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Chapter Text

The crimson aura of the Sith Holocron illuminated the otherwise darkened room, floating in the air in front Ezra who knelt before it, fingers digging into his knees as he concentrated. He'd quickly come to recognize that the Holocron responded to emotions like anger and frustration, rather than the calm center that Kanan had instructed him to find when meditating. 

"Your power grows."

Ezra still couldn't tell if the words of the Holocron was spoken directly into his head, or loud enough for any bystander to hear. He'd gotten this far without being discovered, so it had just become his belief that the former was true. The voice was distinctly female and raspy, almost alluring. At first, he'd forced himself not to trust the voice, based solely on the fact that it came from a device created by the Sith. But that time had passed. Kanan had grown increasingly absent in his life, and so he'd had to adapt to the hole left behind by his master. The Holocron didn't go out of his way to avoid him. The Holocron was always eager to answer his questions, to teach him new abilities. The Holocron cared.

Kanan had failed him. 

"Good. Your anger gives you focus."

"I'm not angry." Ezra muttered, eyes closed tightly. "I'm just-"

"Frustrated. Your master abandoned you. Frustration is natural."

"He abandoned all of us." Ezra spat, not for the first time. 

"This Kanan Jarrus is weak. He cannot protect your friends."

"But I can. Thanks to you." Ezra said. Sometimes he wondered if there was a presence inside the Holocron at all, or if he was just talking to himself. Maybe it was just feeding off of him? "Even with all this power-"

"You cannot stand up to the Sith Lords of your era. This Darth Vader."

"He killed Ahsoka. He ordered the burning of Tarkintown." Ezra could feel the anger growing within his chest, and the Holocron seemed to glow brighter, as if fueled by it. "I can't let him hurt anyone else."

"You won't. Your power will grow beyond his."

"Teach me something new." Ezra said after a moment of silence. 

"I have instructed you on all you need to know. For now."

"What?" Ezra frowned. "But I need more!"

"And you shall have it. Eventually. You must nurture your connection to the Dark Side. Let it grow. Then, you will be ready to learn."

"But I-"

The room shook violently and Ezra's eyes snapped open in surprise. His concentration broken, the Holocron reverted to its dormant form and clattered on the floor, all traces of the presence leaving the room. Recovering from his shock, Ezra reached out with the Force, sensing some distress coming from the others, as well as someone approaching. Grabbing the Holocron, he managed to hide it beneath one of his stolen Stormtrooper helmets just before the door to his room opened and Sabine ducked her head in.

"We're under attack by an Imperial fighter!" She said, pausing to study him before raising an eyebrow. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, why?" Ezra bluffed.

"You're sweating." Sabine said, but didn't continue as the ship shook once more. This time, there alarms started to go off. "That can't be good."

"Brace yourselves!" Hera's voice came over the intercom. The ship lurched and Ezra  grabbed onto his dresser to keep him upright. "We're going down! Whoever this pilot is, they're forcing us to the ground!"

The crash had downed the Ghost for the long run, but at least nobody inside had been hurt.

Since impacting against the ground, nobody had seen the Imperial fighter that had ambushed and ultimately crippled them. They did know the ship was nearby however, due to the fact their transmissions were being jammed. Which meant there was only one thing to do.

"We have to steal their ship!" Sabine said, and Hera let out a long sigh.

"They were skilled enough to completely out maneuver me. If their skills on the ground are anything compared to their piloting ability, it's not going to be that easy." The Twi'lek explained. Everyone was gathered in the common room, everyone being Hera, Sabine, Ezra, Zeb and Chopper. Ezra felt Hera's eyes on him. "Can you-"

"I can't sense them." Ezra interrupted, folding his arms across his chest. 

"Do you think it could be another Inquisitor?" Sabine asked. When everyone turned to look at her, she continued. "Well, I don't think a Stormtrooper could hide themselves from the Force."

"We haven't seen one of those guys in months. Why now?" Zeb wondered aloud.

Chopper let out a long string of irritated beeps.

"Yeah, I didn't want to get stranded on an uninhabited moon either Chopper." Hera paused. "If only Kanan was here."

"Oh? What do you think he'd be able to do?" Ezra's sudden outburst drew concerned looks from the others, and he looked away with a scoff. 

"If it is an Inquisitor, I'd be more confident with both of you taking them on." Hera said evenly.

"So you think I can't handle myself?" Ezras attention snapped back to Hera, anger obvious in his voice.

There was silence in the room. Not even Chopper added anything, instead looking back and forth between Ezra and Hera, the latter of which whose expression hadn't changed at all. The tension continued to build for several more moments, the two engaged in an intense stare down before Ezra rolled his eyes, heading for the landing ramp.

"Where are you going?" Hera demanded.

"To deal with our problem, obviously!" Ezra snapped over his shoulder.

"You can't jus-" Hera began.

"Yes, I can." Ezra spun around to face the group once more. "The Inquisitors are a Jedi problem, not a Phoenix Squadron problem. And you're not a Jedi."

With that, he left the common room and stormed through the hallway, arriving at the exit ramp within seconds. Glancing at the display to make sure the atmosphere was breathable, he hit the button for the ramp to lower, taking his lightsaber from his belt and stepping out of the Ghost. The moon was covered in forests, or at least, the area they were in was. Reaching the bottom of the ramp, Ezra looked around in a vain attempt to spot any sign of the attacker. There was nothing. 

"If only Kanan was here." Ezra muttered in a poor imitation of Hera's voice as he moved away from the Ghost and into the forest. "Yeah, because he's so reliable."

About half an hour later, Ezra had managed to get himself completely lost.

"You've gotta be kidding me." Ezra growled as he laid eyes upon the same rock he'd passed ten minutes ago. "I'm going in circles!" 

Stamping his foot in frustration, Ezra turned around to go back the way he'd come. Five minutes later, he met his old friend the rock once more.

"Really!?" Gritting his teeth in frustration, he lifted the rock up with the Force and threw it deeper into the forest.

A few seconds later, the rock sailed back in his direction and Ezra had to duck to the side so he wasn't struck by the projectile. Looking in shock as the rock bounced across the forest floor before coming to a stop, Ezra looked back from where it had come from and thumbed the ignition for his lightsaber. The brilliant emerald blade sprang forth as he gripped the hilt with both hands. 

"Show yourself!" Ezra said, narrowing his eyes as he peered deeper into the trees.

"Over here." A voice behind him said.

Ezra rounded on the newcomer, immediately holding out his lightsaber so that the tip was pointed at the throat of the stranger. A stranger that looked so familiar to the Inquisitors that had come before, covered in black armor from head to toe, the Imperial insignia plastered on their chest plate. To their credit, the Inquisitor didn't flinch at the movement, standing tall despite Ezras blade being mere inches from one of their most vital areas. A jagged helmet masked their expression, but the way they tilted their head to the side let Ezra know that the Inquisitor was studying him.

"Who are you?" Ezra demanded.

"An Inquisitor." Their voice was heavily altered by a filter in the helmet, but they appeared to be male. "You've met some of us, Ezra Bridger."

"Don't you have a number or something?"

"Does it really matter?" The Inquisitor chuckled, tilting their head to the other side. "You're far younger than I was led to believe."

Ezra glared at the Inquisitor in response, who seemed highly amused by the expression. Part of Ezra wanted to just run the Inquisitor through and be done with it, but deep down, a voice in the back of his head reminded him that murder was not the Jedi way. Even if that Jedi had been studying a Sith Holocron for half a standard year.

"Why haven't you killed me yet? You clearly have me at a disadvantage." The Inquisitors tone was mockingly curious. After a moment of silence, he spoke again. "Oh thats right. Jedi don't kill in cold blood."

"Give me a reason to." Ezra snapped.

"Could you even do it? Kill me I mean." The Inquisitor took a small step forward so that Ezra's blade was only centimeters from his neck. "I can read your emotions like a book. Such anger towards my kind. So much... fear." The Inquisitor displayed his palms to Ezra, showing that they were empty. "I'm unarmed. Strike me down, like your master struck down the Grand Inquisitor."

"Shut up." Ezra growled.

"I understand why the Seventh found you so amusing." The Inquisitor chuckled. 

"Are you going to call me pretty as well?"

"Perhaps. The day is still young." The Inquisitor raised one of his arms, pointing off to his right, deep into the forest. "Tell me something, Ezra. What do you sense in that direction?"

It was difficult for Ezra to split his attention between both the present and the area which the Inquisitor had indicated, but he managed. Keeping his eyes focused on his enemy, he reached out with the Force and after a few moments, felt the presence of the other members of the Ghost. He hadn't even gotten that far away from them it seemed.

"Now, focus in this direction." The Inquisitor shifted his finger slightly.

Ezra moved his focus to the new area and his eyes widened. There were at least thirty Stormtroopers descending upon the Ghost, creeping slowly but surely closer. Snapping his full attention back to the Inquisitor, Ezra felt his heart racing with worry.

"Call them off!" He demanded. "Call them off or I'll-"

"Kill me?" The Inquisitor's laughter once more filled the area. "Those troopers have been ordered to surround your friends and execute them without hesitation or warning."

"Call. Them. Off." Ezra narrowed his eyes, shifting his blade forward so that it was JUST grazing the armored weave of the Inquisitors uniform. A tiny whisp of smoke rose from the point of contact, with a sizzling sound buzzing quietly.

"No." The Inquisitor replied. "Make your choice. Kill me or save your friends."

Ezra almost did it. Every fiber of his being pushed for him to strike the killing blow, but instead he turned away, dashing off in the direction of his friends. The Inquisitors laughter followed long after he was out of sight.

Ezra burst into the clearing where the Ghost was just as the Stormtroopers did, leaping high into the air and coming down hard on top of one of the solders. His lightsaber flared as he cut down the troopers and deflected oncoming blaster fight with speed and precision. One by one, the troopers began to fall and he was soon joined by the crew of the Ghost who had heard the commotion. Thanks to Ezra's preemptive strike, the Stormtroopers were defeated within minutes and soon enough, Ezra cut down the final soldier, the body falling heavily to the ground as adrenaline flooded Ezras veins.

"Ezra?" Sabines voice caused Ezra to jump and he turned to face her with wide, bloodshot eyes. His wild expression was enough for her to flinch. "Are you okay?"

"I... yeah. Yeah I'm fine." Ezra breathed. Looking around at the bodies, he counted how many had lightsaber cuts in their armor and felt pride swell in him. The majority of them had been cut down by him personally. 

"That was impressive kid." Zeb said, but Ezra could sense a wariness from the Lasat that was unfamiliar to him. 

"Ezra." Hera said, her voice gentle, one hand raised towards him in a passive gesture. "The fights over."

It was then that Ezra realized he was standing in his battle ready stance, both hands grasping his lightsaber hilt strongly, feet planted into the ground for support. His adrenaline was also still flowing and he found himself breathing heavily. He was tense and ready for a fight, but there were no enemies left. Only his friends.

"Right. Right." Ezra shook his head, dropping out of his stance and deactivating his lightsaber. "Sorry. I was worried I wouldn't get to you in time."

"How did you know they were coming?" Sabine asked.

"An Inquisitor told me." Ezra glanced in the direction he'd come, with a frown. "He didn't attack me though."

Beep.

Beep. Beep.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

All around them, rapid beeps began to sound, coming from the bodies of the fallen soldiers. On instinct, Ezra snapped out his arms, using the Force to toss his friends clear of the corpses just in time for a brilliant light and scorching heat to envelop him as thirty bombs exploded in unison.

"!"

"...ra!"

"Ezra!"

"Wake up!"

Ezras eyes snapped open as something connected with his right cheek, and he looked up at Hera who had just slapped him. Before he could say anything, an overwhelming assault of pain ran through the entire left side of his body and he gasped for air, unable to even cry out. 

"You've got third degree burns all over your left side." Hera informed him, her voice shaking. 

In the background, Ezra could hear what sounded like lightsabers crashing against one another. Somehow managing to lift his head, he looked past Hera to see that Zeb was fighting the Inquisitor with his bo-rifle, backed up by Sabine who was wielding Ezras own lightsaber. It was obvious by the way the Inquisitor was weaving around every attack Zeb and Sabine tried that he was just playing with them. Ezra tried to say something, but as soon as he opened his mouth, another wave of pain ran through his body.

"Hold still." Hera ordered him, rummaging through what appeared to be a medpac. "I'm going to apply some bacta to try and save the skin that's been affected the worst. That will have to do until we can get you to a medical facility."

Usually, when bacta was applied to an open wound, it stung. Ezra knew that from personal experience. But he couldn't feel anything other than the invasive searing of his own flesh. When Hera massaged the bacta into the what were the worst of his wounds, he couldn't feel the areas her fingers were tracing. He wouldn't have known where it was going if he hadn't been watching the application of the medicine. 

Was he dying?

"Ezra." Hera's voice brought him out of his thoughts. "I'll be right back."

Ezra watched Hera stand up, taking her blaster and rushing towards the battle. As she unloaded round after round at the Inquisitor, he simply continued his dance, dodging around the attempted strikes from Zeb and Sabine, while casually deflecting the blaster fire into the forest. It was obvious that Zeb and Sabine were beginning to tire. His friends were going to lose. 

But he could save them.

As the battle progressed, Ezra focused on the Inquisitor, using the pain that was almost paralyzing him to fuel his own anger, rage and eventually, his hatred of the Inquisitor. If the Inquisitor won, he would kill them all. Everything Ezra had been working towards since Malachor, learning everything he could from the Sith Holocron, would be worthless. It had to be worth something. To give into the Darkness. 

The Inquisitor looked in his direction as Ezra gathered the Force around him, raising his right hand towards the agent of the Empire. In that moment, Ezra could feel the emotions of the Inquisitor. Shock, confusion and most potent of all, fear. Splaying his palm, Ezra used the Force to take hold of the Inquisitors throat, constricting his air-pipes and lifting the Inquisitor from the ground, who dropped his lightsaber and began to claw at his throat. Slowly, Ezra began to close his hand into a fist, feeling a half smile spread across his face as he sensed the terror emanating from the now helpless Inquisitor. The Inquisitors life quite literally hung in the balance, and Ezra was ready to take it away from him.

"Ezra stop!" 

Sabines voice broke through to Ezra, cutting through the Darkness he'd cloaked himself in. His face dropped as he realized what he was doing and immediately released the Inquisitor, who slumped to the ground, coughing and spluttering before Zeb drove the business end of his bo-rifle into his chest. The Inquisitor cried out in pain before being knocked out by a solid blow to the head. As Zeb applied a pair of stun cuffs to the unconscious Inquisitor, Sabine and Hera raced to Ezras side. He looked up at them, in a state of confusion about what he'd been doing, then all at once he felt exhaustion wash over him and he too slipped into unconsciousness.

When Ezra awoke from a dreamless sleep, he was shocked to find a week had passed. The crew of the Ghost had brought both himself, and the Inquisitor, back to Atollon. They had kept the Inquisitor in a vulnerable state, regularly injecting him with a chemical that dulled the mind enough to interfere with even a Force users ability to concentrate. Beyond that, he was kept in a cell that was guarded around the clock. 

What had surprised Ezra even more was opening his eyes to see Kanan there, asleep in a chair near the bacta tank Ezra had been bathing in. Thankfully, the bacta had physically healed much of his injuries, but not everything could be fixed. Ezra could not feel anything on his left side and even just moving his arm and leg felt foreign to him. He'd practically had to learn how to walk again. Soon enough, he'd need to learn how to hold his lightsaber again. 

Now secluded in his room within Chopper Base, Ezra once again knelt before the Holocron, eyes closed and teeth clenched. It hovered up from the ground, opening to reveal the crimson light and the familiar presence within.

"Your connection to the Darkness has deepened."

"It was the only thing that saved my friends." Ezra replied, the scene flashing in his minds eye. 

"You did not kill the hunter."

"I wanted to." Ezra bit his lip nervously before continuing. "Having that kind of influence over him... it felt good."

"Why resist the urge to take his life?"

"Sabine snapped me out of it." Ezra frowned. "It was like I was me, but at the same time, I wasn't. It felt good, but I think I lost control."

"Liberating yourself is not the same as a loss of control. You have been conditioned by Jarrus to resist your true nature, to feel guilty when you indulge it."

"I've seen him without the helmet. The Inquisitor." Ezra replied. "He's barely older than me, looks like he's never been out in the sun."

"You feel sympathy for your enemy?"

"I just... that could have been me, ya know?" Ezra paused for a moment before continuing. "I don't want to become a slave to the Dark Side."

"Then you must break your chains, Ezra Bridger."

"..." Ezra considered this for a while. "How?"

The Holocron fell silent for so long that Ezra actually opened his eyes, checking to make sure it was still activated. It hung in the air, ominously, the light dulling significantly before suddenly returning to its previous luminescence.

"Find the one you know as... Maul."

Chapter Text

"Find the one you know as... Maul."

The words echoed in Ezra's mind hours after the Holocron had instructed him on how to increase his own power, so that he could better protect his friends.

On the one hand, it was a terrible idea. Maul had been treacherous on Malachor, being the one who blinded Kanan after all. Everyone had seen how badly the loss of his sight had affected Kanan over the past months, and despite his own resentments towards Kanan for retreating into himself, Ezra could understand how he felt. Kanan had said he'd thrown Maul from the top of the pyramid, but the Zabrak was a powerful Force user and gravity worked differently for those attuned to the Force. In his minds eye, Ezra could picture himself hunting down the Zabrak, cornering him and demanding answers before avenging Kanan by striking him down. 

But on the other hand, Maul was both powerful and knowledgeable. He'd survived being bisected by Master Kenobi, survived the Clone Wars, outlived almost every other known Force sensitive in the Galaxy at the time of Order Sixty-Six. The other part of Ezra couldn't help but consider the possibility that Maul could be an asset. Not just to himself and his training, but to the Rebellion itself. Kanan had told him that during the Clone Wars, Maul acted against both the Separatists and the Republic, and in killing the Inquisitors, it was clear that Maul had no love for the Empire either. 

None of his thoughts on the matter had any weight if he couldn't find Maul though. Which was his current dilemma as he half stumbled down the ramp of the Ghost, steadying himself on one of the poles that extended the ramp. Though he was grasping the metallic structure tightly, his fingers offered no sensation. Not the coolness he knew should be there, nor the slight oily texture from the lubricant they were constantly applying to them to make sure they actually function. He eyed his hand solemnly, before his thoughts turned to anger directed at the one who had done this to him.

The Inquisitor was being held within the brig, guarded around the clock by four soldiers, and monitored by security camera's equipped with motion sensors. On top of that, the Inquisitor had been injected with a drug that dulled his mind just enough to keep him from accessing the Force in any meaningful way, affecting his concentration on anything. His youthful face didn't fool Ezra though, knowing just what the Human was capable of. He'd crippled him, just like Maul had done to Kanan, and he would pay one day.

Ezra blinked, realizing that he'd just stumbled upon a solution. Just like Maul, the Inquisitor could be a resource.

It took him far longer than it used to for him to make his way through Chopper Base to the brig, passing by several people who gave him a look of pity due to his limp and the physical scars on the left side. The bacta had done what it could, but they'd had to make some sacrifices, like his hair which had been shaved completely off. From his neck to his jaw and across his left ear remained some burn scars that the bacta hadn't fully healed, but Hera had assured him that with continued therapy they would fade away soon enough. The explosion itself had resulted in his ear drum on his left side bursting as well, and despite the use of modern technology, he had discovered a certain level of deafness in that ear. 

He hated the way people looked at him now. Before it was all smiles, eye lighting up as he dashed by to go run some errand for Kanan or Hera. Now he hobbled down the halls and people's eyes were filled with sympathy, half smiles poorly masking what they thought of him. It was almost embarrassing. At least Kanan was blind, so he couldn't see all of the looks, or people whispering about him. 

As he entered the brig, he immediately moved towards the cell where the Inquisitor was being held. Two soldiers stood in front of the ray shields that kept him in the cell, while two others were in the cell. They stood tall on the sides of the doorway within, while the Inquisitor himself sat cross legged in the center of the cell, eyes closed and an expression of serenity on his face that made Ezra want to throw a meiloorun at him. 

"Lieutenant Bridger." One of the soldiers outside of the cell greeted him, both saluting. 

"Captain." Ezra nodded, swallowing thickly as he steadied himself when a wave of nausea washed over him. Apparently, he still wasn't even capable of taking a stroll through the base without collapsing. "I'd like to speak with the Inquisitor. Alone."

"Sorry sir-" The Captain shook his head, and Ezra's eyes narrowed. "-we've been ordered not to let anyone in without clearance from Commander Sato."

"I understand that, but I need to see him." Ezra dramatically glanced to either side of him, before leaning in and lowering his voice. "He's the one who did this to me." He gestured with his right hand to his left side. "Besides, this could use a Jedi's touch. None of the interrogators so far have been able to try using the Force to make him talk."

The soldiers glanced at one another, and the Captain sighed.

"Ten minutes." The Captain pressed a button, deactivating the ray shields. "C'mon boys. Time for a quick break while the Lieutenant has a discussion with our friend."

The two soldiers inside exited and Ezra replaced them, flinching slightly as the ray shields activated behind him once more with a hiss. He looked down at the Inquisitor kneeling in the center of the room, clenching his good hand into a fist so he could enjoy the pressure.

"Isn't hate the path to suffering?" The Inquisitor smirked, opening his eyes to lock gazes with Ezra, and the latter was surprised that the Inquisitors eyes were a warm brown color. "That's not the Jedi way."

"I'm still learning." Ezra snapped back, taking a step down, then another until he reached the floor. 

"Yes, in many ways I see." The Inquisitor surveyed Ezra's left side as he spoke, and Ezra had to take a calming breath to push down his anger.

"I'm not here for you to enjoy seeing the results of what you did to me." Ezra glared at the Inquisitor, folding his arms across his chest.

"Then why have you come before me?" The Inquisitor raised an eyebrow.

"You hunt Jedi. I need to find one." It was a misdirect, of course. Ezra didn't want the Inquisitor knowing he was looking for a Sith Lord after all.

"And what makes you think I'd help you do that?" Now the Inquisitors head tilted to the side slightly, eyes seeming to look straight into Ezra's mind. "I'm not exactly at 100% due to the fact your friends keep injecting me with that substance."

"You'll help me, because if you don't, there'll be nobody here to fight for you to get fair treatment." Ezra replied, wavering slightly as his head suddenly became faint and he was force to steady himself.

"I hardly think someone of your... condition could fight for anything right now." The Inquisitor replied coolly.

"Yeah well, it wouldn't be this way if you hadn't tried to blow me to hell." Ezra muttered, slowly lowering himself to sit on the second step up from the ground. He wanted to stay angry with the Inquisitor, but it took too much energy. Energy he needed to use for focusing on his objective.

"For what it's worth, I intended to kill you. Not have you suffer in such a pathetic fashion."

"Gee... thanks." Ezra eyed the Inquisitor, a question entering his mind despite himself. "How old are you?"

"Does that matter?" The Inquisitors expression shifted to one of genuine confusion, brows furrowing.

"Maybe." Ezra breathed, blinking a few times to dispel the stars from the corners of his eyes. "You don't seem much older than me."

The Inquisitor stared at him for a long while, long enough for the silence to grow uncomfortable, before he broke it in a tone that was lacking in sarcasm for the first time.

"I am 19 standard years old." 

"I'm 17." Ezra replied with a nod. "Were you a Jedi?"

"How exactly could I have been a Jedi when Order Sixty-Six took place two years after my birth?" The Inquisitor snapped, eyes narrowing slightly in frustration. "In any case, my past is of no relevance to your goal of finding some lost Jedi."

"I'm just curious how you ended up being an Inquisitor in the first place." Ezra shrugged, before conceding. "But you're right. How do you track down a Jedi?"

"Jedi hunt themselves." The Inquisitor remarked. "It's just a matter of knowing what to look for."

"And what should I be looking for?" Ezra asked.

The Inquisitor regarded him again for far too long, and this time Ezra took note of the fact the Inquisitor was digging his fingers into his thighs, wondering what exactly was running through the older males mind. 

"I cannot aid you, Ezra Bridger." When the Inquisitor finally spoke, his tone was soft and he glanced away, looking at the wall. 

"Why not?" Ezra asked, frowning.

"Because my masters are not as forgiving as your own." The Inquisitor let out a long breath before closing his eyes once more. "Now leave me."

After another minute or so of attempting to pry information out of the Inquisitor to no avail, Ezra picked himself up and moved to the door in time for the Captain to let him out, and the soldiers to resume their positions. He decided to head back to his room on the Ghost for some rest due to the fact his body was actively resisting his every movement, thoughts dwelling on his brief conversation with the Inquisitor. In particular, Ezra's thoughts revolved around the Inquisitors final words to him, about his masters not being as forgiving as his own. He briefly thought of Kanan, who was somewhere on the base but then shook his head.

"Master." He scoffed, shaking his head. "What Master?"

After Ezra Bridgers visit, the Inquisitor found he could not focus on his meditation.

It had been an unexpected move by the young Jedi, especially given the fact he'd so willingly tapped into the Darkside to restrain an enemy. Granted, Bridger had been largely incapacitated at the time and therefore prone to acts of desperation to save his friends. Yet that did not fit with a visit to the very person who had injured him and put all his friends in danger to ask for help. The Inquisitor couldn't stop thinking about it, remaining stuck on the subject even when the Rebels came to inject his evening dosage. 

The drug was similar to that which the tutors within Fortress Inquisitorious injected into recruits when training against the Purge Troopers, dulling their senses just enough to disrupt their connection to the Force. The Force was a potent ally, but not something that they should rely on when engaging in martial combat against any enemy, particularly a Jedi. Dominating a Jedi physically was a far more effective method than attempting to use the Force to throw objects at them, or disorient them. The stripping away of their connection to the Force also served as a potent motivator for recruits to grow proficient in their chosen form of swordplay quickly, as the Purge Troopers were instructed to assault them until ordered to stop by the overseeing officer. It was a common occurrence for a recruit to be thrown to the ground and beaten mercilessly by one of the Purge Troopers for minutes on end until the lesson stuck.

Though those training sessions with Purge Troopers paled in comparison to the ones that occurred when Lord Vader was in residence. 

He let out a shaky breath just at the thought of the Sith Lord, a hulking figure encased in emotionless armor that was surrounded by the Dark Side to a suffocating degree. When Vader had returned from Malachor, failing to recover the Holocron, kill Ashoka Tano or even disable the Rebels, he had unleashed his fury upon the remaining Inquisitors. He had entered the dojo himself, armed only with the Force and had ordered them all to attack him in unison. It had been a short affair, with the Sith Lord dominating the battle even against multiple opponents. He had embarrassed them utterly, striping their weapons away and using them to defeat each member in sequence. When only the Fourth Sister remained, a handful of unconscious or immobilized bodies lying strewn across the training matts, Vader had named her Grand Inquisitor before leaving the Fortress. He had yet to return. 

The Inquisitor opened his eyes, dismissing the memories as quickly as he could. The longer he was trapped in this infernal cell, the higher the likelihood that Vader would become aware of his failure to dismantle the Crew of the Ghost. Worse even, Vader would become aware of the fact that the Inquisitor had abandoned his assigned mission to do so in a foolhardy attempt to curry favor with the Emperor by removing a persistent annoyance from the Galaxy. 

His utter failure would not be forgiven.

Recovering himself to a state where his breathing was steady and his heartbeat less erratic, the Inquisitor considered his situation. It was not a complete loss. Though he had been defeated by the Crew of the Ghost, he had been taken alive. On top of that, he was being held prisoner within their secret base that the Empire had been searching for and there was a high likelihood that Commander Sato's Phoenix Squadron was in residence. It was a poor situation, but not one without merit. He merely needed to figure out a way to turn it to his advantage and as the gears of his mind turned, the Inquisitor realized something.

Ezra Bridger had given him a path to victory by seeking his aid. Though the boy did hate him, that much was clear, he also wanted something from him and that meant the Inquisitor had an opportunity to use his desires to benefit the Inquisitor instead. He also had to admit that he was curious about which Jedi Ezra had gotten wind of surviving and intended to hunt down. There were several possibilities, including the ever illusive Obi-Wan Kenobi, an outlier like Cal Kestis or perhaps a less subtle survivor like Quinlan Vos. Or maybe Ezra had confused a pariah like Reva for a surviving Jedi after her betrayal of the Empire. 

All were noteworthy targets and the Inquisitor was becoming confident he could spin the situation into a favorable one were he to present one of them to Lord Vader, alongside Phoenix Squadron and the Crew of the Ghost. He just needed to figure out how to get Ezra to let him out of the cell. Then everything else would fall into place.

Across the Galaxy, Agent Kallus observed as ISB Agents gathered evidence of what had happened on the forest moon of Kingo-Minor. There were charred shards of Stormtrooper armor throughout the clearing, alongside various severed body parts and the remains of at least thirty E-11 Blaster Rifles. Nearby, a team was dismantling a modified TIE/LN fighter that had once belonged to an Inquisitor. Much like his prey, the Inquisitor was nowhere to be seen and from what he could gather, Kallus assumed the young Human was still alive. 

"Sir." An Agent approached, holding out a datapad for Kallus to study. "These markings on the ground suggest that-"

"-a lightsaber was used." Kallus nodded, eyeing the jagged tears in the soil, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "It appears that the Inquisitor was met with some resistance."

"In any case, we'll have to report these soldiers deaths to their families." The Agent glanced over her shoulder, expression severe. 

"Inform the families that their loved ones perished during a Rebel ambush and fought to the last." Kallus ordered, handing her back the datapad. "I will see what I can do about arranging an increased level of monetary compensation for their losses, given the circumstances."

"I'm sure they will appreciate that." The Agent nodded, eyes tilting upwards and brows furrowing as she took in the appearance of an approaching shuttle. "What are they doing here?"

Kallus turned, watching with a his mouth drawn in a grim line as an imposing transport known as the Scythe began it's landing process. He knew as well as every Agent there who exactly would be aboard the ship, and it was not lost on him that the Agent's around him suddenly became more engrossed in their tasks. Dismissing the Agent with a wave of his hand, Kallus straightened up his jacket and moved towards the ship as a ramp descended from it. 

Three beings dressed in black armor descended from the ramp, one two steps ahead of the others. In the lead was a green skinned Humanoid female, her gaze a harsh amber that was accentuated by black tattoos on her forehead and black liner surrounding her eyes. To her left was a hulking Dowutin with pale yellow skin and a crimson visor covering most of her face, while two of her limbs had been replaced by prosthetics of a similar color. Lastly to the leaders right was a lithe Humanoid whose entire body was covered from head to toe, his only defining physical trait being a small control panel on his chest that appeared to regulate his deep, haggard breathing. 

"Grand Inquisitor." Kallus greeted the leader, saluting respectfully. "We did not anticipate your presence here."

"It has come to our attention that one of our own was involved with this situation, Agent Kallus." The Grand Inquisitor replied, clasping her hands before her as the other two Inquisitors moved away to begin their own investigation. " The Fourth Brother, to be precise."

"Your latest recruit?" Kallus asked, raising an inquisitive eyebrow before the Grand Inquisitor nodded curtly. "What was he doing all the way out here?"

"That is what we have come here to discover. The Fourth Brother abandoned his assignment to..." The Grand Inquisitor paused, nodding at the site of the explosion. 

"So you aren't aware who he engaged with?" Kallus filed that information away, intrigued by the fact the Inquisitors were as in the dark as he was. 

"I am not." The Grand Inquisitor's eyes narrowed slightly before she spoke again. "But we will find out shortly."

"Grand Inquisitor!" The Dowutin drew their attention, holding up something in her massive hand. "Found something useful!"

The Grand Inquisitor immediately pushed past Kallus and made a beeline for the Dowutin, with Kallus swallowing a comment about how rude the action had been. Instead, he followed her over to her subordinate, eyeing them both as the Grand Inquisitor was handed a blaster that Kallus immediately recognized as belonging to Sabine Wren. He clenched his jaw silently, realizing the situation had become more complicated than it had been minutes ago. The Grand Inquisitor held the blaster in her hand, closing her eyes for a few moments and Kallus watched her intently, wondering what she was doing with it. 

"Sabine...Wren." The Grand Inquisitor breathed, opening her eyes with a predatory glint to them. " The Fourth Brother engaged with members of the Ghost's crew."

"So Caleb Dume and Ezra Bridger were here, huh?" The Dowutin let out a chuckle, before an expression on her face formed resembling a smirk. "Bout time we caught up to them."

"Did I hear you right?" The male Inquisitor's altered voice  suddenly behind Kallus almost caused him to jump out of his skin. Not just anyone could sneak up on him. "I've got a score to settle with those two."

"You'll have your revenge soon enough." The Grand Inquisitor's gaze lingered on the blaster for a few seconds longer, before it shifted to Kallus, staring right through him. "You have engaged with these Rebels before, yes?"

"To varying degrees of success." Kallus confirmed slowly.

"Then you'll return to Nur with us. I want to know everything about them."

Before Kallus could even consider protesting, the Grand Inquisitor and the others had abandoned him, moving back towards the Scythe. Watching them leave, he ran his thumb over his index finger, considering his options here. He couldn't refuse a direct order from the Inquisitors, but the last thing he wanted was to be stuck on Nur with a cult of Jedi hunting assassins, especially when his presence there required him to give up any and all information he had on Phoenix Squadron. Including that on Garazeb Orellios. Since their last encounter, Kallus had been almost reluctant to re-engage with the hunt for them, feeling that he owed some debt to the Lasat. 

"Agent Kallus." The Grand Inquisitors voice snapped him out of his thoughts and Kallus blinked, seeing that she had stopped and was staring right at him. "Are you coming?"

"Y-yes Grand Inquisitor." Kallus nodded, clasping his hands behind his back and squeezing to the point where he was sure his knuckles would have gone white. "I look forward to aidng your hunt for these insurgents."

Chapter Text

Knock, knock, knock.

Ezra lay on his bunk, head loosely turning to the door. Kanan's presence thrummed through their bond in the force, detracted as it was, and he knew that he couldn't ignore the Jedi Knight. He'd know Ezra was awake, just like he'd know that Ezra was taking his time to decide how to approach the situation. For his part, Kanan remained neutral, which was somehow more frustrating than if his mentor had grown impatient with him. Rolling his eyes, Ezra reached out towards the door controls, gently pressing the button to open the door with the Force.

Kanan didn't hesitate, entering the room and making his way to the chair in front of Ezras workbench.

"What do you want?" Ezra droned, making a point to stare at the ceiling.

"Captain Argyus said you visited the Inquisitor." Kanan said, his tone as neutral as his presence within the Force. "Did you learn anything useful?"

"Just that he's annoyed about being held prisoner." It wasn't untrue. "And that he's two years older than me."

"Why would he tell you how old he is?"

"Why do you care?"

There was more venom in his words than he intended, but Ezra didn't care. He felt Kanan physically recoil, heard him sigh and then finally looked over to him as his mentor began tapping his finger on his leg. 

"Why are you here Kanan?"

"We haven't talked since-"

"Since I was blown up." Ezra interrupted. "Yeah, I remember. I was there."

"How are you feeling?" He could feel Kanan's neutrality begin to slip, concern seeping into their bond. 

It made him uncomfortable.

"I can't walk properly. I can't feel anything on one side of my body." He scoffed. "Oh, and since you can't see me, they had to shave off my hair."

"Oh."

A beat passed.

"I was thinking we could help each other." Kanan continued. "You can help me learn to see again, and I can help you learn to walk."

"You can't just learn to see again after having your eyes destroyed." Ezra said, slowly sitting up on his bunk, frowning at his mentor. It was a useless gesture, but he was certain Kanan could feel his growing irritation. "And I don't need your help."

This time, Kanan recoiled from their bond, becoming hesitant. 

"You have nothing to offer me right now." Ezra continued, feeling weeks of frustration start to manifest as aggression, and he didn't even try to control it. "What a pair we make. Two of the only Jedi left in the Galaxy and neither of us can function properly. But at least I haven't given up on the fight because of my injuries."

"I needed time to-"

"No, you decided to wallow in self pity while the rest of us were forced to carry on without you." Ezra glared at his mentor. "What happened to me? It's your fault."

Their bond went silent, and after a moment, Kanan stood up and moved to the doorway, hovering there for a moment before glancing over his shoulder. 

"I'm sorry."

The door slid shut and Ezra glared at the durasteel surface, feeling his blood begin to boil. With a frustrated grunt, he grasped a nearby helmet with the Force and threw it a the door, the armoured surface shattering on impact before falling uselessly to the floor. The last thing he needed, or wanted, was Kanans half-assed apology. The only reason his mentor had even come to see him in the first place was to discuss his meeting with the Inquisitor, which was why he'd opened with that. Kanan didn't care about him, or anyone else for that matter. 

Gritting his teeth, he rose to his feet, swaying and steadying himself against the bunk. He didn't have energy to waste on thinking about his useless mentor right now. He needed to focus on the goal ahead of him Maul.

The Inquisitor sighed as Ezra hobbled into his cell.

"I told you I can't help you."

"Yeah, yeah." Ezra waved him off, sitting on the bottom stair once again and tossing a meiloorun in his direction. 

The Inquisitor caught it easily, eyeing the fruit suspiciously.

"If you think you can buy my assistance-"

The Force nudged the Inquisitor in the chest, just hard enough for him to feel an unpleasant pinching sensation, and he glared at Ezra who chuckled.

"How dare you." The Inquisitor spat. "I thought Jedi didn't use the Force for such childish things."

"You'd be wrong."

Ezra swayed his hand and the meiloorun lifted from the Inquisitors grip, darting upwards and hitting him square in the chin before dropping back into his hand. The Inquisitors presence within the Force darkened dramatically.

"Enough." 

"Not until you agree to help me." Ezra splayed his palm towards the Inquisitor.

The Inquisitor closed his eyes and tensed up, bracing himself for a wave of invisible energy to crash into him, but it never came. He opened his eyes, studying Ezra expectantly who had just dropped his hand into his lap, smirking in the process.

"Are you finding this amusing, boy?"

"You're two years older than me, I don't think you can call me that." Ezra said. "And yes, I am finding this 'amusing'."

This time the Inquisitor said nothing, instead choosing to glare a hole in his chest. Or try to, anyway. Ezra for his part met his gaze with a beaming smile, one that grew with each frustrated twitch of the Inquisitors eye. 

"You going to eat that?"

"That depends entirely upon what you've dosed it with." The Inquisitor snapped, turning the meiloorun over in his hand.

"Why would I dose it? I have the Force." Ezra explained as if he was talking to a child. "If I wanted to make you talk, I would."

"There you go again, treating the Force like a tool." The Inquisitor noted, taking a bit of the meiloorun and savouring the sweetness. "I can't imagine Dume is happy about that."

"His name is Kanan." Ezra replied, before shrugging. "And it doesn't really matter what he's happy about right now. He's on leave."

"Oh?" The Inquisitor raised an eyebrow. "Did losing his sight send him into a downwards spiral?"

"Maybe I'll answer that question if you answer one of mine."

The Inquisitor took another bite of the meiloorun, chewing thoughtfully before nodding.

"How did you find us?" Ezra asked.

"The ISB has a lengthy file on your entire group and a list of favoured travel routes." The Inquisitor smirked as Ezra's expression dropped. "They know more about you than you've been led to believe."

"If they know so much, why don't they just take us out?"

"Tut tut, my question now." The Inquisitor said. "Is it true that Darth Maul injured Kanan?"

"Yes." Ezra replied quickly. "Now answer my question."

"The ISB leadership prefers to eliminate the source of a virus, not a symptom. You and your crew are not worth the time or resources." The Inquisitor looked directly at one of the cameras, eyes lighting up. "Phoenix Squadron however..."

"Good luck with that." Ezra scoffed, leaning back. "Your turn."

"Is Ahsoka Tano alive?" 

Ezra's jaw clenched, and the Inquisitor let out a dark laugh.

"She is a prize worth the time and resources." 

"Would Maul be a prize worth your time?" Ezra asked.

The Inquisitor frowned, and Ezra felt his confusion like a beacon. He tried to cover it by spending some time finishing off the meiloorun, but Ezra knew a delaying tactic when he saw one.

"Ahh, I see. You wanted to know how to track a Jedi, but your quarry isn't a Jedi at all."

"Answer the question."

"Maul is a former Sith Lord, created one of the most prominent Crime Syndicates in the Galaxy and has been a thorn in the Empires side for almost two decades." The Inquisitor rolled his eyes. "Of course he would be worth my time. Why do you want him?"

"How would I-"

"I'm not going to play your little question game if you don't follow the rules and answer my question." The Inquisitor snapped.

Ezra stared at him. On the one hand, he could just say he wanted revenge. It was pretty obvious he wasn't the average Jedi and maybe the Inquisitor would believe that. On the other hand, he could say he wanted to bring Maul to justice for his crimes. Play the noble warden angle. Telling him the truth was completely outside the realm of possibilities though. His mind bounced between the options until finally he settled on one.

"He hurt my master and caused Ahsokas death." Ezra growled. "I want to make him pay for that."

"How intriguing." 

"Can you help me find him?" Ezra asked.

The Inquisitor tilted his head to the side, glancing at the door and then back to him.

"Not from in here."

"Have you lost your mind?"

Ezra leaned against Chopper, a steadying hand on the droids head, as they stood before a convened council in the operations room of Chopper Base. Among the disapproving faces was Hera, Kanan, Sabine, Zeb and Commander Sato, while a hologram of Bail Organa and Leia displayed an equally grim duo across the Galaxy. For his part, Ezra didn't shrink under their glares, standing defiant. He had to try this the right way, especially in his current condition.

Of course, a prison break wasn't impossible. Just difficult.

"We are not releasing the Inquisitor so you can flit across the Galaxy in search of a Sith Lord." Kanan shook his head. "That's a terrible idea."

"He'll overpower you in your condition." Hera added, more gently than his mentor.

"Which is why we should all go." Ezra looked at Sabine, then Zeb, both who didn't seem convinced that this was a good idea.

"Ezra, he almost killed us all." Hera said. "What's to stop him from doing it again?"

"We continue dosing him, make sure he's cut off from the Force." Ezra argued. "Sabine and Zeb can take him on that way if he tries anything."

"For what purpose?" Senator Organa asked. "Why is it so important we find Maul?"

"On Malachor, he told me that he couldn't take Vader on alone. Maybe we could win him over to our side?" This lie was less convincing than his last round, and Sabine noticed it immediately. 

"You want to be buddy's with the guy who blinded Kanan?" Zeb wasn't having any of it. 

"No. I want to have a weapon against the Empire that might actually be effective." Ezra said. "Maul is one of the most powerful Force Sensitives in the Galaxy AND he knows things about the Emperor that nobody else does." 

The room fell silent as Organa exchanged a look with Sato. Hold on, was this working?

"Even if that were true, how do you plan on capturing Maul if he doesn't agree to help us?" Leia spoke up. 

"Between us and the Inquisitor, we should be able to corner him. All we have to do is hit him with a few stun blasts and then dose him to cut him off from the Force." Ezra said. "He's not invincible."

"I... must discuss this with my allies." Senator Organa said. "If Maul truly does know the Emperors secrets, and we can win him over or capture him, he would be an invaluable asset. I will be in touch within the next rotation."

The transmission ended, leaving the group alone. Sato, Hera and Kanan spoke in hushed tones, while Sabine made a beeline for Ezra. He tried to look nonchalant, but she could obviously see right through him.

"What are you up to?" She whispered, leaning close to him.

"We need to stop being so defensive, and go on the attack." Ezra replied quietly. "Maul could turn the tide against the Empire."

"But to ally with an Inquisitor? I don't like that."

"We don't have to like it." Ezra muttered. "We just need him to cooperate."

Kallus stood before a large holotransmitter, arms folded behind his back expectantly. The Inquisitors had been thorough in his debriefing, and he had given them most of the information he had on the crew of the Ghost. He'd agreed to contact ISB to set up a cooperation between Intelligence and the Inquisitors to expedite the process of finding out where the Jarrus and the others had taken the Fourth Brother. In truth, he'd just wanted the opportunity to speak to someone higher up in ISB without the Inquisitors breathing down his neck. A light on the transmitter flashed and a moment later, a Human male in a white uniform with the ranking plaque of major appeared before him.

"What is it Agent Kallus?"

"Thank you for agreeing to take this transmission, Major Partagaz."

"Do not waste my time with meaningless pleasantries." Partagaz reproached. "And do not make me ask again."

"The Inquisitorious has requisitioned my assistance with tracking down the crew of the Ghost." Kallus said, and Partagaz raised a crooked eyebrow. "One of their own went rogue in an attempt to bring them in and all parties have disappeared in the process. The Grand Inquisitor wishes for a collaborative effort between the Inquisitorious and ISB to track them down."

"And you disagree with that course of action."

"Not entirely." Kallus said. "We can leverage this situation to determine where the Phoenix cell has set up their base to finally rid ourselves of that irritant."

"This is a peripheral issue." Partagaz observed coolly. "The objective?"

"I believe there is a chance here for the ISB to finally rid ourselves of Inquisitorial oversight." Kallus smiled as interest finally appeared in Partagaz' eyes. "We can lay bare their incompetence, and present ISB to the Emperor as the solution to this."

Partagaz considered this for the briefest moment.

"What do you require from me to achieve this goal?"

"Time." Kallus replied swiftly. "Time and resources."