OOC Apologies for the delays, folks. Work has been kicking my ass.
Kanan took a slow breath and clenched his fists. Kneeling on the floor of his cabin, he was trying to centre himself through mediation. He felt like a damn padawan learning how to focus for the first time. Thoughts, sensations, demanding lips slanted across his, her strong, slender hand curved over his cheek were all distracting him.
He released the tension in his hands, smoothing his sweating palms down his thighs. He closed his eyes again, shutting out the spartan grey of his room. The hum of the Ghost soothed him, its familiar sounds quieting his mind. And unbidden, the image of Ezra dangling in the force grip of the Inquisitor filled his mind. The sound of weapons firing in the corridor was loud. He frowned. No. No that was not where to begin. He had to find his focus again.
"Kanan…" Hera's voice trailed off, she stared at him, her gaze expressing her uncertainty.
"You think we shouldn't go?" Kanan crossed his arms over his chest.
"Of course we should go," Hera said, worrying her lip. "But we shouldn't rush in. It seems…easy. We never do easy."
"It's a lone transport. No big weapons that the Ghost can't take a hit from," Kanan said. "And we can't leave those refugees to the Imps."
"No. I know!" Hera replied impatiently. "But I just have a bad feeling…" She tucked a fist against her gut. "…Here. You have trusted my feelings before, Kanan." Hera sat down in her chair, turning her back to him, refusing to meet his gaze. "Sabine is running a scan on the ship as soon as we enter its location. You won't have much time to decide whether you want to continue with the mission."
"I will take Ezra, Zeb and Sabine in the Phantom. Once I know where the refugees are, I will contact you. You fly in and save the day. Easy." Kanan tried to lighten the mood. To bring a smile to her face. She looked at him doubtfully.
"Just be careful, Kanan." Hera's voice was cool, as her fingers flew across the navigation interface.
"Hey. I'm always careful." Kanan brushed off her concern lightly. "Don't worry so much."
"I wouldn't worry so much if you didn't always give me something to worry about."
"Hera…"
"Get going, Kanan. This master plan of yours needs work." Hera activated the ship's intercom. "Sabine, you and Chopper ready with the scanner?"
"Yep. Good to go. Ezra and Zeb are with me."
"Kanan wants them at the Phantom. Let them know."
"You got it."
Kanan stood silently for a little longer, a question lingering on his lips.
"Get going, Kanan." Her voice was softer now. "They are waiting for you."
The ship was oddly quiet. They had landed with barely a shudder. Sabine's scan had shown a half dozen Imps throughout the ship, and a dozen more in a single room in the bowels of the ship. Ezra had entered the ducts soon after they accessed the hangar door.
Kanan felt uneasy. This still wasn't right.
Zeb grimaced and shrugged at his questioning glance.
They came to a corridor. Kanan glanced around, then looked back at Zeb, holding up two fingers, tapping his head to indicate Stormtrooper, the bucketheads. Zeb hefted his weapon and grinned. Kanan nodded.
They leapt out, Kanan flinging one of the bucketheads into the bulkhead. Zeb thundered down the corridor at the other one who got off only a single shot before his weapon was wrenched form his grasp and he was rendered unconscious by a swing of Zeb's Bo-rifle.
Zeb swiftly bound and yanked the bodies into an empty room, closing the door. He nodded at Kanan.
Kanan touched his earpiece. "Ezra? What can you see?"
Ezra's reply was muffled and tinny. "The room is just ahead. Gimme a couple minutes."
Kanan jerked his head down the corridor. Zeb followed him.
"Kanan?" Sabine's voice was loud in his ear.
"Yeah?"
"It's real quiet there. Looks like they haven't detected your entry. But it's weird. There is a room ahead I can't get a proper read on. Might be nothing, but I don't know…"
"We can handle it." Kanan glanced around the next corner. The corridor was empty.
The fit was tight. Wouldn't be much longer and he couldn't be sneaking around ships tucked safely into air vents. Ezra scowled. Getting older was stupid. He could see the grating up ahead that he was headed for.
Ezra, heroic rescuer - they would claim. Ezra, brave padawan. Yeah. He liked that. That was pretty cool. He grinned to himself. Long way from Lothal, living in that tower, that's for sure. He might have had more room, but he would never had got to meet a Jedi. And Sabine. His smile broadened. Yeah. He liked Sabine.
He elbowed his way forward, pushing his pack in front of him in case he had to use his tools. This place really was squishy. He grunted as he drew level with the grate, peering his way into the room.
His eyes widened with shock.
He barely got time to activate his comm and warn the others before the grate tore from it's mountings and he was yanked through the portal. A slice of pain shot through his body as something sharp tore his thigh on the way through. He couldn't breathe. Something clutched his throat. He tried to scrabble at whatever it was, suspended midair.
A secondary concern was the warmth that was flowing from the wound in his leg, dripping in bright, bright splatters of red on the ground.
"It's a trap!"
The howl from Ezra came through all their comms.
"Karabas," Zeb snarled.
"Ezra! Where are you?" Kanan said fiercely. "Ezra?"
Nothing.
"Come on." Kanan broke into a run, not caring about silent entrances now. It was too late.
The door opened into the shielded room between them and Ezra. Half a dozen bucket heads had their weapons aimed at them from behind cover and in the middle - Kallus. He grinned at them, his austere features creasing with delight that they had played directly into his hands.
He said simply. "The Sith wants the Jedi alive. Kill the Lasat."
The troopers opened fire at his command. The room echoed with the sound of combat. Kanan withdrew his lightsaber.
"We have to get past," he said with gritted teeth, focusing merely on defending them both against the bolt blasts.
"Get me to the bucket heads, Kanan. I can do the rest," Zeb said grimly. "You gotta rescue the kid."
Kanan's lightsaber whipped and whirled as they advanced across the room, approaching the makeshift cover of the troopers - overturned desks and crates layered up. The open door was just beyond them.
Zeb grinned widely at the white armoured foe and leapt into combat. The troopers were ill prepared for the hand to hand combat the Lasat specialised in. His Bo-rifle spun, thumping skulls, firing into chests. He saw Kanan slice a couple up with his blade, force leap over and heading for the door. He was helpless though, to stop Kallus giving chase.
Kanan ran down the corridor, sprinting from cover to cover where it was available. He had extinguished his blade, and was now firing behind him, using the force to get a sense of where his pursuer was.
"The Inquisitor has the boy, Jedi." Kallus' voice echoed up the metallic corridor. "And your retreat is cut off. My men will deal with the Lasat. You would be better off surrendering now."
Kanan jammed himself behind a metal pylon. He could see the door to the hold further down.
"Kanan….help…." Ezra's voice was a gasping whisper. It wasn't from the comms.
"I'm coming, kid." Kanan muttered.
A handful of blaster bolts peppered his position. He flinched back.
"Just kick out your lightsaber, Jedi. Lay down your gun. Put your hands behind your head." Kallus instructed. "It's your only choice."
Kanan bowed his head. He had to make a choice. Calm. Centred.
He made it.