Chapter Text
Rey didn’t know what to expect when she got to Lothal. She had come to find a supposed Jedi. They had gotten word that Luke Skywalker had passed, so that ended up throwing a wrench into their plans. They were about to give up when one of the long-time members of the resistance brought up an idea. His name was Jacen, and he himself was known to be force sensitive, but he had never gone to Master Skywalker’s school. He didn’t consider himself a Jedi, and he didn’t use a lightsaber. No one knew who trained him, it’s not like it was a secret, he just didn't talk about it. That was the norm up until the meeting when they gathered all the pieces of the map to where Master Skywalker had been.
“I hate to be the bearer of this news, but unfortunately you will not find Master Skywalker there.” He said, before they could even start discussing who they should send. “There is a feeling in the Force. Master Skywalker is not there anymore, he is no longer with the living.” He paused, as if thinking, “I do know someone though, my master is still alive. He has not fought in years. However he did fight in the rebellion against the Empire. When he left he said I would know what the right time to find him was, and I feel like now is the right time. If you are meant to find him, you will find him on Lothal, on the outer rim, if this is not the right time he will not appear, if it is, listen to the Force, it will lead you to him.”
So now Rey, Finn, and Poe were on a mission to try and find this supposed Master. They didn’t know his name, or even what he looked like. Poe had been with the resistance the longest, so there was a hope that he would at least have heard of the man, and maybe be able to recognize him. Rey was here because they figured she had the best shot at finding him, since Jacen had told them to listen to the Force, and Jacen himself had not been able to leave base. Poe was here because it had felt right, and since this entire mission seemed to hinge on listening to the Force, they weren’t willing to chance it if they needed him. So now here the three of them were, on a planet none of them had been to before, in one of the most out of the way reaches of the galaxy.
When they got to Lothal, Rey wasn’t sure what she was expecting, but the fields of grass threw her. Jacen had given them a box, saying it used to belong to his father, and would help them find his master, but none of them knew what to do with it. So that’s where they were, just flying around Lothal, hoping to get some kind of inkling of feeling when suddenly she felt something, she wasn’t sure what exactly it was, but it certainly wasn’t bad, so she told Poe to land the ship.
As everyone got off Rey tried to find the origin of what she was feeling. As she was sitting and trying to track down the source of the feeling, a small, white, cat-like creature came up to her. Rey was mildly annoyed at it, she was trying to focus, but it kept distracting her. It was Finn who had the idea to follow it, saying, “well, we were told to listen to the Force, maybe we were taking too long and it sent this guy to guide us.” They didn’t have a better idea, so they decided to get up and head in the direction the cat was going. Now that they were following, it did seem like it was leading them somewhere.
They ended it following it for quite a while. When it stopped it was in front of a small cottage in the midst of what looked like they used to be part of large stone structures that had been destroyed. Rey could feel this place was strong in the force, and that something important had once once stood here. What had it been, and what had led it to its current state of being.
There was a middle aged man sitting in front of the house, he seemed surprised to see them, but greeted the cat warmly. “Hello little friend, I see you brought some people for me. It’s been quite some time since anyone came to visit this corner of the galaxy.” Looking at the group he smiled at them, “What brings you to my little corner of Lothal, you don’t see too many people out here, especially so close to the old Jedi temple.”
This was an old Jedi temple? That would explain the feeling in the force that Rey felt here. She sized up the man, wondering if this is the person they had been sent to find. He had bronze skin, and bright blue eyes. His long hair had been dark once, but had since started to grey. Her eyes kept being drawn to two old, parallel scars under his left eye, she kept wondering to herself what caused them. Poe also seemed to be staring at the man, like he was trying to place him. It was Finn who once again spoke. “We are with the resistance, we were until recently searching for Master Luke Skywalker, but when we learned he passed one of our leaders, Captain Syndulla, said his master might be able to assist us in our fight against the First Order, and that he could be found on Lothal. He gave us a keepsake to help find him, but we don’t know how to use it.” With the last words Finn took out the box. “Do you know what this is and how to use it?”
“Oh, I haven’t seen one of those in years. It’s a Jedi holocron, used to record and store information. Anyone who is force sensitive, and attuned to the light side of the force should be able to open in, even if they have little training like yourself.”
“What? I’m not force sensitive…”
“Well, it’s not like there’s a rush,” the man interrupted. “Things here tend to move pretty slowly. Here, I was about to make lunch when you came, you may as well join me.” And with that he got up and walked into the home.
In his wake he left chaos. Not that you could tell by looking at them. Poe was still staring, like the guy seemed familiar, and he was just missing one puzzle piece, but he was starting to see the picture, and it was blowing his mind. Finn was just standing there, holocron still held out, trying to process that this stranger had just identified him as force sensitive. Meanwhile Rey was trying to talk to him, and convince him that this was an urgent mission they were on.
The home itself was very empty. There is a room hidden by a curtain, presumably his bedroom, and the kitchen and living area seemed to be combined into one main room. “I’m sorry, I had been about to go out, so I don’t have much, I hope what I have will be enough for us all.” He said gesturing to a pot of something on the wood fire stove, it smelled very good. If it was already on the stove he must have prepared it in advance. How had he known when they would arrive, and how many of them there were?
“Sir, we really need to find this man, Captain Syndulla sent us to look for his master. Can you tell me how I can open the holocron? You said you’d seen one before.”
“Sit down, there is no rush, if you need to open it use the Force. I have seen even those younger than you with no training at all open one. Just listen to the Force. Now you can go try to open it outside or make yourself useful and get the dishes ready.”
Rey stormed outside in a huff. She sat down and glared at the cube as if it had personally offended her. Poe saw the man was by himself and went in to help him set the dishes, and to confirm his suspicions. As he grabbed the bowls from their indicated position, he started to speak, “You know I’ve known Captain Syndulla for many years, he’s been part of the resistance for as long as it’s been around. We all knew he was force sensitive, it helped get us out of quite a few tough spots over the years. He rarely spoke about the person who taught him. He did tell stories though, about his mother, and told us the stories she told him, of his father, who was a Jedi, and his father’s apprentice, Ezra Bridger, who went missing shortly before he was born.” Poe looked at the man meaningfully. Ezra’s eyes were laughing, “I wondered who would recognize me first. My money was on the other boy, he seems to naturally sense things very well. The girl reminds me of Luke, the one time I met him, she’s heard all these stories and wants to live them and make them real. Don’t tell the others though, I want to see if they will figure it out before we finish eating.” At Poe’s exasperated look he laughed, “Don’t worry, I’m all packed and ready to set off, but let this old man have his fun.”
By the time they had finished getting everything ready, they could hear an voice coming from outside, “Hah”.
“Ah” Ezra said, “It seems like she got it open.”
Rey came in, “I found a star map in the holocron, but there are many sites marked, and the map is huge, it’ll take me some time to even find where we are, much less where we’re supposed to go”
“Well, we can look at the map after we eat, come, a good meal is important for your growth.”
Rey huffed as they all sat around the table and ate the meal that was laid before them. Finn found himself wondering many things. Who was this man? How was he so confident that Finn was able to sense the force? Why did the man make enough food for four people, when he clearly lived alone? How did he have it ready to eat when they arrived? As all these questions circled in his head an idea came to Finn, one that answered all of them. “Sir, I just realized we never asked your name, and how did you come to live out here, near an old Jedi temple?”
The man stopped eating, and smiled, “Ah, so you were able to figure it out, I wondered if you would. My name is Ezra Bridger. I fought in the rebellion against the Empire long ago, when I was younger than you lot. My cell was known as the Specters. There were six of us, Kanan Jarrus, Hera Syndulla, Chopper, Hera’s astromech droid, Garazeb Orelios, Zeb for short, Sabine Wren, and myself. In the battle for my home planet, this one we are on now, I destroyed this temple to stop it from falling into the hands of the empire. After my master died, in a final move to liberate the planet, I took the leader of the imperial forces here, Grand Admiral Thrawn, and all his ships, and jumped them into wild space with a group of purgills. Ten years later I found my way back to the known galaxy. When I got back I heard the empire was defeated, and that Luke was attempting to rebuild the Jedi. I told Luke that the Force told me that I was not meant to join him, and I helped Hera and the others work on stomping out the last of the sparks of the Empire. When we were ordered to demilitarize, I pushed back against it. I thought it was too soon, that there were still smolders that would one day grow into a fire that would burn everything we had built to the ground. My protestations went unheard. Then one day I had a vision that I was meant to go back to the temple I had destroyed all that time ago. I told Jacen, my master’s son, and my student, where I was going, told him to not tell anyone else, unless the Force guided him to do so. That there would come a time where I was needed, and I would come then. I told him to trust the Force, and he would know when the time is right.”
Rey was peeved at the deception, she looked at her compatriots to find some common ground and realized neither of them were surprised that the man was the one they were looking for. She knew Finn had figured it out, but when had Poe?
Poe saw her looking, “Jacen told stories about the Specters sometimes, I recognized the scars under his eye.”
Ezra touched his eye, “These things gave me away, huh? I got them when fighting an inquisitor when I was 15. Well fighting is a strong word for it, Kanan was fighting, I was either dangling from the walkway or running away!”
“And you just decided not to mention it while I was figuring out how to use a holocron?”
“Well, I spoke to Master Bridger, he asked me to wait until after the meal, which seemed reasonable.”
Ezra spoke up, “That holocron used to belong to my master, Kanan tested me with it when I first met him. Looking back I was already using the Force a lot at that point, but he let me steal it, when I felt lost I managed to open it, and hear Master Kenobi’s message to the last of the Jedi order. Jacen probably gave it to you because of the star map. It’s a map of Jedi temples, so if you knew to look on Lothal, it would take you right here.” He then turned to Poe, “And no need to call me Master, it feels too formal, unless we’re in a formal setting, Ezra is fine.”
Rey spoke up, “You are coming with us though, back to the resistance?”
“Of course, I’ve been waiting for you for days, I sent one of the loth-cats to help lead you here, when I realized you hadn’t opened the holocron. I just didn’t want my food here to go bad, so I wanted to use it up. I’ll warn you now though, if you’re looking for someone to be flashy and lead the charge wielding a lightsaber, that’s not my role.”
All three of them nodded, Jacen had mentioned that too. They had plenty of front line fighters, what they needed was someone who could help Rey and now also apparently Finn to reach their potential. They needed someone they could point to and bring new life to the resistance.
Finn turned to Ezra, “I know you won’t be on the front lines, but will you help to teach me and Rey about the Force? I want to help protect the Galaxy from the First Order, but don’t know how. Please teach us so that we can fight the First Order, like you fought the Empire. I don’t want to keep being afraid, I don’t want to keep running away.”
Ezra looked serious and turned to Rey, “What do you think, do you want to learn from me? There are other force sensitives in the resistance, we all have different specialties. The choice to learn from someone is important, and the bond formed is lifelong. Do you think I am meant to be your teacher?”
Rey had to think about that. She had come out here partially to see if she could find someone who could teach her about the Force. But was Ezra the right person? She felt no connection to him. He did not use a lightsaber, and she had been dreaming of using hers since she got it. She was also still annoyed at him for the trick he pulled at the beginning, and if he continued to act like that she would just drive her insane. It was that last point that made it really stick. “No, I’m sorry sir, I don’t want you to teach me. I need to learn, and if you will help me with the basics I’d like that, but I don’t think I am meant to have you as my master.”
Ezra smiled, “You are correct. We would not be a good fit. A master usually only teaches one student at a time for a reason. I would be happy to help teach you the basics, though I will warn you now, I was never very good with a lightsaber. I think I know someone who would be the right teacher for you, I think you’ve met her before, but we’ll have to see.” Then he turned to Finn, “As for you Finn, yes I would be happy to train you in the Force. I had my own run-ins with the dark side, because I was afraid, I know what it’s like. The first lesson I hope you will carry with you is this, it is okay to not know how things will turn out, lean on your connections. The old Jedi discouraged connections because they feared the dark side, but when I was at my lowest, it was my loved ones and my connections that brought me back. Find people you can lean on, and who can lean on you, and that will make you brave.”