Gathering Forces
The ongoing chase eventually reached up into space and the TIEs were not giving up as they were desperate to get their hands on Tseebo.
"Chopper, I'm rolling us starboard. Be ready to fire those rear guns." Hera said to Chopper, not knowing that he's fried.
Zeb ran up to the Phantom and saw Chopper's burnt and smoking body.
"Karabast! Chopper's down!" Zeb informed her and then checked the Phantom, only to get a faceful of smoke and he put out the fire and smoke before getting in the seat to fire back.
"I've got you covered, Hera. Roll away!" He informed the pilot and she did just that, with help from Errol as co-pilot. And as they rolled, Zeb fired and took down one of the TIEs. Then suddenly, more popped up, which Errol noticed on the sensors.
"We've got more company from the side." He told Hera.
"They're this desperate for a Rodian?" She asked him.
"Because he has Imperial secrets cybernetically implanted into him. And he even knows Ezra." He informed her, shocking her.
"Really?" She said in surprise. The TIEs fired again at the ship and it shook, causing Ezra, Tseebo and Sabine to stumble in the common room. Ezra has just been told that Tseebo seems to know what happened to his parents.
"Sabine, get in the nose gun, now!" Errol shouted over the comlink. She however, stood there looking at Ezra.
"Didn't you hear Errol?" He questioned her.
"Didn't you hear Tseebo? He said he knows what happened to your parents." Sabine argued back.
"I already know what happened. They're dead. So go!" He snapped at her, angrily glaring at her until she reluctantly ran to the nose gun.
Ezra then grabbed Tseebo by the arms to face him.
"Are they? Are my parents dead?" He asked him.
"Alright, let's get out of here." Hera muttered as they're being chased and another TIE got destroyed.
"The Bridgers should hide. The troopers came. They took Mira and Ephraim Bridger away." Tseebo said.
"Where? Where did they take them?" Ezra asked, desperately.
"*sighs, mutters* Forgive Tseebo. Forgive him." The Rodian said, looking away.
"Forgive you?" Ezra asked, angrily.
"Tseebo failed. Tseebo was afraid. Tseebo could not raise Ezra Bridger." Tseebo said in pure guilt. However, Ezra was getting furious.
"Coward! You could have stopped them! Why didn't you stop them?!" Ezra begged but the implant messed with his head and all he could do was whimper in pain and sorrow.
"Tseebo!" Ezra yelled.
Up in the cockpit, the controls on the co-pilot side sparked and smoke came out.
"Damnit!" Errol spat and started to try and fix the nav-computer but he can't seem to do it.
"Ezra, we need you in the cockpit!" He requested.
"Yeah. On my way." He replied, looking at the Rodian in disgust.
"Forgive you? My parents trusted you and you failed them and you failed me. I'll never forgive you for that." Ezra spat before running up to the cockpit.
The Inquisitor, being a sneaky little snake, tagged the ship with a tracker, but it got attached to the Phantom.
Ezra reached the cockpit.
"The nav-computer's offline. I've tried to fix it, but no good. And with Chopper down, you need to fix it." Errol explained the situation.
"Not my speciality." Ezra confessed as he started to try and fix it.
"Well, make it your specialty and make it fast." Hera told the teen and then she and Errol saw two Star Destroyers in their way.
"Or this ship becomes a real ghost." She added in real fear. Then TIEs from the Destroyers came right at them and started firing.
"Ezra!" Errol shouted in worry.
"Rewiring fast as I-" He was about to reply but then Tseebo entered.
"For fast travel over interstellar distances, hyperspace is optimal." He said before starting to tinker.
"What is he doing?" Hera asked in confusion. Then Tseebo was able to fix the systems up.
"I don't believe it. Hang on!" Hera said in disbelief. She then entered the Ghost into Hyperspace.
Ezra helped the Rodian up and both Errol and Hera stood.
"Uh, Hera. This is Tseebo." Ezra introduced.
"And did Tseebo just signal Hyperspace coordinates directly to my ship?" She asked, a bit amazed.
"It would seem so." Errol said, equally amazed.
"Well, then, thank you, Tseebo. I think you saved our lives." Hera thanked the Rodian.
"Yeah, I guess there's a first time for everything." Ezra said in disdain, surprising Hera and especially Errol, watching him walk out of the cockpit.
Later, everyone was in the common room with both Hera and Sabine examining Chopper to try and fix him up. Sabine had her eyes on Ezra, remembering how he acted earlier.
Kanan was a bit creeped out by Tseebo and waved his hand in front of his face, not getting a reaction.
"So? Now what do we do with him?" Ezra asked, breaking the silence.
"We have a few ideas. But you're the one who has history with Tseebo. What do you think we should do?" Kanan asked him. Ezra just simply put a helmet on that was painted.
"Don't know. Don't much care." He replied.
"Ezra, you'll never advance as a Jedi if you can't be honest, with yourself, at least." The older man reminded him.
"What's that supposed to mean?" The teen questioned and stood up to try and walk away.
"That Tseebo matters to you." Errol stated, grabbing him by the helmet and taking it off.
"You do care what happens to him." Kanan added.
"Why should I? He did nothing to save my parents." Ezra accused, pointing a finger at Tseebo.
"What could he have done against the entire Empire?" Kanan pointed out.
"And besides, look at what he's done since. The Imperials encourage these implants but they're not mandatory. Not yet. He must have volunteered. And then he uploaded their secrets and ran. Maybe he's trying to make up for letting you down. Why else would he take on the Empire alone?" Sabine suggested.
"Empire. *Huttese*" Tseebo said, making Sabine on edge, knowing what he said.
"He said the Empire can track the Ghost." She translated.
"Oh, please. The Imperials can't follow us through Hyperspace." Zeb scoffed at the idea.
"Uh, they just might." Errol said, considering the possibility but then Tseebo showed a hologram of a piece of tech.
"Imperial XX-23 S-thread tracker was developed by Sienar Systems to trace ships through Hyperspace to destination." He explained.
"Um, Hera, I think they're using that to track us." Errol said, a bit worried.
"Only one way to find out." She said just as she finished tweaking Chopper's dish and then turned him on and he beeped in a panicked tone, waving his mechanical limbs about and spinning fast.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Calm down, Chop. You were just offline for a few minutes. *sighs* We need you to scan the Ghost for that." She said to calm him down and pointed at the hologram and Chopper grumbled.
"Just shut up and find the tracker." Errol groaned and the astromech went off to do as told.
The whole crew were in the cockpit and looked at a hologram showing the ship and there was a red reticle showing where the tracker was.
"So they did tag us." Sabine said.
"Yep. But we're lucky because it's only on the hull of the Phantom." Errol pointed out.
"How is that lucky?" Zeb asked in disbelief.
"It'll allow us to detach the Phantom and lure the Imperials away from the Ghost and Tseebo." Kanan explained.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! You want to detach while in Hyperspace? Do you know how incredibly dangerous that is?" Sabine asked in protest.
"Not as dangerous as what I plan to do with the ship." The Jedi fired back.
"Can't wait to hear this." Zeb said in sarcasm.
"I checked our current trajectory. If you can modify the Hyperspace coordinates-"
"I could." Hera confirmed.
"Then we can pass by the asteroid field where the old clone base is." Kanan stated.
"Really? The same base where those creatures wanted to eat us for lunch?" Errol questioned Kanan's intelligence for the first time.
"Wait, what? Why would we want to go down there?" Ezra also questioned.
"They're right, Kanan. Why not just drop the Phantom into our trail and let the Imperials chase after their tracker?" Hera suggested instead.
"Because there's more than a tracker at work here. Back on Lothal I sensed it. The Inquisitor is on our trail, and as long as Ezra, Errol and I are onboard the Ghost, we're jeopardizing Tseebo's escape." Kanan argued.
"Uh, only you and Ezra. I can hide myself from the Force. So the Inquisitor won't be able to find me." Errol brought up, reminding everyone.
"So, I gotta leave the Ghost and go to this nasty filled asteroid as a favour to Tseebo?" Ezra questioned the whole thing.
"As a favour to all of us. And don't worry. I'll be right beside you." Kanan assured him and Ezra sighed in acceptance.
A bit later, Ezra was watching Tseebo in the kitchen with a frown. Sabine then entered.
"So, your parents…. Do you really believe they're dead?" She asked the teen.
"Yes. No. I-I don't know. Does it matter?" He asked her.
"Yeah, of course it matters. You have to talk to Tseebo before we go." She told him.
"Tried that already." Ezra brushed her off.
"Okay, so try harder! Once Hera takes him away, you may never see Tseebo again." She pushed, with Errol and Kanan hearing her from the other side of the door.
"Maybe that's for the best." He said bitterly, walking to the door.
"Wha…. How can you say that?!" She asked, not believing what she's hearing.
"Sabine. *sighs* I've been on my own since I was seven, okay? If I'd let myself my folks were alive, if I let myself believe they'd come back and save me, I'd never have learned how to survive." He told her and then the door opened, revealing Kanan and Errol, who listened.
"You ready?" Kanan asked his Padawan. Ezra looked back at Sabine, looked at Tseebo and then turned to his Master.
"Okay." He said.
"She's just trying to help, Ezra." Errol told him as the two walked to the Phantom.
Errol joined up with Hera in the cockpit and sat in the co-pilot seat.
"Prepping for separation. Once we're out of Hyperspace, we'll head towards the asteroid base and lead the Empire there." Kanan informed them through the comms.
"You sure about this?" Hera asked.
"Yeah, you'll be just as welcomed as the Imperials." Errol added as Zeb sat and Sabine helped Tseebo in the seat behind Errol.
"That's what I'm counting on." The older Jedi said.
"Just be safe. And Ezra? Look out for Kanan." Hera requested.
"Somebody has to." He replied to her.
"Ready for separation." The pilot informed them.
"Copy that, Ghost." Kanan acknowledged.
"Five, four, three, two, one." She and Errol counted down.
"Detach!" Hera proclaimed and the Phantom detached from the ship and were able to make it safe and sound with some difficulty.
Once the Ghost exited Hyperspace, Hera contacted Fulcrum about Tseebo and arranged to meet up so that Fulcrum could pick up the Rodian for the information. So an Alderaan Cruiser arrived and attached airlocks with the Ghost.
"Fulcrum to Ghost. Docking complete. Heading to airlock now." Fulcrum's modulated voice said.
"Acknowledged, Fulcrum. We're ready and waiting." Hera replied. She looked at Errol and he seemed like himself, which was good since they cleared things up between them.
"I don't suppose Zeb and I could get to meet Fulcrum this time?" Sabine suggested.
"Nope. This time, you stay in the cockpit." Hera instructed the two with a smile.
"That's what we did last time." Zeb whined.
"Errol, want to come with me?" Hera asked.
"Alright. Be nice to catch up with Fulcrum." He said, rather convincingly as he got up and followed her out of the cockpit and met up with Tseebo, who looked rather normal.
"You seem better." Hera pointed out.
"Tseebo's mind is clearer now. But it is difficult. There's so much information inside Tseebo." He said and they walked to the airlock.
"Fulcrum's people will help you with that and keep you safe." Hera assured him.
"But will Tseebo see Ezra Bridger again?" He asked.
"You just might. One day." Errol told him.
"Is there anything you'd like for us to tell him?" Hera then asked.
"Oh, Tseebo failed Bridgers. Did not watch over their son. But Tseebo tried to make it right by accessing Imperial files." He said, still feeling guilty.
"And said intel will be a big help." Errol stated.
"Oh, intel unimportant, an accident. Tseebo access file on Ezra Bridger's parents. Tseebo knows Bridgers' fate." He revealed to them.
"Then tell us, Tseebo. Tell us and we'll tell Ezra." Hera asked him.
He revealed their fates and it was rather shocking in a bad way. They then handed him over to Fulcrum who met them at the airlock.
"Hera, go ahead. I'd like to catch up with Fulcrum." Errol asked Hera, who nodded and left the two there. The second Hera was gone, Errol instantly hugged Fulcrum, or his mom, Ahsoka. She hugged back.
"Hi, mom." He greeted her.
"Hi, sweetie." She greeted back and they parted, looking at each other.
"You have no idea how close your secret identities were revealed to Hera and Sabine." Errol revealed to her.
"At least they don't know yet." She said. Ahsoka then noticed and remembered how he looked at Hera.
"You love her, don't you?" She grinned. He knew he couldn't lie to his mother.
"Yes. I haven't told her yet but I plan to." He confessed and his mom gave him a peck on the cheek.
"My son has fallen in love." She giggled, making Errol embarrassed and blushed hard.
"Mom…." He whined.
"Well, I wish we can talk more but I gotta go, and I can sense you do, too." Ahsoka then told him.
"Yeah." He answered. They then hugged and Ahsoka kissed him on the cheek again.
"May the Force be with you." She said.
"May the Force be with you, too. Tell dad I love him." He replied and they went back to their ships and parted ways.
A few hours had passed until the Phantom came back and attached itself back to the Ghost.
Kanan and Ezra climbed down the ladder to the common room where everyone waited for them.
"Welcome back, you two." Sabine greeted.
"You outsmarted them again. Good job, boss." Zeb congratulated them.
"You made it." Hera said upon seeing Kanan. And how she said it, made Errol feel a bit off.
"Was there any doubt?" Kanan asked.
"Never." Errol replied. He then looked to Ezra who seemed a bit saddened. He searched his feelings and was surprised to now know that Ezra just had his first brush with the Dark Side of the Force.
"Ezra, me and Errol have something to-"
"Ezra needs a little time to himself right now." Kanan stopped her as Ezra walked past her to somewhere else in the ship.
"*sighs* We need to talk." Kanan told Hera and they went off to talk. Errol just went to his quarters and sat there contemplating what it means now that Ezra has had his first experience with the Dark Side. This could be an interesting dilemma.