Visions

Thirty-Eight: The End

Okay first off, nothing to say really about the last episode, because I think we can all agree it was just a filler before the last few, EXCEPT the part where Hera killed all those people. Phew! *wipes brow* Glad she's not a Force-sensitive, am I right?

Ezra sat in his cabin, chin in his hands. So now Zeb knew about Sabine and his relationship, and Ezra didn't know what he was going to do about it. He had already called the tall Lasat, but he really didn't know what he was going to say when Zeb got there.
He couldn't lie and say there was nothing between him and Sabine. Zeb had heard the conversation.
He didn't think he could blackmail him, as Zeb had no secrets, at least, that Ezra knew of. And that just felt...wrong.
You could threaten him, came Plagueis' voice in Ezra's head, and he groaned, pressing his palms into his eyes.
No! That's crazy. If you're gonna try and help me out, which sounds really weird anyway, seeing as you basically hate me, give me something good!
Plagueis was silent, and the door slid open. Zeb stood there, arms crossed, and cocked a brow at him. "You wanna explain somethin'?"
"Uh, yeah. Sure." Ezra awkwardly stood, and Zeb stepped inside, the doors sliding shut behind him.
He sat down on the bunk.
Ezra stared at him for a second, and Zeb's eyebrows went up again. "So?"
"You can't tell anyone! If the others found out, if Kanan--"
"Slow down, kid!" Zeb leaned forward, shaking his head. "You're not making any sense. What are we talking about?"
Ezra stared at him, incredulous. What kind of game was he playing?
"Don't look at me like that," Zeb said, frowning grumpily. "It makes me feel like you think I'm stupid."
"Zeb..." Ezra cautiously walked over and sat next to him on the bunk. "I'm talking about the transmission this morning."
"Oh." Zeb grinned, leaning back and crossing his arms behind his head. "Yeah, well, I always suspected you and that Twi'lek had a thing."
"Arene?" Ezra's mouth fell wide open. "But we don't, that was--"
Suddenly, he realized what he was doing, and slammed his mouth shut.
Too late. Zeb's eyes narrowed, and he searched Ezra's face. "That wasn't Arene, was it?"
Ezra rubbed the back of his neck nervously, dragging the words out. "Well, not exactly..."
"Then who was it?" The Lasat demanded, and Ezra cringed. This wasn't going as he'd hoped. Then again, from the beginning his hopes for this meeting hadn't been too high.
"Uh...well, it...uh..."
Zeb frowned, then his eyebrows flew to his hairline. "It wasn't--it couldn't have been--" He stopped, staring at Ezra in disbelief. Then, in a hushed tone, "Sabine?"
Ezra looked away, and Zeb jumped to his feet, throwing his hands in the air.
"But it's not possible! You can't be serious!"
Ezra pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "I didn't even say anything."
Zeb scowled. "Your expression told me everything! But how--"
"It's a long story," Ezra interrupted, standing and beginning to pace. "To cut it short, we've been...in a relationship for a while."
"Oh, well this is just grand!" Zeb huffed, crossing his arms. "And now--now you want me to keep it a secret?"
"Zeb, please! You know what would happen if Kanan or, worse, Hera found out!"
Zeb's ears wilted. "I'm more afraid of what would happen if I didn't tell them." He shuddered, then straightened. "What's in it for me?"
Ezra looked down. "Well..."
Zeb was silent for a few seconds, then shook his head. "Look, kid. I can keep your secret, but you owe me one." He walked to the door, adding over his shoulder, "A big one."
Ezra slumped, wiping his brow. "Right. Uh, thanks!"
Zeb didn't answer, and the door slid shut behind him. Ezra stood. "Well," he said in an undertone. "That's one less thing to worry about, I guess."
Suddenly, Hera's voice came over the internal comm. "Ezra, there's a ship hailing us. The pilot...wants to talk to you!"
Ezra frowned. "What do you mean?"
"He asked for you specifically, and said he needed to talk to you privately."
Ezra stayed silent a moment, processing this.
"I could listen to the transmission while you--"
"No," Ezra interrupted. "If he wants to talk to me privately, he can. I'll be fine."
He grabbed his imagecaster from his shelf unit. "Put him through."
After a moment of waiting, his holoprojector lit up, and Ezra's eyebrows rose to his hairline. "Arene? Hera said it was a guy. What are you wearing? And why did you leave? What were you thinking? I can't believe you--"
"Ezra stop!" The holographic Arene held up a hand, stopping him. "First of all, Ersin was the one who contacted Hera for me."
Ezra frowned. "Who?"
Arene shook her head. "Spiff."
Ezra's forehead cleared, but immediately he frowned again. "Oh, yeah. I have a bone to pick with him, too!"
"Just stop it! Your yelling is going to ruin the recording systems! Second, as you rudely interrupted me before, I am wearing clothing. Third, I needed to leave. I had a lot--"
"Wait! Is that a--a lightsaber at your belt?" Ezra stared at her, incredulous. "What in the--has the whole world gone crazy?"
"Ezra, please just let me explain."
Ezra sighed. For some reason, Plagueis stayed silent. That suspiciously seemed to happen a lot when Arene was involved. "Alright."
"No interruptions?"
Ezra gave a reluctant smile. "Not a one, ma'am."
Arene nodded. "Alright then. Yes, this is a lightsaber." She pulled it from her belt and ignited it with ease that only an expert could. "It's...violet. Like me." She smiled. "I made it a few weeks ago, before you left for Mandalore."
Ezra opened his mouth, then slammed it closed as he remembered his promise. He nodded instead, and she went on.
"I've been training. With..."
She hesitated, biting her lip, and Ezra frowned. Then he glanced down at his hand, where his burn was covered with his glove, and his mouth fell open. "With Plagueis? Are you serious?"
Arene winced. "I'm sorry about your hand, but we were arguing and, well, it just happened."
Ezra's eyes slid closed, and he shook his head. "Why me?" he groaned, and Arene huffed. "Stop feeling sorry for yourself, and let me speak!"
In the background, someone, presumably Spiff, laughed, but Ezra ignored it. He was getting better at ignoring things.
"But why? Are you some Dark Lord of the Sith now?"
Plagueis began to laugh hysterically, and Ezra gritted his teeth, wishing he could just block everything but Arene out.
I'm sorry Ezra, came Plagueis' voice, and Ezra frowned slightly. He was a lot...nicer, lately. You are just delirious sometimes.
Ezra didn't answer, trying to focus on Arene's words. He hated this feeling of disorientation from the voice in his head. It reminded him of when Maul had been tormenting him with visions at the base. He pushed the thought away, blinking to clear his head, and refocused on Arene's voice.
"No, you Ugnaught! I only learned lightsaber techniques and combat skills. Do you really think I'm that stupid?"
Uh-oh. She was angry. And Ezra had learned that when girls get angry, things get messy. Ezra held up a hand. "No, no, that's not what I meant! I mean, obviously you're too smart for that. Er, well, I was just saying, like, I wasn't suggesting--"
Arene laughed suddenly, cutting him off. "You're very smooth, Bridger."
Ezra gave his best smirk. "I know." The smile died, and he surveyed her thoughtfully. "And you've changed, Arene Talkana."
Arene gave a soft smile that illuminated her round, pixie-shaped face. "Yes, I think I have."
Ezra smiled. "I like it."
Arene's smile widened. "I'm glad."
An incoherent voice came from the background, and Arene blinked, looking away from the recorder for a moment before nodding. She looked back to Ezra. "I wanted to talk to Plagueis for a moment before I go."
Ezra nodded. "Yeah, uh, sure. But next time you decide to ask an evil Sith Lord train you, could you run it by me first?"
Plagueis snorted as Arene laughed. "Will do." Her face softened again into a sweet smile. "I don't know when I'll see you again, Ezra, but I want to thank you for what you did for me when...when I lost my parents. Thank you for being there."
Ezra smiled. "See you around, Arene. And may the Force be with you."
~//~
"Ersin?" Arene turned away from the recorder to the boy, who was slouching in the copilot's chair and clearly not happy. "Could I have a moment in private?"
Ersin scowled up at her, disgruntled. "I didn't like how Bridger was talking to you."
"Ezra?" Arene frowned, then stared at Ersin, surprised. "Oh! No, don't worry, he is just a friend. He's already with someone, too."
After a pause where he just studied her face suspiciously, Ersin nodded, walking out of the room and leaving Arene to wonder at her statements. "Don't worry?" she muttered to herself. "Why would I say that?"
"Arene."
Arebe blinked, looking towards the ship's holoprojector and shaking her head to clear it. "Hello, Plagueis."
Remembering how frightened she used to be of the Sith, she stepped towards the 3D image. Now, he wasn't even a threat.
"So you left. I knew you would."
Arene nodded. "It seemed like the right thing to do."
Plagueis shook his head, seemingly mystified. "I must say, I do admire your courage and...fortitude, I really do. After all you've been through, you still believe in a right and a wrong."
"Right is doing what you can to save lives, even when it will cost you. Wrong is killing a man and stealing his body so you could have revenge."
Plagueis barely frowned, seemingly unruffled. "It was you who told me I should release Bridger from his side of the bargain and return him his body fully."
"You know I meant that you should let go of your anger and hate and—and pride and attain peace."
"Enough." The word was said calmly and quietly, but the message was clear. Arene pressed her lips into a firm line, turning away. After a moment of silence, she said quietly, "I don't know why, but I had hoped maybe I could change you, and I am sorry I could not."
"I know." He sounded almost sympathetic.
"When will you leave?"
Plagueis sat down on the bunk behind him. "Tonight, while he sleeps. I have already made certain everyone on Chopper Base will remember things differently about when the pilot was dealt with, and I've kept the ship hidden in a cave on Attolon, waiting."
Arene nodded, still not meeting his eye, and Plagueis sighed. "Arene, we may not see eye-to-eye on anything," she had to grin at the truth of that statement, "but I still think if you as perhaps an...ally."
Arene shook her head at his inability to speak freely, and finally met his gaze. "And you were a capable instructor, and perhaps, a friend. Thank you, for everything."
Plagueis blinked, clearly surprised, then nodded. "Goodbye, Arene."
Arene smiled, reaching for the switch that would end the transmission. "Goodbye, Plagueis."
~//~
That night, Kanan Jarrus awoke to a feeling, a disturbance in the Force, and sat up. But instead of dread, relief washed over him, as if some great weight had been lifted. He stood, moving through the Ghost.
In a separate cabin, the padawan slept on, unperturbed by the feelings his master mused, and unaware of the freedom he now had or the interruptions he would now face.
In a ship, flying away from a small outer rim world that seemed so inconspicuous, a Sith Lord clenched his fists, trying to drive away the words of a young Twi'lek who was far above her age. "I had hoped maybe I could change you, and I am sorry I could not."
Docking at a small, out-of-the-way fuel port, a young girl smiled at her companion, excitement adding to her beauty as she hailed an Onderon communications tower, transferring secret codes that would give her the ability to help people across the galaxy.
On a Mandalorian planet, a dark blade was raised in the air, rallying people to the holder's cause.
And far away on a desert world, a time-wearied old man sat cross legged in meditation, awaiting the storm he felt coming.

The winding path to peace is always a worthy one, no matter how many turns it takes.
~Jedi Proverb

Thank you all so much for reading this book, and don't forget to leave a vote and comment if you liked it and the way I ended it!

I'm so sad it's over, but hopefully I'll start another book soon!!!

Love you guys so much, again, thank you for reading this, and (duh) May the Force be with you!