What did I tell ya? wink
Kanan had Ezra now.
The kid was losing consciousness.
They were so close to their ship, Kanan could smell the fuel from the exhausts.
Then a red blade appeared.
The man spun around just in time to ignite his lightsaber and parry the blade away.
Ezra fell to the ground, completely unconscious now, as Kanan fought the Inquisitor once more. He had so little strength now he was barely able to escape the enemy's red laser sword.
It seemed inevitable now, to die to such a dark soul.
But Kanan was taken by surprise when he was suddenly pushed back against the wall. Dazed, he looked up and saw the Inquisitor take Ezra and fling him over his shoulder.
No… not Ezra…
"What are you doing?" the man almost yelled. He couldn't get up. He was just too tired.
"I have to complete my mission," the enemy sneered as he turned to go. He stopped and added, "It's a shame that the mission didn't involve killing you, this time."
Before Kanan could blink, he was gone.
Whispers.
Voices.
Echoes filled his mind as Ezra lay under a dim ray of light within the darkness.
He couldn't move, and worst of all was the pain.
The scar across his torso ached and pulsed with heat.
He realized now that he was scared. He was terrified.
Where am I? How long have I been out? Where's Kanan?
As if someone had read his mind, he heard a familiar voice somewhere deep in the darkness say, "You have been out for quite some time now. I will not tell you our exact location, but we are on a planet far away from your friends. As of Kanan, who knows?"
The Pau'an Inquisitor appeared from the darkness and studied Ezra with interest.
There was a long, uneasy silence before the Red Blade spoke again. "Lord Vader will be arriving soon. I will need to heal your wound as best as I can before I present you before him."
What am I? A trophy now?
The boy tried to move again, but he hurt too much. The stone bed of which he lay was hard and cold. He wanted to yell, scream, lash out and run as far away as he could. But he just didn't have the strength, the will or the courage.
Besides, where would I run to anyway? I don't even know where I am.
"Your fear is strong, boy," the Inquisitor observed. "If you were feeling no fear, I would have been concerned."
I can't tell if he's being sarcastic.
Ezra stared at the dim light above him, trying to ignore the foul presence of the enemy's dark aura. He didn't know if the light was coming from a sun. He had a feeling he was underground somewhere, but nonetheless he couldn't find his bearings or make sense of where he was at all.
I'm lost, alone, with a Sith Lord coming and nowhere to run.
The kid closed his eyes.
Some time passed before he opened them again.
He was in the same place, but the Inquisitor was looking at him in an unpleasant way.
"If you're able to stand, Lord Vader wishes to see you," he stated, somewhat bored and agitated.
You don't like this Sith Lord.
Ezra glared at the Pau'an as he slowly sat up, clasping his torso. It didn't hurt as much anymore, and when he looked at it, the long scar had mostly sealed shut. He didn't want to know how this was done.
As he stood, the boy nearly fell, and had to grab the edge of the stone bed to catch himself. His legs were shaky, but after a few steps he managed to gain balance.
The scar throbbed slightly as he followed the Inquisitor down a small corridor into a wide, cavernous room. He looked around in awe – his arms gently placed over his somewhat healed wound – as he studied the strange red patterns that crept along the rough ground and up the rocky walls. Everything was so black other than that, at one point, Ezra thought he had died and was now walking through hell.
I might as well be walking through hell, he wondered.
They disappeared into another corridor, then reappeared in a cavern twice as big as the one before. There was a strange pattern on the smooth floor. It was faded, as if crowds of people had been worn it out over time. The walls looked the same as in the last room, but the patterns were much larger, and the ceiling was higher up.
Where in the galaxy am I?
Ezra was so busy gaping at his surroundings that he nearly bumped into the Inquisitor, who had stopped in his tracks and was now gazing expectantly at a doorway.
The Force brought the boy to attention.
The cold.
It was back.
But, it was icy with anger, fear and hate.
Ezra had never felt something so vicious in his life, aside from when he sensed the Inquisitor.
It felt so strong and powerful, like someone was choking the air around him.
A black figure appeared at the archway. His cape drifted slightly as he halted in his tracks and looked straight at Ezra.
The teen couldn't look away.
He was frozen in place.
A shiver ran down his spine as he tried to speak, but nothing came out.
"My Lord," said the Inquisitor coolly.
"Ah, good," Lord Vader replied. "You have succeeded in your mission." His voice was deep and robotic.
He stepped forward, and the Pau'an moved away with a slight bow as Vader walked over to Ezra. There he stopped, towering over the boy, as he studied him intently.
After a long and very intense pause, he said, "You may leave us, Inquisitor."
"Yes, my Lord." The Pau'an vanished into the shadows, leaving Ezra and Darth Vader alone.
Another silence.
"You must be Ezra Bridger," the Sith Lord stated.
The kid breathed deeply and, trying his best to ignore the intimidation he received, he asked, "Where am I?"
"You are on a planet called Zio'lan."
Alright, one question down, several billion to go.
"Why am I here?"
"You are here because I have taken a special interest in you and your abilities."
"Wait, how did you find out about me?"
Lord Vader was now slowly pacing around the boy. "I have my resources."
That's what they all say.
"I want you as my apprentice."
Ezra frowned. "In your dreams."
The Sith Lord flicked a hand and sent the kid thudding to the ground.
"Have you heard of the Dark Side?" he asked as he continued to pace.
Ezra stood, wincing. "Yes, I have, and I don't particularly like the sound of it."
"There is much you can achieve when you use the power of darkness. Why don't you want to use it?"
"Why do you care?"
Lord Vader flicked his wrist again, but this time the boy was ready. He allowed the Force to push him back, but he quickly regained his balance.
If only he had his laser swords on him… he wouldn't last a minute in a battle against this Sith Lord anyway.
"Answer the question."
"Because," Ezra started, standing as tall as he could as much as he hurt, "because I don't want to end up hurting people I care about."
"Like that petty crew you were with earlier," Lord Vader realized, then added, "but you barely know them. Why would you care about what happens to them?"
"Because they're good people. They're like… they're like a family, and I want to be able to protect them."
"Why bother protecting them when you can protect yourself with the powers you can control from the Dark Side?"
"I want to protect myself, yes, but ever since I lost my parents to the Empire, I've wanted to protect everyone else from them. I hate the Empire for what they've done to me, and to others. They need to be destroyed."
Lord Vader let out a static laugh, something completely uncalled for.
"And who will destroy them? You?" he asked menacingly.
Yes, Ezra wanted to say, but I can't on my own.
When there was no answer, the Sith Lord continued. "You see, Ezra Bridger, I can teach you the ways of the Sith. I can make you strong enough to take down a Star Destroyer with your mind, burn the cities and ships of which the Empire has intoxicated. I can make you more powerful than I."
He allowed the silence to linger as Ezra's mind buzzed.
No, I won't join him. There's no way he can make me join him.
"Never," he growled.
He glared at the Sith Lord.
I have to get out of here.
He started backing away.
I don't know where I'll run, but any place has to be safer than here.
Before the kid could even start, he was suddenly pulled towards Lord Vader, and the tall man grasped the teen's throat with his gloved hand.
"You are a powerful young boy," he hissed. "With your power combined with mine we can rule the galaxy. You will become my apprentice."
He raised his other hand, and everything went black.
Just wanted to share this lovely review from someonethe3rd!
"I just got back into reading fanfiction and I'm so happy i saw the notification in my email for your story! As soon as a read the story description all I had read so far came back to me! (I still went back to reread though so I didnt miss any details) awesome story and thaks for the update! Your Sidii Bendu plot point is soooo cool im so pumped to see how it displays itself in the story"
Thank you so much! I'm super happy you like the story! After I posted it I was afraid no one would bother reading it since it's been so long, so I'm really glad you like it! The next chapter will be posted next week, so if you've been reading this to the end and you're enjoying it so far, stay tuned! I'm not done yet. ^.^