Chapter 19: Departure

At the same time, Angel Island Hangar…

It wasn't long before Roman sighted his mission companions as he and Ashley approached the hangar.

"Late for you own mission?" Ahsoka asked jokingly with a smile. "I thought you'd be a little more punctual."

"Not my fault." Roman replied. "Someone insisted on taking a long shower." At this, he turned and eyed Ashley, who rolled her eyes.

"Well, no use screwing around." Caleb said, stepping between Roman and Ahsoka. "We have a mission to be getting on with."

Roman nodded, and the group finally stepped into the hangar, with Roman bee-lining towards the Imperial shuttle.

"Shouldn't we take the Empire's Bane?" Caleb asked. "There'd be much more space."

"Too risky." Ahsoka replied as she walked past the both of them. "After what happened in Spagonia, the Empire's bound to be keeping a lookout. With what we're doing, the shuttle's the safer bet. Plus, we can destroy it later to prevent the Empire capturing it."

Caleb nodded understanding. "So the shuttle it is, then." He said, following Ahsoka up the ramp into the shuttle.

Roman turned and eyed the rest of the group. Beckoning, he called out: "What are you waiting for? We do have a mission to complete, you know."

Everyone nodded and entered the shuttle, some sitting down on the seats, others sitting on the floor.

E-123 Omega simply found a corner in the room and stood there, powering down to save his energy for when he needed it.

Roman quickly eyed the rest of the group. "This is it, people." He said. "Tonight, we stage the most dangerous mission we've ever done. Made even more dangerous by the fact that this isn't an official mission. Nicole has logged this mission in our database, but the majority of the details will be blacked out, erased. With luck, no-one will ever know this mission happened." Roman folded his arms as he added: "Like I said earlier, this mission will be dangerous. And I won't lie, there is a very strong possibility we will fail. If that turns out to be the case, this is the command I give for such an occasion: Deny all knowledge of what happened tonight. We take the knowledge of this mission to our fucking graves." Roman bowed his head. "This is what black ops are all about." He said. "I've done a black op or two in my lifetime." He said. "That's a fact. But those missions, they didn't have any personal significance to me. All they were to me was just people the Republic and the Jedi wanted dead." Once again eyeing everyone in the room, meeting everyone's gaze, he added: "This time… it's for my friend. No, not my friend, my brother. One of the few I would trust to have my back any day of the week, any battle I fight!" Roman nodded before he added: "Because I know for a fact, that he would do the same for me, what I'm doing for him."

Everyone clapped enthusiastically as Roman turned and stepped into the cockpit, where he found Ahsoka, Caleb, Ashley, Tails, and Crankshaft, four of whom turned to face him.

"Time to go?" Ahsoka asked.

Roman nodded. "Yes. Time to go." He said.

Ahsoka nodded before beginning the launch sequence.

Within seconds, the Imperial shuttle was out of the hangar and sailing into the night sky, its white colour a stark contrast against the starless darkness of the night, the one bright spot in an otherwise lightless place.

Later, 00:45 am…

Roman stepped out of the cockpit to find the majority of his group asleep.

All except for a few: Caleb, the clones, and Blaze.

It was to Caleb that Roman went to, sitting down next to the elderly Caracal. "How're we doing?"

"Just fine, thank you." Caleb replied. Chuckling, he said: "You know, this is the first real time we've had an opportunity to talk since you rescued me in Mobotropolis."

Roman nodded. "Yeah." He said. "But then again, I've been busy with all the planning for tonight."

Caleb nodded as well.

Roman laid back against the wall, arms folded. "How's Eren?" He asked.

Caleb nodded. "He's well." Caleb replied. "Misses his mother terribly, unsurprisingly."

Roman nodded. "As do we all." He said.

Caleb smiled and said: "But one thing he always talks about is you."

Roman looked surprised. "Always?" He asked.

Caleb nodded. "He worships you, you know. He's always saying about how you're his hero and how he wants to be just like you one day."

Roman smiled and sat back. "Well that's just something, isn't it?" He asked. "Roman the Fox; Jedi Knight, Freedom Fighter, Hero of children… The latter's something I never thought I'd be. All I did was amuse him using the Force."

"Yet you gave him a figure to look up to." Caleb replied. "I'm too old to be that to him, but you're not. He understands that you didn't have to amuse him using the Force. But the fact is that you did. And in doing so, changed his life. You were the father he never had."

Roman nodded before saying: "Thanks for that." Before getting up and walking over to the clones. "Everything good here?"

"Good as can be, General." Shatter said. "Isn't the first time we've done something like this."

"Let's just hope it's the last." Tusk said.

Roman nodded. "My sentiments exactly." He replied.

Shatter nodded before placing his hand on Roman's shoulder. "General… If me and Tusk don't make it… then it's been an honour to have served and fought beside you, both now and during the Clone Wars."

Roman placed his own hands on Shatter and Tusk's shoulders. "The honour was mine." He replied.

Shatter and Tusk nodded with appreciative smiles as they returned to what they had been doing, that being preparing their weapons.

Roman now walked over to Blaze, placing an arm around her shoulder. "Feel familiar?" He asked.

Blaze nodded. "The only difference is, you were asleep, and me and Silver were in the cockpit. Back then… it was just us. Now, months later, we're doing it all again. Except we have a much larger group with us this time."

Roman looked around. "Most of whom are asleep." He remarked.

Blaze smirked. "Including Silver." She said, motioning down to the hedgehog, who lay asleep in her arms.

Roman smiled. "Good thing is, there's nowhere private for you two." He remarked. "So thankfully, I won't have to deal with noise complaints."

Blaze nearly burst out laughing. "Fair enough." She said. Motioning with her hand, she said: "You'd better get back to the cockpit. And get some rest. It's likely that you'll need it."

Roman nodded and got up, heading back into the cockpit. He could use a few more winks of sleep. He needed all the energy he could get.

Avalon Spaceport, 1:30 am…

As the ramp lowered, Roman turned to Ahsoka. "Charges set?" he asked.

Ahsoka nodded. "It's rigged to blow." She said.

Smiling, Roman turned to the others, particularly Cassian and his group. "You know what you need to do, now go get those uniforms."

Cassian nodded and departed with his group, leaving Roman with the rest.

"Now, the rest of us have a cargo shuttle to find and steal." He announced.

The others nodded as they followed him onwards.

Later, a nearby street…

"Sir, four whiteheads and an Imp officer coming our way." One of Cassian's men informed him.

Cassian nodded. "Thank you Thane." He said. "Get ready to ambush."

Thane nodded and jogged to join his sister, Sansa.

Cassian smiled before giving a warning glance towards Wexley, the man who had busted them in Spagonia. "Keep your shit together, Wexley. I won't have you losing it again."

Wexley nodded, his face set. "I will." He replied.

Cassian nodded before sharing a look with Bran, his go to heavy weapons person. "Be ready, Bran." He said, just as the sound of marching filled their ears.

The entire group fell silent, as the stomping sound of marching Stormtroopers grew louder and louder. Raising a closed fist, Cassian prepared to bring it down to signal their ambush beginning.

At that moment, their targets came through: Four Imperial Stormtroopers, and an Imperial Officer, just as Thane had said.

The moment they passed out of view, Cassian brought down his fist, before sprinting out of cover and towards the Imperials, smashing the butt of his blaster into the back of the head of the Stormtrooper in front of him, knocking the trooper out.

The rest turned, finding themselves met with the rest of Cassian's men, as Cassian himself converged on the Officer.

The Imperial Officer had a comlink in his hand, clearly about to key it and call for backup, but Cassian was faster, and kicked it from the Imperial Officer's hand before swinging at the officer with a right hook.

The officer was prepared though, and blocked the blow with his elbow, and responding with a right hook of his own, making heavy contact with Cassian's temple.

Seeing black spots dancing in front of his face, Cassian staggered back, but countered the Imperial's next strike by dodging it and elbowing the officer in the back of the head.

The officer staggered, but did not fall, retaliating instead with a back kick to Cassian's abdomen, which he quickly followed up with an attempt to roundhouse kick Cassian out of the fight.

Cassian barely blocked the blow, catching the officer's kick just as it was about to make contact, using the officer's leg like a rope, pulling the officer into a violent clothesline that caused the officer to perform in involuntary somersault in mid-air before crumpling to the floor. As the Imperial officer made to rise, Cassian walked over quickly and finished the fight with a stiff punch to the temple, knocking the officer out. Pausing a while to take a few deep breaths, Cassian turned to the others and nodded. "Strip them of their uniforms and weapons. We'll need them."

Later, in another hangar…

"This is it." Roman announced as he and the others entered a hangar, in which an Imperial cargo shuttle was housed.

It was a large, black ugly thing, looking like the wings from two Lambda class Imperial Shuttles had been ripped off and attached to a garbage retrieval hauler, and coloured black. However, it was the only way they were going to get aboard an Imperial Star Destroyer, and as a result, they needed it.

Roman quickly scanned the area for any signs of an Imperial presence, but found nothing, which he found unusual. The Empire usually guarded their ships twenty-four seven. For them not to be guarding this was strange. Unless…

"It looks like a trap." Tails remarked as he stepped up alongside Roman. "So, what do we do?"

Roman turned to Tails with a grin the twin-tailed kit had grown to both love and hate depending on the situation. "We spring the trap." He replied. Stepping forward, he drew his DL-44 Blaster Pistol before moving towards the shuttle.

Tails reluctantly followed, his blaster also drawn.

Together, the two Jedi slowly walked up the ramp, ready to engage anything that they found lurking within its depths.

"If we get killed now, Roman, I will make sure I rip your balls off and make you eat them before I die." Tails threatened.

Roman held up a finger to indicate quiet, before he found the ladder leading up to the upper level. Climbing said ladder, he checked his sectors before pulling himself up onto the other level. "We're good here." He whispered down to Tails.

Within seconds, the twin-tailed vulpine had joined him, examining the area in more detail. Seeing that it was safe, Tails keyed his comm: "We're good. Bring 'em in." He said.

It wasn't long before the rest of the group joined them, save for Cassian and his men, who were still absent.

Roman eyed all this approvingly before turning to Ahsoka and Tails, who were already preparing the shuttle for takeoff. "Keep her warm, guys, but we're not lifting off yet." Roman said. "We need to wait for-"

"Us?"

Roman turned to see Cassian lifting himself up into view, now garbed in full Imperial Officer attire. His men also came up, bedecked in Stormtrooper armour. "That timing was impeccable." Roman remarked.

"Thank you." Cassian replied, performing a jokingly mock bow to the laughter of the others.

Roman smirked before turning to Ahsoka. "Lift us off, Ahsoka. Let's get this show on the road."

Ahsoka nodded, and did just that, the shuttle lifting off and flying off. "You have the charges ready?" She asked.

Roman nodded. "Don't I always?" He asked, raising the detonator, and pressing it, listening out for the explosion.

The heard it, a low rumbling sound, like an earthquake was happening.

Ahsoka veered around in the shuttle to catch a glimpse, and she and Roman immediately smiled.

The shuttle they had used to get to the city was now in pieces. Unusable, irretrievable, and utterly useless.

With this image in minds, they veered away and flew off into orbit. They had a rescue mission to do.

Later, Outside Imperial Star Destroyer Murderous, 3:00 am…

Imperial cargo vessel, please identify yourselves and state your cargo." The operator said through the comm.

"Provisions." Tails said, having run a check beforehand, as they had exited the atmosphere. "Food, drink, munitions. The usual."

There was a brief pause before the operator replied: "Our checks say the Star Destroyer is already fully armed and provisioned. There's no need to bring more."

"Always good to have a little extra." Tails replied as calmly as possible. "Wouldn't you agree?"

The operator was silent before replying: "My superior seems not to mind. Transmit your codes and we'll assign you a hangar."

The temporary comm silenced enabled Tails to mutter: "Please let these work." Before he transmitted the codes.

There was another brief pause as the codes were being checked, at which Tails prepared to veer away if they were fired upon. But finally, the operator came back on, with the relief inducing announcement of:

"Codes check out. You may land in the main hangar, where your provisions will be unloaded." Then, the comm fell silent.

Tails sat back and shared a relieved look with Ahsoka, whose eyes he was startled to find were etched with pain. A suspicion started to form, but he dismissed it. It was too early for Ahsoka to go into labour. Yet the question remained in the back of his head: Was she?

He was stopped from inquiring when Roman came in, his face inquisitive.

"I'm assuming by the fact that we're not being fired at currently that we're good for entry?" He asked.

Tails nodded. "We're in, Roman." He said with a smile.

Roman breathed a sigh of relief before saying: "Good work." And heading out into the main hold, gesturing to Cassian and his men. "Get downstairs with the cargo. Phase One of the plan is done."

Cassian and his men nodded and proceeded to climb down.

Roman looked at the rest of his friends, saying: "That was the easy part. The hard part is just about to start."

Yes it is.

Sorry for the delay in updating. I was completely knackered last night, and had a lot of homework to do, which is never fun.

Explanations aside, thank you all so much for taking the time to read this chapter. If you enjoyed it, then please leave a review in the appropriate section, telling me what it is that you enjoyed and what it is that you think I can do better for next time. In the event that you really enjoyed it, then you are cordially invited to favourite and follow this fanfiction, so that you will receive notifications of any updates that I upload as and when I do so.

Again, thank you for reading, and I will see you tomorrow (Hopefully) with the next chapter, which sees Roman and Elias put their respective plans into motion.

T-Rock14