I own nothing except a few characters and the plot.
STAR WARS REBELS
The New Spectres
Catching Up With Eli
SPACE - 2031
The Ghost was traveling through Space with a pair of X-Wings alongside it. On board, Chris Felth was at the controls with Jacen next to him and Josh behind them. Lucy and Darius flew alongside in their X-Wings.
"Glad you guys came along." Chris said over the comm to Lucy and Darius.
"What about me?" Josh asked.
"You too." Jacen replied.
"Well, the Varox are becoming aggressive again." Lucy told them.
"I'm still surprised that Pryde didn't have them wiped out as the test planet for his planet-killer fleet given how much trouble they gave him and his pals." Darius added.
"We're not going to run into them are we?" Chris asked Jacen.
"That's why your siblings and Josh are here. In case we do." Jacen replied.
"That and he needed to use BB-8." Josh added.
"So far, so good." Lucy said as the three ships flew towards a planet. BB-8 beeped something from the Ghost's astromech socket.
"Onyx." Josh translated as a group of Star Destroyers appeared including one that none of the four Spectres needed to know the name of.
"I take it the Syndulla Flight School is in session again." Came the voice of Admiral Eli Vanto.
"General Felth's middle child." Jacen replied.
"What's with the fighters?"
"In case we ran into the Varox. Steve and Marty told Ty that they were going after Triforia again and that an operation is being considered to do something about them." Lucy told Eli.
"Thankfully, we didn't." Darius added.
"They're staying away from the larger fleets. Especially mine given their past encounter with the Chimaera didn't end so well for them." Eli said.
"Chris!" Jacen exclaimed as a freighter flew straight for the Ghost and its escorts. Chris quickly maneuvered the Ghost away from the freighter while Darius and Lucy flew their X-Wings after it along with the Chimaeara and two of its fighters.
"Tally-ho. Another smuggler making a run for it." Eli said.
"We got this." Lucy said as R9 beeped from his socket.
"Red Five is standing by." Darius reported in as two other X-Wings joined them.
"S-foils in attack position." The four X-Wings locked their wings into attack position.
"New toys in position." Eli told them as a pair of Interdictors appeared. The pilot of the freighter attempted to make the jump to lightspeed only to be pulled out within seconds. Chris flew the Ghost under the Chimaera and took the rear position behind the X-Wings.
"Ions set." Lucy said.
"Red Five, ions set." Darius reported with R2-D2 beeping something from the astromech socket on Darius' X-Wing.
"Black Leader, ions set." Came the voice of one of Eli's pilots.
"Black 2, ions set." The other pilot said.
"Ghost in position for whatever." Chris added.
"Chimaera has tractor beams standing by. Fire at will." Eli told the four fighters. Lucy fired her ion torpedoes followed by Darius and the two pilots from the Chimaera disabling the freighter. For good measure, Jacen added a set from the Ghost.
"Admiral, it's all yours." Lucy said as the Chimaera moved in and activated its tractor beams bringing the freighter into a hangar. The five other ships followed it into another hangar on the Chimaera as the X-Wings closed their S-foils.
"Interesting that Lucy and Darius still use those callsigns. She assigned me as Red Two. Noah and Tori were Three and Four. Mitch Piett was Six." Josh said to Chris and Jacen as Chris landed the Ghost behind Lucy and Darius' X-Wings.
"Let's go see what this idiot fool is carrying." Jacen said to the two.
REMNANT STAR DESTROYER CHIMAERA
The pilot of the freighter was taken to a room by a pair of Stormtroopers where Lucy and Jacen would be able to ask a few questions. They were joined by R9 who would make a record of the interrogation and a female Lieutenant from Eli's crew.
"Does Miranda apply here?" The Lieutenant asked Lucy.
"My Godmother set a legal precedent back in 2018 when she sentenced the Minister of Onyx at the time to Death for his role in the kidnapping of President Bridger about what sort of law applies to people arrested in this system." Lucy replied.
"Basically, the pilot has no rights in this system. But, torture is a sore spot for me." Jacen added.
"Ty told me it was outlawed when President Houston was a Grand Moff. You can always trade places with Josh or Darius if you prefer." Lucy told Jacen.
"I want to know what was so important that this fool didn't see a ship the size of the Ghost let alone two fighters escorting it."
"Either drunk or stoned. We've gotten a few of them since we started this operation" The Lieutenant suggested as the four entered the room where the pilot was taken. The pilot was a weequay who was very angry about his ship being fired at and dragged aboard the Chimarea.
"I want my ship repaired and released now." The weequay demanded.
"Well, that's not happening anytime soon." Lucy said dismissively.
"Your ship and its cargo are being impounded by the Remnant for a number of reason." The Lieutenant added.
"Nearly crashing into my ship for starters." Jacen told the weequay angrily.
"Explain that maneuver and how you missed seeing the two X-Wings that were alongside it. It's lucky for you my brother has a good teacher for piloting." Lucy added causing Jacen to grin. It was no secret about how Hera Syndulla had snared Darth Vader in his own trap.
"I didn't see that ship." The weequay said.
"Obviously." Jacen snarked back.
:Just like you missed the two fighters that were with it and the Star Destroyers that were in orbit when you first arrived in this system. You then loaded your ship with contraband goods, picked up something from the auction of stolen goods, and took off for a destination that our people are searching through your ship's logs and computer to find out. Put him in a holding cell." Lucy told the Lieutenant who signaled for the Stormtroopers to take the weequay away.
"You have to charge me with something." He said as he was led away.
"Fine then, I charge you with operating your ship in a dangerous manner thereby endangering the lives of crewmembers aboard other ships commonly known as reckless endangerment." Lucy explained causing Jacen to grin again.
Chris, Josh, and Darius had gone to one of the Mess Halls with Eli, R2, and BB-8.
"I hope that Lucy can find something to charge that idiot pilot with. How in the hell do you not see a ship the size of the Ghost and two X-Wings on top of that. Then try to make a jump to lightspeed after nearly crashing into another ship. Even Dad wouldn't pull a stunt like that." Chris said as he helped himself to some food.
"If she doesn't, my people are filing a reckless endangerment charge for that stunt. Maybe one for evading a checkpoint too. Plus charges for any contraband that's found on that ship." Eli told them.
"Pilot's lucky Lucy didn't turn him and his ship in trash." Josh quipped.
"Lucky that ship wasn't sent crashing back to Onyx." Darius added.
"In that case, my troops would be sent down to recover the wreckage, pilot, and cargo. I heard Lucy shot my last checkpoint runner down after he ran Vitor Reige's checkpoint."
"Yeah, the collective thought among three of the Generals was that the ship was heading for Washington and then New York. She shot it down near Atlantic City. Pilot's being held in Philadelphia for smuggling." Darius told Eli.
"Let me guess which three Generals. Marlion, Rawlkins, and Laramie."
"Yeah. They sent two A-Wings and then Lucy to join the chase. As the only Jedi on Philly, I hear quite alot about Remnant business."
"Mom and Dad were talking about that over dinner after they heard about it. Dad said everything looked by the book to him. You don't fly an unidentified ship towards a major city in the States with no communication and not expect to be shot down. That Hutt involved ASW crash still has people on edge. Noah's soup is better and I'm not saying that because I'm marrying his sister either." Chris told the three as he ate a bowl of soup. They were soon joined by Lucy, Jacen, R9, and the Lieutenant who whispered something in Eli's ear.
"That ship was heading for Earth. It was carrying a shipment of what are likely illegally harvested diamonds from somewhere. It's last stop before Onyx was Cloud City." Eli told them.
"Well, this is one shipment that's going back to where it belongs." Lucy said.
"And one more smuggler going to jail." Josh added.
"What did you guys do with AP-5 since he's not allowed in Noah's anymore after he did that unwanted inventory on Noah's supplies?" Darius asked changing the subject.
"Loaned him to Uncle A.J. He's still cleaning up RSB. As Dad put it when he heard that story, the previous Commanding Officer there is being demoted and sent to the Russian Front. A.J. has no idea what he has or what he needs right now." Chris replied.
"Right after the fool's been court-martialed and shot for all the crap that he allowed to happen there. Beginning with the antics of Schlager." Josh added.
"We heard something about an RSB man having his troops unload on a civilian." Eli told them.
"That was Schlager, he did it while Ty was in Virginia and I was in New York. Luckily, Eric knew the man's playbook enough to Mirandize and interview the civilian in the hospital while he buried Schlager in shooting-related paperwork." Lucy explained.
"Your dad did get my message about Major Schuyler then."
"Along with my suggestion and Colonel McKnight's report on the operation all of which said that he should be transferred out of RSB before he begins to turn into those nuts. We're finding out more about what they did to try and break him there. Hochster screamed at his mother for starters."
"He was already court-martialed and demoted for screaming at Caleb and trying to bully Landon, then he tried to bully Landon again and got sent to the Russian Front." Chris told Eli.
"It's also suspected that be breached The Pentagon somehow. Dad wasn't happy about that either, but the Caleb thing sent him over the edge." Lucy added.
"Lucky I didn't crush his windpipe for that." Darius muttered.
"You have more control then some other Jedi do." Jacen told him. After Eli ensured that the Ghost and the two X-Wings were in working order, the group left the Chimaera and headed back to Earth. Chris was once again piloting the Ghost unshaken by the near-miss with the diamond smuggler.
"Were you on the Pride when Tevin flew it into this asteroid field?" Jacen asked Chris.
"I was on it during that battle with the First Order." Chris replied.
"I didn't know you were there. But, me and Darius were tending to some Jedi business when everyone showed up." Josh said as the three ships made the jump to lightspeed.
PHILADELPHIA - 2031
The three ships came out of lightspeed and after communicating with Admiral Reige's fleet made their way to Philadelphia.
"Red Leader to Base, you read me?" Lucy called into her comm.
"What kind of a pilot is your brother?" Eric asked her.
"Unshaken by a near-miss with a diamond smuggler who was locked up by Admiral Vanto. I'll tell you everything when we land."
"Copy that. I caught a case that I'll tell you the finer details of when I see you. It's basically another hot-tempered and armed Rodian in a bar. This time it was a stabbing."
"Of course, it's always a bar." Lucy muttered. An hour later, the three ships landed and Lucy stopped by her office to check her messages. Ty appeared in her doorway as she did.
"I heard your brother had a near-miss." He said.
"Chris is fine, Jacen Syndulla's somewhat annoyed, and the moron who nearly crashed into them while smuggling diamonds off of Onyx is locked up on the Chimaera which made Jacen less annoyed then he was at first when he was told that reckless endangerment charges were filed along with the smuggling charges. All the reports were filed with Admiral Vanto."
"I can expect to see those soon then. Eric tell you about the case?"
"Yeah. Sounds like an open and shut case. What sporting event was involved?"
"Either the Flyers Game or the Sixers Game. There was no boxing match or anything like that."
"Eric caught the case, he can work it. It'll take me some time to get caught up and he probably already has it ready for Forbes."
"Speaking of Forbes, she convinced a Judge to set bail on your neighbor at $750 Grand. Which means she's not getting out of jail when the psych hold on her expires."
"Something I missed with that?"
"She's been hostile with them and they keep extending it."
"Good. The neighborhood's been very peaceful without her around going off about nothing relating to whatever man she tried making a baby with this time. She already has three and they all have different fathers. She's a female breeder."
"Her kids are better off without her then. Sounds like one of those kinds of mothers that would steal the kid's identity and destroy the credit before the kid's even out of school. I saw Judge Pratchard tearing one of them apart recently. He even wanted to know why that woman only got Probation for Identity Theft." Ty said and left for his office. He hoped that the reports filed about what happened at Onyx were filed by Eli so he could see what actually happened there.
Justin ordered pizzas for dinner that night since he now had to feed Chris, Jacen, and Josh along with the Carpenters and Junior.
"How was the flight?" Justin asked Chris.
"Nearly got hit by a damn smuggler near Onyx. Long story short, the fool's enjoying the hospitality of the Chimaera's Detention Block." Jacen replied.
"Trying to jump to lightspeed after nearly crashing into another ship and ignoring the fighter escort it had didn't help the pilot's case. Nor did the cargo of diamonds." Lucy added.
"Tried to jump to lightspeed?" Junior asked.
"Admiral Vanto has some new toys for that operation. They can pull a ship right out of lightspeed." Darius replied.
"More please." Caleb said out of nowhere. Chris put a slice of pizza on his plate.
"At least he didn't help himself like he does with the condiments." Lucy noted.
"He knows better now that I used the middle name on him for doing that in front of people who aren't family." Justin told her.
"Josh and Jacen are considered family." Chris said.
"I meant Junior." Justin told his brother.
"Don't you remember at Christmas, we included him in that part of the family." Josh explained.
"We're trying to break him of the habit completely." Darius said to Josh.
"Or at least get him to stop doing that at this table and with food." Lucy added glaring at Josh as she said the last part. After some more back and forth about events, Jacen took Chris, Josh, Junior, BB-8, and R2-D2 back to New York on the Ghost while Darius gave Caleb his nightly bath and put him to bed. He ran into Mace in the kitchen while grabbing his midnight snack.
"They took his lunch away from him again. I took it back from them and the woman who did it was dealt with by a man who I think is her boss or in some position of authority over her. He looks like the guy who was in charge of Ezra's school." Mace said.
"Yeah, they're brothers. If this keeps up, Lucy's gonna do something that you don't need or probably want to know about."
"She's not a Jedi."
"Then I'll tell her that you said she can be as vindictive as she wants."
"I'm going to kick Bryan's ass when I see him."
"Just let Kanan bite him already." Darius quipped referring to Kanan Jarrus' canine alter-ego.
"I don't think it works that way. Joshua on the other hand." Mace said.
"Which means you've already tried to have Dume bite Bryan."
"Should I keep an eye on the Youngling in school today as well?"
"Of course, Lucy's other choices are R9 or a pair of Death Troopers. You're lest disruptive to the school environment." Darius told Mace who disappeared as Darius went back upstairs to bed checking in on the sleeping Caleb as he did. Caleb stirred sending a ripple through The Force, but soon went back to sleep. Darius used The Force to move the stuffed Loth-cat toy Ezra had gotten for him years ago from the floor to the bed.