Hello, everyone!
Sorry the update is a bit late. Lots going on this week, mostly work related so hopefully that won't happen again.
This is the last chapter of the Onderon Arc. I realize, given the lack of reviews, it probably wasn't everyone's favorite plot line. But it is necessary to what will happen in future chapters. I made it a bit more canon compliant than I originally intended but it's for good reason. Luke can't alter that much yet. But, the more intriguing stuff is just around the corner, I can guarantee that.
Thank you to all for your support thus far! Reviews make me write that much faster so keep them coming!
"If I achieve such a victory again, I shall return to Epirus without any soldier. If we are victorious in one more battle with the Romans, we shall be utterly ruined."- Pyrrhus of Epirus
Chapter 9. Cost
The events at Yulan Square were a turning point for the Onderian rebels who's ranks swelled to the hundreds. Inspired by the message sent by Dendup, he insisted that the smears against his name were lies and encouraged them to rise up and take back their homeland. He called the rebels 'sons and daughters of Onderon' and with the support of the army led by General Tendin, the outlook was brighter than ever. The common law citizens began resisting the droids and multiple uprisings broke out. However, nothing was assured yet and everyone knew it. Fleeing to a mountainous stronghold in the east, they began preparing for the inevitable final battle.
A group consisting of Steela, Saw, Lux, Ahsoka, King Dendup, General Tandin, and Luke gathered to formulate a plan.
"There's rioting in the streets!" Lux told them excitedly, hopping down from the flying creature on the upper platform of their base. "They're turning against the droids."
"It's a beautiful thing," Saw said, placing a hand on the younger man's shoulder.
But Steela, ever the level headed one, tempered their expectations.
"We need to keep the battle to the outskirts of the city."
"Less structures and fewer people getting hurt."
Saw, never one to back down, disagreed.
"But less clankers. Their main force is in Iziz. We should join the fight down there and take it straight to King Rash!"
"We all want victory but not at the cost of innocent lives!" Steela argued. "If we fight door to door, no one is safe."
"This is war, Steela!"
Luke personally saw both sides of the argument. The Rebel Alliance, despite its best efforts, wasn't always able to avoid collateral damage, especially when the Empire retaliated. Sacrifice became an inevitable part of their struggle. Thankfully, King Dendup stepped in with the wisdom and experience of an older man.
"She is right," he said in his wise, gravelly tone.
"I agree also," Ahsoka added. "The more we draw the droids from the city, the safer the people will be."
"It's exactly what King Rash wants," Luke said offering his input. "Trying to capture Iziz would not only prove to be time consuming but could turn the citizenry right back against us. If a victory is won in open battle here, the Separatists won't be able to give any more resources to the fight. A guerilla war can only be fought for so long."
"Well said," Ahsoka agreed, giving a friendly nod to her counterpart. "Beating the tinnies here will likely convince Dooku that helping Rash isn't worth his time."
"My men await your command, sire," Tendin said, bowing to Dendup.
The king gave a curious smile, his blue eyes twinkling.
"I believe there is a new contender," he said, turning towards Steela. "You will lead our forces. Including the Royal Army. Steela is now the commanding general."
"A great choice."
"That's my sis!"
Luke could see that General Tendin was not entirely thrilled by this decision. But being a man of duty he honored his king's command.
"As you wish, my Lord."
Dendup's smile became that much wider as he placed a hand on the side of the young woman's shoulder.
"You and your rebels renewed my faith in myself. Now, I'm putting my faith in you."
Surprised but certainly not unhappy, Steela bowed.
"Thank you, your majesty."
Saw's comlink flashed blue, indicating that the droids had been spotted near their lines. The decisive battle had arrived.
"Time to fly. Let's go!" the new commander ordered.
Lux made like he wanted to say something to Steela but missed his chance. Despondent, he whistled over his flying beast while signaling Ahsoka to hop on. However, the brave young woman turned around, marched over and planted a long, romantic kiss on his mouth.
"Just in case," she said with a heartfelt smile.
Lux had the look of someone who was punchdrunk. Luke couldn't help but snicker underneath his hood, but not fast enough for Steela to miss it.
"Don't you say a word," she admonished.
"I didn't say anything," he replied, failing to suppress a bearded grin, putting his hands up in the air.
He caught Ahsoka's expression. Her essence radiated calm, peace, and even joy at the happiness of another. She even gave Lux a congratulatory punch on the shoulder
She'll be alright. We all will
Soon they were in full flight, ready to engage the droids below.
Two hours earlier
King Rash finally seemed to be coming to grips that he might very well be on the losing side of conflict when it was all said and done. Smoke could be seen rising from buildings and battered droid patrols down below. The hum of restlessness and anger seemed to be a permanent fixture of Iziz.
"We are losing the public," Rash bemoaned, leaning over on the stone marble rail of his palace balcony. "If they turn against us, I fear the outcome."
"Fear will bring them back," Kalani assured him.
"We must eliminate Dendup, General Tendin and the terrorists. Before the people commit to their efforts."
"General Tendin is weak. His army will not withstand the power of the Confederacy," Kalani spoke in his usual monotone. "Neither will the terrorists."
A commando droid interrupted their conversation.
"General, our scouts located the main rebel forces in the mountains to the east."
"With the rioting in the city, how can we spare the troops to attack the rebels in the mountains?" Rash asked, staggering back to his throne chair.
"Do not underestimate our means. If the rebel army falls, the citizens will lose their courage and order will be restored."
A horrid buzzing filled the palace and steadily became louder as a series of odd looking flying droids, heavily armored, saucer shaped, with glowering vulture shaped heads, appeared off the balcony. They came equipped with heavy laser cannons, twin turrets and were packed with short range missiles. Perfectly orchestrated killing machines.
Kalani spoke to them as though they were sentient.
"Your target lies in the mountains to the east. The army will follow. Leave no survivors."
The merciless Separatist EMP gunships gave a high pitched, robotic squeal to indicate they understood and soon sped off in wake of the mindless droids, marching ominously towards their quarry.
It didn't take long for the battle to commence.
The rebels stationed numerous squads aligning the route towards the mountains. General Tendin and his men stood, riding on Dalgos as the bulwark foce against the droid advance. In the meantime, Saw led a dozen men on the backs of the pterodactyl like Rudings to provide air support. Two turret guns stond on top of two rocky bluffs as a means to prevent any straggling Confederacy troops from breaking through the line.
The standard battle droids represented the frontline of the CIS followed by a column of AAT tanks, both of of which the rebellion had plenty of experience with by now.
The initial assault went well. General Tendin and his men were more than a match for the skinny, easily breakable standard B1 battle droids who provided little use other than cannon fodder. Assault squads hiding in the jungle brush made short work of the rear column filled with B2 Super Battle Droids. Saw Gerrera and his band of flying warriors flung thermal detonators and charges with gusto, severely dismantling or destroying the tanks.
For about an hour into the fight, it appeared the rebels might make short work of the slow moving, unimaginative droids. Luke and Ahsoka, bound by the Council to defense only, watched on top of a western cliff alongside Steela, who's marksmanship picked off one machine after another.
The Last Jedi carried a shred of hope that no complications would follow, that they could win the battle without any serious casualties or damage. Alas, he was no longer naive enough to believe that line of thinking. Just as it was on Hoth, Endor, and so many others, unexpected inconveniences could spring up anywhere to turn the tide. He wasn't as familiar with the Confederate military as some, but he had to be prepared for the fact that Count Dooku wouldn't give up the planet that easily.
Sure enough, he was right.
A series of rocket and missile blasts came out of nowhere, killing two of Saw's squadron and knocking out one of the turret guns. Luke quickly spotted the danger.
"Where did that come from?" Steela asked.
"From the west! Look out!"
A half dozen disk shaped Separatist gunships zoomed in, circling around the rebels like nexus preparing to pounce on their prey. Two of them veered, heading straight towards their position on the cliff. Steela and Lux attempted to shoot them, only for their shots to reveal the monstrosities were ray shielded and impervious to blaster fire.
"Any ideas?" Steela asked.
Ahsoka summed it up succinctly.
"Yeah...RUN!"
The group only just avoided the series of blasts issued by the gunships, completely collapsing the cliffside. Thankfully, Lux and Ahsoka were able to reach their Rudings. Luke easily found his, but used the Force to ensure Steela avoided an untimely death as the ground beneath her crumbled.
"Thanks!" she yelled above the din.
"Don't thank me yet. Let's live through this first!" came his reply.
Saw, however, not content to retreat without putting up a fight, witnessed how the droid gunships were decimating General Tendin's ground troops and took off after one of them. Igniting another charge, he soon discovered the same thing his sister had moments earlier, that the ray shields protected against anything weaker than a proton cannon or rocket launcher. His Ruding turned out not be so lucky, and following a crash landing he soon found himself face first in the dirt, alive by the skin of his teeth.
"Get up!"
General Tendin picked him up off the ground and onto the back of his Dalgo, galloping away from the battle.
"We must pull back to the main base within the mountainside," the General called out, announcing the retreat.
Despite not technically being commander any longer, no one bothered to argue with him. The fight for Onderon had moved beyond a fight for the planet. Now, it was survival.
In Anakin Skywalker's opinion, sometimes Obi-Wan Kenobi could be the master of the term 'understatement.
"I take it the rebels have Count Dooku's full attention."
He'd never tire of Ahsoka's bluntness. It's what made her so endearing.
"It's a full scale war!"
"The Separatists are hammering us with everything they have. We need reinforcements. Pronto! The fate of Onderon depends on it!"
Also a reason he found Luke Ahch-To so endearing. There was something radically compassionate yet cool headed about his attitude.
"Please talk to the Council," Ahsoka practically begged. "They need our help."
"Even Master Windu would be wary at this point," Obi-Wan replied. "The Council will not engage or involve the Republic in an internal affair."
An enormous boom temporarily disrupted the transmission before Ahsoka and Luke came back into view.
"The Separatists have a new gunship with a powerful ray shield. Nothing's getting past it," Ahsoka informed them.
"No weapon the rebels have thus far can penetrate it. I'm certain something as simple as a rocket launcher could do the trick," Luke added.
But as usual, Obi-Wan found a way to sidestep that as well.
"I'm sorry. They will have to find a way. Do not stay there if failure is certain. Evacuate and return to Coruscant immediately. Do you both understand?"
Luke and Ahsoka both looked as though they'd love nothing more than to disobey such an order. But both complied nonetheless.
"Yes, Master."
The transmission ended but Anakin had had just about enough of Obi-Wan's adherence to Council protocol.
"We can't just do nothing," he argued. "We have to help them."
"We will do what we can to relocate the survivors."
But the Chosen One was not having it. Typical of his nature, for better or worse, he refused to accept defeat, especially when it involved those he cared about.
"Before they lose their planet."
"We can't."
"What difference does it make? The Seps know we're involved. Ahsoka and Luke are at the complete mercy of those droids. We can't abandon them."
Obi-Wan found himself unable to argue with that point. Though he'd known Luke Ahch-To less than a month, he'd already found himself fond, even attached to the non-Jedi. And leaving Ahsoka to 'find a way' felt equally as irresponsible.
"I have full confidence in them both."
"We can't take that chance. Look...maybe I'm crazy but I know you can sense something different about Luke. He and Ahsoka work well together. And I will not leave my padawan to fend for herself without proper backup."
"Luke Ahch-To intrigues me greatly…"
"...you found him after all…"
"More like he found me, oddly enough." Obi-Wan shook his head knowing they were getting off topic. "Anakin, I want to help as much as I can. But we can't send in Republic gunships. It would defeat our purpose and now we must learn the lessons from this experiment."
Anakin's mind turned over and over again, refusing to accept his former master's defeatism. Another way could be found.
"It doesn't have to look like we're the ones helping. What if another party was involved?"
"Another party?" Obi-Wan asked skeptically. "Who in the galaxy would be running around with another batch of missiles?"
Anakin couldn't help but smile as he turned around. Even on Coruscant, in the midst of the luxury within the Jedi Temple, it was amazing how many diamonds in the rough could be missed.
"Hondo."
"Can we expect any help from the Republic?"
The question was certainly a potent one in the face of total annihilation from a well armed and equipped enemy. But Luke and Ahsoka could hardly dare to look their comrades in the eye. Especially after aiding them for this long.
"Probably not," Ahsoka admitted.
The main seven gathered once more on top of the nest. The situation looked increasingly desperate. Without the Jedi being able to legally intervene, victory appeared slim.
"It's not over yet," Steela insisted, hard steel in her voice. "Bolster our defenses on the main road. Split up into small squadrons. It will buy us time."
"The Highlands may protect us from the droids but not the gunships," Saw pointed out.
He didn't sound defeatist but fairly concerned for the first time during the conflict.
"Secure the approach. Now is the best time to make use of our training. We can do this."
Somehow her words seemed to inspire the rest, the mark of a true captain of men.
"You're truly the best leader among us," Saw finally admitted. "I couldn't be more proud of you, my sister."
"I learned from the best...big brother," Steela replied in kind. A look of admiration crossed her face as she watched him and General Tendin return to the front.
Luke took Ahsoka aside for a private chat knowing that the end might well be coming.
"We can't stay too much longer. You know that."
He was trying to be realistic. By the same token they both had invested far too much time and energy to relinquish hope now.
"I'm not going to abandon these people. No matter what Master Obi-Wan says."
"Me neither. We'll protect them as best we can."
Before either one of them could say anything more, the sound of a mid-sized transport could be heard above the battle and soon proof of such a ship entered their drop zone.
"Sounds like we have company," Ahsoka remarked. She held up her hands indicating for the rebels not to shoot. She could sense a familiar presence on that ship. One both her mentors had been involved with many times.
Multiple pirates exited the ship carrying crates of what appeared to be heavy weaponry. Luke recognized them as the men of Hondo Ohnaka, the infamous pirate he'd first met while battling Maul and his brother on Florum. Apparently he and the Republic were more closely aligned than he originally believed. It wasn't long until Hondo himself stepped down from the ramp, swag in his steps.
"Well, well. Look what we have here," he announced loudly.
"What are you doing here, Hondo?" Ahsoka asked a little too aggressively.
Luke, however, stayed his course and placed a hand on her shoulder as a means to steady the situation. Experience taught him pirates did not show up out of nowhere without very good reason. Especially an ambitious, self serving man like Hondo.
The pirate scanned his eyes up and down on the rebels in front of him, lingering a bit too long on Steela. He then turned to Luke and gave a toothy grin.
"Will you look at that? It's the hobo once more!" he said laughing heartily. "How are you, my friend? I see the Jedi gave you better robes. I hope they came cheap."
"Watch yourself, pirate," Lux admonished in an angry tone he rarely used.
"Is that any way to treat a benefactor?" Hondo replied with fake outrage.
"What do you mean?"
"You should be thanking me, child," he said to Ahsoka as though she were six in her mental capacity. "I have brought you a gift from Skywalker and Kenobi."
His men opened the crates to reveal rocket launchers. Perfect for striking back at the droid gunships.
"How did you-"
"Very expensive," Hondo mentioned, rubbing his fingers together.
"I assume they were paid for," Luke guessed accurately.
"You have a keen mind, Jedi. Handsomely, might I add. Of course-"
Blaster fire missed him by inches putting an end to their conversation permanently. A squad of Commando Droids had found them.
"Oh, will you look at the time. Well my work is done."
Hondo casually walked back to his ship and took off as though he walked on air itself leaving the rebels with the necessary firepower to win. No one asked any more questions. Steela soon shot down one of the commandos while a Ruding took care of the other two, flying high and releasing them to their doom below with its talons.
"They must have seen Hondo's ship," Steela deduced.
"It was only a patrol."
But Luke knew that when even a few of your enemies discovered where you were, many followed.
"I'm guessing the main bulk of the droid forces aren't far behind. We need to get moving," he informed them bluntly.
"Let's get these launchers down to the others. Load them up," Lux said.
"I hope these work."
"Only one way to find out," Ahsoka said, grabbing one herself. "Luke, I'll stay with Steela and Lux and protect the king. You go with Saw to the frontlines and slow their advance as best you can."
Luke did not feel one hundred percent comfortable leaving the teenage Togrutan by herself. It was not a matter of trust by this time, but personal. Despite Ahsoka outranking him he felt responsible for her survival and Force knew how Anakin and the Council would react f she died. By the same token he sensed her maturity and will to see the mission through. Despite being physically older, he tapped into the cosmic force and let go of any negative emotion.
She could do this. After all, she was a born natural.
"You got it. I'll make sure Saw doesn't get himself killed."
"Please see that you do," Steela laughed. "We'll talk about it after drinks."
Luke took one more glance at the Onderian leader before issuing some final words.
"The future is bright, young one."
Grabbing three rocket launchers, he ignited his green blade and sped off down the hill below where the outcome of his first battle of the Clone Wars awaited.
Being a Jedi, even a formerly exiled one certainly had its advantages. Though Luke still wasn't in the kind of shape expected in someone of his pedigree, he still could outrun and outjump pretty much anyone (with perhaps the exception of the sixteen year old Ahsoka). Though his frame had always been smaller than that of his father or Obi-Wan, the natural power he commanded in the Force more than made up for that fact.
He arrived in the nick of time. The Onderian forces were doing the best they could to hold off the droids, but the gunships were wreaking havoc and the ground forces moved ever closer to the edge of their frontlines.
"Please tell me you've come back to destroy those gunships!" Saw yelled as a B2 rocket crashed only fifteen in front of them, kicking up heavy dust.
"No. But these will."
Luke handed him the rocket launchers along with the necessary ammunition, which the young man took with gusto. Soon, he and a group of three had aimed their newfound weapons and fired, taking the first down in a fiery heap.
"Now that's what I'm talking about!" Saw roared as the rest of the rebels cheered. "Load up again!"
But the next volleys missed entirely. The droid gunships apparently were intelligent enough to adjust to obstacles and the two within their vicinity began taking evasive action, causing agitation among the rebels.
"These things are a lot harder than I thought to hit!" one of the rebels shouted in frustration. The man beside him toppled over from an errant droid blaster, killing him instantly.
Luke knew that the survival of the rebellion and everyone involved depended on shooting down the saucer shaped monstrosities. In the heat of battle, an idea suddenly came to him.
"Saw!" he shouted. "Fire your next shot as close as you can to the gunship. Don't worry if you miss. I'll take care of it."
Facing no other choice and trusting the Jedi to do his job, Saw didn't ask questions. He released another rocket at one of the gunships which ended up missing by a few feet. However, Luke calmed himself, opening his mind and soul to the Force and stretched out a black gloved hand. Slowly but surely, the missile turned back around and in seconds smashed a permanent hole in the BMP.
"YES!" Saw cheered. "You truly are amazing, Jedi!"
Luke, buoyed from the enthusiasm, couldn't help but give his mouth a slight uptick.
"Keep going. There are still three more left."
The next two shots from the rebels, guided by Luke once more hit their respective targets, leaving only one more left to get rid of.
"Last one's mine," Saw stated confidently. "I've got this."
True to his word, the young man fired off his last shot, penetrating the ray shield and sending the BMP gunship careening in a wild spiral towards the cliffside. It crash landed, just skimming over the bluff….a bluff that Steela and King Dendup were standing on. Within seconds the entire rocky structure began to crumble.
The king had been pushed to safety by the rebel leader. She herself was not so lucky and hung on for dear life on the cliffside. Coinciding with this, a row of B2s marched forward as a last stand of the Confederate forces fired mercilessly into the rebel lines.
Luke ignited his lightsaber and began deflecting the blasts in order to provide cover. He took a secondary glance and saw that Lux in a clumsy attempt to rescue Steela was also now desperately clinging to the rocky step. Thankfully, Ahsoka stepped in, using her powers to lift the boy back to safety. Soon, she'd do the same with the Onderion leader.
But Saw had apparently not seen the padawan engaging in the rescue and ignoring all threats to his own safety, rushed forward in a foolish attempt to save his sister.
"Steela!"
Luke, still deflecting blaster fire, knew Saw would be struck down by the cold killing machines even if he did somehow conjure the magical ability to save her.
Kriff, he's going to get himself killed
Gripping one hand on his lightsaber he deflected the oncoming blaster bolts back at the B2s, taking them down one by one. With the other, he pulled Saw out of the line of fire.
Unfortunately, he succeeded in only one action. A simple pull of Force sent Saw to the ground just as a shot missed the side of his head. But one B2 managed to get a lucky shot before being destroyed. It caught Luke in the shoulder and he fell to the ground in pain.
From the warm earth, he could only watch in horror as the figure of Steela Gerrera fell helplessly to the ground.
Victory always came at a cost. The first Death Star, the second one, the death of the Emperor, etc...they were not without consequence or casualty.
Steela Gerrera was another such casualty of war.
In the aftermath of the battle, King Rash had been found shot to death on the throne he coveted so greedily. Apparently, Count Dooku had not been interested in a prolonged armed conflict on Onderon, recognizing that he did not have the time nor resources to do so. Packing up and cutting their losses, the Separatists abandoned Iziz soon after their defeat in the mountains. Dooku may have been a ruthless Sith, but the man was not impractical. He held nothing to gain from a lost cause.
The rebellion had officially transformed into legitimacy. Tendin led the Royal Army triumphantly into Yulan Square, the same place he'd nearly been gunned down in cold blood. Dendup was reinstated as King. Crowds lined the streets to cheer their triumph and the elimination of the soulless droids. Children kicked and tossed B1 heads in the city streets for sport. Husbands and wives openly kissed from the liberation. Even Anakin and Obi-Wan had returned to witness the scene.
And yet the joyous mood was belated by the sacrifice behind it. For all those involved, Steela's death hit especially hard but none more so than her older brother.
"This has been quite a journey for our padawan," Obi-Wan reflected. They were standing to the side. A state funeral had been given to Steela post mortem and Dendup honored her as a permanent hero of Onderon. To their left, her body lay in stasis for all to see, covered by a white cloth.
"I think it's been an equally illuminating experience for Luke as well," Anakin observed. The so called 'non-Jedi' stood in between Ahsoka and Saw, a weary expression underneath his bearded face, sorrow swimming within blue eyes.
"Though we barely know him, I've detected pain many times. Since the day I met him actually. I sense this is one of many battles he's experienced. And certainly not the first loss."
"It just means he cares," Anakin said, something akin pride entering his tone. "You can't experience war without losing people close to you. Someone like Steela...they'll never forget her."
This time Obi-Wan agreed.
"Indeed...and neither will we."
Meanwhile Ahsoka and Lux did their best to comfort Saw.
"I'm sorry for your loss," she said empathetically, trying to be sensitive about the subject.
"Thanks, but it's over now. Let's just leave it at that," came the harrowed response. He left the stage and at once Luke understood how Saw had ended up like he did. He could feel the guilt practically radiating off of the despondent young man, a burden to carry for the rest of his days.
"Steela would be proud," Lux said, taking a spot next to Ahsoka and Luke. "Her sacrifice gave Onderon it's freedom."
"But at what cost? It's like you once said. Many lives get caught between the Republic and the Separatists."
At what cost, indeed Luke privately thought to himself. And what cost will I pay to change the outcome of the galaxy? Especially when this very war is a farce to begin with
"I did say that once," Lux replied. "But after watching her heroics and the selflessness of the Jedi, I do believe the Republic is the right side to be on."
"What do you mean?" Ahsoka asked confusedly.
"Dendup has appointed me the new Senator of Onderon. I will follow in my mother's footsteps. And I will bring us back to the Republic."
Oh you poor naive fool
King Dendup's words cut in as he gave a powerful speech standing behind the coffin that housed Steela's body.
"Remember this day!" he declared. "Remember the day that Onderon became free again!"
'Freedom'. A common word being used by everyone around on the joyous yet solemn day of victory. For Luke Skywalker was the only one there who could see what these ends truly led to and it did not entail freedom. It was not lost on him the irony of his father assisting in the creation of rebel cells that would later form the backbone of the Rebel Alliance years later.
But the events of Onderon struck him much deeper than originally conceived. For a brief time, the courage, determination, and spirit of Steela, so alike to his sister Leia in many ways, brought back a part of himself long buried: the hopeful optimist. The moisture farmer who believed anything was possible. After all, he'd promised a bright future for both Gerrera siblings, a promise that now lay in ruins.
He then thought back to a question she asked only days prior.
'Can Jedi see the future?'
In truth, even the wisest among the Jedi could not see all ends. Whether in the present or past, the future was constantly in motion, actively shaped by those participating in it.
Steela's death proved a painful reminder of why he'd returned nearly fifty years into the past. And that despite his best efforts, despite holding all the power and knowledge in the galaxy, he couldn't save everyone. Nothing was guaranteed.
It only made him that much more determined to prove fate wrong.
I realize my decision to keep Steela Gerrera's death will not be popular with everyone. But I felt it important to show that having past knowledge does not always mean you can change the outcome of everything or everyone. Luke has to lose in order to gain. As always, constructive feedback is appreciated.
Next update in a week!
~The Wasp