A/N: Here's the very first chapter of the story I wrote awhile back that I'm revamping and finally posting. All of this is entirely new writing, because I had to change a few plot points that didn't quite make sense in the original story. Because I have to rework some concepts, the updates for this story may be slow and random, but I promise that I will finish it eventually!
As always, comments, questions, reviews, and helpful criticism are highly appreciated.
As soon as Ezra woke up he knew immediately that he was sick. After all, his vision didn't normally spin dangerously and turn black at the edges when he sat up. That was only his first clue; the second was the pounding in his skull and the sharp pain that stabbed at his throat whenever he swallowed.
Normally, Ezra would find some easy jobs to do around the ship where he could stay out of everyone's way and recover on his own, but today was different. The Imperials were expecting a large shipment of medical supplies to an Outer Rim planet called Iego, and the crew of the Ghost had been asked to liberate those supplies for the Rebellion's use. Ezra knew how important this mission was, and he also knew that if he told Hera he was sick, she would make him sit out, which could put all of them in danger. That, or she would call off the mission entirely. Ezra would die of embarrassment if that happened. So, Ezra took a few deep breaths, waited for his vision to clear, and then began to get ready, ignoring his body's aching and the way his head pounded painfully in protest.
Ezra made his way to the cockpit just as the ship exited hyperspace and quietly leaned against the back of Kanan's chair. Kanan glanced at him with a slight frown and for a second Ezra was afraid he would say something about Ezra's subdued behavior, but before he could Hera was speaking.
"Everyone ready?" the Twi'lek pilot asked as she steered the Ghost through the atmosphere and brought them to a gentle landing in a clearing between some rocky spires, close to the storage facility the supplies would be transferred to but hidden from view.
"Remember: stick to the plan, and stay together," Kanan ordered, standing up and making his way towards the opening ramp. "We have about half an hour before the Imperials get here, so let's take advantage of that."
"This should be fun," Sabine said from beside Ezra as she holstered two blasters, a smile evident in her voice despite the helmet she wore. As soon as they reached the bottom of the ramp, the group split off into two: Ezra and Chopper went towards the back of the storage facility while Kanan, Sabine, and Zeb got into position on top of the squat, two-story building. Chopper and Ezra huddled into position, waiting until the others gave the signal. Ezra shifted uncomfortably and absentmindedly rubbed his sore throat, causing Chopper to let out a series of low questioning beeps.
"I'm fine," Ezra whispered. Chopper muttered something that Ezra didn't quite catch but dropped the subject anyway, much to Ezra's relief.
It felt like hours that Ezra sat hunched between a few sparse bushes and the metal wall of the storage facility, and he was just beginning to drift off when an explosion from the front of the building jolted him awake. Chopper had begun to move as soon as the signal came, and he was already plugged into the door and slicing the lock. Ezra hurried to catch up to the droid as he rolled into the darkened hall that was illuminated by a few flashing red alarms.
"Wait up," Ezra called as loudly as he could, flinching as his voice came out rough and scratchy and his throat gave a sharp ache. Chopper didn't respond or slow down, and Ezra had to jog to catch up as the droid rounded a corner ahead of him. Ezra muttered to himself as he followed close behind. He had a bad feeling about this.
As Ezra ducked and narrowly avoided getting a blaster shot directly to the face, he vowed to himself that he would never again ignore his instincts. They hadn't led him astray yet, and maybe, if he had followed his feelings and spoken up before they landed on this Force forsaken planet, Ezra wouldn't be in this mess. But, he didn't, and he was. No use dwelling on the past.
"Ezra, where are you?" Kanan's slightly concerned but mostly irritated voice crackled through the comm at Ezra's hip. Ezra took out two more of the troopers that were firing at him before he responded.
"A little busy at the moment!" he ground out, ducking lower behind his rock cover as a round of blaster shots hit their mark where his head had been a moment before.
"Well, stop being busy an' start getting back to the Ghost, before we take off an' leave you behind," Zeb snapped. During a slight lull in the barrage, Ezra peered over the rock at the Ghost. Zeb and Sabine stood at the top of the ramp, aiming shot after shot at the group of Imperials between Ezra and the safety of the Ghost. Kanan was at the bottom of the ramp, deflecting blaster shots with his lightsaber and returning fire when he could.
"Ezra, Sabine's gonna cause a distraction," Kanan said. Ezra ducked once more and picked up his comm, tensing and getting ready to run. "As soon as you hear the explosion, start running over here and don't stop. I'll cover you."
"Got it," Ezra responded. Just then, an explosion rocked the ground and a cloud of smoke erupted in the middle of the stormtroopers, momentarily rendering them blind. Ezra took off like a shot, and as soon as his feet hit the ramp the Ghost revved to life, leaving the troopers still firing after them in vain.
Ezra sat down hard on the ground and let out a breath. Sabine had already moved to the top gun and Zeb and Chopper could be heard arguing further down in the cargo bay, but Kanan was leaning on the wall beside Ezra, panting slightly and looking over Ezra with a critical eye. Ezra knew he should probably get up, but the wave of dizziness that had hit him as soon as he sat down made him think twice.
The ship rocked dangerously and Hera's voice came over the comm as she demanded to know where the rest of her gunners were. Kanan stood up from the wall and held out a hand to Ezra, who took it gladly and let himself be helped to his feet. The room spun dangerously for a second, but Ezra managed to get it under control and follow Kanan up the ladder and into the cockpit, collapsing into one of the chairs as Kanan slipped into the front gun.
As soon as the familiar blur of hyperspace filled Ezra's view, he sank back into his chair with a sigh, closing his eyes and putting a hand on his head. The ache in his head had migrated, so instead of being a dull pounding at the base of his skull, it was like sharp stabbing pains all over his head, particularly behind his eyes.
A cool hand on Ezra's forehead made his eyes snap open, and he saw that Kanan had taken off one of his fingerless gloves and was feeling Ezra's flushed skin with a frown. Ezra grumbled and shoved off Kanan's hand, ignoring the fact that the cool fingers felt really nice.
"Ezra," Kanan said in that tone of voice he used when Ezra was doing something Kanan thought was stupid and that was usually followed by a lecture.
"I'm fine," Ezra insisted, trying to cut Kanan off before he could begin. Ezra moved to stand up. The plan had been to walk out of the cockpit and to his room, where Ezra would most likely climb into the vents in order to avoid Kanan while he slept off whatever bug he was fighting. What really happened was Ezra stood up, took one step forward, and the ground below his feet shifted. The next thing Ezra knew, he was staring up into Kanan's concerned face. He blinked a couple of times and tried to get his bearings. Kanan's mouth was moving but Ezra couldn't hear any sound over the weird rushing in his ears, so he shook himself slightly and tried to concentrate.
"...hear me? Ezra?" Kanan's voice sounded faint and far away at first, but it was slowly growing louder as Ezra collected himself. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing, I'm fine," Ezra managed to croak out, wincing as his voice scratched against his throat. Internally, he groaned. Great. That would convince them. Sure enough, Kanan frowned.
"No, you aren't," Hera's voice was almost as soothing as the cool hand she pressed against Ezra's cheek, and Ezra leaned into her touch slightly, his eyes flickering closed against his will. When Hera's hand disappeared, Ezra made a small noise of protest and his head throbbed angrily. Ezra could feel Kanan shifting his grasp and standing up, and dimly Ezra wondered if he should open his eyes or something, but the stab of pain that shot through Ezra's head from the lights on the ship convinced him that it would probably be best to keep them closed, so he did just that.