Bring Him Home

Chapter 4

         "This looks like the place", Sabine said as she and Ahsoka walked up to the building where Greef told them Ezra had stayed. They went inside and climbed the stairs to the second floor lodging. When they entered the small room, Ahsoka's mouth tightened into a thin slit.

    "Hmm."

   "What is it?", Sabine asked.

        Ahsoka walked over to the small cooktop and picked up one of the pans, immediately being bombarded with mental images of everyone who had ever used it.  A Trandoshan, a Felucian, and... a familiar looking human male.

    She put down the pan and smiled confidently. "He was definitely here."

    Her Mandalorian companion raised a quizzical eyebrow. "How do you know?"

    
  "The Force has a tendency to create what are commonly called 'echoes' around certain objects. I picked up the pan and I was able to see the last person who used it."

       "You mean...?"

    "Ezra. Look for clues. He had to have left something."

         Suddenly overflowing with confidence, Sabine began rummaging through every nook and cranny to see what she could find. After overturning every object in the room, she opened the drawer in the nightstand and saw a holotransmitter disc. She immediately grabbed it and hit the activation button.

      The device lit up and the image she saw made the young woman's heart jump. The accompanying voice then made it do a somersault.

     "Sabine, if you're seeing this, you're on the right track. As if there was ever any doubt."

      She almost made a sarcastic quip in response, but she remembered that it was only a recording.

    "Now, I presume you'll need to know where I'm going next, so I'll cut to the chase. this jungle planet is constantly in balance between peace and chaos."

         "That... that could be any number of worlds!", Sabine exclaimed to Ahsoka in exasperation.

     "I have faith in you, Sabine. Specter 6 out."

    The recording ended and Sabine sighed. "I guess we've hit another snag."

     "It certainly appears that way. I suggest we take some time to think."

   They left the boarding house and began walking back to the ship, Nevarro's sunset creating a surprisingly beautiful piece of scenery for such a bleak planet. As they walked, Ahsoka cautiously kept her hands on her lightsabers, sensing several beings sneaking behind them. Suddenly, a shot rang out and Ahsoka saw sparks fly from the back of Sabine's helmet as she fell forward.

    "Sabine!!', the Togruta shouted as she activated her lightsabers and took up a defensive stance. Much to her surprise, the Mandalorian was quickly back on her feet, drawing her blasters. "I'm alright. My helmet's beskar held up."

   The women stood back to back, heads on a swivel as they scanned the alleys and street for their attackers.

       "Where did you steal it from?", a male voice spoke.

     "Show yourself!!", Ahsoka shouted.

    Someone stepped out of the shadows and Sabine's eyes widened underneath her helmet. A hulking Mandalorian, or, at leat, someone wearing Mandalorian armor, wielding a tri-barreled heavy repeating blaster.

    "Where did you steal that armor?", he asked again.

   Sabine knew he was talking to her, so she was quick to retort. "I didn't steal it. I forged it with my own blood, sweat, and tears."

      "I find that hard to believe. What's your House?"

    'House Vizla, Clan Wren."

       The armored brute suddenly became very angry. He threw his weapon to the ground and shoved an accusatory finger in Sabine's direction. "You!! Your clan is the one that initiated the pathetic revolt that caused the Empire to swarm Mandalore and destroy us!!!"

   He charged at Sabine and Ahsoka, both of them dodging the intended strike. Their opponent crashed headfirst into a stack of large cooking pots, leaving him momentarily stunned. The former Jedi could still sense multiple people around, but now they were spectating rather than following.

    "We can take him."

     "No, Ahsoka, let me handle this", the Mandalorian said as she holstered her pistols.

        Their attacker regained his bearings and got back to his feet. "I'll kill you!!!", he yelled before drawing a vibroblade and charging at Sabine again. She sidestepped his attack once again and remained calm. If she had learned one thing from Kanan and Ezra, it was patience. Her opponent fired two shots at her from a wrist-mounted blaster, both of which she deflected with the energy shields projected from her vambraces.

    "Just die, dar'Manda!!", he yelled as he kept firing.

        Sabine blocked each shot in quick succession, but was far from infallible. One lucky shot was able to get through, slamming into her helmet and knocking her to the ground. Ahsoka almost intervened, but decided against it. She could sense that the Mandalorian had a trick up her sleeve.

     The hulking brute chuckled maniacally as he walked over to his fallen adversary. "And so, I shall restore honor to Mandalore by killing the one who caused her demise." Sabine, whose helmet had been knocked off by the fall, looked up at him. "You call this honor? I did what I did to free Mandalore."

    She brushed her free hand over her left vambrace, activating one of its more useful features.

       "It's true that my actions haven't always been beneficial to our people, but I have done everything I can to atone for those mistakes. I will not let some bumbling imbecile lecture me about honor!!!!!" Upon speaking that final word, she shoved her left arm forward, activating the repulsor blast and sending her adversary flying backwards. He slammed into a wall with enough force to crack it, falling to the ground unconscious.

     With her foe neutrlized, Sabine stood up and picked her helmet up from the ashy ground, tutting at the scorch march on the forehead. She put it back on and walked over to Ahsoka. "See? Told you I could handle it."

   "I never had any doubts", the Togruta said with a smile.

       Suddenly, both women heard a whistle and several figures emerged from the alleys, all of them decked out in Mandalorian armor. Two of them picked up their unconscious comrade and one of them walked over to Sabine, the barely-visible sunlight reflecting off of his silver helmet.

     "On behalf of all Mandalore, I offer our apologies. Paz has always been rather... hotheaded. He is a descendant of Pre Vizla, after all."

     That explains a lot, Sabine said in her head.

   The other Mandalorian extended his hand and Sabine took it in the traditional display of camaraderie and honor among warriors.

     "This is the way", he said in a friendly voice.

    "This is the way", Sabine replied. She knew that phrase as a result of her family's connection to the Vizlas, which led her to speculate that this tribe was organized by fugitive members of that ever-stubborn clan.

    They exchanged a handshake and then went their separate ways.

    Not to sure about the quality of this one. Let me know what you think.