*Sabine's POV*
I watched as two kids leaped aboard, the second one bringing the last crate. The first one was a small girl, probably no older than twelve. She wore her long, platinum blonde hair in a single braid, and her ice blue eyes were narrowed the slightest bit. Her outfit was simple, consisting of gray leggings and a long-sleeved, light blue tunic that reached the top of her knees. A thin, grey belt was tied around her waist. She was surprisingly pretty, with lily-white skin, a petite nose, and light freckles dotted across her nose. The only strange thing about her was the pair of light blue gloves that covered her hands and the way she clasped her hands together nervously. Almost as if she's hiding something...
The boy standing next to her looked completely different. He stood protectively in front of the girl, a glare on his face, as if daring any of them to come near her. He was definitely older, probably fourteen, with midnight blue hair that reached his shoulders and the brightest blue eyes I'd ever seen. His skin was tan, about the same shade as Kanan's. He wore brown pants, an orange shirt and jacket, brown boots, and a backpack.
"So... what's in those crates?" the girl asked curiously. The boy shot her a look, and she raised her eyebrows. He scowled, then looked away as she smiled triumphantly. What was that all about?
"Woah..." he said as Zeb opened one of the crates. "Do you have any idea what these are worth on the black market?"
"That's probably why they stole them in the first place," the girl remarked. "Until we stole it from them."
"They're not yours," Zeb growled.
"Says who? We got to them first," the boy replied.
"It's not who's first, it's who's last," Kanan said. "Keep an eye on our friends here." Then he left. Great. Babysitting. Woohoo.
For a moment, everyone was quiet. Then-
"So... why did you want these crates?" the girl asked, shooting a smirk at the boy.
"That's none of your business," Zeb replied with a growl.
"Alright, alright, calm down Purple Guy," she said, holding up her hands. "I was just curious."
"Wait... Purple Guy?" I said.
"Yeah!" The girl grinned. "It's my nickname for him." The boy face-palmed.
"That-that is not my name!" Zeb said, clearly flustered.
"What's mine?" I asked.
"Painter."
"Huh. That's pretty good, kid." I'm starting to like this girl.
"Thanks!" It's strange... she went from nervous to a nice, talkative girl... interesting. Just then, the ship was hit, and everyone fell over. Zeb fell on top of the boy, the girl fell back and hit her head on the wall, and I managed to grab onto a crate before falling.
"Get off! Can't-breathe," the boy gasped from underneath Zeb.
"I'm not that heavy in this gravity."
"Not the weight – the smell," he answered as he stood up and fanned the air. This time, it was the girl's turn to face-palm.
"You don't like the air quality in here, do you? Fine! I'll give you your own room!" He grabbed the boy by his leg and pulled him off towards the common room.
"Hey! Where are you taking my brother?" the girl yelled, running after them. Brother? They look nothing alike! I thought as I ran after them. Zeb tossed the boy into the small storage unit, then locked him in there.
"There," he sighed in relief.
"Can he breathe in there?"
"Prob-"
"Yes, he can," I replied.
"Okay," she said, taking a seat.
"You-you're not gonna try and break him out?"
"No, he deserved that." I'm really starting to like this girl.
"What's your name, kid?" I asked curiously. She hesitated, glancing at the storage unit, then replied, "Elsa. What's yours?"
"Sabine. This is Zeb."
Elsa smiled. "Did you paint that armor yourself? It's really pretty."
"Thanks! And yeah, I -"
"Zeb, Sabine, where are the kids?" Kanan's voice interrupted over the comm.
"Calm down, chief. One's right here, and the other is in – uh..." When Zeb opened the unit, he paused. "...here." Elsa smirked.
"I had a feeling he'd do something like that," she said.
"Zeb, where is he?" Kanan asked.
"Uh... well, he's still in the ship."
"Oh, he's in the ship alright," I replied as someone crawled through the air vents above us. Just then, Kanan came out from the cockpit, heading for the turret gun.
"Sabine, man the nose gun. Zeb, cover us from behind. As for you..." he looked at Elsa, who stared straight back at him. "Head to the cockpit and stay with Hera, got it?" She nodded, then headed off.
"You sure she won't wander off, Kanan?" Zeb asked, watching her leave with a suspicious look in his eyes.
"I have a feeling we can trust her," he answered.
***Ghost Cockpit: Elsa's POV***
I walked through the door that Kanan had just come through and entered a hallway, with two doors on each side. Must be the cabins, I thought, heading past them all and towards the door at the opposite end. The door whooshed open when I drew near, and sure enough, there was the cockpit. In the pilot's seat sat a female Twi'lek – Hera, I presumed – who was busy avoiding TIE fighters in...
"Space," I breathed in awe. "We're in space!"
"You got that right," Hera answered with a friendly smile. "Strap in, things might get rough." I quickly obeyed, taking a seat in the co-pilot's chair and strapping in. I watched as Hera worked her magic, easily swerving past the TIE's and giving the crew good shots. "Calculations complete, but we need an opening!"
"Found one!" I heard Sabine reply from down below as she hit one of the fighters.
"Entering hyperspace!" Hera said triumphantly as we were surrounded by bright blue light.
"Woah..." I muttered, my eyes wide.
"Never been in space?" Hera asked, turning to face me. I shook my head.
"Nope. My brother and I have always lived on Lothal."
"Your brother?"
"That would be me." Ezra entered the cockpit, closely followed by Zeb. He glanced at me, clearly checking to make sure I was alright. I raised my eyebrows, then rolled my eyes as he directed his attention to Hera. I loved my brother, but sometimes he was a little too overprotective. "You can't keep us here, you know. You have to take us back to Lothal."
"Calm down, that's exactly what we're doing," Hera replied, not at all fazed by my brother's rude tone.
"Wait... right now? With the Imperials chasing us?"
"We lost the TIEs when we jumped, and the Ghost can scramble its signature so they won't recognize us when we return."
"Oh... that's pretty cool. So just drop us and our blasters outside Capital City and -"
"They're not your blasters," Sabine said as she entered with Kanan.
"And we're not going back to Capital City. The job's not done." I'm starting to like these guys.
About an hour later, the ship landed somewhere I'd never been before. As we walked off of the ship, I noticed that Hera and Kanan were taking the blasters somewhere else, while the other two were grabbing crates and heading towards what looked like a small village.
"Hey, where are they going?" Ezra asked.
"If I told you, I'd have to kill you. Oh, and I might just kill you anyway," Zeb said with a threatening glare.
"If you so much as touch my brother -" I started, then stopped when Ezra gave me a warning look. I scowled, then dropped the matter, throwing the dirtiest
glare I could in Zeb's direction. No one threatened my family. Not on my watch.
"Grab a crate, pull your weight," Sabine ordered, quickly changing the subject.
"We've lived on Lothal our whole lives," I said. "Never been here."
"The Imperials don't advertise it. The locals call it Tarkintown," Zeb replied.
"Named for Grand Moff Tarkin, Governor of the Outer Rim. He kicked these folks off their farms when the Empire wanted their land," Sabine continued.
"Anybody tried to fight back... got arrested for treason."
***Ezra's POV: Tarkintown***
"Who wants free grub?" I watched as Zeb and Sabine took the lids off of their crates, revealing loads of fresh fruit. Elsa followed suit, and immediately, people started coming over and taking the food, thanking them.
"Thank you," one said to me. "Thank you so much."
"I-I didn't do anything..." I said.
Somehow I managed to sneak away from the crew – and my sister, though I think she saw me leave - and get back to the ship. I couldn't bear standing there, being thanked for some heroic thing I didn't do. So I sat on an empty crate and watched from a distance, thinking.
Then it happened. I could feel a sort of... pull coming from inside the ship. It wasn't the first time this had happened, and normally it led to something good, so I decided to check it out.
As I wandered down one of the halls, I felt the pull slowly getting stronger. Finally it stopped in front of one of the doors, but when I pushed the button to open it, it was locked. Good thing I've learned a thing or two out on the streets, I thought with a smile as I began to unlock it.
When the door opened, I realized that this was someone's room. It was sparse, furnished with a small table and two bunks. The pull led me towards the bottom bunk, and I sat down, trying to figure out what I was supposed to do.
"Okay..." I muttered as my hand drifted towards what looked like drawers. Sure enough, when I pressed on one of them, it opened, revealing a small golden cube. I picked it up, turning it around to get a better look at it. "Might be worth something," I said, sticking it in my backpack.
But the pull was still there. I opened the drawer further, revealing a long metal... thingy. What is this? I thought, picking it up. I held it up to the light, and then – pshzoom. A long blue blade emerged from the metal stick, and I waved it around in awe.
"Whoa..." I played around with it for a second, and just as I held it close to my face, I heard the familiar whoosh of the door opening. I turned around guiltily to find Kanan, Hera, and a droid staring at me.
"Careful. You'll cut your arm off," Kanan warned.
"Look, I know you're not gonna believe me, but it's like this thing... wanted me to take it," I tried to explain.
"You're right. I don't believe you," he replied, glaring at me. "Now hand me the lightsaber."
"Lightsaber? Isn't that the weapon of the Jedi?"
"Give it to me, and get out." I frowned, turning off the lightsaber and handing it to Kanan before leaving the room.
As I wandered around, I found myself in the kitchen, where Sabine stood talking to Elsa.
"Not too good at following directions, are you?" Sabine said.
"Not so much. You?" I replied, walking over as Elsa raised her eyebrows.
"That's an understatement," she muttered.
"Never been my specialty," Sabine said with a laugh.
"Who are you people?" I asked curiously. "I mean, you're not thieves exactly."
"We're not exactly anything. We're a crew, a team... in some ways a family." I looked away, locking eyes with Elsa for a brief second before pulling away.
"What... what happened to your real family?" I managed to ask, not wanting to raise suspicion.
"The Empire," she replied, narrowing her eyes. "What happened to yours?" Luckily, before either of us could answer, Zeb, followed by the droid from earlier, came in and said, "Kanan wants us in the common room." Then he pointed to the droid. "If he tries anything, sound the alarm. Or shoot him." The droid beeped something unintelligible, but Zeb replied, "Shush. Just watch them."
The moment the door shut behind them, Elsa burst out, "If he threatens you one more time, I swear I will freeze him in a block of ice."
"Elsa, be careful," I hissed, gesturing towards the droid.
"I am being careful," she replied. "I'm watching out for my own brother."
"Well, how about you keep watch while I find a way out?"
"You're going to spy on them?" I nodded, pointing to the air vent hatch up above. "Fine," she said. "But if you get caught, it's not my fault."
***Elsa's POV***
I watched Ezra hoist himself into the vents and head off to who knows where. The moment the hatch was closed, I turned towards the droid.
"My name's Elsa. What's yours?" I looked closer. "C1-10P, huh?" The droid beeped again. "I can't understand you, you know... but you wanna see something cool?" The droid said something that sounded like a warning. "I promise I won't blow up the ship." It hesitated, then nodded. I grinned, then slipped off my gloves, sticking them in my pocket. I knelt next to the door, then placed my hands on the small crack in between the halves of the door. "Okay, this is something I've been practicing – I can use the wind to listen in on what they're saying. But... if I show you, then you have to promise not to tell anyone." The droid beeped, nodding its head. I smiled, then concentrated on the door, willing the wind to bring in the conversation.
"...We have a new mission. Vizago acquired the flight plan for an Imperial transport ship full of Wookiee prisoners. Most of these Wookiees were soldiers for the Old Republic." Kanan's voice drifted through the crack, just loud enough for the droid and I to hear. I grinned as the droid stared at me. "Told you it would work!" I whispered.
"I owe those hairy beasts. They saved some of my people," I heard Zeb say.
"Mine too," Hera chimed in.
"If we're going to save them, we've got a tight window. They've been taken to an unknown slave labor camp. If we don't intercept this ship, we'll never find them. Now, I have a plan..." Thump. Kanan trailed off, hearing the noise too.
"But..."
"Looks like Ezra was found out," I whispered, taking my hands off of the door and slipping my gloves back on. "Promise to keep this between us?" The droid nodded. I smiled in thanks, then followed him out of the kitchen and into the common room, where Ezra lay on the floor.
"I ordered Chopper to keep watch!" Zeb shouted as Chopper – apparently that was the droid's name – beeped something in reply. "Can we please get rid of them?"
"No. We can't. The kid knows too much," Sabine said. I leaned against the frame of the door, a triumphant grin on my face.
"Don't you say it," Ezra started as I said, "I told you so!"
"Wait – you knew he was spying on us?!" Sabine said, turning to face me.
"Of course – you think I wouldn't notice that my brother disappeared from the kitchen? Besides," I added. "I knew he would get caught; he's not as sneaky as me."
"Says the one who almost got us caught last week," Ezra retorted.
"Oh really? Remember that time when -"
"Look, we need to move now," Hera interrupted, stopping our bickering. "I'll keep an eye on them." She gestured for me to follow her and Ezra into the cockpit.
"Have fun planning," I said, waving at Chopper.
***In the cockpit***
"You know, this whole mission thing is nuts. I'm not against sticking into the Empire, but there's no way I'd stick my neck out this far. Who does that?" Ezra asked, spinning around in the co-pilot's chair.
"We do," Hera answered. That was pretty much the end of the conversation. I couldn't very well talk to Ezra with Hera around, and since I was already in trouble with him for talking to pretty much all the crew members, I figured it was best to not take my chances.
A few minutes later, we jumped out of hyperspace, where an Imperial transport awaited. I leaned forward in my seat, excited to see what was going to happen.
"Imperial transport 651, this is Starbird coming inbound."
"State your business," an officer ordered.
"Bounty. We captured an additional Wookiee prisoner and have transfer orders to place him with you," Hera replied.
"We have no such orders."
"That's fine. We already got paid, by Governor Tarkin. If you don't want it, fine, I'll jettison here - let you explain to your superiors why the Empire has one less slave." Hera finished talking, and Ezra and I waited with baited breath to see if her plan would work.
"Permission to dock. Bay 1." Hera grinned.
"Nice work," I commented. Ezra glared at me. "What?"
"Nothing," he grumbled. Soon enough, we docked on the Imperial transport, and the rest of the crew headed to the airlock to board. Ezra and I stayed with Hera in the cockpit, which made sense – we barely knew these people. Yet a small part of me really wanted to go on this mission with them.
"No troopers. Security's soft -" Kanan's voice suddenly stopped coming through the comm.
"Spectre-1, come in. Spectre-4? Spectre-5? Ah, comm's down. No, not down..." Hera frowned. "Jammed."
"Something's coming..." Ezra whispered, staring out the window. My head shot up – whenever Ezra said something like that, I knew he would be right. Sure enough, a large ship emerged out of hyperspace, headed straight for us.
"That's an Imperial Star Destroyer!" Hera cried.
"This whole thing was a setup," I said, gazing at the huge ship. I wonder how easy it is to get lost on that thing... I shook my head. Not the time to be thinking about that, Elsa. Focus!
"It's beginning to look that way," I faintly heard Hera reply. "One of you needs to go warn Kanan and the others."
"Wait, what?"
"Why can't you warn them?"
"I need to be ready to take off the moment everyone is on board. You need to go warn them, before it's too late."
"No, no way! Why would I risk my life for theirs?" Ezra argued.
"Because Kanan risked his for you! If all you do is fight for your own life, then your life is worth nothing. They need you – they need you right now."
"I'll go," I said.
"What?!" Ezra cried. "No, Elsa, you are not getting on that ship. You know what would happen if-"
"If I got captured, yeah, I know. But Hera's right – we need to go warn them before it's too late!" I stood up, only to be pushed back down into my seat.
"No. I'll go, but you're staying here with Hera."
"Ezra-"
"Stay. Here," he ordered before turning to Hera and saying, "Keep her safe for me." Then he left.
"Ugh!" I cried, slumping down in my chair. "He didn't even want to help! Why didn't he let me go?" Hera gave me a sympathetic look.
"He's doing his duty as your brother to protect you until we get you home. It might seem overbearing at times, but... it just shows that he cares."
"I know... but I'm not some helpless little girl, and he knows that," I said, still annoyed.
"Well, have you told him that?"
"I... no," I admitted.
"Then maybe when he gets back, you should talk to him about it," Hera advised. I smiled, then said, "I think I will. Thanks, Hera." She smiled back.
It wasn't long before I heard Sabine running in, followed closely by Chopper and Kanan.
"Airlock shut!" Hera cried. "We're outta here!" A few seconds later, we'd detached from the transport and were zooming away.
"Attention rebel ship: surrender or be destroyed. This is your first and last warning."
"Blown out your exhaust vent – literally. Sabine?" Boom. I heard the transport blow up behind us, and Sabine said, "Ugh, I can't see it from here? How does it look?"
"Gorgeous Sabine," Kanan replied. "As always."
It wasn't long before the crew entered the cockpit, minus Zeb and Ezra, whom I assumed were off somewhere else. I stood off to the side, letting Kanan and Sabine have their seats.
"The whole thing was a setup," Kanan groaned.
"Think Vizago was in on it?"
"He'd sell his mother to a jawa for a couple credits," Hera commented as Zeb entered and sat down. "At least the kid did alright."
"He did okay," Kanan replied. "Where is he?" I stood up straighter, now on full alert.
"Uh... I-I thought he was with you," Zeb answered nervously.
"Where is my brother?" I asked in the calmest voice I could manage while still staring straight into Zeb's wide green eyes.
"Zeb, what did you do to him?" Sabine prompted.
"I didn't do anything!" he burst out. "The uh... ISB agent grabbed him..."
"What!?"
"So you're telling me," I started, walking slowly towards Zeb, "that you left my brother, who came to warn you it was a trap, on that transport?" I was furious. Somehow, I managed to keep my magic at bay – normally by now frost would have covered every inch of the walls. Instead, the only thing I noticed was that the other three were rubbing their arms; the temperature must have dropped significantly.
"Well, umm..." he stuttered.
"I'll take that as a yes." Turning to Hera, I said, "We're going back for him, right?" It wasn't really a question though. I would freeze each and every person on this ship if I had to to get back to that transport and save my brother. And judging by the look on Hera's face, she knew how determined I was.
"It's our fault he was there in the first place," she affirmed.
"What? You cannot be serious!" Zeb said.
"Oh, I'm quite serious," I replied coldly, turning back to face him. I stalked over and got right into his face. "I will do anything to rescue my brother, and if it means throwing you out of the airlock – while in hyperspace – then I will not hesitate. Understand?" He gulped, then nodded. "Good," I said, turning once more to face Hera, who nodded. "I'll be in the common room," I stated before walking as fast as I could out of the room.
I sat down on the orange couch in the common room, placing my head in my hands. "You've got to learn to keep yourself under control," I muttered. "But Ezra could be in trouble right now," I argued. "And I had – no, I have - every right to be angry." But you could have exposed yourself... you saw the small patch of frost in the corner. It was true. The reason I had left so quickly was due to the frost that had been slowly creeping up the wall in the back corner. By now, it would be gone, and I hoped that no one had seen it. "Ugh..." I groaned. Why was I born with these powers? And why can't I keep them under control? "After all these years... and I still can't do it." I stared at my gloved hands, wondering what it would be like to live a glove-free life and not have to worry about keeping my emotions in check. "Guess I'll never know..."
"Never know what?" I jumped, startled. Kanan had just walked in, and was looking at me curiously.
"Oh, um... it's nothing," I lied swiftly. He just raised his eyebrows as he took a seat next to me. I scooted away, still wary of these strangers.
"I'm not going to hurt you, you know," he said.
"I doubt you could," I replied. "But still, can't be too safe. Stranger danger, right?" Kanan laughed. "I guess you're right. Still... if you need to talk, I'm here." A few minutes passed in silence as I contemplated what he said. It was strange, having someone else offer to talk to you. It had always just been the two of us, Ezra and I. We didn't have anyone else to talk to, and even if we did, I doubted we would trust them enough. Yet there was something about Kanan that made me feel... safe. Something I hadn't really felt in years.
"I'm worried," I finally said. "About Ezra. What if he's in trouble? What if we can't save him?" What if I have to use my powers and expose myself to the Empire?
"We'll save your brother," Kanan assured me. "I promise. And from what I've seen, I think he'll be alright. You're both pretty resourceful."
"Yeah, well, living on the streets for seven years does that to you," I said. Kanan's eyes narrowed in concern. Just as he opened his mouth to reply, Hera said, "Dropping out of hyperspace – be ready to board in two minutes." I stood up.
"You ready kid?" Kanan asked.
"Always."
Sure enough, we landed in the lower hanger two minutes later. Somehow, Hera had managed to get us in undetected, though by now the Empire probably knew we were here. Which meant we had to hurry.
"Find Ezra," Hera commanded, standing on the ramp of the Ghost as we raced off. "I'll be ready." So was I. I had decided that, if needed, I would use my powers to get all of us out of here safe and sound. Even if it meant that I'd be on the top of the Empire's "to capture and either turn evil or murder" list. And I really didn't want to be on that list. Guess that shows how much I love my brother, I thought. Still, using my powers would be a last resort. Hopefully it wouldn't come to that.
I was lucky. We had barely made it halfway down the first hallway when Ezra himself fell from the ceiling, wearing a cadet helmet. Zeb immediately punched him, making him fall onto the floor.
"First you ditch me, then you hit me?!" Ezra cried, pulling the helmet off and standing up.
"How was I supposed to know it was you? You were wearing a bucket!" Zeb retaliated.
"Guys, enough talking and more moving!" I cried as an ISB agent rounded the corner, followed by a group of troopers. "Run!" No one hesitated to obey, and Ezra threw his helmet at the agent, trying and failing to hit him. Once we made it onto the ramp, he tried to help the others by pulling back on his energy slingshot (I had already successfully hit two troopers with my own identical slingshot), but was thrown back by Zeb, who said, "Oh, no! This time, you board first!" Someone doesn't want to be on the wrong end of my wrath again, I thought with a small grin before following my brother into the ship. The moment everyone was back on board, the Ghost took off, flying away from the ship and into hyperspace.
***Ezra's POV***
The moment we were safely in hyperspace, I was tackled by a small blonde blur.
"Woah! Elsa, calm down, I'm fine," I reassured as she clung tightly around my waist. She waited one more second, then let go, punching me in the shoulder. "Ow! What was that for?!"
"That was for leaving me here by myself with these weirdos," she answered, looking me up and down and making sure I didn't have a single scratch.
"That wasn't my fault!"
"I know." I rolled my eyes, annoyed.
"That reminds me..." I said. "I need to talk with Hera and Kanan."
"...about what?"
"Well... I know where the Empire is really taking the Wookies," I admitted. "And I think we should go with the crew to help save them."
"Okay."
"That's it? Just 'okay?'" I was surprised. I thought for sure that Elsa would want to get back home as soon as possible; the longer we stayed here, the more at risk she was of being discovered.
"Yeah," she shrugged. "These people are growing on me; besides, it makes sense for them to continue to wherever the Wookies really are, instead of dropping us off and then going after them. It could be too late."
"Then let's go tell them!"
Ten minutes later, we were on the way to the Spice Mines of Kessel. The Ghost crew was surprised that Elsa and I wanted to tag along on the mission, which made sense – why would two street-rats want to risk their lives (again, in my case) to save a bunch of strangers? But Elsa was right. The crew was growing on me, just a little, and I could tell that she and Kanan were already forming a small bond. I wonder what happened while I was gone to make that happen... I thought. I knew that they had taken care of her – she'd affirmed that herself – but I'd also heard from Zeb that she'd gotten quite scary when she found out he had left me behind.
"You know, for such a small kid, that sister of yours can be really intimidating," he'd told me. "I swear the room got twenty degrees colder when she found out..." I had no doubt this was true. Any time Elsa got angry, the room's temperature would drop significantly, depending on how mad she was. I didn't think she'd ever gotten that mad at me before. Well, good to know she cares.
"Ezra?" We were standing in the cargo bay, waiting for the ramp to open so we could jump out and save the Wookies. Elsa stood by my side, while Kanan, Sabine, and Zeb waited in front of us.
"Yeah?" I replied.
"You ready, kid?" Zeb asked.
"Ready as I'll ever be," I said as the ramp opened. Everyone ran down it and jumped off. Immediately, troopers started shooting at us, but the crew kept them at bay while Elsa and I snuck into the crowd of hand-cuffed Wookies. I held up my key, showing them that we were there to help. Elsa pulled out her own key and we set to work, freeing all the Wookies, who in turn knocked out the rest of the troopers.
For a moment, we thought we were done, until three TIE fighters made Hera have to leave to get maneuvering room, and a transport rose out of the crater, bringing more troopers and -
"Agent Kallus," I muttered as we took cover.
"You know him?" Elsa asked, shooting a trooper with her energy slingshot.
"He's the agent who grabbed me back on the destroyer," I explained. I started to aim for a trooper, then noticed that a small Wookie child was running in the opposite direction, still hand-cuffed, and was being chased by a lone trooper. I hesitated, then kept following the rest of the crew to shelter behind a stack of crates.
"I can't maintain position!" I heard Hera shout over the comm.
"Go! Lead the TIE's away and get yourself maneuvering room!" Kanan responded.
"I am not leaving you behind!" Kanan hesitated, glancing behind us towards a few large storage crates.
"No, you're not – we're running a 22-pickup."
"Are you serious?" Sabine asked. He nodded.
"Care to let us in on the secret?" I said, both Elsa and I confused at what exactly a '22-pickup' was.
"Kids, I'm about to let everyone in on the secret," he said, standing up and climbing over the crates. Kanan walked towards the group of troopers, dodging a bullet here and there, until Kallus ordered them to stop firing. He put his blaster away, taking two metal pieces that hung from his belt and connecting them, then holding it up and igniting -
"A light-saber," Elsa breathed from behind me. The storm-troopers hesitated, and I could even see the shocked look on Kallus's face, though it only lasted a second.
"Troopers, focus your fire on – on the Jedi," he commanded. Immediately, they began firing, and Kanan yelled, "Time to go!" while deflecting as many bullets as he could.
"Everyone, into the container!" Zeb ordered, and the Wookies started running after him as he dragged the injured Wookie towards it. I watched for a moment, noticing how the Wookie didn't seem to want to leave... and then I remembered: the young Wookie had run in the opposite direction. I glanced at Kanan, who was still deflecting the constant fire of the troopers, then at Elsa, who I knew was thinking the exact same thing.
"C'mon," I said, motioning for her to follow. We quickly stood up and raced in the direction the Wookie had disappeared, pretending not to hear Zeb's angry cries.
Little did we know that a certain agent saw us go.
***Elsa's POV***
It didn't take long for us to catch up to the trooper and the young Wookie. He was being chased onto a long bridge that extended over a large pit. As we drew nearer, Ezra called out, "Hey!" getting the trooper's attention. He turned, and Ezra did something I'd never seen him do – he jumped, flipping over the trooper's head before landing and shooting him three times with his slingshot. "Gotcha!" he cried triumphantly. I raced over to him, watching as he unlocked the hand-cuffs from the Wookie's hands.
"Good, he's free," I said. "Now let's get out of here before-"
"It's over for you, Jedi." An unfamiliar voice sounded from behind me, and as I turned around, Ezra put himself in front of the two of us, protecting us from none other than Agent Kallus. I glared at him, knowing he was the reason I'd almost lost Ezra. "A master and two apprentices. Such a rare find these days," he said, pointing his blaster straight at us.
"I don't know where you get your delusions, bucket-head; we work alone," Ezra retorted.
"Not this time." The Ghost rose from the dusty cloud of the pit, revealing Kanan standing on the hull with his light-saber at the ready. Kallus shot at him, but one of the bullets was deflected and hit him in the shoulder, causing him to fall off the bridge and into the pit. "Jump kids!" Kanan commanded, and the three of us jumped onto the ship.
A few minutes later, we were back inside the Ghost, heading towards the cargo bay to reunite the young Wookie with his dad. The moment he saw him, he quickly slid down the ladder and ran over to his dad, who pulled him into a hug. Ezra, Kanan and I watched from a small balcony, and I noticed that Ezra had a strange look on his face. I recognized it at once – it was the look he got whenever he missed our parents. I nudged him and gave him a small smile, which he returned gratefully.
I had never missed my parents as much as Ezra had; I'd been so young when they were taken that I barely remembered them. Of course, I still missed them, but not to the extent of my brother. Even so, I knew how he felt – it was hard to watch someone interact with their parents, knowing that you might not ever be able to do the same thing again.
An hour later, I sat alone in the common room, waiting for the Wookies to leave. Their ship had arrived, and everyone but Hera, Chopper and I was down in the airlock, bidding them farewell. I had chosen to stay away, though I wasn't really sure why.
I curled my legs up beside me on the couch, resting my chin on my hands. Suddenly a thought entered my mind: I wonder if Kallus is alive. I'd seen him get hit with the bullet, seen him fall over the railing and into the pit, but somehow... I knew he was still out there. And now that he knew what Kanan was, and apparently thought that Ezra and I were his apprentices, I knew we were in big trouble.
A small part of me wondered if Ezra and I would be able to go back to our old lives, stealing to survive and living in an old abandoned comm tower. Strangely, I already knew the answer. I knew there had to be some reason we'd met this crew. Something – fate, maybe – had drawn us together, and I had a feeling that even if we tried to leave, we'd be pulled right back.
But there was something else... why did Kallus think we were Kanan's apprentices? I'd done nothing to show that I was strong with the Force. Ezra, on the other hand... well, he had done that crazy flip-jump thing. Which meant that Kallus knew at least one of us was strong with the Force, which also meant that we were both in danger. There was no way we could go back now, not with the Empire looking for us. Besides, I told myself. Maybe Kanan could teach Ezra to use his abilities better. Wait... what am I thinking?! My plans for joining the Ghost crew skidded to a stop. I... couldn't join the crew. It was too dangerous; what if they found out about my powers? But they're not the Empire, a small part of me said. They wouldn't turn you into a weapon.
I can't risk it, I argued. If they find out, then the Empire could find out, and not only does that put me in grave danger, it puts Ezra and everyone else in danger too. I can't do that to them. Which means... I have to stay on Lothal. Alone.
"Well," I muttered, standing up. "I guess every blessing comes with a curse."
"Kanan?" I said, walking over to him. We were all in the common room, on our way back to Lothal. "Can... I talk to you?" I glanced at Ezra, who was watching me curiously. "Alone?" I quickly added. Kanan nodded, looking a bit confused. We left the room and walked into the hall. Before the door shut, I gave Ezra a significant look that clearly said, "Don't you dare eavesdrop or I will kill you."
"So... what do you want to talk about?" Kanan asked. I leaned against the wall, hesitating for a moment. What I was about to ask would change my entire life. I took a deep breath, then replied, "I want you to train Ezra."
"You... what?"
"I want you to train him," I repeated calmly, though inside my mind was in full panic mode. "As a Jedi. You and I both know he's strong with the Force, and after what happened today, he needs training more than ever. Besides," I continued, "he'll be in danger now that Kallus knows who he is. He'll be safer here with you." Kanan stared at me, his face a mix of surprise, confusion, and... fear? It was a few minutes before he answered, and during those excruciatingly long minutes, I didn't break my eye contact, trying to seem sincere and mature.
"Alright," he finally said.
"You'll do it?" He nodded, then said, "What about you?" I looked down at the floor. I had a feeling he would ask that question.
"I'm staying on Lothal. It's... for the best," I said quietly, praying he wouldn't question me any further.
"You're leaving your brother? How does he feel about this?" I didn't answer, still staring at the ground as if it was the most fascinating thing in the universe. "He doesn't know, does he?"
"And he can't know, not yet. It'll be better this way for both of us."
"Why?" Kanan asked. "We've got room on the ship, and I'm sure Sabine would love to have another girl around. You're welcome to join -"
"Please, Kanan, you have to understand," I interrupted, getting desperate. "I'd love to stay and join the crew, but it's too dangerous! If I join, and-and something goes wrong, I'd put you all in danger." I stopped, taking a few calming breaths before saying quietly, "And I can't do that."
"Okay." My head snapped up. "Really?" I said. "You'll really let me leave, and keep Ezra here?"
"I'll train Ezra, but I'm not sure he'll let you stay on Lothal alone. It was dangerous enough with just the two of you living on your own. We'd be happy to keep you both here, but I think that's something you need to discuss with your brother." I nodded. I'd had a feeling that Kanan wouldn't just leave me alone on Lothal, and I knew that there was no way Ezra would ever leave me. He was way too overprotective. But at least Kanan had agreed to train Ezra.
"Thank you, Kanan," I replied. "I'll talk to him." Kanan nodded, then turned and went back to the common room.
I stayed in the hall, trying to figure out what I should do. Either I stayed here with Ezra, or I tried to stay alone on Lothal. I sighed, then turned and followed Kanan into the common room.
I had a big decision to make.
When we finally made it back to Lothal, Ezra and I got ready to go back to the tower. I had spent the rest of the trip avoiding him, not wanting to tell him about what I'd asked Kanan to do. I'd have to talk to him soon, though, because he was set on leaving the crew and going back to our normal life.
We said our goodbyes and started walking back. It didn't take long for Ezra to start asking questions.
"Soo… what was that talk with Kanan about?" he asked.
"Can it wait til we get home?" I replied. "I don't want to talk about it out in the open." Ezra shrugged, then grinned.
"Race you back?" he said mischievously.
"Sure, only if you want to lose," I answered before taking off towards the tower. As I ran, I could hear my brother catching up behind me, shouting that I started before he was ready.
"No fair!" he yelled. But as I glanced back at him, I could see a grin on his face.
I was going to miss him.
"Okay, we're back home. Are you going to tell me now?" Ezra pestered.
"Fine… I asked Kanan to train you, as a Jedi."
"You… what?"
"Look, we both know you're strong with the Force, and Kanan's a Jedi! He can train you, help you with your powers. I just… after what happened on Kessel… well, that ISB agent knows about you, and you'd be safer if you trained with Kanan."
"I guess that makes sense…" Ezra sat down, resting his head on his hands. "So you want us to join their crew?"
"Not me. You."
"What?" Ezra's head shot up. "Absolutely not. Elsa, there is no way I'd go join some random crew to be a Jedi and just leave you here! What kind of brother would I be if I left my younger sister to fend for herself?" He stood up and started pacing.
"Look, Ezra, you have to understand-"
"Understand what? I'm not leaving you, Els. Ever. We're stuck together, remember?" I sighed, leaning my head against the wall. I had a feeling Ezra would put up a fight.
"Ezra… I'd love to join their crew, honestly. But I'm afraid if I do, my powers could be exposed and then the entire Empire is going to be looking for me. And if that happens, then they'll start looking for anyone who knows me, which puts you and the crew in danger. I can't do that… I can't put everyone in danger just because I want to stay with you."
"Els… have I ever told you that you overthink wayyy too much?"
"...what?" I said, glancing up at Ezra.
"Remember when Agent Kallus - the ISB agent - saw us free that young Wookie? He called both of us Kanan's apprentices. Not just me. That means that he's going to be looking for both of us, so if we don't stick together…" Ezra trailed off, but I knew exactly what he was thinking.
If we didn't stick together, we could be taken away, just like our parents.
"...fine."
"...fine what?"
"We'll both join the crew," I consented. "But we both have to be careful. Got it?" Ezra lit up.
"Yes ma'am," he said, pretending to salute me.
"Well then, let's go talk to Kanan!"
And with that, our new life began.
A/N: So... obviously it's been more than a few days. It took me that long because I was trying to decide if I wanted to keep going with this plot or change it, and I eventually decided to keep it the way it is. As you may notice, the first few chapters relied a lot on the original lines from the show. All chapters following this one will be written more freely and will have more scenes that don't appear in the original series. I hope you enjoyed chapter 2! Thanks for reading and have a wonderful day :)