Fate was cruel, Ezri realized as she was sitting in the place where she didn't want to be. She could still feel the loneliness and the bitterness in the air just disappear, replaced with light and hope. A place where her parents could be themselves. The place where it all began: where her parents had done their secret broadcasts, remembering the last argument they had with Tseebo two nights before they were taken, the hope give as Ezri closes her eyes.
"The risk you Bridgers take," Tseebo said, six-year-old Ezri standing next to her mother. "Tseebo say you must think of your daughter." He pointed at Ezri. It had caused Ephraim to stand up in anger.
"She's all we think about," Ephraim said as Mira held picked Ezri up. Ephraim embraces his wife and daughter."We're teaching Ezri to stand up for people in need."
"We're fighting for our daughter's freedom," Mira said. Ezri looks at her mother and her father, not sure what to do but to hide her face in her mother's long brown hair she kept down only in privacy. (Ezri remembered the way her mother's hair would smell like the fruits native to Lothal. Her warm smile and bright eyes. Her father's hands were rough from working on mechanics all day. Rough but gentle as he laid his hand on his daughter's hand.)
"Tseebo not fight battle. Tseebo know cannot be won. Neither should Bridgers."
The Bridgers look at Tseebo and then the memory fades.
"You'll want to see this," Sabine's voice cut from Ezri's mind as she looked to her best friend before looking back at the transmitter. "What's with the old disk?"
"My folks used to do underground broadcasts from here," Ezri said. It didn't take her long to realize that two or three tears were coming turn her face. She quickly wiped them away. "Speaking out against the Empire." She looked down at the holodisk. "It's probably just one of them."
She walked back upstairs as Sabine lingered in the basement. The Mandalorian girl grabbed the holodisk. She knew that there was something sentimental to Ezri on the disk because she wouldn't have been staring at it or let her mind wander as she gazed upon it. Sabine would just keep the disc on for safekeeping and clean it up for Ezri when she had the chance.
The girls rejoined Kanan upstairs, where Sabine did the last finishing touches on Tseebo's data. A second later, schematics displayed before them. The two Jedi were unsure what it was but Sabine wasn't.
"What are we looking at?" Kanan asked.
"It's-Well, it's everything. Imperial specs on the new ties and new t-8 disruptors. Schedules of troop movements,
tactics and strategies. Half of it's encrypted, but it looks like...There's a five-year plan for Lothal...and every other world in the Outer Rim."
"No wonder his brain's shorting out," said Ezri. "All that data would overload anyone."
"The secrets in his head must be damaging to the empire," said Kanan. "We'll need to smuggle him off Lothal."
"Gotta smuggle him out of town first," said Sabine. "You know the only reason the Imperials haven't caught him yet is because their forces were occupied with Empire Day. But the day's almost done."
Good, Ezri thought. She didn't like her birthday anyways, but it was a bad thing too because they needed to get Tseebo out of their town. Two hours later, what was left of the team traveled around the city, coming across a troop squadron of Stormtroopers. Ezri took her slingshot out and knocked some of them out with an electric shock while Sabine and Kanan punched their opponents in the face. However, the former cringed in pain. Though Sabine hit hard, it hurt her hand.
"Wow,I miss Zeb," Sabine muttered after rubbing her fist.
"You alright?" Ezri asked.
"Never been better," said Sabine. The girls, Kanan and Tseebo entered the ship. They were just glad to have stolen an imperial transport and were nearing the exit of the run way but Ezri saw that annoying Commander Aresko was standing there.
That's far enough, rebel scum," said the commandant.
"I have no plan on stopping," Sabine said with a smirk forming on her face.
"That's good," Ezri said, smiling. She was starting to sound like Sabine. She didn't even close her eyes when they burst through the entrance. It was fun watching the Imperials scatter. However, fifteen minutes later, their sensors indicated that the enemy was coming closer. It was a battalion of Stormtroopers coming towards them. Soon, Ezri rushed to check out on Tseebo, seeing one Stormtrooper on the right side of the transport. When she looked up again, the Stormtrooper was gone. Where did he go?
Before long, Ezri felt herself fall to the ground. It took her five seconds to realize that the Scout Trooper had knocked her down. He stopped for a second that he saw Tseebo next to her.
Ezri froze, remembering the times when when Stormtroopers threw her to the ground when she was younger. She was to frozen in fear to make a movement. Before the scout trooper could harm her again, Kanan came rushing in, punching the Scout Trooper and throwing him out the window when he beat him down. Ezri had never seen her master so angry before in all her time knowing him. Ezri stood up, helping Tseebo up and pushing him into the cockpit as Kallus' transport snuck up for Kallus to land on. However, before he could plan an attack, the Ghost was already hovering over him with Zeb on the Ghost's ramp.
"Remember me?" Zeb shouted to Kallus, continuing to shoot at the ISB agent.
"Spectre-5 to Ghost," said Sabine. "We're coming in hot."
"Can see that," Zeb said to Sabine in the intercom. He shot at Kallus causing the man to lose his footing and fall. "Okay, you're all clear. Pull over, and we'll-"
"Belay that," Hera interrupted. "Have to be a scoop job. Sensors reading multiple ties incoming."
Oh, this day is just getting better, Ezri thought to herself.
"TIE fighters will begin mass-production on Lothal within the next six weeks," he said as Ezri brought him up.
"You're just full of fun facts," Ezri said as she and Kanan helped Tseebo get onto the roof. She swung back into the transport.
"You ready?"
"Yeah. Autopilot's engaged. This thing will run till it's out of fuel."
The girls climbed out the side. Kanan held his hand out for Ezri and she held one out for Sabine. Then Kanan pulled the girls up as Hera steadied the Ghost.
The trio let Tseebo climbed on first as Zeb helped the Rodian up. He had questions but Zeb decided he would ask them when they weren't in a life/death situation. Unbeknownst to Kanan and the girls, Kallus had climbed back on the transport and already he set up his bo-rifle and aimed it to Kanan. However, the Imperial missed.
"Go! Go!" Kanan shouted at the girls, taking his lightsaber out, deflecting every shot Kallus threw at him. Sabine and Ezri quickly climbed up the moving ship, with Zeb helping them up at the same time. They were literally gasping for air. By the time they were done, Kanan had jumped back on.
"Thanks, Zeb," Sabine said. Ezri nodded.
"Yeah, thanks," Ezri said.
"Yeah, no problem, ladies," Zeb says with a smirk.
"Look it's probably best if we give the thank you speeches when we get out of this," Kanan said. "Tseebo, Zeb. Zeb, Tseebo. Now the three of you, go to the common area." He ran off in one direction as Zeb, Sabine and Ezri moved Tseebo where they were directed to.
I need my gunners," Hera said over the intercom. "Shields won't hold long under this barrage."
The Ghost rattled again, the girls trying to maintain their balance as they took a hit.
"Karabast!" Zeb shouted as 'That came from behind! Is that scrap heap even payin' attention?"
Zeb stormed out of the common area.
"I have to man the nose guns," Sabine told Ezri, who nodded.
"I'm coming with," said Ezri.
However, as she followed Sabine, the Ghost rattled again. The shaking caused Tseebo to crash right into her. The Rodian took a moment to recalibrate what was going on when he saw his friends' daughter right in front of him.
"Ezri? Ezri Bridger," Tseebo said happily because he finally recognized her. He spoke in Huttese. "It is you."
"Yeah, Tseebo. It's me," Ezri said. The small conversation going on between the two caused Sabine to stop. "But now's not the best time for a reunion."
Tseebo ignored her as he grabbed the teenager's shoulders. "Ezri Bridger-"
Ezri, not knowing her Huttese looked to Sabine.
"What's he saying?" "He says-" Sabine stopped to translate. Then she looked to her best friend with shock on her face. "He says he knows what happened to your parents."
And that is when Ezra's mouth dropped. Her parents were alive? How could that be possible? After a moment of silence, the girls were left in shock and turmoil. Actually, it was more so Ezri than it was Sabine. Did Tseebo just tell her that her parents were alive? Ezri could not believe it. However, the optimism died immediately within her. She knew that it was hopeless to think her parents were alive. The empire had taken them from her from when she was eight. And since that age, she knew that her parents were gone.
Living a life on the street was not a dream come true. It was a nightmare. A curse.
Suddenly, Hera's voice on the Ghost's intercom caused the girls to break away from the shock.
"Sabine, I need you in the nose guns!" Hera shouted.
However, Sabine was not moving. She was more concerned about Ezri than she was about anything else.
"Didn't you hear Hera?" Ezri snapped when she saw Sabine was not moving.
"Didn't YOU hear Tseebo?" Sabine retorted. "He told you he knows what happened to her parents. "
"Yeah, I know what happened, they're dead," Ezri said. "Now go."
Sabine thought long and hard for a moment, wanting to protest. However, she saw Ezri glaring at her, and Sabine did not dare question Ezri when where eyes were that deep blue. It meant they were a child stare. Without another word, Sabine left. As soon as her sister figure was gone, Ezri glared back at Tseebo.
"Are they? Are my parents dead?" Ezri snapped.
"The Bridgers should hide. The troopers came. They took Mira and Ephraim Bridger away."
"Where? Where did they take them?"
"Forgive Tseebo. Forgive him," Tseebo begged but Ezri, being an ill-tempered girl whenever her parents were mentioned, screamed in agony.
"Forgive you?" Ezri snapped.
"Tseebo failed. Tseebo was afraid. Tseebo could not raise Ezri Bridger.
"Coward! You could have stopped them! Why didn't you stop them?!" Ezri shouted, violently shaking his shoulders. However, all the wiring in his head caused him to glitch. Then, Hera's voice came on the intercom.
"Shields down! Ezri, I need you in the cockpit!"
"Yeah. On my way," Ezri said through the comlink. But this time Ezri took a deep breath before sighing. "Forgive you? My parents trusted you, and you failed them and you failed me. I'll never forgive you for that." She backed away from the common area and quickly turned her heals, going into the cockpit.
"Honey, the nav-computer's off-line. With chopper down, I need you to fix it," Hera said.
"Not exactly my specialty," Ezri said to her mother figure.
"Well, make it your specialty and make it fast. Or this ship becomes a real ghost," Hera said in terror