Encroaching Darkness

Valuable cargo

  In the hyperspace flight to Nal Hutta Hera kept asking if he owed pirates any amount of credits. His answer kept being no. The familiar tingling sensation he got told him Kanan was reaching out to him. 'Ezra.' Kanan's voice rung in his head. Reaching out to Kanan's signature he returned the feeling letting Kanan know he heard him. 'Yes, Kanan?'

  'I know you don't owe pirates any credits. So if it's not some kind of dept then what's the reason?' 'This is gonna be hilarious.' Ezra thought to himself before responding to Kanan. 'Slaves.' Kanan jumped from his seat screaming. "SLAVES! WHAT ARE YOU DOING BUYING SLAVES!" Kanan shouted loud enough so everyone on board could hear him. Well, they could have heard him if he hadn't shouted so loudly and rendered everyone on board deaf.

  Hera seemed to be personally offended by the idea that Ezra would want to buy slaves. Ashoka had her usual straight face going, but both Kanan and Ezra could feel her confusion on the matter. Sabine didn't look upset or bothered by the idea. This tipped the others off that this had been the plan since the beginning.

  "So who are we buying?" Hera asked, assuming someone they know has wound up a slave and needs saving. "I don't actually know them, but they are crucial to the plan in the long term." He took a deep breath getting ready to make reference to the wills so Kanan and Ashoka could at least have a vague understanding of his reasons to an extent. If Hera doesn't understand that's Kanan's job to go into detail with her. "The wills brought them all together, and now, I serve as a crucial part of their destinies."

  Kanan and Ashoka seemed to at least vaguely understand him. Hera, on the other hand, was lost, the look on her face was evidence of her confusion. "They need our help right?" They all nodded in confirmation of her question. "Then, that's good enough, I guess." He smiled at her and got up to go meditate with Kanan and Ashoka in the loading bay.

  "How have you been Sabine?" Hera asked thinking now would be an excellent time to catch up and avoid any more talk of buying slaves. "I've been well." She leaned in and whispered onto Hera's ear cone. "Ezra and I are having another baby." Sabine whispered excitedly to Hera.

   "That's wonderful Sabine! Ezra does know about it right?" She asked with a smile. The last time Sabine was pregnant she decided to not tell him and see how long it took him to figure it out for himself. "He knows, although I did plan to not tell him again. I kinda let it slip out this time. But enough about Ezra and me. How have you and Kanan been? Oh, and how's little Jacen been doing? Does Kanan have him meditating yet?"

  "We decided to wait until he's at least five. What about you guys?" Sabine huffed at her, thinking about her son and husband. "I wanted to wait until he learned proper Mandalorian ways, but then Ezra goes and gets him to figure out how to levitate things and now stuff is just floating around everywhere we go!"
Sabine shouted out the last part clearly not too happy that her son can so easily use the force. "I don't have a problem with them using the force or anything Hera. It's just, so far my son doesn't really seem to be like me at all. More like a carbon copy of Ezra. Same complexion, same hair, same eyes same attitude."  Signing at her lack of similarities to her firstborn she looks towards Hera. "Is Jacen just like Kanan or is he more Syndulla?"

  The smug smile she started sporting answered the question long before she did. "Little Jacen loves it here in the cockpit. He likes to watch as worlds fly by us. Kanan says it's my fault that he doesn't sit still. Ya know he told me that if he doesn't calm down before long be might be harder to train then Ezra was back then."

  She only realized she brought that up when she saw Sabine's expression fall. She leaned in a took Sabine's hand in hers. "You really are one of the best things to have happened to him, Sabine. You do know that don't you?" She didn't acknowledge Hera's words. "Sabine, I know none of us like it but we have to at least admit that Ezra has a very dark side to himself. He almost lost himself to it. But thanks to you and your feelings for him, and your willingness to act on them saved him from himself."

  They both sat there holding one another's hand for a while, simply being thankful that he's still here with them today. "Do you really think he would be dead now Hera?" Sabine asked in a quiet voice. Hera sighed while thinking if Sabine really needs to know what Kanan told her. 'She does, more than I do at least.' "Sabine, Kanan told me years ago that Ezra's affinity for the dark side comes not from anger or hatred but from depression. For a long time, Ezra wasn't truly happy. It's not my place to say anymore, that's between you and him. But just know that if not for you he wouldn't be here today."