April 22.
Jaral pushed the engines to the max. That was all she could do, at the moment, to unload even a small part of the pain and rage that was gripping her heart, like that of the two passengers in the gunship.
Hera was just holding tight to her Kalikori, her eyes widened and staring at the floor of the passenger bay. Ezra was sitting on one of the seats, he too unable to recover from having the small Force bond he had with his Master severed so abruptly.
They finally reached the entrance to the valley where the rebel camp was and Jaral put the gunship down with a certain haste. When she opened the cabin, she barely registered that Jordan and the rest of the Specters were waiting for them and even waving.
She stepped down and walked to the passenger bay. Hera was already at the edge of the rock, staring toward the horizon barely illuminated by the rising sun, which was on their backs. In her right hand she held the Kalikori. Ezra tried to lift a hand, but he had no idea what to say.
When he turned toward his sister, she immediately went to hug him, dematerializing her helmet so she could finally let the tears flow as well. Ezra hugged her back with all his strength while the others approached with an alarmed expression.
Jordan seemed to have already realized what happened, but he had to ask.
"Guys...where is Kanan?" he said, with Sabine and Zeb waiting with fear in their eyes.
"Kanan is gone." was all that Ezra could mumble.
Sabine's jaw fell down, she stumbled around a bit and then fell on her knees, while Chopper rolled immediately toward Hera to go hold her left hand with his handler.
Zeb didn't seem willing to realize it. "What do you mean 'gone'? Like captured?!"
Ezra detached his head from his sister's shoulder and screamed at him. "NO!...He's gone." he concluded with a broken tone.
Sabine stood up and joined the hug, Jordan and Zeb, being the bigger ones, enveloped the kids between their arms.
They stood there, for minutes at end, until they had nothing left to cry. When the sun was high enough to call it morning, the group slowly started to move toward the camp, nobody spent a word, because there was no use. The siblings momentarily closed their bond, since they were both feeling horrible and didn't want to worsen the situation for each other.
When they finally arrived at the camp and everybody else looked at them, it was Jordan who had to break the news, because nobody else had the strength to do that.
"Compatriots..." he said, trying to sound solemn, but he himself had a knot in his throat. Kanan had been like a brother to him, the man who had watched and educated Ezra and Jaral for a year and a half before of his return and even later.
Still, he took a deep breath and recollected himself enough to make the announcement. "Kanan Jarrus, Jedi Knight and Hero of Lothal, has made the ultimate sacrifice...to save the people he loved..." he said, and didn't know what else he could say.
And there was no need. The others understood perfectly and a sense of discomfort gripped the hearts of the other rebels, as they knew that one of the last Jedi in the galaxy, their beacon of hope, had perished.
Right at that moment, the radio of the camp received a transmission on the public imperial frequency. It was an announcement made on the HoloNet.
Matt Martin went to the radio to tune it better, Jaral walked in front of it, with her full armor on to mask her pain.
"The insurgency on Lothal is over." the announcer said. "After a prison attack on Capitol City, the Rebels have been crushed, their leadership defeated. To honor the Imperial heroes who valiantly died to save you from these extremists, all citizens are required to attend a celebration and parade in Capitol City. A new day for Lothal has begun."
"Turn it off!" Sabine demanded, and Martin complied.
Ryder stepped forward. "We have to contact Rebel Command, we need reinforcements and a new plan."
"Oh, I have a plan!" Sabine barked. "They want to hold a parade?! Fine, I'm going to add some fireworks to their party!"
She turned around to head for the park of the bikes, but Jaral turned part of her upper body and made a clear gesture with her arm.
"Sabine, no!" she ordered with authoritative voice, only partially warped by the pain.
The mandalorian stopped and looked at her with eyes mixed with surprise, disbelief and rage.
"What do you mean 'no'?" she scoffed. "They took Kanan from us!" she screamed in desperation.
"I know!" Jaral replied, jolting her head toward her sister-in-law. "But acting based on our emotions is not what Kanan would want us to do, and we would only waste the opportunity he gave us." she said with a voice that gradually became calmer.
"What opportunity?!" Zeb asked, out of patience.
Ezra, who had instead had removed his armor, suddenly had a realization on his face.
"The fuel depot..." he said, and everybody turned toward him, even Hera, who was standing at a distance.
"Kanan died..." he struggled to continue, but he did it. "in the destruction of the fuel depot."
Eyes barred and breathes became heavier as everyone turned toward the Grand Marshall again, who made a nod.
"Exactly. Kanan didn't just save us, he completed the mission. Therefore, bashing our heads mindlessly is not what we must do."
She turned toward her father, pointing a finger with a commanding aura around her.
"Dad, call down a shuttle and tell the Constantinople to send a rendezvous signal with Task Force Magellan.
"We did our part. It's time for the Federation to do its own." she said.
Jordan strengthened his resolve in front of that of his daughter and made a nod. "On it." he said before materializing his helmet again and trying to establish a connection with the ship.
"If they are holding a parade, the overall defenses of the planet will be weaker." Jaral reasoned. "We should be able to confirm the status of the refinery and the factory from orbit, so all of you stay hidden and do not, I repeat do not, attack the Empire unless is absolutely necessary. Is that clear?"
"Yes ma'am!" everyone said with their attention suddenly back again. The firmness of Jaral had managed to re-establish a minimum amount of morale and discipline among the rebel ranks.
As the group disbanded, Jaral stood in her place. Ezra walked in front of her and took a hand of hers in both of his to squeeze it. He understood that, under that layer of confidence, his sister was still falling to pieces like he was, her head leaning forward.
"You see?" he said mustering a smile. "I told you you were born for this."
Zeb and Sabine got near as well and put a hand on her shoulders each.
Jaral finally dematerialized her armor. Her face was still marked with tears, but her resolve was clearly stronger than ever. She took a deep breath and straightened her head, looking at the rest of her family in the eyes. Only Hera had retired in solitude, along with Chopper.
"Jari," Jordan said. "the shuttle is arriving. It's as you said. Most fighter patrols have been recalled to the capital for the parade."
"Good. We'll use their conceit to give them a kick in the jaw." she declared. "I'll have to get on the Constantinople and call Rebel Command. I have a plan to get the best result possible here, therefore..." she looked at her brother. "Ezra, the rest of the mission here is up to you."
Normally, Ezra would have protested, especially with the death of Kanan. Yet, the strength and the incredible self-control that his sister was exerting, clearly was influencing him as well, certainly a perk of their Force bond. He didn't protest, he simply looked at her with a resolute expression and made a nod.
"Yes, sis." he replied.
Right then, the soft but unmistakable rumble of the engines of a Kodiak shuttle broke the brief silence as the shuttle entered the canyon and landed on top of the refitted ore crawler. From its cargo bay descended Thabo and Michalina. When Jaral looked surprised at her father, Jordan replied.
"Me and those two will better serve down here." he affirmed. "Go, my daughter." he put a hand on her cheek. "Go get the fleet and come here to save Lothal."
Jaral made a nod, then materialized her lightsaber in her right hand, handing it to Ezra.
The siblings held tight to both ends of the hilt as they exchanged one last gaze and one last thought.
'I know I can always count on you.'
Then she let Ezra take the saber.
"Kanan said that the TIE Defender wasn't the only reason the Empire was here." Jaral reminded her brother. "Find out what he meant, Ezra. And stay close to Hera, please."
"You have my word." Ezra declared.
"May the Force be with you." she finished, referring to everybody, before she headed for the shuttle.
Thabo and Michalina saluted her with a deep respect in their eyes, and she returned the gesture while walking into the passenger bay.
Ezra never broke eye contact with his sister until the doors closed again and the shuttle headed for the orbit.
-----------------------------
As Rukh reported the recent events to him, Thrawn was definitely not amused. When the Noghri was done, Thrawn now addressed the other person in the room he was communicating with: Pryce.
"So, you lost Syndulla, yet you hold a parade." he commented. "Explain yourself, Governor Pryce."
Pryce was having a confident smile as she walked toward the hologram of the Grand Admiral.
"A celebration of our victory over the rebels, Grand Admiral. As for General Syndulla..." she took out what was unmistakably Kanan Jarrus' lightsaber. "I have something better."
"Ah, it's true, then." Thrawn said coldly. "But, the Jedi's death came at a cost, did it not?" he said in a severe tone, and now Pryce's confidence evaporated as terror took its place.
"Did you really believe that holding a parade would hide the fact that you lost our entire fuel supply?" the Chiss asked, his usually neutral face now contorted in one of pure frustration. "In defeating Kanan Jarrus you have accomplished what the rebels failed to, and given them a victory. The operation on Lothal, my TIE Defender project, has been compromised." he finished with a very short and soft growl.
Pryce stammered. "Grand Admiral, I..."
But Thrawn didn't let her finish and adopted a tone that was nothing else but threatening. "I will deal with you, when I return...Governor!"
Then he turned toward Rukh again. "With their leader gone the remaining rebels will flounder, the siblings especially. Use that against them, Rukh. Expect them to strike recklessly. And when they do, eliminate them." he ordered.
Rukh nodded with a malicious grin, then Thrawn closed the transmission.
Closed in his office, he had to take a huge breather in order not to explode. The Chimaera was supposed to arrive on Coruscant at the end of the next rotation as it was traveling along the Perlimian Trade Route and it was still in the Mid Rim.
According to the report given by Rukh, and the ones that were coming in by the local command on Lothal, the blast of the fuel depot was so massive that it had gravely damaged some sections of the factory and one of it was completely destroyed.
It almost seemed like a curse. Just the day before he had lamented to himself that his best commander had been reassigned to another remote angle of the galaxy, and the following one, Pryce just had to do the rebels' work.
Even though he told Rukh to expect rebel mindless attacks, thinking again he understood that he had just made an assessment based on assumptions and with his judgment clouded by his own rage.
There was still Jaral Bridger to lead the rebels. And for how bad she could feel for the death of a close friend, Thrawn had observed her in the past: he knew that the young woman would never let pain cloud her own judgment. Surely she had already realized that the factory was destroyed and soon, the replacements that the Imperial Navy was supposed to send to cover the departure of Admiral Iulius Tanis would probably be blocked.
Lothal would remain vulnerable, unless Thrawn still headed for Coruscant and convinced the Emperor to give another chance to his TIE Defender project, despite this catastrophic loss. Something easier said than done.
It wasn't just the fact that the pod had been destroyed by Pryce's incompetence, thus crippling the credibility of Thrawn to keep his own colleagues in check from self-harming, but in the last few weeks, the Rebel Fleet had executed multiple strikes along the Outer Rim, causing massive damage to imperial structures and jeopardizing many strategic assets. Even with the factory gone, Lothal still seemed relative safe compared to other worlds, so that was all the more reasons why neither the Emperor or Imperial Command would deny reinforcements to him.
It would appear that Thrawn was now alone, and now the Federation had exactly what it needed to start a full-scale invasion.
Still, Thrawn wasn't one to let overwhelming odds intimidate him. As he realized all of these things, he opened the galaxy map and sent a request for a full inventory of the Sector Fleet of Lothal. He would have to do whatever he could with whatever he had, and hope that Pryce wouldn't make things even harder in the meantime.
--------------------------------
The shuttle reached the Constantinople easily. The Imperial Fleet had clearly lowered its guard after the failed rebel strike and the news of the, supposed, victory in the capital.
The Kodiak landed into the hangar, where Mira, Darvos, Rex and Kallus were waiting for Jaral. When the young woman stepped out of the shuttle, Mira walked to meet her and instantly hugged her.
"I'm so sorry, honey." she whispered with a broken voice.
Jaral returned the hug softly. She needed every ounce of comfort she could get, but she also knew that now it was a race against time.
"Come on," she said, giving a light pat on her mother's shoulder and breaking the hug. "The time of mourning will have to wait. We need to move in before Thrawn makes his next move."
"That might come in a while." Kallus reassured her. "According to Imperial transmissions, Thrawn has left the planet yesterday, and was headed to Coruscant."
Jaral was surprised, but that was indeed good news. "And what about Iulius?" she asked, since she suddenly found strange that he hadn't intervened during Hera's rescue.
"It looks like he's been promoted and received a new assignment on the Northern Fringe of the galaxy." Darvos answered. "And he brought half of the fleet that was defending Lothal with him." he added.
That sent Jaral's mind into hyperspace. This was a sign! She had to mobilize the Federal Fleet immediately and head for Lothal before Thrawn came back.
"Then let's not waste any time. Have you contacted the Task Force?" she said as she started pacing toward the elevator.
Darvos and Kallus followed her on the sides, while Mira and Rex stood slightly further.
"Affirmative. The INS Chalcedon is also bringing in the Ghost." Kallus reported.
"Good, when they arrive, you and Rex will have to watch the Ghost in case Hera and Ezra need it for anything."
They all stepped into the elevator. A bit crammed, but they could do it. Mira was left on Deck 3, so she could return to her duties in the infirmary, while the rest of them headed for Deck 2.
As they stepped out, they were greeted by Raniza, who made the salute to Jaral.
"Grand Marshall Bridger," she said. "The Constantinople is at your disposal. I'm sorry for your loss."
"Thanks, Commander. I need to speak with Lady T'Neri."
On the Intercom, the voice of the other Asari spoke. "We are already contacting Admiral Edrix and Her Majesty, Grand Marshall. Meet us in the conference room."
"Thanks, Madam, I'm on my way. Everyone, return to your posts." she ordered.
For Darvos, his post was pretty much in the same direction where she was going, so he accompanied her to the conference room.
"I'm sorry, Jari." he said. "Kanan deserved better."
"He did." Jaral replied. "But he gave us a chance, so the least we can do now is to make sure that his sacrifice wasn't in vain."
"Of course. I'll be in the strategic room." he concluded when they reached the point where they had to separate.
The Grand Marshall of the Rebellion went into the conference room, where Raya and her diplomats were waiting on one side of the room, letting her the place in front of the door.
On the long table of the room stood the holograms of Admiral Edrix and Empress Benedetta, who were waiting for her.
"Grand Marshall. Our condolences for your loss." Benedetta said in a caring tone.
"Thanks, Your Majesty. However, right now it's imperative that we don't waste the opportunity my Master has given us."
The Empress made a nod of agreement.
"Grand Marshall," Edrix spoke. "the Constantinople is sending us orbital images. The destruction of the refinery is confirmed, and it looks like the blast has destroyed half of the factory anyway."
"So...it's time?" Jaral asked.
"It is an ideal moment to strike, especially since Captain Tanis has reported that the Imperial Fleet of Lothal has been deprived of half its strength, right now."
The Admiral turned toward his liege.
"My Empress. All fleets are on standby. We will commence the crossing of the wormhole at your command."
"Has my son arrived?" she asked.
"Yes, my lady. He's aboard the Protector with me."
"Your...son?" Jaral asked.
"My first son, Claudio. He has just reached the rank of Colonel and he asked to be part of the ground forces. You'll meet him shortly, I suppose."
"Very well. I'm bringing Task Force Magellan back to the wormhole, I have a few things that we need to discuss before heading for Lothal."
"We'll be waiting for you, Grand Marshall." Edrix reassured.
"It's settled then." Benedetta declared. "Admiral, you're authorized to proceed. Operation Sky-pierce can begin."
"Yes, My Lady." Edrix concluded with a small bow. "I'll mobilize the fleet at once." and his hologram disappeared.
"I wish you all the luck, Grand Marshall." the Empress said respectfully.
"I can never thank you enough for what you're doing, Your Majesty. And neither can my people."
"You can thank me, and your Master, by winning this war, and give us all a more peaceful universe."
"Fret not, Your Majesty. I have all the intention of doing that." Jaral replied with a firm voice.
"Farewell, then. May the Force be with you." and her hologram disappeared as well.
Before heading for the strategic room, since they had to wait for TF Magellan to arrive, Jaral wanted to satisfy a curiosity of her.
"Raya, can I ask you a question?"
"Of course." Raya replied.
"The Empress said she is sending her first son...isn't he supposed to be the heir? Why send him to fight a war?"
"Most monarchies in our galaxy, and this, for what I've learned, would do that, but not ours. The founder of the Vignoli dynasty, Anastasia I, happened to have only a male heir, which was fine at that time. Her son, Federico I, however, when he founded his Empire of Italia, also founded the religion of Neo-Hellenism and he decided that the heir to the throne would have been the worthiest child, male or female, according to the new tenets of the religion.
"The Imperial Family is founded on meritocracy, and personally I think that's the reason why they have been on their throne for almost 1200 years."
Jaral was genuinely impressed. "So, who is the heir?"
"Her third son, Francesco. And no, nobody would never allow him to risk his life in a war so far from home."
"I see, thanks for the answer." Jaral said cordially before leaving the room and head for the strategic one.
"Darvos, how long until the rest of Magellan arrives?"
"They have to make quite the trip. Even considering that they travel faster than our ships, they'll be here in around 20 hours."
She nodded in acknowledgment, then turned toward the Salarian in the room.
"Colonel, can I have an account of how many ships are waiting for us?"
"Two thousand warships, Grand Marshall." Undir replied instantly with his speedy tone.
Jaral almost passed out. "Two...Two thousand?!"
"Affirmative. Of which 130 Dreadnoughts and the INS Protector, which is a sister ship to the INS Sentinel, the Empress' flagship."
Undir pushed a button and on the holotable appeared the hologram of a ship that, according to the statistics, was 16 km long, had any type of weapon: kinetic, energy and a new model of turbolaser that the Federation has been developing with the help of engineers and scientists that ran from the Empire and got asylum in the Milky Way.
"This ship alone would blast Thrawn's fleet out of the skies of Lothal." she commented.
"Yes, but it is vulnerable to smaller vessels boarding it. The Protector is intended to be more of a mobile defense platform than an offensive one. Admiral Edrix will teach you everything about it."
"Alright, then." said the young woman with newfound spirit and determination. "Let's wait for the rest of the Task Force. Lieutenant Rut, let's head for the rendezvous point."
"Affirmative, Marshall." the Salarian helmsman replied.
----------------------------
Down on Lothal, while the other rebels had managed to find the strength to carry on, thanks to their Grand Marshall's example, only one was still inconsolable, and for understandable reasons.
Even when Jaral was explaining her plan to turn the tables, Hera had gone into her lodgings, removed her orange jumpsuit that she had to wear has a prisoner to the Empire and put on a copy of her pilot outfit, as the other one she had left it on Yavin. Then she had entered Kanan's lodging, where there were still his mask and the knife he had used to cut his hair and beard before his last mission.
That room was actually the one the group had appeared in when the Loth-wolves transported them into the valley. On the wall there were ancient pictures, seemingly representing the spiral-shaped rocks of Lothal with various circles and curved lines inside of them.
Outside of it, Jordan was instructing Thabo and Michalina to put all the explosives and the heavy weapons they had brought with the shuttle in a cave that he had turned into an armory. As he finished giving said instructions, he overheard Sabine and Zeb talking.
"She has refused any call I made." the mandalorian said.
"Is it that bad?"
"It's Kanan we're talking about. Maybe you should talk to her. You know...after Lasan, you're probably the one who can relate the most with her."
Zeb groaned. "I would remind her who we lost. Why don't you go? I mean..."
"I'll go talk with Hera." Jordan stepped in with a clear voice and a serious face.
The two Specters looked at him with a bit of admiration.
"Shouldn't you keep an eye on Ezra?" Zeb suggested cautiously.
"Ezra has asked some space to meditate, and if I know my son, I'm sure he needs that to elaborate the grief." Jordan answered.
"Then, thanks, Jordan." Sabine said with a grateful smile, though her eyes were still contrived.
"That's what friends are for, are they not?" Jordan commented as he walked toward the cave where Hera had just entered and where Chopper was already waiting.
When he entered the enclosed space and his eyes quickly adapted to the difference of light, he saw Hera staring at the paintings, her right hand holding the Kalikori and the left hesitating to touch the wall.
"Hera..." he said, offering his ear.
"Why did I wait, Jordan?" she asked with a whisper.
The man made some small steps inside, heading toward the Twi'lek, who brushed her hand on the paintings while walking toward the center of the wall. "Why did I wait so long to tell him?"
Jordan realized that Hera must have finally disclosed her sentiments for Kanan...right before he died. He wouldn't pretend to know that he could understand. Before Mira, he never loved any other person that way, and certainly didn't see such a person die in front of him right after he realized his sentiments.
Still, he intended to support Hera, like she had done countless times for his children and, sometimes, for him as well.
"I just..." Hera said, before turning her back against the wall and sobbing quietly as she slipped down to sit on the floor.
"I thought there would be more time." she said.
Jordan went to kneel on her right side, since the left was occupied by Chopper, and placed one of his armored hands on her shoulder.
Chopper grunted, and Hera removed her hand from her face. "You don't understand!" she exclaimed. "If I had listened to Kanan, he would be alive. He said starting a war was a mistake, and he was right." she said among the hiccups. "He was right, and now he's gone." she hugged the Kalikori with both hands.
"And it's my fault." she then declared, and Jordan decided that he had to intervene.
"That is not true!" he stated firmly.
Hera stopped her rant and looked at him with tears swelling in her eyes.
"You know that's not the case, Jordan."
"Hera, for how much we wish it to be true, we can't control everything. We didn't start a war because we wanted to, but because we were forced to. Kanan understood that as well, and he decided to fight in order to build a future for the woman and the people he loved."
Hera listened with an attentive expression, those words were helping her recollect the pieces of her heart.
"Kanan understood what fate was putting him in front of, and he chose this. He chose to give his life so that we may finally have a chance to win this battle, and allow us to start the road that will lead us to the world he envisioned. One where we will be free."
Hera squeezed her eyes. The pain was still there, and it would remain for the rest of her life, but Jordan's calm assessment did help her to finally start elaborate the grief.
Chopper grunted again.
"The Kalikori." Hera mumbled, looking at the idol in her hands. "Kanan found it. In the middle of everything else going on, he knew how much this meant to me. He rescued me...and my family history."
With the utmost tact, Jordan talked again. "Then, perhaps, he deserves a place into it?"
Hera looked at him like a small revelations had dawned on her. Chopper, too, suggested that.
"You're right, guys." she said. "Nobody deserves that honor...more than Kanan."
Deciding that his task was complete, for now, Jordan stood up again. "I'll leave you some time alone. But if you need anything, everyone is out there." he reminded her.
Hera sniffed softly. "Thank you, Jordan. I mean it." she said mustering the most grateful tone she could.
Jordan made a small nod. "Don't mention it." he said, then he materialized his helmet on his head and walked out of the room while Hera hugged Chopper and the Kalikori.
-----------------------
Ezra was still trying to process what the heck just happened. He had gone meditating at the entrance of the valley, and it was still midday, but all he remembered was having a conversation with a massive Loth-wolf that called himself 'Dume', like Kanan's real name.
Ezra was still wondering if that wolf had something to relate with Kanan, but that wasn't the main concern at the moment.
What was important, was that now it was night and besides him there was a carved stone that apparently came from the Jedi Temple. Ezra recognized the style of the golden engravings, but he had never seen those details: the center of the design was taken by three rings, each containing a hand in a certain position. They were surrounded by bigger rings and dots interconnected by straight lines.
Realizing that he needed Sabine's help with that, he took the stone and headed back toward the base.
When he reached it, his family walked toward him.
"Finally." Jordan said. "We were starting to get worried."
"I'm sorry. But at least I know what our next mission is." Ezra answered calmly and everybody listened carefully to him. "The Jedi Temple is in danger." he moved the stone from under his arm into both his hands, to show it. "And we're the only ones who can do something about it."