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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Saga Where Jedi Go to Die (Star Wars: Rebels, Ezra, Kanan, post-FATG, one shot)

Discussion in 'Fan Fiction- Before, Saga, and Beyond' started by AngelQueen, May 4, 2015.

  1. AngelQueen

    AngelQueen Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 1, 2001
    Title: Where Jedi Go to Die
    Author: AngelQueen
    Rating: PG
    Characters: Ezra Bridger, Kanan Jarrus
    Disclaimer: Star Wars is property of Lucasfilm and Disney (really, who saw that one coming?). I make no claim on them and write this purely for entertainment purposes. No copyright infringement intended.
    Author's Note: My first attempt at writing for Rebels. Hold me. ;)
    Summary: "He said Mustafar is the place where Jedi go to die."



    “What did you mean, about Mustafar?”

    The question comes out of nowhere, jarring Kanan out of his meditation. He opens his eyes slowly before turning his gaze on his Padawan, who manages to look both sheepish and curious at the same time. “What are you talking about?”

    “You told Hera that Mustafar was the place… where Jedi go to die,” Ezra elaborates. “What did you mean?”

    Kanan winces at the description, and doesn’t answer at first. He doesn’t remember much about that conversation, due to being rip-roaring drunk at the time. It had occurred after a particularly rough mission, before any of the others had joined them in their fight against the Empire. He knows the others have seen some of the depravity that the Empire is capable of, but he sincerely hopes that Sabine, Zeb, and particularly Ezra never see what he and Hera saw on that mission.

    “How much do you know about the end of the Clone Wars, Ezra?” he finally asks.

    The kid shrugs. “The basics, I guess. The Emperor turned the Republic into the Empire, declared the Jedi traitors. They were hunted down and killed.” He doesn’t turn his sharp blue gaze away. “What does that have to do with Mustafar?”

    Kanan sighs, runs his hand over his head. He won’t be meditating any time soon, it seems. He shifts out of his meditation pose and stands up. Zeb, Sabine, and Hera are all off with Fulcrum - holy kriff it’s Ahsoka Tano - making friends with the other rebel cells or whatever, something he’s grateful for. He’d rather not have to talk about this in front of Tano.

    “Those days were mass chaos,” he explains. “The Jedi were being hunted down like wild animals, and no one seemed to care. They were all too grateful that the war was just finally over.” He struggles to suppress the bitterness in his voice. Holding a grudge over how easily the Jedi were thrown away by the people they’d defended for a millennium will do no one any good. He needs to save his ire for those who really deserve it.

    “Vader’s hunting of the Jedi was brutal, even back then,” Kanan continues. “He slaughtered any Jedi he came across.” He closes his eyes, not having to think very hard to imagine the terror and the pain of his fellow Jedi were murdered.

    Ezra doesn’t say anything for once, just waits with an unusual patience. Kanan is grateful for that. Mustafar, to be honest, is a more a quivering mass of misery than an actual planet within the Force. It’s been over a decade since the Republic’s fall and whatever confrontation happened down there on the surface, but it still reverberates through the Force, a series of keening wails of pain and lightsabers clashing in a deadly dance. In the rare moments the Inquisitor had left off torturing him, Kanan had actually been able to discern the horror that still lingered there.

    “Vader came to Mustafar on that first day,” Kanan finally says. “It’s believed he killed the Separatist leaders that were hiding there… and a Jedi who went there to stop him.”

    Ezra cocks his head. “Who?”

    Kanan takes a deep breath, and then slowly lets it slide out between teeth that want so badly to clench. “Obi-Wan Kenobi.”

    To the boy’s credit, it only takes him a second to recognize the name and his eyes grow wide. “He… the Jedi on the holocron…”

    Kanan nods. “Kenobi… he was considered the greatest Jedi of his generation.” He crosses the room and settles down in the chair. “He and his former Padawan, Anakin Skywalker, were practically the poster boys for the Order throughout the war. They were… brilliant. Together or apart, they seemed to accomplish things that… defied imagination. They were brothers.”

    Kanan doesn’t add that they were closer to one another than most Jedi ever were. He remembers Master Depa talking about it with her own master once, when they thought he wasn’t there to overhear, remembers Master Windu’s mouth being tight with disapproval and Master Depa’s eyes being shadowed with worry.

    “It’s not… entirely certain how or where Skywalker died,” Kanan goes on as Ezra follows his example in seating himself. “My master and I weren’t on Coruscant when Order Sixty-Six came down, and most of what I heard was speculation and rumor…”

    “What was it?”

    At least he isn’t asking what all this had to do with Mustafar anymore. “It’s thought that Skywalker died during the Temple Massacre. Kenobi was on Utapau at the time, taking out General Grievous. He survived Order Sixty-Six and his troops turning on him. He somehow got back to Coruscant and into the Temple to send out the message to warn any other survivors away.”

    For several moments, neither Kanan nor Ezra says anything, each lost in their thoughts. Then, slowly, Ezra asks, “So… you think Kenobi saw Skywalker’s body in the Temple and ran off to Mustafar to avenge him?” Before Kanan can utter any kind of denial, Ezra shakes his head. “No, that can’t be right. Jedi don’t seek revenge…”

    The corner of Kanan’s mouth twitches faintly and he nods. “You’re learning.” He then sighs. “I don’t know how or why Kenobi ended up on Mustafar, but during my time as Tarkin’s… guest, I had a vision or two, and I’m certain Kenobi was down there. He confronted Vader.”

    “… and here we are, years later, and Vader is still terrorizing the galaxy,” Ezra finishes.

    He looks at the boy. “One of the greatest of the Jedi met his end down there, kid. Something like that leaves a mark.”

    There’s really nothing to say after that.

    ----

    So Ezra and Kanan almost get it, but not quite... ;)
     
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  2. Briannakin

    Briannakin Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Feb 25, 2010
    Oh, interesting how Kanan tries to figure out the facts from the hearsay evidence. I think, in an ironic twist, he sorta got it right. This was my first time reading a Rebels fanfic, but I think you did a wonderful job.
     
  3. taramidala

    taramidala Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 18, 1999
    Very nice! I'm still finding my way into Rebels fic, and I think you wrote them very realistically here. Like you said, and Bri said, they've...almost got it. Well done on a first Rebels piece!
     
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  4. JediMara77

    JediMara77 Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 5, 2004
    Love it. The "Where Jedi go to die" reference was so out of left field and I'm really hoping we get that explanation, either on the show or in the Kanan comic.

    And it'll be really interesting to see if Kanan does recognize Ahsoka come the Season 2 premiere.
     
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  5. AngelQueen

    AngelQueen Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 1, 2001
    Briannakin - Thank you! I've always wondered just how well-known the details were of what happened in the early days after Order 66 came down. Palpatine seemed keen on painting the Jedi as black as possible, but he also seemed to be in a hurry to have the galaxy forget about them too. So I imagine that he'd keep as many details as he could quiet, hence why there being a big question mark in regards to the fate of Anakin Skywalker. And since the duel on Mustafar was epic in its tragedy, I imagine it would leave a huge mark in the Force, enough that even a half-trained Jedi like Kanan would still pick up on it if he was close enough. So Kanan's visions likely showed him hints about what went on down there, but since he's relied on the rumors of what Vader was up to back then, he's not quite getting the context right. But you're right - he was still very close. One of the greatest of the Jedi met his end down on Mustafar, just not his final end and not the one Kanan thought.

    taramidala - Thanks! :) I'm still inching my way into Rebels fic too, particularly since most of it is mainly Hera/Kanan stuff and I'm more interested in gen team fic with a hint of ship (you know, like canon), but it was fun to write Kanan and Ezra talking about the angst of the Jedi and Order 66.

    JediMara77 - Thank you! I absolutely loved Hera's line, hence why I ended up writing this scene. I really hope they explore a little bit more of what exactly Kanan knows about the fall of the Order and what was going on with the major players at the time. As for whether Kanan recognizes Ahsoka, I think he might at least know of her. Even if he doesn't know her as the Chosen One's one-time apprentice, her involvement with the Temple bombing and her subsequent expulsion from the order and trial probably brought her name to the attention of a lot of people. So I think it's possible he knows her name, however limited on how much he knows about the details of her life during the war. Here's hoping there's some hint of what Kanan knows in the coming season. :D
     
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  6. jcgoble3

    jcgoble3 Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Nov 7, 2010
    I love this scene. I think you nailed both Kanan and Ezra perfectly here. I love how the effects of Anakin and Obi-Wan's epic duel still reverberates in the Force 15 years later, and how Kanan sensed it and tried to figure out what happened. I wonder if he'll ever know the truth about that duel, and about Vader's identity.
     
  7. AngelQueen

    AngelQueen Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 1, 2001
    jcgoble3 - Thank you! I definitely think that the tragedy of the duel would be something that would linger in the Force even years after the fact. As for whether or not Kanan will ever learn the truth, I suppose that depends on what kind of continuity Disney wants to build. I think in the original EU it became pretty well known that Anakin Skywalker became Darth Vader, but who knows what will go on in the new continuity.
     
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  8. Kahara

    Kahara FFoF Hostess Extraordinaire star 4 VIP - Game Host

    Registered:
    Mar 3, 2001
    I had also wondered about that comment of Hera's. This is a great explanation for how she might have come to hear that description of Mustafar. It's always nice when it's taken into account that not everyone knows the exact events of the movies -- much would only ever be half-explained at best. Love how Kanan got it both right and wrong; in a way he's absolutely correct.

    Gah. A thousand times ouch. :eek:

    Also, yay Rebels fic! (I am way too addicted to that cartoon show. :p)
     
  9. AngelQueen

    AngelQueen Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 1, 2001
    Kahara - Heh, indeed, Kanan was both right and wrong. A great Jedi fell down there, just not the one he presumed it was. So glad you also liked Kanan's description of The Team. I kind of sobbed a little when I wrote it, because oh my, feels. And I totally understand your addiction. I'm a fellow sufferer. :D
     
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  10. Gemma

    Gemma Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Dec 25, 2013
    This really great characterization and your topic of their discussion - WOW!
     
  11. AngelQueen

    AngelQueen Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 1, 2001
  12. Ewok Poet

    Ewok Poet Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    Jul 31, 2014
    W...wow. What a mindkriff. They aaaaalmost got it...and then they didn't. Yet, the vision in the end might as well be about that OTHER duel.

    Also, you ace present tense stories, in case I never said so. :)
     
  13. AngelQueen

    AngelQueen Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 1, 2001
    Ewok Poet: *blushes* Thank you! Present tense can be so much fun to write. :)
     
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  14. divapilot

    divapilot Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 30, 2005
    Not quite, but then again, how very, very accurate. And the thought of this -compounded with the fact that he will never truly know - still haunts Kanan to this day.

    Such a good little piece! Powerful and tightly written. How did I miss it the first time around?
     
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  15. AngelQueen

    AngelQueen Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 1, 2001
    divapilot: Thank you! :D So glad you liked it! Heh, I suppose that's kind of the point, that Kanan is just a little off the mark. He's going on what little information he has, plus his own interpretations of his visions. Not quite right, but still close. :) Not sure how you missed it when it was first posted, but I'm glad you've seen it now! :D
     
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  16. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2004
    Excellent debut into Rebels characters and situations. A very plausible topic and very intriguing how the details got all turned sideways [face_laugh] but of course it's to Vader's and the Emperor's advantage that the exact nature of what transpired has been changed/strongly edited ;)
     
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  17. AngelQueen

    AngelQueen Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 1, 2001
    Nyota's Heart: Thanks! Heh, I suppose it's kind of Star Wars tradition that things get turned sideways. "You'll find that many of the truths we cling to depend greatly on our own point of view." :ben:
     
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