Star Wars: Gray Rebellion

Part I

Act III

Chapter X

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars, nor the characters thereof, as such belongs to Walt Disney and Lucasfilm.

(A/N): Well, here we are, the final Chapter of Part I. Part II will not continue directly after Part I, but will rather take place three years in the future. In the meantime, I'll be working on a continuation of Gray Rebellion that fills that gap, which, be warned, will certainly feature an O.C. of mine. Enjoy!

Ezra gazed into the eyes of his love, watching the violent storm of emotion play out behind them. Fear, confusion, worry, hope. She reached for him, urging him to climb the ramp and escape the mass of Dark Side energy coming for him. Giving a somber smile, he noted that this would likely be the last time they would see each other. It seemed he was making an early exit. Ezra found himself surprised when he did not find fear in his heart, rather, he found hope. Hope that the Rebellion would stand, that despite the crushing darkness of the Empire, they would be a light to the Galaxy, that in the end, whether they won or they lost, this little, broken crew of misfits that had found him, that had given him a family, had brought him to his beloved, would remain.

He was willing to give his life for that, for them, for her. The woman he stood before now was so much more than just that. Indeed, she was a warrior not to be trifled with, a precious gem to be protected, a beautiful queen to be catered to, a lovely princess to be pampered. She was his everything, and he would do anything for her, no matter the cost. She was calling out to him now, pleading with him to enter the ship with her. Yet, for all his strength and power, he could not move.

The vibroknife the Inquisitor had thrown was still embedded in his now numb, useless leg. He'd be surprised if he ever walked again. Smiling softly, he uttered an apology to her. Here, he was not apologizing for the current circumstances, rather, for the future. He was apologizing for the fact that he would not be around for their wedding, that he wouldn't be there to give her children; that she could not bear him his. Then, he told her that he loved her, and just as those words, as overused as they were true, the mass of Dark Side energy rammed into him.

The blade at his leg shattered, the shards flying inward and embedding into and shredding apart his muscles and tendons. Ezra screamed, his vision blurring beneath the pain as the cold burned into his back, and he knew that, had it not been for the metal plate in his back, his spine would surely have snapped in half and he would be dead. Ezra would have laughed had he not been screaming. Maul, of all people, had inadvertently and indirectly saved his life. Slamming into the Ghost, he heard and felt his nose crack, and fell to the ground below. The last thing he heard before darkness took him was the loud cry of his beloved.

Bright eyes burning blue opened, a gasp escaped him, and Ezra Bridger found himself torn between perpetual darkness and blinding light; only a thin, silver line seemed to separate them. "Whoa!" He forced out, his voice echoing in the distance. He found it strange that here, in this place, he had no form, no body, no shape. He just was. "Where am I?" He asked, only to realize a moment later. "Oh, right. I'm dead," he suddenly remembered.

Was this where people went when they died? "What if this is just where Force Users go when they die?" A terror struck him. If that was indeed the case, he would be separated from Sabine for an eternity, and Ezra wasn't sure he could handle that. "Ah, Ezra. You're here," a deep, rumbling voice spoke, startling Ezra out of his thoughts. "Who's there?!" He asked, warily, now searching the room for the voices owner. The Being chuckled at this. "Why are you looking for me?! Do you think that I would have a body here?" The creature inquired, seemingly amused.

Ezra ceased his searching, and he was reminded of his initial question. "Where is here?" He asked. "Ah, a good question. I suppose mere mortals would say that we are now inside the Force," the creature explained. "What?! Inside the Force?!" Ezra's outburst only seemed to amuse the creature further. "Now, now, do not get excited. That is what mortals would say. However, that would be incorrect. We are not, in fact, inside the Force. Rather, we are in the Nexus where the Force was born, and where the universe began," the creatures voice seemed to come from everywhere all at once, and yet, from nowhere at all. "Whoa, okay. Too much, that hurts my brain. Wait…do I even have a brain anymore? Anyway, who are you?" Ezra replied.

The creatures laughter exploded, resounding throughout the realm. "You mortals are indeed amusing, you walk my paths yet you know not who or even what it is you follow. Look around you, boy, and tell me, what do you see?" The creature asked. Ezra, doing what he was told, looked first into the light, though he dare not get too close. Then, looking to his left, he found that the darkness was vast and great. Suddenly, he felt himself being pulled to it, as though gravity had taken effect, and his attempt to steady himself was in vain. However, something did keep him from falling. "Do you have for me an answer?" The creature made his presence known once more.

"I see light, and I see darkness," Ezra said. "Is that all?" The creature sounded. "Y-yes," Ezra stuttered. "I see," the creature hummed. "As I stated, we are in the Nexus of the Force, where the Force was born. Here, there is nothing but the Force. The Force is everywhere, it is everything. What you call Light is my precious sister, the Ashla, what you call the Dark is my brother, the Bogan; I am both, the Light and the Dark, I am neither the Ashla nor the Bogan, I am the Bendu, the one in between!" at this, Ezra's eyes widened, and he moved to step back. "You-you're part of the Force?!" He asked, incredulously. "Indeed, Ezra Bridger. I am impressed you understand! We are in the Nexus of the Force, and this is my home!" The Bendu's voice boomed loud, and yet, Ezra did not seem impressed.

"I see," Ezra said, his voice soft and sad. "Tell me, boy, what troubles you?" The Bendu asked gently. Ezra seemed to hesitate before finding courage to speak. "The people I love need me, and there's nothing I can do to help them now," Ezra was somber in his speaking. "Why not?" the Bendu replied, genuinely curious. "Because I'm dead! I can't help them fight, I can't even talk to them!" Ezra was shouting now. "Dead?" The Bendu seemed confused. "You're not dead," he stated. Ezra suddenly snapped to attention. "Then how am I here?" He asked, befuddled. "I brought you here," the Bendu said, simply. "Oh…" he calmed. "Wait, why?" Ezra asked. "My brother and sister threaten to tear this galaxy apart with their feeble matters. They call upon many, yet few have they chosen. Now, The Ashla has chosen a warrior, the Bogan, a Champion. Ezra Bridger, you alone have walked this path and have not given way to the many temptations of my brother and sister. You have resisted them, and stood strong in my ways. For this reason, I have chosen you!" With a loud boom, Ezra suddenly felt himself falling, drifting away from the Nexus as he screamed and panicked. "Now, Ezra," The Bendu's voice grew distant as he spoke. "You know your purpose, the reason for which you have been given this gift of the Force. Go, go and free your people! And remember, should you need guidance or aid, trust in the Force, Ezra. Trust in me…"

Suddenly, Ezra crashed down, his eyes bursting open as he sucked in air greedily. Sitting up, reorienting himself, Sabine suddenly threw herself at him, knocking him back down. Burying her face in his chest and soaking his robes wet with tears, she pleaded with him never to leave her. With feeble arms, he entangled her in his grasp, and before he knew it, he was asleep.

Kanan sat alone in his room, seeking to calm himself through the Force. He was far too emotional right now. The Force, it seemed, had other plans. Kanan didn't understand what he was looking at, he had never met this person in his life and yet it was as though they were standing right in front of them. By the shape of the person's figure, he knew them to be a man. He was garbed in long white robes, a white steel boots that made him seem taller than he was, and a hood over his head, his face obscured by a black Mandalorian style mask. What Kanan found most interesting, however, was not the man himself, rather, his surroundings. At his right, a light shone, at his left, an eternal abyss stretched on forever, and at his back was a grey shadow that seemed to loom over the entirety of the realm. At the back of his mind, Kanan could not help but wonder who this man was, and more importantly, why the Force was showing this to him. The vision faded, and, deciding that the Force would be of no use in calming him, he stood, and left his chambers. Stepping into the living quarters, Kanan Jarrus stopped, smiling at the sight before him. Ezra and Sabine lay together, entangled peacefully yet desperately in a knot of each other. Breathing a sigh of relief, Kanan turned back to his shared room where Hera awaited him. For all that they had been through, they had endured, and that was all that mattered.

To be continued…

(A/N): Well, here we are, the end chapter of Part I. For all of those who stayed with me, following or favoriting or reviewing, thank you so much. For those I speak with, you help to keep me humble. For those who read, you motivate and inspire me, and I could not have done this without you. Now, I'd like to give a big round of applause to MandoCommander, Trap3r, JaandthenabunchofnumbersthatIdon'tremember, and DarthBubbles too. All of you have inspired my writing, helped me as I went along. I mean it, guys, even if you don't realize it, its very true. This is the first story I've ever finished, or at least, will finish, and that means so much to me. So once again, to all my readers, thank you.

Now down to business. I'll be taking a short hiatus to work on another project that I've neglected as of late, and I'll be updating much slower, because I just got promoted to full time at my job. Once again, I'd love to hear your thoughts, please leave a review or pm me and tell me what you think of the chapter, the story as a whole, and what you'd like to see in the future. Love you guys, thank you guys, and I'll see ya in a few. Have a good one!

-WikkedGrin- signing off…