The Talons of an Empire

by Sol PJOFan

The Clone War has ended. Admiral Perseus Jackson, former Hero of the Republic, relaxes with his beloved on his homeworld, and hopes for some respite from the rigors of war. The Galaxy, however, stops for nobody. A man balances duty and morality in the face of a new world order; one that has emerged from the ashes of the bloodiest conflict in living memory. PJO x SW AU

9. The Spark

Ch8: The Spark

ISD Emperor's Fist, Mustafar System, 5 BBY
"So this is it, huh?" Thalia asked as they dropped out of hyperspace. "Tarkin's Fleet."
"And we're the final cog," Percy confirmed to his trusted Lieutenant. By now, Thalia's service had found itself in excess of fifteen years, from her joining as a Non-Commissioned Officer, and rising up the ranks to her current position of Commander.

Even now, she refused to take the helm of a Cruiser, or even some of the Destroyers that had been offered to her, albeit in lower systems. Her command, however, now extended to the entirety of the Fighter Wing aboard the Fist, and in a short period of time, she would find herself at the head of an entire System Fleet's Air Arm.

"Weird to think that this is the size of the Lothal Sector Fleet, right?" Percy mused. "II-Class Ships ignored, that is."
"You'd think that we're being downgraded," Thalia joked. "Fleet Command, then a Development Facility, now an Outer Rim Fleet."
"But apparently a Governor, and now a Grand Moff, managed to mess up against a single Insurgent Cell."
"So here we are," Thalia nodded.
"Here we are," Percy agreed.

"Grand Admiral, incoming transmission," a messenger informed Percy, "It's Grand Moff Tarkin."
"Patch him through," Percy replied, walking up to the viewport.
"Grand Admiral," Tarkin greeted, "Take up position off my Starboard Bow. I will issue a message on the hour, every hour. Should I fail to respond, it will be your trooper detachment responsible for the relief of my own."
"Roger that, Sir," Percy nodded. "You're expecting an attack?"
"We are here to interrogate a Jedi, Grand Admiral," Tarkin told him. "This Rebel Cell have a proclivity for mounting such daring raids."
"This the one that sent the message?" Percy asked, clasping his hands behind his back.
"The very same," Tarkin agreed. "They will stop at nothing to retrieve their, ah, precious comrade."
"Well, we'll be especially wary then, Sir," Percy assured him. "I'll be awaiting your message on the hour."

ISD Emperor's Fist, Mustafar System, 5 BBY
"Ready everything," Percy told Thalia, as she entered the main Bridge.
"Why?" she questioned, brow furrowing. "The hour mark is still five minutes off."
"Look at that Gozanti, on our Mark 2.5," he instructed.
"Yeah?" Thalia muttered softly, "Codes read okay, one TIE undocking, what in the world is that!?" she exclaimed, and Percy nodded in agreement. It was hardly covert, a TIE painted in quite frankly ridiculous yellows and oranges. Were those racing stripes?

"Its signature reads just like a massive Droid Popper from the old days," he informed her. "Get the Troopers on High Alert, even if none of the idiots on board the Sovereign bother to use their eyes."
"Roger that, Admiral," Thalia nodded, running off the bridge, issuing a hurried set of orders over her communicator.

Outermost Moon of Umbara, Umbara System, Expansion Region, 5 BBY
"Master, message from Lady Tano," Orion told Nico. "Eleni will be bringing it."
"You know, Sa-Dev, there is no reason to show off like that," Bellerophon told him with a laugh.
"Well, it's useful sometimes, Karn," the Togruta defended. "If only I could tell what the message actually was…"
"Lady Tano reports that the Spectres are attempting to liberate Kanan Jarrus from Grand Admiral Tarkin's Fleet," the human, Eleni, informed the room.

"A fight?" Nico looked up, a smile teasing the corner of his lips. "Last I heard, Jarrus had found himself an apprentice in the Lothal System."
"You want to go say hi?" Orion asked, and Nico just smirked.
"Ready the fighters. Eleni, tell the others that we're going on a mission."
"Yes, Master," the girl replied, bowing to the group of Knights, an unofficial 'council' of sorts, and sprinting back to the main living area of the Order's base.
"Taking off in ten," Nico instructed. I'll get in touch with Ahsoka, and we can devise a plan of action once we're en-route."
"Yes, Master," the rest chorused, leaving the room and donning flight gear.

Light Freighter Mist, Hyperspace, 5 BBY
"You really brought your whole fleet?" Ahsoka questioned incredulously. "What about the kids?"
"The droids can take care of the kids," Nico defended. "Besides, we'd been in combat at ten. Surely they're allowed to man guns on a massive warship aged twelve?"
"You do remember that we were literally the only generation of Jedi to see regular combat that young, right?"
"And you're going to break the Spectres out with what fighter support?" Nico shot back.
"By the force, Nico, you'd better not be piloting one of those ridiculous V-19s," Ahsoka threatened, pointing a finger at him.

"No, it's the others!" Nico replied defensively. "A whole squadron of the best starfighters this galaxy's seen in decades, and I was meant to let them just go to waste?"
"YES!" Ahsoka replied, frustrated.
"Well, I didn't," he replied stubbornly, "and now they're good enough to make a TIE Interceptor pilot go crying for his mother. Do you want help, or not?"
"Fine," Ahsoka relented, "but we're going straight in, getting the Spectres out, and getting right the kriff back out."

"Hey, it's Tarkin's personal fleet," Nico pointed out, "I wouldn't touch that unless I had a force of highly trained Jedi and a vessel capable of infiltrating their force."
"Good," Ahsoka replied. "Wait-"
"Honestly, 'Soka," Nico chuckled, "We could take them if we really wanted."
"Niccolò di Angelo, we are not attempting the capture of an Imperial Sector Fleet," Ahsoka reprimanded. "Straight in, straight out."
"Yes Ma'am," Nico saluted in mock-seriousness. "Honestly, all I'm here to do is give you guys a bit of added firepower and meeting this interesting new Padawan."

"Good," Ahsoka nodded. "Though why I ever introduced you and Quarrie, I can't imagine."
"Worst decision of your life," Nico agreed solemnly.
"Honestly, though, Nico?" Ahsoka called over to him.
"Yeah?"
"It's good to have you here, Ghostie."
He smiled. "It's good to be here, Snips."
"General di Angelo, Lady Tano, we're dropping out of Hyperspace in five," Jun Sato informed them, and they cut off the holocom.

ISD Emperor's Fist, Mustafar System, 5 BBY
"Admiral!" an ensign shouted.
"What now?" Percy asked, frustrated. Already, his shuttles were committed to evacuating the Sovereign, aboard which a fire was now raging, the flagship of Grand Moff Tarkin having first lost Primary Power, then its Hyperdrive in what had spiralled into a chain reaction and now an inferno that had already destroyed Power, Propulsion and a great number of its crew.
"We're getting the first shuttles off."
"And how necessary was that information?" he shouted at the young man. "Close the line with Constantine, and deploy TIEs to retrieve the two runaways. They have no Hyperdrive, they can't make any jump away. Scan hyperspace lanes for incoming vessels that might be able to reinforce the insurgents."

"Large force dropping out of Hyperspace," another Ensign informed him, and Percy rushed to his main observation deck, pulling up a holomap of the space around him.
"Constantine, Thalia, pull all fighters away, significant insurgent force incoming."
"Roger that Fist," Thalia replied. "Pulling back all aerial assets."
Just as the Commander sent off her message, however, what appeared to be an entire fleet dropped out of hyperspace.

"By the Manda," Percy muttered, grimacing as red blips flooded his scanning computers like a rash. "Engage point defence systems," he ordered, "Divert supplementary power from shields, and ray-shield hangar bays."
In an instant, it was done, and yet he knew that it was useless.
A pair of V-19 Torrent Starfighters removed a full squadron of TIEs from the fight in a single punishing volley, and for a moment, they came to bear upon the Fist. A single sharp flash was emitted from wing-mounted tubes, and Percy's eyes widened.
"BRACE FOR IMPACT!" he ordered, throwing himself to the floor.

The bridge shuddered at the impact of the Concussion rockets, the shields only just hanging on against the punishment. "DO NOT PURSUE!"
"Say that again, Sir?" Thalia asked, shocked.
"We're outgunned and outnumbered, Commander Grace," Percy reiterated. "No Light Cruiser support to counter the threat. We've lost this battle."

"What's their command ship?" Thalia asked, sprinting onto the bridge. "We can knock it out."
"They're using three vessels in command roles," Percy observed as they swept across the fleet. "That VCX-100," he winced as the aforementioned vessel pummelled away at a pair of TIEs from one of the other Destroyers. "The XS Stock Freighter, and the third Blockade Runner in the line."
"The Stocker is the weakest," Thalia pointed out.
"But it's always protected by those fighters," Percy scowled. "Try and get clear visuals?"
"Aethersprite Delta 7-B Interceptors, Sir," his Weapons Officer told him, and Percy's eyes widened once more.
"Those are Jedi Fighters," he whispered. "Identify for a pattern?" he demanded of the man.
"Nu-Class Jedi Attack Shuttle," the man observed. "The final vessel appearing to be a part of that unit is a repainted Lambda-Class."

"Rearmed, too, by the looks of it," Thalia noted. "Rear defence and better shielding than they have any right to. It's resisted three direct hits from our main batteries so far."
"Target their Torrents," Percy instructed. "Anti-Fighter protocol. Ignore their heavier support. If we can take one of their fighters, we can try and track the modifier down, or suppliers at the very least."
"They're attempting a jump, Sir, the runaway TIEs have been picked up by a Gozanti."
"The Manda curse Tarkin's name," Percy raged. "All that kriffing funding towards Stardust and sweet kriff all towards the one project that makes this shab'la problem stop. Let them go," he relented, sighing.

VCX Freighter Ghost, Hyperspace, 5 BBY
"So if Chopper was in this Transport Ship, then who was flying the Ghost?" Ezra asked the team at large, and Sabine found herself shrugging. They had docked with their home ship en route to wherever this larger fleet was making its rendezvous, and the young Mandalorian Rebel hadn't paid much mind to the matter of who was flying Hera's beloved ship.
As they entered, however, it became apparent that this was no small-time group. Troops lined the gangway, standing to attention as the Ghost's crew stepped on board, and they were greeted by none other than Senator Bail Organa himself as they stepped into the storage bay.
"Hello, my friend, it is good to see you again," the man greeted.

"I don't understand," Kanan muttered. "I met you once, for a few moments. I don't even know your name."
"His name," Hera answered, placing a hand on his shoulder, "is Senator Bail Organa."
"And the crews of the blockade runners?" Kanan asked of the man.
"Members of other Rebel Cells. I'm not entirely sure where Master di Angelo entered this equation, but his help is no less appreciated."
"There are more cells," Sabine breathed. Indeed, she had met the Jedi fleet, but this force? It was bigger than anything she had seen before.
"And as for Nico's appearance," a female voice interjected, "I'm the one responsible for that."

A figure climbed down the ladder towards the gangway, face obscured from vision until she turned around. Instantly, Sabine recognised her as a Togruta, her previous meetings with Sa-Dev Naren, Agent Orion of the Jedi Order, had taught her that much at least.
"Fulcrum," Hera realised.
"Ahsoka," the Togruta answered. "My name is Ahsoka Tano."
"Why did you come here?" Kanan asked, bemused.
"Because of you," Ahsoka Tano replied, "and your apprentice. Many in this system and beyond have heard your message. You gave them hope in their darkest times. We didn't want that hope to die."

"So what happens now?" Ezra asked.
"I don't know," Tano admitted. "One chapter has closed for you, Ezra Bridger. This is a new day; a new beginning. Now, come. They're gathering on the Mist."
"The Mist?" Ezra wondered aloud, looking to Kanan for guidance. "What's the Mist?"
"You'll see," Kanan chuckled.

Light Freighter Mist, Hyperspace, 5 BBY
"Welcome," Nico greeted, gesturing to the seats around the room as the Spectres entered. "Kanan Jarrus, it is good to see you alive and well."
"And it's good to see you too, Master," the young man answered with a nod. Nico smiled, eyeing the team, which had gained two since he had last met Hera Syndulla's team in person.
"Captain Orrelios of the Lasat Honour Guard," he greeted the warrior with a nod. "I was saddened to hear of the tragedy on your planet."
The Lasat chuckled awkwardly, scratching his head and looking at Kanan helplessly. "Thanks, I guess," the man offered.

"And young Ezra Bridger," he greeted.
"Sorry, but who are you?" the boy asked. Nico held back a laugh as Sabine Wren shook her head despondently beside him.
"I am Master Nico di Angelo of the Resurgent Jedi Order," he explained.
"Err, cool!" he shrugged, "Nice to meet you, I guess," he offered a smile. Good enough.
"Now then, since we are all here, I take it that one more introduction is in order. "Lady Tano?"

"You all know that Nico and I report directly to Senator Organa," his long-term friend explained. "While Captain Hera Syndulla of the Ghost reports to Nico, Commander Jun Sato of Phoenix Squadron reports to me. He is widely regarded as one of the great commanders to emerge from the Mykapo System, and he is possibly our most valuable commander aside from Jan Dodonna of the Mesassi Group.
"Good to meet you, Commander," Hera greeted the man, shaking him by the hand, "I look forward to working with you in the future."
"That's good," Nico said with a smile. "That future is now."
Both Syndulla and Sato sent him an inquisitive look.

"Commander, meet your new pilot. Captain Syndulla and her team are masters of Infiltration missions, with experts in explosives among them and a master pilot at their helm, not to mention a pair of Jedi."
"And Hera, Phoenix Squadron offers you key fighter support, as well as a true purpose to your missions," Ahsoka informed the Twi'lek. "Both parties stand to gain here, while bringing Kanan and Ezra closer to the fold, while maintaining the same distant position that I currently occupy."
"Sounds good," Ezra Bridger remarked enthusiastically. "So, when do we start?"

Imperial Headquarters, Lothal, Lothal Sector, 5 BBY
"So, this is the mess you're leaving me with," Percy said to Wilhuff Tarkin as the troopers formed an honour guard. Beside the pair were Minister Tua, the young woman having found herself leagues over her head dealing with this insurgency. The final person in the group was ISB Agent Aleksandr Kallus, who Yularen had recommended to Percy with glowing credentials.
"On the contrary, Perseus," Tarkin replied, raising his chin so that he could attempt to look down his nose at the significantly taller Mandalorian, "This guard is for a rather special guest."
"Oh?" Percy asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You are familiar with him," the man smirked. "The last time that you worked with him, Dac turned into a wasteland."
Percy nodded, not allowing himself to lose composure. "It really is a shame about the Sovereign," he told the man, "if only we'd brought the superweapon capable of trapping our enemies on that day into the decisive battle that it would have taken to crush this insurgency in a single, swift blow."
Tarkin sniffed in derision, turning to face the shuttle as the doors hissed open.
Saved by the bell, you kriffer, Percy thought to himself, coming smartly to attention as the Emperor's Right Hand emerged from the Lambda-Class Shuttle, the Stormtroopers behind Percy saluting sharply as the Sith Lord walked out.

"Lord Vader," Percy greeted, "It is good to see you again."
Tarkin made to reprimand the Mandalorian, but was silenced by a gloved hand from Vader.
"Your Interdictor project is most impressive, Grand Admiral," the modulated voice of the man who Percy had once fought alongside underlaid with the percussion of his breathing apparatus.
"Your stay in the Outer Rim will be beneficial to Moff Tarkin's effort to finally bring down this insurgency," Percy told the man, smirking over at a visibly nervous Tua as Tarkin fought to hide a snarl.
"You are a capable commander, Grand Admiral," Vader said. "Come, we will begin."

Imperial Headquarters, Lothal, Lothal Sector, 5 BBY
"My Staff, Lord Vader," Percy introduced, though he wasn't about to let on that he had only met the group of people once, in the single day that he had spent on the planet. "Minister Tua, in charge of civilian matters, Admiral Constantine, my second in Naval matters, Captain Grace, head of Fighter Command, and ISB Agent Kallus."
"The skill of the team is irrelevant," Vader replied blandly. "All that matters are results."

"That is true, My Lord," Percy nodded. "I've already issued orders to close off Capital City, and patrols have increased in frequency. If they are inside the city, they will be caught. The sooner the city is clear, the sooner we can commit to expanding the net."
"Then we will pull them up by the roots," Vader snarled. "If they are here, we will force them to ground, and hunt them like rats."
"If they aren't sir?" Kallus ventured, a slight fidget betraying his nerves.
"Then we will lure them in."
"It will be done, my lord," Percy nodded.

"You are dismissed," Vader instructed, "keep me appraised of proceedings."
"Yes, Sir," Percy bowed, and left the room, the rest already having made way.
"Well, that was intense," Thalia remarked, blowing out a breath as they walked towards Percy's office.
"You get used to it at a point," Percy replied sympathetically. "I'm sure you heard the rumours from the war?"
"About who it is behind the mask?"
Percy hummed.
"You were there when he stormed the Temple," Thalia guessed, and Percy nodded. "So you know?"
"Let's just say that the number of people that we knew who were capable of doing what Lord Vader did was very small, and only got smaller after the fall of the Order."

Outermost Moon of Umbara, Umbara System, Expansion Region, 9 BBY
"Nico, surely this isn't an opportunity we can give up?" Ahsoka argued, and Nico hummed thoughtfully.
"I sense a trap, Ahsoka," he told her. "As valuable of a target as Minister Tua presents, I feel as though this Vader is laying a careful trap for your operatives."
"They're better than you'd expect at evading traps," Ahsoka replied with a smile. "You saw that in the first person not too long ago."
"So it would seem," Nico agreed. "If they believe themselves capable, then by all means, do it."

"I've seen reason to go out into the inner rim," Ahsoka told him, "I'll go undercover again in a short while."
"May the Force be with you, whatever your goal is to achieve," Nico told her. "Would you like any help?"
"It's probably best that I do it alone," Ahsoka admitted, "though your offer is appreciated."
"Remain with your allies for some time," Nico recommended, "I sense a storm approaching them."
"Your advice is appreciated," she replied. "I've felt it too."
"There is a darkness that hovers over the Outer Rim," Nico grumbled.
"Over all of us," Ahsoka agreed darkly.

Imperial Headquarters, Lothal, Lothal Sector, 4 BBY
"Grand Admiral," Vader said to Percy as they examined a holomap of the great plains of Lothal, "How valuable of an asset is Minister Tua?"
"She is incapable, My Lord," Percy replied honestly, "She is over her head in such matters."
"And would she betray the Empire to the Insurgency?"
"I wouldn't know, my Lord," Percy replied, frowning. "Should I ask Kallus to investigate your suspicion?"
"My suspicion, Perseus, is firm," Vader replied. "She has plotted to be removed from the city this evening, in exchange for the identities of sympathetic Imperial Politicians. Withdraw patrols, allow the insurgent rescue party to find her. Then, we will close the trap, and destroy them in one fell swoop."
"It shall be done, my lord," Percy replied, nodding.

Imperial Headquarters, Lothal, Lothal Sector, 4 BBY
"Grand Admiral, we have reached the Spaceport," reported the voice of Aleksandr Kallus. "The Minister is safe."
"Good, the cordon is back in place," Percy replied. "Lord Vader is en-route."
"Roger that Sir." The comm fell silent.

Sounds of battle echoed across the streets, and through his windows, Percy could see the firefight as it ensued. Insurgents dropped from the roof of a nearby building, taking custody of the Minister and making for the prepared shuttle.
Of course, if it had ever taken off, they wouldn't have made it far, with AT-ST Scout Walkers stationed in the surrounding districts of the Capital City to bring it out of the sky. That eventuality, however, wouldn't come to pass, as a pressure-triggered explosive tore the shuttle apart.

"Lord Vader, your plan is a success," Percy reported. "Walkers are in position to bring their escape craft down."
"Good, Grand Admiral," the man replied.
"I request that you return to the Dome, Lord Vader," Percy told the man, "once they realise their situation, they will inevitably turn towards the dome, as the lone source of spacecraft capable of leaving the system. Albeit, I've tagged them all."
"Your suggestion is wise, Grand Admiral, and I will return in good time" the Sith Lord agreed. "But it shall not be me who deals the final blow; it shall be you."
Percy smiled.

Capital City, Lothal, Lothal Sector, 4 BBY
Percy smirked as he watched the insurgents sprint for the Lambda-Class Shuttle, noting with a little surprise that they had seized a set of six shield generators. Placing his helmet on his head, he opened the door. His armour had been stylised in the way that Imperial Sympathisers did, a necessary measure to avert suspicion from him and his clan. Today would be the first time that it would see and small-arms combat.

"Surrender now, and you'll be treated well," he announced, knowing already what answer he would receive. "Simply lay down your arms."
"Never!" a boy, the youngest of the group, snarled. Percy said nothing in response, simply motioning for his stormtroopers to move in with a wave of his WESTAR-35 blaster.

With a familiar swoosh of energy, a pair of Lightsabers were drawn, the red blaster bolts of the troopers being deflected around the landing bay.
He responded with his own twin blasters, aiming first for the taller of the Jedi, presumably the Master. If the Master was captured, the Apprentice would surrender quickly, and the rest of the team would capitulate.
Unfortunately for him, the Jedi seemed more than competent.

"I know that armour," he growled, "I didn't think that you would be an Imperial lackey of some kind."
"I have no idea who you are," Percy replied seriously, closing the distance and unleashing his grappling rope from his right hand. The Jedi roared in frustration, his Padawan charging Percy in an attempt to distract him and free his master.
The Mandalorian reacted by firing off a volley from the blaster in his left hand, spinning out of the way of the first strike and sweeping the Padawan's legs from beneath him.

"EZRA!" a female voice screamed, as Percy capitalised, firing a repulsor blast at the boy as he fell. The Lothal-native was thrown back several metres, and his flight was only stopped by the wing of a TIE Fighter, where he hit his head with a painful crack.

The Master seemed to be spurred back into action at his Padawan's injury, and lashed out, using his sabre to break the grappling cord's hold, and charging Percy once more.
The Mandalorian avoided the first strike, throwing the Jedi off balance and firing a repulsor into his back as he went past.
"YOU!" the same female voice screamed, and Percy turned to face the shuttle. What he saw made him snarl.

A woman, clad in full Mandalorian armour, fired upon him with a pair of WESTAR-35s, nearly identical to the modified versions that his clan had perfected, and yet with a dramatically different paint scheme.
Where he was used to seeing blues or even the yellows of the Wrens, these weapons and armour were littered with pinks, purples and oranges.
"What variety of pathetic bounty hunter are you, then, child," he snarled, firing a rapid double of blaster bolts at her. She ducked and rolled down the ramp, coming up smoothly on her feet.

"I'm a Mandalorian," the girl replied, "a true one, not an Empire-loving aruetyc hut'uun like you."
"Is that so?" he shot back, "Those aren't the colours of any Mandalorian clan. Do you not have any pride in them, to let them go so easily?"
"No, no I don't," the girl replied, "But I learned enough from them to beat the likes of you."
The other two still aboard the Shuttle attempted to stop her, but the pink-clad girl strode forwards, helmeted head staring him dead in the eye.

"I invoke the code. Single combat," she challenged. "I win, we leave, unopposed. You win, we all surrender."
This time, the Lasat bellowed a 'no', the name he uttered too faint for Percy to discern. He smirked.
"The terms are yours, little Dar'manda rebel," he replied. "The consequences, too, shall be so."
"Enough talking, just fight," came the resolute reply.

The pair of them took their stances, and they faced off, masked helmet facing masked helmet.
She was the first to move, a hand twitching nervously, and Percy took his chance, firing off a dart from his vambrace.
She dodged, rolling underneath the projectile and firing twice as she came up. A round clipped his helmet, and his second dart knocked out one of her vambraces.
The moment's distraction that she went through was enough to aim his third dart, his fist ready to clench and release it.
The swoosh of a sabre's ignition, however, forced him to turn.

"Treachery!" he snarled, rolling underneath the strike and instinctively firing off the dart in the direction of his assailant. The instant in which he turned his back, however, was enough for the Rebels.
A volley of fire was directed at him from the shuttle's ramp, the Jedi Master urging the Mandalorian girl to retreat despite her protests, and hoisting the Apprentice upon his shoulders.
"Our duel is incomplete," he muttered. "It shall be finished."
There was no response, not as though he expected one. His only reply was the starting of the shuttle's engines.
Bending at the hip, he triggered the single top-loaded rocket firing missile, picking his target carefully with the viewfinder and Heads Up Display on his helmet.
The missile careened into the rear stabilising fins of the shuttle, blowing them clean off and grounding the shuttle.

"You have done well, Grand Admiral," the voice of Vader told him over his shoulder. "Very well."
"The capture is yours, my lord," Percy replied, bowing and falling back a few paces. "Though I ask that I may finish my duel as the ways of my people demand with the young warrior."
"The girl Sabine Wren has proved a worthy opponent, then?" Kallus' voice asked over the net.
"Wren, you say?" Percy asked, taking care not to stutter in the presence of the Sith Lord. "That particular clan produces… it produces exceptional warriors."
"I saw the duel," Kallus remarked. "You took her apart systematically. Most impressive."
"A lifetime of war does that to a man, Agent," he replied. "Now, bring reinforcements to the launchpad."
"Yes, Grand Admiral," the Agent replied.

In the meantime, the tip of a blue blade protruded from the fuselage of the shuttle, drawing a circle in its side.
"Troopers, fan out," Percy ordered, "do not engage, but pick your targets. Shoot to stun. We have questions for these Rebel scum."
"Roger that, Admiral," the Sergeant replied. Still, the sabres continued on their slow path, the laser swords working away at reinforced durasteel.
"Sergeant, ready your troo-"

With an almighty crash, the panel of the fuselage that had been cut away was shot out with what Percy could only assume was a push in the force. Two men fell instantly, crushed by the panel.
A smoke grenade followed, and suddenly he knew what was coming next.
"TAKE COVER!" he bellowed, firing the thrusters of his jetpack and drawing his blasters. Those unable to react in time were caught in twin blasts of fragmentation grenades, plastoid-clad troopers thrown back by the force of the explosions.

The Mandalorian fired into the billowing white smoke, only for his bright yellow bolts to be deflected back at him by a pillar of vivid blue.
"Leave them," Vader ordered. "The Jedi are mine."
The insurgents, however, did not seem to have any desire to fight. A second smoke grenade accompanied the first, a burst of colour obscuring half of the landing pad from view.
Percy realised what they were doing.

"My lord, they are attempting to steal a TIE," he informed the Sith Lord, who gave no coherent response.
"Scramble more to shoot them down," Vader snarled. "They will not evade me."
"At once, my Lord," Percy nodded.

The first TIE took off, emerging from the clouds of white smoke in a hail of green fire, the twin L-S1 laser cannons rocking the ground below the stormtroopers' feet and forcing them to take cover.
The pilot then switched their attentions to the AT-AT walkers that surrounded the edges of the compound, bringing one down upon - kark.
"Lord Vader!" Percy heard Kallus exclaim in panic.

"Sergeant, the Lord can get out himself," Percy instructed calmly, "Find the second shuttle and destroy it."
"Yes, Sir," came the reply, but too late.
A shuttle took off, the TIE Fighter close behind. Looking down from his aerial position, Percy surveyed the battleground below him.

Because that was exactly what he saw; the bodies of stormtroopers lay strewn across the launchpad, the wreckage of TIE Fighters, Walkers and troop transports littering what had once been their place of storage and maintenance.
And in the centre of it all was Darth Vader himself, the Sith Lord visibly seething with the rage of seeing his quarry escape.

Phoenix Home, Lothal Sector, Outer Rim, 4 BBY
"What happened?" Sato demanded. He was met with shaking heads, the entire Spectre team in disbelief. Ezra Bridger was heavily bandaged to the head and arm, while Sabine Wren had dressing applied to her wrist where her vambrace had split in two.
"We were ambushed as we left," Kanan explained. "A Mandalorian Warrior, and then a Sith Lord."

"A Sith Lord?" Nico asked, rising from his seat. "Describe him."
"Everything turned… cold," Ezra told him. Nico shared a look with Ahsoka, and the Togruta sighed.
"He was tall," Kanan took over from his Padawan. "Masked, and terrifying."
"Like he was more droid than human," Zeb rumbled, still shaken.

"You mentioned a Mandalorian Warrior?" Nico asked, curious. "A Mercenary, perhaps?"
"It was Perseus Jackson," Kanan replied bluntly. "The very same armour, the same weapons, the same damn voice."
"Never," Nico denied hotly. "He wouldn't attack you."
"Ezra nearly being confined to a Bacta Tank says otherwise," Hera snapped back. "Maybe your friend changed after the war. We all did."
"Then why is she with you?" Nico snapped, pointing at Sabine Wren.

He hadn't lost his composure in quite some time. Not since they had lost Patroclus on Florrum. This however, was different.
"Hera, he's the one who sent me to you," Sabine said softly, "to the Rebellion."
"He was shooting to kill," the Twi'lek snapped back. "As much as I'd love to have one of the great commanders of the Clone War on our side, you just have to face facts."
"Captain Syndulla, I know that he's on our side," Nico ground out, "because his force-damned wife just told me that he's approaching our position, with the Sith Lord, Vader."
"And you knew this for how long?" Kanan demanded dangerously.
"About five seconds ago," Nico answered. "My fighters are already coming."

"Scramble Phoenix Squadron," Sato ordered, rising from his seat and taking up his post on the Command Deck. "Captain Syndulla, are you able to fly?"
"I'm no good without my crew," Hera replied. "I can fly, yes, but the Ghost won't do us much good when the crew's in tatters."
"I'll fly," Nico said, rising from his seat. "Ahsoka, there's another Aethersprite coming a few minutes from now. You'll fly it?"
"You'll need someone competent on your wing, Ghostie," she taunted. "Might as well get the better pilot out there."
"Tell me that once you've shot down a Sith Lord," he smirked.

Phoenix Squadron, Lothal Sector, Outer Rim, 4 BBY
"Master di Angelo, Lady Tano, we've got two fighters incoming," the Radio Operator of Phoenix Home informed the Jedi. Already, four pilots were in the air, each flying near-identical Aethersprite Interceptors, the relics of the Clone Wars having been modified with technology capable of bridging the gap with some of the most capable fighters in the galaxy.
This, however, would be their true test.

"Achilles, Orion, Menelaus, Theseus, take the TIE," Nico instructed, "Lady Tano and I have the Fang."
One look told him that it was exactly who he had been told that it was. He had seen that very fighter tens, if not hundreds of times across the period of the Clone Wars, and so many times it had come to save him.
"It really is him," he breathed.

"Shadow 1, this is Shadow 3 confirming that the lead pilot is a Sith," Achilles told him over the radio. "Two times Phoenix Fighters already down."
"Engage him," Nico ordered, "And do not die."
"Roger that, Shadow 3," he replied. The callsign still felt foreign on his lips, but at Sato's request, the Jedi most commonly associated with the Rebel Cell had been designated into a 'Squadron' of their own.

He had objected, yes, citing the role of his order, his students as a support system, and not some private army to be thrown around, and yet he had caved at the insistence of Ahsoka. The Togruta had taken on a callsign of her own, as a means of appeasing himself, or at least that was the excuse that the Rebel Commanders had been given.
Honestly, it was just reassuring to Nico that he had a friend at his side.
"Snips, stay on my wing. I've always been the better pilot, but by the Force, he's no pushover."
"I've got you, Ghostie," she replied, swinging around into attack position.
Instead of engaging, however, the rotating wings of the Fang pulled up vertically, and Jackson shot straight between the pair of them.

"Kriff!" Nico cursed, "Phoenix Squadron, Second Bogey closing on your positions, Shadows 1 and 2 in pursuit."
As one, the pair of them wheeled around their Interceptors, Nico firing a burst of the craft's primary weapon and clipping the Fang's wing as they closed
Where the Interceptor was fast, however, the Fang was nimble. Dancing through the air, the Mandalorian swept one way, then the other, leaving Nico outside his arc and the Rebel Flagship exposed.

"Brace for impact," he instructed over the net, "Ahsoka, I'm about to cut across your line."
"Roger," came his reply, and he did just that, pulling hard to the right on his yoke and rolling sharply across the Togruta's flightpath. Ahsoka adapted effortlessly, dropping down to let him pass, and taking the lead on their attack.
Her own burst of fire, however, failed to break the Fang's attack run, Percy seeming to evade the Republic-Blue blaster bolts as though they were a mere annoyance.
"When did he get this good?" Ahsoka snarled, "he's running rings around us!"

Fang-Class Fighter Jai'galaar, Lothal Sector, Outer Rim, 4 BBY
"Back on your wing, Lord Vader," he informed the Sith, "two on my tail. Both Jedi fighters."
"Hold firm. The Rebel Capital Ship is beaten."
"Roger that." Noticing a Rebel A-Wing making a pass across Vader's right hand side, he swung one of the Fang's wings up, killing his engines and allowing his momentum to rotate his fighter to face the threat. Dropping the wing back onto the neutral axis, he pressed hard on the triggers on the top of his yoke, catching the fighter's fuel cells and sending it careening into the Rebel Home Ship, all propulsion lost.

Pushing forward once more, he knocked another A-Wing out of the fray before he found a pair of Jedi Starfighters on his tail.
"Lord Vader, two times Aethersprite on my tail, attempting to shake them." Rolling his wings, he prepared to use his favoured 'cobra' manoeuvre, allowing his opponents to fly straight past him, and placing himself in the perfect position to attack them himself.
That option, however, was closed off when the pair of them closed ranks, flying practically wingtip-to-wingtip and opening fire.
"They're Jedi for sure, My Lord," he noted as he broke formation with the TIE. The pair of them did not follow, however, exploiting the gap that he had made to press an attack on Vader.
Percy snarled in frustration, launching a proton torpedo from the single hidden tube concealed on the craft's underbelly. The missile, however, failed to lock onto either of the Aethersprites, driving itself instead into the hull of the Rebel Home Vessel.

Phoenix Squadron, Lothal Sector, Outer Rim, 4 BBY
"That's no normal pilot, Nico," Ahsoka observed as they forced Percy to break formation. "Percy's about as good as a human gets. The TIE Pilot's better."
"Well, then, let's find out exactly who it is," Nico suggested. The pair of them reached out in the force, the chaos of battle drowned out by the peace of the oneness of the universe.
To his left, Ahsoka's presence sang in the lightness that he knew came from her encounters with the ancient Gods of Mortis. He could feel Kanan Jarrus and Ezra Bridger too; the familiar chaos that swirled in the boy no more a consolation than it had ever been.
And then, ahead of him, a presence stilled as he found it.
It was familiar, achingly so, and yet with a bone-chilling shroud of hate surrounding it.

Racking his brain, he fought to figure out just who it was, when his ship was rocked to the side by a blast.
"Shadow Squadron, this is Phoenix Home. All elements are to evacuate, immediately!"
Nico looked off to his left, and beyond Ahsoka's fighter, he could see the Blockade Runner in flames, the remaining A-Wings that were stored within fleeing the blaze. The escape pods ejected, to be picked up by their comrades as they, too, fled.

While the rest of his comrades fled, however, he noticed Ahsoka maintaining her course.
"Ahsoka? Ahsoka, come in!" he called, receiving no response.
"R-6, get her out of there," he instructed the Astromech droid that served as her second in the fighter. "We'll meet at my base."
The droid beeped its acknowledgement, and once he was satisfied, he followed, the wreckage of the Phoenix Fleet in his wake.

Outermost Moon of Umbara, Umbara System, Expansion Region, 4 BBY
"It was him, Nico," Ahsoka said as they meditated, "I'm sure it was him."
"But he died," Nico said, frowning. "We heard that he had turned, that he was the one to raid the Temple, but he died on Mustafar."
"He taught me, Nico," she muttered. "I don't think I could ever forget that presence, no matter how much darkness there is surrounding him."
"If it truly is him, then we must be on guard."
"We will be," she nodded. "We need to be."

---

A/N
Rebels! Yeah, we've made it. The earlier portion of the chapter is from the end of S1, and the latter part is based on the Siege of Lothal, Season 2, Episodes 1 and 2. Obviously, things were changed, but not to the extent that the plot changes outright - there's events that need to happen for the story to work, and Percy can't either crush the Rebellion or defect to it instantly. That would just break the story, and I've got big plans for what's to come.
Don't ask for Nico x Ahsoka, he's literally gay in canon, and both of them were raised as Jedi, with the whole 'no attachments' vibe. Not happening people, stop being horny.
You have Dudududhehe to thank for Vader showing up in the Landing Pad - initially they were just going to escape Percy, but then he reminded me that Kanan and Ezra needed to realise that there's a Sith in the are for Ahsoka to need to get involved in the later fight when Vader showed in 2:2. Percy comes with, because what's the point in a cool Mandalorian character if he's not going to use his starfighter?
I think that's about all that I needed to say. Haven't fucked with much else, so there you go.
Usual thanks to Dudududhehe for his help, both Betaing and making sure I don't murder the Lore, go check his stuff out.
Until next time, then,
Sol
(I do not own PJO, Star Wars or any related media)