Chapter 6: Breaking Ranks
On Lothal in the city, at one of the bases, a squad of cadets was heading for training. "And Halt!" the officer orders the cadets and the did so and turn, facing their commanding officer. "Squad NRZ077, for your inspection sir." he tells the commanding officer, "Cadets, you came to this facility but after a few short weeks, you will leave as soldiers and by the time you complete your training, you will be prepared to serve your Emperor. Today we will test your strengths and resolve. Are you ready to become troopers?" he questions them. "Sir, yes sir!" they answer him.
"At ease," he orders at them and the relax a few removed their helmets and one of them was the one and only Ezra Bridger. He looks down at his helmet in thought and then his friend calls out to him, "Dav." he calls out, placing his hand on Ezra's shoulder and snapping him out of thought, "Dav Morgan you in there?" he asks him, "Oh right, Dav Morgan's here in alright, that's me." Ezra states not feeling all excited, "Oh wow, you must be really feeling the pressure." Jai teases him, but Ezra bumps his elbow into his chest, "Sorry Jai, who the guy that's won very assessment?" Ezra reminds him, but Jai playful pushes him back, "Yeah, but today I can taste victory." Jai tells him, "You said that yesterday and went hungry." Ezra reminds him.
And the two playfully pushes at each other as the floor started to escalate down, "Cadets you are acceding into the Well and must climb out will all deliberate speed." he tells them as they were at the bottom, "You will be given the deliberate honor of serving as aids in Imperial headquarters. Those who loose, will be serving task Master Gritt and wish they stay at the bottom of the well." he informs them. "I'm taking that prize." Jai informs them. But was then shove by a cadet behind him. "Not today, Kell." he snaps at him, "Back off, Olect." Ezra pushes him back. But Olect grips his wrist shoving it away, "You too Morgan, you're both going down." he growls at him.
"Actually, we're going up." Ezra jokes with him, then the two started to fight. "The commanding officer smirks to himself, "The assessment begins in 4, 3, 2…" Gratt shouts, making the two-stop and then the few pulled their helmets on. "How exactly are we going up?" Jai asks Ezra. "1!" the man said, pressing a few buttons and platforms flew out from the walls and the ground. "There's your answer Jai," Ezra tells him, pats his shoulder and jumps over at one and pulls himself up.
Then started to jump at the platforms, "See you at the top!" Ezra shouts at them. "Yes, you will. From below!" Jai said and started to jump onto the platforms as well. The other cadets jump as well, "Failure is not appreciable! This Empire has no use for weakness!" the commanding officer states and started to electrify the platforms, but Ezra dodges them as he jumps to the top, "Morgan, how do you do it? It's like you know before the platforms are." Jai asks Ezra as he jumps onto another. "What can I say, it's a gift." Ezra answers as he jumps up and off the wall and onto another platform. "Morgan is impressive. Perhaps too impressive, make a note of that." the CO states and Gartt did so.
Ezra jumps over to a platform and pulls Jai up next to him, Olect jumps up as well as he was going to pass them, he snickers to himself. "You lose, Morgan." he snickers, Ezra places his hand on Jai's shoulder. "Jai, look out!" Ezra said, pulling him along as they jump over onto the other platform, Olect then falls down to the bottom and looks at up at him, Ezra opens his visor and salutes him. Ezra then grips the edge of the ledge and pulls himself out, then help Jai out as well. Then the third came out too. "First again." Ezra boosts as Jai removes his helmet, "Yeah well, I'll get you tomorrow." Jai tells him as Ezra pulls off his helmet, "You said that yesterday too." Ezra reminds him.
"Quite a finish cadets." the OC states as he claps for them. "It seems this trial was too easy. Morgan, Kell. You set Imperial records, oh and is it Leonis?" she asks the third cadet as Jai helps him up. "Sir, yes sir." she answers him, "You three are today's winners. But rest assured your next trail will be a great one. Follow me." he tells them and walks off. The three followed him as Ezra shrugs at Olect as he then slams his fist down as he hung on the side of the of the Well.
The three followed after their CO as a black astromech rolls pass them, Ezra looks down at it and gave off a hand message with his hand, the astromech response and rolls off, Leonis eyes the droid with suspicious then follows after the three.
The droid rolls outside of the facility and then flashes his light in the distance, sending Ezra message, Sabine catches it as the droid rolls back into the facility, she then walks away and turns a corner, meeting up with Zeb, "Spectre 5 to Ghost, looks like the kid has pass the first test. He's inside Imperial HQ." she informs Hera, "Roger Spectre 5, Ghost standing by." Hera informs her.
Her, Kadan and Leo were in the cockpit of the Ghost as they were in orbit, "We've been standing by for weeks, I'm sick of this." Kadan complains Hera turns to him, "You're worried about Ezra and Mako." she said and then Leo whines, slouching more into his chair. "I'm not worried about the kids, I'm worried about the Op," Kadan said, crossing his arms and sighs. "What we're we thinking, putting them undercover?" Kadan questions, "What were we thinking? This was your idea." Hera reminds him, "They're just not ready and if they get caught…" Kadan states, "They haven't got caught so far." Hera states. "The minute they get the decoder, Zeb yanks them out of there, I mean look at Leo, his mood is getting worse." Kadan jesters over to Leo as he falls onto the ground and then was falling flat on the ground.
"That's the plan and Leo's just upset that Mako volunteered for this mission to make sure Ezra get the decoder." Hera reminds him, making Leo let out a muffled groan, "I should have done this myself." Kadan states Hera huffs. "Oh yeah, you make quite a cadet," Hera tells him as Kadan looks away with worry.
~8~8~8~
Back the three base, the three exited the lift, Jai and Ezra places their helmets on their heads and walk off into different directions, but Leonis watches Ezra walk off into and he decided to follow him. Agent Kallus walks out of his office reading over a datapad, Ezra notices him and follows him. "Excuse me, sir, I have your new data pad, I can leave it on your desk." he informs him, holding out the data pad. "No, I'll take it now." Kallus informs him and Ezra handed him the datapad.
Then he watches Kallus walks off and then was gone, then Ezra walks back to Kallus office and presses the code in and steps through and walks through the door. He then pulls his helmet off and walks up to the desk. He then pulls out a case and opens it. But as he starts to get the decoder, the doors were open, making Ezra gasp and saw a lieutenant with their hat on walks in. Ezra thought he was done for and his covered blown, but then recognize the long auburn hair that was in one curl and sat on the lieutenant's shoulder. He sighs and places his hand on his heart, "You've almost gave me a heart attack." Ezra hisses at them, the lieutenant smirks and lifts their head, revealing none other than Mako Firebreather.
"Sorry, I couldn't help myself," she tells him and walks to him, he huffs and turns back to the case. "You almost got it?" she asks as she was leaning next to him, "Almost." he said, pressing a few buttons and a disk pops out. "One decoder as ordered" he whispers and took it and his helmet, he went to leave, "Aren't you forgetting something?" she asks him. He stops and then reaches back and then takes the datapads and Mako shook her head then closes the case and turns it back to its original position. They both then walk back to the door, Ezra hums to himself as he presses a button and then the door opens. Making the two gasp as the other cadet was standing at the door.
"What do you think you're doing?" he questions them, Mako just gulps then he and Ezra held a stare down, but then they heard that a door was open and then Leonis pushes Ezra back into the office and the door closes behind them. As the pratol walks pass them, Leonis looks at the two and then the decoder disk in Ezra helmet, then took it, "Hey get out of there!" Ezra orders him as Leonis looks at it, "I figured it would be something like this." he tells them, "It's not what you think." Ezra tells him. "I think this device as a build in sensor, which would trigger that." he jesters up to the tracker on top if the door, making the two look up at it. "you both try walking out with thing the whole facility goes on lock-down." he warns them as they look at him in disbelief.
"Wait, are you trying to help us?" Ezra questions him. "You really want to discuss this here and now?" Leonis asks him, offering the decoder disk back to him. Ezra looks at Mako as she crosses her arms at him. "Not so much." he answers and took the decoder back and places it back in the case and the three left the officer, the two places their helmet back on and they walk off.
Back outside, Sabine waited for them, but the blast doors close, neither of them showed. "Spectre 5 to Ghost, something went wrong. They didn't the device and didn't come out." Sabine informs Hera, "Copy that Sceptre 5, give them one more day." Hera informs her.
Kadan just sighs, "This decoder better be worth the risk." he states, Hera looks at him, "What's the alternative? Do you want to stop that Kyber shipment or not?" Hera questions him, "And you know the Empire can do with that crystal." she adds in, "Nothing good." Kadan admits, "So we give Ezra and Mako one more day." Hera tells him and then they heard a whine from Ezra, Zeb and Leo's room. "And they better hurry, I think Leo missing Mako." Hera states, Kadan chuckles a little.
~8~8~8~
As the cadets were asleep, Ezra and Leonis were awake and they jump down from their bunks, quietly tip-toe to the door, it opens as Mako was waiting for them and they all walk off and headed for a more secure place to talk.
They were in the weapon storage room, Mako was leaning against the wall next to Ezra, hers and his arms were cross as they were in front of Leonis. "What do you need that decoder for?" he asks them, "Our friends need it to stop an Imperial shipment." Ezra answers him, "How did you know about the sensors?" Mako asks him, "From my sister, Dhara. She was the star cadet in this place, she knew the entire Imperial complex backward and forwards." he informs them, "What happen to her?" Mako asks him, "They tell us that she ran off, but I don't believe it." he tells her and then turns back to them.
"What were you two doing breaking into Kallus's office. That's a great way to get shot." he tells them, they both look at each other and back at him. "It's a long story, but we need that decoder and we could use a partner that knows his way around." Ezra states. "What's in it for me?" Leonis asks him, "Do you really need a reason to mess with the Empire?" Ezra asks him and held out his hand to him. "No, I don't." he answers and shook Ezra's hand. "Good, we have to finish in the top three tomorrow If we're going to get inside Imperial HQ. My friend here already has access but can't finish our mission without me." he informs him, pointing over at Mako.
"Then lets do it, I'm Zare, by the way. Zare Leonis, you're Dav, right?" he asks him, "Yeah, yeah that's me." Ezra answers "And this is my friend, Amelia Fay." Ezra introduce Mako using her cover name and Zare shook his hand.
~8~8~8~
Later the next morning, the cadets were back in the well with the commanding officer and his second and Mako were there to observe them. "Today's assessment will be a little more challenging. You will end to shoot the targets to activate the panel necessary to climb out." the CO informs them.
"3, 2, 1!" Gratt shouts and the cadets started shooting at the targets and started up, Mako crosses her arms and watches them, "Lieutenant Fay, what do you think of the cadets?" the CO asks her, she looks at him, "I've seen better, but I enjoy watching worms crawl." she tells him with a smirk, making her own skin was to jump off her and wash itself off. They then look back down and watches Olect sabotage a cadet's panel, "It seem Olect has taken your correction to heart." he tells Gratt, Mako clutches her fist under her arm, hiding her worry for Ezra. She saw that Zare was not going to make it so Ezra had to sacrifice Jai and pushes him off the side.
Mako stiffens and then motions her two fingers, making a panel rush under Jai, cutting his fall short. She quickly clutches her fingers into the fist, making sure no one saw. Ezra, Olect and Zare was the first three to make it out. "Cadets follow Morgan's example, there is no friendship in war." the CO informs them, -Then the Empire will have no trust within.- Mako tells herself, "The only think that matters is victory. Victory at any cost." he adds in, making Mako even more hateful of the Empire. "Tomorrow final trail will push all of you to your limit. The reward for success, will be a training session aboard and Imperial walker." he informs the three, Mako looks over as she saw Jai pull himself out of the Well.
Then walks up to Ezra, "Dav, you sabotage me." he tells him, gripping Ezra's arm. "I did what I had to do." he tells him, taking his arm back and walks off, good to know." Jai tells him as Ezra was feeling really bad.
~8~8~8~
The doors opens for Minitser Chewie walks out of the conference room and the three were next to it as they acted like they were speaking as she was gone, the three ran into the room and Ezra looks up at the ceiling, then him and Mako stood on the table, "How are you going to rest anything up there?" Zare asks him, "Don't worry, we've training to become Jedi." Ezra informs him. Zare just chuckles at them, "Yeah right, who isn't." he said in dis-belief. Then Ezra jumps in the vents and Mako followed him.
"You'll see." Mako tells him and closes the vent door and the two crawl through the vents. Zare steps out of the conference room and stood firm as trooper walks pass him. He opens his visor and walks up the agent's office.
Mako was in front of the vent and opens it as Ezra was on her back and they both look down at the case with the decoder inside it. Mako looks up at Ezra as he looks down at her, then the door beeps as someone was there, "Come." Kallus tells them, the door opens and it was Zare. "Sir, your pod-racer parts have been delivered, if you just sign off here, I'll bring them up." he informs, Kallus looks at him gets up and then walks over to him. "Obviously there's been a mistake, what would I want with pod-racer parts?" he questions the cadet.
"No mistake sure, it says right here, two credits of secondhand…" Zare stalls him, as Mako looks at Ezra, "Together." she whispers to him, he nods at her and they held their hands out making decoder disk pop out and float up to them, Zare notice it and quickly looks back at Kallus, but the agent notice his sudden surprise and quickly look on his face. He then turns back and saw nothing out of order. "So are you going to sign it?" Zare asks him, "Cadet are you ignorant? I said this is a mistake." Kallus reminds him as he spoke over his shoulder, "Sir, yes sir, sorry sir." Zare tells him, then smirks, looking up at the ceiling as Mako held the decoder in her hand. She then closes the vents and started to crawl back with Ezra on her back.
"As usual, the assessments have proven quite illumining." the CO said, getting the two's attention, Mako then carefully opens the vent, seeing the CO having a conversation with someone on holocall. "I believe we've identified two cadets, Morgan and Kell that meet your special criticizer, Inquisitor." he informs him, Mako stiffens. "Excellent, tomorrow I will arrive on Lothal to test them, myself, if the test are conclusive, I will take them into custody." the Inquisitor informs him, Mako closes the vent as she and Ezra gasp as he opens his visor and Mako bangs the vent wall below them.
~8~8~8~
Later that night, Zeb and Sabine waited for the two, but Chopper went to meet up with them. "Did you get the decoder?" Zeb asks him, Chopper grumbles and show them the decoder, then Sabine took it, "Good, where's Ezra and Mako?" he asks him again, Chopper grumbles at him, "What?! What do you mean they went back to the academy?!" Sabine questions him. Then Chopper started up a message from the two. "Guys, I know you're excepting us, but we have to stay at the academy. There's this kid there, Jai Kell and I'll get scope up by Inquisitor if I don't help him." Ezra states. "Wait the Inquisitor… is Ezra and Mako out of their-" Zeb starts. "You probably think we've lost our minds and you're probably right and it's your fault, the old Ezra never stuck his neck out for a stranger, even I wouldn't risk my life like that. Heh, we've spent way too long with you heroes." Mako tells them, placing her hand on her hip.
"Decode the hyperspace and get them coordinates to Speatre 1." Ezra tells him as Sabine removes her helmet, "Oh and if you're not too busy, attack the academy tomorrow at noon, we can use the diversion so we can get out of here. Speatre 8 and Speatre 7 out." Mako tells them with a two finger salute and a wink and the message ends.
The Ghost started to leave orbit of the planet, "Speatre 5 to Ghost, sending coordinates to Imperial jump root, if you leave now, you should be able to intersperse." Sabine informs them, "Coordinates received, we're heading out." Hera tells her, getting ready, Leo fist pumps both of his arms into the air. "Good work Seaptre 5. And you too Speatre 7 and Speatre 8." Kadan tells them, "Uh… Speatre 7 and Speatre 8 isn't with us." Sabine informs him, making Leo jump up and Kadan was surprise.
"What?! Where are they?!" Kadan questions, but before he could answer, they make the jump. "Speatre 5 repeat, where's Speatre 7 and Speatre 8?!" he orders again. "Kadan, we're out of range, all we can do is complete the mission and get back as soon as possible." Hera tells him. Kadan looks away, but then they both heard a thud, they look back and saw that Leo was face down on the ground again, facing the door. "Oh dear, we may want to hurry as well." she adds in, Kadan nods as Leo whines.
~8~8~8~
Jai lay in his buck, but then Ezra covers his mouth, waking Jai and he looks at him, Ezra presses his finger to his lip, making him stay quiet, "Come with me." Ezra tells him, but he just shook his head, "Jai trust me, please." Ezra asks him, Jai thinks to himself and then nods at him.
Then Ezra removes his hand and the two quietly to the door, meeting up with Mako and Zare, explaining everything to him. "And that's why you need to come with us and leave tomorrow." Ezra tells him, "No. No way, this is just another dirty trick, you're trying to get me busted out of the academy." Jai accuses him, Mako nods. "We are, but in the way you think we are." she answers him. "The Inquisitor-" Ezra starts, but Jai interrupts him.
"Please, this Inquisitor doesn't even exist and even if he does then maybe it's a good thing. The Inquisitor trains me and I get the top rank in the Empire-" Jai said to him, "Kell, do you got a family?" Zare asks him, getting him attention. "Uhh… it's-it's just me and my mother." he answers him. "And how would she feel if she never saw you again?" he asks him again, walking up to him. "My sister disappeared form this place and I'm betting is was the Inquisitor that took her away. So unless you're ready to say bye to mum forever." Zare tells him making Jai think for a moment. "Okay, what's the plan?" Jai asks them. Mako smiles to them. "Simple, we have to win tomorrow's challenge." Ezra tells them as they cuddle together. "Not so simple." Zare tells him, "Hows that going to get us out of here?" Jai asks him, "Because it gets you inside that walker." Mako tells them as she smirks to herself.
~8~8~8~
The next day came and Mako was next to the CO, her arms cross over one another, her hat on and covering her eyes and her hair still in the same position. She watches as the four cadets jump up to the top. "Come on keep up!" Ezra tells them and Zare and Jai jump after him, Olect wasn't going to lose to Ezra again.
Then aims his blaster at Jai, Ezra notices him, "Jai, look out!" Ezra shouts, jumping back down and took the shot for him. And fell down, Mako's eyes widen in fear as her face expression was blanket. "Dav!" Jai calls out, looking down at him. "Keep going!" Ezra tells him and he did so. Then Ezra picks himself back up and then Jai, Olect and Zare make it out first and Jai helps Ezra out.
The platform that held the three was lowered to the ground. "Well well, cadets Kell, Leonis and Olect win the day and the prize." CO jesters over to the walker. "You were suppose to be on the walker with us, now what?" Jai whispers to Ezra. "Just stick to the plan, I'll find a way to get on board." Ezra whispers at him, Jai then looks over at Mako as she harden her gaze at him for a moment, telling him with her eyes to trust Ezra and his plan.
The three boarded the walker as Mako stood next to Ezra as they both look over seeing Chopper signal them, Mako winks at him as Ezra nods then Chopper rolls off as an explosion went off, alerting everyone, then the alarms went off as the cadets make a run for it. "We're under attack! I repeat we're under attack!" the CO shouts into the comm-link as it rings over the building, "Lower the Blast doors!" he orders and the Blast doors were being lowered. Then the walker that Zare and Jai were on, fires at the blaster door and then hits a walker outside, "Commander, whoever piloting that walker is apart of the attack!" Gartt informs him. "This is LRC01, a rogue walker is loose in the academy, advance and destroy!" he shouts into his comm-link.
Then a transport moves from outside in the path of the walker and started to fire at it, damaging the walker's gun. Then Ezra and Mako ran up along the walker, then up the ladder and jump at the walker, Ezra lands on the leg as Mako grips the side of the head, then pulls herself on top, as Ezra did the same. "Let us in!" Ezra tells them, "Look! Morgan's and Lieutenant Fay is attempting to fight off the insurgents, signal handed!" the CO states, but then the transport fires at the feet off the walker, making it fall down, Mako and Ezra shout as they started to fall. Then hit the ground with their back and the head of the walker stops the Blast door, the two groan as they held their hands up when a trooper aims his blaster at him, but then one was suddenly fired at, killing him.
They all look around and another was hit again. They fired at whoever was firing, but then Sabine jumps out of nowhere and knocks the remaining unconscious. Then she ran over and helps Ezra to his feet as Mako fulls herself up onto her feet, "Thanks." the two tells her, "Don't mention it!" Sabine tells them, then a trooper went to fire at them, but was electrocuted by Chopper, the three look down at him as he grumbles at them, making Ezra and Mako chuckle, then they look at the walker, "Help us, we got to get them out of there!" Ezra tells her and they ran over at the walker and pulls them out, "You guys okay?" Mako asks them, "Yeah, lets just get out of here!" Jai tells him.
"Wait, give me that Blaster!" Zare orders him, Jai looks at him and did so, "Uh… sure, why?" he asks him, "Because I'm staying." he answers him, "What?!" Ezra questions, "It's the only way I'll ever find my sister." he tells him. "We got Buckethead, inbound!" Sabine warns them, as troopers were charging. "I'll kept in touch." Ezra tells him, Zare nods at him. "Good luck finding your sister." Mako tells him, he nods at her and the five take off. Zeb pulls up to them, they all jump into the speeder and they take off as Zare fires at them as the escape.
~8~8~8~
Kallus, The CO, and Zare were in the office with the Inquisitor as he looks over two holo pics of Morgan and Amelia. "This is a black mark come down, I don't know this boy." he tells them, but then turns to them, "But this boy and this girl I know." he tells them showing the pictures.
"These are the Padawans I encounter on Stigin Prime." he tells them, "The boy is Morgan, the girl is Fay and other boy was Kell. Cadet Zare Leonis came very close to stopping them from escaping, he was part traitors squad and knew them well or thought so." The CO tells him as the Inquisitor smirks at him, then walks around the desk, "How admiral, well Leonis, lets take a walk, shall we? I want to know everything about your formal friends."
~8~8~8~
On the outskirts, Mako, Ezra, Jai, Chopper, Sabine, Kadan and Hera were outside on the ramp. "Jai, we'll take you to your mother, but you'll both have to got into hiding." Hera informs him, "Yeah, from the Empire, no problem." Jai states as he walks up the ramp, "We'll help with that too." Hera informs him as she walks after him.
Chopper and Sabine followed them as Kadan walks down to Mako and Ezra. "So how was it?" he asks them, "Forgot what it was like to be on our own." Mako answers him, "You miss it?" he asks her, and she looks at Ezra, "No grumpy robots, no smelly Lasats. It's good to be back." Ezra answers as Mako cross her arms and looks at Kadan, "I don't miss is for a second." she answers. He chuckles, "At ease, cadet, lieutenant." he tells them and walks up the ramp and they both salute him, "Sir, yes sir." they answered, then Leo ran down the ramp, "Mako!" he shouts as he jumps for her, but she moves to the side, dodging him and he hits the ground. "Yep, it's good to be back." she states and walks up the ramp, "Now where out my clothes, I want to get out of this suffocating uniform." she whines as she tugs at the collar, Ezra chuckles and follows her. Then Leo hurries after them.