Ahsoka stood on the bridge of the damaged Command ship of the Sparrow as it travelled through hyperspace.
For someone going to lead an attack, she was at ease. Mostly because she was able to lift the heaviness she'd been carrying for years, off her chest. Lux. She couldn't help but smile thinking about him. She did love him, way, way back. She just didn't have the courage to tell anyone (Well, maybe she did mention Lux to Bariss a few times, but never admitted anything.) because one: She was a Jedi and, two: Anakin would kill her if he found out that something else happened beyond being his bodyguard and pretending to be his girlfriend.
She had to keep it to herself. But when she was assigned to be the Jedi advisor, she had sensed that Lux reciprocated her feelings. She was happy, of course. Even though Steela Gerrera (Saw's sister), was constantly pursuing him. She knew he was just being polite. But she was also sad, because she knew that they couldn't be together. Jedi were forbidden to have romantic ties, especially with a Galactic Senator.
Now, it's different. She left the Jedi Order but retained what she had learned as a force-user. She wasn't a Jedi anymore. But then, onboard the Sundered Heart, she was knighted by Yoda and Obi-Wan. Back then, before she found out about Kanan or Caleb, whichever he preferred, she thought they were the only ones left, the only ones who had survived. She wasn't able to refuse. So officially, she was a Jedi Knight but hadn't considered herself as one in years.
Just then, the damaged Command ship came out of hyperspace. She shook herself back to reality. The jungle planet of Onderon was before her. But between them, an Imperial blockade stood in the way to the planet's surface.
As expected, the Imperial convoy contacted the ship surprisingly, with a two-way holo-transmission.
She answered their transmission and stepped away from the holo-projector table before they can see her.
A man with auburn hair and an upturned nose in his late thirties appeared through the hologram before her. "Attention, Rebel ship." He said. It was no surprise that they'd recognize the ship as part of the Rebellion "This is Lieutenant Darael Rickon, Onderon now is a restricted area by order of the Emperor. Stand down or be destroyed."
Ahsoka took a deep breath. "Here goes nothing." She murmured as she stepped into the hologram's line of vision.
Lieutenant Rickon's eyebrows went up in surprise. No doubt surprised to see a woman standing before him.
Ahsoka gave a mischievous smile. "Greetings, Lieutenant," She nodded in greeting. "I am Ahsoka Tano, General of the Rebel Alliance. I—"
Lieutenant Rickon frowned. "I know who you are, Jedi!" He said furiously. "Those Inquisitors had mentioned you a couple times."
"Really?" Ahsoka chuckled and then shrugged. "Well, my reputation precedes me then." She said in a surprised tone. "Anyways, I am surrendering myself, this ship and, the entire crew of this vessel, in exchange for safe passage of food and supplies for the people of Onderon."
"That is not your concern, Rebel." Rickon snapped. "It is the Empire's responsibility to provide for the needs of its people." He turned to his right. "Scan that ship." He told an officer.
"If the Empire is doing its job, then we won't be here in the first place." Ahsoka argued, then shrugged. "I guess we're doing this the hard way, then."
Lieutenant Rickon turned again and suddenly went puzzled. He turned back to her. "A heavily damaged ship? What are you playing at, Jedi?"
"Oh, this is no game, Lieutenant." Ahsoka assured.
"You are not stepping foot on that planet if it's the last thing I do!"
"Well, in that case, I'll just be going then." Ahsoka grinned. "Oh, you can still have my ship." She winked at him.
Suddenly, three other Rebel Corvettes and the stolen Imperial Carrier jumped out of hyperspace.
Darael Rickon's eyes widened in alarm. He seemed to have seen the Rebel reinforcements.
Ahsoka ended the transmission and converted all remaining power to the frontal engines and maneuvered the damaged Corvette towards the blockade. She then ran to the nearest docking ring, where her A-Wing fighter was docked.
She flew towards the Capital ship and knocked its shield generator and its Communications and Sensor Arrays just as the damaged Corvette hit the Star Destroyer's bow. "Fulcrum to Rebel fleet," She said through the comm. "You may begin your attack."
"Copy that, General." Rex responded.
Suddenly, TIE fighters flew from the cruisers.
"Incoming TIEs!" Ahsoka warned. "Squadrons, you know the drill."
"Way ahead of you, sir." Rex responded. "Squadrons, form up." He ordered.
Ahsoka fired at the nearest TIE and destroyed it to bits. Looking back at the fleet, the plan was being executed. Phoenix Squadron was covering the Ghost.
"Sparrow, make your cover on the right flank. Hawkeye, on the left. We need to buy time for the Ghost to make the supply run."
"Copy that, sir." The leaders said.
"B-Wings, aim for the Imperial light cruisers on each side, on my signal—and…now!" She yelled as she fired at a few TIEs.
The B-Wings, piloted by Sparrow One and Two on the right flank, and Hawkeye One and Two on the left flank, fired on two of the Imperial light cruisers and splintered it to pieces. And she had no doubt that this show can be seen from the planet's surface.
"Confirmed hit on the targets, General." Sparrow One reported. "Their cruisers' hyperdrive and engines are heavily damaged."
"Make another run for the cruisers on the port and starboard sides of that Imperial Star Destroyer." Ahsoka ordered. "Fulcrum to Ghost, how are we doing?" She asked.
"Good," Kanan answered. "We're just dropping off the last crate."
The B-Wings made another run for the last light cruiser on each side of the Imperial Star Destoryer, just as Ahsoka ordered. And they were destroyed to bits.
Everything seemed to be going according to plan, until she heard Rex's distress call.
"General, we're about to have another problem," Rex called out. "We have Imperial Star Destroyers entering the system in Sector ten."
Kriff! Ahsoka thought. It's too soon.
"Spectre One," She called out to the Ghost. "Have we given all the supplies?" She asked.
"The peas are in the pod, General." Kanan replied. "We're heading back to the Carrier."
"Good," Ahsoka said. "Because we need to leave now. Our friends had called for reinforcements and arrived sooner than we thought."
"Incoming TIEs!" Hera warned.
"Squadrons, intercept them." Ahsoka ordered. "Ghost, hurry! I'll try to buy you some time." She said as she destroyed a few TIEs.
"There are two TIEs on my tail," Sparrow Seven called out. "I can't shake 'em!"
"Try to relax, Sparrow Seven," Ahsoka assured. "I'm right behind you." She said as she fired at one of the TIEs, which explosion destroyed the other pursuing TIE.
"Thank you, General," Sparrow Seven sighed in relief. "Sorry I panicked."
"It's okay," Ahsoka said. "I don't blame you—Whoa!" She gasped.
It took her a moment to realize that her A-Wing is caught in a tractor beam.
"General!" Hera called. "Phoenix squadron, move to intercept. We have to get her out!"
"No," She insisted. "The fleet has to leave immediately!"
"Okay, this isn't part of the plan." Kanan said.
"Not an option, sir—" Rex started to say.
"That is an order, Captain!" Ahsoka interrupted. "Make the jump now!"
. . .
"That is an order, Captain!" Ahsoka yelled. "Make the jump now!"
Rex could not believe what he's hearing. She's sacrificing herself, again. He was hesitating, as he knew he couldn't afford to leave her again.
"Captain," Kanan spoke up from the Ghost. "Do as she says. She knows what she's doing."
"What?!" Ezra interrupted "We can't leave her! Not again."
"Rex," Ahsoka said. "Make the jump now, please! And whatever you do, don't try to rescue me."
He was still hesitating. He tried desperately to think of a way to get Ahsoka out of the tractor beam and make the jump to hyperspace with all the squadrons.
"Rex!" Ahsoka yelled again. "Make the jump now or everything we've done here will be for nothing!"
It wasn't when Ahsoka called out again, when he finally snapped back into reality. The fate of the squadrons is in his hands now. And if there's one principle he hated in warfare, it's that to always prioritize the people in need, even if it meant sacrificing a fellow soldier's life for the others to survive.
Rex took a deep breath, then turned to the pilot. "Jump."
At his command, all the Rebel ships jumped into hyperspace.