Do or Do Not.

There is No Try.

Wasn't that a Jedi saying?

Now it's 'You will do, or you will die'.


Day 1826 (Present Day)

That was what ran through Ezra's head every day. That's all that ran through his head. It was the first thing any student in the Sith would learn. Failure was never an option. You did what you were told, and how they told you to do it. Any deviation from the accepted standard was an abomination. And any different thought that strayed from the path was treated as if it was fatal. Again, You will do, or you will die.

Ezra awoke from his meditation, through the fear that questioning this standard would come next. His eyes darted around the shadows of his dark room, seeing only four walls, a floor, and a ceiling. No light came through to him, keeping his mind cloaked in darkness. This was his home. Even calling it a home was too generous of a word. This was no home for comfort. But it was hardly a real prison. Real prison would keep the room locked. And they did. The lock was nothing to sneeze at. Even Ezra could blink an eye and open it. But he chose to stay in the room. He was told it was the standard to stay behind the locked door and wait to be summoned by a superior. To leave without permission would be a fatal choice.

Inside his dark chamber, Ezra breathed slowly, focusing on the walls around him. There was never any sound at this time of the night, but he knew there were others like him on the other side of those walls. Their first days here was filled with screams and crying, as was his own. But they learned quickly how much the Masters favored the silence. The kid in the left room over got the lesson on Day 4. The other kid in the right room over got it on Day 2. Ezra couldn't remember exactly when he found out, but he remembered when the Masters made their dictum clear to him. You will do, or you will die. The words rang in Ezra's head again and slowly, his memories of the days before his capture crawled back to him. He did not push them away, knowing they would help him succumb back into a meditative state. It was the closest thing he had to dreams, and the safest sense of relief from this way of life he had be forced into.

His eyes closed, and his breath slowed down to deep but gentle. Sure enough, his mind was lost into subconsciousness, and the memory began as if he was reliving the slow descent into hell that was now his life.

Day: -5

"Ezra, we will be okay!" A man shouted at him. "We'll be alright!"

It was Dad. Ezra's Dad. His mother was there too, next to him. Both were being dragged away from Ezra, the distance growing steadily. His dad was shouting at him as the white-clad armored men separated them. And poor Ezra, he was only a little boy. He couldn't understand what was happening. These men were pulling his parents away, and he couldn't stop them.

The little boy's vision was clouded by tears, but he did not make a sound. He could hardly find the will to wipe away the tears, let alone scream back for his parents. Fear had gripped him from doing anything but to watch his Mother and Father be taken around the corner of their home and out of sight.

Ezra looked back at his home, the front door only several feet away. The armored men were pulling out their belongings and throwing them to the street. The commotion had brought out a few locals to watch the humiliation of this family, as they were being made examples of. But the worst sight was that boy standing there, not making a sound, but still afraid and shaking.

The men continued tossing items out the door. Some didn't bother walk out the doorway to toss their load. They broke the windows and threw anything that wasn't bolted down, and not minding what they hit. This was made obvious as an old broadcaster box, sailed out the window and missed hitting the boy by a few inches. By instinct, the child flinched and moved several feet away, scared out of his mind. All he could do was keep watching. What could a small eight year old do against them anyway?

The gravity of his situation took a painfully long time to actually hit. This was it, he was done for. His family was gone, his stuff was gone. It wouldn't be long before the men would take him away, throw him in the academy or kick him out of the city. There was nothing for him now.

His small frame started to shake. His hands moved up to cover his face. Around his feet, the dust swirled and rocks rolled away from him. A strange feeling started to well up inside of Ezra. Like a sour knot with spikes was growing in his stomach. He winced with the pain of it, and fueled his sadness.

This, he felt, was his real beginning. When he lost all hope for anything.

Day 1826 (Present Day)

A nagging feeling forced Ezra to wake up. Something telling him to lean back. He complied willingly, and pulled his head back. Half a second didn't even pass when a swift rush of wind flew past him, ruffling his long blue bangs of hair. His eyebrows furrowed, and now he sensed the ugly murky mass in front of him.

"I said 'Get up'." A piercing voice cut through his thoughts.

Ezra leaned forward and opened his eyes. The golden orange eyes peered up at the form before responding. "Yes, Master."

The form backed off, and moved to the open doorway. Ezra slow rose to his feet, hearing each of his joints crack and pop from being in one position too long. He straightened up, and took a few slow steps to the doorway. His gold eyes peered at the frame in the doorway. It was tall, the head only a few inches under the ceiling and almost glowing a strange white from the lighting.

"This way, Subject L1138." The tall man spoke to the boy and lead the way. His and Ezra's black clothing stood glaringly against the white walls. Two Stormtroopers flanked either side of him, only moving to stand next to the boy.

Ezra didn't know why they gave him that name. It was tagged on him since Day 1. He accepted it after awhile, even though others were called by their formal names. But Ezra's own name became the last thing he could hold onto, as his memories were growing indistinct week by week. The name was the last hold he had to his past.

The group entered a larger room of the facility, filled with squadrons of Stormtroopers, several docked AT-ST walkers, and hanging TIE fighters up above. In the middle, a lone group of Imperial Academy students. Each student stood in formation, lines of white and gray uniforms and pale helmets, bearing only small distinctive color marks to identify singular students.

Ezra's master stopped behind the lines of students, forcing Ezra to stand beside him. The Stormtroopers stuck to the corners of formation, guns at the ready, and awaiting instructions.

At the front of the students were two dark gray uniformed men. When Ezra and his master took their spots in the back, they began speaking to the Academy students.

"Good morning, class. We have a little challenge for you today." One of their voices boomed over the children, enough to catch Ezra's ears. The other spoke with a deeper and gruff voice. "The field will present many challenges at times. And it is your duty to uphold yourselves with courage and cunning to overcome them, even at the greatest risk. Today's challenge will put your will to the test."

The first voice spoke. "All cadets, about face!" The children complied. "Meet the Inquisitor and his student L1138."

The helmets gave no nod or indication of a friendly hello. They only stared on at the two strangers, letting a cold silence build up. The gruff voice spoke up again."You will be facing L1138 in a duel. Twenty of the Academy's finest cadets, versus one."

Ezra's golden eyes narrowed, and a sickening grin crossed his face. His master looked down at his student, sharing the same grin. "Do not fail me, my apprentice. And do not kill them, unless you can't help it."

Within minutes, the cadets were given training guns, all set to stun. Ezra was handed nothing. He clenched his fists, feeling a surge of spikes and gross hatred grow at his core. The Force was alive inside of him, with the Dark side at the reins.

While the cadets could not feel the shift of space in the room, they could see his dark blue hair flaring up off of his shoulders and face. And there was no wind to cause this. A few students stepped back, the fear already settling in.

Ezra took a glance at each cadet, deciding how he take them out, one by one. This was no game he would play with them. Any mercy given, was an opportunity for them to take him out. There was no choice, he needed to show them who had the real advantage here.

His master and the other instructors took several steps back, giving the competitors plenty of room. The Stormtroopers kept their stances, their visors never leaving Ezra.

"You may begin."

Ezra didn't even hear the last word before he was already moving at the cadets.