Stowaway: A Star Wars Rebels Story

Military Exercise

I awoke with a start and scanned my surroundings. Unfortunately, the first thing I saw was my hands in handcuffs. I looked to my left and my right and saw many battle droids guarding us in what appeared to be the outpost's command center. They don't look dangerous at all. I could take them. I tried standing up but was pushed down by a battle droid who held me at gunpoint. All I could do was wait and find another opportunity later. That window wouldn't come, however, as a big green droid walked in front of us with heavy footing. "Near the end of the war, Separatist droids significantly outnumbered Republic units. By my calculations, our probability of being defeated was only 23.6%," the droid said. What exactly is his argument here? "After Clone Order 66, the whole droid army was given a shutdown command. How are you even operating?" Rex wondered. "The Jedi betrayal ended the war for most of the galaxy. But here on Agamar, I assumed it was a Republic trick and prevented the shutdown command," the droid explained. "Well it doesn't matter how it ended, the war is over. Let us go!" Rex pressed. He was slowly becoming infuriated as if his past caught up to him. "Negative, Captain. I calculate that this will be my only opportunity to end the Clone Wars as I planned, with a victory for the Separatist Alliance," the droid proclaimed. "So what do you want us to do, surrender?" Rex asked. "On the contrary, I want you to fight. To prove once and for all whose tactical strategy was superior," the droid said.

"Well, you can count me out. I'm not playing some stupid war game," Zeb said angrily. "That is correct, Lasat. Your species were not in the Clone Wars, so you will be the hostage your allies must save. The 'Jedi Rescue' is a recurring scenario based on 132 battles I have reviewed," the droid continued. "Yeah, we've done it a few times," Ezra bragged. "Jedi, is this your Padawan?" the droid asked Kanan. "Most of the time," he quipped. "Good. A complete set of Republic opponents will make this authentic," the droid said. "Captain, who is this?" the droid wondered why I was here. "A civilian turned lieutenant," Rex answered. "Battles including multiple Republic officers occurred 92.8% of the time. The addition of one would make this battle...interesting," the droid responded."No, it won't, because we're not fighting!" Rex snapped back. "If you will not fight, you will be terminated," the droid forced his hand. With this squad of droids having complete leverage over us, there was only one option left to save ourselves. "I'll fight your war," I spoke up. "What?" Rex said, shocked. "Y/N, no!" Kanan disagreed. "Do you see another way out of this?" I asked. "I've heard a few stories. I still know nothing about this galaxy or its history. But I want to help you win this last battle." "Besides, look at them. How can we lose?" Ezra gloated at their inferior build. "Okay, fine. We'll do it," Rex conceded. "If we win, Zeb goes free and we take all the proton bombs in the hangar," Ezra proposed. "I accept your terms," the droid replied. The battle droids led us on the long walk from the command center all the way down to the outpost's entrance. They released us from our binders and returned our weapons before leaving us outside. "No turning back now," I said. "Heh, you tell me," Rex replied as we awaited further instructions.

"The objective of this battle is simple. You must fight your way back to my command center and capture it to free your friend," the droid announced. Sounded easy enough, but making it all the way up there would be a challenge. "Rex, you've got more battle experience than any of us. You lead," Kanan said, giving the war veteran his chance to shine. "Alright, our first goal is to get inside the hangar. Kalani is a war machine, programmed to kill, and he's got the numbers and the firepower to do it. Our only chance is to be aggressive. Surprise him, hopefully put him on the defensive," he explained. "How many droids do you think he has?" Ezra wondered. "The last battle will begin: now," Kalani announced. Once the communication cut, I heard the clankers make a disturbingly loud rumbling sound. I could feel their vibrations in the ground, and it made me nervous. "A lot. He has a lot of them," I said in fear. "Don't get flustered, Y/N. Just stick to the plan," Rex advised. I nodded and reconfigured my blaster. I adjusted the gun by extending the butt and the barrel to lengthen it to a rifle, then put the stock and scope in. I needed as much ammo as possible to deal with the onslaught we were about to face. "We've got to scatter them! Use the sword and shield formation!" Rex ordered. "What does that mean?" Ezra asked. "We block, they fire!" Kanan answered. I got behind the Jedi as they ignited their lightsabers. "Everybody ready?" Kanan said. "Yup," "Let's go," "Bring it on," the rest of us replied.