After an anxiety-filled flight, our crew finally returned to the Clan Wren stronghold to be briefed on how to save Sabine's father. As I exited my ship, I saw the sun setting above the horizon, casting a breathtaking reflection upon the frozen lake. It struck me then that this might be the last sunset I see in this galaxy. I immersed myself within nature's beauty for a moment, feeling the need to cherish it. It's the little things like those that make life so precious at times, even in the midst of chaos. Someone tapped me on the shoulder, snapping me out of my trance. I turned around to see who it was, and not surprisingly it was Sabine. "We have a job to do, remember?" she said. "I know," I replied, a little disappointed she wouldn't let me stay out here longer. There will be a lot of 'lasts,' but she was right. I have to focus on her mission. Her family graciously supported us. Now we would return the favor. Sabine and I joined the crew inside the throne room. "Now that everyone is present, I have an announcement to make," Ursa stated. Everyone stared at the Countess in anticipation. "Our spies have found my husband's location." This was big news, but we all nodded silently. Nobody dared interrupt her out of respect and loyalty. "We will depart to Mandalore in about an hour. Prepare yourselves," she said before walking away. The Mandalorians immediately retreated deeper within the stronghold to make their preparations for the journey. "Tristan," I called out. "You need something?" he asked. "The Gauntlet needs to be refueled. Can you bring out a tank?" I requested. "Sure, I'll meet you outside," Tristan answered. I motioned for Ezra to come with me. We left the stronghold and went inside my ship. "What do you need me for?" Ezra questioned. "Spot the fuel level on this thing. Let me know once it's full," I said before walking back down the ramp. Tristan and another Mandalorian were waiting under the ship. I plugged the fuel line into the tank as the Gauntlet began to refuel.
"Sabine has told me a lot about you," Tristan said. "She has?" I wondered. "Yeah, she really admires you," Tristan replied. "I do my best to make her happy," I said humbly. Sabine was, and still is, a little closed off. But she's changed so much since I met her. It hasn't been easy. But if she's happy, I'm happy. "Don't underestimate yourself, you know how good you are," the other Mandalorian responded. If only he knew of the rough patches we went through. "I guess you're right. But there's something else I need to-" "Y/N, the ship's tank is full," Ezra interrupted me through my comlink. "Thanks, Ezra," I said as I disconnected the fuel line. "Sabine told me to tell you she has a surprise for you," Tristan revealed. "What might that be?" I asked, curious as to what gift she might give. "Wouldn't be much of a surprise if we told you now, would it?" the other Mandalorian interjected. "Then I'll ask her," I decided. I went inside the stronghold, looking for Sabine's room. After wandering around, I couldn't find it, so I went to the throne room and turned on my comlink. "Sabine, where are you?" I asked. "I'm coming to you now," she replied. "Copy, thanks," I said. In the meantime, I cleaned my blaster and checked every attachment to make sure there were no defects. One by one, the members of Clan Wren and my crew returned to the throne room. They stood beside me, awaiting Ursa's orders. "Tristan told me you had a present for me," I whispered to Sabine. She looked taken aback at what I said. "I'll give it to you after the mission," she said, keeping my focus on the task at hand. The Countess finally emerged and stood in front of us once more. "We are leaving now," she announced. I don't know why we had to come back here just to leave. Formalities, I guess. We exited the stronghold and boarded the Gauntlet. It was a bit cramped because everyone from Clan Wren would take part in this mission. Sabine's father was obviously very important to her family. I took off and quickly left the atmosphere. "Countess, please punch in the coordinates to Mandalore," I requested. "Of course," Ursa replied, pressing some buttons on the dashboard. I inputted them to my hyperdrive and we jumped, ready to save Sabine's father.
The ride was unexpectedly short, only a few minutes away from Krownest. We dropped out and entered the Mandalorians' original and most pivotal world. Sabine guided me as I descended the atmosphere. The surface looked tan and barren, just like it did on Seelos, but far worse. Many cracks cut through the ground. Almost no structures were present for miles. No wildlife could survive these conditions. Life had to be brutal here. I directed my ship to the valley of a canyon within close proximity to our destination, which was an Imperial outpost. "This is as far as we can go without being detected," Ursa said. "Sabine, what's the plan?" Kanan asked. "Our team will break my father out while my mother's team will find help. Many of my people secretly oppose the Empire," Sabine explained. I was on the strike team, so I unfortunately had to leave my ship behind. "Can anyone fly one of these things?" I wondered. "I can," the Mandalorian pilot from earlier volunteered. I've seen him a lot. I might want to get his contact, just in case. "Appreciate it. We'll see you after the rescue," I said. Unfortunately for us, we had to make the rest of the journey on foot. The walk wasn't ridiculously long, but it certainly made the mission more tedious. Almost everyone left the Gauntlet as we began to inch closer to the outpost. "Sabine, how sure are we that your father is in there?" Ezra inquired. "According to my mother, our spies in the capital say he's here, and they've been right so far," Sabine said. "Doesn't it seem suspicious that the Empire would move your father so far from the capital?" Kanan questioned. "My father has many friends. He's not just important to me. The Empire probably locked him up out here to prevent someone from doing what we're about to do," Sabine reasoned. "That may be true, but I wouldn't put anything past these Saxon traitors," Rau chimed in. This ongoing civil war had made things difficult for them, and I definitely felt it. Clan Wren almost rejected our proposal during Thrawn's attack, and it took a good bit of convincing from Sabine to change their minds. Now that we were united again, we stood a much better chance of ousting Clan Saxon from power.
We approached the outpost after a while. "Stop!" a warrior whispered loudly. He scanned towards the outposts' general direction for a moment. "Drop down into the trenches. They lead up to the prison," he advised. Better to get close and not be seen. Everyone got into the trenches and we snuck the rest of the way. "Alright, Clan Wren," Sabine announced. "It's a direct assault on the tower. We attack in two teams. Ezra and I will go from the front. Kanan, Rau, and Y/N will hit them from the side." "Copy. Moving to your right flank," Rau confirmed as I crouched behind him. After a few more minutes of sneaking, Rau stopped us. "We're in position," he said over his wristcom. "Copy, Rau. Over," Sabine replied. I peered up from the trench and saw Sabine standing, getting the attention of some stormtroopers. She ignited the Darksaber, and her entire team joined her above the trench. "Forward!" she shouted. The entirety of Clan Wren let out a battle cry as they charged the tower. This was our signal. My team emerged from the trench and ran to cause the Empire some more problems. Three jet troopers flew down to stop us, prompting us to fire back. "I'll handle it," Kanan said. He jumped onto the lowest jet trooper and slashed his jetpack before dealing with the other two threats effortlessly. "Show off!" Rau quipped. A few stormtroopers and a cannon began firing in our direction. I dodged its fire and ran away to get a better angle, and the cannon redirected its fire away from us. I took out a trooper from long distance while Rau swiftly dealt with the other one. I returned to my team's location and provided cover fire for Kanan, who leaped high again and sliced his lightsaber through the cannon, decommissioning it. I glanced over to see Sabine do the same with much more precision. I haven't seen her this driven since...that day. She really wants this. Both of our teams quickly finished off the ground forces, but not quick enough. A transport carrying two AT-DPs flew in and dropped the walkers right on top of us, escalating the conflict yet again.
"Well this just got more and more..." Ezra began. "Interesting. The word you're looking for is interesting," Sabine said, finishing his thought. Everyone opened fire at the walkers, but our blaster bolts did little damage. The Mandalorians flew unpredictably to throw off the walker's targeting system. It worked, but one was shot down by an unlucky laser. Sabine fired a missile from her jetpack at one of the walkers, landing a hit and causing it to stumble for a bit. Seeing a window to strike, she lunged at the walker, Darksaber extended, but it fired a blast and hit her, sending her crashing to the ground. "Sabine!" Ezra and I shouted. Three jet troopers positioned themselves between us and her. The trooper closest to Sabine shot a stun round at her, incapacitating her temporarily. "Stand down, rebels. Or she dies," the trooper threatened. Ezra kept his lightsaber ignited and I kept my blasters raised, calling their bluff. One of the walkers moved closer, its cannon pointed directly at me. "Surrender! Now!" the trooper repeated. Seeing no viable alternative, we disarmed ourselves. Then a rocket flew in out of nowhere. It hit the walker, which fell to the ground. I looked to my left and saw three Mandalorians here to help us. "Don't just stand there, protect her!" one of them said. I re-equipped my blaster and dispatched one of the troopers with a quick and clean hit. "It's Clan Kryze!" Rau informed us. Our reinforcements swung the tides in our favor, and we made quick work of the Empire's remaining troops. "Fall back! Abandon the base!" a jet trooper stressed. I shot down one of them as they flew away, but I narrowly missed the other trooper. Ezra flew up and sliced his lightsaber at the other walker, bringing it down. "Clan Wren, follow me!" Sabine ordered. I followed her inside the outpost, where there was surprisingly little resistance. We found a nearby office and opened the door. This seemed too good to be true. As Sabine checked the computer's prisoner logs, her demeanor shifted to a troubled one. "It can't be..." she trailed off.
"What?" I wondered. "The outpost is completely empty," she replied, her voice tinged with dissatisfaction. "We have to inform the others," Rau said. "Agreed. Let's take the turbolift to the top." I suggested. The three of us ascended to the roof of the tower and opened the doors, where Kanan and Ezra stood. "Any luck?" Ezra asked. "Nope. There's no one here," I said, sharing the bad news. Our new allies flew to our level. "This was a trap set to lure you in. Your mother received this intel, but she couldn't get word to you. The Empire is jamming all transmissions. I understand she's on her way," the Mandalorian with an artistically pleasing helmet reported. Sabine pursed her lips, disappointed that we got duped like this. "Who are you?" she questioned. The Mandalorian took their helmet off, revealing an older woman with red hair and striking green eyes. "Kanan, Ezra, and Y/N, this is Lady Bo-Katan of House Kryze. Her sister, Satine, once ruled Mandalore. Bo-Katan was made regent by the Jedi before the end of the Clone War. She's still seen by many as Mandalore's rightful ruler," Rau explained. She certainly looks battle tested. "So what happened?" Ezra asked. "After the Empire took over, I refused to obey the Emperor and was betrayed by Clan Saxon," Bo-Katan recounted. Fighting for what is right. I respected it greatly. Unfortunately, many in power do not see it that way. Sabine stared at the Darksaber, studying it intently before looking at the polarizing warrior. "Your commitment to Mandalore's freedom is legendary, my lady. This belongs to you," Sabine stated, holding out the saber for Bo-Katan to take. This stunned all of us. Sabine knew the stories of the blade and Was this really the way? Is this how Mandalore would move forward? "I had my chance to rule, and I failed. I am not my sister," Bo-Katan said, rejecting the offer. She put her helmet on and started walking inside the tower. "I am not the leader you seek." And with that, her warriors followed her inside. Sabine stared at the ground, contemplating what to do next. "See if you can contact my mother, she said. "Right away," Rau replied. He and Kanan walked inside. Ezra was about to follow them, but he stopped, opting to remain with Sabine and myself. We joined her, overlooking the bleak, lifeless landscape.
"You know, your home planet is very different from mine," Ezra said. Sabine looked back at him, her expression mixed with sadness and contemplation. She knew he didn't mean to upset her, but she clearly seemed hurt by something. "Once upon a time, these plains were covered with grass. But I never saw it. This destruction happened before I was born," Sabine explained. "And it never grew back?" Ezra wondered. "Never had a chance to. This is what continuous war has done to my home," Sabine replied. A planet once covered with flora and fauna became nothing more than an inhospitable wasteland. I sympathized with that. Back on Earth, the beauty of nature was slowly fading away. The occasional war caused this, but simply needing to satisfy the demands of the people came at the cost of the environment. I hoped that in my lifetime, it would never get to that point. "Well, maybe this is your chance to help change things. To stop this conflict and restore Mandalore to its former beauty," I said. Any little bit helped to better her homeworld's future. She looked down at the Darksaber once again, still uncertain of what she wanted to do with the storied blade. If she truly intended to pass it on, the sword would find its way to its new master. Chopper rolled out of the tower and broke our silence, pointing his arm up to the sky. We turned around and saw Ursa, Tristan, and some of their family land in front of us. "Mother, any news?" Sabine asked. "The Empire has changed their plan. They're moving your father to the capital for a public termination," Ursa reported grimly. "Let's go. No time to waste now," Sabine said with determination, knowing time was no longer on our side. Everyone flew off the tower, leaving me behind. "Wait! How am I supposed to go?" I complained, making my lack of a jetpack known. Sabine flew back to me and hugged me tight. "Hang on!" she advised before taking off. I held onto her, not letting go. It felt great holding her close, but I kind of had to so I wouldn't fall to my death. A wave of sadness washed over me, realizing this would be one of the last times I felt her touch. Focus, Y/N! Job's not finished! After a bit of flying, I felt my grip start to give out. Thankfully, we touched down on a cliff as I let go. Overlooking the canyon, we immediately started planning our improvised rescue.
"We tracked Saxon's convoy a few miles out from here. Our only chance of saving my father is to force the convoy to reroute here, then break him out of wherever he's being held," Tristan said, outlining the plan. "My clan will handle the diversion. The rest of you will rescue Alrich," Ursa added before flying off with the rest of her clan. Sabine, the warriors of Clan Kryze, Rau, Ezra, Kanan, Chopper, and I stayed behind, waiting for the convoy. Minutes passed, and nothing happened. Kanan used this time to contact Hera on our progress, explaining that this mission would take longer to complete. "I still don't see anything," Ezra said, growing impatient. "Just give my mother a chance," Sabine scolded. I saw plumes of smoke rising from afar, signaling the attack had started. "Look!" I shouted, pointing outwards. Then a bright flashbang erupted. "Yup, that's her," Sabine boasted. "Blowing things up definitely runs in your family," Ezra joked. "It's a Wren specialty," Sabine quipped. Her comlink beeped, and she picked up. "Sabine, we've engaged Tiber Saxon's Imperial dogs. The prisoner convoy has changed course toward the canyon," Ursa informed. "Then the diversion worked," Bo-Katan said. "There," Rau called out. I looked in his direction, barely making out a few vehicles moving to our location. "I'm scanning a single passenger. No armor in the center transport, the one most heavily guarded," Rau analyzed. "If we attack the lead vehicle, my father's transport will fall back. Then someone could sabotage its controls, forcing it to stop. By then, the rest of the convoy will be too far ahead to do anything about it," Sabine strategized. "So who's going in?" Rau questioned. Ezra smirked. "Yeah, that sounds like a 'me' plan," he volunteered. "Are you sure? You haven't exactly mastered that jetpack," Sabine countered. "Hey, I've got this," Ezra bragged. To his credit, he can be stealthy. "He's got this," I assured. We waited for the convoy to come closer. Then Sabine leaped off the cliff, beginning the battle.
She activated her jetpack and launched a paint bomb at the middle transport, blinding them. She then maneuvered her way through a barrage of blaster and transport fire. With all the attention focused on her, Rau and Bo-Katan flew in from the opposite side to flank them, taking out a good chunk of stormtroopers and scout troopers. "Chopper, bring me down," I said. He beeped, activating his rocket. I held on as tight as I could until I safely reached the ground. Kanan jumped off the cliff, using the Force to soften his landing. I saw Sabine hijack a speeder bike, barely dodging the Imperial Mandalorians' return fire. As the convoy drew nearer, Kanan and I armed ourselves, sprinting towards the advancing enemy forces. Kanan leaped off the frontmost bike and onto the transport. He skillfully deflected shots back at the Imperials, then Force pushed them into the transport carrying Sabine's father, forcing them slow down. I found another scout trooper speeding towards me. Calm and collected, I took a shot, hitting the trooper's head. It fell off its bike and I commandeered the vehicle. Thinking for a little, I turned around and sped to the back of the convoy, shooting at the closest transport, damaging it and hurting their chances of reinforcing the prisoner's transport. Ezra soared in to execute his part of the plan, flying underneath the transport and raising his lightsaber to sabotage the controls. However, he lost his grip and fell away, barely hanging onto the edge. An Imperial Mandalorian peered out from the right. Seeing an opportunity, I fired my speeder bike, but my aim was slightly off. With the prisoner transport speeding ahead and Ezra seemingly okay, I pulled my bike back. Sabine joined me, sporting her own bike. I took a couple potshots at the vacant transport, doing whatever I could to break the Empire down. A couple Mandalorians shot at us, and I frantically dodged their fire. Rau and Bo-Katan saw my situation and flew in to assist me, shooting down the Imperials. Kanan hopped inside a transport, swiftly taking care of the stormtroopers within. "Ezra! Quit messing around and get my father out of there!" Sabine stressed. "Working on it!" Ezra responded, running across the roof of the transport, so close to completing the mission. I followed the transport just in case any complications arose. I peered over and saw the ground slant down not too far from where I was. "Ezra, there's a cliff up ahead! Get out of there!" I warned him. I saw someone fly out of the transport. But it wasn't Ezra. He's still stuck inside. "Go get him, Sabine," Kanan said. She flew as fast as she could to the cliff and leaned over the edge. With all her might, she pulled Ezra up, getting him to safety. The Jedi and the Mandalorian walked up to us, everyone safe and sound.
"Thank you, young Jedi," Alrich said, giving Ezra his jetpack back. "Father," Sabine called out. Our rescued prisoner stared back at her, recognizing the voice he just heard. His eyes studying the Mandalorian in front of him. A full suit of armor in contrast to his gentle robes. It had been so many years since he last saw her. Sabine took off her helmet to meet her father's gaze. "When I got word that you had returned, I did not believe it," Alrich began, his voice heavy with emotion. "And?" Sabine questioned. Alrich approached Sabine and embraced her. "You are my daughter," he reassured. Sabine returned the hug. The rest of us smiled at this heartwarming moment. Father and daughter, reunited at last. "I was pleased then, even more now," Alrich said, pulling away. "Well, we would never leave you in the hands of the Empire," Sabine replied. "Oh, that was fine. I mean your artwork. You've progressed so much. Your use of color and line is better," Alrich complimented. "What do you mean, better?" Sabine questioned. "It's great." "Ehhh, it's getting there," Alrich quipped. "Your design aesthetic is still derivative of the Pre-Exile Masters." "Tonjun was an influence, obviously. I thought you had a sharper eye," Sabine responded. I don't know what this is. Art stuff, probably. "Now I see where she gets her creative side," I said, drawing the connection of where Sabine learned her art. "Oh no, young warrior. Sabine's artistry comes from her mother. Ursa knows how to destroy her enemies in so many creative ways," Alrich explained. "We need to get moving. We're too exposed here," Bo-Katan urged, reminding us that we were still technically in a battle. "Countess Wren, we've rescued your husband. Alrich is free," Rau confirmed. "Then we have two victories today. Saxon's forces are in retreat," Ursa replied. All seemed well at the moment. Sabine's blood family was all free and we seemed to have turned the tide in the civil war against Clan Saxon. Hopefully, we keep pushing them back, forcing them to surrender, and subsequently free Mandalore from Imperial rule.
"Hold on. They're not all running. Looks like we've got an incoming Imperial transport," Tristan alerted. "Reinforcements to cover their retreat?" Sabine wondered, confused by this unconventional strategy. "They've deployed a single scout walker with no other support. It's moving into attack position," Tristan said. "Laughable. Destroy it," Ursa ordered. The next thing we heard was a rising electronic sound, signaling the charging of some weapon. "That sound...it can't be," Sabine said worryingly. "Tristan, get out of there! Now!" The unknown weapon kept charging up until it finally emitted whatever its projectile was. We heard a loud rumble, and then the comms cut out. "Mother, Tristan?" Sabine called out, expecting an answer. We heard an explosion and saw a blinding light in the distance. "No..." Sabine said weakly, fearing the worst had happened to her family. She took off and flew towards the blast. Ezra, Chopper, Rau, and Bo-Katan activated their jetpacks, following her. Kanan took Alrich on his speeder bike and I took my own, afraid of what this anomaly could be. What we saw next was horrifying. Black smoke littered the area. Not just from a burning transport, but from the entire area, casting a shadow over the battlefield. Only the armor of the Mandalorians remained with no bodies in sight. "What happened here?" Ezra asked in shock. "Where are the survivors of this battle? The wounded? The victors?" Bo-Katan wondered. "I see only the defeated," Alrich said gravely. Nothing about this made sense. I looked down at my feet, barely able to make out the yellow and gray colored armor. Fear overtook me as I realized Clan Wren was all but wiped out. "What could do such a thing?" I inquired. "A weapon did this. A weapon created by my daughter," Alrich answered darkly. Sabine approached one of our fallen soldiers' remains. Knees weak and arms heavy, she dropped to the ground, sobbing. Her hands moved around the dust, desperately searching for an answer. All of us felt degraded. The only sounds made were Sabine's shrill cries echoing through the air.