Chapter 11: Jedi Night
April 21
The news of Hera's capture was another blow that severely undermined the rebels' confidence. The Twi'lek had stayed behind to allow Chopper and Matt Martin to escape and be recovered by Kanan, who had elected to stay back with his speeder-bike.
Kanan was now meditating at the edge of the camp, on a rock in front a prairie. After debating a little, Jaral and Ezra decided to go talk with him about the idea of rescuing Hera.
They found him kneeling, and even though they had approached quite silently, in order not to disturb him, Kanan knew that his apprentices were there.
"I need you two to do something for me." he said calmly.
"Anything." Ezra replied.
"You have to take the lead on Hera's rescue."
The siblings looked at each other in surprise.
"Shouldn't you be the one to do that?" Jaral asked.
"I would, but I can't think clearly because of the way I feel about her." their Master replied. "I might make a mistake. One that could cost us."
"We can do this together." Ezra suggested.
"No." Kanan slowly stood up and faced his Padawans. "I will follow you, but this must be your plan. I trust you guys wholly."
The Padawans made a light bow with their heads, to respect the will of their Master.
"If that is what you want." said Ezra.
"It's what we need if we're going to save Hera...and everyone else."
"Okay, then let's take Sabine and Dad and reach our old tower." Jaral said. "We should be able to use the Force to locate Hera, from there."
"Sounds like a plan." Ezra agreed and the two started to trail back along the corridor carved into the mountain to reach the camp.
Ezra could perceive a burning determination into Jaral's mind. Like he told her, despite the defeat, she was ready to jump back into the action, though he was afraid that she might try to do something reckless, for once in her life.
"Jari, we will bring her back, you'll see." he reassured her.
"I'm fine, Ezra. Hera has been in trouble before, but she came out of it. And they surely want her to reveal the location of our fleet, so they won't kill her."
"Yet, there's something else bothering you."
"Of course, the refinery and the factory are still standing. So I was thinking, if we manage to infiltrate the Imperial Dome, maybe we could push our luck and try to sabotage the fuel depot at the very least."
Ezra barred his eyes. "And how do you intend to do that?"
"I don't know. We'll just have to wing it."
"Jari, we'll be taking a huge risk just saving Hera, if we…"
"If we don't stop the factory, Ezra, then it will be all over!" Jaral said with a firm tone. "The TIE Defender is pretty much complete; they might start to produce it extensively, and if that happens, the Federation won't be able to invade before the Rebellion gets crushed."
Ezra could not say anything against that. Jaral was now fully focused on the main objective and she would always find a way to justify her logic. Ezra understood, though: it would be meaningless to save Hera, in the long run, if the factory was still standing.
"All right, then we better move and fast." he said.
Jaral nodded and the two accelerated their pace toward the camp.
The mood in the camp was less than stellar, but everyone looked at the Jedi when they appeared.
"Gentlemen, I know you think that everything is lost," Jaral said loudly. "but as long as we breathe, we will always have a chance. We have the weapons and we have the wish to see our home free. My brother and I will lead an operation to free General Syndulla, the rest of you take a breather and get ready, because I have a couple of ideas on how we can turn the tide. Are you with me?"
All stood up or turned toward her and cheered or yelled some approving sentences.
"Good." she said. "Dad, Sabine, load up a couple of speeders, we're going on a recon mission."
"Yes, ma'am." Sabine said with a smirk while Jordan nodded with the same expression on his face and they headed out.
Ezra put a hand on his sister's shoulder. "You see? This guys still trust you, as do I. But...do you really have an idea, already?" he whispered.
Jaral turned her head toward him. "More or less. I still have to define them, but one thing I understand, is that against Thrawn and Iulius we must be unpredictable."
Ezra chuckled. "Then I say we have a chance."
No more than an hour after, the four were traveling toward the tower. Ezra and Sabine on one bike, Jordan and Jaral on the other. It took them three hours of travel to reach their old tower, which, despite being abandoned for years, was still standing.
"Home, sweet home." said Ezra as they approached the door at the base of the tower.
"I still can't believe you guys managed to hide in here for so long." Jordan commented. "I mean, did anybody else ever tried to take shelter here?"
"Well, we hosted Darvos for a time…" Ezra said with a knowing tone.
"Oh, yeah?" Jaral replied in tone, and decided to drop the bomb. "And what about Moreena, then?"
She could feel Ezra's heart froze like it was put into carbonite, as they took the lifter up to the top of the tower, Sabine took took her helmet in her hands and gave Ezra a suspicious look.
"Who's Moreena?"
Ezra stammered a bit, before conjuring some real words. "Moreena Krai...she and her family helped us for a time...but then they left for Alderaan and...and…" he grunted. "Look, there was nothing between me and her, all right?!" he said desperately.
The girls exploded laughing.
"Calm down, Ez'ika." Sabine said after giving him a light punch. "Jaral told me about her a long time ago."
Ezra gave his sister a boiling face.
"I swear, if we survive this…"
But Sabine stopped him by giving him a peck on his cheek. "Oh, take it easy, Ezra. In our situation, you have to find any chance to laugh a little bit."
Then the door of the lifter opened and the girls moved forward, still chuckling between them and commenting on the expression Ezra just did.
Jordan was standing on the side, looking at his son with a grin barely kept in.
Ezra sighed. "I'll never understand those two."
Jordan put an arm around his shoulders and led him out of the lifter. "Let me give you a tip as a man, my son. Don't ever try to understand a woman's mind, not her deepest thoughts, at least. It's the quickest way for you to be drawn to the Dark Side." he quipped.
Ezra just shook his head and reached the girls on the side of the balcony that faced the capitol in the distance.
There, Ezra went at the handrail, where Jaral was waiting, while Sabine and Jordan made a few steps back to let them focus.
The siblings joined a hand each while tending the other toward the city, and the Imperial Dome, specifically. They could feel the Force talking to them, sending them the voices of the imperial personnel, the various Force signatures that, to them, were anonymous. After a couple minutes scanning the area, they finally found her.
"She's in Governor Pryce's office." Ezra said as the siblings turned around and let hands go.
Jordan and Sabine moved near the handrail as well. As the older Legionnaire put on his helmet, to use the integrated binocular, Sabine informed about the position of the office.
"The administrative offices would be on the 157th level. D block."
"Okay, so how do we get past all the patrols, watchtowers and gun turrets? We can't just fly in." Jordan commented.
"That's exactly what we're gonna do." Ezra proclaimed. "On gliders."
"I beg your pardon?" Jordan asked.
"Ezra is right." Sabine agreed. "The Empire's equipped to counter sophisticated weaponry and targets. They won't be expecting something low-tech like a simple glider."
"I believe it's a viable option." Jinx said from Jordan's omni-tool. "From our camp, they can take a vector that will have them fly above the landfill of the industrial quarter, which is filled with Loth-bats."
"Oh, you mean those creepy things?" Jordan asked as he pointed the helmet toward the mentioned area.
"That's right." Jaral said. "If we fly at night and model the gliders on their wings, the imperials will never notice us."
Jordan hummed. "Ok, I guess that's the best chance we have. All we have to do now is to make these gliders."
"Let's head back to camp." Jaral ordered. "We have to finish them by sun-fall." and the group left the balcony.
At the Imperial Dome, Thrawn was filing the last reports in his office. Just a few hours before, Iulius had been officially promoted to Admiral and recalled to Coruscant. The Admonitor and its squadron of four Star Destroyers, six light cruisers and ten Gozanti transports had already left Lothal and Imperial Command had promised that substitutions were on the way to keep the Imperial blockade around the planet.
Soon, he would've returned to the Chimaera, since Gran Moff Tarkin had warned him that they needed to speak about the TIE Defender project. So, before he left, he took the Kalikori from his office and decided to go visit General Syndulla, who was under the 'care' of Governor Pryce in her office.
As he neared the office, he could hear the muffled groans of Syndulla, being electrocuted on a torture table.
When the door opened, the electric prods were leaving Syndulla again.
"You have a lovely voice, General Syndulla." Pryce said with a mischievous grin.
Thrawn stepped in. "Has she revealed the location of the Rebel Fleet?" he asked as he stopped between the two women.
"Oh, I haven't begun making questions, yet." Pryce replied and touched the datapad in her hands again, giving another discharge to Syndulla.
Thrawn believed that she was just wasting time.
"Then allow me." he said.
Hera panted a bit, and when she regained enough strength to talk, she replied defiantly. "I will die, before I tell you anything."
"I imagine you will, General." Thrawn coldly replied, starting to walk in front of her. "Like so many of your friends in the failed attack, and so much of your family back on Ryloth."
Then he turned toward her, exhibiting the small wooden idol. "I wanted to ask you about your Kalikori. I like to know the deeper meanings of the pieces I collect." he kept going as he gently brushed the object. "To me, they're not simple trophies, but symbols that truly represent some of my greatest adversaries."
Hera scoffed. "You don't need to know what it means, since I'll be taking it back."
Thrawn ignored the threat. "From my own analysis, I have determined that these shapes represent individuals important to you at some time in your life." he commented while touching one of the small pieces pending on the sides of the 'T' shaped idol.
Hera turned away her gaze for a second, before staring again at the Grand Admiral with defiance.
"This design I found most interesting," he said, pointing at the small cube at the top of the left pendulum. "for it seems to refer to a...brother, one who died while he was still quite young. I imagine it is a...bittersweet memory for you." he said with respect.
It was unknown to everybody, but he understood that. He himself had an older sister who had been taken away to become what his people called a "Sky-walker", Force-sensitive children that the Chiss used as navigators for their ships in hyperspace. Since these Force-sensitives Chiss lost their powers when reaching adulthood and usually wished to disappear into obscurity, Thrawn had only minor memories of her, since he was three when she was taken away, and he never tried to look for her.
"You aren't worthy of holding that," Hera growled. "let alone understanding it."
"Of course." he replied with a hand on his chest. "I do apologize. However, its legacy likely ends with you. You should take heart knowing that this work of art is at least appreciated by its new owner." then he turned around. "Governor Pryce, I'll leave you to complete the interrogation." he concluded as he stepped away.
Merely had he stepped outside of the office, that he heard the screams of pain of the Twi'lek again.
Thrawn stopped at his office at the Dome to leave the Kalikori on the desk before heading toward the hangar and mount on the shuttle that accompanied him back aboard the Chimaera, back in orbit.
After dismounting and ordering the ship to be pointed toward the nearest hyperspace route, just in case, he headed for his office, just in time to be called by Tarkin.
"Grand Admiral, I'll go straight to the point. Your TIE Defender project is at risk." a sentence which surprised Thrawn a bit. "Orson Krennic has been quite persuasive about diverting the funding to his own project, 'Stardust'."
"The Emperor has assured me that he supports my project." Thrawn asked with a bit of confusion in his tone.
"In my view, Director Krennic's project has been nothing but expenses and excuses for years on end." Tarkin said, pretty much agreeing with Thrawn's comment. "If construction of the Defender is to continue, you must make your case directly to the Emperor himself. I have already arranged the meeting."
"I'll leave immediately, Moff Tarkin." Thrawn replied before closing the transmission.
That conversation actually managed to unnerve him. He had been proud of Iulius and his promotion, but still, losing his best subordinate and already be forced to deal with Pryce's inefficient methods wasn't exactly pleasant. And now, the day after the factory had been saved, imperial politics came back to haunt him.
He stood up from the chair and pushed the button for the ship's intercom.
"Commander, inform Governor Pryce I'm leaving for Coruscant. As soon as you have your course, make the jump into hyperspace."
As soon as they left the tower, Jaral called Ryder at the camp, telling him about the plan. To build the metal skeleton of the gliders, they decided to dismount three bikes and use their bodies.
When the four scouts came back, they found Zeb, Ryder, Matt, Jai and Chopper already at work and they joined them.
Kanan apparently had retired into a small cave that he had turned into his room, with just a small table of rock and was still meditating. Preferring not to disturb him, the Padawans decided that it wasn't necessary to have him working on the gliders anyway, and instead they kept going for all day, until the sun started to set on the horizon.
Only then, Ezra was about to take the comlink. "I'll let Kanan know we're ready." he said, but the voice of his Master broke in the distance anyway.
"I know."
They turned around only to remain surprised.
Kanan had cut his hair short, leaving them only on a strip right on top of the head, and he had got ridden of his beard entirely. He had also left his mask behind.
Ezra smiled at him, but Jaral was actually slightly worried. There was something about him, about his Force signature...but she couldn't put her finger on it.
She dismissed it as just a sign of stress and focused back on the task at hand.
"Let's go get Hera." Kanan proclaimed.
The plan was simple: the gliders would be launched by linking them together and using one of the remaining bikes to give them the necessary push to lift in the air. Once that was done, Ezra would take the lead, using Jinx's navigational programs and his connection with the Force to navigate in relative safety over the capitol and then land on the administrative offices. From there, while Kanan proceeded to the rescue, the siblings would use their hologram technology to pose as imperial pilots and steal a gunship to pick up their second parents.
Everything was set. Jordan and Sabine were watching over the siblings finishing to check on the gliders.
"You know, I trust you guys infiltrating the imperial base on Lothal filled with guards and everything, but I'm not much fine with you getting on those flying traps." Jordan commented a bit sarcastically.
"We'll be fine, Dad." Ezra chuckled.
"Okay, boys." Jaral said loudly to both her brother and her Master. "Let's get moving. Hera is depending on us."
Without saying anything else, Ezra and Kanan obeyed and laid with their bellies on the harnesses of the gliders while Zeb and Chopper mounted on the speeder bike. The first drove, the second held the cable that was to bind the gliders together and tow them toward the sky. Once they had done that, Ezra detached the winch and the gliders started to fly each on their own toward the setting sun.
They reached the outskirts of the capital after a couple of hours, when it was already night. Using their connections to the Force, they were able to keep them steady in the air the bare minimum. Following the planned route, they passed over the garbage chute, avoiding the Loth-bats, but easily sneaking past the imperial sentinels. They passed above the main streets, all the way until the base of the Dome.
As they approached the giant structure, Ezra pointed a finger upward, signaling the others to pull up and they did. Climbing up a few tens of meters left between their altitude and the expected landing point, they finally touched down on one of the horizontal structures coming out from the Dome.
"No alarms," Ezra said happily as he materialized his armor. "so far so good."
"People never pay enough attention to the world around them." Kanan commented.
"Good thing you taught us otherwise." Jaral said as she rustled into a small bag that he brought along.
"You are good listeners, Ezra, Jaral." he said in a calm tone. "It served you well, and it will serve you again, in the future."
The siblings raised an eyebrow at that message, a bit too cryptic for their own liking, but there was no time to question it.
Jaral took out a pair of devices from the bag and went to give them to Kanan.
"Magnetic climbers. They'll stick to the Dome's surface." she explained while Kanan took them.
"Perfect, thank you." he said.
Ezra peeked downward, and Jinx then spoke up. "Governor Pryce's office is six levels down. The position of General Syndulla…"
"I know where she is." Kanan interrupted softly.
Ezra walked back toward the other two. "All right, we'll go get the ship. Signal us when you're ready."
The siblings ran toward the nearest entrance to the dome, but Kanan recalled them.
"Ezra, Jaral."
The two stopped and looked at their Master.
"May the Force be with you." Kanan said. Then he left himself fall into the void, attaching himself with the climbers.
The siblings looked at each other through the helmets.
"I don't like this." Jaral commented.
"What? His horrible cut or that he has become a mystic all of a sudden?" Ezra asked as they climbed a service ladder that led them to the nearest maintenance corridor, where they hoped to enter the structure without being spotted.
"The second one. This is not his usual behavior."
"Well, Hera is in real danger, this time. Perhaps he's just restraining himself with all his energies." Ezra suggested.
Jaral hummed. "Perhaps, and yet, there's something about his aura...I don't know, I feel like I've felt something like that before.
Ezra had to shush her as they were about to enter the corridors of the structure. The young man scanned the area outside for thermal traces, heartbeats, and finally used the Force to be sure. Luckily, that area was safe.
Using the holograms, posing as imperial pilots, Ezra and Jaral began to run toward the next hangar, slowing down only when they detected a patrol in order to not raise suspicions. Said hangar was actually four levels below and on the other side of the dome, yet, they managed to reach it right when the alarms started blaring all around the building and the speaker announced that a full lockdown had been declared.
"Guess Kanan got Hera out." Ezra mumbled.
"I'll fly." Jaral said and they headed for the nearest gunship.
While Ezra entered in the cargo load, Jaral went to talk with the pilot.
"Hey, pilot, you've been reassigned."
"I didn't receive such orders." the man said in confusion.
"Oh, don't worry," she said, and passed a hand in front of him. "You'll get the orders in the barracks."
"I'll...get the orders...in the barracks." the pilot repeated and walked away.
"You're getting good at this." Ezra thought in her mind. Jaral chuckled.
In the back of the gunship, the commander of the stormtrooper squad was a bit suspicious of another pilot.
"Aren't you the co-pilot?" he asked.
"Don't ask me," said Ezra. "I got orders to stay here. Maybe they want me to stop along the way and pick another gunship."
The stormtroopers looked at each other in confusion, but in the end, they just shrugged.
When stormtroopers doubted about your disguise, you could always say that you've been ordered to be there. They would never bother you again.
Jaral took place at the commands, still maintaining the hologram on, and lifted the gunship for last, following other two toward the direction where Kanan and Hera were supposed to meed the kids.
In order not to stand out, she followed the two gunships above the industrial quarter for a few minutes, pointing the searchlight down, like everybody else did.
That was, until an order came from Governor Pryce herself.
"All units converge on the fuel depot. We have to cut off the rebels."
Then, finally, Kanan's voice spoke into her comlink.
"Specter-6, do you read?"
"Kanan! Did you get her?" Jaral asked.
A few moments later, the voice of Hera came in. "Of course he did."
Ezra managed to avoid jumping from joy, but he definitely sent a joyful scream down the bond.
"There's been a change of plans," Kanan continued. "we need a pickup…"
"At the fuel depot, I know." she replied. "The Empire does too."
"Well, let's hope you get here first. Meet us at the top of the central fuel pod."
"Understood." then she used the bond. "Ezra, you might want to hang on."
"Copy that."
Ezra grabbed the handlers on the roof of the gunship with both hands and spoke to the stormtroopers. "Sorry guys, guess this is where you get off." he said merrily.
The troopers looked confused, but didn't have the time to process, because the gunship made a sudden roll on the left and they were jettisoned out, screaming in panic.
Then Jaral rectified the course and brought the gunship in line with the trajectory of the nearest craft. A burst from the main cannons was enough to send the enemy vehicle down in flames.
She then shot the next one, but the pilot had already noticed what was happening and dodged it, and turned his own ship around to fire. Now being in a more difficult position, Jaral resorted to plan B.
"Ezra, this one is yours." she thought.
"Bring it to me." he replied.
As the enemy gunship shoot again, Ezra ignited his lightsaber, while Jaral made sure that the bolts were directed at the passenger bay.
Ezra deflected two double shots before managing to send them back to the shooter and blow that gunship up as well.
Without any disturbance left, Jaral pushed the engines at full thrust toward the fuel depot.
As she brought the aircraft above the pod, the searchlight of the gunship showed Kanan and Hera kissing, and their Force signatures were clearly fusing themselves. They had finally accepted the feelings they had for each other.
Jaral and Ezra smirked and exchanged quips down their bonds as the Grand Marshall aligned the gunship to allow them to mount.
"Hey, enough with that," Ezra joked. "it's time to go."
Hera went first. Jaral turned in their direction as well and only at that point she spotted something that froze her blood.
In the distance, three AT-AT were pointing at them, perhaps on one of them there was Pryce as well.
A sense of danger tingled in her conscience and saw that Kanan was still on the pod.
Suddenly, it all made sense: the sensation she felt coming from Kanan, was the same she felt for a few seconds when Commander Sato was going to meet his destiny in a clear state of mind.
"Get aboard, now!" she yelled, but it was too late.
The nearest AT-AT shot with its main cannons. Jaral could see the giant red bolts traveling toward the pod and then hit it in the span o a couple of seconds.
Immediately, the pod cracked and the fuel burned up. Soon after, a small quake shook even the gunship and a firestorm quickly grew and was coming at them.
Kanan dashed toward the wall of fire.
Ezra and Hera had to block their eyes for a moment when a massive explosion almost blinded them. When they opened their eyes again, they saw Kanan holding back the fire with the Force, stretching his powers to the limit.
"Kanan!" Hera screamed and she ran forward with such a vigor that slipped even from Ezra's grip.
But as she touched the surface of the pod, Kanan extended an arm from forward to backward, toward her, and Hera was halted and lifted.
Kanan turned his head toward her and jolted his arm to push her back into the passenger bay, in the hands of Ezra.
The three rebel looked at their Master and friend, as his irises suddenly gained their color back.
For a few seconds, the Force had restored his sight, allowing him to fulfill the promise he made to Hera on Atollon.
We'll see each other again.
Then Kanan released the Force shield and focused solely on pushing away the gunship. To save his Padawans and the woman he loved.
Without any restraint left, the explosion went quickly out of control, enveloping Kanan and the pod. The shock-wave reached even further.
As Hera screamed for Kanan, Ezra yelled his sister to get away, but she didn't need to hear it, and honestly, she didn't even hear it as her eyes were filling to the brim with tears.
Jaral turned away the ship with all her strength, as the explosion quickly extended to all the fuel depot.
As they headed back, none of them was able to say a word.
Man, writing this last part was really hard. Still, the fuel pod is gone. The rebels have completed the mission. We're getting near the end of the beginning. I hope you're enjoying the book so far, and I apologize if I seemingly go a bit too fast with the writing, but I'm just so pumped up myself that I can't stop.
See you in the next chapter.