"There's another transmission coming in." Hera's voice over the comm was strained, delivering the information as abruptly as she could to Ezra who was already on his feet, running for the main communications area. He was met there by Sabine and Zeb, joining Hera who's knuckles were white as she gripped the edge of the comm station, waiting for the incoming transmission to load. The last one they had found bouncing around various open channels had been days ago, and there had been nothing but silence since then. Silence, and frantic searching, and useless leads. The family huddled together tightly around Hera, for her strength and for theirs, the seconds ticking by longer and longer until finally an image fizzled up on the screen. Thrawn smiled at them and waved, his one-way image feigning enjoyment at seeing them crowded there.
"Hello Rebels." His voice, soft and tinged with malice, drifted from the recording to settle on their collective shoulders. "No doubt you have been waiting in suspense for an update. You'll be happy to know that your precious Jedi Master has yet to give me any useful information... but really, that doesn't matter so much to me at this point." The image of Thrawn shifted to the side, revealing a long vertical table behind him. Kanan was there, as he had been in the past transmissions, his wrists and ankles and waist bound tightly to the metal surface. Thrawn had been considerate enough to send the transmission in high quality, allowing them to take in the deep wounds on Kanan's bare torso, his arms, his face, as if someone had gleefully taken a vibroknife to him, slashing with almost an artistic flair. The skin that wasn't covered in dried blood was lined with charred flesh, signs of repeated use of electric current. His chest moved up and down just barely, and his sightless eyes stared out at them with no indication of awareness.
Thrawn gave them enough time to take in all the details, and then stepped in front of his prisoner again, blocking the view. Hera had made not a single noise, but her intake of breath was sharper when Kanan was suddenly hidden again. Ezra slid his arm under hers, holding onto her with a quiet desperation as the transmission continued.
"He has proven quite resilient, as I'm sure you guessed. Now, as I'm sure you'll remember, I gave you a tempting offer in my last transmission. Give up the location of your new base, and surrender to me, and you will all live. I'm afraid the expiration date on that offer is now passed." From his belt he withdrew a wicked looking knife, playing with the tip against his finger. "I cannot go back on my word, you see, that would make my word worth nothing, and I simply cannot have that." His image withdrew again, this time to Kanan's side, where he took the tip of the knife and drew it slowly, almost lovingly across Kanan's cheek. Blood welled up in the cut as Kanan's breath hitched, and Hera's did a second later, almost in harmony. Sabine moved to her other side, leaning against her as Ezra did, with Zeb looming behind them. As Thrawn moved his knife across more exposed flesh, Kanan repressed a groan, and Zeb growled deeply in the back of his throat.
"They say an artist sees the world as their canvas" Thrawn remarked calmly, watching blood seep slowly from countless wounds. "I'm not sure I can call myself an artist, but you must admit, this is artistry in its own way." Sabine's grip on Hera's arm tightened. "I have to say, I have enjoyed having him here as my guest. But all good things must come to an end." Thrawn's hand passed over Kanan's face, resting on his forehead briefly as he leaned down to his ear. "Is there anything you want to say to them before you go?" Ezra's breathing grew suddenly harsh and he leaned in, eyes fixed on the image of Thrawn. Kanan turned his head slowly towards where he had heard Thrawn standing before, his voice a cracked whisper. "I-I'm sorry. I couldn't- I'm sorry." He tried to say more, but his voice caught, and a deep rattling cough burst from his lips.
Thrawn smiled, and then drew the knife across Kanan's throat.
"No!" Ezra's outburst was accompanied by a crate of supplies, smashing from one side of the room to another as his emotions compressed and then erupted. He could feel his Force bond with Kanan growing weaker, the bond that had been filled with nothing but agony since his capture. Another crate spun violently into the air and then fell abruptly to the ground as Zeb grabbed the young man's arms, giving him a firm shake. Hera had found suddenly that her legs had ceased to work, and had fallen to her knees, resting her forehead on the edge of the comms console and whispering some senseless combination of Basic and Ryl. Sabine stood tall, one hand on Hera's shoulder, tears leaking from the corners of her eyes as she watched Kanan struggle and choke as his life's blood drained, struggle until he finally went still. Thrawn carefully wiped the knife clean before returning it to his belt, looking over the body.
"A pointless death. No meaning, no sacrifice, nothing to remember him by. He suffered, and he died, here, alone and afraid. How terrible. Ah, well. As I said, I had to keep to my word. Now, I will make you another offer- if you tell me where to send the body, I will deliver it to you. I'm not a monster, after all. The choice is yours." The transmission flickered, and then faded, leaving only silence, and the sounds of grief.