Stowaway: A Star Wars Rebels Story

Struggles

Ezra's POV:

It was a dark and windy day back at base. Even for the hot and dry desert that was Atollon, the changes in the weather surprisingly made itself known from time to time. But the winds of war were changing rapidly. Not because the Rebellion has dealt a major blow to the Empire, but because the Empire seemingly had a secondary objective. Both of Thrawn's projects needed to be stopped, and the only way to set his progress back was to strike at the heart and destroy the Imperial factory on Lothal. Hera had the same idea as she proposed a recon mission. I was delighted that the attack was growing closer. I was finally getting the chance to help my people back on Lothal.

"We still have some preparation to do before we launch the strike at the factory. Our intel needs to be updated," Hera began. Ezra. The voice calling my name averted my focus. "We don't need the full squadron, a small unit should be enough." Ezra. I heard the voice again and glanced in the direction where it was coming from. "I'm assigning you the mission, Ezra." Ezra. I see something. Is that Maul? "Ezra?" Hera said, getting my attention. I gasped, a little embarrassed that I wasn't in the moment. "Care to join the briefing?" she questioned me. "Yeah, sorry. It's just that...I thought I saw something," I stuttered. "This is your mission, Ezra. I need your full attention," Hera scolded. "Yeah, you've got it," I said. "So first you'll slip into the system and study the Empire's orbital defenses," Hera continued. Ezra. The voice returned. I swiftly looked over, but still nothing. "We'll keep our distance, but gather all the data we can. I want Destroyer positions, TIE patrol routes, transport schedules," Ezra. That's him! I know it! I gasped again, but Maul was gone. A hand touched my shoulder. I quickly spun around and saw Kanan. "Something wrong?" he asked. "No, I...I thought I saw something, or someone," I answered, just as jittery as before. "The recon team leaves as soon as we're loaded up. Questions?" Hera finished. "Is Thrawn there?" Sabine asked. "We have reports of an increase in capital ships, but no confirmation-" Ezra. Hera's words were cut off in my mind as I saw Maul again. This is getting scary. I backed up in fear and bumped into Kanan. "What is it?" he asked again. I saw Maul peek around a corner and backed up into Zeb. "Kid, you feeling alright?" Zeb wondered. Ezra. I saw Maul again at a holoprojector. "There! Look!" I exclaimed, pointing behind the Lasat. "What am I looking at?" he questioned. I looked around frantically, sensing Maul's presence somewhere close. "You don't look very good," Hera said. "Ezra, what do you see?" Kanan repeated. "EZRA," Maul said. I turned around and saw his face right up against mine. I screamed and passed out in shock.

"Ezra, wake up," I heard a voice say. "Ah!" I shouted, thinking Maul was still there. "Woah, woah, hey! It's okay, you're safe," Kanan said. I breathed a sigh of relief. "You want to tell us what's going on?" Hera asked. It was the least I could do to explain my erratic behavior. "It was Maul," I said. "You mean, at the briefing?" Sabine questioned. "I saw him. He said my name, I- he was right behind me! I mean, he was right there," I stammered, struggling to form coherent thoughts. "Kid, I was standing next to you. There was nobody else there," Zeb remarked. "Maybe it's some kind of Force Vision," Hera suggested, trying to make sense of the situation. "Maybe," Kanan said, unable to explain what could have happened. "Ah, if you ask me, I think he's been working too hard," Zeb replied before leaving the room. Chopper grunted back that I was lazy and unproductive. "Chopper, stop it!" Hera reprimanded. "No, Chopper's right. Naptime is over. I should get back to work," I said. "Ezra, are you sure you're alright?" Hera asked. I appreciate the concerns, but nothing bad happened yet. "Hera, I feel fine. No reason to stop the rebellion, right?" I answered, getting up from the bed. "Come on, Sabine. We gotta get ready for our mission." I left the room and walked toward the storage unit to load up the Ghost with all our supplies.

After moving a few crates of proton torpedoes on a portable platform, I pushed them back to our ship, only to be interrupted by AP-5. "Stop. We have all the proton torpedoes we need for this mission," he said. "Not according to the weapons expert, which is me. I want these cases loaded up now," Sabine ordered. "Why am I the last one to know about supply changes? I cannot work under these conditions," AP-5 complained. I smirked at their little argument, but that was quickly wiped off my face when I saw a suspicious body moving toward the A-Wings. I blinked twice and saw Maul. Not this time. "It's him! It's Maul!" I said, running off to catch him. Sabine tried stopping me, but I was fixated on catching the darksider. "Out of the way! There he is! I see him!" I shouted, pushing past a couple soldiers. Unfortunately, I lost Maul, but I could still sense his presence. I looked behind me to meet the gazes of the soldiers in the area. "Ezra, stop!" Sabine's muffled voice called out. I ran away from her. No distractions. I went behind an A-Wing and heard some laughing. Looking under it, I saw those familiar robotic legs. I leaped over the hull and saw the former Sith Lord. "I knew it!" I snarled, kicking him back. It did little to no damage, so I Force pushed him into some nearby crates, crippling him. I took out my lightsaber and was about to ignite it until Sabine pushed me back. "Ezra! Wait!" Sabine shouted. Nothing was going to derail me from this opportunity to kill Maul. "Let me go!" I barked, pushing her and Kanan away. I turned on my lightsaber and got ready to strike him down. But some Force prevented me from bringing my arms down. "Kanan, what are you doing!?" I yelled. "Ezra! It's not Maul! Look at him!" Kanan pressed. I blinked and saw Y/N. He looked traumatized. He stared back at me in silence before slowly getting up and sprinting away. I don't believe it. I was about to kill him. I dropped to my knees and the tears started streaming down my face. "What's happening to me?" I croaked out. I'm so sorry, brother.