Empire day. The best day of the year.
Mmmmm. Well. Not so much.
As he sat meditating, a Loth-cat had somehow gotten inside his cave and is now sleeping on Ezra. He can't do anything. The rule is if an animal is sleeping on you, you can't disturb it unless it gets off you or something insanely bad is about to happen. Unfortunately, it's the latter. He has been keeping an eye on Kanan and the Ghost crew, making sure they didn't get into too much trouble. As he lifted the cat carefully off him, he went to grab his blaster, a few bombs, and his lightsaber. As he jumped onto his speeder, a modified one, he turns on the cloaking device and speeds towards Capital City. He hides his bike in an alleyway as he goes towards the celebration.
As the Ghost crew runs up to the parade, the walkers and troopers walking in a straight line, Minister Tua and a TIE fighter piolet are standing at the very front of it on a platform.
"Ok. Let's start the celebration." Kanan says, smirking,
"Copy that. Commencing festivities" Sabine replies, walking away with Zeb on her tail. Minister Tua starts to speak, her image up on the screen. She goes on about how Governor Pryce sends her regrets and how she was invited to Coruscant to celebrate with Emperor Palpatine himself as the imperials near the citizens make them clap. Many people look towards the modified TIE fighter that's coming into view.
"Lothal is just as important to our empire as any world in the galaxy, and she wanted me to show you why. Citizens, I present you with the latest vessel in Lothal's imperial shipyard, the Sienar Systems advanced TIE starfighter"
Upon the big screen, which had Minister Tua, now shows a new TIE defender that, instead of box-like wings, they are curved. Hera begins to clap along with everybody else.
"Pretty, isn't it?" Kanan looks back at her, smiling.
"Yeah, I almost feel bad about blowing it up." She leans towards him, crossing her arms.
"I sense we'll need to make a quick exit." She nods. As they separate, Hera going back to the Ghost, Kanan goes over to the TIE. Well, not directly, of course. He would wind up dead. He goes through crowds of people to a small area with gone trooper so he can sneak over there.
"And who better to take this beauty on her maiden voyage than one of the best Imperial pilots on Lothal—Baren Valen Rudor!" AsSabine and Zeb come from a side alley, Sabine hands him a bomb.
"Ok, when I say "now", throw this as high as you can." As it starts to beep, Zeb gets nervous.
"Ok. Now?"
The beeping gets faster.
"Now?"
It gets faster. He looks down at it, nervous. It makes a series of beeps.
"Now." She says, pointing at him. When he throws it up, it turns into fireworks. The people at the celebration start to clap, marveling at the colors. As it begins to die down, she gives him another one. "Another?"
"Don't mind if I do." As Zeb throws another one, the crowd continues to cheer. Ezra, who had been watching the two while also watching Kanan, catches him sneaking over to the TIE, placing a bomb on it while the stormtroopers are distracted. He quickly runs over there. He hides in the crowd, being able to see Kanan as the stormtrooper begins to point his blaster at the man.
"You there." Kanan freezes. "This area is off limits."
"Did you see it?" Kanan points at the sky, diverting the stormtroopers attention as he shifts his footing."It's soooo beautiful. All the colors! It's like a... like a rainbow." He says as if he is drunk. He reaches for his blaster when Ezra comes up behind the trooper.
"Dad! What are you doing." He stands between the trooper and Kanan, shifting the blaster away from him with his hand. "Sorry mister, my dad's just so patriotic, ya know?" He points over to Kanan with his thumb, who has walked up behind him, making an embarrassed face as Kanan keeps up the act.
"Empire Day! I love it. All hail our glorious Empire." Kanan says, exaggerating. Ezra shrugs, the face of a child being embarrassed by their parent.
"Right, well... move along." He steps over to the side, letting them pass. When the two are a good distance away, Kanan looks over at him.
"Thanks. Why are you here?"
"Thought you could use my help. And who doesn't love an Empire Day celebration? What are you guys doing here?" He asks as if he doesn't know. Kanan chuckles.
"Just watch." He nods his head over to the TIE subtly and Ezra smiles. "What do we need your help with, anyway?" Before Ezra can answer, the bomb goes off, creating chaos and knocking the pilot, the commandant who was standing to the left of the Minister, and the Minster over.
As people begin to scream, Zeb laughs and Sabine starts to lead them away from the chaos to where they are to meet with Kanan. As they meet up with Kanan, running, they see Ezra not too far behind him.
"Nice of you to join us kid," Zeb says.
"Hey, where were you?" Sabine says between breaths. Ezra chuckles.
"Why. Did you miss me?"
"Yeah right." Zeb snickers. Ezra begins to slow down, eyes narrowing. Kanan senses this and stops, turning around to him. They all stop, looking back at the fire, seeing Kallus. Zeb grabs his blaster.
"Been spoiling to finish things with Kallus." He aims his blaster at him. Ezra turns to Kanan, speaking quickly.
"Remember when you asked me "What do we need your help with?" It's him." Ezra puts his hand on Zeb's shoulder.
"Hey, you wanna take someone out, take out that guy." He says, pointing over to the blown up TIE to a man with red markings on his face.
"Why?"
"Because I said so!"
Although Zeb groans in frustration, he aims his blaster at the man, and he shoots twice, hitting the TIE. As the man exits the flames, and a trooper flying out from beside him from not being able to escape the blast, he looks over to the group, who starts to run from the chaos. Ezra turns his head as the Inquisitor narrows his eyes. They lock eyes and the Inquisitor smiles evilly. Ezra turns away and follows the group. As they finally find a little more quiet place, Kanan pulls out his com.
"Specter-2, we're en route to the rendezvous."
"Negative, Specter-1. The streets are blocked. I cannot—repeat— cannot reach the rendezvous." Kanan stops, frowning. Ezra turns around.
"I know a place we can hole up till things calm down— But "shoulders" here might have a problem taking my route."
"Then we need another option."
"Nah, it's fine." Zeb says, grabbing his com.
"Specter-2, can you make it to the Old Market?"
"Affirmative."
"I'm on my way." As he begins to climb up the building, Kanan calls out, "Get back to the Ghost."
"Follow me." Ezra waves his hand towards himself, signaling for them to follow.
"We'll signal a new rendezvous when we can!" He calls after Zeb as he begins to run with Ezra and Sabine. As they run into alleyways, doing the best they can to avoid troopers, Ezra brings them to an old building.
"That's an Imperial warning declaring this building is off-limits. What is this place?"
Ezra grabs a key from his pocket, hesitating, before he slides it, opening the door.
"This was you're home, wasn't it? Where you grew up?" Ezra looks at him from the corner of his eye.
"Sort of." He shrugs as he opens the door a little more, entering. As Kanan and Sabine enter, Kanan shuts the door behind him. He circles the room, his fingertips roaming the dusty surfaces from years of disuse. Sabine takes off her helmet as Kanan and her share a glance.
"Ezra?" Kanan says, grabbing his attention. Ezra hums in question, exploring the abandoned house. "What are we doing here?" Ezra smiles.
"Because I have somebody here who might help your... Rebellion." As he walks over to a circular item, he moves it to the side. "Hey, Tseebo. It's me, Ezra. Come on out."
Sabine and Kanan stare at the green Rodian coming out of the hole in the floor. Sabine stares at him.
"Is that-"
"Yeah. It's a cybernetic circuit. Personality's sacrificed for productivity."
"Tseebo's production is 19% than Imperial data worker."
Kanan looks at Ezra. "That's the Rodian the Imperials are after. You know him?"
"Yeah. A friend of my parents."
"Uh huh," Kanan says, knowing there's more to it, but not pushing.
"Sabine," Ezra says, getting her attention. "Can you access it?"
"I... I can try. Give me a few minutes."
"Alright. I'll be back." Ezra begins to climb down the hole. As he leaves, Kanan looks over at Sabine.
"I think there's something more to this than we know."
"What do you mean?" Kanan sighs.
"I mean... he knows something we don't. There's something...more to Ezra. I want to figure out what that is." He looks towards the hole.
"Go ask him." Kana sighs and shakes his head.
"Fine. But if I end up dead, it's your fault."
"If he wanted to kill either of us by now, I think he would've done it."Before he can climb down the hole, he hears Tseebo start to speak again.
"Ezra Bridger. Son of Mira and Ephraim Bridger. Born 15 years ago today."
Kanan looks at Sabine. She looks at him, sad.
"Today's Empire Day. Oh, it's... Ezra's birthday..." She looks down before starting to work on the circuit again. Kanan walks over to the hole, hesitating, before climbing down. When he turns around, Ezra is on the ground... meditating?
Literally less than 5 minutes ago *flashback*
As Ezra slides down the hole, he turns around, walking over to the transmitter. He pulls out the data-disk when he starts to hear his father's voice from a conversation he heard long ago.
"Tseebo, we must speak out, even if it causes us our lives."
"Dad?" Ezra whispers, upset. He holds the transmitter tighter, his knuckles white.
"Tseebo not fight battle Tseebo know cannot be won. Neither should Bridgers. Tseebo say you must think of your son."
"He's all we think about!" His father says, angered.
"We are fighting for our son's freedom." His mother says, quietly.
"Mom." Ezra drops to his knees, the tears that had formed when the conversation had started finally fall.
"We're teaching Ezra to stand up for people in need."
"The risk you Bridgers take..." The connection is cut off when Ezra hears footfalls come from the ladder. He straightens his back and wipes the tears from his face to make it look as if he was meditating. Thankfully, he was facing away from the ladder. While doing so, he pockets the disk.
"Hey, Ezra. Sabine accessed the circuit. Want to come to look?"
He swallows, trying not to let his voice crack.
"Ye-eah. I'll... be there in a minute." His voices cracks. Damn it.
He doesn't move until he knows Kanan is back upstairs.
~~~time skip. They got Tseebo safe aboard the Ghost. Ezra wasn't with them when they did, he took on Kallus instead of Kanan. He escaped and went back to his tower, not his cave.~~~
As he enters the tower he sits on the makeshift bed cross-legged, the disk in his right hand. He meditates. He sees the large room that was once his kitchen and family room. The kitchen table is in front of him and the secret basement is to his left. He watches the memory like a movie, except this time he can see his parents and Tseebo have the conversation. He sees a younger version of himself sitting at the table with his parents and Tseebo stands by the houses front door. His younger self just asked if he could do the broadcasts' with his parents and they told him no. Blast, how he hates those things.
"Ezra Bridger, Mira, and Ephriam Bridger are correct. You are too young to do these broadcasts."
"Thank you, Tseebo," Mira says, looking towards the Rodian. Ezra watches as he walks into the house, letting the door slide shut.
"Tseebo also believes Mira and Ephraim should not do these broadcasts." Ephraim sighs.
"Tseebo, we've talked about this." Ezra's father says, voice low in a warning tone.
"Ezra, honey, go to your room while the grown-ups talk," Mira speaks. Ezra watches as he nods, getting off his chair and walks towards his room. Ezra watches as he sneaks back towards the main room after he shut his door without going into his bedroom to hear his parents and Tseebo arguing in quiet voices. Although Ezra didn't see them talking that time, he does now. His mother is upset, knowing that she might have to separate them before they fight and his father is standing.
"Tseebo, you know what the Empire is doing to the people here! You've seen it! We thought they would come here and help us. We asked them to come here! But all they have done so far is exhaust our resources and make it harder to grow food!" Ephraim says, his voice desperate, wanting Tseebo to understand.
"Tseebo," his mother speaks up. "We must speak out, even if it causes us our lives."
"Tseebo not fight battle Tseebo know cannot be won. Neither should Bridgers. Tseebo say you must think of your son."
"He's all we think about!" His father says, angered. Ezra nearly jumps when he sees his father almost slam his hand on the table, but stops before it reaches it. He quietly puts it on the table. He puts the other hand beside it and sighs, bending over.
"We are fighting for our son's freedom." Mira states.
"We're teaching Ezra to stand up for people in need," Ephraim says, sitting back down.
"The risk you Bridgers take..." And with that, Tseebo leaves, and Ezra's parents are left in silence.
"Mira... What if he's right?" Ephraim asks his wife, looking back up, concerned.
"What do you mean?" She questions, eyebrows furrowing.
"What if... What if Tseebo is right? What if something happens to us? What will happen to Ezra?"
"We'll just have to be more careful, Ephraim. We have to make sure Ezra is safe for now and if something happens, if, something happens, we'll just have to make sure Ezra stays safe." Knowing what his parents were about to do, he moves forward, hoping the vision will allow him to listen to them. It does.
"But what if they find out, Mira?"
"Then we do our best to protect him." Ezra looks to the left, watching the past version of himself fall with a thump. He watches as his parents stop talking and loud sigh is heard from his mother. "Ezra, honey, you can come out now." Ezar stands up and walks into the room, his eyes downcast. He walks towards his mother, who picks him up, and places him on her lap. He hides his face in her shoulder and Ezra nearly laughs at the way he acts. He would never do that today. "Ezra, you know how much we love you, right?"
Ezra watches as he lets out a muffled, "yes," wrapping his arms around his mother. Mira rubs his back, trying to comfort him.
"We love you very much, but we also want you to stay as safe as possible." His father speaks.
"We would never leave you voluntarily, Ezra. But we need you to start understanding that the world isn't as good as you." The vision nearly freezes as his mother looks towards him. He begins to panic. She shouldn't be able to see him. "You need to help those in need, Ezra. Remember that. Please. Even when you know it won't end well for you. Help them, Ezra."
Ezra opens his eyes, throwing the disk on the floor. Ezra was always confused as to why she said that to him back then. Now he knows why. But he stands, walking out of the room, shaking his head.
"No. I'm not helping them. Those... He... no. I'm not helping them."
But he knows he's just trying to convince himself about something he knows isn't true. He knows from deep down, from what his parents taught him, that he must help the Ghost crew. He knows that he has to help those in need. Fight for those who can't fight for themselves. Even if they can, they might wind up dead. He knows that the inquisitor is coming for Kanan. For one of the last Jedi of the order. And for him. To make him pay for leaving. Ezra knows what he has to do, and he hopes Kanan doesn't kill him from it, because he may.
