Chapter Text
Starlines streamed past the shattered view wall and Lothal's yellow sky disappeared, replaced by the billowing blue-black clouds of hyperspace. Opposing cosmic forces churned outside the Command Tower and Ezra grit his teeth, trying to withstand the pull.
Debris from the damaged starship slammed up against tentacles and smashed over jagged shards of transparisteel. Unconscious Imperials were sucked out of viewports at alarming speeds and Ezra felt the pull too, dragging his feet out from under him.
He concentrated on the Force, planting his boots and lowering his centre of gravity but it did no good. The swirling vortex was pulling him in and the life support systems were failing to generate enough artificial gravity or breathable atmosphere.
Thrawn grunted as the tentacles around him began constricting tighter. They glowed bright blue and soon, little but his head remained free of their cold embrace.
"The shields!" he called out. "Activate the ray shields!"
"What?!" Ezra shouted over the din. The air around them was being sucked out through the shattered viewports, howling past his ears.
"The lever on the red control panel!" Thrawn shouted as tentacles swallowed him. "On your right!"
Ezra turned his head, gritting his teeth against the forces working against him. He squinted through the flickering lights and spotted the red control panel on a terminal up against the far wall. He breathed in, sucking at what little oxygen rushed past his mouth.
"How do I know this isn't a trap?!" he shouted back.
But the Admiral was in no condition to reply. The Purrgil tentacles glowed eerily bright and tightened around his diaphragm so that any reply was lost in a painful gasp.
"Karrabast!" Ezra swore.
He lifted one foot up and plonked it down in front of the other. He turned right and began the incredibly laborious journey across the bridge of the Chimaera, dodging pieces of debris that were sucked into the inter-dimensional vortex, along with several unconscious Stormtroopers.
He grit his teeth and pushed through the pain, Forcing each step down until finally he reached the control panel.
"Okay, I just have to pull the lever and activate the shields," he thought to himself, studying the mechanism. "Uuuuuh…."
The terminal had twenty six switches, thirty nine buttons and sixteen different levers on it and Ezra gawked, trying to figure out which one did what. He pulled the first lever but nothing happened, at least nothing he could see.
"Okay, not that one," Ezra said and pulled the next lever to no immediate effect. "Where's Sabine where you need her..."
He turned back, fighting the pull of the hyperfield that was making him sick. He tried to call for help but the Admiral had fallen unconscious, disappearing into the swathe of Purrgil tentacles invading the bridge.
Ezra shook his head in frustration and the momentary distraction was enough to break his concentration. He lost his balance and the force pulled him off his feet so that the only thing connecting him to the bridge was the lever in his hand.
Ezra reached for the control panel, desperately trying to push his feet back down to the floor but it was useless. He stretched out his free hand, hoping with all of his might, that third time was the charm. And then his fingers wrapped around the handle and pulled it down.
Within seconds, the hum of energy shields engulfed the bridge, passing over Purrgil tentacles to separate them from the warped reality of hyperspace. The forces pulling Ezra toward the viewport disappeared and he fell onto the cold durasteel floor face first.
"Nnngh," he groaned, trying to lift himself up.
A long Purrgil tentacle snaked past, curiously probing the panel and then his face.
"Haha, thanks buddy," Ezra grinned, peeling the tentacle off himself. "I owe you big time."
A few of the tentacles unravelled around the Admiral and began exploring the bridge, eventually settling on the warmest consoles to relax.
Ezra got to his feet and tentatively tiptoed toward Thrawn, hands raised in defence in case he decided to try anything. But the blue-skinned alien was still unconscious and Ezra wondered for a moment if he was actually dead.
The young Jedi closed his eyes and reached into the Force as his master Kanan had taught. Feeling, not seeing or hearing as most would, through the universal web of energies that encompassed it all. He could recognise a minuscule spark of the living Force nearby, cold and dull compared to his own but it was there.
Ezra opened his eyes.
"Thrawn?" he said quietly. "Hey, are you alive?"
No reply. Not even a muscle moved on his stern blue face. And Ezra grimaced.
"Come on, you're supposed to be tough," he said irritably.
But the Admiral's head hung low, dark shadows spilling over his eyes. Long violet tentacles trapped his body, holding it upright and rigid.
Ezra considered what to do for a moment and then very hesitantly reached for his face. The ship rumbled and shook and Ezra quickly pulled his fingers back in fear. But it was just a speed bump.
He sighed and reached out again, holding two fingers under Thrawn's nose.
Nothing.
Ezra swallowed. Perhaps he really was dead? Or close to it?
But then wisp of air brushed past his fingers and Ezra sighed.
"Phew," he said, pulling away and wondering why he was so relieved.
He turned to look at the bridge.
Smashed equipment and durasteel doors. Scorch marks from missed blaster bolts on the walls and the floors. A lone Imperial cap lay on the walkway, wedged between pieces of the broken fuselage.
Ezra sighed.
He always imagined defeating the Empire would look and feel a lot different than this. He expected parades and cheering and his family, smiling and standing happily beside him. But those were the dreams of a boy growing up on the streets of Lothal. He hadn't had time to dream up any more.
He took a few steps down the walkway, eyes searching for the emergency space kits. But everything was the same colour. Dark sheets of metal covered the walls and panels and terminals. He had to walk right up to them and read the tiny Aurabesh labels to get an idea of what they were for.
The oxygen masks were hidden in an alcove inside one of the cabinets and with a little effort, he pried open the container. There were about fifty units, all neatly packed and ready to use.
Ezra looked out over the bridge. It had been teeming with Imperials only twenty minutes ago. And now there was only one left.
He pulled the tab and unravelled the mask as he walked back down the walkway and wondered, "Maybe I should just leave him here..."
He looked up at the Grand Admiral apprehensively.
Thrawn was trouble. Big trouble. Which would be true no matter where they ended up. And he probably wouldn't think too kindly of the young Jedi after seeing his fleet destroyed by a swarm of Purrgil.
Ezra frowned, hesitating as he slowly approached the mass of tentacles once again. Little more than Thrawn's head and shoulder remained free of their grip and he just stood there for a moment.
Would it be so bad to let Thrawn go down with the Chimaera? he thought.
Ezra stared at the mask in his hand.
How many had died under fire from the Seventh Fleet?
The Rebel Alliance had lost the Massassi Unit, the Phoenix Unit and Commander Sato in a single battle. Only a handful of ships and the Ghost escaped Thrawn's wrath over Atollon, their base not withstanding.
His own planet, Lothal, had been blockaded by Thrawn's fleet, its citizens forced into servitude in his factories. And despite their best efforts to free the planet, it remained in Imperial hands. And it wasn't alone.
How many more worlds were being subjugated by the might of the Empire with men like Thrawn at the helm of tyranny? How many people in the galaxy lived in fear all because people like Thrawn loomed overhead at the slightest stir of trouble?
Ezra looked up at the Grand Admiral.
Unconscious. Immobilised. Vulnerable.
When else would he get a chance like this? To strike him down, once and for all?
Yet, he hesitated. Something stayed his hand and clouded his mind with indecision.
Ezra sighed.
"What would Kanan do?" he thought sombrely, closing his eyes.
And the answer came swiftly.
Killing was not the Jedi way.
Ezra reached up and pressed the mask into Thrawn's face and activated the respirator function.
"I guess whatever happens to you, happens to me too," he said.
He took a step back and then another. He turned and faced the destruction his little adventure had caused. And then he left the bridge in search of another.
---
Ezra spent the next hour exploring the Command Tower of the Chimaera. He wrenched open the damaged hatchways and wandered through the crumpled halls. Dark and cold like every other Star Destroyer in the Imperial Fleet. Except this one was held in the clutches of massive tentacled space whales, much like Grand Admiral Thrawn himself.
Panels and gratings hung loose and bent out of shape from ceilings and walls. Emergency lights flickered and distant sirens wailed somewhere far below.
Ezra moved slowly, his steps impeded by the debris and then the bodies. More and more of them littered the floor. A gasket had blown, pressured by a great force outside the ship. And now, Stormtroopers lay crushed under giant chunks of durallium and officers lay black and ashen from the unexpected explosion.
Ezra swallowed.
"So many Imps," he thought to himself. "But I guess there's plenty more where they came from…"
He kept walking, kept ignoring the devastation, looking for any sign of a med bay but he feared it would be somewhere deeper down. The bridge always sat on top of a Star Destroyer in the Command Tower and though it was heavily secured from the inside, it was also the most exposed part of the ship.
Ezra hurdled a giant purple tentacle and kept walking. The Chimaera was a maze of corridors but the young Jedi had seen enough Imperial warships to know where to go. His stomach let out a low growl and he quickened his pace, searching for the break room. Even Imperials had to eat some time.
The intrepid young Jedi slid down a tentacle to the floor below and emerged in a janitorial closet that had been smashed beyond recognition. He carefully squeezed through the broken door and out into the corridor which was empty but for the wires hanging down from the ceiling.
He let the Force flow, let it guide him through the debris and came to a door that was surprisingly intact. He keyed the controls and the door slid open to reveal a break room. It was a sombre affair. Empty tables and chairs bolted to the floor; spilled caf and ration bars littered over them. Two bodies lay crumpled in the far corner.
Ezra sighed and went looking for food in the many cabinets, finding only more flavourless ration bars and vitamin paste.
"Freeze, rebel scum!" he heard a voice from behind.
Ezra quickly turned to find himself cornered by an Imperial in uniform. He was holding a blaster but he wasn't a soldier, perhaps an engineer or a navigator. The red and black patch of the Chimaera was emblazoned on his shoulder under the Imperial insignia and his face was hidden by the low brim of a military cap.
"Easy..." Ezra raised his hands in surrender, wondering why the Force wasn't blaring danger signals to him. "I just wanted something to eat." He brandished the ration bar.
"What have you done with the Admiral?" the man said worriedly, strain prevalent in his voice.
"I haven't done anything." Ezra shrugged.
"Is that supposed to be a joke?" the Imperial sneered. "You and your Jedi tricks almost destroyed the entire fleet!"
"Well, you deserve it," Ezra said suddenly. "You Imperials have been nothing but a plague on Lothal. It's about time you got a taste of your own medicine."
The man laughed dryly.
"You think you can defeat the Empire?" he said condescendingly. "Lothal is finished. And it's all your fault." He raised the blaster.
"What are you talking about?" Ezra smirked
"The Empire isn't just going to sit back and let you take over their planet." The man shook his head. "They'll send someone else. Someone way worse than the Admiral."
"The Rebellion will beat them too," Ezra said confidently. "They'll free Lothal and the rest of the galaxy, you'll see."
"You don't get it, do you?" He shook his head again. "The Empire won't come to fight."
"What?"
"They'll come to set an example," he said. "They'll destroy Lothal. They'll kill every living thing on it and it's all your fault!"
Ezra could hear the concern in his voice; it wasn't the typical Imperial arrogance. He inclined his head and peered under the cap to find two terrified sapphire eyes staring back at him, sun baked skin darkened by shadows.
"You're... from Lothal, aren't you?" Ezra realised.
The man redoubled the grip on his blaster with a shaky hand and bit his lip.
"Why would you side with them?" Ezra asked, suddenly angry. "They ruined our home, killed innocent people-"
"Lothal was lost the moment Pryce Mining found doonium in the planet's crust," the man threw back at him. "Arihnda Pryce sold her land to the Empire and Renning sold them the rest, piece by piece."
"Pryce?"
"How do you think she became Governor, huh?" The man waved his gun around. "I saw the contract in the system. Total control of over one hundred and fifty thousand hectares of land. And she just gave it to them."
Ezra tensed.
"Why didn't you stop her then?" he said angrily.
"I'm just a tech." He dropped the firearm and pointed at his chest desperately. "There was nothing I could do. My home was in the middle of that territory..." he trailed off.
"I only enlisted to protect my family. Thrawn promised to leave Lothal once he had enough TIE Defender prototypes."
"What?"
"Sienar Fleet Systems was tendering the contract to mass produce the damn things." The man sighed. "All the Empire had to do was sign off on the funding and then they'd leave Lothal. The doonium's all dried up anyway."
He shook his head.
"But you ruined it! You ruined all of it!" He pointed the gun at Ezra again.
"Hey, listen, buddy. Even without the factories, the Empire would never let Lothal go. We'd all be slaving away under them for the rest of our lives."
"At least we'd be alive," the man said shakily and swallowed the lump in his throat. "My... my family would be alive if it wasn't for you."
"You're paranoid," Ezra said. "Just put down the blaster and let's talk about this."
"No! Tell me what you've done with Admiral Thrawn!"
"Honestly?" Ezra raised an eyebrow along with his hands. "He's hog-tied by Purrgil tentacles up on the bridge."
"What?"
"I came looking for a stimpack and a crowbar." Ezra's stomach let out a low growl. "And some food. But all you guys have are these stupid ration bars."
The Lothalian Imperial hesitated.
"He's alive?"
"Last time I checked." Ezra shrugged. He could see the man's hands trembling, holding the blaster, fingering the trigger.
"I... I can't let you go," he said. "I'm... I'm sorry."
Ezra threw his hands forward and pushed at the Force, slamming it into the Imperial before his blaster went off. He flew back and the shot hit the ceiling where a suspicious lump had been forming over the course of their conversation. And as soon as the bolt collided with durasteel, the whole thing collapsed under the weight of yet another massive tentacle.
Ezra jumped back in time to avoid the colossal thing but the man on the floor wasn't so lucky. More and more debris flooded into the room and Ezra skirted the wall and ran out the door, hurrying back the way he'd come. The sound of falling equipment and bending durasteel echoed through the hallways as he ran and spotted an opening in the ceiling.
He used the Force to jump up high and reached the next level just as a group of Stormtroopers ran past below.
"Hey, you!" one shouted. But the collapsing ceiling soon caught up to them and Ezra continued to run. Soon, the destruction ceased and he slowed his pace, jogging to the end of the hallway which seemed to lead off into nowhere.
He hadn't thought this through. He hadn't thought any of this through. Especially what would happen when the Purrgil made off with a ship while he was still onboard. Despite the destruction, the Chimaera was still full of Imperials and the deeper down he delved, the more of them he feared he would find.
Ezra's feet carried him slowly back up to the Command Tower. He pulled a ration bar out of his pocket and nibbled at it, assuaging his hungry stomach as he contemplated what the Lothalian Imperial had said.
The young Jedi didn't know what doonium was. Nor did he know much about property law or Imperial politics. He remembered something about Sienar Fleet Systems manufacturing TIE Fighters but the rest of his memory was a little blurry which probably meant he'd fallen asleep during one of Hera's longer briefings.
Was it true about Governor Pryce? he wondered as he polished off another ration bar. Was she really responsible for the Imperial takeover? And Senator Renning? He'd seen him on the Holonet a few times. He seemed like a decent guy. But that had been a long time ago.
The long and winding route through the Chimaera's halls brought him back up to the busted hatchway of the bridge. Or what remained of it.
Ezra stepped over the debris, hurdling a tentacle or two before returning to the spot where their journey had begun. The Admiral hadn't moved but his respirator was foggy which meant it was working.
Ezra sighed and kicked a few things off the walkway before sitting down to meditate.
Kanan always meditated when he was unsure of things to come. Which was surprisingly often. Whenever his master disappeared, the young Jedi could always find him in the quietest place, kneeling and breathing without a word.
He tried to emulate the same position, the same expression, the steady breathing pattern, in and out. He could hear the hum of energy shields protecting the bridge from hyperspace distortion. The floor rumbled gently as they travelled through the galaxy, a hundred times faster than light. And Thrawn. Grand Admiral Thrawn was trapped on the bridge right in front of him.
"What do I do now, Kanan?" he said, expecting a wise word or a kind hand but there was no reply.
Ezra was on his own.