Chapter Text
Shin paced the deserted corridor, seething. It wasn’t fair. Nothing about any of this was fair, but she couldn’t exactly go against her Master’s wishes, now could she? Baylan had made it plainly clear that the infuriating Mandalorian currently on the other side of the door Shin was pacing in front of, was not their prisoner.
“She came willingly,” he’d told her earlier when Shin had brought her misgivings about the Mandalorian going unshackled to his attention. He’d then leveled a look she knew all too well at her, saying, “Leave her alone, Shin.”
Then he’d stalked off to Force-knows-where and now here she was—furiously pacing in front of the door to the small quarters that the Mandalorian had been given, trying to quell the urge to barge into the room and drive her lightsaber through the other woman’s chest. And this time, she wouldn’t miss.
Willingly, Shin scoffed to herself, stopping her pacing long enough to glare at the door before resuming it again. She had no idea what her Master was playing at, allowing the Mandalorian (on principle, Shin wasn’t going to allow herself to even think the woman’s real name) to join them. She was the enemy.
And a terrible one at that. Initially, at their first meeting, Shin had been looking forward to the challenge of facing another Force-user. One who wasn’t her Master or some weirdly creepy version of the nightmares that used to haunt her dreams as a child. Marrok had been a fine enough sparring partner but…she’d be lying if she said she’d never dreamed of doing the same thing to him that the Mandalorian’s Master had. Goodbye and good riddance to that walking curse.
But, as it turned out, just because the Mandalorian could wield a lightsaber (and that was probably giving her more credit than was due), that didn’t mean she was proficient with it. Or with the Force. In fact, Shin had no idea why the infamous Ahsoka Tano—the fearsome Jedi warrior Baylan had told her about—had taken her on as an apprentice. She lacked even the most basic skills; sure she was a good fighter, but weren’t all Mandalorians?
And sure, she’d gotten the upper hand on Shin during their fight in the forest but only because she didn’t fight fair. Their duel had been a proper one, one with honor, and instead of submitting to her defeat, she’d resorted to dirty tricks. Shin wasn’t sure what was more infuriating: that or the fact that she’d seriously misjudged the other woman in the first place.
Now here she was. On the Eye with them, traveling to a completely different galaxy, as their companion. She should be their prisoner. Locked away in a dark room for however long it was going to take them to get to Peridea. Morgan said a week but Shin didn't trust a word that came out of that witch’s mouth. What Baylan saw in her, Shin had no idea.
Everything is so distorted now, she grumbled to herself. Their mission, reality (I mean seriously…they were on their way to another galaxy for kriff’s sake)...even the Force felt off. She wasn’t nearly as proficient (yet) as Baylan when it came to reading its will, but she couldn’t shake this deep sense of foreboding that seemed to envelop her the moment they stepped foot on the Eye.
Something is coming, it seemed to be telling her. What, she had no idea. She’d learned long ago that getting a direct answer from that mysterious energy field was impossible. And in this case, she wasn’t even sure she’d like the answer if she were to be given one. Baylan still hadn’t told her what their ultimate goal in all of this was. And Morgan’s idea of bringing this Thrawn person back to resurrect the Empire just felt wrong.
Shin was fairly certain Baylan had no desire to aid Morgan in that. Especially considering how the Empire had treated them both. No, Baylan had other ideas, other reasons for wanting to go to Peridea…reasons that were far greater and more noble than Morgan’s. In fact, if Shin could figure out a way to leave Morgan in that blasted other galaxy, permanently, she would absolutely do it. And the Mandalorian too, her Master’s wishes be damned.
The door to the Mandalorian’s quarters suddenly opened and Shin stopped pacing, her hand automatically reaching for her lightsaber as the other woman walked out. Her stride faltered slightly when she saw Shin; clearly, she hadn’t been expecting her to be standing guard outside her door. The corner of her mouth turned up slightly in disdain as Shin felt a wave of annoyance roll off of her. But before she could move to block the other woman’s path, she was striding away from her down the corridor.
“Hey!” Shin called after her, reaching out and snatching her arm so she couldn’t get away. “Where the hell do you think you’re going?”
With a quickness Shin didn’t realize the other woman possessed, she turned and Shin suddenly found herself being forced back against the bulkhead, the other woman’s forearm pressing against her throat, pinning her in place.
“Do it,” the Mandalorian said, her voice low and dangerous. “I know you want to.”
Shin’s grip tightened on her lightsaber, which was currently pressed into the Mandalorian’s stomach. She’d reacted on instinct and drawn it, Baylan’s warning the only thing keeping her from igniting it. Her Master’s wrath would be swift and fierce if she disobeyed him.
Suddenly, the Mandalorian’s free hand covered hers over top of the hilt, forcing it even farther into her belly as she shifted closer to Shin, a strength that belied her lithe frame holding Shin in place. It was menacing and threatening and every bit of a dare to call Shin’s bluff.
Shockingly, instead of being furious, all Shin felt was…intrigued. She knew the Mandalorian was reckless—walking into the henge and facing off with Baylan on Seatos proved that—but this was on another level. Shin could sense that she didn’t have a death wish; no, there was something else at play here. Overconfidence maybe? Regardless, it was a bold move and one that Shin found herself almost grudgingly respecting in spite of herself.
When it became obvious that Shin wasn’t going to ignite the saber, the Mandalorian’s lip faintly twitched into something very close to a smug smile. The flash of anger that passed through Shin at seeing that nearly caused her to hit the ignition switch anyway; sheer discipline was the only thing that stopped her.
The other woman seemed to realize she was now pushing her luck and the pressure on Shin’s neck eased slightly. “Now…I’m going to go for a walk,” she stated. “You can either join me since I know you don’t want to let me out of your sight…or you can piss off and leave me alone. Your choice.”
And with that, she let go of Shin entirely and started striding down the corridor again. “Oh and if you do decide to join me, don’t be weird and follow me,” she called over her shoulder. “You can walk with me, like a normal person.”
Shin stared at her retreating back, unsure of what she should do. She really didn’t want to let the Mandalorian out of her sight, lest she do something to sabotage the Eye, but walking with her? Absurd. They weren’t friends.
Cursing to herself, Shin hurried after the other woman. This is going to be a very long week.
*********
Sabine knew that the other woman—Shin, her name was, right? She was pretty sure that was what she’d heard her Master call her back on Seatos—would join her. Undoubtedly to make sure she didn’t do anything rash, like sabotage the hyperdrive, but she didn’t have to worry: Sabine had no intention of doing something like that. Not when she was this close.
Nearly a decade. That’s how long it had been since she had seen her friend, her brother, her—well, she wasn’t ready to face those feelings quite yet. Despite the fact that Ezra had seemed absolutely certain that Sabine would find him and bring him home, she’d never, ever believed that she could. So when she’d been presented with the chance to actually fulfill her promise to him…
Ahsoka would never forgive her. If she’d even survived her fall, which Sabine doubted. Watching her go over the edge, knowing that there was nothing she could do to stop it, save for the one thing she couldn’t bring herself to do…the guilt ate at her. She’d told Ahsoka she could count on her and in the end…it’d been a complete lie. She’d let her Master down, the one person who truly believed in her. Besides Hera, of course.
And now she was stuck on this massive hyperspace ring, with people who wanted to kill her. Well, maybe only one person. The same person who was awkwardly walking next to her as she meandered aimlessly down the corridor. She had no destination in mind, but she couldn’t stay cooped up in her room any longer with only her guilty thoughts to keep her company. And besides…knowing the layout of this thing could come in handy once they reached Peridea. Especially since she had a feeling that, despite Baylan’s insistence that no harm would come to her, that promise wouldn’t be valid once they found Thrawn.
Thrawn. The very last thing the galaxy needed was that monster returning to reinvigorate the scattered Imperial remnants. Sabine knew this, knew how high the stakes were, and yet…she still couldn’t destroy the map. She wouldn't have been able to live with herself, knowing she’d be the reason Ezra would never come home. She just hoped that selfish decision hadn’t doomed the entire galaxy.
“So what does your Master want with Thrawn?” she asked Shin, half out of actual curiosity and also wanting to break the awkward, heavy silence between them. If she was going to be stuck on this ring for however long it took them to get to Peridea, then she might as well see if she could get on at least one person’s good side. It might just save her and Ezra’s life. Not exactly the allies she was hoping for, but desperate times and all that.
She hadn’t really been expecting an answer—you didn’t need to be Force-sensitive to discern that Shin despised her mere existence—so she was mildly surprised when she received a grunt and a clipped, “I don’t know” in response.
Sabine shot her a dubious look. “You don’t know or you’re not going to tell me?”
“It doesn’t concern you.”
Sabine scoffed slightly. The woman was like talking to a durasteel wall. Granted, they’d been trying to kill each other mere hours ago, but hey, now they were stuck on a giant ring flying through hyperspace to another kriffing galaxy. Might as well try and make the best of it before things got crazy again. And they undoubtedly would, the moment they located Thrawn.
“Look,” Sabine said, stopping and turning on her, “like it or not, we’re in this together now. So you can either deal with that or continue to sulk like a child. Not my problem. But I’m not your enemy. I never was. Thrawn is the enemy. How can you people not see that?”
Shin pursed her lips. “So you say.”
“You have no idea how dangerous he is,” Sabine said, taking a menacing step toward Shin despite herself. “What he’s capable of. The Empire cannot be allowed to return. You and your Master, of all people, should understand why.”
There. That did it. A very small reaction, but a telling one. Despite their allegiance with one, there was no way that either Shin or her Master weren’t hunted by those same Inquisitors during the time of the Empire. They were Force-users, the same as Kanan and Ezra. Darksiders—as Ahsoka had referred to them—or not, it would’ve made no difference to the Inquisitors. At least not from what Kanan and Ezra had told her. And judging by Shin’s reaction just now, her assumption wasn’t that far off the mark.
“Things will be different this time.”
Sabine let out a derisive snort. “You’re fooling yourself if you actually believe that.”
A sneer started forming on Shin’s lips and Sabine silently patted herself on the back. So the woman could emote when she was pressed hard enough. It was nice to know she wasn’t a completely emotionless clone of her Master.
“And the New Republic is any better?” Shin shot back.
“At least they allow you to exist.”
The words hung in the air, carrying all the weight that Sabine had intended them to. She could tell she’d struck a nerve and now, she was going to push that advantage as far as she could.
“Could you say the same thing about the Empire?” she added, moments later.
Shin continued to stare at her, but Sabine could see the doubt begin to creep into her eyes. My job here is done. That’s all she needed to do for now. Sow a seed of doubt into the Padawan’s mind and maybe, just maybe, they could avoid a galactic disaster once they reached Peridea. She had no idea how much sway Shin’s opinion held with her Master—and if it was anything like her and Ahsoka’s relationship, then it wasn’t much—but she had nothing to lose right now.
When it became apparent Shin had nothing to say, Sabine sighed. “Does this thing have a galley or anything on it? I’m starving.”
It took Shin a few more moments and Sabine could almost see her mind shifting gears. Grudgingly, she nodded.
“Care to show me where it is?” Sabine asked since the other woman clearly wasn’t going to take the initiative.
It was blatantly obvious the last thing Shin wanted to do was play tour guide for her; the smug, petty part of her ego was singing right now as she continued to push the other woman’s buttons, knowing there wasn’t a damn thing Shin could do to retaliate.
Be careful…you’re going to push her too far. The whispered warning came in Ahsoka’s voice, floating through her mind and Sabine inwardly grimaced. Duly noted, she sarcastically thought back.
Finally, Shin turned on her heel and started stalking off down the hall, back in the direction they’d just come from. Smiling to herself, Sabine followed her. This is going to get very interesting.
*********
“Shin?” Shin looked over at the doorway to the galley to find her Master standing there. “A word?”
Shin glanced at Sabine, who up until a few moments ago had been eating and thoroughly ignoring her, before shoving off of the galley’s counter and walking over to Baylan, who immediately led her out of the galley and into the corridor.
“What do you think you’re doing?” he demanded, as soon as they were alone and she had to resist the urge to flinch at his harsh tone. “I told you to leave her alone.”
“I didn’t think it wise to let her wander around the ship unsupervised,” she replied, knowing it was a weak excuse for disobeying him.
Baylan didn’t need to say anything for Shin to feel how angry he was with her. It was all she could do to not cower from him. He continued to gaze at her for several more moments before speaking again.
“Go to the bridge and check on Morgan. See if there’s anything she needs. After that, head to the training room. I will meet you there shortly.”
Shin inclined her head slightly. “Yes, Master.” She sulked off, knowing what was in store for her once Baylan arrived in the training room. A lesson in discipline, no doubt, and likely a harsh one. But one she deserved, after blatantly disobeying him. It wasn’t something she did often—he’d beaten that urge out of her a long time ago—but this time, something was compelling her to.
It didn’t matter. She’d accept her punishment and move on, just as she’d done countless times before. She hated disappointing him; he was the closest thing to a father she’d ever really had. At least since she’d been young. He expected a lot of her and rightfully so: she was ”gifted”—that was what her mother had called her.
She’d quickly learned that “gifted” meant “different” and “different” meant “hunted” but Baylan had changed all that. He’d shown her that her gifts could be used to defend herself, to strike back at those who sought to destroy her. She would forever be in his debt for everything that he’d taught her.
But she still didn’t trust his decision to leave the Mandalorian alone.
**********
“You didn’t have to send her away,” Sabine said as Baylan walked into the galley. “She wasn’t bothering me.”
Baylan seemed to consider this for a moment as he poured himself a glass of water. “She has duties elsewhere.”
Vague and cryptic. Typical. He reminded her very much of Ahsoka, just more…miserable. Must be a Jedi thing. But as brooding and gloomy as Ahsoka was (and as Kanan could sometimes be), this guy took it to another level.
“So, since you don’t seem to think I’m a threat now, any chance I can get my lightsaber and blasters back?” Sabine asked. He’d allowed her to keep her vambraces, even after Shin had tried protesting that they were weapons as well.
Baylan smiled thinly at her. “Nice try. But no. You can have them back once we reach Peridea.”
“And when might that be?”
“In about a week.”
Sabine felt her eyes go wide. A week? A week! A week stuck on this thing with these guys. Suddenly, giving them the map didn’t seem like such a great idea after all. But…then again…they were jumping between galaxies. She wasn’t sure what she expected. It took days to get from one side of their own galaxy to the other.
“You look disappointed,” Baylan observed.
“I guess I didn’t realize it would take that long.” And now that she was really thinking about it, how in the hell would Ezra and Thrawn have survived such a long jump like that, hitched to the back of a purrgil?
“You’re worried.” Another acute observation by the brooding man in armor and Sabine had to fight the urge to roll her eyes.
“Of course I am,” she shot back. “I have no idea what we’re about to walk into. Anyone with a brain would be worried.” She cocked her head slightly. “Your Padawan sure is.”
Ha. That remark had an effect. A very slight one, but one nonetheless. A slight pursing of Baylan’s lips, as if that was news to him. Or maybe it wasn’t and he was just choosing not to address it. Either way, he seemed a little troubled by it.
“Shin has her doubts,” Baylan finally admitted, much to Sabine’s surprise. “As all Padawan’s do. You were no different.”
There it was again, that arrogance of his. The absolute certainty of his statement grated on her, the way he seemed to know everything about her when he really knew nothing at all. She wasn’t sure if he was able to read her thoughts or if it was something else, but either way, it was annoying as hell.
“Are, I think you meant to say,” Sabine replied. “I am no different. Present tense. Not past.”
And again, another flicker of emotion from him. This time, annoyance. “Your Master is dead.”
Feigning nonchalance that she certainly didn’t feel (but she hoped Baylan wouldn’t pick up on), she shrugged, before looking him dead in the eye and holding his gaze.
“Many others have tried to kill Ahsoka…all have failed. You’re just another failure in a long line of them.”
A very faint smile tugged at his lips as he set his now-empty glass on the counter and turned back to her. “We’ll see.” And with that, he stalked out of the galley without another word.
Sabine watched him go, feeling a nervous pit settling into her stomach. She didn’t want to believe that Ahsoka was dead. She couldn’t allow herself to believe it. Not if she was going to have any hope of surviving this and saving Ezra and bringing him home.
Her Master was still alive. She could feel it. She might be the worst Force-user Huyang had ever seen, but that daft droid didn’t understand—couldn’t understand—the connection she and Ahsoka had. And as tenuous as it still was, given all the history they shared between them, it was still strong enough for Sabine to know.
Ahsoka was alive. And she would find a way to make it back to her Padawan. She had to because the alternative was too painful to bear.