Freaks of the Force

The Tower

"I can't believe you're forcing me to come," I muttered, standing beside Kina as the ship hummed around us. She was busy strapping on a communicator, double and triple checking the bindings.

"You brought this on yourself," Thalia replied from my other side. She was wearing a special device on her wrist which would allow her to shock my new collar. Kina had a similar device attached below her communicator. Both of them were to be my escorts on the mission, to make sure I didn't try to run off.

"Deploy in two minutes," one of my winged cousins announced, repeating what our pilot had called. The cousin had dark brown hair and tan wings. I hadn't been told her name.

"Remember, we'll be dropping above the tower," Kina said. "Glide to the base and engage all stormtroopers guarding the door. After we have access, Ezra will lead us inside and we'll plant the explosives. Jump from the balcony, fly back to the ship, and go home."

"Drop point reached!" our pilot called back to us. "Now or never!"

The ship doors opened and we jumped into open air.

I unfurled my wings, jerking in the air as a wall of wind slammed into me. The broadcasting tower was nearby, closer to the settlement than the one the Rebels and I had attacked. Thalia, Kina, and the other girl spiraled down to the tower's base with open wings. I debated trying to escape, but it didn't seem possible. Instead I followed close behind. At least we were still fighting the Empire.

---

Kanan strolled down the settlement streets, taking care to keep his hood low. Zeb was at his side, and he knew Sabine was nearby as well.

"Any sign of the stormtroopers?" Zeb rumbled, eyes downcast.

"Not yet," Kanan answered. "But Hera saw the ship land, so they can't be far."

He raised his eyes, searching the sky for the familiar form of the Ghost even though he was sure it wouldn't be there. A shuttle was passing by above the broadcasting tower, closer than most shuttles did.

As Kanan watched, four forms dropped out of the shuttle. The first unfurled tan wings, gliding down to the base of the tower. The other two were close behind, one with white wings and the other with gray wings. After a moment, the forth form unfurled it's own wings. Black wings.

"Zeb, look!" Kanan hissed, grabbing Zeb's arm and pointed upwards. They watched until the winged people had vanished from sight.

"There are others?" Zeb asked.

"And that one had black wings," Kanan added.

"You don't think that was Ezra, do you?"

An alarm began screaming from the direction of the tower. Kanan's grip tightened.

"I think it was," he said. He raised his communicator. "Change of plans. Zeb and I are going to the broadcasting tower."

"Bad idea," Hera's voice cackled back. "Something's going on over there. Some sort of attack. Going would only attract attention."

"I think one of them is Ezra," Kanan replied. He and Zeb charged towards the tower, hardly daring to hope that it really was Ezra. Hardly daring to hope that somehow he had survived.

When they reached the base of the tower it was a battleground. Stormtroopers littered the ground, all passed out. It didn't seem like any of them had been harmed in any way. The elevator at the base of the tower was open, with four people standing inside. Three were girls with wings and the fourth was Ezra, black wings folded behind him.

"Ezra!" Kanan shouted. Ezra turned, eyes widening. He took a step towards them but one of the girls pressed something on her wrist. Ezra jerked, hands twitching. He turned on the girl who had shocked him.

"Cut it out, Thalia!" Kanan heard Ezra shout. "They're my family too!"

"We're not done with you yet," the girl responded, grabbing Ezra's arm and dragging him back into the elevator. She jerked her head at one of the other girls. "Steph, stop them and get back to the ship. But for heaven sakes, don't kill them."

The girl with brown hair and tan wings exited the elevator, which closed and began to ascend.

"Who are you, and what are you doing with Ezra?" Zeb demanded, unslinging his bo-rifle and advancing. Kanan followed close behind, keeping his weapon deactivated.

"We're his cousins, and we need him more than you do," the girl, Steph, replied. She had a wary hand on one of her twin blasters.

"You're his cousins?" Kanan asked, placing a warning hand on Zeb's shoulder.

"That's right," the girl replied.

"Then why are you holding him against his will?" Zeb growled. There was the sound of heavy fire and an explosion ripped apart the platform. When Kanan regained his senses, he was kneeling on the ground. The winged girl had her blasters out, firing at a battalion of stormtroopers. Zeb helped Kanan stand.

"You need to get out of here," Kanan shouted to the girl.

"No, we need to get to the others," Steph replied, flapping her wings and holding out her hand. "Grab hold or get scarce!"

"Are we going to trust her?" Zeb asked.

"Unless you've got a better plan," Kanan answered, grabbing the girls hand. As they took to the sky, Zeb began climbing the tower by hand. Closer to Ezra and his cousins, farther from the stormtroopers below.