Ashla’s Will Chapter 4- Waiting
Hey guys! Sorry about the long wait, the next chapter is finally finished though and I hope it was worth the wait!
Read it on AO3
“We need a plan, we can’t just charge in unprepared!” Kanan exclaimed.
“Since when do our plans ever work?” Zeb grumbled.
“We still need to have some sort of plan-“
“But if we wait too long the Empire might- t-they might…” Ezra cried, voice cutting off, unable to say the words. “Please we have to do something.”
“And we will,” Hera gently assured, “But Kanan’s right, we need to have a plan or we risk failing.”
“If we keep waiting it will be too late!” Ezra snapped.
“Ezra, maybe you shouldn’t be in here,” Hera gently suggested.
“Why not!” Ezra cried. “It’s my dad we’re rescuing!”
“Exactly, you’re too emotionally involved in this,” Hera explained. “We need clear, calm heads to come up with a plan.”
“Fine!” Ezra snapped, standing up and storming out of the common area, fury filling him as he aimlessly stormed through the halls of the ship. Why couldn’t he help? This was his father being held captive by the Empire. If they knew who he was, there was no telling what they were doing to him. He should be helping them. Not sitting out like a child!
Through the rage and anger that filled him, Ezra felt a gently tug in his conscious, like something was calling out to him, begging him to reach out and take it. Despite the fury that still filled him, Ezra found he couldn’t resist the pull of the strange call and found himself unconsciously following its pull, leading him to someone’s quarters. The door was locked, but that wouldn’t deter Ezra, he needed to know what was calling him.
Smirking, Ezra pulled out a device to help him unlock the door, ignoring the droid that rolled past him. Sure, his dad didn’t approve of him breaking into people’s homes or rooms, but what he didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him…thinking about his dad reminded him of the danger he was in, making his heart ache.
The small thought opened up the floodgate, a rush of emotions overwhelming him and almost bringing him down to his knee’s from the force of it. He may never see his father again. No, he couldn’t think like that. He would not cry, not when there was still a chance they could save him. He wasn’t dead yet, so he wouldn’t treat him as if he were. He would be strong, that’s what he would want. Instead, Ezra focused his energy on opening the door, trying and failing to shove away the memory from when his dad caught him stealing,
“Dev, you’re better than this, we don’t need to steal to survive.”
“But you’re not eating because we don’t have enough food!” He shouldn’t have to starve to ensure Ezra ate. He was the one working deep in the mines all hours. He needed the food more than he did.
“The people you’re stealing from are probably struggling as much as we are,” His dad patiently explained. “I once thought stealing from the citizens for the greater good was okay…I had to learn the hard way how wrong I was.”
“We’ve stolen from the Empire though! How is this different?” Ezra had demanded, he couldn’t see the difference then, and still didn’t really understand now.
His dad sighed heavily, the bags under his eyes seeming the get heavier. “I don’t like stealing…but when we steal from the Empire, they still at least have plenty of food left to feed everyone…when we steal from the people, they don’t always have enough food to feed themselves. If we have to steal…at least steal from the Empire that can afford to lose a few meiloorun’s.”
Ezra angrily shoved the memory away as he unlocked the door, slipping inside. When they broke his dad out they would have to move again, and they would need some credits to do so. Besides, whatever was calling him wanted him to have whatever it was…right?
Almost like he instinctively knew where whatever it was, Ezra made his way over to the bed and opened the panel beneath it. The first thing his eyes landed on was a small gold cube with a blue diamond on each of its sides.
He knew immediately it wasn’t the thing that was calling him, but it was probably worth a few credits at least so he slipped it into his pocket, trying to ignore the voice that sounded like his dad scolding him for stealing from the people trying so hard to help him. They wanted to help him, so they wouldn’t mind him taking a few things to sell for some much needed credits. That’s what he kept telling himself anyways.
The next object he saw, he knew it was it, whatever it was. The moment his fingers brushed the handle, the strange calling silenced. Ezra carefully picked it up, what was this thing? Curiosity getting the better of him, Ezra raised the weapon, gasping as a soft blue light filled the room emanating from the blue blade that appeared.
“Whoa….” Ezra gasped, experimentally swinging the blade, grinning as he raised the blade, freezing when he heard the door opening behind him.
“Careful, you’ll cut your arm off with that.” Kanan slowly said, Ezra turning to face Kanan, Hera, and the droid he saw earlier, the droid almost mockingly beeping at him. Ezra glared at the droid before looking back up at Kanan and slowly saying,
“Look, I know you’re not gonna believe me but its like this things wanted me to take it.”
“You’re right, I don’t believe it,” Kanan said, “now hand me the lightsaber.”
“Lightsaber!” Ezra gasped, lowering the blade. A lightsaber was calling him? “Wait isn’t that the weapon of the Jedi?”
“Give it to me, and get out,” Kanan said in a tone that told him he wouldn’t ask again. Ezra reluctantly deactivated the lightsaber and wordlessly handed it back to Kanan before slipping out of the room, smirking as he pulled out the strange cube out of his pocket. At least he could sell this for a few credits…if the crew was still going to help him rescue his dad after catching him stealing that is. Well, if they wouldn’t help him, he’d just do it himself.
“You’re not very good at following directions are you,” the girl from earlier said with a raised eyebrow.
“It’s not like you guys told me very much,” Ezra grumbled. “What’s the plan to save my dad?”
“We’re going to wait until dark to strike,” Sabine said. “Less civilians will be there and hopefully fewer guards.”
“Not true,” Ezra growled. “The Empire has been making the miners stay well past dark.”
“Really?” The girl asked.
“Yea, it’s been really hard on everyone…especially my dad…” Ezra informed her, growing somber.
“Must have been hard on you too,” the girl gently said. “…does he look a lot like you?”
“Oh um…he’s not my biological dad….he and my mom where taken a long time ago…he took me in….loved me like I was his son- he saved my life…I-I can’t lose another parent…” Ezra trailed off, swallowing thickly. He didn’t know what he’d do if his dad died.
“You won’t,” She assured, “Not if we can help it. Come on, we need to talk to Kanan and Hera.”
“Right,” Ezra agreed following her. “By the way, I don’t think I ever caught your name.” He should probably know the names of the people helping save his dad’s life.
“Sabine,” Sabine said. “and you’re Dev right?”
“Right,” Ezra said. “Nice to meet you Sabine…and thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” Sabine said as they entered the common area. “Hera, Kanan, we may have a problem.”
“What?” Hera asked.
“Dev told me that the workers have been working through most of the night as well now,” Sabine explained.
“Meaning the whole area will be crawling with troopers and civilians,” Kanan groaned.
“Knew this plan wouldn’t work,” Zeb grumbled.
“What makes you think my dad’s being held at the mines?” Ezra asked.
“Not at the mines, in a compound close enough to the mines we’re afraid civilians will get hurt in the crossfire,” Hera began.
“Or worse, cause a cave in,” Sabine added.
“The mines have been getting more and more unstable,” Ezra agreed. “It’s been a few weeks since the last cave in everyone’s waiting for another to happen any day now…”
“And we would rather avoid causing a cave in, but we would rather the mines be mostly empty just in case,” Hera explained.
“Nighttime would also give us some cover,” Sabine added.
“The mines are only empty for a couple hours,” Ezra informed them. “From about midnight to just before dawn.”
“We’ll only need a few minutes,” Sabine assured.
“But will my dad last that long?” Ezra worriedly asked.
“He’s tough,” Zeb firmly said. “I’ve seen it first-hand. He’ll make it.”
“Why are you guys risking so much to help us?” Ezra asked. “I mean I’m grateful but…why?”
“Because we help people who can’t help themselves,” Hera firmly said.
“Besides….I can’t in good conscious leave him…not what after he did for my people…” Zeb said.
“What do you mean?” Ezra asked.
“…I owe him, that’s all,” Zeb said, clearly not ready to talk about whatever it was his father had apparently done. Ezra was curious, he wanted to push, but something told him Zeb would only further push him away if he did. And with him being the only link he had to his dad at the moment that was the last thing he wanted to do.
“We’ll wait for the civilians to leave and then we’ll strike,” Kanan declared. “I know it’s not the greatest plan, but you dad wouldn’t want us to risk hundreds of civilians in a rescue attempt.”
“I know,” Ezra dejectedly sighed. “I just hate waiting….”
“I know waiting’s hard, but it’s the best chance we have to save him,” Kanan gently said.
“….alright,” Ezra said. Kanan placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder and squeezed it before following Hera out of the common area. Desperate for something to help take his mind off of the long wait ahead, Ezra turned to Zeb and asked,
“Were you and my dad close?” It was clear Zeb was uncomfortable answering the question, but to Ezra’s relief he said,
“Not really…I mean…we only spent a day together…”
“Must have been some day,” Sabine said, smirking at Zeb.
“Shut it you,” Zeb grumbled, lightly punching her arm.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Ezra curiously asked.
“He’s been talking nonstop about this mission since we got the call from your dad,” Sabine said, ignoring the glare Zeb threw at her. “He also is almost constantly cleaning your dad’s bo-rifle even though it never gets used.”
“My dad has a bo-rifle?” Ezra asked, confused.
“…he earned it on Lasan,” Zeb said. “He thought it would be a bad idea to keep it with him though since it’s very obviously a Lasat weapon and he didn’t want to draw attention so he asked me to hold onto it. It’s no big deal! Cleaning it is just something to help pass the time!”
“He cleans it more than he cleans his own,” Sabine loudly whispered to Ezra.
“No I don’t!” Zeb shouted, clearly embarrassed. “It just looks cleaner since it never gets used!”
“You keep telling yourself that big guy,” Sabine teasingly said.
“I’m going back to my room,” Zeb angrily grumbled, standing up.
“Let me guess, you’re going to clean Kallus’s bo-rifle again?” Sabine asked.
“Shut up,” Zeb said, stomping off, leaving a laughing Sabine behind.
“So….” Ezra awkwardly began. “What do you do to pass the time?” He needed to do something to take his mind off of the long wait ahead of him.
“Come on, I’ll show you,” Sabine said, standing up and leading him through the ship, back to one what he assumed was her quarters. “I’m an artist.” She added as she opened the door to reveal her room.
“Wow,” Ezra gasped, looking around the painted room. “This is amazing!”
“Thanks,” Sabine said. “If you ever visit Lothal, you’ll see my art everywhere!”
“Lothal?” Ezra gasped, “Y-you guys go to Lothal?”
“It’s basically the planet we live on,” Sabine said, “they’re a world that needs our help…why?”
“Lothal was my home world,” Ezra informed her. “my dad and I had to leave for our safety over seven years ago.”
“Wow,” Sabine said. “That’s crazy.”
“I wonder how much Lothal has changed….” Ezra mumbled, deflating slightly. How badly had the Empire destroyed his home? Despite having been gone for so long, Lothal was still his home, it always had been and probably always would be. A part of him had always wished he could someday return home to his home world, the place he felt closest to his birth parents….
“Tell me about it,” Sabine said, sitting down on her bed, patting the space beside her.
“What?” Ezra asked.
“Tell me about the Lothal you remember,” She repeated. “I want to hear all about it.”
“Um…okay,” Ezra agreed, sitting down beside her, words tumbling out of his mouth. He told her about the planet and how it was like before the Empire really started having a strong presence on the planet, he told her about his birth parents and how they would speak out against the Empire and what they did, about the horrible day the attacks happened and how Kallus found him and saved him. When he ran out of things to tell her, she opened up and told him about Mandalore and about her family, her parents and her brother. She was in the middle of a story about the day she crafted her armor when Kanan came in saying,
“Come on, its time.” Making Ezra’s heart race. Hold on dad, I’m coming for you.