"Oh, this is a really bad idea." I sighed to myself, watching the Imperials do their work. I was currently hiding behind a rock, watching them at a distance, through a pair of macro-binoculars whilst I stayed undercover with my Stealth Tech. Best purchase I ever made right there.

Anyway, I suppose an explanation is in order. In this universe, one I was incredibly fond of, and have hoped to live in for several millennia now, I am known as Michael Shan. Strange, I know, to have such a normal name in such a universe, but I actually kinda like it. Gives me a mysterious feel to those who don't know me. I'm a Mandalorian Bounty Hunter/Mercenary. For now, at least. This particular job I'm on wasn't given to me by anybody; I heard of a certain experiment, and decided to investigate. If the intel is good, that means I just might get a new toy~

I am currently spying on an Imperial team of Technicians, who are experimenting with an old Holocron. They were in the middle of a large forest on the planet Alderaan. The Empire seems to think that there is some unknown potential to these devices, and whilst they are correct, only a Force Wielder would ever be able to tap into such potential. The Emperor knows this, Vader knows this, so why bother trying? Unless…

"Trap." I decided. But for whom? I'm hardly more than a prankster and a nuisance for the Empire. I doubt they'd go this far to get their hands on me. So it must be…

"Don't move." A voice piped up. Fuck. I keep forgetting that my Stealth Tech isn't perfect invisibility. "Slowly stand up, and deactivate the Stealth Tech." The voice ordered. Slowly, I stood up straight, and turned around. I was faced with two Stormtroopers, both of whom were pointing their pistols at me. With an internal sigh, I pressed a few keys on my vambrace pad, deactivating Stealth Mode. Both troopers gasped at what they saw.

I wore a simple pair of black leggings and a matching black long sleeved top. Over my torso, was traditional Mandalorian black armour padding, as well as on my shoulders, knees, and elbows. I also wore Mandalorian boots and bracers, with a pad attached to my left arm. I also wore a utility belt, and had two blasters attached to each of my hips, one DH-17 and one Westar 55. Everything was black for perfect stealth requirements. I never bothered with the helmet; they were always uncomfortable and caused trouble in the worst times. I replaced it with a visor that I got from an old acquaintance, complete with HUD systems and a communicator. It looked like something Geordi Laforge would wear but with a black screen lens rather than tech for blindness.

"Mandalorian…" one of the troopers observed, shocked.

"Ding ding ding, give the man a prize." I deadpanned. Before either of them could respond, I quickly pulled a blaster from it's holster and shot them both. They instantly fell to the ground, unconscious, with scorching holes in their armour. "Honestly, what was the Empire thinking when the decommissioned all the Clones in exchange for these guys?" I asked with a scoff, putting my blaster away. With a shake of my head, I took off, intent on finding another vantage point.

This little base that the Empire had put together for their 'experiments' was heavily guarded, but there were blind spots and openings in the weirdest places. Present enough to be noticed, but also subtle enough to not raise any suspicions in a normal person's mind. Unfortunately, I do not have a normal person's mind. So, I'll be going in my own way. Of course, how am I going to do that? The sun is about an hour away from setting, and I don't see myself waiting that long for total darkness. I could sneak in with a patrol using my Stealth Tech, but as we just saw, it's not a perfect cover. Hmm… what to do?

Just then, I heard what sounded like a speeder approaching. Turning my attention to the path where the sound was coming from, I indeed saw a speeder, pulling large crate with the anti-grav tech that people usually attach to those heavy cargo containers. A smirk made its way onto my face. I just found my ticket in.

OK, in hindsight, this might not have been the best idea. Here I was, hanging on for dear life, using the magnetic padding on my gloves to stay attached to the bottom of that crate I mentioned earlier. Problem is, these crates always go through inspections before being allowed into an Imperial Base. If those Stormtroopers guarding the entrance look underneath the crate, I may very well be screwed. I say 'may' because I have my Stealth Tech active for an extra precaution, but I have no idea if I'll be discovered again or not.

"Halt." The guard said as the speeder approached. Well, here we go. The Speeder stopped in an instant. I very nearly fell off, but thanks to the magnetic pads, I did not. I heard the crate open as the guard inspected the contents. After that, eternally long moments passed as he inspected the rest of the crate. By some miracle, he didn't check underneath. "Clear." He announced. As I released the breath I hadn't been aware I was holding, the speeder continued on into the base. With a smirk, I deactivated my magnetic pads, fell to the ground flat on my back, and silently rolled out to the side, stopping at one of the barracks that had been set up.

"OK, step one, enter, complete. Step two, find trap/Holocron." I thought to myself as I got up, being sure to stay in the shadows, where my Sealth Tech worked at it's best. "I'll decide step three when I get there." I thought with a smirk.

It was easy to understand why this Research Camp was so heavily guarded. If it was a trap for whomever they were luring, they needed to sell the fact that they were researching and experimenting with a Holocron. If they really are experimenting with Holocron, then they need guards and fortification that matches what this camp has. Now it's only a matter of deciding which was true.

Making sure to keep my footsteps as quiet as I could possibly get them to be, I snuck around the camp, looking through every tent, barrack, and structure that had a roof over it's head. One area had various computer screens and Technicians analysing Holocron images and similar devices. Another was comparing frequencies from Holocrons with Kyber Crystal frequencies and other holographic devices.

Hilariously enough, I actually stumbled in on two Technicians who were on their break, getting busy, if you know what I mean. Thankfully, I got out of there before I saw anything too explicit. I'm no prude, but I respect other people's boundaries. Still, I find myself wondering why those two would risk doing such a thing here of all places. I mean, the Empire already forbids fraternisation between co-workers. Add in the fact that this camp is rather important and can't afford any distractions, regardless of whether it's a trap or not, you'd think they'd try to control themselves. But, I digress.

In actual fact, those two having their little affair in the worst possible place gave me an opportunity. They'd both left their consoles completely unguarded. So, I snuck over to one of them, maintaining my stealth, and plugged in a small transceiver into it. With a smirk, I tapped the communicator on my visor, hearing the beeping of an astromech.

"T7 = Relieved to hear from Partner!" My only crew member beeped happily. T7-01, a centuries old Atromech that I picked up on Corellia some time ago. He latched himself onto me and hasn't let go since.

"Good to hear from you too little buddy." I smiled at the affectionate astromech's chirpy personality before turning serious. "I placed a transceiver in a console here in the camp. Can you hack in to determine if the rumors are true?" I asked.

"T7 = On it!" He bleeped determinedly. A few moments passed before he spoke again. "Rumor validity = Uncertain. / Files + logs = indicate Holocron in centre tent. / Truth = unknown. / Trap = possibility." He beeped forlornly.

"I guess I'll have to investigate further." I sighed. As much as I enjoy sticking it to the Empire, I don't like being in dangerous situations for too long.

"T7 = agreed. / Holocron = Can not be left in Empire's clutches. / Partner = must confirm." The droid did not sound too happy. He really doesn't like it when I willingly leap into danger. I guess it's because he's had and lost so many partners.

"I'll be fine T7." I assured him. "I've been in worse situations before." I reminded.

"T7 = aware. / T7 = still worry for Partner. / Many partners = lost." He booped, the pitch of his 'voice' dropping.

"Well, I'm still gonna be flying around the Galaxy 100 years from now, so don't worry about me." I smiled. Though he couldn't see it, I'm certain he knew of it.

"Partner = right. / Past = in the past. / T7 = must focus on present. / Current mission = priority. / Mission = confiscate Holocron." He decided, perking up.

"Atta boy." I grinned. "Send the schematics to my visor." I instructed.

"Schematics = sent. / Partner = able to find Holocron easier now. / T7 = out." With that, he cut the com link, having gotten me what I need.

With a smirk, I activated the HUD on my visor's lense, which showed everything my eyes could see, but analysed whatever I directed it towards. It also had another use; tracking my current position and putting together an algorithm that showed a path that directed me towards my target. It was a quick process of using longitude and latitude to judge my current position, and then, using the camp's schematics and map, it showed me where to go, based on the current mission objective, Ie, stealing the Holocron, if there is one. It was like one of those GPS systems in a car, but for your eyes, creating a simple red line for me to follow.

Now, since I had snuck in, it had gotten darker outside, so I was able to sneak round easier. That, coupled with my Stealth Tech and GPS algorithm, made getting to the Holocron quite easy. I had to silently dispatch a Stormtrooper or two on the way, hiding their bodies, but that didn't really do much to compromise the task at hand. It wasn't long before I made it to the centre of the camp, finding a rather well guarded tent. It wasn't like the others though; each 'wall,' if you could call them that, was fortified with with heavy armour plating, no doubt meant to keep intruders from just crawling in. Plus, there were 10 troopers patrolling around the tent, making it harder to get to.

"Hm…" I hummed in thought, trying to think of a way to get in there. I could just charge in, grab the Holocron, and charge out, but the odds of succeeding there are slim to none. I doubt I'd get out unscathed, or even alive. Probably wouldn't even get out of the camp, let alone to my ship. So that's out.

Option 2; steal a Stormtrooper uniform and hope that I get clearance to go inside. Fat chance. I doubt they'd let any random Stormtrooper into a lab that important. And the technicians don't wear helmets or carry weapons, so I'd have to go in exposed and unarmed. I'd be outed and shot within seconds.

Last, but certainly not least, I could employ an ancient Mandalorian art that dates back millennia; the art of distraction. Smirking, I snuck backwards towards a tent I hoped would be empty; the bed chamber tent, which had about 20 steel cots for the technicians to sleep, whilst the troopers who were off duty slept in the barracks.

As I managed to sneak in, I was relieved to find that no one was occupying the cots. Well, it wasn't exactly midnight, so that shouldn't be too much of a surprise, but the relief comes from the fact that I can work in peace in here when setting up the distraction. Said distraction; thermal detonators planted across this tent. I'd have to employ the infernal concept of patience for this plan to work, so it better be worth it.

Glancing around, I checked each cot to see which ones were used the most. You can tell by the condition of the pillows and blankets, the hair scattered across the cot and surrounding floor, and by how worn out the ground is around it, from people walking around the cots so much. Putting that all together, I slipped a thermal detonator under the three most used cots and set them all to detonate when pressure is applied to surface they are attached to. Ie, when someone lays down on one of these cots, the detonators will feel the pressure, and then, kaboom. Hehe~ It's gonna be glorious~ And it'll distract the guards to the point that I'll be able to sneak in and grab the Holocron, assuming it's there.

Now, as for the reason why I set the detonators to go off when they feel pressure; I want as many people out of the way as possible. So, when someone sets on a bed that has a bomb, there should be others in there as well, meaning more Technicians and maybe even a couple of Stormtroopers will be taken out as well. Adding in to that the fact that I used three detonators means an explosion big enough to take out anyone in the resting tent and the two barracks on either side of it. Perfection~

Unfortunately, now comes the waiting. Ugh, I absolutely hate waiting. For anything really. That's not to say I'm incapable of doing so; I can be very patient when I want to, or need to, but it's far from pleasant. In all my lives, in all the millennia, I have never been able to change this. I guess it's just one of those things that don't change. In each universe, I'm technically an entirely different person, but I don't recall ever living a life where I don't hate waiting. Strange.

Anyway, to pass the time, I activated the music function of the earpieces on my visor, playing some music. I don't need to hear an explosion to know when it happens. I'll feel and see it. So, to entertain myself, I listened to some music after climbing a tree and resting on one of the higher branches. Oddly enough, the music from the movies and shows all exist in this universe. The Imperial March, Duel of the Fates, Across the Stars, and all that, they all exist here. I wonder if that means there's a John Williams doppelganger around, hehe. Plus there are various artists and bands, beyond those silly alien guys you see at cantinas.

Well, now that I have time, I suppose I can go a little deeper into what exactly I've been doing in this universe so far. I was born on Coruscant. My father was Mandalorian Bounty Hunter of Clan Varad, and my mother… well, we'll get to her at a later date. For those of you who want to know, no, I am not an alien in this universe. I'm human. Well, I do have a Changeling somewhere up in my ancestry, so I'm like 99% human.

Before you freak out, the Clawdites are not the only Changeling species out there. There's an almost extinct race of humanoid Changelings called the Metamorgans. They look completely human even in their true forms, they just have the ability to shapeshift like any other Changeling. The Changeling ancestor I mentioned was one of these; he came from my mother's side of the family. Only a couple of people in my family have inherited the shapeshifting abilities though, myself included. Unfortunately, the Metamorgan blood within me is so thin that all I can really pull off is changing my hair and eye colour. Anything more is beyond my capabilities.

It's still cool though. I get to change my look whenever I want. Under normal circumstances, my hair would be a dark red-ish brown, and my eyes a deep green. Currently, however, I had my hair black for stealth purposes, and my eyes dark brown. I usually enjoy having my features in exotic and unusual colours, as I find my natural ones to be rather boring. Before this mission started, I made my hair silver with the tips black, and my eyes an electric blue. I had that for a while though, so I'll change it to something else once I'm done here.

Digression aside…

As I stated earlier, I was born on Coruscant, where my mother lived. The Clone War started when I was around a year old, but my parents made sure I wasn't caught in anything involving the war. Unfortunately, when Order 66 was issued, we had to flee Coruscant for Mandalore. Over there, I was trained and educated by my Clan before being sent to the Imperial Academy there. I quickly decided I didn't want to stay there, and left on a very special ship that I stole from the Academy. I called it the Huntress.

Not like anybody would miss me. My father died whilst on Bounty Hunt, and my mother disappeared years ago. I don't even know if she's still alive. And since I won't be welcome on Mandalore, for obvious reasons, I took my mother's name and adopted the life of a Bounty Hunter. At least until I decide what I want to do next. I could just join the Rebellion, but I fail to see much point in doing so until Luke comes along, and that'll only happen in a couple years, less than five, I think. So, what do I do until then? Whatever comes to mind. And right now…

*BOOOOOOOOOOM!*

I smirked.

Right now, I want a shiny new Holocron.

With that thought in mind, I deactivated the music playing in my earpiece and brought the lens of my visor down, zooming in on the armour plated tent that had the Holocron. The explosion had done its job. Two barracks and a bunk tent up in flames, taking about 50 Imperials with them, and drawing all the attention, which left only two guards in front of the tent. Perfect.

Slowly, and silently, I slid down the tree I'd been resting in. As I got to the bottom, I quickly whipped out my blasters and ran straight for the tent. Before the two guards could even say 'halt,' I had shot them right in the head. My blasters are set to stun at the moment, so I didn't kill them. I don't really care about killing Imperials all that much, but I usually have my blasters on stun rather than kill, unless I'm in a tough situation. Mainly because I'd rather stray fire not hit someone it shouldn't by accident. I may be good with a blaster, but I'm not exactly a legendary sharpshooter.

Entering the armoured tent, I was greeted to the sight of three Technicians, who were no doubt ordered to keep focus on their work, surrounding what looked like a pyramidal structure that belonged in a Jedi Temple., each one of them held different tools and/or equipment, like a datapad, or a scanner. As I entered, all of their attention turned on to me.

"Hi." I smiled brightly, shooting them. As they fell to ground, I holstered my blasters and smirked. "Bye." I said redundantly, walking over them to the structure. It seemed to be mostly made of stone, but the tip was technological in some way. That was the Holocron. A triangular Holocron attached to a stone pyramid. Interesting. The deep purple glow it had also caught my eye. Strange. Holocrons are usually red or blue, depending on their Force Alignment. What could purple mean? Balance between Dark and Light?

"Very interesting indeed…" I mused thoughtfully, picking up the datapad that the one Technician was using. "I see." I mumbled as I skimmed through the data. They weren't experimenting or researching this thing, they were trying to detach it from the stone structure, as it couldn't be used in its current state, and nobody, not even the Emperor himself, had been able to get it off, with or without the Force. Very interesting.

I've only heard of stories like this a couple of times. Once, on Korriban, a couple thousand years ago, there was a Holocron in the tomb of an infamous Sith Lord. Scientists, Sith, and even a couple of Jedi had tried to get a particular Holocron from a vault in said tomb. For centuries, many tried and failed. Until a young Sith Apprentice shot lightning at the vault, and it opened. Many speculated as to why a simple Apprentice succeeded where even Dark Council members failed. Some believed the solution to be so simple that nobody thought of it, others believed that that young Apprentice was the one meant to open the vault. The mystery was never solved.

Now how the hell am I gonna get this thing to my ship?! It's on the other side of this forest, and I don't have time to figure out what happened with that Sith Apprentice. I don't even know if I could. Well… there is something I could try, but there's no doubt some surveillance devices in here, and whilst the tech in m visor does protect my face from facial recognition algorithms, I'd rather my secret not get out… Plus, there's no guarantee it would work.

"Sound the alarm! Intruder alert!" A Trooper yelled outside. Fuck! They must have figured out the source of the explosion.

"Damn it!" I cursed under my breath. I don't have a choice. Focussing on the Holocron, I held out one of my hands and closed my eyes. I focussed my emotions on what I wanted, my determination to keep such a powerful item out of the Empire's clutches, and… When I opened my eyes, silver specks of electricity were dancing around my fingertips. As I focussed, the electricity shot towards the holocron, having become lightning. After several seconds, I ceased the Lightning and glared at the structure waiting for something to happen.

Nothing happened. I was about curse out loud again, thinking I'd exposed myself for nothing, as I didn't have time to get rid of the surveillance footage, and even if I blew up the entire camp, they'd probably be able to recover the footage. As I was about to leave, a hissing sound stopped me. Looking back at the pyramid, I saw steaming coming from the edges around the the Holocron, and cracks appeared in the stone pyramid. Suddenly, the cracks travelled down the pyramid, and it tumbled to the ground as dust, leaving behind a long metal pole stand, with the Holocron on top. Interestingly enough, the Holocron was actually not triangular, but actually shaped like a dimensional diamond. With a wide grin, I held out my hand, calling to the device. In seconds, it floated to my hand.

"Sweet." I grinned like a maniac. Tossing it up and catching it again, I slipped the device into a pouch on my utility belt. Peeking my head out of the tent, I came face to face with about 10 Stormtroopers. "Fuck." I said a totally blunt tone as they all aimed their blasters at me.

"Stand down!" The apparent leader of the group ordered as I stepped out of the tent completely. "Hands where I can see them!" He barked, his weapon humming. The rest of the troopers warmed their weapons up to. With a small smirk, I held my hands up at about ear level. The leader gestured for two of the troopers to cuff me, but as they stepped forward, I thrust my arms out. In complete sync with my arms' movements, all of the troopers went flying back, landing on the backs with pained grunts. One or two of them might have even broken a bone due to the amount of Force. Ha! See what I did there?

"See ya." I gave a two fingered salute to the leader, who was getting up, and activated my Stealth tech. With the fumes from the fire, the uneven lighting of the lamps, and the lack of moonlight made Stealth Mode a little more stealthy. Still, I did my best to avoid any confrontations with the Stormtroopers left in the camp. So I made sure to get out in the most subtle way possible; I walked out the front door. Well, gate, but you get the idea; I was practically invisible, and was able to walk right out completely unnoticed. The troopers were too busy looking for me to guard the entrance. Classic Stormtrooper idiocy. Well, it works out for me~

"Whoo~!" I let out a deep breath as I finally got to a satisfactory distance away from the research camp. I was at least a hundred kilometres away, and hopefully I've lost any and all pursuers that were chasing after me. I had to shoot a few of them, but I'm fairly certain I'm in the clear.

With that happy thought, I slid down against a tree, allowing myself some rest. Unfortunately, it didn't last; T7 was calling.

"Yeah little buddy?" I asked tiredly as I pressed the activation key on my visor.

"T7 = worried! / Partner = no report for too long!" The droid beeped frantically. Heh, he must be rolling around the ship by now. Poor little guy with his paranoia.

"I'm fine T7, don't worry about me." I chuckled, the fatigue still fresh in my limbs. Damn, sitting in that tree for so long made me stiff.

"T7 = always worried. / Partner = in danger often. / Partner = best warrior T7 worked with in decades." The atromech returned heatedly, which for him meant high pitched beeps and bloops that are all mangled together. So much so that it sometimes makes it difficult to understand what he's saying. Which is actually kind of impressive, because Binary was already hard enough to understand and/or learn in the first place.

"I appreciate that you think so highly of me T7, but you really don't need to worry." I told him with a smile. It warmed my heart how attached he was to me. "I got the Holocron, I got out of there, and now I'm just resting my legs before I head back to the inn." I told him, pulling the Holocron out of my belt. Very strange to see one in the shape of a diamond, and coloured purple no less.

Most Holocrons were either cubes, or pyramids. This one looked almost like two pyramids attached together. The colour was intriguing too. Most Holocrons were either red or blue, representing Dark and Light respectively. Of course, there were green ones, which represented tactical, strategic, technological knowledge rather than Force related knowledge. The bronze ones were Light Side, and the Black and gold ones were Dark Side. Purple ones have been seen before, but I have no idea what they represent. It can't be as simple as red + blue = purple, thus Dark + Light = purple. I'm sure there are Holocrons that hold the teachings of Grey Jedi or something like that, but would that be what a purple Holocron shows? Seems too simple to me. I'd personally go with silver for a Holocron like that…

"Holocron = real? / Research Camp = not a trap?" T7 asked in interest, snapping me from my musings.

"Oh, yes." I cleared my throat. "The Holocron is real. The rumors were true." I confirmed. "But they were slightly inaccurate; the Empire wasn't experimenting on it, they were trying to free it from it's 'container' for lack of a better term." I explained.

"Empire = fail in task? / Partner = succeed where Empire failed?" He asked, now sounding confused. I can understand that. He doesn't know what I did to get it out, but he does know what I can do.

"I'll explain later." I said tiredly. "For now, I have a task for you." I informed.

"T7 = ready to help in any way!" He chirped happily, making me smile.

"I need you to do some digging on this Holocron." I told him, allowing my HUD to scan it and send him an image. "See if you can find out what the colour and shape mean. I'd rather not open it until I have an idea of what's inside." I said with a thoughtful from. "Use everything at your disposal; the Holonet, my scroll collection, even my other Holocron if you think it's necessary." I instructed.

"Task = understood! / T7 = get on it right away!" He whistled, no doubt smiling ear to ear. Metaphorically I mean.

"Thanks T7." I smiled. "I'll bring you back a nice new coating of shiny paint after I get some sleep at the inn." I told him. He whistled excitedly at that; he loves getting new paint jobs. "Michael out." I bade him farewell with a tired sigh, cutting the com link.

With a groan, I got up, clicking a few joints as I got to my feet. The town with the inn I was staying at was located about another 10 to 20 minute walk away from here. Unfortunately, the town in which I had to dock my ship was at least a three hour walk away from that town, meaning about 10 minutes on a speeder. I'll have to rent one in the morning. But for now, I'm headed for an inn.

Sabine Wren was sitting in the only chair on the Ghost's rest area, boredly spraying a new design onto her helmet. She'd just gotten a new hairdo as well; her hair was longer, and she changed it to white, making the tips fade into darker shades of purple as it got closer to the ends. She'd also put more intricate designs on her armour, painting an owl-like creature in honor of their recently deceased comrade; Ahsoka Tano.

It's been a month since the situation on Malachor. The now blind Kanan was still brooding at the edges of Chopper Base whenever he wasn't needed for a mission, which was quite often. Ezra had changed his look somewhat too; he shaved his head to get the long hair out of his way, and it naturally turned slightly darker. Zeb and Hera hadn't changed that much, and neither had Chopper, but they were all affected by Ahsoka's death, even if the didn't show it much.

Whilst Sabine worked on her new helmet design, Zeb and Ezra were having a game Dejarik, Hera was going through some reports and articles on Holonet looking for anything interesting or possibly even useful, Kanan was meditating in his room, and Chopper was boredly spectating Ezra and Zeb's Dejarik game. They were fairly evenly matched, and it was anybody's guess where the game would go.

Rex was off on a scouting mission given to him by Commander Sato, and he'd gone with a small squadron of rebel soldiers. The death of Ahsoka hit him harder than it did anyone else but you'd never guess it. He says that as a Clone he was programmed to accept the deaths of any fellow soldiers and comrades, but anyone could see that he misses his oldest friend dearly, even if he wouldn't show it.

"Well this is interesting…" Hera suddenly piped up.

"What is it?" Sabine asked, moving her attention away from her helmet.

"An article on the Holonet says that a Holocron was stolen from an Imperial research camp on Alderaan." The Twi'lek pilot said, staring at the Holo-page thoughtfully.

"What would a Holocron be doing in a research camp?" Ezra asked in confusion, turning away from his and Zeb's game. "Only a Force-user can open those things." He added, his thoughts drifting to the Holocron he kept hidden in his room.

"That's a good question." Hera frowned, reading onwards. Her eyes suddenly widened as a particular bit of info caught her attention. "Chopper, go get Kanan. He needs to hear this." She ordered the droid. The Astromech beeped affirmatively and rolled off towards Kanan's room.

"Why does Kanan need to hear this?" Ezra asked with a frown. Things between him and his Master were a little tense at the moment. They've hardly spoken since the Malachor fiasco.

"You'll see now." Hera answered cryptically as Chopper rolled back in, Kanan following. His beard and hair had grown since he lost his sight, and he now wore a mask over his eyes to cover them.

"What's the situation?" The Jedi Knight asked.

"Listen." Hera answered, moving over to the Dejarik board. She erased the game that was being played, much to the chagrin of Zeb and Ezra, and relayed the article she was reading into the holoprojector in the board, revealing an image of what looked like a young Mandalorian warrior, most definitely male, with his face pixalated. Hera then activated the audio version of the article.

"On Alderaan, approximately three hours ago, an Imperial Research Camp that was studying an unusual Holocron was raided and robbed by a young Mandalorian. Whether or not he was hired to carry out this heist is unknown, but he managed to make off with the Holocron and take the lives of at least half of the troopers and researchers in the camp." A deep male voice spoke. That of a nameless reporter no doubt. "The contents and significance of the Holocron are yet unknown, but it is speculated that the knowledge within could be quite valuable." The voice continued. "The thief was also seen using abilities that were once exclusive to the Jedi Order and Sith Empire, including strange lightning from his fingertips and pushing troopers away with a thrust of his arm." Everybody in the room stiffened at that little bit of information, except for Hera, who had already read this. With that, she turned off the recording.

"The rest is just descriptions and his equipment. Nothing of major note." She explained.

"So, we've got a Force Sensitive Mandalorian running amuck in the Empire." Kanan surmised, a thoughtful hand on his chin. How he managed to look so wise with half of his face covered was a mystery to everyone.

"What's more shocking, the running amuck, or the Force Sensitive bit?" Ezra asked, completely in awe of what he just heard.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sabine glared.

"Sabine, very few Mandalorians actively stand against the Empire like this. They're either staying out of it, or with the Empire. You're a notable exception." Hera told the young girl she saw as a daughter, her tone calming.

"Plus, there hasn't been a Force Sensitive Mandalorian seen in centuries, maybe even Millennia." Kanan chimed in. "The only one I know of is Tarre Vizsla." He added. Unable to come up with fitting argument, Sabine relented, albeit begrudgingly. She may be… estranged from her people, but that doesn't stop her from taking pride in her heritage.

"What exactly does this have to do with us?" Zeb asked, wondering why they were even having this conversation.

"Mandalorians are strong warriors as is, and this guy, whoever he is, seems to have no love for the Empire." Hera pointed out.

"If so, he could make a valuable ally." Kanan agreed.

"What, one Mando's not enough for you?" Zeb asked in a deadpanned tone, earning an airbrush to the head.

"The point is, if the Empire gets their hands on him, imagine what kind of Inquisitor he'd make." Kanan returned. Nobody liked the thought of that. "Or even worse, a Sith." He grimaced. Yeah, nobody liked that thought either.

"So we find him and offer him a spot in the rebellion, then what?" Ezra asked.

"He could refuse." Sabine pointed out.

"Why would he?" Hera asked. "He's just as wanted by the Empire as we are." She reminded.

"So are many other people, and how many of them actively stand against the Empire as Rebels?" Kanan asked in response.

"Well, first thing is actually finding him. Then we can figure out the rest." Ezra suggested.

"That might be all we can do." Hera frowned, resting her chin on her fist thoughtfully.

This new mystery man interested the entire crew. Sabine because she was hoping to meet a fellow Mandalorian who opposes the Empire as she does, Hera because she thought he could assist them in their cause, Kanan because he thought this young man might be open to Jedi training, in hopes of rebuilding the Order eventually, Zeb because, being a Lasat warrior, he was taught to respect and honor great warriors, even those not of his people, and Ezra because he thought that this Mandalorian Force Wielder could have knowledge that he'd be willing to share, knowledge beyond what he's learnt from the Sith Holocron and Kanan. The Holocron that this guy stole also interested him.

Chopper was just groaning at the prospect of another crew member. The Ghost was crowded enough already.

OK, Star Wars was a universe I'd been wanting to write in for a while now. There aren't nearly enough OC stories out there for the franchise, and I wanted to add to them. Only problem was, I couldn't decide where to put my OC. Clone Wars, Rebels, or some other point. Hell, I even considered having my OC play a role from SWTOR. Eventually, I decided to go with Rebels. Reason being; Sabine.

Admit it, for cartoon character, she's pretty badass. She's easily one of my favorite characters in the whole Star Wars universe. Heck, I'd even go so far as to call her my waifu if she was an anime character. Women who can kick ass are sexy, and you all know it. It's the main reason why characters like Black Widow, Daenerys Targaryen, and Lara Croft are so popular.

And this is also the reason why I intend to make this an OCxSabine story. There aren't enough of those.

And before anybody asks, no, Michael will not become a Jedi or a Sith. I myself would rather be a Sith than Jedi, but I digress. I believe that both the Jedi and Sith are too focussed on either the Light or Dark Side of the Force. In my opinion, there shouldn't be any Dark or Light. Not even shades of Grey. There should just be the Force. Clear, if that helps you understand. And in implementing this mindset into my story, I'm going open up a whole new box of possibilities with the Force.

I hope ya'll enjoyed this. See ya soon!