A Light in the Darkness (Star Wars Rebels)

Flight

"I'm going back to Coruscant," Evelyn declared one morning. Jared and Ezra both stared at her in shock.

"What?" Ezra asked.

"You can't do that!" Jared told her.

"The Liberty Movement needs me," Evelyn said. "I have to finish my aunt's work."

"That's a really bad idea," Jared said.

"How am I supposed to watch out for you there?" Ezra asked.

"You can go back to your family. Leave Switch with the Chancellor. He'll find Switch's aunt," Evelyn suggested.

"Someone's trying to kill you, and I want to find out who!" Ezra declared.

"Mandalor needs you!" Jared pressed. "Your aunt needs you! She's dying, can't you see that?"

"Her final wishes were that the Liberty Movement succeeded," Evelyn told him. "I can't do that unless I'm on Coruscant."

Ezra glanced around the council room, desperately trying to think of some way to make Evelyn stay. The council room was empty besides the three of them and Switch, who was holding Evelyn's hand and watching them with keen interest. Seeing Switch only reminded Ezra of Conner, who had died in Coruscant.

"You can't go," Jared said. "I've worked too hard for you to throw it all away."

"I'll be fine. The Senate Building is the most secure place for me to be," Evelyn told him. Jared drew his blaster and pointed it at Evelyn. Ezra quickly placed himself between Evelyn and Jared, pointing his lightsaber at Jared. It was on blaster setting.

"What are you doing?" Ezra demanded.

"What I came here to do. What I've been trying to do ever since I poisoned the original Duchess," Jared growled.

"You poisoned my aunt?" Evelyn asked.

"Of course I did," Jared told her.

"Why?" Evelyn asked.

"The Empire doesn't appreciate your little liberty movement," Jared explained. "Several of your key leaders had false evidence planted against them, which got them arrested and out of the picture. I poisoned your aunt, who was the leader of it all. The movement should have ended there, but it didn't. My employer hadn't anticipated you, a heir. I was sent to see what your views on the liberty movement were. You planned to continue with them. So I had to end you. When Ezra showed up, I discovered that he was a well known rebel from Lothal, I wondered if he would help me kill Evelyn. Surely a rebel insurgent wouldn't mind helping remove a young Duchess if it meant ruling the planet in her stead. But to my disappointment you weren't interested."

"You're about to experience a lot more disappointment," Ezra told him.

"Are you sure you don't want to help me kill her?" Jared asked. "You could become the Duke of all Mandalor. The Empire doesn't care who rules, as long as they don't support the Liberty Movement."

"Not interested," Ezra said.

Jared fired his blaster and Ezra pulled Evelyn and Switch aside. Evelyn picked up Switch and the three of them ran across the room, heading for the door to the courtyard. To Ezra's surprise, the blaster didn't shoot a bolt of energy. It shot a small gray metallic object that was shaped like a claw.

"You can't run forever!" Jared called, firing again. It barely missed. "Mandalor is swarming with assassins! The Empire has limitless resources!"

Ezra shot the glass door with his lightsaber, but it held firm. When he reached it he pulled it open and pushed Evelyn through. Jared shot again, but the metallic object clinked harmlessly off of the door frame.

"There's a shuttle this way!" Evelyn told him, running across the courtyard. Ezra followed. Behind him, he heard Jared give chase.

Evelyn reached a concealed shuttle. She opened the hatch and darted inside to begin the launch sequence.

"Take off!" Ezra shouted, jumping inside. He pressed the button which would close the hatch. Jared fired one final time and Ezra felt a sharp sting on his arm. Then the hatch was closed and the shuttle had lifted off.

Ezra examined his arm. A small metallic claw had pierced it. That must have been what Jared was shooting. The claw wasn't bigger than Ezra's thumb. Although the spines had pierced his skin, there didn't appear to be any lasting damage. Ezra could feel no ill effects. The dart must have malfunctioned, her perhaps it was only fatal if it hit the neck.

"We'll land on Mandalor's moon," Evelyn said. "We'll be safe there."

"Shouldn't we get the rest of the rebels?" Ezra asked, moving so that he was standing beside her.

"We would only endanger them and Mandalor itself. We'll be safe on Mandalor's moon, trust me," Evelyn said.

"You trusted Jared, and that didn't work out very well," Ezra pointed out.

"I knew about him the whole time. I just didn't realize he was sent by the Empire, or that he poisoned my aunt," Evelyn admitted. She took a deep breath, attempting to disguise how shaky her voice was. "If it makes you feel any better we can ask the rebels for help."

"I'll contact them as soon as we land," Ezra promised.