Betrayal
10 years prior…
Ezra
Exhausted, Ezra sagged against the controls. Kanan's voice echoed in his head as his eyes drifted shut.
"I'll be with you, always."
"Kanan? Where are you? I can hear you, but," Ezra searched for his master in the surrounding darkness. "Kanan?"
"I'm here, kid."
He whirled at the sound of the disembodied voice of his teacher and mentor. "Why can't I see you?"
"I don't know." Light airy laughter. "I'm still figuring this stuff out myself."
He scratched the top of his head as he chuckled softly. "Yeah, it sure does make you wish Master Yoda was here, huh?"
"You've got that right, kid."
He sighed. "What am I going to do, Kanan? I mean...did I make the right choice? How do I even know what I did actually worked? If they were able to get free? Was it even worth it?"
A lone sigh drifted to him through the darkness. "It worked. They're safe."
He swallowed his emotions. Grief. Loss. Sacrifice.
He thought of Sabine. Hera and the small life force he had felt swirling within her. Zeb and Chopper, too. His friends. His family.
They were safe now.
They had a chance to live a better life, all of Lothal did, now. "Then, it was worth it."
"I'm proud of you, Ezra. Proud to have been able to call you my student. My friend. You are like a son to me, Ezra. I'll always be here, if you need me."
He smiled as the voice seemed to envelop around him. "Thank you, Kanan. For everything."
#
Ezra woke to the sensation of something clamping hard on the back of his neck. "Ow!"
Opening his eyes, he swiveled around and came nose to nose with the end of a sleek black RK-3 blaster.
"Take him," Thrawn sneered as he nodded to the awaiting stormtroopers.
Ezra scowled. "Really? This is the thanks I get for saving your hide?"
"My hide, as you so indelicately put it, young Bridger, would not have needed saving if it had not been for you and your so-called friends." Thrawn narrowed his eyes before turning his attention to his lieutenant. "Place this insurgent in the brig. I have a special spot prepared just for you, young Bridger."
Ezra struggled against the rough hands that pulled him up and shoved him down the long central aisle as Thrawn followed closely behind. He avoided the curious stares of the Imperial officers lined up to see him paraded off the bridge.
He reached out into the Force and felt...nothing.
"What did you do to me?!" He asked, gasping.
Thrawn bestowed him with a thin lipped menacing smile. "Awh, that would be the neural disruptor. A relic of a bygone age. They are quite effective, as you have surely noticed by now. Why they went out of use, I could not say."
"Get this thing off me, or…"
Thrawn chuckled softly. "Or what, young Bridger? Look around you. You are surrounded. You should be begging for mercy right now, instead of wasting your breath making idle threats."
Ezra shrugged out of the hands that held him back. He stalked his way towards the Grand Admiral. "No, look around you. The Empire isn't out here, wherever the hell it is that we are. It's just us now. You'll find that you'll need me soon enough. So, why don't you remove this blasted collar."
"Oh, I don't think so, young Bridger." Thrawn towered over him, staring him down with his blood red eyes. "I think you'll find that I am quite capable of surviving against insurmountable odds."
A stormtrooper shoved against him. Ezra turned, having no choice but to let them escort him down the long central aisle, with Thrawn following closely behind.
"Worried I'll escape, huh?"
"Agent Kallus' reports were extremely detailed when it came to you and your exploits. When the Emperor ordered me to bring you back to Coruscant, I ran several scenarios in which I thought you might be tempted to employ. I'll admit your tentacled-friends were not among them."
Ezra chuckled softly as he glanced back over his shoulder. "Hmph, I knew you weren't all-knowing. And, they're called Purrgil. They don't like being called weird names. I thought you, out of all the Imperials, would be able to understand that."
Thrawn narrowed his blood red eyes as he pushed Ezra forward. "Purrgil. Duly noted, Bridger."
They entered the lift to take them down to the detention level.
Ezra tried once again to use the Force to remove the collar from around his neck. He swore softly under his breath when nothing happened.
Think. There has to be a way out of this thing. Kanan?
He closed his eyes as he attempted once again to connect with the Force and reach out to his master.
Nothing.
A chime rang out, breaking the silence as the doors opened quietly.
Thrawn nudged him forward causing Ezra to stumble out of the lift.
"Has the Vault been prepared?" Thrawn asked the nearest trooper.
The Vault?
"Hey, Thrawn...buddy...pal." Ezra cut his eyes over to him. "Uh, what's the Vault?"
"It's a pity that your friend, the very lovely and talented artist, Sabine Wren, isn't here to see it." Thrawn said smugly. "If anyone were to be able to fully appreciate the artistic design and functionality of this artifact, it would be her."
Ezra swallowed hard. He inhaled a calming breath, not wanting Thrawn to see his sudden nervousness. He exhaled sharply as his eyes lit on the tall silver box standing at the end of the corridor.
"Magnificent, isn't it?" Thrawn said as he stood beside Ezra.
Ezra blanched at the artifact in question.
He had to admit, Thrawn was right. Sabine would be excited to examine the tall silver box that was covered in Mandalorian artwork. Cast out of pure beskar, it boasted a large stylized Mandalorian helmet gracing the front of the box, flanking either side were similar looking helmets. Along the bottom were large motifs depicting Mandalorian warriors, in varying fighting stances.
"What...is...that thing?"
Thrawn reached forward and pressed a series of buttons on the side of the box. The sound of the pressure releasing filled the quiet space as the lid slowly slid open. "This is a Mandalorian Vault. At one point in its history, I believe it was even referred to as a sarcophagus. I'm surprised Sabine never mentioned them to you."
"Yeah? Well, why would she do that?" Ezra asked as he swallowed down his sudden feelings of misgiving. I've got a bad feeling about this…
"Why?" Thrawn gave a soft chuckle that made the hair on the back of Ezra's neck stand up. "Why, because they were designed to hold people like you."
Ezra pulled his gaze away from the red interior of the box and cast it on Thrawn. "People like me? What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
"Oh, it's quite simple, really." Thrawn said softly. "People like the...Jedi."
Thrawn stepped aside as the stormtroopers came up behind him.
Ezra struggled as he tried to pull out of their grasp, but without being able to tap into the force, being weaponless and restrained all at once, it was futile.
"Thrawn! You can't do this!" He yelled as he was shoved roughly inside of the tall mobile cell.
Thrawn activated the locks to hold Ezra in place. "Oh, I think you'll find that I can, young Bridger."
Ezra's eyes followed Thrawn's every step as he paced before him.
"It was worth every effort I employed to find this amazing artifact. Do you know- it is the last of its kind? Yes, most were destroyed when the Duchess Satine Kryze of Mandalore outlawed their use decades ago." Thrawn paused as he let his words sink in. "This one was once used to hold a very powerful dark side user named Maul."
His eyes widened at the name of the powerful force user who had tried to seduce him to the dark side.
"Awh, yes, I see you have heard of him." Thrawn smiled. "Actually, it was quite easy to find once I located the crash site of the Tribunal, the star destroyer charged with carrying Maul back to Coruscant for execution. The Emperor ordered me to bring you to him, one way or another."
Thrawn stood calmly with his hands folded behind his back.
Ezra struggled against the restraints holding him securely inside the vault. "Can't you see that it doesn't matter anymore? Out here - there is no Empire! There is no Emperor!"
"Again, young Bridger, you are correct. However, you fail to realize one thing." Thrawn leaned forward.
Ezra could feel the heat of his breath against his face.
"You sent me to check the navicomputer. You may not know where in space we are, but I do. You forget. I am Chiss. We hail from the unknown regions."
Thrawn activated the clamps that locked in place over Ezra's mouth, rendering him unable to speak. He blanched as the lid began to slide over him.
His eyes widened with dismay as it closed with a whine of the air pressurizing.
An evil smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. "Very good." He said to the trooper standing beside him. "Have my shuttle prepped and ready to go. Make sure the Vault is secured on board as well."
"It will be done, sir." The stormtrooper said as he motioned for the anti-grav to be activated.
Thrawn gave Ezra one last sinister smile before turning on his heel and marching out of the brig.
#
Ezra could do nothing but stare out of the small rectangular viewport of the Vault, which had been placed inside the cargo hold of a Lambda-class T-4a shuttle.
Then he waited.
He had no idea where Thrawn was planning to take them, or do with him.
Between the neural disruptor and the ray shielded box, his connection to the Force had been crudely severed.
Restrained, he was unable to move. Not to mention, his vision was severely limited to what he could see out of the small viewport in front of his eyes.
Thrawn strode purposefully past the cargo hold where the box had been stored, giving Ezra only a passing glance as he made his way to the cockpit.
Ezra's eyes snapped open at the sound of the shuttle's laser cannons priming, then opening fire. He flinched as large booms echoed beneath him.
Had Thrawn just fired upon his own crashed ship? Ezra wondered. If so, why would he do that? What was Thrawn playing at?
Then there was nothing.
He could do nothing but stare out of the small viewport and wait. And sleep.
He jerked awake to see Thrawn staring at him through the viewport.
"You, young Bridger, unknowingly gave me the perfect escape." Thrawn said as he stood in a parade rest stance with his hands neatly folded behind his back. "Honestly, I should be thanking you."
Ezra's brows furrowed together. With the clamps locked in place over his mouth, he was unable to speak.
"You see, after my little rendezvous with Governor Pryce - and your retrieval, of course - I was to report back to the Emperor. I fear he wanted to discuss my recent involvement with my homeworld, the Chiss Ascendancy, where I aided them in their endeavors against an old enemy."
Ezra could do not nothing but arch a brow at him.
"Treasonous actions, some might say." Thrawn said as he continued. "I have no doubt you heard the explosions earlier?"
Thrawn paused. Ezra wondered if he was just pausing for dramatic effect.
"Yes, I'm sure you must have. I could not risk any of the survivors returning to the Emperor. Should he learn that you and I are both still alive, I have no doubt he would send someone to collect us. So, you could say, what I did was in the best interests of us both, Bridger." Thrawn smiled a thin lipped smile. "My own simple way of saying thank you."
Thrawn turned and began to pace in front of Ezra. He was silent for several long minutes before approaching Ezra, confined inside the Mandalorian cell.
"You might be curious as to where we are going, are you not?"
Again, another pause. Like I can answer you, Ezra thought with a furrowed brow.
"Hmm, we are heading to my homeworld, Csilla. My own history with them is long. Fragmented. A tale for another time, perhaps. Yet, I have supporters among them." Thrawn leaned closer to Ezra's box. "Supporters who will help us. I just need time. The Emperor is an aging man. His time will come to an end sooner or later. Vader, too."
Thrawn straightened and nodded slowly.
"Yes, young Bridger. I should be thanking you. You have given me time to think. To plan."
Thrawn turned on his heel and strode towards the cargo hold door.
"Time to plan our return when the Empire crumbles… When I can return to fill the void that will be left in its wake."
Ezra's eyes widened.
Did he just play into Thrawn's hand?
Did he unknowingly just aid the man he sought to destroy?
I will do whatever I must to prolong Thrawn's plan.
Whatever I must do to keep Hera and Sabine, and the rest of my Ghost family safe.
Whatever the cost, if they are safe...then it will be worth paying the price.
A/N: I know this chapter was a bit grim, and for that - I apologize sincerely. However, I wanted to offer a good explanation of why it took Ahsoka & Sabine so long to locate Ezra - having Thrawn continue to play the part of the villain and introducing the Mandalorian Vault as a means to subdue Ezra seemed (to me, anyway) a likely scenario. I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I'll be posting another update as soon as I can - I've reached the end of what I already had written out.
Again, thank you for reading! Cheers, Nia