Hello! I am UsForPresidant and I've been in love with Paradox of the Force for years, and I'm proud to say it is my favorite fanfiction. I have adopted this story and I am going to rewrite and rework the series so it flows better and lives up to Shell-Shocked-NinjaTurtleGal's expectations. I will try to keep it mostly the same, but I will have to add or delete somethings to make it flow better (but I will keep it mostly the same).
Disclaimer: All credit goes to Shell-Shocked-NinjaTurtleGal I'm just working as a vessel for her amazing story.
Enjoy the rewrite of Paradox of the Force.
"We're making good time. How's everything looking?" Hera asked, looking up from her screen to look at the teen that was acting as her co-pilot today.
Ezra's electric blue eyes flickered across the status screens before him."Fuel levels are up...Thrusters are working at top efficiency. Looks like smooth sailing from here." He replied smiling slightly as he relaxed back into his seat. A proud grin pulled at Hera's lips as she switched on autopilot.
"Come on then let's go get something to eat." She said, standing up and stretching her aching body. "I'm starving, and I'm sure you are too."
Ezra nodded eagerly, making the Twi'lek pilot chuckle."I could eat a Bantha!" He said hopping up from his seat. Hera smiled fondly, resting a hand on Ezra's shoulder as they both left the bridge, trusting Chopper who was hanging around to keep a watch on things.
For a moment, neither said a word, then suddenly Ezra piped up."Kanan's in the mess hall..."
Hera blinked, alarmed as she looked at the youth."What?"
Ezra tapped the side of his forehead with his fingers. "I can sense him. He can sense us, too." The teen smiled warmly. "He's prepping some food for us."
Both Hera and Ezra paused when there was a sudden soft, almost inaudible rumble, and the young human blushed embarrassedly, putting a hand to his stomach while Hera laughed.
"Good thing he is." She commented. "Your stomach sounds ready to eat itself." Ezra merely stuck his tongue out childishly before they continued on their way, Hera looked at the young teen from the corner of her eye.
It had been over a year since Ezra had joined their little family. Even now his curious eyes and mischievous smile were a more than welcome sight in such a troubled galaxy. Hera's thoughts suddenly froze. Wait, It had been over a year since Ezra came aboard, and in that time, one key thing was missing. Ezra's birthday.
The teen had never told them, and they had never celebrated. They always made it a habit to celebrate when it was someone's birthday. They'd gone to Dantooine for Kanan's, the galaxy's largest trade station for Sabine, and a small, isolated moon over Raxus Prime for Zeb. Even Hera's birthday had been celebrated on her homeworld of Ryloth. But Ezra? The teen hadn't even told them when he was born. Oh, blast the teen was fifteen and no one had even realized it!
Hera opened her mouth to speak, but they had reached the mess hall and her question was cut off by the door sliding open. Ezra bounded into the room, eager to fill his empty belly.
Kanan stood at the table island setting down plates for the two. The man rolled his eyes and smirked as Ezra clambered into one of the seats and dug into his meal. After a moment the Jedi turned to look and smile at Hera, but upon seeing her upset face he frowned.
"Hera? Something wrong?"
The Twi'lek moved over, standing beside Kanan and rested her head on his shoulder, making the man blink.
"Hera?" He asked again. Bright blue eyes observed the two adults curiously from across the island, but the owner of the sapphire orbs said nothing.
"I can't believe we missed his birthday..." Hera murmured. Both Kanan and Ezra were confused, but green-blue eyes flashed to the youngest Rebel and realization dawned on Kanan's face.
Wrapping an arm around Hera, the Jedi turned to his Padawan. "Why didn't you tell us when it was your birthday?" He asked, dumbfounded that none of the crew ever thought about it.
Ezra gave a slight start, taken aback by the question."Huh?"
Kanan fixed an even gaze on the teen."Your birthday. You've been with the team over a year, Ezra. You turned fifteen and never told anyone."
Ezra crossed his arms and shrugged with a frown. "You guys never asked. It's not that big a deal, I'm not really into celebrating." He replied before sticking a forkful of food into his mouth.
Kanan sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose with exasperation while Hera moved over and pulled a rather surprised Ezra into a hug.
"H-Hera, I c-can't breathe!" The teen comically rasped out, trying to pull away from the hug. Kanan, taking pity on the youngling, grabbed the Twi'lek's shoulder gently giving her the message that it was time to get off of Ezra.
"Hera, take it easy, he needs air." He joked gently before getting back to the subject at hand. Looking with a stern look he said. "Kid, this is stuff we want- no, gotta know."
The young force-user looked down."Fine, my birthday was a couple of months ago. On Empire's Day," he said the last part in almost a whisper.
Hera and Kanan looked at one another, seeming to silently converse. Then Hera went and sat beside Ezra, wrapping an arm around him. "Then after this drop-off mission, we'll go wherever you want to, to celebrate." The kid looked surprised.
"Anywhere?"
Kanan laughed at his student's shocked expression, leaning against the island."That's right. Anywhere, as long as it isn't an Imperial base or starship." Kanan and Hera's hearts both melted when they saw the bright smile upon the teen's face.
"Awesome!"
Kanan smiled, watching as Hera and Ezra talked, throwing around ideas of where to go. Not for the first time, Kanan wished that Ezra could've lived in a world without war. The young teen...He deserved so much better than the hand he'd been dealt. Even his own birthday was replaced with a holiday for the enemy.
The door to the mess hall suddenly slid in, and Sabine and Zeb entered. The Lasat looked irritated, grumbling under his breath.
"What's up?" Sabine asked, moving over to lean against the counter.
Ezra grinned."We were just talkin'," Ezra replied, his gaze turned to Zeb. "What's his problem?"
Sabine smirked, turning to the Lasat and patting his arm."The big guy here had his foot run-over by Chopper. Again. So he dented Chopper's dome...Again."
Ezra looked at Zeb in shock."Seriously?! You know I have to hammer those dents out, right?" He said outraged.
Zeb huffed, tousling the teen's hair."Sorry, kid. But that' chrome-domed little-"
Hera cut him off."If you're about to call Chop' what I think you're going to, don't." giving a pointed look in Ezra's direction. The teen grinned mischievously.
"Hera, I lived on the streets of Central City. I've heard every cuss in every blastin' language out there!" He laughed.
Everyone jumped when Chopper suddenly rushed in, a string of frantic whistles and whirs leaving the grumpy droid. Hera was the only one to understand the binary language.
She shot up from her seat, alarmed.
"What?!"
The pilot was out of the room before anyone understood what was going on. Then, the ship gave a heart-stopping lurch. Everyone was sent stumbling about. Zeb and Sabine were instantly following Hera out, while Kanan turned to his young Padawan.
"Ezra, you and Chopper stay here!"
"But-"
"Stay here! I'm serious Ezra!" The man barked, and then he was gone.
The Ghost gave another jerk, causing Ezra to stumble. He quickly did what he had been told to do in these situations, and hunkered down underneath the metal bench-seat table, as it was anchored securely to the ground. Chopper warbled lowly, rolling over to rest beside the teen. Ezra managed a weak smile, reaching forward and patting the little droid's domed head.
"Don't worry, Chopper. Everything'll be alright, you'll see." But inside, Ezra could feel fear spiking in his heart. He reached out hesitantly through the force towards Kanan, and the man was quick to reach back, his presence mingling with Ezra's, familiar and reassuring. Feeling his mentor's confidence, Ezra settled down to wait.
A black hole. How had they not noticed there was a black hole?! That was what Kanan was wondering as he struggled to help Hera keep the ship on course.
"Energy readings are off the charts," Hera stated, hands darting across the controls. "If I had to guess, I'd say it's a hidden Imperial base."
"Here?" Zeb asked incredulously, actively having to grip onto his seat to keep from falling out as the ship violently shook.
"Yes, here!" The Twi'lek retorted sharply, eyes locked on the window.
A sharp jerk sent Sabine tumbling from her seat, and while Zeb helped her back up, Kanan and Hera struggled to keep the ship stable. Kanan was multitasking, to tell the truth. Ezra was nervous, and he could sense it, so while he continued to copilot, he also was trying to comfort his Padawan.
"Energy readings are getting stronger!"
A sudden shock struck through the force...And everything went black.
The first thing Ezra was aware of was that everything seemed loud. The sound of voices and speeders were muffled but still pounded at his skull with a strong intensity. He groaned and blinked blearily. At first he only saw shadows and flickering lights, then he slowly began to decipher a voice among the muted sounds.
"...-Ra?...E-..-ra! Ezra! Ezra!"
Grimacing, the young teen momentarily squeezed his eyes shut, then opened them again. Kanan was leaning over him a rare worried look on his face. Behind him Ezra could see the others all sitting up and looking confused.
With a light protest from his body Ezra managed to finally move his aching limbs, rubbing at his head with a hand.
"What...happened? Where are we?" He slowly asked, looking around. Tall buildings loomed over them, and the sun shone brightly. They were in an alley of some sorts, and Ezra could see people of all races walking through the streets at the end of the alleyway.
Kanan looked relieved to see him awake, sitting on his heels as he too looked towards the crowded streets."I'm not sure. We got pulled into a black hole, it must've thrown us somewhere."
For a long moment all was silent, everyone standing and checking themselves and each other for injury. Nothing more than a few scratches and bruises marked them, they were relieved to see. Finally, the youngest of the team spoke.
"Master..?" The hesitant tone was odd to hear from the usually outgoing teen, and Ezra had his teacher's attention immediately.
"Yeah?"
Electric blue eyes flickered to the streets, narrowing slightly."Something feels...Weird."
While the others didn't understand, Kanan knew what his Padawan meant, and nodded."Yeah, I feel it too."
"We need to find a safe place to stay." Hera suddenly piped up, a soft frown messing up her beautiful features. Zeb nodded in agreement.
"She's right." He stated, crossing his arms. "Ain't safe here 'specially since we don't know where here is."
For a long second, Kanan thought. He then nodded his head. "That's all we can do for now, at least until we can find out where we are, and what happened to the ship. All our comlinks seem to be working, so we should probably split up. Zeb, you and Sabine go west. Hera, you and Chopper go east. Ezra, you're with me. If none of us can find a safe place, we meet up back here."
It was a standard plan. Simple, but it would hopefully prove effective. While confused and a bit nervous, the others readily agreed, by now they had seen so many incredible and downright crazy things happen that this hardly seemed impossible. There were even stories about blackholes throwing entire fleets half-way across the galaxy, though those tales were few and far between.
And so they all split up. As Zeb and Sabine passed by Ezra, they each made a gesture, wishing the teen luck, a light punch to the shoulder from Zeb, and a lingering hand to his back from Sabine.
Hera moved forward, taking Ezra's hand and giving it a gentle squeeze."Keep Kanan out of trouble for me, alright?" She joked softly, smiling weakly. Ezra nodded, squeezing her hand in return. The Twi'lek then turned to Kanan, moving over and kissing his cheek.
"Be safe."
"You too."
The droid nudging against Ezra's leg in farewell, and then Hera and Chopper were gone, both disappearing into the crowd.
With a sigh, Kanan turned to Ezra."Stay close, alright?" The teen nodded.
"You've got it."
Kanan wove through the dense crowds of people. Something wasn't right here, something was just completely wrong. This place. It looked like Corasant Before the Empire took over.
He kept his senses open, not only to better examine his surroundings but to make sure Ezra was keeping up and not falling behind. Luckily, Ezra was quick, naturally light on his feet, and was doing a good job of staying right on his heels. They had only stopped once, and that was at a small vendor's stall to buy hooded cloaks to ward off the cold, crisp air of winter before they continued walking.
"Hey, Master?" Kanan hummed a short note, showing he was listening. Ezra's hidden eyes darted across the people and buildings around them before he continued. "Do you have any idea where we are yet?"
Kanan slowly shook his head.
"Not yet. Ask me a little later." Ezra nodded, then yelped as he tripped over his slightly too-long cloak. Kanan's arm shot out, catching his Padawan while several passer-biers paused to look at them strangely. Kanan gave the teen a dry look. "Be careful, kid we don't want to draw attention to ourselves."
A sheepish smile was the reply he received, and the two continued on.
For a while, nothing really happened. They found no reasonably safe buildings in which to stay, and they were about to turn back when they reached the end of a large road.
Kanan froze, his heart stopping, and eyes widening as his jaw dropped. This...This wasn't possible! He couldn't be seeing this! It had been destroyed years ago! But there before him stood the proof. Towering ahead of them was the Jedi Temple.
Ezra stumbled slightly as he suddenly felt what seemed like hundreds of force-users. He was instantly on guard, his mental barriers rising, the strong shields he had unknowingly been working on for years effectively shunning the immense power away from his mind. Ezra then turned to his friend, opting to ignore the headache he now had in favor of figuring out why his mentor had suddenly halted.
"Master?...Maaaaster..?...Kanan?" He tried, attempting to gain Kanan's attention, but it didnt work.
Ezra shuffled forward, peering at his mentor's face, then looking at the temple, then back at Kanan.
"Kanan? What's wrong?"
Kanan's green-blue eyes suddenly snapped to Ezra, and he jerked his head upwards."On the roofs. Now."
Ezra knew the man's tone. It was his 'do-as-I-tell-you-or-you'll-get-a-lecture voice, and so he did as told. Quickly finding a path and taking it to the rooftops of the shorter buildings, mostly shops.
Kanan was right behind him, and the man grabbed Ezra's shoulders."I want you to raise your mental barriers as high as they'll go and stay here. I'm serious, Ezra. Stay Here."
Ezra looked up at Kanan, confused. "Kanan, what's going on? You're starting to freak me out."
The older human sighed, grimacing."Look, I need to check something. Alone. I don't know if it's safe for you where I'm going, so stay up here and keep a look out for me, alright?"
"But-"
"Do you trust me, Ezra?"
"W-well-"
"Do. You. Trust. Me?"
Ezra nodded."Yeah, of course I do-"
"Then stay."
Ezra pursed his lips, glancing away. He then finally gave in, shoulders slumping.
"Alright."
Kanan smile weakly."Thank you."
With that, Kanan jumped down over the edge of the flat roof. He hurried towards the temple, mind rushing as he tried to make sense of things. Was this some sick, twisted trap? But he could sense several strong, familiar presences that no one could replicate.
How was this possible, then? No Imperials, the temple still standing with Jedi inside. His steps faltered when a voice echoed within his mind through the force.
"A disturbance in the force, your arrival has caused."
"Master Yoda?" Kanan whispered under his breath.
"To the council chambers, you will come. And make sense of this situation, we shall."
Kanan gulped then nodding.
"Yes...Master Yoda."
I'm very excited to be able to work on this series and I hope you all enjoy. The next chapter will be up in a couple of days.