Visions

Fourteen: The Choice

"Sabine," Zeb argued, following closely behind the girl. "This is crazy talk! You can't go after him!"
Sabine ignored the burly Lasat, half running to the Phantom and sitting down, prepping it for take off. Zeb took her arm, trying to turn her towards him, but she brushed him off, desperation filling her.
"Sabine!" Kanan came up and entered the small ship, Hera close behind him.
"There's nothing we can do about it. He's probably absolutely fine and--"
Sabine cut him off. "You can't just expect me to ignore the fact that we lost his signal! That's Mandalorian tech! It's not just going to malfunction for no reason. So get out of the ship, or strap yourselves in, 'cause I'm going after him."
Kanan growled in frustration, and Hera shook her head, before letting her shoulders slump. "Zeb?"
"She can't! Especially not alone! Ezra will be fine, he's probably just...out of range." He looked around at Kanan and Hera for support.
"It does make sense, Sabine."
Sabine turned to Hera, surprised. "You were the one in the beginning who made the decision to rescue him when we first met him! How is this--"
"Because he's grown up now, Sabine," Kanan answered. "He's capable, and he knows what to do."
Sabine slumped. "But we have to!" Even to her own ears, her voice sounded broken and faltering.
Kanan put his hand on her shoulder. "Don't you trust him?"
"Of course I trust him! No one more..."
Kanan smiled slightly.
"Then trust he'll succeed."
~//~
Ezra stepped backwards, keeping a wary eye on the woman before him, but she advanced as well. "Do you not want your parents back?" Her pleading, sincere voice somehow made his thoughts muddled, confused. "Do you not want the Empire to be no more? This ability is in your grasp, Ezra Bridger. You can make this choice, and save yourself and all your friends a world of pain."
Ezra didn't realize he had stopped, until the woman touched his arm, her earnest blue eyes staring deep within his own. "You wish for the ability to save your parents, here you posses it!"
Ezra closed his eyes, trying to focus on...something. He didn't know. He couldn't think. All he knew was the intense want--no, need to agree with this woman. But he also felt that it could not be right.
"All is...as the Force...wills it," he forced out, and opened his eyes. The woman's features changed. Anger filled here eyes.
"Foolish boy! This is your opportunity to change destiny itself! You have the power in your grasp!"
Ezra frowned, his mind clearing slightly, just enough to think. "'Those who have power...should restrain themselves from using it.'"he quoted.
The woman fairly snarled. "I know the Proverbs! But 'Our actions define our legacy'!"
Ezra closed his eyes, and quoted one more Proverb. "'Victory without honour is hollow.'"
He was aware of the woman disappearing, then he fell to the floor of the stolen Imperial ship, and knew no more.
~//~
Sabine sat at the Dejarik table, head in her hands as she imagined what may have happened.
Pirates, seeing the small shuttle as fair game, and attacking the ship.
The Empire, recognizing the ship and taking him captive.
Sabine's hands clenched at the thought of Ezra in the hands of Thrawn. The devious Chiss always filled her with dread, but the idea of Ezra undergoing torture by the humanoid's hand...
Suddenly Arene burst through the door to the cockpit, and Sabine shot to her feet, looking at the younger girl with expectation. The Twi'lek didn't disappoint.
The large grin on her face told Sabine everything she wanted to know, but she still needed to hear the words.
"We have the signal again!"
Sabine dashed through the doorway, and Arene followed close behind, both girls with huge smiles on their faces.
Those smiles quickly faded, however, as they heard the worried tone of Hera as she repeatedly tried to contact the vessel.
"Spectre Six. Come in. This is Ghost. Come in Spectre Six! Ezra!"
Sabine looked around, dread pooling in her stomach. Kanan sat silently, not moving, probably trying to locate Ezra. Chopper stood behind the copilot's chair, whirring in obvious sadness. Zeb sat one seat behind Hera, head down, ears drooping.
In a second, Sabine was over at the controls, pushing Hera out of the way.
"Ezra? Ezra are you there? It's Sabine!"
~//~
Ezra was in that place, where your mostly asleep, but you can hear sounds and slightly understand what they meant.
Sabine's voice cut through his dreamless sleep, saying something about coming in. Coming into where?
Ezra figured he should probably wake up and answer her, so he pushed himself to a sitting position, and tried to roll of his bunk.
Except that his bunk didn't seem to end. He rubbed his eyes and looked around. This was definitely not his cabin on the Ghost. But then, where was he?
Just then, the memories came back. The vision, the choice, and the woman who offered it. Who was she? And why was he lying on the floor?
He swiped his arm across his eyes, then realized their was a voice coming from the controls. It was Sabine.
"Ezra, please! Answer!" It sounded like she was crying, and he quickly stood up, steadying himself quickly when he started to fall back down, and rushed to the console. He pressed the button.
"I'm here! I'm here! What's going on?"
A short pause followed, then Sabines voice exploded back at him.
"Ezra? I'm going to kill you for scaring me like that! Where were you?"
Ezra grinned. "Why? You miss me?"
Sabine huffed across the channel. "Of course not! It's just that you have valuable information that can't fall into the Empire's hands."
Ezra heard a few muffled chuckles in the background, and his grin widened even more. "Uh-huh. That's why you're crying."
"I don't want to die!"
Ezra chuckled. "Alright then. How's Arene doing?"
"She's doing okay. At least, now that you finally answered. Arene, come here!"
Arene's voice came over the com. "We are all very glad you are safe, Ezra. We were very frightened for your safety when your signal was lost."
Ezra frowned in confusion. "You lost my signal?"
Kanan answered. "Yeah, it was like, you just...were gone. And then, about an hour later, you reappeared."
Ezra remembered his vision. He had the chance to change his destiny, and the destinies of his friends. In that time, he had assumed he was in a different place mentally. Maybe he hadn't been. Maybe he just...wasn't. As in, he didn't exist for that time.
"Ezra? Hello?"
"Uh, sorry. Kanan, I...uh...do you remember anyone with a patterned tattoo on her chin?"
There was a long pause. "Ezra, do you mean Master Luminara Unduli?"
Ezra could have smacked himself. "Of course! Master Unduli!"
"Ezra? What is it?"
"Uh...nothing, I just...had this tickling in my mind, and was wondering. Sorry."
By the pause, Ezra could tell that Kanan didn't buy it, but he felt he needed to tell his master in private.
"Anyway, I gotta go. I'll see you all soon."
After goodbyes, Ezra slumped down in the chair, running his hands over his face. The vision had come at the worst time possible, when he needed to focus on his mission.
He closed his eyes, and went over the plan again in his mind.

Most powerful is he who controls his own power.
~Jedi Proverb