Star Wars: Rebels: The Promised Day
Disclaimer: Star Wars Rebels and all Star Wars characters and Lore are not my property, as they are all owned by Lucasfilm and the Walt Disney Company.
A/N: Welcome back, everyone! This chapter is divided with the first half essentially a flashback as to how and why Kavir wound up serving the Empire when he was so dedicated to fighting them in the first story. The second half is what's left to be done for the battle over Atollon, and the fate of the Ghost crew as it draws to a close. Victory is no longer their most pressing priority, but survival. Enjoy!
Chapter 4: Fading Light
About One Year Prior:
A massive cloud of dust continued to rise and expand over what remained of the city of Worlport. Once the bustling capital city of Ord Mantell, in a matter of moments virtually the entire coastal resort and government community had been leveled by the unimaginable horror that was the Seismic Bomb, courtesy of the Imperial Department of Military Research and Grand Inquisitor Dunkel Nachtgeist. From where he lay, battered, bloodied, and pinned beneath a chunk of rubble amidst the ruins of the demolished city, Kavir Oslan groaned as he finally opened his eyes for the first time since he lost consciousness in his fall. His plummet from the stolen gunship left him hurdling through a collapsing skyscraper, and it was without a doubt a miracle the young man was still alive at all. However, as blood ran down his head and from the corners of his mouth, and he realized he couldn't register much feeling in most of his body, including his right arm altogether, Kavir understood his predicament was dire. As the blood flowing down his face from his head got into his eyes, and he attempted to blink the sting away as lifting his left arm was too painful, he choked on a breath he attempted to suck in. Evidently, his ribcage was pretty banged up as well. He winced in pain as he coughed up more blood.
The Special Operative of the Ord Mantell Freedom Coalition continued to slip in and out of consciousness as the minutes went by. If blood loss didn't do him in, his internal injuries or the onset of a coma might. He managed to rotate his head while gritting his teeth in agony just enough to see that his right arm was pinned under a duracrete slab, possibly a piece of the foundation from the collapsing building he'd fallen into. Whatever part of him that wasn't soaked in his own blood was caked in a heavy layer of dust. Looking back straight up as he'd been when he first opened his eyes, Kavir found that it was indeed rather dark inside the dust cloud, as if an eternal dusk with no stars or moonlight had shrouded the entire city. He desperately attempted not to inhale too much of the dust with every pained, gasped breath he took as he struggled to keep conscious. The former farmhand turned freedom fighter faintly wondered beyond his own survival if anyone else was still alive in the city at all.
Kavir didn't have to wait long for his question to be answered, for the sound of two boots coming to rest at once a short distance from him, followed by telltale footsteps, pulled him from his thoughts. Any relief he might have felt quickly left as his blood-soaked eyes set upon the phantom-like silhouette of the Grand Inquisitor, who stepped over towards him without a word. Only the sound of his footsteps coupled with the howling wind permeated the dust-choked air around the two men. The Human gritted his teeth once more, fighting through his severe injuries as he rotated his head to the left enough to get a better look at the Imperial coming towards him, who finally stopped short just a few feet away. His tone was every bit as frigid and merciless as it had been through the holodevice down in the tunnels.
"Your will to live is strong, but as impressive as it may be, you really should lay still. Survival is not possible in your case without outside assistance, and the remainder of your blood is a precious necessity."
"I'd rather die than be saved by someone like you!" Kavir coughed up more blood as he spat, wincing in pain as he attempted, and failed, to sharply raise his head without thinking. Having heard his outburst clearly, but not caring in the slightest, Nachtgeist continued.
"What remains of this little uprising is already scouring the rubble nearby. They will find you, but not before we've spoken. The amputation of your arm will be required to safely remove you from this spot. Even if I cleared the rubble lying on top of it, it would remain crushed beyond feeling and use. However, should your allies sever it with conventional blades, you will die from the blood loss before you can reach safety," his tone, though speaking of a matter of life and death, remained cold, strictly factual, and devoid of empathy.
"Why are you telling me this?" Kavir wheezed out as he felt himself teetering on the edges of consciousness once again. The menacing Dark Side master wouldn't let him slip away or die though, not just yet…
"Kavir Oslan, that is your name, yes?" Nachtgeist then waited until the Human's eyes were focused back on him, for knowing he had his captive's attention was his cue to continue once again, "Now that the so-called 'Freedom Coalition' is at an end, there is absolutely nothing stopping the Empire from securing this world once more, and that will include uncovering and meting out justice to all sympathizers who supported and abided by you insurgents. Sadly for you, young Human, that includes your dear family..." Nachtgeist couldn't help but form a twisted grin under the half-mask covering the lower half of his face as he trailed off, and saw Kavir's eyes go wide in horror. He had this traitor right where he wanted him.
"No… no! No, damn you! You- you leave them alone!" the dying freedom fighter choked out as he hacked up more blood from his frantic voice and motions.
"I do not make the laws decreed by the Emperor; it is my task to enforce them, root out and destroy all who resist them. However, as someone who has earned a place in the good graces of his excellency, I could arrange for this predicament for your own family to be overlooked… and I could ensure you'd be allowed to return to them alive and well," the Grand Inquisitor waited as his words sunk into the mind of his captive. What the Human decided next would decide whether his endeavor would be worthwhile or not.
"What… what would'ja ask in return for that?" Kavir asked slowly, both pained and warily. Death would be claiming him soon. That meant nothing to him at this point, but thoughts of his mother, father, and little sister took priority in his mind, now. The unseen, sinister grin returned to the face of his captor.
"Ah, you're smarter than you look. Indeed, there is a price for such generosity on my part. In exchange for my mercy in sparing your life, and an order of silence regarding the crimes of your family, thus sparing them as well, all I ask is that instead you swear allegiance to the Empire and devote yourself to my cause, rather than this failed, miserable uprising you were prepared to give your life for," Nachtgeist stared his captive down as the main winced through his pain to eye him cautiously, skeptically.
"And… if I refuse?"
"You will not, for if you do, your story comes to an end right here, and so will that of your dear family once my business here is concluded. We know who and where they are, every last one of them," hearing the voice of the Imperial carrying over nothing but absolute and grim sincerity and knowing, Kavir knew that even on his deathbed, he was at a crossroads.
The choice was either remain silent and die knowing he'd doomed all those he loved back on the farm, or become the kind of person he despised most for assurances they would all be spared. For his family… would he sacrifice himself? It really wasn't that difficult of a decision, in hindsight.
"You… you give me your word no harm will come to any of them if I agree to your terms? I need your word, damnit!" Kavir now felt tears well up in his eyes. He absolutely hated himself for being reduced to a begging mongrel at the feet of a cruel Imperial. The unseen and silent grin never left his face as the menacing Dark Side master nodded before replying.
"I am a man of my word, Kavir Oslan. So long as you do your duty as instructed and carry out your orders without question, no harm shall come to you or your family. Give me your loyalty, and you shall have mine in return," it was only after a long, tense moment of silence that Kavir finally gave his answer.
"I accept your offer, Grand Inquisitor. I'll be yours to command for whateva' ya deem I'm needed for," his face was now stained both in his own blood and tears. Kavir couldn't believe it had come to something as horrifically nightmarish as this. Nachtgeist merely widened his grin as his crimson eyes bore into the miserable ones of his new lackey.
"Excellent. Remember to never go back on your word, and I won't for my own. I'll make certain no troops go to their farm, but rest assured, until your service with me is complete, the ISB will be watching your family every hour of every day. Now, onto the matter at hand," once again, Kavir felt his eyes go wide as Nachtgeist drew and ignited his custom-built lightsaber in his right hand, "The blade of a lightsaber cauterizes the flesh as it cuts through it, therefore making it perfect for emergency amputations. Hold still, grit your teeth, and the pain will dull sooner rather than later."
"No, wait- AAAAGGHH!"
Without care or concern for the reservations of his unwilling lackey, the Grand Inquisitor freed Kavir from the rubble by severing his crushed right arm with a single slash of his lightsaber. He left the battered, bloodied, and severely-wounded and scarred man to be found by those of his allies who remained alive. He would allow them to save the man, believe him to be the miraculous survivor and hero to guide them to safety. After all, once their purpose was served, their existence as a loose end would be tied up quite nicely at the hands of a certain Mandalorian.
Present Time and Day:
By now, the Infinite Reformer had been draining the sun over Atollon for a full standard hour. As Kanan and Ezra arrived back at the base, it was clear to everyone still present at the facility that the sun was appearing to go down faster and earlier than normal. When Sabine rushed out from inside the Ghost to urge the two Jedi on board immediately, as takeoff was imminent, it was apparent to the teenage Mandalorian that something more was amiss; one real glance up at the sky was all she needed to see that the sun wasn't really setting over the horizon, but rescinding, shrinking, beyond the lightly-clouded atmosphere that appeared more purple than blue as the rays of sunlight steadily ebbed away. She couldn't help but stare up at the foreboding sight as the two Jedi dismounted from the speeder bike.
"What the kriff is going on up there? That's not normal…" Sabine muttered under her breathe at the display. Ezra had heard enough of it as he ran over to her, his urgent and alarmed voice pulling her out of her trance.
"Sabine! There's no time to explain! Tell Hera we need to evacuate the base! Whatever's going on with the sun, it's something to do with some new weapon the Empire brought with them!" as he saw her eyes go wide, he understood she didn't need to be told twice about the severity of the situation they now faced.
"I'm on it!" the teenage Mandalorian called back from over her shoulder as she ran back inside the Ghost.
Hera was at first reluctant to delay their takeoff any further, but with the dire sincerity in Kanan's voice as he explained to her what the Bendu had warned both he and Ezra about, and when she finally got a good look at the ever-decreasing size of the sun in the sky above, the Twi'lek pilot agreed. It took about another ten more minutes, but the Ghost was packed to capacity with as many personnel and supplies that they could carry and agreed to evacuate with them. Rushing back into the cockpit to finalize the pre-flight checks, Hera received grim news from her co-pilot.
"I can't hail Commander Sato, Wedge, or anyone else over the comm! The Empire is jamming all transmissions between our ships!" Sabine looked visibly worried; the odds had already been stacked against them with Thrawn and his fleet alone.
"Then we'll just have to get up there and reestablish contact any way we can!" Hera paused after powering up the engines again to switch on the comm for the interior of her ship, "This is Captain Syndulla! All passengers, strap yourselves in. The rest of my crew, get to your stations! This isn't going to be a smooth flight!" it was immediately after that when the modified light stock freighter went airborne, her landing gear and boarding ramp all retracting in the process. Alongside the Rebel personnel in the main hold, AP-5 locked his footpads down magnetically to the floor as he looked over to Chopper at his side.
"I got a bad feeling about this…" the former Imperial logistics droid trailed off warily, and Chopper chimed in agreement with his fellow droid and friend.
And so, the Ghost departed Chopper base one final time as the last rays of sunlight began fading from the arid landscape all around the facility. Rex, ever the quick thinker, did his part to keep order and took command of the men and women who'd chosen to evacuate on board. The Rebel starship was loaded to the brim with cargo and Rebel personnel. Even the interior of the Phantom 2 was fully occupied. The extra weight made handling stiffer, and reduced every rate of speed significantly, but Hera managed to keep the ship steady at a brisk pace as it soared up into the darkening atmosphere.
The crew soon discovered that the situation beyond outer orbit above the doomed world was just as grim. The majority of the larger Rebel warships, the Corellian blockade runners and Hammerhead corvettes, had been destroyed. The shields on the stolen Imperial carrier used to transport R-22 squadrons had failed, and the vessel was taking heavy fire. It quickly became apparent that the battle was lost, but retreat was not possible as long as the remaining Rebel ships were in range of the gravity wells of the Interdictor cruisers.
"Deflectors up, all weapons armed. Let's do what we can, everyone!" Hera relayed to her crew over the comm while Sabine readied the proton torpedoes at her side as co-pilot.
"Copy that!" Kanan was the first to reply from his perch in the turret.
"On it!" Ezra sounded off next from the forward gun.
"We're outnumbered but not out!" Zeb affirmed from the aft gun.
The Ghost sped into the fire to reinforce what remained of the Rebel line, even though it was quite apparent it was a stalling measure. The comm blackout beyond the interior of the ship made communicating with the surviving Rebel starships impossible, and coordinating an organized defense was not likely at this point. It wasn't long before a barrage directly from the Chimaera crippled the carrier, and when a squadron of TIE bombers made their next run with little opposition, the entire painstakingly-acquired warship broke apart in a series of external and internal explosions as her main reactor imploded, the result of a proton bomb breaching it. The few remaining R-22 starfighters, led by Wedge and Hobbie, would need to find another means to reach safe haven, should they survive where their carrier did not. Using his honed ability to see through the Force, Kanan calmly and precisely took aim in the turret, providing much-needed aid against the swarms of TIE squadrons.
"Hera, I may not be able to physically see, but I can sense the battle is definitely not going to be scaled over in our favor! Sooner or later their superior firepower is going to overwhelm us!" after the blind Jedi Knight relayed his insight to Hera over the comm, Zeb gave his own input over the frequency as well.
"Given what we just saw with the carrier, I'm going with Kanan on this one!"
Knowing they were right, but frustrated at their current predicament, Hera replied back in earnest after a heavy sigh, "I know things look pretty bad right now, but I can't authorize a full retreat; that order can only come from Commander Sato. Sabine; any luck breaking through the Imperial blackout over the comm channels?!" the Twi'lek pilot looked over to the teenage Mandalorian next to her just long enough to see the latter shake her head in response.
"That's a negative; and there's no sign of the Liberator anywhere on the scanners. There's no way the command ship could've broken from the range of the Interdictors; we may have to assume the worst at this point!" Sabine informed Hera desperately, but as the Mandalorian saw the eyes of the Twi'lek go wide in disbelief as they remained focused on the battle in front and around them, she knew that Hera wasn't ready to admit defeat.
"No… no! I refuse to accept that! I can't be!" her voice cracked as she spoke. The ramifications for what that would mean...
"Hera! If Sato is dead that means you are in command of our forces, now! What happens next is entirely up to you!" Kanan stressed the point. He was sympathetic to her concerns, but their very survival was at stake. As if the harsh reality of the situation finally set in, Sabine heard Hera choke back a sob and looked over to see her blink a couple of times in rapid succession before the latter finally replied.
"All right, I'm calling a full retreat; both the base and the battle are lost. But without communications, I won't be able to inform what's left of our forces!"
"The Empire isn't really going to wait for us to work a way around that…" Ezra mumbled to himself grimly as his station was illuminated in the glow of an explosion; the last of the Corellian blockade runners had just been finished off. Only a couple of Hammerhead corvettes remained, and they were about to follow suit as it stood as an expanding amount of heavy damage threatened to overtake them. Hera growled in frustration at the carnage taking place all around them as her crew desperately attempted to ward off the TIE's bearing down and pursuing them.
"I am not letting the karking Imperials take the entirety of our people from us! This ends now!"
Meanwhile, from where he stood tall and resolute at the front on the bridge of the Chimaera, the deep red eyes of Grand Admiral Thrawn followed the movements of the modified Rebel starship in question. His facial expression was stoic, but his gaze was an inquisitive one. Kavir Oslan stood further back to his right, but had heard enough of his Chiss superior at this point to know that the man was studying and anticipating the next move of the Rebels. The Human was startled as the latter addressed him without turning around, and he stood at attention immediately as he listened.
"Another Rebel cell is about to leave the physical Galaxy and enter the annals of history. You should feel proud at bearing witness to the fruits of your labor, agent. Your provision of the necessary coordinates completed the efforts to locate this place, above all else. On behalf of the Grand Inquisitor, I give you a most sincere well done," Thrawn nodded to Kavir from over his shoulder as he finished, and the latter saluted in response with his emotionless mask back on.
"Thank you, Grand Admiral, sir. With your permission, sir, I'd like to take my leave now."
"By all means, you've earned some rest," Thrawn acquiesced as he shifted his gaze back to the battle before them. Kavir wasted little time in making his exit from the bridge, as if he didn't, or couldn't handle the sight of the death and destruction he'd helped bring about.
If the Chiss admiral had caught this, he didn't appear to care. He didn't spare the Human a second glance as his eyes resumed their focus on the conclusion that was the fall of the Rebellion on Atollon. At this point, the final rays of sunlight had rescinded from the planet surface, and the bright ball of flame lightyears in the distance beyond was shriveling up as its power was becoming closer and closer to being completely drained. No light would remain on Atollon or the entire sector, and it was all going according to plan.
As the second to last of the Hammerhead corvettes was demolished under the guns and bombs of the Imperials, the few remaining R-22's were blasted to cinders one by one, until only two remained; the starfighters piloted by Wedge and Hobbie. To the relief of the young hotshots, the TIE squadron pursuing them broke off their pursuit, but courtesy of the jammed comm channels, they still couldn't communicate with each other.
It was also because of this that both young pilots were caught completely off-guard when the reason for the TIE's breaking off flew in overhead and picked them both up. Hera literally used the magnetic locks on the underside of the Ghost to pull in and secure both R-22's. Once that task was done, it was apparent that they were the last three Rebel starships left on the battlefield, and were still in range of the Interdictors.
"Everyone, hang on! Full power to the engines!" Hera relayed to everyone on board as she went full throttle on the controls. The Ghost went at the top speed she could manage with a full and extra load weighing down within and below her. What must've been hundreds of TIE fighters switched course to lock on and pursue.
"It's getting a little too close for comfort back here!" Zeb relayed to the others from his post in the tail gun, rattling and tossing around in his seat every time a blast from a TIE's cannons hit the hull around him. There were simply too many targets to make an effective shot in return fire. Kanan attempted to fire back from the turret as well, but found similar results. All the evasive maneuvers and the occasional hits made aiming more difficult than usual.
"I'm jumping to hyperspace the second we're clear of their gravity fields! Almost there!" Hera replied urgently.
It was but a few moments later when, at last, what remained of the depleting sun came into full view of the modified light stock freighter, and with that, the massive relic of the Rakata known as the Infinite Reformer and the Imperial Fourth Fleet. The beam that was pulling the raw energies of the shrinking sun into the giant capital ship was also clear as day for everyone facing forward to see.
"It… can't be…" Sabine muttered as she stared wide-eyed. At this point, the fiery sphere had been diminished to the point where, at their distance, Hera didn't even need to activate the sunshield on the viewports of her ship.
"Where did the Empire get something like that…?" Ezra wondered aloud with a similar expression on his face.
"Another question for another time!" Hera reconstituted herself just in time as they cleared the range of the gravity well generators, "We're out of here!" the hyperdrive came to life at last and in the next instant after she hammered in the coordinates, the Twi'lek pilot made the jump to hyperspace.
All those on the Ghost along with the two young pilots in the R-22's would be the only survivors from the battle at and over the doomed Rebel base. A darkening world freezing without a sun and the smoldering wreckage of their fleet was all that remained behind as the dust settled, excluding the victorious Imperial fleets that was. On the bridge of the Infinite Reformer, Grand Inquisitor Dunkel Nachtgeist continued looking on as the final remains of the sun before them began to flicker and die out as the fueling process neared completion. The same lieutenant from before came up behind him to provide an update.
"Grand Inquisitor, sir, the battle over the planet has concluded, but I regret to inform you that the Rebel starship known as the Ghost managed to escape," the Imperial officer stood at attention as his superior replied without turning away from the sight before them.
"So they have, exactly as I intended. They will run to warn insurgents elsewhere, and together they will come to stop us. We'll be waiting for the strongest and the brightest they have to throw at us…"
A/N: The Battle of Atollon is finished, but much more remains to be done on both sides before the true final battle can begin. More secrets revealed, more truths uncovered. Feelings shared, and sacrifices made. Work on Chapter 5 has begun, and as usual, I expect it to be ready sometime next week. It will be heavily Ezrabine-centered and have a tie-in to "Trials of the Darksaber", which I'm sure all of you enjoyed. Thanks again for reading and your continued support. :)
