Discussions.
Silence. It was everything Kanan could hear.
Kanan sat down in the ground, outside of the ship so he could listen the silence and the peace. Sometimes when he was overbearing, he went outside of the chaotic ship so he could listen to the nature and enjoy the peace. He needed to focus, and meditating helped him a lot. He had to focus for Fulcrum's mission.
It was going to be difficult, Kanan knew, and they could risk a lot even if they got the objective. Every single detail of the mission was important.
The mission consisted blowing up a kyber crystals' convoy. Kanan knew perfectly what the Empire could do with those crystals if they arrived to their objective. And that wasn't good.
The base was located at a cliff, almost like the prison on Stigeon Prime. They would blow the entire place up and the kyber crystals. Their escape route? The hallways. The hallways didn't have roofs, so if everything went wrong, they would run through the hallways and go to the end of the cliff…
He was worried of how many things could go wrong, but most of all, he was worried to death for his padawan, Ezra Bridger.
Kanan knew that he didn't have to worry that much. He already saw him fight, and he would be lying if he said Ezra didn't know how to defend himself and the others. Kanan was very proud of his padawan…but one thing was annoying and worrying him, and it had nothing to do with the mission:
Was about Ezra's training.
Ezra grew more powerful everyday, and Kanan was worried because, with the time, he was not going to be able to teach Ezra anymore.
He remembered Hera's conversation with Kanan:
"Maybe Ahsoka could teach him…"
It was the best. Ezra needed to have a master, a better master…but the idea of not seeing Ezra laughing when he failed in Jedi training, or being there to say "Hi Kanan", or the simple fact of Ezra not being with the crew…it was painful.
And then, he remembered the day they tried to save Luminara, the exact words that his padawan said:
"I don't want the best master! I want you!" exclaimed his padawan.
He smiled at the memory, and left the silence reign again. Sometimes he remembered that memory and repeated. He liked it. It reminded him that unless he was good in something at least.
"Kanan, we're ready!" informed a peculiar voice.
Kanan opened his eyes, turned around and saw Ezra waving his hand at him. Ezra was wearing his cadet's clothes for the mission as same as Sabine.
The Jedi smiled a little, and returned to his home.
"Let's go" said Kanan when he arrived, messing up Ezra's hair.
Ezra ran to the cockpit with Kanan behind him. Both arrived, sat down in their chairs and listened to Hera.
"Everyone's ready?" asked the Twi'lek.
All of them nodded.
"Good. Remember, put the explosives inside the crates but don't blow them up 'till we get out of that base" said Hera "Zeb, you will stay here-"
"Why?" asked the Lasat, annoyed with the idea of not being able to hit a bucket-head.
"Because you're the only Lasat that we know that is with the rebels. If they recognize you, the mission fails" explained the pilot "Sabine, Ezra, you have the cadet's clothes, don't you?"
"Yup…and no paint on them" said the artist, somehow sad of using the cadet clothes "But why is this mission for the entire team? I mean, is not like we don't want you…but we could compromise the fleet. Plus, if this mission is only stealth, I could go by myself or with Ezra, put the explosives and then-"
"Boom!" exclaimed the padawan.
"You get my point" said Sabine.
"There's no way you're going alone" informed Hera, clearly annoyed. Her voice's tone made both teenagers know that it was the end of the conversation.
Kanan was relieved that Hera didn't accept Sabine's recommendation. Both teenagers knew perfectly what to do, but they were only that: Teenagers.
Finally, they arrived to the Imperial factory on the planet. Hera landed the Ghost really far from the base, and wished to the humans a good luck.
Everything was going good at the moment.
Sabine, Ezra and Kanan already put the explosives on three out of four crates, and so far, they hadn't recognized them yet. Maybe because of the helmets.
They just needed one more crate, but they didn't know where the crate could possibly be…that was until they saw the Inquisitors.
Suddenly, everything went wrong.
The Inquisitors recognized Ezra and Kanan's Force signature, and began to chase them.
"Escape route?!" asked Sabine while she fired at troopers.
"The hallways. They don't have roofs on them, so we will run until we arrive to the end of the cliff" explained Kanan, running.
"And then?" asked Ezra.
"We jump" said the Jedi "Sabine, call Hera immediately, tell her we need a pick-up right now!"
The three rebels ran and ran through the hallways, avoiding the troopers' shots and defending themselves.
"Specter two, we need a pick-up, now!" said the artist through her comlink.
They didn't stop running.
"Don't let them capture you!" said Kanan while he avoided a stormtrooper's shot.
"Trust me, that's the last thing we want!" replied Ezra, shooting at the Inquisitors.
There were only a few doors more until they arrived to the end and the cliff, where Hera was supposed to be, waiting for them to jump.
Three doors more, two doors more, one door more…
They jump.
Both of them landed on the Ghost and entered.
"Is everybody ok? Sabine, Ezra…AND EZRA?!" asked Kanan panicking.
They left Ezra behind and they didn't realize it.
They didn't notice, how would they notice?
Before Ezra crossed the last door, realized that they were not going to escape that easy. They needed to accomplish the mission, and this was really important.
The padawan slowed down his speed, staying a few centimeters behind Kanan and Sabine. When they crossed, Ezra took his light saber, aimed at the door lock and fired, letting the door closing right in his nose.
He turned around to see the Inquisitors gazing at him with a smirk on their faces.
"So, you are staying to fight and demonstrate your courage?" assumed the Seventh Sister.
"No. I stay to defend my friends" said Ezra.
"How noble. Just like a Jedi" murmured the Seventh Sister.
Ezra took his light saber and activated it.
He had to make time.
"WHERE IS HE?!" asked Kanan.
"He must be in the hangar! We need to return for him now!" said the Mandalorian.
"I can't! The Tie-fighters are too many! Take the Phantom, we'll see on Tatooine!" ordered Hera.
Sabine and Zeb, being the ones that were closer to the littlest ship, ran and entered to the Phantom and took off.
"I hope it's not too late" hoped the Lasat.
Ezra put his light saber in front of him, waiting. His heart beat speed up, his breath was now a little bit panicked…and then, he heard a ship's engine.
The Phantom flew through the hangars like a bird, with the platform open and Zeb standing on it.
"RUN!" ordered the Lasat.
Ezra didn't have to be told twice. He ran in the direction of the Inquisitors, and when he was about to crash with them, he jumped, keeping himself on the air the way Kanan told him. While he was on the air, he threw an explosive to the kyber crystals' crate that was besides the Fifth Brother.
Zeb held Ezra and entered him on the Phantom, while Sabine drove the ship.
"Specter five to Ghost, the kid's aboard" informed the artist through her comlink.
"Roger that Specter five. Tell Specter six that he is a complete imbecile" said Kanan.
The Ghost already left a few minutes ago, so until she was far enough of the base, she pressed the button that activated the explosives, and then…colors.
"How does it look?" asked the Mandalorian.
"Really good…but I don't think the green thingy is a good sign, so RUN FOR IT!" answered Ezra.
Sabine closed the platform, went out of the atmosphere, and made the hyperspace jump.
Ezra would be on trouble. And really, really big trouble.
Kanan and Hera were sitting on the cockpit. Kanan couldn't help but to move his fingers nervously. The communicators disconnected right in the moment the Ghost entered to Tatooine's atmosphere.
Tatooine was one of Kanan's favorites planets, with the incredible sight of two suns and the mysterious deserts…but in that moment, Kanan didn't even care about the planet.
How in the Border Rim Ezra occurred to do such stupidity?!
The night already took over the place, leaving the planet with the glowing moon.
"Do you think we should go and look for them?" asked Kanan.
"No Kanan. We just have to be patience and-" explained Hera, just in time when Ezra, Sabine, and Zeb entered to the cockpit triumphantly…
…But when they saw Kanan's face, decided to stop themselves.
"How the heck could you do that?!" asked Kanan angrily, staring at Ezra with rage.
Everything went silent. Ezra wasn't expecting a medal for completing the mission, but definitely he wasn't expecting Kanan being mad at him.
"I-I was trying to protect you guys-" explained the kid.
"You could have continued with us!" interrupted the Jedi.
"That's not true! The Inquisitors were about to reach us but it wasn't that way because I closed the door!" explained the padawan, raising his voice.
"Stop!" exclaimed Hera, but none of them hear her.
Kanan stood up and walked in front of Ezra. Sabine and Zeb stood there, speechless. The truth was, that if Ezra didn't close the door, the Inquisitors could have entered to the ship. They knew Kanan was overprotective, and also, what Ezra did was dangerous and he could have gotten himself injured or captured.
"Ezra, go to your room immediately!" ordered Kanan, pointing outside.
"Why should I?! I didn't do anything wrong!" disobeyed Ezra.
"Ezra, now!" ordered the Jedi.
"Who are you to tell me if you can ground me?!" asked the teenager.
"I'm the leader and you will be doing what I say!" yelled Kanan.
"Why should I?!" asked the padawan.
"EZRA!" said Kanan with rage.
"YOU'RE NOT MY FATHER!" Ezra screamed.
Everyone was shocked. Kanan showed himself hurt and Hera took a hand to cover her mouth.
The shock on Kanan changed to sadness, and the sadness became rage.
"To my understanding, you have no one, so you can go, padawan!" yelled Kanan back.
Ezra felt his heart heavy in that moment. If everyone was shocked, the last words were a real nightmare.
Ezra gazed at his master's eyes with rage, tears forming in his blue electric eyes…and then, he opened the cockpit's door, and ran.
"Hey kid!" Zeb said, trying to grab Ezra from his wrist, but it was too late.
Hera got out of shock and punched Kanan in the arm.
"What the hell was that for?!" asked Hera with anger.
Kanan's face changed to sadness and his breaths began to slow down. He just realized what he had said…
"What have I done?" asked Kanan to himself.
Hi Rebels.
Wow…it's been a long time since I translated one of the stories into English…how many months already passed? Since November? Dang…I missed you guys!
So, I hope you guys enjoy this story, and I think that it's going to be at least four chapters long…it was going to be a One-shot…but neh!
Chao Rebels!