Chapter 41

"Three... two... one..."

The blue and white swirl of hyperspace quickly changes into normal space. I'm thrown forward a bit, but my restraints hold me to my seat. All around me, T-70 and T-65 X-wings and BTL-A4 Y-wings also exit hyperspace, escorted by RZ-1 A-wings. A split second after my fighters make it out of hyperspace, the entirety of my fleet appears en mass, as intended. Ahead of my formation, a massive battle rages on. Flak and exploding missiles, fighters, and ships dot the background of space. The fleet are huge.

Our forward scouts had reported a massive Imperial presence in the system and Bastian's fleet was caught in between two fleets. He's still fighting on, but it's clear there isn't much time. There are almost a hundred star destroyers, but most threatening of all, the presence of four Executor star dreadnoughts.

"All wings on me! Accelerate to attack speed and lock S-foils into attack position!" I call out into my helmet comm.

"Copy Spectre leader!"

"Copy, sir!"

I push my X-wing's throttle to the max, easily speeding ahead of the bomber formation. The plan is simple: X-wings intercept and destroy any and all enemy fighters in the path of the bombers. If any small Imperial warships get in our way, we'll blow them into oblivion. Anything that gets passed us would be left to the A-wings in charge of defending the Y-wings.

I can't help but sense incredible hatred aboard one of the dreadnoughts. The Force is ice cold here. And it's not an unfamiliar presence.

"Ezra! I recognize those markings on the lead Executor!" Sabine tells me through the comms.

"I know, you don't have to tell me. I can sense him."

The infamous dark lord of the Sith personally makes a move against us... whether that's a good sign or not is definitely up for debate, but one thing is for sure - we are facing the very best the Empire can offer.

"All forces, remain vigilant! This is the Imperial 501st we're up against! Break the blockade! Give Admiral Narada an opening!"

"Yes sir!"

"BACs and LRACs, simultaneous barrage on my order!"

"LRACs standing by, general!" the admiral says.

"Prioritize targets of greatest threat! Fire at will!"

Trust your commanders, sir

That medic's voice cuts into my thoughts for a moment. "Admiral, the fleet is yours! Let's get our men out of there."

"Understood, general. For the Rebellion!"

Alarms blare in my cockpit and the darkness of space is lit up blue by an endless stream of LRAC and BAC turbolaser fire, all shots heading for different targets.

"General! Incoming at Point 2-5!"

I look over and see squadrons of TIEs inbound.

"Break time's over, boys! Don't get cocky! Watch each other's backs and maintain situational awareness," I say. "Let's go to work!"

Battle chatter quickly fills the comms and our battle begins. Flying head first into a wall of TIE fighters, I let the Force guide my actions and several enemy fighters explode before I'm forced to turn around and re-engage. Everything mixes into a blur of activity, to the point where I don't know where I am or what I'm doing. I'm just acting, occasionally calling out an order to some other fighters.

"Ezra, we've secured contact with Bastian. He's down to his last capital ships and taking a beating," Sabine tells me.

I look around and find his flagship. Sure enough, it, along with the rest of his fleet, has several sections burning.

"Can we divert their attention? Draw the Imperials away?" I ask.

"That's what we're trying to do, but they're ignoring us. What should we do?"

"All ships ahead full. Charge them. We can't use BAC at full power because of their close proximity to Bastian."

I think for a moment. "I want the fleet firing everything. Spectre squadron!"

"Sir!"

"Ready sir!"

"Form up on me. All bombers, begin your attack runs," I say.

"But there's a lot of fighters, sir. We'd never get close!"

"He's right, Ezra. We can't risk everything."

I groan, but take a breath, trying to calm myself. "Then we'll clear a path. Spectre squadron will spearhead this next move. If anything gets through us, leave them to the A-wings. Y-wings, use your turrets and forward cannons. We're going to smash through the TIEs."

A bright flash catches my eyes and I see another of Bastian's ships exploding. A Legacy class just went down.

"Ezra, we just received another message from Bastian," Sabine says. "He's telling us to get out of here."

"We're not leaving him behind!"

"Ezra, there's nothing we can do! There's too many of them. Too much firepower. We can't match those numbers right now."

"Patch me through to Bastian," I say.

"I got him for you," she says. Sabine's voice is replaced with Bastian's.

"Admiral?"

"General. We can't win this battle. You have to get out of here while you still can!"

"We won't leave you behind!"

"You're going to have to, sir. There's no hope for me now. Save your fleet, sir. That's my order to you."

I watch as Bastian's ship angles itself and starts moving towards an Imperial vessel. The bridge of an executor.

"Admiral, what are you doing?"

"Trying to buy you some time! Now go!" There's silence on his side for a few moments before he adds. "It was an honor to serve with you, sir. For the Rebellion."

I watch helplessly as Bastian's flagship smashes into the bridge section of an Executor star dreadnought. The ship starts going down and a magazine likely from Bastian's ship explodes, tearing a large portion of the dreadnought apart, rendering it a loss.

I feel a wave of anger and a scream building up in my lungs, but I barely manage to pull myself together.

"All ships evacuate the system! Jump to rendezvous coordinates," I say. "We've lost this fight."

A wave of cold darkness seems to cover me and I shiver. My gaze snaps to an Executor, but I can sense that presence isn't on board anymore. A fighter appears on my scope and before I could call out, several fighters from my own squadron explodes from a storm of green laser fire.

"Break formation! Evasive maneuvers!" I shout as I sharply bank to the right. "I want our capital ships out now! Everybody jump!"

"Ezra, what about you?" Sabine asks.

"I'll cover everyone's escape as best as I can. I'll be right behind you," I say. I swing my fighter around behind a TIE fighter and shoot it down. "Now GO!"

I see every ship in my fleet turn around and start jumping out and not a moment too soon. The Imperial armada has turned their cannons on us now and we're starting to take losses of our own. My flagship doesn't jump out right away, but after a brief argument with Sabine, she finally jumps to safety. What's left is a few remnants of our destroyers and support ships, trying to cover our fighters as they start jumping out.

The screech of TIE engines roar to my left. I can almost see the pilot through the cockpit window. Time seems to slow down. I'm right in his kill slot. A perfect setup for him.

The fighter suddenly explodes and the debris peppers my X-wing and several black and orange X-wings form up off my wing in its place.

"We're with you, General. You won't be alone."

I'm about to protest, but in all honesty, I'm grateful that they're willing to stay and fight.

"Protect those destroyers. As soon as they're all safe, get out of here," I say.

I turn my fighter back towards the battle and I see a familiar TIE fighter flying through the fleet, destroying everything he hits. The Force grows cold again.

"General, that fighter is all over the place!"

"I'll take him on. Spectres 2 and 3 on me! Everyone else protect what's left of the fleet!"

"Yes sir!"

I accelerate again and manage to pull up behind the TIE Advanced. This is the one responsible for shooting down Luke at Yavin. The same one who destroyed Mothma's transport, and singlehandedly scattered what few survivors we had in the Rebellion.

I wait for my targeting computer to lock on and I take the shot, but just like every other time somebody has fought him, he dodges my shots. The only pilots I know of to have taken him on and survived was Hera and now Luke Skywalker. But everybody else has fallen to him.

I stay on him and keep him occupied. Right now, that's my goal. I don't care if he gets away, just so long as his attention is diverted from my retreating forces.

"General, the last of the ships are jumping out. We're waiting on you," one of my pilots report.

"Get out of here! I'll keep Vader distracted until you're safe," I say.

"But sir! You're about to be surrounded!"

"That is an order! Now GET OUT OF HERE! I'll be fine!"

"Understood sir. Good luck, sir."

My two wingmen start to pull away, but several TIE fighters form up behind us and Spectre 2 cuts in behind me to block a shot. His X-wing spins out of control and explodes. I try to break off my pursuit of Vader and align to the jump point, but a sharp jolt yanks the control stick out of my hands and I find myself spinning out of control. I've been hit. Spectre 3's voice cuts into my comms for a split second - a terrified scream before silence cuts him off. I know he's just been shot down.

I try to regain control of my starfighter, but to no avail. I end up hitting some debris and my spinning slows down enough to where I can see what's going on around me. TIE fighters swarm the area, and far in front of me is the Imperial armada. My view of the massive fleet is cut off by the TIE Advanced I had been pursuing and through the cockpit I can see the silhouette of Darth Vader himself.

I close my eyes and try to go into meditation, just waiting for him to take the shot and finish me off. I'm nowhere near ready to die, but if this is how it ends, then I won't fight it. I can't fight it.

Another jolt forces me to open my eyes again and I see an Imperial II star destroyer pulling me into the hangar.

...

The door to my cell opens and an Imperial officer enters, flanked by two stormtroopers. The officer is reading off of a datapad as he starts talking to me.

"General Ezra Bridger of the Rebellion, is that right?" he says with a slight smirk. "Or are you going to be just like your childish self and call yourself Jabba?"

I don't say anything. I just do everything I can to remain calm, venting my fear and anger out into the Force.

"I must say, you've been quite a nuisance to us lately, and it is very noble of you to stay behind to cover your friends retreat. However, we will find them eventually," the officer continues. "Now, unless you'd like to live in agony, we do require your cooperation."

He raises his hand and an interrogation droid enters the room. "First thing's first: We know you have an operating headquarters somewhere in this galaxy and you are going to tell us where it is. You are going to tell us everything. What ships you have, how you've been getting them, who's funding your futile resistance, etc."

I scoff at him. "Futile resistance? Try telling that to half the galaxy that's currently in open war with you. Tell that to your garrisons on the Death Star."

I struck a nerve. His face reddens and he looks like he's about to burst a blood vessel.

"I won't tell you anything. I would die before I tell you anything," I add.

"Believe me," the officer growls. "You will be begging for death, but it will never come to you. Lord Vader?"

He turns to the door and the mechanical breathing from Vader's suit fills the room. I can sense uneasiness in the stormtroopers. Fear of him, even from the officer. But he remains in character. "Do what you must," the officer says before standing off to the corner of the room. He signals for the troopers to guard the doors outside the cell, which lock as soon as they are shut.

I've faced him before, and back then I was afraid. But I will not give him the satisfaction of showing fear. Unfortunately, outward looks doesn't matter to him. He's a Sith lord. He knows what I'm thinking. He knows that deep down inside me, there is a lot more fear than I've ever felt before.

...

-Sabine POV-

(It's been a long time since I've done this)

"What do you mean the fleet is gone?" I ask loudly.

Nobody has heard from Ezra in almost 8 hours. Something is definitely wrong and everybody knows it. I ordered a scout to monitor the Imperial fleet, but was surprised to hear that there wasn't a ship in sight. Only wreckage.

"There's nothing here, ma'am," the scout pilot reports through comms. "Should we commence search and rescue?"

"Yes, immediately. Let's see if there's anything or anyone we can bring home," the admiral says. "Commander, you should lead these efforts."

"I'll go," I say without hesitation. "I'll take my X-wing and search for survivors."

"Good luck, commander," the admiral says. "And... if you find the general..."

"I know," I say. My throat tightens, making it difficult to breathe, much less even talk. It's too hard to think about, but the mission comes first. I have to lead these men. Ezra is most likely gone, but I can't bring myself to believe it.

Ezra... please be alive... Just hang on, we'll find you.

I find myself in the hangar and I jump into my X-wing and get it started up. I go through the pre-flight checklist and everything is good to go. Soon, I'm given authorization to depart. Once I make it out into space, I'm flanked by several X-wings, A-wings, U-wings, and other support craft for search and rescue.

"All wings on me," I say. "Let's go find our rebels."

I activate my hyperdrive and soon find myself face to face with a wall of wrecked ships, Imperial and Rebel alike. I give out orders to spread out and begin search grids and I start looking for Ezra's fighter. If it's even here...

"Please be okay, Ezra..." I mutter to myself. "Please..."

Seconds turn to minutes, minutes turn to hours, and every few minutes or so there's another call from the SAR teams pulling survivors from ships and escape pods. Boarding teams report that navigational records have been wiped from destroyed rebel ships, so the Imperials won't be getting anything from these wreckages. I pass by too many fighters, or whatever is left of them, but none of them looks like Ezra's fighter. I start to feel a bit of hope...

Until a call goes out that chills me to the bone...

"We've found the starbird! Repeat, we've found the starbird!"

"Where is it?" I ask. "Is Ezra there? Is he okay?"

"It's... I'm sorry, commander. The cockpit is empty."

My blood turns to ice and my heart sinks to my stomach. I somehow manage to keep it together just long enough to tell everyone to take everything back to the fleet, including Ezra's X-wing. I want to see it for myself.

...

"The damage is extensive," the engineer says. "It looks like he took a hit right about... here." He points to a section of the severed wing. "From there, it blew off most of the port engines and the wings are missing entirely. I tested the life support systems and they were still functional."

"So Ezra was alive?" I ask him, my voice shaky and uneasy.

"Yes. The cockpit doesn't look like it was forced open from any explosions, either. We can only guess that he's floating in space somewhere, or a captive of the Empire."

"What about the droid...?" I ask, then. "Does it know anything?"

The engineer shakes his head. "We're still working to retrieve its memory core. We won't know for sure what happened to the general until we see the-"

"Sir!"

The engineer and I look to another engineer. He's holding up a scanner that's plugged into the navigation systems. "I've got the data logs. It shows there was a spike in atmospheric pressure for about an hour."

"Atmosphere?" I ask.

"He must've been pulled into a hangar via tractor beam," the engineer says. "Get me that memory core asap!"

"We're on it, sir!"

Hours pass and I pace in my quarters. I can't believe Ezra is missing. It's not right. We lost Bastian, too. His ship collided with a super star destroyer, lost with all hands. His entire fleet... gone... no survivors...

I collapse from all the emotions. Fear... anger...

I scream and punch the wall, hard. My voice is filled with pain and it's not from my now broken hand. I sob into my hands. Everything was going well for us. We had rebuilt the rebellion. We've made alliances. I've started a steady relationship with Ezra. We've found Luke Skywalker.

But now an entire battle group is destroyed, so many of our starfighters in our own fleet are missing, the Rebellion's greatest general is missing, captive to the Empire. Things could be worse, but this is still too much for me to handle on my own.

If Ezra were here, he would do whatever he could to help me feel better. He always seemed to have that talent, even if I tried pushing him away. He was always there for me when I needed him. And I can't lie to myself for once. I really need him right now.