A/N: We back! Yeah, we might already have a canon Ahsoka story that covers the search for Ezra and yeah, I really enjoyed it. But! It didn't have enough crazy Mandalorian jetpack combat for my liking, so here I am, doing what Disney couldn't.


Star Wars Rebels: The Boy From Lothal

Chapter Five

Expect Visitors

By RocketTortoise


"Treat your men as you would your own beloved sons. And they will follow you into the deepest valley."

- Sun Tzu, The Art of War


Doctor Avak Nebir hadn't slept in a long time. It had been years, in fact; seventeen if you wanted to be specific.

Doctor Avak Nebir is one of the Avak'Shar species, a race of arachnid-like creatures based on some backwater planet in the Kinoss System on the outskirts of Ascendancy space. Avak's home planet was a hellish place - cold, dark and filled with predators desperate to find sustenance in such a barren environment. The Avak'Shar had adapted as a species to never need to completely shut down for rest. Being able to systematically reduce certain motor and cerebral functions while keeping others active allows the Avak'Shar to get their required rest while still staying alert.

As a scientist, Avak has found this particular evolutionary trait to be useful in his work. There are times when he will spend weeks, even months, locked up in his laboratory, working endlessly around the clock. This, along with his his advanced intelligence, has given him the edge he needed to become one of the forefront scientific minds within the Ascendancy. It's something that Avak takes pride in. While his contemporaries rested their weary minds, he would be working, pulling further and further ahead. It made him better than them.

The only times that you could even somewhat say that Avak sleeps, is at times when he is rendered unconscious. For example, the last time he slept was when an experiment conducted by one of his more incompetent colleagues released a noxious gas into the facility's ventilation system. Despite being several rooms away, Avak was one of several scientists who were knocked out before they even realised what was happening.

Avak was unconscious for thirty-seven hours. Thirty-seven hours. Almost two cycles where he could have been in his laboratory were wasted due to another's stupidity. Once Avak awoke, however, he committed his sleepless hours to making sure the fool would be buried so far down the figurative ladder, that he would be hawking street food in the slums before the week was out.

Avak's current bout with unconsciousness is in many ways similar to his previous one. For one, both hit him with a sudden haste. One moment, Avak is in the midst of an important meeting with an Ascendancy military officer, then the next, he is being awoken by a bucket of freezing cold water being dumped onto his head.

Avak's eyes shoot open and he gasps as the cold water shoots him into life. He can feel the chemicals pumping through his veins and the tiny hairs standing up along his exoskeleton.

Sitting up, still panting, Avak wipes his eyes of water to clear his blurry vision and looks around. The sun is barely peeking above the top of the surrounding buildings and light is low, but he is still on the spaceport landing platform, that much is obvious. The burnt out remains of a shuttle sits smouldering on the far side of the port. The platform itself is filled with military personnel bustling around performing their various duties.

Avak's brain is foggy from being forced into unconsciousness after such a long time, however, he can feel his memories coming back to him. He remembers waiting for a ridiculous amount of time for Corporal Sul's arrival. He remembers taking the Corporal and his aide into the shuttle before they were attacked. It had all happened so quickly that most of it was just a blur. However, despite that he can remember the faces of the two attackers just fine. The moment when the two stood before him sits in the forefront of his mind completely clear. And just thinking about it makes his blood boil.

"Doctor Nebir, your attention?"

Avak turns and stares at Corporal Sul, who stands to Avak's left. His stance is stiff and formal, his green skin tense and tight from years of stress in the military.

This is the first time Avak has met the corporal but Avak can make certain deductions about the man standing before him. Despite his upright and disciplined posture, Avak can see the youth in the corporal's features. If Corporal Sul was entrusted with overseeing a project like this at his age, then he must be a rapid riser. Avak himself finds the politicking of bureaucracy to be tiresome, but even he knows that one doesn't climb so quickly without stomping down on those below.

Beside him is the corporal's young aide, a small humanoid boy with wide, completely pitch-black eyes. The aide is carrying a metal bucket, still dripping with the water that had just been poured onto Avak's head.

"How may I be of service, Corporal?" Avak asks, his voice low and gravelly. He is not at all happy about the disrespectful way in which he was woken up.

Corporal Sul glances towards the aide and gestures for the aide to take the bucket away. "I am terribly sorry to interrupt your slumber, Doctor, but I am afraid that we need you awake to address your missing shuttle."

Avak glances towards the platform, where his shuttle is clearly missing. He groans with frustration. The corporal is already making a power play. The water bucket, the condescension, all of it is a means to establish who commands whom. If Avak allows Corporal Sul to walk all over him here, he could very well find all the blame for this incident lying at his feet.

"Does that mean that you have not been able to retrieve my shuttle?"

Corporal Sul grits his razor sharp teeth, "The thieves have thus far proven to be… elusive."

Avak glares at the Corporal, "You are aware of the data stored on that shuttle?"

The Corporal glares back, "Obviously."

"Then what do you need from me?"

"The High Commander requires your explanation of your shuttle's theft."

Avak can feel a lump form in his throat. It was obvious that the High Commander would be informed on matters surrounding a project of this importance, but with Avak's mind still foggy from being in a forced state of unconsciousness, he wasn't in the best place to barter with his life on the line.

"If that is what the High Commander demands," Avak mutters.

Corporal Sul gestures towards the spaceport's administration building, and Avak starts walking in that direction.

As they walk, Avak can feel the Corporal marching behind him. Avak had seen his type before. Proud military officer with an air of superiority about him that emanates from his entire being. All of them trying far too hard to be like the High Commander, the personification of efficiency and intellectual superiority. Even Avak, a renowned scientist with a long list of groundbreaking accomplishments, struggles not to be intimidated when he is forced to converse with the High Commander.

But Corporal Sul, and the many other acolytes of the High Commander, do not nearly have his overwhelming aura, which just makes their air of superiority an arrogance that annoys Avak to no end.

Corporal Sul takes Avak into the administration building where a portable holo-table has been set up in the centre of the room. The table is circular, with a blue, checkered surface that serves as the projector. Thankfully, the High Commander has not yet gotten in contact, so Avak has a few more moments to gather his thoughts before having to walk into the predator's den.

Avak can see Corporal Sul standing to attention, no doubt ensuring that he is in pristine form when the High Commander comes online. But it isn't just him, as the others in the room all had one eye on the holo-table, even the ones with work they are supposed to be doing. Avak can hardly blame them, getting a glimpse of the High Commander is a rare occurrence for those not working directly under him. For them, this must be like meeting a celebrity.

But Avak knows that High Commander Thrawn is no mere celebrity.

The holo-table activates and the image of Thrawn sparks to life atop the table's surface. He appears to be sitting at a desk, likely the desk in his office aboard his command ship, the Dusk Odyssey. His hands are clasped together atop the table but his form is formal and upright. His expression is completely neutral but even through the holo-projection, Avak can feel Thrawn's eyes looking straight into his soul.

It had been months since Avak had last communicated with High Commander Thrawn but his overwhelming aura had not changed whatsoever, to such a degree that the subordinates trying to imitate him just seem even more foolish. Thrawn cannot be imitated. Avak had met few others that could make him feel as small as he does at this moment.

"Doctor Avak Nebir," Thrawn says, his speech slow and methodical, "I hear that you have misplaced your ship."

Hearing Thrawn say his name makes Avak's stomach sink. "Yes, sir. I-I'm afraid to say that my ship has been stolen by thieves." Avak glances at Corporal Sul, who is standing to his left trying to look as perfect as possible. "And the Corporal attempts to retrieve the ship have been so far unsuccessful."

Thrawn's eyes shift to Sul. "Is that so, Corporal? I must say that is… unfortunate."

Sul's body somehow becomes even stiffer, and his face appears to pale to a lighter shade of green. He glances at Avak, his look a mix of panic and annoyance. "The thieves have proven to be somewhat formidable, High Commander. The two of them were able to incapacitate two dozen of my men and destroy three fighters in their escape."

"That is impressive," Thrawn states, his voice and posture showing no indication on whether he actually finds the feat impressive or not. "I imagine you have descriptions of the perpetrators."

Sul gestures towards his aide, who hands him a datapad. Sul glances at the datapad as he responds. "They appear to be from beyond the Rikishi Maze, sir. Their features match your descriptions of a Togrutan female and a Mandalorian."

Thrawn does not respond for a moment, but Avak can see what looks like a smile form on his face. "Is that so? Then it appears the rumours are true. The Togrutan was a sky-walker, I assume?"

"Yes, sir," Sul replies.

Thrawn leans back in his chair and brings his hand up to his mouth as he thinks. "Fascinating." He turns to Avak. "Doctor Nebir, I suggest you return to your facility and prepare to relocate the subject immediately."

Avak hesitates but replies, "Of course."

Thrawn sits back into his neutral position but before signing off, he says one more thing.

"Expect visitors."


Pretty gutsy move, kid. If the big guy catches you, he'll end you.

Sabine…

We're not exactly anything. We're a crew. A team. In some ways, a family.

Sabine, you left me…

One thing I know, is that my friends make the impossible possible.

Sabine, it has been six years! Where have you been?

Ezra's out there somewhere…

Tell me, Sabine! Did you even care that I was gone?

It's time to bring him home.

I was counting on you! Sabine, I needed you!

We're a crew. A tea—

You're too late, Sabine! You left me to die!

A family…

Sabine!

Sabine Wren startles awake. Her eyes are blurry but she can feel a warmth surrounding her entire body.

Sabine can feel something in her mouth. She raises her hands to her face and can feel something rubbery protruding from between her lips.

Ah, a breather, she thinks. That must mean that she is in bacta fluid. The memories of her fight with the enemy fighters come flashing back to her. Dank farrik. I got hurt again.

Her vision slowly clears, and she can see the glass of the pod in front of her and the rest of the medbay behind it. She looks down at her feet, floating above the bottom of the pod. They seem to drift from side to side like seaweed in the ocean. These are views that Sabine had seen many a time before, and like always, she can feel a restlessness begin to squirm inside her, as she yearns to escape the pod and feel her feet on solid ground.

But before Sabine can begin to formulate any sort of daring escape plan, the medbay doors open and Kaeden Larte steps inside. Sabine can see that her dark, curly hair looks a little extra frazzled and more than a few strands have escaped her tightly wound bun.

Kaeden looks at Sabine, with a slightly weary expression on her face. "So you've woken up this time as well, Sabine."

Sabine sighs, bubbles flying from her mouth and rising to the top of the pod. Here comes the lecture, Sabine thinks.

Kaeden opens her mouth as if to say something, her eyes filled with exasperated concern, but she hesitates. Her eyes lose some of their fire and rather than berating Sabine, she turns her gaze over to the monitor hanging on the medbay wall.

"Everything seems to be healing smoothly. You had broken bones in your arm, as well as dislocations in both of your shoulders, and structural damage to your knees and your pelvis." Kaeden turns back towards Sabine, "You'll need to spend at least two days in the pod before I can let you out."

Sabine frowns behind the breather but tries not to outwardly show it. She can already feel her body itching to get out of the pod, to get back out there. She has already wasted far too much time as it is.

Sabine flinches when she realises how closely Kaeden is staring at her. The look on the older woman's face looks like it can cut straight through her and expose her beating heart.

"You can't keep getting hurt like this, Sabine," Kaeden warns. "Your body is not going to last much longer if you continue to get injured at this rate."

Sabine can feel her body tense up in response and her fist clenches. She's heard this all before and it just falls on deaf ears. Sabine can't afford to listen to Kaeden's words. If she doesn't do everything she can to find Ezra, how is she supposed to look him in the eyes after leaving him out here for so long?

Sabine can feel her heart rate increase, causing the mounted monitor to begin beeping away, pulling Kaeden's gaze away. As Sabine takes deep breaths from the oxygen tank to forcibly bring down her heart rate, Kaeden turns back towards the Mandalorian, her face looking much softer now. "Just try to take better care of yourself. I can only guess what you're going through, but no one will be happy if you get yourself killed before you can rescue your friend."

Sabine can feel her stomach sink but before she can process it all, the medbay doors open and Ahsoka Tano steps inside.

In contrast to Kaeden's dishevelled figure, Ahsoka looks spotless, from her gaze, to her clothes, heck, even her walk is pristine. Sabine wouldn't blame anyone if they assume that Ahsoka was a princess from a faraway land. She somehow finds a way to make even dull robes look like they are fresh off the Coruscant fashion shows.

Normally, whenever Ahsoka would visit Sabine during her previous recuperations, she would have a laundry list of wise cracks at the ready to tear into Sabine while Sabine floated in the bacta helplessly, unable to respond. But not this time. Sabine can see past Ahsoka's smiling facade and can see something in her eyes like a storm is brewing within those sky blue irises.

Something was going on.

Ahsoka looks at Kaeden and asks, "How's she looking?"

Kaeden glances at the readings on the monitor, "Fortunately, her body is responding well to the bacta so she should be able to recover on schedule."

"That's good to hear," Ahsoka says, nodding. Her eyes shift to Sabine in the pod, staring into Sabine's eyes as if Ahsoka is looking for something within them. "What have you been able to translate from the shuttle's data files?"

Kaeden glances towards Sabine and hesitates, "Are we going to talk about this here?"

Ahsoka doesn't break eye contact with Sabine. "She deserves to know."

Sabine's eyes dart back and forth between Kaeden and Ahsoka. Something was definitely going on.

Kaeden sighs and shift her eyes back down to her tablet. "As we suspected, the shuttle appears to be some sort of research vessel. We can tell the databank is filled with information but its going to take quite some time for JB-13 to get through the encryption, and even longer to translate it."

"Do we know anything more about the file with Ezra's name on it?"

Sabine's eyes widen and she can see a current of air bubbles leave her mouth as she startles. Kaeden notices her reaction and hesitates before answering. "No, it seems like they've got that data locked down tight. My best guess is that the 'Bridger' symbol is somewhat like the cover of a holobook, and we'll have to crack the encryption before we can get to any pertinent information inside."

Kaeden swipes something on her tablet before continuing, "However, the shuttle's navigation systems proved to be easier to break into. JB-13 was able to get the coordinates of wherever our friends at the spaceport were planning to go before you stole their ship."

"I see," Ahsoka says. "Do we have any idea of what we might find there?"
Kaeden shakes her head. "No, I checked local mapping data but the coordinates point to a barren mountain range hundreds of kilometres from any settlements. There shouldn't be anything there."

Ahsoka stops leaning on the bacta tank and takes a couple of steps towards the door. "Well, it's worth taking a look anyway. Worst comes to worst, we get to enjoy the local scenery."

Before Ahsoka can leave, Sabine bangs on the bacta tank glass to get her attention. Ahsoka turns towards her, her eyes already telling Sabine she knows what she's thinking. "Sorry Sabine, you're sitting this one out. Focus on your recovery and leave everything to me."

Sabine can feel her blood boiling as her frustration spikes. This is the first real lead they've had on Ezra since arriving in the Unknown Region. Like hell was she going to be left on the bench. As Ahsoka turns away, Sabine tries to yell after her, trying to throw every curse and expletive she knows at the Jedi but the breather in her mouth won't let her exclaim more than a few bubbles. She tries to bang her fists against the tank again, but her limbs are so weak, she can barely reach the glass after a few swings.

There's nothing she can do to stop Ahsoka from walking out that door. Nothing she can do to avoid being left behind.


The morning comes as the day's first light creeps into the cave where the crew had set up camp.

Ahsoka is already awake when the sunlight slips through the porthole into her quarters. As she does every morning, Ahsoka spends the first moments of the day in meditation. Ahsoka was taught a long time ago that it was important get in touch with the Force before you start your day, to feel the world around you and get in tune with every living thing that it flows through.

Ahsoka has found this to be especially important on the mornings before missions. Ensure that you are fully prepared with the Force behind you, and you will be able to confront whatever is thrown at you with no hesitation.

And today is a day where anything could be thrown at you. Today could be a day where nothing happens at all. Ahsoka and her team could reach the coordinates and find nothing there but some pretty scenery. Or they could find an army foaming out of the mouth to shoot them out of the sky. But after a lifetime of conflict, Ahsoka has learnt to prepare for the worst case scenario.

After finishing her meditation, Ahsoka leaves her quarters and heads to the common area, where she finds Miara slumped on the round dining table, slowly drinking what appears to be a lukewarm shot of caf out of a grimy metal cup.

Upon seeing Ahsoka enter the room, Miara raises her hand in a meek greeting, getting out a groggy, "Captain."

Ahsoka walks up to the kitchen and grabs a fruit out of one of the cabinets. "You look like you've seen better days."

Miara groans in response and raises the cup in the air lazily. "Once I've got another couple of cups of caf in me, I'll be fine."

Ahsoka is peeling the fruit in her hands but pauses and glances over towards her downed pilot. "Yeah, sorry about that. Did you get any sleep in the end?"

Miara takes another swig out of her cup before replying, "Yeah, I finally finished scrapping that bird and managed to get a few hours of sleep before first light."

Ahsoka popped the fruit into her mouth, "Well, that's something at least. Did you find anything useful?"

Apparently done with her first cup of caf, Miara rises to her feet before trudging into the kitchen to start pouring her second. "Apart from the converter, I mostly just pulled spare parts from the shuttle. Being formerly an Imperial shuttle, there wasn't anything aboard that we didn't already have a newer version of. But having replacement parts that we know are compatible could be a life-saver in the long run."

Miara places her cup under the cab-machine and presses a button, causing the dark sludge to pour from the nozzle and into the cup. Ahsoka shudders. Even with multiple stomachs, each with its own ability to ingest a wide variety of food and drink, she can't find one that would be willing to keep that sewage down.

"Well, you better drink up quick because I want to be up in the air in ten."

As Ahsoka walks away and heads towards the medical bay to check on Sabine, she can hear Miara mutter to herself, "Well fark me then."

By the time the ship is in the air and approaching the target coordinates, the sun is already mid way up into the sky. There isn't much to look at on the flight there. The planet's surface is dry and barren, with very little vegetation growing on the ground below. The vast majority of the world's vegetation grows underground, either in one of the many cracks and ravines that break up the planet's surface, or in caves like the one where Ahsoka's crew had made camp. Pretty much, wherever there is shade from the sun in the sky and the harsh ultraviolet rays scorching the surface, there is a chance for flora to thrive.

The more time she spends here, the more Ahsoka realises this planet is almost the compete opposite to her home world. Despite being taken to the Jedi Temple at a very young age, Ahsoka still has vivid memories of Shili. The vibrant colours, the majestic forests, no matter how much time passes, a yearning for her home world remains. It sits in the back of her mind, as if it is something instinctual, primal even.

On Shili, the forests are the cornerstone for all life. They provide food, shelter, even protection. The brightly-coloured skin of the Togruta is adapted to blend in with the trees as if they were one and the same.

Out here, there is no blending in, no hiding. With nothing but flat and barren ground beneath them, the ship would stand out to anyone with half a braincell.

Fortunately for Ahsoka and her crew, the New Republic had given them a remedy for that.

Once they were a hundred clicks out from the coordinates, Ahsoka has Miara activate the ship's stealth core. The stealth core, squeezed into the aft of the ship between the engines and the hyperdrive, is a technology developed by the Republic during the Clone Wars. Due to the outrageous cost of developing and maintaining a stealth core, as well as some glaring technological limitations, stealth core technology never became widely used. However, for this mission, with Ahsoka and her crew spending extensive time in potentially hostile territory, the stealth core has been rather useful.

Once started, the stealth core activates the eight cloak projectors attached to the hull of the ship, which makes the ship completely invisible by eye and completely undetectable by sensors. Throughout their journey, the stealth core has allowed them to slip through orbital defence systems and recon places of interest. They had even sat next to a military frigate for hours, completely undetected, just to observe and learn more about how militaries in the Unknown Regions operated.

JB-13 starts beeping excitedly as the summits of the mountain range emerge from behind the horizon. Just like the rest of the planet's surface, the mountain tops are barren and rocky. None of the summits are snow-capped, no matter the altitude.

As Ahsoka's crew approach the target coordinates and the mountains grow larger and larger, Ahsoka directs Miara to slow the ship down and quieten the engine noises. Although the ship is cloaked and quite invisible, it would all be for naught if the noise of the ship gives them away.

Ahsoka, sitting in the co-pilot seat, turns towards Miara in the pilot seat. "Miara, how long?"

"We should be there in five minutes, give or take"

"Kaeden," Ahsoka says, "do you see anything?"

Kaeden, sitting behind her sister on the left side of the cockpit, peers into a monitor displaying various sensory data. "Nothing yet. The coordinates point to a location inside the range itself, so our sensors are going to have some trouble detecting anything through those mountains."

"Alright, stay sharp then," Ahsoka says. "We don't know what we're flying into so we need to be ready for anything."

In mere moments, the mountains grow until Ahsoka can see every single crevice in the side of the rock face. Miara guides the ship between two of said mountains, being careful to keep enough distance that there would be no danger of air displacement from the ship's movements disturbing the loose rock and giving them away.

The interior of the mountain range is like a labyrinth. You turn one way and before you know it, you just about fly into the side of a mountain.

Ahsoka glances towards Miara. Compared to this morning, where Miara's eyes looked to be so exhausted she could barely keep them open, the pilot looks focused, completely present and focused on the job at hand.

This is a quality that Ahsoka has long appreciated about Miara. She can be sarcastic, blunt, even dang near insubordinate, but when push comes to shove, she will get the job done. Despite everything, she is as reliable as it gets.

During the Civil War with the Empire, Ahsoka called upon Miara several times under the guise of the Rebel agent Fulcrum. Although Ahsoka never interacted personally with Miara during this time, Miara proved herself time and again to be someone Ahsoka could entrust with even the most sensitive of missions.

As Miara turns the ship around yet another mountain, Kaeden's voice sharply snaps Ahsoka back into focus. "Contact, front!"

"I see them," Miara replies before killing the engines, bringing the ship to a sudden, stationary hover. Directly in front, heading on a course straight at Ahsoka and her crew, are a pair of fighters guiding between the mountains.

Unlike the trio of fighters that Ahsoka and Sabine had fought the previous day, which appeared to be heavily Imperial-inspired, these fighters appear to be the more standard fighter design that could be found in the Unknown Regions. Longer and flatter than the Empire's TIE-series of fighters, these two fighters looked more akin to the A-wings that the Rebellion would use. However, compared to the somewhat slapdash design of the A-wing, these fighters were dark and sleek, with a thin and rounded design that make it difficult to pick them out from the background behind them.

"A patrol?" Kaeden asks.

"Probably," Ahsoka responds. "Jaybee, double-check the stealth core. Make sure everything is running smoothly."

JB-13, waiting in the back corner of the cockpit, beeps affirmatively and connects itself to the access panel on the wall. Within seconds, the astromech droid wheels to let Ahsoka know that everything is running smoothly.

With the two fighters moments away from passing by, Ahsoka leans back in her chair. "Well then, nothing left to do but smile and wave."

For one long moment, the two fighters are a stone's throw away. The three women collectively hold their breaths, as if one sharp exhale could give away their location. Ahsoka tries peering into the fighter's cockpits, but the glass in the canopyies are remarkably small, not allowing Ahsoka to be able to see inside with the naked eye.

And with that, the moment is over. The fighters fly by and are quickly in the rear view mirror. Collectively again, the three women exhale in unison.

"Well then," Ahsoka says. "If they have fighters patrolling this mountain range, then there must be something worth guarding, no?"

"Can't argue with that," Miara responds, before kicking the engines back to life.

The rest of the march through the mountain range is uneventful and it is not long before they are approaching the target coordinates.

"Whatever we're looking for should be just up ahead," Miara states.

The ship takes one more turn around a rock formation and finds itself at its destination. Ahsoka gazes out of the windshield and looks around. They have emerged from the narrow maze between the mountains into a larger clearing of sorts. From the base of the mountain, the ground drops down sharply, forming a bowl-like valley with the bottom being around a couple of hundred metres down at its centre.

What interests Ahsoka the most, however, are the man-made structures inside the valley. Towards the bottom of the bowl are a series of what appears to be buildings jutting out of the rock wall. Ahsoka can make out windows and ventilation piping scattered throughout the complex. It would appear that the majority of the base is inside the rock walls, making its true size inestimable from the outside.

Miara taps the glass of the windshield with her index finger, pointing towards something. "I see a landing pad down there, Captain."

Ahsoka follows her pilot's pointing finger and spots the small landing pad sticking out of the rock wall. Reaching underneath the ship console, Ahsoka pulls out a set of binoculars strapped to the console's underbelly. She brings the viewfinder up to her eyes and zooms in on the landing pad.

"I see a couple of guards standing on the edge of the platform." The two guards, both clad in dark body armour, stare out across the valley with blasters at hand. Neither seem particularly engaged, as they have probably been standing on that platform staring at the same scenery for much too long. Ahsoka can also see a ship parked on the landing pad, a fairly bulky design with a more round shape than the standard New Republic fare. Should be doable, she thinks.

"Alright," Ahsoka says, rising out of her seat. "I've got to get in there and have a look around. Miara, take me to the other side and hover over the platform. Jaybee, you're with me."

The small astromech droid whirls excitedly as Miara pushes the controls forward to direct the ship to start slowly crossing the valley.

Kaeden gets out of her seat also and intercepts Ahsoka. "I'm sure I don't have to explain the dangers of sneaking into a hostile base alone and with no idea of what is inside."

Ahsoka doesn't stop walking and heads towards her quarters with Kaeden and JB-13 in tow, "I am well aware of what I'm getting myself into." She presses a button on the wall console and the door to her quarters shoot open. "But if there's any chance that they have reported back to Thrawn that two assailants with lightsabers stole that shuttle, then we have to assume they know we are coming."

Ahsoka grabs a black set of robes out of the wardrobe and slips it on. She turns to Kaeden, "That makes this mission time-sensitive. They could be planning to relocate or destroy any evidence of Ezra's location as we speak, so I have to get in there."

Ahsoka attempts to step by Kaeden and out of her quarters but Kaeden puts a hand on her shoulder. "Just be careful, okay?" Kaeden says. "We already have the data from the shuttle. If things turn for the worse in there, prioritise your own safety over anything else. We can't lose you in there."

Ahsoka pauses for a moment before nodding, "I will."

Before Ahsoka can leave, Kaeden reaches into her pocket and pulls out the case containing her eyeglasses. "Take these," she says. "You'll need to be able to read the language otherwise you'll just be stumbling around in there. It won't be close to a full translation, but it's better than nothing."

Ahsoka takes the case and secures them inside her robe, "Good call, Kaeden. Thanks."

Stepping back into the common area, Ahsoka grabs a backpack sitting on a bench and opens up the flap on top. She crouches down and lays that pack on it's back. "Sorry Jaybee," Ahsoka says, her eyes shifting to the droid, "I'm going to need you in here until I can get down to the platform."

JB-13 beeps with shock, pausing for a moment and glancing up at Ahsoka in case she is joking. Upon realising that she is not, the droid whirls dejectedly before rolling inside the pack.

Ahsoka closes up the bag and flips it over her shoulder. "It'll only be for a bit, Jaybee. I promise."

Looking through the cockpit and out the windshield, Ahsoka can see that they are hovering over the edge of the valley. "Alright, I'm ready," Ahsoka calls out to Miara. The pilot presses a button located above the windshield and the boarding ramp begins to lower.

Ahsoka turns back to Kaeden. "Maintain radio silence outside of emergencies," Ahsoka orders, her voice raising to be heard over the sound of the wind and the engines from outside. "On the off-chance that I manage to get in and out without being spotted, I'll send a three-pulse burst on the comms and meet you at that landing pad."

"Understood," Kaeden responds. Ahsoka turns and starts walking down the ramp, flipping her robe's hood over her head as she does.

Reaching the end of the ramp, Ahsoka looks over the edge. Directly below, about two hundred metres down, is the landing pad. It should be a straight drop down without any obstacles in the way. She just needs to make sure she doesn't hit the ship on the platform and avoid making too much noise on impact.

If it comes down to combat, dealing with the pair of guards wouldn't be much trouble, however, without knowing what else is waiting inside the base, the longer Ahsoka can keep things quiet the better.

Behind her, she can hear Kaeden say, "Good luck." Ahsoka glances back at her and sees her brown eyes staring directly into hers. Ahsoka can sense the concern and worry that Kaeden is feeling. Ahsoka smiles at her. It has been a long time since Ahsoka had people to worry after her.

Ahsoka waves a quick salute before hopping off the ramp.

The moment her feet leave the ramp and her momentum starts heading downwards, Ahsoka can feel her stomachs drop as gravity loosens its hold on them. Her robe flares out around her as they catch air, causing her arms and legs to want to be pulled back. But Ahsoka persists and forces them steady, keeping her arms by her side and her feet pointing towards the ground.

At this distance, she will only be falling for about five or six seconds, but in those few seconds, her mind is racing as the ground rushes up to meet her. For a second, she starts to doubt that she has judged her trajectory right, as the ship on the landing pad gets closer and closer. But the second passes and Ahsoka forces the thought to the side to focus on the landing.

Ahsoka lands with a soft thump, bracing her knees to soften the impact and using her arms to catch her robes before they whip the metal platform.

Despite her efforts, Ahsoka hears one of the guards say something sharply, in all likelihood something along the lines of him hearing something. She can hear the sound of boots shuffling around as the guard turns in Ahsoka's direction. Fortunately for Ahsoka, she judged her fall perfectly and she landed behind the ship on the platform, keeping her out of sight of the two guards.

The other guard says something in response and the footsteps stop. Ahsoka waits a moment before relaxing. They don't seem to be investigating and have gone back to looking out over the valley.

Ahsoka peeks around the ship towards the two guards and they have indeed returned to their posts, turned with their backs towards her. Ahsoka reaches out with the Force and grabs a hold of the two guards by the helmet and slam their heads together, knocking them both out simultaneously. The two clatter to the ground in a heap.

Not wasting a second, Ahsoka slips off her backpack and opens the flaps, allowing JB-13 to roll out onto the platform. "Jaybee, get the door." The droid beeps an affirmative and quickly rolls towards the door console.

While it does, Ahsoka raises her right hand towards the two unconscious guards. She grabs a hold of them and drags them out of sight underneath the ship. Turning back towards the door, she sees that BD-13 has wrenched open the panel in the console and has connected to the auxiliary input.

Taking a deep breath and adjusting the hood over her head, Ahsoka readies herself in front of the door. "Are you ready, Jaybee?"

JB-13 whirls in reply.

"Okay," Ahsoka says. "Open her up."