Wars Amongst the Stars: Rebellion: Vol. 2

Chapter Thirty-Eight

As soon as the Ryloth Freedom Fighters return home, Hera takes the Imperial ship back to the Phoenix Flagship. Kanan takes the Ghost, and all the crew, back himself. The group meet-up once they all get back. "Commander Sato wants to see all of us," Hera informs them, as they disembark the freighter.

Kanan nods, following her, and everyone else follows suit. Keen considers skipping what will either be a post-mission briefing, a new mission, or both. After careful consideration, she decides if she doesn't come someone will come and seek her out, and drag her to the briefing, so she accepts the inevitable, and tags along to the briefing.

The crew enters a meeting room, where Sato, Rex, and Ahsoka are in a very in depth conversation. "I hope we're not interrupting something," Kanan says. All three of the rebels turn to the Ghost crew.

"You did good work," Sato praises. "And, when you are up to it, we have another mission for you."

Ari'abel sighs. "Where at?"

Rex leans over, flicking on the holo-table in the middle of the room, and the planet of Geonosis appears. He spins the planet, stopping in what seems to be an empty part of space, "Intelligence tells us that the Empire is building something over Geonosis. The Commander wants us to go and figure out what it is, and why it's there."

The Jedi glances up at the ceiling, before looking back at the others, pinching the bridge of her nose. "As fun as that sounds, I'm gonna pass." She then promptly turns around, leaving the others to listen to the briefing.

As the Jedi Master steps out the room, Ezra increduously looks at her, before turning to his crew, "Can she do that? Is that allowed? Can I do that?"

"No," Kanan says, pointing a finger at his chest, "You cannot. She can, because I'm not telling her no, and they aren't telling her no."

The Padawan crosses his arms, pouting slightly.

***

As soon as she leaves the room, Keen makes a beeline for her ship. While the Rebellion may have a temporary base, she'd rather find something more permanent. So, she decides that she's going to search uncharted space for a suitable planet. Once she hops into her ship, she sends a message to Ahsoka, letting her know where she'll be.

It doesn't take her long to get the Corundum out into space, where she immediately charts a course into the unknown.

*Short Time Jump*

The Jedi Master has some experience skirting around the dangers of uncharted space, having crashed on some planets during the Clone War. She starts with the section of the unknown space that she is most familiar with. After checking out a few potential bases, and logging them into her datapad, she sets off once again to scope another.

Landing on the next planet, something catches her eye, leaving the Jedi to abandon her original plan of scouting for a potential base location, in favour of quelling her curiosity. Leaping from her ship, she carefully treks across the mountainous terrain of the uncharted planet, keeping her eye on the glinting metal a little ways down the nearby chasm. Once she reaches the edge, she squints down, spying what seems to be an old Republic bomber sitting snugly on a small ridge.

Ari'abel cautiously leaps down into the cavern, landing on the ridge directly next to the ship. Her eyes drift to the nose of the bomber, seeing it crushed. "Clearly it was a crash landing," she mutters to herself. Gingerly, Keen runs her hand along the dented, dusty metal. Pieces of the engine litter the ground around the crash sight, some sitting in old, rotting wooden boxes.

Crouching down, she sifts through a box, when she senses a person walking up behind her, being as quiet as they can. She acts as if she doesn't notice them, all the while reaching into her bag for her lightsabers. Pulling them out, she spins quickly, igniting them in front of her.

When her eyes land on the face of the stranger, she falters, half lowering the blades. She slowly observes the very familiar face, lingering on the scar surrounding the brown eyes that are identical to millions of other individuals. His hair, once close cut and black not fourteen years ago, is now long, scraggly, and grey, matching the beard that now covers half his face. The armour he wears that was once bright white and yellow is now dusty, and coated in dirt.

"Cody," she breathes out quietly.

The Clone blinks, lowering the blaster that he had pointed between her eyes. "General?" he says, matching her tone.

She stands from her crouched position, eyeing the Clone carefully. She lowers her blades to her side, but leaves them ignited. "What happened to you?"

"It was right after the end of the War. I was sent on a mission, with a few of my men. I can't tell you how we crashed, all I know is I hit my head, and when I woke up, I remembered everything that had happened." A few tears leak out of the Clones eyes, "What I did, to General Kenobi, to the Republic. Me and the boys, we all remember. Whatever programming caused us to do that, it's gone."

Ari'abel sighs, "The Kaminoans had inhibitor chips put into every Clones head, and when the Chancellor said a specific phrase, it caused every Trooper to turn on their Jedi, and any Clone who refused to cooperate." She then decides that maybe a change of subject would be smart, "You mentioned you had some of your brothers with you, did any of them survive?"

"Five of 'em. They're inside," he nods to the bomber.

"Okay, I hope that this doesn't seem rude. It's not that I don't trust you, Cody, but I'm gonna keep these ignited, at least until I'm sure this isn't an elaborate trap to murder me."

"Understood, sir."