At Freedom HQ, Nicole was sitting on a crate just outside of the hanger staring blankly into space. Cosmo walked up to her looking solemn, but Nicole wasn't happy to see her "If you've come to offer me your condolences, I'm not interested". Cosmo stood next to her "I know" the two of them stayed silent until Cosmo turned to look at Nicole "I won't forget we did to you. What we took from you" she said regretfully before heading back into the base. Nicole eventually stood up and entered the base and waked past Larry who tried to stop her "Wait, they told us to stay out during the meeting". Nicole continued walking as she turned her head to him "The Freedom Fighters are a rebellion aren't they? So, let's rebel". They walk through the base to the command room that was now full of people such as generals like Kali-Ca and even senators including Wynmacher. A bat senator spoke up "We must scatter the fleet. We have no recourse but to surrender" there were murmurs of both agreement and disagreement. Wynmacher lowered his head "Are we really talking about disbanding something that we've worked so hard to create?". A male sea sponge, Admiral Squeegee stood up "We can't just give in!" he said determinately. The bat looked at him "If it's war you want, you'll fight alone".
The sea sponge gestured to Nicole "If she's telling the truth, we need to act now!". A fox pilot lean against the table "Admiral, the Empire has the means of mass destruction, we do not". A mongoose senator scoffed "A Death Egg. This is nonsense". Nicole looked over to him "What reason would my father have to lie? What benefit would it bring him?". "To lure our forces into a final battle to destroy us once and for all" the human general said. An ocelot senator glared at Nicole "And we're risking all that for what? The testimony of a criminal? The dying words of her father, an imperial scientist" "Don't forget the Imperial pilot" the mongoose added. The bat looked around the room "If the Empire has this kind of power, what chance do we have?". Nicole looked at her "What chance do we have? The question is what choice? Run, hide, plead for mercy, scatter your forces. You give way to this enemy and you condemn the galaxy to an eternity of submission. The time to fight is now. Every second you waste is a step closer to the ashes of Shin". Some of the crowd yelled in agreement "What is she proposing?" someone asks. "Send your best troops to Emerald Coast. Send the whole fleet if you have to. You need to capture the Death Egg plans if there's any hope of destroying it". The bat looks over to her "You're asking us to invade an Imperial installation based on nothing but hope". Nicole smiled "The Freedom Fighters were built on hope" "I say we fight" said Squeegee. "I will not sacrifice my people for a hunch!" the mongoose said. There was murmuring in the crowd and Cosmo frowns "I'm sorry, Nicole. Without the full support of the council… the odds are too great". Nicole quickly leaves followed by Larry.
Leeta and Lyco are sitting in the hanger when they see Nicole coming over "You don't look happy" said Lyco. Nicole shrugs "They prefer to surrender" "And you?" Lyco asked. Leeta answers for Nicole "She wants to fight" "So do I. We all do" said Larry. Nicole sighed "I'm not sure the four of us will be enough", Lyco looks behind Nicole and smirks "How many do we need?". Nicole confused turns around and sees Elias in front of her with a group of soldiers behind him including shard. "They were never gonna believe you. But I do", Nicole softens her gaze as Elias began to look regretful. "We'd like to volunteer. Some of us… most of us. We've all done terrible things on behalf of the Freedom Fighters and we always told ourselves it was for a cause we believed in. A cause that was worth it. Now everything we've done will end up being for nothing. I couldn't face myself if I gave up now". Nicole smiles and Elias turns to the soldiers "Gear up. Bring anything that's not nailed down". They all scattered except for Shard who stares at Nicole "I'll be there for you, Nicole... Elias says I have to". He leaves and Elias approaches Nicole who smiled "I'm not used to people sticking around when things go bad".
They exit the hanger and board the stolen imperial cargo shuttle where everyone is waiting. Larry and Shard go to the upper deck to pilot the ship while Nicole stares at the soldiers "May the Forced be with us" the doors close. Larry gets in his seat when a voice come over comms "Cargo shuttle, read back please. That ship is off limits". Shard looks to Larry who takes the microphone "We've been authorised to take it" "Authorised by who?" the man on the other end asked. "We have to go" Shard said. Larry struggled to come up with a lie "That's classified. We're the Secret Freedom Fighters" "What?" Shard looks at him condescendingly. "The Secret Freedom Fighters?" the man asks "Yes, codename Secret Squadron One. We cannot share our mission with you" "There isn't Secret Freedom Fighters". Larry shrugs "Well, obviously you wouldn't know" he drops the microphone "Go, go" he says to Shard who quickly takes off. "Was that really the best you could do?" the robot hedgehog asked to which Larry shrugs.
Inside the main command room Cosmo was talking Wynmacher "Despite what the others say, war is inevitable". Wynmacher nods "Yes, I must return to Echidnaopolis to inform my people that there will be no peace. We will need every advantage". Cosmo looks at him surprised "Your friend? The Shinobi". Wynmacher whispers so others don't hear "He served me well during the Clone Wars and has lived in hiding since the Emperor's purge. Yes, I will send for him". He walks away as Cosmo watches "You will need someone you can trust", Wynmacher smiles "I would trust her with my life".
The ship jumped out of hyperspace above a planet that had a blue shield covering it. Inside the cockpit Nicole was looking out the window of the planet as Larry was putting an Imperial pilots' uniform over his body suit. "The shield goes around the entire planet with only one main entry gate. This shuttle should have and access code to let us through" he told them. "And if it doesn't?" Nicole asked making Larry look nervous "Then they shut the gate and we'll all be blown into the cold dark vacuum of space". Shard smirked "I'll be fine. I can survive in space". Nicole goes back down to the lower deck as the ship approaches the gate which is a large metal ring inside the shield. "Okay, here goes" Larry said nervously as he takes the microphone "Cargo shuttle SU-041 requesting a landing pad". A voice comes over the other end "Cargo shuttle SU-041, you're not listed on the arrival schedule". "Acknowledged, Gate Control. We were rerouted from the Obidon flight station. Transmitting clearance code now", Shard presses a button on the control panel. "Cargo shuttle SU-041, you ware cleared for entry" Larry turns of the microphone "Yes!" he said enthusiastically. The force field in the centre of the ring opens allowing the shuttle to go through and enter the atmosphere of the planet. As they get closer, they see the Imperial base, there was a huge tower in the middle with different bunkers and tram lines systems connecting to other parts of the base. The whole thing was on a beach with an ocean covering most of the area. Elias climbed up to the cockpit to see and looks at a massive dish at the top of the tower "What's that main building for?" he asks Larry. "That's the citadel tower. They keep all the structural archives up there. The plans should be in there. The dish is used to send the files out". Shard looks at a screen on the control panel "We're clear for pad nine" he pilots the ship in that direction.
In the lower deck Nicole is working at a computer console with Leeta sitting next to her with a blank expression. Nicole looks at her "Thank you for coming. I know you didn't need to". Leeta continues to stare in front of her but smiles "We merely do our duty to serve the Force. Lyco and I were meant to guard the contents of the temple that now lie at the heart of the Empire's weapon". She reaches over and places her hand on Nicole's shoulder "Thanks to your father, we have the means to stop it's desecration". Before Nicole responds Elias comes down the ladder "We're landing", Nicole nods and everyone on the ship looks at her. She addresses them "Harvey used to say that one fighter with a sharp stick and nothing left to lose can take the day… They've no idea we're coming. They've no reason to expect us. If we can make it to the ground, we'll take the next chance. And the next. On and on until we win… or the chances are spent. Elias, Shard, and I will find the plans". Elias nods "The rest of you, find positions between here and the tower. Once you get to a good spot, light the place up. Make ten men feel like a hundred". Larry came down the ladder "What should I do?" "Keep the engine running. You're our only way out of here. We'll leave two with you". The shuttle lands at the pad on a small island connected to the rest of the base by a tram line. Shard still in the cockpit receives a message "Cargo shuttle SU-041 be prepared to receive inspection team" he looks outside and sees a wolf officer and an unidentified animal in full body black armour and a wearing a helmet make there way to the ship.