Author's Note: Hello readers! Exciting news for those of you who aren't yet aware, but I've recently started a new story called "Sun and Moon," which will be about the events that occur in the background after Jarik and Ahsoka's trip in the World Between Worlds. Originally that was planned to be a part of V5, but it's starting to get very long already, and we still haven't reached the OT yet, so I decided it would be more efficient to do that storyline as a separate thing entirely. I'm going to be working on Sun and Moon and Rebirth at the same time, so don't worry about any serious delays. I'm excited for it!
Seelos - Outer Rim Territories
3rd person POV...
Rex flew the Ghost down into the atmosphere of Seelos, scoffing at the brief pang of nostalgia at returning to the desert world. Already it feels like a lifetime since he and Boil left, though for them he suppose it makes sense, as from a biological standpoint they've aged four years since then. Pushing aside the thoughts for now he opens the comlink channel and leans forward to speak clearly into the microphone.
"Ghost to Joopa Base, do you copy?" Rex asks.
"This is Joopa Base," one of his brother's responds. "Ghost, proceed to coordinates 6-7-8-2."
Definitely Wolffe who responded.
Former ISB Agent Kallus was seated in the co-pilot's chair while Hera walks up behind them both, looking out the viewport as Rex takes them in. After a short minute or two they spot the modified AT-AT standing in the middle of the flat desert, a landing pad set up on top for them to set the ship down. The walker wasn't moving, mainly due to the two other ships set on the ground beside it: unfortunately, an AT-AT was still too small to carry more than a single ship on its landing pad.
Upon landing the group was met by Wolffe and Kix, who came out to greet them. After sharing a brief reunion with them, in which Rex commented on how much better Kix looked than we he last saw him, the two clones led them all inside. Entering the main compartment, they were met by a large gathering of people: Gregor, Boil, Numa, the Mantis Crew, Rylla Tann, Hayden Belhol, and Ketsu Onyo, along with Hondo in the back corner, sitting beside his Ugnaught companion 'Melch.' Hera smiles for a moment, her heart lifting a bit to see them all there to answer her call for help.
"Well, you certainly took your time, Rex," Boil remarks, raising an eyebrow at him. "Where'd you get the camo-getup?"
"Why? Miss yours?" Rex asks in reply, and Boil rolls his eyes.
"We were expecting you last rotation," Wolffe admits.
"I had trouble escaping Lothal. The Empire's blockade is tougher than ever," Hera explains.
"That would be no problem for me!" Hondo calls out proudly.
"Hondo, I see you got my message," Hera sighs glumly.
"You might say that," Hayden scoffs.
Hondo stands up and clambers his way over Mulch to get out of the corner, much to the Ugnaught's annoyance as a hand is shoved in his face.
"At your service," Hondo removes his cap with a bow, grinning drunkenly. "And mine too, of course."
"He wasn't hard to find," Ketsu chimes in. "For a smuggler, he sure talks a lot. Even more than Hayden."
"Hmph. That's rich," Hayden rolls his eyes. "Clearly you've never met Han Solo."
Rylla exchanges a look of exasperation with the other two Jedi present, crossing her arms with a small sigh.
"Bup-bup-bup. Pirate! That is pirate, my friends!" Hondo shakes his head at Ketsu and Hayden. "So much more romantic than a smug... Mug... Word that... Ugh, never mind."
Ketsu glances at him with some annoyance and slight disgust as Hondo leans closer to her, whereas Hayden stares unamused at the weequay pirate. Cal looks over at Cere with a skeptical frown.
"Is this really the guy who you said captured Dooku once?" he murmurs questioningly.
"Unlikely," Merrin instantly disagrees.
"...I'm starting to doubt that myself," Cere also mutters.
"I think it's time we discussed the mission," Kallus states with a firm gaze, a little annoyed by Hondo's behavior.
"Of course! But with such an odd collection of characters..." Hondo trails off, looking around at the assembled group, intrigued by the Mantis Crew especially. "I can't help but notice that you, my friend, have four arms."
Greez raises an eyebrow at him.
"Thanks for noticing," he sarcastically replies."
"Hmm, very interesting!" Hondo adds, shaking his head. "Well, as I was saying, I'm curious... how are we going to split the profits? Are we stealing? Are we liberating?"
"Rebel Command never sent a briefing," Wolffe adds with a frown.
"That's because, old friend, this mission isn't for the Rebellion," Rex tells him.
"It's for Ezra," Hera speaks up. "We are liberating his home, and we need your help. All of you."
"Against a planet of Imperials?" Wolffe asks skeptically. "General, those are difficult odds."
"Not impossible odds though," Numa reasons.
"Yes, yes yes!" Hondo rapidly nods his head, pointing a finger at Numa. "If I do say so myself, that Ezra boy has spirit! He reminds me of the time when there was still something you could believe in."
"The Jedi," Ketsu murmurs, looking at Rylla.
Rylla looks back at her, a few emotions rushing through her mind, and gazes at Cal and Cere. The three Force users all reach a sense of understanding between each other, remembering their previous lives with the Jedi before the Empire.
"We followed the Jedi into battle many times," Boil says.
"Well, how about one more time, eh?" Gregor suggests, laughing eagerly.
"Yeah... one more time," Kix adds in agreement, smiling as well.
"So you're in?" Hera asks, looking around at them all with a hopeful smile.
"You can count us in, Hera," Cal states in fierce determination.
She smiles lightly in response to his statement, empathizing with how he must be feeling. Cal was Kanan's best friend when they were young, so it only makes sense that he would commit himself to helping Ezra, if for nothing else than to honor the memory of his friend.
"Indeed..." Hondo also adds, taking his cap off. "Madam, for that boy, there is nothing I would not do."
Resistance camp, Lothal - Outer Rim Territories
Mara POV...
Some of the few times I've been on my own, without the support of my parents, were when I helped steal a kyber crystal and when I was captured by the Sith. I've been on my own plenty of times on Ahch-To, but, the dangers there are very fleeting in comparison to the dangers out here. Things are so much easier when there's someone for me to fall back on when things get difficult... but I'm getting the feeling that I'm now that person.
At least... to an extent, anyway. I haven't missed the way Ezra seems to gravitate to me a little bit for advice in the last few days, mainly about Jedi stuff. We're both relatively even in terms of our understanding of the Force, but I guess it does make sense that he would expect me to be more knowledgable, since I've been training for far longer than he has, and under the wisdom of two teachers, both of whom were a lot further along in their training than Kanan was. Still, I really miss my parents and wish that I could know where they are right now.
I turn my head a little bit to look in the distance where Ezra was kneeling on a flat rock in meditation. I let out a sigh and cross my arms, looking out at the landscape from my vantage point on one of the outcroppings of the rock spires, feeling the wind blow through my hair. I'm happy to be here helping Ezra and the others with liberating Lothal, but what am I supposed to do after that? Return to Ahch-To, look for my parents, or just stay here?
The sound of an astromech droid rolling over the stone reaches my ears, and I glance down to see R5 move up beside me with a low beep of encouragement. I smile slightly at him, but still don't feel that great.
"...Where do you think they could've gone?" I quietly ask him.
::I am unsure, disappointingly,:: he replies. ::I'm incapable of understanding your strange 'Force' things.::
I breathe in and out slowly, acknowledging him with a small nod.
"I just wish I knew what to do," I admit softly.
::If it helps, Mistress Mara, Master Jarik and Mistress Ahsoka had no idea what to do when they were younger,:: he chirps at me.
I let a small scoff.
"That's really hard to believe," I say, sighing. "Even though I know it's likely true."
::Trust me, it is,:: R5 states firmly. ::They may have been young military leaders, but I've witnessed them be clueless plenty of times. When they first took you in, they had no idea how to raise a young organic human female.::
"You mean me," I deadpan.
::Yes, that's what I said,:: he beeps back. ::I deduced that they were crazy.::
I roll my eyes at him in exasperation, but I can't help but think a little bit about what R5 said. I don't remember Mom and Dad being clueless with how to handle me, though maybe I just didn't see it at the time, being pretty young still. They would've been... only twenty-two years, I think, when they adopted me. Two war-ridden lovers who were struggling to make their way in the galaxy, taking on responsibilities that someone nearly twice their age would typically have been doing. And despite all of that, I still turned out just fine.
Surely I can handle all of this right now. There should be no excuse for me to not give my best effort right now.
"Thanks for the advice, R5," I tell him with a smile.
He beeps back in reply, seemingly confused.
::I haven't... given advice...:: he says suspiciously.
I merely grin at him in response. I then take notice of Ezra talking to Sabine, the two making their way to the main area of the camp with some sort of urgency.
"I think we might be doing something soon," I say to R5. "Come on."
R5 and I arrived at the main area at around the same time as Ezra and Sabine. A small holoprojector was broadcasting the image of Hera, which everyone was huddled around.
"Ezra, what's the emergency?" Hera was asking.
"We need to act right now if we're gonna take Capital City from the Empire," he announces.
I lift and eyebrow in surprise at the statement and cross my arms.
"Huh. Well that's definitely an emergency," I remark.
"Your plan is crazy enough as it is. What's the rush?" Zeb asks.
"I had a vision," Ezra explains grimly. "The Emperor is sending Thrawn back to Lothal."
I frown at the news in concern and look down at R5 worriedly, who gives a long beep in reply.
"In your vision, was there any indication that Vader might be coming too?" I ask him.
"Not that I could tell," he replies with a nervous expression. "Do you think he's going to be here too?"
"Hopefully not. But because Palpatine knew my Dad was with us, it's possible that he might've sent Vader too," I say, still uncertain.
If fortune is on our side then Vader likely won't be here, seeing as how it doesn't seem that Ezra received that kind of warning in his vision, only Thrawn. Still, it doesn't hurt to be careful... and I don't know what to do about Thrawn. If he gets here before we're ready, will I be able to participate? Because even though the TIE Defender is not a bust, I'm still a part of the arrangement that strictly demands me to not hinder Thrawn in any way if I want to keep Ahch-To safe.
Ezra nods his head in acknowledgement of my words, more determined than ever.
"Agreed. Then that means if we want to free Lothal, it's now or never," he declares.
"Then it's never," Ryder disagrees with a scowl. "We won't stand a chance. We already tried and failed. Our best hope is to lay low, reorganize, and rebuild."
"Ryder, you have to trust me," Ezra pleads with him.
"Ezra, we need an army to take the city!" he exclaims in frustration. "Look around. I don't see an army."
"We don't need an army. We just need one person," Ezra replies.
"Who?" I ask with a frown, before widening my eyes in realization. "Oh... that's honestly kind of funny."
Imperial Complex, Capital City - Lothal
3rd person POV...
Commander Woldar takes a nervous step backwards when Governor Pryce slams a fist down on her desk in a fit of rage. If looks could kill, he would've been incinerated by the furious governor.
"Well?" she growls out.
"We've scanned the outer reaches, and we found the remains of several small encampments but no signs of the rebels' current whereabouts," Woldar quickly reports, a bit uneasy in her presence.
Pryce sits quietly for a moment, lowering her head to contemplate his report. Angrily, she shuts off the holoprojector displaying a map of Lothal.
"Thrawn will return soon, and if I do not have the rebels, I will be executed," she says, glaring up at him. "But before that happens to me, do you know what I will do to you for failing?"
Pryce leans forward with a wild look in her eyes, the muscles in her face twitching as a result of her anger and desperation. Commander Woldar takes another few steps backward, frightened by the sight of the governor looking so much like a deranged and vicious animal that currently has its eyes set on him.
"I-I will commit more troops to the search!" he feebly responds.
Woldar quickly rushes out of Pryce's office, accidentally bumping into an officer along the way. The officer jogs over to her desk with a datapad in hand.
"Governor, you have received an incoming transmission on an old pre-Imperial frequency," he reports.
Pryce frowns, her panic and rage momentarily subdued by the oddity of the officer's statement. Just who could be trying to contact her?
"Put it through," she orders.
The officer presses a button on his datapad and a holographic image of the former Lothalian governor, Ryder Azadi, appears on her desk. She widens her eyes in surprise, and Ryder looks at her with a small mocking grin of amusement.
"Hello, Arihnda," he greets sarcastically.
"Ryder Azadi," she replies with intrigue. "This is a bold move."
"I do what I have to do to survive," he states.
"Barely," she scoffs, smirking. "That strategy didn't stop me from usurping you as governor."
"And yet here I am, alive, to offer you something you can't resist," he retorts knowingly.
"Oh. Your head on a platter?" she asks.
"Not mine," he corrects her, becoming a lot more serious. "The rebels... all of them."
The smile on Pryce's face drops in surprise, which quickly morphs into a look of suspicion. She leans back in her chair with a hand on her chin, narrowing her eyes at the man.
"You're betraying them? Why?" she demands.
"They can't win, and I don't want to end up back in an Imperial prison... or worse," Ryder says bitterly.
"Ugh," she scoffs, rolling her eyes in irritation. "You want amnesty?"
"Yes. In return, I give you Bridger, Syndulla, and the rest of them," he states firmly. "Even Mara Jade."
"Oh? Shan is here then?" she asks, uneasy but also extremely hopeful at the prospect of capturing him.
"No. Just Mara," he says.
Pryce sighs in disappointment at the information, knowing that the capture of Jarik Shan would enable her to permanently gain the Emperor's favor, and undoubtedly save her from execution. However, Shan's daughter is still a reasonable alternative. Pryce regards Ryder's hologram with a smirk of amusement.
"This is cowardly, even for you," she jeers.
Ryder lets out a frustrated sigh, glaring at her.
"Do we have a deal, Governor?" he demands.
She regards him carefully for another few seconds and then smiles in satisfaction, noting the look of shame and guilt in his expression.
"Send me your coordinates," she says.
Resistance camp - Lothal
Mara POV...
Ezra and Ryder vanished for a few minutes to carry out their part of the plan, though they haven't shared with everyone how they're going to do it. However, I have a very good idea of just how they're going to lure Pryce out this far.
While waiting for things to happen I decide to go out and meditate, maybe to try and clear my head a little bit. After finding a relatively quiet spot out along one of the paths carved into the rock, kneeling on the ground near the edge in a meditative position. Closing my eyes I even out my breathing and then open myself up to the Force, sensing the energy field emanating from the planet.
'...you and Mara thought I was gone, all that time.'
'...you believed we would see each other again. Well... we did.'
'I'm ok, Mara. I promised, right?'
I smile slightly at remembering Mom's gentle reassurance to me. And I have a feeling that she's ok... both of my parents are ok. I just hope it won't be too long before I get to see them again.
I withdraw from my meditation when the howl of a wolf echoes around me. I get to my feet and look around, spotting a pack of wolves standing on a distant ridge. One of them, the black wolf I believe, seems to be gazing in my direction. The white wolf then howls again and, with a final glance, the black wolf rushes away with the rest of its pack. I frown at the strange behavior, but then hear a new sound coming from the air. Focusing on the sound, I narrow my eyes to get a better look at the sky and spot with some alarm a large number of Imperial gunships heading our way, at least a dozen or more.
"Zeb, Mara, they're coming!" I hear Ezra call out.
"Well that was fast," I mutter, shaking my head.
I start running towards the main area with the ore crawler, where the rest of the rebels are at. Everyone ducks down to take cover as the lead gunships open fire on the crawler, while others start releasing their complements of several jet troopers. I join up with Ezra and Sabine as the rebels start firing back at the Imperials.
"I'll handle those flyers!" Sabine tells us.
She puts her helmet on and takes to the air with her jetpack, firing away at the jet troopers. Ezra and I ignite our lightsabers and move forward into the battle, deflecting blaster fire that gets sent our way. Zeb takes out a few jet troopers with his bo-rifle and then waves angrily at a few of the others near an E-Web blaster.
"Get in the fight! Man those cannons!" he shouts.
One of the guy's, someone whose name I don't name, quickly takes control of the E-Web and starts firing a few heavy rounds into the nearest gunships, damaging enough to force them to pull back. Up in the air, I catch sight of Sabine destroying another gunship with a missile just as it unloads its troopers into the base. Deflecting another pair of laser bolts away from me, I glance back at R5.
"R5, warn the other group that we're under attack!" I tell him.
He beeps in acknowledgement, popping out his satellite dish. A blaster bolt from behind then whizzes past my head and I whirl around to see two stormtroopers a weird creature charging our direction, the latter holding up a rifle of some sort and firing again. I deflect the shot, baffled by his bizarre appearance.
"Who's that guy?" I ask Ezra.
"That's Rukh!" he replies, blocking another shot. "I think that's his name."
"Okay, well you go do you, I'll handle the monkey-lizard!" I tell him.
I take a running start and jump off of the ore crawler, crossing the large drop and landing on the cliffside path that Rukh is on. I cut through the blasters of the two stormtroopers and knock them down, only for Rukh to seemingly vanish. I grip my lightsaber with both hands and warily glance around. when a bit of dust falls in front of me I look up just in time to see Rukh firing a dart at me while clinging to the wall. I lunge backward to avoid the dart, but apparently it was an explosive one. I let out a started cry of pain and topple backward onto a metal grate sticking out of the cliff.
Shaking my head with a groan, I look up to see Rukh jumping down at me, his rifle now an electrostaff. I flip backward to avoid the staff and grab onto the metal grate, swinging underneath it to throw myself up the other side, and swipe at him with my lightsaber. Rukh raises his staff to block my strike and then kicks me away, growling.
"Your interference here, Mara Jade, will cost you your world," Rukh tells me.
"What?" I ask in surprise. "What're you talking about?"
"I serve the Grand Admiral," he states, pointing his electrostaff at me threateningly. "You were ordered to cease hindering him!"
I briefly lower my lightsaber in unease, frightened by the prospect of Ahch-To being exposed, but I quickly realize a critical point... Thrawn is supposed to honor bargains, right?
"Actually, considering that you weren't mentioned in that deal, and seeing as how I had no idea who you are, I don't believe the terms apply here," I argue, smirking slightly. "Force knows we never blew up your factory!"
Rukh widens his eyes slightly before growling in outrage, and lunges at me with a fierce roar.
The Ghost, Hyperspace - Lothal sector
3rd person POV...
In order to more effectively get through the Imperial blockade, the group of rebels decided on only taking the Ghost to get there in order to reduce the chances of being spotted. It was a little cramped, but the Ghost was still plenty large enough to accommodate the amount of people. Up in the cockpit Hera and Greez both sat in the pilot and co-pilot seats respectively, with Hondo standing casually by the entrance. Cal, Merrin, and Rylla were also in the cockpit, the latter two sitting in the extra seats available―Hayden was also present, leaning against the doorway with his arms crossed.
"Remind me again why we're not trying your... magic, invisibility trick?" Hayden asks Merrin. "Wasn't that something you could do?"
"Because, as we learned on Atollon, there's the possibility that someone might sense it," Cal explains.
"And since the Emperor's attention has been on Lothal recently, we can't take that chance," Hera adds.
Hayden frowns, still confused.
"Ok..." he murmurs, looking at Rylla. "But wouldn't those 'Sith' people just sense us anyways?"
"It depends on the situation, really," she shrugs in reply. "Between me, Cal, and Cere, we can shield our presence in the Force if that becomes a problem."
"My magick can hide us from normal means of detection, but hiding it from a Force user takes a lot more power and focus," Merrin explains apologetically. "I'm still a bit of a novice, to be honest, and as far as I know only Mother Talzin was powerful enough to do that."
Hayden nods his head slowly, not entirely following along but begrudgingly accepting the answer.
"But, if we need to go magick mode, she's ready just in case!" Greez cheerfully responds.
"Oh, heh heh, while it would be very delightful to see a Nightsister's magick..." Hondo starts to say with a wide grin. "I can assure you, my friends, Hondo's strategy will work without a hitch!"
Hayden opens his mouth to respond when the comlink suddenly crackles to life, allowing Rex's voice to filter through.
"Just received a transmission from R5. They're under attack," he warns them.
The group share looks of surprise and concern at the news, and Hera narrows her eyes.
"Coming up on Lothal!" Hera replies in acknowledgement. "Get ready to power down."
She and Greez both quickly start flicking a series of switches, first dropping out of hyperspace just beyond the scanning range of the Imperial blockade, and then quickly shut off the ship's power right afterwards. They sit quietly in space for a few seconds in anticipation, waiting to see whether or not the Empire noticed their entry.
"I don't think we were detected," Rylla remarks.
"Hondo, time to join the Rebellion," Hera says.
Hondo steps forward with a swagger in his step, giddily rubbing his hands together.
"Very good! Move us to these coordinates," he states.
He inputs the coordinates onto the dashboard and allows Hera to analyze them. A few seconds later she shakes her head in disbelief and frustration.
"That's a hyperspace lane, Hondo!" she says.
"I'm sorry, what?" Hayden asks, raising an eyebrow with an expectant look on his face.
Cal, Merrin, and Greez all share a baffled expression, while Rylla frowns in skepticism.
"Technically it is just outside a hyperspace lane," Hondo corrects Hera with a confident smile. "We shall wait there for a cargo ship to arrive."
"Ok, let me be the first to advise you on this..." Greez starts to say, looking unamused. "That is a ridiculous idea."
"Oh, I agree big time!" Hayden scoffs, jabbing a finger accusingly at Hondo. "That cargo ship is going to smash right through us!"
"Come now, young smuggler, you of all people should―" the pirate replies.
"Exactly! I know this is stupid because I'm a smuggler!" he interrupts.
"But you are not a pirate," Hondo points out dismissively. "This is why pirating always prevails against smugglers: we take the risk! And with the risk, we find success!"
Hayden glares at him, not believing a word he says. Rylla rubs her forehead with a sigh of exasperation and then turns to look at Hondo.
"Are you certain this will work, Hondo? It's a very faulty suggestion," she says cautiously.
"You do want to get through the blockade, yes? You want to help Ezra, yes?" Hondo replies, looking around at everyone. "Then you must listen to Hondo. I have done this many times and have only been struck..."
He falters mid-sentence when he starts to count on his fingers, frowning a bit more as the number continues to grow before eventually dismissing it entirely.
"I have done this many times!" he exclaims, making his way out of the cockpit.
Everyone watches him go in astonishment and disbelief, wary of the idea he was proposing.
"Don't worry. If there is a danger of being hit, one of us can be on the lookout to warn you in time," Rylla reassures the two pilots.
"You're not actually suggesting that we listen to him?" Hayden asks incredulously.
"Considering we've only done business on Lothal once, we don't know enough to suggest a better position," she begrudgingly points out. "Even if it does seem crazy."
He then looks over at Hera with a hopeful expression, but she shakes her head.
"We weren't in the smuggling business, I'm afraid," she tells him.
Resistance camp - Lothal
Mara POV...
Wherever Rukh received his training from, he's seriously good. If I knew any better I'd almost think he's Force-sensitive with how he seems to predict my movements and jump around the way he does. Every which way I try to get in a strike with my lightsaber, he either jumps out of the way or meets it head on with his staff, blocking my attack.
I slowly back up along the cliffside and adopt more of a Form III form in an attempt to stall for time. Rukh advances with wicked-fast swipes of his staff, even jumping forward in an attempt to kick me. I lean out of the way of his kick and twirl around behind him, swinging my lightsaber overhead. Rukh rolls forward to avoid it though and jumps up onto the wall, then leaping back at me with a yell and tackling me to the ground. We roll over each other until he gets behind me, throwing an arm around my neck and shoulder to start choking me. I widen my eyes in alarm and grab his arm, pulling fiercely in any which way to free myself, but for such a small guy he's ridiculously strong.
"I take it you've learned the limits of your power, Jade?" Rukh jeers.
I don't answer, in part too busy trying to escape his grasp while also finding it a bit hard to breathe. Gritting my teeth in fierce determination I shove myself upward slightly and then turn my hands around, thrusting them back to deliver a powerful Force push. Rukh growls in surprise as he's thrown through the air, though because he was clinging to me I'm dragged along with him as well. We both tumble across the ground and I take a moment to catch my breath, calling my lightsaber back to my hand and whirling around to face him.
"My parents taught me plenty of tricks," I retort. "That was one of them."
Rukh glares at me and quickly grabs his staff while lunging forward. In response I thrust out my hands again and blast him off the cliffside with the Force. I watch him fall through the air until he disappears from view and let out a sigh of relief. Seeing the chaos seem to be only getting worse up top I start to make my way over to where the rest of the group is at, cutting through a few stormtroopers along the way. I hop in just as Ezra Force pushes down three troopers. I turn around to block a few blaster bolts, also blowing away a few nearby troopers.
"How're we looking?" I ask Ezra.
"Not great. Still waiting for Hera to get here!" he replies irritably.
"I'm sure their close," I say in response, blocking another shot.
Despite our best efforts more and more stormtroopers keep coming in, with plenty of extra gunships to spare them. I notice R5 rolling away from a few stormtroopers that are chasing him, and swiftly rush to his aid. He rushes behind a crate for cover when I leap forward, simultaneously cutting through all the trooper's blasters. They look at me in surprise and I lunge forward, knocking out two of them with a few kicks to the head. R5 then flies forward on his jet thrusters and slams into the third, sending him screaming off the ore crawler.
"Hah, nice one R5!" I compliment, and he beeps proudly in response.
More laser bolts continue to fly through the air and R5 drops back to the floor to avoid them while I swing my lightsaber back and forth. Most of the cliff dwelling itself is overrun by troopers now, and all of us still around and trapped on top of the ore crawler in a defensive circle.
"There's too many!" Zeb yells in frustration.
Sabine drops down to join us, having taken out the last of the jet troopers. Ezra and I use our sabers to keep most of the group covered while they shoot back at the stormtroopers, scoring a few hits. Even so, some of the rebels are still shot and collapse with pained cries.
"I'm beginning to regret the day I met you, Ezra Bridger!" Vizago yells.
"Day's not over yet, Vizago," he retorts.
"Incoming!" Zeb suddenly cries out.
I look over to see a pair of missiles soaring through the air and strike the side of the crawler. A pair of explosions rock the vessel, making me stumble on my feet. Another round of missiles are fired, this time hitting one of the crawler's engines.
"Well, that's not good," I call out.
"You think!?" Sabine scoffs.
The crawler starts to list dangerously to one side, causing everything to start sliding down. I deactivate my lightsaber in order to focus on gaining a better foothold, the stormtroopers also standing on the crawler disregarding the fight in favor of getting off themselves.
"Abandon ship!" Ezra calls out.
I roll out of the way of a few crates sliding down and move forward with the others while R5 takes to the air with his jet thrusters.
"Take Vizago. We'll jump," Ezra tells Sabine.
She and Vizago quickly fly up while Ezra, Zeb and I start sprinting for the cliff dwelling, almost running up at a forty-five degree angle by the time we jumped. The three of us grab hold of the platform, watching for a moment as the ore crawler falls to the ground far below in a massive explosion.
"I hope you guys didn't need that for later," I remark.
I then hoist myself up and onto the main platform with a sigh of relief, Ezra and Zeb doing the same. However, the sight that greets us drops my relatively cheerful spirits: everybody has been taken captive by the Imperial troopers, forced into a single group on the ground a few feet away. Sabine is there too, being restrained by Rukh holding his staff to her throat.
"Drop your weapons," he growls, narrowing his eyes at me. "No tricks, Jade."
I scowl at him in frustration but do as he says after sharing an uneasy look with Ezra and Zeb. Several stormtroopers move forward with their blasters aimed and ready to fire, and we raise our hands in surrender and slowly walk over to the rest of the group. Rukh steps away from Sabine and pulls out his comlink with a satisfied grin.
"The rebel base is secure, Governor. And I have the Jedi," he reports.
I'm shoved to the ground by one of the stormtroopers and resist the urge to grumble in protest, knowing I could easily knock the guy out. Still, the risk right now is too great, and while I'm not overly panicking I am still worried. The others should've likely gotten back by now to help us: getting captured by Pryce wasn't part of the plan.
One of the gunships moves down for a landing on the platform, and Governor Pryce steps off with a gleeful smirk.
"Mara Jade, Ezra Bridger, Sabine Wren, Garazeb Orrelios, and Ryder Azadi..." she names all of us, smiling. "Stand up, my old friend. I thank you for helping me to bring peace to Lothal."
Ryder hesitantly does so with a guilty expression on his face, getting to his feet without being hindered by Rukh or the stormtroopers.
"Ryder, you betrayed us?" Sabine demands incredulously.
"It's like I said. We were never going to win without an army," he bitterly responds.
"A wise choice," Pryce smirks.
"I knew you'd think so," Ezra replies calmly. "We wouldn't have been able to fool Thrawn, but you?"
"Well, looks like we both took a gamble today. But I won," she declares fiercely.
"Excuse me, miss, but I just have a simple question to ask you," I chime in, getting her attention. "Are you sure about that?"
Pryce raises an eyebrow at me with a look of contempt.
"Well, I suppose I don't know," she replies sarcastically. "Perhaps you can tell the Emperor for me."
I roll my eyes with a scoff, making her frown in annoyance. Ezra's comlink then starts to beep and he smiles, sharing a knowing look with Ryder.
"Do you want to tell her, or should I?" he asks.
"Oh, I've been waiting years for this," Ryder says eagerly, taking a few steps forward. "Getting you to come all the way out here was part of our plan."
"For all the good it did you!" she scoffs, surprisingly joyful at the knowledge: probably because she hates him. "Your little rebellion ends right now. You are my prisoners!"
I glance up at seeing a shape move through the sky, quickly growing in size as well as letting out a familiar sound. I smile at Pryce again.
"Again, miss I-blew-up-my-own-factory," I say mockingly, and she glares at me angrily. "Are you sure about that?"
Pryce growls in cold fury, but before she could say anything the gunship behind her suddenly explodes, throwing her to the ground. In the air behind her the Ghost swoops down to hover in front of the platform, turrets aimed and ready to fire.
"Get down!" Ezra shouts.
The Ghost opens fire on the platform and blasts away several groups of stormtroopers, and the remaining gunships move to respond. The rest of us retrieve our weapons and swiftly reengage in battle with the stormtroopers, and I notice Pryce and Rukh go scrambling for cover behind a stack of crates. Ezra currently has his lightsaber down in favor of wielding a blaster pistol, so I wield my own lightsaber to compensate as a defense, scoring a few redirections on two stormtroopers. The cargo bay door of the Ghost then opens, allowing all five clone troopers, Rylla, Hayden, Numa, Kallus, Cal, Merrin, and Cere to jump out and join the ground battle. I grin excitedly at their arrival, the added reinforcements already seeing a change in the tide against the Empire.
"You certainly got yourselves into a fine mess, kid," I hear Cal tell Ezra, blocking a shot with his lightsaber.
"Glad you could make it," he replies.
Merrin waves her hands, throwing a few balls of green energy at a group of stormtroopers to send them flying, and then ducks down for cover herself. Boil, Rex, and the other clone troopers prove to still be in their prime as veterans, scoring plenty of hits against the stormtroopers―for Kix it's as if a day has barely passed, which I suppose makes sense. Cere, like Ezra, seems to prefer the use of her blaster for the moment while Cal uses his lightsaber.
"You certainly have the same fire as your parents," Rylla suddenly tells me.
"Thanks," I grin in reply, deflecting a few more blaster bolts. "I've also got the droid too."
She and Hayden share a momentary glance of confusion, and I turn to look at R5.
"Hey, buddy, do some sonic interference," I tell him.
R5 beeps in confirmation and does just that. Immediately, many of the stormtroopers in the vicinity grab at their helmets with sharp cries at the painful noise screeching from their comlinks. Still, it seems like there's more and more stormtroopers coming, a few extra gunships depositing another squad onto the platform. Hera is also forced to pull the Ghost away from us due to being bombarded by a pair gunships.
"We're still outnumbered!" Vizago says.
"Not for long. Fall back to the cave!" Ezra tells all of us.
We waste no time in jumping out of cover and me, Ezra, and Cal use our lightsabers to cover the retreat into the cave. I raise an eyebrow at seeing Rylla knock aside a couple of bolts with a staff in hand, intrigued by it, but brush the thought aside for the moment. After a few more seconds Ezra, Cal and I slip into the cave as well with everyone now inside. The fighting stops, giving everyone a moment to regather themselves.
"Well, that was fun! Who's ready for round two?" Gregor asks, laughing.
"I never realized stormtroopers were so lousy," Kix murmurs with a frown, making the clones chuckle.
"Don't mean to pester, but why have we trapped ourselves in here?" Ryder questions.
"Because we have help," Ezra simply responds.
Most of the others are a bit confused, myself included, but I quickly spot the black loth wolf at the other end of the cave and widen my eyes.
"What does that mean?" Kallus asks him.
"Everyone head into that room," Ezra says, pointing to the side. "You'll know when to come out."
"I agree. Let's move," Cere suddenly says.
Still confused, the group decides not to argue however and make their way into that side room. The black wolf then steps forward and I rush to greet it, surprising Ezra.
"Mara...?" he starts to ask.
"Think I can join you with the dramatics?" I ask him.
He then takes notice of the black wolf as well, partially surprised too but quickly nods his head with an eager smile on his face. I pat the black wolf on the snout and turn around at the sound of footsteps entering the cave, Ezra doing the same. The black wolf steps backward, into the shadows, and I develop a thoughtful expression. I close my eyes and stand still, opening myself a bit more to the Force―I'm not really thinking about it, I'm just simply doing it. I can sense the wolves starting to emerge from their tunnels, completely silent and unseen, the white wolf moving behind Ezra the same way the black wolf is behind me. I can also sense the Imperials entering the cave, Rukh in the lead, his focus almost entirely on me.
"You're just children, without masters to guide them," he sneers at us. "So... where is your army now, Jedi?"
I open my eyes and hear the black loth-wolf growling behind me, the wolves growing restless now. I share a short look with Ezra and return my gaze to Rukh. His smirk of triumph and satisfaction suddenly drops into one of surprise, then fear, while the stormtroopers step back in unease. I throw him a small grin.
"Right here," I reply.
Ezra ignites his green lightsaber, and I follow his lead by igniting mine as well, illuminating the pack of angry loth-wolves behind us. Rukh steps back with wide eyes, and the loth-wolves lunge forward with vicious barking and snarling. Following the lead of the white wolf they jump over our heads and charge at the Imperials, who immediately scatter with fright. Rukh holds up his staff with a startled shout when the white wolf snaps its jaws at him, grabbing a hold of his staff and starts dragging him out of the cave. The rest of the stormtroopers are quickly tackled by the wolves as well, the entire pack leaving nothing in their wake.
"Dramatic, huh?" Ezra asks me.
"Blame my Dad. He makes everything that way," I shrug in response.
Once the wolves have all charged out the rest of the group emerges from the other room, all in a state of surprise and bewilderment.
"What just..." Kallus starts to say.
"Come on!" Ezra exclaims, rushing for the entrance too.
Several people share amused and excited looks with each other and we quickly follow him. We prepare ourselves for heavy resistance upon exiting the tunnel, but are instead met with a scene that could only be described as chaos―stormtroopers are running around, some firing their blasters, but most just fleeing for their lives while a pack of huge and vicious loth-wolves hunt them down. I can't see Rukh anywhere, but the white wolf seems to be chasing Governor Pryce while the black wolf takes the lead against the stormtroopers.
"...ok, this is probably the weirdest thing I've seen so far," Hayden says in disbelief.
"Well, at least they seem to be on our side," Kallus replies.
"We're fortunate that's the case," Cere remarks, sharing a look with Cal.
I raise my lightsaber to deflect a few blaster bolts, the rest of the group shooting their blasters, but overall most of the stormtroopers seem a lot more preoccupied with the loth-wolves, and I honestly feel a little bad for them. Getting killed in a blaster fight is one thing, getting mauled by giant predators is another thing entirely, and a lot more terrifying. I decide to mostly hang back with the main group, blocking the occasional laser bolt that got too close, and find myself near some of the clones.
"Ever seen something like this before?" I ask Boil.
"As a matter of fact, I have!" Boil says, throwing a look at Numa. "On Ryloth!"
"Good thing you had someone to help you escape, nerra," Numa replies, grinning.
"Better that than those creepy vine monsters on Umbara!" Kix retorts.
He, Boil, and Rex all shudder at the statement, sharing the same memories of that battle.
"Hey, Wolffe, can you believe it?" Gregor suddenly asks, nudging the clone commander.
"What?" he demands irritably.
"The wolves!" he explains, grinning in amusement. "You got your wolf pack back!"
Gregor gestures out at all the wolves, causing the rest of us to break into a fit of laughter and readily nod our heads. Wolffe smirks proudly at the scene, nodding in approval of the wolves.
"Yeah, they fight just like the boys."
One stormtrooper screams in pain as he's grappled in the jaws of two wolves before getting thrown off the cliff, disappearing from view. Poor guy.
"I can definitely see the resemblance," Boil laughs at the sight.
Numa shakes her head in exasperation.
"You clones," she sighs.
I snort in laughter and move forward with the group, although there isn't much left to do. The pack of loth-wolves have pretty much taken care of all the stormtroopers, and the ones still standing are now backing away with their arms raised in surrender. The wolves growl threateningly at them but don't move to attack, sensing the battle is just about over.
"I'd drop your weapons if I were you," Zeb calls out.
The stormtroopers don't hesitate to do so and we all lower our weapons as well, the battle clearly finished. Hayden observes the troopers with a dry look.
"Man, these guys seriously have the worst luck," he says.
"Or the universe favors our success," Rylla jokingly replies.
Yelps and cries of fright from nearby gain our attention, and I can't help but giggle at the sight of the white loth-wolf marching forward with Governor Pryce held like a chew toy, flailing her arms around nervously. Ezra is walking in front of them, smiling casually while observing the wolf's progress.
"Don't let it eat me! Please!" she pleads in clear panic.
The wolf drops Pryce on the ground in front of us with a snarl. She looks up at all of us with her hands up, a wide-eyed expression of fearful submission on her face. Most of us are smiling at the sight, and I glance over when the black loth-wolf walks up next to me with a seemingly content look on her face. Ezra then pulls out a pair of binders and looks at Ryder with a grin.
"Why don't you do the honors, governor-to-governor?" he suggests.
"Ezra, it would be my pleasure," Ryder states, taking the binders with a smile, and Pryce lowers her head in defeat.
With the Imperial forces all taken care of, with the remainder being held captive in the caves under the watchful gaze of the loth-wolves, we all went to group up with the rest of the group that came on the Ghost, which consists of Hera, Greeze, Ketsu Onyo, Hondo... and an Ugnaught. Huh.
"You did it," Hera says to Ezra in amazement. "Somehow, against all the odds, you actually did it."
"I couldn't have without you," he replies, looking around at us. "All of you."
"So true, my young friend. You're welcome," Hondo says with a wide grin. "So I, uh... I guess the fight is won and we can all get paid and go home now?"
"You barely did anything..." Hayden mutters.
"I wish it was over, but it's not," Ezra says firmly. "Not until we chase the Empire from Lothal."
"You believe this will succeed, Ezra?" Cal asks him.
"I do," he says, his face determined. "When we attacked Coruscant, we showed the galaxy that the Empire was vulnerable. Now, we have a chance to prove that not only can we fight them, but that we can fight them and win."
I nod along in agreement with his declaration, pleasantly surprised by his speech. I have a good feeling about this as well―I was being held captive in the very heart of the Empire, the most secured structure in the entire galaxy. If I was able to be rescued from there, then we can definitely liberate Lothal from the Empire's control.
ISD Chimaera - Hyperspace
Thrawn POV...
With my arms crossed behind my back I stood up on the bridge in front of the main window, gazing out at the blue tunnel of hyperspace while pondering my conversation with the Emperor, particularly what he said to me at the very end.
'When the business on Lothal is finished, you will return to Coruscant. Where you and I will have a long, long talk.'
I suppress the urge to shiver in discomfort, deeply troubled by his words. Considering how he knows my true feelings regarding Commander Shan, it's quite clear to me that he doesn't approve. Despite my attempts to assure him otherwise, he no longer holds any trust in me. And therefore, the conversation he has planned will not be one between allies, but opponents.
He does not doubt my abilities, that is for certain. But he does doubt my loyalty.
Barely a week ago everything was going perfectly: the TIE Defender was near ready to be mass-produced, the threat posed by the Lothal rebels was entirely diminished, and Shan was secured as an ally for the Chiss Ascendancy against the Yuuzhan Vong. Nothing could have been better. But of course, that's when everything completely reversed course, the moment I left Lothal―Syndulla escaped custody, Project Stardust was threatening to take precedence over the TIE Defender... and most frustrating of all, the loss of the TIE Defender program itself.
I should've known better than to entrust the care of the factory to Governor Pryce. Ever since the devastating explosion that killed so many in the Batonn insurgency, of which I have no doubt she was responsible for, I've remained wary of Pryce's ambition. She was useful in certain situations, but her ruthless ambition leaves her seriously shortsighted, failing to see the bigger picture. I became so complacent with my successes, that I turned a blind eye to the Governor. I should've brought Morgan to oversee the factories on the Lothal from the very beginning, and for not doing so I've paid the price. For that very reason, I had no choice but to simply let Director Krennic receive funding for Stardust.
While I still have the mutual agreement with Shan in place, the loss of the TIE Defender, and the Emperor's suspicions of me have nearly rendered it defunct. Shan may continue to be an ally to the Chiss... but I may no longer be an ally of the Empire. Should the Emperor seek to probe my mind for information, which I fear he likely will, then he will learn of this critical detail, and my fate will be sealed. There aren't very many options open to be now should I choose to remain with the Empire. I will carry out the Emperor's will on Lothal, personally confront Pryce over her foolishness, and then do what needs to be done―I won't find any joy in it. Afterwards, I will have to cut ties.
The sound of footsteps behind me pulls me from my thoughts, and I glance over my shoulder to see the Second Sister approaching. I swiftly push all of these thoughts to the back of my mind, so as to keep them secret, and acknowledge her presence with a nod of my head.
"Inquisitor," I greet politely.
"Grand Admiral," she says in reply. "You seem troubled."
I look her way with a small frown and, after a few moments of silence, respond with a heavy sigh.
"I am... admittedly, frustrated at the moment," I say as an excuse, though it isn't a lie either. "The loss of the TIE Defender has set my goals back tremendously."
"Indeed," she responds slowly. "Politicians, certainly prove their stupidity when it really matters."
I merely hum in acknowledgement and continue to stare out the window. After a few seconds of silence Second Sister then turns away and heads off, leaving me by myself.
A side must be chosen.
Author's Note: Not too much new and interesting in this chapter, but it's a fun one regardless. :D I really enjoyed writing Rukh and Mara's fight in particular. For any of you who are serious Legends geeks you'll probably pick up on a few easter eggs with that bit.
