Prologue: Divided Forces
December 22.
The Constantinople left hyperspace in the orbit of Lothal, with the rest of the rebel fleet. Or what was left of it after the attack on Scarif. That Star Destroyer coming out of nowhere had not only disabled the Profundity to a point of non-recovery, but it had also split in two a Nebulon-B and annihilated a Dornean frigate, not to mention a Gallofree transport had crashed against the ISD when it came out of hyperspace in front of it.
At the very least, before jumping away, the Constantinople had detected the Tantive IV leaving the Profundity, so at least the plans were safe.
Jordan, though, had no idea what happened to his kids.
Did they get away with the ship? Did they try to get the plans on the wreckage of the Profundity and died there?
The simple thought was unbearable to him, and unbelievable. No! Ezra and Jaral were smart and strong enough to get out of there with their lives and with the plans.
But since the corvette was heading toward Tatooine and was hunted by possibly the entire Imperial Navy, the ship would have to keep radio silence. Even if Jinx encrypted it, there was still the risk that the transmission would be intercepted.
The kids still had 4 of the 6 processors of the AI, but since they were on the other side of the galaxy, Jinx couldn't tell what they were doing.
Technically, after that amount of time, they should have been able to reach Tatooine, already, but then again, caution might have forced them to make more jumps to try to make lose their tracks.
"Captain." First Officer Raniza called him from her post on the CIC. "The flight control on Lothal has granted us permission to land at the Capital."
"Copy that." Jordan replied. "Prepare Captain Andor and Jyn Erso for a transfer at the hospital, I'll accompany them myself."
"Yes, sir." the Asari dutifully replied and turned to look at her terminal, before remembering to say something. "And, Captain? I'm sure Ezra and Jaral are fine."
Jordan nodded. "Thank you, Raniza." he said.
Giving another look at the sensors, he noticed that the Ghost and the Silver Bullet were flying around the Constantinople to hail them and Jordan asked Salazar to open a channel in his cabin. The Legionnaire took the lift and entered his lodgings, then headed to the terminal and the video feed of the crews of the two fighters appeared.
"Jordan, any news?" Hera asked worried, which wasn't good, considering that she was to be soon transferred in the maternity of the hospital as soon as they touched down.
"Nothing." the man replied. "But they can take care of themselves, I won't lose hope."
The rest of the group seemed to agree with the statement, though they couldn't help but be worried, especially Sabine and Darvos.
"We also got other problems." Kallus cautiously pointed out. "Forget the fact that Jaral is our Supreme Commander, but we also lost Raddus. We need to find out who his successor will be."
"He's right." Darvos agreed. "The line of succession established by Jaral is clear, luckily. With Raddus gone, the command of our Navy will be passed to Vice-Admiral Ackbar."
"Ok, we'll leave it to you to notify him, Darvos."
"Copy that. We also need to notify Ezra's battalion that they will need to do without him, for now."
"Don't worry." Rex said from the Ghost's cockpit. "I'll keep them in line until the General is back."
"Perfect. I'm leaving Cassian and Jyn to the hospital in the Capital, then they will be able to rejoin to Rebellion on Mon Cala. I'm sure she wants to see her father, again."
"We'll give them a ride, if the need arise." Hera added.
"No, Hera, you are going to the hospital as well and you're not leaving it until you give birth. My daughter was very clear about it." Jordan said in an irremovable tone.
Hera wanted to protest, but then her head started to spin a little.
"All right, all right. I will." she conceded.
"Good." Jordan concluded before assuming a firm posture. He could see that the crew was very much discouraged from the sudden disappearance and the uncertain fate of the siblings.
"Listen, guys, Ezra and Jaral have gotten out of way more tricky situations and, most importantly, they have each other.
"They will come back with the plans and they will find a way to destroy the Death Star, and I believe it with my life."
The others looked through the screen, seemingly finding those words true and encouraging.
"He's right." Sabine agreed. "And when they will return, we have to make sure that everything will be in perfect order. So let's focus on what we can do now."
"Well said." Zeb agreed.
Even Chopper and Raze beeped some bold statements, which made a satisfied smirk appearing on Jordan's face.
"Good. See you down on Lothal, guys." Jordan said before closing the transmission and heading down to Deck 3.
He reached the infirmary, where he found the two rebel survivors of Scarif. Cassian was laying on one of the beds with a medical corset on the abdomen and a rod to support his right leg.
Jyn, too had suffered some minor injuries, but the medi-gel seemed to have been enough to heal her, and now she was sitting on the edge of Cassian's bed, at his feet. The two were chatting in a relaxed way when Jordan walked in.
"Captain Bridger." Cassian said respectfully, but he didn't have the strength to raise and make the salute.
"Greetings, Captain Andor...Doc, how are they?" he asked to doctor Lexi T'Perro, the Asari at the head of the medical staff of the Constantinople.
"Nothing too bad. Captain Andor has took quite the fall down in the archives, but he'll be up and running in less than a week. Miss Erso is already operative."
"Good to know." Jordan replied before turning toward his guests. "We're heading for Lothal Capital. The hospital will surely be more suitable for you, Captain, then you will easily find an Alliance transport for Mon Cala and rejoin the Intelligence." he explained.
"Understood. And thanks for getting us out of there, Bridger." Cassian said with a grateful and joyful tone.
"Come on, what are friends for, otherwise?" Jordan replied with a smirk.
"In my previous experiences, 'friends' usually left you when things go bad." Jyn commented with a half-joke. "So thank you, Captain Bridger."
"Welcome home, Jyn Erso." Jordan concluded with a two-fingers salute, then left the infirmary and headed back to Deck 2, preparing for the imminent docking at the spaceport.
"Bring him to Yellow." Mira instructed the paramedics after making a quick triage of another rebel crewman brought before her. The guy had a horrible burn on the right side of his forefront, and he risked his eye being removed with the surgery.
Still, despite that, the guy was still boasting how much they had hurt the Empire on Scarif.
Mira had been informed the day before, through a mail from Jordan, what the Rebellion had just done, but he had also been sincere about the fact that Ezra and Jaral, her children, had gone radio silent and there was no telling where or how they were.
The Doctor didn't let this hamper her work. The hospital relied on her supervision after all, but she hoped she wasn't going to see her husband, or a member of the Ghost crew enter as a patient.
Which eventually happened, but not for the reasons she feared.
Jordan suddenly walked from the entrance of the ER helping a man and a woman walk, presumably other rebel soldiers. Right behind him, Sabine and Kallus were accompanying Hera, who finally had agreed going into maternity.
When she saw her husband, Mira's heart couldn't hold back a small sparkle of joy. He had only managed to visit her once in the last few months.
She quickly walked in front of him and the patients he was carrying.
"Hi, Jordan." she said with a hint of happiness that she was trying to contain to keep up a professional image. "What do we got here?"
"Oh, mostly broken bones for my friends, here, but Lexi said they will be up and running soon." Jordan replied as he helped the two of them sit on two chairs.
"Good." Mira said before turning toward one of the nurses. "Mei, put them in, please."
"Yes, Doctor." the nurse answered and got to work.
Mira used the opportunity to go check up on Hera, and frowning slightly at her.
"You went to Scarif, didn't you?" Mira asked with her hands on her hips, unmistakably angry.
"I don't regret anything." was Hera's defense.
"Let's just hope it didn't compromise the baby." Mira said severely. "Sabine, let's get her to my studio."
The two accompanied the pregnant Twi'lek to the room, so that Mira could make a scanning of the belly and a quick sonogram, then she breathed a sigh of relief.
"Ok. He's fine, but we better make some administration to reduce the stress. Just to let you know: you are staying in the hospital until I say otherwise, even if I have to come and get you personally if you try to run." Mira admonished.
Unwilling to object, Hera conceded. "Yes, ma'am."
"Splendid. Sabine, stay with her, I'll send you the nurses in a moment."
"Don't worry, Mira. And thanks." her daughter-in-law replied.
With that said and done, the doctor went back to the triage and asked two nurses to go accompany Hera, while she stood there as she saw her husband deep in thought. She didn't need some kind of power to know what he was thinking about.
She approached him and put a hand on his arm, which was always a peculiar show, because Jordan was three times Mira in all dimensions, and yet she seemed to be the stronger one.
"They will be fine, dear, I'm sure of it." she whispered.
Jordan made a slight nod. "I know. But I wish I was there with them. Or that they could send a message and just tell they're ok." he commented.
Mira slid a hand into one of her husband's. "Me too, but they wouldn't want us to be worried all the time."
"No, they wouldn't."
"So let's focus on what we can do at the moment, ok?" she concluded with a reassuring smile.
Jordan hugged his wife. "All right, I have to report to the Admiral, but I'll make a stop back home, tonight, I promise."
"I'll be waiting." Mira reassured him, then Jordan walked out of the hospital.
And just at that moment, Sabine came out of the corridors where Mira's studio was. The mother of the Bridger siblings turned toward her daughter-in-law.
"Everything all right?" she asked.
"Yeah, Hera seems to have calmed down. Hopefully she won't try anything stupid." Sabine replied, trying to sound witty, but she couldn't hide a hint of anxiousness.
Mira, though, didn't need to ask her anything. She simply hummed as she kept staring at her and crossed her arms in front of her in a listening attitude.
Sabine thus sighed. "I'm hating this. My own husband is out Manda knows where and I'm here playing the nurse." she suddenly lamented.
"You know how much Ezra cares for Kanan's son, right? You really think that, just because you're not out there blasting imperials, you're doing a lesser job?" Mira patiently asked.
Sabine hesitated. She realized that, if she said 'yes', she would be indirectly diminish Mira herself and her daily work at the hospital, which would've been extremely rude and, ultimately, a lie. The young mandalorian girl tapped her index fingertips against each other a few times, stammering to find an answer.
"N...No...I didn't mean...I just…" she shook her heads quite violently and grunted. "It's just that I can't accept the fact he's facing a mortal danger and I can't be there to help him." she declared at the end. Her shoulders slumped in discouragement.
Still, Mira kindly put a hand around Sabine's arms and calmly spoke.
"Look, I'm not a soldier, so I'm not sure I can understand exactly what's on your mind, but I want you to remember that I know that feeling very well. Since we retook Lothal, I've seen my family for a very short time, and all days I'm here, just hoping that the next message about them will be because they call me, or send a mail. And hoping that I'm not going to be contacted by the Alliance to tell me that something happened to them."
Sabine turned her head toward her mother-in-law, with an expression clearly indicating that she was finding that speech very relatable.
"But you know how I manage to keep working on without getting depressed?"
Sabine mildly shook her head.
"Because I know that they want me to be safe, and when they'll come back, I'll make sure they find everything in order and feel finally back home."
The mandalorian girl suddenly smirked, seemingly reinvigorated by that perspective.
"You're right. Let's take care of the home-front. For Ezra and Jaral." Sabine declared.
Mira smiled at her. "Good girl. If you stay on Lothal for a while, I'm sure Hera could use some company."
"I'll arrange with Moreena so there is always one of us to take care of her."
"Marvelous. But before that, I say we dine together this evening. We'll raise a glass for Jaral and Ezra."
"Sounds like a plan. I'll take care of it." Sabine declared before walking out with new energy.
Satisfied with that, Mira went back to her work.
"So you had me rush away from the campaign I had planned for months...leave my men behind...let the enemy escape...just to ask for my opinion?!" Iulius hissed, barely able to control the anger and frustration he was feeling for the man in front of him.
"Now, now, Grand Admiral, you will be able to direct your campaign from here, for the time being." Tarkin said with nonchalance.
As they both stood in the main control room of the Death Star, Iulius really had to call in all of his patience in order not to go mad.
He believed he had gotten used to the whims of the highest echelons of the Empire, but he started to realize he probably felt that way because he hadn't been in command when that happened. Usually it was his father, or Thrawn, that was forced to change assignment because some big shot had decided to mess with their timetable.
Now, Iulius was light-years away from his fleet, which by the way was still stuck on Columex, because Admiral Versio wasn't sure how Iulius would have liked to proceed, since they had known each other for a few weeks.
Qathora gave him a glare strong enough to convince him to suppress his anger, since it wasn't a good idea to yell at the closest cooperator of the Emperor.
"That said, I do recognize that I have given you a hard time, and that your service to the Empire could certainly be much more effective on the frontline." Tarkin kept going. "However, fret not, Grand Admiral. Once we will show the power of this battle-station to the universe, the Federation will surely sue for peace and the Rebellion will melt away."
"If you say so, Governor." Iulius unenthusiastically replied.
He didn't believe in that statement in the slightest. Tarkin was so convinced that fear was a sufficient tool to keep the galaxy in line, yet, the Empire had tried that strategy for 20 years, with the result that, as soon as an organized Rebellion was born, countless disgruntled systems and species flocked to that banner, putting the Empire in a dire situation.
Still, in the hopes of being allowed to leave and get back to work from the staff room of the station, Iulius sighed and recomposed himself.
"So, what did you want to ask me?"
"Ah, yes. If you would…" Tarkin said as he indicated the galaxy map.
The two approached the table, while Qathora waited at a respectful distance.
"While Lord Vader had managed to disable and board the rebel flagship, it appears like a smaller vessel has managed to acquire the Death Star's plans and escape."
"Yes, I read the report." Iulius commented in a biting voice.
Tarkin pretended he didn't hear that. "The rebel ships leaving the battle all tried to take the Triellus Trade Route toward Hutt Space, but this small corvette went the opposite direction, even if they would have had the chance to follow the rest of the fleet.
"So tell me, Grand Admiral Tanis, what is your opinion about this?"
Iulius' frustration suddenly reduced. That question made a lot of sense. While he still believed that Tarkin could simply call and ask without forcing him to abandon his campaign, the fact that he was being asked an objectively important question subsided his irritation and the pragmatic Grand Admiral entered in his strategic mindset.
After a quick analysis of the routes of the sector nearing Scarif and the detected route of the fugitive CR90, Iulius shared his conclusions.
"I can't tell what they're looking for in this sector, but they've been on the run for two days and they are going to need to head for one of their worlds, perhaps Ryloth or who knows where.
"One thing is for sure: they will have to pass through here."
He pointed a finger at one planet on the hologram, which sat exactly at the intersection between the Triellus Route and the Old Corellian Run.
"Tatooine, uh?" Tarkin asked. "Your logic makes sense, Grand Admiral. I'll inform Lord Vader to lay an ambush for the rebels."
"Good. Anything else?" Iulius asked.
"No, I thank you, young Tanis. However, I would like to invite you to reside on the station for the next few rotations. For when we will make the ultimate test for the weapon."
Iulius wasn't sure if he was looking forward to that, but he still replied cordially. "As you wish. Now, if you don't need me anymore, I will take my leave."
"Of course. Oh, if I can make a suggestion," Tarkin added while he headed toward one of the operators in the room. "pay a visit to the entertainments we offer the troops. I'm sure even you could use some brief distraction."
Iulius was a bit surprised by such words of regard. Then again, he thought Tarkin was just trying to entice him to stay on the Death Star with the prospect of a comfortable life.
"I'll consider it. See you around, Governor." the Grand Admiral concluded before turning away and walking outside of the room, followed by his loyal Togruta assistant.
"Come to think of it," he added once he and Qathora were alone. "I might use a drink before I get back to work."
One could say that life on the Death Star was really a huge step forward for Imperial personnel. There were pubs, gyms...not to mention it was so big that most of the inhabitants could even get a single room. Only the stormtroopers still had to stay in barracks, as it was a necessity of their job.
All in all, Iulius had been honestly surprised that the Empire had considered the well-being of the station's occupants when building it.
The Grand Admiral, though, couldn't help but think about the events of the last few days he had been updated on.
While he was preparing his campaign, and even managed to inflict a humiliating defeat to the Coalition, the Rebels had kidnapped Galen Erso, the head-designer of the Death Star. The fact that Erso was being coerced into building this station, Iulius thought, should have already meant that he could not be trusted.
Even with the plans, what could the Rebels hope to do? Unless Galen had placed a weak point into the station...then all this work would've been for nothing.
He hadn't voiced this doubts with Tarkin, mostly because he believed that the Gran Moff was smart enough to conclude that on his own. Yet, Tarkin was also being extremely cocky about the Death Star. Was he really thinking this station was invincible?
He ignored that. He already believed that the Death Star was a white elephant: it would never scare the rebels enough to surrender, especially because there were two Jedi to lead them.
The Bridger siblings had already managed to force Thrawn to surrender, for Emperor's sake! There were systems that joined the Rebellion just because they were Jedi, worshiped by some peoples as gods.
How could Tarkin think that the Rebels would be cowered by a single weapon when their leaders inspired such a radiant beam of hope in their hearts? Not to mention, they apparently held their own against Vader during the battle over Scarif, and Iulius knew firsthand the tactical and strategic prowess of Ezra and Jaral Bridger.
With those thoughts in his mind, Iulius stepped into the bar, which was filled with many soldiers, from the regular stormtrooper to even a couple Admirals.
Near the door were a couple of tables fully occupied, but as one junior officer saw him step in he immediately jumped on his feet and screamed with all his lungs.
"Grand Admiral on deck!"
A clattering followed as people put down their glasses, or forks or whatever they had in their hands to stand at attention and salute him quite abruptly.
Iulius was quite surprised, but then he waved a hand and spoke in a relaxed tone.
"At ease, gentlemen. You're here to have some deserved time off."
Most of the people returned to mind their own business, though many of the young officers and soldiers kept looking at him with a mixture of admiration and curiosity.
Iulius' attention instead quickly shifted to a young Lieutenant with an unmistakable thin braid of his black hair coming down from the right temple. His Navigation Officer, Nash Windrider, who was mingling with a group of servicemen and women of the Death Star, among which Iulius also spotted one of the cadets he had considered recruiting for his fleet, but were instead redirected to the battle-station.
The Grand Admiral approached them, still followed by Qathora.
"Lieutenant. Enjoying your staying?" he asked cordially.
"Sure thing sir, I was just narrating how we destroyed the enemy at Columex." Nash answered jovially as he indicated the group of people around him.
Iulius gave a gentle smile to everybody, then saluted the only one he already knew.
"Nice to see you again, Lieutenant Edivon."
Probably not expecting that her idol remembered her name, the young officer blushed furiously and stammered for the joy. "T...Thanks...s-Sir." she said as the others snickered.
"So if you two are here, I suppose Lieutenants Ree and Kyrell are around here as well?" Iulius asked to both.
Nash answered with a knowing smirk. "Oh they went for somewhere more...secluded."
Iulius lightly huffed in amusement. "I see. Well, Tarkin wants me to stick around for a while, so the Admonitor will as well. Inform Commander Krybos if you see him before me, please."
"Yes, sir." Nash dutifully replied.
"And try not to embarrass yourself." Iulius concluded with a quip as he walked toward the interior of the room.
"Yes, sir." Nash replied with a chuckle that was accompanied by the comments of the rest of the group.
But barely had he got away, that another familiar voice had him stop and turn around.
"Hey, big boss!"
Iulius quickly spotted his old friend Treye, the man who led the ground forces during the expedition on Carunoia.
"Enton!" he exclaimed, unable to maintain a stoic attitude.
The two laughed and vigorously exchanged a handshake and a half-hug.
"I thought you were reassigned to Corellia." Iulius commented.
Treye shrugged. "Sorry if I lied, but this place isn't supposed to exist, yet, so…"
Iulius shook his head. "No, you're right. It's no problem."
Treye then made a gentlemanly bow to the Togruta next to them. "Lady Qathora. Charming as ever."
Shaking her head slightly at the flattering, but with a gentle smile, she returned the greeting. "Glad to see you alive and well, Major...or did they promote you?"
"Being here is already a promotion, I dare say." then he waved his hand toward the counter. "Come on, let me offer you one."
"Oh, there's no need…" Iulius tried to oppose, but his friend was much more willful.
"Come on, you're saving the Empire. This is the least you deserve."
Iulius shrugged and followed his old friend to the counter. Here, Treye offered both Iulius and Qathora a drink. The two men talked briefly about the recent battle at Columex, Iulius lamented how he could've used Treye for the ground battle, and the Major, in turn, complained about the fact that the Death Star was comfortable, but really lacking any action.
After that, it was time for the Grand Admiral to head for the Staff room and be allowed to contact his fleet to continue the campaign. The two men said goodbye and promised to see each other in the following days.
After two days with their instincts poking at their brains, the siblings just needed to speak with Leia. There had to be a reason why the Force seemed to point them always in her direction.
They still didn't understand why: they had met her two times before, and they never felt anything from her. Then again, at the time they were way less connected to the Force and the few hours they spent around her were very busy ones.
Luckily, Leia seemed willing to talk with them. She didn't have any problem when the siblings asked to talk in private. Perhaps she, too, needed something to distract herself from the uncertainty of their situation while the Tantive IV navigated into hyperspace, approaching Tatooine.
"I'm sorry if we disturb you, Leia." Ezra started with an apology.
"No problem at all, friends. If anything this conversation will help us spend some time." Leia answered in a comfortable tone.
The siblings looked at each other. They decided that Jaral would try to approach the sensitive matter.
"Leia...forgive me if I sound rude, but I understand, by asking around, that your father...well, is not your biological father. Is that right?"
Leia didn't seem disturbed in the slightest. "Yes, it's not exactly a secret but we don't just go tell that to everybody."
Jaral made a careful nod. "Right...do you know anything...about your real parents? Were you ever told who you were?"
Leia thought for a moment, but shook her head. "No. I know that my mother died in childbirth, but I don't know nothing about my biological father."
"Are you sure?" Ezra asked out of the blue.
Leia watched with confusion.
"If you really...really look into your memory...does nothing come to you?" he patiently explained.
The princess thought for a few more seconds.
"I…"
The alarm suddenly blared.
"We are under attack! All hands to battle stations!" the voice of Captain Antilles resonated through the intercom.
Without commenting, the three young people looked at each other and then started running out of the room. The siblings materialized their armors and they all reached the command room in no time.
"Captain, what's happening?" Leia asked calmly.
"A Star Destroyer appeared right behind us, and there were other three already waiting for us." the officer reported.
"Karabast." Ezra mumbled. "What are our options?"
"Against four Star Destroyers?" Antilles said by shaking his head. "No one."
"Jinx?" Jaral asked toward her omni-tool and the AI appeared in his small holographic form.
"I doubt I can turn the tables in any way." the construct said. "I might jam their sensors, but I can't hide this ship for a prolonged time."
"There must be something we can do. Anything." Ezra insisted.
"There is." Antilles sentenced while the sensors warned that the Star Destroyer was getting in range of its turbolasers. "You two take the Princess, the two droids with the plans and get down to the planet with an escape pod. We'll keep the Imperials occupied as long as we can."
The siblings stayed silent. It was Leia who spoke first.
"I agree. But I will stay here. You two will move way faster with just the droids."
Ezra immediately countered. "No way. You're too important for the Rebellion, and you're our friend."
"Ezra, please." Leia pleaded. "The Imperials wouldn't dare to hurt me. Not yet, at least. And I must at least try to negotiate for my crew."
"Maybe you're not aware, but the one chasing us is none other than Vader!" Ezra insisted, but then his sister's voice spoke in his mind.
"Ezra, let's do as she says." Jaral calmly said.
The young man turned the helmet toward his sister. "What?! Are you mad?!"
"I don't know why...but I feel that this is how things must go."
Ezra found himself unable to protest. The conviction in Jaral's heart was incredibly serene, despite the situation. And it wasn't the first time that Jaral's connection to the Force had suggested her to take what seemed like very illogical actions, so that they could triumph down the line.
And in the nanosecond it took for the siblings to elaborate this dialogue, Ezra had just finished his exclamation and Leia calmly replied.
"Even he cannot kill me. It wouldn't fare well in the Senate. Trust me, I'll be fine." she insisted.
"Then what about the message for Master Kenobi?" Jaral asked as the first hits shook the ship.
Leia didn't falter.
"Follow me." she invited them.
While the security personnel of the blockade runner scrambled around, Leia guided the siblings toward the maintenance hallways of the ship, and near the escape pods. Then she took her comlink.
"C3-PO. Come to the maintenance section with R2."
"Yes, Madam Leia."