Star Wars Rebels - Gleam of Hope (English Version)

HOPE

The initial fright was quickly overcome, but it didn't just disappear, but was replaced by another feeling: a hole of emptiness and darkness seemed to devour Drisae's heart, like a mantle of grief, anger, and hatred that settled coldly around her shoulders.
Quickly she turned her back to the woman.
"You're wrong!", she said with a harsh voice. It sounded empty and lost, even in her own ears.
Drisae knew who this woman was. She was back then a neighbor of Salya, a friend of the Antana family. If the girl's parents had gone shopping or had to take care of other things, that woman had often looked out for the little girl.
"But I am sure! Honey, look! That's Salya, isn't it? ", the older woman now turned to her husband, who had been interested in looking at goods until now. They both still looked very much the same as in the past, only their hair had become even grayer.
"Yes!", the man said in amazement and Drisae could feel his eyes on her.
I'm not Salya!, she shouted in her head, which answered with pain.
Salya was dead, she didn't exist anymore. One day the Grand Inquisitor had invaded her house along with a horde of stormtroopers. Her parents had resisted, but it hadn't chanced anything. Her father had been murdered on the spot, her mother suffered the same fate during the interrogation.
That was six years ago ...
Six years ago they took little Salya and trained her to become an inquisitor, later a sith even. The little girl had only wanted peace, nothing but peace.

"Peace is a lie, there is only passion.
Through passion, I gain strength.
Through strength, I gain power.
Through power, I gain victory.
Through victory, my chains are broken. "

Little Salya had many weaknesses, she could never have survived in this galaxy. Certainly not at her age! She had never had a chance.
So she had been killed, eliminated, destroyed, broken, until nothing was left of her.
There was no turning back for her. She was gone, irrevocably gone.
And it was better that way.
Drisae was shocked to feel tears welling in her eyes before rolling down her pale cheek to her chin, where they bravely plunged to the ground.
The older farmer couple was just trying to push through the crowd of people to get to her.
"No! I said you're wrong!", Drisae yelled loudly without turning back to them.
She quickly disappeared into the crowd, seeking a detour. She didn't want to meet anyone on these streets anymore!
This trip should end! It should never have started to begin with!
Without thinking, Drisae ran into one of the many side streets. It was actually dangerous there, because here lived those who didn't want to be found, just like her. Only these persons were mostly cutthroats and crooks.
Despite this knowledge Drisae wasn't afraid. She was a sith and if someone just gave her as much as a false look, that person wouldn't even get the opportunity to regret it before she had struck them with her lightsaber!
Now she headed for the largest building in the city. The empire was residing there, from where all decisions about this planet were accepted and implemented. They determined everything: trade, wages, jobs, prisoners, even executions!
Careful and unseen, Drisae slipped past a few stormtroopers, right up to the ventilation system and climbed inside. It only took about three minutes, then she was back in her quarters. Her face looked empty.
Just as she closed the vent behind her, there was a knock on the door.
"Didn't I say I don't want to be disturbed by anyone!?", she exclaimed angrily.
From the other side came no answer. These officers couldn't even save their dignitiy! They were all incompetent and should be relieved from their job, or even their life!
With clenched teeth Drisae sat cross-legged on her bed and glared at the door.
Two persons entered. A woman and a man.
The woman was a mirialan and had greenish skin. Drisae didn't know her name or knew if she had one at all. In general, she was only called the seventh sister.
She was known for her psycho-tricks and as if that wasn't enough, she also had a bunch of little annoying helper droids that were at least as dangerous. She was a skilled tactician.
The man next to her had a green-yellow skin, and was truly a giant. However, which race he belonged to exceeded Drisaes knowledge. If she wasn't completely mistaken, he was the
fifth brother and especially known for his aggressive swordplay.
Both wore black helmets and the unmistakable lightsabers of the inquisitors on their belts. For whatever reason they couldn't just use a common lightsaber. Drisae thought of that as pretty silly!
"Ah yes, you!", Seven exclaimed. Drisae clenched her fists. She would have liked to miss out on a reunion.
"Well, you need our help, we were told", Seven sneered, even eliciting a grin from Five.
Through the polished floor, Drisae could see that her eyes were yellow. As bright as if a fire had been kindled in them. A fire of anger and hatred!
Roughly she glared at the two. They hadn't chosen this job, it had been an order and yet they enjoyed degrading it. But the mere sound of their voices drove Drisae to madness!
"You are wrong. You should just finally get at least a small part of the fame. Would be a pity if you would never enjoy it", she retorted sharply.
Drisae could feel the anger boiling in them. They didn't even try to hide it! It didn't surprise her. After all, they were still low inquisitors, while a young girl in front of them was the apprentice of Darth Vader himself! They were jealous. Very jealous.
"You don't believe that yourself! If you would excel us, we would hardly have been instructed to teach you", Seven interjected, with a confident grin.
"It may be that you have more experience in battles than I have and are better at handling two blades. But I am still Darth Vader's apprentice and not YOU! That must mean something and I will be so kind as to tell you: Because I am much more powerful than you will ever be! ", Drisae informed them both with a malicious smile.
Seven looked as though she was about to throw herself on her and chop off her head, but then Drisae raised her voice again: "What means, if you only lay one finger on me, my master will not be very pleased! And after that it won't matter to him what I do to you! "
Seven froze in the middle of her movement. They looked at each other as if they were all just waiting for a secret sign to kill each other.
It lasted for a heartbeat.
"Well, then let's start tormenting you - teaching you, of course I mean!" Five threw in a triumphant smile, though he had not won this word fight. Drisae only rolled her eyes. Very funny.
What was her master thinking by choosing these two inquisitors to teach her? They were really just in for a fight!
It hit her like a shock! He knew how much she despised these inquisitors and that was exactly his intention behind it! He wanted to feed her hatred!
That would definitely work ... but if she liked it, Drisae wasn't so sure.
"Well, since I have to recover from your ugly faces, let's start tomorrow", she said calmly, "And until then I don't want to see any of you unless it's an absolute emergency!"
The two finally left the room and her alone! To calm her emotional storm, Drisae dedicated a moment of meditation, but it wasn't long before it knocked on her door again!
She made a fierce sound that made the gray-bearer anxious to enter. "I .... I'm sorry, my lady, but Agent Callus has finally arrived and wants to talk to you in the conference room!"
He shivered and his voice sounded like a helpless squeal.
Finally the agent had arrived! It was about time!
Drisae rose without another word and marched to the conference room.
~
At the rebels:
"We absolutely need fuel for the fleet", Commander Tano noted by hologram. The problem wasn't new, but it was really urgent! The few fuel that was left to them would probably last only a few standards and once it was used up, it would be even harder get some new!
Of course, the Ghostcrew was also affected by the problem.
"Maybe we could sneak into the empire and 'borrow' some information from them about where to get some ...", Ezra suggested.
"Hmm ... they have built a new communications tower on Lothal. Certainly they get all sorts of information in their facility. But we would have to go straight to the center of the empire! That's way too dangerous!", Kanan mused. He knew they would be lost without this fuel, but marching right into the heart of the empire didn't really sound like a plan.
"Kanan is right. It is too dangerous. We didn't gain anything if you were captured", Ahsoka agreed.
"With a good distraction, it would be much less dangerous. I could easily make some explosive distractions, so Ezra has the control room all to himself!", Sabine interjected. That should be the smallest problem!
"And I could try to distract them with the Ghost", Hera added.
"Yeah, they hate this ship ...", Kanan muttered, even though he was still not quite comfortable with it.
"Well I'm in! Humbling a couple of bucket heads is always a good occupation", interfered Zeb.
"That sounds great! In the meantime, I sneak in through the ventilation shafts, get the information we need and be out again before they even notice anything!", Ezra finished the planning expectantly.
All eyes went to Kanan. He sighed. "It's still risky, but ... hey, we've done crazier things!", he said defeated, "Then let's get started!"
~
At the Empire:
Lying in bed, Drisae reread all information available to her:
The rebel cell on Lothal was quite small, but very strong. Their leader was a jedi, their only information about him was that his name was Kanan Jarrus and he had a padawan. He was also a smuggler who, in addition to his lightsaber, is also extremely good with handling a blaster.
Drisae didn't know why, but suddenly she would like to know how this man escaped Order 66, where all jedi should have died. Surely he had been through a lot ...
Then there was the pilot: Hera Syndulla. A green twi'lek and apparently very good at what she did. Although her father, Cham Syndulla, has nothing to do with this rebel cell, he was also on the list of those who greatly annoyed the empire with their resistance.
They were furthermore accompanied by Sabine Wren, who was often called "the artist". She had gone to the Imperial Academy for several years, having been considered one of the best for her gift for language, but eventually she had left the academy and joined the rebels instead.
From what Drisae had read about her, she assumed that one of the reasons for her leaving was the suppression of her artistic ability. After all, Drisae knew these academies too well and  what was going on there.
Besides, the file warned that Wren knew how to deal with explosive devices.
However, she found it particularly interesting that they were accompanied by a lasat, which were as good as extinct nowadays! His name was Garazeb Orrelios, but he was just called "Zeb". As usual with his species, he was very tall, was a combat rider and used to be a member of the honor guard of the lasat. He was well trained with an AB-75-Bo-rifle. She ought to be careful about him, even if he was not force-sensitive.
There wasn't really anything about their droid in the files, only that he was a slightly older model now, and was called Chopper by them.
Finally Ezra Bridger. He was the newest and youngest member. He was about the same age as Drisae herself and she put it to this fact that she found him particularly interesting. He had grown up as a street kid on Lothal, son of two important freedom fighters, but they were long eliminated. Now he was a padawan. By now he had probably acquired his own lightsaber.
However, Drisaes mission was more than to eliminate this rebel cell. She should also find Ahsoka Tano, a former jedi who was suspected to be in contact with them. Her master hoped she might know the whereabouts of other jedi.
Drisae put the datapad aside. It had been a tiring day and she had had enough on her mind! She finally wanted to have some rest without being disturbed again!
The tiredness came quickly over her mind and body.
However, she didn't find the desired peace in her sleep. Drisae was struck by a nightmare.
It was a dream she hadn't lived through for a long time. Maybe you couldn't even call it a dream, rather a memory. A memory that the empire simply didn't let her forget.
She had been just seven years old ...
~
Drisae flew in the middle of the scene, which was unusual because she always had to watch everything from beginning to end.
She layed hidden under a cupboard, watching what was happening in front of her in the room.
The Grand Inquisitor was there, along with his selected stormtroopers. They captured two people: a man and a woman.
Drisae knew that both would never come back if she did nothing.
So she quickly drew her lightsaber, activated it and wanted to oppose to the Grand Inquisitor!
"No, Salya!", the man shouted, startled and shocked.
"I'm sorry!", Drisae cried.
The Grand Inquisitor easily overwhelmed her and hurled her against the cupboard.
The man somehow managed to break free from the stormtroopers and lunged at the Inquisitor to protect her. But he drew his lightsaber and pierced the man with it.
Everything Drisae saw was red!
The man's face became emptier and emptier, his breathing irregular and faint. His eyes searched for hers again. A small but somehow satisfied smile crossed his face, but it was also incredibly sad at the same time. Then he closed his eyes and fell like a doll to the ground.
The woman stood there frozen and looked at him first, then Drisae. Tears flowed silently over her cheek.
A shrill cry escaped from Drisaes throat and she sank to the ground next to the motionless man. Her vision was blurry, as tears were running down her face.
Then she was hit by something from behind! The stormtroopers fired a stun shot at her and not a second later Drisae fainted. But the last words of the man were still ringing in her ears, plain and clear, over and over: "No, Salya!"
~
"No! Dad! ", Drisae shouted in horror and the next moment she woke up.
Tears ran down her cheeks. She hated, hated, hated the empire for that! And yet she was loyal to them despite her anger!
Furious, she screamed. Everything nearby shattered, blew up and was destroyed.
This went on for at least an hour. Only then did she begin to calm down, but the hatred remained. Drisae hadn't dreamed of this being as real as it was for a long time, so she suspected someone might have threaded it.
A suspicion that made her even angrier and filled her with new hatred. This one was cold, empty and deep.
She hated them more than anything!
She hated them for taking her parents! And that they kept showing it to her during all this years of training! That they had taken everything that had ever been dear to her! Among other things, her character and her name!
And most of all, Drisae hated them because they made her become this monster ...
She looked in the mirror on the wall and directly into the bright yellow eyes of a sith. The hate in an otherwise expressionless face complemented her perfectly.
~
At noon she felt no different, if only more terrible. They had given her two guards. Her! Watchdogs rather, because they always informed the people in a rank over hers, where she stayed and should probably prevent her from doing any nonsense.
Annoyed Drisae went with them in tow to the training hall.
"Well, how are we going to start this 'teaching' best?", Seven asked Five when Drisae entered.
She wasn't in the mood for such silly games today. Although, if she accidentally knocked their heads off during training ...?
No, it would lead to too many annoying consequences in spite of everything and in the end would probably not be worthwhile. At least she could enjoy the thought of it.
"Hm ... maybe just a few easy exercises with a  singlehanded lightsaber for the prodigy? We don't want to overhall anyone!", Seven suggested hatefully and went to the training droid in the corner.
Drisae could see exactly that she was setting it to the hardest level.
She stood in the middle of the hall, opened her hatred to guide her, and activated her lightsaber. When the training droid started, she effortlessly fended off his shots and crunched the can beyond recognition.
"Well that was nice. When will the warm-up program begin? Don't tell me this should have been it!", she shouted at the two inquisitors.
The two shuddered with anger and jealousy. Then Seven put her lightsaber in Drisae's hand. For a moment Drisae looked really surprised, the next moment she had regained her composure.
"Well, let's see if you can do it again," Seven muttered softly, knowing that Drisae couldn't handle double blades too well!
Therefore, it didn't surprise her, as she was hit by several shots in the new attempt and landed on the ground after a short time.
"Ah, didn't the gifted child make it?", Seven asked in shock.
Drisae had enough! She reached out and grabbed the inquisitor with an invisible stranglehold so she could lift her off the ground. She didn't care how troubled Seven looked.
But... Somehow it felt wrong ...
When Five wanted to rush to them, Drisae let her go. She was certainly not afraid of him, but that soft voice inside her was upsetting her. Her hatred, which wanted nothing more than to see the two suffer, collided with something else in her that Drisae couldn't quite define.
Angry, Seven now ran towards her and Drisae didn't stop her as she ripped the lightsaber out of her hands with the force.
Drisae just stood there. She didn't run away. It would have been a sign of weakness. So instead, she used the force to find her own lightsaber and pointed it demonstrative to the ground. Their gazes were equally hateful.
Seven attacked first and Drisae countered. Five just watched them.
"I'll teach you humility now, you maggot!", Seven hissed with such hatred that it would have frozen most people's blood in their veins.
With a mean trick, she threw Drisae to the ground. Growling, she tried to get up again, but the inquisitor pushed her down with the help of the force. Then she threw her a second lightsaber.
"You can only fight with two, otherwise it wouldn't be fair to you!", she said with a smug grin.
"Well, attack! you can't harm us anyway!", Five threw in and pulled his lightsaber for the first time.
Drisae ignored his last comment and started with the real training.
~
Exhausted after the training, Drisae walked with her bodyguards back to her quarters. The corridor she had to cross was completely empty except for them. Only a few boxes lined their way.
Today, the inquisitors had treated her without mercy. Just because she was the apprentice of their supervisor!
As Drisae passed the boxes, she suddenly felt something. Something impulsive that was poorly controlled, but rather erratic.
It wasn't in the box, but behind it. Drisae felt it very clearly: the force. Great force.
But there was something else, a feeling that by now she had become a stranger to.
Something invigorating, a part that the empire had taken from her.
But this person hadn't lost it. On the contrary, it shined clearer from this person, as Drisae would have thought to be possible:
HOPE.