A\N: Hey guys! So sorry for not updating Saturday but I was super busy, and I was busy on Sunday as well and it completely slipped my mind. Anyway, I'll be posting an art book soon with art from this story, so I would love it if you guys would check it out!

It was nighttime, and Jax and Alema were outside of Chopper Base. To them, it seemed as though everyone but them was asleep. 

They were training hard, Alema with one of Jax’s sabers, Jax with the other. They had been sparring on and off for hours, trading remarks, and they both were drenched in sweat.

“Let’s stop,” Alema said breathlessly as Jax beat her for what seemed to be the fiftieth time.

“Alright,” Jax agreed. “But you’re getting a lot better.”

“Yeah, and so are you,” Alema grumbled. 

Jax just laughed, but he stopped when he heard something. Something in his mind.

“Obi-Wan...Obi-Wan Kenobi…” he heard.
Jax shut his eyes, placing a hand on his head. 

“Jax?” Alema asked. “Jax, what is it?”

“I regret,” it continued. “I regret…” it sounded like a broken record. “I regret…”

“This is Master Obi-Wan...Obi-Wan Kenobi,” it said, louder this time. “I regret to report...report that our Jedi Order and the Republic--the Republic have fallen--fallen. This message is a warning for any surviving Jedi…a new hope...a new hope will emerge.”

Obi-Wan’s voice stopped, replaced by Maul’s. “Kenobi...Kenobi!”

Then it stopped. 

“Jax?” Alema asked again.

“Sorry,” Jax apologized. “I was--hearing something. It sounded like Obi-Wan. It was his message for the remaining Jedi after the Purge. And then--Maul.”

Alema pursed her lips. “That’s not good.”

“No, it’s not,” Jax agreed. “I think Maul’s back again.”

“Let’s find Kanan,” Alema said.

“Yeah,” Jax responded, and they raced to the Ghost.

“Kanan!” Jax said breathlessly when they got to the Ghost. He was standing with Ezra. “Kanan, we need to talk.”

“Did you hear it, too?” Ezra asked. 

“Obi-Wan and Maul?” Jax asked. “If so, then yes.”

“Glad I’m not the only one,” Ezra muttered.

“What were you two doing out here?” Kanan asked, arching a brow.

“We--we, uh, come out here every night and spar,” Jax replied. “Just a thing we do.”

Kanan crossed his arms, as though wanting to know more, but didn’t.

“What’s going on here?” Hera asked sleepily. “Jax? Alema?”

“Jax and I heard a message from Obi-Wan, and then Maul’s voice,” Ezra explained. “Kanan just felt a disturbance.”

“Jax, go get Rex. I’ll get Sato,” Hera said, now fully alert. “We’ll talk about this in a few minutes.”

----

“So, what do you think it means, Kanan?” Hera asked the Jedi when Jax had gotten Rex, Hera Sato, and they had all met by the briefing desk.

“Ah, I couldn’t really guess,” Kanan replied. “Holocrons at times take on a life of their own, but as to what it means…”

“It means Master Kenobi could be alive,” Ezra interjected. “And he could be in danger right now.”

Jax bit his tongue. He knew Master Kenobi was alive; he had met the man himself when he was younger. Bail had sent Ahsoka to Tatooine for a small vacation, right to the man’s house. As far as Jax knew, the man was alive, and if he had died, it would have been all over the holonet.

“Ezra, no one would like to believe General Kenobi’s alive more than I would,” Rex said to the boy. He sighed sorrowfully. “But Senator Organa confirmed his death.”

“Maybe he was wrong,” Ezra said hopefully. “Jax, have you met him?”

“I...haven’t,” Jax lied. “Mom went up to Bail and asked him one day. He was dead. I saw his grave on Alderaan, where he fled with Bail and died from wounds later.”

“But it could be a fake grave!” Ezra argued. “We know Maul went looking for Master Kenobi. This could be a sign he’s closing in on him.”

“Or it could just be a broken recording,” Hera argued back. 

“That doesn’t explain why we heard Maul’s voice,” Ezra said angrily. 

“But you’ve heard it before,” Kanan replied, putting a hand on his shoulder. “You’ve heard it before and it was just a trick. Maul was manipulating you.”

“I want to go to Tatooine to check things out,” Ezra said.

“Ezra, can I have a word with you?” Hera asked, and led him away from the group.

Rex looked at Jax. “You’re sure he’s dead?”

“I’m sorry, Dad,” Jax lied again. “He is. You’ll have to trust me on this.”

“I do, Jax,” Rex said. “But I was hopeful.”

“Mom was, too,” Jax said with a sad smile. “It was hard when she learned.”

“Now, you two should head to bed,” Rex advised Jax and Alema. “We can talk more in the morning.”

“Sure thing,” Jax said, and he knew that whatever would happen next wouldn’t be good

----

The next day, Jax kept an eye on Ezra closely, knowing that the boy would try to leave Chopper Base. He saw Ezra talk to a man (he couldn’t remember his name) and then take off, hopping into the A-Wing Jax just happened to be standing behind. When Ezra wasn’t looking, he hopped in behind the pilot’s seat and hid.

“Hera, I hope you can forgive me,” Ezra muttered as they jumped to hyperspace.

----

“All right,” Ezra said when Tatooine was in front of them. “Here I am. Tatooine. Middle of nowhere.”

Jax grinned, then jumped up, scaring Ezra.

“Ah!” Ezra screamed. He hit his head on the outside of the ship. “Ow!” The ship went sideways, but Ezra quickly gained control of it.

“Jax!” Ezra said angrily. 

“What?” Jax asked innocently. 

“You know what!” Ezra shouted. “How did you get here?”

“Well, we jumped to hyperspace, and then--” Jax started.

“I mean, in the ship,” Ezra interrupted. 

“When you weren’t looking, I jumped in here,” Jax explained.

“I didn’t want any of you involved, not this time,” Ezra said, glaring back at Jax.

“Well, you’re stuck with me now, so deal with it,” Jax growled. “I’m the only one who can help you out here.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Ezra snapped.

“I lied before,” Jax said through gritted teeth. “Kenobi isn’t dead. I’ve met him.”

“What?” Ezra exclaimed. “Really?”

“Yeah,” Jax replied with a nod. “I had to keep quiet. Bail’s orders. He’s staying hidden.”

“So where do you want me to go?” Ezra asked.

“You see the sand that’s a little bit lighter than the rest?” Jax said, pointing at the planet. “Go down there.”

Ezra nodded and flew down the ship. They got down to the ground, and Jax tried to rack his brain as to where Kenobi was.

“Argh--I can’t remember,” Jax groaned. “It’s been a while since I was here.”

“How old were you when you met Master Kenobi?” Ezra asked.

“About five,” Jax replied. “It’s been ten years.”

“I can use the holocrons to find him!” Ezra realized. He looked at the two pieces of the two holocrons they had and used the Force to guide them into a small canyon, where they landed the ship. 

“I think we’re close now,” Ezra said as the Holocron illuminated his face. “Stay with the ship while I go looking for a minute.”

Jax nodded. “Don’t die.”

“Shouldn’t be too hard,” Ezra said with a laugh as he climbed out of the ship. He walked for a while, and Jax saw something red glow in front of Ezra, and he picked it up, Maul’s voice speaking in his mind.

“Now you see…”

“Jax!” Ezra shouted. “It’s a trap!” 

A gunshot fired next to Ezra’s face, and another one shattered the glass, making Jax jump. He climbed out of the ship to see Tusken Raiders destroying the ship.

“Oh, come on!” Jax complained. “Can’t we have one nice thing today?”

Ezra ran up towards the ship and pushed the Tusken Raider back with the Force, it tumbling off the ship. There were more Tusken Raiders on the cliff, though, so Jax and Ezra had to dodge their blaster bolts coming at them.

The Tusken Raider Ezra had pushed over with the Force had recovered and had tackled Ezra to the ground. Jax drew his blaster and shot the Tusken Raider, making it fall to the ground, dead.

“Let’s move!” Jax shouted to Ezra, and they ran and hid behind a large boulder, where they couldn’t be hit. The Raiders kept shooting at their ship, and before Jax knew it, the ship had exploded.

“How are we going to get home now?” Jax asked.

“We’ll find a way,” Ezra said determinedly, but he looked like he was trying to convince himself just as much as Jax.

After a moment, he heard no more sounds coming from the Tusken Raiders. 

“The explosion must have scared them off,” Ezra guessed.

“Apparently,” Jax replied. “Let’s keep moving.”

So, they moved forward, and it was morning when they had left the canyon, their feet tired, drenched in sweat, and their spirits slowly being crushed.

“My hand’s messed up,” Jax said, looking down at his robotic hand. He took the glove off of it and saw sand everywhere in the joints. He tried to flex it, but it took a lot of effort to move it.

“We can fix it when we get back to--” Ezra broke off as he looked forward, and Jax saw what he was looking at.

“Ezra…” Maul’s voice said. He was standing a few yards ahead of them. “Jackson…”

“Do you see that?” Ezra asked Jax.

“Yeah,” Jax whispered. “I do.” he blinked, and when he looked again, it was gone.

“It’s gone now,” Ezra said, looking around. He drew out the holocrons again, and it pointed directly in front of them.

“Was it really Maul, though?” Jax asked. “He’s given you hallucinations before.”

“I don’t know,” Ezra replied with a sigh, starting to walk forward again. “But I think we’re close to him.”

“Yeah,” Jax agreed. “Let’s keep going. We’ll either die or find Obi-Wan. It’ll be fun to see which comes first!”

“Yeah,” Ezra grumbled. “Fun.”

----

By midday, a dust storm had moved in, and Jax and Ezra were still walking, the sand and wind blurring their vision. Jax just tried to follow Ezra the best he could as the boy followed the Holocron, and Jax was surprised they hadn’t been separated yet.

“Hopefully we’ll find someone soon!” Ezra shouted over the storm.

“At this point, I don’t even care who it is!” Jax shouted back.

“Draw him out,” Maul whispered.

Jax looked up, just as Ezra did. Through the sand, Jax saw a small figure, who he assumed to be Maul.

“Your pain...your sorrow...it calls to him,” Maul said. 

“Keep moving!” Jax shouted to Ezra. 

----

Hours later, the storm had cleared, and Ezra and Jax were both dead on their feet. Every step Jax took felt like he was lifting hundreds of pounds, his legs felt like jelly. He was tired, hungry, and desperate. The sun was scorching, and Jax’s throat was as dry as the sand around him. He was gasping for breath, and he just wanted to find a settlement or, or something. 

Jax felt the world spin around him, and he sat on the dusty ground. “Ezra…” he said weakly. “Give me a second. I think I’m gonna...pass out.”

Jax suddenly felt sick, and his vision tunneled. All he saw was Ezra race to him, and before he knew it, he blacked out.

----

When Jax woke up, it was nighttime. He looked around them and saw fire lit. 

“Maul?” He gasped, shooting up. 

“Not Maul,” A familiar voice said.

“Obi-Wan!” Jax exclaimed.

Obi-Wan smiled. “It is good to see you, my friend. What brings you to Tatooine?”

“I think you know,” Jax replied grimly.

“I do,” Obi-Wan said with a sigh. “Maul has indeed come for me once more. I do not think his lust for revenge will stop until he is dead.”

“Neither do I,” Jax agreed. “How is Ezra?”

“Your friend Ezra was in about as bad of a state as you were, Jackson,” Obi-Wan replied, stoking the fire. “He is very conflicted.”

“Yes,” Jax replied. “Maul’s affected him worse than it has me. Ezra...has never been good at calming his mind. His emotions control him at times, but he has a good heart.”

“Yes,” Obi-Wan agreed, stroking his beard. “You have had more training than your friend, have you not?”

“I have,” Jax replied. “But...I’m not getting much training anymore.”

“Oh?” Obi-Wan said, raising a brow. “And why might that be?”

“Because she’s dead,” Jax said, blinking tears out of his eyes. “She’s gone,” he whispered. “She was killed by her friend. Her brother.”

“Darth Vader, I presume,” Obi-Wan said sadly. 

“Yeah,” Jax said sadly. “Obi-Wan, why didn’t you tell her?”

Obi-Wan sighed. “She was young. Too much had been beaten upon her already. She would know in time, and if not, I would have told her. But it was not the right time. I wasn’t ready.”

“Oh,” Jax replied, falling silent.

After a few awkward moments of silence, Ezra sat up, looking around him. 

“Hey, Ezra,” Jax said. “Nice to see you’re finally awake.”

Ezra rubbed his eyes and looked at Obi-Wan and Jax once again.

“You’re in the wrong place, Ezra Bridger,” Obi-Wan said. 

“Master?” Ezra asked, his voice wobbly. “Master Kenobi?”

“I am,” Obi-Wan replied. “And when you have your strength, I will help you on your way.”

“On my way?” Ezra repeated. “No, we came here to find you. To warn you.”

“About Maul,” Obi-Wan guessed.

“Yes,” Ezra replied. “Wait, you know?”

“One doesn’t survive as long as I have by being foolish or unprepared,” Obi-Wan replied. He walked towards Ezra. “Maul is an old adversary, and a persistent one at that.”

“We can fight him together,” Ezra insisted.

“I had no intention of fighting him,” Obi-Wan replied. “Though that seems inevitable now.”

“You don’t understand,” Ezra argued. “You’re the answer. The holocrons told me. They said you would be the one to help us destroy the Sith.”

Obi-Wan hummed. “That’s the first I’ve heard of it.”

“The Rebellion needs you,” Ezra said, all but begging. “We need you to defeat the Empire.”

“What you need,” Obi-Wan replied, growing annoyed. “You already have. Unfortunately, you seem to be letting it all go.”

“But if I had what I needed…” Ezra trailed off. 

“Why would the holocrons send you to him,” Jax interjected. “Ezra, we were never supposed to come here. You should have listened to Hera.”

“The holocrons did not send you here, but I do suggest you listen to your superiors,” Obi-Wan replied, glancing at Jax. “Maul sent you here. Maul used your desire to do good to deceive you,” he continued, sitting him and Ezra down once again. “And in doing so, he has altered the course of many things. He knows your fears, your heart, and he manipulated the truth, which has led you here. A place where you should never have been.”

“But the holocrons…” Ezra said, his eyes wide. “They tell the truth.”

“Do they?” Obi-Wan asked. “The truth is often what we make of it. You heard what you wanted to hear, believed what you wanted to believe. And now, the only one who has gained anything from all of this is--”

“Me,” Maul hissed from behind Jax. Jax turned and saw Maul glare at Kenobi, a snarl on his face. Ezra started to stand up, but Obi-Wan pushed him down once more.

“You both must go now,” Obi-Wan advised him. 

“We led him to you,” Jax argued. “Let us fix it.”

“That is now your responsibility,” Obi-Wan replied. “I will mend this old wound.” Obi-Wan gestured to the creature beside him. “Ride north. That is your way out.” he paused. “Your way home.”

Jax hopped on the creature, Ezra hopping behind him and Ezra put his hands around Jax’s waist. 

“See you soon, my apprentices,” Maul hissed as they rode away.

Jax just rolled his eyes.

----

They had found Maul’s ship and had taken it so that the Dathomirian could not leave the planet, and they jumped to Atollon.

After Jax had landed the ship, they stepped out, with Zeb, Hera, Alema, Chopper, and Kanan waiting for them. 

“Tell me this means what I want it to mean,” Zeb growled.
“We won’t be seeing Maul again,” Ezra replied. 

“Well?” Hera asked.
“I’m sorry I ran off like that,” Ezra replied. “I was wrong. Don’t blame Jax for any of this, he did it to keep me safe. I know I’m supposed to be here. You’re my family. And we should go home.”

Jax smiled and pulled Ezra and Alema into a hug, wrapping his arms around them. “We’re all family.”

Ezra grinned, and Jax saw him pull Hera, Kanan, and Zeb into the hug, and Chopper squeezed his way in, making them all laugh.

They were a family, and not even death could change that.