The Path of a Jedi: Book 3 (Star Wars Rebels x Reader)

Chapter 3

"(Y/N), this is-" Hera began.

But you ignored her and walked right up to where the man stood, placing your hands on his cheek like you had seen a ghost. The man looked at you with equal surprise, holding onto your arms like you might disappear.

You scanned his facial features, his poise, but what gave it away was his bright teal eyes, the blue and green hues mixing in the most beautiful patterns. Everyone in the room looked curious as they came closer, but to you there were only two people in the room.

"(Y/N)?" the man whispered.

"Caleb?" you whispered back.

Hera cleared her throat from the corner of the room, clearly uncomfortable, "(Y/N), this is Kanan."

You pulled away from Caleb slightly, but smiled at him, "changing your name was the first thing to do when you're on the run, at least someone trained you right," you teased.

Hera stepped up, putting some space between you, "what is she talking about Kanan?" Ezra, Sabine and Zeb all crouched up closer, not wanting to miss a word of what was going on.

Kanan sighed, running a hand through his hair, which he let grow out, "at the fall of the clone war, I narrowly escaped the Jedi Purge, many others were not so lucky," he explained, "I was young and scared, so my best option was to change my name, hide who I was, and try to find a place to lay low. I haven't went by Caleb in years."

Hera nodded in understanding and her shoulders relaxed. The others looked on in curiosity though, waiting for Kanan to elaborate on his story, but he did not.

"Don't you three have some work that needs to be done?" Hera asked, pushing Zeb, Ezra and Sabine out of the way.

"No," they all said in unison, clearly not wanting to miss anything else.

Hera chuckled, "well good, I have more things for you to do. Ezra take Chop and scrub the carbon scoring off the Ghost. Sabine take the Phantom and head into town for supplies, the list is on the central computer system. Zeb, start refueling and unloading the empty canisters from the cargo bay."

Hera finished giving instructions as all three of them groaned, but complied with their new tasks. "She was always quite the leader," you mused as you and Kanan watched her from above the cargo bay railing.

"She never mentioned that she knew you," Kanan stated.

You nodded, "she was protecting me, she knew I was on the run from the Empire, but I still stopped to help her, she was returning the favor by pretending she didn't know me." you explained, "but it also protected her, people who knew who I was were in danger."

"And now?" he asked.

You sighed, "I imagine they are still in danger, but this time I am fighting for their attention, intentionally being a thorn in the side of the Empire."

Kanan nodded, "well then you came to the right place, the imperials on Lothol are not as dangerous as in other systems, we annoy them everyday."

You both chuckled for a moment, but Kanan heaved a heavy sigh. "What's on your mind?"

He shook his head, but you nudged him, "you used to beg for my council once upon a time," you teased.

His head shot around, "that is-"

"Because you wanted to come on missions with clone force 99," you finished.

He looked shocked, "how did you know that?"

You laughed, "I am not blind, Caleb, sorry, Kanan, but I pretended to be so that you could gain experience from them. And it is the experience, coupled with Master Billaba's training, that has allowed you to survive all this time on your own."

Kanan hung his head, "I went back after the clones left Kallar, I was hoping to find Master Billaba, and you, but all I found were unmarked graves."

You placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, "she would be so proud of you, you know."

Kanan smiled lightly and nodded in thanks, then he ran his hand through his hair, "truth is there is hardly anyone to confide in now-a-days, no one to go to for guidance at least no one with shared life experiences."

You flashed him a smile, "well now you do, I don't plan on going anywhere for a while."

He smiled at you gratefully, before lodging into his predicament, "Ezra has been my apprentice for a few months now, I have been showing him the ways of the force, but he is older and stubborn. He was on his own for a long time, and following orders really isn't his thing."

You chuckled, "I remember a padawan who was just like that."

Kanan looked at you in mock hurt, "I at least listened to my master."

"For the most part," you added, nudging him on the shoulder.

Kanan sighed in defeat, "the issue is that I never actually completed my training, I feel underqualified and unprepared to teach someone else. I try so hard to be like my master, but I honestly don't know how to embrace her patience."

You nodded in understanding, "then maybe you need to try being yourself. Try teaching Ezra not like a padawan, but as older boy, he is not going to have the discipline and poise of someone raised on the temple, and you do not have the patience that comes with years of being a Jedi Knight. You both need to stop trying to be someone you are not."

Kanan looked at you and nodded as if a lightbulb had just went off in his head, then he smiled, "we actually have a training session in a few minutes, want to help me out?"

You smiled, pushing yourself off the railing and following him down the ladder, "well this will be interesting."