Stowaway: A Star Wars Rebels Story

Conflicting Perspectives

Hera's POV:

I didn't exactly have time to think about Y/N's words as my father entered my cabin. "Is that the old astromech you found during the Clone War?" he asked. "His name is Chopper," I replied, who warbled quietly. "If you gave me half the attention you gave this second-rate junkpile, we'd have liberated Ryloth by now," he berated. Chopper cursed at my father in disapproval. "This is what's wrong with you child. You hold onto the wrong things, devote your time and effort to lost causes. What a waste," he continued. Enough was enough. I wouldn't let him push me around anymore. "I am not wasting my life. I help people. I lead ships into battle. I am part of something bigger," I said, my spirit showing itself with each and every word I spoke. "The Rebellion. I thought you knew better than to put your faith in outsiders. You forget what happened when we trusted the Republic," he shouted. "This is different. The rebels are fighting to free everyone," I countered. "Free everyone? I don't care about everyone! I care only about Ryloth," he yelled before leaving. "So I've noticed," I muttered. I finished unclogging Chopper's circuits and thought back to both conversations. Y/N doesn't know my father like I do. And to think that he never wanted to be here? It's almost as disgraceful as my father's inability to see the rebellion's vision. Everyone includes Ryloth, doesn't it? I've done so much for the cause and he probably wouldn't care that I'm Phoenix Leader. We'll finish this mission, but on my terms. I'll show him how much I've changed.

Not too long later, I sat in the pilot's seat of the stolen bomber, gazing at hyperspace as we neared Ryloth. The whole time my father was telling some old war stories, but I couldn't bear it any longer, so I shut the door and sat back in my chair. "Cham has taken a shine to your Jedi friend," Gobi pointed out. "More like the other way around," I said, very apparent of his obsession with my father. "General Syndulla, I could listen to your stories all day," Kanan complimented. "And I could tell them all day," my father boasted. "Your father's not such a bad guy. I see a lot of him in you," Kanan said. I glared at him, offended by his remark. "What? You're both great leaders trying to help people," he elaborated. "You don't know him like I do," I said, brushing him aside. We dropped out of hyperspace above Ryloth, and the ship carrying our bomber detached us. "Gobi, get ready for landing," my father ordered. "If the Empire is on schedule, they should be sending their bombers to the surface, which will make the ship more vulnerable." "They're always on schedule," I said. Out in the distance, I could see a series of bombers leaving the carrier. Time to set the plan into action. "There they go. I'm signaling the A-Wings. Let's hope this works." My scanners picked up our 'attackers' dropping in behind us. They began to fire, just narrowly missing their shots to make it look convincing. "Bomber pilot to carrier, we are under attack by rebel fighters! Requesting permission for emergency landing!" Kanan shouted to the officers over our comms. "Incoming bomber, transmit clearance code," the lead officer ordered. "Code is 7, 2, 5..." Kanan responded while I faked some radio static. "Proceed to bay two, we'll cover you," the officer said. One of the A-Wings hit our bomber, causing it to slow down a little bit. The carrier's turrets fired back, forcing our reinforcements to break away from their attack. They soon jumped into hyperspace, their part of the mission done. "Rebels have fled," the officer confirmed. "We've been hit! Coming in hot!" Kanan hollered. We approached the carrier at high speeds, still playing the act. "Might want to consider slowing down," Kanan urged. "This has to look good. Hang on!" I replied. I pulled up at the last possible moment, shaking the entire bomber and crashing into some crates to cushion our landing. Once I regained my awareness, I heard shots. My entire crew has been stunned. "Father, what are you doing?" I shouted, taken aback by his traitorous act. "We only needed your help to get on board, I'm sorry." That was the last thing I heard before my father stunned me, and then everything faded to black.

Y/N's POV:

I woke up in the back of the bomber feeling void of energy, like I just emerged from a deep sleep. Oh wait. I did. And so did the rest of the crew. "Uh, Hera? Our 'friends' have bags full of detonators," Ezra said. "Enough to blow up this carrier. We're scrubbing the mission, right?" Sabine added. "No, we're finishing it. We'll stop my father and steal this ship," Hera announced. "We'll take the bridge. Zeb, you and Sabine check the munitions rack for those detonators," Kanan said, devising our plan in record time. I somehow recovered quicker than normal and climbed out of the bomber. "Y/N, cover our backs!" Kanan ordered. "Got it," I responded back. Just speaking a little bit got me out of my half-asleep state. We ran into the turbolift to take us to the level where the command deck was located. There were still stormtroopers on this ship so we had to be optimal with our route. "Let's move," Kanan said as the doors opened. I went out last and turned my back towards the crew, hoping we wouldn't get flanked. "We're good. Pick up the pace, rebels!" Hera called out. I broke into a full sprint as Ezra and Kanan quickly dealt with the stormtroopers blocking our path. Master and Padawan in action. They really are formidable. Eventually, we burst through the bridge doors and raised our blasters. "Drop your weapons and stand down!" I shouted, sparking fear in the officers. All of them left in panic except for the captain, who stood firm in front of the Twi-Lek. "I have already contacted reinforcements," he stated. "Thanks for the heads up. Kanan, do your thing," Hera responded, alluding to the mind trick. "Actually, Ezra, you take this one," Kanan said, putting his Padawan on the spot. "Are we sure now is a good time for a lesson?" I questioned. We didn't exactly have time to spare. "I've got this, I've got this," Ezra said in annoyance, trying to prove me wrong. "You're going to abandon ship," he started, waving his hand in the captain's face. "I will not abandon my ship," the captain said, unaffected. Ezra sighed and tried again. "You are going to abandon ship." "We are going to abandon ship." The captain opened the comms array and made an announcement. "The fire in hangar bay three is out of control. Abandon ship. Get to the escape pods." "Uh, I really mean it. This is the captain," Ezra continued, catching Hera off guard for some reason. "I really mean it. This is the captain. Get to the escape pods. Abandon ship, the fire is out of control," the captain repeated. "You should get going," Ezra said, finishing his mind trick. "I should get going," the captain said before running out of the bridge. "Not bad, but I've seen better," I quipped. "Alright, Hera. We're on the clock, get us out of here. The bridge is secure. Zeb, what's your status?" Kanan said over our comm channel. "Oh the usual. Sabine has a plan of sorts," Zeb replied. Shortly after, Zeb commed us again. "Wow. Sabine's plan actually worked. But there's no sign of Cham," he alerted. "Find him," Kanan ordered. "We're not going anywhere," a voice said, revealing himself to be Cham, who had his blaster raised.