Colors in our Sky

(This was origionally published on AO3, about two years before being cross posted here. It was prior to Rebels season 4, and The Mandalorian. In Galaxy, this is several years before Yavin, and whatever the Empire did to scourge the Mandalorian worlds.)

Sabine sighed deeply, relaxed by a hot shower. With Ghost grounded, everyone else was in bed with Chopper was on sensor watch, so she hadn't had to rush. It was much better than the clean enough that one got from water for a count of thirty to rinse off the grunge and get wet, then soap up and scrub with the sponge, then rinse off that they usually used. On the ground they could use the energy they usually put into gravity into they recerc system. And it had been hot water. Hot enough to take off paint, and lots of it, which Sabine would always consider a joy after the Imperial academy's cold-water-makes-you-tougher program. From something Kanan had said a few times, it sounded like the Jedi had done the same.

All in all it had been a good day, and this was a good end to the day. She rubbed herself dry with a towel that was too old be called fluffy. This was about the only time she was without her armour- even though she loved her second skin, it felt good to be out of it. There were callouses on her shoulders and hips where the weight the plates had rubbed since she was thirteen, but on Mandalor they were a sign of beauty in a woman.

Well, the Mandalor and Krowsnest she'd been raised on, as the daughter of fighters on the patriot side of the last Mandalorian civil war. Sexy wasn't bared flesh and gossamer frill, it was steel and ceramic over hard muscles. Armour made with the same elements as her blood and bones.

Having dressed in compression tights and a loose thermal top, she gathered her refresher items in their basket- sure, she had a shelf in the cabinet but she didn't trust her shipmates not to pull a prank on her. They were funny like that. She could dye her hair, but she didn't trust them.

She left the fresher, stepping lightly, silently through the barely lit common room. She could hear Zeb's snores, and Hera's. From Kannan's room, of course- she had no idea who they were fooling. She chuckled, tabbing her door open.

She was not alone.

She dropped the shower caddy, freeing her right hand as she flipped her towel underhand from the left. In bare feet, the calloused soles made no sound as she stepped sideways into her room. Her blaster nearly jumped into her hand from the table where she'd left it. "Freeze!"

The figure in the Mandalorian helmet didn't freeze, but instead snatched at the towel over his head. Over her helmet.

"Ezra! What are you doing?"

"He-" As he pulled the towel off his head, she shoved him back against her bunk. She didn't threaten him with her blaster, her finger was along the side of the receiver and the emitter was pointed at no one, but she hadn't put it down either. "Hey, Sabine."

"Take that off right, right now! What are you doing in my room?" Sabine, if she'd had time to reflect, would have been more comfortable with him going through her underthings than with him trying on her helmet.

Ezra lifted the helmet off his head, slowly, holding it out carefully and offering it to her with both hands. "You hadn't locked the door, and I wanted to see if you were awake."

Sabine snatched the helmet it from him. "I didn't say you could come in her and touch my.. my stuff!"

Ezra tried to shrink away from her, but the only place he had to go was into the corner. "I just wanted to..."

"What, Ezra? What did you want to do?"

"I wanted to see if you were awake, so you could see the aurora. Its super bright, really colorful." He looked down, blushing. "It made me think of your paintings."

She stared at him incredulously. "What?"

"I couldn't sleep, Zeb is thrashing in his bunk, so I went up to sleep in the turret. And it was just... waves of color. It made me think of you. It's beautiful." He bashfully rubbed the back of his neck. "You weren't here, and your helmet was on the table. I was just curious."

"If you're curious, you ask." She stepped back, setting her pistol down with it's twin. She hugged the helmet to her belly. "You really came to get me because of lights in the sky?"

He nodded silently.

"You know if you keep me awake for no good reason, I"m going be really annoyed with you."

"I promise, Sabine, it's worth it."

She contemplated him for a moment before turning, her helmet still under her arm, and walking out into the common area. By the time he caught up with her, she was already sliding down the ladder. "Chopper, we're going outside. Don't turn on the lights."

There was a blat of of noise that went with the lowering ramp and the dousing of all but a few control panels in the cargo bay. It was clear that the astromech wasn't impressed by auroras. Outside... outside was alive.

Ezra let Sabine go down first, feeling nervous. It was brighter outside than the night lights in the common area were, despite no moon in the sky. He grinned as she whistled softly, her shadow dancing with the colors reflected at her feet. "Ok. I'm impressed."

He sat down. The ground was cold, but after a moment he didn't notice. He could see the lights in the sky, but he was mostly looking at the Mandalorian. He was trying to not be obvious though. She leaned back on the ground next to him. Sabine had seen auroras before- Krowsnest and Concord Dawn had them often in winter. But not like this. These were sheets of vibrant hues, blues and greens and reds and a white so pure made her think of dry ice.

"This isn't like the helmets the Imperials wear. You can't buy one, you can't order them by the crate. We make our helmets, each house has an armourer, but you finish it yourself. Unless you have a family heirloom. My mother's is four hundred years old. Our armour is part of us. I made this helmet when I was 13." Her voice was soft, barely audible. "We haven't changed the basic design for a thousand generations. When I look through this lens, I see with the eyes of those who've gone before me. I speak with their voice, and I can hear them. I stand in the place of the fallen. When I wear this, I am Mandalor." Even if I can never go home. She buried the sadness, keeping it out of her voice. Every world had something worth seeing, even this insignificant one. These auroras weren't the pale pastels she was used to. These were powerful florescents that drowned out the stars and blended garishly.

Ezra was quiet for a long time, watching the lights of the moonless sky playing over her face. "I'm sorry I barged into your quarters. And that I touched your armour with permission."

"I'm sorry about pulling my pistol on you." She lowered her chin, smiling. "Not sorry I let you keep me awake."

Author's Notes:
This was my first Star Wars piece. I describe writing (gaming, anything) in the Galaxy far, far away as "going home", as A New Hope (back then it was just "Star Wars") was the first movie I ever saw in the theatre. And honestly, I prefer that Galaxy to this world. It's a place where a damn fool idealistic crusade might have a chance, because hope has meaning.