Flight of the Force (Star Wars Rebels)

The Holocast

Kanan's POV

I rubbed my eyes and sat back in my chair. Hera was positioned similarly in the pilot's seat. We had searched seven imperial prison facilities so far, posed as stormtroopers or officials. There had been no sign of the others. I had even attempted to sense Ezra with the force. I could sense that he was alive, but I could not sense his location.

"There must be somewhere we haven't checked," Hera said. Chopper beeped in agreement.

"They wouldn't have been taken off-world, would they?" I asked.

"We've already said that the Empire wouldn't want to take them far," Hera told me with a sigh. "They would want to use the others to lure us into a trap."

"Then why hasn't the trap been set?" I asked.

"Maybe we're looking in the wrong place," Hera suggested, changing the subject slightly.

"Where would they have been taken?" I asked, folding my arms. Hera looked out the window. Chopper beeped and displayed a hologram news report. Hera and I both watched as Chopper began playing it. There were two men. One appeared to be interviewing the other. The second man was young and wearing a lab coat.

"-Professor Carther, head scientist for this strange move, has agreed to an interview. Tell me Professor, what is the Emperor's plans behind this organization?" asked the reporter.

"Well," Professor Carther began, grinning, "there is so much that we can gain from the other races and creatures. I am among a small team which will be using the Empire's most advanced technology to splice DNA and other enzymes."

"And what is this that I hear about building the 'perfect race'? Is there any truth to the rumors of your plans?"

"I have hopes, but I doubt I will ever truly manufacture the perfect race. To do that, I would need to find a beast which can heal itself at an incredible rate."

"Where will your team be stationed?"

"That's classified information," Professor Carther said with a wink, "but I can tell you this, Lothal will be lucky enough to be among the first receivers of our gifts we are offering."

"I hear that your older brother, Kallus Carther, is going into the realm of military. He was just assigned to be an inspector on Lothal, was he not?" the interviewer asked.

"Yes, he goes by Agent Kallus now."

"And what can you tell us about the insurgent inspections he is supposed to carry out?"

"I can tell you that any insurgents who manage not to get themselves killed at his hands will be accepted as 'volunteer specimens'."

Chopper froze the hologram, leaving the two people laughing at Professor Carther's joke. I sighed in disgust.

"Is that supposed to be funny?" I demanded. Chopper beeped angrily.

"He says that maybe Ezra and the other's are in the hands of that professor," Hera translated.

"How old is that holocast?" I asked. Chopper beeped.

"A couple years," Hera said.

"I've never heard of anything like that before," I said. "I don't even know where to start looking."

"Well, Professor Carther hinted that they were going to be stationed somewhere on Lothal. That narrows it down somewhat," Hera said with a slight smile.

Chopper changed the hologram, displaying instead an overview of Lothal. Three locations glowed red. One was a well known imperial tower. One was a ghost town, and one was in the middle of nowhere.

"Well, it couldn't hurt to check," Hera said while starting up the Ghost.

"Where first?" I asked.

"How about the middle of nowhere?" Hera suggested. I shrugged. That was as good a place as any to continue our search.