Disclaimer: All characters, places, etc. belong solely to Disney, Lucasfilm, and Star Wars. I claim no ownership of any of it. However, copyright of the storyline is in effect.©
Okay, so this is a rewrite of the initial chapter, because let's be honest, it was absolute garbage compared to what I've been pumping out recently. I'll be doing the same for chapters 2-5, to make it not only better in general but also so it fits precisely into the time slot it takes place in. Without further ado, I present you with the redrafted chapter 1 of The Hunt for Project Stardust.
Chapter 1: The Mission
The quiet whir of engines surrounded her. Aboard the Gauntlet, an old Mandalorian ship that had once belonged to Maul, Sabine stood with the clan Wren warriors that had chosen to assist them with the evacuation of Atollon. She had been working with her family to try and liberate Mandalore before then, and had Ezra not shown up in a desperate attempt for help, she never would have known that the entire Phoenix group had been wiped out, along with General Dodona.
The door to the cockpit opened for the young Jedi to step through, looking around at each of them before his eyes finally landed on Sabine. "We're docking with the Ghost now. Hera wants to see us."
"Us?" She questioned.
"You and me," He affirmed, nodding. He then looked down and saw the rusty old droid, C1-10P, wheeling by. "You too, Chopper."
"Wup?! Woop woo!" The droid protested. Ezra shrugged.
"I don't know why she wants to see you too, Chop. maybe she'll finally fix your circuit board," He guessed.
"I doubt it," Sabine said as the sound of the two ships docking echoed outside the hull. "But that would be a lucky turn of events if it did happen."
"Woo!" Chopper complained.
Sabine chuckled slightly, but it didn't last long. This had been a heavy day. The Atollon base had fallen. Phoenix squadron and Dodona's fleet had all but been defeated. Only the last ditch attempt to take out the interdictor had allowed them to escape, and that had cost them their fleet carrier, most of their ships, and Commander Sato's life. And to add on to the growing list of tolls that was already painful to think about, their plan to attack the factory on Lothal had failed, with no hope of being able to try again anywhere in sight, near or far.
Sabine heard the airlock hiss open as she rounded the corner into the cargo bay. The familiar colors of the interior of the Ghost looked back at her, giving her a sad welcome back to the place she had lived in for so long. She had envisioned the next time she saw this ship's halls to be a time of celebration, after Lothal and Mandalore had been successfully liberated. She had hoped for smiles and laughing, pats on the back and the sweet taste of victory laying thickly on everyone's tongue. Had Thrawn not come into the fray, they would have easily been able to be in that moment now.
But instead of seeing joy and cheers all around, the sinking feeling of defeat felt like a cold weight on everyone's shoulders. Soldiers rested along the hallways, the hope drained from their eyes from the time being. The few of them that were medics attended to the wounds that the rebels had picked up as they had run. They all looked at her with nothing but the sunken looks of loss as she walked through the halls, the disheartened feeling starting to weigh in on her as well. She had begun to tune out the sorrowful surroundings around her when she bumped into Zeb, who was helping an injured Kallus limp towards one of the cabins. The Lasat acknowledged her presence with a nod, before turning to the Jedi behind her and resting his hand softly on his shoulder.
"I'm sorry, kid," He said morosely. "We tried."
Ezra nodded in thanks, but held his silence. The air of failure weighed heavy on all of them, but this had meant more to Ezra than it had any of the rest of the rebels. For him, Lothal was personal, and knowing that they had mustered all of those resources only to be nearly wiped out was crushing, more than any physical defeat could. He would still muster a hard outer shell for the rest of them, but he wouldn't be able to recover for a lot longer.
The doors pulled themselves apart to reveal the recreation room, with Hera and Tristan standing around the Dejarik table. On it hovered a hologram of Ursa, Sabine's mother, Holding her helmet by her side and looking out to the rest of them. Their eyes turned to her and Ezra as they entered the room, and a look of relief briefly crossed Ursa's face before the seriousness returned.
"I am sorry for your losses," Ursa's hologram said, apparently having as hard of a time as the rest of them finding words.
"We're just grateful for your aid in our time of need," Hera replied thankfully. Both Tristan and Ursa nodded. A moment of silence passed over them before Sabine spoke up.
"I want to return the favor, Hera. My mother needs our help," She said definitively. Hera looked at her with a sad smile.
"Go, but I can't come with you. I need to get the survivors to Rebel command," Her surrogate-mother replied. Sabine nodded and began to turn away, but Hera stopped her. "There is something you need to do for the rebellion before you go to Mandalore though."
"There is?" She asked. This irritated her. The moment she was back, she was needed here again. As much as Mandalorians valued family, this family had given her a home when she had none, and she couldn't refuse a request from them, especially Hera.
"We need you to look into an Imperial project for us. Ezra and Chopper will go with you."
"What about my mother's warriors?" She pointed out. She could spare herself for a time to help the Rebellion, but she couldn't say the same for the warriors of clan Wren.
She could see the wheels race in Hera's head as she turned back to the hologram."Ursa, can you send us a ship to pick them up?"
"No need. They can take the other ships back," The countess said.
"And the Gauntlet?" She pressed. She wanted to know what she was getting into.
"That's your ship. We've been planning this operation for a while, and when we acquired the Gauntlet, we outfitted it for the job. We've already loaded everything that we know about the project into the ship's mainframe, and we've stocked and refitted it to hold all of the materials and resources necessary," Hera explained. "I wish this mission was less long term, but we need to figure out what this project is. The entire Rebellion depends on it."
"And I'm doing this solo?"
"No, you aren't. Ezra and Chopper are also going. We believe that your three unique skill sets will be able to handle the job well."
"Great. That makes me feel better."
"Really?" Ezra complained. Chopper agreed.
Sabine sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose as she thought. Of all the times for Hera to whip out a mission on them, it had to be now. When she should be on Mandalore, helping to liberate it. But as much as she wanted to help her mother, she also couldn't just leave the Rebels to their own devices again, especially when they were near begging for her help. And the mission for the Rebels would also help the Mandalorians, because whatever they were going to use on the Rebels, they'd probably use it on Mandalorians before long.
"It's alright, Sabine. You're brother and your other Jedi companion will be here fighting with us. We'll be able to manage on our own," Ursa prompted. Sabine opened her eyes, looking down at her mothers vaguely smiling hologram. "I'd be a fool if I couldn't see how much you wanted to help your friends."
"You're sure, mother?" She asked, trying hard to shake off the guilty hook she felt in her chest. Her mother nodded.
"Your friends need you," Her mother confirmed, before turning to her brother. "As for you, Tristan, we will need your help if we are to hold our positions until Sabine gets here."
Tristan nodded firmly. "I'll be on the first ship back, mother."
"Thank you again for your help, Ursa," Hera finally said, and the Mandalorian Countess bowed.
"It was our honor," She replied as the hologram turned off. Hera released a deep sigh as the light faded, taking a few breaths before turning to Sabine, Ezra, and Chopper.
"The others should have finished clearing out of the Gauntlet by now, and I asked Zeb and Rex to finish the restock with a few compact speeder bikes for you to use. You'd better grab your gear from your quarters," She explained tiredly. Sabine nodded, guessing Ezra did the same behind her.
"We'll get moving, I suppose. The quicker this is underway, the better," Sabine said, turning to Chopper. "Chopper, get the engines primed and do a systems check on the Gauntlet. If that thing took so much as a scratch in the fight, I want to know about it."
The droid whined, something along the lines of, "Why should I do that for you?" This was typical of Chopper, but it was still irritating.
"Don't do it for us, do it for yourself. You're gonna be on that ship with us, you know," She pointed out. The ignorant droid went silent for a moment, processing the statement, before beeping in compliance and turning to roll towards the airlocks. Sabine shook her head disappointedly. Hera really could stand to replace his circuit board.
She turned and walked back through the halls of defeated rebels, feeling their mood of despair sink in as she finally reached the door to her quarters. The familiar orange and purple tinted lighting promptly welcomed her back, but like everything else on the Ghost right now, it felt disheartened and weak. Not even the bright colors stood out the way they used to, rather than an excited chatter running through the walls, there was a despondent mumble that was unanimous through each one of the pieces. It felt strange, to be back in a cabin she had so long considered to be a safe place, only to feel the same energy coming from the art that came from everyone else.
A small chill ran through her, causing her to shiver and try to expel the feeling. She proceeded over to the drawer where she kept all of her field supplies. It was mostly cleaned out, since she had brought a good deal of it with her when she had returned to Krownest, and now it was already aboard the Gauntlet. Instead of grabbing a handful of the trinkets like she usually did, she withdrew her paint sprayer and her small field toolkit, closing the drawer and opening the one next to it to reveal several pairs of clothes that she had left here. Next to them was also a field bag, which she stuffed them into tightly before clicking on the magnetic lock. She slid the clothes drawer shut, standing and slinging the travel bag over her shoulder when she felt a pair of eyes land on her.
"You ready?" Ezra asked from behind her. He had already erased the defeat from his voice, but it was still in there somewhere.
"Yeah, I've got everything," Sabine responded, looking back at him over her shoulder. "But for the record, I am not happy about having to do this mission."
Ezra pushed his way quickly through the crowded halls of the Ghost, hurrying to the airlock that the Gauntlet was docked at. Kanan had held him up, giving him a piece of his Jedi advice for the mission. Though he was always thankful for his master's advice, he already knew Sabine was in an easily irritated mood, and he also knew that it was never good to wind up on the receiving end of that frustration. It made for a really unpleasant time around her for a few hours afterward, and if they were going to be stuck in a long-term operation together, he didn't want to have to deal with that before they even left the airlock.
As he was descending towards the boarding door, Someone called out behind him. "Ezra!"
He turned to face the voice, finding the formerly Agent Alexsandr Kallus limping towards him, propping himself up on the doorframe at the top of the ramp. He hadn't trusted the turncoat Imperial at first, but it was partially thanks to Kallus that they hadn't been completely wiped out on Atollon. His advance warning transmission had given them just enough of a heads up to defend themselves from Thrawn's relentless attack. Plus, now, his advanced inside knowledge of Imperial facilities, networks, and beyond had become a solid asset to the rebellion. "Make it quick, Kallus. Sabine's not exactly in the greatest of moods right now," Ezra replied.
"I'll try to be brief, then," Kallus spoke, taking a moment to catch his breath. Thrawn had left him in bad shape, with at least a few cracked ribs and severe bruises. But Kallus wasn't one to give up easy, which is probably why he was even able to walk around right now. "I wish I could better explain this, but I know vaguely what you're looking for."
"You know about this Imperial project?" Ezra asked, surprised. He walked back up the ramp to the agent, to allow him to speak without straining himself. "What do you know?"
"Not as much as I wish I did. What I do know, I will tell you as quickly as I can," The turncoat explained. He took another long breath, wincing slightly as he exhaled, before continuing. "The Imperial project you are trying to find is old. One of the first things that the Emperor began working on, in fact."
"Do you know what it is?" Ezra said. He already knew the answer, but he had a feeling Kallus would get to the point faster if he asked it regardless.
"No. It's known only by incredibly high clearance Imperials. However, I was able to discover the project's codename, and when it was originally designed," Kallus responded.
"Ezra, come on! Let's go!" Sabine shouted from the cockpit of the Gauntlet. Ezra flinched. He was going to end up getting the short straw after all.
"Get to the point, Agent," He warned.
"Right, right. The project's codename is Project Stardust. That's what it'll be referenced as in Imperial databases."
Ezra noted that in his head. "Okay, and when it was first designed?"
"That I'm less certain of. I'm pretty sure it was designed by the Separatists before the Clone War." That bit surprised Ezra, but once he thought about it locations did begin to pop into his head.
"Ezra, seriously, what's the holdup?!" He heard from behind again, this time with no echo. He slapped himself inwardly.
"Kallus was giving me a lead," He said, nodding in thanks towards the former ISB officer. The Agent returned the nod before closing his eyes and resting in the doorway.
"Well, he'd have better been. This mission is going to take enough time as it is," She said sharply as the airlock doors closed behind them. Sabine quickly proceeded up to the cockpit, leaving Ezra alone in the smaller cargo bay. Power must've been damaged in the battle over Atollon, as the typical bright white lights were still out. Instead, the dim blue overhead lights faintly illuminated the room, revealing the outlines of a storage closet, pull out workstations, and the bikes that Hera had mentioned were in their compact form in the corner, along with several bags of supplies and other miscellaneous things that the higher ups had thought useful. Towards the front of the ship was a closed door that led up to the cockpit, and to the left and right of it were two doors in the sides of the hallway, which presumably opened to reveal their narrow cabins aboard the new ship. The Gauntlet had been designed for combat and troop transport, not long distance recon. But when you're scrounging for anything useful, Ezra supposed, you take what you can get.
The sound of mechanics pressurizing echoed through the hold as the Ghost detached, followed closely by the booming of the rest of the ships that had been around them jumping to hyperspace. Ezra sighed, knowing that they were truly on their own now. The doors to the front seemed to loom out at him, and he knew that by walking in there before Sabine had a chance to cool off was tempting fate. He walked up to the door junction, selecting the cabin to his left as his. He didn't bother to push the button to open it, simply flicking his wrist to slide the doors apart telepathically. The lights inside flickered on, seeming to have avoided whatever damage the main systems had. He blinked at the change in lighting, allowing his eyes to focus again. He'd have to ask Chopper to fix the lights at some point.
Ezra proceeded over to the small bed in the corner, setting his old backpack down next to the head of it. He bent down on one knee to flip the lid up, setting out the various small tools he kept in it on the bedside counter. He pulled out a few more things, including a lightsaber maintenance kit that Kanan had gifted him, and extra power cells for his blaster in case he ran out of power mid-firefight. Once he reached the bottom and saw nothing else he deemed necessary to pull out, he withdrew from the bag and began closing the flap, looking up to the array of varied minor tools on the shelf. That was everything he packed, he supposed, but he heard a small metal ping as the bag closed.
The young Jedi stopped, turning his attention back to the bag and peering into the bottom. He could just barely see the glint of golden edges shining back at him, vying for his attention. He frowned, reaching for the strange object. He hadn't recalled packing this. Once the light struck it in full though, he recognized it instantly. A corner of Kanan's Jedi holocron. He felt a small smile come over his lips as he studied it in the palm of his hand. His master must have dropped it in when he hadn't been looking. Not very useful, but a token of good fortune, he assumed. It didn't have many other applications at this point.
He placed the trinket on the counter, closer to the bedside than the rest of the gear he had unpacked. Satisfied this time, he shut the bag and slid it under the bed, having no need for it to be sitting out in the middle of the floor. Again, the lights flickered as he stood. He flashed them an irritated frown. If I'm going to have to deal with that constantly, I'll fix you with my lightsaber and then use it as my light. The appliance seemed to heed his threat, returning to a steady flow of illumination in the room. Ezra nodded in approval, turning and opening the door through the Force again. He stepped out into the dark cargo hold briefly, but this time turned his attention to the door that guarded the bow of the ship. Ezra sighed. May as well get up there now, as he couldn't stall for much longer.
The doors hissed open automatically as he stepped through them, revealing the two seats that were positioned side by side at the command console. Sabine sat in the pilot's chair already, appearing to have just finished her systems check. "Power systems are a little singed," She noted, her eyes not leaving the display she was reading.
"We didn't need a readout to tell us that," Ezra replied sarcastically. The lights answered by twinkling slightly over the console. He eyed them, daring them to do it again. He had every intent to intimidate the circuitry, though he knew it was futile. He slowly sat down in the coplot chair, not averting his gaze for a moment until his eyes began to protest staying open for so long. When he eventually blinked, he gave up on the lights and spun his chair to face Sabine. "So, where do we start?" He asked hesitantly.
"You tell me. You're the one Kallus talked to," The Mandalorian said, still reading over the tech report. Ezra didn't have to be a Jedi to know that she was still not in the best of moods, so rather than antagonize her further, he turned to the droid that was working quietly in the corner.
"Chop!" He called. The rusty republic relic jumped, disconnecting from the terminal and looking over to Ezra.
"Wup!" He warbled.
"Pull up the data package Hera left us with," Ezra asked. Chopper complied, plugging into the port and spinning his manipulator. A moment later, a large display appeared from the overhead holoprojector, listing everything that Phoenix command had viewed as relevant to the issue. There were a few files, reports on missions, along with a few photos and locations that were worth note. But after giving it a once over, he could tell why they were going on this mission. The rebellion knew next to nothing about this mystery project.
"Great. Not even a starting location," He commented, earning himself an irritated glare from Sabine.
"Kallus told you nothing useful? Wow," She responded. Ezra couldn't tell if she was being serious or if she was being sarcastic.
"Well, he did mention something about the Clone Wars. We could start there," He said eventually, ignoring the provocative tone she had.
"That's something."
Again, Ezra tried to ignore the comment. He tapped his finger against his chin as he looked at the data, trying to pull the answer he was looking for from the pages. The Clone War, huh? He thought, his eyes landing on the mission report that Hera had archived over a year ago. The planet that mission had been to was Geonosis. Rebel intelligence had suggested that the Empire was building something there, and it had been quite a massive orbital construction belt. Again, the name stuck out to him. Geonosis…
"Sabine, where was the first major battle of the Clone Wars?" He asked rather pointlessly. He had only had to say it for the significance to appear back in his head.
"You don't remember? It was on Geonosis, around one of the old droid factories," She replied. Ezra nodded, looking over the data again. Geonosis was where Saw had been when they met him. Klick-Klak, the apparent sole survivor of the Geonosian xenocide, had given them a drawing of what the Empire was building there. At the time, they had thought he was drawing the poison gas containers the Empire had used. But now, when Ezra looked at it, it looked nothing like the canisters, or even the Imperial emblem.
"Project Stardust was being built over Geonosis," He realized. Sabine finally shut off her monitor and turned her attention to him, this time with a more invested energy.
"What?"
"Project Stardust is the project's codename, and unless what I'm seeing is false, it was being built over Geonosis," He repeated, scrutinizing the data further.
"That's good to know, but not very helpful. All of the construction pods were gone last time we were there," Sabine recalled. Ezra nodded in acknowledgement. She was right, the Empire wasn't around Geonosis anymore, but something still nagged in the back of his head.
"What about that droid factory that the Battle of Geonosis took place around?" He asked. Sabine had a response ready to go, but stopped herself before she said anything, tilting her head as she considered what he had said.
"That...that's…" She paused, frowning. After a moment, a considerate look came onto her face. "...that might actually work."
Ezra smiled. "Guess that tip from Kallus was worth the wait."
"Yeah, well, it hasn't paid off yet," She shot back, but the venom in her tone had receded significantly.
"So we're en route to Geonosis then?" Ezra asked, seeking to confirm the destination. Sabine nodded.
"Chopper, program the navicomputer," She commanded, and a blur of light appeared outside as the ship entered hyperspace. They both sat there for a moment, watching the twirling tunnel of light rushing by. Eventually, Sabine spoke up again. "Let's hope you're onto something, Ezra."
"I hope I am too," He replied. He knew it was a long shot, but in his past experiences, the long shots often paid off the most often.
Alright, I know A new version of chapter 1 wasn't what you guys wanted, but I feel like it was important to bring these earlier chapters up to the quality of the more recent ones. Don't worry, I will be releasing the new chapters independently of the rewrites for chapters 1-5. And for those of you who are new here, read this warning: CHAPTERS 3-5 ARE OLD AND NOT CONTINUOUS WITH THE NEW EARLY CHAPTERS. Now that that is out of the way, I hope you enjoyed the new first chapter. It was easier to crank out, because it was just an overhaul of what I had already written. I'll catch you in the next chapter, readers.(Again, 3-5 are not well written. A revision is on the way for them)