Hey guys, sorry about the wait. I had an unusually severe case of writer's block and was unsure how to go from where I am at in this story to where I want to go. But I think I have resolved that.
Attolon
Ezra could feel the medical droids poking and prodding. Taking various measurements as he could hear the motors inside them making noises akin to a soft fan. Pushing it to the back of his mind, Ezra began to try to meditate deeply. At the very least it would take his focus off of the excruciatingly long medical exam. He knew what the droids would find a few broken bones, a concussion, and probably some minor burns and bruises. But. He lay still and let them do their work. Retreating to the deepest recesses of his mind, Ezra probed the force and tried to sink himself below its waves.
"Ezra," A faint whisper called out.
"Huh?" Ezra wasn't sure what he had just heard, A voice? Or was it only one of the many monitors beside him.
"Ezra," The faint whisper came through again. Only loud enough for Ezra to discern that it was, in fact, a voice.
"Who's there?" Ezra called out to the void.
"Bendu, come to me," Bendu called out. Though his voice, sounded as if he was miles away.
"Where are you? I can barely hear you!" Ezra called out only for his calls to be swallowed by the void.
"Come to me, Ezra!" Bendu called again, fainter than the first call that Ezra heard.
Startled awake, Ezra found himself in a dark med-bay. His skin felt slimy, and he was dressed in a medical tunic. A dead giveaway that he had been in a bacta tank recently. Not knowing how much time had passed he glanced around for a chronometer.
"Wow, I always forget that time passes faster than usual in deep meditation," Ezra muttered seeing that the chronometer read just a hair past 0230. He had come into the med-bay at 1630. Struggling and with as much will as he could muster Ezra sat up. His body cried out as if he was abusing it. Seeing stars from just that little exertion, Ezra knew that it would be an uphill battle just to get out of bed. Nevermind the near five miles walk out to where Bendu was out past the perimeter fence. Doubling down Ezra forced his legs off the side of the bed. This movement became hindered by the cast that restricted the capabilities of his left leg and right arm. Finally getting himself to a sitting position on the edge of the bed Ezra let the spots and stars in his vision start to clear before making a move to get out of the bed. Only to get tangled in the multitude of wires and tubes attached to himself that he fell to the floor the thud alerted an orderly who rushed in and started to help him up.
"Do you need help, sir." The orderly asked,
"...Possibly," Ezra muttered to himself, and the orderly began to untangle the spiderweb of tubes and wires. Once undone Ezra started to stand only for the orderly to try and direct him back towards the cot that he had been on.
"Sorry there buddy. But I think I spent enough time in that cot," Ezra said, making to push past the orderly. Only in his weakened state the act merely felt like a small brush to the orderly.
"I'm sorry sir. But the doctors have stated that you are to be on bedrest for the next several weeks. On top of that, any unnecessary movement could cause your stitches to burst or harm your broken bones." The orderly explained as he pushed Ezra back towards the bed.
"I need to go and meditate," Ezra bargained. Hoping that would convince the orderly. But alas no dice. The stern look of the orderly told him that he would be stuck here until further notice.
"Ugh, fine. Can I at least go and use the refresher and get the bacta off of my body?" Ezra tried again.
"I know it doesn't feel very good sir but you will have to use the bedpan, and another orderly will be here in the morning to give you a sponge bath." The orderly stated. Not ceasing with his stern look.
"Whatever you say I guess." Ezra gave in and laid back down on the bed. Bendu would have to wait.
Glancing up at the chronometer, Ezra merely grunted, he was too awake to try and sleep, and his mind was too foggy from the assortment of drugs to even meditate. So laying there with his thoughts was all he had. Trying to remember good times. Only there weren't that many. Sure, there were the more recent ones. But those ran by quickly, and soon they became scarce, he remembered the tortures, the beatings, and worst of all the mind games. Force how he hated those mind games. Just when you thought that you had won Vader's respect or dare, he says admiration. It would come crashing back down with a backhand from his metallic limb, or another round of sessions strapped to a medical table as med-droids whizzed around operating on his body, without any form of anesthetic. It had nearly driven him insane at the time, making him almost wholly dependent on the dark side to see him through. As the pain gave him the strength in the force to move forward. Try as he might Ezra knew that he only had Vader to thank for him being alive right now, in fact, he wondered what his old master was doing. The sith lord had forged and reforged him from a starving youth on Lothal to a proud and confident young warrior. But still at the heart of it all was his brother. Had it not been for Galen he would always have been a slave, ready to be tossed aside when the newest thing came along. And he had known it. He knew that his life depended on him continually impressing Vader, even if it meant Galen got the brunt of Vader's wrath. But through it, all Galen never soured toward him. Also risking his own life to save him, when he could have left him to die on that star destroyer. That was a good memory, the thought that it was over. Never again would he be forced to fight his brother for a stale piece of bread.
Glancing back up Ezra saw that it was well past 0330. He could feel the restlessness coming forth again. The needing to go and see Bendu. Casting out a probe into the force he could feel that the orderly was occupied with something small. Not a patient, but perhaps a holo-book? Who knew, all that mattered is that he was distracted and Ezra might have an opportunity to make a break for it. Glancing around the room, Ezra was able to discern a pair of crude wooden crutches. Reaching his unbroken arm, out he called them to himself. Before carefully detaching all of the tubes and wiring from his body. He hoped that they wouldn't cause any alarm to go off and a team of doctors come running in and catch him mid-escape. Pulling the last IV out of his arm, Ezra tried again to go and make a break for it. But at that very moment, he felt his bladder call out to him. Well first stop the refresher, then Bendu. The only problem is that the refresher was across the room. In that case, it might as well be a thousand lightyears. But with another herculean force of will, Ezra was able to stand up and move. First one step, with the aid of the crutches. Then another, then another. Soon he was halfway there. Ezra could feel sweat beading up on the side of his face. A few more steps with the aid of the crutch, and he was at the doorway to the refresher. Finally resting for a few seconds, Ezra regained his strength to continue onwards.
Once finished with his business, Ezra cast another probe out to see if the orderly was still busy reading his book. He was, perfect. Gathering as much Force energy as he could Ezra began to try and bend the photons of light around himself. A nearly insurmountable task when he was completely healthy. But was now impossible, the pain he was in was pushing him to near blackout. At this moment, he heard a tiny whisper, "use the pain,"
"No," Ezra slurred, but his body started to betray himself. Falling back into a similar routine that was drilled into him long ago. Allowing the pain to fuel the dark side, it made the pain a little easier to deal with. Shaking his head, he hears the distinct respirator of Vader, almost mocking him.
"Give in. It is the only way," Came the Emperor's cackle, the cracking with old age and dark side degradation.
"No. No. NO!" Ezra nearly shouts, "Get out of my head!" Saying the last part with gritted teeth, and just like that, the voices are gone. Leaning against the door of the refresher, Ezra gulped the air, almost as if he hadn't breathed a single breath in his entire life.
Taking a cursory glance at his surroundings, Ezra began to hobble forward, deciding that maybe the dark side was too desperate to get out and meditating at Bendu's rock would be a right place to balance himself. Having to stop only once more at the halfway point. Pushing onward, he made it to the door frame that led to his hallway. Sneaking a glance outward, he began to hobble and limp forward toward the entrance, taking a break every fifteen feet or so. After about a half an hour Ezra had limped/snuck his way to the opening of the med-bay. Figuring he had maybe three hours left before someone discovered he was missing Ezra forced himself back up onto the crutches and continued onwards.
He made a good time as he walked toward the perimeter. Crossing the five hundred meters in only half an hour. It was much easier to move in spurts, as he wasn't always on the lookout for orderlies. All he had left was a ten-meter stretch then he would be home free. But as soon as he took a step his crutch caught on a protruding rock that was hiding in a small patch of scrub brush, causing Ezra to tumble to the ground.
"Well, shit," Ezra mumbled, rolling over. Trying to get up and move toward the crutch that was near his left. The little movement caused pain to lightning up his side. And his back began to feel warm and sticky.
"Hey, who was that?" A voice called out. Not just any voice. But Garazeb Orrelios' voice.
"Great. Even better. Now I get to get the crap kicked out of me while I'm down." Ezra muttered to himself. Of course, it just had to be Zeb. Ezra started to shuffle slowly over to his crutch hoping that Zeb would just go away. But lady luck chose not to smile on him at that moment as Zeb called out, "Whoever you are yell out your callsign or get blasted."
"Fuck," Ezra muttered again before calling out in the loudest voice he had, which was barely above a whisper "Starkiller!"
"Ezra? That you?" Zeb stated in a surprised shout.
"Ummm, No?" Ezra responded, not sure what to do other than continue moving toward his crutch.
"What the hell happened? You should be in the med-bay. And you burst your stitches." Zeb commented as he came trotting up and glanced down at the Je'daii.
"Look, just hand me that crutch, and I will be fine." Ezra shot back not really in the mood to talk to the towering Lasat. As Ezra made another move toward the crutch, he felt himself being picked up. With most of his weight braced against the lumbering Lasat Ezra couldn't help but groan from his leg getting jostled.
"Heh, sorry kid. Didn't mean to bump you there," Zeb apologized. Before making his way over to the crutches two steps away.
"Where were you going anyways?" Zeb questioned using one of his hind-paws to pick up the crutches then bring them to his free hand in one fluid motion.
"I need to go and meditate," Ezra responded, surprised that he hadn't heard anything so far about letting Sabine get injured.
"Kid, you need rest," Zeb retorted back.
"Look, someone called out to me, and I need to go see them," Ezra reasoned, figuring he could get farther with Zeb than with the orderly.
Zeb sighed, weighing his options. It's not that he didn't like the kid. He did in fact like him. Just sometimes it's hard for him to show it.
"Well, where is it you are supposed to meet this someone?" Zeb asked steadying Ezra's weight against his body.
"About five miles past the perimeter." Ezra said after a pregnant pause.
"Okay, just point me in the right direction kid," Zeb replied, as he started to walk.
"Wait you're going to carry me?" Ezra exclaimed, a little surprised at the notion.
"Yeah, you can barely walk, and besides we can get to spend some 'quality time' together," Zeb said the last part with a sarcastic jeer.
"You tell anyone about this and what I did to the first brother will look like a merciful way out." Ezra feigned, though Zeb took the joke in stride and merely laughed.
"If anyone finds out I would want you to do that," Zeb shot back, before settling into a comfortable silence.
"Say, kid, in all the business that happened yesterday with you going and getting rescued I never got to thank you for saving Sabine," Zeb said, his gruff facade breaking for a moment. At that moment Ezra could see the broken former Lasat Honor Guardsman.
"I thought you would be upset, she did get a nasty smack in the face," Ezra responded.
"Yeah, but you killed the bastard who did it, so I consider that a fair trade," Zeb said, resuming his tough guy facade.
The pair walked forward, or Zeb carried Ezra forward to the open Plateau five miles past the perimeter where Bendu usually was. Letting Ezra bring himself on the crutches to the center of the plateau, Zeb nearly shit himself when he saw what he thought was a hill suddenly stand up and move, its face looking like that of an ox. With glowing white eyes and black pupils. Even in the early morning light, Zeb couldn't believe what he was seeing. Figuring it was a simple mind trick when he heard the being speak, his loud booming voice echo off the plateau.
"Ah, good to see that you are in good spirits young one. And you even brought a friend," Bendu proclaimed.
"Good to see you Bendu, sorry I didn't come right away," Ezra replied. Slowly getting down into a meditative posture, on his knees.
"It is all fine young Ezra; I did not expect you to come." Bendu said, before squinting his eyes at Ezra, "Why I have called you here is of great importance. The empire has committed a great heresy and thrown the universe out of balance. Now the rebellion needs to restore it. And I know of a place that you can go to help tip the scales in the rebellion's favor."
This statement perked Zeb's ears; this was something that Commander Sato should probably be hearing as well.
"Unfortunately Captain. This is a mission for Ezra and the Mandalorian only. Not the rest of your squadron," Bendu said, squashing the thought in its place.
"You need to go to Dathomir. Once there you will find a cave that the witches of Dathomir used as there home. There you will find a possible ally and something that can help destroy the Empire." Bendu explained to Ezra, who hadn't moved a muscle since getting in his meditation position, "Be warned, the possible ally could turn into a potential enemy and a fierce one at that if one isn't careful."
"Yes Bendu," Ezra said, before reaching for his crutches. Zeb came up, taking his eyes off of Bendu when he looked up the massive being was gone.
"Yeah, he does that from time to time," Ezra said, feeling Zeb's confusion before the two started off with the rising sun at their backs. Ezra knew that he would have to spend some more time in the Bacta, and probably be chewed out by everyone. But at least he knew what his next mission was. All he had to do was recover.