Star Wars Rebels - Gleam of Hope (English Version)

Unexpected help

Drisae froze. She knew exactly who was behind the crate.
It had to be someone who was strong in the force, but it couldn't be a master, because it was way too erratic for that. This clear hope ...
No doubt it had to be this rebel padawan!
Ezra Bridger, she thought to remember.
One hand was already on her lightsaber. But Drisae closed her eyes for a moment, to finally feel something of this hope again, because it hadn't been granted for her for such a long time!
The feeling captivated her, but she didn't feel trapped, but rather free and winged! She felt the urge to keep it in her heart!
But if she did, her master and these inquisitors wouldn't miss it, and as soon as they found out, she would be dead. Besides, she would never be able to reach her full potential through these shackles! It would violate the code of the Sith!
And this hope would be short-lived anyway ... if they caught her, the punishment would be infinitely high, it was better not to try.
There was no chance for her. Darth Drisae had been a creature of the dark side for far too long, even such hope wouldn't save her. Save her from herself.
She knew all this and yet she doubted it at that very moment.
Doubted, if really everything was lost. Drisae tried to shake off that thought quickly. She was still standing in the middle of the hallway. Her grip on her lightsaber became even firmer ... her fingers were in the position to activate it!
Hope never dies, a soft inner voice whispered in her head.
Confused, Drisae frowned.
By the time she became a sith apprentice, much of her had died, possibly everything. If so, how could she be saved?
"Darth Drisae? Everything alright?", her guard asked in confusion.
Drisae blinked at him but then quickly made a rough face for the bad game!
"Of course! Why are you asking such stupid questions?", she exclaimed angrily. The anger in her voice was meant to hide what was actually going on inside her ...
~
Ezra:
Where was this control center again? A metallic sound became louder and louder!
What a great timing! Ezra could already see the shadow of several people approaching in the hallway! He wouldn't be able to make it to the ventilation shaft!
So he aimed at one of the crates that stood against the wall. He had no idea what they hid in it, but at the moment he saw it as his only chance. So he jumped quickly behind them and almost at the exact same time, the figures stepped into the corridor.
Ezra closed his eyes, admonishing himself to remain calm.
They must never notice him!
Then he opened his eyes again as an icy chill crept up his back. That couldn't be!
He cautiously tried to perceive his surroundings more closely with the force and a great wave of cold hate and unrestrained anger hit him. He tried hard to stay calm. Somehow, he actually succeeded. Maybe they wouldn't discover him, somehow ...
The cold feeling became stronger the closer the footsteps got and he tried to concentrate, as Kanan had told him.
But then the sith stopped right next to him! Ezra held his breath.
Nevertheless, he tried using the force to get a more accurate picture of his lousy situation and discovered something strange. It was just a small something, but stronger than he'd ever imagined ... well hidden under a cloak of fear and hatred ... as bright as a sun. Suppressed by many negative feelings and the strong bond to the dark side ...
It was in the middle of the sith and that more than confused Ezra. Maybe this sith wasn't that bad ...
The officer said something, but Ezra was so busy with his thoughts that he didn't quite understand.
"Of course! Why are you asking such stupid questions?", a female voice answerd. Her tone made his blood run cold, but he wasn't really scared at the same time.
He was sure that she was this sith and even though that light he had felt through the force had disappeared, he knew it wasn't completely gone.
When they finally turned the corner, Ezra exhaled with relief.
His communicator immediately spoke when he turned it on again.
"Ezra? Are you alright? We couldn't reach you!", Kanan said.
Should he tell him that a sith was hanging around? No, he shouldn't worry him unnecessarily.
"I switched it off for a moment, because there were a few bucket heads nearby", he apologized instead.
"Well ... alright, phase two will start right away, I hope you are ready!", Kanan informed him.
"I'm always ready!", Ezra replied, then the communicator was silent again.
He climbed into the ventilation shaft.
~
Drisae:
She was walking up and down her quarters. Questions about questions in her head.
Questions that she knew she couldn't find answers to and that would only confuse her more.
Something had changed inside her, as it hadn't been for years. Now it got louder and louder.
It was something that could cost her her life.
Drisae sighed and sat down on her bed, only to immediatly get up again. She felt like a wild animal in a cage!
If these incompetent inquisitors felt that, she would be executed immediately. But at that moment, she felt as alive as she hadn't done in an eternity!
Suddenly she heard someone walking in front of her door and silently talking to her guards.
Carefully she tried to hide these new feelings behind the general hate and sneaked to the door to listen.
"The rebels are attacking! You must not let her go under any circumstances!", she heard Seven say.
Her guards hummed in agreement.
She should have gotten angry, but instead Drisae grinned. If they took the trouble to deceive her, why shouldn't she do exactly the same? Drisae quickly put on her special boots, picked up her listening device, which she'd long ago had stolen and hid in a small cavity, and a wrench.
She tuned the listening device to the frequency of one of her guards whose number she knew, but didn't activate it yet.
Then she went back to the door. Drisae searched the connection to the force and with the help of her thoughts, she destroyed the communicators of her two guards. If they discovered that they had failed in their task, at least they wouldn't be able to report it immediately.
She took another deep breath to mentally prepare herself for what she was about to drebo ...
The information she was going to get could be her doom if anybody should ever find out! They wouldn't let her pass again if she took a journey to her past, before her father's death.
But Drisae yearned for her home, her former home, where she'd once been so happy.
However, she couldn't remember the exact location. It was too long ago and too much happened in all that time. Her parents had never given her a more specific route, because nobody should have ever found her. But the empire apparently knew it. And that information still had to be somewhere.
She looked around her room again and her eyes met the mirror. Full of disbelief, Drisae looked more closely. Her eyes shone intensely in the artificial light. However, it wasn't the eyes of a sith she was looking at, but those of an ordinary girl!
She was shocked and curious at the same time. Since the empire broke her, they had always appeared in an unnatural yellow.
Without her being able to do something about it, a grin spread across her face. "Do I really fall back into old habits?", she chuckled softly, careful not to be heard.
She took a breath again, then climbed through the ventilation shaft and towards the control room.
~
Ezra reached the control room in which several consoles stood. The others, meanwhile, were still busy distracting the empire.
He walked quickly to one of the consoles and tried to get to the information they needed when he heard someone clearing his throat behind him. For a moment he was frozen.
Almost unconsciously he stretched out with the force to assess the threat, but everything remained very unclear.
So he slowly turned around.
He saw a girl with light brown hair and brown, slightly golden eyes. She wore a black body suit and crossed her arms.
"Hey, you don't look like you belong here", she remarked quite rightly, "Good! I can't stand the empire either!" She laughed.
Ezra laughed nervously as well. He was confused, but allowed himself to be relieved. He could at least feel no evil intentions dwelling in her.
"You're right, I don't belong here", he confessed, "But what about you?"
She claimed that she didn't like the empire, but her uniform spoke of something else ...
"Well, I haven't been here very long ..." She seemed to want to avoid the question, seemed a bit strained. "I wanted to steal some information and what did you intend to do?"
Ezra remembered at that moment why he had come and that the others were waiting for him! "Coincidentally, I had exactly the same intention", he explained, hoping not to reveal too much. But it seemed to him that they were on the same side, after all, she was also here to steal from the empire. "You don't happen to be a talented hacker or something?"
"Leave that to me, I can do it." She sat in front of one of the consoles, pulled something out of her boot, and then tempered with it. After a few moments, she laughed triumphantly.
"I'm in! So it's your turn, little thief! I hope you find what you are looking for!", she said and leaned against the wall, from which she could watch him more closely. What were the rebels up to? Well, by now she shouldn't care anymore ...
She really just wanted to get out of this place but helping the rebels could be useful to her.
Ezra stepped to the console and felt the gaze of the girl on him. It was better if she didn't know exactly what information he was looking for. He couldn't really trust her that easily! So he placed himself so that he shielded the screen with his body and then went to find and download the information he had come for.
In fact, he found it pretty fast! Now he just had to get it out of the complex again! "So I'm ready to leave this place behind. What about you?"
The girl briefly went to one of the consoles, pulled something out and put it back in her boot. She gave him a resigned nod. Then she heard footsteps. Her eyes widened in shock. She couldn't be seen with a rebel!
She quickly pulled Ezra under the table. Her heart was racing.
She reacted even faster than he! He was almost more surprised by her reaction than by the steps. His head hurt because he had bumped it at the edge of the table.
It was strange to be so close to this nearly unknown girl. They were only a few inches apart, otherwise the table would no longer provide cover. But he had to try to concentrate!
They needed a plan ... even if they were quiet, a bucket head would probably move to check this room, and even a reasonably thorough investigation shouldn't miss that there were two unwanted guests here.
"We have to come up with something", he murmured softly.
Drisae looked around frantically. Calm down, she reminded herself! "I know..."
She couldn't use the force. She was suppressing it the best she could, but if she used it now, Ezra would know immediately. What should she do?
That gave her an idea!
"I'm counting to three, okay? Then we run back to the ventilation shaft!" A victorious smile was on her lips. She turned to fix the wall.
"One..."
She took a rod-like object from her boot.
"Two..."
She placed it on the wall. Two admirals entered the room.
"Three!"
Suddenly all lights went out and left them alone in the dark. The perfect way to escape!
Ezra was really surprised when the lights suddenly went out! The girl could have warned him at least! But this was definitely better than being captured by the empire!
He heard the confused admirals and seized the opportunity. He too couldn't see much, but the force would warn him if necessary. The poor girl, however, had to be completely blind. So this time he grabbed her hand and pulled her behind him to the shaft.
Drisae was quite surprised when Ezra grabbed her hand but allowed herself to be led by him. When they reached the shaft, she hurried in.
~
They put some distance between themselves and the control room, so they were out of earshot.
"We actually made it ...", Drisae murmured slightly disbelievingly.
"Thank you", she said meekly.
It looked like they actually made it! Another strike against the empire!
"No, I have to thank you! You cracked the console, got us covered quickly and switched off the lights! I just ran across the room. So if anyone here should say thank you, it's me. Without you, I might be sitting in a cell. So thanks!" Ezra gave her a beaming smile. It was really nice for a change to find someone to trust!
Drisae laughed. Something she hadn't done in a long time.
"Oh stop it! I'm blushing! Besides, you would certainly have gotten out without me. I mean, your friends in the rebellion would get you out for sure, if they captured you", she said, smiling knowingly.
"Of course they would! But that's how I prevent us all from a lot of trouble! One shouldn't push fate too often", Ezra replied, smiling as well.
Then he paused. "Wait! You know that I belong to the rebels?"
Drisae rolled her eyes but did it with a smile. "First came the announcement that rebels are causing trouble here and then comes a boy who obviously doesn't belong to the empire and wants to steal some secret information? Not everyone in the empire is as stupid as most stormtroopers. I am certainly not one of them!"
Ezra ran his hand through his neck in embarrassment. "Oops. I hope I haven't insulted you ... "
But it was about time he returned to the others. Surely, they already wondered where he was and were worried. "I'll have to go back to my friends ... but what about you? You said you don't belong to the empire, but you're not one of the rebels either. Still, you stole some data", he stated.
"Sure, because I stole it just for me. Actually, I still belong to the empire, but don't plan to stay for much longer. That's why I need this data. So, I can escape." She figured it would be better to be honest in this situation. But not too honest ...
"I know a shortcut, so we get out of the building faster!", she interjected.
He shouldn't feel so safe with her, not just after admitting that she was officially still part of the empire. But the fact that she had admitted it spoke for her, as well as the help she had already given him without even deriving any benefit of her own. Such a person couldn't represent the imperial thought. Not least her golden eyes convinced him.
"All right, then lead me," said Ezra with complete confidence.
Drisae really wondered how he could trust her so much. If he knew who she really was, he would never have done that, and the thought somehow made her sad, even if she didn't show it in any way.
She crept a little further, then stopped. "Wait a minute, this is the way down."
She pulled out her wand again and placed it on the ground in front of her. Then a flap opened, and she jumped down elegantly, coming up noiselessly on the floor.
"I still have a question for you! Why did you join the rebels? Isn't that dangerous?"
He jumped after her and also got on the floor quite elegantly, even if Kanan could have done it even better. He looked at the girl and smiled tentatively.
"Of course it is dangerous. But where does one not live dangerous in this galaxy? I saw how those who were safe in the end were overrun by the empire. I just couldn't stand it anymore. Someone must stand up to the empire, so why not an insignificant boy from Lothal? What have I got to lose?"
In fact, he had gained in importance, but the rebel alliance would continue without him. In the meantime, a lot was at stake for him. He had new friends, found a new family, and he wouldn't bear to lose them.
"Do you think I'm crazy because I'm fighting for a future without the empire, even though I grew up with it and never knew anything else?" He was interested in her response, saying what would she - who was almost a member of the empire - say?
Drisae looked at Ezra. "I couldn't do it and - yes! - I think you're crazy! Because there are much stronger, unscrupulous and emotionless enemies out there who wouldn't hesitate to kill you!"
Her voice sounded cold and hateful. Didn't she was one of them? She tried to suppress the thought. "But to be honest ... positively crazy. Because you are committed to the weak. And what you said could have come from the mouth of my father." The last part she said carelessly and when she noticed, she was filled with grief, anger and hatred. She didn't control herself for a moment, she couldn't do it. Cold filled the room, if only for a tiny moment, until she could pull herself together again.
Ezra was a bit confused. Positively crazy? Well, that was a completely new compliment. At least it sounded like a kind of compliment.
For a brief moment he felt something cold and dark. But it was gone so quickly that Ezra thought it was simply that they still weren't out of danger and that he was still at the heart of the empire. He wanted to ask the girl about her father, with whom she had compared him, but then he decided differently. She didn't look like she wanted to talk about it, and he didn't like to talk about his parents either. They didn't even knew each other very well. He didn't even know her name, he realized.
"But what are you doing when you get out of here? Free from the empire. Will you help the weak as well? Or run away?" He didn't mean it in a bad way. He understood when someone was too scared of the empire. But Ezra didn't believe in freedom until the empire fell.
"Run away. The empire knows me too well and wouldn't hesitate to execute me if they got to know about this betrayal. I just want to get away from it all and start a quiet life. Maybe I can open a farm and distribute food to those who need it. Selling it to those who have the money and disappear when the empire finds me. I know I sound like a coward, but it's my only option." In addition, Drisae doubted that the rebels would take her in and she wouldn't fight the empire on her own.
What was she thinking anyway? Joining the rebels? That was an stupid idea!
"I understand ..." Ezra knew what it felt like to be safe nowhere. But it was better than being a slave of the empire. And the girl was strong. Maybe she could actually manage to avoid the empire and live a reasonably normal life.
"Maybe we can drop you off somewhere? For once you get off this planet." Kanan and the rest of the crew wouldn't like that, but she had helped him and didn't they fight for the freedom of the galaxy? Even if it was just one person, they would somehow come a bit closer to that goal.
Drisae froze. He wanted to help her ... "You ... would really help me out this way?"
She couldn't believe it!
What an irony ... a padawan offered to help a sith apprentice!
Why did he put such trust in her? Of course, she had helped him, but still ...
"It would be a great help to me, but... I would have to get some personal things first. And I'm sure you want to get out of here as soon as possible. But thanks for the offer." It was a pity. It would have been a great opportunity for her ...
Ezra thought about it. Actually ... it was urgent. And they wouldn't get very far if they didn't get the fuel for which Ezra had provided the plans. But he didn't like leaving her that way. He wanted to support her decision to get rid of the empire!
"I can certainly persuade the others if it doesn't take too long. Then we can take you somewhere. Maybe just a little detour ... ", he explained, realizing that he might be in big trouble, but he would do it anyway, maybe just take a little detour to a certain fuel station ... He hoped the others would understand that.
The girl seemed a bit surprised. "If ... if you did, I would owe you! I mean ... awesome, maybe I really can be free!"
Drisae was incredibly relieved. She just had to get to her old house. "We could meet at sunset on the outskirts of the city by the meadows! I have to go there again!"
Ezra nodded. Although he couldn't quite believe that she would actually be free, but he didn't want to destroy her hope, because then what was left for them?
"It's a deal! Meanwhile I will talk to my crew!", he explained and wasn't particularly looking forward to the upcoming talk. "But one more thing! If we take you with us... can you at least tell me your name?" Ezra told himself that he wanted to know it for the sole reason that the others would never agree to help her if he couldn't even give them a name, but on the other hand, he also wanted to know it personally for himself.
Drisae hesitated. The last few years Darth Drisae had been her name. But she couldn't possibly say that to Ezra!
But Salya ... it sounded strange.
"Salya Antana! My name is Salya Antana!"
It really sounded more than strange, but with the name she could certainly make amends again. Even if the Salya Antana from before no longer existed. "And your name is?"
He should have counted on the question and yet he was completely unprepared. What should he say? Should he lie? His old alias Lando came to his mind, but ...
He assumed that Salya was honest with him and he had offered to take her with them. So he either had to be crazy or trust her. And what difference did it make if she knew what his name was? By the time she met Kanan and the rest of the crew, the stupid alias would blow up anyway. "Ezra, Ezra Bridger."
Drisae was a bit taken by surprise. She had already known his name, but that he just told her so... She smiled at him. "Nice to meet you, Ezra Bridger!"
~
They only had to go a little further, then they were finally out of the complex.
"We are here! For now our ways separate!"
"I'm happy to have met you", Ezra replied with a sincere smile. "Then at sunset at the meadows! I will come. If ... if you shouldn't make it in time, I can't promise I can convince the others to wait any longer." Ezra didn't like to consider this possibility, but he also wanted to be realistic. He had been so lucky that day that he didn't trust the cause any more. Even if he very much hoped that nothing unexpected would get in the way!
Drisae smiled. "I'll make it in time! I promise!"
She was just about to pass him ...
"Ah! And something else! May the force be with you!"
She smiled as she said that. It might have been a bit risky, but she just wanted to say it.
Ezra blinked at her in surprise. He definitely didn't expect that!
"May the Force be with you too!", he finally said, hoping to not stare like an idiot.
She was already so far away that she didn't noticed.
He looked after her for a moment before turning around and quickly made his way back to the Ghost. After all, he was already late and still had to convince the others to help this stranger... Salya...