Star Wars Rebels: Come In, Spectre Six

Part Two

"Alright, pilots," General Hera Syndulla called to the Phoenix Squadron, who gathered around the holotable in the middle of the new Rebel air force base on Lothal, "The next destination on our list is in Hutt Space, so be careful. Slave traders, dealers, and bounty hunters are likely to hang around and wait for people to pick on."

Sabine watched as the hologram of the planet Ylesia, a green, resourceful planet, suddenly popped up in front of them with a glimmering blue glow.

"Suit up! We have a half-hour until take-off!" Hera commanded as the Squadron ran to their stations and pulled on their baggy jumpsuits and helmets. Hera approached Sabine, who stared at the hologram of Ylesia with hard brown eyes.

"Are you sure you want to go on another mission?" Hera asked. "We've been at this for months now and haven't found any clue as to where Ezra might be. I keep telling the Squadron we're just getting more resources, but they're starting to get suspicious there's something else to it that we're not telling them."

"Because there is," Sabine said. She turned to the brave pilot, her green eyes looking more tired in the hologram's blue glow. "Ezra is out there somewhere. He is counting on me to find him."

Hera sighed. "You have no idea how many times I've heard you say that since the Empire was driven out of Lothal."

"Don't say that," Sabine said, looking Hera dead in the eye. "You know I hate that name."

"Yes," Hera rolled her eyes, "I know. They hurt a lot of people. But don't you think it's about it's about time to let go of this whole charade and--"

Sabine scoffed. "I can't believe you would even consider giving up on Ezra, Hera! After all that he did for us; after all that he sacrificed--"

"He sacrificed himself, Sabine!" Hera yelled, making some of the nearby pilots and generals look their way. "It's time to accept that maybe he's gone. It's like we're looking for a changeling on the biggest planet in the galaxy."

A long, cold glare filled the awkward silence between the friends. As the seconds passed, Sabine felt more and more stares from the Squadron coming their way. She pulled away from Hera's icy glare and stormed off to find her small vessel. She couldn't give up on her oldest friend. He was counting on her.

* * * * *

The vast darkness of space swallowed Sabine's X-wing, the Lothcat, as the tunnel of hyperspace melted to nothingness behind her. The only light that allowed her to see was the bright, twinkling stars in the midnight-like sky and the green, glowing planet of Ylesia. The beautiful planet's surface mainly consisted of water, with big splotches of plentiful green land here and there. Although the ground was full of resourceful foods and materials, it was inhabited by territorial, rhino-like animals called Reeks.

Her intense eyes focused on the lush planet as she approached it. Sabine's hope in Ezra's return was quite abundant, but she sometimes feared that she was wasting her time. All of the pilots in the Squadron questioned her authority. Even the great Mon Mothma gave her concerned glances when Sabine told her she was going to prove Ezra was alive. No one believed in her except Ahsoka, who was very limited in detail when it came to how she could "feel" he was out there... somewhere.

But "somewhere" could be anywhere in the galaxy... and the galaxy was bigger than Sabine remembered it being before this whole search started. There were hundreds of planets to inspect for clues... and Sabine and Ahsoka had barely searched a quarter of them.

Of all the planets they'd searched, though, there was no sign of the long-lost Jedi.

And the fear of never finding him seeped deeper than Sabine liked to admit.

* * * * *

Whether or not he was real, Ahsoka spent the entire afternoon in her loft on the Trillion talking with Anakin. He told her stories about his life before the Jedi, and she told him stories about her days as a Jedi Temple drop-out. It was weird talking to someone she thought was dead for so long, but it was also nice to have her Master back. The way he called her Snips, how he always questioned everything with wit, his smile, his laugh... she'd missed it all. She'd missed, whom she referred to as, her big brother. Now that he was here, everything felt complete. But he also seemed off. Every once in a while, she would see a flash of yellow in his eyes, or he would space out when she said something about Darth Vader.

She wondered if he was still in him somehow; if Darth Vader was more like an alter-ego, now that he was a Force-ghost, rather than Anakin's evil self.

Ahsoka wondered if the vile Sith had survived.