Ahsoka, Daughter of the Light (Book 4): Hidden

Chapter 19: Ezra

MORRA SEVARRO

"Honey, I'm home," Ephraim said once they walked in the house.

There was a woman inside, wearing some sort of headpiece over her hair.

"Who are these people?" asked the woman.

"People like us," she said, "People running from the Empire."

"And you just let them in?" asked the woman.

Ephraim shot Eekar and Morra a quick look, and they both put their blasters on a nearby table.

"This is my wife, Mira," Ephraim said.

"Pleasure to meet you, Mira," Eekar said.

"And you are?" Mira asked.

"Fabarr Nedo," Eekar said, using a fake name.

"And I'm Dano Eyanna," Morra said. Even if these people were anti-Imperial, it was best not to use their real names, as they would likely know they're Jedi.

"Well then, nice to meet you," Mira replied.

Morra found it interesting that this wasn't the first Mira she had met, after meeting Mira Nassi back in the Jedi Order. She felt it best not to mention it.

Suddenly, there was crying coming from underneath them. Morra could swear she felt some sort of rustle in the force.

"Oh god," Ephiram said, "he's acting up again."

"I'll deal with it," Mira said, before walking over to a stool and shoving it over to reveal a bunker. She quickly climbed down.

"Ezra!" she yelled. "Ezra, calm down!"

The rest was an unintelligible rustle of motherly protectiveness and the crying of the baby.

"I take it that's your son?" Morra asked.

"Yes," Ephraim said. "You can come down to see him after this fuss is all over. His name's Ezra, if you couldn't tell by my wife yelling. Also, don't tell anyone about the bunker."

"Don't worry," Eekar said. "we're not planning on Lothal much longer."

"Well, that's good to know," Ephraim continued. "Do you need anything to eat?"

"Do you have any Meilooruns?" Morra asked.

"Sorry, Dano," he said, "those don't grow on Lothal."

"What does?" Morra asked.

"Well, I think we've got some miscellaneous foods we can scavenge from the cabinets," Ephraim said.

"Good," Morra said.

After Morra and Eekar finished eating their meals, Mira finally came out of the bunker.

"Phew," she said, "that was a rough one."

"Can we see him now?" Morra asked.

"He's sleeping, so as long as you don't wake him up."

"Okay," Morra said.

She and Eekar climbed down the ladder down into the bunker. It was a small room, filled with miscellaneous items, most notably a radio and a crib, where baby Ezra lay asleep.

Morra felt something, as if the Force was calling out to her. And it was something about the child.

"You feel it too?" Eekar whispered.

"Yes," Morra replied.

"Here," Eekar said, pulling a holoprojector and a syringe out of his cloak.

"You brought a Midi-Chlorian blood tester?" Morra whispered.

"We must do this quickly," Eekar said, "or else they'll notice."

Morra nodded her head in agreement.

Eekar quickly attached the syringe to the holoprojector and, as quickly as he could, poked Ezra with it.

Ezra was immediately awoken, but something was very odd.

He wasn't crying.

Eekar pulled out the syringe and turned on the holoprojector, which displayed the results.

The child was Force-sensitive.

"I'm afraid of how easily we sensed it," Morra whispered as Ezra went back to sleep.

"Perhaps it is the will of the Force," Eekar whispered back.

"We'll have to reveal ourselves to his parents," Morra said. "We can't just steal their child."

"Don't worry," Eekar said, grabbing the ladder. "I have faith we can trust they won't expose us."

"And if they don't hand over the child?"

"We leave him here," Eekar said. "We don't want to take him without his parents agreeing. Not like we used to."

It was a sort of sad reality that affected all Jedi. They had been straight-up kidnapped from their parents, whether they said yes or not. Nobody ever got to know what they said.

But hopefully the Bridgers would agree, and hopefully they would have one more Jedi.