Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars or Star Wars Rebels, nor any characters, place names, or content that appears in this story. This is a fanfiction and does not necessarily comply with the actual Star Wars timeline. Rated T for violence and mild alcoholic references.
Warning: this story is a sequel to Despair, so read that one first to get the gist of what's happening.
Sabine sighed, resting her head on the bar. The barkeep came by, holding a jug of some bubbling liquid.
"Another?"
"Same please." Sabine's voice came as a flat sigh, her eyes red and puffy.
"That's your fifth one tonight, if you have any more, I'm gonna have to cut you off."
Sabine nodded, not really listening. She didn't really care. She hadn't cared much about anything for a while now. Drinking was the only way to alleviate her sufferings. The barkeep filled her glass once again, and then stuck a tab on the side of the glass, before walking away. She took a long drink, and then glanced over at her helmet. As she did, she became aware of company.
Hera sat down beside her, and peered at the tab, before glancing over at Sabine, and sighing.
"Has it really been this long since that day?"
"Yes."
It had been two and a half years since Ezra had supposedly been killed. The memory still brought tears to Sabines eyes, even nearly three years later. She saw it in her nightmares, the huge imperial attack- how she herself had thrown the smoke bomb that threw Ezra off the ramp- how the imperials had advanced on them, and how they had left Ezra…
Right in the middle of the imperials. It still haunted her. She wished she could just wake up one day and see that it was all a dream, that he was still alive…
Sabine sighed. She knew that it wasn't possible. He was dead. It had happened right after the Despair, right before she was to confess how she felt about him.
She had loved Ezra with all her heart, and now wouldn't even get a chance to tell him how she felt.
"Sabine, I know how much he meant to you, but you have to move on."
"I can't, Hera, I just can't. Force knows I've tried."
Sabine had not coped with Ezra's absence well. She had sought out all the members of the squad that was there, Delta Squad, killed them one by one. Then she had resigned to drowning in cantinas and trying to forget him. She had painted his lightsaber on the side of her helmet, and underneath, the words untala no leam kelantar Ezra, mando for rest in peace Ezra.
"Sabine, please, pull yourself together."
"Hera, I…"
"You need to. We've got a mission."
Sabine twitched, and raised her head off the table. They hadn't taken an op since The Despair, almost three years previously.
"Why now?... Oh, forget it. I don't care."
Hera sighed. She hadn't wanted to say it, but she had to.
"Well you'd better, because here's the mission.
We tracked down the leader of Delta Squad."