After asking Hera some pretty vague questions about the crew and the reasons he was with with them in the beginning, Ezra left to wander through the ship.

Some parts were familiar to him--he could remember flashes of that door opening, this smudge of orange paint on the wall--but nothing concrete. He sighed, shaking his head. What if he never remembered what they were all telling him?

As he passed over the hold, Ezra looked down, noticing Zeb and Sabine sparring below, and leaned forward onto the railing to watch.

The burly Lasat growled, running forward with arms outstretched, as if to try to grab her. But the girl was too fast for him.

Ducking under his arm, Sabine spun and grabbed it. Using his own momentum, she flipped him onto his back, then laughed at his disgruntled expression. She offered him a hand and he begrudgingly took it, pulling himself to his feet. "And that," she said, pretending to dust her hands off, "Is how you do things, Mandalorian style."

Ezra chuckled slightly, and Sabine immediately looked up at him. Ezra ducked his head, a bit embarrassed at being caught. After a moment of terse silence, he turned, deciding to move on.

Behind him, Sabine called his name, but he ignored her, moving a bit faster.
Soon he arrived at the smaller ship attached to the back of the Ghost. He frowned slightly, pushing his hand to his forehead. What was its name?

He grunted in frustration and shook his head. It really wasn't important, but it still bugged him that he couldn't remember.

Pulling a seat down, Ezra sat down. As he did, he closed his eyes for a second, and gasped. Suddenly, he was transported to a different place, a different time.

"You know, this whole mission thing is nuts. I'm not against sticking it to the Empire, but there's no way I'd stick my neck out this far. I mean, who does that?"

Hera didn't hesitate. "We do."

Slight embarrassed, Ezra looked away. the ship came out of hyperspace, and Ezra took in the Imperial transport.

Two tie fighters were docked on each side of the ship, and heavy guns were mounted on top. Ezra really hoped everything would go well and they wouldn't have to worry about those things.

Hera hailed the transport. "Imperial transport 651, this is Starbird, coming inbound."

"State your business," came the reply in a clipped, cultured voice.

"Bounty--we captured an additional Wookiee prisoner and have transfer orders to place him with you."

"We have no such orders." You could almost hear the frown in his voice, and two ties unattached from the transport. Ezra's eyes widened, but Hera stayed calm. "That's...fine. We already got paid. By Governor Tarkin. If you don't want the oversized monong, I'll jettison here, let you explain to your superiors why the Empire has one less slave."

Still circling the transport with ties following, Hera and Ezra waited in terse silence. He looked at her, unbelieving. It wasn't going to work.

Finally, the voice answered. "Permission to dock. Bay One."

Still troubled, Ezra turned back to the viewport as the Ghost docked and the tues flew on to circle the transport until they left. Glancing at Hera, Ezra smiled slightly. "You really believe the storm troopers are gonna think Zeb is a Wookiee?"

Hera grinned. "Actually, I don't think Zeb is even gonna give them a chance to."

Ezra shook his head, grinning as well. Though he had only known the smelly Lasat for a few hours, he agreed. Zeb just seemed like that kind of person.

A second later, Kanan's voice came over the comm. "No troopers. Security's soft." Suddenly, his voice cut out, static taking its place. Worried, Hera reached for the comm button and Ezra leaned forward, apprehension setting in. "Spectre One, come in."

After a small pause where the tension could have been cut with a knife, Hera tried the others. "Spectre Four? Spector Five! Ah, com's down." Her furrowed as she tried to re-calibrate the signal. "No, not down." Her eyes widened. "Jammed."

Ezra felt shock ripple through him, along with a feeling of I-told-you-so, then he looked down, frowning. He could feel, almost sense that there was something, something big, coming close. "Something's coming," he murmured. He looked up, feeling his eyes widen as fear coursed through him. Just then, a Star Destroyer exited hyperspace ahead of them.

"That's an Imperial Star Destroyer!" Hera exclaimed, and Ezra turned to her. "This whole thing was a setup!"

Hera frantically started working the controls, trying to find a com channel that wasn't jammed. "It's beginning to look that way."

The massive ship moved quickly, bay shields deactivated to receive the transport and the Ghost into its deadly belly. Glancing away from her work for a moment, Hera turned to Ezra, worry present in every line of her face. "You need to board the transport and warn them."

"What?" Ezra looked at her like she was crazy. "Why don't you do it?"

"I need to be ready to take off, or none of us stands a chance."

"No. No way. Why would I risk my life for a bunch of strangers?"

"Because Kanan risked his for you. If all you do is fight for your own life, then your life is worth nothing. They need you Ezra. They need you right now."

Ezra looked down for a moment, emotions warring inside him, then up at the Destroyer as its shadow fell over his face. The two ships were beginning to be pulled towards its yawning mouth.

As the shadow fell away and the lights from the Destroyer hangar bay touched his face, Ezra still wasn't sure what to do. Lessons of his parents fought against things he'd learned since he was left alone and had to survive by taking care of himself, not others.

Hera frowned in consternation. "Listen," she said, urgency lacing her tone. "Our crew boarded that transport to selflessly rescue Imperial prisoners. They have no idea they've walked into a trap, no idea what's coming! You need to go warn them, Ezra."

"No! It's too late for them now, Hera. We should run now while--"

"You don't mean that!"

"I do! I swear I do!"

He looked up at the giant weapon that was swallowing them up, hopelessness--and something he wished he wasn't feeling--setting in.

He snapped. "Which is why I can't believe I'm doing this!" He ran out the door, almost feeling Hera's pride, and to the airlock just as the ship shuddered into place inside the Star Destroyer.

Inside the transport, Ezra didn't trip once as he ran. Not seeing any troopers on the way to the prisoner area, Ezra couldn't understand how the crew hadn't noticed anything wrong before.

Somehow knowing that the others were ahead, Ezra quickened his step. "It's a trap!" he yelled, stumbling slightly but not falling. "We gotta get out of here, it's a trap!" He came around the corner and saw Kanan and Zeb standing there, worried looks on both their faces.

Then Zeb clenched his fists. "Karabast! The kid's blowing another op!"

Ezra leaned over trying to catch his breath. "It's not an op. It's a trap. Hera sent me to warn you."

Suddenly the prison door opened and troopers moved out. "Run!" Ezra yelled, and the others didn't need to be told twice. They all took off, Ezra pausing a moment to crouch and pull back his slingshot twice. One of the shots hit the control panel where Kanan or Zeb had presumably placed the detonator, and it exploded, taking out a few troopers with it.

"We need to warn Sabine and Chopper, but they've jammed the com," Ezra said, having a little trouble keeping up with the adults.

Kanan turned his head towards him, still running. "They'll follow the plan, it'll be fine."

"Yeah, 'cause the plans going just great so far."

Ezra was ignored, but he was used to it, and just quickened his step as they reached a tighter corridor where they could only move single-file, and slipped ahead of Zeb. Up ahead, troopers and an ISB agent came around the corner, and Kanan pulled his blaster. "Don't stop!"

Ezra glanced at him, sure he was crazy, but then forced his lips into a tight line. For some reason he felt he could trust this crazy man, and he'd learned over the years to trust his feelings.

Kanan glanced up, then back ahead. "Push off. Now!"

Ezra hadn't a clue what he meant, but he did his best to do what he said. Pushing up with his right foot, he suddenly found himself surging forward through the air. His mouth opened in shock. Sabine and Chopper had deactivated the artificial gravity!

Up ahead, the Imperials, not ready for the little trick, immediately started trying to swim around in the air, one of them giving a startled "What the--"

Kanan didn't miss a beat. He aimed and fired at a trooper, blackening the white chest armour and killing the faceless man.

The ISB agent adapted quickly, pushing a clueless trooper out of the way and firing his blaster, which didn't seem Imperial grade, at them. It looked...different. Personalized. Ezra didn't know that was allowed in the Empire.

Still moving forward, Ezra tried to avoid the hot blasts of plasma, slowing down at the same time. Zeb moved just as quickly as before, seemingly ignoring the rounds altogether. Grabbing Ezra's head, the Lasat pushed him behind him, throwing him off balance for a moment.

Ezra quickly grabbed hold of Zeb's legs, causing the giant to yell out angrily. Ezra didn't care. His mind was consumed with thoughts of survival.

They met the troopers head on, Kanan kicking out at troopers while still firing his blaster, and, if Ezra had the time, he would have loved to watch. Instead, he decided to focus on not dying.

Moving past the troopers and ISB agent, they swam and forced their way through. Going through a doorway, Kanan glanced back. "You doing okay, kid?"

"Are you kidding?" He caught himself as Zeb pushed him off and his body started to twist sideways out of his control. "Aah!" He kicked his feet as if he were swimming, and it seemed to work fairly well.

Suddenly, the lights went out, and Kanan yelled out. "Now!"

Still, Ezra fell, and Zeb grabbed him by his backpack, pulling him to his feet. As they reached Sabine, she looked around, obviously worried and confused. "Where are the Wookiees?"

Kanan made a cutting motion with his hand. "No Wookiees. Sabine, man the nose gun. Chop, tell Hera to take off."

Still bewildered, Sabine started to move back towards the ship. "Uuh, right!"

They all ran forward, and Zeb pushed Ezra behind again. He scowled and tried to move forward again, but the Inperial agent grabbed him. Ezra gasped, trying to get away. "Let go!"

Zeb looked back at his cry, and gasped. At the same moment, two troopers ran forward, pointing at the Lasat. They began to fire.

Zeb dodged the bolts, trying to raise his own rifle at the same time. "Ugh, Kid! Get out of the way!"

Still squirming, Ezra grunted. "I'm trying!"

Zeb ducked around the corner and into the airlock, and something covered his face. Ezra knew the sickening reality before the man spoke. "Sorry, Kid!" Then, in a lower voice, "You did good."

The door slid shut, and Ezra knew, deep inside, that they weren't going to come back for him. He was alone again, but this time, he was in the hands of the Empire.

Updates will be more frequent now, I promise!!! 😂