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Return to Lothal
Damian didn't like it. They were headed back to Lothal, bad enough news in his opinion, to rescue the same Imperial Minister who had been working with Kallus to capture them. He knew they were doing it because it was the right thing to do, and also because she claimed to have a list of rebel sympathizers that she was willing to trade for her life, but he still didn't like it. Something just felt...off about it. On the bright side, they were bringing the Wraith with them in place of the Ghost this time, since the Ghost had become too well known and the Wraith was completely unknown. Not to mention it was vastly superior in every way, and Barriss, Damian, Jek, Shaeeah, and Enfys all came with it. Not that Damian was biased toward his beloved ship as opposed to the Ghost. It was all just facts.
"Why did your whole family come?" Kanan asked as they flew.
"My whole family didn't come," Damian said. "Ahsoka stayed back with Riyo and Alina, with four PROXY droids as bodyguards, too."
"Yeah, we could have used those," Kanan pointed out.
"Relax," Damian smirked. "You've got us. You don't need the droids, but my wife and child are one hundred percent staying safe."
"That's a fair request, Kanan," Hera pointed out. "Besides, it's their ship, and we can always use extra help."
"I suppose," Kanan sighed.
"Arriving at Lothal in thirty seconds," Shaeeah reported. "All stealth and cloaking systems engaged."
A moment later, they dropped out of Hyperspace, finding dozens of Star Destroyers orbiting Lothal, more near the surface. They flew past the ships without any problems, then flew down to land in the capital, Shaeeah opening the back hatch.
"Alright," Shaeeah said. "Anyone who's going ashore, hop off. I've got to clear out before someone lands on me."
The Ghost crew left the Wraith, along with Damian and Barriss.
"I've never seen so many Star Destroyers here," Ezra said, looking up at three destroyers, all visible through the opening in the roof of the hangar. "It's gotten worse."
"Alright," Hera said, raising one of the small, round, hand-held communicators the Ghost crew used. "Radio check, Wraith."
"Copy," Shaeeah said. "Returning to orbit. Let me know when you're ready for pickup."
"Understood," Hera said, putting the communicator away just as Shaeeah lifted off and left the hangar.
"Tua's leaving from Bay Twenty-three," Kanan said. "Let's go."
As they reached the bay they needed, they stopped, seeing multiple guards.
"We'll need a distraction," Hera said.
"Well, I'm going to make a few friends," Kanan said. "When Tua arrives, I'll keep them all busy while you drop into the hangar from above."
"Make a few friends?" Hera asked.
"It'll be fun," Kanan said.
"Fun?" Hera asked.
"Don't worry General Hera," Kanan said saluting her mockingly. "Just be ready to move."
Hera glowered after him and Damian raised an eyebrow.
"What's gotten into him?" Damian asked just as Kanan quickly knocked out the stormtrooper commander, dragging him into an alleyway and quickly pulling on the full suit of armor.
Kanan threw them a lazy salute before pulling the helmet on and heading for the other stormtroopers.
"Kanan's gone buckethead," Sabine said, sounding impressed.
"I don't believe it," Hera groaned.
"I'm kinda jealous," Ezra said. "I only have the helmet."
"Is it always like this?" Barriss asked.
"No," Damian said. "Usually Kanan's the more professional, reasonable one. Something's up."
They all quickly made their way to the roof and then spread out, moving to surround the hangar. Within a minute, a speeder began to head toward them with Minister Tua inside. But she wasn't alone.
"Here's she comes," Ezra said. "But...she's got company."
"What kind of company?" Hera asked.
"Oh fantastic," Ezra said, looking through a set of binoculars. "Agent Kallus."
"So nothing we can't handle," Damian summarized. "You worried me. I thought maybe the Sith Stalker or Vader were with her."
"Nope," Ezra said. "Just the usual annoyance."
"Well he's only gotten the upper hand on us one time so far, and that was because of Tarkin," Damian said. "We can handle him. If nothing else, I'll just use the Force to knock him out."
"You can do that?" Ezra asked.
"It just takes a little bit of force and a sturdy wall," Damian smirked, Ezra rolling his eyes. "You're up Sabine."
Sabine nodded and dropped to the street, shouting to the stormtroopers before opening fire. The minister ran for cover, and Kallus backed up toward the shuttle as the stormtroopers advanced. Then, suddenly, the hanger's blast doors dropped, sealing Kallus, the minister, and Kanan inside. Damian dropped off of the roof, landing in a crouch and slamming his hand into the ground, a blast of the Force exploding off of him and launching all of the stormtroopers into the buildings around them, knocking them all out.
"Nice," Sabine said. "Now, what about Kallus?"
"Up and over," Damian said, scooping up Sabine before jumping, easily clearing the wall and landing inside the hangar where Kallus was trying to shoot Kanan, Ezra, and Hera, Barriss and Zeb still on top of the wall. "Take a hike Kallus!"
Damian said, Force pushing Kallus and sending him crashing into a wall, being knocked out. A moment later, as Tua sprinted onto the shuttle, it exploded into a massive fireball, throwing everyone away. Damian pushed himself up and stared. It had been rigged? They had never meant for Tua to go to Tarkin. They were framing them. Just then, the blast doors opened, stormtroopers running in, only for Damian and the others to take cover, all drawing blasters and opening fire. Barriss and Zeb opened fire from the roof, Barriss using a stolen stormtrooper blaster, and Damian activated his communicator.
"Shaeeah we need a pickup," Damian said. "Tua's shuttle was rigged to explode. She's dead."
"Understood," Shaeeah said. Stand by two minutes."
Damian stood, firing several times and dropping a handful of troops before kneeling again. "I don't think we have two minutes, Shaeeah."
Just then, the Wraith's gun began to fire, slaughtering stormtroopers outside the hangar, then the sound of several explosions went off around it. Then, after a moment, the Wraith became visible in the middle of the hangar, the hatch opening and Shaeeah stepping out, using her rifle to obliterate a spherical droid that had been recording the fight from the doorway, then blast the last three stormtroopers that could see.
"Everyone on, now!" Shaeeah said.
Damian and the others all ran over to the ship, climbing in, and Shaeeah took off again, cloaking before they were out of the Hangar. They left the hangar behind, flying away from the city before landing in a field, remaining cloaked. As they had flown, they had watched a HoloNet transmission announce that they murdered Minister Tua, showing a picture of everyone but Jek and Enfys.
"That was...depressing," Damian sighed. "R3, keep us cloaked."
R3 beeped back at him.
"Don't sass me," Damian said, then blinked in surprise. "Huh. Well what do you know. I actually understood that."
"Finally," Barriss snorted. "It only took you how many years?"
"Oh hush you," Damian said. "Anyway, what do we do now?"
The others all looked around in silence.
"We need to leave Lothal," Hera finally said. "They recorded everything to turn Lothal against us. There's nothing more we can do here."
"We can't just run," Ezra said. "The people need to know the truth!"
"The Empire's not really giving us much choice here," Sabine said.
"Alright, then let's go," Damian said. "No point sitting around here waiting."
"Agreed," Barriss nodded. "Alright let's..."
"Shit," Damian grumbled. "He's here."
"What is this?" Ezra asked. "I feel cold."
"It's Vader," Damian said, standing and pulling his lightsaber off his belt. "Shaeeah, get into the air. I'll stall him."
"Not alone you won't," Barriss said.
"Yes, I will," Damian said flatly. "You're not strong enough to face him. I can survive even if he actively tries to kill me."
Barriss hesitated before nodding. "Be careful. I don't want to explain to Ahsoka that we let you die to save ourselves."
"Just be ready to pull me up when the time comes," Damian smirked. "Let me worry about my death."
Barriss nodded and Damian walked off of the ship, watching the stormtroopers before him, Darth Vader standing in the center. He wore a black body suit, and a bell-shaped helmet with a mask that had a triangle-shaped breather where the mouth was and two large eyes. Vader extended his lightsaber and Damian extended a single blade on his.
"Darth Vader," Damian said. "I've heard a lot about you. I'm interested to see if the monster lives up to his reputation."
Vader remained motionless as the stormtroopers moved forward, only for Damian to shove a hand, launching them all, except Vader, who raised his hand and blocked the Force blast, his cape flapping behind him. Once the blast ended, Vader looked around at the stormtroopers, all of whom were either unconscious or had broken something landed and were unable to fight. Then, Vader strode forward, Damian moving to meet him. Vader swung from his right, Damian blocking it and grunting, falling to one knee under the brute force of the swipe. He grit his teeth and forced himself back to his feet before letting the saber fall to the ground as he spun, slashing at Vader's back. However, Vader spun away from Damian, his lightsaber flashing around and blocking the blade. Damian shoved a hand at Vader as Vader shoved a hand back and their Force blasts met between their hands, exploding outward and hurling both. Damian flipped to his feet just in time to streak into the air, flipping and landing on the ramp of the Wraith.
"Thanks," Damian said, looking to Barriss, who nodded.
Just then, Vader raised a hand and the ship lurched to a stop. Barriss stumbled, staggering down the ramp, only for Damian to grab her, pulling her back before shoving a hand forward. A blast of white electricity flashing out of it and exploding into Vader, launching him backward and freeing the ship from his grip. The ship jerked forward and Damian's eyes widened as he was thrown off balance. He swore as he and Barriss both tumbled down the ramp and out of the Wraith just before the ramp closed and it took off. Damian swore, pulling Barriss into a bridal carry before cushioning his landing with the Force and turning, using it to send himself speeding away from Vader instantly.
After a few minutes, he slowed to a stop as he reached a small encampment among the stone spike-like mountains of Lothal. A protocol droid painted blue and orange looked over at them and walked toward them.
"Hello," the droid said with an odd, cowboy-style, accent. "What are you two doing here?"
"Running away," Damian said, setting Barriss on her feet. "Who do you serve?"
"Lando Calrissian," the droid said.
"Shit," Damian sighed. "Figures. Listen, we need a place to lay low for a little bit. Just until our ship comes back for us."
"Well you can't stay here," the droid said. "Find somewhere else."
Damian sighed. "Fine. Whatever. We'll go to Tarkintown."
"Tarkintown?" Barriss asked.
"It's a refugee camp made up of the people Tarkin drove from their farms," Damian said. "It's this way."
He turned, walking away, and Barriss followed.
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