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happy father's day - blindrun
[Honestly? He's been here wayyy longer than he planned to be. He knew it'd be hard to escape, but it had to be possible. That's what he kept telling himself. Days turned into weeks turned into months and now? It's been over a year.
The other Inquisitors still don't completely treat him like one of them. Or maybe teasing is their way of doing so? He rolls his eyes whenever they call him "baby brother", thinking they could at least have some sense of professionalism. But everything's been going okay for the most part. As okay as it can be when you're an Inquisitor-in-training.
Except today was... well, it was something else. They were assigned to ambush a small rebel cell that was said to be working with a Jedi. It should've been easy, except for the part where it wasn't. The rebels got away and the Inquisitors had failed. Now Ezra's standing outside the Grand Inquisitor's office while the adults debrief. It's frustrating, being left out like this, but he also knows there isn't much he can do about it.]
The other Inquisitors still don't completely treat him like one of them. Or maybe teasing is their way of doing so? He rolls his eyes whenever they call him "baby brother", thinking they could at least have some sense of professionalism. But everything's been going okay for the most part. As okay as it can be when you're an Inquisitor-in-training.
Except today was... well, it was something else. They were assigned to ambush a small rebel cell that was said to be working with a Jedi. It should've been easy, except for the part where it wasn't. The rebels got away and the Inquisitors had failed. Now Ezra's standing outside the Grand Inquisitor's office while the adults debrief. It's frustrating, being left out like this, but he also knows there isn't much he can do about it.]
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I was about your age when I was part of the Jedi Order. [ he leans himself into the desk, a little uncomfortable but not unwilling to speak. ] It isn't so different from what we are as Inquisitors. We were a collective working for the Republic, trained by seasoned Jedi Masters, taken in when we were children from our families.
[ he thins his lips, then adds: ] If that old Order existed, they would have detected your potential as a very young child. So young, you wouldn't even remember your parents when they took you.
[ it feels petty to mention it but he wants to highlight it because ezra's attachment to his parents is so incredibly alien and baffling to him. third brother doesn't have any single memory of them, and that was long before he turned. ]
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[Taking kids away from their families like that doesn't sit right with him, but it's not like the Empire's been so great when it comes to families either. Besides, Ahsoka's not a Jedi.]
And you still haven't told me your name, you know.
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[And he's trying to redeem him, maybe.]
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so slowly his lips flutter, as if he's about to speak, but... his expression slowly turns pained, and something chokes up in his throat. he breathes in harsh through his nose and brings a hand to his throat. nothing is happening, neither in here nor outside the room, but it feels like he's being strangled as his chest constricts and his breath shortens. ]
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[Despite everything, despite the fact he's planning to escape tomorrow, he can't stop himself from being concerned.]
Are you alright?!
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[ even saying that much strains and burns in his mouth, as he has to grip one of the chairs for support to not collapse. his every instinct turns to flight, demanding he run, run for his life as he always has. but you can't run from the empire. you can never run away, it's hopeless, there's nothing out there--
he eyes tighten close, burning hot, and he snaps them open - a burning yellow as the whites of his eyes turn to black. ]
Ezra -- go. Now.
[ his voice is weak, strangle still tight, as a surge of hate and loathing threatens to expel out from him. he's losing his grip and feels his vision going red. ]
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[Ezra moves closer to him, placing a hand on Third Brother's shoulder in an attempt to stabilize him.]
I'm not leaving you.
[His presence shifts, the dark giving way to light and flowing through him towards his master.]
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[ he can feel that light, far too pure, burn as it flows into him. his hand snaps to grab the one on his shoulder, grip tightening strong around ezra's wrist. he seethes and snarls, glaring with killer intent. ]
You never think! Do you even know what you're doing?! How do you expect to be an Inquisitor when you channel the light side!
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I'm trying to help you! You're in pain!
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[ he's not taking no for an answer. his other hand lifts up and curls, as a chokehold wraps around ezra's neck. ]
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Ezra reaches inside his mind, for a memory, for something, anything from before. It's a distraction, yes, but he also wants to know who his master was before the dark side took its hold of him.]
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in the memory pulled a battle rages on. men in armor not unlike that of storm troopers, yet distinct in the dark steel color and red accents, fire at two jedi. one an older woman, her voice strong yet resolute as she crisply delivers her order. the other a young teenager, close to ezra's age, who stands behind her as she swiftly deflects each blast the soldiers fire on her. she wields a green light saber with precision and focus, but she is outnumbered.
Go. I'll be right behind you.
he knows she is lying, the first time she ever has, and still with hesitation in his heart he turns to run for the nearby hills in the dark. some of the soldiers begin to direct their blasters on him, but he only turns to look once he's up the hill--
--in time to see her gunned down by a soldier that circled around from behind. he does not scream, frozen in horror as the reality of what has happened begins to hit him. the soldiers look up to him and he turns to run again. he flees into the woods, a plan coming up in his mind to hide in the foliage and curl up to avoid detection.
it's a plan that never sees execution, as a round of blaster fire hits his ankle and throws him to the ground. he scrambles to get up but it's too late, as one of the soldiers rushes to grab him. he screams, activating his saber to swing and cuts through them with panic. another fires at him and he deflects it back, the blast hitting them. the third, however, manages to blast another round at him - set to stun.
he falls back, body shuddering and stopping, and all he can do is look up as the clone soldier walks over and stares him down.
This is CC-10/994. Jedi Master Depa Billaba down. Jedi Padawan C̣͆̋͜a̧̢̗̠̟͍̒̿̏̀̅͟͡͡l̫̩̜̻̘̈̈́͐́͘͢͠e̢̛̙̯̿͋b̢̐ ͇̼̮̗͋̄̄̄D͚̪̘͂̊͝u̹̹͚͍̰̼̙̽͛̅͆̍͘̚m͕̟̩̯̦̐̒̑͑̕e̢̛̫̰̣̪̐̈́̅̒ apprehended. ]
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third brother snaps from the memory, the echo of his trauma, and with both hands shoves to slam ezra against the wall and hold him there. ]
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He refocuses himself, remembers where he is, who's in front of him. His voice is still weak, not having enough time to recover from being choked.]
I'm sorry... Caleb.
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[ cold and without emotion, his heart shuts off and his irises glow with yellow as the hatred he held back breaks through the dam he built up to keep himself collected. he hods ezra against the wall, black veins crawling out from his eyes, looking less and less human by the moment. ]
I am Third Brother, and soon you will be Eleventh Brother. I will no longer tolerate your rebelliousness. You will join us, or you will die. You have exhausted my mercy.
[ there is no choice, only an absolute. ]
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But would he be able to survive this initiation? Would Ezra? He doesn't want to find out.
It was foolish, he knows, to have tried to reach through to Third Brother, but he had to try. He had hoped if he could uncover the light... then Third Brother could do the rest. Despite every rational voice in his head telling him otherwise, he doesn't want to leave him.
That isn't a possibility anymore, though, and so he returns to playing his part. He opens himself back up to the dark side, allowing it in and giving it free reign of his emotions. Funnily enough, it's always easy to find a reason to use the dark side when he's around the Inquisitors, and now is no different.
Ezra summons all his strength and pushes back against Third Brother, not caring to hold himself back in the slightest.]
I wanted to see if you really were as weak as they say. If you were so weak, how could I trust that I was ready to become an Inquisitor? And how could I give myself to the dark side if I didn't know what the light offered?
Thank you for the lesson, master. And for not disappointing me.
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he would make an excellent sith, if only he would be willing. the initiation will fix that. ]
If you wanted a harsher hand, you should have told me. [ after all, he was softer on ezra than anyone had the right to be on this base. he only did it to ease him in, so he must repeat to himself when a warmer feeling crept into his heart. that warmth is absent from him and the room as he turns to leave. ] Your initiation begins first thing in the morning. I'll come to your quarters when it's time. Dismissed.
[ and so he leaves, not even bothering to wait and see if ezra follows. ]