Why was it that every single time he came back to Lothal, Ezra Bridger found himself in a serious mess?

It was supposed to be a routine mission. Land on Lothal, find Ryder Azadi, and convince him to join the mission.

It was so easy in fact, that AP5 could have managed it alone.

But upon arrival above Lothal, Ezra's A-wing had been shot down, crashing in the middle of a field on Lothal. The impact had not broken any bones, rather left him incredibly sore, and with a nightmare headache. Ezra counted himself lucky that was the only lasting damage.

The A-wing however was beyond repair, meaning he now had to find a new way to get off Lothal.

To make matters worse, only minutes after his crash landing, an imperial shuttle had shown up, spilling Stormtroopers all around him, pinning him down.

And to top it all off, his only company during all of this was Chopper!

Suffice to say, Ezra had had better days.

Deflecting another series of blasts with his lightsaber, whilst simultaneously firing his blaster with his other hand, Ezra risked a glimpse at Chopper. The young Jedi had ordered the droid to send and SOS out. It was Ezra's hope that it would draw the rebel cell present on Lothal too him to assist.

"How we doing Chopper? And sign of them yet?" Ezra yelled over the battle, deflecting another blast back at an unlucky trooper.

The droid released a series of beeps, each one more offensive than the other one.

"Just get it done Chop, I can't do this all day!"

Ezra was at least grateful that Chopper was withholding any sarcastic comments at the moment. Clearly the droid recognized the severity of the situation, and was actively trying to help for once.

Turning to blast another trooper with his blaster, Ezra's eyes fell upon an approaching threat.

Slowly walking towards him across the field was an AT-DP walker. At that range, there was nothing Ezra could do about it.

If he wasn't careful…

Then, suddenly, a loud sound echoed across the plains of Lothal. In the corner of his eye, Ezra noticed a bright yellow light trailing towards the AT-DP. Seconds later, the light hit the walker, and it erupted into flames, the shell collapsing onto the floor.

Another sound reached Ezra's ears afterwards, as a pair of speeders rapidly approached and flanked the Stormtroopers.

Seated inside one of the speeders, Ezra recognized the figure of Ryder Azadi, firing a blaster at the imperials.

"Ezra, over here!" The former governor yelled, motioning with his hand.

Breaking off from his position, Ezra delved into the force, and jumped over the line of Stormtroopers, landing beside Ryder in the speeder.

Chopper meanwhile, had taken to the skies himself, using his rocket booster to fly above the combat, staying out of harms reach.

Once Ezra was in position beside Ryder, the two speeders took off into the plains, escaping the imperial patrol.

For what had been a close call, Ryder had arrived just in time.

"Thanks for the assist Ryder." Ezra spoke with gratitude over the wind.

Ryder, who was now directing the speeder back to his hidden encampment in the rocks of Lothal, nodded.

"Anytime Ezra. But what are you doing back on Lothal?"

Now was not the time to explain everything, Ezra thought, not with the possibility of the imperials being on their tail.

"Once we get to your base I'll let you know. Oh, and I may need to borrow a ship from you." The young Jedi replied, a sly smile coming to his face.

Ryder merely laughed. "I wouldn't expect anything less Bridger."


Lieutenant Yogar Lyste read over the report from the troops that had survived. Apparently, a rebel fighter had crashed been shot down on Lothal, and a detachment of troops had been sent to investigate the crash site. Upon arrival, they had come face to face with the young Jedi Ezra Bridger.

Since Thrawn had left Lothal, Lyste had been put in charge of the military operations. Always eager to impress his seniors, Lyste had gone to work as best he could quelling the rebel cell that seemed to frequently operate in the area. If the word of Governor Pryce was to be believed, their leader was a man named Ryder Azadi, the former governor of Lothal.

If Lyste could capture him, it would surely mean a promotion.

Turning to the officer who had delivered the news to him, Lyste issued his commands.

"I want a sweep of the area they were last seen in. We need to find out where they are coming from."

The trooper nodded his understanding, before heading off to deliver the orders to his cohorts.

Lyste watched the trooper leave, before turning to re-read the report.

Hopefully, a sweep of the area would turn something up.


The trip back to the small rebel encampment didn't take too long. In that time, Ryder had been filling Ezra in on what had been happening on Lothal since their last visit.

"Thrawn's TIE Defender program appears to come to a bit of a standstill since you stole his prototype. I don't know if he's been pulled from the project or something else." Ryder spoke, as the speeder arrived in the centre of a series of rocks. Before them was the rebel encampment. There were not many people around, suggesting that Ryder had had trouble recruiting people.

But still it was good to see that there were people who believed they could make a difference.

Stepping out of the speeder, Ezra moved with Ryder to his makeshift command centre, Chopper landing behind them and following.

Moving past a series of boxes, Ezra found himself at a small holographic table. Ryder moved up to the controls, powering up the device, and began examining the image on it. It was a tactical readout of Lothal, the locations of the imperial troops, as well as patrol routes to avoid.

"We've done what we can in your absence. Raiding conveys and gathering supplies, as well as offering refuge to anyone seeking it. Rather small scale really in comparison to what you have been doing Ezra." Ryder spoke, his tone somewhat bleak.

"You're doing good Ryder. Every little helps." Ezra offered in comfort. Ryder really was doing well. He had managed to single handily create a rebel cell on Lothal, one that operated effectively. He may not be attacking major military installations, but he was saving innocents from harm with his actions, giving them hope for a better tomorrow.

"I just wish I could do more Ezra."

A small smile came to Ezra's face. 'Perfect.' He thought.

"You can. The reason I came here was to ask for your help."

Ryder turned to look at the young Jedi in surprise.

"What do you need? Smuggle you into the capital?" Ryder asked.

Ezra laughed. Usually that would be the case, but this time it was more severe.

"We are putting together a team to assassinate the Emperor at the next 'Meeting of the Moffs'. Apparently it's being held on some superweapon the empire is building. The entire imperial leadership will be there."

Ryder's face lit up in anticipation for such an event. "Nice! We can crush to empire in one move. Who's leading the attack?"

"Ahsoka Tano is, but rebel command doesn't want her to go, so we are going against orders. Ahsoka said to look for people who might be willing to help, so I thought of you." Ezra finished. If Ryder agreed to help, great.

If not, well Ezra would have to look for someone else.

Ryder nodded at Ezra's explanation, the cogs clearly turning in his head as he contemplated the plan.

"Going against orders huh? Dangerous idea, but if it's our only chance to get the Emperor, we have to take it."

Ezra's eyes widened at Ryder's comment. "We? Does that mean you are in?"

"Sure kid. Why not." Ryder patted the young Jedi on the back, making Ezra stumble forward slightly.

'That was easier than I anticipated.' Ezra thought. He had expected to have to persuade the former governor much more than he had had to.

"Excellent. Well we have all agreed to meet in a fortnight's time at a hidden rendezvous point. We just need ship to get there with." Ezra spoke, turning back to the map of Lothal that was present.

Ryder studied the map, before moving his hand to touch a specific area. The holographic interface registered his touch, and the image zoomed in on an imperial compound.

"I think I know where we might get one from, as well as some supplies for our mission."


Sneaking into an imperial compound was something Ezra Bridger had done many times before.

Sneaking into an imperial compound to steal a Lambda class shuttle was something he had only done once, and on that day he had been attacked by Vader.

So Ezra could only hope that today would go smoothly.

Besides, what was the worst that could happen?

Bypassing the security guards had been easy. Both he and Ryder had disguised themselves as troopers, whilst Chopper played the role of imperial droid.

Ezra's paint job on Chopper wasn't perfect, not like how Sabine did it, but it would do the job just was well.

Walking down a long hallway towards the landing pads where the shuttles were kept, Ryder spoke.

"Hopefully there will be no guards. If there are…"

"We might have to fight our way out." Ezra finished for him.

Behind them both, Chopper grumbled.

Rounding another corner, Ezra and Ryder came face to face with another door.

"The landing pad should in theory be on the other side." Ryder spoke.

Ezra nodded, signalling Chopper to open the door.

Predictably however, this was when things started to go wrong.

Chopper did manage to open to doors.

But he set an alarm off in the process.

Sirens whirled as the breach in security was registered, deafening Ezra slightly.

"Oh good job Chopper well done. I bet you did that on purpose didn't you!"

Chopper produced a series of indignant beeps, sounding offended by Ezra's remark.

Sprinting through the doorway with Ryder, Ezra spotted a Lambda shuttle, with a squad of troopers guarding it.

"We gotta go through them." Ryder called.

Ezra agreed, reaching behind himself to extract his lightsaber from its concealed position. Igniting the blade, Ezra charged the troopers, with Ryder providing support.


The sound of the alarm woke Yogar Lyste from his nap. The imperial snapped to business immediately, moving towards the comm terminal.

"What's going on down there?" Lyste yelled, hoping someone would respond.

Seconds later, a trooper did.

"Sir, two rebels, including the Jedi have infiltrated the compound. We think they are trying to steal a shuttle."

Lyste's eyes widened in alarm. Why did they always try to steal his shuttles?

"Do not let them escape trooper, I shall send in backup."

"Copy that sir." The trooper responded before cutting the line.

Lyste could have sworn he heard the sound of blaster fire in the background of the call.


Deflecting a series of blasts with his emerald saber, Ezra called on the force, and directed a force push at a pair of Stormtroopers, who both went flying backwards into a collections of crates.

The impact knocked them out cold.

From behind Ezra, Ryder shot another trooper, covering the young Jedi whilst he deflected.

"Chopper! Get the shuttle ready!" Ezra called. The droid beeped in confirmation, wheeling his way up the ramp of the Lambda shuttle and interfacing with a terminal.

"This sort of stuff always happen to you?" Ryder called out, moving behind a crate himself.

"All the time. Get used to it." Ezra replied sarcastically, releasing another force push at a trooper that was attempting to flank him.

The small skirmish only lasted a few more moments, before the all of the troopers were either out cold, or too wounded to fight.

Extinguishing his saber, Ezra sprinted towards the shuttle, boarding in just after Ryder had done.

Behind them, the doors to the shuttle pad opened again, and yet another platoon of Stormtroopers came to reinforce their comrades.

But it was too late. By the time they had gotten into positon, Chopper had powered up the shuttle, closed the ramp, and headed for orbit.

Ezra allowed himself to breathe a sigh of relief. Despite the challenge, they had gotten out unscathed, and with a new recruit to boot.


Yogar Lyste dismissed to officer that had come to report the stolen shuttle. Once again, the rebels had outwitted him. Looking down at the datapad, Lyste took note of the serial number of the shuttle. Perhaps it could be used to track the rebels, Lyste didn't know.

All he did know was that he had no chance against a Jedi.

But he knew of someone who did.

Approaching the comm terminal in his office, Lyste keyed in a highly classified number, one that was only reserved for the most dire of circumstances.

Seconds later, the call was received, and a hologram of the person he had been expecting appeared before him.

Lyste had never met an Inquisitor before, but from what he had heard, they were the exact opposite of Jedi.

And they were experts in hunting them too.

"Lieutenant Lyste, isn't it? What can I do for you?" The Eighth Brother spoke, his voice distorted, both by the hologram and his helmet.

"Inquisitor, I apologise for the call, but I believe I have a lead on a Jedi. A young boy with a lightsaber recently stole an imperial shuttle from Lothal."

The Inquisitor nodded. "No doubt that was Ezra Bridger. You were right to call Lieutenant. You said he stole an imperial shuttle? Can you give me its serial code?"

Lyste nodded, reading out the code to the Inquisitor, who seemed to be noting it down on something.

"Excellent work Lieutenant. I will pursue the Jedi from here. You have done well today."

Lyste was surprised. From what he had heard, most Inquisitors were quite rude when dealing with subordinates such as himself.

But this one seemed different.

"Thank you Inquisitor. Good hunting."

The Inquisitor nodded, before disconnecting the channel.

Lyste stepped away from the terminal.

It was nice to be appreciated by someone for once.

Author's thoughts

So a shorter more action orientated chapter this time. Hope you enjoyed it despite that.

And welcome to the team Ryder Azadi. Let us hope nothing bad happens to you. :)

Now before someone points it out... since the events of 'Through Imperial Eyes' did not occur in this AU, Lyste was not detained on suspicion of treason, hence why he is in charge of the imperial forces here.

So you can probably all guess that this chapter was mainly used to set up a future confrontation that I hope you will enjoy.

So next time around we check in with Grand Admiral Thrawn as he teams up with Governor Pryce to uncover the secrets of Krennic's battlestation.

As usual, comment and speculate at will. There are still places left on Ahsoka's team that had not been guessed yet.

Now, speaking of comments:

WolveHulk: Maul's recruit does seem to be baffliing everyone, which was the whole point. Grievous and Shaak Ti? Talk about a unique and controversial pairing.

jamese765: The team will be full of interesting individuals, as was intended. I only hope you like who I have chosen for the team.

Mogor: We can only hope that I am not evil enough to kill of either of the Wren siblings.

Travis Middleton: Sabine was always my least favourite of the Ghost crew for some reason, but she has grown on me, so of course she would be back for this story. I'm glad you are still enjoying this too. As for your questions:
1. Sabine's father will not appear, as his rescue is not important to this story. However, I will cover it in a one shot later on.
2. No Loth-Wolves as you can see. The reason for this is that I wrote this chapter before the Lothal episodes of season 4 aired, and thus had no real idea of how to include the Loth-Wolves.
3. Maul's recruit seems to be causing everyone concern. I can't wait to reveal it. :)
4. My one shots will come after this story concludes, so there is a while to wait yet. Sorry. :(

FossilQueen1984: Yeah, Sabine doesn't have the Darksaber to wave around with her this time, thusn she looses some of that respect she had in rebels. But hey, she has her brother, and Rau is a supporter of her too. And now she is back with her other family. :)

SeaLion37: I'm glad you liked he check in with Ghost crew. More to come from them.
Hondo joining a suicide mission out of the kindness of his own heart?! Now that would be something to see.
Maul's recruit, now this is tricking people isn't it. If I'm right, Talzin was killed by Grievous in the 'Son of Dathomir' comic, and Feral's neck was snapped by Savage, so it can't be either of them. Not that that narrows it down at all. :)

SLE's fave guest: Yeah the Mandalorians never really did it for me in Clone Wars either, which is a shame. I liked Satine, but that was it.
Yeah, Rau was one of the people that nobody guessed would join, so I am glad I was able to keep that one under wraps.
The Sangheili, and Arbiter Thel Vadam by extension, are one of the main reasons I like Sci-Fi so much. They were the first time I really got into a species and its characters. Thel remains my favourite character of all time, with Ahsoka coming in close at second.
Maul's recruit... I am so glad that people are confused by it, and I can't wait to reveal it and get everyones response.
The super mysterious person hint is supposed to be an incredibly vague hint. Out of you ten names, some of them have interacted with the person. That being said, it could be a person on the list, or maybe it's not. Muhahahahaha.
Hera and Sabine being safe, oh boy!
And I am really glad that I am doing a decent job with the Kaesoka stuff. It's hard to write romance when you have no experience with it yourself, so I am sort of just experimenting with ideas at this point. I don't want to rush it as it would come across as forced. That being said, things will begin to develop soon because of a certain upcoming event.

Mysterious Guest number one: I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter, as well as the look into Sabine and her family.