Wars Amongst the Stars: Rebellion: Vol: 1

Chapter Twenty-Six

Once escaping the sewers, the rebels quickly return to their ship. Zeb, Sabine, and Chopper all head to their bunks, worn out after the long, and mostly useless day.

Ezra sighs just after entering the ship,slumping against the wall, "I didn't see it. I was so wrong."

"We all thought he was a good person," Hera comforts, placing a hand on the boys shoulder.

The Padawan turns quickly, facing both Jedi. "You always say I should trust the Force. I thought that's what I was doing."

Keen decides to stay silent, allowing the Padawan and his teacher to discuss this. She leans against the wall opposite them both.

It's Kanan's turn to sigh, "Your emotions clouded the vision. It takes–"

Ezra cuts him off, "Training and discipline?"

"To see things clearly, yes. Visions are difficult, almost impossible to interpret."

"What was the last vision you had?"

Kanan walks over for the ladder, placing a hand on a rung about halfway up. He sighs, "I saw this bratty kid that constantly caused me trouble."

Ezra chuckles, "I guess you read that one wrong."
 
"Yeah, I guess so," Kanan says, halfway up the ladder.

The boy turns to look at Keen. "What was your last vision about?"

The Jedi thinks back to the vision. The cloudiness, and uncertainty. People dying, asking for mercy. A city being destroyed. Followed by a planet. She can't tell Ezra about all of that, not yet. Maybe not ever. "Um, socks," she mutters.

"Socks?" Kanan says stopping on his way up the ladder.

"Yep!"

It's clear to everyone involved that Keen is lying, but she just scales the ladder behind Kanan, ignoring Ezra's look.

"What was your vision really about?" she hears the Jedi Knight inquire softly from behind her.

Ar'iabel turns to face him. "It was...it was bad. People were dying. There was a weapon that could wipe out a whole planet, no one survived."

"You're the one always telling Ezra, and myself, not to bottle up all of our emotions, and impulses, and thoughts, that it can be harmful. This is me, offering an ear. Don't do this to yourself, Ar'iabel, it'll only hurt you. I'm not going anywhere."

Without thinking, Master Quinara wraps Kanan into a hug, "Thank you, Dume. I'll consider your offer. I ask that what I told you remain between us."

The Jedi Knight nods.

***

Keen sucks in a breath, tapping lightly on Kanan's door. Almost immediately, the doors slide open, the Knight standing on the other side. "Hey, you got a second?" she asks, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

He smiles, leaning against his door frame, "For you, I got a whole minute. What's up?"

The Jedi Master inclines her head, silently asking if they can walk. Kanan pushes himself off the wall, following the Jedi Master. They walk a ways away into the field, and both just sit down on the ground. "Honestly, Kanan, I'm not sure anymore," she confesses.

"Sure about what?"

"The Jedi Order, the fight against the Empire. So many more people will have to die, and while it's important that we bring the Empire down, should we do it at others expense? Some days, I just, I want to leave the Jedi code."

"This fight, it's important, and I don't like the loss of lives anymore than you do. If no one fights back, more people will die, of starvation, or just because it's the whim of the Emperor."

"I know, but it doesn't make it any easier."

"And, to tell you the truth," Kanan shifting his position, "Some days, I agree, the Order had such tight stipulations, and I understand why, I mean, no one wants the Dark Side, but the rules didn't need to be that tight."

Both Jedi sit in comfortable silence, watching the sky.

"Other days, the Order feels like home, and I miss it. The peace, the surety that everything would be okay. It's just crazy how so much can change so quickly."

"I get it, Keen."

"Well, thanks for listening to my random ramblings, you really didn't have too."

The Knight turns to her and smiles, "We're family, it's what we do."

Quietly, Ar'iabel says, "The Order was the closest thing I had to family. I spent so many years after the purge alone, I figured it was safer for everyone. Now, after meeting you and your crew, it's nice, it feels almost like home."

Kanan turns his head to look at her, "They're not my crew," he says sounding confused. "You've joined us, they're our crew."

The Jedi Master faces the Knight, "What happened to the youngling who was so in awe of me he dropped sand in his hair?"

Kanan chuckles, "He grew up, leads a rebel crew now."

"Yeah, and he's doing it brilliantly."

(Ending of Vision of Hope)