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Chapter Text

“This is going to be a rough landing,” Hera's voice came through the ship's comm. “I'm gonna take us down in the storm, then power down. We should lose our tail in the storm, and they won't be able to scan for us. Chopper, that'll include you on the power down, sorry buddy. Everyone get the emergency supplies to the hold.”

Kanan came out of his cabin, nodding at Zeb and Sabine, who knew what to do. When Ezra moved to follow them, though, he held up a hand. “Ezra, you're with Hera. Get to the cockpit and strap in.”

“I can help, though!” the boy insisted.

“I know you want to help, kid, but you've never experienced a rough landing. Trust me, you're going to want to be strapped in.” He could tell the boy wasn't moved by his words. “And anyway, Hera shouldn't be alone, in case something goes wrong.” That seemed to be enough to pacify him, and he followed instructions and went to the cockpit. Kanan watched him go, then went to complete his own duties.

“Hey Hera,” Ezra said as he slid into the copilot's seat, strapping the restraints on. “How bad is rough?”

“We're going to be flying blind. Hold on, we're breaking atmo.”

Ezra watched out the viewport, as they entered the atmosphere, and suddenly everything was white. “Uh, Hera...?”

“It's a blizzard, Ezra. Hoth is known for them.”

“A blizzard? You mean... all of that is snow?!”

Hera spared a glance to her younger teammate. “I thought Lothal got snow?”

“Like, rarely. And not anywhere near me. I mean... I've seen dust storms this bad... but this is snow?!”

Hera chuckled. “Hold on, we're going to lose our tail in the storm.”

Ezra nodded, and made sure he was secure in the restraints. He tried to see anything out the viewport, but it was futile. He did notice, though, that it was starting to get colder in the cockpit.

“Hera, is it supposed to be colder in here?”

“Sorry, Ezra. I'm shutting down non-vital systems as we go, to reduce our signature. Heat was one of them. But once we land, everything will be fine. Just hold out until then, okay?” She got a nod in response, and focused back on keeping them alive.

Ezra stayed quiet as Hera piloted them through the storm, and if she hadn't been as busy concentrating, she might have noticed that Ezra was being much quieter than normal, even with nerves from their situation. However, when they'd finally landed, she unstrapped herself and turned to her crewmate.

“Ezra?” She got no response, and when she moved to him, she realized that he was unconscious. “Ezra, hun, c'mon, you gotta wake up.” She gently shook him, as she undid the restraints. He moaned as she caught him leaning forward, and his eyes fluttered open. Hera could see that his eyes were glassy.

“C-cold...”

“I know, Ezra, and we're going to where it's warm. But I can't carry you, you'll have to help me out, okay?” He barely managed a nod, and before she helped him to his feet, Hera kissed him gently on the forehead, feeling how hot he was. This wasn't good, but the sooner they got to the others the better. He leaned heavily on her as they made their way down to the hold, and he just about collapsed as they reached what appeared to be some sort of urtya, though much smaller than one would expect.

“I'm gonna need help here!” Hera called out, reaching for the secured flap that marked the entrance to the structure. She was met by Zeb, who held out his arms to accept Ezra's limp form from Hera, taking him inside, and allowing Hera to enter herself.

Inside, there were piles of warm blankets, and the walls were insulated. It was obviously not designed for 5 people, let alone one of them being a Lasat, but increased body heat would help them stay warm. Fever, however...

“Give him here,” Kanan said, and Zeb passed him over before settling back against the wall. Hera made herself as comfortable as possible next to him, and Sabine joined her with some blankets, after passing Kanan some for Ezra as well.

“He's burning up... I should have realized that he's never experienced cold like this, that it would be a shock to his system...” Hera felt guilty about exposing their newest member to such danger.

“It's okay, Hera. He'll be okay.” Kanan was rubbing Ezra's arms and legs, making sure that the boy's blood was flowing, before nestling him in blankets between him and Zeb. Ezra moaned again, before curling slightly toward his Master. Kanan readjusted the blanket, before wrapping an arm around him. Zeb adjusted himself so that he was supporting the boy's back, and Hera and Sabine moved so that they were on the legs of the others. “We'll get through this, and then get somewhere we can get Ezra help, okay?” Hera nodded, and shifted closer to both Ezra and Kanan, as they all became one giant pile of blankets and warmth.

Chapter Text

Ezra wasn't sure how he'd gotten to the World Between Worlds, but he knew where he was going. The same place he'd gone with Ahsoka. The same place she'd kept him from rescuing Kanan from.

As he watched the vision of his Master, he saw so clearly that there was no way he could remove him without he, Sabine, and Hera dying. Ahsoka had been right. It didn't make it any easier, though.

A sound behind him alerted him to the fact that he wasn't alone. He drew his lightsaber, activating it and turning to face the newcomer.

“Hey, hey, why don't you put that down? I'm unarmed, and I'd rather not fight here.” Despite the stranger's weird clothes, Ezra felt he could trust him.

“How'd you get here?”

“It's a bit complicated. Let's just say a... 'friend' brought me here.”

“Yeah, I guess you could say the same for me, too.”

The stranger gave a sad smile at Ezra. “I'm assuming you knew him?” he asked, gesturing to the portal.

“He was my Master. He... gave his life to protect me. Me, Hera, and Sabine.”

“You want to save him. But you can't.”

Ezra shook his head. “I've watched this so many times. There's no way to do it.”

“There are some things that can never be changed, lest one risk the very fabric of time. This is one of those things.”

Ezra sighed. “I knew that, I'd been told that, but... it never becomes easier.”

“I once tried to change a fixed point in time. Time... had a way of fixing it.”

“I just... I wish I knew that it meant something, his sacrifice.”

The stranger glanced around, then took Ezra's hand. “Come this way.”

Ezra let him lead him, as they came to another portal. “What's this?” He looked into it, and saw the tall grasses of Lothal, but the sky clear of pollution.

“Look closer.”

He looked again, and saw a child running through the grass. He held his hand out, and the view came in closer. It was a young boy, younger than Ezra had been when he'd lost his parents, with green hair and slightly elongated ears with a green tint. But when he saw the boy's eyes...

“That's... That's...”

“That's the meaning of his sacrifice. So that you, that they, that he could live. That there would be hope, hope for the future.”

Ezra sank to his knees, tears falling freely. “We succeed... Kanan sacrificed himself so we could succeed...” Ezra waved his hand, and with a touch of the Force, the portal went dark. He didn't need to see the boy on Lothal anymore. It was already burned into his mind.

He turned back to the stranger. “How did you--?”

“I once met a being strong like you. Very wise. Wonderful voice. He hinted about this place to me. Said that I'd meet someone here who I needed to speak to. I'm guessing he meant you.”

“I guess.” Ezra stood up, wiping his tears. “Thank you. I did need to see this. I know what I need to do now, and I'm not afraid, knowing that everything will turn out alright.”

“Well, I suppose I should go, then.”

“Wait! I never got your name. I'm Ezra.”

The man walked to a strange blue box. “I'm the Doctor.” He walked into it, and then it disappeared.

Chapter Text

“How's Ezra?” Hera asked Kanan as soon as he left his cabin. Kanan had been taking care of him there, since the heat had come back up to acceptable levels on the Ghost. “Asleep. Which is for the best, since his fever still hasn't broken.”

Hera shook her head sadly. “Poor kid. It's only been, what, a month? So much change for him.”

“Think of it this way. At least our little trip to Hoth has forced his body to deal with the changes. We just have to hope that his mind can keep up with it as well.”

“Anything I can help with?”

Kanan thought for a moment. “He's complaining that he's still cold, could you fix up some soup?”

“Of course. I'll bring it as soon as it's ready.”

“Thanks, Hera.” He went back in, sparing a soft smile for the sleeping boy in his bed.

~~~~~

When Hera came in a bit later with the soup, Kanan nudged Ezra awake, sitting on the bed and propping the boy up against him. “Ezra, you gotta eat, c'mon, wake up.”

The boy's eyes fluttered open, still glassy from fever. “Dun feel good.”

“I know, Ezra, but the soup will help you feel better.” He moved a spoonful of soup to the kid's mouth, and got no resistance. While he didn't particularly want to feed him, he doubted that Ezra could do it himself, and he'd rather not have soup all over his bed.

When the bowl was about half empty, Ezra shook his head, not wanting more. Kanan placed the bowl on his table, and helped Ezra lay back down. The kid mumbled something that Kanan didn't catch. “What was that?”

“Want Indy.”

“Indy?” Kanan had no clue what Ezra was talking about.

“Dad, I want Indy!”

Ezra was obviously delirious, if he was mistaking Kanan for his father. And Kanan still had no clue what Ezra wanted. “I'll... I'll see what I can do. Just try to sleep for now.” Luckily, Ezra didn't argue, and quickly fell back asleep.

As soon as he was certain the boy wouldn't wake back up, he exited his cabin, looking for Hera, who he found in the common room with Sabine.

“What's wrong?” Hera asked immediately, seeing the look on his face.

“Kid just called me 'Dad',” Kanan explained. He pointedly ignored Sabine, who had covered her mouth to try to hide her laughter. “And he's asking for 'Indy', whatever that is.”

Hera was thoughtful for a moment. “We know he's been on his own for a while. Maybe the delirium is making him remember the last time he was taken care of when he was sick?”

“Then this Indy could be something from his childhood?” Kanan suggested.

Sabine's eyes lit up. “I have an idea,” she explained, before bolting from the room.

The two adults watched her go, before Hera noticed Kanan stifling a yawn. “You should get some rest.”

“I don't want to leave him alone for too long.”

“Then take the top bunk. And I'll sit with him. You're no good to him if you're passing out.”

“Fine, fine,” he muttered, as she followed him back to his cabin, to make sure he would actually go.

~~~~~

When Ezra woke up next, Hera was there next to him. “Mom?” he asked weakly.

Hera was taken aback, even though she'd somewhat expected it after Kanan had told them what happened. “I'm here, Ezra.”

“Want Indy.” Hera didn't know how to respond to that, but, luckily, Sabine provided a distraction by coming in at that moment.

“Here,” she said, thrusting a fuzzy item at her, before exiting quickly.

Hera looked at what she had in her hands, and saw that it was a plush Tooka. Sabine was probably embarrassed that she had it, hence her speed in leaving. “Here, Ezra,” she said, offering him the toy.

“Not Indy,” he muttered.

“It's one of Indy's friends,” she replied, thinking fast. “Indy sent them, because Indy couldn't be here.”

The boy accepted this, and cuddled with the plush. Hera ran her hand along the side of his face, and he practically melted into her touch, before making himself more comfortable on Kanan's bed, and falling back asleep.

While she watched him sleep, Hera realized once again how young he was, to have gone through all that he had. She had never wanted children, but she couldn't stop her maternal instinct from rising, the same as with Sabine.

~~~~~

When Ezra woke up, he was slightly disoriented. He was on the bottom bunk, in a cabin that wasn't his, and holding a stuffed tooka. Glancing beside the bed, he saw Kanan, who was watching him. “Uh... good morning?” he asked.

“Feeling better?”

“I, uh... guess? What happened?” Ezra was completely confused. Was he in Kanan's bed?

“What's the last thing you remember?”

Ezra grumbled, he didn't like being asked questions instead of given answers. “Uh... we were getting ready for a rough landing? And it was kriffing cold, too.”

“Language, Ezra,” Kanan cautioned, before continuing. “Your body didn't like the shock from the cold. You were pretty sick there for a while. Your fever finally broke last night.” If Ezra didn't remember what he said while he was sick, Kanan wasn't going to inform him.

“Oh... So, uh... can I go back to my bunk now?” Kanan nodded, and Ezra quickly divested himself of the layers of blankets he was under, bolting from the room.

Kanan noted to himself, that he kept the tooka toy.

Chapter Text

Ezra used his knife to make another notch in the tree. There were too many notches. One for every day he'd been stuck on this planet with the Imps. At least Thrawn had offered a truce while they were here, and the Imps were nothing if not loyal to him, so they obeyed his commands. And, Ezra had to admit, some of them weren't that bad. But he still couldn't understand how they could be comfortable in these uniforms. Unfortunately, his own clothes had been long-since destroyed, and Thrawn had insisted he dress properly (for his own safety, of course, Thrawn had insisted, but Ezra was sure he was just a neat freak). And, of course, Thrawn wouldn't let him just have the undersuit of some trooper armor. No, he had to wear an officer's uniform. So he did his best to wear it informally and as comfortable as possible, and let it get as scuffed as he could before cleaning it. Anything to rebel, he supposed.

As he left his tree and crossed the center of the camp, intending on stalking off into the woods to meditate next to the creek he'd found, he was stopped by Commodore Faro.

“Commander Bridger, a moment please?” She'd always been polite to him, and he supposed he was grateful, even if he knew she didn't like him.

“Yeah?” he asked, never one for formalities.

“The Grand Admiral was hoping you may be able to do some hunting for us.” Ezra raised an eyebrow in curiosity, and, of course, she had noticed. “I know you have been keeping track of the time that has passed, but you may not be aware that today is Empire Day. I'm sure you'd rather not celebrate, but the Grand Admiral believes it will be good for morale if we have a small feast. And since you're the best at finding creatures...”

No, Ezra hadn't realized what day it was. And he was sure she didn't realize what else today was. His face darkened slightly, but he forced it to go neutral before she could notice. “Yeah, sure, I'll go find meat. I'll probably be a while, though. I was going to go meditate and work out.”

“Not a problem. Admiral Thrawn is planning the festivities for this evening, around dusk.”

“Yeah, I'll be back by then. Bye.” Before she could say anything else, Ezra left.

~~~~~

The sun was just starting to set when Ezra came back to camp, meat in hand. He made his way over to the designated cooking area, where he was slightly surprised to see Thrawn overseeing preparations himself.

“Here's your meat,” he said, dropping the bag by the chefs. He'd gotten a pretty big haul. “So, I'll be going now.”

“Commander Bridger, a moment?” Thrawn spoke up before Ezra could escape.

“Yeah, what do you want?”

Thrawn's face was unreadable. “We require your attendance this evening.”

“Sorry, but I've never been big on Empire Day.”

“Regardless, the activities tonight are designed to build morale, and if you are not present, the crew will continue to believe that you are not joined with us in our common goal of survival.” The Chiss' red eyes narrowed. “As such, I must insist that you attend.”

Ezra sighed. He didn't want to argue with Thrawn today (or any day, for that matter), he just wanted the day to be over. “Fine, fine, just comm me when I'm needed.” With a wave, the no-longer-teen left, intent on putting as much distance between him and Thrawn as he could within the confines of the camp.

~~~~~

As much as he was loathe to be there, Ezra did have to admit that the food was good, and the Imps did know how to throw a party with their meager supply availability. Actually, the food was really good, and there was something familiar about it, that he couldn't quite place. Still, it wasn't so bad having to attend the party.

Until Thrawn got everyone's attention, and stood up for a speech.

“My fellow crewmembers, as you are undoubtedly aware, today is Empire Day. It was 20 years ago today that your Empire was formed, when then-Chancellor Palpatine declared the Republic finished. Because of that event, all of those years ago, we are here today. Though we are far outside the range of the Empire, we celebrate to remind us of home, and that though we are far away, we still remember those we left behind.”

Ezra had to fight to roll his eyes. He had always hated Empire Day speeches.

“However, there is another event that is equally important, that we celebrate. On the same day that Emperor Palpatine ended the Clone Wars and formed our Empire, a child was born on Lothal. That child would grow up, despite the hardships faced, into a fine young man. A young man, who is also responsible for our presence here. As such, let us raise our glasses in a toast, to celebrate the birthday of Commander Ezra Bridger.”

Ezra stared in shock. Sure, he figured Thrawn knew it was his birthday, he'd be even more surprised if he hadn't. But that he would bring it up... Suddenly, the familiarity of the food clicked. It was Lothali-style dishes. Thrawn had done this purposefully.

“Of course,” Thrawn was continuing, “it would not be a birthday without gifts. Commander Bridger, if you would join me?”

Ezra blinked a few times, realizing that Thrawn had addressed him directly, before walking over to join him. He didn't even notice that Commodore Faro had come up as well, holding a paper-wrapped parcel. At Thrawn's gesture, she offered it to Ezra, who had recovered from his shock enough to open it. It was a new uniform. But unlike the one he'd been wearing, the jacket on this one had been made with the remnants of his orange suit. And had a pair of brown pants to match it. “I—I don't know what to say...”

“I believe the appropriate response is 'thank you',” Thrawn replied.

Ezra eyed him. “Did you... did you just make a joke?” Thrawn didn't reply, and, as usual, his face was unreadable. Ezra shook his head. “Thank you. This means a lot, it really does.”

Thrawn's eyes softened, in what Ezra had to assume was his peoples' way of smiling. “I have one other gift for you,” he said softly, so that only Ezra could hear. “But not now, for later.” He raised his voice, so the others could hear. “Why don't you go get changed?”

~~~~~

Ezra's new uniform was comfortable. It seemed like whomever had put it together had found the softest material possible for the lining, and the cut was such that it was easy to move in. It wasn't quite the same design as the Imperial uniforms, but similar enough. Thrawn had gone out of his way to make him a new uniform, that was made from his old clothes. Ezra felt tears in the corner of his eyes. Shaking his head to clear it, he headed over to where Thrawn had indicated he was to meet him.

“Aah, Commander Bridger, thank you for meeting me here. I am glad the new uniform fits.”

“Why?” Ezra asked.

“It would be a shame if the work that went into it was for naught.”

“No, that's not it... Why did you do all of this? The food, the uniform...?”

“I believed it was traditional for your people to celebrate birthdays. And though you may have been our enemy, you are just as human as they are, and acknowledging your day of birth helps to humanize you to them.”

“I guess, but... Thank you.”

“You have already extended your gratitude. But that was not the purpose for calling you here.” Thrawn reached into his jacket, and pulled out a cylindrical item. “I believe you should have this.”

Ezra's eyes went wide. “How... how did you get this?”

“I sent teams to search the wreckage of the fuel depot. I must sadly inform you that your Master's body was not recoverable. However, this was. I had my technicians clean and repair it secretly, and have been holding onto it until the right time. I believe that time is now.”

Ezra's tears fell freely now, and, without warning, he flung himself at Thrawn, wrapping his arms around him. “Thank you,” he whispered, his voice nearly cracking. “You have no idea what this means to me.”

Thrawn was surprised, but placed a comforting hand on the boy-- no, the man's back. “Happy birthday, Ezra Bridger.”

Chapter Text

Indy was not happy. Her person was upset. More than upset. His family were gone. And Indy was angry at the person who'd told him that. Moreso, she was mad at the stupid white loth-cat that led him there. As such, she decided that she needed to show the white tooka who it was who was Bonded with her person.

As soon as she was certain that Ezra was sleeping as calmly as could be expected, she hopped off of his bunk, and shot out a tentacle to activate the door control, before padding down the hall and jumping down. At the ramp, however, she was met by the annoying orange metal thing.

“Mrrrrrr,” she growled. The metal thing must've recognized her need to defend her person (she'd seen it do the same with its), so it politely lowered the ramp for her so that she could go out.

Stalking through the tall grasses, Indy passed by many loth-cats, but none of them were white. She was starting to think it wasn't around here, when suddenly it was right there in front of her. Instantly she bristled, hissing at it, and it did the same back to her. As if on cue, both leaped at each other, claws out.

Other loth-cats came to watch the white one and the strange feline fight. Indy was being fair, and not simply eating it, but the white tooka had sharp claws, kriff it!

Suddenly, a huge 'whiff' blew the two combatants apart. Wheeling on the newcomer, Indy was smart enough to shrink down in front of the large, white, loth-wolf, and she could see the white loth-cat was cowering as well.

“Finished,” she could feel it say, through the Force. “Safe.” Indy was filled with feelings of Ezra, and she understood now that he'd be okay, even if it was painful at the moment for him.

She lowered the front half of her body and dipped her head, in a cat's form of a bow, before turning to return to Ezra.

It totally wasn't on purpose that she flicked her tail in the white loth-cat's face.

Chapter Text

Ezra frowned, looking up at the mural in front of him. It was similar enough to the one at the Temple on Lothal, but... not. He couldn't figure out how to open it, though. The only hint he had was a strange symbol, that had a rounded top, and a triangular bottom, connected. He ran his hand through his hair. “I just don't get this?!” he cried in frustration.

“That looks like a Keyhole,” a voice from behind him supplied.

Ezra whirled. How did he not sense the person coming? Looking him over, the boy seemed a little younger than Ezra himself, with brown, spiky hair, and rich blue eyes, even brighter than Ezra's own. His red and black clothes looked a little strange to him, but not as strange as the boy's giant shoes. Despite the strangeness, though, the Force didn't give off any warnings, so Ezra figured he could trust him.

“A keyhole?” he asked. “What's that?”

“A hole where you put a key, of course!”

“That doesn't look like any card or cylinder slot I've ever seen...”

“Not, like, digital keys. Physical ones. Like this!” From nowhere, a giant... weapon? Something, at least, appeared in the boy's hands. It was about the length of a lightsaber, maybe a bit shorter, with a similar shape. But it wasn't made out of plasma, it was silver, with a strange golden hilt, and some extra piece at the end.

“That's... I don't know what that its, but it looks cool!” Ezra admitted, grinning.

“It's called a Keyblade. And I bet I can use it to open that Keyhole!”

Ezra stepped back so the other boy could work. The boy stepped in front of the symbol, the 'keyhole,' and held his 'Keyblade' out to it. Ezra's eyes went wide when a light shot out from it to the wall, and the 'keyhole' started glowing. As it did, it grew, expanding into a large circle, the same as the portal from the Lothal Temple.

“Woah,” the boy said. “This hasn't happened before...”

“It's happened for me. But the method to open the door was different. C'mon, let's go.” Ezra wasn't sure why he was inviting this strange boy with him, but he also didn't want to get stuck in case the door had to open the same way from the other side.

Inside, Ezra saw the pathways from the World Between Worlds, the same as before. Behind him, the other boy gasp. “This is... this is like the Paths Between!”

“Paths Between?”

“Yeah, the paths between worlds.”

“Worlds, like, planets?”

The boy thought for a moment. “Kinda? It's... it's not like you fly out into space and can fly to another world. There's... separations of sort. I dunno, it always confused me a bit. But this place is like it was there.”

They passed by a portal, and Ezra stopped, to see what was in there. He didn't recognize anything there, so kept moving. But the boy stopped. “This... I remember this! This was our island, where we played!”

“The World Between Worlds has... windows... into different times, different places.”

“Wow... That's a bit different from the Paths Between, then.”

“How did you find these 'Paths Between'? And that... Keyblade?”

“It's a long story, but... The Keyblade came to me when I needed it, to save my friends. The Paths Between were my way of getting to them.”

“That's... that's like K-Kanan for me.” Ezra's voice broke slightly. “We met by chance, but it put me on a path that let me save the people who meant the most to me.”

The boy smiled. “It took me a while, though, to actually realize what I had to do. I was so obsessed with being a hero... I had a lot to learn.”

“Yeah, I know how that goes, too. But Kanan and the others were there for me. Although... I wish I didn't have to learn Kanan's last lesson.”

“Last... did you lose him?”

“Yeah... And then, to save everyone... I had to leave myself. But I saved everyone!”

“I did, too. I had to sacrifice myself so that...”

Ezra put a hand on his shoulder. “I know.”

Finally, they came to a portal that Ezra knew the other boy needed to see. It was an island, like the one before, but everyone looked older. “This... it's everyone. They're... they're waiting for me...”

“You can go through. Join them. I think that's what led you to the door.”

The boy grinned at him. “Hey, I didn't get your name!”

“It's Ezra.”

“I'm Sora! I hope we meet again somewhere!”

“I do, too!”

Ezra watched Sora jump through the portal. He knew it was where Sora was meant to be. And, hopefully, he'd find where he was supposed to be, too.

Chapter Text

Zeb stretched, and climbed out of his bunk. “Hey kid, it's--” Zeb cut off, when he saw the glare of beady eyes from Ezra's bunk. “Oh well, I tried.”

Sabine poked her head in later. “You getting up or not?” “Mrow.” “Fine, fine, I'm going.”

Kanan was wondering where his Padawan was. “Hsssssssss.” Kanan turned around and left.

Hera checked on Ezra. She saw Indy watching her from Ezra's bed. She didn't say anything and dipped out.

Indy stretched, then butted her head against Ezra's arm. “Hnn? Indy?” Ezra glanced at the chrono, and his eyes went wide at the time. “Kriff, it's late! Why didn't anyone get me up?!” Indy just shrugged, and curled back up and went to sleep.

Chapter Text

Ezra was sitting on his bunk, a book resting on his knees, a stylus in his hand. Suddenly, the door opened, and he started, the book falling to the floor. “SABINE!” he yelled at the older teen, and scrambling to get down before she picked up what he'd dropped.

Unfortunately for him, he didn't.

“What's this?” She picked it up, and flipped through it.

“Give it back!” Ezra insisted, trying to grab it from her.

“Is this yours?” Sabine asked, incredulously.

“Yes, the kid keeps a diary, now give it back!”

“This is... this is good. Like, this one here, I'm in awe.” She showed him the sketch he'd done of Kenobi, from Kanan's holocron. “This is... this is amazing! Why didn't you tell me you could draw?”

Ezra flushed in embarrassment. “It's not like your stuff. And I don't know about art stuff, like that Calrissian dude...”

“My art is a completely different style. You shouldn't compare our styles. And he was bluffing about most of his knowledge, anyway.” She flipped through again, then frowned. “C'mere.” She turned, his journal still in hand, and crossed the hall to her own room. Confused, Ezra followed.

She dug around in one of her drawers, obviously trying to find something. “Aha, here we go!” She tossed her discovery to him, and he was surprised to see another book.

“What--?”

“You're almost out of room. I've got plenty of space left, and I should have another spare around here, so you can have that one. But let Hera know, and she'll add it to the supply list. She picks them up for me when I let her know all the time anyway, another one won't be any problem.”

Ezra smiled warmly. “Thanks, Sabine. But, um... can I have my current journal back?”

Sabine laughed, and tossed it to him. “Let Hera know if you want some more colored pencils or anything, too!”

The kid waved, and retreated back to his own room, old and new books in hand.

Chapter Text

Hera cringed every time Ezra got hit. She knew that the bolts were on their lowest non-stun setting, and he wasn't getting hurt, but she couldn't see how Zeb and Sabine shooting Ezra with blasters while he was blindfolded and trying to block them with Kanan's lightsaber was “training.” She walked over to Kanan. “Kanan, are you sure about this?”

“Trust me, Hera. We trained like this at the Temple all the time. Concentrate, Ezra!” Hera shook her head, and went back inside the Ghost.

~~~~~

“Are you coming with us?” Hera asked Kanan.

“Nope.”

“Are you sure?”

“I trust you to come back in one piece.”

“You trust me, you mean...”

“Yup.”

“You train your way, I'll teach mine. You know how to comm the Phantom if you need us.”

“And you know how to comm us back when Ezra crashes it.”

Hera just shook her head, and headed off to give some flying lessons.

Chapter Text

Ezra was somewhat paying attention to Thrawn's assignments for the day, when suddenly he felt a large pressure in the Force, and everything went black.

~~~~~

He was in their medical facilities when he came around. That wasn't unexpected, if he'd passed out. What was surprising, was that Thrawn was there as well, waiting for him to wake up.

“Commander Bridger. I am assuming that your fainting spell was caused by the Force?”

Of course he'd somehow figured that out. “Yeah, I think so.”

“Do you know what brought it about?”

“I...” Ezra thought for a moment. “I'm not sure, but... something feels different now. I can't tell what it is exactly, but... it's like there's always been this pressure of sorts, and now it's gone.” He shook his head. “We've been out here for, what, 5 years? And I've known about the Force for 4 before that... But even longer than that, I think I've felt that pressure. Probably my whole life, even.”

Thrawn said nothing at first, just closed his eyes and thought. “Perhaps there has been a major change to the galaxy. It has affected you like this before. Like not long after we got here.”

“Yeah, but this... this is different... I just can't explain it. It feels like... I guess I would have to call it 'freedom'.”

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Ezra woke up slowly, stretching his arms and his back, letting his butt and tail into the air. Wait, tail? He opened his eyes, and could see himself laying asleep. He glanced at his arms, and saw... fur and paws?

Wait... He nudged his body, and slowly it rolled over and looked at him. “Me Blueberry? Blueberry me?” Ezra covered his eyes with a paw. He and Indy had somehow switched places!

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