Bail Organa greeted. "It is good to see you."

"Senator Organa." Ahsoka replied, bowing her head slightly. "Thank you, but I am no knight. I'm not even a Jedi anymore. I'm just Ahsoka."

"As you say, though some would be inclined to argue otherwise." He said smiling gently.

Ahsoka sighed inwardly, but decided to let it go and get to the point. "May I ask why you requested this meeting, Senator?"

Bail smiled mysteriously. "The fact is, it was not I who requested it. I am merely here to make an introduction. Although you've already met."

Ahsoka frowned in confusion, and opened her mouth to question, when as if on cue the door opened behind them to admit and a figure in long brown robes. The cowl of it was drawn up concealing their face as the figure stepped into the room.

Ahsoka's frown deepened and her eyes narrowed as she tried to see past the shadows cast by the cowl. There was something...something familiar…

Before she could ponder further, the figure reached up and pulled the hood back to reveal a painfully familiar face. It was older than she remembered. There was gray in the hair where there had been none. The skin was tanned and weather-beaten.

But there could be no mistake.

All thought rushed from her, as her eyes opened fully and her mouth parted.

For a long time she could not speak, her voice seemed to be trapped in her throat.

"Obi-wan?" She whispered, the name catching in her throat.

He smiled. A gentle, caring, slightly coy, reassuring smile that she remembered so well, and had missed so much.

"Hello Ahsoka."

Approximately one hour later…

"Why?" That seemed to be all Ahsoka could say.

Commander Sato and his aids had departed to leave them be for this conversation. And a long, exhausting conversation it had been. After going over the details of order 66, the end of the war, the purge, the chaos that followed, and everything in between, it still seemed as though they'd barely scratched the surface. ...Even with certain facts and events omitted.

"...You were on Tatooine all this time? ...Why?" Ahsoka said, surprisingly calmly. He marveled at how gentle, mature, and even serene she had become over the years.

Why were you hiding? Why didn't you come help us? He could hear the silent questions from all of the room's occupants.

The others, who'd remained mostly silent, but listened intently, looked at him expectantly, with differing expressions of interest, curiosity, and hesitant judgment.

Only Rex's expression was stoic and unreadable.

Obi-wan sighed inwardly and drew strength from the Force. There could be no more stalling. It was now time to reveal the secret of secrets. The reason for all of this. The new hope he'd devoted the remainder of his life to guarding.

"...I had a mission. A task I had to see through. ...One given to me by Master Yoda."

Ahsoka, Rex, and Kanan exchanged glances.

"What mission? What task?" It was young Ezra who asked. Kanan shot his apprentice a look, but again everyone focused on Obi-wan.

He hesitated.

Ahsoka almost wanted to yell at Obi-wan when he hesitated, but years of discipline and training in the Force hadn't been for nothing. She wasn't as emotional and impulsive as she had been when she was young.

She felt it. There was a reason for this. A reason they'd been led to believe he was dead. A reason he'd hidden away all these years without seeking anyone out. ...And she was dying to know what it was.

Finally he seemed to gather his resolve and he drew a breath.

"I am, or rather was, protecting something...that is someone... Someone who could change the tide of everything and I believe, tip the scales in our favor."

Everyone burned to ask, but no one dared interrupt.

"Ahsoka." He looked her straight in the eyes, pretending for a moment she was the only one present. "Anakin…" She stiffened, but dare not speak.

Say it. Just say it.

"Anakin…..had a child... He..."

"...What?" Ahsoka breathed, dazed.

She shook herself.

A child. He'd had a child.

"A ...child?" she gasped out, eyes glazed.

"...Yes. ...A son."

An ache in her heart that had dulled with time made itself known all the more viciously than ever.

"Where is he?" She asked quietly, using all her willpower not to get hysterical.

Obi-wan sighed, and Ahsoka had a sinking feeling.

"I lost track of the boy about two years ago. The family raising him were killed unexpectedly by the Empire. He escaped but left the planet before I could get to him. And that," he glanced at the many faces in the room. "brings me to the true reason I am here. Will you all aid me in my search for the boy?"

Silent glances were exchanged.

Ahsoka cleared her throat.

"What...what does he look like?"

Here Obi-wan smiled. It was a smile that carried so much, and she found that any feelings of anger, resentment, hurt, couldn't shake her faith and adoration of him.

"At a glance, a lot like his father. He has his chin, his blond hair, though lighter, his blue eyes. But his features are soft, more delicate like his mother. And he definitely has her stature as well."

Now there was a whole other question, but one she thought she knew the answer to. "His mother...Padme?"

She was unsurprised Obi-wan nodded confirmation. "They were married." He added softly.

Ahsoka and Rex gaped. And it was Kanan who choked out, "Married?"

Obi-wan raised his eyes at him bemusedly, then focused on Ahsoka again. "Apparently, they married in secret at the beginning of the Clone War."

Ahsoka didn't know what to think about this. It… it was too much to process. She tried to clear her mind of the thousand and one thoughts and questions racing around in it and obtain focus. She decided it was best to focus on the task at hand. The only one of real importance at this time.

"His name?" She said simply, belying her agitation.

Again that calming smile. He spoke deliberately.

"His name is Luke. Luke Skywalker."

They stood in silence for a long moment. Each glanced at the others, none of them wishing to begin first.

It was Zeb who finally said what they all were thinking. "One kid in the whole wide galaxy? Anyone feel like this is a wild tooka chase?"

"I hate to agree, but… he's right." Kanan added, more to his crew than anyone else. "It's a big galaxy. We could take years or decades for us to find him. If ever."

"But does that mean we shouldn't even try?" Ezra asked desperately, spinning to face his mentor.

Kanan looked down at his apprentice. "I didn't say that."

"You're saying we should just keep things in perspective." Hera said to Kanan tiredly.

He shrugged and looked at Obi-wan.

"Master Kenobi, when you said this young man could tip the scales in our favor, did you mean…?"

Obi-wan nodded, understanding. "Luke is a strong Force-sensitive. Very strong, like his father." He grew serious again. "I've no doubt of what will happen if he were to be discovered by these Inquisitors…"

That certainly put a dour note on the conversation.

Zeb spoke up again.

"Not that I don't want to help out a kid but, I'm just saying. Is this really how we wanna spend our time? Trying to track down some kid who might be able to make a difference in this war? One we might never find at all?"

"Yeah." Sabine put in. "It sounds like a waste of time to me."

"I hear what you all are saying. And you're right." Ahsoka broke in, stepping forward.

"For my part, my path is clear. If there's even the smallest chance my master's son could be out there, alive, lost and in danger from the Empire, I consider it my duty to do everything in my power to find and protect him."

Rex stepped close to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'm with you Commander." He nodded to Obi-wan, his jaw set firmly with determination. "And with you General. I'll help in any way I can."

Ahsoka's glanced at him fondly. "Thank you Rex." she murmured.

She gazed in turn at the other occupants of the room.

"However, this has nothing to do with you all, and you have no obligation to spend valuable time and resources scouring the galaxy on the off-chance we'll locate him."

"Hang on!" Ezra spluttered. "Of course we're gonna help you! Right Kanan? Hera?"

"That's assuming he's even still alive, Ezra." Kanan said reasonably.

"We want to help as much as you do Ezra." Hera said firmly but soothingly. "We're just not sure if-"

"Not sure if what? If it's worth it? Kanan!" He turned back to his mentor, distressed.

"You said this is what we're here for, right? To protect the innocent from harm? Well, there's a kid out there who is in serious danger from the Empire. If he's caught, he'll be killed, or worse. And if what Master Kenobi says about him tipping the scales in our favor is true, then it's in the best interests of the Rebellion to keep him out of the Empire's hands."

"He makes a good point." Hera said to Kanan as he sighed quietly.

"If I may say," Obi-wan began, drawing their attention. "I do believe we have one advantage." He paused. "The Force."

The non Force-sensitives in the room glanced at one another.

Sabine spoke up a little hesitantly. "With all due respect Master Kenobi, the Force doesn't seem to have helped you much so far."

"Sabine." Hera chided softly.

"It's alright." Obi-wan said, holding up a hand, conceding the point. "I know. The boy has evaded my for two years now, but," He added, raising a finger. "Things have… shifted. I can't help but feel the Force is now on our side in this."

Obi-wan, Ahsoka and Rex spoke in lowered tones among themselves, leaving the Ghost crew to speak and make their decision.

Kanan sighed heavily, and glanced at Hera, who shrugged. She moved closer to murmur to him, "I'm no Jedi, but, I can't help feeling we should try. I hate the idea of an innocent boy on his own on the run from the Empire. It reminds me too much of someone..." she said wryly.

He studied her face carefully. "You really want to do this, don't you?"

She smiled in that gentle way he knew so well. "So do you. Admit it."

"...I suppose I do." he conceded.

"It's settled then." Hera said authoritatively to the whole crew. "We scour the galaxy until we find Luke Skywalker."

Ezra beamed and glanced at Sabine.

"Alright, let's do it." Sabine sighed.

Zeb crossed his arms and huffed, but didn't protest, and that was as good as an agreement from him.

Chopper made a grumbling sound and warbled something about 'picking up more stray pups' that no one bothered to acknowledge.

"Last we heard," Bail Organa, who'd been contacted once again, began. "he was traveling onboard a smuggler's ship called the Millennium Falcon. A registered YT-1300 Corellian light freighter."

He bent down, presumably to press a button and a holo of the type of ship in question popped up.

Obi-wan added. "Apparently the Senator's daughter met Luke by chance while he was on Alderaan. Bail contacted me right after the incident."

"That was almost two years ago." Bail supplied.

"And it's a safe guess that the Empire is looking for him." Obi-wan finished grimly.

"As always I will keep you updated on any new information I receive." Bail's holo said.

Obi-wan nodded and addressed the group. "I am most grateful to you all."

"One more thing," he added before they exited the room.

"Anyone who finds him, tell him Ben Kenobi is looking for him."

"So… Master Kenobi." Ezra began, a little uncertain.

It was just the two of them on deck. The others were making plans and preparations.

The older man switched his gaze to him and Ezra swallowed self-consciously.

He was feeling rather awkward speaking with a Jedi Master, and one that Ahsoka, Rex and Kanan all had spoken so highly and respectfully of. But Master Kenobi seemed very friendly, and he watched Ezra patiently, waiting for him to go on.

"Will Luke become a Jedi too?" He asked, trying not to appear to eager.

"Yes, if he agrees to it. We can't force him to do anything of course. He'll have to make that decision for himself." He stated matter-of-factly.

"You think he won't want to?" Ezra asked, trying to conceal his disappointment at the thought.

The old master looked thoughtful. "It's oddly difficult to predict what Luke will do really. I've known him his whole life and the boy still surprises me. He's… unlike his father in that way. But," He added. "I… imagine he'll want to. Perhaps if and when we find him you two can train together."

Ezra secretly very much liked the idea of someone around his age to train with. Maybe it would make things more fun. He could only put up with Kanan for so long some days.

"Of course," Master Kenobi went on with a weary sigh. "The first order of business is finding him."

Ezra nodded solemnly. "So… What's he like? -Luke I mean?"

Master Kenobi stoked his beard thoughtfully. "Bright, clever, compassionate. A little shy at times. Fierce and unyielding at others. He's a brilliant mechanic and pilot. ...Like his father."

He studied Ezra softly, before asking, "How old are you, Ezra?"

"I turned fifteen...on Empire day."

He raised his eyebrows and Ezra winced silently, bracing himself for the usual comments about the significance of his birth date. But he was surprised when Master Kenobi only responded by smiling warmly and saying, "Really? That makes you only two days older than Luke then."

Ezra blinked.

"...Oh. ...Really?" he blurted out.

"Indeed." He said, smiling warmly. Then he seemed to consider Ezra for several moments before nodding, as if having just confirmed something. "You two would get on well." He decided. "You have similar personalities."

Ezra wasn't sure how he could know that, but…He was suddenly aware of how concerned Master Kenobi was about Luke and he felt the urge to comfort the worn down man. "We will find him Master Kenobi. I know it!" He stated resolutely.

Master Kenobi smiled fondly at him and patted him on the shoulder.

"I believe we will as well."

Approximately two weeks later...

On Jedha, Sabine wandered the streets. She needed to resupply her explosives inventory.

She found a back alley shop that provided weapons of all sorts. She examined the selection of assorted detonators and explosives with a practiced eye.

She was reaching over to pick up a decent quality one at the same time that an unfamiliar hand did as well.

She glanced up to meet the very blue eyes of a younger boy.

"Ah, sorry." He said politely, withdrawing his hand.

She shrugged and cocked her head at him. "Aren't you a little young to be buying explosives?"

He shrugged. "I could say the same about you." He pointed out reasonably.

"Hm, I guess. But I'm older than you, baby-face."

The boy narrowed his eyes, clearly insulted, but he didn't comment back. He merely shrugged and turned away, and Sabine turned her attention back to her task, forgetting about the kid.

It never occurred to her to ask his name.

Zeb leaned against a wall, eyes closed, his arms folded over his chest.

It was a nonchalant, unthreatening pose that helped mask his dominating presence, and helped him go unnoticed as he waited to meet with Sabine.

Most of the time anyway.

"Are you a lasat?"

Zeb opened and blinked his eyes in surprise and his gaze traveled down to meet the blue eyes of a human kid. A boy, he guessed, though it was sometimes harder to tell with younger humans. He'd almost thought Ezra was a girl at first with that long hair of his.

"What's it to you, Runt?"

The kid shrugged. "I was just curious. I've only read about lasats. I've never met or even seen one before."

"Yeah, well now you have, hooray. Now get lost, Runt."

The kid frowned. "I'm not a runt. My name is Luke."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Zeb closed his eyes again, intent on ignoring him.

He heard the kid huff, and walk away.

Honestly, some kids were too curious for their own good. And what's a kid like that doing walking around on his own on a planet like this? With a face like his he could easily get picked up by slavers or-

Zeb's eyes shot open.

Did he say- Luke?

...Weren't they looking for a Luke?

He jolted out of his resting position. "Hey Kid!-" He swung his head this way and that, looking for a glimpse of the blond head.

There was no sign of him.

"Karabast!"

Hera stepped back from her repairs outside the Ghost. She'd just sent Chopper in for another set of new wires.

Hera was wiping the grease off her hands onto a rag, when something caught the corner of her eye.

There was a boy standing off to one side, studying the Ghost intently. Strange that she hadn't noticed him before he got this close. Once in a while he would walk around as if to get a different angle of the ship. He must have felt her eyes on him, because he swung his gaze right in her direction, eyebrows raised and blinking.

Her breath almost caught in her throat at the intense bright blue of his eyes.

"Hello there." She greeted. He wasn't doing anything overly suspicious, but one could never be too careful. As she strode towards him he tensed very slightly, as if ready to spring away should she prove a threat.

She approached carefully, as she would a wild animal she was trying not to scare away.

He was innocent-looking enough. He wore a somewhat oversized smuggler's jacket, a worn-out black shirt, ragged pants and leg wraps, as well as a pair of mechanics goggles on top of his head, partially hidden in his shaggy blond hair, and he was very tan. He also wore a loosely-secured belt with a number of small tools and spare parts attached to it. A hydrospanner was bound on his hip via a leather holster, and a small blaster on the opposite hip.

She knew from experience that you should never judge based on appearances alone, but she'd also learned in uncertain situations, to trust her gut. And something told her that while the boy may not necessarily be harmless, he didn't mean harm.

"Do you like ships?" She asked amiably.

He returned her smile with one so bright it seemed to brighten the whole hanger.

"Yeah. I love ships. I've never seen one quite like this." He gestured to the Ghost.

"What's the model?" he asked.

"It's a VCX-100 light freighter." She provided.

"Modified, isn't she?"

He could tell? Even though he'd never seen this type of ship? Impressive.

"Somewhat, yes." A lot actually, but she didn't divulge that information to just anyone, even it was a sweet, harmless-looking kid.

"She's beautiful." He said wistfully.

They talked amiably about ships and modifications for a few minutes more before Chopper rolled out. When he noticed the boy, he zoomed up to him, bashing the side of the poor boy's leg, who yelped and jumped away, clutching at his shin and hopping on one foot. Chopper pulled out his electro pincher and waved it threateningly.

"Chopper!" She scolded, rushing forward to place a firm hand on the droid to keep him from attacking the boy again. "He wasn't hurting anything! You know better than that!"

She turned back to the boy. "I'm sorry. Chopper is a little over-protective of the ship."

Through his grimace the boy smiled at her. "Ah, it's no problem. I understand. Droids tend to be that way."

"Kid, where are ya?!" A male voice shouted, echoing through the hanger.

The boy looked over his shoulder at the direction the shout had come from. "Coming Han!"

With that he flashed her one last smile and waved as he ran off and was gone, almost as suddenly as he appeared.

She would later regret not asking for his name.

Chapter Text

Luke ducked his head into the cockpit of the Falcon.

"Han." He called. "The port thruster's panel is loose again."

Han grumbled something under his breath then said to him, "I thought you fixed that."

Luke arched an eyebrow. "I told you I locked it down temporarily, but it needs a complete do-over this time. And I haven't got the parts or the tools I need for that." He paused. "Y'know, I could make a droid to-"

"No!" Han cut him off. "I told you Kid, no droids! I-"

"Hate droids, I know, I know." Luke sighed. "They don't have to be annoying though. Not if you program them right." he muttered.

"No droids." Han growled. "That's final."

Luke came up behind Han and wrapped his arms around the man's shoulders, hanging off him. Han glanced back at him, but didn't shake him off or bat him away. A subtle sign of his affection for the boy.

"Well either way, we can't take off until we get it fixed so…"

Han sighed. "What do ya need?"

"Han." Lando Calrissian's holo greeted the smuggler. The man seemed unable to say Han's name correctly.

"Hi Lando!" Luke said brightly from behind Han.

Lando looked up at him and smiled genuinely. "Well heya Squirt! How've you been? You still hanging around with those two scoundrels?"

"They're not so bad." Luke said teasingly. He liked Lando. Didn't trust him per say, but he was a decent enough guy overall. And he seemed to have a soft spot for Luke. Something Han didn't fail to exploit whenever possible.

Luke leaned forward now, getting the point. "We're on Jedha. The port thruster's panel on the Falcon keeps popping off and I can't fix it anymore. I'm afraid if we take off, the whole thing will come loose and we'll be in real trouble. We need the parts to remake a corellian model thruster."

"We're due to deliver a shipment soon," Han continued. "and we haven't got time to waste wandering around the planet searching for what we need. I know you know of the good dealers in any system. What have you got for us?"

"Well hey now. We better discuss another little matter first." Lando said smiling that debonair smile of his and rubbing his fingers together.

"Lando." Luke said patiently before Han could snap anything. "You still owe us for the nexu incident, remember?"

"Well, now that was-"

"Worth at least the cost of this information." Luke finished for him, smiling sweetly.

"Alright, alright" He raised his hands in defeat "I know of a dealer on Jedha who can help you out. He's sure to have what you need." He turned to Han. "Shrewd little business partner you got yourself. You've ruined the sweet little biter. I should stop dealing with you folks if I know what's good for me."

Han grinned conspiratorially. He twisted to grab Luke's shoulders and swept him right in front of the holo. Luke stumbled and blinked at the very sudden and unexpected change in his position.

"But then you wouldn't have the pleasure of these sweet blue eyes gazing at you." Han said.

Luke rolled his eyes.

"We have confirmation that the Millennium Falcon landed on Jedha a few days ago." Bail Organa said over the holo Chopper was projecting. Ahsoka and the Spectres were gathered in the passenger area on the Ghost. Ahsoka had met up with them on Jedha when Bail had sent word there was new information.

"Whether they're still on planet is unknown. Though with how little smugglers tend to stay in one place, it's likely they've already departed the system. However..."

"It's worth checking out." Ahsoka finished, addressing Bail and the crew. "And if they have left already, maybe we'll get lucky and find out where their next destination is."

"It is our first confirmed sighting so far." Kanan said.

Hera nodded. "Zeb and Sabine will come with me. We can fly on the phantom and check out all the ship hangers near the populace for their ship, while you, Ezra and Ahsoka investigate the trading outposts."

"Sounds like a plan." Kanan said rising from his seated position.

Ezra and Ahsoka followed him out of the room and down the lowered ramp of the Ghost.

"Let's go!" Ezra said eagerly, already making for the hanger exit.

"Just a moment." Kanan's stern tone stopped Ezra in his tracks.

"There's not going to be any galavanting off on your own at any point. You stay with me or Ahsoka at all times, is that clear?"

"I got it, I got it." Ezra said exasperatedly.

Jedha was crowded and noisy Ezra decided.

They waded through the tide of beings from all ends of the galaxy that seemed to congregate here.

Traders advertising their wares, the occasional speeder engine and fights that broke out only added to the din.

It seemed to Ezra they had been walking for eternity and still there was no ending in sight. His initial enthusiasm had long since faded to be replaced with weariness and boredom.

He was about to ask Kanan when they would be stopping to rest, maybe get some food when-

He felt something.

It had been there for a while now he realized. But it had been so minor and insignificant at the time, just one minor flicker, one disturbance amongst the multitude of beings, that he hadn't even consciously noticed it.

But now it had grown stronger. Enough to make itself known.

There was something about being on this planet. A strange sort of stirring in the Force. It was almost as though the Force itself were holding its breath in anticipation. As if something life-changing, and future -altering were about to happen. Good or bad Ezra couldn't tell.

It was eerily similar to the feeling he had just before he met Kanan and the others for the first time on Lothal. Though it was clearer, more distinct, now that he was more attuned to the Force.

He was just thinking about how to bring it up to Kanan and Ahsoka but his thinking was interrupted when he bumped arms with someone walking the opposite way he was. Or it wasn't so much that, everyone was getting jostled from time to time in this crowd, rather it was the surge of tingling in his Force sense that made him stop in his tracks. The sensation seemed to go up his arm and down his back, and he stood in place a moment, blinking in surprise.

Then he turned around and looked for the source of the sensation...

...and he locked eyes with another boy.

Luke steadily walked the streets of Jedha, moving with river of people all trying to get to one location or another.

Luke himself was watching the side shops trying to pick out the inn Han had pointed out as their meeting place.

But he was distracted from that task by another feeling. And...it was not quite like his other ones.

The best Luke could describe it was as though a sudden breath of wind brushing past his cheek, only it brushed past his consciousness. He usually got a sense of what they meant, or wanted him to do but...He didn't know what this one meant.

He blinked, shook his head and decidedly continued his scan of passing shops.

"That was strange." He muttered to himself.

He was distracted enough that he bumped into someone. That itself wasn't unusual, everyone was getting bumped and jostled in this crowd. What was unusual was the surge of tingling that started at the arm that made impact, and it traveled up and down his spine.

It was enough to make him slow to a stop ...and turn around.

It was then that he met the eyes of another boy.

They both stared for several seconds. Ezra wasn't sure what he should do. He thought maybe he should say something, but no words came to him.

He almost shouted in alarm when the crowd moved in between them, cutting off his view of the boy.

He searched frantically with his eyes, scanning the crowd but was unable to spot the boy again.

He lifted his foot to step forward and started when he felt a big hand catch his shoulder.

"Ezra?" Kanan's concerned voice reached his ears and he turned his head to look into his and Ahsoka's questioning faces.

He looked forward again in one last vain effort of seeing the boy.

He was nowhere in sight.

He and the boy stared into each other's eyes. Luke didn't know what to do. Should he say something? Keep walking? He should do something other than stand frozen here in the middle of the street, staring awkwardly at this other boy.

But he could think of nothing to do besides stare.

The other boy didn't turn away either. He opened and closed his mouth as if he wanted to say something but couldn't quite get it off his tongue.

Then the throngs of people moved between them and the spell was broken. Luke felt compelled to push his way forward until he found him again. But, coming to a decision, Luke spun around and continued on his way.

That… that was bizarre. The feeling lingered. The best way he could describe it was when one was reading a story, or watching a holofilm and you suddenly got the sense that something significant was about to happen, you just had no idea what.

He would likely never know what that was about.

But he could not quite clear the boy from his mind.

"Start from the beginning. What exactly did you feel?"

Ezra sighed exasperatedly. He, Kanan and Ahsoka were standing in a circle in an open alleyway where they were clear of the crowds

"Like I said. The Force was up in arms about something ever since we got here. Though I didn't really notice until it started getting way stronger all of a sudden. It was a lot like a feeling I've had before." He looked at Kanan. "Just before I ran into you, Zeb and Sabine for the first time. I had this weird feeling, though I didn't know it was the Force yet then."

Kanan nodded, remembering. "I felt it then too. Just before we met you. I could tell something was about to happen, good or bad, I didn't know yet."

He considered for a moment. "But I didn't feel anything this time. I mean, the Force is always stirring to some degree, but nothing like what you're talking about."

Ahsoka studied the two of them. "The Force itself is unpredictable. Perhaps this is something more significant for Ezra and less for you."

Kanan raised his eyebrows at her. "And you?"

Ahsoka was silent for some time, her eyes far away.

"I… I am not certain. I did feel something… It felt familiar and at the same time unfamiliar… and other things I cannot fully express. I was unable to pinpoint the source of it, however."

Sensing the question on both Ezra and Kanan's lips she continued. "I'm sorry I didn't mention it. I was unsure what to make of it. But it was nothing dangerous in itself, that much I could tell."

Kanan and Ezra discreetly glanced at each other, Kanan frowning slightly. While she was somewhat private, it was unlike Ahsoka not to communicate, whether she be unsure or not. Even as she spoke she seemed galaxies away, lost in thought.

She looked up again. "What happened then, Ezra? Kanan and I turned around and you were standing dead still in the middle of the street."

Ezra drew a breath. He knew this part was going to sound even weirder. "I...bumped into someone."

Kanan and Ahsoka glanced at each other.

Kanan raised an eyebrow. "That's it?" He asked skeptically.

Ezra gathered himself. "No! Well, I mean kind of- but it was…" He sighed. "I bumped into someone and I just sort of felt this rush in the Force. It was like… Like, I don't know...destiny?"

He felt a little foolish for saying it, but he had no other way to describe it.

Kanan studied his apprentice carefully.

Since they began their search for Luke Skywalker, he'd sensed a great amount of anticipation roiling off Ezra.

He knew he was naturally excited over potentially meeting another Force-user. Particularly one his age.

There had been that boy they rescued from an Imperial academy about a year back, Jai Kell. But Jai had been no position to be trained. He'd had a mother and a home. Not to mention there was no one to train him at that time.

But now, if all went accordingly, they would track down this young Luke Skywalker, and if he was as strong in the Force as Master Kenobi claimed, he would be trained in it's ways.

It might be good for Ezra, he thought, to have another young person to learn beside, even if it was only sometimes. Young people had a way of encouraging each other and feeding off each other's enthusiasm and energy.

Kanan gazed at him intently and Ezra shot a pleading look back at him.

Kanan let out a breath and looked to Ahsoka. "What should we do about this?"

Ahsoka leaned forward. "Do you know who it was you ran into? Did you see them?"

Ezra nodded slowly. "Yes. I mean I think so. I turned around to look for him, and I think he did too."

"He?" Kanan asked quietly.

"Yeah." Ezra nodding with more confidence "I'm pretty sure it was a kid my age. When I turned around he was looking right… at me…" Ezra trailed off, his brow lowering slightly.

"Ezra." Ahsoka started carefully, and Ezra looked her in the face.

Kanan tried to keep from glancing between them. Both of them had unreadable expressions on their faces.

"This other boy, what did he look like?"

Ezra opened his mouth, but Ahsoka held up her hand hastily.

"Don't. Don't say what you think, or want to be true, or you'll remember seeing what you want to believe you've seen."

To his master's mild amazement, Ezra shut his mouth, though he looked as if he desperately wanted to say what was on his mind, which he was sure Ahsoka, despite what she said, was thinking as well.

Kanan, for his part, was beginning to get a vague idea of what that was.

"He was human, or very near human at least," he began carefully. "Like I said, he looked about my age. I only got a look at him for a few seconds before I lost sight of him, but… I'm pretty sure... he had light-colored hair, he was kinda small I think, my size or smaller, with tanned skin? And his eyes were definitely blue." This last detail he stated with complete certainty in his voice. "Really bright blue. ...He was wearing street clothes...a jacket….black shirt…." He shook his head a little frustratedly. "That's all I remember for sure."

A beeping sound interrupted them all from their thoughts. It was Ahsoka's commlink. She glanced at it, then up at them.

"I need to take this. Excuse me a moment."

Kanan nodded and Ezra followed her with his eyes as she stepped out of hearing range.

She was on for a few minutes before she shut it off and turned to them with a slight frown.

"I'm afraid I have to go. I'll meet you back at the fleet."

Ezra was lost.

He didn't know what had happened. One minute he was trailing behind Kanan, the next Kanan was nowhere in sight.

He'd commed Kanan, but couldn't tell him where he was... Because he wasn't sure where he was. He'd tried describing his surroundings, but that wasn't much help since everything looked more or less the same wherever you went.

Kanan had irritably instructed him to stay put, saying he would find him.

And so here Ezra was, standing beside a run-down clothing shop in a more abandoned part of the city, bored out of his skull, shuffling his feet and scanning around him from time to time, on the look-out for either Kanan or Imperial patrols.

He heard a commotion

Frowning, he stepped out into the street in time for a small stampede of several hooded beings to narrowly avoid smashing into him. The one bringing up the rear tossed a detonator in the air, and Ezra caught it in his hands reflexively.

Ezra blinked down at it in bewilderment, then horror as he realized it was armed. He tossed it involuntarily and spent an embarrassing amount of time bouncing it wildly between his palms before chucking it into the hopefully all abandoned space behind him as far as he could with the aid of the Force before diving for cover.

The felt the hot blast of air on his back as the detonator went off in a terrific explosion that blew out the bottom of an old building and the rest crumbled dramatically to the ground.

He wilted in relief, but it was short lived as a patrol of stormtroopers rounded the bend running.

Blast! They had him cut off. The wall behind him was too high to jump and too smooth to climb. He could hear Hera's voice berating him for entering a space that only had one entrance and exit where he could be cornered like this. This was basic street survival 101.

He would have to fight his way out. It would expose him, and they would have to leave in a hurry, but it wasn't any better to let himself be captured. It amounted to the same thing when they discovered his lightsaber, even if it was disguised to look like a peculiar blaster at a glance.

He reached to unclip it-

And grasped at only empty space.

He snapped his gaze down in alarm.

No lightsaber. His lightsaber was gone! He'd lost his lightsaber! It must have gotten knocked off his belt at some point without him noticing.

As soon as the troopers saw him reach for his belt they ceased their advance and leveled their blasters at him.

"Don't try it, Rebel!" The leader of the squad proclaimed.

Figures the one time he wasn't performing rebellious activities… or at least when he wasn't trying to, was the time he got accused of it.

Maybe he could still Force blast them away...? But he had no way of deflecting their blaster bolts, and there wasn't much room to dodge.

With dread Ezra realized he couldn't escape.

Getting seperated, losing his lightsaber, accidently helping an extremist rebel cell and getting himself captured by Imps all in one day...

Kanan was going to kill him.

Luke heard the explosion before he saw it. He whirled around to see the smoke rising from a structure a block or two away from him.

Han had warned him of the rebel activity here, as much to warn him about the violence as the heavy Imperial occupation.

"They're a pretty disorganized bunch I hear. More concerned with causing chaos than anything else." Han had said with evident disgust. "If you see any suspicious behavior, move away."

So he ran in the opposite direction of the explosion. However, he was so focused on getting away from it so as not to get caught under any suspicion that he aroused the suspicion of the stormtrooper he ran into.

He just avoided crashing into the man who snatched Luke's arm before he could dart away. Luke twisted and squirmed, but the trooper's grip was like iron.

"You're involved with that hit on this district just now, aren't you, blasted punk?"

Luke shook his head violently, his mouth open in a wordless denial.

"Oh? Why were you running then?" The trooper demanded, squeezing his arm.

Another few troopers swiftly rounded the corner and joined them, and Luke knew he couldn't get away.

A morbid sense of deja vu was slithering over Luke, and he tried to stay calm as panic rose in his throat.

Somebody help me!

Assuming he got out of this, Han was going to kill him.

The stormtroopers dragged a bound Ezra into the Jedha Imperial outpost.

"Another rebel, Sir."

The pinched-faced officer rose, looked thoroughly annoyed.

"We're full up on rebels and other troublemakers at the moment. We haven't got room for any more."

"What do you want us to do with this one then?"

"How about, letting him go?" Ezra suggested helpfully.

He was ignored save for the warning squeeze on his shoulder. Ezra winced and fell quiet.

The officer rubbed his forehead tiredly. "There's a ship in orbit transporting new troops. Take a shuttle and transfer him and any other extra prisoners there. I will comm the commander and explain the situation. It shouldn't be a problem."

"Yes sir."

They wasted no time carrying out the order.

It was not ten minutes later that another few troopers pulled a thrashing Luke who they had wrestled into binders into the outpost.

"Sir. We've arrested this rebel terrorist."

The officer's face became even more pinched as he said in a deliberately calm voice. "As I just finished explaining to your comrades…"

Chapter Text

"You want me to train him. Are you certain?" Ahsoka asked with a hint of nervousness. She didn't bother concealing it. Not from the old master before her.

She and Obi-wan were seated in kneeling positions facing each other in a cabin aboard the command ship of the Rebel Fleet. Obi-wan regarded Ahsoka with kind resolve. Despite how much she'd changed, he had a difficult time looking at her and not seeing his young teenage grand-padawan he'd grown quite fond of, and become the source of many regrets.

"I am certain." He closed his eyes briefly and breathed out long and deep. "I'm getting too old for this sort of thing. And," He said, his eyes twinkling. "It's going to take someone young and fit to keep up with a Skywalker. You should know that."

Despite her mood, Ahsoka raised an eyebrow in amusement. "Too old? Fifty may not be young, Master, but I'd hardly say you're as decrepid as all that."

Obi-wan raised his hands, conceding the point, but he continued. "To be fair, the climate on Tatooine causes most beings to age faster than they would otherwise, and I'm certainly not getting any younger. Regardless, I am certain it is you who is destined to train him."

Her brief smile faded as she sighed and tried to sort out how she felt about this. She had assumed until now that Obi-wan would be the one to fill the role of mentor to Anakin's son. Now he was insisting that role should fall to her. It wasn't that she minded exactly, but she regarded the notion with no small amount of trepidation.

"I'm not even technically a Jedi anymore, Master. Do I even have the right to take on a Padawan? Not to mention I have my responsibilities as Fulcrum, outside of my work here. I can't simply abandon them. At least not now. We're in a crucial and delicate stage of forming this rebellion. Senator Organa and Senator Mothma may want to try to form an alliance with the various rebel cells soon, as all peaceful attempts at a resolution within the Empire are failing."

"You have more training in the Force than Kanan," he pointed out reasonably. "and he's managing just fine with Ezra. All three of them would benefit from your experience. And when your other duties call you away, you can leave Luke with me or with the Spectres. Kanan or I will take up his training in the meantime. You will be his official mentor however. I'm sure it will all work out."

"I'm sure Kanan will love that." She chuckled wryly. "He says he can barely keep up with training Ezra."

"Also," Obi-wan went on, in that tone that meant he was making doubly sure he won this argument, such as it was. "Being a member of the council, I will have a bigger target on my back than you. ...Especially where the Sith Lord is concerned, and I must be extra cautious. If there is so much a hint of a whisper, of my presence, I have no doubt he will drop all to find me and that means Luke will be in danger as well. He hates me more than anything, and his hatred will give him power." He shook his head seriously. "I don't know if I could protect Luke if it came down to it."

She almost asked why. Why did the Sith hate him so exactly? But she wasn't ready to go down that line of thought. Not-not yet.

"Is it only that you consider yourself inadequate, Ahsoka? ...Or is it that you're afraid to train Anakin's child?"

She wilted a little, not meeting his gaze.

His voice was gentle. "Believe me Ahsoka, there is more to being a Jedi than being an official member of the order. And the order is gone. Things are different now and we must adapt accordingly. You, I, and Kanan are among the few that remain of that age. Your growth and maturity have not gone unnoticed by myself… or Master Yoda."

She did glance up at that.

"You are all that a Jedi should be, my dear. You are a Jedi in all but name."

"And," he added slyly. "I have meditated on this you know, and I can't help but feel it is the will of the Force."

She blew out a breath ruefully. "I had a feeling you would say that."

She raised her head, resolve glinting in her eyes. "Alright. I will do it. I will train Luke Skywalker. ...If and when the time comes when we have him in hand."

Obi-wan stroked his chin thoughtfully. "I sense that time is not far off."

Kanan grumbled as he strode briskly down the street backtracking yet again to where he'd been with Ezra. Of course Ezra would get himself lost! Why he put up with that kid, he wasn't sure sometimes. He also blamed himself though. He should've kept a closer eye on him.

He found the wide alleyway that was their agreed rendezvous point should they become separated and slipped into it. Ezra was unable to find it again, of course, lost as he was, but Kanan was growing desperate and it didn't hurt to check. Ezra wasn't picking up his comm and he didn't know where else to look.

It was empty save for a pile of old scrap-metal gathered by some street creature or other. Kanan did a double-take and frowned as he bent down to pick up a suspiciously familiar object.

It was Ezra's lightsaber.

Inwardly he groaned. This could mean nothing good.

It wasn't too difficult for Ezra to escape his captors. They'd underestimated him, as most people tended to, particularly if they didn't know who he was. Now if he could avoid detection as he found a way off the Imperial vessel…

He glanced at the air ducts overhead. The opening was big enough...

He shrugged.

Why not?

Luke lay on the floor of the cell he'd been placed in. The reason for this was that he was struggling to pull his arms from behind him, under his feet and in front of him. It hurt. He clenched his teeth as the metal binders cut into his wrists as he strained on them, but in the end he succeeded without causing himself too much damage.

He rose to a sitting position and sat a moment, breathing slowly as he waited for the stinging pain in his wrists to subside.

Now for phase two.

There were no guards directly outside the door. He'd heard both of them walk away after shoving him into the cell. There would be a guard or two at the entrance to the detention block, but Luke could deal with that when the time came.

He stood and walked to the door. He reached for his leg wraps. His commlink, tools and blaster had all been confiscated when they searched him, but Luke still had two items he kept safely tucked away at all times.

The first was a spare wire he'd managed to slip between the door before it closed. He'd been afraid the troopers would notice, but they were already walking away, obviously not wanting to bother with the young prisoner any longer. They would regret that carelessness.

The second item was a very small power generator.

A small, but effective power surge so close to the controls should be enough to short it out enough, that, if the design was like those of all cruiser models, make it malfunction and the door open. He hoped.

The binders hindered him a bit, but he expertly attached the wire to the micro generator and manipulated the wiring so as to activate it, and he immediately dropped, it stepping away.

It worked. There was an electrical fizzing, crackling sound and a little smoke. After a moment the door slid open. After a cautious glance down each end of the corridor, he stepped out into it.

Time for phase three. This would be the hard part.

He swiftly but carefully made his way down the corridor, his sixth sense telling him telling him when someone was approaching. He ducked into a hall and waited with bated breath.

A stormtrooper strode past him and the moment his back was to Luke, he dove for the blaster attached to the man's hip.

The trooper spun around with a shout of surprise but Luke already had his blaster.

It only took him a couple seconds to check that the setting was on stun and fire two shots so that the trooper slumped to the floor before he reached Luke.

Luke paused long enough to use the trooper's code cylinder to unlock the binders. Then, heart pounding, he hopped into the ventilation duct.

Ezra crawled through the vent. It was dusty, dim and a little cramped, even for his small teen body that Sabine liked to make fun of. Odd, usually the vents in these sorts of ships were more spacious.

Ezra paused to glance down through the bars of an opening. It wasn't much help. All the hallways looked mostly the same. He was reasonably sure of the direction he was going though. He had enough experience on Imperial ships that he could find his way reasonably well.

It was dim enough, and he was concentrating so much on his hands, he didn't notice the other person moving silently in the vent shaft until he ran headlong into them. Literally.

Luke was on his hands and knees making his way through the air vent. The dust was getting in his nostrils and he had to muffle a sneeze from time to time.

He was fairly certain he could find his way to the escape pods from in here. He would have loved to go to the hanger and try stealing a tie fighter, but that definitely would have been too conspicuous.

It was dimly lit, and Luke concentrated on his hands in front of him, vaguely fearing stumbling over any loose vent panel. He never knew another being was in the shaft until he bumped into them. Literally.

Luke Skywalker and Ezra Bridger blinked at each other, each holding their heads. Each had collided with the other when they'd turned a corner, and each had jerked back with a shout, more from surprise than pain.

Ezra had just opened his mouth to say something, but it was then that the shaft they were seated on, poorly maintained as it was, was unable to bear both their weights at once and the panel chose that inopportune moment to pop out underneath them. Both boys fell headfirst into the middle of the corridor, landing on top of one another.

Ezra groaned and tried to roll over onto his back, but there was a weight on him that prevented him doing so.

A grunt came from said weight and he felt its presence focus, then scramble to get off of him. He looked to the side to be met with a view of worn shoes, and legs wrapped with stained gray material that had once been white.

He sat upright and let his gaze travel up as well.

Standing over him was a boy close to his own age. He was slight of figure, bordering on scrawny. His hair was bright blond, standing out against deeply tanned skin, and it was rather long, falling about his temples and down his slim neck in gentle curls and random spikes. But most noticeable of all were his eyes. They were the brightest blue he'd ever seen. In the lighting of the corridor they almost seemed to glow like his lightsaber.

He had no doubt who this was. The boy he'd seen in the streets on Jedha.

He prodded the boy in the Force. Not enough for him to notice. His presence was clear as a bell to Ezra now, without the vast number of beings and presences bustling about, hampering his senses. It was soft and warm and so very bright, like a shining beacon in the Force. It seemed to spread out and fill the whole ship, snuffing out every shadow.

Ezra knew without a doubt, this had to be Luke Skywalker.

...And the first thing they needed to teach him was how to shield.

"...Sorry...I didn't know I wasn't the only one sneaking around in the ventilation shaft." the boy deadpanned.

So the guy had a sense of humor. Great.

Ezra grinned wryly. "Yeah, well, I'm guessing it's for the same reason. You trying to get off this tub too?"

"Um, yeah."

"Well… wanna get outta here together?" He had to hold onto him this time. He had to bring him to the Ghost, to Master Kenobi and Ahsoka.

He held out his hand, smiling disarmingly, and the boy grasped his hand. Ezra blinked as he pulled him up more easily than expected. He was stronger than he looked.

"Thanks. I'm Ezra by the way. Ezra Bridger." He introduced himself, still smiling.

The boy smiled back shyly. "I'm-"

"Let me guess," Ezra said, unable to resist, his smile morphing into a wide boyish grin. "Luke Skywalker."

Luke involuntarily took a step back as the boy before proclaimed his name with so much certainty. Confusion and wariness instantly filled him, but the boy just put up his hands as if to show they were empty. His bright, gleeful grin never faltered, in fact he was practically bouncing on the balls of his feet with glee. Luke frowned quizzically.

The boy had to be about his own age, though Luke realized with the smallest hint of ire as the boy, Ezra was his name he'd said, stood up straight, that he was just a little taller than himself.

Ezra's eyes were a dark, deep blue. His hair dark, long and wavy at the ends. His skin was a warm brown, he had a wide prominent nose and twin scars slashed across his left cheek. He was dressed in an orange jumpsuit that had seen better days and scuffed up brown boots. He appeared to be just what he claimed, just another kid caught up in trouble with Imperials.

But how in stars did he know Luke's name?

Ezra could tell announcing his name to Luke had put the other boy even more on edge. Maybe he shouldn't have said that, he thought belatedly. This kid didn't even know who he himself was, really. He didn't want to freak him out. He put up his hands placatingly.

"I'm not gonna hurt you." Ezra said. "We've been looking for you. We want to-"

He was interrupted by a tinny voice from down the hall. "Hey! You two! Who are you?"

Both boys whipped their heads around to see two stormtroopers headed their way very quickly.

"Run!" Ezra said, and Luke needed no further prompting.

They booked it down the corridor, dodging blaster bolts as they went.

The end of the corridor split into two, each going in the opposite direction.

"This way!" Ezra said

"No, wait, it's this way! You want the escape pods too, right?"

"Yeah! And they're this way! Trust me, I've been on Imperial ships a lot!"

"But this is an older model! The escape pods in this sector will be in this direction!"

Ezra ignored him and kept running. He paused and glanced back to make sure Luke would follow. He saw Luke glance in the opposite direction, then he heard him mutter something that sounded like a curse and dash after him.

They rounded the corner and-

They reached a dead end. There were no escape pods.

Luke didn't say anything. Merely narrowed his eyes and avoided looking at Ezra entirely.

They spun around, but of course the troopers, joined by several others, had already boxed them in.

Luke tried to keep his wrists still in the binders. They weren't bleeding much, but they were sensitive.

He felt the other boy, Ezra, glance at him as they were marched through the ship. Luke focused ahead of them.

Why had he followed that guy? He should have gone his own way. Should have escaped. Perhaps it was for the same reason he had stayed with Leia Organa on Alderaan when the royal guards were chasing them. He didn't want to abandon Ezra. So what if they just met, Luke wasn't that kind of person.

Han had always said his way of getting attached to people would get him into trouble someday. He hated when Han was right.

He felt something nudge his shoulder briefly. Ezra had bumped shoulders with him.

Luke deigned to spare him a glance and Ezra caught his eye. He gazed at Luke intently.

Don't worry. His eyes seemed to say. It'll be okay.

Ezra felt guilty about not listening to Luke and getting them caught again. Luke knew his ships it seemed.

It would be harder to get away this time, but Ezra was sure he could pull it off. ...Pretty sure anyway. They still didn't know who he was, and that gave him an edge. They didn't know who they were dealing with. He was Ezra Bridger, Jedi Padawan and rebel agent!

They weren't brought back to a cell. Instead the troopers herded them into the command center, where a surly-looking commander was waiting.

The commander of the vessel stalked up to them menacingly. He no doubt was disgruntled at having his troops and by proxy, himself being made fools of by a couple of children.

"What are your names?" He demanded, not beating around the bush, which Ezra reluctantly appreciated. The man leaned in so close Ezra could feel his breath on his face.

"Jabba the Hutt." He said smoothly.

Beside him, Luke blinked. "Pretty sure he knows you're too small to be Jabba the Hutt." He muttered out the side of his mouth.

"Indeed." The commander said disdainfully. He turned to Luke.

"And you, boy?"

"Um, Boba Fett." He decided, and Ezra snickered.

The officer straightened very deliberately. "Very amusing, aren't you? Well it matters little. A few months working in the mines of Kessel will soon suck the humor from you."

He felt more than saw Luke stiffen slightly. And he figured now was as good a time as any. He looked at the commander with a sardonic expression. "Actually, we have a previous engagement. Sorry about that."

Ezra threw out his bound hands, Luke felt a vibrance, an energy gather and rush suddenly. All the Imperials went flying backwards, crashing into the wall, tumbling over desks and hitting the floor hard.

Ezra wasted not a moment. He rushed to the nearest man, in this case, it was actually the commander, snatched his code cylinder and unlocked his binders.

Luke stared at the fallen men, something akin to deja vu overcoming him. He barely registered Ezra dashing back to him and freeing him of his binders as well.

"How did you-" he breathed, but Ezra cut him off even as he snatched up a fallen blaster.

"Later! Come on!"

He keyed open the door, then grabbed a still gawking Luke's hand and pulled him after him out the exit.

"So… which way to the escape pods?" Ezra asked sheepishly.

They went the opposite direction as last time and found the escape pods easily.

Ezra reached it first and slammed his hand down on the access panel.

The hatch shot open and they Ezra ushered Luke inside, keeping an eye out for more Imperials, then ducking in himself.

After the two of them agreed on heading back to Jedha, Luke concentrated on piloting the escape pod, Ezra in the passenger seat beside him. Luke eyed him.

"So you got arrested by the imps too, huh? Maybe your friends can help me. I gotta contact my family."

Luke said nothing. He wasn't sure he wanted to go anywhere with this kid. He had started to say 'we' before. Who was we?

His imagination ran wild ...Maybe he worked with bounty hunters who wanted to sell him to the Empire. Or, that brought another possibility to mind. Maybe he worked with slavers, getting people to drop their guard enough for them to get caught.

But… Ezra seemed so earnest and genuinely excited to meet him. But that was equal parts confusing and reassuring. Who would know him by name and be looking for him other than Imperials or bounty hunters?

Luke had gradually realized something else too. A cord had been struck in his memory, but hadn't had the chance to ponder on it until now.

"You're that boy I saw on Jedha, aren't you?"

Ezra looked up in surprise that he had spoken. He laughed nervously. "Oh, yeah. That was kinda crazy, huh?"

Luke opened his mouth but a violent beeping made them snap their attention to the control board.

Luke felt his chest tighten as the controls failed to respond to him. This day just kept getting better.

"The pod is malfunctioning!"

"No way! Can you fix it?"

"It's too late to try and fix it. We've broken Jedha's atmosphere!"

Red words flashed across the data screen.

Collision imminent.

"We're gonna crash!" Ezra shouted.

"I can see that!" Luke shouted back. He tried desperately to make the controls work as they hurtled towards the ground.

"We're getting close to the ground, we have to jump! Come on!"

Before Luke could reply, Ezra hurled himself out the hatch.

Luke didn't have time to contemplate what sort of maniac he had thrown his lot in with. The controls began functioning again somewhat, but the damage went deeper. He was going to have to crash land it. He poured every ounce of his skill and instinct into keeping the pod level and avoid crashing into the canyon walls as long as he could.

Finally he cut the engines and the pod touched down with a grinding jerk, popped up again, then slammed back down. Luke held onto the controls to avoid being thrown about the cabin, though his upper body kept getting banged against the control panel and his teeth jarred with each impact.

Finally, the ship slid to a halt and tipped onto its side at the loss of momentum. Luke collapsed onto the steering breathing heavily, uncaring of the levers and switches poking him.

After getting his heart to stop trying to jump straight out of his chest, he pushed himself up and stood a little unsteadily on his feet. This wasn't his first crash-landing, but this one had been rougher and more life-threatening than others.

He hurt everywhere, but he didn't seem to be seriously injured, for which he was grateful. The pod was completely busted however.

But what had become of Ezra?

Ezra pulled himself upright with a groan. He blinked in the harsh light reflecting off the canyons. Right… Jedha… the pod crashed-

Luke!

He reached out with the Force and was relieved to feel his presence. He was alive, and from what he could tell, mostly unharmed. His signature was dimmed, but that was from distance he realized, not from weakness.

He stood up shakily. He was bruised and banged up, but none the worse for wear, thank the Force. He'd managed to slow his fall enough for him not to die. He'd thought Luke would simply follow him like before, but no such luck. Maybe he should have grabbed the other boy first.

He glanced around him, shading his eyes. The city! Jedha city wasn't far off.

He wasn't sure what he would do. He had to contact the Ghost somehow, find Luke if he could, and get back to the fleet.

First thing was to make it to the city. Preferably before nightfall. The Imperials were oddly active here on Jedha. That was a mystery they would have to look into at another time.

For now…

After a couple hours of walking, Ezra had made it to the outskirts of the city.

He planned to enter, keeping out of sight, of course, it was likely the imps would be looking for him and Luke, so some extra caution was in order. Kanan of course would probably say that extra caution for him meant-

His thoughts were cut off as an out of place object jumped into his perhivrials.

He turned to stare.

A ship? What was it doing docked out here? Was this even allowed?

...Maybe they had a comm he could use. He had to tell Kanan about Luke!

As he neared the ship, it stirred a vague memory and he tried to place it.

It took a minute, but it came to him.

It was the same type of ship they had last heard Luke was traveling on! He forgot the model exactly, but the shape looked the same!

The ramp was down and there was no one is sight, so he hopped up it lightly.

He went into full stealthy thief mode, creeping through the ship, in case this wasn't the ship belonging to Luke's friends.

Soon he heard a voice coming from what must be the cockpit. He walked over and slid just out of sight eavesdropping. In the cockpit sat a human man and a wookie.

"-go through the trouble of getting the kid a commlink and everything, but still he keeps ghosting us. I swear that kid gives us more grief than he's worth sometimes!"

Ezra grinned to himself. He must have the right ship.

The wookie growled something in response.

"Yeah, yeah. Boys will be boys and all that. But I'm serious, this time it's the last straw! This time I-"

The man broke off, swiveling towards the cockpit exit and Ezra realized with alarm they must have seen his shadow, because the man stood up, walking towards him.

Deciding there was little point in trying to hide, especially if he wanted to gain their trust, he remained where he was.

"Luke? That you Kiddo? Don't bother trying to sneak-" He stopped abruptly when he caught sight of Ezra, who was very clearly not Luke.

"Who're you?" The man barked out, hand going to his blaster.

Ezra threw up his hands to show they were empty. "Um, hi. My name's Ezra." He said in a rush. Far too cheerily for the situation. "It's okay. I'm a friend of Luke's."

The man blinked in response, then folded his arms, eyes narrowing at him. "Nice try. Luke doesn't have any friends other than me an' Chewie here."

The wookie growled his affirmation.

"Yeah, well I'm a new friend."

"Uh huh."

Ezra put his hands on his hips. "Well, how did I know his name then?"

The man arched an eyebrow. "Because I was just calling it?"

"Oh...yeah." Karabast, there went his most convincing proof. But he had more. He might well know more about Luke than this man or the wookie did.

"Well… I know what he looks like. He's about my height. He has blond hair and blue eyes. Really tan, which makes sense since he's from Tatooine."

That seemed to throw the man for a loop, to Ezra's satisfaction. Technically he shouldn't know the Tatooine part, but these two didn't know that.

The man leaned back and glanced at the wookie.

"What'd you say your name was kid?"

Ezra grinned. The man appeared to still be highly suspicious, but Ezra could tell it was only for show. He was beginning to drop his guard. "Ezra Bridger. Who're you guys?"

The man grunted, and Ezra though he wouldn't answer, but he grumbled out, "Han Solo. This Chewbacca."

He pointed a finger at Ezra.

"Alright. If you're really a 'new friend of Luke's', where is he now?"

"We got separated." Ezra said immediately. "See, we both got arrested by the Empire. We escaped together and, but wound up crashing in our escape pod. I um," he hesitated. Probably a good idea not to reveal his Force powers yet, "...got thrown from the crash, but I think Luke was still in the pod when it landed."

"What?!" Han gaped, then rubbed a hand over his face with a groan while Chewbacca yowled concernedly.

"I'm sure he's fine!" Ezra hurried to reassure them.

Han looked up wearily. "It wouldn't surprise me. Luke has a knack for surviving and finding a way out of things he shouldn't. His luck's even better than mine. Nothing to do but wait to see if he finds his way back or contacts us. I suppose his commlink was confiscated."

"Probably. They took mine. Speaking of which… do you have a comm I can use to call my family?"

Han waved a hand. "Sure, sure. I bet your parents are worried. And I wouldn't be surprised if you are Luke's friend. That kid makes friends with everyone and everything."

Ezra grinned. Kanan said much the same thing about him. Maybe Master Kenobi was right about him and Luke getting along. He grimaced. He hadn't exactly spent enough time with him yet to know.

Han tossed him a commlink and let Ezra step out of the room to let him have some privacy.

On the Ghost, in orbit around Jedha, Hera and Kanan's conversation was interrupted by the comm blinking.

"A comm call." Hera said. "From an unidentified source."

"Is it traceable?" Kanan asked.

"We'll have to risk it. It could be Ezra."

Kanan hesitated, but only for a moment. Hera waited, deferring to his judgement as usual.

"Alright. Let's take the chance. Keep the audio on our end off for now though."

Hera nodded even as she pressed the appropriate buttons, her motherly concern over their youngest member leaking into her face.

"Hello? Kanan? Hera?" Ezra's voice crackled over the comm, and Kanan dove to switch on the audio.

"Ezra?" He asked, struggling to keep the tension out of his voice.

"KananKananKanan!" Ezra said in a rush. "I met him! I met Luke Skywalker!"

Hera and Kanan shared a glance and Hera asked. "You're sure, Ezra?"

"Yeah! We escaped together-"

"Escaped?" Kanan exclaimed, anger and worry making him snap at his apprentice. "Escaped from where? What happened to you? And where are you now?"

"We both got picked up by Imperials. We-"

"What?!"

"Stop yelling! Don't worry! They don't know who I was. Or him for that matter. That is… they didn't… They might know now."

"Let me guess. You used the Force in front of them."

"Hey, at least we got away!"

"Yes, we can be thankful for that." Hera broke in before Kanan could snap again at Ezra's tone. "Where are you now? We'll come get you boys." She was already reaching to start up the ship, hands on the controls. She paused when Ezra didn't respond right away.

"Ezra?" She asked.

"Well… about that…"

"Wwhaat?" Kanan said suspiciously.

"Luke's not with me right now." Ezra said in a rush.

Kanan fought off the urge to groan and rub between his eyes. Nothing could ever be simple.

"What do you mean?" He asked deliberately. "Where is he then?"

"...We got separated, but he's on Jedha somewhere. I'm with his smuggler friends right now. Where can we meet you guys?"

"We'll land in the southern docking bay. Can you tell Luke's friends to meet us there?"

"Yeah, I don't think they'll mind. They seem like good people. They're worried about Luke."

"Be careful, Ezra." Kanan leaned forward over the console to make sure he was heard. "If you caused as much ruckas as usual, the Imperials on the planet are bound to be on the look-out for you two. We need to get out of here before reinforcements arrive. ...Or worse."

"Inquisitors." Ezra said with dread in his voice. "Don't worry Kanan, I'll be careful."

Kanan bit back a comment about Ezra's idea of careful.

"You should try to find Luke."Ezra told them. "He might have made it to the city before I did. If you concentrate you'll be able to sense him Kanan. He's really bright in the Force. Once you notice it, it's hard to understand how you didn't before."

"Alright, I'll take a look. Just be sure you meet us at the southern docking bay."

Chapter Text

Half the time Luke tried to let himself get lost in the crowds in Jedha city,(not hard to do in this place) the other half he kept to the shadows and alleyways. He'd thus far been unsuccessful in locating Han, Chewbacca, or a public comm unit. Why was Jedha so out of touch and uncivilized? It reminded him far too much of Tatooine.

...He was beginning to get discouraged.

He couldn't help being worried about Ezra, wondering how he had weathered that fall. He hoped he wasn't hurt… or worse. But the other boy was confusing, and he found he didn't want to think about it too much, or he'd go crazy with wondering. How had he known Luke's name? Why was he looking for him? And who else was looking for him?

And most of all, how did he knock down all those stormtroopers without so much as touching them?

He hadn't imagined it, right? He'd replayed the events in his head too many times to count now.

Ezra threw his hand out.

All the Imperials were thrown to the floor as though by a non-existent wind.

...What did he do?

Maybe it was best to just forget about it. He might never learn the answers now anyway.

Luke was tired. He wasn't entirely certain how much time had passed now, but he estimated about two days, give or take a few hours.

Two days without sleep, and after being captured, escaping, crash-landing and roaming around looking for his friends for hours, he was well and truly exhausted mentally, physically and emotionally.

He was feeling light-headed as well. When was the last time he'd had something to drink?

Luke's heart stuttered as stark white armor jumped into his vision and he ducked behind a fruit stand. When the trooper had passed, he began to rise, but yelped as the rodian vendor running the stand aimed a kick at him, which caught Luke in the side where he was bruised, and told him to leave in a less than friendly way.

Tears stinging his eyes, Luke jumped up and sped away back into the crowds.

Blast it! He hated this!

All he wanted was to find Han and Chewie, fly away safe aboard the Falcon and forget all his troubles. He'd gladly put up with Han's usual scolding and Chewie's anxious yowling and hugging if it meant getting away from this planet. He wanted food, water, sleep, maybe a good cry curled up in his bunk.

Luke's attention was drawn away from his thoughts very suddenly.

Stormtroopers! A small squad of them this time! Luke glanced around but to his horror there were no alleyways, or dark crevices to hide in on this part of the street.

Act natural. Calmly turn around and walk in the opposite direction, but act natural. As soon as you look like a person running away, you're dead.

Luke turned and took only a few paces before he froze. There was a patrol in this direction too! Just his luck!

Don't panic. Don't panic. The words ran through his head repeatedly as a mantra.

One of the stormtroopers seemed to rest his eyes directly on him. He turned to another trooper, pointing at him. Luke's heart rate picked up, thudding in his chest. That trooper looked at him as well. He began speaking into a commlink.

He couldn't get caught again! He couldn't! Ezra wasn't here to save him with his strange powers-no actually he wasn't even going to think about that one right now-and he didn't know where Han and Chewbacca were, so he couldn't make a fast getaway off-planet if he outran them!

Luke felt warring urges to run wildly and scream, or simply collapse and cry. He just wanted to feel safe for once, not having to be constantly alert, looking over his shoulder. He wanted to let someone else carry the weight of all his troubles and let him rest and be content, just for a little while.

'Keep your head,' Uncle Owen would always tell him. 'The moment you lose your head and act irrationally, it's as good as over.'

The thought brought him more hurt than comfort.

I'm sorry Uncle Owen. Luke gave in to the urges. But only in part.

He ran. He ran away from the shouts and the crowds, away from danger and despair and terror and hurt because he just wanted to get away! He was barely conscious of where he was going. Didn't care because all he cared about was getting away.

He ran and ran-

-straight into a tall, bulky being.

He bounced off them and tumbled backwards onto the ground. Momentarily disoriented, he sharply shook his head once to clear it and blinked up at whoever he'd crashed into for the multieth time that day.

Large, watery, bright blue eyes stared up at Kanan and Zeb.

Kanan had fervently been searching the Force around Jedha. As Ezra had said, it hadn't been too much of a challenge to track Luke Skywalker once he identified his signature. He was practically a blaring supernova in the Force and Kanan had been stunned at the strength of it. Not to mention the boy's emotions were all over the place, with painful, despairing thoughts warring with themselves. He had grabbed Zeb and hurriedly followed that signature here to this alleyway, and now that signature was centered around this boy.

The Force was reacting to the boy's anxiety. It hummed, carressed and sang to him as though trying to soothe his ruffled nerves.

He ran his gaze over the child before them, quickly assessing that his features did in fact match the description of the elusive Skywalker boy.

The boy in question was seated rather awkwardly where he'd toppled after running smack into Zeb. Zeb of course, hadn't so much as budged, while the kid had fallen backwards onto his backside, thin, gangly legs in the air for a moment.

He was supposed to be fifteen, Ezra's age, but he looked so very small and young huddled in this vulnerable position on the ground, neck craned to look at them with wide eyes that seemed too big for his face.

Within the boy's jumbled thoughts and emotions Kanan sensed the intent to jump up and run again. He hastily reached out with the Force to hold him, Luke, in place.

Han remembered the last time a young urchin had snuck aboard their ship, two years ago. Han had been half ready to shoot him then and there. Now here he was, a similar situation, and he was trusting the kid without a second thought.

He supposed being around Luke for years had gone a long way towards making him less suspicious of everyone.

...He couldn't decide if that was a good or bad thing.

The kid, Ezra, drew his attention as he reentered the cockpit.

"I talked to my, my parents." He announced. "They want us to meet us at the southern docking bay in Jedha City." He paused. "If that's okay of course." He added almost as an afterthought.

Han raised an eyebrow sourly. "Couldn't be bothered to ask before, huh?"

"Right, uh sorry. So… will you take me? That is, if you know where it is… because I don't."

Han stared at this boy for a long time.

"Couldn't you have asked your parents? They obviously know."

The kid blinked and flushed a little. "Right, yes I- um, maybe I should call them back-"

"Relax, kid." Han sighed. Kids. Always so anxious. "I know where it is, but that's not the problem."

"What is the problem then?" Ezra asked, a hint of irritation creeping into his voice.

"The problem is that we were just kicked out of there. We can't go back, not if we wanna keep our heads."

"What? You were kicked out?"

Han snorted. "Why do ya think we're docked out here? 'Cause we like the view?"

Ezra snickederd. "Pfft. What were you kicked out for? Did your junk-pile of a ship cause a safety hazard violation?"

"Watch your mouth kid!" Han said heatedly and he swore he could feel his blood pressure rising. He was gonna kill the next guy that insulted his ship, that was for sure. "The Millennium Falcon is the fastest ship in the galaxy, and don't you be forgetting it!"

"Eh, bet the Ghost is better." the kid muttered, just loud enough for Han to hear.

Chewie growled something before Han could do something he'd regret.

"Hey! It was not my fault! It was that stupid droid! Telling me my landing job was crooked! And then," He looked pointedly at Ezra. "He had the nerve to insult my ship to my face as if it were nothing! Bah, this is why I hate droids. He deserved what he got!"

Chewie's responding growl sounding distinctly sarcastic, and whatever he said made Han bristle, but let it go with a dismissive sound, and Ezra cracked a grin.

He liked Han and Chewbacca. He could tell they were good people. They had to be, to have taken in Luke.

Han rose from his seat, seizing a black leather jacket, and accepting his commlink back from Ezra. He turned to his co-pilot briefly.

"Chewie, you stay with the ship. I'll get the kid back to his family."

Chewie yowled concernedly.

"Naw, I'll be fine. Just gotta take Junior here back to Mommy and Daddy and I'll be right back. Easy. Someone needs to stay here in case Luke calls the Falcon though, or happens to find us out here. We're not leaving without him."

On the way, Ezra made some attempts at small talk, and Han responded to some of it beyond grunts, but Ezra could tell the man was not much for idle chatter, so they eventually lapsed into slightly awkward silence.

Han surprised him by suddenly asking, "So what happened exactly? Between you and Luke?"

Ezra gladly explained all that had occurred in detail, from the moment he and Luke conked heads in the ventilation duct to the escape pod crashing, again omitting the part about him jumping from the pod when it was still hundreds of meters above the ground.

Han listened seriously, and Ezra felt his concern for his young friend, as well as his anger over the treatment at the hands of the Imperials. Ezra's opinion of him rose a few more notches.

Not for the first time, he berated himself for how he'd handled this whole situation. Why, oh why, hadn't he grabbed Luke?

In the heat and panic of the moment, when they were being thrown about the cabin, he hadn't quite thought to make sure Luke jumped with him. Of course he wouldn't follow! Luke must have thought he was insane! But there hadn't really been an ideal opportunity to explain about the whole Jedi thing, and he had hoped to leave that to Master Obi-wan, or Ahsoka, or even Kanan.

Should he have just explained what he could to Luke at first chance? Or would that have guaranteed Luke being convinced of his insanity.

...Maybe he could have tried to slow the pod down? ...No, that would have taken a vastly greater effort than slowing two people. He never would have managed it, not at his current level of strength and focus.

There is no try, as Kanan said.

Regardless, there was no way of knowing now. He was sure Kanan would tell him not to dwell on what might have happened. Rather he should simply learn from mistakes and move on or he really would drive himself insane, and he knew his mentor would be right.

At least he knew Luke was relatively okay. He had hope that Kanan could seek the other boy out. That was another thing; they would probably have to explain to Han that they needed to take Luke with them. He doubted that one would go over easily considering Han's stubborn personality and obvious attachment to Luke, and Ezra was determined to leave that one up to Hera and Kanan.

As they neared their destination, a squad of stormtroopers were at the entrance, checking people's ID's.

"...Figures." They both said, then blinked at each other as they realized they had spoken almost in unison.

Ezra glanced around, searching for anything that might provide a diversion and came up with nothing.

He was about to ask Han if he had any suggestions on the next course of action when a lumbering, grotesque, disgruntled-looking alien of a species he couldn't name came into view. The being, male, he presumed, shoved and jostled anyone who blocked his path.

He realized Han was speaking to him.

"I think we better head outta here before they notice us. We'll have to try a different way."

"Hold on." He told Han. "I got an idea."

Han watched in trepidation as the ridiculous boy sidled over the massive, terrifying alien making his way around the bend.

"Hey, whoa, Mister." He lowered his tone as offering a secret. "Did you hear what that guy over there was saying about you?"

He gestured vaguely to a rodian thug currently picking on a stall owner, just out of the stormtroopers sight. Not that they were likely to care much about the clear injustice.

"Saying 'bout me? What he saying?" he did not speak, so much as bellow. It was obvious he did not speak basic very well, nor was he the sharpest knife in the drawer it seemed, but to be fair, it did not take much for most thugs to pick a fight.

Han chewed his lip, wondering what in seven hells the kid was trying to accomplish by riling this guy up. He hoped he wouldn't have to bring the kid's mashed up corpse back to his family.

"He said," Ezra paused as though for affect. "That you were nothing more than a big, dumb, yellow-bellied bantha-breathed, hutt-faced sleemo who couldn't so much as hit a stone wall. And he could take you anytime."

The being's face, if possible, appeared to become even more disfigured as his features twisted with rage. "Oh? He say that did he?"

Ezra leaned against a crate, rubbing his knuckles and examining them nonchalantly. "Mmhm. Oh yes, and he also," He paused again, whispering as if he hardly dared speak the next words. "Insulted your mother."

"He wha?!"

"Yup. I heard it. He said, ' and that goes for his mother too!'"

That seemed to be the last straw for the alien. He stalked over to the rodian, towering over him and the creature looked up in surprise and then was on the defense as the bigger being attacked.

The stormtroopers, as was no doubt Ezra's hope, moved to intervene and pull apart the brawling men.

Han stared for several seconds, then had to hold in a laugh. Obviously this boy was used to conning, in contrast to Luke. No offense to the kid. Luke was smart, resourceful and talented, but the kid was practically an open book most of the time, wearing his heart on his sleeve as he did. He couldn't lie to save his life.

Not to mention he would have probably felt bad for the next week about making the two fight.

"Come on." Ezra said, moving back to him. "Now's our chance!"

Luke's panic was momentarily tempered by his surprise at recognising the lasat, the same lasat he was sure, that he had approached a few… -what was it now? Days? Weeks? -earlier.

But beyond that, his eyes were drawn to the tall man beside the lasat, whose eyes were fixated on Luke with an intensity that made Luke shrink down further. He'd made up his mind to jump up and run again when the energy, as he had dubbed it, was humming around the man, somehow moving under his influence. Luke flinched as he felt warm, but firm tendrils of the energy grasp at him, latch onto him, attempting to keep him in place.

He wriggled, disliking the sensation immensely. They energy only wound around him more tightly.

Kanan held the boy in place and reached down to grasp him physically.

The boy thrashed and dragged his feet.

"Stop that." Kanan grunted.

The command accomplished nothing. The boy, that is, Luke, he reminded himself again, thrashed and wriggled harder still.

He tried a different tactic "It's alright, Luke." He said in what he hoped was a soothing tone.

As soon as he said it, he knew it was a mistake. The boy froze, eyes wide with bewilderment and a hint of fear.

Blast. Now he seemed even more threatened. But he decided to plow ahead and swiftly took advantage of the boy's shock.

It didn't take much effort to lift the slight teen off the ground, his legs dangling. What did take a lot of effort was to actually hold onto him as he, thinking he'd been tricked, which was partly true, thrashed and kicked relentlessly once more.

Kanan hissed and cursed under his breath as the boy's sharp, boney heels caught his shin bones, and his hold involuntarily loosened from the tremors the blows sent through his frame.

It was enough for the kid to, with one last enormous effort, break out of the man's grasp and he made a dash down the alley. No! They couldn't lose him now!

"Zeb, stop him!"

The huge lasat lithely moved to block the boy's path, arms out, ready to catch him.

Luke skidded and spun back around to find his path already blocked by Kanan.

It occurred to him distantly, that this was hardly the best way to gain Luke's trust, much less endear him to them. Ideally they would talk to each other calmly, if only the kid would just stay still for one kriffing minute!

Still, they'd been prepared to take Luke forcefully if absolutely necessary. The boy didn't know it yet, but this was for his own good.

He was expecting the boy to try and make a dash past one of them and head for one of the two exits. He did not expect him to throw himself at Kanan and make a grab for Kanan's blaster strapped to his hip.

Luke almost got ahold of it, but Kanan recovered from his surprise in time to grab his arm and yank him bodily away.

However, as a result of the maneuver, the boy was able to slip past him. Away he sped and was gone before Kanan realized what had occurred. Kanan blinked after him. He realized the dive for his blaster had essentially been a feint as a means to get past the man.

Clever boy. He thought, his amusement and amazement warring with his annoyance and frustration.

"Come on!" He called to Zeb, and took off, not waiting for the lasat to follow.

No sooner did Kanan step out of the alleyway, then he stopped, swinging his head this way and that. But he knew using his eyes would do him little good.

He closed his eyes, reaching out with his senses, spreading them out around him, sweeping, searching...

There.

He felt it. That blazing sun in the Force. Gradually, he pulled his senses in, honing in on the now unmistakable Force presence as he had earlier. It wasn't too far.

With Zeb following he walked a couple blocks, the Force guiding him. He hurried, but from what he could tell Luke wasn't moving.

He paused when he reached a square with some stalls. Crates, barrels and supplies were scattered on either side of the street.

He glanced back at Zeb and motioned to him. "Go back to the ship and tell Hera we found him." He whispered once Zeb had moved silently to his side. "If Ezra shows up com and let me know. I'll comm once I make my way back with Luke."

"Uh," Zeb rubbed the back of his neck. "don't you mean tell her we lost him?"

"No. I know where he is." He said quietly, his eyes were trained on the large, temporarily abandoned barrel off to one side, behind a slew of storage containers.

Zeb knew better than to ask, so he complied, grumbling under his breath, "If you ask me, we should just drag the little scug back to the ship, drop him off at the fleet and be done with him."

Kanan didn't bother acknowledging the complaints, instead focusing on the barrel wherein lay his objective. This time he would take things gradually.

Kanan approached the barrel silently, treading softly with practised ease. He could feel the boy inside, huddled and agitated. Tired and hungry. Alone and unsure.

Well, look who's here? If it isn't a baby Jedi...

He shook his head as if that would fling the old memory that sprung unbidden to his mind away. Hera had subtly pointed out the parallels between himself and this boy, of which there were perhaps more than with Ezra… but he didn't like to think about that.

He didn't peer into the barrel. Instead he leaned against the wall beside it, a few paces distant.

"You know," he began, as soothing and unthreatening as he could manage. "Someone will probably need this barrel eventually."

The slightest sound came from the depths of the container when the boy must have flinched, but otherwise there was no reply.

He sighed. "Luke." He said calmly.

Nothing.

He raised his voice just a little.

"Luke Skywalker."

At the use of his surname there was a sharp, barely audible intake of breath. But the fear was veiled with uncertainty now, and Kanan could feel the boy's full attention on him, though Luke couldn't see him. Kanan was sure he would still try to escape if he got the chance. He felt it.

"Use your feelings Luke Skywalker. You know I mean you no harm."

The boy was still tense, but now that he wasn't actively trying to run away, and wasn't as high on adrenaline and fear, Kanan could sense his intense exhaustion clearly. When had the boy slept last? Had he even eaten within the last day? Two days? Little wonder he was barely thinking rationally.

"You're very anxious and tired right now Luke." He tried. "Let us help you. I swear we don't want to hurt you, just to get you out of here to safety."

Still nothing.

To be honest Kanan really did want to do just what Zeb suggested, but from how this had gone so far he doubted that would end well. Well, was he a Jedi, or was he a Jedi? Patience. That was what was required here. There could be danger at any moment, but he deemed it worth the risk if it meant not traumatizing the child further. He would know if danger came.

Kanan settled himself to wait as long as it took, making himself as comfortable as he could on the hard ground.

"I'll wait until you're ready to come out Luke. You can take your time. I'll be here."

"...By the way," A thought occurred to him and he cleared his throat. Even now, some hardened part of him was repelled at the idea of getting close to this boy, but... "My name is Kanan Jarrus."

Through the boards of the barrel he'd taken refuge in Luke could make out the figure of the man. The boy was silently surprised that, after what was at least twenty clikks, the man was still settled in the same position several paces away from him, face calm and unwavering.

He hadn't lost patience yet and either stalked off or attempted to drag Luke from his makeshift hiding place.

Luke, for his part, was getting stiff limbs and sore neck. The man, Kanan, had told him to trust his feelings. Did he mean these strange premonitions and sense Luke had for things? Was he like Luke? Like... Ezra?

As for what his feelings told him... The man was right. He felt no danger for himself from the man. Now that his adrenaline and anxiety was subsiding, he could discern, in the core of his being… that this person was indeed a friend.

But he had to prove it. He wanted to test this man further, so he stayed put for what had to be at least an hour or maybe two before he came out.

He shuffled, moving his cramped limbs slowly, getting the blood to flow again.

Kanan had never completely zoned out for a moment. His senses were cast out, scanning for possible danger constantly, also waiting for any sign of decision from the boy.

He understood that this was a test, and he was willing to wait. He just hoped he passed before they were discovered here. Ezra had used the Force in front of Imperials. They could hope the Imperials weren't intelligent enough to comprehend what had occurred or its significance, but better to be safe. Inquisitors may come. The Sith Lord, Darth Vader may come, but the Force told him to wait.

And wait he did for he knew not how long. His comm beeped a couple of times, most likely Hera trying to reach him but he elected to ignore it.

Nearly every survival instinct told him to just take Luke by force and get the heck off this planet and yet-

And yet he stayed put. He was still. At peace.

Luke would decide to trust him, or he would not. From what he'd witnessed and sensed, Luke didn't respond well at all to force, or perhaps, direct commands.

This was a crucial time. And so he waited.

Finally, Kanan heard a shuffling sound and his attention was on the opening of the barrel in an instant.

Luke poked his head out, hands on the edge of the barrel, like a small creature popping its head out of its hole to see if there was danger. His eyes immediately found Kanan's.

Still seated, Kanan offered his hand eyebrows raised slightly but the boy shook his head. There were two crates stacked atop each other beside and on-level with the opening of the barrel and Luke put his arms on the surface of the top one. The barrel was almost as deep as Luke was tall and the boy had to heave and push to get himself clear of the container, until he was sitting on the top crate. He dropped down and almost toppled over from the impact, his fatigue almost getting the better of him.

Kanan briefly considered putting out a hand to support him, but decided grabbing the boy without warning would not be favorable. Thankfully the boy steadied himself, and stood up straight determinedly, hinting at a resilient spirit.

Kanan didn't move. He let Luke come to him.

Luke was standing in front of him in a moment, and Kanan craned his neck a little to look up at him.

"You're still here." The boy observed. They were the first actual words he had said to Kanan. He had a young, boyish voice.

"I told you I would be." He replied simply.

He and Luke stared into each other's eyes, each of them assessing the other.

Kanan rose slowly, stretching numb and cramped limbs as he did so. When he stood he was almost toe to toe with Luke, but to his satisfaction the boy didn't move away. He had to crane his neck a little now, as he was much shorter than Kanan.

"We… got off on the wrong foot you and I. Why don't we start over?" Kanan suggested.

He took half a step back in order to hold out his hand.

"My name is Kanan Jarrus."

After a moment Luke grasped the hand with his smaller one.

"I'm Luke Skywalker." But you knew that already, was left unsaid.

Hera pounced on the comm the moment it beeped, barely taking a moment to confirm the source before answering. "Specter One?" She said into it, breathless with anticipation.

"Specter Two." Came the reply and Hera smiled with relief.

"You secured our target?" She asked hopefully, even as she braced herself for bad news.

"I did."

"Is that Kanan?" Ezra, who'd been returned by Captain Solo, poked his head into the cockpit. "Is Luke with him?"

Hera glanced at them then snapped her gaze back to the comm when Kanan spoke up again.

"Seems like we'll have to take the long way around. Imperial patrols are thick."

"Is he coming back yet? I'm tired of waiting around doing nothing!" Zeb, who'd appeared in the doorway complained.

"Yeah. If we're gonna run, let's run, if there's gonna be a fight, let's fight. I'm itching for some action." Sabine popped up and inputted.

"Hera."

"Hera!"

"Hera?" Kanan's voice crackled.

Hera waved the peanut gallery behind her off impatiently. "Just get the both of you back here safely." Hera told Kanan. "If nothing happens, we'll be waiting."

Kanan shut off the comm and turned to the boy fidgeting beside him.

He opened his mouth to speak when his ears picked up the in-time stomping of Imperial stormtroopers amongst the random mass of varying stepping from civilians.

These blasted bucketheads were everywhere!

"Come on!" He whispered harshly to the boy.

Luke caught on and didn't resist, allowing Kanan to usher him down a side alley and into the shelter of a decaying overhang. Kanan pushed him against the wall with an outstretched arm against Luke's chest just in time before the troopers came into sight.

Once the din of armored feet passed them safely by and faded Kanan leaned forward just to see for himself that the coast was clear. Once confirmed, he pulled his arm away. Luke had briefly clutched at the arm out of reflex, but dropped his hands when Kanan released him.

"We have to go Luke. I know you're still confused and have questions, but they have to wait. Everything will be explained to you in due time, but for now we must leave this planet."

"I know… I know somehow… that you're right."

Kanan noted Luke seemed to have a clearer head now. Was it the Force?

Then Luke shook his head.

"But, my friends…"

"We can sort that out later. For now, come."

Luke and Kanan jogged in silence for a few blocks, hiding whenever they passed patrols.

Then they reached a dead end.

Kanan slowed to a stop and frowned at the dense line of bucketheads lining the street.

"Oh no."

"They set up a checkpoint." Luke observed from behind him.

They were stopping everyone, checking ids, searching carts and vehicles.

What are they hiding on Jedha? Kanan wondered to himself.

"What do we do?" Luke asked, breathless.

He said nothing. He began calmly backing away, Luke following suite.

A tinny voice made them pause for one precious moment. "You two! Halt!"

Kanan took off, Luke close behind. He knew the stormtroopers were following. They dodged blaster fire.

Kanan dove down alleyways, jumped over crumbling walls and structures, every so often checking that Luke was keeping up with him. Despite the situation, the boy seemed very calm… but perhaps that was because he was simply too tired to be afraid anymore.

Vendors and civilians who they almost ran into or whose possessions they knocked over yelled and cursed at them.

Kanan commed Hera while running.

"He didn't wait for her to greet him when she picked up. Hera! Change of plan! We're gonna need a pick up!"

She knew better than to ask questions. "On the way!"

Kanan didn't completely know how he and Luke had ended up here on the top story of the condemned Imperial building in the center of Jedha. It had been the only option at the time. It seemed out of place on the rag-tag world. Almost as if whoever had it built had been trying to replicate building on Coruscant.

All he knew was that they were very, very high up.

At least it was ideal for a pick up from Hera. They could be out of here in no time, but they would have to go to the very top and out onto the roof.

They quickly found it was condemned for a very good reason. They would have died a few different times if not for their Force senses. Luke was keeping himself safe well enough, though a couple times Kanan had to grab him when a piece of the floor gave way underneath him.

He hadn't thought the imperials would be foolish enough to follow them.

There were fewer than he would have expected. Imperials were arrogant, but they were also cowards. Some must have died on the way up, he realized.

The smug-looking officer that led them stepped forward and looked down his nose at the two of them. "Well, Rebels. You gave us a good chase, but this is the end of the-"

Kanan didn't bother waiting for him to finish.

It was a simple thing to pull the blasters from the troopers' grips and send them all through the window. They fell, and shards of glass fell screaming to the ground far below.

There was a shout of alarm from Luke and Kanan whirled around to see the officer had seized Luke by the hair and had dragged him close. He was holding a blaster to the boy's temple.

Luke was grimacing from pain and anxiety. In reflex, he had the eye closest to the blaster closed, while the other was fixed on the threat to his life.

The man was quite pale, but there was still a dangerous resolve in his eyes. "One-One wrong move- Jedi!" he spat. "And the boy will die!"

Before Kanan could reply, the building suddenly gave a creaking shudder.

The building was collapsing onto its side!

The officer stumbled, trying to keep his footing, still holding onto Luke tightly. Kanan moved in rhythm with the structure, his arms reflexively moving out to help him keep his balance.

The building shuddered again, and with an ear-splitting screech it lowered violently and abruptly so that it was leaning dangerously.

As this happened, the officer fell in the same direction, still clutching Luke. He hit the window that had now almost become the floor with a sickening thud. He immediately went limp, blood pouring from his temple and his slack form dropped, eerily silent through the broken, gaping opening.

Luke had been thrown onto a still intact part of the window. But it was cracking, splintering, and spreading quickly.

Kanan steadied himself and released his anxiety into the Force. He forced himself to remain calm. He had meant to get the child out of danger, now he was lying on a near-shattered window pane in a toppled tower.

"Luke. Luke don't move."

He needn't have bothered saying it for Luke was utterly frozen, staring down at the drop beneath his fingers. The only thing between him and that drop being a precariously thin pane of glass.

One that was fractured. Fractures that were spreading at an alarming rate.

Kanan very cautiously moved as close as he dared. Every quiver and clatter of broken glass making him and Luke tense even more than they already were.

"Move towards me slowly. Luke."

Luke tore his gaze away from the drop beneath him and stared, terrified, at Kanan.

"I promise. I won't let you fall." Kanan poured as much sincerity as he could into the words.

The Force screamed a warning and the glass gave way.

Kanan threw himself down, but he knew he wouldn't be able to grab Luke in time. His feet hit the frame of the shattered window, braced on either side of it. He reached out with the Force and pulled.

He pulled Luke up within reach and he snatched the boy's hand tightly.

Luke's involuntary screech was cut off by Kanan stopping his fall.

"I got you! I've got you." Kanan assured.

Luke glanced between him and the distant ground wildly, eyes wide and no air moving past his lips.

"Don't look down! Just look at me!" Kanan instructed.

With a mighty tug, he hoisted Luke up, grabbing him under the arms the moment he could.

He switched to a one-handed hold so as to drag himself and Luke up through the destroyed tower to the outer side that was now the top. When he did so, however, Luke tightened his hold on Kanan.

"Not letting go." Kanan grunted.

Together they crawled, dragged and shuffled their way to the outside. By the end of it they both had a fair collection of small cuts and slivers. Kanan laid the quivering boy down beside him, then both tried to catch their breath and slow their racing hearts.

"Who...who are you? What are you?" He heard Luke ask between heavy breaths. He turned to look at him. Luke's eyes were a mix of wonder and disbelief. Kanan considered many different ways to respond. He settled for placing a hand on the boy's shoulder.

"I'm like you."

Almost on cue, the Ghost soared over to their location and Kanan rose, pulling Luke up with him by the bicep.

Still in midair, the ramp of the Ghost lowered and Zeb appeared at the top, gesturing for them.

Kanan understood what had to be done. The Ghost certainly couldn't land here and it couldn't get any closer. They would have to jump for it.

Kanan glanced down at the boy still clinging to him. "Want to jump first or second?" He asked, trying to sound unconcerned at the prospect.

Luke eyes blew wide open and Kanan plowed ahead before panic gripped the kid again.

"I recommend letting me go first, and then I can pull you onboard when you jump. It's easier to pull than push."

Luke stared unblinking at him.

Realizing Luke didn't quite understand what he meant(How had he slipped into how he typically spoke to Ezra?) and seeing as now was not the time for a lesson on the Force, Kanan lowered his voice and squeezed Luke's shoulder. "I won't let you fall." He said, echoing his earlier sentiment.

Luke took a deep breath and nodded. "Okay. I can do it. I'll go second." he croaked, and forced himself to release his death grip on Kanan's shirt.

Kanan nodded back and took a few careful steps backwards before running to leap off the structure, farther than any human should be able to jump, and landed deftly on the Ghost ramp.

He turned and beckoned to Luke, signaling he was ready for him.

Even despite the distance he was able to make out Luke's uncertain expression.

He was about to call to the boy when the structure shifted dangerously underneath Luke and he was suddenly struggling to keep his footing.

He did shout now.

"Jump Luke, jump!"

The boy flailed a few breathless moments more before throwing uncertainty to the wind and, with a running start, leaping as far as he could with the little strength he had left in his body.

Despite his evident exhaustion he managed an impressive jump. It was a little farther than a normal human should be able to jump, but he still would've fallen short of the ramp had Kanan not gathered the Force, threw out a hand and pulled.

Luke landed shakily and his legs gave out underneath him. His knees would've hit the ramp panels had Kanan not caught him under the arms and helped him inside the body of the Ghost.

Once safely inside, Kanan lowered the trembling boy to the floor.

Luke sat, leaning heavily on his arms, breathing heavily with his near-useless legs splayed out to one side.

"Why did you come?" He breathed, not looking at him.

"We're here for you, Luke."

Kanan was never sure Luke heard the words before he blacked out.

He deftly caught the unconscious boy as he slumped. Quickly assessing his condition with the Force, he slipped one hand under his knees, the other behind his back and carried him through the Ghost, Zeb following.

"What happened?" Hera asked as she brushed aside some locks of hair in Luke's face and eyed the nicks and smudged blood on the pair of them.

Kanan breathed out tiredly. "He fainted. It's for the best. He's been conscious too long I think."

Taking his meaning, Hera ran her eyes over the boy, her features etched with empathy for the little waif.

They put him in Kanan's bunk.

"He's had several good scares in just a couple days. And I don't know if he's slept or eaten in that time either." Kanan explained.

"Poor little tyke." Zeb murmured from the back of the room, genuine sympathy in his voice.

They were interrupted by the sound and sight of Ezra zooming past the room. He must have glimpsed them inside, because they heard him skid to halt and stumble back into view of the open doorway.

"HEY! Where's-"

"SSHH." Hera shushed him harshly, gesturing with her head to the unconscious Luke.

"Oh." Ezra said, immediately lowering his voice. "Is he okay?"

Sabine poked her head in as well as Kanan took a seated position on the floor and tiredly filled all of them in on what had transpired.

Hera tended to as many of the cuts and nicks on Luke Skywalker as she could while the boy slept. She gave him a hypo to hydrate him somewhat as well.

He never stirred.

Despite the circumstances of their obtaining the child, It was a relief beyond measure that he was safely in their company.

She'd gotten her first good look at him when Kanan had carried him inside. Surprise had filled her as she was met by the face of the boy she had caught quietly admiring the Ghost not so long ago. She preferred not to consider how much trouble she would have saved them had she merely asked who he was back then.

She idly wondered what would become of him once they delivered him to Ahsoka and Master Kenobi. Would they take the boy away and hide him? Take him to train? Surely he would be trained to some degree. So few Jedi were left in the galaxy. That was one reason she'd convinced Kanan to take Ezra to train.

While she knew the Jedi Master former Jedi would decide what was best, some part of her hoped he would remain with the Rebel fleet. After all, she wasn't blind to how exuberant Ezra had been, just at the idea of Luke Skywalker. He could do with a friend his age who could understand the intimate part of that was his power in the Force.

As she finished applying a bacta patch to Luke's arm, she heard a break in the boy's, until then, constant breathing. Her eyes snapped to his face.

He took a deeper breath that was accompanied by a bit of a whine in the back of his throat.

She watched as he shifted, groaned and settled again. After a moment, he blinked his eyes open.

He gazed at the roof of the bunk above him. His forehead krinkled very slightly in distant confusion before blearily sliding his gaze down to the sheets, then around him.

He started at the sight of her, eyes flying wide open.

She hurried to reassure him, holding out her hands, not quite touching him. "Hush, Love. Hush."

She crouched in front of the boy, getting on eye level with him, a gentle smile dusting her features. "Hello Luke. I don't suppose you remember me?"

"I… recognise you…."

"My name is Hera. You met Kanan I believe. You passed out after he brought you on board. Do you remember?"

"Kanan…" He murmured. "Right."

She held out a container of a water ration, which Luke spent one moment eyeing before taking it meekly from her.

Despite how thirsty he must be, he drank gradually, with the experience of one who knows the effects of possible dehydration and how to treat it

When he'd drank his fill of the water she held out a ration bar, and Luke accepted with a nod of gratitude. She left him to eat and Luke tore into the ration bar.

He'd finished by the time Hera returned with Kanan. She offered the water again. He took it, but didn't drink. He kept his gaze on the water container for a few seconds, then looked between her and Kanan's faces.

"Who are you?"

Kanan and Hera exchanged a brief glance before Kanan answered. "We're a small rebel cell, fighting against the Empire's tyranny."

He seemed to consider that for a while, then swallowed. "What do you want with me?" He asked quietly, shoulders hunched, eyes downcast.

"We only want to keep you safe-"

"Luke!"

Kanan and Hera glanced behind them, unsurprised to see Ezra in the doorway. The blond's head swiveled to look at the doorway and he blinked in surprise. "...Ezra?"

The other boy beamed and tried to move towards him, but was held back by Kanan.

"Luke." Hera said seriously. "I know we're strangers, and that you have no reason to trust us. But Ben Kenobi sent us."

Luke's spine straightened and his eyebrows shot up. The name obviously meant something to him. Hera went on.

"He's been trying to find you since your aunt and uncle were killed." He flinched at the mention of his guardians' deaths, but otherwise only watched Hera intently.

Hera continued her fussing over the both of them, tending to various small injuries. Luke was uncomfortable while Kanan seemed annoyed.

It was bewildering to say the least, to see all these people he vaguely recognised in one place. And to learn that they'd all apparently been searching for him. There was that lasat from earlier. Luke had first recognised him as such from the databooks Han had given him to keep him occupied in his spare time. There was that Mandalorian girl with colorful armor and hair he'd crossed paths with in the weaponry shop.

He didn't think he was in danger. Ezra was friendly and Hera was kind. And Kanan. The tall man had saved him at risk to himself. He owed him.

And they knew Ben Kenobi's name. Ben Kenobi….

One thing he knew for certain: These were not bad people.

Even so, just because their intentions were pure alone did not mean allowing them to take Luke wherever it was they were wanting to take him was a good idea.

Yet…

Skywalkers had never been known for taking the safest option.

Luke sat stiffly in the passenger area on the ship known as the Ghost.

Before long, they docked with a rag-tag fleet and everyone made to leave the ship.

Ezra had opened his mouth to say something to him, but he'd been silenced and ushered out by Kanan.

The twilek lady, Hera, gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze as she passed. "Stay right here please, Luke." She smiled reassuringly at him, and followed the others out the exit.

What did these people want with him? Why were they looking for him and how did they know his name? He was nobody after all. These questions had been burning in his mind for some time now, and he hoped he was about to get some answers.

He was startled out of his thoughts by a hooded, bearded figure entering the ship. He fixed his gaze on Luke, standing stock still for several moments. Then the figure, man, approached and stood over him. Luke looked up into his face...

...And found himself looking up into the kind grey-blue eyes of Old Ben Kenobi.

Chapter Text

Luke never imagined how wonderful it would be to see a familiar, friendly face. Especially after this long, confusing, frightening ordeal.

He hadn't even known Old Ben that well, but the man had always been warm and kind to Luke. He had also always been a mystery that Luke could not work out. Whenever he and Ben crossed paths he would look at Luke strangely, a deep-set melancholy in his gaze, even when he smiled, as if there were a thousand things he wanted to say to Luke but never had the opportunity to do so.

He had also gotten Luke out of trouble on more than one occasion and even saved his life. Even at those times however, Uncle Owen had been less than welcoming to the old hermit, and the man never lingered for long. Even so, Luke had spotted him many times watching him from a distance, like some phantom guardian spirit watching over him.

In any case, Luke surprised both himself and Ben by jumping up and embracing the man, tears stinging his eyes.

Old Ben recovered and wrapped his arms around Luke in return, patting his shoulder fondly.

"Ben! Oh Ben! Am I glad to see you!" Luke was trying in earnest not to cry, and it could be heard in his voice, he knew.

"It's alright Luke." Ben soothed him. "There there. Everything's alright."

A huge burden lifted from Obi-wan's shoulders when he laid eyes on young Luke.

Every moment the boy was out in the galaxy on his own, with who knew what happening to him was a torturous one for Obi-wan. The last two years had been filled with anxiety and worry the likes of which he had not suffered for decades. Only the Force and a lifetime of dealing with uncertain situations allowed him to remain rational and relatively calm.

For a time, he had struggled with whether or not to seek out extra help. He knew once Luke was exposed there would be no going back from it. There would be many who would insist on at least meeting him, Ahsoka foremost among them. And he knew Luke was enough like his father, and mother for that matter, that he would want to know more, and that of course meant revealing everything to him. His heritage, the secret of his birth and truth of his parents' deaths. And of course, the power that was his birthright. And then Luke would be forced to make difficult choices, such as alliances. Luke would be irreversibly dragged into the conflict. He'd hoped to spare the boy that for a while yet. Hoped to have more time to prepare him for all he was bound to face. But it was clearly the will of the Force that he sought out Ahsoka and this particular rebel cell to aid him. At last, Luke was here, safe and sound.

Yet, even now, it was almost painful to look at him. He looked so much like Anakin had at this age.

"Ben, why am I here? Why were you looking for me?" Luke spoke before he could really think, and cringed a bit, realizing. "I mean, I really appreciate it, but… Why go to so much trouble for me?"

Old Ben gazed at Luke, hands on his shoulders. He watched the old man take a breath.

"Luke, what do you know of your father?" He asked after a beat, gesturing for Luke to sit down again, doing likewise.

Luke's heart stuttered a little in his chest.

Why was Ben asking….?

"My- my father?"

"My father didn't fight in the wars. He was a navigator on a spice freighter." Luke exclaimed, sounding almost amused.

Obi-wan said nothing, his eyes flicking all over Luke's face, trying to decide where to even begin.

"That's what your uncle told you." He suggested seriously.

Luke jerked his chin up, blinking, then hunched his shoulders, glancing away.

"You mustn't hold it against him, Luke." Obi-wan said kindly. "Owen had strong opinions, and he only ever wished to protect you. I don't blame him either. It's what I asked of him after all."

Luke's eyes snapped to his, but the boy said nothing, so Obi-wan went on.

"He didn't hold with your father's ideals, thought he should've stayed home and not gotten involved in the Wars."

"You fought in the Clone Wars?" Luke asked, puzzlement on his face.

Obi-wan nodded. "Yes. Back when the Clone Wars waged, your father and I fought alongside one another as Jedi Knights." He resisted sighing as he almost always did when thinking of the days long past.

Luke mouthed 'Jedi Knight'. His eyes widened and he looked at Ben with a new-found wonder. "So….You really knew him? My father?"

Obi-wan nodded slowly. "He was the best star-pilot in the galaxy." he paused for a beat considering what other basic details he could offer for the moment. "And a cunning warrior." he added.

"... And he was a good friend." A smile touched his face, and a familiar warmth filled him as he spoke of these things to his dearest friend's child.

Luke took in everything that Old Ben said, a thousand emotions washing through him.

"Is… is this why Uncle Owen never let me speak to you?" He queried eventually

"Yes." The old man confirmed. "He feared you might follow old Obi-wan on some damn, fool idealistic crusade, like your father did."

Luke almost didn't want to ask the next question, but…. He had to know...

"How… did my father die?"

Here Obi-wan seemed to be more distant than ever, his words quiet, almost reverent. "A young Jedi, who called himself Darth Vader… helped the Empire hunt down and destroy the Jedi Knights. ...He betrayed and murdered your father."

Luke felt something akin to a cold steel piercing his heart, and the sensation sank into his abdomen, sending a painful chill throughout his whole body.

He rubbed his arms, but it did little.

"...Now the Jedi are all but extinct. Vader," Obi-wan went. "Was seduced by the Sith, the eternal enemy of the Jedi. Twisted and evil. He turned to the dark side of the Force."

Luke blinked, a slight frown creasing his forehead. "The Force?" The word felt strange on his tongue. Unfamiliar, yet...

"The Force… is what gives a Jedi his power. It's an energy field, created by all living things. It surrounds us, it penetrates us, it binds the galaxy together. A small portion of beings are born with the ability to feel the Force around them, and, with practice, manipulate it their will. Those trained to use this ability became Jedi Knights."

"Your father was one of these, and he passed his gift to you. For over a thousand generations the Jedi were the guardians of peace, and Justice in the Old Republic. Before the dark times… before the Empire."

Luke nodded slowly, even though he did not completely understand. He thought back through his life, to every unexplained event where he knew something he shouldn't, where something shifted, where something seemed to bend to his will, or he to its will.

Something else clicked in his mind.

"...It was you." He said with wonder. "It was you who brought me to Tatooine. Who gave me to Owen and Beru."

Old Ben, or Obi-wan, smiled. "Your insight serves you well. Yes, it was I. I bought you there to be raised by your aunt and your uncle, where you could be safe. And I remained to watch over you."

Luke leaned back, exhaling heavily.

Obi-wan seemed to sense how overwhelmed he was becoming and his expression softened. "Come." He said, putting an arm around Luke, prompting him to stand with him. "We can come back to that later. For now, you should eat and rest. You look about ready to fall over, Little One."

Luke nodded gratefully. He had slept some earlier, but was still very much exhausted. He felt he could sleep forever.

"However, before that…" He smiled a distant, mysterious smile. "there's someone else I need to introduce you to. I would tell her to wait, but I think she might do something rash at this point if I tried. She's very anxious to meet you."

Hera watched from the hanger entrance as Master Kenobi led Luke off the Ghost, and she and Kanan boarded after they had gone.

The poor boy must be so bewildered by all this. No matter how often it happened, it always hurt her to meet orphans who did nothing to deserve their lot in life, particularly when their lot was due to the Empire's terrany. She had seen it and lived it too often in her lifetime.

She had seen the still mostly raw wounds on his wrists, no doubt caused by binders. She had tenderly bandaged them, and the more serious cuts from the glass. Now, as she straightened out the bunk he'd been resting in, she wondered whether they would see him again.

She checked on Chopper who was charging up, then approached Kanan in the lounge area as he pulled off his boots.

She raised her eyebrows at him. "So?"

"So, what?"

"What do you think of him?" She didn't bother to explain who she meant.

Kanan shrugged. "What am I supposed to think? As far as Force potential, he would make one hell of a Jedi. He's incredibly powerful." He snorted in derision. "Even if it's a big galaxy, It's a sheer miracle he hadn't been discovered and caught by any of the inquisitors yet." He got quiet for a moment. "He shines in the Force…Like a thousand stars…" He trailed off.

Hera studied him for a few moments, digesting his words. "It is a big galaxy, but perhaps we got to him just in time." She suggested at length.

Kanan merely grunted in response, closing his eyes and leaning back. He was tired. It had been a long past few days.

"I like him." Hera smiled fondly "He seems very sweet."

"He's got spunk too." Kanan said ruefully, reaching down to rub his shins where the boy had kicked him. There were bruises forming there, he was sure of it.

Hera's smile widened. "Seems like he'll fit in perfectly around here." She remarked seemingly off-handedly, but the playful undertone in her voice was obvious.

Kanan simply groaned at the idea. "As far as I'm concerned, the last thing we- I need is another overly-enthusiastic, moody, Force-sensitive teenager hanging around here, giving me back-talk."

He cared deeply about Ezra, but the boy was a handful even at the best of times. To have another one of them to take care of, train, keep out of trouble...his head hurt and bones ached just thinking about it.

"We don't know yet what Master Kenobi and Ahsoka's plans are yet. Anything could happen, and I, for one, am content to let them have him." He stated, conviction in his tone. He could barely handle Ezra's rapidly maturing powers. There was no way he was capable enough to supervise a young powerhouse like Luke Skywalker. He'd be well seen to in the company Ahsoka and Master Kenobi.

Hera hummed, and after a beat, commented, "Ezra seems very attached to him already. I think he's convinced we have to adopt him now."

Kanan scowled at her, but from the smile on her face… Stang, he had a bad feeling about this.

Ben led Luke through the hanger and further into the ship. All the while he kept hold of him and kept glancing down at him as if to reassure himself Luke was still there.

Luke had other questions of course, but he was too weary to push for answers. The energy… The Force, was settled around him now.

He brought Luke to a door and keyed it open.

It opened to a sort of small conference room of some kind, with a table and seats. The only occupant was seated at the table, her back to them. It was a togruta woman. She twisted around when they entered.

Even seated he could tell she was tall, even by togruta standards. She had orange skin, and blue and white striped montrals. White symbols marked her face.

The moment her pale blue eyes landed on Luke she froze.

When their eyes met something in Luke seemed to leap and dance and laugh and he did not understand it.

Ben took his hand and walked towards her, forcing Luke to follow.

He stopped and pulled Luke smoothly in front of the togruta woman, placing his hands on Luke's shoulders as if to keep him in place.

"Luke, this is Ahsoka Tano. She was your father's own Jedi student for a time. Ahsoka. Meet Luke Skywalker."

Ahsoka stared deep into his eyes and he into hers. Luke tried in vain to understand all he found there. Disbelief, relife, hurt, joy, longing, passion, determination, hope…guilt….

Beyond his usual shyness, he felt the urge to hug her. He wanted to wrap his arms around her neck, rest his head on her shoulder and tell her it was alright now, that he would be here, that nothing was her fault and she shouldn't be sad or blame herself. He almost found himself doing so, his muscles flinched with the involuntary reflex, but his uncertainty ultimately held him back.

Without taking her eyes off his, Ahsoka gingerly reached out and took his smaller hands in her own. Her fingers brushed soothingly over his knuckles, and he felt a whisper move hesitantly over his consciousness. It caressed him, as if trying to recognise anything familiar, and memorize anything unfamiliar.

Trapped in between these two people he barely knew, Luke Skywalker had never felt so safe in his life.

Ahsoka's lips moved but no sound came past them, as if breathing a silent prayer. Her eyes never left his face once.

Then she finally spoke, her voice gentle and smooth, reminding him of Hera's, or his aunt's.

"Hello, Luke."

Luke found his own voice, but a soft "Hi." was all he managed.

He couldn't think what else to say, so he smiled shyly at her instead.

A bittersweet smile broke out on her face in return, like sunlight breaking through clouds.

Ahsoka had no word for the emotion that had hit her in full force when she'd laid eyes on Anakin's child.

'Stay and prepare yourself,' Obi-wan had told her, when he'd gone to fetch Luke.

And she had. She tried to center herself. Prepare herself for the barrage of emotions she knew would hit her when she met Luke. She knew it wouldn't do to lose control in front of the boy like that.

Nothing could have prepared her.

A raw, hurting part of her that she had barely managed to curb, had wanted nothing more than to throw her arms around the boy and weep, apologising for- for… she wasn't sure. Not knowing about him sooner? Not being there for him his whole life as she desperately wished she had been? ...Not being able to save his parents?

Obi-wan caught her eye over Luke's head, a tender, mournful smile on his lips and in his tired eyes.

"Luke."

The boy twisted his neck and torso around to look at him.

"I have something here for you."

Luke cocked his head. "What is it?"

He reached deep into his robes and pulled out-

...She'd know that silver hilt in a thousand years.

Anakin's lightsaber.

How had he gotten ahold of that?

She was afraid to ask.

"This, is your father's lightsaber. It is the weapon of a Jedi Knight."

He handed it to Luke, who took it reverently, turning it over in his hands for several seconds.

Holding it upright, away from his body, he thumbed the activation switch.

The beam sprang to life, and Luke gazed into it, instantly entranced for a moment.

Despite his lack of training, the boy handled it like he was born to, cautiously waving it and looking at it from different angles.

The blue light was reflected in Luke's matching eyes, and Ahsoka felt the Force throb, and weep and there was no explaining it.

A new era had begun.

It was less than a day or so later when Rex met up with the fleet.

Ahsoka met him when he landed.

"Commander Tano... Ahsoka." He smiled at her, that smile of his that was somehow stern and kind at the same time.

"Glad to see you back Rex." She said warmly. "Any complications?"

"None of note. I'll give the full report to Commander Sato?"

Ahsoka nodded. "That would be best."

She noted the way Rex's eyes flicked around, his attention split.

She smiled. She could feel his restless anticipation through the Force. Were he a young child and not a highly trained, battle hardened war veteran, he probably would have been hopping from foot to foot and fiddling his fingers with impatience. She understood. It had taken seeing it for her to fully believe it as well.

"He's on board the Ghost." she said kindly, gesturing with her head in the direction the ship in question was docked.

Rex boarded the Ghost with all the dignity and calm of a trained soldier. He was greeted by Sabine and Zeb who were cleaning their blasters and arguing over something. He was just in time to catch Hera as she stepped out of the cockpit area.

"Oh. Captain Rex." she said.

"Captain Syndulla." he greeted in return.

A noise from within the cockpit drew their attention. A slight figure crawled out from under the Ghost dashboard and got to their feet. "Hera, do you have-" They stopped short when they caught sight of Rex.

Rex froze as he came face to face with a ghost.

...The boy looked just like him. Right down to smudge of engine grease on his cheek. The same hair, chin and his eyes. Especially his eyes. There was no doubt in his mind who this was.

He realized he was staring when the youngling shifted uncomfortably. He glanced at Rex's helmet under his arm with trepidation, then curiosity.

He shook himself out of his reverie and walked carefully up to the boy.

"You must Luke Skywalker." he said reverently.

Luke had to resist the instinct to take a step back as the big, burly man approached him.

He'd been left on the Ghost with Hera to babysit him. Apparently Ahsoka and Ben, or Obi-wan, had wanted to speak to Kanan and Ezra alone. Now he glanced questioningly at Hera and back at the old man. He was brown-skinned, sharp eyes the color of dirty gold under thick eyebrows, bald on his head, with a full, gray-white beard. He wasn't as tall as Kanan, and his face wasn't as stern, this new man's expression was actually quite soft, but still. He looked Luke over as if he were some fascinating new creature he's never seen before.

"You must be Luke Skywalker." He said, curiously gentle.

Part of Luke wanted to groan. Why did so many strangers know who he was? This was starting to get creepy.

"Uh, ...yeah. I am." He rubbed the back of his head glancing at Hera and back to the man, whose eyes never left his face. He spread his hands. "How did you know?"

The man shook his head slowly. "With your father's own eyes staring at me," He said in a quiet tone Luke couldn't place. "How could I not know?"

"You knew my father? Wait-" Luke frowned, puzzling for a moment, studying the man, his armor and the helmet under his arm, then his face cleared. "You're a clone." he said in mild awe.

It hadn't been a question, but the man confirmed anyway. "That's right. Captain Rex of the 501st." He introduced himself, standing a little more straight. "I fought from the Battle of Geonosis to the Siege of Mandalore. And," he added, in a lower tone, "under the command of General and Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker."

Luke's eyes gradually widened as he processed the implications of those words, and he simply said, "Oh."

Ahsoka found Rex pacing outside the Ghost, his helmet hanging in his grip, and rubbing the back of his neck, eyes downcast.

She'd just come from a discussion with Obi-wan, Kanan and Ezra that consisted mostly of Ezra grinning while bouncing in place and Kanan groaning softly while rubbing a hand over his face.

"Rex?" She asked gently, almost afraid to disturb him.

Rex froze at the sound of her voice, but didn't turn to face her.

Undeterred, she approached him, silent, letting him take his time.

He breathed out shakily, and placed his hand over his face, shielding his eyes.

"He looks….he looks….. Just like him," was all he managed. His tone was unnaturally flat.

"I know." She acknowledged, sensing everything her old friend left unsaid. "I know."

She knew. She understood. Besides Obi-wan… and Padme… The two of them had been the closest and most trusted by Anakin. Their proper place was at his side. Always at his side.

But they hadn't been. Not when...

It was a burden to think, to wonder, if they had been beside him… at the end, when it all came crumbling down…. Would his fate have been different?

Would he be here with them now, and not- ….?

They would never know.

And there was no use wondering.

But now… they had a piece of him back.

It was no less than a miracle. A new chance. A new hope.

She didn't have to tell Rex.

He knew.

"Try to connect with him. I don't know him well yet either, but… we have time. I get the feeling he'll eat up anything you're willing to tell him." She advised simply.

After having to leave so as he to gather himself, Rex found the strength to approach Luke again later that day, only Luke found him first.

He saw those startling blue eyes peek around the corner at him in the docks.

"Hi." He said when Rex looked at him, stepping into view, his hands behind his back. His whole posture spoke of awkwardness.

"It was Rex, right?"

"Yes." Rex got past his tight throat.

Luke shifted his weight. "...Um."

Rex took a steadying breath. It was alright. It was alright.

The war was over.

"Wanna know about your dad?"

Luke glanced at the ground to his left, then at him, nodding.

"I didn't know he was a general." There was, it seemed, quite a lot Luke didn't know about his father.

They were seated on some lidded crates, the awkwardness wearing away the more they spoke.

"All the Jedi Knights were made generals during the war, and their padawans were given the rank of commander." Rex explained. "They were put in command of the clone armies, to fight the Separatists."

"So, all the clones were commanded by a Jedi?"

"The majority of us, yes. The Jedi were spread very thinly in those days."

"Did you ever," Luke began, "Resent them? For using you to fight their war?"

Rex's eyebrows lifted marginally and Luke hoped he hadn't overstepped his bounds.

"Most of us considered it an honor and our duty to fight, and if necessary, lay down our lives for the Republic, for our commanders, but most of all, each other. We were more than comrades. We were brothers. But no war is a good war. There were a few who came to resent the Jedi and the Republic for that, yes."

"What about you?"

Rex looked into the distance. After a moment, he said, "No one was blameless in that war. Things happened that never should have. But as a whole, the Jedi were good, and just people. The good ones, and most of them were good ones mind you, treated us like men, rather than clones. Like friends and comrades. Valued our lives as much, or even more than their own."

He turned to face Luke completely. "Your father was one of those… He was at the front of every battle, leading us forward, spurring our courage, fighting back to back and side by side with us. He wasn't one to give orders from a distance and watch how things played out, no, no. He was a man of action. He got out there on the battlefield with us every chance he got."

His voice had risen a little with enthusiasm, but he got quieter now.

"Your father was among the greatest of the Jedi, Luke. Served under him for years. I have hundreds of stories about him."

Luke could hardly believe it. It seemed too good to be true. His father had been a phantom, unknown, faceless, and difficult to imagine even in his most elaborate daydreams. He had pretty much resigned himself to never knowing much of anything about his father, and now suddenly here were people who'd known him in real life for years, who was willing to share all he knew with him, rather than being tight-lipped.

"I'd… really like to hear them. If you'll tell me." Luke replied quietly. And Rex couldn't seem to look away from him. It was a long time before he spoke.

"I'll tell you all of them." His eyes sparkled with unshed tears as he shook his head. "By the Force... I'll tell you all of them."

Chapter Text

Ahsoka found Luke outside that very night. There had been a little brouhaha when the boy was discovered missing from his bunk, but the Force-sensitives quickly sought out and found his presence outside, and Ahsoka had volunteered to check on him.

She had to get past her awkwardness around the child. She could never have guessed how much he would remind her of Anakin, and how unsettling that would be. Just so with Padme. And just so with how much was new, and how unsettling that would be. She was torn between avoiding him and never leaving his side for a moment.

But Luke was not Anakin. Or Padme for that matter. Luke was his own person. Someone she didn't know. Someone who didn't know her. Ahsoka had admitted to herself she was afraid. But afraid of what? She wasn't quite sure. Of getting close to him? Of being responsible for teaching him, for keeping him alive? Of losing him? Of failing him as she did his parents? ...How she failed his father-

As always, she shook her head before she could follow that line of thought.

She was just afraid of getting hurt again. Of losing more than she already had. Working as Fulcrum had allowed her an excuse to work solo most of the time, never staying in one place very long, and never coming to care too much for anyone.

Could she go back? Could she try it? Did she possess the diligence? Did she have the wisdom? The strength? Obi-wan seemed to believe so, and that was reassuring, but only did so much to allay her doubts.

It didn't really matter. The Force had spared her in the purges. It had spared her during her years as Fulcrum. And it had brought her here. Here where she was most needed. Here for Kanan, for Ezra, and now for Luke. Whatever role the Force intended for her, she would fulfil it.

"Luke?" She called softly from a few feet away so as not to startle him. He was seated with his back to her.

He twisted around, and she saw the light from the base reflecting in his eyes.

"Hi Ahsoka." He said simply, gazing mildly at her.

"Luke."

The breeze caught his hair, and she spent a moment gazing back.

When it became obvious neither of them were about to speak further, Luke went right back to staring into the night sky.

She could sense his emotions, though not as clearly now that Obi-wan had begun teaching him to shield his thoughts. He seemed puzzled, and also caught a hint of alarm. She moved to his side, and gazed down at his profile.

"Where are the stars?" He asked at length.

Ahsoka blinked, and glanced up. Sure enough, it was cast over and the usual, twinkling pinpricks of light were not to be seen. "It's too cloudy tonight to see them."

She sensed more than saw Luke frown in consideration. Then he shook his head. "On Tatooine you could always see the stars at night. There were almost never clouds there."

He sounded so lost, she felt the need to reassure him as she sat down beside him. "Perhaps they'll be back tomorrow."

Luke rested his arms on his knees and cupped his cheeks in his hands. "It was amazing the first time I went into space. The stars were all around me instead of above me."

"That… must have been very exciting." She cringed at how patronizing that sounded, and didn't at all convey how stunned by how deeply he could appreciate something so mundane. Force, she didn't know what to say to Luke. Luke didn't remark, but nodded, and awkward silence reigned once more.

"What's the Force?"

She blinked, and peered down at his ernest young face.

"Ben- I mean Obi-wan explained it a little, but…"

Ahsoka nodded and opened her mouth to speak, then hesitated, reconsidering. "If you like, I can give you your first lesson right now." At least that way they could discuss something she knew well.

Luke bit the corner of his mouth.

"Okay." He conceded.

She shifted smoothly into a cross-legged position on the ground and gestured for him to do likewise.

He sat facing her, mirroring her motions, hands on his knees like her.

"You must first learn focus. You must reach out and feel the Force around you."

Luke cocked his head, the space between his eyes crinkling a slightly.

She smiled reassuringly. "Close your eyes."

Luke did, and she briefly marveled at how angelic he appeared when he did so. "Breathe in... Breathe out..." She instructed monotonously for several seconds.

Now… reach out with your feelings. Feel everything around you."

She could feel Luke's uncertain presence, reaching, probing, feeling. It was vast, untamed and powerful, but gentle and innocent, almost curious.

"Tell me what you feel."

Luke was silent, breathing steadily for several beats before he answered. "The planet. Life. Life everywhere. But also death." He grew more confident as he spoke. " Light and darkness. Warmth and cold. Calm and disorder."

"Now look between it all, around, above and below, within it all. Within you and me. What do you feel?"

"There's... a binding. A vibration. A balance… a force…?" He finished with the barest hint of amusement mixed wonder.

"Your eyes have been opened." Ahsoka said quietly.

He opened his eyes, inhaling in a mild gasp.

"But… I've felt it before. When there's danger, or when something big is about to happen. Or I just… know things somehow. Things I shouldn't know."

Ahsoka nodded. "That's not surprising. Many Force-sensitives can use the Force without training, usually without even realizing it. It's an instinct, a feeling that they can't ignore. Personally I can't recall a time I wasn't aware of the Force, raised in the Temple as I was. The same goes for Kanan. But you should ask Ezra about his experiences."

Luke's gaze traveled down to his hands as he held them in front of him. "All this time…" Ahsoka heard him murmur.

She was sorry she couldn't relate. But as she said, being raised at the Jedi temple she had never not known about the Force. She couldn't even imagine not knowing what it was. She was a child of the Force, and her abilities in it was her inheritance.

For the first thirteen years of his life, Luke's whole world had been the desert, the suns, his skyhopper, his best, really his only friend, Biggs, and of course his guardians. There had been little else. Then his whole world was demolished, and his new world had become the Falcon, Han and Chewbacca, space and the planets they visited, however briefly.

Now he felt his world was only getting larger the more places he went, the more people he met. It was both terrifying and exciting.

It was all he had ever wanted, and he hoped the world would only continue to grow as he learned and extended his reach further and further. He wanted to go to more places and meet more people and learn as much as he could about the galaxy, and he wanted to see it all with his own eyes.

And now as Ahsoka rose, declaring they should go back to bed, and held out her hand to him, he took it, and let his father's student, now his teacher, lead him.

A couple days later...

Kanan leaned against the counter of the kitchen area on the Ghost, sipping a hot cup of Caf.

Between him, Ahsoka and Obi-wan, they'd agreed that for the time being, during the very early stages of his training, when he was most vulnerable and his powers in such a raw state, at least one of the three masters was to supervise Luke at all times.

Kanan had drawn the short straw this time around, and was stuck with babysitting duty for today.

Speaking of, he vaguely realized he hadn't seen the boy in a while. Where had he got to?

"Luke?" he called, his voice echoing off the walls of the almost empty ship.

No response.

Kanan stood up straight hastily, setting down his cup and began briskly searching throughout the ship. "Luke?" he called louder and more anxious.

He reached out and felt Luke's unmistakable presence very close. He was getting better at shielding, but it was still easy enough to relatively find when he was in close proximity, but where was he exactly?

He paused when he heard a vague thump and scuffing sounds overhead, and he darted out onto the open ramp.

"Luke?" he called uncertainly, with hesitant disbelief.

He started back as Luke popped his head down over the side of the Ghost, his distinctly blond locks of hair hanging down.

"Luke. What are you doing up there?" He asked wearily.

Honestly, he takes his eyes off the boy for five minutes, and he decides to go for a crusade on top of the Ghost. He wasn't supposed to be up there unless there was a need, and not without someone to spot him. Still, it could be worse, he supposed. Just the other day he'd been caught trying to reprogram one of the kitchen droids to dance the Alderanian waltz.

Part of him couldn't blame the kid. He wasn't allowed to leave the base currently, and there wasn't much yet for him to do until his situation was sorted out. There were the shielding lessons, but other than that not much else. He was essentially being treated halfway between a prisoner and a guest until further notice. As a result, he had a lot of free time on his hands, and Luke was clearly someone who didn't care much for being idle.

He wasn't sure if he should think more highly of his smuggler friends because they were able to handle his antics for so long, or less of them because they allowed him to do such things.

The worst of it was, half the time Luke didn't even seem to comprehend that something was crazy. He was rarely smug or sheepish about it as Ezra was. His genuine, innocent surprise and bafflement as to what was absolutely not allowed was both endearing and deeply concerning. What the stars had those blasted smugglers taught him? Though perhaps it wasn't all their doing, he reasoned. He well recalled hearing as a Jedi youngling and Padawan, how unorthodox and crazy Anakin Skywalker had been during the war.(Though he wouldn't for the galaxy admit he'd idolized the man along with most of the other younglings.) Like father, like son he supposed.

At least he learned quickly. They usually only had to tell him once, and he never did it again, which was nice, but it'd be even nicer if he didn't do these things to begin with.

Kanan didn't voice any of that though. "Get down from there."

Luke blinked at the command, then shrugged, flipping over and swinging down lithely, briefly giving Kanan a heart attack in the process.

"I meant, use the ladder." Kanan groaned contentiously, as Luke turned to face him.

"This is faster. And the ladder is over there." Luke explained as if it made perfect sense, and he gestured in the distance behind him where the ladder stood.

"How exactly did you get up there then?" Kanan demanded, his voice rising in pitch.

He knew it probably wouldn't get him anywhere with Luke to get annoyed with the boy, and he tried to calm down, letting the Force have his irritation.

He stood aside and gestured for Luke to enter the ship. "Never mind. I don't want to know. Inside. Now."

Luke complied dutifully, and Kanan wracked his brain for something to occupy the boy with, even if it was just a droid to fix, though he wasn't sure he trusted Luke wouldn't turn it into an assassin droid.

He noticed how Luke clutched his left hand. "Did you hurt yourself?"

Luke snapped his head up, a little startled. But he immediately swung his gaze away and shook his head. "No, I'm fine."

Kanan didn't buy it for a moment.

"Let me see." He ordered, holding out his own hand.

Luke looked a little uneasy, and baffled as he shuffled away subconsciously. "It's nothing, really."

"I'll be the judge of that. Let me see." He said again, stowing his irritation.

He didn't wait for Luke to offer his hand willingly, rather, reaching for and grasping his wrist, bringing it up to his face for inspection.

There was a cut, about half-length, running across Luke's palm. There was a small amount of blood seeping from it. It wasn't quite deep enough to require stitches, but still very nasty and painful-looking.

"How did you do this?" he asked, frowning.

"A bent scrap of metal sliced through it." Luke said sheepishly.

"You should wear gloves." Kanan carefully ignored the uncanny feeling that this was just the start of something long and painful.

"Let's clean this up." He said nodding to the injury. He held onto Luke's wrist and placed his other hand behind Luke's shoulder-blade to push him towards the table in the lounge, but Luke was already protesting.

"I told you it's fine. I can take care of it." He pulled out of Kanan's grasp and the blasted boy was making straight for the door.

"Luke." Kanan bit out. His tone was enough to stop the boy in his tracks.

"That wasn't a request."

He knew this may not do much to endear him to the boy, but he had to put his foot down. It may seem petty on the outside, but he knew beneath the surface there was a power struggle here.

Luke was by no means a bad kid, or even an especially defiant one, if a somewhat stubborn one. But since being orphaned, Luke had more or less governed himself, and now submitting to another adult's authority, mayn't come naturally, and Kanan had to stand his ground and assert his dominance now, during these first critical days and weeks.

Not long ago he'd had to set the same grounds for Ezra. Like Luke, he'd more or less looked after himself for a long time, and it was difficult to un-train a pup brought up to be that self-dependant.

If Luke were ever to be a proper member of this crew and Phoenix Squadron, he would need to be broken out of that mindset. He would need to learn now, acutely, that when he was on this ship, he was subject to Kanan and Hera's rules and jurisdiction. That he was now a part of something bigger. Something organised. That he was no longer alone...

Luke hadn't moved. He was looking at Kanan over his shoulder, a little wide-eyed. For a moment Kanan thought he would refuse again, but to his relief Luke slumped a little, stepped further into the room and sat docilely at the table.

Kanan retrieved the emergency medical kit from a cupboard and set it on the table, opening it and rummaging around.

He cleaned the cut and disinfected it, earning the occasional flinch from Luke, but no complaints. Then he spread bacta over the wound, studiously ignoring Luke's muttered protests about how it was unnecessary and how bacta was expensive. Lastly, he placed a clean bandage over it and sealed it in place with medical tape.

Despite his earlier protests, Luke murmured thanks and rose, not meeting his gaze.

"Wait." Kanan got up and went to his bunk room and rummaged through his belongings until he found what he was looking for. An old pair of black fingerless gloves from his youth. They had been a gift from Jadus, long ago, and something frivolous in him hadn't wanted to part with them even though he'd long since outgrown them.

He returned to Luke.

"Here." Luke watched in surprise as Kanan took his hands and pulled them on for size. He hadn't been much younger than Luke when last he'd worn them and they fit Luke's petite hands reasonably well.

"We'll get you your own proper pair as soon as possible. For now, wear these when you're working."

"That's not a suggestion." he added, looking Luke in the eye.

Luke bit his lip and glanced away nodding.

Kanan considered him and sighed. "Luke. You do know you don't need to be afraid of me, right?"

Luke blinked, looking up. "Um, yeah…. Yeah, I just...thought you were mad at me."

Kanan shook his head, annoyed at himself this time. "I'm not mad at you." He rubbed between his eyes. "I'm sorry if I gave you that impression." The words chafed his tongue a little, but he forced them out.

Luke bit his lip again. "I mean, it seems like nothing I do is right around here. I'm not- I'm not trying to... misbehave."

A beat.

"You're alright, Luke. ...You're alright."

He smiled a little and picked up the med-kit. "You'll know when I'm mad at you," He ruffled Luke's hair as he stood. "Trust me. Just ask Ezra."

"So then… would this be a good time to tell you that I that droid I was working on yesterday malfunctioned and started doing the Corellian tango non-stop?"

...Kanan sighed and resisted the urge to rub his face with his hands.

He had a bad feeling about this.

Luke wasn't entirely sure yet what he thought of the Ghost crew.

He liked Ezra. The other boy was so sincere, so friendly and enthusiastic about everything. Honestly, he imagined it would be difficult not to like him. He was also hot-headed and rather moody, but most teenagers were, weren't they? Luke knew he could be.

He had learned to recognise him and Kanan in the Force quickly enough. Both of them radiated light, but they were so different. Ezra's signature was playful and cocky like a nexu kit, with a hint of melancholy. It was like the light of clustered, twinkling stars, inspiring to those who watched below. Kanan's was more serious, withdrawn and a little harsh, but also hints of tenderness. It made him think of the light streaming through a forest, thinly spread, but giving life, and nurturing what it reached. Ahsoka's was just a little reserved, but so warm and comforting, like the light reflecting off a peaceful lake. Ben's was, ironically enough, like a warm desert plane, unchanging on the surface, with unfathomed history and depth underneath.

He liked Hera as well. If Ezra was a nexu kit, she was the mother nexu. Very gentle and loving with her kits, but fierce when faced with anything that threatened her family. And she was a pilot! She and Luke had begun to bond a little over their shared love of that and mechanics. She seemed to appreciate his enthusiasm. He loved her ship, the Ghost, too. He hoped she would let him fly it some day.

There was Chopper, Hera's astromech. The droid seemed determined to hate him, and Luke didn't know why until Ezra had explained that was just how Chopper was. Apparently the old astromech didn't like anyone save for Hera. Though he was usually nicer to girls according to Ezra.

Zeb he had confirmed as the huge lasat that he'd encountered before. He, for the most part, ignored Luke. Not that he was unkind, unless of course he was irritated. He had a quick and dangerous temper, and Luke instinctively felt the need to walk on eggshells around him, as one would a sleeping krayt dragon.

Then there was Sabine. Luke really didn't know what to make of her. Out of all the Spectres, he found she was the hardest to understand. She liked art, clearly. Luke had been fascinated by the pieces of hers he'd seen around the Ghost. She'd seemed pleased by his interest and talked amiably with him about her art, though their relationship so far didn't stem beyond that. While she wasn't ever unfriendly, in fact she was downright playful at times, she was distant. She seemed amused whenever he caused trouble, as long as it didn't inconvenience her. When she wasn't ignoring him, one of her favorite pastimes seemed to be to tease Ezra. Overall, she was friendly enough, but she didn't seem that approachable either. Given how much time she spent by herself, in her room or out and about, she was clearly rather introverted, which Luke could understand. But there was a deeper layer to her, one that she took pains to conceal, and Luke did his best to respect that, and her boundaries.

All in all, Hera and Ezra seemed to be the only two who weren't challenging to get along with.

The Millennium Falcon landed on Garrel the next day.

Ahsoka, Kanan and Obi-wan were waiting to greet its occupants, when a commotion in the distance behind them made them blink, and Ahsoka felt a whisper of amusement come from Obi-wan.

They turned to see Luke skid around the corner, and dash through the hanger entrance like he was being chased.

As it turned out, he was. A somewhat winded Sabine dashed around the corner after him, followed closely by a wildly beeping Chopper.

"Kid! What's with you? And how are you so fast?" Sabine shouted after him, slowing to a stop and splaying her hands exasperatedly. Chopper rolled up beside her and waved his pinchers, spouting what sounded like cursing in binary.

Luke barely heeded either of them. Ahsoka could make out the anticipation in his Force presence, and she smiled, shaking her head slightly.

She wouldn't quite say it was adorable how Luke sprinted and skidded to a stop beside her, hair tousled and his too-large borrowed jacket flapping out behind him… but it was definitely something along those lines.

The ramp on the Corellian freighter lowered and a brown-haired man in a Corellian cut jacket and Corellian blood-stripes on his pants strode determinedly down it, closely followed by a wookiee.

Before she, Obi-wan or Kanan could say a word, Luke darted forward and flung himself into the man's arms.

"Han!" He buried his face in the man's chest. "I'm so glad to see you!"

'Han' was rocked back a little at the force of Luke's leap. He placed his hands around the boy's shoulders with the barest hint of awkwardness, but obvious relief.

"Luke! You okay, Kid?"

"I'm fine." Luke assured, lifting his head to smile up at the man. Captain Solo eyed the rest of them over Luke's head, a leery glare etched onto his face, though the effect was somewhat lost due to the young teenager clinging to his middle.

He passed Luke off to Chewbacca, whose long shaggy arms almost completely engulfed the boy. Luke hugged back with initial enthusiasm, but his face quickly turned to concern at Han's demeanor as he strode determinedly toward them.

"Just who do you think you people are? Kidnapping is illegal you know."

"There's no need to make wild accusations Captain Solo." Ahsoka assuaged him even as Luke dived after the man and caught his arm, protesting.

"Han, no! They saved me! And I went with them willingly. They didn't kidnap me!"

He pointed at Kanan. "Kanan saved my life!"

They were all suddenly distracted by the wookiee, who abruptly took a large step forward and yowled something at Ahsoka.

She'd spent enough time around wookiees to get the jist of what he was saying. She recognised her name, and that it was a question.

"Yes. Yes, I'm Ahsoka Tano."

Wookiees in general were difficult to distinguish from one another to the common eye, but now that it was brought to her attention, this particular wookiee did strike a chord in her memory.

The wookiee reached out and tugged his companion by the shoulder so they were standing aligned with each other.

He began growling something and Captain Solo tuned that incredulous expression on his co-pilot.

"Jedi? What Jedi? What are you on about this time, Pal?"

Obi-wan held up his hands and took a step in front of the rest of them. "Perhaps this isn't the ideal place for this conversation. Why don't we make ourselves comfortable on the Ghost where we can speak in private."

Han's scowl hadn't let up for a moment, not even when Ahsoka and Chewie had exchanged notes and come to the conclusion that they did in fact know each other from an incident during the Clone Wars… which, what were the chances of that?

Now Chewie and Han were having it out over that and how trustworthy 'these people' were.

"Whatever comes of this, Captain Solo, Chewbacca," Ben addressed his two friends. "I want to personally thank you for taking Luke under your wing and looking out for him these past two years."

Han scratched his head at that. "Anyone woulda done it. Kid's been a real asset." He ruffled Luke's hair fondly, and Luke grinned at him.

"But I don't see why you're so hooked on keeping him with you." Han said, a little less aggressive than he'd been up to that point.

"As I understand it Captain, you are not a relative of Luke nor his guardian, therefore the only one who has authority to reject or consent to these conditions is Luke." Hera interjected.

Luke swallowed as they all looked at him.

It was tempting to simply let the adults hash it out to decide who got custody of him, as he was well and truly torn on the matter, his loyalty towards Han and Chewie warring with his curiosity in learning all the rebels had to teach him. But he was sure none of them would back down. Hera was right. Ultimately, the decision was up to Luke.

"It's up to you what you wish to do, Luke." Ben said. "You won't be forced to remain. But-"

Ezra, who'd been banished to the other room, but had obviously been eavesdropping for some time, interrupted. "The Empire will be looking for Luke. The safest place for him is here."

"He's right." Ahsoka added, before Kanan could get around to scolding his student.

Hera addressed Luke. "There's never a guarantee of safety. But if you stay here, we can promise we'll do our very best to keep you safe from the Empire."

"Yeah, don't worry. You'll be safe with us." Ezra said, and casually leaned against something.

He didn't realize that it was in fact Chopper he had leaned against, and the truculent droid didn't waste a moment in jabbing his pincer fiercely into Ezra's thigh and shocking him. Ezra involuntarily jerked, stumbling forward with a shout and crashed into the back of an unsuspecting Zeb who at that moment had taken off his blaster, which did not have the safety on, to clean it. The blaster went off in his hands and the bolt streaked straight for Luke who jerked his upper body out of its path in the nick of time.

He stared wide-eyed at the black scorch mark a few bare inches from his head. Everyone was frozen while Luke's shoulders lowered and he turned an unamused half-lidded gaze on them all.

"Feel safer already."

Han and Chewie took the first opportunity to pull Luke aside and speak to him, almost hauling Luke after them behind the Falcon.

"Luke, whatever they told ya, you don't have to stay with them." Han grasped his shoulders. "Say the word and we'll go right now. Things'll go back to how they were."

Chewie growled, a little admonishingly at Han. Then he asked Luke what he wanted.

"I'm… I'm not really sure. I think… I like them. Ahsoka, Ezra, Kanan and Hera. And I trust Ben." He ignored Han's derisive snort. "And I think I want to learn what they can teach me." He didn't bring up the Force, as he was pretty certain what Han would have to say about that.

"Like what?" Han demanded.

Feeling a little ashamed of himself, Luke gazed at the floor. "Ahsoka and Ben… They knew my father."

"They knew my father." Luke whispered.

...Oh.

Han glanced at Chewie, grimacing. The two of them were very much aware of how Luke idolized the father he'd never known.

As much as Han hated to admit it, Luke might be better off with these folks. They had opportunities to offer Luke. Memories and experiences he could never have otherwise. A chance to learn about his family, and whatever strange powers the Jedi claimed he had.(Not that Han quite believed all that hocus pocus stuff.) Things he and Chewie could never offer the kid.

And damn, but the kid had a good heart. Always going out of his way to help someone who needed it, often at the expense of himself, without any thought of profit back. It was due to this that Han knew he wasn't truly suited to the life of a smuggler, no matter how good he might be at it. Han had always half expected him to run off and join the Rebels at some point… just not quite so soon as this.

Could they keep Luke safe like they promised?... Maybe, maybe not. Either way, Luke was obviously torn. Han knew it would be unkind and selfish of him to push Luke one way or the other. Ultimately… it was Luke's choice.

"Well… I can't tell you what to do. We'll miss ya, Kid. If you do decide to stick around with these guys." He sighed dramatically. "The Falcon will never be the same."

"Han… I…"

"But if it's alright with you… do you mind if we bring her around for a checkup from you now and again?"

Luke snapped his eyes to Han's, and Han grinned crookedly.

"You mean that? You'll come back sometimes?"

"Of course we will! Right Chewie?"

The Wookie yowled comfirmation.

Han smirked. "If only to see if you grow past five feet."

Luke socked him in the arm, but laughed good-naturedly with him.

"Whatever you choose, we'll be real happy for ya either way. Me an' Chewie'll be there for you in any case."

"Han… I'm still not sure, but-"

Chewie yowled and patted Luke's head fondly.

"That's right." Han concurred. "No need to make any major decisions right away, Kid. We'll give you time. We had to drop our last job because of all this nonsense, and Garel is as good a place as any to pick it up again. We'll stick around for a bit."

"Okay." Luke said, nodding, gratitude seeping out of every motion and note. "Okay."

Chapter Text

It was Ben's turn to watch Luke.

He was doing it under the guise of teaching him to meditate, but Luke knew that they were all trying to keep an eye on him. He sighed to himself at the thought. What were they expecting him to do? Steal a ship? Run out into the city? ...Okay those actually weren't that unlikely, but still!

He peeked an eye open and studied Ben, who sat cross-legged, eyes closed beside him.

"Shouldn't you be meditating, Young Luke?" Ben asked suddenly, his tone laced with amusement. He opened his eyes the next moment, and turned to gaze at Luke, a kind smile on his lips.

Luke resisted the urge to frown in annoyance. How could he always tell?

"It's hard." He admitted. "I keep getting distracted."

Ben nodded patiently. "It takes practice and discipline to learn to quiet your mind. Your father was not fond of it either."

There it was again. The reminder that Ben had apparently known Luke's father most of his life.

Luke turned to gaze at Ben from under his long fringe. Ben's kind eyes met his.

"When you brought me to Tatooine…" Luke began. "You stayed there. Were you… watching over me all that time?"

"As well as hiding myself, yes. Even if it was unlikely you would be discovered on a planet so obscure, I knew you would be in danger from this wretched Empire. I failed your father in so many ways... I was, and am determined to keep you from suffering the same fate."

There was an odd note, a slight stain in Ben's voice.

He grew quiet, and he let out a small, weary sigh. "Luke… I have not taken the opportunity to apologize. I was not there when you most needed me. I could not save your aunt and uncle, and we almost lost you to the same fate."

Luke flinched and averted his gaze quickly. "I mean… It wasn't your fault." He said shakily. "You don't need to be sorry."

Luke drew an unsteady breath, clenched his fists and gazed at Ben beseechingly. "Please. Please don't blame yourself for it."

Ben's eyebrows rose a little, then he smiled a bittersweet smile.

"You certainly have your mother's forgiving nature." He stated quietly.

Luke's eyes widened, and he felt like he couldn't breathe for a few moments. That… that was something that hadn't occurred to him, and he berated himself mentally.

"My… my mother?" He whispered past his tight throat. "You knew her too?"

"I did." Came the solemn reply. "I would not say we were close, but I knew her a long time, and I was present when she gave birth... in place of your father. I was there when she named you… and when she died."

Luke stared, feeling oddly emotional.

"Who… Who was she?"

Luke had never given much thought to his mother. Not like his father. Beru had been adequate enough to fill that role during his early childhood. Owen, while never cruel, had been a hard man, strict, and rarely affectionate, though Luke had known on some level that the man loved him. It was evident if only in the little things, like the fact that he would willingly spend time with Luke when he didn't have to, or left the largest portions of food for Luke, or worked extra hard to afford an expensive medicine when Luke had fallen badly ill. Yes, he'd known Owen had loved him, and Luke had loved Owen, but he had never been a father to him. And Owen had never pretended to be one. And so, Luke looked to his real father, who he secretly, in his heart of hearts, hoped wasn't truly dead.

But his mother… his mother had been little more than a phantom, in his mind. Faceless and nameless, giving his imagination barely anything to work with. His father, he knew, looked at least somewhat like him by his aunt's description, and he knew his name had been Anakin Skywalker. He also knew he'd had a love of flying like Luke did, and that was something. While his mother… what would he have in common with his mother? He knew nothing about her, other than the fact that she had existed. And it had begged more questions, as, if Owen and Beru did not know who his mother was, and his father had died before he was born… Who had given Luke to Owen and Beru?

Now he knew that Ben, scraggly, mysterious old Ben had held the answers all along...

Ben… looked at him. Just gazed at him for some time, as though looking through him, and something flickered in his eyes. Something like… pain? Regret?

"Her name, was Padme Amidala of Naboo." Explained after he seemed to gather some strength. "She and Anakin met as children, before they went on to forge their respective careers of a Jedi and a Senator. They met again ten years later. As I understand it, they fell in love not long after and married, at the very beginning of the Clone Wars.

Luke latched onto the name. Mouthed it. Rolled it over in his mind.

Padme.

That… that was his mother's name.

He had a father and a mother now. Each with a name. And they had loved each other. Had married each other.

What would they think of Luke?

Luke was silent for some time after the revelations. He was a tacit boy by nature it seemed.

"I've made a decision." He said at length.

"I want to learn the ways of the Force and become a Jedi like my father."

Ahsoka observed critically as Luke smoothly went through the beginning katas she'd started him on.

Luke was enjoying the exercises, and that was a good sign. Though, the Force roiled with Luke's pleasure. She… had never seen the Force behave so. It reacted to the boy's happiness as though it lived for it, and brightened everything around him. Inexperienced as he was, Luke was completely unaware of the light he composed just by existing.

She'd decided it was wisest to do this in private where they would be free from Ezra's overly enthusiastic comments(Which, while endearing, would also be distracting.) as well as Kanan's rather intimidating presence.

The movements of the katas were slow and precise, as they were meant to be, but Luke's breathing began to come in heavier, the only evidence of how hard he was working.

She let him go on a few more minutes before telling him to rest, gesturing for him to sit on the ground. But the training was not paused.

"Try to shield your mind from me." She declared, and that was the only warning he had before she plowed towards his mind.

Luke made a valiant effort to ward her off, and managed to keep her out much longer than he had been able to initially, but she broke through once more in the end.

She caught the fleeting feeling of mild frustration before withdrawing quickly, not wishing to intrude on Luke's privacy for any length of time.

"Better. We'll continue to practice until you can shield constantly without even thinking about it, and can keep even the strongest Force-sensitive out of your mind."

Luke blew out a breath and nodded. "Did Ezra and Kanan have to learn this too?"

"I'm sure Ezra did, though he was past that stage by the time I stepped into the picture." Ahsoka explained kindly.

"As for Kanan, he would have learned to do this almost from birth. Like Obi-wan and I, Kanan is a Jedi from the old order, who escaped the Jedi purges. Ezra is his padawan whom he is training, and Kanan is his master."

Luke tilted his head in that way she had already fallen in love with. "...What's a padawan?"

"A Jedi student." She clarified.

Luke blinked. "Oh."

Luke scratched his head. "So, do I have to call you 'Master' now?" She noted how he tensed involuntarily at the word, and said it like it was something sour on his tongue. She frowned a little in thought for a moment… Oh. Of course. He grew up on Tatooine, which had a heavily embedded slave culture. Naturally Luke would mentally link the word master, with slavery, thus the reason behind his discomfort. She decided to put his mind at ease.

"No, not necessarily. There's hardly a need for that kind of formality these days. Just call me Ahsoka."

To tell the truth, she wasn't sure she could bear to have Luke call her 'master' all the time anyhow. It was a term of respect for an apprentice, one of the many tactics meant to teach a Jedi apprentice humility. Appropriate in the right circumstances, and it could become endearing as well as respectful. But as it was that term just seemed too distant, too cold. She wanted Luke to feel comfortable around her.

Luke visibly relaxed and nodded. "Okay."

"Captain Solo!"

In spite of himself, Han cringed. He hated it when people shouted his name like that. Especially when that person was a female. It could only mean trouble. For him.

He turned around nonchalantly, putting as much sarcasm and boredom in the action as possible.

He was mildly surprised to see it was Hera Syndulla striding purposefully towards him, and he didn't like the determined set to her features, not one bit.

"Captain Solo." She repeated upon approach.

"Yes, Captain Syndulla?" Han drawled.

She seemed to compose herself slightly. "I hoped to speak to you."

Han merely raised his eyebrows by way of inquiry.

"I wanted to inquire as to your previous care of Luke."

Han cocked his head, and narrowed his eyes slightly. "How so?"

"For one thing, he's practically all skin and bones. How much rest does he get? Have you been feeding that boy properly? Not to mention he's got more half-healed scars and old injuries than anyone has the right to have."

Han's face darkened with anger. "I don't know what your impression of me is, Captain. And to be honest, I don't much care. But if you think I've been mistreating Luke, starving the kid, keeping him on water and hard-tack or something while working him to death-

Captain Sydulla's features softened somewhat. "Forgive me. That was not what I meant to imply." She said and Han's anger dissipated mostly.

Mostly.

"You may be a scoundrel, but I don't think you would ever mistreat Luke intentionally." The twi-lek assured.

Han reflexively bristled again at the last word, even though she hadn't put emphasis on it.

She considered him. "I don't know your life history Captain Solo, and I truly mean no offense. But based on what I've seen in Luke, I doubt you are well-versed in the caring for and raising of a young boy. He is still a growing child and he needs the proper amount of rest and nourishment in this stage of his development."

Han scowled. "And I'm sure under your supervision he'll fare so much better, what with dangerous missions and all."

"We don't put them in unnecessary danger, and we try not to do anything that might hamper their development. And we certainly don't put them in situations they are not ready for if we can help it. Ezra has been with us because he has nowhere else to go and he'd be in danger on his own. The same applies to Luke."

"Yeah, well. You better take care of 'im, ya hear? Or you'll have to deal with a trigger-happy scoundrel and a raging wookiee."

Hera actually smiled at that, and leaned back satisfied, as if he had just passed a test of some kind in her eyes.

"Well, I think if nothing else, Luke's disposition speaks to your and your co-pilot's character. He seems like a very sweet, grateful boy."

Well. She was right about that anyway. Han looked down at his feet, feeling a bit awkward. He hated feeling awkward.

"Well, he's a good kid. Doesn't complain about anything, y'know?"

Hera smiled genuinely. "So I've noticed. Although I also get the sense he also doesn't much care to be fussed over." She said amusedly.

Han chuckled. "That he doesn't." He agreed, reflecting on how he often had to wrestle Luke into staying still while he bandaged a minor injury, or laying down to rest when he was unwell. Or even to stop working on a project and go to bed for a few hours before he collapsed.

Han sighed, and ran a hand through his hair. "I understand Luke's going to be under your supervision from here on, so here are some things you should know about him. He doesn't like to make a fuss, and he doesn't like to be a burden. Watch him or he'll work himself to death without ever taking a break, to eat or sleep. That's how he was the first few weeks he spent with me an' Chewie. He's shy at first but a bright spot in any situation. And his work and skills are worth his weight in credits. Make sure he knows he doesn't need to prove his worth, or pay you back for things you do for him. He's real honest that way."

Stars, when did he become a poet? He was glad Chewie was aboard the Falcon right now. If the wookiee heard him, he'd probably laugh at him for days.

"Also, he's real fond of hot chocolate. And he gets cold easily. Keep him warm, 'cuz he won't say anything," he muttered.

Hera's eyes were solemn and respectful. "We'll be sure to do that. Thank you Captain Solo."

And just like that Han knew he'd scored another point in her eyes. Who was a bad caretaker now?

The moment didn't last however.

"And the language I've heard that boy use. I know he didn't learn it all on Tatooine!"

"Promise you'll come back?" Luke asked Han imploringly just before he and Chewbacca boarded the Falcon.

Han graced him with one of his cocky smiles. "Promise, Kid. Chewie'll miss you after all."

Luke would've made a wise crack in response were he not feeling so emotional at the moment. He came forward and wrapped his arms around both of them, as tight as he could. "Bye Han. Bye Chewie. Thanks for everything."

"Hey now, we've established that this isn't goodbye forever." Han laughed, though the smallest touch of emotion leaked into his voice.

Chewie yowled his goodbye somberly, patting Luke's head. Han in turn patted Luke's shoulder.

"See ya soon kid."

Ahsoka hesitantly put an arm around Luke's shoulder as they watched the Falcon lift off and leave Gurel.

Luke pulled his jacket on, and brushed his hands over his hair, though it did little to tame the crazed blond locks. They had landed on Lothal earlier that morning. As it was a simple shipment run, Luke had been allowed to accompany them, along with Obi-wan.

"Ezra." Luke murmured at the sleepy bundle on the top bunk. He stood on the bottom bunk, now his own bunk that had been given to him, to get on face level with the mess of blankets somewhere in which Ezra lurked.

"Come on. Kanan wants us outside for training."

A soft groan and a muffled "Go 'way" was the only garnered response.

Luke shook what he was pretty sure was his friend's shoulder, and a hand emerged to swat his away.

Giving up with an exasperated sigh, Luke stepped down and turned around- Only to be startled out of his wits to see Sabine standing almost directly behind him.

She glanced over his shoulder at the top bunk.

She held up a finger, spun on her heel and walked out. She returned a few moments later with a cup of water in hand. Luke was about to ask what it was for, but he got his answer when Sabine hopped onto his bunk herself and dumped the water on Ezra.

Luke's first instinct was to reproach her for wasting water like that, but the sight of Ezra shooting straight up, spluttering indignantly was enough to make him forgive her.

"Reach out. Try to make a connection." Kanan instructed Luke from behind the two boys.

Grimacing, Luke reached out with one hand towards the tooka cat. It snarled at him and Luke simply abandoned the attempt as he backed up hastily and ducked behind Ezra, clutching the other boy's shoulder and peering over it at the tooka warily.

"Come on Luke." Ezra said, trying unsuccessfully not to laugh. "It's not gonna kill you."

"How do you know?" Luke hissed at him. "Look at it. It clearly wants to claw my face off."

As if to confirm the notion the tooka rose on its haunches, baring its teeth and hissing menacingly.

A deep-throated chuckling could be heard behind them. And they turned to Obi-wan walking towards them.

"You'll have to be patient with Luke in this. " He said as he placed a hand on Luke's shoulder. "On Tatooine there are only one or two tame or friendly species of creatures. Luke's never quite met an animal that wasn't trying to kill him."

As if to emphasize his point the loth cat hissed at Luke again and he jerked away from it, leaning into Obi-wan.

While Sabine and Zeb went after their supplies, Kanan continued to teach the boys. Or rather Luke. It was more review and practice for Ezra.

Ezra and Luke sat cross-legged on the ground next to the Ghost, eyes closed and using the Force to levitate small pebbles around them in a circle. It had taken several tries before Luke was able to accomplish it, but when he did, Ezra had stared at him like he was some strange being he'd never seen before.

"Focus." Kanan said. "Use control. Focus and control are everything. All the power of the Force means nothing if you have no control."

Obi-wan observed as Kanan advised Luke, and Luke, with his growing attunement to the Force, could sense he was a little tense with the Jedi Master watching his every move.

"Indeed." Obi-wan added approvingly. A great Jedi is not deemed a great Jedi for the amount of power he has, but how much control he has over that power."

Luke was exercising just that when his concentration was disrupted by something small and hard hitting his temple.

"Hey!" The pebbles fell around him with soft plops, and Luke opened his eyes in bewilderment, bringing his hand up to rub the stinging spot.

Ezra's smirking face told him precisely what had happened.

Luke glared at him and Ezra only laughed.

"Again. Try to keep your focus this time." Kanan said with a mild frown. Or at least, it was mild for Kanan.

"But he-" Luke began to protest, but Kanan cut him off with a look. "There will always be distractions. You have to learn to hold your focus even with them."

Luke was beginning to see how Ahsoka and Kanan's methods of teaching were different.

On another occasion, they had Ahsoka with them on the top of the Ghost which was cruising in atmosphere over a mostly barren world, looking to meet a contact.

"Close your eyes and reach out like I taught you." Ahsoka told Luke.

Luke did so.

"...Okay. Now what?" He asked.

He opened his eyes as she walked up to him.

"Now," She said. "Try to catch yourself with the Force."

"Catch myself? What do-"

Ahsoka shoved him off the Ghost.

As Luke fell screaming, Kanan and Ezra rushed to the edge to peer over in shock.

Kanan turned to Ahsoka. "Are you crazy?" He asked incredulously.

"Relax." Ahsoka said calmly, watching Luke's freefalling form intently, the hint of a smile on her lips. "I won't let him get hurt. I just want to see what he'll do."

Luke's screams were lost to him in the wind rushing past his body.

Luke tried to stave off panic as he tried desperately to focus. The ground was fast approaching beneath him.

Try to catch yourself with the Force.

He reached out. He felt the energy within and around him, he drew on it, took hold of it and pushed beneath him, trying to slow his falling body.

"Look! I think he's actually slowing down!" Ezra shouted, pointing wildly.

"On his first try?" Kanan exclaimed. "That's incredible."

"But it won't be enough." Ahsoka said seriously even as she put her hands out and closed her eyes.

Luke slowed and landed, uninjured to the ground.

Ahsoka leapt down, Ezra following her before Kanan could stop him. He cursed and jumped as well.

Ahsoka slowed herself and landed gracefully. Kanan followed, one hand to catch himself and the other upwards hovering the Force around Ezra to make certain he landed safely, much to the boy's chagrin.

Luke was on hands and knees, his head hanging below his shoulders. They could hear him hyperventilating.

Ahsoka hurried to his side, putting a hand on his back. "You did very well for your first time."

Luke jerked his head up and fell sideways away from her. "What's wrong with you?! I could have died!" Luke shouted indignantly, his previous terror and adrenaline causing him to snap.

Ahsoka smirked, despite herself. "At least I warned you. Anakin never gave me any warning at all whenever he did that to me."

All three of them gaped at her.

"And suddenly so much makes sense." Ezra muttered, and Kanan jabbed him with an elbow.

"How's it coming, Luke?" Hera called into the engine room, as Chopper rolled around cleaning the instruments.

"Oh alright-" Luke began.

A streamline let out a hot puff of steam right into Luke's face, scalding him lightly.

Luke sputtered a mild curse in Huttese.

Hera glanced down with a raised eyebrow. "Well I'd rather you didn't do that to it, whatever it is'."

"Yeah, well-" Luke began, then he blinked as his brain caught up to him and looked up at Hera with surprise.

"You...know Huttese?"

Hera studied him. His face was a mixture of surprise, as well as hesitant hope and gladness.

She remembered when she left her home planet Ryloth for the first time. It had been rather lonely to go out in the galaxy where the majority of people did not speak her home tongue. And it had always been a comfort, a sense of home when she crossed paths with another twi'lek or someone else who was versed in the language.

She smiled at him. "Many Rylothians learn it eventually. Often from a young age."

Then her face darkened slightly. "Mostly due to our history of the Hutts exploiting our people."

Luke nodded solemnly in understanding. Twi'lek slaves were very common, and not just on Tatooine.

Hera's face cleared. "….But also because Tatooine is very close to Ryloth, and it's a common trade language on the rim. Most of us pick it up sooner or later."

Luke nodded. "That makes sense." He bent over, gathering up the scattering of spare parts and tools.

Hera sighed as Luke said no more on the subject. She'd hoped the topic would be an opening for Luke to open up a little about his previous life on Tatooine, but no such luck. The boy was still tight-lipped about his former life, particularly where his guardians were concerned.

She hoped he would be able to open up about it someday, but for now, she knew better than to push.

Chapter Text

Rex had rigged up a target range for Ezra and Luke in an empty space in the hanger. It involved a number of crates spaced sporadically with Chopper wheeling around them and at random and popping a stormtrooper helmet up over the edges at indeterminable moments.

So far Ezra had been unsuccessful in blasting the helmet off, firing a little haphazardly.

"Aim, then fire." Rex told him with exaggerated patience.

Ezra huffed in frustration and let the blaster drop to his side.

"Ugh!" Ezra huffed after the nth time missing. "I'm better with a stun sling you know." He spun towards Rex to shove it into the man's arms roughly.

"Hey, easy. You'll get there, it just takes practice." Rex promised. "Why don't you take a break?"

"Yeah, sure." Ezra sighed, taking several paces to plop down onto another crate. "Practice."

"Ready to have a go, Luke?" The old soldier inquired, turning to the other boy who, up until now, had only spectated.

"Sure."

Rex glanced at Chopper, who rolled to reset himself, and passed the blaster off to Luke. "Alright, be careful. Always keep your finger off the trigger until the moment you're ready to fire." As Luke lifted it into position, Rex put a big hand on his shoulder and made a slicing motion with his other hand in the direction of the targets. "Now breathe easy, keep both eyes open, sight on the first target, and fire when you're ready. Don't be frustrated if you can't do it the first time or even-"

He was cut off by Luke firing the moment the helmet popped up, hitting his target dead on, and repeating the feat with the next and the next.

Rex was struck momentarily speechless and Ezra gaped.

Luke lowered the blaster with a smile. "Cool."

"How-? How did you…?" Ezra stammered, gesturing unintelligibly with his hands.

"Where in the galaxy did you learn to shoot like that, kid?" Rex asked with half a chuckle, in some awe.

Luke gave a self-deprecating shrug. "I was raised on Tatooine." He said by way of explanation.

He handed the blaster back to Rex who took it somewhat distractedly.

"Survival was almost all we knew. I learned to shoot a blaster when I was six. I barely remember practicing with just set up targets like this. It's kinda fun."

"Well that was some impressive shooting." Rex complemented sincerely.

Luke rubbed his neck, feeling a bit awkward at the praise. "Not so impressive on Tatooine. I never knew anyone who couldn't shoot. You never knew when it would save you or your family's lives."

In truth, due to his Force abilities Luke had always been a little better than even the average occupant of Tatooine, but he had no wish to make a spectacle of himself.

"Let me try again!" Ezra said as he took the blaster back, his fire reignited.

Rex gave him a smile, raising his eyebrows. "Remember to aim first."

Ezra shot Rex a long-suffering look. "Rex, I bet sometimes even you miss."

Rex was prevented from replying by Kanan approaching them from behind. Kanan nearly always had a scowl of some degree on his face, and today's meant at least one of them was in for a reproach for something.

"Speaking of." He said to both boys, though focusing mainly on Ezra. "You're missing Jedi training. Which is now, remember?"

Ezra sighed. Exasperation clear in his voice and demeanor. "You know, I can't be in two places at once."

"As a soldier, you're gonna have to learn to prioritize."

"Well he's not a soldier. He's a Jedi."

Luke stayed carefully quiet. He had quickly learned that Rex and Kanan did not get along very well. It seemed they tolerated each other and nothing beyond that. They butted heads often, especially when it came to teaching Ezra, and now it seemed, himself. He didn't want to place himself anywhere near the line of fire if this turned into one of their passive aggressive arguments.

Ezra put it an abrupt end to it before it began however, by saying quietly,

"Yeah. What if I don't wanna be either?"

Chopper dropped the trooper helmet as almost a visual equivalent of dropping his jaw, and Luke blinked as loaded silence ensued at Ezra's thoughtless comment.

Rex frowned at Ezra, then exchanged a shocked glance with Kanan, who raised his eyebrows. He turned a searching gaze back on Ezra, who lowered his head, looking nearly ashamed.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kanan asked after a few beats, tone unusually gentle, if a hint demanding.

Before Ezra could even attempt to scrounge up a reply, Sabine dashed out onto the Ghost ramp, interrupting the awkward moment. "Hey Practice Squad! Hera called a meeting!" She gestured behind her to the interior of the ship. "Attendance is mandatory." She added with a playful salute, then spun and disappeared back inside.

Ezra, clearly eager for any excuse to make a hasty escape, handed the blaster over to Rex, and grabbing Luke's wrist, took off at a sprint towards the Ghost, Luke in tow.

Luke glanced back at Kanan and Rex. Kanan's eyes followed the two boys, before he turned to reply to something Rex said.

He almost said something to Ezra, but one look at the other boy's taut expression made him shut his mouth.

Ezra would probably rant to him later, as he often tended to these days. Luke was a little bewildered at how open Ezra was with him, but Luke found it strangely endearing. That and spending very nearly every waking moment together had been conducive to a fast-developing friendship, and he and Ezra had grown fairly close in a short amount of time.

Kanan watched as Ezra ran away from him, dragging Luke behind him. It was frankly, quite astounding how quickly Ezra had taken to Luke, accepting him as part of their odd, little pseudo family almost immediately, acting as if he had always been there, while Luke, who seemed unsure what to do with Ezra's apparent openness, simply went along with most of it. A couple of weeks and they were already behaving as though they'd been friends for years.

"So. What's bothering him?" Rex asked him as soon as the boys were out of ear-shot.

"No idea. This is new."

Or at least. It was new to him. It was always anyone's guess how long Ezra had been stewing in his discontentment.

With that, he and Rex made their way after Ezra and Luke.

Ezra and Luke entered the passenger area on the Ghost, Chopper, Rex and Kanan soon following, where Hera, Zeb and Sabine were just tuning into a comm call from Commander Sato.

"-As we speak, the frozen planet of Ryn, is facing an energy crisis." The holo switched to a holo of a fuel cell. "When their supply of fuel cells is gone, the settlements will not be able to power the heaters they need to survive."

"They'll freeze down there." Sabine stated seriously.

"Since we're on Gurrel, we should check out the black market." Ezra piped up, utilizing his past as a street rat.

"There's gotta be generators or something we can get our hands on." Kanan agreed.

"See what you can find without delay." Commander Sato urged, his holo winking out as the comm ended.

"Gear up everyone." Hera ordered, she and Sabine standing from where they'd been seated. "Time to go make friends with the locals." Sabine, Zeb and Rex were already exiting the room.

Luke stepped out as well, but paused just outside the doorway when he heard Hera speak again, "Except you, Spector Six." She said sternly to Ezra as he made to follow, holding him back with a hand on his chest. Kanan stepped beside her, arms folded. They very much looked like a mother and father confronting and scolding their child… Which wasn't that far from the reality from what Luke had gathered.

"I asked you to clean the ion scoring off the phantom's exhaust ports." Hera went on. She held up two fingers and arched an eyebrow, leaning forward. "Twice."

"But I had Jedi practice," Ezra protested, then gestured to Kanan, as if hoping he might back him up. "And blaster practice."

"Well," Hera said, clearly unimpressed. "now you have scrubbing practice."

Their attention was drawn to Chopper who was just making to roll away, warbling in amusement. Hera spun on him.

"What are you laughing at? Uh uh. You're gonna help him." She declared, striding out and ignoring Chopper complaining that all he'd done was laugh.

She met Luke's gaze as she stepped out, and her expression softened. "You mind staying with him, Luke?" She asked softly. "I don't know what's going on with him right now, but being around you seems to make him feel better."

Luke gave her a smile, staving off his mild disappointment at not accompanying the rest of the group after all. "Sure. I'll help him." He agreed with a shrug.

She gave him a smile and a pat on the shoulder by way of thanks, then made her way out.

Meanwhile, Kanan had turned back to Ezra. "-discuss this later?" He was saying. It was posed like a question, but was more of a statement.

Ezra rolled his eyes. "Can't wait for that." Luke was surprised when Kanan didn't chastise him for his snark and blatant attitude. It spoke to how concerned the man actually was for his apprentice.

"Don't be so glum." Kanan said, as an attempt at lightening the mood as he turned to leave. "Someone's gotta stay here and look after things."

His eyes landed on Luke, who had stepped inside the room again. Kanan planted a hand heavily on Luke's head and Luke hunched a little under the force of it, blinking at the sudden contact. "Including our latest addition here." Luke glanced up at him through the curtain of his bangs dourly.

Ezra and Luke hopped up top to where the Phantom was attached adjacent to the Ghost. Chopper was already working at the transport, and the boys watched Kanan, Hera and the others purposefully depart from the hangar.

Chopper bopped at them, crankily telling them to get started, though both boys ignored him. Ezra brandished a tool, but rather than dutifully getting to work immediately, he plopped down, legs dangling over the side. Luke chose not to comment, but quietly went about the task of cleaning the worst of the ion scoring off the Phantom.

Chopper, on the other hand, spoke up, asking Ezra what his problem was.

In response, Ezra began complaining rather loudly, sarcasm heavy in his voice. "It's clean the Ghost, lightsaber training, blaster training."

Luke glanced sidelong at him, considering if he should reply even though the words hadn't technically been directed at him. "Yeah. Must be so hard to have people care about you, and want to take the time to teach you things." He observed lightly, a small smile bleeding into his expression towards the end to show he was teasing.

Ezra shot him a look, and opened his mouth to retort, then closed it with a sigh. "You're right. I should be grateful I guess. It's just… they expect so much of me. It's not fair. How can they expect me to be in three places at once? I can't! That's how! ...I kinda miss the old days when, everything was simple."

Luke paused and leaned against the side of the Phantom, facing Ezra. "Yeah… Don't really know how to help you there, except, maybe don't try to make excuses?"

Ezra frowned at him, and Luke hurried to elaborate.

"I mean, my uncle always gave me lots of chores to do. He expected a lot from me, but I couldn't always get it all done either. He never liked hearing arguments and excuses. Adults are... funny that way. Sometimes if you stay quiet, and work hard, they'll realize on their own that they need to cut you some slack. I understand getting overwhelmed, but as long as they see that you're doing your best without complaint, they won't be so hard on you."

Ezra appeared to digest that, frowning in thought, and Luke went back to work, unintentionally emphasizing his words.

He felt more than saw Ezra stand and wander to Luke's side, joining him in the work silently, and Luke smiled to himself.

The companionable silence was very soon disturbed however by Chopper beeping and warbling as his comm beeped rapidly with a signal of some kind.

"A distress signal?" Ezra said before Luke could ask, standing from his kneeling position. "From who?" Even as he said it, an unfamiliar voice crackled through the comm.

"This is the Broken Horn. We require assistance. Repeat-"

"The Broken Horn?" Luke echoed, standing up as well. He didn't recognise the name, but Ezra clearly did.

"That's Vizago's ship." He exclaimed.

"Okaaay, who's Vizago?" Luke asked genuinely, but Ezra didn't reply, and Luke could already see the cogs in the other boy's brain turning.

"Someone's in distress." Ezra concluded, his mood suddenly seeming to brighten considerably. "And if there's one thing I've learned from Kanan, it's that we help people in distress." He went on cheerily with an unconvincing smile.

"Sure? I guess." Luke said uncertainly, unsure whether he liked where this line of thought was leading. He leaned towards Chopper.

"So, should we comm Hera?" Then he blinked upon realizing Ezra was no longer beside him, and he spun around, momentarily disoriented. "Ezra?"

He glimpsed the dark-haired boy just disappearing into the Phantom, his stolen Imperial cadet helmet under one arm. Luke and Chopper quickly made to follow.

"Uuuh. What are you doing?" Luke asked a little uneasily as Ezra plopped down into the pilot's chair.

"Going to see what Vizago got himself into."

"Wait." Luke broke in, placing one hand on the steering yoke. "I'm all for helping someone in need. But what if it's serious?" He said worriedly, and Copper warbled his affirmation. Not that Luke was… quite against some adventure, the alternative option being trapped here for the rest of the day, but one of them had to at least try and be the reasonable one here.

"We'll just take a look, and if it's more than we can handle, we come right back. Simple. Besides, we owe Vizago a favor." Ezra argued.

Luke frowned lightly, eyes narrowing and glancing aside as he considered. But Ezra didn't wait for him to agree, instead, he started taking off jerkily, his previously confident expression slipping into a grimace.

Luke almost got thrown to the floor and held on to the pilot's chair for dear balance, and Chopper almost tipped over. The old droid started warbling profanities in binary again.

"Fine!" Luke said, quickly yanking Ezra out of the pilot's chair and plopping down instead. He put a hand on the steering yoke and gestured with his thumb to himself with his other hand. "But I'm flying."

Ezra shrugged a little sheepishly, and Luke lifted off and smoothly flew them out the hanger.

As they followed the coordinates provided by the distress signal, Chopper grumbled about Ezra running away.

"He's right." Luke backed him up. "Running away from your problems isn't gonna make them disappear."

"I am not running away from my problems." Ezra shot back. "I, we, are simply helping someone else with their problems." He flashed a sour smile at Chopper and said self-assuredly, "There's a difference."

Chopper spun his dome, which Luke gathered was the droid equivalent of rolling his eyes.

"If you say so." Luke sighed, letting it drop.

Chopper warbled about a ship they were coming up on. The ship hung, to all appearances, dead in space.

"Is that it?" Luke quiried.

Ezra nodded confirmation, glancing sideways at Luke briefly. "That's Vizago's ship alright." He frowned. "I wonder what happened." His interest was piqued.

"Doesn't look like an attack." Luke remarked, studying the shell of the ship critically and finding it devoid of any signs of recent battle.

Ezra's head flicked towards the comm, and he patched through to the source of the signal. "Vizago. Cikatro Vizago, do you read me?"

There was silence on the other side of the comm.

Chopper hooted sarcastically about boarding the ship.

Ezra scowled impatiently at him. "Well of course we're going to board the ship."

"Are we though?" Luke asked him pointedly. "Remember who's flying here."

"Visago must be in trouble. Why else wouldn't he answer his comm?"

"Alright. Let's do it." Luke said, smothering a smile. In truth, his initial reluctance had stemmed mainly from the last vestiges of obligation to obey Kanan and Hera. Now that they had already left without permission anyway, he was as eager as Ezra to learn what had transpired. A ship dead in space as often as not meant a good story, and if he was lucky, a good adventure. He hadn't been on an adventure since he'd joined up with the Spectres, and welcomed the excitement and anticipation like old friends.

Luke flew them alongside the Broken Horn and docked.

Ezra plopped his helmet on, and Luke followed him and Chopper to the ship entrance door. It slid open to reveal a fair maze of dimly lit corridors, and Ezra slid the visor of his helmet down to better see.

They stepped into ghostly silence, which, combined with the emergency lighting, created an eerie atmosphere.

"I have a bad feeling about this." Commented Luke as they made their way through the seemingly abandoned ship. The excitement of the unknown had subsided, and was replaced with the unease of the unknown.

Luke walked closely behind Ezra, allowing the other boy to lead the way. Luke cast his gaze around behind them and down the other corridors they passed. It took him a minute to register that the mechanical sound of rolling wheels behind them was absent.

He paused. "Chopper? Hey. Where'd Chopper go?"

He saw Ezra's helmeted head twist around to look back at him, but was disrupted by his walking into something solid which neither of them had seen until now. Ezra fell with a startled shout, plopping gracelessly onto his backside.

Luke's hand went to his blaster as Ezra ripped his off his belt and pointed it at the shadowed figure. They paused when nothing happened, and Luke took a cautious step over to Ezra's side. He ascertained that the figure was a rather frightening-looking droid that stood unmoving. Behind it a few paces in the even dimmer part of the corridor stood several other droids identical to it, stopped in place like the first.

"Security droids." Luke supplied, fascinated.

"They're shut off." Ezra remarked.

"If this Visago guy were in trouble, would they be off? Or does this mean he's been overpowered by someone?" Like the outside of the ship, there were no obvious signs of a struggle, but that wasn't all that encouraging.

Ezra flipped up his visor. "I don't know." He said, sounding concerned. "Let's see if he's in the cockpit." He gestured towards the door up ahead, past all the powered down droids.

Their astromech companion momentarily forgotten, they walked warily down the hall glancing all around, studying the droids lining the walls with trepidation-mixed-curiosity.

Luke was still watching them, his eyes darting around while Ezra keyed the door to the cockpit open.

The atmosphere they entered was starkly different to the one just outside the door, mostly due to the upbeat music wafting from the cockpit radio, with female vocals in a language unfamiliar to Luke.

A pair of legs were visible from under the control board. Ezra stepped forward. "Visago. Visago, is that you?" He called.

"Uh. Not exactly." A voice, the same voice as the one in the distress call, called back from under the control panel and the figure began pulling themselves up from their lying down position.

The being that emerged was a rather aged weequay in an odd helmet and goggles over his eyes that somewhat obscured the upper half of his features. He wore the relatively simple garb of a spacer, save for a rather extravagant-looking belt with a gold buckle. He also wore gold rings on both his hands and a golden bracelet on one wrist.

Ezra raised his blaster warily, taking half a step back. Luke, still following his lead, placed a hand on his blaster.

The being, apparently unconcerned by the sight of the brandished weapons, dusted himself off and stood upright, spreading his hands in a welcoming gesture. "Well. Hello there." He said in a disarming tone.

"Ah. Allow me to introduce myself," he followed up as he keyed the radio off, plunging the room into quiet. "I am Hondo Ohnaka." He dipped his torso in imitation of a slight bow. "Proud owner of this fine, but… currently… inoperative vessel."

Luke narrowed his eyes. This Hondo character reminded him vaguely of Lando with his sweeping gestures and overly charming disposition. It wasn't inherently a good or bad thing, just an observation for now.

He said nothing, only glanced at Ezra to judge their next course of action. They had come to help mainly because the Spectres owed this Visago character a favor as Ezra had put it, but he was apparently absent.

"Where's Visago? This is his ship?" Ezra inquired mildly, though he was evidently suspicious as well, and had yet to lower his blaster.

"Ah, you know Visago?" The weequay exclaimed, clapping his hands together. "Then we have a mutual friend! Yes. It was, his ship. But we were enjoying a friendly game of sabbac, and well, now, it is my ship." He finished rather meekly.

"Visago bet his ship?" Ezra asked, disbelief evident in his voice as he lowered his blaster partway, though didn't replace it on his belt just yet.

The story was believable enough. People sometimes got roped into betting their right eyes in sabbac, even among friends. Luke knew the story of how Han had won his own ship, the Millennium Falcon from Lando just a few years ago. It wasn't impossible.

"Right after his droids, which are now also mine." Hondo went on with a spark of genuine humor. He pulled a remote of some kind off his belt. "Watch. I turn them on,"

With a press of a button, the droids on either side of the doorway booted up and began moving. Luke and Ezra whirled around in alarm, Luke fully drawing his blaster, thinking for a split second that the weequay had just smoothly set them up for a trap, but Hondo pressed the button again, saying, "Iiii turn them off." He finished, laughing as he put the remote back on his belt.

"I guess that could happen." Luke said, more to Ezra than to Hondo.

"Yeah, okay." Ezra nodded, turning to face Hondo again as he put his blaster away. Ezra paused when Luke didn't do the same. He shot Luke a look and nudged him lightly with his elbow. Luke sighed quietly and replaced his weapon as well.

"You know about me." Hondo said. "But, who are you?"

Ezra flicked his eyes to the side as he pulled his helmet off, and Luke knew he was going to lie. "I'm… Lando. Lando Calrissian."

Luke blinked, his shoulders drooping in disbelief, then rolled his eyes to heaven. As with Jabba the Hutt, he wondered what Lando would have to say about Ezra using his name as an alias. He'd ask later how Ezra even knew Lando's name.

But Hondo seemed to buy it. "Lando." He repeated, seemingly awestruck. He moved to Ezra's side smoothly and Luke was reminded of an eel. No less in the manner Hondo slid an arm around Ezra's shoulders. "So at last I get to meet the semi-famous Lando Calrissian."

He guided Ezra further into the cockpit. "A tad, younger, than I pictured, but to be so young, and flying to my rescue, proves you must be the scoundrel I have heard of." He patted Ezra's back emphatically.

"Yeah, I mean I am pretty good." Ezra said, standing up just a little straighter at the praise. Luke rolled his eyes again.

"He's pretty good." Hondo repeated under his breath, laughing giddily to himself, as though at some private joke.

"Are you looking for a crew? Who knows! Hondo is hiring."

"Ah, I already have a crew." He gestured to Luke, who stood, arms crossed, a skeptical glint in his eyes, and who Hondo seemed to have forgotten was present as well.

Ezra turned back to Hondo, but it was Luke who Hondo suddenly seemed to have a keen interest in as he took several steps in Luke's direction, as if pulled by an invisible string.

"You know, you remind me of someone." Hondo said, staring at Luke intently. "I never forget a face!" He announced exuberantly. "Now let me think."

Luke lowered his chin, tilting his head away from Hondo's scrutiny nervously. His father's lightsaber, which Luke currently had concealed in a pouch attached to his belt, felt heavy on his leg.

Ezra shot Luke a question with his eyes, and Luke shrugged helplessly.

"Ah! It's going to kill me!" Hondo exclaimed. "What was your name, boy?"

"He's no one." Ezra interjected hastily, swinging an arm around Luke's shoulders. "He's a member of my crew is all."

Luke cleared his throat. "Speaking of, where did our droid go?" He prompted, both looking to change the subject and remind Ezra of Chopper going missing earlier.

"Oh, yeah. He must have wandered off somewhere else." Ezra concluded.

Hondo perked up at this thoughtfully. "You lost your droid? I lost my whole crew! Thanks to the Empire." He sighed, his voice growing quiet. "I once was a captain you know. Oh. The stories I could tell."

In that moment he sounded truly old and weary, lost in memories of times long past. Though he quickly ruined the illusion by adding, "So many of them true."

Not a moment after he finished speaking, an alert for an incoming transmission began sounding on the control panel, a red symbol flashing on the screen.

Outside the viewport, a large Imperial cruiser could be seen making straight for them.

Ezra jumped into action, directing Hondo towards the blinking comm. "Uh, yeah. You wanna tell a story? Tell one to the Empire. Luke, can you get the power back on?"

Luke was already sliding under the console. "Buy me a minute!"

Hondo cleared his throat and keyed the comm on. "Uh, hello? How can we help you?"

"Attention transport. You have breached an Imperial checkpoint."

Hondo pulled away, glancing down at Luke anxiously. "Hyperspace, would be good."

The ship shuddered as the Imperial ship began firing on them, making them all tense as the shields strained against the barrage.

"I've got it!" Luke announced. "I just need to access the navi-computer." He grunted.

As if on cue, the doors slid open and Chopper sped into the cockpit, plugged himself into the navi-computer, set the coordinates, and activated hyperspace all in record time.

"Well, boys. It looks like we are off on an adventure." Hondo stated cheerfully, gesturing dramatically, as if they weren't being fired on by an Imperial ship, even as the blue streaks of incoming hyperspace colored the whole viewport.

Luke ducked out from under the console, sitting up and smiling at the old astromech. "Nice one Chop." He praised.

Chopper pulled back in surprise at the complement, then made a self-deprecating noise and waved it off with his pincher.

"Power generators? That's what you're smuggling?" Ezra blurted out, as they gawked at the holo of the contents of Hondo's cargo hold that Chopper was displaying for them.

"Those are pretty hard to get these days. Expensive too." Luke commented, to Ezra and Hondo.

"Yeah!" Ezra agreed, then paused, looking at Luke. "Wait, how did you know that?" He asked quietly.

"Uh, I was a smuggler? Remember?" Luke muttered under his breath.

"Oh. Yeah." Ezra turned back to the holo.

One look at Ezra's scheming face, and Luke knew they were thinking the same thing. If they could get some of those generators back to the Base, they could go a long way towards helping the people of Ryn.

Hondo addressed them. "You're right of course. Which is why we'll sell them at a fair markup. ...Five hundred percent."

Luke's jaw slackened, but Ezra simply nodded after a beat. "Uh, okay. We help you, you give us our cut in power generators. Three crates."

"Alright. Two crates and you have a deal." Hondo said, his resigned tone suggesting that he was giving in, and letting them get the better end of the deal.

Oh, he was good.

Fortunately, Ezra wasn't so easily beguiled.

"Two." He agreed. "And we split the profit of the third."

Hondo laughed heartily. "Deal." He said, clapping his hand into Ezra's and shaking it. Then he wrapped an arm around Ezra's shoulders, a gesture he seemed fond of.

"The way you strike a bargain, you remind me of a great pirate I know. -Me! Ha!"

Luke caught a flash of movement from Ezra, but when his eyes focused on the spot, it was already gone.

"Now, let's go split up the merchandise."

Hondo dropped his hand from Ezra's shoulders and strode towards the door, but paused just before exiting as his eyes caught Luke's.

He stared at Luke again. This time, he leaned in close, intruding in Luke's personal space, and Luke leaned away uncomfortably as Hondo scrutinized him.

"Never forget a face…" He muttered to himself. "Who is it…? ...I will get it! That I promise you!" With that, he disappeared into the corridor.

Once he was gone, Ezra held up the remote that had been on Hondo's belt for Luke and Chopper to see, obviously pleased with himself.

"You stole that?" Luke asked incredulously, voice hushed.

"It could come in handy if he decides to give us trouble." Ezra explained. He bent over to hand it to Chopper.

"Hang onto it, Chop."

"Why do I get the feeling you're expecting trouble?" Luke quiried, following him out.

"Hey, in our line of work, you always expect trouble."

"Fair."

They docked the Broken Horn on a rather isolated base on Nixus, and unloaded the crates onto hover-carts.

"Stay here, in case there's any kind of trouble." Ezra murmured to Luke and Chopper.

Luke put his hands on his hips and stared with a half-lidded gaze at Ezra "And since when do you get to boss me around?" He muttered out the side of his mouth, though it wasn't that he faulted Ezra's caution.

"Just keep your comms on." Ezra urged him and Chopper, testing his own briefly, and strode after Hondo, pushing the cart in front of him.

Luke rolled his eyes even as he did as Ezra suggested. "Yes, Sir, Captain Calrissian." He was sure Ezra heard him.

Chopper continued to grumble, and Luke glanced at him. "Yeah, I agree with you, Chopper. We're already in trouble."

"So. Who is the buyer, anyway?" Ezra inquired.

They entered another hangar and answer to Ezra's question came in the form of a bloated, grotesque-looking jablogian arriving on a hover-cart of his own, a case of credits under one arm. He was flanked by two, armored guards with blasters, whose faces were concealed by stern-looking helmets.

"Aright! Where's Vizago?" The jablogian demanded, not wasting a moment.

"Azmorigan." Ezra muttered the name to himself like a curse, and slid his visor down. It would only complicate things if he was recognised. The Ghost crew was not precisely on friendly terms with Azmorigan.

Hondo, seemingly unperturbed and not missing a beat, dove into a pleasant explanation with practiced ease. "Aaah. Vizago is indisposed, ah… so to speak- Granting me, the privilege of conducting business with you, oh Legendary One." He punctuated it with a good-natured chuckle as he walked forward.

"Hondo Ohnaka at your service." He introduced himself, sweeping one arm out in a half bow.

Azmorigan began laughing, either sarcastically or genuinely, it was difficult to say, but he asked, "Is this a joke?"

Like flicking a switch, his demeanor changed into one of pompous scorn. "I don't deal with washed up old relics."

"Come now, let's leave your wife out of this." Hondo reasoned with complete seriousness, and Ezra just shook his head lightly, sighing into his helmet.

"There is no need for such impropriety among thieves." Hondo continued, spreading his hands. "I am certain we can reach an accord."

Azmorigan only appeared to be further amused. "I'm certain we can. Hm?" Those smug words seemed to be the signal for his guards, as they raised their blasters to point them at Hondo and Ezra even before the jablogian finished speaking.

Hondo backed away in apparent fear, and Ezra tensed. He was trying to figure out what to do, when more armed guards emerged from behind crates and canisters, thoroughly surrounding them.

"That was easy." Hondo expressed breathily. He and Ezra had no choice but to raise their hands as the guards prompted them forward.

"Nice going, Partner." Ezra said sarcastically, and in a quick movement, he pressed the activation button on his wrist comm and raised his voice, putting emphasis on his words. "Looks like you got us captured."

Luke's comm blinked and activated, Ezra voice crackling through before he could say anything.

"Looks like you got us captured. It would be nice if we had some back-up."

Chopper made a 'Woh-oh' sound and Luke shook his head. He covered the comm with his other hand and glanced at the astromech.

"Any ideas?"

Chopper beeped and rolled off, pushing the cart with the last crate of generators on it.

"Watch and learn? What's that supposed to mean? Chopper? Chopper!"

Despite Hondo's attempted reasoning, Azmorigan, after ordering his men to cuff Ezra and Hondo's hands behind their backs, had them placed on one of the loading dollies, planning to launch them into the cold depths of space.

Azmorigan paused in his gloating. "Who is this?" he demanded, indicating Ezra.

The guards yanked Ezra's helmet off and Ezra lowered his head, trying to hide his face, if only a little, but it was fruitless.

"Hey… Hey, I know you." Azmorigan stated, his voice pitched low, then rising with conviction. "From somewhere. ... Calrissian's farm… on Lothal!"

"Well of course you know him." Ezra snapped his gaze to Hondo in alarm. "This is my long-time friend, Lando Calrissian!" The weequay supplied helpfully.

Ezra continued to cringe.

"Whaaat?" Azmorigan said confusedly. "Dno. He's not Calrissian."

"You lied to me?" Hondo murmured to Ezra, who looked away in shame. Hondo almost sounded hurt, but then his face lit up and he even smiled. "I knew I liked you!" He proclaimed. Ezra would have been amused by the statement, were the circumstances, less dire.

Meanwhile, Azmorigan appeared to be considering something else, as if recalling another detail. "You robbed me." He said to Ezra, quiet rage in his face and voice.

"Oh I will enjoy this." He turned to Hondo, his anger fast turning to sadistic glee. "I get to collect on Ohnaka," He turned to Ezra. "I get to kill you," He turned to the crates on the hover-cart. "And I get to keep the five generators. All of them. Five crates-" He cut himself off suddenly, sputtering nonsense.

"W-w-wait. There are only four crates here." He rounded on Hondo, scolding him as if he hadn't been bragging about how he was going to kill them just a moment earlier. "You were supposed to bring me five!"

"Well, the other boy and the droid had the fifth crate." Hondo explained with a small smile.

Azmorigan drew back. "Boy? Droid?"

No sooner did he finish speaking, than the door to the hangar slid open, and Chopper's menacing warble drifted through, rising into a battle cry as he zoomed through the corridor with the cart, heedless of the blaster bolts flying his direction at Azmorigan's panicked order.

Chopper released the cart and sent it crashing into the other crates with enough force to send them all flying, slamming into Azmorigan and several of the guards, while the others scrambled for safety.

Ezra leapt into action, kicking down another guard, who landed on another loading dolly, and Hondo pressed the activation tab with his shoulder with a cheery, "Thank you for stopping by." as, with a terrified scream, the being was sent hurtling out the hangar exit and into space.

Luke emerged from the other end of the corridor and paused at the entrance to the hangar, taking in the chaos. He spied Hondo, Ezra and Chopper, who seemed to be handling themselves just fine for the moment.

A nasally voice assaulted his ears. "Ah! You're with them, aren't you!" Luke snapped his head around to see a jablogian glaring at him, brandishing a blaster.

Luke's eyes widened in alarm as the being fired at him, the first couple bolts striking the doorway beside him, and Luke threw himself forward. The jablogian's blaster fire followed him as he ran around the edge of the hangar.

He heard a panicked scream, and looked up to see one of the armored guards get launched out the huge, gaping blast door.

The jablogian must have noticed too, for he seemed to forget about Luke momentarily, turning back to Hondo and Ezra, who were appearing satisfied with their handiwork.

"Die, you pirate scum!" The jablogian shouted, shooting derangedly at the two of them and Chopper now.

"Whoa! Ezra yelped, as he and Hondo dove for cover behind a wall of crates, and Chopper wheeled away out of sight.

Luke dashed over to Hondo and Ezra, sliding to join them.

Ezra shifted so Luke could reach the binders on his wrists, and Luke got to work on them, pulling a multi-tool from his belt.

"Well, this is fun. What's the plan?" Hondo inquired.

"I dunno. Ask the droid." Luke said with a quick roll of his eyes, a slight, exasperated smile creeping onto his face.

Suddenly Hondo shouted. "Lando! Watch out!" One of the bodyguards was picking themself up, lifting their blaster to aim it at Ezra.

Luke clicked open Ezra's binders just then, and like lightning, Ezra seized the other boy's blaster off his hip and fired two stun bolts with record speed. It hit the guard right in the chest and they went down again.

As Luke switched his attention to freeing Hondo, Chopper emerged again, seeking out any more enemies to shock onto brutal unconsciousness.

"Hey! Get my blaster!" Ezra told the droid.

Chopper scooped up Ezra's confiscated weapon, and Ezra stood up, waving at him. "Chopper, over here!"

Chopper tossed it to him and Ezra caught it, wasting no time putting it to use, firing electro bolts on Azmorigan and his remaining bodyguards.

Azmorigan ran determinedly around to the front of their hiding place and took shelter behind a freight lifter. Or so he seemed to. In an unexpected move, the jablogian used his considerable weight to shove the freight lifter in their direction, and Ezra was directly in its path. Equally unexpected, was Hondo, now freed as well, shoving the boy away. Ezra fell into Luke on the other side of him, and both boys were sent sprawling a few feet away. The old weequay was not so fortunate as the lifter collided with the loading dolly that had also been in front of them, crashing into Hondo.

Hondo landed heavily on the dolly dazed, and Azmorigan cackled.

Chopper saw Ezra on the ground and warbled angrily. He rolled over to a fallen guard, picking up his blasters with his pinchers.

Azmorigan cut off his own cackling with a gasp as Chopper sped around the corner, screeching to a halt, lifting and cocking his stolen blasters dangerously.

Might as well give him a warning. It was only fair. "You mess with my boy... you die."

And just like that, Azmorigan was running for his life, one ballistic astromech on his tail.

Hondo, meanwhile, groggily sat up from where he'd landed, on a loading dolly, the controls of which were sparking and malfunctioning. Hondo had just enough time to murmur an, "Uh oh," before the dolly activated and hurtled it and him towards the exit and the cold expanse of open space.

Luke sat up blearily, while beside him, Ezra also struggled to pick himself up with a determined clench of his teeth.

Azmorigan, still frantically trying to escape Chopper's wrath, tripped, falling heavily and the container of payment went flying straight into Hondo's awaiting lap.

The weequay had a brief moment of triumph and glee.

"I'm rich!"

...Which quickly turned to terror at the gaping depths of space about to swallow him.

"I'm dead!"

Luke felt Ezra gather the Force to him and pull.

Hondo's form halted, floating in midair, the dolly flying out from under him and out the blast door behind him, as he shouted in alarm. "Oh-HO-ho!"

With his head still buzzing from his hard landing, Ezra was struggling to keep a Force hold on Hondo, so that Luke put his hand on Ezra's shoulder, closing his eyes adn reaching out with his other hand, assisting him.

The weequay looked around, bewildered, before his eyes landed on Luke and Ezra, each with a hand outstretched, and his brow shot up.

"Oh…"

The boys lowered Hondo, letting him hit the ground, a bit harder than they'd meant. Ezra let out a breath, slumping beside Luke.

Chopper was still chasing after Azmorigan, who, seeming to have had enough, dashed aboard his ship and took off immediately.

"Well," Hondo paused to duck as Azmorigan's retreating ship nearly took his head off. "That was easy." He observed, his incorrigible good humor returning to him like it had never truly left. "Very good."

He laughed as he caught the eye of Ezra, who turned with a only slightly nervous smile. Luke, Chopper and Hondo followed him towards the crates of generators, all strewn about from the chaos.

Hondo's soft voice made them stop and turn back to face him. "My friends, my friends. You might not be Calrissian, but I know one thing you are."

He paused, as though for dramatic effect, and the two boys exchanged a tense glance.

"You two... are Jedi." Hondo announced with conviction, and he cackled.

"We can explain-" Ezra hurried to say apprehensively, stepping in front of Luke and holding up his hands, but Hondo cut him off with a waved hand and a 'tut tut'.

"Why didn't you tell me you were a Jedi. You know I am an old Jedi sympathizer?"

At Ezra's surprised look and Luke's raised eyebrow, Hondo chuckled. "I know. I wouldn't believe me either, but one of my best friends was a Jedi. …I'm pretty sure we were friends."

"Well, we're not really Jedi." Ezra expressed, trying to cover at least somewhat. It was the truth technically. They were only students, nowhere near full-fledged Jedi, particularly on Luke's part.

"Then you will be pirate Jedi!" He gasped dramatically as if imagining it. "The three of us, plus your droid, we will make an excellent team."

Ezra and Luke shared a glance once more, matching frowns on their face, though Luke sensed it was for slightly different reasons.

"But first," Hondo went on, prompting, "tell me, what are your names? Your real names?"

"Ezra Bridger." Ezra answered with a grin and both he and Hondo glanced at Luke.

"I'm Luke Skywalker." Luke supplied, blowing out a breath.

"Skywalker?!" Hondo exclaimed loudly, startling the two boys. Then the weequay began laughing boisterously. "Skywalker! Skywalker?! Of course! Anakin Skywalker!"

"You know of my father?" Luke blurted out before he could stop himself.

Hondo's brow shot up. "Eh? Father?" He placed his forefinger on his chin, his tone lowering and his voice softening with something akin to awestruck wonder. "Anakin Skywalker is your father?"

Melancholy washed through Luke, and he answered quietly, "He was."

"Aaah." Hondo breathed, reaching forward to pat Luke on the shoulder. "He was a great man. Fierce and brave." He held up a finger. "An excellent business man as well." He added with a lighter note.

Luke mirrored Hondo's smile, and he glanced down.

"Well, thank you, Ezra Bridger and Luke Skywalker." Hondo said, looking between them.

Ezra was relaxed as they strode through the Broken Horn once more, generators successfully loaded up again with the addition of the credits from Azmorigan.

The undercurrent of potential danger he'd felt upon first entering the ship had persisted until Azmorigan had left, but as of now, it had eased considerably. Though... not completely dissipated.

"You must have, many responsibilities, yes?" Hondo asked him and Luke somewhat abruptly, breaking the silence.

Ezra sighed at the still fresh frustration upwelling in him. Hondo had unknowingly touched on the source of that frustration that he'd temporarily forgotten with all the excitement. "Yeah, too many at the moment."

"Well then, join my crew and I will split it right down the middle, fifty-forty." Hondo proposed.

"Right down the middle." Luke deadpanned.

"You won't get a better deal than that, especially from me." Hondo hurried to defend.

"Wait, that's only ninety percent." Ezra realized. "What about the other ten?"

"Ooh, you want me to spend that on expenses, trust me."

Ezra considered. "Okay, well, how about zero percent for us? We want the generators. All of them."

"You.. have a deal, Partner!" Hondo exclaimed, and threw his free arm around Ezra in a hug. Ezra grimaced in discomfort and glanced at Luke and Chopper. The boys shared a helpless look.

"Ah! This makes me happy! You get the generators, and I get you for my crew. It is good." Hondo pulled back. "Let us celebrate- Droid, droid!" Chopper bopped, startled at being addressed. "Go to the galley, and bring me the most expensive drink you can!" Hondo ordered, pointing. "And something for my friends." He added after a beat.

"Uuh. Yeah, I think we'll go with him." Ezra said, making to follow Chopper and tugging Luke after him.

"Of course, Partners. ...Don't forget yours!"

As soon as they were out of ear-shot, Ezra began rambling. "I don't know what just happened. Did we- did we just join his crew?"

"I was going to ask you." Luke offered.

Chopper warbled a question.

"No, I know. I don't wanna leave the Ghost, I-I mean not really." Ezra protested feebly. And he didn't! But then… What did he want?

Ezra sighed. "Maybe... I would make a pretty good pirate."

"Well of course you would." Luke stated, as if it were obvious.

Ezra blinked, and stared at Luke in bewilderment. "Huh?"

"Ezra, you'd be good at a lot of things. Including being a pirate." Luke told him seriously. He glanced between Ezra and the floor. "I think you make a better rebel though."

Ezra continued to stare and blink, a little taken aback at the compliment. He had no idea Luke already thought so highly of him. It somehow meant more than any praise Hondo could bestow. "... Um. ...Thanks." He gave Luke a tentative smile, which Luke returned, shrugging one shoulder.

Ezra's smile dropped and he sighed. "You're right. What am I thinking? I can't leave the Ghost."

Luke bumped shoulders with him supportively. "I don't think it's a crime to think about doing other things. You just have to decide what's most important to you."

Ezra frowned in thought, remembering that Luke had recently had to make such a decision. He'd had to choose between the life he'd led and a completely new one as well. Before he could continue that line of thought however, a distant clang drew their attention, causing them all to pause and tense.

"What is that?"

Upon finding Vizago himself, a green-skinned devaronian with a broken horn, locked up in his own brig in the hold, and hearing from him that he was apparently not such good friends with Hondo -honestly, why were they even surprised?- and finding out Hondo had apparently hijacked the ship, rather than winning it, well, something had to be resolved. Vizago expressed that he was calling in the favor the Spectres owed him, and the boys felt they couldn't refuse.

Luke went with Chopper to finish the task of loading the generators onto the Phantom, while Ezra accompanied Vizago to the cockpit to confront Hondo.

"I think you two know each other."

Hondo jolted, and he turned in the pilot's chair, scandalized. "Partner. How could you let this dangerous criminal out of the brig?"

"Save it, Partner." Ezra drawled, indignant at having been so thoroughly deceived, but he took several steps forward to stand between the two men, trying to speak reasonably.

"Let's all relax. I take the generators. You two split Azmorigan's credits. Everyone wins."

"That is a fair deal. Hm." Hondo said, his voice rather low, and almost dangerous. "And it disgusts me." He spat, proving he had some spine after all. For a moment, Ezra could see him in the role of a leader, a captain of a gang of pirates.

Vizago, standing stoic and passive by the door, voiced his own opinion. "For once, I agree. Care to hear my counter-offer?"

To Hondo and Ezra's alarm, he held up the remote that had been on Ezra's belt and pressed the button, activating the droids on either side of the doorway, including one from the corridor that brandished a large blaster, all three of whom marched menacingly towards the intruders, as per their programming, while Vizago drew back with a satisfied smile.

Ezra had his lightsaber out in a moment, and Hondo his blaster, returning fire.

Ezra deflected a bolt with his saber, hitting the center droid, but it did little damage. Hondo blasted the same one in the head, causing it to stumble backwards, sparking, and deactivate, falling over onto Vizago.

Ezra's lightsaber was abruptly knocked from his hand, and the droid that had done so seized the boy with its iron grip.

Hondo shot at it and the other remaining droid.

In that moment, they came out of hyperspace over Garel, the blue and white planet in full view, providing a momentary distraction for all three of them.

Ezra wrenched himself out of the droid's hold and landed lightly in a crouch. He snatched up his fallen lightsaber and slipped under the droid's reach to slice off its arm. It, like its brothers, fell back, sparking and damaged.

"Excellent work!" Hondo commended, pulling up the vent opening, and slipping in feet first and saluting with his blaster by way of farewell. "I will invest your share wisely!"

"Thanks a lot, partner!" Ezra hollered after him.

Vizago struggled under the fallen droid's weight and finally shoved it off him just as the cockpit door slid open once more to admit more of the droids, many of whom were also armed with blasters.

"Keep the Jedi occupied." Vizago ordered them, pointing at Ezra. Then he rushed out the door himself, shoving aside Luke, who'd come running when he heard the droids come to life, and had just appeared, ducking under the arms of the droids.

Luke used the Force to snatch the remote off the retreating Vizago's belt, summoning it to his own hand. Ezra desperately defended himself against the droids, and Luke quickly pressed the button to shut them down.

They both sagged a moment in relief.

"Do things always spiral out of control when you're on your own?"

"Just on the good days." Ezra returned cheekily, his bright attitude returning for a moment.

Their humor didn't last however, as a moment after Chopper came on the comm, in between sputtering and cursing in binary, he got out something about Hondo trying to take the Phantom.

"What-? What could have possibly gone wrong now?" Ezra demanded of no one in particular, and made to dash out the door, Luke right on his heels.

They made it in time to literally crash into Vizago, and then see Hondo take off in the Phantom.

A moment of awkward silence ensued.

"Well, looks like you get your ship back, as promised." Ezra said optimistically.

"Yes… But I lost all my credits! And my generators!" Vizago groused indignantly.

"Eh, technically they were, my generators." Ezra corrected, and Luke backed away nervously as Vizago turned a murderous glare on him.

Next thing they knew, Vizago had stuffed Ezra, Luke and Chopper into an escape pod bound for Garel's surface.

"I hate children." He muttered to himself and pressed the launch button.

"Not sure how we're gonna explain all this." Ezra sighed as they sat quietly in the escape pod.

"Maybe we won't have to." Luke said lightly, giving Chopper a smirk, who warbled to Ezra.

"What do you mean?" Ezra glanced between the two of them and focused on Chopper. "And what do you mean, you know where Hondo will be?"

The two boys and the droid made their way wearily back to the base, specifically the Ghost, where the rest of the crew was gathered, returned from their own venture.

They walked in on Hondo regaling Hera, Kanan, Sabine and Rex with a heavily embellished version of recent events, his sweeping gestures adding flare. "-And then, they let Vizago out! The villain was upon us I am telling you! But young Luke and Ezra, they stood tall in front of me, and withstood a massive atta-"

He stuttered when Luke and Ezra appeared beside him, but he quickly recovered. "My friends! I was just talking about you!" He threw an arm around Ezra's shoulders, and patted Luke's shoulder with the same hand. Luke pulled away uncomfortably and Ezra just shook his head, clearly over Hondo's pretenses and exaggerated exuberance. Hondo seemed not to notice. "How you and I rescued the generators from the evil Vizago."

Ezra shrugged Hondo's arm off roughly, taking a step away. "Yeah, that's not what happened. You stole the generators and our ship."

Luke stole a glance at Hera and Kanan's stern faces, who, at Ezra's statement, seemed to radiate approval and amusement, even smiling a little.

Hondo of course, gasped dramatically. "What an accusation! You wound me!"

Ezra didn't dignify that with a response and Luke explained instead. "Chopper had the Phantom on autopilot."

Hondo immediately dropped his not very tasteful act. "Well that's another version of the story, I suppose." He stated baldly, voice tapering off into something much more subdued, glancing a little uneasily towards the others present.

Clearly sensing it was best to make a hasty retreat, the weequay turned and began striding down the Ghost ramp, everyone else keeping pace as they followed him. "I'll tell you what? You can keep my generators. They are my gift to you." He offered, tone dripping with exaggerated benevolence. "Goodbye!"

Ezra caught up to him after a moment. Luke followed a pace or so behind.

"Just so you know, at one time…" Ezra told him. "I might have joined your crew. But.. I think I make a better rebel." He glanced back, catching Luke's eye with the last sentence, and Luke tilted his head with a half smile in acknowledgment.

Behind them, discreetly, Kanan and Hera shared a glance.

In response, Hondo began laughing. "Oh Ezra. You truly are, a Jedi." He said, voice low and reverent. He raised his head, his voice taking on his usual charm and enthusiasm again. "Luke Skywalker. Ezra Bridger. I hope, we meet again."

With those parting words, he turned on his heel and was off, head high and Asmorigan's credits under his arm.

Ezra and Luke turned back towards the others.

"Contact Commander Sato." Hera told Rex. "Tell him Ezra Bridger and Luke Skywalker found his generators." She finished, irony and pride in her tone and expression.

She met Luke as he came back up the ramp and put an arm around his shoulders, guiding him inside exchanging a smile with him.

Likewise, Kanan stepped out to stand beside Ezra.

Kanan's voice seemed rather loud in the sudden silence. "So. You went for a little spin."

"I was just trying to figure things out."

"And did you?" Kanan questioned, not missing a beat.

"I used to be like Hondo." Ezra said, gazing at Hondo's departing form, almost silhouetted in the late daylight. "Out for myself and alone. But that's not who I am anymore."

Kanan nodded, radiating approval in his Force signature, even if his tone and expression remained passive, save for the trace of a smile. "Hm. You're on a different path now."

"And I have you guys." Ezra agreed as he shot Kanan a bright smile, and Kanan graced him with a genuine one of his own.

As one, they turned and made their way back up the ramp, Kanan resting an arm around Ezra's shoulders, as Hondo had done multiple times today. Only from Kanan the gesture meant so much more.