The two Rebel vessels emerged from hyperspace above Yavin 4. As Sabine transmitted the clearance codes, Ezra guided the Ghost down to the surface and circled the tall ziggurats protruding from the treetops, waiting for the spaceport to be clear for landing.
The troopers down below spotted the unfamiliar ship trailing the Ghost. Most of them either reached for their blasters or ran to the nearest anti-spacecraft gun. Sabine saw the commotion and quickly pulled out her comlink and called for Commander Alaina.
"Commander, we come in peace," said Sabine.
"Are you sure?" Alaina answered. "That second ship's not ours," she added.
"We had to work together in desperation. Partisan One's crew has promised not to hurt anyone."
"Very well, then. I'll call off the troopers."
About a minute later, the ground forces had put their blasters back in their holsters and then made sure two landing pads were clear. Once they were, Ezra decreased the Ghost's speed, lowered the landing gear, and hovered above the landing pad. The whole ship jolted when it touched the ground; he had set it down too quickly, and he wasn't quite centered on the pad. He tried to shift the Ghost two meters to the left, cringing at the sound of metal scraping against the ground.
Hera's going to kill me, he thought.
Meanwhile, Partisan One had made a perfect landing. Saw looked over at the Ghost with a look of concern on his face.
Ezra turned off the engines and met Sabine, Zeb, and Saw and his crew outside of the boarding ramp with Chopper close behind him. They all proceeded into the base, catching a few concerned looks from some of Hera's closer friends.
"Oh, Karabast, I hope we don't get arrested," Zeb muttered.
"Yeah," Ezra agreed. "But at least we did it for the safety of the base and Hera's baby."
"Sure, until she got captured," Zeb added.
They entered the command center where Senator Mothma and several other Generals awaited them.
"Commander Bridger, Sabine Wren, and Garazeb Orellios," Mothma began sternly. "You have been absent without leave for quite some time."
"Senator..." said Sabine. "We're really sorry for leaving without permission—"
"Yes. Why did you leave?"
"General Syndulla's baby is strong with the Force," answered Ezra. "I sensed it from the time Kanan died."
"Ah, so we'll have another Jedi? Wonderful." Senator Mothma smiled a bit, but her expression quickly turned serious. "That still does not justify your absence."
"We know," Sabine said. "We left because we were afraid that Vader could sense where her child was, and that he would give away the location of the base."
"I'm very glad that that did not happen," said Mothma, "But I cannot let you off that easily." She sighed. "I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to ground you."
Sabine's heart skipped a beat. "How long?" she inquired hesitantly.
"Four weeks."
Sabine and Zeb stood in shock, while Ezra nodded solemnly.
"We understand. Thank you," said Ezra.
"And who have you brought with you from your little adventure?" asked Mothma, craning her neck a little to see behind Zeb.
Saw stepped forward, his metal feet clanging against the ground. He tried to contain his hostility toward her. "Saw Gerrera," he said calmly. "This is my crew, Edrio, Codo, and Fenerell." He gestured to each of the men.
"Saw?" Mothma's eyebrows furrowed.
"Senator, he comes in peace," Sabine explained. "His ship intercepted our transmission and he and his crew came to help us when we ran out of fuel."
"He's also going to help us save General Syndulla," added Zeb.
Mothma's eyes were fixed on Saw. "You'll have to stay in your ship; we have no more room in the base."
"I understand, Senator," he said, holding her gaze.
Mothma turned back to the Ghost crew. "And as for you, Bridger, Sabine, Zeb—while you're grounded, you'll be doing maintenance."
"Yes, Ma'am," said Ezra. He led the others out of the command center. They marched silently through the dirty, narrow corridors, not looking at each other. Sabine made one quick glance at Ezra, then turned to Saw. He nodded, then the group ducked into a nearby storage bay.
"Four weeks?!" hissed Zeb. "Is she serious?!"
"Hey, be happy she didn't arrest us," replied Sabine. Frankly, she was surprised Mothma hadn't.
"But we'll never get Hera before the baby comes!" Zeb whined. Chopper caterwauled and spun his head around and waved his arms, picking up on the Lasat's feelings.
"We won't with an attitude like that," Ezra cut in. "If we're going to come up with a plan, we all need to be calm."
Zeb sighed. "I guess you're right," he grumbled.
"So, what do we know?" Ezra asked, taking charge.
"Hera told me she was due in just about four weeks," said Sabine. "And that was before she was captured."
"We have no idea where that Dreadnaught she's on is," added Zeb. "It could be anywhere in the galaxy."
"Okay, that makes our odds of getting her in time really slim," Ezra said. He was worried about her being locked up in a tiny cell, mourning the loss of her beloved, the imminent agony of childbirth in an imperial prison awaiting her like a hungry Sarlacc with its jaws open.
"We could steal imperial files," suggested Saw. "Find the information on the entire fleet."
"That might work," said Sabine. "But how would we even get them, and how would we know which prison unit is where?"
"We'd do it together," replied Saw. "We'd go as a team and infiltrate a Star Destroyer, steal the files, and get back to base safely."
Zeb shook his head. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, there are a lot more steps to this than just walking up to the Empire and stealing information."
"Zeb's right," said Sabine. "We'd have to get past security somehow, and find a port for Chop that wasn't locked."
"That would take time," Ezra sighed. "Time that we don't have. There has to be another way."
Sabine sat down on a crate. "I hate to say this, but we might have to sacrifice speed for a detailed plan that has a chance of working." Her heart sank to her stomach at the thought of Hera having to give birth alone to the baby they were all incredibly excited to meet.
"What if you snuck out of the base at night?" said Fenerell, his arms crossed and his dark brown eyes fixed on the Ghost crew. "You'd have plenty of time."
"Hey, that's an idea," Zeb commented.
"Yeah," added Ezra. "We could get the information and save Hera in time. We'd just have to get past the nighttime guards."
"And disobey orders again?" Sabine said. "And risk being kicked out of the Rebellion?"
"But what are you doing in the Rebellion?" asked Saw. "Are you fighting for what's important to you? Or are you fighting for what's important to the Rebellion?" Saw unlatched the tube from his chestplate and breathed through it a couple of times.
"Both, I guess," replied Ezra.
"Syndulla is important to you, is she not?"
"Very," answered Sabine.
"And she is important to the Rebellion, is she not?"
"She's the best pilot in the fleet, probably the galaxy, too," said Zeb.
"Then what are you waiting for?" asked Saw. "Why should Senator Mothma punish you for bringing back an important asset to the Rebellion? Why should you wait four weeks to save her when she needs you most? The time to fight is now!"
Chopper whirred happily, inspired by what Saw had said.
"He's got a good point," Zeb said.
"Then let's do it," Ezra replied.
"Wait!" ordered Sabine. "Think about this. Would Hera want us to risk our place in the Rebellion more than we already have? Would Hera want us to desert a cause that helps the whole galaxy just to save her?"
There was a heavy silence. Saw's brows drew together in an angry frown as he stared at the floor.
"You're right, Sabine," answered Ezra slowly. He turned to Saw. "I'm sorry, but we have to stay here; it's what Hera would want."
"Alright, then. Serve out your punishment."
"We'll have to find another way to save Hera," Zeb reminded the group.
"We could go steal the files and transmit them to you," Saw suggested.
"That's a great idea," said Zeb. "Would Chop be able to hold all that information?"
"No way," replied Sabine. "His memory couldn't handle it." Chopper grumbled resentfully and shook his head.
Ezra patted him. "Sorry, buddy." He turned back to Saw's crew. "We could still use him for communication and transmissions, though."
"But how will we get the data to you?" asked Saw.
Zeb, Ezra, and Sabine fell silent again. Suddenly, Sabine stood back up from her crate.
"Unless they've changed the schedule, there's a rotation of the night guards' shifts at 2300, and there's about a five-minute period where there's no one at the command center."
"Perfect," said Saw. "Contact us before you sneak in so we know when to send the data."
"Great. More rules broken," muttered Zeb.
"No one has to know, Zeb," said Ezra. "I'll make sure of it."
"So I guess we have a plan," said Sabine. "You guys want to get a head start?"
"We're on it, Sabine," said Saw.
Sabine watched Saw and his crew duck back out into the corridor. For the first time since Hera was captured, she felt a tiny flicker of hope.