"—the line fell back and the front line became a line of innocent citizens, both of ours and of the Empire's!" Prime keeps getting worked up. The man who is the outlet of his ire nods, helmet on hip and one hand on his belt buckle.

"It fell back because of—"

"I do not CARE! Why you fell back! You fell back! You are aware of basic front line tactics! Corral, contain, compress!" Prime continues in a fury.

I can't watch this anymore.

I glance over at Will, who has a massive blaster burn on the chest plate of his armor and is sitting down, but otherwise seems unharmed while talking to a couple of medics. A single footstep causes me to whip around and see a single Stormtrooper standing there, rifle in hand.

Reflexively, I pull his rifle right out of his hands, causing him to go stock still as blasters are leveled at his head and chest before he is slammed to the ground. "GET ON THE GROUND!" The Stormtrooper doesn't even struggle as he's pummeled briefly, then cuffs are slapped on him and he's roughly tossed aside.

"I…came to surrender. To him. As a whole, we messed up today." He says, helmet thrown off in the scuffle. In a fury, I take two steps and pull him right to me.

"Whose order was it for you to fire?"

"I—"

"WHO?" I roar in his face.

I don't care that my helmet is gone. This guy will never talk. Ever. I should skewer him where he stands just for being here.

The Stormtrooper, a younger looking man visibly gulps. "Nobody sir. Some individuals began firing after you took the pirates' ship down, then, well, you know."

Coward.

"You're damn right we know. Gutless trash." Kal sneers at the man, walking even to me. "A third party attacks, together, we, you and I, we take it down. And then you open fire on US." I ground out. The Stormtrooper averts his eyes.

"I have no excuse or reason sir. It was wrong."

"People DIED because of your actions today. People who should have LIVED!" I rage at him. "And you have nothing for me?! NOTHING?!"

The Stormtrooper keeps his gaze on the ground. "No sir. I came to surrender to you because I was in the neighborhood. I didn't want to cause any trouble."

"Useless. Get out of my face." I spit before raising my hand and shoving the man with the Force about ten feet directly into a brick wall, causing him to be knocked unconscious.

Absolutely useless.

Silence lingers for a moment before Prime launches right back into his tirade. "You're damn lucky I don't hand you over to him! The Jedi! Or the stupid Mandalorian Knight! I should!" The warrior mouths something that doesn't reach my ears before Prime's voices hits another level. "I DO NOT CARE! NO! Don't care! YOU DIE! In that situation you DIE! You don't have men that desert and disappear into the city! We'll run back the damned footage and have them strung up for accessory to murder and desertion! You see him!" Prime points to me. "He's faced the scariest things the galaxy can throw at him! He doesn't run! He doesn't back down! Doesn't even think about it! He digs in and fights! Same goes for me! You MAINTAIN your gap integrity! You hold your line! You drive back the enemy! The seams of the flank do NOT unravel! And if you fall, then you fall HONORABLY!" Prime screams in the man's face, his own face getting red before Orir puts his hand on Prime's chest plate and starts pushing him away.

"That's enough."

"Like hell that's enough!" Prime snaps at Orir. "He deserves ALL of this! And more!"

The Mandalorian keeps his gaze on Prime as he is restrained by Orir before being approached by a pair of Mandalorian Guard who are also holding restraints. Methodically, he sets his helmet down, then his blaster, then his wrist attachments, followed by a blaster and knife all in a precise way, then allows himself to be cuffed.

At least he's handling himself admirably. Faced the music, took accountability, everything.

The feeling of my wrist comm vibrating for my attention snaps my attention downward, only to see Sabine's number. "Hey, what's up. You get Sof yet?"

A moment passes before a tiny "Uhm, this is…Sof." answers.

Sof? Why does she have Sabine's comm? She's probably occupied or something. Still though, her comm is on her wrist, which is attached to her armor. Weird.

"Hey. Where's Sabine? Did she come get you like I said she would?" I say as Will and Orir both give me curious looks.

"Uhm, uhhh…I…uhh. Uhm…" She mumbles, voice shaking, causing Will to pop to his feet.

I let a breath out thru my nose. "Hey. Slow down. Take a breath for me. Okay?" I say firmly, knowing that she'll listen. After a second, I hear her take a deep, but shaky breath.

"What's wrong?" Orir asks me quietly.

I shrug, then look back to my comm. "Okay Sof. Whatever it is, it's okay. What's going on? Can I talk to Sabine?"

"No, uhm, uhh, I've got her armor and…"

"Got her armor?!" Prime asks aloud before getting shushed by Kal and swatted by Orir.

"I…" Sof continues shakily before letting out a sob. "At a Medcenter—"

What

"—Mommy and Daddy are with the medics and stuffffff…buuttt…I need you Ezra…"

My mind and body are completely blank from shock as Prime slaps my comm. "Sof, it's gonna be okay. What Medcenter?" He asks firmly.

"—you said you'd always be here and Sabine's in the surgery room and I'm scaredddd…." Sof bawls, evident thru the audio and before she lets out a loud sob.

Surgery?

"Sophie! Hey!" Prime attempts to get thru to her.

Sabine's never really been hurt. She always finds a way to get out of it. Surgery?

"—I need you Ezra….PLEASEEE…" She sobs and hiccups. "Pleeeeaseeee…"

"Sof! I need the name of the Medcenter so we know where to go!"

Numbly, I sit in shock, not even registering the conversation before I'm pulled to my feet.

"C'mon, we're going." Kal tells me as Will guides me down the street. At a certain point I'm in a speeder, flying down the road before somebody tells me "She's going to be fine Ezra."

Sabine?


(Three Hours Earlier)

Sabine smiles before sipping her caf contently. "We should start every day like this. It makes me want to move back into the city."

"It is a nice day. Do you think it's just nice because it's brunch and a treat?" I turn to Sabine, in her armor, holing her helmet while smiling.

"Nah." She shakes her head. "It's just nice. Wake up, have a cup of caf, take Sof to school, eat a great meal at our own pace, together for once, then seeing Mom and Dad—"

"And Mand'alor." I remind her.

And the topic is horrible.

"Yeah, but it's just a beautiful day! She smiles once again as we arrive at the Office of Mand'alor and I grab the door for her then follow her into the left as she hits the correct sequence of buttons."

It's gonna be okay. I'm sure the girls will have good news. Surely.

The lift opens and Sabine does the small talk thing with his receptionist before I open an ornate door, revealing a heavily decorated office full of Mandalorian artifacts along with Sabine's parents, and Mand'alor."

So this is Mand'alor's office…wow. Lives up to the billing. I'm sure everything in here is priceless.

"I think I might have to ask for a tour later." I joke, getting everyone to laugh briefly, before the mood turns sour.

"So…what's it look like?" Sabine asks.

Mand'alor simply turns his holo on. "Miss Ridley? You tell me. What are things like on the ground?"

Darcy's image pops onto the holo, looking slightly bedraggled. "Bad. Not good. The intel we picked up and were delivered is accurate."

No…

"Millions in holding camps, being ripped from their homes. The families are being interrogated, no lawyers or anyone present. Then they're roughly separated and often times, from what we've noticed, is that they're spread across the planet."

"There's not that many places for them to go." I counter. "Capitol City is the only major city."

"Intel says that they're erecting rudimentary towns, field pens really. They can't support half the number of people they're holding. Food's not adequate, spoiling. Shelter is lacking. The work's backbreaking, it's…it's bad." Darcy finishes solemnly.

I have to go. I don't really have a choice.

"Why now?" Mr. Wren asks. "Why Lothal now?"

Darcy shrugs. "Nobody that we've talked to knows. They all think it's because of Ezra, that he did something to hurt the Empire, that he's the one that blew up the Death Star, and that's why the Empire is exerting such a savage blow here, but it's not, obviously. We've got a theory about their intentions though."

"Which are?" Mand'alor prompts her.

"It's a trap for Ezra. As Maddie's intel indicated, the planet isn't openly under martial law and is allowing people to visit. But if you come, you almost have to stay. You're trapped because if the Empire finds your ship, you're processed like a citizen. They want Ezra, and are torturing the whole planet to try and draw him out." Darcy reports, then looks right at me. "Ezra, you can't come."

Mrs. Wren sets down a cup and asks "What are the people on the ground saying? If they break, then the situation is hopeless."

"Defiant. I've spoken to a couple of the people who are waging the guerilla war, and they say they'll hold out forever. They won't break. And the soldiers, citizens, they all keep saying that they don't want Ezra to come. Everyone seems to know their plan, and are trying to fight back until they can beat the Empire."

"He won't come then." Mand'alor proclaims, causing me to stalk away towards the water cooler.

"Then what am I supposed to do? Watch them burn the whole planet to the ground?!" I ask, not meaning to raise my voice but do it anyway.

"We'll get some warriors and aid in. I promise you that. But if the Empire wants you, and they know you're here, they're sitting and waiting." Mand'alor counters.

Ridiculous. I see the point, but I'm fiddling while another planet, MY home planet is destroyed. Like Alderaan.

Angrily, I snatch up a cup and fill it with water. "—you okay?"

"Yes, we're alright. The extraction plan has been synched with a rebel offensive here, giving us a distraction to get off the planet."

"How's everyone holding up?" Mrs. Wren asks as Sabine approaches and gives me a tentative smile. I return it while focusing on Darcy's response.

"Shaken, but alright. We weren't expecting this level of brutality and depravity, to be honest. From the stories we heard, everything was normal. Then a fleet of Star Destroyers appeared in the sky and just took everything over, starting this horrible process."

Pouring a cup of water for Sabine, I then hand it to her and examine everyone else's drinks.

Occupy my hands until I can go attempt to meditate and train this off. The meditation especially, even though I'm not good at it. Memories keep flitting in and out when I'm supposed to be sifting thru them to confront the loss and the pain.

"Sir." A voice pops out from nowhere, causing all of us to turn and for anger to flash on Mand'alor's face.

"This better be good verd."

"An unknown force is attacking the bank." The soldier tells him.

"Bank?" Sabine asks as Mand'alor whips to his holo and begins typing.

"Which bank?"

"The heaviest asset bank." The soldier tells Mand'alor. "Right here in the city,"

Mand'alor scowls at his holo as security footage starts appearing, showing fighting that's broken out somewhere. "How do they know which bank to hit? Get ten battalions scrambled. NOW! Ezra?"

"Yes?"

"Which bank? What's the big deal?" Sabine asks.

Her father rolls his eyes. "Adika, the reconstruction process! Maul's entire cash flow. The cash flow for a large portion of that project!"

The bankroll for Sundari.

"I hate to ask, but that bank cannot be taken. I don't really care what you have to do. Whoever it is, they can't get away." Mand'alor tells me, prompting me to hit my comm.

"Prime."

"—how'd they even find out which bank?" Sabine asks. "That has to be almost a state secret."

"Very few people have to know, which reduces our potential leaks—"

"Ezra? Tell me you've heard about this." Prime's voice comes thru on my comm.

I turn away from everyone and slip in my earpiece. "Barely. What's going on?"

"Somebody's attacking the main Sundari reconstruction depository. It's a temporary setup in one of Mandalore's oldest banks! Built to be impenetrable except by a bomb squad. Well you'll never guess what they're doing?"

"If they need a bomb squad then the fighting is a distraction?" I put the pieces together.

"Exactly. Even worse, they're carving a path thru the city. And they're not Imperial."

I blurt out "Not Imperial?" which causes Sabine's head to whip back to me before I gesture to her that we've got to go.

"Yes! The first casualty was Imperial I think, then a warrior. So it's the old 'us and Vader versus Maul' agreement."

The enemy of my enemy.

"Are you headed there?" I ask as Sabine and I hop into the lift and Sabine slaps the button for the ground floor.

"Yeah, I was hoping you'd come too. There's crazy reports of a ten foot tall cyborg man that's causing most of the issues."

Sabine turns to me, helmet now on. "Cyborg?"

She must have synced comms.

"I'm just telling you—" Prime's voice is cut off by a screech and footsteps. "—know!"

"Fair enough, where are we going?" I ask as the lift opens and Sabine stalks out.

"Center of the city, right near where you fought Shark Bait and Sof goes to school."

Uh oh?

Sabine's body goes rigid for a split second. "Prime?"

"They're being prepped for evac right now. Will's in charge of it. 97th and Candrion. That's where I'll be."

"97th and Candrion." I tell the driver of the speeder as we hop right in one that's just sitting, waiting.

The driver jumps, clearly startled. "Oh no, no way." The man says in an accent. "There's fighting down there and—hey! Ahh!" He yells as Sabine clambers right over the divider between the front and back seat, then just kicks the man out.

"Thanks!" She yells sarcastically, then we pull away rapidly into the bright, cool day.

"It'll be okay Sabine." I say supportively off the top of my head.

Sabine instead scowls. "Why here? Why now? The Empire has to be behind this right? Mandalore getting back on its feet, is starting to succeed, and boom! Attempted grand theft bank vault! I'm so calling bantha osik on this one."

"Agree, but then why is the Empire fighting back?"

"Fresh meat. The Empire doesn't care about pawns, which is all Stormtroopers are."

This is all such a Vader move. Such a Vader move.

"This is a textbook Vader move."

Sabine nods. "Get a third party to act on your behalf, wiping your hands clean of the whole thing." Before I clamber over the divider as well and take in the sight of what looks to be a small fire a few clicks away here in the city. "The thing I don't get, is that Vader knows where we are."

"Yeah, why not just come get me? I don't want that obviously—"

Sabine cuts me off as she starts descending towards a square with shops and a crowd of people. "No I get it. You're right. What's preventing him from just marching to our front door?"

"I don't know, but I think that's a question for another day." I say, and Sabine nods while roughly parking on the street and allowing us both to hop out and walk toward Prime, who is talking to a battalion of Stormtroopers.

"What do we have Prime?" Sabine asks him, causing everyone to look over and for the Stormtroopers to reflexively recoil at the sight of me, then double take.

"He wasn't kidding about bringing in a big gun—" one of the mutters.

"It's that same kid that's been on those posters for years? We wanted him before I was even recruited!" Another says.

He's a shiny.

I roll my eyes and scan the Stormtroopers. "I can't do anything unless I have a helmet. My face cannot get out."

"I'm having the timestamps for the time wiped." Prime says helpfully over Sabine's shoulder.

"Like hell, we know who he is now." A Stormtrooper in a yellow pauldron comments.

"Fun fact, the big players already know who I am. It is a secret despite that, so whatever you do won't change anything. You, soldier. What, sorry, what specialty are you?" I ask a Stormtrooper who is not wearing the standard Stormtrooper helmet, instead rocking the Scout Trooper's helmet.

"Bomb defusing and scouting." He says right away.

I respond. "I'm sorry, I need your helmet."

I want it, and I need it. I've always liked the look, despite its connections.

A brief wave of nostalgia washes over me, causing a mental image of my tower with my stash of Imperial and gang helmets before I blink and see that a kid is standing in front of me, extending his helmet to me. "Thank you." I smile, then extend my hand to shake his. He hesitates, but returns the gesture before I snap on the helmet, drastically dropping my peripheral vision.

I'll just have to rely on the Force.

"shuk'orok Mando'ad." Sabine turns to me, then stalks off. I smile to myself, then move to follow.

Those Stormtroopers probably can't speak Mando'a, and don't know what Sabine said. It's a location, but for all they know, she just said ten things. I know when I first heard Sabine speak it, it sounded too fast to comprehend, and like they were saying fifty things when all her mom was saying was really 'the grass is green' or something basic.

What we're really doing is supervising the school evacuation.

"You can peel off and make sure Sof's safe." I comment as she, Prime and I all rush down the street.

"I—" Sabine starts to reply, before a stray shot flies right over Prime's head, sending him scattering and for me to whirl around and spot a firefight just down the road.

Stray shot, not meant for us.

Prime grabs me and shoves me. "No big deal, we've got to go!"

"Is the evac now?!" I ask him.

"And I've got everybody in position, but that Cyborg, or whatever it is, we can't get eyewitness accounts on it because it's carving everyone in its path!"

"Can't talk if you're dead!" Sabine quips, checking the side street before we all cross into the depths of this alley.

I vaguely recall that Sof's school is surrounded on three sides by large walls. If I had to bet, we're sneaking in.

"Everyone's here?"

"That I could grab! Tracyn and the guys! I took initiative, unless you want to do something—" Prime's cut off by the sound of a large explosion, causing us all to look back behind us, then back to each other. "Unless you want to do something else!"

I shake my head. "No, you take point. Whatever this is, I'll take it. You focus on the kids."

"Ezra! Help!" Sabine pulls my attention her way, causing me to notice that we're staring at a fifteen foot high wall.

Okay, Easy.

I quickly grab both Sabine and Prime, lift them to the top of the wall, set them down, then follow their lead by taking two hard steps, leaping, planting on the wall then propelling myself up and over then cushion my landing with the Force.

"Bad news." Will instantly says, kids everywhere behind him. "We're stuck. Whoever these guys are, this is their goal. Use the school as their hostage to get out of the bank."

"Like he—no way it is." Sabine censors herself on the fly before she starts scanning the crowd.

"WHAM!"

My head snaps to the primary building, where the enormous sound came from. "Will?" Prime demands.

"We barricaded the doors with whatever we could. It'll hold, but not against the rumors of—" "WHAM!" "Whatever that is!" Will points to the door, which is rattling from the force of the impact.

I quickly wave all the kids back toward the furthest wall. "We have to keep them away from these kids. All of 'em."

"Absolutely." Prime nods before simultaneously the sound of wood splintering forces me to whip around, then explosions ring out everywhere.

WHAT IN THE—

Will takes one step forward, and I spot a huge figure, clad entirely in metal and wielding a massive projectile launcher before I'm hit with a massive heat wave and Will is just gone. "WILL!" I hear Kex scream before he rushes towards the back wall as the entire scene is drowned in screaming.

Sabine leaps to protect Kex and I get a split second view of Sophie with both arms around him and pulling him back before I grab a…

Who are these guys?

Whoever it is, has no uniform. But whoever it is, I grab them with the Force and clear that area. An instant later, a flare is shot right in the massive cyborg's face, then spreads and obscures its vision. Whatever it is lets out a shout, then flattens a portion of the wall, thrashing around before Orir appears from nowhere, pulls back on his chain guy and unleashes some shot that at first seems to suck the air away from everyone, then use that air to fire the Cyborg back and out of the picture.

"Will! Wake up! C'mon say something!" I hear Kex cry out as Kal starts evacuating kids out thru a newly created hole in the wall we leapt over. "We're gonna get him!"

"Kex! You can't! C'mon!" Sophie tries to heave him away and towards the rush of kids running, escorted by instructors.

"YOU CAN!" Prime yells at Sabine, who fired the rocket off her back at the Cyborg, who is just getting to his feet, hitting directly and burying him. My eyes instantly flash to a line of the enemy who are taking stock of Sabine.

Nope!

Sensing that they're about the break off, then take their shot. I instinctively raise both hands and release violent Force Pushes which catch them just as they split off, sending them off their feet and careening into the nearest walls, which collapse and inter them.

OKAY! Now for you big boy!

I leap forward, right into the mess Sabine made with her one-shot rocket, just in time for the mountain of metal to get up and see me. Just as I make a move to grab him, he grabs me left arm by the wrist and just throws me wildly, forcing me out of the way and into a wall. A vague grunt of frustration reaches my ears as I push myself to my feet just in time for my heart to stop. The sound of a heavy shot sounds out, followed by a tiny body falling reaches me just before I begin to process it.

Sniper. Oh my…

Sabine lets out a feral yell, then fires her jetpack up faster than I've ever seen her before, and just plows right into the window where the shot came from as Tracyn rushes to where the tiny body has fallen.
"I got him, you take that!" I yell at Prime, then take out my fury on the ground, pushing off the ground as hard as I can and begin pursuing the cyborg.

You are NOT getting away from me! Somebody is paying for that! They're ALL paying for that!

The Cyborg takes two steps away from me, ten feet from the open street and sizes me up before growling out. "What are you, witch?"

It saw me use the Force, which nobody does anymore. Might be his first encounter with a Force sensitive.

I smirk at him while settling into a modified Djem So stance, suing tow hand on my lightsaber instead of one. "I'm your problem now."

"Aye look! We drew out that Mandalorian Knight guy!" Somebody says, in a uncivilized, backspace kind of way before everyone's heads turn while holding bags.

Of golden bars, silver bars, credit chips all loaded up to the max…smash and grab. These guys are pirates. They're not a fighting force. They just want the money.

"Pirates." I mutter aloud while hitting my comm with the Force.

"Pirates?" Prime responds, sounding frustrated.

Sabine's comm crackles before she chimes in "Uncivilized, honorless fighters that take— potshots at children—SCREETCH! Makes sense!"

"Give up, you're surrounded. You won't get off the planet."

I know between Mand'alor, the Prime Minister, the Imperial Governor, this ship isn't getting off the planet. They'll shoot it down.

The Cyborg takes a step forward, causing the street to shake slightly. "No." before shots ring out, a Mandalorian falls and the wall shifts then moves to fall, sending everyone running towards the street. I join them and send a pirate flying before the world jumps from the impact of the wall collapsing and blaster bolts start flying everywhere.

Before he can react, I slip under the Cyborg's arms, grab the plate on his back, dig in with both my feet and the Force and rip the plate right off him, causing an agonized scream before he wheels around blindly and tries clotheslining me. I duck under, then away and spot a loose blaster pistol lying on the street.

Mine! I need more firepower!

I leap toward the pistol just as a pirate does. I beat him to it, then barely slices his leg enough for it to him to react and for me to scoop the pistol up and use my lightsaber arm to steady my shot before I let out three short shots, dropping three pirates while blocking a stream of bolts in chorus. The scene is then taken over by Orir's gravity gun, which sends a group of pirates careening wildly and for Prime to fly in.

LEFT!

I whip around and block the pirates shot, flip hands and fell him with the blaster, then advance on another group as they frantically try to get away from me futility before I put them to the ground with the same deft slices meant to maim and not kill.

I don't want to kill anyone. These monsters should have to answer for this. And that means they stay alive.

Prime meanwhile, blocks a punch from a pirate and kicks him into a speeder, sending the pirate flipping out of sight as he ducks around another blow by the Cyborg and tries to knife it in the neck. The Cyborg blocks, then again savagely swings at Prime, who again gets away just as I arrive and push the Cyborg right into a shop, causing all the innocent civilians to scream in terror.

"The—" Prime starts before precise shots fell the only two pirates around us and a battalion rushes up to us.

"They're making their escape on a ship coming right over top of us!" A Stormtrooper tells us before I reach out with the Force and confirm his statement.

I need to get the high ground.

"I'll stop them, but need to get up. Get a battalion to lock that damned Cyborg down! Full one, not some half assed job! He'll get away if you don't commit." I say while looking for a way to get higher.

Fire escape. Perfect.

Without further thought, I run parallel to the building, propel myself about thirty feet up, grab onto the side of the metal staircase, then hop up and over and climb the remaining twenty feet before I look over the side.

For external engines, two on each side of the ship in the rear. If I knock those two nearest to me, I can force this ship down. The angle is going to have to be a really tight one, almost inverse to the engine itself otherwise it won't get thru.

I take several steps back as the ship continues its attempt to flee then take off at a dead sprint towards the edge of the building, then push down with my hands and use the Force to send me about thirty feet in the air as the ship is feet from me. A quick tremor in the Force warns me that I've scared the pilot, followed by the ship wobbling as I activate my lightsaber near the right side of my head.

In one smooth action, I carve out a 'C' motion with my arm, releasing my lightsaber about halfway down then push it on with my left hand as I hang in the air. Time briefly seems to slow down as I will my lightsaber forward, thru the engine backwash that hits me, and into the first engine. Instantly a fireball appears, followed by my lightsaber as it cuts thru the second engine and time returns to its normal speed, followed by a terrible shearing sound and roars from below me.

YESSSSSS! IT'S DOWN!

Quickly, I glance down and see that I'm falling uncontrollably and respond by pushing down with the Force, creating a bubble of air to catch me. The bubble does indeed slow me enough, and I land heavily, but safely, causing the ground around me to crater and crack.

I ignore the incredulity around me and march forward, only stopping to pull my lightsaber out of a pile of debris as the ship crashes violently in the street, carving one side of the ruined craft into the street.

"HOW DID YOU DO THAT?!" Prime yells in my ear. "That was incredible!"

Sorry Prime, but shut up.

I allow the fire in my veins to take over and march toward the ship, barely registering the destruction in advance of grabbing the landing bay door and ripping it off.

The sight of pirates strewn everywhere greets me immediately, some not moving, some shifting around, most if not all bleeding. In my fury, I grab the nearest one. "WHY? Why'd you do this?" I demand of him.

The pirate coughs one, then blood appears at the edge of his mouth. "No reason, for the fun of it."

For the…fun of it?

"What?" I ask in disbelief.

"You too of course." The pirate says, eyes becoming unfocused. "But the money, the insult the Mandalorians would feel, the challenge. But really, we were bored."

BORED?

My mind is blank for a second, then rage comes to my aid, forcing me to see red. "YOU DID THIS BECAUSE YOU WERE BORED AND WANTED FUN?! This is FUN to you?!"

PEOPLE HAVE DIED HERE TODAY!

"Yeah, I mean, we saw an opportunity. Easy pickings. Maybe not so easy though." The pirate rambles on before I feel something impact my elbow and I turn my sleeve to see—

A blaster bolt hole.

Without moving my head, I look back and see a Stormtrooper holding his blaster before his fear level spikes.

He missed. It was only a glancing blow.

I grab my lightsaber and throw it right at him, catching him in the neck just as he starts moving and causes him to seize up. "Traitor!"

We were working together!

The clicking sounds of multiple blasters reach my ears before I glance up and see that I'm surrounded.

Fools.

"FIRE!"


(Ten Hours Later – Seven Hours post HoloCall)

Sophie's leg bounces on my leg as she sits in my lap here in the waiting room. Around us, Prime and Kal are slouched in their chairs, asleep. Cups from our impromptu dinner, although nobody was hungry and we only ate because we knew we needed to are surrounding all of us.

Will's at another medcenter, Tracyn is somewhere, I don't know. Orir is with Mand'alor, investigating the pirates motives and means to pull the heist off.

"It's okay." I tell Sof gently.

I can feel Sabine's Force Signature, but it's erratic and weaker than normal. Hers is the only one I can really get a good read on because there's so many emotions in this hospital. It's clouding the Force so that I can't really see with it.

Sof continues to rock in my lap and tries not to cry like she has been off and on all night.

I don't know what happened; just that Tracyn found her somewhere. Sabine was then rushed here and prepped for surgery as her parents were contacted. I asked to see them or to speak to someone and was denied because Sabine's file doesn't show her as being married.

So me saying repeatedly that I'm her husband and want to see her now has gotten me nowhere. Because only family can know her status.

C'mon Sabine…

I don't know how much time passes as Sophie anxiously bounces around in my lap, unable to sit still but not wanting to leave my side before a door opens.

"Hey." I leap up, catching Sof and turning her in time for her to collapse into her parents arms, who both look like they've been stressing out for hours.

And Mrs. Wren looks like she's been crying.

"Mr. Bridger? A word?" A man in a white coat calls my name, and I turn to follow him thru a door. "My name is Sunihai Granti, I'm the head Surgeon for Head and Neck injuries for the Imperial Medical and Reconstruction Center here on Mandalore."

Head and Neck?

"Head and Neck? What's going on? I don't know anything." I ask bluntly.

The man takes a measured breath, then continues. "Your wife, Mrs. Sabine Wren sustained two cervical fractures to her neck today in the battle against the pirates.

Cervical. Neck.

"She broke her neck?" I gasp out as a pit forms in my stomach and ices over.

If she broke her neck, they…that's as bad as it gets. Obviously, your spinal cord is there, and that controls all motor function, bodily control…

"Well actually it was a…" The man starts speaking in medical babble before I tune out.

She flew off to go put down that sniper who took that little kid who went to Sof's school down. She didn't know him, but that school is in pieces now.

"—used the latest techniques to stiffen her body, maintain her blood pressure and allowing the swelling to occur before acting quickly to minimize any and all damage. She was never in danger of dying, and, dare I say it, came out better than could have been expected."

I swallow the huge lump in my throat as we walk down a sterile hallway in the intensive care area. "So how bad are we talking?"

"We won't know until she wakes up I'm afraid. We've done almost all we can for now. Right now, we have her comfortable and will do everything we can to keep her where she is until she wakes up. Then we'll proceed from there. I'm very sorry."

"But she's alive." I say numbly.

I can't believe this is happening. This is unbelievable.

"Yes." The man nods. "She's right thru there sir. I am around if you have any questions. A RN will be by shortly with the file detailing exactly what happened."

I nod, then turn to the door on my right which is closed an unmarked.

1017.

Pushing it open, I take a step inside, then jump at the sound of the door closing, followed by a hearty beeping sound.

The heart monitor.

I continue to walk in before my knees nearly go out from under me and I lean into the wall.

Sabine…

She's sitting upright in her bed, completely immobilized by various wires and harnesses keeping her where she is. There's a cast on her right arm and her neck is completely covered by a neck brace.

The lump in my throat triples in size as I creep toward her bedside, grab the nearest chair and sit down before taking her hand.

Her hands are freezing cold. She's super pale too.

Taking her hand, I slip it into both of mine and bring the back of her hand to my lips. "C'mon Sabine. Karta, wake up."