Buried Alive

Two days after his duel with Tristan, Ezra set out on his quest to retrieve a piece of Mandalorian armor. He was given a small backpack with a canteen and a few rations. He was also allowed a Balutar class swoop bike to get to his location. As he rode through the snow he thought back to Sabine. The look she gave him before he left.

15 minutes prior

"Are you sure you want to go through with this? I mean… I can convince my mother to let you…" Sabine was cut off by Ezra's lips on her own.

"I'm doing this for you my love." Ezra smiled as he leaned in close. "and our children." He whispered to her ear.

"Please just come back safely…" Sabine choked out trying not to cry. "we all need you." With that she hugged him goodbye.

Present

Ezra smiled thinking back to that close moment with the love of his life. The tears in her eyes had brought tears to his own, now ice against his cheeks. The trip to the mine was long and cold. Every 10 minutes the bike would attempt to stall, the engine would seize due to the cold, and the forever falling snow made things impossible to see. Eventually he reached the halfway point. The bike was about dead. After further investigation, Ezra determined the engine's internal heater had been deactivated.

"Well this isn't a good sign." Ezra sighed as he pushed the bike into a nearby cave. Unfortunately, this cave was not the one he was in search of. Ezra did have a com with a direct link to Sabine, but he decided not to worry her and trudge on.

"This is going to take way longer than 12 hours now." Ezra said, to nobody in particular.

Forcing his way through the deep snow, Ezra worked his way closer and closer to his objective. A small blip and vibration on his wrist terminal caused him to look down. The blip indicated and severe blizzard was approaching his location. Using his old scout helmet's sensors, he located a cave to stay in through the blizzard.

On a nearby cliff

"Yes sir. The Jedi is slowly making his way to the cave. I had thought the bike's heater going out may have discouraged him from continuing. I underestimated his resolve. Don't worry, I will not fail." The transmission ended and a man dressed in black robes and a black cloak walked back to his speeder.

Back with Ezra

Ezra was shivering. The temperature had dropped substantially in the last hour. The small fire he had made was not really helping. His helmet did nothing to insulate his head, and the plastoid just made it colder. As he rested, he decided meditation would help him pass the time. Sitting up on his knees, Ezra calmed his mind, becoming still and quiet. After a few minutes he felt the warm embrace of the Force within his body and mind. A few hours later, Ezra came out of his trance-like state. He felt refreshed and ready to continue his long journey.

As Ezra made his way through the icy trees, he couldn't help but feel he was being watched. He had this feeling many times on his extensive stay in the Unknown Regions. He decided it was nothing more than animal and continued forward. Before long he arrived at his destination. The mineshaft had cracked wooden supports, old rails leading deep within the mountain.

"Well I don't think my comms can reach the stronghold from within there." Ezra said quietly. He sent a short message to Sabine that he was entering the mine, that he would be back soon, and that he loved her. He sent the last bit as a contingency in case he did not return. Looking back, the feeling returned. The feeling of being watched. Deciding it was just his nerves he continued on bravely.

Deep In the trees

"He is going in. No, I don't know if he has his saber with him… Well how I am I supposed to know what all gear he has?" The mysterious man said into his long-range com. As Ezra walked into the cave the man walked to the entrance, careful not to make a sound. He placed explosives at the entrance to keep Ezra from returning from the mine.

Within the black cave

Ezra walked on with his flashlight, he had never been into a diamond cave before. The walls were bare of minerals, but he could feel the energy they left behind. Speaking of energy, Ezra took a second and probed into the Force to find hostile creatures. Finding nothing he continued onwards. The twisty caves ended up at a tomb. This tomb was carved into the mountain and the door made of stone. The stone was too heavy for even a Jedi to lift.

"Well this is a challenge." Ezra looked around before his eyes settled on a crevice above the door. "Well this is for Sabine." With that he jumped up and into the small crack in the stone wall. Crawling on his hands and knees, the passage reminded him of a ventilation shaft. Like the ones on the Ghost. Pulling himself forward he reached the tomb, the walls were lined in beautiful paintings, a chest sat on the far wall.

"Well if I had armor, that's where it would be." Ezra grinned as he moved to the large chest.

At the entrance

"Time so die Jedi." The dark figure pushed a button on his wrist and the explosives blew. The sound was able to be heard from within the tomb.

Speaking of tomb

Ezra jumped as he heard a large blast come from behind him. Reaching down he grabbed a small piece of beskar and made his way to the entrance of the cave. Winding through the corridors, he never found the light if day. After another couple hundred meters, he found a cave in cutting off his way out.

"That blast sounded like explosives." Ezra thought to himself. "Great I'm buried alive down here."

Outside the mine

"The job is done. I expect to be paid in full and wiped from all Clan Wren records." The man in the dark outfit said to his holodisk. A stern voice replied.

"You shall be rewarded my friend, but I ask you to stay and make sure of his death. After 12 hours, you can leave. Your reward will be added on to by completing this task."

"Alright, but I want my bonus." The man shut off the holo and watched the cave.

With Ezra

The young Jedi was concerned, somebody wanted him dead. Ezra took a moment and listened to the Force. Feeling a small air current, he turned and walked in that direction. Deeper into the cave.

I feel like my last two chapters should give away my title themes. If not that's okay. This chapter was fun to write. The next one will focus on Sabine and the time with her parents. Will she tell her family about the baby? Will Ezra get out of the mind? Who is this hired assassin? Find out… whenever this stupid site will let me update things. Till the TB out!