My Obsession

Peridia

"Move," Shin ordered, and Sabine and Ahsoka stood up and followed her out of the room and down the corridor. They met up with Elsbeth and Baylan in the shuttle that would be taking them to Peridia, none of them sure what to expect. Shin snuck a glance at Sabine, who gave a very slight nod of acknowledgement. As the shuttle traveled to the planet's surface, Shin used the Force to release Sabine and Ahsoka from their handcuffs. "When we land, I want you both to run, as fast as you can. Don't stop, and don't look back. I'll find you again, I promise," she whispered quietly enough to ensure that Elsbeth and Baylan couldn't hear her. Before she could move back to her seat, Sabine grabbed Shin's arm. "I'm counting on you. Don't let me down," she whispered. "Wouldn't dream of it," Shin whispered in response. As soon as the shuttle landed and the ramp was lowered, Sabine and Ahsoka took off at full speed, disappearing into the grass of the planet's surface before Elsbeth and Baylan could react. "How could they have escaped?" Elsbeth demanded. "Tano is a Jedi, Magistrate. It's possible that she used the Force to free herself and Sabine," Shin said. "Either way, I suppose it doesn't really matter, since they no longer have a use to us," Elsbeth said. "I'll find them for you, Magistrate. I will find them and bring them back so you can deal with them as you see fit," Shin said, bowing slightly. "Very well. Go," Elsbeth said simply, and Shin took off in the same direction that Ahsoka and Sabine had run in.

"She isn't going to come back," Baylan said offhandedly. "And how do you know this?" Elsbeth asked him. "She's grown attracted to the Mandalorian girl. She wouldn't bring her back because she doesn't want her to get hurt. As for Tano, however, I cannot say," he replied. "Then she will be left behind with Wren and Tano," Elsbeth replied simply.

It didn't take long for Shin to find Sabine, only to learn that Ahsoka had insisted that the pair split up to throw Elsbeth and Baylan off their trail. "Don't worry, Ahsoka can take care of herself," Sabine said. "I know. We should start looking for Ezra. I sense someone in the vicinity that isn't Ahsoka," Shin replied, just as Sabine happened to look up. "He's here," she said. "I sense him. He just arrived," Shin said, turning to look up, where the Imperial Star Destroyer Chimara had appeared in the sky above. Shin broke into a run, with Sabine following close behind. Shin pulled out a device that was designed to detect life forms within a certain range, consulting it periodically as she ran. They spent most of the day running, taking short breaks from time to time to regain strength, until it became too dark to see without a source of light. "I got this," Shin said, drawing her lightsaber and igniting it, bathing the area around them in an orange glow. "Let's find a place to sleep for the night, okay?" She asked Sabine. "Sounds good to me," she replied, and they looked around for a bit before finding a cave, which Shin searched before they decided to stay for the night. "Coast is clear. Looks like this is where we're staying for tonight," Shin declared, so Sabine joined her in the cave, laying down beside her. "It's nice to finally be alone with you, Shin," Sabine said, snuggling into Shin's side. "I agree, Sabine," she replied before turning off her lightsaber and replacing it on her belt. "Sleep well, beautiful," Sabine said. "You too," Shin replied, and they fell asleep shortly afterwards.

In the middle of the night, Sabine was abruptly startled awake by a strange green glow illuminating the cave. "Sabine? Is that you?" She heard a familiar voice ask. "Ezra?" She asked, still half asleep. "It is you! I've been waiting for you for so long!" He exclaimed happily, and Sabine was suddenly wide awake when she felt Shin's head hit hers. "Oh Shin, sorry," she said. "Don't worry about it. You okay?" Shin asked. "Yeah, I'm okay," Sabine replied. "So, you mind introducing me to our visitor?" Shin asked her. "Of course. Ezra, this is my friend Shin Hati. Shin, this is Ezra Bridger, one of my best friends," she replied, getting to her feet and hugging Ezra tightly. "It's nice to meet you, Shin," he said. "Nice to meet you too," she replied. "Come with me. I have a place where you can stay for as long as you need. I've had a ship pretty much ready to go at any time there, except that I can't actually get it to start and stay running for very long before it dies on me," he said as he began to lead them away. "By the way, how did you find us? I never saw you on my scanner," Shin said. "I saw you on mine. I was able to find a power source that can sustain the systems on that ship I told you about for a long time," he replied. "Oh. We have a ship that we can use to get back home, I think," Shin said. "What do you mean, you think?" Sabine asked. "Well, I don't know if the Eye of Sion was built to be able to return to our galaxy," Shin replied. "Well, it's better than nothing," Ezra commented. "So, when should we go back to the shuttle?" Sabine asked. "I'm not sure. There's no guarantee that it will even still be there when we return. Maybe we'd be better off to wait for Hera or something," Shin said. "What if we tried that prisoner thing again? Of course, it would need to be a lot more believable than the first time, since Thrawn is always a step ahead," Sabine said, and Shin gave her a look. "If you've got a better idea, I'm all ears," she said. Shin didn't say anything, and neither did Ezra. "Cut me," Sabine abruptly said. "Excuse me?" Shin asked in disbelief.