A Different Path [UNFINISHED]

An Imperial Plan

Damp, wasted hallway. Metal. Footsteps echoing throughout the entire underground tunnels with a metallic cling in it. Heavy breathing as the adrenaline takes control and drives them further into their fears--into death.

"Come on! Let's get up there!" Kanan said through deep breaths as they stopped under an obscure place.

The lightsabers came out and ignited. Ezra and Kanan began to make their way up through the floor of the building. They climbed up out of the underground and into a storage closet filled with helmets. Ezra and Kanan silently raced over to disguise themselves as a cadet and stormtrooper. Afterward, they slyly entered the hallways of the building and began to gradually make their way to Minister Tua's office. On their way, Kanan and Ezra activated a tracking device so Sabine and Zeb could find them as they entered the building. But a surprise shocked them both.

"What do we do now?" Ezra whispered to Kanan as they slowly turned in a different direction, away from Minister Tua's office--or what was left of it.
"Just keep walking. We'll get out of here as soon as we tell Sabine and Zeb," Kanan said. "Don't worry. I'm right behind you."

Kanan continued to direct Ezra through the building until they reached a larger area with broader hallways very bright from the lights. Just as they turned left, a small troop of stormtroopers were standing there, ready to fire. Kanan and Ezra froze in the white building.

"Freeze, you rebel scum," Agent Kallus grimly spoke at the sight of them.

Kanan and Ezra were already petrified in shock and simply blankly stared back at the Empire as they slowly wrapped their fingers around their weapons.

"Found you," he added with a grin.

Then a storm of firing shots came flying toward them. Kanan instinctively fired his lightsaber and began to block the incoming fire. Ezra turned around with his lightsaber ready in his hand and saw another group of stormtroopers just arriving and getting in their firing positions. Sabine and Zeb noticed that Kanan and Ezra were standing still in a hallway far away from Minister Tua's office.

"What's going on?" Sabine asked as she inquisitively stared at the monitor.
"I don't know," Zeb murmured as Sabine gasped in realization.

Zeb looked at her in confusion, then turned around after a cold breeze brought a cool and deathly feeling. They were surrounded by three large groups of stormtroopers on the roof of the building. A large gust of wind blew around the landscape of Capital City surrounding them as a disconsolate feeling continued to ease itself into their dangerous situations. Sabine hesitantly but swiftly pulled out her two pistols and began to hold them up as the stormtroopers whipped out their own weapon. Zeb gripped his bo-rifle, an equalizer in hand, and they both prepared for a suicide spar.

"Chopper, how are they doing?" Hera asked as she continued to circle around in the air above the city.

Chopper responded with worrisome mechanical noises and Hera then looked below at the war zone. Oh, Karabast!, she cursed in her mind as she flew down a little closer in The Phantom. Just as she was about to make a move to save Sabine and Zeb, Chopper warned her of an incoming fleet of TIEs. Hera looked down at a monitor and cursed once more realizing how close the imperials were to her. She was almost in a nose dive at the moment and had to make a decision fast. Only moments until the ground. She could kill herself, Chopper, and the Ghost. Only minutes until the ground. She would let Sabine and Zeb be taken. Only seconds until the ground. Kanan and Ezra would be interrogated and killed. The ground was there. Sabine and Zeb were in the midst of a grand battle. They were clearly losing until two bold blood red shots came blasting past them only inches from them. The shots demolished most of the imperials, but there were more on the way.

Sweat, perspiration, dripping down Hera's forehead as she tried as hard as she could to pull up. She couldn't pull up any further. If she did, the steering wheel would break and she would die. She was praying to the force that she would make it. She didn't want to go down like this. It felt like an eon and she still hasn't hit the ground. She was anticipating it. Her eyes were forced closed as she was unwilling to watch herself being drilled into the ground and therefore, death. But to her surprise, she was up in the air. The beautiful, life-saving air. She turned back upright and took a small glance down at the ground. Two TIEs out of six were burning on the streets of Capital City. There were no regrets now. They got what they deserved. However, trouble was still about as more TIEs joined the remaining four.

Kanan and Ezra were quickly growing weary from blocking shots. They were beginning to turn into attack dummies for the Empire to shoot at for fun. But they knew they had to act quickly before they were killed. Kanan conjured up all of his mental and physical strength and condensed it all into one forceful move. Ezra was surprised to see the stormtroopers and Agent Kallus being repelled back into the metal walls and become almost dead-like. Kanan didn't waste time and he began to race in the opposite direction they came from and Ezra followed.

"How did they find us?" Ezra asked as they raced through the building, frantically searching for an exit.
"I don't know!" Kanan frustratingly outburst. "Let's just get out of here!"

Hera grew confident and bold again and was quickly able to get rid of the TIEs with obstacles and occasionally shooting at them. However, she continued to focus between where she was flying, the TIEs, and Sabine and Zeb. Just as another wave of TIEs departed from the protecting star destroyer, she swooped down and blasted the stormtroopers once more.

"Specter two, we need a getaway!" Sabine said over her comm.
"What about Specters one and six?" Hera asked.
"I'm not sure..."

After taking a moment to think through her plan, Hera hovered over the rooftop and opened the small ship for Sabine and Zeb to jump in. Just as they landed in the ship, stormtroopers returned and continued to shoot at the ship until the door closed and Hera flew away.

"Where are they?" Hera sternly asked as she continued to maneuver around the TIEs.
"They must still be in there," Sabine assumed.
"Karabast!"

Just as they took a right, more stormtroopers arrived. Kanan quickly grabbed Ezra and they ran in the opposite direction. Thanks to their luck, they just ran down a dead end and their only hiding spot was an office with a grand view of Lothal. Kanan and Ezra dashed in and slammed the door shut. For good measure, they destroyed they lock mechanism. However, that won't hold the Empire off for long.

"How did they know where we were?" Ezra panicked like his master.
"I don't know!" Kanan replied.

Both master and padawan took deep breaths as they surveyed their surroundings and a loud disconsolate banging noise sounded from the other side of the door. Suddenly, Ezra realized where they were as an extreme freezing feeling possessed him. Kanan noticed his padawan's drastic change in appearance and he, too, felt the sudden feeling.

"I think...," Ezra quietly began in disbelief, "I think we're in...--"
"Darth Vader's office," Kanan finished for his padawan.

Abruptly, a large blast shook the floor and Ezra and Kanan almost fell. They looked toward the door and noticed it was almost open. Then a small ray of light penetrated a window on the opposite side of the room, captivating their attention.

"This sounds crazy, but we have to jump!" Kanan gestured toward the window.
"It's not as crazy as anything I've done!" Ezra somewhat laughed it off.

Kanan ran up to the glass and struck it down with his lightsaber. Just as Kanan was about to leap, Ezra noticed a computer on the desk in the middle of the vacant office with a flash drive hanging out of it. Kanan looked back at Ezra.

"Come on! They're almost here!" Kanan said and vaulted off the building.

Ezra felt a strong pulse in the force and heard the door fall open. The stormtroopers had puzzled looks hidden under their helmets and slowly approached the broken window. Kallus slowly entered and a huge expression of self-hate and disappointment shown on his face. He failed his mission...