Stowaway: A Star Wars Rebels Story

Close Encounter

Sato abruptly adjourned the debriefing, deciding that he would look over the data alone first, hoping to find patterns within the information we stole. I wasn't satisfied, however. I had to know more. "Hera, wait. What do you know of this?" I asked. "Ezra and I saw him on Ryloth. Strategic, detail-oriented, never leaves a stone unturned. Perfect for one of the most notorious men in the galaxy," she responded. "Is it that bad?" I wondered. "Worse than bad," Hera said. If this is true, our Rebellion could be in serious trouble. Why didn't he attack us now? No idea. But I can't think about that. Or the other thing that just crossed my mind. "But why the wormhole specifically? And...does that mean I have to go home sooner?" I asked. Shit, I shouldn't have asked that. "I don't know, Y/N. I really don't," Hera said. She sounded very unsettled, and I couldn't blame her sudden mood change. Even though we acquired valuable data, the threat of something greater loomed large, and that worried us a lot. "Just get some rest, okay?" "Okay," I answered. I walked back to the Ghost with Sabine by my side until we got to her cabin. "Sleep well," she said. "You too," I replied. We pecked each other's lips before she closed the door. I went to the galley and filled a cup of blue milk to quench my thirst. I quickly drank it, then retreated to my cabin, falling into a deep sleep. My sleep was not peaceful, however. In reality, it was far from it. This Thrawn guy sounded like the biggest obstacle to everything we hoped to achieve. As if everything wasn't already hard enough.

A few days later

Ezra, Kanan, Chopper, and I were crouched on a roof on the outskirts of Lothal's Capital City. Our contact, Ryder, needed us for a crucial mission, but he sent us a little ways away from his base. I understood why, though. Keeping a low profile is necessary for the long-term survival of the rebellion. Ezra stared in the direction of Capital City, looking a little disturbed. "Look at all those ships. Ryder said it was bad, but this is worse than bad. Lothal is my home, guys. I can't stand seeing it like this," he said. "So let's do something about it," Kanan responded. "Agreed. Let's hope he gets here soon. I fear time may not be on our side," I added. Even though I infiltrated an Imperial academy not too long ago, I never saw this many Star Destroyers this close together before. Something felt different. My train of thought was lost when I heard blasts from behind me. "There he is, and he's been spotted," Ezra alerted. I saw a speeder getting chased by two bikes and shot at by a walker. We took this as a signal and ran to get a better drop point. "Hurry! Get on!" Ryder shouted. We jumped down and landed on the speeder. Ezra and Kanan got on the thrusters, Chopper took the seat, and I had to settle for the little room the middle of the speeder offered. "Look out! Blockade!" Ezra spotted. A turret was firing at us, somehow missing the big target that was our mode of transportation. I shot right at the stormtrooper, removing the threat. We weren't able to take out the bikes, though. As the walker started shooting, we realized there wasn't much space to evade it. Ryder had the perfect countermove, tilting the speeder to almost 90 degrees. I held on tightly to the sides for support as Ezra and Kanan ignited their lightsabers, slicing through the walker's legs as we made our escape out of the town.

"Sure is nice to have you all back on Lothal," Ryder cheered. "I think you're the only one who feels that way, Ryder," Kanan rebutted. We weren't out of the woods yet as the two bikes from before chased us down. The speeder accelerated, but the Empire was still hot on our tail. "Uh, what's the plan? We can't outrun these guys," Ezra stated the obvious. "Don't need to. Just have to get them up to 190," Ryder answered. "Does this thing go up to 190?" Kanan questioned. "Sometimes, think fast thoughts," Ryder said, avoiding the question. I kept shooting at the pilots while Ezra and Kanan deflected their shots. One blaster bolt got through and hit our speeder, slowing us down slightly. Chopper grunted in frustration despite this setback not seeming to affect us too much at the moment. "I'm thinking fast thoughts! Nothing's happening!" I said impatiently. "Keep watching," Ryder replied. I watched intently as one of the bikes overheated, and then exploded. I landed a shot on the last pilot's bike, sending it flying out of the road. "So what's your trick?" I wondered. "Those bikes are from the Imperial factory. I have people from the inside who build them to break," Ryder said. "You infiltrated their assembly line? I'm impressed," Kanan complimented. "That's a perfect cover-up to do some serious damage," Ezra agreed. "Wish I could take the credit. The idea came from an old friend of yours," Ryder said, pulling us off the road and into the grasslands.