Stowaway: A Star Wars Rebels Story

Home Away from Home

We left the Ghost and found Zeb sitting in a chair and listening to some slow rock. "What are you doing out here, big guy?" Ezra questioned. "Oh hey Ezra, hey Y/N. Just getting a little fresh air and some privacy. Pull up a crate and watch the sunset," Zeb said, motioning for us to sit down. "We're gonna be leaving soon, Kanan and I," Ezra muttered. "Figured it was something like that. Going after the red blades, eh?" Zeb replied. "Yeah, but I don't know when we'll be back, or if we'll be back," Ezra said, with a very noticeable sadness. "Don't talk like that. Bad thoughts only get you so far. You'll be back," I piped up, trying to lighten the mood. "Well, we'll have toppled the Empire by then. We can swap war stories," Zeb joked. I chuckled and took a swig of my drink. "I didn't know rock music existed here. Thought there would be a more uh, exotic style," I said. "You have guitars and drums back home?" Zeb asked, seemingly interested in how music worked back on Earth. "Yeah, we do. The genre isn't as popular as it used to be but they're still very important to my world's music," I answered. "But hey, I can't complain that it's here too. Turn up the volume a little." Zeb complied, turning a dial on the radio, but the song faded out and the next one played. It had a catchy melody and a nice swing rhythm. Sounds like a jazz song. "What's this called?" Ezra asked, starting to feel the music. "I don't know, but I think it's some form of jazz. Believe it or not, it's actually a favorite of Sabine's," Zeb answered. "This is Spectre 5, we're under attack! We need backup-" Sabine cried out. "How convenient," I said aloud. "Guess our break ends here then," Zeb added. We left everything there and sprinted back to the Ghost. After a few minutes of running, we ran into Hera. "There you guys are, let's get moving!" she said.

We flew to the other side of the rock and found some spiders attacking Sabine. "I hate multi-leggers!" Zeb complained. "Where's Rex?" Ezra wondered. "Those creatures took him. I think they got Dicer too," Sabine said. So that's what the A-Wing was there for. "Chopper, locate Rex's position," Hera ordered. The droid did a quick scan of the surrounding area and picked up a life sign. "He says this way," Sabine translated, pointing towards the cave entrance. We all followed her except for Zeb. "I'll, uh, guard the ship," he said in fear. "We need you, Zeb. They look tough, but you're tougher," I responded. "More than two legs is just excessive!" he complained. "Chopper, keep the Ghost running," Hera said before we caught up with the rest of the crew. There was no natural light, so Kanan and Ezra ignited their lightsabers while the rest of us turned on our flashlights. "Stay sharp and stick together," Kanan said. "They have tough armor. Aim for the eyes," Sabine added. I was a little shaken because the cave had many different tunnels that were more than big enough for the spiders to crawl around. At least they have a weakness. After some more walking, we found ourselves facing a split path. "Ugh. We need to split up," Kanan groaned. "Ezra, go with Hera." "No. Ezra, stay with Kanan. Sabine, Zeb, and Y/N, you're with me," Hera called out. "Doesn't it make more sense to have one Jedi on each path?" I said. There was no reason to split us up like this. "We gotta get used to not having them around," she responded gravely. "What's that supposed to mean?" I asked Sabine and Zeb. They shrugged at my question. Even they were unsure of Hera's cryptic message. I shined my flashlight in front of us to see a trail of shells. "What's all this about?" I wondered. Hera looked at the objects I was illuminating and looked a little shocked. "Those big crawlers must eat them," she said. "Even I wouldn't wish that fate on these bogans," Zeb chimed in. Sabine looked around a little bit and saw some circular objects filling the floor around some sleeping spiders. "Are those eggs?" she said. "Could really use a hand over here!" someone called out. I turned around and shined my light to see Rex trapped in between a spider's legs. "Rex!" Hera shouted. The four of us climbed up to the spider and carefully pulled away the legs to allow Rex to drop down free. "Met the neighbors. I don't care for them," he quipped. "Kanan, Ezra, we found Rex," Sabine commed the Jedi. "Good work. We're coming towards you," Kanan responded. Seeing the spider drop down in front of us, I shot at its eyes in panic, immobilizing it. "Actually, I think it's time to go," Sabine said. Hera took the lead, seemingly knowing the way out. "This way," she commanded. We followed her light, desperate to get out of this maze.