Note: This story does not have a specified timeframe. If it were in the cannon, It would probably be somewhere between seasons Two and Three. Also, while there is no M - Rated content, there are mentions and references to it (severe trauma, PTSD, violence, etc), so the rating is subject to change.

Also, I do not own any part of Star Wars. All rights to said brand and it's subsidiaries belong to Disney and Lucasfilm. The same goes for all legal rights. Please don't Sue me Disney.

"You could come with us".

"As I said before, No. You're better off this way".

"Why not? Why not come and fight?"

"Kid, there's a reason I don't exist. It haunts me at night, and now it's almost gotten you and your friends killed. I can't go back…not until I deal with this first".

…

"When the time is right, you'll know."

So, What's this new mission you got for us Hera?

"Actually, It's my mission".
It was Ashoka. Even though she was a relatively recent addition to the crew, In Ezra's mind, it felt as if she had always been a part of the family. This was of course not the case, but the feeling still remained, and that was something that Ezra enjoyed. It made sense, his own family was taken from him when he was young, and he was forced onto the streets after that. The fact that the ghost crew had taken him in so quickly only reassured him more that this was the place he was meant to be.

Everyone had gathered into the makeshift briefing room that was the lounge area. Packed in tight, like usual, though in moments like these, Ezra didn't mind. Kanan, Hera, and Zeb were all on the couch, while Sabine was resting against the wall. Rex just stood at attention, with a practiced ease; as he had probably done so countless times before.

Ezra moved to take the one remaining space on the end of the couch. He was feeling very optimistic, especially with the rumor that a mission to Lothal would soon be undertaken, which was all but confirmed by Ashoka, as soon as she started speaking. Ezra was…Optimistic to say the least—giddy would be more appropriate.

Unfortunately for him, Chopper was there to ruin all that by rolling over his and Zeb's feet.

"Chopper!"

Daggers shot out of both Zeb and Ezra's eyes, as they moved to scrap the soon to be robotic junk heap. Unfortunately, they didn't have a chance to do anything as Rex snapped in a manner that made everyone jump just a little bit.

"Hey! Listen up."

For Ashoka, it was off-putting to hear Rex exert himself like he just had. She had known him to do that during the clone war, though that was different. He had to do so back then for a myriad of reasons. Whether he was chewing out a group of "Shinies" for sleeping on the job, or at those around him for reckless actions. She had even gotten her fair share of the captain during the course of the war. These days though…there shouldn't have been a reason for him to snap and yet he did. The two of them had been placed in charge of this mission, and something about it had been putting the old clone on edge.

"Our target is a Man named Lucas", Ashoka continued. "He's a Terran". That last statement now had everyone on edge. There were a few gasps and whistles from the assembled crowd, but that died down shortly as silence overtook the room.

Ezra was the first to break the silence. "What's a Terran?"

Everyone had heard the rumors of what had happened to the Terrans. Supposedly, they were the apex predators in their side of the galaxy, able to crush any opposition with sheer military might. Then one day, they vanished; Erased from existence. Perhaps they were killed by a supernova, or in one last great battle…Whatever the case, they were gone without so much as a single clue to their whereabouts.

Ezra was quickly caught up on their supposed story, though that still didn't seem to satisfy his curiosity. "If these guys were so mighty, then how did they all get killed?"

Rex was the first to answer. "They didn't, or so we've heard." Everyone was looking at him now, including Ashoka. She knew that he had more experience in these matters than she ever did, and experience did outrank everything.

"I only saw these Terrans once or twice during the war. They were Liaisons to the republic at the time." Rex had to take a second to remember what he saw. Clearly his memory was fading, but he was still faster than most. "If I remember correctly, they used slug-throwers". It was odd…the Terrans not using blasters, nor having much knowledge of the tech required to use them.

Ashoka took over the rest of the briefing after that, catching the rest of the team up on how one of the rebellion's agents had run into "Lucas" three months ago. "This is our best chance to find out what happened, and maybe even gain a new ally out of him. Just remember, this man has been dead for the last six years. I doubt that he wants to change that now, so be prepared for anything. We don't want to make an enemy out of him."

"Where do we start." Ezra was having trouble just containing his enthusiasm now. A warrior who fought the empire in open battle, and held his ground? Of course he wanted to find him…

Hera spoke up. "We'll Spit up then. You two take Chopper, I'll take Kanan and Sabine. "We'll meet you back at the ghost when we're done."

"Ezra, you got that?"

"Yea, yea, I got it." He wasn't paying close enough attention again. Kanan would have him if he had found out. Hopefully Zeb heard enough of the plan to know what was going on. If not, then this was going to be a rough day.

They had been searching for hours, with no sign of anything. Lothal registry, Imperial records; you name it, they searched it. Nothing. Hera was beginning to believe that this was just a wild bantha chase. Maybe this Lucas character was just a legend, or worse, a trap that they were falling into. If the latter were the case, then Kanan would have been the first to speak up, yet he was silent almost the entire day.

Instead she would have to be content with heading to Old Jho's to grab some car while Sabine stood lookout. As they made their way inside, the aforementioned Ithorian declared his usual greeting. Jho knew the ghost crew well enough to not mention their names…or that they were ever here. Instead he was content to tend to his customers at the bar. Hera quickly grabbed a booth for Kanan and herself, before letting her mind wander to topics other than their search.

He was staring again. Kanan. She didn't mind him doing that most days. She wouldn't have minded it today if they were alone. They weren't alone though. That fact alone made her slightly uncomfortable. He had done it enough times before that she wouldn't react to it. That still didn't help her present situation though. What was it that had gotten into his big Jedi brain this time?

Hera moved to return Kanan's glaze…except he wasn't staring at her. He was staring at someone else. She chanced a look behind her, quickly scanning his field of view. His target was there, in the back corner. It was a hooded and robed figure. Hera returned her view to Kanan again, just in time to see his eyes return to hers.

"So, what did you just find?"

"I don't know yet"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that I don't know. There's something off about him."

"Think he knows something about Lucas?"

"Probably. The force doesn't do this for everyone". Hera had heard that one before, most recently when they found Ezra. This time seemed different though. Most times Kanan had been able to figure out what it was bothering him. Now, it was about…

"He's gone!"

"What?" Hera flicked her head around and could see that the seat which Kanan was refering to was indeed vacated. "Dank Farrik!"

…

He was on the move again. Whoever this anomaly was, he was very good, though his force signature stuck out like a sore thumb. Unfortunately for Kanan, that still didn't help much. They could be walking into a trap, and he wouldn't know until it was too late. It was unsettling—not knowing about these things when he was so used to it.

What concerned him the most, however, was this being. He had had this feeling before, with Ezra. Even then, he still had a clearer idea. Now, it seemed like this being was trying to hide himself from the force. It was a disturbing thought, something Kanan could not fathom. While he had taken that path before, it had been out of necessity, and not personal want.

They were approaching the markets again. Luckily for them, Kanan now knew where this guy was headed.

"Follow me"

He was like a bloodhound, moving swiftly and efficiently towards his target. Unfortunately for them, he was too preoccupied with finding his quarry to hear the sudden shout of battle.

"Grenade!"

BOOOM!

Kanan was the first to move. He may have been blinded by whatever was in that grenade, but it hadn't hampered his ability to use the force. He reached out with the force, and…felt something odd. There was someone here who he had seen earlier. He couldn't quite put his finger on who, or what, this person was though. Had this person set them up, or was something else afoot? Regardless of what had happened, he could still feel the presence of Agent Kallus and his group of stormtroopers. He would have to return to his previous thought later.

Kanan leaped foward, ready to intercept any bolts that would come his way, except…there were no bolts…or at least, not for him. He dodged left as a stormtrooper collapsed in front of him. It was the same person he had sensed from before. He moved forward to assist, lightsaber held at the ready. Unfortnately, this had the opposite effect to what he had intended. The person was running away. Kanan picked up his pace. He could hear his quarry's footsteps on the ground. He was almost to…

The force screamed at him to duck. Kanan dived for the floor, just as Agent Kallus made his move. The ISB agent definitely wasn't out of the fight yet, though maybe that last thought was made too soon. There was a sudden crack from the opposite end of the alley, followed by the swift thud of a body hitting the ground. Kanan could only assume that it was Kallus. As he glanced back down the opposite end of the alley, he could just barely make out a blur of motion. He tried reaching out with the force to find his target again, but found no response. His savior was gone, and they were left with the aftermath.

Kanan watched as Hera and Sabine got up, and dusted themselves of, before rejoining him. They were just as surprised as he was to find that they didn't have a clear recollection of what happened. While Hera was the first one down the alley, that also meant she didn't get a good look at anything due to the ambush; And while Sabine's helmet helped some with the light, the same couldn't be said for the cameras she had installed in there. At best, it was grainy and blurry—Enough to confirm Kanan's story, but not enough to add anything new to it.

They had come all this way, and all they had to show for it was a few dead stormtroopers and one unconscious ISB agent. It was going to be a long walk back to the ghost.

Ezra felt like he was ready to collapse right about now. They had been searching for hours, and yet found no trace of anyone named Lucas. He had talked to all his old friends: Mr. Sumar, Tseebo, Rider Azadi; Even Vizago knew nothing about Lucas. Now, they were at Old Jho's, hoping to catch a break.

As he walked in, he found Jho had recognized him immediately, though he did not mention him by name. Ezra was grateful for that. Ever since the incident on Empire Day last year, he and his friends had become known by everyone in the galaxy. He was a fugitive on the run, and if the empire found out that he was here, Jho would likely be executed for letting them get away. Fortunately for Jho, The empire hadn't taken notice, so Jho has not been suspected of doing anything.

"What can I get you two?"

"Just the usual". It was good to seeing Jho again. Ezra hadn't been this way in at least a few months, which was unusual for him.

Jho moved at an uptempo pace. He had run this business for years now, and could make anything on the menu in a heartbeat. In this case, it was a Lothal Special without the Jalath'a, making it non-alcoholic. Along with a napkin and the drink, Jho also slid him a note.

Ezra took one big swig of the drink before almost wiping his lips with the note. He quickly switched the napkin and note, before proceeding to clean off his mouth. He then looked over the note before skimming through its information.

Meet me outside in 15 minutes.

"Who is this from", Ezra asked Jho.

"Scanton Brigs, I think. He's been here a while though he keep to himself mostly."

Ezra didn't recognize the name at all. Whoever this Scanton was, he must have been a recent arrival. In any case, he probably had information on Lucas, or something else to tell the rebellion about, and there was only one way to find out.

…

Ezra first sensed something was off when they had walked outside. There was someone watching them, though who, or what, this person was was a mystery unto itself. As the trio of rebels made their way up to the rooftops to get a better vantage point, Ezra's nerves screamed. There was something really off about the mission.

Suddenly, there was a large boom, only a few blocks away. 'that must be Scanton' was the only thought Ezra could make out.

"Chopper. Stay hear in case Scanton shows up. Me and Zeb will go figure out what happened over there."

As they duo approached the scene of all the chaos, all they could see was the remains of a battle. Ezra hopped down first, followed by Zeb. All they could see was the remains of battle. Three dead stormtroopers lay at the end of the alley, with mud and muck all around them. There were blaster marks littering the walls, along with a large scorch mark at the other end of the alley. All of it felt odd though.

The shots were too precise to have been made by the stormtroopers. Maybe Sabine or Kanan had taken care of them. If that were the case, there would be lightsaber marks and paint all over the place. It also could be a local, though nobody on Lothal was foolish enough to take on the empire after this last year.

"Chopper, what's your status buddy?" There was just static from the other side. While that rusted piece of bolts may like to play games, he also knew when to be serious, and this was one of those times.

"Chopper?". Silence. "Come on Zeb, there must be something wrong with his antenna."

That was when he felt it again. It was that same feeling Ezra had when Scanton's name was mentioned. He slowly turned around to find a hooded figure appear at the end of the alleyway.

"Hey."

The figure didn't respond.

"Hey!", Ezra repeated again.

No response.

"Think that's our guy", Zeb whispered into Ezra's ear.

"that's got to be him." Just like that, he was gone.

"Where did he go"

"Did you seriously loose him already?"

"No…Come on, let's find him." Ezra dashed forward towards where he though Scanton had gone. There was a flash in front of him

"This way!"

"Kid, wait up!" Zeb was clearly getting winded by the speed of the chase, but Ezra was so close to him. He could feel his presence in the force so strongly now. He just had to get on top of this building…

"There he is, Zeb! Come on!"

That's when everything went wrong. First he was falling, and then everything went black.

"You're up—I see you've regained some of your strength". Ezra sought out the voice through blurred vision. The ringing in his ears didn't help either, nor the fire burning at the center of the room. He may have been "up" but he wasn't at full strength yet. As he reached out through the force to find his bearings. He was still on Lothal—that much was clear—though he couldn't sense either Chopper or Zeb…or anyone else for that matter. He was alone with this…Stranger, who was hunched over a crate with his back turned.

"You're lucky you're still alive. Most people wouldn't survive a fall from that height." The figure spoke in a calm tone, like he had seen it happen a thousand times before. It was odd, Ezra thought. After all the time he had spent on Lothal, he had never seen, nor felt this person before.

"Before you ask, your friends are fine. They're in an alley nearby where I found all of you. Old Jho's keeping an eye on them for me".

"You know Old Jho?" The question flew off Ezra's lips faster than he knew could happen.

"This ain't my first rodeo Kid. If you're on Lothal, the chances are that you've met Old Jho."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that I've been here a while." That still wasn't enough for Ezra, he wanted to know more, though that would have to wait. He had more pressing issues to deal with; Most of all, was getting back to the ghost, if he could find it.

"Where are we?"

"We're here, though you don't need to know where Here is right now".

As he opened his mouth to make a response, nothing came out. Instead the force prompted him with a thought.

"Do you know who Lucas is?"

"Maybe. Who's asking?"

"A friend of mine, who is looking for a Terran by that name". That seemed to set him off. The figure stood up from his crate and moved towards Ezra. He may not have been that scary, but that didn't make him less terrifying. The guy was huge! Over 2 meters tall! If he was anywhere else, Ezra may have been tempted to think that this was Vader's cousin.

"And what does this friend want with him."

That last word really stung. Ezra wanted nothing more than to get out of there. Then that childish part of him did something he would probably regret later. "To have him join us in our fight against the empire".

"No!" The roar echoed across the cavern, sending reverberations across the walls. Even the blaze in the center of the room seemed to retreat in fear of the consequence.

"Come on! Just hear me out"

"I already told you, No!"

"Then why not. Why don't you fight!"

"Do you seriously think I haven't tried!" If a looks could kill, Ezra would have been dead before he even exhaled. There was obviously something that he was covering up. Yet there was a pain in his last response…like what Ezra had felt when Kanan opened up about the Clones. He knew he shouldn't push,

"Kid…there's a reason that the war was covered up—you and your friends are delving into places with more danger than you know."

"What is that supposed to mean"

"It means that there have been far worse things in this galaxy than that Sith Lord you faced off against a few weeks ago". Ezra's eyes went wide with shock. How could he have known about Vader? Was the rebellion not as tight lipped as it seemed? If that was true, then Kanan…no, his entire crew was in danger.

Ezra had to figure out who this person was, and how he knew about Vader. He obviously wasn't a stormtrooper—he was too smart for that. He also wasn't Vader. Ezra would have felt the cold from anywhere on Lothal after their encounter. Maybe he was an assassin, or a bounty hunter? In any case he didn't like the empire, though the same could be said for him.

"Who are you really?"

"Still haven't figured it out?"

"Woah, woah, woah. You're telling me that you're this Lucas guy?"

"No. And it better stay that way unless you want to be lying dead in a ditch". Lucas slid back his robe to reveal a pistol in its holster. It was odd and old looking, Ezra thought, but still deadly enough to kill anyone in its way. Right now, that meant himself.

"What? Wait, no, no, no. I wasn't saying that You were Lucas…"

There was a Click from the pistol. It was being readied, and was evidently very very close to being fired.

"...I was just saying that my friend was looking for him."

There was another Click as the pistol was relaxed. Ezra didn't move a muscle. He had already been beaten by this guy once, and he had no reason to doubt that he would be again.

"Good. You're coming with me regardless".

"What! No! I can't come with you…"

Click!

"Ok, I guess I can come with you."

"Has anyone seen Zeb or Chopper yet?"

"Not since they left this morning."

"And what about Ezra?"

"Same thing."

Hera was getting worried. Nobody had heard from anyone in their group since earlier that morning. They could have run into any number of things along the way, including an ambush by whomever Kanan had seen earlier. They could all take care of themselves, she was sure of that. What she wasn't sure of, however, was wether they could take on whomever they ran into earlier.

Worst of all, was that they now had Agent Kallus to deal with. They couldn't leave him because he was too valuable to the rebellion, though they also couldn't take him back without the rest of their crew. It was beginning to get on her nerves.

She decided to take a walk. As she exited her place in the cockpit, she could already see what Kanan was up to; talking to Ashoka again. She leaned against the corner of the wall, intent on finding some distraction in their conversation.

"We were expecting trouble, but nothing like this."

"What exactly do you mean?"

"It's as if the force didn't want me to find him."

"That is disturbing. hmmm… I'll see what I can find out. In the meantime, I'll let you all get back to work."

"May the force be with you."

"and with you, Kanan."

The projector flickered out, with the form of Ashoka disappearing. Hera moved over towards him, but stopped when he held out a hand. He was obviously going through something, and just wanted some time to figure it out. Probably more of that Jedi stuff he did so well. She could only guess what was going on in his head as the doors slid shut.

'Sabine has been awfully quiet today', Hera thought. Maybe she should see what was was up with the mandolorian crew-mate. As she approached the door however, she could hear a loud BOOM occur. Hera was starting to get a feeling that she would regret this decision.

As the doors opened, Hera could see her banging her fist on the wall in frustration.

"So then what's causing all this commotion Sabine?"

The mandolorian quickly raced to the other side of the room before producing a metallic cylinder. It was golden on the outside, with a deep groove running along the base. On the inside however, there was a greasy powder that covered the entirety of it in a pattern akin to the mark of a blaster. At the base was three letters, AMC, followed by the number 53. There was also a small divot in the center where something punched into it.

"Really Hera? Do you not see what this is?" She was getting snarky again. Whatever this was, it needed to be confronted now. As Hera thought over the trinket in her mind again, She tried to figure out just what it was, and what it meant. She was too late however, as Sabine quickly snatched it out of her hands, and stormed out of the room. Hera tried to pursue, but was too late. Sabine was already gone.

As she walked back to the bridge, Hera heard a voice from down the hallway. It was one she was not expecting to hear.

"I can tell you what that is." It was Kallus, speaking from the shadowy corner from which he was tied up to.

"And why would we want your help?"

"Because that is a Terran Bullet."

All eyes were upon him as Agent Kallus recounted what he knew of the Terrans. He was never apart of the main battle, just the clean up crew that would make sure the enemy was dead. Even so, his few encounters with the monstrous beings were enough to imprint a fear in his young mind.

"Why should we trust a word you say!?" It was the twi'lek captain the mandalorian again. What were their names…Syndula and Wren, that was it. The emergency beacon was in place as well. All too easily the rebels had played into his hand. Perhaps maybe they could finally be caught, and not by those imbeciles Lyste and Konstantine…or worse, the inquisitor pair. Unfortunate as it was to think about it, he needed their help for once.

"Because I am just as concerned about their presence as you are. Do you really think that I was dispatched to this dump of a planet just to deal with a nuisance such as yourselves?" Kallus smirked as he saw the retort hit its mark. 'That will shut them up' he thought. Any minute now, his allies would see his beacon, and would move to strike down these rebel scum. Now all he had to do was wait.

There was a screech of a speeder bike approaching, and the sound of commotion following it. From his position, Kallus could see the Jedi Kanan Jarrus in the driver's seat, with the limp body of the Lasat laid out in front. Perhaps they were not so lucky after all, though for all he knew, the Lastat could be sleeping. If not, it was most likely the work of the Terran. He had seen it earlier, if only briefly. Even now, as he tried to recall what happened, he could only see the blur of motion and a flash from its weapon.

…

"Ezra, where are you? We don't have all day to wait!". Hera was getting anxious at this point. Nobody had heard from him all day. Worse still was that neither Zeb nor Chopper were responding to her transmissions. Ezra she could understand—the kid had a knack for getting himself into and out of situations, though the same could not be said of the others. Every option was used up already; Every option except for using unencrypted channels, though that meant an automatic mission abort, something Hera was not fond of.

The sound of a speeder roused Hera out of her worries. Kanan was back from his mission to find their missing cremates, though something seemed off about his arrival. There was something on the front of his speeder, and it looked like a…Oh No! Hera raced out of the cockpit to intercept him. As she stepped off the ladder, she could see the red and orange of Sabine's armor helping to lift Zeb's stretcher, and move him into their makeshift medical bay. After moving Zeb into the newly minted medical bay, Hera turned toward Kanan, with a newfound conviction.

"What happened out there?!"

"I don't know!"

"Then what do you know?"

"All I know is that Zeb was hurt. Old Jho contacted me on my search about Zeb and Chopper, and I rode straight back here after I found them."

"And what about Ezra?"

"I was too busy with Zeb and Chopper, maybe they know more."

"And how can you not use the force to find him?"

"because that's not how the force works!"

Hera wasn't buying it. There was something else going on here, though that could wait. Chopper should be able to tell them what happened. Hera quickly ran her eyes over the droid to find out what happened. 'no external damage, and all the wiring seems intact', she thought as she ran through the checklist of things that could have gone wrong with his systems. There was nothing on though, so maybe just turning him on would work.

With the flick of a switch, Chopper came back to life, arms coming out swinging and ready to fight.

"C1-10P, WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN!?" Chopper may have been out of action for most of the day, though that was still a poor excuse for not keeping his teammates safe in Hera's eyes. A series of Beeps, whoops, and whistles came flying out in a manic fury.

"What do you mean that our distress beacon has been activated!?"

"Hera!"

As soon as she heard Kanan's call, Hera looked over her shoulder to see what Chopper had been so worried about. The empire had found them; somebody had given them away, and now there was nowhere to run.

Kallus could hear the screams of TIEs all arround. His plan had worked out after all. Now all he had to do was to make sure that the rebels didn't mess it up. If protocol was followed, then there shouldn't have been any fighters dispatched, so who was leading this assault? It couldn't be lieutenant Lyste or Admiral Konstantine; Lyste was far too reserved in his attacks, and Konstantine was on the other side of the system right now. Whoever was in charge should be promoted, assuming everything went according to plan.

Two Stormtroopers then rounded the corner into the room, before proceeding to clear the area of any potential rebels. After completing their task, they moved to free the lone prisoner in the room. As Kallus took one last look at his master plan, bathing in the glory of the triumph for a breif moment before returning to finish the job. All that was left was to find Bridger, though that task would take care of itself.

Ezra had a look of horror about him as Lucas showed him the beacon's signal on his datapad.

"Who do you think set off that alarm?! Me?!", Lucas barked.

"No, It's just…"

"Just what? That your friends are in trouble?"

"Yes, and we…"

"...Have to help them, of course. The problem with that is that if I reveal my existence, then this entire sector will be FUBAR! Everyone you know will be enslaved, or hunted down into oblivion! There is nothing I can do without attracting the attention of the Emperor or Lord Vader."

"But we have to do something!"

"And what would that be?"

Ezra was all but begging, pleading for this to not be real. He knew the risk of this mission, but that hadn't mattered until now. He would have to sacrifice his home or his friends. He knew his choice. The empire already ruled over Lothal, and it was only a matter of time before they returned in force. He couldn't save Lothal, not yet at least. But he could save his friends, and he needed all the help he could get in order to save his home.

"Come on, let's go save your friends."

He obviously wasn't very happy about Ezra's decision, as was evidenced by his monotone reaction. It was strange, to Ezra - Lucas obviously disapproved of the decision, and yet he had already accepted that it would happen…as if he already knew what was going to happen.

They walked in silence together, footsteps landing out of sync as Ezra tried to keep pace with the tall man. As they got closer to the exit, Ezra could make out more details in the man's face. He was tall and lean, that much was apparent from earlier, but it hadn't really set in yet. He was skinny, lanky even. If it weren't for the muscles that the guy had, then he would seem like a pushover. Despite this, he seemed to have a habitual slouch, and a slight limp.

It was then, that the light flooded the room as Lucas lifted up a flap in the wall to reveal the exit. As they came out, Ezra took in everything, the smell, the Lothcat running towards him, and the gust blowing past his ears. He could smell all the grasses and plants, and an odd smell that was fast approaching.

"What is that."

"That's my ship."

The ship, if one could call it that, was Old. Very old, Ancient even. It looked similar to one of those Old republic starfighters, yet it had even older bits on it. The nose was pointing into the ground, and there were a series of large fins protruding on all sides. There was also an engine in the back, though not of a style that Ezra had ever seen before. There were also weapon pods on the bottom, and missiles on the sides, and a weird rod with a hook on the end, none of which Ezra knew the first thing about. Finally, there was the cockpit, which was as cramped as the turrets on the ghost and with more buttons and panels than Ezra had ever seen.

"After you"

There was a ladder already prepared for him, and although he really wanted to, he knew better than to hop in the front seat. As he landed in his spot, he noticed that the writing was not in a language he could understand. That didn't really matter though, when the machine came to life. There was a roar, louder than anything Ezra could imagine, as flames shot out of the rear of the craft. Lucas then handed him a helmet with a funny looking mask, as he simultaneously initiated the launch sequence.

"Don't try anything funny back there, because I'll know".

Then, the entire craft lurched and there was a feeling that Ezra had never really experienced in his life. The craft rapidly accelerated as the ground became smaller and smaller, and the clouds came ever closer.

"Ghost Crew, be advised, Victor-Alpha is 25 Clicks out from you position, I would highly advise you take cover now, Over".

The Horror on Agent Kallus's face was evident. His prey had found him, and now was moving in for the kill. Furthermore, this Terran was flying—something that Kallus particularly feared, due to the highly fatal nature of those who were to be targeted. There was only one thing to do.

"TAKE COVER!"

Everyone had run, yet it didn't matter. What happened next was nothing short of the work of the force itself, or at least for those on the ground. As the unidentified craft streaked overhead, a loud crash resounded throughout the area. All went white, and no sound except for a ringing in the ear could be heard. When it was over, the mess was nothing short of hell itself. The bodies of stormtroopers lay broken and contorted all about. The two walkers were down, one sideways and on top of the other. The bottom walker had a hole in it the size of a small moon.

Then there was the Ghost, which had vacated the premises some time ago. All of it, the Ghost, the walkers, the troopers, the craft: screamed nightmare fuel to him. He legitimately hoped that this was just a nightmare. He had been unlucky enough to live through it once, and it had cost him his entire squad. If it wasn't…he didn't want to even think about it. He could only hope that Lord Vader would take the news lightly.

It was over in the blink of an eye. Boom, and then gone. If her helmet had not been recording, Sabine would never have seen it happen. They had long since escaped, and were now on route to pick up Ezra. She laughed. Hera was pissed when she heard about where he had been. Even more so after she had seen the remains of the Tie fighters that had chased his ship, of which she desperately wanted to get even a look at. With two imperial walkers and three Tie fighters gone in seconds, even Chopper was busting his bolts to see what had caused all of the carnage.

As she scrolled through frame by frame, she noticed an oblong blur of an object. It was only there for another frame before the explosion took off. It was too large to be a detonator. Kriff, Maybe a new proton bomb? Whatever the case, this thing made the empire's toys look like bantha fodder. If only it had more of an explosion behind it. Speaking of which, there was barely any flash. The whole thing must have flown through the walker's armor and blown it up from inside. It definitely made the most sense as to how that thing could have caused so much damage.

There was however, a problem with this theory. There wasn't anything else in sight that could have taken out the second walker. No second explosion until at least a few seconds later. By that time she had been lying on the ground. She hadn't been hurt, but whatever that bomb had released had sent everyone flying. She scrolled further and further though the recording, dissecting every detail with intent. Nothing. Not even a trace as to how it was destroyed.

She had to move on. She still had some audio of the craft itself; all of the visual data had either been corrupted or too blurred to use. Whatever this thing was, it moved fast. The audio only confirmed that. It was like an explosion of its own. Nothing, not even a clue as to where it was before, and then it just…It was overload on all accounts. If she hadn't been wearing her helmet, she would have gone deaf. Looking back over it now, it was no wonder her recorder was so badly damaged. What was really weird though was that her visor was slightly misaligned—as if it was badly rattled.

"What about Ezra",

"As I told you before, Your friend is safe with me, Captain Syndulla."

Hera was rewatching the transmission from "Lucas" again, for the seventh time today. It was unhealthy to worry this much, but when it came to any of her crew members, She wouldn't give a bantha's ass. There hadn't been any word from either of them for at least two cycles. Sabine walked in behind her and took the seat opposite her. The two just sat in silence for a few seconds. They had grown much closer since the outing to the Anaxes asteroid base. It had been a small blessing, despite the terror and helplessness it brought out. Now they were in a similar situation. Zeb was still recovering, and Kanan was busy tending to him. They were all lucky that the mission wasn't even more of a disaster.

There was a flash of lights on the console as a ship was detected exiting Hyperspace. It was Ashoka and Rex, who had taken the Phantom after learning of Ezra's fate. Hopefully they had some clue to his whereabouts, though Hera had a good feeling that Ashoka would have more than that.

Hera moved quickly down the hall, Sabine at her side. There was nothing stopping them from finding what happened to their lost cremate, except… There he was, standing beside them. Ezra Bridger.

"Where in the blazes have you been."

"It's good to see you too Hera."

…

"Hera, we need to talk". It was Ashoka, though she seemed more distressed than usual. Normally she would talk to Kanan or Ezra on this sort of matter, though something was telling Hera that she needed to talk to her.

"About what?"

"That Terran…"

"Well, what about him? It seems like he would be a valuable asset for the alliance"

"That's just the point! The Alliance cannot know about what happened!"

"Why? Ashoka, what are you not telling me?"

With that, Ashoka quickly pulled Hera into one of the nearby storage rooms before sealing the door. After a quick check with the force to make sure nobody was listening, before revealing a data pad that had been hidden in her tunic.

"What you see here does not leave this room, got that?!"

Hera nodded a quiet response. She then received the data pad in the form of a shove to her abdomen, knocking some of the wind out of her.

Hera quickly took it, and started scanning the info in front of her eyes before they went wide. She nearly dropped it from the sheer shock of it all.

Samuel Aldrin Merlon, Captain, Service number 123 - 45 - 57, 28th Amphibious Assault Engineers, 3rd Marines. Status—K.I.A.

Next of kin: Lucas Merlon, Brother; Alexandra Merlon; Sister

Logbook

Day 35 - Working as a liaison to the marines after my last excursion. Helping coordinate airstrikes on the ground. The empire never knew what hit 'em…

Day 122 - The empire is making a push. They've made headway against us, but they will find we're harder to dislodge than a cockroach…

Day 368 - We're pulling out. Earth is going to fall, it was always a matter of time, but… this new admiral is toying with us like lab-rats. Our unit is to be the vanguard in an offensive to give us the room to evacuate. We're not expected to survive. If you find this, tell my sister I love her.

End log

There it was. All the proof they needed to show that the empire did cover everything up, except, that wasn't it. There were videos and audio logs galore, enough information to fill the Holonet for months on end. Then there was the consequence. There were bodies upon bodies of human and stormtrooper alike, tossed into mass graves. There was the charred remains of melted vehicles, and armor. Then there was the gore. Hera silently sent a prayer to whomever invented blasters, because at least those wounds were cauterized. These Terrans, knew of no such thing however. Their armaments were primitive to say the least, yet they would make even a mandolorian think twice before engaging. Even Saw Gurerra and his partizans would have been intimidated by this. It was horrible, gruesome, and brutal in every aspect. It was more than Terrifying. It was…

Hera could barely contain the fear welling up inside her at this point. These Terrans…they were the best shot the galaxy had to defeating the empire, and nobody ever knew about it.

"And now they never will". Ashoka must have read her mind.

"Who else knows about this?"

"You, me, and Rex. Nobody else needs to know."

"The others won't like that. Kanan won't…"

"Need to know until Lucas tells it to them himself.

AN: GASP!, What a cliffhanger. Well, that's all I have for now. This story is a one shot and is more of a prompt for future stories, so if you feel like adding onto what has been written here, or making your own, feel free to do so. Just reference this story so that people know what you are talking about. In the meantime, I will update you all if I plan on adding on to this story. Hopefully you all liked it. Also, feel free to enjoy this "codex" style entry on the background of the Terrans.

After Action Report: Terran-Imperial War.

Date: [REDACTED] (423 days, 6 hours, 5 minutes)

Location: Earth System

Result: Imperial Strategic Victory
- Earth Conquered

- Knowledge of the War Suppressed

- Terrans forced into Hiding.

Beligerants: Terran Alliance, Galactic Empire

Total Strength: 20 Billion, 400 Quadrillion

- (Earth population 11.2 Billion)

Total Causalties: 12+ billion, 4.562 Billion

The Terran-Empire War was a war that occurred in the years [REDACTED].

…for the first three months the Terrans crushed their enemies, using their superior firepower and knowledge of the battlefield to match Imperial forces blow for blow. After the battle of Mondagush, and the landings in Taiwan however, Terran forces were forced to pull back from their offensives, providing the empire enough of a break to begin landing the rest of the invasion force. By this point, quantum entanglement communicators…entering the later phases of attritional warfare. As the Empire sent wave after wave of stormtrooper onto the field of battle, the Terrans would find ways to repel them. Furthermore, the defensive lines at this point could reach up to twenty miles deep in areas, with strongpoints and logistical camps set up for hundreds more. Much of this was in response to the slowly waning air superiority in the skies above. Due to the inability to produce newer generation fighters fast enough, many older generation craft were upgraded for modern combat, including some WWII craft which were used in a Close Air Support role. This was also reflected on the ground, with many units adopting older anti-air platforms due to a lack of supply…With North America being one of the last remaining holdouts, a general withdrawal from the planet's surface was launched. Known as Operation Orion, this would prove to be the decisive factor for the Terrans, launching a simultaneous armored counterstrike across the rockies, and full scale planetary evacuation. This was supplemented by a Planetary Naval breakout in Operation Asgard, taking with it many hundreds of of individual ships in a desperate move to break the blockade. While this was a success, it was not without cost to the victors. This meant the destruction of the entirety of the 3rd, 5th, and 18th fleets, and similar destruction for many other units, in exchange for seven imperial star destroyers and scores of supporting elements…With the evacuation complete, and the final closing of the blockade, the empire's grip on the stubborn world had been complete. The remaining survivors were eliminated or enslaved over the course of the next two weeks…Evacuees are now scattered across the galaxy,

End Report.