Finding The Unknown: A Star Wars Rebels Fanfic

Chapter 2: Part 3

Kanan pulled out his com unit.

"Spectre 1 to Spectre 2! Meet us at the rendezvous point!"

"Negative Spectre 1." Hera's voice rang. "The streets are blocked. I cannot. Repeat cannot make rendezvous point."

Ezra stopped running. "I know a place we can hold up until thing calm down. But Shoulders here," he gestured to Zeb, "may have trouble taking my route."

"Then we need another option." I hastily said, then internally cursed at myself for still shaking uncontrollably.

I couldn't get him out of my head, and it was beggining to affect my usually great quick thinking.

Zeb sighed. "It's fine." He then pulled out his com. "Spectre 2 can you make it to the old market?"

"Affirmative."

"I'm on my way."

I then watched in awe as Zeb began scaling the building with amazing speed.

"Get back to the Ghost!" Kanan shouted up at him.

Ezra took my hand and pulled me forward. "Follow me!" We then took off down the alleyway.

Ezra's thoughts then invaded my own.

Are you okay?

I'll be fine. It's just... You know.

Ezra then looked back at me and squeezed my hand tighter as we plowed through the dark.

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We finally stopped running when we came across an abandoned building. It was old and slowly deteriorating, but I could tell this was... A home.

"That's an Imperial symbol declaring this building off limits." Sabine noted. "What is this place?"

I looked at Ezra for an answer, but his emotions flooded me. There was anger, worry, but mostly, just grievance.

Immediately I understood what this was.

"Ezra this is...is this?" I tried to ask, but the words just didn't follow.

Ezra didn't turn around but instead pulled out a key card and inserted it into the door slot, opening the door halfway.

Kanan then caught on. "This was your home wasn't it? Where you grew up?"

"I grew up on the streets, alone." Ezra sharply replied and shoved the door open walking inside.

Quickly I followed. The interior of the home was exactly as you expect, but everything slowly rotting away. I walked up behind Ezra and placed a hand on his shoulder. "But why here? Why now?"

Ezra looked to me in sadness but then shrugged it off. Gently he pulled away from me and walked over to a table near the living room.

"I had this feeling..."

He moved the table aside, revealing a large hole underneath.

Ezra looked down into the hole and gasped. Curiosity got the best of me and I knelt beside him, looking down.

At the bottom of the hole was a yellow figure in a grey jumpsuit, wearing an interesting grey headband.

"Zeebo!" Ezra called down to the creature. "Zeebo it's me! Ezra Bridger?"

The creature looked up and I immediately recognized it. This was the Rodian the empire was looking for.

The Rodian stood and scamper up the ladder, up and out of the hole and stood up next to Ezra.

I remained on my knees, and tried to think to Ezra.

Who is this?

The Rodian jolted and then walked blindly past Erza, jabbering on and on in an unknown language.

He continued walking until he slammed into the wall on the opposite side of the room.

Ezra's thoughts then replied, no one important.

"That's the Rodian the Imperials are hunting. You know him?" Kanan asked.

"Names Zeebo. He was a friend of my parents." Ezra sat next to me on the ground. "But somethings wrong... What's that thing on his head?"

"The Empires been known to implant lower level technicians with cybernetic circuits." Sabine began rattling off.

"English Sabine?" I was completely lost.

Sabine playfully rolled her eyes and turned back to Zeebo, continuing to play with his headgear.

"Their minds were basically replaced by computers. Personalities sacrificed for the sake of productivity."

Zeebo then suddenly turned to Sabine with his finger pointed in the air. "Zeebo's productivity is 19% higher than average Imperial data workers."

I could feel Ezra's Andre surge through me. "Zeebo went to work for the Imperial Information Office after the Empire took my parents away."

I looked at Ezra in surprise. "You never told me that..."

"What's to tell?" He asked bitterly. "They've been gone for 8 years, I've been on my own since I was 7..."

I could feel everyone sympathy and sadness for Ezra, but Ezra was cutting off now... I couldn't feel anything.

Zeebo began muttering again.

"What's he saying Sabine?" Kanan asked.

Sabine's eyes lit up. "He's detailing Imperial Fighter deployments in Lothal!"

"That's it!" Kanan began to get excited too. "Zeebo has Intel the Empire doesn't want getting out! Sabine can you access it?"

Sabine put a hand to her chin. "I think so... I just may need a few minutes." She then steadied the wavering Rodian and began typing into his circuits.

Kanan turned to Ezra. "Ezra, are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Ezra simply said and then climbed down into the hole Zeebo came out of.

"I told you... Sometimes you have to let your guard down..." Kanan said quietly.

"I said I'm fine." Ezra's words sounded faded from the bottom of the hideout.

"Ezra Bridger." Zeebo suddenly said. "Son of Evra and Nera Bridger. Born 15 years ago today."

I covered my mouth with my hand. "Oh my god... Empire Day... Is Ezra's Birthday...."

I scooted over the the edge of the hole and looked down. It was dark but I could hear him shuffling about.

I inhaled and closed my eyes, trying to connect with him, but I got nothing.

Oh Ezra... Why didn't you say anything?