Zeb squinted down the sight of his rifle and huffed a sigh. "Three bucket heads on the wall, two in the pen."
"On my mark." Kanan's voice was flat through the comms.
Chopper beeped and honked.
"I know, I know," Zeb growled. "I think it's a terrible idea too." He scrubbed a burly knuckle under his nose. "But he's the boss."
Chopper gave a despondent wheedling whistle.
"Just get the Ghost ready." Zeb shifted uncomfortably in the dirt, peering down the sight, watching Kanan and Sabine approach the prison compound. "If things go our usual way, we are gonna need a fast getaway."
Kanan ducked into a recess as the distant sounds of explosions echoed down the metal hallways. Clattering boots heralded the passing of a troop of bucket heads, their voices distorted by the vocoders in their helmets.
He scampered down the hallway in the silence that followed. The jail cells were filled with doors, faces pressed firmly against glass, trying to see what was going on. Wide, terrified eyes met his passage.
He checked the numbers beside each door, muttering, "12…14….16….18….20…." as he passed each one. He paused before one door and hesitated. His hands clenched at his side, his brows drawing together. He took a calming breath, and held a pilfered tag up to the scanner. It beeped, the light above the door turned green. A swish of sound as the portal slid up, revealing the twilight interior of the small room.
A Nautolan woman was chained close to the wall, a collar around her throat. Her bruised face was weary, her hands lying limply in her lap, palms up, as she leaned against the cold metal of her cell wall.
At Kanan's entry, her large, luminous eyes opened. She tensed, studying him head to toe. "Who are you?"
"Vin Eliis?" Kanan tensed his jaw.
"…Yes." The sister of the Black Sword leader answered hesitantly.
"Lan sent me to get you."
He watched her swallow hard, her expression grow fearful. "You can't take me to her."
Kanan scrubbed his palm over the back of his neck. "She has one of my crew. The deal was, I get you out, she sets her free."
"You can't take me to her." Vin's voice was hoarse in her terror. "She will kill me. Slowly. And make sure it every step is excruciating."
Kanan dropped his hands. "I'm sorry. I wish I could explain."
"Please…"
Kanan held out a palm and drew the force through him. The shackles clattered to the ground. The Nautolan cowered.
"Forgive me," he whispered hoarsely.
Kanan maneuvered Ghost through the towering trees. He could feel the waves of disapproval coming from the co-pilot seat.
"She will be mad." The silence was broken by Sabine's soft voice.
Kanan hunched his shoulders. "She will get over it."
"You give Vin back to her sister, it will be murder."
"Hera is dead if we don't."
"There has to be another way." Sabine turned in her seat to implore Kanan to reconsider. Her hands were clenched hard. "There has to be, Kanan."
"Damn it, Sabine, I can't just leave her to those… those… pirates and not do everything I can to save her."
"I know," Sabine said softly. "I'm not saying it will be easy. But… can't we find another way?"
"If you know another way, Sabine, I would like to hear it."
Silence fell again. The hum of Ghost held no comfort for its passengers. Sabine rose to her feet and slipped from the cockpit. Kanan closed his eyes. He was losing them. Losing their trust.