"Is everybody alright?", Katooni asked through the ship's com. "Did anyone get hurt?"
"No", Lux yelled back. "We're fine".
"Are you sure, 'cause I could have sworn I heard some ows and yelps all the way from up here?"
"We're all good", Kanan called back. "Just a few sore limbs".
"You could say that again", Zeb muttered under his breath.
"Alright. Good news is, we're almost there, so don't get too comfortable".
"You know, she reminds me of someone", Kanan said, grinning. "But I can't seem to put my finger on who".
"At least you haven't lost your sense of humor", Hera chuckled. She nuzzled closer to him and gave him a tight squeeze. "We're gonna find him", she reminded him. "We can do this".
"I know", Kanan responded. "I just hope we're not too late before they either brainwash him or worse".
"I do too. Why don't you try to contact him? Then we can let him know that we're on our way and to hang tight".
"I already tried", Ahsoka said wearily, sitting down across from Hera and Kanan. "I can't make any connection with him what so ever".
"Maybe that's because he doesn't fully know you", Kanan pondered. "He's not used to your force patterns. Maybe it will work with me; I know and understand his force patterns and he knows mine".
"I suppose". Ahsoka paused. "When we find Ezra, I'm taking him back with me to the rebel base".
Kanan's heart nearly stopped. "What? Why? He was doing just fine with us before the incident".
"Leaving him with one of the rebellion's top teams was a big mistake. If I had just not given Ezra a choice and had taken him under my care none of this would ever had happened".
"But you can't!", Kanan retorted. "Ezra is one of us; you can't just take him away from us!"
"He's part of this family; the ghost family", Hera chimed in. "If you take out one of us, the rest can't function correctly".
"Please", Kanan begged. He would have gotten on his knees in front of everyone in the room just to get his point across. "Don't take Ezra from us".
Ahsoka sighed sadly. "I'm sorry, but my mind is made up. As soon as we return to the P.R.A.E's base I'm taking him back with me".
She got up to leave but stopped at the door. "It's what's best.......for all of us".
Then she left.
Kanan put his head in his hands. "This can't be happening", he moaned through his fingers. "She can't just take Ezra like that! We're all he has".
Hera nodded, fighting back the tears that were so close to falling. "Let's not think about it now. Right now Ezra needs us and the only way for him to know that is for you to try to communicate with him".
Kanan sighed, forcing his angry thoughts to subside. "You're right, Hera". He took a deep breath. "Just give me a sec to find him. It shouldn't take too long".

Ezra and the Eighth Brother ducked into a small break between two walls. "Enjoying the game so far, Ezra?", the Eighth Brother asked.
"None of it makes sense; we haven't seen any rebels for the past two floors. We're not hiding from anyone".
"But we will be. The rebels are not too far from this facility. They should be coming in any second now".
Ezra sighed and rested his back on the wall. "At least let's rest for a bit. We haven't taken a break since we left my cell".
The Eighth Brother looked up, sensing the atmosphere. "No. We have to keep moving. They are searching for a spot to land. We only have two more floors before we get to base".
He grabbed Ezra's wrist. "Come on! ", he ordered as he pulled along a very annoyed Ezra.

Kanan mentally reached out into the force and tried to sense Ezra. It felt like walking around in the dark; with your hands out in front of you and everything around you feels big and spacious.
Kanan suddenly felt something or someone grab him by the shirt and pull him up. Unexpectedly, he fell to the floor with a hard thud. But it wasn't the floor of a ship. It was a dark, cracked floor. In fact, everything around him was cracking and falling.
Kanan stood up and looked around. "I....I can see!", he gasped. "I can see again! But where the heck am I?"

Ezra suddenly stopped in his tracks. "What? What is it?", the Eighth Brother asked.
"I.....I don't know. I just felt this presence".
"Where is it coming from?"
Ezra paused. "In my head".

"Hello?", Kanan called out. "Ezra? Are you here?"
A soft groan came from behind him. Kanan turned and saw the young familiar glowing face of Ezra's concence. But his face was no longer bright. It was dim; it kept going in out like a dying candle.
Kanan rushed over to his side. "Hey, are you okay?", he asked. "What's happening?"
The boy slowly looked up at Kanan. His eyes were still changing colors, but the right eye kept going back to yellow. "Time's.......running...out", he gasped. "He's slowly.......turning colder.....darker".
He grabbed Kanan's arm. "You...have to...talk to him.......let him know you're okay".
Kanan swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat. "Okay. But how?"
"Just talk to me like you would to him".
The boy clenched his stomach, his grip on Kanan's arm getting tighter. "Hurry! He'll stop listening to me if you don't do it now!"
Kanan gathered his wits together and cleared his throat.
"Ezra....Ezra, it's me, Kanan".

"Kanan?"
Ezra whipped around, but saw no one. "What is it now?", the Eighth Brother asked, now annoyed with the continuous stopping.
"It's.....Kanan. I can hear Kanan"
Dang it! Why do jedi ghosts think they can butt in whenever they please? "It's just your imagination. Come on now".
"No. I know it's Kanan".
Ezra let go of the Eighth Brother's hand and turned his back on him. "Kanan? Kanan, is that you?"
Yes, I'm right here, Ezra. Don't worry. We're on our way. We're coming for you, Ezra.

"We're not dead. We're all alive and ready for whatever the empire wants to throw at us".
He stared deep into the conscience's eyes. "Don't forget what I've taught you, Ezra. Don't let the enemy take you down even for a second.

Never let them change who you are, Ezra Bridger. You're a jedi. You're a fighter. You're a rebel. But most importantly, you're part of the ghost crew; our family.
And you can't get any better than that.
Ezra's heart pounded with excitement. "They're coming", he whispered. "They're okay. They're alive!"
Unfortunately for Ezra, he said that last part a bit louder than he meant it to be. "That's impossible", the Eighth Brother retorted. "You saw them die; they were killed right in front of you!"
"No! They're alive and coming!"
He paused. "They're the 'old friends' you were talking about! You knew they were alive this whole time!"
The Eighth Brother shook his head. "No, my friends made sure they were dead. You must have misunderstood your dead master's message".
An alarm suddenly went off as a voice boomed, "Attention! Base has been infiltrated! All units report to the fourth, fifth, and sixth floors!"
"Come on!", the Eighth Brother commanded. He went to grab Ezra's wrist but Ezra jumped back. "No! I'm not going with you!"
The Eighth Brother stared at him coldly through his mask. "You will do as I command! I am your master now!"
"Not anymore!"

Kanan stared down at Ezra's conscience. "Did it work?"
The boy took a deep breath. Almost instantly the light brightened to his body, and his eyes resumed it's colorful pattern. "Yes. Already your words have rekindled the hope he had before".
He sat up and smiled. "Well done, Kanan Jarus. But now you must go". He stood up. "You have your padawan to save".
Kanan's heart sank. "But how? If I can't see-"
"Already you doubt your abilities?" The boy sighed. "You don't need eyes to see. Rely on your other instincts; your ears, your nose, your fingers, your head, and most importantly, the force. When you've got that down pat you're all set".
Kanan nodded. "I'll do my best, but I can't promise I'll do well".
"That's all the jedi ask for".
With a wink, he put his hand over Kanan's eyes. "Now go. Ezra needs you".