To Find a Friend Book 1 (Complete)

Chapter 16

The troopers never had a chance to even twitch their fingers. Sabine and Zek made sure of that. Meanwhile, in the center of it all, Ahsoka and Hedala engaged Cloak in a lightsaber duel, but despite the fact that he was out numbered, he was still beating them back. Sabine, realizing this turned to Zek.

"How quickly can Choss get the ship up and running?"

"As quickly as you need." Sabine nodded as Zek rushed up the ramp and shouted something in a language Sabine didn't understand. She holstered her blasters, donned her helmet, and ignited out Ezra's lightsaber. She dashed around to the side of Cloak, taking advantage of his tunnel vision. Or at least, what she thought was tunnel vision. As she swung at his midsection, he expertly blocked her attack without missing a beat. Somehow with three people attacking him, he still managed to deflect all their attacks without folly. He wasn't even tiring. After several minutes of heated lightsaber combat, Cloak stretched out his hands and threw the entire group back. All of their lightsabers deactivated and rolled away. Hedala had been knocked unconscious, Ahsoka was lying on the ground dazed, and Sabine was standing defiantly, blasters pointed at Cloak. He looked at Ahsoka, then at Hedala. Then he looked at Sabine and laughed. 

"Do you really think you can stand up to me alone? The most powerful among you lies on the ground, unable to do anything."

"I can still kick your ass."

He laughed again "And how would you do that?"

"I'm a mandalorian. Kicking force sensitive ass is what we do."

"Mm, I suppose so. But they weren't very good at it, were they?"

"What?"

"They lost the war with the Jedi, didn't they?"

Sabine faltered for a moment. "How- how do you-?"

"Simple. I was a Jedi once. I even fought mandalorians a couple of times. They were imperial, so they lost of course."

Sabine's mind was racing. What the hell?

"Maybe I should just be honest. Tell me Sabine, would you like to know what actually happened to your precious Ezra?"

"You told me he died. But I knew you were lying."

"And of course Zek told you he was also alive. Hello Zek." Cloak shifted his gaze to the top of the ramp. Sabine looked with him to see Zek standing there, staring directly at Cloak. 

"Where is he?"

"My my, desperate aren't we? Not to worry, maybe you'll get to see him today. In chains."

Zek growled. He summoned Hedala's and Ezra's lightsabers to his hands and ignited them. He charged forward, but just a few feet from Cloak, he jumped over him and swung both sabers at Cloak's back. Cloak had obviously been expecting it though, as he blocked the attack without even looking back. He and Zek engaged, with Zek barely holding his own. Sabine waited for an opening, and when she saw it, she shot several times and Cloak. He deflected most of the lasers, but one managed to hit him in the shoulder. Zek took the momentary hesitation and kicked Cloak's saber out of his hand and across the ground. Before he could land any sort of lethal blow though, Cloak back flipped away in a panic, furthering himself from his saber. He straitened himself up and took a deep breath.

"Well, I can see I won't be able to reason with you, so maybe I'll give you something to think about."

"And what might that be?" Sabine retorted sarcastically. 

"What exactly happened to Ezra? Maybe what will happen to him? Or perhaps, my identity?"

"Why would we want to see your face?" Zek growled.

Cloak laughed. "Perhaps it is better if I show instead of tell." 

He reached up and pushed the sides of his helmet. Slowly, methodically, he removed his helmet, before his face was entirely visible. And in that moment, everything slowed down to a point where Sabine almost thought time had stopped. Her blasters fell from her hands and she stumbled back a few steps. No. She thought. This can't be happening. This is a dream. I'm still asleep in the cave. Wake up Sabine, wake up. But she didn't wake up. She was already awake.

"Hello Sabine."

"E-Ezra?"