I do not own Star Wars in any capacity.

Enjoy chapter 4!

"Sabine…" Kanan admonished.

"What?! He was literally trying to kill us!"

"You didn't have to shoot his daiima."

"Well it was either his daiima or risk shooting Nara. Take your pick."

Kanan sighed. At least Sabine had the sense to have her blasters on stun. He picked up the Inquisitor's lightsaber and secured it to his belt before walking over to check on him. Nara stepped over to inspect his daiima, her chest rumbling as she hummed thoughtfully.

"At least this went better than last night," Sabine said. She followed Nara and looked down at the unconscious lothcat form of the Inquisitor's daiima. "So what're we going to do with them?"

Kanan knelt down beside the Inquisitor with a slight frown. Looking at him in the daylight, he was younger than Kanan had originally thought. He didn't seem to be any older than twelve. Kanan recognized the outfit and armor as typical Inquisitor attire: tight black under armor and black plasteel pauldrons and cuirass emblazoned with the white Imperial cog. But what stood out to him was the sleek durasteel collar tight against the child's neck.

"I'm surprised the Inquisitorious sent them after us alone," Nara said, her nose gently nudging the other daiima. "They don't seem very experienced."

"Maybe it was a test," Sabine said. "Or maybe he was acting on his own. Either way, neither of you have answered my very important question of what we're going to do with them?"

Kanan pulled out his comm. "Hera? How's the ship looking?"

"Our port engine took a solid hit. Chopper and I are working on it, but it's going to be at least a couple of hours before we can get her up in the air."

That wasn't good. There was no way the Inquisitor was going to stay unconscious for that long. He looked back down at the boy and at the tight collar around his neck. They couldn't move the ship, but they couldn't just let the Inquisitor go either. Even if they managed to drop him off far away from the Ghost before he and his daiima woke… The thought of leaving the child here to go right back to the Inquisitorious made Kanan's stomach roll.

They needed to secure him… at least until they were able to get the Ghost fixed. Kanan slipped his arms beneath the Inquisitor's legs and shoulders and picked him up. "Nara, grab his daiima. We'll keep them in the loading dock."

"What?!" Sabine exclaimed.

"We don't have any other choice. We can't just let them go, and there's nowhere else we can secure them while Hera and Chop work on the repairs."

"Well… there is an alternative solution…"

"I am not killing them," Kanan snarled, giving her a sharp glare. It must have been more withering than he had intended because Sabine literally took a step back from him, her eyes widening slightly. He closed his eyes and sighed. "Just… let me and Nara handle it."

Sabine nodded, relaxing slightly. "Alright. I'm going to go see if I can help with the repairs."

Nara gently nipped the nape of the Inquisitor's daiima and walked behind Kanan as he carried the boy into the Ghost. [You're going to use the cuffs, aren't you?] Nara asked silently.

Kanan cringed at the sadness Nara was radiating. [I have to. We can't put the others at risk.]

[You know what these two have probably gone through…]

[That doesn't mean they're not dangerous.]

[Kanan… how would you have reacted if Vihi had restrained you like that?]

Kanan's stomach squirmed as he gently put the boy down, Nara placing his daiima right by his side. He walked over and closed the Ghost up to cut off any means of escape. "Vihi would have sooner killed us," he said, his voice flat. "If they wake up and catch us off guard…" He shook his head. "We can't risk it."

Nara slumped slightly and sighed. "Alright. I'll watch them."

With a short nod, Kanan quickly went up to the crew's quarters. He didn't have many belongings from his past, but he kept them all in the small hidden drawer beneath his bunk. He unlocked the door to his cabin and stepped inside with a sigh. He could count on his fingers the number of times he had actually slept in here.

He knelt next to the bunk and opened the drawer. For a moment, he just stared at the contents. Then he banged the durasteel edge of the bed twice with his fist before reaching in and pulling out the bulky cuffs. He wasn't even sure why he had kept them. They were attached to all sorts of horrible memories, but they were a useful tool. He supposed a part of him knew that this kind of scenario would come up eventually.

He just never thought he would have to use them on an Inquisitor so young.

[You still don't have to...] Nara reminded him gently.

Kanan ignored her, stowing the Inquisitor's lightsaber in the drawer before closing it. He relocked his cabin and headed down to the loading dock. The cuffs were heavy in his hands. Their bulk came from the technology inside that suppressed Force abilities.

Don't think about it, Kanan told himself, a low growl emanating from his throat. He was doing this to protect the crew, his family. He knew exactly what Inquisitors were capable of. It didn't matter that it was just a child. It didn't matter that he had clearly sensed the boy's fear and desperate rage, dredging up memories of his own wretched past…

Nara was sitting next to the boy and his daiima, her eyes fixed on the cuffs as he walked into the loading dock. "Kanan, please don't do this…" she pleaded aloud.

He avoided eye contact with her as he knelt next to the Inquisitor. Bile flooded his mouth as he slowly pulled the boy's wrists together, placing them into the open cuffs.

His muscles froze before he could snap them shut, horror rising up in him. The Inquisitor's wrists were just so small, even with the layers of the uniform and leather gloves. His eyes drifted back up at the collar around his neck. He had ignored it before, but there were faint scars barely visible beneath the durasteel. Reddish spindly scars born of repeated shocks…

Kanan slowly pulled the cuffs away, his hands trembling as he stared down at the horrible contraption.

Nara's relief was palpable through their bond. "Between the two of us, we can keep them under control."

As if on cue, Kanan felt a harsh buzz in the back of his head. The boy let out a soft moan, and his daiima squirmed and blinked in disorientation. She woke up first, her pupils shrinking to slits and her ears pressing back against her head as she let out a loud hiss. The Inquisitor's eyes snapped open, sitting up like a springboard and thrusting his hands forward.

Kanan and Nara both staggered back from the Force push. The Inquisitor reached back to grab his lightsaber, his eyes widening as he realized it wasn't there. The Inquisitor's daiima swelled into a nexu before jumping at Nara with a high pitched snarl. Nara sidestepped the attack before twisting back to headbutt the daiima's side and knock her to the ground.

The Inquisitor cried out as he was also knocked down, and Kanan took the chance to jump on top of him and pinned his arms to his back. "Calm down," Kanan growled.

The Inquisitor just snarled in response. He tried to throw Kanan off of him but he was twice the boy's size. With Nara pinning his daiima as well, they were both effectively immobilized.

"We're not going to hurt you," Nara said, addressing the daiima. "We have the means of restraining your jemma, but we don't want to use them if we don't have to."

The daiima didn't respond, but she stopped struggling with a low whine.

The Inquisitor on the other hand was still struggling violently under Kanan. "No! Get off!" he screamed.

"Not until you calm… down…" Kanan emphasized. "Nara wasn't bluffing. We can restrain you, and I promise you won't like it."

The Inquisitor's breathing was turning ragged, and his rage was transforming into panic. "No! Nonono, I-I have… I have to…!"

Kanan grit his teeth. He wasn't used to sensing others' emotions so keenly, and the Inquisitor's growing terror was piercing through his shields like a sharp needle. "You've been overpowered. You've lost."

The Inquisitor looked over at his daiima, his yellow eyes shining with newfound hate. "Get up!" he shouted, his voice high pitched and strained with desperation. "Get up, you useless welp!"

It was disturbing to see the ease with which the Inquisitor threw his anger at his own daiima. And she just took it, although she did not rise at his bidding. Instead she flinched, and cowered away from him as she shrank back into a lothcat form. It made Kanan's chest ache to witness. This sort of self-harm was a strong testament to just how twisted and broken the Inquisitorious had made them.

Upon seeing his daiima shy away from him, something in the Inquisitor's mind shifted. His struggling weakened into trembles, and he turned to press his forehead against the durasteel floor in defeat.

Kanan slowly got off of him, and Nara stepped away as well. Neither the Inquisitor or the daiima moved for a moment. Then the Inquisitor put his arms underneath himself and pushed up to sit. He looked at Kanan and Nara warily before his eyes settled on the blaster strapped to Kanan's leg. "Just do it," he whispered.

"I am not going to kill you," Kanan said firmly.

The Inquisitor closed his eyes, his fists clenched against his thighs. When he opened them again, he glared at Kanan with a hate so intense it nearly knocked Kanan back a step. "You can't keep me here forever. The moment you let your guard down…"

"You're not going to get very far without a weapon," Kanan said dryly. He held up the cuffs. "Do you know what these do?" He wasn't surprised when the Inquisitor immediately paled. Taking away one's ability to use the Force - cutting off their connection to their daiima - for extended periods of time was one of the easier ways to break a person.

The Inquisitor swallowed as he stared at the cuffs. "It won't matter," he said, his voice quaking through his bravado. His daiima was slowly crawling back to his side, her body hunched low to the ground before she laid next to her jemma. The Inquisitor didn't even seem to notice. "Even if you confine me, my master will just kill you and your crew anyway."

"Your master is also an Inquisitor?" Nara clarified.

The boy jumped, looking at Nara in surprise. He quickly masked it with another glare. "My master is the Seventh Sister. She and her Asset will rip you both into pieces."

"Asset…" Kanan echoed sadly. That would explain the daiima's behavior. They had been taught that she was no more than a tool, an asset to be used.

"If you know what's best for you…" the Inquisitor went on, "... you'll kill me right here and now before dumping my body far away from here."

Kanan frowned slightly as he shared a glance with Nara. The boy wanted Kanan to kill him. With a strange sort of clarity, Kanan could tell that it wasn't because he was suicidal. This desire was born out of an all-consuming terror that had infected the Inquisitor through and through. Whoever this Seventh Sister was, this boy was desperate to never see her again.

"My name's Kanan," he said quietly. He waved a hand over at his daiima. "This is Nara. What's your name?"

The Inquisitor shifted slightly. "I am Eye See Thirteen."

Kanan pressed his lips together. "That's not a name. That's your designation."

Although the Inquisitor maintained his glare at Kanan, his eyes developed a slight glassy quality. "I am Eye See Thirteen. I am a weapon. I live to serve the Empire."

Kanan sighed. The boy had fallen back on his conditioning. This wasn't going to go anywhere.

But Nara wasn't deterred. She stepped closer to them, and both the Inquisitor and his daiima stiffened. While there were no other outward reactions, Kanan and Nara could both sense their rising fear scraping against their minds like a jagged saw. The Inquisitor's heart was pounding so loudly that Nara could easily hear it. It all would have sent Kanan spiraling into the past if he had not been pounding his fist against his thigh.

Nara kept her motions slow as she laid on the ground, lowering her head so she was eye level with the other daiima. "And what about you?" she asked softly. "Do you have a name?"

The daiima's eyes widened, remaining silent as she stared at Nara in shock. She obviously was not accustomed to others addressing her directly. A pit formed in Kanan's stomach as he wondered if she even knew how to speak.

[They're so young…] Kanan thought, crossing his arms across his chest. [It's possible they've never known anything but the Inquisitorious.]

[I don't believe that,] Nara replied, still gazing at the daiima. [I can't explain it, but I can feel her in a way I can't feel others. She wants to reach out. She has answers…]

That made Kanan frown. Now that she was wording it like that, he realized that they were both able to sense these two much more strongly than they should be able to. Their shields - which they worked on strengthening almost every day - were still holding strong. At first Kanan thought that it was just because the Inquisitor was also Force sensitive. But he had never been able to sense another person's emotions this clearly. Not his friends. Not Vihi. Not him…

Only Master Billaba and her daiima, Parth.

The pit in Kanan's stomach dropped. [No… it can't be…]

Nara slowly sat up, careful not to startle the other two as she turned to look at Kanan. [I think it is.]

"Kanan."

He looked up to the catwalk to see Hera looking down at him. "How are the repairs coming?"

She spared only a glance at the Inquisitor and his daiima before focusing her attention on him. "We've got a problem."

Thirteen kept himself absolutely still as he watched the Twi'lek carefully. From her regalia, she was the pilot of the ship. So this must be the same Twi'lek from the other day's incident report. The third dissident.

"Is the engine really that bad off?" Kanan asked.

"No, the repairs are coming along fine." The Twi'lek turned to look at Thirteen. He almost looked away, but he reminded himself that this woman was not his master. He would not be cowed by her.

"Then what's the problem?"

She turned back to the Jedi. "Chopper detected a beacon from inside the ship. And we pinpointed it to his location."

Thirteen almost smirked, although there was nothing amusing about the situation. So they weren't completely incompetent. "I told you… My master is coming. You're best off if you kill me now."

His Asset gave a small whimper in distress, but Thirteen had to ignore it. She knew as well as he did that they were better off dead than back in her hands. Hell, at this point, it wouldn't just be her. The Grand Inquisitor - or worse, Lord Vader - would never be able to overlook his failure to kill the Jedi. A part of Thirteen was tempted to swipe the Jedi's blaster and just turn the muzzle to his own head. But he knew he wouldn't. He couldn't. Because he was a coward. Even knowing what their fate would be when the Empire found him and discovered that he had not only disobeyed his master but had allowed a Jedi to capture him… He just couldn't bring himself to follow through.

"We're not in the business of killing our guests," the Twi'lek said. She looked back at Kanan. "But there is some sort of tracker on him."

Kanan looked at Thirteen, and he hunched his shoulders up. He hated the Jedi's probing stare.

"The collar," Kanan stated. "We need to remove it."

Thirteen swallowed, suddenly very aware of the weight and tightness of durasteel against his throat. "No," he murmured.

Kanan and the Twi'lek exchanged a glance while Nara cocked her head to the side. "We've seen the scars. That collar is used to control you," the giant wolf said. "Don't you want it off?"

"I earned this collar!" Thirteen snarled. He didn't expect them to understand. This collar was a symbol of his freedom. It meant he was allowed to serve the Empire on his own. It meant he didn't have to stay at his master's side at all times.

"Well… we don't want your master to find us, so taking that thing off seems like a better solution than just killing you," Kanan said.

He stepped closer, and Thirteen pressed his back against the wall. "You can't!"

Kanan sighed. "Look, kid. I know it means a lot to you, but - "

"No, I mean you can't take it off! Only my master's bioscan can unlock it."

The Twi'lek hummed, her lekku twitching. "Well, I can get Chopper to program the Ghost to modulate the signal for now. But that means he can't leave the ship."

The muscles at the base of Thirteen's neck slowly relaxed as the tension drained out of them, even as a dull ache pulsated up towards his head. The Empire… wouldn't be able to track him? His master wouldn't be able to find him?

"Then once we leave Lothal, Chopper and Sabine can take a look and see if they can get it off."

Thirteen reflexively raised his hands to his neck, tracing his fingers along the top edge of the collar. It was unthinkable. He was Imperial property. This collar signified the Grand Inquisitor's permission to serve the Empire as a free agent. Taking it off would mean rejecting the Empire. Taking it off would mean more training by his master's hand.

"Kid…? Kid? Eye See Thirteen?!"

The sound of his name snapped him back into the present, his back automatically straightening as he held his head up. He blinked a few times at the figure in front of him. In front of him? Why weren't they standing? Towering over Thirteen as they gave him his next order…

Then his mind caught up to what he was actually seeing: the Jedi kneeling in front of him with a mixture of worry and caution. While the large scar made his expression difficult to read, Thirteen could sense it easily in the Force. Almost a little too easily.

"Don't," Thirteen ground out.

Kanan frowned. "Don't what?"

"Don't sit there pitying me!" he practically spat. "I'm an Inquisitorial Candidate, the only one of my class!" He ignored the voice in the back of his head mocking him with why he was the only one. He let out a bitter laugh. "But I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. You Jedi are all weak, so worried and ready to save the day when you can't even save yourselves!"

Kanan's expression remained unchanged, although he heard a low rumble come out of his Asset's chest. Thirteen schooled his expression carefully, not letting it get to him. He was a Jedi. He was weak. He wouldn't have his Asset attack him for just no reason.

"In the meantime," the Twi'lek said, "We need to get our guest settled."

Thirteen frowned. What did that mean?

"We can just lock him in the cargo bay with us," Kanan said, standing and taking a step back. "Nara and I will keep an eye on him."

The Twi'lek looked uncertain at that. "Are you sure that's going to be enough?"

"It will," Kanan said emphatically, smacking the side of his thigh twice. "I guess… talk to Sabine and scramble up some sort of cot."

Thirteen stiffened at that. A cot? What was a cot? His mind immediately jumped to the night frame his master would strap him to whenever he had earned it. But… Jedi were weak. They didn't have the will to do what needed to be done, not even to their enemies.

Right?

His Asset crawled up to his side, her ears flat against her head as she sat just a few inches from his leg. She didn't know what a cot was either, the same thoughts running through her mind.

The Jedi's Asset still had her belly on the ground as she slowly crawled forward and sniffed at the both of them. Thirteen's breathing went shallow, and he could feel his Asset was moments away from jumping into his arms.

"We're not going to hurt you," the wolf said. Her rumbled voice so deep that Thirteen would have thought she was masculine if he hadn't known better. "And beyond sealing the cargo door, we're not going to confine you. Not unless we absolutely have to."

Thirteen didn't dare move a muscle, but his Asset's head tilted slowly. Very carefully, she stepped up closer to the Jedi's giant Asset, sniffing at her snout. It took all of Thirteen's self control to not grab his Asset and yank her back. He had no idea how such an action would be interpreted.

The wolf's chest rumbled again, and this time his Asset's ears actually raised up a little and she took another step closer.

"Get back!" Thirteen snarled.

His Asset jumped back with a whimper, her ears going back flat against her head as a tiny voice in his head went [Sorry sorry!]

"Nara," the Jedi said softly. "Let's get them into the cargo bay."

The wolf crawled back and stood with a soft huff. "Alright." She glanced at Thirteen and his Asset with an unreadable expression before turning and walking further into the ship. "Cargo bay is this way."

Kanan hung back as he watched Thirteen and his Asset, slapping the thigh again. He waved a hand in the direction his Asset was walking. "After you," he said.

Thirteen looked between Kanan and the wolf as she continued to walk deeper into the ship. The Jedi didn't even look uncomfortable as the distance between them got bigger and bigger… And Thirteen was reminded that he hadn't seen a single sign of this 'Nara' the night before. She was enormous, dwarfing her Jedi partner. How was it that no one had noticed his Asset running around the city? Did they just have an unusually large range?

But those questions wouldn't be answered right now. So Thirteen slowly stood and stiffly followed, his Asset trailing just a step behind him. The cargo bay was a larger and darker area, but the layout was also… strange. While there were a few crates strapped down in the corner, it was hard to imagine this area was used for its intended purpose. Immediately to Thirteen's left was an area cordoned off by durasteel, with a manual door installed in it. A tall cabinet looked to have been welded to the far wall. Beside it in the far corner was a raised platform that had a pile of fabric and stuffed bags.

This platform was where the Jedi's Asset had curled up and settled, looking intently at both of them. "Sabine is resourceful, so she should have a cot ready for you in no time," she said.

Thirteen just nodded numbly as he walked to the opposite side of the cargo bay. The Jedi's Asset… slept down here? Of course, with her size, it probably just wasn't practical to get her to and from the cabins on this freighter. He couldn't imagine her even attempting to climb those ladders.

Kanan closed and locked the cargo bay door before going to sit next to his Asset. "You're going to stay down here with us until we can come up with a better solution."

"And what exactly are you planning on doing with me if not kill me?" Thirteen asked, his fists clenched and arms stiff against his sides.

"I'm not sure," Kanan said quietly. "But I can't let you go and risk you hurting anyone."

"A little late for that," Thirteen snarled.

The Jedi's eyes narrowed in what looked like anger, but all Thirteen could sense was some emotion he couldn't identify. Then Kanan sighed, readjusting his seat so that he was leaning against his Asset's side. "We know we can't keep you here forever," he went on. "But it'll have to do for now."

Thirteen could feel a painful wave of envy swell in his bond with his Asset, but he viciously shoved back down. He couldn't handle this on top of everything else. All sorts of questions were still swirling around his head, but they were all drowned out by the deep and hollow hopelessness that was settling over his shoulders.

What was he supposed to do now?

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