A/N: This fic is AU, I don't' own anything and please enjoy.


My name is Ezra Bridger, I'm a Rebel and technically a Jedi, though given the guy trying to teach me never actually finished his own training I really doubt it means I'll finish training.

Besides, I really don't want to die a virgin.

My story begins on a dirt ball in the middle of nowhere, literally! Lothal is over ten lightyears from the nearest inhabited system. Anyway, I was born to Ephraim and Mira Bridger, then I hit puberty and my memories return.

I'm not sure what's worse, remembering your own death in lurid detail, or going through puberty twice?

I don't consider myself the man I was before, not just because of the reincarnation thing but I'm a very different person now.

And all the Imperials have a British accent. Can't even speak properly without getting the stink eye from everyone, Bastards.

My parents ran a Pirate Broadcast station from our home, on my seventh birthday the Imperials came knocking, I was lucky I was out at the time or I would have landed in the Academy or worse an orphanage.

Two years later an old clone took me in, Torch used to be a commando, he taught me everything living on the streets hadn't.

The Imperials shot him six months ago, gunned him down in the street, just days after 'Rebels' hit the spaceport.

The Official statement says he was caught in the crossfire during a fight between the rebels and stormtroopers, personally I think he was killed because he was a symbol of the Old Republic.

After that I went back to the streets, alternating between an old comm tower my father used to service and some of Torch's old haunts, except when I was tracking down some of the things the Imp's stole from Torch's house.

it was on the last trip my life changed forever.


I make my way through the city, I know the convoy is in the main square but the Imps will have all the land routes watched, so I need somewhere quiet to get to the rooftops.

Just as I reached the edge of the market I heard a commotion, two of the only non-bucket head Imps were shaking down a trader.

If there's one thing I hate, it's morons abusing what little power they're trusted with.

Just as I approached the bucketheads seized the trader and Ollie swiped the basket of fruit, sampling one instantly.

The trader protested but Ollie retorted, "really? Who's gonna stop us? You? You?" he said, pointing to two bystanders.

"Hey, mister, Spare a jogan?" I asked, keeping my head obscured by my raised arms.

"Move along, Lothrat!" Ollie snapped at me.

"Sorry! Sorry," I apologised, taking a step forward, making a half turn I lifted Stan's communicator, "not looking for trouble."

"But it sure has a way of finding me," I muttered as I crossed the market.

Slipping into a side alley I readied the communicator, "All Officers to the Main Square!" I said urgently, my Estuary accent flowing for the first time in over a year, "This is a Code Red Emergency! Repeat, All Officers to the Main Square!"

A few moments later I heard booted feet rush down the street, stepping out I saw the merchant on the floor beside his fruit basket, "Stay on Alert, repeat, This is a Code Red!"

The trader stood up as I kneeled bedside him, "you ok?" I asked.

"Yes," he said, offering a jogan, "thank you."

"If I can have three, I can keep the Imps attention away from the market for a while," I offered.

He looked conflicted, I feel dirty seeing as I would do it anyway but a guy has to eat and credits are scarce, "you can?"

"Definitely," I promise.

"Here, take them," he said, so I took the offered fruit and two more.

"Thank you," I said, "have a good day."

"Whatever you're doing," he said, "good luck."

I nod my thanks and start scaling the nearby building, just catching the trader mutter something before I'm gone.


It doesn't take long to find the convoy in the main square, the bucketheads are watching the roads but have no one on the rooftops or I'd be blaster fodder by now.

Now, the Imps on Lothal aren't the brightest bunch, personally I think we're used as a dumping ground for all the officers the brass want 'out of sight, out of mind' where they won't do any damage, but the picket line doesn't even encompass the whole square, there's a dozen people milling around on the edges while the Imps organise themselves in the middle.

I count myself lucky that the only competent Imp on Lothal is a bureaucrat but for someone who has not only studied both world wars but played Assassin's Creed, it's fucking painful to see how incompetent these guys are.

"Ok, find the crate with Torch's gear, distract the Imps then get the hell out," I muttered, putting on my visor and scanning the crates for Torch's helmet.

I was on the last speeder bike when I.. felt something?

I look over my shoulder in case the Imps actually have someone up here, my right hand going to the carbine on my back, but no one is up here.

I go back to scanning but as I start on the last crate I feel that tug again, so I stand up and look into the street below.

Standing in the crossroads is a human, a khaki top, gray trousers, brown boots, a green pauldron and an old merc blaster.

That... sense tugs again and I duck, staying down until it tells me I'm safe, I head back to the convoy and complete the scan.

"Jackpot," I say, grinning as the Imps were moving all Torch's stuff in one go, I lower the visor and reach for a flashbang but movement catches my eye.

A young woman in purple Mando gear struts up to the picket line, which for some reason is now behind the speeders.

Gotta admit, even I was distracted, that arse was almost a work of art, but I wasn't so distracted I didn't see her drop something on the nearest speeder.

The driver tries to get her attention but a blast erupts from the speeder.

I frantically scan the square to make sure it wasn't the speeder I needed, I let out a sigh on recognising the right one.

"Get those crates out of here!" the Officer in the square orders, "keep them secure at all costs!" The remaining drivers mounted their speeders and sped off.

"At any costs?" I echoed, "any other day I would take him up on that, but I've got business," I then started following over the rooftops.

There's only a limited number of ways out of the square to the main roads and by now I know the rooftops well enough to predict their route based on their exit.

However, it seems I'm not the only one who knows it, I arrive just as the guy I saw earlier blocks the alley with a landspeeder, I miss the one-liner as he kicks the first driver off his bike and fires on the second.

With the combatants preoccupied I scan the bikes again, I grin as the last in row has Torch's crate.

I'm brought back to the fight as a buckethead screams, looking down I see they're being beaten up by a warrior of a species I don't know the name of, though I think I've seen this particular specimen thrown out of a bar at least once.

The warrior tears through the bucketheads unbelievably quick, looking quite smug as his friend grins at him, I take that as my cue to move.

Their faces as I fire up the bike make me wish I had my helmet on instead of in my pack.

"Much obliged gents," I called as I threw the speeder into full reverse and ducked into a side alley that would take me to the highway on the other side of the market.

I fail to heed my own advice as I pass the market, the Mando I saw earlier jumps from a roof and onto my cargo.

Feeling the weight shift I look back, spotting the Mando I turn, reaching for the pistol on my hip but she's gone before I can line up a shot, fortunately with the crate I don't want, I'm about to holster my pistol but some stormtroopers take position at the next crossroad.

I take a few shots, downing one and scattering the others, I idly note a red blaster bolt claim the last standing trooper, glancing back I see the human aiming his pistol so I duck into an alley to break his line of sight at the cost of speed.

By this point I hit the highway, there's a small wood about two miles from the walls where I can lose these guys and recover Torch's things in peace.

A blaster bolt too heavy to be the pirate's blaster flies by, I look back to see two patrol officers pursuing, I draw my pistol and fire a few shots, forcing them to dodge and drop back, one was claimed by the pirate's blaster, the other was dismounted by the non-human with what looked like a collapsible version of the electrostaffs Torch once told me about.

The shriek of an ion engine sends a lance of fear through my chest, I look back in horror to see a TIE fighter diving out of the clouds.

Looking forward, the end of the highway is half a mile away, if I can make it there I can take cover under the abutments holding the viaduct.

My 'Sense' screams at me and I jink like crazy, narrowly dodging fire from the TIE, looking back I can see the other guy isn't as lucky, he survived but his bike is scrap.

The TIE is banking around just as I hit the home stretch, I'm not sure I can make it but I'm dead if I don't.

It's coming in just as I brake for the turn, I'm not going to make it so I jump.

I make it over the railing just as the TIE fires, I cover my head until the shooting ends, looking up I see the TIE fly away, climbing to my feet I run to the end off the highway, the bike is intact but in no shape to go anywhere, the crate is scorched but unharmed.

I jog over to the bike and crouch behind it, drawing my carbine, I just have time to set it for anti-tank mode before the TIE returns.

As the pilot comes in, I line up my shot. TIE cockpits are well protected from the front, the radiator panels are vulnerable but an impossible shot at this angle, but the join to the fuselage isn't well armoured to aid cooling and maintenance.

I fire at the starboard wing root, ducking down I break open the carbine, dodging the spent gas cartridge as it's automatically ejected and wait for the crash.

I hear the tearing of metal, a bang, but not the boom I was expecting, looking up I see the port wing is wrapped around the sign arch above the end of the highway and the cockpit is now rolling down the highway.

I blink once, twice, and then chuckle as I replace the gas cartridge and reset the carbine to default firing mode.

The sound of engines behind me alarms me, I spin round and raise my carbine.

The guy I saw earlier is on the ramp of a freighter, looking mildly impressed.

"Want a ride?" he asks.

I take a look at the speeder, weighing my options: on the one hand I don't really have a choice, on the other they may try to take Torch's stuff for themselves.

"Alright, but this crate is mine, clear?" I reply.

The man raises an eyebrow but nods.

I turn the crate right side up, the repulsors kicking in as it's righted and jog with it to the ship. Just as I reach the ramp, I hear TIEs.

Looking to the city I see four TIEs, "Karrabast!" I curse, "Catch!"

The guy's nearly knocked over by the crate, but is up quick enough to help me in.

"Four Ties in Swarm formation, heading in from the city!" I report.

"Hera, get us out of here!" the guy orders into his comm.

I'm nearly knocked over as the ship lurches to one side then the inertia dampeners kick in as the engines fire.

I look up as the alien cracks open my crate.

"Hey, this wasn't in the manifest!" he exclaims, lifting up Torch's old helmet.

"Wow," the Mando says, looking in, "This is Clone Commando gear."

"And it's mine!" I declare, I reach for the helmet but the alien just pushes me back.

"Sorry kid," he says, not sounding sorry at all, "not happening, these ain't toys and our needs..."

He doubles over as I draw my foot back, turns out his kind have three semi-internal testicles, I grab his head and slam it into the crate's rim, dazing him further.

As he hits the floor the muzzle of my pistol is against his temple.

"Listen pirate!" I Hiss furiously, "This belonged to the man that saved me from the streets after the Imps took my parents. They stole it after gunning him down in broad daylight when the Broadcast centre in Capital City spaceport was hit."

I feel movement to my left but I'm too angry to care, "I'll be damned if I let some Pirate steal all I have left of him."

"Look around kid," the alien coughs, "you can't escape."

I glare at the alien, "Then I'll take you with me."

"Enough!" the guy shouts as the alien's eyes widen, "Kid, let him up. Zeb, I agreed to let him have that crate."

"But Kanan?" Zeb pleads.

"You said it yourself, it's not part of the mission," Kanan retorts, something edging his voice.

Zeb groans, "Fine, kid? you mind?"

I take my blaster off his head and holster it, I look to Kanan, "What else was in that convoy? I didn't exactly read the manifest fully," I asked.

Kanan shrugs, "Food and munitions."

"Huh, valuable currency to the right people," I noted.

Kanan smiled at me, "good eye, not many see uses beyond the obvious."

I shrugged, "you don't survive long on the streets if you can't read between the lines."

"Fair enough, I'm Kanan Jarrus, that's Garazeb Orrelios and Sabine Wren," Kana said, introducing his crew.

Zeb rolled his eyes and the Mando waved, after she removed her helmet.

I nodded but was thrown off my feet by a massive hit to the hull, followed by the wind being knocked out of me as a weight landed on me.

I blinked and saw the most beautiful amber eyes staring back, "you come here often?" I joked with a grin but pushed her upright to her knees before she could answer, "tell me you have a tail gun?" I begged Kanan.

"Sabine, man the rear gun, Zeb, top turret," Kanan orders, before dashing for the ladder into the forward section.

I catch Zeb before he follows, "If anything's missing..." he gets the point and nods grudgingly, then continues climbing.

I then head off after Sabine towards the rear.


The rear turret is a really odd design, a quick look around convinces me it has to be some kind of parasite craft, a console powering up draws my attention to the rear of the compartment.

Sabine is in the gunner's seat, the configuration of which actually reminds me of a B-17's tail gun but far more spacious, though the chair pivoting in relation to the guns is a nice feature.

Sabine is trading fire with the lead TIE but is making the rookie mistake of shooting directly at the target.

One: a TIE is actually a hard target to hit from the front due to it's narrow profile.

Two: Lasers may travel at the speed of light but both gunner and target react a LOT slower, meaning you still need to lead a target if said target has a semi-competent pilot at the controls, coincidentally this TIE is Not flying in a straight line.

"You're not giving enough lead... Bloody Hell!" I actually ducked as the TIE nearly grazed the canopy.

"Hey! I don't criticise your shooting," Sabine replied indignantly, lining up on the next TIE.

"I don't recall you being there for most of it," I retorted, noting she wasn't using a HUD I shrugged off my pack and fished out my helmet, "Don't you have a targeting computer or do you prefer doing it the hard way?"

"Of course I have a targeting computer," Sabine retorted, cursing as the fighter flew past unharmed.

"Good," I said, looking for the jack to sync my helmet to it then starting the sync, "one sec."

"What?" she jumped in her seat as I jammed the helmet on her head, "Hey!"

"Eyes front," I ordered, slipping my spare visor on and syncing it too as I settled just behind her right shoulder, "silver marker that moves with the guns is your crosshair, when the target enters effective range a red marker will appear in front of it, that's the Lead Indicator. It moves with the target so it can be tricky to follow it. The Indicator marks the spot you want to fire into so the TIE basically flies into your shots."

Sabine promptly fired and continued firing into the TIE's path as it tried to dodge, destroying it, "Thanks, it's pretty handy."

"Modified Republic software," I told her as I stood up straight, "surprised you don't have something like it."

"Anyone got eyes on those last two TIEs?" Zeb asked urgently over the comm.

I frantically scanned the skies around the ship, my visor synced to the ship's sensors temporarily, "Got one right in front of us!" Kanan replied.

"Got the other at Nine O'clock Low, coming anti-clockwise," I reported, spotting the bugger, "Bank the hull, give Zeb a shot as it comes around!"

I frantically grab Sabine's chair to stay upright as the ship rolls right, I can hear Zeb crowing proudly as the ship rights itself.

"This one's mine," Sabine says, landing a quick burst on the last fighter as it shot past.

"Not bad," I say approvingly, I'm impressed she adapted so fast to the HUD and quick shotted a TIE that fast, that close.

"Thanks," she says, standing up , she takes off my helmet and hands it back, "where did you get that mod?"

"Republic clone troopers had a program to project a crosshair on the HUD of their helmets," I explained as I shut the connection to the ship's systems, "pilots and tank crews developed a simple update package to compensate for a moving target and project a Lead Indicator early on in the war. Torch added it when I had the helmet made."

"Custom design?" she asked.

I looked at the helmet a moment, I'd based it on the ODST helmet like the rest of my armour, "yeah, clone armour is excellent but distinctive, so I came up with a design that could pass for a bounty hunter's but offered the same protection as Phase II armour."

Heavy footsteps draw both our eyes to the hallway, "You're wanted in the cockpit," Zeb says.

"One sec," I return my visor and helmet to my pack and sling it over my shoulder, adjusting the cloak I wear over my shoulders as I do so, "lead the way."


"So, you're the kid Kanan picked up," the speaker is a pretty, green Twi'lek wearing overalls, seated behind the controls.

"Ezra Bridger," I said, holding out my hand.

"Hera Syndulla," she replies, shaking my hand.

I do a double take at the name, "any relation to Cham Syndulla?" I blurt.

Hera's face drops, but only for a split second, "He's my father."

"Ah," I've seen that look on Torch's face enough times not to pry, "a pleasure."

Kanan is sitting opposite Hera and Sabine settles into a suspiciously graffitied seat to my right, Zeb's in the doorway so I gesture to the empty seat to my left, "May I?"

"Go ahead," Hera says.

I settle down, dropping my pack beside the chair and look at each one in turn, quite the bunch of characters, "So, what now?"

"Now we head back to Lothal," Kanan said.

"You what?!" I yelled in alarm, "Right after Escaping? The entire PDF will be on alert!"

"Relax, we lost the Imperials when we jumped to Hyperspace and the Ghost can scramble it's signal," Hera reassured, "they won't recognise us when we return."

"A signal scrambler?" I asked sceptically, I knew of the existence of such systems but they were never used as the only stealth system, "and what about emission sinks? ECM? a tactical cloak?"

"We'll be fine," Hera repeated.

I sigh into my hands, I know a losing battle when I see it, sitting up I look at Hera, "fine, just drop me and my stuff off outside the city..."

"We're not going back to Capital City, the job's not done," Kanan replied.


As I stand on the ramp I'm having a hard time keeping my lunch down.

At the bottom of the hill is a shantytown, one that invokes disturbing memories from history class.

I look back to take my mind off what I've seen and spot Kanan and Hera heading in another direction, "where are they going?"

"If I told you I'd have to kill you," Zeb retorted as he passed with two crates, "just might kill you anyway."

"Grab a crate and pull your weight," Sabine added.


I'm pushing one of the crates as we enter town, my mind is playing tricks on me; everywhere I look I'm seeing goose stepping Germans, eagles perched on stone swastikas, there's a wall with watchtowers ringing the town and I swear I could hear the konniggratzer march from a pole mounted speaker.

"I've lived on Lothal all my life," I say to the others, not quite keeping the disquiet from my voice, "but I've never been here, What is this place?"

"The Imperials don't advertise it," Sabine said dryly.

"Locals call it 'Tarkintown'" Zeb added.

"For Grand Moff Tarkin," Sabine said.

"Governor of the outer rim," I concluded, my mind playing further tricks as I almost heard German coming from one of the huddles of people.

"He kicked these folks off their farms when the Empire wanted their land," Sabine continued, emotion seeping into her voice.

"Anyone who fought back was arrested," Zeb finished, "For Treason."

We reach the town square just as the sun rises, we've lined up the crates, Zeb to my left and Sabine on my right.

"Who wants free grub!" Zeb shouts, tearing off the crate's lid as people look at him.

Sabine opens her crate as I'm looking at the various vegetables in Zeb's crate, a glance shows it's similar fair in hers.

I pry open my crate just as people start coming over, the only thing I recognise is jogans but there's a lot of different fruits and vegetables in there.

The people gaze at the crates in wonder, then they approach in ones and twos, picking a fruit or two.

"Thank you," a man says to me.

"You're welcome," I reply as more and more come up, thanking us as they take fruit from the crates.

I feel like a cheat, I didn't do anything to get these crates, hell I'd planned abandon the one connected to the speeder I hijacked.

"Thank you," I jump as a hand settles on my shoulder, I look round to see a relieved Rodian, "Thank you so much."

"But I didn't do anything," I said quietly as he walks away, guilt pooling in my gut.

I take a look at Zeb and Sabine, both are handing food to the settlers, looking happy for the settlers, I turn away, I glance back once then head back to the ship.

As I walk back I think about what I saw; the people. the ghetto... I've known the Empire was corrupt and cruel before but never once did I imagine it was like this.

When I reach the ship I settle on a rock, between the guilt and what I saw, I feel ready to throw up.

I can't help but replay it all in my head, the Capital can get pretty bad but here? I feel like I walked into a displaced Third Reich.

I took a breath and tried to clear my mind, Torch had taught me a meditation technique to help clear my head of emotion years ago, personally I likened it to Occulumency as if regularly practised it felt like a barrier would form around my mind and isolate my emotions, or at least numb them.

Just as I centred myself, I felt something, almost... almost like a song.

I tried again but the feeling came again, pulling on me from inside the ship.

I ignored it again but I just got louder, in the end I decided to investigate.

Entering the ship I looked around the cargo bay, seeing only the crate with Torch's things, I then felt a tug from above, I looked up then at the ladder. Climbing up I initially stopped at the first deck but continued climbing as the song pulled from above.

I emerged in the cockpit, climbing up I slowly walked to the door and peeked through. The corridor was empty but I could swear I heard something, edging forward I started looking around, finding nothing until I stopped in front of a particular door, whatever it was calling to me was behind it.

I tried the release, when that failed I knelt down and reached into a tool pouch on my belt for a lock pick.

It's not that difficult a lock and after a few moments it gives, I stand up, returning the pick to my pocket and enter.

It's a fairly Spartan room, two bunks, a wardrobe, not much else, I settle on the lower bed, wondering what the Hell is going on.

But just as I got up to leave I feel the song from right under me, looking down I see some kind of drawer, spinning round I keel and open the drawer.

Inside is an ornate box like thing and a sorta plain metal cylinder, the interesting thing is what I feel.

Around the box there's a faint... aura? Light and wispy, almost smoke-like, the cylinder however is practically drowning in it's one, thick and heavy, lingering like smog.

Here and now I can tell it's the cylinder that's been calling me, unthinkingly I reach out...


...the cylinder's in front of, assembling itself from many pieces, once fully formed it falls into my hands, I hear clapping and I look round to see a pretty forty something woman smiling broadly as she claps...

...I'm in a building with a roof almost too tall to see, walking down a set of steps, I'm nudged by a pretty Togruta girl as she runs past, she looks back and calls an apology but keeps on running...

...I'm looking down on a planet from a starship's bridge, the planet glows like it's covered in fireflies but the pattern confirms it's one massive city...

...the cylinder is in my hand, a bright blue blade projecting from the crown, I swing it and a skeletal looking tan droid is cut in two, on instinct I swing the blade right and deflect a blaster bolt, blue blaster bolts come from my left and cut down the remaining droids as soldiers in stark white armour advance to assist...

...those white armoured soldiers are shooting at the woman, her own green blade dancing in order to protect us, she shouts at me, once... twice... then I run, just before I disappear I look back and see her cut down by a fusillade of blue blaster fire...

Everything fades to white.


For a moment everything's white, then the white fades away, replaced by shapes and colours, unclear at first then coming into focus, I'm lying on my back and Hera's leaning over me.

"How are you feeling?" she asks me in concern.

My response is to roll over and empty my stomach on the floor.

"Woah! If that's what rolling outta bed does to you I don't fancy your chances in a fight," Zeb snarks from the door.

"I just had my senses hijacked so Fuck You!" I retort weakly, wincing as Hera clips my ear.

"I won't have foul language on my ship," Hera scolds, she then turns away from me, "Zeb, could you get Chopper and the cleaning supplies?"

"And a bucket," I groan as simply rolling onto my back makes my stomach want to rebel.

"What happened?" Kanan asks sternly.

"I was feeling uneasy after seeing Tarkintown," I started, "brought up bad memories of a fallen nation I once learned about in history class. I was out front of the ship trying to clear my thoughts when I felt something calling me. I tried to ignore but it kept getting stronger, I followed it in here, I think... some metal cylinder, I reached to it and then I wasn't on the ship anymore... it kept jumping around," sighed in frustration, "none of it's clear."

"Sounds like it triggered some kind of vision," Kanan mused.

I snorted, "Well you can have it, load of disjointed garbage."

"Hey, take it easy," he scolds as I sit up.

"And I if I stay with that under my nose I'll just repeat it," I argued, rising slowly to my feet, Hera helping steady me, "mind helping me to the galley?"

Hera led me into the galley and sat me down at the table, before pouring me a cup of jogan juice, I smiled in thanks and took a sip, surprisingly it went down smoothly and didn't further upset my stomach.

"I need to speak with Kana, will you be alright here for a minute?" Hera asked me.

"Sure, I'll be fine," I assured her, I watched her leave then turned back to my cup, I tried once more to centre myself.

I'd just about cleared my mind when the door to the corridor I left opened, Sabine either missed my annoyed look or didn't care, she made herself a drink and turned around, leaning back against the counter as she took a drink.

"You don't really follow directions, do you?" she observed.

"I normally work alone, so, yeah, not one of my strong suits," I replied.

"So what happened?" she asked, I turned to meet her curious look.

"You mean here or back in town?" I asked.

"Both, I guess," she said.

"Tarkintown brought back memories of history class when I was a kid," I admitted, "a long fallen regime on a remote world, I've always known the Empire wasn't exactly the good guys but there's never been reason to think they were really Evil, but seeing that? It was... for a moment I thought I'd lost myself on that world in that time."

"I see," Sabine said.

"No you really don't, be glad the Empire is only as bad as it is," I replied seriously, "as for what happened back here?"

I stared into my cup, thinking. What had happened?

"I felt something calling to me," I said after a moment, "like a pull in my senses, I tried to ignore it but I grew until I couldn't, I followed it into that room to a drawer, inside was a cube and a cylinder, I reached for a cylinder and then..."

"And then what?" Zeb asked, "oh, here," he dumped a bucket next to me.

I shook my head, "I dunno... I saw things, people, places that I've never seen before, it happened so fast, jumping from place to place. then it went white and I woke up with Hera over me."

"And nearly puking over her," Zeb finished.

"You ok?" Sabine asked, walking over.

I watcherd amusedly as she placed her hand on my forehead and checked my eyes, "I'd just had my senses hijacked for one hell of a ride, I feel ok now."

"If you're sure," she said, returning to the counter as Zeb left the way he came.

"So who are you guys? my first thought was pirates given his behaviour," I jerked a thumb at a retreating Zeb, "but the rest of you don't fit the bill."

"Met many pirates, have you?" Zeb calls sarcastically from the corridor.

"You find all sorts in dark alleys after dusk," I reply lightly.

"We're a crew, a team, in some ways... a family," Sabine replied.

"Not just any crew hits an Imperial convoy," I pointed out.

"True, but if we don't fight the Empire, who will?" Sabine counters.

I chuckle humourlessly, staring at the floor, "you don't fight an enemy like the Empire and win."

"Someone has to fight back," Sabine argued, "Someone has to stand up for what's right!"

"So you kill a dozen stormtroopers," I shrugged, "so you stop one shipment, so you free a few dozen slaves. The Empire will just send more troopers, send another ship, enslave more people. The only thing that would work would be if entire star systems seceded and fought the Empire together."

"And look how that turned out," I said flatly.

Sabine was saved from answering by Zeb, "Kanan wants us in the common room," he then knocked on the head of an astromech that looked like it had been assembled from spare parts, "if he tries anything, sound the alarm," Zeb ordered, "or shoot him," he added.

"And I still have my blaster so i'll just shoot back," I muttered as he left.

I looked at the droid and it gestured with two robotic arms , beeping what sounded like a threat, then settled it's arms on either side of it's head like putting it's hands on it's hips.

I put my blaster pistol on the table, noting as I did they'd probably confiscated my now absent carbine, "buddy, if I wanted to try something, you'd have a hard time stopping me," I pointed out.

The droid promptly went into a short tirade, I don't quite understand astromech yet but I get the jist of it.

"Do you kiss your motherboard with that vocabulator?" I asked amusedly.

The droid freezes amusedly then beeps something I'm pretty sure was offensive.

"Care to repeat that, Spam Can!" I growl, whipping out a stun baton I keep in my right bracer.

The droid takes one look at the weapon, beeps something and scuttles off.

"Get Back Here!" I bellow, snatching up my blaster and tearing after the mini-Frankenstein.

I chase the thing across two decks, (normally I'd question how a droid without arms and legs could climb ladders but i'm not in a mood to think rationally) until I lose sight of him.

"Here spam can," I say coaxingly to the hiding droid, "here spam can, uncle Ezra's got a present for you!"

I spin round as I hear a noise, but only find a small cupboard, but there's noise inside it, I ready my baton and open the door but... no droid.

I look around in confusion until I locate a vent, listening I can hear voices.

"...I owe those hairy beasts, they saved some of my people," Zeb says.

"Mine too," Hera says emphatically.

"If we want to help them we've got a tight window to do it. They're being held in an unknown slave labour camp and if we don't intercept this ship we'll never find them, now I have a plan but..." Kanan is interrupted by a frantically beeping droid.

I spin round to find said droid behind me, it's holding something in it's arm, I sprint after it and just as it enters the corridor I slam my boot into it's back.

I'm pretty sure the last thing Kanan expected on leaving the lounge (is it the lounge?) was a three hundred pound droid delivered to him by airmail.

I jog down the corridor as Hera kneels by the pair, "Chopper! are you ok?"

"You're worrying about the droid?" Kanan asked breathlessly, "What about me?"

"Oh, you a big boy now, don't be a baby," Hera dismissed, lifting the now named droid off of him.

I looked around the room to see Sabine leaning against a wall, trying not to laugh while Zeb was rolling around howling in laughter.

"Kid, that was classic!" Zeb wheezed out.

"Just getting acquainted with spam can," I replied.

"Oh that's great," Sabine finally surrendered to her giggles as Chopper tried to look indignant.

"His name is Chopper, please use it," Hera reprimanded, in full mom mode.

"As long as he behaves," I counter, "that sound fair Chopper?"

The droid was initially silent but responded grudgingly after a nudge from Hera.

"What are we gonna do about the kid?" Zeb argued.

"Chopper said he was eavesdropping," Sabine added.

"Then you might want to install baffles in the vents to prevent that," I added dryly.

"How much did you hear?" Kanan asked.

"Enough," I said darkly, "If there's one thing I hate it's slavers. You've seen me fight, I'm not helpless, look me in the eye and say having another gun isn't a good idea."

"He's right," Sabine noted.

Kanan sighed, "Fine, but you're to stay on the ship with Hera until we need you."

I nodded, "wouldn't put it past the Imps to try and board us while you're looking for the prisoners."

"You really think the bucketheads will think of that?" Zeb snorted.

"Sooner or later you are going to run into a competent Imp, you do know that, right?" I countered.

"Hopefully not today, don't worry, I'll keep an eye on him," Hera says, turning me around and pushing me towards the door.

"Can I at least get my carbine back?" I protest as I'm pushed out.

"I'll get it on the way," Hera assures me.


I'm sitting in the cockpit, staring into space, Hera's in the pilot's seat and Chopper's behind her.

"You know, i'm all for sticking it too the Empire," I say, I've hit the transport hubs with Torch before and pranked the garrison block, " but I've never stuck my neck out this far, who does that?"

"We do," Hera replies solemnly.

Before I can say more we drop out of Hyperspace, I can just make out a standard Gozanti-class armed freighter, complete with fighter complement.

"Imperial transport 651, this is Starbird, we're inbound," Hera reports to the freighter.

"State your business?" the transport captain requests.

"Bounty, we've captured an additional Wookie prisoner and have transfer orders to place him with you," Hera responds.

"We have no such orders," the captain responds.

Looking out I see two fighters detach from the transport.

As I look to Hera she replies to the captain, "That's fine, we already got paid," she folds her arms, "By Governor Tarkin, if you don't want the oversized monong I'll just jettison here,let you explain to your superiors why the Empire has one less slave."

We're closing in on the transport, I can make out the gun emplacements and that dorsal turret looks nasty.

"Permission to dock, Bay 1, the captain replies after a moment.

Hera looks at me, quite pleased with herself, she closes in on the transport and docks flawlessly.

I'm a little nervous as we wait for the airlock to cycle, "They can't fall for it?" I mutter, "Seriously, they can't be that stupid!"

"You'd be surprised," Hera says with a smile.

I zone out a little as the team enters the ship, then the comm breaks into static.

"Comm's down," Hera says, annoyed.

That's when I feel it, something big... and coming in FAST!

"No.. not down," She corrects, "Jammed!"

"Something's coming," I tell her, worriedly.

The sunlight lighting the cockpit suddenly goes dark.

I look at Hera then we both look up.

Right above us, a Star Destroyer is approaching from the inner system.