"I'll do it."
Ezra's blue eyes had grown steely, his arms folded across his chest as he regarded the image of Thrawn frozen at the comm station. The rest of the crew were scattered throughout the room, all mostly lost in their own thoughts and plans. Thrawn's offer had hung unspoken, heavy in the air between them until Ezra had just spoken. The young man's posture was stiff, his expression neutral. After they had all huddled together the day before, right in this very room, he had pulled all of his emotions close to his heart. There was a task to be done.
Hera reached out to put her hand on his shoulder gently. The circles under her eyes had only deepened since yesterday, barely contained grief shining through in her body language and in her expressions. "We can't, Ezra. It's a trap, that much is completely clear. I know you want him back. We all do. It's not right to leave him. But he wouldn't want to put us in danger."
"I don't care" Ezra snapped, twisting so his shoulder pulled out of her touch. His emotions were all still very present, brimming just under the surface, threatening to spill over again. He wouldn't let them. It was easier, so much easier to let the anger build. Right now it was still simmering, but he could feel the heat of it pouring through his veins with each passing moment. It would make him strong, focused.
"I can do it, Hera. You know I can. Just me, I'll choose somewhere I can easily disappear if things go wrong. You have to let me do this." That last line was mostly to pacify the Twi'lek's growing suspicions. Ezra was infamous for being told no, and then disappearing to do exactly the thing he was forbidden. Better she think he was acquiescing to her orders. "Please." He let a tinge of his sorrow creep into his voice, let the faintest hint of tears well up in his eyes as he looked at her. She softened, his display of emotion chipping away at her own. Seconds drifted between them as they looked at each other, his earnest, pleading eyes searching her soft ones. But finally she shook her head, and tried to pull him into a hug. "We can't. It's too dangerous. I can't lose you too."
He allowed the hug, though his first instinct was to yank away. A breath, in and out, and he murmured his assent, agreeing that it was too dangerous, Kanan wouldn't have wanted them to, they should all stay here. Satisfied, Hera gave him one last squeeze and stepped back, touching his cheek with a sad smile before returning to her work. Ezra bent over the comms console, quickly copying the transmission to a tiny portable chip and slipping it into his pocket with the practiced ease of a thief. When he looked up, he found Sabine's eyes on him, her expression knowing as he moved away from the console. "I'm going to get some air" he informed the room, and ducked out into the hallway before Sabine's gaze could pull him back for a confession. Guilt weighed in his chest, but the burn of his anger quickly withered it away as he strode purposefully towards his quarters.
Packing up the essentials was something else he was good at. While he no longer carried his backpack everywhere he went, his pockets, both regular and secret were always stuffed with things he needed, just in case he had to leave everything behind on a moment's notice. Rations and clothes were hastily shoved into his new pack, along with a few miscellaneous items, including a vibroknife and some other small weaponry.
Finally he went to the drawer in his desk, drawing it open slowly and taking a breath as its contents were laid bare. Kanan's lightsaber. They had found it, or rather, Ezra had been drawn to it, hidden deeply in the roots of a huge tree on the planet where Kanan had been captured. No doubt he had hidden it there, hoping that Ezra would do just that and return it to him when the time came. Ezra ran his fingers lightly over the hilt, shuddering at the residual essence of his master. As a padawn, Kanan had been taught that this weapon was his life. As a young man on the run, he had put it away. As still a young man suddenly finding himself with his own padawn, he had re-acquainted himself with the weapon despite misgivings. It had been important, necessary to protect and teach the ones he loved. And now it lay abandoned. Ezra picked it up and nestled it into his bag. He would not leave it behind.
A movement and presence at his doorway made him look up sharply. Sabine was there, as he suspected, her hands on her hips as she looked over the packing process. Her hair and armor were as bright as ever, defiant in the face of grief, even as sorrow permeated the space between them. Ezra sprang to his feet, slinging the bag over his shoulder. "You can't stop me, Sabine, so don't even try."
"I wasn't /going/ to stop you, laserbrain. I'm going with you." Her expression dared him to disagree, so naturally he did immediately.
"No way! It's way too dangerous for two. If I'm alone I don't have to worry about anyone else, plus, I have the Force to help me. You're staying here- and you're not going to tell Hera!"
They stood eye to eye for a moment, each measuring the others' stubbornness. Ezra dodged to the side in an ill-fated attempt to rush by her, and Sabine casually clotheslined him in the neck with a stiff-arm, sending him crashing to the floor. After a short coughing fit he turned over and staggered to his feet, rubbing his neck and trying to contain his murderous expression. Sabine blocked the doorway with a smile. "You're right, I'm not going to tell Hera, because we're both leaving. I'm already packed. You've got the transmission chip?"
A begrudging nod, and she held out her hand. "Give it to me. You lose things."
"That's not true!" he shouted, insulted, and then reigned in his blustering emotions. "Fine. But I'm in charge of this mission." He slapped the chip into her outstretched hand, and re-shouldered his pack. "We better not take the Phantom II, or we'll be in even bigger trouble. I have M- I have that old ship I brought back from Tatooine we can take. It's outside the hanger on the platform so we should be able to get out of here without any trouble."
"I'll meet you there. If you leave without me, I'm bringing the whole Squadron to shoot you down and bring you back."
It was not a threat he was about to take lightly, so he nodded stiffly. After staring in his eyes for another moment to impress how serious she was, Sabine jogged off in the opposite direction of the hanger to retrieve her things.
One last sweep of his own room, and Ezra was off. Times where he could have taken the air vents to sneak to his destination were past, now he had to be extra careful to avoid detection as he slipped out of the base. Whenever he heard or sensed someone approaching he would find another route, actively avoiding having anyone question him about him or his bag. Several twists and turns later, he slipped out of the side of the hanger opening to jog out into the twilight. Maul's ship was right where he left it in a darkened corner of the outside landing pad. He had made sure to leave it fully fueled just in case, and that precaution now paid off. A few preflight checks later, Sabine slid into the co-pilot seat next to him. "I left a note for Hera, so she doesn't worry. As much."
Ezra glanced at the hanger where they left the rest of the crew. "You know we're going to be in a ridiculous amount of trouble when we get back, right? I'm not even sure if it's possible to ground us, but I'm pretty sure Hera will find a way."
"I know" replied Sabine, doing her own checks as she acquainted herself with the craft. "I don't care, and neither do you. Let's bring him home."
Minutes later, the ship lifted away from the base. From inside the hanger, Hera stood watching. As soon as Sabine had followed Ezra out of the room, she had come out to wait, knowing exactly what the two of them were up to. While she had every chance to stop them, instead she watched quietly as her kids disappeared into the night. They would come back safe. They had to.
Author's Notes: This is going to end terribly, I would imagine. Thanks for the reads, I hope you guys are enjoying it so far! Obviously I would love some feedback whether it be critical, speculative, or desires for the story. Or just continue to lurk and read in silence, that's cool too. :] I appreciate you all no matter what.
