Star Wars: Starkiller

As we prepared for the mission, an unsettling foreboding began to form within me, like a persistent shadow whispering warnings. However, I dismissed it with a sigh, used by now to this feeling often accompanying me when working with this group.

"How are we doing?" asked Kanan as he entered the room from the main corridor of the ship, his casual tone contrasting with the tension in the atmosphere.

"Well, Chopper already has the data spike. We just need to get it into the tower, and he'll be able to upload it directly into the computer core from any terminal," Sabine explained as she adjusted her equipment.

"WO-WO-WO-WO!" expressed Chopper in a distinctly whiny tone, protesting his role in the mission.

"Stop complaining, bolt brain. You've got the easiest job," Zeb spat at him with a sly grin.

"What's the range of the spike?" asked Kanan, ignoring the petty argument.

"As long as the tower is transmitting, we're ready. Everyone will be able to hear what we say..... well, at least those who are paying attention. Once the spike is up, we'll give the signal," Sabine replied calmly.

"And then I'll pick them up with the Phantom," Hera added from the command console.

"That's the plan," Kanan stated.

"And things always go according to plan, don't they?" commented Ezra, his tone infused with a sarcasm that barely concealed his discomfort. Kanan stared at him, catching the emotional charge behind his words.

"What's wrong with you?" asked Kanan, his eyes scrutinizing the young man.

"Nothing." Ezra replied, curtly.

"Let's walk," Kanan said simply, before leading Ezra toward the outside of the ship. We all watched them depart in silence, even me.

---

"What's on your mind?" asked Kanan as they both stopped to watch the reddish Lothal sunset from a small hillock next to the ship.

"I'm just not sure we should go through with this. Besides, nothing seems to be going my way lately," Ezra confessed, his words laden with frustration.

"What do you mean?" inquired Kanan, cocking his head curiously. Ezra hesitated for a moment, as if considering keeping his thoughts to himself, but in the end he let them out.

"Galen and Sabine are together," he finally blurted out, looking down at the floor. Kanan looked at him in surprise before letting out a sigh of recognition.

"Ah, so that was it. Easy, kid, there are plenty of other girls besides Sabine out there," Kanan replied with a half-smile, trying to ease the tension.

"It's not just that," Ezra replied with a sharper, almost annoyed tone. "Until recently I had an idealized image of my parents, as tireless freedom fighters. But after what happened with Trayvis, and with what Galen said, I can't help but think that I lost them to something that really wasn't worth it. I don't want to lose you guys to the same thing too," Ezra confessed, letting his vulnerability come out.

"Hey, hey, kid, you know Galen wasn't serious that time," Kanan tried to comfort him.

"It sure sounded like it to me," Ezra replied firmly, crossing his arms. Kanan watched him seriously, considering his words carefully.

"Look, all of us have lost important things. And we're going to face more losses before this is over. But we can't let that stop us from taking risks. We have to keep moving forward. And when the time comes, we have to be ready to sacrifice something for a greater purpose," Kanan said, his voice calm but full of conviction.

"That sounds good, but it's not that easy," Ezra replied, though his tone had lost some of its hardness.

"It's not easy for me either. My teacher tried to teach me this, but I don't think I really understood it until now, while I'm trying to teach it to you. I guess you and I are learning these things together," Kanan replied with a warm smile, managing to pull a faint smile from Ezra and dispelling, at least for now, the growing shadow inside him.

---

Once we were fully prepared, making sure to maintain my disguise by grabbing Oppo Rancisis' ancient lightsaber, we hopped into the speeders and headed for the Imperial base. The highway in front of us became a wake of speed and wind, the sound of engines filling the air as the target became visible on the horizon. As we drew closer, the imposing silhouette of the Communications Tower loomed as a tangible threat.

Sabine was the first to act. With calculated precision, she skidded her speeder near the base, nimbly dismounting and placing a detonator in one of the outlying structures. The explosion echoed loudly, sending a plume of smoke into the sky and unleashing chaos among the stormtroopers. The distraction was perfect. As the Imperial stormtroopers tried to regain control, Sabine and Chopper took the opportunity to infiltrate the base, leaving the rest of us to handle the direct combat.

I jumped off the speeder with a Force-amplified boost, landing on a trooper and knocking him down instantly. Before the nearest trooper could react, I kicked him with enough force to send him into a wall. All around me, my teammates fought with similar skill, each making sure to quickly eliminate any resistance. Within minutes, we had taken control of the Communications Tower.

While Kanan and Sabine worked inside to hack the signal, the rest of us remained outside, on the lookout for any Imperial reinforcements. And it didn't take long for them to arrive. We saw them first as dark dots in the sky, Imperial transports descending rapidly, followed by ground vehicles advancing toward our position.

"Kanan, we have company!" shouted Ezra, his voice full of urgency as I unsheathed the lightsaber of Rancisis, the blue glow of the weapon illuminating my face.

Kanan rushed out of the tower, his eyes darting across the horizon. "This can't be. How did they get here so fast?" he asked, clearly surprised.

"Isn't it obvious? They were waiting for us," I replied, my neutral tone barely masking my frustration. However, before I could add anything more, a sharp pain pierced through my mind. I raised a hand to my head, my expression betraying the shock of what I was feeling. Both Kanan and Ezra turned toward me, alarmed.

"Galen, are you alright?" Kanan asked with concern. But before I could respond, he froze, his gaze fixed on something above us.

"No..." I murmured, my voice barely a whisper as a familiar, cold, and oppressive sensation filled the air. "I feel a presence. A presence I haven't felt since… Master," I said, my eyes widening as the source of my unease revealed itself.

A TIE Fighter descended slowly, its lights glaring down on us. From the craft emerged a figure clad in black armor, their cape billowing in the wind. A crimson lightsaber crackled in their hand, illuminating their silhouette like a living threat. Their mechanical voice echoed, unmistakable and chilling.

"At last, we meet again, my apprentice."

I frowned, my hands tightening around my lightsaber as the reality of his presence sank in. Vader was here.