I shouldn't have come back.

That one simple phrase had been bouncing around Lux's head like a caged animal, jostling everything around and knocking things he had thought were stable over as it tried to find some sort of escape.

As the walker lurched back into motion, inclined ever so slightly to one side to compensate for the weight of the joopa they had captured this morning, Lux sat down on the top of a ladder, resting his arms on the railings beside him. "Too many memories," he whispered, gazing out at the desolate landscape stretching out before him.

He had spoken so quietly that it was hardly more than his lips mouthing the words, but Ezra still heard him. Lux guessed it was just the boy's powerful Jedi senses. "Did you say something?" he asked.

"No."

I still see her everywhere... Even now that she's alive, I can still see her in the way Rex talks about the war. She was a part of him as much as she was a part of me.

Ezra straightened up from where he had been leaning against the railing a little while away, fixating him with his keen blue eyes. "You're lying."

"Maybe I am, but it's nothing you need to concern yourself with, Ezra. What's in the past is... Well, it's best if it stays where it is and doesn't cloud the present."

"What are you talking about?" Sabine gave her short hair, now a bluish-green, a shake, turning towards him.

"Yeah," Ezra said, backing her up. "Teri, you haven't been the same since we ran into that Sith Lord and captured Inquisitor Sorena. What's going on with you?"

Lux looked from one teenager to the other, hoping to find a hint of weakness in their stares that would indicate an opening for him to get out of this situation. But he found none.

It wasn't long before he broke down, sighing. "It brought some old memories to the surface is all," he said, hoping to downplay just how important the matter was to him. "And Rex and Sirius and the boys... Let's just say they brought up a few more. I just can't bring myself to accept that she's..."

Lux trailed off, quickly realizing he had said too much. Now would come the incessant questions about his past, and, eventually, that night on Norolan Plains he had tried so hard to forget. He remembered how inquisitive he had been in his youth, and now that they'd been given reason to believe there was a tale worth being heard locked up in Teri's head, Ezra and Sabine wouldn't let him hear the end of it until he told them what it was.

"Is she the Jedi you were talking about a few days ago?" the boy asked softly. When Lux didn't answer, he spoke again. "She's that Ahsoka person Rex said used to come around, isn't she? Teri... what happened to her?"

Lux looked away, squeezing his eyes shut against the stinging that always came before tears. He had to bite down on his lower lip to keep it from trembling. He took a deep inward breath, wincing when he realized how much it shook.

"I... I don't know anymore. There's so little I remember about the night after it happened except needing to get to her... needing to save her. I still had hope when my brothers-in-arms didn't. But even with that to keep me going, I was too late."

"Too late for what? Teri, you're not making any sense, or–"

Sabine's questions were cut short as the door into the tank slid open. Rex stepped out onto the walkway, with Sirius just behind him.

"I've assembled a list of potential bases and clearance codes, and a few protocols the Imperials still use. Should be of some use," he said, stepping forwards. "They're on our main computer. You're gonna need–"

"Data tapes?" Sabine interrupted. "I got this."

"Whoa, slow down there, Sabine. Hold on for a second." Rex said with a smile. "It's only one half of all information we've got. The other half is at our trading post back on Rhea."

"On Rhea?" Kanan called warily as he clambered down the last couple of rungs of one of the ladders from the roof. He walked over to stand beside them, crossing his arms in his usual skeptical fashion.

Sirius chuckled. "Those joopas can feed Rex here and the boys for an entire year, but they're not just meat eaters. And I know from experience that the edible plants that grow here are pretty tasteless. Whereas on Rhea..."

"It's the last real free port in the galaxy." Rex leant up against the railing, turning towards Ezra. "You can find practically anything there, including the makings of a good meal. And joopa steak is very valued to our customers."

"It's a pirate hub," Kanan reminded them, narrowing his eyes. "We are not going anywhere near that... that hive of scum and villainy! No way!"

"I take it you've been there before," Lux said, standing up. Kanan's negativity was a welcome distraction from the whole subject of... Well. Having no choice but to focus on something else was the perfect opportunity to get his feelings in order when no one was looking at him.

He knew he needed to be stronger, for the sake of the Rebellion. Keeping one's inner demons at bay, despite the way they cut into him when he was least expecting it, was a struggle everyone had to face. It was just the will of the Force that he was being presented with a few more good reasons to lament what had transpired in his past than the next person.

"Yeah. Twice. It didn't end well either time."

Sirius gave him a look. "You do something to upset Rogue Command?"

Kanan didn't answer.

"Rogue Command... I've heard that name before." Sabine said. "What is it?"

"They're not really active in your neck of the woods, I don't think," Sirius told her. "They hang out mostly in the sectors with less Imperial patrols, so those with less need for rebel activity. And... Well, I guess you'll find out soon enough, kid."

"Um, no. We'll take what information you have and go, please," Kanan said.

Lux stopped him as he tried to leave, putting his hand on his shoulder. "Kanan, we need as much Intel as we can get our hands on. There's a chance that what Rex has here won't be able to help us."

Kanan pinched the bridge of his nose for a moment, his eyes tightly shut as he thought everything over. All those present looked up at him, waiting in silence for him to come to a decision. Although Hera was the official captain of the Ghost, Kanan was just as much of a leader as she was, even if he didn't know it.

Finally, he looked up, his expression wary but resigned. "All right. We're going to Rhea. But let it be known that I don't like this at all."

Ezra looked up suddenly. "But... Wait. Kanan, there's not enough room for all of us on the Phantom, and Hera's still doing repairs. How are we all going to get to the other side of the system?"

Rex laughed heartily, crossing his arms confidently over his armored chest. "Well, how do you think we get ourselves and our catch to Rhea to sell it?" he asked cheerfully. "We've got ourselves a transport, and it's not more than an hour's journey away from here."

"Then we'd best get moving." Ezra made for the door, and Rex, Kanan and Sabine followed him back inside a few moments later.

Lux was on his way after them when he felt a hand come to rest on his shoulder. He turned around, looking up at Sirius. To anyone else, the big, broad-shouldered yellow Nightbrother would have looked downright intimidating, even without his somber eyes and stark black markings. But Lux knew that he was really a gentle person by nature...

Off of the battlefield when his friends weren't in danger, of course.

But Lux shrugged his friend's hand off a moment later. "Don't look at me like I'm one of your patients, Sirius. I stopped needing Healing years ago."

"You stopped wanting Healing, but you didn't stop needing it." Careful to keep his long talons out of the way, Sirius placed a hand over Lux's heart, closing his eyes briefly as he meditated on what he found there. "And now all the old wounds from years of grief and unnecessary guilt are opening up again... Why?"

"Some new stuff has come up," Lux said vaguely. "I need to talk to Maddox as soon as possible. Is he on Rhea?"

"Yes. You're lucky; he was called there on business maybe a week ago. You know how hard he is to pin down – even now that he and Kilindi have the kids to keep them mostly in one sector, he's not an easy man to keep tabs on."

"Okay. He'll help. Seeing him will, I mean. Maybe help me figure out how to deal with some stuff I'm honestly kind of lost with." Against all odds, Lux managed a smile. "Then you can stop worrying about me. Force knows I don't need it... I mean, it's not like I'm made of glass."

"But you're not made of durasteel either." Sirius patted him on the shoulder, turning to head back inside. "You're not immune to what happened back then, nor should you feel you need to be. Remember that."

Then, he left, leaving Lux to continue staring out at the landscape and try not to worry about what trials lay ahead.

-:-:-:-:-:-

After a short ride across the system in a modified LAAT/c – with which the kids were quite enchanted, and asked for stories about how Rex and the clones had come to use it – carrying the joopa, vacuum-sealed in a special plastic meant for short travels in space, and the walker, they had arrived on the surface of Rhea.

And it was quite a bit warmer out than Lux remembered.

Contrary to Seelos, for about half the year, Rhea received a relative amount of light from the two other stars that made up the system, and not just its primary one. Now in the part of the cycle that made for a triple sun shining in the sky, Rhea's humid, tropical climate was thriving, and the Ghost crew was sweating.

Finally, he couldn't take it anymore. He took off his jacket and long-sleeved shirt, leaving him in a simple white undershirt. But his relief was short-lived: a series of catcalls from a group of young women across the street suddenly broke through the stillness that habitually reigned over the outskirts of Rhea's capital. He quickly pulled the jacket back on, hoping that his comrades would associate the sudden redness on his cheeks with the heat and nothing more.

Eventually, the party reached a point where the three clones had to head back to their outpost to butcher the joopa into pieces fit to sell. In the end, although Kanan didn't like it, Ezra volunteered to accompany Lux and Sirius back to the cantina where they would find Maddox. But, to everyone's relief, the Jedi so reluctant to trust eased off when Zeb agreed to go with them.

"So..." Ezra began, drawing out the vowel, "where exactly are we going?"

"To see Maddox."

"What's he like?"

"You certainly have a lot of questions," Sirius said, chuckling softly.

Ezra shrugged. "Well, to be fair, I haven't been given a lot of answers."

Sirius shot Lux a sideways glance. "You've spent too long around the kid. He's starting to take after you."

"I guess it's only fair to be proud of him, then," Lux shot back, reaching back to ruffle Ezra's hair jokingly.

Then, they rounded a corner, and found themselves looking down the hill at the packed center of Tortuga, the name given to the capital city of the pirate colony that occupied a good portion of the planet. And what a sight it was: white sandstone buildings contrasted sharply with the brightly colored banners, flags, charms and lanterns hanging from every available surface. The streets were packed with equally colorful denizens, both in their manner of dress and species, some drawing carts or riding on animals Lux had always thought looked like a variant of the tee-muss native to Onderon.

But no one missed the telltale glint of sunlight on all manner of deadly weapons positioned well within reach for a vast majority of the pedestrians.

Lux exhaled softly, before gesturing that they should move on. As the others walked past him, Lux caught the eyes of a man who seemed to be watching them a little too closely – particularly Ezra. But one look sent him scurrying away.

"Ezra," he called.

"Yeah?"

Lux put his hand on the kid's shoulder, waiting until he had caught his eyes before speaking. "Watch your step. This place can get a little rough."

Ezra crossed his arms confidently, so like the way his Master was fond of doing it. "Hah. I'm ready for anything."

Lux looked back in the direction where the man had been standing in, his thoughts moving back to dwell on the slave trade that wasn't exactly inconspicuous here on Rhea. And to the dangers Rogue Command presented. Suddenly he wasn't so sure that bringing the two crewmembers along with him had been the best idea.

I guess we can only hope you're ready, Ezra.

*With a new planet comes new dangers. In hindsight, taking a side trip to a pirate hub might not have been the best idea. With Ezra's tendency to ask unwanted questions, this might be even more of a risky venture. But the Ghost crew's need for information to bring back to the base and Lux's desire to speak with Maddox won out in the end, and if the unexpected does occur, then they'll have to take it as it comes to them. And Kanan is just going to love a few of the faces, both new and old, that Rhea has to offer...

Hello all!! How'd you like the chapter? Not much happened, I know, but what's nice for me is that the next two chapters are already half-written in the brainstorming and basic scene structure files on my phone. So there's naught but smooth sailing ahead, me hearties!! 

For those of you who are familiar with the SWR episode arc upon which the last couple of chapters have been based, I hope you liked the way I switched things up a little ;)

Anyways, I figured it was about time I started really going in depth on how Lux feels about the whole situation in the aftermath of discovering Ahso-- Sorena is completely lost to him. And he's reluctant to tell anyone, even Rex, who knew her very well. Why does he think Maddox can help? Well, you'll just have to wait until the next chapter (AND I PROMISE THIS TIME IT'S ACTUALLY GONNA BE THE NEXT CHAPTER) to find out...

Neither Lux nor Sorena of them really know each other's side of the story yet. And while Lux will listen to her, she might not want to listen to him... without the right kind of persuasion, of course. But worry not, dear readers. In a few chapters Sorena will be free of the force field and there will be a little more interaction between them. That means talking that does not directly involve IMMA FREAKING KILL YOU threats. Yay!!

And there were two little references to ANH in this chapter, one more obvious than the other. I also dropped a couple of other things you might have picked up on, but they're quite subtle, so I challenge you to find them...

Also, Storm-Shadows7, I hope you liked my description of Rhea, and that it was true to your imagining of it. I'm going to go more into detail about it in the next chapter :)

So, anyways, I have to take a shower and get to bed. But I'll see you all with the next update for one of my fanfics :D

May the Force be with you,

Sharron