Dedicated to EdenSungilda

     Jedi Knight Kyra Kryze-Kenobi raced through the upper atmosphere of Alderaan before making the jump to lightspeed. Her destination: Lothal. Her mission: To help the Spectres rescue Kanan Jarrus, who had been captured by the Empire. As she traveled through hyperspace, Kyra listened to Ezra's message, the rebels having successfully infiltrated an Imperial communications tower on Lothal.

     "We have been called criminals, but we are not," Ezra Bridger began. "We are rebels, fighting for the people, fighting for you. I'm not that old, but I remember a time when things were better on Lothal. Maybe not great, but never like this. See what the Empire has done to your lives, your families and your freedom? It's only gonna get worse unless we stand up and fight back. It won't be easy. There will be loss and sacrifice. But we can't back down just because we're afraid. That's when we need to stand the tallest. That's what my parents taught me. That's what my new family helped me remember. Stand up together. Because that's when we're strongest, as one."

     As soon as the Phantom emerged from hyperspace, Kyra flew towards the Imperial Communications Center, which was the current target of an attack by the Spectres. Kyra gunned down one of the two AT-DPs that were pursuing Ezra, Sabine Wren, Garazeb Orrelios, and Chopper, who had hijacked a third Imperial walker. Before the second AT-DP could destroy the third walker, the rebels boarded the Phantom and Kyra closed the ramp before racing away. When Kyra asked if their mission was a success, Ezra replied that they had failed to learn where Kanan Jarrus was being held. Back on the Ghost, Kyra went in search of Captain Hera Syndulla and hugged her tightly, knowing that Hera cared deeply about Kanan and needed a moment to let her guard down.

     Because Hera was the leader of the Spectres – including two that were teenagers – Kyra knew Syndulla often found herself being strong for her team, hiding her own feelings so the others would not worry. After several moments, Hera sighed and pulled away before inviting Kyra to join her while she contacted Fulcrum on a secure comm channel. Besides Senator Bail Organa, Kyra was the only one who knew Fulcrum's real identity, who had kept Ahsoka Tano's secret for the past fourteen years. When Fulcrum activated her hologram, she was wearing a white cloak that fully concealed her face and montrals.

     Hera quickly explained their situation, and Fulcrum replied in a mechanically distorted voice, "Kanan knew the risks, accepted them. I'm sorry, but you must focus on your next objective."

     "Kanan is our objective. We can still find him," Hera insisted as she pushed away from the console.

     "At what cost? You? Your unit? The overall mission?" Fulcrum asked, sighing as she tried to calm herself. "There's something else, Hera. The transmission Ezra was able to beam out has attracted attention, not just from civilians, but from the highest levels of the Empire. Your mission was to be unseen, unnoticed, and now—"

     "Kanan wanted to inspire people," Kyra said, interrupting Fulcrum because she was unable to stay quiet any longer. "He wanted to give them hope."

     "Well, he was successful," Fulcrum admitted. "But if you are caught, if Ezra is caught, that hope will die. To protect your identity and Hera's crew, you must stop your search for Kanan and go into hiding."

     With that, Fulcrum ended the transmission, leaving Kyra and Hera to make an impossible choice. After several moments, the two rebel leaders came to an unspoken agreement and decided that, for the safety of the crew, they would stop searching for Kanan. Kyra pinched the bridge of her nose before getting up, helping Hera to her feet, and heading to the common room. Sabine, Ezra, and Zeb looked up expectantly as they entered, their confidence faltering slightly when they saw the look on the women's faces.

     "We can't go after Kanan," Hera said quietly after a moment. "The Empire will be waiting with a trap."

     "When has that ever stopped us?" Ezra asked frustratedly.

     "We can't risk it, Ezra," Hera tried to explain. "There's a bigger mission you're not seeing. It can't be jeopardized for...one soldier."

     Bridger's frustration turned to anger, "'Soldier?' He's our friend, Hera. I can't just forget him. And I can't believe you would, either. He'd do whatever it took to protect us."

     "He already did when he sacrificed himself," Kyra stated as she placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Ezra, he'd want us to honor the choice he made."

     "Us? You're not even a real member of this team!" Ezra shouted before storming off to the room he shared with Zeb.

     Kyra sighed and made her way to the cockpit, setting her helmet on the dashboard as she sat in the co-pilot's seat and prepared the Ghost for takeoff. After a moment, Sabine sat behind Kyra and Hera settled into the pilot's seat as Zeb asked why they were getting ready to fight if they were not going after Kanan.

     Before anyone could answer, Ezra hailed Sabine through her personal comms system, "Where are the power cells? I need some for my lightsaber."

     Sabine sighed, "Did you check the overheads?"

     When Ezra informed Sabine that he had already looked there, Wren offered to help him search, taking Zeb with her and instructing Chopper to help in the cockpit.

     When the astromech groaned, Hera said, "Just recalibrate the targeting computer, will you?"

     Chopper continued to complain as he plugged his computer interface arm into the Ghost, causing the private comm channels to emit an electronic warble.

     "Chopper! I said the targeting computer. You're overloading the internal comm!" Hera scolded, yelling over the shrill cacophony as the droid pretended to misunderstand her. "No! Don't turn it up!"

     As Hera jumped out of her chair to stop the droid, Kyra realized that Chopper was trying to keep them from realizing the Phantom was powering up. Kyra raced out of the cockpit and through the Ghost, climbing up the ladder just in time to watch her ship pull away from the light freighter. She ran back to the cockpit and found Hera yelling at Chopper, who had finally unplugged from the console.

     "How is that my fault?" Syndulla shouted, throwing her hands into the air. "You plugged into the wrong system! Why don't you just go help Ezra find his power cells?"

     "Because he's gone," Kyra answered bluntly. "They took the Phantom. Luckily, I think I know where they're going."

     Hera sighed and allowed Kyra to take the pilot's seat as they searched for the missing Spectres. After scouring the grasslands for nearly ten minutes, Kyra spotted the rogue rebels exactly where she had expected them to be: Bargaining with Vizago. When they landed, Sabine told them that Ezra had struck a deal with Vizago in return for the crime lord's help in locating Kanan.

     When Ezra came out of Vizago's freighter, Hera charged towards him and growled, "For what you just bargained, you better have something more than just a lead."

     As the two captains led the trio back to the Ghost, Ezra said, "Hera, I know you're mad, but—"

     "Mad? Try furious," Syndulla retorted. "You just put all our lives in jeopardy. I gave you a direct order, and you disobeyed me."

     As she marched away, Ezra replied, "Well, it paid off. I know how to find out where Kanan is. Maybe."

     It was Kyra's turn to round on Ezra as her eyebrows shot up, "Maybe? All that for maybe?"

     Ezra grabbed her arm and gestured to Sabine and Zeb, who were standing behind him, "Krystal, none of us want to give up on Kanan."

     Kyra sighed, "And you think we do?"

     Ezra shook his head, "No, I don't. That's why I took this risk."

     It was Hera's turn to sigh as she looked from Ezra, to Sabine, then Zeb, finally glancing at Kyra. When Kyra nodded, Hera asked Ezra to share what he had learned from Vizago. That night, the Spectres waited outside a hangar bay in Capital City for an Imperial shuttle, which arrived shortly after they did.

     "I'm betting that's the shuttle the Empire's using to get the courier droid to their comm ship," Sabine said as she lowered her rangefinder and watched the transport land. "Our only chance is to intercept the droid before it boards the shuttle."

     "The only way to be sure is to grab the Imperial droid and send Chopper in its place," Ezra added, much to the astromech's dismay.

     When Chopper crossed his arms, Sabine said, "Come on, Chop. I'll give you a paint job. The Empire won't know the difference."

     The droid groaned and turned away from Sabine, reluctantly agreeing when Ezra reminded him that his mission would help save Kanan. As the courier was escorted to the shuttle by four stormtroopers, Sabine and Kyra jumped off the building and landed behind the troopers, quickly defeating them. Besides the added layer of animosity that her beskar provided, the concealed weapons and technology hidden in Kyra's armor gave Kryze the advantage she would have normally gained from her ability to wield the Force. But, seeing as a Mandalorian Jedi would surely give away her identity, Kyra made due with what she could achieve in battle with her armor.

     The courier droid squealed and fell onto his back, frightened by the sudden turn of events. Zeb rolled his eyes and righted the droid as Chopper took the courier's place, his new paint-job allowing him to fit in with the Imperials. Once the Lambda-class shuttle had taken off and docked with a nearby light cruiser, Hera discreetly tailed the vessel in the Ghost. The Imperial courier beeped nervously and tried to escape several times, eventually calming down when Sabine promised the droid that he would not be harmed. As Kyra settled into the co-pilot's seat, she asked if Hera had a lock on Chopper's location. Hera nodded and confirmed that Chopper was now aboard the light cruiser.

     When Chopper transmitted his signal to the Ghost, Hera instructed the crew to take their positions as they moved to intercept the light cruiser. Kyra stayed at Hera's side while Sabine settled into the gunner's seat beneath the cockpit and Ezra climbed into the rotating cannon turret, all opening fire on the light cruiser as they made their first pass. When they moved into attack position for a second run, the cruiser returned fire, landing several shots along the port side of the Ghost. Shortly after, having finished copying the communication logs, Chopper flew out of the airlock – bringing several stormtroopers with him – and ignited his thruster, rocketing towards the light freighter.

     As soon as Chopper had secured himself in the cargo hold, Hera sent the Ghost diving nose-first towards the surface of Lothal. Once they had disappeared in the clouds, the crew gathered in the cockpit, where Zeb informed the others that Chopper had thrown the Imperial courier out of the hangar.

     Hera chuckled and rolled her eyes before turning to Ezra, "I'm proud of you. You stepped up and took the lead. Kanan has taught you well."

     "So have you," Ezra replied before glancing over at Kenobi. "Hey, uh, Krystal? I'm sorry about what I said earlier. I didn't mean it."

     "Don't worry about it, kid, I know you didn't," Kyra assured him. "I would've reacted the same way if I were you. But I want you to understand that Hera and I only made the decision we did because we wanted to ensure the safety of this crew."

     Ezra nodded as the dashboard beeped and Sabine said, "I think I found something. Kanan is on Governor Tarkin's Destroyer, the Sovereign. It's still here above Lothal, but it's scheduled to leave soon."

     When Hera asked where the Star Destroyer was going, Sabine answered, "The Mustafar System? I've never heard of it."

     Kyra felt the blood drain from her face and knew the others had seen her demeanor change when Sabine asked if she was all right.

     "I've only heard that name a handful of times," Kyra said quietly. "It's where Jedi go to die."

                                                                     ...

     Several days later, after the Spectres infiltrated an Imperial base on Lothal, stole an Imperial transport, and docked with the Ghost, the rebels gathered in the common room to discuss their next course of action.

     As Hera activated a map of the fiery planet, she explained, "The transport you stole will get us close to the fleet over Mustafar. We know they have Kanan on Tarkin's Star Destroyer, which is surrounded by other Star Destroyers. We'll need a distraction to cover our entry. Sabine?"

     Wren pulled up a hologram of the Sovereign and said, "Engine room's here, all the power for the ship. If we could get inside the docking bay, I could rig something, black 'em out. But our transport ship's not gonna fit in there."

     "We need something small enough to get into that hangar bay," Kyra agreed as she wearily ran a hand over her face. "Too bad we blew up all the TIEs at that base."

     "Well, uh, there is one left. But it's not at the base," Ezra admitted, sighing when Orrelios tried to stop him. "Look, this is serious, Zeb. For Kanan."

     Zeb reluctantly grunted his agreement and nodded as Hera asked what they were talking about.

     Ezra looked down at the floor as he answered, "The TIE we stole a while back, we, uh...We didn't exactly crash it. We kept it. Hidden."

     "You stole an Imperial TIE fighter?" Kyra asked exasperatedly. "And you didn't get rid of it? Do you have any idea how reckless that was? You could have led the Empire right to us!"

     When Zeb and Sabine refused to meet Kyra's eyes, Hera's jaw dropped, "You all knew about this? I should be angry. I should yell at you for disobeying a direct order. But right now, I'm just grateful we got it."

     Ezra glanced at Sabine before adding, "Uh, there's a slight problem with it."

     Hera placed her hands on her hips, "What kind of problem?"

     Sabine and Ezra smiled sheepishly before leading the others to the hidden Imperial starfighter, which Wren had painted in a variety of bright colors. Zeb immediately objected to using the customized TIE fighter, but Hera sighed and said that it would have to work.

     "I thought you were supposed to be the sane one," Zeb grumbled. "This whole plan is as crazy as those colors."

     "Maybe you're right," Hera admitted. "Maybe this mission doesn't make military sense. But Kanan is family. And we've all lost enough family to the Empire. So rescuing him makes sense to me. I'm not ordering you, any of you, to come along. But you need to decide now. In or out?"

     After Sabine, Ezra, Chopper, and Kyra agreed to join Hera, they all looked expectantly at Zeb, who cursed and finally decided to go with the others.

     When Zeb asked if they were going to fix the TIE fighter, Kyra said, "We don't have time for that. Besides, the Imperials will only scan it. By the time they see it—"

     "—it'll be too late," Hera finished for her.

     Leaving the Ghost and the Phantom on Lothal, the rebels boarded the Imperial transport, which was carrying the vibrant TIE fighter.

     Once they had gathered in the cockpit of the transport, Hera said, "I'll send in our transponder code as soon as we know Kanan is there. Ezra, Krystal, you ready?"

     The Jedi Knight and the apprentice nodded as they closed their eyes and reached out to Kanan through the Force. After several moments, the three Jedi sensed each other's presence, and Ezra's eyes snapped open as he informed the others that Kanan was alive and still on the Sovereign. Hera transmitted their codes to the Imperials, and after an officer cleared them to land in docking Bay 5, Chopper remotely piloted their TIE fighter into the hangar bay of Tarkin's Star Destroyer. When the starfighter – which was transporting an entire container's worth of Electromagnetic Pulse grenades – landed in Bay 5, Sabine detonated the charges, cutting off the entire ship's power supply and knocking the stormtroopers unconscious when the static frequency filled their helmets.

     While the Sovereign was disabled, Hera attached the stolen Imperial transport to the side of the Star Destroyer and left Chopper in charge of the ship while they were gone. Using her lightsaber, Kyra cut through the wall of the Star Destroyer and cautiously made her way into the ship. When she was sure that the coast was clear, she gestured for the rest of the Spectres to join her. They were able to make their way through several corridors before Chopper informed the team that Imperial reinforcements had arrived.

     "Don't worry. On a ship this big, it'll take 'em a while to find us," Sabine assured the others, her prediction proven wrong when they rounded a corner and found themselves face-to-face with a squadron of stormtroopers.

     Ezra shot the first trooper with his unique lightsaber, which could harness the kyber crystal's energy to fire rounds of electricity that stunned whoever it hit, as well as power the saber's more traditional blade. When the Spectres tried to retreat, another squad of troopers blocked their path, forcing Hera to shoot the blast door's control panel before Ezra sealed it with his lightsaber.

     As Ezra pulled his saber out of the metal door, he sighed and said, "Kanan is down that hall. I just cut off our only way to get to him."

     "Might be our only way, but it's not yours," Hera countered as she pointed at the ventilation shafts above them.

     Once Ezra had pulled himself into the vents, Kyra stated that she was going with Bridger before climbing in after him. Luckily for Kyra, she was gifted with a long, lean physique that allowed her to squeeze into tight spaces even when wearing her armor. After maneuvering their way through the ventilation system, Ezra and Kyra cut through a metal grate and crawled into the hallway that housed the cellblock. Sensing Kanan's presence, Ezra walked past several cells before opening the third door on his left side.

     "Turns out you taught me pretty well," Ezra said when he found his master.

     Kanan – who was strapped into an interrogation chair – managed to smile weakly as he replied, "You shouldn't have come here, but I'm glad you did."

     "You would've done the same for me. In fact, you have," Ezra stated as he and Kyra unlocked the metal bars that held Kanan in place.

     Kanan leaned heavily against the two Jedi as they helped him walk, moving as fast as they were able while trying not to injure Jarrus any further. The trio made their way to the reactor core room, where they were met by the Grand Inquisitor, who ignited one side of his double-bladed lightsaber. When Kanan began to move towards the apprentice of darkness, Kyra placed a hand on his arm and stopped him with a stern look. He sighed, taking several steps backward as Kyra ignited her lightsaber, the blue blade glowing brightly as she rushed towards the Grand Inquisitor. The Inquisitor smirked, but his smile quickly faded when Ezra fired several rounds of electricity from his saber.

     The Inquisitor took several steps backward, giving himself time to both deflect the shots and block Kyra's advance. Their blades connected and the two opponents rapidly swung, parried, and struck at each other as they twirled across the elevated walkway that lacked any kind of railing to prevent someone from falling to their death, a trait commonly found in Imperial architecture. When the rivals' weapons interlocked once more, the Grand Inquisitor pushed Kyra backwards and tried to kick her in the stomach, but the Jedi was too quick. Kyra executed several reverse somersaults and ducked as Ezra laid down a round of cover fire, giving Kryze a moment to catch her breath.

     When she charged towards her opponent once more, Kyra did not realize that Ezra was following her into the fight. The Grand Inquisitor swept his lightsaber across the floor, aiming for Kyra's feet, but she managed to jump over the blood-red blade. When Kyra attempted the same maneuver, the Grand Inquisitor leapt over her head and landed behind the Jedi Knight. When Kyra turned and spotted Ezra standing a few feet behind the Inquisitor, she emphatically gestured for him to stay back. Ezra reluctantly obliged, but when the opponents locked blades and the Inquisitor lowered his saber towards Kyra's neck, Bridger ignited his own weapon and joined the fight.

     "At last, a fight that might be worthy of my time," the Grand Inquisitor stated when he noticed the new challenger.

     When the Inquisitor turned and ignited the second blade of his lightsaber, Kyra spotted Kanan's weapon hanging from his belt and used the Force to take it from him. She threw the lightsaber to Kanan, gesturing for him to wait as she and Ezra charged towards the Grand Inquisitor, knowing there was not enough room on the bridge for all four of them to fight at once. Kenobi and Bridger took turns fighting the Inquisitor, who used the Force to send Ezra flying across the walkway when the pair began to overwhelm him. The air was knocked out of Ezra's lungs as he landed hard on his back, the padawan groaning when Kanan helped him to his feet.

     Now only having to face one adversary, the Grand Inquisitor began to pick up the pace, his thrusts and parries coming in rapid succession as he tried to overpower Kyra. He finally managed to kick Kyra in the stomach, and when she staggered, he used the Force to send her flying through the air. She tumbled across the bridge and slipped over the edge, sinking her lightsaber into the walkway to keep herself from falling. Before she could pull herself up, she watched Ezra rush towards the wielder of the dark side. The Inquisitor threw his lightsaber at Ezra, knocking the lightsaber out of his hand and causing him to fall off the walkway.

     The boy hit one of the lower platforms with a sickening thud, and Kyra squeezed her eyes shut as Kanan fell to his knees. After a moment, Kyra opened her eyes and levered herself onto the walkway, looking past the Grand Inquisitor as she silently conversed with Kanan. He nodded and got to his feet as Kyra did the same, Kanan meeting the Inquisitor's wicked smile with his own determined gaze.

     "That was a mistake," Jarrus growled as he grabbed his fallen apprentice's lightsaber.

     As Kanan ignited both of the lightsabers in his possession and Kyra activated her own weapon, the Grand Inquisitor smiled but did not reply. The Jedi charged at the Inquisitor, four lightsabers slashing through the air as the opponents spun, leapt, dodged, and darted around each other. The Grand Inquisitor used the spinning blades of his lightsaber to propel himself through the air, flying closer to the reactor core as Kanan shot at him with Ezra's saber. As they reached the control terminal for the reactor core, the Inquisitor swung at Kyra's head, but she ducked under the blade and pushed him backwards. The Grand Inquisitor teetered on the edge of the platform but managed to regain his balance.

     As the three opponents paused to catch their breath, Kanan admitted, "You were right. I was a coward. But now I know there's something stronger than fear, far stronger. The Force. Let me show you how strong it is."

     The Inquisitor scowled as the blades of his lightsaber began to spin, but Kanan used his weapon – along with Ezra's – to cut the stationary hilt in half. The Inquisitor jumped when his saber sparked and accidentally dropped his weapon, the crimson blades falling to the depths below and destroying the Sovereign's reactor core. The Grand Inquisitor's momentum caused him to fall backwards, leaving him hanging over the fiery reactor core by his fingertips. The entire Star Destroyer shuddered as the core went up in a ball of flame, nearly knocking the Jedi off their feet.

     "You have no idea what you've unleashed here today," the Inquisitor growled, and when Kanan outstretched his hand and offered to pull the apprentice of darkness to his feet, he shook his head. "There are some things far more frightening than death."

     Kanan and Kyra watched in shock as the Grand Inquisitor let go of the platform, enveloped by the fast-growing inferno below. When they heard someone calling their names behind them, the Jedi turned to find Ezra smirking, unharmed except for two small lacerations that the enemy's blade had left on his face.

     "I thought I lost you," Kanan admitted quietly.

     "I know the feeling," Ezra replied. "Let's go home."

     Kanan returned Ezra's lightsaber as the trio ran through the Star Destroyer and Bridger informed the others that he and Kyra had found Jarrus. When Hera expressed her reluctance to depart without the Jedi, Kanan assured her that they would find another way out. Kanan, Kyra, and Ezra made their way to the main hangar bay and stole the Grand Inquisitor's TIE fighter, the advanced model featuring foldable wings. Kyra hopped into the pilot's seat and prepared the starfighter for takeoff as the hangar bay began to collapse around them. They flew out of the Sovereign and joined the dogfight as the Star Destroyer fell towards the fiery surface of Mustafar.

     Kyra destroyed three of the enemy fighters as she followed the brightly-colored craft that had been painted by Sabine and was currently transporting the rest of the Spectres.

     "We've got your back," Kyra said as she opened a communications channel.

     "Thanks. But without Chopper's transport, we're going nowhere fast," Hera replied as an entire legion of TIE fighters began closing in.

     As Hera and Kyra turned to face the enemy starfighters, even though they were greatly outnumbered, Ezra said, "I just want to say it was really nice getting to know all of you."

     Before the rebels could meet a fiery end at the hands of the Empire, their stolen Imperial transport emerged from hyperspace with Chopper at the helm. The astromech was not alone, however, and the Ghost – along with three CR90 Corvettes – quickly followed the transport. As the Spectres marveled at the sight of their reinforcements, Kyra smiled because she knew who had come to their aid.

     Over the comms, Hera said, "Krystal, dock with Chopper's transport so we can make the jump into hyperspace."

     Kyra did as Hera instructed, the transport jumping to lightspeed after Syndulla had done the same. As they traveled through hyperspace, the stolen Imperial transport docked with the Ghost, allowing the rebels to climb out of their commandeered TIE fighters. When Kanan turned around a corner and saw Hera, he paused for a long moment before pulling her into his arms.

     As he pulled away, Kanan said, "I owe you all a great debt of gratitude. Even if what you did was rash and reckless."

     Hera chuckled and pulled Kanan close once more, reluctantly letting go when Chopper rolled into the hallway and complained about their lack of faith in him.

     As Ezra looked down at the astromech, he wondered, "If Chopper was in the transport ship, then who was flying the Ghost?"

     Instead of answering, Kyra gestured for the Spectres to follow her as she made her way to the cockpit. As she entered the hall, members of the Alderaanian military stood at attention and handed Kyra a comlink. She activated the communications device, and a life-size hologram of Senator Bail Organa appeared.

     "Hello, my friends. It is good to see you again," the senator began.

     "I-I don't understand," Kanan stammered. "I met you once, for a few moments. Why did you save us? And where did the other blockade runners come from?"

     "Those aboard the blockade runners are members of other rebel cells," Bail explained. "And Captain Organa has been helping me build the Rebellion for fourteen years, becoming one of my most trusted field agents in the process."

     "There are other cells?" Sabine Wren asked.

     Kyra nodded, "We weren't supposed to meet. That way, if captured, we couldn't reveal the other rebels to the Empire. That was the protocol."

     "The protocol has changed," the former apprentice of Anakin Skywalker said as she walked out of the cockpit and Senator Bail Organa's hologram disappeared.

     When Hera Syndulla asked why Fulcrum had come, the Togruta informed her that her real name was Ahsoka Tano.

     "Why did you come here?" Kanan Jarrus asked.

     "Because of you and your apprentice many in this system and beyond have heard your message," Ahsoka explained. "You gave them hope in their darkest times. Krystal and I didn't want that hope to die."

     "So what happens now?" Ezra questioned.

     "I don't know," Ahsoka Tano answered. "One chapter has closed for you, Ezra Bridger. This is a new day, a new beginning."