Final Blow (Star Wars Rebels)

The Hunter is the Hunted

When they got back onboard the Windcast, Evelyn didn't lock them back in their cells.

"I don't have time to lock you up," she said. "Stay in this room. Cause any trouble and-"

"You'll put a bullet through our heads," Ezra interrupted. "We get it!"

"Then you've already learned something," Evelyn said with a grin. She left the room quickly, heading in the direction of the cockpit.

"I think she's lying to us about everything," Ezra said. "I bet she isn't even a real bounty hunter. I've never heard of Evelyn 'QuickDraw'."

"What would she get from lying to us?" Conner asked, sitting down on a crate. His expression showed that he wasn't taking Ezra seriously.

"She could be taking us straight to the Empire," Ezra suggested. "She could be planning on turning us in."

"And how exactly is she going to that when she works for the Rebellion?" Conner asked. Ezra glanced at the door Evelyn had left through curiously.

"She works for the Rebellion?" he asked. "How can you tell?"

"I think I've heard her name before from one of the rebels. I can't remember the rest of what he said about her though. But she couldn't be working for the Empire and trying to kill Naul or Paul or whatever his name is," Conner pointed out.

"She could just be a bounty hunter that's working for the Empire temporarily in exchange for credits or immunity or something. That could be what the rebel was taking about," Ezra said.

"But she never said anything about being a bounty hunter. She said that her hunt was a 'personal matter' and that she had 'an old score to settle'. Besides, she didn't know who we were. She almost didn't let us on her ship, remember?" Conner reminded him. Ezra nodded and let the matter drop, but he still had his suspicions. Evelyn was hiding something. And he wanted to know what.

Ezra closed his eyes and reached out through the mental link, searching for Kimble. All he could sense was the empty cold grayness. He hoped she was ok. He hoped she wasn't doing anything stupid.

The Windcast shuddered violently. Ezra's eyes flew open and met Conner's. The ship shuddered a second time, that one more violent than the first.

"That can't be good," Conner said. He and Ezra ran out into the hall. Smoke was drifting through the air and Ezra could hear Evelyn shouting from the direction of the cockpit. They hurried down the hall and into the forbidden cockpit.

The cockpit consisted of a raised circular platform with a lowered area before it. The lowered area held several control panels. A large viewport dominated most of the wall.

Evelyn was standing on the raised platform, covered in soot and smoke and shouting orders while working at a console. A black R3-Y2 droid was plugged into a single console on the ground below. Cords and wires connected all of the other counsels to the one that the R3 droid was plugged into. Chopper was plugged into Evelyn's console, helping her work quickly and reporting a constant stream of information.

"Angle ninety degrees starboard!" Evelyn shouted. "Fire rear cannons! Strengthen stabilizers! Dive sixty degrees! Prepare hyperdrive!"

"Wow," Conner said quietly. "I've never seen a pilot like this before."

"What's so impressive?" Ezra whispered in reply, although he really was impressed. Evelyn was doing the work of five accomplished pilots working together with just herself and two droids.

"She's doing some serious multitasking," Conner replied. "She's operating under the same processing power that droids are supposed to be able to handle at maximum capacity. It's probably not too hard when the Windcast is just traveling from one location to another. Her R3 droid would be able to handle everything for her. But in a combat situation like this . . . it's amazing she's still sane."

"Maybe she's not," Ezra suggested. He began walking forward, towards Evelyn.

"Don't interrupt her!" Conner hissed. "Our lives may depend on it!"

"FORWARD SHIELDS! NOW!" Evelyn roared as a ship appeared in the viewport. It looked like a modified Aggressor Assault Fighter that was painted a blood red. The ship fired a rain of shots in the direction of the Windcast.

The Windcast shuddered violently and everyone was thrown forward. Ezra ended up face-first on the ground. He crawled to his hands and knees. Conner was on the ground nearby, blinking up at the smoky ceiling dizzily. Chopper had rightened himself. The R3 droid was a sparking mess on the ground. Evelyn was holding her head in one hand and pushing herself off of the console with the other. She noticed Conner and Ezra for the first time.

"What are you doing here?" she asked. "It's not safe. She's caught up to me."

"Who are you talking about, Evelyn?" Ezra asked, standing and helping Evelyn to her feet. Evelyn couldn't reply. Instead she closed her eyes and rubbed her temple.

Ezra heard a rumble deep within the Windcast, and footsteps coming closer to the cockpit. Evelyn had her pistol in her hand and had slammed the bottom of it into the side of Ezra's head before Ezra had even realized what was happening. Ezra released Evelyn and fell to the ground. Everything he saw was doubled and his head was pounding.

Evelyn's pistol flew to the far wall and she was lifted into the air, clutching at her neck.

Someone entered the cockpit holding two red lightsabers in their hands. It was a Dathomirian witch, a Night Sister.

"And here I was, looking for a big fight," the newcomer said. "You took them out for me. I could have killed them and saved you the trouble. As it is, I can settle for you."