16

KANAN'S EYES fell onto that docking bay full of TIE Fighters and his suntanned face, formerly stone cold, split into a ginormous grin.

He ran over the path he had taken in his head, and then did the unthinkable (and perhaps very dumb).

He looked up at the ceiling with his big grin growing extra cheesy. He waved cheekily, then bolted back into the lift.

:::

The Inquisitor abruptly pressed his face against the monitor, his lips lifting in a silent snarl. "That little- what is he-?!"

Still rubbing her throat a little, the Seventh Sister raised one thin black eyebrow at her superior. "I take it he's taking a less expected path in that brilliant little scheme of yours?" she queried, her voice sounding even more like a broken protocol droid than usual.

She knew very well that she was seriously pushing it, but it was just too hard to resist pushing a button so perfect.

The Inquisitor's snarl became not so silent as he lifted one hand, eyes still glued to the screen, and tipped the Seventh Sister's chair over backwards with the Force. Her shriek of surprise as she went sprawling onto the floor was perhaps a little too satisfying.

"What are you playing at, Jarrus," he hissed, golden gaze tracing Kanan as the insolently grinning Jedi skittered from monitor to monitor. Clearly, the Inquisitor swiftly decided, the rebel leader knew he was being toyed with and was attempting to turn the tables.

The Grand Inquisitor's eyes narrowed. It wasn't going to work.

:::

Kanan sprinted all the way back to his former cell, relishing the whole while how annoyed he must be making the Inquisitor. He wouldn't lie - tormenting the bad guys was totally his favorite part of escaping.

Sure, the Inquisitor had probably already foreseen everything he was going to do, was definitely giving him no choice but to go along with what he wanted, yadda yadda yadda. But that didn't mean that Kanan couldn't put a tic in the Pau'an's eye - or start brewing up a plan of his own.

Kanan opened the door with the press of a button to find that the stormtrooper he had, erm, tranquilized was just starting to get up. The white-clad soldier staggered to his feet on wobbly knees, one hand pressing hard against the upright table beside him. He was groaning under his helmet and had yet to remember to pull out that giant needle sticking into his neck.

"Hey, there," Kanan said sympathetically, leaning his elbow casually on the doorway. "Do you have trypanophobia? Then again, I'm never stoked when somebody jabs a gigantic needle into me, either."

The stormtrooper lifted his head groggily - then yelped instantly at the sight of him. "You! Y-Y-You- you're not supposed to be-"

"Incredibly handsome and hopelessly dashing?" mused Kanan, adjusting the collar of his prison suit. He flashed the stormtrooper a winning smile. "Of course I am. Though orange isn't really my color. It's more my Padawan's thing."

He extended his arms and, with the Force, yanked the screaming-and-flailing-in-alarm Imperial into a headlock. The stormtrooper began blubbering pathetically unthreatening things as he struggled in vain.

"Oop, you've got a little something on your neck. Lemme get that for you." Kanan plucked the massive syringe from the trooper's neck and boredly flicked it away, then used his free hand to pull the stormtrooper's askew blaster from the floor to his grasp.

"Please don't -" the stormtrooper began to squeak, only for Kanan to roll his eyes and stun him. The other man slumped in his grip.

Well, that's done, Kanan thought with satisfaction, then clipped the blaster to his belt before slinging the stormtrooper over his shoulder. Now I have a weapon. And my very own pet stormtrooper! He chuckled to himself as he turned towards the door and headed back out. Not really, of course. I have the chance to save him from this life and inevitably LOSING his life altogether to another rebel,mused Kanan, much more solemnly. He managed to retrace his steps all the way to the second lift. And whether that works out or not - while I definitely don't intend on failing - he'll still be a big help.

Kanan smiled faintly as the lift doors slid slowly shut before him. But if - WHEN - it works out, maybe I'll even teach him how to shoot.

He just had to remember the way back to the docking bay first.

:::

Stormtrooper burrrrrnnn xD So what did you guys think? Is that stormtrooper really ever going to help Kanan at all, or is he just going to be a burden and a nuisance? Is Kanan not a completely lovable nutcase? And just what, exactly, does Kanan plan on having him help with? Only time shall tell...

Before I head off, I wanted to give you guys a hint about that code a couple chapters back - to crack it, you need to use the code A1Z26, a substitution cipher that replaces the letters of the alphabet with the numbers 1 through 26. As you probably guessed by the name of the cipher, A = 1, Z = 26, etc. In one of the next chapters, though, I'll just tell you what the code meant, so it's up to you if you want to try deciphering it. xD

-Arty out for now!