"Rebellions are built on hope." Jyn told the crowd, trying desperately to make them agree with her.
The Ghost Crew nodded, Ezra staring intently at everyone who soon came to disagree…or not necessarily disagree but still not follow. Ezra was getting annoyed sitting among the crowd of rebels, listening to them argue on something that they couldn't believe they were arguing about. Ezra had heard what the weapon could be and he couldn't understand how so many leaders were just…bowing to the Empire. He couldn't understand. A weapon like this should make them fight harder!
He couldn't hold in his thoughts anymore. They just burst out as he took a step forward.
"So you're giving up?" Ezra called.
"Ezra!" Hera hissed, moving to catch his arm to stop him but the teen was already walking through a path of rebels as they moved to make a parting for him. Ezra was already out of her reach and was stepping forward to be in front of the crowd. He didn't care that he was speaking out of turn. If they were going to bow to the Empire then they should hear the truth that everyone was thinking about it.
"Not, giving up…"
Ezra shook his head, standing beside Jyn. He had never talked to her before and had only heard about her and her father and what had happened in the course of these past couple of days from Hera, but Ezra already knew that he liked her. He liked anyone who had enough faith and hope to go against the Empire, especially if they weren't completely willing before. It was a test of faith and bravery and she passed. Especially since leaders of the rebellion were not.
"Yes you are!" Ezra told them, looking to every face, "this should make us fight more!"
There was agreeing from around the room. Ezra looked at the Council again.
"You are letting all of this…everything that has been worked on for twenty years just die because of this weapon. We should fight it! Just as we always have!" Ezra told them, "my parents died for this cause. My friends died for this cause. Everyone here has lost someone close to them for this rebellion! They knew what could happen but they decided to die because if they were going to die it was going to be for something! Giving in and turning the table means that all of those people, the thousands who lost their lives for the rebellion and the innocents who lost their lives for the Empire have died for nothing!"
There was more agreeing behind him, more people nodding. The leaders all looked at him, some with anger, some with disappointment, and some with admiration.
"We've never let fear stop us before!" Ezra said.
"We've never seen this weapon before!"
"Which is why we should stop it! Giving up means giving into its power! If we give in, don't get these plans, and don't try to stop it then we are giving in to whatever power it has and whatever it will do. We will turn our backs on not just those who have died for the rebellion already but for those who will die in its destruction!"
The agreements got louder.
Ezra told them, looking them hard in the eye, "not standing up doesn't mean giving up, it means conforming to what is around you! To conforming to the Empire and everything it has done and every horrible thing it will do next. This rebellion was built on refusing to abide by this, by refusing to conform and to agree with what was going on. This rebellion was built on fighting for a better future, to stop the Empire. And when something different, horrible and needs to be stopped comes up you're asking all of us to give in for fear of what could happen?"
"It will start a war on the rebellion!"
"It's always been a war!" Ezra almost yelled. There was agreeing amongst the crowd again.
Ezra looked between all of the council members again.
"This weapon may be the worse thing we've ever seen, but that's why it needs to be stopped. The rest of not stopping this weapon will be far worse then trying to stop it." Ezra told them. "Weapons like this, leaders like that, are the whole reason this rebellion was created. How could you ask us to stand down when this thing is exactly what we've fought to destroy for twenty years?"
There was agreeing amongst the crowd again. Some of the council members nodded as well. Mothma stared at him, her lips pressed thin. Ezra could sense the mixed emotions among the Council as they stared at either him or Mothma. Finally, the Chandrila Senator told him, "I'm sorry, Jyn. But the Council has made their decision."
Ezra shook his head and walked away as Jyn stood still, moving through the crowd that parted for him. Hera sighed and walked forward. Kanan placed a hand on her upper arm.
"I should go talk to him." Kanan told her.
"We both should." Hera answered and the two Spectors soon made their way through the crowd as well.
~.~
Ezra walked outside, moving through small patches of rebels that were outside with the droids that were moving about the fighters and ships. He heard footsteps coming after him and he didn't need to turn around or use the force to see who it was.
"Ezra, wait!" Kanan called to him.
Although he didn't particularly want to, Ezra stopped, his back still to them. He saw Hera and Kanan move to stand in front of them, both faces full of exasperation. Hera didn't particularly know what to tell him.
"I'm not sorry." Ezra told them.
"We're not asking you to be," Hera told him, "but Ezra you can't just….speak out like that."
"Why not? I'm not afraid to speak my voice. They're almost as bad as the Empire!" Ezra argued.
"Ezra!" Kanan told him, "you know that's not true."
"They're letting the Empire get away with this when we could stop the weapon before it truly starts its damage!" Ezra insisted.
"Ezra, what you did in there wasn't respectful. You can't just talk like that in front of the Council." Karan insisted.
"I don't care about being respectful to cowards. Because of them this weapon…" Ezra's voice trailed off. He shook his head angrily, "you disappointed?"
"No," Hera told him. "I agree with you Ezra, but the Council voted. And it's out of our hands as much as I don't like it."
"I never thought you would just sit down and let something like this happen." Ezra told them.
Hera sighed.
"Ezra, we can find another way, but…" Hera sighed. She didn't exactly know what to tell Ezra. She agreed with him and she wanted to get the plans to this weapon before it could really do some damage, but he was too outspoken about it….she thinks…She was in the fine line of trying to be mad but also being impressed.
"Look just…leave me alone. I don't feel like being around here too much longer. I need to meditate." Ezra told her.
That was a first. Karan usually had to tell Ezra to meditate and dictate how long it was. If Ezra was doing it on his own, then he needed it. Hera sighed and nodded, "alright. We'll find you when we know more about what's going to happen. Something may change."
"Maybe." Ezra answered before turning his back to them and walking off without taking a look back.
~.~
Ezra was sitting in the shade, a bit away from all the excitement, but not too far away that he couldn't hear it. He didn't know how long he was sitting here, trying to find some peace, trying to follow Kanan's teachings about pushing his feelings into the Force to connect to it. To make peace. It wasn't working as well as he would like. He was so used to Kanan meditating beside him that it didn't completely feel right to not do it.
He didn't know how long it was until he heard some footsteps come up to him. It was a Force signature he didn't really know. He recognized it, as one among the masses back in that crowd.
The other person stood there, not too sure about what to do. So, Ezra prompted him.
"Can I help you, Cassian?" Ezra asked him, not opening his eyes.
"You're a hard person to find sometimes. I was looking for you for a while. We all heard you back with the Council. We…we're going to do something about this, whether they want us to or not. A group of us are going to Scarif." Cassian answered.
Now, Ezra opened his eyes. He stared up at the Captain and asked, "how many?"
"A small group." Cassian answered, "less than twenty in total."
"And you need a Jedi." Ezra stated.
"We need rebels that are more than ready to fight for this despite being in a small group." Cassian answered, "the fact that you're a Jedi is a happy plus to our ranks."
Ezra grinned before he nodded.
"Let me get some things. I think I already know what ship you're going to use." Ezra told him. Cassian smiled as well.
~.~
"He's been gone a while." Sabine commented as she and the others sat in a cafeteria-like room. It was the place where most of the food was kept and on good days there was hot foods, sometimes the rebels would just get quick food rations. This was one of those times, but Sabine was starving and ate it either way.
"He needs some time, Sabine." Kanan told her, almost reading her mind.
Sabine shrugged, staring down at the now empty can of soup and then moving it around with her spoon.
"I just don't like him being alone," Sabine answered him, "he was pretty upset."
"We all are, Sabine." Zeb answered, finishing his second and last can.
Sabine shrugged.
"Yeah but he was more upset. You hard him in that auditorium." Sabine insisted, "I just don't think he should be alone for too long. You know how he gets ideas in his head."
"I know how you both get insane ideas in your heads when you have your eye set on something." Kanan said in a slightly joking tone.
Sabine rolled her eyes before pushing back her chair.
"Maybe he needs someone to talk to now. I'll go see him. Maybe he needs another person to talk to." Sabine told them as she got to her feet. Maybe he needed someone who wasn't his leader. She, Zeb and Ezra could sometimes talk to each other better when Hera and Kanan weren't around with the 'moral high ground' or it was sometimes easier to rant out their anger when they weren't there. Maybe that was what Ezra needed.
"Fine." Hera agreed, "if he's ready to come back tell him we have a soup ration waiting for him."
Sabine stared at it.
"Maybe I should bring it with me," she suggested.
"No, it'll have him come here. He can't hide out in anger forever." Hera answered.
Sabine rolled her eyes but nodded. Ezra would certainly try to do that. Sabine looked at all of them and told them, "okay. I'll be back."
"Try not to be too long." Hera told her.
Sabine smiled and rolled her eyes before she told the Twi'lek, "I'll be right back with him. I'll see you soon."
She gave them one last playful smile before turning and walking into a crowd of rebels, moving through them to get out of the room. Hera and Zeb stared after her before Chopper made some sounds. Hera told him, "I'll give you a oil bath later, Chopper."
Zeb cleared his throat and told them, "I told some guys from Blue Squadron that I was going to catch up with them. I'll see you two later. If I hear anything I'll get you."
Hera gave him one last smile and nodded before watching him go to a group on the other side of the cafeteria. Hera turned to Kanan and sighed, "just us."
"Yeah, a romantic dinner." Kanan joked.
Hera rolled her eyes and Chopper beeped annoyingly at them and Hera giggled, rolling her eyes.
~.~
Once outside, Sabine looked around and wondered where she should look for Ezra first. He would be wanting to hide, but wouldn't go too far in case any new news did come. She looked among the landscape. He would be somewhere in there, maybe beside or in a tree.
She was walking past the fighters, people talking in small groups when she spotted the Ghost a little bit away.
The ramp was open.
She doubted that Ezra would have found refuge in there, it would be too easy for him to find. But someone was in there and if it was Ezra she knew it was not for meditation. Sabine started a face-paced walk towards it before realizing that it turned into a jog. Running up the ramp, she looked around.
"Ezra?" she called, moving to walk up the ladder.
Once at the top, she moved quickly down the hall to his room, seeing the door open. She stopped at the doorway and saw him putting his lightsaber on his belt. She furrowed her eyebrows as he looked up at her.
"Ezra, what are you doing?" she asked him.
"What are you doing here, Sabine?" he asked, moving to walk past her.
The young Mandalorian followed him.
"Ezra, where are you going?" Sabine asked him.
"Don't worry about it." Ezra told her.
She didn't stop following him as he went down the ladder. She followed him down and when he stopped by the ramp, she stared at him. The thoughts connected together.
"You're going to Scarif," she realized.
Ezra didn't answer her. After a couple of seconds, Sabine continued, "I'm going with you."
"No you're not!" Ezra told her, raising his voice slightly to try and make it seem more like a command. No matter how many times he tried to be in control or have a commanding voice, Sabine was somehow reminded of him when he first came aboard the Ghost, short with longer hair. He had grown it own again slightly and it framed his face to make it look younger again. She could still remember him like that even though that had been a little over five years ago.
"Ezra, you're not going by yourself. You'll get yourself killed!" she told him.
"I'm not going alone!" Ezra told her.
She stared at him, shocked.
"You and a group of rebels are going to Scarif?" she asked.
He didn't answer, just turned and walked down the ramp. Sabine stared after him until he was completely gone from her sight. then, she quickly moved. Sabine raced up the ladder and down the hall to her room, putting things into her pack and belt while finding her helmet.
~.~
Ezra walked up the loading zone to see a small group or rebels around the stolen Imperial ship. Cassian and Jyn both looked over at him and gave them a small nod of acknowledgement.
"We must hurry. We are already taking more time than I wanted." Cassian told him.
Ezra nodded. He went to take another step before he sensed her in the Force and heard rushed steps coming up to him. The other rebels looked over his shoulder as Ezra turned around. Sabine jogged up to them in her armour with a pack on her back, blasters at her belt, and her helmet under her one arm.
"I'm coming with you." Sabine told them, slowing to a stop in front of them.
"Sabine, I told you not to come!" Ezra said, slightly annoyed.
"I've never listened to you before. Why start now?" Sabine told him firmly, though with a playing joke on her slight smile.
Ezra knew he wasn't going to win, so he turned to Cassian and Jyn.
"Trust me, you want her on your side."
~.~
"You almost done with those bombs?" Cassian asked Sabine.
She didn't look up as she fixed on the last one in her hand. She had heard his and Jyn's motivating speech to encourage and motivate them and knew the plan, but Sabine didn't need it. She was ready for this and she had more important things, such as working these bombs, to worry about. She didn't completely like the plan that Cassian told them. The plan was she go with the main group to set off the bombs while Ezra went with K-2, Cassian, and Jyn into the actual dragon's lair. Sabine thought that it was the first time where she didn't want to set off bombs, or even be there to see her work.
"These ones won't be as fun as mine, but they'll work. I've added some extra sting and checked them all over. They'll be ready and working," Sabine answered him.
"And they'll set right?" he asked.
"Yeah, right when we say the command."
Cassian raised his brows and made short eye contact with Ezra. The teen gave him a small grin as if to say 'I told you so'. Even though Cassian had never talked with Ezra and Sabine before, he was glad to have a weapons specialist like her with them.
"We're going to land soon," Cassian told her.
Sabine looked up at him and nodded as she gave a pack of the explosives to the other rebel group ground leader across from her that would go off into the other direction so that they would cover more ground, "good, I'm done. Let's get this started."
~.~
Hera looked at the time once again. Kanan could feel her anxiety in the Force and knew what it was about.
"I know, they've been gone for a while." Kanan agreed.
"I've got a bad feeling about this, Kanan. They've been gone for hours." Hera told him, tapping her foot on the ground in nervousness.
"That's not unusual." Kanan answered, though he was also anxious too. He also had a 'bad' feeling rolling through him and in the Force.
"I know but…something isn't sitting right with me." Hera answered.
"Maybe we should look for them." Kanan agreed.
"Zeb might have seen them." Hera nodded, moving out of her chair. Chopper made some noises and warbled around their feet as Kanan got to his feet as well.
"Yes, Chopper, if they did something you can zap them." Hera agreed, though worried as she and Kanan went to go outside, seeing Zeb leave with the other group an hour before.
Hera spotted him quickly, still talking with the group with more that had joined.
"Zeb!" she called, walking over to him.
The purple Lasat looked back at her and noticed their worried faces. His smile dropped and he walked forward without saying anything to the other group. Zeb immediately knew that something was wrong by their expressions and Hera's wide eyes with worry. He had only seen that look a couple of times in all the years he was part of her crew and knew that she was sure something was wrong if that was the look she had.
"What's wrong?"
"Have you seen Ezra and Sabine anywhere?" Hera asked, "they've just disappeared. We haven't seen them for hours."
Zeb looked between them and shrugged.
"Ezra was upset. Maybe he just walked off and hid somewhere, you know, like he used to." Zeb suggested.
"That was years ago." Kanan told him.
"And you haven't seen Sabine?" Hera asked.
"The last time I saw her was when I was with you and she said she was going to check on Ezra." the Lasat answered.
Kanan's ears suddenly picked up a conversation from behind them. He turned around just to hear the end of it. Without thinking, he walked forward immediately to hear the conversation better, but it was already over. Hera and Zeb immediately followed with Chopper at her heels. Kanan stopped behind Mon Mothma.
"I'm sorry, what did you say Senator Monthma?" Kanan asked her.
Mothma stared between the three sentients and ended at Hera's rather worried face.
"It seems that some rebels have gone rogue and are on Scarif," Mothma told them.
Hera and Kanan immediately turned to each other and despite being blind, Kanan knew exactly what her face expressed.
"Ezra." Kanan grumbled worriedly.
"Some of yours are there?" Mothma asked Hera.
"I think so," she answered.
"There are some groups g—," Mothma didn't even get a chance to finish her sentence.
"We're going too." Hera confirmed, already moving past Mothma with Kanan and Zeb.
"General Syndulla—."
"If Ezra and Sabine are risking their lives for this then so are we!" Hera insisted before the four Spectors went to the Ghost to follow the rest of their crew.
~.~
Sabine had to admit that she wished she were high in the air to be able to see how her colour explosives looked going off in coordination and in accenting the normal ones, how the dominoes going off must have looked in the whole scene or the island, but she couldn't even focus on that. She was too worried about Ezra and what how he was doing sneaking in with Cassian, Jyn, and K-2. She had been with the others, and it was the first time that she couldn't even enjoy sneaking around the camp and setting the explosives. Usually the sneaking was one of the best things about going on missions, next to the colour explosive bombs. But her mind was to how Ezra was doing. She didn't have any contact with him and it made her nervous not to even com him and ask him if he was even alive.
She had tried to focus. She had taken the compliment of when one of the rebels in her group looked over at her as they saw some bombs go off in a colour explosion. 'That you?' 'You bet' and he smiled 'nice work. We need to make those popular in the rebellion. It nicely sets off their clear cut black and white.' And she had smiled and for a couple of moments she was okay, but then her mind went back. And it went back when the Imperial bucket heads were firing at them. And it came back when she saw the other members of her group dying as they tried to make it back to the ship. It had come back when she realized that walkers had come upon the beach.
All of this dying and she couldn't save them. All this dying and she didn't even know if Ezra was alive still.
~.~
Ezra deflected more blaster shots as K-2 was both shooting the Imperials and doing his best to help Jyn and Cassian get the plans for the Death Star, helping them label it and get it out.
The Imperials were coming in larger groups and almost in waves. Ezra was doing his best, moving his lightsaber through Imperials and deflecting their blaster shots back at them. He looked back at the droid. He soon realized that the two of them couldn't do this. They were trying to hold off this party for Jyn and Cassian so they could get the plans but he didn't know how much harder they could go.
"K-2?" Ezra called back.
"Don't you think I know?" the droid countered, "go to the next exit they can try to break through. I will trap those here."
Ezra looked back.
"Are you sure?" he asked.
"Do I need to tell you the percentage of this suc—."
"Alright." Ezra told him, moving down the hall to the next entrance that the Imperials could try and go through, cutting through some Imperials with his saber before hearing an explosion a short time later.
~.~
She was covering behind one of the boxes, aiming at the bucket heads that would go by. She had to admit that she was surprised. They were a small group and the number of casualties on the Imperial side was surprising, especially with the Jedi not around.
Sabine was the last who was left of her group. She had slowly made her way back to the ship, hoping that she would be able to get into it. If it could load up then perhaps she could get Ezra and the others and they could fly their way back up with the Death Star plans. Or even just meet the rebels that had been reported to her going in the sky. She could see the the lights, blasting in the air like small dots.
Out of the corner of her eye as she moved down to another box, she noticed Bodhi with something in his hand, like a large black wire or circuit. She saw him hiding quickly behind the boxes, just barely avoiding getting shot by the blaster. She rushed foreward, avoiding the blasters herself and shooting a bucket head square in the chest before he went down and she dropped down beside Bodhi.
"What is that?!" she asked him.
"It's a connector!" he explained quickly, "when this connects to the ship we'll be able to send a message to the rebel fleet! If they can take down that force field then the data plans will be able to be transmitted!"
Sabine nodded. Not so bad of an idea. She looked around, nearly avoiding another blaster shot.
"I'll cover you! Let's go!" Sabine told him.
He nodded, clutching the end of that wire or whatever it was close to his chest. Sabine came to her feet first, firing at two Imperials immediately, one on her left and one on her right before Bodhi came up close beside her. They ran to the ramp of the ship, Sabine twisting a couple of times to aim at Imperials behind them. She caught two on her one side and stayed on the ramp, still shooting a couple of imperials while Bodhi took cover inside. When she saw no more near her in sight, she ran up the ramp as well, watching him contact one of the Rebel Fleet leaders. She turned to him when he was done and said, "I'll see if we can make that connection any stronger."
He nodded and watched her go to the front of the ship, looking at all of the controls. There had to be something. She had been at the Academy not too long ago…okay a while ago but had things changed this much? Suddenly all lessons Hera taught her quickly left her mind and she tried desperately to remember any of them.
She was so deep in her thoughts that she didn't hear the beeping of the bomb that dropped close to Bodhi. She was in the middle of a thought when the blast suddenly forced her forward, crushing her through the front window of the ship violently. Her small body went through it like a large boulder. It was so fast that Sabine didn't even have time to scream.
She flew a couple of feet away before she hit the ground, almost bouncing up when hitting it from the force that she went through. Her helmet had been flung off her in the blast when she was out of the window, but that still left her with some cuts and bruises on her cheeks and forehead. She groaned, slightly dazed and holding her side and whimpering in pain as she tried to get up. Everything ached. Everything. She had some horrible wound on her side, a cut and harsh impact bruising. She was sure she broke at least two ribs. And she had landed on her ankle the wrong way and there was an aching electricity coming from it too. She blinked a couple of times and looked around, the effect of the blast still in the charged air.
She forced herself, biting her lip until it bled, to crawl over to the nearest box to take cover before sitting against it. She rested her head at the side and closed her eyes. Her one hand held her side where her armour was ripped and cracked while her other hand was placed over the one blaster that managed to stay clipped to her belt. She sighed and heard more blaster shots. She opened her eyes again and carefully moved, sitting on her knees with her blaster set on top of the box. She saw the damn bucket head and aimed, firing and watching him fall.
~.~
Ezra helped Cassian up the ladder to the top of the Imperial dock, where he could sense Jyn was. Her signature was strong, but weakening. She had been injured. But that sense wasn't as strong as what he felt in the Force with Sabine. Something had happened. She was alive but she was in a lot of pain and very weak.
Once at the opening, Ezra gazed at the bright world around them with Cassian's arms around his shoulders as he helped keep the Captain on his feet. The sun was bright, casting a glow on everything. But he and Cassian's eyes soon set on Krennic with his gun held out, aimed at Jyn.
Before Ezra could get his lightsaber, Cassian had already brought his blaster up and took the shot. Both Ezra and Jyn stared at him in amazement before Jyn rushed forward.
"We still have to deliver the plans!" Jyn told them.
Ezra nodded and Cassian moved off of him, slowly walking to her. The Captain looked back at him and saw the look on his face and silently asked the question.
"Sabine…" he told them.
Cassian nodded, understanding.
"Go, we'll do this. You find her," the Captain nodded.
Ezra nodded back and looked between the two.
"May the Force be with you," he told them before turning his back, rushing through the base to find Sabine.
~.~
There weren't so many bucket heads around on the ground anymore. They were thinning out. Things were dying out. She could feel it. It was all going to end soon.
She still hadn't heard from Ezra and she could only hope that he was alive and that he, Jyn, Cassian, and K-2 were doing a lot better than they had.
She moved to rest against the side of the box, breathing heavily. She looked down at her side and noticed that her armour and clothing around her side wound was damp and red with blood. She set her blaster down on her other side and closed her eyes only for about a minute before she heard Ezra's voice.
"Sabine?!"
Sabine's eyes quickly fluttered open. He was alive.
She looked around to see him turn the corner of the box and stare down at her, paler than normal with a deeply worried expression on his face.
Sabine stared up at Ezra. He could feel her pain in the Force but he didn't think she would look like this.
"You look like you went through the ringer." Ezra commented.
"I went through the ship's front window," Sabine told him, her voice a little rough as she eased herself into a better sitting stance to try and ease any pain.
Ezra immediately kneeled down in front of her to help her and try to ease any of her pain. He could sense the shooting electricity of it through the Force. She stared up at him as his hands gently held her waist to help her position herself. He looked over her face. She looked exhausted. Some of her cuts on her cheeks were still bleeding.
"The weapon…" Sabine started.
"We did it." Ezra told her with a smile, "we did it, Sabine! The layout is probably given to the rebellion by now. We were able to send them up."
Sabine smiled. They did it. They actually did it.
Ezra looked around and saw that most Imperials had disappeared. He looked down at her and told her, "we need to move. If the rebels are going to find us and Hera is going to wring us out we need to get in a better spot. Let's head to the beach where they can see us and can land."
Although moving was the last thing that she wanted to do, Sabine nodded. Ezra moved in closer to try and pick her up, but Sabine pushed him away.
"I can walk it." Sabine told him.
"Are you sure?" Ezra hesitated.
"Yes." Sabine answered.
He nodded and moved close. Sabine grunted as Ezra helped her put her arm over his shoulders. He gently placed his other arm around her waist, her bad side against him and her twisted ankle on that side so she could limp easier. When Ezra carefully moved them to stand up, Sabine hissed in pain, closing her eyes as she put her weight against him. Ezra held her up, pulling her to him so he could easily catch her weight and help channel it. Sabine breathed through her nose to keep her mouth closed so that she wouldn't scream.
"Are you sure about this?" Ezra asked her, sensing her pain.
Sabine nodded and forced herself to say in a calm voice, "let's go."
Ezra nodded and slowly moved forward. Sabine followed, putting weight on her bad foot for a moment and it sent another bout of electricity up her side and increasing the pain on her same side. Sabine could barely hold in a whimper, but kept moving forward before Ezra could even ask again. She was able to hold in most of her noises, only whimpering a couple more times as they carefully and slowly made their way to out of the trees. Ezra was leading her and moving slowly, wondering if anyone from the rebellion was trying to come down now.
As they broke through the trees, they were suddenly blinded by a bright light, brighter than any sun. Sabine and Ezra put up their hands to shield their eyes, but before one could ask what the light was, there was a sudden, deep rumbling in the planet.
They both were brought to the ground, Sabine collapsing while Ezra's tumble was more like a fall to the side when there was a sudden loud explosion that shook the world to the core.
~.~
Hera saw the light from that giant weapon that it came from stop. Then later disappearing, but where the end of it hit the planet, she could suddenly see it erupt, earth and water moving so high it could have almost hit the forcefield that used to be around the planet. She felt her heart stop and her stomach drop as she took in a shaky, deep breath. Please don't let them be on the ground. Please don't let them be on the ground…
~.~
Ezra turned to Sabine as they laid on the ground, Sabine clutching her side in pain from the collapse. The warning from the Force was so strong now, a complete change in atmosphere. The air was completely changed and charged. Something happened. Something bad was happening now. Sabine grunted, the planet still shaking from underneath them. She looked back up at him and groaned.
"What was that?" she asked.
Ezra twisted slightly and looked up and carefully sat up. He looked up and saw a large mountain of…dirt on the horizon. It was like the only thing beyond the horizon was a flat, bright wall.
Sabine also looked up at it. She felt like the wind had been knocked out of her. That was the weapon. That's what it could do. Ezra wondered where Jyn and Cassian were, if they could see it too.
Sabine looked up at the sky and noticed something very far in the distance in the sky. It looked metallic, but it was as large as a moon and even a small planet. Sabine's voice shook slightly, "Ezra, I think that's it."
The Jedi looked up as well and saw the thing, large and terrifying in its magnitude.
"I think so too." Ezra answered her as he sat up completely, sitting on his legs before moving to help her up as well. Sabine still stared at the wall in front of her, moaning in pain in a low, almost unheard voice as Ezra moved her closer to him. She curled up in pain, her side sending a shooting pain all up her side.
The Jedi carefully moved her holding her up in his arms as he moved his own position so that he was sitting with his legs crossed. He carefully brought her to him and set her on his lap with the utmost care. Throughout all of this, she her gaze did not leave the incoming wall, the planet rumbling lowly beneath them.
Both of them were silent for about a minute, just watching it come closer over the water. Sabine had carefully leaned against him and Ezra kept his arms around her.
"We're not going to make it out. They aren't going to find us before that…hits us." Sabine commented to him. It wasn't a question, but a statement. She knew.
Ezra shook his head, "no, we're not."
"Hera's going to kill us," Sabine laughed, almost darkly in a mutter.
Ezra couldn't help but let out a small laugh. He held Sabine a little tighter on his lap. He could feel her fear rising slightly despite the joke, or perhaps that was why she told the joke. He looked up at the horizon, the horrible, bright blast slowly making its way closer and closer to them, an impending doom taking it's time to scare her.
"Yeah," Ezra agreed. He believed her. Hera and Kanan would be so angry. They never even had a proper goodbye, but he hoped that there was some comfort that nothing had changed. They went behind Hera and Kanan's back for a mission that they believed in. That was nothing new. There was some familiarity and he hoped that if there could be any comfort to be found in this situation it was that.
There was silence between them as the two crew members looked over at the disappearing horizon, the wall of dust and earth coming closer with the light of the explosion becoming brighter and brighter. Ezra was brought out of his thoughts when he heard Sabine's soft voice again.
"It's…actually kind of pretty…in a kind of twisted, poetic way." Sabine commented as she looked over at the light as it moved higher and got brighter.
Ezra looked over at it, taking a deep breath in.
"Yeah…I guess it kind of does." Ezra answered.
She was talking because she was scared, even if those were her real thoughts. Ezra could sense it. He shifted slightly in a more comfortable sitting position, moving Sabine slightly as well to make her more comfortable with him in the new position without making her pain worse.
"It's okay to be afraid," he whispered. "I am too."
Sabine was quiet for a moment, watching the light come closer. They would be in it in a matter of a few short minutes now.
"I don't want to be," Sabine answered, still looking at the incoming destruction. "I've done so many things that have gotten me close. I shouldn't be."
Ezra moved his hand up her arm. While he felt confident in what was going to happen, that he would be okay and there would be something afterwards, something good. That maybe he could even be with his parents. Maybe he would meet other Force users that have died. Maybe he would meet Depa. It was a morbid interest he had, but he was confident either way. And he didn't want her to be afraid.
"Then why are you?" he asked.
She was silent again for a couple of seconds.
"I'm afraid you will be alone…that I will be alone. That there is nothing but coldness after this, that it won't be quick." Sabine answered, her voice small now with her eyes still never wavering from what was coming.
The young Jedi held her tighter, hugging her close. He moved his hand as the rumbling in the earth below them shook more. The wind was picking up, moving their hair to dance around their head and in front of their eyes. Ezra looked down at his friend and told her, "Sabine, look at me."
It took a couple of moments, but soon her gaze shifted and her head moved to look up at him. He stared down at her and told her in a serious tone, "I won't let you be alone. I promise. I'll find you."
She stared up at him, not knowing what to say first. While her attention was caught with him and he could feel her distress lessening in the Force, he continued to talk.
"And when we're together again, I'll have you meet my parents. We'll trade stories. It'll be peaceful. It will be okay." Ezra told her.
They could feel the dust hitting them now, hard. The wind picked up more, scratching at their cheeks and arms.
"You promise?" she asked.
"I promise," he told her. "I'll find you. You won't be alone."
She nodded and leaned into him. She may not have been a Jedi, but she could feel their connection, how they felt safe with each other, how she felt safe now, with him and that she wasn't alone in her last moments nor afterward. She wasn't alone. She knew that she couldn't feel this calm if she was alone, behind that box, not knowing what had happened to him.
The rocks felt sharper, and the brightness almost starting to blind them. She moved her head and closed her eyes so nothing would get in them, a natural reaction even though it wouldn't have mattered if her eyes were damaged.
She felt Ezra hold her tighter and move to push her face gently against his chest, as though to cover her. He leaned his head down and closed his own eyes, his head bent so that his forehead was at the top of her head.
"Don't look," he told her.
Her hands gripped his shirt and he held her as tight as he could.
"I'll find you," he promised h…
~.~
It was so quick that neither of them felt a thing. In a split second, Kanan felt them in the Force. A calm, peacefulness that was cut so suddenly and was gone. His chest clenched and Kanan almost doubled over in the seat, his hand to his heart.
~.~
After the Ghost docked on Yavin 4, Hera, Kanan, Zeb, and Chopper walked across the rebel territory. Hera's gaze turned from the new ships coming in to the ones that were unloading rebels, pilots moving out of their fighters, some more tired and some fighters looking worse than others. Kanan wanted to tell her, and he knew she already knew. But she needed to do this just to know.
She sought out Mothma, or Bail…or anyone she knew would give her a straight answer about where Sabine and Ezra could be. There were rebels getting treated, rebels who were smiling, and rebels who were in celebration. The plans had gone through.
Rogue One was successful.
Hera's steps were two before the others, walking forward and looking around until she spotted Mothma with a type of data pad in her hands, talking with Red Leader. Hera's steps quickened and the others followed, picking up their pace but it was still slower than hers. The senator wrote something on the data pad before looking up and noticing the Twi'lek General coming over. She could barely acknowledge the General before Hera was right beside them.
"Senator…I hate to interrupt, but is there any news?" Hera asked them, "I heard that you and a couple other Generals are starting a list for the deceased."
Mothma and the Red Leader looked at each other and the man gave her a small nod, a frown on his face before stepping away, not looking Hera or the others in the eyes as Kanan, Zeb, and Chopper moved up to stand with them. The senator turned to them and frowned.
"Is there…anything?" Hera asked, hoping that her worry didn't come out in her voice too much.
Mothma sighed, and told her, "I'm still making a list. It's…extensive. But…"
Hera felt her throat tighten and feel as though it'll close up. She felt her breathing get a little heavy.
"Hera…no one from Rogue One survived. They were all still on the ground of Scarif when the Empire…the word I keep hearing is 'blew up', the territory there," Mothma explained to the Twi'lek, her voice gentle and full of sadness. "I know that you had some of your crew was a part of the team but…there isn't a way they would have survived. I'm sorry."
Hera tried to gulp but her throat was completely closed up. She suddenly felt nauseous and hoped that her chin was trembling as the thought fully processed in her head. Ezra and Sabine were gone. They had died in that explosion. She had seen it. She knew that if those two were still on the ground during the explosion that they couldn't have escaped it. And even so, there was the chance that they could have died before the explosion…she may never know. But she knew that in the end, no matter what had happened, Sabine and Ezra were gone and there was no way she was going to be able to retrieve their bodies. She could only hope that they weren't in too much pain when it happened, that they didn't suffer. Her last moments with them was when Ezra was mad and he walked off. She should have known that he would do something with that determined look in his eyes. She remembered seeing him walk off, disappearing into the crowd. Sabine was the same. A last smile from her and a 'I'll be right back with him. I'll see you soon.' Those were her last moments with them and she didn't know it.
She felt Kanan's hands on her shoulders as he stepped up behind her. She could hear Chopper making soft, sad beeping noises behind her. Zeb was looking at the ground, anger and pain in his eyes. Kanan's hands moved up and down her arms in an attempt to comfort her. Looked back up at Mothma and tried to hold a brave face. She shouldn't look weak. She was a General. But all she saw in the other woman's face was nothing by sympathy and empathy. She knew how attached they all were to each other.
Mothma told her, "I'm sorry, Hera, but if it is any consolation, they were successful in their mission. Thanks to them, we have the plans to the Death Star and we'll be able to stop it. Bail sent his daughter Leia on the mission. You know that they would have not died in vain and that they died for this rebellion and for a better future for the galaxy. Leia will not fail them."
Hera nodded. Kanan's hands stopped at the top of her shoulders and she looked up at Mothma, feeling some tears glaze her eyes.
"I know," she told her. She did. Ezra and Sabine fought for a mission they knew had to happen and they were a part of it. Because of them, the rebellion could destroy the Death Star. They were part of the team that brought back hope. "They fought and died for what they believed in. They wouldn't have wanted it any other way."
"They brought hope to the galaxy. You should be proud." Mothma told them.
"I know," Hera answered her, "and I am."