Chapter 28

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars Rebels or its characters.

I would never abandon you!

You don't belong with us.

You are my family.

I hate you.

Ezra didn't know what to believe. Kanan had said that he hated him, that he didn't want him. They all did! But now Kanan said that he was family; which voice should he listen to?

The two voices were warring inside his head, each fighting for dominance. They were pounding against his head, gaining in volume and creating a continuous buzzing sound in his ears.

Ezra wanted them both to go away.

He wanted some time to think, he needed it! But he couldn't make any decisions when they were both screaming for him to listen to them. Right now, he didn't care who was right; he just wanted them to be quiet. That was all he wanted.

Please be quiet….

Don't lose hope.

Ezra's eyes closed when that sentence came to the forefront of his mind. That was the one sentence that he couldn't wrap his head around.

Kanan said to not lose hope, but the Inquisitor told him that it was false. That hope was a lie that would only hurt you in the end. Why would Kanan want him to hope if it would hurt him?

Did he really hate him that much?

Believe in me.

Believe in Kanan? But which one? He was so confused; he wanted everything to go away, to disappear.

He wanted silence.

I'll always be there.

Please go away.


The Inquisitor sent out another pulse towards the boy's mind, relishing in the confusion and terror that was emitted. The boy was becoming quite flustered; soon he wouldn't know what was real or not. And that was when the Inquisitor would strike.

He would wipe away the boy's fear, offer him solace. The boy would submit his mind fully, and the Inquisitor would fill it with whatever he desired. Filling the boy's head with his precious allies' voices was merely the first step in the Inquisitor's grand plan; he would twist him into the perfect Apprentice, and then he would have him spear the Jedi through with his light saber, watch as the lights dimmed in his eyes, all the while pleading to his former Padawan to stop.

It would be the perfect beginning for his Apprentice. And it would all begin very soon.

Please go away.

Ah, so the boy has resorted to pleading, the Inquisitor thought. He truly is broken.

But that's the perfect place to begin, isn't it? To rebuild and wipe away any imperfections that the Jedi had forced upon him.

The Inquisitor would enjoy that part the most.


"What are we going to do?" Sabine asked worriedly.

"I don't know." Kanan responded. "All I know is that we have to get to Ezra immediately."

"I think we all knew that," Zeb quiped.

"You didn't hear him, Zeb. You didn't see what I saw." Kanan argued. "He's cracking. The Dark Side is gaining strength. It forced me out. He forced me out."

"What do you suggest we do? We don't know where he is, what defenses we have to get past; we going in blind."

"Maybe not."

They all turned towards Hera, who, despite her attempts at containing her happiness, was sporting a huge grin.

"Fulcrum?" Kanan guessed.

"Fulcrum." Hera agreed. "Seems that the Empire has fleets of ships on the outskirts of different planets. It'll take some time, but eventually we'll find the one that's holding Ezra."

"Well, at least it's something. We'll have to split up, take the Phantom and search the areas. Once we have evidence that Ezra's there, we'll converge on that spot."

"You do realize that that could take weeks, right?" Sabine asked.

"I know, but without Ezra's location, that's all we have right now. If we choose one and charge, then our position will be revealed and the Inquisitor will disappear, along with Ezra." Kanan argued. "We have to be careful."

"Careful isn't exactly my strong suit," Zeb remarked.

"I know, that's why I'm going with you." Kanan announced.

Zeb looked unconvinced. "No offense, but it didn't really work out well the last time we were paired up."

"Don't worry, it'll be fine." Kanan turned to Hera and Sabine. "Are you two fine with this?"

"Just peachy." Sabine said, "This gives us plenty of time to talk about Fulcrum."

"Oh joy," Hera deadpanned.

"Okay, Zeb and I will take the Phantom and set out tomorrow, can you send me the coordinates?" Kanan asked.

"On it."

Kanan smiled.

Hang on, Ezra. We're coming.