Chapter Text
After observing for a day or two from orbit, Jacen Sydulla and Cassian Caleen felt fairly confident that they could anticipate the atmospheric energy surges that they assumed had taken the Ghost, and her crew, offline. They watched the most recent surge swell, and revved up the Millennium Falcon’s thrusters until immediately after the flash, and then dove toward the planet at a speed that would lead most pilots to crash and burn.
But Cassian and Jacen were not most pilots, and they managed to get the starship through the surge zone mere moments before another surge blasted above them. Pulling the brake on a vessel of the Falcon's size with so little room before ground impact was a harrowing task, but they knew it had to be done.
While the bottom of the Falcon shaved off the top of a long line of trees, they’d managed to reach their target zone largely unscathed. It was easy enough to locate the crashed Ghost by following its flight pattern from before they’d lost contact. They had to fly beyond it to find a clearing large enough to land the Falcon before disembarking, and rushing back to the crash site.
They found Sabine Wren tending to Hera Syndulla, who was awake, but dizzy and woozy whenever she tried to stand. Neither were in any condition to travel, and so they would remain aboard the Ghost. Sabine told them that no one had approached the Ghost, so she refactored some of the explosive devices that she had laid as a security measure to be be carried along by the crew of the Millennium Falcon as they tracked the movements of Rey, Ezra, Ahsoka, and Hallin.
They passed through the devastated remains of one village, where they picked up their friends’ tracks to another village. They laid low on the outskirts of this one during the day, as they watched people going about their daily routines such as farming and visiting friends. However, when night fell, they watched as every resident of the village gathered together in the town square for a series of lightsaber sparring sessions.
Jacen and Cassian were not sure how to feel about the sight of a hundred lightsabers being wielded as skillfully as they were. Part of them felt inspired knowing that nothing like this had been seen in the decades since Order 66. But there were also shaken by not knowing who had trained these people, or what lessons they may have imparted. The distress message had mentioned Sith, but they did not see a single red lightsaber amongst the villagers.
What this sight also confirmed to them was that their friends were here, and were likely being held inside the fort that they’d watched several villagers wander in and out of. Jacen focused on the Force to try and get something of an idea about where inside the fort they were being held. He could sense the other Jedi, but the signal was weak, almost as if their connection to the Force had been muted.
With all this uncertainty, Jacen and Cassian wanted to put together a rescue plan that they could feel at least somewhat certain about, even if the plan was determined more by necessity than preference. They would use Sabine’s explosives to penetrate the walls of the fort. But, not having a strong sense of exactly what the situations inside was, they would need to rely on their Jedi allies taking advantage of the opening, and completing the escape on their own.
Jacen followed his feeling to the southwest wall of the fort. This was where his connection felt the strongest, even if that wasn’t saying much. They planted the explosives to the wall, ran back to the trees, and detonated the bombs. There were several tense minutes after the blast when they had doubts about their strategy. But their faith in their friends was rewarded when they spotted Ahsoka, Ezra, and Rey scrambling out from the remains of the wall.
“You two sure know how to announce your arrival,” Ezra said to Jacen and Cassian.
“Subtlety was never our strong suit,” Jacen said. “I’m feeling you guys loud and clear now. Why couldn’t I before?”’
“There was a woman with the ability to throttle our connect to the Force,” Ahsoka replied. “The wall came down between us and her in the explosion. So, whether she was knocked unconscious or just couldn’t maintain her power over us through the rubble, we’re back at full strength now.”
“That’s good news, because we’re gonna need all the power we can get,” Cassian said, as a circle of lightsaber blade began closing in around them.
“I don’t think they’re Sith,” Jacen said.
“They’re not Jedi either,” Rey stated. “At least not in the way we think of Jedi.”
“How’s the next part of this play out then?” Jacen asked. “Assuming we last long enough to have any choice in the matter.”
“Non-lethal tactics,” Ahsoka said. “They had plenty of chances to kill us in there, and they didn’t. Some part of them believes we’re all on the same side. I want us to do everything we can to reach that part of them.”
“Got it,” Cassian switched his blaster to stun mode, and lifted his comm device from his belt to his lips. “You copy that?”
“Copy,” a voice spoke through the comm.
The circle closed in on them, and the Jedi all ignited their lightsabers as they prepared to defend themselves. When the tribespeople were nearly within striking distance, a streak of fire rose up above them causing a momentary halt to the attack. In that moment, the fire blinked out and - a few seconds later - Grogu landed behind the tribespeople.
Placing his hand on the ground in-front of him, Grogu unleashed a shockwave of a Force push that sent the ten tribespeople nearest to him flying away. He then held up his hands, and the next two nearest tribespeople were shocked by their lightsabers being yanked out of their hands, and hovering in-front of them. Grogu waved both of his hands like he was conducting an orchestra, and used the lightsabers that he now controlled to disarm several more tribespeople. He then powered off the blades of the four lightsabers that he had taken control of, and knocked out their four owners by slamming the hilts into their heads.
“I told you we’d be glad we picked him up from the moon on the way in,” Jacen said to Cassian.
“Stop patting yourself on the back,” Cassian said, firing his stun blasts at the nearest tribespeople to him. “You need both your hands for fighting.”
Rey, Ahsoka, and Ezra joined the fray as well. Their opponents were well-trained, but Cassian and the Jedi were managing to hold their own.
“Where’s Hallin?” Rey asked, as she disarmed and knocked out a tribesman.
“Must still be in there, somewhere,” Ezra said.
“Go find him, Rey,” Ahsoka said. “Take Jacen with you. We’ll hold them off out here.”
“Are you sure?” Rey asked.
Grogu used the Force to lift two tribespeople off the ground, and spun them around in the air to take out several more.
“We are sure,” Grogu replied.
“Let’s go get the kid,” Jacen said, grabbing Rey’s arm as they ran through the hole in the fort wall.
It was so dark and smokey in the hallways that they could barely see more than an arm’s length in-front of them. Instead, Rey focused her energies on sensing where her Padawan could be.
“This way!” she exclaimed, zeroing in on Hallin’s presence.
Rey and Jacen’s sprint ended abruptly, as they were clobbered by an invisible wall of Force power. They were both knocked to the ground, and tried to adjust their eyes to see a shadow approaching them through the blackness.
“I should have killed you all the moment you landed on my planet,” Maeklin Rangarde said, as he ignited his red lightsaber.
“We are not your enemies, Rangarde,” Rey proclaimed. “Why do you refuse to believe that?”
“You would expose my tribe, my family, to the galaxy just to further your own ends,” Maeklin stated.
“It’s true that I wish you, and your tribe, would join us,” Rey admitted. “But we would never drag you out into the galaxy against your will.”
“No, you will not,” Maeklin said, coldly. “I will not stop until I am certain of that.”
Maeklin moved quickly for a man of his size and, in only a few strokes, he had Jacen and Rey on their heels. Using the Force, he yanked free loose chunks of walls, and smashed them into his opponents until they were down on their knees.
Jacen and Rey exchanged a knowing glance as Maeklin swung his lightsaber in an arc that would have taken off both of their heads. The two Jedi rolled under the blade in-unison, ending up behind Maeklin. They then held their hands up, palms touching, and both used a Force push to propel one another to the far ends of the hall.
In the time it took Maeklin to reposition himself toward his opponents, Jacen and Rey were lunging with continual Force jumps. They struck at Maeklin as they dashed back and forth across the hallway. Maeklin was able to deflect the first few strikes, but Rey caught his left shoulder and Jacen caught his right leg mere seconds apart, dropping Maeklin to the ground.
“It’s over,” Rey said, as she and Jacen stood over Maeklin. “Yield.”
“There will be no yielding on this night,” Maeklin said with a dark grin.
Maeklin Force pushed Jacen and Rey up into the ceiling hard enough to knock a cloud of stone sediment loose. The two Jedi lifted their hands to try and nullify Maeklin’s Force attacks, but nothing happened. They chanced a look down the hall, and saw Naeyon standing in a narrow beam of moonlight.
Cut off from the Force, Rey and Jacen were flung against the ceiling, walls, and floor helplessly. They were both bleeding and barely clinging to consciousness when they heard the familiar sound of a blaster being fired. Looking up, they saw Naeyon fall to the ground and Cassian standing behind her.
“No!” Maeklin cried with an animalistic howl, as he charged at Cassian.
Cassian fired his blaster, but Maeklin deflected the blaster bolts without slowing for an instance. He raised his lightsaber to cut Cassian in-half from the head down, when he suddenly froze in-place. Both Jacen and Rey were holding him in the grip of the Force. They yanked him away from Cassian, and created a crater in the wall that they drove him into. Maeklin coughed up blood, picked up his lightsaber, and struggled back to his feet.
“Don’t do it,” Jacen said.
“You…killed…my…wife,” Maeklin said through gasps.
“No, I used…” Cassian began to say, but Maeklin was rushing back at him before he could finish explaining.
Jacen slid across the hall in-front of Maeklin, and knocked his lightsaber grip loose with an upward swing. As Maeklin tried to regain control of his weapon, Rey grazed her lightsaber blade across the back of both his knees, sending Maekling tumbling to the ground. This time, Jacen and Rey stood over Maeklin with their lightsabers readied for a killing blow. Maeklin took another look at Naeyon on the ground, spotted his lightsaber not far away, and reached out for it. The lightsaber hilt flew back into his hand but, before he could ignite the blade, he heard a voice cry out from behind him.
“Father, no!” Lynnae called out.
Instead of igniting his blade, Maeklin turned to see his daughter holding hands with her prisoner - Hallin Kendal. Hearing another groan, Maeklin turned back around, and saw his wife sitting up, and holding her head.
“It was on stun mode,” Cassian said, kneeling to help Naeyon to her feet.
“Father, please,” Lynnae said, tightening her grip on Hallin’s hand. “Let us hear them out.”
***
“Just like that?” Sabine asked Grogu, as they sat across from each other at the conference table in The Hub.
“Just like that,” Grogu confirmed. “I told Bo-Katan and my father than Mandalore was in good hands. Their hands. They would serve as leaders, and find the right succession plan to ensure our people’s future. The rest of the galaxy, though, was not quite as fortunate. I explained that I was needed more here. At least for now.”
“I am very happy that you will be joining us on the Ghost Council,” Ahsoka said.
“And the galaxy as-a-whole will be damn lucky to have you,” Ezra agreed.
“You can say that again,” Hera added, before getting an alert on her wrist device. “Nice! My part was delivered to the spaceport. Maybe I can finally get the Ghost airborne again.”
Hera exited the room, made her way down the hall, and through the secret passage to the spaceport. She took a detour on her way to the delivery office to find Jacen and Rey standing under the Millennium Falcon.
“She’s all tuned up,” Cassian said, as he walked down the ramp and out of the Falcon.
“It’s that time?” Hera asked, as she walked up to them.
“It’s that time,” Rey replied. “Hallin sent word that they’re ready for us.”
“I can’t tell if four months was longer or shorter than I thought it would take,” Hera said. “But I’ll be glad to see him again.”
“We all will,” Cassian added, before turning back to Rey and Jacen. “Safe travels, you two. Stay out of trouble.”
“That would be a first,” Jacen said before following Rey onboard the Falcon.
***
Jacen had kept a detailed log about his and Cassian’s entry through the strange atmospheric energy fields from their previous visit, so he and Rey were able to pass through and land the Falcon without trouble. The nearest clearing to the village was about two miles north of it, so they hiked it through the woods. When they arrived at the village, they were pleased to see that the repairs to the fort were completed. They were greeted warmly by the tribespeople working their land as they made their way to the fort. They found Maeklin Rangarde and Naeyon Bralwyn awaiting them out front.
“You’re back,” Maeklin said, approaching Rey and Jacen.
“And we’re using the front door this time,” Jacen said with a laugh.
“Certainly better than blowing a damn hole in our fort,” Maeklin said, as he firmly shook Jacen’s hand with a smile.
“Nice to see you again,” Rey said, as she shook Maeklin’s hand, and then gave Naeyon a hug.
“She’s been looking forward to this trip,” Naeyon said, stepping aside so that Rey and Jacen could see Hallin and Lynnae kissing a little ways behind them. “They both have.”
“And you?” Rey asked.
“I am happy that Lynnae will finally get back out amongst the stars,” Naeyon answered.
“And I am relieved that she won’t be alone,” Maeklin added. “Hallin is a fine, young man. I would imagine that you had something to do with that. For as young a Jedi as you are, I would say that is quite remarkable.”
“Thank you. And what you two have done here truly is incredible,” Rey began. “Teaching a new generation of Jedi without the archaic codes that ultimately did more harm than good. Jedi who do not deny themselves attachments to others. Who allow themselves to love, and be loved. To live complete lives.”
“The Force binds all things,” Naeyon said. “It was a fatal contradiction for the Jedi to condemn their own bonds. It is better that we embrace the love we share with one another. These bonds, this love, gives us the clarity of what we are protecting, and the strength to protect it.”
“Well said,” Jacen replied, his glance darting from Rey to the approaching Hallin and Lynnae. “You can tell that they believe it.”
“Believe what?” Hallin asked.
“Believe that you were able to get a badass Jedi to give you a second look,” Jacen said with a laugh, hugging Hallin.
“I have honored him with a third and fourth as well,” Lynnae said, squeezing Hallin’s hand.
“I can see that,” Jacen said.
“How was the process?” Rey asked Lynnae.
“It was daunting,” Lynnae said, igniting the white blade of her lightsaber, and turning to look at Hallin. “But I could not have asked for a more worthy partner.”
“Have you also begun the process?” Rey asked Maeklin.
“I have, but it will take more time,” Maeklin admitted. “My wounds are far older, and the scar tissue is thick. But I will redeem my kyber crystal.”
“I don’t doubt that for a moment,” Rey said, turning back to Hallin and Lynnae. “Alright, you two start back to the Falcon. Got a bit of a walk ahead of you.”
“A bit of a walk, but a grand adventure,” Lynnae said with a giggle.
“If you ever need us,” Maeklin said, grabbing Lynnae by both shoulders. “You need only call.”
“I know father,” Lynnae said, kissing her father on the cheek. “Mother,” she leaned in and kissed her mother’s cheek as well.
“Go and have your grand adventure, my darling,” Naeyon said.
Lynnae giggled again. Hallin kissed her hand that he held in his own, and they trotted off into the woods.
“It has been many years since I have seen this joy from her,” Naeyon said, with a smile.
“And I’ve never seen Hallin this happy,” Rey replied. “I’m not sure the galaxy is ready for those two.”
“Then they will change the galaxy,” Maeklin said, shaking both Rey’s and Jacen’s hands again. “May the Force be with you, both.”
“And with you,” Rey said.
Maeklin began walking back to the fort, and Jacen began walking toward the woods, but Naeyon held Rey’s hand to keep her close for a moment longer.
“I am very attuned to energies, you know, and not just the Force,” Naeyon said to Rey. “Like the energy between you and Jacen.”
Rey’s cheeks became flushed.
“The galaxy can be a cold, dark place,” Naeyon continued. “Life is too short to deny yourself happiness, or love when it presents itself.”
“I cannot afford to be distracted from this fight,” Rey replied. “We cannot allow what happened here to happen anywhere else. If I allow myself to be lured away from the cause, there will be suffering.”
“The cost is, indeed, very high for neglecting such a responsibility,” Naeyon agreed. “But so is the cost of cutting yourself off from anything other than the fight. As we are learning here, ourselves, one must strive to find balance.”
“I thank you for your wise words,” Rey said, hugging Naeyon goodbye. “And, I promise we will take good care of your daughter.”
“She will take good care of you, as well,” Naeyon said. “She is fiercely protective of her family. Like her father, before her.”
“May the Force be with you, Rey said, she they parted.
“And with us all,” Naeyon said, before heading back to the fort.
Rey began walking to catch up to Jacen, but soon found herself jogging until she was next to him and clasped his hand in hers.
“What’s that about?” Jacen said, pleasantly surprised.
“Finding balance,” said Rey.