Revenge Leads to Pain

Twisted Design

Ezra pressed forward through the snow, relying on his instincts and the force to guide him back to the shelter. His arms were full of twigs and other sticks which he had found.

Ezra knew Kanan was off somewhere hunting for food. He had been working constantly to keep them both alive. It was hard to believe that only yesterday they had been dropped onto this frozen wasteland.

Ezra heard a faint garbled sound behind him, but he didn't bother turning around. He already knew what the source was. It was a small probe droid. It had been tailing Ezra ever since he had left to find wood. At first he had tried destroying it, but it had evaded all of the attacks that Ezra attempted. Then he had tried to lose it in the whiteness, but it must have had a heat sensor because it was always there, just within sight.

Ezra reached the building he and Kanan were temporarily calling home. It was empty. Kanan must have still been out hunting. Ezra left the wood inside before going back out and glancing around. The probe droid was still there, although it made no aggressive movements.

Ezra sensed something coming towards the shelter. He looked in that direction, searching for the source. Perhaps it was Kanan, back from his hunting.

Or maybe it was a Trandoshan hunter.

Ezra wished desperately that he had his lightsaber. Or his energy slingshot. Or a blaster. Or even a pointy stick. Unfortunately, he had nothing.

The creature finally came within sight. It was large and walked on two legs. It had purple fur and yellow eyes. In its hands was a borifle.

"Zeb?" Ezra called hesitantly. The Lasat came closer and Ezra sighed in relief. "It is you! Have you seen the others? Are they ok?"

Zeb looked down and shook his head. Ezra's heart sank. He couldn't believe it. The others would be ok. They had to be.

"Come inside, out of the cold," Ezra said. "Kanan should be back with some food."

Zeb patted Ezra on the shoulder before entering the shelter. Ezra glared at the probe droid.

"Your plan isn't going to work," Ezra told the Trandoshans who were sure to be watching. "We're all going to escape. When we do you'll be sorry."

The probe droid only continued to report in its garbled language. Ezra shook his head in disgust and entered the shelter. Maybe when Kanan returned he would know how to get rid of it. He had more experience with that kind of thing.

Ezra opened the door of the shelter and glanced around, looking for Zeb. He couldn't see the Lasat. How could someone that big have vanished?

Ezra turned just in time to see a blur rushing towards his head. He twisted away and the fist missed his head, colliding painfully with his shoulder. The force of the blow sent Ezra stumbling away. His shoulder throbbed painfully. It would be sure to bruise. Ezra held his injured shoulder as he faced his attacker. Zeb was readying himself for another strike.

"What are you doing?" Ezra demanded. "It's me Zeb!"

Zeb didn't reply. He launched himself forward, swinging his fist again. Ezra ducked and backed away. He wasn't sure what was wrong, but he couldn't attack Zeb. Zeb was practically family. Somehow the stress from being trapped in the wilderness must have made his mind snap.

Zeb punched again and Ezra narrowly dodged it. He had never been able to take on Zeb in a straight up fight. Zeb had too much raw strength. Ezra wouldn't be able to evade him forever.

"Zeb, it's me! I'm not your enemy!" Ezra pleaded. Zeb rushed forward and grabbed Ezra. Twisting, he threw him with all of his strength. Ezra collided roughly with the wall and slumped to the floor. He felt a momentary explosion of pain before everything dissolved into darkness.

Back onboard the hunting platform, two Trandoshans were having a heated debate.

"We must bring the Lasat back!" hissed one. "The Twisted Design will not last long enough for him to retrieve the boy!"

"I want to kill him myself," growled the other. "The Lasat will not be the one to end his life."

"Then we must call the Lasat back and leave the padawan for another day. A day when you can get your own claws dirty," the first suggested.

"All of this sneaky revenge is not the Trandoshan way," the second muttered. "We should just finish them now!"

"We have our orders. The Lasat will return alone."

The first Trandoshan pressed a button on his communicator.

"Return to the hunting platform," he instructed. Back on the moon's surface, Zeb received his instructions and left the shelter with Ezra inside it.

"We really should make it so that we can make the test subject say what we want them to say," the first Trandoshan said thoughtfully.

"The mind is fragile enough as it is," the second one pointed out. "We were lucky the Lasat survived. He may not survive a second attempt. As for me, I hope that the Twi'lek is sent next."