Star Wars Rebels: Twin Rebels

Chapter 19

(Ezra pov)

I gasp as I come to. I can still feel the overwhelming peace in me. I resist the urge to go back to sleep and sit up. Jessie immediately wraps me in a hug. "Ezra!"
I hold her back but my eyes widen when I see Larissa behind her. Her aqua eyes are cold and I sense darkness in her. Carabast. Vader and the Inquisitor got to her.
Jessie releases me from her embrace and worry clouds her eyes. "What happened?"
"Vader. It's a long story, but he sort of wants me to join him. To join the dark side."
Her aqua eyes widen in fear. "Oh my god. Why? Wait."
She turns to look at Larissa.
"What's his name?"
Larissa looks surprised. "I think you said Ezra."
"Larissa? What happened?" I ask.
She looks surprised. "How do you know my name?"
"Larissa, what do you remember?" Jessie asks, tears in her green and blue eyes.
"Nothing. Nothing at all. Mostly just scraps of memories. Why do you even care?" She snaps. "You're rebels. I'm an Inquisitor's apprentice."
"Oh no," I say. "Oh my god."
Jessie turns to me. "What?" Fear clouds her eyes again.
"I think... I think they erased her memory." I say softly.

(Kanan pov)

My meditation is interrupted when the Inquisitor walks into my cell. He handcuffs me and stares at me, coyly smiling.
"If you try to escape, mark my words, Jedi. The boy dies instantly."
I nod and he leads me to another cell.
He opens the door.

"I think... I think they erased her memory," my Padawan says softly.
Jessie is sitting beside him. Larissa is standing on the other side of the cell, glaring at them. I can sense the dark side in her.
"Lies. That's all he says, Jess," she says. "I can't believe that you love him."
Love him?
The Inquisitor yanks me back out of the teenagers' view and forces me to watch with him. And I am helpless to do anything.
Jessie shakes her head, tears pouring down her face. "I think that he's right, Larissa. Why else would you join the Empire?"
Larissa has a stunned look on her face. "I was always with them!"
"No," Jessie shakes her head. "We were bounty hunters, remember? We joined the Lothal rebels after we saved Ezra and Sabine from the Empire, remember? We fought the Imperials. We stole from them, worked against them. Do you remember Korriban?"
"Korriban?" Larissa asks. I glance at the Inquisitor. If they did erase Larissa's memory, she was dangerous.
And how long would the Inquisitor let Jessie and Ezra remind her of her past?
"That's enough," the Inquisitor says. Well, that answered my question. He shoves me forward into the cell. The teenagers all turn to us. Larissa kneels in front of the Inquisitor. "Master."
"Rise, my apprentice." She obeys him. Apprentice? What have I missed? I think to myself.
He turns to Ezra, who is gaping at me. He is secured to the cell wall by chains around his ankles and wrists. Blood stains his shirt, and his blue eyes are dull. Too dull. "Kanan!" He cries.
"Ezra, don't watch," I tell him.
"What?" He asks, confused.

Darth Vader walks in then. The Inquisitor pushes me to the ground on my knees. Vader turns to Ezra as I stare at my Padawan helplessly. Ezra looks at me, and catches my meaning of 'Don't watch'. He shakes his head. "No," he whispers.
"And now, Padawan, I will fulfill my promise. I wasn't lying when I said that I would force you to watch as I ran a lightsaber through your Master," the Inquisitor says. Then he smiles regretfully. "Unfortunately, I won't be the one to kill the Jedi. That pleasure goes to my Master."
Darth Vader ignites a red lightsaber and holds it over my head. "This I was his choice, you know," he tells Ezra. "He chose to die rather then have you die."
Ezra looks me in the eyes. For the first time since I met him, I see true terror in his eyes. "Kanan, I'm afraid," he whispers.
"There is no death; there is the Force," I tell him.

(Ezra pov)

"There is no death; there is the Force," Kanan tells me.

Vader raises the lightsaber. I scream. "No!"
The Inquisitor watches with a satisfied smile. Jessie yells in horror and buries her face in my shoulder. I can only continue to scream. "Noooooooo!!!!"

(Larissa pov)

In that moment, I remember. Watching Ezra scream and Jessie bury her face in his shoulder, I remember everything: Korriban, being a bounty hunter, joining the rebels. The Inquisitor slamming me into a wall and knocking me unconscious. Me waking up secured to a lab table. Darth Vader and the Inquisitor using the Force to tear at my mind. Me screaming uncontrollably as my memories disappeared one by one. Then falling into blessed darkness, with no memory of who I had been or what I was doing there. Waking up and being fed lies, and me believing every last one of them. Jessie and Ezra trying to save me-from myself.

I owe them. I owe the rebels, I owe Kanan. I owe my sister. I owe Ezra.

I love Ezra. I finally realized it. Even though he loves my sister, I will still love him. I will not let jealousy get in the way of my sister and our relationship.
I will not be afraid anymore. This ends now.

As Darth Vader swings the blade, I ignite my own lightsaber and block his blow.

(Ezra pov)

Vader's blade comes down-and is blocked by another blade. Larissa is standing there, her lightsaber assuming full force from Vader's strike. Her purple lightsaber glows.
"What-" Kanan's green eyes widen.
I manage to stop screaming.
"Larissa!" Jessie cries.
"I remember!" She yells back. "I remember everything!" She pushes Vader's saber away and engages him in a duel. Kanan crawls over to Jessie and I. "Are you alright?" He asks.
"Ezra was shot," Jessie says worriedly. I forgot about Kallus shooting me. "And Vader really got into his head."
"I'm okay," I say. I hug Kanan. "You almost died though!"
He hugs me back. "We need to get out of here."
Then, Jessie uses the Force to pull the Inquisitor's lightsaber to her. She activates one of the blades and cuts through my chains. I rub my ankles and wrists, finally free.
"Come on!" Kanan says. We stand up-and the Inquisitor blocks our path.
"Not so fast, Jedi." He pulls out his knife from under his cloak. The knife that he used last time he captured me. After Crystal's death and betrayal.
"Remember this, Padawan?" He waves the knife at me. Terror fills me. "Our last visit was so much fun."
Kanan steps in front of Jessie and I. "You aren't going anywhere near him. Or her."

I push Jessie behind me. "Ezra," she whispers. "What does he mean?"
I glance at her. "Last time the Empire captured me, the Inquisitor cut me up pretty bad. With his knife. He doesn't need a lightsaber."
Jessie gasps.

The Inquisitor uses the Force to throw Kanna out of the way. My Master hits a cell wall and slumps, unconscious.

Then the Inquisitor begins to walk towards Jessie and I, knife in hand.