Taking In An Orphan

Chapter 7

“These are Zeb and Sabine’s bedrooms. They sleep and spend time in them.” Kanan tried to explain so that the boy got the idea of jail cells out of his head. Kanan knocked on Sabine’s door first, waiting for a reply. 

“Come in.” Sabine’s voice rang out from behind the closed door. Kanan pressed the button to open the door and found Sabine spray painting some more pictures on her wall. 

“Wow!” Ezra said, not able to stop himself as he walked further into the room. Colors splashed down the walls on all sides. Almost every surface had some sort of picture covering the gray of the walls, floor, and ceiling. 

At the sound of Ezra’s voice, Sabine looked toward the door and smiled. 

“Hi Ezra, you look clean!” Sabine stepped over to him and took a closer look at his blue hair. 

“Is this your real hair? Have you ever had it dyed?” 

“Um...I don’t think so,” Ezra replied, unsure. He took a look at Sabine’s head and the orange and blue hair. Why was she so interested in his hair when she had almost the exact same color in hers? 

“My hair is dyed with paint,” Sabine explained, understanding the boy’s train of thought.

“Oh,” Ezra didn’t really know what that meant, but he didn’t show it. 

“We’re about to dock on Lothal. If you want to come, get your gear ready.” Kanan told her. “Nice painting, by the way,” Kanan added. He wanted to get to know Sabine as much as Hera did, but he thought it was unlikely that she would open up to him first. Still, Kanan thought it was important to bond so they could feel more like a crew. 

“Thanks, Kanan.” The girl said before leading them out of the room so she could change out of her paint clothes and into her armor. 

Kanan knocked on the door to Zeb’s room, but there was no reply. Kanan knocked again. Then he pressed the door open, finding it unlocked. The crew rarely locked their doors and it was expected that one would knock before entering anyone’s bedroom. 

When the door opened, a low rumble was heard. Remembering the events of that morning, Ezra hid behind Kanan’s legs and stayed in the doorway when Kanan went to shake Zeb awake. 

“Hey, Zeb. We are about to dock on Lothal, do you want to come on our trip into the capital? We could use the muscle. You know we aren’t very popular there.” Zeb rolled over and grunted something about getting up soon. 

Kanan walked out and closed Zeb’s door. He then felt the ship rock to one side and land hard on the ground. Not used to a ship landing, Ezra fell down. Kanan was surprised at the rough landing and, after helping Ezra up, he went to the cockpit to see what was going on. 

“I said let her down gently, Chopper!” Hera’s angry voice was heard from the cockpit. In response to the angry tone, Ezra moved closer to Kanan and slowed his steps. Kanan felt his nervousness and picked him up, reassuringly. 

The droid warbled back at her and then rushed out of the room past Kanan and Ezra, no doubt going to terrorize Zeb. 

Kanan and Ezra entered the cockpit to find an angry Hera. 

“Hey, Hera,” Kanan said. 

“That droid is going to be the death of me,” Hera replied, turning around to face the two. She smiled at Ezra, reassuring him that she wasn’t angry at him. “Are the other two coming?” 

Before Kanan could answer, a yell was heard from the bedroom areas. Ezra was instantly alert and scared again. 

“Don’t worry, bud. I bet it’s just Zeb getting woken up by Chopper again.” Ezra relaxed a little, setting his head down on Kanan’s shoulder and sticking his thumb into his mouth. “Sabine’s coming and I think Zeb is, too, now that he’s awake,” Kanan told Hera. 

There were more yells heard from the common room now. 

“Stupid droid.” Zeb said. After a short pause, he yelled, “I was awake!” Ezra gripped Kanan tightly and hid his face. Hera stormed into the common area. 

“Zeb! You’re scaring Ezra. Stop it, both of you!” Hera said. Zeb looked at her, guilty that he had once again scared the boy. Chopper beeped, but then fell silent. “Zeb, get ready to leave. Chopper, stay with the ship. We’ll be back in a few hours.” 

Once everyone was ready, they set off toward the capital. The rebels walked in two seperate groups to avoid too much attention. Kanan walked in the front with Ezra at his side, holding his hand and pointing out directions for them to walk in. Sabine also walked beside them, clad in armor. She found a shrunken hoodie for Ezra to wear and, knowing the empire was looking for Ezra, Kanan pulled the hood up so the child’s face couldn’t be seen. Hera and Zeb followed them at a distance, searching for any trouble. 

They walked, cautiously watching out for stormtroopers who caught their attention. The capital was a stronghold for them and dozens patrolled the streets and went about their business. The rebels hoped that they blended in well enough to be undetected. 

They made their way toward the less populated side of town. The poorer people lived in more dangerous places in the city. Kanan passed an alley where two men were fighting. Ezra clutched onto Kanan’s hand and whispered, “My mommy and daddy always said to not stare and just keep walking.” Ezra passed on the important message to Kanan. 

“That’s very smart, Ezra. Your parents are right. Always try to stay out of trouble if possible.” 

Ezra nodded and then pointed onto another street. 

“There’s his house.” Ezra let go of Kanan’s hand and ran to the house. Kanan and Sabine followed after him, Hera and Zeb joining them just a minute later. 

“So this is it?” Hera asked. She was afraid of what they would find - or wouldn’t find -  inside. 

Ezra reached for a piece of the wall next to the door. He removed a loose brick and found the key inside. Ezra stuck the card into the slot and the door slid open. 

The inside of the house was one big room with three connecting doors. The house was a mess. The table and chairs were toppled over and papers, loose items, and boxes were littered around the room. A small solid platform built into the wall was once made up like a bed with a blanket and pillow that were now on the floor. 

Ezra ran into the house and checked behind each door, seeing if his uncle was there, but Tseebo was nowhere to be found. The crew watched him search. After a while, it was obvious that no one was there. 

“Maybe Tseebo moved, Ezra,” Hera said, trying to keep his spirits up. 

Ezra moved over to the makeshift bed and climbed into it, thinking what to do next. 

Suddenly, the door opened again and the whole crew turned to look at the man who was walking in. The green Rodian looked shocked at the sight of people in his house. The crew looked back at him with confused eyes. The tension only broke when an excited little boy shouted, “Uncle Tseebo!”