Stowaway: A Star Wars Rebels Story

Brace for Impact

Narrator's POV:

War is complicated. There are so many factors that can influence the outcome. For all parties, it requires determination, pride, and sacrifice. Why do they think this is justified? What is their next plan of attack? Who do they represent? And even then, it can take just one battle to swing the tides of war in the opposite direction. That's all it takes.

A small group of rebels stand at the bridge of their command ship Phoenix Home, devising a plan to raid a supply convoy. Adding some new members to their cell a few months ago, fuel and food became even more of a necessity on the front lines. Even with their steady success over time, they couldn't disrupt the Empire and help the needy if they couldn't travel anywhere. "Our intel says the supplies are being held in a cargo ship, and there are multiple transports with TIE Fighters on each side. How do we deal with them?" Hera asked her crewmates. Since joining Phoenix Squadron, she had naturally taken on a bigger role, which was no surprise due to her military experience and being the captain of The Ghost, one of the Empire's biggest headaches in the Outer Rim. "I think I got it," Sabine replied. "If they follow protocol, the transports will send their fighters to stop our attack. The Phantom draws them away while a team sneaks onto the ship. We steal the crates, get them on The Ghost, and get out of there." "One ship won't deal with all the TIEs for certain, so we will need a few more pilots to cover us as we make our run," Kanan chimed in. Looking to Commander Sato for approval, silence soon began to fill the room. He sighed and said "Very well. Take Phoenix 1 and 2 with you. Good luck." With their plan set, the small battalion departed for the Ghost, confident the mission would be a success. Hera then inputted the coordinates and made the jump to hyperspace, with the two pilots following right behind them.

"We have a couple hours before we arrive. Prepare yourselves," Hera announced over comms. Everyone spent much of their time priming systems and checking their weapons to carry out the operation smoothly. All except Ezra, who appeared to be in deep thought, arms rested upon the lounge's holo-table. While everyone else was seemingly okay with the plan, he carried a lot of doubt about the mission. As he kept thinking over the plan, a small metal rust bucket rammed right into his leg. "Ow! Can you stop doing that?" Ezra exclaimed to the astromech. Chopper beeped back some choice words in response. "Whatever," Ezra said. "Can you show me the star chart from the briefing?" Chopper then displayed a holo-map of the galaxy with all the planets, and one location marked in red - their destination. Studying the area around the red marker, Ezra furrowed his eyebrows. Why is the shipment so far away from Phoenix Squadron? He thought to himself. And in wild space, for that matter? Ezra then got up, walking towards his master's cabin, hoping he'd get an answer, or at the very least a way to calm his nerves before their impending strike. Calmly knocking on his door, Kanan then called for his Padawan to enter.

"You seem uneasy, Ezra. What's on your mind?" Kanan asked. "I have a bad feeling about the mission. The whole thing just seems off," Ezra replied. "That's not all. I know there's more you want to get off your chest," Kanan said. "Great, how can you tell," Ezra quipped. The boy was intentionally being sarcastic, which made Kanan frown a little. He had no intention of trying to anger Kanan, but when the Force allows you to read the emotions of someone, it's hard to hide how you truly feel. "The Force works in mysterious ways," Kanan joked back. "Now let go a little, and tell me your thoughts," Letting his guard down, Ezra then went on to explain his doubts. "Well, I think the schematics are sketchy. Why is the Empire trying so hard to stay at the edge of the galaxy? They have so much of it under control, but they choose to stay out of the action. Why?" Recognizing he made a great point, Kanan tried to find some logic to the situation. "The Empire has been getting hit a lot by us recently, maybe they want to make sure their shipment is safely delivered." Seeing no point in arguing, Ezra chose to accept his master's reasoning. "That makes sense, but it's strange for them to take the long way around. I guess it's just my nerves talking." "I think it is," Kanan said. "Now go prepare for the mission. We need everyone's full focus if we're going to get our supplies." Ezra smiled and nodded, then proceeded to walk to his cabin when The Ghost jolted out of hyperspace.

"Battle stations, everyone!" Hera alerted the rest of the crew. The rebels hurried to their stations, with Sabine preparing to detach the Phantom, Kanan manning the turret, Ezra manning the nose guns, and Zeb sitting in the copilot's seat. Right on cue, the closest transport launched their fighters and started attacking the Ghost and the two A-Wings sent to assist them. They tried flying past the rebels to attack their flank, but Sabine noticed this and gunned down one TIE, then proceeded to detach the Phantom and get the noise away from the Ghost. The rebels shook the TIEs, forcing them to change their attack pattern. Seeing the free lane toward the giant cargo ship, Hera burst the engines and flew to the side, as close to the airlock as possible. "Ghost to Phantom, I need some help so I can dock with the cargo ship!" Hera shouted to Sabine. "Copy Spectre 2, I got you covered," she replied. With a few precise maneuvers, Sabine and the two pilots managed to destroy the TIEs trying to disrupt the Ghost's docking sequence, but the freighter took a few hits in the process, delaying their plan ever so slightly. That could make all the difference in the battle, but no major setbacks were presented at the moment. "Ezra, Zeb, and Chopper go get our crates. But make it fast, this ship won't last long sitting in the open," Hera said. The three rebels nodded, scrambling to the ramp leading to the airlock. Then they jumped out the door into the Imperial freighter, ready to complete their part of the mission. "Phoenix 2 to Ghost, they're all over my scope! I need-" His comms suddenly cut off and an explosion could be seen. The A-Wing was destroyed, and losing a pilot meant losing a huge chunk of support. "Spectre 6, hurry up!" Hera shouted in desperation.

"Working on it!" Ezra replied hastily. The place was like a maze. Chopper rolled quickly in front of him and Zeb, who were gunning down the stormtroopers firing at them. They could not afford to get lost, as time was growing more and more precious. After what seemed like forever, they breached the cargo bay doors and found their supplies being guarded by a small squad of stormtroopers. Igniting his lightsaber, Ezra attempted a plan on the fly as he was met with laser fire. "Chopper, push the crates. Zeb, provide cover fire and keep that door open," Ezra said in between deflecting shots. "Let's go," Zeb replied back. As they created their distraction, a stormtrooper noticed Chopper coming towards the cargo crates, which were conveniently resting on a portable platform. Panicking at the trooper holding his blaster at the droid, Chopper covered his 'eyes,' but Zeb fired a pinpoint shot from his bo-rifle, freeing the way for the droid. "You're welcome!" Zeb bellowed to the astromech. Chopper proceeded to push the platform towards the bay doors, and after a few well-placed stun rounds from Ezra connected with the remaining troopers, the squad ran the same route they came. "Spectre 4 to Spectre 2, cargo is in our possession. One minute to boarding," Zeb said over his comlink. "Faster, please! Our pilots can't take much more of this!" Hera answered. And as if that were bad luck, a Light Cruiser jumped from hyperspace and fired their batteries at the Ghost. Their shields took a heavy beating and were doomed to fail soon. "Cargo is secure, let's get out of here," Zeb said from the docking ramp.

"Spectre 5, make for the ship, we're leaving," Hera spoke. "There's still a few TIEs left, I need an opening," Sabine responded. "I got you covered, Phantom," Phoenix 1 relayed. He took out one TIE but quickly got shot down by a stray laser from the cruiser. The batteries then turned to face the Ghost and fired relentlessly. "Kriff! Shields are down!" Hera cursed. "Sabine, just go for it! We don't have time!" Hearing the anger in her voice, Sabine pushed the thrusters forward and got to the Ghost, barely missing the TIEs shooting at her. Unfortunately, the onslaught continued, and the masterful pilot was in a tough spot. "HERA!" Kanan screamed, waiting for an answer. After a few more shots, the Ghost jumped to hyperspace in a random direction, but the usual blue glow was quickly replaced with a red one. Then, the console started beeping rapidly, showing several key systems going haywire. A breach in the hull was detected, separating Sabine and Kanan from the rest of the crew. Then, the hyperdrive went offline, dropping them out of hyperspace in an unfamiliar location. Last and most impactful, the main engine blew, severely limiting the mobility of the ship. A blue and green colored planet appeared in front of them, getting closer every second. Unable to patch the problems, Hera decided her best course of action was to steer and steady the Ghost to soften an inevitably hard landing. She then took a deep breath and stated over the intercom in a distraught voice: "Everyone, brace for impact."

(A/N: Hope you liked the first chapter! I will try to update as frequently as possible, and any praise/criticism is encouraged)