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Chapter Text

Everything had changed. Or at least, that's what it felt like.

It had turned into a game of avoidance. Instead of dragging Kanan everywhere, Hera had triple encrypted the door to her quarters so that he could remain behind as she went on to her duties. So like the earlier days, Kanan found himself alone for long hours with nothing but his own anxious thoughts. Now, however, his thoughts lingered on the young boy and what horrors he was likely suffering in any given moment.

In that way, it was almost a reprieve when Fourteen came back in the evenings. But the distraction only lasted so long, since it had been her to have delivered Ezra right into the Inquisitorious' hands. While he had accepted this betrayal, it still burned every time he saw her, thought of her.

She also seemed to find their encounters painful, for she did everything in her power to avoid him. Even together in the small quarters, she did not look at him or even speak to him. There was always food and water and that was the extent of their interactions. No more training, no more nothing.

But Kanan wasn't stupid. They couldn't keep up this song and dance forever. So when he wasn't fretting over Ezra's fate, he was thinking. Taking all of these pieces in his mind and forcing them together until some semblance of a plan began to take form.

It was after the third day that he began actively tracking the time. He pried off a small panel of durasteel from the back of the refresher and used it to scratch into the wall by his corner. With every passing night cycle, there was another mark. By the time he etched in the tenth mark, he knew what needed to be done. He just had to drum up the courage to do it.

It wasn't until the twentieth-fourth mark that he finally did.

"Can we talk?"

It was late in the evening, and Fourteen had just stepped out of the refresher after one of her long showers. She froze mid-step, her lekku stiffening as their tips hooked onto one another as they pointed in at her lower back. Then she slowly moved, walking over to her bunk and sitting at the edge, tension making her whole body rigid. "I suppose we should," she replied, her voice clipped.

Still sitting in his corner, Kanan straightened his back. He's had days to choose his words very carefully, and still he felt that they were all scrambled up in his brain. "So... We knew each other."

Fourteen didn't move or say anything. Her gaze only vaguely looking in his direction as he spoke. In a way, he appreciated it. It made it easier for him to keep eye contact with her. Those red eyes contrasting so horribly with her green skin...

"I know I said that Caleb died with his master," he went on slowly. "And even more so after Jabba..." He licked his lips and looked away briefly, choking on his words. "Forgetting about our lives at the Temple is easier. Less painful."

"So why are you bringing it up now?" Fourteen asked quietly, her eyes still unfocused.

Kanan hesitated. "Well, now that we know for sure that... I w-was Caleb and you were Hera..." How could he word this? The confirmation of their shared intimate past was an open wound and it was beginning to fester. The only way to fix it - to stitch it back up again - would be to clean it out, no matter how painful.

"It doesn't change anything," Fourteen stated.

"I think it does," Kanan replied softly. "We didn't just know each other; we were friends. You made me promise that I'd..."

Fourteen visibly paled, obviously remembering the day. Master Billaba was going to take him off Coruscant to go through his own version of the Gathering and then to fight in the war. He had been so excited. While he was sad to be leaving his friends, most of them had reacted poorly to his apprenticeship. Basically all of them except Hera.

"Just promise me that you'll come back safe."

Kanan gave a humorless chuckle. "Yeah, so much for that one."

Her eyes flickered up to meet his. "Well, it's not like you could have known. Honestly, once we heard about the clones, I assumed you had died with all of the others."

Kanan tilted his head in acknowledgement. "Not a terrible assumption."

A brief silence stretched between them, both lost in their own thoughts. Kanan's couldn't help but linger on a single burning question.

"How... How did you survive?"

Fourteen's lekku twitched. "I could ask you the same," she replied with bitterness.

Kanan's stomach jolted and he looked away. He supposed that was fair. "My master," he said simply. He didn't bother going into details or mentioning Kasmir. She had given his life to get him a chance to escape. Only for him to be captured by the Hutts and turned into a whore. His stomach clenched even harder. What a waste.

"Right..." Fourteen replied. Then she sighed, reaching up to rub the base of her lekku. "A Jedi, Master Cere, she and her padawan grabbed a bunch of us and fled. We went into hiding, but it wasn't long before the clones caught up."

Anger and bitterness were practically writhing around Fourteen as she spoke. Kanan curled into himself slightly, hoping his sympathy wasn't leaking out too much. "They... didn't kill you?"

She simply shrugged. "No. Apparently there were slightly separate orders for those of us who were 'young enough'."

Yes, well Fourteen and the other inquisitors had to have come from somewhere. He didn't say anything or ask any more questions. A distant part of him wondered what exactly had been done to Hera to turn her into this, but he already knew. In a place like this? The only reason he had stayed sane was because he hadn't been forced to train like Fourteen and the others did. He had space to himself.

"Are we done now?" Fourteen asked.

A part of Kanan wanted to say no. Acknowledging who they were was only part of the problem here. He wanted to talk about Ezra, about the choice she had made. She seemed to think that she had no other choice, and he knew that she sincerely believed that. He wanted to make her see that that wasn't the case, that she had more freedom than she believed... but what good would it do at this point? It's not like he had much of an effect on her. And whatever Ezra's fate was, it had been sealed the moment Fourteen had handed him over.

So he just shook his head, curling up even more tightly in the corner and tried not to think about the boy and what could have been.

With a curt nod, Fourteen turned the lights off and curled up on her bunk. His mind was far too distressed to fall asleep. So like so many other nights, he just stared at Fourteen's back as the mismatched pieces in his head tried to put themselves together properly. Maybe he couldn't change the past, but there were only going to be more missions like this in the future. And Ezra was still here. Out of reach perhaps, but there was always some hope.

Maybe Fourteen couldn't see the other options, the other choices now, but maybe he could get her to see them in the future. Maybe things could be made right.

He just had to figure out how.

Chapter Text

Fourteen spent most of the time wishing things could go back to the way they had been before. Of course, that wasn't possible, but a girl could dream.

But what was even worse was being forced to talk about it all. To remember their lives back at the Temple, to think about what could have been.

They had both changed so much. Caleb Dume had always been a thinker, constantly studying all sorts of different topics. His knowledge was both vast and obscure. He had always been eager, filled with questions. She remembered how much he annoyed Master Nu on several occasions. Fourteen remembered finding it hilarious how much his questions bothered the adults.

But Kanan? He rarely spoke up, let alone ask questions. He was more or less content to stay silent in the background, as unobtrusive as possible. That Inquisitive teenager that she had befriended as a youngling? She could see only a sliver of him in those blue-green eyes.

And of course, the changes she had undergone were obvious. If Caleb Dume was dead, Hera Syndulla was worse than dead. She was not part of the cosmic Force, she had been destroyed completely and utterly.

So now they both knew. They knew who the other had been, how they had managed to survive the Purge. It was past, and ultimately, it didn't matter. At this point, they needed to find a way to move forward.

Kanan seemed to agree, although his idea of 'moving forward' was very different from what she had in mind.

"Could I ask... a favor?" Kanan asked hesitantly.

Fourteen paused for a moment, looking over her shoulder down at him. It was the morning after their little chat, and she was in the middle of getting dressed. "What is it?" she asked brusquely.

Kanan licked his lips as he glanced down at his hands. Then his expression became determined as he looked back up at her. "Could you check in and see what's happening to Ezra?"

It took a solid couple seconds for the name to register for Fourteen. Another second for her to realize what he was asking.

Panic gripped her. "Why?" she asked exasperated. "You're not going to like the answer, no matter what it is. All it's going to to do is cause you pain."

"Fourteen, please," Kanan begged. "I just need to know. Not knowing is already torture. I just... please."

The lump in Fourteen's stomach ached, and she silently sneered at her own reaction. With all the fury she could manage, she finished securing her armor before turning to Kanan and looking him in the eye.

His gaze was resolute, with a determination she had never seen in him before. Despite herself, her resolve dissolved at the sight of it. "Fine," she growled, wanting to wipe that look from his face. "No promises but I'll make some inquiries."

Kanan smiled, his shoulders dropping in relief. "Thank you," he said genuinely.

Don't thank me, she silently pleaded. It's not like she was doing this out of the goodness of her heart, she was doing for Kanan. Because the man had the most ridiculously effective lost tooka look and it didn't take much to wear down her own brand of stubbornness.

With that, she left, double and triple checking the locking protocol to make sure Kanan didn't have any unexpected guests. The last thing she needed was the Seventh Sister snooping around on top of everything else. She went about her day mechanically, Kanan's request weighing heavily on her mind. Ever since she had become the Fourteenth Sister, she had been nowhere near the training facilities. None of her duties required her to be involved with them, and she wanted nothing to do with them.

So she wracked her brain for the least obtrusive way for her to gain information on Ezra. Or whatever it was they would be referring him as. His training would probably have different protocols than her's. Little Hera had already had some training, an understanding of the Force. Ezra would have none of that.

She snarled as she sliced her saber through one of the training drones. She did not want to be thinking about this. About her training, about his training... She just needed some form of answer to give Kanan.

Unexpectedly, that answer would come to her later in the day as she trained with the Grand Inquisitor.

The wind got knocked out of her as he slammed her up against the wall. "You're unfocused," he said to her coolly. "Distracted."

She gasped and coughed for air as he took a step back. He turned his saber off as he clasped his hands behind his back and waited for her to recover. When she did, she drew herself up and gave him a slight glare. "Nothing," she spat.

"Do you really expect a lie to appease me?"

"I expect that you don't really care why I'm distracted. Just that I am, and I should fix it," she growled.

"You may be right. However, it's been a long time since you've been this distracted. You've managed even to keep yourself from being too distracted by your... pet." His eyes narrowed. "So tell me: what's on your mind?"

She ground her teeth as she weighed her options. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to be partially truthful. Picking Ezra up from Lothal had been the first retrieval mission she had ever been assigned, and her master knew how much she despised them. And he knew how she spent her free time when she was out and about in the galaxy. It was frankly a miracle it had taken so long for her to be assigned to a retrieval. Maybe this mission had been a test.

"It's the boy," she admitted through clenched teeth. "It's... bothered me."

"Ah yes, the boy from Lothal." He smiled, flashing his pointed teeth. "I was quite pleased to hear that you delivered him in a timely manner."

So it had been a test. "Yes, I understand my duty to the Empire. But..." There was a knot in her stomach that she had to swallow down. "... I suppose I was curious about the boy's progress so far. If he's been a good candidate."

The Grand Inquisitor hummed. "He's alive," he said bluntly. "Which is good as we have had very little raw material to work with recently. And he recently finished the initial stage of his training and has been assigned a master."

Fourteen slowly nodded. She wasn't sure what this 'initial stage' would have consisted of, but it had likely been an unpleasant process. "Which master?" she managed to ask.

"The Seventh Sister," the Grand Inquisitor drawled. "She has been distracted and unruly as of late. I thought a bit of responsibility might help put her back in line."

She gave a half-nod, even as the knot in her stomach tightened painfully. Now that she thought about it, there has been a recent lack of cutting and disgusting remarks in Fourteen's daily routine. Seven just hasn't been around, transferred to another part of the fortress.

How was she possibly going to tell this to Kanan?

"Now that you know, will you be able to cast the boy out of your mind?" her master asked, the threat dripping in his voice.

Fourteen cleared and nodded. "Yes, Master."

Miraculously, it was enough, because the dread of having to talk to Kanan later helped fuel her anger and frustration, her allowing her to fight properly.

Later, after she had finished all her tasks and training, there was no reason not to return to her quarters. And yet, like a coward, she stalled. Slowly walking through the commissary, grabbing food for both her and Kanan.

She could lie. But what lie would be convincing? It's not like there was any hope that Ezra's training was all happiness and meilooruns. Perhaps she could just omit the part about Seven.

That was a plan. Don't even bother mentioning it. Ezra was alive and doing well from the way the Grand Inquisitor had framed it. Not need to even mention a master, let alone that it was with that disgust pervert.

Her stomach clenched harder as painful nausea threatening to knock her over. Her mind was automatically imagining what Seven was doing to Ezra, what Ezra would be suffering on top of the normal horrors of Inquisitorial training.

Despite herself, her eyes began to burn as bile flooded her mouth. But she was still out in public, in front of other people, so she swallowed it down and quickly left the commissary with a handful of rations stuffed into her pockets.

She didn't make it back to her quarters. She had to take an abrupt turn into a refresher to promptly vomit. Luckily, the refresher was otherwise empty, so no one saw the tears of humiliation streaming down her face as she heaved and gagged.

When had her life become so complicated? This wasn't fair, this wasn't right, why couldn't she just fix this?

Once her body was finished, she spat out the remaining bile before going over to rinse out her mouth and splash water onto her face. Then she looked into the mirror.

She looked terrible. Her face had thinned from weight loss. The skin under her eyes was dark from lack of sleep. Not from nightmares. You had to actually be asleep to have those. At most, her mind would just barely exist under a thin sheet of unconsciousness. Just enough for her to function.

And given what news she was about to deliver, she didn't anticipate it getting any better any time soon.

Cursing under her breath, she pushed away from the sink and forced herself to walk out. There was no point in stalling any longer.

Why did she promise to do this in the first place? Why did Kanan have to be so... disarming?

Upon entering her quarters, Kanan sat up from his corner, looking up at her expectantly. The knot in her stomach got tighter as another wave of nausea washed over her. Still, she held her head up high as she handed him the ration bars and walked past as she began to pull off her armor. In the back of her mind, Kanan's anticipation and fear bombarded her. He wanted to ask, practically demand if she had learned anything, but something held his tongue. Whatever that something was, she was extremely grateful for it.

What she really wanted to do was take a long shower by herself, but it didn't feel right to keep Kanan waiting that long. So after she had stripped down to her underarmor, she turned back to face Kanan. "I spoke to the Grand Inquisitor about... the Inquisitorious' most recent acquisition."

Kanan's lips pressed together and thinned at the term, but Fourteen didn't think she would be able to do this if she actually said the boy's name aloud. Besides, it would be stripped from him soon enough anyway.

"And?" Kanan asked, his voice strained.

"And... he's made it through the first round of his training. And before you ask, no, I don't know what that entailed and I didn't ask."

He let out a shuddered sigh, looking conflicted. "A-Anything else?" he asked pleadingly.

"No," she said curtly. "Asking for details or caring about anything else with regards that mission would have brought up suspicions."

Kanan frowned slightly, tilting his head to the side. His eyes narrowed as he considered her. "You're... not telling me everything..." he said slowly.

The knot in her stomach got tighter, the pain radiating up her esophagus and threatening to close up her throat. Why was he so damned perceptive? "That's all there is," she growled. "What more do you want to know?!"

Kanan's eyes widened and his expression hardened as he abruptly stood and stepped up to her. Fourteen's heart pounded in her ears as she took a small step back, her eyes widening as Kanan towered over her in a way he never had before. Had he somehow gotten taller?

"Fourteen, what are you hiding from me?" Kanan demanded, his voice lined with desperation and just a touch of anger. Like that brief outburst after they dropped Maze off on Alderaan. But while that incident had given Fourteen hope that Kanan was getting better, now his anger filled her with a sick sense of dread. She swallowed hard, her mouth impossibly dry as she stared back up at Kanan. What he wanted was on the tip of her tongue, and yet she found she couldn't even move.

Then his expression softened. The anger vanished but the desperation was still there as he hesitantly reached his hands up and put them on her shoulders. The warmth and weight of his hands grounded her a bit, and suddenly she didn't feel quite as sick. "Hera..." he said softly. "Please, I have to know. I don't care how bad it is, I just..." His hands tightened on her shoulders. "Please."

The sound of her old name was ringing in her ears. Unlike before, it didn't burn as painfully or send her into a panicked rage. Paired with Kanan's need, the warmth of his hands and body heat, his piercing bright eyes... Her name sounded like a promise. What of, she wasn't sure but a deep and naïve part of her wanted to see that promise through to the end.

Her eyes burned, her vision blurring slightly. "He's... been assigned a master," she whispered, a tear falling down her cheek. "He's been assigned to the Seventh Sister."

It took a moment for it to sink in. Then Kanan's eyes slowly widening as he visibly paled. He suddenly took his hands off her shoulders, as if burned. His breathing began to quicken as he stepped back and shook his head in denial. "No..." he breathed.

Fourteen let out a shuddered sigh as she closed her eyes, more tears falling. "I'm sorry, Kanan."

"No... no... " Kanan growled between pants as his desperation transformed into white hot rage. He clenched his hands into fists, his lips pulling back with a snarl. "No, I am not going to let that happen. Not to him,  not to anybody! "

She said nothing as he ranted and paced the small space like a trapped beast. The anger was understandable, but the sad fact was that there was nothing they could do. Fourteen might be powerful, but she did not hold any sway over the Grand Inquisitor. Even if she did request the boy be reassigned, there was no way he'd be assigned to Fourteen. Not when she had Kanan. And there was no good reason in the eyes of the Empire for him to be taken from Seven. All they cared about were results. 

Kanan abruptly stopped and spun back around to face her. "We have to do something."

"There's nothing to do," she said, opening her eyes and not bothering to wipe the tears away. "Even if we were both at full strength, it would be us against the entire Inquisitorious. The moment anything happens to Seven or someone tries to help the boy, they will immediately know it was us. And at that point, we would be lucky to simply be killed."

Kanan was still panting with emotion as he stared at her. "That can't be it. There has to be something..."

"There isn't!" she snapped. "I'm sorry, Kanan, I truly am. And any attempt would end badly for us and probably for the kid too. The only and best thing we all can do is to just forget!"

Kanan gaped at her, his hands clenching and unclenching. Obviously he wanted to protest because, as she had predicted, he had gotten too attached to this boy and it was causing nothing but problems. But then his closed his mouth as he took a small step back in resignation. "Okay," he murmured, barely audible as he dropped down onto his pile of blankets, resting his elbows on his knees as he let his hands dangle between his legs. "Okay."

She couldn't stand it, the helplessness of the situation. But the sooner they simply accepted this, the better they would be. What she would give to help Kanan with this acceptance. Before all of this, she had had some influence with him, a way to make him feel better with some soft words or touches. Kanan had been so responsive, but now?

Well. It had been her original goal to make him more independent. And this is what independence looked like: making decision, acting in ways that might make her life more difficult. That in of itself would be fine - hell, she might have enjoyed Kanan defying her - if it weren't for the fact that it was all surrounded around this kid. A kid she had hoped would have disappeared from her life and mind after she handed him over to that Purge trooper.

But there was nothing she could do but wait and hope that Kanan's fixation on the kid would eventually fade. Sooner rather than later.

With nothing left to say, Fourteen walked past Kanan to retreat to the refresher. She was going to take a long shower.

Chapter Text

"That can't be it. There has to be something..."

"There isn't!" she snapped. "I'm sorry, Kanan, I truly am. And any attempt will end badly for us and probably for the kid as well. The only and best thing we all can do is to just forget!"

Kanan would not accept that. He could not accept that.

So he came up with a plan. It was a stupid plan. Possibly fatal. But he wouldn't be able to live with himself if didn't at least try to help Ezra, to save him. It would gave beeb easier with Hera's help, but she had made herself very clear. She didn't even think success was possible. In other circumstances, he would have waited - helped - for her to break through her brainwashing. It's not like he had anything better to do.

But with Ezra in the hands of the Seventh Sister, Kanan refused to let him suffer any longer than he had to. Even if Kanan ultimately failed, at least Ezra would know that someone still cared. Maybe it would give the boy some strength.

And he would give himself over completely. If - when - he got caught, he would do everything possible to make sure they knew Hera had nothing to do with this. Hopefully any blowback would be minimal and it would just be him suffering the consequences.

He was a useless nobody. Has been since Jabba got his hands on him. At least this way, his life would amount to something, no matter how small.

He only waited a couple of days. When Hera was off with her training, he would meditate. He stretched out his senses to the Fortress around him. He avoided brushing up against any actual sentients, but he wanted to get an idea of the layout so he would know where he was going when the time came. Not to figure out where Ezra was. In fact, he was careful not to directly sense or contact Ezra. Seven could not get any inclination for what he was planning. When the time came, he would simply need to follow this bond that had set root in the back of his mind. 

It was easy to ignore the part of his mind that was telling him how stupid this was, that he should wait, that he should talk to Hera. All that mattered was trying to help Ezra. Or die trying.

The goal was resolute in his mind. And nothing could steer him from it.

So, in the heart of a night cycle, Kanan made his move.

Thankfully, Hera was a deep sleeper. She didn't move an inch as the door to her quarters opened and closed, Kanan easily slipping out. From there, he followed the thread almost mindlessly. The only tricky part was avoiding other people. At this time of night, there were very few people out and about, just a few Purge troopers who were easy to sense in the Force before their paths could even cross.

The fortress was large. His heart was beating loudly in his ears with every passing second. He felt that alone would out get him caught.

Then the architecture changed. The halls got wider, the doors to other rooms spaced further apart, implying larger rooms. As far as he could tell, they were empty. Most of this part of the Fortress was vacant compared to the others that he and Hera would frequent. There weren't even really patrols or guards.

He walked past a staircase, pausing as he gazed up it. It wasn't the direction Ezra was in, but he could just glimpse a large window. Curiosity had him slowly climbing the stairs to see what laid beyond.

It was a large platform. Various mechanical instruments lined the walls, and in the very center was an interrogation chair. It was currently empty, but Kanan could feel echoes of pain and fear. It practically screamed in his head.

His stomach clenched. Were some of these echoes Ezra's?

He ripped his eyes away, turning to descend back down the staircase to resume his search for Ezra. Everything's gone well so far. No one has seen him, no alarms had gone off. A bit of hope began to warm his chest. All he needed to do was scoop Ezra up and get to a landing platform undetected. That would be harder, but it was still doable...

As he got closer, his awareness of Ezra got stronger, his emotions beginning to bleed through. It was a nasty combination of things, fear and exhaustion being chief among them.

But there was something else. Something horribly and gut-wrenchingly familiar. A disgust that dug in deep into the core of one's being.

And when he got even closer... he realized that Ezra was not alone.

Icy fear ran through his veins as he began to run. This was stupid. He should be running the other direction, he should be abandoning this foolhardy plan. If someone was with Ezra - and he knew precisely who it was - then this little mission of his had zero chance of success anyway. He should go back and maybe try again another day.

But he could almost hear Ezra's distress in his head, and he would not - could not - turn his back and leave the boy to this fate.

It was there. That door.

It wasn't even locked, so when he slammed his hand on the door controls, it immediately hissed open.

Everything froze. Even the air around them seemed to solidify. All Kanan could do was stand there and stare. Ezra was pinned on his back, his shirt pushed up and a hand down his pants. The Mirilian's hand to be exact, the woman who was on her knees above the much smaller body with clear intent.

By some miracle, Kanan acted first.

Anger coursed through him as he thrust his arm forward, shoving Seven back and off of Ezra. He rushed forward and grabbed Ezra by the arm, pulling him from her. It was fast, and if he accidentally hurt Ezra, it would be better than whatever fate he was destined for here.

But then his body froze. Actually froze, something holding him in place. Ezra stumbled and fell to the ground, spinning around to look back with fear.

That look was all Kanan needed. He breathed in deeply, letting the Force in in a way he never had before. His limbs broke past their bonds, and he spun around to kick Seven back. Then he was on top of Seven, meting out punch after punch as rage burned in his chest. He just had to render her unconscious for long enough for them to get out. So he kept punching, one after the other....

Then his body was sent flying back until it connected with the far wall. Kanan retched as the wind was knocked out of him. The world tilted and everything whited out for a moment, his hearing filled with a muted roar. Even so, he tried to scramble up and away, get a sense of what was going on before...

The Force suddenly pinned him to the wall. His ears were still roaring, but after blinking rapidly, his vision finally cleared. Ezra was curled up in the car corner, his eyes wide as he stared at them. Seven was standing right in front of him, panting heavily with her arm outstretched. Her face was darkening with the fresh bruises, but her expression transformed from anger to glee. Her face practically split as she gave a wide grin. When she spoke, his hearing was suddenly crystal clear.

"Well well well..." she said, slowly stepping closer to him. "What are you doing out here so late?"

Kanan's breathing came in short pants as he looked back and forth between Seven and Ezra. He struggled uselessly against her grip, his mind frantically clawing for his own center so he could fight back, but his connection to the Force was thready at best.

"As you can see, I've gotten myself a few pet," she went on. "So if you're here looking for a second round..."

"Stay away from him!" Kanan snarled, holding on to his anger. It was wrong, but it was all there was keeping him from falling him apart, keeping him focused. The chances of success were now next to nothing, but if he broke down now, it would truly be hopeless.

Seven raised an eyebrow at that. "Oh?" Then her eyes widened slightly in realization. "So it was Fourteen who brought the child in. And you thought you could, what? Sneak in here and break the pretty boy out?"

She was standing right in front of Kanan now, running a knuckle down one of his cheeks. It sent a wave of disgust through his body, flashes of their previous encounter echoing through his body.

"How did you find us?" Seven asked, sincerely curious. "This is a large and complex facility, and I doubt she would bring you down here. She hates this place." Grabbing his chin, she pressed her other hand to Kanan's forehead. "What's going on up here?"

Sharp pain sliced through his skull like a heated spike, and a scream tore out of his throat. She wasn't as strong as the Grand Inquisitor, but her probing was more frenzied as she ripped his shields to shreds all the same. What was worse was that her glee at his pain and fear permeated through him as she searched through his mind. His screaming suddenly got caught in his throat, leaving him to just choke as pain and disgust wracked his body.

When she finally stopped, Kanan coughed and gasped for air, his body shaking under her grasp. Seven's glee turned into confusion and some other emotion he didn't recognize as she stepped back from him. She looked back at Ezra who had not moved a single muscle before looking back at Kanan. "You're bonded? " she said incredulously.

Kanan's insides went cold. There was no point in denying it, she had obviously seen it for herself. The question was what was she going to do with this revelation, what was she going to them?

She sighed, looking thoughtful as she crossed her arms. "By all rights, I should kill you. I can't have you interfering with my apprentice's training. And once the Grand Inquisitor learns that Fourteen can't keep her dog on a leash, he would almost certainly kill you himself anyway. Or make an example of you. Personally I'd hope on the latter. Maybe he'd let us watch." She walked over to Ezra and pet a hand over his hair, making the boy flinch and whimper. "Might be a good lesson for my pet..."

While the residual pain and disgust was still thrumming through his body, he noticed that he could actually move a little bit. Seven was distracted, focused on Ezra instead. It was a chance. So he closed his eyes and breathed.

"But maybe first you'd like to watch a little show..."

Ezra whimpered, but Kanan couldn't let his anger make him lose control. He just continued to breathe, feeling out the weakness in Seven's grasp. He just needed to get a small hold, he was not helpless, he could not be helpless...

There.

Kanan's eyes snapped open as he snarled and pushed forward with the Force, breaking through her grip. For the first time in years, he let the Force flow through him. It was practically singing in his mind, it's power buzzing in his limbs.

Seven looked shock, but that quickly turned to anger as she stood up to her full height. But right now, she just looked small. Even in the Force, her presence shied around the edges of his like a small rabid animal.

Kanan leapt forward, wrapping a hand around her throat as he pinned her against the far wall. And just like that, there was a twinge of fear in her eyes. Good. She should be afraid.

But despite the anger, the righteous fury at what she's done, he wasn't able to take that final step. The power was there, the physical strength. He could just squeeze...

And he did. He could feel the air getting restricted. Her eyes widened and she started to fight back, the Force pressing back against his hold, but it was as weak as her flailing limbs. Her hands clawed at the skin of his arm, but the pain was nothing compared to what Kanan's experienced in the past. Nothing compared to the hell he's sure she had put Ezra through.

Eventually, her limbs began to go limp and her body sagged. For a brief moment, he considered keeping the hand there, squeeze even more until he was sure she was gone, her Force signature dissipating into the galaxy...

But he couldn't. Because despite everything... he just couldn't. So he took a step back and let her body fall to the ground in a heap. His body trembled with excess energy, his heart pounding in his chest as he turned to Ezra.

The boy was back in his corner, curled up and trembling. Now he was staring at Seven's body in disbelief.

He never expected to make it this far. Not really. But now he saw that there was a chance, an actual chance, he needed to take it now. He fell to his knees in front of Ezra, hesitating only for a moment before putting his hands the boy's shoulders. He didn't bother asking if he was alright. "Can you walk?"

Ezra's head bobbled, neither an affirmative or denying. "W-What're you doing here...?" he asked, his voice small.

"I'm getting you out of here." He grabbed Ezra by the arm and helped him to his feet. He was shaking so badly that he was unsteady on his feet, so Kanan picked Ezra up from under the armpits and pulled him up to his chest. "Just stay quiet," Kanan whispered as he went over to the door. He took a moment to see if he could sense anyone on the other side, and when there was nothing, he slipped out.

It had been easy enough to dodge the troopers before. There was no reason to think he couldn't now, especially with his senses in the Force open and stretching out in a way they never had been before. His heart was pounding painfully in his chest, along with the sound of Ezra's high pitched and panicked breathing in his ear. It was all he could hear, all he could focus on. He wasn't even sure he was going the right direction, he didn't have anything to guide him like before. He just prayed that instinct and his earlier mental mapping of the fortress was accurate.

Bright red suddenly filled his vision, the panicked breathing drowned out by blaring klaxons.

Kanan froze in his spot, his grip on Ezra so tight he thought he might break the boy in half.

They knew.

Chapter Text

Fourteen was startled out of her sleep by a knock on her door. Her mind automatically reached out, and her blood went cold when she sensed the Grand Inquisitor on the other side. 

Then her blood turned to ice when she saw the empty pile of blankets.

"No," she breathed.

There was another knock, more insistent this time. There was a hard lump in her throat as she jumped off her bunk and opened the door.

And there the Grand Inquisitor stood, towering over her with his hands behind his back. The lines of his face looked more severe as he frowned at her with disapproval. "Get dressed and follow me."

She could only nod, her throat dry as she quickly donned her armor. She spared just a brief moment to stare at the corner. At the back of her mind, she knew exact what had happened, and yet she could not get herself to fully acknowledge it.

The Grand Inquisitor did not speak as he led her through the Fortress. It was unnerving, particularly since she couldn't sense his mood. It did not take the Force to know that he was upset with her. The question was, how upset was he, and what did he intend to do about it?

And more important, what did he intend to do about Kanan?

She was brought to his office, where someone else was already waiting. They turned, and Fourteen raised an eyebrow when she recognized the Seventh Sister. That was, barely recognized. Her face was darkened and swollen with bruises. Her anger was practically sizzling in the Force. "You've lost control of your pet," she spat.

Despite the circumstances, Fourteen couldn't help but feel a bit smug. After what she's done, Kanan more than deserved to get a few punches in. 

"And you allowed yourself to be overpowered by that said... pet," the Grand Inquisitor replied, his lip curling in disgust. "For now, the Inquisitorial Candidate is being kept in a holding cell. He will be reassigned, and you will will be sent for retraining."

The Seventh Sister's eyes widened as she visibly paled. "Grand Inquisitor, I assure you...!"

"You are dismissed," he said, looking at Fourteen as he waved her off. "I will deal with you later."

Any smugness Fourteen had felt immediately evaporated, the lump in her throat returning and threatening to cut off her air supply. Seven was still seething with anger, but she knew better than to talk back to the Grand Inquisitor. So with a frustrated scowl, she turned heel and left. 

A shiver ran down Fourteen's spine at the chilly silence that followed. The Grand Inquisitor just stared down at her for several long seconds, his displeasure curling around her. It was as if he was waiting for her to say something, but there was nothing for her to say. 

Finally, he spoke, his voice deadly quiet. "What happened?" 

Fourteen frowned slightly. "I-I'm not sure. He snuck out - "

"What happened with that boy? I personally delved into his mind and confirmed your assertion that he was broken, too broken to even be proper Inquisitorial material. Obviously, that's changed, so once again I ask: What happened?"

Her mouth was dry and her stomach was clenching so painfully that it was making her nauseous. "He... was with me when I picked up the child," she said, her voice barely more than a whisper. "It affected him more than I realized."

"Evidently," he said, drawling the word out. "Fortunate for you, he did not succeed in his little mission. And if he is strong enough to overpower one of our own so easily, I think he's proven himself to be perfect Inquisitorial material."

She simply nodded, keeping her eyes wide as the back of them burned. She could not let a single tear fall or let the Grand Inquisitor know her true feelings. The thought of putting Kanan through any of the training was unthinkable. Her worst nightmare was coming true and there was nothing she could say or do. 

"However," he went on. "He was your responsibility, and clearly he has served as a distraction. Your failure to foresee this inconvenience cannot go unpunished."

She nodded again, clasping her hands tightly behind her back and pressing her lekku flat against her back and praying that her trembling was not too pronounced. "I understand," she whispered. 

"So you will report to the Meditation Chambers for additional training. And you will begin immediately, and you will not leave until I retrieve you. Understood?"

The nod was all she was able to manage. In a time past, this sort of punishment would have sent her into a blind panic. But her mind could not move past what was about to happen to Kanan. How could he have been so stupid? How could she not have seen this coming? The Grand Inquisitor was right, she's been distracted. 

He sent her away, and her skin was numb as her insides convulsed with horror, her imagination running wild. In the relative privacy of an empty hallway, she finally let the tears go. Despite his strength, she knew that this would destroy Kanan. He would no doubt live through the process, but the man she's gotten to know would be gone. 

She stood in front of the door to the Meditation Chambers. The chambers weren't for meditation so much as they were designed to amplify Force echoes. She didn't know how they worked, but somehow, a person's most painful thoughts and memories were dug out of their mind and they were forced to relive them. The emotional state and sensations of said thoughts and memories were then amplified. It was one of many exercises designed to increased one's focus in the Dark Side. 

She hesitated only for a moment, knowing exactly what she was about to experience: her own imagination torturing and twisting Kanan in an unending cycle until the Grand Inquisitor deemed that she was allowed to leave. 

It was a purely dark and circular room. There was a single red light in the center of the floor where she sat cross-legged before the door closed and plunged her into darkness. 

At least in here, she could freely weep without fear of further repercussions. 

Kanan was shocked that he was not immediately killed. Or at the very least, thrown into an interrogation chamber.

Instead, after ripping Ezra from his arms and carrying the screaming child away, the purge troopers threw him into a small cold cell without so much as a word. Kanan had been left a shaking mess, but at least he was alone as he curled into a small ball, his mind collapsing in on itself. 

On one hand, he knew this had been a possibility. In fact, he knew that failure was the most likely possibility. But actually having Ezra in his arms, getting so far... Even after the alarms went off, he had managed to take out a few troopers before he was simply overwhelmed. And hearing Ezra's screaming...

Rage burned in his chest as he cried out and slammed his fists against the ground, the durasteel ringing out loudly in the small space. Harsh sobs tore through his lungs and throat. He wish they had killed him, the pain of knowing that Ezra was being dragged straight back into that hell, that this had ultimately been all for nothing...

His breathing hitched. And Hera... Why was he only thinking of this now? No doubt she would be punished for his actions as well. 

He hit his fists on the sides of his head. What had he been thinking? This is why he shouldn't think, he was utterly useless for anything except being used. He knew that.

His breathing turned into strained pants as his mind swung wildly between hot anger and cold terror, imagining what horrors he, Hera, and maybe even Ezra were going to have to suffer through because of this.

Then, he simply shut down. His mind went blank as he curled up on his side. It had been a while since he has had to do this. Float away and become nothing while he let the universe do whatever it willed with his body.

After an indeterminant amount of time, blinding light cut through the cell, making Kanan wince and curl up even more tightly. He just wanted to melt into the durasteel and disappear.

But of course, that's not what happened. Strong hands grabbed him, pulling him to his feet and dragging him out. He blinked several times at the two purge troopers as they secured his arms behind his back with heavy manacles. There were a few others as well, their various weapons cackling with energy as they were held at the ready. Kanan didn't know why they bothered. He was a broken husk again. He wasn't sure why he had tried to be anything at all.

Then he was being shoved down a hallway. He stared at the boots of one of the purge troopers in front of him, following numbly. Maybe it would be a quick execution.

It was a long death march, but eventually, they ended up in a large chamber. He wasn't even able to truly process its contents as he was pushed towards the center. Things moved in with a blur, his manacles removed as he was pushed back against a hard surface, new bonds locked over his limbs. 

Belatedly, he realized he was being secured to a torture chair. He had seen them previously while following Hera around the fortress, but he had not seen any of them in action. That was about to change, apparently. 

Despite not feeling afraid - he still wasn't really feeling anything - his body began to tremble, his stomach clenching in anticipation. He wondered what the point of this would be. It wasn't as if he had any valuable information. Perhaps they were going to try and turn him into an Inquisitor as well. He knew that pain was often used to increase someone's fear to push them closer to the Dark Side. His master had given him training to resist such methods. A preemptive measure in case the Separatists ever captured him.

Or perhaps it was just about the cruelty. In the months living here... he had seen a lot of that.

Once he was secured, the purge troopers seemed to disappear. The room was dark, but a bright light overhead was blinding him. Breathing evenly through his nose, he tried to remember Master Billaba's lessons. Unfortunately, his mind was as empty as his emotional state, unable to recall old memories. As usual, anything from before Jabba was an unfocused blur. 

There was loud clanging as the door opened. Kanan tried to see who would be his torturer. He heard him before actually seeing him. It was the Grand Inquisitor's voice. 

" -portant for you to see. Perhaps your time with him will give you insight into his progress. If you aid me, perhaps I won't have to inform Lord Vader of your transgressions."

He couldn't quite process the words. The door closed, so he could no longer see the silhouettes. They were walking closer though, so if they could just step a little bit into the light...

There was an mechanical whir, and then electricity cackled through the air. 

Kanan screamed, icy hot pain coursing through his body, making it convulse. He tried to gulp for air, but it was always replaced with a fresh scream, agony pulsating through him and compounding until his awareness whited out. 

He wasn't conscious of when the current finally stopped. His breathing was shuddering, his body twitching against his restraints. Echoes of the pain continued to coarse through him as he panted, trying to make sense of his surroundings. His brain was scrambled and a fresh wave of fear gripped him. He couldn't do this, he was going to die...

The sharp crack of electricity was the only warning he got before he was once again consumed by pure suffering. 

Again, he was unaware of when the torture stopped. He was limp in the chair save for the uncontrollable spasms in his muscles, weakly moaning as drool dribbled down his chin. At this point, death seemed kind of nice. 

There was more speaking. The words were a garble, but he could still recognize the voice. 

Voices. It was the Grand Inquisitor... and Hera.

He swallowed hard, wincing at the sharp pain in his throat. Taking in the biggest breath he could, he forced his head up and blinked hard to clear the tears from his eyes. As he tried to focus on what he could see, the voices were drowned out and replaced with his own harsh breathing. The Grand Inquisitor and Hera were close enough that their faces were bathed in light. He could see the smallest details of their faces. The harsh lines of the Pau'an's skin, his red markings...

And Hera's wide eyes. Her lekku were stiff, harsh lines streaking across her face. She was tense with some emotion. Kanan's awareness in the Force was muffled, scrambled like his other senses, so he couldn't tell which. Was she upset? Scared? Kanan was scared. For himself, for Ezra, for her...

Then time seemed to slow. He could hear nothing, feel nothing. All he could do was see, and all he could see were Hera's red eyes. There was a small shift. They were no long as wide as they had been a moment before. Her gaze was piercing, the red of her irises seeming to swirl with determination.

Kanan's breath got caught in his throat. The red was swirling, slowly dissipating and dissolving...

... until there was nothing left but a bright emerald green.

The implications of the change were lost on him as his chin was abruptly grabbed, his head wrenched so he was forced to face the Grand Inquisitor. "I can feel it," he said, his voice drawling. "He's on the precipice. We'll either push him too far or break him perfectly to be molded. One last round..."

There was a flash of red, and the Grand Inquisitor's eyes widened, his jaw going slack in shock. His grip on Kanan's hand loosened, and when his head fell back to his chest, he saw the tip of a red lightsaber piercing the Inquisitor's chest.

When the saber disappeared and the Grand Inquisitor's body fell away, Kanan did not have the strength to raise his head again. He felt numb again, a distant part of his mind realizing that it was over. At least for now.

Kanan's restraints popped open with a few whirs and a sharp click, and he fell limply to the ground. A smaller body and a pair of arms was all that kept him from smacking his face against the hard floor. One of the hands was on the back of his head, petting his hair with an almost frenzied desperation.

The familiar scent, her presence in the Force, the sound of her voice, they all wrapped around him. It was how he knew it was really her and not some dream or hallucination. He reached up to touch her arm, silently telling her that he was here, that he knew. He didn't have the strength to do much else.

Their lives had irrevocably changed. It was a perilous time, but for just this brief moment, he let himself just be.

Chapter Text

Ezra's breathing was coming in short rapid pants. It was making him dizzy, but he couldn't get himself to stop. All he could do was pace the small space of his room, yanking on his hair. The pain in his scalp made him feel a little better, like he could pretend everything made sense.

When the scary lady - the Fourteenth Sister - had dragged him from her ship, he was pretty sure he was never going to see Kanan ever again. This feeling turned into a certainty as his training began.

In hindsight, Fourteen was not so scary compared to the purge troopers. And compared to his master...

Ezra whimpered, curling up in the corner on his hard durasteel 'bed'. She would hurt him, yes, but she would also touch him in ways that made his stomach fill with disgust. All he knew was that it made him feel wrong, and he did not like it at all.

But that didn't matter right now, because Kanan had miraculously appeared out of nowhere and knocked his master unconscious. Amidst the fear and confusion, a tiny a bit of hope had sparked to life as he wrapped his arms around Ezra and carried him out of his room. Even when the alarms began to blare, he just held on to Kanan more tightly, keeping a death grip on that tiny spark of hope.

Of course, it had been in vain. The troopers overwhelmed Kanan, ripping Ezra from his arms and dragging him away before tossing Ezra back into his hell.

At least his master wasn't there for his return.

But that relief was quickly overcome by frustration and fear. He felt stupid for thinking he could get out of here. Now they were going to kill Kanan, and when his master returned, she would punish him like she never had before.

And as the minutes turned to hours his frustration at himself turned to anger while his fear of his master turned to terror. Each moment of nothing seemed to last for an eternity. He needed to fill the space with something but there was nothing to do but focus on his own emotions, letting them simmer and fuel each other.

Finally, there was movement on the other side of the door. Ezra scrambled up, standing at attention despite his shaking. He frowned slightly when the door didn't open. He could hear scraping, like something hard was being dragged against the durasteel. The seconds passed, and his shaking got even worse. What was going on? Why wasn't his master just coming inside?

Then the door opened, and his question was answered in the form of a green Twi'lek.

Ezra frowned, taking a small step back. While it was unmistakably the Fourteenth Sister, she wasn't quite the same as before. He couldn't say why, but she just didn't even look the same.

Then someone stumbled alongside her, leaning against the doorway. "Oh thank the stars, you're okay..."

Ezra's eyes widened before he surged forward to wrap his arms tightly around Kanan's middle. He couldn't believe it. Kanan was alive.

The man immediately returned the embrace, holding him tightly. "It's alright, it's alright, I'm here..."

"This is touching, but we need to get moving."

Ezra stiffened at the Inquisitor's voice, poking her head out a little to look up at Fourteen. She was the one who had brought him here in the first place, why would she be helping them break out?

"Right," Kanan said breathlessly. "So, where's this conduit?"

Fourteen tilted her head back this. "This way."

Kanan grabbed Ezra's hand, forcing Ezra to release his embrace as they hurried out. "Where are we going?" Ezra whispered.

"Somewhere we can hide," Kanan said quietly. "Until we're sure we can get a ship undetected."

"Shh!" Fourteen hushed.

Unlike before, they were going deeper into the Fortress. Ezra held Kanan's tightly with both hands. He knew they needed to stay quiet, but his breathing was very loud in his ears. His very organs felt like they were quivering with fear. When would the alarms blare this time? The troopers would find them, they'd shoot Kanan dead on sight for sure...

Then Fourteen stopped, opening a panel in the wall before ushering Kanan and Ezra inside. It was a small room, the walls covered with a complicated array of lights, buttons and switches. Nothing that Ezra could understand. When Fourteen entered as well, it was a tight fit.

"We're going to need to crawl though some ducts, but it's the best way to get there without being detected." Fourteen then hesitated, turning to Kanan with a slight cringe. "I have to warn you: it's the best place to hide, but it's going to be... unpleasant."

Kanan gave a dry chuckle, squeezing Ezra's hand painfully hard. "More unpleasant than being..." He glanced down at Ezra. "Than all of this?"

"It's called the Tomb," Fourteen said, her expression hardening. "And it's called that for a reason."

Any trace of humor drained from Kanan's face. It was at this point that Ezra realized that Kanan was shaking just as badly as him, if not worse. Ezra tried to squeeze Kanan's hand back just as hard, hoping it would help.

Then Kanan huffed. "It's not like we have a choice. Let's go."

Fourteen got to work undoing the bolts to one of the less busy electronic panels. In the meantime, Kanan knelt down on his knees, still holding on tightly to Ezra's hand. Ezra knelt down with him, looking over Kanan with worry. His eyes were bloodshot and a thin sheen of sweat covered his skin as he breathed shakily. "Are you okay?" Ezra asked quietly.

Kanan gave an unconvincing smile. "I'll be okay," he murmured, giving Ezra's hand a little shake. "We just need to get out of here."

A series of electronics buzzed as Fourteen carefully pulled the panel away. Behind it were even more wires, but there was also a gap just barely big enough for them to crawl through.

Kanan let go of Ezra's hand and nudged him forward. "Go on, I'll be right behind you."

Ezra nodded as he began to crawl through it, shaking out his hand as the blood began to rush back into it. On the other side was a larger tunnel, not quite big enough to stand up in. Once he was through, he turned around to watch Kanan struggle to crawl through. His shakiness made it difficult for him to thread his long limbs through the tangle of wires. His knee got caught one one bundle, and he stumbled and fell on the floor with a loud thump. Kanan groaned as Ezra grabbed him by the arm and tried to help him up.

"M alright," Kanan mumbled as he pulled himself the rest of the way through.

Fourteen was close behind him, turning around to pull the panel back into place. Then she turned to Kanan, her brow furrowed with worry. "We can take a moment," she said quietly. "But repair droids sweep these ducts regularly, we shouldn't stay in one place for too long."

Kanan swallowed heavily and nodded, leaning back against one of the duct walls. His breathing was shallower than before as he rubbed his face.

A thread worry wound around Ezra, so he crawled over and leaned against Kanan's side, wrapping his arms around him. Kanan immediately wrapped an arm around his shoulders, pulling him even closer. "I'll be okay," Kanan said breathlessly.

It was less reassuring each time he said it.

"Okay," Fourteen finally said. "I'm sorry but we need to move."

Kanan nodded as he nudged Ezra, encouraging him to crawl deeper into the duct. It was too small for them to reorder themselves without making too much noise, so Fourteen had to quietly give them directions. It was nerve-wracking being in the front, particularly with the Inquisitor behind him. At least Kanan was between them acting as a large, if shaky, barrier.

It was not helped by the fact that a sense of uneasiness was slowly growing inside of him. A cold shiver kept running down his spine. The entire Fortress felt like this, but it was rapidly getting more and more intense, horrible dread dripping in his mind.

Eventually he couldn't take it, freezing in his spot. Fourteen had said it was called the 'Tomb', and there could be nothing good about a place called that. Ezra was certain he did not want to hide there.

"Ezra?" Kanan asked, crawling forward and squeezing alongside him.

"C-Can't we just... hide in the ducts....?"

"I told you," Fourteen whispered. "Droids sweep through here-"

"I don't care," Ezra sputtered quickly, starting to feel lightheaded. "This place, I don't want to hide there, I can't, I can't..."

"Hey, hey," Kanan said, putting a hand on his back. It was large and warm, its weight immediately beginning to calm him down. "Take a deep breath, close your eyes, concentrate on your shields."

Ezra twisted back to look at him. "My shields?"

Kanan's brow rose for a moment before his eyes narrowed in understanding. "Just breathe, and I'll help you best I can, okay?"

With little other choice but to trust him, he closed his eyes and tried to breathe. He couldn't help but tense in anticipation. His master would have him do this as well, but she would slide into his mind hurt him.

But there was no pain. Instead, it was as if a warm blanket was been wrapped around him. The cold dread began to fade away, although it did not disappear completely, leaking through small tears. Even so, it was a relief, and Ezra no longer felt like he was standing on death's door.

He sighed and opened his eyes, looking back at Kanan. He was even paler than before, as if he was exerting a great effort. Ezra's stomach clenched with guilt and fear. "Kanan..." he said hesitantly.

"I'm fine," he said, his voice clipped.

It was an obvious lie, but there was nothing Ezra could do about it. So he just muttered a small thanks.

Kanan gave a strained smile. "Course, kid."

"Alright let's move," Fourteen hissed. "We're almost there. It's just up ahead and to the left."

Giving a shaky nod, Ezra continued on forward. Like Fourteen said, a few dozen meters ahead, there was a panel with bolts around it. He reached up and tried to take the bolts out, but his fingers struggled to gain proper purchase. "I-I can't..."

Kanan gently pushed him aside, taking his place and easily removing the bolts before gingerly pushing the panel aside and crawling out. Ezra followed him quickly, getting off of his sore knees and onto his feet...

Only to walk straight into Kanan's back.

Ezra made a small noise of surprise, rubbing his face as he stepped aside. But as he did, a wave of cold suddenly hit him again. The warm blanket around him shuddered, seemingly becoming thinner while the tears became even bigger. The dread from before had transformed to utter despair. It was practically screaming all around them, echoing off the walls. It had Ezra staggering to the side, leaning heavily against the wall as he pressed the palm of his hands against his forehead.

Make it stop, make it stop, make it stop....!

Mercifully, something akin to durasteel wall curled around his mind, shutting out the horrible echoes. Ezra rubbed the tears from his eyes as he tried to get a hold of himself. He was trembling violently, feeling as if his very skin had been rubbed raw, every nerve unprotected and exposed. 

Fourteen was standing in front of them, her expression strained with pain and sympathy. "I know," she said, her voice softer than Ezra had ever heard it. "But it's also why it's the safest place to hide. Even the Grand Inquisitor avoids coming down here."

Ezra leaned to look past her. At first, all he could see was a dull yellow light streaming in through large windows, filling the long hallway.

Then Kanan stiffly stepped forward, his breathing hitching as he looked in one of the windows. Ezra did the same, and he saw that it wasn't a window. His mind struggled to make sense of what he was seeing. It was like looking at a wax body encased inside hard resin. This one was a kid a few years older than him, his mouth agape and his lifeless eyes half open.

Ezra's insides froze when he remembered that this was called the Tomb.

Kanan reached forward, barely pressing his shaking fingers to the surface. "They... They... kept... the bodies...?" His voice was barely audible, as if each word sapped him of energy.

"Just keep your head down and your shields up," Fourteen said. "Once they find the Grand Inquisitor, the Fortress will go into high alert. We need to stay here until then. Once they're fully deployed, I know a route that will get us to the ships."

Ezra just continued to watch Kanan, who was not doing as Fourteen suggested. He did not seem to hear her at all as he turned to look at the other bodies, slowly walking down the vast hallway.

"Kanan," Fourteen said softly, grabbing him by the arm. "Don't."

He slowly turned to look at her, his eyes wide and unseeing. His face was pale, but he grabbed Fourteen's wrist and pulled her hand off of him. "I have to see," he whispered.

Fourteen pressed her lips together into a thin line. But then she nodded, pulling her hand away.

Ezra was frozen to the spot, watching as Kanan shakily continued down to slowly step forward, his head turning side to side as he looked into every block of amber. He wanted to follow, but he was afraid. Belatedly, he understood that the Inquisitor had extended her shields around his mind, blocking out the awful echoes.

He hesitantly glanced up at her. He wondered what had changed, why she was helping them now. At this point, he wasn't afraid of her, not really. Just... confused.

After a moment, Fourteen tore her gaze from Kanan's back to look back down at Ezra. "Sit down and rest," she ordered, though her voice was still low. Reverent. "When it's time to leave, we'll have to go as fast as possible."

He wrapped his arms around himself as he glanced around. Even without the echoes, he didn't think he'd be able to relax surrounded by all of this. "W-Who are these people?" he asked quietly.

Her lekku twitched at the question. "The ones that didn't survive."

Ezra suddenly gasped as a wave of pain and grief nearly bowled him over. He pressed a hand to the side of his head, tears blurring his vision. These feelings were not his own, they were coming directly from...

He shakily wiped the tears from his eyes as he looked over at Kanan. He had stopped in his tracks, his body fully facing one of the amber blocks. Ezra struggled the breathe as felt the grief ripping him apart his insides. 

Ezra trotted over to him, grabbing his hand tightly as he glanced at the body Kanan was fixated on. It was a woman in brown robes, two thick black braids suspended on either side of her head. Her features weren't discernable, her body more decomposed than some of the others.

He swallowed hard, still struggling to breathe from the open wound bleeding by his side. He looked up at him. "K-Kanan...?"

He didn't respond. He wasn't even shaking anymore as he continued to stare, a tear falling down his face. Ezra wasn't sure Kanan was even breathing.

Then he suddenly pitched forward, falling to his knees as he retched and vomited on the floor... before falling to his side in a faint.

"Kanan!" Ezra pulled the man's body away from the puddle of sick before shaking him. "Kanan, wake up!"

Fourteen was suddenly kneeling next to him, helping move Kanan's body and arranging him on his side. "Keep your voice down!" she hissed. "And he'll be fine, it's just..." She glanced up at the woman's body before grimacing. "... He hasn't exactly had a great night."

That was the biggest understatement Ezra had ever heard. He moaned and buried his face in his hands, his body shaking with too many emotions. He hated this place, he hated this planet, he just wanted to disappear.

Something touched his back, and he flinched back with a gasp.

Fourteen was gazing at him with her hand outstretched, although she was pulling it back from him now. "I'm sure he'll be up in a moment," she went on. "He just had a moment of shock."

Even as she spoke, Kanan began to stir with a moan. His eyes fluttered as he reached up and pressed a hand to the side of his head.

Fourteen immediately moved to sit between Kanan and the body, block her from his view. "Let's move down to the other end," she said softly, helping him up. "It'll be... a little better down there."

Ezra quickly scrambled to grab Kanan's other arm to help pull him up. Fourteen quickly ushered them further down the hallway. After a few steps, Kanan found his strength, gently pushing Fourteen off but keeping a grip on Ezra's hand.

The bodies seemed never-ending, but this time Kanan took the Inquisitor's advice and kept his head down. When they got to the other end, it was sealed by a heavy durasteel door. Ezra guessed that this would be how they left when it was time. But right now, he was worried about Kanan. Grief and sorrow were still bleeding off of him. And when he sat on the ground with a tired moan, his trembling got even worse than before. He was really sick.

Ezra glanced up at Fourteen. "We're gonna have to run to the ship?"

Fourteen's face was tight as she nodded. "We'll need to go as fast as possible."

"I'll be fine," Kanan said breathlessly, his eyes closed as he leaned his head back.

"You're getting worse," Ezra said, starting to panic. "And you're so big, there's no way we'll be able to carry you to the hanger, a-and...!"

"Hey," Kanan said sharply, cutting through his little rant. He leaned forward and put his hands on Ezra's shoulders. Despite the lingering sadness, despite his trembling making Ezra shake as well, Kanan was exuding enough warm calmness that it put Ezra at ease. "It's going to be okay," Kanan went on, his voice even. "With a little bit of rest, I'll be able to make it. And even if we had to leave right now... I would manage. I've pushed through worse before, believe me."

Then Kanan looked over at the Inquisitor. "And I trust Hera. She's saved me once before." He gave her a small smile. "I know she can do it again."

Fourteen's cheeks darkened a little as she quickly looked away and addressed Ezra. "We'll need to move fast, but I can improvise if need be. We'll be okay. All of us."

While he no longer feared her, that didn't mean he trusted her either. But she had gotten them this far, and Kanan seemed to have so much faith in her... It was enough to quell his panic.

"Okay," he murmured, sitting next to Kanan and tucking himself up to his side. He was still worried about Kanan, but he was exhausted as well. Feeling safe enough with Kanan's arm around his shoulders, he closed his eyes and prayed they would have enough time to get some actual rest. Hopefully, it enough that their eventual escape would go off without a hitch.

Chapter Text

Hera slowly paced the hallway, never straying far from the others. Hopefully they didn't hide the Grand Inquisitor's body too well. They had wanted to bide enough time to get to a proper hiding spot, but they had no rations or water. It was going to be a problem if it took more than a day for the body to be found.

She took a moment to glance at Kanan and Ezra. It had not taken long for both of them to fall into a fitful sleep. Their day had been generally more exciting than hers had been.

She was worried. As much as they tried to assure Ezra that everything would be okay, Kanan really was in bad shape. The torture had taken a bigger toll on him than she initially thought. When looking for Ezra earlier, Kanan must have been functioning on pure adrenaline. Of course, it was long depleted by now, and between his ordeal in the interrogation chair and seeing his master here...

Hera cringed, turning away from them. It's been years since she's been in this place. Of course she had anticipated that there might be some familiar faces for Kanan in here, but it genuinely hadn't occurred to her that Depa Billaba's body might be in here as well.

She shivered, rubbing her arms as she kept her gaze down. It's not like she had been particularly keen to stay in here. She had friends in here. The Grand Inquisitor showed her once, years ago early in her training. It had been a warning.

But they hadn't had any other choice. This was the only place they could hide. No one, not even droids, came into here. When a Jedi was found and killed, the body and lightsaber were placed on a slab several floors above, the process automated.

Right now, she needed to concentrate on the plan. Once the Fortress went into high alert, all Inquisitors and troopers would be called to duty. There was no standard search pattern, and with no leadership, things would be in chaos. No doubt several of the Inquisitors would be scrambling to try and take power, searching for them so they could prove to Vader that they deserved to be the new Grand Inquisitor.

They would have to get out before Lord Vader arrived to take stock of what had happened. There was no predicting the Sith Lord's mood, and while she got the drop on the Grand Inquisitor, there would be no chance with Vader.

A small sigh drew her attention. Kanan was beginning to stir, reaching up to rub his eyes before looking up at her. "Hey," he whispered.

"Hey," she replied.

He took a moment to look down at Ezra, who was still snoozing peacefully, draped over Kanan's lap. Kanan put a hand on his head, smiling softly.

"He's quite attached," she noted as she stepped closer.

"Well, it's hard to be any worse than the Seventh Sister."

Hera snorted at that. "I suppose you're right, but it's more than that. Back on the Hannigan, when we... when I brought him here..."

Kanan shook his head, waving her off. "It's in the past." He pointed to the space across from him and Ezra. "You should get some rest too."

"I wasn't the one being tortured," she murmured. Even so, she sat down across from him, a hand on her saber.

"I'll - "

"If you say 'I'll be fine' one more time, I'm going to knock your teeth out."

Kanan gave a tired smile. "Okay."

"But really... how are you feeling?" she asked in earnest. "Chances are, we're going to have a fight or two on our hands before we make it to my ship."

"I'm... a little better," he said honestly, absentmindedly rubbing Ezra's shoulder. "Sleep helped. I don't think there was any permanent damage."

Hera nodded. "Good." That was, of course, how the chair was designed. Administer pain with no long term adverse effects.

Kanan sighed, looking down the hallway. His hand on Ezra's shoulder gripped it tightly. Hera was surprised the boy didn't wake up from the strength of it.

"I'm sorry," Hera said softly. "Obviously I knew what this place was but..."

He swallowed hard, looking back down at Ezra. "Why?" he said, barely audible.

"No one is going to come looking for us - "

"No, I mean..." His eyes were bright with tears as he looked over the nearby bodies. "Why?"

Her shoulders slumped. She had no answer for that. They used the bodies to confirm that the Jedi were actually dead, but after that... it was anyone's guess why Vader ordered that they be preserved like this. "I just try not to think about it."

"It doesn't feel right," Kanan murmured. "Leaving them here like this. Even if they can't have a proper funeral, they deserve to have their bodies destroyed once and for all."

"There's nothing we can do," she said regretfully, even if the thought of burning this place to the ground was extremely tempting. 

Kanan huffed with frustration, running a free hand through his hair. "It wasn't enough that they kill us. They preserved us like artifacts in a museum."

Hera said nothing, looking down at her lightsaber as she sought a way to take her mind off of this macabre place. She unhooked it from her belt, holding it with both hands in front of her. Then she gripped the release ring in the middle, pulling it apart into two pieces before handing one to Kanan. "Here. You might need this."

Kanan raised an eyebrow as he took the offering. "I didn't know you could separate them."

"I don't normally have reason to." She watched as Kanan tested the grip and weight of the handle. "But something tells me we'll be better off if we're both armed."

"It's... been a long time," he said quietly. 

"Well if your hand to hand is any indication, you'll be fine. Besides, if we're lucky, the most we'll run into is a purge trooper or two."

Kanan nodded, still staring at the saber. "No idea what happened to mine," he said almost casually. "It's probably a trophy in Jabba's palace."

"Yeah, probably."

Finally, he set the saber aside, returning his attention to Ezra. "Don't suppose there's any food or water we can get our hands on?"

"No. Didn't exactly have time to swing by the commissary."

Kanan leaned his head back against the wall. "Then I hope this happens sooner rather than later. I hate waiting."

"Everyone hates waiting." Hera flipped her saber over in her hands. Before, it was a tool for her to use. Killing Jedi, slavers... didn't matter. Now, it felt like something heavier. Making it had been part of a final test before she got the title of Fourteenth Sister. She felt foolish, but it was like symbol of everything she's done since earning that title. She looked back on all of it with dispassion. Even the good she had done, freeing and helping slaves start a new life, felt like neutral acts. She did it for herself, as a way to stay sane after all these years. 

Except for Kanan. He had been a spark of brightness and life. Unintentional. A task of mercy - even pity - at first. Somehow, passively, he changed her. And now it was irreversible. There would be no going back. She was a traitor to the Empire. 

An alarm blared throughout the hall, bouncing off walls. It made all three of them jump. Ezra's eyes were wide with panic as he was startled awake, scrambling to cling onto Kanan.

With a deep breath, Hera pushed herself to her feet, her saber at the ready. "I guess it's time."

Kanan hadn't been lying. He did feel better than before.

But once they were on the move, his muscles began to protest. The ongoing alarms continuing to rattle around his brain weren't helping. He hoped Ezra would forgive him for crushing his hand as they rushed down the corridor.

Hera was ahead of them, peering around every corner before beckoning them to follow.

Kanan grit his teeth as he pushed through the stiff pain, his grip on the saber just as tight as his grip on Ezra's hand. The stiffness in his muscles was not helped by the tension in his body, anticipating an attack at any moment and ready to fend it off if need be.

They were only able to breathe a brief sigh of relief once they made it to one of the lifts.

"That was the easy part," Hera said. "Once we reach the top of this shaft, we're going to have to find a way to the other side of the Fortress to the hanger.

"The hanger is going to be crawling with troops," Kanan said. "Probably Inquisitors too."

"No, they'll be scattered," Hera said. "There's no one to coordinate them, they're all going to make a grab for power. If we're lucky, they won't even realize I'm the one that killed the Grand Inquisitor unless they happened to see us."

He supposed that tracked with what Kanan had seen. There was nothing logical about the way the Inquisitorious functioned. Even with regards to their mandate, they seemed more interested in being outright cruel - with others and with each other - than actually accomplish their tasks effectively.

"Stay close and stay sharp," Hera said as the lift began to slow. "Maybe luck will be on our side for a change."

The lift doors opened just as three purge troopers rounded the corner to at the other end of the corridor.

Hera sighed, her lekku stabbing at her back and muttering something in Ryl as she lit her saber and ran forward.

Kanan did the same as he pushed Ezra back and let go of his hand to hold the saber with both hands. "Stay behind me," Kanan said under his breath, holding the saber in a defensive position.

There were flashes of purple energy as the troopers attempted to bring Hera down, but she made quick work of them all on her own. By the time Kanan and Ezra caught up, three bodies had hit the floor with dull thuds.

Hera huffed as she turned to check on them. Her eyes sparkled when she saw Kanan holding the saber. "See? You're fine."

"You haven't seen me actually fight yet," he said dryly.

"Well I think you're going to have plenty of opportunity to," she said, kicking one of the bodies.

"Um, shouldn't we be, uh, you know, moving?" Ezra said hesitantly but urgently.

Hera smiled down at him with a nod. "Yes we should." Then her smile faded as her expression hardened. "Let's go."

As they made their way through the Fortress, they happened upon a few more troopers. Kanan had to use his saber to deflect some of their plasma weapons, but Hera was always there to deliver the final blow. They were no match to their combined strength.

Hope was rising up in him as they got closer and closer to the hanger. His limbs felt as if they were about to fall off, but their goal was in sight. Just a little further, he just had to hold out a little longer.

The harsh buzz of a third lightsaber was the only warning he got. Kanan cried out as he barely managed to block the attack, his back hitting the wall with a loud clang. His breathing hitched when he saw the face of the Seventh Sister. Her face was even more swollen and dark than it had been before, her eyes were wide and wild as she grinned maniacally at him.

"I think you have something that belongs to me~"

"Kanan!"

Hera swung at Seven, but she quickly leapt back to avoid the attack. She stood at the ready as she ignited the other end of her saber, chuckling at them before her eyes zeroed in Ezra. "Where do you think you're going?"

Kanan stepped between them, blocking Ezra from her view. "I beat you once, I can do it again!"

"You caught me off guard, distracted," she spat. Then her gaze swiveled to Hera. "And you." She laughed. "I always knew you'd eventually turn on us, but to kill the Grand Inquisitor? That's bold, even for you."

Hera snarled as she leapt forward with another attack, meeting the Seventh Sister's blade. "You always talked too much!"

Kanan was panting heavily as he edged around the boundaries of the fight. Seven's single brutal attack had taken it's toll, his saber wavering in the air as he shook violently. It was a miracle he was still holding onto it, but he couldn't deactivate it now. Not when Hera was struggling to overpower Seven. Seven's rage was lashing out as powerfully as her blows in the Force. It was dwarfing Hera's own will to survive, and they all knew it.

He had to join the fight. But even now, his vision was beginning to blur, his knees beginning to buckle.

No! This was the final push, he could feel it. He didn't need to actually exchange blows with her, just serve as a distraction long enough for Hera to finish the job.

So, mustering up what little strength he had left, he charged toward her with a shout, raising his saber to swing at her.

Seven twisted her body and kicked Hera in the chest, knocking her back just in time to block Kanan's attack. She twisted her own saber, locking around Kanan's and wrenching it from his grasp and sending it flying across the hallway.

For a moment, everything froze. Seven's face was inches from his, a glint in her eye. Kanan's muscles were just about to give out, and he realized that there was nothing he could do to stop what was about to happen.

The blades spun with a quick flash, and then Kanan was on the ground, staring at the ceiling as several voices screamed out his name.

It didn't hurt as much as he had expected. The burn was not much more painful than that of the interrogation chair. But that didn't matter, all that mattered was that Ezra was exposed, and he couldn't move.

The sounds of the fight faded. There was only the sound of his own breathing. And he could see nothing but black durasteel when a blurred figure and a red blade that was pointed at his chest.

Was it really going to end here? Like this? So close to freedom, and yet not close enough.

He slowly blinked, feeling hot tears fall down the side of his face. Maybe when they sealed him, they would put him next to his master.

Another flash of red, and the figure disappeared. There was no pain, no pressure in his chest to indicate it had been pierced. He tilted his head up, trying to make sense of what had happened. All he could understand was that the icy rage faded into shock before the Force signature dissipated in the cold eddies that surrounded them.

There were hands on his shoulders pulling him to sit up. Hera's voice was rapidly saying words near his ear, but it was all a garbled mess. It didn't matter. Evidently, the threat was gone, but they still needed to get to the ship as soon as possible.

Another pair of smaller hands grabbed his other arm, they were trying to get him to his feet. He tried to grab on to them, to haul himself up, but fresh pain shot up his arms and he had to stop. He squeezed his eyes shut as he concentrated on getting his feet beneath him. He just needed to be able to walk, such a simple thing, that's all.

Eventually, his boots found purchase. He still couldn't see or hear properly, but the hands were still on his arms, guiding him to where they needed to be.

Later, Kanan would have no memory getting onto the ship. His awareness greyed out into nothingness. Presumably, he lost consciousness at some point, although there would be flashes of blurry awareness. Pain, mixed hot and cold wracking his body. Voices garbled, but recognizable, their identity confirmed in the Force.

The next time he fully woke, he recognized the pale durasteel of the Hannigan's cargo bay. It was dark, presumably in the middle of the night cycle. He was still both hot and cold, his clothes soaking with sweat.

His head lolled to the side, and he saw Ezra curled up on a bedroll right next to him. And beyond that...

Hera was sitting on the other side of the cargo bay, her head and lekku dangling onto her chest as she slept.

Kanan smiled. They made it. They were on the ship, they had gotten away.... They were okay.

At least, they were. With just a touch of trepidation, he looked down and raised his arms to confirm what he could already feel.

He managed to avoid death at the last second, but he didn't walk away unscathed. There were a pair of bio-caps on the ends of his arms, one secured over the end of his left wrist while the other terminated his arm just below the elbow.

He put his arms back down with a shaky sigh, wincing as pain shot up both stumps. This was fine. He was going to be fine. Hera had broken free from the Inquisitorious. Ezra was safe, no longer in the clutches of the Seventh Sister.

That was all that mattered.