Kallus woke up with a sense of déjà vu. It was still about an hour before he was due to wake up to get ready for his shift in the Command Center, but the alarms were blaring in warning. He got up from his bunk and went over to his refresher unit in his quarters and splashed his face with some cold water to help wake up and get his mind functional. He then headed out to see what had caused the alarms to sound.
Once in the Command Center Kallus heard that the plans to the Death Star and the princess had been recovered and brought to the Rebel Command Center. When he got to his station, he saw that a small blue R-2 astromech droid was hooked up to a diagnostic machine. The center filled with the various rebels as they began to man their stations as the base came alive with a veritable hum of activity. The fighter ships were all prepared for battle and the pilots were sent to be briefed on the impending fight; particularly regarding the new super weapon that was heading their way. A weapon that had obliterated Alderaan with one blast. The entire planet and all its people were just gone. The only survivors were those who hadn't been on their home world when it happened.
With all of the chaos, there was one thing that he wanted to do. He went in search of the boy whom he'd started to take to. A young man who sort of reminded him of himself when he was that age. The young man who's only family was now the Rebellion thanks to the Empire. Kallus finally found Mart and spotted him as he was dressed and ready to head off into battle in his X-wing. He was in the briefing led by General Dodonna.
"The battle station is heavily shielded and carries a firepower greater than half the starfleet." The older general paced back and forth as he shared the limited information that he had to pass on to the young pilots gathered. "Its defenses are designed around a direct large-scale assault. A small, one-man fighter should be able to penetrate the outer defense."
Kallus then heard one of the fighter pilots ask a question. "Pardon me for asking, sir, but what good are snub fighters against that?"
"The Empire doesn't consider a small, one-man fighter to be of any threat," General Dodonna had the display change on the screen to show a smaller section of the massive weapon to show an exhaust port for the approaching Death Star. "...or they'd have a tighter defense. An analysis of the plans provided by Princess Leia has demonstrated a weakness in the battle station. The approach will not be easy. You're required to maneuver straight down this trench and skim the surface to this point."
The display came to a stop to show a simulation of a hit of the exhaust port as he continued. "The target area is only two meters wide. It's a small thermal exhaust port right below the main port. The shaft leads directly to the reactor system. A precise hit will start a chain reaction which should destroy the station. Only a precise hit will set up a chain reaction. The shaft is ray-shielded, so you'll have to use proton torpedoes."
Mart shook his head. He knew that he was one of the youngest pilots, but he couldn't help but speak up. "That's impossible, even for a computer."
That was when a young man not much older than Mart whom Kallus had yet to see at the base countered answering, "But it's not impossible. I used to bull's-eye womp rats in my T-16 back home. They're not much bigger than two meters."
Dodonna regained the attention of the pilots before he addressed them one last time, "Then man your ships, and may the Force be with you."
As the pilots all stood up and grabbed their helmets Kallus stepped forward to wish the young man good luck. He slipped around the other pilots and placed a hand on Mart's shoulder.
"Give them hell, Mart. And when you get back, we may have to move up that trip a bit. I'm sure I can ask Zeb about a different place to go for it."
"Speaking of, will the Ghost get here in time to join in the fight?" Mart asked as he slowly made his way to the X-wing that he'd been assigned.
"No. Lothal is just a bit too far away for them to get here in time to help with the battle. But you'll be able to see them soon." Kallus glanced around and saw just how many of the pilots who were climbing into their ships weren't much older than the boy in front of him. "They'll help with the evacuation of the base."
"Oh," Mart looked down since he would have felt better to be flying into battle with Hera since she'd taken him under her wing and taught him so much about flying against the Empire. When he'd first met her, he'd been using cargo to bomb light cruisers. Now, he was about to go fly against something that no one on the moon had ever seen before, much less fought against.
"I'll be on the comm channel listening," Kallus said as he tried to encourage the young man. "And I'll be here as soon as you get back."
Mart gave a nod before he turned and climbed up the ladder to board the X-wing.
In the Communications Room back at Rebel Command Kallus listened as the fleet approached the Death Star. The room was crammed packed, with more than just those who would be assigned to monitor the traffic of the rebel fleet. Everyone knew that if the small rag-tag group of fighters didn't succeed then there was no escape. There would be nowhere to run. The Rebellion's very survival was heavily dependent upon the next half hour.
He did his best to remain detached as the lights on the screen showed their own pilots as they neared the Death Star with less than a quarter of an hour before the moon would be in the weapon's range. As the fighters began to engage the enemy, Kallus studied the Imperial strategy and deciphered what he could and passed along his knowledge to the pilots so that they could be made aware of what to expect. He was so busy with staying in the moment, monitoring enemy movements that the rest of the room around him seemed to fall away.
Dots on a map. From this far away that's what they were narrowed down to.
Over the comm system the various pilots began to call in rapidly once the TIE fighters were sent out to intercept the Rebel fighters. They began to pick the fighters off one at a time. Kallus's attention was split between his assigned duties when he heard Mart call out over the radio that he'd picked up a tail. He was going to try to shake him by flying swiftly down to the surface of the Death Star and pull up at the last moment. The TIE that he had on his tail, however, seemed to know what he was going to do. The enemy fighter fired upon the X-wing. That was when that dot on the map faded away.
Kallus closed his eyes as he realized that the young man was gone. For the next few moments, Kallus continued on robotically. His Imperial training must have kicked in. He carried on in a detached manner that, looking back later, sort of frightened him. The dots on the map were all that he concentrated on. Those dots no longer represented men and women. The approaching weapon on the map was reduced to a challenge; one that he had little effect on as it approached. The countdown clock on the display didn't represent how quickly the end of his own life was approaching.
Dots on the map. Just dots on the map.
Finally, the clock had counted down to zero. They were out of time.
Kallus pulled back from the display. It was over. But then it wasn't. A pilot made his last approach after a freighter pilot shot at the TIEs who had been on his tail. He shot his proton torpedoes, and they went in.
Kallus watched as the last dot, that massive one that represented the Death Star, faded from the display.
The room erupted in cheers of jubilation. They had won. Kallus heard the others around him begin to pat one another on the back and jump around in joy. Kallus gave brief nods to his superiors and then left the communications room.
Why did it seem that the only way to win battles lately was to lose those whose lives had barely begun? Back on Lothal it had been Ezra. Here, it was Mart. Not just him, either. There were many whom he may not know the names of. But Mart, he'd known him. Had just less than an hour ago told him that he'd be waiting right here when he got back and that they'd make plans to go hunting. Now, he was gone, and he didn't even have a family left to mourn him.
Kallus went to his quarters. He'd let the rest celebrate. He didn't have it in him to celebrate when he knew what the cost of victory had been. Once in his quarters he sat down on his bunk and wondered when a single death started to affect him so much. He'd known death in one form or another for most of his life. Now, the sting just hit a bit harder. Was it because the loss had been of one so young?
Again?
For the next several hours, while the base was in a jovial mood, everyone began the process of loading all available ships to evacuate. The equipment was first to be loaded up and the people would be as soon as one last event took place. A celebration of the win against the Death Star in the form of an award ceremony to honor the pilots who worked together to blow the battle station up. All personnel will be attending.
The crew of the Ghost arrived just before the ceremony. They, too, would be assisting in the evacuation process. Kallus knew that a contingency plan always was in place in case of an emergency where the base must be abandoned. The next temporary base for each team had been chosen in advance and all that would be needed would be to head there to get it set up with the equipment and staff. Though just setting it up would likely take some time. Kallus knew that a more permanent base would still be searched for until a better location could be found.
He looked around the hanger as he walked out of the Shadow Chaser after helping a few of the lower ranked members get set up in the extra quarters in the ship. He took Kiara's quarters and gave up his own for the others for the time being. It didn't feel right to have strangers take up residence in her cabin. He'd be transporting several on his borrowed ship. They would begin the evacuation as soon as the ceremony was over. Kallus headed toward the large amphitheater area of the temple where it would take place. As he neared it, he saw the clones were speaking animatedly with a young pilot who was new to the base. Kallus had seen him at the briefing before the attack on the Death Star.
"I should have known that it was a Skywalker at the helm of that ship!" Rex exclaimed as he clapped the back of the young man that he was speaking with. "I served under your father. General Skywalker was the best of the best. It was an honor to serve under him. And the stories I could tell."
Kallus shook his head as the older man started to steer the young pilot toward where he'd be asked to wait until the ceremony started. That clone is going to fill that boy with so many stories right off of the bat that he's going to feel overwhelmed. Still, he'd not seen Rex seem so excited in a long time. Not since Gregor.
Off to the side standing back near where the young pilot was being steered toward, the former ISB Agent spotted another individual. One whom he'd been relentless in pursuing years ago when he was still a new agent. He'd been a deserter who had become a smuggler. Kallus remembered the investigation and the pursuit of the man well. Apparently, so did his co-pilot since it was the Wookie who became vocal upon recognizing him. Likely enough, he remembered his scent.
Kallus paused before he guided his steps toward the pair. "Solo."
The other man eyed him before snickering. "Of all of the places that I figured that I might run into you again, this would have been among the last on the list."
"I could say the same to you." Kallus smirked since he knew that they shared a similarly jaded view on the galaxy for good reasons. "But here you are; and a hero of the battle, no less."
"I ain't never been, nor do I ever plan to be, a hero." Han said as he rolled his eyes. "I was just here for a job. I dropped the kid and the princess off and was on my way out."
"And yet you are here because of your actions during the battle. Which means that you didn't exactly leave the way you had no doubt planned." Kallus laughed. "Let me fill you in on a secret. Once you get involved with these rebels, you'll find it hard to walk away. And eventually, you won't want to. Like it or not, you've now become a rebel, yourself."
Han Solo shook his head. "Don't bet on it."
"We'll see," Kallus said with a knowing smile as he turned and headed further into the amphitheater. He slipped through the massive crowd that had assembled for the festivities to celebrate the victory over the Empire. He spotted Garazeb with the rest of the Ghost crew, so he made his way to join them. When they spotted him, they greeted him warmly.
"Kallus! Good to see you made it through alright. Have we got news for you-" Zeb was going to go further about the news that Hera and Kanan had shared with the crew on the way to Yavin but stopped when he noticed that his friend didn't look as jovial as the others around them. "Wait. What's wrong?"
"We lost Mart. He didn't make it."
The others of the crew looked down as they heard the fate of the young teen. Zeb put a hand on Kallus's shoulder in comfort as he nodded his understanding. "He was a good kid."
The others didn't really know what else to say. Instead, they all took their seats and waited for the victory ceremony to begin. There were speeches given by the various leaders of the rebellion, including the princess who had been so instrumental in delivering the plans to the Imperial Mass Weapon. The final event on the agenda of the ceremony was to give medals to the pilots who were responsible for the destruction of the Death Star; the young man that Rex had been speaking to when Kallus had passed him earlier as well as the freighter pilots whom Kallus once had been in charge of tracking down. The princess, herself, awarded the medals of thanks to the men. When the men turned around, the entire room showed their appreciation for their skills in the battle against the Empire with their applause.
When the ceremony was over, however, the base became quite hectic as each ship waited for their turn to take off and head toward the new bases. One on a distant planet that his ship was assigned to set course for. Kallus sat in the captain's chair of the Shadow Chaser with Wolffe at his side in the navigator's chair. He'd be helping to transport about a dozen individuals. The cargo hold of the ship was also packed with equipment. Kallus had left Tac to supervise the rest of the ship. Kallus wasn't really in the mood to interact with too many people.
It was one reason why he'd asked Wolffe to help him in the cockpit. He wasn't as likely to keep a running commentary as the other clone. Especially since the other man has met the son of his former Jedi General. It seemed that the stories that Kallus had once found fascinating were losing their appeal now that everything reminded the clone of yet another incident where he and his brothers had face certain death if it hadn't been for his General's unorthodox methods.
Kallus waited for his instructions and made the first jump on their way to their new temporary rebel home. He hated to see that his time on the jungle moon had come to an end and hoped to be able to return again someday.
