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rebelsofshield · 7 years

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From Spark to Flame: Predicting the End of Star Wars Rebels

In just a day the fourth and final season of Star Wars Rebels will be upon us. What began as a spark of rebellion has grown into an odyssey following the journeys of a diverse ensemble of heroes and villains spanning years, battles, generations, and a galaxy. It’s hard to believe that in less than a year’s time this series will conclude and close the book on a unique chapter of the franchise’s history and likely pave the way for the next iteration of this universe on the small screen. What should we expect in the series’ final season? In many ways, this final installment is a mystery, but because I love speculating and critiquing I’m diving in any ways. The following is my long, and I stress long, breakdown of my thoughts, opinions, and predictions going in. Who lives? Who dies? Who shacks up? Who cameos? How gratuitous will the wolves be? All here. Well kinda.

(There are potential spoilers below. Nothing not readily available to the public, but if you want to go in entirely clean, maybe stay out.)

Part I: What We Know

Something that Rebels shares with its parent series, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, is that it in many ways functions as a prequel to a large chunk of the franchise. While there are certainly climactic events and character arcs that are unique to the series, Rebels takes place in a period of the Star Wars timeline that is bookended by existing media. This has become even more apparent with the release of Rogue One in 2016. As a result, going into season four there are a few concrete facts that can help shape our expectations of how Rebels’ final season may play out.

Hera and Chopper Live

We know that the Ghost crew’s pilot, captain, and resident maternal figure, Hera Syndulla and her cantankerous droid, Chopper, are the only two members of The Ghost crew that are confirmed to survive the events of the series. Hera receives a literal shoutout line in Rogue One and Chopper has a now famous cameo in the background of the Yavin Base. This is not to say that the other members of The Ghost crew may perish, more on that later, but as of The Battle of Scarif, only two members are known for sure to be active members of the rebel alliance. We also can safely assume that at the very least Ezra Bridger and Kanan Jarrus are no longer active Force-users in the Alliance. The dialogue between Mon Mothma and Bail Organa regarding Obi-Wan strongly indicates that there are no Jedi present in the rebellion at the time of the film. Now, there are many ways that Dave Filoni and crew could cheat this, but I would bet against having Ezra and Kanan swinging lightsabers by Hera’s side by the time this season ends.

The Battle of Lothal will most likely be a loss for the Alliance

Rogue One also reaffirms a statement in the opening crawl of the original 1977 Star Wars by stressing that the Battle of Scarif and the theft of the Death Star plans is the first major military victory for the Rebel Alliance in their war against the Galactic Empire. By this logic, it is unlikely that by the time the series closes its narrative Lothal remains under the sway of the Empire. Now, it seems unlikely that the series will end in a complete downer with our heroes failing in their mission, it is possible that Lothal proves a more symbolic victory, but more on that later.

Thrawn’s TIE Defender Plan is a Failure

One of the plot threads we see shown in the final trailer for the fourth season is the internal conflict between the development of Grand Admriral Thrawn’s TIE Defender fighters and Director Orson Krennic’s Death Star. Tarkin begins to suspect that Thrawn’s pet project may not be in the Empire’s best interest moving forward given its expensive cost and lack of proven success. What is presented to us is a scenario where the TIE Defender likely has a short lived life-span with a premature death. While Star Wars has retroactively inserted vehicles, technology, and lore into the Original Trilogy period since the Prequel Trilogy, it seems confirmed here that Tharwn’s attempt to update the Imperial fighter squadron machine is fruitless.

Part II: What We’ve Been Told/Shown

In the months following the end of Star Wars Rebels season three, we have gained quite a few kernels of information from both the cast and crew of the series. Before I jump into full on speculation, I wanted to take a moment to show and extrapolate on other information we’ve gained for the series.

The season will be shorter and more serialized

One of the major complaints leveled at the second and third season of Star Wars Rebels is the focus on anthologized storytelling at times lead to episodes that seemingly did not tie back into the overarching plot or felt like diversions. Season four, intentionally or not, will somewhat address this issue. It runs shorter than the second and third season, clocking in at 16 22 minute segments, several of which form two part 44 minute episodes. Also, according to Dave, the first several episodes wrap up disparate plot threads before converging on one long story that feed into a narrative that covers the thrust of the last chunk of the season. Conventional wisdom seems to hint that we will spend much of this season on Lothal as the liberation of the planet becomes a priority for the rebellion and our cast.

Mandalore is in Civil War

Ever since Ursa Wren slayed Imperial Viceroy Gar Saxon to protect her daughter, Mandalore has broken apart with the various houses and clans vying for control of the planet with the Empire backing the remnants of Saxon’s house. This conflict takes center stage in the season premiere “Heroes of Mandalore,” which was partially screened at Celebration Orlando and then in its entirety at FanExpo. (I saw the first half myself and it’s pretty great. No spoilers, but it left me with a pretty huge cliffhanger that I’ve been anticipating the conclusion to since April.)

Rebels seems to be pulling out all the stops in putting this conflict to screen. Not only do we get a wide variety of Mandalorian characters and factions, numerous characters from this series’ past as well as The Clone Wars are due for an appearance. After teasing her return to Star Wars animation last year, Katee Sackhoff of Battlestar Galactica fame is due for a reprise of her character Bo-Katan and appears to be wielding the legendary Darksaber (perhaps Sabine hands it over to the rightful ruler of the planet?). In addition to the return of Sabine’s mother and brother, the Rebels Season Three Blu-Ray also reveals that Sabine’s father will be making his debut in the premiere. Having seen part of the episode I can confirm that he plays into Sabine’s character in a fun fashion, it’s very apparent about how his and Ursa’s personalities mixed to create their daughter. Shots of Mandalorian soldiers being turned to dust also seem to hint that the terrible weapon developed by Sabine will be deployed by the Empire.

That being said it seems unlikely that the Mandalorian conflict will spill over into the greater galactic conflict with the Empire. While Sabine and some of her close allies may take part in the battle on Lothal (Sabine can be glimpsed in the final shots of the second trailer with the rest of the Ghost Crew), the lack of Mandalorian presence in Rogue One seems to make this an unlikely possibility.

The Clones Are Back

After sitting out season three, Dave Filoni and Pablo Hidalgo confirmed that clones Wolffe and Gregor would be seen on screen once again before the end of the series at Celebration Orlando earlier this year. Similarly, Dave cryptically dropped concept of Captain Rex wearing camouflage armor seemingly hinting at the popular fan theory that an older extra in Return of the Jedi may be the famous clone veteran.

Saw Gerrera and the Partisans

We also have been informed that Forest Whitaker will be reprising his role as Saw Gerrera in the early portions of the season. In addition to confirmation that his alien partner, Edrio Two Tubes (or maybe it’s Benthic. I honestly didn’t even know there were two of them. Did you know that?), will be joining him. The final trailer and Filoni have both hinted that this season widens the gap between Gerrera and the rest of the Alliance and may explain why he is no longer a part of the larger rebellion by the time Rogue One rolls around. He also seems set to butt heads with some key characters in the ensemble. Ezra in particular seems drawn in by Saw’s no nonsense results oriented strategy. Ezra has often been marked equally by both his compassion and his desire to see the Empire and Sith defeated. It seems likely that he will be used as a vantage point for the viewer allowing them to see both the allure and danger of a more dangerous and fanatical battle against The Empire.

Space Married

One of the most widely popular and to many the most consistently playfully frustrating aspects of the Rebels ensemble has been the frequently hinted at but never explicitly shown relationship between Hera Syndulla and Kanan Jarrus. According to clips shown at Fan Expo and the first and second trailer for this season, fans may finally get their wish and see the symbolic mother and father of The Ghost crew commit to some form of romantic relationship. Whether this has a happy ending is a whole other thing, but for a few happy moments we are more than likely to see this couple finally, maybe, kiss…or something. At least an emotional forehead touch.

Rukh

Thrawn’s Noghri bodyguard from Timothy Zahn’s classic trilogy of novels is set to make his first canon appearance this season voiced by the legendary Warwick Davis. While his role appears to have been reshuffled to be more of a special agent/assassin in Thrawn’s employ rather than the almost enslaved bodyguard in his Legends appearance, it is unclear just how much Rukh borrows from his original role. Most importantly, is he the one to place once again place the killing blow on The Empire’s blue skinned Admiral? I’m inclined to think not.

Space Wolves

Dave Filoni loves wolves. Like, he really really likes wolves. What would the final season be without a whole lot of giant magical space wolves? The Loth-Wolves so far have remained a mystery, but their importance and almost mystical presence have been stressed throughout season four’s marketing campaign. While we can rest easy knowing that Ahsoka isn’t pulling a Sirius Black and transforming into a wolf like some fan’s speculated, Filoni has stressed that the large white predators are a Bendu-like creature that border the light and the dark. What connection do they really have to the planet of Lothal and the series as a whole? Who knows, but it will be nice to finally get a sense of how they fit into the planet’s culture.

Ahsoka Lives !(?!)

Oh yeah, Ahsoka is back. How? Why? Where? Who knows, but Dave Filoni has confirmed that we will see Ashley Eckstein’s fan favorite former-Jedi at least one more time before the series ends.

Part III: Rampant Speculation

So what does this all mean? Where are we going? Who is that? Where am I? Before I start jumping into the general end game for the series, let’s get a few more pieces of speculation out of the way. Let’s talk characters. Let’s talk deaths. Let’s talk why Nick keeps using repetition to spice up this segment of his article.

Kallus and the Rebellion

While Alexsandr Kallus (yes, that’s officially his first name now) has been a rebel operative for about a full season now, this season marks the first time that the former Imperial operative is an active participant in the Alliance. Sporting a snazzy new outfit and set to make a change in the galaxy, Kallus is sure to be one of the more intriguing aspects of this season going into its start. I highly doubt that Kallus’s assimilation into the rebellion will make for a clean transition. In particular, Kallus seems primed to be a key source of antagonism with Saw Gerrera. As we learned in “The Honorable Ones,” Saw’s partisans were responsible for the deaths of Kallus’s men on Onderon. Similarly, Saw’s own fanaticism makes it seem likely that he won’t be keen on having a former Imperial Intelligence officer enter the Alliance. The two seem primed for a confrontation and Dave Filoni and the creative team would be smart to capitalize off this. The idea of having David Oyelowo and Forest Whitaker face off is too great an opportunity to pass up.

Thrawn will survive

Grand Admiral Thrawn’s survival is one of the most hotly debated aspects of the series. The iconic Legends turned canon Chiss admiral has been a fan favorite on and off screen. While he more or less came out on top at the conclusion of season three, Thrawn’s fate is a bit more ambiguous this season. Like many iconic Rebels characters, he does not play a role in the original trilogy and for a character of his stature and in-universe importance, it seems unlikely that he is still an active participant in the Imperial war machine at the time the series concludes. We may have actually been given our first clue to the fate of Thrawn at New York Comic Con last weekend. Timothy Zahn, the original creator of the blue skinned villain, announced that he would be writing a sequel to his canon novel, Thrawn, tentatively titled Alliances, which would feature the character teaming up with Darth Vader himself. While this inherently may not seem like a dead giveaway that Thrawn makes it out of the series alive, the original Thrawn novel concluded just before the character’s introduction in the season three premiere episode “Steps into Shadow.” While it is possible that the sequel novel may function as a pseudo-prequel or even a mid-quel, this seems to indicate that Thrawn’s narrative continues past what is seen on screen. Similarly, the final novel in Chuck Wendig’s Aftermath trilogy appears to hint that Thrawn spent much of his later career stationed in the Unknown Regions, although the language is vague and inconclusive.

Expect Lots of Cameos

With the Ghost Crew now firmly a part of the larger rebellion, it seems inevitable that we will be seeing at the very least cameo appearances from numerous famous characters. Bail Organa, Jan Dodonna, and Mon Mothma all seem like givens for speaking roles, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see various others as well. With the continued attempts to establish creative synergy between Rebels and Rogue One, I think it is highly likely that characters such as Admiral Raddus will appear, especially given that Stephen Stanton is already a regularly employed member of the Rebels voice cast. I also wouldn’t be surprised if we got a few more notable cameos such as Cassian Andor or K-2SO. Having two Fulcrum agents such as Cassian and Kallus interact seems like another relationship that would be key to exploit. I also would be very surprised if we finished the series out without seeing Leia or Darth Vader again. Both characters made a splash in their first appearances in the series’ second season and it seems like both characters still have something to contribute to the narrative, Leia in particular.

Only one Ghost Crew member will die

While Hera and Chopper are proved to make it out of the series, Rebels will not pull a Rogue One and end with the death of the majority of its cast. We may not know what fates may befall Ezra, Sabine, Kanan, and Zeb but a massacre seems off the table. For a simple and almost logistical reason, Rebels is a series that is at its heart tonally optimistic and targeted at a mature but younger audience. It isn’t afraid to kill characters, good or evil, this is true, but Rebels is a series that is most concerned with exploring family and the importance of standing up for a larger cause in difficult times. I do not see Dave Filoni, Lucasfilm, and especially Disney XD, sanctioning an ending for the series that reinforces such a bleak understanding of sacrifice and familial bonds. It may be a good ending, but it’s hardly the best and certainly not the route that Rebels will take. That being said, it seems just as unlikely if the entirety of the Rebels cast is to survive. Heroic sacrifice and the cost of war are a theme of Star Wars and Dave Filoni at times has been all too aware of this. I am willing to go on the record and say only one member of the Ghost Crew will perish and there are two likely candidates.

Sabine seems least likely out of the four non-confirmed survivors of the series to perish. Her fate at this point is almost more connected to the Mandalorian struggle than to the rebellion itself. While it may be a poignant end for her story to have her sacrifice her life to bring liberty to her people and reunite her family, it feels out of place and, again, overly bleak for the series to take this route for her character. Besides, with the media blitz that Sabine has received since her involvement in the Forces of Destiny toyline and animated shorts, I doubt we’ve seen the last of our graffiti inspired Mandalorian warrior.

Ezra is this series’ biggest question mark. Rebels is at the end of the day about him and his journey from street rat to Jedi apprentice to freedom fighter. Does the story end in his death? I’m inclined to think not. Why? Well, again, on a practical level, I cannot recall a single television series aimed at a preteen to teen age demographic that ended with the death of its child protagonist, even if, yes, Ezra is pushing the age boundaries for that term at this point. Rebels has to keep in mind both its adult and child viewers and killing off the hero in the hero’s journey may not be the move that best placates both audiences. That being said, in terms of canon, Ezra does create a problem. He is simply too prominent and powerful a figure to be left around in the universe by the time we reach the events of Rogue One and A New Hope. Well, where is Ezra then? I’m getting to that, I promise.

That leaves our two likely death candidates being Garazeb Orrelios and Kanan Jarrus. Zeb is the character I’ve spoken the least about in this write up and frankly there is a reason for this. While he began the series as one of the show’s more compelling and entertaining characters, season three proved just how stagnant a character the Ghost Crew’s Lasat had become. In two strong episodes in Rebels’ second season, Zeb’s character arcs had effectively resolved themselves. Zeb had not only found out that he was not the last surviving member of the Lasats, in fact there is a whole planet of them, but had also reconciled with his longtime nemesis, Agent Kallus. With Kallus now a willing member of the rebellion, this relationship also seems to have reached its natural conclusion. While there is certainly opportunity to develop this dynamic further, it almost feels as if Zeb’s purpose is to function as an extension of Kallus’s character rather than his own. Unfortunately, this makes Zeb the most dispensable and cleanest death for the Rebels team to pull off. Zeb has been with the viewer long enough for his passing to have an emotional impact both in and out of the series, while at the same time avoiding any long term damage to the series dynamics if he were to be taken off the table. Perhaps he sacrifices himself to save the Ghost Crew or Kallus? Or maybe him and Kallus go out together in a blaze of glory? It could go either way.

And then there’s Kanan. This is the hard one, because Freddie Prinze Jr.’s blind Jedi Knight and resident Ghost father figure has been not only one of the strongest characters in Rebels’ ensemble but also one of its most beloved. There is a genuine affection for Kanan. I’m sure a very large portion of the fanbase would love to see him and Hera happily settle down together and raise some Twi-Lek/Human hybrid babies (I mean we know that can happen thanks to The Clone Wars), but, man, things just don’t look good for him. Like Ezra, Kanan’s continued participation in the Alliance creates a massive problem for the larger lore of Star Wars. A practicing Jedi Knight being a participant in the Alliance would surely be noticed and would have come up in conversation, especially considering the addition of Luke Skywalker to their ranks following the Battle of Yavin. Kanan has to be removed from the playing field somehow. While it is possible he could join Ezra on my big series end theory, it is just as likely if not plausible that he becomes one with the Force. This would undoubtedly be the most emotional route the crew could take and it is a very likely possibility.

Part IV: The Ending

So how does Rebels end? How does this saga conclude in a manner that resolves its various plot points but also moves us towards an emotionally satisfying conclusion that capitalizes off the series’ themes? In all honesty, I’m taking a stab in the dark, but it’s one that I am confident in.

Lothal is the key. Not only is it central to the conflict at the series’ conclusion and is it the home at which Rebels began, but there is something about the planet that is special. Hinted at way back in “The Siege of Lothal” by Minister Tua, there is a secret reason for The Empire’s interest in Lothal as a planet. While this has become lost in the dozens of climactic events that have occurred in the seasons since, the secret for the Empire’s presence on the grassy planet has never been answered.

We know for a fact that this cannot be related to the strip mining of Lothal’s resources as Tua confirms that this isn’t the case. Similarly, Thrawn’s use of the planet as a staging ground for the development of the TIE Defender didn’t come to fruition until after he had been relocated to the planet at the start of the third season. Whatever secret lies buried beneath Lothal has been there for quite sometime and has barely if ever been touched upon.

So what is it? We do know that Lothal is a planet filled with hidden Force secrets. From the lost Jedi Temple seen in the first season to the Lothwolfs, Lothal has a rich secret Force culture. We know from the novels and comics that Emperor Palpatine has been stockpiling Force and Sith artifacts to use in outlook stations to observe some strange threat in the Unknown Regions, which is maybe probably Snoke or something . My theory is that there is some secret Force artifact, temple, or object/place of similar significance that The Empire is actively in search of located on Lothal. Dave Filoni has stressed repeatedly that this season will be delving into a great deal of stranger imagery that is not unlike some work they’ve done in The Clone Wars in the past. While he keeps it vague, it is not hard to call to mind images of the Mortis Trilogy or Yoda’s strange walkabout to learn the secrets of the afterlife.

I believe that while much of the Battle for Lothal will remain a military campaign, Ezra and likely Kanan’s story will take a swerve into the search and discovery of what this Force secret may be, and the Lothwolves are likely the first step to finding this. While we do not know enough regarding this secret to truly learn much about it as of yet, my guess is that this artifact sends Ezra to or leads him into the unknown regions and he is forced to abandon the rest of rebellion to follow his quest. Ezra leaves the rebellion war effort to focus on a task that is possibly even more important and even dangerous.

While I believe that this will occur towards the end of the series, my thinking is that perhaps the Force grants Ezra a brief glimpse into the future. He is able to see key events in the rebellion and will learn that the future, while always in motion, will lead to freedom. I suspect that this is where Rebels will show the fates of most of our cast in how they tie into the original trilogy, such as showing Captain Rex fighting on the moon of Endor. It will be vague and likely not mean much out of context to Ezra, but fans will be able to discern where and what is occurring.

With Ezra out of the picture, we end the series with him a new environment and seemingly unknown. We know for a fact that only a scant few voice actors and production supervisors have worked on the final scene of the series and that it has been top secret. I believe we end the series with a conversation between Ahsoka and Ezra. Dave has hinted for a while that we will see Ahsoka Tano again, but the nature of her reappearance has always been vague. We do know that Ahsoka disappeared into the depths of Malachor following her duel with Darth Vader. The promotional TOPS cards (shown above) released in 2016 seem to hint at this as well, even showing Lothwolves. It seems her fate lead her onto the same path that Ezra now finds himself. It ends with both eras of Star Wars animation joining forces to find a common future.

Well, that’s how I see it anyways. I may be completely wrong, but I feel confident that the end will be something at least slightly similar to this.

We will know soon enough. What are your opinions? Where and how do you think Star Wars Rebels will conclude? I would love to hear your thoughts and critiques and predictions.

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jazzydashy · 6 years

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Follow The Leader

A single, heat of the moment, split-second choice will follow Ezra Bridger throughout his entire life. Whether he wants it to or not. Fortunately, it's not too terrible. He's already used to following Sabine's lead. - Rated M for language, scenes of adult nature, mild sex and character death.

Also available on FF.net and AO3

Before I go back and work on the next chapter of my Seventh Sister story, something that was requested a lot was more Sabine x Ezra. It may not work for SbtL, but this might serve for those that asked for it.

It goes without saying that I do not profit from this work, nor do I own the characters used within (something which I'm sure we're all grateful for.)

Follow The Leader by Dash Anhelo

***

I’m fortunate to be able to say I lead a skilled and qualified squad. Especially Spectre’s Five and Six. They possess a natural… no, an organic partnership, if I’m honest. Ezra may be reckless sometimes, but I can count on Sabine to pull his rear end out of the fire. – Captain Hera Syndulla. Formal debriefing at the formation of Yavin Base. Yavin IV.

“Hands up, Jedi!” One of a pair of identical Stormtroopers bared their rifle, and Ezra froze. He could already smell burnt ozone from the weapon being fired so much. ‘Great,’ he thought morosely. ‘Another trigger happy Imp.’ The Jedi planted his knee in the dirt of Mandalore, his hand drifting towards the lightsaber hilt on the back of his belt. He looked confused, eyes widening and shaking his head as if there had been some grand mistake.

“Jedi?” he asked with a tone of disbelief. “No, no sirree, not I,” he insisted. The Imperial helmet did nothing to filter the scoff of disbelief from his adversaries.

“Do you think we’re stupid?” the trooper growled, and Ezra had to stop himself from nodding and agreeing. ‘Oh, absolutely I do.’

“No, honest,” he said instead, reaching out with as much Force talent as he dared to reveal. The closest Stormtrooper was anxious and angry, finger hovering close to the trigger. But the other was tired, feeling worn out as battle adrenaline had begun to ebb away. “I’m not a Jedi – I’m a Mandalorian! From clan…”

In years to come, Ezra would look back on what was surely a defining moment, and wonder why he didn’t spare an extra second to think of a better name for himself. But at the time, he knew he needed something that sounded less threatening than a Jedi, but just as important to capture their attention and keep it.

Who better than Sabine’s clan, infamous for treacherously turning on their Imperial hosts?

“Clan Wren, of House Vizsla!” He spread his palms up in surrender, watching as one of the Imperial’s gently lowered their weapon. It was all the encouragement he needed, and he pushed, reaching out towards the susceptible minds.

“You expect us to believe that?” the first Stormtrooper demanded. But already there was a tone of uncertainty in their voice. Why would a Jedi be on Mandalore? It’s not like the two factions were on friendly terms.

“It’s the truth,” Ezra said calmly. “My name is Ezra Wren, from Clan Wren, House Vizsla.”

“… you’re Ezra Wren,” the trooper parroted, in a faraway voice. “From Clan Wren, House Vizsla.”

“I’m the furthest thing from a Jedi,” he pressed. The second trooper nodded, seemingly satisfied.

“You’re the furthest thing from a Jedi,” they agreed together. One began to relax a little, prepared to walk away from someone who clearly wasn’t the high priority target they thought he was.

“But I’m still very dangerous!”

“You’re still very dangerous.” The rifle was brought to bear once more, hoving in his direction.

“And you still need to watch me.”

“We still need to watch you.”

Ezra nodded, slowly lifting himself from his kneel, hands up and crab walking a few paces, placing the entranced pair between himself and the approaching figures.

“You’re doing excellent work,” Ezra gushed, a charming smile lighting his features.

“We’re doing excellent work.”

“And when you come to, you shouldn’t feel too bad about it.”

“When we – what?”

A cadre of jetpacks roared to life behind them, and they whirled, too late, to stop the collection of flying Mandalorian’s from charging forward and ferociously kicking the Stormtroopers, hard enough to dent the armour of one and fracture the other entirely. Ezra let out a low whistle of appreciation as three figures planted their boots on the ground, admiring their work before nodding towards him.

“I’ve heard about that move before,” commented a now familiar voice. Tristian Wren, Sabine’s older brother, removed his helmet and gestured towards the incapacitated Imperials. “The Jedi Mind Trick, right? What’s is called? Influencing, or something?”

Ezra shrugged his shoulders. “That would sound more impressive,” he confessed. “But I’ve only ever heard it referred to as a Mind Trick. Kind of takes the mystery out of it, doesn’t it?” And the Jedi Padawan turned towards the figure standing beside him and meekly scratched the back of his head. Ursa Wren managed to intimidate him in a way he wasn’t able to put into words.

“Sorry, Missers Wren,” he murmured. Sabine’s mother, the matriarch of the Wren Clan, removed her helmet and regarded him coolly.

“Whatever for, Master Jedi?” she asked. Her tone betrayed nothing, and Ezra wished, not for the first time, that Mandalore wasn’t so hellbent on being ‘the toughies of the Galaxy.’

“Well. If I had to guess, I’d say I’ve probably broken a few dozen traditions by pretending to be from your clan for a second there,” he explained, trailing off as he realised just how silly it all sounded. To his great relief, Ursa Wren favoured him with a look of bemusement.

“Hardly necessary,” she said, before adding “You only broke some traditions, and very few would demand a trial of blood to answer for it. But I’ll let them slide since you had the taste to pick a good clan to pose from.”

Ezra swallowed a lump in his throat. Just like her daughter, it was nigh impossible to tell if she was joking or not. He was willing to bet credits that she wasn’t, either.

“For you,” she said smartly, producing a datapacket from seemingly nowhere. “If you intend to join the ranks of a Mandalorian clan, I expect you to read up on our traditions and become more familiar with your new… family.”

Ursa Wren replaced her helmet, leaving the dumbstruck Jedi to look at the data in his hand like it were an explosive set to blow. He wouldn’t be surprised if it were able to detonate, too, just as a precaution. “But I don’t want to be-“

“Let it go,” Tristian interrupted, replacing his helmet and nodding towards him. “But give it a look if you get the time. Knowing Mother, she’s just as likely to spring a quiz on you, later.”

Ezra opened and closed his mouth, knitting his brows together and nodding as he turned to follow Tristian and his mother. Finally, at a loss for words, he shrugged helplessly towards his third and final rescuer.

“I made a mess for myself, didn’t I?”

“You have no idea,” Sabine remarked from beneath her helmet, crossing her arms. “And guess what? You will read up on it, Spectre Six. Because my mother probably will test you, and when you fail I’ll paint you pink in your sleep for the headache it will give me.” The older rebel turned and marched away, leaving her partner jogging to catch up.

“Oh, yeah? Well, I bet pink suits me! I’ll pull it off just fine, and you’ll feel so silly when it does.”

“Yeah, you tell yourself that,” she called back over her shoulder.

“I will.” Ezra regarded the data packet silently, slipping it into his pouch and matching her stride. “You have to admit, though – I handled that whole thing back there pretty well.”

Sabine’s helmet masked her face, but she nodded and waved behind them with her hand.

“Oh, no, seriously. Good work. You’ve come a long way,” she said with genuine emotion.

***

With all due respect, Senator, no. I’m not worried. Ezra has been getting in and out of Imperial cells so long that Kallus called them the ‘Bridger Suites.’ I’m sure he’ll be fine. And he has back up. If anything, I wouldn’t want to be in his shoes right now. I know Sabine was planning on doing her hair again if they wrapped up soon enough. – An overheard conversation between Jedi Knight Kanan Jarrus and Senator Mon Mothma

“All right, Chop. Tell me where our hero is.” Sabine grunted and slumped the unconscious guard inside the utility closet, locking the door afterwards. Security rooms always managed to have some convenient water closet of sorts and she was happy to make use of them. Meanwhile, a stubby, antiquated astromech wheeled in on mismatched legs. Cee One Ten Pee – or “Chopper” as his owner affectionately called him – plugged into the network and began spinning sockets, before turning and warbling a series of noises in droidspeak.

“Maximum security. Of course he is,” she remarked blithely, checking her WESTAR weapons and nodding. “He doesn’t do things by half measure, does he?”

Another collection of bleeps and grunts answered and her shoulders sagged.

“And of course he’s being interrogated right now. Why wouldn’t he be.” Sabine gestured towards the console. “See if you can’t make some noise or get a signal to Ezra before I get there. If he doesn’t stand back from the door when I set the charge, losing his eyebrows will be the least of his worries.”

The droid shook on his stumpy legs and trilled a collection of questioning noises.

“I’m sure you’ll work it out. And yes, we do want him in one piece.” Sabine Wren smacked the door control panel with her elbow and marched towards the nearest lift, fed up with cantankerous droids and needless delays. And Ezra, curse him, for having the audacity to swagger as he was led away to the detention block when he knew she wanted this mission to be over and done with already.

He was getting painted in his sleep, one of these days.

In the control room, Chopper worked away, spinning his extensor arm and withdrawing from the network with what could only be a sinister laugh in droidspeak.

“Don’t act the fool with me.” Deep in the detention block, behind more hallways and patrols than the other cells, Ezra sat on his hands and tried not to look bored by the officer who grilled him, flanked either side by a pair of Stormtroopers.

“I assure you. I’m not acting,” he said cordially, earning a disapproving glare. The officer, a woman who looked in her late thirties (and very unhappy about spending her time interrogating a petulant young man) towered over the sitting Jedi.

“Fool you may be, but you’re also a known member of the Rebel Alliance and a terrorist, with more than enough evidence to have you publicly executed.” She withdrew her datapad and scanned it with her eyes, leaning forward and waving it like a priest would wave their bible. “The Empire knows every action you take, Wren.”

Ezra blinked. Hard. He leaned back, brow furrowing as he tried to process what he heard.

“Come again?”

“Scared? You should be.” The officer brought her information back up, reading aloud the laundry list of details they had uncovered over time. “Born on Lothal. Orphan. Crew member of the Corellian freighter designated Ghost. Apprentice of illegal Jedi terrorist Kanan Jarrus. The Empire’s information network is second to none, I assure you. Your file is being updated with your latest offences as we speak, mister Ezra Bridger Wren.”

“Huh.” Ezra ducked his head, biting his lip and looking for all the world as though he had been caught red-handed. “You guys really do know everything. And you say it’s being updated right now?”

“With the crimes you’re guilty of when we caught you skulking around the loading bay, no doubt.”

“I don’t skulk,” he argued, genuinely offended. “And are you sure they’re being updated now?”

“Don’t change the subject!” The officer was losing her patience and her complexion, turning redder as she began yelling. “Start talking or I’ll have you sedated and brought before an Imperial Inquisitor!” She hurled the datapad to the ground where it shattered, in a display of frustration or intimidation. Or both. He wasn’t sure.

“Get comfortable,” she seethed. “You’re going to be here a long time.”

“I don’t want to upset you even more, but I wouldn’t bet on it.”

The door of the cell suddenly began to whine, rapidly rising in pitch in the span of a few seconds. Ezra turned away as the durasteel burst open with a loud crash, knocking the pair of flanking Stormtroopers aside and throwing the incensed officer forwards. He tucked his legs up at the last instant as she headbutted the bench he sat on, knocking her out cold.

He slowly stood, peering over the dissipating smoke to find the cell blown open and the ragged hole splattered with purple paint.

“My hero,” he sighed as Sabine appeared, wielding his retrieved lightsaber. The Mandalorian shook her head, ignited the blade long enough to cut his manacles before offering him the weapon.

“C’mon,” she insisted. “I cleared out enough of them but that blast’ll bring the rest down on top of us in no time.”

“Oh, sure,” he agreed, stepping through the mangled portal and running after his partner. “Anything you say, ‘wifey.’”

“Don’t be absurd!” she yelled over her shoulder. “You’re the ‘wifey’ here, ‘Jedi Wren!’”

”Not until you’ve made an honest bride out of me, I’m not!”

Sabine had no time for dancing, and she wasn’t afraid to let everyone at Yavin Base know it. Especially Hera, who insisted the mission required her best infiltrators and undercover operatives. Agents who had countless experiences in slipping in and out restricted areas and blending in where possible

She couldn’t argue any of those skills or titles, but that didn’t mean she had to like it. The Mandalorian caught her reflection in one of the floor-to-ceiling windows, fighting the urge to play with her bob of boring dark hair.

“Try and relax a little more,” her partner whispered. “Dancing is meant to be fun.”

She levelled a glare at Ezra, silently threatening to hit him. Her stare sharpened when he answered with an easy, con-artist grin, pulling her a little closer before spinning her around.

“You’re just upset that I’m better at this than you are,” he ventured, and Sabine gave a very unladylike snort.

“Please. Dancing is an art form, and I am a master artist,” she insisted. “I just don’t care for it, is all.”

“Plus you keep stepping on my toes.”

“It’s on purpose. I want to annoy you.”

“Mm. It’s not working.”

“I’ll try harder.”

Ezra laughed, and Sabine caught herself smirking a little, unable to help but be affected by the honest timbre in his voice when he was genuinely amused. On the whole, it wasn’t a terrible assignment. Out of their depths and comfort zone, sure, but there weren’t too many members of the Alliance who could assume an identity and slip into a ritzy affair so easily. Their growing ranks were engineers and military men and women. Not their brand of special ops.

“There’s our man,” Ezra murmured, and Sabine allowed herself to be swept around in a slow circle while she peered over his shoulder. A squat, balding man in an officer’s uniform stood nearby, pointing animatedly at a Stormtrooper and gesturing wildly. The colour of his face seemed to be turning towards a steady shade of purple.

“Keep the doors locked!” she heard him snap as they moved closer. “If I catch one more pair of hooligans trying to sully my garden with their seductions, I’ll have them shot! Honestly, I thought Palpatine would have brought back traditional values to curb the smutty tendencies of today’s youth…”

“What a fun gent,” Ezra whispered without moving his lips. Sabine flashed him with a smile for show.

“Glad you think so. He’s coming our way,” she said with a wag of her eyebrows before a heavy hand clapped down on either of their shoulders and they found themselves being turned towards the host for the evening. Surprisingly, in a much calmer mood, no less.

“Now this!” he boomed. “This is what I like to see! A young couple with some grace about them! What are your names?”

Ezra opened his mouth, thrown off for a moment as Sabine gave their target a demure smile.

“Otsi,” she said, offering the phoney surname she had adopted at the beginning of the operation. “Mister and Misses.”

“Married! How wonderful!” He threw back his head and laughed jovially, suddenly the image of a patron saint instead of the purple-faced Imperial from before. “It’s so rare to see young people taking vows! Tell me – how are you enjoying the evening?”

“It’s lovely!” Sabine offered with a grin, as once again Ezra found his voice failing him. “I was just commenting on all the art you have on the walls – they’re gorgeous!”

“Well, you simply must come along when you’re free and I’ll give you both a tour of the pieces in the other wing!”

“Oh, we don’t want to be a bother-“

“Nonsense!” He clapped his hands on their shoulders once more, causing his weak combover to jump dangerously from his enthusiasm. “I insist! Now, I must attend to some other guests, but I’ll be back! Such a nice young couple – the real stars of the floor tonight.”

“That was quick thinking,” Ezra murmured as they watched him depart. Sabine nodded, quietly letting out a breath she didn’t realise she had been holding.

“Don’t worry. Surprised myself with that one. I guess some people really do have a thing for ‘old-timey values.’”

The undercover pair departed the floor as the song ended, heading towards a table with drinks littered across the pristine cloth before another number started and they had to dance on.

“Mister and Misses Otsi?” Ezra asked, lifting a glass towards his lips. “That’s your name.”

“Yeah, well.” Sabine sniffed a clear drink, sipped it, found it palatable and swallowed the rest. “Why break with tradition?”

“I thought tradition stated that the wife took the husband’s name?”

“I meant our tradition, ‘Wren,’” she murmured.

“It’s been six months,” Ezra said flatly. “Let it die.”

“Never.” She finished her glass, dropped it on the table and grabbed his hand, tugging him back towards the dance floor.

“Hey, what’s all this?” he asked, replacing his drink before he was pulled out of reach of the table.

“Dance with me, wifey,” she smirked at him. Ezra looked at her suspiciously.

“What did you just drink? And where can we get more of it?”

“Shut up and dance with me, and maybe I’ll leave your toes alone this time.”

It wasn’t so bad, really. Dancing.

***

We knew Yavin Base was on borrowed time after Luke – I mean, Commander Skywalker – destroyed the Death Star. We figured we had a bit of breathing room while the Empire routed their forces. But they were on our doorstep in no time. That evacuation was chaos. Just as well we had some experienced members of the Alliance to keep cool and doll out orders. – Pilot Wedge Antillies. Excerpt of the debrief of Yavin IV’s evacuation.

---

Klaxon’s blared as staff pelted through the old ruins of Yavin Base, clutching equipment of various sizes and piling into transports. Dust shook free from the high roof’s as Rogue Squadron had been deployed, slashing at TIE’s with their lasers above the jungle canopy.

“Commander Wren!” A young man in a technician’s uniform ran up, red-faced and with sweat beading on their forehead. “You’re needed at once in the East hall! There’s been a collapse, and some debris has to be shifted or we risk losing everyone in the wing!”

Ezra turned and scratched his scarred cheek, frowning at how itchy it had gotten since his own stubble had begun growing out. But it was a distraction he was thankful for, trying to block out the panic that was being broadcast around him.

“Sabine!” he hollered up towards a Y-Wing, where his partner was busy working on a weapon’s array to get the bomber scrambled and into the dogfighting outside. “Leave it be! They need you to blow something up!”

“Sir?” He looked back at the tech, frowning at the look of sheer concern on his face.

“What’s wrong?”

“Sir, I don’t think you understand – I was sent to get you. You’re a Jedi, are you not? Surely you can help move the debris that has fallen.”

“Well, yeah, I mean… I didn’t think you really wanted it blown up more.” Ezra frowned deeper, moving from his cheek to the back of his head as he was suddenly struck dumb, oblivious for a second of the chaos around them. “But you said you wanted Commander Wren?”

“Isn’t… sorry, isn’t that you, sir?”

The ruins rocked as a TIE screeched overhead, but Ezra barely noticed it, levelling a flat stare at the troubled technician.

“You can’t be…? Oh, for the love of – Sabine!”

The Mandalorian leaned out of the bomber, pushing short, emerald hair out of her eye and glaring down the ladder at the Jedi. “What? I’m busy, Ezra!”

“I thought you fixed this thing!”

“I’m trying to, but someone keeps yelling up at me!”

“Not that, the – the name thing! The ‘Wren’ thing!”

Sabine leaned back into the bomber and stopped, before standing on the ladder and waving her welding tool like it were a weapon. If Ezra wanted to have this little talk now, she was happy to oblige him.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about!” she called down to him. “Get back to work, Ezra Wren, of Clan Wren, House Viszla!”

Ezra spread his hands, dumbfounded before the technician grabbed his hand and began to drag him towards the East wing.

“Sorry! I- I actually forgot about –“ He cut himself short, embarrassed and feeling the pressure building around them all. Before he was pulled out of the hanger, he shouted a final curse at his traitorous partner.

“We’re going to talk about this, Sabine!” he yelled, and was promptly answered with a rude gesture.

“It’s already established – make peace with your new name!”

Ezra Bridger allowed himself to grumble about mad Mandalorians and psychotic astromech droids as he picked up speed towards the damaged hallway.

The Ghost sat silently in one of many icy caverns that comprised Echo Base. Ezra huffed into his hands to keep them warm as a rugged up, red-nosed Alliance crew member offered him a sympathetic look.

“I’m sorry, Commander,” she offered. “Most of the cells are being used to power the shield generator outside, and a lot of the others have been commandeered by Captain Solo to help in repairing the Millenium Falcon. I wish I could spare some more for your crew in the meantime.”

He waved her concerns away, shaking his head. “It’s fine. I’ll let Captain Syndulla know the outcome,” he insisted. It would take a while to get used to Hoth, he knew. He hoped. At this point, if they had to move again in a hurry, the Alliance would probably be left drifting as a convoy in space.

“Good luck, Commander Wren,” she said, snapping off a salute that he returned automatically.

“You too, Ensign,” Ezra replied, catching himself after she had already turned and left the icy alcove. “No, wait, it’s Bridger! Commander Bridger!”

He heard an amused chuckle behind him and he turned, meeting Sabine’s smirk with a flat stare.

“Oh, you’re loving this, aren’t you?”

The Mandalorian shrugged.

***

Han has taken almost all the tools and fuel cells to repair that crate of his. He’d have the engineers too if I didn’t put my foot down. Meanwhile, some of our longest allies are left on minimum rations of everything. I’d hate to have to tell Hera that her team is getting the short end of the stick again. She’s so nice about it, too. Which makes it even worse. – Princess Leia Organa. Extract from journal.

Sabine tucked her legs up behind the Dejarik board, wrapping her blanket tighter around her. Encased in her forged armour, on the Ghost, inside of Echo Base, the chill still managed to annoy her. Most of the Alliance had been outfitted with weather-appropriate gear, but there wasn’t enough to go around. And Hera, being Hera, volunteered to go without.

As well as fuel. And decent consumables. And everything.

“I think Solo has begun to outstay his welcome,” she muttered, pulling the blanket tighter around her shoulders.

“Keep talking,” Ezra hummed on the ground beside her. “You’ll stay warmer that way.”

She was annoyed at him, too. Mostly for how he was able to kneel there in his usual flight gear, with his eyes closed and practising the meditative stance Kanan had taught him so long ago. Either Ezra Bridger was immune to the cold, or it was some secretive Jedi technique. And curse him for whichever one it was.

“You know me,” she muttered. “I’m not a fan of sharing things, Ezra.”

“It’ll help warm you up,” he answered serenely, and she rolled her eyes.

“Not likely.”

In a moment he was up, standing smoothly and stretching before sitting down beside her on the bench. Despite refusing to ‘open up,’ she allowed him to pull at the edge of her blanket and slide closer. There was a brief chill, soon replaced with his natural body heat, and Sabine allowed herself to press closer.

“Talk to me about Mand’alor the First,” he offered, and she felt her coloured eyebrows rising into her hair.

“Are you making words up?” she asked, before growing sceptical. “Just where did you hear about that?”

Sabine felt Ezra’s shoulder shrug against her as he scratched the whiskers growing on his chin.

“Honestly? I remember reading a bit about it in the info your mom gave me back on Mandalor.”

“You actually read it?” She didn’t bother hiding the amazement in her voice. She was impressed, truth be told.

“Bits and pieces. I thought about it and pink probably isn’t my colour. Think you can fill me in?” Ezra sat deeper into the seat, his arm and leg flush against hers and fueling a steady heat between them. Sabine paused for a moment before loosening the blanket enough to pull her hand out, beginning talk animatedly with gestures.

“Our legends say that Mand’alor the First lead some of the greatest warriors in all of the galaxy. They thrived on battles, but kept to a strict code of honour.”

“That sounds like your family, alright.”

She grinned, her hand beginning to make grander motions as she talked.

***

Commander Wren. Your heroics and service history notwithstanding, I have to remind you that the Rebel Alliance is a military unit and not an art gallery. I will thank you not to deface Echo Base with your graffiti, nor to ‘tag’ everything like a gangster who marks their property. Consider this a formal writ of reprimand. – General Draven of the Rebel Alliance, in a communication to Commander Wren. Refused on delivery. Reason given: “I am not Commander Wren, damn it.”

---

The loss of Echo Base was expected, but that didn’t make it any easier. Nobody imagined the Alliance would squat on Hoth for forever and a day, but they knew that they had safety there. Now they were reduced to a mobile fleet, gathering together as best they could and keeping to pockets of empty space and rendezvous points.

“We’ll be fine!” Sabine overheard as she finished painting her Starbird on the back of an X-Wing. Nearby, a group of female pilots, still in their flight suits, had gathered with cups of caf to try and reassure each other. “After all – we’ve still got the Jedi.”

“You mean Luke? I thought he was just talking about learning all that stuff.”

“No! I mean, yeah, Luke’s a good pilot. But I mean the other two. Part of Syndulla’s crew, you know?”

“Oh! Kanan and the cute one?” Sabine’s paint nozzle died and she frowned, peering out from behind the engine of her latest model. ‘The cute one?’

“Yeah, with the little beard. That’s him. Ezra, I think. Ezra… Wren?”

Sabine rolled her eyes, returning to her work. Her paint gun changed inks and she squeezed the trigger, spraying a quick film of sealant over the design. And, as luck would have it, attracting the attention of the pilots nearby.

“Oh, Commander Wren!” Sabine turned, her Mandalorian helmet presenting her as a blank mask before them. Three young women stood by, one interested in her work while the other two regarded the older Rebel with apprehension. One of the pilots fidgeted with her cup before deciding to bite the bullet, blurting out “is Commander Ezra your sibling? You know, with the name and all?”

Sabine tilted her head, knowing she was presenting herself as cool and aloof. And, honestly, it was a look she rather enjoyed.

“Nope,” she said simply, slipping her paint gun onto her hip and dusting her hands.

“Oh…” The disappointment was palpable, and she slipped away as the pilots frowned and sipped their caffeine.

“Wait,” one of them piped up. “Does that mean he took her name?”

“Maybe. I mean, she’s a Mandalorian,” another offered. “They let everyone know what belongs to them. Like your X-Wing, just now.”

“Hey – she’s already got my future boyfriend. I’m keeping the X-Wing!”

Sabine Wren slipped out of the hanger without a word. Her helmet hid a rather smug smile that she didn’t quite understand herself, but she was going to wear all the same.

***

The other day I saw the Wren duo from Syndulla’s team play that Mando game – Cubikahd, I think? They played it for over an hour and didn’t say a word to each other! Now, I know there’s a lot of romanticism about couples communicating without words, but here’s a fun fact: those Jedi can make people dance like puppets on strings with their mind tricks. The Mando girl? She’s clearly in charge. What if she’s using him to control all of us? What if we’re just pawns on some Mandalorian take over? – Name Withheld. Recorded therapy session of Alliance communication’s staff. Recommended treatment: shorter work shifts. More rest. Monitored social situations.

“So then he tells me ‘no, it’s his ship, and he doesn’t trust anyone else to sit in the cockpit.’ Even after everything else we’ve done! Oh, I trusted him with one or two things, let me tell you…”

‘I wish you wouldn’t,’ Sabine thought, content to ignore the sex lives of the pilots and staff around her. But if she were honest, she did feel for Pilot Moore. Things were tense enough without that kind of drama going on, but it sounds like her boyfriend was a real dick. Possibly in a few different ways.

“… so I told him if he can’t trust a better pilot with a ship that isn’t really his, he can just get used to sleeping on his own again from now on. And he said ‘fine.’”

“That is the stupidest thing I think I’ve heard, ever.” Sabine couldn’t censor herself, and she didn’t try to. The Mandalorian crossed her arms, sitting back on the bench in the hanger and frowning up at Moore from beneath her newly-coloured cherry red hair. “I might have given him a black eye at the time.”

Moore’s friend sniggered and patted her on the shoulder. “Be like the Mando,” she urged. “Go smack him!”

“Don’t be weird,” she said, brushing her accomplice off. “And with respect, Commander Wren, I’m not surprised you think it’s stupid. You’ve never had to worry about all that stuff, right? I mean.. you’ve handled Commander Ezra’s lightsaber.”

Sabine’s eyes flew wide before narrowing dangerously. A sudden heat was beginning to grow over her cheeks. “Come again?” she asked evenly.

“You know,” Moore pressed. “His weapon? I heard a Jedi treats their lightsaber as part of themselves. I can’t imagine any of them just letting someone swing it about, but you’ve used it a bunch of times, right? He obviously trusts you a lot.”

The Mandalorian blinked, settling back in her seat and quietly wondering when she had started to get up. Followed immediately with wondering when ‘lightsaber’ became a metaphor for something else…

“Right, Ezra’s weapon,” she murmured, refusing to think of other implications.

“Right – sacred Jedi stuff. Meanwhile, I got dumped over a hunk of metal by a pilot who’s worse than I am.”

“And that’s why you’re going to rub it in his face,” Sabine declared, deciding to switch subjects before she was forced to review her own romantic life (and lack thereof).

“I don’t want to go causing trouble, Commander,” Moore began, but her friend was already pushing her forward with urges of “do it!”

“It’ll be fine,” Sabine urged, withdrawing her ever-present paint spray. “Just tell me which is his precious ship…”

***

Kanan actually surprised me the other evening by taking me out. I mean, it was just a cup of caf and a bit of stargazing, which he couldn’t see… But still, it was just the two of us. It was… well, it was quite nice. You just have to appreciate those moments, Princess. If you see a chance, don’t let it pass by. – Intercepted message from an unknown source to Leia Organa. Bespin communications records. Origin of communication impossible to determine before connection lost.

Sabine slid her hand higher up Ezra’s waist, earning a chuckle from him. The Mandalorian gave him a questioning look; eyebrow arched and waiting patiently.

“Typically, the man is the one to lead,” he said as they danced outside of the Ghost. Sabine hummed, swinging him around in an arc and keeping perfect footwork.

“You may be taller, now. You may be the man. And you’re definitely hairier.” She flicked his furry, unshaven chin with her fingertip. “But last I checked, I’m still leading you.”

“Still? I don’t remember so well. It’s been a while since we practised for an undercover op, you know.”

“And yet I haven’t gotten rusty at all.” She favoured him with a playful smirk, once again steering him in a graceful arc and keeping herself from stepping on his toes. “You’re free to compliment me at will.”

“I’ll tell you what…” Ezra moved his hands around her lithe waist, taking a little bit more initiative and guiding her around a collection of crates, ending the sequence with a low dip. “You tell me why you suddenly wanted to go dancing first.”

The Mandalorian hummed again, allowing her Jedi partner to pull her back up onto her feet before she shrugged. “I’ll give you some free advice, Ezra. A woman doesn’t always need a reason for trying things.” Sabine took his hand and gave an ironic bow, once again copying a move that was traditionally reserved for the lead.

“You dance sublimely,” Ezra offered, before tilting his head and giving a more graceful bow himself, closer to a curtsey. Sabine sniggered, slipping her arm around his and leading him off towards the exit.

“C’mon,” she said. “I’m going to buy you a caf and a meal for being such a gentleman.”

“Why I do declare! Dancing and refreshment? You certainly know how to court a guy, oh Majestic Miss Wren.” Ezra half expected to feel the sudden jab of her armoured elbow in his ribcage. He was surprised as she looked up and gave him a warm, playful grin.

“Well, nothing’s too good for my little bride, Mister Wren.”

“Oh, for-“ And, once again, the Lothrat who prided himself on being a con-artist wilted under the Mandalorian’s smug expression. “It’s been years, Sabine. Shut it down.”

“Never.” She lead him past the adjoining hanger where an almighty ruckus had erupted. Pilots cheered and jeered and held one of their own aloft – Pilot Moore – as though she were the hero of the hour.

“All hail the Cosmic Queen!” the crowd chanted, as several younger members of Rogue Squadron got down on bended knees and professed their undying affections for her. And all while an exasperated crewmate, half dressed in flight gear, stood flailing and gesturing between the crowd and his X-Wing.

A craft which now bore a pinup of Pilot Moore on the fuselage, looking every bit as glamorous as a seductive poster girl might, and all in Sabine’s signature art style. “Cosmic Queen” stretched from the nose to the cockpit behind her, spelt out in a trail of painted stardust.

Sabine grinned to herself. ‘Good for you,’ she thought, watching Moore laugh as she was carried away like a herald.

“You do good work,” Ezra murmured to himself, admiring the scene unfold.

“Please. You say that like you’re surprised.”

“Oh, no. Never. Perish the thought, husband.”

“Damn right you will.”

***

Now that the Alliance is reduced to a floating Armada, it is virtually impossible to keep the inventory updated where possible. Worse, I’m finding numerous carbon-based staff members sneaking in and out of cargo containers for what I can only presume are romantic liaisons. It makes me actually miss the structure of Atollon base. I can only hope whoever reads these reports will appreciate the significance in such a statement. – Personal notes on the Shipping Manifest by unit AP-5.

It had been two days since Luke Skywalker had left for his home of Tattooine. Two days since their most promising pilot had, after helping to dismantle the underworld organisation Black Sun, been declared a Jedi Knight. Two days since the Alliance fleet held their position in the stars, waiting for Leia’s plan for rescuing Solo to pay off.

Two days since Ezra sat cross-legged and began to meditate, studiously practising the many techniques Kanan had taught him for finding his centre.

“You have got to stop this,” Sabine announced, wearing out the durasteel floor beneath them as she paced back and forth. “It isn’t healthy. Get up and walk about. Take a break. Your legs will fall off!”

“There is no emotion,” Ezra murmured, eyes closed and knuckles together. “There is peace.” A Mandalorian boot stomped down in front of him, the very picture of emotion.

“Don’t ignore me, Ezra,” she said. “Let the training go for a while and come and play Dejarik with Zeb and me, or embarrass Hera and Kanan or-or something.”

“Sabine, I need to get better.” His voice was the epitome of harmony, and she wasn’t afraid to say that it annoyed her even more.

“Because of Luke? I mean, sure, he’s good, but he’s had Master Kenobi help him out. You’ve made some insane progress over the years!”

“I just need to get better. For everyone.”

“Shab,” she cursed in her native tongue. “You’re a Jedi, but that doesn’t mean you have to be some perfect white knight, you know.” She crossed her arms over her chest piece. A lick of teal hair slipped over her eyes, but she was too frustrated to brush it away.

“There is no ignorance,” Ezra replied, already slipping back into his mantra. “There is knowledge.”

“Ezra, I swear to whatever God you Jedi worship that if you don’t give it a rest…”

“There is no passion, there is serenit-mpf!”

Ezra’s thoughts evaporated. Whatever progress he had made on calming himself had been sucked into the void of space as he felt a pair of hands press firmly against his cheeks, forcing his head back. His vision was blue. He smelled paint. Sabine’s lips were pressed against his, moist and firm and more than a little determined. The Mandalorian pulled back with a loud ‘mwah’ noise before boring into him with her amber eyes.

“Don’t you ever say ‘there is no passion,’ alright? I mean it. You’re not a droid or some holy fighter, damn it. You’re Ezra and you’re fine enough as you are!” A few colourful praises of her language followed before she shook him, hands still plastered against his scarred and bristly cheeks. “Do you understand me?”

He said nothing, still looking up at her with a look of frozen surprise. The Mandalorian smirked in triumph.

“Well, it’s about damn time I made the con artist speechless. Now, are you going to come out of your little exile, already?”

Ezra could feel his heartbeat thumping in his ribcage. He tentatively licked his lips, still able to faintly taste the invisible gloss she preferred to wear over lipsticks. He hesitated before a slow, cheeky smile spread across his cheeks, warped and flattened beneath her hands.

“I think I may need a little more convincing if I’m honest.”

Ezra fell back against the floor in a sprawl as Sabine dropped her entire weight against him, claiming his lips as her own before they hit the ground.

***

Those two should just rut and get it over with. – C1-10P, translated from droidspeak.

The deaths of both Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine spread across the galaxy like wildfire. Across worlds like Naboo and Coruscant (or the Imperial Capital, as it had been officially known for so long,) fireworks flew in the air while people celebrated in the streets. Tucked away in one of the treetop villages of Endor, members of the Alliance greeted each other as more of their numbers arrived from their missions.

Kanan swayed a little as Hera gave him a bemused look, wheeling him away from the party goers to sit down on a log bench that was cut more for Ewok’s than people their height.

“Had a little too much to drink, love?” she teased. The Jedi laughed and waved it away.

“There’s a lot of people celebrating tonight,” he said. “It’s hard not to get swept up in it all.”

Hera Syndulla sniffed and nodded. She still remembered how he and Ezra had reacted when the Death Star vaporised Alderaan and remembering how, one day, she was determined to see what would happen when they won.

As it turns out, a galaxy full of revellers made Kanan look intoxicated. It suited him, she thought. But –

“Just where are the kids, anyway?” she asked, wondering if Sabine was left to deal with a tipsy Ezra somewhere.

“Them?” Kanan tilted his head. “Oh, I think they’re off celebrating, too, somewhere. You know our Sabine – she’s only loud with her art.”

“True,” Hera agreed. Sabine was still rather private with most things in her life. “And we know our Ezra, too. Just as happy to follow her lead.”

“Us Jedi seem to attract bossy, older women like that,” Kanan supplied, earning a thump from Hera’s elbow and a stern look, which quickly melted into one of amusement.

Alliance ships, fighters and freighters of all shapes and sizes littered the few plains of Endor, most having ferried crew from the frigates in orbit. Tucked away in the Phantom II, unseen from the rest of the party going on nearby, Sabine Wren arched and whined, bit her lip and softly shook as she hit her climax. The Mandalorian sighed and collapsed, bare and boneless on top of Ezra, who ran a wide hand through her short, colourful hair.

“Say my name,” she murmured, leaning up to press lazy, affectionate kisses against his jaw, just above the neat beard he had begun to style.

“Hm? What’s that?” he asked. Ezra was still floating somewhere, comfortably pinned beneath Sabine’s modest weight.

“My name,” she pressed. “The way you said it just as you finished. I liked hearing it. Say it again?”

Tanned hands caressed her damp flesh, from her backside over her spine and up to her shoulders, pulling her closer until she felt the prickly hair of his chin tickle her ear.

“Sabine…” he rasped gently, and the Mandalorian shivered and wriggled against him, her legs tensing with re-awakening arousal. She looked down to find Ezra grinning broadly at her.

“Your turn,” he hummed, watching her patiently. “Say my name, hm?”

“Ezra Wren. Duh.”

“Oh, for the love of-“ Ezra’s hands flew to her ribs and sides, tickling Sabine’s bare flesh. She shouted in surprise and immediately began to wriggle away from the sudden tickles as he held her closer. “You’re not getting away that easy!”

“Cut it out!” she cried, but she knew she was losing this battle, able only to flail and laugh as his fingers flew over sensitive spots on her body.

Neither could remember the last time they really laughed so much.

***

Marriage? Well, if I had to wager, I imagine Miss Wren took the lead. Not to dismiss Commander Ezra’s bravery by any means, but… well, have you met her? – Excerpt from “After The Empire: A series of interviews with key members of the Alliance to Restore the Rublic.” Issue six: General Kallus.

It was said that there was an anxiety that came with peace. A buzzing that grew inside of so many individuals who were left picking up pieces when the battlefields were abandoned. The Empire, too big to just fall, it seemed, remained scattered. But far from defenceless. In the wake of Palpatine’s death, however, there was a power vacuum that seemed wide enough to swallow most of the galaxy.

Politics, too, became the front for many new fights. It was a subtle enemy that many veterans didn’t understand, and didn’t care to, either. Generals like Leia Organa and Senator Mon Mothma were exhausted as they attempted to broker deals and treaties. While many worlds embraced the change, there were just as many who had been content with the Imperial laws and trade, and were left struggling to decide where to go next without their patrons.

For younger members of either side, who were born after the shadow of the Empire had established itself, the question on everyone’s mind was simple: What now?

Sabine never doubted that with her Alliance duties fulfilled, she would return to Mandalore and help to heal the scars left there. And it seemed just as natural that Ezra accompanied her, standing to attention in clean clothes, cut hair and a trimmed beard as Ursa Wren greeted them both at the bottom of the shuttle ramp they had travelled on.

“Welcome home, daughter,” she greeted them, scooping Sabine into a familial hug which the younger woman returned.

“It’s good to be home,” she answered in Mando’a, beaming up at her mother with freshly painted armour and hair a shade of platinum white. “You don’t mind that I’ve brought an escort, I hope?”

Ezra thought that perhaps she was being funny, but knew better. Too often in the past, he thought she was joking about Mandalore’s laws and customs. ‘You’re joking, right?’ had been asked too many times. Now, he stiffened as her mother gave him a look of evaluation, nodding.

“Of course. It’s been too long, Master Jedi. How have you been?” But Ezra stiffly produced the old datapacket from years before, offering it to Ursa before speaking, in tense, broken Mando’a:

“Thank you for the gift. I found it most enlightening.”

“Well, well!” She favoured him with a smile, nodding at him. Ezra allowed himself to relax ever so slightly. “I see Sabine didn’t have to paint you pink after all, Master Bridger,” before adding in her native dialect “Consider myself most impressed.”

Ezra’s knitted eyebrows betrayed him. It had taken the better part of a day to memorise his one phrase of Sabine’s language, and could only imagine just what she had tacked on to the end of it all. And he didn’t trust himself to say anything, either – not after last time.

“Mom.” Salvation came in the form of Sabine, who hooked her arm around his and gave her mother a stern look. “You know better than that.”

Ezra said a silent prayer of thanks for his partner, once again whisking him away from the jaws of defeat.

“His name is Wren, and he’s my little bride.”

And, just as swiftly, throwing him back into it.

“Indeed,” Ursa hummed, sizing them both up. Sabine gave her mother a knowing smirk, but Ezra looked ready to throw himself into the engines of a shuttle, growing more uncomfortable beneath her gaze.

“Very well,” she finally said, nodding in satisfaction. “I approve. You have your work cut out for you in teaching him our ways, daughter.”

“And I’ve got plenty of time!” Sabine answered as her mother turned and strode back towards the entourage. “Well, that went well,” she hummed, jabbing Ezra with her elbow and leading him off in the same direction.

“You’re never going to let this name thing go, are you?” he asked her. She answered with a shrug of her shoulders, her lips quirking into a half-smile.

“Why should I?”

“Well, keep it up, and some people might start taking it literally. Like, officially, or something.”

“And would that be so bad?”

Ezra stopped short, grabbing her hand and turning her around to face him. Sabine looked like a blank slate, as cool and collected as she ever was. But there was no missing the honest, nervous energy hiding just behind her eyes.

“What are you saying?” he asked her. For a long moment she said nothing, and he stared. Soon enough she broke, looking off to the side.

“What do you think I’m saying?” she evaded, before gesturing with her hand and refusing to meet his gaze. “Look. Let’s just say that maybe… I’m saying what you think I’m saying. Okay?”

“I’m thinking a lot of things,” he pressed, and her amber eyes returned to his with a glare.

“The big thing you’re thinking about, then. The big official thing. That one.”

A broad smile slowly stretched over Ezra’s handsome features, and she wanted to curse and stamp and walk away. “So why not say it?” he pressed.

“I don’t have to,” she answered stubbornly. “You already know what I’m talking about.” Arms crossed over her chestplate and she looked away, oblivious to the waiting guards from Clan Wren hovering nearby and waiting for them. It was easy to miss details when Ezra leaned back into her vision, giving her a playful pout and batting his lashes at her.

“Aren’t I worth it?” he asked, and Sabine sighed dramatically.

“You are definitely the bride between us, Ezra,” she muttered.

“Well, feels like it’s been that way now for a long while,” he said with an easy shrug. It struck Sabine just how often she wanted to kiss him, both to feel hip lips against hers and to actually shut him up.

“So? You going to say yes already, then?”

“I will when you ask and make an honest Jedi out of me,” he remarked, as playful as ever.

“Oh for –“ She turned and cursed before taking his hands in hers. She felt vulnerable, even with the warm, tingly look he was giving her. It’s not like he’d say no, right? And anyway. Wasn’t this the man’s job? ‘Well, I’ve taken every other role from him,’ she thought, sighing and gazing up at him.

“Ezra Bridger. Will you mar-“

“Yes.”

***

I don’t think I’ve ever seen so much paint during a wedding. Mind you, I don’t think I’ve seen either of them so bleedin’ happy before, either. Like…. Deliriously happy, you know? Hopefully, Organa and the rest can sort all that political junk up. Those kids deserve a bit of peace. ‘Ell, we all do. – Garazeb Orrelios at the union of Sabine and Ezra Wren, Clan Wren, House Vizsla on Mandalore.

Mandalorian weddings were an unusual affair, many thought. For a planet and people who revered culture so much, they appeared rather lax when it came to life unions. Probably due to the peaceful nature of it all, Kanan said aloud, which made Sabine snort. “Don’t count on it.”

All the same, it was a simple affair. Some members of Mandalore married in private, revealing themselves as a couple to the witnesses only after they had exchanged vows. Others were more open with their celebration, inviting guests to watch the entire exchange. Sabine, normally reserved and private, had a list of people as long as her arm who she wanted to witness the happy affair. And Ezra, as usual, was just as content to go along with it. (Though he was a little hesitant to extend an invitation to the ever smooth Lando Calrissian.)

“I can’t tell if the new look is something to do with the Wren clan, or just Sabine being a rebel,” Hera murmured into Kanan’s ear.

“Let me guess – she’s painted her armour half a dozen different shades?”

“Try a full dozen. I think some of it’s still wet.”

“That’s our girl.”

Leia Organa sat composed near the front of the audience, looking every bit as regal as possible while Han Solo hung onto her waist. Part of her envied the older couple at the altar, wondering if and when Han was going to get down on a knee and ask for her hand in union.

“Tell me there’s going to be drinks afterwards,” he whispered into her ear. Leia rolled her eyes and nudged him.

“Mandalorian ones. Stick to Corellian brandy. Don’t think I didn’t catch you sneaking it in.”

Maybe, she thought, she ought to take a page out of Sabine’s book and ask Han herself. She may just be old and lined in the face before he gave up adventuring and proposed himself, otherwise…

“Before these witnesses, we present now the union of Sabine and Ezra Wren, of Clan Wren, House… yes, well.” Fenn Rau cleared his throat and looked away as Sabine threw her arm around her partner’s neck, helmet still clutched in her hand, and all but yanked him down towards her. And like so many times in the past, Ezra was content to follow along.

“Presenting the happy couple,” Fenn finished, certain the rites were all but swept aside by now. “I would have thought one of you would have spared more time for tradition,” he whispered towards Sabine. The new bride leaned back with a dreamy hum, giving their officiator a far-from-sorry grin.

“We’ve got plenty of time to work on all that stuff later,” she said, pressing a hand against Ezra’s chest and looking down. “… and I got paint on your robes.”

He followed her line of sight, finding that sure enough, flecks of paint had passed from Sabine’s chest and pauldron onto the traditional Jedi attire he had worn for the day. He waved it away.

“Hey – not like I’m going to be needing these ever again,” he smiled.

“Damn right you’re not,” she breathed, pulling him back down towards her.

***

General Leia Organa came to her senses as a hand waved in front of her, obscuring the glowing blue map that hovered silently in front of her.

“Ma’am? You okay, General? You seemed a bit lost there.”

Leia forced a smile and rubbed her brow. “I’m fine, Poe. Just thinking of times gone by.” She spread her hands across the table and leaned back in her seat. “Nothing new, yet?”

“Not yet.” Poe Dameron, her best pilot, and a personal friend and confidant, gave a wave towards the glowing projection. In the darkened room it seemed to bathe everything in an eerie light. “At least nothing from the scouts out on Tattooine. Maybe the party you sent to Mandalore will have a bit of better luck.”

“I hope so. If anyone has an idea of where to find Luke, it may just be Ezra or his wife.” A communicator beeped quietly beside her on the table, and she stared at it for a moment, hesitating.

“Speak of the devil,” Poe said. “Think that’s them now?”

“…” Leia wordlessly picked it up and scanned the information. She wasn’t aware she was holding her breath until she set it back down, feeling so much heavier when she did. “Yet another two friends I have managed to outlive,” she remarked bitterly. Poe Dameron frowned.

“Mandalore?” he asked, and she nodded. “Both of them? How did that happen?”

“Apparently, Sabine Wren passed a little over a week ago due to age and illness. Her husband, Ezra, went two days later in his sleep. It seems he never regained consciousness after she… Well.” Leia folded her hands and looked away. “Ezra was always happy to follow Sabine’s lead everywhere.”

“Sabine Wren?” Poe leaned against the table and frowned, looking lost for a moment. “I’ve heard of her. The artist, right? I thought these two might have been Mando trackers or something with the way you talked about them.”

“They were both veterans of the Alliance. Participated in a number of large-scale operations. Before they retired and married, Sabine was an explosions expert. But Ezra was a Jedi. I just assumed…” She trailed off, waving her hand. It was a long shot at best. As far as she knew, Ezra had been happy to settle on Sabine’s homeworld. If he continued to hone his Jedi powers among her people, there was just as good of a chance that he had no idea where Luke could have gone.

“So he was a Mandalorian Jedi?” Poe gave a low, appreciative whistle. “Not too many of those around. I can imagine he must have been quite the fighter back in the day.” Despite herself, Leia smirked.

“He was more of a con artist. But he was actually a native from Lothal. He took Sabine’s name officially when they married.”

Poe Dameron sat beside her, brow furrowed. And then simply remarked that “I think I need to hear this story.”

“Focus, Poe. We don’t really have the time.”

“General Organa? We have nothing but time. Sabine and Ezra Wren you say, right?” Poe set to work at the nearest keyboard, banishing the galaxy map and mouthing as he typed. “… and… Ezra… Wren. Oh, now that’s a cute couple.”

The holographic table projected a smiling pair: a Mandalorian woman with olive skin and mischievous eyes, with a bob of iridescent hair and drips of paint on her cheeks. Beside her, taller but grinning goofily, stood a darker man with scars on one cheek and a neat beard. Loose, traditional Jedi robes contrasted with forged armour.

“Yeah – I can see she wore the pants in that relationship,” Poe hummed, looking over at Leia and grinning cheekily. Organa found herself shaking her head, smirking despite herself.

“You have no idea. They were both older than me and they still acted like a pair of delinquents at times.”

“You’re not old,” Poe said with a wave of his hand.

“Thank you, mister Dameron,” Leia said with a roll of her eyes. But she knew better. She certainly felt much older these days. She gave the image a moment of consideration. It was hard to imagine either Sabine or Ezra as old. Harder still to imagine them both gone. Either one of them were practically bursting and bubbling over with life. Together they seemed unstoppable.

She was able to take some comfort in guessing that they enjoyed their lives. The growing threat of this New Order probably wouldn’t have dared to invade Mandalore anytime soon. The Wren’s would have enjoyed peace for their final days.

“I offered to marry them, you know,” Leia said, nodding up at the picture. “But another Mandalorian did the rites. Very official, until Sabine got impatient and molested her new husband at the altar.”

Poe chuckled, planting his palms on the table and standing. “Don’t move,” he said. “I’m making us both a caf and you’re telling me about them. They’re starting to grow on me.”

“Poe, we don’t-“ But Poe interrupted her.

“General, we have nothing but time,” he insisted. “The next report isn’t due for over an hour, and you need a rest. Tell me about the fierce Mando and her Jedi sidekick instead.”

Leia wanted to protest. She had work to do. Avenues of interest to explore. A galaxy in turmoil and a brother to find.

The image of the happy pair seemed to paint the room in a glow that wasn’t the usual sickly light from the tactical map. Leia could imagine Sabine would be rather pleased to think that even now, she was bringing a little bit more colour wherever she was.

“Alright,” she conceded. Maybe Poe was right. It would be good to remember fonder days. A reminder of what they could have again, when they finished fighting the good fight once more.

“Since you probably won't let it go make us both a cup. But you should know that Ezra had some initiative about him when he was a young man. One time in particular: he was trying to convince a pair of Imperial Stormtroopers that he wasn’t a Jedi. So, instead, he thought it was better to tell them he was ‘a dangerous Mandalorian from Clan Wren…’”

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multi-muse-transect · 7 years

Text

Bad Moon Rising.

AU: Agent Mira’s mission was simple, put down the uprising. But she got what she bargained for as her training may have taught her everything but it didn’t prepare her for her greatest enemy-Her family. Prequel to A Mother’s Sacrifice and A Father’s Sacrifice.

TW: Suicide attempt.

A camera activates revealing Mira on screen. On the bottom right of the screen reads agent Mira, agent code: 1337420, on the top right is the date and next to it is Rey in a small screen. Her location is at Lothal after Mira told her to run away and as always, still a scavenger who sells old defunct Imperial items in the market and she is making a living out of it. Got herself a house too. Mira is wearing a black under suit as she smiles at Rey in the camera.

“Hey baby! So how’s Lothal?” Mira asks in excitement knowing Rey heeded her advice in leaving Jakku since she feared the Resistance would take her. She has privileges yes but the notion of a trooper having a relationship within the First Order is trouble brewing so she mustered a lot of money and donations from friends in other outposts, put an end to Unkar Plutts via blaster shot then replaced him with constable Zuvio’s cousin, Drego who is a much more fair junk boss and then finding a shuttle leaving Jakku before giving Rey the money she needed to get out.

“Well like you said and I fell for it, it’s amazing so far! The people here are so nice and the opportunities here are endless! Thank you....” Rey thanked with a smile. Mira smiles in response knowing her girlfriend is happy even though they are far apart from each other. She swears one day to leave the First Order and go to Lothal.

“Yeah, courtesy of me.” Mira replied.

“So how’s Rescue and Intelligence division?” Rey asks her knowing that Mira always wanted to be in that part of the First Order.

“Helping others, rescuing the innocents, keeping order and the peace. Being an all around hero to others and defending the innocents too.” Mira bragged. Rey chuckles.

“Wow, you’re still a dork.” Rey observed.

“Oh you’re a much more bigger one than me.” Mira countered. Rey shakes her head while smirking. She is about to open her mouth but the door behind her begins to open.

“Oh, it must be the neighbors! I’m so supposed to be attending a party! See you soon!” Rey said.

“You too then.” Mira replied before Rey signs off.

A pair of hands reaches towards the computer as it becomes apparent that it’s Mira again. She activates the call.....No answer. Mira decides to leave a message so she puts it on as the camera reveals her face. She is breathing heavily as shots and explosions are heard.

“Rey.....Rey listen to me. I know its late but this might be the last time you’ll see me.....This rebel cell has invaded our home base of the division. We’re under attack and they’ve started an uprising with the help of some kind rebel cell from Lothal known as the spectres, they are highly trained and dangerous....There’s a high chance they’ll find out about you. About us. Thrawn says they know me. If you get this message....Stay away! Forget you ever knew me....I love you. Have a good life.” She shuts off the computer as the lights flicker to reveal herself in her typical super commando-like armor while she puts on her helmet then picking up her rifle and holstering her dark saber on her belt. She heads outside of her room as numerous agents are running left and right. Her coms go off.

“Mira, it’s Kallus! We’re in the pad! Get there ASAP!” Her team leader ordered her. Mira nods then runs off. She hears a sudden ship sound causing her to turn to the window to see an A-wing make a run and start firing but the shields deflect his shots while a TIE fighter chases it. From what she can tell, its one of Phoenix Squadron. She continues to run then into the ship pad where numerous Rescue and Intelligence agents are are entering there individual ships which are Imperial stealth gunships that resemble the ones from the Clone Wars except much more advanced. This one is colored olive and green which belongs to her team, fireteam sprectre. Zuke is busy adjusting the barrel of his blastmill rifle, it clicks while he turns the barrel. Blackjack spins the inquisitor lightsaber while its deactivated with Convor aka Lena Tua is checking her pistols before holstering them. Kallus arrives as the team get inside the gunship with Convor manning it.

“Everyone in?” Kallus asks.

“YES SIR!” They replied in unison. Kallus turns to the pilot which is Tua and nods. The gunship begins to rise before flying straight into the city. Intel is sketchy but there are reports of rioting and multiple buildings attacked. Mira looks at the city as fire is present. The city was a place of peace and a shining example of what the First Order can do...Not anymore at least. It saddens the team and the agents. To relieve some tension, Convor puts on the radio as it plays Bad Moon Rising by Credence Sweetwater Revival. Mira rolls her eyes and turns to her.

“Oh way to sum up our situation.” Mira sarcastically sighed knowing of her habit of turning on some music to calm everyone calm down. The gunship flies into the city as riots are now visible. Most of them are supported by the Partisans who have been fighting the Rescue and Intelligence division alongside the First Order. Riot troopers are trying there best to fight them off but there are Partisans gunning them down in the process. Partisans spot the gunships causing them to open fire at them but Convor guns them all down before the swarm of gunships that were with them return to formation. They hover over the buildings in the financial district. The door slides open as Mira, Blackjack, Zuke, and Kallus hook up the rappelling gear on the ship before grabbing on and sliding down on the roof.

An agent wearing white stormtrooper armor with red stripes on him alongside a red paldron and having dual blaster pistols holstered on his hips crouches in front of the door while aiming his blaster rifle at it. He is agent Fordo, a former stromtrooper like every agent. He specializes in recon alongside the rest of his team led by agent Ophelia Saxon who is another Mandolorian and wears armor similar to Mira except red and also has a bandoleer slashed on her chest.

“Fordo! What’s the sitrep?” Mira asks before Fordo gets up then turns to him while the rest of his team flies towards them and lands. Ophelia breaches the door first.

“What are we even here for?” Zuke asks too.

“We’re here to find the spectres aka the crew of the Ghost. As you all heard, they are a small band of rebels in the early years of the Rebellion and caused problems. They still continue to cause them for us. Be wary-Apparently Ophelia’s dad fought them once and paid the price-They consist of the head of clan Wren, Sabine, Jedi master Ezra Bridger and Kanan Jarrus, Hera Syndulla, Lasat Honor guard Garazeb Orrellios, and droid Chopper.” Fordo explained.

“And why the most dangerous group from the Rebellion is here?” Kallus asks him.

“They do runs for the Resistance now and supporting the Partisans who are led by Mala Karn, the media dub him as the new Saw Gerrera. Intel reports state that Mala had some help from the crew to organize this uprising.” The agent continued.

“So if we find the crew then they could be the key to finding Karn. Can’t wait to kill that child killing bastard.” Kallus growled. Fordo nodded in agreement before signaling them to come. Ophelia leads them downstairs while Mira walks ahead since she’s the team’s tracker and point-woman.

“Long time no see Ophie.” Mira greeted as Ophelia nods.

“And you too Mira, it’s almost yesterday I saw you become an agent after graduation.” Ophelia replied. She is known to be Gar Saxon’s daughter who fled with her mother in the battle of Jakku and joined up with the First Order.

“Also don’t call me Ophie please.” She continued. They arrive at the door as Mira and Ophelia lean against the walls. Mira signals an agent to kick the door down The agent runs up to the door then kicks it down. Suddenly, a hail of blaster fire almost hits him but Mira pushes him out of the way The team heads in with Zuke blasting his weapon while suppressing fire. They all take cover while returning fire.

Ezra, Mala, Sabine, Kanan, and Zeb watch the camera footage as the Partisans suppress the agents. It was only a matter time before they arrived. Ezra has heard of this sect of the First Order, they deal in rescue operations and spec-ops level missions. The best of the best. They also come by another name, First Order Special Tactics and Rescue Squad aka STARS which was ironic since it sounds like the team from Sabine’s favorite video game, Resident Rakghoul. They are a force to be reckoned with due to there unpredictable nature and diverse tactics. The best of the best.

“I should’ve known they would’ve come here. It would have been only a matter of time.” Mala said then turns to his men.

“We are clearing house! Lets move out before they arrive.” He ordered. Kanan places his hand on his shoulder causing the leader to turn around.

“You know what we came here for Mala.” Kanan stated. The man sighs before handing Kanan something.

“This is all the intel on the stormtroopers. Mira could be among the millions if not billions of them. Good luck on your daughter Ezra.” Mala nodded.

“This is going to be the last time we work with you.” Ezra replied in bitterness.

“Ezra, what I do is for the greater good and you should know that. Every recruit I kill, halts the expansion of the First Order.” Mala defended.

“You could’ve killed our daughter.” Sabine growled before helping the men with the stuff. Mala shakes his head before deleting all data then going on the radio to his men.

The Partisans are raining hell upon the agents as they move in closer. Mira crawls then pulls out her dark saber to cut ones leg causing him to fall on the ground easily right before she decapitates him. She continues to crawl while avoiding the shots with the Partisans not noticing her. Mira hides behind a cubicle while readying her rifle. She fires out of cover and hits a Partisan in the face. There coms go off.

“We’re clearing house.” Mala stated as a Partisan nods. He signals his men to move out as they continue to fire and walk away. The Partisan notices Mira behind cover causing him to pull out a detonator. Mira’s eyes widen so she vaults over the cover. Under the floor are remote bombs set to hinder there paths. The bombs explode causing the floor to collapse as Mira runs towards them while pulling out her dark saber and slicing an incoming Partisan as the floor collapses. The Partisans run away from Mira into a hall as Mira runs towards them before the door slides shut leaving Mira alone before the rest of the agents could arrive.

“Shit....” Mira cursed before readying her rifle again and walking very slowly to look at her surroundings at the same time. Suddenly, Sabine comes out from a corridor and slams Mira against the wall. She grabs onto her while Mira soon throws her on the ground before activating her dark saber.

“Sabine Wren! You’re coming with me.....” She growled.

“Hey that’’s mine! The dark saber!” Sabine observed while getting up and remembering the fight she had with Phasma prior. How Phasma stole the dark saber from her.

“Phasma gave it to me as a gift! A well earned one!” Mira charges and swings the dark saber at Sabine who dodges to the left. She swings it at her at the right before Sabine dodges again then using her legs to lift herself against the wall and kicking Mira in the face. Mira swings the weapon again but Sabine ducks and kicks Mira right in the stomach against a door. She activates the door switch which opens it before Sabine fires a sonic blaster at her. The door slides open as Mira is launched by the sonic blast and lands against the glass which begins to crack. Sabine activates her lasso and launches one at Mira who gets out of the way. She then launches the lasso again which entangles Mira’s arm. Mira pulls at Sabine forcefully right before punching her in the face. Sabine knees Mira in the stomach which breaks a rib but Mira quickly grabs her and slams her against the desk of the office room then using the magna cuffs to restrain her. Mira yelps in pain while covering her stomach and hanging her head. She aims her blaster Sabine....Her helmet falls off.

Sabine’s jaw drops upon seeing her own daughter. She attacked her own baby girl....Mira looks at her with bitter eyes of hatred.

“Mira....?” Sabine teared up as Mira looks in confusion.

“How....How do you know my name?” Mira asks her.

“Mira....Mira it’s me. Your mother! You don’t recognize me?” She replied. Mira could see the resemblance and has an expression the eyes of one who has been awoken to the truth. Mira picks up her helmet then puts it on. She gulps then limps against wall.

“Mira please....Please listen to me! I know you don’t know us but-” Mira turns around to Sabine in sad eyes before closing the door. She goes over to pick up her rifle on the ground as she continues to limp. Mira drops on the ground on her knees in emotional and physical agony....Her helmet falls on the ground. A range of emotions are going through her. She’s having a break down. The helmet rolls over to Ezra’s foot who looks in shock after sensing the fight.

“My face....Give me back by face.....” Mira pleaded to Ezra trying to cling to her loyalty to the First Order. Ezra walks towards her before she gets up then crawls back to where Sabine is...

“Don’t make me do this! JUST GIVE ME BACK MY FACE!” She warned before pulling out her dark saber.

“Mira....I know this is too much to take in. But listen to me....You’re Mira Wren Bridger. My daughter. I know you’re loyal to the First Order and all but you have to listen to us....” The door slides open as Mira walks away from Ezra. She leans against the glass window as it is cracked. She would rather die than join the traitors that are her parents. Ezra stops knowing Mira is thinking causing him to put down his lightsaber. Mira pulls out her blaster pistol and aims it underneath her chin as she quivers at the sight of the Jedi.

“Drop....Drop the gun Mira. We’re all here to help you. Just come with us....” Ezra begged.

“I....No...Just stay where you are!” Mira yelled with tears visible in her eyes.

“We’ve went all the way here to find you Mira! We’re sorry that we left you with Ketsu! Just please!” Sabine pleaded. Mira is close to pulling the trigger....But she doesn’t. Her hand turns numb as she drops the gun. Ezra walks over to Sabine so he can free her but the agents finally arrive via floor and begin shooting at them as Ezra quickly does it and destroys the cuffs with the two running away. Ezra pauses then turns to Mira who shakes her head at him before he sighs in sadness then runs away. The agents check on Mira as she gets up.

Mira sits on her crutches after the uprising. Her ribs will heal which is good to hear...Although she is still haunted by the reunion she had with her true family. The uprising failed as always and ordered has been restored. She goes on her computer to call Rey.....She isn’t answering. Mira places her face against her desk while sobbing....

Rey sits in front of Ezra and Sabine. She was taken in by Ryder Azadi after doing her shift.

“....We need to talk.”

#star wars rebels #star wars #mira wren bridger #ezra bridger #sabine wren #rey #force awakens

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