It was busy on Yavin IV, to say the least. Jax had been trying to balance his duties as Fulcrum, taking care of Alema, spending time with his father, as well as picking up the remnants of Phoenix Squadron. It was hard, Jax had to admit that. Not having Alema by his side while she was resting in the medbay most days, only occasionally taking walks made it worse.

Having Sabine, Ezra, Chopper, and Kanan weren’t helping either, but getting the people of Mandalore on their side was crucial to winning the war that had begun. 

Ezra and Kanan had been with Sabine on Mandalore for weeks now, and Jax had to admit he was a little jealous that he wasn’t able to go to the planet his mother had talked about all his life. He wanted to see what it was like for himself, but he was sure he’d eventually get the chance. Sure, he had been there right before they had gone to Malachor, but they didn't get to see much of it. Jax would have loved to have fought with the elite warriors.

He had more pressing matters, though. Taking care of the Rebellion was his top priority, and he had to uphold his mother’s legacy and everything she had done for the Rebellion.

“Jax?” Alema asked from where she was sitting. “Are you okay?”

Jax cleared his throat. “Yeah,” he replied softly. “I'm just a little stressed, I guess.”

Alema’s expression became worried. “Are you okay? I can help you with your duties--”

“No!” Jax exclaimed. He lowered his voice. “Sorry, ‘Lema, but you need to rest.”

“I’m tired of resting,” Alema grumbled, crossing her arms. “I feel fine anyway.”

“You need to let your foot fully heal,” Jax said, giving her a lopsided grin. “You’re five weeks with a cast. With luck, you’ll only be in the cast for a week or two longer, and a brace for a few more after that.”

Alema blew a bit of hair out of her face. “But nothing interesting goes on. Something crazy should happen.”

Jax thought for a moment. “How about this,” he suggested. “You can change my hairstyle. You’re pretty good with hair, and I think I’m ready for a new style.”

Alema’s face brightened. “Really?”

“You’re my girlfriend, Alema,” Jax said with a laugh. “You can change my hair anytime you want.”

Alema thought for a moment. “What do you think about a man-bun?”

Jax grinned. “Really?” he asked. “I’ve always wanted to see what one would look on me.”

Alema stood up and limped over to Jax, a hand on his chin. “You’ve got some stubble, too.”

“I’ve debated growing a beard,” Jax replied with a shrug. 

“Try something small,” Alema suggested. “Like a goatee.”

Jax arched an eyebrow. “I like the idea of that.”

“When do you want to do it?” Alema asked.

“Now?” Jax suggested. “I’ve got time.”

Alema grinned. “Sounds like a plan.”

----

Jax ran his hand through his hair on the top of his head and pulled it into a bun, then felt the fuzzy buzzed hair on the side of his head. Alema had also shaved him, with only the stubble on his chin left, but it was barely noticeable. 

“I like it,” Alema commented.

“I do, too,” Jax agreed. “I didn’t know you were good at haircuts.”

“I didn’t either,” Alema admitted sheepishly. “But I’m happy with how it turned out.”

“Yeah,” Jax said with a grin. “Want to show my dad?”

“Absolutely.”

----

“What. The. Kriff,” Rex said, giving Jax a stare.

“Do you like my hair?” Jax asked, placing his hands on his hips. 

"It’s certainly different," Rex said with a smile. "But it doesn't look bad. Did you do it yourself?"

Jax shook his head. "Nah, Alema did it. Gave her something to do. She was getting bored."

"I was," Alema admitted from a few feet back, where she was leaning on a wall.

"Sit down, Alema," Rex said with an eye roll. He grabbed a chair, set it next to Jax, and Alema gratefully sat in it.

"Thanks, Rex," Alema said with a smile. 

"I didn't think Jax did his hair," Rex continued. "If it were up to him, he'd try and use his lightsaber as a razor."

Jax laughed. "I've done it before. Stole one of mom's sabers and burned my hair off. I, uh, still have the scar."

Alema chuckled. "Seems like you haven't changed too much from when you were younger."

"Actually, I was thirteen when I did it," Jax corrected her. "Didn't use my sabers because, before that, I had accidentally locked my mom in her room when I was practicing my lightsaber techniques and hit the controls."

Rex laughed. "I bet she was mad."

"Yeah," Jax agreed. He enjoyed being able to talk about his mother now. It wasn't as painful, and they could laugh at memories from long ago. "And after I cut my hair and burned my head, I wasn't allowed to go on missions for quite some time. Had to be supervised by Queen Breha while I was stuck on Alderaan."

Alema laughed again. “That sounds like fun.”

“Yeah, I guess it was,” Jax agreed. Jax thought for a moment. “I wonder if Leia will be here. It’d be good to see her again.”

“Leia Organa?” Alema asked.
“The one and only,” Jax replied with a grin. “She’s like my sister. I’ve known her all my life.”

“I think she’s here occasionally,” Rex interjected. “Hera said she’ll be here in a few days, but not for long. She’s delivering supplies.”

“I’ll have to see her then,” Jax replied. “Hopefully she’ll be glad to see me.” Jax was sure she’d be glad to see him, and he wondered if she knew about Ahsoka’s death. He hoped he wouldn’t be the one to break the news to her.

----

Today was the day. The day Leia was coming to Yavin IV. Jax had been patiently waiting all day, and his comm beeped when he heard an announcement. “Supplies are here from Alderaan.”

Jax grinned and rushed out to the landing platform, looking around for Leia.

He walked up to a dark-skinned woman from Alderaan. “Uh, hey,” he said. “Do you know where Leia Organa is? I’d like to talk to her.”

The woman smiled warmly. “Of course. She’s on board. You might not want to bother her, though. She’s been a little stressed lately.”

“I bet,” Jax muttered. “Anyway, thanks. I hope to see you around!”

“You probably will,” The woman replied. “I’m here as a transfer medic.”

Jax laughed. “Then we’ll definitely see each other. I spend more time in the medbay than I’d like.”

The woman laughed and walked off.

Jax walked up into the ship and headed to the cockpit. “Leia?” he called. “Princess Leia? Hello?”

“Who’s there?” A cold voice said.

“Whoa, Leia,” Jax said. “It’s me, Jax.”

“Jax?” Leia asked. She stood up and hugged Jax. “It’s been too long!”

“Yeah, it has,” Jax replied, hugging her back.

“You changed your hair,” Leia said, stepping back.

“Do you like it?” Jax asked nervously.

“You look as ugly as always, Tano,” Leia said with a grin.

“Thanks,” Jax grumbled. “My girlfriend did it.”

“You were able to get a girlfriend?” Leia said with an overly dramatic gasp.

“She kind of...adopted me, I guess,” Jax responded. “But she’s great.”

“So you don't have a crush on that Bridger kid anymore?” Leia said with a laugh.

“Leia!” Jax hissed. “No, I don’t. It was a short thing. I’m over him. We’re still friends, considering he doesn’t know, but no, I don’t have a crush on Ezra.”

Leia smiled and gave Jax a friendly punch to the shoulder. “I’m just messing with you. You look happy, and I’m glad about that. I heard about Ahsoka, by the way.”

Jax sighed. “Yeah,” he said. “Alema--my girlfriend--she helped me. I’d be dead if it wasn’t for her.”

Leia’s smile vanished from her face. “I’m really sorry, Jax,” she said softly. “But you seem like you’re still grieving. I shouldn’t have brought it up.”

“No, it’s fine,” Jax said. “I’m a lot better than I was. And it’s getting easier. It just takes time, and we’re all still recovering from Atollon.”

“I guessed,” Leia replied with a nod. “Well, I’d best be going, Jax. It was good seeing you.”

“You, too,” Jax said. He walked off the ship and headed back to base.

----

A few days later, Jax and Rex were on base and Jax was unpacking his personal belongings, not wasting the little bit of free time he had. Hera and Alema were on a supply run, Alema finally in the field again with just a brace on her foot.

Jax panicked when he didn’t see one picture of him and his mom, though. Then, he remembered it was still on base in his living quarters.

“Oh, no,” Jax breathed. He had left it on Atollon.

“What is it, Jax?” Rex asked.

“I left one of my holopics on Atollon,” Jax said sadly. “One of mom.”

“Oh, Jax,” Rex said, wrapping an arm around her. “Which one?”

“The one of you and her on Mandalore,” Jax replied. “I meant to grab it--but I forgot.”

“I might have a copy of it,” Rex muttered. “It’ll take me some time to look, but I wouldn’t worry about it right now. Kanan and Ezra are coming back from Mandalore today. You should go and wait for them.”

Suddenly, both of their comms beeped. “We need all personnel on the landing bay. We’ve got four ships coming in hot.”

Jax’s heart started to beat faster. “It’s Hera and Alema.”

“Let’s move,” Rex said, a determined look suddenly coming into his eyes. 

They raced out to the landing bay to see Ezra, Chopper, Kanan, Sabine, And Zeb walking around.

“Ezra!” Jax exclaimed, coming to a stop. “You’re back.”

“Jax,” Ezra replied. An alarm blared over them. “What’s going on? Where’s Hera?”

Jax and Rex looked up in unison. 

“Well, if you’re looking for Hera, there she is,” Rex replied, pointing to four ships coming towards them in flames. “Coming in hot with what’s left of her squadron.”

“Base One, this is Phoenix Leader,” Hera said over the comm. “Stand by for emergency landings.”

“Come on!” Rex shouted, running with a hand waving towards the landing bay. “Move it, move it!”

“Kanan!” Ezra shouted nervously. 

“Don’t worry, she’s got it,” Kanan reassured him, falling in beside Jax. The Y-Wings came towards them, skidding closer and closer to them.

Jax rushed up to the ship and opened up the hatch to the cockpit. He held out his hand and Hera took it, Jax pulling her out of the ship. They stepped down the stairs that had been placed n the side of the ship, Jax walking back to Rex.

“Where’s Alema?” Jax asked frantically.

“Right here, Jax,” Alema said tiredly, pulling her helmet off her head. 

Jax let out a sigh of relief. “You’re okay.”

“Yeah,” Alema replied. “But that didn’t go how I wanted my first mission back out in the field to go.”

“You’re still alive,” Jax said, hoping to be optimistic.

“I got lucky,” Alema replied grimly. She looked at Hera. “General!” she shouted. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine, Alema,” Hera replied. Jax, Rex, and Alema walked up to her. “I’m glad you all made it down in one piece.”

“Sorry about the mission,” Alema apologized. “If I could’ve just…”

“This wasn’t your fault,” Hera interrupted. “Any of yours. Our intel was bad.”

Jax winced. “Sorry,” he squeaked.

Hera’s face softened. “Jax, it wasn’t you. You were tricked. It happens sometimes. The Empire was trying to get us to come there, and it worked. If you all hadn’t handled yourselves so courageously, we would have lost everybody.”

“Thanks, General,” Alema said with a small smile.

“Thanks, Hera,” Jax added. 

“Now, get cleaned up,” Hera said to Alema, a hand on her shoulder. “I want a full assessment of damage to the Y-Wings to see what’s salvageable.”

“I’ve seen worse landings,” Kanan said from a distance. 

“Kanan?” Hera gasped, and Jax saw Kanan with Zeb, Sabine and Ezra walk up to them. “You’re all here!” she laughed. “And Sabine! You came back. What about your family on Mandalore?”

“They’ll be fine,” Sabine reassured her. “Right now, my family here needs me more.”

“Well, I’m glad to have you,” Hera said, putting her hands on her hips. “And there’s plenty of work to go around.”

“Well then,” Ezra said with a smile. “Let’s get started.”

“A reunion,” A voice said from behind him, and Jax looked past them to see Kallus approaching. “How nice. But as Commander Bridger suggests, it’s time to get to work. Mon Mothma requests your presence.”

“We’ll be there, Alesxandr,” Jax reassured him. Since Alesxandr had requested Jax to call him by his first name, Jax had put in an effort to do so. 

They headed to the briefing room, and Jax saw Mon Mothma with General Dodonna, and Bail through a hologram around the briefing desk. 

“General, I commend your bravery in protecting your fellow pilots,” Mothma complimented Hera. 

“I just want to know what went wrong out there,” Hera said, her expression troubled. 

“As do I,” Mothma agreed. “Fulcrum was tricked, we know that much. But we must know how.”

“My sources in the Senate confirm that the Empire has established a new communications relay in the Jalindi system.” Bail opened up a map on the desk, and a large radar showed up. “It greatly expands their command and control throughout the surrounding sectors, and enables them to respond much more quickly to your incursion.”

Dodonna sighed. “I hate to admit it, but it appears Gerrera’s rumors were true.”

Rex nodded in agreement. “How does Saw’s ragtag group have better intel than we do?”

“Because Gerrera has absolutely no qualms about how he acquires it,” Alesxandr said grimly. 

“Well, if he gets results…” Ezra started.

“We do not mistreat our prisoners,” Mothma said with a glare. 

“Now, the question is, what course of action do we take?” Dodonna asked. “We can’t allow this relay to hamper our missions.”

“Perhaps there is another way,” Alesxandr said after a moment. He walked around the desk and zoomed in on a part of the relay, highlighting it in red. “If we could somehow tap into this relay, we could use it to monitor Imperial fleet movements and adjust our own operations to avoid them.”

“Can it be done?” Mothma asked. 

“My crew and I have done plenty of jobs just like it,” Hera replied. 

“Are you certain your ship can get in and out undetected?” Dodonna asked.

“We don’t call it the Ghost for nothing,” Hera replied, narrowing her eyes. 

“You are authorized to proceed,” Mothma said. 

The meeting ended, and they were about to head out, when Ezra asked, “Wait. That's it? But what about Lothal?”

Jax sighed. Ezra had to realize that Lothal wasn’t the only planet under the Empire’s rule. 

“Ezra now’s not the time,” Hera said sternly.

“If not now, when?” Ezra demanded. “Huh? We promised my people support. Our attack failed, but they’re still waiting. Ryder’s counting on us.”

“Lieutenant Commander Bridger, let’s you and I talk for a moment,” Mothma said and led Ezra into a room.

“Hera,” Jax said after Ezra left. “Do you want me to come with you?”

Hera shook her head. “You should stay on base for a while. We’ll be back in no time.”

Jax nodded. “Alright, General.”

----

The sun had set on Yavin IV, and Jax was helping outside the base with shutting down the ships, refueling them, and making sure everything was in line.

A droid opened a transmission, illuminating the entire base.

“Members of the Alliance to restore the Republic,” Saw started. Jax glanced at Alema, and they walked towards the transmission. “Your losses today stemmed from your leader’s cowardice, their unwillingness to take decisive action against the Empire. All across the galaxy, your people suffer while the leaders of this,” he chuckled. “ Rebellion refuse to act.”

Mothma walked out, and Jax glanced at her. “Should I shut it down?”

“No,” Mothma replied. “I want to speak with him.”

“Madam Senator,” Saw said as she approached. “I’m honored.”

“What is your business here?” Mothma demanded, her voice still cool and steady. 

“You ignored my warning about the Jalindi relay,” Saw said accusingly. “And you paid the price. Now you have confirmation, yet you still refuse to destroy it.”

“So long as our allies in the Senate have hope of a peaceful resolution to this conflict, I will not risk…” Mothma started but was broke off.

“If you continue to allow this war to be fought on the Empire’s terms, not yours, you are going to lose,” Saw said angrily. 

“I will not be lectured on military strategy by a man who has proven himself a criminal,” Mothma said, her voice carrying a hint of anger.

“The Empire considers both of us criminals,” Saw said with a smirk. “At least I act like one.”

“You target civilians, kill those who surrender, break every rule on engagement!” Mothma shouted. “If we degrade ourselves to the Empire’s level, what will we become?”

“There she is!” Saw exclaimed. “That’s the leader the Rebellion needs! Where is that fire, that passion, when your people need it most?”

Mothma just glared.

“I hope, Senator, after you’ve lost, and the Empire reigns over the galaxy unopposed, you will find some comfort in the knowledge that you fought according to the rules.” Saw continued.

“That’s enough,” Mothma said to Jax, and he walked up to the droid and shut the transmission off, but Saw got one last word.

“What are you afraid of, Senator?” Saw asked. “The truth?”

“Return to your duties,” Mothma said, her gaze traveling over all those gathered. 

So Jax went back to what he was doing, and he hoped that was the last they saw of Saw.