Stowaway: A Star Wars Rebels Story

Race Against Time

After an anxiety-filled flight, our crew finally returned to the Clan Wren stronghold to be briefed on how to save Sabine's father. As I exited my ship, I saw the sun setting above the horizon, casting a breathtaking reflection upon the frozen lake. It struck me then that this might be the last sunset I see in this galaxy. I immersed myself within nature's beauty for a moment, feeling the need to cherish it. It's the little things like those that make life so precious at times, even in the midst of chaos. Someone tapped me on the shoulder, snapping me out of my trance. I turned around to see who it was, and not surprisingly it was Sabine. "We have a job to do, remember?" she said. "I know," I replied, a little disappointed she wouldn't let me stay out here longer. There will be a lot of 'lasts,' but she was right. I have to focus on her mission. Her family graciously supported us. Now we would return the favor. Sabine and I joined the crew inside the throne room. "Now that everyone is present, I have an announcement to make," Ursa stated. Everyone stared at the Countess in anticipation. "Our spies have found my husband's location." This was big news, but we all nodded silently. Nobody dared interrupt her out of respect and loyalty. "We will depart to Mandalore in about an hour. Prepare yourselves," she said before walking away. The Mandalorians immediately retreated deeper within the stronghold to make their preparations for the journey. "Tristan," I called out. "You need something?" he asked. "The Gauntlet needs to be refueled. Can you bring out a tank?" I requested. "Sure, I'll meet you outside," Tristan answered. I motioned for Ezra to come with me. We left the stronghold and went inside my ship. "What do you need me for?" Ezra questioned. "Spot the fuel level on this thing. Let me know once it's full," I said before walking back down the ramp. Tristan and another Mandalorian were waiting under the ship. I plugged the fuel line into the tank as the Gauntlet began to refuel.

"Sabine has told me a lot about you," Tristan said. "She has?" I wondered. "Yeah, she really admires you," Tristan replied. "I do my best to make her happy," I said humbly. Sabine was, and still is, a little closed off. But she's changed so much since I met her. It hasn't been easy. But if she's happy, I'm happy. "Don't underestimate yourself, you know how good you are," the other Mandalorian responded. If only he knew of the rough patches we went through. "I guess you're right. But there's something else I need to-" "Y/N, the ship's tank is full," Ezra interrupted me through my comlink. "Thanks, Ezra," I said as I disconnected the fuel line. "Sabine told me to tell you she has a surprise for you," Tristan revealed. "What might that be?" I asked, curious as to what gift she might give. "Wouldn't be much of a surprise if we told you now, would it?" the other Mandalorian interjected. "Then I'll ask her," I decided. I went inside the stronghold, looking for Sabine's room. After wandering around, I couldn't find it, so I went to the throne room and turned on my comlink. "Sabine, where are you?" I asked. "I'm coming to you now," she replied. "Copy, thanks," I said. In the meantime, I cleaned my blaster and checked every attachment to make sure there were no defects. One by one, the members of Clan Wren and my crew returned to the throne room. They stood beside me, awaiting Ursa's orders. "Tristan told me you had a present for me," I whispered to Sabine. She looked taken aback at what I said. "I'll give it to you after the mission," she said, keeping my focus on the task at hand. The Countess finally emerged and stood in front of us once more. "We are leaving now," she announced. I don't know why we had to come back here just to leave. Formalities, I guess. We exited the stronghold and boarded the Gauntlet. It was a bit cramped because everyone from Clan Wren would take part in this mission. Sabine's father was obviously very important to her family. I took off and quickly left the atmosphere. "Countess, please punch in the coordinates to Mandalore," I requested. "Of course," Ursa replied, pressing some buttons on the dashboard. I inputted them to my hyperdrive and we jumped, ready to save Sabine's father.

The ride was unexpectedly short, only a few minutes away from Krownest. We dropped out and entered the Mandalorians' original and most pivotal world. Sabine guided me as I descended the atmosphere. The surface looked tan and barren, just like it did on Seelos, but far worse. Many cracks cut through the ground. Almost no structures were present for miles. No wildlife could survive these conditions. Life had to be brutal here. I directed my ship to the valley of a canyon within close proximity to our destination, which was an Imperial outpost. "This is as far as we can go without being detected," Ursa said. "Sabine, what's the plan?" Kanan asked. "Our team will break my father out while my mother's team will find help. Many of my people secretly oppose the Empire," Sabine explained. I was on the strike team, so I unfortunately had to leave my ship behind. "Can anyone fly one of these things?" I wondered. "I can," the Mandalorian pilot from earlier volunteered. I've seen him a lot. I might want to get his contact, just in case. "Appreciate it. We'll see you after the rescue," I said. Unfortunately for us, we had to make the rest of the journey on foot. The walk wasn't ridiculously long, but it certainly made the mission more tedious. Almost everyone left the Gauntlet as we began to inch closer to the outpost. "Sabine, how sure are we that your father is in there?" Ezra inquired. "According to my mother, our spies in the capital say he's here, and they've been right so far," Sabine said. "Doesn't it seem suspicious that the Empire would move your father so far from the capital?" Kanan questioned. "My father has many friends. He's not just important to me. The Empire probably locked him up out here to prevent someone from doing what we're about to do," Sabine reasoned. "That may be true, but I wouldn't put anything past these Saxon traitors," Rau chimed in. This ongoing civil war had made things difficult for them, and I definitely felt it. Clan Wren almost rejected our proposal during Thrawn's attack, and it took a good bit of convincing from Sabine to change their minds. Now that we were united again, we stood a much better chance of ousting Clan Saxon from power.