After my one-shot "His Name is Chopper", I got the idea to do this one-shot, and then more ideas for other one-shots or Rebel-Shots, as I'm now calling this entire project, came to me.
The Fate of Iron Squadron
Iron Squadron: a small band of rebels who, like many others across the galaxy, defied the tyranny that was the Galactic Empire. Instead of grovelling over and bowing down to a corrupt dictatorship, they chose to fight for the freedom of their planet and everyone on it. This band of rebels was comprised of three young kids as well as a droid: Jonner Jin, a loveable gunner and heavy lifter. Gooti Terez, calm-headed second in command, as well as head of communications and cargo manager. R3-A3, a slightly clumsy and agitated astromech that served as mechanic and maintainer of the squad's ship, Sato's Hammer. Then finally, Mart Mattin, the reckless pilot and captain of Iron Squadron.
Following their retreat from their homeworld of Mykapo when the Empire tightened its grip on the system, the young squad joined their leader's uncle Commander Jun Sato and his own, much larger, and more well-equipped cell of rebels known as Pheonix Cell. This provided them with much-needed additional supplies and assistance in their fight against the Empire. They in turn proved to be a tremendous asset to Phoenix Cell, protecting supply convoys, assisting in Imperial raids, and many other sorts of missions. Safe to say, all members of the Iron Squadron were happy to be a part of the growing rebellion that dreamed of one day overthrowing the Empire and liberating not just Mykapo, but all worlds from Imperial rule.
At the moment, Sato's Hammer hung in a deserted part of space waiting for the arrival of a rebel supply ship they'd been sent to assist. The ship had been carrying high-tech, experimental blasters that were rumoured to be twice as powerful as the E-11D blasters used by Death Troopers, the Empire's most elite soldiers. Rebel spies had learned about these weapons and managed to provide rebel command with the intel needed to launch a raid to seize several crates of them before they could be mass-produced.
However, the raid had proved far more challenging than anticipated, with most of the team sent taking hard losses and the ship that acquired the stolen weapons being seriously damaged while failing to lose the imperials during their retreat. It had been a miracle that their hyperdrive managed to get them out of the system but analysis confirmed they wouldn't be able to jump again or make it to command, not without bringing the Empire down on them. That's where Iron Squadron came in. Dispatched to a set of coordinates not far from the raid had taken place, they were to retrieve the crew of the Salvager and its cargo then jump out before the Empire reached them.
"Uncle Jun, we've jumped out of hyperspace at the rendezvous coordinates," Mart reported to his uncle. "No sign of the Salvager yet. Are you sure they made it out of there?"
"The ship's captain confirmed they made the jump but warned it would take everything the crew had to get to the rendezvous," Commander Sato assured his nephew. "As soon as they arrive get them and their cargo on board the Hammer and make the jump without haste. The Empire will be on their tail and we can't risk a confrontation. Meaning…"
"No charging into battle. Dodge and defence fire only," Mart finished, annoying his uncle.
"I'm serious Mart. We've had some close calls from your squad because of your recklessness and desire for action. Now while no casualties were reported from those incidences, the missions were put in jeopardy several times; and a lot of effort was put into getting these weapons. I want both our people and their acquisitions brought home alive and intact. Got it?"
His uncle had that look in his eyes when he spoke that, like Mart's father, meant he wouldn't let the matter slide. "Yes, Commander Sato, sir," Mart replied, using his uncle's rank when addressing him to show he understood and was being serious.
Right then the cockpit's instruments started beeping, signalling the arrival of a ship existing from hyperspace.
"Sorry Uncle. Have to call you back." Ending the transmission Mart watched a ship, a YT-2000 transport to be exact, jump out of hyperspace not too far from Sato's Hammer. It was in far worse shape than Mart had originally anticipated. Smoke was pouring from the engines, as well as several other spots all around the hull. What should have been a turret up top looked like a scorched, banged-up metal rod. Even the glass surrounding the ship's cockpit looked like it would crack open at any moment.
He had R3 run a life scan of the ship to make sure there were still people onboard while ordering Gooti to contact the ship. The scan came back confirming that the crew was still there and alive. At the same time, Gooti reported to Mart from her station.
"Mart I made contact with the Salvager's captain. They have the weapons but have confirmed Imperials were on right on their tail, or at least that's what I can tell. There was a lot of static on their end."
"Their communications dish must've been damaged," Mart figured. "No surprise there. I'm seeing their ship right now. It's in very, very bad condition."
"That's another thing they mentioned. From what I could make out, engines are barely operational while almost every other system is offline or damaged badly. They also have wounded onboard."
The Empire knew how to treat its enemies, Mart thought. "Goot, tell them to power down all non-essential systems as well as their engines," he instructed. "We'll come over to them. Once we're in position, we'll switch the cargo over and get them moved onto our ship, pronto."
"On it," the theelin responded.
"R3 keep monitoring for approaching ships," Mart ordered the astromech droid standing nearby. "Hope those guns were worth the effort," he whispered to himself.
At that moment, the droid began beeping and whistling in panic as a pack of ships jumped out of hyperspace. Two of them were simple frigates carrying squads of TIE fighters while in the middle of the group was a much smaller version of the Empire's infamous Star Destroyer, but a still very powerful and dangerous threat nonetheless.
"A light cruiser?!" Mart gasped before reactivating the internal comm.
"Jon, get the cannons ready. Fire on my mark."
"Already on standby buddy," Jonner responded.
R3 whistled and chirped in protest to this.
"R3's right," Gooti agreed. "Your uncle gave us direct orders not to engage."
"Yeah, well in war, everything doesn't go according to plan," Mark said back. "Besides we can't exactly hold off a light cruiser while transferring cargo or being attached to a heavily damaged ship with no shields or weapons. I say we take out their fighters then use our explosive crates to destroy the cruiser's cannons and cripple the frigates. After that, we'll do the transfer and jump out before enemy reinforcements can arrive."
While Gooti wasn't so sure. It made some sense, and also wasn't the worst plan. "Augh, fine! Just don't go overboard like at Mykapo," she warned.
Mart was about to make a run for the light cruiser when all of a sudden, a Star Destroyer jumped out of hyperspace, close behind the smaller imperial ships.
"A Star Destroyer?!" Just what Iron Squad needed. Thousand times larger and more powerful than Sato's Hammer. A single one of those gigantic cruisers could take on half of, if not all of, the entire Phoenix fleet. "Alright… new plan. Goot, get me in contact with the Salvager, NOW!"
Seconds later Mart heard a new voice on the comm, though the damage from Salvager's communications made it almost impossible for the young captain to hear what the person on the other end was saying.
"Salvager, this Captain Mart of the Iron Squadron. Get ready to lock your ship onto ours and we'll jump to lightspeed."
"Negzzzzz... Gzzzzz get out ozzzzz hezzzzzz... Savezzzzz..."
"I've lost the signal," Gooti reported.
"Mart, we've got bombers on our tail!" Jonner warned.
"Gooti, get ready to activate the gravity locks," Mart ordered while adjusting the ship's course towards the damaged Salvager.
They were soon within range of it when a massive explosion went off from inside one of the cargo crates attached to the Salvager's haul.
"What the…?"
He didn't have enough time to finish that thought as the energy blast from the explosion completely incinerated the Salvager, then hit Sato's Hammer hard enough that it sent the ship spiralling out of control, throwing R3 off his struts and knocking Mart out of his seat onto the hard metal floor.
"Mart? MART!" a voice called out to Mart, bringing him back into the world of the living. Though when he awoke, he immediately wished he'd stayed knocked out. Alarms were blaring, and lights flickering on and off, making it impossible to hear or see. What he did see, however, again made him wish he wasn't awake right then. The ship was a complete mess, more so than usual, as the scattered parts and tools, panels out off the walls, and snapped wires all over; it looked like it had been raided by jawas and blasted by bucket heads. Not to mention, when he saw Gooti, she had some serious bruises and bad cuts all over her arms, head, and chest. It surprised him to see her still conscious and standing. When he reached his hand out to touch her, Mart saw he was also bleeding, and he then realized how much pain he was feeling.
"Augh… what happened?" he asked his first mate.
"A bomb went off inside the Salvager's cargo. Destroyed the ship, and damaged us too. Those bombers also took a beating on us as well. Our shields, communications... they're all offline. Engines are barely working, but no hyperdrive. We're fortunate enough to have what little power we have left."
"Ugh, get… where's R3? Have him get those hyperdrive and shields working again while I-"
"R3's damaged," which was confirmed when Mart saw his droid's optic cracked and the rest of his body short-circuiting from several different places. "He's in no shape to repair the ship. And we don't have weapons to defend ourselves either."
"Wha… what about Jon-"
"Mart he's dead. Bombers got him in the turret. We're completely defenceless. Mart, I hate to say it, but there's nothing we can do. We need to abandon ship."
Normally Mart protested the idea of leaving behind his most prized possession and the last remaining piece of his father he had left. However, he was in way too much pain to protest. Plus he knew Gooti was right. The ship was beyond repair and it wasn't like they could call for help. Sure his uncle would probably come looking for him if he didn't return home or report in, but by then reinforcements would come a little too late to make difference. His injuries were also making it difficult enough for him just to stay conscious as it was.
It pained him, literally to say it, but, he agreed. "Fine," he nodded.
With Gooti's help, Mart managed to make his way to the Hammer's only escape pod, with R3 doing his best to follow while bumping into stuff along the way.
Once both Mart and R3 were secured in the cramped pod, Mart, still fighting consciousness looked over at Gooti who stood at the pod's entrance with a look of pain and guilt on her face.
"Gooti?"
"Sorry you guys," she whispered before pulling out a stun blaster, shooting both Mart and R3, knocking them out instantly.
Onboard the bridge of the Star Destroyer Chimaera, Grand Admiral Thrawn and Admiral Konstantine watched the destruction unfold before them. While the trap the grand admiral had set up was working one hundred percent, Konstantine thought that the Star Destroyer could've simply overpowered the two measly ships without having to resort to trickery.
"Sir. The explosives our men planted on the stolen weapons went off as planned," one of the deck officers reported. "Both the cargo and the rebel ship carrying it have been destroyed; while the other rebel ship sustained heavy damage."
"Good. Very good," the Grand Admiral responded in his usual, calm, yet chilling voice. "Details regarding the damage of Sato's Hammer?"
"Shields, hyperdrive, and turret are either destroyed or offline. And as per your instructions, scanners have been monitoring for life signatures on board since we left lightspeed. One of the signatures from the ship vanished when our bombers hit their turret. Orders sir?"
"Just incinerate those blasted rebels already," Admiral Konstantine demanded but was cut off by Thrawn.
"Now hold on Admiral, let's see if Iron Squadron has any final tricks up their sleeves."
There was no way Sato's Hammer could survive another attack. Without shields, or weapons to fight back, Sato's Hammer was as good as dead. Gooti also wasn't that skilled at flying, certainly nowhere near as good as Mart. With no hyperdrive, the ship couldn't go far either. Also, Gooti knew if she ejected the pod now while fleeing the Empire would detect and destroy it easily then come after her or the other way around. So she ended up doing something she knew Mart would've done in her position.
After securing the pod, Gooti made her way back to the ship's cockpit, which was in far worse shape than the Salvager probably had been. To her luck, the controls, though damaged, still worked and charged the ship towards the Star Destroyer. Targeting their main ship would hopefully further distract those slimy imps.
"This is for you Mart."
"Grand Admiral Thrawn," an officer spoke up, "The rebel ship is moving into attack position."
"They have no weapons or shields, are they mad?" Konstantine hollered out.
Silencing the admiral with a simple hand gesture, Thrawn turned over towards one of his higher-ranked officers. "Order all ships to fire at will. Destroy what's left of Iron Squadron once and for all."
Just as laser fire tore through Sato's Hammer, Gooti pressed the launch button, releasing Mart's escape pod just moments before the ship exploded around her. Gooti's last thoughts before her death were focused on Mart, hoping the ship's destruction would mask her best friend's escape.
The entire ship exploded within minutes.
"The destruction of Iron Squad's ship is confirmed Grand Admiral. Though scanners indicate an escape pod was ejected right before the ship exploded, and is containing one life reading aboard."
"Destroy it," Konstantine ordered.
"Belay that," Thrawn countered.
"Sir?"
"It would be in our best interest to allow Captain Mart Mattin to live. For now at least."
This surprised Konstantine, even more so than he normally was when dealing with the Grand Admiral. "How... how could you possibly know who's in that pod?"
"You, yourself, should know well enough that Mart Mattin is a highly skilled pilot, especially for someone of his age. Regardless of the damage Sato's Hammer already sustained, Mart's abilities would've allowed for his ship to survive far longer than it did. Given the damage the cockpit sustained when the Salvager exploded, it is plausible to assume that Mart was injured while inside the cockpit. It is also worth remembering that one out of three of the life readings onboard faded after the turret was destroyed. This would most likely be the ship's gunner, another young boy named Jonner. Therefore, it's safe to say that the ship's remaining crew member other than its captain, a young theelin named Gooti who has no known training or experience in flying, was the one piloting the craft during its final run."
"And why did she not simply abandon ship with her captain instead of charging headfirst into what she should've known was a suicide run?"
"Because she probably assumed we'd shot the escape pod if we saw it eject. That is why it was launched just as the ship exploded, and why she attacked us in the first place; to draw our attention, in the hopes her actions would distract us and allow for her captain's escape to go unnoticed," Thrawn theorized. "While it wasn't the best plan, given her limited time and resources on hand, it was her best option. Also unsurprising, given how rebels are known for their compassion for others. It is a weakness the Empire has exploited on many fronts against countless other rebel cells."
The theory made sense, but Konstantine still didn't understand the grand admiral's decision to leave the pod be. "Mattin is Commander Sato's nephew. If he is the one in the pod, capturing him could provide us with a valuable bargaining chip with the rebels. Shall I order the activation of the Chimaera's tractor beam to bring it in?"
"No. With his ship destroyed beyond salvage and his team, his friends gone, the boy will be broken. Iron Squadron is destroyed, just as was intended when I allowed word of our experimental weaponry to reach the rebels."
"Grand Admiral, with all due respect, if we leave him here surely the rebels will come searching for survivors and rescue the boy. He'll come after us."
"I anticipate this, but not for some time, given the injuries Mart probably sustained. If the rebels do recover the boy and revive him, it'll be sometime before he's ready to fight again. By then I anticipate we'll have located their secret base, as I'm getting closer to uncovering, and be facing them in one last strike. If Mart can fight by then, he'll still be recovering emotionally from the loss of his squad. The pain in his heart will make him far more reckless than before. He will most likely seek out revenge and attack us in a way that'll put himself and others at risk without him realizing it. the ending results will be far greater than what we could achieve with him as our prisoner."
"But… he's just a child, one who may know the location of their base."
"I already have a plan to uncover this Admiral. The results of which will benefit us far greater than if we were to use Mart. Make no mistake, in the end, Mart Mattin will die soon. Maybe not today, but when the time is right. Not to mention the loss of Iron Squadron in the final battle will further assist us in defeating the rebellion once and for all."
Admiral Konstantine didn't respond. Not that he didn't want to, which he did. But it was difficult disagreeing with the alien admiral whenever he was right, which seemed to be always, even though Konstantine himself never fully understood how or why he was.
Accepting his silence, Thrawn turned towards the Chimera's chief commanding officer, giving her new instructions. "Commodore Faro set coarse for the Lothal system and contact Grand Moff Tarkin."
When the Liberator exited hyperspace, Commander Sato had been fearing the worst after losing contact with his nephew. The fear had not prepared him for the shock and horror felt when he saw the massive piles of wreckage floating before him.
"Commander we're detecting a life sign in the wreckage, though it appears to be faint," a crew member reported.
Sato wasted no time. Ordering his crew to search the wreckage until they found a damaged escape pod floating near the edge of the remains of what Sato assumed had once been Mart's ship. Attempts to contact the pod were unsuccessful before it was recovered and brought on board the Liberator. Crew members managed to open the pod right away with Sato joining them in the cargo bay just as they pulled out a damaged, but not destroyed astromech droid, along with a badly injured, and unconscious young boy, who was the last of Sato's family.
The fear Sato felt upon seeing the wreckage worsened when he saw the state of his nephew. "Get him into a bacta tank immediately! And have our techs get to work on repairing his droid," the commander instructed.
When Mart awoke, he was sore and confused. The last thing he remembered was getting ready to abandon ship when, bam, everything went blank. Now as his eyes fully opened and he managed to take a good look at his surroundings, Mart realized he wasn't onboard Sato's Hammer anymore, sitting within a cramped escape pod; but instead laying on a bed in some kind of sickbay with a medical droid on one side examining him, while on the other his uncle sat in a chair beside him.
"Augh…. Uncle Jun?" Mart said, attempting to sit up, only to feel immense jolts of pain when he tried to do so. His uncle stepped over and helped place him back in a resting position on the bed. "Easy now Mart. Easy. You just got out of the bacta tank."
"Where… where am I?"
"Onboard the Liberator. I'm taking you to General Dodona's base on Yavin 4. You'll be much safer there while you and your droid recover."
"My droid?" Then it suddenly all came back to him. The mission. The light cruiser. Him disobeying orders. The star destroyer. And… and his… "No… no…" Mart remembered Jonner's death, his ship being crippled, and then Gooti stunning him.
"Wait, where's Gooti? You mentioned my droid, but what about Gooti? Where there any other survivors? Please tell me there were."
His uncle didn't respond right away. When he finally did though, it looked as if the words he spoke were hitting him harder than a dozen blaster bolts. "Mart... I am so sorry."
He couldn't believe it. First his father. Then Mykapo. Now he'd lost his entire ship, not to mention his crew as well. Heck, Jonner and Gooti were more than just his crew. They were his best friends. His family. Now they were gone. All gone. Iron Squadron was dead.
Well, there you have it. A tragic end to Iron Squadron, but that is sadly the fate of many who chose to get involved in warfare.
I was surprised when Mark and R3 from Iron Squadron reappeared during the attack on Lothal in season four after not being seen since their debut in season 3 while the other two members of their squad and ship remained unseen to this day. Well except for that one comic strip, but that's not enough in my opinion. Therefore, this story was created.
Heads up I am open to ideas for Rebel-Shots. Heads up, all stories I write for it must be based around the characters, main and minor, from the Rebels series before or after the show itself. So feel free to message me via Private Messaging with any ideas for Rebel-Shots you may have and I'll consider using yours. No guarantees I'll use it, however, but if I do, I promise to give you full credit for coming up with the idea in a note at the beginning or end of the story.
