RUHLSAR000 Here! How has it been? We have a weird mash of Sonya and Ezra drama and Kanan and Ezra fluff. Yeah, not sure how that worked together, but it did. I love writing Sonya's scenes, though she can be a pain to write. She is on the side of the Empire and is feared by both sides so she has to be mean and cunning, yet I want her sympathetic. I hope I am doing a good job at it. If you have any other ways of saying Disney, I'd be greatly appreciative if you let me know. I am running out of things to say. Anyway, I apologize for errors, delays, and long-winded author's notes. I DO NOT OWN STAR WARS REBELS! THEY BELONG TO THE GREAT JEDI MICKEY MOUSE!
Sonya looks over the holomap, which floats above the table which she is leaning on. The rebel activity of the last three weeks on Lothal has been minimal at best. In fact, her rebels seem to have only arrived back on Lothal two weeks ago. Where were they? According to the pompous ISB agents, there is no central Rebel base. Yet, the Lothal rebels, especially her brother, would need a place to recuperate after that. Lothal is the obvious choice. Yet, none of the medical centers anywhere reported anyone with a cleanly severed limb coming in. Who knew farming was that dangerous?
There have been a few supply raids here and there. The biggest thing they have done has been to destroy a factory several parsecs away. Why were they there, anyway? They didn't run in the direction of Lothal either, unless they were doing multiple hyperspace jumps to throw things off. Yet, that would waste fuel especially if, as Sonya suspected, they could scramble their ships signal. Wasting is something that, with their resources, wouldn't be done.
"What are you thinking?" The ISB agent who needed to shave said. Kallus, Sonya recalls. Her master spoke of him a few times. Apparently, more competent than most ISB agents. Though, Sonya reserved judgement.
"The rebel cells have a central base," Sonya says. It takes all of her training to hide the utter surprise, when Kallus doesn't shut down the thought immediately.
"Explain." He states, looking over the map.
Sonya looks back to the map, "When I faced the Padawan, he sustained multiple serious injuries. None the least were a concussion and a severed forearm. They could not have treated that with just a bandaid. From what you told me, they are loyal to one another. They won't abandon him for losing his arm. Yet, there are no reports of an arm cut cleanly off in any of the Lothal medical centers or any of the surrounding system's medical centers. They would go someplace they felt reasonably safe to regroup and for their youngest to recover. So, that means they wouldn't go to any unfamiliar systems. Not only that but we have a positive ID on the Lothal rebels leaving the ruins of a factory on Tarin in the opposite direction of Lothal." Sonya pushes away from the table, and waits for him to chuckle at the 'naïve' child. "Plu- Additionally." She corrects her speech mid-word to pick a more professional sounding word. "The rebels are more united then the Empire has believed or is willing to admit. It doesn't make sense for them not to have a central hub to coordinate from."
Kallus surprises her, "Agreed, but that is not your job. It's mine. Now do you have any plans to capture your rebels?" Sonya senses a mild amount of respect building for the man. He, unlike most, is giving her a chance to prove herself before judging. Maybe, if there was more officers like him, this rebellion would die.
"I may have a trick or two." Sonya smirks.
Kanan sighs, rubbing his temple.
You only hurt Ezra by bring him into that mess. The child, Ariadne, Ezra called her, had said that. She had said that in an attempt to get him to leave Ezra. It hadn't worked, but Kanan couldn't help thinking that maybe she is right. Ezra has been put in danger so many time since they met. Heck, on their first mission together, Ezra was captured because of them. And from what Kanan had learned recently about the taken, that meant an almost certain trip into slavery if it was found out he was a taken's child. And there had been numerous almost captures since then.
Besides capture, Ezra had nearly died numerous time. Kanan shivered at the thought of his battle with the Inquisitor. Had that catwalk not been there... Kanan really would have had nothing left to lose. Kanan may have been the master in their relationship, but Kanan doesn't doubt that the Force caused their meeting, so Ezra could guide him back to the ways of the Jedi.
When he met Hera, she brought back the guy who would risk his neck for others back to the surface. However, Kanan still had no desire to return to being a Jedi. In fact, being a Jedi while fighting the Empire was even more dangerous for all involved. The day he met Ezra, he had an argument with Hera about using his skills as a Jedi. Yet, Ezra need Kanan to train and guide him, and in that need wound up guiding Kanan back to the path of Jedi. But, had Ezra really needed Kanan to train him?
Had Kanan not offered to train Ezra, where would Ezra be? Probably not that much different than before. He was doing just fine before, lonely yes but he would have eventually joined up with the Wind Tribe. Kanan sighs, remembering the joy on Ezra's face when he watched the tribe. Ezra is rarely that open with his feelings, but everyone could see his happiness that day.
Oh and let's not forget the lovely little incident a few weeks ago that involved his sister cutting off his arm. Had Ezra not joined the crew, Sonya never would have targeted him for vengeance. Heck, Sonya would probably have had no need of vengeance. They couldn't not fight Sonya. The crew's activities will bring the two siblings into direct collision with each other.
"You want to talk about it?" Ezra asks.
Kanan jumps, having momentarily forgotten that Ezra is in the room and that they are doing a lesson. "You're supposed to be meditating." Kanan says, not opening his eyes.
"I'm still not great at meditation. And someone is sending out waves of emotion, which is quite a distraction." Ezra rolls his eye. He is worried about the amount of worrying Kanan is doing. "If you don't want to talk to me, then at least talk to Hera. You know, when you're worried about something, I'll eventually start worrying about it or think it's my fault. Which isn't helpful to either of us."
"Alright, alright." Kanan remembers the Lumenara incident a little under a year ago, and how Ezra felt that it was his fault Kanan had trouble teaching him and that Kanan wanted to "pawn" him off. Since then Kanan had figured out Ezra's confident front was only a front and he had to be aware of how his actions could look to his padawan. "I'll be right back." He glances at the clock and sees two hours have passed since they began. "Take a break."
"Thanks," Ezra shifts out of a kneeling position and rubs his knees.
Kanan leaves his room, finding Hera in the cockpit. "Hey."
"Hey, aren't you and Ezra supposed to be meditating." Hera ask, looking over a datapad of possible targets.
"Apparently, I was giving off enough worry to be distracting." Kanan says, sitting down next to her.
"What are you worried about? For us, we're doing pretty well right now." Hera cocks her head confused.
"I guess that's what I'm worried about. The 'for us' bit." Kanan sighs, leaning back. "Right after that Ariadne girl shot you she said 'You only hurt Ezra by bring him into that mess.' And well, look at everything he's been through since... I know there is no turning back and there never was, but I wish that at least some things didn't happen to him. Rebel or Padawan, he's been through-"
"More than anyone, let alone a child should go through. It's not fair. It's not right. But that's just life." Hera sighs, the rough edge making it clear she hated the fact that what she said was true. For once, she didn't know what to say or do.
"Did we do the right thing in bringing him into all this?" Kanan asks
"I don't know, Caleb," Hera uses the name she's only used a handful of time. "I don't know."
The crew sits around the holograph of a factory. "Alright, we have a mission. Infiltrate the new tie factory and destroy it. Sabine, think you can rig something up?" Kanan asks.
"I may have an idea or two." Sabine smirks.
"Zeb, think you can cause enough of a distraction in the courtyard." Kanan points to a flat enclosed ground.
"Might be a little difficult. But sounds like fun." Zeb notes.
"I could help, two insurgents in the court yard is sure to cause a greater distraction." Ezra say.
"No, Sabine needs to get to the center of the factory, the most heavily guarded part of the compound. It will take all three of us to get her there." Kanan says. Ezra, while knowing that to be true, senses that isn't Kanan's reason. He sense an overprotectiveness in Kanan. He resists the urge to groans. He can't help but think not again. That, and what triggered it this time? Last overprotective surge from a crew member wasn't even a month ago. He waits until the meeting is finished before pulling Kanan aside.
"Do you think I am a weakness to the team?" Ezra asks, though for once Ezra knows that's not true. He just needs to get Kanan's attention. It works.
"What? No, no. Absolutely not." Kanan says quickly, shock covering his face.
"Then, why are you being overprotective? Don't deny it. I sensed it. Clearly." Ezra looks up into his masters eyes, making Ezra's own small size very apparent. Ezra wished that years on the streets hadn't stunted his growth. He wasn't finished growing, so maybe he could get taller. But he'll never be as tall as he could have been. Maybe that's why Kanan is being overprotective, though Ezra quickly tossed the idea.
"Why are you so empathetic?" Kanan shakes his head. "It's just something that girl, Ariadne, said."
"You can call her Aeries, everyone does. I call her Ariadne, because I named her that." Ezra says, surprising Kanan. He stashes that information away.
"It just made me wonder, with everything that's happened, if you would have been better off not joining the crew." Kanan admit.
"No." Ezra says, before hiding a very amused laugh behind his hand and mumbling, "Talia's going to laugh so hard at this."
"I'm serious, Ezra." Kanan says, slightly upset at the reaction.
"So am I." Ezra settles his laughter and the looks sad, "The reason I am short for my age isn't because of how I grow. It's stunted because I could rarely find enough to eat. You heard the doctor at the rebel base, worrying about me being ten pounds under weight for my height. I've put on about twenty pounds since joining the crew. Kanan, we have a saying among the Taken, don't live for the future, you'll never get there. If I was on my own, I don't know if I'd be alive right now. From starvation, exposer or worse, I'd probably be dead."
Kanan starts to protest "But the tribe-"
"I would never have gone back to them." Ezra shakes his head, "Talia, Orin and I had a falling out. A really nasty one. The only reason, and I do mean the only reason, I found the courage to apologize was because of what I learned as your padawan. Kanan, if you had any idea of how much you and the crew have given me, from safety, to be able think farther than a week into the future, to endless joy, you never even think that. Yes, there have been bad times, but there always are." Ezra smiles, looking very sincere. "Thank you, for everything," Ezra puts his hand on Kanan's shoulder. Ezra left to prep for the op.
Everything seems to be going to plan for some strange reason. Zeb wasn't even having too much trouble with the bucketheads. And while Ezra knew better than anyone not to look a gift horse in the mouth, he is also painfully aware that very few gifts don't have a cost. So what was the cost of things going to plan?
Ezra follows Kanan and Sabine. They had yet to encounter a single bucket head in route. Ezra's mind is screaming at him. Even if there is a breach in the compound, protocol should be to have some troops defending the power core. "Am I the only one hearing something scream 'trap'?"
"Let's just get in and out. That will minimize our chances of spring it, if there is one." Kanan says, not feeling as certain that there is a trap. This is a factory not a military base. Less troopers is to be expected. Plus, they choose the middle of the night for their attack to minimize the number of people present.
They make it to the locked door leading to the power generator, or where thye thought it would be. As they entered, the large room was completely empty or so they thought.
Ezra senses it first, drawing his light saber and parrying the red lightsaber coming down on him. With a wave of her hand, she sent Kanan into a small alcove where a plasm shield traps him. Another flick of the wrist, Sabine is sent flying in to the hall the door, locking behind her.
She jumps back, pulling out her second lightsaber. Ezra takes out the shoto. "Sunny." Ezra breaths his opponent's long forgotten nickname, "Must we do this?"
"I don't see another option." Sonya ignites the lightsaber.
"Don't do this." Ezra begs. He ignites the shoto.
Sonya runs at him. Ezra fires at her. She deflects each blast, not slowing in the slightest. Their blades lock. Sonya moves her left leg behind Ezra's and sweeps out his feet. They fall to the ground, Sonya landing on top of Ezra, pinning his shoulders with her legs. She flicks off her lightsaber, flipping them around and swinging it to his temple to knock him out. Ezra flicks his wrist so the hilt hits his lightsaber instead. He is left gapping as the hilt come into contact with his blade without being cut in half. Even with all his strength, Sonya is pushing the lightsaber closer and closer to his face. "Mandolorian Iron, one of the few metals lightsabers can't cut." Sonya smirks.
Get a view of it much to close for comfort, Ezra say, "Useful." He sends, his knee into her kidney with enough force to send her rolling over him, freeing himself. Ezra rolls to his feet. As does Sonya.
"You got a new hand." Sonya smirks, more evidence of the rebel base.
"Works quite well." Ezra says. "Sunny, we don't have to fight. I know you're strong enough to return to the light."
"Perhaps once, but not anymore. Not after what that woman did." Sonya takes a calming breath as her mask slips, letting a tear fall down her face. She flings one of her lightsabers at Ezra's head. Ezra deflects it before blocking Sonya's next attack.
"Surrender, Ezra." Sonya blares down her brother. "You'll be allowed to live."
"And tortured for information I won't give." Ezra summons his strength and pushes her off. Given how much stronger and bigger she is, that is an accomplishment. She summons her lightsaber, and Force pushes Ezra hard into a wall. Ezra's ears begin to ring.
"Karablast! There goes that plan." He hears his sister mumble. He looks up and see that Kanan has freed himself and has his lightsaber drawn. He smiles, shaking the pain from his head. Ezra stands strait, raising his lightsabers and shifts into a back stance. "Well, this looks like fun." Sonya smirks, before Force jumping to Kanan other side, with a flip for flare. She lands with her right foot next to the middle of her left foot, and her lightsabers out. Viable offensive position, no, but very intimidating.
"Ezra! Get the door open." Kanan say, not bothering to hide Ezra's name. With his sister on the dark side, it is only a matter of time before they find out who he is. If they haven't already. Another lovely problem that Ezra joining the crew caused for Ezra.
"Don't bother. It soldered itself shut the moment it closed." Sonya smirks. Kanan shares a sideways glance to Ezra, who nods. Kanan runs at Sonya. Ezra, disengaging the shoto, runs to the door and starts cut it open with his lightsaber. Sonya parries Kanan's attack, gritting her teeth. This guy is a head taller than her and at least fifty pounds heavier. Clearly, she needs to switch strategies from the one she used for Ezra.
Her normal strategy for bigger opponents, speed and dodging with some aerials similar to ataru, wouldn't work, though. It's too similar to Ezra preferred style, though his does appear to have thrown in some makashi as well.
Surprise it is, then. She blocks his swipes with her hilt, allowing her to withstand stronger attack and letting her get closer to her opponent so he can't use his lightsaber as effectively. She slams her other hilt towards Kanan's temple.
Kanan dodges back barely. He jumps back, sizing up Sonya. She's young and unusually strong. What she lacks in experience, she more than makes up for in unique and creative style. She knows her lightsabers, and how to use every part in battle. This created an enemy difficult to defend against, without knowing her way of fighting. Kanan can't help be more than mildly impressed at Ezra's ability to hold his own against her. But, Kanan is also creative and he has had more training than her, having been trained two years longer than she has been, as well as what he learned fighting the Empire.
She rushes Kanan. The sound of clashing blades worries Ezra, but they need to leave. This mission is a trap. If they had any hope of surviving, this door needs to be gone. He cuts through the final bolt, doors whooshing open. "Master!" Ezra calls. Kanan gives a quick glance before trying to get an opening to run. Ezra doesn't stop even for a moment, seeing fifteen stormtroopers on Sabine. Ezra blasts five of them rushing towards her. Sabine kicks one in the gut grabbing his gun and shooting five more before another stormtrooper grabs the blaster. Ezra slams into the trooper, then blasts him with his blaster. Kanan barrels out of the room. Sonya strolls confidently out after him. Kanan deflects a blast back at the last remaining trooper. Sabine grabs her blasters before the three races down the hall.
Sonya gives pauses to glance over the troopers. Most were merely stunned, though a few had more serious wounds from the grabbed blaster. The one who got hit with the redirected blaster in the arm stands. "Call for a medic." She orders.
"Yes, Ma'am." Sonya recognizes the voice as the trooper who had the gall to tell her to eat nearly three weeks ago and had persisted in bring her food whenever she trained. She still senses no fear from him, though he must have heard rumors.
"You're a fool not to fear me." Sonya says racing off. She reaches the courtyard in time to see Kallus standing there. The rebel's ship is lifting up, the ramp still open. Ezra stands there, staring down at her. An energy that has nothing to do with the Force passes between them. He turns, rushing into the ship. Ties fly after the ship.
Sonya approaches Kallus, "We failed." She fumes. Lord Vader, as well as Tarkin, will not be happy.
"Not necessarily." Kallus says, looking up at the dog fight.
"The ties will not get them." Sonya says.
"The twi'elk is too good for that," Kallus agrees. "However, the goal was to confirm your thoughts on their weakness. They were far easier to capture once separated."
Sonya nods, "It was only once they were able to regroup that they were able to escape."
"Their strength is their weakness. This will proved great advantage to future confrontation."
Sonya nods, "We also confirmed something else." Kallus turns to her, expectantly. "The padawan has a metal arm. That's something they wouldn't be able to do on that ship. The rebels have a base. Find the nest, destroy the infestation." Kallus nods in agreement.
Sonya slices through the holographic battle droid. "Program off." The Holographic field vanishes, revealing a young stormtrooper sneaking in with a tray of food, his arm wrapped in a sling. "You should be resting."
"Perhaps concern I hear." The trooper is smirking, Sonya is certain, under that helmet.
"Still too bold for your own good." Sonya puts away her blades.
"What are those?" He asks.
"Lightsabers." She says, more gut response than anything else. "You have no idea what those are."
"Nope." The trooper says. "As long as I am being too bold for my own good, may I inquire the lady's name?"
Sonya smirks walking to him and taking the tray. "Sonya Yon," she says with a controlled voice. "You're lucky I worked up an appetite."
"You don't like your name..." The trooper notes. Sonya shifts in surprise. "Your eyes lose a few sparks when something you don't like comes up." He explain. Sonya looks at him surprised by his observation. He must have been stationed near her to have viewed her enough to note something so small, as well as be exceedingly good observation skills. Why the heck isn't he afraid of her, then? Wait, her eye sparkle?! Sonya mentally shake the thought away.
Sonya tilts her head in contemplation for a moment, "Sunny. My fam... The people that cared about me used to call me that..."
The stormtrooper seems mildly surprised, but happy. "Is it alright if I call you Sunny, when we are alone?"
"That would highly inappropriate." Sonya smirks, giving permission with her eyes rather than her voice. "I given my name, it's only fair you give yours."
The young trooper lifts his helmet off with one hand. A young man of seventeen looks back at her with eyes the same shade of purple as lavada and slightly long red hair coming off in the beginning of curls. It wasn't Mara's bright red hair, but a much more subtle almost strawberry blonde hair. It is a startling look that would have set many people on edge, but Sonya supposed if she let herself she'd find him handsome. For her, his most prominent feature is the kindness in his eyes. He probably joined the Empire thinking it gave stability or something. She wondered how long it would take for him to see the evil of the Empire. "Chance. Chance Sorayu." He smirks.
"Chance?" Sonya asks.
"Yeah, my mom was a bit of a party girl in her teens. She was going down a bad path when she got pregnant with me. Dear old Dad abandoned her." His voice becomes unusually bitter. "She was hurt so bad by that. Most people would have given up. But she turned it around for me. She called me her second chance."
"Your mother has a rare strength." Sonya smiles.
"Had." Chance looks away.
Sonya takes his hand, and surprising herself with the sincerity of her voice, "I'm sorry."
Chance nods. "I had better return to my post." He returns his helmet to his head and leaves.
Ezra sighs as he looks at the picture Sabine had given him for his birthday, the stars in the window behind the image frame it. His head is filled to the brim on things he knows he shouldn't dwell on. Kanan walks up behind him, "Hey..."
"Hey..." Ezra sighs.
"You okay?" Kanan asks.
Ezra lets out a sad chuckle, "Not really. And I know I should push it to the back of mind since there is nothing I can do. That's how I've always survived."
"That's not the healthiest choice," Kanan says, looking at the picture. The man and the woman... They looked familiar... "But the alternatives aren't always healthy, either." Kanan admits.
"I... Before Sabine found this picture, I couldn't remember what they looked like. It hurt so bad to think about them... Then when I realize I couldn't see them in my memories it was too late... So, I clutched harder to their voices, Mom's stories, Dad's singing. I never could let myself forget Su- Her. I remembered her the most..." Ezra close his eyes.
Kanan looks at the picture then realizes something strange, but he decide it was better not to ask. Ezra still catches the unspoken question. "Sunny was the one who took the picture." Ezra gets up and turns off the holodisk. "I'm going to go meditate." He give Kanan a smile, before heading to his room.
A big thank you goes to Paint the Wolf for reviewing. Sorry, I didn't mean to confuse your shipper. Love the quote. Thank you xEPICxBULLSEYEx for favoriting and following. Thank you Notrandomatall for following. So, why not be random? Thank you everyone for taking the time to read my latest chapter. Now time to imitate Charlotte wishing on the evening star in Princess and the Frog. PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEEEEAAAASSSSEEEE! Review! I love it when people review!