After recording the King's last words, Jaral decided that it was better to entrust them to the Mon Cala government, so when the squad went back to the planet, she handed the recording to Regent Urtya.
Eventually, the Regent decided to play the registration on an open channel that reached the entire planet, both surface and underwater cities, and those words fired up the spirit of the Mon Calas even more than before. Swearing to avenge their King, the population went back to work around the clock to supply the Rebellion. The Quarren resumed their mining activities on the bottom of the ocean so that the Calamari could use them to reactivate the shipyards and build their renowned ships.
Meanwhile, the joint Rebel-Federal fleet had secured the buffer zone around Mon Cala, and the intelligence reported that the Empire wasn't even mustering forces for a counter-attack. It was as Jaral hoped: the 'Tarkin Doctrine' forced the Empire to spread its forces thin all around the galaxy to enforce its rule on the thousands of planets of the Outer Rim especially.
The recent victories at Mon Cala and Lothal, however, had emboldened the many cells that were part of the Rebel Alliance, who were now escalating their actions against the Empire all around the Rim, effectively paralyzing the Empire from putting together a new fleet that could stop the coalition.
But even after they had mustered a fleet, there was no guarantee the Empire could win. The recent disaster over the orbit of Lothal was a testament to that. For all of its existence, the Empire had been used to fight small insurrections or nations, factions against which it could deploy an endless stream of firepower and numbers. The State wasn't ready to fight such an organized and powerful enemy such as this coalition.
The inherent infighting that the Emperor encouraged between his Moffs, maybe as a way to make sure they wouldn't have the time to conspire against him, also didn't help. According to the intercepted communications, the Governors of the nearby systems were debating over who should start the counter-attack on Mon Cala. What was sure was that none of them was willing to be the first to strike and lose his own resources.
That was what Jaral explained in her conversation with Mon Mothma aboard the Constantinople.
"That is all, Madam Senator. I'm confident in saying that this region can be considered quite safe. As of now, I'll be coming back to Yavin IV to coordinate our cells around the Outer Rim: we must press the Empire more than ever."
"That's a wonderful news, Grand Marshall. Our forces here are really impatient to have you back to lead them." Mothma said with a smile.
Jaral laughed under her breath. "I'll have to sort a few things on Lothal, before. I'll also bring some of the special forces of our Army to instruct our men back on Yavin. If you can, intensify the other cells' activity a bit, it should be easier to mask our movements if the Empire will look the other way."
"I'll inform General Draven of your request. See you soon, Jaral Bridger." Mothma concluded before her hologram disappeared.
Jaral left the comm room of the frigate and reentered the strategic room, where Ezra was waiting for her.
"So we're going back to Yavin?" he asked eagerly.
"You know, if you prefer to stay closer to Lothal, I could use you leading our forces with the rest of the fleet." his sister offered.
Ezra shook his head. "No way. Whatever happens, we face it together, remember?" he said with a candid smile and patting his sister's arm.
The young woman smirked and leaned against the holotable.
"Honestly, I would have preferred if Hera stayed around here. You know, with her pregnancy and all." she commented.
"We already knew it would've been impossible to keep her away from us." Ezra said.
"I know, but she is almost at the end of the first trimester. At the very least, I have to convince her to take a break from flying into combat missions."
"I guess she would accept such compromise."
Right now, Hera was following the Constantinople aboard the Ghost with Zeb, Kallus, Rex and Chopper, while Raze, Sabine and Moreena were flying on the Silver Bullet. The latter had been officially integrated as part of the Specters, given her friendship with the siblings, though she didn't take up a codename, since she already belonged to the 'Fulcrum' agents.
Jaral waited a few seconds before detaching form the holotable and turning toward her brother.
"Ezra, there's something I'd like to ask you." she said with a serious tone.
"Anything." Ezra replied.
"What do you think if I made you a General as well?"
Somehow, Ezra knew she was going to ask that, he could feel it, but the question still made him uncomfortable.
"I'm not sure I'm ready for it, Jari." he replied.
"Nonsense. The operation on Pammant was 90% your idea, and I saw you leading our units both during the battles for Lothal and here on Mon Cala. You have everything that a good General needs, Ezra, and the soldiers really like you." Jaral said sternly.
At the same time, she was also trying to encourage him through the bond, much like he did when she was offered the position of Grand Marshall and wasn't sure if she wanted to accept or not.
Ezra was trying to resist internally, but eventually, his sister's resolve was way stronger on this issue, so he sighed.
"If you're so adamant, then I will take it." he declared.
Jaral relaxed her shoulders and made a triumphant smirk. Then she assumed an exaggerated posture like she was doing some grand ceremony.
"Then, by the authority invested me by the Alliance to Restore the Republic..." she said with a ceremonious voice that had Ezra roll his eyes playfully. "...Ezra Bridger, I name you General of the Rebellion." and she concluded with a salute which was accompanied by a genuinely proud smile.
Ezra indulged his sister's charade and made an equally sincere salute, before she stepped forward and hugged him tightly.
"What's this for?" he asked through the bond.
"Do I need a reason to hug my lovable little brother?" she thought back.
Ezra chuckled and returned the hug.
They separated, then Jaral quickly gained access to the Alliance's database with the computer of the holotable and updated it so that Ezra finally figured as a General.
"There, it's official now."
"All right, then how about you tell me what we need to do on Lothal, before going back to Yavin?" he replied with a smirk.
Jaral shrugged. "Well, aside from the fact that Darvos has promised to take me out for dinner..." she turned toward the terminal again while Ezra gave a knowing smirk and sent jokes down the bond. "I want to see the status of the local militia, and be sure that there's nobody causing problems for the upcoming elections."
Ezra now turned serious. "Right, the elections, what do we...?" he was about to ask, but then the sound of two people jogging toward the strategic room from the hallway distracted him.
They were Darvos and Jordan, who were analyzing the galaxy map to update the representation of the territories occupied by the coalition when Darvos' datapad received the notification of Ezra's promotion.
The two men, with a wide smirk on their faces stood at attention and made the salute.
"General Bridger..." Jordan said with a half-joking, half-serious tone.
"Right, now I get to give orders to you guys, too." Ezra quipped before returning to Jaral. "As I was saying, what do we know about them?"
"That Ryder doesn't want to hold the position of Governor and, thus, three candidates have emerged, basically around the question of Lothal's alignment for the future." Jaral answered before starting to project the holograms of the upper bodies of the candidates as she started to explain, with Jordan and Darvos also gathering around to listen.
The first hologram was that of a Human male around 50 years old. "Masein Volkar. He supports the idea of an independent Lothal that should cooperate with the coalition, but then stay neutral when the Empire will be destroyed."
Darvos hummed. "Well, if the wormhole will remain open, Lothal would become the gateway between our galaxy and the Federation. It could profit a lot from trade."
"Indeed, and many people apparently thinks the same. According to the observers, he is the favorite." Jaral said, then the hologram made way to that of a Rodian female.
"Shweera. She thinks that Lothal should stay a Protectorate under the Imperial Federation."
Jordan was a bit surprised. "Really? They just came out from a brutal oppression but she would like Lothal to go under another nation's authority?"
"You can thank the great impression that the Guardians did, and the extensive economic aid the Federation has already provided. Not to mention that the Federation has proven to be multi-species and striving for a total equality of all its citizens. Shweera has, in fact, the support of most of the non-Human citizens of Lothal, which isn't a small percentage." his daughter explained.
The hologram disappeared and made way to that of another Human male.
"Garnet Uiblot. He believes that Lothal should join the Rebellion and the reconstituted Republic that would come with a victory of the Alliance. However, he has the least support out of all of them."
"I guess the people didn't forget that the last Republic turned into the Empire almost overnight." Darvos commented.
"That's what I thought, as well." Jaral said as she turned off the holotable. "Anyway, our main concern should be making sure that none of them is trying to alter the result of the elections in any way. We rest for a couple of days, then we go back to Yavin." she concluded.
"And we say goodbye to Mom and Dad..." Ezra thought.
Jaral sighed. Mira had her work on Lothal, and Jordan had to bring the Constantinople back with the Federal Fleet. Granted, it was very likely that the ship would be used to make errands from the liberated territories to Yavin, from time to time, but Jordan and his crew now had to go back with the Federation, because that was the agreement between the two allied factions.
Still, Sabine had had to leave her family as well, and she was coping with it. The siblings would have to accept this fate as well, and besides, it meant that their parents would be relatively safe in their positions.
Chasing away every negative feeling, the siblings took Darvos and Jordan and left the strategic room, heading toward the CIC of the frigate.
---------------------------------
June 25.
"Tanis to Onyx Squadron, spread out and stand ready to provide air support." Iulius said in the comlink on his wrist.
"Acknowledged, Admiral." the leader of the fighter squadron replied.
From the open cargo bay of the gunship, Iulius could clearly see and hear the TIEs, both fighters and bombers, that dispersed right over the strait that separated the continent where Titan Base stood from the one where they had detected the source of some native's radio transmissions.
He had decided to participate at the operation first-hand, despite Qathora and Bolo's opposition. He had left the former to guard the base and the latter to move the Admonitor right over the destination, to provide a base for the fighter-crafts and, only if absolutely necessary, unleash an orbital bombardment against possible Hybrid formations.
Right now, he was leading three Rothana-class gunships and a company of stormtroopers, among them his Death troopers and Cody, toward the destination to investigate.
Both the TIEs and the stormtroopers were part of the Admonitor and the Navy at large, since Colonel Hopler had refused to give his own troops with an excuse. But that wasn't much of an issue, because Iulius didn't trust the status of the Army troopers, at the moment. He would've used his own forces anyway.
To protect himself, Iulius had provided himself with a customized Scout-trooper armor. Not much different from the standard one, except he had it painted in a dark-silver to distinguish himself. On his back an E-22 rifle was hanging and he also had a couple of thermal detonators in his belt pockets.
Once the ships passed the sea strait, the Imperials could see burned villages, some Hybrids roaming on the ground below and going to hide into the nearby forests. They quickly flew over the more flat part of the terrain and entered into a mountain range.
Following the source of the radio signal, the gunship passed right above the ruins of what seemed like a very ancient fortress, the stone walls and some of the inner buildings, though consumed by time, were still standing.
Iulius walked into the cockpit and took a look from the viewport. He spotted a promontory which was free from trees and flat enough to allow the first team to disembark, thus he ordered the pilot to drop them there.
"Weapons charged, men, but only blast anything that has more than two eyes, is that clear?" he said as he went back into the cargo hold.
"Sir, yes, sir!" the troopers replied.
"Squad 2, Squad 3, as soon as we dropped, land one unit at a time. Let's keep two gunships always in the air for cover."
"Squad 2, copy that."
"Squad 3, acknowledged."
The gunship lowered itself and hovered just a few centimeters from the ground. Iulius was the first to take his weapon and jump down on the soil, while the troopers left from the two sides of the gunships. The Death Troopers and Cody followed him straight away, instead.
As soon as the troopers landed and fanned out to create two lines of defense, the second gunship landed and the third repeated until all of the 36 imperials (including Iulius) had posed their feet on solid ground.
Iulius checked out his wrist-pad, where the position of the fortress had been signaled.
"Form a column and follow the road." He ordered. "Eyes open and watch out for enemies."
With their usual discipline, the stormtroopers complied, while Cody and the Death Troopers shielded Iulius with their bodies. They all followed a dirt track that from the promontory led toward the valley next to them, from which they could then climb toward the fortress.
The gunships were flying right above them, scanning the area and standing ready to provide cover fire if needed. Iulius could hear the faint scrambling of voices coming from his men's helmets while some animal chirped from the trees.
The Imperials kept going for around seven minutes. Some troopers were walking through the woods, making sure that there was no Hybrid observing them, though Iulius knew they couldn't have possibly hidden their approach. Right now, they had to make contact with the natives, and fast.
As they entered the valley, Iulius raised a fist, signaling to stop, and the column halted.
"Noticed something, sir?" Cody asked.
Iulius didn't answer, instead he hanged his rifle on his back again, made a few steps forward with a cautious step and then removed his helmet, keeping it in his right hand.
He waved his arms and spoke in the language that he heard on the native transmissions.
"Friends. You safe." he said, surely with a wrong grammar, but hoping to sound convincing.
There were a few moments of silence, then a bush rustled. One of the Death Troopers pointed his blaster, but Iulius immediately motioned for him to stand down.
From what seemed a hidden outpost between the trees came out a group of three Human males, two of them wielding rifles that didn't look like blaster technology, only some kind of slug-throwers, made of metal and wood. Only one of them was wielding a weapon stolen to the Hybrids.
The men looked amazed while looking at the Imperials' armors and weapons, and then one of them pronounced a word in amazement.
"Navam'da..."
"What did he say?" Cody asked, confused.
"It's how they call us." Iulius explained. "I think it's something like 'the Humans from the sky'."
Iulius then turned back toward the three natives.
"We here. To help. Where you people?" he said in a calm tone.
The one at the head of the trio turned around and said something to the other man wielding a slug-thrower, who then jogged into the outpost and went to grab some kind of radio.
Meanwhile, the leader of the native squad put a hand on his chest.
"I'm Wilmun Burk." he said, then indicated the main with dark skin on his right. "This is Honasy."
Iulius made a respectful nod with the head, then he put a hand on his chest as well.
"Iulius Tanis. Admiral of Imperial Navy." he said, knowing that they couldn't understand what he was saying, but hoping that he could at least establish himself as the leader of the company.
The two men nodded in return, and it was at that time that he noticed something in the eyes of the two men. Despite having their own colors, the irises sometimes seemed to glow a golden light.
But before the Admiral could elaborate, the third man came back and said something to Burk, who then turned toward Iulius and motioned for him to follow before the natives took the same dirt track, most likely heading to the old castle.
"Cody, call the Admonitor and ask if they detect any alien presence." Iulius ordered as he started to follow the natives, followed by the rest of the column.
The old clone did just that, then reported to Iulius.
"They detect various packs of Hybrids moving toward a river on the north. They have their drilling equipment, too."
Iulius hummed.
"They can't dig their tunnels beneath it, so they will need to cross it. Tell Commander Bolo to send the remaining TIE squadrons on the Admonitor to engage the enemy, slow them down while we figure out what to do in the fortress."
"Yes, Admiral." he replied before relaying the order.
While the group of Humans started to climb up the hill that hosted the old ruins at the top, in the distance they could hear the faint sound of the TIEs heading north.
-------------------------------------
Being back on Lothal had almost been a surreal experience for the siblings and the Ghost crew.
In just a couple months, the planet had seen such a development, it almost seemed that all those years under imperial oppression had just been a horrible dream.
Capitol City had been rebuilt from scratch, with large and comfortable houses, actual services, new commercial activities and even some parks, with a special attention to preserve and restore the ecosystem that the Guardians had restored.
Moreena's family had been given back their old farm, which just happened to be no more than 3 km away from the Bridgers' tower, a paltry distance.
The group used this short stop on Lothal to enjoy a break of a few days. Hera went to make a check-up on her pregnancy with Mira, who assured that the baby was fine and also asked her to stop taking part in active combat missions starting from the second semester, limiting her activity to strategic decisions from behind a holotable.
But most importantly, after making the necessary tests, it turned out that it was going to be a male!
Hera was much happier to know that. She wouldn't have mind a girl, sure, but a male was going to literally be a smaller version of Kanan, in a way.
The new atmosphere on Lothal was also perfect for Darvos and Jaral's dinner, since they could wear, for the first time in probably forever, actual dresses. The owner of the restaurant was also adamant that the two of them wouldn't pay a cent, in recognition of their contribution for liberating Lothal, so the two could use the evening to forget about the war and spend some time alone in their new home at the base of the tower, with the rest of the family enjoying their new nests as well.
Other centers were also growing. The wave of immigrants was not being redirected only to the capital, but also other smaller cities like Jhalat. Camp Garibaldi had become a transit hub toward the Milky Way, since some immigrants wished to move in the new galaxy, where the Federation had a lot of room for them on recently created colonies.
The Federal Crown had also officially become an accepted currency on Lothal, thanks to the constant work of the federal economists, who did their best to create a fair exchange rate for Lothal, as requested by the Empress herself.
As for the upcoming elections, Capitol City was certainly the main political center, since the other settlements were small and most of the people there didn't care much for politics, though the three main parties had opened branch offices all over the planet. Of course, all of them had tried to approach the siblings for political support, but Ezra and Jaral turned down the requests, as they believed that, as soldiers and as Jedi, they shouldn't meddle in the democratic politics, unless one of the parties intended to establish an authoritarian regime again.
Jordan had already gone back to Mon Cala with the Constantinople to reunite with the Federal Fleet, after saying goodbye to his wife and kids, promising they would see each other soon.
It was about time for the siblings and the Ghost crew to also go back to Yavin, but then Jaral received an urgent message from Nimbus, who asked to meet her and Ezra at the new park of the Capitol.
Said park had been built where the refinery of the imperial factory once stood. After it had been cleaned from the debris, grass had been transplanted, some trees had been put in and there was also a small monument dedicated to those who had died to free Lothal.
Kanan's name was at the center of the memorial, but it also included the names of the hundreds of people who, in over a decade of imperial occupation, had fought back one way or the other and paid with their lives.
The siblings took a minute to honor the memory of their teacher before heading to the center of the park, where Nimbus was waiting for them near a small pond.
The Mirialan perceived them and spoke up without turning, in the beginning.
"Don't know about you, but I had forgotten what peace looked like." she commented.
"I don't think I ever saw peace in the first place." Ezra answered. "I was born in the exact same day as the Empire."
"Right, must have been crappy." the Mirialan said sarcastically, then she turned around. "I think I found out what happened to Ahsoka." she added bluntly.
The siblings had secretly hoped that the meeting would've been about this, so they managed to hold back the enthusiasm.
"Where is she?" asked Jaral.
"My network followed the trail we had about her and they discovered a portal for the World Between Worlds, on the third planet of the Sinodius system."
"A portal?" Ezra asked with curiosity.
"Yes. Remember what we said? That Ahsoka might have found a portal to escape Malachor? Well, I guess she did, and that also had me thinking that, perhaps, right now she doesn't want to be followed." Nimbus explained.
"What do you mean?" Jaral asked.
"She's trying to make sure that the Emperor doesn't find another access to the World..." Ezra understood.
Nimbus nodded. "Yes. The portal I told you was destroyed, albeit in a rushed way. I think it's safe to assume that Ahsoka is trying to make sure that the Emperor doesn't get his hands on another access to the World."
That news preoccupied the siblings. If that was true, it meant that Ahsoka wouldn't have been easy to track her down and reach her before she disappeared again. After all, she had been on the run for almost 20 years of her life.
"But...wait..." Jaral said. "The Emperor had tried to have Ezra open the portal of Lothal. Doesn't that mean that he would be unable to open any other portal and that Ahsoka is just taking a useless risk?"
"That thought brushed my mind, but then I remembered something." Nimbus said. "The Portal here on Lothal was protected by the Jedi temple. It was intrinsically tied with the Light of the Force. However, for example, the Portal on Malachor..." she stopped, trying to make them reason.
"Was linked to the Dark Side." Ezra concluded, then sighed. "I hope she made sure to destroy it when she left."
"Don't worry about it, she did." the Mirialan reassured him. "I made visit to Malachor myself a few weeks ago and found what little was left. I don't know what she did, but it worked."
"So, now, Ahsoka is running around the galaxy trying to seal all the Portals that the Emperor might be able to open with the Dark Side?" Jaral asked.
Nimbus made a slow nod. "That's the most plausible option. I'll try to make contact with her, but this might take some time."
The siblings looked at each other and exchanged thoughts. They immediately understood that they couldn't do anything, right now. They had to go back to Yavin and lead the Rebellion. Taking part in the search for Ahsoka was something they simply had not the time for.
"All right," Jaral concluded. "we will trust you on this."
Nimbus made a half-grin. "That's what you pay me for, isn't it?" she quipped.
The siblings chuckled.
"If you find her, you can contact us on Yavin." Ezra concluded.
"I'll make sure to inform you right away, if that occurs." Nimbus reassured them.
The siblings shook hands with the Mirialan broker before the latter walked away from the park. They headed out as well, took their speeder bikes and traveled back to the tower, where the crew of the Ghost, including Rex, Kallus and Darvos, was loading up the last provisions for the trip, while Sabine and Moreena were doing the same on the Silver Bullet.
When the group saw the siblings come back, they stopped what they were doing for a moment and listened to the brief explanation of what they discussed with Nimbus.
Rex in particular was much interested.
"At least we know she's alive." he commented a bit dejected in the end.
"Nimbus will find her, Rex, you'll see." Ezra reassured him.
"Oh, I trust that woman enough to be sure she will. Still, I wish Ahsoka would have tried to contact us. We could've helped her in this new quest."
"She is just doing her part, Rex." Hera said. "And she knows that we have to do ours. After all, until the Emperor is alive, he can't be allowed to find and use those portals. Ahsoka simply jumped into the action to save us from doing the same."
"Yeah..." sighed the clone. "that sounds like her."
Wolffe put a hand on his brother's shoulder from behind and spoke up with a cheering tone.
"Come on, Rex. Commander Tano can take care of herself. I'm sure we'll see her again soon enough."
Rex took those words at heart and turned around. "You make sure to whip those sonnies at the boot camp into shape, while we're gone." he said, referring to the recruits of the Lothal Defense Force that had been instituted officially just two weeks before.
Unfortunately, the Rebel Army and the Federation had to focus all of their resources on the frontline against the Empire, so they couldn't afford to leave many advisors to train an entire army. Wolffe, however, had decided to stay on the planet, both to help the LDF to become a respectable force and to keep guard to the houses of the tower.
Wolffe grinned. "Oh, I'll turn them into wolves before you know it."
"Just don't kill them, old guy." Sabine quipped.
"Okay, boys," Jaral concluded in a friendly tone. "for how much I hate to spoil the moment, we got a war to win and even with Mon Cala freed, we will still need two rotations to reach Yavin, so pack it up and let's go."
Everyone didn't hesitate in complying with the Grand Marshall's order. While the grown-ups all went aboard the Ghost, the teens, Jaral and Darvos all went aboard the Silver Bullet, with Raze acting as the on-board pilot. They decided to use two cabins and separate based on gender, to avoid leaving Moreena alone.
And so, the two freighters found themselves soon enough in the orbit. From the cockpit, Ezra gave one last gaze of farewell to his home-planet, but at peace with his mind, because he knew that it was finally safe from the Empire, and that they would surely find it again when they returned.
---------------------------------
It turned out that the fortress had a large underground structure which had been expanded by the small community of survivors. While Iulius ordered Cody to take most of the company and establish a perimeter to secure the fortress in case the Hybrids attacked from somewhere else, he and his Death Troopers followed the natives underground.
They reached a cellar first, which had been turned into a first line of defense, since there were many men armed and standing guard, not to mention that they changed the old wooden door with one of some kind of metal.
All of them stood up when the Imperials walked in. Some looked in admiration, some with curiosity, but a couple of them was keeping their distance and tightening the grip on their rifles.
Good thing Iulius had ordered his escort to put away their own weapons, in order not to provoke the natives.
Still, the majority of those guys seemed fairly happy to see their guests, and allowed them to pass without a problem.
While the two men that were with Burk remained at the entrance, the middle-aged man led Iulius and his escort to an even lower level, which was actually at the end of a set of stairs made of reinforced concrete.
By the end of it, even the walls started to become of concrete, though there were some cracks on them that let the soil enter.
It quickly became clear to Iulius that he was entering a military base, most likely abandoned or that simply was left in disarray when every semblance of government on the planet fell for the local Humans. Only now, in fact, did the Imperial Admiral noticed that Burk and his men had matching jackets, much similar to some kind of uniform.
It didn't take long before he spotted other people. Among them women and children, roaming in the hallways and rooms that Burk led him through. Iulius couldn't help but feel a bit of pity for those people, seeing how worn-out their bodies and clothes were. Yet, when they saw him and his troopers, he could see some of them spark with hope.
Burk led the Admiral into a big room. In the past it was probably the command center, now it likely hosted the local assembly.
Among those persons, Iulius saw only a single man which could possibly be over 60 years, wearing square glasses, with white hair and beard. Somehow, Iulius believed that guy was some sort of scientist.
It was exactly that man who approached him cautiously and observed the imperial armors with great interest.
"Hello." he then said with a cordial face. "My name is Mouris Kimovir."
Not without difficulty, Iulius managed to present himself and talk to the man for the next ten minutes.
Not only the old man turned out to actually be a scientist, but he also gave a name to the alien creatures: the Yavzakh.
Iulius also learned that the native Humans called that planet 'Carunoia' and he was informed that all the of the 'Carunoans' had received a special vaccine that made them immune to the virus of the Yavzakh while also giving them some of the benefits: increased strength, speed and limited cellular regeneration. All perks that immediately gained Iulius' attention.
Yet, the voice of Bolo suddenly bursted into his comlink, reminding him that it wasn't safe out there.
"Admiral, please respond!" the Commander almost pleaded.
Iulius put back his helmet and answered.
"I'm here, Commander, what's happening?"
After breathing a sigh of relief, Bolo replied. "The aliens have just launched a squadron of fighter-like vehicles that are heading toward our squadron, should I recall the bombers?"
Iulius didn't waste a second thinking about it. "Affirmative, Commander, and scramble all fighters. Call other squadrons from the fleet, if you have to."
"Yes, sir. I suggest you get out of there, though, we won't be able to hold off the Hybrids with their fighters in the air."
"Understood. We have found multiple civilians inside the fortress, send down two Gozanti transports for extraction."
"Affirmative, Admiral. I'm preparing the batteries of the Admonitor in case you need fire support."
"Excellent work, I'll contact you later." Iulius concluded, then he changed the frequency of the comlink. "Cody, the enemy is heading toward our way, again, put the men on high alert and keep an eye out, I'm organizing our extraction."
"Copy that, Admiral." Cody replied dutifully.
Iulius then turned toward Kimovir. "Doctor. Many Yavzakh this way. You must leave with us!"
The old man looked worried. He turned around and informed his people about the danger, but also that the Navam'da would protect them.
Burk tightened the grip on his rifle and exclaimed something in another language, but Iulius didn't need to understand the words to see that he was ready to fight.
"Doctor. The vaccine. Take it." he tried to say, though Kimovir was already moving on his own, so the Admiral turned toward Burk.
"Mister Burk. Get the fighters out. The civilians wait here." he managed to say in a commanding tone.
The man nodded firmly and started shouting orders. The women started to move to secure food and other fundamental goods, while all the men and boys who were healthy enough to hold a weapon scrambled toward the armory or grabbed some of the weapons they already had with them. Even some of the stronger women rushed to join the fight.
In the midst of all of this, Iulius turned toward his Death Troopers and signaled them to follow him as he too, rushed back toward the exit and back into the courtyard.
The stormtroopers were already manning their positions on the walls. Each squad had a DLT-19 heavy repeater whose gunners placed the weapons at a regular interval and in a way that would allow them to cover the entire plain in front of them.
In fact, a big advantage for the imperials was that the castle had only one way to access, which meant that the Yavzakhs would have to charge through there, while the Gozanti could easily lower their ramp on any side of the ruins and load the civilians from there, without the need to land.
Iulius spotted Cody on the walls and jogged to reach him, just in time to see the TIE Bombers squadron head back toward the Admonitor, while in the distance, the TIE Fighters started the battle with the air vehicles of the Yavzakhs. The green bolts of the TIEs were more evident, though it wasn't impossible to see some orange plasma coming out from the aliens' fighters.
Cody passed the binocular to Iulius once the Admiral stepped next to him.
"Take a look at the trees." he suggested.
Iulius did it, and noticed that, far to the north, the forest was shaking. The Yavzakhs were most likely advancing on the surface, perhaps in a rush to kill the Humans before they could leave.
Iulius lowered the binoculars. The armed Carunoans were starting to pour outside and take position next to the stormtroopers, who didn't seem to mind them.
The Admiral calmly started to analyze the situation and come up with the best tactic to defeat the incoming enemies.