Well, here it is. The final lead-in to the adventure we know as Star Wars: A New Hope. And although you might think you know how that one turned out, there are a few differences this time around. A welcome to new followers: TwoJacksAndAnAce, Stayl097, and mullikin1130.


Chapter 23: Showdown on Scarif


Jedha, 0 BBY 1 month, 10 days

Ahsoka Tano, Maris Brood, and Tri'ku Je'har were on their way to Jedha from Tatooine, where they intended to meet with Saw Gerrera and assist Jyn Erso and Cassian Andor. Erso and Andor were thought to be likely to arrive first at Jedha, as they had a few hours head start, but they were not yet in the system. After about 24 hours journey, Corvala Dawn arrived in the area and quickly went dark as a Star Destroyer could be seen over the planet. Ahsoka wasn't sure that she and Maris could take that one down so they contacted Andor, who was making plans to land on the planet. Ahsoka, as the senior leader on the mission, ordered Cassian to land first and then Corvala Dawn would follow.

"UT-60D, this is Dawn, I copy you down. Coms stay open."

"Roger, Dawn. We are landing now."

"UT, we are now down with you. 500 metres away."

Ahsoka and Maris exited the ship, with Tri'ku and R8-ND staying behind. They had to prepare to leave at a moment's notice. As the two women got their bearings, Andor reported back:

"Taking heavy fire. Many troopers in the area."

"Copy. We'll be there shortly."

As Maris and Ahsoka came on the scene, they saw the Imperials had Cassian and Jyn pinned down. They both drew sabres and stood back to back, deflecting the storm troopers' blaster fire back at them. Soon, reinforcements arrived, but by this time, Saw Gerrera's "partisan" insurgents had gotten involved in the fighting. Detonator charges could be heard from all directions as Maris then got to Jyn and helped her and Cassian get to cover. Jyn then picked up a rifle from a fallen Imperial and started blasting away. As the smoke cleared, the Imperials were gone. Ahsoka and Maris joined Andor and Erso, but soon Gerrera's men attempted to restrain them and take them to their leader. Ahsoka drew both her white blades and they took a step back.

Ahsoka took charge of the situation. "We are from the Alliance. I am Master Ahsoka Tano. Saw knows me. Take us to him at once!" She waved her blades menacingly for emphasis. Maris quickly drew hers and snarled at the men, daring them to take a step toward her. Two others had joined in and they introduced themselves.

"Master Tano – I am Baze Malbus. I support the rebellion and this is Chirrut Imwe."

Imwe, though blind, could sense the Force emanating from both Maris and Ahsoka.

"Masters – we are with you. The Force is with you!"

Jyn spoke up at this point. "I demand you take me to speak with Saw Gerrera. I am Galen Erso's daughter!"

At this point, the insurgents decided to follow the orders coming from the lightsabre wielding women.

"This way, everyone."

As they followed on foot, Ahsoka took a message from Tri'ku, who informed her that the Death Star had arrived from hyperspace and was moving to orbit the planet. She knew that time was running short.

As the insurgent group led them to Gerrera's hidden compound, the others waited behind with Maris as Ahsoka and Jyn were led to see the leader. When Gerrera saw Ahsoka, he was relieved, as he realized the Imperials hadn't gotten the upper hand. Jyn confronted Saw and tongue-lashed him for abandoning her and he apologized, but said her connection to her father – who had gone back to work for the Empire – endangered his movement against the Imperials so he felt he had no choice. He then played Galen's message to her via holo projector. The message confirmed what all the rumors had said – that he had designed a flaw in the battle station that would allow the reactors to be destroyed via an exhaust port. They would need to see the plan of the station to learn exactly how to find that port.

Soon after this the ground started shaking. Maris ran outside and saw the Death Star in the sky above, with a laser blast aimed square at the city just a few kilometres away from their location. She returned inside and shouted that they had to leave immediately. Ahsoka, who had noticed that Saw was no longer very healthy – he had some type of prosthetic legs and was breathing through an oxygen mask, no doubt due to some earlier fighting he and his group had been involved in – and she offered to help him get out via her ship. He turned to her, and said he was done running and knew this was the end. With a tear in her eye, Ahsoka came to him and gave him a quick hug. His last words to her were "win this – whatever it takes." Ahsoka looked him square in the eye and said, solemnly, "old friend – count on it."

She then turned to leave. Maris had contacted Tri'ku and he brought the Corvala Dawn over. As it hovered just above the ground, she and Ahsoka jumped aboard and the ship quickly lifted off the surface of Jedha. They rose quickly and could clearly see the Death Star looming in the distance. The course had been set for Yavin IV and soon they were gone, having made the jump. Jyn and Cassian, along with Malbus, Imwe, and Bodhi Rook, the defected Imperial pilot, also were able to get on the UT-60D ship, which made it out just as the shock waves from the Death Star's blast were turning everything to rubble around them.

Andor informed Ahsoka that their plan was to go to the Eadu system, where Rook told them Galen Erso was being held, and carry out an assassination of Erso that had been ordered earlier. Ahsoka informed them that she was countermanding the assassination order, and Tri'ku, who was now Andor's superior, was also in agreement. They now were to return to Yavin IV and await further orders. Jyn, however, wanted to see her father, fearing the Imperials would terminate him. She told Ahsoka that the holo message proved that her father was opposed to the Empire and they should try to save him. Ahsoka agreed to see if they could extract Galen – as a personal favor to Jyn, to show the younger woman they were acting in good faith and could be trusted. Both ships switched course to go directly east across the Galaxy to Eadu, which was near the Kessel system.


Eadu, Kessel Sector, Eastern Outer Rim, 0 BBY 1 month, 8 days

About 40 hours later, the ships arrived in the Eadu system, with Corvala Dawn maintaining an orbit while the UT-60D tried to land on the planet but due to storms, lost control and had to crash land. The five people on board then left the damaged ship behind and headed for the shuttle depot, where Jyn believed her father would be. As they got closer to the depot, another Imperial ship passed overhead, being pursued by a group of rebel X-wing Starfighters. Orson Krennic, who had Galen Erso with him, attempted to board the shuttle which had just landed. Jyn saw her father and called out to him, but a torpedo from one of the rebel ships exploded nearby. Krennic escaped but left Galen behind. Jyn ran to her father and told him she had gotten his message, but he was badly injured by the explosion and died in her arms after they had a few words. Andor was able to get to her and told her they had to leave, as more storm troopers were on their way. Rook was able to steal an Imperial cargo shuttle and everyone got aboard. Corvala Dawn descended and provided covering fire at the storm troopers so the group could escape. Both ships then headed for Yavin IV.


Yavin IV, 0 BBY 1 month, 7 days

Another day later, they arrived at the Alliance base. Jyn thanked Ahsoka and Maris for helping them try to save her father and then getting them away safely. At the base, the Alliance leadership met and was of the general opinion that any mission to get the Death Star plans had little chance of success and they did not want to waste the effort. Jyn gave an impassioned speech and asked them how they could live with themselves if they did not at least try to fight. Ahsoka joined her and asked how they could call themselves a rebellion. Outside afterward, Andor, Malbus, Imwe, and Rook all told Jyn and Ahsoka that they had to do something and they were willing to help her. Ahsoka and Maris agreed and they came up with a plan. They would all go to Scarif to attempt to get the plans, but first they would take a detour to Almania, where Ahsoka had another Imperial ship – a TIEv1 advanced fighter that she had renamed Shili Avenger. Together, they would take that ship, plus the purloined shuttle – which Andor and Rook renamed Rogue One – and head to Scarif, with Corvala Dawn also accompanying them. Before she left, though, Ahsoka met privately with Garm Bel-Iblis and Admiral Raddus of the Alliance and they agreed this chance had to be taken once they knew that Ahsoka and Maris would also be part of the mission – thus increasing the chances for success.


Aboard the Death Star, 0 BBY 0 months, 28 days

Darth Vader had been aboard the Death Star when the test shot was fired on Jedha, and he could sense Ahsoka's presence in the system when it arrived. He'd found himself zeroing in on her position and noted that she had descended to the surface, along with the Zabrak who had fired electricity at him back in the Almanian system. What is Tano doing down there? Vader was conflicted. Part of him hoped she would get away in time to escape the blast but another part hoped she would not, as he knew the Emperor would be relieved and this would take some of the pressure off his apprentice. The very last thing he wanted was to keep having to explain why Ahsoka Tano kept getting away with things. No doubt she and her band of rebels are going to Scarif, as Tano knows all about the Death Star and its vulnerability. But when exactly?

Of course she did get away and then disappeared to go who knew where. Maybe it didn't matter, but the Dark Lord felt certain that Masters Tano and Ti would eventually try to destroy the Death Star, and considering what they were doing to Star Destroyers, they could well be successful. And if that happened, then he would seriously have to consider abandoning the Emperor. At some point, it seemed inevitable that Shaak and Palpatine would go toe to toe, and Vader wanted to be able to side with whoever won that battle. He wasn't sure – yet – but had a suspicion that Shaak would be the one.

Something about her … can't quite put my finger on it. She is undeniably powerful – I've seen it myself – but just how did she become so powerful? She was just a normal Jedi Master when I knew her, but maybe she was hiding something much more significant. Masters Windu and Yoda always seemed to respect her and they never disagreed with her in front of the Council – at least not when I was there. And if she prevailed there would be little standing in her way and she could be the new Empress. What type of Empire might she run? Difficult to say, but there is more than a little Dark Side aura surrounding her – it's unmistakable, at least to me it is – and that is something she never showed in the old days. Tano would clearly be her apprentice, but maybe there is still a place for me as well, if I show my loyalty to her. I had long thought that Lord Sidious was the true power in the Galaxy but what if I was mistaken? I need much more knowledge and understanding. Ti, Tano, and I – if we are together, no one will be able to stop us.

He also knew that if the rebels wanted to destroy the Death Star, they would need to obtain the plans for it, which meant their next stop had to be Scarif, as that was where they were kept. The biggest question for him now was whether he should do anything to stop them. Even if they failed, Grand Master Ti would surely have a backup plan.


Scarif, 0 BBY 0 months, 7 days

Ahsoka and her group had carefully laid out the plan for the "assault" on Scarif for the purpose of getting the Death Star plan. Three ships would go to the Scarif system, but come out of hyperspace well short of the planet so they could form up and scope out the enemy positions. Tri'ku and Maris would take Corvala Dawn and Ahsoka would fly the Shili Avenger TIEv1. Maris would then join her via dock with Corvala Dawn before they got to the planet. The others – Jyn, Cassian, Chirrut Imwe, Baze Malbus, Bodhi Rook, and a small group of Rebel Marines – would arrive in Rogue One. Avenger would proceed first through the shield gate via landing codes that were still in that ship's computer from when it was abandoned on Malachor. Rogue One would use the landing code associated with it when the shuttle was still in Imperial possession. Corvala Dawn wouldremain behind but act as the central communication point. That ship would go in stealth mode but could also make use of its mobile anti-fighter satellite droids if needed. The rebel fleet was massing on Yavin IV preparing to make the jump to Christophsis, which was the closest system to Scarif. From there it was only about a 15-minute trip. Once Rogue One and Shili Avenger had penetrated the shield and descended to the planet's surface, Corvala Dawn would transmit the signal for the Rebel fleet to make the jump from Christophsis to Scarif. If, for any reason, Rogue One and Shili Avenger were unable to penetrate the shield gate, Ahsoka wanted to abort the mission.

Fortunately, this would prove unnecessary, as the landing codes were accepted and both "Imperial" ships were permitted to land on Scarif. Rogue One landed first and was approached by four Imperials, two soldiers, an officer, and a ground technician. They were ambushed by the forces on the ship, whereupon Jyn and Cassian took the uniforms of the technician and the officer respectively. They went with K-2SO (a former Imperial droid who had been with the Rebels and also participated in the mission on Jedha) into the Citadel complex, to find a way to infiltrate the base's computers and search for the Death Star plans.

At this point, Orson Krennic, who had returned to Scarif after a meeting with Darth Vader (where the Dark Lord warned him about any possible leaks of info by Galen Erso) to search the base's files, realized they were under attack as there were explosions being set by the rebel marines at various locations around the base. When Krennic ordered the base garrison to respond to the attacks, the diversion allowed Jyn, Cassian, and K-2SO to penetrate the computer systems. At that point, Ahsoka and Maris landed the TIE and cloaked it (Ahsoka had added some additional features during the time it sat unused on Almania), while the Rebel fleet started to arrive. Twelve X-wing fighters were also able to get through the shield gate before it closed. Noticing this, Ahsoka thought, I will worry about that later, now we have to support the assault on the base. Rebel fighter attacks continued on the shield gate defenses, which brought out TIE's in response.

Inside the archives in the Citadel Tower, K-2SO was able to locate the Death Star plans by canister. He then locked Erso and Andor inside so they could search for it, but was eventually destroyed by storm troopers after holding out as long as he could. Outside, the base defenders deployed AT walkers, which forced the rebel marines to fall back to the beach. At this point, Ahsoka and Maris swung into action, igniting their lightsabres and managing to take out three of the walkers as the X-wings arrived to give them support. The two of them ran to the beach to help out their overwhelmed fellow rebels. Both Ahsoka and Maris were able to help hold off the TIE strikers as they started cutting down the X-wings. Andor was able to com alert Ahsoka and told her that he and Jyn were inside and had found the plans.

Ahsoka knew they had to get the deflector shield opened so the plans could then be transmitted out to the Rebel fleet. Bodhi Rook then directed Malbus and Imwe to the master switch to stop communications from being jammed by the Imperials. A squad of Death Troopers tried to stop them as Maris arrived to help. Unfortunately, even though she finished off the Death Troopers, they were still able to take out Malbus and Imwe before that. Maris then located the switch and destroyed it, knocking out the jamming device. Ahsoka then contacted the fleet commander, Admiral Raddus, telling him to force open the shield. The Imperials then destroyed Rogue One with a mobile detonator, with Rook onboard, leaving Maris and Ahsoka by themselves outside. They had to fight their way through the Imperials to reach the Shili Avenger. Both of them were able to eliminate over a hundred troopers in the process, as Andor contacted Ahsoka, telling her that they had disabled Krennic and that Jyn was ready to transmit the plans. Ahsoka screamed into the com as the noise around her was deafening:

"Where are you now? We're going to get you out!"

At that point, Raddus's forces had disabled a Star Destroyer with torpedoes just above the shield gate. A rebel corvette rammed the stricken Imperial ship and caused its sub-light engines to engage, which sent it crashing into the other Star Destroyer guarding the shield gate. As both ships broke up, their pieces slammed into the orbital docking station causing it to also be disabled, which then brought down the shield. Raddus signaled to Ahsoka that the way was open and she relayed it to Cassian, whereupon Jyn sent the plans up to the rebel flagship.

"We are transmitting it now – to the Profundity!"

Unfortunately, at that very moment, the Death Star arrived from hyperspace. Maris and Ahsoka made it aboard the Shili Avenger and were in the air. They tried desperately to reach Jyn and Cassian, who were now frantically trying to get down to the ground from up in the tower. Grand Moff Tarkin then gave the order to destroy the base using the Death Star's laser, to attempt to prevent the plans from being sent. Even though Jyn and Cassian made it out of the tower, Ahsoka was not able to get to them in time. Soon, everything on the ground was vaporized by the massive lasers, including the entire base and everyone in it. Jyn and Cassian made it to the beach and died in each others' arms. Ahsoka yanked the Shili Avenger upward and they sped off to intercept the Profundity, which she ordered to transmit the plans (as a copy) to the Corvala Dawn, which Tri'ku had brought within range.

Within seconds, the Imperial Star Destroyer Devastator dropped out of hyperspace, with Darth Vader in command. A number of Rebel ships (including Ghost, piloted by now-General Hera Syndulla) were able to escape into hyperspace and head back to Yavin IV. The Devastator opened fire on the Profundity, causing the ship's shields to give way and the rebel ship was soon crippled. Vader led a boarding party onto Profundity, attempting to get the stolen plans. They killed many rebels on board, but the plans were successfully transferred onto the Alderaanian corvette Tantive IV. This ship, which was carrying Leia Organa, made the jump and escaped, while carrying the plans.

As Vader stood on the deck of the Profundity, watching Tantive escape, Ahsoka then contacted him.

"Anakin! Great job. No one can blame you for what just happened," she laughed, mockingly.

"Master Tano. I'm so grateful you approve. What are my instructions?" he said wearily, with a touch of sarcasm.

"Follow that ship, of course. Let Tarkin and the others think they have the only copy."

"Very well, Master. I will await your next communication."

She signed off from Vader and contacted Tri'ku on her ship Corvala Dawn. "Did you get the transmission from Profundity?"

"Aye, my lady … it's now in our possession. We can analyze it when ready. What's the plan now?"

"I will be docking with you shortly. Maris and I will take Dawn to Tatooine, and I need you to take the Avenger.Set your course for Felucia. We will follow, but you will get there first. Master Shaak will be happy to see you. Take care, love. Over and out. It's been a long day."

Ahsoka turned to Maris.

"Well, friend. A deci-cred for your thoughts …?"

Maris smiled wearily and clapped Ahsoka on the shoulder. "Sorry to see those people go. They were good soldiers, but their deaths will not be in vain, right?"

Ahsoka nodded. "Sometimes it goes that way. War is rough, and we are up against a brutal enemy."

"I rather liked that young lady, Jyn. She had some spirit. I wish we could have got to her in time."

"Me too. Now you see how powerful this weapon of theirs is. But now we also have what we need to take it down. First I need to contact someone."

Ahsoka had learned that Leia Organa was aboard Tantive, the ship that had escaped. She had to speak with Leia immediately.

"Princess? This is Ahsoka Tano."

"Ahsoka?! It's great to hear from you. We've got the plans."

"I know that. What I want you to do is send them to Obi-Wan Kenobi. He is in the Tatooine system, less than an hour away. He will see to it that they get to Yavin IV."

"Am I being followed?"

"Yes. Darth Vader in his Star Destroyer Devastator. When you get to the planet, load the plans into a droid and put it in the escape pod and eject. Stall Vader as long as you can. I will contact Kenobi to tell him it's coming. If Vader takes you prisoner, we will get you out. May the Force Be with You ... Ahsoka out."

Maris then asked her, "Why Kenobi and Tatooine?"

"Anakin won't want to land there personally. He hates the place, remember?"

(to be continued …)