A/N: Any time Solstice is being referred to as "white eagle" it will be from either Kanan, Ezra, or Rex's pov. This chapter is mainly Ezra's though.
Chapter 10
Ezra Bridger blinked at the noise that suddenly infiltrated his dream. He cracked an eye open, groaning when he saw Corporal Langenscheidt ordering all the prisoners to get up. It was still very early in the morning, early enough that the sun hadn't even risen yet. All Ezra wanted to do was lay in his relatively warm bed and sleep the day away. But all of that was ripped away when his blanket was ripped off his body and the young corporal yelling in his ear. The blue-haired boy sat up, throwing the man daggers through his gaze, before leaping off the top bunk in compliance. He glanced around the room, noting that everyone was doing the same, only with a lot more grumbling. Ezra expected the young man in the German uniform to shoot the men throwing snarks and snides at him, but instead Corporal Langenscheidt just repeated his orders.
The Lothal native winced at the bit of the cold that hit him when he stepped outside. He stood in rank, his eyes glancing around. He was several feet shorter than most of the men around here. Of course, he was by far younger than most of the men here. The young boy stuffed his hands into the pockets of the too-big coat that Colonel Hogan provided him when he got out of the cooler five days ago and lowered his head. He was thankful for the fact that he had something to keep out the chill, otherwise he would've frozen in those civilian clothes.
As Ezra snapped his spine when the Kommadant came out, his eyes drifted around the compound, despite everyone around him slouching. Two barracks over, he spotted Kanan and Rex, heckling the guards along with the other prisoners. Kanan seemed to be having a ball with messing with Schultz. Then his gaze switched over to Solstice, all by her lonesome self. Her mid-back length hair moved in the slight, extremely chilly breeze. She stood stiffly, her eyes forward, unseeing.
The bounty hunter was grateful for the risk that the four of them risked court martial to get her, but she said that she didn't want to get involved in the Rebellion. Ezra hadn't gotten the full story out of her yet, but he assumed it was the same story with Kanan.
"Besides," she had said after telling them off, "I have my own mission to accomplish."
"Schultz, reeeeepppppoooooorrrrrrtttttt!" Klink ordered, tearing the young boy out of his thoughts.
Schultz clicked his heels before stating, "Herr Kommadant, all present and accounted for."
"Very good." Klink congratulated. The overseer of the prison camp gave them all a talking too, something about how good his people were doing in the war before saying, "Disssmiiiissssseeedddd."
The prisoners broke off from the lines and started to mingle around the area while the single sun rose into the sky. Ezra yawned, heading back towards the barracks to get a couple of minutes of sleep before he felt someone tug on his elbow.
"We have work to do Ezra." Solstice stated as she discreetly pulled him towards Barracks 2. Ezra groaned but complied. White Eagle told him to go on in, while she took the underground tunnel. It would look suspicious if she was seen going into a barrack full of men. The boy nodded and headed on in, collapsing on the nearest bunk in exhaustion.
"You alright there, Ezra?" Kanan asked from the table. He and Rex were eating something the small man named Lebeau called a soufflé. It looked and smelled delicious. Ezra managed to crawl forward sneakily, taking a small spoonful from Kanan's bowl. The brunette male caught him and force grabbed Ezra's spoon. But the young boy was quick to recover. Soon, the two engaged in a Force-tug-of-war that gained the attention of the other men in the barracks. They all gawked and cheered, and Ezra could see some money changing hands in his peripheral vision. But he was focused on getting something that didn't have sawdust in it.
They were so enraptured by the competition, that they didn't even hear someone knock on one of the bunks. Kinchloe turned his attention from the competition to open the hidden entrance. It was White Eagle. She was about to ask the man something but stopped when she spotted the two other Force-Sensitives, with the members of Barracks 2 shouting and urging them on.
"I don't even want to know." She declared as the dark-skinned radioman helped her up. The brunette then nudged the green-clad man playfully. "Watch this."
Kinch watched the woman hold out her hand and close her eyes in concentration. The hair on the back of his neck stood straight up as if the air became charged with electricity like before a thunderstorm. To his shock, the spoon handle smoothly turned towards White Eagle. A moment later it came flying towards the brunette woman. She caught it, spun it around and popped it into her mouth before the other two could do anything. Solstice's face scrunched up in delightful thought.
"Excellent as always, Lebeau." She commented before tossing the spoon back to Kanan.
"Merci, Mademoiselle." The short man said as he dished her a bowl. Ezra scowled at her as White Eagle sat down.
"So, are you two always so childish with your powers?" White Eagle asked as she dug into her soufflé.
"Not always." Ezra answered as he sat down next to Kanan. White Eagle chuckled softly, though the smile and light in her aquamarine eyes died when they drifted over to Rex.
"Where's Hogan?" The brunette woman asked, suddenly.
"Right here." The brunet man announced as he came out of his office. He examined the scene in front of him. And boy was it an odd sight. "Okay, we start planning the good doctor's daughter's break."
"I've got several plans already but I just need you to give them the once over." White Eagle announced. Rex whistled impressively.
"Now that's what I call thorough." The old clone commented. Ezra noticed how White Eagle just eyed Rex before turning to Hogan.
She stood, whispered something to Hogan and made her way towards the door. But as she placed her hand on the door, the woman turned around. "Oh, I contacted Captain Syndulla to inform her of the plan."
"Uh oh." Kanan muttered. "How mad was she?"
"Pretty mad." White Eagle answered, scratching the base of her neck. "I swear, I thought she was going to reach through the transmission and strangle me. If I were you, I would get her some chocolate when you get back, or something nice. Just to be sure."
"What else?" Ezra asked.
"She said that Bonga is here as well."
"Yeah, he was sorta the one to convince us to go and get you." Ezra answered, scratching the back of his neck. He adverted his gaze from the tense glare of the bounty hunter in front of him. Kanan, as well as the other men, adverted their gaze as well. Rex was the only one to not advert his glare. The old clone took a sip from the cup a blond man handed him.
"Only you two would be so reckless to allow a civilian to come with you." White Eagle sighed as she rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Where is he now?"
"With the Twilight." Ezra answered.
"And where is the Twilight?"
"Several miles or so from here in a cave." Rex answered. The bounty hunter glared at him, a sneer crossing her features.
"I didn't ask you, Clone." White Eagle snapped. She turned her attention back to Ezra, who looked at her with a shocked expression. Her hatred of Clones was something that seemed deeply rooted and probably going to be impossible to fix. Maybe if he discovered why White Eagle hated clones, then maybe he can help her get over it like he did with Kanan. "We'll have to find a way to contact him, have him get the ship ready."
"Anyway, how's the plan to get the good doctor's daughter out of the slammer going?" Carter asked a little nervously as an uncomfortable silence descended on the barracks.
"I managed to get a little information out of Schultz, and Doctor Serth, and found that the plant that they're holding his daughter is heavily fortified." White Eagle borrowed a napkin from Newkirk and a pen from Kinchloe. The brunette woman expertly drew a rough sketch of the plant that the Germans were holding Serth's daughter. She placed several dots around certain areas and made a dotted line around the perimeter of the drawing. Ezra leaned over the table and watched closely as the bounty hunter started to explain.
"According to Serth, the entire plant is surrounded by barbed wire, and two guards here, here and here." White Eagle gestured to the dots. "The guards alternate every five hours, which means we have a thirty percent chance of succeeding if we plan it right."
"Only thirty?" Ezra joked.
"We've worked with lower chances of success." Kanan chimed in.
"Same here." Lebeau added with a chuckle.
"Anyway," White Eagle's voice cut through the lighter air, "His daughter is being held smack dab in the middle of the plant. The best route to take, according to Serth, is to go straight through the front gate."
"Simple enough but how do we know that they haven't moved his daughter?" Kinchloe asked.
"They haven't moved him." She answered with a shrug. "Serth said that when he's moved, she's moved, so we have until he's moved to rescue her."
"What about the plant?" Lebeau questioned.
"That's also simple." White Eagle answered. She tossed up a metal sphere with a smirk. Ezra felt himself go rigid at the sight of Sabine's chargers. Not only did it hold a punch, it also could paint the sky. Literally. The last time the Mandelorian used one of the those was during the Ghost crew's last solo mission before joining the rebellion. A private had gotten curious about them, and nearly blew a colorful hole in the command ship.
"When did you get that?" Kanan asked, sounding as anxious as Ezra felt.
White Eagle smirked, tossing the grenade into the air, causing the three of them to wince whenever it landed in the palm of her hand. "Oh, I pinched it off Sabine the last time I worked with you guys, as well as some exploding paint. And I've been dying to try it out."
"Okay, well just don't play with it in here." Kanan ordered, using the Force to take it out of the hand of the woman. She just looked on with a half-cocked eyebrow as the sphere floated out of the air and landed in Kanan's hand.
"That's how we take care of the plant, to answer your question Lebeau." The woman declared, pointing towards the explosive.
"Blimey." Newkirk sighed as he took a breath of his death-stick. Ezra raised an eyebrow as he blew out a stream of smoke. "This'll be a close one, colonel."
"I know." Hogan agreed. He looked to be deep in thought but shook his head. "Solstice, do you mind leading the operation?"
"Does that mean I get to choose my team?" She asked excitedly.
"Yes."
White Eagle looked like she was a kid getting the hoverbike they wanted for their birthday. "Oh yes! Uh, Carter, Kanan, and Newkirk you'll be with me."
"Are you sure that's enough?" Rex asked.
All the sudden, White Eagle drew up in on herself. She eyed the clone closely. "You might've done things differently in the 501st, but I can get things done just as well with three people."
Rex stood up slowly, his amber eyes glowing with just barely controlled rage. "I don't know what your problem is but you better put it behind you."
"And how can I do that? Huh?" White Eagle was sudden in Rex's face, anger clear on her features. "How can I put behind me the fact that your kind massacred the Jedi? Or how can I put behind me the fact that the entire Galactic Senate placed Emperor Palpatine in power, even when he massacred innocent people? How can I ignore the heart ache that I suffered when I had to execute my own squadron? Men that I called brothers!"
Kinchloe and Carter had moved to keep the woman from launching herself at the old man. Tears were falling down her face as her shouting grew louder. Lebeau was at the door, keeping an eye out just in case the guards heard her shouting. Rex didn't do anything, just glanced down and looked ashamed. Kanan and Ezra quickly stood and made to intervene.
"White Eagle, Rex didn't have anything to do with the massacre!" Ezra informed her. "The clones…. they all had chips in their head that forced them to do it."
"I don't care!" She shouted back.
"Calm yourself, Eagle." Kanan ordered. The entire atmosphere of Barracks 2 became peaceful and calm. Everyone seemed to relax. Only, it had the opposite effect on Solstice.
"Don't you dare try to use the Force on me, Kanan Jarrus!" She ordered. The air suddenly prickled with electricity as anger and calm met head on. Just when it became unbearable to breath, White Eagle left, storming out of the barracks and slamming the door for good measure. Everyone just glanced at the old man, eyeing him closely. None of them really understood what just happened but they got the jest of it. All they knew was that Rex and Solstice should not be working together at all. A few minutes passed in complete silence, until Schultz appeared. The large guard almost walked in on a discussion involving the mission. Kanan had just finished explaining how much damage the explosive paint and charge could do to that factory alone, when Lebeau announced that he was coming.
Thankfully, Kanan managed to finish his explanation. Unfortunately, Schultz heard the last part about the factory going sky high. The large guard looked like he might faint.
"Colonel Hogan?" the guard asked slowly.
Hogan, the picture of innocence, replied, "Yes Schultz?"
"Why are you talking about blowing up a factory?"
Ezra felt himself go tense instinctively. He felt like he had to be prepared to go down fighting if the man dragged all of them to a firing squad. Looking around though, the young boy was surprised to see the rest of Hogan's team so relaxed, as if they weren't just found out by the large guard and maybe get executed for attempting to escape and blow up a factory.
But as he found, Hogan was rather quick on his feet. "We weren't talking about blowing up a factory, Schultz. You're becoming too paranoid."
"Yeah, Schultzie." Newkirk chimed in from where he was shuffling cards at the table. "Besides we're prisoners o' war. How are we supposed to blow up a fac'roy?"
"How about a taste testing my soufflé, Schultz?" Lebeau asked before the large guard could ask any more questions. The diversion shouldn't have worked in Ezra's mind. It was obvious, even to him, that the way the conversation suddenly made a nose dive away from the conversation the guard overheard was too awkward, too jerky. But strangely, the guard didn't seem to notice. Instead, he immediately strolled over to the stove happily.
Schultz ate half of the soufflé before he left. Hogan and a couple of men, including Ezra and Kanan, left to start a game of volleyball. The two Jedi easily learned the game soon enough, having been placed on Andrew's team. The blond sergeant was a very good teacher.
After a lunch of sawdust bread, Ezra played a game of sabacc with Kanan. They borrowed Newkirk's card deck. It took a little tweaking, but eventually they managed to use the earthling's deck for their game. Newkirk watched them with a raised eyebrow in interest. Ezra examined his cards, an eyebrow quirking as he laid it down. Kanan also raised an eyebrow as he examined his cards, only he was smirking quite mischievously.
"You're probably going to hate me, kid." Kanan suddenly announced.
Ezra scoffed. "Hate you, Master? Never."
"Okay. If you say so." Kanan laid his cards down on the table, causing Ezra to gasp in shock. Then his face scrunched up anger.
"You…. You used an Idiot's Array?! But that's not…. what?!"
Kanan chuckled at his Padawan's disbelief. He put his hands behind his head as he relaxed as much he could in a prisoner of war camp. "What can I say kid? The Force works in mysterious ways."
He moved forward to collect the prize, several chocolate bars and a couple of death sticks (but he gave those to Newkirk) when Ezra saw something sticking out from underneath his master's glove. It came loose as the brown-haired man continued to draw the chocolate bars closer. Eventually, it was sticking out so much that Ezra made a grab. He was quick enough that Kanan didn't realize what was going on until the card was finally freed from its hiding place.
"Hey!" The man protested. He made a grab for the card but years of pinching stuff off people had Ezra moving back quickly. The blue-haired boy examined the card before holding it up to Kanan, his face angry. His master chuckled uneasily. "I can explain…."
Ezra just scowled, mimicking Hera whenever she was angry. Arms crossed, hip cocked out, eyebrow raised (specifically the left) and lips pressed in a slight pout. The effects were immediate. Kanan backed up in slight fear but soon recovered. The man just chuckled to himself, giving Ezra the look Kanan would use in reply to Hera's face. The two sat there, until eventually Ezra couldn't help himself. He busted out laughing. Kanan did too, and the two ended up falling on the ground, tears falling down their face. Newkirk looked on with a curious expression, obviously confused. Unfortunately, the two Jedi's laughter didn't last very long.
"HEY!" An angry voice cried. Both Jedi and the RAF pilot stopped what they were doing to turn around and saw a large man walk up to them. The man walking forward wore green fatigues, large boots that were all but caked with mud. His hair was closely cropped but his face had stubble on it, which made it look larger and more angular than it probably was. And that big man was heading towards them.
"Oh boy." Ezra heard Newkirk mutter.
"What? What is it?" The boy asked.
"Sully McCarter." The blue-clad man answered as he lounged in the chair vacated by Kanan.
"Who's that?" Kanan answered. The man got his answer a moment later. Sully McCarter marched up to Kanan. Kanan recoiled not form the large size of the man, but the anger practically oozing from the man.
"Whatcha laughing at?" The man demanded, poking Kanan's chest angrily. "Dontcha know there's a war on?"
"Why don't ya bug off McCarter?" Newkirk ordered before Kanan could answer. But Sully just looked at him with a twisted look.
"So, where's that woman of yours Newkirk? I thought that she would be draped on every man here." He glanced over at Ezra, who was glaring at him. "Though, I'm surprised that she hasn't gone after you, short fry. You know? Of course, she's probably doing the Kommadant and all the Krauts in this joint-"
"That's enough!" Ezra shouted. He wasn't going to stand here and let this person bad mouth White Eagle. Kanan placed a hand on his shoulder, silently ordering him to reign in his anger. The boy did, though Sully continued.
"Oh, little fish got bite." Sully got in his face, making it hard to keep his anger in.
"Leave them alone, Sully." White Eagle's voice suddenly cut through the tension. She, along with Colonel Hogan were walking up to the group. Ezra also noticed they had gathered something of a crowd, the prisoners and guards looking on with curiosity. He had to bet that the prisoners would most likely urge on a fight that was no doubt brewing between Sully and White Eagle.
"Well, if it isn't the whore of Stalag 13." The man commented. He chuckled at his own, not so good joke. Hogan visibly bristled at the comment, but it seemed to flow right off White Eagle.
"What's going on over here?" Hogan asked. Ezra visibly shuddered when he saw the anger behind the seemingly calm Colonel.
"Nothing boss." Sully lied. "Just having a little fun with the newcomers."
"Now, we both know that's not true, Sully." White Eagle stated with a knowing tone. "Why don't you tell us what's really going on?"
"I don't answer to whores." Sully spat.
"But you do answer to me." Colonel Hogan corrected. The two dominate males got in each other's faces, but White Eagle placed herself in the middle of the two.
"How about we settle this, the old fashion way?" The bounty hunter suggested. "I challenge you to a wrestling match."
Sully scoffed. "You? You're like one-hundred and ninety-nine pounds."
"Actually, I'm two hundred." White Eagle corrected, sounding rather offended. "And I can easily put you in your place."
The man smirked. It caused a shiver to go down Ezra's spine as it reminded him too much of the Grand Inquisitor. "You're on. Meet me in the middle of the courtyard after lunch. Don't be late."
White Eagle watched him go with a scowl, and Ezra did too. The bounty hunter suddenly sighed deeply.
"Are you insane?" Hogan questioned as the woman sat down, rubbing her head.
"Yeah." Ezra agreed. "I mean, that guy's as big as Zeb and probably as strong as him as well."
"And I've wrestled with Garrazeb Orrelios, the first time we met, remember Kanan?"
The male Jedi visibly winced as if remembering something bad. "Oh, I remember that. He came out with a lot of bruises."
"So, I think I'm okay." She pointed out. "The only problem is, what will happen when Klink finds out?"
"If you make it look like you didn't start it, then maybe the Kommadant would be lenient towards you." Hogan suggested. White Eagle shrugged before she started to walk away. Ezra, feeling that he needed something else to do, decided to follow the bounty hunter to her barracks.
"So, this is where you live." Ezra commented as he plopped down on the bed. "Cozy."
From where she was positioned behind a sheet, Ezra heard her chuckle. "Not as cozy as a room on the Ghost, I bet."
Ezra sat up, the silence heavy. "Why do you hate Rex?"
The movement behind the blanket stopped before resuming. Ezra waited as patiently as he could. But when the woman came out, in what he assumed to be traditional Jedi robes, she still hadn't answered the question. Finally, while she was strapping her gear to her body, the bounty hunter answered.
"It was at the end of the Clone Wars." Ezra perked up at her somber voice. "My Master and I had just returned to the Jedi Temple. But my master was wary. Master Windu and several others had gone to investigate something at the Chancellor's office, so he and a couple of members from the White Eagle squadron went to investigate. However, without warning, the clone soldiers opened fire on me and my master. I…. I had to kill three of them. But more were coming. My master stayed behind, while I sounded the alarm. But it wasn't enough."
Ezra blinked. "So, you were in the thick of it when it all happened."
She nodded, her eyes closed. "After I escaped, I swore off everything I learned and knew and donned a new name. But even though I was a bounty hunter, I stayed true to my beliefs that all life is sacred. Though, with the bounty on my head, that was a little difficult."
The young boy smiled slightly. He sat there, watching as White Eagle continue to put pieces of armor on. When she was finished, it was almost lunch. White Eagle looked like a Jedi pulled out of the Clone Wars, with dark earthen brown robes, black leggings, fingerless gloves and brown boots. On her wrists, she had black wrist protectors. Her hair was pulled up in a bun, a few strands falling over her face. With her lightsaber attached to her hip, she looked like everything he was training to be. A Jedi, strong, powerful and noble.
"Come on, Ezra." White Eagle ordered. "Time to deal with a snake."
Right as the two Jedi stepped outside, a crowd started to gather. Sully was smirking as he entered the circle that the prisoners unwittingly made. Hogan and his men stood near their barracks, watching the scene carefully. His orders rang through Ezra's head. White Eagle had to make it look like she wasn't the one who started the fight. And by the way she was examining the crowd and her opponent, the Lothal native assumed she was doing a pretty good job. Her opponent seemed to get the wrong idea.
"What's wrong? Loosing your nerve?"
White Eagle chuckled to herself quietly. "Not at all. I was just wondering if you were really so cowardly as to attack a weak woman."
Sully punched his fist into his open palm, chuckling to himself maliciously. Ezra found Kanan and Rex and stood by them, each watching with varying degrees of amusement. Rex felt like he had seen this somewhere before. Either between the new recruits or between General Skywalker and some Separatist enemy. Whatever it was, the former Clone captain watched closely. This woman…. she was very interesting in her techniques.
"Time to teach you a lesson." Sully cried before he launched himself into the attack. He rushed White Eagle, who just stood there. Right as the man was about to land a punch, White Eagle moved. She moved so fast that Ezra forced himself not to blink, as he was afraid he would miss something. With such grace and speed, White Eagle avoided the sloppy punches of the large man. This went on for several minutes, and everyone clearly saw Sully slowing down and tiring. But White Eagle didn't appear to have broken a sweat.
"Wow." White Eagle exclaimed sarcastically. She examined her nails with much more interest. "And here I thought you were such a big man. Guess I was wrong."
Sully apparently wasn't as tired as he seemed to be as he growled, launching himself at the brunette woman for one final hit. White Eagle was ready. In one swift movement, White Eagle grabbed the man by his wrists, twisted her body around, and, as if he weighed nothing more than Ezra himself, effortlessly pulled the large man over her shoulder. Sully McCarter landed on the ground with a loud 'omph', the wind and fight thoroughly knocked out of him. The bounty hunter leaned over the man, her foot firmly on his chest.
"Next time, I would think carefully before you challenge me." She warned softly. The brunette made to move but stopped. Bending back over the shell-shocked man, she said, "Oh, I hope you learned your lesson."
The men erupted into applause as White Eagle strolled through the crowd to where Hogan and his men were waiting. However, she didn't get very far as she and Sully were rounded up by Schultz and taken to the Kommadant's office. Hogan, though, was quick to be the cavalry as he strode quickly behind the large guard, disappearing moments after the three.
"Hogan says to be ready after roll call," the man named Kinchloe informed Kanan softly before returning to mingling with the other prisoners. Kanan wordlessly nodded before leaning against the barracks, deep in thought. Ezra walked up beside his master, doing the same as him.
"What if we don't get Serth's daughter out?" Ezra asked silently. He didn't realize he was thinking out loud until his master spoke.
"Don't worry." He assured his apprentice. "We will."
-Line break-
Bonga sighed as he paced the length of the loading deck anxiously. He hadn't had any word from Kanan, Ezra or Rex. Almost another full week had passed, and it was really starting to grate on the Mon Calamari's nerve. 'What ifs' started to circulate through his mind, each worse than the last.
What if they didn't reach White Eagle?
What if they were shot by the very people they were trying to get captured by?
What if they got in touch with the Fleet and they figured out that he was the traitor?
What if they were planning to jump him, the minute he steps out of the ship?
The Mon Calamari sighed as he continued to pace. He wrung his webbed hands nervously, trying to dispatch the thoughts. Suddenly, he stopped. Bonga turned, making his way towards the magazine, where the weapons were stored. Kanan and Rex had managed to bring a good number of weapons with them, though Kanan only took his lightsaber, and Rex his twin blaster pistols.
Bonga smiled as he pulled a large blaster off the rack, weighing it. He checked it, his smile growing when he saw that it was fully loaded.
Time to prepare for the attack….