It's been several days since I last spoke to Sabine. I've tried repeatedly to reconcile our relationship, but so far nothing has worked. I ran through every scenario of what I thought I did wrong. I tried remembering what I said during the briefing and debriefing for Skystrike. I even asked my crewmates why Sabine was the way she was, and they seemed more lost than I did. The only somewhat useful advice I've gotten was from Ezra, and that was to let her recover enough and have her come to me. Sadly, I don't think time is on my side anymore. We're still technically 'dating,' but it certainly doesn't feel that way. Piling this on top of my already demanding responsibilities of the Rebellion is asking for stress to take over me. Sadly, I have to focus on now and continue to succeed in our missions.
Speaking of missions, the Ghost dropped out of hyperspace and touched down on the planet Agamar. We were looking for a valuable commodity: proton bombs. The ramp opened and we embarked on our mission, with our team consisting of me, Ezra, Kanan, Rex, Zeb, and Chopper. "You sure you don't need help?" Hera asked again. "I'm sure things will go horribly wrong," Kanan said sarcastically. "We'll be fine. We got a Clone Wars veteran with us," Ezra assured. "Ready, Captain?" Kanan asked the clone. "Yes, sir, uh, General. Kanan," Rex muttered. Hera flew the Ghost away from our destination as we began our search. "There was a battle here during the Clone War. This old transport's the perfect place to find weapons, ammo, and hopefully some proton bombs," the war veteran explained. We took our time getting to the outpost because of the lack of Imperial presence on the planet. As we got closer, I saw something in my path and knelt down. Is that a head? I picked the object up and analyzed it, but I didn't recognize what it was.
"Hey, what is this?" I inquired. "Woah! Is that a Separatist battle droid?" Ezra wondered. "Oh, yeah. A little piece of one anyway. This place used to be crawling with them. We called them clankers," Rex said. "Clankers? Hahaha, I like that," Zeb laughed. "How many of those things do you think you blasted?" "Thousands, probably tens of thousands. Never kept count like some of the boys," Rex replied. "They don't look very dangerous," Ezra said. Rex stopped in his path and turned to face the Jedi. "Listen, those droids wiped out a lot of Republic troopers. Many of them were my friends," he condescended before trailing off. "He's been through a lot. Battles leave scars. Some you can't see," Kanan stepped in, sharing a thought-provoking statement about the impact the war left on its warriors. Although I was never directly involved in any type of war before coming to this galaxy, I would see countless struggles on the news in other parts of my homeworld. I learned how life would drastically change for those unfortunate enough to be caught in the crossfire. Almost always were there no true winners.
Picking up the pace, we entered the base. "Hold up, let me recon first," Rex said before running off to scan the base for potential traps and the munitions we needed. "Well look at that. Jackpot. The depot is fully loaded. More proton bombs in there than we can carry," he reported. "Good job, Rex," Kanan complimented. I ran toward the entrance to the depot, eager to get what we came for. "Careful, kid. The droids used to protect their armories with ray shields," Rex warned. "What's a ray shie-" I was interrupted by a bright white light flashing in front of me. I turned around to find the entire team was trapped inside this circular beam. "This is a ray shield," the clone finished my thoughts. Then, a repetitive clanking sound filled the room. As the figures came into view, I saw the weird shapes of their heads. They look weirdly familiar. Then it hit me. The head on the ground from earlier. "Are those battle droids?" I thought they were all shut down!" Ezra said, stunned. "Well, these ones weren't," Zeb stated the obvious. "You have been captured by the Separatist Alliance," a droid with yellow markings on its head declared. "Separatists?" Rex wondered aloud. "Prepare to blast the Republic invaders," the droid ordered. "Republic invaders?" Kanan said. "Delay that order. Uh-huh, uh-huh. Roger, Roger," the droid said, communicating with someone. "Wait, who's Roger?" Ezra asked. I facepalmed at his dumbfoundedness. There's no way he hasn't said that before. Roger that? Really? "We have new orders. Incapacitate and capture. Activating stunner," the droid said while pressing a few buttons on a control panel. "Wait, no!" I cried out, but it was in vain. A pulse of electricity stunned us all, sending everyone into unconsciousness. Where would we wake up next?
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.
The army of battle droids began their laser assault. Kanan and Ezra were doing an excellent job preventing most of the blaster fire from getting past them, but there were a few strays I had to dodge. "Ezra, get ready to duck!" Kanan shouted. "Okay!" Ezra said. Rex charged a detonator, signaling he was ready. "Now!" Kanan ordered. The two Jedi ducked as Rex threw the bomb. It exploded right in the middle of the pack, thinning them out. We reset and held them off for a few more seconds as I charged my own detonator. "Again!" Kanan said. My throw was a little off-centered, but it dealt with another huge chunk of the droids. "That oughta do it! Everybody forward!" Rex hollered. The four of us ran and took out the remainder of the unit, Ezra's and Kanan's lightsabers slicing through the scrap metal, me and Rex's lasers searing holes through their wiring. With a clear path in front of us, we made for the empty hangar. Ezra and I kept running but stopped when Rex and Kanan didn't trail us. "Why aren't you going? The hangar is empty," I said. "That's not how it normally goes. The droids keep coming. Wave after wave," Rex recalled his previous experience. "That tactical droid has had a long time to think about this. And remember, he wants to win," Kanan added. "I'm surprised it means so much to him," Ezra said. "It means a lot to his programming. It means a lot to mine as well," Rex replied. "Wait, programming? But you're human," I said. "We technically are, but we were bred exclusively for combat. Years upon years of training before we fought alongside our Jedi generals. With very few exceptions, there was no other way of life for us," Rex explained somberly. "We should move," Kanan said, preventing us from getting sidetracked.
So far the coast was clear, but my hopes quickly diminished as I saw a few droids roll in from the catwalk above us. They activated their shields and rapidly fired at us. "What are those things?" I questioned. The lasers from my rifle couldn't penetrate their shields. Big problem. "Destroyers! Fall back!" Rex answered. We took cover behind a giant storage container and tried to plot out a counterattack. "There's no way to breach their shields, not with our firepower," the captain pointed out. "You see that crane? I bet we can use it to take out the catwalk," Ezra spotted. "I'll make a run for it," "We'll draw their attention," Kanan said. "I'll go with Ezra and distract them if needed," I volunteered. "Move as fast as you can, you two," Kanan emphasized. "You can count on us," Ezra said. We peered out the other side of the container and noticed the destroyers were looking around for us. I turned to face the Jedi and the clone, signaling them to move. The destroyers locked onto them and we took off toward the crane. "Get down!" Ezra said suddenly, pulling me under cover. I wondered why we stopped, but my questions were answered by repetitive blaster fire. I looked up and saw a wave of battle droids focusing on Kanan and Rex. Once they passed, we snuck even closer but ran into Chopper. "Holy shit!" I cried out, startled by him just sitting there. "Where have you been?" Ezra asked. Probably hiding I guess. Chopper beeped back his answer. "What do you mean you sent a distress signal?" Ezra translated. Chopper proceeded to grab his arm and pull him toward someplace. "We're kind of in the middle of something, Chop!" I whispered. I followed him, though, and we found a shuttle to serve as a potential escape route. "Good find, but we're not leaving without Zeb. Get it running and I'll get the others," Ezra planned. Our inactivity was punished, however, as the destroyers sent a barrage of laser fire on us. We quickly took cover, but a plan was needed, and fast. "Ezra, I'll draw them away! Go do what you need to do with the crane!" I shouted. Reemerging from behind the crate, I fired at the destroyers and moved away, forcing them to focus on me instead. This plan continued for a little longer until I heard creaking metal. The crane started moving and it rammed into the catwalks, taking out our threats. After blasting the rest of the droids, we ran into the entrance of the depot to continue our ascent.
"Well, that went just as planned, more or less. I make a pretty good soldier, huh?" Ezra celebrated. "No. Good soldiers follow orders. That plan was based on timing and execution. And you took too long!" Rex berated. "But Chopper wanted to show me-" Ezra was interrupted by Rex continuing his lecture. "This is not a game! This is life and death! Every move you make affects the rest of us. If we're gonna survive this, we'll do it with STRATEGY and DISCIPLINE." Ezra couldn't react to that. He was at a loss for words. Someone had to console him so he wouldn't be demotivated. "It's not you. He needs to finish this battle his way," Kanan said. "Just like that droid," I muttered. We caught up to Rex and we continued our run and gun down the hallway. The battle droids were no match for us. However, the destroyers most certainly were. "Rex, Y/N, get in between us!" Kanan ordered as the droids started firing. "Incoming!" I alerted as another destroyer rolled up on our flank. I kept firing and dodging shots from the destroyers. The heat of the moment was intense. I couldn't afford any wasted movements. Because we reached our physical limits, a few shots slipped past me. Ezra cried out as he took a hit, and Rex did the same shortly after. "I'll push, you fire!" Kanan said in my direction. He used the Force to disable the shield and I fired at the destroyer, causing its circuits to go haywire. The droid went on autopilot and blew itself up on a nearby wall. There's no way it malfunctioned just like that. Rex threw his helmet at the other destroyer and then fired, connecting with his target. "Is everyone okay?" I asked, helping Ezra and Rex up from the ground. "Yeah, I'll be fine," Ezra said. "Just a scratch," Rex said. We got back on track and found a turbolift. We pushed some buttons and eventually got to the top, the command center in our sights.
We shot a few of his battle droids and kept our weapons raised upon entering the command center. "Looks like you lose, Kalani," I bragged. We had completed our objective and made it to the top, just like he said. "I disagree," the super tactical droid countered. One of his underlings raised his gun to Zeb's head. Rex looked enraged and was about to shoot his way out of this situation. "Rex, stop!" Ezra said, using the Force to misdirect Rex's shot. "We didn't win. Those droids are so old, they malfunctioned. If they hadn't, we'd be goners," he conceded. "The boy is correct. The droid army would have prevailed. So technically, victory is ours," Kalani declared. "No it's not!" Ezra interjected. "I never really thought about it. But I know that the Jedi were wiped out, the clones were decommissioned, and the droid army was shut down. The Clone War ended, but why? If no one won, who did?" "There are no true winners in war. Except those who profit. Who were they, though?" I added, continuing his train of thought. We all pondered these puzzling questions for a moment before someone finally had the answer. "The Empire," Zeb said. As far as I know, they're the only ones still in control of the galaxy. This might actually be it. "Zeb, that's right! How did you know?" Ezra wondered. "Because they're here, and they're about to win again," Zeb said. We looked out the window and saw a Star Destroyer in the distance. This battle could not continue or we would all crumble to the Empire's mightiness.
Time was suddenly short, so we had to act. "I've got a new calculation for you. What are the chances the droid army can defeat the Empire?" I asked the tactical droid. "My resources are depleted. However, the droid army is not currently at war with the Galactic Empire," Kalani responded. "You wanna bet?" Zeb probed. "Analyze the threat," Kalani commed to one of its units. We watched on the cameras as the squad got annihilated. Two AT-ATs and two AT-STs were deployed in front of the hangar, supported by two squads of stormtroopers. "Oh no," I muttered. "I think we face a common enemy now," Ezra deduced. "Ah, wait a minute," Rex disagreed. "Let him finish, captain," Kanan said, allowing his Padawan to explain this seemingly reckless decision. "What were the Separatists fighting for?" Ezra asked. "According to my programming, freedom from the tyranny of the Republic," Kalani said. "Fighting tyranny, huh? Tyranny is the definition of the Empire. Sounds to me like they've always been your enemy," Ezra thwarted. "You are against the Empire. I am against the Republic. The Republic has become The Empire. I accept your logic. We are on the same side," Kalani reasoned. Just like that, our focus completely shifted from fighting each other to fighting the real reason that this battle even happened.
"However, as I stated, my forces are too depleted to plan a successful counterattack," Kalani repeated. "Fighting against the odds? We can help you with that," I spoke up. Chopper started going crazy on Ezra's wrist com. "Yes, we know the Empire is here. How's the shuttle coming?" Ezra said. "What shuttle?" Kanan questioned. "The one I tried to tell you about before," Ezra replied. "We have three Sheathipede-class shuttles, but they have no weapons," Kalani noted. "As long as they can get us out of here, we'll take them," I said. "A successful retreat is improbable. The walkers will destroy the ships before they escape the hangar," Kalani replied. "What about the bombs we came here for?" Kanan recalled. "We have no cannons to fire the shells. Otherwise, I would have used them on you," Kalani said half-jokingly. "Well, thanks!" Kanan snapped back. "Stop arguing! We're running out of time," Ezra said to defuse the situation. "Got it! We roll them into the feet of the walkers. Then we blast them," Rex devised. "My battle droids are not accurate. But you are, Master Jedi," Kalani said. "I don't understand," Kanan replied. "My droids will line up and fire at you and your apprentice. You two will redirect their blaster bolts toward the shells more accurately, thus setting off more targets than my droids could hit alone," Kalani proposed. "Seems risky, how can we roll them across without getting blasted?" I questioned. Going head-on into the walkers' line of fire was a death sentence. "One of our squads will fire at the walkers themselves. Therefore, they cannot focus on two things at once," Kalani explained. "This takes trust to a whole new level," Rex chuckled. Kanan pulled out his comlink, setting the plan into motion. "Chopper, get the munitions ready to roll," he said. We raced down to the hangar's entrance and assisted with positioning the proton bombs. This whole enemies-turned-friends thing is throwing me off. But if it helps us escape, I won't complain. Let's teach the Empire a lesson.
Each squad got into their positions. I would be helping Zeb with the cover fire. "Ready, you two?" Rex asked us. We signaled the clone that we were ready. Ezra and Kanan confirmed they were ready as well. "Once those shells explode, get to your shuttles," Zeb said. "Roger, Roger," the droids answered. "Y/N, you want this one?" Zeb asked me. "It would be my pleasure," I said. I threw the detonator at the feet of the smaller walker and it exploded, throwing off its heavy movements. "Now!" Zeb ordered. We jumped over the crates and focused our fire on the walker. Even with a few of our droids getting blasted, we stood our ground and prevented the walkers from targeting the proton bombs. I glanced over and saw the squad next to us rolling the proton bombs toward the walkers. I kept my fire on the lead walker and it couldn't handle the firepower. The armor plating began to chip away just as the bombs exploded, knocking down an AT-AT. "This might be our only chance. Get to the ships!" Ezra ordered. We sprinted to the shuttles and I found the one with my crew on it. The ramp closed behind me and we ascended from the ground. "Lead shuttle, bank right. Bank right!" Rex shouted, but it was no use. The only standing AT-AT clipped its starboard side, causing it to fall. Luck was with us, however, as the damaged shuttle rammed right into the walker's cockpit, enabling us to escape from Agamar unscathed. "We did it! General, do you read us?" I said, opening the ship's comm channel. "Affirmative. We have survived the battle. It was not a victory, but a successful strategy nonetheless," Kalani replied.
"No. It was a victory," Rex chimed in. We all looked at him in shock, curious as to why he thought this. "We all just won the Clone War, and you ended it, Ezra. A galaxy of senators couldn't do that. An army of Jedi, clones, and droids couldn't find the middle ground, but you did," he explained. "Rex, all I did was point out that none of you were meant to win. You couldn't," Ezra disagreed, feeling like his credit was misplaced. "And we needed to hear it," Rex said. "Agreed. I am satisfied if you are, Captain," Kalani stated. "I am," Rex smiled. "Very good. Now, based upon this battle, I calculate that you have a less than one percent chance of staging a successful rebellion against the Empire. So this is where we must part ways," Kalani said. "Some parting words, General. There's always a chance," I spoke up. "Roger, Roger," Ezra joked before the transmission ended. "I can't imagine fighting that many droids all the time," Ezra said. He sounded very interested in what those battles were like back then. However, Rex was cut off by an incoming transmission. "This is Ghost to away team. Spectre 1, are you there?" Hera asked. "Hera, I was just about to call you. How was your day?" Kanan said sarcastically. "We're tracking two shuttles leaving the system. Is everything alright? Did you have trouble securing the bombs?" Hera worried. "The bad news is we didn't get the bombs. The good news is we don't need a pickup because we found a new Phantom. Tell Sabine she's gonna need a new paint job," Kanan replied as we docked with the Ghost. We climbed down the ladder in good spirits as we salvaged something better in the long haul. Well, everyone except me. I exited the lounge to see Sabine rushing into her cabin. "Hey," I said, but it was too late as the doors shut. Just tell me why you're still mad at me. Her idea of space was abnormal compared to anyone else I had ever known. I walked into the cockpit and slumped in the copilot's seat as we made the jump to return to Atollon. I don't know what it's gonna take to find a solution to this, but I'm getting to the point where I desperately need help. Whether it's me, her, or someone else. Something's gotta give.