Starbound: A brother's journey

The Siege of Lothal

On Lothal, Minister Maketh Tua and Agent Kallus of the Imperial Security Bureau discuss the steps that Tua is taking so the planetary government can locate the rebels. Though Tua has increased security and instituted a planetary curfew, she correctly believes that the rebels have already left Lothal and that such draconian measures will not be effective. Kallus counters that Tarkin wants results, given that his own personal Star Destroyer had been destroyed by the Rebels. The conversation is interrupted by the arrival of Darth Vader, a Dark Lord of the Sith and the Emperor's top enforcer, who tells her that if the rebels have left Lothal then they need to be drawn back so the Empire can find them. Tua expresses reservations, and the Dark Lord tells her that she can relay her concerns to Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin, Governor of the Outer Rim Territories, who has commanded her to visit him and account for her failures. Tua is terrified, likely from the memory of Tarkin's execution of Cumberlayne Aresko and Taskmaster Grint, who had also failed on various occasions.

The crew of the Ghost returns to the command ship, Phoenix Home, where Commander Sato commends them for their work in securing fuel for the fleet in the raid; despite intelligence reports to the contrary, however, there were no shield generators aboard the Imperial freighter. The Ghost crew's astromech droid, C1-10P—nicknamed Chopper—arrives on in the command center carrying an urgent message. Kanan Jarrus, the crew's leader, purposefully ignores fleet protocol and orders Chopper to play the message, but Syndulla interjects "Cloak us with a one way transmission Chop." The message is a holographic transmission from the Ithorian proprietor of a rebel safe haven on Lothal. "Hey it's old Jho!" The twins called. Jho then presented Minister Tua to the rebels. Tua believes her life is in danger and asks the rebels for help in defecting from the Empire, and she offers vital Imperial information in exchange for their assistance—including the names of rebel sympathizers on Lothal and nearby star systems, as well as intelligence regarding the Empire's true mission on Lothal, a mission ordered by the Emperor himself. There is some disagreement amongst the crew as to whether they should undertake the mission, but Ezra and Nick Bridger, Jarrus' Padawans, insist that they help her. Jarrus, Syndulla, and Commander Ahsoka Tano all agree, and Sato approves the mission.

Having seen what the Clone Wars did to the galaxy, Jarrus says "I don't want to fight another war.
Jarrus leaves the command center and is followed by Syndulla, who lectures him about the breach of protocol in the command center. He is bothered by the fact that their once-ragtag crew is now involved in a military operation and wants the crew to leave the rebellion, allowing the crew to return to their previous mission of robbing from the Empire and giving to those in need. Syndulla reminds him "We are fighting a bigger fight." but Jarrus, as a survivor of the Clone Wars and the ensuing Great Jedi Purge, does not want to fight another war after what the last one did to the galaxy and to him. Unbeknownst to either of them, the twins had overheard this exchange.

Meanwhile, as the rebels prepare for their operation, Tua leaves her office in the Imperial complex in Capital City. Agent Kallus, suspecting her treason, orders a probe droid to follow her and record her movements.

The rebels board a Star Commuter 2000 shuttle that is docked with the rebel fleet, choosing to leave the Ghost behind under the assumption that the Empire can track it after it was involved in a battle with the Empire over the planet Mustafar. While en route to Lothal, they discuss their plan to rendezvous with Minister Tua in Capital City, where she is scheduled to leave on a shuttle to meet with Governor Tarkin. The rebels soon arrive on Lothal, and the Star Commuter shuttle is given clearance to pass the heavy presence of Star Destroyers in orbit. Kayla notes the increased number of Star Destroyers once they land, having never seen so many Imperial warships in the skies above Capital City in his many years of living on the planet. Garazeb Orrelios and Chopper are ordered to stay behind with the Star Commuter in case the rebels need to make a quick exit.