Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars Rebels. That right belongs to Disney.
"Karabast…" The Lasat grumbled as his green orbs surveyed the dark and dismal room. He and his two comrades remained still as shock and frustration built within them.
"He's not here…" Muttered the Jedi as his brows furrowed, as he walked down the few steps into the cell. Still he surveyed the empty room for in hopes of any possible signs that his Padawan was ever actually here. Only to be disappointment as he could not see or sense anything recent from the boy.
"How could we have been so stupid? He was never here!" Sabine exclaimed, waving one of her hands in the air before placing both of her hands on her hips in a frustrated manner.
"No." Zeb growled as he too walked down into the cell, sniffing the air. "He was here but… It's faint, like he was here but a long time ago." Zeb turned back to face Kanan, a serious expression upon the Lasat's face. "There was blood here and lots of it. It was his blood, Kanan."
The Jedi's hands balled into fists, knuckles turning white, as images of what his young Padawan must have gone through. Along with anger, guilt built up in the man's heart. He felt like he had failed Ezra, being unable to protect the boy from harm like he felt he should have.
Sabine was feeling just as sad and hurt at the news. If she had just kept an eye on him, if she just watched his back like she was supposed to this wouldn't have happened to her young friend. Instead they would be back on the ship, laughing about some prank Chopper pulled on Zeb again or something.
"We need to get going…" Kanan quietly said, knowing that the longer they stay on the Star Destroyer, the easier it would be for the imperials to find them. Quickly Kanan made his way to the doorway, only to stop and look back as a sense of dread filled in him for what had become of Ezra.
Soon after, both Sabine and Zeb followed him out of the cell only to find them stopped by several stormtroopers and a rather failure I.S.B. agent, blasters held up and aimed at the rebel trio.
"Looking for something?" A crooked smirk forming on Agent Kallus's usually stern face as he held his bo-rifle at the intruders.
"Where is he?" Zeb growled out as grabbed his own bo-rifle in his strong fists and took a defensive stance, ready to attack the man that was probably responsible for what had happened to his young friend.
"Hm? Oh the boy. I turned him over to the Inquisitor." He said casually, seeming to not care about whatever the fate could have been for the boy.
"No…" Kanan froze at that Agent's words. Out all the things that could have happened to Ezra being a captive of the Inquisitor was one of the worst. He could be in more danger now because of that or worse… He could be dead.
"Zeb!" His two comrades yelled out in surprise as the Lasat let loosed a menacing growl and charged Kallus, bo-rifle extended into its bo-staff form, ready to strike down those before him.
Soon blaster fire could be heard through the corridors of the ship. Kanan and Sabine took shelter from the fire against the framework of the cell door, shooting at stormtroopers when they could, while Zeb fought ferociously in close combat against the Agent.
Zeb nearly got the agent a few times but only found that Kallus easily moved out of the way and lash back at the Lasat, causing the Lasat to get anger. Even though Zeb seemed to never come out and said it, it was plainly obvious by how brutal he was fighting imperial that he cared deeply for the boy.
"Zeb!" Kanan called to the Lasat, warning him that they need to get going and fast; otherwise they would surely get caught if another wave of bucketheads came by. Zeb angrily grunted, almost wanting to tune out the Jedi but knew they had to get back to the Ghost.
When he got a chance, Zeb leapt away from the Agent, giving Sabine the opening she needed for one of her bombs. As it went off, they made sure to quickly round the corner and head toward their ship. Along the way, the young mandalorian made a subconscious check to make sure no one was left behind this time.
"Specter 1 to Ghost; we're leaving!" Kanan called through com as the trio entered the hangar, 'troopers hot on their trail. Turning back, while still running to the Ghost, Sabine and Kanan continued to shoot at the stormtroopers, managing to take down a few by the time they reached their ship. Once on board they quickly raised the ramp and heard the roar of the engines as Hera took off. Carefully she maneuvered the Ghost out of the bay and into vast area of space, away from the Star Destroyer.
But they weren't getting away that easily, the destroyer sent out Tie Fighters to shoot the Ghost down.
"We got Ties!" Hera called over com 'causing the rest of the crew to hurry to the cannons. Kanan quickly went up the ladder to the dorsal turret while Zeb and Sabine took their places at the apt gun and nose cannons.
Shots from both the Ties and the Ghost whizzed through space. Some shots from the Ties hit the Ghost but luckily did not penetrate her shields, only giving her crew a good jostle. Unfortunately for the Tie Fighters the Ghost's crew seemed to have better luck and took at least a quarter of them down before finally receiving the coordinates and shooting into hyperspace.
On the bridge, Hera breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed back into her chair, as the familiar blue swirls glowed around the outside of her ship. Hearing the Hiss of the door, the Twi'lek left the ship on autopilot and turned her chair around to face the others. As they slowly poured in, Hera could see their distressed faces and the absence of the one member that they wanted to rescue. Her heart sank low as she guessed what had happened.
"He wasn't there?" Hera asked softly as her worried filled emerald eyes fell upon the Kanan as he took his seat in the co-pilot's chair. Lightly Kanan's head shook as he rested his elbows on his knees and placed his chin on his interwoven hands.
"They must have sent out the rumor that he was still there in hopes we would get caught in it." Kanan's eyes remained fixed ahead on the world outside of the small ship, wondering how his Padawan could possibly be alive after being in the hands of the inquisitor for so long.
Sabine remained quiet in her seat, gaze turned downward as she also wondered how Ezra could be right now, if he was still alive that was. She hated to admit it but it was a strong chance that Ezra could be gone. After all the Inquisitor was supposed to remove Jedi and their Padawans. What would make him stop at Ezra?
Zeb was silent as well, his green gaze fixed outside as well, not daring to make eye contact with anyone of the crew. Out of all the imperials in the galaxy why did the kid have to be caught by the Inquisitor? Zeb figured that Ezra could handle himself with most, but the Inquisitor? His hopes of seeing the boy's mischievous smile were quickly fleeting away as realization of what most likely become of Ezra swept over him.
"If we had just left him back on Lothal, none of this would have happened…"
Elsewhere in the galaxy, a young boy found himself once again face to face with his usual opponent, the Pau'an. Again they were at it, fighting each other with the usual crimson colored lightsabers. They hummed and buzzed about as the blades constantly collided and slid against one another.
The once full bright blue eyes now glowed with a thick band of gold around the pupils. His eyes seemed to no longer hold that joyous emotion that gave them the sparkle, but instead held the now anger and hatred burning within them.
The Inquisitor just smirked as he saw how well the boy was fairing. His skills had seemed to improve much sense he had arrived. His combat skills have become a lot better. Now and then the Inquisitor nicked the kids sides, but it was not as often as it was when Ezra had first arrived. Though the Pau'an still seemed displeased, Ezra had yet to use the force against him. The Inquisitor still needed the boy to open up to the force with these raw emotions.
"Come on boy. You can't beat me with sword alone." The smirk was evident in the man's voice, but Ezra only got a chance hear it as he was shot back by a blast of the force sent him back a few feet.
Ezra did not respond but instead got back to his feet and charged at his captor, anger slowly growing within his amber and sapphire eyes. Reaching the Pau'an, the boy began to swing his blade frantically, wanting any blow he had to land. His anger was not at the Inquisitor, but instead at his so called 'family.' He still felt like they had betrayed him, abandoned him and left him for dead.
"Hasn't your master taught you anything?" The Inquisitor just sneered at the boy as he yet again easily blocked a blow and sent the boy back with another force push, causing him to double several feet and almost hit the wall. He had used the force several times in this fight between them, in the interest of encouraging the boy to use it as well.
"Shut up!" Yelled Ezra as he got back up to his feet, glaring daggers at the Pau'an. It was evident in the boy's bi-colored eyes that the anger was building up in him even more than before.
"Ah yes. Good. Good." Spoke the Inquisitor as he sharp teeth shone through his rather confident grin at the boy. "Unleash your anger. I will teach you what your master could not."
"I don't have a master!" Ezra practically screamed with anger and fury as he threw the now deactivated lightsaber down on the ground. Rage, anger and hatred rolled off the boy in waves as it was sent through the force. Feeling these emotions seeming to be boiling off the boy caused the Pau'an's grin to deepen.
Soon any objects that were not strapped down were found hovering in the air, startling some of the stormtrooper guards as they looked to the objects, then to the boy in confusion and shock. The many crates and other objects continued to hover high in the air for several more moments before finally crashing as the boy stumbled from the massive excursion, nearly falling to the ground.
"Very good." The Inquisitor deactivated his own lightsaber and casually strode up to the rather exhausted looking boy. Standing over the Ezra, the Pau'an just smirked and placed a hand on the boy's shoulder, 'Causing the young boy to look up at him with golden eyes. "Then it's time you have a proper master."
Ezra remained still as he seemed void with emotion as he looked up to the man. The Inquisitor could not sense resistance to the notion in the force from the boy and just grinned as it seemed that Ezra accepted this.
"Very well then, come with me." The Pau'an male, using his hand that still remained on the boy's shoulder, directed him out of the large room that they used to spar and into the narrow corridors. Both remained silent as they continued on, not a word coming from either of them.
Finally they reached a then end of a hallway, a door on either side of it. The Pau'an motioned the boy over to the one on the left.
"This is where you shall be your new quarters. You will no longer be staying in the cell." The door hissed open and Ezra slowly walked in and took in the room. There wasn't much to it, a small berth, a door that most likely led to the bathroom and a large window on the opposing wall that looked out onto the vastness of space.
Turning around, the amber eyed stared back at the Pau'an's own similar ones. His face still seemed blank but the emotions that swirled with the force around the boy still held the sharp edge of anger in them but they also held a questioning edge to them as well.
"Yes, my dear boy, your true training will begin tomorrow."
"Good. Then with it I can get my revenge." Said the boy as, with such anger and disdain in his voice that it caused the Inquisitor to smirk. He had done his job, he had turned the once hopeful Padawan of the Jedi and turned him into a powerful dark side user. Turned away from his new master, Ezra made his way over to the berth and as soon as he reached it, the boy plopped down onto it exhausted. The berth wasn't the comfiest of places but it was better than the ledge that he had slept on the cell.
Almost as soon as he laid on the berth, Ezra found himself drifting off into much needed sleep, but by then the Inquisitor had already left him be and hand entered the other quarters across from the boy's. There he sat upon his own berth and began to meditate. But the meditation was not for himself, but instead he was reaching out through the force and to young Ezra's mind. He had done this often, almost every time the boy slept. And just like every time, the Inquisitor would slightly twist some of the memories and emotions of the boy. Making some annoying things, like Zeb and Ezra bickering over something trivial into full blown arguing, shifting the emotions for that as well to something more of hatred and anger. In doing so, the Pau'an had been manipulating the boy closer and closer to the dark side.