Dedicated to ZodiacV01

     That afternoon, Jedi Knight Kyra Kryze-Kenobi went in search of Sabine Wren, finding the young woman sitting on the top bunk in her colorful room. When Sabine looked up and saw Kyra, Kryze tried to speak, but discovered that she had lost the ability to form words. Kyra had hoped Sabine's family was able to escape the Purge of Mandalore, but the look on Wren's face confirmed what she had already known deep in her heart. Kyra joined Sabine on the top bunk and hugged her tightly, expecting Wren to pull away, though the young Mandalorian surprised her when she returned the embrace just as fiercely.

     As tears trickled down Wren's face, Kyra stroked her hair, taking a shaky breath as she whispered, "It's going to be okay, Sabine. There will be time for tears later, but right now, we need to make sure Lothal doesn't suffer the same fate as Mandalore. Can I count on you?"

     When Sabine nodded and wiped her tears away, Kyra gave Wren one last hug before heading off to help heal another broken heart. Kyra found General Hera Syndulla in the Jedi Knight's room and cleared her throat awkwardly, taking Kanan's lightsaber off her belt when Hera turned to face her.

     Kyra looked down at the saber in her hand and said, "This belongs to you. I thought about giving it to Ezra, but he has Kanan's teachings to remember him by. I'm sure you have your own way of remembering him, but I thought it might help to have something you can hold and touch when times get hard."

     Kyra handed Kanan Jarrus's lightsaber to Hera, who stared at it for a long moment before pulling Kenobi close and hugging her. When Ezra Bridger informed Kyra that Ryder Azadi and Alexsandr Kallus were transferring Governor Arihnda Pryce to the Ghost, Kryze sighed and met them outside, listening to the governor express her disgust at Kallus's betrayal.

     Kallus, who seemed amused by Pryce's anger, smirked and said, "The day I betrayed your Empire, Governor, was the day I finally stopped betraying myself."

     Pryce scoffed, "You've given up years of service, a promising career, prestige, for what? To join a band of failures who don't stand a chance."

     "I think we do," Kyra countered as she clasped her hands behind her back. "Especially with your help."

     When Pryce sneered and stated that she would never help the rebels, Kyra retorted, "I believe you will. Consider this your last act as Governor of Lothal. You're finally going to do the right thing and free your homeworld."

     "Why should I?" Pryce asked. "To help you feel better about your own world's decimation?"

     Kyra took a deep breath and counted to ten before taking her helmet off, tucking it in the crook of her arm as she locked eyes with Pryce, "I couldn't save my planet, or my people. But I can help Ezra save his. Now, you can either give me the information I need to know, or I will force it out of you. The choice is yours."

     When Pryce chose to remain silent, Kyra whistled, and the white Loth-wolf snarled as he appeared at her side a moment later. The large animal snapped his jaws as Pryce fell to the ground and tried to crawl away from the wolf, the governor cornering herself when she backed into Kyra's legs.

     Kyra placed her hands on her hips, "The way I see it, you have two options: One, my four-legged friend can show you what he did to your troops, or you can transmit the victory code, and we travel to the Capital as your prisoners. If the odds against us are as bad as you say, what do you have to lose?"

     "Fine. I'll do it," Pryce yielded. "Just call off your dog."

     Kyra smirked and led the governor to a pair of stolen LAAT gunships, where the rebels were preparing for their mission to the capital city. Ezra and Sabine had disguised themselves as scout troopers, Captain Rex had donned the traditional stormtrooper armor, and Kallus had changed into the uniform of an Imperial gunner. The rest of the team wore their regular clothes to keep up the pretense of having been captured. As Hera and Chopper piloted the patrol ships, Kyra grasped the handhold tightly, her knuckles turning white as she took in the burned landscape of Lothal beneath them.

     "Where were you when Mandalore fell?" Bo-Katan Kryze asked, her late aunt's voice once again accompanied by millions of screams.

     Kyra closed her eyes and tried to block out the voices, but that only made them louder. Even though it did not seem possible, her death grip tightened, only relaxing when she felt a hand on the small of her back.

     "We're coming up on the capital," Alex said quietly. "Are you alright?"

     Kyra nodded, and when Kallus arched an eyebrow to express his doubt, she ignored him and instructed Hera to head for the command center.

     Pryce's eyes widened, "You're going to attempt to launch the dome. Your plan is worse than I thought."

     "Mmm, bolder. You mean bolder and more creative than you thought," Ezra corrected.

     Kyra smirked as Kallus offered his comlink to the Governor, "Now, about those landing codes...And remember, I'll know if they're correct."

     "Gladly. The sooner we land, the sooner you will be my prisoners," Pryce claimed with a sneer as she took the comm. "Executive code six-two-seven-three-one-one."

     "Code's authorized, Governor. You're clear to land," an Imperial officer replied. "Security will take the prisoners on the platform."

     Once the LAAT gunships had landed, the rebels wearing disguises restrained Kyra, Garazeb Orrelios, Ryder, Hondo Ohnaka, Ketsu Onyo and Melch before leading them onto the landing platform. Hera and Chopper stayed aboard the patrol ships as Pryce led the procession, her cooperation ensured by Kallus, whose blaster was aimed at her lower back. When the security team moved to intercept the prisoners, Zeb broke out of his handcuffs and vaulted over Ezra, distracting the Imperials as he ran towards the complex. When the security team turned their backs on the prisoners, Ezra ignited his lightsaber and disarmed the nearest trooper before knocking the others off their feet.

     As the other stormtroopers on the platform opened fire, the rebels scattered and followed Zeb, who was holding the blast door open. Unfortunately, only Sabine and Ketsu were able to make it inside before Zeb was forced to let go of the door, the rest of the Phoenix Squadron taking cover behind a stack of containers. Kallus and Kyra managed to gun down a pair of stormtroopers, and Hera took care of the rest as she came running out of the gunship, Chopper following close on her heels. Once Ketsu had unlocked the door, the rebels followed her and Sabine to the command center while Zeb, Melch, and Hondo stayed behind to create a diversion.

     On Hondo's signal, the rebels broke into the command center and found the Imperials shooting at Melch, who was climbing up the side of the dome. He smiled and slid off the glass as the officers realized they had been set up, the outnumbered Imperials quickly dropping their blasters and raising their hands in surrender. As Sabine jammed the complex's comm channels and Ryder led Pryce into the command center, Ezra instructed Rex to secure the captive Imperials in the storage closet.

     Zeb locked the command center's blast door as Governor Pryce stated, "It's only a matter of time before you're discovered. You can't hope to defeat my forces."

     "Defeat them? Not planning to," Sabine countered. "But we do want them all in the dome."

     When Kallus suggested utilizing Protocol 13, Kyra explained, "The Empire's new order, for the immediate recall of all personnel to the base for a full evacuation."

     "Once they're all inside, we'll launch, and it'll be goodbye to the Empire," Ryder added.

     Hera nodded as she pulled out her comlink, "Spectre-Two to base. We're in, and we've taken the dome. Wait for me to signal for pickup."

     "Acknowledged, Spectre-Two," Commander Wolffe, who was back at the Ghost with Cikatro Vizago and Jai Kell, replied. "Nice work. We're standing by."

     When Sabine informed Kallus that she had opened a comm channel for him, he declared, "Attention, all personnel. Protocol Thirteen is now in effect. Report to your action stations immediately. Repeat. Protocol Thirteen is in effect."

     "Hangar Two-Seven to Command. Please confirm lockdown order," an officer requested, suspicion lacing his voice.

     "Command center to all units. The order is confirmed," Kallus verified, but the officer was still skeptical and asked for the former ISB agent's sector authorization.

     Ryder silently gestured for Kallus to step away from the console and said, "This is ISB Colonel Yularen. I am executing override code Base Gamma Zero."

     "Imperial security? I was unaware ISB was involved," the officer said.

     "That is the point of this exercise," Ryder improvised.

     After a brief hesitation, the officer asked, "Then this is a drill?"

     "Is it?" Ryder countered with a smirk. "And do you always question the orders of a superior officer?"

     The Imperial cleared his throat, "Proceeding with Protocol Thirteen immediately."

     Ezra smiled as Kallus reported, "All units have returned to their duty stations, and the dome is now secure."

     As Hera started the launch cycle and Sabine activated the self-destruct sequence, Hondo asked, "We do have a way off this thing before it explodes...right?"

     "That's where the Ghost comes in to pick us up," Hera answered as she turned back to the console. "These thrusters haven't been fired in years. Gonna take time to prime them."

     As she spoke, a shadow loomed over the dome and darkened the command center, Kyra's heart sinking as she looked up and saw the Chimaera overhead.

     "You're too late," Pryce said smugly as Hera quickly terminated the launch cycle.

     When Ketsu stated that they could not just stay in place, Kyra replied, "Thrawn is holding position directly overhead. If we launch the dome, we'll crash into his ship and destroy the entire city."

     Ezra asked Chopper to hail the grand admiral, and when a holographic version of Thrawn appeared, he declared, "Governor Pryce is our prisoner, and we have complete control of the Imperial Dome, with every trooper, pilot, and officer trapped inside. You failed, Thrawn. Leave Lothal, and we might let your troops out before we blow the dome to pieces."

     The grand admiral sighed, "Are you quite finished? If you truly wish to save Lothal, Commander Bridger, the only term I'll accept is your immediate and unconditional surrender."

     Ezra arched an eyebrow, "Why would I surrender when I hold your entire army prisoner?"

     "No, you've simply moved my assets to a safe position so that I can bombard the civilians of your home without incurring Imperial casualties," Thrawn clarified.

     When Sabine told Rex to raise the planetary shields, he stated, "The generators just went offline. Someone's engaged the manual override at the power terminals."

     "Your shield generator is under my control," Thrawn explained. "Just so you understand that my intentions are genuine, I shall demonstrate my power. Open fire."

     A moment later, Thrawn's aerial bombardment sent men, women, and children running for cover as buildings were turned to rubble. Kyra covered her mouth with her hand as the other rebels watched in horror, stunned silent by the grand admiral's arrogance and cruel display of power. When Ezra surrendered, pleading for the grand admiral to stop, Thrawn turned to one of his officers and nodded.

     "I await your arrival," he said. "And make no mistake, come alone. If you attempt any heroics, I will resume the bombardment and destroy your city as thoroughly as Mandalore was destroyed."

     As Kyra's fists clenched at her side, Thrawn turned to face her, "Agent Gideon of the Imperial Security Bureau was careless in his execution of your people. If I had carried out the operation, not one Mandalorian would have survived, regardless as to whether they were on the ill-fated planet or not."

     Before Kyra or Sabine could reply, Thrawn ended the transmission and left the command center in silence. After a moment, when Ezra handed his lightsaber to Chopper, Hera placed a hand on his shoulder and stopped him.

     "Ezra...I understand that you think you need to do this, but..." Hera began, failing to finish her thought.

     "This is what I was meant to do," Ezra claimed, but Hera insisted that there was always another way and ordered him to remain in the dome.

     Ezra hesitated, then sighed and asked, "All right, if this isn't the way, then what is?"

     As the rebels gathered around the main console and discussed their limited options, Ezra glanced at Sabine, then Kyra.

     Both women nodded, and Sabine distracted the others as she suggested, "We should use the primary schematic if we're going to find a way to raise the shield. We need to take control of the power terminals."

     As Sabine spoke, Kyra opened the hatch to a ventilation shaft in the ceiling.

     "How do we get past all the Imperials we've locked in here with us?" Zeb asked as Ezra disappeared unnoticed, sneaking out of the command center to face Grand Admiral Thrawn.

     "We can bypass the upper barracks levels using the executive turbolifts," Kallus answered.

     Hera nodded, "So, we got a plan to get the shield up. The trick is to pull it off before Thrawn loses patience."

     Kyra grimaced when Hera turned to ask Ezra for his opinion, only realizing that the boy was no longer there as one of the LAAT gunships flew towards the grand admiral's Star Destroyer.

     Syndulla pulled out her comlink, but before she could contact Bridger, Sabine placed a hand on her shoulder, "Hera, we have to trust him. The best way we can help is to get that shield up, so when Ezra makes his move, we're ready. We have to assume the generator room will be well-guarded, so we'll need two teams to hit it from different sides if we're gonna capture both power terminals. That is, if you agree, Hera."

     Hera sighed, a small smile appearing on her lips as she admitted, "It's a good plan. The best chance we've got."

     When Chopper informed the rebels that a squadron of stormtroopers were approaching the command center, Pryce smirked, "It appears my troops have decided your drill is over."

     With a boost from Zeb, Melch climbed into the same ventilation shaft that Ezra had used, landing in front of the troopers when he dropped out of the duct on the other side of the door. The sound of blasterfire informed the rebels that Melch had succeeded in distracting the stormtroopers, and they opened the blast door to find the Ugnaught making quick work of the Imperials three times his size.

     Turning to the others, Sabine said, "Rex, Hondo, and Ketsu, you take the north tower. Kyra, Kallus, Zeb, Gregor, you take the south. I'll talk you through it from here."

     Kyra put her helmet on and drew her twin blasters, "Let's go, rebels."

     Kyra led her squadron into the hallway, the two teams splitting up and quickly running into Imperial reinforcements.

     A few minutes later, when Hera asked if Kyra's team had made it to their power terminal, Zeb answered, "We're heading towards Sector GL-forty-four, but you know that plan we had to trap all these stormtroopers in the dome? It just occurred to me, we're trapped with all these stormtroopers in this dome!"

     As nine troopers came charging around the corner, Kyra shouted, "Go! I can get you a clear path to the shield generator."

     Both Zeb and Gregor nodded before running down the hallway, but Alex hesitated.

     Kyra rested her forehead against his for a brief moment and said, "That wasn't a request."

     She pushed him backwards with the Force before closing the blast door behind her and turning to face the stormtroopers. Kyra holstered her blasters and held up her hands, smirking when the troopers fell for her trap and drew nearer, under the impression that she was surrendering. When they were close enough, she used the Force to knock the first four Imperials off their feet. As the other troopers raised their blasters, she ignited her lightsaber, holding a WESTAR-35 pistol in one hand and her saber in the other. She stabbed the fifth trooper in the chest, shot the sixth and seventh, kicked the eighth between his legs, and stabbed the final trooper in the abdomen.

     Kyra holstered her pistol and ran towards the cavernous room containing the shield generator, Kallus shooting the trooper who had been on her heels as she sprinted through the blast door, finding the rebels under heavy fire. Below, Rex, Ketsu Onyo, and Hondo Ohnaka were manually extending a bridge that would connect their tower to the power terminal, the metal ramp slowly stretching as the rebels continued to exchange fire with the Imperials.

     "Even with that bridge extended, there's just too many of them!" Kallus stated, reading Kyra's thoughts.

     "We're gonna have to do something drastic," Gregor added, and Zeb took his suggestion to heart, leaping off the tower and tackling the reptilian assassin who had seemingly escaped their base unscathed.

     The less than mentally stable clone gasped, "He's crazy!"

     "Well, it was your idea. Come on!" Kallus replied, leading Gregor and Kyra across the bridge, the three rebels gunning down several technicians as they went.

     As they reached the power terminal and began to reactivate the shield generators, Kyra heard someone mutter, "Die, traitorous scum."

     When Kyra turned and saw the technician who had survived the fire fight aim his blaster at Kallus, she shielded Alex with her body, the shot finding her left shoulder instead of his chest thanks to the fact that she was six inches shorter than the ex-Imperial. Even as Gregor shot the technician, the Imperial fired off multiple rounds, one catching Gregor in the chest and another hitting Kyra's right leg. As Kyra cried out and fell to her knees, Gregor pushed the technician off the terminal, groaning as he collapsed. Kallus tried to help the clone to his feet, but Gregor shoved him away and told him to check on Kyra, who assured Alex that she was fine.

     As Kallus helped Kyra to her feet, Sabine said, "Guys, now or never."

     "Now," Kyra answered, waiting for Kallus's signal to activate the shield generators.

     When Kallus was sure Zeb had made his way onto one of the platforms that sat above the power conduits – Orrelios having trapped Thrawn's assassin between a pair of metal bars – he turned to Kyra and nodded, Kenobi lifting the lever and electrocuting the reptile when she activated the shields. Kyra limped over to Gregor and knelt beside the fallen clone, clutching his hand as Rex ran over and joined them.

     His breathing labored, Captain Gregor said, "It was an honor to serve with you, Rex. It was an honor to fight with you for something that we chose to believe in."

     "We did it, Gregor. We did it," Rex replied, managing to smile as his brother's hand went limp.

     Rex closed his eyes and took a deep breath as Kyra hugged him, both rebels forced to bury their emotions because there was still work to be done. With Kallus's help, Kyra limped back to the command center just in time to see a herd of purrgil wrapping their tentacles around Thrawn's Star Destroyer.

     "They're about to jump into hyperspace!" Sabine claimed as the purrgil began to glow.

     Hera grabbed her comlink and frantically said, "Ezra! Ezra, get out of there right now! That's an order."

     "Hera, I have to see this through to the end," Ezra replied quietly.

     "Ezra, please! Get out of there!" Sabine pleaded, but Bridger had made up his mind.

     "I can't do that," Ezra stated quietly. "It's up to all of you now. And remember, the Force will be with you, always."

     The rebels fell silent as the purrgil made the jump to lightspeed, bringing Grand Admiral Thrawn and Ezra with them, as well as the entire Imperial fleet.

     After several moments, Wolffe asked, "Um...Was that the plan? Because we're all clear up here. There are no Imperial ships left."

     "This is our chance," Sabine whispered before turning to the others. "You heard Ezra. Let's finish this! Chopper, prime the thrusters for launch! We're gonna blow this place."

     Kyra stumbled as the Imperial complex's thrusters engaged and the immense dome lifted into the air. A squadron of stormtroopers broke through the blast door and opened fire, desperately trying to make a last stand but quickly being shot down by the rebels, who climbed onto the exterior of the complex when Kyra cut through the glass with her lightsaber. When a few of the troopers tried to follow the rebels, Commander Wolffe shot them down from the gunner's seat below the cockpit of the Ghost.

     The rebels boarded the Ghost without Governor Arihnda Pryce, and Hera sat in the pilot's seat as she said, "It's gaining altitude over the sea. It's all you, Sabine."

     Sabine took a deep breath and triggered the detonation sequence she had set in the command center, "For Kanan and Ezra."

     The dome's thrusters exploded, the chain reaction tearing the entire Imperial complex apart and erasing the Empire's presence on Lothal.

     "Rex, bring up every star chart along Ezra's last known trajectory," Hera instructed, but before he could do so, Chopper rolled into the cockpit and activated a message that Bridger had left for his family and friends.

     "If you're watching this recording, then I owe you an explanation," Ezra began. "There were several paths in front of me. While this wasn't the one I wanted to take, it's what I had to do. That's something Kanan taught me. I'm going to miss you all. Zeb, you can have the top bunk back. For now. Hera, I, uh, left a meiloorun in your cabin. I hope it's still your favorite. Kyra, you helped me realize that there were multiple ways to win a battle. Don't stop fighting. And Sabine, don't forget—"

     "Right, you're counting on me," Sabine Wren muttered as Ezra repeated the same words. "But for what?"

     "I couldn't have wished for a better family. I can't wait to come home," Ezra Bridger finished, his hologram disappearing as a hush fell over the crew of the Ghost.

     As the rebels shared curious glances, Captain Rex said, "Not to kill the moment, but the Empire won't just let us keep this planet. We need to prepare for how we're going to fight back."

     "Perhaps the Rebel Alliance will see our victory and finally send support," Alexsandr Kallus suggested, but Zeb shook his head.

     "We took Lothal without them. We can keep it without them," Garazeb Orrelios claimed as a quiet cheer slowly grew louder.

     "Zeb, you may be right," Hera Syndulla whispered as the freedom fighters leaned over the dashboard and saw the citizens of Lothal celebrating in the streets below.

     Kyra Kryze-Kenobi smiled, "Looks like the people are with you, General Syndulla. If the Empire wants a fight, we'll be ready for them."