AN: I think this chapter will somewhat make up for the suffering of the last chapter. I hope you all enjoy!
Chapter Fifteen
"Unison"
Ezra was screaming bloody murder.
Isaac had gotten to the point of near insanity because of the screams that were no longer weak and quiet, but shrill and alive. Like a newborn child brought into the world with terror and fear, Ezra was letting out every ounce of anguish he was feeling. Isaac felt sick to his stomach, kneeling behind a large tree with Ezra held close to his chest.
He peered around the tree and could see ships through the branches. They were bombarding the planet, shooting down Empire tanks that tried to defend it, but the truth was Naboo wasn't one of the Empire's strong holds. Actually, if Isaac remembered correctly, Vader had requested for there to be little Empire presence on the planet.
Something about wildlife. Isaac had different opinions on the why.
Ezra let out another scream and the sound of an explosion went off in the distance. Isaac shut his eyes and cradled Ezra like a wailing infant. He looked down into the teen's contorted face and shut his own eyes, reaching through the Binding.
The boy screamed louder, this time less in anguish and more in pain.
The fever had completely taken him at this point. He wasn't even near being responsive, but Isaac still spoke, "Ezra please…You have to let me into the Binding."
The block didn't falter…Not in the slightest, and Ezra's bloody screams continued. Isaac placed a heavy hand on the side of the child's face, shaking him roughly, "You are going to die! The wound will only worsen if you do not let me in!"
No comprehension. Nothing. Just cries. Tears were streaking Ezra's face and Isaac made a sound of complete desperation. Isaac shut his eyes, trying with as much prejudice as he could to enter the Binding with force, but Ezra's voice raised higher and higher…
It was to the point the agony was entering Isaac also and a lone tear slipped from his eye…
Isaac snapped his golden eyes open, breathing heavily. They were bloodshot and watering as he stared at Ezra's pale and pained face. Killing the maid had been the last straw…And out here exposed to the elements, Ezra's fever was only worsening.
He was dying.
Isaac's face pierced and he looked up at the sky through the branches of the many trees. Where was his master? Why wasn't he back yet?
Maybe he didn't even know what was occurring on Naboo.
Or maybe he did and didn't give a damn. Isaac had been questioning his master a lot lately and if this was just another one of his cruel tests, it needed to stop.
The Binding was killing Ezra and Isaac felt like someone was twisting a knife in his gut. He told himself it wasn't concern for the child for rather the Binding making him feel these things. Still…It hurt. And Isaac wasn't appreciating Vader's silent treatment.
Ezra's screams had turned into sobs, but he could tell Ezra wasn't conscious to know he was crying. He was somewhere in limbo. Lost in a purgatory of broken minds and bodies, a fever eating him up and swallowing down every conscious thought.
Isaac pulled the blanket a little tight around Ezra and sighed, whispering, "I don't understand why you are so stubborn. Are you truly so stupid as not to shrink from death in favor of not accepting the Binding?"
A cry wracked the child's chest and his face was as white as a sheet. His lips were turning a pale color and he was shaking, burning from the inside out. Isaac's head shook…He couldn't get Ezra to any sort of help with the planet being bombarded like this and there was no way for him to survive to night…
Isaac clenched his fist.
If he was going to keep Ezra alive, he only had one choice.
And Vader would make him pay dearly for it.
Kanan stared out the window of the ship as they circled back to the manor where the body of the maid had been found. He had his eyes shut tightly and he could feel the child…He could feel him, but something was fogging over. Like the clouds had surrounded Ezra in the Force and wouldn't let Kanan see through.
It was completely oppressive and not very convincing that things were going to be alright.
In fact, Kanan was losing hope by the minute. When they had first arrived, he had been filled with it. He had imagined what it would be like to have Ezra back and away from Vader and the Apprentice, but now that seemed to go up in ash. Just like when they had been so close to rescuing Ezra the first time. A bitter failure.
Kanan's shoulders were tight. He glared at the looming planet and the sun would be setting in the next few hours. They knew they only had a short time before more Imperial reinforcements would come, and when they did the Fleet would be forced to withdraw from Naboo.
Then a whole new challenge would begin of trying to get Commander Sato to perform to their favor.
Absolutely disheartening.
Everything was lost and Kanan felt empty without the presence of his Padawan. What would Ezra be when he saw him again? The Empire had methods of forcing people to conform. Ezra might not even be the boy he had been when he was taken away from them.
He could be something totally different.
No…Kanan had to tell himself that Ezra was stronger than that. And no matter what state of life Ezra came back to them in, Kanan would be there and he would fix it. He would fix all of it because he should have made sure Ezra was never taken in the first place. He should have been watching and feeling him more closely than he was the night he snuck out.
It had been his fault.
Entirely and completely his fault.
"Kanan!" A breathless Sabine said, whirling around one of the corners of the Ghost. The Jedi spun around and she said quickly, "Out transmission is being hacked."
Kanan cursed under his breath, following the Mandalorian into the Common room. Ahsoka was typing furiously on the transmitter, her face contorted into one of frustration and focus. Hera was absent, due to piloting the ship and Zeb stood close by, his arms crossed in a huff.
"What's happening?" Kanan asked, though Sabine's explanation had given him the gist.
Ahsoka sighed heavily, "Someone is trying to send in a transmission, but forcefully. It's an Imperial com and I didn't exactly want to answer to them at the moment, especially with us searching for Ezra."
"Hold on," Kanan said, kneeling beside her. There was a blurred figure trying to come through on the transmission, though it only showed a silhouette due to the bad connection. Kanan ordered, "Let audio through."
"Why?" Sabine snapped.
Kanan turned his head quickly, "Because, we got an anonymous transmission from that maid, remember? This could be something important."
"Or someone just trying to target out position," Zeb muttered.
Kanan looked hard into Ahsoka's eyes and ordered one last time, "Let it through."
Ahsoka breathed deeply, pulling her hands away as the transmission began to buzz with life. No face appeared, and still the hologram was distorted, but a voice came through.
"Took you Rebel scum long enough to let me through," The voice snapped, but Kanan recognized it immediately. The young voice on the ship…So full of malice and hatred…A voice Kanan had come to despise.
The Apprentice.
Sabine and Zeb looked confused, but Ahsoka seemed to understand, giving Kanan a knowing look. Kanan growled, "What do you want."
"I want to make a deal with you," The Apprentice spoke, the sound of explosions firing off in the background. "Due to your interference, I've been thrust from my temporary living quarters and because of this you've put the life of Ezra Bridger in grave danger. He is irreparably ill…And I have come to the conclusion he's not going to survive the night out here. So, I want to make an agreement with you."
"Why should we trust you?" Kanan growled. "How do we know this isn't some attempt to lure us in for capture?"
"Because the boy is dying!" The Apprentice's calm tone suddenly shot out harsh and angry. "And he will continue to deteriorate in health until you listen to what I have to say!"
Kanan swallowed, looking at Ahsoka who nodded in return. She wanted to hear him, and even Kanan himself wanted to hear what the Apprentice had to say. Especially if it was the only way of getting Ezra back.
"Alright," Kanan responded. "Tell us what you have in mind."
There was a long pause, almost as if the Apprentice was second guessing himself. Kanan even thought for a moment maybe their signal had been cut, the only evidence against that coming from the moving shadow of the hologram.
But, the voice returned, sighing deeply, "I will return the boy to you. This is for one reason and one reason only. To ensure his survival. He is important to what my Master has planned for him and letting him die would not be a wise decision on my part. However, I have guidelines in the return."
"What kind of guidelines," Kanan had sat down, leaning forward. His knees were shaking with expectation. The idea of getting Ezra back, having him handed over to them willingly was somewhat of a shock, especially after the force that had been used to get on the planet.
"Your ship and your ship alone will meet me at the tree line outside of the manor that you bombarded earlier," The voice was sharp, however a sense of desperation was behind it. "You will in no way shape or form try and take me prisoner. You, Caleb Dume, will exit the aircraft alone and retrieve the boy. No exceptions. Understood?"
"Now wait one minute-" Zeb tried to cut in but Kanan held up a hand. The Lasat obviously didn't like the idea of sending Kanan off the ship to face the Sith alone, but by the look on the other's face he knew this was the only way.
"It's a deal," Kanan agreed.
"Fifteen minutes. Be there on the mark," The transmission cut off after the last order and Kanan stood, looking at Sabine.
"Go tell Hera the new plan," Kanan ordered the girl and she nodded hurriedly, rushing from the room.
Zeb looked shocked and snapped, "What are you doing, Kanan? How do you know we can trust what this guy says?"
"He seemed…sincere," Ahsoka answered for the man. "Something in the Force held truth. He is concerned greatly for the health of Ezra…There must be something terribly wrong with him. I'll inform the Fleet we will be returning directly after Ezra's retrieval and that we will need to dock before the jump into hyperspace. I feel we will need the assistance of medical droids with this."
Kanan hoped slightly she was wrong, but he agreed nonetheless. Zeb made a slight grumbling noise…
"I'm just saying; if he cuts off one of your limbs, I'm going to say 'I told you so'."
Isaac kneeled at the tree line.
He was in vision of the open field and manor before him and he could see the blasts, even in the evening light of Naboo. The loud booms echoed, causing creatures to flee into the trees for safety and security. But, here was Ezra and he, sitting and waiting to be found and for Ezra to be taken, making Isaac's life ten times more troublesome.
Isaac still had the child wrapped in the blanket from the bed and he was propped in his arms, held tightly. His pupils moved rapidly, causing his eyelids to twitch heavily. Sighing, Isaac pressed a hand to the boy's burning forehead before he muttered, "You will not be gone long, Little Brother. Just until I can managed to get you back."
He knew it would be no comfort to Ezra, conscious or not. However, it comforted himself. If he knew he could get Ezra back, he wouldn't have to worry about Vader chopping him up into little pieces and throwing him to the monsters in the galaxy.
Isaac shuddered at the thought.
He removed his hand from the child's forehead and studied Ezra's face. It hardly resembled his own, but there were pieces that held true to their parentage. The hair, the mouth, and Isaac's own eyes had once been blue. He didn't know when they had taken on their amber shade. It wasn't nearly as harsh of amber as some dark side users, but still…They had looked like Ezra's once.
Isaac shut his eyes and whispered once more, "You will not be gone long."
Just as he said that, he heard the sound of an approaching ship. He stood immediately, holding Ezra bridal style as he watched what he assumed to be the small Rebels ship landing. The Ghost he believed it was called.
Isaac waited patiently as the ramp protruded from the ship and a figure began to exit…
Caleb Dume.
Isaac stiffened, beginning to walk through the grass towards the figure. His mouth was set hard and he stared icily into the eyes of the new found Kanan Jarrus. Isaac thought it was funny…He felt Kanan looked more like a Caleb, but it wasn't a good time to think about his childish opinions that didn't matter in the long run.
Kanan was approaching just as carefully as Isaac, but his eyes were settled on the unconscious boy in Isaac's arm. The teen shouted as they continued to walk, "Make a move to capture me and the deal is off!"
Kanan didn't respond, only nodded. He wasn't interested in risking Ezra just for a prisoner. That would be stupid and a complete waste of time.
He just wanted Ezra.
And within seconds, they were only a few feet from each other.
"Hello, Caleb Dume," Isaac said, making the man stiffen. He didn't like this boy he didn't know using his birth name. It made him want to vomit.
Kanan nodded his head towards Ezra before asking, "What did you do to him?"
Isaac would have made a snarky comment but in all actuality, he had done the Binding. He had cut his back. Even though Ezra had refused to accept it, he had been the one to do it. And it was his fault.
"He's sick, as I said early," Isaac explained. "His condition has become grave. He suffered a wound on his back and it has become infected. Now, save him so I can get him back."
Isaac began to hand the boy to the other Force User. Kanan relished in having the boy in his arms and he almost couldn't breathe. He felt a flicker in their bond, but there was something still off that he couldn't place. He took a split second to stare into Ezra's sleeping face. Restless. Pale. But, alive and in his grap.
His padawan.
Safe…
It was such a foreign concept after everything over the past few weeks.
When Kanan looked at Isaac, the teen looked nauseous at the handoff. Kanan's eyes traveled to Isaac's belt where he saw Ezra's lightsaber hanging. Kanan nodded his head at it and ordered, "Give that back."
Isaac didn't argue, and simply unclipped it and added it to the boy in Kanan's arms. Kanan hissed, "You won't be seeing him again."
Isaac's eyes narrowed…
"We shall see."
Not another word, and the teen spun on his heels, rushing back towards the tree line.
Kanan followed in suit and rushed back to the ship with Ezra in his arms. Though he was filled with a warm excitement of having Ezra back, he had no time to stop and enjoy the comfort it gave him. He was immediately running up the ramp, painfully aware of the danger Ezra's fever was putting him in.
As soon as he was on the ship he shouted, "Hera! Get us back to the fleet now!"
He felt the ship jerk and the ramp closed. She had obviously been waiting from the cockpit. Kanan stepped back slightly as Sabine and Zeb tried to crowd him, Ahsoka off to the side but offering a comfort through the Force.
"Why aren't you going after the prick?" Zeb snapped.
"Because Ezra is dying and we need to get to some medical droids," Kanan's response was quick and sharp like a blade.
Reunions could be later.
Captures could be later.
Right now, saving Ezra was what they needed to do.