The Ghost crew, as well as Jax, Alema, and Fenn Rau were all sitting in the Ghost when Sabine walked in.

"I won't do it," Was all she said, a trace of fear in her determined eyes.

"So you do know what the Darksaber is," Fenn said, his voice still in awe.

"I know it caused my family nothing but trouble after Maul took it," Sabine retorted.

"You got that right," Jax muttered, earning a punch from Hera.

"Maul used it to divide and conquer our people," Rau said, ignoring Jax. "You can wield it to do the opposite."

"Wield it?" Sabine exclaimed. "You're crazy. Kanan, tell him he's crazy."

"Consider what he has to say," Was all Kanan said.

"What?" They all said in unison. Jax was not expecting that to come out of Kanan.

"I don't think it's a coincidence this saber came into your possession," Kanan said, taking a few steps towards Sabine.

"Yeah, but, Kanan, that doesn't mean she can fight with it," Ezra argued. He winced. "Er--no offense."

Sabine just narrowed her eyes. "Go on."

"What I mean is..." Ezra started. "Look, it's taken me a while to use it, and, I mean, I use the Force."

"She might not be able to fight like a Jedi," Kanan argued back. "But she can learn to be proficient with the blade." Kanan put the blade out in front of him, trying to give it to the Mandalorian.

"I am proficient," Sabine said, stepping back from the saber. "With many types of blades. And blasters, and explosives, but that is a lightsaber."

"The combat training is not as important as to what the blade represents," Rau said.

"Right, right, you want me to lead my Clan," Sabine said with a small eye roll. "I don't know if you realize this, but I'm not that popular with my family these days."

"That can change," Rau said gently.

"No, it can't," Sabine said angrily. "You don't know what you're talking about!"

"I know that family is important to the Wrens, just as it is to all Mandalorians," Rau said, putting a reassuring hand on Sabine's shoulder.

"I have a family here, on this ship," Sabine snapped, smacking his hand away. "I don't need them!"

"But we do," Hera said from behind them. All eyes turned to her. "If there's a chance that you can rally an army of Mandalorian warriors to our cause...I have to ask you to do it."

"Hera," Sabine said soft but shocked.

"Family history can be painful," Hera continued. "Believe me, I know. But we can use those warriors for our attack on Lothal."

Sabine closed her eyes tightly, turning her head away from them.

"Hera's right," Jax said. "Look, I know how hard it can be to train with a lightsaber. I know what it's like to be unsure about every decision I make. You don't have to do this, but we want what's best for you. Kanan, Ezra, and I--we can help you. I've taught Alema how to use a saber, and I know you can learn. But you can leave and forget about this, but know that I'll be beside you either way."

Kanan held out the saber to her, and Sabine sighed. "Alright," she agreed. "I'll do it. Just...give me the saber."

Sabine grabbed the saber, but Kanan still had a grip on it.

"Listen," he said sternly. "Once people know you have it, you will be challenged. And you need to be able to defend yourself."

"Okay," Sabine said angrily. "I'll try my best."

"First lesson," Ezra said with a smirk. "Don't try. Just learn."

Jax sighed. This was going to be harder than he thought.

"Give me the sword," Sabine growled, ripping it from Kanan's grip. "I'm gonna learn how to kick your--"
"Sabine," Kanan said. He gave her a look, and Sabine sighed.

"Okay," Sabine said and held the sword in her hands.

----

Jax's hands were fidgeting on his sabers strapped to his belt. They hadn't been on him in so long, and it almost felt...wrong. He had kept practicing with them, but now, he was using them against an actual person. Other than Alema. And someone who didn't know what they were doing.

Their match ended with a stick (one of their training sticks, Jax had never seen the point of them, especially considering Sabine was mature enough to use a saber. Jax had only used them because he was four when he started his saber training).

"You overcommitted," Rau said.

"Oh, good," Sabine said, throwing her stick to the side and standing up. "Anyone else have an opinion they want to share?"

"Let's take a break," Kanan said, stepping between the two. "Ezra, help unload these supplies."

"What?" Ezra said, startled. "I won. Shouldn't I get the break?"

Kanan put his hands on his hips, but Jax stepped in front of Kanan.

"Hey," he said. "I'll unload it. Let Ezra have a break. I'm fresh right now."

Ezra gave Jax a grateful look, and Kanan just sighed in defeat.

Jax finished unloading the supplies as Kanan and Ezra talked, as well as Rau and Sabine.

"Oh, yeah, what have you got there?" Ezra asked Sabine from behind Jax.

Jax set the last crate down and turned to see Sabine with gauntlets on her wrists. "More than you can handle." she retorted.

"Oh, yeah?" Ezra scoffed. "Maybe I won't go easy on you this time."

The match started, and after a few strikes and blocks, Sabine shot Ezra with a sonic blast, sending Ezra stumbling back. Sabine advanced on Ezra, knocking him to the ground, a smirk on her face.

"Hey!" He complained. "Not fair! Where did you get those?"

"Special delivery," Sabine said cooly.

Rau just chuckled as Kanan's face contorted in anger.

"Hey!" Kanan yelled. "Is this a game for you?"

"No game," Sabine replied, her voice smug. "Just outsmarting my opponent. Care to take a shot?" She shot her lasso at Kanan, who struggled under the grasp.

Jax looked up at Sabine in shock. What had gotten into her? She wasn't normally this impulsive.

Suddenly, Kanan's lightsaber shot up, and he grabbed Sabine's lasso in his hand, pulling her forward, where she fell on the ground in front of him. Sabine tried to recover by grabbing her saber, but Kanan's was already at her throat.

"History lesson," Kanan said angrily. "The Jedi won the war with Mandalore. These tricks will amount to something, maybe save you from time to time, but they won't keep you alive in the long run. Only training and discipline will do that."

He sheathed his saber, and Sabine stood up, rubbing her throat. "The only thing I'm learning," Sabine yelled, her anger being unleashed. "Is that Ezra must be really gifted to learn as well as he has from a lousy teacher like you!" she threw the saber on the ground, and before Jax knew it, she was gone.

"I'm calling Hera," Kanan said sternly and turned around from where he was standing.

"I'll, uh, go find Sabine," Ezra said awkwardly. "I might be able to talk some sense into her."

"I'm gonna go practice my own sabers," Jax said. "Rau, you want to train with me?"

"Might as well," Rau said with a shrug.

----

By nighttime, Sabine still hadn't come back. Kanan had been meditating for quite some time, the Darksaber in front of him.

"I didn't think she'd be gone for this long," Ezra commented in awkward silence.

"She'll return," Rau said vaguely. "Then we'll see."

"I know she can do it," Ezra continued. "It just...it seems like Kanan is asking her to do everything at once. She just needs more time."

"Time is a luxury," Rau said grimly. "One the galaxy seems to be running out of."

"Jax, what do you think?" Ezra asked.

Jax thought for a moment. "Sabine is capable of wielding the saber. What she needs to do is accept what comes with the saber, her family, and open the wound she worked so hard to heal. You need to accept your past, not hide it. Sabine just needs to trust herself."

"You're wiser than you look, Tano," Rau said with a wry smile.

"I've heard that before," Jax said with a small grin.

He looked upon the hill and saw Sabine coming down to their small camp.

"She's back," Ezra said.

Sabine glanced at them once, and then turned and walked up to Kanan.

"I owe you an apology," Kanan said, not moving from where he was.

"I can say the same," Sabine said after a moment.

Kanan leaned over, grabbed the saber, and stood up. He held the saber out to Sabine, who leaned away from it.

"Uh--maybe I should practice more first," She said hesitantly.

"Take it," Kanan insisted. "It's yours."

Sabine took the saber, a determined look immediately coming upon her face, and Jax grinned. Jax believed she was ready for the blade and its responsibility.

"Ignite it," Kanan prompted.

She ignited the blade, looking up at it as it lit up the night sky. "Whoa," she breathed. "It's...heavier than I thought."

"Energy constantly flows through the crystal," Kanan taught. "You're not fighting with a simple blade as much as you are directing a current of power. Your thoughts, your actions, they become energy. They flow through the crystal as well and become a part of the blade." Kanan reached and activated his saber, one hand behind his back.

"The blades will be drawn to each other," Kanan said as he struck at Sabine. "Block high!"

Sabine blocked, though stumbling as the blades locked.

"There's a pull," Kanan said. "Can you feel it?"

Sabine gave a small nod, still holding her own against Kanan. "That sword is old, heavy, but powerful. Respect its strength." Kanan said. He pulled back, and Sabine took a few unsteady steps forward.

"Block low," Kanan said as Sabine quickly regained her footing, Sabine successfully blocking his strike. "High!" he changed his blade direction, Sabine once again blocking.

"Middle."

"High." Again and again, Kanan would strike, Sabine would block until Kanan said, "Good. Let's work on a series."

"Yes," Sabine agreed.

They stepped back from each other, their blades placed in front of their faces, and they bowed to each other, then moved into the defensive stance.

"We'll start slow," Kanan said. He moved forward, faster than Jax had ever seen him, counting out the different positions.

"One," Kanan said and would strike. "Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Faster."

He would go faster each time, and Jax was shocked to see that Sabine was blocking everything Kanan threw at her, as though she had been doing it her entire life. Then, she stumbled and fell on her back.

"You're making it easy on me," Kanan said sternly. "Ready position," he ordered. She once again activated her saber, and they circled each other. Kanan began striking faster than he had before, and this time, Sabine was doing even better.

"The blade feels lighter," she commented.

"You're connecting with it," Kanan answered. "It's becoming a part of you."

Sabine struck first this time, but Kanan easily made her lose her footing.

"But you cannot rely solely on the blade," He criticized.

She jabbed at him, but Kanan took her by the wrist and slung her forward, making her grunt. "You must use all your skills together," he said. "Ready position."

She jabbed at him once more, but this time, Kanan made the blade fly through her hand.

"You'll have to do better," He teased. He was obviously trying to get her mad.

And it was definitely working. Sabine used her lasso to grab the blade and ignited the saber.

"Whoa," Ezra said, standing up from beside them.

Kanan looked like he was being beaten but then cut her new gauntlet, leaving Sabine on the ground, the Darksaber lying a few feet away from her.

Ezra tried to race forward, but Rau put a hand on his shoulder and stopped him, giving him the slightest shake of his head.

"You're not fighting me," Kanan taunted. "You're fighting yourself. And losing." He deactivated his lightsaber as Sabine shot up, yelling in anger.

"You're not committed to this," Kanan said. "You should quit." he dodged her strike, though Sabine came at him faster than ever.

"I don't quit," Sabine shouted, her sword raised above her head. "I never quit!"

As she struck again, and Kanan dodging, he kept taunting her.

"Really? That's not what it looks like." More strikes, and more dodging. He shoved her shoulder, earning a groan from Sabine.

"You did run, didn't you?" Kanan asked.

"No!" Sabine yelled defiantly. She jabbed at him, and Kanan held her by the wrist, not letting her out of his grasp.

"But that's what your people believe, isn't it?" Kanan asked.

Sabine growled, jumping away from him in a frontflip.

"You ran from the Empire. You ran from your family ."

"Lies!" Sabine shouted as she kept striking at the Jedi.

"So what's the truth?" Kanan demanded as he finally ignited his saber and blocked her.

"The truth," Sabine breathed. "Is that...I left to save everyone." she struck again, making Kanan go on the defensive. "My mother !" strike, block. "My father !" again, but she sent Kanan on his back on the dusty ground. "My brother !" once again. Kanan stood up, but he was obviously struggling. "Everything I did was for my family! For Mandalore ! I built weapons, terrible weapons , but the Empire used them on Mandalore. On friends, on family . People that I knew. They controlled us through that fear." she scoffed. "Mandalore!" The saber was pointed at his throat now. "Fear of weapons that I helped create. I helped enslave my people!" Sabine pushed Kanan up the hill. "I wanted to stop it," she said, her voice threatening to break. "I had to stop it!" their blades clashed again, and a look of fear grew upon Kanan's face. All Jax could do was watch in awe. "I spoke out," she continued. "I spoke out to save them. To save everyone !" She pulled her blade back and kicked Kanan, sending him down the hill he had climbed, his saber flying from his hand, Kanan struggling to stand up. Sabine jumped down the hill, then raised the blade above her head, as though she was going to strike the final blow to Kanan, who had a hand raised above his head in fear.

"But when I did," Sabine said with a sob. A single, lonely tear traced down her cheek, and Jax felt so sorry for her. Jax had never really had a problem with family before. He hadn't known his father for most of his life, but when he did, his father accepted him with open arms. His mother had always stood with him. He didn't know what it was like to be betrayed by family, but he understood the fierce loyalty she had for them. Jax's mother had adopted quite a few Mandalorian traditions. She taught Jax Mando'a, she showed him how important family was. She showed Jax when a fight had been won and what honor meant.

Jax may not have been a Mandalorian, but he understood them. And Jax couldn't even begin to fathom what Sabine had gone through.

"My family didn't stand with me," she finished, and Jax's heart shattered. "They chose the Empire. They left me." She sheathed the blade, t slumping down to her side as more tears traced down her cheeks. "Gave me no choice. The Empire wanted to destroy worlds. And they did." she sunk to her knees as Kanan sat up. Her voice finally broke, and Jax saw past the battle-hardened Mandalorian he had known for so long. All he saw was a broken girl. Another person that had been beaten down by the Empire. "They destroyed mine."

Kanan put a hand on her shoulder. "The Empire rules with fear," he said. "And not everyone can be as strong as you've been. Your family is in a prison, one of their own makings. It's up to you to let them out of it."

Sabine looked at Kanan and stood up, hugging her arms close to her body. "But how?" she whimpered. "Why--why would they believe me? Why would they follow me?"

"I know this might not be what you want to hear," Rau interrupted. He walked up to Sabine, Jax, and Ezra following him. "But for what it's worth...I would follow you." he knelt in front of Sabine, his head bowed.

"So would I," Jax added, bowing next to Rau.

"And me," Ezra added. "And we mean it." he knelt next to the two of them, and Jax couldn't help but smile. It may not have been much, but it meant something to Sabine. And that's what mattered.