"One dead, three captured. The twi lek pilot and the droid managed to escape our custody." an imperial officer reported to Grand Admiral Thrawn.
"Which of the other four members of the Ghost Crew was killed?" Thrawn asked picking up the two prices of art displayed on his desk.
"The Lasat, Garazeb."
Thrawn smiled. "That would mean that we have captured Jedi Knight Kanan Jarrus, his Padawan Ezra Bridger, and the young Mando artist Sabine Wren. Put them in one cell. I will handle their interrogations personally."
"Sir, you plan on interrogating them together?" The officer asked as if in shock.
"No, I only need to break one. Watching the other two suffer should be enough." the admiral's smooth voice said.
Thrawn followed by two darktroopers walked up to the door of the cell the three rebels were being held in.
"When I give the signal release both Jedi, but leave the young Mando in her bonds." Thrawn ordered before the cell doors opened. He entered in.
On the table in center of the room lay all their weapons and the controls to a probe droid. Both Ezra and Sabine were eyeing the table. Thrawn walked up to the table and picked up Kanan's lightsaber.
"The three of you are quite fascinating. You each have custom weapons that tell me more about you. These two lightsabers are the most intriguing though." he said examining the weapon.
"You're not going to get us to talk." Kanan says. "You'll have to kill us first."
"Oh Master Jedi, you misunderstand I don't need any of you to talk. I have all I need to know already."
"Then why are you still holding us?" Ezra asked in a dark tone.
"He wants to break us. To get us on his side." Sabine said struggling in her chains to get free.
"I need to break one of you. The second will follow." Thrawn said calmly.
"What about the third?" Ezra asked.
"Funny you should ask Padawan Bridger. You're weapon suggest that you are truly stronger than your master here. That you would be of more use. However, Jedi are not the easiest to break as they are trained to resist most methods. Considering the files on your master's capture a few years back and more recent information I have gathered you two are incredibly resistant. More than most Jedi before you." the criss explained as he approached the padawan still holding Kanan's lightsaber.
"So we're stronger than you think. Get to your point." Kanan hissed not liking where this was going.
"The Grand Inquisitor's records did provide one piece of useful information. A weakness of your master's." Thrawn said addressing Ezra. Kanan eyes widened under his mask as he realized what Thrawn was talking about.
"No! Please don't." The Jedi begged.
"Considering your strength Bridger it is a shame what I will have to do to break one of the two of you." Thrawn continued twisting the lightsaber in his hands.
"Please, kill me. Just don't touch him." Kanan begged as the criss continued.
"Kanan what is he planning on doing?" Sabine asked.
"You see miss Wren the best way to break a Jedi is to kill the person they are closest to. In most cases it would be either their master or padawan. However, it really does no good to kill the master when the padawan is this far along in training. It only makes them knights." Thrawn addressed Sabine. Sabine and Ezra's eyes both widened as Thrawn ignited the lightsaber. The blue blade going up between his two red eyes in between him and Ezra.
"You're going to kill me?" Ezra asked in more of a statement.
"In this case what better and more artistic way than to see how the master reacts for his padawan to die by his own blade and he is unable to do anything." Thrawn said stabbing Ezra in the chest.
"Ezra! No!" Kanan yelled as Ezra let out an agonizing scream.
Thrawn dropped the lightsaber and walked out the door.
"Release them" he ordered the troopers.
Kanan felt his bonds loosen. He sensed Ezra falling. The Jedi used the force to pull his padawan and both lightsabers to him. He hooked both lightsabers to his belt as he sat down pulling Ezra into his arms. A mixture of sorrow and shock came in waves from the silent Sabine not far away. She was still bound. All he could feel from Ezra was pain as his force signature faded.
"Kanan?" Ezra said between labored breaths.
"Shh, save your strength." Kanan replied as he reached up and took off his mask. He looked up at Sabine. "Sabine how bad is it?"
"How is he even still alive?" she asked still in shock.
"Sabine how bad?"
"It's too close to the heart Kanan. I don't think we can save him." she answered crying.
"No, Ezra we'll get you out of here and get you patched up. Just don't quit fighting." Kanan said. "I'm not giving up on you kid. I can't lose you."
"I'll try" Ezra breathed heavily.
"Do or do not, there is no try. Remember?" Kanan said placing his mask over Ezra's wound. He looked up at one of the troopers. "Can you please let her go? She's the only one that can help me save him. Please he's just a child? You can't let him die like this."
One of the troopers released Sabine and handed her a med kit.
"What good is this going to do? You see how bad it is too." she told the trooper. "You know there's no way to save him."
"Sabine, there's always a way." Kanan said.
"It would take a miracle Kanan."
"Kanan?" Ezra gasped.
"Shh Ezra just focus on staying alive. Focus on my force signature if you can." Kanan replied.
"I can't Kanan." Ezra said in almost a whisper. "She's right, it's too late."
"Ezra don't do this to me. You got to hang on buddy. Please for me?"
"I'm sorry Kanan. I tried."
"Just hold on a little longer bud." Kanan said in full tears. "Hera's on her way. Just hold on until she gets here. Sabine do something!"
"Like what. He's not even bleeding and there's nothing to close up the wound in here. Even if there was it's a direct blow to the heart. It's a miracle he's still alive." She said as she dug through the med kit.
"Kanan I'm sorry," Ezra rasped.
"You have nothing to be sorry for Ezra. You didn't do anything wrong. " Kanan replied.
"No," it came out even quieter if that was possible. "I'm can't stay"
Sabine looked up at Kanan with a pained look. She looked back down at Ezra and lost her battle with the tears in her eyes.
Kanan sighed. He really didn't want to say goodbye to his padawan, but he didn't have a choice. He couldn't protect him and now he was losing him.
"Ezra, I shouldn't have asked you to. You've been a great padawan. I couldn't have asked for a better one, but all things must come to an end." Kanan told him. "I wasn't sure about training you in the first place, but over the years you became like a son to me. I love you Ezra."
"I love you too Kanan." Ezra said as loud as he could muster. His eyes closed and Kanan sensed his force signature fade. Ezra Bridger had died in his master's arms.
"Bye Ezra, I'll miss you." Sabine said full on crying at this point.
Ezra might have blamed himself for Kanan being blind. In the same way Kanan blamed himself for his master's death. He realized now that neither was either of there faults. This was different though. Ezra might have been killed by Thrawn but it had been by Kanan's own lightsaber. Even if he didn't blame himself he didn't know if he could continue to wield the blade that took his son's life. It would always be his blade that took the life of his padawan. Kanan could never forget that.
The door opened but Kanan did not move.
"Can't you kriffing imperials give us one moment of privacy to say goodbye to a dying family member?" Sabine said jumping up and grabbing her blasters.
A series of beeps followed in reply and Kanan heard two thumps as Sabine's blasters hit the ground.
"Chopper?" She said. "I'm sorry I thought you were a stormtrooper."
Chopper rolled over to Kanan and Ezra. A few beeps.
"No he's not sleeping. He's gone." Kanan replied.
A sad beep was the droid's only response.
"Where's Hera?" Sabine asked the droid.
Chopper replied with a few beeps.
"Then let's get to the Ghost. Sabine help me get Ezra. I'm not leaving him here." Kanan ordered. Sabine grabbed the two remaining guns and then helped Kanan up as he carried Ezra.
Hera closed the ramp as as soon as Chopper gave the ok. She made the jump into hyperspace; then headed back to the living quarters of the ship. She looked around to find the remainder of her crew in Ezra and Zeb's cabin.
"What's going on? I at least expected to find you in the med bay of one of you was injured. Not in here." she asked.
"I wanted Ezra in his own bed until we land." Kanan answered sadly.
"What did they do to him?" she asked in a worried tone.
"Thrawn killed him right in front of us." Sabine said. Her tear filled gaze never left Ezra.
Hera ran up to the beds to find Ezra's body laying on the top bunk.
"I failed him Hera. He killed him with my lightsaber. I couldn't even protect my own student from dying by my blade." Kanan told her. He's voice was absent of any of its usual characteristics that she had come to love.
"We'll get through this love." Hera told him. "They'll learn not to mess with our family."
"I'm not sure how much more I can take dear." Kanan replied. "Padawans are supposed to out live their master's not the other way around. They killed him to hurt me. It should have been me." Kanan said. "There was nothing I could have done to save him. I still tried. He died in my arms. I can't even touch my own weapon."
"Then use his. That way he's still with you when you need it." Hera replied.
That's exactly what Kanan did.
