Legacy of Jarik Shan V5: Rebirth

by xxTheTruMan196

Ever since the horrific events on Malachor and the loss of Ahsoka, Jarik has been struggling to recover, and his adopted daugter Mara Jade has fared no better. But with the Empire still ruling the galaxy, and with new allies and enemies revealed, the Shan family must continue the fight to bring peace to the galaxy, and restore the Jedi Order as they should've been.

79. Ch 75 - Liberation of Lothal

Author's Note: Hey all! Sorry about the very late update, college has gotten real busy this past month so I've been adding to this chapter little by little over time. But now it's here, the conclusion of the Star Wars Rebels era in the Shaniverse! A lot will change going forward, so I hope you're ready! :)

---

Previously on Rebirth...

"We need to act right now if we're gonna take Capital City from the Empire," he announced.

"Huh. Well that's definitely an emergency," Mara said in surprise.

"Your plan is crazy enough as it is. What's the rush?" Zeb asked.

"I had a vision," Ezra explained grimly. "The Emperor is sending Thrawn back to Lothal."

---

"Your interference here, Mara Jade, will cost you your world," Rukh said angrily.

"What?" she asked. "What're you talking about?"

"I serve the Grand Admiral," he stated, pointing his electrostaff at her threateningly. "You were ordered to cease hindering him!"

---

"You think you can take whatever you want, things you didn't make, didn't earn, things you don't even understand!" Ezra exclaimed with a fierce glare. "If you think the best defense is to rule a galaxy through fear, then you don't deserve to be a leader."

"Who deserves what is irrelevant. What matters is who has power!" he declared fiercely, making a fist for emphasis. "But that is something the Jedi won't teach you, so I'll take you to someone who will."

---

"I do no seek to impede you on your quest, Second Sister. Her fate will inevitably be yours to decide," Thrawn calmly reassured her. "All I ask is that I get the chance to interrogate her before that time comes. Surely there is no danger in keeping her imprisoned for just a few minutes?"

"Tread carefully, Thrawn. Should it be necessary, I will not hesitate to do what my Master commands," she warned with a soft voice.

"I do not doubt that you will," he acknowledged, displaying his full understanding of her intent.

---

"You will help me to evade the Emperor's grasp, and then you will take me to the Chiss Ascendancy," Thrawn said.

"Let me think about that," Mara replied mockingly. "Uhh... no!"

"Then you will no longer have any secrets to protect," he said calmly.

She looked up at him in alarm and fear, immediately reminded of that fact, and he took note of her bitter acknowledgement with a satisfied smile.

"Now..." he said slowly. "Are we in agreement, Mara Jade?"

He held her lightsaber out to her, and Mara stared back in surprise and uncertainty.

---

She frowned when recognizing the dark presence of her fallen apprentice, sensing her sadistic glee shining for a few moments from on the Chimaera. The current of the Force shifted slightly, and Cere opened her eyes with a plan in mind.

"Merrin, Cal, I need to talk to you about something..."

---

EARLIER THAT MORNING...

---

Resistance camp, Lothal - Outer Rim Territories

3rd person POV...

Ezra was knelt on the rock in deep meditation, the same place that his own master, Kanan, had meditated just days earlier, though it already felt like a lifetime ago. He frowned, sensing the current of the Force moving around him.

'Ezra.'

He opened his eyes to look around, hearing a strangely familiar voice in the breeze saying his name. He shook his head and returned to his meditation.

'Ezra.'

The voice was clearer to him the second time, as if it had been said directly in front of him. He opened his eyes and gasped in shock. Shards of spectral glass filled the air in front of him, looking as if the very fabric of reality was shattered in that small space. Floating in the shattered space was a ghostly apparition of Ahsoka.

"AH! What the—?" Ezra yelled in surprised.

He leapt to his feet, and Ahsoka raised her hands in a placating gesture.

'Easy, Ezra,' she said. 'Try and keep your voice down.'

Ezra stared at her with wide eyes and his mind raced with confusion and disbelief.

"Ahsoka?" he asked, fumbling with his words. "What... how- how are you here like- like that?"

'This is my astral form,' Ahsoka explained. 'Physically, I'm still light years away.'

"Astral form?" Ezra repeated, baffled. "Where'd you learn how to do this?"

Ahsoka's form flickered for a brief instance, and she grimaced.

'I'm afraid I don't have time to explain. Maintaining this for too long is very risky,' she told him.

Ezra stared at her for another moment, confused and longing for answers, but accepted Ahsoka's warning.

"Ok, uh, I should get Mara over—" he started to say.

'No, don't,' Ahsoka interrupted. 'I need to talk to you specifically.'

He paused, surprised by the statement.

"Me? What for?" Ezra asked.

'Jarik just learned that the Emperor is sending Thrawn back to Lothal,' she revealed. 'If he gets there before you put your plan into motion, then there's something you'll have to do.'

Ezra widened his eyes in alarm, worried that Thrawn's return might jeopardize any hope of freeing Lothal. He nodded in acknowledgement of her warning with a determined gaze.

"Name it," he said.

---

PRESENT TIME...

---

Imperial Complex, Lothal - Outer Rim Territories

3rd person POV...

A squad of stormtroopers at the door worked diligently to get it open, and after slicing through the door controls they resorted to using thermal detonators to do the job. While setting them up on the door, however, the ventilation grate on the ceiling opens up, and Melch drops into the hallway with a grunt. The stormtroopers turn around at the noise, surprised, and Melch eagerly shoots one of them before running away.

"Blast him!" the sergeant orders, irritated.

The remaining troopers give chase while the sergeant remains at the door, waiting for what would surely take his men a few moments. The door behind him then slides open, leaving him with only a moment to turn around in surprise before a fierce punch knocks him unconscious. Zeb cracks his knuckles with a satisfied grin on his face.

"Works every time," he chuckles.

"Of course it worked, my friends!" Hondo exclaims cheerfully. "Just look at Melch! He's positively magnetic!"

He gestures down the hallway to where Melch was still being chased by the stormtroopers. Rylla sighs and steps forward, taking aim with her blaster and then shooting one of the troopers just as Melch whirls around to blast the other.

"Well, he's certainly feisty," Rylla deadpans.

"I'm sure you've got a special relationship, Hondo, but we're kind of on a mission here," Hera states, turning back to the rest of the group. "We've gotta get that shield up over the city."

"We should divide into groups," Sabine says, observing everyone for a moment. "Rex, Boil, you lead one to take the north tower. Zeb, Rylla, you take the south. I'll talk you through it from here."

"Sounds like a plan," Kix comments.

"Yup. Time to join the rebellion brother," Boil replies with a grin.

With the plan made the group of rebels exit the command center and make their way through the complex to the generator room. Cere, Cal, and Merrin, however, don't go with them, which Hera and Sabine take notice of.

"Guys, aren't you―" Sabine starts to ask.

"There's something we have to do," Cere says.

"What do you mean?" Hera asks, confused.

"I'm not sure what Ezra and Mara's plan is, but I feel it would be best for us to go help them," she explains.

"We can get in and get out no problem," Cal adds.

Hera frowns with uncertainty and glances at Sabine, to which she shrugs her shoulders helplessly in response.

"Are you sure about this?" she says in concern.

"I'm certain we can do it," Merrin confidently replies.

Hera lets out a quiet sigh but reluctantly nods her head.

"Ok. We'll be waiting for when you get back," she says.

"We won't let you down," Cere responds reassuringly.

She and Cal then take hold of Merrin's hands, the Nightsister closing her eyes with a a deep frown in concentration. Green mist swirls around their feet and a few moments later envelopes the trio in a burst of green flame, dissipating afterwards to reveal they've vanished. Hera looks down at the floor, troubled, and Sabine eyes her with concern.

"What is it?" she asks.

"I just hope they..." Hera trails off.

"They know what they're doing," Sabine reassures her with a hand on her shoulder. "So do Ezra and Mara."

The gesture was somewhat comforting, but she still didn't feel all that good about it.

---

ISD Chimaera - Lothal

An empty and dimly lit storage room greets Cere, Cal, and Merrin as they emerge from the cloud of green mist. Immediately they put their guard up and scan the room for any sign of danger, easing up slightly when seeing no stormtroopers. Merrin shakes her head with a sigh to dispel some of the strain of using her magic, waving a hand dismissively at Cal after he throws her a concerned glance, reassuring him she's fine.

"Looks like we made it," Cere remarks. "Any idea which part of the ship we're on?"

"Not exactly, though I know it's on one of the lower levels," Merrin replies.

Cal looks around and spots a computer terminal in the room.

"BD, see if you can figure out where we are," he says.

BD-1 chirps in acknowledgement and hops off of his shoulder and over to the computer terminal. Analyzing the machinery he plugs into it and then turns his head around to display a holographic map of the Chimaera's interior. The other three gather around the image, taking note of the beeping red light near the back end.

"Looks like we're just a few levels below the detention area," Cal states.

"You think Ezra and Mara will be in there?" Merrin asks.

"Worth a shot," he replies.

"If not, then the next best option would be the bridge, or Thrawn's office," Cere adds thoughtfully. "He wanted them for more than just prisoners."

"So we search the prisons first, and then the bridge if they're not there," Merrin determines with a nod. "I hope we don't have to do the latter."

"That makes two of us," Cal says in agreement.

Cere analyzes the map of the Star Destroyer with a furrowed brow, feeling a bit more uneasy. Now that they're on the Chimaera she can sense Trilla's presence much more clearly, and makes an attempt to conceal her own presence from her. She takes a slow breath at the very high chance another confrontation will ensue between them before this is over.

"Well we better move quickly, and quietly. We don't know how long we've got here," Cere states firmly.

The other two nod in response and they start heading for the door of the storage room, Cal pausing for a moment so BD-1 can climb up his arm and hop back onto his shoulder.

"Well, we broke into the Inquisitor's fortress on Nur and got out fine," he comments. "Star Destroyer's can't be much worse."

They open the door and come to an immediate halt, freezing in place with wide eyes.

In front of them was a large hallway full of at least two dozen stormtroopers and several officers, all moving along in the midst of their respective tasks. The Imperials also go still upon the door opening, staring at them in a mixture of surprise and confusion. The tense silence carries on for a few quick seconds, both groups waiting for the other to make the first move.

Cal sighs in defeat.

---

Mara POV...

I can't take my eyes off of my lightsaber, continually turning it over in my hands, analyzing every detail of it, no matter how small. It's definitely my lightsaber, I can feel my Kyber crystal inside the hilt, thrumming with energy as if relieved to be in my presence again.

And it's all because of Thrawn.

How he managed to get it, even as a Grand Admiral, I have no idea, but I honestly don't care. Is this just a trick? A way of placating me into submission? Or was he actually being serious when asking me to help him escape from the Emperor?

I'm broken out of my thoughts when the cell door opens and, fumbling, I hastily put my lightsaber out of sight by hiding it underneath my cowl. Four purge troopers march inside my cell and two of them grab my arms to pull me up from the bench. They shove me forward and then force me to kneel on the floor in the middle of the room, and I glare up at them with no small amount of annoyance. Do they have nothing better to do than be excessively harsh?

Second Sister then appears in the doorway and slowly walks down the steps into my cell. I avert my glare towards the purge troopers to instead focus on the Inquisitor. She stops in front of me and then crouches down to be eye level with me.

"Tell me little one, how will Shan react to your death?" she asks softly.

I narrow my eyes in response, masking my face of any emotion. I twitch my fingers in a desire to grab my lightsaber, but keep my cool.

Not yet.

"Would he unleash his rage once more, as he did on Coruscant?" she continues to say.

I tilt my head back slightly with a grimace when she places a long-nailed finger on my chin in a sinister, patronizing manner.

"Or will the loss of both his daughter and wife, finally break him?" she says gleefully.

I glare defiantly into her mask, visualizing the scarred face behind it.

"Either way, it certainly wouldn't end well for you," I state coolly.

The Second Sister chuckles quietly in response and removes her finger, though not without leaving a small scratch.

"Oh, I disagree," she jeers, standing back up. "It's long since time he's payed for what he's done to me. And so shall you."

"Don't count on it, Trilla," I retort.

She goes still and I smile up at her.

"Yeah, I know," I say casually.

She gazes down at me for a few seconds, her mask making her face unreadable, but I can tell I've touched a nerve. Trilla then slowly turns around to face away from me.

"I see. What else do you know, I wonder?" she murmurs thoughtfully.

I almost make a move to grab my lightsaber out of pure instinct when she ignites her crimson blade and whirls around, pointing it at my head. I flinch away from the blade, and she moves it closer to my throat.

"Where is Jarik Shan?" she demands.

I look back at her with a glare.

"I don't know," I tell her.

"Do I look stupid?" she sneers in reply.

I muster the courage to throw her a small grin.

"Do you really want me to answer that?" I remark.

She inches the blade closer to my throat.

"I want you to tell me where Jarik Shan is!" she snarls.

"I already told you: I don't know!" I shoot back defiantly.

Trilla stares at me for almost a minute, neither of us moving an inch during that time.

"Well then..." she finally says.

She lowers her lightsaber from my neck, but then holds it with two hands and raises it high over her head.

"We'll know soon enough!" she declares.

I widen my eyes in alarm and prepare to grab my own lightsaber to defend myself. Just as she starts to swing down she suddenly halts, noticing the same thing that I am: somewhere close by I can hear the sound of blaster shots echoing through the hallways. Trilla turns her head slightly in response to the noise, and one of the purge troopers reaches a hand up to his helmet.

"TK-274, report," he orders.

I can't hear whatever is being said in response, since the trooper's comlink isn't audible outside of the helmet, but I don't bother listening. Silently dropping my lightsaber back into my hands I ignite the purple blade, reveling in the comfortable sensation of getting to properly wield my lightsaber once more. It just feels so... right. Like being reunited with an old friend.

I grin fiercely when the Jedi hunters look at me in surprise.

Before anyone could react I make my move, cutting off my binders and then jumping up from the floor. While spinning in the air, I swing my lightsaber out in a wide arc to deliver a clean cut through the necks of all four purge troopers. They collapse with a short cry of pain before falling silent and I land gracefully on my feet, holding my lightsaber up next to me in an open challenge against Trilla.

"And now I make my escape. Again!" I cheerfully declare.

Trilla grips her lightsaber tight enough to make her hands tremble, steaming with rage.

"You insufferable brat!" she roars.

I hold my lightsaber up to block her overhead strike and then push her back. She sidesteps a jab from me and retaliates with a horizontal swing which I deflect off of my blade before twirling around, using the momentum to strike out at her. However, she blocks my blade and then thrusts a hand out to catch me in a Force push. I grunt in pain upon hitting the wall, shaking my head for a moment.

I look up at the sound of her yelling, seeing Trilla charging forward with her lightsaber out in preparation to stab me. Jumping onto the bench I then kick off of the wall and flip over her head, parrying a wild swing from her along the way. Landing behind her, I spin around low to the ground with my leg extended, kicking Trilla off of her feet. With her down I take the opportunity to dash out into the hallway, hearing her enraged yell behind me when she gives chase.

---

Imperial Complex - Lothal

3rd person POV...

Rex and Boil lead the charge into the generator room, the latter immediately shooting a surprised technician at one of the terminals. Numa, Gregor, and Kix rush in behind them and they all gather around the closest computer terminal for cover when the other technicians above them on the north tower take notice. Rex crouches behind the terminal and pulls out his comlink while the others fire back at the Imperials.

"Base, this is Team A. We're in," he reports.

"Copy that, Team A," Sabine acknowledges. "What's it look like down there?

"Got a bit of resistance, but nothing we can't handle," he replies.

"Was there ever any doubt?!" Gregor laughs.

"Don't say it Gregor..." Kix sighs in dread.

A door over to their left then opens and Rukh runs out, flanked by two death troopers. They take aim with their weapons at the rebels and open fire, forcing them to jump back in surprise to avoid being hit. A shot glances off Numa's shoulder and she falls down with a pained cry.

"Numa!" Boil cries out in alarm.

"I'm fine, Boil, just grazed my pauldron," she reassures him with a small grimace,. "Lucky your armor still holds up, right?"

Boil rolls his eyes in exasperation.

"Yeah, that's cause' it ain't junk," he scoffs.

"Junk or not, our problems are multiplying," Rex interrupts with a scowl, holding up his comlink. "We could use some help down here."

"Team B, where are you?" Hera's voice filters through.

"We're heading towards Sector GL-44, but you know that plan we had to trap all these stormtroopers in the dome?" Zeb responds, extremely agitated. "It just occurred to me, we're trapped with all these stormtroopers in this dome!"

"Complaining doesn't make it any better," Rylla interjects.

"It makes me feel a little better!" he retorts.

"We got it. Ryder, close blast door 58-58," Sabine says.

Kix flinches away from a laser bolt that strikes the terminal inches from his head, and retaliates with a shot of his own that knocks one of the Imperials off the platform.

"Yeah, I can relate to the big guy," Kix remarks.

"Huh, now you're starting to sound like Boil," Rex teases him.

"Ha ha, very funny," Boil deadpans.

Gregor laughed boisterously while Numa giggled lightly in response, and the group resumes firing at the Imperials. A door above to the right then opens and the other group runs out. They take a second the analyze the situation and then start shooting from their own vantage point, immediately taking out two Imperials and easing some of the pressure off of Team A.

"Rex, we need those towers back online now!" Sabine's voice says through the comlink.

Rex narrows his eyes in acknowledgement and spots the control panel across the bridge in front of them.

"Gregor, with me!" he says.

"Right behind you, captain!" Gregor replies.

He and Rex make a dash forward out from cover but are quickly forced to hide once again when Rukh and the death troopers switch their aim over to them. Rex peeks around the terminal with a frustrated scowl on his face, eyeing the lever.

"I can't get to the control panel. You've got to extend the bridges!" he says into the comlink.

A few seconds go by, after which Sabine responds in clear frustration.

"Chopper's been fried. The circuit was protected!" she says.

"And what about R5?" he asks.

"Well... he hasn't been fried if that's what you're asking," she tells him. "I doubt he could access it from here though."

"How about you tell that fancy tin-can to get down here?!" Boil shouts loud enough to be heard.

"That'd probably be a good idea," Rex sighs in agreement.

"Alright, he's going. you'll need to find an override panel though just in case!" she suggests.

"Copy that," he acknowledges, putting his comlink away. "Kix, you still good enough at slicing?"

"It's only been three years, Rex, of course I'm good!" he sarcastically retorts.

Boil and Numa provide cover fire for Kix as he moves up to Rex and Gregor's position and gets to work on bridge control terminal.

"I'm a kriffing medic, not a slicer," he grumbles to himself, grabbing his tools.

---

ISD Chimaera - Lothal

Mara POV...

I duck my head down to avoid a stream of laser fire and then jump into the air, landing in the midst of three stormtroopers. Before they can retaliate I use my lightsaber to cut through their blasters and throw them into the walls with a Force push, then continue on my way. Before I reach the next intersection, however, I sense a lightsaber hurtling for my head and narrowly twist out of the way of Trilla's spinning saber, ducking once more when it reverse direction. In another second Trilla retrieves her lightsaber and is on me, snarling like a beast.

I raise my lightsaber to block her strike but stumble with a pained cry when she kicks my leg, sending me to one knee. She swings the other end of her saber up and I dive right to avoid it, spinning around with a wide saber swing to move her backward for a moment. Recovering, I swipe my lightsaber at her diagonally and enter a brief duel with her, slashing and jabbing back and forth. Fortunately I spot an opening in her guard and take full advantage of it, twisting underneath her swing and then striking her abdomen with my blade. She yells in fury and I let out a startled cry when I blasted down the hallway by a Force push, slamming into a blast door.

"Dank ferrik!" I hear Trilla hiss in pain.

I grimace in pain while pushing myself to my feet, my back aching from slamming into a metal wall, but the sight of Trilla holding her side gave me some comfort, and I smirk challengingly at her.

"What's the matter Trilla, losing your edge?" I taunt her.

She growls, no doubt glaring hatefully at me behind her mask, and begins charging forward. My smirk partially fades when I realize I didn't injure her as badly as I thought, only causing a superficial scratch to her side than an actual incapacitating injury, but I refocus on the fight when Trilla lunges at me with a roar. I block and parry several of of her strikes, slipping away from the door so as to not be cornered, but Trilla is just a raging bull at this point.

And very fast.

I gasp in alarm when she smacks my lightsaber out of my hand, the other end of her saberstaff swing towards my neck. Before it touches, however, a ball of green magic hits Trilla head on and blasts her several feet away. I look over in surprise to see none other than Merrin, Cal, and Cere rushing over to us from the other end of the hallway.

"Mara!" Cere calls out.

"How'd you guys get up here?!" I ask incredulously.

"Magick," Merrin answers.

Oh, right. She can teleport.

Another growl from Trilla pulls my attention back to her, and I quickly retrieve my lightsaber as she gets to her feet, and the other three get ready for a fight as well. Trilla's helmet and the front of her clothes are blackened by the fiery blast, the red glow of her mask gone, and she angrily rips it off to reveal her scarred face, yellow eyes glowing with rage.

"You..." she hisses with a scathing look. "You will all suffer."

"Where is Ezra?" Cal demands.

"Serving my Master, Kestis," she sneers.

"Trilla, please. We don't have to be enemies!" Cere insists.

"Did you not hear me before?" Trilla snarls, furiously throwing her helmet away. "You mean NOTHING to me anymore! The only thing you shall be is blood stained on my hands!"

"It's four against one," Merrin states coolly. "You can't hope to win."

Trilla glowers at her, but then a smirk crosses her face.

"Can't I?" she mockingly replies.

The door behind her opens and several purge troopers charge through to stand by Trilla's side, electrostaffs crackling with energy. We take a step back in anticipation, but four more purge troopers appear to our right and left of the intersection.

"Typical," Cal mutters. "How're we going to get to Ezra now?"

"I know where to look," I tell them.

"Really?" he asks, surprised.

"Then go get him. We'll keep Trilla busy," Cere orders.

I nod my head just as Trilla points her lightsaber at us, a scowl on her face, and chaos ensues. Cere rushes forward to intercept Trilla with her lightsaber while Cal and Merrin face off against several purge troopers, the former trading blows up close while the latter attacked with magick from a distance.

I twirl around to block an electrostaff strike with my lightsaber and duck under a swing from another, retaliating by kicking him in the helmet. The first trooper manages to land a kick against me, making me stumble back, but I recover just in time to cut him down with my lightsaber when he jumps forward. Another purge trooper lunges toward me but is blasted away by Merrin's magick.

"Go!" she says.

Acknowledging her I take off at a run down the hallway, hearing Trilla's yell of frustration behind me.

---

Imperial Complex - Lothal

"Got it!" Kix shouts happily.

He steps away from the terminal and the bridge starts to extend across the gap, granting them access to the main tower in the center. The door behind them then opens and the group turns around the see R5 rolling through at high speed, being chased by a pair of stormtroopers. Without a second wasted Boil switches his aim and takes out one stormtrooper, while the other is simultaneously shot by Gregor.

"Hah! Great minds think alike, right Boil?" the commando grins.

"Oh yeah, totally," Boil sarcastically replies. "Glad you finally made it tin can!"

R5 beeps back a retort, obviously an insult, but refrains from physically charging at him for now.

"Alright, we need to get R5 to the control panel!" Rex orders.

"As soon as the baby rancor is gone, anyway!" Numa scoffs, ducking down to avoid a shot from Rukh.

Kix ducks behind cover as well while Rex and Boil fire back in an attempt to take out Rukh or the death troopers, but blaster fire from the Imperial technicians on the upper level force them to drop down also. Up above, the second group notices the problem and try to help out. Kallus tries seanking around the other side of the tower, only to scramble back after nearly being shot by a watchful death trooper.

"Gah! There's just too many for us to move up without getting shot!" Kallus says in frustration.

"I second that!" Ketsu readily agrees.

Melch looks down briefly with a frown then, either out of sheer bravery or foolishness, rushes out from cover and surprising everyone else. He starts shooting wildly at the Imperial technicians, squealing happily when hitting one of them.

"Ah! Look at him go!" Hondo cheers him on.

However, Melch's ferocious charge is short lived when the same death trooper scores a direct hit on his chest, and he drops his blaster with a cry of pain.

"No!" Hondo yells in horror.

He tries rushing forward to the aid of his friend, but is held back by Rylla. She then sighs in frustration but relents, her compassion winning over, and pulls out her cortosis-tipped staff. Utilizing her past Jedi training Rylla swings the ends of her staff around to deflect blaster bolts aimed for her, the energy dissipating on contact with the rare metal. She soon reaches Melch's position, allowing Hondo to grab the Ugnaught and yank him back to safety behind the tower.

"Melch, what were you thinking?" Hondo cries in disbelief. "You're not a hero. You're a pirate, like me."

"Any of you got ideas? I can't do this forever," Rylla says cautiously, flinching away from a bolt aimed at her head.

"Something drastic would be nice," Ketsu remarks, scowling when a death trooper ducks away from her shot.

Zeb looks from the Imperial technicians on their level down to one of the lower platforms, spotting Rukh crouched against the tower and maintaining a constant rate of fire on the other group. He growls in determination, throwing down his bo-rifle.

"All right, I'll do it!" he says fiercely.

He then takes off at a charge, surprising the others.

"Zeb, don't!" Kallus yells.

"What are you doing?!" Rylla exclaims.

Zeb pays no heed to their protest and leaps off the platform, landing on the side of the middle tower and surprising the technicians before jumping once again. He lets out a roar when he falls down in Rukh's direction, and the assassin only has a second to gape at him in astonishment before getting tackled off the bridge and down to the generators below.

"Is he crazy?!" Ketsu shouts incredulously.

"Well, you did say to do something drastic," Rylla shrugs with wide eyes.

"Come on!" Kallus urges.

He, Rylla and Ketsu make a swift dash for the tower in the middle, the former Jedi blocking blaster bolts with her staff so that the other two can shoot the Imperials unopposed, and then start working on the shield controls. Down below the firing rate against the first group decreased drastically as a result of the other team pushing forward, something they took notice of.

"We should go now, while there's less fire!" Numa suggests, and R5 beeps in agreement.

"Alright, let's move out!" Rex declares.

"This'll be fun!" Gregor exclaims eagerly.

He jumps out from cover and opens fire, scoring a direct hit against a death trooper. R5 charges across the bridge at high speed and the others follow him, providing cover fire. Rex lets out a shot that kills another death trooper, and the last few scramble for cover behind their tower, now finding themselves outnumbered. Without a moment to waste R5 plugs into a socket on the control panel and gets to work while the group keeps a watchful eye out for danger.

"Any more coming in?" Rex asks.

"Not that I can see sir," Kix replies.

"Say, how about you and I go hunt down those big guys, eh?" Gregor suggests to Kix.

"I agree. You go check that tower, and you two check the other," Rex agrees, gesturing at boil and Numa. "We don't want more Imps popping up on us. I'll keep R5 covered."

The clones nod their heads in acknowledgement and split up, Gregor and Kix going to one side while Boil and Numa go to the other. Disregarding the battle currently going on between Zeb and Rukh down below, Boil narrows his eyes at the tower, keeping his blaster up.

"Where are those kriffers...?" he mutters to himself, not seeing the death troopers.

"They don't turn invisible, do they?" Numa cautiously asks, also wary.

The sound of blaster fire rings out followed by a pained cry, and the two whirl around to see Gregor fall down with a death trooper standing over him.

"Gregor!" Boil shouts in alarm.

He and Numa start running over when Kix jumps to Gregor's defense, wrestling with the death trooper and then shoving him off the platform.

"Look out!" Numa shouts.

She and Boil duck behind cover when the last death troop opens fire on them from across the room, and from his side Kix pulls Gregor out of harms way.

"I've got him," Kix calls out.

Boil nods in acknowledgement and then shares a glance with Numa, pondering their plan of action. The death trooper had managed to elevate his position and stood in a more protected area, out of sight from the ones on top but hard to reach from the lower level. He kept his blaster rifle trained on all of them, forcing R5 and Rex away from the astromech socket and keeping the other two from stepping out without being fired at. Boil tries to step out for a shot, but his blaster is immediately shot out of his hand and he backs up again with a string of curses.

"He's good," he growls, shaking his hand to dispel the pain.

"You got grenades?" Numa asks him.

"No," he replies.

"That's okay, I've got some," she says, pulling out a thermal detonator.

Boil lifts an eyebrow at her and then scoffs, accepting the grenade from her. He peeks his head out again briefly and then immediately pulls back as a bolt soars by a second later, but that second was enough for him to get a general idea of where the trooper stood. He primes his grenade and then chucks it at the death trooper, hearing an explosion two seconds later. Numa immediately steps out with her blaster raised, seeing the death trooper scrambling around after trying to avoid the grenade. With three shots she manages to hit the death trooper, killing him.

"Nice shot," Boil nods, impressed.

"Nice throw," she smiles back.

---

Temple Chamber, ISD Chimaera - Lothal

The room his parents are standing in emanates with a faint glow, almost as if it were a dream. Ezra gazes longingly at his parents, their calls out to him sending a pang of grief through his heart every time.

He recognizes that day.

The day that his parents were taken, he remembers them calling him down for dinner. But he didn't come, because he was feeling stubborn at the time. He only came when he heard the scuffle, and went down just in time to see the Imperials dragging his parents away. Ezra had tried to follow only for an officer to roughly force him back, apparently not caring at all that he was separating a child from his parents.

But now all Ezra has to do is reach through the portal, and his parents can be saved. They'll never be taken by the Empire, and they will never die.

"So few have a choice to live the life they want," Palpatine says gently, as if knowing what he was thinking, and encouraging him. "Why deny yourself?"

He's right. Why shouldn't he?

...

No... no, it has to be a dream, it just has to be. He knows who Palpatine is: what he truly is! The Emperor is evil, and is trying to manipulate him!

And yet...

He knows what the Temple is capable of. He's seen it with his own eyes... interacted with it. He helped Mara and Jarik to save Ahsoka from death by pulling her through the gateway. He helped reunite their family, and he knows he can just as easily do the same thing for his. Why shouldn't he?

"Mom?" he asks. "Dad?

Ezra's parents both still and turn around in some confusion, sharing a surprised look with each other.

'Ezra?' his mother asks.

He withholds a gasp at their reply, sensing the truth in front of him: it's really them! Just like with Ahsoka, it really is them behind the veil. He can save them!

Ezra looks down in surprise when his binders fall off on their own and he looks back at Palpatine, who meets his gaze with a look of sympathy and kindness. He gestures to the wall on Ezra's left, where a hand-sized section indents in a square shape, looking a lot like a button of some sort.

"There. The control for the gateway," Palpatine says, confirming his thoughts. "Activate it. And you can be with your family again."

Looking from the control to the veiled gateway, he takes an anxious step forward. He almost smiles out of joy, seeing the faces of his parents, his family, within reach, just like he's dreamed of for so long...

'I wish you could meet them, my new family.'

He hesitates, remembering the reason he's here. He still does have a family with him, people that he loves just as much as his parents. They're fighting for Ezra right now, trusting that he will do the right thing.

'Actions taken in this place have consequences, Ezra!'

He was angry when he heard Jarik say that, but he wasn't wrong either. What happens to his friends if he brings his parents back? What happens to him?

"What about my friends?" he asks, glancing back at Palpatine.

"If you open the gateway, you will save your parents," the kind man insists. "They shall live."

Ezra frowns, not entirely reassured by that answer: he doesn't miss the fact that Palpatine completely ignored his question. Still, the Emperor wasn't wrong either. This Temple does have the power to save his parents from their fate, and he really, really wants that chance.

His hand hovers over the gateway control, and it glows in response.

'I'm asking you to let go.'

"Go on. You deserve this," Palpatine gently whispers.

Ezra looks at the gateway control and then his parents, his heart torn between what path he should take. He approaches the veil, the blurriness fading with every step he took.

On the other side of the gateway his parents also step forward, as if they could see him too. Ezra reaches out, desperate to reconnect with them. He's so close to the door now that he can sense their presence clearer than ever, and he struggles not to cry. They can see him too: they recognize him, and understand on some level what he so desperately wants... and what happens to them.

They reach back.

"Mom? Dad? You'll always be a part of me," Ezra says, his voice breaking.

Mira and Ephraim smile back at him, their eyes full of sadness, love, and understanding. Unable to withhold his emotions any longer tears start falling down his cheeks, and he closes his eyes to keep the image in his mind, lowering his head.

But I have to let you go.

The smile falls from Palpatine's face, replaced with a look of surprise and dismay and he takes a step forward, holding a hand out to him.

"NO!" he cries.

A heavy pang of hurt and anguish builds up in Ezra but he also knows what has to be done, and he won't disappoint the memory of his parents by giving in to the Emperor's temptation. Grieving, he nevertheless thrusts his arms out with a powerful blast of the Force. The rock cracks apart in response to the flow of power and the structure shakes on its foundation, starting to collapse. The veil vanishes in a flash of light as a result, but their voices still reach out to him.

'We love you, Ezra.'

Feeling the love of his parents spur him onward, Ezra turns and starts running for the exit while the Temple collapses behind him. Palpatine holds an arm out to him, a deep frown on his face, and Ezra glares right back. The Emperor's scowl deepens and the hologram begins to flicker, exposing his true form as a dark, hooded figure with glowing yellow eyes, gazing at him with intense hatred. Ezra runs right through the hologram without a second thought and exists the temple, jumping far down the short incline to avoid being struck by the collapsing structure.

After a few seconds the room falls back into silence, and Ezra slowly pushes himself up into a crouched position on the floor, turning around to look at the temple. The structure has crumbled apart, the corridor entrance buried completely underneath it, but he remains tense, sensing a dark presence within the rubble, festering with rage.

Moments later the Emperor emerges from the destroyed temple like a ghoul, his hologram flickering between the guise of a kind, albeit frustrated man, and his true form as a Sith Lord, sinister and evil. Then the hologram settles on the Sith Lord's true appearance as he looks down at Ezra. Ezra shivers with trepidation and dread, almost wanting to crawl away and hide forever to avoid the Emperor's gaze, which was nothing but festering anger and malevolence.

Despite this, however, Ezra pushes himself to his feet with resolute determination, thinking about his friends and family. His parents are still with him, not in person, but in the form of his new family. He's always had them in a way that the Sith could never understand.

"You're wrong," Ezra says, glaring at the Emperor. "I have a family. I don't need anything from you."

Sidious regards the young Jedi in front of him with an intense growl of fury and contempt, struggling to contain his rage. Despite everything he offered, all the power he wields, the boy still chose to resist him.

Why?

He, Darth Sidious, took the greatest prize the Jedi had to offer and turned him into a weapon that serves his will only, using the fear of losing his family to do so. So why can he not do the same for these untrained brats now? Bridger, Jade... they all keep clinging to the memory of their 'so-called' families, and for what?

"Unfortunate," Sidious growls.

The door to the chamber suddenly opens, and Ezra whirls around as three guards in red armor with pikes come charging into the room. They swing their pikes around threateningly when stopping, speaking in some strange language through their helmets.

"Destroy him!" the Emperor angrily roars.

Ezra looks back at Sidious, seeing his hologram disappearing, and then turns around to face the three guards with a determined glare. Charging at them with a run, he gathers Force energy around him while the guards swing their pikes in preparation to attack, and then thrusts his hand forward to release a powerful Force push. To his surprise, however, the guards are minimally affected by his attack, only one of them getting tossed to the ground. Ezra widens his eyes, glancing at his hand in bewilderment at the lack of an affect; the brief hesitation is enough time for the guards to retaliate.

Reorganizing themselves the Royal guards activate the unique feature of their pikes and point them at Ezra. He cries out in surprise and pain when he's suddenly immobilized in a bubble of yellow energy, lifting him off of the ground and into the air. He grits his teeth in determination, attempting to resist the effect, only to yell out as the guards increase the power in their weapons, sending another wave of pain through him.

The door opens again, allowing a trio of death troopers to run inside and take aim. Ezra widens his eyes in alarm and looks around desperately, spotting the rubble of the ruined Temple. He reaches out to it wth the Force, but before the death troopers could shoot a lightsaber ignition sound is heard.

Mara sprints through the doorway with her purple lightsaber and the Imperial troopers scramble to respond, whirling around to face her. She deflects two shots and then delivers a swift kick to one's helmet, blasting away another with the Force. Two of the guards pull away from holding Ezra to face the new threat and he drops through the air for a moment, but the third continues holding him up with his staff, making him scowl in frustration. Mara cut through the last death trooper and holds her blade up just in time to block a guard's Force pike. She enters a brief duel with him, parrying his jabs before trying to kick him, but cries out in surprise when her foot is immobilized in a ball of yellow energy. The second guards points his pike downward and she tumbles to the ground painfully.

"Ow..." she mutters, feeling a bruise form on her face.

"Mara!" Ezra calls out. "You better jump!"

Mara looks up in response to his warning right as Ezra thrust his arms forward with a yell, clearly exuding tremendous effort. Behind him, the mountain of boulders is flung through the air at the guards, who whirl around in response to the noise. Mara pushes off the ground in a Force leap just in time for the wall of stone to crash into the three Royal guards, crushing them and the death troopers. She and Ezra both land on the ground, the latter stumbling on his feet for a second before regaining his center of gravity.

"What the heck, dude? You could've killed me too!" Mara exclaims.

"I warned you, didn't I?" he retorts, surprised and annoyed. "I know what I'm doing."

"I know. That was kind of cool," she admits, shrugging her shoulders.

"Then why―" he starts to ask.

"Relax, Ez, I'm just messing with you," she interrupts, grinning.

Ezra sighs, rolling his eyes in exasperation.

"Alright, fine, whatever," he grumbles, then pausing. "Is that your lightsaber?! I thought you lost it!"

"So did I," Mara replies, then takes off at a run for the door. "Come on, we should go find the others!"

"Others?" he asks, picking up a fallen blaster and following her to the doorway.

"Cere, Cal, and Merrin teleported here," she explains. "They're fighting Trilla right now."

Ezra frowns at the news, touched by how they came to save them, but also a bit concerned too when recalling what Ahsoka told him. It's something that he has to do, and he doesn't want the others on the ship when he confronts Thrawn. He slows down in the hallway, which Mara soon notices.

"What're stopping for? Let's go," she urges.

"I can't," he replies.

Mara stops to turn and look at him with a frown on her face.

"Why not?" she asks.

"There's something I need to do first," he states.

"Look, if you're gonna try and play the whole 'hero thing' please just don't, my Dad does it plenty―" Mara says.

"Trust me, it's not like that. If we're gonna free Lothal, then I need to take Thrawn out of the picture," Ezra tells her firmly.

She narrows her eyes.

"And how are you going to do that?"

"I can't really explain―" he responds.

"No, don't give me that," she cuts him off fiercely. "I need to know what you will do with him!"

Mara stares at him with an intense gaze and Ezra stares back with a frown, noticing her anxiety. He blinks, quickly realizing why she's unusually uptight about this: it's not just concern for him―though there is that―it's also concern for her planet. If something happens to Thrawn, then her planet is at risk of being exposed.

"I'm not going to kill him, Mara, and I promise that he won't expose your planet," Ezra reassures her with full sincerity, though he hesitates before continuing. "...Your parents asked me to do this."

She widens her eyes in stunned surprise, silent for a moment before responding.

"When?!" she asks incredulously.

"This morning," he admits. "They didn't want me to tell you because they didn't want you to worry."

Mara stands still for a few seconds, pondering what he just told her with a mixture of bewilderment, frustration, anger, and eventually understanding.

"Ok..." she finally concedes with a nod. "But how will you get off the ship?"

"I've got a way, don't worry about it," he says confidently, without hesitation.

She eyes him skeptically, not entirely comforted by the thought, but reluctantly sighs in acknowledgement.

"You'd better," she says. "Good luck."

He nods back to her and, after a few more seconds they continue on running through the ship, both going their separate ways.

---

Merrin cast two balls of green magick from her hands, hitting two purge troopers that were about to attack Cal from behind. Cal deflects a few strikes from the trooper facing him and the retaliates with a series of powerful blows, making the trooper stumble, then kicks his feet out from under him and stabs him with his lightsaber. He pulls his saber back out to deflect blaster fire from another trooper, who swiftly trades his blaster for his electrostaff when Cal advances. Merrin gathers up more magick in her hands but is suddenly struck from behind by another trooper, causing her to fall down with a cry of pain.

The purge trooper immediately plunges his staff downward for a killing blow, but Merrin rolls out of the way just in time and swings a foot out, kicking him in the back of the knee. He collapses to one leg, and Merrin uses her magick to throw him straight over to Cal, who spins around to cut through him with his saber and then immediately block the other trooper's attack, all in a single motion.

Cere backpedals while deflecting a series of vicious attacks from her fallen apprentice, dodging or blocking with her lightsaber. Trilla swings her saber with extra force, making Cere stumble for a moment, and then dashes forward at incredibly high speed. Cere raises her lightsaber to block her strike, but is subsequently kicked in the chest with enough force to throw her into a wall. She groans in pain, but manages to hold her lightsaber up just in time to block a killing blow. Blood red clashes against dull and faded red, highling the sneer on Trilla's face.

"What's the matter Cere? Getting slow in your old age?" she taunts.

"Slowness isn't the only thing that age grants someone," Cere retorts.

Pushing their sabers back slightly for more leverage, Cere then activates her lightsaber's spinning feature, dislodging a surprised Trilla from their blade lock. She then thrusts her arm out and pushes her back with a blast of the Force, and Trilla stabs her saber into the floor to slow her movement, snarling in frustration. Trilla pulls her saber out of the floor but then steps back as Cal lunges toward her, his lightsaber barely missing its mark. He rolls on the ground to get back to his feet before turning around, separating his lightsaber into two.

"You always were a bit cocky, Trilla," he remarks casually.

"Funny. I seem to remember you claiming that you could... what was it again? 'Handle yourself?'" she mocks.

"And you think you can?" Merrin calls out.

Trilla looks over only to yell in surprise and fury as she's engulfed in a cloud of green ichor that lifts her off the floor. A second later Merrin thrusts her hands forward, and Trilla is thrown far away down the hall, tumbling onto the floor with grunts of pain and frustration.

---

Thrawn POV...

The events of the last few months have been wrought with complete frustration, even during my victory over the rebels on Atollon, when I was supposed to be having success. Every day I've felt the shadow of the Emperor growing darker and more dangerous over my shoulder, eventually leading to a pivotal moment today. I still have a chance to salvage my position in the Empire's ranks, which I will need for the future ahead.

As such, the bombardment of Lothal.

It brings me no joy to do this, as it is by far an unnecessary waste of life and materials, especially when Lothal had so much more to offer. Now, though, with the indefinite halt to the factories here, and therefore the TIE Defender, Lothal is starting to become more of a burden. Whatever the Emperor wanted from Lothal as well, a Jedi Temple by the look of it, was also rendered worthless by the rebels, removing his interest in the planet. While I would've preferred a different outcome, recent events have left this to be the best course of action for the Empire, and for myself.

I step onto the bridge of my ship and move down the walkway to gaze out the viewport, my expression firm.

"All batteries prepare full scape bombardment of the city," I inform the bridge crew. "On my command."

They rush to acknowledge my orders and carry them out, and within a few moments the turbolasers are armed and ready to fire at the city. I narrow my eyes, lips pressed into a thin line, but proceed.

"Fire," I order sternly.

The Chimaera and the other two Star Destroyers with it begin to unleash their payload, and I wait patiently for an update on the situation.

It comes sooner than I expected.

"Sir, they've engaged the shield," Commander Hammerly says cautiously.

I whip my head down to look at her with wide eyes, momentarily stunned. The Dome's shield is up? How could that have happened? Feeling a bit of trepidation crawling up my spine I hastily pull out my comlink. This can't be happening.

"Rukh, Rukh! What's your status?!" I demand anxiously.

However, the voice on the other end of the line most definitely was NOT Rukh.

"Sorry, you'll have to call back. He's busy at the moment!" the rebel says.

I narrow my eyes angrily at the comlink and realize there's another sound filtering through the transmission that sounds suspiciously like screaming... pained screaming. From Rukh. I can only hear the screams for a few seconds before it abruptly stops. My hands start trembling slightly.

"Ugh... yeah, um, never mind about calling back," the rebel, Garazeb Orrelios, remarks, sounding a bit disgusted.

The transmission is then cut off, leaving me to stand in complete silence. I force my hand to stop trembling and take in several deep breaths in an attempt to regain control of my emotions. I will not let my emotions cloud my judgement and cost me my position in the Empire. I am better than that. This is a dangerous setback, but I can still recover from this.

The door behind me suddenly opens, however, followed by the sound of two consecutive blaster bolts.

---

Imperial Complex - Lothal

3rd person POV...

Rex, Boil and Numa run over to where Gregor is lying on the ground, supported by Kix. He looks up at their arrival with a defeated expression, quietly shaking his head. Numa widens her eyes in despair and glances at the others. The two soldiers look down with a crestfallen gaze, understanding all too well of Gregor's fate: the fate of any clone. No matter how many brothers they've lost, it still hurt just the same when losing another.

"Ah, Gregor... you crazy moof-milker," Boil sighs.

"Guess that means... that I..." Gregor says in between coughs, managing a grin. "...got you beat there, eh?"

Gregor coughs painfully once more and Boil replies with a scoff, grinning back at him. He and Rex crouch down on either side of the fallen clone commando, the latter gripping his hand.

"It was an honor to serve with you, Rex," Gregor says sincerely. "It was an honor to fight with you for something that we chose to believe in."

"Ah... we did it, Gregor," Rex replies softly.

Gregor closes his eyes with a smile, his head laying back on the ground. His hand goes limp in Rex's grip and his body falls still, his last breath slipping away with a relative amount of peace. Rex shuts his own eyes as well and rests his hand on his chest, bowing his head.

"We did it," he sighs, his voice almost a whisper.

Kix sighs in grim acknowledgement when Gregor's pulse stops, also bowing his head in grief. Boil's expression hardens as he looks away, a tear falling angrily down his face, and meets Numa's gaze. She moves down beside the hardened soldier to comfort him and he gratefully accepts it, allowing her to lean her head on his shoulder.

---

ISD Chimaera - Lothal

Mara POV...

Ezra, Ezra, Ezra Bridger... No, more like my parents.

Honestly!

Since when were they in contact with each other, and not with me? Did R5 know about this too, maybe? The most comforting thing though is that it means they're okay, thank the Force. The bigger question I have right now is how he's planning to get off the ship, but he said he had a plan.

Well, not much I can do right now except trust him.

The sound of a battle up ahead pulls me out of my thoughts and I swiftly refocus on the present. It doesn't seem that Cal, Merrin, and Cere have moved too far from where I saw them last, which is great. Running through these giant warships is exhausting, especially when having to deal with stormtroopers or Imperial officers every two corridors or so. I turn around the corner of one hallway to see a purge trooper go flying into a wall at the other end, and I can't help but crack up a little bit at the sight.

Soon enough I'm returning to the action to see Cere and Cal in the midst of a ferocious duel with Trilla while Merrin was dealing with a few purge troopers. About ten of them are sprawled out on the ground, unmoving, and the remaining four were surrounding the Nightsister. Narrowing my eyes I sprint forward and then leap into the air, stabbing one trooper through the back. The others turn towards me, surprised, and Merrin casts a bolt of magick to know down two of them while I deliver a fierce kick to the third, sending him into the wall.

"Thanks," Merrin says tiredly.

"No problem," I respond with a smile.

"Where's Ezra?" she asks with a concerned frown.

"He went after Thrawn," I explain. "I don't know what his plan is, but he said for us to not wait for him."

Merrin gives me a skeptical look, but before she can respond the three purge troopers are charging at us again. One of them tackles Merrin to the ground while the other two gang up on me, swinging their electrostaffs. I stumble backwards, caught of guard, and move my lightsaber to deflect their blows. While I block an overhead swing from one the other manages to get through my guard and jab me in the side with his staff. I cry out in pain from the electric shock, stumbling into a wall, and then they both jab their staffs into me simultaneously.

Let me just say that being electrocuted is not fun, especially from an electrostaff, much less two. It's like every molecule in my body is on fire, and I can barely hear my own screams of pain as the smell of ozone fills my nose. Gritting my teeth tightly, I fight through the pain by releasing some of it into the Force and release it in a powerful blast that throws the two troopers back, yelling as I did so. Retrieving my lightsaber, I jump forward and swing the blade through both purge troopers in a single strike, sighing in exhaustion when their bodies fall to the floor.

I can see a thin amount of smoke coming from my body thanks to the intense electrical shock, the pain fading away. Merrin, it seems, managed to handle her opponent by putting him into the wall: literally. Part of his head, arms, and one knee are visible, but the rest of him is completely hidden in the wall, which he's clearly struggling to free himself.

Nightsisters are scary.

The sound of lightsabers clashing reminds me of the other problem, and I look over to see the others still in combat with Trilla who, while struggling against two of them, seems to have gotten the upper hand for a moment. Cal was sitting against the wall, rubbing his head with a grimace, enabling Trilla to have all of her focus on Cere.

Without a second to waste I rush into battle with a fierce cry, and Trilla looks over in alarm. I bring my saber down overhead and she steps away from Cere in order to defend herself. I swing hard and fast, refusing to give her any chance to do more than defend herself. Cere quickly joins me in pressing her back, followed by Merrin casting bolts of magick, and finally Cal moving forward with his lightsabers. Trilla stumbles back in clear panic now, switching her saber to spin and wildly swinging back and forth out of desperation to keep us at bay.

But it wasn't enough.

Cal reconnects both of his lightsabers into a saberstaff and switches to using one blade, after which he then jabs it forward into the path of Trilla's blades. The blue saber catches the rotating blade, and he grunts as he nearly manages to lose his grip on it, but uses his greater physical strength to forcefully stop the blades' rotation. Likewise, Trilla's own grip on her weapon was nearly loosened by his action, but it's then completely lost when Cere swings her lightsaber to cut through the weapon's hilt, destroying it. Merrin then holds up her hands and a green glow surrounds Trilla, immobilizing her in the air. I finish it off by jumping forward and using both feet to kick her in the chest, sending her to the floor hard.

The four of us slowly advance on Trilla, weapons at the ready while she slowly crawls backward, groaning in pain while attempting to get to her feet.

"I think that settles it, Trilla," I say coolly. "You gonna surrender?"

"To the likes of you?" she hisses with contempt. "Never."

"You've lost, Trilla," Cere states. "Don't make this more difficult than it has to be."

"If you want what's best for me, then there's only one thing you can do," Trilla states coldly. "Show me mercy."

"Mercy?" Merrin questions, frowning.

We share cautious looks with each other, a bit wary of the way she phrased it.

"You heard me. The Emperor will not accept my failure," she says, looking genuinely afraid for a moment, before he fury returns. "And I refuse to ever surrender to the likes of you. So... if you truly do care about me, then grant me this small mercy."

"We're not murderers, Trilla," Cal shakes his head.

"Oh?" Trilla raises a derisive eyebrow. "Then what do you call what you just did to my troops?"

"You know the difference," he retorts. "We don't murder a defenseless and beaten adversary."

"Oh please!" Trilla laughs, sneering at us. "Listen to yourself, Jedi! You're such hypocrites, all of you!"

None of us respond, glaring at her, and she sighs in apparent disappointment.

"Maybe you two won't do it, but what about you, little one?" she says, smirking at me with an expectant look. "You want to kill me, don't you?"

I narrow my eyes at her and scoff.

"And not get to make fun of you anymore? Sure," I say dismissively.

"Oh, you can suppress it all you want, Jade, but I can sense your rage. It is there," she says smugly. "If it's any help, I can tell you that it is not that hard to release. All it takes is a single motion, and my life will end. I will be nothing more than the dirt underneath your foot, just like your parents were under mine."

I glare angrily at her, my hands trembling as the nightmare floods into my mind. Trilla storming into our house, dismembering my father and killing my mother... all with just a few flashes of red. The others are looking at me in concern, but I ignore them completely. Trilla smiles at me, and I grip my lightsaber tight enough that my knuckles turn bone right. Sweat runs down my forehead at the thought of that night, and I start to breathe heavily out of rage.

"Stop... talking..." I whisper, growling at her.

"Like me, they were helpless. Their fate was mine to decide," Trilla continues to say, all with that infuriating smile. "And it was so... easy. You remember, don't you?"

"Don't listen to her, Mara. You're better than that," Cal encourages.

"As if you know anything about her, Kestis," she sneers with contempt. "I've known her since she was a toddler. Of course, it would've been better for me to simply cut her throat then and there, like the little wench that she is."

"That's enough, Trilla!" Cere snaps, stomping in front of her.

"She's not worth it, Mara," Cal tells me.

"Really?" I snarl through clenched teeth.

"Mara, I understand how you feel," Merrin says gently. "Trust me... it won't help you to feel better."

I don't acknowledge her with a response and continue to glare at Trilla, trembling with rage at the mere sight of her. She smiles back at me with cold, yellow eyes, dismissive and full of scorn. Mocking me.

It's almost familiar in a way, at least frighteningly so... the illusion of Darth Sidious taunted me in a similar way when I did the Gathering. At the reminder I look down at my newly returned lightsaber, remembering that day.

'The dark side will tempt you and try to sway you away from the light, but as long as you stay true to the kind of person you are, you'll be fine.'

'Just remember to always trust in the Force Mara. Trust that you'll be able to find your crystal, and that you can resist the influence of the dark.'

Dad and Mom's words come back to me, filling my soul with comfort and love in the midst of the raging storm of anger.

'I am their daughter,' I had told Palpatine. 'And every moment I've spent with them I've felt nothing but love!'

The anger and rage starts to fade away, and I catch myself smiling, just barely. The pain is still there, and probably always will be, but it doesn't define me. It never will.

I refocus on Trilla, and she frowns at my newfound calmness.

"You might know my rage, even my pain, but you don't know me," I say confidently.

She glowers hatefully at me.

"Whatever," she snarls.

I shrug my shoulders with a small grin.

Just then, however, the faint sound of moaning and suspiciously animal-sounding cries are the only warning we have before something crashes into the ship. I barely manage to stay on my feet at the violent lurching of the Star Destroyer and I lean against the wall for support. The others are similarly staggering on their feet, Merrin falling to her knees.

My lightsaber I then yanked out of my hand and I whirl around to see Trilla lunging forward. Holding my lightsaber in her hands she points the blade at me with a roar and I scramble backward to defend myself.

"NO!"

Somebody leaps between us just as Trilla strikes, and I gasp in horror when they're impaled through their gut, the purple blade emerging from their back at stopping inches away from my chest.

It was Cere.

---

3rd person POV...

Thrawn slowly turns around to glare at Ezra, the young Jedi aiming his stolen blaster at him after taking out the death trooper guards. Ezra regards the Chiss Admiral with a fierce and determined expression.

"Looks like you lose, Thrawn," he declares.

"A momentary setback," Thrawn retorts dismissively.

"We'll see," Ezra remarks, taking a step forward.

Thrawn narrows his eyes at Ezra, noting with suspicion the amount of confidence Ezra was displaying, as if his victory could not be stopped. Not an uncommon look for him to have, as in is well within the boy's character, but this time it seems different. Unlike previous occasions, Ezra displayed no arrogance in his eyes, which gave Thrawn pause.

Just what was he up to?

"Sir, several unidentified objects have just entered orbit," Hammerly then reports.

"My blockade will intercept them," Thrawn offhandedly replies.

"They've destroyed the blockade!" she informs him, shocked. "Our ships are just... gone!"

The corner of Ezra's mouth curls upward into a smile as Thrawn turns around, his earlier panic and frustration swiftly returning. He grits his teeth, a rare scowl forming on his face as he glares at Hammerly.

"Get Captain Pellaeon!" he hisses.

Hammerly quickly nods, unsettled by Thrawn's rare display of anger, and opens up a transmission with Pallaeon to Thrawn's comlink. The captain's voice comes through with a lot of static.

"Sir, they came out of hyperspace!" Pallaeon exclaims in clear disbelief and fear. "I've never seen―"

The transmission is then cut off, much to his unease.

"Admiral, we have incoming!" Hammerly then says worriedly.

"Take a look," Ezra says with a grin.

Apprehensive, Thrawn turns his head to look out the large windows of the bridge. He narrows his eyes when seeing a glimpse of movement within the yellowish clouds, his confusion becoming disbelief and astonishment. Emerging from the clouds is an entire pod of purrgil, giant whale-like creatures that live in the vacuum of space. Flying in front of purrgil was the Ghost, leading the pod directly at the three Imperial Star Destroyers hovering above the city. The rebels flying the Ghost are unable to stop gazing at their baffling army, amazed by the amount of destruction they had already witnessed.

"So, would you have believed me if I told you this was Ezra's plan?" Matt Martin asks with a grin.

"Are you kidding me?" Hayden scoffs, shaking his head. "I could accept the Transformers, I could accept actually blasting through the Imperial Center, but this? Of course not!"

Wolffe chuckles in agreement.

"I hear ya kid. Leading a pod of space whales? That idea has Bridger written all over it," he remarks.

"Yeah. That's why it's going to work!" Vizago says cheerfully.

Acting quickly out of panic, the officers onboard the Star Destroyers send out their TIE Fighter pilots in a hasty attempt to repel the approaching pod of whale. The Ghost swoops down and opens fire on the fighters, prompting all of the purrgil into an attacking frenzy. The younger, smaller purrgil go after the fighters, either snatching them out of the air with their tentacles or simply smashing into them, while the older and larger purrgil charge for the Star Destroyer's themselves.

The purrgil bash their heads into the hull of the ships, the heavy shielding and tough metal alloy simply proving no match against the purrgil's sheer size and strength. One purrgil scrapes along the underside of one ship while two more bash the bridge tower, the combined might of the creatures sending the Destroyer plummeting to the ground. Lothal citizens gaze up in amazement at the baffling sight. Inside the command center of the Dome, the rebels there were similarly in awe and disbelief.

"Uh, when did this become the plan?" Sabine asks, glancing over at Hera.

"You're asking the wrong person," she replies.

On the bridge of the Chimaera Ezra stood firm, facing off against Thrawn and several stormtroopers, all of whom had their blasters pointed at him. Blaster pistol in hand, Thrawn observes the purrgil's unstoppable attack on his ships with grim resignation, realizing that his defeat here is all but certain. The Emperor will not accept another failure this time, regardless of the Force playing a key role. His time with the Empire is over... so what does Ezra Bridger intend to do with him now? Try and ensure he goes down with his ship?

"Whatever happens next happens to both of us," he points out, feeling surprisingly calm at this turn of events.

Thrawn glances to his right as one of the purrgil moves past the bridge, seeing it's large blue eye staring directly at him. Within it's gaze he can see a surprising amount of intelligence, reminding him of the green and white convor he saw during the Battle of Dxun.

"That's the idea," Ezra says in response to him.

Thrawn raises an eyebrow back, a small smirk of amusement on his face at the young Jedi's determination to see this through. Perhaps there's more to him than he previously thought. The smirk vanishes when the Chimaera shakes violently upon being rammed by a purrgil. Then the windows are broken and a mass of giant tentacles from the purrgil quickly fill the bridge, throwing everything into chaos.

As Thrawn looks around, seeing stormtroopers and officers being tossed or snatched up by the tentacles, the warning of the creature on Atollon returns to the forefront of his mind.

I see your defeat, like many arms surrounding you in a cold embrace.

---

Mara POV...

For a while everything seemed to be frozen in time. Cere stood in front of me in stunned, silent pain, my lightsaber buried in her gut and held by Trilla, who's glaring at her with a sneer on her face, while Cal and Merrin stare in horror and disbelief. I look down at the end of my saber's purple blade and tremble in despair. How did this even happen... why didn't I react in time? Why did Cere jump in front of Trilla like that?!

"You would save a youngling?" Trilla hisses in disgust, but also amusement. "Perhaps you really did change."

"CERE!" Cal roars.

He lunges at Trilla in a blur of motion, and Trilla barely has a second to react before she's tossed backward. Snarling, she struggles to defend herself against Cal using my lightsaber, and Cere stumbles on her feet. Without thinking I reach out to grab her, Merrin quickly doing the same, and we both help Cere to sit down on the ground. I start to panic while looking at the gaping hole in her stomach, having no idea what to do. Cere groans quickly, her face contorted into an intense grimace.

"Cere, look at me," Merrin orders, surprisingly calm. "Don't close your eyes, okay?"

Cere sighs, wincing from another burst of pain but doesn't shut her eyes, thankfully. Still, I can sense her life fading. While lightsaber wounds don't cause bleeding, thanks to instantly cauterizing any injury, it was still a rather large hole that definitely destroyed internal organs and whatnot in the way, not to mention the saber staying there for so long would've led to further burning, maybe even boiling around the injury. I hold out my trembling hands but can't think of anything to do.

"I- I don't know what to do," I say helplessly, looking at Merrin. "Can your magick do something?!"

Merrin scowls, glaring at the injury.

"There's too much damage. I need a talisman to amplify my magick," she replies in frustration.

I get the sense that she feels just as helpless as me. Nevertheless, she holds her hands out over Cere's wound and begins chanting, and her palms start to glow green. She doesn't get far, however, before Cere grabs her wrists.

"Merrin, don't..." she says, taking in a painful breath. "You... need to save, it, to get off the... ship."

"Don't say that," Merrin scowls in disagreement. "We could just get a ship instead!"

"Merrin," she insists firmly. "No... time."

"Master, how can you even say that?!" I demand incredulously. "Why... why did you jump in front of me?"

Cere grimaces in pain once more as she looks at me.

"You, can be... better," she says.

I pause at hearing her say that, slightly confused but what exactly she means. Before I can respond Cal and Trilla yelling pulls my attention to them in time for me to see Cal tumbling across the ground over to us. Trilla stalks forward in our direction, her hair disheveled, a malevolent grin on her face.

"Poor, naive Jedi! Fighting out of rage and grief is hardly your way, is it not?!" she cackles madly. "You do not know how to wield it... but I do! As do you, Cere!"

She pauses, smirking.

"Or did wield it," she taunts.

I growl angrily at her and get to my feet as Cal does the same; after gently leaning Cere against the wall Merrin also stands up, gathering her magick.

"Want to bet, lightning-face?" I retort.

Trilla frowns and runs at us with a yell, leaping forward with my lightsaber, and I raise my arms in preparation for the fight. Before I make my move, however, I sense something through the Force that feels like the rumbling of a giant whale, headed right for us, giving me a sense of danger. I widen my eyes in realization and jump at the others.

"Get down!" I shout.

A loud crashing sound reaches my ears before nearly the entirety of the hallway is blasted to bits as a massive creature seems to plow right through it. All five of us were directly in its path, but I can barely see how the others are doing without compromising myself. I tumble across the floor, falling down through metal debris and durasteel flooring, desperately trying to regain my footing. Finally, after falling what felt like several dozen feet through debris I grab hold of a steel pipe that remains stable, momentarily crying out by the sudden jolt of pain in my shoulder from the sudden stop. I quickly grab hold of the pipe with my other hand to secure my grip, and get a visual look at my new surroundings.

An entire section of the Chimaera was devastated by whatever hit it, the cause of which immediately makes itself clear by the giant floating purrgil moving through the air, away from the ship. The area I'm hanging from is completely exposed to the open sky, and I quickly turn my gaze upwards at seeing a glimpse of Lothal's capital city at least a thousand feet below me. A definite death if I fall.

"Oh Force, oh Force..." I murmur anxiously.

I then notice a glint of metal on a small ledge above me before it falls, which I recognize as my lightsaber. Letting go of the pipe with one arm I reach out and use the Force to grab my lightsaber before it fell past me, snatching it from the air with a relieved sigh. Maybe Trilla fell already...?

Oh no.

"Cere? Cal? Merrin?!" I call out, looking around for any sign of them.

"Mara!" I hear Cal's response above me.

I look up to see Cal and Merrin a few dozen feet higher, still in whatever is left of the destroyed hallway.

"Are you okay?!" he calls down worriedly.

"Just peachy!" I respond irritably. "Where's Cere... Cere!"

I then see her lying down just a few feet above me, her head and one arm hanging over the edge. She seems nearly passed out, but miraculously is still somewhat unconscious.

"Cere!" Cal exclaims, but she doesn't respond.

"Can you get to her?" Merrin asks worriedly.

I furrow my brow in concentration and painstakingly pull myself up onto the pipe. I balance myself on the pipe and then make to jump over to Cere but something grabs my boot, making me slip and fall. I cry out in alarm and barely grab hold of the ledge and look down to see Trilla climbing towards me with a look of seething fury, emphasized by the bloody gash running down the side of her head. She growls, pulling on my leg and I groan in exertion, struggling to stay up.

"Mara!" Cal yells in concern.

"Get... off!" I shout, kicking Trilla in the face.

She growls in pain and falls a couple of feet but quickly regains her foot, and starts to climb again.

"Get Cere first!" I yell up to Cal.

"How?!" he asks.

"How about the Force!" I scream in frustration. "Or some magick?!"

Trilla grabs hold of my foot again and I can't hold onto my ledge this time. I let out a panicked cry as I fall further down and grab hold of a smaller pipe right below Trilla, who looks down with a triumphant gleam in her eyes.

"First Cere, and now you!" she sneers. "This must be my lucky day."

She raises her boot and I widen my eyes in horrified realization, but I can't do anything before she slams her boot down on my fingers. I let out a pained cry as my grip is forcefully loosened, and I start to fall. Seeing my lift flash before my eyes I scream in fearful and determination and reach out with the Force, yanking on Trilla as hard as I can. She yells in surprise and anger as she's yanked down too, grabbing the pipe she kicked me off of; it's enough for me to grab her feet to stop my fall.

"YOU LITTLE BRAT!" she roars.

I shut my eyes and hold onto her legs for dear life while she furiously struggles to kick me off while desperately trying to hold onto the pipe. I risk a peek to see Cere's body floating through the air, practically with Cal and Merrin now. Good.

"Let me go you fool!" Trilla screams in anger, but also panic. "You're going to kill both of us!"

In spite of my fear, I manage a snarky response.

"Like you said, I wanted to kill you, right?" I retort, grinning up at her.

I wrap a huge chunk of Trilla's cape around one arm to further secure myself, and then reach for my belt. She looks down at me with a glare that's swiftly replaced by a look of horror as I ignite my lightsaber, the purple blade gleaming.

"Then you're coming with me!" I state fiercely.

I swing my lightsaber as far as I could to cut through the pipe, and my stomach starts crawling up into my throat as the feeling of weightlessness takes over. A scream threatens to burst from me, but it doesn't come, and Trilla screams in a state of rage and terror, flailing her arms around desperately. I stare up at the ship and manage to make out the sight of Cere safely retrieved by Cal and Merrin, both of who are looking down at me in horror.

At least she has a chance to live, but... what about me?

Falling through the air to what is certain death I know I don't have a chance now, but... strangely, I don't feel that afraid. I really don't want to die, but I have at least made a difference in this battle, and many others. From the looks of things we actually won: Ezra's plan, whatever it was, seems to have worked, if the pod of attacking purrgil's means anything. And my parents... Force, my parents, I don't know where they are right now, but at least their safe. Could this be the reason why they went to Ezra instead of me? They didn't want me to die?

Hands gripping at me pulls my attention towards Trilla, who is furiously grappling with me now. With one hand she's reaching for my lightsaber while attempting to strangle me with the other, am unstable look of wild rage and pain in her eyes. Guess she wants the satisfaction of killing me with her own hands before we both die. I hold my lightsaber away from her and attempt to push her back with my other hand. Scowling, I twist my body around her flailing arms and kick her chest to gain distance from her, but she grabs onto my boot in protest, mustering all the hate in her soul into a single glare towards me. I glare right back, determined to face death in a way that would make my parents proud.

That's when I hear it.

A new sound reaches my ears, faint, but startling familiar, giving me pause. I hear it again, almost sounding like... no, it can't be, can it?!

I look around and widen my eyes in shock to see none other than Zenna hurtling through the air, the Force-sensitive Nadder completely focused on me. She flaps her wings to gain ever more speed, squawking loudly, and I let out a gasp of astonishment at feeling her presence in the Force, confirming to me that she really is here! How, I have no idea, but I don't care!

Trilla grapples my foot to pull herself closer to me, glaring, but I return the gaze this time with a determined smile. She narrows her eyes in momentary confusion before realization and fear floods her expression.

"No... NO!" she growls.

I don't grant her my reply and simply kick her in the face, making her let go of me with a cry of pain. I spread my arms and legs out wide to slow my descent, if only slightly, gaining even more distance from Trilla. She screams louder than ever, but I don't see any more of her when Zenna catches me in her claws less than a hundred feet from the ground. She flaps her wings to gain altitude while I breathe heavily in an effort to catch my breath, exhausted by the whole ordeal, and she drops her head down to gaze at me with a concerned squawk. I manage a smile back at her, feeling nothing at the moment but thundering relief.

"You have no idea how glad I am you're here," I exhale, and she chirps happily in response.

With some effort I then make the move from her claws into the saddle on her back, a process that feels much more tiring than anything else today. Must be a lack of adrenaline making me feel like that. Less than a minute later I see a green flash on a nearby rooftop and direct Zenna over to it, recognizing Cal, Merrin, and Cere. I smile, deducing that they just teleported off the ship, and surprise them by landing a few feet away.

"Hey guys!" I call out.

"Mara?!" Cal asks, stepping back in surprise. "How did- we thought you were..."

He trails off, stunned.

"Is that a dragon?" Merrin asks incredulously. "Where'd the dragon come from?"

"I honestly have no idea how Zenna got here," I admit with a shrug. "But I'm not complaining!"

Zenna squawks at me joyfully and I pat her neck before climbing off her back. My cheerfulness rapidly dissipates when I notice Cere's condition, as she seems to be worse now.

"Um... how is she?" I ask worriedly.

Cal and Merrin's bewilderment also disappears in moments and they return their focus to Cere, who is sat on the ground with her back against a part of the roof. She seems to be in less pain, though in a bad way, and her gaze seems more unfocused, teetering on the edge of consciousness. Merrin and Cal both crouch down on either side of her with distraught looks on their faces.

"I... don't have enough magick to heal her," Merrin says softly.

Because Cere wanted her to use her magick for escaping instead of healing her.

"BD, any health stims?" Cal asks his droid.

BD-1 replies with a pitiful beep of disappointment, and Cal looks down helplessly.

"Well, lets go to a hospital!" I anxiously suggest. "We're in a city, there's gotta be plenty of―"

"No," Cere interrupts quietly.

We silently focus on her as she tilts her head to look at us, her expression looking more pained now that she's focusing. The sounds of the air battle above us are ignored completely, and Cere takes in a shaky breath.

"It's... too late, for me," she says.

"We're not giving up on you, Cere," Cal protests. "You can't give up on yourself!"

"Cal, I knew there was a chance today... that I would..." she responds, pausing when her face contorts in pain. "...but it's okay."

"Cere, we're a family," Merrin argues. "What about Greez?"

"He'll understand," Cere replies, a small smile on her face. "I'm glad to have met you both... I couldn't have asked for a better family."

Cal and Merrin, both on the edge of crying, sharing a sad look with each other. Zenna squawks, looking up at the sky, and I glance up to see all of the purrgil surrounding the Chimaera and attach themselves to the hull while their tentacles light up with a blue glow. I look back down when Cere shifts her gaze to me.

"Mara... your father is lucky, to have you..." she murmurs, her eyelids drooping. "Be there... for him."

She closes her eyes and takes a final breath, then goes still. A tear rolls down my cheek and I wipe it away, closing my eyes sadly. I don't know Cere too well, but I still can't help but feel a little bit of grief at her passing.

"I will," I say quietly, responding to Cere's last words.

Merrin looks at the floor with a hand up to her face, muffling the sound of her cries as a few tears leak out from her shut eyelids, while Cal silently gazes at Cere with grief in his eyes, sighing sadly. Cere's body then vanishes into thin air, her clothes falling to the floor without a body to cover, surprising all of us.

For some reason, Ezra's voice then breaks through my mind and I find myself looking up at the pod of purrgils on the Chimaera.

'And remember, the Force will be with you, always.'

In a blur of motion the purrgil and the Star Destroyers are gone, leaving smoke as the only evidence they were there.

I'm not sure what to make of it.

---

Ahch-To - Unknown Regions

3rd person POV...

The wind moves gently through the cool ocean air, causing the blades of grass to sway. Overlooking the green island she stood with her arms folded beneath her pure white cloak, which also flutters in the breeze. She breathes in and out, the essence of tranquil peace, and opens her eyes. The clouds part, allowing one of the two suns to shine its light down onto the island.

"He did it," she murmurs. "He's taken Thrawn away."

He looks up from what had previously had his full attention and focus, nodding in acknowledgement before concern filters through.

"And Mara?" he asks.

"She nearly had us worried, but Zenna got there just in time," she replies, turning around to smile at him. "She faced her demons, and overcame them."

Relieved by the answer, he smiles back at her and gently shakes his head.

"That's good to hear," he says. "Mara's got a lot going for her."

"Kind of reminds me of us, back in the day," she remarks. "Don't you think?"

They both share a small reminiscing laugh with each other, and she pulls her white hood off her head, freeing her montrals to the air.

"...Maa.. rwwa?" a quiet, curious voice says.

Jarik and Ahsoka look down at the source of the voice, who teeters slightly from her seated position on the former's left leg. The baby girl, who has pale orange skin and the tiniest montrals and lekku, gazes up at them with big, inquisitive eyes, completely focused on the name. Ahsoka smiles warmly at the child and crouches down next to Jarik to be at eye level, and reaches out to take the girl's little hand in hers.

"That's right, Talia," she says. "You're going to meet your older sister soon."

"Mawa?" Talia asks.

"Mara," Jarik corrects her.

"Mawa!" she declares.

He shakes his head in fond exasperation and shares an amused look with Ahsoka while Talia joyfully repeats her new favorite word, eyes glimmering with curiosity, waving a hand up and down in excitement.

---

Lothal - Outer Rim Territories

Mara POV...

After the purrgil took away the Star Destroyers the Imperial Complex was blasted into the sky and destroyed in a brilliant explosion, seeming almost like a giant firework display―apparently Governor Pryce refused to flee from its destruction with the Spectres, and so she died as well. Out of loyalty to the Empire, or a simple matter of pride, I have no idea, but I'm not really complaining.

The citizens of the city began a massive celebration and even stormed what remained of the Imperial Complex that didn't fly up with the main structure, resulting in any remaining Imperials to issue a swift and decisive surrender to the populace. I can barely believe that we actually did it, freeing an entire planet from the grip of the Empire without an army, just a small group of resistance fighters, retired soldiers, smugglers, and Force users.

Of course, the victory wasn't without its costs.

In addition to Cere's passing, Gregor was killed while trying to secure the Dome's shield generators, as did Hondo's companion, 'Melch,' I believe. Having one of the clones dying is upsetting, especially since they've already suffered through so much, but when I went to talk with Boil and Rex about it they said Gregor was actually happy about it, at least in the sense that he died for something he chose to do, rather than what he was bred to do. As for the Mantis Crew, Greez was crestfallen when learning about Cere's death and joined with Cal and Merrin in sharing their sorrow.

But the most surprising, and a bit crazy, loss today was by far Ezra. He's not dead, it seems, but he stayed behind on the Chimaera when the purrgil took it away, in order to ensure that Thrawn was taken with them. I thought back on what Ezra told me just before we separated, saying that Mom and Dad are the ones that told him to what he did, so I have a strong feeling that they know where he and Thrawn are: maybe they're with them right now. I'm not sure whether to be angry or relieved at knowing this, but I refrain from sharing this information with the Spectres for the time being, at least until I have a better understanding of it. Mom and Dad should probably be the ones to tell them anyways, or maybe even Ezra himself.

I let out a sigh while mulling over the thoughts running through my head and Zenna prods my shoulder with her snout, giving a concerned rumble. I smile and reach out to scratch her neck and she purrs in content, her spiked tail curling on the rocky surface where she's seated beside me.

It's been about two to three hours now since the Dome exploded, and most of us have since returned to the resistance camp in the mountains, mainly to gather their supplies now that they can move into Capital City without fear of being executed on sight. The Empire will surely respond to Lothal's liberation, especially with the loss of several key leaders, so Hera and Sabine want to set up a defense of the planet, which nearly all of its citizens are ready to support. Ryder Azadi was immediately reinstated as Governor of Lothal barely an hour after the battle, and is back in the capital right now reorganizing things.

Since I don't have much to contribute I'm hanging out on top of one of the cliff ledges with Zenna and R5, who I'm overjoyed to see are no longer at odds with each other, or even suspicious. About time, if I'm being honest.

Approaching footsteps pull my attention away from the horizon and I look back to see Rylla walking over.

"I heard about your encounter with the Inquisitor," she starts off. "You doing ok, Mara?"

"Yeah, I'm good," I reply, shrugging my shoulders. "She won't be an issue anymore, so, that's nice."

:Thank the Maker: R5 beeps

Rylla frowns at me suspiciously and I roll my eyes.

"Trust me, I'm fine. She tried getting under my skin, but I didn't work," I say, smiling at her. "I followed your advice."

Her gaze softens a bit, albeit still a bit hesitant, and she smiles back down at me.

"I'm happy to hear it," she says.

She then sits down beside me with a thoughtful look on her face, considering something.

"I also heard that you fell off the ship," she remarks, glancing at me and Zenna. "Guess it's a good thing she was around."

I nod my head in agreement and turn to look at Zenna, rubbing her snout.

"Sure was," I remark. "Honestly though, I don't know how she got here."

Rylla lifts an eyebrow in surprise.

"You didn't bring her with you?" she asks.

"I assumed you brought her," I admit.

"Me?"

"Well, you're the only other person who knows where Ahch-To is, and this is the first time Zenna showed up," I state, furrowing my brow.

"Maybe she snuck aboard the Knight Hawk," Rylla suggests.

:Not a chance: R5 immediately responds.

"It's been several days since we left, and there's no way she could've hidden from me, Dad, and R5 the whole time. And even if she could, she wouldn't want to," I explain.

I look at Zenna intently and she stares back, blinking her eyes and purring quietly. I can't fathom any idea of how she could've gotten here without someone bringing her.

...unless someone did bring her. But who―?

An idea springs to mind and I widen my eyes slightly in stunned realization. Just then I spot movement from the corner of my eyes and focus in on it. Standing on top of a rock spire is the black loth-wolf, staring directly at us. Zenna also looks at the wolf with narrowed eyes, but doesn't growl, just observes. The wolf then backs up a few steps and vanished behind the rock.

"You've got to be kidding me..." I say.

"What is it?" Rylla asks, and I glance over to see her looking at me, slightly concerned.

She didn't see the wolf.

"I've got a very good idea of who brought Zenna here," I tell her, sighing. "My parents."

Rylla widens her eyes, confused.

"Your parents...?" she questions carefully.

Then I realize her confusion: I said parents as in plural, and she still thinks Mom is gone. I rub the back my neck with a sheepish grin.

"Yeah. So, uh, now that I think about it, I gotta take Zenna back to Ahch-To," I tell her, and R5 beeps in disappointment. "Want to come with?"

Rylla frowns, considering.

"I'm not sure, Mara. Hayden and I backed off on a few things to come help you all here, so we'll be very busy soon," she states.

"Hayden can stay here, right? You wouldn't be gone for very long anyways," I suggest. "Trust me, I think there's something you'll really want to see."

She regards me intently for a while, a little suspicious, and I just smile back at her innocently.

---

3rd person POV...

"I cannot believe you!" Hayden says.

He scowls at Rylla with crossed arms, and she sighs in exasperation. Mara watches with some amusement, crossing her arms.

"Chill out dude, it's not that big a deal," she comments.

"Hey, not your conversation kiddo," he retorts.

"Hayden, I'll only be gone for a day; no more than two," Rylla reasons. "We don't have any pressing responsibilities anyway, so I'm sure you'll manage."

He scoffs, shaking his head.

"Yeah, well, doesn't mean I have to like it," he replies.

"So you're headed out?" Hera asks Mara.

"Yup. Sorry it's on short notice," she says.

"That's ok. We can manage," she reassures her. "Any idea when you'll be back?"

"Not a clue," Mara admits. "But Dad will know if something big ever happens, so..."

She shrugs, smiling, and Boil shakes his head.

"Course he will," he scoffs. "Take care kid."

---

After satisfying the others with a suitable explanation and saying goodbye Mara and Rylla entered the Knight Hawk, Zenna already in the cargo hold and R5 waiting in the cockpit. Soon enough the ship began to lift off the ground and into the air, the force of the exhaust blowing a gust of wind over any nearby tall grass, and the rebel group began to head off to continue their duties. However, they were all completely unaware that the Knight Hawk was being watched by another party.

Up on a ridge of the mountain range stood a lone figure clad in green armor, a light-brown cape flapping gently in the wind, and a t-visored helmet to hide his identity. He calmly and patiently observes the Knight Hawk take off from the ground and begin flying up higher in the sky, slowly turning his head to watch its progress through the atmosphere. When it becomes no more than a tiny speck far in the distance he lowers his head to look at his wrist gauntlet with a critical eye, satisfied to see his tracking beacon successfully transmitting. He spares a final look in the direction of the ship, his caution and uncertainty greatly overshadowed by his grim determination.

Without another word, Boba Fett turns on his heel and walks away to his own ship, his heel spurs jingling with each step.

---

THE NEXT DAY...

---

Sundari, Mandalore - Outer Rim Territories

3rd person POV...

"I assure you, the Empire will not take this lightly."

Lorka Gedyc acknowledged Gideon's words with a stiff nod, glaring hatefully at the floor with his hands curled tightly into fists, still visibly enraged.

"It better not," Lorka seethes.

The holotable then starts to beep with an incoming message, gaining the attention of the Imperial Security Bureau agent. He glances over and then back to Lorka, his expression remaining as calm as ever.

"If you would excuse me, I must take this call in private," he states.

Lorka gives a stiff nod but otherwise doesn't say anything, stomping his way out of the command center. Gideon watches him go, only turning around to face the holotable once the door had closed. He presses a button to accept the call and then lowers down to one knee, lowering his head out of respect as the hooded figure of the Emperor appears, gazing at him with piercing yellow eyes.

"I find myself in need of pleasing news, Marshal Gideon," Palpatine states bluntly. "Tell me, what is the current status of the Mandalorian occupation?"

"Unfortunately, the news I have is less than desirable, my Emperor," Gideon admits cautiously. "The Mandalorian resistance has proven to be far more dangerous than anticipated. I'm afraid that Lord Vader's... asset... is now a lost cause."

The Emperor narrows his eyes at Gideon in frustration and annoyance, leaving the Imperial officer uneasy. However, the moment soon passes when Palpatine speaks again.

"That is indeed unfortunate. With the defeat of Grand Admiral Thrawn and the last of my Inquisitor's... my greatest resources against the Rebellion have been lost," he says in cold, dangerous tone, his yellow eyes gleaming. "Do you understand, Marshal Gideon, how displeased I am to learn that Mandalore is now a threat as well?"

"I understand fully, my Lord," he swiftly acknowledges.

"Then tell me, how long would it take you to run these traitorous Mandalorians into the ground?" Palpatine demands.

"Without the Duchess, eliminating the Mandalorian resistance requires much more effort," Gideon informs him. "Their numbers only continue to grow as word of Kryze spreads amongst the clans. To defeat them all would take... time."

"Time has become an ally of the Rebellion, Marshal. As such, I cannot accept this," he scowls in response.

The Emperor is silent in contemplation for a few moments, soon reaching a decision.

"Wipe them out," Palpatine orders coldly. "ALL of them."

"As you wish, my Lord," Gideon acknowledges, bowing his head to him.

The hologram of the Emperor fades away as the transmission ends, and Gideon slowly stands back up with a frown, slightly grim but also resolute and determined. He presses another button on the holotable, opening a communication line.

"Gedyc, I need you back in here for a moment," he says.

The transmission is ended and moments later the doors open up once again to allow Lorka reentry into the command center. He glowers in annoyance at the call but doesn't voice his frustration, the doors shutting behind him after he steps inside.

"What is it, Marshal?" he asks.

"I'm afraid there has been a change of plans, Count Gedyc," Gideon replies impassively.

Lorka frowns at the strange tone in his voice, suspicious, but before he can reply the Imperial Marshal turns and fires a shot from his blaster. The Mandalorian barely had any time to express his shock before the bolt hits him directly in the face, killing him instantly. Gideon holsters his blaster pistol with a small sigh.

It's disappointing, to say the least, but he knows what needs to be done: if the Empire can't control Mandalore, then nobody ever will.

---

Author's Note: And there it is, the end of Star Wars Rebels. It's been a long run, but now we're moving into new territory.

Original territory. :)

Based on comments left over the months, many of you were expecting a fight between Jarik and Vader here, though I'm sorry to disappoint with the fact that I never planned for it to happen. The simple reason is that if Jarik and Vader fought in the Liberation of Lothal, circumstances would've determined that the only outcome from such a battle would be death: only one would walk away. If Jarik won, then the Galactic Civil War would have a drastically different outcome; if Vader won, then the Rebels would not have been successful at freeing Lothal.

Simply put, it was not yet time for their climactic duel... but it is closer now.

Lots of other different things happened in this chapter, and even more were revealed: Ezra and Thrawn will have a part to play in the future of the Shaniverse. The Inquisitorius has now been brought to its end with the fall of its last agent. Cere Junda has now become one with the Force. Fed up with continued losses and setbacks, the Emperor has ordered the eradication of Mandalore. And after two years living in the past, Ahsoka and Jarik have returned to the present, bringing with them a new face! :O

Also... Boba Fett makes his debut in the Shaniverse!

P.S.: Anybody notice the callback with Mara's escape? :)

Also, I had Melch die because I thought it was random and unnecessary to have him survive, especially when he had basically the same injury as Gregor, a soldier genetically bred for war.