Road From Ruin: Star Wars Rebels

Chapter 12: Ghosts Of The Past

Azulia's P.O.V

Darkness swarmed me.  It encircled me, gripping at me and trying to drag me back into unconsciousness as I slowly made my way back to the land of the living.  Cracking my eyelids open, I registered thick smoke winding and twisting through the air in the shuttle.

The others, I thought as my stomach knotted in worry. 

I could hear the dull thud of my heart in my ears and my vision drifted between clear and hazy.  When I tried to move my legs, they were stuck fast.  The small crackle of fire splintered the dead air and I then registered the others.  Sabine and Zeb looked fine, just unconscious, but I couldn't see Kanan, Hera or... wait, where was Ezra?  He was right next to me before.  Then, my mind put together a possibility that made my heart crawl to my throat.  Slowly turning towards the large sheet of metal that had fallen from the ceiling and onto my legs I spotted him trapped under the other end of it.

"No..." I said softly and suddenly all the arguments that we'd had evaporated.  The pent up malice that I'd held against him released from my chest like a weight being lifted off and I was solely focused on getting this slab of metal off of the both of us.  Grabbing the edge quickly, I heaved the heavy sheet up, groaning with effort.  Whilst trying to move one hand to get a better grip, it nearly fell back on top of us, but luckily, I caught it just before it did and gave it one last shove.  It toppled to the side and I scrambled from where I lay. 

I crawled over to him and slapped his face lightly as embers rained down from the ceiling.  "C'mon Ezra, wake up.  You've gotta wake up Alderaan, we've gotta move." I grew more desperate with my pleas as he still didn't move.  Fumbling, my fingers found their way to his wrist and pressed against his pulse.  I couldn't feel one.  Unwillingly, my eyes glazed over with moisture.  No.  I would not cry.  Not now.  However, my emotions refused to obey my mind as one slipped down my cheek.  I looked up helplessly at Sabine and Zeb who also showed no signs of moving.

"Ezra..." I choked out between gasps of tears that had now begun to run freely.  "I'm- I'm sorry- Please, I never meant any- any of what- what I sai- I sai..." I broke off as despair overwhelmed me, pulling me into sorrow.  Clutching his orange jumpsuit, I sobbed onto his chest, my breath catching and uneven.  All the time that we'd argued... all the time that I could have had laughing... gone.  Forever.  And once again, it was my fault.  I yelled at the ceiling before resting my head on his unmoving chest and shutting my eyes to try and stop the flow of tears, but they didn't. 

"Force almighty... she's human." A voice said weakly.  I caught my breath and looked up to see Bridger smirking at me.  A rush of emotions raced through me briefly: confusion, anger, realisation and finally joy.  I laughed/cried simultaneously as I rested my forehead back against his chest in relief.

"You- you jerk." I managed to say which was met with chuckles from Ezra.

"What?  That's how you greet a friend?  I could easily knock myself out again." He said, pushing himself up.

"Don't you even think about it Alderaan." I threatened before hugging him.  He stiffened at first, surprised by my sudden affection but almost instantly relaxed before hugging me back.  I breathed in deeply in an attempt to stop crying and this time, it worked to a degree.  Ezra rubbed small circles on my back as I slowly calmed down from the shock of thinking that my once again best friend was dead.  "You're an idiot, you know that right?" I muttered over his shoulder.

"I know."

Pulling away, we quickly set about getting Zeb and Sabine out of the ship.  As we exited the gaping hole that had been torn in the back of the charred and burnt spacecraft, I swallowed as I saw a three metre deep trench cut into the dirt of Kessle from where the ship had crashed and skidded.  Well, more burrowed than skidded.  The front was completely submerged in earth.  The dirt around us was a strange orange-brown colour - due to the planet's geology - and the sky was a pale blue, indicating that it was early morning.  Sweeping hills formed the landscape around us and a few plants and trees sprang up from the ground.