A darkness hiding in the light
Mara Jade awoke with a groan, her eyes widening in shock as she took in the chaos of explosions around her. Panic set in as she scrambled to her feet, her gaze darting across the scene of devastation—crumbled buildings, rampant fires, and people fleeing in terror. A damp sensation on her head prompted her to reach up, only to discover the alarming warmth of blood.
"What is going on?" Mara Jade wasn't scared of the situation but was just confused. "Where am I?"
Then she watched as the sky swirled and she heard an otherworldly noise come from it. She watched as a Leviathan came through and started to shoot off Chitauri soldiers.
"Peter!" Someone cried.
Mara Jade watched as a man ran over towards her and was relieved when he saw her.
"Thank goodness, you're alright!" He said as he grabbed Mara Jade's hand. "Come on! We've gotta... where's your mother?"
Mara Jade was lost at what was happening as they ran past a shop and she noticed her reflection was one of a little boy. She was reliving one of Peter's memories. Now it all made sense. This must be Peter's father.
"Mary!" She heard Richard call out.
"Richard!" Mary cried as she stumbled out of the chaos and towards her husband and son. "Run!"
Mara Jade watched as Chitauri fell from the sky on the surrounding vehicles. They then drew their weapons and were quick to fire upon the parents. Mary was shot in the back, while the second Chitauri aimed at the father and Mara Jade.
"No!" Richard cried as he shoved Peter behind a destroyed car. "Peter! Run!"
Mara Jade was forced to watch as she saw Peter's father be gunned down and killed. She watched as the Chitauri said something before they began to close in on her. She wondered how Peter managed to survive this ordeal. She could barely find it upon herself to move. Probably because she knew it was pointless. She was moving on auto pilot, stuck to watch how Peter lived these events.
She watched as her eyes were forced shut on her and she just prepared for the end. Then a monstrous roar came and she watched as the Hulk came charging down the street and rammed right into the two Chitauri soldiers. He then grabbed one by the head and threw it onto the other soldier with ease.
Hulk let out a monstrous roar and then looked over to where "Peter" was. Mara Jade saw as the Hulk saved his life and then raced off to attack more Chitauri.
Mara Jade woke up with a gasp as she looked down and saw her hands trembling from her dream. Those visions of his life, how could Peter have stayed on the righteous path after such an event? He was still a hero, yet after watching something as traumatic as the death of his father and mother.
She wasn't sure what it was, but she was fascinated by this connection that she shared with Peter. She was making weekly reports to her Emperor as he was also interested in this connection.
Mara Jade got up and sighed as she looked over herself in the mirror. She wasn't sure what it was, but she felt like it was time for a change in her style. Opening her closet, ditching her usual Inquisitor-based attire, she went for something more personal. She figured maybe it was the armor that always gave Peter the edge where he would escape. But this time, she was going to be sure she was prepared.
Mara Jade decided to replace her armor with a more casual black skintight jumpsuit. She decided to remove the sleeves since they would only restrict her movement. She then grabbed a pair of military pants from what the stormtroopers wear. She then decided to allow her hair to flow freely as she wrapped a loose scarf around her neck. Followed were a pair of goggles she figured would be useful if she was on say a desert planet as Spider-Man seemed to be found there mostly. She then placed on a pair of combat boots. Lastly, she placed on her belt and attached her lightsaber to it.
Back with the rebels, Peter was playing a game of holo-chess against Rex. He was starting to get a feel for the game, seeing that it was almost basically chess, just with different characters, and with a hologram form. He was trying to figure out what his next move should be while Rex was patiently waiting.
Kanan and Ezra came in from the other room where they were using the hanger for Jedi training. Gwen was taking apart the web shooters Peter gave her as he said she should know her shooters inside and out, in case she needed to rebuild them on the go.
"Okay, I think I'm starting to get the hang of this," Peter said.
"Are you now?" Rex asked. "I like your confidence."
"Let's end today's lesson by levitating Chopper," Kanan said to Ezra.
"If I do, can I drop him?" Ezra pleaded.
Chopper bleeped In protest of the statement.
"Sure." Kanan decided to let him.
Peter then made his move, believing that he had bested Rex. But then Rex made his move, and Peter found himself losing. He grunted in frustration, rubbing his head to try and calm down. He might be stressing himself out with Gwen's training since he's been getting easily frustrated lately. He just needs to keep control of his anger. Rex chuckled as he saw Peter was getting better, but was still no match.
"Chalk another one up for the clone," Rex stated. "You had me going at the beginning, but you have to keep that thinking throughout the whole battle to win."
"Well, it seems I still need some practice," Peter shrugged as he calmed himself.
Ezra was beginning to prepare to lift Chopper when Sabine decided to have some fun. "Lock it down." She said, and Rex and Peter watched as Chopper placed his magnets on, keeping him locked down on the floor.
"Come on, Ezra," Kanan said, watching Ezra struggle to lift him. "Focus. Focus." He was focusing with all his might. "Use the Force. Look through the Force. Lift Chopper up. Picture it in your mind."
"I can't!" Ezra called as he gave up. "I can't do it."
"Hey, kid, while you're looking through the Force, don't forget to look with your eyes too," Rex called out.
"Huh?" Ezra asks.
"The droid's got his feet locked down," Peter explained.
Sabine and Gwen laughed hard. Chopper spun his head with a laugh.
"It's not fair." Ezra scoffed.
"Real battles usually aren't," Kanan stated.
"The Jedi general I served combined the Force with his wits, and it made him a great warrior," Rex commented.
"Ezra's got plenty of wits. What he needs is more discipline." Kanan replied.
"Well, then you better let a soldier handle that," Rex said.
"Excuse me?" Kanan asked as Sam entered the room.
"Sabine, Hera has a mission for you and Chopper," Sam tells them. "Thanks to Captain Rex, we found an old base where we might be able to salvage some much-needed medical supplies. Zeb, she said you should go too. And bring Peter with you."
"Works for me," Peter said as he jumped up. "I don't wanna be here for this conversation."
"Wait, no, please, take me with you!" Gwen pleaded.
"To get medical supplies?" Sabine asked.
"Better out there than stuck in here," Gwen stated.
"Did you fix your shooters?" Peter wonders.
"Not yet." Gwen said, "But come on, I don't need web shooters to get medical supplies."
Peter shrugged and looked at Sam. "You think I should?"
"Why not?" Sam asked. "She did fine with the Empire to save Rex."
"Better find the med supplies quick," Kanan said as they headed to the Phantom. "Captain Wits is about to need them."
Rex chuckled sarcastically. "So there's where the boy's lack of discipline comes from."
"You're saying I lack discipline?" Kanan asked.
"Yeah, that's exactly what I said," Rex said.
"Here we go again." Peter sighed in exasperation as BD joined them. "Come on, Buddy."
"Funny. But a soldier's discipline can't compare to a Jedi's." Kanan said as everyone dispersed to let them argue.
"It takes far more discipline not to fight," Rex commented.
"So you're just gonna ask the Empire to lay down their weapons and give up?" Rex questioned.
"No, that isn't what I meant," Kanan said. "What I meant is Ezra's got to learn to stay in the moment... be present. You got it, Ezra?" Then he looked around and saw Ezra snuck off. "Ezra."
'You weren't assigned here." Gwen commented as Ezra joined them.
"I assigned myself. Like she said; I'd rather deal with the dangers out there, than that down there," Ezra explained.
"You say that now." Peter scoffed.
The Phantom flew seamlessly and quietly through space and closed in on the station. Chopper, Ezra BD-22, Gwen, Peter, Sabine, and Zeb looked out the window and saw the abandoned Republic Medical Station.
"What is this place?" Ezra asks.
Sabine answered. "It's an old Republic medical station abandoned after the Clone Wars."
"Oh, man." Peter sighed. "Why does it have to be in space?"
Zeb scoffed. "You got a problem with abandoned stations in space?"
Peter groaned as he felt a lot of childhood fears resurface. "See, this is why you guys should watch horror movies. Because you might not know what's inside that could implant eggs into our chests and eat us."
Sabine seemed to understand what he was saying. "Are you talking about those Xenomorphs that you told us about in that "Alien" movie?"
Peter nodded. "Yes."
"Peter, nothing bad is going to happen," Ezra promised.
"Trust me, bad things happen when you're going into an abandoned station in space," Peter stated with a scoff. "And if you played "Dead Space" you'll know what I mean."
Sabine ignored him and typed in the codes, watching the doors actually open. "What do you know? Rex's codes worked."
They landed the Phantom in the landing bay and exited the shuttle. The entire place was filled with a spooky atmosphere that scared the crew a little.
Chopper grunted in concern.
"I'm with Chop, this place is definitely creepy," Peter confirmed.
"Wait. You actually understand that glorified beeping garbage can?" Zeb asks.
"Yeah. Sort of. I'm learning." Peter confirmed as they headed off down the halls.
Sabine tried to open one of the doorways, but there was no power. "Yep. I was afraid of this. No power."
"I'm on it." Peter said as he morphed his suit into his Symbiote form. "Stand back."
Peter stretched his tendrils and began to move towards the door. Once he reached the door with his tendrils, he began to pry the door open. He used the tendrils to yank it open, allowing them to stroll through.
They made their way through the station, not noticing that there was a droid that was recording them. Since it poses no threat, it didn't set off Gwen or Peter's senses. They continued along as Sabine started to stop and drew some paint.
"Sabine, hurry up," Ezra called out.
While Sabine was painting, she heard something and turned to her right. Standing there, she saw nothing. Once she turned around, there was something that scared her; a monster hanging upside-down with hideous glowing white eyes and four slimey-looking legs.
Sabine screamed, fell on her back, and dropped her flashlight. In doing so, the flashlight revealed the "monster" was only Spider-Man. His mask lenses looking more normal, retracted the tendrils he used to pry the door.
"Got ya!" Peter crackled. "You should've seen the look on your face." He then dropped down from the ceiling, still laughing. "Well, that would be impossible because I didn't see your face since you're wearing your helmet." Then, Sabine punched him in the shoulder. "Ow!"
"Jerk," Sabine said as she walked away.
Peter sighed as he rubbed his shoulder. "Oh, come on. It was a joke, Sabine." He saw her still walking away. "Sabine." He calls, walking towards her. "Sabine?"
As he walked away, the droid then sent out a message to someone, while they found the command center.
"Well, this is the command center," Gwen said as she leaped on top of the center. "Or what's left of it."
"This might make a good base for us," Ezra commented.
"No, thanks," Sabine said as BD jumped on the control panel. "This place looks like it's about to fall apart. Chopper! Power it up."
Before Chopper could, Gwen jumped in. "Hey, would you mind if I did this? I've been practicing with the venom-blast."
"Venom-blast?" Ezra asks.
"It's what she's calling her bio-electricity," Peter explained.
Gwen stepped forward and charged up her fist with bio-electricity. She then punched the control panel with all her might. As the station turned on, the entire station began to power up, showing how much power Gwen had with her bio-electricity.
"I didn't mean the whole station. I meant this control panel." Sabine said.
"Sorry," Gwen said. "Didn't know how much power I had."
"Okay, Chopper, shut everything else off except for this one terminal," Sabine told the droid. "Got the inventory files, but most are corrupted, unreadable. I can't tell where the med supplies are or if they even exist."
"So, change of plans then. Chopper and BD stay here, doing repairs and searching the files, while we search for the supplies." Ezra said, activating his lightsaber.
Sabine shrugged. "Well, it's worth a try, I guess."
Peter however didn't like the sound of that. "Are you guys crazy? Rule number one is never split up! Don't you guys know horror movie rules?"
Gwen wasn't sure she was following. "There are rules in horror movies?"
"Yes, I made a list since I was a kid," Peter stated. "Like, rule number two is never look under the bed. Rule number three, never peek in the closet. And rule number four, never go check a monster who's down, 'cause it'll always spring back to life and get ya!"
Sabine sighed and saw he was just overreacting. "Okay, you watched way too many horror movies. Let's go."
They split off into two groups with Sabine taking Ezra and Zeb with her. Peter sighed and saw they weren't going to listen to his warnings and walked off with Gwen.
"Why don't you put those Jedi powers to use finding the medical supplies so we can get out of here?" Zeb asked as they strolled down the hall.
"No. It doesn't work like that, Zeb." Ezra said. "But I don't need my Jedi powers to find them before you do."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Zeb asks. "Well, generally it means I'm more perceptive, I can think on my feet, and I'm faster."
"Really?" Zeb asks, seeing that as a challenge.
"Look, I don't care which one of you finds them first, as long as you find them," Sabine said.
"I'll find them first," Ezra said.
"Cocky kid." Zeb scoffed. "Gonna run right past him." He then ran off, not taking in the sight of where he was going. He ended up tripping over some boxes. "So not fair."
"Fights rarely are," Ezra stated. "Next time, keep your head down and you won't get hit."
Ezra then smacked his head against a low-hanging bar. "You were saying?" Zeb asks.
Gwen was looking down the corridors and was growing a little concerned. "So, we will be able to sense danger, right?"
"Most of the time," Peter said as he moved a box. "But sometimes things slip past them if we aren't focusing enough. Or if they're similar to powers like ours."
Gwen flinched when she tried to pick up a box. But to her surprise, it was like her hand went through the box. She checked her hand and lightly touched the box, seeing her hand smack against it like normal. She shrugged and saw that was some sort of mind trick. She decided to just shrug it off and continued to look for the supplies. As they were looking, they heard their comms go off and it was Chopper calling for help.
"It's Chopper," Gwen said in concern.
"Say again. You need help?" Peter asked.
"What's going on?" Gwen asks.
"I don't know." Peter shrugged. "It sounded like Chopper said he needed help. Wonder what happened to BD..."
"Well, better get back up to the command center," Gwen said as she stopped looking.
The two of them went back to find Chopper as they ran down the corridors. They found Ezra and Sabine coming out of a hole in the ground of the air ducts.
"What are you two doing down there?" Peter asks.
"And where's Zeb?" Gwen asks, noticing he is missing.
"He's gonna meet up with us," Sabine explained as she walked down the corridor. "Chopper!"
"Chopper, where are you?" Peter asks.
Then something came out of the corridor. "Chopper?"
Then the droid became clear as it flew towards them. "What is that?"
"It looks like a probe droid," Sabine said.
Then someone stepped out of the shadows, causing them to step back. Her eyes were yellow in coloration and her sclera were black. She bore the Imperial crest on her shoulders.
"My pet told me you were here." She said. "I've been searching for you for some time.
"An Inquisitor," Gwen said with concern.
"Good." Seventh Sister said, igniting her blade. "I won't have to explain it to you. So, you know what comes next."
"Yep," Peter said, his tendrils extending from his body. "THIS!"
Peter sent Symbiote tendrils towards Seventh Sister, but when they got close to her blade, she caught and sliced a fragment of it. The suit screeched in pain and Peter felt everything. Seems his suit couldn't stand the heat that came from a lightsaber blade, causing him to retract the tendrils.
"Ahh! That hurt." Peter groaned. "Right, I forgot... the suit doesn't like heat."
"Worth a try." Sabine shrugged. "Run!"
Sabine opened fire as they ran for their lives, trying to get down the crowded hallway. But it was like every turn they took, the Seventh Sister was closing in. Gwen tried to use her bio-electricity, but a droid came out of nowhere similar to the one currently attacking Sabine. The droid wrapped Gwen's arms up, keeping her from using her electricity. The seventh Sister closed in on Peter and Ezra as she drew her second blade.
"Like Kanan said, it's never a fair fight," Ezra said, running in the opposite direction.
Sabine managed to destroy the droid and shoot the one attaching itself to Gwen. "We need to find Zeb, BD, and Chopper."
"Yeah, that way," Peter said, then running down a new corridor. But as they were running, they found Fifth Brother.
The Fifth Brother had mint eyes and gray-green skin. He was a tall, muscular humanoid male with sallow gray-green skin and upward-tilted eyes that were light minty in color. He also possessed two sets of eyelids, one of which closes horizontally instead of vertically when blinking.
"Not who we're looking for," Ezra said, running off.
"How many of these guys are there?" Peter asked.
"Two!" Gwen cried as they ran down a corridor.
"We need to split!" Peter said, shoving Gwen down one corridor and closing the door before they could follow. "Gwen, find Zeb and the others!"
"What about you?!" Gwen asks.
"Well be fine!" Peter said, just missing as the Seventh Sister almost impaled him. "Hopefully!"
Gwen sighed as she decided to listen and ran off to try and find the missing members. Ezra, Sabine, and Peter continued to run when a third blade was ignited, causing them to freeze as they realized they were currently surrounded on all sides.
Mara Jade stepped out of the corridor and snarled, showing off her new look to the heroes. They jumped back in fear, looking to see the Inquisitors approach from behind, and Mara Jade approached from the front.
Peter froze in fear. "Mara Jade. Wow." He said, surprised to see her. "Been a while. Love the new look. It's a little much, but if you've got it I guess..."
Mara Jade smiled when she saw Spider-Man but that shifted when she saw the others. "Fifth brother? Seventh sister?"
Fifth brother snarled when he saw who it was. "Mara Jade. The Emperor's finger."
Mara Jade snarled in anger. "That's the emperor's hand. You know that."
Fifth Brother scoffed. "More like the emperor's pet."
Seventh sister sighed in annoyance. "Oh, please, let's not do this again."
Mara raised her blade to Fifth Brother. "watch your tongue. I'm here under the Emperor's orders."
Seventh Sister retaliated. "And we're here under the command of lord Vader."
Mara Jade scoffed. "The emperor outranks the lord Vader. My boss is your boss' boss."
Sabine was confused about what was happening. "Uh, are we interrupting something?"
"Yeah, this feels like we walked into a strange reunion," Peter admitted in confusion. "So...what's gonna happen now?"
"Where's the girl?" Mara Jade asked the Inquisitors. "Spider-Man is training an apprentice. Where is she?"
"She escaped?" Seventh Sister asks.
Fifth Brother then went in for a swing when Seventh Sister stopped him with her blade. "Well, if the three of us are here..."
"The kill is mine!" Fifth Brother stated.
"Man, you are still as short-sighted as I remember." Mara Jade sighed.
"She's right." Seventh Sister agreed. "We will use them to draw in the others. "Now, find the girl."
"Good luck," Peter stated, watching as they were disarmed.
Gwen's heart raced as she fled down the dimly lit hallways, the sound of her footsteps echoing around her. Panic clawed at her chest as she glimpsed a looming shadow, the Fifth Brother, closing in on her from behind. Desperately searching for an escape route, she careened down the corridor with wild abandon, her fear intensifying as she realized she had unwittingly sprinted into a dead end. The sickening thud of her collision with the unyielding wall filled the air, and she winced, the sound of clanging scrap metal adding to her distress.
Her breath catching in her throat, Gwen glanced back in terror, her wide eyes meeting the chilling gaze of the Fifth Brother as he advanced toward her. Frantically scanning her surroundings for a place to conceal herself, she leaped towards a small alcove, her heart pounding in her ears. Pressing herself into the narrow space, she willed herself to quieten her ragged breathing, her senses acutely attuned to every sound as she strained to evade the Fifth Brother's relentless pursuit.
"Your fear betrays you." Fifth Brother said, marching towards the rubble. He then drew his blade, causing the hum to fill the hallways as he closed in on her. "I can smell it from here. You thought you were a warrior? Brave for betraying the Empire? You were a fool."
The Fifth Brother used the Force to swing the rubble out of the way and made him look right down at Gwen. She froze in fear and was waiting to see what was about to happen. But as she did, she looked and noticed Fifth Brother was looking down at her in confusion. She wasn't sure what was going on, so she looked down at her hands and lightly gasped.
Her hands were transparent? She noticed that she was completely invisible. She looked up and saw Fifth Brother still looking around before he marched off. Gwen shuttered as she stood up, seeing just how much she was shaking. Then she watched her hand giving off a strange glow as it went through the rubble.
"What the flark?" Gwen asked as she looked at the wall and got an idea. Running at full speed, she raced to the wall, only to then slam and cause her to fall in pain. "Ow!" She then rubbed her shoulder, seeing she was at least still invisible. "Okay, winging it is not a good idea." She then closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She then walked towards the wall and her hand phased right through it. She then ran through, and her whole body went through the wall like it was nothing. "Whoo! That's so cool!" She then saw she was still invisible. "This better not be a permanent thing."
Peter, Sabine, and Gwen were escorted into the control room, under the watchful eyes of the Seventh Sister and Mara Jade.
"You handle a lightsaber well, apprentice." Seventh sister complimented.
"Well, I've got some time, if you wanted a lesson." Ezra mocked.
"You have great potential, but perhaps it is I that might teach you, as your master never achieved the rank of Jedi Knight. Did he?" Seventh Sister asks.
"Maybe not, but he took out the last Inquisitor," Ezra stated. "So I think I'll just stick with him."
"Yes, the death of the Grand Inquisitor was a surprise to all." Seventh sister said.
"Not me. He was always a little arrogant. Liked to talk too much," Mara Jade mocked as she eyed Spider-Man. "And once we have your apprentice, we will have your whole crew." She then messed with Peter's hair to mock him. "And I would have finally completed my mission. Bringing you to my emperor."
"Yeah, and then what?" Peter wonders. "After you complete your grand mission? Do you ever wonder about this connection we share?"
"Connection?" Sabine asks.
"Yeah, ever since you guys rescued me from that Destroyer, I've been having strange visions. Thought they were just hallucinations, PTSD from my torture. But...then she started to respond." Peter explained as he looked at Mara Jade. "It goes both ways. Whatever happens to me, it happens to you as well. If I die or am killed, what'll happen to you?"
Mara Jade drew her blade and placed it near his cheek. "You want to find out?"
"You won't kill me," Peter stated with determination. "You're too proud of this. You're going to wait until I grovel at the foot of your master. You know, that big guy was right. You truly are a good pet." He watched the anger in Mara Jade's eyes rise. "As soon as your master says 'fetch', you tear the universe apart to fetch for him."
Mara Jade then drew her blade and prepared to strike, only to be stopped by Seventh Sister. "Don't! He's only baiting you."
Fifth Brother returned and seemed frustrated. "I can't find her. She must have escaped."
"No." Mara Jade denied that claim. "She's still here... she wouldn't leave without them. Their loyalty is their defeat..."
Gwen was still sneaking down the halls, trying to find where Zeb was. She also wondered where Chopper and BD were, but was more focused on Zeb for now since those droids could always be repaired. She kept sneaking down the halls while searching for Zeb. She also needed to be safe so as not to accidentally phase out into dead space. She was also still invisible, which made it difficult for her to walk in certain areas with the surrounding rubble.
"I don't wanna die this way. I'm the last of my kind." Zeb's voice filled the halls.
"Zeb?" Gwen was happy to hear his voice. She followed it down the halls where she tried to find him. "Zeb!"
"Gwen?" Zeb called as Gwen found him dangling from a vent.
"Uh..." Gwen wasn't sure what to make of this as she approached him. "Alright, hang on, Zeb, I'll yank you down."
Then using her strength, Gwen yanked Zeb out of the vent and set him free. He groaned as he dusted off his uniform and looked around to thank Gwen.
"Thanks, Gwen. Thought I was gonna..." Zeb said when he realized he was talking to dead air. "Gwen?" He then started to look around. "Gwen, where are you?"
"Zeb? Zeb, I'm right here." Gwen got his attention. "I'm right in front of you."
"Where?" Zeb asks, seeing no sign of her.
"I'm right here!" Gwen cried and sighed, seeing she only had one choice. "Just reach your hand out." Zeb did just that and reached out, and then he ended up poking Gwen in the eye. "Ow! You couldn't have aimed a little lower?! You had to aim for the eye!?"
"What is this?" Zeb asked as he reached up and felt Gwen's head. "How are you doing that? Do you have some sort of portable cloaking device?"
"No, it just sorta happened," Gwen admitted. "I was being chased by this Inquisitor, and-"
"There's an inquisitor here?" Zeb asked in shock.
"Two, actually," Gwen replied. "And Mara Jade."
"Oh, come on!" Zeb cried in anger. "And the others?"
"Captured," Gwen said. "The only reason I wasn't captured was because... well," she then gestured to herself, not realizing Zeb couldn't see her still. "Take a guess."
"What about the droids?" Zeb wonders.
"Haven't found them yet," Gwen said. "We've gotta find them and get the others."
"Alright, let's see what we can do," Zeb said.
The two of them started to search every room. Zeb accidentally looked over a few rooms Gwen had already looked at and didn't realize. And there were a few accidental times they bumped into one another.
"This whole cloaked thing better not be permanent," Zeb tells Gwen. "It's starting to get annoying."
"Yeah, trust me, I'm not enjoying it either," Gwen stated as she walked off.
Zeb checked the next room and found the medical supplies. "Oh, now I find the supplies!"
Gwen then looked down a hall and came across their droid friends. "Chopper! Bd! Finally!" She then saw they were power-deprived and got an idea. She charged up a finger and zapped Chopper, getting him to screech and wake up. "Chopper, cool it. It's me, it's Gwen."
Chopper didn't seem to believe it and shot an electrical charge, causing Gwen to yelp in pain.
"Hey! That felt a little unnecessary!" Gwen stated.
"Chopper," Zeb said in relief. "Great."
Chopper and BD tried to ask what was going on, but neither of them understood.
"You know we can't understand what you're saying," Zeb said with a sigh. "Come on, we need your help."
Peter groaned as Mara Jade tried to probe his mind for answers once more. But this time she seemed to be looking for something much more personal.
"What... are you doing?" Peter wonders.
"Trying to understand you," Mara Jade admitted as she tried to look deeper. "I've seen your story. I saw your life. I saw fear. Pain. Misery. Anger. And yet you've managed to hold onto the light."
Peter seemed confused when he heard her say that. "My story? If you know my story, then you should already know how."
Seventh Sister seemed to be bored as she stepped forward. "Alright, enough history lesson. Contact your rebel friends and bring them here. That's all I ask."
"Let me think about that," Ezra said sarcastically. "No."
Seventh Sister drew her blade. "Contact your friends."
Chopper was commenting on Zeb and Gwen as they loaded the supplies into the Phantom.
"You are mocking me, right?" Zeb asked. "I can never tell."
"I can't believe I left them," Gwen sighed as she sat down on a crate, getting Zeb to look towards the area. "I should have fought. I can't control these powers. I can barely even see myself anymore."
"Yeah, I know it looks pretty bad," Zeb said as he walked over to try and comfort her. "But you're still new to this crew. And trust me, this happens a few dozen times."
"And you still managed to outsmart the Empire?" Gwen asks. "How?"
"Truth is, I don't really know," Zeb admitted. "Most of it is a skill, some luck... you never know what you'll get in this life." He then tried t place a hand over her shoulder. "But you need to remember to always do everything in your power. Whether it be without powers or with."
"That was a good speech, Zeb," Gwen said with a smile. "But your arm is currently wrapped around my head, and the stench is kinda bad."
Zeb quickly removed his hand, seeing that was a bad place to put his hand. "Sorry."
"Hello, Spectre-6, come in." Their comms started to go off. "Do you read? This is Commander Meiloorun."
"Answer him." Mara Jade demanded.
"Commander Meiloorun. Yes. Yes, I can hear you." Sabine said into the comms, wondering what they're planning.
"You missed your check-in. Am I correct in assuming mechanical difficulties have your craft stranded again, and you're in need of help with repairs?"
"Answer him." Seventh Sister demands.
"Commander, we... We can handle everything." Sabine said. "No need for you or the others."
That was when Mara Jade used the Force and quickly began to choke Sabine to show she meant business.
"No, Commander. We changed our mind!" Ezra said into the comm. "We could use some help. Bring Kanan... and you better bring Ahsoka too."
"Very well. Meet you in Bay Six. And don't worry. We'll fix everything. Just keep your chin up and it'll all be fine."
The three of them were brought to bay six with the Inquisitors and Mara Jade blocking their chances of escape. They weren't going to risk anything happening.
"Once we have the others, we'll dispose of them both." Seventh Sister said, regarding Ezra and Sabine. "Very slowly."
They then entered the hangar and were waiting for the arrival of the rebels that weren't coming. "Chin up. Chin up? What does that mean?" Peter asked, looking up and noticing something. "Oh."
Peter then elbowed Sabine, getting her attention. "What?"
Sabine and Ezra then looked up where they saw Zeb was in the Phantom hanging from the ceiling. Then all of a sudden, a blast of electricity came and revealed Gwen was there the electricity hit Mara Jade, and she flew into Fifth Brother. Zeb then detached from the ceiling and opened fire on Fifth Brother who blocked the cannon fire. Ezra drew his lightsaber towards him from Seventh Sister's belt.
"Go!" Peter shoved his friends as they ran for the Phantom.
By the time they all got on board, the Fifth Brother was pulling the Phantom back while the doors were being closed.
"The doors are closing!" Zeb warns them.
Mara Jade then got back up and she saw they were about to escape. "No!" She was not letting them get away again. "Not this time!"
Peter saw she was running with her blade drawn and got an idea. Seeing they were far enough away, he drew a fragment of the Symbiote into his fist. Creating a giant mass of Symbiote in his hand and he then flung it towards the Inquisitors. When the mass hit the ground, Symbiote goo went flying everywhere and latched onto them. That broke their connection to holding them and allowed them to escape.
The heavy metal doors of the station slid shut with a creak, sealing off any chance of pursuit. Mara Jade's face twisted with fury and intense anger, causing debris to scatter in all directions as she glared at her elusive target. The Inquisitors instinctively ducked to dodge the flying rubble.
Suddenly, a gaping black hole materialized in a corner of the room, and from its depths tumbled Johnathon Ohnn, also known as the Spot. He emitted a low groan, evidence of the perpetual free fall he had endured since his encounter with Spider-Man on Tatooine. As he gathered himself, his eyes met Mara Jade's, only to find her blade drawn and poised at his neck.
"Whoa! Whoa!" Ohnn said in fear as he raised his hands. "Please! Don't kill me!"
"Give me a reason not to!" Mara Jade dared him.
"Because... I want revenge on Spider-Man." Ohnn confessed.
Mara Jade froze when she heard that and kept her blade raised. "Keep talking..."
"We made it. Good plan, Zeb." Ezra said.
"Let's not get all emotional. It wasn't a big deal." Zeb stated. "But I did save both of you and got some medical supplies by myself."
"Hey!" Gwen cried.
"Alight, fine, I got some help." Zeb gave her credit.
"So... when was this a thing?" Ezra asked, pointing to the empty space. "Is she going to be invisible forever?"
"I better not be," Gwen said, not noticing her body was coming back into view. "Oh, wow, look at that. Weird."
"That's incredible," Peter said as he approached Gwen, giving her arm a poke. "It's like your invisibility is some sort of fight or flight thing."
"What does that mean?" Gwen asks.
"Means we've got a lot more training ahead of us," Peter stated.
Back on the Ghost, Kanan was playing a match against Rex. Sam was watching from the sidelines. Kanan then made a winning move.
"I win," Kanan stated.
"Looks like you can be disciplined when you set your mind to it," Rex stated, getting a chuckle from Sam.
"What? Wait. Are you trying to say you're teaching me a lesson?" Kanan asks.
"There are many ways to find victory," Rex stated.
"I'm not sure if I like you more or less now," Kanan said, listening to the Phantom returning. "Speaking of lack of discipline." He approached the ladder as they returned. "Ezra, we need to talk."
"Yeah, we do, about the two Inquisitors we just ran into," Ezra informed them.
"Inquisitors?" Hera asks.
"Yes. Two. And Mara Jade was there. We got lucky. Zeb and Gwen saved us." Sabine said. "Without them, things could have been bad."
"Well done, soldiers." Rex congratulated the two.
"It was a group effort." Gwen shrugged. "Those Inquisitors are nasty business."
"Kanan, why didn't you tell us there were more of 'em?" Ezra asks.
"And that's not all," Sabine said as she looked at Peter. "Apparently Mara Jade and Peter have been sharing some sort of connection."
Kanan didn't respond as he was worried about it.
"Commander Sato is going to need a full report on this."
"Well, we did get the medical supplies," Ezra said. "Some of them."
"Well, that's good news," Sam said.
"I'll meet you three on the command deck," Kanan said as they left.
"Did you know there was more than one?" Sam asks.
"No, I didn't," Kanan admitted. "Do you think Ahsoka or Kenobi knows?"
"I honestly don't know," Rex admitted.
"We really have no idea what we're up against." Sam sighed.
"And I have a feeling it's gonna get worse before it gets better," Bucky stated.
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