Jax kept looking through the binoculars, trying to see if Sabine would escape, or Ezra would reappear from the Temple.

“Well?” Zeb asked.

“They took Sabine into one of the buildings,” Jax replied, removing the binoculars from his eyes. “It’s on the far side of the site.”

“Get down!” Hera shouted as an Imperial patrol circled above them, and Jax rolled back.

“What about Ezra?” Hera continued, stepping behind a rock a few feet behind them. “Did he get inside the Temple?”

“Honestly?” Jax replied, a frown appearing on his face. “I don’t know where he is. I doubt he knows either.”

“You said you recognized the painting,” Hera added. “What does that mean?”

“If I’m right, you don’t want to know,” Jax replied vaguely. The Mortis gods could control time and space, and if Ezra had found a connection to a place like that, Jax wasn’t sure what would happen.

Jax hid behind the rock, and a few moments later, Jax felt something. He stiffened. It was so familiar, something he hadn’t felt in almost two years.

“It can't be,” he muttered. He felt a strain on the presence and felt a flash of pain and hurt, with betrayal mixed in.

“What is it, Jax?” Hera asked. She sounded worried.

Jax shook his head to clear his thoughts. He was imagining things. “It’s nothing. Just felt something.”

Hera’s eyes flickered. “Is Ezra okay?”

“I don't know,” Jax replied. He sat down and pressed the heel of his hand to his forehead. “It wasn't him I sensed.”

“Then who was it?” Hera asked.

“It was nothing, Hera, okay?” Jax snapped. He sighed. He couldn't believe that his mother was alive. He knew she was dead. No matter how much he hated to admit it.

Hera flinched. “Sorry, Jax.”

“No, I’m sorry,” Jax apologized. “I--I’m just imagining things and it hurt my head.”

“You good, kid?” Zeb asked.

Jax nodded. “I’m fine, now. What’s the plan?”

“Let’s head down to the camp and bust Sabine out,” Zeb growled, punching his fists together.

“I agree, Zeb,” Hera said with a nod. “Let’s sneak down there and figure out a plan. We’ll need to get a closer look at the building Sabine is in.”

----

They snuck into the camp, hiding behind a stack of crates near the building Sabine was in.

“Okay, Hera,” Zeb said quietly. “What’re you thinking?”

“These are mobile command centers, right?” Hera asked with a smirk.

Jax grinned in realization. He chuckled. “I like where this is going.”

“Chop, you keep an eye out for Ezra,” Zeb said to the droid, and Chopper saluted in recognition.

“Okay,” Hera said as Chopper rolled away. “Let’s move.”

They snuck behind the crates, staying hidden from Imperial sight, and headed to the command center Sabine was in. Jax couldn’t wait to execute their plan.

----

Hera was under the command center, messing with the controls. Hera would make the center tip over after Zeb tapped out a message to Sabine so she would know what was happening.

“Are you done yet?” Jax asked anxiously as he watched stormtroopers around them.

“Almost got it,” Hera replied through gritted teeth. “Zeb, get ready to send Sabine a signal.”

“I’ll tap it out right before blastoff,” Zeb replied. He ran to another side of the platform, and Hera fidgeted with the controls for a moment later, and then she nodded at Hera.

Jax gave Zeb a thumbs-up, and he tapped out the signal, Jax and Hera running away from the command center.

The command center tilted upwards, and Jax ran to the end of it, igniting his sabers and cutting down a few troopers, desperately waiting for Sabine to come out.

She did after a few moments, and Jax kept the troopers occupied while the Lasat and Twi’lek helped the Mandalorian.

“You good?” Hera asked.
“Yeah,” Sabine replied breathlessly. “We gotta get to the Temple painting.”

Jax deflected a couple more blaster bolts, and then he ran after Sabine, Hera, and Zeb towards the Temple.

“What about Ezra?” Hera shouted as they ran to the Temple.

“He’s on his way!” Sabine shouted, barely dodging the command center as it finally toppled over behind them.

----

They got to the Temple just as Ezra jumped out of the portal.

“Ezra!” Sabine shouted. Jax ignited his sabers once again and defended his friends from the firing stormtroopers.

“Come on, come on,” Sabine growled as Ezra struggled to stand. “Get up, we’re leaving!”

“No!” Ezra shouted, getting to his feet. “We have to seal the portal,” he glanced at them. “Come on.”

They ran to the painting, and Jax felt the adrenaline rush through his head, and he went on autodrive. He wasn’t aware of what he was doing, and just kept deflecting, keeping the corner of his eyes on where Ezra was going so he wouldn’t get lost.

They got to the painting, and more troopers were advancing on them, and Jax was growing more nervous.

But, he saw a vehicle plowing through troopers, Chopper in the front, and he couldn't help but grin.

“Look out!” He heard a trooper shout, just to be run over by Chopper.

Zeb laughed. “Chopper’s got ‘em. Let’s move.”

“Which one do I activate?” Ezra asked frantically.

“The Son!” Sabine shouted, pointing at the god. “That one!” Jax looked up at the painting, finally seeing it up close. It had all three Mortis gods, and the picture looked like it had changed, the hands of the gods in different positions.

Zeb helped Ezra reach the painting, and Jax looked back at the battle, still deflecting blaster bolts.

He felt a shift in the Force as the painting glowed from behind Jax, and he heard Hydan shout, “Stop him!”

Jax saw the picture move, and then Ezra fall back into Zeb’s arms, unconscious. They took a few careful steps back, and then ran to the vehicle Chopper had stolen, helping the unconscious Ezra into the back.

Jax felt so much coming at him through the Force, between the confusion of sensing his--his mother, and the disturbances of the Force with the Mortis gods, and the stress of everything that had happened.

“Chopper, get us out of here!” Hera shouted to the droid.

Chopper drove the ship out of the Temple as it was collapsing, and Jax couldn’t concentrate on everything happening around him. Between the lights, the rocks falling everywhere, and the pang from the Force that was now constant, the bond between him and his mother almost whole again (Jax was still confused about that, but he decided to shove it down so it wouldn’t reopen a wound that had just begun to scar).

Jax just sat in the back of the vehicle of Ezra and hoped he wouldn’t die.

----

When the dust of the Temple had settled, Jax, Zeb, Hera, and Sabine all headed outside while Ezra was still unconscious.
He hopped off the ladder and looked around him, shocked to see the Temple gone, just a small circle in the ground remaining, exactly like the one he, Ahsoka, Kanan, and Ezra had stood on when they had come to the very same Temple together.

“Wow,” Sabine breathed.
“This Jedi stuff is a mess,” Zeb grunted. “I don’t know how you all live with it.”

Jax rubbed his head. The bond with his mother seemed stronger now, but Jax was still shoving it down. He would wait until they got off Lothal to meditate on it.

“What happened?” Hera said, her voice breaking.

“The Temple collapsed,” Jax replied. “And so did all the things that came with it.”

“Kanan,” Hera said through a sob.

“It hasn’t looked like this since before we went to Malachor,” Jax said sadly. He looked at the ground. “I wish my life were different. I wish I could see my mom and uncles again. And Kanan, and just have things be like they were.”

“I know, Jax,” Sabine said softly. “We all do.”

----

When they had gotten back to base, Jax had inquired Ezra about what had happened while the teen was in the Temple. Maybe he knew why Jax had sensed his mother.

“Hey, Ezra, what happened while you were in the Temple?” Jax asked. He was desperate to know.

“Not much,” Ezra replied, trying to walk past Jax, but Jax could tell he was lying. He would find a way to get Ezra to speak, one way or another.

“C’mon, Ezra, you can tell me,” Jax pleaded.

“No, I can’t,” Ezra suddenly snapped. He took a deep breath. “Look, I really wish I could tell you. You have no idea how much I want to tell you, but I can’t. Not yet.”

“Oh,” Jax said awkwardly. “Okay, sorry for making you mad like that.”

“No, it’s fine,” Ezra reassured him. “I’m just really stressed right now.”

“Hey, it’ll work out.” Jax replied, hoping to sound optimistic, but he wasn’t even sure of that himself. “It always does.”

“Jax,” Ezra said, making Jax look up at his friend. “You’ve been a great friend, and I’m proud and honored to have worked alongside you. Your mother would be proud.”

“Alright, what are you doing?” Jax asked, crossing his arms. First the Daughter had talked about his mother, then he had sensed his mother, and now Ezra was talking about her? What was going on?

“Me? Nothing.” Ezra said with a knowing smile. “Don’t blame yourself. For any of it.”

Jax opened his mouth to protest, but Ezra was walking away.