Chapter 40
Sabine POV
It was early morning, the day after both Hera Syndulla and Sabine Wren lost their hearts, and their whole group lost its soul.
When she first woke up in her tent, Sabine hadn't even opened her eyes before she instinctively reached out to her side, expecting to feel Ezra's firm chest underneath her hand, but felt nothing. Her eyes snapped open immediately, and she wondered where Ezra had gone if he wasn't still in bed with her, but then she remembered what had truly happened, and more fresh tears rolled down her face to land on her pillow, which was already stained from the tears she shed last night.
Why couldn't it just have been a nightmare? She could barely contain her emotions right now. She didn't know what she wanted to do right now, if she should cry, scream, throw things, or something else.
After Sabine had broken down in the middle of a field last night, Hera had eventually managed to make her stand up, and then they had both gone back to their individual tents and cried themselves to sleep, but no one had said a single word since. Not even Chopper had made a single noise all morning. Zeb and Ryder didn't sleep at all, sitting up all night around their campfire and silently waiting at the ready in case either Hera or Sabine needed anything.
Sabine sat up and began to wipe away her tears, closing her eyes and attempting to get her breathing under control while she tried to think about anything other than Ezra, but it was impossible. The only other thing she could even begin to think about right now was Kanan's sacrifice, which hurt almost the same.
Opening her eyes, she glanced to the side of her bed and saw Ezra's helmet sitting on the ground next to his side of the bed, freshly polished from any blast marks it had gotten during yesterday's battle. She wasn't sure who had brought it in here during the night. Her senses were supposed to be attuned enough that she could wake up at the slightest disturbance, so whoever had done it had taken special care not to interrupt her sleep. She supposed she should be touched by the gesture, but right now she couldn't bring herself to imagine anything being good in any way.
Looking to the ground on her own side, she saw that they'd also brought in her own helmet, which she recalled that she'd left somewhere in the field last night. Standing up and not even bothering to pick up her own helmet for once, Sabine instead grabbed Ezra's helmet and clutched it tightly to her chest as she exited her tent. She hadn't removed the rest of her armor pieces when she'd come back in here last night. Their armor was plenty comfortable enough to sleep in, and she probably wouldn't have bothered much even if it weren't.
When she went outside, she could see that Lothal's sun was only just barely beginning to poke up over the horizon, leaving the area still cold and mostly darkened, matching how she currently felt on the inside. She couldn't help but subconsciously think that the last time she'd been up this early, she'd been going to Tatooine with Ezra. He'd tried to leave without her, more willing to fight Maul alone than to risk her getting hurt. He never hesitated to throw himself into danger to protect those he loved. Still, even if she couldn't have done anything, she wished that she could've been there with him at the end.
She found Zeb and Ryder sitting around a dwindling fire pit, Ryder attempting to build the fire back up with a few logs while Zeb pulled a pot off the spit above it to examine the contents within. Zeb poked one finger inside the pot and withdrew it before putting it in his mouth to taste whatever it was he was making, then shook his head and put the pot back over the fire to cook a little longer. He then sat down on a rock near the fire and crossed his large arms over his chest and stared into the flames.
At the sound of Sabine's approaching footsteps, he turned his head to her and gently said, "Hey, Sabine. I've almost got something ready for breakfast. You want some?"
Sabine sat on another rock around the fire and shook her head as she curled up closer around Ezra's helmet. Zeb just nodded in understanding and looked back into the fire for a few moments.
After a short silence, Sabine asked, "How's Hera?"
Looking back at Hera's tent, Ryder answered, "She hasn't gotten up yet, but can't imagine she's doing well. Speaking of, how are you, Sabine?"
Not looking at them, Sabine lied, "I'm fine."
Not believing her, Zeb said, "Bine, it's okay if-"
"Don't call me that," Sabine threatened, cutting him off, though her voice cracked in the middle of her sentence.
Quickly realizing his mistake, Zeb looked down again and said, "Sorry."
As the fire finally began to rise again, Ryder stood up and returned to his own seat as he said, "Zeb just meant to say that we're here if you need anything, and we understand if you're not-"
Once again cutting them off, Sabine angrily said, "I said I'm fine. I'm a Mandalorian. Loss comes with the territory."
"Yeah, well, you're also human, and what just happened is more than enough to break any of us," Ryder said.
Sabine was silent for a moment, then said, "Mandalorians tend to act strong even and especially when we don't feel like it. Ezra is… was even worse about it than most of us. Always trying to be the leader. Always stepping up to get the mission done. Always… making sure that he was the first one to get hurt when things went wrong."
"They were both like that," came Hera's voice, and they all looked up to see her approaching the group, surprisingly coming out of the field rather than from her tent, Chopper rolling along behind her. She seemed to walk with a new sense of resolve, even though her eyes still held the same sadness.
"Where did you- We thought you were still in your tent!" Zeb protested.
Folding her arms and looking down, Hera said, "I… needed to go somewhere to be alone for a while last night. Couldn't sleep. But now that I'm back, we need to plan our next move. With the fuel depot destroyed, Defender production should already be shutting down. We did more than we were ever supposed to, and now we should plan on heading back to Rebel HQ."
Sabine scoffed audibly, and Hera noticed before asking, "Did you have something to say, Sabine?"
Looking up at Hera with a glare, Sabine said, "Yeah, I have something to say. After this, why should we go back to the Rebellion again? We've sacrificed enough for them."
Frowning, Hera said, "There's no 'them', it's us, Sabine. And seeing as the galaxy is still under the rule of the Empire, clearly we haven't done enough yet."
"And what are we supposed to do now that we've lost… our two heaviest hitters?" Sabine questioned. "Maybe this isn't a fight we can win anymore."
Giving her a sympathetic look, Hera said, "Sabine, I understand you're emotional right now. So am I. But we still have a mission, a duty to the whole galaxy, and… neither of them would've wanted us to give that up. It's what they died to preserve."
Shaking her head, Sabine argued, "No, they died to save us. I don't know if Kanan was the same way, Hera, but Ezra was only in this because he wanted to be there for me. If I hadn't cared so much about this stupid Rebellion, he wouldn't have been here. He already freed Mandalore, and then he followed me in my insane mission to do the same on countless other worlds, and all on our supposed theme of hope. Well, I don't know about you guys, but any hope I held onto died last night."
Shaking her head, Hera said, "Listen, Sabine. I know what you're going through. I miss Kanan more than I can even say, and I'd begun to love Ezra as a son. But they both knew their duty, and they made their own choices. I'm grieving, same as you, but we can't allow our emotions to make our decisions for us."
There was a short silence as Sabine looked down at the ground and closed her eyes as she took a few deep breaths, but then she looked up and said, "We're not leaving yet. The Rebellion can go kriff itself. We're staying on Lothal until we finish Ezra's mission and get rid of every Imperial on this planet."
"Sabine…" Hera pleaded, but Zeb stood up and said, "She's right, Hera. When you were captured, Ezra was about ready to burn down the planet, and we were ready to follow him. If he decided to attack Coruscant, we probably would've gone along with him, not caring if we died in the effort and not all that surprised if we somehow actually won. Now, the Empire cost us two of our own. It's only right that we take something from them as well."
Looking up from his datapad to join the conversation, Ryder suddenly said, "Uh, guys? You may not want to hear this, but I think you should see it."
He held up the datapad and pushed a button on it, causing it to project a hologram of an Imperial logo and play the sound of the Lothal Imperial Broadcast. "The insurgency on Lothal is over. After a brazen attack on Capital City, the rebels have been crushed. Their leadership, defeated. To honor the Imperial heroes that valiantly fought to save you from these extremists, all citizens are required to attend a parade in Capital City tonight. A new day for Lothal has begun."
Scowling, Zeb ordered, "Turn it off!"
Ryder quickly did so, and Hera looked down at the ground with barely-contained sadness as Sabine stood up and cleared her throat, saying, "Well, that settles it. You all can do what you want, but I'm finishing Ezra's mission. Not for the Rebellion, not for the galaxy, but for Ezra and Kanan. And my first target is going to be that parade, where I'm going to use every explosive we have between all of us and the Imperials combined. If the Empire wants to throw a parade, I'm gonna add some fireworks to their celebration."
"That would risk major civilian casualties, Sabine," Hera warned.
Sabine just shrugged and said, "Anyone loyal enough to the Empire to actually show up at this thing deserves what they get. The Empire ripped the ground out from under me, and I'd like to return the favor."
Line Break
Meanwhile…
Third Person POV
Despite the window he was looking out being shattered and the holes in the floor and walls that were currently being repaired, Acting Governor Pius Megus of Lothal felt a sense of great satisfaction as he sat at his desk and looked out over his city.
Yes, he'd lost Hera Syndulla and had to destroy Thrawn's fuel depot for his precious Defender project, but he had no regrets for the actions he had taken. What he'd been forced to do was unfortunate, but he had successfully killed the Jedi Knight Kanan Jarrus in the process, something that none of his predecessors had managed, not even Grand Admiral Thrawn himself.
Doubtless, Megus would be getting a promotion of his own, perhaps being awarded a Medal of Honor by Grand Moff Tarkin… No! By the Emperor himself. Yes, that would be more fitting for his great achievement.
And yes, Thrawn would be upset if he heard about the fuel depot, but Megus had taken precautions to avoid him ever finding out. First of all, Thrawn had been off-world at the time of the attack, visiting Coruscant for something, so he hadn't been present when Megus had ordered his walker to fire on the fuel pods. Next, he had carefully avoided letting the news report anything about their losses and had instead simply announced that they had won a great victory and would be celebrating with a parade.
Yes, Governor Pryce had taught Megus well. Thrawn would never know about the loss of the Defender project.
Suddenly, Megus' comm unit on his table beeped, warning him of an incoming transmission. Smirking to himself and expecting it to be either Tarkin or the Emperor here to congratulate him, Megus quickly looked up at his repair crews just as they finished installing his new window pane and ordered, "All of you, get out! Now! Quickly!"
The Imperial repair crews all scrambled to leave the room, and Megus smoothed out the creases in his uniform before pressing the button to accept the call. However, his smirk fell when he saw that the message was from neither Tarkin nor the Emperor, but instead from Grand Admiral Thrawn, whose hologram glared down at Megus with a deep frown and red eyes that held barely-contained outrage.
"So, you lost Hera Syndulla, yet you hold a parade," Thrawn said in his usual, calm voice. "Explain yourself, Governor Megus."
Megus slightly winced and tugged at the collar of his uniform. He didn't know who had let that bit of information slip, but he would have to be sure to find them and have them executed with extreme prejudice. At least Thrawn hadn't said anything about the fuel depot.
"We must celebrate our victory over the rebels, Admiral," Megus said, then added, "As for Hera Syndulla, I have something better." He then reached underneath his desk and pulled out two lightsabers, both recovered at the scene of yesterday's explosion, one of which he knew must surely belong to Kanan Jarrus.
His eyes gleaming at the sight of the weapons, Thrawn said, "Ah, so it's true then. Kanan Jarrus has fallen. But who does the second lightsaber belong to?"
"They were both recovered in the same place," Megus answered smugly. "I would assume that they both belonged to the same Jedi. Perhaps he only ever went easy on you, Admiral."
Glaring at the man again, Thrawn said, "Yes, of course. However, you should know that I have determined that Jarrus is no longer the most dangerous member of this particular group."
Tossing one of the lightsabers up into the air and catching it again, Megus said, "Yes, of course. As promised, every resource at our disposal is being exhausted to locate Ezra Kryze, and they all have orders to shoot on sight."
"Withdraw that order," Thrawn commanded. "Tell them to locate Kryze, but do not engage. He would not be brought down by any number of stormtroopers, as I've seen. Jarrus was only the beginning."
"I think you're overestimating this single Mandalorian warrior," Megus defended. "Our soldiers are well-trained, and great in number. Enough of them could've even brought down Jarrus, and forgive me, but I disagree with you that Kryze can possibly be more dangerous than the Jedi."
"The difference is that they both have great power, but Kryze will be less hesitant to use it," Thrawn argued. "But moving on, Kanan Jarrus' death did not come without a cost, did it?"
As he tossed the lightsaber upwards once more, Megus' eyes suddenly widened in fear and he failed to catch the weapon again, causing it to fall to the ground underneath his desk as he said, "Wait, Admiral, I can explain-!"
"Did you really think that holding a parade would hide the fact that you destroyed my entire fuel supply?" Thrawn asked with a slight threatening edge creeping into his voice. "In defeating Kanan Jarrus, you have accomplished what the rebels failed to, and given them a victory, one they couldn't have achieved on their own. The operation on Lothal, my TIE Defender project over a decade in the making, has been compromised by your carelessness."
Now thoroughly terrified for his life, Megus begged, "Please, Admiral, I only did what I-"
Once again cutting him off, Thrawn glared at him and said, "I will deal with you when I return, Governor."
With that, Thrawn ended his transmission, and Megus fell back in his seat with a defeated sigh, holding his head in his hands, all thoughts of his congratulatory medal completely driven out of his mind.
Suddenly, something crashed through the brand-new window behind him, then crashed into the back of his chair and knocked him tumbling over his desk to fall on the floor.
He landed right in front of the hole in the floor, his head hanging over the edge and looking down hundreds of stories at the city below. Gasping in fear as he scooted back away from the hole, back towards his desk, Megus quickly recalled that he'd been attacked by something and pressed an emergency button on his sleeve, then spun around while drawing his pistol from his hip.
He directed the pistol at his attacker, but a yellow blaster bolt slammed into his weapon and knocked it from his hand, causing it to land in the corner of the room behind him. Gulping in fear as he looked back at his attacker, he began to put his hands up in surrender, but then stopped as he recognized the person now kneeling on top of his desk with a pistol directed at his chest. "You!?" Megus asked with mixed fear and anger.
The figure jumped off his desk and walked forward before pressing his pistol against Megus' forehead and responding, "Me."
Beads of sweat rolled down Megus' head as he said, "My- My security forces will be here soon! They'll kill you for this! They're coming for you!"
Right after he'd said it, the door opened behind him and two standard-issue stormtrooper blasters were thrown onto the ground next to him, and a voice behind Megus' back came from the doorway, saying, "Not anymore."
Sweating even more profusely as he found himself surrounded and without any help on the way, Megus said, "Please, take anything you want. Just don't kill me."
The figure in front of Megus smirked and kneeled down in front of the Imperial governor while keeping the pistol pressed against his head and said, "Funny you should say that, Governor. I'm afraid that you took someone special from us, so we are going to kill you. But before we go, we're going to take a couple things."
Completely terrified, Megus looked up to meet the blue eyes of his attacker as Ezra Kryze told him, "But don't worry. We're only taking back what's rightfully ours."