So happy I finally got to this part.
Chapter 30
The Call of the Dragoons
SPACE
Asteroid Belt, Outer Rim
Deep in the wild regions of space the rebels had left Telerath and were back in space aboard the Ghost, Ahkilleon was inside his quarters the one he shared with Ezra and Zeb. "It was a fun ship, wish we could have stayed longer." Ahkilleon said into a hologram camera as a hologram of his mother.
"It was, but good things aren't meant to last, how is everything on this lead for fuel?" Ahkilleon shivered.
"Still haven't gotten there yet, we had to drop out of hyperspace because of an asteroid field." He replied, rubbing his fingers.
Ahsoka cocked a brow "Asteroid fields, did I ever tell you the time-" "You and Master Skywalker used tanks to land on a Separatist warship in the middle of an asteroid belt, yeah only a d-d-d-d-dozen times." His said his teeth were chattering.
"Stay safe out there Ahkilleon, remember to trust your instincts and trust Kanan and Hera's judgment." She told him.
He nodded "Remind me why you couldn't come with us?"
"Same reason Rex couldn't come with us to Telerath, a lead on a potential base for the fleet." She told him.
"Can it be a place with a beach?" He asked.
Ahsoka chuckled "I'll see what I can do Ahkilleon, you sure you're up to it?" She asked.
"…. I am, I want to be here." He said.
"Good, good luck." She said before she cut the transmission, Ahkilleon stepped away from the desk and was about to leave when he stopped. He locked the door and sat down and folded his legs, sitting he cleared his mind and meditated opening himself to the force. He he breathed deep in and out, in and out "Can you hear me…?" He asked.
Out in the cockpit, Hera, Sabine and Ezra were shivering in their seats "Sabine, fuel status?" Hera asked rubbing her arm on the fogged up glass the cold of space creeping in through the haul.
"Five percent, we're almost down to fumes."
Hera flipped some switches saying "Sorry, guys, have to divert more power from thermal subsystems. Reducing heat to two percent."
Up in the ships lounge Kanan had brewed a warm drink of coffee in the top gun "Our intel on this fuel source better be solid, I'm losing feeling in my fingers."
"Saw the report myself, somewhere in this belt, the Mining Guild's been refining clouzon-36 for the Empire." Hera replied over the comlink.
"Whoa. One shipment of that stuff could fuel us and all the ships in Phoenix Squadron for a full cycle." Sabine added her body glove keeping her warm under her armor.
Hera pressed a few more buttons to keep the ship moving "Empire is scheduled to pick up their shipment today we just have to get there and find it first."
Chattering next to Hera Chopper made a few beeps "The asteroid field is scrambling our sensors." Sabine said
"Well, I'm getting nothing on the old visual scanners." Ezra said from down below.
"All right. Cut the chatter. Keep your eyes peeled for that refinery." Hera said making them all sit in silence.
Ezra looked out at the field of floating asteroids there were millions of them with a dozen or so ones large enough to take out star destroyers, the majesty of the belts as taken out by the sound of a loud noise, it was a cry of some sort deep and ancient "Does anyone hear that noise?" Ezra asked as down below Ahkilleon was snapped out of his trance hearing it to.
"The only thing I hear is my brain freezing." Zeb said covering his fur ears while Ezra heard another wailing noise.
"There." Ezra said "The noise. I hear it again. It's, it's getting louder." As he said Ahkilleon came into the bridge.
"I don't see anything out here. What's it sound like, Ezra?" Kanan asked him.
Ezra focused as he heard it again "It's, it's hard to describe. Kind of sad, I guess. But... I mean, how can you not hear it?" He asked, "It's coming from all around us."
Both Sabine and Hera looked at one another "Ezra, there's nothing to hear." Hera said as Ahkilleon listened to but couldn't.
"Sabine, check the scanners again." Hera told her.
"Uh, don't have to. Look." She pointed out into the void of space to see a flock of massive creatures heading toward them they were like whales but instead of finds or flippers they had four tentacles on their backside with small wavy flaps on their sides, but the front were massive boulder like heads heading right for them. Loud wailing came from the creatures "Whoa." Ezra gasped seeing them, and Ahkilleon realized that's where the noise was coming from .
Hera took evasive action immediately shouting "Brace yourselves!" She said as some of the creatures rammed into the Ghost shaking them all around, Ahkilleon had to hold on Zebs' seat before he got in it and strapped himself down.
"What bloody blazes are those?" Zeb asked frantically from the Phantom.
Hera tried to avoid them but each time she dodged one another rammed into them "Purrgils." She grunted "They'll rip the hull apart, prepare to fire we gotta drive them back."
"Don't shoot! They'll pass. Just let 'em do what they do." Kanan warned as Ahkilleon looked at Ezra who didn't have his hands anowhere the guns at the front of the ship .
"What they do is destroy starships like ours."
Kanan over comms quickly warned her "We can't waste power fighting these things."
"What choice do we have?" She argued.
"We could just get out of their way." Kanan suggested.
Hera wasn't having it "We either ran into them or the asteroids. Take your pick." She grunted none too pleased her ship was getting a beating.
"Try flying with them instead of against them." Ezra blurted out.
"Uh, that's not a half-bad idea." Sabine agreed.
"Fine. I can't believe I'm doing this." Hera said, already angry at the beasts.
Kanan simply said over his coms then "It's not the strangest thing we've ever done."
"Yeah, that doesn't make me feel better."
The Ghost ducked to dodge a large one and just barely avoided it before Hera flew into the center of the pod, the Purrgils then started to veer off away from them and kept flying smoothly "I think they're calming down. I'm not hearing them." Ezra said.
"That was a good instinct, Ezra. How did you know?" Kanans voice echoed out of the comlink with pride.
Ezra smiled looking back at them "It just seemed like the right thing to do.
"Okay, we're low on fuel, surrounded by asteroids, and caught in a swarm of Purrgil; how has the situation improved exactly?" she asked aloud.
"Hello? Are we shooting them or not?" Zeb asked to see one coming up from the Phantom, "Cause here comes a really big one."
"Wow. These creatures are amazing. Who would want to shoot them?" Ezra asked the crew.
Kanan quickly said "Hera, if you gave her the chance."
"Kanan, you don't know what you're talking about. I do." She snapped into the comm link.
Up above Kanan asked "Well, since I'm so uneducated, why don't you explain your problem?"
"These creatures are a menace a big, lumbering menace." She barked and as she did Ezra heard a loud wailing noise coming from the Purrgil.
Tensing up he said up to them "Uh, something's upsetting it."
"Maybe it's Hera." Zeb teased, Ahkilleon slid down into the lower turret seat with Ahkilleon as Sabine checked the radar.
He looked out at the Purrgil, "How is it that you hear them?" Ahkilleon asked.
"Kanan thinks I may have a special connection to the living force, somehow I can… commune with animals easier than others?" Ezra explained to him.
Folding his arms Ahkilleon asked. "That explains the giant squid, you can be annoying in any species."
"Ha-ha." Ezra said back sarcatically.
Then Sabine let out a gasp "No, it's not Hera. TIE fighters, four of 'em." Sabine said, Kanan looked over his shoulder to see the four TIE's heading their way, they were bright yellow with the front solar panel of their Hexagon wings removed, and they were coming in fast "I need a better angle." Kanan snapped dropping his coffee and getting on the turret.
"Hang on!" Hera made evasive manuevers and the TIE's gave chase, when they came around.
Sabine got a better look "Those TIEs have been modified, they're not Imperial."
"Well, they're acting like it," Kanan said, shooting one of them.
The three others came around to attack and run "I've got him. I've got him." suddenly Ezra's turret gave out "Hera, I lost my cannons."
"Rerouting auxiliary power from the Phantom." Hera said as the TIE's were closing in.
"Oh, karabast!" Zeb snapped.
Reaching for the rerouting controls, Hera winced, grabbing her side an injury from the Protectors acting up, "Hera!" Ezra shouted.
"Too late!" Sabine snapped when suddenly two of the remaining three TIE fighters were blown to smithereens from the left. Hera, Ezra and Sabine saw a blur of metal and propulsion engines woosh by as the last TIE broke off.
"What the hell was that?" Kanan asked seeing the blurs pull around.
Hera looked around and spotted a squadron of starfighters coming in around them, "One of the ships is on an open channel?" Sabine said, putting it through.
A man's voice came out "All fighters pull back, this one's mine." The voice said, they saw the last TIE go after one of the ships, it was an interceptor model like the TIE. They saw the TIE get closer and closer to the other fighter.
"Why aren't the other fighters helping, their buddy is about to get blasted?" Ahkilleon said when they saw the pilot eject in the middle of flight, they saw a burst of fire from their feet and the glint of a something metal in their hand before they flew back at the TIE in mid space. The Ghost except for Zeb who was in the back, watched the pilot grab right onto the modified TIE fighter with one hand holding a sword, rodeoing the yellow fighter before they drove the blade into the TIE's capsule lid it wrenched open and they saw the other pilot, a rodian in a Mining Guild uniform get sucked out into the vacuum of space, before the interceptor pilot tossed something into the fighter and leapt off it before the TIE blew up.
They watched the pilot take flight with rocket boots or hover boots as they were called, sending him safely away from the blast back to his interceptor that flew up alongside him for the pilot get safely back in his ship.
"Who the hell are these guys?" Hera asked seeing the fighters come in around them.
Kanan's voice came over the Comms "Whoever these people are? If we shot at the Purrgil, we wouldn't have had-" Hera sighed and cut him off mid sentence annoyed about the Purrgil who were starting to fly back with them.
The fighters flew alongside the Ghost too and surrounded them in a squad of four, up close the fighters were similar size of A-wings but made of what looked like a lighter structure, "Anyone recognize these ships?" Zeb asked, looking at one overhead that had a black eagle painted on the side of it, in fact all the ships hadn't the same black eagle insignia on it. The bird was facing sideways with its beak pointed down and wings drawn bac, on a yellow hexagon.
"They look like… interceptors?" Hera said examining them, they had rounded cockpits but were fitted into an open arrowhead shaped design ship.
Kanan looked at one up top recognizing them immediately "Not just any eta-2 actis interceptors, like the ones the Jedi used in the war, they could really move." Kanan said seeing they were similar designs But the 5.47 meters in length, the Eta-2 was significantly shorter than the already diminutive Delta-7. The new fighter's mass was further reduced by removing much of the forward space-frame, leaving the front of the ship in a forked shape. Like its predecessor, it was also too small to hold an onboard hyperdrive. Because of this, the Eta-2 had to rely on carrier vessels or Syliure-45 hyperdrive modules for long-distance travel. However, the Actis did have a full astromech droid socket, instead of a truncated unit as was seen in the early models of Aethersprite starfighters. Like the simultaneously developed ARC-170 and Alpha-3 Nimbus-class V-wing starfighters, the Eta-2 incorporated S-foils to radiate excess engine heat in the thick of combat, reducing the likelihood of damage to the craft. Occasionally, though not always, the lifting panels were opened during normal flight to further reduce stress on the engines.
But what was different about these models were the wings were stretched out longer with a sharper point to the tip, and the astromech slot was pushed onto the back like the old Delta-class predecessors. The lead fighter flew out towards the pilot who had ejected who was climbing out of the TIE he'd taken. He hopped out and pressed a button on a device in his hand, the TIE exploding, sending him back to his fighter before he sat back down in it.
"Should we talk to them?" Sabine asked.
"They did save our lives?" Ahkilleon said.
Hera was hesitant "Attention interceptors, thank you for the assist but who are you?"
At first there was no answer then a signal came in from the lead fighter, "Apologizes for the sudden appearance Ghost, me and my Dragoons wanted to see how you'd handle yourselves against Mining Guild TIE's." The man who spoke and a thick outer rim accent.
"Dragoons?" Zeb asked.
"Probably just their squadron name." Hera said as she muted the com then went back.
"Permission to come aboard and give myself a proper introduction?" The Dragoon leader asked.
Hera thought for a moment, "How do you know our ship?" She asked curiously.
There was a pause "The Ghost is famous, so is her pilot Captain Syndulla, you guys really stick it to the Empire and any enemy of the Empire is a friend of the Dragoons." the pilot said.
"And how do we know you're really our friends?" she asked hesitantly.
"Because I can recognize when a ship is running low on fuel, and you just happen to be here, in this sector near a mining guild refinery, where they most likely have fresh fuel?" he asked.
This made everyone get really nervous, Ezra looked up at Hera and whispered "Are they after the fuel too?"
"That depends, what is your objective… Dragoon Leader?" She asked, unsure of his name.
Another long pause, "My men and I are here for the refinery, the fuel on the other hand… well we got plenty of that already, be a shame to let say the Empire have it?"
Hera was still cautious, but Ahkilleon looked at the lead Dragoon fighter, it had yellow markings on it that matched the hexagon with the black eagle sigil, "Hera, I think we should trust them?" Ahkilleon said.
"We don't even know them?" Hera said.
"We've been roughing it for the past few days, and we need allies, maybe the force is with us this time?" he asked, trying to convince her.
Ezra turned back in his seat "If Ahkilleon trusts them, so do I."
Hera thought it over "Dragoon Leader, permission to come aboard granted."
The fighter pulled back to the Ghosts docking port on the top of the ship, Hera got up from her seat and so did the rest of them to see who their mysterious savior was "Chopper keep the Ghost steady, fly with the Purrgil." Hera said and Chopper gave a salute.
"Those fighters were the Mining Guild, they must be from the refinery." Sabine said, still in her seat.
"You think you can track where they came from?" Hera asked.
Sabine scratched her chin "Maybe. Give me a minute."
Hera, Ezra and Ahkilleon walked over to the port just as Kanan came down from the top turret "As I was saying, it's a good thing we didn't waste energy shooting at the Purrgil." he said smirking.
Not at all amused, Hera blandly replied "I heard you the first time."
Kanan just scoffed at her "And besides, we got lucky with these Dragoon people?"
"Hmm maybe." She muttered.
"Think they're another rebel cell?" Ezra asked her.
The hatch to the fighter port popped open, "We're about to find out." she said as sliding out was a pair of metal rocket boots that landed on the metal floor with a clang, rising up to his full height. He stood almost as tall as Kanan but wore an unfamiliar helmet along with the rest of his gear. Dressed in a pilots flight suit of dark gray, with a yellow sash around his waist, it was tucked into the metal rocket boots which looked clunky at first glance but were fitted to his calves and feet, over his torso he wore a thick navy blue bomber jacket with a fleece collar, sown in on his sleeves of each side was the black eagle on the hexagon sigil. The bomber jacket was unzipped showing a harness with a life support monitor attached, a common piece of equipment for a pilot, but what was uncommon was how heavily armed the pilot was. Strapped across his back was a short vibrosword sheathed for now, and strapped to his chest favoring his right hand a large blaster pistol at first glance. They however recognized it as a EE-3 carbine, with the bump stock sawed off and the scope shortened. The pilots helmet was a bulky design two black eagles faced one another on the brow, it had a closed faced visor with two slanted egg shaped eyeholes, a breathing apparatus built into it, a tube plugged into one of the air vents feeding into the life support system.
"Hello there." The Pilot said before they heard a clunk from above, quickly side stepping they heard a droid scream as an R4 unit came falling down from the top of the port.
The pilot looked up at the rebels "Sorry about that, come on Essex up and at'em." He pushed the droid up, it had a white body with yellow stripes and a green optic, beeping at them in greetings.
"Don't let Chopper know we have another Astromech onboard." Zeb said knowing Chopper had a tendency to murder and other droids he met.
The pilot ignored the comment and reached up to remove his helmet, taking it off he was revealed to be a man, human with light skin, his hair a shaggy blonde that was slicked back and reached down to his neck, he had a strong jawline with stubble and high cheekbones, his eyes were brown and he wore a pair of hexagon dog tags that he tucked away. He gave a relaxed salute to Hera "Colonel Sparta Fairfax at your service Captain, and this clanker is R4-S6, we just call him Essex for short."
"We appreciate the assist Colonel Farifax, I'm Hera Syndulla maybe you can tell us why you're after the fuel refinery as well?" Hera asked, getting straight to the point.
But Fairfax raised a hand "The Captain Syndulla…" his lip curled up, "That means you're the Spectres." he said looking at the other crew members.
Ezra and Ahkilleon smiled "Hey, we're famous."
"Indeed, but I never expected such fierce fighters to be so young?" he asked looking at the boys, he looked up to Kanan "You there father?" he asked.
Kanan snickered, folding his arms to his chest "Eeh more or less."
"Well it can't be the lasat?" he asked, looking up to the big purple alien.
Zeb sighed "I could never."
Hera cleared her throat "Colonel?" She asked, wanting an answer. Col. Fairfax straightened up as if he was addressing a fleet admiral instead of a rebel pilot.
"Yes, I'm sorry, me and my men have been in space for a long time, it's just good to stretch our legs." he said, cracking his neck like three balloons popping.
"After you hijacked a TIE in the middle of a dogfight?" Sabine asked, impressed.
Fairfax shrugged "I was lucky, but to answer your question Captain Syndulla my men and I are heading for the Mining Guild refinery like you it seems."Hera looked at his carbine, with his arm holding his helmet it was very close to being able to grab it at the drop of a hat or helmet in this case.
"Why?"
Kanan cocked a brow hearing the word 'clanker' something he hadn't heard in a long time, "Like I said, the Dragoons are no friends of the Empire or as a matter of fact the Mining Guild, after the War they started working with the Empire and without the Republic to reign them in they just started tearing up planet after planet for fuel, any settlers or colonists who already had claim to the planet well… The Mining Guild didn't care." he said ominous his voice dropping
"You're a colonist?" Hera asked skeptically.
"Not anymore, my Dragoons and I can't fight the Empire but we can fight the Mining Guild." he said looking her in the eye, his brown eyes looked sincere.
Ahkilleons lit up "You're right, they are another rebel cell?"
"Another?" Fairfax said he looked at them "So it's true, there is a rebel network." He said looking at the floor "Then we have a common enemy, Captain Syndulla, I propose… a joint operation." Fairfax suggested. Hera turned to Kanan who he gave her a side eye then tilted his head backwards to speak with her in private "Zeb, boys keep an eye on our guests." she ordered as they walked into another part of the ship leaving Zeb and the boys with Fairfax.
Walking into the Lounge "I know I haven't been trusting of jedi feelings of late, but what do you think Kanan?"
Kanan put his hands on his hips and looked at the floor "On one hand we need all the help we can get, on the other hand, I've never even heard of a Colonel Fairfax, and with his skills I'm not sure I buy that colonists story? And how did he get those fighters, no rebel cell would be that well equipped without a benefactor?"
"He said he used to be, and Senator Organa gets us ships, maybe someone like him funds these rebels and they have no idea we had the same objective. Also Ezra use to be a scavenger, now he's a jedi-" "In training." Kanan reminded her by holding up a finger.
She looked out the doorway to see Fairfax showing Ahkilleon and Ezra his helmet, "But we do need all the help we can get, and if his pilots are even half as skilled as he is, then maybe we wouldn't have another surprise like we did with Fenn Rau?" Hera said.
Back with their new guests, Ezra tried on Fairfax's helmet and Ahkilleon was fascinated by the design and the emblems "Let me have a try."
Fairfax snickered, "How old are you boys?" He asked.
"Fifteen." Ezra said, taking his helmet off "Fourteen." Ahkilleon told him.
The Dragoon gave a soft smile, but there was sadness in his eyes "Awfully young and brave to be out here."
"You okay?" Ahkilleon asked, sensing something was wrong.
Fairfax looked up to see Hera peering down at him, "My daughters would be about your age, haven't seen them in a long time." He dragged out the word 'long' with his outer rim draw.
"Are they back home?" Ezra asked him.
Fairfax met his gaze looking into those blue eyes "Yes, home with their mother, safe." He said resting both palms on the shortened butt of his EE-3.
Ezra wanted to ask more but he heard a loud wailing from Purgil outside the ship, "Colonel Fairax, we have a situation?" The comlink inside Fairfax's helmet echoed out and he grabbed it, slipping it on his helmet.
"Something's happening." Ezra said he ran back to the cockpit to see the Purrgil were breaking off from the Ghost, as Ezra came in both Kanan and Hera had followed "They're turning around, I think we should follow them." Ezra said.
"Following them is the last thing we should do. Sabine, did you find out where the fighters came from yet?" Hera then asked Sabine.
She looked sheepishly at her "I did."
"Good. What's our heading?" Hera asked.
"Follow the Purrgil." Sabine told her bluntly.
Hera snapped her lekku around so fast it almost hit Kanan in the face, "What?"
"Yeah, I hate to tell you this, but the Purrgil are heading right where I calculated those fighters came from." Sabine explained.
Kanan's smug look returned "That's so interesting."
"All right. I guess for now we follow the Purrgil." Hera sighed seeing the mission came first besides her own feelings.
Touching her on the shoulder to reassure her, Kanan said "Hey, for what it's worth, I've got a good feeling about this."
"Go check your cabins, make sure everything is switched off."
"We've gotta save every little bit of fuel and tell… Colonel Fairfax, we'll take his help, who knows maybe we can get some new allies out of this and some fuel." Hera said slumping back down in her seat.
Outside the cockpit Sabine went into their room as Kanan walked up to Ahkilleon, Zeb and Fairfax, "We'll take your help, the Purrgil are heading to where the TIE's came from, maybe the refinery, Hera wants us to cut all power in our rooms." Kanan said.
Colonel Fairfax nodded, "Then the Force is with us." Fairfax said turning to his droid who rocketed up into the hatch, and Fairfax climbed up through it, his fighter breaking off.
Up above, Zeb went to turn off all the stuff in their room, Ahkilleon made his way to the cockpit, "I never imagined there were creatures in deep space." Ezra said.
"When I was young, I was told amazing stories of creatures that lived in the stars, traveled between worlds, old pilots said it was the Purrgil who inspired us to jump from system to system. But I don't believe it, the Purrgil are dangerous." Hera said, shaking her head "They wander into hyperspace lanes, crash into ships. I've lost more than one friend that way."
Ezra looked back sympathetically "Well, maybe they don't realize they're putting people in danger. Maybe it's like Kanan says, you know, they just do what they do." Ezra said being sympathetic to the giants.
"Right now, as long as they don't come between me and my mission, I really don't care what they do" she said chuckling, Ahkilleon was about to walk in "I'll say this, Ahkilleon couldn't hear them not as good at everything as he thinks." She teased before Ahkilleon turned away from the cockpit broodingly.
Ezra looked back "That's not fair, he's way better with a lightsaber than me and a pilot like you." Ezra said but Ahkilleon wasn't there to hear it.
"I was teasing, didn't mean anything by it, I just don't want you to think your second to him." Hera said looking at him "You're an important part of this crew, maybe to all of Phoenix Squadron." She said, making him blush.
"Fair enough." He said before the alarm started to blare as they came up on a small planetoid in the heart of the asteroid field, it had a large crater with a gas of pale greenish cloud rising up from the depths, it stayed in the crater though from the pull of the planetoids gravity. "Scanners are picking up an energy source from that planetoid ahead, you think it's the refinery?" Ezra asked.
Hera took the controls "We're about to find out." Hera said as they flew to the planetoid
"Colonel Fairfax, callsigns only from here on, do you copy?" Hera asked placing her headset on her lekku.
Fairfax flew alongside her in his modified interceptor "Dragoon Leader copies, all Dragoons report in."
One by one the other four pilots or Dragoons reported in with their callsigns "This is Riptide, we copy you Ghost." a man's voice said.
"Grizzly copies." a deep woman's voice replied.
"Vandal, click-click copies Ghost." this one was another man followed by a few clicks.
"Jetstream, ready to go." the voice sounded more like a chortle.
Ezra saw the fighters report in on his comlink "How come we don't get to choose your own nicknames?"
Hera pulled the Ghost down to the planetoid "Because we're just one ship, when you have your own you can choose the name."
"Does that mean I get the Ghost when I'm old enough?" Ezra asked.
Hera smirked but didn't answer "There it is, the refinery." Ezra said, he looked down to see the Purrgil descending down to it
The Refinery was a large structure built into the wall of the giant crater, just above the gas it had a large tower with a walkway around it and stretching out over the gas, there was a platform to with two TIE's on it and an empty one that probably was used for the other TIE's.
"I wonder why the Purrgil are headed that way?" Ezra asked.
"Works out for us, between them and all these asteroids, the Mining Guild will never see us coming." Hera said when they heard the cockpit doors being opened by Zeb who used his brute strength to pry the open.
He was panting from the excretion "The automatic doors aren't so automatic anymore." He grunted.
Hera looked back "I've rationed what energy we have left, where's Ahkilleon?" Hera said to him them looked up at Kanan.
"Said he was getting ready for the mission, looked pretty bothered by something?" Zeb said.
"What's your next move?" Kanan asked Hera.
Hera turned forward looking at the refinery and the small asteroids hovering over it in orbit, "I want to get a secure position to plan our attack. Sabine, Chopper, ready a short, controlled burst from the engines." Sabine and Chopper plugged in and started to get ready, meanwhile Hera contacted Colonel Fairfax and his interceptors "Attention Dragoons, hold position above, and wait for my mark." She said.
"Copy." Captain Fairfax said as Hera locked eyes with Sabine she counted down on her fingers.
"In three, two, one. Now!" Hera said and on que the two of them let out some of the Ghosts last bits of energy to send it down, Hera came to the nearest asteroid that was big enough to hide the ghost and landed on it, using the magnetic clamps on the ships lower haul to keep it in position.
When they were stable, "Okay, so how exactly are we gonna pull off this raid with our limited resources?" Zeb asked aloud, Sabine grabbed her helmet and put it on pushing down her scope.
Walking in late to the briefing after he went to cool off from overhearing Hera's taunt Ahkilleon swallowed his pride "Anything I can do to help?" he asked.
"Be quiet and let Sabine concentrate." Hera said suddenly on even more edge than before the Purrgil arrived, not knowing how harsh her tone was.
All eyes on him Sabine as she started to scan the refinery "Well, give me a second and I'll tell you." Sabine replied, focused on the refinery.
"Okay." She saw two more TIE's lined up on the left hand side of the ore fighters. "That's not good, anti-ship cannon, also not good. But... Aha. There's the Empire's shipment." She said seeing Rodian Miners moving up and down the catwalks of the refinery all of them armed with imperial blasters "Okay, lots of guards around, but I think we can drop down there, scoop it up and go." Sabine told the rest of the crew.
"Forget the scoop job, we have just barely enough fuel to get down there. We'll have to land. Refuel on the platform?" Hera said to them all.
"They'll blast us to bits." Zeb protested.
"We need a diversion." Kanan realized. .
Sabine was already on it "I've got one, the gas in that pool is unrefined clouzon-36, highly explosive in its pure form. We drop in a few charges, the blast will provide all the diversion we need."
"And then Fairfax's fighters can come in and cover us." Hera said, "Did you get all that Dragoon Leader?" She asked in the comlink.
"I did Ghost, moving into a standby position." the Colonel said.
Kanan spoke up after the Interceptors pulled back out of range of the refinery "In the chaos, we grab the fuel."
"And that huge fireball will destroy the Empire's ability to refine more, I like it." Hera said.
Colonel Fairfax overhearing the plan chimed in "I agree."
"Spectre Six, you hear the plan?" Kanan asked Ezra who had started to hear and focus more on the Purrgil than the actual plan itself.
He just replied "Yeah. Sure. Uh, they're using the cannon to shoot the Purrgil." Ezra said looking down at some of the purrgil going to try and get to the gas but the rodian on the E-web turret was taking shots at them with highly energized yellow lasers. "Why would they bother?" He asked.
Zeb was also curious but for another reason "Speaking of, how do we get past that gun undetected?"
"We jump." Kanan said "Excuse me?" Zeb snapped.
"We're in the upper atmosphere, we can glide in on the catwalk with all the Purrgil around, we can probably slip by unseen." Kanan explained to him.
Zeb shook his head disapprovingly "Sounds like a dangerous plan."
"Don't worry, buddy. You're staying here." Kanan said patting his arm.
"Oh. Sounds like a good plan." Zeb said changing his mind the second he was out of danger.
Ezra looked down at the gas noticing the beasts were diving in and out of it, if they were able to get past the gas "The Purrgil and the gas are connected." Ezra muttered. "Hey, uh, guys?"
"Not now, Ezra." Hera told him "You've gotta prep for the mission."
"But I think the Purrgil want the fuel." Ezra told her, trying to let her know it was important.
Already upset at the Purrgil being in the way, Hera reminded him "Well, so do we. Get going."
"Come on, maybe kicking some but will make you feel better." Ahkilleon said as the two boys high fived.
"Just Specter 1, 3, 5 and 6, Specter 7 you're staying here." Hera said.
Ahkilleon snapped his head back to her "What!" he barked losing his temper, the outburst was loud enough for the whole Ghost to hear it, Hera turned her head around not in the mood to argue "You'll assist Specter 4 in loading the fuel, you wanted to help this is how, end of discussion."
Ahkilleon squeezed his hand into a fist, feeling insulted he wasn't allowed to go on the jump, the glare between the two of them creating a lot of tension in the cockpit, "...Fine." Ahkilleon growled before he stormed out the room, before he said or did anything that would get him in trouble.
Ezra followed him "Hey, you alright?" he asked.
"Oh I'm fine, I'd hate to get in the way of the most important part of the whole Squadron." He hissed.
Ezra gawked at him, "You heard that… that was Hera, she didn't mean anything by it just a… pep talk." Ezra said.
"That's not the same as you disagreeing, and they say I'm arrogant." Ahkilleon grumbled.
Looking hurt, Ezra was about to say something but Kanan called his name "Ezra, come on."
"Ugh bro let's talk about this after." he said hopping down into the cargo hold with the strike team.
Kanan walked up to them making sure his gear ws ready, "Sabine, do you have the helmet I lent you?" Kanan asked her, she did in fact and handed up the stormtrooper helmet to him, it had been painted in dark green patches and stripes with a row of fangs painted on the mouth piece.
"What? You said you just wanted to look at it." Kanan snapped at her.
Sabine scoffed "I did look at it and it looked bad."
"I think it looks great." Ezra said, putting on his own painted helmet. He looked up to see if Ahkilleon was still there but he had left the main chamber,
"Wait, we're not taking the Phantom?" Ezra asked Kanan.
"You know, you should really pay attention," Sabine informs him as she places two detonators on her belt.
Ezra dared to ask "Then how are we getting down there?"
"I told you, we jump." Kanan said before he started to run to the edge of the loading dock as it opened, Sabine and Ezra followed, with Chopper rolling out after them along with the rest of the Purrgil herd joining them as they flew down and followed after them. The Purrgils were next to the rebels and Ezra looked at the creatures. "Wow," Ezra muttered as they were incredible up close. Ezra held his hand out and touched it, making it purr a little. "Whoa," Ezra mutters as she gently brushed her hand against the skin of the Purgil.
They then pulled away and flew from the Refinery, "Five seconds." Kanan informed them, making the boy look back at the Refinery catwalk. Then Chopper pulled up with his rocket, engaging his thruster, Sabine held on tight as the droid landed quietly on the catwalk. Kanan thrusted his arms out cushing's landing with the force, slowing his descent, Kanan landed on his feet as, he looked up to see Ezra flailing and shouting on his way down, he then started to panic and he was still falling. Kanan ran over to the side as Ezra fell past them, they then thrust their hands out, making Ezra stop and just float.
All the commotion was enough to draw one of the rodian miners near the gun to see them. The two then work together and pulled Ezra back up and placed him on the catwalk. Ezra panting as he looked at them "I'm gonna have to work on that." he stated, Kanan just places his hand on his shoulder.
"I'm gonna make sure you do," Kanan assures him "Look out!"
Pulling out his saber and deflecting the incoming blast. Kanan looked and saw the man was firing at them. "So much for our stealth mission. Sabine, Toss the detonators." the jedi shouted at them "I'm on it." Sabine calls out as the two pull the detonators off their belts, charging them
"Detonators?" Ezra asked as they turn and look at them. The thought of the Purrgil in the gas cloud going up in flames was more then enoug for Ezra to rush Sabine.
She went to throw them, but Ezra smacked them out of her hands. "Are you crazy?" Kanan questioned as Ezra discharges the detonators. "We can't blow up the gas." Ezra said to him.
"Don't tell me this is about the Purgils." Sabine shouts at him, taking out her pistols to shoot back at the turret. "Of course it is, they need it." Ezra shouts at her.
Siding with Hera Sabine reminded him "Hmm. Kanan, what's the plan?" She asked.
"I trust your instincts, kid. Now get on that cannon and cover us!" Kanan calls out, ducking and the two fire at the rodians.
"What exactly are we doing?" Sabine asked him.
Kanan rushed past her saying "We're going to secure the landing zone."
Up above the Ghost was waiting for the explosion of gas that would have signaled the operation, but no explosion came "Uh-oh. There's no explosion. How come there's no explosion?" Zeb asked.
Hera reached down to contact the ground team as Ahkilleon slouched in the back behind her "Specter 5, what's going on?"
All three of them heard blaster fire "We're improvising, again. Kanan and I are securing the landing zone while Specter 6 is covering us with the cannon." Her comm link replied.
"Who changed the plan?" Hera asked.
Sabine replied "The Purrgil changed the plan."
She let out a loud groan "Not the Purrgil again, are you sure you can secure the landing platform?" She asked. "Once I start heading down there, I can't turn back."
"Ghost, if you're looking for a guarantee, you are on the wrong mission. We'll contact you when the platform is clear." Sabine told her when she shut down the comlink.
Zeb grumbled "Next time, we just plan on changing the plan."
Hera switched over to the Dragoon channel, "Dragoon Leader, stand down the zone is too hot any spark could ignite the gas, our people are securing the landing zone." she said.
"We copy you Ghost, all Dragoons prepare for close ground combat, eject and secure the objective." Colonel Fairfax said. Hera looked up out of the windows of her cockpit, to see the five Interceptors in V formation heading straight down.
Zeb followed Hera's gaze "What are they doing?" Zeb asked when they dove past behind the Ghost and flew up just at the edge of the clouds of green gas heading straight for the refinery. Their cockpits opened up and the astromech droids took control of the ships before they flew over Ezra who saw the pilots leap out. All five of them had their rocket boots ignite slowling their descent right into the Rodian Mining Guild guards who were pinning Kanan and Sabine down.
Captain Fairfax was the first into the fray, drawing his sword and holding his EE-3 like a hand cannon he shot through the rodians as his Dragoons landed behind them.
Only having heard them over Comlinks they were all dressed similarly to the Colonel, wearing flight suits with or without leather jackets, all of them wearing metal hoverboots. The first one they saw was a pilot in a sea green leather jacket, with a fleece collar 'Riptide' stitched into his jacket with the black eagle on the back. He wore an identical helmet to the Colonel, a dark green hue with blue wave designs on it. He was holding a EE-C with the full stock and harness.
Behind him came a burly looking woman wearing a brown leather knee length leather trench coat, their helmet was black and had red claw marks painted on the back, holding a E-5 blaster pistol and weilding a tomahawk they chucked it at the nearest Rodian hitting them in the face, stitched on their tomahawk arm was the name 'Grizzly'.
The only one not wearing a leather jacket was dressed in a grayish blue flight suit, with a white harness over her body, and her six arms, a female harch wearing a dark navy blue helmet with an orange face mask. Flight suit had leather padding over her life support system and four blaster holsters for each hand, along with two knives on her back. She upholstered all of her weapons and started to engage the Rodians. She was a one woman barrage of fire power on each one of her weapons grips and hilts were the letters V-A-N-D-A-L.
The last one was a cyborg, with his right arm was bulky and metal painted bright red, he wore a white leather jacket with the right sleeve cut off for the metal arm, that had a blaster mounted on it that he was using, his yellowish green helmet had his name printed on it 'Jetstream' in bold red letters. He wore the same color flight suit as Colonel Fairfax and a sword on his back, he carried an EE-3 like Riptide. Joining in the rade Jetstream slid in next to Kanan and Sabine.
"Jedi and Mandolorian, nice." Jetstream said he had a thick accent different from Fairfaxs, Jetstream rolled his are so when he said Mandolorain it was like a growl.
"An you are?" Sabine asked.
Jetstream banged the butt of his EE-3 to his helmet, "Jestream baby, whoo what a rush." the Dragoon ran out of cover drawing fire from the Rodians who were pouring out of the base in greater numbers.
Inside one of them had gone running to the command center where a fat Moyn was overseeing the whole base "Boss Yushyn, we have intruders on the patrol bridge." he snapped.
The Moyn, Boss Yushyn growled "Fuel thieves, alert our sentries, protect the shipment at all costs."
Kanan gawked as the Dragoons kept moving around the platform not even taking cover, instead they looked like they were able to know when a blaster bolt was coming toward them and used their rocket boots to move out of the way in flips and spins to avoid it "Well they seem chippy."
Just as he said it one of the turrets almost took his head off "Where's my cover fire?" Kanan snapped back at Ezra who was getting the turret into position firing at the rodian turret on a high platform.
"Working on it." Ezra said
"Careful! Don't hit the fuel." Sabine warned him as the Purrgils bellowed behind him.
Up on the Ghosts bridge, Ahkilleon was pacing back and forth holding his lightsaber in one hand and his Clone Phase II helmet with his mothers decal in the other. Finally the message came in "Ghost, you better get down here, your landing zone is temporarily secure." Hera took off the second she heard Sabine's voice.
"Then it's a good thing we're here." She said landing on the platform, Zeb grabbed a gas mask from under the bridge controls "Let's get the fuel, kid." Zeb said to Ahkilleon who slid the helmet on.
"Make it fast." Hera said to them.
All while the chaos of the firefight was going on, Ezra saw the Purrgil took advantage of the distracted mining guild and dove right into the gas, the entire herd of them. "Oh. They're back." Ezra said getting distracted stopping his cover fire.
Over the comlink Kanan shouted at Ezra "Spectre-6, do you copy?"
"Kan- Spectre-1, I figured it out. You're not going to believe this." Kanan said as the rodian who Ezra had been shooting at saw the boy wasn't firing anymore and linned up his sights "I believe I need more cover fire!" Kanan shouted at him.
"Yes! Right. Uh, sorry" Ezra said getting back on the gun but he was to slow the Rodians on the E-web turrets at the top of the refinery shot down at him, the blast knocking Ezra right off the platform and into the gas.
Back at the platform, Ahkilleon was dragging the fuel cells onto the ship as Zeb refueled the Ghost, "I thought you said the landing platform was secure." Zeb snapped as Sabine rushed over to help them load up. "Temporarily. I said "temporarily secure."
"Refuel commencing." Zeb said.
Kanan saw his crew tied up getting the fuel onboard "A little help Colonel?" he said into his comlink to Fairfax, he and his men were in close quarter combat against the Rodians, when they saw the TIE fighters belonging to the Mining Guild were in the air.
"Roger, Roger, protect the freighter." Frairfax said, they ignited their rocket boots and leapt up onto the top of the Ghost landing all over the top of the haul to focus fire on any Rodian to close. Hera froze when she heard the Colonel say those two words and it all made sense, but that would have to wait until they were safe.
"We've got fighters Ezra." Kanan said into his coms, looking back to the E-web Ezra was supposed to be on he saw the boy was gone. Ezra! Ezra, where are you? Ezra? Come in, Ezra! We need to find Ezra."
"Without fuel, we can't find anybody." Hera told him.
Replying quickly, Kanan said "Ezra's down. We need to get out of here." Kanan said. Ahkilleon heard that over his comlink and looked to where Ezra had been and didn't see him there, he looked down into the gas, Ezra was gone, "EZRA!"
"Just a few more seconds." Zeb said as the Mining Guild's reinforcements came running out of the base and surrounded them, the Dragoons were pinned down and Colonel Fairfax was up on the ship with Kanan.
"Time's up. Surrender, thieves. You are at my mercy." The Mining Guilds Overseer said down to them, they looked up to see a fat moyn in overalls with the Mining guild colors on them.
Kanan grunted "I can't believe we're gonna lose to this guy."
"What is your answer?" the moyn asked them but, Ahkilleon was trembling with rage squeezing his lightsaber tightly, enough for Sabine to notice "oh no."
He didn't anything after that, his mind went blank and he felt the berserker within wanting to get out, wanting to kill, but this time it was Ahkilleon who wanted it to. "RAAAAHH!" Ahkilleon screamed running to the rodians swinging his lightsaber like a mad man deflecting the blaster shots. The other Dragoons saw him break off as Kanan shouted for him to get back. "No surrender." Fairfax said before he rocketed up into the sky "NO SURRENDER!" he shouted the other Dragoons shot out into the air the harch named Vandal, flew up with both blasters shooting at one of the two TIE's, Grizzly flew up along with them dodging their firing and rodeoing the fighters she buried her tomahawk into the glass and tore it off reaching inside she grabbed the Rodian by the neck "Let me fly." She said slipping inside.
The other two attacked the other rodians, Ahkilleon had leapt up onto the main platform that the moyn overseer was on, "Shoot- shoot-shoot!" he shouted at his two guards, also Rodians. Ahkilleon rushed them, deflecting their fire back at them, taking them out. The overseer turned around and ran from the enraged Ahkilleon.
"Kanan, don't worry." Ezra's voice came out of the comlink "We'll be right there."
"You sure picked a time to disappear, Ahkilleons doing that hing he does again and did you say we?" Kanan asked, his answer was a thunderous bellowing from below the gas. Rising up from the gas with their eyes glowing blue as Ezra's lightsaber, which was above the lead bulls head with the boy holding onto it.
"I don't believe it." Hera gasped
"We found Ezra, Ahkilleon Ezra is okay." Kanan said into his comlink, the man's voice reached his phase II clone helmet just as Ahkilleon was about to strike down the Moyn overseer with all his anger, when he spotted Ezra riding the Purrgil. "... whoa." He muttered.
The Moyn lunged at Ahkilleon, getting the drop on him, he wrestled Ahkilleon for the lightsaber before the Moyn felt a blaster against the back of his head, Fairfax had gotten up to the platform "Hands off the kid." Fairfax said behind his helmet holding his hand cannon.
Down below the Ghost's reinforcements attacked the Mining guild, giving the Ghost full chance to refuel "How's the Ghost?" Kanan asked.
"We're back in action." Hera answered him as the engines roared with life, down below Zeb grunted pushing the last fuel reserve into the Ghost "This is the last one."
Sabine kept shooting at the Rodian miners when suddenly the lot of them stopped and tossed down their blasters, "Um guys, the miners are… surrendering?" she said, surprised.
"I think I know why?" Kanan said looking up on the upper platform, Fairfax had the Overseer at blaster point hands behind his back, the Purrgil surrounded the platform growling and bellowing at him with their large pointed teeth at him.
Ezra's lead bull came up and floated up in front of him, "I think they want to have a chat with him?" Ezra said.
Colonel Fairfax chuckled, "As interesting as that would be, these miners are our prisoners now, we'll treat them with respect if… they surrender."
"Do as he says, you fools!" the overseer shouted at his miners.
Ezra looked over at Ahkilleon and shrugged "Pretty cool huh?"
"You know…" Ahkilleon pointed his fingers at him "When you're off the giant space whale… I'm going to kill you for real for making me think you were dead Lothrat!" Ahkilleon shouted at him, but the purrgil growled at Ahkilleon who backed up behind Colonel Fairfax, who was behind Yushyn.
Later the rebels had all the miners on their buts, surrounded by the other Dragoons, who stood over them with blasters, Ezra had gotten off the Purrgil and was standing on the platform with Kanan watching the Purrgil going back in and out of the gas. "It wasn't like anything I've ever experienced, I could see what they were thinking." Kanan said.
"You must have established a deep connection with them." Kanan said, patting him on the shoulder.
Ezra smiled looking at them from under his helmet "I guess so, I could see they need gas to breathe and travel, the crater wasn't their home, just one stop on a long journey."
Kanan looked over at Ahkilleon as he was sitting on the ramp slumped over holding his lightsaber hilt, "You know Ahkilleon went ballistic when heard you went down, you two share a deep of brotherhood." Ahkilleon looked up just as Kanan shook his head as if disapprovingly. And he wasn't able to hear Kanan say "I hope you two never lose that."
Slouching even more, Ahkilleon noticed Sabine sitting down next to him "You okay?"
"I did it again I… went berserk," he said.
"Yeah, but it sure as hell scared the crud out of those Miners." Sabine said under her helmet as Hera came out, she was wearing a gas mask like Zeb, approaching Kanan and Ezra.
"I have to admit, without the help of the Purrgil or the Dragoons, we never would have gotten the fuel." Hera said happy to be wrong.
Just then, the Purrgil all rose out of the pale green gas, "Whoa. Look." Ezra said, pointing up at them, everyone even the Dragoons and the prisoners watched the Purrgil rise up out of the cloud, their tentacles flickering blue energy "Can it be?" Hera gasped.
The four tentacles on the Purrgils started, to fan their tentacles as if- then they jumped to hyperspace one by one "It is true, they can travel through hyperspace." Hera said in absolute awe.
Kanan chuckled seeing the wonder in Hera's eyes like she was a little girl flying for the first time "We better get moving, too, back to the fleet?" Kanan asked her, "How 'bout we follow the Purrgil?" She asked.
The small miracle they'd just witnessed was shattered by a blaster shot, in all the awe and wonder one of the rodian miners had gotten bold he lunged at Jetstream for his weapon but was knocked back and then shot in the lower side before Jetstream pointed his blaster at the rest of them "Next one to try that dies!" he barked.
"Stand down Jetstream." Fairfax ordered the Dragoon who lowered his weapon, Fairfax saw the soldier comply and then turned to Hera and Kanan, walking up to them, she gave a look to Zeb who nodded.
"We fight well together Captain Syndulla, my thanks." he said extending his hand to her, she took it "Right, so when are you going back to the Miltia?" she asked.
Fairfax sighed when he felt Zeb point the back of his borifle at his head, "Colonel!" Vandal shouted seeing their Colonel held at blaster point.
"Stand down!" Fairfax shouted back to them, Hera let go of his hand and Fairfax slowly raised his hands.
"And I here I thought I was doing so well, truth is I'm not cut out for this cloak and dagger stuff, what gave me away?" Fairfax asked holding his arms out hands up to show he had no intention of going for either of his weapons.
As the truth dawned on the others who had no idea, "Roger, roger, only Militia and droids say that." She said, narrowing her eyes at him.
"And how you move, you've been trained not just by soldiers but Commando droids." Kanan said having been in on the truth since Hera learned it.
The Dragoon Leader lowered his arms, "Yes, we are Militia Dragoons, a special corp of pilot-infantry but our goals did align, you wanted the fuel, we wanted the refinery."
"For your own fleet?" Hera asked.
Fairfax shook his helmeted head, "I'm under orders not to say, but the Mining Guild is as much our enemy as the Empire is." His head cocked back over at the Moyn overseer "That overseer over there, his name is Yushyn, he finds places like this and mines them till they're dry. He has full knowledge of the Mining Guild operation in this sector and beyond, did the same to my homeworld."
"Why tell us this?" Hera asked.
"Because whatever interactions with my comrades you've had, I am not those men, the Dragoons have our own honor, there are many of us in the Militia who have heard of your exploits and we have no reason why the Militia and the Rebellion cannot be allies." Fairfax said hands out wide to keep Zeb relaxed.
Sabine who had been watching it all unfold heard Chopper shout something from up in the Ghost, "Hera! We have a ship incoming."
"It's the imperial resupply ship." Hera said.
"Unlikely." Fairfax said, "Haven't you noticed my interceptors haven't been back this whole time, where do you think they went?" He asked her.
Hera's eyes widened "You attacked the imperial resupply ship?"
"Essex and the other astromechs did, yes, that ship is my commanding officer, it was his idea for us to attack here, and he calculated that you would be here as well giving your fleets… supply problem?" Fairfax said to put it delicately.
Hera looked up above to see a ship descending to them with an escort of the Eta-3's, the interceptors were escorting another variant of a familiar ship to Kanan and Hera, it looked like Sheathipede-class Type B shuttle, also known simply as the Class Type B shuttle, longer and bulkier than the Sheathipede-calss Type A's which were often used as transports for High Ranking Separatists in the clone wars, this had dark blue paint job to it, a bulkier design around the middle and shorter fin on the back, it had extended wings at the top like an old republic gunship and when it landed on the other side of the platform the rebels all held their breath.
Walking out of was a full squad of Militia Regulars who all lined up for the sound of someone coming out, walking out dressed in a dark blue and brown uniform, wearing a long Admirals coat with the three sleeves for his sleek chrome cybernetic arms to come out of, was a familiar harch face "Grandpa…" Ahkilleon gasped as it was none other than Admiral Trench. His implants had been upgraded with a chrome finish, all the jewels and gold lining had been removed and replaced with chrome, his cybernetic eye was replaced with a green optic. His old faded Separatis coat was replaced with a deeper blue one with leather lining on it and epaulets on his shoulder to show his rank. He walked toward them without the use of a cane or staff with his escort.
Zeb lowered his blaster seeing now they were outgunned, "Greetings click-click-click Captain Syndulla, would you be so kind as to click-click-click step away from click-click Colonel Fairfax." Trench said as his men raised their blasters.
"There's no need for that Admiral, I'm defusing the situation." Fairfax said to him.
The Harch cyborg scanned him and then the prisoners, "Soldiers, take the prisoners to the shuttle."
"Roger, Roger." One of them said before they went to relieve the Dragoons of guard duty. Grizzly, Vandal, Jetstream and Riptide came up behind Fairfax holding their weapons tight.
Fairfax looked over his fur collar and slowly said "Steady."
"What does the Militia want with the refinery, for your own fleet, the Empire will come looking for that ship and their fuel?" Hera said to Trench, the Admiral clicked his mandibles into a chuckle. Holding one of his metal arms he pressed a button and suddenly the shuttle top opened and a dozen small droids popped out they looked like B1's but were very small, about the height of an astromech droid with wide round heads and on each of their backs were a pair of detonators like the ones Sabine was going to use. They scurried up and around and then inside the mining facility.
Sabine and Ahkilleon came in "Detonators, a lot of them, this isn't a raid Hera , this is a sabotage mission."
Hera watched the droids planting the bombs across the facility and arm them, "That would raise the imperial presence in the sector?"
"Yes, click-click-click but the Mining Guild must also answer for their crimes click-click-click, Soldier bring that Moyn here." Trench said.
One of the Militia soldiers grabbed the moyn overseer Yushyn he pushed the furry alien over to the rebels and Trench, and then the Militia soldier hit him in he back forcing him to his knees. "Overseer Yushyn, click-click-click your crimes against the Outer Rim are many click-click-click." Trench reached into his coat and produced a Militia balster revolver, he offered to Fairfax "Tak your justice click-click-click Sparta."
Colonel Fairfax looked at the pistol, he took it but held it by the barrel "Not yet, we put him on trial, make him answer for his crimes to a jury and then, if he is guilty…" he smashed the butt of the pistol grip into the Moyn's head knocking him out "Then we execute him."
Admiral Trench clicked his mandibles thinking about it, Hera and Kanan along with their crew were curious to see such, two different lines of justice in front of them, "Very well click-click-click, take him away."
The Admiral turned his attention away from Fairfax and to Ahkilleon, "Hello my boy, click-click-click, keeping well." Trench said walking toward him, Sabine got in front of him "Ah and my dear savior click-click-click, I mean you no harm." He gave a respectable bow to her.
"I would speak with you click-click-click, in private, Ahkilleon." Trench said.
Colonel Fairfaxs helmet moved from left to right to the boy, "The boy…." Fairfax suddenly stood up straight, so did the rest of the Dragoons "Forgive me, I didn't know who-" "Colonel click-click, that is enough click-click-click." Trench interrupted him.
The Dragoons all stiffened and looked to Colonel Fairfax, "Return to the Victory, click-click-click, I will join you soon." Trench said as the interceptors came flying in to get their pilots. Trench held his metal hands to Ahkilleon "Come my boy click-click click."
"That's not happening." Hera said stepping toward them protectively.
But Ahkilleon was already moving around Sabine "Let's talk Admiral." he said disregarding her orders.
Trench gave what passed for a Harch smile to Hera as the two of them stepped away, "Do not fret click-click-click, we don't plan on blowing all of us up click-click." he said as he put two hands on Ahkilleons shoulder and walked with him out of ear shot to the catwalk that Ezra, Sabine, and Kanan had landed on.
When they were a good distance away, Trench started to speak "How click-click-click have you been keeping click-click-click?"
"I'm well Admiral, you look good, upgrades?" Ahkilleon asked, looking at the new chrome limbs he wore, seeing his own reflection in them.
"Yes click-click-click, the mandolorian did great work, but the Militias cyberologists have made great strides, thanks to her fine tuning they were able to restore me." Trench said, holding up his free third arm looking at the metal limbs.
They stopped at the edge near the turret, "I am worried for you my boy click-click-click, I learned of your click-click-click torture at the hands of the Inquisitors click-click, your father-" "I went to Rhen Var, I saw the Sun Guard last stand… why?" he asked.
"Why click-click what?" Trench asked.
Ahkilleon looked back at his friends, "Why did the Sun Guard call me the Jedi King, I don't have any royal blood, did my dad want this?" Ahkilleon asked.
"Blood click-click-click is blood, who it belongs to makes it noble and I dare say click-click-click royal." Trench said facing him. "But no time for lessons, click-click-click I see you are distressed, is everything alright click-click-click?"
The boy shook his head "I'm just confused, you all fight the Empire so do we, why aren't we on the same side?"
Trench paused, "You leaders feel click-click-click differently, as do I, click-click-click, as for the Sun Guards proclamation and click-click-click what your father wanted I cannot say, but this gives you an opportunity click-click-click."
"Opportunity?" Ahkilleon asked.
The cyborg nodded his metal and furry spider head "You saw the Colonel click-click-click, the Militia know of the Jedi King prophecy click-click-click, it is one of many myths, click-click-click, as you fight for a new Republic, some think click-click-click only another monarch can defeat an Empire." Trench said.
"What do you think, is my destiny to be this Jedi King or Jedi Knight?" Ahkilleon asked.
Trench was silent for a long time. "Think, no, click-click-click, what is true is that Knights serve, Kings lead, click-click-click." Trench said looking over at Hera who glared at him from across the gas. "Click-click-click, do not wait to be of service click-click-click, when you are destine for greater things click-click-click."
He turned their backs to Hera and slowly in front used one of his many arms to stealthy hand Ahkilleon a small device, it looked like a holodisk, but was modified "Should you ever click-click-click, seek a new path click-click-click, contact me and I will come." Trench said before he gave him friendly pats on the shoulder.
Trench turned them around and walked them back to the main platform, where their ships were on opposite sides, the Militia on the left and the Rebellion on the right, Ahkilleon watched Admiral Trench walk away and then looked back to the Ghost, his crew, his family, but so was Trench who had stopped halfway as if expecting, hoping Ahkilleon would come with them. But Ahkilleon turned away, heading back to the Ghost, making sure he hid the Militia Holodisk in his pocket for safe keeping.
When Trench and Fairfax watched the Ghost ascend back into the stars to make the jumper to hyperspace, the Colonel approached from behind "Permission to speak freely?"
"Granted click-click-click." Trench clicked.
"They said when you were away from Arcadia, you were instructing the boy who would be the Jedi King, teaching him military arts, I always thought that was just the story to tell us you were dying but still serving… is he really our big hope?" Fairfax asked Admiral Trench who sighed, turning around to board his vessel.
Trench said "... Click-click-click, we must go." Trench said walking into his ship, while back in the Ghost Ahkilleon went back to a private part of the ship to look at the Militia holodisk, and to dream of what could be.
Colonel Fairfax pondered what he thought "Where to next Admiral?"
"I will return to the Victory, you click-click-click are going to Lothal click-click-click."
The Dragoon watched it start to take off, and Essex brought down his Eta-3 interceptor, "That shithole?"