Ania blinked her eyes open wearily and groaned. Her entire body ached and a massive headache split her skull. She lifted a hand to her head, then paused. There were no cuffs on her wrists or ankles. That's odd, she thought. She glanced around the cell. The two side walls were transparent. She gasped, spying the members of the cell next to her.
Tolsa glanced up. "Ania, you're awake!" Her voice was strangely muffled.
Ania pulled herself over to the wall. "What happened?"
"I'm not sure. We went where you told us to but there was no sign of Ezra. We came to find you and then the Red Guards caught us," Sabine replied. "What happened to you?" She motioned to the dried blood on Ania's face.
"Vader and the Emperor think Ahsoka is alive and that I know where to find her," Ania explained. "I'm not sure what they're going to do next."
They fell silent as two sets of footsteps clanked in the corridor. Kein Rei stepped in front of Ania's cell, with a human behind him. "Come to gloat you sleemo?" Tolsa spat.
"No, I've come to let you out," Kein replied. He swiped a keycard across a panel and Ania's cell door hissed open.
"This is a trick," Ania said with a glare.
Kein moved to the other cell and opened the door. "It's not a trick." He motioned to the boy next to him. "This is Jordan Mandala, a pilot and a defector."
"I'll help you escape if you can get me away from the Empire," the boy, Jordan, said. Tolsa looked at him curiously.
"I don't trust them," Zeb growled.
"It doesn't matter. We can't leave without Ezra," Ania pointed out.
"Last I heard, your friend has already been terminated." Kein tossed Sabine's blasters and charges in, along with Tolsa's lightsaber. Jordan handed Zeb his bo-rifle. "Now, do you want out of here or not?"
Zeb, Sabine, and Tolsa stepped out of their cell. Ania followed them out. "I can't leave without Ezra," she said.
"I already told you, he's dead," Kein hissed.
"No, he's not." Ania pointed a finger towards him accusingly. "You have no idea."
"I'll get you to your ships," Jordan broke in.
"Take them. I'm getting him," Ania replied.
"No, we can't split up again," Tolsa exclaimed.
Ania whirled towards her, blue eyes snapping with fire. "Do as I say. I won't see another one of my friends hurt in this place. Get out of here and get back to the squadron. Take him with and drop him off on some other planet or take him to Hera. I am not leaving without Ezra, but you guys aren't staying."
Tolsa's eyes were wide. Sabine gritted her teeth, but nodded. "Come on. She'll be fine." Zeb and Sabine turned to follow Jordan.
Tolsa quickly gave Ania a hug. "If anything happens to you again, I will kill you. I'm tired of you risking your life but never letting anyone else do it."
"Better me than anyone else. Go." Ania pushed Tolsa towards the others gently. She waited until they were safely in the lift, before turning to Kein. "You won't be leaving until you take me where you last saw Ezra."
"You better pay me for this. I'm not sticking my neck out further than I have to," Kein growled. He turned and headed towards another lift.
They began to descend into the palace. "Why did you decide to help us?" Ania asked, crossing her arms.
"Even I have limits. Forcing hallucinations on someone is one of them."
"Not hallucinations. Visions. They were trying to make me see something in particular, but instead, it showed me my fears." Ania faced the door.
"What...did you see, exactly? I assumed it was pretty bad from what I saw."
"It was worse than a nightmare and the bad part about visions is you can feel everything."
Kein's black eyes glittered but he gave no reply. The lift hissed to a stop and opened to a dusty hallway. "No one ever comes down here."
Ania spotted tracks in the dust. "Then what are those?" She knelt and brushed a finger over it. Stormtroopers dragged an unconscious boy to the lift. The vision was gone in an instant. "He's not down here." They stepped back into the lift.
"I told you. They said he's dead."
"No, he's not. I would have felt it and I can still feel him. He's alive." Ania sighed. And so is Ahsoka. She cast her senses out, ignoring the throbbing it sent into her head. She sent it spiraling throughout the Palace, searching for Ezra. A faint glimmer of his presence touched hers. "He's on the middle levels, in a courtyard."
"I know the place." Kein entered a floor number into the lift's keypad. They stopped abruptly a few levels up. "I can't go with you from here or they'll know I was involved." Ania stepped off the lift and nodded to him. "Happy hunting." Kein closed the lift.
Ania stepped through a doorway as it hissed open. She entered a large courtyard, surrounded by towering stone walls. The clouds above were gray with a coming rain. AT-ST's lined the walls. Stormtroopers were lined up, watching her. None moved towards her. Ania moved further into the courtyard.
I'll have to get close to that outer wall or we'll never escape. She continued walking, ignoring the growing number of stormtroopers. She reached the outer wall and stopped. "Sabine, have you made it out?" She whispered into her comm.
"Yes, we just got through the atmosphere. Have you found Ezra yet?"
"He's close but we're still in the Palace."
"Be careful." The comm switched off.
The doorway hissed open across the courtyard and Darth Vader strode out, his cape billowing in the breeze. Behind him, two stormtroopers dragged Ezra out. Ania's eyes widened and her heart lurched at the sight of him. Vader's questioning appeared to have been thorough.
Ania gritted her teeth and stalked forward. "Let him go!"
Ezra's eyes blinked open and widened in terror. "Get out of here!" He rasped.
"You know I won't."
Vader flicked two fingers and she was halted in place. Two stormtroopers ran towards her and slammed their blasters into the back of her knees. She buckled, still unable to move. "You know what you must do to survive this," Vader growled. "Tell me what I wish to know and you and the boy may leave."
"You're a liar and a monster! Even if I did know, I wouldn't tell you!" Ania shouted.
Vader waved a hand and the stormtroopers holding Ezra slammed their rifles into his gut. Ezra gagged and slumped forward. "Where is Ahsoka Tano?" Vader demanded.
Ezra glanced at Ania, questioningly. She ignored his gaze and focused on the rising storm within her. "I've already told you. I don't know what you're talking about. She's dead!"
"You know that isn't true. This is your final warning. Tell me where she is or he will die!" The stormtroopers aimed their blasters at Ezra.
Ania's eyes widened in terror. No, this vision cannot happen! She tried to move, but still couldn't. "I don't know where she is! Please, you have me! Just let him go!"
"If he is no longer useful to us, then he will die!" Vader growled.
Ania lurched forward as a crimson blade ignited and burned through Ezra's chest. He gasped and fell as the blade deactivated. The well snapped open. Ania reached out and grabbed onto Ezra's presence. A terrible power surged through her and the ground beneath her knees cracked. Beams of white light erupted through the cracks appearing in her skin and her eyes rolled back as she screamed.
A wave of power swept out of her and into the courtyard. The stormtrooper's screams were silenced as swiftly as they started. Ania stood, still glowing. Her eyes were white and shining brilliantly as she stormed towards Vader. "You don't know what you've done!" Her voice didn't sound like hers. Thousands of people spoke through her. "You have no idea what you have unleashed." She whipped a hand towards Vader and he cried out as the Force gripped him.
His mask began to crack and break off, revealing one yellow eye. Vader backed away and ran into the Palace. Ania fell to the ground as that power fled from her. Charred armor was all that remained of the stormtroopers. A gasp caught her attention.
Ezra clutched his chest, gasping. Ania gathered her strength and pulled herself to him. "Ezra," she whispered. His gaze flickered to hers.
"What...was that," he rasped.
"Unimportant." Ania reached him and pulled his head onto her lap. "Just hold on. I can fix this."
His hand gripped hers. "Tell the others goodbye for me." A tear slipped down his cheek.
"No, I won't. You're not going anywhere." Ania gripped his hand tightly and tried to pull the Force around her.
"I....love..." Ezra sighed and his hand fell limp in her grasp.
"No!" Ania cried out. "Please, what do I do? There has to be something I can do!" A faint glow appeared beside her. Ania looked up at the Daughter. "Please, what do I do?" She begged, tears streaking her face.
"Give him some of you life force. Give him some of us," the Daughter replied. "I will help you." She placed her hands on Ania's shoulders.
Ania still held Ezra's hand. She placed her free hand over his wound and took a deep breath. As she exhaled, she let some of her life slip away. The Daughter began to chip apart pieces of herself and the Son, sending it through Ania. The white aura faded and Ania blinked her eyes open. Ezra's face had already begun to pale.
She looked at the wound on his chest. It was healed. Ania glanced back at his face. "Please, Ezra, come back."
The paleness began to recede and color returned to his face. His chest rose and his hand tightened around hers. Ezra's eyes opened and she laughed in relief, feeling more tears flow. Ezra sat up, rubbing his head.
"I feel like I got hit by a maglev," he said. He leaned forward, wiping some of her tears off. "Come on. I had it all under control."
Ania laughed, then cried again. "You died, Ezra!" She hugged him tightly.
He hissed faintly. "Don't remind me." He struggled to stand. Ania put his arm around her shoulder and helped him up. "At least it gave me some courage."
Ania raised an eyebrow. "Courage for what?"
"To tell you the truth." Ezra grinned. "I love you." He kissed her swiftly.
Ania grinned broadly, her orange cheeks tinged red. "I know." She glanced around the courtyard. "We need to get to the Redemption," she pointed out. "I doubt Vader will stay gone for long."
"Right. How do you propose we do that?"
"I think...we jump." Ania led Ezra towards the outer wall. She pressed a hand against it and the wall crumbled swiftly. She glanced off the platform. The Redemption was miles below them, surrounded by stormtroopers. "You ready?"
"As I'll ever be." Ezra took a flying leap and jumped. Ania plunged down after him. They began to pick up speed, falling faster and faster. Ania stuck a hand towards the ground and slowed her descent as they neared the Redemption. From the corner of her eye, she spotted Ezra doing the same.
They landed with a thud, but by the time the troopers had turned, Ania had opened the emergency hatch and they were inside. She quickly fired up the ship while Ezra trained the guns on the palace. More stormtroopers and red guards ran towards them. Ezra fired as Ania lifted off. They sped through Coruscant and cleared the atmosphere.
"Setting course for Lothal," Ania said quickly. She activated the hyperdrive and they shot into lightspeed.