"Come on, Ezra. Please." Maud Shi had almost no trouble reaching the air vents closest to the entrance to the Horizon, but she was starting to get anxious and was realizing that she may not have made it clear enough to Ezra that he needed to meet her alone. The relief she felt when she heard the sound of movement in the ceiling is hard to explain with words. Her friend jumped out of the air ducts and smiled oddly when he saw her standing there because he knew she had to be the one to speak first. How did he know exactly were she was waiting for him? Because foxes know things. Especially when they evolve people like Maud waiting alone, with nobody to protect them if space-pirates somehow found a way to sneak into the middle of a rebel establishment in the far corners of the galaxy and decided that the junk pile that was the Horizon looked like something worth raiding. 

"You were much quieter the last time you snuck out to meet me," she teased, mainly to ease her own nerves. Ezra shrugged,

"My new friends are good to me. I don't have to sneak around much." Then his expression got serious. 

"I shouldn't have left you guys like I did. I thought running away from my problems would help but, now I understand," he looked down at his shoes. 

"Ezra, I'm not mad. That is not what I came for. I came because, Shyer is looking for you. What he is doing to find you, is worse than what he will do to you once he does."

Her words hit him hard. She hadn't come to him with grief or because she missed him. When he looked up, her expression was what made him realize the more important thing she had told him; shyer was doing things, bad things, in order to find him. He realized why she looked so guilty. Shi hadn't wanted to hurt her friend, she was putting her feelings aside and focusing on what the real problem was.

"I'm so sorry," was all she could say. Over and over, until the fox ran up and hugged her.

"No, I am. You can explain on the way, but we have to get to Lothal now." She nodded and they separated.

They decided that the smartest idea would be to take one of the extra A-Wings that were kept on the ship for storage because it would be easier to leave without the entire fleet knowing that way. Wile they were running through The Horizon, Maud grabbed Ezra's arm and pulled him aside.

"Are you sure your friends won't be looking for you anytime soon? Maybe you should tell them why you have to leave," she whispered. 

"You don't have to whisper, nobody ever comes near this ancient cruiser, and if I tell my friend why I have to go, they will just ask a bunch of questions. That's the last thing we want, trust me." Truthfully, Ezra was a tiny bit shaken by the idea of confronting his new family. He knew that he would need to explain what happened when he got back, but he needed to stop what was happening on Lothal. He didn't need to talk to them now. 

When they reached the docking area, they started to get a little anxious, believe it or not. They were actually stealing, from the good guys. (AHH! EDGY!)

"You ready?" she asked.

"I'll fly," they opened the top of a fighter and Ezra sat down in the only seat which was in front of the controls. Maud had to crouch down in order to fit beside him. It was a bit uncomfortable, but she didn't say anything about it because the only other option would be to sit on Ezra's lap. 

"I'll explain everything on the way. Then, switch the jet to autopilot so you can read the rest of the journal." Said Maud.

"I was supposed to bring that? Oops." Maud gasped and looked at him. 

"You forgot the journal? Didn't you read the note?" the tone of her voice sounded serious, but Ezra didn't know what the big deal was.

"I read the note that you left me. It didn't say anything about what to do with the journal." Maud buried her head in her hands. 

"No, no, no! We have to go back for it!" She reached for the door handle, but Ezra grabbed her arm. He was about to remind her that they had to leave now, and that they were just some stupid notes, but she turned around and looked at him. Her eyes were full of tears and Ezra's heart forgot what its job was. Maud had seen Ezra cry a couple of times before, but  she had only cried in front of him one other time. It wasn't over some stupid notes. He sighed.

"Stay here. I'll be faster by myself." Maud quickly wiped away the tears.

"Be careful, and if you run into your friends-" but the fox was gone before she had time to finish. 

                                                        *****

Okay Ezra, you're back at the prison facility. You need to warn Kannan and Zeb that its all a trap and that the wookies are being kept somewhere completely different. Ezra was so lost in thought that he missed the air vent that would take him straight to the center-ship. He would have to fast-walk the whole way.  He smiled, hopefully I wont get captured by Agent Kallus this time. 

Once on board the ship that connected all of the fleet together, Ezra passed some pilots who recognized him. They gave him a funny smile as they kept walking. He gave them a "convincing" grin back and started to slow down a bit. Ezra flushed as he realized how strange he looked speeding down a random hallway filled with people who were politely chatting with there friends. Keep it cool Ezra, we're almost there. 

Finally, he was on the Ghost. Kannan and Hera were talking in the dining area and Sabine was probably in her room like she always was. Ezra had no idea were Zeb was, but it didn't matter as long as he wasn't in their cabin. He quietly walked over to his door and opened it, and of course, Zeb was there, waiting for him.

Just a short little update. As always; thank you for your patience, (I wouldn't be expecting break-neck updates for a wile). Also, the name Maud is pronounced Mod if you guys were curios. If you guys have any questions or things you want to see happen in the story, I always read every comment you leave me. 

                                                         Constellations,                                                                                                                                                                                     Laea