His hands shook violently.

His face, usually filled with malice, paled.

Breath escaped him in frantic gasps, and with them came one word:

"No."

From where I remained, handcuffed and helpless, I couldn't stop staring at my captor, Kallus, and his movements. They were out of character. It was like his cold exterior had crumbled away revealing something human. Emotional. Panicked.

"He's going to kill me," he stuttered and ran a hand through his short blond hair. "If they escape again..."

"What are you talking about?" At my question, he shot a glance at me, his eyes wide with fear.

"Your friends. They're here, aren't they?" He asked.

The rumble of engines filtered through my mind, the melody peaceful. "Yes."

"They'll come for you."

"Yes."

As if expecting the answer, his whole body stiffened, his muscle tremors being nothing but a memory. His face twisting, he lifted the firearm from where it was strapped to his waist. Without hesitation, he trained it on me.

"You will not escape," he said, releasing the safety, "Not this time."

Although I wanted to jerk away, to struggle against my restraints, I did nothing. I just stared at my captor, the man I'd grown to despise, and felt nothing but pity. He was desperate. He was afraid.

"Kallus, we can help you," I said, forcing the words out, "You don't have to stay with the Empire." I smiled. "You can join our crew. Our family."

At my last word, Kallus' face visibly softened, and his grip on the blaster wavered. However, as quickly as his expression softened, it hardened once again. His eyes ablaze with anger and frustration, he aimed at me again.

"I am an Imperial agent of the Empire," he recited, "And I will not betray my superiors."

"Even if they decide to kill you?" I asked, my shoulders quaking.

"They won't," he said, "If I kill you, they'll know my value."

"You won't get any information out of me if I'm dead."

"Any hope you had of a second chance is gone," he growled. "Say goodbye."

The blaster fired, and simultaneously, there was a loud crunching of metal. I could faintly hear scuffling and shouting--that voice sounded familiar. However, I couldn't identify it, being too distracted by the pain exploding in my shoulder and the ache in my bones. Shadows draped across my vision, and then my mind was swept away.

***

"Sabine?"

A voice, deep and gruff, penetrated my mind, and I tried to recognize it.

"Sabine, can you hear me?"

Another voice, this one smoother, more feminine. Who was it? Thankfully, this time I was able to latch onto a name: Hera.

"Karabast, what did he do to her?"

"Calm down. She's going to be fine. I already bandaged her wound. She should be coming around any moment now."

"Hera," I mumbled, opening my eyes.

"There she is," she whispered, tucking a stray hair behind my ear.

"How do you feel?"

I looked at the one who asked the question, and I smiled, "Zeb."

Resting a hand on my shoulder, he smirked at me. "It's great to see you kiddo," he said, "but how are you feeling?"

Moving slightly, I cringed. "My muscles are sore, and--" my vision flickered for just a moment, "I feel light-headed. What happened?"

"Zeb broke down the door just as Kallus fired," Hera explained, gesturing at my shoulder, "Unfortunately, the blast still grazed you, but thanks to your armor, it wasn't as bad as it could have been."

Nodding, I fondled my bandaged shoulder. "Where did you get the bandages?"

"There's medical supplies everywhere," Hera explained.

My eyes widened. "We need to grab as much as we can."

"For Ezra?" The green in Hera's eyes dulled with worry. "Do you know where he is?"

"No," I admitted, "But I think Kanan does." I paused. "Before we were captured, he was acting off."

"He was doing the Force thing," Zeb added, twirling a finger by his temple.

Hera gripped my hand. "We need to find Kanan."

As she helped me to my feet, the world spun, but I forced my mind to focus. There was no time for hesitation. We had to find Kanan, gather medical supplies, and then we had to escape. Only then could we start looking for Ashoka, Ezra, and Chopper.

"You won't escape," Kallus cackled, drawing by artention. Over on the other side of the room, Kallus was laying against the wall, his arms and legs restrained by thick cloths. As he laughed, his face twisted, enlarging bruises and cuts no doubt administered by Zeb. "It's too late for you and for Ezra Bridger."

Hera glared at him. "That's funny, coming from you."

He coughed and sneered, "I already alerted the Empire to your presence. Someone much more powerful than me will be here shortly."

The atmosphere in the room chilled as we all realized who Kallus was referring to. Growling, Zeb walked over to the agent. As he neared, Kallus stiffened, and Zeb snatched something from Kallus' belt. Returning, he placed something in my hand, something with weight and warmth: Kanan's light saber.

"Let's go," Hera said.

"For Ezra," Zeb murmured before dashing out of the room.

"For Ezra," I repeated.

Duh duh DUHHHHH!!

Just your luck, I've been having a ton of free time to write. Hope y'all enjoyed this chapter, and i hope to write another soon. I will try though.

What did you think? Good? Bad? What do you think will happen next? I tried really hard to orchestrate the family dynamic of the Ghost crew. How do you think I've done so far? Is Ezra ok?

As always, thank you all SO much for being so supportive. Thanks to your reads and votes, Erstwhile has become my most popular book and that blows me away. I owe it to guys and you're never ending support.

You make me smile. :)

Love,

Julie :D