Yavin IV, Base One

Mon Mothma and General Dodonna sat in Mothma's office, listening to a speech on the HoloNet recently delivered by Grand Vizier Mas Amedda.

Who can deny these are exceptional times? Exceptional times demand exceptional measures! Exceptional measures demand exceptional men! Exceptional men willing to make exceptional sacrifice!

Imperial citizens must continue to do their part! Join our grand star fleet. Be the eyes of the Empire by reporting suspected insurrectionists. Assist us in the many battles fought to keep your families safe. For the safety of order, and the safety of you, is our highest priority.

As we speak, our great Emperor and the Imperial Military work to keep you safe. We will have order, once and for all.

And when the shadow of war has dispersed and the bright day of liberty has dawned once again, the chaos dividing the Galaxy will be gladly, and swiftly dispelled. Our ancient liberties will be restored to us, burnished even more brightly than before!

"That's enough..." The red-haired Mon Mothma was always irritated by the endless propaganda the Empire produced. It kept people loyal, and denounced her movement as a band of terrorists. And the extreme violence exhibited by Saw's Partisans only make it easier for Imperial media. It made her fears apparent. The fear that the Rebellion won't have enough support from the general public to grow swift enough to actually bring the fight to Empire.

General Dodonna promptly cut off the transmission. They've already gathered enough useful information from the HoloNet to know that their main strike team is in grave danger.

"General, I suggest we inform Commander Syndulla's team of these recent events. Their mission is at risk." Mon didn't have much energy left in her. She's barely slept. This small attack may prove to be vital to the Rebellion's future, and all of High Command knew this.

The bearded old man simply nodded, and stormed to the communications hub. The former Senator was left alone, with her hidden anxieties.

What if the Rebellion fails? What happens if everything falls apart in a way that leaves her as the lone survivor—the one to blame for their failures?

Those thoughts ate away at her for years, and will continue to do so.

Fresia

"Things just got a lot more complicated."

Commander Hera Syndulla watched the orbital spaceport, keeping the fleet of Imperial ships in her gaze. None of this is going as planned. The Fulcrum agent working here assured rebel high command that the Incom Corporation would not be nationalized so soon.

She had no choice but to power down the Ghost in order to avoid detection, even disabling Chopper. The freighter's modified heavy thrusters ceased to emit the stream of golden ions. Then the weapons lost the ability to fire. And finally the shields fizzled out. The Ghost was invisible, but it was also defenseless. Now that the issue of detection was resolved, she began to truly assess the situation.

"Rex. Zeb. How many of them do you see?"

The massive Imperial fleet amassed around Fresia would be one of the biggest setbacks to this mission. Given the state of the Rebel fleet, they'd never stand a chance against even three destroyers.

"I see around thirty ships." Rex replied with a rather calm tone. "Star destroyers, heavy cruisers, corvettes, carriers, even a battlecruiser. You name it, it's there."

By Rex's standards, this fleet was incredibly impressive, even if they were present for a solely ceremonial purpose. Unlike most Imperial blockades, which consisted only of Star Destroyers and several support craft, it was extremely diverse. At least he could use some of his old training by the Kaminoans to some use, despite the fact that he had very little experience with fleet strategy. Doesn't change the fact that their entire mission is in jeopardy.

Zeb replied with his usual expletive. "Karabast..."

The Lasat, the Twi'lek, and the clone could feel a sense of complete dread at this sight. Mon Mothma and General Draven heavily emphasized the importance of this mission. They were to procure the plans for a new class of heavy starfighter designed by the Incom Corporation. The Fresian-based starship manufacturer was responsible for the generation of craft that have served the Alliance well, such as the Z-95 headhunter, ARC-170 starfighter, T-47 light airspeeder, and U-Wing gunship. Hera was absolutely sure that this new X-Wing starfighter will be a fantastic addition to the Rebellion's arsenal.

"There's nothing we can do. We'll need to contact Rebel command." Hera said, getting to work on activating Chopper.

One moment later and Chopper was all powered up, spewing out expletives shaming Hera for shutting him down.

"I know, Chop, but we needed to avoid detection."

Chopper, being the ungrateful prick he usually is, continues to generate beeps that indicate his disagreement with her choice.

"Ok, that's enough... Chopper, I need you to contact Rebel command."

The droid reluctantly does so, saluting with one of his manipulator arms.

Afterwards, he extended the dish on top of the dome of his headpiece, sending a transmission to Yavin IV. When the cantankerous droid found a clear signal, he began to project a hologram of a Rebel officer. One Hera knew all too well, judging by the smile on her face.

"Kallus..."

Kallus sported longer hair and a stoic disposition. After all, in a military setting feeling emotion may compromise the mission.

"Hera, you've probably seen the... complications with the mission to Fresia." He said, referring to the numerous Imperial star destroyers circling the planet.

"Yeah, I've seen the Imperial fleet... I have to be honest, but this Fulcrum's intel isn't as accurate as yours was..." She doesn't even know who this Fulcrum is.

"This specific Fulcrum is a field agent working directly for Mon Mothma, not a mole. His information will never be as accurate." He paused, and changed the topic to avoid revealing any sensitivite intel. "Anyway, high command has ordered you to return to Base One. Our plans will need to be re-evaluated before we can send a task force."

"Will do..." She responded.

"Kallus out." The transmission cut off, dematerializing the bright blue image of the Rebel captain.

Now Hera and the others just need to find a way to escape this huge blockade's reach alive. There's no doubt that hundreds of TIEs would be deployed at once...

This part of the story is based off of the campaign for Star Wars: Empire at War.