Nixus, Hub 218:
After Hera landed the ship in the hanger the crew exited into the hanger. "Ezra, I'm proud of you for taking the lead on this rescue mission." she said with a smile. "You would've done the same thing." he replied, mirroring her smile as the group walked through the hanger.
"You said these people are wanted by the Empire. Do you know why?" Kanan asked him. "No, but I hear they're closing in. We better hurry." his apprentice replied. "So where'd you hear about these refugees anyway?" Zeb asked.
"Huh? Oh, you know, one of our, uh, contacts. Speaking of, Chopper, you better let him know we're here." the kid replied quickly before addressing the droid who then pulled out a light green transmitter from one of his compartments.
"Hey! Where'd you get that transmitter?" Sabine asked, sounding suspicious before the droid warbled. "There's no answer! We better hurry." Ezra said urgently before he and the other humanoid rebels started jogging.
A few seconds later they entered a cargo hold before hiding behind one of the containers. "Oh, no. We're too late." Ezra said quietly as he peeked around the side. "Drag those refugees out of there." the officer ordered before two stormtroopers opened a large container.
"Move!" one of them ordered the refugees as the others joined Ezra in looking around the corner. Unfortunately all they could see at first were the troopers before said refugees came into sight, surprising the Ghost crew.
Both refugees were Lasats.
"My people. They're Lasat." Zeb whispered quietly in surprise. "Move!" one of the trooper ordered. "Where are you taking us?" the male asked the Imperials. "To a detention facility for a nice, long stay." the officer replied with a smug smirk as Zeb moved around the crates to get behind them.
"Hmm. More likely a blaster squad." the male replied grimly before Zeb ambushed two of the troopers. The others quickly jumped in to help with the couple knocking one trooper to the ground out cold while Hera and Kanan killed two more before holding the officer at blasterpoint.
The officer backed away in fear before the younger Jedi stunned him from behind. "Hello, hello! You arrived just in time, as I knew you would." a Weequay greeted with a grin as he appeared behind the younger teen and Chopper.
Anakin instantly recognized the man from his father's stories and had to fight the urge to bash his skull in. "Ohnaka..." he growled venomously as his girlfriend gave him a concerned look.
"You could have warned me the Empire was here." Ezra said as the pirate walked up to them. "Ah, but I sold the Lasats to the Empire knowing the heroes would save the day. You being the heroes, of course." he replied with a chuckle.
"Hondo is your contact?" the Twi'lek asked the younger Jedi, not sounding very thrilled. "To be fair, he contacted me." he replied. "Yes, to be fair. Because I knew these two belonged with that one." Ohnaka said while gesturing first to the two Lasat then Zeb.
"It is him. Captain Orrelios." the male said with a smile as the elderly female gasped in happiness. "By the Ashla. The prophecy!" she said, smiling as well. "Captain?" Ezra asked with a smirk.
"Yes." the woman replied, still smiling. "Captain Garazeb Orrelios of the Lasan High Honor Guard." continued the woman as she and the male walked up to him before bowing. Zeb merely groaned and facepalmed before the pirate laughed.
"A reunion! I was right again. How wonderful." he said while walking up to the knocked out officer then dropping to one knee. "Hondo could use a little help." he said to Sabine and her boyfriend.
The ex-merc reluctantly crouched down to grab an arm while the Mandalorian girl did the same and Ohnaka grabbed an ankle before the three moved in order to hide the officer in the crate the two Lasat were in earlier.
"I'm only helping you because I don't want the Imperials finding out. No. Other. Fucking. Reason. Got it?!" the teen hissed getting a nervous chuckle and nod in return while Sabine looked at him in concern again.
Once they were done the rebels along with the two other Lasat made their way through the corridors and back to the ship. Anakin tuned out the conversation Ezra and Zeb were having with the other two Lasat as the ex-merc and other rebels walked a few feet ahead of them.
A few minutes passed before they heard Ohnaka's voice over the comm Chopper had. "Ezra, my boy. It's your pal Hondo." he said before the droid handed over the transmitter to the younger teen.
"What is it, Hondo?" he asked. "Just so you know, there are, uh, stormtroopers on their way." he replied. "How close are they?" he asked before blaster fire flew past them. "Pretty close." the pirate replied before cutting off.
"Son of a bitch!" Anakin exclaimed before gunning all three troopers down with his DC-17m. "They've got backup!" Kanan warned. "So do we. Here!" Sabine exclaimed before tossing two of the dead troopers E-11s at Gron.
"Oh, no. We do not fight. It is no longer our way." he said before Zeb tackled him just in time avoid taking a bolt to the head. "What? You're Lasat. You're warriors. Course you fight!" Zeb growled as a few more stormtrooper appeared at the end of the hall.
"This just keeps getting better." the Twi'lek said sarcastically as three more troopers appeared in the hallway behind them.
"Dammit!" Ahsoka's son cursed as his blaster jammed again before narrowly avoiding a bolt to the head. "That tears it!" he snarled while throwing the blaster on the ground. The teen walked out into the middle of the junction then held his hands out towards both sets of trooper before grabbing all six in a single Force-choke.
Everyone flinched the second they heard the audible 'snap' sound. The ex-merc used the Force to summon the blaster back before making his past the corpses of the first set of troopers.
Despite what Anakin had done a few minutes earlier, it apparently wasn't enough as another small squad of trooper found the just as they finally reached the hanger. Once inside, the ex-merc jumped on the nearest trooper before mercilessly shooting him in the head as Hera killed another.
As soon as he entered the hanger bay, the older Jedi ignited his blade and was about to defend himself from the last trooper before watching in horror as Anakin literally crushed the man's body, armor and all.
The Twi'lek looked like she was actually going to puke while Anakin's girlfriend looked away from the mangled bloody corpse. As the ex-merc walked to the ship, Kanan watched with a frown as he could sense nothing but the Dark Side surrounding the teen.
As they entered the hanger, the Lasat and younger teen did a double take when they saw the mangled corpse before quickly following the others onto the ship.
Once on board the others minus Anakin made their way to the cockpit while Ahsoka's sone entered his and Sabine's room before letting out a shaky as he tried to calm himself.
Somewhere in hyperspace:
Anakin flinched when the door opened and he didn't need the Force to know it was other person who shared this room. "Ani... What happened?" she asked softly while walking up to him. Her boyfriend let out a tired sigh before turning to face her with a look of guilt on his face.
"I'm sorry... I hoped you'd never see me lose control like that..." he apologized softly before she bit her lip and looked at the ground for a moment. "You actually scared me today..." she whispered after turning her attention back to him.
The ex-merc could feel his guilt increase tenfold at her words. "I'm so sorry, Snips..." he apologized softly again before deciding to explain why he'd lost his temper.
"Ohnaka. He uh... Kidnapped my mother during the clone wars in order to get some kyber crystals. When she wouldn't give up the location of the kids who had them, he uh... tortured her. He tortured her while she was pregnant with me. If it weren't for dad healing afterwards, there's no telling what kind of effect that would've had on me." he explained quietly.
Sabine had covered her mouth from shock at hearing his story before hugging him tightly. After a few second passed he slowly pushed her away so he could look her in the eyes. "Listen, I would never hurt you, Sabine, never." he promised softly before kissing her gently and wrapping his arms around her waist as she returned the kiss.
The pleasure he felt from the kiss was soon replaced by a painful throbbing in one of his temples.
Listen, I would never let anyone hurt you, Ahsoka, never.
Then you will die.
The teen mentally shook off the vision before gently pulling away from his girlfriend. "Come on, we should head to the cockpit." she said, smiling gently before taking his hand and leading him out of their room.
Once the couple entered the cockpit, the Mandalorian girl gently pushed him onto the chair behind Kanan's before sitting in his lap and leaning against him mere seconds before the three Lasat entered the room.
"Okay, so where is this new world we're taking you?" the older Jedi asked Gron and Chava. "We do not yet have the location of Lira San." the woman replied. "We have maps if you need 'em." Hera offered.
"There is no Lira San, Hera. It's a myth, an old legend." Zeb said dismissively. "The time has come to prepare the ritual that will guide us to our new home." she said before he rolled his eyes.
"Come on. I'll help you get set up." Ezra said before getting out of his seat and leading the two other Lasat out of the cockpit. "Better go make sure they don't drive that kid crazy." Zeb said sighing wearily before going after them.
"This is going to be an interesting ride." the ex-merc's girlfriend commented.
A few minutes later the couple and Twi'lek entered the common room to see Chava and Gron chanting while standing and sitting on some chalk drawings. "We are ready for your map." the male said to Kanan who then nodded to Chopper.
Chava looked held her staff in both hands as she looked at the holomap the droid projected. "The path to Lira San will be revealed through the fates of The Three." she said before the gem on her staff glowed, causing the planets to glow as well.
"The child must save the warrior and the fool." she continued before pausing to look at the map. "The child must show us the way." she added before Zeb nudged Ezra forward while smirking.
"No. The child of Lasan." she said to him with a mysterious smile. "Wait, wait. I'm the child? I really wanted to be the warrior." he complained with a growl. "You're kinda acting like a child." Ezra teased, earning a glare in return.
"Your bo-rifle, as the ancients used it." Gron said after Zeb stepped up to the hologram. The other Lasat pulled two parts of it up before extending it a bit then watching as the two parts he pulled away automatically extended all the way up to make the rifle look like a trident.
Zeb then moved then into the middle of the map before yellow ball of electricity formed at the end. The group watched as electricity occasionally shot out to touch the planets before Kanan spoke.
"Those systems are beyond the Outer Rim, in Wild Space. Not on any map." he said. "The child must show us the way." the female spoke to Zeb before the electricity focused on a single planet.
"That's it. That's it. Lira San." Zeb said in awe.
Anakin fiddled with his DC-17m before turning his attention to his girlfriend as she sighed. "How far is it to Lira San?" she asked Hera. "Well, judging by this..." she started to reply before being cut off as the ship suddenly shook.
"Power down the hyperdrive. I'll ready the shields. Chopper!" she ordered the younger woman before addressing the droid. Chopper warbled as he came rolling into the cockpit before plugging into the droid port behind Anakin's seat.
"What's wrong?" Ezra asked after he and Kanan came running into the cockpit. "There's something in our path." she replied before finally powering down the hyperdrive. "What is that?" the younger Jedi asked as they saw the imploded star cluster.
"Imploded star cluster, biggest one I've ever seen." the Twi'lek said as they got closer to the big imploded star. "Nice save." the older Jedi said to her. "If we get any closer, the gravity field will destroy us." she replied before the three Lasat joined them.
"What happened? Are we on course?" Gron asked. "Sure are, but our course is blocked by the worst kind of space anomaly we could've encountered." Anakin replied. "This is what happens when we jump into uncharted space." Hera said before Chava walked up to stand in between her and the Mandalorian girl.
"Ah. This is the maze that was prophesized." she spoke while looking at the cluster. "Wait, a maze? You never said anything about a maze. You prophecy types always pull something like this." Zeb said, clearly frustrated at her before the console in front of Hera and Sabine started beeping.
"Now what?" the rebel Lasat groaned in frustration as Anakin sensed a familiar Imperial nearby. "It's Kallus." he said before the man's voice came over the ship's comm.
"Attention, rebels. As much as I might like to watch you consumed by the maelstrom before you, I will offer you a chance to surrender, an opportunity for survival." he said. "How did he find us?" Zeb questioned with a frown.
"Hello, my friends!" a familiar pirate greeted cheerfully. "Hondo? What are you doing with him?" Ezra demanded. "I must apologize, Ezra. I hid a tracker on that transmitter. You know, for insurance purposes." the Weequay replied.
Letting out an angry warble Chopper took out the transmitter before Anakin grabbed it from him then crushed it in his mechanical hand. "Well, thanks a lot, Hondo. You've been a great help today." the young Jedi thanked sarcastically.
"You have one minute to prepare for boarding, or to be destroyed." the Imperial warned before cutting off. "I can't believe this. Kallus has got us." Zeb growled. "He plays his part, as warrior." the female Lasat said sagely.
"Wait, he is the warrior? And I got stuck being the child?" Zeb asked in disbelief.
"There are many warriors, fools and children, Captain. The child in you can't see how things are, but how they can be. The fool denies his destiny, but it is the warrior you are who will create one. You are never one of these. In time, you become all of them." she explained while tapping him twice on the head with her staff during the speech.
"Ezra, bring me my bo-rifle." he asked his friend, who then exited the cockpit. "What are you thinkin', buddy?" the older Jedi asked the rebel Lasat before Ezra came back into the cockpit.
"You can do this, Zeb. I know it." he said before handing his friend the rifle. "Just like the ancients used it." Zeb said as he turned it on. "Your time is up, rebels." Kallus said as the Lasat walked up to Hera and Sabine before holding the end of rifle over the console.
"Zeb, what are you doing?" the ex-merc's girlfriend asked in surprise as electricity from the rifle latched onto the console. "Leading the way." he replied. "Zeb!" the Twi'lek said, sounding worried while holding her arms up to cover her head just in case.
"Trust me, Hera." he assured before the ship automatically started heading towards the massive imploded star. As they got closer roughly a minute later, Zeb took the rifle away before pressing the bottom of it against the console.
"I see it! A way through!" he said a few minutes later as they got closer to the imploded star. "I don't know how, but the hyperdrive is activating." Hera informed them before the ship suddenly picked up speed, and just they reached the star, the ship immediately jumped to hyperspace.
Near Lira San:
Once the ship dropped out of hyperspace, some of the group slowly started to pick themselves off the floor or sit back up in their chairs. "Ow! Was that really necessary?" Ezra asked Chopper after the droid hit his head to get him up.
"Zeb!" he exclaimed in worry upon seeing his friend laying unconscious against the middle of console. "Get him up." Kanan said as he, his Padawan and Gron helped the other Lasat stand.
"Captain Orrelios!" he said in concern before patting Zeb lightly on the face to wake him up. "Hey, buddy. You hurt?" the younger Jedi asked in concern. "I've had worse." he replied with tired sigh and rubbing his head.
"You alright Sabine?" her boyfriend asked after standing from his chair and checking on her as she came to. "I'm all right." she replied tiredly. "I've never seen better." the rebel Lasat said in awe after turning around to look outside.
"We're home." he said quietly. "Lira San." Chava said with a smile.
The couple, Hera and Chopper joined the two Jedi in the cockpit just as Zeb finally returned in the Phantom. "Well, I'm sorry, Chopper. You're gonna have to put all of Zeb's stuff back in his room." the Twi'lek said with a smirk as the droid warbled in annoyance.
"Kinda sad, those two Lasat all alone on that planet." Sabine said as the group looked back at the planet. "They're not alone." Zeb said softly as he joined them. "What are you talking about?" Anakin asked as he and the others turned to face their friend.
"There were already Lasat down there. Lira San is where my people originally came from." he replied with a small smile before Chopper let out a confused warble. "Yes, Chopper, that means there's a lot more of him." the Mandalorian girls replied with a smirk. Anakin snickered at the droid grumbling warble.
"Yes." Hera said to the droid with a smile before addressing the rest. "We can go home now." she said. "Yeah. How do we get home?" the younger Jedi asked. "Consider this system charted, which means now that the Ghost has been here, we can always come back." she explained.
"And if we meet any other Lasat, I will show them the way." their friend said as they all looked back at the peaceful system...
Chapter 22 is done.