Capture

Chapter Five

"What do you see?"

Ezra yelled out in pain, but didn't relent. He couldn't stop the groans, the screams of pain. But he could stop the words from tumbling out. The images from going to the Inquisitor's mind.

Not that there was much to tell, but in case Hera had been able to escape, he didn't want to let anything slip.

He had failed his friends. He should have seen what the Inquisitor was doing when he moved closer to him. He wondered if he could've resisted. If only he'd had more focus.

Kanan was right. He had been unfocused and distracted.

He opened his eyes, determination setting in. If Hera was still alive, he wouldn't fail her.

He looked into the Inquisitor's furious face, and he knew he could resist. Anger was a trap. The Force gave him endurance, not impatience.

The pain in his head subsided, and he drew in a breath. "You can do this for forever, but I won't break."

The Inquisitor almost snarled. "We shall see about that!"

The Inquisitor turned, lifting his hand to pull the electric spark projector closer, then stopped. He seemed to steady himself. His clenched hands relaxed, and he looked calm again.

He turned back to Ezra. "Do you wish to know how I killed your master?"

Ezra's eyes widened. No. Not that.

"He fought bravely, but his training was not completed, and he had no focus. He was clumsy. Foolish. He should have known better than to fight so rashly."

"Stop."

"And he was driven by his anger and hatred. He was easy to kill."

"Stop!"

"And as the life drained from him, the Lasat stepped forward. He may have been big, but he was not strong enough for the Force."

Ezra strained against his restraints. "STOP!"

"The monster was quickly disposed of, and the Mandalorian girl was the easiest. She could fight, but she wasn't strong."

The lights flickered and broke. The ceiling panels began to shake.

Ezra knew what he was feeling was wrong, but he didn't want to stop it, felt powerless to even do so.

"I held her there against the wall until she hung limp in my grasp. Pity. She would have been a great Imperial cadet."

Ezra gritted his teeth, trying to push back the power he knew was only fruit of the Dark. It had felt good in the beginning, but now it hurt. It was painful. He felt as if his head would explode.

"The pilot was simple. I only needed to throw my blade and take out the engines. She went down with the ship."

Ezra slumped as he felt the last of the anger leave him. The relief he felt was almost tangible. He opened his eyes. "You had no choice but to obey your master. Because you're weak."

The Inquisitor didn't answer, just stared at him, obviously surprised. His eyes narrowed, and he pulled the torture weapon near, using the Force to activate it. Ezra screamed as bolts of electricity surged through him, unspeakable pain left in its wake.

The Inquisitor watched, impassively, for what seemed to be hours. Then he abruptly turned, deactivated the projector, and left the cell.

Ezra hung there, exhausted from pain and the revelation of his friends' deaths. He closed his eyes and mind on the empty room.