Chapter 29: Imperial Turf
September 3, 2227.
A Lambda left hyperspace and then made a short jump into the orbit of Eriadu. The space around the planet was visibly overseen by at least 40 imperial warships and several armed satellites deployed in front of the hyperlane to Dolla, where the Coalition's fleet was expected to arrive at any moment.
A beep signaled the hailing from the flight control of the planet.
"Incoming shuttle, please identify yourselves." the man on the other side of the comlink asked methodically.
"Greetings, this is shuttle XQ6327, with the supplies from Dorvalla." Biggs replied. "Transmitting our clearance codes."
From the passenger seat, Luke was confident in the success of the ruse: after all, they had just stolen this cargo and the pilots were sleeping in the cargo hold, under the supervision of Thabo and Michalina.
"This might just be the worst plan I've ever taken part in." Evaan Verlaine said from the seat behind them.
"You literally ventured alone with Leia into imperial territory to rescue thousands of Alderaanians." Luke joked. "How is saving a single person more dangerous?"
"I mean, sure, but we never went to an imperial fortress world." the woman replied.
"And the population here is extremely loyal to the Empire." Biggs reminded. "We will need to be extra vigilant not to raise any suspicion."
"Our sources noticed that there have been increasing unrest ever since Verge was given command of this sector a month ago." Luke reassured.
"I'll believe it when I see it. Now you better get ready, we're about to land." the pilot replied as they were descending quickly toward the main city of the planet.
"Just a second." Luke replied and closed his eyes. He quickly isolated himself from the outside world, enhancing all his senses through the Force. Through much effort, he managed to extend his reach onto the entirety of the planet, as he looked for the familiar Force signature of Jordan, and he finally found him, in what seemed to be a facility in the outskirts of the city they were about to land in.
However, he didn't take long before he noticed something else. A dark aura that was trying to hide itself, but it was just so powerful that even Luke could grasp it with enough attention.
He reopened his eyes. Not budging, he said "Vader is down there."
The two pilots turned their heads with wide eyes. "What?!"
"I sense him. He's using Jordan as a bait." the Jedi explained.
"Damn bastard really likes this type of plan." Evaan said in frustration.
"True. He knows that we will always try to rescue our friends. But that also means that he's predictable." Luke replied optimistically. "We know he's there, now we only need to think about countermeasures."
"Okay, but first: where is his ship? We didn't see the Executor in orbit." Biggs pointed out.
Luke realized that it was indeed a problem. The allied fleet was expected to launch its attack in a few hours, and once they had made the jump to hyperspace, they could not simply stop along the lane. They needed to be warned about the Executor being in the vicinity.
"You're right. So let's change plans: you two just go on with the charade, then take this shuttle and leave."
"Oh, for goodness…we're not leaving without you. I couldn't face Leia again!" Evaan protested.
"Luke's right." Biggs said, albeit with a heavy heart. "All of this will be useless if the fleet gets destroyed. We need to warn Admiral Edrix."
"But how will you leave the planet?" Evaan insisted.
"I'm pretty sure Vader will have his own ship waiting around Jordan's prison. We'll find a way." Luke replied with a smile.
By now they had entered in sight of Eriadu City, and they were quickly reaching the heavily trafficked military spaceport. Luke quickly noticed that there was almost no civilian traffic in the airways: the entire planet was in state of emergency, and asides from some vital transportation services, the skies were reserved entirely for the movement of troops and ships.
"I'll go inform the others." Luke said, ceding his seat to Evaan.
He reached the cargo hold, where Thabo and Michalina were waiting in front of the sealed compartment where they had hidden the unconscious pilots of the shuttle. Thabo was sitting on a low pile of supplied, Michalina was leaning against a large box. Luke then proceeded to explain the new plan, and told them they were not forced to risk against Vader.
"Hey, we're not leaving our Captain." Thabo replied without hesitating. "And if there's anyone who can stop Vader, it's you."
Luke nodded. "Thank you, Thabo. Then we better get ready: we're about to land."
By 'getting ready' Luke simply meant that they also entered the secondary compartment, tightening next to the unconscious and bound pilots. After the shuttle had landed, and Wedge and Evaan quickly convinced the inspection team that there was nothing out of the ordinary, the three had free reign to get out from the emergency hatch on the belly of the shuttle.
"Hold on." the Jedi said, however. He then reentered back in the compartment and headed for the pilots. "Help me get them out. We can't risk them waking up on the trip back."
"Can't argue with that." Michalina conceded.
With the strength of the Legionnaires, that was a menial task. A little harder it was to carry them around the spaceport without getting noticed, but with everyone in that base rushing from one side to the other, it wasn't that difficult to close them in a storage room, where they should have been unable to reveal the jig until Wedge and Evaan would be well on their way.
After getting rid of their load, Luke and the Legionnaires could proceed with their plan. Luke was wearing a middle-tier officer's uniform, so the other two projected themselves as his stormtrooper escort and headed out of the spaceport.
But if that place was crowded with soldiers and workers pushing supplies all around and ships coming in and out continuously, the streets of Eriadu City were in full war asset: barricades, AA towers, bunkers and underground shelters. The PA on the streets called everyone to do their part for the defense of the planet from the imminent attack. The streets were full of both regular soldiers of the Imperial Army and what was clearly a local militia, which had been provided with weapons and only partially with uniforms.
On their way to the prison, the trio happened to pass in front of a recruitment office with a long queue of people, angry at the fact that the door was closed and the recruiter was outside.
"Please, citizens." he said loudly. "The Empire really appreciates your eagerness to do your part, but we simply do not have enough weapons for you all. You must understand that, right now, you can best help our cause by working in the factories. Produce more rifles, and food."
"To heck with that!" someone said. "I can't fight the invaders with just a hammer!"
"Yeah, we won't let those bastards set foot unimpeded!"
The tone of the other comments was just like that.
"Good thing we're not planning a ground invasion." Michalina whispered.
"True, but that's also a reason to get out of this planet quickly." Thabo added.
"Then may the Force be with us." Luke simply said.
"The latest shipment of tibanna never came in, Lord-Protector." Yagler reported. "There has been a raid directly on Bespin."
"On Bespin?" Iulius asked suspicious. "Do we have any hint?"
Yagler tapped her datapad and handed it to Iulius. The Grand Admiral could thus see the series of pictures taken at the scene of the crime.
"So far, the inspectors found hints that would pin the responsibility of the attack on the Black Sun." said Yagler.
Iulius kept looking, and he wriggled his nose at that statement.
"I doubt that."
"Why you think that?" Cordelia asked, genuinely curious as to why he was so sure.
"First of all, look at these burns." he explained, showing the picture he was interested in to the ISB agent. "These are not regular blasters. They only come from the disintegrators of the LEO series. And to our knowledge, there is only one group that uses them so widely."
Yagler realized something. "That explains why some of the dead stormtroopers were burnt to a crisp inside their armors."
"Also, the Black Sun is not so stupid as to challenge the Empire, nor it has any reason to: it dominates the spice trade in the Outer Rim, and has many other ways to obtain tibanna gas without risking a confrontation."
"Then who did this?"
"The only criminal group with the resources and the gall to do such a thing can be none other than Tyber Zann and his Consortium."
Yagler hummed in thought. She believed his theory to be more than agreeable, but wasn't entirely convinced. "My instinct says it's very possible, but what does Zann need all of that tibanna for?"
"That's what we need to know, and fast. Last thing we need is those pirates wreaking havoc on our supply lines. And I think I know who can help us: see if you can get a call with Jabba the Hutt."
Yagler was shocked at first, then again she had been working long enough with Iulius to know that this was the smartest thing to do. She nodded, made the salute and left the office. The Grand Admiral then went on to study the data a little more. The Consortium had never ceased to provide a pain in the ass for the Empire, but so far it seemed like Zann was more than happy to just profiteer out of the war.
Neither he needed to storm a place like Cloud City if he wanted some tibanna. Unless he needed it for something big, Iulius struggled to understand what was going on in the mind of Zann. And the last thing he needed was for him to sabotage the most vital supply routes: Bespin might have now fallen under the supervision of Vader and Prelate Verge, but they were still sending a lot of tibanna to Ringo Vinda, for there was never enough of it.
As he scoured the report, Iulius was reminded of a possible hint, and headed into the ship's archives to investigate.
He reached starboard side, where the database was, and the door hissed open. He ordered his guards to wait outside, figuring he wouldn't need much time.
The archives were separated into a few large scaffolds, and Iulius headed straight into the second row on the left.
Thus he found Qathora kissing and embracing...a female officer.
Iulius froze in place. Two seconds later, the two women noticed him and quickly separated, but it was way too late. A fearful expression on both their faces.
"Iulius...I…"
He just rose a hand to silence her, then he grabbed what he had come to get and whispered.
"I want you in my office in half an hour."
He said that in a cold tone. Qathora bowed as if she was begging for mercy, other than acknowledge the instructions.
Iulius then halted a second to analyze the officer. She was an Ensign, and after analyzing her brown hair and eyes, he recognized her.
"Ensign Pauly, was it?"
The woman, who was standing at attention nonetheless, gulped silently and replied "Yes, sir."
Iulius was still at loss for words. The only thing he was sure about, was that those two must not be seen by others.
"Make sure nobody else sees you." he simply ordered.
"Yes, sir." the young woman replied.
With that, Iulius left the room with the artifact he needed in his hand, but his mind still lingering a little on what he just saw and the fact that it was a massive liability.
Trying to focus, he returned to his office. The artifact simply confirmed his suspicions, so what he really was waiting for was the arrival of Qathora.
The Togruta entered the office with a face that was clearly unable to hide her unrest. Still, she walked in front of the desk and awaited. Iulius at first simply stared at his hands, intertwined on top of the table. He needed a moment to find the right phrasing.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"What do you think? We all know that what me and Pauly are doing can send us to a camp." Qathora replied with a mixture of regret and frustration.
Reminded of the stark reality, Iulius sighed and massaged his eyes with his thumbs.
"Which is all the more reason why you should've told me." he replied, then stood up and slowly paced around the desk. "Had you done so, we could've thought of a way to make this work. Together."
Qathora was both puzzled and hopeful. "You...that's the only thing bothering you?"
"I don't care who you sleep with, Qath: you're my best spy." he hesitated to continue, but he did it eventually. "I also thought that we were friends."
Those words clearly hit Qathora like a stab in the chest and she lowered her head in shame.
"Do you realize that, if anybody saw you, my political opponents would jump at the opportunity to take you away and smear my image?"
"Of course I know that!" she replied in desperation. "I didn't tell you anything because, if I was caught, you wouldn't be involved."
Now it was Iulius' time to feel quite stupid: he had actually put his own career in front of one of his closest friends. The eyes of the Togruta were nothing short of sincere and the Lord-Protector could only acknowledge it.
"I'm sorry. It's just...there are so many things I need take care about…" he sighed.
"I know." Qathora replied in kind.
After a brief silence, Iulius made another question. "How long has this been going on? I mean...when did you find out you…?" he felt a little embarrassed to finish that up.
"It's not that simple, actually. I still see guys that I think are hot, but I realized that I like Pauly, as well. Around two months ago."
Iulius hummed a positive. "All right. I wish I could tell you that no one on this ship will report you to the authorities, but unfortunately I can't. So you two must restrain yourselves until we return to Naboo or we take any shore leave."
Qathora nodded, even if she clearly found all of this very unfair.
"And...for what is worth…" Iulius added. "if you ever need any help, I want you to remember that you can always trust me."
Qathora huffed a tired smile. "Thanks."
Iulius returned the smile, then his comlink beeped.
"Grand Admiral, I managed to secure an audience. The Hutt awaits your call."
"Thanks, Agent. I'm on my way." he replied in the device.
Qathora looked puzzled. "What Hutt?"
"A convoy of tibanna gas has been recently hijacked on Bespin. I believe Jabba the Hutt has a piece of intel that I need to find the culprit." he then added with a quipping tone "Which reminds me: I could use someone who knows Huttese, since mine is quite rusty. What do you say?"
The Togruta chuckled. "I got you."
Slipping inside the detention facility had been fairly easy, thanks to the holograms and the forged clearance codes. But the trio didn't take long before noticing that they were, indeed, walking into one of Vader's trap.
"This place is way understaffed." Michalina noted. "Especially since it's supposed to be a prison for high-profile targets."
"So, Luke, what do you want to do?" Thabo asked.
"Do you sense him? This darkness, Vader?"
"It's quite hard to miss." the psionic replied.
"We need to play this like on Bespin. You guys break Jordan out, I'll go and distract Vader, since he wants me."
"Hold on," Michalina intervened. "your 'Bespin plan' involved losing a hand last time."
"I'll be careful. Besides, I learned a lot from that experience." Luke reassured.
"He's right, Micha. The two of us would be no match for Vader, anyway. Let's just focus on recovering the boss."
The woman resigned herself and sighed. "Don't get yourself killed." she simply said before she and Thabo slipped into another corridor, leaving Luke alone with his thoughts and focus. He didn't need long before realizing that Vader was waiting for him into the prison's maximum security wing. A consistent group of guards was instead waiting on the upper levels of the prison, certainly waiting to strike at the right moment and imprison the two Legionnaires, as well, but Luke had no doubt that Thabo could sense them and act consequently.
Listening to his own instinct, Luke sneaked past the few patrols that he found and reached the dark corner that was the maximum security wing.
Among the various open cells, which were certainly waiting to be activated at the right moment, Luke first felt the sense of oppression, a chilling cold surmised by a strong anger. His biological hand started to shake slightly. Evidently, he hadn't been able to isolate the fear.
Then the unmistakable breathing sound of Vader filled the room. A few steps in the dark, and the Dark Lord emerged into the dim ray of light in front of Luke. The pitch black silhouette was barely visible on the background, yet Luke perceived it as clear as day.
"Your Jedi ways make you predictable, son." the Sith said.
"Perhaps I was just looking for a rematch." Luke quipped.
"You're far from being able to challenge me. Don't make me destroy you."
"You didn't have the strength to do it last time, and I have improved much, already."
"Show me."
Vader thus ignited his crimson blade, and Luke quickly followed up by igniting his new green lightsaber and taking his form stance.
As expected, after a brief lull, it was Vader who attacked first. With his tuning to the Force much improved after Bespin, Luke was capable to intercept or dodge all of them with minimum effort and no hesitation, so much that when they ended up in their first lock, the Sith commented with a certain degree of respect.
"You learn quickly."
"I've got great teachers." Luke responded proudly before breaking the lock and launching his counterattack.
He didn't go on for much, though. After all, his goal was not to defeat his foe, but to make sure his attention was completely on him. It wasn't that difficult, since Vader seemed already obsessed with the idea of turning Luke to the Dark Side and, in some twisted way, get his son back to his side.
Also, Vader was clearly trying to push Luke into one of the cells, for sure he was trying to repeat the trick he wanted to do with the carbon chamber back on Bespin, but Luke was prudent enough to dodge all of his attempts and bring the duel back in the center of the room. He thus noticed that, with every failed attempt, the Sith Lord was becoming ever more impatient, and his blows more powerful and less considerate of possible fatality.
At one point, Vader was clearly about to bear down a massive strike, with the saber swinging rapidly from his back toward the front. Realizing that he wouldn't be able to just stop it, Luke jumped toward the left, making a roll in the air. The blow was so strong, that Vader lost his balance for just a moment.
And it was that moment that Luke saw and exploited immediately. He extended his hand and used a Force push that managed to send Vader flying right into one of the cells.
While Vader realized what had just happened, Luke quickly used the Force to push the button that both rose an energy field and shut down the door. Then he drew out his blaster and fired a precise shot on the cell's control panel, effectively trapping Vader in until somebody would come in and got him out.
Vader threw a couple of angry slashes from behind, but Luke heard them bouncing on the alloy. Satisfied in having done a good work, he allowed himself a witty smirk and then left the prison wing, looking for his companions. No alarm was sounding yet, so at least Thabo and Michalina had not revealed themselves.
He closed his eyes and focused on the entire facility until he found Thabo's Force signature, which was very peculiar thanks to his state as a psionic. It took only a moment to realize that him and Michalina were walking around with a third person. Luke recreated himself as an imperial officer again and walked toward their general direction.
Then a general alarm started blaring, quickly followed up by a PA announcement.
"Attention, all personnel. There is a possible security breach in progress. Enact Protocol 21 and lock down the facility."
In mere seconds there was a swarm of imperials rushing through the corridor, the various sections closed their doors and Luke found himself stranded inside there. He looked around, then he decided to look upward.
He quickly spotted a ventilation grate. Just what he needed. After finding a moment where most troops were in position and no one was looking his way, Luke jumped up, managed to stuck himself between the wall and the roof, removed the crate with the Force and went in, then he put the grate back. He quickly noticed that the shafts were quite tall, allowing him to stand up and walk, even if they were quite tight.
"Luke, do you hear me?" the voice of Thabo suddenly spoke in his mind.
"I do. I managed to leave Vader behind and I'm into the vents, where are you?"
"Near a hangar on the east side of the facility. How far do you think you can get?"
Luke calmed his mind and focused once again on his companions. He realized that they were just at the end of the corridor on his right.
"I think I can get directly to the hangar and open you the way. Have you grabbed Jordan?"
"Yes, he's a little beat up, but he's already standing on his feet."
"Good. Just give me a second."
Being back into his armor was just what Jordan needed. And the remembrance of the tortures his wardens had inflicted on him was only fueling his fighting spirit.
"Luke has gone full rat. He will sneak into the hangar and open us a path." Thabo said after getting out of his trance.
Jordan chuckled. "Truly Ezra's apprentice."
"Let's hope he's just as lucky." Michalina commented.
With Thabo's ability to sense living beings, the Legionnaires managed to get as close as possible to the hangar, but then they found the only escape route locked down by a checkpoint of stormtroopers and prison guards.
"Well, so much for stealth. Let's wait until Luke gives us an opening." Jordan decided, realizing that it was better to delay the fight for as long as possible.
Said chance finally arrived five minutes later. Thabo gestured that Luke had reached the hangar and was about to hit the control room.
After a countdown with his fingers, Thabo showed the door suddenly opening. The imperials looked behind them in confusion, and it was at that point that the Legionnaires barged out, gunning them down in the span of a second.
Inevitably, someone else sounded the alarm and the escapees had to act fast. From the control room, Luke opened the magnetic door that was blocking the path to the shuttles, so Jordan and his companions rushed toward the ship in the first slot, which just so happened to be a TIE Reaper, probably used by the local police to quickly dispatch its special forces. Not only it had a large cargo hold, it also sported good defenses and a few cannons that would give the party a fighting chance.
Exploiting the general confusion that reigned among the imperials, the fugitives managed to reach the ramp of the TIE and get aboard while laying down enough suppressive fire to make that of the imperials inaccurate.
Luke rushed to the controls and ignited the engines while the guards kept firing at the vehicle with little effect.
"You sure you can fly this?" Jordan asked.
"I can fly anything." Luke replied confidently as he kept turning on the systems.
As the TIE started roaring, the group saw that the large door was starting to close again: the imperials had been quite quick in retaking control of the control room. But there was still plenty of time for Luke to lift the aircraft and sprint out of the hangar while the door was still closing. If anything, that would delay possible chasers from that direction.
"Looks like the worst is past us." Thabo said relieved.
"I wouldn't be so sure." Luke said, then he looked at the clock on hi omni-tool. "We need to hurry." and pushed the engines to the fullest, heading for the atmosphere in the largest angle the ship could hold without being burnt into a crisp.
"Kurwa, what's this rush!?" Michalina asked as she hold tight to her seat.
"You'll see."
Just as they reached the orbit, the imperial fleet was moving to intercept them, but then they scrambled to turn around.
"What are they doing?" Jordan asked.
"They have bigger issues." Luke quipped.
Looking on the screens, Jordan quickly detected that the joint fleet was coming out of hyperspace. The large pings on the radars showed the Palaven and Monte Bianco leading the formation.
Still, compared to the imperial garrison fleet, they were at a considerable numerical disadvantage, and with an inhabitable planet behind them, the dreadnoughts would never risk firing at that distance and hit the surface.
"So, what's the plan?" he asked dubious.
"You'll see it very soon. For now, we got company." Luke replied.
The radar showed a squad of five TIE Fighters and Interceptors closing in on them.
"Micha." Jordan simply said.
The woman nodded and rushed to the rear turret of the vehicle. As the other TIEs opened fire, so did she, but it was difficult to fire while Luke enacted evasive maneuvers. Nonetheless, they were closing in on the allied fleet at maximum speed. It was at that moment that Jordan noticed something.
"Is that asteroid field...moving?"
"Indeed." Luke replied.
The fleet had come out of hyperspace right next to a large debris and asteroid agglomerate. The two dreadnoughts were clearly using their tractor beams to redeploy some of them, and so started to do the other cruisers and ships with large enough beams.
Michalina in the meantime managed to shoot down the first of the chasers.
"Hang on, hang on! They're not trying to throw them against the planet, are they?!" Jordan asked in a moment of panicked realization.
"Yeah, Luke. What's going on?!" Thabo asked.
"They're not going to throw them at the planet. They're just creating a safe zone right outside the hyperspace lane for the transports, so they can go straight to Sullust."
Jordan's head spun for a second, then he started to see it: Admiral Edrix had likely decided to use this tactic as a way to avoid a direct confrontation while ensuring that the imperials would have troubles leaving one of their most important worlds possibly at the mercy of an asteroid shower.
And right at that moment, Luke headed into the small field that the fleet had already created, to try and lose his chasers, who were still following them with a fanatical drive. However, when they also entered in range of the Constantinople, which barged forward to help, they were quickly annihilated.
"Skywalker to Constantinople, thanks for the assist." Luke thanked.
"You're welcome, Skywalker. Did you get the Captain?" the voice of Raniza asked.
"I'm here, Commander. It's good to hear your voice again." Jordan promptly said.
The Asari sighed relieved. "Trust me, sir. The pleasure is all ours." then she took a moment to apparently read something on the terminal. "Captain, Admiral Edrix wants to see you. He requests you aboard the Palaven."
"You heard that, Padawan." Jordan said jokingly to Luke.
Luke smiled and pulled the Reaper toward the turian dreadnought, avoiding the asteroids that were sent in front of their way. After landing inside the hangar, an officer escorted the group to the bridge, where the staff was in full movement while Edrix was standing in front of the holo-table with his hands clasped behind his back.
"Captain Bridger. I'm glad to see you again. I didn't know how to explain the loss of a Spectre to the Council." the Turian said in a serious tone.
"You got me out of there, Admiral. Let's not worry about it, anymore." Jordan dismissed.
"Actually...it was Master Skywalker's plan that got you out." the Admiral humbly pointed out.
Jordan was caught by surprise, then turned toward Luke, who was trying to appear modest, but he couldn't hold back a satisfied smirk.
"Wait up...all of this was your plan?" Jordan asked.
Luke shrugged. "I only came up with the plan to free you and distract Vader, then also reminded the Admiral that there are...alternatives to fight."
"The recon drones showed that we were very much outgunned. I had this idea of using the asteroids to cover our passage, and when Commanders Darklighter and Verlaine reported that the Executor was most likely around, I decided to bet on this stratagem." Edrix explained.
"Looks like it's paying off." Thabo commented.
"I assume Vader is out of commission. Or they would be responding much more rapidly."
"He is." Luke replied. "But I don't know for how long. We better hurry."
Luckily for them, the rest of the fleet, meaning the large squadron of transports with the Coalition ground troops, emerged from hyperspace and quickly joined the battle ships. Edrix then quickly ordered the entire fleet to turn toward the hyperlane on their left. As the imperial fleet took action and moved to intercept, the Coalition fleet had already aligned and was ready to jump toward Sullust.
"Admiral, all ships are in position." one of the officers reported.
"Jump." Edrix calmly ordered.
The stars warped and soon enough the Palaven was inside the blue tunnel.
"Hold on, are we just going to attack Sullust?" Jordan asked, now realizing the whole affair.
"Our scans indicate that there is only a token fleet. They will need time to react from Eriadu, and by that time is imperative that we establish a foothold on Sullust." Edrix explained. Only then he turned around from the viewport and looked at the Legionnaires. "Captain, I know we just got you out, but how long before you are ready to go back in the field?"
Jordan didn't hesitate. "Just put me a few hours in a bacta tank and I'll be ready."
Edrix turned toward the Captain. "Arrange a quick treatment for our Spectre."
It didn't take long before a guard accompanied Jordan to the infirmary, but not before he stopped to talk with Luke.
"Looks like I owe you my life."
Luke chuckled. "It's just my first step toward paying the amount I owe you."
The Legionnaire laughed. "I suppose so."
"Ezra."
The voice of Luke made Ezra snap out of his sleep. He woke up in the makeshift shelter where he had placed his sleeping bag and was resting alongside other soldiers and also Tristan's warriors.
"Luke, what's going on?"
"I just wanted you to know that we rescued your father. He's a little bruised, but he came out on his legs."
That news gave Ezra a jolt that woke his mind completely, followed by a huge relief.
"That's great. Thanks, Luke."
"I should also tell you that we're going straight to Sullust."
Ezra popped his eyes. "What?"
Luke proceeded to explain briefly what had just happened, then added "Me and Jordan will lead a strike team and escort Leia to meet with the local resistance and favor a land invasion."
Ezra pondered for a moment, but after all, nothing he would say could change the mind of his Padawan, and he trusted Admiral Edrix enough to hope this operation would end positively.
"Then may the Force be with you."
"I'm sure it will. But what about you, Master? What's the situation, over there?"
Ezra hesitated to send back his reply. "I've been worse."
He had replied just to reassure him, but it was a flat lie. Him, Jaral and the mandalorians have been fighting without respite for weeks. So much death and brutality had started to anesthetize Ezra's sense of compassion, which was one of the effects that he feared the most.
And despite his intention, Luke clearly sensed his teacher's suffering.
"Just hang on. Once we take Sullust, the Republic will stop wasting lives on that ring." Luke reassured.
Wasting lives. Luke couldn't have chosen better words. Ezra knew that there was a logical reason for holding on to the empty shipyards of Ringo Vinda, but the more he stayed there, the more he felt glad that he had left the Republic Army, because the thought that he could be responsible for ordering so many people to their death scared him like few things.
"I wholeheartedly hope so, my friend. Give it all." he finally said.
"We will." Luke concluded before closing the bond.
Seeing that his shift was due in less than an hour, Ezra cracked his bones a bit and stood up from his bag. He went to take a look at the small mirror of the barrack to check on himself.
Weeks of going without much time for personal hygiene had made him grow a beard and his hair. At first they itched a little, but as days went on, he had much more compelling problems to care about, so he had just let them.
All in all, he found them not that bad, thinking they gave him a more mature appearance. He wondered for a second if Sabine would like that, too.
He left the shelter and headed for the first line, where, among the soldiers and Din and Paz, he found Jaral partially huddled on the ramp of the barricade, herself extremely tired.
Coming to think of it, it was quite odd that he had managed to make a full sleep.
"Hey." he said to her.
Jaral slumped out of her torpor. "Hey. What are you doing? Your shift is in a while."
Ezra looked around for a moment, then feigned to approach and whisper to her when in reality he used the bond.
"Luke just told me that they got dad out of prison, and the joint fleet is already en route to Sullust."
Jaral was confused. "Did they already take Eriadu?"
"No. Edrix came up with a plan to keep them busy while the fleet still went on with their mission. It's quite the gamble, but if anyone can pull it off, that's him."
"I suppose so." Jaral said with her voice. Then she turned her head toward the top of the barricade. "I'm more concerned about why they haven't attacked for so long. What are they planning?"
Indeed, the imperial offensive on Ringo Vinda had been relentless, so far. Even if there wasn't a human wave coming forth, there were always scout parties who fired toward the defenders to keep them on edge while the bulk of the imperial forces rested and prepared.
It was the same for the siblings, who knew they couldn't leave the first line because, if the Astartes and Starkiller were left free to act, the imperial advance would go much more smoothly.
Problem was, those three had understood that, and they were clearly avoiding to participate in every assault, waiting for the Jedi to wear down their strength.
However, it had been nearly twenty hours since the last imperial attack, and not even a probing skirmish had occurred since then.
"I don't know what it is, but I think it's the perfect moment for you to catch a break." he said, then gently put a hand on her shoulder. "Go take a nap now, I have slept enough, already."
He felt like she was about to refuse the offer and at least carry out her shift, but his words seemed to remind her mind that her body was at her limit, so she stood up from the ramp and didn't object, simply telling him "Call me, if something happens."
"I'm quite sure you'll hear it, anyway." Ezra quipped.
She smirked, then waved at their mandalorian comrades. The latter two, in turn, approached Ezra.
"Everything ok, boss?" asked Paz.
"Yeah, I just wasn't tired anymore." Ezra replied gently, but he also made a quick gesture with his hand to signal them that he couldn't tell loudly who awoke him, because he didn't want to risk that information reaching imperial ears.
"True, it's been an unexpected lull." said Din. "But it's a good thing: I was worrying you two might just die of fatigue, sooner or later."
A doubt started creeping into Ezra. "I wonder if something is distracting them or they suddenly ran out of gas."
What if Iulius had been informed of what was happening on Eriadu and was heading there to assess the situation? Then Ezra remembered that Eriadu, Sullust and everything between them and the edge of the Trailing Sectors had fallen under Vader's personal oversight, and Darvos had confirmed him and his staff were keeping Iulius in the dark about everything happening there.
Ezra prayed with all his strength that his quiet was just due to anything but that.