Imperial Complex, Capital City - Lothal
3rd person POV...
"Your assertion about the rebels plans has my attention, Thrawn," Tarkin says thoughtfully. "What target will the rebels attack?"
"I believe they're about to strike our most important facility in the region. The TIE defender factory right here on Lothal," Thrawn states firmly. Pryce and Sloane share a brief look of surprise before Thrawn continues. "My spies report General Dodonna's fleet is en route to reinforce Commander Sato and Captain Syndulla."
"Where is this fleet massing?" Tarkin asks.
"I have yet to uncover its precise location," he admits.
"I never would've expected the rebels as a whole to try something this bold," Sloane remarks.
"Indeed. A coordinated attack by multiple rebel cells is unprecedented," Pryce adds in concern.
"And it's exactly this moment I've been waiting for to wipe them out," Thrawn declares confidently.
"I want you to capture their leadership," Tarkin orders.
Vader tilts his head in Tarkin's direction, his echoing breaths faltering for a moment, whilst Thrawn looks on uncertainly, narrowing his eyes.
"In such a battle, it may not be possible to take prisoners," he replies in disagreement.
"Ah, but a man of your talents will manage," he retorts with a stern gaze, raising an eyebrow expectantly. "If we are to crush this rebellion, we must make examples of its leaders."
"As you wish, Governor Tarkin," Thrawn acknowledges with a resigned nod.
"No," Vader interrupts, his voice cutting through the silence.
Pryce and Sloane both tense up and share another glance with each other, more cautious, whilst Second Sister and Thrawn look on with intrigue. Tarkin furrows his brow and turns to face Vader with a deep frown, a challenging look on his face.
"No?" he demands. "Lord Vader, may I remind you that these insurgents have done more than just superficial damage to the Empire? With every day that passes, their leaders continue to inspire others to resist Imperial rule, with even so little as the mere mention of their name. Such as Jarik Shan. You understand this, don't you?"
"Indeed. Shan has inspired many to follow him," Vader acknowledges. "But my answer is still no."
"Then perhaps you should explain yourself. Certainly the Emperor feels that this idea of 'hope' for rebellion to be destroyed," Tarkin states, narrowing his eyes at Vader in frustration.
"Precisely. Which is why he has commissioned for Shan's termination on sight," he responds firmly, his deep voice booming with certainty. "Every day that he remains alive, allows his legacy to spread further across the galaxy. And every attempt at capturing him has thus ended in failure."
"If he is not made an example of, he will only be seen as a martyr," Tarkin argues.
"Perhaps, but perhaps not," Thrawn remarks thoughtfully. "Public execution could allow him to express his defiance even further, in the face of death."
"You may have the leaders of this rebellion, Governor Tarkin," Vader adds. "But Jarik Shan and the Jedi, must perish."
"That is, if Thrawn can manage it?" Tarkin questions, recalling Thrawn's doubt in the possibility.
"Of course, Governor," Thrawn nods in confirmation, not at all bothered by his implication. "I shall begin preparations for the assault."
With that said, the holograms of Tarkin and Vader both disappear, leaving the Imperial's and Second Sister to ponder their discussion.
Meanwhile, Agent Kallus sat in stunned silence, worry and fear running through his mind. It was only through sheer luck that Jarik escaped Dxun as a result of the storm. However if Thrawn is prepared for the coming attack on Lothal, then he is very much doubtful about the rebels' survival this time around. He doesn't know if Shan himself will be present for the battle, but considering it is supposed to be such a large scale conflict, the possibility is very likely. The rebels of Phoenix Squadron have no idea they're walking into a trap.
He has to warn them before its too late!
Chopper Base - Atollon
After the unexpected battle against the Hive, the rebels returned to base with troubling questions and fear in their hearts.
Kanan was injured during the fight, having received three deep claw marks running down his left arm, and so was checked by the medical staff on base, receiving a few injections to prevent infection as well as bacta wraps being applied. Jarik, however, was in a far more serious condition, having been discovered lying unconscious by Rex and Boil. As he was rushed back to base, it became apparent that he had some internal damage, a black eye, and serious bruising all over his body; judging by the state of his armor, he would've certainly broken several bones in his torso if he didn't have it on. Due to his injuries, he was rushed into a bacta tank for recovery.
The next morning, the rebels soon gathered together in the command center to discuss the problematic event. Though invited back to the base, the autobots were too large to physically participate in the meeting, but Commander Sato, Hera, and Cere firmly insisted on their inclusion, so they joined in through sized down holograms, which were scaled down to human size. All of the Ghost and Mantis crews were present, as was Shaak Ti and HK-47.
"When will Commander Shan be available to discuss this? Seeing as he already knew about these creatures, we need his input," Commander Sato states firmly.
He was joining in through a hologram as well, as he was currently up in orbit onboard his command ship, Phoenix Nest, to maintain a steady watch for any more 'uninvited visitors' they may have returning.
"He's still recovering in the bacta tank. He took a serious beating during the fight," Hera explains.
"Then would someone else be willing to enlighten us?" Commander Sato questions, looking at the autobots suspiciously. "Perhaps you could share, Elita One? You three are the reason they attacked us after all."
Ironhide and Chromia both glanced at each other in slight displeasure while Elita sighed sadly.
"You don't have to be so rude about it," Chromia remarks.
"It's okay Chromia. They have a right to be upset," Elita says placatingly, turning to look at the rebels. "I'm sorry about what are presence here brought. We did not expect the Hive to pursue us this far in."
"Your apology is noted," Sato replies in acknowledgment, his gaze softening slightly. "The Hive, is that what those creatures were?"
"Statement: That or the Yuuzhan Vong, whichever name you prefer to use," HK-47 adds.
"What exactly are these, Hive?" Cere questions.
Elita glances over at Ironhide for an answer, as he knows them better than her.
"The Hive are a very ancient species, quite possibly one of the oldest races in the universe as legend would have it," Ironhide explains.
"Why were they chasing you guys?" Ezra asks.
"Those fraggers are a bunch of crazy zealots, and they despise anything mechanical," he says with a grunt.
"Commentary: And considering you belong to a race of large mechanical beings who aren't programmed, but have actual souls... assuming your claim of that is true," HK-47 murmurs doubtfully at the end, making the autobots rolls their eyes in annoyance. "...then there's nothing more heretical to the Yuuzhan Vong than you."
"Thank you for your input," Chromia sighs.
"We were heading beyond your galaxy so that we could return home, but when we reached the border we were ambushed by the Hive," Elita continues to say, frowning in concern. "It seems they are patrolling the outer borders of your galaxy, attacking anyone who tries to leave."
"Why would they do that?" Rex asks cautiously.
"They're preparing for an invasion," Merrin murmurs softly, barely heard by the others.
"Invasion?" Kanan says in alarm.
"Are you sure Merrin?" Cal asks carefully, and she nods her head with a haunted expression on her face.
"I think so. The Yuuzhan Vong were spoken of in tales and myths told amongst the Nightsisters," Merrin explains slowly. "According to legend, it was said that we learned the ability to harness our magick from a powerful being that the Yuuzhan Vong referred to as the 'Witch Queen.' However, the legends also warned us that one day, the Yuuzhan Vong would eventually return to the galaxy, and raze it to ash."
"Well doesn't that just sound pleasant," Boil says sarcastically, obscuring his feelings of slight fear.
Merrin shakes her head, looking up at them uncomfortably.
"Until now, I thought they were just stories. Nothing more," she adds helplessly.
"We've heard about them as well, but Chromia and I thought the same until they attacked us," Elita adds.
"Did your myths or whatever say when they would return?" Zeb asks.
"No," Merrin replies.
"If they've established a blockade around the galaxy to keep people in then I'd say that's a sure indication that they're getting close, and that they have a large fleet," Hera says, frowning worriedly while crossing her arms. "I can't imagine the amount of ships it would take to set a perimeter so big."
"As if dealing with the Empire was bad enough," Cere comments
"Even that isn't the part that's got me afraid," Kanan says uneasily. "When we were fighting them... I was almost helpless because I couldn't sense them. Whatever the Hive or Yuuzhan vong are, they have no presence in the Force."
"Not only that, but I couldn't use the Force against them either," Ezra adds anxiously. "When I tried to they just stumbled for a second, barely affected by it."
"That shouldn't be possible. Without the Force, life could not exist," Shaak Ti says worriedly. "But that terrible presence I felt... the Force felt so unnatural."
"We felt it to," Kanan replies.
"What are you referring too?" Commander Sato questions.
"Just before they attacked us, we were all overcome by the presence of a powerful entity," Cere informs him, her face slightly pale as she recalls the primal fear she felt in that moment. "Whatever this thing was, it tore through all of our minds with ease, speaking with a terrible voice. I've never felt such evil before; even Darth Vader himself pales in comparison."
"Even if we didn't have the Force, we still felt it," Greez adds nervously.
"Merrin, do you know what, or who that presence was?" Cal asks.
She shakes her head in response, unsure of the answer. HK-47 looked as if he wanted to answer, but before he could another voice cuts into the conversation.
"That voice belonged to Oryx," Jarik says.
Everyone looks around in surprise to see Jarik approaching the table, a slight limp in his step. It was clear that he was still not fully healed, as his face still had a few bruises, the mark on his eye still present. He was wearing his Jedi cloak over a casual shirt and pants, and had his boots on, though not much else. As he limped to the table Rex and Boil moved to intercept him, stopping him in his tracks.
"Jarik, you're in no condition to be walking about just yet," Boil states.
"I'm fine Boil," he replies dismissively, attempting to move forward.
"Boil's right sir. You have to finish your session in the bacta tank, especially with all that's going on right now," Rex argues.
"If it makes you happy I'll go back after, but right now I need to talk about this," Jarik retorts.
The two share a troubled look with each other, still hesitant.
"Let him speak for now," Commander Sato says.
Reluctantly, Rex and Boil allow him to move up to stand at the holotable with them, which Jarik does so determinedly.
"Quite the tough human," Ironhide mutters to Chromia, who nods in agreement.
"The voice we all heard, the one responsible for that surge of dark power was Oryx, the Taken King," Jarik informs them.
"Who is he? Their leader?" Hera asks.
"He is. To the Yuuzhan Vong he's not just their king, he's also their god," he explains with a frown. "He wields power on a scale greater than any Jedi or Sith has ever achieved throughout all of galactic history, so much so that even the Emperor would be child's play in comparison."
"How do you know all of this?" Kanan asks.
"A few weeks before Malachor, Ahsoka, Mara and I received a distress call from far out in the Unknown Regions," Jarik says, glancing at them all. "From Thrawn."
"Thrawn?" Ezra exclaims in surprise.
"What do you mean you received a distress call from Thrawn, of all people?" Hera asks in bewilderment. "What would he have been doing out there?"
"He and the Emperor were already aware of their existence, and the danger they represent, so Thrawn was sent to find them and prepare for their arrival," he explains, making a face. "Unfortunately for Thrawn, Oryx found him first, and obliterated his entire fleet. We rescued him, but we barely escaped ourselves."
"Why would you ever think to rescue that guy?" Zeb asks incredulously.
"His people, the Chiss, have been studying the Yuuzhan Vong, so Thrawn knew things about them that we needed to know too. After we escaped Oryx however Thrawn, being Thrawn, managed to trick us so that he could escape us," Jarik tells them, looking around with a warning expression. "So before you ask why we let him go, we didn't. He contacted the Empire and we were forced to release him."
"Oh... ok, I guess," Ezra shrugs.
"Query: A Chiss Admiral outsmarted you when he was your prisoner?" HK-47 asks, laughing. "Statement: How amusing. My respect for you only drops further."
"Glad to hear it," Jarik deadpans.
"Well this certainly changes things
"Well, knowing all of this certainly changes things. And not in a good way," Hera says worriedly.
"Indeed. Rebel command must be warned about this," Commander Sato states. "If an invasion force of this scale is headed our way, we need to prepare for the worst."
"No. The Yuuzhan Vong shouldn't be the main focus right now," Jarik disagrees, much to their surprise. "You've been planning the strike on Lothal for a long time now, so that's what you should continue to worry about."
"What do you mean, we shouldn't worry about it?" Hera asks incredulously. "After what you just told us: after what we've seen?"
"Shan, clearly these Yuuzhan Vong are a threat to everyone, not just the Rebellion, or the Empire. The entire galaxy lies at stake," Cere says, frowning. "And you're suggesting to ignore it?"
"Jarik, the Hive followed us this far, and I feel that their presence at the edge of the galaxy means they'll likely move very soon," Elita adds cautiously. "Are you sure your suggestion is wise?"
"They will come, there's no doubt about that. But not yet; not for a while. The Empire currently controls the galaxy, and despite Oryx's power, they would still have serious difficulty defeating the entirety of the Imperial fleet, as it's just too big," Jarik confidently reasons. "And clearly the Emperor isn't worried about them yet either, otherwise he, Thrawn, and Vader wouldn't be so focused on us."
The rebels share thoughtful glances with each other, understanding the point Jarik was making.
"If it's any comfort, Ahsoka and I already told Senator Organa about this, so he's fully aware of what's coming," he adds for assurance, coughing in slight pain. "Truthfully, we don't know when it'll happen. It could be years, decades even. But not... not now."
He coughs again a little bit, and Commander Sato nods his head to him.
"You make a compelling argument Commander Shan," he remarks. "Very well. We shall continue our fight against the Empire as we have. But if these 'Hive' decide to strike again, then we will be ready for them."
Jarik nods in gratitude, but then breaks into another fit of coughing, his chest aching with pain, and Boil places his hand on his shoulder.
"Alright Commander, you've said your piece. Now you seriously need to head back to the medical bay and recover," he advises.
He and Rex both help Jarik away from the command center and towards the medical bay. Shaak looks on with concern while the other rebels share wary glances with each other, still fearful of the Hive but willing to listen to Jarik's advice.
12 HOURS LATER
In orbit above Atollon, the rebel fleet of the Phoenix Cell hung in a watchful, protective position.
After the incident against the Hive, or Yuuzhan Vong, the day before, Commander Sato didn't want any enemy ships arriving to attack them unawares. However they were also up and about because General Dodonna from the Massassi Group was schedule to arrive any minute to join them in their strike against the Imperial factories on Lothal. While the Imperial carrier stolen by the Ghost Crew served as Sato's command ship, the fleet also had the support of the much larger Munificent-class star frigate stolen by Jarik Shan and Ahsoka Tano several years ago, rechristened under the name 'Redemption.'
Commander Sato steps onto the bridge of Phoenix Nest and approaches the window up front, where the two main pilots of the cruiser gain his attention.
"Commander Sato, there are several ships emerging from hyperspace," one of the pilots reports.
"At last, General Dodonna's fleet has arrived," Sato says with a smile on his face.
Moments later a small fleet of rebel ships emerge from hyperspace directly in front of them, consisting of three Nebulon-B escort frigates and several CR90 corvettes. On the bridge of the Vanguard, General Dodonna steps up to the viewport as Commander Sato's voice filters through the comlink.
"Phoenix Nest to Vanguard. Welcome to Atollon, General Dodonna," he greets.
"Thank you, Commander Sato. This day has been a long time coming," Dodonna replies pleasantly. "Hopefully, we can finally deal a blow to the Empire and show the rest of the galaxy what we're truly capable of."
LothalNet comm tower E-272 - Lothal
In the dead of night on the planet Lothal, Agent Kallus rode a speeder bike across the grass plains beyond the capital city to an abandoned comm tower that once served as the home of Ezra Bridger, before he joined the Spectres. Once climbing up the tower he enters a room inside of the tower, looking around for a moment to observe the junk scattered within. He then moves inside and sits down in front of a transmitter he uses for Fulcrum transmissions, switching it on. A holographic image of the Fulcrum logo appears, and he begins transmitting.
"This is Fulcrum with an urgent message. Thrawn knows about-" he starts, only to pause midsentence.
The holographic Fulcrum logo suddenly turns a shade of red and becomes distorted, while static plays out of the speaker. Kallus sits quietly for a moment in confusion, starting to feel alarmed at the strange interference.
"By the light of Lothal's moons."
Agent Kallus widens his eyes as the calm, almost monotone voice of Thrawn breaks through the silence. He whips his head around to stare out the door, seeing the Grand Admiral standing there casually with a small smile as he observes him with his red eyes.
"That is your code phrase, isn't it, Agent Kallus? Or would you prefer I address you as 'Fulcrum?'" Thrawn asks casually, holding up a signal jammer in his hand. "I'm afraid your rebel friends won't receive your warning."
Scowling, Kallus jumps to his feet and lunges forward to attack Thrawn, throwing out a kick with a yell. Thrawn blocks the kick with his own leg, and the two briefly exchange blows with each other. Kallus ducks behind Thrawn and spins around to throw his elbow out, but Thrawn anticipates the move and punches him in the stomach, before grabbing his shoulders and throwing him down to the ground. Kallus grunts in pain and quickly gets to his feet, holding up his fists while Thrawn paces slowly, analyzing him like a predator would its prey.
"Your technique is good, but limited by your training in the Imperial Academy," he remarks. "Predictable."
Kallus grabs a stormtrooper helmet from the shelf behind him and then throws it at Thrawn. The Chiss Admiral catches it easily, however Kallus slides forward on the ground and kicks him off of his feet, breaking Thrawn's signal jammer with his foot after getting back up. Thrawn looks up with an irritated frown on his face as they transmitter resumes broadcasting, beeping in confirmation as it transmits the message.
"You talk too much!" Kallus snaps in frustration.
Standing back up with an amused smile, Thrawn silently enters the same fighting stance as Kallus, prompting him to lunge forward. The two exchange blows, throwing kicks and punches and, while Kallus manages two solid hits at first, it quickly becomes clear that Thrawn is a much superior fighter. Thrawn punches his face several times and knees him in the gut before kicking his leg down against Kallus's kneecap, dropping him to his knees with a groan of pain. Thrawn then delivers a swift roundhouse kick that sends Kallus out of the room, hitting the side of the railing with a pained cry. A pair of death troopers move forward and grab his arms, hauling him up while Thrawn steps forward.
"You have the heart of a rebel," he comments
"I'll take that as a compliment," Kallus retorts defiantly.
Thrawn narrows his eyes coldly at Kallus and then heads back inside the comm tower, and the death troopers drag Kallus inside after him.
With his hands cuffed to a metal pipe on the ceiling, Kallus was subjected to several beatings by the death troopers in an effort to gain more information from him. Kallus held firm however, and so Thrawn changed tactics, bringing out his holographic map instead.
"You may have transmitted your warning, Agent, but in doing so, you've given me the last piece of the puzzle," he informs Kallus, two intersecting dotted lines appearing on the hologram. "Now, this is the trajectory of General Dodonna's fleet, and this is the trajectory of your Fulcrum transmission. Taken separately, they mean nothing. But together-"
"Nothing. There's no planet there," Kallus interrupts with a scoff. "The rebels are smarter than you give them credit for."
"A pity you do not study art, Agent Kallus. There is much it can show you, if you know where to look," Thrawn replies dismissively, plugging in a disk drive to the holoprojector. "Such as, a system which does not appear on Imperial charts but is represented in the art of the ancient people of this sector. I believe they call this 'Atollon,' now the home of your rebel base."
Kallus widens his eyes in despair as the planet blinks into existence on the map while Thrawn pulls out his comlink.
"Vice Admiral Sloane, deploy the fleet to these coordinates," he orders. "We will join you shortly."
Chopper Base - Atollon
Jarik POV...
After spending the last twenty four hours or so submerged in a bacta tank, I was finally released from the custody of the medical staff. Most of the injuries I received during my fight with Narzuc were next to non-existent now, having been reduced to light bruising. I would still have to tread carefully, seeing as I had only just recovered to a safe level and wasn't completely sturdy, but it was a lot better than the alternative.
Sitting on the bed in my temporary quarters, I look at my Jedi battle armor hanging on the wall, noting all the dents and scratches on it with a sigh. Out of all the things I've been through in my life, all the battles I've fought, I never thought the one who would beat me to a pulp would be some beast who I'd never met before. But it just goes to show the immense power of Oryx's army: I'm not sure how much importance in hierarchy Narzuc held, but if someone of his caliber was able to do what he did, then how many more Hive are just like him, or worse? And while I am still feeling some amount of fear at the mere thought of the Hive, I've come to understand that worrying about them right now is not the right course of action, like how Ahsoka advised. Besides, if Thrawn and the Emperor don't seem very concerned about them yet, I'd say that's a good indication that they aren't something to worry about for now as well, like I explained to the others.
Taking another look at my battle armor, I bypass it in favor of grabbing my Jedi cloak and pulling it on over my robes, reminding myself to try and ask my uncle if he could hit me up with an upgrade later on. Death Watch supplied Ahsoka with a fancy outfit during the Siege of Mandalore, so I don't see my family wouldn't be willing to do the same. Though for right now I'm okay without it; I'm a Jedi, so I don't really need armor to be effective.
Stepping out of my quarters, I make my way over to the command center where I'm greeted by Boil along the way.
"Hey Commander, good to see you up and about again," Boil says with a grin.
"Thanks Boil," I nod in reply. "Where's Rex at?"
"He's giving a pep talk to a few of the 'shinies.' We're about the head out in a little less than an hour," he explains.
"Still calling the new guys that huh?" I ask with a smile.
"You bet, Commander," Boil states proudly, and I shake my head in amusement.
Upon reaching the command center, I found the rest of Phoenix command gathered already to discuss battle plans; Commander Sato, General Dodonna, and Ryder Azadi were present, as were Kanan, Ezra, Cere, Shaak, and HK-47. Thankfully it seemed the assassin droid was behaving for now. As Boil and I walked up to join them however, Hera came rushing forward with earnest.
"We've just received a new transmission from Fulcrum!" she exclaims.
I raise an eyebrow at the sudden report, curious as to what Kallus has to say right now. Certainly it's in relation to this assault being planned.
"Fulcrum? Your secret spy?" Cere asks curiously.
"One of my agents, yup," I nod in confirmation, crossing my arms as Hera plays the transmission.
A hologram of the Fulcrum logo, represented by art of Ahsoka's facial markings, appears while Kallus's distorted voice filters through.
"This is Fulcrum with an urgent message. Thrawn knows about-" he says urgently, before pausing midsentence
The sudden interruption of the message leaves us confused, and I widen my eyes briefly with a growing sense of dread; I've made sure that all of my Fulcrum agents are able to communicate their intel properly... for this to suddenly happen is not a good sign. Not at all.
"Thrawn knows? Knows about what?" Kanan asks
"About the attack on Lothal?" Ezra suggests worriedly.
"Something's happened. Most of the Imperial fleet left the system," Azadi informs us, confirming my suspicions. "What does it mean?"
"Thrawn's found our base," I reveal with grim certainty.
Hera turns to a few of the officers stationed at the terminals behind us in the room, coming to the same realization that I did.
"All ships, battle stations!" she exclaims.
The alarms start to go off while General Dodonna turns to me and Hera with a concerned expression.
"How can you be certain?" he asks.
"The last time this happened, the Empire ambushed us on Garel!" Ezra recalls in alarm.
"Not to mention this message being cut off. I know what's used in these transmissions, and it's no accident," I explain bitterly. "Thrawn knows that Kallus is Fulcrum."
"Commander Sato..." an officer onboard Sato's ship calls out.
3rd person POV...
"...We have Imperial Star Destroyers incoming."
Commander Sato turns away from the meeting and turns toward the front window of the bridge. Directly in front of them, five Imperial Star Destroyers blast out of hyperspace at precisely the same time in a V formation, accompanied by two light cruisers. Sato widens his eyes in alarm, grimly falling back into his stern persona as a commander.
"Phoenix fleet, set defense formation Aurek-one!" Sato orders.
Leading the Imperial fleet was the Star Destroyer 'Vigilance,' commanded by Vice Admiral Rae Sloane. She steps up the window and observes the rebel fleet, raising an eyebrow at the sight of the Separatist Munificent-class frigate before sending out a call with her ship's transmitter.
"ISD Vigilance to Chimaera: we have arrived in the system. The rebel fleet is in orbit above the planet in front of us," she reports.
"Very good Vice Admiral Sloane," Thrawn's voice replies. "Captain Brunson has been sent to assist you with the support of two Interdictor cruisers. Keep the rebel fleet contained, and I shall arrive shortly."
"Understood, Grand Admiral," Sloane says in acknowledgement, ending the call.
As the rebel fleet moved into position, with Phoenix Nest and Redemption taking point in the middle of the fleet, Commander Sato returned his attention back to the others in the holographic transmission.
"Alert Rebel Command!" he says urgently.
Before anyone could do so the hologram of Azadi fizzles out, surprising everyone present.
"What happened? Where's Ryder?" Ezra asks in confusion.
"Statement: The enemy fleet must be jamming long range transmissions. Any attempt to establish outside contact is useless," HK-47 states, and Jarik narrows his eyes determinedly.
"Not if I can help it," he says firmly.
As Jarik directs his focus to the comlink systems, General Dodonna turns to Hera with a grim look on his face.
"We have to scrub the mission," he says regretfully.
"We were so close!" Ezra says in frustration, banging his fist on the table.
"Now is not the time to lose our focus, young Ezra," Shaak advises with an apologetic look.
"Evacuate all ground staff. We're getting outta here!" Hera orders.
All across the base the alarms starts going off, blaring its warning urgently and getting everyone to pause in what they were doing.
"All personnel, code K-one-zero. Evacuate immediately!" a rebel officer orders over the loudspeaker.
The rebels waste no time in rushing around in a new state of panic and urgency, getting all essential things gathered together. Just beyond the edge of the base's perimeter fence, the Autobots were working on repairing their ship to maximum efficiency when they heard the alarm, pausing in their work.
"Evacuation?" Elita murmurs worriedly.
"This Empire of theirs must have discovered their base is here," Ironhide deduces grimly, sharing a worried look with his companions.
"...looks like you're right, 'Hide," Chromia says, staring up the sky with her optics zoomed in to provide her a magnified visual. "There's a fleet of warships hovering in orbit in opposition to the rebel cruisers."
"Is our ship ready then?" Ironhide questions.
"Ready enough," she replies.
"We cannot just abandon them to the Empire," Elita says in disapproval.
"I'm not suggesting we do. That doesn't change the fact that we need our ship operable for when we all leave this system," Ironhide reminds her.
Up in orbit, General Dodonna observes the fleet of Star Destroyers holding position and turns around to his officers with a firm gaze.
"All craft, jump to hyperspace. Regroup at rally point Nova!" he orders.
"I still have people on the surface," Sato reminds him anxiously.
"If we wait, they'll cut us to pieces, Commander!" Dodonna explains, and Sato hesitates before nodding his head in acknowledgement.
"Go. We will cover you," he informs him.
"Signal the other frigates to jump," Dodonna tells his bridge officers.
One of the Nebulon-B frigates pulls away from the rest of the rebel fleet and heads toward an opening underneath the formation of Star Destroyers, disappearing with no more than a blur as it enters hyperspace. However to the bewildered surprise and confusion of the rebels on board, the blue cloud of hyperspace suddenly became brighter and unstable, before they were yanked back out of hyperspace and thrown helplessly between the two opposing fleets, momentarily incapacitated.
"Something's pulled them out of hyperspace!" General Dodonna exclaims in disbelief.
Commander Sato widens his eyes at the knowledge, a look of grim realization on his face as he steps up to the bridge window of his cruiser.
"If that is true, there will be no escape for us," he states.
On either side of the Imperial fleet, two Interdictor-class cruisers move up into clear view, positioned in such a way to block any possible path of escape for the rebels. On board the cruiser stationed on the right side of the fleet, Captain Brunson steps up to the window of the bridge with her arms behind her back, observing the opposing fleet with a stern gaze.
"Gravity wells engaged, ma'am," a bridge technician reports.
"Very good. All batteries, target that frigate and open fire," she orders.
Her Interdictor cruisers begins firing on the ship with its green turbolasers, swiftly tearing through the helpless frigate. Above the center of the V formation of Star Destroyers, the Chimaera emerges from hyperspace. Thrawn, Governor Pryce, and the Second Sister look on at the scene while Kallus was held restrained by two death troopers in the back.
"What of Governor Tarkin's prisoners?" Pryce asks, noticing the rebel cruiser being destroyed.
"General Dodonna is known for his courage. He wouldn't be aboard the first vessel to flee," Thrawn states dismissively. "Its crew is therefore irrelevant."
Kallus stares at Thrawn with an angry scowl on his face, helpless to do anything against him.
Jarik POV...
As we analyzed hologram displaying our fleet and theirs, the map suddenly disappeared in place of a large image of Grand Admiral Thrawn, who looks around at all of us with a thoughtful gaze. I halt in my work at slicing through the jamming at his sudden appearance, hardening my gaze.
"General Dodonna, Commander Sato, Captain Syndulla, and Jarik Shan. At last, we meet in this theater of war, however briefly," he greets with a casual, if sinister tone, a small smirk on his face. "There is no escape, and your forces are badly outnumbered. This, uh, 'rebellion' ends today."
"We'll never surrender to you, Thrawn," Hera declares determinedly.
"You misunderstand, Captain. I'm not accepting surrenders at this time. I want you to know failure, utter defeat, and that it is I who delivers it crashing down upon you," he replies confidently.
"I never took you as one who desired personal satisfaction, Thrawn" I say sarcastically, crossing my arms.
"Ah, but therein lies the truth of the matter isn't it, Master Shan?" he replies thoughtfully. "For you see, this shall not end as so many of your other exploits have. Your talents will not help you against the might of the Empire this time."
"Query: Want to bet on it, meatbag?" HK-47 challenges.
"Seeing as you are quite well-versed in the art of combat, I would suggest calculating the odds for yourself, HK-47," Thrawn suggests, startling the droid at knowing who he is. "Now, let us proceed."
The hologram of Thrawn disappears and the diagram of ships return.
"We don't have the strength to meet Thrawn head-on, but I will get us to safety," Hera states firmly.
"How do you propose we break his blockade?" Commander Sato asks.
"Thrawn believes this is the entire rebel fleet, so we just need a big enough opening to get one ship through," she suggests. "Once clear of the jamming, they can call for reinforcements to attack the Empire's flank."
"That should divide their forces and enable us all to escape," Dodonna replies in agreement.
"The Ghost stands the best chance. We'll make an opening for you," Sato states.
"Not for me," Hera replies, shaking her head. "Ezra, Kanan, and Jarik will take the Gauntlet."
I glance down thoughtfully upon hearing her suggestion, considering the options while Kanan and Ezra both voice their protests.
"No way. I'm not leaving you!" Kanan exclaims.
"This is our fight, too," Ezra adds in support.
"There's no time to argue. As Jedi, you have the best chance to escape, and with Jarik there's no one I trust more to have the ability and the influence of getting the help we need," Hera says, leaving no room for argument. "You're going. Chopper, too. That's an order!"
"I think it'd be better if I stay behind here," I say. Hera tries to argue but I interrupt before she could. "There's still a high chance that we might not be able to get past the blockade. If so, then our best hope is if I can break through their jamming to send a signal out from here."
"Are you sure you can do that?" Cere asks skeptically.
"Trust me, this is my field of expertise," I reply confidently.
"Fine," Hera scowls in reluctant agreement.
"I shall advise our transforming friends about this development," Shaak says.
"You should get to a safer place, master. Go with the others on the transports," Cere suggests in concern.
"Do not worry about me, Cere. You and your crew must focus on assisting the others," Shaak replies.
I glance up from the holotable to look at her for a moment, feeling a bit uneasy. Shaak Ti is focused with the same sense of urgency as the rest of us but, she's also extremely calm about it as well. Calmer than I would think she should be. She meets my gaze for a moment, her eyes telling a story by themselves, and I reluctantly turn away from her as she and the others head off to refocus on my work in slicing the Imperial jamming.
3rd person POV...
As Rex, Boil, and Zeb ran to the into the Ghost carrying a crate of munitions, Chopper rolled his way up into the Gauntlet starfighter acquired from Maul whilst the Mantis crew gathered around their ship, preparing for launch. Kanan and Hera walked forwards before he stops them both with a troubled sigh.
"Hera, I can't leave yet. There's someone I have to warn about this, out in the wilderness," he tells her.
"What? Kanan, no! I need you and Ezra to go get help!" she exclaims in frustration.
"That's what I'm doing," he replies firmly.
Ezra walks up to them with a surprised, but knowing expression while Cal pauses beside them, catching part of the conversation.
"You mean from him?" Ezra asks skeptically.
"Hey, I'm a persuasive guy," Kanan replies casually.
"Persuasive at chatting with someone in the wild?" Cal asks in confusion. "What is that supposed to mean?"
"Yeah, who are you talking about? Who's out in the wilderness?" Hera demands suspiciously, crossing her arms.
"You guys wouldn't believe me if I told you," Kanan tells them. "But I need you to trust me."
Hera stares cautiously at him before giving in with a resigned nod.
"Don't keep me waiting long," she says firmly. "Ezra, the mission is yours alone."
Kanan smiles in gratitude, setting a hand on Hera's shoulder and she holds his arm for a moment as well, before Kanan moves over to the others.
"Well, here's to your first real fight with us," he tells Cal.
"Hmph. You better be a part of it to, wild man," Cal replies jokingly.
Cal moves on to join the rest of his crew on the Mantis while Kanan stops beside Ezra.
"Good luck, kid," he says, before heading off.
Ezra turns to watch him, Hera, and Cal all walk away and sighs in exasperation.
"May the Force be with me," he mutters, before frowning. "Where's Mara at anyways?"
Isle of Berk - Ahch-To
Mara POV...
"So, where do you think we should search next guys?"
I look over at Hiccup with a raised eyebrow, propping my fists on my hips as I sat astride Zenna, Astrid haing much the same demeanor as I do while perched on Stormfly's back. I share a look with her, shrugging my shoulders while Zenna chirps curiously at Toothless, the night fury replying with a playful roar.
"Search?" I ask him.
"You know, searching for new dragons! Trying to find and document new species that no one's ever heard of before!" Hiccup suggests eagerly, patting Toothless's neck.
"Well, we've already been doing that for quite a while Hiccup," Astrid points out. "And honestly..."
She pauses mid-sentence as we all turn our heads to watch the twins pushing a big cart of sharp, dangerous looking weapons across the field, laughing sinisterly. I make a face at them as they push their payload, sighing in exasperation once they disappear from view.
"...ever since Ruffnut and Tuffnut 'pledged themselves to Loki,' I don't know how long Berk will last," Astrid finishes irritably.
"Aw, I'm sure Gobber, or maybe my dad, can handle them. Even they wouldn't risk angering my dad," Hiccup replies dismissively.
A loud crashing sound along with Snotlout's startled screaming rings out from behind one of the houses, followed by Stoick's angry bellowing, and Hiccup grimaces in embarrassment at being proven wrong within mere moments. I roll my eyes with a sarcastic expression, crossing my arms.
"You mean it's my dad they wouldn't risk angering," I correct him.
"Yeah... that's probably more accurate," he sheepishly admits, rubbing his neck. "Still, what d'you say? Another trip?"
"Trip? Trip to where?" Fishlegs suddenly asks, jumping into the conversation as he and Meatlug come in for a landing.
"To go searching for new dragons!" Hiccup explains with a grin. "Want to join us?"
"Sounds exciting!" he replies eagerly, before frowning. "But, we haven't really found any new dragons in a while."
"Hey, the longer it takes the more likely it is we'll find something, right?" he tries reasoning.
"I guess..." Fishlegs replies thoughtfully.
"Anyways, I can't really join you guys on super long searches," I tell them apologetically. "You never know when I might get a call from space."
"Yeah, I guess you have a point," Hiccup sighs in disappointment.
Just then, the sound of propulsion jets fills out ears and I look over to see R5 flying over to me with a surprising sense of urgency. Zenna squawks at his sudden appearance, jumping on her feet slightly and I grip onto the saddle to maintain my balance, calming her down.
"Woah, calm down Zenna," I tell her gently.
She growls uncertainly, still slightly unnerved in the presence of droids and such, but relents. R5 lands on the ground beside me and Zenna with insistent beeps while the others look on in surprise.
"Your droid can fly too?" Fishlegs asks incredulously.
"Yup," I confirm casually, dismounting Zenna and moving up to the astromech. "What's wrong R5?"
He beeps at me urgently and then displays a holographic message, which first appears with the Fulcrum logo.
"Another message I guess?" Astrid deduces.
Startled by R5's panicked tone and worried by what he said, I listen as the Fulcrum logo disappears to be replaced by an image of my dad, looking up at me with a grave expression on his face.
"Dad? What's wrong?" I ask him.
"Mara, listen to me carefully. The Empire has discovered the rebel base on Atollon," he says, and I widen my eyes in alarm.
"What?!" I exclaim incredulously, and the others all share startled looks with each other. "How did-"
"No time to explain," Jarik interrupts. "Thrawn and his fleet have blockaded the planet, trapping everyone on the surface. I need you and R5 to go out and get help."
"Well- help from where?" I ask uneasily.
"Anyone you think can do so," he replies, glancing over for a second. "I'll send you a diagram of Thrawn's fleet. Once you've gotten the help needed, go to Atollon as quickly as possible. Can you do that?"
"I... yes, I can do that," I nod in reluctant confirmation. "What about you dad?"
"I'll be fine, but please hurry," he insists, giving me a small smile. "May the Force be with you."
Atollon - Outer Rim Territories
3rd person POV...
Onboard the Ghost, Zeb, Rex, and Boil all get settled in their own gun turrets, turning on their systems while Hera brings the ship online.
"Still glad you old geezers got mixed up in this rebellion?" Zeb asks.
"Ah, it beats slingin' for joopas!" Rex replies.
"Does it? They sure do taste good," he jokes sarcastically.
"Ah, they do, don't they?" Rex comments in amusement.
"Yeah, they tasted good, but this? Hah! this never gets old!" Boil adds with a grin.
Onboard the Mantis, the crew were preparing themselves in much the same way: Greez was piloting the ship with Cere as a co-pilot, and Merrin sat behind them at the comm station while Cal sat in the gunners seat. The ship wasn't designed with the purpose of battle in mind, but it's served them well enough with its two laser cannons placed above the cockpit.
"You kids all set and ready to go?" Greez calls out.
"We are ready," Merrin replies.
"Ready and waiting Greez!" Cal adds, and BD-1 beeps in support.
"Well, time for us to get involved," Cere murmurs to herself.
The Mantis, Ghost, and Nightbrother all take off into the sky, followed by the pilots of Phoenix Squadron still stationed on the ground, all moving up beyond the atmosphere. Up in orbit, Commander Sato analyses the Imperial fleet with narrowed eyes.
"Launch fighters!" he orders.
From the two hangars of Phoenix Nest and Redemption, a-wing starfighters and y-wing bombers were launched to begin the battle, led by Wedge Antilles.
"All command, spearhead formation. Frigates and corvettes, protect the transports," Sato states firmly.
"We'll take point, Commander," Dodonna replies.
From the bridge of the Chimaera, Thrawn observes the movement of the rebel ships with a critical eye, recognizing the tactic being used.
"Sato is employing a Danaan tactic. Bold. But I'd expect no less from the best commander to ever come out of the Mykapo system," Thrawn comments, glancing over at Pryce. "Reinforce our center and send in the fighters."
She nods in acknowledgement, giving the order. From the hangar of the Chimaera and the other Star Destroyers, a squadron of TIE Fighters each is deployed, flying out to meet the rebel starfighters head on in battle. As they do so, Thrawn contacts Captain Brunson's cruiser, a hologram of her appearing in front of him.
"Yes, Grand Admiral?" she questions.
"Brunson. I want you to have your Interdictor cruisers remain back where they currently are unless I order otherwise," he orders.
"Of course Grand Admiral," Brunson replies, frowning for a moment. "If I may ask, why not attack the rebels now, use our power and numbers to overwhelm them? I could-"
"The Admiral, gave you an order," Second Sister interrupts her with a dangerous hiss in her tone.
Captain Brunson falters with a cautious look on her face, and Thrawn glances at the Second Sister momentarily before addressing her.
"I wish for you to keep your cruiser back, Captain, because I've studied these rebels and know what they are capable of, particularly when faced with desperate measures," Thrawn explains with a stern gaze. "They will, no doubt, defy convention and attempt something unexpected. We will be prepared for it. As long as you are willing to follow my lead."
"Of course sir. As you wish," she acknowledges with a nod, her hologram fizzing out.
"Hmph," Kallus scoffs, giving Thrawn a mocking smile. "Chasing after glory for yourself?"
"I do not require glory. Only results, for my Emperor," he calmly replies.
"An Emperor who happens to be the most sickening, evil person in the galaxy," Kallus angrily retorts.
"I would take care of how you speak of the Emperor, agent," Second Sister threatens.
"Oh that's right, he's your dark side master right?" he replies in contempt, glaring back at her defiantly. "A Sith Lord who destroys billions of lives in a war just to gain power for himself is no Emperor of mine. Anyone who willfully follows a person like that is no better."
Second Sister growls angrily in her throat while Governor Pryce glares at him with contempt. Thrawn however turns to face him, still as calm as ever.
"Agent Kallus, he may not be the most morally correct but he is the most logically sound," he tells him. "Difficult times lie ahead of us which will require the strength and power of an Empire to handle. It's something you have yet to understand."
Kallus narrows his eyes at him, but the Grand Admiral only turns back around to focus on the battle.
The Ghost, Mantis, and Nightbrother soon joined up with the rest of the rebel fleet, with the former moving up to lead the starfighters on the attack.
"Phoenix Squadron, keep those fighters busy. Green Squadron, attack the lead destroyer," Hera orders.
"Copy that. We'll clear a path," Wedge Antilles says in acknowledgement.
Within moments, the rebel ships come across the TIE Fighters and a dogfight quickly ensues. Both sides open fire on each other, flying around swiftly in order to shoot down their opponents. Rex and Boil both swivel around in their turrets, shooting down a few TIE Fighters while Cal fires the cannons of the Mantis to destroy a pair of them. While Wedge's starfighter squadron worked with them to handle the TIE Fighters, the y-wings shot past the battle in favor of targeting the Star Destroyers.
"All wings, arm proton bombs and follow me," Green Squadron's leader orders.
Leading three other y-wings, they make a charge for the lead Star Destroyer, the Vigilance, and deploy their payload on their first bombing run, striking several hits against the cruiser's hull. From the bridge of the Vigilance, Sloane narrows her eyes at the y-wing bombers as they swoop past and turns to her bridge staff.
"Target the y-wings, and send our bombers out to reinforce the fighters," she orders.
As the y-wing bombers head down for another bombing run on the Vigilance, the Star Destroyer's laser cannons swivel around and take aim at the squadron, firing a barrage of heavy laserfire. The y-wings are forced to break off their attack run, but unfortunately one of them is torn to shreds by the green laser bolts. A small squadron of TIE Bombers fly out from the hangar of the Vigilance and swiftly engage in the battle. From the Nightbrother, Ezra looks on in worry and frustration as a pair of bombers take out one of their corvettes.
"I hope Kanan's having better luck," he remarks to Chopper.
Kanan travels swiftly across the surface of Atollon's wilderness, stopping at the clearing where they've often talked with the Bendu. Upon arrival he gets off of the speeder, quickly sensing the powerful presence of the Bendu in the clearing, and makes his way down.
"Bendu!" he calls out, heading down the slope over to him. "Bendu, we need your help."
The Bendu sits silent for a moment, staring up at the sky with a dark look in his eyes. He then turns around to glare at Kanan with anger, his fists pounding against the ground with enough force to lightly shake the area.
"You have brought war to my quiet world, Kanan Jarrus, Jedi Knight," he states, a scowl on his face. "And I will have no part of it!"
"Wait. Bendu, hear me out!" Kanan pleads in growing alarm.
"No! It was abhorrent enough that you drew the attention of the Taker of Will and his kin, but I will not suffer your meagre conflict on this world!" Bendu snaps angrily. "I am the one in the middle. I take no side."
"So you're just gonna let us die?" he demands incredulously. "You think the Empire won't kill you, too?"
"I am beyond your worrying and wars. I am unseen, unknowable, like a rock in the river," Bendu scoffs in contempt. "Do you think it chance this world was so difficult for you to find, eh?"
"No. But maybe we were meant to find it and meant to find you!" Kanan argues.
"For what purpose? I was here long before you and will be long after," he replies dismissively. "I am the Bendu, the one-"
"In the middle. So you keep saying," Kanan interrupts, sighing in frustration. "Look I tried to live that way once. Told myself the galaxy would go on with or without me. But when I saw innocents harmed and knew I had the power to do something about it, I couldn't just watch it all burn down around me! Some things are worth fighting for!"
Bendu frowns at Kanan's speech, narrowing his eyes at him.
Up in space, the battle was only taking a turn for the worse under the overwhelming numbers and might of the Seventh Fleet. For every TIE Fighter that was destroyed, another was swiftly ready to replace it, whilst the rebel starfighters were only dwindling in number.
While the starfighters continued to fight, the larger capital ships engaged in a firefight with each other. The Redemption used its laser cannons to fire at the Vigilance and the Chimaera, launching plentiful volleys of red lasers at them. However, while it was armed with a good number of turrets and cannons, the Redemption's weapons did not have nearly the same power as a Star Destroyer's turbolasers, which were proving to be a severe disadvantage. TIE Fighters squadrons flew at the rebel cruisers in multiple strafing and bombing runs, inflicting intense damage that they couldn't respond to, and several turrets on the Redemption were destroyed.
"Phoenix Squadron, we've gotta keep those TIE's off our cruisers!" Hera exclaims, noticing the problem.
"This is Massassi group. We're taking heavy fire. We need help!" General Dodonna calls out.
"On our way!" she says firmly.
"Too many ships to protect!" Zeb growls uneasily, firing from his turret.
The Ghost flew over one of their corvettes, blasting a strafing TIE Fighter along the way, while Ezra flew the Nightbrother in much the same way underneath it to shoot down two firefighters that were chasing after Hobbie's a-wing. Greez flew the Mantis below the hull of Phoenix Nest, swerving to avoid incoming fire from a pair of TIE's chasing after them.
"Having a bit of trouble here guys!" Greez grunts, evading another shot.
"I can't get a clear shot as long as they're behind us!" Cal states, seeing as the ship's weapons only had a range in front of the ship.
"Greez, take us past Redemption's dorsal tower!" Cere says. "And swerve right when I say!"
"You got it!" he replies without complaint.
Greez angles the Mantis up to do so, blasting forward in the direction of the dorsal tower. Green lasers streaked past them as the TIE's gave chase, and Cere narrowed her eyes.
"Turn now!" she orders.
"Wha-" Greez sputters.
"NOW!" she exclaims.
Startled, Greez nevertheless turns the ship in a hard right. The large vertical fin on the dorsal side of the Mantis bangs against the section of the Redemption's own dorsal fin, causing the Mantis to swerve violently even harder than Greez could've done manually, and the TIE's shoot right past them. Seeing his chance, Cal fires with his laser cannons at the TIE's, destroying one of them, and Greez resumes flying to be the chaser instead.
"Nice move guys!" Cal cheers.
"I almost lost my footing!" Merrin complains.
"Yeah, little warning next time Cere?" Greez adds in complaint.
Commander Sato stares out at the battle, growing more desperate upon seeing dozens of TIE Fighters continue to inflict heavy damage against their cruisers.
"All ships, charge the blockade!" he shouts determinedly.
The cruisers, frigates and corvettes all follow his order and start pressing toward the line of Star Destroyer's, firing their laser cannons defiantly. The Star Destroyer's maintained their position however, unwavering in the rebels surge as they retaliated with heavy fire from their turbolasers, destroying another Nebulon-B frigate in the process. General Dodonna looks out the window of his ship with a sorrowed expression on his face, a sense of hopelessness starting to filter in.
"Commander, they destroyed the Orion!" a rebel officer reports in a panicked voice.
Sato shuts his eyes tightly in frustration and despair at hearing another ship was destroyed.
"Capital ships, hold your position. Their cruisers will have to come to us," Thrawn orders confidently.
Kallus watches helplessly as the Imperial fleet continues making a wreck of the rebel fleet, unable to do anything about it. While the Star Destroyers maintain their position, the light cruisers move forwards and angle their direction inwards, pinning the rebels further inwards and cutting off even more room.
Chopper beeps urgently at the movement of the light cruisers, which Ezra quickly notices with a scowl.
"I see it! They're cutting us off!" he exclaims.
While flying down with his squadron to make another bombing run for the Vigilance, a group of TIE Fighters swoop forwards to intercept them, unleashing a large volley of green laserfire. The leader of Green squadron cries out in fear as his y-wing is hit, sending him plummeting to a fiery death against the hull of Sloane's Star Destroyer.
"Hera, I can't get through as long as those Interdictor cruisers are cutting us off!" Ezra says in frustration.
"Stay sharp, Ezra. We'll find you that opening," she replies resolutely.
"I know, just..." he replies anxiously. "...hurry!"
From the bridge of Phoenix Nest, Commander Sato listened to Ezra's frustrated and helpless statements, watching the battle around him with a heavy heart. Beside their cruiser, another corvette was blasted into oblivion, and Sato widens his eyes with fear, despair, and frustration, looking down with a lump of emotion forming in his throat as he comes to a decision: there's no way they'll be able to get a ship out of the blockade like this... and there's only one thing left to do. With newfound determination, Commander Sato leans over in between the two pilots to communicate directly with Ezra, surprising them both.
"Commander Bridger, go to heading 221 and prepare to jump!" he informs him.
The bridge crew all turn to look at him in surprise, confused as to what he's doing. He steps forward to address them with a sorrowed expression.
"All hands, abandon ship and make for Atollon!" he orders.
The officers and ship's crew rush to do so, but when Sato turns back around he notices that the two pilots are still there with him.
"We're staying, Commander," one of them says.
Sato softens his gaze, saddened but also grateful for their company with him in the end.
"Very well. Man your stations," he tells them.
The two pilots sit back down in their seats while Sato walks up to stand behind them with a hardened gaze of determination. Under his direction, the carrier starts moving forward at full speed, angling upwards with the apparent intention to fly above and past the Imperial fleet.
"What is that guy doing?" Greez asks, noticing the sudden movement.
Cere, Cal, and Merrin look on in astonishment, confused and slightly wary about what it is that Commander Sato is planning. Onboard the Ghost, Zeb notices the same thing that the Mantis crew did.
"Hera, I think Sato's evacuating the carrier," he exclaims in bewilderment.
Hera looks on with a startled gaze as Phoenix Nest travels further upward, moving past Redemption and toward where the Chimaera is. Onboard the Vigilance, Sloane watches in surprise and confusion, while on the Interdictor cruiser Captain Brunson notices the change with some incredulity, unsure of what to do.
"That's the command ship," Brunson murmurs in realization. "Move to intercept them, and engage the gravity wells! We can't let them get away!"
"Are you sure, Captain?" a bridge officer asks warily. "Admiral Thrawn ordered us to maintain our position."
"I understand that, but if we do not act now then the rebels will escape the range of our gravity well projectors!" she reasons determinedly.
Although reluctant, the bridge officer nods his head in acknowledgement, moving to carry out her instructions. Without a moment to waste the Interdictor cruiser starts moving out of position, angling towards Phoenix Nest in order to cut it off. From the bridge of the Chimaera, Thrawn instantly notices the unauthorized change of the Interdictor, growing a bit frustrated at the possibility of another setback hindering his plans.
"Captain Brunson, what are you doing? Return to your assigned coordinates immediately!" he orders fiercely.
"But sir, the rebel command ship is attempting to flee-" Brunson tries to explain.
"I am aware of its movement, Captain, and it will be taken care of," Thrawn interrupts, leaving no room for argument. "Now, return to your position!"
"But I... y-yes, Grand Admiral..." she replies in bitter resignation.
While this was going on, Ezra watched the carrier flying upward with a stunned look on his face.
"Hera, what's Sato doing?!" he asks incredulously.
"He's drawing that ship out of position," Hera realizes. "Get ready to jump!"
Leaning over the shoulders of his pilots with a determined gaze, Sato tracks the progress of the Interdictor cruiser with narrowed eyes, elation filling him at seeing it turn in his direction. However, after about thirty seconds it suddenly halted in its progress and instead slowly turned back around to its original position, and Sato quickly realizes that his opportunity was starting to slip away: it's now or never!
"Now!" Sato orders.
The two pilots pull the throttle left, turning the ship so that it's now charging full speed at the nearby Interdictor cruiser. Captain Brunson watches from the bridge of the cruiser, widening her eyes in alarm at the tactic, tensing up with a hint of fear at being faced with a potential ramming once more.
"Admiral!" she cries out over the comms in a panic.
"Disregard the ship's progress, Captain," Thrawn still orders calmly, seemingly unconcerned.
Sato narrows his eyes determinedly at the Interdictor cruiser, preparing himself for the impact before startling shifting his gaze to the right with a shocked, horrified expression. From the black void of space the newly repaired Super Star Destroyer, the Executor, suddenly blasts out of hyperspace with its bow pointed straight at Phoenix Nest. Sato and his pilots only have a few moments to feel terrified before the Executor crashes straight through their cruiser.
Phoenix Nest was quickly ripped apart as the Executor cut through it, breaking the carrier until it exploded in a massive fireball, whilst the super star destroyer's immense size and power left it relatively intact with hardly any damage. All across the battle zone, the rebels look on in horror and despair upon seeing Phoenix Nest destroyed. Ezra and the crew of the Mantis all gasp in horror while Hera and General Dodonnda widen their eyes in disbelief, grief and sense of hopelessness filling their hearts. There was no possible way that Commander Sato could have survived.
Onboard the Chimaera, Thrawn smiles in satisfaction at seeing his plan with Lord Vader work perfectly.
Jarik POV...
Breaking through the Imperial's jamming was proving to be a lot more difficult than I first thought, and I'm astonished at how well they've managed to jam any outgoing transmissions so well. They have a system set up so that any time I try to slice through their jamming frequency, it detects my intrusive attempts and switches the jamming signal to another Star Destroyer, forcing me to restart all over again. Clearly Thrawn was working on getting a special program developed that even I would have difficulty breaking. I've tried sending out several messages, but to no avail, so I switched tactics in favor of isolating the program so that it couldn't jump to another Star Destroyer.
Upon suddenly sensing a terrible change in the Force however, I pause in my work. Glancing over at Shaak with a grim look, I turn my head to stare up at the sky with an uneasy expression, both of us sensing the same thing: Vader was here.
Far up in orbit I could make out only one ship that was visible to the naked eye; the fact that it was visible at all from such a distance was a clear indication that it was none other than the Executor, Vader's flagship. Noticing our change in persona Elita directs her gaze up to the sky where we were looking, most likely using her optics to zoom in on it.
"Oh no..." she murmurs worriedly.
3rd person POV...
Darth Vader steps up to the viewport window of the bridge, standing silent aside from the sound of his artificial breathing as he observes the battle before him. The ruined vessel that served as the rebels command ship lie in pieces before his own Star Destroyer, the rest of Thrawn's fleet maintaining their firm blockade as they relentlessly assault the rebel ships with fire from their cruisers and TIE Fighters.
"The rebels command ship is successfully destroyed, Lord Vader," General Tagge reports, unable to conceal some of his astonishment. "Just as how Grand Admiral Thrawn predicted."
"Indeed, General," Vader replies calmly, feeling a bit of satisfaction at the fact.
"No..." Ezra murmurs hopelessly. "No, no!"
The rebels are in a state of shock and helplessness, coming to the realization that there's now no possible way of a ship escaping to acquire help, much less escape themselves. The crew of the Mantis sit silently for a moment before Merrin looks down with a hardened gaze, getting the attention of the others.
"We can still try," she speaks up firmly. "I can cloak our ship so that we can do what Bridger cannot."
"You sure Merrin?" Cal asks.
"We've done it before, remember?" she reminds him.
"I think it's worth a shot," Greez adds in support.
"Then let's do it. But we need to keep the Mantis hidden while we're cloaking so the Empire doesn't suspect anything," Cere advises, opening a comm line to the others. "Captain Syndulla, this is Cere. We have another plan to escape the blockade."
"What's your plan?" Hera asks cautiously.
"Merrin can use her magick to cloak our ship so the Empire can't detect us. We've done it several times before," she explains.
"Go. We need every chance we can get!" she says urgently, ending the transmission.
"It's all on you Merrin!" Cal says encouragingly.
Merrin nods her head in confirmation, and pulls out her crystal talisman to provide her with the power needed. While Greez flies the Mantis back to hide behind the Redemption, Merrin begins to chant the spell, her voice echoing with power. Green ichor starts to float around her in a misty form, her eyes glowing green in the middle of her chant. Once the cloaking spell is put in place, obscuring the Mantis in a green mist before disappearing entirely, Greez flies them out from behind the Mantis and directly towards the Imperial fleet, while Cere and Cal wait with extreme tension.
Underneath his helmet, Vader frowns as he senses something in the Force pricking at his mind. Turning his head slightly, he looks in the direction he felt the strange disturbance, only to find nothing there.
"Is everything alright, Lord Va-" General Tagge starts to ask.
Vader holds a hand up in a gesture to silence him, and Tagge halts mid sentence with some confusion, wise enough not to question the Sith Lord. Focusing on the strange disturbance in the Force, Vader steps up to the window and looks out with narrowed eyes, still seeing nothing.
Aboard the Chimaera, Second Sister also faltered upon sensing a familiar, but strange presence, frowning in confusion.
Cere slowly looks up at the looming form of the Executor with a bit of unease, sensing something wrong.
"Lord Vader?" General Tagge cautiously asks again.
"Fire a spread of lasers on heading 221," he orders.
Confused, General Tagge nevertheless has the order carried out as instructed. From the side of the Executor's hull, a volley of green laser fire is shot out in at random, covering a section of space. Taken by complete surprise, Greez is unable to avoid it as one laser bolt strikes against the hull of the Mantis, shaking the ship violently. Merrin is thrown out of her seat with a startled cry as a result, losing her focus on her magick and dropping the cloaking as a result, revealing the Mantis to everyone.
"Merrin!" Cal exclaim in alarm.
Hera, Ezra, and the rebels widen their eyes in alarm upon seeing they were caught, and Thrawn looks over with a raised eyebrow in surprise and curiosity, while Second Sister narrows her eyes angrily in recognition of the vessel. From the bridge of the Executor, Vader nods in satisfaction and points to the Mantis with a finger.
"There," the Sith Lord states.
"All batteries, target that rebel ship!" Tagge orders, disregarding his astonishment to follow Vader's demand.
Turbolasers on the Executor take aim and start blasting at the Mantis, forcing Greez to swerve the ship around and away from the super star destroyer, flying back to the rebel fleet as quickly as possible while Cal gets out of the gunner's seat to check on Merrin, helping her up while she holds her head with a weary groan. The Mantis is battered by another heavy laser bolt, breaking off a part of its dorsal fin, but they soon rejoin the rest of the rebel fleet. Cere slams her fist on the console in frustration and helplessness at their plan failing.
"Kriff it all!" Cere exclaims angrily.
"I'm sorry... I tried..." Merrin murmurs guiltily, shaking her head.
"It's not your fault Merrin," Cal insists, and BD-1 beeps sadly.
"He's right," Cere adds in agreement, although still bitter. "We didn't think about Vader being able to sense us."
Thrawn takes a moment to ponder the strange cloaking of the Mantis, deducing it wasn't technological-based due to the green shimmer that surrounding it once the cloak was brought down.
"How curious," he remarks thoughtfully.
"That was Cere Junda's crew. They have a Dathomir witch among them," Second Sister snarls.
"Indeed. But thanks to Lord Vader it seems their attempted escape resulted only in failure," Thrawn replies in satisfaction, turning to his bridge staff. "Commodore Faro, have the fleet press the attack. We will force the rebels to ground."
"At once, sir," Faro acknowledges.
With the Mantis crew and Commander Sato's attempts at making an opening for escape having both failed, there was little more the rebels could do. As all of their large cruisers and frigates were destroyed by the Imperial fleet—with General Dodonna having his crew abandon their Nebulon-B frigate—the only cruiser that they had left at their disposal was the Redemption, which could not hope to stand against the might of six Star Destroyers and the Executor, not to mentioned having already suffered serious damage to its hull. There was no other option left to them but to retreat.
"All ships, return to base," Hera orders regretfully.
From Atollon's surface, flaming balls of fire could be seen shooting through the atmosphere as a result of the destroyed, abandon rebel ships being taken in by the planet's gravity, falling down to the surface in massive fireballs. The Bendu watched the comets fall with a hard, unforgiving gaze while Kanan could sense the death and destruction being wrought, as well as the presence of the Sith.
"You can feel it, can't you? My friends are dying!" he says anxiously.
"Such is the fate of all living beings," Bendu replies dismissively.
"Not like this, crushed by overwhelming evil. I know you can sense him, Darth Vader! After he kills us, he'll hunt you down too! Is that what you want?!" Kanan argues in helpless frustration. "Please, help us survive, Bendu! Help us fight!"
"The schism between Jedi and Sith has existed for millennia, and is nothing but an insult to the Force!" he retorts in contempt. "I will not fight your petty battles!"
"So you'd rather hide then? That's all anyone who claims to be in the middle does," Kanan scoffs, shaking his head. "Hiding, like a coward."
Bendu pounds his fists against the ground with a snarl, steaming with outrage. All around him, the Force swirls around the great creature in response to his anger, dirt and dust starting to float in the air, while his eyes begin to glow.
"I will not be called a coward by the likes of you, Kanan Jarrus!" he seethes furiously.
Kanan slowly backs away in alarm, holding a hand to protect his face as a storm picks up in intensity around the Bendu. Dust swirls around him like a vortex, and as the Bendu lifts off of his front limbs lightning begins to flash, his voice taking on a booming echo.
"Perhaps it is the will of the Force that the Jedi and all your kind perish!" the Bendu roars. "AND I SERVE THE WILL OF THE FORCE!"
After making his proclamation, the intense lightning storm slowly dies down, until the Bendu is nowhere to be found.
"Bendu?" Kanan calls out, growing panicked. "Bendu!"
With the rebel fleet having been forced to the ground, Thrawn contacted Vice Admiral Sloane, Captain Brunson, and Darth Vader so that they could discuss their next course of action against the rebels.
"A job well done so far against the rebels, Grand Admiral Thrawn," Vader states.
"My thanks, Lord Vader. The timing of your arrival could not have been better," Thrawn acknowledges in reply. "As Governor Tarkin requested, we shall soon have the rebel leadership in our custody, and the Jedi will be yours to do with as you see fit."
"I hope so, Thrawn," the Sith Lord replies, slightly cautious.
"Sir, we're detecting a large vessel appearing on our scopes!" Commodore Faro suddenly calls out in alarm.
Confused, Thrawn looks out of the window only to widen his eyes in astonishment as a large warship appears in the system about two dozen miles away from the Seventh Fleet. It's a massive ship, covered in several tall spines and sharp prongs to give it a vicious, deadly appearance, as well as two red viewports on the bow that give the appearance of glaring, sinister eyes. The ship alone is over twice the size of any of their Star Destroyers, although still pales in comparison to that of the Executor's immense proportions. Still, it is a completely unknown design and looks to be quite deadly.
"Where did that come from?!" Captain Brunson exclaims.
"Rebel reinforcements?" Sloane suggests in alarm.
"No, I do not believe so. The rebels do not have the resources to own a vessel of that size, nor is its design any that I'm familiar with," Thrawn states, narrowing his eyes intently in thought. "It almost looks..."
Feeling some familiarity in the ship's appearance, Thrawn widens his eyes in surprise as he develops a theory, though he's still uncertain.
"What is it Grand Admiral?" Vader demands, sensing his thoughts.
"I may have an idea of who they are, Lord Vader," he replies carefully, narrowing his eyes. "Commodore Faro, hail the unknown vessel. I wish to address them."
"O-of course, sir," Faro replies, still baffled.
"Address them?" Governor Pryce asks incredulously.
"We stand on the verge of gaining a powerful ally... or a dangerous enemy," he says softly.
"Ready to hail them, sir," Faro reports.
"Proceed," he orders.
Faro opens the frequency and broadcasts it to the unknown ship, and Thrawn begins to speak.
"This is Grand Admiral Thrawn, of the Galactic Empire. You have entered a restricted battle zone unannounced," he states firmly. "Identify yourself, or else you risk an incursion against the full might of the Empire."
There's silence on the line for several moments, and everyone waits anxiously.
"How interesting, Grand Admiral. I did not expect to be greeted with such a show of military might, particularly from such pitiful creatures as yourselves... but it does matter to me. I am here on a much more personal mission of my own," a deep, sinister voice replies, chuckling in amusement.
"Identify yourself at once, or else there will be dire consequences," Vader threatens coldly.
"I am Lord Megatron, leader of the Decepticons," the voice declares, unfazed by the threat. "And I have a proposal for you."
Knight Hawk - Hyperspace
Mara POV...
As quickly as possible, R5 and I got to the Knight Hawk and took off through hyperspace. The first person I thought of to contact was Senator Mothma and, with R5's help, managed to establish a transmission with her. However it was quickly turning out to be much more of a problem than I thought.
"Senator, there must be someone you can send or something you can do!" I plead desperately.
"I wish I could help you, young Mara, but I can't," she replies apologetically. "Doing so would play into Thrawn's hands, and he would wipe out all we've worked to build."
"I get that, but is there really nothing we can do? If my dad led an assault directly against Coruscant to rescue me, and ended up being successful, surely there's a way out of this!" I try reasoning.
"Jarik's strike on Coruscant to rescue you was a success, but I'm afraid the circumstances of this are much different," Mothma replies with a frown. "Even with much of the galaxy growing sympathetic to our cause, Senator Organa's words of caution are proven to be true. It was too soon for open warfare against the Empire. I promise you, we will do our best to negotiate fair treatment for the prisoners."
"But what if there are no prisoners?" I point out in frustration. "I'm not ready to give up yet."
"You have courage, Mara Jade," she replies. "May the Force be with you."
I slump back in my seat with a disappointed sigh as the transmission ends, and R5 beeps in frustration.
"I know R5, this whole thing sucks. But there has to be someone who could help!" I reply, pausing in realization. "Kriff it all, I'm an idiot, of course there's people who can help us!"
He beeps questioningly at me, and I grin down at him.
"Who do you think genius? The Mandalorians!" I tell him excitedly.