Kallus stood over Pryce in one of the few Imperial transports that he and Hera left untouched when they bombed the Imperial ships during the battle back at the rebel camp. They were approaching the Imperial Complex, so he leaned down.
"Now, about those landing codes... And remember, I'll know if they're correct." If it had been anyone else, Pryce may have had a chance at giving the wrong codes but with Kallus being a former high-level intelligence officer he'd be harder to fool with the wrong codes. He'd used the same codes countless times, himself.
"Gladly," Pryce sneered as she took the comm device from Kallus's hand. "The sooner we land the sooner you will be my prisoners."
Kallus shook his head. The woman was so sure that they would all lose. But he knew better. They would win today because they had to. Once they landed Kallus walked right behind the governor with a blaster pointed at her back. He reminded her to take things nice and easy. The fun, however, was really about to begin.
"Attention, all personnel. Protocol thirteen is now in effect." Kallus's voice could be heard over the comm system. "Report to your action stations immediately. Repeat. Protocol thirteen is in effect." After a moment Kallus was forced to add, "Command center to all units. The order is confirmed."
Kiara tilted her head as she heard the announcement over her comm device. That was a voice that she knew well. She smiled knowing that the battle had begun. She looked around and watched as the rest of the Imperials in town around her began to file their way toward the Imperial Dome. She heard something about it being a drill, but she knew better. She took the first chance that she could to slip away. She tinkered with her comm unit and sent a message to the command center and wasn't surprised to hear Kallus's reply as it sounded as if he'd been fielding many queries from various departments regarding the order that he'd sent out.
"I hope you don't mind but I heard you're having a party," Kiara chuckled. "So, should I bring the drinks?"
"Where are you?" Kallus asked into the comm.
"In the city. I was- Uh, oh," Kiara looked up and saw the Chimaera. "Mmm, you aren't going to like this, but have you looked outside lately?"
Kallus could be heard cursing and after a moment he shouted at her through the comm unit, "Take cover!"
Kiara jumped just seconds before a blast rained down where she'd been standing moments before. She looked around but she knew that the buildings around her wouldn't provide any protection from the weapons' fire being rained down from Thrawn's Star Destroyer. She moved on instinct, staying just ahead of certain death as she ran down the street. The buildings all around her began to explode as blasts hit them, sending shards of glass and dust from the pulverized building material all around. Kiara didn't have time to think about what she was doing, she just did it. She avoided the blasts as gracefully as if she were in the middle of a deadly dance until suddenly the blasts stopped.
She panted as she took in the destruction all around her. She then looked up toward the ship overhead and wondered why Thrawn had ceased the bombardment. She had the feeling that she wasn't going to like the answer.
"No!" Hera responded to Thrawn's demand after he'd cut off the transmission as she turned toward Kanan and Ezra. He wanted the Jedi in exchange for the safety of the civilians. "You two can't go. He'll not keep his word and you know it."
"Hera," Kanan pulled Hera toward him. "We'll be alright. We've done things like this dozens of times. It won't be any different this time."
"This is Thrawn, Kanan. You and Ezra can't go."
"Hera," Ezra stepped forward. "We have to. If we don't, and soon, then he'll start to bombard the city again. The clock is ticking."
"Then we'll activate the planetary shield." Hera turned to Sabine. "Talk to me. Tell me how we can get that thing operational."
"We'll have to get down to the generators and to the override switch." Sabine started to lay out a plan, but she knew that there was no way to get down through the dome's worth of stormtroopers to get to the shield generators in the time allotted to them before the next round of bombardments. As she laid out her plan, she caught a glimpse of Kanan and Ezra slipping out of the command center, but she didn't draw attention to them. She just hoped that they knew what they were doing.
Ezra followed right behind Kanan as they made their way toward where the transport that they'd come to the complex in was still waiting for them. As he approached it, he heard the howl of a Loth-wolf and knew it was a reminder of his visions. Taking a breath and swallowing a lump in his throat he pulled his blaster and set it to stun. When Kanan collapsed Ezra stopped and placed his lightsaber in the other man's hand. He wouldn't need it where he was going. Not to mention, Thrawn would have it removed from him anyway the moment he landed on the ship.
"I'm sorry, Kanan. But you'll understand why I couldn't let you go soon enough." Ezra then stood and raced to the transport before his master woke up. He just wished that he would have been able to explain it to everyone. But there just wasn't time.
Kallus fired his blaster as he, Zeb, and Gregor made their way through the dome, fighting practically every stormtrooper that had been stationed here on Lothal, doing their best to make it to the shield generator room.
Hera called to find out where they were since the other team really needed some back up in the generator room.
Zeb pulled out his comm device and fired his own blaster as he responded to her, "We're heading towards Sector GL-44, but you know that plan we had to trap all these stormtroopers in the dome? It just occurred to me," Zeb and the other two men fell back and started to run as they were pursued by dozens of troopers. "We're trapped with all these stormtroopers in this dome!"
Kallus fired more shots behind him as he brought up the rear as Zeb led the way. Over the comm device he heard Sabine giving instructions on ways to help them. As they passed through a blast door it started to close behind them to cut off the route of their pursuers. With the door closed, with the troopers on the other side, Sabine's voice cut through once more.
"You should have a clear path to the shield generator now."
The men then raced at top speed to help the other team to get the planetary shield up. When they got inside the generator room, they all slipped in and ducked for cover. They then proceeded to try to give cover fire for the other team that Rex was leading. It took several moments for the bridge to be extended so that the teams could get to the manual override. It seemed that for every trooper that they shot three more would take its place.
Gregor fired off several shots before he called to his teammates. "Even with that bridge extended, there's just too many of them! We're gonna have to do something drastic."
When Zeb heard that he looked around and saw where several troopers were huddled together as they fired on the rebels. He also spied where Thrawn's assassin was taking cover. "Alright, I'll do it!"
Kallus turned to see Zeb getting a running start. "Zeb! Don't!"
But it was too late. Zeb went flying through the air as he leapt to attack the assassin.
Gregor gasped as he watched the Lasat take on the baby rancor assassin in hand-to-hand combat. "He's crazy!"
Kallus's eyes went wide as he watched his friend in a rare form as he'd yet to see the man fight like he was before. Even when they had squared off during their many encounters when they were still enemies. After a second he turned back to Gregor almost in an accusatory tone, "Well, it was your idea. Come on!"
They used the distraction that Zeb was giving to lead an attack on the remaining Imperials on their level of the generator room. He and Gregor then began to work at the stations to try to bring the shields up. Kallus was pulling up the codes to override the system when he heard a blast and saw that one of the downed Imperials had come to and shot Gregor while the two men were distracted. The clone then picked up the man who shot him and tossed him over the bridge that they were on.
Kallus ran over to help the other man as he began to slump to the floor only to be shoved off. Gregor groaned in pain but pushed Kallus toward the controls where he'd been working seconds before.
"Get that shield up!"
Kallus heard that they needed to activate the shield now, but Zeb was still down in the coils. "Zeb?"
"Don't wait on me!" Zeb said from down below. Kallus couldn't see where the other man was but could only hope that he was out of danger as he pressed the final sequence to start up the shield generator. As the coils all began to fire up Zeb finally came into view. He was safe.
With the shield up he bent back down over Gregor to check on his injury. As Rex ran to his old friend's side Kallus knew that the man didn't have much time left. He stood and stepped back so that the two clones could speak in as much privacy as they could for their final goodbyes. Rex took Gregor's hand in his own and leaned in to hear his old friend.
"It was an honor to serve with you, Rex," Gregor's voice came out labored. "It was an honor to fight with you for something that we chose to believe in."
Rex had seen so many of his brothers die over the years, but it never got any easier. Still, he felt compelled to comfort Gregor with a smile; he could grieve the loss of his friend after. "We did it, Gregor." In his hand, Gregor's hand went limp and slipped from his own. He was gone. Rex placed the man's hand on his own chest as he whispered once more, "We did it."
Kallus didn't have any words that he thought would comfort the man. Instead, he stepped forward and put a hand on the old clone's shoulder as he bade his friend farewell.
Kiara finally got to the Imperial Complex and made her way toward the outer hanger. That's when she saw him. She ran over to where Kanan was sprawled on the ground just as he was beginning to come around.
"Kanan, what happened?" Kiara helped the blind Jedi sit up.
"I-" Kanan realized that Ezra's lightsaber was in his hand, so he stretched his senses out and realized what had happened. "Ugh- Ezra!"
"I don't understand."
Kanan stood, clipping Ezra's weapon to his own belt, and rubbed his head as he felt the lingering side effects of being stunned beginning to subside. Kiara helped to hold him up when he started to sway on his feet. "He shot me. He went to Thrawn's ship alone. I have to figure out a way to help him."
Kiara looked up and saw the star destroyer preparing to rain fire onto the city again. "I think you're too late for that."
As the ship's guns fired the planetary shield was activated at the last moment. "Looks like Sabine and the others were able to get the generators working again. And just in time, too."
"Good. I was down there during the last round. They wouldn't have survived anothe-" Kiara looked up and while she didn't see anything, she just knew that something was about to happen. "Kanan?"
"I sense it too. Tell me what you see?"
Kiara stared up at the sky for what seemed like for several moments until she saw large masses break through the clouds and headed toward Thrawn's ship. "I see large creatures. Dozens, maybe more. Like large sea animals, tentacled, but they swim through the air. They are ramming the ships overhead."
"Purrgil." Kanan shook his head in disbelief. "This has Ezra written all over it."
"Purrgil?" Kiara watched as the massive creatures began to wrap their tentacles around the ships. She'd never seen anything like them.
"Ezra must have called for them," Kanan dug around into his pockets as he searched in vain for his comm device. "Where's my comm?"
Kiara glanced about the ground and saw where it must have landed when the teen stunned his master. She bent to pick it up, "Found it." When she placed it in Kanan's hand she glanced up and saw the purrgil begin to change. "Uh, what does it mean when they begin to glow like that?"
"They're glowing?" Kanan pressed the button on the comm device. "Ezra! You've got to get out of there!"
"I'm sorry, Kanan. I can't do that. I have to see this through to the end." Kiara heard the other members of the crew start to plead with Ezra. Each of them begging him to get off of the ship before it was too late. "This is what I was meant to do. I know that now. And I couldn't let you do this with me. You'll find out soon enough why. But know that there was no other way. I'll miss all of you. Remember, the force will be with you, always."
With that, the purrgil left the system and drug every last Imperial ship with them. The skies were completely clear of all traces of the Empire. The comms were all silent as the rebels all stared up at the sky in disbelief. It was Wolffe who broke the silence.
"Um... Was that the plan? Because we're all clear up here. There are no Imperial ships left."
Over the comm Sabine could be heard giving orders to finish the plan. For Ezra. Kanan told Kiara that they planned to launch the dome.
"That means we need to get as far away as we can, and fast." Valour heard the comm come to life once more and this time it was Tac who came through.
"I believe I can assist with that, Mistress Kiara."
The Shadow Chaser came into view and made a beeline toward her and Kanan with the boarding ramp already extended. Both jumped aboard as the ship then began to fly to a safe distance away from the Imperial Dome. By the time that they reached the cockpit of the old freighter Kiara saw that the Ghost, too, was flying away to get to a safe distance.
Once the Dome was flown over the ocean of Lothal the self-destruct was activated. It was over. With the exception of a few soldiers who hadn't been in the dome, the planet was free of the Imperials. As the debris fell over the planet's surface the civilians began to cheer for the rebels who had fought for and freed the planet. Emboldened, they even began to round up the few Imperials who had survived the battle.
The Shadow Chaser and the Ghost both sat down just outside of the city and Kanan quickly ran down the loading ramp to meet with his family. He raced from one cockpit to the other and heard Hera giving out orders already trying to figure out how to find Ezra. That was when Chopper announced that he had a message for all of them. Kanan listened as a holo-message was played. Kiara slipped in the back of the bridge as an image of the young man came to life.
"If you're watching this recording, then I owe you an explanation. There were several paths in front of me. While this wasn't the one I wanted to take, it's what I had to do." The image of Ezra looked down before he continued. "Kanan, that's something that you taught me. You didn't run when you thought that you may have to make a sacrifice for the rest of us. A Jedi does what the will of the force wants; not always what we want." Ezra scratched his head nervously. "Zeb, you can have the top bunk back. For now. Hera, I, uh, left a meiloorun in your cabin. I hope it's still your favorite. Sabine, don't forget... I'm counting on you."
Ezra could be seen taking a deep breath before he addressed his master again. "Kanan, I know that when you agreed to train me, you had doubts. Both about me and about your ability to train a wild street rat like me. But you became more than just my friend and Master. You became like a father to me. And one that I didn't deserve at times. If I had to choose a family, I couldn't have picked a better one than the one that you and Hera gave me. You told me that you didn't think that you had anything left to teach me. But you were wrong. Every day you taught me lessons even when you didn't know it."
Ezra looked directly at the camera and said one last thing. "I'm going to miss you all. I can't wait to come home."
