Shadows of Tomorrow

Chapter 65 - Path of the Jedi

Author's Note: I know this chapter is a little fast-paced, but we're finally back in the action again :D 

~ Tirana Sorki

"If you ever stay on our ship, you can share with me," Sabine announces cheerfully as she leads Vizma into her bedroom. They used to know each other fairly well, even if they weren't exactly friends, but she's also the first person she used to know – and another Mandalorian – who Vizma's seen in years. She's really glad to see her again.

Vizma stops in the door, eyes widening the slightest amount at the sight of her room. "Quite the... decorations," she observes.

"Thanks," she replies.

"This is my favorite," Vizma decides, stepping over to the painting near the doorway of an X over a stormtrooper helmet. She can only imagine what would happen to them if they so much as try to put one toe in Sabine's room, after all.

"It stands for none allowed in here," Sabine grins.

There's a flurry of beeps from behind them, and Vizma turns to see an orange and black astromech droid rolling into view in the hallway, chatting with BD. "This is Chopper," Sabine announces. "The last member of our crew. Chopper, this is Vizma. She's going to be staying around us."

The droid's dome turns, and it beeps almost unhappily. Rude.

"What's his problem?" she asks.

"He doesn't want more organics around," Sabine translates, clearly amused.

"It's like astromechs are always programmed to be as sassy to people as possible," Vizma muses.

"Sometimes I have to wonder," Sabine agrees.

"That's why BD will always be better than any astromech," she declares. BD beeps, sounding almost proud. Chopper spins its dome, waving its arms about, beeping what sounds like protest.

"I think you hurt its feelings," Sabine quips.

She laughs quietly. "I doubt it." And even if she did, it's the truth. Her favorite droid will always be BD.

She misses the few friends that she made on Onderon, including Jyn, but she's pretty sure she likes it more here already. Sabine is one of her people, and they understand each other in ways no one else could, and of course there's Ezra who... she gets the feeling she's going to get along with well, even if she's hardly seen him thus far. Her father seems happier here too, after having reunited with someone he also apparently used to know. So yes, she thinks she's more than content to stay here, until it's time for them to go back to Mandalore.

***

"How'd you get this thing?" Vizma asks incredulously, eyes widening at the TIE in front of them. She wasn't supposed to be here, but she couldn't help watching from afar, curious to know what the other children were up to.

"We stole it," Ezra answers lightly.

"Well, why are you hiding it out here?" she inquires.

"We were supposed to crash it," he replies guiltily, "But I thought we could use it later and give Sabine another thing to paint."

"It will be amazing when I'm done," the other Mandalorian says with a smirk, studying her artwork. "We can fly it to confuse Imperials the next time we need to."

Vizma outright laughs. "Oh, I'd love to see their reaction to that! It's too bad I can't see their faces." It's incredibly therapeutic to see one of their weapons being reduced to an art piece, something the Empire has absolutely no knowledge of. "Maybe they'll learn creativity and better color patterns after seeing it."