Home One
The main hanger of Home One was bustling and overflowing as rebel soldiers prepared the ground vehicles for battle and rebel pilots prepared their starfighters. Ahsoka felt overwhelmed and intrigued by everything and everyone around her. She took notice of a large All Terrain Tactical Enforcer that stood beside her and stroked her fingers across its metal plating, which brought back memories of her time in the Clone Wars.
"You seem interested in that walker" said Wedge as he walked up over to Ahsoka.
"Unless I'm much mistaken, weren't these vehicles used by the Galactic Republic during the Clone Wars" said Ahsoka.
"The Clone Wars left no shortage of vehicles and weapons" said Wedge "We were able to get our hands on some of the leftovers, and our allies from across the galaxy were able to supply us with newer technology to fill out the numbers. We might not be as big as the Empire, but we're growing stronger and this has allowed our operations to grow"
"And now you're taking the battle to them" said Ahsoka "Say, do you know where Luke is?"
"Over by the shuttle with his strike team" replied Wedge "C'mon, I'll show you the way"
Meanwhile
Whilst Luke stood next to the Sentinel-class landing craft that the Alliance had captured for his mission, C-3PO and R2-D2 watched on from a distance with intrigue. R2 beeped inquisitively.
"These attacks have been very stressful for Master Luke; I sure hope this mission puts an end to them once and for all" said C-3PO. R2 beeped in response. "True, it won't stop the war; but if Master Luke can at least have some relief, then it will be worth it. I am glad he's found a new friend; that Ashla seems very friendly, I don't know why Leia distrusts her so much" R2 beeped in response. "Take good care of Master Luke, R2" R2 beeped again as C-3PO began patting him on his dome. "And take good care of yourself also; I'm worried that one of these days you'll come back unrepairable and I'll be left all alone" R2 beeped in response. "Awfully reckless, just remember not to get yourself destroyed out there; believe it or not, we do all care for you" R2 beeped again as he rolled off towards the shuttle. "Take care, my little friend" As R2 rolled up the boarding ramp and into the shuttle, Admiral Ackbar and General Rur approached Luke.
"Commander Skywalker, take this" said Ackbar as he handed a datapad over to Luke "It's the shuttle's designation and clearance code. It should be enough to get you into the base; from there however, I'm afraid you're on your own. Intelligence could only obtain so much without giving their position away and I'm afraid that we couldn't attain a proper map and layout of the facility; be prepared and stay alert, you'll be going in blind"
"I've talked with some of the soldiers and they're…actually hesitant about this plan" said Luke "It's strange, your plans are usually very popular amongst them"
"I'll admit, it's not the best I've ever come up with" said Ackbar "Had we the time and resources to plan further, we would have focused on a more intricate infiltration mission; less chance of casualties and more chance of success. Unfortunately, we only found out about the shipment schedules after we captured the shuttle and obtained its codes; we knew then that if we didn't act soon, the shuttle's absence might alert the base"
"True; I'm sure that this is the best plan you could come up with, given the circumstances" said Luke "Still, I have a feeling that a lot of people aren't coming back from this battle"
"That is war" said Rur "Ensure that your mission is a success and none of them will die in vain"
"What General Rur means is: these men and women know and understand the risks" said Ackbar "They're all prepared to do their job, but try not to lose focus on your mission because of that" At that moment, Ahsoka and Wedge approached them.
"That's much bigger than the one we used back on Mygeeto" said Ahsoka.
"It's a Sentinel-class shuttle, used for troop transport and supply shipments" said Luke "And it's the one that's scheduled for the next shipment"
"So, when will we be heading out?" asked Ahsoka.
"And what gives you the idea that you're involved with this operation?" said Rur.
"Excuse me?" said Ahsoka.
"I'm afraid that you are not assigned to a position in this battle, Ashla" said Ackbar.
"And why's that?" asked Ahsoka.
"By request of Princess Leia" replied Ackbar. Luke did his best to hold back a sigh as he heard this.
"And…why would she do that?" asked Ahsoka.
"You have only just joined us and we have yet to decide if you are fit for this mission or not" replied Leia as she walked up to them "I felt that it would be better if you sit this one out, at least until we decide otherwise" Ahsoka (knowing full well why Leia was doing this) tried her best to hold her irritation back.
"And when will that be?" asked Ahsoka. Before Leia could say another word, Luke moved in and stood between them.
"Don't worry, Leia" said Luke "I can say from experience that she's very skilled and I'll watch her back for her" Leia subtlety looked back and forth between him and Ahsoka; but as she was about to open her mouth to talk, she remembered Mon Mothma's words and began reconsidering her own. Even though she was suspicious of Ahsoka, she realised that she had to be careful not to give her suspicions away.
"If that's the case…then I trust your judgment, Luke" said Leia "Ashla, you are now assigned to Luke's strike team"
"An abrupt change at the last minute?" said Rur "This is unwise"
"We're only assigning one more person to the mission" said Ackbar "The plan remains the same. Now come, general; let us prepare the ground forces" As he and Rur turned away, Luke looked back at Ahsoka who smiled at him.
"It will be a pleasure working with you again, Commander Skywalker" said Ahsoka.
"I'll go check on the rest of Rogue Squadron" said Wedge "If it's your standard Imperial base, they'll be a ton of TIE fighters that we'll have to deal with. Good luck with your mission, Luke"
"Good luck with yours, Wedge" said Luke "And may the Force be with you"
"We'll see who it's with soon enough" said Wedge as he turned back to the starfighters and made his way over to them. As Ahsoka turned towards the shuttle and entered it via the boarding ramp, Luke turned to follow her but was stopped by Leia abruptly grabbing his shoulder and turning him back to her.
"Luke, I understand that this war hasn't been ideal for you" said Leia "I remember how eager you were to become a Jedi and how sad you when you lost Obi-Wan, it must have felt like any chance of completing your training was lost; and all those times we went looking for Master Kota and found nothing…I can only imagine how crushing it was for you. But despite all of this, you have never given up hope and you've never let your dream die. I believe that this war has tested you in ways that no formal training could ever accomplish"
"Why are you telling me this, Leia?" asked Luke. Leia placed her hands onto his shoulders and kissed him gently on the cheek.
"Just remember this; Obi-Wan may not be with us anymore, but he would be proud of you and the progress you have made all on your own" said Leia "But please, be careful; you may have come a long since Yavin, but don't go throwing your life away to protect everyone. We care about you; and although we may not have the Force or wield lightsabers, we're here for you whenever you need us"
"Thanks, Leia" said Luke "I'll…bare that in mind" He turned back to the shuttle and walked up its boarding ramp, where he found Ahsoka sitting in the corner with R2.
"What took you?" asked Ahsoka.
"Leia just wanted to see me off" replied Luke.
"No lightsaber this time?" asked Ahsoka as she gestured to where Luke's lightsaber would be on his belt "Seems a little unwise"
"We'll draw a lot of attention if I carry it around or use it constantly" replied Luke.
"But what if we find something that blasters aren't good for?" asked Ahsoka
"Which is why I'll keep it within good reach" said Luke. He reached into his jacket and brought out his lightsaber before putting it back. "Otherwise, I'll stick to using this" He pulled a blaster out of the holster on his hip.
"Which is why I'm bringing this" smirked Ahsoka as she pulled out a blaster of her own and loaded it. At that moment, a rebel captain with fair skin, brown hair, and brown eyes walked up to Luke.
"Commander Skywalker, Captain Hahl Thyst at your service" said the captain "Everyone is here, we are ready to depart"
"Then let's get started" said Luke "Set course for Socorro" Captain Thyst turned back to the shuttle's cockpit and nodded at the two rebel soldiers who sat at the controls. In response, the two rebel soldiers activated the shuttle. As it flew out of the hanger and disappeared into hyperspace, Leia began making her way out of the hanger when she was intercepted by C-3PO.
"See; there's nothing to worry about, Princess Leia" said C-3PO "I am very glad that you allowed her to join Luke's team"
"I realised that if I didn't, I would give away that I was distrustful of her; then she would become much more careful" said Leia.
"Oh dear; you still don't trust her, do you?" said C-3PO.
"If the base is as significant and as vital to the Imperial war effort as we're led to believe, then this would be a perfect opportunity to betray him and hand him over to the Imperials; which gives me reason to be anxious" said Leia "However, I have informed Luke of my concerns; and while he does seem to be overly trustful of her, I believe that he is mature and smart enough to acknowledge what I said to him. You're right, I have overreacted to things in the past and Luke does have a good judge of character; but there's something about her I'm unsure about, so I feel it's necessary to be prepared for it, whatever it may be. If she is a spy, I'll be ready to act upon it the moment it's revealed; in the meantime, I'll leave my faith in Luke and hope he comes out of this"
Meanwhile on Socorro
The rebel-controlled Sentinel-class shuttle came out of hyperspace above the planet Socorro and descended down towards it.
"Here we are" said one of the rebel soldiers who was piloting the shuttle "Socorro" As Luke and Ahsoka entered the cockpit, Ahsoka squinted her eyes as they adjusted to the red light of the system's sun. "Don't look directly at it. That's Sokor, the system's sun and it's a red giant"
"I…figured" said Ahsoka.
"And I thought Tatooine was tough" said Luke. As they descended down towards the planet below, the shuttle's comlink sparked to life.
"Socorran Outpost to incoming Imperial shuttle, please identify yourself or we will not allow you to approach" said an Imperial lieutenant out of the shuttle's comlink. The rebel soldier at the controls of the shuttle cleared his throat before activating the shuttle's comlink on his end.
"Shuttle Tanara requesting access to Socorran Outpost" said the rebel soldier into the shuttle's comlink "We're here to deliver supplies per the schedule"
"Shuttle Tanara, transmit clearance code so you may be allowed to land" said the Imperial lieutenant.
"Transmission commencing" said the rebel soldier as he typed into the shuttle's console.
"Now for the moment of truth" said Ahsoka.
Meanwhile
Within the command centre of the Imperial base, an Imperial commander stood beside the Imperial lieutenant who was communicating with the shuttle.
"Does the code check out?" asked the Imperial commander.
"Yes, it does" replied the Imperial lieutenant.
"Let them in" said the Imperial commander tentatively "Inform them that we will send a landing party out to help with the supply drop-off"
"Shuttle Tanara, proceed to the landing platform" said the Imperial lieutenant into his station's comlink "We will send out a landing party to help take in the supplies"
Meanwhile
"Looks like we're in" said the rebel soldier. In response to this, Luke pulled out an imagecaster from his pocket and brought up a hologram of Ackbar.
"Admiral, they've accepted us in" said Luke.
"Good, I'll ready the fleet" said Ackbar "Take care, Commander Skywalker"
"Will do" said Luke. As the hologram of Ackbar turned off, Luke placed the imagecaster back into his pocket.
Meanwhile
"If you'll excuse me, there are other matters I must adjourn to" said the Imperial commander. Looking uncomfortable, he turned away from the lieutenant and moved towards the doorway. Entering the hallway on the other side, he made his way over to a small, dark room where the two cloaked figures awaited him.
"Well?" asked the second cloaked figure.
"An Imperial shuttle is on its way to the base to drop off supplies" replied the Imperial commander "It is on schedule and has the right designation and clearance codes, so it may be just—"
"It is them" said the second cloaked figure as he stepped forward and began to circle the commander in an ominous fashion "I can sense their rebel filth a parsec away"
"I've assigned a greeting party to their landing pad" said the Imperial commander "Should I alert them to—"
"No; if we hope to lure the rebels in and catch them unawares, we must at least make it convincing" said the second cloaked figure "You seem troubled, commander. I sense a lot of anxiety within you"
"I am unsure about this plan" said the Imperial commander "I have run this base ever since the formation of the Rebellion and we have been able to keep out of their sights all this time; to sacrifice this base when it could be used for greater purposes against the rebels feels…wasteful"
"It was because of your base's insignificance that it was chosen for this operation" said the second cloaked figure "Don't worry, we will compensate you and your surviving men greatly. Who knows; if you do your job well enough, you might just become next in line for Moff of this sector"
"I very much appreciate your generosity" said the Imperial commander "But are you sure this is the best plan Lord Vader can come up with? I would have thought someone of his reputation and position within the Imperial Army would think of a much more eff—" Suddenly, the first cloaked figure walked over to the commander and grabbed him by the throat (revealing a black sleeved arm with a black glove).
"Do not speak ill of Lord Vader!" snarled the first cloaked figure as she began to choke and suffocate the commander "Or I will break your neck in two!"
"Calm down; the commander merely made a mistake, but it is not one worthy of death" said the second cloaked figure "Besides, I would hate if we had to go to the trouble of finding a new commander" Reluctantly, the first cloaked figure let go of the commander's throat. "Apologies for my associate's behaviour; she is still learning to hold her tongue, which is why she has me around" From beneath her hood, the first cloaked figure gritted her teeth in frustration. "Now, let us begin preparations for the attack"
Meanwhile
The Alliance-controlled shuttle flew over the red and black sanded desert plains of Socorro, passing over a herd of druyza that were grazing near a stream and passing by a swarm of chiru that prowled the skies. But as it approached the landing pad, a greeting party of stormtroopers walked out onto it.
"There's the welcoming committee they promised" said the rebel soldier at the controls. Seeing this, Luke turned back to the passenger area and clapped his hands to get the attention of the rebel soldiers.
"Okay, people; we're almost at the base now and we'll be landing soon" said Luke "However, it seems that some stormtroopers will be meeting us at the landing pad; they might merely be here to help with the cargo drop-off or they could be here to attack us. Either way, we need to be prepared for the worst-case scenario. Ready your weapons; if we're to take them by surprise, we must be prepared to act from the moment we land" As the shuttle lowered down and landed on the landing pad, a stormtrooper captain stepped forward.
"We've been instructed to assist you in unloading the supplies" said the stormtrooper captain "Let us board so we may assist" As the shuttle's door opened and the boarding ramp lowered, a thermal detonator shot out of the doorway and landed right in the middle of the stormtrooper party.
"What the!?" exclaimed a stormtrooper.
"Incoming!" exclaimed another stormtrooper. As the thermal detonator exploded and took out most of the stormtroopers (including the captain who let out a Wilhelm scream), the rebel soldiers rushed out of the shuttle and began shooting down the remaining stormtroopers until none remained.
"Is that all of them?" asked Luke "Good, let's get moving. The fleet will be here any minute, we should get started on taking the base" Leading the rebel soldiers, he moved vigorously across the walkway until they reached the door to the base. "R2, think you can crack this?" R2 beeped in response before rolling up to the door, retracted out his scomp link, and inserted it into the door's terminal. "Now remember; whatever we find in there, we have to be ready for it" As the door opened, Luke and Ahsoka entered it with their blasters drawn and found themselves at the intersection between two hallways. Luke then gestured towards the rest of the strike team and they moved in towards him. "We're in, but it won't be long before they find us; which is why we must take the command centre as quickly as possible. The attack on the base should buy us some time, so let's make the most of it. Captain Thyst, take half the team down the left corridor; Ashla and I will take the other half down the right corridor"
"Understood, commander" said Thyst. As instructed, he and half the rebel soldiers turned towards the left corridor and walked down it whilst Luke, Ahsoka, R2, and the other half moved down the right corridor.
Meanwhile
The second cloaked figure took a deep breath and exhaled.
"They're here!" said the second cloaked figure "I can sense their presence!"
"So the shuttle was an infiltration" said the Imperial commander "Should I alert my men now?"
"No" replied the second cloaked figure "Now that they're in the base, we'll handle it from here" He and the other cloaked figure turned to the door.
"Why do I get the feeling that there's more you're not telling me?" asked the Imperial commander. This caused the two cloaked figures to stop in their tracks.
"Explain" asked the second cloaked figure as he turned around to face the commander.
"If this is merely a small group of rebels who have infiltrated our base, we should have no trouble with disposing of them ourselves" replied the Imperial commander "Which begs the question: why would Lord Vader send you two to assist us if it's merely standard rebel soldiers?"
"If you don't keep your mouth shut—" started the first cloaked figure, only to be stopped by the second cloaked figure.
"I'm afraid that information is…need to know" replied the second cloaked figure.
"Well, I am commanding officer within this base" said the Imperial commander, beginning to sound more frustrated "And if you two know something crucial, then I deserve to know as well"
"Choose your words carefully, commander" said the second cloaked figure "You may back yourself into a corner that you cannot escape"
"Listen, I am in charge here!" snapped the Imperial commander "Tell me what you know or—"
"Or what?" said the second cloaked "Need I remind you that we serve a much, much higher power than you!" He raised his arm and revealed a mottled blue hand with two clawed fingers and a thumb which began force-choking the commander.
"Please!" begged the Imperial commander "I…I…" Unexpectedly, the second cloaked figure released him.
"Know your place, commander" said the second cloaked figure "Lord Vader may not be present, but we are his will and we are here NOW! Now, get yourself ready. I suspect that the rebel fleet will be here soon; and when they arrive, you'll need to focus on them. Let us do our job and we will let you do yours" He and the other cloaked figure turned again and left the room.
"Skywalker's here, I can sense him" said the first cloaked figure.
"I know, which is why I made it clear that we will handle this alone" said the second cloaked figure "I can sense some frustration within you. Tell me, what is it this time?"
"You're always chiding me when I try putting these cowards in their place, yet you have no problem doing it yourself" said the first cloaked figure as they walked down the hallway.
"Unlike you, I know when to be reasonable and when to apply pressure" said the second cloaked figure "I do this by studying Lord Vader and his tactics as oppose to praising him blindly"
"I look forward to the day when he finally orders me to kill you" said the first cloaked figure.
"Then you're dooming yourself to disappointment, little pup" said the second cloaked figure. The first cloaked figure groaned in response.
Meanwhile
Above the planet Socorro, the rebel fleet came out of hyperspace and began surrounding the planet in a blockade-like manner. From the hangers of the various rebel ships, T-65 X-Wing starfighters and BTL Y-wing starfighters flew out and descended down towards the planet followed by GR-75 medium transports which landed on the planet's surface not far from the Imperial base. Within the bridge of Home One, Admiral Ackbar sat in his command chair and observed the starfighters and transports as they made their way down to the planet.
"We have arrived at Socorro" said Ackbar into the ship's comlink "General Rur, are you and your men in position yet?"
Meanwhile
Rur sat in the top hatch of his personal AAT as he overlooked rebel vehicles and soldiers as they unloaded from the transports.
"Almost, we're still unloading" said Rur into his comlink "But we should be ready soon"
"Incoming!" exclaimed a rebel soldier. A barrage of laser bolts fired towards them, one of which hit a T-2B repulsor tank and destroyed it. Turning towards the direction they had fired from, Rur pulled out a pair of electrobinoculars and found an army of AT-STs, 2-M hover tanks, and AT-MPs marching towards them from the Imperial base.
"Blasted Imperials!" growled Rur as he lowered his electrobinoculars. "Gold Leader, this is General Rur. The Imperials have come sooner than expected and are threatening to compromise our position. Can you thin out their numbers with a bombing run?"
"Consider it done" replied Gold Leader. The Y-wings of Gold Squadron zoomed down quickly and dropped a payload of proton bombs onto the unsuspecting Imperials, taking out what appeared to be a third of their forces.
"Move out into your positions!" yelled Rur "Double time! Get there before they can recover!"
Meanwhile
Luke, Ahsoka, R2, and the rebel soldiers snuck through the hallways of the base with their blasters drawn and ready to fire. They tried to stay alert to their surroundings, but they were finding it hard to concentrate when the base's alarm was ringing constantly.
"Base under attack!" yelled an Imperial officer through the base's intercom as the alarm rang "Repeat, base under attack! All available stormtroopers must report to the battlefield immediately and all pilots must report to the hanger immediately!" As the rebels neared another intersection in the hallway, Luke stopped in his steps as he heard the thunderous sound of footsteps approaching.
"Get back!" said Luke quietly as he ducked down behind a nearby crate and pulled Ahsoka back with him. As R2 and the rebel soldiers leaned up against the wall and found other hiding places, a battalion of stormtroopers rushed through the hallway in front of them.
"We'll activate more of the defences along the way" said the stormtrooper commander leading the battalion "That'll show those rebels!" As the battalion passed by, Luke, Ahsoka, and the others came out of hiding and proceeded on down the hallway.
"That was close" said Ahsoka.
"Good thing they're distracted with the battle" said Luke "Now, let's get moving again" As they continued forward and made their way across the hallway intersection, Ahsoka abruptly froze in the middle of the intersection and turned to face the direction that the stormtrooper battalion had come from. Standing a great distance away from her in the middle of the hallway was the Togruta girl she had passed by while on Home One, only now she looked different. She appeared to be slightly older than before and now wore a dark red outfit with four armbands on each arm, black leggings, and matching dark red gloves and boots. Noticing Ahsoka's stop, Luke turned back and rushed over to her.
"Ahsok…Ashla, c'mon!" said Luke quietly. Ahsoka did not reply, she was too fixated on the Togruta girl. "What is it?" There was still no reply.
"Are you happy, child?" asked the Togruta girl "You know very well that you have a lot of potential, yet you choose not to fulfil it. Why?" Hesitant but determined, Ahsoka began making her way over to the girl.
"Ahsoka, wait!" exclaimed Luke. As he began following after her, R2 trailed closely behind and briefly bumped into a small mouse droid which squeaked in response before rushing off screaming.
"Who are you?!" asked Ahsoka in an almost aggressive manner "What do you want with me?"
"The question is: who are you?" asked the Togruta girl "You use and listen to the Force, you have chosen to fight in a war that needs Jedi; yet you do not consider yourself one. Why is that? Surely this is the time to put aside your trauma and do what is best for the galaxy; and right now, the galaxy needs the Jedi"
"If you know so much about me, then you know there is a reason why I don't consider myself a Jedi anymore" said Ahsoka "So why are you doing this? Are you trying to torment me? Are you trying to scare me? Why are you here?"
"No, I am not here to torment you or to scare you" said the Togruta girl "If you wish to know who I am and why I am here, go to Ilum. The answers you seek are there" As Ahsoka reached the end of the hallway, the girl vanished into thin air. Startled and confused, Ahsoka froze in her steps again and gasped beneath her breath. Reaching out to the empty area where the girl once stood, she was snapped out of her thoughts by a familiar voice.
"Ahsoka, what is it?" asked Luke as he reached Ahsoka
"Where…Where has she gone?" asked Ahsoka.
"Who's gone?" asked Luke.
"H-Her" replied Ahsoka
"Ahsoka, there was no one there; at least, I didn't see anyone" said Luke. R2 beeped affirmatively with this as he rolled up to the two of them. "What happened? Who did you see?"
"It was…she…never mind, let's get going" said Ahsoka. Luke was reminded of the similar incident that she experienced while onboard Home One, only now it seemed more vivid. He wanted to know more as it was starting to concern him, but he knew that they had to focus on the mission right now. But as the three of them turned back to the direction they had come from, they found themselves face to face with the second cloaked figure who stood right in front of them and blocked the hallway.
"Going somewhere?" said a voice from behind them. Luke froze when he heard this, as if he recognized the voice. As Ahsoka turned around, she found herself facing the first cloaked figure. Acting on instinct, Ahsoka drew her blaster and pointed it at the cloaked figure in front of her. "That will do you no good" Reaching into her dark cloak, the first cloaked figure pulled out a lightsaber and ignited it, revealing a bright red blade. In response to this, Luke reached into his jacket, pulled out his lightsaber, and ignited it.
"An improvement…" said the second cloaked figure as he pulled his own lightsaber out from his cloak "…but only just!" He ignited its red blade and pointed it at Luke.
"Who are you two and what are you doing here?" asked Ahsoka.
"We are Inquisitors and you are our objective" said the second cloaked figure.
Author's note: I wish to feature Wedge Antilles as a prominent character in my series and I wish to stay close to his Legends backstory and character as much as possible, but I admittedly haven't seen or read much that features him very in-depth. I've heard that the X-Wing book series is a good place to start, would anyone recommend them?
Hellman76: I will miss them too, but I believe that delaying their arrival and giving them proper introductions within the series itself will be better for the series. I apologize for any inconveniences.
The Emeralking: I don't have a specific number of chapters in mind for my prologue as I wish to take my time with the story and not rush it, but I do have a specific storyline in mind to follow. As of this chapter, we should be around or near the halfway point.
scottusa1: Thank you, I'm glad to know that I'm not taking Leia's mistrust too far and that I'm keeping it within reason. I hope you enjoyed the latest chapter :)
Guest: I'll certainly consider it. I have been thinking of using other sites to expand my work and spread it to a bigger audience. Right now, I think I'll focus on getting my series off the ground first.
Guest: I will continue my Transformers series when I find the time for it. Since returning to this site, Star Wars and Transformers are the two franchises I wish to focus on.