"Suspend my command?" Ezra entered his room followed closely by Zeb "Is she serious?" Ezra turned to face Zeb.
"Look mate I know it wasn't easy…" Zeb began.
"If it wasn't for me they wouldn't have those bombers and the rebellion would be that much weaker. They would have all been destroyed if I hadn't made the call to retrieve them" Ezra could feel the anger welling up inside him.
"Look kid…I'm sorry this is how it turned out" Zeb began
"They're scared of me….of what I can do….They fear me" Ezra continued.
"EZRA" Zeb finally caught his attention.
"What?" Ezra finally realizing he wasn't even listening to his friend.
"Are you listening to yourself? This isn't like you. Hera made a tough decision but as the new leader of Phoenix squadron it's what she has to do" Zeb let that sink in as he studied Ezra's face. He didn't like what he was seeing.
"It's not just Hera…Kanan too. He trains me but whenever I get stronger he stops. It's like he refuses to see the full potential in me. The only person who has taken an interest in making me stronger…was Maul" Ezra had turned back around and was resting against the wall.
"Ezra" Zeb eyed him cautiously "you're not actually thinking of seeking out Maul, are you? The stories I've been told, tell me he's not the best teacher for you" Zeb never took his eyes off Ezra's back.
"Of course not…Maul would just use me for his own gain. It's just that he was the only one to want to see me get stronger" Ezra still refused to turn around as he just rest against the wall with his back to Zeb.
"We all want to see you get stronger so you can help fight the empire" Zeb tried but somehow knew it was pointless at this point.
"I think I just want to go to bed…I'm…tired" Ezra slowly ascended his ladder and propped himself onto his bunk.
"Uh yeah…I think I should go see if anyone needs help with something" Zeb backed out of the room and with a hint of unease and dread he turned around and closed the door. He knew immediately he would regret that later.
*Early Dawn*
"Chopper" Ezra tapped the small droid who flared to life with beeps, grunts and noise that Ezra had hoped wouldn't happen.
"Settle down it's just me" Ezra quickly quipped to settle Chopper down before he woke everyone in the Ghost. "I need a favor"
Ezra lead Chopper outside the ghost towards an old A wing fighter that was left out and unanchored as it was waiting to have the hyperdrive repaired. Chopper began making a lot of noise as he demanded to know what they were doing.
"SHHHHHHH! Chopper quiet" Ezra surveyed the camp to make sure nobody had woken up. Surprisingly Ezra didn't even see the regular patrols out but he just chopped it up to good luck.
"Can you fix it? The hyperdrive?" Ezra asked as Chopper began to shake and point at Ezra.
"I just need to get away from this place for a while. I promise I won't destroy the ship I just really need to clear my head and think about some stuff" Ezra was being as truthful as he could with Chopper knowing it wouldn't take long for everybody to question Chopper when they found him missing.
"Thanks" Ezra smiled as Chopper beeped a few more times and then started working on the hyperdrive. After a few minutes Chopper turned and started laughing.
"What's so funny?" Ezra asked amused while also keeping a lookout for any patrols. Chopper explained through his droid language and what he said caused Ezra to smile.
"So it was just a loose connection causing the power to be diverted away from the hyperdrive. Haha well guess that's good news for me. How long to fix it?" Ezra turned around as Chopper explained.
"It's fixed?" Ezra turned around and looked at the ship. "Thanks Chopper…I'll see you again trust me on that" Ezra placed his hand on the droids head realizing that through his travels Chopper was probably the only other one who could relate to his situation.
With a quick hop Ezra landed in the cockpit and started the fighter up. Smiling and with a final wave Ezra pointed the A wing towards the sky and took off as quickly and quietly as possible. Leaving the atmosphere Ezra looked back at the moons surface and finally frowned. He wasn't sure if he would ever return but he was sure of one thing. Lothal was his destination.
Engaging the hyperdrive Ezra set coordinates for Lothal and before he knew it he was costing through space towards his home…and one of the strongest Empire strongholds.
"Well no turning back now" Ezra rested against the seat and waited.
*Lothal Orbit*
(Star Destroyer Ascension)
"Are you sure the rebel fleet won't return to Lothal?" The second in command asked.
"They would be foolish too. We have thirty Star destroyers covering the planet and blocking any possible entry to the planets surface. We will detect them before they even exit light speed" The commanding officer spoke as he surveyed the emptiness of space before them. The emperor had assigned extra security to Lothal after previous rebel attacks. He had even seen it appropriate to send his second in command Lord Vader to oversee Lothal's submission.
The admiral admired the brute force of the Empire and reflected on why he joined in the first place. It had seemed like an eternity ago but in truth it had only been seven years. He joined because he saw the Empire was unstoppable. He witnessed a star destroyer come under attack and before it sustained even minimal damage three others destroyers had arrived and dispatched the attacking forces. It was the single most powerful display of brute strength he had ever seen. The very next day he had enlisted and quickly rose through the ranks to command his very own Star destroyer fleet.
"Commander" Someone called from behind him. "There is a ship entering Lothal's orbit. Censors indicate it's a rebel ship. It appears to be an A wing fighter"
"An A wing fighter out here alone?" the Commander watched the depths of space and quickly saw the ship exit light speed only 500 yards from the Star destroyer.
"A wing fighter this is Star Destroyer Ascension. Reduce speed and prepare to surrender" The commander didn't even wait for a response and ordered the tractor beam to lock onto the approaching ship.
"Ship locked and ready to be captured" the man at the controls spoke.
"Capture at once and prepare a detachment of troopers to meet it in the hanger. I will be there shortly to personally interrogate this rebel" The commander began walking towards the elevator.
AUTHOR NOTE
This Chapter is just to see if anyone is interested in seeing where I plan to take this story. Please review and let me know. This was very short small chapter compared to what I do plan to write so if you like what you read here please review and let me know.
Also sometimes it will be awhile before an update but in those cases I will upload multiple chapters as needed.
Thank you.
3rd-Generation