Stowaway: A Star Wars Rebels Story

Fading Fast - Part 2

(Credit to @lyristano on Tumblr)

Her voice sliced through the sudden silence in the room. I could feel her thinking about the last time we saw each other, a chapter stained with darkness that still haunted us both. "Sabine," I said, slowly trying to chip away at the tension looming in the air between us. Focus on the mission, Y/N. Just focus. "W-What's going on? W-Why are you here?" she stammered. Chopper let out some panicked beeps. "You escaped? What's he talking about?" Sabine wondered, her expression shifting from surprise to concern. "Thrawn ambushed us on Atollon," Ezra answered somberly. She gasped at that, and her brows furrowed with sadness. Even though she wasn't with us for a while, our friends were still her friends. "You're our only chance for help," I said honestly. "You have poor timing," Rau said. I looked on in confusion, wondering what he meant by that. "We're in the middle of a civil war against Clan Saxon. They have the Empire's backing, and our resources are stretched to their limits just to protect what ground we have," Ursa explained. As if our turbulent situation couldn't get any worse, it sounded like they were about to reject our proposal. That wasn't an option. "Mother, there has to be a way we can accomplish what we both want," Sabine said, playing the role of mediary. "Please, we risked everything to get here. At least hear us out," Ezra pleaded. Ursa nodded, letting us present our case. Every moment had to be executed perfectly. It was all or nothing. Fortunately, there was a simple solution. "How about we help each other out? You help us fight our battle, and we help you fight yours," I proposed. "It's a possibility, let's see what you're up against," Ursa replied, accepting the compromise. Though it was a start, I knew deep down that we couldn't do this daunting task alone. We had to do whatever it took to get their help.

"Chopper, show them the Empire's arsenal," I said urgently. Chopper warbled in compliance and displayed a hologram of their remaining ships. Five Star Destroyers and an Interdictor. "How did you even get out?" Sabine asked. I sighed, the pain of our escape still coursing through my veins. "There were two Interdictors. Sato...he took out one...and he went down with it," I hesitated. I could see the sadness starting to form in her eyes. Just like me, Sabine learned a great deal from Sato. The gravity of this situation, having to go back without our top commanding officer, weighed on me more and more. "Thrawn was relentless in his attack, but we know we can take out that last Interdictor. We just need your help," Ezra said, his voice much more composed than mine was. "With Thrawn in command, you should count your losses and consider yourselves fortunate to have escaped," Rau stated bluntly. Even if he wasn't directly affected by the Grand Admiral's treachery, his influence still cast fear over the galaxy. Everyone knew how smart and ruthless he was. "They're our friends, Rau. And friends don't leave each other behind," I retorted. I won't let our squadron die at our hands. "I wish we could offer to help, but we just don't have the resources. We can barely take care of our own," Tristan said, much more politely than his comrade. Anger boiled within me and I clenched my fists in frustration. Ezra's reaction almost mirrored mine. "If no is your final answer, then we'll go back alone," Ezra declared, turning towards the exit and walking to the door, steps heavy with disappointment. I followed him out. "I guess this is where we say goodbye," I said. "I thought this could have worked out, Sabine. But I guess not." I opened the door to the stronghold, prepared to depart and attempt a solo counterattack. "Wait!" Sabine shouted in desperation. "I want to go with you."

I stopped in my tracks, struck by the sincerity of her words. It was as if something within her had stirred from a deep slumber. "Ezra, hold on," I told him. The Jedi returned to the throne room. "What is it?" he asked. "I said, you're not going alone. I'm going with you," Sabine repeated, even more confidently this time. "I appreciate the loyalty you have for your friends, Sabine. But this mission is impossible," Tristan argued. "Isn't loyalty what we stand for?" Sabine challenged. The room grew silent at this remark. She made a great point. "I never thought that I'd be standing here with all of you, but I am. You never thought we'd be free from the grip of Gar Saxon, but we are," Sabine continued. "If there's one thing I know, it's that my friends make the impossible possible. If Ezra and Y/N think they can make a difference, I believe them. They've done things like this before. We can do it again." Ursa stood up from her throne with an unexpectedly warm smile across her face; a stark contrast from her steely and calculated demeanor. "Y/N, Ezra, you restored my daughter to me. That is loyalty in its purest form, and your actions have given us a debt. A debt that we plan on repaying," she announced. Murmurs of agreement scattered across the room, shattering the divide between us. Not even ten seconds ago, I had my back turned, ready to leave. Now, I felt motivated, with a renewed sense of purpose. The Mandalorians - a usually restrictive group of people who only fought for them - now stood united with us in the face of conflict. "We cannot leave ourselves undefended, but you may take a few ships and any warriors who are willing to fight alongside you." "You won't have much of an army to take down that ship," Rau chimed in, his skepticism still evident. A small battalion taking down an entire ship seemed unlikely, but I knew how powerful these Mandalorians could be. "Did you not listen at all, Rau? We are masters of fighting against the odds," I reminded him. "Chopper, pull up the Interdictor," Sabine said, immediately strategizing a plan. Chopper displayed another hologram, only of the Interdictor. "Maybe we don't need an army."