Thrawn and the Rebellion Chapter 11
The Lothal rebels and their Wayland allies launch their assault on Mount Tantiss only to stumble into a trap. Meanwhile, Ezra Bridger and Kanan Jarus hitch a ride on the Patronus to Master Joruus C'baoth's Sith superweapon on the peak. All recognisable Thrawn Trilogy and Star Wars Rebels characters belong to Timothy Zahn, Lucasfilm, and Disney. As always, feel free to read and review. Thank you for your support and sorry for the long wait. It took me some time and thinking to write this chapter.
Jayce Whiti: The Revolt
It was early morning at Mount Tantiss. A squad of white armoured Imperial Stormtroopers was escorting a group of Wayland loggers to the jungles which surrounded the Imperial base on Mount Tantiss. These Waylanders represented the three different communities of Wayland: Myneryrshi, Psadan, and Human. Prior to the Empire's coming these three communities had fought among themselves. Now, they had been forcibly impressed into the Empire's service as loggers, labourers, and construction workers toiling for the advancement of Imperial rule throughout the galaxy.
Jayce Whiti was a swarthy Human man from Clan Whiti, one of the stranded Human tribes that had come to call Wayland home. The Imperial "star folk" had imposed a system of corvée labour on their new subjects on Wayland. In exchange for being able to keep their lands and dwellings, the various Wayland tribes that had accepted Imperial rule were obliged to supply labourers for Imperial construction projects on Wayland on monthly shifts. That was the price of Pax Imperia. Workers received food, lodging, and clothing but were paid very little, if any, wages. Any infractions were harshly punished by floggings or the barrel of an Imperial blaster.
Jayce and the other Waylanders including the non-Humans loathed their Imperial masters. All that the Galactic Empire seemed to do was to extract Wayland's natural resources and wealth without giving anything back to its people. Entire hectares of pristine forests, where numerous generations had hunted, had been turned into barren wasteland. Hazardous waste from Imperial mines and factories polluted the rivers, killing the fish and rendering these bodies of water unfit for swimming and bathing. The rapid deforestation had also created serious flooding in the Pelancar Valley during the last monsoon season.
The loggers and their Imperial escorts, or rather foremen, were approaching a thicket of heirwood pine trees, tall giant trunks which could grow to a height of 100 metres. Everything was going to plan. Knowing what he had to do, Jayce began whistling a tune. This was the signal for the loggers to spring into action. At an instant, Jayce and the other loggers threw themselves to the ground. The bucket heads behind them began shouting and kicking the Waylanders but none moved.
"Get up, you lazy maggots," barked the leading Stormtrooper in an offworld accent. "You have had your snooze. Get up or we'll…"
Before the bucket head could finish his admonition, he and his comrades were hit by a hail of arrows. Their air rang with howls of pain and the agonized death cries of the Stormtroopers. Even though Jayce was Human, he had little affinity with these offworld invaders who had invaded his homeworld. He was a Waylander, first and foremost.
After the flurry had subsided, Jayce and his fellow loggers rose to their feet. Above them, resting on the branches and trunks of the heirwood trees, were a motley group of armed Waylanders of all races – Myneyrshi, Psadan, and Human. All of them had put aside their differences in order to drive the Empire from their world. The rebels were led by a tall, furry alien with pointed ears and striped grey fur. Jayce recognized him as Zeb Orrelios, the Lasat rebel and soldier, from the offworld band of rebels who had come to aid them in their uprising against the Empire.
"Good job," said Zeb "You loggers have done your part. Now, let's relieve of their armour before moving on to Phase Two."
Jayce and his fellow loggers proceeded to strip the fallen Stormtroopers of their armour and blasters. Most of them had died under a hail of poisoned arrows. Jayce stooped down to strip the fallen squad leader of his blaster. The squad leader wore an orange pauldron on his right shoulder. The Stormtrooper was still alive but not for long. He had been pierced by three arrows and the poison was rapidly taking its effect. Dark-red blood dripped out of his wounds and from under his neck.
Stormtrooper armour was capable of withstanding most blaster bolts and other laser weapons. However, it was still no match for the primitive metal arrowheads of the Wayland tribal communities. The Imperials obviously had not envisioned their soldiers fighting primitive arrow and spear-wielding natives. Jayce wrestled the blaster rifle out of the dying man's white armoured glove hands. The man struggled for a while and then all was silent.
"Come, let's move on," shouted a tall hulking Myneyrsh named Roax. "We have to move on to secure the compound now."
Across the outskirts of Mount Tantiss Base and the nearby settlement of C'baoth Town, Wayland rebel forces began assault and ambushing Imperial troops and personnel. Within half an hour, the insurgents had seized control of C'baoth Town with minimal casualties. They encountered little opposition since most of the population there were indentured labourers and their families who had been conscripted for Imperial forestry and construction projects around the base. Many of them were eager to cast off the chains of Imperial rule, having long endured the tyrannical rule of Master C'baoth, the Guardian of Mount Tantiss.
The insurgents were greatly aided by their new offworld rebel friends. Zeb led the assault, bashing any Imperial he came across. Sabine's smoke and paint bombs worked wonders by throwing the Imperials into disarray. The surviving Imperials were fleeing for the safety of their giant cavernous base. All that they had to do was to storm the base and give enough time for the Jedi Master and his apprentice to destroy the Guardian's Sith superweapon.
Jayce felt a playful slap on the back. He turned to stare at the hard, lumpy face of his Psadan colleague Lupec Hhulk.
"We're winning," grunted Lupec
Jayce smiled. The tide was turning in favour of the Waylanders and their offworld rebel allies. Jayce and Lupec were about to raise their fists in victory when they heard a rumble from the forests.
"More Imperials," rang a voice
"They have walkers, tanks, and transports," shouted another
"It's a trap," rang a third voice
Jayce turned and saw a metal ring of walkers and vehicles emerging from the forests. Overhead, the skies rang with the whining screeches of TIE fighters, bombers, and Skipray blastboats. The sky suddenly turned a dark shade and Jayce and Roax quickly realized why. A Star Destroyer had entered Wayland's atmosphere and was hanging above the clouds like a giant floating sword.
Jayce's heart sunk. It had all been too easy; the feeble resistance that they had encountered in taking C'baoth Town and the surrounding factories and warehouses. Cries of alarm and panic rang from among the previously jubilant rebel army. It had all been a trap. It had been too good to be true.
"Guys, take shelter," rang Zeb's gruff voice "We're trapped but we're not cowards. We won't surrender and live our days in shame and defeat. Let's take some of these Imps with us."
Zeb's rallying call had a desired effect on the Wayland rebels. Jayce's heart rose. He knew that there was a good chance that he would die. He knew that he still had a wife and three kids at home. But at least he would die a glorious death in combat rather than live the rest of his days under the heel of the Empire. Shouts of defiance emanated from the Wayland rebel army.
"Hey you know how to operate this beast," asked Roax, who gesticulated to an old Trade Federation Armoured Assault Tank. This tank was a relic of the Clone Wars. The Empire was known to use the assets of the former Confederacy to police its worlds. Jayce had learnt how to operate hover vehicles while in the service of the Empire. That hover tank should be no difference.
"Sure thing, if that beast still has its ignition key," replied Jayce.
He smiled. Time to teach these Imps that Waylanders were not stupid, stone-age barbarians.
Hera Syndulla: A Steep Dive
The H-type yacht Patronus had soared to a height of 1,500 metres above the ground. The yacht's control wheel was lighter than the one aboard the Ghost. Despite the luxurious comforts of the pleasure yacht, Hera still longed for the familiarity of her freighter. It had been a few weeks since they had acquired the yacht from Talon Karrde but she still did not feel at home with the Patronus. The ship's computer had an acrimonious relationship with Chopper and was unwilling to put the ship, or rather itself in danger.
For all its speed and sleekness, the Patronus was still inferior to the Ghost. Despite Chopper's best efforts, the vessel's thin silvery, chrome surface did not take too well to the humid, sub-tropical conditions of Wayland. Already, prolonged exposure to sun and rain had caused cracks and rust to appear on its chrome outer coating. The Patronus' thin outer coating also could not absorb as much punishment as the Ghost's thick armour. Worst of all, the yacht lacked any laser cannons. The only defence was the vessel's speed and manoeuvrability.
Below the yacht's forward windshield lay Mount Tantiss and the surrounding C'baoth town. From high up, they resembled several plastic toy bricks. Her plan now was to perform a steep dive. She had to be careful not to crash the vessel onto the mountain peak. The next stage of her plan would be to hover the vessel low enough to allow Kanan, Ezra, and their new friend Zare Leonis to disembark from the starship via its rear docking ramp. The Imperials probably had TIEs and turbolaser emplacements on the mountain so they had to make a quick dash. After that, it was every rebel for themselves.
Hera spoke into the intercom, "Kanan, Ezra and Zare. Make sure you are strapped in for a steep dive."
"Roger that," shouted back Ezra "We're ready."
Chopper had already secured himself to a special safety harness for droids. The ship's previous owner had fitted one especially for his astromech unit. As the luxury yacht descended towards the mountain, Hera felt a ringing sensation in her ears. A lekku or head tails flapped as gravity kicked in. Hera was glad that she had only taken a light breakfast that morning. The last thing she wanted was to throw up over the consoles. Chopper tweeted a hoot.
The Nubian yacht's slim, dagger-like profile was designed to evade detection. But she knew that they had to act fast before the Imperials noticed their presence. Her plan had been to drop Kanan, Ezra, and Zare on the peak of Mount Tantiss. Hera and Chopper would then fly the yacht to somewhere safe and then rejoin the battle.
Ezra: A Rough Landing
As the Nubian H-type yacht descended, Ezra felt the blood flow through his head. His ears were popping and it felt like there were butterflies in his stomach. To dull his discomfort, Ezra had drawn on the Force; something which both Kanan and Master C'baoth had taught him.
"Remember, don't give in to fear and hatred," said Kanan "For that leads to the Dark Side."
"I will," replied Ezra. Even with his master by his side, Ezra felt nervous about facing Master C'baoth.
"Zare, remember your part," asked Kanan, turning to face Zare who sat opposite them.
"Sure, my plan is simple," replied the young former Imperial officer "Blow up the Sith pyramid and shoot any company Master C'baoth might bring."
Zare hooked his bag of grenades to his leather bandolier and adjusted the settings on his blaster rifle.
"I'm glad I went to the Imperial Academy," replied Zare "I've learnt skills that will help the Rebellion."
"The more we have the merrier," joked Ezra.
Just then, Ezra felt the ship break out of its descent. The engines then fired up and the yacht's rear landing ramp opened like a tongue licking a barren, icy summit. They were about one and a half metres above the ground.
"Okay, guys get ready to jump," announced Hera over the intercom.
"We're ready," replied Kanan as he unbuckled his seatbelt. Ezra and Zare followed promptly.
Leading by example, Kanan jumped out of the moving starship. Next, Ezra followed suit taking. He felt his knees and gloved hands touch the ice. Shortly, Zare followed with a brief shout. He landed on his knees. Above them, Ezra heard the silent, churning drone of the Patronus as the ship rocketed back into the clouds.
"I feel it. It's over there," said Kanan "I feel the pall of the Dark Side."
Ezra turned and saw the familiar pyramidal Sith meditation pyramid lying several metres away at the heart of the summit. Before Ezra and his companions could make their way towards the structure, they heard an electronic swish emanating from behind them. Ezra quickly recalled that the Mount Tantiss base had a lift built into one of its peaks. Turning around, Ezra saw three cloaked figures emerge from the lift. The middling figure removed his hood. Ezra recognised the flowing long beard and unkempt hair. That was Master C'baoth and he had company.
"Well, well," said C'baoth in a rich, refined voice "A Master, an Apprentice, and … their turncoat friend."
The made Dark Jedi clone turned his cold, steely grace towards Zare.
"It's such a pity that three talented individuals such as you have to choose the wrong side," said C'baoth.
"Whatever you are up to," barked Kanan defiantly "It ends now."
"Oh, I admire your courage and tenacity, Master Kanan," replied C'baoth in a mocking tone "But, no one can stop my plan for the galaxy."
The two hooded figures flanking Master C'baoth removed their hoods. To Ezra's shock and horror, he found himself staring into the faces and eyes of "Ashoka Tano" and another copy of himself. That copy shared Ezra's blue eyes, tan skin, and blueish-black hair. It did not take long for Ezra and his companions to realize that these two figures were clones. Ashoka was dead and now there was another copy of him. C'baoth must have taken a DNA sample from both him and Ashoka. Ezra recalled waking up with a sharp prick on the skin of his head. That mad clone must have taken a sample of his hair.
"Gentleman, meet my newest apprentices," smirked C'baoth "Ashooka Tano and Ezraa Bridger. I promised them one final trial before they become Jedi Knights."
C'baoth's companions ignited their lightsabers. Two glowing red beams appeared. Ezra quickly realized that they had stumbled into a trap.
Endnotes
For this chapter, I decided to introduce a new minor character to give a glimpse into events on the ground. Jayce Whiti's last name is a reference to Te Whiti, a Maori leader who advocated non-violent resistance in 19th century New Zealand. I borrowed the idea of the workers luring the Stormtroopers into a trap from the third Hunger Games movie Mockingjay Part 1.
For Ezra's POV section, I have incorporated a well-known plot element from Timothy Zahn's The Last Command, the third book in the Thrawn Trilogy. In the novel, Master C'baoth creates a mad Dark Jedi clone of Luke Skywalker called "Luuke Skywalker." I guess that the Empire would still have some cloning cylinders left over from the Clone Wars. In the novels, Mount Tantiss has a large Spaarti cloning facility.
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Andrew Lim