Stowaway: A Star Wars Rebels Story

The Bigger Picture

Y/N's POV:

The one thing they don't tell you about space is that a lot of it is empty. Throughout all of these adventures, the amount of places I've been, the numerous stars that glow in the nighttime sky, they always seem so close together. Even the spaceships reaching supersonic speeds and hyperspace travel make everything virtually interconnected. But the reality is that everything is still very far apart from each other. And the only thing connecting all those objects is the vast vacuum of near-nothingness that is space. In this near-nothingness floats many piles of space junk, mostly from destroyed ships. And in one of these floating piles sat the Ghost. Hera was given orders to hold fuel tanks for a few ships. But the age-old question always arises about intel like this. Who gave it?

Zeb and I were stuck in an endless loop watching HoloNet to pass the time. The only channel available was the news station, which of course, was controlled and broadcasted by the Empire. I groaned, bored and frustrated that after several days, we were still stuck in this pile of space junk just waiting for our visitors. "I'm sick of this! How much longer is this gonna go on?" I spoke up. "Well, I'd say they're late, but we don't even know when they're supposed to show up. Or who we're meeting," Zeb said, matching my irritation with this op. Chopper beeped back with what I assumed was him agreeing with us. That's never a good thing. "Whoever they are, Senator Organa wants them to get where they're going, and he's trusting us to get them their fuel," Hera said. "If he trusts us, then why is he keeping us in the dark?" I questioned. "You know as much as I do," Hera replied. I could hear the annoyance in her voice. Even if she was used to it, she still wanted clarity with what her superiors wanted. Guess that makes two of us. "No wonder Kanan and Ezra went on that supply run," I commented. Chopper warbled rapidly and retransmitted the HoloNet broadcast from his LED emitter. "Breaking news? What's going on?" Hera translated. "Imperial Senator Mon Mothma of Chandrila has shocked the Senate with her treasonous remarks against Emperor Palpatine," the anchor reported. "I name the Emperor himself for ordering the brutal attacks on Ghorman," the Senator declared. My eyes widened at this statement. Did she really just call out the leader of the galaxy in an open chamber? "Their peaceful world is one of countless systems helpless against his oppressive rule. This massacre is proof that our self-appointed Emperor is little more than a lying executioner, imposing his tyranny under the pretense of security. We cannot allow this evil to stand." Chopper shut off the broadcast as I sat there, stunned.

"Did she just..." was all I could manage to say. "I'm surprised she's still breathing. Lady's got guts," Zeb said. "Hera, what is all this about?" I asked, curious as to who this Senatorial figure was. "Here's a quick history lesson for you, Y/N. Before the Empire came into power, the Republic governed the galaxy. Then the Emperor took over and took all the power for himself. The 'Senate' is just his puppet government. Each Senator from each planet is essentially just a yes man to please the Empire's needs. But Mon Mothma knew better than that. She and some other Senators have been working to build this larger rebellion for years. Now with her publicly disobeying the Empire's actions? This could be something greater for all of us," Hera explained. Just as I was about to form a response, I heard an alarm on the dashboard. I looked out the window and saw a flash of light, signaling a hyperspace dropout. "Something just entered our ship's range. Chopper, scan," Hera ordered. Chopper rotated his antenna and beeped. "A probe? What's it doing way out here?" Hera wondered. Chopper responded by displaying the figure. The hologram showed an EXD-9 droid, and it looked very familiar. Wait a minute. It's one of those warhead things! "Karabast," Zeb said, remembering our last encounter with that nightmare. "My thoughts exactly," I replied. "Y/N, get in the nose guns, but don't fire unless we have to. Let's just hope it passes by," Hera said. I scrambled down the ladder and jumped in the gunner's seat. "Nobody make a move," Hera advised. The probe flew away from the Ghost, still searching for its target. "I don't think it saw us," Zeb said. "I'll be convinced when it leaves," Hera countered. As if it were bad luck, the droid turned its ship around. Right back towards us. "That doesn't look like leaving," I replied. The probe's light shined right on the sheet of space junk we were sitting on. "It's headed right for us," Zeb commented. "It's scanning for life signs," Hera said, a little bit frightened. "Well that's just great," Zeb said sarcastically. "Y/N, be ready," Hera told me. "Just say when," I responded. The probe's light shone on the Ghost, looking straight at the cockpit. After a few more seconds of flying, Hera had enough. "Fire, now!" she ordered.