Happy Thanksgiving all! I hope you have a wonderful holiday (or a lovely day if you're reading this afterwards), and in traditional spirit of thanksgiving, give to you the latest installment of this emotional rollercoaster. Enjoy!
Oh DWITD0421, you know me so well- and I do have a feeling I'll be needing to call on you expertise in a bit. Thank you!
Disclaimer: I wish I wish upon a Death Star that ownership of Star Wars comes to me from afar- but until that merry, joyous day arrives, it's time to go down into a corner, sit down, and cry.
(So poetic, I know -u-)
Lightsaber- that was with Sabine now, and Ezra could hear she was putting it to good use. Limbs- mostly there... okay, he could feel them all, just a little pain pulling at his movements; his healed ribs were giving off phantom aches. Head- yeah, that might be the more troublesome part. The fact he even needed a checklist to check himself over attributed to that. Otherwise, Ezra was completely fine-
And still stuck behind a wall of rubble.
It's fine, it's fine, I'll just cut- no lightsaber. Okay, different tactic then- no lightsaber, no problem. Though it would make getting unburied a lot easier if he actually had it with him...
Focus. Ezra opened his eyes, squinting through the layer of ash and dust was in the air, released by the ceiling falling atop him. No- not on top of him, just... around him. Ezra cast his gaze up and around slowly, filtering in the sounds of guns firing beyond the rubble and using it as a fuel to get himself kicked into gear- but he still needed to assess his surroundings before he started digging himself out. If he pulled at a wrong piece, the huge slab of thick ceiling suspended above him might actually come down and squish him.
His torso was wedged between two solid-looking chunks- probably pieces that had already been loosened from the original blast that had torn the room apart. They weren't pressing hard enough against him to form repercussions, but by the time they were all done with this Ezra knew he'd have some nasty bruises. But he could see those two chunks were supporting the huge slab of ceiling that would have otherwise crushed him flat- even with their help, however, he was very lucky it still hadn't crushed his legs or feet. The only things down there were small, insignificant pieces of rubble that wouldn't have ever stood a chance against the ceiling.
Ezra wiggled a bit, testing the stability of his environment. Nothing noticeably moved, so he tried to shimmy away from the walls and corner which he'd pressed himself up against before. Spurred on by the sounds of Sabine shooting rapid-fire, Ezra scrunched himself into a tight ball- and had to stop himself there, pressing his hands up to his temples and only moderately surprised to find blood at the top of his skull. His head was pounding with ache, and he was unpleasantly reminded of the several explosions he'd had to go through in the past week alone. This little experience was much milder, but it still hurt.
The pitch of the whine Sabine's blasters were making changed, and Ezra picked out that her double-blasters had gone down to one. That wasn't good news- there was still Morden's shield they had to worry about, right? Ezra groaned, opening his eyes from where he'd screwed them shut and trying to resume wiggling his way out of the rubble.
The slab of ceiling had fallen and landed at an angle, originally high above his head and sloping closer to the ground near his feet. All he really had to do was crawl his way to the edge of the slab and slither out from underneath it- Ezra hurried, pressing himself to move quickly and allowing the sound of Sabine fighting to spur him on.
His foot breached the edge, and Ezra groaned once more as he pulled himself closer towards the opening. The Ghost had better come soon, because Ezra really wanted to just relax in a safe environment; he wanted to catch a freaking break. He and Sabine deserved that much, at least.
Ezra's eyes widened, and his focus sharpened- he could feel Kanan.
Relief washed through him, and he figured he could wait a little longer before gripping as he heaved himself the rest of the way out from under the rubble. Light made his eyes squint and water slightly, adding on to the headache already grinding through his head.
Sabine was firing his lightsaber in short sporadic bursts, and Ezra could only assume her other blaster had fizzed out- he felt a small moment of pride at the craftsmanship of his weapon. Pride that was quickly shifted over to Sabine as well- Morden's blue shield was down, and he was back to staying in the conference room as his cover.
"Sabine!" Ezra called out, and the Mandalorian swiveled her head to face him for a brief second before Morden popped out of cover again. Ezra ducked back closer against the pile of rubble, out of his sight, as Sabine fired a few more rounds at the commander. Ezra was just getting ready to dart over to the side of the wall, ignoring any repercussions it might have on his headache and the fact he didn't have a weapon with which to help, when Sabine peeled off her bucket helmet and threw it at him.
"They're coming!" Was all she said, gaze focused only on Morden and his hiding place. Ezra looked down at the helmet, confused for a second, before he nodded and moved further out of the range of battle. The Ghost would know to look for them, but not where, or that there was a virus in the anti-air guns, or that the huge ticking explosives center could wipe out the entire factory- with both Sabine and Ezra's comms busted, the only hope they had of communicating with their crew was through the tower. Since Morden wasn't about to let them go so easily, and victory was in no way forthcoming, a rewired stormtrooper helmet would have to do.
Ezra reached into the inside and pried off the padding, fingers flying directly towards the communications unit installed in every stormtrooper helmet. It was much easier to rewire them when they were outside the helmet; Ezra still had a few of his tools on his person, and the travel bag he'd packed a life-time ago. It was lying flat on his back now, looking deflated with only his few tools, a protein bar, and a couple bandages. Quickly stretching a hand backwards to reach into a bag for a specific one, Ezra eyed the circuitry and coding making up the unit, pinpointing the console he'd need to access in order to input the Ghost's signature.
Come on, Ezra silently prayed, fiddling with the gadgetry, come find us.
"I've got 'em!" Both Kanan and Hera shot their heads up from the Dejarik board, eyes locking on the energetic Lasat, clutching a data-pad like the very secrets of the universe were stored within it.
"What do you mean?" Hera asked sharply, beckoning Zeb over to transfer the file he'd found on his device to the Dejarik board for all of them to view. He complied quickly, and Kanan looked over at the captain, daring to hope that they might actually have a chance to pick up their missing crew members.
"On the news- that factory we attacked a few days ago was just hit again, with enough explosives to take out one of the floors," A hologram of said facility was projected atop the Dejarik board, and Chopper whirred as the sight of an entire section of the tower smoking from an explosion lit their previously darkened commons room. "I don't think there are too many other vigilantes out there with access to bombs like Sabine's, and who'd go after-"
"The same floor Ezra was in!" Kanan finished, eyes darting over the hologram and taking in all the evidence. "They must be trying to get our attention- do you think their comms are down?" He asked to no one in particular, just throwing an idea out there as multiple began forming in his head.
Hera nodded quickly, scanning the actual data-pad for the article for more information and details. "Most probably- but this isn't saying anything about them being caught."
"Then they're still in the facility," Kanan jumped out of the bench, followed without a second of delay by Hera, her leku swinging vigorously with her sharp movements. She began issuing orders even as Kanan was running to the cargo-bay, already knowing their plan of attack.
"Chopper, man the dorsal guns and fire at any Imperial you see- Zeb go with Kanan and get ready to go into that factory and get our crew back!" She darted away to the cockpit, Zeb's thunderous footsteps drowning her own out as he followed Kanan down into the cargo-bay. Hera burst through the door to he cockpit, flinging herself into the pilot's seat and pulling up the coordinates of the factory into the navigation system. It wasn't too far- the Ghost had been camping near Jhothal in the hopes that Ezra and Sabine had been hiding in there, and the tower was relatively close to it.
She turned on the engines, prepping the shields and turrets for the inevitable battle. They still hadn't made all the repairs they needed to after their failed attack, but this was likely the best chance they'd ever get at picking up Ezra and Sabine with a definite knowledge on their location.
Well. They didn't have a definite lead on their position... but it was the best one they had, and even if Ezra and Sabine weren't there, there would still be someone at the tower, willing to stand up to the Empire and in need of their help.
"Everybody ready?" She called through the intership comms, already shooting through the air and keeping an eye on the tower's coordinates in relation to their own position. A smattering of affirmatives, Binary and Basic, filtered through in response, and Hera narrowed her eyes in grim anticipation. Commander Morden, from her intel, was not a man to be trifled with, and if she knew people of his character, he would have come up with a back-up plan in case the Ghost came back. The next few minutes would be grueling, she could tell-
But this was their family, and no one messed with their family.
Her fears and determination were shared by the two other organic Spectres on the ship- but neither Zeb or Kanan had been resting easy with the knowledge that Ezra and Sabine both had been in active danger and hostile surroundings. Besides, even if they hadn't the Ghost crew looked out for their own. Both Jedi and Lasat leaned themselves against the walls of the cargo-bay, swaying slightly with the speed that Hera was flying the ship, and preparing themselves to leap into what would no doubt be an intense battle. Kanan could only hope they'd get through it without injuries to anyone.
The tower came into sight from the viewport, and Hera alerted the boys thusly. She could still see the smoke drifting through the wind from where Sabine- presumably -had blown the floor up, and found her gaze drifting downwards to the surprisingly still grounds surrounding the base.
There should be stormtroopers crawling all over this place, especially if Ezra and Sabine are out there trying to get us- unless... Unless they were still in the tower, being held up by some unforeseen delay.
"We're coming up on the tower now boys," Hera warned through the comms, keeping her eyes trained on the still inactive anti-air guns, "but you might have to go through the tower itself- I can't see any sign of Ezra or Sabine." And that girl always left signs.
"You'll probably have to drop us off-" Kanan's suggestion was cut off by the beeping tones of the communication's panel, and Hera stared at the offending device for a second before hurriedly pressing to respond.
"-ctre six to Ghost, can you hear me?!"
"Ezra?!" All four Sprectres cried out incredulously, the teenager's transmitions having been carried through the entire ship by the internal comm system.
"Oh thank the Force I got you-" Hera could hear the distant sounds of blaster fire filtering through, and she got worried. "-there's been a few problems that've popped up. Actually a lot. Well, not really a whole lot, they're just big-"
"Ezra what's happening over there?" Kanan cut the kid off before he could ramble his way off-topic.
"We're in the destroyed floor," that explained the lack of troopers on the ground, "near one of the holes Sabine blew into the side- but we're kinda fighting Commander Morden too." Hera was already prepared for the outburst that followed from the cargo-bay, and was quick to cut it off with a clear question.
"Are you in a position that we can come and get you out of there?!" That was the most important part, after all- getting everyone out and to safety before everything inevitably went wrong.
"Um- well, physically yes, but,"
"But what?" Zeb growled; Hera could hear the nervous tones hidden within it. Ezra took a deep breath over on the other line, and then began to speak rather quickly.
"There's a huge explosive manufacturing-storing area underneath the tower and Sabine's bombs are in there and if she blows them it can take out the entire facility but we need to be inside the tower to blow them because it's blocked otherwise." Hera blinked, closing her eyes for a full two seconds as she processed everything Ezra had just relayed to them. The explosives- that hadn't been in any of Fulcrum's plans or blueprints of the area, but the Empire could easily have kept it secret, especially if Commander Morden had been in charge. That it was pretty much guarded by an entire manufacturing plant above it, Hera could deduce it was rather large- and could indeed take out the entire station. It was too good of an opportunity to miss- though it would take some tricky work.
"Ezra what-"
"I'll get into position based on your comm signal's location, then you tell me the exact second Sabine blows her charges and the exact second you are both safely onboard afterwards. We won't be able to stay here for too long with the anti-air guns-"
"You don't have to worry about those anymore," Ezra quickly added, and Hera just rolled with it, trusting the teen to know what he was talking about.
"In that case just get into position as soon as you can- we'll be waiting for you."
"Uh, we'll try."
Silence was his only answer, as Kanan and Zeb no doubt took in the gravity of the situation being described to them. Surprisingly it was Chopper that responded, whirring and bleeping a few lines of binary that actually sounded like he was telling Ezra to be careful. Hera's eyebrows raised in surprise at the astromech's warning, but figured it was appropriate, even from him. If Ezra and Sabine were going up against Morden like he'd said, they'd need to be careful. And very lucky.
Following Chopper's remark, Kanan stepped away from the side of the cargo-bay and readied his blaster. His face was set in a grim stance as he picked out blaster-fire through Ezra's communication, and he had to squash down the worry that'd come with the sounds. Ezra and Sabine both would be okay- they were both capable of taking care of themselves... but if Hera's report on this Morden guy was anything like the truth, so could he. But the best way he could- scratch that, the only way he could act on his frustration and nerves was to center himself, and prepare to take out any pursuing stormtroopers behind the two Spectres as they came home.
The Ghost turned, centrifugal force making both Kanan and Zeb sway, and they felt the vibrations of the dorsal turret in their feet. Chopper was firing on some bucket-heads then- they tightened their grips on their weapons, feeling the ship beneath them swing around near 180 degrees. The ramp hissed and lowered from it's position, exposing the tower and its destroyed floor before them.
Smoke was piling out of a large hole in the wall, and Kanan could just see through it if he squinted. "Troopers!" He yelled out to Zeb, seeing their distinct white armor through the smog, and the Lasat hefted up his bo-rifle and started firing wildly through the opening with a war cry. Kanan himself fired a few rounds off his blaster, but quickly found himself switching to his lightsaber as more and more stormtroopers came pouring through the halls behind.
Come on, where are you?!
Almost as soon as he started getting nervous at the lack of the sight of either Ezra or Sabine, a flash of orange caught in his limited sight of the hall as Ezra came running from a different junction. It worried Kanan that the kid didn't appear to have his lightsaber, but that worry was momentarily assuaged by the sight of Sabine backing out of the same junction, dressed in stormtrooper garb and firing the distinct blue balls of stunning energy at some unseen threat. Why the Mandalorian had his Padawan's lightsaber Kanan had no idea, but he didn't question or complain as the both of them started running towards the open and extended ramp, Sabine keeping her weapon trained and firing at the group of stormtroopers as she backed through the hall.
"Sabine now!" Ezra shouted, and the Mandalorian tossed him his blade and ran behind him, shaking off her right bracer to reveal her wrist-comp underneath.
"Hera they're getting ready to blow the station!" Kanan called back, well-aware the Twi'lek had kept the ship comms on, but any response she might have made was drowned out by the blaster fire both in the hall in front of them and from Zeb's constant firing of his rifle. Kanan saw Sabine press a button on her device, right up on the edge of the hole she'd made-
And even as high up in the air as the Ghost was, Kanan could still feel the vibration through the air as something massive exploded beneath them. Sabine, Ezra, and the stormtroopers in the hall all got the brunt of the force though, and they all fell down even as huge fireballs engulfed the production bays underneath. Kanan widened his eyes as the tower seemed to sway before them, and he knew- it would be falling within seconds.
"Sabine, Ezra! Jump! NOW!" He shouted out, stomach roiling as the destruction below bellowed up and covered the bottom of the tower in flame. Huge tendrils of smoke wrapped around the Ghost and the air around it, like giant tentacles of some monster curling around them, making Kanan's eyes sting and water- he heard coughing and a few blaster rounds go off on the other side. Kanan lowered his lightsaber and Zeb ceased his firing of his rifle- they couldn't see anything through the black smoke and orange glow of the fire below, and neither wanted to risk hitting Sabine or Ezra.
The tower groaned, and Kanan was just about to take a running leap to physically retrieve both teenagers before Sabine came leaping over, bursting through the smoke like some great angel of battle. She clattered onto the metal floor harshly, not able to stick her landing and rolling a good few feet before Zeb stopped her and hauled her up, the both of them coughing.
Parted by her passing, the smoke had cleared just enough for Kanan to look across and see Ezra running up to the tower edge, lightsaber clutched tightly in hand as he leapt-
Kanan's heart jumped in his throat as someone else skidded from the hall Ezra and Sabine had come from, dressed in what looked like Mandalorian garb mixed with Imperial, raising his blaster the same time Ezra jumped from the edge.
"NO!" Sabine shouted, her cry of fear intermingling with Kanan's own as the Imperial fired his blaster, hitting Ezra square in the back and making the teen slip off of the ramp and plummet towards the fire below.