Chapter 29: Siege of Kalevala
July 17.
The news broke in from the HoloNet. The Yavzakh fleet had appeared over Murris and it was immediately annihilated by the local Imperial Sector Fleet, who had been warned in time of the threat.
"The alien threat has been shattered, all thanks to the valiant effort of the Imperial Navy.
However, all of this had been possible thanks to Admiral Iulius Tanis." a hologram of Iulius appeared. "This young prodigy, who has attained his rank at the age of 25 years,
has ventured into Wild Space and crushed the ferocious army that was preparing
to invade the innocent colony of Murris and allowed the Navy to intercept the threat before
it was too late."
While the announcer went on with the praises, the officers who were gathered around the holotable to watch the transmission turned toward the Admiral.
"Congratulations, sir." Bolo said with a smile.
"It's been a team effort, Captain." Iulius replied modestly. "I thank you all for your diligence and professionalism, I'm sure you're all getting a promotion after all this."
The other officers smirked at the prospect.
"For now, though, we still have some mopping up to do." the Admiral added. "Seek to establish contact with every Carunoan community and make sure we seize as many Yavzakh structures as possible, we need to study their technology to understand if they're related to the Grysks."
The officers saluted and immediately scrambled to their posts, leaving Iulius to think by himself.
Even if all seemed fine and dandy, he was actually very worried about that announcement on the HoloNet.
"Something the matter?" the voice of Qathora suddenly reached him.
The Togruta had just left the turbolift to go talk with him.
"I'm afraid I've just painted a big bullseye on my back." Iulius grimly commented.
That public praise was completely abnormal: imperial officers were never praised for doing their job, and they usually didn't want to, because gaining fame was extremely dangerous in the Imperial political system.
Iulius was already the youngest Admiral in the history of the Empire, as the announcer on the HoloNet reminded him. This was enough to gain the attention of many jealous counterparts, to all the politicians who hated his skyrocketing career.
Even when he was just a Captain, he remembered how there were many cold stares directed at him at the ball he attended at the Imperial Palace, not long after the battle of Atollon. Iulius, in the eyes of the people of the Core, came from Lothal, a backwater world which now was also enemy territory, had surpassed all of his wealthy and connected classmates, most of whom were very much prone to jealousy.
Much like Thrawn, Iulius had to face his own share of prejudices and envies. Being publicly praised in a galaxy-wide transmission was just a sure way to attract even more unwanted attention. He still wondered who told the speaker to say that.
Qathora understood it, partially at least, so she waited a moment before reporting calmly what she had to.
"Lord Vader is about to return to the Devastator, but he asked to see you in your office, first."
"Then let's not make him wait." the Admiral commented, leading his servant out of the bridge as they headed toward his office.
When Iulius opened the door of the office, he quickly spotted Vader, waiting unusually patiently near the desk.
Signaling Qathora to wait near the door, to which she complied, Iulius calmly stepped inside the room, his hands clasped behind his back in a show of control despite finding himself in front of a man that was able to intimidate everybody with his mere presence.
"You wanted to speak with me, My Lord?"
"Admiral. I wanted to notify you that the Emperor has accepted to enact the policy you proposed. The Empire will keep an indirect rule over this world. Now it's up to you to negotiate the terms with the Carunoans."
"I assure you, My Lord, this way both the Empire and the Carunoans will benefit."
Vader started pacing around the room, humming in thought at first.
"Normally, I would wait for results before expressing my judgment. However, you have proven to be loyal and efficient so far, Admiral." he said with his mechanical voice.
"Thanks, sir." Iulius simply replied.
The Sith Lord then went back standing in front of Iulius, scrutinizing him while the Admiral simply stood there with his chest puffed and his chin raised.
"I will go back to Coruscant, to inform the Emperor of your victory. I expect great things from you...Admiral Tanis."
There was something in the tone of the Lord, that made Iulius question something.
"My Lord…" he hesitated for a moment. "that announcement on the HoloNet...did you request it?"
Vader made a slight movement with his head and remained speechless for a few seconds, all gestures that confirmed Iulius' suspicion.
"Why is that?" Iulius asked.
"Don't you think the rest of Empire deserves to know how good of an officer you are?" Vader said in a way that sounded a bit provocative.
"It just seems unnecessary." Tanis calmly replied. "Keeping this entire ordeal secret would have been much more beneficial to the Empire. If the Rebels learn that we're going to start the Dark Trooper Project here…"
"Only you and I know the route to reach this system, Admiral Tanis. The Project and this planet will be safe. Unless...you think there are traitors in your midst?"
That last question was clearly meant to be an intimidation.
"My men are loyal to the Empire. From first to last." Iulius replied boldly.
"Then don't worry, Admiral. Keep performing the way you showed me and stay on the right side. No one will ever come in your way."
Iulius had to think about those cryptic words for a second. What did he mean with 'right side'? Was Vader offering him political protection? But those words seemed to have another meaning, like indicating a faction within the Empire…
"Yes, My Lord." Iulius replied, for the moment.
"Very well. As soon as you finish your business here, come back to Coruscant. The Emperor has expressed the desire to meet you."
Iulius made a respectful bow, so Vader finally walked outside of the room. After the door made him disappear, Qathora walked toward the desk, to which Iulius was leaning against, pondering.
"Well, that didn't sound ominous at all." the Togruta quipped.
Unwilling to reply to his friend's provocation, Iulius just sighed.
"For better or for worse, I'm getting completely drawn into politics. Now I'm really going to need eyes on my back." he commented.
"Good thing you already have them, then." Qathora said with a smirk, referring to herself.
Iulius huffed a grin. "Right."
He wasn't happy about this at all. He had always hated imperial politics, though he did his best to understand them, so he would be able to avoid threats to himself.
But now, it seemed like he couldn't keep out of that slimy, corrupt world. The Emperor had previously promised him the Governorship of Carunoia, though Iulius wanted to let the Carunoans rebuild their planet in autonomy, only providing the Empire with the enhanced soldiers. Doctor Kimovir had already accepted to work for the Empire, since Titan Base was going to be refitted to host the Dark Trooper Project.
He still couldn't understand completely why Vader had decided to boast his accomplishments: if he wanted Iulius' loyalty, there were many other ways to do so, in secret. But after all, why was the second-in-command of the Emperor trying to win over an Admiral?
Was there a power struggle between the Emperor and his apparent Heir?
Iulius shook his head. No. It couldn't be!
"Ok, enough about this. We still have a job to do, here." he concluded, then he went around the desk and sat at the chair.
"How can I help?" Qathora asked eagerly.
July 22
The allied forces were preparing for the final confrontation. The last week had been marked by short but brutal fights, but finally, news had arrived that the Mandalorian fleet had just hit the imperial supply base on Gargon, torching it and leaving the Imperial invasion force effectively cut off from their supply lines.
Now desperate to acquire a stable foothold on Kalevala to reorganize his forces, the Imperial Moff leading the attack had ordered a massive attack against the mandalorian perimeter. The soldiers knew very well that, if they failed, they would most likely die of starvation or for the revenge of the Mandos, so the next battle promised to be a hard one.
Right now, Ezra was in charge of the defense. On Jaral's instructions, he had moved his combined force of Mandalorians (commanded by Sabine), Legionnaires and Rebels to protect a vital supply depot installed in an ancient structure enveloped by the jungle, which slightly reminded Ezra of Yavin's temple.
The depot was essential to both sides: for the allies to keep fighting, and for the imperials to acquire the resources in it. But in order to do that, the latter had to conquer a bridge on a river behind which the depot had been built, and even if they did, they would have to surpass another line of fortifications.
Technically, the allies could have stopped the Imperials without risking the depot, but Jaral wanted to bring the fight so close to an essential resource for the enemy: since they desperately needed the structure and the supplies as intact as possible, the Imperials wouldn't dare use artillery and indirect fire, lest they risked to cause a fire for a minor mistake.
Besides that, Jaral had positioned most of the Legionnaires on the sides of the main line of defense, ready to attack and encircle the imperials when the right moment came.
"Anything yet?" Sabine asked suddenly, coming from behind Ezra.
The young Jedi had clearly felt her coming with the Force, so he wasn't surprised. He deactivated the binoculars of his helmet and turned around.
"Not yet." Ezra sighed. The scouts had reported that the bulk of imperial forces was just a couple km away, 30 minutes before. "But the forest is eerily quiet, they can't be far." he added on a grim note as he slumped against the sandbag barricade and sat down.
Sabine did the same, tucking her legs and sitting next to him.
"I guess facing the Imperial Army is a nice break from those lessons on mandalorian culture, uh?" she provoked him while chuckling.
Ezra sighed. "I wanted to ask, but...do you really have to be the future Countess?" he asked with a bit of caution.
"Look, I'm not exactly enthusiast about the prospect either, but that's how things work." Sabine said with acceptance.
"Because you're the first child?"
"The heir is designated by the acting clan leader, basing on who they deem fit to be the successor. Now, I might be slightly older than Tristan, but there's also the not-so-irrelevant aspect that I have you. A husband, I mean."
"You mean...that you are most likely to produce an heir?"
"Well...yeah."
That topic brought a few of embarrassment between the two. Ursa had made extremely clear that one of the duties of the clan leaders was to produce an heir as fast as possible, if anything, because in a world like that of mandalorians, the life expectancy wasn't very high.
And while Ezra and Sabine surely didn't reject the idea of having a baby or two, they still felt that it was too soon for them to think about it.
"But...you know…" Ezra decided to change the subject. "if you become Countess...does that mean we'll have to go live on Krownest?"
"Uhm, about that…" Sabine started, but Ezra then raised a finger to indicate shushing.
"Everyone, get down." he whispered behind his helmet and the other soldiers complied by crouching behind the barricade.
Then Ezra peeked out and used the thermal visor to look toward the other side of the bridge, where some small ponds were creating a bank of fog in the mist of morning.
"Sergeant. Thermal traces at 0430." Ezra whispered again to a Legionnaire standing next to him and Sabine.
The super-soldier peeked out and did the same thing as Ezra.
"I see them, General." he replied shortly after.
"Guns up." Ezra said as he materialized his TL-50. "Wait for my signal."
The weapons cocked a little. Sabine took out her pistols and took aim toward the end of the bridge, as well.
The sound of steps splashing in the ponds quickly reached the ears of all the allied soldiers, and a few moments later, a group of Army Troopers of the Empire walked out of the fog, looking around them and then quickly spotting the barricade on the bridge.
"Fire!" Ezra exclaimed.
Before the Imperials had the chance to react, the Allies opened fire. The nearest Troopers were cut down immediately, including their Sergeant.
"Take cover!" one of the imperials yelled and the soldiers scattered on the sides of the trail, where there were bushes, some trees and rocks to find at least a modest amount of cover.
"Sis," Ezra warned through the bond. "The party has started over here."
"Understood. Draw them out." Jaral simply ordered.
The Imperials quickly called reinforcements in and tried to storm the bridge, but it went really badly, and they only left many dead laying.
More stormtroopers were sent in, but the allies pushed them back until the Imperials deployed a hover-tank which started firing with its two blaster cannons, making a hole in the barricade and taking out two mandalorian warriors.
Ezra tapped Sabine's arm. "You in for a very stupid idea?" he asked with a serious tone.
"You know me." Sabine replied while firing back with her pistols.
Ezra thus turned toward the Legionnaire on his right.
"Sergeant, pin them down!" he strictly ordered.
"Yes, sir. Suppressive fire!" the NCO replied, pulling the trigger of his M-96 'Mattock' repeatedly as the others did the same.
The Imperials, seeing an opportunity after the hole in the barricade had been opened, were trying to attack once again, but the sudden rain of fire halted them. And they certainly didn't expect for Ezra and Sabine to get over the top and charge, the young Jedi igniting his lightsaber and directional shield while his wife used the cover provided to gun down those imperials foolish enough to try and point their weapons at her Jedi.
Confused by the situation, the Imperials retreated and didn't pay much attention to the fast-moving Jedi, as the intense fire of the defenders seemed like the most compelling issue.
Using this opportunity, while Sabine took a new cover and distracted the imperial infantry, Ezra jumped on top of the tank, cut off the mobile secondary turret, hurled the gunner out of the hatch with the Force and then threw a thermal detonator that Sabine gave him inside of said hatch, then jumped away with the Force.
The tank exploded a couple of seconds later, disappearing in a ball of fire as the grenade destroyed the ammunition inside the vehicle.
"Damn it, fall back!" one of the stormtroopers yelled. Suffering additional losses, the imperials eventually managed to disappear back into the fog.
Ezra and Sabine quickly jogged back to the barricade, which was being restored by a couple of rebel troopers as best as they could.
"You certainly are crazy enough to be called a Legionnaire, Bridger." the NCO quipped.
Ezra chuckled sincerely, before speaking to everyone else. "Set aside the dead and check your equipment. They'll be back soon."
While the rest of the defenders started to do just that, Sabine posed a question.
"Will this plan actually work? I mean, we have no eyes on the Imperial main force. How will Jaral know when is the right time to spring the trap?"
"Don't worry. She's a Jedi, remember?" Ezra reassured her. "Speaking of which…" and closed his eyes to focus on the bond.
As soon as Ezra relayed that the first wave had been repelled, Jaral knew it was time to use the Battle Meditation.
She had established a small command post just 1.2 km south-west of the bridge that Ezra was defending, so the mortar platoon of the Cohort was in range of fire.
A Cohort was officially composed of 120 infantrymen, which was true, but it also had various support units: 6 89mm mortars with their crew, an M-57 tank and two M-17 armored cars. The vehicles had been distributed among the two formations that were to encircle and destroy the bulk of the Imperial land forces, both of which were now waiting in hiding near two of the river's fords.
In the tent, around the holotable, were only Darvos, Moreena and Major Zhen, who were waiting for Jaral's instructions, though they honestly didn't know how she was going to take her decisions, since the scouts hadn't been able to spy long enough on the imperial division that was coming against the allies.
"The Imperials are moving again." she said out of nowhere.
The others looked at her first, then at the holotable, noticing that the radar wasn't picking any enemy signal.
"How can you tell?" Moreena asked baffled.
"Let me guess...you feel it in the Force?" Darvos asked.
"Why you sound so surprised?" Jaral teased him. "But yes. So...it's time." she declared.
She turned around and headed toward a pillow that she had requested be put on the floor behind her.
She sat down on it, crossed her legs and closed her eyes in a meditative pose.
"Uh...what's she doing?" Zhen asked confused and mildly annoyed at what he felt was an unrelated act.
"Don't mind me." she said calmly. "Just focus on your task."
Zhen shrugged and watched the holotable again. Only Moreena and Darvos looked at each other, as if hoping the other would have the answer, but eventually decided to trust their Grand Marshall.
Jaral, on her part, quickly reached into the Force. She stretched her fingertips to touch the ground and expand her senses. It didn't take long for her to perceive unnatural strong vibrations through it.
"Ezra, AT-ST coming in your direction." she communicated.
"Understood. Thanks, sis."
Reaching even further into the Force, she started to have a clearer vision of the entire region and the lifeforms in it. This means that she was also seeing the animals, but she quickly managed to filter them out and focus only on sentient beings, thus she could now get a look at the imperial forces.
She realized that they had amassed their forces into a small area cleared of trees. There were probably around 2.000 men concentrated there with the vehicles they had left. Jaral remembered that the allies had destroyed most of the AT-AT in the previous days, except one that had been damaged and managed to retreat.
She didn't believe they would use that walker, since its cannons would destroy the bridge, making the crossing almost impossible for the imperials, and it would be counterproductive to take the depot, but it could still be a danger.
As soon as the Imperials sent the bulk of their army, Jaral would order Ezra to fall back without blowing up the bridge, in order to lure the imperials in by making them believe that they were winning. Then she would order the two wings to cross the river and attack the imperial forces on the flanks in an envelopment tactic. Rex and Zeb were in command of the rebel forces that would support the Legionnaires.
The only thing she couldn't predict was when the Mandalorian fleet would decide to strike. The Imperials were blocking the communications from leaving the planet and Jaral wasn't certainly able to expand her senses all the way to Gargon.
All she had to do now, was to focus on her current objective. At least the shield covering the continent was still up, meaning that the Imperials were still unable to send air support. They could have transported some TIEs by land, making them pass the shield with trucks, maybe, but they were in a swampy area of the continent, which didn't allow them to build an airfield. Not with the shield impeding the shuttles from bringing the construction materials.
By contrast, the allies had managed to bring in Rogue and Taiga into the main camp of the Mandalorians which could provide air support, but given the fact that they had a limited supply of fuel, because of the blockade, they could at most make a total of five attack runs.
Using the bond with Ezra, the Grand Marshall could still have a fairly reliable information over what was going on at the bridge. She was thus able to know when the first AT-ST reached joined the battle, supporting a new wave of stormtroopers.
She wanted to use one of the air strikes now, but instead of talking, she tried a new thing. She and Darvos were already pretty much connected, so she 'touched' his mind slightly, suggesting him to require the attack.
"Captain Tanis to Taiga Squadron, launch an air strike to support the General. Coordinates 6-3-1." Darvos suddenly and calmly ordered, with Jaral never moving from her meditative pose.
She could feel that Moreena was confused, which was understandable. The Grand Marshall had not disclosed the fact that she was mastering Battle Meditation. Only Ezra knew the details. She wasn't sure what the effects on the troops would be if they knew that their actions were being guided by her, even though she wasn't manipulating their minds, but simply using the Force to give all of her allies a wider sense of the bigger picture.
According to the holocron, when she was going to completely master this ability, she would be able to improve the awareness of her subordinates. For example, if she detected an ambush with the Force, she could instill the sense of danger in the allied units so they wouldn't fall into it.
Back to the battle, the defenders managed to take down the first walker with simple rocket launchers, but then a second one arrived and they were running out of heavy weapons. More mandalorians and rebels fell to intense firepower of the biped walker, but then the Y-Wings appeared and bombed the trail used by the Imperials, causing a massive mayhem.
At this point, the Imperials were sending a massive wave, determined to break the line at any cost.
"Ezra, now it's a good time to fall back." she told him as the defenders were exchanging bolts with some survivors that were still shooting.
The response came through the speaker of the holotable, as Ezra wanted to make sure to be heard by everyone.
"This is Specter-7 to all allied forces, we're pulling back. I repeat, we're pulling back. We're retreating from the bridge."
"Copy that, Specter-7." Moreena replied. "All units, prepare to defend the depot."
Through the Force, Jaral perceived a sudden surge of activity and emotions into the depot's perimeter. The soldiers were scrambling to their posts as Ezra and the bridge's defenders were running behind the new line of defense.
Meanwhile, the various units on the flanks were completing the wading.
"Major Zhen." Jaral suddenly said, still keeping her pose. "Have the mortar fire on our side of the bridge. Create a wall to give Ezra some time."
"Understood." the Legionnaire replied, still a bit baffled at how she was able to relay orders from that position. He had never heard of a psionic using his powers to lead a battle on such a wide level, so he wasn't sure he understood what that young woman was doing.
He went out and gave the coordinates to the artillery officer. A few seconds later, the mortars had been aimed and started firing, with their typical abrupt cracks resounding into the refuge.
The barrage served its purpose and forced the imperials to stop their pursue, allowing Ezra and the surviving defenders of the bridge to reunite with their comrades on the second line.
Not giving up, the imperial stormtroopers charged forward again, only to be met by another line of enemies, including a static light turret given by the Legion. Despite the name, said turret could pierce some armored vehicles and certainly didn't have any problem going through stormtrooper armor.
The imperials had to wait until another tank was brought up to provide some cover, but to avoid losing another vehicle and risk jamming the bridge, the tank maintained a certain distance, trying to shoot at the turret first without entering the range of enemy anti-tank weapons, a maneuver that put the fight into a stalemate.
And it was at that moment that the trap sprang into action.
Smoke column and loud blasting sounds came from the flanks of the imperial formation, accompanied by explosions and muffled yelling of orders.
The imperial commander apparently ordered the attack on the depot to be suspended and recalled those forces back to defend their encampment.
"This is Specter-7," Ezra's voice came through the speakers. "the enemy is retreating. The depot is safe."
"Good." Jaral said and finally opened her eyes.
As she stood up, she talked into her comlink. "Ezra, counterattack, if you can. Keep the pressure on them."
"Copy that, we're moving."
"Moreena, send Taiga Squadron on another bombing run." Jaral ordered. "Use this coordinates." she added, pushing a few buttons on her omni-tool and marking the position on the holomap.
Pounded literally on every side, the imperial battalion collapsed. Their coordination was shattered, but the soldiers did fight until their last breath, since they knew that Mandalorians don't take lightly to invaders and who they viewed as cowards who would surrender.
Still, the Legionnaires kept a pragmatic and cautious approach to avoid unnecessary losses, and so they made a thorough swift of the forest first and the imperial encampment later. The imperial commander mounted on the AT-AT in a last ditch effort to bring as many enemies as possible, but the machine was still in repair, and all it took were three rockets well placed on the forward left leg to tear it down, killing the crew in the process.
In just one battle, the allied forces had completely wiped out any imperial presence on Kalevala's surface.
"I must say, I wasn't expecting this to go that swiftly." Zhen commented. "Good work, Grand Marshall."
"Thanks, Major. You and your men had proven once again why the Legionnaires are so respected in the Milky Way."
Letting the pleasantries aside, Jaral and Zhen went out, mounted on a couple speeder-bikes and headed for the imperial camp. The allies were piling up imperial equipment on one side and corpses on the other one.
The officers dismounted from the bikes. Zhen was reached by a Legionnaire who started making a report.
Ezra, Sabine, Zeb and Rex also came to greet Jaral, but when Ezra smiled at her, he noticed that his sister was looking with a hint of displeasure at the pile of bodies.
The young Jedi immediately understood that she was unsettled by the sheer amount of death. In fact, there wasn't just that pile of bodies. It was only one of three that they could easily spot even from the edge of the camp.
Before he could try and soothe her pain by touching her shoulder and use the Force to share her pain, she refused it and went in front of the dead bodies.
She stared at them, not missing any detail that one shouldn't focus on, but she couldn't refrain from looking at the faces of those men.
After stamping that image in her eyes, she noted that one of the soldiers had some holographic device that hung loose from one of his breast pockets.
Despite a moment of hesitance, the Grand Marshall of the Rebellion extended an arm and grabbed it. Perhaps it contained some intel about the enemy.
She lightened it up.
All she saw after was the soldier in civilian clothes, surrounded by a woman around his age and a kid.
She felt like her heart had suddenly gone cold. After quickly noticing that there was nothing else on that device, she gently put it back where she had found it, even pressing it down the pocket even more, so that guy would carry that precious item with him in the long voyage.
Ezra and the others had observed her from a respectful distance, but they didn't exactly see what there was in the device. All Ezra could feel was the sudden hit that his sister's soul had suddenly received.
When she walked back to them, Ezra grabbed her hand gently.
"You want to talk about it?" he asked.
Jaral appreciated his brother's sensibility, but just gave him a smirk before shaking her head slowly.
"Later, maybe. It's not over yet."
She had just finished that sentence when statics started to erupt softly from the comlink, followed by Bo-Katan's voice.
"...s is Bo-Katan Kryze to all allied forces on Kalevala, does anybody read me?"
Jaral immediately lifted her forearm to put her omni-tool in front of her mouth.
"This is Blue Nova, Lady Kryze. We have just neutralized all imperial forces on the surface." she announced calmly.
"Marvelous. We have just entered the system and we're preparing to engage the Imperial Fleet. Bridger, if you can, reach me on the Keldabe, I would like your assistance."
The siblings looked at each other, unsure of what she wanted to do, but they did agree to accept.
"Understood. Me and my brother will reach you shortly." and closed the transmission.
"Ezra, you and I are taking the Silver Bullet. Everybody else, go make sure the surface cannons are operational." she added. "I'm sure they'll come in handy."
"Yes, Marshall." Rex dutifully replied on behalf of everybody.
Jaral headed to one of the speeder-bikes, but Ezra jogged while muttering "Nah-ah." and jumped on the driver's seat, inviting her to hop on.
The sister sighed, but smirked. Whenever she felt down, Ezra would immediately try to cheer her up, and she couldn't be enough grateful for that. So she sat on the back and put her arms around her brother's abdomen to hang on, then he sped the bike away.
"Seriously, what's going on?" Ezra asked while they were traveling along the jungle's trail.
Jaral took a few seconds to find the will to reply. "I guess I just got reminded that not all of our enemies are power-hungry, murderous psychopaths who just want to see everybody around them in misery."
She used the bond to transmit in his mind those few seconds she had experienced not long ago.
Ezra sighed. "I guess so. Though, considering the people of the Empire we usually interact with, it's easy to forget that."
"But we also found people who should have made us understand that. Minister Tua, Kallus, Nimbus...heck, my own husband comes from a family of Imperials, and despite everything, even Thrawn and Iulius seem to have some sort of moral code."
Ezra was taken aback. He had never stopped to contemplate those things, but Jaral was right. He had always believed that the Rebellion was good and the Empire bad, and that was it, but as Kanan taught him, the universe was just a gray blur.
"I...honestly don't know what to think." he replied.
"Me neither." Jaral admitted. "But that doesn't change the fact that the Empire, as an institution, must be removed. That doesn't change."
"The problem is...how many will die before we reach that goal?"
Preferring not to think about it, for now, Jaral simply squeezed her grip a little bit, a gentle hug to her brother. Who, in turn, still made his best to send her positive waves and even turned his head toward her to give her a joyful smile.
Jaral chuckled. Her brother sometimes seemed just so naive.
And she wouldn't have changed him for anything.