"How did you get out?" demanded Hera while she was still struggling to avoid blaster fire from the pursuing Ties.
"Did you really think a blast door would hold me?" Sister threw him a look. "Now what in the hell is going on?"
"We're about to get turned to scrap that's what. I need you to man the turret on top of the ship," Hera ordered. She wasn't happy the Inquisitor managed to escape but she couldn't be picky about who she got her help from.
Second Sister growled as she rushed out of the cockpit. A few seconds later the dorsal turret on top of the ship opened fire, destroying two Ties and forcing the rest to scatter. Guess that Inquisitor was good for something other than swinging around a laser sword. The Ties were caught off guard but were quickly regrouping. It was now or never.
Hera was about to head for the tower when she received a transmission from Chopper. He had escaped the tower with Ezra and needed to be picked up immediately. "What about the others?" Hera asked.
Chopper replied with a somber chime. There was nothing they could do for them. Hera didn't have time to argue or let the shock hit her as she directed the ship towards the astromech's signal.
Ezra regained consciousness with the wind blowing into his face. He opened his eyes and realized he was staring at the ground a good several hundred feet below him. Ezra screamed, terrified he was falling until he realized he was strapped around something. Chopper muttered an irritated chirp, ordering his passenger to stop screaming like a baby.
"What the…what happened?" Ezra shouted. Chopper spouted more electronic grunts, explaining that Sabine stunned him and strapped him onto the droid to escape before the Imperials broke into the tower. His jets could only hold one of them so the Mandalorian had to stay behind.
"What? We have to go back!" demanded Ezra. Chopper suddenly veered to the left as blaster fire shot past them. Ezra glanced behind them to see two black armored Stormtroopers chasing after them via jetpacks. Their thrusters must be better than Chopper's because they were getting closer.
"Must go faster! Must go faster!" Ezra yelled at Chopper. The droid groaned at him to shut up.
More lasers shot through the sky past them but the green energy bolts were far too big to have come from a normal blaster. Ezra glanced behind them to see the Ghost coming up behind them exchanging fire with multiple Tie Fighters in pursuit. Chopper turned again, heading right into the path of the incoming ships.
"Uhh…Chopper?" gulped Ezra, starting to think the droid's logic circuits were fried. Chopper ignored him heading on direst path towards the Ghost. The rebel ship suddenly flipped in the air, opening its cargo compartment along with firing maneuvering thrusters to slow it down. Chopper flew right inside, crashing onto the floor and sliding to the end of the cargo hold. It was a bumpy ride but Ezra was just glad they managed to get inside in one piece.
The cargo door closed behind them then Ezra could feel the ship picking up speed.
Kanan's battle against the Inquisitor ended the same way it always did. With that yellow eyed Pau'an triumphant only this time he had something to actually show for it. Kanan managed to hold his ground longer against the dark sider thanks to his training with Second Sister but in the end, the Grand Inquisitor still managed to subdue the former Jedi. Stormtroopers accosted him, patting down Kanan before putting him in shackles and forcing him to his knees. He could only watch the battle overhead between the Ghost and Tie Fighters, hoping Hera managed to get away.
A few minutes after the ships all vanished in the dawn sky, the Communications Tower opened. Multiple Stormtroopers in black armor marched out and Kanan's heart sank when he saw Zeb and Sabine in between them. The two had their hands cuffed behind their backs and were lead right over to Kanan where they too were forced to kneel.
"Where's the boy?" the Inquisitor asked one of the Stormtroopers who had medal insignias stamped on his armor, making him stand out from the others. The soldier removed his helmet. He was probably mid-forties and had the look of a soldier with the grim eyes and battle scars across his face. This had to be the leader of whatever group these troopers were comprised of.
"He managed to escape via a droid to their ship. Knight Squadron is in pursuit," the soldier answered.
"Heh. You're going to need new pilots," mocked Zeb, somehow managing to smile despite the circumstances. One of the troopers guarding the Lasat lifted up his rifle and slammed the butt end in Zeb's face. The blow knocked him to the ground, dazing him.
"Shut it you animal," the trooper grunted.
"Governor Tarkin this is Major Velken. Area secured, you are cleared for landing," the leader spoke into his wrist com.
Ezra managed to cut himself free from Chopper via his lightsaber. The astromech freaked out but Ezra made sure he didn't damage the droid. He then climbed up the ladder into the crew quarters and rushing through it into the cockpit as Ghost shook from incoming fire. Along the way he could hear the dorsal turret on top of the ship firing back. If Hera was piloting the ship then that meant Second Sister had to be the manning the guns. Things must be really bad if Hera was letting the former Inquisitor help.
Ezra rushed inside the cockpit where Hera was struggling to maneuver the ship. "We have to go back! Sabine, Zeb, and Kanan are still there!" he yelled.
"We're not going to be able to help any of them if we don't get out of here Ezra. The Ghost can't handle this many Ties now get into the Nose Turret!" Hera shouted back.
A dropship, surrounded by an entire squadron of Tie Fighters, descended onto the grounds of the Communications Tower. Every Stormtrooper stood at attention with even the Inquisitor standing up straighter. The dropship landed gently on the ground before opening its passenger doors. Several troopers stepped outside but the man following them was the real center of attention.
Kanan had seen Grand Moff Tarkin in holovids over the years but seeing the man up close didn't do him justice. Tarkin's face seemed frozen as if etched out of stone. His glare felt like the Moff's eyes could somehow peer right into Kanan's soul. His sheer presence intimated everyone around him including the Inquisitor. That is saying a lot even without knowing his reputation. The man was responsible for the massacre of thousands of civilians on Antar 4 and the subjugation and enslavement of multiple worlds throughout the Outer Rim.
The Inquisitor, Kallus, and the soldier named Major Velken stepped in front of the prisoners to greet the approaching Governor. The Pau'an didn't say a word to his superior, rather he held up Kanan's lightsaber like it was a gift.
Tarkin took the lightsaber and said, "Well done Inquisitor. Now these are the results I expect."
The Governor then turned his attention to the prisoners, sizing all three of them up. "Are these all of them?" he asked.
"One managed to escape back to their ship before it fled the area," reported Velken.
"Apparently you taught your Padawan well," the Inquisitor taunted Kanan. "Running comes as naturally to him as it does to you."
"Ezra's got more guts then you ever will," Sabine shot back.
"I rather doubt that," scoffed the Inquisitor.
"And what of their ship?" demanded Tarkin.
"Knight Squadron is in pursuit," answered Velken. He activated his wrist com and said, "Knight Leader report in."
The Imperial Major was answered with silence. "Knight Leader respond," demanded Velken.
Tarkin's eyes narrowed in disappointment while Kallus sighed in frustration. Velken deactivated his com and then glared at the prisoners who all smirked at him. "Told ya you're going to need new pilots," taunted Zeb.
"Enough," said Tarkin. "I want the three of them transported to my Star Destroyer for their interrogations."
He approached Kanan and knelt down to look at him face to face. "I've heard much about the Jedi's famed resistance to pain though my time in the Clone Wars showed me that most of their reputations were exaggerated. After all, they were nothing more than flesh and blood. Order 66 proved that," Tarkin mocked.
Kanan was about rush him, regardless of the consequences but a trooper grabbed him from behind and forced him to remain on his knees. Tarkin stood back up and headed back to his dropship. "Bring them," he ordered.
Ezra breathed a sigh of relief as climbed back up to the crew quarters after finishing off the last of the pursuing Ties. The other shooter, who had to be Second Sister, got in more kills but her turret had a 180 degree field of fire while Ezra would only shoot in one general direction. His hunch about the Inquisitor turned out to be true as she slide down the ladder from the dorsal turret station.
"Hera let you out?" asked Ezra.
"I let myself out," replied Sister.
"Now that makes a lot more sense," remarked Ezra.
Hera and Chopper emerged from the bridge. "No more Imperials on sensors, we're clear," the Twi'lek Captain stated.
"Hera we have to go back. Kanan, Zeb, and Sabine…" Ezra pleaded.
"Would want you to finish the mission," Hera interrupted.
"What mission?" frowned Sister.
Kanan, Zeb, and Sabine were roughly shoved into Tarkin's dropship. The Grand Moff, Grand Inquisitor, Agent Kallus, and Major Velken along with his black Stormtroopers boarded as well. Kanan was tempted to possibly try and tackle one of them out of the ship once it was high enough in the air. The fall would kill them both but taking out Tarkin or the Grand Inquisitor might actually be worth it.
"Be careful. Your thoughts betray you," The Grand Inquisitor smiled. Kanan knew the Pau'an wasn't reading his mind but that didn't mean he couldn't read subtle hints on the Jedi's face and body. If the Inquisitor was expecting him to make a move then Kanan wouldn't stand a chance. Even if he did somehow succeed, it wouldn't save Zeb and Sabine. For now, Kanan needed to be patient and wait for an opportunity to escape.
The shop rose into the sky and headed towards the Capital City. Kallus put a hand up to his helmet, listening to something on his com. "Go ahead...What? How?!" he shouted.
The rest of the passengers all turned their heads towards him. "Is there a problem Agent Kallus?" asked Tarkin.
"We've lost control of the Communications Tower. It's broadcasting a transmission on all frequencies," Kallus replied.
"Show me," ordered Tarkin. Kallus pressed a button on his wrist computer which activated the speaker function for his com, allowing everyone else to hear the transmission.
"We have been called criminals but we are not," Ezra's voice spoke through the com. Kanan had to admit despite his current situation, a smile formed on his face as well as on Sabine and Zeb. "We are rebels fighting for the people. Fighting for you. I'm not that old but I remember a time when things were better on Lothal. Maybe not greater but never like this. See what the Empire has done to your lives, your families, and your freedoms. It's only going to get worse unless we stand up and fight back."
"Cut power to the transmitter now," Tarkin demanded.
"That'll take time. Its power systems was designed with multiple redundancies to prevent saboteurs from disabling it," explained Kallus.
"Oh the irony," chuckled Sabine.
Tarkin turned towards the cockpit and said, "Pilot bring us about and ready weapon systems."
"Uhh…yes sir," replied a confused pilot.
Tarkin activated his com. "This is Grand Moff Tarkin to all nearby aerial units. Take up positions around the Communications Tower and open fire on its foundations," he ordered.
"Sir?" said the pilot, now completely stunned.
Tarkin narrowed his eyes. "Did I stutter?"
"Uhh…no sir. Readying missiles," the pilot quickly replied.
Ezra's transmission continued to play. "It won't be easy. There'll be loss and sacrifice but we can't back down just because we're afraid. That's when we need to stand the tallest. That's what my parents taught me and that's what my new family helped me remember."
Kanan could see through the front windshield from the cockpit several nearby dropships all firing missiles at the Communications Tower. He couldn't believe the Empire was actually willing to destroy their own tower just to silence a single unwanted transmission.
"Stand up together because that's when we're strongest. As one…" Ezra's voice spoke until the missiles impacted the tower. The resulting explosions caused the large structure to topple to the ground, destroying it and cutting off the transmission.
"Were their people inside there?" Zeb asked, not believing the Empire would do something so drastic.
"Unfortunate victims of your terrorist attack," Tarkin replied. Zeb growled at him but the troopers held him back. "None of you know how to win a war but I do."
Ezra's transmission turned to static as he realized he was out of time. The Empire must have disabled the transmitter on the Communications Tower. He should have felt some kind of vindication for getting the message out but this so called victory felt hollow. "Was it worth it?" Ezra asked though he knew the answer.
"I don't know," admitted Hera in a hollow voice. She was just as shaken up over losing the others as Ezra was.
"Unbelievable," Sister sighed in irritation. "You launch an attack that gets three of your members captured all so you can get a little airtime on the HoloNet? How stupid are you people?"
Hera spun around, getting in the Inquisitor's face. "Hey! We'll be dumping you on another planet soon enough so do us all a favor and keep your distance."
"Oh I'll be keeping my distance alright. I'm not sticking around when you two get yourselves killed. Our deal was that you drop me off on a planet of my choosing and now I'm cashing that in," ordered Sister.
"We can't leave now. Kanan, Sabine and Zeb…" protested Ezra.
"Are as good as dead," Sister interrupted him. She turned her attention back to Hera and said, "Set a course for Nar Shaddaa."
Krell and Varra were in the Communications Tower going over a map of the nearby terrain. They were plotting the quickest route back to the capital when Captain Rex entered the room.
"General, Commander, might I suggest another option to secure the capital," Rex stated.
"What would that be Captain?" inquired Krell, though his attention was fixated on the map.
"My men have cracked the Umbaran codes. With the Starfighters, we could sneak past the supply ship's defenses. We take it out and we cut off the arms to the capital," explained Rex.
"And who would you propose would fly these Starfighters? Are your troops now pilots?" Krell asked, somewhat insultingly.
"My men may not be pilots sir but they are able to learn and adapt quickly," replied Rex. "A few of them have already demonstrated that."
"Even if you did manage to get past the blockade and land inside the ship, the droids onboard would outnumber you several hundred to one," Varra pointed out.
"I'm not saying it'll be easy but if we load enough ordinance onboard the fighters, they could deposit the explosives and escape before detonation. With the amount of missiles and explosives onboard, the explosion will start a chain reaction that will destroy the entire ship," Rex said.
"I'm afraid I can't afford to waste any clones on frivolous adventures," Krell replied. "We're going to need everyone to take the capital."
Less than an hour later, an alarm went off. "Sir there appears to be a disturbance in the lower hangar 9-4," a trooper reported.
Krell pushed the clone aside and activated the com. "Trooper what's going on down there? Trooper…report trooper!" he shouted.
"Uh yes sir everything's fine in the hangar sir. Nothing's out of control down here," a clone reported via the com. Krell and Varra exchanged suspicious looks.
"Then why have the alarms been triggered?" demanded Krell.
"Uh…it's just a drill. A safety drill sir," the clone answered, far too awkwardly.
"Safety check occurs at 0600. Who authorized this drill?" asked Krell.
"Uh…we are decrypting alien hardware sir. A standard operating procedure," the clone replied.
"Who is this? What's your CT number?" demanded Krell, not believing a word he's been told. "Trooper identify yourself!"
The tower shook from an explosion. Varra turned to the observation windows to see one of the hangars had its doors completely blown off.
"Varra get down there and find out what's going on," Krell ordered.
"What's going on here?" Varra demanded as she stepped inside the damaged hangar. It looked like a battle just took place with most of the equipment and ships knocked over or destroyed. The only thing that seemed untouched was a single Umbaran fighter in the middle of the hangar. Rex followed close behind her, responding to the chaos almost as quickly as the Jedi Padawan did. She immediately homed in on the two clones were standing next to the untouched fighter. Varra recognized them as Hardcase and Fives, the two clones who heroically infiltrated the base and stole two enemy fighters to attack the Umbaran tanks.
"Commander," the two clones saluted.
"Explain this now," demanded Varra.
"Sir we were decrypting the enemy craft when what appears to be an enemy booby trap. The fighter went haywire and had I not been able to get control of it and fire and aim it at the doors, something worse might have happened," Hardcase explained.
"Is this true?" Varra eyed Fives suspiciously.
"Uh…yes sir. That is what happened, no doubt," nodded Fives.
"Then my master was correct about your plan Captain Rex. The Umbaran fighters are too dangerous for combat," Varra commented.
"But sir we now know how they work. We just need practice," argued Hardcase.
"And how do you know you won't activate another hidden booby trap within the fighter's subroutines?" inquired Varra.
"We weren't expecting it Commander but now we know what we're looking for. Besides me and Hardcase managed to pilot two of these ships to help in the battle to take this base without anything like this," protested Fives.
"And where are those two fighters now?" asked Varra. The two clones gulped nervously as they glanced over the wreckage of two fighters that were destroyed during the chaos a few minutes ago.
"The Umbarans probably initiated some kind of sabotage program on their fighters after they knew the battle was lost so we couldn't use them and with the only two reliable fighters destroyed, we can't risk it. Lock down these fighters," ordered Varra.
The two clones clearly wanted to argue more but they didn't know what to say. Varra suspected there was more going on then what they were telling but she didn't have time to fight out. The 501st would be marching in less than eleven hours and they needed every available man for the attack on the capital.
"Keep the patrols on high alert until we move out. We can't risk being caught off guard in case the Umbarans attempt a counter-attack to retake this base," Varra ordered as she strolled across the airbase with Rex. They only had a few hours left until they needed to move out. Everyone was tense, knowing the casualties were high but Varra tried to keep the men focused. It didn't help that her Master had basically spent his entire time in the Communications Tower secluded from his troops. He needed to be out here and keeping the men's spirits up. Varra disagreed with marching out with the enemy possessing such firepower but what else could they do? They couldn't just sit in this base and let other Clones and Jedi die in this battle.
"Look sir!" a nearby clone shouted. Varra and Rex both turned to see three Umbaran fighters taking off from an air pad and blasting up into the sky.
"You've got to be kidding me," Varra muttered under her breath. She didn't need to be told who was responsible for this, she knew Fives and Hardcase were the ones onboard those fighters along with someone else.
"Oh Commander I should have mentioned this earlier. I authorized the recon of the delta in preparation for the attack of the capital," Rex said.
"I ordered you to lock them all down!" snapped Varra.
"We disabled their weapon systems. They shouldn't pose a threat to anyone," Rex calmly replied.
"Did my Master authorize this reconnaissance?" demanded Varra.
"No Commander but I'm sure he wouldn't object to have a more thorough report of enemy positions," Rex answered.
Varra glared at him, certain he was hiding something. It seemed to be a recurring trend among the clones. "Make sure Master Krell receives your report immediately once they get back," she said, eyeing the Captain suspiciously.
"Of course sir," Rex said, saluting her.
"And the next time you circumvent one of my orders, you'll be spending the rest of this campaign in the brig," Varra warned.
Sister's eyes snapped open, her meditation broken from a banging on the door. She was seated back in the room the Ghost crew had kept her in for the past few weeks, only now she had her lightsaber and the ability to leave any time she wanted. Disabling the door was rather simple. Using the Force to slowly wear down the magnetic locks and motors inside the ceiling to disable the blast door used to block any escape. The mechanics were designed to seal off a fire, not be used as a door to a holding cell. If the crew used a shield emitter to keep Sister inside, they might have succeeded. Now the only thing keeping her inside was the simple door which wouldn't hold her for a minute if she wanted to get out.
Unfortunately it didn't keep anyone else from getting inside which was clear as it slide open to reveal Ezra. "No," Sister said.
"I haven't said anything," protested Ezra.
"You don't need to. There's only one reason why you'd want to speak to me and it's not for the pleasure of my company. You want me to help you save your precious Master and crew. The answer's no." replied Sister. Thankfully they were already underway to Nar Shaddaa as Sister wouldn't tolerate any possible attempts by the rebels into coercing her into assisting them further. They got their information and though they'll probably squander it, Sister held up her end of the deal. As far as she was concerned, her business with the rebel cell was concluded.
Ezra stepped inside despite not be invited and after Sister making it abundantly clear they had nothing left to discuss. Sister had to admit the boy had guts. The Padawan closed the door behind him. "Look I get it that you don't care about what happens to us but you should," Ezra spoke.
Sister snorted in amusement. "Since I have nothing better to waste my time with, do go on into more details. I could use a good laugh," she chuckled.
"You're on the run from the Empire and I'm guessing you don't have many friends left. Assuming you have any at all," Ezra explained. "You can run all you want but eventually you're going to need help if you're going to survive. Kanan, Zeb, and Sabine all risked their lives to save yours."
"And got themselves caught on a stupid mission that had nothing to do with me. Besides they only helped me to get the information in my head," remarked Sister.
"That's not why I did it. You can call me stupid all you want but I did it because you needed my help," Ezra said. He sounded slightly desperate but his words came out too smoothly. The boy had definitely been rehearsing this speech probably ever since they left Lothal.
Sister threw him a look. "Are you expecting a thank you?"
"No. I just want you to think. You needed our help to get off Lothal. What happens the next time you're in trouble? Who's going to help you then?" Ezra challenged.
"Relying on others is a weakness. Their failure can become yours," Sister sighed, getting slightly irritated.
"You trusted us to save you," Ezra pointed out.
"I trusted your motive that helping me would benefit you. I don't trust anyone and neither should you. I'd have thought the truth of Senator Gall Trayvis would have taught you that," Sister rolled her eyes.
"Fine you don't trust anybody but you'll still need help," said Ezra.
"Not yours," remarked Sister.
Ezra shook his head in frustration and turned to leave. Sister thought she would be spared from any further banter from the boy until his eyes locked onto mechanical pieces scattered on the floor in a corner. "You smashed your blood screener?" he frowned.
"Get out," growled Sister.
"Is there…something wrong with you?" Ezra inquired.
"I said get out!" Sister shouted before getting to her feet. She grabbed the boy by the arm and opened the door, roughly shoving Ezra outside before slamming the door shut behind him.
Nal Hutta might be considered the capital of the Hutt's vile criminal syndicate but Nar Shaddaa was the crown jewel of the slug's vast interstellar real estate. A small moon orbiting the planet of Nal Hutta, Nar Shaddaa (also known as the Smuggler's Moon) was a vast metropolis of buildings that could almost rival Coruscant in size. It was the center of commerce for both Hutt Space and the Outer Rim. Despite being run by different factions of Hutts and gangsters, most of the bazaars and large markets were kept free from violence. People shooting each other in the streets tended to scare off customers and even the most vile crime lord on the planet knew better than to sully the flow of wealth and technology that passed through. Everywhere else, on the other hand, was chaotic slums where violence and desperation are the norm.
Ezra only knew about the moon by reputation. Yet on approach, the sight of Nar Shaddaa took his breath away. He had seen cities before but none on the scale the Hutt controlled planetoid had. Mass webs of buildings hundreds of stories tall stretched across the horizon as far as the eye could see. Ships and speeders clogged up the sky, forcing Hera to divert their course more than once. As awestruck as Ezra was, it did nothing to dampen the guilt he felt. Kanan, Zeb, and Sabine were probably being tortured right now and he was sightseeing.
Second Sister made it abundantly clear that she wanted to be dropped off on Nar Shaddaa immediately. She probably figured Ezra and Hera were going to do something rash to save their friends and wanted to be as far away from that as possible. The former Inquisitor was only half-right. Ezra wanted to rescue them but Hera wanted to lay low after first dropping off their passenger. She was just as devastated as Ezra was but wouldn't allow any kind of rescue. The last thing they needed was to either get caught or killed themselves. The only way to convince Hera to change her mind is if they had a good plan and the right people to help pull it off. Ezra wasn't sure about the plan but he knew they would need Sister if they were going to pull off any attempt at a rescue. The problem was that she wasn't interested.
So now hear they were, landing on a durasteel platform on a skyscraper in the middle of the Red Light Sector. The vast city district slum was considered the perfect place for someone to disappear into which is probably why Sister chose this destination. Also Nar Shaddaa was outside of the Empire's jurisdiction. The only thing to worry about here would be the bounty hunters coming after her but Ezra had no doubt she could handle a few punks with blasters.
"Best of luck to you," Hera told Sister as the Inquisitor was about to disembark.
"I don't need luck," Sister replied. She sealed up the face shield on her helmet then walked down the loading ramp and onto the landing platform.
Ezra took a deep breath and quickly followed her. "Ezra," Hera tried to stop him but he ignored her.
"Wait," Ezra called out. Sister didn't stop. She just kept walking as if she never heard him. Grumbling Ezra was forced to run faster, catching up with her. He glanced behind him to see Hera watching but not moving to come after him. He was grateful she trusted him enough to try one last plea.
"Chopper analyzed your blood screener before I gave it back to you. He said the device was set to check specifically for a chemical called Sclophamin. It's an industrial chemical used to make explosives. Small concentrations were found in the last blood sample the device was used on. That was yours wasn't it?" Ezra spoke as he walked beside her.
Sister came to a halt and turned to him. Ezra couldn't see her face but knew he at least had her attention. "And I'm guessing the results of the last scan you did weren't any better considering you shattered it. What's wrong with you?"
"You really are persistent," Sister sighed in annoyance. She tapped a button on her helmet, unrolling her face shield. She wanted to look him in the eyes for what she had to say next. "Do you really think knowing if something is wrong with me will help you? That you can offer to help my so called predicament and so I will help you rescue your friends?" Sister asked.
"Maybe…maybe not. Right now I just want to know," Ezra said.
Sister was silent for a moment. "Sclophamin is used for all kind of explosives but it's the best chemical for microscopic charges. Specifically ones you put inside of people's bodies," she spoke.
Ezra's eyes widened at that. "You…have a bomb inside you?"
"Every Inquisitor has one implanted inside of them. It's the Empire's way of keeping us in line," nodded Sister.
"Then why don't you remove it?" asked Ezra.
"Not that simple," replied Sister. "The device is right next to my heart so the only way to get it out is via invasive surgery. Even then it wouldn't do me any good as the bomb is rigged to explode if tampered with incorrectly. The only people who know how to properly remove it are in highly classified medical facilities that are more heavily guarded then most prisons."
"What about disabling the device with an Ion weapon?" Ezra inquired.
"I already did," answered Sister. "It disabled the remote detonator so the Empire can't send a kill transmission to it but the secondary detonator that activates should the bomb be tampered with isn't electronic. Now I'd be more than happy to just leave that thing inside of me if it meant staying alive but unfortunately I don't have the luxury of a choice. There must be a micro fissure in the bomb's casing because traces of Sclophamin are leaking into my blood stream. I've been able to counter the effects with Bacta injections and the Force but they can only do so much. The trace amounts are increasing and soon no amount of medication will be able to stop the side effects. First I'll become dizzy and more disoriented then weakness of the muscles. After that breathing becomes more iritic and labored. My immune system will diminish, my internal organs will start to shut down, and then finally death."
Ezra was too stunned to say anything. Second Sister was dying. No wonder she didn't really care about helping Kanan, Sabine, and Zeb considering her own problems. He was about to ask why didn't she mention any of this before but it was perfectly obvious. Sister was too proud to admit, always putting up a tough face. Also she had no reason to trust the Ghost crew either so why mention a weakness?
"Happy now that you know?" asked Sister.
"Not really," admitted Ezra. "But what are you going to do now?"
"A lot of highly advanced medical equipment passes through Nar Shaddaa. Maybe I'll get lucky and find something that can help me," explained Sister. She turned to leave.
"If you really believed that, you would have had us brought you here the moment you were healthy again," Ezra pointed out. Sister froze, essentially confirming the Padawans' comment. "Besides you were the one who said you don't need luck," Ezra added.
Sister turned around. "And what other option do you suggest? Helping you? Storming an Imperial prison to rescue your friends will get me killed faster than just letting the rest of the bomb leak into my blood," she challenged.
"Maybe but if we rescue my friends then you'll have six more individuals willing to help you," Ezra said.
"Six?" frowned Sister.
"Chopper counts too. Just don't tell him I said that," quipped Ezra. "You stand a lot better chance of finding a way to save your live with us then just yourself. And if you can't find some way to save yourself, wouldn't you want to at least go out getting some measure of revenge against the Empire?"
"Revenge isn't the Jedi way," Sister reminded him.
"You're not a Jedi," Ezra replied, reciting the same line she used on Kanan back when they were all hiding in Ezra's old home in Lothal City. He turned and walked back to the ship, hoping his words managed to at least get the Inquisitor to think it over. He was too nervous to look back and see if she was watching him go and just simply walking away.
Hera was waiting for him back on loading ramp on the Ghost. She wasn't angry but rather seemed proud. "What'd you say to her?" she asked.
Ezra turned and saw no sign of Sister. "Doesn't matter," he sighed in disappointment.
Hera gave him a comforting tap on the shoulder as the two headed back inside. The ramp closed behind them along with the blast door. "We'll take off once we've finished refueling," Hera said.
"And then we'll head back to Lothal?" Ezra said hopefully.
"Ezra…" Hera said uncomfortably and took too long to say anything else.
"You don't want to go back," Ezra realized.
"Ezra we can't risk a suicide mission for the others. Kanan, Sabine, and Zeb wouldn't want us to throw our lives away for them," Hera explained.
"So you're just giving up on them?!" snapped Ezra.
"You think I don't want to help them?" Hera shot back. The two of them calmed down, realizing their tempers were starting to flare.
"I lost three of my friends today Ezra. I'm not losing you and Chopper too," Hera sighed.
Ezra was about to apologize when a series of metallic banging caught his attention. "What's that?" he asked.
"Sounds like someone's knocking on the ship's hull," Hera frowned. The two headed back to the loading ramp and opened it up to reveal a surprising sight.
Second Sister was waiting outside. She started walking up the ramp the second it touched down and into the ship. "What are you doing back here?" asked Hera.
The former Inquisitor tapped a button on her helmet, sliding open her face shield. She stared directly at Ezra and said, "I'm going to help you get your friends back."