I do not own Star Wars or any of the characters.
Escape
Damian watched Tarkintown in silence from the grass. Smoke curled into the air as the stormtroopers burned everything. This was bad. If they burned Tarkintown, the moment the Wraith came back for them, Ezra would come running. Even if he was alone. It was a trap.
"We need to warn the others," Barriss whispered.
"No, wait," Damian said, watching the stormtroopers mount up. "They're leaving."
Sure enough, the stormtroopers left, heading back toward the capital. Finally, the Wraith descended beside Damian and Barriss and the ramp dropped, Ezra running toward Tarkintown, Kanan just behind him. Damian turned back to the Wraith as Shaeeah walked over to them.
"I'm sorry," Shaeeah said. "It's my fault. I got careless, and I was afraid. And because of that, I left you both behind."
"No harm done," Damian smiled, both Jedi hugging her. "Just don't tell Ahsoka."
Shaeeah smiled, nodding. "I won't."
Damian smiled as well and they headed onto the ship, Damian waiting at the top of the ramp for Kanan and Ezra. Then, once the two of them were aboard, he headed up to the cockpit, taking the copilot's seat and nodding to Shaeeah.
"All aboard, Captain," Damian smiled.
"I hate it when you do that," Shaeeah sighed, lifting off the ground and piloting into orbit, then jumping to Hyperspace.
Damian sighed, turning in his chair as Hera and Kanan walked in. "That wasn't so bad."
"They burned Tarkintown and took everyone there hostage," Kanan said.
"Yes, but I was referring to our escape," Damian said. "I figured the situation in Tarkintown went without saying."
"He talked it over and...we're going to stay with Phoenix Squadron," Hera said.
"Was that in question?" Damian asked.
"Yes," Kanan said. "But don't worry. Like it or not, we're staying."
Damian was silent for a moment before nodding. "Well, if that's settled, then I guess that's all there is to it."
He turned back to the front just as R3 began to beep frantically.
"What do you mean you hear something?" Jek asked, seated beside the droid. "I don't hear anything."
Damian frowned. "Something like what? Broken parts? Overheated engine?"
R3 beeped.
"A signal?" Shaeeah asked. "What kind of signal?"
Just then, they dropped out of Hyperspace, seeing Phoenix Squadron ahead of them.
"Phoenix Home, this is Wraith," Shaeeah said. "Clearance code one two one eight one five."
For a moment, there was silence.
"Your clearance code checks out," one of the rebel troopers responded. "Welcome home Wraith."
"R3, what kind of signal are you hearing?" Damian asked. "Shaeeah, don't dock yet."
R3 beeped several times. Damian's brain struggled to interpret the noises. "Well, if you think we have some extra parts, just scan the ship."
R3 beeped again.
"Well did you find anything?" Jek asked.
Another beep.
"Then it's probably nothing," Jek said.
"Chopper, scan the ship again," Damian said. "Full diagnostics as well as external and internal scans."
R3 beeped, beginning the scan.
"Wraith, why aren't you docking?" the rebel trooper asked. "Is something wrong?"
"Stand by, Phoenix Home," Damian said. "Get prepped to scatter. We might have a bug."
"Copy that," the trooper responded, then disconnected to pass the warning along.
Just then, a single ship, a TIE fighter, entered the system. Damian felt cold suddenly and swallowed.
"Proxy, get me Sato!" Damian said.
A moment later, Proxy had turned into Commander Sato, head of Phoenix Squad, while Sato would be seeing a hologram of Damian.
"Commander Sato, do not engage that ship," Damian said. "Scatter Phoenix Squadron. It's a trap!"
Sato disconnected instantly and Phoenix Squadron's fighter's left their cruisers to intercept. Damian swore just as R3 began to beep.
"On the side of the ramp!" Jek translated.
Damian swore, grabbing his helmet. "Shaeeah, when I say, open the ramp."
Shaeeah nodded and Damian ran to the cargo bay, making sure all of the crates were magnetically sealed before telling Shaeeah to open the ramp. The ramp began to drop and Damian waited until the cargo bay had depressurized fully before releasing the crate he was clinging to. He walked down the ramp carefully, using magnetic boots to keep from drifting away. He knelt beside the edge of one side, scanning the side of the ramp before moving to the other side. On it, placed just right to avoid being crushed, was a device that looked kind of like a metal flower. He pulled it off with the Force, then tossed it away before closing the ramp. He walked to the door to out of the cargo bay and activated its atmosphere shielding before opening the door and stepping through the barrier, closing the door again behind himself. As he reached the cockpit, Vader was just making his first pass over one of the cruisers, peppering it with blaster fire, only for it to be blocked by the deflector shields.
"Get us back to the flagship," Damian said.
Shaeeah nodded and docked with the ship, everyone quickly heading into the ship, finding Ahsoka and the others in the command center. Ahsoka gave Damian a one-armed hug as Barriss gave Riyo a quick kiss.
"I'm warning you, Commander," Damian said. "Pull the fighters back or we'll lose them all."
"A single ship will not beat all of our fighters," Sato said.
"It will with Darth Vader piloting it!" Damian snapped.
"All the more reason to destroy it," Sato said.
Damian growled in annoyance, turning and striding away quickly.
"Where are you going?" Sato demanded.
"To get our best ship in the fight!" Damian snapped.
Just then, Vader made a pass over the command ship, several explosions rocking the ship, the lights flickering.
Hera immediately ran for the Ghost while Damian and his entire family, including Alaina, Riyo, and Ahsoka bringing Alina, headed for the Wraith. As they detached, the TIE fighter made a second pass, blasting the ship, as well as two of the last four rebel fighters. Damian swore, taking the pilot's seat, Barriss heading for the roof gun. Damian swung around, getting behind the fighter and beginning to fire at him. Vader swerved out of the way, but Damian kept hot on his tail. Hera piloted the ghost around to intercept him, along with the last two rebel fighters.
Damian fired again, Barriss doing the same, and a couple of the shots grazed Vader's fighter, though he avoided most of the shots. Damian grit his teeth. He was good.
"Wraith, Ghost, this is Phoenix Home, our ship cannot take another pass," Sato said. "Our hyperdrive core is damaged, and our shields are down. We're dead in space!"
"Don't worry, Commander," Damian said. "He's not going to get another pass. Abandon your ship now and jump out of here with the ships that remain."
"I will not abandon our command ship!" Sato said.
"You don't have a fucking choice!" Damian shouted as Vader, now flying backward, blasted the Wraith's shields with multiple shots while avoiding Damian and Barriss's, then flipped back around, flying away. "You can't move your ship, Commander! And we can't defend you indefinitely! There will be Star Destroyers on the way! You have to leave now!"
Just then, three Star Destroyers arrived and Damian swore. A half second later, Vader flipped upward, pulling around behind Damian and the others, blasting the two fighters. Damian activated the Wraith's cloaking tech and swerved away from the Ghost.
"Hera, can you stall him?" Damian asked.
"Not for long," Hera said, already struggling to avoid Vader's shots, partially failing.
Ahsoka reached her arm out. "I'll see if I can-"
Before she could finish, she suddenly screamed, eyes rolling back in her head as she fell backward. Damian dove out of his seat, catching Alina in one arm and Ahsoka in the other, Shaeeah taking his place as the pilot without missing a beat.
"Ahsoka!" Damian said, gently shaking her once Riyo had taken Alina, who had begun to cry. "Ahsoka, wake up! Come on! Don't do this to me!"
She groaned, but didn't wake. Damian grit his teeth.
"Dammit!" Damian swore, just as a shot blasted into their still-invisible ship. "What the fuck!?"
"It's Vader!" Shaeeah said.
Damian glanced down at Ahsoka. "Dammit, he's tracking Ahsoka. Barriss, switch with me!"
Barriss slid down the ladder instantly and Damian stepped over to it, resting a head on Alina's head.
"Peace," Damian said, using the Force to calm her, stopping her crying. "Barriss, watch Ahsoka for me."
He leapt up to the gunner seat and sat down, swinging the guns around and squeezing the trigger. They roared to life, energy bolts spraying out of them at Vader's TIE Fighter. Vader swerved to avoid the shots and Damian adjusted, several shots grazing him before Vader broke off his pursuit, Damian chasing him. He swung the guns around, shooting at the Star Destroyers, blasting their command decks, though not breaking through their deflector shields. He grit his teeth, swinging back around toward Vader, opening fire again just as Vader did the same. Again Vader evaded the blasts, but this time, he also missed the Wraith.
"Damian, the fleet is away!" Barriss called up to him. "Stand by to jump to Hyperspace!"
A moment later, they jumped just a second before being hit by a tractor beam, causing Vader to be hit instead. Damian sighed, sliding down the ramp and walking over to Ahsoka, gently taking her from Barriss just as she started to stir. She gasped, sitting up and looking around frantically, before Damian caught her by the face, forcing her to look at him.
"It's alright," Damian said. "We got away safely, and Alina is fine. See?"
Ahsoka looked to Riyo, who knelt down, showing her that Alina was fine, Alina smiling up at Ahsoka, crying out happily and reaching for her mother. Ahsoka sighed, taking Alina, who pulled one of Ahsoka's lekku to her mouth, sucking on the end of it, Ahsoka smiling.
"Are you okay?" Damian asked.
Ahsoka was silent for a long while before sighing. "I will be, after I rest. I just...got a nasty shock. He sensed me and blasted my mind with the Dark Side to knock me out, as well as to be able to find me with the Force, allowing him to fight us even while our ship was cloaked."
"You know him, don't you?" Damian asked.
"Yes," Ahsoka sighed. "He used to be my master, Anakin Skywalker. Now that he knows I'm alive...he'll be coming after me."
"He won't get you," Damian said.
Ahsoka smiled and nodded. "For now, we'll probably see more Inquisitors."
"Yeah, I'm not very worried about them," Damian said.
Ahsoka nodded, then took her Lekku back from Alina, passing her to Damian. "Come get me when we reach Safe Haven?"
"Of course," Damian smiled. "Sleep well."
Ahsoka smiled and kissed him before kissing Alina on the forehead and leaving the room. Damian sat in his seat and sighed heavily. He officially did not like Commander Sato.
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