The four continue down the pipe, slowing down to a fast walk, trusting the rest of the team to keep the Imperials distracted. "You're so well organized. To evade the Empire as you have, you must have quite a support system. Good funding, powerful allies," the Senator says, casually.
The Jedi Master, walking behind Hera, squints at the Senator. Even after what Kanan said, he still seems fishy, almost as if he's trying to lure information from the rebels.
"No, this is it. We're all there is," Ezra says, turning around.
Keen smiles. As far as Ezra knows, they're the Rebellion, and up until a few weeks ago, Ar'iabel believed it as well. Then, she met the Rebel High Command.
"You can't be serious."
"I hoped we could learn from you, Senator. Your transmissions have already helped keep us going."
"Just to know someone else is out there has meant a lot," the Twi'lek supplies.
"You bring hope to so many downtrodden souls, Trayvis," Keen finishes off, just as the team arrive at an intersection of pipes, that all lead to a giant fan. They're up on the second level, which means they have quite a jump to the floor of the sewer.
"Come on!" The boy jumps, landing on the floor, Hera follows directly after him.
The Senator turns to face the Jedi, gesturing for her to jump. She just stands there, arms crossed across her chest, nodding for him to go. Hesitantly, Trayvis jumps, screaming as he falls to the ground, landing on his face. Keen rolls her eyes from under the mask, jumping delicately down, as Ezra and Hera haul the Senator to his feet.
"How are we getting past this thing?" the Twi'lek asks the two Force-sensitives, letting go of the Senator's arm.
"We could try to cut the power," the Padawan shrugs.
"Yeah, but if the Imps catch up with us, what's to stop them from following us?"
"Watch our backs will ya?" Hera hands the Senator a blaster, walking over to Keen and Ezra.
The Jedi keeps one eye on the Trayvis, while also trying to figure out a way to cut the power to the fan, and once again start it up once they're through.
"That's enough. We're not going anywhere!" the Senator declares, lifting the blaster, aiming it at the Rebels across from him.
"Whoa! Senator? What are you doing?" The Jedi Master senses fear and nerves from the boy, as he ignites his lightsaber, stepping in front of Hera.
"Put your saber down, boy. Now!"
Keen steps in front of both rebels, igniting both of her blades. She balances on the balls of her feet, ready to strike at the Senator at the slightest sign of him moving for them. "Why don't you put the blaster down, and we can talk about this."
"You're...You're with the Empire?" Ezra asks, sounding very upset.
"But all your transmissions, those planets you visited. How did word not get out about you?"
"Because no one ever knew...not even my own droids. Insurgents are not arrested. They're identified and watched. The troublesome ones have...accidents after I'm gone."
Trayvis is waving the blaster as he speaks, moving between pointing it at the three rebels.
Master Quinara takes a step forward, leveling her blade at the Senator's arm, "I recommend dropping the blaster, or you might have an accident of your own!"
Trayvis turns to her with a sneer, "You'll do nothing to me, you're a Jedi, a peacekeeper."
"Don't mistake peace with security, Senator. I've killed before. You could ask the Inquisitor, but he's dead!"
Ezra regains his voice, babbling, "But you're not a traitor. You're a voice of freedom, a-a light in the darkness like my parents."
"Parents? No one has spoken against Lothal since...the Bridger transmissions. I remember them. The original voices of freedom. You're their son."
"Why? Why?" the Padawan protests, stepping in front of Keen.
"I joined the Empire...like your parents should have...for their lives, for you. Your parents were very brave...and very foolish. Where are they now? I'll tell you, my boy. They're gone!"
Ezra gasps, a pained expression flitting across his face. His anxiety spikes, as the pain fills him, Keen feeling it permeate through the air.
"They're not gone, Trayvis," Hera protests, breezing past both Jedi and Padawan. Keen moves an arm out to stop the Twi'lek, but she just brushes past it, moving closer to Trayvis.
"Stop right there."
"As long as we fight, all that they spoke out for lives on," she stops, standing meters in front of the Senator.
His finger closes around the trigger, as he once again demands for the Twi'lek to stop. He seems confused as the blaster clicks, nothing leaving the barrel for the pilot. Hera doesn't hesitate. She punches Trayvis in the face, effectively knocking him out. "A true rebel would know if he's holding a charged blaster."
Keen almost laughs, but the feeling of Ezra's pain, still radiating from him.
"How long did you know for?" the Jedi Master asks.
"I could ask the same as you. You were quick to start trying to talk him down."
Keen shrugs, "Something was off from the beginning. I had sensed the deception, which doesn't explain how you knew."
She disignites her sabers, shoving them into her bag, as Hera says, "He tried to get us to surrender. He wasn't tired when he stopped, he was waiting for Kallus to catch up. And he wanted our secrets. I didn't want to believe it."
The sound of running footsteps echoes through the pipe, as the rest of the Ghost crew come into view. Zeb, who is the first one down on the platform below, asks, "What happened to the Senator?"
"He was working for the Empire," the Captain replys easily.
"Is there anybody on our side?" Sabine groans angrily.
Keen shrugs, and states, "Yeah, probably, I mean, the Empire's pretty big, and the Galaxy's even bigger. No way everyone is rooting for the dictatorship in the sky, whether they're brave enough to admit it or not. They probably need a shove for the light, something to give them hope," she shrugs.
Kanan tosses a smile her way, pointing the Trayvis, "So, guess he stays here. What's our plan?"
"We were gonna stop the fan to get through."
"Ok, but what will keep our friends from following?"
"Keen brought that up too," Ezra states, helpfully.
Ar'iabel smiles, she had planned to use the Force to halt the fan long enough for the crew to get through, but then there was an attempted murder, and things got out of hand rather quickly.
"We only stop it long enough for us to get past it," Kanan says. His eyes land right on the Jedi Master, and he adds, "Cover me."
She doesn't hesitate to ignite her blades, standing directly in front of the Knight, as he closes his eyes, concentrating on slowing the fan.
"Incoming," Ezra shouts, and the Imperial blasters start firing in their direction.
Master Quinara blocks the blasts coming for Kanan, the others returning fire. "Y'know," she tosses over her shoulder at the Knight, "Sometime today would be greatly appreciated." She can practically hear the scowl Kanan gives her, as the fan slows to a halt.
Hera's order telling the rebels to move is drown out by Agent Kallus shouting at his Troopers, "Blast the Jedi!"
"Yeah," Keen mutters, "Like no one has ever tried that before," as she parry's the bolts coming at her and Kanan.
Ezra leaps through the fan blades, and Kanan, through gritted teeth, growls out, "Keen, let's go!"
Master Quinara turns, jumping through the blades, Kanan right on her tail. He wipes his forehead with the back of his hand, "That was really close."
"Yeah, you're lucky you have me around, aren't you, Sandy?"
"Some days I'm grateful you're around. Others I wish you weren't here to share embarrassing stories about my Padawan years."
"Oh, really, and what sort of a day is today?" Keen questions, as the team nears their exit of the pipe.
"Today's one of the days where I'm grateful you're around."
Master Quinara smiles, as she drapes an arm over Ezra's shoulder, as he trundles up beside her. Reaching the exit, they find that the Imperials have sealed it.
"Ugh," Kanan moans, "Can't that droid do anything?" He pulls out his blade, cutting through to the other side. The metal of which he carved the hole out of tumbles down just between all the rebels.
Even from the bottom of the pipe, the Jedi Master can hear Choppers groaning.
"Hey, you're supposed to be glad to see us," Kanan grumbles in return. The astromech only responds with more grumbling.