Through the Darkness (Book 2 of "Family of Rebels")

Chapter 18: Before the Storm

Kanan's POV

"I will not join your war." said Bendu, as he stared at the carnage above.

"What?" Sarah asked.

"Bendu, we need you." I added. "People are dying left and right. We need all the help we can get."

He looked down at us. "Do you know how long it has taken me to find a planet like this? Do you think I survived by getting into wars such as your own? I survived by staying low, letting the fools like yourself fight over something that was, and will never truly be, yours: the galaxy."

"Bendu," I spoke up, "believe both of us, we know the feeling of not wanting to go back into war. I came back into it because I saw people dying, suffering. I knew I had the power to do something about it. I couldn't just stand there and watch it burn down around me!"

"When you have the power to do something," Sarah added, "to do something good, you can't let it pass by. Take advantage of this chance... because it may never come back."

Bendu was silent. All he did was switch glances between us and the war above.

He finally responded, "I will not join your petty arguments."

"You'd rather hide." Sarah finished.

I mumbled to myself, "Coward."

Bendu slammed his fist directly in front of us, knocking Sarah to the ground; I stumbled and helped Sarah up. Bendu yelled, "I will not be called a coward by the likes of you, Kanan Jarrus!"

Dirt and dust started to spiral around Bendu. Lightening shot from all around it, and light began the glow. I had to shield my eyes from the light, but I was being destroyed by the dirt. Sarah put up a shield around us to block the dust.

Everything stopped.

It was dead silent except for the sand underneath spiders' feet.

"Bendu?" Sarah said.

"He's gone." I told her. "Come on, we need to get back to the base."

We ran to our speeders and started our trek back.

Sarah's POV

We started speeding off back to Chopper Base when Kanan's communicator turned on.

It was Hera.

"Kanan, we have just landed at Chopper Base. Where are you?"

Kanan responded, "Sarah and I are on our way back. We'll be there shortly."

Suddenly, I felt a disturbance in the Force. Something big.

The Empire.

Were they coming here?

I sensed for Kanan again. He was farther up than before, so I sped up. When I sensed him again, he was worried, too. "Did you felt it?" I asked.

"Yeah," he answered, "I did."

Just then, Hera came on both of our communicators. "The Empire is doing a ground-air attack! Get under cover!"

I sensed around us. There was nothing as far as my Force sight can see. "We'll have to dodge." Kanan said to me. I nodded.

A blaster hit right in front of my speeder. I swerved to the right. Man, the Empire is more accurate when they are not trying to shoot directly at us! I continued to swerve.

Out from the blasters, I heard a yell to my left. I sensed for Kanan, but he wasn't on the speeder.

He was in the air.