Ezra sat peacefully; legs crossed his arms resting on them. A faint hum echoed as Ezra lifted above the ground.
…Ezra was thrown to the ground spitting up blood, rushing to his feet trying to run out of reach of the figure. Ezra wiped away the blood from his lip with the back of his hand.
"Go to hell!…" Ezra paused for a second, the ground bellow turning into a black pit…
Crashing to the ground with a thud Ezra was back in reality.
"T-That was strange… haven't had a vision and not one like that since…" Looking over to Hera and Sabine he frowned.
'Why not leave? We always did well on our own!' Ezra grumbled before grabbing the dead him by the neck punching at his face repeatedly, the two getting closer to the wall as the force of the punch sent them towards it. As the two slammed into the wall the world seemed to change in an instant
Ezra had a stormtrooper pinned to a dark grey metal wall, his arm against the trooper's throat. Rage filled him as he used his free hand to repeatedly punch the trooper in the stomach, slightly cracking the armour, before landing one good punch to the side of his head launching the trooper to the ground. Ezra spun his head around seeing a group of citizens trying to pick up a knocked over stall and its contents. A few dead or unconscious troopers next to it.
"T-Thank you sir! You saved us" a small lemur looking man with two more arms than the average person.
"N-No… problem, what can I get with these?" Ezra showed a small handful of credits to the man, his face scrunched up and eyes wide with confusion as to what happened
"H-Here take all this" the man pushed two crates with food over to Ezra, and almost immediately after paying Ezra used the repulsorlifts on the crates to push them and in an instant, he vanished from sight
"We should probably get rid of these bodies" the men muttered as they dragged away the imperials.
Weeks passed, this cycle continuing. Then Ezra ran out of credits quickly, even his street skill wouldn't last, the small amount he had left he chose to spend on the medication and equipment to keep his family alive.
"K-Kid?" Rex groaned as he slowly sat up, looking at the strange dark metal room, a few windows around the building, curtains hiding them from sight, beeping medical equipment and a few spare IV bags next to the two IV stands.
"T-Thank god…" Ezra rushed over hugging the man, laughing for the first time since Rex could remember.
Kristina and the rest of the crew sat in the Ghost patiently playing Dejarik. Kristina was a move away from besting Kanan.
"Last words?" Kristina joked, but all Kanan did was smirk at her, and in an instant one of the holographic creatures attacked hers and it was over, she had lost completely unaware on how.
"Here let me show you where you went wrong, when you moved him there, you left this guy completely open allowing me to strike from here" The two laughed as Kanan explained the game.
Zeb sat alone in the top gunner seat of the Ghost staring out into the stars. Ahsoka walked up behind the Lasat, placing one hand on the back of his seat.
"I know how you're feeling. We will find them" The Lasat looked at the Jedi as she spoke meaningless words.
A weak groan caused Ezra to turn and face the two unconscious women; his hope quickly faded when nothing happened. Sighing he limped over to the two, sitting on the edge of Hera's bed holding her hand he looked at her bruised face, her eyes closed, he brought her hand up to his forehead resting it there for a second.
"I-I can't do this Rex, the credits have run dry… the empire is out there constantly looking for us! I need just one miracle. For once I wished the world would take pity and spare me more torture! But it just doesn't! I-I can't be given even the smallest of rewards, the only peace I will get is when I die! Even then, it won't be happy, at least for me, Kanan was right, everything fell apart because of me…" Ezra let a few tears roll down his cheeks. Hera's hand twitched slightly, groaning. It may have seemed tiny, but it was the first real sign Ezra saw since the crash.
"This wasn't you. You start thinkin' like that and it's all over!" Rex tried his best to snap the boy out of it.
"I just wish Hera were awake, she'd say something like 'Ezra you did everything you could, misguided and reckless, but you meant the best with all you did' Or something along those lines" Ezra gently placed Hera's hand back on the bed. Standing up to face Rex,
"You said we were low on credits and supplies, your barely able to walk by the looks of it, just sit down, I'll see what I can scrounge up" Rex gently forced Ezra back into the chair before leaving the building.
Kanan and Kristina laughed at something as Zeb and Ahsoka walked in joining them.
"So… uh what's on your minds" Zeb spoke up as he sat down.
Kristina and Kanan looked at the two, then back at each other.
"We were just talking… about Ezra, and Hera" Kanan spoke though he seemed to still be laughing slightly and almost coughing forgetting to breathe.
"Hey, hey Kanan remember when the kid! W-Wh-" Zeb could barely speak through the laughter "He, h-he was talking to Sabine, and Chop… he thought it'd be funny to zap and shove him into Sabine with his stunner. Oh, was it, but the best part…" Zeb smacked the table wheezing from the image
"Ezra chased after him and Sabine too, and both went head over the railing of the Cargo Bay… Sabine was fine landing atop Ezra, both walked it off Ezra had blood dripping from his leg and still tried his hardest to impress her. But when Hera came out to check on it, she practically had chain him up just to tend to the boy. And the second he was done up, he pulled them out again, almost the same way… but he always walked it off, and with a smile" Zeb laughed, and Kristina for a second sat sternly and quietly, before letting out a chuckle that morphed into laughter.
"He never liked being treated to, but glad to see it wasn't just him not liking me" Kristina laughed.
"What? When did this happen, kid never told me, you're lucky, chopper I might've just dismantled you!" Kanan joked pointing at the droid.
"Yeah… Me and Red didn't really get to see that side of Ezra, I wish I did… Just wish I could find him, scared and alone, I just hope he's okay"
"Kristina don't worry Ezra's strong. One time during training, we were trying to teach him to sense and dodge, or redirect objects sent at him. To help Zeb was there to throw rocks, from one side and me from the other. It went well, but then it got faster and he got sliced right across the face, and then in the back of the head. He fell but got back up laughing, and when he looked at me his head was gushing blood, but through it all even when Hera rushed out hearing a commotion, he was laughing smiling… I can't… or couldn't understand why, but these past few weeks, and when he was with us. I get it now" Kanan smiled for a second, but quickly it faded and morphed into a slight frown.
"I'm sure it's fine, he knew, and knows that you have faith in him. I mean we all did, and even when we didn't. Ezra was making peace with everyone, or trying to. But he knew we loved him" The cabin fell into silence as Zeb and Kanan looked at the ground, Ahsoka and Kristina staring inquisitively at the two.
"Even if that's true… he was the reason that Hera was injured in the first place" Kanan spoke his mind.
Ezra quietly sobbed as he sat next to Hera holding her hand lightly. The dim light helped hide his tears. "I don't think I can get the medical supplies, please wake up… D-Do it for me please. If not me then for Kanan, and Zeb. I know I don't deserve much but please! Just… J-J-J-… Wake up… I need you… and Sabine, even if you never forgive me! Hate me as much as you want… Just wake up!" As he begged and sobbed, he felt a strange, cold electric jolt run from his brain down to his feet then back up and out his hand, passing into Hera's. Gasping for air she coughed, before settling down. Ezra muttered something putting her hand down. Resting his head in his own hands. Crying for the first time in forever, he hadn't felt like this for years.
Ezra felt a cold shock on his wrist, his heart rose almost bursting out his chest as he looked up. Weakly the Twi-lek looked at him.
"E-Ezra… I'll never… h-hate you" Hera weakly choked out pulling the boy into her warm embrace as he lied next to her resting on her shoulder sobbing into it.
Hera gently stroked the boy's hair, caked by blood and mud. He smiled for a moment. "I-I knew you wouldn't leave me… I did terrible things… to that man…"
"I-I know… We'll work through it together… me, you, Kanan. Everyone…" Hera coughed weakly and Ezra jumped up rushing around looking for medication and water.
Rex walked in stopping him his tracks when he spotted Hera awake. With a groan of pain Ezra took a few steps forward falling to the ground. Rushing to pick him up, Rex and Hera strained themselves as they picked the boy up, the two placed the boy on the couch Hera trying to figure out what happened.
'So, Hera forgives you… Great… No really… good on you, but this isn't going to be the end. He will come for you soon, I felt it, you don't have long! WAKE UP! EZRA! EZRA WAKE UP!"
"EZRA!" The voice echoed in his ringing ears, light fading to darkness, he looked around seeing a worried Twi-lek standing over him. He saw the couch next to him, his head hurting faintly he laughed as he coughed. Wincing slightly, he placed his middle and index finger of his right hand onto the right corner of his lip, blood.
Laughing harder Ezra stumbled to his feet before letting his body fall back onto the couch.
"Huh, guess I blacked out a moment" Ezra's smirk faded as he saw Hera and Rex exchange glances.
"Ezra… it's been two weeks. I was worried, thought you were in a coma yourself" Ezra laughed slightly, flashes in his mind, the jolt of electricity rushing through his body then into Hera's.
"So that… Whatever I did put me into a coma, maybe I can try it again, on Sabine?" with that Ezra struggled his way to Sabine, trying his hardest he grabbed her hand and for a second he felt a cold chill.
Kristina groaned out of frustration as the ship once again exiting hyperspace, but to her surprise, this time it wasn't just empty space, a small fleet of Blockade runners and A-wings, but with the few shuttles and star ships was one big cruiser, it looked like a small repurposed imperial cruiser, by the looks of it, it seemed like a small shuttle only capable of holding starfighters, no heavy cannons, wouldn't last a fight but there was enough space for hundreds of A and X wings! Laughing in astonishment as she stared at the fleet through the cockpit window, Kanan and Zeb also looking in astonishment, Ahsoka managed to keep her composure as they softly landed in the bay, the sound of metal scraping made them all flinch for a second before the ship came to a complete stop, the grey metal walls looking pristine, a blue coloured stripe lining the walls outlining the doors, a few crates scattered here and there. The group all disembarked from the shuttle stepping into the small cruiser. Rebel soldiers and commands looking at them, the march from the hanger to the command bridge felt like decades. But eventually they all came to a stop, as if out of habit Kristina stood up tall as could be, her hands firmly held by her sides. The others standing slightly more casually.
"Commander Tano, Garazeb, Kanan, and sorry but I don't remember your name" Sato spoke firmly looking at the group, "I would like a full report from each of you as to what happened leading up to and during the siege!" Staring inquisitively at the woman wearing her old imperial uniform once more.
"Yes sir" Kristina held the pose until Sato dismissed her and the rest.
Ezra felt nothing, Sabine didn't awaken. "Damn it…" Ezra groaned as he stood up trying his best to hide his limp from Hera. Looking out the window he saw a small imperial force, not big but they were patrolling the streets,
"It's not just me right… the patrols have gotten more frequent, in fact imperial influence has increased, was this my fault?" Ezra started spiralling more and more, his breath getting more jagged and shallow, "G-God… Kanan was right, I should have never come back! I-I should have stayed in the cell…" Ezra grabbed at his face screaming into his hands as he fell backwards leaning against the wall until he slid to the ground.
"Hey… if it wasn't for you, I'd be dead, Rex and Sabine too!" Hera kneeled next to the boy gently placing her hands on his shoulders.
"H-Hera… I've done things… terrible things. I-I-I… I…. I BEAT A MAN'S HEAD IN!... H-How? How can you not hate me? I've done nothing but hurt this family, and the galaxy… I would have been better off left on the street!" Ezra didn't realise he had tears streaming down his face. Hera knelt silently, before hugging him tightly, resting her chin on his head. The boy returning the embrace,
"Ezra… this is a war; it chips away parts of yourself… but if I had pushed harder… Tried harder maybe I could have helped you. Don't make yourself suffer this alone, if not me, when we find Kristina and the rest, then you work this out with them… But don't try to fight it on your own. Please!" Hera held the boy tightly.