As the three ran for their lives, the Spartan merely jogging with the sprinting teens, stormtroopers pooled out the hallway the three came out of, each and every one of them readying themselves.

"There they are! All units, fire!"

Two-thirds through their run, red bolts began to filter both their ears and their sight, some zooming nowhere near where they sprinted, and some unlucky enough to hit their mark on the Spartan's shields. Wedge became uneased by the situation; trusting a Mandalorian Rebel he just met, and her tall, automatic-like armored soldier, all three of them running towards a deep fall hoping a ship is there to pick them up. But death by blaster bolt was far more prevalent then death by potential fall, so he kept running alongside them.

Bolts continued to flash into his vision, each now getting too close for a direct hit as they neared the edge, and Wedge was not happy. As they closed the distance for the jump, all that showed apparently was but a cloudy sky; no ship, no clear form of extraction. Nothing but death on the other side. And yet… Sabine and Six still ran, Sabine looking determined than anything he's seen before. He wasn't sure if they both had a death wish, or if they had that much faith on the others. But it was too late to think more onto it, with the three now making their last step on the platform.

All that flooded their vision as they leaped was nothing but open sky and the descending fall into dense clouds. But right as they leapt out, from the abysmal reach of the clouds, they could see distant lights dancing in its murky sky; bright blue lights, trailed against green flashes that fly past. In realization, the three became wary of the green flashes, right after one flew out of the clouds, revealing to be a pair of green blaster bolts; those fired from TIEs. But as they fell, the blue lights brightened towards them, glowing brighter and brighter, until the clouds departed, the Condor flying towards the group.

In quick succession, it swung clockwise, the cockpit and troop bay swapping places to allow the opening to be the new place the Spartan and teens fell into, with Jorge seemingly level with the ship itself. In the flash of the moment, Six entered first; their boots magnetically clamping onto the ships deck, though their armor's weight and momentum from the fall made them slide before stopping.

"Gotcha." Jorge announced, catching onto Wedge who entered next. He tried to reach for Sabine's hand, but missed by an inch. She grazed onto the ship's platform feet first, using one hand to try and grab on an indentation on the platform, but still stopped after Six grabbed hold onto her arm.

The entire ship shook as the view from outside switched from the Imperial Academy to the piercing blaze-like clouds, the bay ramp closing as it flew away, allowing those inside to stand up again.

"Oi, Six. You mind switching sides, this here's your place, not mine." Emile called out from the cockpit's pilot seat.

"Copy." Six replied, pulling Sabine to her feet before marching up onto the cockpit. Another rumble shook through the ship, catching the teens almost off guard. Wedge stumbled onto one of the seats, Sabine instead grabbed onto the side of the ship to keep her stable.

"Kat, what's the status of the Condor?" she asked.

"Energy shields are on 29-percent, but she's suffered minimal damage on the hull plating and the cloaking panels were shot after second EMP blast. We've had to use our weapons to deter most of the TIEs." Kat informed.

"Not the gunship weapons, I hope?"

"Negative, too unwieldy, would slow us down dramatically, and not to mention a very terrible move"

Emile trudged into the troop compartments, having already swapped with Noble-Six. He made his way past Sabine, grabbing onto a railing on the roof of the bay.

"Where's Ezra? Have you called him?" Sabine asked as the Condor's bay began to shutter.

"He should be coming into orbit. ETA, 62 seconds." Kat replied swiftly.

"All hands, hang on!" Six called out.

The entire ship then swayed on to one side, the momentum pushing everyone to the left. Those who weren't Spartans held on to dear life as the ships moved in unpredictable patterns. Then the ship began to halt in place, Six somehow performing a move to reverse the thrust of the large dropship, before the thrusters tilted back down, regaining its speed. Sabine could see two TIEs flying in front, both flying parallel with each other. Then beeping pulsated from the cockpit, as two missiles flew towards the two fighters, before their impacts resulted into a one turning into fireball in the sky, while the other had lost its entire right wing, plunging to the planet's surface.

"Target's destroyed." Six announced.

Emile chuckled from the sight, catching the teens' attention, "And that's why Six is our pilot." He gawked.

But soon more beeping interjected Emile's banter, this time originating to the top seat of the cockpit, where Kat sat.

"More hostiles closing in; two standard TIEs and a TIE Interceptor," Kat announced, tapping onto the consoles of the ship.

"Interceptor?" Wedge questioned, pondering over this arrival. How is there a TIE interceptor? the academy only housed standard fighters and bombers to Wedge's knowledge. But there must have been something, someone behind the sudden appearance of an Interceptor... Wait... someone?... Then, the realization came to his eyes as he turned to the occupants of the craft, "It's Skerris!"

The ship rumbled again, taking fire from the incoming TIEs. Then, through the view of the cockpit, the TIEs flew past the Condor, the Interceptor's speed far outpacing the all three of the aircraft. From the flash of speed, Six could see Interceptor rocking distinct red markings, indicating its importance, or possible rank and affiliation.

"Who's Skerris?" Sabine asked.

"He's the main instructor of Skystrike Academy, the guy who talked about the rebel ship back from the simulation. From what I know, he's the only one there that uses a TIE Interceptor." Wedge explained.

"Before the mission, I looked through his file," Kat added on, catching everyone's attention, with the exception of Six, "Vult Skerris is an elite Starfighter pilot, known only for piloting a TIE Interceptor with red markings on its wings. he's responsible for the loss of our fighters over the weeks"

Tension continued to build up with the teens in the confined space of the Condor's loading bay, multiplied due to the state of their ship, alongside the roaring screams of the ever-present TIEs.

"Kat, what's the status of our drive?" Six called out.

"She's ready, but the EMPs has had an after effect on the drive. If we get hit, it begins to stagnate, and would have to recycle again." Kat informed, "We need to get them off our backs if we are to be jump ready."

"Shields are at 17-percent from that last blast, where is the Commander?!" roared out Jorge.

"Shit! They're circling back around." Emile added on, continuously adding on their lowered chances of escape, let alone retaliation.

The Interceptor flew back into formation with the other TIE fighters, the three charging for another strafe.

"All units, sync firing sequences, on my mark." The Interceptor pilot ordered.

The two pilots did so, priming their weapons to fire the same time the Interceptor pilot would fire. As the pilot looked onto his target, a large green ship, enveloped in a yellow aura, he began to recall with his early interaction with the cadets before their defection. It was so obvious; how could I have not seen it?! He scolded himself. Vult Skerris; astonished pilot of the Great Galactic Empire, and he didn't even recognize the insubordination of a recruit he scolded; Ria Talla, or as Kallus identifies as Sabine Wren.

Through his own mocking demeanor, he pulls the triggers of his weapons, allowing his and the accompanying TIEs to fire a barrage of blaster bolts before each flying by. Most of the shots connected, resulting in the yellow aura to burst away, similarly to that of a bubble, the ship now engulfed in yellow sparks from the shots as the three fighters flew past. Unfortunately, one of Skerris's wingmen flew too close to green craft, nearly grazing itself on its roof as the ship lightly ducked. As it flew away, the ship rose back up and fired another rocket from its pods, the projectile sheering through the air before impacting the fighter, destroying it immediately.

"Insubordinate fool." Skerris scolded before opening a channel to his surviving wingman, "Do not make the same mistake, now form up!"

"Shields down. We can't take another hit, the Condor's hull wasn't built to withstand multiple shots from a TIE." Kat announced.

"Ezra, please…" Sabine whispered, a hint of worry peaking through.

As the TIE debris fell through the clouds, the surviving TIEs circled back around. The Standard simply turning to realign it's crosshairs behind the green hulk, while the Interceptor performed maneuvers, which only Six knew well enough that experienced pilots could pull off.

"Maybe that gunship configuration is sounding good right about now." Emile suggested.

"Negative Noble-Four, the config—" Kat began to dismiss the suggestion, before the Condor's sensor picked up a signal. "…hold on, something's coming in our scope" she inquired before investigating the source.

"More fighters?" Sabine asked, a pit of dread forming into her stomach.

"Negative, it looks like…"

"I'll be damned, the Commander." Six interjected, right as small, white and orange corvette came into view of the Condor's radar.

Skerris prepared himself and his wingman to fire another barrage, one that would do the job, but before they could fire, straight out of the cockpit's blind spot, another ship; one far larger than ship they pursued, intercepted their course.

Skerris was quick to his reflexes, flying past the Alderaanian corvette, while his wingman crashed onto its side.

"Blast! Reinforcements."

"Noble team, do you have everyone on board?" Ezra commed through.

"Ezra! Boy, am I glad to hear you voice again" Sabine cheered, her voice filled with relief and pride.

"Same here." Ezra sighed, sounding relieved after hearing her voice, "Are you guys able to jump?"

"Negative. We were engaged by a sort of EMP that's interfered with our slipspace drive. We can still make jumps but if we're hit again, the cycle resets" Kat answered

"I take it you need us keeping them off your back?"

"Affirmative."

"Alright, we'll do what we can. When you're ready to jump, comm for us. Spectre-Six out" Ezra affirmed, cutting the channel.

"We've got our work cut out for us. Noble-Six, get us out of here."

"Copy," Six replied.

The Condor flew well above the clouds, breaking out the planet's atmosphere while Ezra's corvette trailed behind it, firing it's batteries at the pursuing Interceptor, the fighter dodging the light wall of bolts, thus not allowing him to focus his attention on the fleeing ships.

With just him against a blockade runner and a damaged, fleeing transport, Skerris was none the more wiser. He continued to his attempts in getting past the corvette's defenses to reach his intended target, but the constant pace the corvette gave made intersection still too risky.

After a full minute through the chase, the planet now looking to be kilometers away, Kat's console beeped, indicating of their escape.

"Lieutenant Commander Bridger, she's ready" Kat commed before turning to the cockpit chair in front of her, "Six, punch it!" she ordered.

Without hesitation, they punched in the console to activate the slipspace drive. Tense seconds go by with nothing ahead of them, but in an instant, the rip through reality broke out in their path, their ticket home. Wedge and his friends, with Rake now awake since they made a break for the stars, watched as the slip ripped open, the phenomenon unlike the more familiar hyperspace jump. At that moment, they all knew that something was up. But not in a worrisome way, but that the rebellion they once thought…

Is far greater than the Empire could ever be.

As he flew past, Skerris watches as his intended target disappears inside an iridescent blue hole in space, leaving only his Interceptor and the corvette. Resolving his own disappointment, he turned his sights onto the very support ship. But as he turns his ship around to make another strafing run on the ship, his instruments blared out in alarm. When he looked into the source, his eyes widened, and punched the speed throttle of his fighter. His TIE screamed, reminiscent of his own rage as he barrels towards the Blockade runner, his blasters charging for a barrage.

But before he could pull the trigger, the blockade runner only stuck truth of to name, as it shot into hyperspace, leaving the TIE to fly at where it once stood. Skerris lowered the speed of his fighter into cruising, taking off his helmet to view out the deafness of space, scowling in his own aura of anger. He was told of these new adversaries, posing some form of brand-new fast travel, but he did not believe it. Not until the spectacle he witnessed. This was far different than what the Empire was equipped for, but all he knew was that he needed to report this.

The Condor landed back onto the platform, with medics and other officers surrounding the craft with their equipment at the ready to tend to the crew. Once the bird touched down, the ramp dropped down, with Sabine and the newly appointed rebels standing out. But once the platform rested on the base's surface, Kat and Emile rushed out, past the other rebels, during which the underside of the Condor's aft compartment lowered, revealing a piece of technology only reminiscent of the Fabricator found within under the Condor's cockpit section.

Once the platform lowered, it glowed profusely, with the Spartans now standing by its side, a datapad on the hands of Kat, who seemed to be ordering Emile around. The other rebels were enthralled by the sight of the drive, seeing as this is the first time the actual rebel populous has seen Forerunner tech, with some notable exceptions. Speaking off, Sabine; being caught off guard by the Forerunner tech, with Wedge and the others still by her side, their eyes still locked with metallic system. While they continued their awed gaze on the device, they were cut off by medical staff, each running their medical checks on each of the rebels. Sabine first disliked the sudden interference, but simply allowed them to get it over with. With her, Wedge and Hobbie checked out, they focused their attention to Rake, seeing as he was the only one injured.

The Spartans continued their diagnostic check, ignoring every other rebel around them. Seeing this, Sabine turned to look at Wedge, who's eyes were oddly centered on her, and not his friend.

"Something up, Wedge?" she asked.

Wedge shook his head, almost like he broke concentration, "I'm sorry, what?"

"You were staring" she blankly stated.

His eyes widened in realization, "What? Oh, no, I was just… confused I guess"

"What about?" she inquired, turning her body to face him.

"Well, for starters uhh… the kriff is all this?!" he yelled, gesturing to the Condor, the Spartans and the Forerunner engine.

"Well, I can't say too much, but for the basics; it's just some new friends from a far land."

Before Wedge could ask the meaning behind it, Commander Sato interjected in, catching all their attention. "Well done, Lieutenant Commander"

The four turned to face the commanding officer, the man standing straight with authority, followed by a green twi'lek in her standard attire. "So, these are our new pilots?" Sato questioned. The rest of them walked off the ramp, closing the gap between the higher ranks.

"Yes sir. Allow me to introduce Cadets Wedge Antilles, Hobbie, and Rake." Sabine announced, gesturing to each of their new phoenix squadron recruits, medical staff still surrounding Rake, now applying a Bacta patch. "All formerly of the Galactic Empire"

Wedge took a step forward to represent the rest of his friends, "We heard you're in need for some new pilots, Commander."

"Indeed, we are. Welcome to the Rebellion." Sato introduced, saluting the rebels. They all in turned to saluted in return, apart from Rake.

"Alright, thankfully the shot wasn't too critical. Take it easy for a couple days and you should be fine for deployment" the medic informed

He thanked the medical officer before joining his friends. Once all lowered their hands, Sato turned towards the Condor, concern now coming into thoughts, Hera even following suit.

"What happened to the Condor?" he asked.

"We were hit by some sort of EMP, her engine's been acting up a bit, but we've got it stabilized" Jorge announced from behind. Everyone faced the Spartan, as he stepped off the Condor's ramp, taking off his helmet in the process.

"I see. So long as the op was successful." Sato commented, "I need a full report of the mission, including the predicament you see yourselves in now"

"Yes sir, I can fill in for the others as well", Jorge marched past the Rebels towards the center of the base, his strides were well marched, as if he was a proper soldier.

"So, are you going to introduce us to… any this?" Rake asked, still confused as to what he'd witnessed.

"I'm afraid that's classified for all known personnel. For all you have to know, they're allies that we're privileged to even have" Hera informed, stepping up by Sato, "Sabine, you can take it from here". with that, Hera and Sato walked away, following to where Jorge had walked off to.

The teens continued to watch as they marched away, all remaining silent until Hobbie suddenly spoke.

"Oh, I'm liking this new rebellion." He spoke with a sense of pride as he observed over the Spartan's technology.

"So, where do we sleep?" Wedge asked, turning to Sabine.

"I can show around the base from here. but first," she started, turning to look at the newly arrived blockade runner, a smile creeping onto her face, getting confused looks from the now recruited pilots. "You guys have someone to meet first"

She started walking towards the ship, with the others following after. Once there, several rebel officers and pilots stood under the ship, each talking to one another, with a notable individual standing out from the rest. Another boy around the same age as the approaching group wearing an orange jump suit, who was talking with another rebel officer. The boy glanced towards the group, a smile flashing onto his face before he turned back to the other officers to dismiss them. After which, he rushed towards them, swooping Sabine off her feet whilst spinning her in excitement. The two laughed in amusement which took Wedge and the others by surprise.

"Good to see you're alright!" The boy exclaimed, laying her back on her feet, both still remaining within their arms.

"Yeah, cutting it a bit too close back there, you know?" Sabine questioned with a smirk onto her face.

"yeah... sorry. But hey! everyone made alright" he smiled, fully aware of the situation. Sabine couldn't help but return the smile.

"who's this?" Wedge asked.

"Oh right," Sabine and the guy released their grips onto one another, both facing the confused pilots, "Guys, this is my boyfriend; Ezra. He's the Commander that helped us escape that TIE Interceptor.", she explained, gesturing to his partner as he himself gave the group a two-fingered salute.

The group were stunned to hear the reveal of the individual, Wedge somewhat being more notably disturbed by it, but wasn't caught by his predicament.

"It's nice to have to have some good pilots for the rebellion. You guys are good pilots, right?" Ezra asked, stepping forward.

"O-Of course, we'll do our part for the rebellion, Commander" Hobbie responded, standing up straight.

Ezra sighed, shaking his head in disapproval, "Please, Ezra's fine, there's no need to be formal right now. Besides, I'm only a Lieutenant Commander, same as Sabine." He assured, gesturing towards her.

"Oh. Ok… so, about that tour?" Hobbie gestured.

"Right," Sabine started, looking back at Ezra, "You wanna help me out here, love?"

"Sure, got nothing better to do" he replied, the five of them walking into the base's compartments. The tour was nothing exciting of note, though they did converse with one another, getting to understand each other's motives to serve the rebellion and just to understand one another in general. The pilots were much more excited to hear when Ezra was a Jedi, much less a padawan with his master, Kanan Jarrus, also fighting in the rebellion, though they were much surprised that he and Sabine, a Mandalorian, were dating. Fortunately, they disclosed the subject, explaining even his master had similar relations with the Phoenix squadron Captain, Hera Syndulla. Eventually they stopped by the Ghost so Sabine could change out of the Imperial uniform and back into her beskar armor, leaving the pilots to talk with Ezra.

Once Sabine walked out, her hair back to its original white and lavender tips, they seem to be getting along quite nicely, much to Sabine and Ezra's pleasure. Eventually their tour finally ended back to the rebel barracks.

The barracks were located on far side of the coral, opposite to the main base. Barracks' were separated depending on the officer, with techs and soldiers sleeping down in one set of barracks while engineers and pilots were on another set. They were makeshift facilities, with the outside being covered by large durasteel-enhanced tarps, and the inside being that of any other barracks, rows upon rows of bunk beds, standard. The five teens approached the pilot's barracks entrance, their conversation now coming to an end.

"Wow, you guys have been fighting that long?" Hobbie asked.

"Yeah, we didn't even know we were part of a rebel cell until we rescued Kanan from the Empire" Ezra explained.

"Well, we've been fighting for much longer before Ezra joined up with us" Sabine added.

"Still, the fact you guys are still fight now is… really cool" Wedge commented.

"Of course, we are. The Empire's not gonna stop itself." She quipped, earning a chuckle from Ezra

"Yeah, pretty much. Thanks again for this tour you guys"

"Hey, if you guys need someone to talk to, you can come to us." Ezra remarked.

"Alright, we'll keep in mind" Wedge ended, waving as Ezra and Sabine marched off away from them.

As wedge and his friends watch the two walks off, he couldn't help but enter into his own train of thought. What are the chances the first girl he has eyes on just so happens to already have a partner, and a Jedi at that. Still, he had to admit; after the reveal, he would be lying if he said he wasn't disappointed, perhaps jealous. But after the tour they gave, and the conversation they had while Sabine had to change out her attire, it did change his perspective over Ezra.

This time he values Ezra for being the respectable person he is, glad that he is a part of this rebellion, one with values and goals that aligned to him. He just wanted to free not just the Galaxy, but his home planet from the grasp that is the Empire's, and to be a great Jedi knight, just like his master. But he had to admit, it was evident of how he and Sabine were really made for one another, due to them having their hands interlocked throughout most of the tour, paired with usual quips both would toss to one another. Even now as they walked off, their hands remained locked. He could see they respected each other, cared for each other, seeing how close they really were. He couldn't help but smile seeing the bond the two have formed, clearly seeing this bond took along time to form, and he hoped someday he would have one of his own. Definitely not today, but someday.

But before he could reminisce with his thoughts, the sounds of snickering, almost a concealed laughter brought him out of his thoughts. And he knew what they were. He simply stared out, not wanting to look behind him to see if what he thought was true. The snickering grew louder, to the point where it was joined with a quiet yet amused wheezing.

"Guys…" Wedge warned, his face now looking annoyed.

The snickering grew even louder, until finally, it broke. The sounds of a pair now laughing in an uncontrolled fit reverberated in the small radius that is their group. Wedge, clenched both his fists, ready to burst out as his friends who laughed over, catching odd glances of nearby rebels. He was reaching his tipping point, his patience reaching his limit, but ultimately deemed it futile. So instead of bursting in front of his friends, he sighed in defeat, unclenching his fists as he slouches forward, thus signaling that he has just given up.

"Oh, my, days! HA hA, the first girl you could have tried to pick up, AND SHE'S ALREADY TAKEN!" Hobbie spoke out, seemingly trying to control his laughter, though obviously failing.

"Like… Seriously! What are the chances, dude!" Rake added on, also trying to control his burst of joy.

Wedge clenched his fists again, his face grimacing, but also paired with his cheeks flairing in a pinkish hue, though thankfully it went unnoticed. But having enough of this, he grunted in annoyance, walking passed his two unprofessional friends into the pilot barracks. But this response just left his friends to continue laughing, following inside.

"Hey, 'Bine?"

Ezra's voice cut in the mainly peaceful walk the two had. Sabine tilted her head to face him, his face remaining neutral as he'd caught her attention.

"You do realize that... Wedge? was it?" He started, but from his tone, Sabine began to recognize where it was going, enough to almost make her smirk. "He sort of had a thing for you, right?"

"Oh, yeah, a-hundred-percent" she answered straight forwardly with the smirk finally showing, "I've known during our ride back"

But Ezra seemed tense, almost worried by how nonchalantly she dismissed how another male had sights for her. Was she considering something else, perhaps...

"I'm don't like how you phrased that from the looks of it" Ezra voiced out, clearly a bit uneasy by the answer he got. Sabine noticed the tone of his voice, in turn turning to face him, now seeing a slightly disgusted and uneasy expression her close partner made. This sight however made her snicker a tad bit, only confusing the boy as she did.

"Don't worry, love," she said with a reassuring voice, tightening her grip over her partner's hand as she then leaned in to kiss him. when they pulled away, she could see Ezra's cheeks flair up, his face surprised from the peck yet his eyes sparkled in bright warmth, which is still a surprise seeing how long they've been together. she chuckled because of this before giving him an equally warm smile, "You'll always be my Cyar'ika" *Sweetheart*

The mention of the Mando'a nickname along with the quick peck was more than enough brighten up Ezra, as he smiled in unison with her. Sabine had taught only the Mando'a words she'd occasionally say towards him, so he didn't know much. The two stopped their pace and gently touched their foreheads as they took this silent moment, and inadvertently, Ezra had touched through the Force. He channeled through the Force, letting its essence give him and her a feeling of serenity, enough as if all that now existed in that very moment was just them, and only them. Moments went by as they remained, until both finally departed from their calm state, thus also having Ezra drop his connection with the Force, yet their smiles and warmth never faded.

And right as they finished, Ezra's comm link began flaring, as the voice of Hera began calling for him. "Ezra. Ezra do you copy, over"

Ezra chuckled in embarrassment while Sabine grunted in disappoint seeing their calm moment having interrupted by their surrogate mother and Rebel captain. They both loved Hera whole heartedly, no doubt about it, but both had to agree whenever they both found time for themselves, Hera just so happened to be the one to either suck them into reality, or be the one to unintentionally disrupt their moment. Sure, Zeb and Chopper had their fair share, but almost all of their disturbances were in their full intent, while Hera's has always been on accident

And has always been the most frequent. Call it mother's intuition, perhaps.

They both departed from their closeness so he could grab his commlink, much to their dismay. He linked his side to connect with Hera's before answering. "I'm here, what do you need, Hera?"

"I need you back on the command center as soon as possible. I need your help with a few of our records" Hera answered.

"All right, I'm on my way" He answered back.

"Oh, and see of you can get Sabine over here as well, her help would be much appreciated"

"Got it" he finally responded before he shut off the link. Putting away his commlink, he turned towards Sabine. "Well, we better get-"

"Spectre-5, come in Wren" cut in the voice of Kat through Sabine's wrist comm. this alone surprised them both, knowing the only few reasons as to why the Spartan had chosen to call her. but swiftly, she brought it up and connected the channel.

"I'm here, Kat. Wha'ddya need?" she answered.

"I could use your help with the maintenance of the Condor's Slipspace drive" she spoke through her normal tone. And those words were more than enough to catch the attention of both Ezra and Sabine, but they continued to listen on.

"Your the only one here I can trust who could work with and have the knowledge of working with Forerunner tech. And I'm fully aware you've been wanting to do so with the Forerunner Slipspace drive for a while" Sabine's eyes were practically sparkling with intrigue and excitement, and Ezra could feel that excitement through the Force, though technically, he didn't need to.

"So if you could-"

"Alright, I'm on my way" Sabine answered, sounding calm, though still very excited for this opportunity. the sound of a Hmph could be heard from the comm, the tone sounding amused.

"I thought you would say that. Get here on the double, Noble-two, out", then the channel cut. She looked back to Ezra who had his arms crossed after the channel cut, her eyes visibly sparkling with intrigue, and he couldn't help but smile at that.

"Ezra, could you..." she started, only for Ezra to cut her off by offering a mild chuckle.

"I'll tell Hera you'll be busy in the mean time" he responded. Sabine lit up with a bright smile, quickly wrapping her arms around her partner tightly, one he'd returned. They both remained in the tight embrace before Sabine made the move to depart.

"Thanks, love" she said, giving him another peck on the cheek before dashing for the direction in which the Spartans were. Ezra stayed for a moment to watch her jog away, and he still couldn't believe he found himself to be with her, or more precisely, being able to see this side of her. just pure excitement for the things she loves. Ezra laughed and shook his head before he also began departing for the command center.

Down through the Imperialistically bland corridors of a Star destroyer, the Grand Admiral, flanked by Agent Kallus, a single stormtrooper, and the pilot Vult Skerris, trudged down the detention levels, their destination just now coming into sight as they turn a corner.

"Tell me, Skerris; what was your experience upon dealing with the Goblin?" Asked Thrawn. The Goblin was the name they decided to temporarily use for the unidentified green ship, specifically the one the very pilot had attempted to destroy, simply due to its green coloration and its capability to become invisible.

"Nothing more than just a heavily armed transport. Would have been an easy picking if it weren't for that blasted blockade runner" responded Skerris, his tone angered seeing as his pride was definitely take a hit by this unfortunate event.

"But… I suppose the pilot behind the controls has caught my eye."

"As was mine, Commander" Thrawn added, the three now coming over a cell door.

The trooper walked in front of the group, tapping onto the door's controls, prompting it to open, revealing an injured rebel pilot strapped into a torture chair, fatigue clearly plastered onto his physique. The three walked inside as the single trooper stayed outside, standing guard.

"So this is one of the survivors you've retrieved?" questioned Thrawn as he faced Skerris.

"Two weeks ago, yes" Vult answered.

Satisfied by the response, he turned to their prisoner, already planned out of how he would get the extremist to talk. He took a step closer to the pilot, which he noticed soon after.

"I'm… not telling… anything..." the pilot huffed out, his energy to even stay awake wavering, clearly spent from the alluded time.

"Yes, yes… we've heard," Thrawn responded, nodding towards Kallus. He nodded in response, tapping onto his wrist device. Soon after, holographic images of several armored figures revealed into the air between Thrawn and the captor, along with a fully rendered model of the Goblin.

"So then tell me, who are they?"

The confined pilot remained silent, breathing heavily as to compensate for tortured state. But Thrawn noticed a flash in his expression when the holograms appeared, his eyes widening in a hesitated surprise, only to be dismissed immediately to look back at the Grand Admiral. He knows something, and as always, he is willing to give his life for it.

Glancing to the agent adjacent to him, Thrawn nodded in confirmation to allow Kallus to have full reign over the strapped man. Nodding in return, he looked back to his wrist device, pressed for the controls of the restraint's torture apparatus. Finding his target, he smiled in anticipation, though the smile had a hint of hesitation, which thankfully went unnoticed by the Chiss next to pressed on the button, resulting in two small, thin rod-like arms to lower themselves onto the head of the pilot, with more appearing from various spots of the chair.

Knowing what his fate has led him to, the pilot closed his eyes in anticipation, waiting. And thus, Agent Kallus pressed another button on his wrist, resulting into an electric shock, sustained and most definitely painful for the strapped pilot. He screams in agony, thrashing around in his confined space as the prods did their work, while both the Admiral and Commander watched with disdain in their eyes, showing no sympathy for the tortured one.

The shocking stopped, leaving the pilot beyond exasperated, with his eyes beginning show a more lifeless image. Kallus was ready to shock the man once more, but Thrawn interjected by raising a hand.

"Shock therapy would not be sufficient enough to provide the adequate results, Agent Kallus" the Chiss began, "What we need is something that'll reverberate his very soul". Thrawn looked towards the Agent with expecting eyes, his intent shrouded yet understandable through his own gaze.

Knowing what he meant, Kallus tapped again onto his wrist. But to the pilot's surprise, the metal prods began retracting, hiding away in their distinct spots. However, he would be to naïve to believe if it has finally ended, as all in the room looked towards a small, floating black orb with similar prods began descending down the ceiling, making all kinds of strange beeps.

And this sight, sent a chill down to the pilot. His eyes widened in terror; his breath caught into his throat before it began to accelerate in a rhythm far quicker than he anticipated. He was almost reaching the stage of hyperventilation. And on that moment, Thrawn knew it all too well. The torture this small little droid can produce is far more vigorous, far more devastating,

Far more lethal than a simple electric shock.

The Imperial pilot smirked in anticipation, as Thrawn moved away from the restrained pilot to allow the droid to close into its target. The pilot then began to thrash with whatever strength is left in his body, making all sorts of commotion as the droid closed in. He began to whimper when one of the arms of the droid pointed towards him, extending out but a small, precise needle. Ever so slowly, all in the room anticipated for the needle to pierce the man's skin, to be able to witness the result.

Thrawn made no change to his expression as he watched the droid get ever closer to the rebel, staring his dead eyes on to the soon to be corpse. If he survives that is. Well then, he supposed there are other sources to bring him the results he needs, there's always another way, regardless of— "All right!"

Thrawn instantly raised a hand the moment the man spoke, prompting Kallus to tap onto his wrist again. This then prompted the droid to stop its approach, the needle just barely breaking the skin of the man's chest. The droid then retracted its arm, moving off to the side as the Admiral began to close in towards the man.

"They call themselves the Vanguard... or at least... that's what they want us to call them..." The pilot informed. Thrawn observed the man deepy as he took the words to heart. He could tell instantly it was the truth, the name of the soldiers were revealed... Yet too much lead this... bluff astray. Firstly, The tone of the man spoke the truth, but he knew very well it was just a name used as a coverup, a second alias if you will. Secondly, the word Vanguard to be used as an alias is none the less common, and it made sense, to have this unidentified group act as the vanguard for this small rebellion. Lastly, the body language the man portrayed just as much as his tone; truthful, yet restrained, only allowing what little truth can be spilled to allow a sliver of escape. And Thrawn isn't having it.

The Admiral took some steps back before turning away from the man, not before giving Kallus a simple glance. But through Kallus's eyes, he knew what it meant, and he was hesitant to act upon it. Even so, he obliged, tapping away on his wrist device. Soon after, the ball droid continued its approach, much to the rebel pilot's dismay. The needle extended outwards again, already sending the pilot into an exhausted, yet futile panic.

"W-wait, please, that's all I know!" the pilot lied, and everyone knew it.

the droid continued its approach as Kallus and Skerris watched, while Thrawn began slowly climbing up the steps which lead out the cell. The rebel pilot began struggling again, using what's left, "Please! you have to... believe me!"

More words for the desperate. The cell door slid open, as Thrawn took his first step out. Through out it, Kallus turned to watch his superior walk away from the ordeal, if he only he could do more, but if he did, then he'd be in the blind. And right as he sighed, it happened.

"THEY'RE CALLED SPARTANS!"

Everyone jerked their head back to the rebel, even the droid seemed to jerk away a bit from the sudden outburst, all but Thrawn, who stopped in his place. "Is that so…" he tempted, his tone giving off a sinister aura. He turned to glance at the rebel, his deep red eyes sending a bombardments worth daggers.

The man heaved as he tries to rekindle whatever is left of himself, his thoughts racing for both survival and regret. Clearly, he was shaken by the droid. I'm so sorry, Captain, thought the rebel. Thrawn fully faced the rebel, approaching him with caution as to not tempt the man further to the point where he would no longer give the information he finally has grasped over.

"I wasn't... told directly. But it's what I've overheard... We've been calling them... Noble-Team, their leader's callsign; Noble-Two, and their ship; the Condor. But I swear, that's all we know" The man pleaded, suddenly cooperative. "Please, anything… but that needle"

Thrawn placed a hand onto his chin, thinking deeply as he continued to stare onto the rebel. For all he knew, the rebel was telling the truth, his body language and tone reflected upon it. Noble-Team? An intriguing name to be sure. What make's them noble to which they would adopt such a word to their name? though this thought was but trivial to what else he's noticed. Noble-Two... a similar code name structure to many others, much like the Spectres, but as such, something did catch his interest. Noble-Two, the number Two. So then... What happened to number One? this could easily be overlooked, but ever bit of detain could indeed be beneficial, especially towards these... Spartans. Then the final detail, the true name of their ship, The Condor. As Thrawn thought of it, it seemed fitting, as the condor is a species capable of long-distance flight, perhaps the ship reflects this.

"We? I see…" Thrawn stated, getting the pilot's eyes to widen.

Several minutes went by with not a word spoken, Kallus and Vult occasionally glancing to one another as they waited for something, the rebel still exasperated, silently cursing to himself due to his incompetence to give his life for the secret.

Finally, Thrawn turned away, walked up the steps out of the cell, but stopped just outside the door.

"finish, the job, Agent Kallus" he spoke suddenly, glancing to Kallus with the same expectant eyes.

The pilot's eyes widened in terror and thrashed once again with just the little of energy that is left. Kallus, slightly reluctant, pressed onto his wrist, allowing the droid to finish the job as he walked out the room. Skerris didn't even move a muscle, he was ready to watch the man in confinement die with amusement.

"Commander, join me in my office when you're ready" Thrawn ordered, though he didn't glance back, knowing full that he would comply.

The cell doors then close, with Thrawn and Kallus now leaving the premise. Several steps onto their walk, a piercing and blood curdling scream can be heard even outside the cell, prompting Kallus to look behind, seeing the single trooper stationed there flinch from the sudden scream. Their pace didn't faulter as he looked back to the Admiral, curiosity and shock coming to his thoughts.

"Grand Admiral?" he inquired.

The Admiral was silent for minutes while they continued to walk through the empty halls. Then,

"It appears we've made a Development"

A/N: Damn...

Life's a bitch

HEYYO Friendos. Guess who's BAAACCKKK. Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about this, never will hopefully, I've got plans!

Deepest apologizes that you guys waited so long for a new update, like a I said, Life's being a bitch. From things like School coming back along with catching up on lost work, all the way to Whatever the fuck is happening the rest of the world. But thanks to the term break, I can at least go back to writing. Also Seriously, deepest condolences for George Floydd and his family, and full support for BLACK LIVES MATTER movement. A lot is happening in the world, not to mention the spike in COVID cases. Please, if you're going outside, WASH YOU HANDS, put and sanitazer, and keep your hands to yourselves. Us being younger may help that we won't get affected, it won't change the fact we'll be carrying the virus, potentially risking the very lives of those around you, especially parents and elderly. But all I can say is to hold fast, stay strong, and stay safe.

With that out of the way, on a lighter note, some good developments have occurred this past month or so. For starters, my birthday passed, making me OFFICIALLY 18!...

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Ok... so... What? can I legally say fuck now or... I mean I can legally drink now, and drive so those are some pluses, obviously separated, don't do both, that's a no no. Anyways, I also just started building my First Ever MG gunpla, the Astray Blue Frame D. Really wanted my first MG to be the Barbatos but stocks are fecken low, my god. plus I was inpatient, so ehh.., and TBH, I was really pleased with the build; enjoyable, good articulation and the dragoons are a fine touch, but I don't like the manipulators, wish it was the swappable fingers, but I guess it's expected from 2014 MG so it can't be helped. Speaking of Gunpla, Finally, Build Divers RE: Rise is airing again, been waitin' for this moment. If you guys watch it and enjoy it, let me know what you think, to me, it's seriously underrated.

I've also been reading some more Fics and two IBO crossovers have caught my eye. TEKKETSU NO KYOJIN by Stryker. AJ is Phenomenal; as you guessed it it's IBO and AOT, and it is amazingly written, with an engaging story and the familial and friendship bonds they've developed with Mika and the others are really intriguing, to put lightly. Because it's just SO GOOD. So if your interested take a read yourself, sure their story is more recognized but does it really matter. what matters is that we enjoy what we do, just like how I enjoy reading it and writing my own story (Stories soon ¬‿¬). The other story was Of Debris and Heros by Fortress H. This ones an IBO and MHA crossover and again, another really well-Written story, and just like the other story, the friendship bonds they made is great, along with how they've implemented the IBO universe in MHA, especially the presence of Mobile suits.

I highly recommend reading both if you haven't, and if you have the time.

I also finally got into Demon Slayer and... Why have I been skipping this until now! Bro I've already finished the Manga (Don't worry no spoilers here) And MY GOD WAS IT AMAZING. Plus EP 19 though... just... MMMMMM. I'll be stuck on this fandom for god knows how long now... feck. Seriously I can recite the entire some breathing techniques in Japanese, my personal favorite being Zenitsu's thunder breathing. (useless, I know)

K, with all that out of the way, let's see what y'all got to say:

Guest 1 & 2: Thank you! really trying my best, and as you've just read above, Wedge be out here wedging himself into his friends' torment (Ehhhhhhhhhhplslaugh)

Achillies453: Glad I could put out said update, and thank you for your concerns, don't worry, I'll be just fine, especially after I've just recently went to see the student council, so I'm feeling definitely better, if not for school stressing me out be BAHH I'll get through it. As for yours and United88's thoughts on Sabine and Ezra's age, well keep in mind Ezra's still a Lothalite (or Lothalian which ever you prefer), basically classic cultural differences and whatnot. Besides, they'll both think they're ready when they believe they're ready (or at least I do).

1750: well here's more friend!

And again, I can't stress this enough, thank you all so much for reading, Updates will also be inconsistent this point onwards but I'll try to bring it out as best I can. that being said, I'll see yawl later.

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Oh, and I almost forgot; did a small rewrite of the first chapter, it's not much, but enough to hopefully make a lot more sense.

Aight, hope you enjoyed!