*Crawls out of hiding after almost 3 years, drops this, and runs to hide again before everyone tells me I took too long to update*
Warnings: Graphic Depiction of Violence
Characters: Alexsandr Kallus, Garazeb Orrelios, Original Imperial Character(s)
Summary: Kallus gets captured in a mission gone wrong by someone from his past, who is determined to break him. Across the galaxy, Zeb is willing to do whatever it takes, even defying orders, to bring his mate back, safe and sound. But time is running out.
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As expected, getting into the base is difficult with heavy patrols of Stormtroopers. But they manage with minimal fuss. As soon as they’re in, Chopper uses his scomp link to connect himself to the base’s main computer, taking him only a minute to find out where Kallus is.
A powerful wave of relief washes over Zeb when he hears his mate is alive. But he can’t relax until Kallus is out of there, safe and sound.
“Where is he?” Ezra asks.
To Zeb, Chopper’s warbled words are meaningless. However, the droid’s holographic map helpfully shows that Kallus is located several levels beneath them in the cell blocks. He’s deep in the compound’s belly.
“You go ahead,” Sabine says. “Chopper and I will cause a distraction.”
Zeb imagines easily the colorful and fiery detonations Sabine will use to ruin the Imperials’ day.
“C’mon!” Zeb says to Ezra, heading east through the hall. There’s no time to waste.
As he and Ezra go their way through the Imperial base, an intense focus takes over Zeb. He throws caution out of the window, trusting in the Ashla to take him where he needs to go. His mind and body have only one purpose: to eliminate anyone who dares to come between him and Kallus. He never goes easy on Stormtroopers in a fight, but much less so today.
After going through half the base toward the cell block where Kallus is locked up, the trail of bodies he’s leaving behind is impressive. He doesn’t care how he eliminates the enemy, whether that be by shooting at them with his bo-rifle or using his bare hands. They can’t stop him.
His most recent contender gets lucky and grazes him on the arm with a blaster bolt, singeing his flesh and fur, but Zeb doesn’t feel it. He doesn’t grunt. He doesn’t pause until he reaches the Stormtrooper and wrenches the blaster out of his hand. Some dark part of him takes pleasure in the loud snap the bones make when they break. The sound of his scream is incredibly satisfying. Zeb then smashes the man against the wall, hard enough to crack his bucket, silencing him for good.
With Ezra’s help, dealing with the rest of the squad that opposes them is easy. As the last man dropped, defeated, a loud explosion echoed throughout the base from the other side —Sabine’s distraction.
“Let’s hurry,” Ezra says.
Zeb doesn’t need to be told twice, so he follows the kid deeper into the base. When they’re just a level away from reaching Kallus, they run into Stormtroopers again. Zeb growls, enraged that his path is getting blocked repeatedly.
Working as one, he and Ezra defeat their enemies. Zeb’s shooting gives Ezra an opening to use his lightsaber to block and redirect attacks, quickly disabling the troopers. But, as usual, things get more complicated when another squad comes at their six, pinning them in.
