Star Wars Rebels: Just Hold On

Numbers

Ezra's POV

The door slid open and a stormtrooper entered.

"Mealtime. Get up scum," the stormtrooper commanded. I climbed to my feet and followed him out of the cell. I was escorted into a central room. A dozen other people were in the room. Stormtroopers lined the walls. Most of the prisoners were human, but there were several non-humans.

I checked what numbers were present. 40, 54, 55, 56, 58, 59, 60, and 62 were all there. On second thought, not even a dozen people. Only eight. Either everyone else was not to join us for mealtime, or they were all dead. Not exactly a cheery thought.

"Brother!" Kimble shouted. I turned in surprise. She had broken away from her escort and run across the room to a guy who was labeled 62. He had short black hair just like Kimble. He also had green eyes.

I glanced around the room again. None of the other prisoners seemed concerned about the reunion that was occurring. They all looked worn out, beaten, as if they'd given up. I walked over to Kimble and her brother.

"That didn't seem to take long," I commented. Kimble and her brother both glanced at me. I could finally see Kimble's eye color. They were violet.

"Who's this?" Kimble's brother asked.

"He's in the cell next to mine," she explained.

"My name is Ezra," I introduced.

"I'm Conner," he replied.

"I take it you're a force user?" Conner asked. I nodded.

"My master will be here to rescue me soon. To rescue all of us," I told them quietly.

"You actually have a master?" Conner asked enviously.

"Yeah. His name is Kanan," I explained.

"We don't need your help," Kimble said.

"I suppose you have a plan for getting yourselves out then?" I asked.

"As a matter of fact I do," Kimble said grumpily.

"Care to let me in on the secret?" I asked.

"I'd rather not," Kimble told me.

"How long have you been here?" I asked Conner.

"A couple of months," he told me.

"Are these all of the initiates, or are there more?" I asked.

"This is everyone. Force users don't last long here," Conner said sadly.

"How are things run here? Guard schedules, meal times, stuff like that," I wondered.

"Guards are stationed around the clock.  Meals are served here three times a day. Each prisoner had it's own interrogation schedule. Occasionally the Inquisitor himself will come to oversee the interrogations. All exits are monitored by security cameras, at least seven stormtroopers, and rayshielded. Any rebellion is instantly extinguished, not to mention earns the special attention of the Inquisitor," Conner explained.

"I already have the Inquisitor's special attention, so trying to escape won't make things any worse. Give me a week and I'll get us out of here."

"I told you, we don't need your help," Kimble growled. I shrugged. She would come around. As soon as I had an escape plan.

---

I searched my cell thoroughly after the meal. There weren't any cracks in the ray shield that I could see, and security seemed sound. Kimble was in the cell next to mine again, and she seemed especially mad at me. I couldn't see why. I was trying to save her life after all. Pretty girl force users shouldn't be mad at good-looking guy force users. We were all we had.

The door slid open, and the Inquisitor entered my cell along with two stormtroopers.

"Enjoying your stay?" the Inquisitor asked.

"The food could use some work," I told him.

"We can give you whatever food you want. Anything you need at all. We can be very respectable hosts when you give us what we want," he told me.

"And what do you want?" I asked. I could tell that Kimble was trying to pretend she wasn't listening as she laid on her cot.

"Your rebel friends fled the scene. I want to know where they are. Just tell me where to find them, and we can make you very comfortable."

The rest of the crew had left without me? Did they know I was missing, or did they think I ran away? I was sure Kanan could sense the truth. He knew I needed help. I wouldn't betray the rebels to the empire. Instead, I laughed.

"I bet your master wasn't very happy that you let them get away. What do you have to show for all of your hard work? Just a street rat," I told him. He frowned and glared menacingly at me.

"My master is of no concern to you. If you will not tell me now, perhaps with some persuasion we can discuss the whereabouts of your rebel friends," he growled. The stormtroopers closed in on me, and I attacked the one on the right by launching myself at his feet.

I managed to trip him and was about to grab his blaster when jolts of electricity raced up my arm. The pain was blinding, and I fell to the ground and closed my eyes until it was over. When it ended, the band on my wrist was scalding hot. I opened my eyes and climbed to my knees, taking the chance to glare at the Inquisitor. He motioned to a control panel on his arm smugly. I noticed that the stormtroopers had a similar one on their armor as well, except theirs were smaller.

"Come along now, and don't cause any more problems," the Inquisitor said. I stood up as the stormtroopers stationed themselves on either side of me. Before I left the cell, I glanced back at Kimble. She was standing as close to the ray shield as she possibly could with a concerned look on her face.

"Get moving," the stormtrooper on my left growled. I exited the cell and prepared myself for torture. I could only hope that I would be strong enough not to give away the rest of the crew.