Star Wars: Rebels: Hearts of Warriors

Disclaimer: Star Wars Rebels and all Star Wars characters and Lore are not my property, as they are all owned by Lucasfilm and the Walt Disney Company.

A/N: Hello once again, all of my loyal readers. To those of you joining us for the first time, welcome! Though, I would recommend the latter group read the first trilogy before starting, here. As the fourth installment of my ongoing series for Star Wars: Rebels, this story is the start of a new trilogy that will essentially mark the middle of the series, before the upcoming sequel trilogy. This and the next two stories will be shorter than those in the first trilogy and the impending sequel trilogy, but rest assured, no effort will be spared in making them the absolute best they can be.

So, as previously mentioned, this particular story is set two years after where the last one, "The Promised Day", left off. This chapter is set to be concurrent with the events in "A New Hope", and multiple references to both that movie and "Rogue One" will also be prominent. This story will primarily center around Ezrabine fluff/angst as they continue moving through mutually uncharted waters of life as a couple, focused within a strong, traditional Mandalorian plot line with plenty of references to the Old Republic series and other EU content. Kanera will also remain prominent, of course, and a greater plot line with tie-ins to the upcoming sequel trilogy will begin in this story as well. So now, without further ado, let us begin! Enjoy, and a most sincere thanks for your patronage, to each and every one of you! :)

Chapter 1: An Unexpected Summoning

Escalation! The Galaxy is plunged into an all-out state of civil war! Two years have passed since the daring freedom fighters of the Rebellion achieved a costly, partial victory against the military of the Galactic Empire over the nefarious swamp world of Hutta. Now, on the heels of their more decisive triumph on the remote tropical world of Scarif, the rebels face an uncertain future as they struggle to secure their prize from the battle, the schematics to the ultimate Imperial superweapon known only as the Death Star. As these events unfold center-stage, at the hidden rebel base on a remote moon, the freedom fighters receive a cryptic but urgent transmission from their reluctant yet formidable allies, a faction of elite warriors known as the True Mandalorians...

The roar of sublight engines sounded in the skies over the Great Temple on the fourth moon of Yavin. While the gas giant of a planet itself was uninhabitable, most of her moons were, and it was within the thicket of jungles on Yavin 4 that the Alliance to Restore the Republic, or the Rebellion as it was more commonly known, had chosen to use the largest of the stone structures built by ancient worshippers in an era long past as the location of their first unified base. Gone were the days of separate, loosely-affiliated rebel cells. In the aftermath of the costly Battle of Hutta over a year and half prior, the surviving remnants of the coalition of freedom fighters had unified to a collective organization, and begun the arduous process of rebuilding their naval strength from there. X-Wing and Y-Wing squadrons were a common sight flying to and from the hangar built into the ground level of the temple, be it for combat deployments, patrols, or training flights.

The recent Battle of Scarif had taken a somewhat lesser toll, but was still a victory that required substantial sacrifice. Some of their best had been lost to acquire the schematics to the Emperor's ultimate weapon, including arguably their best commando officer, Captain Cassian Andor, promoted from lieutenant when the crew of the Ghost had first met him at the now-abandoned Sandril Base on Dantooine.

Ezra Bridger smiled sadly to himself in memory. He remembered telling Cassian that rebellions are built on hope, and from what he'd heard regarding the last meeting in the command room prior to that battle, it seems the Rebel commando had imparted those words on that young woman who'd been with them only briefly before she too perished in the battle. Jyn Erso, he believed her name was. The young Jedi's expression dropped further as he lowered his head with a sad sigh. Truly, the costs of this escalating war were only getting worse and more frequent as time went by. He wasn't naïve enough to have believed no war would be without cost, but that didn't make the reality of it all any easier.

Every loss the Rebellion suffered since the fateful battle over Hutta had reminded Ezra of Zeb. Barely a day ever went by without the young Jedi recalling the Lasat warrior who'd been like an older brother to him. A part of him knew Zeb would've wanted to go down fighting above all else, and it was exactly that way Zeb had gone down, aiding Kanan against one of the most dangerous foes their team had ever faced. Ezra had always taken solace in that knowledge. Zeb was above all things a warrior through and through, and the veteran of the Lasan Honor Guard had lived and died like one.

Wrapped in in his own thoughts and musings as he helped with offloading a cargo carrier full of supplies to one of the transport trams, Ezra Bridger was caught off-guard when a certain Mandalorian young woman placed her hand on his shoulder gently as he wiped his brow, having just set down another crate onto a flatbed repulsor car attached to the tram's forward cab. He nearly squeaked as he jumped slightly in surprise, whipping around to face her, and blushed as he saw Sabine Wren, who had to suppress a chuckle at the spectacle. He hoped she would just think he was flushed from sweating, but experience taught him not to be so presumptive; they knew each other rather well.

Ezra had been beside himself in a slew of emotions when she confessed she returned his feelings in the ruins of the Jedi Enclave on Dantooine after they and the other Rebel survivors had escaped back to Sandril Base after the Battle of Hutta. He had been confused, happy, mesmerized, jubilant, and finally both fearful at her next reaction and irritated at himself for not being able to form a coherent reply to her revelation at first. Relief had flooded over him when she warmly brushed off his awkwardness, and the previous joyful feelings returned when she leaned in to kiss him. It had without a doubt been the happiest moment of his life, to learn his affections for her were returned, and to finally kiss her. It had been the first of many moments stolen alone together, and two years had passed since then. They were still together, the young couple learning and navigating through the foreign world of relationships, together.

Since then, naturally, Sabine had changed the color combinations in her hair and on her armor more than once, with her current appearance an ode to her heritage and role, as a daughter of Clan Wren and the Rebellion's official ambassador to the Mandalorian Clans, respectively. Her familiar, beskar-plate armor had been recolored in a mixture of orange and gold paint, with her hair, still cropped in a bob with bangs hanging off to the right of her face, was dyed a matching gold. Her shoulderplates retained separate designs from the rest of her armor, the left remaining with the familiar green and white, mystical owl-like creature, surrounded by a glowing yellow. The right had been repainted with a matching shade of shining yellow surrounding a familiar white wolf. Her high-tech vambraces, which had been destroyed along with the Darksaber in the climax of that fateful battle, had been replaced courtesy of Mand'alor. Her jetpack, which had once more been broken in the fighting, had been repaired a second time and repainted to match the armor. Ezra couldn't help but lose himself as his deep blue eyes locked on her amber ones, and with the sunlight shining on her golden hair and gold/orange armor, to him, and as cheesy as it sounded, she resembled an angel with a divine, shining, radiant aura. He'd completely forgotten to remind himself to try and hide his obvious blush, too obvious to be mistaken for sunburn.

"Hey, they're calling for us in the meeting room," her words brought his focus back to the present, and he nodded, perhaps a bit too strongly and fast. With a light smile, warm and knowing, she gestured for him to follow.

While he still wasn't one to dye his hair or paint his gear, Ezra had by no means stayed the same over the last two years, either. He'd grown even taller since emerging from puberty, now a full four inches taller than Sabine at full height. He'd grown his dark blue hair out once again, tying it back into a pony tail similar to Kanan, though Sabine was grateful for the fact that, unlike his master, Ezra had opted to keep his face clean-shaven instead. He'd swapped out his brick red, short sleeve shirt for a long sleeve one of matching color, with the left sleeve obscuring most of his cybernetic arm, which still appeared virtually the same as the day it had been given to him, but it had undergone numerous modifications and upgrades. Sabine had briefly entertained the idea of making weapons-based modifications to it, but her boyfriend refused to let her get anywhere near it with a hydrospanner or powerwelder, or a paint gun. Also, Ezra had started wearing a light brown, scout jacket fitted with a basic armor underlay and numerous utility pockets. A new, matching utility belt was locked around his waist, with numerous pouches plus a holster for his DL-44 BlasTech pistol on the right, and a clasp for his new, handcrafted, single-hilt lightsaber on his left. A matching set of light-brown cargo pants and black combat boots finished off his ensemble. His chiseled features and sweat-covered brow never ceased to make Sabine conscientiously do whatever she could to hide or stave off a blush, her pride not allowing for anyone to see how easily drawn she was to her boyfriend.

While it was true, they both found the other's physical appearances incredibly attractive, it's what lay beneath the surface that made them seemingly inseparable, knowing each other's hearts and minds, and the more-officiated bond that had been forming between the duo since they had first met nearly five years prior.

"Right! I'll be along in a moment!" after informing the officer on duty he'd be taking his leave, Ezra quickly caught up to Sabine and followed her back inside the temple proper. He walked beside her to her right as they began making their way down a corridor towards the central turbolifts.

"You know we've been dating for over two full years now, right? You're not afraid of me, are you?" she teased once they were out of earshot from the others. Either ignoring or not catching her playful undertone, he quickly offered a sincere rebuttal in a hushed but clear voice as they continued walking.

"No! Of course not! I'm just… afraid of messing up with you?" he meekly offered with a cheesy, unsure grin. She merely closed her eyes and shook her head with a light scoff, a disbelieving smirk gracing her own lips.

"Please, if I'd just pick up and leave because you messed up, I would've left you a long time ago, Ezra Bridger," now, they're positions were somewhat reversed, but rather than a disbelieving smirk meeting her knowing grin, an incredulous expression with mouth agape adorned Ezra's face. After this knowledge sunk in, however, he just smirked and feigned outrage.

"Oh, well then!" Holding his head with chin high and eyes closed, he looked off to his right, opposite of her. A startled gasp escaped him when, in the next instant, he felt her playfully elbow him in the side. He quickly returned the gesture and they both chuckled at one another.

It was several more minutes of navigating the corridors up several levels through the turbolifts before the young couple finally arrived at the meeting room. Initially when the Rebellion laid claim to the long-abandoned temple, few of the modern technological conveniences a military base would require was present. Just about every current room and corridor had been added by cutting and gutting through much of the ancient halls and chambers, and then adding metal walls, doors, ceilings, and floors where there had once only been stone. Needless to say, electronic systems including wiring was also something that had to be added in the process.

The moment they reached their destination and stepped inside, both Ezra and Sabine were visibly surprised at what awaited them. They expected Hera, who had been promoted to the rank of Brigadier General shortly before the Battle of Scarif, as well as Major General Jan Dodonna, who, like he had at Sandril Base, retained overall command of this newer installation. However, two holograms also stood out of the projector atop the center of the rectangular table, one familiar to the duo, and one not quite as much. Both were clad in the armor of Mandalorian supercommandos, and the one with his helmet off was the one familiar.

"Rau!" Sabine immediately recognized her older ally, who nodded in response, regarding both her and Ezra with a smirk. The other Mandalorian on Rau's left, however, cleared his throat from beneath his helmet, calling the attention of the room and his associate back to him.

"Now that the young ones are here, let's not waste any more time, if you please, generals," his tone suggested he didn't like being kept waiting, and wasn't going to suffer it any longer. Hera acquiesced, knowing the matter at hand was an important one, as did Dodonna.

"Right."

"Of course," the aging, former Imperial agreed. Ezra, however, couldn't help but feel annoyed at the unfamiliar Mandalorian, who he could sense held little respect for the Rebels.

"And just who are you?" the young Knight demanded sharply. In the past, Sabine might have berated him for his tongue, but the others watched as she remained at his side, crossing her arms with a similar expression regarding the unwelcome tone in the unfamiliar, clearly veteran warrior of her people.

"I'd like to know that, myself, actually, and before this goes any further," she raised an inquisitive brow as she pressed, her tone firm. Both she and her boyfriend shifted their focus to Hera, who quickly chimed in.

"Ezra, Sabine, this is Fenn Shysa."

"Who?" Ezra was miffed, but Sabine felt her eyes go wide. Rau, however, wasted no time explaining for her.

"He is the leader of Clan Shysa, and the right hand man of Mand'alor himself. He specifically requested both of you be brought before us, young Bridger and young Wren."

"Don't be so lenient where it isn't due, Rau. I didn't request these two be summoned, I demanded it on his orders," his face may have been hidden behind his visor, but Ezra could sense Shysa's eyes scrutinizing both him and Sabine, as well as the mutual feeling of disdain already present. Narrowing his eyes once again, the young Knight spoke up once more.

"Well, you got us, now what do you want?" he could feel Sabine shift her gaze back and forth between him and her superior, as well as the sense of worry building in her, but he wouldn't be deterred so easily.

"Ezra, please…" she began, but was cut off as the older of the two generals interjected, in a bid to ease the obvious, building tension in the room.

"This is a matter of diplomacy, not combat, otherwise we'd be in the command room. If we could please keep this level-headed and civil, I am sure this will be over with without any further discrepancies," as he finished, Hera readily agreed.

"Yes, of course," giving both Ezra and Sabine her best 'behave right now or else' look, she couldn't resist a small smirk of satisfaction as she saw her former crewmates instantly straighten up. Dodonna grinned for all but a moment at the sight while Rau rolled his eyes with a knowing smile. Shifting her focus back to the higher-ranked, veteran Mandalorian, the Twi'lek Rebel officer finished, "Go ahead, Chief Shysa."

"Thank you, General Syndulla, General Dodonna," after acknowledging the two Rebel officers, Mand'alor's favored lieutenant continued, "The one I serve, Mand'alor the Vindicator, has decreed both of these youth are to report to him at the restored capital city of Kadelbe on our homeworld. You are to leave immediately and come alone," completely disregarding the surprised look on the faces of the younger Rebels, Shysa once more regarded both Rebel generals before giving his sendoff, "All right, we're done, here," as he moved to end the transmission, Rau objected.

"Wait! Shouldn't we give more of an explanation, sir?"

"Nope!" and with that, the live holofeed ceased, leaving the four Rebels to sort out the rest.

Both Ezra and Sabine blinked a few times, trying to process the abrupt and stern demands from the Mandalorian officer who'd already taken his and Rau's leave. Hera sighed while shaking her head, but Dodonna mused aloud while scratching his bearded chin in thought.

"That one is never too pleased to be on the line with us, but it's clear he respects the authority of his own leader. Evidently, Mand'alor is insistent on Captains Bridger and Wren coming to the Mandalorian capital regardless of any dissent to the decision in his ranks," the older, former Imperial eyed the young Jedi and Mandalorian curiously. Next, Hera chimed in with her own interjection, glancing between the duo and the Human general.

"Sabine is the Rebellion's official liaison to the Mandalorian Clans, as per Mand'alor's own orders. Still, the fact that he would ask for Ezra as well is… disconcerting," frowning and furrowing her brows in concern, Hera looked back over to Ezra as the latter spoke up once again.

"Why would I be requested by name, and who exactly is this Mand'alor guy, anyway?" the young Knight looked back over to Sabine when he heard her sigh, but saw a good-natured smile graced her lips as she shook her head at his question.

"Remember when I told you Mand'alor is the title of the singular ruler of my people, for which our homeworld is named?" she crossed her arms and waited for her boyfriend to recall the memory, if he could.

Now it was Hera's turn to shake her head with a knowing smile, and Dodonna just observed with a deadpan expression, all while Ezra looked off to the side deep in thought, scrunching his brows. Then, his eyes went wide, the figurative lightbulb flashing over his cranium

"Oh yeah! Right! Wow, so this really is a big deal- hey!" he finished with a whine as his girlfriend playfully punched him in the shoulder again, a new smirk adorning her face. Dodonna decided it was time to wrap this meeting up.

"Well, until we uncover the location of Princess Organa and the plans to the Imperial superweapon that were brought to her ship, our armed forces are effectively grounded. I see no reason why we can't dispatch both Bridger and Wren on a diplomatic mission in the meantime. If things continue to spiral out of hand with the Empire, we may need to rely on our Mandalorian allies for more direct support, anyway," as the older general finished, Hera nodded in agreement. Before her colleague ordered her former crewmates to head out, however, the Twi'lek pilot knew she needed to remind the two of them what was potentially on the line with this turn of events.

"Yes, we can't very well turn down our strongest allies in terms of raw military power. I believe it would be best if Sabine and Ezra leave for Mandalorian space in the Starbird before the rotation ends," after seeing Dodonna return her nod, she continued, "Now, I believe I need a word with the two of them in private, with respect, sir."

"Of course. I trust your judgment, General Syndulla," before departing, however, the former Imperial shifted his gaze to the younger Rebels, his serious expression catching their focus. "I also trust the two of you to represent the Alliance with utmost integrity and professionalism. That means you, Captain Bridger," focusing squarely on Ezra, Dodonna didn't even look amused when the young Jedi's face took on a look of surprise and outrage.

"Oh come on! Remember I was on both teams that fought to save your hide when you wanted to defect from the Empire!"

"Ezra!" both Hera and Sabine chastised sharply in unison.

"I certainly do remember, and don't think I'm not grateful, but it's not your ability to come through in a firefight that I'm questioning, here. It's your ability to avoid them," Dodonna didn't even bother acknowledging the miffed, wide-eyed expression on Ezra's face as he turned and left the meeting room without another word, leaving Hera to finish up in his stead as she requested. The moment the doors sealed shut once more, the Twi'lek wasted no time getting right to the point.

"Okay, you two, bear with me for a minute here if you would," she paused to gauge their reaction, and as expected, they both appeared confused and alarmed at her words and serious tone. "Now, I'm aware the two of you agreed that your personal relationship should remain separate from your professional one, and Kanan and I both appreciate your willingness to remain committed to that course of action. However, I'm sure you both realize the importance of keeping it even further under wraps while on Mandalore," focusing her eyes squarely on Sabine, who was beginning to understand the implications of this warning, Hera continued, "Should the ruler of your people find out you're involved with a Jedi, surely you would know better than I what the ramifications could be."

"But I'm not one of the Jedi who served with the Republic! Surely they couldn't blame me for any misgivings with the Order, right?" Ezra chuckled a bit nervously as he tried interjecting with jest, but his hopeful expression fell when he saw the alarmed and severe expression on the face he loved so much. He quickly formed a frown that mirrored her own.

"The entire concept of the Force is against many of the most sacred beliefs of my people, Ezra. The fact that you're a Jedi, and make such easy use of it, alone is more than enough reason to look down on you in their eyes. You may have earned some respect from my clan, but from what I know of Mand'alor, he's fought more than one battle against the Jedi of old in the past. I also heard he's killed a few," she paused, watching his eyes go wide in a twinge of fear at her words. She sighed before continuing, taking his hand in her own, "So, please, please, please show some restraint when in the capital. I'd really hate to have to come back to the base a single woman again," she offered him a laugh and a smile, while not undermining the seriousness of her words. He nodded with a grin while chuckling again, this time more confident. He tightened his hold on her hand and laced their fingers together.

"Come on, give me at least some credit," his grin widened as Sabine and Hera both laughed at the familiar remark, one Kanan frequently gave to Hera whenever she was giving him a warning or advice. The Twi'lek knew it was about time to head out.

"I'll be sure to inform Kanan of this new development at his next check-in," she readily informed them.

So it was that, after a few hours of preparation, the Starbird was set for takeoff as both Ezra and Sabine boarded their own ship side by side. Originally known as the Gauntlet, the Kom'rk-class patrol ship had undergone much in the way of modifications since Ezra recovered her from Maul's possession on Tatooine in the weeks leading up to the Battle of Atollon. Having been rerouted while on a supply run, she'd been absent from the campaign that culminated over Hutta, entirely. Naturally, Sabine had taken to repainting her hull, choosing a similar appearance to her work with the Phantom 2. The worn, fading red exterior had been covered over in multiple layers of white, with streaks of purple and gold added in addition to the orange-gold symbol of a phoenix rising and taking flight. Taking his seat to the right of her own in the co-pilot chair, Ezra saw he barely had to lift a finger; Sabine had wasted little time starting the pre-flight check.

"Sure took you long enough to get down to the hangar," the Mandalorian snidely remarked without even shifting her gaze to face him.

"Hey, I couldn't leave without saying goodbye to Dawn," the Jedi chuckled innocently, grinning when he saw her smile despite herself, her eyes lighting up at the mention of Hera and Kanan's young child.

"I still can't believe how much she clings to that Lothcat plushie you picked out for her birthday. I have to concede sometimes you do know best," Sabine raised a brow as Ezra scoffed while she enunciated her remark, though she already knew what he was thinking.

"What, are you so certain you always know better than me?"

"Something like that, usually, most of the time," Sabine couldn't help but roll her eyes, stifling a giggle at his annoyed expression.

After she lifted off the tarmac and, as her sublight engines flared up, the modified Mandalorian patrol ship sped off towards the sky above. Her two occupants narrowly missed sight of another vessel that was inbound under escort from two X-Wing fighters, a refitted YT-31000-series light freighter by the name of the Millenium Falcon. Neither Ezra, Sabine nor everyone else back down at the base knew it, but a chain of events had been set into motion that would determine the fate of the Rebellion and course this escalating war would take, far sooner than everyone realized.

A/N: The stage has been set, and Chapter 2 is already in progress! I expect it to be out within the next two weeks or so. As always, a special thanks to my beta reader, Wikked Grin, for his continued assistance in finalizing these chapters for you all. In addition, I'd also like to thank the very talented fan artist Meldy-Arts for her permission to feature little Dawn Syndulla, daughter of Hera and Kanan as most of you recognize by now if not before.

Of course, another thanks is always extended to each and every one of my readers. Your continued support has been the bulk of my inspiration, and never doubt how much all of you mean to me. Best wishes to everyone, and until next time, may the power of the Force be with us all! ;)

Update 5-28-17: I apologize for the unexpected delay in having Chapter 2 ready for you all. Prior obligations caught up with me, and free time for writing has become more scarce. I can say, however, this is only temporary. I am currently projecting Chapter 2 will be ready in about another week or so at most past the two week mark, that point being this Tuesday. I appreciate your patience as I balance life! It will pay off, soon!