A Sword to Pass
is a Star Wars Rebels fanfiction by evilchickenfoot taking place years after the series. The story explores many expects of the Mandalorian culture. With internal struggles and external ones. With Clan Wren being pulled into a possible conflict under House Vizsla. Rau is keeping a watchful eye on Vizsla while helping Bo-katan deal with all the clans and the Republic breathing down her neck. And in the middle of it all is Ezra and Sabine. Being pulled into the matters while trying to deal with the feeling they have for one another but being unable to spit it out.
evilchickenfoot has made fan art and comics on their Deviant Art page shadow130wolf that they have incorporated into the story.
This fanfiction contains examples of:
- Affectionate Gesture to the Head: On his arrival on Krownest, Tyr Vizsla approaches Sabine and comments how he hasn't seen her since she was a baby and begins to rub her head. This only confuses everyone else, especially Sabine. This is forshadowing that he is her biological father.
- Ambadassador: Elair Hayon and Alekos Kallus are this for the New Republic to negotiate with Bo-katan, with Ezra as a Jedi escort.
- Anger Born of Worry: Ezra is a little upset at Sabine for hiding away for two weeks.
- Angsty Surviving Twin: Ursa’s rather jaded few of Jedi comes from one killing her twin sister.
- Attack Its Weak Point:
- Tristan kills his and Alrich’s assailant by stabbing him through in the neck, bypassing the armor.
- Ezra, likewise, is able to kill the Mandalorian assassins by shooting and stabbing through the gaps in their armor.
- Better to Die than Be Killed: After his failed attempt to get himself or Senator Hayon killed by fanatical Mandalorians, Alekos kills Haylon himself and reveals that he is an Imperial Remnant spy and then shoots himself.
- Big Brother Instinct: Inverted, Tristan is very angry over Sabine getting hurt. He is particularly angry at himself for not doing anything about it. His mother however reminds him that he isn’t the older sibling.
- Big Dam Plot: Ursa’s mission was to scout out a fortified dam called Cinmer’kel on Shor territory for Vizsla.
- Bilingual Bonus: A lot of Mando'a is used in the story, the use of a translator can reveal a lot. Especially the word cyare, which gets brought up a few times in regard to Sabine and Ezra. It means beloved.
- Booby Trap: Once their mission is done Ursa’s team leaves their excess equipment behind by burying them with explosives so anyone who digs them up will get a nasty surprise.
- Boom, Headshot!: Near the end of Ursa’s mission Torva is hit in the head by a sniper. It is unclear if his beskar was enough to protect him from the force of the impact.
- Break the Cutie: Sabine has had a serious blow to her self-esteem after she was injured.
- The Cameo: Having been mentioned a few times before, Leia shows up in chapter 34 to reassure a nervous Hera to trust that Elair can accomplish her mission and listens to Elair's report.
- Cannot Spit It Out: Many of Ezra and Sabine’s private interactions end up leading to these kinds of moments.
- Cassandra Truth: It doesn’t help that he lied the first two times but when Ezra tells Sabine that he got the beskar knife she found on him from her mother she doesn’t believe him.
- Later she starts to suspect he was telling the truth when she is alone with her mother.
- Then she goes into denial. Thinking her mother would never trust Ezra.
- Later she starts to suspect he was telling the truth when she is alone with her mother.
- The Chains of Commanding: Ursa defiantly has a lot on her plate. From internal matters to external ones. Then there are family related issues on top of that. She also has the burden of sometimes making decisions she doesn’t won’t to make. When she exiled Sabine years prior Alrich went to confront her on it in private only to find her absolutely devastated by the decision.
- Chekhov's Gun:
- Earlier in the story it is stated that Alrich has his own armor but doesn’t often wear it. Come chapter 38, while he and Tristan are investigating sabotage, they come under attack form the perpetrator and they take a swing with a knife at Alrich which he uses his arm to protect himself and reveals that he is wearing his armor under his clothes.
- Within the same fight the hidden blade that Ursa gave Tristan comes in handy when he stabs the saboteur in the throat several times.
- Ezra’s Baskar knife comes in handy against a Mandalorian assassin when he doesn’t have his lightsaber
- Children Are Innocent: Mandalorian children are still children who play a little rough. Being children also means they are not the fighters that the teenagers and adults are and are frightened when a vicious animal comes after them.
- Classified Information: Ezra catches Elair in the Mandalor palace communication room with a data spike. He deamnds to know who she is stealing information for, but Elair says she can't say but it's for the "good guys".
- Clothing-Concealed Injury: After Sabine was injured she wears her helmet to hid it the scar. This doesn’t stop Ezra from removing it to see the bandages.
- Concept Art Gallery: evilchickenfoot has some artwork of the animals that show up in the story on their Deviant Art page.
- Cover Identity Anomaly: When Tristan and his father find the saboteur in the Industrial district the man identifies himself as a member of House Vizsla by showing the insignia on his armor. However, Tristan points out that the insignia is upside down. The saboteur questions this showing that he is in fact not a member of House Vizsla.
- Curb-Stomp Battle: Sabine is completely one shotted by Tyr.
- Darker and Edgier: The beginning of the story is light and humorous with some tense moments. After Ezra and Sabine get injured, the story starts to get darker and more tense.
- Dating What Daddy Hates: A male example, Alrich returns home for the first time since he ran off. He is met by his father, Adger, and when he tries to enter the house with Tristan, Adger stops [[Tristan]] from entering because he is a warrior (Adger is a pacifist). Alrich reveals that Tristan is his son and in doing so reveals that he married a warrior. This causes Adger to kick him back out and a scuffle breaks out. Alrich mother come’s in and puts in end to it. Welcoming her son and grandson into the home.
- Dead Guy Junior: Sabine was named after her late aunt. Whether she is aware of this or not isn’t known.
- Defrosting Ice Queen: Somehow Ursa fell in love with Alrich. He makes her smile and is a good father. She is also quite playful in private with him.
- Did Not Think This Through: Sabine attacking the head of the house would have had some serious consequences if not for guest rights. Not to mention him being a more skilled fighter led to her being injured.
- Disapproving Look: Usra gives one to Sabine during the dinner in chapter four, Rau suspects that the mother was aware of the fight nearly about to break out between her children.
- Dream Sequence: The chapter Cursed Genius is this as well as being a Flashback to when Sabine tested The Dutchess, which was supposed to be a mining equipment but instead killed the Mandalorians present. Following this she leaves the academy after destroying everything about it and returns home only to be banished. Sabine wakes up thinking she back to that time, but her mother quickly brings her back to the present.
- Dramatic Shattering: Tyr starts to break things in his office and slamming his fist into the table after his heated conversation with Ursa.
- Dueling Scar: Sabine is scared after her very brief duel against Tyr.
- Dude Where Is My Respect: Subverted, Tyr Vizsla was ready to kill Ezra just for being a Jedi, one of his people are grateful to Ezra for protecting the little girl he saved from wolfs because she is kin to him.
- Ear Notch: As part of the Dueling Scar above Sabine lost a bit of her ear.
- Easily Forgiven: When Elair Hayon comes to Ezra to apologies for her earlier behavior towards him; he forgives her right away much to her surprise. She actually rather annoyed by it because she had a whole speech planned.
- "Eureka!" Moment: Rau and Bo-katan have one when the conversation for a representative for the pacifist moves to the Wrens. They both realize that Alrich would be the perfect person to find a suitable representative and that no one would dare to assassinate such a high profiled member of House Vizsla.
- Everyone Can See It: Everyone can tell that there is more to Ezra and Sabine’s relationship then just being close friends. Neither of them will admit it though.
- Every Scar Has a Story: Ursa’s recon team start to bond with Sabine over their scars with tales that just sound silly and embarrassing. Which contrast with her’s as it was gained in a fight.
- Everything Trying to Kill You: Ezra has been on the business end of a territorial stag, vicious hungry wolfs and two trolling Mandalorian siblings.
- Eye Scream: There is a chance that Sabine could lose her eye from the injury she obtained from Tyr.
- Usra threatens to take his if this happens.
- Failed a Spot Check: When exploring the Wren library Ezra completely missed Alrich sitting at a table nearby until he makes his presence known scaring the boy much to the older man’s amusement.
- Fantastic Racism: A lot of Mandalorian still hold a grudge against jedi over past transgressions. Some however hold much deeper wounds.
- Ursa’s resistance to pleasantries to Ezra stems from a Jedi killing her sister, Sabine.
- Tyr absolutely hates Jedi for the same reason. Upon learning that Ezra is a Jedi Tyr wants to kill him. He only stops because of guest rights and that is after he injured Sabine for getting in his way.
- Flashback: Some chapters tell of how Alrich came to know Ursa during her time in Death Watch.
- Flipping the Bird: Kallus suspects that Chopper was doing this when Hara put her foot down and ordered him to stay on the Ghost while they were on Krownest.
- Foreshadowing: When Bo-katan mentions how Sabine looks nothing like her father Rau is perplexed by this and inquires but gets no answer. It is later revealed that Alrich is not Sabine’s biological father. Her actual father is Tyr Vizsla. His behavior towards Sabine when he arrives on Krownest is also a hint to this.
- Friend to All Children: Ezra has a lot of fun playing with the Mandalorian children and Jacen. They have fun in return in snowball fights and chasing him.
- Good Stepfather: Even though Sabine isn't aware that Alrich isn't her biological father he has been a great one for her, inspiring her love of art.
- Go Through Me: Sabine won’t let Tyr kill Ezra so when he makes in intent known Sabine rises to challenge him. It backfires badly.
- Gun Nut: When Rex scuffs at getting a cane Sabine suggest that she could turn one into a blaster. He is actually rather taken by the idea.
- Happily Married: Alrich and Ursa have a very good relationship and confide and support one another. The fact that Ursa lets her guard down and is playful with Alrich says it all.
- Headbutt of Love: Before they part ways when Ezra has to leave to take on a Jedi mission, Sabine hides her affection behind her customs and language by placing her head against his and saying goodbye to him while calling him “cyare”. It’s very touching as both have just endured some trauma, Sabine especially, and they don’t really know when they will see each other again.
- Height Angst: A number of times Sabine laments that others are taller than her. This also serves a subtle hint that she was born prematurely.
- Hide Your Otherness: Ezra is advised to keep his Jedi skills to a minimum while on Krownest because some of the Mandalorians will not take kindly to a Jedi being around. This comes to a head when Tyr finds out and wants to kill him.
- Hidden Weapons: Ursa gives Tristan a hidden blade for his arm brace due to his father’s insistence that he doesn’t need a armed escort for a diplomatic mission. This blade comes in handy when they are attacked by a saboteur which Tristan uses the blade to stab them in the throat.
- Hostile Animatronics: When in training mode, Sparky can be quite vicious as Sabine found out the hard way. Outside of training mode he is quite friendly.
- Human Shield: Ezra uses himself as one to protect a child from a wolf, resulting in him getting seriously injured but the child is left on harmed.
- Hypocrite: Members of Ursa’s recon team tell Sabine that Morrok is a hypocrite for saying she is shameful and should have been executed when he himself was spared after a duel to the death.
- Hypocritical Humor: Ezra calling Luke a kid, and later a brat, for making master before him, even though he is only a couple days older and acts like a kid at times himself.
- "I Can't Look!" Gesture: Averted, Kallus didn't want to watch Sabine getting maimed but was to transfixed on the moment to close his eyes.
- Indirect Kiss: Putting on someone’s helmet on for them is a very intimate act to Mandalorian. Ezra ended up doing this for Sabine without knowing that, causing her to run off to her task very quickly. She is flustered by this because he might as well have kissed her on the lips.
- Alrich has done this for Ursa, symbolizing the intimacy of their relationship.
- Insistent Terminology: When Rau and Bo-katan talk about who the Jedi escort is for the Republic Senators is she points out that most of the Jedi she knew are dead. He mentions Ahsoka to which she says doesn’t count as Ahsoka left the order.
- In the Back: Alekos kills Haylon by shooting her in the back.
- In-Universe Catharsis: Given what Vizsla did to Sabine Tristan is rather pissed off at him. When he and his father run into a saboteur who is posing as a member of House Vizsla, Tristan is looking forward to the fight.
- Jedi Mind Trick: Brought up rather humorously when Sabine contemplates on rather or not to take Ezra on a supply run to another clan then he waves his hand in her face. Assuming he was attemptings this she grabs his arm and gives him a twist. He is quick to say he was joking and how he would never actually do that to her. Also, that it wouldn’t work on her anyways.
- Jerkass: Morrok is an outright asshole to Sabine. Seeing her as a traitor and if she wasn’t Ursa’s daughter she would have been executed. Sadly, this has an impact on Sabine’s self-esteem as she has had such thoughts in the back of her mind.
- Let's Split Up, Gang!: Once they have been discovered by a Shor patrol, Usea has the team split up to take out the enemy but has Sabine take Torva and head for the boarder.
- Like Mother, Like Daughter: People note that Sabine is a lot like Ursa. Alrich is able to point out some similarities in his first meeting with Ursa with Ezra’s first meeting with Sabine.
- Love at First Punch: Years ago, Alrich stowed away on a ship that just happened to belong to Death’s Hand when he was found it was Ursa that found him and punched him in the face. The two would eventually fall in love a marry each other.
- Love-Obstructing Parents: Ursa isn’t really a fan of Ezra, she isn’t hostile but doesn’t appear to approve of the relationship between him and her daughter. Alrich is an aversion to this, he is generally supportive of Ezra and encourages Ursa to give him a chance.
- Lured into a Trap: Ezra can tell that Alekos is luring him and Haylon into something with his heightened senses. Then they come under attack by fanatical Mandalorians. Ezra is able to defeat them. So, Alekos kills Haylon and then kills himself rather than be taken prisoner.
- Mama Bear
- Hara of course has this for her son but due to the plot of the story most of her mama bear is shown for Ezra and Sabine.
- Bo-katan has a bit of this for Korkie. Rau suspects that the reason she won’t let her nephew represent the pacifist in her summits is to keep him from being assassinated.
- Ursa has protectiveness for Sabine when it comes to Tyr Vizsla. She is absolutely furious at him when he injures Sabine. His daughter.
- Manipulative Bastard: A rather positive example. Alrich gets his father to visit Korkie in which Korkie gets a data disk with a list of supporters and reason to bring back the Old Guard of the time of Satine in order to police and protect the people. At the same time Alrich visited Bo-katan with a bribe of alcohol to get her to consider bring back the Old Guard. Bo-ktan takes that and uses it as a Secret Test of Character to see if Korkie is committed to his cause. He is.
- Mark of Shame: Sabine feels the scar gained from the duel against Tyr is one for how easily she fell.
- The Mole:
- Rau has one in Vizsla ranks who overhears an interesting conversation between Tyr and Ursa.
- Senator Alekos Kallus was an Imperial Remnant spy.
- Not So Above It All: Ursa puts a snap trap in Alrich’s bag. Best part is he knows it’s there but sticks his hand in anyways.
- Off with His Head!: How Ursa’s sister, Sabine, met their end to a Jedi.
- Prank Punishment: Mess with Sabine and she’ll sabotage your shampoo with dye, particularly pink dye.
- Pregnant Badass: Ursa was pregnant with Sabine while out on a mission. However, this led to the implied premature birth.
- Premature Birth Drama: It is implied that Sabine was born premature.
- Properly Paranoid: Annoyed and worried that Alrich doesn’t want an armed escort to his diplomacy mission, Ursa gives Tristan a hidden blade. Given that there have been assassinations it is probably for the best.
- Rank Up: Ursa makes Sabine a Alor’ad, a position of command by the looks of it, for a delivery mission. An action that fills Sabine with pride that her mother trusts her.
- Rich Bitch: Elair Hayon comes off as one at times. This is later implied to be an act to throw off suspicion.
- Secret Legacy: Sabine is the daughter of Tyr Vizsla.
- Secret Test of Character: Bo-Katan pulls one on her nephew Korkie when he wants to bring back the Old Guard. She out right refuses to let him do so and tells him he will do as told. Korkie, who is already frustrated by her past behavior with him, snaps and says he will bring back the guard to protect the people rather she likes it or not. He even is about to pull his blaster on her, but she gets hers into his chest first. Then she compliments him on his backbone and not only grants his request but gives him a seat on her council.
- Ship Tease:
- Tons of this between Ezra and Sabine.
- Some of this between Alrich and Ursa.
- Sniper Duel: It is not quite clear if this is what happened, but Za’an takes out the enemy sniper.
- Taking You with Me:
- As the saboteur bleeds out, he decides in his final moments to shoot open a vent unleashing hot gas to try and kill Tristan and Alrich.
- After the fanatical Mandalorians failed to kill Haylon or himself, Alekos decides to kill her and then himself, rather than be taken prisoner.
- Too Much Information: Sabine says word for word when her father’s response to how her and Tristan’s mother doesn’t play fight is “you’d be surprised”.
- Tragic Keepsake: Ezra and Hara agreed that Sabine should have Kanan’s lightsaber. To always have a part of him with her.
- Tranquil Fury: Ursa is furious at Tyr for what he did to Sabine but she keeps that anger in check. Only briefly letting Ezra see it.
- She lets it out on Tyr when they have a private moment.
- Troll:
- It wasn’t her attention (not entirely) but Sabine is clearly getting a kick out of Ezra’s bemoaning of her modifications to the Nightbrother.
- Sabian and Tristan are enjoying messing with Ezra over some of the festivities.
- Some of the flight crew for Alrich’s diplomacy mission rile Tristan up on why his father is late, something to do with his mother.
- Sabine renaming the Nightbrother, Lothcat without telling Esra throws him for a loop when he needs to land at the temple.
- Use Your Head:
- Done hilariously by Sabine. When she and Tristan are going on separate missions with their parents she yells "Helemt Check" and slams her head down on his. This disorients him and gets Sabine a scolding from their father. Tristan attempts to get her back, but she is ready for it and the impact doesn't have the same effect on her.
- During his fight with the saboteur Tristan slams his head into the assailant’s own.
- What Have I Done: Sabine's reaction to when her mining equipment, The Dutchess, is turned into a weapon killing her own people.
- What's He Got That I Ain't Got?!: Tyr can't understand why Usra chose Alrich over him. She tells him that Alrich makes her smile and is a good father.
- What the Hell, Hero?: The senators try to pull this on Ezra for not telling them that he had an association with Bo-Katan, but he says that he is just familiar with her. Then they try to get on his case for him bowing and recognizing her as the leader of Mandalor. Something that the Republic doesn't. Again, he just brushes them off.
- Wild Card: Senator Alekos Kallus appears to have his own agenda separate from the mission that Elair is on. He was a last-minute addition to the mission to Mandalore and when meeting Alrich he seems to be fishing for information. It turns out that he is an Imperial Remnant spy, and his goal was to get either himself or Haylon killed by fanatical Mandalorians. When this failed, he just killed her and then himself.
- Working with the Ex: There was a relationship between Usra and Tyr in the past but things went sour. With Tyr being the head of the house she has some requirements to work with him. However, she isn't happy about it. She keeps her anger in check in public (though some characters can still tell). In private however she lets her displeasure known.
- Would Hurt a Child: Alekos had no issue with killing Haylon on the fact that she was a spy for the Republic.
- Xanatos Gambit: It seems Ursa is pulling one on Ezra. After waking from his injures received from protecting children of her clan she offers him a jedi holocron, in exchange from him to leave and never speak to Sabine again. Or take a homemade knife. Ezra takes the knife but based on Sabine reaction to seeing it there is some kind of special meaning to it. So, Ursa was getting something out of the exchange one way or the other.
