Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Chapter 1
The Uninvited Guest

Lothal, 8 miles outside Capital City

“Focus. Focus on letting go,” I groaned in pain as I tried to remain balanced on one hand.

Struggling to remain focused on my father’s instructions, I felt myself tipping over, quickly rebalancing.

“I’m trying!” I groaned. I didn’t need to see him to know he’d just rolled his eyes.

“Do or do not,” Father said “There is no try.”

I hated it when he said that. “What does that even mean?” I demanded,as I lost my balance and fell over in the dirt.

Father wasn’t impressed. “It means, just do it” he explained “If all you do is try, you’ll never succeed.”

Still confused, I pulled myself to my feet. Though I was only 9 years old, my father had chosen to train me as a Jedi. It was difficult, and I often found myself doubting what he saw in me. Training was often very risky. The Empire had made that very clear. Most of the Jedi had been wiped out, but my father, Quinlan Vos, had been lucky to survive. He had gone into hiding, hoping that one day, the Jedi could return. Though he was willing to show me what he knew, he often worried it would attract the Empire’s attention. Stories often spread about Jedi who stepped out of the shadows, only to meet an Imperial Inquisitor, servants to the Empire who hunted our kind like animals. In order to keep my training a secret, Father always waited until the few workers we had went home for the evening. We had spent many nights training into the very early hours of the morning.

“Let’s finish today’s lesson by levitating that crate,” Father said, pointing to a box full of jogan fruits, the produce we grew on our farm. I let out a deep breath and closed my eyes, extending my hand.

“Breathe, feel the Force flow through you”
I could see the crate in my mind, almost able to hear it rattling. “Focus” Father says again. “Good”
I cracked my eyes open, surprised to see the crate was indeed floating, though only a few inches off the ground. Losing focus, the crate slammed to the ground. “Excellent work, Draxus!”
Father exclaimed. I panted, feeling a sense of pride. As I lay in bed that night, I found myself looking ahead. If Father was truly able to train me, would we actually be able to help people the way he did during the war? What if the Empire found us? Would they kill us? I was unsure.
The following day, we made our way to a small town nearby called Kothal. Father intended to make a deal with one of the local vendors to sell our jogan crop. I enjoyed the sights and smells of the markets, even if we couldn’t afford to buy most of what they sold. Today was different, however. He handed me five credits and told me to meet him back by the speeder in an hour. As I made my way through the crowd, I watched him approach one of the vendors. What was the man’s name? Sumar? I noticed a squad of stormtroopers walking past me. Feeling uneasy around them, I stopped at a stand selling small trinkets. Made with real rancor teeth! A sign read. Glancing around the inventory, I suddenly felt odd, like someone was watching me. Craning my head around, I didn’t see anything. Movement on top of a building caught my attention. There, perched on a rooftop was a young boy. He seemed to be around my age, maybe a little older. He had ear length black hair and wore a short sleeved vest over an orange coverall. Based on how he was surveying the crowd, I’d have wagered that he was planning on stealing something. As I watched him, he turned his head and saw me. We made eye contact for a moment before the vendor’s voice turned my attention back to him.
“Were you looking to buy something?” The Rodian man asked. “Uh, yeah!” I replied, pointing to a bracelet. “That one” Walking off with my new purchase, I glanced back up at the roof. The boy was gone.
As I made my way back towards the speeder, I noticed a large repulsorlift filled with bales of Nysillin. ‘Payday for someone’ I thought to myself. Nysillin was a healing crop, and an extremely valuable one at that. As I watched, I noticed the bales seemed to be sagging on one corner. One of the repulsors was malfunctioning! Before I could do anything, the crops began to fall, right towards a Gotal mother and her daughter. Cowering in fear, the pair screamed and waited to be crushed. On instinct, I reacted. I held out my hand, the bales moved mid air to a few feet to their left and missed them entirely. The Ithorian farmer apologized profusely. It was only then that I noticed an Imperial officer watching me from a distance. I made eye contact with him for only a moment, before moving on my way and acting like it didn't happen. Little did I know how disastrous the consequences would be.
"You're quiet, today." Father said later as he drove the speeder home. I was staring out of the speeder, not able to stop thinking about what I'd done. "Draxus?" the sound of my name snapped me back to reality. "You ok?" Father asked. I nodded. "Uh yeah. It's nothing." I replied.
My mind kept drifting back to that boy. People came and went from Lothal every single day, but I couldn’t help but think I’d see him again.
“I want to continue working on Form III today.” Father said later. “You’ve been doing quite well with it, but I want you to keep practicing. You’ll find it to be immensely useful if the Empire ever finds us out here”
He hands me his lightsaber. But before we could begin, we both heard an odd sound, like the rumbling of approaching ships! Father grabbed his macrobinoculars from the hook they hung on and poised in the direction the sound was coming from.

“What do you see?” I asked him, “Imperial dropships. 3 of them.”

Father quickly took the lightsaber back and clipped it to the back of his belt. “Go inside. Head for the basement and stay there!” he instructed. “Do NOT come out until I call you. Got it?”
I nodded, quickly running back inside. Pushing aside a small couch, I descended into the hidden basement. The couch slid back into place, hiding the entrance again. I fired up the small console on the wall, a camera above the front door providing me with a glimpse of what was happening outside. The 3 gunships touched down about 30 feet in front of the house. Dozens of stormtroopers filed out, lining up into 2 even lines, as though waiting for someone important. Father was watching them from the doorway, allowing them to make the first move.
All movement outside ceased. Everything was quiet, until I noticed a cloaked figure walking down the center of the 2 lines. He wore black armor, a long black cloak and a black bandanna over his mouth. His white hair was tied in a ponytail. He approached Father, a sense of pride in his gait.
“Something I can help you boys with?” I heard Father ask.
“We’re looking for a fugitive” The cloaked man said. His voice was deep and cold, like an ocean.
“That’s too bad” Father replied “There’s nobody out here but me! The workers have all gone home for the night”
The cloaked man chuckled softly. “Do you know what I am?” he asked suddenly. Father seemed hesitant, but he nodded after a moment. “You’re an Inquisitor”
The Inquisitor nodded slowly. “Know what I do?” Father remained quiet for a long time before he replied. “You hunt Jedi”
The Inquisitor chuckled again. “Good, I won’t have to explain it to you then...Quinlan Vos.”
My eyes widened in shock as the Inquisitor suddenly drew a crimson bladed lightsaber, swinging the blade towards Father, who quickly drew his own weapon and blocked the attack. My heart was pounding as they exchanged blows. Father seemed to be holding his own, but for how long? Even if he defeated this Inquisitor, there were still dozens of stormtroopers to contend with. He seemed to realize this quickly, as he kicked the Inquisitor in the chest, sending him backward. Father stood his ground, awaiting his enemy’s next move. The Inquisitor’s expression never wavered.
“Open fire!” He ordered his men. Immediately, the troopers began shooting at Father.
He deflected each shot, hitting a number of them. But there were too many, even for him. It wasn’t long before a laserbolt hit him right in the shoulder. The impact sent Father’s lightsaber flying out of his hand, the blade shutting off. Father fell to his knees, clutching his wound. I covered my mouth to stop myself from screaming. Father suddenly began to clutch at his throat, as though he was choking on something. He slowly rose off the ground. The Inquisitor rose to his feet, his right hand was half clenched into a fist as he strangled Father. My heart was racing even faster as the blade came up…and penetrated Father’s chest. The Inquisitor pushed the blade in deeper, the tip poking out of his back.
Father collapsed as the blade was pulled free from his chest. The Inquisitor motioned towards the house.

“He has a child. FIND IT!” He ordered.

The stormtroopers split up, some making their way inside, others searching the surrounding buildings. I held my breath as the sounds of footsteps came from above me. I was hidden, but the entrance could easily be found by accident. The Inquisitor had returned to one of the gunships, no doubt waiting for his men to find me. Scrolling through the other cameras in the house, I noticed the front room, where the entrance to the basement was, was empty. The troops were searching the rest of the house. Thinking quickly, I climbed up the ladder. I slowly pushed the couch aside, trying to remain as quiet as possible.
Creeping outside, I stopped next to Father. He was still alive, but only just. A perfectly circular hole sat in the center of his chest. Kneeling down, I grabbed his hand.

“Go” he croaked “Remember your training!”
He gasped for air and his head slowly fell to the dirt, his hand going limp. I shook him.
“Father? NONONO!” Tears streamed down my face as the one person I knew I could rely on died in my arms. My screams had clearly not gone unnoticed. Four troopers ran out of the house.
“Hands up!” One of them ordered, their weapons readied.
I could feel an odd feeling building up within, something I had never felt before. It wasn’t fear, or anxiety. It was a feeling of hate, pure and true. Extending my hand, Father’s lightsaber slapped into my palm. I leapt to my feet. The blade ignited and, before they could react, sliced through all four of them, leaving nothing but decapitated bodies on the ground.
“That’s right, boy” a familiar voice called from behind me. “Use your hate. Let it fuel you.”
I turned and faced the Inquisitor. His face was obscured by the bandanna, but I could tell he was smiling. I steadied my grip on the lightsaber.
“Get back!” I shouted, the hate still boiling inside me.

“I will not kill you, boy” he said “Your destiny lies with us.” His weapon was not in his hand. Apparently, he wanted me to believe that he meant me no harm. I could hear the remaining troopers approaching, my window for escape was closing fast. Deactivating the blade, I turned and raced towards the nearby forest. The Inquisitor didn’t seem to like that. “After him!” he ordered. “I want him alive!”

Dodging through the trees, my thoughts were racing. Father was dead, I was alone and now the Empire was on my back. What was I going to do? I could hear the troopers behind me, they were gaining on me fast. Tripping, I fell hard on my shoulder, rolling down a steep incline. I pulled myself up, clutching my sore arm. Panting hard, I continued on. The troopers were getting closer. If I didn’t find help soon, I was doomed. Reeling to a halt, I noticed a sheer drop off in front of me. The cliff was easily 60 or 70 feet, a roaring river at the bottom. Footsteps rapidly approached behind me, I spun around, seeing a dozen or so troopers running towards me, their weapons raised. The Inquisitor appeared behind them.

“This is your final chance, boy,” he said. “Join us now. Or die.”

“NEVER!” I snarled, taking a few steps backward. “You have nowhere to go!” The Inquisitor said smugly. “You can make it easier on yourself and join our ranks, or you can die, here and now. The choice is yours.”

I glared at him. He was wrong. I had one way out, and I was taking it. Turning fast, I raced towards the cliff and jumped. The wind rushed past me as I fell, hitting the freezing cold water. It carried me downstream. I tried to keep my head above the surface, but the fast moving water didn’t make it easy. Finally, I grabbed onto the root of a tree and pulled myself ashore, gasping for air. It was now well past sunset as I limped onto dry land. The river had taken me quite far. I could no longer see the cliff I had jumped from. I sat against a tree. In less than a day, I had lost everything. My father, my home, my future. All of it had been ripped away from me in the blink of an eye. All I had left was my training, Father’s lightsaber and the clothes on my back. With no other choice, I pulled myself up. The trees soon parted, and I could just barely make out the bright lights of Capital City in the distance, the massive Imperial Dome standing proud against the horizon. Not sure what else to do, I limped towards the city, my future uncertain.

Chapter Text

Seven years later…

“Stop him!”

The stormtrooper commander shouted. I sprinted down the crowded street, the stolen Imperial tech clutched in my hand. It wasn’t much, but I could easily sell them for a few credits to a local pawn shop. I could’ve easily gotten more, that is if the owner of the Imperial speederbike hadn’t come back sooner than expected. He had alerted the local troopers, which was why I now found myself pushing through crowds of people to escape. Turning right down an alley, I leapt up and pulled myself onto a rooftop. The troopers followed, albeit at a slower pace. I chuckled to myself. Didn’t the Empire supposedly give its troops the best training possible?

Climbing back down to street level, I ducked behind a stack of crates and waited. Sure enough, the 6 troopers who had been pursuing me jumped down. They glanced around, before the commander beckoned to his men. They ran out of the alley and vanished around the corner. Waiting a few minutes, I crept out and made my way down the busy street. It was nearly dusk by the time I finally arrived at the pawnshop. Once owned by a decent fellow named Ferpil, it was now run by a Weequay named Jiro. He was a slimebag who delighted in making an easy profit. He gave a greasy smile as I entered.
“Got something for me today, kid?” he asked. I rolled my eyes.

“Please stop calling me that, Jiro!”

He knew I hated it when he called me ‘kid’. I dropped the few items I had scored onto the counter. He inspected each one carefully.
“One fuel line, one spark plug, one diagnostic uplink plug outlet. What you’ve brought me today is worth…25 credits.” I was stunned.
“That fuel line alone was worth at least 30 last week!” I snarled “What the hell changed?!?” Jiro looked slightly amused.
“The market, kid! That’s what!” I rolled my eyes again. That was Jiro for “I don’t want to pay you a fair deal.” He pulled this kind of thing almost every other week.

“Do you want the credits or not? If you don’t, you could take them to the Imperial Dome and maybe someone there will blast you for them.”
With little other options, I closed the deal and walked out. Once again, I had risked my life for pocket change. Quite a lot had changed on Lothal in the last few years. In response to local rebel incursions, the Empire had tightened its grip on the whole sector. There were now checkpoints at every entrance to the city, patrols had been increased tenfold and a curfew was now in place. Any civilian caught out after said curfew risked being arrested or worse. I myself could hardly make any real money. I had considered getting a legitimate job, but the only source of employment that paid well enough was working for the Empire, which I wasn’t willing to do. Turning left, I finally arrived at what had passed as a home for me since Father died. It was little more than an abandoned one room relay station. Slipping inside, I turned on a small lantern. It lit up the small space, revealing the few possessions I still had. A cot with a thin blanket, a gas operated portable stove and a metal table with a metal toolbox and a few old books on it were all there was, aside from a pile of clothes Jiro had sold to me. A cracked mirror hung on the wall. I stared into it for a moment, almost unable to recognize the face staring back. The one time Jedi Padawan, now nothing more than a lowly thief.

Following my close encounter with the Inquisitor, I had waited nearly a full week before returning to the farm. What I had found would have broken most people. The buildings had all been burned, along with the entire orchard. The basement had mostly remained intact. Inside, I had found very little, an old smuggler’s jacket, a strongbox containing around 150 credits and the old books. Closer inspection revealed them to be ancient Jedi texts. I had taken to studying them often, trying to become the Jedi my father had seen in me. But without a Master to train me, it was often difficult. Still a bit angry from before, I knelt to the ground, clearing my mind and recalling the words Father had said to me years ago. The Force resides in all living things, from the most powerful of politicians to the poorest of peasants and the stray Loth-cats that roam the grassy fields. I closed my eyes and let out a deep breath, going over the Jedi Code in my mind.

There is no emotion; there is peace
There is no ignorance, there is knowledge
There is no passion; there is serenity
There is no chaos, there is harmony
There is no death; there is the Force

I repeated the words over and over in my head, finally feeling calm enough to eat something. A small ration pack and half a canteen of water were enough for tonight. The ration pack consisted of a polystarch bread and a few veg-meat squares. I poured a bit of water onto the bread dough, it began to rise and eventually grew into a small roll. It wasn’t bad, though the veg-meat could do with some salt. Not that I had any on hand that is. After eating, I moved towards the cot. I stopped in my tracks as I passed by the toolbox on the table. Swallowing hard, I lifted the lid and pulled out the metal weapon. The lightsaber sat unremarkably in my hand. I wanted more than anything to be able to actually use it. But that would do little more than get me killed. The green blade was too easily seen, especially at night. While I had taught myself how to lie, I didn’t think I was clever enough to explain to a stormtrooper why I had the weapon of a Jedi. I would be arrested, charged with treason and most likely executed.
Rumors had spread for a while that a Jedi was on Lothal, making life difficult for the Empire. Some even said he had a Padawan. But around 3 years ago, everything changed. Following an incident on the distant world of Mustafar, the stories had all but stopped. Occasionally, people claimed to have seen him, but very rarely did they prove to be correct. Placing the lightsaber back into the box, I decided to stop thinking about it. The Empire had us in a steel tight grip, and it would take a miracle at this point to free us. I pulled off my jacket and hung it on a hook on the wall. Climbing into my cot, I was soon fast asleep.

The following day, I made my way through the city streets again. While the scores were easy to find, it seemed like there were patrols on every block. It was too risky. Stealing parts when the streets were this busy would be suicide. I could easily pickpocket something off an unsuspecting civilian, I had done it before. But with the way the Empire had been crushing our world, most of them were just trying to get by. It just wouldn’t feel right. Making my way into an alley, I stopped to rest for a moment. I needed to find an easy score, anything to feed myself with. I pulled out a small ration bar and began to eat it. Jiro often sold them to me cheap, stale as they were most times. Something brushed against my ankles. It was a brown Loth-cat, likely a stray. I snapped off a bit of the bar and dropped it for him. My mind drifted back to my need for money. There just had to be something out there, anything would do.

As if the universe had read my mind, an Imperial troop transport pulled up across the street from me. It was a fairly common model, a K79-S80 to be exact. The Empire had dozens of them in Capital City alone. I had climbed under my own fair share and stolen parts from them. Jiro often paid well for them too. As I watched, a few troopers filed out and entered a small building a few meters away. I would have to be quick. The streets had cleared up a little and I didn’t know how long it would stay that way. Creeping out of the alley, I made my way across the street to where the transport was parked. Feeling lucky today, I decided to check inside for any potential valuable cargo.

Peering inside, I noticed a lone Imperial operator pouring over the controls, no doubt waiting for his team to return. He was easy enough to deal with. I grabbed the back of his head and slammed it down hard onto the console, knocking him out cold. I turned to the back of the transport. To my surprise, a number of crates sat idly in the small room. Normally, the Empire stored cargo on the roof, but it seemed like they weren’t taking any chances with this cache, whatever it was. Lifting the lid on one of the crates, I peered inside. My eyes widened in shock.

Thousands of credit chips sat inside. This was no normal transport. It was payroll! I had just stumbled onto the score of a lifetime! Grabbing fistfuls of the chips, I stuffed them into my pockets. I was so excited, I ignored the warning bells going off in my head, as if the Force was trying to tell me something. The sound of E-11 blaster rifles being readied snapped me out of it.
“Freeze!” a voice commanded.
My heart was racing as I slowly turned to face the stormtroopers. There were half a dozen or so of them crowded into the cramped space, and half a dozen or so blasters aimed right at me. I had just been caught red-handed stealing from the Empire, and there was no way I could talk my way out of it.

Chapter Text

The troopers grabbed me and dragged me outside, throwing me onto the ground. Credit chips fell out of my pockets and all over the street.

“Thought we wouldn’t catch you, didn’t you?!?” The commander demanded.

I recognized his voice. It was the same trooper who I had ripped off the day before. He clearly hadn’t appreciated my actions and had set up a trap.
“You’ve just been caught stealing from the Empire!” he continued “That’s a little thing called treason!”
He pulled me to my feet, slamming me hard against the transport. My arms were pulled behind my back, the cold metal of binder cuffs bound my wrists. This was it. A stupid moment of greed had cost me my freedom and, most likely, my life.

“This LS-979” the commander said into his helmet comm. “I’m bringing in a civilian on charges of treason and assault of an Imperial officer.”

I could just barely make out the reply. “Copy that LS-979. Dispatch to cell block AA-33.”
The troopers moved to pull me back into the transport, but someone was blocking our path. A young man stood casually leaned up against the transport, arms folded across his chest. He wore a bright orange and yellow shirt, brown pants and a pair of armored boots. His black hair was slicked back and he had a pair of scars on his left cheek. I quickly noticed a DL-44 blaster holstered on his belt, along with, unless my eyes deceived me, a lightsaber. There was also something oddly familiar about him.

“Move along, citizen!” the commander said firmly.

“Let the kid go.” the young man replied.

“What. Did. You. Just. Say?” the commander sounded furious.

“I said, let him go”

“You have exactly ten seconds to turn around and walk away before we arrest you too!” the commander snarled.

The young man smirked. “He can go about his business,” he said.

I noticed him gesture with his fingers ever so slightly, a brief gesture not noticed by the troopers.
“You can go about your business” The commander repeated to me.

“Release him” the young man said.

“Release him” the commander repeated. My wrists were suddenly freed, the troopers dropped me, climbed into the transport and left. Now, it was just me and the young man.

“You ok?” he asked, helping me to my feet.

I nodded, rubbing my wrists to get the circulation back. “Thanks for that.”

“You wanna tell me what that was all about?” he asked.

“You don’t want to know, trust me. Just a stupid mistake is all.”

He doesn’t seem impressed. “I just saved your life, I think you owe me an explanation at least.”

I sighed. “Just a job that went wrong.” I explained “I ripped that commander off yesterday, didn’t think anything more would come of it.” I was confused. A complete stranger had just stuck his neck out and saved my life. “Why did you help me?”

The young man smiled. “The simple gesture of kindness can fill a galaxy with hope,” he replied.

I was stunned. “That’s an old Jedi saying.”
He glanced around and nodded. “That was the Force you used just now, wasn’t it?” his grin vanished. “Is that a problem?” he asked.

I hesitated. Was I really about to do this? I looked around to be sure nobody was watching, before focusing on an empty drink canister laying next to a nearby waste bin. I reached out and concentrated. Before long, the canister slapped into my hand. He seems taken aback.

“You…What? You’re a Jedi?” he asked.

I rubbed the back of my neck. “Sort of”

“Where is your Master?” he asked. My heart ached. “Dead,” I replied.

“Sorry to hear that,” he said. “I’m Ezra” He stuck out his hand. I hesitated, before shaking it.
“Draxus” Before we could continue our conversation, however, there was a commotion. “There he is!” a trooper shouted, leading a dozen or so others around the corner. “It’s the rebel agent!”

Ezra quickly drew his lightsaber as the stormtroopers opened fire, deflecting each shot back at them. It was an impressive display, but we were outnumbered. “Come on!” I shouted, leading him down an alley. Ezra deflected a few more blaster bolts before following me.

I led him through the shadows, not stopping. We could still hear the troopers behind us. “Which way did they go?" one shouted. “This way!” another called back. Finally, we ducked out of the alley, right outside my relay station. Pushing the door open, I motioned him inside. Ezra glanced around as I slid the door shut. We remained silent for a while, the sound of the troopers getting closer. A series of silhouettes slinked past the window. Clearly, they hadn’t noticed us enter. The room was silent for several long moments, until finally, the sounds outside died down.

“I think we’re in the clear” Ezra’s voice came from the darkness. Lighting my lantern, we could finally see.

“Is this…your place?” he asked.

“You could call it that,” I explained. “All it really is, is an old relay station. Thanks to the Empire, there’s quite a few of them across the city.”
Ezra nodded. “Yeah, I used to live in an old relay tower myself,” he replied. “So, if you don’t mind me asking. How did you lose your Master?”

I glanced down at the floor for a moment. "It was my fault." Ezra shook his head. "You can't blame yourself. The Empire..." “You don't understand!" I interrupted him. "My father was a Jedi who survived the Emperor’s Purge He met my mother a few months later. She died having me, so he raised me alone. He trained me in the Jedi ways for a while. Then, when I was 9, I accidentally exposed us when I saved the lives of a mother and her daughter. The Empire’s response was to send an Inquisitor to our farm. Watched him die.”
Ezra gave me a comforting pat on the shoulder. “I’ve run into a few Inquisitors myself.” he said, pointing at the scars on his cheek. “They’re bad news.”

I nodded, clenching my fists for a moment. “I’ve been trying to continue studying the Jedi Path, but it isn't always easy.” I continued. “How’d you do that?” Ezra asked. I pointed at the ancient books on the table. “With those”

Ezra’s mouth dropped open in surprise as he flipped through the books carefully. “Whoa. Are these from the Order?”

I nodded. “I assume so, Father never showed them to me. I only found them after he died.” Ezra continued examining the yellowed pages. “They’re definitely older than the Purge. I’m not sure exactly how old though.” He closed the book, pushing it back to where it had been. He had a thoughtful expression on his face.
“What do you think of the Empire?” he asked suddenly. I shrugged. “You mean the people who made me an orphan and took everything I cared about from me? Just love ‘em.” Ezra gave me a look, as though he was considering something. “What about your skills with a lightsaber?”

I thought for a moment. “I haven’t practiced much as of late, but I wasn’t bad with Form III when…it happened.”

Ezra looked impressed. “Mind showing me?” I turned to the toolbox on the table. Hesitating for a moment, I opened it and pulled out my father’s lightsaber. Ezra drew his blaster as I turned back to him, igniting the blade. The green light filled the room with light almost better than the lantern.

“On three.” he said, raising the blaster towards me “Ready? 1. 2. 3!” The blaster fired a stunbolt at me. Thinking fast, I moved the blade to a center level block. The bolt hit the blade, reflecting right back at Ezra, who dodged it with a flick of his head. “Not bad” he said, “Let’s try a little faster.” He fired three more stun bolts at me. I deflected the first two, but the third almost hit me.

“Not bad” he said, holstering his blaster. “Your footwork could use some attention but that wasn’t bad regardless.”

Ezra remained silent for a moment, as though thinking hard about something. “I’d like to make you an offer.” he said finally. “I happen to be a part of a group of people trying to make the galaxy a safer place. If you’re willing to join us, you can learn what it truly means to be a Jedi.”

My face perked up at this offer. “It won’t be easy,” he continued. “For all we know, both of us could be dead before the week is out. But it’s the right thing to do. You certainly have no love for the Empire. Join us, and you have my word, you will be a Jedi.”
I paced back and forth for a moment, contemplating Ezra’s offer. Was he serious? Could I really become the Jedi my father had seen in me? Before I could reply, a shrill beeping filled the small room. Ezra raised his arm and accepted a call on his wristcomm.
“Specter 6 here, go ahead,” he said.

“We’re approaching the rendezvous. Did you acquire the intel we needed?” a woman’s voice asked.

“Affirmative. The itel I gathered has confirmed our suspicions. The Empire is definitely trying to mass produce TIE Defenders.” There was a slight pause. “Copy, Specter 6. Be ready to give a full report upon our return to base.”
“Are you in?” Ezra asked me. “It’s now or never.”
I hesitated, before nodding. “I’m in.” He smiled, before turning back to his commlink. “Ghost, be advised. I’m bringing someone with me.”

The woman on the other line sounded confused. “Who is it? A prisoner?”

“Negative. A new recruit. He’s got quite a lot to bring to the table.”

There was a brief pause. “Fine. It’s on you if he ends up being an issue.” Ezra smirked. “He won’t be. Meet you at the rendezvous. Specter 6 out.”

Packing what little I owned into a small backpack, I glanced around the room one last time. The tiny building had provided me with a place to sleep, small and decrepit as it may have been. But it had now served its purpose. “Ready?” I turned back to Ezra, hoisting the backpack onto my shoulders. “Ready”

Ezra led me back out into the street. It was now well past sunset, and by extension, curfew. Strangely, I felt no fear as we crept through the empty streets. What I did feel was a sense of anticipation, of excitement. “So, where are we going?” I asked him after a few minutes.

“Keep your voice down.” Ezra replied quietly. “We have a ship waiting outside the city to pick us up.” Hearing troopers approaching, we ducked behind a stack of crates. While there were only 2 of them, we decided not to take any chances.

“What did he steal?” one was asking. “Information,” the other replied. “Something to do with a top secret project the Grand Admiral is overseeing” I shared a glance with Ezra. They had been talking about him, of that I had no doubt. The troopers vanished around a corner, giving us the opportunity to move. It wasn’t long before we managed to slip out of the city.

Ezra led me to a spot about a quarter mile outside the city, behind a large rock formation. Raising his comm once more, Ezra called to his comrade again. “Specter 6 to Ghost, we’re at the rendezvous point.”

“Copy Specter 6, we're five minutes out.” We waited in silence for a moment. “Can I ask you something?” I asked.

“What’s that?” he asked.

“Earlier, I heard you mention something called a TIE Defender. I’ve been wondering, what is it?” Ezra flashed a grim look. “Well, I assume you’ve seen the standard TIE models flying over the city?” I nodded, “Almost every day.”

“The TIE Defender is a more advanced model,” he explained. “It’s equipped with shields, heavy cannons, a hyperdrive, everything a standard model doesn’t have. They’re experimental for now, but if they enter full scale production, the Rebellion doesn’t stand a chance.”

Our conversation was cut short by the roar of an engine and a bright light. A huge freighter had arrived above us. It touched down into the grass, the ramp extending. I could make a name out on the hull, Ghost. Ezra nodded me onward. As we boarded the craft, the ramp closed, and we lifted off.

“Welcome aboard,” Ezra said. “She may not seem like much, but she has it where it counts!” I opened my mouth to reply, but the ship suddenly shuddered. “We missed our window!” a woman’s voice yelled over the intercom. I recognized it as the same voice from before. “We got 6 TIEs in attack formation!”

“On it, Hera!” Ezra shouted back, turning to me. “I need you on that cannon!” He pointed up a ladder, before running through a door behind me. Climbing the ladder, I found a turret station directly below the cockpit.

“Ever used one of those before?” the woman’s voice above me asked sternly. I glanced up, noticing the young female Twi’lek in the pilot’s seat. “No.” I replied, “but in this case, I’m a fast learner!”.

We were heading for the atmosphere. “We need an opening before we can jump!” The woman Hera ordered. Clambering into the seat, I lined up my shot. A TIE dove in front of us, its cannons firing. Thinking fast, I squeezed the trigger. The fighter, not fast enough to evade, exploded in a ball of flame. Higher above, I heard another explosion. Ezra seemed to be operating another gun, elsewhere in the ship.

The ship was now free from the atmosphere, where a dozen or so more ships were waiting in blockade formation. I could make out a number of Star Destroyers and a few light cruisers. Noticing us, the ships immediately opened fire.

The Ghost rocked this way and that, dodging the laser fire. I was impressed. Hera was quite the pilot. Seeing another TIE, I swung the gun around and fired again. I missed, the fighter flew right over us. Hera didn’t seem worried.

“Making the jump!” she shouted. The Ghost surged forwards; its engines roared to life as the stars elongated into streaks of light. My heart jumped in excitement as the galaxy blurred into a dazzling tunnel, leaving Lothal far behind us.

Chapter Text

Climbing out of my seat, I made my way to the cockpit. Hera stood from her seat and extended her hand.

“Welcome aboard” she said warmly, shaking my hand. “I’m Captain Hera Syndulla.”

“Draxus,” I replied. “Draxus Vos.”

An orange astromech rolled up behind us. He seemed to be an older model, mostly made up of spare or mismatched parts.

“This is Chopper,” Hera said. “He keeps the Ghost running.”

The doors to the bridge slid open as Ezra joined us.

“Yeah, he’s lucky he's good at it too.” he joked. “Chopper here has the most attitude I’ve ever seen in a droid.”

“Ezra tells me you’re our newest recruit,” Hera continued, motioning me to sit. I nodded, lowering myself into a seat.

“He saved my life.” I replied. “So, I figured this was the best way I could repay him.”
Hera raised an eyebrow. “Is that it?”

I rubbed the back of my neck, glancing at Ezra. He gave a subtle nod, as though he could tell that I was hesitating to open up about my past.

“My…father survived The Emperor’s Purge. He trained me in the ways of the Force. Until the Empire killed him that is.”

Hera’s eyes lit up. “You’re a Jedi?”

“Yes, and no. '' I replied. “It’s not exactly easy without a Master, and I couldn’t train much in a practical sense without attracting attention. So, most of my training as of late has been little more than book reading.”

Still, Hera seemed impressed. She pulled a wrench off of her belt and placed it on the control console. “Show me.”

I hesitated for a moment. Closing my eyes, I extended my hand. Focus. I told myself. Picture the wrench in your mind. I could almost hear the wrench rattling. Suddenly, it slapped right into the palm of my hand.
“Impressive!” Hera exclaimed, taking the wrench back. “A friend of ours, his name’s Kanan, survived the Purge as well. He could teach you a thing or 2. If you’re interested, that is.”

I thought for a moment. “I’ve seen the Empire crush too many people to just sit idly by anymore. Becoming a Jedi will allow me to help stop that from happening.”

It wasn’t long before the Ghost dropped out of hyperspace. The planet before us was red, with a cloudy atmosphere.

I glanced down at the navicomputer. Atallon it read.

“Atallon?” I asked. “Can’t say I’ve ever heard of it.”
Hera took us down into the atmosphere. “That’s because it doesn’t appear on modern charts,” she replied. “There hasn’t been a settlement here in centuries. We found it by chance, and it ended up being a perfect spot for our base.”

We broke through the clouds, where I saw dozens of starships of all makes and models all clustered together on a makeshift landing pad. Frigates, cruisers, blockade runners, starfighters. All brought together to fight the Empire it seems. We made for an open spot on the landing pad. As the ramp lowered, I was surprised by the heat. Atallon had a much hotter climate than Lothal. We were met by an older man in battle armor that almost reminded me of what stormtroopers wear, only his was decorated in certain spots with shades of blue.

“Captain Syndulla,” he said, giving her a respectful salute. “Welcome back. Was your trip successful?”

Hera returned the salute. “It was, Rex,” She replied. “We got the intel we needed and came back with something more.”

She motioned me forward. “A new recruit?” The man Rex asked.

“A Jedi.”

Rex’s attention quickly snapped to me. “You?” I nodded. “Uh, yes, sir.” He looked me up and down. “I served a number of Jedi during the Clone Wars. Here’s hoping you’ll give us as much of an advantage as they did back then.”

I chuckled. “All due respect, sir. I’m not technically a Jedi yet. Haven’t even had any real training in about 7 years.”

“Speaking of which” Ezra interjected “Where’s Kanan?”

“Oh he’s off on a supply run. Should be back by tomorrow.” Rex replied.

“Good. It’ll get Draxus here time to settle in. Mind getting him set up? I have a report to make to Commander Sato.”

Rex motioned for me to follow him. We walked in silence for a moment. “So, you’re a clone?” I asked.
Rex laughed. “What gave it away?” he asked. “You’re too young to have been in the Order back then. I take it your Master survived the Purge?”
I nodded. “My father did, yeah. Taught me as much as he could before the Empire found us.”
Rex leads me into an area that seems to be serving as a makeshift barracks. “Your father? What was his name?”

“Quinlan Vos” I replied.

Rex seemed surprised. “General Vos? Didn’t realize he made it!” He exclaimed.
“You knew him?” Rex nodded.

“Knew of him. Only met him a few times. He was a bit…unconventional to say the least.”
We arrived at what appeared to be a storage closet for spare uniforms. Rex pulled a couple sets off a rack and handed them to me.

“Unconventional?” I asked.

Father had rarely spoken of his time in the Order. The few times he had, he had only ranted about the mistakes of the Jedi Council, and their failure to see an enemy that was, according to him, right in their faces the entire time.

“Oh yeah.” Rex replied. “He was pretty well known to do things his own way, never really stuck to the rules.” Rex nodded to a nearby bunk.

“This one’s yours. You get the bunk, a foot locker and not much else. Get yourself changed, then report to command. Welcome to the Rebellion, soldier.”

The uniform wasn’t too uncomfortable. It consisted of matching tan pants and a shirt, along with a black pair of gloves and a belt with a holster. I slipped my jacket over the shirt and took a look in a nearby mirror. All that was left was my lightsaber. I couldn’t help but feel anxious about having it out.

“You ok?”

I turned around. Ezra was standing behind me.

“Is it…safe?” I asked. “Openly carrying a lightsaber?”

I could tell he knew how I felt. “You’re letting fear make your decision for you.” He explained . “My Master, Kanan, often felt the same way you do now. He rarely openly carried his lightsaber. But if you let your path be dominated by fear, you’ll never be a Jedi.”
I thought on those words for a moment. Father had often put emphasis on how it was the destiny of a Jedi to confront fear. Ezra was right. If I was to become a Jedi, I couldn’t let fear rule my path. I hesitated, before clipping the weapon to my belt.

“Good choice,” said Ezra. “Now follow me. Commander Sato wants to meet you.”

Commander Sato was a very stern man. I could tell he was the type of man who had seen a lot and as such, didn’t trust easily.

“Thank you, Lieutenant Commander Bridger, that will be all,” he said.

Erza nodded, before turning and leaving the command center. Now, it was just me and Sato. “So, Ezra tells me you’re a Jedi?”

I hesitated in my reply. “Yes, sir. I was raised by my father, who trained me in the ways of the Force, until the Empire found us that is.”

Sato raised an eyebrow. “And you want revenge, is that it?” he asked.

“No, sir. I’ve seen the Empire hurt too many people to just watch it happen anymore. I want to protect people like the Jedi did during the Clone Wars.”

Sato seemed impressed with my attitude. “I want to test your mettle,” He said. “You and Commander Bridger are going on a simple fuel run, stealing it from an Imperial shipping port in the Outer Rim. Can you handle it?”

I smiled. “Yes, sir!”

Ezra led me towards a small, brightly painted shuttle, where Chopper was waiting too.The three of us were to steal a shipment of fuel, due to be picked up by Imperial forces in two rotations. We’d just have to get to it first.

“This is the Phantom,” he said. “She’s enough to get us to the base and avoid their sensors long enough to get in, grab the fuel and get out.”

The ship wasn’t very big, but I had a feeling she was faster than she looked. Ezra held something out for me.

“Sato asked me to give this to you.” It was a blaster. “It’s an LL-30.” he said. “They’re easy enough to use, but they pack quite a punch.”

I looked the blaster up and down, as we took our seats. Ezra fired up the engines and the ship took to the skies.
“Ever fired one of those before?” Ezra asks, taking us into hyperspace.

“Not this particular model.” I replied, holtering the blaster. “But I did get some training from this old Weequay pirate I used to run odd jobs for. He was a decent enough kind of guy. His name was Hondo.”

Ezra’s eyes lit up at that name. “Hondo Ohnaka?” he asked.

I nodded. “You know him?”
He laughed. “You could say that. I met him a while back and almost joined his crew by mistake. How’d you meet him?”

“I did some work for him a few years back, when he didn’t have a way off Lothal. You know, moving cargo, stripping tech to sell, that sort of thing” I said. “He didn’t pay much but it was work. He taught me how to shoot, how to lie through my teeth, and even gave me some tips on how to pickpocket civilians.”
We rode in silence for a few moments. “Did you ever tell him…who you were?” Ezra asked.
I shook my head. “Hell no. Hondo always only ever thought of himself and himself alone. If I told him about my past, he’d have sold me out whenever it suited him best.”
“You were smart not to trust him.” Ezra replied. “Hondo is the kind of guy who never shows his full hand. I remember once, he gave my team some intel on refugees. Once the Empire found out what he was up to, they forced him to give us up. Even then, he tried helping us again by cutting off the troopers.”

We continued our small talk for some time. “What about you?” I asked. “What’s your story?”
Ezra looked a little uncomfortable, like what I had asked was a sensitive subject. But he told me nonetheless. “Well, like you, I was born and raised on Lothal. My parents often spoke out against the Empire with secret transmissions. It…attracted the wrong kind of attention. They were arrested and charged with treason. Never saw them again. I was 7.”
I could tell, even after so long, it still hurt to talk about it. Who could blame him? “I met Kanan when I was 14.” he continued. “Tried to rob him, if you can believe it. He stuck his neck out to save me, and when he realized my potential, took me under his wing. He trained me in the best way he could.”

Soon, the Phantom dropped out of hyperspace. The planet below us was blue, I could make out lights of settlements here and there. Ezra took us towards one of the larger ones. The outpost wasn’t very big. A dozen or so landing pads were attached to small buildings, with cargo ships docked at a number of them. Civilians were milling about, going about their own business. Touching down onto the surface, Ezra and I stepped outside. Chopper would remain on the Phantom, keeping the engines ready for the inevitable need for a quick escape.
“This way” Ezra said, leading me towards one of the larger buildings, no doubt where the fuel was refined and stored. Here we go… I thought to myself.

Chapter Text

“Now, I should warn you” Erza said “We’ve hit this place for fuel before, so they might have stepped up security a bit since last time.”

We were standing about 50 yards from the depot, watching it from behind a stack of crates. There were around half a dozen or so troopers standing guard in various positions around the place. A towering AT-DP walker stalked past. Clearly, these men didn’t intend to have their fuel stolen. Suddenly, an odd chill ran down my spine. The planet had a rather warm and humid climate, so it felt out of place.

“Do you…do you feel that?” I asked Ezra.

His eyes were closed in concentration. “I do,” he replied “It’s the Dark Side. We need to be careful.”

We crept towards a side entrance to the facility, but I couldn’t shake the feeling. The chill had almost felt familiar, like I had experienced it before. I shook my head, trying to focus on the mission at hand.

Slipping through the side door, Ezra led me down the corridor. “That’s odd.” He said suddenly.
“What?” I asked, not focusing on anything specific.

“There’s nobody here,” He whispered. “Normally, there’s at least thirty or forty men patrolling the halls, minimum.”

Regardless, we continue onward, eventually arriving outside a room labeled “Fuel Storage.” The door slid open and we slipped inside. Lights flickered on, revealing what must've been hundreds of barrels of fuel. Ezra motioned at a hover cart, we would use it to move as much of the valuable fuel as we could. Approaching the first barrel, we each took a side.

“1-2-3” We lifted the barrel up-and nearly fell over. It was much lighter than it should’ve been. “Set it back down.” Ezra said, confused. The barrel clanged softly as it hit the floor. Erza unlatched the container, flipping the lid open. “What the hell?” I exclaimed.

The barrel was empty. I opened another, then another, and another. Every single barrel had the same problem. They were all empty.

“We’re not in the wrong room are we?” I asked.
“No!” Ezra replied. “We’ve hit this place three other times and it’s always in here!”
We ponder the situation for a moment before the realization dawns on both of us. “This is a trap!” As soon as the words left my mouth, the door slid open.

A lone figure stepped into the room. My eyes widened, recognizing the white haired, bandana masked man that entered. His cloak was adorned with the Imperial Cog on both shoulders. I couldn’t see his face, but I could tell he was smirking. The Inquisitor ignited his lightsaber, slashing the door controls and trapping us inside. “Welcome, Jedi fools.”

“You!” I shouted, igniting my lightsaber.

The Inquisitor seemed confused. “Have we met?” He didn’t even appear to recognize me, even after all this time.

“I’ll give you a hint.” I said coldly. “Last time we met, you killed my father in cold blood, and then tried to get me to join you!”

The Inquisitor chuckled. “Ah yes. The farm on Lothal. So long ago, I’d almost forgotten.” He replied. “I see you’ve joined the traitors in their pathetic attempt to defeat us. Call me Tenth Brother.” He drew a second blade, now equipped with one in each hand. Ezra drew his own lightsaber. We stood our ground, each side waiting for the other to make the first move.

We lunged forward, our blades connecting with his. I had never once been in a lightsaber duel, but I couldn’t back down now. Tenth Brother seemed to be almost enjoying himself, blocking our attacks with ease. He lifted a hand, sending me flying back with the Force. I landed hard against the wall. Ezra was holding his own fairly easily, but he needed my help. Jumping back up, I rejoined the battle. Though he was outnumbered, Tenth Brother was not backing down.

“We’ll never win like this!” Erza shouted. He pulled something off his belt and handed it to me. It was a thermal detonator. “Plant this on the door! I’ll hold him off”

Taking the bomb, I pulled away from the duel and ran towards the door. I planted the bomb about halfway up, the magnetized backing sticking to the door. As soon as I pressed the button to arm it, a red light began blinking, and a shrill beeping began to emanate from the device, slowly increasing in speed.
“Down!” I shouted to Ezra.

He pushed Tenth Brother back and dove for cover behind a stack of barrels. I did the same, covering my ears. The room shuddered like an earthquake as the bomb exploded, taking the door off its track. Ezra was suddenly right next to me, pulling me to my feet and out into the hall.

“Move!” he shouted. An alarm was blaring throughout the refinery. We had clearly overstayed our welcome.
“Lock down the facility!” Tenth Brother’s voice said over the intercom.

In response, blast doors began closing every few feet. We climbed and dove through each one, moving as fast as we could. Finally, we arrived in a massive hanger. Ezra blasted the door controls behind us, causing it to slam shut. The main doors were sealed, clearly not opening any time soon. Or so I thought.

“Chopper!” Ezra shouted into his wristcomm. “We need a pickup at the main hangar!”

I was confused. “How are we getting out of this?” I shouted. Tenth Brother’s lightsaber blade had suddenly shot through the door we’d just come through, cutting it open slowly.

“Simple.” Ezra replied. “We’re opening that main door.”

“What? How?”

The facility was on complete lockdown. Without Chopper right with us, it would be impossible to open.

“You ready for a lesson?”

I was surprised. “Is now really the time?” I asked.

“Focus” he replied. “Picture the locking mechanism in your mind.”

I let out a deep breath, closing my eyes and extending my arm. Ezra did the same. I could hear the door creaking as we lifted it. It wasn’t an easy task. The door was massive, and with only two of us, it would take a while. Tenth Brother was about halfway through. I could feel the sparks of the melting metal hitting my back.

“Feel the connection. Trust in the Force.” Ezra said calmly, as though there wasn’t someone currently trying to kill us. “We’ve almost got it.”

With a final surge, the door locked into place at the top of the frame. Our victory was short lived however. The number of troopers outside had nearly doubled. We were peppered by laserfire. Diving for cover behind a transport, I returned fire. Something caught my eye. A hover cart with eight drums of fuel was sitting a few feet away.

“Ezra, look!” I pointed to the fuel.

“Chopper’s almost here!” he shouted back. “When he lands, I’ll cover you, get it loaded onto the Phantom!”

We had cut down a number of troopers, but things became much harder, when not only did the walker I noticed before join the fray, but Tenth Brother finally broke in. He charged right at me, but a Force blast from Ezra knocked him clean off his feet. He slammed into a nearby walkway, cracking his head on a railing and crumpling to the floor in a heap.

There was still the AT-DP to deal with. We were pinned down by its canons. The driver wasn’t going to let us go that easily. My eyes widened as I realized that he’s aiming for the fuel tanks.

“MOVE!”

We dove for cover, expecting the explosion. But it never came. The walker suddenly erupted in a ball of flame. I breathed a sigh of relief as the Phantom touched down nearby. Chopper’s timing was perfect. I grabbed the hover cart, dodging laserfire from the remaining troopers and I sprinted towards the ship.

“Move! Move! Move!” Chopper beeped at us.

I pushed the cart up the ramp. It wasn’t easy. The drums must’ve weighed a few hundred pounds each. Chopper rolled down and grabbed onto the other side with one of his manipulator arms. Together, we managed to get the cart up the ramp and onboard.

“Ezra!” I shouted. “Let’s go!” Ezra didn’t hesitate. He deflected a few more shots before turning on his heels and sprinting towards the ramp.

I noticed some movement in the hanger. Tenth Brother had regained consciousness and was starting towards us. I felt a feeling of rage boiling up inside me, much like it had all those years ago. Drawing my blaster, I opened fire, trying very hard to kill him. He easily deflected each shot, but it was enough to slow him down long enough for Ezra to get on board. The doors slid shut and Chopper immediately made for the atmosphere.

“You did good back there.” Ezra said, but I wasn’t listening. I was staring out the cockpit viewport, my heart pounding in anger.

“Hey, you ok?” he asked, snapping me out of it. I nodded.

“Was that really him? The Inquisitor who killed your father?”

I let out a deep breath, trying to calm down. “Oh that was him. I’d never forget that face.” Ezra looked worried.

“There aren’t many Inquisitors left,” he said. “This Tenth Brother must be one of the last of them.”
Chopper made the jump to hyperspace. We had managed to escape with our mission target, but my mind was elsewhere.

“I’m gonna kill that son of a bitch.” I said coldly. “Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow. But I will do it.”

Ezra took a seat in the pilot’s chair. “Easy,” he warned me. “Revenge is not the Jedi way. In time, you’ll learn to let go of your hate. I know what you’re feeling, believe me. But acting out of anger is a path to the Dark Side.”

I thought for a moment. Ezra was right. Killing the Tenth Brother wouldn’t bring my father back. If I was to truly become the Jedi he’d seen in me, I needed to let go of my hate.

Chapter Text

Commander Sato was impressed as we returned. “Well done,” he said as we unloaded the fuel. “That fuel will keep us going for at least the next cycle.”

I felt a twinge of pride. I had accomplished my first mission and had received commendation from my commanding officer.

“Were there any complications?” he asked.

Ezra and I shared a knowing look. “It was a trap, sir” I replied.

“A trap? What happened?”

Ezra pushed the fuel cart towards the landing pad, leaving me alone with Sato.

“We made it into the base easily enough, but things just felt off from the start.” I explained.

“There were no troopers patrolling the halls, and Ezra and I both sensed something dark before we even went inside. We knew it was a trap when every single barrel of fuel in the storage room was empty. That’s when the Inquisitor showed up.”

Sato looked taken aback. “An Inquisitor? Are you certain?”

I nodded slowly. “Yes, sir. He’s the one who killed my father. He very nearly did the same to us, but we managed to get away, even got some fuel before we did.”

Sato looked even more impressed. “You and Commander Bridger walked into a trap, but still managed to bring back what we sent you in for. Well done, soldier.”

He held up what appeared to be a small metal square with a red dot in the center. It was a badge. He stepped forward and attached it to my front.

“Welcome to Phoenix Squadron, Lieutenant Vos.” He snapped a salute. Filled with pride, I returned the gesture. “Thank you, sir”

Ezra caught up to me later. “Follow me,” he said. “There’s someone I want you to meet.” He led me back to the landing pad, where the Ghost was waiting.

“Congratulations, by the way” He said as we walked up the ramp. “You’re officially one of us now.”

“I just hope I can help make a difference.” I replied. “All those years back home, I never thought I’d be here.” Ezra led me up a ladder, to the common area, and then down a hall to the crew cabins.

“Well,” he said. “That’s why we’re here.” We stopped outside one of the cabins. “You ready?”

I gave a slow nod, not fully grasping what he was saying. Ezra knocked on the cabin door. “Enter” a man’s voice called. The door opened and we walked in. A man in his early 30’s was kneeling atop a bench. He wore a green shirt and gray pants, had a beard and brown hair pulled into a ponytail. There was also an old scar across his eyes, which were closed. My eyes flashed to the lightsaber on his belt.

“Draxus Vos, meet Kanan Jarrus” Ezra said. Kanan motioned to a bench across from him. “Please, sit” I lowered myself into the seat. Ezra walked out, closing the door behind him and leaving me alone with Kanan. “Ezra tells me you want to learn the ways of the Force.”

“Yes, sir.” I replied. Kanan opened his eyes, I was taken slightly aback by what I saw. His eyes were a milky white; he was blind.

“Learning the ways of the Force is no easy path.” He continued. “But if you have the discipline and willingness to learn, I can help you control your abilities.”

“With all due respect, sir.” I replied. “How can a blind Jedi teach me anything?”

Kanan smirked. “Let’s just say I’ve learned to see things differently.” He replied. “I’ve taught Ezra everything he knows. I can do the same for you.”

“However,” he continued. “Like I said, it’s not an easy life. The Empire will make it even more difficult. But it’s the right thing to do. Is becoming a Jedi worth that much to you?”
I think for a moment. “I’ve had a long time to think about this. If you’re willing to help me finish my training, I believe I can make a real difference.”

“That’ll come tomorrow.” Kanan replied. “First, I want you to tell me about how much you know of the Force.”

I shrugged. “The little practical training I had was from my father, but he’s been dead a long time. Other than that, it’s mostly just book reading and picking up rocks with the Force when I’m alone.”

Kanan nodded. “Yeah, Ezra told me your father was a survivor. What happened to him?”
I shuddered as I once again recalled the events of that day.

“The Empire found us.” I said softly. “They sent an Inquisitor to our farm. He told me to hide, and I watched as they killed him. Barely escaped with my life.”

Kanan remained silent for a moment. “Sorry to hear that. I never knew your father, but he had a bit of a reputation. Tell me, did he still try to help people while he was in hiding?”

“I’m not sure. He left Lothal a number of times, but never told me why or even let me come with him for that matter. Always left me with a caretaker droid. Then one day, about 6 months before he died, he came home as pale as a ghost. The next day, he sold the droid and never left the planet again. I tried to get him to tell me what happened, but he just kept mentioning ‘the man in the black armor’ and that was it.”

Kanan was surprised at the mention of the “man in black armor.” He whispered something that almost sounded like “Vader…” Remaining silent for a moment, Kanan finally spoke again. “Sounds like your father ran into a Sith Lord. I can’t say I blame him for hiding the way he did.”

I had many more questions, but it was getting late. “You should get some rest.” Kanan said. “Tomorrow is going to be a big day.” I stood and began to walk toward the door, but I stopped. “Thank you, Kanan. Not many people would be willing to help me like this.”

Making my way outside, I found Ezra talking with a tall muscular being with purple hair and green armor. He beckoned me over. “Draxus, I’ve got someone I want you to meet.” He said, motioning towards the being. “This is Zeb. Think of him as the muscle around here.”

Zeb looked me up and down. “You don’t seem so tough, kid.” His voice was gravely and rough. “I bet you won’t last two weeks.”

“Careful, Zeb.” Ezra joked. “He’s a Jedi, like me.”

If Zeb was impressed, he didn’t show it. “I’ll believe it when I see it.” He stomped off onto the Ghost, headed for his cabin.
“Sorry about that.” Ezra said. “Zeb may act tough, but underneath it all, he cares.” I nodded absentmindedly, watching Zeb’s hulking figure disappear up a ladder.

“How did it go with Kanan?” Ezra continued.

“My training starts tomorrow.” I replied, stifling a yawn. It hadn't occurred to me just how exhausted I was, having been awake for nearly two days straight now.

“You should get some rest then,” he replied. “Believe me, you’ll need your strength for tomorrow.”

Returning to the barracks, I collapsed into my bunk. It had been a wild last few days, and I was soon fast asleep.

Chapter Text

The warm Atollon air blew through my hair as Ezra drove the landspeeder far from the outer reaches of the rebel base. We had loaded quite a lot of supplies into the back, apparently planning to be gone for a few days.

“Why exactly are we going so far out?” I asked.

“The fewer distractions, the better.” Kanan replied. “I want your training to go as smoothly as possible.”

“And there’s less chance of you killing someone” Ezra quipped.

“Very funny. I thought Jedi were supposed to learn to work around distractions.”

“They are.” Kanan replied. “But I want to get an idea of your abilities first before you do any field training.”

We sped into a canyon, eventually coming to a stop in a wider open area. I glanced around as I climbed out. The foliage almost looked like coral, as though the entire planet had once been covered in water. A few shelled dokma scattered, having been disturbed by our arrival. A feeling of apprehension ran through me, anxious to start my training. My thoughts were interrupted by Ezra, who passed me a heavy crate of gear to be unloaded.

Within an hour or so, we had a simple camp set up. It was complete with 3 single person tents, a campfire with seats and a cooking setup, and a wide open circular spot that would be used for training. Kanan motioned for me to stand parallel to him in the center of the circle.

“Before we begin,” he said. “I want to get an idea of your capabilities with a lightsaber.”

I nodded. “Sure” I reached for my lightsaber, but Kanan stopped me.

“No.” He threw something long and thin at me. I caught it. The object appeared to be little more than a stick with a makeshift handguard towards the bottom. I tilted my head in confusion at Kanan, who was holding an identical stick.

“A stick?”

“Training saber.” Kanan corrected me. “Better for you to get comfortable with the basics before you use a proper lightsaber.” He held the training saber in his right hand, holding it out like a blade and placed his left hand behind his back. “Now,” he said. “Show me what you’ve got!”

I gripped the training saber with both hands, trying to remember what Father had taught me all those years ago. “Keep your feet on a line” he’d said. “Advance and retreat on that same line.” Keeping my feet in a tight stance, I lunged towards Kanan. Our sabers made contact, making loud cracking sounds as we went. Kanan lunged backwards. Unprepared I stumbled forward, allowing him to deliver a hard knee to my gut and combo it with a hard blow with his saber handle to my back. Collapsing into the dirt, I clutched my stomach.

“How’d he do that?!? I thought. “Oh. Right. Jedi.”

“Again!” Kanan commanded. I pulled myself up, charging at him again. Kanan easily dodged my attacks, before once again throwing me to the ground. “You’re unfocused and undisciplined!” he admonished me. “I knew every move you were going to make before you even took a step. You need to learn to close your mind off to stop that from happening!”

His words stung, but deep down I knew they were true. In the years since Father died, I had mostly only ever thought of myself, stealing to survive and not much else. Standing up, I brushed myself off and stood ready to continue. But Kanan shook his head.

“No.” he said, tossing his training saber to Ezra. “Take him through the basics, just like I did with you.” Ezra nodded, moving into a parallel position to me.

“Ready position.” he said, holding the training saber in front of him at a slight angle. I adjusted my grip to imitate him.

“Good.” Ezra said. “Now, after me.” He lowered his saber to an angle to his right, then his left, and finally, center. “1, 2, 3” I copied Ezra as best I could, albeit a bit slower.

“4, 5,6” he counted, doing the same moves, but higher. “Good.”

Kanan stepped up behind me, gently kicking my foot backwards. “Widen your stance. You’ll have better balance and defense.”

“7, 8, 9” Ezra said, raising the saber in front of his head. I imitated him and we started again from 1.

For the next few hours, we went through the same maneuvers. I could slowly feel my lessons coming back to me.

“Now,” Ezra finally said. “You up for a duel?”

“Thought you’d never ask.” I smirked.

“Is that confidence or arrogance?”

“Both.”

Ezra and I stood parallel to each other. I steadied my grip on my saber, focusing on nothing but my opponent.

“Focus,” Kanan said from behind me. “Trust your instincts.”

We stepped in circles, each waiting for the other to make the first move. Finally, Ezra leapt forward. Anticipating his first move, I parried low. He pushed down hard on the saber and I struggled to hold him back. Pushing back, I staggered back a few steps. Ezra quickly moved to attack again. A well timed strike sent my saber flying from my hands. I dodged his follow up attack.

What happened next almost felt like it was in slow motion. Ezra swung his saber towards my legs, intending to trip me. A single word flashed in my head. Jump. Without thinking, I leapt a few feet into the air, just barely missing the wooden blade. As my feet touched back down, I raised my arm, and called my own saber back. I blocked his next attack and pushed back. Ezra stumbled back, caught off guard. Seeing an opening, I kicked him hard in the chest, sending him falling onto his back. I held the tip of my saber to his chest, a bit of a smug grin on my face.

“Excellent!” Kanan beamed. I offered my hand to Ezra, pulling him to his feet. “You’re learning fast!”

I shrugged. “I think it’s more like I’m recalling the lessons my father taught me.”

“Either way,” Kanan replied, his hand on my shoulder. “You should keep practicing whenever you can. The more you open yourself up, the more likely you will be to anticipate an opponent’s attacks. Tomorrow, I’ll show you how to fight without seeing.”

That evening, we sat around a fire. Erza had managed to shoot a nuna, which we proceeded to roast. I took a small bite of it. It was odd, a bit gamey but also had a bit of a nutty taste to it. My mind was racing, anxious to continue my training. I glanced at Kanan, then to Ezra and found myself truly smiling for the first time in ages. It seemed that I'd finally found my place in the universe.

Chapter Text

I rose early the next morning. The sun was just barely beginning to poke up over the horizon. Ezra appeared to still be asleep. His tent flaps were closed, and I could hear him snoring. Kanan, on the other hand, had woken earlier than me. Glancing around, I could see him on a cliff overlooking the campsite. He looked like he was deep in meditation, so I went to join him.

My mind raced as I walked towards him. The adrenaline from the day before hadn’t worn off and I was anxious to continue.

“Nervous?” Kanan asked as came up behind him. I couldn’t tell if he had sensed my presence or heard me coming.

“A little.” I admitted. “More excited to keep at it.”

“Sit” Kanan motioned to his right. I knelt down next to him and closed my eyes. “Find your center.”

I exhaled slowly through my nose, clearing my mind. I could feel the tension melting away, as though there wasn’t a care in the universe to be had. Suddenly, I began to hear voices. There were two of them, one that was familiar, one that was not.

“We’ll never surrender…”

“I’m not accepting surrenders at this time…”

My eyes shot open and my head snapped around. It was like two other people had been there with Kanan and I.

“You ok?” Kanan sounded concerned.

“Y..yeah.” I stammered. “I just thought I heard…nothing. Forget it.”

Kanan looked like he wanted to press for details, but Ezra finally joined us.
We ate quickly and moved to continue from where we left off the day before.

“As a Jedi, you may often find yourself in a position where you can’t rely on your eyes.” Kanan explained. He walked around behind me and brought a cloth over my eyes, tying it behind my head and effectively blinding me.

“You must learn to rely only on your instincts alone.”

I could hear him walking around me, his voice moving from behind me, to my right, then to my left.

“Are you ready?”

I hesitated, before nodding. “Ready”

Without warning, something hard cracked me in the forehead. I landed hard on my back, clutching the throbbing spot. Pulling the blindfold up, I stared up at Kanan. He was holding one of the training sabers, clearly having swung it at me. I climbed to my feet and replaced the blindfold.

“Focus,” Kanan said calmly. “Clear your mind.”

I let out a deep breath again. Kanan started walking around me again. Words began to appear in my mind again. Duck now! I dodged my head to the left, just in time to hear the saber whistle by my right ear.

“Good!” Kanan commended. “Keep it up!”

I ducked to the left, then to the right, then down.

“The more attuned your senses become,” Kanan explained. “the easier these moves will be. Eventually, it’ll become second nature.”

While he was talking, a sudden blow caught me in the shoulder. I fell to the ground hard again. Clearly, Kanan had motioned to Ezra to catch me off guard.

“Never turn your back to an opponent.” Ezra instructed. “Any unexpected outcome can get you killed.”

I nodded, panting slightly. “I can almost feel my mind warning me.”

“I wouldn’t really say it’s your mind doing that.” Kanan replied. “It’s the Force. Think of it as a warning bell, one that you ALWAYS listen to. If it says ‘jump’, you jump. If it says ‘danger’, you put your guard up and don’t put it down until whatever danger it was has passed.”

We continued this exercise until the early afternoon, quickening in pace each time. Finally, Kanan instructed me to remove the blindfold.

“Excellent work today.” He smiled, handing me a canteen of water. “You’re almost giving Ezra a run for his money!” I took a heavy gulp of the water, pouring some over my head.

Ezra let out a sarcastic laugh. “Except for the fact that he had training earlier than I did!”

“Yes, but you also unlocked some of your potential before we even met!” Kanan replied. He walked over to one of the supply crates and pulled out a metal sphere with a number of small holes on it. He set it on the ground in front of me.

“Training remote,” he explained. “They used these exact models with the younglings at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. You’ll need your lightsaber.”

I unclipped my lightsaber from my belt, igniting the green blade. Kanan pressed a button on the remote, and it slowly floated into the air. The device slowly rotated, before it fired a single bolt of energy at me. I deflected the laser, and it fired two more. The first was easy to block, but the second nailed me right in the shoulder. It didn’t hurt much, almost reminding me of the time I’d been stung by a Loth-bee back home as a child. I rubbed the spot for a moment, but returned my grip back to the lightsaber. Suddenly, my head began to spin ever so slightly. I blinked, shaking my head to alleviate the feeling.

The remote fired again, I blocked the bolts one at a time. The feeling began to surface again. I stumbled on my feet. Kanan said something to me, but I couldn't tell what it was. Before I knew it, the ground came rushing up at me. My lightsaber slipped from my grasp as I fainted.

The voices I’d heard that morning were back. This time, they were clearer and more numerous.

“We’ll never surrender to you, Thrawn!” said one, sounding a bit like Hera.

“I’m not accepting surrenders at this time.” said another. This voice sounded cold and sophisticated.

“If that is true, there will be no escape for us!” said a third voice, which sounded like Commander Sato.

“You’re not going alone!” a fourth one said, this time sounding like a young woman. “I’m coming with you!”

Finally, the voices were replaced by the sight of a fleet of Imperial starships, all of them with their cannons firing rapidly. They appeared to be led by a Star Destroyer with the stylization of a beast of sorts on the hull. Whatever these images meant, I had no idea what it was. But I would find out, sooner than I thought.

Chapter Text

“Draxus! Draxus!”

I could feel someone shaking my shoulder as my consciousness slowly returned. I opened my eyes and clutched my now aching head. Kanan and Ezra were both crouched next to me, their faces twisted into looks of confusion and concern.

“What happened? Did I get hit too many times or something?”

Kanan shook his head. “No. Quite the opposite actually.”

He nodded at the remote, which now lay on the ground, emitting sparks.

“Are you ok?” Ezra asked, helping me up. “You just…collapsed all of a sudden.”

“I…I don’t know.” I replied, unsure of what had just happened. “I heard voices…in my head.”

Kanan looked surprised. “Voices?” he asked. “Did you recognize any of them?”
“Yeah. I heard Captain Syndulla and Commander Sato. But the other two, I have no idea who they were.” I paused for a moment. “Hera’s voice mentioned a name. Thrawn.”

Kanan and Ezra exchanged a glance, looking alarmed.

“Who is he?” I asked.

Kanan hesitated. “Grand Admiral Thrawn is one of the smartest officers in the Imperial Navy. He’s the one in charge of the TIE Defender program on Lothal and is also doing everything he can to find us out here.”

“He’s gotten close too!” Ezra exclaimed. “Just a month or two ago, one of his probes actually found us. We got really lucky with that. Zeb programmed it to return to base and explode.”

“So, what does it mean?” I asked.

Kanan thought for a long time. He may have been blind, but I could tell the details of my vision worried him. From what little they'd told me, Thrawn wasn’t someone I wanted to meet. Finally, Kanan spoke.

“I’m not sure,” he said. “Could be a warning, could be a glimpse into your future. It could be one of a million things. My advice: keep your eyes open. Bad things have happened to Jedi who’ve had visions like yours and didn’t act on them.”

The vision continued to remain on my mind for the next few days. Even as we loaded the speeder back up and returned to base, I couldn’t help but wonder what the true meaning of what I’d seen and heard was. Whatever it was, it didn’t seem good. Regardless, I pushed these thoughts to the back of my mind.

Hera was pleased to see us return. I could make her out waving to us as Ezra pulled to a stop.

“How’d it go?” she asked.

“Draxus here learns fast.” Kanan replied, climbing out. “We’ll train some more in the field. Seems like he learns fastest on the spot.”

“In that case, you’ll need more convenient quarters than just with everyone else.” Hera smiled. “Go get your gear, there’s a spare cabin on the Ghost across from the engine room. It’s a bit loud in there, especially when we’re in flight. But it’s yours if you want it.”

The cabin on the Ghost wasn’t much. It was small, with a bunk, desk and not much else. Despite that, I couldn’t help but feel right at home. With my new place in the Rebellion, I finally had an opportunity to become the Jedi my father had seen in me.

“What do you think?”

I turned and saw Hera standing in the doorway.

“Like I said,” she continued. “It’s not much.”

“No, it’s great, Captain.” I replied, shaking her hand. “Thank you.”

“Welcome to the team, Spectre 7.”

Hera led me back outside. People were milling about busily, moving cargo, walking through drills. They looked like they were prepping for a major operation.

“Looks like we’re getting ready for something big.” I said.
Hera nodded. “You’ve got a good eye.” she said. “We’re getting ready for a major hit: the TIE Defender factory on Lothal.”

My heart jumped. Helping the people of my home planet against the Empire was something I’d always wanted to be able to do. I had thought the death of my father had prevented that. But now, it seemed like that was about to change.

“That won’t be easy.” I told her. “The blockade is gonna be a tough nut to crack.”

“You let us worry about that.” she said, stopping. “For now, all I want you to worry about is learning how to fly.” Hera nodded up a pair of starfighters next to us.

I was taken aback a little. I had only just arrived and she already wanted to train me as a pilot? My face must’ve been easy to read, because she gave me a reassuring pat on the back.

“Don’t worry.” she said. “I’ll be training you personally to make sure you get it right. If we’re gonna hit the factory, we need as many pilots as we can get.”

“I’ve never flown anything before.” I said nervously.

Hera smiled. “Most of the men and women here had no formal training either. I’ve overseen training for pretty much all of them, and now they can all fly in proper formation and can shoot a flea off a bantha’s back at 300 yards.”

She motioned me up a boarding ladder next to one of the fighters. Cautiously, I lowered myself into the pilot’s seat and fastened the seatbelt. Hera climbed up and stood over me, going over the basic functions.

“This is your standard A-Wing starfighter.” she explained. “They make up a bulk of our squadrons.” she pointed at a lever to my right. “That lever there will close and pressurize the canopy. The button to the left of it will start the engine.” Her hand pointed to a rectangular console right in the center of the cockpit. “That’s your steering module right there. Pull up to go higher, press down to go lower. Turning it left and right will allow you to bank in the desired direction. The pedal under your right foot is your accelerator. Anything else, I’ll teach you over the comm system.” Hera climbed down, headed for the adjacent fighter.

Letting out a deep breath, I pressed the ignition button. Instantly, the fighter’s engines roared to life. I pulled the lever she had pointed out. The canopy slid shut, a loud hissing indicated the cockpit was now pressurized. I could see Hera doing the same.

“Draxus, do you copy?” Hera’s voice came from a speaker on the left side of the control panel. I reached down and pressed the button labeled ‘call’.

“Loud and clear, Captain.”

“Excellent. Follow my lead.”

I pulled firmly on the steering module. The A-Wing shuddered slightly but began to rise off the ground slowly. I pressed down gingerly on the accelerator pedal. It began picking up speed slowly, until I was almost right next to Hera.

“I’ll walk you through the basics for today, and depending on how you do, you’ll eventually be trained in combat.”

Hera straightened out her fighter, now flying in a straight line due east. I copied her with some effort.

“First things first: callsigns. In any field mission, be it on the ground or in the air, you’ll use a pre-assigned callsign. For today, I’ll be Phoenix 1 and you'll be Phoenix 2. Got it?”

“Copy, err Phoenix 1.”

“Good. The Empire is always listening to us, and using our real names out in the field is too risky.” she explained. “Next, take a look at the left side of your cockpit. You should see a series of buttons with arrows on them, with colored lights leading away from them.”

I glanced around, finally spotting the buttons she was speaking about. 3 of the buttons had lights leading away, colored red, blue and green respectively.

“I see them.”

“Good, that’s your power diversion system. Red is for your laser cannons, green is your shields, and blue is your engine system. The last button rebalances the systems.”

Hera spent the next few hours taking me through the basics of the A-wing’s controls. I could slowly feel myself becoming more and more comfortable in the cockpit. Finally, she led me up into Atallon’s upper atmosphere. The clouds and sun were replaced by the darkness of space and billions of stars.

“In order to move from place to place, you need to understand how to use your navicomputer and, by proxy, your hyperdrive.” she explained. “Every location you’ll travel to, from planetary systems to space stations and just empty space, will have hyperspace coordinates. The lever to the right of your steering activates the hyperdrive. I’m transmitting you a set of coordinates. As soon as they come through, press the red button to the right of the navicomputer screen. It’ll lock them into your hyperdrive.”

Within seconds, a series of numbers appeared on the small screen to my right. I pressed the button she told me about, and a shrill beep indicated the coordinates were locked in.

“Locked in Phoenix 1.”

“Copy Phoenix 2. On my go, activate your hyperdrive. 3…2…1, now!”

I pushed the lever up. Immediately, the A-wing began picking up speed, the stars speeding past me until I zapped away from the system.

Chapter Text

Ezra and I slowly walked in circles around each other, each waiting for the other to make the first move. My lightsaber hummed, as though it was anxious to clash with his own. Though they were both in a training setting and couldn’t cut, they could still sting. Kanan stood on the observation deck above us, watching the duel play out.

“Good!” he said. “Your footwork has gotten much better than it was a few weeks ago!”

We had taken to practicing dueling like this daily, in the cargo bay of the Ghost. Slowly, I could feel myself growing more and more confident with each swing of my blade. I charged forward. He parried my strike, pushing back hard. He was holding back, but I could tell he was intent on winning this duel.

I raised one hand off my blade. Ezra stumbled back a few feet, clearly having not anticipated me adding a Force combo.

“Not bad. You’re finally gotten the idea of closing off your mind to your opponent.”

“Oh, believe me,” I joked. “I’m just getting started!”

“That so?” Ezra quickly raised his own arm, sending me back off my own feet. Quickly recovering, I parried his sudden attack. He stepped back a bit, deactivating his blade.

“I think that’s a good spot to end on today,” he said. “You keep this up, and you’ll be almost to my level in no time at all.”

At that moment, Hera joined us.

“Training time’s over, you two!” she said. “We need your help. General Dodanna and the Massassi Group will be here any minute.”

“General Dodanna?” I asked. “Who’s that?”

“He commands one of the largest rebel cells I know of.” replied Kanan, climbing down to our level. “With his help, we’ve got a real shot at taking out the Imperial factories on Lothal.”

True to Hera’s word, a number of ships soon arrived over Atallon. Commander Sato had taken the Phoenix Squadron command ship, a stolen Imperial carrier known as Phoenix Nest, into orbit to welcome them.

“Phoenix Nest to Vanguard” he said. “Welcome to Atallon, General Dodanna.”

“Thank you, Commander Sato.” A gruff, raspy voice replied. “This day has been a long time coming. Hopefully, we can finally deal a blow to the Empire and show the galaxy what we’re capable of.”

Dozens of men began landing on the surface. Dodanna remained in his command ship in orbit. We spent the day moving cargo, landing craft and getting organized.

Around midday, we were called to the command center. Apparently, we had received some sort of priority message. A number of us gathered around the holodeck. Sato and Dodanna joined us from their ships via hologram, as well as a third man I didn’t recognize.

“That’s Ryder Azadi.” Ezra whispered to me. “He’s our eyes on Lothal.”

“Governor Azadi?” I asked. “Wasn’t he arrested?”

Ezra nodded. “Yeah, but now he’s out. It’s because of him that we even know about the TIE Defender program to begin with.”

Hera joined the meeting. “We just received a new transmission from Fulcrum.” she said. Fulcrum was a name given to agents of ours out in the field. They often provided vital information for us. Today was different, however.

“This is Fulcrum with an urgent message!” the garbled voice said. “Thrawn knows about-”

The message was cut off, leaving us all perplexed.

“Thrawn knows? Knows about what?”

“About the attack on Lothal?”

Ryder piped up. “Something’s happened. Most of the Imperial fleet left the system. What does it mean?”

Hera’s green face went pale. “Thrawn knows we’re here! All ships, battle stations!”
Men began running about, climbing into fighters and taking to the atmosphere. An odd feeling began to well up inside me. It seemed like my first real fight was coming.

“How can you be certain?” Dodanna asked.

“The last time this happened, the Empire ambushed us on Garel!” Ezra explained.

No sooner did the words leave his mouth than a proximity alarm began to beep. A battle map of the fleet above Atallon replaced the Fulcrum message. A dozen or so Imperial ships had suddenly entered the system. Sato immediately began shouting orders to the men on his ship.

“Phoenix Fleet, set defense formation aurek 1! Alert Rebel Command!”

The hologram of Ryder suddenly vanished. Long-range transmissions were being jammed.

Dodanna shook his head. “We have to scrub the mission!”

I lowered my head angrily. “Damn!”

Ezra pounded a fist onto the holodeck. “We were so close!”

“Evacuate all ground staff!” Hera shouted. “We’re getting out of here!”

Alarms began to blare; a man’s voice came over the intercom.

“All personnel, Code K-1-0! Evacuate Immediately!”

Dodanna was several steps ahead of us.

“All craft, jump to hyperspace! Regroup at rally point Nova!”

“I still have people on the surface!” Sato shouted.

“If we wait, they’ll cut us to pieces, Commander!”

He signaled his ships to jump. However, immediately after the first one disappeared, it suddenly reappeared. It was like it had been tied to a giant invisible rope and someone had tugged hard on the other end.

“Something’s pulled them out of hyperspace!” Dodanna said in a confused voice.

“If that’s true, there will be no escape for us.” Sato growled. I felt the color drain from my face at those words. My vision!

Hera pointed to an Imperial ship on the battle map. It looked like a standard light cruiser, but it had 4 rounded humps on its hull. A second identical craft sat on the other side of the map.

“Imperial Interdictor cruisers!” Hera exclaimed. “Two of them! We’re going nowhere until we take care of them!”

The Interdictors began to fire on the frigate that had tried to flee. Within seconds, it vanished off the battle map. The moment it did, another Star Destroyer joined the blockade. Something was different about this one, however. It had the detailing of a beast on its hull. It looked exactly like the one I’d seen in my vision.

The battle map suddenly vanished, replaced by the hologram of a tall man with blue skin and red eyes. His uniform was white and his badge signified he was a Grand Admiral.

“General Dodanna, Commander Sato, Captain Syndulla.” his voice sent a shiver down my spine. “At last we meet in this theater of war, however briefly. There is no escape, and your forces are badly outnumbered. This, ah, ‘rebellion’ ends today.”

Hera glared at him. “We’ll never surrender to you, Thrawn!”

Thrawn smirked. “You misunderstand, Captain. I’m not accepting surrenders at this time. I want you to know failure, utter defeat, and that it is I who delivers it, crushing down upon you. Now, let us proceed.” The hologram vanished.

“What do we do?” I asked.

Hera was quiet for a moment. “We don’t have the strength to meet Thrawn head on, but I WILL get us to safety.”

“How do you propose we break his blockade?” Sato asked.

“Thrawn believes this is the entire rebel fleet.” Hera explained. “So we just need a big enough opening to get one ship through. Once clear of the jamming, they can call for reinforcements to attack the Empire’s flank.”

Sato and Dodanna exchanged a glance.

“That should divide their forces enough to enable us all to escape.”

Sato nodded in agreement. “The Ghost stands the best chance. We’ll create an opening for you.”

Hera shook her head. “Not for me. Ezra, Kanan and Draxus will take the Gauntlet.”

I was dumbfounded. Kanan and Ezra both seemed to feel the same way.

“No way!” Kanan denied. “I’m not leaving you!”

“Absolutely not!” I said firmly.

“This is our fight too!” snarled Ezra.

Hera looked exasperated. “There’s no time to argue!” she said. “As Jedi, you stand the best chance to escape, and there’s no one I trust more to get the help we need. You’re going! Chopper too! That’s an order!”

Chopper and I raced towards the Gauntlet fighter at the far end of the platform. I took the copilot’s seat, while Chopper began to fire up the engines. Ezra joined us after a moment, notably without Kanan. He dropped into the pilot’s seat.

“Change of plans!” he said. “Kanan’s staying here, so it’s up to us!”

Our ship joined the others headed for the upper atmosphere. I could see Hera piloting the Ghost just ahead of us, along with a dozen or so other fighters. The space over Atallon was utter chaos. Our fighters and bombers were locked in all-out war with the Empire’s TIE fighters. Hera began giving out orders to the fighter squadrons.

“Phoenix Squadron, keep those fighters busy!” she shouted. “Green Squadron, attack the lead destroyer!”

“Copy that!” came the reply. “We’ll clear a path!”

For the moment, Ezra and I couldn’t do much except avoid the incoming TIEs and protect the others. I stared in shock as a blockade runner in front of us exploded under the fire.

“I hope Kanan’s having better luck!” Ezra exclaimed, trying to sound optimistic.

I lined up another shot, trying to hit the attacking fighters.

“What the hell do we do?!?” I exclaimed. “There’s no way we can get through with that Interdictor cutting us off!”

“Calm down!” Ezra replied. “We’ll find a way, but you freaking out like this, it doesn’t make it any easier!”

I let out a deep breath and nodded. “What do you want me to do?”

“Just focus your fire and let me handle the rest.”

Ezra hailed Hera on our comms. “Hera, we can’t get through as long as those Interdictors are cutting us off!”

“Stay sharp, Ezra!” she called back. “We’ll find you that opening!”

“I know, just…hurry!”

There was a long silence. Another one of our ships exploded in a ball of fire. Commander Sato’s voice suddenly came over our comms.

“Commander Bridger, go to heading 221 and prepare to jump!”

Ezra and I exchanged a confused glance as we did what he asked. I craned my neck to try getting a better look at Sato’s command ship. The few remaining fighters and shuttles were fleeing the hangers.

“What is he doing?” I asked. “Is he evacuating the carrier?”

The command ship began to slowly move out of position. Like a predator seeing its prey, the Interdictor nearest to us began to move towards it, cannons firing. It looked as though it would succeed in disabling Sato’s ship at first. Suddenly, the command ship made a hard left turn, directly towards the Interdictor. The Imperial ship tried to take evasive action, but it was too late. Ezra and I watched in open-mouthed shock as the carrier collided, bridge first, with the hull of the Interdictor. Both ships exploded in a massive ball of fire.

“Commander Sato…” I said softly. “No…”

Hera’s voice snapped us out of it. “EZRA, NOW!”

With only a second’s hesitation, Ezra primed the hyperdrive and made the jump. Within seconds, we were away.

Chapter Text

The moment we entered hyperspace, Ezra immediately began fiddling with the comms system. For a while, we had no signal, unable to get past the jamming.

“Come on, come on!” he muttered impatiently. Finally, the signal cleared up, free of the jamming. “Chop, patch us through!”

“Who are we calling?” I asked. “Another cell?”

“Someone who has a lot of sway in the Rebellion. If anyone can get us help, she can.” He replied. “Let me do the talking.”

After what felt like an eternity, the hologram of a woman in her late 40’s with short red hair appeared. I recognized her immediately; Senator Mon Mothma of Chandrila. She had served in the Imperial Senate for years, until she had spoken out against the Emperor himself. Accused of treason, she had fled and sought refuge with the Rebellion.

“Commander Bridger?” She asked. “This is an unexpected surprise. What can I do for you?” She glanced at me. “Who’s your friend?”

Ezra nodded his head at me. “This is Draxus,” He said. “I hate to sound impatient, Senator, but we need your help. Thrawn’s found our base.”

A serious look crossed the Senator’s face. “What? How?”

“We aren’t sure, but we managed to get away to call for reinforcements.” Ezra replied. “Can you help us? There must be someone you can send or something you can do!”

Senator Mothma remained silent for a long time. “I wish I could help you, Commander Bridger.” She said softly. “But I can’t. Doing so would play into Thrawn’s hands and we’d lose everything we’ve worked so hard to build.”

I was dumbfounded. How could she refuse to help us?

Ezra looked like he wanted to disagree, but he simply bowed his head. “I know.” He said. “He planned this.”

Mothma nodded. “Senator Organa was right. It was too soon for open warfare against the Empire.” She said, “I promise you we will do our best to negotiate fair treatment of the prisoners.”

“What if there are no prisoners?” I asked. “We can’t just give up!”

Mothma looked slightly ashamed that she couldn’t offer us help. “You both have courage. May the Force be with you.”

The hologram vanished. It seemed we were out of luck. At one point in my not-so distant past, I would’ve wanted to run and not look back. But that wasn’t who I was anymore.

“What do we do then?” I asked. “Go back?”

Ezra shook his head. “No! We can’t go back! Not without help!” he said. “And I think I know where to find it!”

That was an answer I hadn’t expected. “Where?”

“Sabine.”

“Who?”

“An old friend of ours.” He explained. Meanwhile, Chopper plugged into the hyperdrive to alter our course. “Mandalorian if you can believe it.”

“So we’re headed to Mandalore, then?”

“Close. She’s on a planet in the same system called Krownest. Her family may just give us the advantage we need.”

The journey to Krownest felt like it took hours, when it really must’ve been only around 45 minutes or so. A pair of Mandalorian fang fighters escorted us in after granting permission to land. Ezra set the ship down on a landing platform next to a beautiful palace. A shiver ran down my spine as we disembarked. Krownest’s climate was vastly different from Atallon’s. Snow crunched under our feet as we approached the front door, escorted by the fighter pilots.

Inside the throne room were a dozen or so Mandalorian warriors gathered around a holomap, each dressed in nearly identical sets of silver and gold painted Mandalorian beskar armor, save for two. One of them was a young woman who appeared to be around Ezra’s age, maybe a year or two older. Her armor was painted in a different fashion than her family, with brighter and more vibrant colors. Her hair was no different, dyed with hues of pink and purple. A middle-aged woman with black hair sat atop the throne overlooking the room. All eyes turned to us as we entered.

“Ezra?” The girl, who must have been Sabine, asked. “What’s going on? Why are you here?” Her eyes flashed to me. “Who’s this?”

Chopper grunted a reply, causing Sabine to give a worried look.

“You escaped? What’s he talking about?”

“Thrawn ambushed us on Atallon.” Ezra replied. “You’re our only chance for help.”

“You have poor timing, Bridger.” said a man opposite the throne to us. Like Sabine, his armor was different from the others’. Not only was it of a different design, but it was painted blue instead of gold.

“We’re in the middle of a civil war.” explained the woman on the throne. “Clan Saxon has the Empire’s backing and our forces are stretched to their limit just to protect what little ground we have.”

Sabine turned and looked up at her. “Mother, there must be something we can do!”

“Please, we risked everything to get here!” Ezra pleaded. “At least hear us out!”

Sabine’s mother looked reluctant, but nodded slowly. Ezra motioned to Chopper, who rolled forward and projected a holomap of Thrawn’s fleet. Sabine studied it for a few long moments, before she spoke.

“Here’s the problem.” She said, pointing to the top of the map. “That Interdictor cruiser.”

“If not for Commander Sato,” I replied. “There’d be two.”

The man in blue didn’t look optimistic at all. “With Thrawn in command, you should count your losses and consider yourselves fortunate to have escaped.”

I had to bite my tongue to stop myself from retorting. Mandalorians were known for their bravery, but all I saw when I looked at this man was a coward.

“Like I said,” Ezra continued. “Without your help, they’re trapped.”

Another warrior opposite us shook his head. He was young and bore a similar appearance to Sabine. Her brother maybe?

“I wish we could offer it,” He said. “But we just don’t have the resources. We can barely take care of our own.”
Ezra looked like he was at a loss for words.

“If no is your final answer, then we’ll go back alone.” he said stiffly. “Come on, Draxus. We’re leaving. Goodbye, Sabine.”

The holomap vanished. We made to exit, but Sabine called after us.

“You’re not going alone! I’m coming with you!”

“I appreciate the loyalty you have for your friend, Sabine,” her brother said. “But this mission is impossible!”

Sabine faced her family with a very serious look. “I never thought I would be standing here with any of you, and I bet you never thought Clan Wren would be free from the grip of Gar Saxon. But we are!” She exclaimed. “One thing I know is that my friends make the impossible possible. If Ezra thinks we can make a difference, then I believe him.”

There was a long silence as everyone thought about what Sabine had just said. Finally, her mother stood from the throne.

“Bridger and his friends restored my daughter to me, and that is a debt worth repaying.” she said thoughtfully. “We cannot leave ourselves undefended, but you may take a few ships and any warriors who are willing.”

Sabine smiled. “Thank you, Mother.”

The man in blue still looked pessimistic. “You won’t have much of an army to take down that blockade.”

Sabine thought for a moment. “Chopper, bring up the Interdictor.” She studied the hologram for a moment. “Maybe we don’t need an army. Any ideas?”

“Actually, yeah.” I found myself saying. “I have one.”

All eyes turned to me. Most of them looked surprised, and who could blame them? In their eyes I was just a rookie. Ezra, however, looked proud.

“Let’s hear it.” he said.

I turned to Sabine. “Your armor is pressurized, right?” She nodded slowly, not sure what I was getting at. “Ezra, the Gauntlet comes equipped with spacesuits doesn’t it?”

“It does.”

“Here’s what I’m thinking.” I explained, pointing to the Interdictor’s hull. “We deploy a small squad directly onto the enemy ship and destroy it on foot.”

Sabine scratched her head. “That’s risky. They’re bound to deploy rocket troopers after us.”

“Yes, but a few people are a lot harder to hit than a starfighter.” Ezra agreed with me. “We plant explosives on one of the gravity well projectors and blow it that way.”

Sabine’s brother also seemed on board with the plan. “Forget explosives.” he said. “The rockets in our jetpacks can get the job done.”

“Then I guess it’s settled.” Ezra said, smiling. “Who’s in?”

Sabine’s brother stepped forward. “I’ll go.”

“As will I.” said the man in blue.

More warriors began to step forward and join us. There weren’t many of them, but we now had a bigger advantage than before.

Ships were fueled, men and women were armored up and weapons were primed. Within 15 minutes, we were back in hyperspace and headed back to Atallon.

Chapter Text

The spacesuit was tight and uncomfortable. Everyone was silent. We all knew the risks of what was about to happen. Sabine stepped up to me as I put the finishing touches on suiting up.

“I never properly introduced myself,” she said. “I’m Sabine.”

“Draxus”

“You a Jedi?”

“Let’s hope so.”

Sabine smirked. “This is a good plan. Certainly nothing the Empire would expect.”

“That’s why it’s going to work.”

Ezra joined us from the cockpit. He was wearing a spacesuit identical to mine. “We’re almost there.” he said. “5 minutes out.”

The plan was simple, yet complex at the same time. Chopper would pilot the Gauntlet over the Interdictor. The rest of us would use the Gauntlet’s troop deployment seats to drop onto the hull of the Interdictor and hopefully damage one of its gravity well projectors enough to destroy the entire ship. Meanwhile, a squadron of fang fighters led by the man in blue, who I now knew as Fenn Rau, would keep the enemy TIEs busy long enough for us to succeed.

We dropped out of hyperspace. Chopper jammed Imperial transmissions.

“Rau” Sabine said into the comms, “you know what to do.”

“All wings, engage.”

TIE fighters began swarming out of the Imperial hangers, like insects whose nest had been disturbed. Ezra managed to get ahold of Hera.

“Phoenix Leader, do you read me?”

“Ezra??”
“We brought help. We’re taking out the Interdictor.”

Chopper took control of the Gauntlet, while the rest of us waited to deploy. There were 7 of us in total; me, Ezra, Sabine, her brother, who’s name I’d learned was Tristan, and 4 others. I cautiously lowered the space helmet over my head. It hissed as it locked onto the rest of the suit, pressurizing it. It was stuffy and hot, but I didn’t mind.

The Gauntlet began to slow down. It was almost time. We took our seats. With a loud hum, the double doors beneath us slid open. The seats quickly lowered themselves outside. The Interdictor was close, almost enough to touch. As soon as we were right above the hull, we dropped off. Being in outer space felt strange to say the least. My body felt entirely weightless as we slowly dropped onto the Interdictor. My feet thudded down onto the hull.

We charged towards the nearest of the gravity well projectors, targeting it with our blasters. The shields were absorbing each shot, but I could tell it wouldn’t be for long. Movement over the top left hand side of the gravity well caught my eye. 3 Imperial jet troopers were flying towards us, with 3 more approaching from the right.

“Heads up!” I shouted.

We quickly moved ourselves into a circle. The jet troopers opened fire. I drew my lightsaber, deflecting each shot just like Kanan and Ezra had taught me. Over my right shoulder, I saw Ezra doing the same.

“They’ve cut us off!” he exclaimed.

Sabine and Tristan activated their jetpacks and flew up, no doubt to get a better shot. Despite spending time at the firing range on base, I was struggling to land a shot.

Hera’s voice crackled into my ears.

“We’re headed for the blockade! Is the Interdictor disabled?”

“Working on it, Hera!” Ezra shouted back.

Rau’s fang fighters shot down two more TIEs, leaving only the few remaining jet troopers. I lined up a shot and fired. It struck the nearest trooper in his jetpack, sending him veering out of control. Sabine and Tristan touched down next to us. We were clear to advance. Resuming our attack, we targeted the gravity well again. Sabine and her family each fired a rocket from their jetpacks. The Interdictor’s shields, while able to take our blaster fire, couldn't withstand rocket fire. Immediately, the gravity well began to rupture and explode. The shockwave took me off my feet.

Our job done, Chopper quickly flew in to scoop us out. I grabbed onto one of the deployment seats, ready to get out of there. The quick change from zero gravity to normal gravity was as disorienting as deploying had been. Pulling myself to my feet, I rushed into the cockpit in time to hear the Interdictor explode behind us.

“Hera, we took out the Interdictor!” Ezra said into the comms. “You’re all clear!”

Hera sounded relieved. “That’s the first good news I’ve gotten today!”

I couldn’t help but smile. In a matter of hours we had gone from being completely trapped to having an opening to escape. It seemed we were going to live to fight another day after all.

“Meet us at point 8-7” I replied. “We’ll lead the way.”

“Copy that.”

I climbed back into the gunner’s seat, taking aim at the attacking TIEs. Glancing out the window, I could see the Ghost closing in behind us. Hera seemed to have picked up a “friend”. An escape pod was attached to the bottom of the ship.

“I’m on your 6, Gauntlet!” Hera said. “Phoenix Squadron, let’s get out of here!”

“Roger, Phoenix Leader, we’re right behind you!”

We led the way past the remaining Imperial cruisers. They were clearly not happy as we sped out of their line of fire. I could almost feel the glare of the enemy commanders. With the few remaining rebel ships in tow, we made the jump to hyperspace. I leaned back into my seat, relieved.

We made the arrangements to meet up with the rest of the fleet to get a headcount. It was worse than I had thought. Yes, we had escaped. But the only ships remaining besides the Gauntlet were the Ghost, one corvette, one blockade runner, and a handful of fighters. We docked with the Ghost to assess the scenario. With the Atallon base gone, General Dodanna ultimately made the offer to allow our cell to join his on one of the moons in the Yavin system.

I retreated to my cabin to be alone with my thoughts. Despite the fact we had escaped, I couldn’t help but feel crushed. We’d had so much, and now we had nothing. The door slid open. Hera walked in.

“Ezra tells me the plan to destroy the Interdictor was your idea.”

I shrugged. “I was just doing my part.”

Hera smiled. “True, true. But it worked. We’re alive because of you.”

“Yeah, but we lost so much.” I replied, sitting up from my bunk. “What do we even do now?”

“We rebuild. There’s no use in dwelling on what we could or couldn’t do differently.”

I stared at my boots for a moment, contemplating her words. Hera placed a hand on my shoulder gently. I looked her right in the eye.

“It’s not over, yet.” she said firmly. “Not by a longshot.”

Hera turned to leave, but stopped for a moment. “You’re not going to Yavin yet, by the way. You, Kanan, Sabine and Ezra are going to Mandalore.”

Chapter Text

Mandalore’s climate wasn’t too different from that of Atallon. Dry, hot and windy, it looked like little more than a desert wasteland. I recalled eavesdropping on Lothal pilots who described great wars that had ravaged the entire planet for centuries. Now, things didn’t seem to have changed much. Civil war was raging between Mandalorian clans loyal to their own and those loyal to the Empire.

“What exactly are we doing here?” I asked Kanan the day after we arrived.

“Sabine’s father is a well known politician,” he explained. “He’s in Imperial custody and we’re going to break him out.”

We’d set up a campsite in a small abandoned quarry about 20 miles from the capital city of Sundari, where we’d rendezvoused with more of Sabine’s family, including her mother, Ursa.

Early one morning, we gathered around a holodeck. Sabine pulled up an image of a nearby prison.

“Our spies in the capital have reported back.” She said, “Their intel suggests the captive is being held here, under heavy guard.”

I studied the image for a moment. “What can we expect for heat?”

“It’s an Imperial prison outpost.” Sabine said grimly. “AA cannons, a few dozen guards, plus a team of reinforcements on standby.”

“So the usual?” Ezra quipped.

We were dismissed to prep for the mission. I took a moment to clean my blaster and check my lightsaber to make sure both were in working order. Ezra walked in, wearing an Imperial scout trooper helmet that was painted with bright yellows and reds. I smirked.
“Nice helmet.”

He flipped up the visor. “Thanks. Sabine painted it last night. I’m a bit of a collector.”

He proceeded to show me a few helmets he’d left in the Gauntlet fighter. There were 2 stormtroopers, a TIE fighter pilot and another scout trooper, this one painted gray with the Phoenix Squadron starbird in orange on either side of the visor. Ezra lifted the helmet up for a moment, giving it a thoughtful look. After a moment, he turned, and held it out to me.

“You know what? Here.” he said. “Consider it a gift from me to you.”

“Wow, erm, thanks!” I slipped the helmet over my face and inspected myself in a nearby mirror. Not a bad look. At that moment, Kanan walked in.

“We’re ready. Let’s move.”

Our plan was simple: Ezra, Kanan, Sabine, Fenn Rau and I would take a group to the prison, hit it hard and hopefully free Sabine’s father, Alrich. We crept along a small crevice that stood a hundred yards or so from the prison. It had enough cover for us to launch a surprise attack. I noticed something hanging from Sabine’s belt as we moved.

“Is that a lightsaber?”

She nodded, not looking back. “Yeah, but not one you’d know.” she explained. “This one is one-of-a-kind. It’s a symbol of leadership among our people. Remind me later, and I’ll explain it to you. For now, let’s focus on the attack.”

Ezra and I had both been given jetpacks for this particular fight. We’d been practicing with them and I’d actually gotten quite good with mine. Ezra, on the other hand, still struggled a bit. He made a point to complain to Sabine.

“You’re a Jedi,” she said. “I’m sure you’ll pick it up on the fly.”

Ezra rolled his eyes and I couldn’t help but chuckle at her lighthearted joke.

With everyone in position, Sabine climbed up over the top of the crevice. The Imperial troops quickly noticed her as she drew her lightsaber and ignited the blade over her head. The blade was black, like an oil slick at night. The rest of us climbed up alongside her. There were around 20 of us total.

“Forward!” Sabine shouted.

We charged into the fray. Rushing forward, I kicked off from the ground and activated the jetpack. It carried me forward as I dodged between blasts of cannonfire. Touching down only a few yards from the prison, I ignited my lightsaber. Sabine was already way ahead of me, but I did my best to keep up. I deflected laserfire from one trooper and blasted another.

“Not bad, kid!” she shouted.

Ezra, who seemed to finally be in control of his jetpack, landed next to us. The roar of an engine caught our attention. A Gozanti class cruiser had appeared, deploying 2 AT-DP walkers onto the field.

“Well,” said Ezra. “This just got more and more…”

“Interesting!” Sabine finished. “The word you’re looking for is interesting!”

Ezra shook his head. “Nope! Just more!”

The walkers proved to be a tough pair of foes. Their cannons began cutting down our allies one by one. A stray shell knocked Sabine off her feet. Ezra and I ran to help her, but the Imperial commander of the base dropped down in front of us, blasting her with a stun bolt.

“Stand down, Jedi, or she dies!” he shouted. The battle had mostly died down. I stared up at the walker in front of us, the cannon adjusting its aim right towards us. Glancing around, I wasn’t sure what to do.

“Surrender! Now!” the trooper shouted. He pointed his blaster at Sabine’s unconscious form.

I glanced at Ezra, unsure of our next move. Solemnly, we both deactivated our lightsabers. Behind us, Rau and Kanan also disarmed themselves. The trooper gave a cruel laugh.

Suddenly, the walker in front of us exploded in a ball of fire. The sound of jetpacks reached my ears. 3 more Mandalorians flew up.

“Don’t just stand there!” one of them, a woman, shouted. “Protect her!”

“It’s Clan Kryze!” Rau shouted. There may have only been 3 of them, but Clan Kryze seemed to be well trained. They easily cut through the remaining troopers like it was nothing, giving the rest of us time to rejoin the fight. Ezra cut down the remaining walker with his lightsaber. Having lost momentum, the remaining Imperials fled. We did not give chase.

Sabine led her clan inside, while Kanan, Ezra and I made our way to the roof deck. Sabine and Rau joined us outside after a few moments.

“Where’s your father?” Ezra asked.

“The base is empty.” Sabine replied, removing her helmet. “There’s no one here.”

The three members of Clan Kryze touched down next to us.

“This was a trap set to lure you in.” the leader said. “Your mother received this intel, but she couldn’t get word to you in time. The Empire is jamming all transmissions. She sent me ahead to reinforce you. I understand she is on her way.”

Sabine looked confused. “Who are you?”

The leader removed her helmet, revealing the face of a woman in her mid 50’s with red hair.

“Kanan, Ezra, Draxus, this Lady Bo-Katan of House Kryze. Her sister Satine once ruled Mandalore. Bo-Katan was made regent by the Jedi before the end of the Clone War, and she’s still seen by many as Mandalore’s rightful ruler.”

“So, what happened?” asked Ezra.

Bo looked down at her feet for a moment before responding. “After the Empire took over, I refused to obey the Emperor and was betrayed by the Saxon clan.” she explained.

Sabine had a thoughtful expression on her face. She held out the lightsaber to Bo. “Your commitment to Mandalore’s freedom is legendary, milady. This belongs to you.”

Bo shook her head. “I had my chance to rule, and I failed. I am not my sister” she said softly, turning away from Sabine and replacing her helmet. “I am not the leader you seek.”

Tristan and Ursa joined us after not too much longer. They touched down in front of us. Ursa removed her helmet, looking worried.

“Mother, any news?” asked Sabine.

“The Empire has changed their plan.” responded Ursa. “They’re moving your father back to the capital…for a public termination.”

Chapter Text

I flipped up my helmet’s visor and raised a pair of macronoculars to my eyes. “I don’t see anything yet.”

“Just give my mom a chance.” Sabine said. We’d moved to a canyon a few miles away, waiting to ambush the prisoner convoy. The plan was for Ursa and her team to make the Empire believe she was attacking it to free Sabine’s father. With any luck, the convoy would divert through the canyon, where we would launch our own attack.

“You never did say what that lightsaber you have was all about,” I said, lowering the macronoculars. “What’s the story?”

Sabine was quiet for a moment. “Well, like your lightsaber, mine was built by a Jedi. His name was Tarre Vizsla, and he was the first Mandalorian ever inducted into the Jedi Order. After he died, the Jedi kept the weapon, which we call the Darksaber, in their Temple. My ancestors, members of House Vizsla, broke in and stole it, using it to unite the Houses and rule all of Mandalore.”

“How did you get it?” I asked, intrigued.

“Heh. That’s a story for another day.”

At that moment, an explosion rang out in the distance. We all spun around; a column of smoke visible in the distance. Sabine smiled under her helmet.

“Yup. That’s my mom.”

“Blowing things up definitely runs in your family.” Erza chuckled.

“It’s a Wren specialty.”

Ursa’s voice rang over Sabine’s wristcomm. “Sabine, we’ve engaged Tiber Saxon’s Imperial dogs! The prisoner convoy has changed its course towards the canyon!”

“Then the diversion worked.” Bo noted.

Rau pointed to 3 Imperial transports approaching fast, flanked by a number of speeder bikes.

“There! I’m scanning a single target with no armor in the center transport, the one most heavily guarded.”

“If we attack the lead vehicle,” Sabine theorized. “My father’s transport will fall back. Then, someone can sneak up and sabotage the controls, forcing it to stop.”

Rau nodded in agreement. “By then, the rest of the convoy will be too far ahead to do anything about it. So, who’s going in?”

“Yeah, that sounds like a me plan.” Ezra said smugly.

“Are you sure?” Sabine asked, sounding doubtful. “You haven’t exactly mastered that jetpack.”

“Hey, I got it.” he assured her.

“Why don’t I come with you?” I suggested. “Back you up?”

“I like your attitude.” Ezra gave me a light slap on the shoulder. “Try to keep up!”

It wasn’t too long before the transports were directly below our position. Ezra and I moved further down the cliff.

“Go easy on ‘em” Ezra joked to Sabine.

“Not a chance.” she growled.

Flipping my visor back down, I watched everything begin to unfold. Sabine leapt down off the cliff and activated her jetpack, firing a paint rocket at the center transport and staining the windshield purple. The guards immediately opened fire. Sabine dodged this way and that, shooting back and keeping their attention, long enough for Bo and Rau to flank from around the corner. I was so engrossed in the firefight I didn’t hear Ezra call out to me until he hit me in the arm.

“Hey! We’re about to miss our window, come on!”

I quickly followed him to the edge of the cliff. We, like Sabine had, jumped off and flew after the convoy. Unlike Sabine though, we kept our distance for the time being. I smiled as Kanan appeared, launching himself off the front of one of the speeder bikes and sending the driver flying. Blindness clearly hadn’t slowed him down at all.

As expected, the paint-stained transport fell back away from the heat of the battle. I casually dodged a trooper that Kanan had sent flying.

Ezra and I finally caught up to the transport, grabbing on and climbing underneath it. Simultaneously, we drew our lightsabers and plunged them right into the undercarriage. Immediately, the transport began to slow. Ezra lost his grip but was able to grab onto the back in time.

“You ok?” I called into my wrist comm. He flashed me a thumbs up.

Continuing on, I climbed up onto the side of the transport, towards the entrance. The door slid open, and a trooper dressed as a commander peered underneath, looking for Ezra and I. He didn’t see me at first, that was until I grabbed the collar of his uniform and yanked him out of the transport. He rolled away just as Ezra climbed up top and threw himself inside. Joining him, I watched Ezra engaging the men driving the transport. He kicked one in the gut, and slashed the blaster the other was using. Both men fell out of the transport, just as their commander had done.

A middle-aged man was chained to a seat in the rear of the transport. He looked grateful to see us.

“Are you with Sabine?” Alrich Wren asked.

“Yeah, we’re with her.” Ezra smiled. “Not with her, with her. We’re just friends with her.”

A warning from Chopper beeped over our comms.

“Watch out! You’re headed towards a cliff!”

“What?!?” I poked my head out the side door. The road was approaching a sheer drop-off, and fast! “We need to hurry this up!” I yelled to Ezra.

Alrich looked us up and down. “Are you Jedi?”

Erza raised his lightsaber. “Let’s hope so!” He severed the shackles on Wren’s wrists, freeing him.

Ezra handed his jetpack to Alrich and turned to me. “Get him out of here! I’ll catch up!”

I led Alrich outside just as the road disappeared. My stomach dropped for a moment until my jetpack fired up. We flew to the safety of the road. Meanwhile, Ezra climbed up onto the roof of the transports and ran across to the back, jumping to the second, then the third transport. Finally, he leapt towards the cliff, almost losing his grip. Sabine grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him up.

Back on solid ground, we regrouped with the rest of the team. Sabine slowly approached, as though unsure how her father would react to seeing her.
“Father…” she pulled off her helmet, looking nervous.

“When I got word you had returned,” Alrich said. “I…did not believe it.”

Sabine flashed an optimistic half smile. “And…?”

Alrich stepped up to Sabine, and pulled her into a hug. “Sabine, you are my daughter.”

The two broke off after a moment. Alrich smiled at his daughter. “I was pleased then, even more now.”

“Well, we would never leave you in the hands of the Empire.”

Alrich shook his head. “Oh, that was fine. I meant your artwork. You’ve progressed. Your use of color and line is better.”

“Better? What do you mean, better? It’s great.”

This took me a bit off guard. It seemed Sabine’s father was a politician, not a soldier.

“And here I was thinking we were rescuing another warrior.” I said.

Sabine flashed what looked like the first true smile I’d seen on her in the short time I’d known her.

“My dad fights with his art.”

Bo seemed indifferent about the sentimental moment. “We need to get moving, we’re too exposed here.”

Rau raised Ursa on his wristcomm. “Countess Wren, we’ve rescued her husband. Alrich is free.”

“Then we have two victories today! Saxon’s forces are in retreat.”

“Hold on.” Tristan’s voice chimed in. “They’re not all running. Looks like we’ve got an incoming Imperial transport. They’ve deployed a single scout walker, with no other support. It’s moving into attack position.”

“Laughable.” Ursa sounded amused. “Destroy it!”

This seemed odd. Reinforcements to cover retreat was unheard of with the Empire.

Suddenly, the sound of battle over the comms was replaced by an odd electronic humming sound. Sabine’s face quickly drained of color.

“That sound…it can’t be! Tristan, get out of there! NOW!”

We all craned our heads as a deep rumbling came from the direction of the battle. Sabine looked terrified. She quickly fired up her jetpack and sped toward the noise. We followed her, unsure of what was happening.

The battlefield where Ursa and Tristan had been was scorched. Smoke rose from small fires here and there, but that wasn’t what caught my eye. I pulled off my helmet to get a better look.

Mandalorian armor lay everywhere, strewn about as though the people wearing it had simply ceased to be. I reached down and picked up a shoulder bell, and it crumbled away into dust in my hand.

“What happened here?” asked Ezra.

“Where are the survivors of this battle?” asked Bo. “The wounded? The victors?”

“I see only the defeated.” Alrich noted.

“What could do this?” I asked. Mandalorian armor was legendary for its strength. For something to be able to destroy it at this magnitude was terrifying.

“A weapon did this.” Alrich’s voice was almost inaudible. “A weapon created by my daughter.”

Chapter Text

I wrinkled my nose. The air was thick with the smell of smoke, scorched metal and roasted flesh. Sabine still hadn’t moved from her spot, having dropped to her knees. Tears were cascading down her face.

“There were rumors that the Empire was working on a weapon to neutralize Mandalorian armor,” Bo said softly. “that it’d even been tested on our people. I…I didn’t believe it.”

Sabine shook her head. “Not the Empire, me!” she croaked. “This was all MY fault.”

“Sabine, you can’t blame yourself for this!” I tried to say. “You tried-”

Sabine cut me off, standing to face us. “Everything my father said was true, Draxus! This is my work, I created the weapon that did this! Because of me, the Empire is going to turn my world into a graveyard! Because of me, Mandalorans are going to die! My mother and brother are-”

“Sabine!”

The voice was distant, but we all heard it. Sabine pushed past us towards where it had come from. We all turned to see two figures limping through the smoke. Ursa was leaning on Tristan’s shoulder. She was hurt but they were both still alive it seemed. Sabine’s tears of grief were replaced with those of relief as she ran to greet them.

“We were caught at the edge of the weapon’s range.” Ursa weakly explained. “Thanks to your warning, we made it out.”

Tristan nodded glumly. “The others weren’t so lucky.”

At that moment, Chopper’s transceiver began to let off a shrill beep.

“Chopper’s picked up something.” Kanan said. A number of figures were flying towards us.

“Survivors?”

Rau slipped on his helmet and took a look. He shook his head. “No. The Empire is coming back to finish the job.”

A dozen or so Imperial Mandalorian soldiers were now fully visible on the horizon, opening fire on our position. The wounded Wrens dove for cover while Ezra and I ignited our lightsabers and began covering them. It was odd. I hadn’t had much training but I could feel myself growing more used to the weapon. One of the laser bolts I deflected hit its target dead on, which was a few steps up from where I was weeks ago.

Sabine seemed to be letting her rage guide her, charging forward and launching herself up with her jetpack. Darksaber in hand, she cut down trooper after trooper. Despite this, we were outnumbered.

“We have to go, NOW!” Kanan shouted. Hope was starting to fade, the enemy troopers had cut us off. TIE fighters were closing in too.

Suddenly, laserfire hit one of the TIEs, knocking it to the ground. A gauntlet fighter, not too unlike Ezra’s, flew into view.

Taking our opening, Bo waved us up the fighter’s now lowered ramp. With some difficulty, we managed to shake the TIEs and escape.

The atmosphere in the ship was tense. Bo was furious. She grabbed Sabine and slammed her against the wall. A blade shot out of her wrist gauntlet, inches from Sabine’s throat.

“YOU’RE A MANDALORIAN!” she snarled. “WHY WOULD YOU CREATE SUCH AN ABOMINATION?!? THIS IS THE WEAPON OF A COWARD!”

Ezra looked like he wanted to step in, but Kanan placed a hand on his shoulder, shaking his head.

Sabine stared at her feet in shame, unable to meet Bo’s gaze. “I was young.” she explained. “It was a challenge and I was arrogant. But when I realized the Empire tested it, and actually planned to USE it, I sabotaged the prototype and destroyed the plans! I thought that was the end of it, I swear to you!”

Bo glared at her again, but stepped back nonetheless. Ezra, trying to sound helpful, flashed an idea.

“Ok, so this weapon only targets Mandalorian armor right? Why not make your armor out of something different?”

The atmosphere went from tense to awkward very quickly. Ezra had apparently touched a nerve.

“Ezra, this armor I wear is 500 years old.” Sabine said. “I’ve reforged it to my liking, but the battles, the history, the blood, all lives within it, the same is true for every Mandalorian.”

“This armor is part of our identity.” Alrich agreed. “It makes us Mandalorians who we are.”

Bo flashed another glare towards Sabine. “And now it’s going to make us dead.”

The remaining ride to Bo’s camp was oddly silent. As we touched down, I could see more Mandalorians approaching us.

“Sabine Wren!” one of them shouted. “We know you built that weapon! You betrayed us all!”

“You’re a traitor to Mandalore!” another snarled.

All of them drew their blasters and trained them on her. Ezra and I ignited our lightsabers, ready to defend her.

Alrich, being the politician, wanted to calm everyone down. “Everyone lower your weapons!” he said firmly. “Sabine did everything she could to stop this from happening, you must believe us!”

Ursa, despite her injuries, was ready with a different approach. “Any attack on my daughter,” she growled, raising her own blaster. “Is an attack on Clan Wren.”

Sabine looked like she had enough and threw her helmet down. “No! I’m prepared to take responsibility for my actions!”

She stepped to the center of the crowd. “It’s true. I designed the weapon, as a loyal student at the Imperial Academy. The Empire is using my prototype, but it’s only functioning at a fraction of its capacity! At full power, it will destroy ARMIES! So, you have a choice to make; we can either fight each other, or we can destroy this weapon once and for all!”

The others still wouldn’t back down, so Bo, of all people, stepped up. “I understand your anger,” she said. “In many ways, I feel the same. But Sabine is right! Now is not the time for us to be divisive. She knows the most about this weapon and how to destroy it. We need her.”

There was some chatter amongst the Mandalorians, they seemed unsure. Slowly, they began to lower their weapons, one by one. I hesitated, but shut my blade off, sensing the tension lifting, if only a little. Bo turned one last time to Sabine.

“It’s time for you to prove your loyalty. Not just to your family, but to all of Mandalore.”

Chapter Text

The team touched down into the star destroyer’s hangar as quietly as we could. The mission was simple, in planning at least. We’d slip aboard Tiber Saxon’s warship, destroy the weapon, and delete all their information on it, so as to prevent it from being rebuilt.

The hangar was dead quiet. We stuck to the shadows, avoiding the few troopers who were milling about. Taking position underneath a row of TIE fighters, Sabine raised her fist, motioning for us to stop. She lowered the rangefinder on her helmet and scanned the weapon, which sat about 20 yards ahead of us. It looked a lot like a standard AT-DP walker, but with a series of laser generators mounted on each side. Something appeared off though. A gaping hole sat just underneath the canopy, as if something was meant to be there.

“I can’t help but notice the weapon’s core isn’t here.” Rau whispered.

Sabine shook her head. “Thank you, Fenn Rau. That’s helpful.”

She directed her attention to a command center above the hanger. “Best bet, they’re working on the Duchess up there.”

Bo tilted her helmeted head. “‘The Duchess’?” she asked. “You named your weapon after my sister, the former ruler of Mandalore?”

“It was a series of bad decisions, okay?”

Nobody noticed the TIE pilot climbing out of his fighter until he shouted.

“Hey! HEY!”

Bo quickly subdued him, but it was too late. More troopers began flooding into the hangar. My lightsaber was in hand before I realized it.

Kanan and Ezra charged out from their position behind another TIE. Dodging laserfire with a flick of my head, I deflected more back at the troopers.

“Hold them off!” Sabine shouted. “Bo-Katan and I will get to the weapon!”

The two of them ran towards an elevator that no doubtably led to the command center.

Ezra appeared next to me, lightsaber in hand. “How’s it goin’?” he yelled.

I laughed. “Not bad!” I shouted back.

“You’re doing great! Just hang in there, we’ll get through this!”

Kanan ran up and joined us. “We need to get into their computer and wipe the data!”

Ezra grabbed my shoulder. “Come on!” The three of us and Chopper hastily but carefully ran towards a corridor on the far end of the hangar.

The information center was packed with stormtroopers. I slid for cover behind a console, firing my blaster blindly over the top. Chopper rolled past us and plugged his scomp link into the first of two ports.

The Empire clearly didn’t intend to lose the data on the Duchess weapon. As soon as the blaster fire died down, more troopers began pouring in.

“I don’t think they like us very much!” I shouted to Ezra.

“You think so?!?”

Ezra sent the last of the troopers flying into the wall with the Force.

“Will you hurry up?” he snarled at Chopper.

Chopper beeped back at him, as if to say “Not if you want me to erase everything!”

He unplugged from one port and rolled up to the other. We watched the screen on the console as images of the weapon cycled through.

“Erase everything.” Kanan reminded him. “Every piece of data on that weapon they’ve got!”

Now that we had a moment to breathe, Ezra tried raising Sabine on his commlink. “Sabine, we’re in! What’s your status?”

All we heard come from the other end was static. No reply. Ezra flashed Kanan and I a worried look.

“She’s in trouble!”
“Go!” Kanan exclaimed. “Chopper and I will finish up here!”

Leaving the two of them in the information center, Ezra and I hastily ran back to the hangar. The blast door slowly opened. My eyes widened under my helmet. Pure chaos had engulfed the hangar. Clan Wren was furiously firing at the ever growing number of Imperial troops, some of whom had taken control of scout walkers, trying to use their heavy cannons to take our people out. We quickly ran to provide cover fire and help them out.

Tristan had to do a double take as we joined his team in cover behind supply crates.

“That was fast!” he shouted.

“We finished our mission, now we have to finish yours?” Ezra teased.

“The data core was the easier mission!”

Fenn Rau clearly didn’t think now was the right time for banter. “Will you two knock it off!?”

“Where’s Sabine?” I asked

“Up there!” Rau pointed to the windows to the command center. I could just barely make out the tell-tale flicker of electricity. Ezra looked like he wanted to drop everything to run and help her, but in our current situation, he wouldn’t make it very far.

It felt like for every trooper we cut down, 5 more replaced him. We’d be out of power cells before even making a dent at this rate.

A thermal detonator suddenly clattered to the floor right between Tristan and I. Before he could react, I latched onto it with the Force and sent it back towards one of the walkers. The grenade exploded right dead center at its legs.

“You’re crazy, kid!” Tristan shouted.

“Yeah, well I learned from the best!”

Right as I finished saying that, a bolt of electricity shot out of the command center window, right into the back of the remaining scout walker. It chained to the troopers on the ground. Before I could do the math, the bolt chained to me. My lightsaber flew out of my hand as I was knocked off my feet, yelping in surprise. It was pure agony as the helmet heated to an unbelievable temperature. Quickly, I ripped the helmet off and threw it at my feet. Opening my eyes and sitting up, I saw Ezra clutching his head, his own helmet laying next to him.

“What’s happening?” asked Tristan.

“The weapon’s been turned against the Empire!” Rau shouted, smiling under his helmet.

Kanan and Chopper quickly returned from the information center, their job done. Ezra, however, ran off in search of Sabine. Right as he disappeared into the elevator, the electricity was cut off, as though the source was destroyed.

“Kanan, the power core’s been breached!” Sabine’s voice shouted over comms.

“The data’s been wiped, but the stormtroopers are recovering and headed this way!”

He wasn’t wrong. The unconscious men were starting to stir and sit up.

“Don’t worry about them, because this entire place is about to blow!”

“We should probably go then!”

I carefully grabbed my helmet off the ground. It was still warm, but not to where I couldn’t wear it. Ezra, Sabine and Bo-Katan rushed out of the elevator.

Whatever they did to the weapon’s power seemed to have worked a little too well. Molten metal was now leaking out of a fresh hole in the command center, right onto the weapon itself.

Without hesitating, we ran to the edge of the hanger and leapt out. Jetpacks sparking to life, we flew as quickly as we could away from the star destroyer. Glancing back one last time, I watched as it was slowly consumed by smaller explosions, losing altitude little by little until one final fireball erupted from the very center.

Returning to camp, Bo-Katan was quick to point out a very obvious fact.

“This is only the beginning. The Empire will send everything they have to crush Mandalore.”

Sabine stopped in her tracks. She looked like she was ready to say something difficult. Slowly, she turned to face Bo again.

“That is why you should lead us, milady.”

Bo shook her head. “You had the courage to make a difficult decision.”

“With your guidance.” Sabine insisted. “You have the wisdom of a ruler. There’s no one I trust more to wield the Darksaber.”

Bo looked hesitant to take the weapon.

“I’m not the only one who thinks so.” Sabine continued.

The door behind her opened. Dozens of Mandalorian warriors stood before us.

“Clan Vizsla is with you,” said one.

“Clan Rook is with you,” said another

“Clan Elder is with you,”

“Clan Kryze is with you,”

“The Protectors are with you,”

“Clan Wren is with you,” Ursa agreed.

Sabine placed one hand on Bo’s shoulder, the Darksaber in her other hand.

“Now I understand why the Saber came to me” she said assuredly, “It came to me so I could pass it to you.”

Bo gingerly took the Darksaber. She let out a deep breath and raised the hilt above her head.

“I accept this sword for my sister, for my clan, and for all of Mandalore.”

The moment the obsidian blade appeared, every single one of the warriors dropped to one knee and lowered their heads. It was an incredible sight, and filled me with a slight glimmer of hope for the future.

Chapter Text

The gauntlet fighter dropped out of hyperspace. Before us was a massive red gas giant planet, but Ezra flew us towards a moon on the far side. The time had finally come to link up with another rebel cell, along with the rest of the survivors from Atallon.

“I wonder what this other cell is like.” Ezra said thoughtfully. “And how big it is compared to Phoenix group.”

“According to Hera, it’s more well equipped than we were,” replied Kanan. “The remnants of Phoenix group are now a part of this cell.”

Chopper beeped a question to Kanan. I was slowly learning what he said, and this time it sounded like he’d asked to go find Hera when we landed. Kanan flashed him an irritated look. Despite his blindness, he was still as sharp as a vibroblade.

“No, Chop! Hera said you’re getting an oil bath when we get there, whether you like it or not!”

I leaned back in my seat, rubbing the back of my head. It was still a bit sore from the Duchess’ attack on my helmet.

“You ok?” asked Sabine. She’d just finished transmitting clearance codes for us to land.

“That Duchess of yours was no joke.”

She smirked at my half hearted attempt at humor.

“Just be glad you didn’t get the full brunt of it.”

The front of Sabine’s armor was scorched. Her and Bo-Katan had taken the weapon’s power directly, but at a lower power setting. The Imperial in charge of its creation, Tiber Saxon, had tried to force her to increase the weapon’s range. Sabine had done just that, but had also changed its targeting system to target stormtrooper plastoid instead of Mandalorian beskar. The resulting chaos we’d witnessed had not only destroyed the Duchess, but killed Saxon as well.

Ezra touched us down onto the landing pad. Zeb’s imposing frame was visible waiting for us. He looked happy to see us as we descended the boarding ramp.

“Welcome to Yavin IV!” he croaked.

Sabine smiled as she strode up to him and gave him a rough punch in the ribs.

“Zeb!”

“Woah, easy!” Zeb laughed.

“What, you haven’t gotten soft on me since I’ve been gone have you, big guy?”

Zeb glanced over at me.

“Still alive I see, eh kid?”

“You could say that.”

I still wasn’t sure how I felt about Zeb. It seemed like I still had to impress him before he could form an opinion on me as well.

“Where’s Hera?” Kanan asked

“She’s out on a supply mission.” Zeb replied. “Come on, I’ll show you around!”

There were what seemed like hundreds of ships all over the landing pad. I recognized a few as the same models we’d had on Atallon, only the Massassi Group appeared to have many more. Dozens of people, from pilots to techs and mechanics, moved about, keeping the base in order. The main building was based out of what looked like an ancient temple of sorts.

“There are cells gathered here from every corner of the galaxy.” Zeb explained. “And it’s still not enough against the Empire.”

Ezra didn’t seem perturbed by that comment. “As long as we get to help Ryder and Lothal, I’ll take what I can get.”

“Damn straight.” I agreed.

At that moment, two things happened. First, an alarm began to blare, indicating an incoming ship. Second, Captain Rex spotted us and jogged over.

“Ezra! You’re back!”

“Rex, what’s going on?” Ezra had to raise his voice over the alarm. “Where’s Hera?”

Rex craned his neck to the sky and pointed.

“Well, if you’re looking for Hera, there she is, coming in hot with what’s left of her squadron.”

I squinted up at where he was pointing. Sure enough, half a dozen Y-wing bombers had appeared in the atmosphere. All of them appeared to be heavily damaged. Black smoke billowed out of various points on their hulls. One by one, they began to dump their fuel mid air, likely to prevent an explosion on landing.

Personnel on the landing pad moved about quickly, shifting equipment out of the way of the incoming ships. With a resounding crash, the bombers hit the ground and skidded to a halt. We rushed over to the lead ship, just as someone climbed onto the canopy and popped the hatch, offering a hand to the pilot. Hera looked a bit shaken, but was unharmed. Chopper rolled up and grunted something.

“No, my astromech didn’t make it!” Hera snapped, apparently not registering who she was talking to.

“Wha-? Chopper!” she beamed, patting him on the dome. “Boy, coulda used you on this mission, buddy.”

“Captain!” one of the other pilots, a young man with black hair, ran up to her. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine, Wedge. I’m glad you all made it down in one piece.”

Wedge looked disappointed. “I’m sorry about the mission. If just could’ve…”

Hera cut him off. “This wasn’t your fault! Any of yours! Our intel was bad. If you hadn't handled yourselves so courageously, we would’ve lost everybody!”

Wedge was silent for a moment, then smiled. “Thanks, Captain.”

“Now get yourselves cleaned up. I want a full assessment of damage to the Y-wings to see what’s salvageable.”

Wedge and the other pilots turned and walked away just as we approached.

“I’ve seen worse landings.” Kanan teased. Hera’s eyes lit up at the sight of us.
“Kanan? You’re all here! And Sabine, you came back! What about your family on Mandalore?”

Sabine shook her head. “They’ll be fine. Right now, my family here needs me more.”
“Well, I’m glad to have you.” Hera’s mood seemed to have improved immensely very quickly. “And there’s plenty enough work to go around.”
“Well then,” Ezra grinned. “Let’s get started.”

“A reunion, how touching.” a voice said.

We turned to see a man with brown hair and a matching beard. He wore the rank of a captain. “As Commander Bridger suggests, it’s time to get to work. Mon Mothma requests your presence.”

We followed him towards the main temple. I leaned in to whisper to Ezra.

“Who’s he?”

“His name’s Kallus” Ezra whispered back. “He’s ex-ISB.”

“Can we trust him?”

“I think so. He’s the one who warned us about the attack on Atallon, but was burnt as a result. So he’s with us now.”

“All the same, I’m gonna keep an eye on him. For now”

Kallus led us into a large briefing room. We gathered around a holotable. Senator Mothma and General Dodonna quickly joined us, along with a hologram of a man I quickly recognized: Senator Bail Organa of Alderaan.

“Captain,” Mothma smiled, pleased at our arrival. “I commend your bravery in protecting your fellow pilots.”

Hera still looked disappointed. “I just wanna know what went wrong out there.”

“As do I. Senator Organa may be able to shed some light on that for us.”

Organa stepped forward. “My sources in the Senate confirm that the Empire has established a new communications relay in the Jalindi system.”

A hologram of a station on a mesa appeared before us. It had a massive satellite dish pointed at the sky.

“It greatly expands their command and control throughout the surrounding sectors, and enabled them to respond much more quickly to your incursion.”

General Dodanna sighed. “I hate to admit it, but it looks like Gererra’s rumors were true.”

Even I’d heard the name Saw Gererra. His own rebellion against the Empire had earned him a notorious reputation in the Outer Rim. We were all rebels, yes, but Gererra seemed to be more of an extremist.

Rex rolled his eyes. “How does Saw’s rag-tag group have better intel than we do?”

Kallus crossed his arms. “Because Gererra has absolutely no qualms about how he acquires it.”

“Well, if he gets results…”

Mothma gave Ezra a stern look. “We do not mistreat our prisoners.”

Debate began about what course of action to take. The relay station would only hamper our efforts in the sector, that much was clear.

Kallus stepped up and pointed to the dish. “Perhaps…If we could somehow tap into this relay, we could use it to monitor Imperial fleet movements and adjust our own operations to avoid them.”

“Can it be done?” Mothma addressed Hera, who smirked.

“My crew and I have done plenty of jobs just like it.”

The rebel leaders discussed it amongst themselves, eventually we were cleared to proceed.

“One more thing,” Dodanna said. He turned to me. “Lieutenant Vos, right?”

I cleared my throat. “Uh yes, sir”

“I understand it was your plan that helped us escape Atallon.”

“I was just doing my part, sir.”

“That may be, but I think you’ll find the Rebellion rewards acts of heroism.” he continued. “As such, you will join this mission as Lieutenant Commander.”

My heart jumped, but I kept a straight face. “A promotion, sir? I don’t know what to say.”

Dodanna offered his hand, which I gladly shook.

“Keep at it, son. You’ll go far at this rate.”

Chapter Text

It was just past dusk when I stepped out alone back onto the landing pad. Though it was getting late, people were still milling and attending to their duties. I could see Kanan and Ezra deep in meditation close to the tree line. Normally, I’d join them. But tonight, I instead leaned my back against the base of the temple.

Quite a lot had changed for me in the last 4 months. Thanks to near constant training with Kanan and Ezra, I could feel my connection to the Force growing stronger. As a child training with my father, it had felt like dipping a toe into a pool. I knew it was deep, and that scared me. But now, with my friends guiding me, I knew I had to dive right in, to allow it to flow around me and carry me.

“Members of the Alliance to Restore the Republic!”

A booming, gravely voice interrupted my thoughts. It was like a man had swallowed fire, which now burned perpetually in his lungs. Turning towards the voice, I saw a green and white astromech droid projecting the imposed image of a man before everyone. He had dark colored skin and scruffy gray hair, complemented with a beard. I recognized his face immediately. Not from having met him, but from wanted posters and the holonet. Saw Gererra.

“Your losses today stem from your leaders’ cowardice, their unwillingness to take decisive action against the Empire!” He growled. “All across the galaxy, your people suffer while the leaders of this…” he gave a short chuckle. “REBELLION refuse to act!”

Senator Mothma approached, having apparently heard him. Instead of ordering the message cut off, she instead appeared to want to speak with him. She did not look happy.

“Madam Senator, I’m honored.” Gererra smiled.

“What is your business here?” Mothma demanded calmly.

Gererra shrugged. “You ignored my warning about the Jalindi outpost and paid the price. Now you have confirmation, and STILL you refuse to destroy it!”

I could see Mothma clench her fist in anger, but she kept her composure.

“So long as our allies in the Senate have hope for a peaceful resolution to this conflict, I will not risk…”

Gererra cut her off. “If you continue to allow this war to be fought on the Empire’s terms, not yours, YOU ARE GOING TO LOSE!” his voice boomed.

Mothma glared at him. “I will not be lectured on military strategy by a man who has proven himself a criminal.”

Gererra flashed a cruel grin. “The Empire considers us both criminals. At least I act like one!”

That was enough for Mothma. “You target CIVILIANS. Kill those who surrender! Break every rule of engagement! If we degrade ourselves to the Empire’s level, what will we become?!?”

“There she is!” Gererra shouted. “That’s the leader the Rebellion needs! Where is that fire, that passion, when your people need it most?”

I could sense a deep level of anger radiating off the Senator, and I understood why. Gererra had passion, just like the rest of us. But he didn’t care about the levels he had to stoop to in order to win. That’s all he wanted. To win.

“I hope, Senator, after you’ve lost, and the Empire reigns over the galaxy unopposed, you will find some comfort in the knowledge that you fought according to the rules…”

Mothma let out a deep breath, looking like she was finished. She turned to one of the men nearby. “That’s enough.” The man moved towards the droid to end the transmission, but Gererra had just one more thing to say.

“What are you afraid of, Senator? The truth?”

The hologram vanished. The silence was deafening, but Mothma immediately turned back to the temple.

“Return to your duties.” She said sternly to those still watching.

The following day, the Ghost held position in orbit above Jalindi. Hera had surprised me and left me in charge of formulating a plan. I’d stayed up a majority of the night studying a hologram of the base and the surrounding area, memorizing every little detail. The whole team gathered in the Ghost’s lounge, with Chopper projecting the hologram for us.

“Here’s the plan,” I explained. “The relay station is situated in a field of stone towers on Jalindi. The Ghost will approach at high altitude and Ezra, Sabine, Chopper and I will rocket jump down to the dish and install the repeater spike. When we’re done, Hera will swoop in, below the outpost’s sensors and extract us. Any questions?”

Ezra scratched his head. “Spiking it won’t do anything to hurt the Empire, it’ll just make it a little easier to sneak around them.”

Sabine nodded. “Yeah, that’s more of a comment than a question, Ezra, but you’ve got a point.”

“A damn good point.” I couldn’t help but agree. All I ever wanted was to see the Empire get hurt, the way they always hurt innocent people.

Hera shook her head. “You’re not seeing the bigger picture. If we destroy the relay, the Empire will just build another one. This way, we can use it to stay one step ahead of them.”

“Well, yeah, but-”

“It’s not up for discussion!” Hera cut Erza off. “We have our orders.”

Once the Ghost was in position above the base, Ezra, Sabine, Chopper and I climbed down to the cargo bay. The ramp lowered, revealing the cloudy atmosphere below. Ezra and I were both once again equipped with jetpacks and helmets to protect our faces from the winds as we fell.

“Don’t hit your jets too early, or their sensors will pick us up.” Sabine warned us.

“What if we hit them too late?” Ezra asked.

Sabine smirked under her helmet. “Hey, I like abstract art, I just don’t wanna become it!”

As she jumped off the ramp, I flashed a worried look at Ezra.

“She’s joking, right?”

Ezra didn’t respond. He simply followed her and jumped. Thinking fast, I ran after him and lept.

Despite the helmet, the wind was nearly deafening. I kept my arms at my sides to keep the speed up. The base below us had a massive satellite dish, where we’d find an astromech port to install the spike.

“Passing 2,000 meters!” Sabine’s voice was just barely audible over the wind. “1800! 1200 meters coming up on us real fast!”

Based on the lack of activity on the base, the plan was working…so far.

“500 meters!” Sabine shouted.”Four! Get ready!”

I raise my hand over the button for my jetpack, ready to spark it up.

“Now!”

Our jetpacks roared to life, a jolt shuddering through my body at the sudden force. We slowed quickly but not quickly enough.

“We’re still too fast, we're gonna crash!” Ezra shouted.

Sabine landed first, but Erza was moving faster. He skidded past her, quickly grabbing onto an antennae. Not letting go, he swung out and grabbed Sabine’s hand. I hit the satellite next, scooting towards them. Sabine threw out her hand and managed to grab the back of my jacket, halting me instantly. My helmet thunked as I dropped my head back, sighing in relief. We’d made it.

“Well, that could’ve been worse.” Ezra said optimistically.

Just as the words left his mouth, Chopper went skidding by us, beeping loudly in alarm and emitting sparks from underneath him. He hit a bump and went flying, coming to a stop face first against a control panel. We ran to his side. I pushed him up with a grunt.

“Chopper!” Erza exclaimed. “You okay, pal?”

Chopper grunted in reply. It sounded something like “I’m fine…and Ezra, you’re a dumbass.”

“He’s complaining, he must be fine.”

I raised the Ghost on comms. “Spectre 7 to Ghost. We made it onto the dish in one piece.”

“Copy that.” came Hera’s reply. “Now get to work on that spike. We’re on the clock here!”

Chapter Text

Years down the line, I would come to realize that when plans went wrong, it always tended to happen at the absolute worst time imaginable. In this case, we hadn’t even gotten started installing the spike when Hera’s voice came back over comms with a warning. “Guys, you’ve got an Imperial ship headed in your direction!” Sure enough, a light cruiser was approaching from high orbit. Sabine shook her head. “What was that you said about how this could be worse?” We quickly scooted around to the opposite side of the dish, hoping to stay out of sight. “If they see you, this mission is blown!” Kanan warned us. I pressed myself further behind the dish. “They didn’t see us!” I replied into my wristcomm. “At least I don’t think they did!” Ezra peered around the other side to get a look at the cruiser. “We’re good!” he said, not sounding fully convinced. Sabine, meanwhile, had started pulling a comm panel open and setting to work. “Let’s just do this fast and get outta here.” she said impatiently. “Chopper, give me a hand.” Chopper plugged into an astromech socket just underneath the panel. I kept my head on a swivel, just in case there was more to worry about than just the light cruiser. “Okay, isolate the secondary comm circut…” Sabine coached. “Yeah, there! Hold it right there! Installing the spike…” She started pressing some of the buttons. To me, it looked random but she apparently knew what she was doing. A steady hum soon filled the air. “Got it!” Sabine exclaimed, “We’re patched in!” “That was easy.” I said. No sooner had I said that, then a man’s voice came out of the comm panel. “Jalindi outpost this is Marauder, requesting clearance to dock.” Ezra and I shared a confused look. “What’s going on?” he asked. Sabine started fiddling with the buttons again. “We must’ve patched into the main comm circuit by mistake. We’re intercepting all incoming transmissions.” The voice came again. “Jalindi outpost, your signal is garbled. Please repeat.” Sabine grumbled in frustration. “Chopper, run a bypass. Connect that ship to the outpost’s commander, now!” I couldn’t see Ezra’s face under his helmet, but I knew he had a witty smile on. “Chopper, give me comm control. I’ve got an idea.” Chopper grunted something in disagreement. “Ezra, we don’t have time for this!” I exclaimed. “If they don’t get a response soon, they’ll know something is wrong and this whole thing is blown!” Erza ignored me as he stepped up to the comm panel, clearing his throat. “Uh, Marauder.” he said, trying a half hearted Imperial accent. “This is Jalindi outpost...you weren’t scheduled to arrive until the next rotation.” I rolled my eyes. I had only known Ezra for a few short months, but I could tell subtlety was not a strong suit of his. “You’re creating a lot of difficulties for us,” he continued. “maybe come back tomorrow?” The man on the other end sounded both confused and furious at the same time. “What difficulties?!? Who is this?!?” “This is…uh…Commander Brom Titus!” Ezra looked quite pleased with himself…until the reply came. “Is this some kind of joke?!? I AM COMMANDER BROM TITUS, AND I DEMAND AN EXPLANATION IMMEDIATELY!" The color drained from Ezra’s face. Before we could even think on what to do next, gravity began to shift. The dish was being realigned. My hands tried grabbing for something, ANYTHING to hold onto. But it was too late. Ezra, Sabine and I began to slide towards the edge. ‘Chopper, switch it back!” I cried. My stomach dropped as my feet slipped off the edge of the dish, stopping just in time. The feeling of relief was short-lived, however. The three of us were now in full view of the Imperial ship. Ezra smiled sheepishly and gave a friendly wave. “Dank ferrick” was all I could muster. “We blew it.” With no other option, we climbed back up and began to run. “Ghost, we’ve been spotted!” Sabine shouted into her helmet comm. “We’re gonna need a pickup, fast!” “Copy that! On our way!” Sabine reached into a pouch on her belt and threw something to us. I stared down at the shiny round objects. Detonators. “I take it we’re changing the plan?” Erza grinned. “You two want to salvage something from this mission or not?” “Let’s blow this thing.” Blasterfire suddenly rang out. Lasers flew dangerously close to us as a number of stormtroopers appeared from hatches on the dish. “You two plant the detonators, I'll hold them off!” Ezra shouted, lightsaber already in hand. Sabine and I moved quickly, planting the bombs every few feet. “You sure this is gonna be enough?” I asked, trying to not sound panicked. “We don’t need to obliterate it, just need to damage it enough to destabilize it.” she yelled back. “The rest will fall into place!” I dodged laserfire Ezra missed. Throwing him a glare, I didn’t stop. “You call that holding them off, Bridger?!?” Gravity began to shift again. Once again, we all lost our balance. Chopper, still plugged into the astromech port, had realigned the dish again. Chaos ensued as the troopers began to fall as well. I grabbed onto an antennae, watching Ezra and Sabine manage to do the same. The troopers, however, missed any chance to grab onto the dish and went screaming into the abyss. “Spectres 5, 6 and 7, I gotta break off!” Hera’s voice sounded slightly frantic. “Hold tight! We’ll be right back!” The Ghost roared past us, pursued by two fighters I’d never seen before. They looked similar to standard TIEs, but had 3 wings instead of 2. The wings were also split in half, with each point armed with a laser cannon. Ezra nodded his head up at them. “You asked what a TIE defender was!” he shouted at me. “There you go!” Unlike the slower standard TIE, the defenders seemed to have no issue staying right behind the Ghost. The roar of another engine made us all snap our heads up. A fifth ship, a U-wing, had entered the fray, unloading its guns right into the aft thrusters of the Marauder. “Who the hell is that?” I wondered. Ezra shrugged. “Dunno. But they’re my new favorite.” Whoever was flying the U-wing was one hell of a pilot. He fired at the few remaining troopers and pulled up alongside us. The door slid open, revealing a man with thinning gray hair and wearing some sort of armor. Saw Gererra. “You rebels need a ride?” he grinned. Reaching behind him, Saw began pushing a number of huge proton bombs onto the dish. “Heads up!” “I wouldn’t think too long!” Gererra laughed. “Those charges are on a real short fuse!” “Chopper, we’re leaving! Let’s go!” Ezra shouted into his wristcomm. Our jetpacks carried us into the U-wing’s cabin. As soon as Chopper joined us, the ship pitched hard straight up. The door remained open long enough to see the charges explode, taking out not just the dish, but the Marauder as well, sending a massive blastwave through the clouds. “Now that is how you deal with the Empire.” Gererra smiled. Erza’s wristcomm sputtered to life. Hera sounded like she’d seen a ghost. “Ezra, Sabine, Drauxs?!? Are you there?!? Talk to me!” “We’re ok!” Ezra replied. “Relax Captain Syndulla,” Gererra called out. “I’ve got them!” The door slid shut as we arrived in the atmosphere. Hera didn’t sound happy. “Gererra, hold your position! I’m coming alongside to get my people!” Gererra’s pilot, a Tognath wearing a strange breath mask, muttered something as Gererra took the copilot’s seat. In front of us, a Star Destroyer had entered the system, dispatching 4 TIEs to intercept us. “Sorry, Captain. There’s no time.” Gererra replied to Hera cooly. “Don’t worry, your kids will be fine with me. Besides, they might enjoy fighting with a real army for a change.”