Chapter VI:
Departure

As the Chimaera drew near to Jedha, Kylo Ren realized it was time to leave the ship for good. If he was to assassinate Snoke, he needed to meet with his contacts, and formulate a plan for a successful attack. And he had to do it fast – otherwise the Supreme Leader could learn about his intentions, and make an example out of the usurper.

It didn't take long for the first problem to arise though. When the Knight reached his ship, the guard informed him that Thrawn forbade his departure. For a moment, he wanted to murder the stormtrooper in cold blood, but then another idea came to his mind.

He knocked the guard unconscious, and dragged him out of the hangar, heading towards Thrawn's personal cabin. The guards in front of the door tried to stop him, but he was more than able to knock them unconscious with the Force.

Kylo opened the door, and dropped the guard in the middle of the cabin. Once the body landed on the floor, he activated his lightsaber, and marched into the room.

Thrawn didn't bother to turn around. He sat silently in the middle of his chamber, observing the countless artifacts gathered from Jedha's surviving population. They were all but holographic images of their true manifestations, yet they could still provide invaluable insight to the inhabitant's culture.

"The next one, who denies my passage, won't be so lucky," Kylo warned him.

"Neither will you, if you touch my soldiers again," Thrawn answered, slowly tilting his head towards him. "I warn you, we became allies out of necessity, and not mutual interests. Not to mention the fact that your aid ceased to be crucial for the remainder of this mission at the moment you gave me the young Rey Skywalker."

"How do you expect me to kill Snoke if you lock me into this piece of junk?" he raised his voice, letting the threat slide for the moment.

"I don't," he answered, turning back towards the artifacts. "Luke and the remaining Jedi are more than able to handle him, assuming that they can approach him unnoticed. Your interference would likely cause their failure, and put you into an incredibly difficult position."

Kylo raised his saber high. He was willing to let the first insult go, but this one proved to be too much. One moment he was ready to slice the Chiss in two, then he froze, as Thrawn raised his finger.

"Although, your assistance against the Jedi would be more than welcome. For now, they act according to my plans, however I learned not to take chances with them. When they walk into my trap, I want you to be present, in order to ensure everything goes as expected," he explained, seemingly not caring how close he was to death.

"So that's why you want me to stay," he answered harshly, and thought back to their fight with Mira. She was not a Jedi, not by his standards, and if Thrawn wanted to deal with her, he needed someone who could think with the outcast's mind. Besides, it was about time she would pay for shaming him in front of the Knights of Ren. "They won't be a problem."

"Expect them to make their first move as soon as the orbital bombardment commences," Thrawn continued. "Kyle Katarn wouldn't let us dig to the chamber in this manner, however this encounter should be far from fatal."

"Understood," he nodded, although he could make no promises.

As most mornings since the Chimaera's departure, Mira decided to eat her breakfast with Kyle. She wanted to discuss their progress with the repairs – although in reality there wasn't much to say about it. It was simply the only topic she had in mind.

As she began to talk, she noticed there was something different about him. He was tired, and extremely unresponsive. He seldom opened his mouth, but when he did so, his breath alone could have been enough to stop the Chimaera and its crew.

"You think they got away?" Kyle asked finally.

It took Mira some time to realize he was talking about the shuttle that tried to escape from Odessen. It amazed her how quickly these events could disappear into the corner of her mind, where they would slowly torment her without making any indication of their presence.

"I don't," Mira shook her head.

Kyle glared at her with disbelief.

"Mara was on board," he answered, notably raising his voice.

"They were ready for us, and you said they were nowhere near the regroup position," she answered, so coldly that even she was scared of herself. "Mara is good, I know, but I don't think it was up to chance."

"So they are all dead, and we should just live with it," Kyle shrugged. "I guess it's all the same to you."

"We are at war, if you hadn't noticed," she answered coldly. "And when you are at war, this is what you get. Trust me, no one is more tired about it than me."

"Then why are you here?" Kyle asked.

"Because Rey's life is on the line. Just as yours, my stepdaughter's, Luke's, Ahsoka's, and everyone's who survived the attack. I'm here because for some unfathomable reason, when a war breaks out, every idiot with a lightsaber wants to be in the middle of it. Like it's the best thing in the world. When I met you, I already lost everything I had. Everyone I knew was dead. I'm not going through that again," she said.

"Like we had any choice in the matter," Kyle shrugged.

"I wonder why that is," Mira glared at him. She wanted to add something else, but she forgot about it when the floor began to shake.

They arrived to Jedha.

When the tremors were gone, their anger seemed to evaporate into nothing. They were a team. They might had their disagreements, but right now, only one thing mattered: getting Rey before Thrawn kills her.

"I got the ship, you got the guns," Kyle said, Mira nodded without hesitation.

From this section of the ship, it didn't take long for either of them to reach their stations. Mira took her seat at the main gun, and prepared herself for the fight. Then the Moldy Crow detached itself from the Chimaera's dark hull, and turned away from the giant. Mira noticed two other ships near the beast; they were the Victory-class Star Destroyers that helped them against the Pillar of Destruction.

For a short while, as they flew away from the fleet, everything seemed to be perfectly as it should have been. But then, as Mira locked her eyes on the Chimaera's hangar bay, a strange feeling took root in her guts.

"Where are the fighters?" she asked in the intercom.

"I guess they lost too much against Ezra," Kyle stated, she felt uncertainty in his voice. "Or us," he added a moment later.

"So they wouldn't even try?" she asked. Thrawn should have sent all his remaining fighters to chase them away from his fleet.

She noticed some movement on the Chimaera. The Star Destroyer raised its mighty guns towards Jedha, and opened fire on the surface. The thick, green bolts glided through the darkness of space, setting ablaze everything that lay beneath them. Soon after the Victory's joined as well, pointing their smaller cannons towards the target area, and unleashing deadly shots on the planet.

"What the...?" Kyle raised his voice, turning the ship about.

"I don't know," Mira shook her head in disbelief. She felt the echoes of the perished souls through the Force, but she had to resist the urge to help them. If they were to attack the fleet, their chances of survival were non-existent. "This is not our fight."

"What are you talking about?" Kyle snapped. She could feel his anger through the intercom.

Mira looked at the horizon again, there were no fighters in their vicinity. Then, she strapped herself out of the chair, and started off towards the cockpit. If there was a way to save the mission, she could only do it in person.

"What are you doing?" she asked, as she entered the room.

"Get back in there, we have to help those people," Kyle answered firmly.

Mira pushed activated the display to show him the planet's surface. A large, molten spot indicated the resting place of thousands of innocent people. By this time, no one could have been alive down there, yet the fleet continued its relentless bombardment.

"They are gone, Kyle," Mira stated, mixing some empathy in her voice. "There is nothing we could do."

"But they killed them…" Kyle shook his head.

"I know," she nodded. "But I don't think they did it just because they could. I think they are digging," she continued, pointing to the image. "Maybe there is a shrine down there. Or a hidden facility they could use."

"A facility?" Kyle frowned.

"We have to take a closer look," she answered, she couldn't be sure about the hunch. "They are focusing on the city, maybe we could land the ship before they would notice. If we put it close to the mountains, there would be no way for them to reach it."

Kyle sighed, and turned the ship around.

"Thanks," Mira stated, putting a hand to his shoulder.

By the time the Moldy Crow landed on the desert planet, the imperials were finished with the orbital bombardment. With the ship on the ground, it was next to impossible to say what they uncovered under the remains. Kyle and Mira had to go there themselves, and take a closer look at the ruins.

They landed at least sixty clicks away from the target area. Walking there was not an option, so they continued their path on a glider. The long, dark-brown vehicle in the belly of the ship made the perfect vessel for the ride. The only problem came from its design: in his late days, Kyle never expected for another passenger, therefore it had only one seat. Mira, being the one who had to sit on the thick metal, wasn't too comfortable with the idea.

The glider stroke through the desert, sweeping dust for mile after mile behind itself. Kyle shielded her from the wind, however the vehicle's crude voice became almost unbearable for the woman clinging firmly to Katarn's back.

"Sorry about the breakfast," Mira said, as they strode through the land, trying to be apologetic for once. "They might have survived, there is no way for us to know."

"No, you were right. They are most likely dead," he answered. Mira could barely hear his voice in the wind. "But I guess the mission remains."

"It does," Mira nodded, then she looked up to the sky, seeing the convoy of fighters and transport ships heading to the site.

She decided to stay silent for the rest of the ride.

Thank you for reading this chapter! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it! :)

Don't forget to leave some feedback ;)