That Insignificant Detail

Ezra stared listlessly up at the ceiling.

"I can't believe they got me to agree to this." With a groan, Ezra rolled over and buried his face in the bundled up blanket that was currently doubling as a pillow.

Five and half hours ago Hera had informed everyone that the Empire had managed to get a hold of a very large shipment of kyber crystals. According to Kanan that was very bad news as the kyber crystals could be used to power all kinds of dangerous and terrible weapons, which meant they needed to find the shipment and stop it before it could reach its unknown destination. The nearest and most accessible location to the crew that this information could be found at was the Imperial Academy on Lothal.

Three hours and fifteen minutes ago, after over two hours of thinking up and discarding any and all ideas, Kanan had come up with a seemingly simple solution: send someone undercover into the Academy. The Imperial Academy was due to take in its newest batch of cadets in just under month which presented them with the perfect opportunity to slip someone inside for an undercover op. There were only two people in the crew that could pass as prospective cadets, only one of which had any chance of success: Ezra.

Two hours and forty-eight minutes ago Ezra had been ecstatic at the idea of going undercover. It was perfect for him! Who better to go undercover than someone who had spent years conning and tricking people? That he would be pulling a fast one over on the Empire was just an added bonus to Ezra. There had also been that underlying feeling of pride. Pride that Kanan trusted him to do this and trusted that he would succeed.

Two hours and thirty-nine minutes ago Sabine had downloaded everything Ezra might need to know onto a datapad and Kanan had told him to use the hour that had been set aside for meditation to study instead.

Two hours and thirty-seven minutes ago Ezra had sat down on his bunk and reality had sunk it.

Ezra flopped back over and resumed staring unseeingly at the ceiling. The high that had come with being chosen to go undercover was long gone replaced by an increasing feeling of unease, bordering on fear as Ezra thought of all the possible ways this could go wrong. He was so out of it he didn't register Zeb entering the cabin or any of the remarks the Lasat threw at him. It wasn't until Zeb had fallen asleep and the ship became as silent as its name that Ezra jolted back to the present. He sat up, feet carrying him automatically to the small maintenance hatch. Ezra stared at the holographic picture for a few minutes before finally voicing the thought that had brought him here.

"I'm going to school."

The words rang in his ears and pushed Ezra out of the state of shock he'd been in and panic took over.

"Sweet mother of the Force!" Ezra exploded. "And not just any school, oh no! They're sending me to the Academy, the Imperial Academy!"

Ezra groaned, hands fisting in his hair.

"What was Kanan thinking? No, scratch that. Was he even thinking at all? Forget that I haven't even looked at a school in years, how am I supposed to get in? Into an Imperial school, run by Imps, and guarded by stormtroopers. The same Imps that are trying to arrest me, and the same troopers that are always trying to shoot me!"

Ezra banged a fist against the wall in frustration.

"Wercs going under cover, I should just steal it. Ok, so we don't know who has the data or what office they're in, but it wouldn't be that hard to find out. I'd just camp out in the air ducts or something for a few days and. . ." Ezra trailed off, drumming his fingers on his knee.

It was a stupid idea and he knew that. Breaking into the Imperial Academy and moving around without getting caught would be hard to do once. He was bound to get caught he kept coming and going which he would have to do if he didn't want to die of dehydration. It wasn't like Ezra could take a couple days worth of food and water with him and he wouldn't exactly be able to waltz into the Academy toilets whenever the urge hit him. Well, not more than once or twice anyway. He was good, but not that good.

"How the kriff are they even going to get me in? I – this face, my face," Ezra gestured to it, "is in the system! I know the students, cadets, whatever they're called, get uniforms with helmets, but I can hardly go around with one on my head the entire time!

"Oh, and let's not forget that tiny, insignificant detail of it's a school! I don't think I've ever been to school, and now they want me to go to an Imperial school? Schools and Loth-rats like me? That's like. . . like Chopper and manners! We don't mix."

They were excuses, real issues true, but not the ones that had his stomach twisting into knots. Ezra could barely read, hardly add simple numbers, and didn't know anything about the greater galaxy beyond what he'd picked up from travelers and now the crew. Ezra's hands curled into fists. He was going to blow the mission before the first day was over, kicked out because he didn't know even the basics of anything. The feeling of failure was overwhelming and he could already see the looks of disappointment and disgust.

Ezra kicked at the wall, frustration and anxiety getting the best of him.

"Frag it! How am I going to fix this?"

Zeb stretched his arms over his head, letting out a soft groan of appreciation when his back popped. He really needed a proper cool down after his workout, but at the moment he only cared about hitting the showers. The sound of muffled cursing made his ears twitch and Zeb rolled his eyes. It looked like Ezra was 'studying' again, if you could call spending an hour cursing out a datapad 'studying'. Zeb gave the door a sharp rap and waited until the cursing stopped before opening the door. The only reason he was being so courteous was because of a rather painful incident three days ago he didn't want to repeat.

The cursing stopped and Zeb entered the room, glancing around and relaxing when it seemed everything was firmly and unmovingly in place. He spotted Ezra in his bunk, giving the datapad in his hands a look that promised it a painful death. Zeb rolled his eyes at the sight.

"Datapad insult you again, kid?"

Ezra glanced at Zeb before returning his gaze to the pad. The temperature in the room dropped a few degrees and Zeb wouldn't have been surprised if the device in the kid's hands spontaneously exploded. It didn't, and Ezra didn't reply beyond sending Zeb a hand gesture that would have earned him weeks of the worst chores had Hera or Kanan seen it. Zeb huffed but refrained from saying anything, sensing that now wasn't the best time. Still, he made sure to be extra loud and distracting as he went about gathering fresh clothes and readying the fresher for a shower.

Zeb took as long as he could, hoping that when he got out Ezra would be done 'studying.' The kid had become surly and snappish ever since he'd been assigned the mission and had taken up studying instead of mediation. It wasn't so noticeable the rest of the time, but once the doors to the cabin closed and the datapad came out the kid was a right pain to live with.

Zeb turned off the water and groaned as the unmistakable sound of swearing reached his ears. Grumbling under his breath and letting out a few choice curses of his own, Zeb took his time getting dressed. Zeb reached for the button to open the door and jumped at a particularly loud and colorful curse.

'Hu, didn't know the brat knew that kind of language. If Hera could hear him. . .' Zeb grinned at the potential blackmail opportunities and his held off leaving the fresher in favor of eavesdropping.

". . . Impehrihahl? No, Imperihahl? Imperial! Timmad, I should know this word by now! 'Imperial bat-ta-lines?' Wha-? 'Imperial battal. . .lie ons?' Battal, um, battalih? No, battal – Arg! Son of Hutt, you–"

Zeb leaned back from the door as a slew of foreign words reached him. He might not know what Ezra was saying, but he could recognize a string of curses when he heard it. Not that he cared at the moment, Zeb had completely forgotten the reason he was eavesdropping in light of the rather startling discovery.

"You can't read."

Ezra jumped and spun to face him, eyes wide with surprise, then paled as Zeb's words registered. Ezra blinked and visibly shook himself.

"Of course, I can read," Ezra spat angrily.

"Sithspit, kid, don't lie to me," Zeb snapped.

"I'm not lying!" Ezra protested, but Zeb wasn't listening.

"Karabast! This is a problem," Zeb muttered, making his way to the door. "Better give Kanan the heads up–"

"NO!"

Ezra launched himself across the room, tackling Zeb around the knees and sending him crashing to the floor.

"What the–?!" Zeb grunted, struggling to sit up as Ezra tried to keep him pinned to the floor.

"Don't tell him!" Ezra shouted, putting his whole weight into keeping Zeb from reaching his comm.

"Get off!" Zeb shoved Ezra off him and sat up, grimacing slightly. 'Blasted kid and his pointy elbows!' "Kid, Kanan can help you. Now give me back my comm and I'll–"

"No." Ezra shot to his feet, shoving Zeb's comm into a pocket. "You're not telling him!"

"Kid," Zeb sighed and stood up, crossing his arms. "In case you missed it, we need to stop that shipment. If you can't even read–"

"I can read," Ezra snapped. Zeb raised a brow and Ezra looked away. "Just not. . . much."

"Right," Zeb said skeptically. "Either way, kid, this op's too important for you to screw up, so swallow your pride and ask Kanan for help."

Zeb's eyes narrowed as Ezra's jaw clenched and the boy continued to glare at the wall.

"Why don't you want Kanan to know?"

Ezra's expression turned mulish and Zeb rolled his eyes. Teenagers! They were going to be the death of him. Zeb grabbed the kid by the back of his shirt and hauled him up so they were eye level.

"Hey!" Ezra cried, trying to twist himself free. "Put me down!"

"Out with it, kid, or I'll throw you back in the cupboard and you can wait there until Kanan and Hera get back from Vizago's. Oh, and I'll be telling them all about your little 'problem.'" When Ezra continued to glare silently Zeb shrugged and turned to the door. "To the cupboard then."

"Alright, alright!" Ezra shouted. "I'll tell you, just put me down."

Zeb dropped him and Ezra landed in a small crouch in front of the door. After almost a full minute of silence Zeb's impatience got to him. Honestly, getting anything straight from the boy was like pulling teeth.

"Well?" Zeb growled.

"I don't wanna. . ." Ezra trailed off in a mumble too low for Zeb's ears to hear.

"Kid," Zeb warned.

"Disappoint him!" Ezra said in a rush. "I just. . . I just don't want to disappoint him. Kanan's finally started teaching me, really teaching me, and I just don't – don't want him to think he's wasting his time on me or. . .anything."

Ezra looked away as he mumbled his explanation and shifted uncomfortably, hands clenching and unclenching at his side. Zeb sighed and scratched the back of his head. Zeb shouldn't be surprised by the outburst, but at the same time he hadn't been expecting it, though he should have given what he knew of both Kanan and Ezra's personalities.

"Look, ki–Ezra, I hear what you're sayin' and I, uh, understand." Ezra gave him a flat look and Zeb huffed. "Believe it or not, kid, but I was young once too."

"Yeah, 'cause I can totally see you short, fluffy, and cute," Ezra snorted.

"And there were people I wanted to impress," Zeb continued through gritted teeth.

Ezra stiffened in surprise and eyed Zeb curiously.

"We all look up to someone at least once, kid," Zeb huffed and moved back from the door. "Take it from someone who's been where you are, tell Kanan. He might be surprised but he won't think any less of you. But beating yourself up over it and cursing at the datapad ain't gonna solve your problem."

Ezra looked away from his roommate and bit the inside of his cheek. He really, really didn't want to tell Kanan, not after Kanan had entrusted him with such an important mission. He didn't want to see the surprise followed by that look of resigned disappointment he knew Kanan would wear once he realized he'd been stupid for thinking he could have any sort of faith in Ezra. Ezra's hands curled into fists. He could see it happen so clearly it was terrifying.

Zeb was wrong, it wasn't pride that was keeping Ezra silent, it was fear.

'No, no one else can know, especially Kanan, but. . .' Ezra's eyes landed on the one person that already knew.

"Well, there is one solution." Ezra caught Zeb's eye and smirked.

Zeb twitched, he knew that look. That was the look Ezra got right before he decided to do something stupid and reckless, like steal fruit from an Imperial transport or when he wanted to try a new maneuver with the TIE they had, er, borrowed.

"You could teach me."

"No."

"Oh, come on!" Ezra scowled. "Why?"

"That should be my question! Why do you," Zeb poked Ezra in the head, "want me to teach you? Why would you even consider it? Kanan's your 'Master' go get him to teach you to read. What even makes you think I can help you?"

Ezra crossed his arms and leaned against the door.

"Ok, for the third time I can read! And I'm not stupid," Ezra spat. "Bo-rifle? Honor Guard? If that's anything like the Academy then obviously you graduated from some type of school. Besides, I've seen you read reports, and not just the ones in Basic. I've heard you help Kanan plan attacks, seen you help Hera with repairs, and Sabine is always asking you for help with stuff. Stuff I can't even begin to make sense of. Plus you're always playing Dejarik with Chopper. You might lose all the time, but still. . ."

"You rag on me all the time," Zeb pointed out, trying to wrap his head around everything Ezra had said.

"Yeah," Ezra admitted. "Smelly, overgrown, annoying, loud, messy, sure. But I've never called you stupid."

It was a bit of a shock to realize the kid was right. Never once, out of all the insults they'd traded, had Ezra ever called him stupid or insulted his intelligence in any way.

"So, you'll do it?"

Zeb blinked and looked down at the kid. Big mistake. Ezra was still leaning against the door looking completely at ease and unconcerned, but his eyes held a guarded hope and were silently begging him. Zeb groaned.

"Fine."

"Yes!"

"Oh, I wouldn't celebrate just yet."

Ezra froze, the sixth sense in the back of his head warning him to run before it was too late. Zeb's hand dropped down on his head and an impending sense of doom washed over him.

"Welcome, to Zeb's cram school where my motto is 'you're gonna learn if it kills you, and it just might.'"

One glance at the look of sadistic glee on Zeb's face and Ezra wondered if it might have been better just to come clean.

Author's Notes:

I'm trying my best to add as many 'real' curse words from the Star Wars universe as possible, such as 'frag' and 'kriff.' Just in case you're wondering where they came from.

Comments to Your Reviews:

~ To. This. Day77: Yep, first time I saw 'Breaking Ranks' I wondered how Ezra got through the academic parts without getting kicked out.

~ to Guest 1 (guest reviews answered in the order received): I laugh every time I read your review! It makes me wonder how they got him ready "for real" and I get these little cartoons images of each of the crew trying to teach Ezra. When it's Zeb turn I see them spending the entire time yelling and wrestling with each other. Sabine's turn would be spent with Ezra flirting with her. Chopper, yeah, I agree the droid would most likely spend the entire time zapping Ezra and I imagine that would be the most terrifying 'class' for Ezra. Kanan would probably teach him like he does Jedi lessons though I see Ezra much less focused, more like a kid with a substitute teacher. Hera I see being the only with any real success at teaching Ezra.

~ to Guest 2: Yeah, I don't know about anybody else but I always considered it the books fault when I didn't understand something, so naturally they needed to be properly intimidated.

~ to DeathGoddesses: *Sigh* Yes, poor, Ezra. He's going to need a lot of help, but I think Zeb might need more. He's the one that has to try and teach.

~ to RedtailHawk19: Man, I hope it'll be interesting or else I got you all excited or nothing (Oh the pressure!). I'm glad you like my additions and yes, I'm stoked for the next season! It's killing me that it won't be out for more than a month.

~ to ImThatFangirl: I plan on doing a chapter, over it. Actually, that was what this chapter was supposed to be, but the set up ended up longer than I expected so studying with Zeb will be it's own chapter. Might be a bit on the short side though, depending on how much my muse decides to give me, but I'll do my best. And yes, I saw the preview and I'll admit to geeking out.

~ to Guest 3 (though this is in response to a review to chapter 2. . .): Ya know, you're only the second person to comment on that. To be honest, I was being to wonder if anybody had figured it out. I suppose it's lazy writing, but I think it looks alien enough and gets the point across.

~ to Guest 4: I (try to) update once a week, usually Sunday night/Monday morning. . .ish.

~ to CatGirlFireflare: I see Zeb being as rough as he thinks is necessary, which might be too much or not enough. As for hiding in the vents. . .Well, Ezra did ask for this and he doesn't want anyone else to know so I don't really see him doing that. Now, he might if he doesn't want to do something else. Glad you agree with the streets not being the place to learn to read or write and thanks! I really try to keep them all in character as much as possible, but I sometimes think I slip a bit so thanks for the positive feedback!