Codename Fulcrum

Chapter 7: New Beginnings

"We're coming up on Yavin 4, time to wake up sleepy-" the gruff voice barely had time to finish his statement as Alexsandr shot upright in the bunk, throwing a punch towards the origin of the sound.

Dodging the swing with ease, Zeb chuckled. "Rayha told me you were a bit jumpy."

It took Kallus a few moments to realize where he was and what had happened over the past few days. As he gathered his senses, Kallus gave Zeb a weary smile. "Thank you for the heads up."

"If ya need anything, let me know. We'll be landing in around 5 minutes. Hera and Rayha are in the cockpit." Zeb gave him a couple of pats on the shoulder before exiting the room.

Alexsandr stared at the doors where Zeb had walked out for a few moments, still working on processing everything. He got up slowly, grabbing his head. He didn't realize it until now, but he's had one hell of a headache for the past few days. Luckily, there was a sink on the opposite side of the room. Sluggishly, Kallus turned on the hot water and rinsed his face. He stood there for a while, leaning on the vanity and letting the hot steam caress his face. Taking a final deep inhale, he turned the water off and dried his face.

With one last look around, he left the cabin and headed towards the cockpit.

"Sleep well?" Rayha asked as he walked through the threshold.

"For the most part." He responded, well aware that his exhaustion still shone through in his voice. They rode the rest of the way through the atmosphere in silence, watching the jungle planet get gradually closer. Hera gave the clearance codes to the ground staff and landed the ship in the spot they had been assigned.

The three of them waited in the cockpit for a moment, watching as the rest of the rebels filed out of the ship and towards the base. Rebel headquarters appeared to be located in some sort of ancient temple, with jungle vines hanging low, swinging in the slight breeze. It was quite bigger than he had expected; he knew the Empire downplayed the rebellion and publicly insisted that it was nothing more than a few fanatic zealots, but it was obviously much, much more. He felt a small smile raise to his lips. Maybe, we - the rebellion - have a chance after all.

Rising from the copilot chair, Rayha walked up to him, grabbing his shoulder and gently spinning him around towards the cockpit door. "Let's get you situated and cleaned up." She said with a warm smile.

With a final nod of gratitude to Hera, he followed Rayha out of the cockpit. The two of them walked in silence, but a comfortable silence, with both deep in thought. As they exited the Ghost, Kallus realized just how hot it was on Yavin 4. He should have assumed, his time with the Empire sent him to countless planets with all different climates, and usually the jungle one's were hot, but this sticky hot was miserable. Better here than on a Star Destroyer, he thought grimly.

They had landed at the far edge of the landing field. As they walked towards the main temple, many of the pilots and ground crew nodded or gave salutes to the General. Kallus, on the other hand, tried his best to keep his head down, just like he did when he first entered the Ghost. So instead, he focused on the base itself. It was sticky, warm, and full of greenery. There was a constant, low hum of animal chatter coming from the jungle, which was thick with purple- barked trees and vines. It smelled of fuel and rubber, as the pilots and other personnel made repairs on various flight crafts and speeders.

As he looked around, he realized that the only other Spectres he saw were Zeb and Hera. Taking a couple slightly larger steps to catch up with Rayha, he asked, "Where's Kanan, Ezra, and Sabine?"

"The other Mandalorians; the ones that helped blow up that Interdictor cruiser? They were from Clan Wren, and they've got quite the civil war going on." She paused for a moment to think about what to say next. "Mandalore is in chaos, with the Mandalore loyalists on one side and the Imperial loyalists on the other. They're fighting for control, and I guess Sabine's father is caught in the middle. They left for Krownest while you were resting. I plan to join them when I finish getting you and the other refugees settled."