Seventh Sister's Mentorship

Atollon

Date: 2 BBY

Ezra woke up, getting a late start to the day. Getting a sweet and salty ration bar and cup of caf from the barracks, he headed to the hanger. "Wow," he thought. "Brightness of Atallon."

He saw the array of ships on the hanger. He smiled at the sight of the Ghost, brightness shining its exterior from the early afternoon sun.

He saw a welcoming surprise. Her. Someone that makes him blush and holds him accountable. No, not Sabine. Spectre Seven. "Making repairs on the Ghost? That's a first," Ezra thought.

"I didn't know you were a mechanic," he added, crossing his arms.

"Well Bridger, since I couldn't get you to be my apprentice, my seeker droids were the next best thing. Back then, I made sure to keep up with their maintenance." Seventh added, "I had my own TIE fighter. Made sure to keep her up to date. Sadly we couldn't bring it back to base."

Ezra smiled, "Back to base? Ha, you know that fighter had all sorts of trackers on it."

Seventh rolls her eyes, "Perhaps, still wish she was here."

"Maybe you could do something close to having one," Hera said walking out of the Phantom. "Rebel High command is to make sure rebel fighters stay up to date and repaired. They want you to serve as a mechanic time to time when we have more downtime between missions."

Seventh nodded. She is a fan of fixing up other fighters for a change.

Ezra sensed famishment from Spectre Seven. "Did you eat at all this morning?" he asked. "I sense you're starving."

Seventh stared at his half-eaten ration bar. "Give me that." she commanded.

Ezra submitted and gently handed her the rest of it. Seventh gorged on it. "No thank you?" Ezra asked funnily.

Seventh grinned, mouth full. "Thank you..."

"Hey no eating with your mouth full!" Hera responded playfully. Ezra smiled.

The antics, playfulness. Seventh Sister started to feel like she's welcomed. That she belongs here.

XX

A couple rotations later...

Seventh Sister and Ezra sat together in the barracks, picking at their breakfast. Conversation between them felt easier these days, though always tinged with the unspoken tension of their past. Seventh Sister broke the silence, still digesting what Ezra had shared about his experiences.

"So, you're saying there's a being on Atollon that's neither light nor dark?" she asked, skepticism lacing her voice.

Ezra nodded, eyes lighting up. "Yeah, his name's Bendu. Kanan's met him. He claims to be 'the one in the middle.'"

Seventh snorted. "Psh... never heard of anything like that. All I've known are the Jedi or the Sith. You either pick a side or the side picks you."

Ezra leaned back in his chair, mulling it over. "Maybe... but what if we could use both the light and the dark?"

Seventh Sister let out a low chuckle. "Mastering both? Sounds like another Jedi fantasy. It always comes down to loyalty in the end. You're either on one side or the other."

Ezra paused, eyes narrowing as an idea struck him. "Do you think Bendu could help heal your crystals? Turn them white like Ahsoka's?"

Seventh's expression hardened at the mention of her red kyber crystals, a flash of frustration crossing her face as she remembered her last attempt to purify them.