Chapter 31: Breaking Out
"Very well." said Ezra after Riccardi finished explaining his plan, then took his comlink. "Han, I'm gonna need a transport soon. Keep the Falcon in the hangar."
"Oh...as you ask, General." Han replied a bit annoyed at the idea of waiting around.
"Captain, I'm leaving the command of the Task Force to you. I'll wait for your signal to launch."
"Good luck, sir." Riccardi said before making the salute, quickly imitated by Kherat and Belisarius.
Ezra returned the gesture and finally materialized his armor. As he started walking out of the bridge, he heard Riccardi ordering the entire squadron to get into the nebula's open trail, with the Amerigo leading the way.
Looking just outside of the shield ray of the hangar, the inside of the nebula showed all its menacing features: electric storms which bolts could be seen even if they were thousands of km away; stellar winds coming from brown dwarfs and other failing stars. There were asteroids being whirled around with incredible speed, though they were so small that even the frigates could take one without much damage to their barriers.
Pretty much, everybody in the hangar was tense because it was clear they were going to fight three Star Destroyers with their TIE contingents inside that treacherous environment. All pilots, both federal and republican, were inside their cockpits, waiting to lower the glasses and ignite the engines.
Then the alarm suddenly blared and the red lights started flashing.
"Attention. Three Star Destroyers in front of us. All hands to battle stations." the voice of Riccardi resonated through the speakers.
In the blink of an eye, the fighters started warming up, including Luke and Red Squadron. Meanwhile, three engineers approached Ezra with one of the aces up to Riccardi's sleeve: a small power generator turned into an EMP bomb, to be loaded upon the Falcon and dropped on the bridge of the Destroyer that the Captain would signal in due time.
"Hey, hold on a second, the Falcon is no bomber!" Han protested.
"A Pelican is the only thing that can carry it and it would be too vulnerable." Ezra patiently explained. "The Falcon is faster, has shields and two turrets that can turn in any direction, so we're using it. This is not up to debate, Commander Solo."
"You heard him, Han. Get aboard and stop complaining." Leia butted in.
Han realized that Ezra was right anyway, so he could only grunt as he walked up the access gangplank. Ezra was about to follow when a voice called up to him.
"General Bridger."
He turned around, spotting Master Gozo coming his way with her suit on.
"I need to follow you on this task."
"Why is that?"
"I have experience with this kind of device. Besides, to enact the plan of the Captain, you might need another Force user."
"Can't argue with that. Come on."
As the fighters lifted in the air and reached the outer space, the engineers attached the bomb on the rear magnetic clamps of the Falcon while Ezra and Gozo reached the cockpit.
"Let me guess…" Han said as he checked the controls. "The Captain wants us to drop that thing on the closest Star Destroyer."
"And then the Amerigo will blow up its bridge with a shot of the main cannon." Ezra concluded with an obvious tone. "And we get out of here before the imperials can react."
"Yeah, you keep telling yourself that, kid."
"Han, he's your superior!" Leia recalled him.
"Oh come on, it's just a friendly term." the smuggler defended himself.
"I don't care how you call me, as long as you remember who's in charge." Ezra cut short. "Now power up those turrets. Leia, Master Gozo, you're up." he added pointing a thumb toward the stairs for the two turrets.
The psionic and the princess obeyed, climbing the ladders to reach the dorsal and belly turrets respectively. Outside of the hangar, Ezra could spot the first lasers flying around and missiles being launched from the Amerigo. Two frigates of Magellan, the Thessaloniki and the Antioch took position to protect the port side of the main cruiser and the Jedi saw them maneuvering nimbly to intercept the TIE Fighters and Interceptors coming their way, helping the Tridents and Verrixes in the defense. The New Republic fighters were already trying to carve themselves a way through the main line of imperial fighters.
Ezra could listen to the main frequency of the republican fighters, but it was a ceaseless chattering that didn't help him much in understanding the situation outside. However it did make him hear when some of their pilots were shot down.
But after a few minutes of waiting, the bridge contacted them.
"Falcon, your path is cleared. Get airborne and attack the Star Destroyer on the right."
"This is the Falcon, acknowledged." Han replied in an adequate tone. "Chewie, raise the deflectors."
The Wookiee replied positively while Han brought the freighter in the air and out into space, carefully maneuvering in order not to shake the bomb too much. Ezra instead focused on the ISD in front of them and indeed noticed that the Destroyer on their right was moving forward, clearly breaking formation and looking for 1v1 against the Amerigo. The Jedi didn't need else to understand that it was the ship of Chimbros Tanis.
"Looks like they are making our job easier, how nice." Han quipped.
"Establish an attack vector toward the bridge." Ezra calmly ordered to the pilots. "Gozo, Leia, be ready for enemy interceptors."
"Hai." answered Gozo.
"Copy that." replied Leia.
"Course set." said Han with a bit of discomfort. "Now it would be a good time to ask the Force to be on our side."
"Don't worry about that." Ezra reassured him, knowing that there was one person that would ensure the Force was going to be with them: Yoda and his Battle Meditation.
Cause, as fate would have it, the old Master had a solid grasp of this ability, which he had used during the Clone Wars on multiple occasions, though twenty years without using it had made him a bit rusty. Still, the green alien focused his connection to the Force to establish a protective aura around the Falcon and to Red Squadron once they converged to protect the freighter from imperial TIEs.
And indeed, soon Fighters and Interceptors started to swarm around them. Luke and Red Squadron had to fight tooth and nails in a furious dogfight.
Leia and Gozo managed to keep away all the TIEs that managed to slip past Red Squadron, and despite heavy fire coming from the Unfeeling, the Falcon managed to keep its course and headed straight against the bridge of the Star Destroyer.
"Bridger to Amerigo, get ready for your opportunity." Ezra announced from the comlink of his helmet.
"Understood. Main cannon charging." the voice of the weapon officer replied.
As lasers and explosions surrounded the ship, Han kept a cool head that was very uncommon for him, as he clearly understood that he couldn't afford to miss.
"Get ready, Chewie." he ordered as he started to make the parable.
The Wookie extended a hand toward the switch to release the cargo. To do this maneuver in the void of space, Han needed to bring the ship in a position where the bomb would then be propelled toward the Star Destroyer when it would be released. As such, the Falcon first dived slightly toward the first of the three layers of superstructure beneath the bridge, then veered up.
"Fire away!"
Chewbacca pushed the switch and the bomb was released. Ezra extended a hand and closed his eyes, figuring the device in his mind as it wandered into the void. Easily getting a solid grasp of it, the Jedi Knight accelerated the bomb, which then impacted against the bridge of the ISD just a couple of seconds later, leaving the ship little to no time to react. An electric explosion released a discharge that quickly fizzled on the hull of the Unfeeling, frying every possible system on the ship, especially the shields.
"Impact confirmed. All units clear the area around the Unfeeling." Ezra ordered into the comlink.
Free of its delicate cargo, the Falcon sped away along with the republican fighters while the Amerigo aligned its bow, and its main cannon, toward the bridge of the ISD. And as soon as Kolt had confirmed the firing solution, the gunner pulled the trigger.
A huge flash came out from the barrel of the gun. Barely a blink later, the bridge of the Unfeeling erupted in a ball of fire.
"Nice shot, Amerigo." Ezra commented in the comlink.
"Thank you, sir. The Unfeeling is drifting away, we're preparing to…"
An explosion suddenly hit the central section of the Amerigo. Ezra looked on his right and saw that the Devastator had maneuvered on the flank of the cruiser with incredible speed, but after seeing the Amerigo halt in her tracks, the ISD also stopped firing at her, instead aiming at the frigates.
"Captain, report!" Ezra immediately asked.
"Engines 4 and 8 are knocked out. Speed down to 60%. We're sitting ducks, in this situation." Riccardi replied.
Chewie then roared that there were imperial shuttles departing from the Devastator.
"Captain, you got boarding parties incoming."
"Understood, going high alert."
"Han, get me back in the hangar, then get back out here to help the fighters."
The smuggler nodded and pushed the throttle toward the hangar.
"We're reaching Coruscant, Lord-Protector." the navigator of the shuttle announced.
Sitting with Thrawn and Qathora in the passenger bay, Iulius was a bit nervous over what was going to happen. The Togruta next to him saw right through that and slipped a hand into one of his.
"Relax. You got nothing to be afraid of."
Iulius made a faint nod, and just a few moments later, he heard a rumble of voices coming from outside, even overcoming the sound of the engines. Curious, he stood up and reached the cockpit, and was staggered by the show.
As his Lambda cut through the skies over Core Square, over every surface of the area there were swarms of people waving hands, imperial flags and small objects. Even at that distance, it wasn't impossible to hear them chanting his name enthusiastically. The landing pad next to the Imperial Palace had to be enclosed by the police, as otherwise it would've been impossible for the shuttle to land, given the huge mass of people.
"See?" Qathora said with a smile. "Nothing at all."
He silently huffed, then looked at his mentor. Thrawn didn't try to hide a proud smile, even if his browbones gave him his composed expression. The Chiss nodded slowly to him, confirming that Iulius had deserved such a triumphal return.
The Lord-Protector then went to the ramp in front of the shuttle, followed by the two blue aliens, and pushed the button to open it. After the cooling gas was ejected outside, the slab of metal lowered and the sound of the voices now invested the Grand Admiral with its full might.
Iulius stepped outside only to be showered by an enthusiastic chorus.
"Iulius! Iulius! Iulius!…" relentlessly repeating it.
Deciding to indulge them, he raised an arm and slowly waived his hand as he started walking down the corridor that the police had opened for him toward the palace, followed by Qathora and Thrawn who kept a couple meters away behind him to give him his deserved spotlight.
Some journalists of the HoloNet, with their camera-droids hovering and pointing at him announced him to the spectators as the 'Hero of Lantillies' or the 'Guardian of the Empire'. Then asked him to make a quick comment. Iulius simply thanked the people of Coruscant for the warm welcome, but also used the chance to remind the people that the war was not over, and that everybody still had to do their part to ensure the final victory. Satisfied with the way he said those words, the journalists allowed him to go on undisturbed as they turned toward the spectators again.
Once again, he was also greeted by a group of the crimson guards waiting for him on the walkway in front of the main entrance. They raised their pikes as he passed, then he reached Mas Amedda, who quickly escorted him and Thrawn in front of the elevator to the throne room, while Qathora was instructed to wait.
Finally, they were both allowed into the chamber. They both climbed the stairs to the throne, where Palpatine was waiting with the back of his throne toward them, as he was watching at the huge window behind him.
The two Grand Admirals then bowed and Iulius greeted. "Your Majesty."
"Lord-Protector." Palpatine voice croaked as he stayed with his back toward them. "I'm delighted to see that you upheld my expectations for you."
"Thank you, My Lord." Iulius humbly replied, though he didn't miss a slight tone of annoyance in the Emperor's voice.
"Now, then…" the Emperor said, now making his throne turn around silently, and as he stopped to face them, his eyes stopped upon Thrawn. "What reason can you give me so I do not send you back to Wild Space. Mitth'raw'nuruodo?" he concluded with poison in his voice.
Iulius' eyes turned toward his mentor. Waiting for his answer to that question which seemed already a death sentence from the Emperor.
"I have no excuse for my failure." Thrawn replied. "The Bridgers simply outwitted me and I fell for their trap. However, I come back now bearing you a unique gift."
"Really?" Palpatine replied sarcastically. "And what would this gift be?"
"Knowledge." the Chiss coldly replied. "I spent these last few months studying the history of the Federation. Their species and cultures. Their technology and the evolution of their art of war."
Iulius already knew all of that (after all they had spent the last few days talking most of the time), but he didn't expect for Palpatine to seriously consider that intel for his indulgence, but the Emperor hummed in thought for a few seconds.
"Knowing you, I'm certain you're not lying about it. And sadly, I can't afford to waste your talents at this critical juncture. Very well, Mitth'raw'nuruodo. You will retain your rank, but you will operate under the supervision of the Lord-Protector, here." he concluded with a small waive of his hand toward Iulius.
Thrawn made a bow with his upper body. "I thank you for your generosity."
Palpatine then joined the tip of his fingers together and spoke to Iulius in a calmer attitude.
"Now, Lord-Protector, I know that Moff Gideon has already contacted you and explained you about the new threat we are facing from Wild Space. Tell me: what do you think of our situation?"
Iulius calmly started to explain his perspective. "Let's assume, for a moment, that there is no threat from Wild Space. After the losses we suffered in our last offensive, we're in no position to retake the Outer Rim in a short time.
"So, if we add this new menace, then the situation gets...delicate."
"Explain."
"We don't even know who is attacking our colonies. If it is another race of slaves of the Grysks like the Yavzakhs, then I can take the 101st and deal with it quickly. But if they are a vanguard of a larger invasion, then we are going to need to split our forces, something that we can't afford. Not until we give our fleet the time to rebuild the losses and hold the line against the enemy."
Palpatine hummed.
"I sense a great disturbance in the Force. This new enemy might be as dangerous as the rebels, if not more. For now, defend what we still have and assess its strength, the two of you. Then I'll make my decision."
The Grand Admirals bowed. "As you command, My Lord." Iulius said obsequiously. Then both of them made three steps backward before turning around completely and leave the room. Once they were back into the elevator, Iulius commented.
"That went quite well."
"I agree." Thrawn simply replied.
"I'll see that the 7th Fleet is rebuilt as soon as possible. I think we can afford two Star Destroyers for you and Palleon, but we don't have the time to build more of them. The rest of your men will have to do with smaller frigates and cruisers...but I know it's not a problem for you."
"Not at all." Thrawn reassured. "In fact, I'm more familiar with faster formations."
"Good to hear that. But for now, once you get your fleet, I want you to head to Carunoia."
"I expected you would order me that, given my experience with the Grysks."
"Right. You'll have to tell me everything you know about them on our trip to Naboo."
"It will be my pleasure." Thrawn said in a tone that could be believed to be a quip. "And, Iulius?"
"Yes?"
"It's a pleasure working again with you." the Chiss said, taking the Lord-Protector by surprise.
Still, Iulius replied with a smirk. "Likewise, Thrawn."
The elevator reached the end of the descent and the two left, picked up Qathora and headed back to the shuttle, where there was still a consistent crowd of people willing to see the savior of the Empire up close.
The unmistakable feeling of hate and anger hit Ezra like a train as the Falcon dropped him and Gozo into Hangar 3. There were engineers and soldiers running all around, but Ezra only needed Jinx to know that the imperial shuttles were exploiting a small breach a few decks above him and they rushed there. The two stumbled first into a team of marines trying to retake a corridor, but being held back by the stormtroopers.
Immediately he ignited his lightsaber and led a counterattack that ran over the imperials.
"Sergeant, how's the situation?" he asked once they were done.
The NCO made the salute and replied sternly. "Sir. We are trying to secure the breach, but according to security, Vader is heading toward the bridge."
"Copy that." Ezra simply replied, and the Force assured him that the Sith Lord was indeed heading that way.
"I'll go help plug the gap." Gozo declared. The Jedi Knight nodded in return then headed straight for the bridge, intent on intercepting Vader.
Passing through a couple of sections damaged and with a few bodies of both sides on the floor, Ezra didn't take too long before catching up to Vader and a group of stormtroopers following him. The Sith Lord turned around calmly, as he had clearly sensed him. The stormtroopers also turned around and pointed their weapons at him.
A wave of bolts flew toward Ezra, but it took only a handful of seconds before he deflected them back toward the shooters or placed a bolt of his own pistol into their helmets. Now he assumed the defensive posture and prepared to face Vader.
"Where is Skywalker?" the Sith demanded as he pointed his crimson blade.
"A bit late to start playing father, don't you think?" Ezra mocked him behind his helmet.
Enraged, Vader extended the free hand, trying to get Ezra into a Force grip, but the Jedi easily repelled the attempt, and it didn't take long before the two crossed their blades. Mostly Vader was the one to attack, but Ezra was capable of withstanding his attack even with a certain elegance.
"You've improved." Vader commented as they locked the blades.
"I'm learning." Ezra commented back.
"Let's see how you do without this."
With unexpected speed, Vader broke the lock in a way that unbalanced Ezra for a moment, but just in that moment, the Sith Lord managed to land a blow on the Jedi's armor.
Ezra jumped back. The right shoulder was fizzling and releasing sparks. The HUD was bleeping red, signaling a catastrophic failure of the servomotors. He had no choice: he deactivated the armor and was left only with his orange outfit fighting the towering Sith Lord.
Nervousness ran through his veins, until he felt a soothing sensation caressing his mind. But it wasn't just Yoda intervening to encourage him: the voice of Jaral, who had sensed that her brother was in danger, came in to encourage him.
With his senses sharper than ever and his muscles ready to spring into action to do everything he needed to do, Ezra secured the grip on his lightsaber and defended against the following assault of Vader. The Sith Lord didn't hesitate to rip the slabs of metal of the corridor to throw them against the Jedi, but Ezra always managed to dodge them while keeping his defense up. And all the while, he drew him toward the hangar he came in from.
Vader didn't notice immediately that the marines of the Amerigo, both rebels and federals, had regrouped around Master Gozo and were pushing back their imperial counterparts. The two Force-users went on with their duel, until Vader found the time to look around and noticed that his shuttles were being blown up one by one.
"Looks like you lost." Ezra said smugly.
Vader grumbled. "Maybe this time." and then Force pushed him away with much more concentration than before. Ezra still managed to stay on his feet as his feet simply slid backward on the floor.
Then the Dark Lord jumped away and landed in front of one of the few shuttles left, ordering a retreat. The allies pushed their attack and only a handful of stormtroopers managed to get aboard before the Lambdas escaped from the hangar, rushing toward the Devastator, which was still in a position to do heavy damages to the Amerigo.
A voice came from the comlink. "This is emergency team 2, we restored energy to the damaged engines. We can leave at anytime."
"Good work. All hands, prepare for emergency jump."
Most of the federal fighters that had survived the battle outside quickly landed into the hangar. The two Star Destroyers opened fire on the Amerigo, though the shields held up while the cruiser dashed away toward the point of jump. Ezra saw the frigates of Magellan gather around, but he also saw with horror as the Thessaloniki suddenly exploded.
"Damn it! Thessaloniki, anybody copies?!" Ezra quickly said into the comlink.
"There is no signal coming, Ezra." Jinx said. "There's nothing we can do."
Even if the green turbolasers kept flying around, the allied ships started to get out of the nebula. The X-Wings and the Falcon were the first to jump, then the blue tunnel appeared around the Amerigo as well.
"This is General Bridger to Task Force Magellan. All ships report in."
"Constantinople, reporting in." the voice of Jordan said first and Ezra breathed a silent sigh of relief.
But when the roll call was finished, it was clear that also the Nicaea was gone in the middle of the chaos.
"Ezra!" the voice of Rex came from behind him.
The Jedi turned around and saw the old clone and Kallus running toward him with their combat uniforms on.
"You all right?"
"I'm fine, Rex. Though I might need a new armor." Ezra replied calmly.
"Was that...Vader?" Kallus asked baffled.
Ezra gave another look toward the outside. "Yeah...but we shook him off. And now it's time to go home." he concluded.
He ordered the two officers to help clean up and make a count of the losses while he headed toward the bridge.
"General. Good work against Vader. It was one kind of a show." Riccardi commented.
"I only did my duty, Captain. Congratulations for your plan. That's what saved our butts."
"Still...a great trial you faced, with great courage, young Bridger." Yoda spoke up as he slowly walked with his cane toward the Knight.
"Thank you, Master."
Yoda hummed in thought. "Yes. Perhaps ready you are, to train the new Jedi."
Those words reminded Ezra of the work that was waiting for him at home. A group of younglings with the ability to manipulate the Force, in search of a guiding figure, and they were going to be the base upon which a new Jedi Order was going to rise and face the Sith in a few years.
He was very much looking forward to it.