//------------------------------// // Travel // Story: Star Wars Episode IV, Rise of the Rebellion // by FourShadow //------------------------------// The Sweetie Drop's course through hyperspace was smooth sailing, at least, in space. No engine failures, malfunctions, or any minor inconveniences were drawing the crew away from their current destination. While the adults were sitting up in the cockpit, the rest of the much more younger adults, including Flurry, sat around the living area in quietness. Mostly because they weren't really sure what to do with each other. They chose to push off playing a game of Sabacc for much later on, not wanting to just play and then get quickly bored of it. The problem was, they didn't know what really to do in the meantime. “Ugh, this is so boring!” Gallus threw his head back in his chair. “Can't we just play Sabaac already?" "We've been out in space for over an hour, I don't think you can get bored that quickly," Silverstream rubbed the top of her feathered mane. "You know... I think I got an idea," Flurry suggested, sliding out from the booth. "Anyone want to hang in my room?" Everyone immediately perked up at that suggestion. "... How have we not seen your room already, you've been living on our base for over... how long now?" "I'd say a month at this point," Smolder thought. "Well, come on then!" Flurry gestured. "Eh, just one rule; if you wanna look at something, please ask, do not just start touching things without my permission. I've got some... well, valuables, I'd like to keep safe." Agreeing to her terms, everyone left the living area to follow Flurry down the hallway. They swung by another curve until they stopped in front of a door, marked with an assortment of posters and advertisements for various products that were free from Imperial control. The doors slid open, and the group followed Flurry inside. “So here we are; here’s my room!” The room was a mixture of clean and messy. Books and toys were neatly arranged on shelves and in drawers, and a small vanity was freshly scrubbed as well. But it wasn’t exactly perfect either; hammock bed not made, some toys were on the floor, a small trashcan overflowing, etc. And while it wasn’t huge, it was spacious enough that the seven of them could hang out inside and not be cramped. There was a small desk bolted to the wall; with a small holopad for watching old videos, and a tape deck to listen to old holotapes for music to fill the void of silence. A few tools were also seen in a cup, along with a very small droid leg sitting on the desk with some bolts next to it, most likely working on repairs or construction. An open dresser showing various tank tops and shirts, along with a few goggles and hats. Even a rack where her armguards were hanging from were shown, just hanging above her extra boots. “Dang, your room is nicer than mine,” Smolder complimented. “Heh, sorry for the mess,” Flurry tittered. “I’m usually cleaner than this.” “No need to apologize, I’m not perfect either,” Sandbar replied, looking around. “Oooh, you got a Stormtrooper doll?” Silverstream asked, noting a doll on the shelf. Smolder picked it up, looking at it with curiosity. “It was a birthday gift from Mom,” Flurry answered, slowly sitting back down in her hammock bed and kicking her boots off. “Apparently those guys were a ‘knockoff’ or something?” “Oh yeah. The Storm King tried making his own version of the Republic’s clone troopers. Pfft,” Gallus rolled his eyes. “Don’t know how successful that was, but yeah.” The Griffon settled on a small chair, kicking back in it. Ocellus chose to curl up on a beanbag, pushing it down and trying to make it comfy like a dog or a massiff. But she was more than happy to just sit and hang out for a change. Smolder’s claws gently picked up another plushie from the shelf, the snail that she remembered Lyra had attached to the top of the pole for her training. Not even a second passed, but she heard the sound of a blaster cocking and Flurry glaring at her with wide eyes and the most pissed off expression. “Put the plush back, NOW.” Smolder’s ears drooped and she slowly set the plushie back down on the shelf, raising her hands up to surrender. The rest of the group looked at her with equally scared faces. “Heh, sorry…” Smolder apologized, “I didn’t, um…” “Just don’t touch that plush. Ever.” “I won’t. Now can you please put the blaster down?” Flurry’s expression didn’t change, but she slowly sighed and put the safety back on her WESTAR-class blaster, placing it back in her holster. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you, but I really don’t like it when strangers go touching that.” “No kidding…” Gallus said, fearfully. "Reminds me of when I accidentally bumped into Luke's old Skyhopper," Silverstream gulped. “Is plush valuable?” Yona pondered, sitting on the floor and resting her back against the side of a shelf, oddly finding comfort in a sturdy backrest. “Not in currency. But to me, it is,” Flurry admitted. “It’s… ugh, I know how embarrassing this is. But I don’t like anyone touching my Whammy. He’s precious to me.” Smolder had restraint to keep a snicker back at the name, thankfully. “How come it’s so precious to you?” Ocellus asked, wanting to know a bit more, her little wings buzzing for a second. “It was the last memory I have to my mom and dad,” Flurry admitted, leaning back in her hammock. “Wait, mom and dad? I thought you—” “—I’m adopted,” Flurry deadpanned. “I didn’t tell you guys, because that’s not the kind of information I’d start with for introductions.” She threw her head back on her pillow, staring up at the ceiling. “I don’t know who they are, or what happened to them. I only remember small flashes, but that’s it. My moms tell me they don’t know what happened to them, but I know that’s as far as they know. Probably as far as I will ever know at this rate.” Then she pulled herself back up again to give attention to the rest of her friends. “That plush is the only thing I have to a memory of them. That’s why I went insane when Mom put it at the top of that pole; I don’t want it gone or destroyed.” “… ohhhh…” everyone said in unison. “I’m so sorry to hear that,” Silverstream said as she wrapped a wing around her shoulder. “It’s okay. None of you knew,” Flurry reassured. Some more uncomfortable silence filled the room, no one really sure how to follow a confession like that. "If no one says it, then Yona will!" Yona stood up. "It does not matter where Flurry comes from," she said, lifting her out of the hammock with her enormous strength. "What matters is what Flurry does in present!" Flurry blinked a few times. "How strong are you?" "Eh, Yakyakiees strong people," Yona shrugged, setting Flurry back down in the hammock. And nonchalantly, she curled up back in her spot. "Though Yona wish she was stronger when Empire came down on Yak'y'yag." That last statement got Flurry's attention as she leaned her head over to the furry friend. "What do you mean by that?" Yona's ears perked as she sat back down in her spot. "The Empire attacked my home. Burn my villages. Attack my papa. I don't even know if anyone's still alive," she pulled at her face in sorrow. "I don't want to be the last of my species!" "You're not the last, I'm sure of it," Sandbar said, patting her back and giving her a few scritches. "Oh... I'm... I'm so sorry, I di--" "--Flurry not apologize," Yona interrupted. "Flurry didn't know. Flurry did nothing. But Empire... Empire hurt Yona. ... Empire... broke Yona," she whimpered. "Yona almost died... I could have died and it'd just be business to them!" "W-Well, how did you even get out of there?" Flurry leaning forward. "Sandbar help Yona escape," she said, nuzzling him affectionately. Flurry restrained herself from going 'aww' at the sight. "Sandbar..." the Yakyakiee looked at the boy, but he just darted his eyes at her and the others, quickly shaking his head no. For what reason, they weren't sure, but Yona continued. "Yona rescued by Sandbar, and we ran for it!" "How'd you even find her?" "Uhhhh..." Sandbar droned. "Let's... I'd rather not talk about that, let's just, um. Can we please bounce to someone else?" "Is it embarassing?" Silverstream questioned. "No, I just... I don't wanna talk about it." "So that means you're hiding something juicy," Gallus smirked. "Gallus..." "We'll come back to you, but seriously, we've gotta know that one," Gallus said, done with teasing Sandbar for now. "Maybe I can chip in?" Ocellus asked, her wings buzzing for a second from the thought. "Sure!" "Fine by me!" "Let's hear it!" The Changeling got up on her hands and knees, and acting much like a dog, moved around on the beanbag to make her seat more comfortable before she could begin telling her story. "Back on Alveare, which is where I'm from, I was actually pretty happy where I was. I had a good family, I got along with my siblings, we had enough to eat... but then, out of the blue, everything was just... gone," Ocellus frowned. "I was outside with my little brother playing, and I thought I was seeing something bright in the sky. And when my parents finally grabbed us, I remember everything going black. The last thing I heard was explosions and I felt everything shaking around me!" And the moment she said that, everyone in the room could figure out exactly where she was going. They could quickly determine who she was talking about, but they still chose to be quiet so they could let their friend speak. "When I came too, my head started spinning and I heard a sharp ringing in my ears. I saw everything shaking around me, and it wasn't until my dad woke me up and told me to run. I didn't understand why, but I ran as fast as I could. I didn't know who did it at first, but all I saw was my home... it was just... gone!" Silverstream patted her back reassuringly, waiting for her to breathe in and out. "We ran as fast as we could, and I found my mom and my siblings near a transport ship. We tried to run for it, but then I saw these guys, these soldiers in purple armor try and come after us around the corner. I didn't know what to do, and I panicked! I didn't run to the ship, I could see they were getting close to my family, I thought if I ran I... they'd be safe. I ran as fast as I could, and they kept chasing me. I don't know if it was the stupidity of my choices that saved me, but I dove into the ocean to hide from them. When I got out of the water, the transport was... gone. I didn't see any sign that it was shot down, but they were just gone! But it didn't matter in the long run; I just had to keep going on my own. I found a ship nearby that I could escape in, and I left Alveare and never returned," Ocellus continued. "I never looked back. My home was gone and I had nowhere left to go." "Where did you go then?" Flurry pried. "Bracca," Ocellus said, rather ominously. "Oh no... I know nothing about that planet, what is that?" Flurry admitted, sinking in her shoulders. "It's a junk planet. Every piece of old ship, walker, bike, transport, frigate, everything that was used in an old war gets taken there to be broken down, stripped for parts, and made into something new," Ocellus explained. "Scrapper Guild runs the place. After I ran, I basically signed up for a job there to hide; and I worked as a scrapper, breaking down ships from the last war. Venators, Munificents, Lucrehulks, everything. I stayed there to scrap ships for a couple of years... but I escaped." "Well, how? What'd you do next?" "Honestly, Flurry, if it's alright with you, could I take a break from that? I'm honestly feeling a little down," Ocellus asked, her ears drooping. "That's perfectly okay with me," Flurry reassured, empathetically smiling. "Still brave of you to open up like that, Ocellus," Sandbar added. "... Actually," Flurry thought, getting an idea and a mischeivous little grin on her face. "You're a Changeling right? Any chance you could... change into something?" "Sure!" Ocellus squeaked with a smile. One small flash of green light manifested around her as her entire body changed. Instead of the bug girl that was laying in the beanbag, she looked more like a small tooka, with dark purple fur. "Mew." "Aww," Flurry gushed. "Kitty!" The tooka's form changed, turning into a much more bigger size; this time resembling what looked like a very tall pre-teen girl; a Togruta in fact. Red crop-top, boots, skirt with a kama, orange skin, and blue and white montrals. "Oooh." "I didn't know you went digging through Ahsoka's scrapbook," Gallus smirked. "She showed me her old trainee photos," 'Ahsoka' protested. She sounded just like her, it was incredibly uncanny as to how it was possible. Flurry stood up, comparing herself to the Togruta's size. She looked no taller than her, but it was uncanny to see that Ocellus didn't look like herself in the slightest. Her transformation was one-hundred percent flawless. And to have a little amusement, 'Ahsoka' raised her hand up in front of Flurry's face as if she was using the Force. "You don't need to see my identification... I am not the thing you're looking for..." Flurry snorted softly. "That's pretty cool." "How about this?" Ocellus's form changed, no longer resembling pre-teen Ahsoka Tano... but now she looked like a perfect carbon copy of Flurry Heart. Flurry, the real one, was completely thrown off by her resemblence. "Oh my goodness... I'm gorgeous!" Flurry realized. 'Flurry' just casually shrugged as she spun around, looking at everyone else in the room. "Oh, do me! Do me!" Silverstream insisted, pleading like a six-year-old. Concentrating, Ocellus's form changed instantly. Suddenly, there were two Silverstreams in Flurry's bedroom, wowing the group around them. "So you could look like anyone and anything?" "Kind of," 'Silverstream' answered. "I can look like any animals that are small and close to my size, and I can resemble a few adults that are taller than me, but I'm not able to look like, well, anything. Say, Yona," she said, her form changing back into Ocellus. "I have a smaller body mass than Yona, and I can't replicate her structure. I'm also not strong enough." "Don't say that. Ocellus is strong Changeling," Yona said with pride. "Heh, thanks. But still, I'm not able to just change on a dime. If you asked me to change into, say, a Dowutin, I'd probably pass out from using so much energy, or I'd die." "Ahhh, right..." Everyone collectively agreed. "..." "..." "Is there anything else you can change into?" Flurry asked with an ecstatic look on her face. "So here's something I don't understand," Lyra asked, sitting down in the pilot chair as she sipped her coffee. "The Empire obviously recruits people from across the galaxy, which fair enough, you want to keep your army and your grip on the galaxy wide-spread... but if they're using them to expand their will, what became of the clones?" "What do you think?" Sunset asked, albeit rather sarcastically. "Cast out, outmoded, thrown away like leftovers. The Empire stopped making them." "But why? They wiped us out, they took care of the entire galaxy is the span of almost a few days, didn't they?" Applejack asked. "They got rid of us, that doesn't mean they got automatic control, Applejack," Lyra pointed out, stepping up to stretch her legs. "Besides, to be honest, I really don't care anymore. I lost my battalion a long time ago, long before I met my Bonnie," she said, holding her wife's hand again. "The only thing that mattered to me was her and my adoptive daughter." The former Council members couldn't argue with that sentiment. "Still though; I kinda wonder if there are any still out there," Sunset pondered, folding her arms as she leaned against a panel-less wall. "They're bound to be retired by now, but still." "Well if there are any still left, let's just hope they're retired for good. I'm not sure I could face Hurricane after... that," Rainbow said, her voice almost shaking from the memory of Order 66's activation. "If it's any consolation, most of the clones we've known are long gone. Captain Dusty," Sunset said, looking at Applejack. "Terminal reported dead." For a brief moment, Applejack had a small window of sadness. "Commander Hurricane, as far as I know, should be dead as well," she said, looking at Rainbow. "And I know Commander Shockwave should be dead too; no way he could still be alive if Captain Phasma's one of the majors in charge," the general finished. "This does lead to my thought, and feel free to reject this, this is a bit out there..." Bon Bon began with a smile. "What if, and hear me out... we grab scraps of battle droids left over from the Clone Wars, bring them to Yavin IV, fix 'em, and reprogram to be on our side?" "... Lyra, I know she's your wife, but I'm going to be blunt; are you insane!?" Sunset demanded. "No, no she's not," Lyra said, defending her wife. "Look, I've lived with her for over eighteen years, she's a maestro at reprogramming. You saw our commando droids, right? Imagine what we could do for an entire legion of them." "That's the thing, an entire legion? What if they get reprogrammed, or hacked by mistake?" Sunset asked. "It's one thing having a few of them like we saw on your ship, but it's another thing entirely to just bring an entire battalion down on Yavin IV. A lot of people were terrorized by those droids." "And what about the people within the Confederacy of Independent Systems? Yes, I know the Storm King took over, but a lot of people in his kingdom just wanted independence and those droids did technically do their job," Bon Bon argued. "And yes, I know the kind of horrors they've done to you guys, but they're droids. They do what their told, not all of them have fully functioning brain-stems, they don't get built with the capacity to think on their own, it's not like with Spike, or R2, or Cheep and G-G. Or even IG-11 all the way in the kitchen," Bon Bon gestured to the closed doors in the cockpit. "... I really want to argue with you, but you're bringing up a few good points, and I'm tired of getting into these kind of debates," Sunset said, admitting defeat. "Tell you what, I'll think about it, maybe I'll pitch it to the Rebel command." Bon Bon looked at her with an unamused look and raised eyebrow. "By that you mean you're hoping I'll drop the discussion and forget about it." "... it worked with the six-year-olds," Sunset pouted, getting Bon Bon to giggle. "But okay. I'll give it some thought. If we come across any battle droid remnants, or if you do, feel free to reprogram them or at least free them from whatever restricted programs they run on." "Great!" Bon Bon squeaked with excitement. Now she knew the chances of finding any battle droid battalions out there were gonna be relatively slim; they were ordered to shut down after the war was over, and she didn't have any known locations for where she could buy one as a complete body, or where any holdouts were. Granted she had spare parts, but she never did have every viable piece to make a complete B1 unit. "Anyways, how much longer until we get to Scarif?" "Not too long now, we only have half an hour," Lyra answered, looking at the screen next to her on her right. Half an hour went by, and so the Sweetie Drop finally pulled out of hyperspace. There ahead was Scarif; a beautiful blue planet with multiple small continents of islands as far as the eye could see. For the crew on board the freighter, they had a bit of luck, seeing there was no Imperial fleets outside, guarding the planet. But Sunset had a bad feeling in the back of her head, wondering if this was too easy for them and if they would be expecting them. Taking every precaution they could, the ship began to push towards the planet's atmosphere and punch through the clouds above. The clouds whooshed by them as the ship began to lower itself down to the surface, getting a much nicer view than from outside in space. The waters were crystal clear, the beaches were nice and sandy, and there were plenty of palm trees to provide ample shade for vacationers to use to lay outside. Intentionally, the ship was parked on a small island with plenty of trees for cover, and parked behind a mountain so the Imperials wouldn't find them so easily. Sensor masks were activated as an extra precaution, but they were out of sight and detection; for now. The ramp extended down as everyone slowly began to walk outside to take in the fresh air. Flurry was the first to step off, basking in the beautiful warm glow of Scarif's summer breeze. She loved the smells, the sounds, the sights. It was making every part of her so happy and calm, she couldn't have imagined anything better. And even better; the sands. Digging her hand down to feel the sands, her hands didn't feel burning hot like they would if she was on Tatooine. Cool sands without the feeling of scalding heat made it all the more wonderful. Sunset looked at Lyra and Bon Bon, an expression clearly asking if this was her first visit to a new world. The two of them subtly nodded, confirming the truth. "This is... this is so... beautiful!" Flurry squeaked, trying to keep her voice down in case of anyone else that wasn't them would listen. As Team Six took in the marvel of their new surroundings, IG-11 marched down the ramp, holding a few crates in his arms, mounting them down on the ground as seats for the group to use. They would need to cook, and while they had a functioning kitchen, a good ole seasoned campfire never hurt to use either. Besides, they would need space to finish setting up the rest of their equipment and tools for the mission. At the same time, Flurry immediately threw off her boots and socks, and dug her toes into the sand, feeling how cool it was. She hadn't gone barefoot aside from in her house, and the sensation just made it all the more nicer. "As much as you would like to go dipping your toes in the waters, I'd recommend doing it later when it starts to get to dusk. We don't need to attract unwanted attention," Sunset advised. "Yes ma'am," Flurry said, understanding. "So what do we do now?" Rainbow asked. "You guys set up camp. The five of us are going to go explore, see what the Imperials are doing currently," Sunset instructed. A new hatch lowered down from the ship, revealing a few speeder-bikes that had been packed into the ship's miniature hangar bay. "Shouldn't we stay here?" "Yes. You guys are," Sunset pointed out. Lyra quickly gave Flurry a brief hug before hopping onto the speeder-bike. Bon Bon got on behind her, holding onto her sides to make sure she didn't go flying off. Sunset took control of the other bike, with Rainbow and Applejack uncomfortably trying to cling on as well. "Spike and R2 are in charge!" Sunset ordered. "You listen to them, understand?" They didn't get a chance to argue her orders, Sunset and the other adults had sped off on the bikes across the shallow beaches to go search for the Imperial bases. And once they were gone, Spike and R2-D2 rotated their domes to look at each other, and then spun around to address the rest of the young adults and droids around them. "Why are they in charge again?" Smolder asked. Spike's dome slowly rattled as he pushed himself across the sand, glaring up at Smolder. "Because we fought longer, we're older, and we have more experience. Experience outranks everyone. Understood?" The Draconoid sighed. "Yes sir." "Bwoop boop. Brrrt beep weep, boop bweep-bop." "I'll go grab some sticks," Gallus said, answering R2's instructions. "Yona get rocks!" "I'll get started on cooking dinner!" Flurry chirped as she ran up the ship. Without more arguments, everyone quickly got to work. They had a lot to do in order to prepare the campfire dinner for tonight!