Ghosts

Chapter Nine: A Room, A Girl, and A Simple Truth

The Rebel fleet consisted of various spacecraft, ranging from freighters to fighters to transports, the most notable and recognizable being Rebel Command, the lead ship of the fleet where most planning and discussions were done. The ship was one of the largest the fleet had, with multiple levels and hundreds of rooms, most having views of the beauty that is the galaxy through windows so clean it was like they weren't there. Even with the artificial lights turned off, the gleam of hundreds of stars could brighten any room.

The room Kara was stuck in, however, wasn't so lucky.

It was small, with two cameras in opposite corners documenting every move she made and projecting it onto screens in the adjoining room. There were no windows, only steel walls that blocked her in and reflected the light from the ceiling panel above. There was only one door, and it was controlled by a panel in the adjoining room so no one could enter or exit if they weren't cleared to. In the center of the room, there was a table with two chairs on either side. Kara sat in one chair. The other sat empty, waiting for whoever would question her.

Ezra watched the screens with a pit in his stomach. Kara seemed to be doing fine; she sat calmly, hands clasped in her lap. She wasn't handcuffed—Kanan hadn't gotten clearance for that—but she didn't make any move to stand or pace the room, like prior occupants had. Her face revealed none of the thoughts Ezra could tell were running through her head. Instead, she sat still, her eyes glued to the door across from her, her feet flat on the floor, and her mouth sealed shut.

"This is ridiculous." Ezra turned at the sound of Hera's voice, edged like a well-sharpened knife. "I don't understand why they gave you clearance to take her in for questioning."

"We don't know that." Kanan shot back. "I was given permission to question her. The fact that she hid something this big could mean she's hiding other things."

"Or maybe she was scared, Kanan. Did you ever consider that?" Even though it wasn't directed at him, Ezra still felt a shiver down his spine hearing the ice in her words, and, in all honesty, he couldn't blame the pilot for her feelings about the situation they had found themselves in. Ezra found himself agreeing with her.

After making the jump into hyperspace, nobody had spoken much about what they'd just witnessed. Hera worked in the cockpit, and Sabine and Zeb each retired to their bunks. Ezra wanted to talk to Kara, ask her a million questions about what she'd revealed, or thank her for saving his life yet again, but she quietly expressed that she wished to be alone, and claimed the common area for her solitude. Ezra was forced to sit in the gun turret beneath the cockpit. He didn't realize until he looked back that his master had been unaccounted for after they'd escaped. Ezra had assumed he was in his room, meditating on the recent events, but his mind had been on other things than his master in the hour after the battle.

If only Ezra had wondered then where his master had gone. They could've avoided this whole mess.

It wasn't until after they'd docked with Rebel Command that something felt off. The doorway connecting the Ghost to the main vessel had slid open to reveal the familiar hallway they'd traversed so many times before, but it wasn't empty the way it was when they returned from other missions. Instead, flanking the doorway were two pairs of rebel troopers, armed with blasters and standing at the ready, waiting.

"What's going on?" Hera had asked, pushing to the front of the group. "Did something happen?"

"We've been sent to assist Master Jarrus." One soldier said, and the Ghost crew turned and looked at their leader, who nodded at the men respectfully.

"My request was granted, I assume?" Kanan asked the soliders, who all nodded in unison. "Good. Well, there she is." He turned and pointed at Kara. She didn't react. "Take her to questioning."