Dedicated to writergirl81

     Commander Kyra Kryze-Kenobi and Ahsoka Tano met the Spectres aboard the Ghost once Ezra Bridger and Kanan Jarrus had returned from Oosalon, where they had been scouting the planet to see if it was suitable for a rebel base. While they waited for the master and apprentice, Ahsoka and Kyra sat in Kanan's room, watching an old training hologram that General Anakin Skywalker had made.

     "Keeping your saber moving is key to deflecting the fire of multiple adversaries," the former Jedi Knight instructed. "Fluid motion, one into the next, into the next, and so on. I've made some adjustments to the classic Form IV techniques that I think you'll find work well against droids and other ranged attackers. Practice these exercises mindfully, and you'll see improvement, I promise."

     When Ezra walked into the room, he sat across from the women and said, "I've watched these recordings to help me with my own saber training."

     "He was my master," Ahsoka told the boy. "You should have seen him in person."

     "Kanan said he was the greatest warrior the Jedi had in the Clone Wars," Ezra replied.

     "He was powerful, rarely lost a battle," Ahsoka agreed. "What would have surprised people was how kind he was. He cared deeply about his friends and looked out for them until the end."

     "Do you know what happened to him?" Ezra asked as the hologram faded.

     "The last time we saw him, he was rushing off to save the Chancellor," Kyra answered. "Then everything changed. The war ended and the Jedi were accused of treason. One by one, we were hunted down. By Inquisitors or worse."

     "Speaking of Inquisitors—Ahsoka, Kyra, what do you think about us doing the hunting for a change?" Kanan asked as he entered the room.

     "When you defeated one, two more came. Who's to say we wouldn't multiply our problems yet again?" Ahsoka replied, acting as the devil's advocate.

     When Ezra reminded the others that they also had to consider the threat Darth Vader posed, Kanan conceded, "I don't disagree. But the fact remains, we can't protect our friends from Vader and his Inquisitors. I can barely protect you."

     Ezra insisted that he did not need protection, but the more experienced adults simply ignored his statement.

     "It's times like these that Anakin and I would turn to someone like Obi-Wan or Master Yoda," Ahsoka admitted. "They always had the answer. Well, almost always."

     "Then maybe we should ask Master Yoda," Kanan suggested, Kyra and Ahsoka's eyes widening at the prospect of seeing the Grand Master again.

     The quartet of Force wielders – along with Chopper – boarded the Phantom and made the jump to lightspeed, heading for the Jedi Temple on Lothal. They disembarked and Ezra led the others to a circle in the dirt that featured the symbol of the Jedi.

     "If the four of us stand here, we can use the Force to open the temple," Ezra explained, but Ahsoka said that she could not help.

     When the boy asked why she was unable to assist them, she answered, "Because I am no longer a Jedi. It was my choice, I left the Order. It's probably best if the three of you open it."

     The trio stood side-by-side, extending their arms and reaching out to the Force. The stone rumbled as the temple rose up and out of the ground, revealing a second – and much larger – hidden entrance that sat farther beneath the surface. Kanan instructed Chopper to stay with the ship, the astromech saluting the Jedi and grunting his understanding. Once they had entered the temple, the door slid shut behind them, giving the Force wielders no choice but to move forward with their plan.

     "How did you contact Master Yoda here?" Ahsoka asked.

     After Kanan explained how the Grand Master had contacted him, Ezra admitted, "I thought I was dreaming when I first heard Master Yoda's voice."

     "And we were meditating," Kanan clarified. "So perhaps that's a good place to start."

     Ahsoka nodded, and the four rebels tucked their feet underneath them, sitting quietly as they waited for the Force to make its presence known. After several moments, Kanan was the first to receive his sign when he spotted a doorway, one which the others could not see.

     When Ezra told his master to be careful, he chuckled and replied, "Don't worry, I wouldn't do anything you would do."

     When Kanan walked through the invisible doorway, Ezra's eyes widened, "Where'd he go? He just disappeared."

     "As you know, these temples can be tricky," Kyra said in way of explanation, and when Ezra asked if Kryze knew Master Yoda, the Mandalorian Jedi nodded. "Yes. He taught almost all of the younglings in the temple at one point or another."

     "Kanan described him as small, green, and wrinkly with pointed ears," Ezra replied. "But he didn't know what he was really like."

     "I'm not sure anyone did," Kyra stated, her eyes closed and her breathing slow as she meditated. "He was wise, kind, but when I was young, he seemed happier. As the Clone Wars dragged on, he carried a great burden, a deep sorrow, as if he knew before anyone else that one time was ending, and another beginning."

     When Kyra opened her eyes, she was still in the main chamber of the temple, but both Ezra and Ahsoka were gone. After quickly taking in her surroundings, she closed her eyes and continued to meditate, her concentration broken by the voice Bo-Katan Kryze.

     "Kyra...Kyra, why did you leave? Where were you when I needed you?" Bo-Katan asked.

     "I made a choice. I couldn't stay," Kyra answered. "You made it clear I wasn't welcome. That I wasn't a true member of your family, or your clan."

     "You abandoned me! You abandoned your people! Where were you when Mandalore fell?" Bo-Katan Kryze retorted as horrible visions filled Kyra's mind, her homeworld in ruins, the capital city of Sundari abandoned and the planet's surface crystalized by the Empire.

     The visions disappeared as quickly as they came, instantly replaced by millions of voices crying out in terror before being suddenly silenced. After several horrible moments, the voice of Darth Maul broke through the deafening quiet.

     "Padawan Kryze. So determined, so optimistic, so...full of life. So much like your father. You repress your anger well, but I can sense it, simmering just beneath the surface," Maul said, Kyra covering her ears as the words he had spoken to her sixteen years ago echoed through the temple. "With my help, you could become a powerful wielder of the dark side. This would be beneficial for someone like you, Kyra. You see, those of us that join the dark side are solitary creatures, yes, but we are not forbidden from forming attachments. We are not weakened by feelings such as love and belonging. We aren't forced to ignore our desires."

     "We are not crippled by grief and loss, constantly afraid of losing what we have so desperately longed for. I can feel the anguish in you, Kyra. The pain of your loved ones is your pain as well, each injury your own. Every drop of blood they lose, you lose as well," Darth Maul paused, and when he continued, the end of his speech differed from the one he had made in the throne room. "Loss will be your constant companion, Kyra. Those you love will either betray you, perish, or be pushed away by your own hand because you are destined to be alone. That is the reality of your fate, and no amount of optimism will change that."

     Kyra opened her eyes and shot to her feet as she drew her pistols, but there was no one to confront and no way to prevent what was coming. She fell to her knees and sobbed, only brought out of her misery when the temple began to collapse around her. When she turned and found a tunnel that had not previously been there, she wasted no time and sprinted through the rocky labyrinth. The path led her to an intersection, where she met with Ahsoka, Ezra, and Kanan.

     "Guys, you won't believe what I—" Ezra started, but Kanan interrupted him.

     "Tell us later! Come on!" he said, having to shout over the low rumbling of the temple.

     As they ran through the catacombs, Kyra felt a familiar presence and turned to find Master Yoda sitting in the temple behind her. Ahsoka stopped as well, the two women smiling and nodding their respect to the seasoned Grand Master, who held up his hand to say goodbye. As the rebels raced out of the temple and into the starry night, Chopper flew overhead in the Phantom, informing them that Imperial forces were on their way. They jumped into the auxiliary starfighter, catching their breath as Chopper closed the ramp and put distance between them and the temple, which had been corrupted by the dark side.

     Kyra Kryze-Kenobi sat in one of the fold-down seats as Ezra told the others that he had seen Master Yoda.

     "You saw him? What did he say?" Kanan Jarrus asked.

     "He said to find Malachor," Ezra Bridger answered. "Who's Malachor?"

     The three adults shared a glance before Ahsoka Tano clarified, "Malachor isn't a person. It's a place."