Chapter Text
From a distance that only space could allow, the once-prosperous planet of Tao was barely even visible.
Anyone who managed to get close enough, and past the numerous menacing ships that were now surrounding the planet, would see clear evidence that Tao was once a natural paradise. The vibrant continents were a very eye-pleasing green, only rivaled by the complimentary browns of mountain ranges and the rich, crystal blue of the vast oceans that surrounded them. All of the land was connected together by rail systems that were so large and sprawling that they could be seen even from the stars themselves.
But as a lone Tao spacecraft zoomed out of the planet's orbit, its pilot looked back and could only see something far more poisonous.
The Star Destroyers of the sinister Galactic Empire were positioned all around the planet, replacing the sight of its colors with cold, callous metal and grey, reminding the pilot of the Empire's dominant reign over her beloved home. None of the ships' weapons were being pointed at the planet, but in her mind, they might as well have been. The blockade had been the most recent in a growing line of "legal" atrocities committed against Tao by the Empire, supposedly put in place to protect the planet from any "hostile forces." But in reality, many knew that their true purpose was to ensure the resource-rich planet they'd taken over would remain secure and no one would flee the planet to seek help. Nor would any rebels be able to come in and take the world away from them.
But even if that blockade wasn't there, Tao would not look perfect, thanks to the many large clouds of smog that were infesting chunks of the lower atmosphere, like ugly little smears in what was once a flawless masterpiece of artwork. They wafted across the sky, blurring the visions of anyone in their midst, with the heavier patches rendering the land beneath them almost invisible. It all added up to give an uncomfortably industrial aura to the planet.
All in the name of innovation and advancement that would be wonderful for everyone. Or so the Empire had told them.
The pilot, a Lepi named Lop, thought back bitterly to the Empire's promises as she slipped through the blockade's security. When they had first occupied Tao, they had assured its people that their presence and technology would be to the planet's benefit, as Tao had been struggling to advance themselves before then. Many saw right through the Empire's lies, believing that it was all a sham to let themselves get ahead while the planet got nothing in return ... and they were slowly being proven correct.
The Empire had indeed made great strides with Tao's plentiful resources at their disposal. But they were reaping the benefits of almost every single one of them, refusing to share with the people whose homes they'd been ravaging to make them. As a result, the natives of Tao, in contrast to what had been promised, now had access to much fewer resources than before. Much of their land had been torn up, with some natives even being forced to relocate. The year's crop harvest was less bountiful than average, a sign of the soil becoming corrupted. Most distressingly of all, some were starting to get sick, but the herbs needed to make curing medicine had been stripped across many fields, making it impossible for a select few to get them with the Empire's strict intra-planetary sanctions.
And yet there were still those who insisted, whether out of blind hope or the fear of the Empire's wrath, that the Empire was still on their side, and that their short-term losses were paving the way for greater long-term gains.
Those such as Lop's own sister, Ochō.
Lop was not born into the family she'd grown up with. She was saved by them after escaping a life of Imperial slavery and being taken in by Boss Yasaburō of the Yasaburō clan, and his daughter Ochō. Ochō was actually the one who had, with immense enthusiasm and giddiness, strongly encouraged her father to take Lop in as one of their own.
From there, Lop had known a happy, wonderful life, and had come to regard Tao as her home. Even more than that, once Lop's initial shyness and uncertainty had passed, she'd grown to love her new sister more than anything in the world. Ochō was once such a bubbly, cheerful girl who hadn't hesitated for a second to accept Lop as part of the family. She was the reason Lop had the life she could have only dreamed of before, and she could tell that Ochō was just as excited to now grow up with a sister.
But the once-close bond between Lop and Ochō was shattered when Ochō ended up in favor of Imperial occupation, insisting that it was what the family and the planet needed to survive and thrive. What had started as strong disagreements between Ochō and their father gradually tore the family apart, with the final nail in the coffin being when Ochō left them behind to join the Empire officially. Worse yet, Yasaburō and other clan members got into a physical fight with Ochō and her supporting forces, resulting in his one good eye being permanently blinded. It was only thanks to Lop's intervention that he was saved, although the Lepi was devastated to have to fight her own sister in the process, besting a furious Ochō before her escape.
After that ... Lop was forced to watch as everything else around her slowly started to crumble.
But it never deterred her. She remained unwavering in her one ultimate mission.
Ochō was her sister. No matter where they initially came from, or even what Ochō may angrily say to her now, that would never change in Lop's heart. She had an endless amount of love for the family that so kindly adopted her. As she grew up into a young adult, that love fueled her passion to keep her family together and happy, even when tensions kept rising.
Even now.
That was why she was leaving Tao.
The other night, Lop had overheard an Imperial conversation about supplies being exported from the planet Lothal, of which Ochō was apparently part of the final preparations. Through a few feats of technical wizardry on a clan member's behalf, as well as a bribe to a "dirty" Imperial officer, Lop's small spacecraft was outfitted with a short-term cloaking device that was just strong enough to evade the blockade's trackers, letting her escape Tao without the Empire's knowledge.
Once she was in the clear, Lop set her ship to hyperspace, with the coordinates locked in on Lothal.
She took one last look at Tao. Despite its slowly faltering state, the planet still looked so beautiful to the Lepi. It was her true home. One that she would keep fighting for after all it had given to her. Where she'd met the sister she would keep fighting for.
Even if not everyone believed she could be saved ...
"Lop ..." Yasaburō spoke.
Lop had just finished gathering her meager supplies, ready to make her way out of her abode and begin her risky voyage. But just as she was about to reach for the door, she was stopped by the voice of her father.
Yasaburō was a large, bulky man with a gruff, hardened appearance, easily towering over both of his children when standing. But as he sat there on his bed, she saw a frailty and uncertainty in his body that had been growing stronger with each day of the Empire's occupation ... doubly so when Ochō betrayed and nearly killed him. The way he spoke and walked was beginning to lose its authoritative air, his facial hair growing more raggedy, his posture a bit more slumped. He was still unquestionably admired and respected by his loyal clan members, but even they could see the emotional toll and fatigue were starting to catch up to him.
... And that was before ...
"I just want you to be certain that you're willing to go through with this," Yasaburō said to Lop.
"I must, Father," Lop responded, without a second of hesitation. She turned back to him and proclaimed, "This is the only way to bring her home."
"Yes, I ... understand," Yasaburō assured, his gravelly voice briefly paused as he tried to clear his throat. "But Lop, I just ..." His head lowered, his fists clutching the blanket of his bed. "I just want you to prepare yourself for the worst."
"The worst?" Lop asked, tilting her head. Does he ... really think I'll fail?
"You know Ochō as well as I do," Yasaburō explained. "Hmph, in some ways, even more. I'm not the one she dragged along to help steal that Imperial speeder when she was twelve, am I?" he asked with a wry grin.
Lop also smiled at the fond memory from simpler days.
"But that means you've also seen how devoted she was to the cause she left us for. She truly believes that she's doing the right thing, as much as you do now. And you must be prepared for the reality that she ..."
Had he still had his sight, Lop's sudden scowl as she realized what he was getting at would have made even the great Yasaburō waver. "... She may never come back."
"So what?!" Lop shouted. "You're saying I should be willing to just give up?! You'd really let her go?!" Her voice was indignant, as it usually was whenever the young female got passionate or emotional over something. "She's our family, Father!!"
"Do not talk to me as if I-"
Yasaburō's shouting response was harshly cut off by a sudden surge of heavy coughing. The clan leader found himself keeling over, almost falling off the bed entirely. Lop rushed over before that could happen, putting her hands on his shoulders and gently guiding him to lie down. But the man stubbornly refused to rest, instead taking her hands in his, while still heaving to catch his breath.
Lop tightened her grip on his shoulders. She could feel her eyes begin to dampen as she looked into his pained expression.
"... I simply can't lose another daughter ..." he choked out.
The past year had been rough for him in particular. His efforts to lead his clan to some sort of victory for Tao had not only been failures each and every time, but they were sinking the clan's morale. Worse yet, many of his own friends and allies were falling victim to the same illness that he was now facing.
He was fighting everything that was being thrown at him like the seasoned leader he was ... but Lop could see that her father was suffering. And no one in power was going to help him.
If I can't save Ochō ... then ...
But he swallowed deeply, put on his bravest face, and did his best to stare right back in what he approximated was her direction. Just through the comforting touch of his brave, passionate little girl, he could feel a dose of his strength returning. Enough to sit upright without her help.
"But frankly, my child ..." Yasaburō raspily uttered. "You're the only reason that I -" He was interrupted by a few deep coughs. "-still believe I may not have lost one."
Lop sighed. Her head fell, her large ears drooping in front of her face.
"Father ..." she whimpered.
"Ochō has always meant well," Yasaburō said. "And I watched the two of you become as close as true blood sisters."
Yasaburō took the Lepi's face in his slightly trembling hands. He could feel the tears forming in her eyes, and he gently wiped them away with his thumbs.
"Lop ... I have said it many times, but I could not be prouder of you as my daughter. You have the resolve and strength of a true warrior that I could only dream of being."
Lop smiled lightly. His expressions of love and pride in her had skyrocketed since he'd named her his official heir. He felt he'd neglected to make her feel truly like his own child in the past, and was more than making up for it now.
"Which is why I know that if anyone can possibly bring her back to the light ..."
He touched his forehead against hers.
"... It's you."
Ochō looked out a wide window, staring out at the city. She could hear the rustling and loading of Imperial crew members behind her in the garage of the spaceport she was stationed in, all working to load their many shipments aboard one of several Imperial Star Destroyers. Some crates contained Stormtrooper blasters and other weapons, some had crafting and mechanical parts, and others even contained hearty foodstuffs and other ingredients to serve the well-being of the Empire's forces.
She welcomed the hectic commotion of the work force. She tried to let the noise drown out all of her other thoughts. Such as whether the supplies being shipped could have had a better use elsewhere, outside the Empire itself.
Such as ...
"Madame Ochō."
A fellow officer similar in age to her, Shúrén, stepped up to her, his voice barely audible among the other sounds around and within her. "We'll be ready to depart in exactly two hours. Commander Drossel requests one final shipment be picked up at the Southern end of the port."
Ochō turned to the young man who sported short, black hair. She exhaled deeply, as if to banish the sourness in her expression, and responded cordially and professionally. "Very good. I'll make my way down there promptly."
Shúrén nodded, and Ochō hoped and assumed that the conversation was to end there. She'd taken to speaking less in general around her peers these days. She would show up, do her work, and move on, so as to hide the same thoughts that she'd just been trying to silence a moment ago.
But her fellow Imperial wasn't done yet. "If I may ..." his accented voice spoke again, "I couldn't help but notice you appear to be troubled."
The black-haired woman's blue eyes flared up ever briefly, which Shúrén only barely managed to notice. She should have figured he of all people would sense something was off, as he was the closest thing she had to a friend within the Empire, as well as the only one she'd seen show any uncertainty during the Empire's endeavors.
Ochō closed her eyes while thinking through how much she should say. When she finally spoke, Ochō tried to make herself sound as indifferent and assured as possible. "Are any of these supplies bound for Tao?"
Shúrén's head tilted up slightly. He let out a light hum as he immediately understood. Over the past few months, he'd heard Ochō repeatedly ask about the state of her home planet, which she had never been assigned to for any mission or duties since she'd left it. Her concern for Tao's well-being was evident, and though he never had any firsthand information himself to report, he'd taken to asking around for such details alongside her.
"Only what the commander has stated, Ochō," he answered. "They've given the Empire a fair amount of supplies, but it's been guaranteed that they'll see the rewards very soon.
They said "very soon" moons ago ... Ochō thought. So how much longer is it going to be?
But she didn't dare make her growing apprehension explicit. Instead, she gave a curt nod and blankly replied, "Thank you. That is all."
Shúrén was slow to turn, still giving his acquaintance a lingering look that Ochō made sure to avoid. But he did indeed soon head out through the sliding metal door, leaving Ochō to once again stare out into the expanse of Lothal's Capital City.
I need to get these doubts out of my head, Ochō ordered herself. I knew that progress wouldn't come overnight. The Empire is all-powerful, but they can't be everywhere at once.
But ... surely they should be faster than what she was seeing.
The Empire had occupied Lothal for much longer than it had taken over Tao. So, Ochō had assumed before coming here, it should be in a better place than it had been in a very long time, possibly ever. But instead, despite her commander's assurances, she could see almost no remnants of any sort of natural environment, and she scarcely saw any well-off person outside of her own fellow Imperials. Commander Drossel insisted that the planet's persistent rebellion was negating all the benefits brought upon them, which made sense to Ochō ... but it still didn't feel right to see the world so desolate.
"Young one, you must know these things take time," Drossel would say. "Please, be practical ... You've seen what such skepticism did to your family, after all ..."
Yes, I have ... Ochō thought. My former family ...
Lop and Yasaburō made it perfectly clear where they stood a year ago: she was no longer one of them and never would be again. And if they still weren't willing to see her side of things, then their "family" was truly dead. Her father had clearly given up on her already, having physically interfered with her plans and come to blows with her. He'd even taken their family's sacred sword, an heirloom that was meant for her, and given it to Lop instead of his own flesh and blood!
Lop ... Her betrayal still hurt her gravely. Her father wasn't a big shock, considering his age and ties to the planet would make him more prone to foolish traditionalism. But she and Lop had talked for so many years about their world and its future. Ochō had been the one to bring her into the family ... and Lop had repaid her by taking their father's side?! By taking away her inheritance, leaving her essentially disowned and cast out?!
Lop should be the outsider! Not her!!
Damn those two! Why did they cling so vehemently to their blind idealism?! How could they be so naive to think they could hold out against the Empire, when every single sign made it clear that accepting them was the planet's one and only way forward?! By fighting back so childishly, they had only delayed Tao's growth and enhanced the very danger she was trying to pull them out of!
And now ... Ochō didn't know what had become of them. Only that she truly had nothing left but the Empire to which she'd sworn her loyalty.
The sunset sinking slowly below the vista of buildings was extremely hazy, largely due to the smoke from wildfires that had broken out throughout the planet. It was a terrible reminder of the dark thoughts plaguing Ochō's mind ... thoughts that brought her right back to the life she'd tried to move on from.
Why, Lop? she thought, clenching her eyes shut with a light snarl, her long nails digging into her crossed arms. How could you have turned on me like this?
In spite of everything ... I thought we could still be there for each other ...
As Lop took her first look at Lothal, she was disturbed to see how much it resembled a future version of what Tao may be slowly turning into.
She knew that Lothal was Imperial-occupied territory, so she was hoping this trip could give her a sense of what her own planet would look like in a few years' time. Maybe, if it was showing signs of the prosperity that Ochō believed in, Lop could be proven wrong. She didn't want to believe that the Empire was a monstrous entity that destroyed all it touched.
But when she got her answer, it was far from reassuring. To a substantially greater degree than Tao, heavy pollution and smoke was visible even from orbit, swirling over the entire planet like a hurricane. The healthy plant life that she'd been expecting to see based on all the stories she'd been told was nowhere to be found, instead replaced with flat emptiness, dying grass, and even charred blackness. Patches of healthy life were visible here and there, but they were nothing more than that: patches. Once again using her short-term cloaking to sneak through another blockade, Lop could also see that the rivers and oceans looked extremely murky, filled with waste likely emitted from the Empire's many factories they set up around the planet.
Lop's main destination, though, at least looked less visually desolate: Lothal's main attraction, Capital City.
To say it towered over the rest of its surrounding environment would be an understatement. Skyscrapers were everywhere, and sprawling fields of industrialized buildings of varying architectural styles were scattered wherever such titanic buildings were not. Of course, smoke filled the skyline, and as Lop descended down towards one of the nearest spaceports, she was noticing that the population was very sparse, primarily near the industrial complexes and factories. It didn't take long for her to surmise why: life-forms must have been driven away, forced out of their homes to make room for the Empire's new establishments to take hold. She'd seen it happen back home, after all.
Ochō ... surely a part of you must see that this is wrong.
The long-eared female's craft finally touched down on solid terrain, after many long hours of hyperspace travel. She'd opted to park on top of the spaceport, hoping her ship was small enough to not be noticed or worried about until she was ready to head back to it.
Hopefully with her sister alongside her ...
The agile Lepi hopped out of the vehicle and stretched her lean body out, allowing herself the joys of free, wide movement. She dug out the few supplies she'd been able to take with her: her gliding umbrella that she strapped onto her back, her infrared side glasses that could provide useful information in such an unfamiliar place ... and of course, the laser sword that her father had passed down to her.
A light breeze wafted over Lop, causing her beautiful ears and hair to sway calmly and gracefully. The female closed her blue eyes gently, staying still as she concentrated on her surroundings through her other senses ... including a sense that she'd only recently discovered within herself.
"You have been given an extraordinary gift," her father had said when she told him of how she'd called a blade to her with her mind. "One that may make you very important to those in need ... and very dangerous to the Empire."
The Force, as her father had called it, was something that apparently connected all living things. In the past year, Lop came to feel her own connection to it, one that went well beyond what most individuals felt. She'd made an effort to hone it in the past year, achieving physical and spiritual feats that would have sounded like the stuff of legends.
The galaxy suddenly felt so much bigger to her ... and yet somehow so much more intimate ...
As she placed the sword in a holster at her hip, Lop decided she'd had enough sitting and standing around.
She took her first steps into this strange, corrupted city. She knew Ochō was here somewhere.
She could feel her.