Oh ho ho ho ho, Hondo's friends! So happy to be with you again! Hondo has a most auspicious something in store for this chapter. But first a disclaimer. Eh, ahem, make sure Hondo gets this right. Hondo does not own any music written in this chapter. He simply reports what he writes. Or is it writes when reports? New chapter of the True Account of Ezra Bridger. Out of Darkness! Most ominous a title! Also some exciting news Hondo has to share at the end of the chapter. But for now, enjoy!
Out Of Darkness
"I'd never let anything happen to you, Paintball. I'd never let you fall..."
It happened in a flash.
One moment, he and Sabine are sitting secured in the Phantom's aft jump seats as Hera skillfully evaded the chasing TIE fighter. Then? Then Ezra felt it.
The Call.
The feel of the Force pulling on his mind and calling out to him. Not in an encouraging call to guide. But an urgent demand. A demand to act. A demand to act now!
"Sabine!" Ezra yelled.
The beautiful girl sitting across from him in the seat opposite turned her attention to him. And what could be so important?
The TIE's cannon broke the Phantom's shield.
Its green laser fire ruptured the rear hull.
The molten firepower's heat and external pressure made the weakened hull split. In the blink of an eye, the breach caused the Phantom to lose nearly the entire shuttle's aft crew compartment, and Sabine right along with it.
"SABINE!" Hera shrieked.
But it was too late. She hadn't even been wearing her helmet! She wouldn't have stood a chance at this altitude and at this speed. That is unless, of course, if it wasn't Ezra here with her now.
"Oh kriff!" Sabine screamed as she was dragged behind in the Phantom's wake, with nothing to keep her from falling. Nothing that is but Ezra.
"It's okay, Sabine!" Ezra called to her as he folded the Force around her like a warm blanket and buoyed her to the rear of the shuttle. He generated a powerful protective bubble around the entire Phantom to replace the fallen deflector shield. The pressure from the outside hammered at his Force-generated bubble, but Ezra held fast.
Nothing would happen to her, not on his watch as Ezra stood boldly in the exposed rear of the shuttle. The darkened night of the Lothal sky and the speed they were going made it hard to keep track of the dangerous mountaintops zipping by all around them as Hera continued to dodge the incoming green arcs of laser fire by the TIE fighter.
"Whoa!" Sabine said, as more of the green fire smattered against Ezra's bubble, only to dissipate harmlessly. "I don't know what's more impressive!" she exclaimed. "What you can do with the Force or the view!"
"Hey, Ezra," Hera called to him. "Any ideas about that TIE?"
"Yeah, watch this," he responded and while his right hand remained reaching outward and protecting them with the Force. His left hand felt for their enemy. And when he felt the TIE in his grasp. With all of Ezra's might, he closed his left hand into a fist.
The durasteel armoring of the TIE fighter was tough.
But Ezra's determination to protect those in danger and his power in the Force were stronger.
The TIE stuttered under the might of Ezra's grip. Its pilot tried to pull back and disengage. But it was no use. Alarms blared and warnings popped up inside the TIE's cockpit, alerting the pilot to the danger. But there was nothing he could do.
Ezra focused and tightened his grip ever so slightly, and the TIE fighter crumpled and lost all power of flight. From her view, Sabine watched in amazement as the TIE bucked and cratered and fell to the ground like a comet and exploded into flames.
She looked away from the fiery crash. Her eyes found Ezra's, who still held her safely in his outstretched hand. She smiled warmly at him.
Ezra saw this and smiled back. They kept smiling while Hera found a place to set down the Phantom. Only once the badly damaged shuttle was on the ground did Ezra gently release Sabine. The bewildered girl felt the ground under her feet once more.
Brushing his midnight blue hair over his shoulder, Ezra walked gallantly up to her and smiled.
"I'd never let anything happen to you, Paintball. I'd never let you fall."
Sabine laughed and pulled him into her arms.
"Mandalorians don't have a word for hero," she murmured into his ear. "So this will just have to do."
The two closed their eyes as their lips pressed together. Relaxing in each other's arms, the rest of the world stood still as they just basked in the presence of the other.
The heat from their bodies.
The feel of their lips.
The scent of paint from Sabine and the new body wash Ezra had switched to, the smell of which was driving Sabine wild as her heart fluttered in her chest.
"Oh, Ezra," Sabine whispered softly as the kiss continued.
"Sabine," Ezra replied and deepened the kiss.
"Ezra," Sabine said . But then her tone changed. Becoming louder. "Hey Ezra? Ezra! Hey!"
Ezra blinked his eyes.
"Hey Kid!" Sabine hollered in Ezra's face from her seat across from him. "You awake in there?"
"Uh yep! Present!" Ezra replied and shook his head.
It had all been in his head. The Phantom was still in one piece. There was no him reaching out with the Force and destroying a TIE with one hand. And that kiss? Well he was still breathing. If he made a move like that on Sabine he imagined it'd be the last thing he'd do in this life. But what a kiss! Ezra could only wonder what kissing her would really be like. Maybe someday?
Meanwhile, in the front, Hera was flying by the seat of her pants. Chased by a TIE that just wouldn't take the hint at such a low altitude. Ezra felt his nerves tingling as the Force warned him of the dozens of danger lingering on the peripherals.
But barring the Phantom flying into a mountain or crashing into the ground, Hera had the situation well in hand as the best the TIE could do was score a few glancing hits. All of which were handled easily by the craft's rear deflector shields.
Still, it was getting to him. Sabine turned her head and looked forward at their jade green Twi'lek'lek who was fearlessly defying the odds with her skill. But a person could only rely on skill for so long long.
"Hera, shouldn't we be, uh, firing back?" Sabine suggested.
Hera shook her head, her lekku headtails swaying back and forth. "Stay calm. It's all part of the plan," Hera told her.
Ezra gulped and nervously gripped the edge of his seat. "Is getting blasted out of the sky part of the plan, too? Because if it is, then the plan's going great."
Hera smiled and reached forward to flip a switch. She then paused in dodging the laser fire and looked back at him and winked. "Ezra, you should know better."
Outside on the roof of the Phantom, its dorsal laser cannon activated and swung to the rear. It had the TIE locked in a second, and in the next second it opened fire. With no shields of its own, the TIE stood no chance and after a few shot it exploded into a ball of flame.
"Splash one," Hera said and flipped the switch off and leaned backward into her chair. Her calm and easygoing nature had a causational effect as first Sabine and then Ezra unbuckled their safety harnesses and left their seats.
As they came to stand behind Ezra, the two had somewhat different reactions. To the left of Hera, Ezra looked relieved and a little impressed. Meanwhile, to the right of the Twi'lek, Sabine wore a look of simple annoyance.
Hera caught both of their looks and grinned cheekily. "There isn't a pilot in the Imperial fleet that can outrun me."
Seeing the chance, Ezra leaned against the flight console and put on his charm. "Yeah. So, uh, how 'bout teaching me some of those high-flyin' moves?"
Sabine, for her part, crossed her arms and tried to keep her annoyance at bay at just how casual they both were acting. She rolled her eyes at Ezra's question.
"You? Fly my ship?" Hera's chuckle was polite, but her words bore skepticism. "I don't know, Ezra. You really think you're ready?"
Images of being able to do what Hera just did flashed through his mind, and Ezra closed his eyes and nodded confidently. Definitely, he thought. Except he felt something more pressing, something immediate. Ezra opened his eyelids and his eyes immediately focused on the cockpit viewports at the three TIE fighters coming in!
"Not ready. Not ready!" Ezra yelped as his eyes widened in fear.
Flying in close formation, the three TIEs adjusted their sights and, with the Phantom dead ahead, they opened fire. But Hera was ready and at the last moment dove the Phantom down. The TIEs missed and had to swing back around as they flew right by her.
Not a single shot had landed.
Back on the defensive, Hera had the Phantom hugging the ground as she forced the Imps to chase her through the dangerous Lothal mountain range. Dipping into canyons and dodging the towering mountaintops to their left and right. The TIEs had to maintain their close formation for all three to keep her in sight, even though that increased the risk of them crashing into each other.
But the Imps were good and despite the low altitude and cramped conditions. They opened fire once more. The Phantom shuddered under the firepower, its hull protesting against the punishing hits. But the deflector shield held and did its job. Bouncing away the shots that did land and kept those inside safe as Hera continued to make the Imps work for the few chances they could find to get a shot off.
Hera kept her cool, her furrow brow, and green eyes determined. Ezra, who'd been so eager to learn to fly, was sweating bullets, and decided he liked his daydream of saving Sabine with the Force much more than this. As for the girl herself?
"Well," the teenage girl spoke, her voice laced with sarcasm. "We've gotten ourselves into another fine mess."
"I admit it's a little messier than our intel indicated," Hera acknowledged, her primary focus still on her flying.
"Yeah." Sabine expressed in that same tone of annoyance. Unsatisfied with Hera's not-answer, she continued. "That's been happening a lot lately. Where, may I ask, does this intel come from?"
Recognizing the trap for what it was, Hera replied with good old fashion snark. "You may ask."
Sabine leaned away from Hera and pressed her back against the wall of the cockpit. That wasn't the response she'd been fishing for.
"Excuse me." Ezra stated, less interested with what the two female were so busy not-arguing about. "Sorry to interrupt, but could we maybe focus a little more on not dying?!"
"Hang on!" Hera warned and shed pulled hard on the control stick.
The Phantom banked hard to the right as it threaded its way through a very narrow canyon. Too narrow as its bottom hull scraped its belly against the rock wall of one mountain. The interior of the Phantom shuddered, but to the relief of all, they were still flying. Meanwhile, only one of the three TIEs tried to follow Hera through the narrow passage only to wind up exploding against a rock face.
The other two detoured slightly, but were soon enough back on Hera's six.
Flashing lights and beep alarms filled the shuttle. Ezra and Sabine hurried away to a panel in the back of the craft to check the systems. "It's okay." Ezra reported as he looked over the damage. "Paint might be a little scratched, but no real damage."
Sabine returned to her spot at Hera's side and looked over the Twi'lek'lek's left shoulder and at the flight controls.
"Oh, there's damage. Steering's off." Hera claimed, disagreeing with whatever the sensor panel was telling Ezra. She could feel the vibrations coming off the Phantom's control stick.
"Not what this says." Ezra replied and glanced from the panel to Hera. The pilot closed her eyes and let out a tiresome breath.
"It's what I say, and I know my ship."
Ezra rejoined the pair at the front and noticed that the mountain range that had been helping keep them alive was gradually being left behind. It wouldn't be much longer before the two remaining TIEs would have a clear shot.
"Hey, I'm all for sticking it to the Empire, but what was in that convoy?" Sabine asked. "You never told us why the mission was so important."
"I've told you before, Fulcrum's intel is on a need-to-know basis." Answered Hera, tiredly. This wasn't the first time Sabine had questioned her about this.
"And I told you before, I need to know more." Sabine asserted with equal frustration.
Whatever her thoughts, Hera kept them to herself. She flipped a switch, activating the dorsal gun once more and aimed the rear cannon at the tops of the few remaining mountaintops. She fired and her shots exploded the mountaintop, developing an enormous cloud of dust and debris to blind the two pursuing TIEs. Having lost all sight, one of the two pilots panicked and pulled up. It was the absolute worst decision he could have made.
As his ship cleared the cloud, the pilot had a fleeting moment to ponder the wisdom of his choice as his TIE smashed into the other, destroying them both. Hera had done it again.
Inside the Phantom, she exhaled in relief and smiled at the sight of the nervous but giddy blue eyed blue-haired boy, happy to be alive. Sabine had more to say, but for the moment bit her tongue.
No one had realized that the Phantom had taken more than a few scrapes when it grazed the side of that mountain.
With Hera still unconvinced things were fine, she wasted no time in leaving Lothal behind and making for the nearby Ghost waiting in orbit. After a successful docking, the proud captain led the way off the shuttle and onto her bigger and more heavily armed freighter.
The rest of their space family was waiting for them in the Ghost's common room.
"Everyone okay?" Kanan asked.
With his comforting presence at her side once more, Hera let down some of her walls and welcomed the Jedi's embrace. "We're fine," she said, and then scowled. "But I scraped - the Phantom's underbelly."
Kanan pulled back a bit to look at her, astonishment in his eyes. "You?"
Hera rolled her eyes and gently digged him in the ribs with her elbow. "It was somewhat unavoidable once your plan went south."
Kanan smiled and took it in stride. "Ah, there we go. Knew there had to be a way this was my fault."
Hera laughed at her guy sweetly, enjoying his banter. "And you were right, dear."
Ezra shook his head. He didn't know why he was so surprised. Of course, the plan was Kanan's. And with Hera upset over the damage the Phantom had taken? She'd want answers. Answers with lots of details. Ezra exchanged a glace with Zeb. In an unspoken agreement, the big purple Lasat left in the same direction Ezra was heading, the pair trying to remain as unnoticeable as possible. Like it was that easy.
"Zeb," Hera addressed with her voice, taking on the role of captain. Zeb and Ezra's shoulders slumped. Caught. "I'll need the Phantom ready to pick up the supplies from Fulcrum. Adjust the steering and run a diagnostic. Chopper and Ezra will help you fix any problems you find."
Wait? Chopper too! Ezra didn't like the implications of this arrangement at all.
Zeb scoffed and gestured at Ezra with his arm. "Really? Have you met them?"
The little orange astromech growled, and Ezra smacked Zeb's arm for what good it did.
"Hey!" Ezra declared, affronted by the insult. He'd been pulling his weight! The Academy job and before that, when he and Zeb outsmarted all those Imps on Kothal. And made off with a TIE fighter of their own!
"And I'm leaving soon," Hera continued, with no care to hear their excuses. "So get to it."
Hera left the room through the door leading to the crew's quarters and cockpit. Kanan headed aft to the galley. Zeb, followed by Chopper, took the ladder that would lead to the shuttle deck and whatever mayhem the droid had in store. Some mayhem Ezra would prefer to avoid.
That was when he noticed Sabine, sitting alone at the dejarik table with her helmet placed in its center. She had the expression of someone whose thoughts were a million light years away. She hadn't said a single word throughout all that. But it was clear she was thinking about something important.
Ezra then thought about how Kanan had comforted Hera and it looked like Sabine might want some attention?
Sabine looked up from her helmet on the table, noticed Ezra, and frowned.
Ezra gulped. Was he staring that obviously?
"I'll just, yeah," Ezra announced and quickly left the girl by herself. Maybe he could try that comfort thing some other time.
He had planned to head toward the shuttle and help, as Hera had ordered. But then gave it some thought. Did they really need his help there? All that time spent undercover and training with Sabine had cut into his Jedi lessons. And it wasn't like Kanan was busy with anything currently, not while Hera was running around with these Fulcrum missions.
He was just about at the Phantom when Ezra changed his mind. He headed back the way he came, intent on finding Hera instead. Get her to see things how he did. Or maybe he'd talk to Kanan first? Ezra pondered as he climbed down the ladder and returned to the common room, finding it empty. No Sabine, but her helmet remained on the table.
Odd, Ezra thought, and then headed forward through the ship. Despite her bravado, Ezra noticed Hera liked to spend some time in the pilot's chair of the Ghost after a stressful mission. Sure enough, he heard voices coming from the cockpit and Ezra slowed his pace and one of them was Hera's.
The boy slowed his approach, not wanting to interrupt anything, but the doorway was open. Not thinking anything of it, Ezra peeked his head through and then his jaw dropped.
Over two cups of steaming caf, Kanan and Hera were enjoying a private moment together. A private moment with a kiss the likes Ezra never could have imagined!
The pair hadn't noticed him, thank the Force! And Ezra knew he shouldn't be spying - and he wasn't! Just shocked. He'd been with the team for months now and had long suspected. But suspecting was one thing, seeing was another!
Coming to his wits, Ezra backed away slowly only to back right into - Sabine! Her amber brown eyes bore into his azure blue with a mixture of amusement and disappointment? Wait! Did she think I was?
No!
No! No! No! No! No!
Sabine rolled her eyes, took Ezra by the hand, and quietly guided the startled boy away from the open doorway. But only a few steps. She then released his hand and held a finger up to her lips in the universal sign to be quiet.
"Mm," Hera's voice came from the cockpit.
"Better than the caf?" Kanan inquired, his voice smooth as silk.
"Mm, hard to say but. You do make a good cup of caf, Love. So maybe barely?"
"Well," Kanan responded and gave a small laugh. "Caf is a strong competition."
More laughter, which was nice, Ezra thought. It was good the two had that kind of connection. But glancing at Sabine, he saw she didn't find any of it endearing. His fellow teen was anxiously biting her lip in frustration.
What was she up to? Ezra wanted to ask. He just came here to get out of working on the Phantom. He knew Sabine was mad, but why were they just standing here, out of sight, creepily eavesdropping on Hera and Kanan?
"So," Kanan said. "What happened out there?"
"Well, we took the target," Hera replied.
"Yeah. I got that part."
"Fulcrum was right about the timing and route but underestimated the Imperial defenses."
"It's getting harder to anticipate the Empire's moves. That's for sure."
Ezra felt a sharp pull on his wrist as Sabine all but shoved him backward, further into the hall. Meanwhile, she boldly strolled into the cockpit and cleared her throat.
"Yeah, about that I'd like to know why we're relying on intel from this Fulcrum, whoever he is."
It was then that Ezra decided that maybe spending some time with Zeb and Chopper at the other end of the ship wasn't that bad an idea. Jedi training could wait a day or two.
"Where've you been?" Zeb demanded when Ezra joined him and Chopper at the Phantom. Ezra opened his mouth but was hard pressed to come up with an answer. "Whatever," Zeb retorted. "Get down into that maintenance duct and check the steering Hera was going on about."
Ezra eyes the maintenance duct under the floor of the Phantom. Another tight duct only I could squeeze down in. Great.
Still, he got to it, and while they worked, Zeb made conversation. Conversation surrounding how much he could go for a heaping stack of waffles right now. But Ezra only gave minimal responses. So minimal that Zeb dropped it entirely as the Lasat focused on the diagnostic test.
The steering does feel off, Ezra determined and examined the problem further. But his mind was wandering. Wandering back to that kiss, and how was it that Kanan and Hera ended up dating in a galaxy like this with the work that they do?
Ezra moved and accidentally hit the side of his hip against the duct, the side with the holster and the pretty blaster that Sabine had customized for him. Hmm. She was pretty impressed by my work at the Academy. It was a pretty daring assignment. She's also always impressed by Kanan and the stuff he can do, the stuff I'll be able to do one day.
Maybe that fantasy wasn't so much a fantasy after all? Maybe all Sabine needs is a knight in shining armor to sweep her off her feet and save the day?
That guy could be me. Totally it could! My armor isn't metal or shining, but nowhere does it say a knight can't wear orange!
Ezra smiled. It was so obvious. So simple. He'd just have to be ready when the time came. Which shouldn't be a problem. Sabine didn't need rescuing all that often, but in the work they did, it was bound to happen eventually. And also, he had the Force. He'd sense any danger a mile away! Nothing could go wrong!
"Well how about it, Kid?" Zeb asked from his spot at the sensor panel that was tracking the diagnostic programs. "Ezra! The steering?"
"Right, yeah," Ezra replied. "Hera was right. Steering's definitely out of whack. But I almost got it fixed."
Ezra popped his head and shoulders out of the duct and stretched. He then grabbed a wrench from the toolbox. "I got this," Ezra replied and ducked his head back into the duct to finish with the repairs.
"Results are in!" Zeb spoke. "There we go. Life support filters need cleansing. Chopper, as soon as Ezra's out of the repair duct, purge 'em."
Life support filters, Ezra thought as he worked. That would explain a few things. And also pretty lucky. The Phantom had scraped that mountain hard. He'd of thought there'd be something more serious, but then he was still learning the ropes.
Ezra smiled and with one last Twi'lekst of the wrench, he felt the steering drive finally recalibrate to the correct setting. Though at the rate he was going, maybe it wouldn't be that long before he convinced Hera to show him how to fly. That'd be something! Now time to get out of here and purge this thing.
"All fixed!" Ezra announced. He heard Zeb acknowledge him, and it sounded like Chopper did one of his little evil laughs.
And then he lost track of all thought as alarms suddenly went off from inside and a stank cloud fumes and debris filled Ezra's vision as the purge consumed everything in the duct, himself included!
"Whoa! Hey!" Ezra exclaimed.
But the only response he could hear over the alarms and hissing of the purge was more maniacal laughter from that cursed astromech droid.
Chopper!
Finally, the alarms stopped blaring in Ezra's ears, and the cloud that blinded him cleared. Gripping the wrench tight, the boy hoisted himself out of the vent and glared. There was Zeb by the diagnostic panel, and holding his chest as he bellowed with laughter. Ezra got to his feet, still holding the wrench.
"Sorry, kid. I told him to wait till you were out."
Then Chopper waddled past Ezra, chortling in laughter. But Ezra blocked the little pest's path and knelt down, getting eye level with Chopper's optic receptors. His blue eyes flashing with anger.
"Not funny."
And then Ezra acts by jumping atop Chopper's dome and begins hammering the droid with his wrench. Chopper rolled and bucked to throw Ezra off, but it wasn't working. The boy was holding on, intent on his revenge.
Zeb did his best to keep his own anger in check and be the responsible one. He gestured at Ezra, at the sensor panel. "Hold it. We're not done here. The diagnostic's still running."
But Ezra wasn't listening, only continuing to hammer and jab his wrench into Chopper's thick dome. "You can run a diagnostic on Chopper when I'm done with him."
Realizing that Ezra was serious, Chopper spun his wheels and zipped past Zeb with Ezra still atop, hammering his wrench. Only as they sped past, the wrench goes wide and accidentally caught Zeb. It was the last straw for the Lasat. With a guttural growl, he runs after them.
When the diagnostic results came in, no one was there to read them.
Sabine didn't know what to think (at first) when she found Ezra standing outside the cockpit door as Hera and Kanan spent some much deserved alone time together. And at the moment she didn't care, she just needed him out of there and preferably with Zeb at the Phantom, making sure the thing wouldn't fall apart on its next mission.
A mission Sabine refused to be excluded from. Because she was tired. Tired and frustrated of being kept in the dark while the missions were becoming steadily more dangerous. She wanted answers, and she was going to get them.
But as she sat in silence next to Hera on their journey to the cargo pickup, Sabine thought back to her interruption. After she shoved Ezra on his way and stepped into the cockpit, breaking up Hera and Kanan's little private meeting.
"Yeah," she had spoken. "About that. I'd like to know why we're relying on intel from this Fulcrum, whoever he is."
Kanan predictably had come to Hera's defense. "It's Hera's job to find missions that create problems for - the Empire." Kanan got to his feet. "- and profit for us." Sabine held her ground as he approached her, his height giving a natural advantage that forced her to rise her chin to meet his eyes. "- If Hera trusts the contact, I trust the contact. No questions asked."
"At the Imperial Academy…" Sabine told. "They didn't want me to ask questions either. That didn't work for me. That's why I ended up here."
Being compared to the Imps had Kanan taking several steps back. This was sensitive ground for Sabine and he was clumsily stepping all over it. Then the man opened his arms in a non-threatening manner.
"And we're glad to have you," he said. Sabine couldn't believe him at the moment. The man was trying to charm her! Not in the way Ezra would, but try to dissuade her anger with what he thought was charming? Kriff that!
Like the teenage daughter she was, she squared up to Kanan and flung her arms and hands out in exasperation. "You are so frustrating!"
Not about to argue with a moody teen, Kanan turned and left the cockpit. But not without a parting shot. "Yeah, I've heard that before."
It had been the last straw for Sabine and Hera took a big gulp of her cup of caf as Sabine walks to the middle of the cockpit, her arms gesturing wildly.
"Fine. I'm done asking questions. I'm telling you: I'm coming on your run to meet Fulcrum."
Hera sat quietly, tilting her head and studying Sabine for a moment. Then smiled and shook her head. "You know, you can be pretty frustrating, too."
Sabine laughed.
"Learned from the best."
Hera then went over a few minor details on the pickup with her. It was nothing complicated. A simple pickup on an old abandoned base leftover from the Clone Wars. After Hera finished the rest of her caf, she stood and led the way through the corridors. She'd stopped to bid Kanan farewell, but he looked to be deep in meditation, and so Hera just continued on.
Then they reached the common room and found, well, Sabine wasn't sure what Hera expected, pairing up the three of them. Did she expect Chopper to not cause mayhem?
"I take it you've finished the repairs?" Hera had asked, cutting to the chase. They had a timeline to keep.
The Kid prattled first. "Uh, you were right. The steering needed fixing, which I did."
He then held up a wrench, the same wrench he had been using to beat on Chopper with. Sabine had to give the Kid credit. He got something done before the inevitable calamity. Chopper sputtered something out about how Ezra was overselling his importance. That a monkey could do his job.
Zeb then stepped forward and continued the report politely. "And life support filters needed purging," the big Lasat then threw a friendly arm across the Kid's shoulders as the two smile sheepishly. "Which we also did."
Sabine didn't quite catch what Chopper chortled next, but he did whirl up his servos and rammed his body into Ezra hard enough to make him stumble. Before she could blink, Chopper whipped out his electroshock attachment and sent a few thousand volts of electricity into Zeb.
Now that was painful! And the fragile peace had between the three had been broken.
Knowing the odds were against him, Chopper made a run for it, but both Zeb and Ezra were right on his tail.
"Chopper! I'm gonna "dismantalate" that nut bucket!" Zeb yelled as he raced after the droid.
"Leave a few bolts for me!" Ezra called out, running just behind him.
Hera didn't look particularly impressed, but Sabine was smiling at the whole thing, the antics of her family improving her mood a bit. When Hera turned and saw Sabine's smile, the other female caved and ended up smiling, too.
They were frustrating. They were annoying. The Kid drove her up the wall with attempt after attempt. But they were still family. And that mattered more than anything.
"Let's go," Hera said.
Now in the Phantom and on their way to meet this mysterious Fulcrum, Sabine decided time had passed enough. It was just us girls. Time for answers.
"So what's the deal? Is Fulcrum just another smuggler like Vizago? Why all the secrecy?" Sabine proposed. She kept her tone as reasonable as she could.
But Hera was ready for it. "Oh, it's no secret we're fighting against the Empire," Hera answered. "We need as many allies as we can get."
Hera's not an answer had reignited Sabine's earlier frustration. "How do you find a way of answering questions without - giving any answers?"
Hera took a moment to spare the teenager a look of amusement. "Do you really want me to answer that?"
A long dull wail comes from the controls, interrupting the conversation's flow. It was the comms and someone was hailing them, and Sabine just bet she knew who. When Hera held down the button to receive the transmission, the voice hailing was garbled. The effects of a voice modulator working to disguise the speaker.
"Phantom, this is Fulcrum. Come in."
Hera answered. "This is Spectre-2, Fulcrum."
Sabine saw the opportunity and looked at Hera all innocently.
"Why don't I talk to him?"
Hera's eyes widened with worry and pointed a finger at Sabine. "Don't you dare," she whispered, and Sabine held her hands up in surrender.
"Already at the rendezvous, Spectre-2. Supplies are unloaded and ready. Should I wait?"
Before Hera could cut her off, Sabine pulled an Ezra.
"Yeah, stick around." Sabine suggested. "Spectre-2 and I would love to talk to you."
It was then Fulcrum realized Hera wasn't alone. "Spectre-2, what's the problem?"
Hera gave Sabine a sideways glance with an extra helping of irritation, but held back on any biting rebukes of Sabine's insubordination. "No problem, Fulcrum. Spectre-5 decided to help with the supply run."
A long moment of silence went by and Sabine could only imagine what the stranger on the other end of the comm must be thinking. "Understood." Fulcrum said at last. "Fulcrum out."
Hera switched off the Phantom's comm and gave Sabine a very unhappy look. "You know, an outburst like that is not appreciated."
"Neither is all this secrecy." Sabine rebutted.
And that was her main point in all this. As immature as she was being right now, that's her family back on the Ghost. Kanan, Zeb, Ezra, and even Chopper. And Kanan was just blindly trusting Hera with Fulcrum and their missions. Each time out, it was becoming more dangerous and Sabine was genuinely wondering if they would make it back or not. And if they weren't? If they're going to die for something, then she at least wanted to know that it had been for something important. And while Hera might act more mature about all this, she's still refusing to give Sabine any genuine answers.
The rest of the flight was filled with silence. And the hidden base Sabine had been told about was actually in the middle of one of the largest asteroid fields Sabine had ever seen. Well hidden and forgotten about.
Perfect for a meetup.
After landing, Sabine reached for her helmet, only to realize she had left back on the Ghost on the kriffin' derjarik table! She sighed. Nothing to do for it now. She exited the Phantom beside Hera and looked around the enormous expanse that of the destitute and abandoned clone trooper base.
"So, where's the mystery man?" Sabine asked.
"I don't know." Hera responded, making no effort to hide her sarcasm. "Maybe Fulcrum didn't like your attitude. I know I didn't."
When no one made an appearance, the two girls make treks to the only relevant thing in sight: several large piles of crates. Crates and many red barrels with a familiar symbol on each. Sabine just couldn't remember its meaning.
Only unbeknownst to either, the fuel line was leaking and a pool of green fuel was gathering under the Phantom. Caught up with Chopper's chaos, neither Zeb nor Ezra knew of the issue. And neither did Sabine and Hera.
A hundred meters from where Hera had touched the Phantom down, the two females reached Fulcrum's cargo shipment. Both pause and inspect the crates. All seemed similar, all except for one. One with a strange symbol etched into its side. Sabine moved to take it, but Hera placed a hand on her shoulder, restraining the girl, and then nudged past her to take hold of it.
"I'll take that one," Hera proclaimed.
Realizing she'd been put in her place, Sabine grabs a different crate and helps load the supplies. Neither can see the pairs of predatory yellow eyes gleaming at them from inside the darkened hangar.
As Hera nears the Phantom, Sabine increases speed until she's walking her crate next to Hera. She then tries again, a more earnest approach. And Hera hears her out.
"Look, Hera, I'm sorry for the attitude. It's just things seem to be getting more dangerous every day, and I need to know that you and Kanan can trust me."
Hera, hearing the honesty and vulnerability in Sabine's words, tries again to explain, but it wasn't always easy with girls her age. "We trust you, Sabine. We just can't tell you everything. It's for the safety of the whole crew. If captured, you can't reveal what you don't know."
"You think I'd talk?" Sabine stated, the young firebrand Mando inside poking out.
Hera (keeping in mind Sabine's youthfulness) tried again. "I think- We think the Imperials can make anyone talk. You've seen what they're capable of."
"Yeah, I have," Sabine replied, though she felt some of the wind let out of her sails. "That's why I need to know."
"You already know exactly what you need to know and no more. I need you to trust me now."
But Sabine scoffed and shook her head, and a bitter regret of despair seeped into her voice. "And that's supposed to make me feel better? Hera, you know what happened when I was a cadet at the Imperial Academy on Mandalore. I trusted the Empire, followed its orders blindly, and it was a nightmare."
Sabine followed Hera into the Phantom, a crate each, and sets it down. Then followed her back out to pick up more crates. "I want to believe we're doing good, making a difference."
"But sometimes it seems like the harder we fight, the harder things get out there." Sabine gritted her teeth as she could hear the regret in her voice changing to vulnerability. "I feel like we can't take down the Empire on our own. That's why I need to know this isn't all for nothing. I need to know that I am not walking into another nightmare here."
Hera spun around and grabbed the girl's shoulder and looked her in the eye. "What you need is faith."
Sabine shook her head in denial, but Hera continued. "Faith that there is a long-term plan that's bigger than you or me, bigger than Lothal, bigger than the entire Outer Rim. Have faith in that and in us. We- Kanan- He knows what he's doing."
"Hera-"
The conversation ceased as the Twi'lek'lek pointed at something on the ground. "Look."
Drag marks, Sabine recognized, along with the obviousness of several crates, are now missing.
"There were more crates, but someone's dragged them away." Hera explained.
Sabine wrinkled her nose and had a thought. "Maybe he's still here."
"Who?"
"Fulcrum?"
"No," Hera maintained, and then folded her arms. She looked down, deep in thought.
"Well, who else knows about this place?" Sabine said.
"Not sure. This base was abandoned years ago, after the Clone Wars. Besides, why drag them? Why not use the anti-grav?"
All valid points, Sabine recognized. And then something passes by in the sky, blocking out the sun and causing darkness. Another asteroid. Sabine found herself impressed with the novelty of this place.
"Whoa. Sunrise comes along fast in these parts."
But Hera was less impressed as she pulls out her blaster and flashlight: "Let's see what else comes along."
With only the darkened hangar visible in any direction, Hera led the way into the presumably empty structure. Sabine followed with blasters in both hands at the ready, cursing herself again for leaving her helmet behind. The search didn't take long as Hera's flashlight finds an upturned crate. It's lid off, its content empty, and a claw mark on its side.
Sabine tries to see their surroundings, but it was still too dark. "Whoever did this must have been pretty eager to get what was inside."
"Too eager to just flip the latch and open them?" Hera postulated. "Who would-"
And then they heard it. Something metallic clattered off somewhere in the dark, along with the scampering of feet.
Hera narrowed her eyes as the last piece of the puzzle fell into place. "We're not dealing with a who. More like a what."
Hera continued to peer the flashlight around, searching. Meanwhile, the creatures that had been silent until now made their presence known with their menacing chittering.
"That's comforting." Sabine muttered as she continued to see something, anything. She focused her eyes and concentrated. She was getting a terrible feeling as, unbeknownst to her, something large emerged behind her.
"You don't happen to know why this base was abandoned?" Sabine asked.
"I'm starting to have my suspicions." Hera answered.
Then they heard it! They turned and looked behind, hoping for something of their height or smaller.
But Hera's flashlight picks up a wall of flesh and then as she aims it higher, they see just how big the creature is. It roars and in a panic Hera drops her flashlight as both girls aim their blasters and open fire.
The flashlight goes out and the pair are plunged into darkness with only their blaster bolts flying around the hangar to light up the countless creatures that were circling them. The big one eventually turned away from the blaster fire, but there were too many others. Smaller, but faster. If they were going to stand a chance, it wouldn't be here in the hangar.
Hera made the call. "Sabine, run!"
The pair didn't dare let up their fire, but they were definitely moving! Together, they blasted their way to the outside and took cover behind some of those red barrels Sabine had recognized earlier. They train their weapons back at the hangar but immediately notice the creatures weren't following them. The unlikely respite was brief as a passing asteroid allowed for a brief cover of darkness. One of the fearsome four-legged creature charges forward and was met with blaster fire, but it wasn't until the sun returned and it accidentally stepped into the light that had it immediately back away into the hangar's darkness.
"Here," Sabine said and reached for a spare power cell from the ammo pouch on her belt. Hera nodded gratefully and swapped the fresh one in, but didn't discard the other. It still had some charge left, and there was no telling how many of these things they would need to blast.
"Whatever those creatures are, they can't take the sun," Hera deduced.
Sabine nodded but then points to the sky. "Good, but do you see the size of that asteroid? That's going to block out the sun for a long time."
Hera blinks at its size and trajectory, finding it impossible to calculate it herself. "How long?"
"I don't know!" Sabine shouted, exasperated with people always expecting her to have the answer to these things. "Long enough for us to become lunch."
"Luckily, we weren't planning on staying. All right. Let's get to work."
Knowing they were on the clock now, the pair returned to loading the remaining crates. It'd be close, but they should have enough time.
Hera was finishing organizing the crates and securing them safely just as Sabine entered the Phantom with another crate. "Last one."
Hera wasted no time and shut the cargo door behind her. "Good. Let's go."
Hera sat down at the Phantom controls and prepared for takeoff. The ace pilot went to start it, but only it wasn't working. Eyes filled with concern, she rapidly checked the sensors and gauges. When her eyes fell on the fuel gauge, she saw the problem.
"No, no, no, no, no!" Hera said in disbelief. "We had nearly a full tank when we landed. Now we're out of fuel?"
"Don't wanna be a fool for you (I don't wanna be a fool)
"Just another player in your game for two (In this game for two)
Zeb grinned at the beat of the music playing from the recorder as he filled his plate in the galley with a whole heaping mess of space waffles. He'd been waiting all day for this. Unable to help himself, he sang.
"I don't wanna be a fool but it ain't no lie!
"Baby, bye, bye, bye, bye!"
Zeb hummed contentedly and went to grab himself a seat.
Love having some time for myself. And these space waffles? All for me! This day's turning out alright!
But as always, something was happening and Zeb bit back a groan when Chopper - with Ezra riding atop his dome, banging away with that damned wrench, threatened to ruin Zeb's good mood.
This Kid! Still at it with Chopper. Zeb thought about speaking up. He could hardly hear his song, but decided to just let it go. They'd be off to another part of the ship soon enough and so long as they don't-
Chopper spins at centrifuge speeds and Ezra tumbles off. He collides with the table and slides across it. Zeb's precious waffles go flying, one covering his face with that delicious syrup.
Now coating his head and furry face with stickiness.
"I don't wanna be a fool but it ain't no lie
"Baby, bye, bye, bye (Bye, bye)
He had been so close. Almost at a moment of serendipity. And then the Kid and the damned droid ruin it!
The Kid gives me his best smile. Like that's going to save him!
Zeb snarled and grabbed Ezra by his vest. "That's it!"
Zeb holds Ezra high in one arm and places his foot on Chopper's head, locking him in place. He was going to start clobbering.
"Spectre-2 to Spectre-4. Come in."
Karabast. Maybe it's not important-
"Spectre-2 to Spectre-4. Come in!"
The urgency in Hera's voice set aside everything else happening. With a glare at the Kid and a kick to the Droid that sent the rust-bucket flying. Zeb dropped Ezra to the floor and took out his comlink.
"Go ahead, Spectre-2," Zeb responded evenly while keeping his eyes on the Kid. He was going to make him pay. Oh yes, he would.
"You did run a full diagnostic on the Phantom, correct?"
"Of course!" Zeb answered, perplexed why Hera would think otherwise.
"And you checked the results?" Hera demanded.
Zeb frowned. Now that he thought about it. He looked to Ezra who shook his head. He didn't remember doing so either.
Karabast!
Sitting outside the Phantom the girls waited anxiously for Zeb's response. Although Sabine frowned as she thought about what else she had heard over the comlink. Was that "Bye Bye Bye" playing in the background? What in the kriff was happening on that ship?
Hera didn't look surprised, just still anxious over their situation. Sabine was too - it was life or death they were talking. But she couldn't shake this mental image of all the boys doing a dance routine in the common area. She'd be cracking up if that situation wasn't so dire.
Finally, Zeb's voice came back over the comlink.
"Um, Spectre-2, there might be a small problem with the fuel line."
"Small problem?" Hera stated. "Uh, guys, we have a situation."
Sabine stifled a groan as she and Hera had to listen to the boys' incessant bickering while en route to find Kanan, unaware that Zeb's comlink was on.
Zeb: "This is your fault, you and Chopper!"
Ezra: "You were the one running the diagnostic. You should have checked."
Zeb: "I'll check you into the wall."
Ezra: "We have to tell Kanan. But don't tell him it's our fault."
Sabine rolled her eyes and looks up at the sky, face in palm.
Zeb gave a loud groan, but agreed. "Okay."
The swish of a door could be heard, and then together Ezra and Zeb spoke. "Kanan-"
Kanan interrupted them. "Hera and Sabine are in danger."
Ezra sounded amazed. "Wow. How could you tell? Could you sense it?"
Sabine could hear the annoyance in the man's voice. "No. I could hear you two yelling outside the door."
Kanan then keyed his own comlink, his calm and confident voice coming in clear. "We're on our way. Ghost out."
"Karabast. It's all the Kid's fault! He-!"
"My fault? No way, Waffle Face! You were the one that-!"
"Shut up! Both of you! Zeb - what the? Zeb clean your face and-and turn your comm off, Zeb!"
Sabine and Hera heard Zeb groan in realization that the girls had heard, well, everything. "Oh, hell," Zeb said right before the comm went silent.
Sabine looked at Hera and the female Twi'lek'lek looked right back at her. In silent agreement, they pushed the curious, but clearly idiotic, antics taking place on the Ghost aside. They needed a plan.
Sabine took a breath and began. "No way they get here before that asteroid blocks the sun and -"
The screeching of the creatures from inside the hangar made her pause. It drew their attention, a chilling reminder. Hera folded her arms across her chest while in contrast, Sabine stretched hers out and pitched the first thought that came to mind.
"I guess we could hole up in the Phantom?"
"Judging by the torn-up shuttle in there, locking ourselves in the Phantom won't protect us. Could get grim," Hera spoke.
Sabine nodded, recalling the wrecked LAAT clone wars gunship she saw. Those things could pack a punch. Blaster won't work. We need… Sabine's eyes widened as she at last remembered the symbol on those barrels and what it stood for.
"Well, I'll take grim right now," Sabine replied and then walked toward one of the many barrels and gestured Hera to follow. "Thought I recognized these markings." Sabine pressed a button on the red barrel and suddenly the thing powered up, signaling it was filled up. "Allow me to introduce you to one of my oldest and most explosive friends: rhydonium."
Hera was amused at Sabine's description, but looked both interested and hopeful. "It's good to have friends. So what's your plan?"
"Since we don't know how many of those creatures are in there, we can set up groups of canisters at several intervals. Targeted killzones that will create explosions that take them out a wave at a time."
Hera smiled, warming up to Sabine's idea, but she still had one question. "How will you get the creatures close enough to the rhydonium to be effective?"
"We're gonna need bait." The Mando Girl answered.
"Where do we get that?" Hera asked.
Sabine smiled.
"We don't get it. We are it," she declared.
Hera glanced around for a few moments, and then nodded her head and looked at Sabine. "Okay. Where do we begin?"
With the large asteroid drifting closer to the sun, the two quickly get to work. The path Sabine plotted was a direct one from the hangar to the Phantom - where they would make their last stand if needed. Along the path, several barrels had been placed at predetermined points, determined by Sabine to make maximum usage of the explosive barrels on hand. And boy, were there a lot of them!
As the asteroid blocked out the sun, Hera saw something moving in the darkness.
"Wave one. Move." Hera spoke.
Sabine nodded and together the two girls took position behind a few barrels and waited. They would make it out of this, somehow. Sabine was confident in her plan. She only wished she hadn't left her helmet back on the ship. The advanced optics for fighting in low-light conditions would really come in handy right now!
There! Sabine could make out one creature feeling up a barrel placed closest to the hangar. She and Hera watched it for a moment, waiting for a reaction. They got one. The creature turned and hissed at Hera, then began lumbering toward the two. From twenty meters away and in the dark, the female Twi'lek'lek could still make out its teeth. She squeezes the trigger, and the barrel explodes, taking the nightmarish creature with it.
Sabine felt a momentary swell of pride in her work, but then she heard Hera gasp. Her eyes followed Hera's gaze, then immediately spotted what had spooked her captain. The entire base was now cloaked in darkness and over a dozen of the creatures emerged from the hangar, not disturbed by the explosive barrels in the least. The creatures licked their chops as they moved closer to the two girls.
Sabine stared at the mass in shock, her earlier confidence fading fast. "Wow. A lot of 'em."
Hera nudged Sabine with her elbow. "Steady now. Follow the plan."
Sabine wasn't feeling as confident, but she listened to Hera and began firing her blasters. She shot bolt after bolt at the creatures, for what good it did, and then followed Hera as the pair moved to a new position where they could safely trigger the second killzone of exploding barrels. The creatures broke into a run and so did the girls, doing their best to put some distance between them.
Hera was leading the way while Sabine focused on keeping her guns shoot and firing blast bolts into the advancing horse. "Fall back!" Hera shouted to be heard over the loud shooting. "Wave two!"
The two reach the second point and immediately hunkered down, waiting for the creatures to reach the second killzone of prepared barrels. A few creatures got close, but together Sabine and Hera gunned down those down "Wait for 'em," Hera spoke quietly.
Sabine listened to Hera, waiting patiently as a half dozen creatures had gathered around the second set of barrels. Then Hera gave the order. "Now!"
Together they opened fire and the clustered barrels of rhydonium exploded, destroying everything in the killzone. Sabine felt relief. "It worked. We just might survive this."
Only Hera didn't entirely share her relief. Instead, the Twi'lek'lek's eyes widened as she put a hand on the crazy Mandalorian girl's shoulder. "Wait. You doubted your own plan?"
When Sabine's smile didn't falter, her amusement spread to Hera as she found amusement and enjoyment in the thrill of adventure as much as the girl.
"Never," Sabine said at long last to Hera's question of her doubting her plan.
Hera smirked and started walking away. "Good, 'cause I sure did."
"Hey!" Sabine said, lightly annoyed at the joshing.
But then a sound, a roar, boomed at the focal point of the latest explosion. Both girls stopped to look behind. The barrels and explosions were effective in slowing them down, but they hadn't taken the creatures out! And now the four-legged creatures were getting back to their feet, regrouping for another charge!
Too stunned to move, Sabine felt Hera put a tight hold on her shoulder and pulled so hard she nearly yanked the teen off her feet. But it worked and Sabine was broken out of the paralyzing fear. "Come on." Hera said. "They're closing in. Wave three."
The two reached the next set of barrels and hunkered down again. Already the lead creatures were closing in and they began shooting. All of their bolts hit, but it was highly unlikely the creatures would stay down. When enough had gathered together, Hera aimed and fired at the nearby barrels - the third killzone. The two waited for several moments, wondering if this time it had worked. But as the smoke cleared, the creatures remained. Knocked down but getting back to their feet.
"Wave four," Hera announced. "Incoming!"
Sabine gripped her pistols tight, blasting away a few moments longer while Hera ran before following. "Did I mention there are a lot of 'em?" Sabine repeated, her nervousness giving way to friendly sarcasm.
Hera smiled. "Sounds familiar."
At last the pair reached the Phantom. Between the high volume of blaster fire and the explosives, some creatures seemed to be staying down. If they could keep those remaining at bay, they just might make it out of this. The creatures still following paused by the last line of barrels between them and the Phantom. It was the largest amount that Sabine had collected. "Light it up," Hera said.
The two open fire with their weapons and the long line of barrels detonated instantly, creating a powerful explosion that covers the entire landing platform. The girls turned their bodies and covered their heads as the blast stopped just short of themselves and the Phantom. Nothing could have escaped that blast. But was it over? They turn back and peek through their raised arms, eyeing the downed creatures. They were still alive!
Hera glanced about nervously as she noticed that the creatures had fallen into two groups. "Coming in from both sides," she told.
"What about wave five?" Sabine asked as the pair walked backward to keep their weapons aimed at the approaching creatures.
Hera sighed, but there was still humor in her voice. "We didn't have a plan for wave five."
"Afraid of that. The Phantom?"
Hera nodded and then shook her head as she holstered her blasters. Out of the corner of her eye, Sabien saw the Twi'lek'lek lean forward and form a cup with her hands. "Not inside. Go up top." Hera answered, showing she would give Sabine the necessary boost.
Out of ideas, Sabine holstered her blasters and then used Hera's boost to get atop the Phantom. Once up there, she knelt down and reached her arm out to Hera. Working together, Hera joins Sabine on the roof of the Phantom.
As the small shuttle became encircled by the hostile creatures, the two stood back to back as they draw their blasters and start shooting.
"They just keep coming!" Sabine yelled to ensure that she was heard over the loud blaster fire.
With a solid kick, Hera sent one of the creatures flying off the Phantom. "Tell me something I don't know."
"We're going to die," Sabine added as she shot down a creature that had been inches away from sinking its fangs into her.
Hera smiled grimly. "That's no secret."
The two girls paused briefly. At this point in the small battle, there were dozens of creatures lying around. Dead or more likely, just knocked out. But there were just too many, and they'd shown they could easily make the jump from the ground to the roof of the Phantom.
With no place to run, Sabine didn't see any way of escaping. It really was looking like this might be it.
Suddenly, there was a light in the darkness. Not from the sun, but from a starship descending from the sky. In an instant the pair recognized the Ghost as it came nearer, and with its floodlights on illuminating both themselves, the Phantom, and the ghoulish creatures. The cargo door opens, and the sloped ramp extends. Standing there are Ezra and Zeb, armed and ready.
With the threat of being lunch only moments away, Sabine had never been happier to see them.
Then Sabine had a wonder about the Ghost, and its bright lights shining down on them. She and Hera both turned to see that the creatures had backed off from the light. But it didn't last. The creatures noticed there was something different. This wasn't like the other light. This new light didn't hurt them like the one they knew.
"The light's not hurting them." Sabine reported.
Standing strong in the face of the angry creatures who were stepping out of the darkness and preparing to leap aboard and attack, Hera nodded. "Then we better move."
The Ghost descended further, closing the gap, and now Ezra and Zeb were shooting and forcing the creatures further back. And Sabine said a thankful prayer to the Manda that the Kid was making great use of his new blaster, and not forced to rely on that slingshot of his. In a few moments, they'd be close enough and Hera and Sabine would get aboard and get out of this place!… Only that didn't happen. To Sabine's horror, she felt an unexpected thud on the ship and saw that Ezra had jumped down from the ship and had recklessly put himself in danger! Now there were three people who needed to be rescued!
What the hell?
"Sabine! I got your back," Ezra yelled.
Sabine suppressed a groan. Of course. How could she forget? The Kid and his ridiculous crush! The Ghost was close enough now that she and Hera easily leapt aboard. But Ezra wasn't following. No, instead like a di'kut, the Kid was actually moving further away, closer to the creatures and blasting them with no thought to his own safety.
They needed to get out of here!
Using his three round bursts Ezra downed another one. "These guys aren't so tough," the cocky kid said. He turned his back to look back at the others gathered aboard the ghost's cargo ramp, taking his eyes off the threatening creatures.
With the Kid's back now turned, he didn't see one of the biggest of the creatures creature looming right behind him. It licked its fangs, preparing to pounce.
Sabine saw red and unloaded with both blasters blazing. Blaster bolts whizzing past Ezra and slamming into the creature.
Only now realizing the peril he was in, Ezra walked backward away from the giant until he stumbled into the Phantom's dorsal turret. He only barely managed to hang onto his blaster.
"Whoa! Whoa! Oh!" Ezra shrieked.
Fear clenched at Sabine as she set all her focus on Ezra and shooting at the creature that was steadily closing in on its next meal.
Come on, Sabine thought as she landed shot after shot. Drop already.
In a panic, Ezra lifted his SE-14 blaster pistol and selected full auto. Shooting from the hip, he held down the trigger and a murderous pace of blaster fire was unleashed on several creatures crawling toward him. It worked and several dropped or were driven back. But then there it was, a loud click. Foolishly, the Kid hadn't counted on just how quickly his pistol would chew through its ammunition. And now he was helpless as death's teeth neared his throat.
"Karabast!" Ezra screamed.
With no longer a clean shot, Sabine didn't hesitate and jumped from the Ghost and back onto the Phantom. At near point blank range, she took a steady aim and shot both blasters, drilling bolts into the creature's head and neck. The creature collapsed and fell onto Ezra, knocking the boy to the flat of his back. But the creature was limp and rolled off the Phantom. With a momentary lapse in the fighting, Sabine rushed to Ezra's side. Her eyes filled with dread, fearing the worst.
But as she looked him over, she saw he was groaning. He was in pain, but he was moving and she couldn't see any obvious injuries. A creature tried to sneak up on her, but she caught it in time with a few blasts from her left blaster. Meanwhile, Hera and Zeb continued to shoot from the Ghost, but there were just too many of the creatures. They were out of time.
"Kid, come on!"
With a groan, Ezra rolled to his side and got to his feet. He picked up the blaster by its barrel but hissed in pain. Firing the thing on automatic had nearly overheated it. Grabbing its grip instead, he held onto it as he followed Sabine as the girl guided the stumbling boy to the edge of the Phantom.
Zeb grabbed Ezra once the kid was close enough to the ramp and then hauled him aboard the Ghost with one arm. And never one to miss a dig… "Nice moves out there, champ," the Lasat spat.
But with Zeb in command of the rescue, he went back to shooting and then gave an order. "Chopper! Close her up!"
Chopper warbled his response in binary as he gets to work: "Of course your royal furball! Meatbag thinks he knows best!"
Back on his feet, Ezra joined Sabine as she reloaded her blasters with fresh power cells. With his pistol empty, he fell back to using his slingshot. As Sabine had figured, the yellowish bolts of electricity had nearly no effect on the creatures at all. But she recognized every bit helped as Kanan increased the lift from the Ghost's repulsors and the ship climbed higher and out of reach of the creatures.
The door was closing but then stopped at the last moment as one creature, desperately trying to get in, got caught in the closing door. Zeb snarled and extended his bo-staff into the Lasat's traditional shock-staff. He then shocks the creature again and again until it lets go and falls out of sight.
"No hitchhikers," Zeb growled. And then he activated his comlink. "Kanan, we're all aboard."
Despite now safely inside the cargo hold, they weren't clear yet. Sabine could still hear the creatures crawling all around the outside hull of the ship. Her mind drummed up some solutions when she sensed a pulse of electricity course over the hull. A dozen shrieks called out in pain, but the crawling stopped. Whatever Hera did, it worked.
Their comlinks activated and Hera's voice came in. "Chopper, reroute coolant to the engine."
Sabine holstered her blasters and sighed. They'd done it. It didn't look like they'd make it, but they did it. She turned to make her way up the ladder when Ezra's "smooth" voice stopped her.
"Thanks for saving me back there," the Kid stated and laid the charm on extra thick. After the stunt he just pulled, Sabine couldn't have been less impressed by his pathetic attempt at charming her.
She was about to go off on Ezra but then she thought, what's the point? One ear out the other with this Kid. And if he keeps up with these stunts, he's going to get himself killed. Sabine can't hold back the anger in her short but terse response.
"Don't read too much into it, Kid."
Sabine scurried up the ladder and found her way into the nose turret. Immediately, she grabbed its empty chair and took control of the Ghost's powerful nose cannon and began blowing up every creature she could spot. This was what she needed. So focused she never noticed the awkward teenage boy standing in the doorway or the thump as the Ghost engaged its magnetic lock, clamping down on the Phantom and its cargo. She kept up the fire until the Ghost pulled away from the cursed rock and put the last of the creatures behind.
With nothing left to shoot, Sabine turned her gaze outward and looked at the stars. Her mind was a myriad of thoughts. She was angry with Ezra's foolishness and had half a mind to go to Hera and tell her to reconsider the Kid's place here. The flirting was annoying but his thing for her, and belief that she needed rescuing was going to get someone killed. Himself most likely!
But as the moments ticked by and the adrenaline left her body, Sabine was left with a feeling of exhaustion. Like she could sleep for ages. Besides, she should be feeling good!
Putting aside the Kid and his actions, she and Hera came through. That was something to be proud of. Sure they never would have been in danger had Zeb and those idiots did the diagnostic of the Phantom as ordered! Even so, what a way to prevail in the face of near certain death!
With renewed fire in her eyes, Sabine went to the platform overlooking the cargo bay and found that Hera had already put Zeb and Ezra to work with lifting and organizing the cargo crates they picked up from the haul. As she approached, she heard them.
"Look, Hera, I'm sorry about not checking the diagnostic," Zeb said, his apology truly heartfelt.
"We're all sorry. Right, Chopper?" Ezra added, his voice equally contrite.
But Chopper? Well Chopper waved his arm manipulator dismissively at the Kid. He chortled his own version of an apology. "Your screwup, not mine. Go hide in a corner and cry."
Sabine smirked and wondered about the day the boys finally learned to understand binary and could hear all the zingers Chopper threw their way. There was a reason she and Hera never bothered translating. Chopper was just too entertaining.
"Anyway, we'll fix the Phantom." Ezra rushed to say.
"Don't even worry about it." Zeb said, holding his hands out apologetically.
Worry? Sabine thought and balled her fists. Worry? We almost died! But Hera's perfectly timed retort eased Sabine's anger.
"Now, why would I worry?" Hera pondered, her voice dripping with sarcasm. She gave Zeb and the Kid a dismissive look and then turned to go on her way.
"Mmm. Maybe because the last time they 'fixed' it, we nearly wound up as lunch?" Sabine suggested.
Hera tilted her head and nodded. "Oh, right. That's why."
Sabine held her glare on the three, including Chopper, before giving them the cold shoulder and headed up the ladder with Hera close behind. Sabine spotted her helmet in the common room, still sitting at the dejarik table where she'd left it.
Would it have helped? Maybe. It certainly does a good job of helping her hide her emotions.
She had trusted those guys. Hera had trusted them. And we nearly died. Sabine paused, thinking that over. Trust. Hera had said a lot of pretty words back there, but she and Kanan were both still keeping her in the dark. And without her helmet, the female Twi'lek'lek had to have seen every hurt emotion flicker across her face.
Between that, the broken Phantom, almost getting eaten, and Ezra and his stupid hormone driven crush that nearly got himself killed… Sabine took her helmet and made for her room. But just as she was about to enter, Hera's voice caught her.
"Sabine," Hera said. "I know you have questions, questions I can't answer right now. But know that I trust you. I just trusted you with my life down there."
Kriff Hera, Sabine thought. Was there anyone else in the galaxy who knew just what a person needed to hear? She'll make a hell of a mom someday. That is, if Kanan ever gets his own act together.
"I know. I know you do. Thank you for trusting me."
Hera sighed in relief. "Good. And we are making a difference, Sabine. And I promise: we won't always be fighting this battle alone. Do you think you can trust me?"
The girl looked down at the helmet in her hands. She was still plenty mad, about a lot of things. But she could hear the sincerity in Hera's words. She turns and smiles at the Twi'lek'lek. "I think I can try."
Hera smiled and then turned, heading to her own cabin. Sabine watched her retreating back and smiled. Hera was still holding a lot back, but still it was something. Sabine decided then to ease up on the questions.
Besides, if Hera said was right, then Sabine and the others would see soon enough who else what in this fight with them against the Empire. And maybe that victory, a true victory, wasn't as farfetched as it seemed. Just as she turned into her cabin, she saw Ezra, standing oafishly nearby, and wondered if he had overheard anything. Then she found herself asking why should she care. With a dismissive snort, she went into her cabin, making a point of locking the door behind her. She needed a shower and a long, uninterrupted sleep. Ezra was the absolute last person she wanted to talk to now.
Ezra was daydreaming again. The fear he felt when he first heard of Hera and Sabine was in danger over the comm. But then, as time went on, he thought that maybe this was it. This was his chance. He could Sabine and be her knight in shining-orange armor.
Only that didn't happen.
'I find meditating helpful,' Kanan suggested it afterward. 'Someplace out of sight. For more than just my connection with the Force. You should try it.'
So that's what I do. Out of sight in the back of the ship in the engine room. The steady hum of the hyperdrive helps.
So I learned something important. Some girls like being rescued, a Mando Girl does not. It was so pathetic that Zeb held his tongue. But that was more for the girls' benefit. They'd gone through a lot.
Whatever barb he has, he'll still throw it my way, eventually.
And you know what? With this, he'd be justified. I screwed up. But that doesn't mean I can't make things right.
And it was then that Ezra had it. Of course! Hey, this meditating thing does work!
Sabine doesn't need a hero. But there is one thing I know she needs. And I know where to get it.
And there it is, why one should never leave home without a flamethrower! Heheh, oh Mira, Uncle Hondo only kids. Though in this story it may have been useful. So much happened in this adventure! But before I go any further: Neither Hondo nor Zeb own's "Bye Bye Bye" or make any profit from it. Though he would love to see images of Waffle Face dancing to such music if they exist...
Now! Hondo hopes it wasn't too confusing with the different points of view, three total! Though this adventure was primarily through Sabine's eyes. And news that the Rebellion is spreading? Hondo thinks he recalls this time in his life. It wasn't so long now until he meets the young Ezra! Oh! Soon my friends. Soon enough. Besides, it is time for some news...
First! The next chapter will be an Interlude. Ezra has dug himself a bit of a hole to put it mildly. And what does one do when they're in a hole? Dig themselves out hopefully! How will get get out of this one? If you have an idea, Hondo would enjoy hearing some speculations.
And now, at last! The biggest surprise of all! News of Hondo's book has reached the Holonet! And now Hondo is getting many requests from people in Hondo's story to come and talk with Hondo on his podcast! Hondo doesn't know what to do! He just wants to be Uncle Hondo! But even Mira wants to go on Hondo's podcast! And the lovely Sabine is leaving this ticking "miracle" in Hondo's lap to figure out! And she swore Ezra not to give any hints! Help friends! What is Hondo to do?