Chapter 33: The Holy City
November 23.
Wobani. Inside the giant area of an imperial labor camp, Ezra and Sabine were waiting in hiding. They were waiting for a wheeled transport that was carrying a prisoner that could help the Rebellion finding a lead on the Death Star.
With the help of Andor's droid, K2SO, who would stop the transport by simulating an emergency, Rhino Squad was to storm the transport, eliminate the guards and allow Ezra to get aboard and find such Liana Hallik, aka Jyn Erso.
"All this mud is really going to ruin my paint job." Sabine lamented as they had to wait in a hole of muddy and partially snowy terrain of the planet.
"Well, you said you wanted to change it, now you have an excuse." Ezra quipped as he kept his eyes on the dirt road where the transport was supposed to pass.
"I guess so." Sabine groaned and put down her rangefinder.
They had to wait another ten minutes until the transport, an old Clone Wars-Era Juggernaut model, deprived of weapons, appeared from behind a bump steep enough to hide it.
"Specter-7 to all units, start the attack." Ezra promptly ordered.
He soon spotted K2 walking to put himself on the street and waving at the transport, which stopped in its tracks.
Sabine ignited her jetpack and went to take care of the drivers, while Ezra reached Rhino squad, which was getting ready to breach the passenger's compartment. The door was soon vaporized, letting Lieutenant Poshur and Sergeant Reeze to shoot at the two guards inside.
"All clear, sir." Poshur said after inspecting the small compartment, so Ezra walked up the ramp and entered.
He noticed that there were only 4 prisoners, and only two were Human females. Through the visor, Jinx sent Ezra the picture of the one he was looking for, and thus spotted Erso at the end of the compartment.
"Found her." he said to Poshur. "Free the others."
"Yes, sir." the officer replied.
While the Rangers started to remove the handcuffs from the other prisoners, Ezra walked in front of the person he was there for.
Feeling that she was on high alert, and most likely would try to attack him and escape, Ezra dematerialized his helmet and looked at her.
"Don't be afraid." he said in a calm tone. "We're from the Rebel Alliance. We need a small favor, then you'll be free to go. Ok?"
The woman quickly nodded and her mind seemed a bit more complying. Either Ezra sounded convincing, or his armor and physical imposing figure were enough to convince her not to resist.
With his omni-tool, Ezra sent a small spark that deactivated the handcuffs. Erso obediently followed him outside of the vehicle, where K2, Sabine and Rhino were already waiting with the other prisoners.
"Gentlemen," Ezra said to the latter. "You have a choice to do. We're from the Rebel Alliance. You may come with us and join the fight, or you can take the transport and try to reach the nearest spaceport. The choice is yours."
The other human female and an alien decided to join, only the male Human prisoner dashed toward the cockpit of the vehicle, leaving while Cassian was bringing down the U-Wing to recover everybody else.
With Wobani being near to the main front between the Empire and the UACT, it wasn't so difficult to reach Yavin once the rebels had left the last Imperial-controlled system behind them. They landed on the moon, letting Rhino escort the new recruits to be assigned and Cassian bring Erso to the war room, where Jaral, Draven, Mothma and the recently arrived Bail Organa were waiting to speak with her.
"I'm going to the war room." Ezra told his wife. "Why don't you go check up on Hera?"
"I'll try, but I don't think I'll manage to convince her." Sabine said a bit discouraged, knowing what was the real meaning behind her Jedi's words.
Ezra sighed. Hera was supposed to be a little more than a month away from giving birth, and even with her belly being a hindrance to her movements and her being even more fatigued, she still refused to leave for Lothal.
Jaral had promised that she was going to order her if the need arose, but with the hunt for the Death Star in full swing, the Grand Marshall had her hands and mind full of other preoccupations.
"I know, just make sure she doesn't overexert." Ezra finally said, rubbing Sabine's shoulder lightly.
The Mandalorian girl nodded and walked toward Hera's office, while Ezra headed toward the war room.
He arrived just in time, as Jaral was about to start the interrogation of Jyn.
"Good work out there, Ezra." she complimented before they entered the room.
"It wasn't a big deal. Come on, let's try to find Saw." he said simply before the siblings entered the room with their normal outfits and their lightsabers attached to their belts.
Draven, Mothma, Andor, Organa and even Dodonna were around the holotable, with Jyn sitting at one end while the General was reading the many reasons why she was in an imperial labor camp. Some other officers were watching from a distance.
"...forgery of Imperial documents, aggravated assault, escape from custody, resisting arrest. Imagine what the Empire would have done if they realized who you really were...Jyn Erso." Draven said in slightly intimidating tone.
Jyn didn't falter, she seemed a bit more curious about the lightsabers attached to the two young people that had entered the room.
After a moment of silence, Draven spoke again. "Jyn Erso daughter of Galen Erso? A known imperial collaborator in weapons development.
"What is this?" Jyn asked abruptly, annoyed.
"It's a chance for you for a fresh start." Mothma said in a conciliatory tone. "We think you might be able to help us."
The former Senator turned her head toward the two Jedi. "These are Jaral and Ezra Bridger. They are Jedi, and military leaders of the Rebellion."
Jyn now seemed a bit more interested, though only her eyes showed some sign of curiosity.
"So the voices were true." she said with slight admiration.
The Bridgers didn't answer at that if not with a friendly smile, then Jaral tried a more diplomatic approach.
"Miss Erso, would it be possible for me to ask when was the last time you had contact with your father?"
Jyn hesitated. The siblings could feel a painful sadness coming from her, though the woman managed to hide that to the others.
"15 years ago." she bluntly answered in the hand.
Cassian then stepped in. "Any idea where he has been?"
Jyn waited a few seconds more. "I like to think he is dead. Makes things easier."
"He isn't." Ezra reassured and Jyn turned toward him. The young Jedi started to slowly walk around the table to approach her. "We suspect he's still working for the Empire, specifically on a super-weapon."
He stopped for a moment, observing the woman for a reaction, and while she managed to stay calm on the surface, he could feel a glimmer of hope sparking in her heart.
"But I need to make you another question: when was your last contact with Saw Gerrera?"
"It was...years ago."
"But he would remember you." Cassian intervened. "He might agree to meet you, if you came as a friend."
Jyn looked with suspicion.
"I'm sorry if this all seems rushed," Ezra apologized. "but we're up against the clock, so here's the situation: we know that Saw has moved his operations on Jedha. All we need is someone who can get us through his door without his men shooting at us."
"What does this all have to do with my father?" Jyn asked.
"We caught wind that there's an imperial defector on Jedha." Jaral explained. "He said that he was bringing a message from Galen Erso for Saw Gerrera. We're sure that it's about the super-weapon, but we need the pilot to find your father. Problem is...Saw has turned down all our attempts at communicating."
Jyn seemed confused. "Aren't you all rebels?"
"Yes," Mothma answered. "but Gerrera has broken with the Alliance since we signed a treaty with the Imperial Federation. His extreme methods have also caused...many difficulties to the Alliance."
Jaral took it from there. "If you help us, we might be able to get your father out of the Empire's grasp, and he might tell us how to stop this weapon before the Empire uses it. After that, both you and him will be able to go free. You might take refuge in the many planets we've already liberated."
Jyn pondered for a while.
The mission was a go. The Constantinople was on her way to pick Ezra, Cassian, Jyn and K and bring them to Jedha, along with Cassian's U-Wing. The frigate was necessary because its core of unlimited power made her immune to the necessity of fuel, and to reach Jedha, which was on the literal border with the Unknown Regions, they were gonna need that ship.
Before the frigate arrived, Ezra headed toward one of the many rooms inside the temple that hosted Rebel Command. There he found Sabine, Zeb, Chopper, Moreena and Hera, whose belly was now so big that Ezra wondered how could she possibly still think of staying on Yavin and do her work as a General.
"Hey, Ez." Moreena was the first to spot and greet him, then the others turned toward him as well.
Ezra was already wearing his armor, except for his helmet.
"What up, colleague?" Hera quipped.
Ezra chuckled before answering. "Just wanted to see how you are doing...and inform you that I'm leaving for Jedha." he added with caution.
The others were clearly expecting this, so much that Sabine nonchalantly replied. "Oh, then I better hurry up remaking the paint job."
In fact, she was wearing only a few plates and her undersuit. As she started to walk toward the door, Ezra quickly grabbed her wrist and stopped her.
"No, Sabine, I'm going with the team, but you are all staying here."
"Oh, boy…" Zeb mumbled, worried about what was coming next in the conversation.
Sabine's eyes widened, then she murmured. "Excuse me?" with a tone that definitely indicated an upset mood.
Still, Ezra had grown a certain resistance to Sabine's angry face, so he managed to stay calm and explain.
"It's already going to be risky, but I'm a Jedi and Saw's Partisans might be willing to negotiate because of that."
Sabine pulled her wrist out of her husband's light hold. "I don't care. I'm coming with you!" she firmly said.
Ezra then put his hands on her arms and gently rubbed them.
"Sabine, please. I'll be gone for just a couple of days and it's Saw we're talking about. I'm sure he'll at least hear me out."
But Sabine scoffed. "You know that I can tell when you're lying."
Caught red-handed, Ezra sighed and changed approach. "Ok, they might still shoot at us, but that's all the more reason why it's better not to throw more of us at it. Even if it's a slight possibility, I might use my reputation as a Jedi to persuade them to talk."
Sabine sighed. "I know I won't convince you." she concluded by crossing her arms on her chest and turning away.
Ezra gently hugged her back, sending calming thoughts with the Force through the small bond he had with her.
"I'll be back, I promise." he whispered in a reassuring tone.
Sabine turned and hugged him back. "You better…" she threatened, though the lump on her throat made her tone a bit croaking.
Ezra tightened the hug slightly, then he kissed her forehead and slowly unmade it.
"Take care of the others, ok?" Ezra asked gently and Sabine nodded.
Then he slipped away and walked toward the door, only waving his hand quickly at the rest of his friends, who also looked a bit worried.
Ezra then materialized his helmet and quickly walked toward the base floor, being saluted and greeted by all the rebels he encountered along the way.
He left the turbolift just in time to come across Cassian and Jyn, who were walking toward the former's U-Wing.
"General." Cassian greeted.
"You got everything, Captain?" he asked.
"The ship is refilled with anything, my weapons as well. K has performed his diagnostics and found nothing anomalous...I say we are ready to go."
"Good. What about you, Jyn?"
The woman slightly shook her head. "I'm fine."
"Good." Ezra concluded as they finally crossed the armored door and entered the ship's open park.
They reached the U-Wing and stepped into the passenger hold. After K2 officially presented himself to Jyn and loudly said that he considered her tagging along a bad idea, Ezra gave the order to start the procedure for takeoff, but the droid had one last complain to submit.
"Why does she get a blaster and I don't?"
Cassian jolted his head toward Jyn, who was sitting on one of the two benches of the small ship, inspecting a blaster pistol.
"Where did you get that?" the Captain asked, but Ezra immediately stopped him.
"Easy, Captain." the Jedi said calmly. "She has the right of self-defense."
Cassian looked staggered. "You can't be serious. How do we…?"
"We know because we are the sole chance she has to reunite with her father. And trust me, I know what it feels like."
Cassian knew the history of the siblings, like pretty much everybody else at the base. So, in front of his superior officer's confidence, he could do nothing but back down.
"I vouch for her, she won't betray us." the Jedi concluded in a reassuring tone. "Now, we better go. Our allies are waiting in orbit, it wouldn't be nice to let them wait." he quipped.
Cassian sighed in resignation. "Yes, sir." he said, with a tone that was nonetheless a bit reassured. And he went at the pilot's chair, next to which, K2 was already sitting as co-pilot.
"This is a bad idea." the droid commented.
"Enough, K. You heard the General." Cassian interrupted.
While the two turned on the engines and talked with the control tower, Ezra calmly went to sit a couple of seats away from Jyn.
"Can I ask you a question?" he said politely.
Jyn shrugged. "Ok."
"That kyber crystal at your neck." Ezra started, leaving the time for her to react as he expected: with a bit of astonishment as she reached the necklace she was wearing with her left hand, and taking out the small crystal. "Where did you get it?"
Then Jyn realized something. "Right. You're a Jedi, you would know them." she said, speaking again after a small pause. "It was a gift from my mother. She gave it to me before the Empire killed her and took my father away." she added coldly.
"I'm sorry." Ezra said sincerely.
Jyn sighed. "She told me to have faith in it. I never understood what she meant, but I guess this thing does work like a charm. It's the only way to explain how I survived all these years."
"So she told you to trust in the Force." Ezra quickly explained, only then noticing that the U-Wing was already in flight and was heading toward orbit.
"I don't know. But she was sorta religious, so...I guess she was."
"But you don't believe it."
"I didn't have much time for spirituality, growing up."
"Me neither. Not until I found my Master." Ezra said in a nostalgic tone.
"What happened to him?"
"He gave his life so we could save Lothal, my home planet, and bring our allies in this galaxy." Ezra explained.
With a bit of surprise on Ezra's part, Jyn said "I'm sorry."
After contemplating for a moment, Ezra sighed and leaned his back against the seatback.
"Guess we all lost someone to the Empire." he finally commented before silence fell.
After a couple of minutes, they were in orbit, and they quickly found the Constantinople flying around. Ezra went into the cockpit and called up the ship.
"Specter-7 to Constantinople, requesting permission to link the ships."
"Permission granted, welcome back, Ezra." the voice of Salazar replied.
November 24
On a control center of the Imperial Academy of Carida, the siren blared, signaling that the simulation had ended positively.
Iulius looked at the screen. The squad had finished the exercise in 3 minutes and 46 seconds, when the Grand Admiral himself believed it would be impossible to do it under 5.
"Recall them." he ordered at the technician, who nodded and relayed the order.
Iulius turned around, his arms crossed on his chest, and faced the old Admiral in the room, who seemed very satisfied with the performance of the team he had assembled.
"Looks like I owe you an apology, Admiral Versio." the Grand Admiral said cordially.
Versio accepted the apology quite humbly. "I never expected you to accept right away, sir. Not after I proposed you to take a squad with my daughter in charge."
Iulius chuckled. Yes, even if Garrick Versio, one of the Admirals who had been assigned to the growing 101st, was legitimately a competent military leader, the Grand Admiral couldn't help but raise an eyebrow when he was proposed such a team.
He had asked for some special forces that he could use for recon, sabotage and other high-risk missions against the Coalition, and when Garrick came forward proposing his daughter's squad, the Inferno, Iulius was almost tempted to dismiss them immediately, but in the end, he decided to give them a chance.
And, by the Emperor, did they surpass Iulius' expectations.
After Iulius and Garrick exchanged a few opinions, the three-people Inferno squad entered in the room and stood at attention.
"At ease." Iulius said, and they obliged.
The Grand Admiral started pacing slowly in front of them.
"Commander Iden Versio...Agent Del Meeko...Agent Gideon Hask...Lady and Gentlemen, even if my career has been still quite short, I've rarely seen something that I would call 'amazing'. But the performance you just showed me, definitely deserves such praise. Congratulations."
"Thank you, sir." Iden said with a martial tone.
Iulius extended his arms a bit, as if he was somehow embracing them.
"Welcome to the 101st. With your help, we will destroy the enemies of the Empire." Iulius boldly declared.
"I can't wait." Hask said with a sincerely excited tone.
"Hask, you're in front of the Grand Admiral!" Del reminded him, but Iulius raised a hand in a conciliatory way.
"No, no, Agent Meeko, it's good to see some enthusiasm. Now, since you're already assembled, I have a mission for you. Commander, may we talk?" he said, pointing to a room next to theirs.
"Yes, sir, of course." the woman said.
"I'll head back to the Eviscerator, if you need me." the Admiral announced, and Iulius nodded.
Then the Grand Admiral and the Commander of the Inferno Squad entered the room and Iulius closed the door. The former took a datapad on a nearby desk.
"You can remove your helmet, if you want." he offered.
The woman gladly took the offer and pulled it out, breathing a sigh of relief. "Thanks, sir."
"You're welcome. Now, take a look at what is going to be your real test." Iulius said as he sent a command with the datapad to a bigger screen on the wall and Iden paid extreme attention.
The screen showed an icy planet in the Outer Rim.
"This is Rhen Var." Iulius said with a calm tone. "As you probably know, it recently fell to the forces of the so-called UACT, but one of our probes has showed us an invaluable opportunity."
Iulius touched the pad again and the screen showed an old fortress on the planet.
"It appears like the coalition forces have set up a logistical base, but they have also overstretched their lines with the last offensive."
"So the base is relatively undefended?" Iden asked.
"Indeed, but I wouldn't send you there just to burn it down." Iulius explained. "I'm sending you there because of these." he touched the pad another time and the screen showed what looked like a deposit inside the fortress.
"The enemy has stored a few of its AIs there. Trust me, Commander, when I say that those machines give a disproportionate advantage to our enemies. Before they ship them off, I want you to go there and get them while they're still deactivated in their crates."
Iden gave a quick but thorough look at the map.
"Consider it done, Grand Admiral." she replied in the end.
Iulius then passed his datapad to the woman.
"Your father and his naval squad will protect your retreat. Until you get the constructs, I suggest you keep a low profile."
"Understood, sir. When do we leave?"
"For now, you and your team head for Kuat. Your new ship will be waiting there." Iulius said before taking out from one of his pockets a small holo-projector, which then showed a modified Raider-class Corvette. "Say hello to the Corvus. It has an experimental cloaking device that our technicians managed to replicate from the relic of a Federation's ship."
Iden looked surprised. "Cloaking device?"
"It's partial, actually." Iulius confessed. "It will hide you from their sensors, but they will still be able to see you. Plan your moves accordingly, Commander. For anything else, you have full autonomy. Dismissed."
The woman made the salute before leaving.
With that said and done, Iulius then took his shuttle and returned to the Admonitor, heading back for Coruscant. In two days, he would have to attend another Ball, except this time it was the one where the two top male students and the two top female students of the Academy were going to attend, with their graduation and assignment just three days away.
Even with all the perks of the Constantinople, the trip to Jedha still took a day and a half, but finally they found the desert planet.
As he observed it from the starboard observatory, Ezra immediately felt a loud chanting. That place was imbued with the power of the Force and he could clearly tell there were plenty of kyber crystals on the surface.
He kept this thoughts to himself, however, knowing that they needed to act quickly if they wanted to find the shuttle pilot still alive.
Ezra headed in the hangar bay, where the U-Wing had been parked.
"You sure you don't want help on the surface?" Jordan asked to his son as the rebels were mounting on their ship.
"Thanks, Dad, but the less we are, the easier it will be to pass unnoticed. You make sure to keep a link between us and Yavin." Ezra instructed.
Jordan nodded. "May the Force be with you, son." he wished.
The door of the ship closed and the main ramp of the frigate was lowered after all the crew in the hangar had got to safety, then Andor and K2 brought their fighter into space, heading toward the surface.
Strangely enough, the only presence of the Imperial Navy was a Star Destroyer, from which Jinx was easily able to hide the ship as it came down.
Cassian landed a couple km outside of the Holy City of Jedha, which stood at the top of a plateau, with its ancient walls...and imperial ships coming and going between it and the Star Destroyer above the city.
While K turned off the engines, the three humans stepped down and went to take a look with their range-finders.
"You see those ships?" Ezra said, indicating a Zeta-class transport shuttle and its escort. "They're shipping kyber crystals out of the planet. Andor, is our contact there?"
"Yes, sir. At least, they should."
"I find that answer vague and unconvincing." K2 commented, as he had finished with the ship and was standing at a short distance from the Humans.
"Maybe we should leave 'target practice' behind." Jyn said.
"Are you talking about me?" the droid asked.
"She's right." Cassian said. "We're trying to blend in, you stay with the ship." he ordered as he put back his tools in his coat and backpack.
"I can blend in!" the droid protested. "I'm an imperial droid, the city is under imperial occupation."
Jyn intervened to cut the conversation. "Half the people here would like to reprogram you, the other half will try to put a hole in your head."
And so, the humans went into the city. Ezra wore a poncho to hide his easily recognizable orange outfit and his lightsaber. Walking around the cramped streets of the old city, the group managed to get near the remains of the Jedi temple.
While Cassian left Ezra and Jyn to go talk with one of the rebel contacts, Ezra inevitably felt himself attracted to the temple. Now, the chanting was definitely more harmonious, pleasant to the ear.
The tower of the temple was the only part of the city that they could see from outside the walls, and it was indeed a majestic sight, despite it being deprived of any decoration and simple in its construction.
Then, a louder humming came. But this time it was very familiar.
It was the same feeling as the first time he met Kanan.
The young Jedi turned his head around and found, just a few meters from him, a blind man with a buzz cut and a dark jacket, with a red long skirt. He was wielding a staff of some kind of metal.
And that man was clearly looking Ezra's way. Maybe not with his eyes, but the young man was sure of it.
Behind that strange man there was one in a full clad of armor and a pretty intimidating blaster cannon.
Ezra turned toward them and didn't speak, at first.
Then the strange man walked forward, his face seemed to express a hope long lost and suddenly reemerged.
"You...you are the spark I felt." he murmured.
Ezra allowed the Force to guide him and analyzed what was happening. Indeed, he realized that, before, he wasn't just feeling the crystals.
"I hope this small spark can bring some warm joy to your heart, my friend." the young Jedi politely replied.
The man now exhibited a happy smile, his mouth trembling with emotion. "Only the Force can express how I feel." he said.
Ezra chuckled. "That explains where all this light is coming from."
The other now chuckled openly. After a few seconds, he managed to get a hold of himself and made a reverential bow. "I'm Chirrut Imwe. Member of the Guardians of the Whill."
"The Guardians?" Ezra asked with curiosity. "I think I read something about you in the holocron."
"You possess an holocron?" Chirrut asked in amazement.
"I don't have it here with me, of course. It belonged to my Master. Unfortunately, he passed away a few months ago."
Chirrut became serious all of a sudden. "My condolences. He must've been a great Master, to groom such a young and powerful Jedi."
"Yes...he was." Ezra sighed.
The other man in red armor stepped forward as well, looking both skeptical and hopeful.
"You really a Jedi?"
"Are you a Guardian, as well?" Ezra counter-asked.
"Don't mind his cynicism, Master Jedi." Chirrut quipped. "Baze Malbus was once the most faithful of our order."
Ezra made a nod with his head. "Pleased to meet you, Baze Malbus." Ezra said in a candid voice.
"So, what bring you here, Master?" Chirrut asked.
Ezra chuckled. "Sorry to bust your enthusiasm, mister Imwe, but I'm a mere Padawan, still."
"I see. Sorry for my erratic assumption. Your power with the Force is just so great…" the monk replied.
"I bet you haven't met a real Jedi in a long time, then." Ezra quipped. "As for why I'm here, I'm looking for someone."
A second after he finished that statement, An explosion resonated from a nearby square, followed by the sudden bursting of blaster sounds from that direction.
"And I'm afraid I found them!" Ezra exclaimed before dashing toward the battle. "Captain Andor, where are you?" he asked in his comlink.
"General. We've been caught up in the shooting. Saw's rebels are attacking a tank patrol."
"Stay on the side and get out of there if you can, we don't want to get involved!" he ordered.
"Yes, sir...Jyn, wait!"
Understanding that something bad was going on with his companions, Ezra accelerated his pace using the Force and quickly reached the scene of the battle. He saw a Conqueror tank aiming its cannons at a small tower at the corner of the square, where some of the rebels had taken position and were firing at the imperials.
There were bodies from both sides littering the sand of the square. The stormtroopers were firing at men and some aliens whose faces were covered by shermas and other local clothing.
The cannons shot, blowing up the turret and the two shooters inside of it, but it also lifted a clout of dust.
In the confusion, Ezra saw Jyn repair herself under the tank, after Cassian had killed the exposed commander of the vehicle, but one of the rebels was at the top of an architectural arch, preparing to throw a concussion grenade toward the tank.
Ezra promptly extended a hand, using the Force to take that grenade away from the man's hand and making it blow in the sky.
It wasn't enough to free the way for Jyn, though, so Ezra decided that it was no use to hide anymore.
He materialized his lightsaber and jumped into the fray, then he ignited it, making the rebels stop shooting and look paralyzed by the astonishment.
The remaining stormtroopers, on the other hand, quickly focused their attention on him.
Ezra easily parried the first wave of bolts, even sending a couple of them against two stormtroopers and knocking them out.
He then dashed forward and jumped into the group of white-armored soldiers. It didn't take long for him to cut off their blasters and take them out, both with the saber or by simply sending them fly with the Force against nearby walls.
All the rebels were still looking at him, unable to say a word or to act. Only one of them, a Tognath who already knew the Jedi, stepped forward when silence had fell.
Ezra noticed him. He deactivated his weapon and turned toward him.
"Long time no see, Edrio."
"Bridger. Quite the surprise. What are you doing here?" the alien asked in his language and with his filter on.
"I thought I would check up on Saw." Ezra calmly stated.