Chapter 27
Location: Epsilon Station
System: Epsilon
Date: 4 ABY, Month 11, Day 14
...
There are groups of officers standing around the command center here in Epsilon Station, all of them talking among themselves about an upcoming operation that, if successful, could bolster patrol operation range and protection. Nobody knows what the op is yet, but that's why we're here. Rex, Bastian, Wedge, and even Sabine's mother and brother were there along with all of our high ranking officers waiting for Hera to tell us what we're doing.
I feel someone touch my arm and I smile softly. "Nervous?" I ask.
"Me? Never. I'm getting impatient, though," Sabine says. "How long is Hera going to take?"
As if that were some cue, one of the doors on the far side of the room opens and Hera walks in, her personal guard flanking her.
"Commanders, captains, and generals, thank you for coming on such short notice," she begins.
Everybody starts gathering around the holotable. Once nobody else could stand there, they started looking at their datapads. Sabine and I were lucky to even get a spot at the holotable.
"What's all this about?" I ask.
"I just received some intel on an abandoned Old Republic base that the Empire is using to gather and destroy old ships," Hera answers.
"Like that operation to get those Y-wings?" Sabine asks.
"Exactly, however it's not starfighters or bombers that's being collected there," she says then. The room darkens slightly as the table activates, a hologram of a space station appearing.
"This station doesn't have a name, but it's much like this one only much smaller. It was an old Republic outpost near the middle rim," Hera explains.
"I remember hearing about that base," Rex says. "Never been to it though. Is this why I had to cut my training session short?"
"It is, Rex," Hera says with a nod. "You know more about Republic assets more than anyone else here. This intel came from a rebel sympathizer that claims to have worked with your clones."
"Why isn't he talking with us now?" I ask.
"I lost contact with him just moments before calling you all here and I'm afraid the worst has happened to him."
"So you want someone to find him?" Sabine asks.
"I can't afford to risk anybody to find him just yet," Hera says. "His final words to me were 'don't worry about me, just get those ships'."
"So it's not a rescue mission... but you're dispatching us to secure some more ships?" I ask. "What class are they?"
"Old Pelta-class," she replies.
"Just like Phoenix Home?" Sabine asks.
Hera nods, "Just like Phoenix Home."
"So that's why you called all of us here," a commander says.
"I need as many of those ships recovered, repaired, and active as soon as possible," Hera says.
"When do we leave?" Sabine asks.
"Since the Resolute is still under extensive repairs, you'll have to transfer your command to another vessel for the time being."
"Sabine?" I look to her.
"I would say a cruiser for now, but that all depends on what we're expecting at that station," she says.
"Resistance is unusually light so it could be a trap. That's why I want multiple star destroyers in position in case we need reinforcements," Hera says.
"So clearly this won't be a quiet operation," I say.
"We want people to know that we're still here and we're still fighting. Only this time we have the strength to fight them," she says.
"This is a huge gamble over a handful of ships," Kanan says.
"I'm not sending everyone in at one time. Our spec ops team Rex trained did their jobs very well with capturing some Imperial shuttles plus two Arquitens command cruisers," Hera explains. "We'll deploy the shuttles to dock with the station. Ezra and Sabine will lead the main assault team on the station. Bastian?"
"My fleet is ready to go. Fully armed and fully fueled. I already have one of my recon fighters scouting out the position," he says as he taps on his wrist controller. The hologram flickers and everything seems more active. "What we're seeing here is live footage of our target. As you can see there are Imperial cruisers protecting the base and those Pelta frigates docked and being scrapped."
"Good. I want you in charge of fleet operations out there," Hera says. "All ships in this operation are temporarily under Admiral Narada's command. All station assault teams will be commanded by Generals Bridger and Wren. Anything I'm missing?"
"Would there be any reinforcements if something were to go wrong?" someone asks.
"I'm afraid there won't be much I can offer, but maybe the Terrans or the Praetors would be able to provide some assistance," Hera answers. "However, I haven't been able to contact Pellaeon for a long time."
The Terran Chief Minister's voice was heard from the speakers.
"My fleets are ready but I will still have to speak with my advisors on the matter. I can't promise anything."
"Understood, Chief Minister," Hera says.
"We're not prepared for a prolonged open fight with the Imperial fleet just yet," Rex points out. "I don't think we should send the fleet to engage right away."
"Rex has a point," Bastian says. "I suggest our assault teams infiltrate the station first and then have the fleet provide cover for the escaping frigates."
"I agree," I say. "What are our spec ops teams right now?"
"They're busy on another assignment," Rex says. "Disrupting an Imperial communication relay near the old Mon Cala system."
"Great... so whoever's here now is what we have for this mission?" Sabine asks.
"I'm afraid so," Rex says grimly.
"Alright," I say. "We'll take the shuttles into the hangar and make our way to the command center. We should expect heavy resistance on the way."
"We'll need to secure the frigates simultaneously," Sabine adds. "I'll lead a team and we can drop from the shuttles towards the docked ships. Maybe we can salvage a few things while we're on it."
Ursa steps forward, then. "I contacted scattered members of our clan. They're stretched a bit thin trying to hold what little ground we have back home, but they are sending a few select warriors to assist. Currently speaking, they are awaiting our arrival at a set of rendezvous coordinates in open space."
"That's my team, then," Sabine says with a grin.
I smile softly. She's clearly happy to be fighting with her clan again.
"Maybe you can put your armor back on, too," Tristan suggests.
"Well of course. I was planning on that," Sabine says.
"Alright, so I'm leading the main assault team into the station," I say, "and Sabine is leading a team from Clan Wren to secure the Pelta frigates, and if things start going downhill like that always do, Bastian and his fleet will be there to assist."
"Sounds about right," Rex says.
"I'm ordering everyone to be en route to that station ASAP. Good luck everyone, and may the Force be with you," Hera says before concluding the briefing.
…
Location: Hyperspace
Date: 4 ABY, Month 11, Day 14
…
I look out from the cockpit viewscreen at the scrapping facility ahead of us, each docking clamp holding onto a Pelta-class frigate. The plan is to secure and free the frigates and take them back to Epsilon for remodeling and modification. Hera wants these ships to be a sort of light carrier and command ship patrols so we aren't planning on losing many. We're not counting on saving all of the ships, but as much as we physically can.
"We're on final approach to the hangars, General. The Imperials have no idea it's us for now," my shuttle pilot tells me.
"Good. We're going to scuttle this scrap heap during this mission. The Nav computer has Epsilon's coordinates and we won't have time to wipe it," I say before turning to my troops. "We're going to be keeping the main imperial garrison here occupied to make it easier for Sabine's team to secure and commandeer the Pelta frigates. Admiral Narada will be sending gunships to pick us up and it's expected to be a hot pickup so don't just run into fire. The LAATs will land in front of us and provide cover during the pickup. Everybody clear?"
Everyone nods, but I wasn't going to settle for silence.
"I said is everyone clear?" I repeated, putting a bit of authority into my voice.
"Sir, yes sir!" their reply rang in my ears.
"Good," I say right as a light turns red. "Red light, load your weapons."
The sound of rifles and repeating blasters filled the space as my troops armed themselves. I watch as they put their helmets on, their visors polarizing to the standard black shade. Their shiny armor was black with emerald green paint on their helmets, chest plates, arms and legs as a way to show which unit they're from.
My own unit...
With our own color...
The pilot relayed our status through my commlink, which was wirelessly connected to a new earpiece developed by Rebel engineers.
The shuttle shook as we landed and once we were still, the I ordered the doors remained shut until I gave a signal.
Outside, I could hear stormtroopers talking to themselves, likely trying to figure out why a random Imperial shuttle showed up outside of their normal schedules. The Imperials really do like their schedules.
There's a banging on the doors and a voice is heard ordering us to open the doors.
"Pilot, how many are we up against right now?" I call out.
"There's a couple squads of stormtroopers and two EWEB cannons. They know something's up so once those doors open you're in for quite the firefight," the pilot replies. "I am seeing some crates nearby that should cover you."
"Noted. Open those doors."
I pull my lightsaber from my belt and prepare to defend my troops. The light turns green and the boarding ramp lowers. I pull out my blaster and shoot the stormtrooper in front of me, completely kickstarting the firefight. As soon as the Imperials began returning fire, I ignited my lightsaber and ordered my troops behind cover.
"We won't last long against those EWEBs, general!" one of my guys called out.
"You worry about those troopers, I'll deal with the cannons," I say as I deflect another blaster shot.
I duck behind a crate and scan the battlefield, looking for a way around or something to throw at the Imperial cannons. I spot a crane holding a fuel tank above the cannons. It's not directly above them but it should do.
"I need our marksmen to shoot the cables holding those fuel tanks!" I call out.
A couple of my soldiers reposition themselves and pause a couple moments. They both fire at the cables and the fuel tanks plummet to the ground and detonate. The concussive force added with the shrapnel completely destroys the EWEB cannon.
I look out from behind my cover again and see the stormtroopers trying to reorganize. I order my unit to take them out before they can return fire and the hangar was under our control.
"Separate into two teams. Team 1, stay here and maintain control of the hangar. Team 2, with me. We're going to keep drawing their attention away from Sabine's team."
My already small team split into two teams and I lead one of them down the halls of the station, taking out any and all imperials that fought back. My commlink beeps in my ear and I activate it.
"Bridger here."
"Ezra, it's Sabine. We've taken control of the frigates and are trying to get them freed," Sabine says through the comms.
"That's good news. But what's the catch?" I ask.
"There's a small imperial fleet that just arrived. No star destroyers for once, but a few cruisers and light carriers."
"Not really enough to bring the full fleet," I mutter. "Nonetheless, we need Bastian's ships to help transport the frigates."
"I understand. My team is ready for whatever you want to do. It's your call, Ezra. Spectre 5, out."
"Spectre?" one of my guys ask.
"An old callsign. Get back to the hangar, we're calling the fleet."
…
I look outside the shield and watch the small imperial fleet instantly get outnumbered and outgunned by Bastian's fleet, however I can tell he left some ships in reserve.
Smart call...
"This is Admiral Narada, reporting!" Bastian shouts through the comms.
"Admiral Narada, we're bringing some frigates to dock to your star destroyer. Some of these ships don't have hyperdrives anymore but we have some back home we can use to replace them," Sabine says.
"Acknowledged, General. We'll provide a fighter escort and keep these cruisers off you."
"General, more stormtroopers incoming!"
"Defensive positions, we have to keep them here!" I shout.
The hangar doors get blown open as Imperial stormtroopers flood into the hangar, the silent space quickly turning into a warzone once again as we continue to hold them off. I spot many of them trying to get into TIE fighters, but we've already sabotaged those from this hangar.
"Bridger to Reclamation, we've got quite the firefight in this hangar. What's the ETA on those frigates?" I shout into my comms.
"Frigates are 2 minutes out. What's your status over there?"
"There's a lot more stormtroopers than I thought there were and I don't know how much longer we can hold our position," I say.
"There's only one way into your hangar..."
"I know! I'm saying we need reinforcements! Or those gunships to pick us up!"
"Acknowledged, general. We'll send gunships to your position as soon as the frigates are secured. Our fighters are busy protecting them so the LAATs won't have protection until afterwards."
"Understood," I sigh. I turn to my lieutenant. "We're going to have to hold here for a few more minutes. The frigates are almost secured but they won't be able to send reinforcements until then."
"Why do these things always turn bad for us?" he asks me.
"Things have been looking good for a while..." I poke my head over cover and shoot a couple stormtroopers that were trying to rush our position before dropping down again. "Can't be a rebel operation without something going haywire."
"That's the truth..." my lieutenant says.
The firefight quickly grows more intense and through the blur of the battle, I watch as my troops fall to Imperial blaster fire, but even more stormtroopers fall to our own fire. After what feels like an eternity, my commlink crackles in my ear and I hear Sabine's voice.
"Ezra, our frigates are secured. Those that still had operational hyperdrives have jumped. We're sending reinforcements to your location, just hold on another minute," she says.
"Understood. Get here quick, we're losing ground fast!"
My team had their backs against the shield keeping the air inside the station, but we were still determined to hold the hangar. Many of my men that were wounded were still fighting, though some could only use pistols. Some of my men that still weren't injured were also using their blaster pistols. We were running out of ammunition.
Just when things started to look grim, the familiar sound of a gunship filled my ears as a shadow covered me and my men. Our reinforcements have arrived and just in time.
The LAAT gunships landed in front of us and the blast doors opened, revealing fresh troops and a few Mandalorians. One of them wearing colorful armor waved over at me.
"I wasn't too late, was I?" Sabine calls out.
I grin, "Your timing was perfect. Everyone, get on board! We're leaving!"
I jump into the gunship and help cover my team as they help the wounded onto the gunship. I notice the ball turrets are manned and firing at the Imperial line, which was swiftly decimated under concentrated fire.
I look over at Sabine, who's helping the last of my men into the gunship.
"Alright, that's everyone. Let's get out of here!" Sabine shouts to the pilot.
The blast doors shut and I extinguish my lightsaber. The hum of the ship's engines grow louder as we leave the station.
"Sabine, do you have a surprise for the Empire?" I ask her, sensing her excitement.
"Why do you ask?" she asks.
I smirk at her, "Come on, I know you. I haven't seen or heard anything exploding. It's unlike you to not destroy something."
She pulls her helmet off and smiles. "You'll just have to see when we get to our ship."
"Alright then."
"We're not out of the woods, yet, Sabine," one of the Mandalorians on her team says.
"I know," she replies, putting her helmet back on.
…
We land in the port hangar bay of the Reclamation and Sabine and I make sure all the wounded are taken care of before going to the bridge.
"Generals on the bridge!" Bastian shouts as some of his officers stand at attention.
"At ease. What's our status, Admiral?" I say.
"The Imperials have sent out a call for reinforcements and long range scans are indicating a few large ships heading our way. I recommend getting out of here asap," Bastian begins. "We have our frigates secured so we'll jump out of here on your orders."
"Understood. Sabine, you have something for the Imperials before we go?" I ask, looking over at her.
She has her helmet in her arm and she grins before putting her helmet down and pressing a button on her wrist. I follow her gaze to the Imperial scrap station and watch as several internal explosions force their way out into space.
"Admiral! The station's reactor is going critical, she's gonna blow!" one of Bastian's officers call out.
"Get us farther away from the station and prepare to jump to hyperspace," Bastian says.
Our fleet turns away from the station and Sabine and I watch the station explode right before we jump to hyperspace, officially ending the operation.
"Brings back memories, doesn't it?" I ask Sabine.
She smiles softly at me and nods. "Back when things were a lot easier."
I nod in agreement. We looked at the holotable and contacted Hera to tell her the mission was successful.
"How many ships did we get, Sabine?" I ask.
"We have 10 with working hyperdrives, 12 without, all of them need some work done to bring them back to proper working order," she replies.
"We got a big haul today," I say amused.
"I don't think we've ever had one like this," she agrees.
"We never had a fleet like this before either."
"That's true. It's nice to have reinforcements again," she says with a content sigh.
Hera's holographic figure appears in front of us finally and we greet her.
"Ezra, Sabine. Tell me some good news..." Hera says.
"The mission was a complete success," I report. "We released a total of twenty two starships. Ten of which have operational hyperdrives and the other twelve that don't. All of them are in need of repairs and refits."
"That's very good news. What's the status of the fleet?"
"We took few losses. Bastian kept his fighters away from Imperial command cruisers that have arrived to reinforce the station and directed them to protect the frigates. The TIE fighters didn't get far in any sort of counter attack all thanks to those Artemis destroyers," Sabine says. I look at her and see she's reading off a datapad. I didn't see anybody give it to her nor see her holding it before. "Meanwhile, our star destroyers and Arquitens cruisers engaged the Imperial Arquitens and held them off long enough to secure the frigates and pick up Ezra and his team."
"My team suffered a lot more losses than I was expecting..." I report. "The Imperial garrison on that station was larger than anticipated. I lost almost half of my team and several others are wounded. If it weren't for Sabine's armor, I would've lost more of my men."
"Ezra's team took up half of our total losses here," Sabine said.
"Understood. I'll take the details from your report. For now, return to Epsilon station. The Resolute is almost finished with repairs," Hera says.
"How soon would we be able to get these frigates operational?" Sabine asks.
"It depends on how much work needs to be done. I have all our available droids on standby for those frigates upon your arrival," Hera replies.
"Understood, Hera," Sabine says. "We'll be there in a few hours."