Star Wars Rebels - Lost

Chapter Nineteen: The Fate of the Galaxy

Ezra and Sabine charged along the walkway, a canvas of destruction raging on beneath them. Ezra's plan to blow the hangar had certainly worked, it had prevented any more droid fighters from launching and sent a clear message to Thrawn, the rebels were on their way. Now all they had to do was fight their way up to him.
"We have to find a turbolift" Sabine stated as they continued to run along. By now, the Munificent would almost be within range of the New Republic fleet, they had to disable its weapons systems and soon.
"I know, I think I can see one over there" Ezra responded, gesturing to a white object in the distance. Sabine followed his gaze and nodded her head, they both increased their speed. It would be a tragedy to come this far, to make this many sacrifices, only to fail at this point. The metal walkway creaked with every step that they took, its supports had no doubt been damaged in the explosion, it was a miracle that it was still holding steady. They were close now. The turbolift was only a few metres away, and with it, their route to murdering Thrawn, once and for all. But, of course, those last few steps towards the elevator would be the most difficult. As they neared their objective, a smaller explosion echoed beneath them, marking the end of the supports. The walkway behind them began to crumble and fall into the flames, and Sabine felt herself trip over some debris, collapsing down. Ezra stopped and skidded around to help her, a look of panic on his face as he saw the walkway begin to fall. He slid along the ground, now lying flat down, and grabbed her hand just as the path beneath her gave way. She was left hanging, with only his hand preventing her from falling into a fiery death.
"I got you...I got you" he repeated, as if consoling himself as well as her. But after his initial second of relief, fear began to set in as the walkway beneath him also started creaking dangerously. With a burst of energy, he attempted to pull Sabine up, but this only caused the ground beneath him to grow even more unsteady. Both of their lives were now hanging in the balance, their odds of survival decreasing exponentially with every second.
"Ezra...just go...kill Thrawn...end this" The Mandalorian said quietly. It hardly her ideal solution, but she would be honoured to die for the New Republic, especially if it put that kriffing admiral one step closer to his grave. But her friend was reluctant.
"I...I can't..." he stuttered. He knew what she was trying to do, he knew what she was suggesting was the right thing to do, he would survive to save many more lives, and she would die heroically. But he couldn't do it, not her.
"Ezra please...if you don't, then we'll both die...go!" she shouted to him, her helmet had thrown aside, stood on the ground next to him, and he could see the tears rolling down her face now. But he refused, he wasn't about to lose her, anyone but her.
"I can't...you're...you're everything..." he said, he knew it sounded corny, but it was the truth. He felt like a hollow shell without her, and he wasn't about to lose her. She looked up at him with an indescribable look, as if she was amazed, scared and happy at the same time, an influx of emotions. With all of the strength his arms could muster, Ezra dragged Sabine onto the walkway, causing it to creak and lower dramatically. The ground they stood on was now hanging on by a thread. Sabine wanted to embrace him, there and then, with the flames all around them. Hell, it would make for a dramatic moment, but there was no time. She grabbed her helmet off the ground, sliding it onto her head, and nodded at Ezra.
"On the count of three" Bridger said "one...two...three!" With that, they both simultaneously leapt for the nearby turbolift, hand in hand as the walkway collapsed beneath them. The time they spent flying through the air felt like an eternity, flames beneath them and uncertainty filling their minds. If they were to die, then at least they would die together. And then, in a second, they landed.

Meanwhile, in the space above Jakku, a desperate battle was taking place. Losses were heavy on both sides, and just above the atmosphere of the planet, Phantom Leader was flying around in his X-Wing shooting down all manner of tie fighters. The ace pilot was one of the Rebellion's finest, having been recruited after a tense mission had saved him from the imperial Skystrike Academy. Ever since that day, he'd fought the Empire in the most significant conflicts such as the Battle of Yavin, the Battle of Hoth and even the Battle of Endor. His record was remarkable, and he'd have a few more kills to add to the list by the time this day was done.
"Phantom Leader, you've got a bug on your back. Lemme swat him for you" the pilot's friend, Temmin, said over the comms. At that moment, a second X-Wing flew across his screen and blasted through a tie that had been a persistent pain in the ass for the last few minutes.
"Nice one kid" Phantom Leader commented down the comms, before flying upwards himself and taking a few shots at the life support systems of the closest star destroyer. This battle had been going on for days now, and every few hours the pilot would be forced to return to a friendly cruiser to refuel and repair his ship. Those were the boring moments, he adored the cockpit, and as he shot down another two tie fighters in a daring move he thought to himself that he could die happily now, in space, knowing that he was fighting for a greater cause. It seemed as though this wish would come sooner than he thought, however, as a trio of tie interceptors suddenly rushed in out of nowhere and tailed him. Their shots came thick and fast, and the pilot's droid had to work overtime, deploying no end of countermeasures and boosts to the fighter's shields just to keep it in the air. No matter what the pilot did, he just couldn't shake these bogies.
"Temmin! I've got a trio on my tail! I need help over here!" he shouted down the comms as one blast shook his cockpit violently.
"I'm sorry boss, I'm cut off, I can't get to you" his friend responded over the comms. This could be it. Phantom Leader closed his eyes as the shots began to penetrate his fighter's armour, preparing for the worst. But suddenly, another ship cut across his axis, blowing the interceptors to hell in one fell swoop. It was no X-Wing. The pilot opened his eyes and saw a familiar shape pass his cockpit. He smiled in disbelief as he recognised his saviour, the Ghost, a freighter piloted by a very old friend of his.
"General Syndulla. Thanks for the assist...I thought you were off duty, ma'am" the pilot said down the comms, patching into the Ghost's frequency.
"That's a negative Wedge, if General Skywalker's assumptions are right...then I've got a duty to be here. An old friend of ours might just have come back" Hera responded in an almost excited tone.
"Copy that ma'am, looks like the space here is getting kind of crowded. I'm going to take my squadron down into the atmosphere, start probing the imperials' air to space defences. Good luck. Temmin, follow my lead" Wedge stated, flying straight down towards the planet. In the cockpit of the Ghost, Hera smiled with anticipation, she truly hoped that Skywalker was right. Having Ezra back would be like having the family back together, she just wondered if he was still in one piece.