Ezra’s P.O.V.

Ezra raced toward the shuttle, following Hera and Sabine’s lead, but upon hearing Kanan’s footsteps slow behind him, he paused to look back.

“Kanan?”

Then he felt it, something cold, something dark, something very foreboding.

“Do you feel that?” he asked.

Judging by the frightened look on his teacher’s face, the answer was a yes. Kanan turned back the way they’d come, watching, waiting.

A figure emerged from the fog, clad in black, a haunting mask disguising his face. Ezra could hear the stranger’s harsh breathing; it sounded mechanical. A red lightsaber flared to life in his hand, but it was not like an Inquisitor’s lightsaber. The stranger strode forward, an ebony cape waving behind him. In his wake was a squadron of Imperial troopers.

This is really, really bad.

Kanan backed away. Ezra followed suit. The stranger continued to advance, his squad breaking off from him and circling around the two Jedi. Kanan drew his lightsaber and Ezra again followed his example.

“Hera, go! We’ll cover you!” his trainer shouted.

“Kanan, look out!” their Twi'lek pilot called back.

The dark figure raised his lightsaber, striking hard. Kanan caught the blow, almost losing his balance in the process. The stranger hardly seemed fazed.

What kind of freak is this guy?

The dark figure disconnected his blade from Kanan, lifting his gloved hand and sending both Master and apprentice soaring backward. But Kanan was back on his feet in an instant, charging at the enemy. His blow was knocked aside easily, but he would not be dissuaded. He struck again, receiving just as little result. He tried a forward thrust, but the stranger sidestepped it, seizing Kanan by the wrists and lifting him off his feet as though he were a child. Kanan’s weapon fell to the ground, his enemy tossing him aside like he was nothing. Then the masked entity turned its gaze on Ezra. Ezra was shaking, his lightsaber clutched tightly in his hands.

“Your master has deceived you,” the figure said in a deep voice, “Into thinking you can become a Jedi.”

Another wave of his hand sent Ezra flying backward, pinning him against a wall. Ezra tried to struggle but his body was out of his control, his limbs unresponsive.

Then he heard a voice, calling out its challenge.

“Vader.”

The masked figure turned, giving Ezra a clear view of the new arrival. Oddly enough, they were so alike in appearance to the one called Vader that Ezra thought he was seeing double for a moment.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“You may drop the child now,” the newcomer said, “Unless you prefer wasting your skills on amateurs.”

“Hey!” Ezra choked indignantly.

“Who are you?” Vader asked calmly.

“An old colleague and an old enemy.”

“I see.”

Ezra plummeted to the ground, pausing to catch his breath before pushing himself to his feet. Vader’s challenger, a woman by the sound of it, drew her weapon, a lightsaber with a long hilt. When she ignited it, Ezra found it had not one blade, but two, both a deep red, just like Vader’s.

Who are these people?

Without a word, the two black-clad figures charged one another. Ezra watched in awe as the challenger threw herself into a three hundred and sixty degree turn, coming in low and sweeping her blade upward. Her momentum gave her enough force to repel Vader’s attack and she followed it up with a forceful shove that sent her enemy reeling back a few steps. Vader found his footing again, drawing himself up and regarding his foe silently. His challenger didn’t give him very much time to reevaluate her however. She swung at him, moving left to right, right to left. Vader seemed slow and clunky compared to her. They broke apart again, pausing briefly. Then the stranger charged again, catching Vader’s incoming attack on her double-bladed lightsaber before vaulting right over his head. She landed as lightly on her feet as a cat, crouching low.

“Whoa,” Ezra whispered, “Now that’s cool.”

Vader turned to face his enemy, bringing his lightsaber down in a flash.

“Look out!” Ezra shouted.

With a twisting motion, the woman’s saber split into two. She crossed the blades overhead, stopping Vader’s attack. Ezra saw her ever-so-slightly shift her balance, causing her opponent’s blade to glide across her own as smoothly as butter and allowing her to slip out from underneath him.

Ezra didn’t realize his mouth was hanging open until Kanan put his hand on his arm, causing it to snap shut in a moment of jarring surprise.

“Come on!” Kanan urged, half-dragging him toward the ship.

“But I’m enjoying the show!” Ezra protested.

He fell silent as he spotted yet another unknown figure sporting a mask and cape, the only difference being that this time the stranger was wearing white and bore a lightsaber of a pinkish hue. The figure ran forward, inserting itself into the battle. By that point, Ezra and Kanan had mounted the ramp to the awaiting shuttle. As they stepped on board and the ship started to pull away, the entrance closed, blocking the battle from view. Ezra turned to Kanan, his face lit up with a ridiculous smile.

“That was amazing!” he exclaimed.

“We could’ve died,” Kanan pointed out.

“Yeah, but still.”

Hera rolled her eyes.

“Who were those people?” Sabine queried, voicing everyone’s thoughts.

Hera turned to Kanan, “They couldn’t have been Inquisitors, not when they were all fighting each other.”

“That Vader guy,” Ezra said, “He might’ve been one. Right, Kanan?”

Kanan turned away, his face drawn.

“No,” he said, “Something worse.”

“What?”

“A Sith lord,” Kanan answered, “The ancient enemy of the Jedi.”

“And the other two?” Ezra pressed.

Kanan sighed, “I don’t know.”

“Maybe…” Ezra felt a glimmer of hope. “Maybe they were Jedi.”

“Jedi don’t carry red lightsabers.”

“Still, we were lucky they arrived when they did,” Hera pointed out.

“Did you see the way that first one fought?” Ezra asked excitedly, glancing from Hera to Sabine, “It was awesome! Kanan, can you teach me that?”