Child of Balance

Ruins

    Ania leaned out over the railing on the balcony of the comm tower. A soft breeze brushed past and the twin moons were high overhead. She exhaled slowly, letting her senses roam the planet. The presence of the old Jedi Temple was gone. She swiftly searched for the Gray Jedi Temple. It was still there.

    A door hissed open behind her. Ezra leaned against the railing beside her. "Can't sleep?"

    She shook her head. "On Mortis, I never really had to sleep. Honestly, I only slept for a few hours during the afternoon. I always explored the planet at night."

    "Even with all of the lightning storms?" Ezra raised an eyebrow.

    "I was connected to the planet. I knew when they would strike and where to go so I would be safe."

    He shook his head, smiling. "That must have been weird. I still can't understand what I saw from the one time I was there."

    "I got used to it."

    "What about the Son and Daughter?" He paused for a moment. "And what happened with Vader?"

    Ania bit her lip, thinking. "The Son and Daughter can't take control of me anymore. Occasionally, I can hear their voices, but they don't have as much influence as they did. They can manifest in places that are strong with the Force. As to what happened...I guess I'm learning to handle it. Ro helped a lot."

    "I'm glad you're figuring things out. I still wish you hadn't had to leave, though."

    "Me too. I'm glad to be back and I'm glad you're all right."

    "Maybe now that the Empire is gone, we'll have a chance to focus on other things," Ezra said.

    "Like what?"

    "Well, us, for example." He turned a hopeful blue gaze towards her. "I still love you, but I understand if things have changed."

    Ania furrowed her brows. "Things have changed, but not that much."

    Ezra smiled and leaned towards her, kissing her softly. "Come on. We're leaving for Coruscant in the morning. You should at least try to sleep." She shook her head and smiled, letting him pull her back inside.

    Late the next morning, Ania finished prepping the Redemption for takeoff. Ro was sitting in the back of the ship, waiting patiently. After a moments, Sabine and Ahsoka boarded, followed by Ezra and Kit. Everyone else stood outside of the comm tower, watching them leave.

    "Hera said she's taking Zeb and Kallus back to Yavin 4," Sabine said. "Leia asked them to do something for her there."

    "Rex said he's going to stay here until we get back," Ahsoka added.

    Ezra slid into the co-pilot seat, running his hands over the familiar controls. Ania sealed the boarding ramp and lifted off, flying towards the atmosphere. Ezra quickly set the navicomputer. As soon as they cleared the planet's atmosphere, he activated the hyperdrive. Space blurred into blue around them.

    "So what did you think of everyone?" Ania asked, swiveling her seat around to face Kit.

    He crossed his arms, leaning back. "They're all right. Typical Rebels, I guess. Speaking of which, what happens to all of the Rebel fighters now that there's no longer a need for the Rebellion?"

    "Princess Leia has given everyone new directives throughout the galaxy," Sabine replied. "Most of them act as relief groups to planets that suffered the most under the Empire. Others help the New Republic keep the order."