(A/N)- I hope you are all ready for a bit of action and excitement, because that's just what I have for you today! It was so fun writing this chapter.
Enjoy!
Disclaimer: Nope. Not me. Alas.
Shot Missed
Ezra slowly opened his eyes, coming out of meditation.
The cavern, and his head, were quiet.
He blew out a breath.
The sensations inside him, lingering in his chest, felt familiar.
Different... but the same.
He grinned fondly at the memory. Uncurling, he got his legs beneath him and pushed up to his feet.
Sobering, he took a closer look at the walls of his cell.
The ice and rock couldn't tell him very much, alternating textures spread across the walls like swatches of paint. Blue-white faded into gray and the pale daylight that was managing to filter into the room made faint sparkles in the ice crystals. Ezra was reminded again that, in other circumstances, these caverns would be beautiful. Worthy of capturing in inks and charcoals, immortalized on canvas.
...Force he missed Sabine.
He shook his head firmly. Focus. He had to focus.
And he could now, he thought. At least a little better than before. He stepped up closer to the opening, studying the rock with purpose now. He wasn't quite sure what he was looking for. A crack? Some kind of weakness?
As he peered closer he absentmindedly leaned forward.
The moment his hand touched the barrier a jolt went through him, and Ezra cursed sharply, feeling his head ring with static and loud echoes sound in his ears and pound through his skull as he clutched his hand.
His face pinched tight and he inhaled slowly, letting the echoes play for a moment, close to overwhelming for a few horrible seconds, before they faded back out. His palm tingled uncomfortably.
He shook out his hand, grimacing.
Okay, so... his brain still didn't like that. That was okay. One thing at a time.
He looked up, scanning the ceiling now. His eyes searched the worn rock. There were ridges and lines that could have been gouges, or could have been shadows.
His searching eyes found a particularly dark patch. Ezra pressed his lips together and then tentatively reached out with the Force.
The surface of the rock came into focus as his mental fingers brushed up against it. He could feel every pockmark and bump. And then... a small, tiny crack.
Ezra came out of the Force and looked up skeptically at it. It really didn't seem like much. But it was what he'd found so...
He blew out through his lips, steeling himself.
Okay. Start small. Break the problem down.
He closed his eyes, reaching up with a hand and the gentle, pulsing touch of the Force.
-SWR-
"Absolutely not!" Kallus snapped.
"Aw come on!" Gooti protested, standing elbow to elbow with Mart and Jonner right behind her as they crowded Kallus around the central ladder. "You let us come this far!"
Kallus splayed his palms out stiffly, near-incredulous with frustration. "Only because I didn't notice you were still on the ship!" he countered shrilly. "You will not be coming with me to the exchange and that is final," he told them.
"Maul doesn't know any of us," Mart pointed out. He had his arms crossed in their usual stubborn posture.
"We could totally get close without attracting suspicion," Jonner added, looking entirely too eager and excited by the prospect.
"I'm not taking that risk," Kallus said firmly. He dropped his hands with a heavy, tired sigh, then raked his fingers through his uncombed—graying, he'd noticed—hair. "Look... I don't want you to come because... because I don't want to put any of you in danger," he said, spitting out the admission with reluctance, feeling awkwardly vulnerable for it. "Because I don't want any of you getting hurt. I could never forgive myself."
He looked up at them with pinched face and wrinkled eyes, practically begging.
"So please, listen to me, for once," he pleaded.
The trio wore matching begrudging expressions of acceptance, and did not continue to argue. Gooti was even letting her eyes drift sideways, guiltily.
"Fine," Mart mumbled, looking down at his shoes.
"Aww Kallus, you do care," came a teasing lilt from further down the hallway.
Kallus sent a glare towards the colorful figure of Sabine, leaned up casually against the door to her room. Her helmet was on but Kallus could see the smirk she wore underneath it.
"Sabine, don't undermine me in front of the ensigns," he bit.
She shrugged. "Too late." She hefted something in her hands, tossing it to him. Kallus caught the small comlink in his palms, glancing back up at her as she spoke again. "Hondo just convinced Raggar's lackeys to transfer the merchandise to us," she said. "We've got ten minutes before the drop."
He nodded soberly. "Understood." Gesturing towards his squad he asked, "Can you watch them? Make sure they don't do anything foolish?"
"Hey!" Jonner protested, giving a mildly offended look.
Sabine pushed off from the wall with a huff. "No offense, but I'm not exactly under your command."
Kallus gawped, incredulous. "I outrank you!" he cried.
The grin he could perceive behind her visor widened. "That doesn't mean anything," she told him, shrugging again.
Kallus looked for a moment like he wanted to argue further, but then just dropped his hands with a long exhale, letting the matter go. He pocketed the comlink inside his jacket, quickly zipping it up and moving past Sabine towards the cockpit.
The Mandalorian's demeanor seemed to shift completely as he exited, turning serious as she crossed her arms.
"Be careful," she told him, calling across the hallway as he entered the cockpit. "He's very skilled, and he has the Force."
He nodded. "Duly noted," he said, grabbing the handles of the ladder as he started to descend.
-SWR-
Zeb was twitchy when he joined them at the bottom of the landing ramp.
"I don't like this," he was saying. "Someone should go with him."
Kanan was already shaking his head. "Maul knows us all too well," he said. "And he'll sense me long before I'm close enough to do any damage."
"Perhaps I could—" Hondo started to pipe up.
All three men turned as one to bark a vehement, "No!"
"Sorry Hondo," Hera added apologetically. "But given that you've also had past dealings with Maul..."
"You cannot risk tipping him off, I know," sighed Hondo in disappointment. He clutched a fist dramatically. "Oh but for the chance to take my revenge against that horrid villain!" He cupped a hand around the side of his mouth, whispering a conspiratorial aside at Kallus. "He once humiliated me in front of my own crew, you know."
"I'm sure that was not very hard," Kallus drolled.
Kanan pushed the delivery crate on its repulsorlifts towards him. "Trackers are planted," he said. "Leave your comm open. If you run into trouble—"
"I'll be sure to let you know," Kallus assured him. He took the crate, pushing it gently, maneuvering to the hanger bay door. Kanan and Zeb shadowed his shoulders, while Hera and Hondo returned to the ship.
The three of them were silent as they stepped into the hallway traffic, tense with nerves and anticipation. They kept their heads down, veering to the crowded sides whenever they passed a Stormtrooper patrol.
Kanan peeled off first, finding a place under a stall awning and taking out his comlink, holding it ready in his hand. Then Zeb left him, wedging himself between two check-in kiosks to wait.
Kallus felt his nerves tighten even more, his hands stiffening on the edges of the crate. His heartrate was creeping up.
He forced himself to calm. This was for Ezra. This was the second time he'd been to blame—at least partially—for the boy's capture and he was determined to remit himself once again.
A couple more turns and the drop site came into view. It was a side lounge off one of the larger hangers. A glimpse inside the doors revealed the nose of a luxury S-161 XL instead of a Mandalorian gauntlet, so Maul was either using a decoy or had parked his own ship somewhere else.
His hands gripped tighter, inhaling slowly through his teeth as he spotted the dark figure waiting for him.
Maul wore a ragged hood and black, sand-faded clothes. He was skinnier than Kallus had imagined, slightly emaciated, but still wirey. He glanced up when he noticed Kallus's approach, and even though Kallus had been told about his vivid yellow Sith eyes and bold black and red skin patterns it still startled him just a bit. The eyes reminded him all too uncomfortably of the Grand Inquisitor's, and the same strangely sickly... aura seemed to cling to the Zabrak's clothes and skin.
The Dark Side, Kanan had called it. Maul was 'strong' with it, he'd warned. Kallus gave a shiver.
Maul straightened up, uncrossing his arms and angling to face his visitor. "You have my items, I presume?" he asked.
Kallus cleared his throat, flattening his Core World accent a bit as he spoke. "Of course."
He floated the crate to a stop, keeping a healthy distance between them. A prickly, protective anger was beginning to fester inside him. This was the man who'd stolen Ezra out from under his watch. Hera had charged him specifically to guard the Ghost, trusted him with the protection of her crew, and it hadn't even been five minutes before Maul had clonked him from behind because he wasn't paying proper attention. It was hard not to ball his fists in outrage. He inhaled slowly through his nose.
Kallus tried to keep his face completely impassive as Maul stepped closer. He didn't like the way the yellow eyes were narrowed at him.
Maul turned his gaze up and down the ex-ISB agent, a vaguely distracted look on his face.
"Do I know you?" he asked. "You seem... familiar."
Karabast! Had he already been made?
Kallus clamped down on the nervous flickers that threatened to shoot straight through him.
Stay calm, he told himself. Show no emotion.
"I can assure you, we have never met in our lives," he said, in what he hoped was a dispassionate, bored tone.
It seemed to work. Maul's eyes flicked towards the crate. "Everything is in order?"
Kallus unlatched the crate and slid the lid off, stepping back. "See for yourself."
Maul stepped forward, peering over the edge. Kallus stayed wound tight and tense, watching as Maul's eyes scanned the contents. The trackers were well-hidden under the foam pads lining the inside, but Kallus still felt irrationally like they were fully visible.
The Zabrak nodded though, moving back again. "All appears to be as I requested," he observed.
Kallus's hands shook slightly as he slid the lid back in place and latched it again, making sure it was locked. He steadied himself, extending a hand. "Then I will happily relieve you of Dun Raggar's payment," he said, trying to project a tired malaise into his words, as if this business transaction was boring him and he was ready to clock off and hit the bars.
Maul had gotten out a fat handful of credits by now and held them in his hand... but did not pass them over.
His nervousness pricked up again. "Is there a problem?" Kallus asked, covering up his anxiety with irritation.
Maul's fingers shuffled through the credit stack, a suspicious, probing stare on him.
"Are you sure we have not met before?" he asked.
It was rapidly becoming harder to keep his composure. Kallus felt his palms sweating, and stepped away from the crate, shying from Maul's slow approach.
And now he's coming towards me, why is he coming towards me? came the slightly panicked thought in his head.
"As I already said, I—"
He cut off with a small garble as Maul's hand reached out abruptly and snagged him by the collar, pulling him forward, checking behind his head for something.
What in the blazes is he—? Kallus thought indignantly before the realization hit him. Oh no...
The still-healing gash from where Maul had bashed him was visible beneath his short hair.
Maul released him as if stung, pulling back with a stiff motion, aghast with fury and shock and outrage.
"You're with them!" he cried, growling the words, the horrible aura around him seeming to intensify.
Sithspit.
Kallus was frozen for a moment, but then straightened, squaring his shoulders and dropping the pretense.
His nerves twisted harshly inside him, but he hardened his features bravely.
He fixed the ex-Sith with a calm, even glare.
"I don't know you," he said quietly, gesturing with a finger, his voice wavering slightly but low and threatening. "But if you've hurt that boy I swear..." His teeth tightened. "...there is no rock that you can possibly hide under."
Maul snorted haughtily.
"Save your empty threats," he growled, coiling like an animal about to strike.
Kallus went for his sidearm.
Maul flashed up a hand. Kallus was upended, blown back by an unseen force that flung him across the lounge and into the wall. He just barely managed to keep his head from cracking against the duracrete, hearing through the ringing pain the sound of Maul's lightsaber igniting. Maul slashed through the top of the crate with a wide sweep, splitting it open.
Sparks popped across the floor. Maul slipped a rucksack off his shoulder, reaching in and scooping the items up, shoving them inside quickly before taking off at a sprint, thundering past Kallus out the door.
The Rebel peeled himself up from the floor, hands pressing over his face in frustration and reverberating pain, fumbling around in his jacket pocket for the comlink, which was shrilling with Kanan's frantic voice.
"Kallus! Kallus, what's going on?! Do you have him?"
"Arrgh, I don't have him!" Kallus groaned, growling with aggravation. "He took the items from the crate and he's heading your way!" he reported, barking into the comlink.
The shift in Kanan's tone was immediate.
"Move in. All Spectres, move in!" he ordered.
Kallus lurched up to his feet, kicking into a run as he burst out of the lounge.
-SWR-
Sabine had been in the cockpit with Hera and Iron Squadron, chewing on her fingers, so close to the edge of her seat she was practically falling off it, but shot straight upright at Kanan's order, spinning out of the chair and grabbing the rungs of the ladder, throwing herself down into the cargo hold.
"Sabine!" Hera's furious shout echoed from behind her.
She heard Hera, remembered the warnings and stern admonitions and the orders to stay on the Ghost, but she didn't care. She wasn't letting Maul get away a second time.
"Chopper!" she barked on her way down the ramp. "Come with me!"
The droid pivoted, boosters firing up and thrusting him out of the hold. He dropped to the hanger floor, squealing along quickly after Sabine as she ran towards the door to find him a terminal.
-SWR-
Maul was furious as he shoved past the people in the hallway, casting his senses about for the Jedi, who was assuredly on hand somewhere. He couldn't believe he was being forced to do this again.
Beneath his anger beat a faint undercurrent of fear. How had they found him? He knew they could not have planted another tracking device on Ezra, or they would have gone straight to him and retrieved him.
Unless they already had retrieved him and they were now just coming after him for reven—No, no, he told himself, smothering the frantic thought. Ezra is safe. He is still where I left him. They have not found him.
His hands gripped into fists as he ran.
They would not.
His senses warned him before an attack from the side came flying heavily towards his head. Not the Jedi, not yet, just the hulking Lasat, his stench filling Maul's sensitive nose and making him recoil with disgust and fury.
The Lasat swung at him again, Maul ducking and maneuvering back, eyes narrowed warily. He knew how to handle this one. He was all brute strength and power, no finesse at all. Maul would simply outmaneuver him.
Or at least, that was his plan.
Zeb came at him with a furious snarl; Maul leaned back low to swipe a hard kick across the Lasat's face. Zeb's head snapped back, but he... shrugged it off, continuing to charge forward, large hand coming up and snagging Maul by the neck.
Maul's eyes widened incredulously as he was slammed back against the nearest wall, drawing shocked gasps and cries from onlookers.
The Lasat's face was twisted with anger, his teeth bared as he growled low in his throat.
"I oughta wring your neck for what you did to th' kid!" he said, the meaty fingers tightening.
Maul chuckled darkly, breath straining through his windpipe. "Do, and I promise," he said, slightly choked, "you will never find him."
A quick ignition of his lightsaber got the brute to release his grip and back off, giving a short howl as he didn't quite manage to pull back enough from Maul's stab. Maul took satisfaction in the sizzling wound on the Lasat's right side, that he glimpsed briefly as he lunged past, scattering terrified civilians as they stumbled to get out of his way.
-SWR-
Zeb hissed through his teeth, hand clutched tight on his side. A sizeable chunk of flesh had been bored out of his stomach by the tip of the lightsaber blade, and he was cursing himself for getting close enough to be a target.
Wincing, he craned his chin up, looking over the heads of the crowds to spot the rapidly-fleeing figure of Maul.
"Zeb!"
Kallus's concerned shout had him quickly looking the other direction, already waving the other man off.
"Don't fuss about me!" he said. "We can't let him escape."
To his credit, Kallus didn't slow down, simply joined Zeb as the Lasat turned around to continue their pursuit.
A loud klaxon suddenly sounded across the hanger.
"Aw karabast!" Zeb cursed.
Kallus pulled out his sidearm, gripping it firmly and keeping a wary eye out.
"That can't be good," he groaned.
-SWR-
Chopper screeched out at Sabine from his position by the data terminal, already plugged in and rooting through the arrival logs.
"I know, I know!" she shouted back at him. "Just ignore it! Find his ship!" There was no point to trying to disable the alarm now. It had triggered as soon as the system registered the security intrusion. It was what Sabine had been afraid of when they'd landed, with little less than an hour to spare before the exchange, but with Maul about to escape again it didn't matter anymore.
Chopper clicked his probe through the terminal for several tense seconds, his head swiveling around to face her.
"WUB WUB WUUUB WUB WUB. WUB WUB."
"No gauntlets?!" Sabine repeated, her heart clenching a little. "That's impossible, we know his ship is here, there has to be—" Her eyes widened. "Wait." She leaned down, crouching by Chopper's side. Acting on a hunch she urged him, "Check for Zygerrian freighters."
The droid swiveled back, clicking and clicking a few moments more before giving a triumphant blort. He spat out the bay number, quickly disconnecting.
Sabine's relief came out in a sharp laughing breath. "Let's go!" she said, shooting back up, taking off at a run as white-booted footsteps started to sound around the corner behind her.
-SWR-
The blaring klaxon seemed to pound through Kanan's skull, making it difficult to concentrate on other sounds, difficult to focus on the sinking cold pool in the Force that was Maul's presence. He strained his ears, searching under the wild alarm, the frantic shouts, the muted shuffle of footsteps all around him, for the tell-tale clanking of Maul's artificial legs.
A chill touched the edge of his senses. Kanan lasered in on it, about-facing, blundering into other beings as his concentration was taken up with zeroing in on the dark presence, the Force Sight that was his normal means of navigation being shoved to the backseat in favor of single-minded tracking.
"Excuse me. Sorry," he muttered over and over as he banged into other beings again and again. After a few more moments the crowd seemed to realize he was in a hurry, shying away and parting before him, making his way much easier.
Kanan turned a corner and the cold flared up in his senses, and his ears finally detected the metal clinking and clanking of Maul's feet.
Anger flared hot in him.
"Hey!" he barked across the way.
The rapid pace of the footsteps faltered, stumbling around, and a swell of hideous fury rose from the signature that belonged to Maul.
Heedless, Kanan clapped together the pieces of his saber, the blade flashing out in a blink.
"Where's Ezra?!" he shouted.
The snap-hiss! of twin blades sounded, Maul recoiling back, the fury Kanan could sense intensifying.
"You will not take him from me, Jedi!" the man screeched, apoplectically, a swoosh of air telegraphing his wild strike.
Blades met with a thunderous crash, and screams punctuated the air around them. Kanan dove into the Force to keep up with the spinning red blades, alternately blocking and pressing his attack.
He scanned down the man's signature, twitching furiously when he sensed a familiar kyber crystal at Maul's midsection. Ezra's lightsaber was clipped to Maul's belt, like it was a damn trophy, and Kanan struggled for a moment to keep his temper in check.
"Where is he?!" he demanded again, bringing his saber forward in a hard double-handed bash.
Maul caught the blow with his saber, locking the blades briefly. "Not here," he sneered. "Did you think I would be foolish enough to bring him along?"
"You left him alone?!" Kanan gawped incredulously, his fury increasing in spite of himself. He was practically trembling with it now, stepping back as the blade lock broke. It was hideous to think about. Ezra alone, trapped somewhere by himself, left to wonder if Maul would even come back for him.
Kanan drove at Maul again, growling, sabers clashing with resounding crackles, feet dancing lightly across the floor as they bobbed and weaved. Maul lunged with a violent ferocity, forcing Kanan to bat away his heavy strikes, keep out of range of the Dark Sider's tumultuous storm of blows.
With nothing but the Force to guide him, Kanan kept his blade in constant motion, spinning high then thrusting low, blocking and stabbing, energy moving through him in a seamless stream.
His momentum was broken as a warning sounded in the Force from behind him, letting him know about the sizzling red blaster bolts moments before they came.
Kanan jerked himself out of their path, feeling their sizzling heat streak by his ear.
Maul gawped as a lucky strike got through, the collision of the bolt popping with a metallic sound in Kanan's ears. Maul broke off their fight and fled, forcing the Jedi to deal with the new threat. The telltale sound of the E-11 blaster rifles issued to Stormtroopers popped from behind him, and Kanan whipped around to block and counter the deadly bolts.
He gnashed his teeth inside his head. He didn't have time for this! Ezra needed him, and the one person who could tell him where his padawan was was rapidly fading from his senses!
A chime came from his comlink, and then Hondo was on the line.
"I have some bad news, I'm afraid, my friend! I believe our actions have attracted some unwanted Imperial attention," he informed Kanan helpfully.
"Oh, you think?!" Kanan yelled sarcastically in frustration, blocking and repelling bolts as they came at him. Two troopers fell from his reflected shots, their dying shouts echoing across the way, but Kanan could hear more gathering.
Slowly, he gave ground, waiting until he had an opening before turning around to pursue Maul.
-SWR-
The Zabrak hurtled through the hanger halls, heedless of anyone in his way. His teeth were grit so tightly inside his jaw it was almost painful, vigorous fury still coursing through his head. He could sense his pursuit behind him, dogging his tracks relentlessly, and pushed forward, increasing speed, metal limbs sending rattling jolts through his torso.
He burst into the hanger with his ship, storming straight up the ramp, heedless of anything else.
The gauntlet soon powered up, engines whining and charging with a shrill pitch.
A small feminine figure quickly scrambled out from underneath the hull, flinging herself out of the way as the repulsorlifts fired up and the sublights boomed. She scrabbled to join a C1 unit who was hovering in the clear, both of them unnoticed by the being who had just boarded the ship.
Sabine's heart was pounding in her throat as she watched the ship lift off the ground. She covered her head as blistering exhaust seared over her.
Kanan reached the hanger moments later, followed on his heels by Kallus and Zeb, all three of them shouting in dismay at the sight of the gauntlet lifting off.
"No no no!" Kanan cried. "He's getting away!" He yanked his comlink out, mashing the button furiously. "Hera—"
He was interrupted as Sabine straightened up, walking confidently over to them as the gauntlet boomed behind her, thrusting forward.
"No," she declared, her walk almost sauntering as she gave a wide grin, "he isn't."
That declaration rang through the air for a moment. Sabine's walk slowed as she joined them.
She held up a small device in her hands, triumphantly.
Behind him, Zeb gave a whoop, and Kallus laughed in relief and pride.
"Ha!" he said. "Well done, Lieutenant Wren!"
Kanan's head swiveled back and forth between their voices. "What?" he asked, clueless. "What is it? What has she got?"
Sabine walked up to him, glowing in the Force with victory. "You remember that tracking beacon Maul used to follow us to Corensia?" she asked.
Her grin stretched her face, and she shrugged with a smug tilt of her head.
"I gave it back to him," she said casually.
Chopper warbled a happy confirmation behind her.
Hope stung a sharp jolt through Kanan's heart, followed by an immense swell of pride. He let out a braying laugh of his own.
He couldn't help himself.
"Sabine, you're wonderful!" he told her, reaching to scoop her up, snag her off the ground and give her an elated spin.
She laughed, wobbled a little dizzily when he set her back down, using his arms to steady herself as she got her balance back.
She looked up, vigorous determination shining in her eyes.
"Let's go get Ezra," she declared.
(A/N)- Wheeeee I have your chapter notes!
1. As I said before, Ezra's not cured from his PTSD. He's just compartmentalizing it a little better.
2. Dunno about any of you but I am absolutely weak for Kallus as Soft Rebellion Dad. His interactions with the kids were my favorite bits to write this chapter.
3. There was basically no way Maul wasn't going to be a paranoid freak about Kallus. Remember, he'd spent plural weeks stalking Ezra on Yavin earlier, I figure he would have glimpsed Kallus at least once or twice, and he definitely remembers the man from Corensia.
4. Protective Dad Kanan FTW.
Tune in again next week, things are coming to a head. I can't wait to share it with you.