Prologue

2 BBY. Undisclosed Rebel Base.

"Master, you wished to speak with me?" Ezra asked, his lean frame darkening the doorway of Master Tano's quarters. The Togruta sat in a meditative pose, eyes closed, chest rising and falling in a measured cadence.

"Yes," she responded serenely, "Come in, Ezra."

He obeyed, and a knot of anxiety settled in his stomach. "I'm going to be very candid with you," Master Tano said, opening her eyes, "I hope you will be equally so."

Ezra did not respond, reluctant to enter into any agreement. He did not like the direction the Togruta was was heading in, and his thought it wise to hold his tongue.

"I need to speak with you about your relationship with General Wren," Master Tano said, her voice mostly flat, with only a hint of concern creeping in. The air felt suddenly colder at the mention of his lover's name, and Ezra sucked in a shuddering breath.

"I've struck a nerve," Master Tano observed.

There is no use trying to deny it, Ezra thought, We can't keep our love a secret forever, try as we may. Sabine said so herself.

"You have," Ezra agreed, trying to keep the agitation out of his voice. Unexpectedly, Master Tano stood and placed a maternal hand on the young Jedi's shoulder.

"Ezra," she said solemnly, "I know that the Jedi Order is gone, but our teachings remain. Your bond with Sabine is strong. I can see it in your eyes, sense it in your very being. But you know how dangerous attachments are. They're a liability, and the last thing you need in this rebellion is liabilities."

Defiance boiled up in Ezra, threatening to spill over. He called on every ounce of discipline in him to ask calmly, "Are you telling me to part with Sabine, Master?"

"I am," Master Tano responded, "It will only end in pain, for both of you. If you truly love her, love her enough to let her go."

"I will consider your counsel, Master," Ezra lied with a respectful bow, and quickly exited the room.

As he rushed blindly down the hallway in the direction of his quarters, Ezra could no longer contain himself. He let his thoughts run wild, racing nearly as fast as his pounding heart.

Master Tano is wrong. She filled with nothing but judgement. Isn't that the opposite of the famous Jedi compassion? She bound by some archaic, irrelevant teaching. Love doesn't make us weak. It makes us strong, powerful. Master Tano doesn't understand. Love isn't something that can be tossed aside and discarded. Not when it is as strong, as powerful, and as pure as the love between Sabine and I.

He was a slave to his love for her, she who was his own personal place of light and warmth in his increasingly dark belonged with one another, and no archaic law could change that.

Ezra reached his quarters, and jammed the door behind him. With a distressed sigh, he laid back on his low bed.

I'm sorry, Master. It will be the coldest day in Hell before I let go of Sabine.

Chapter One

2 BBY. Abandoned Industrial District, Taris.

The chemical fumes rose from their smokestacks, sputtering in the pouring rain. It glazed the helmets of every member of Alpha Squad, except for Ezra and Leia, whose heads were bare. The squadron hurried through the decaying former industrial district, searching in vain for shelter. The rain, laden with pollutants from the unregulated factories, burned where it hit bare flesh.

"This is hell," Trooper Greer muttered. Sabine couldn't have described the bleak environment any better.

"That one, General Wren?" Ezra asked, using Sabine's official title. He pointed to a large, foreboding structure, one that appeared to be an old warehouse. It rose a story or two higher than the rest of the buildings in the district, reaching into the gray sky. The doorway was rotted, revealing rusted iron hinges.

"Do the honors, Commander Bridger?" Sabine asked. With a half grin and outstretched hand, the Jedi pushed the door in. A few troopers gave low gasps. The idea of The Force was new, and, Sabine could tell, frightening to most of them. As their leader, Sabine knew it was important to demonstrate fearlessness, so she advanced through the doorway.

The air was heavy and thick with dust. The weak light from giant, cracked windows cast ghostly shadows on the grimy wooden floors. Beyond the great windows loomed darkness. The room contained no furniture. Although it was drafty and filthy, the space was dry.

"It will do," Sabine called, and Alpha Squadron filed through the door. "Split up and look for supplies. Troopers Greer and Smith. Commander Bridger and Grey. Leia, you're with me."

Bail Organa's daughter followed Sabine out of the large room and down one of the twisted hallways without so much of a word of dissention. Sabine admired Leia's pluck and tenacity. It made her a valuable soldier, and Sabine understood the girl was a budding politician as well.

To say the ancient building was creepy was an understatement. Sabine felt a strange impulse to glance behind her every few minutes. But she put on a brave face, knowing Leia was watching her. It was not Sabine's first mission as a general, but it was certainly the most difficult. What was meant to be a simple extraction from a local prison on Taris had ended in chaos, causing Alpha Squad to retreat into hiding until they could find a transport off of the planet.

"What was this place?" Leia asked, her sturdy boots making light tapping noises as she followed Sabine.

"Some sort of factory, probably," Sabine responded. They stopped at a rickety winding staircase. Leia ran her hand along the dark, curling railing. When she pulled her hand away, it was coated with dirt and dust. She put her foot on the first stair, but Sabine held out a hand. "Don't. It may not be stable."

The two rebels continued on, peering into each room as they passed. Sabine expected to feel more at ease the longer she explored, but the opposite was true. Cob webs stuck to her face, and a cold sweat ran down her back. Leia voiced what had been running through Sabine's head.

"Let's go back. If we haven't found anything yet, we most likely won't."

Alpha Squad regrouped in the large room with the huge windows. Greer and Smith had found a few ragged blankets, and they arranged then in a circle. Grey was breaking some old wood into pieces, for a small fire.

"Grey," Sabine asked, "Where is Commander Bridger?"

"He's still looking for supplies. He told me to come back here."

Ezra strode down the long hallway, his boots crunching the chips of ancient paint that littered the floor. Dust and other decaying matter filled his nose. Trooper Grey followed behind him, and Ezra could sense the boy's discomfort. At the age of sixteen, he was only two years Ezra's junior, but he seemed decades younger. Ezra wondered why the he was even included in Alpha Squad, but he had heard that he was a fairly good sniper, though he was yet to prove himself in battle. However, the boy was close friends with Leia, which was probably the biggest factor.

Ezra stopped dead in his tracks, and the trooper nearly ran into him.

"Grey..." he said shakily, "Go back to the general."

"Why?" Grey asked.

"That's an order. I... need to look for more supplies."

That boy scurried off, and Ezra continued to gape at the sight at the end of the hall. In front of a large, cracked window stood the figure of a man.

"Master?" Ezra choked, "Kanan?"

"Ezra," Sabine called, her voice ringing before it was swallowed up into the thick silence. Her lover stood at the end of a long hallway, muscles taut and lean body stiff, silhouetted by another cracked window. She advanced cautiously, as though someone were waiting to seize her at any moment.

"Ezra," she said again, quickening her pace. He did not turn until Sabine was nearly upon him. His face was an ashy gray, and sweat dripped from his temples.

"What's wrong?" Sabine asked quickly. Ezra sighed, stirring dust on the window sill. Sabine watched the particles drift past the weak ray of sunlight, waiting for Ezra to speak. After a long time, Ezra responded.

"Kanan spoke to me."

Sabine's breath caught. Kanan had been dead for just over a year, killed by the Emperor's minion, Darth Vader. Sabine had seen their leader take his last breath, seen the dull, glassy stare in his eyes. He was dead. Unequivocally dead.

"That's not possible…" Sabine whispered.

"I know," Ezra said, balling his fists. He paced back and forth, clearly upset. "I know! But he did, Sabine. I heard him as clearly as I hear you now!"

"But how?" Sabine asked. Since entering into a romantic relationship with Ezra, her knowledge of The Force had gone from non-existent to rudimentary. Still, something about the ancient energy inspired uneasiness in her. The moments when Ezra let himself go and allowed the Force to take over his body both terrified and mystified her. At times, she felt a strange sense of anger. Anger that such a power could overcome her lover, even against his will. Both of them were powerless against The Force.

"I don't know how," Ezra responded, looking at her with agonizing blue eyes. She advanced and took Ezra's fists, gently unfurling them.

"What did he say?" she asked, almost afraid to hear the answer. Ezra turned his head away, as though is eyes would give away his Master's words. Sabine reached up and with a hand pressed to his cheek, turned his face to her. He reveled in her touch, cradling her hand with his own, almost greedily, as if to keep her there. Ezra's eyes, soft through his heavy lashes, fixated on her lips. Eyes closed, Sabine waited expectantly for the warm, familiar pressure of Ezra's kiss. Instead, Grey's voice rang down the hall.

"General Wren, Commander Bridger." Trooper Smith stood on the opposite end of the hallway. Instantly, the couple separated. Sabine and Ezra had made an agreement to keep their relationship a secret. It was growing harder and harder, however, to hide it from Alpha Squad.

"Leia's found some supplies, and she wants you to look them over before we use them."

"Thank you, trooper," Ezra said, going from vulnerable to authoritative in a matter of seconds. With a quick glance in Sabine's direction, Ezra turned and followed Smith.

Through the giant cracked windows, dull light illuminated the pile of slumbering bodies. Four moons, like a row of old, yellowing skulls, hung low in the sky. Sabine sat up, checking to see if all the members of her squadron were asleep. They were, and Sabine crept to Ezra's sleeping form and slid between his arms. Just as her eyelids began to grow heavy, something caught Sabine's attention-a movement at the entrance of the hallway where she had found Ezra earlier. She sat bolt upright, fumbling for her blaster.

Sabine strained her eyes, but nothing was there. Just an empty, shadowy hallway. Sabine chided herself for being so excitable. She put her blaster back in its holster and settled in beside Ezra once again.

"What's wrong?" Ezra grumbled, half asleep.

"Nothing," she responded, "Sorry for disturbing you."

Sabine pressed a soft kiss against his lips. His eyes fluttered open for a moment, and for the second time that night, Sabine was stopped cold. Instead of the familiar, rich blue, Sabine was met an entirely different gaze. Cold, lifeless and… pale gold? Or was it just the moonlight? But the moment had past, and Ezra was fast asleep again, holding Sabine against him.

For the first time in her life, Sabine did not feel safe sleeping in Ezra's arms.