(One -shot)
A fate worse then death-
Kanan was worried.
Ezra Bridger, Padawan and member of the Ghost crew, and recently the rebel fleet, had not been seen sines the last mission a few hours ago. He knew he was just being an overprotective master, and that Ezra was most likely exploring the newly repaired main Rebel fleet ship that was captioned by Commander Sato, or goofing around with Zeb, but it couldn't hurt to ask.
He begun wandering the ship, and eventually found Hera and Chop in the mission and communications room glancing over data pads and talking to commander Sato over the plans for the Pheoneix pilots to take out double the TIEs for upcoming missions.
"Hey Hera." Said Kanan as he entered the room, nodding at the Commander.
"Huh, oh, hi Kanan, nows not really a good time, could we talk late-" said Hera, but was soon interrupted by Kanan.
"Yea, sorry, just wondering if you've seen the kid anywhere?"
"Ezra?" Asked Hera suspiciously. "No, I haven't seen him sines the mission a few hours ago, you haven't either, have you?"
"No" he sighed as he leaned agents the door frame. "It's probably nothing, he has to be around here somewhere, right?" He said before he ducked out of the room, leaving Hera a bit on the edge, seeing as she didn't remember Ezra getting in the escape pod. But he must have. He had to. Right?
Kanan continued to wander the white halls until he came to an open room, only to see Sabine spray painting.
"Sabine!" Said Kanan rolling his eyes.
"Huh!" She said as she turned around sharply to see Kanan in the door way. "Oh, uh, hi?" She sighed loudly, "look, this whole tin can is white, don't blame me! The wall was practically begging me to paint it!"
Kanan gave a slight smile, "not why I'm here Sabine, have you seen Ezra anywhere?"
She gave him a bewildering look, "um, no. I haven't seen him since the op. He must have made it into the pod, right?"
"Right." He muttered before slipping out, and wondering around in hopes of finding the lasat.
"Zeb!" Kanan called from down the hall as he ran up and caught him by the arm. "Have you seen Ezra anywhere?" He asked, a bit more quickly then necessary.
"Huh, Kanan?" Said Zeb, turning to him, "no, I haven't seen the kid since when he picked the lock, after that I ran in and started busting up bucket heads, figured he followed me, why? Where is he?" Asked Zeb, assuming he was about to hear about the latest trouble the young padawan had gotten himself into, but was only met with Kanan sighing the words,
"That's just it, I have no idea." Before turning around and turning one of the many corners of the ship to continue his search, and trying to stop the slight panic that was bingeing to seep in, and grow.
The confused Zeb decided to find Sabine to ask her about it, and he was kind of sick of being her spy to make sure no one was coming as she vandalized one of the rooms.
"Hey Sabine, Kanan ask you bout' the kid?" Asked Zeb as he entered the room and glanced at the rebel tag she was making.
She looked a bit confused as she nodded her head slightly. "Yea." She said. "He did, have you seen him?"
"No." Answered Zeb, "you?"
"No." Sabine answered, as they went to find Hera.
Yes, true. None of then had seen young Ezra Bridger since the mission, but what they didn't know, was that Ezra Bridger, young vibrant padawan, street rat, the fun kid, the smart mechanic, always had something snarky to say, was gone.
He was still very much alive, but what he was, wasn't. And the crew would never see who they knew again, except for a few glimpses as he tried to fight off the yellow, but he wasn't that strong. No one was.
A few hours ago it was Ezra. No question. And it still would have been if it weren't for that stupid op. The stupid empire. The stupid crew for not noticing soon enough. For that stupid Sith Lord.
They had gotten on to a imperial star destroyer to steal information about the empires plan to collect children off of all outer rim planets to use as solders, to get into small places, run across battle field to check for bombs, and to use their indecents agents them.
The rebels couldn't let that happen.
The plans on the empires part had been kept pretty quiet, but the rebels had had much Intel on the plan,but documents like that would only be in imperials knowledge, and only higher class workers even knew of them, when they asked Zare about it for information he didn't even know what they were talking about.
After Ezra got the lock down, with Sabine keeping half of the troopers on the other side of the ship with her distractions, Zeb began knocking out all of the troops in the information room, before Ezra welded the door shut, Kanan got the Intel after slashing the lock on the safe with his saber, then they used one of Sabine's bombs to make another way out of the room, then they made it to the docking bay where Hera was waiting. And so were half a dozen storm troopers.
They created a barricade, and only Sabine was able to make it through, Kanan, Zeb and Ezra had to split up and use the escape pods. All three pods where launched off. The assumed everyone made it out.
Assumed.
Ezra made it to the pod when the floor erased from under him. He couldn't breath. He was in a chock hold. He knew it. He had been in a few from living on the streets for so long, but this one was…different. He felt cold. A force presents. It was the Sith Lord, also known as Darth Vader. Ezra didn't even know you could chock someone with the force! And that was the last thought that went thought Ezra's head before he blacked out.
As Hera finished her meet with Commander Sato, she the collapsed into a chair. She mumbled to herself as about a million different thoughts all jumbled and swirled around in her mess of a head. Kanan's words left her uneasy so as she frantically raced through the mission, before the mission, when she woke up! Every little detail that happened that day got its own list of details as she went over them.
"I had just docked on the star destroyer…" She mumbled to herself, as she tuned the rest of the world out as she sat alone in the room, "everything was fine! Then the troops came, just a few, but enough, I held them off, Kanan, Sabine, and Zeb were there, and so was Ezra! Sabine got aboard! All three escape pods were launched! Ah! So,what if he pressed the button? And uh…didn't get in in time? No, he knows how to use a pod, maybe…."
"Hera!" Yelled Sabine, jostling the chair until the Twi'lek looked her in the eye.
"Ah! Sabine! Zeb? What is it!" She yelled as Sabine stopped shaking her.
"Hera! We've been here for five minuets! You just kept' mumblin' to yourself!" Said Zeb, as he sighed. "You haven't seen the kid either, have you?"
"I've been going over every detail of the day and then some!" Said Hera, As she threw her hands in the air frustratedly. "It's like he just disappeared!"
"We know!" Said Sabine annoyed. "Did Kanan ask you where he might have been?" She asked.
"Yea. And I'm guessing he asked you too." Said Hera standing up, "so that means he doesn't even know where Ezra is!"
"Great." Mumbled Zeb. "I don't get it, can't he like, 'call' him or whatever use'n the force?"
"Just what I was thinking." Said Kanan as he came strolling into the room, Ahsoka Tano, rebel Jedi, at foot.
"I could scenes Kanan's worry from the other side of the ship." Called Ahsoka. "And I can feel it falling off of you as well." She then smiled at Zeb, "yes Zeb, I can even feel your worry for the boy. You can stop trying to mask it now."
"Don't know what your talking bout'" he mumbled as he crossed his arms.
Ahsoka rolled her eyes the slightest bit as she continued. "I understand no one has seen the padawan sines the mission."
"We're not even certainly he was in the escape pod." Said Hera, looking serious.
"I can scenes your dis-pleasure." Nodded Ahsoka. "Kanan, we are stronger together. I recommend we attempt to find the whereabouts of Ezra together."
"Agreed." Said Kanan as he placed his hand on Ahsoka's shoulder as they began reaching out into the force.
The rest of the crew watched as the two Jedi's faces turned from direct concentration to confusion. Then, almost, fear? Both eyes shot open as if waking up form a nightmare.
"What? What is it?!" Said Sabine, trying to mask the inpatient worry that drowned out her voice.
"Cold." Kanan managed to spit out. "All I could feel was cold."
"Cold?" Zeb Said. "What's that even suppose' to mean? Is the kid ok or not?!"
"I-it gets worse." Said Ahsoka, never removing her eyes from the wall. "It's. It's getting closer."
"You got that right!" Said a figure in the door way. It looked like Ezra Bridger, rebel padawan, street rat, always had a plan and a smile. But this was no Ezra Bridger. The figure looked just about fifteen, had raven dark hair that seemed blue. He wore orange coveralls, dark green gloves, held a homemade light saber with a built in blaster, and in the place of electric blue eyes, was taken place by unmistakable. Cold. Bright. Yellow.
"Don't tell me I missed all the fun!" He sang, as he drew his saber, the light pale blue of the Jedi, becoming slowly tinted with dark, cherry red, as he pushed and melted the lock of the door behind him. "No, wait." Said the yellow eyed padawan, correcting himself as he withdrew the sword from the melted lock. "It's just getting started."
…
Ice.
That was it.
That was the word.
It was like an icicle stabbing you.
Right in the stomach.
The crew couldn't move. Even Ahsoka stood in a look of disbelief. Their spines were replaced with metal rods. As strait as a board. They wouldn't move. Sabine didn't even realize she wasn't breathing until she felt the lack of rise and fall in her chest. Zeb didn't even realize he was grasping the back of a chair in fear that his knees would buckle at any time. Hera felt like she needed to say something, anything to asses the situation, but she forgot how to speak. Didn't know how to form words, like they all got caught in her throat. Ahsoka felt as if she was loosing her master all over again, for the child standing in front of her was just another reminder of how evil her master really was. Of how the war may have already been won. Chopper didn't dare make a sound. And then there was Kanan.
He just, starred.
"What?" Said the, the, sith. "Was it something I said?" Said Ezra, a smile even wickeder then Agent Kallus's.
"Ezra-" Kanan managed to say, but was soon cut off.
"Save it, 'master'" said Ezra, somehow patronizing the word. "Ezra's not hear anymore. He has no control. He has realized his true power. I doubt he can even hear you." The smile never wavering. As if he's already won.
Now what over took Kanan was anger. Knowing his padawan was being held captive in his own body. By a sith.
"Let him go." He said, clenching his teeth so hard they might just break.
"No can do, sorry Caleb, oh, I mean Kanan. Haven't been called that in a while, have you." Ezra said, never breaking stair.
"What do you want!" Said Kanan, the rest of the crew behind him, watching the horror movie of a scene take place in front of them.
"I'm going to give you two options." Said Ezra.
"I'm not making deals with a sith."
"That's what Ezra said." Said the Sith padawan, once known as Ezra Bridger.
"What did you do to him!" Demanded Kanan.
"Showed him his true power. And, maybe just a bit of, hum, how about we just call it 'dark side juice' shall we?"
"What's that suppose to mean!" Yelled Zeb.
The padawan simply rolled his yellow eyes, "this has nothing to do with you lasat." He said as he force pushed him into the wall. "Huh, no wonder your species was so easy to take out."
"Leave them alone. And answer the question." Said Kanan.
"Not really in a position to be making demands, are we?" He said, as he dropped Zeb from the hold.
Kanan stayed silent. Which was all Ezra needed.
"Now." He said. "Two options. I will either kill you can your 'crew'."
Kanan's fists clenched. "Let me ask you something. Why don't I just kill you right now."
"Funny, that was option two. Light saber fight to the death, which I know I will win."
"Yea? And what makes you so sure." Said Kanan, hand on his own saber.
"Because. Ezra's still in here. And I know you could never kill your own padawan. Killing kids now? Looks like you'll need to change your name again!"
"Why are you doing this!" Shouted Kanan, not knowing what to do.
"You and your crew go down, oh and the lovely Ahsoka of course," said Ezra, gesturing towards Ahsoka. "Then so does the fleet. One way or another I'm taking it down. It will be a lot more fun talking down the Jedi first. And, if by some miracle I do loose, it will be just as satisfying knowing that the Jedi will need to live his life knowing that he killed his padawan." The Sith explained.
"Why would you want to die?!" Asked the terrified Sabine, her eyes stinging like lemon juice, but never allowing one tear to fall.
"Because, either I die here, having completed my one and only task, or I return a failure. Only to be put to death by Lord Vader himself. Frankly, I chose you. And then there's the third option, I kill you, and return to Darth Vader to begin my training. Ah, lucky number three."
The crew didn't know what to do. Kanan shared a terrified look with his team before something happened. Suddenly cold yellow eyes melted away, to reveal terrified bright blue ones. It was Ezra, only a glimpse, but it was him. Kanan was suddenly hit with a wave of emotion coming off of Ezra, so was Ahsoka. Never before have so many, hate, confusion, frustration, and most of all, fear. So much fear.
"Kanan!" Ezra yelled. He was fighting it, barely. "Help! I, I can't fight it!" He then screamed out in pain, and loud, heart stopping, truly terrifying scream, that even made the lasat himself, jump up in surprise as the crew looked at their youngest member, all coming to the conclusion that they didn't know how to save him. "Kana-"
But suddenly the yellow eyes appeared again.
"Ezra!" Shouted Kanan, the rest about to join in on the pointless screaming but the Sith eyed boy beat them to it.
"Ezra's not here at the moment." He said, as he drew his even more red then before light saber and began to charge at Kanan.
In shear self defense, Kanan drew his as well and blocked the attack.
"See, knew you had it in you!" Said Ezra as he twisted his sword around, and turned with it, getting out of the lock, and facing Kanan before he could do anything. Ezra took a swipe at his legs, but Kanan quickly jumped up to avoid them.
Just when Ezra was about to make a move, Ahsoka drew her two green sabers, one in each hand, and looked to Kanan, as he slowly shook his head. "No!" He called. "Not unless you have to. This is my fight." Ahsoka have a slight nod in his direction, as she moved the reluctant crew back agents the wall.
Ezra just barely grazed the armor on Kanan's shoulder, leaving behind a small burn scratch, as Kanan fell to the ground, and swiped Ezra's feel from beneath him, sending him crashing to the ground.
Kanan then ran up, and put his blade right in front of Ezra's face.
He smiled. "Not too bad Jedi." He then force pushed Kanan to the wall and stood up. "But not too good either!" Ezra then began to push his fingers together, very slowly. It took Kanan a minuet until he realized he was in a force choke!
Ezra must have seen the look of surprise on Kanan's face, because he spoke up. "Surprise are we?" He asked as he loosened his grip slightly to hear him gasp greedily for air. "This is all the power I realized I could have. No rules." He said as he squeezes tighter. "No restrictions." He tightened once more. "All power." He said, as he was about to end it, when, the grip loosened entirely.
Kanan slid down the wall as the blue eyes returned. He looked tired and disheveled, terrified. He looked as he was, like he'd been through the dark side and back.
"Kanan-" he gasped. "There's no way to control it!" He said, looking at the terrified crew, his terrified family. Then Ezra said the last words that any of the crew ever wanted to hear. Ever. For he screamed the words,
"Kill me!" He gasped as he grabbed his head like he was trying to hold it off. "Please Kanan! Please! Kill me! I can't fight it! Kill-"
Suddenly the yellow came flooding back like a perfect storm. "You heard him master. Kill me!" He the smiled wickedly as he threw his light saber to Kanan's feet, and held his arm out, exposing his chest and some how mocking Kanan with his inability. "I knew you couldn't." He smirked.
He used the force, sending the light saber to his hand. And that's when Ahsoka drew hers as well. "Mind if I join now!" She screamed.
"Be my guest!" Said Kanan as he shot off the ground.
"Ah, two Jedi, what a treat." He said.
"Ezra! I know your in there! Fight it!" Shouted Sabine.
Ezra's smile only grew as he pushed the two Jedi at his sides away, as if it were nothing. He then did the same to the lasat and the Twi'lek.
"Ezra! You need to fight I-" tried Hera, but was pushed aside along with Zeb before she could even finish.
Now it was just Sabine standing in front of the wall. He then grabbed her by the neck with his hands, and raised her up the wall, until her feet were no longer on the ground, as she used her hands to grab his arms in attempt to still breath. "Guess again." He then threw her across the room. She looked up in horror at, only mere hours ago, was the annoying kid who always flirted with her, now a monster with whom there was seemingly no stopping.
"Anyone else?" He asked. Zeb was about to step up, when he was swelled away with a flick of the hand like a piece of dust. "You know lasat, I still am Ezra. I know his thoughts. Current and past. And something tells me he's been wanting to do that for a while."
Ahsoka then drew her sabers. Both were knocked from her hands immediately. She was then pinned to the wall, and a metal pipe that was attached to the wall was pulled out, and bent with the force, as it wrapped around her waist, pinning her arms behind her and seemingly gluing her to the wall.
Hera could talk a starving rodian off of a yogain truck, and the Sith knew that, he wouldn't give her the chance. With the swipe of hand he sent all three into the corner of the room. "Now stay like goo little rebels when the Jedi handle some things, ok." He asked, but it was more of a statement.
"I'm not going to kill you Ezra!" Shouted Kanan. "Ezra! You need to try!"
"Do or do not. There is no try." Smiled the Sith. He sighed. "Fine, because I'm the nicest Sith you'll ever meet, I'll let you see your presses padawan once more." As the yellow eyes shot back into his head, and the terrified blue retuned.
"Ezra!" Exclaimed Kanan.
"Kanan" gasped Ezra. "We don't have much time! Did I hurt you?!" He gasped, as he turned to look at the crew, few cuts and scraps, all seemingly pushed into the coroner, and Ahsoka pinned to the wall. The room appearing to be torn to shreds. "Oh no" he breathed.
"We're fine Ezra! Really!" Said Hera.
"Uh, yea," said Zeb forcing a laugh. "Your gonna need to try harder then that to get rid of us!" He said, forcing a smile at the seemingly traumatized padawan.
"Kanan, you need to listen to me!" Said Ezra, grabbing Kanan's arm and looking into his eyes. "Please , you need to kill me! You need to do it!"
"Ezra, no!" Shouted Hera, but Ezra's eyes never left Kanan's.
"Please Kanan! I can't fight it- it's too strong- PLEASE! Kanan! Kill me! You need to kill me! Kill me! Kana-"
"Ezra! I'm not going to I'll you! I-I can't, I wont!" Kanan screamed, tightening his grip.
Ezra had never appreciate to be in more pain, as his eye filled with a kind of terror that can not possibly be put into words, his gloved hands dolled around his head so hard he could have pulled out his hair, he screamed. It was coming back. He couldn't stop it. And the only person who could was his master.
"Coward." Said the newly yellow eyed boy, as he rose.
Just then sirens stared to go off, and red lights began flashing, but they all seemed so far away. The ship must have known danger was aboard. Reinforcements would be there soon. But not soon enough. They would be strong. But not strong enough. Never strong enough.
"You coward!" Shouted the Sith. "So afraid of being alone, so terrified of the fact that you can't save someone! Spending all of your time since the fall of the Jedi trying to save everyone you can! As if that would somehow make up for the fact that you ran! You fled all of the outstretched hands of the sick and wounded Jedi! Of all the crying and confused younglings! Of your master! Running as she fell! And now your trying to take him down with you! Pathetic!
He's too far gone Kanan! Can't you see that! I'm all that's left! And your too scared to finish the job! And now your crew is going to pay for you mistake!" He said, as he lifted Hera from the ground with his hand, dangling her like a piece of meat. As she choked. "And the thing is, you don't even realize how selfish your being! What was it your master use to say? What was it!
Say it Kanan! Say it! What did your master use to say to you about being a sith!"
It was almost as if he was begging to be killed! He knew what the life of a sith was. Ezra was still in there somewhere, and he wasn't asking, he was groveling for his master to kill him.
Kanan only allowed one tear to fall, as he activated his light saber. And he said the quote of which his master said when the first padawan turned, all those years ago.
"It's like you have no control over your body." Said Kanan, "your being controlled, by a sith." Kanan took a deep breath before saying the last line.
"It is a fate worse then death." And those were the last words Kanan spoke, as he glided his brilliant light blue sword, and plunged it into Ezra's stomach.
Yellow eyes rolled to the back of his head, as the crew called out frantically. But Kanan couldn't hear them. It was like he was under water. All sounds muffled as he felt like he was going to pass out. Throw up. No. He could fall apart later. Right now, his padawan lay on the flood. His own blood encircling him.
Kanan grabbed Ezra, as his eyes retuned to their blue stat. But this time, terror did not strike them. But peace. And sleepiness.
"It's ok Ezra." Kanan whispered into his ear, forcing his voice not to crack under the weight of his heart. "Everything's ok now. We're all ok. You can sleep. Just sleep." And with that the bright, vibrant eyes of Ezra Bridger, closed forever.
And now all that was left was to pick up the pieces.
Kanan sat there. Not knowing what to say, or if he would ever be able to speak again, if he didn't the last words he would ever have spoken would have bee to his padawan. He sat there not being able to move. To think. To breath.
"No!" Shouted Sabine as she shoved Kanan as hard as she could. "No! No! No! You coward! You could have saved him! You could have saved him!" She screamed before collapsing onto Hera's shoulder. Zeb trying to hid the tears that fell from him. Because he knew he wouldn't be able to stop.
"No" mumbled Kanan. "No Sabine. I couldn't have." He then Stood up and slowly walked over to were Ezra's light saber lay. He slowly activated it and there was no more blue to be seen. It was completely red. It was now a weapon of the Sith. "He was too far gone."
…...
-Azilia