He could move.

Even with his mind playing tricks on him. Even with his heart sending paralyzing throbs of pain echoing in his chest. Even with memories and reality mixing together.

Kallus hadn't returned to the past.

He hadn't made the same mistakes.

He could move.

Without warning, a dangerous thought entered his head. He had to do something now that he found he could do something – that much was clear – but what he could do… Zeb would never forgive him.

But…

He could jump into the fray…

Saw's Lasat was as ruthless as Kallus remembered. He would hardly stand a chance… and perhaps that was exactly what was needed.

He could jump into the battle. He could draw the Lasat's attention upon himself… he could get hurt.

And the Rebellion would see.

They'd see who Saw's Partisans really were. They'd see them for the monsters they were. Maybe the others didn't mind so much that the Partisans had brutally murdered his friends – some still held onto the idea that Imperials were just Imperials.

Much the same as they villainized the Empire for lumping all "rebels" as mere "rebels." Indistinguishable. Without families or lives or hopes or dreams of their own.

But Kallus was a Rebel now. And if he got injured… if he got killed - defending a fellow Rebel on a Rebel base from a member of Saw's militant group….

Actions were always louder than words. And so far, Kallus's warnings about using Saw had gone mostly unheeded.

Kallus didn't need to give himself any kind of mental pep talk. He only hoped that if he did survive what he was planning to do, that Zeb would never catch on to what he had intended.

The other Lasat had one clawed hand wrapped around Zeb's throat, its free arm raised, prepared for another racking swipe. Kallus targeted that for his attack.

Kallus dove forward, his entrance into the fight sloppy. He succeeded in grasping onto the other Lasat's arm, holding onto the arm with everything he had, but he had come at this with too much momentum. Kallus's body twisted around.

Maybe it looked very heroic.

Because now he was laying on top of Zeb, still grasping the other Lasat's arm, but now he was facing the monster. Throwing himself protectively in front of Zeb.

Zeb probably tried to choke something out. Some kind of admonishment. The other Lasat still had one hand around his throat.

He would have to let go. Kallus was making it clear that he wasn't planning to release his hold on the Lasat's arm. He clenched his teeth, his eyebrows knitted together with determination. But inside, he was hardly angry at all. Mentally, he was even coaxing him…

Coaxing others to come see… see what was happening just around the corner from Saw and Mon's verbal battle.

Saw's Lasat released his other hand around Zeb's throat. So at least Kallus's intervention had done that.

Next will come the attack, and Kallus braced himself for it.

But the other Lasat still hadn't recognized him. For all he knew, Kallus was just some dumb human. Some dumb idealistic Rebel, leaping to a fellow's rescue. Saw's Lasat real beef was with Zeb… with the Captain of the Honor Guard. With the royalty and whom he saw as those responsible for Lasan's downfall.

For the briefest of moments, Kallus debated simply telling the Lasat who he was. Because all he tried to do was shove Kallus to the side – but then…

Zeb!

Foolish, loving, protective Zeb!

Seeing Kallus once again the center of the other Lasat's attention – without understanding Kallus's plan – just drove him into the highest gear. It was the other Lasat's mistake to let him go. Kallus's brain couldn't even process what had happened. Just one minute he'd been laying there, mentally prepared for the other Lasat's full attention and…

The next minute he was laying on the ground, dazed, and the two were at it again. Somehow Zeb had landed on top of the other, his feet on the other's chest. But the other reached up with his prehensile feet, grabbing onto Zeb's back, and pulling him just off balance enough to get to his feet… and as Kallus got shakily to his feet, another standoff began, Zeb maneuvering himself so he could block Kallus from the other Lasat's line of sight.

And stand offs… stand offs were not going to get the message across…

"You Rebels are all the same," Saw's Lasat growled, "So willing to throw yourselves into a fight. Ready to die for a cause. But if someone else has to die for the Empire to fall – well, then you get all bent out of shape. If only could you see the hypocrisy."

Zeb wasn't even interested in having a philosophical debate with his opponent. Seeing that they were in a standoff, Zeb just looked down at his injuries.

"You made me bleed!" Zeb said. "If you don't think I'm ready to end you, you're going to die surprised."

Saw's Lasat laughed. "You fight as sloppily as a mother defending her kits. And I've killed plenty of those."

"Don't call him a kit!" Zeb roared.

Saw's Lasat had a momentary look of confusion spread across his face, but it lasted only a moment. Zeb lunged forward the next, perhaps hoping to prove the other wrong. Kallus, for his own part, felt a swirl of emotions ranging from a newfound surge of worry as Zeb put himself in harm's way again and mortifying embarrassment at being called out like that.

He would have to make a move. He would have to get involved. Kallus's eyes darted to the end of the hall – no one had arrived yet, but they would. All this yelling would have to draw attention. The other Partisans were still there. But any moment now… one of them surely would have gotten Saw. Another Rebel could have seen the brawl and gone to get Mon.

Someone had to see.

And Kallus was determined that when they did, they would get a good show. They would see how these Partisans operated. That they couldn't even be trusted to play nice among allies. That they would always resort of violence. To death.

And Kallus couldn't let Zeb be the one to kill.

Even if a part of him wanted Zeb to do it. Even if the voices of the dead agents had been silenced, the echoes of wanting their death avenged still called to him.

But Kallus couldn't let that happen.

Once again, he ran forward. This time the stars aligned. The moment Kallus positioned himself in front of Zeb, the other Lasat's strike fell, and Kallus took the full brunt of it.

"What is going on!"

Kallus could dimly make out Mon Mothma's voice as he lay crumpled on the ground. He could make out the murmurs of heated conversation, but nothing more. His vison was fuzzy… the peripherals darkening…
You did it.

It was an odd congratulations. Kallus coughed, weakly, and took in his next breath with difficulty.

What happened?

Zeb was there. Those giant eyes reflecting nothing but concern… but even that was growing fuzzy.

A hand pressed on his chest, and Kallus folded in on himself, hissing in pain.

That attack… what happened? He'd taken it full force in the chest. His shirt was wet… he was bleeding. But how badly? Were his ribs broken? Is that why it was difficult to breath?

"Zeb…" Kallus whispered, as he tried to blink away the encroaching darkness.

Maybe he had made the wrong choice.

Because the Rebellion and the Partisans all seemed so insignificant as he looked up into the worry of Zeb's eyes.

They were all that remained important as he felt himself slipping over the edge.

And it was all that remained important as all faded to dark.

-SWR-

"That was dumb."

"I said 'sorry,'" Kallus sighed. It was about the fifteenth time he'd apologized since he woke up in a bacta tank only a few minutes previously. And it wasn't those concerned eyes Kallus woke up to, but a full on Lasat scowl.

"You knew what you were doing!" Zeb said, not accepting apologies. "You weren't trying to fight! I've seen you fight! You could've stood your own. You wanted to get hurt."

Hurt. Not killed. At least Zeb didn't know the full truth.

"I wasn't thinking-"

"Oh, you don't have to tell me."

Now it was Kallus's turn to scowl.

"I was trying to defend you."

"You about gave me a heart attack!"

"I couldn't stand by…" Kallus said, his voice choked off and the anger burning out as he realized what he was about to say. He turned away as his cheeks flushed. "I couldn't. Not with him."

Zeb softened, too. Kallus could feel the tension in the room dissipating in an instant. The bed sunk as Zeb took a seat, but Kallus kept his face turned away.

Why he suddenly felt vulnerable… why he suddenly felt embarrassed?

He felt a clawed thumb rest on his chin, and a hand turning his face. Kallus kept his eyes down. He could barely make sense of the way he felt – shame? The last thing he wanted was for Zeb to see that turmoil. He leaned his head forward, resting it on Zeb's chest. He felt those massive arms wrapping around him, enveloping him in protection.

It was more than words could say. Acceptance. Forgiveness. Understanding.

A hand ran through his hair.

"I forgot to mention that I'm proud of you," Zeb said.

Kallus coughed up a weak laugh, muffled by Zeb's hug.

"I know it took a lot, to do what you did."

"Is he gone?" Kallus asked.

There was a long pause.

"What's left of him."

"Zeb…."

He should have known. Zeb would have lost all control seeing him like that. He should have known… and his plan? Ruined. There was no way anyone would see the attack as one sided… no one would be able to hone in on the Partisans… how they acted…

"I've never seen Mon Mothma so angry," Zeb explained. "I'm surprised the temples didn't fall down on top of us the way she yelled. Took the wind right out of his sails. And Saw… Saw told him to back down… I wish you could have seen them walk back to their ship. What's left of his pride is scattered all over this base."

"But… he's still out there."

Zeb was silent again.

Perhaps he knew an inkling of what that fear felt like. Maybe it would have been better… if Zeb had just ripped out his throat… made him beg for mercy…

"Yeah. But I'm still here."

And more than revenge, more than fear, Kallus was surprised to feel that that was enough.

And instead of feeling shame, or embarassed, Kallus could feel a small smile forming on his lips.

"Through it all."

Perhaps Zeb didn't know what Kallus meant. It didn't really matter. His heart was full. He'd faced down every demon the universe had stuffed into his head, and here he was, back at the beginning again.

"And through everything yet to come."

"Until the end."