Chapter 21: The Fall

Galactic Empire Journal Entry 43 – Location: Endor

“When I landed on Endor, I couldn’t help but feel embarrassed over what my eyes saw. The entire battalion of Stormtroopers sent to stop the Rebels assault on the shield generator had been taken out by Ewoks, the annoying natives of this planet. Perhaps it was a smart decision for me to go alone. Had any of my men died at the hands of those living stuffed bears, I would’ve died in shame…This is it. My actions on that moon will determine the future of the Empire. Shame I didn’t make the right ones.”

The TIE Demolisher was slowly making its decent towards Endor, carefully passing through the space battle raging on above him. The problem however is that due to the energy shield still being up, he couldn’t get past it without transferring clearance codes to the outpost stationed there. But if the Rebels are attacking the outpost, then they have bigger things to deal with then allowing other ships to land.

He tried contacting the command centre many times, but he’d received no reply every time he tried. So the only thing left to do was land on the far side of the planet where the shields range ended. He really hated this, knowing that the further he is from the outpost, the longer it would take for him to lend a hand against the Rebels.

As he slowly makes his way through Endors atmosphere, he hears a faint sound coming from behind him. The sound only lasted a second, but it was long enough for Ghost to know that he was not alone.

Discreetly setting the ships controls to autopilot, he carefully reaches for his rifle laying on the side of the wall next to his pilot seat. Once he had it in his hand he quickly spun the chair around and took aim at whatever was attempting to sneak up on him.

“Whoa! Whoa! Don’t shoot, it’s me!”

Ghost was not expecting to have a stowaway on his ship. Especially not one of his own squad members.

“Daxter?!” Ghost said surprisingly as he lowered his rifle and got up from his seat, approaching his brother. “What the hell are you doing here? I gave you a direct order to assist the rest of the 501st… Don’t tell me Thunder and Boomstick are here too.”

Daxter shook his head to which Ghost was revealed that it was just him who decided to go AWOL and sneak aboard the ship. “They know I left, but they didn’t stop me. They’ve got it covered up there, they are perfectly capable of leading the men in our absence. But you… I can’t let you do this mission alone. I am your brother and a respected member of this team. You will need someone to watch your back. You can’t exactly deny my request now that your stuck with me, and turning back would be a waste of time.”

Ghost was really annoyed with the awkward position Daxter had put him in. Now he had to watch out for him while fighting back agianst the Rebels. He was hoping to go all out against them without worrying about harming any of his men in the process. But now Daxter has complicated that plan, forcing him to look for other alternatives.

Ghost turned around, sat back in his chair and continued to pilot the TIE Demolisher towards the other end of Endor. Daxter took his silence as permission to assume his position in the co-pilots seat next to him.

“Look.” Daxter spoke up after a couple minutes of silence. “I know your probably angry with me abandoning the others like that.”

“You think?” Ghost said sarcastically back.

“But I can’t just let you throw your life away for a slim chance at stopping what’s probably an army of Rebels. And if Luke Skywalker and the Rebel leaders are down there too, then you stand absolutely no chance against them alone.”

“And you think your involvement will make things any better?” Ghost retorted.

“Better then you going alone and dying. I know I’m not the best fighter out of all of us. But I can hold my own against Jedi just as well as you can. And with my gadgets, I’m practically one clone army.”

Ghost ended up giving up on arguing with him and continued his slow descent. Having Daxter with him defiantly complicates things. But he is at somewhat thankful that he’ll get to see at least one of his brothers for what might be the last time should he die there today.

The TIE Demolisher lands amongst a large group of trees and bushes, keeping it hidden from any possible Rebel spies. Once landed, Ghost and Daxter quickly covered the ship with branches and leaves to keep it concealed from danger.

Daxter also marks one of the trees next to it with his and Ghosts symbols so that they can easily find their ship again once the mission was over.

Ghost uses his helmets scanners to point out the fastest and safest route to the shield generator command centre. But he was frustrated to learn that they were forced to land their ship twenty miles away from their destination. And with no mode of transportation, they’d be forced to walk there, which could take hours, giving the Rebels plenty of time to destroy the generator.

“The command centre is miles away from our current position. We’ll never reach them in time!” Ghost stated obviously.

Daxter then pulled down the built in binoculars on his helmet to eye level, giving him a better look around the area they’re currently in. There had to be something, anything that could get them to the command centre much faster. Until lady luck has decided to bless his eyes with the sight of what appeared to be two discarded speeder bikes laying in the dirt by a downed tree.

“Don’t worry Ghost. I have managed to find a couple of speeder bikes a few feet north of here. If we can get those up and running again, we should be able to reach the command centre in no time.”

Ghost looked over to where Daxter was pointing and was amazed by the convenience of the random, still intact speeder bikes that are just sitting there for the taking. Part of him can’t help but think this might be some kind of trap, like the one on Yavin 4 with the Bothan spies.

When they reached the speeder bikes, they were not surprised to see that they were badly damaged form what they could assume was a chase between the Rebels and Scout Troopers. Daxter examines the two speeder bikes carefully, making sure that they are still in shape for travel again.

While Ghost was keeping an eye out for possible danger. With his thermal vision equipped, he can confirm that there are no Rebels nearby, and the only heat signatures he saw came from some of the various wildlife around them.

“Ok, from what I’ve seen. These speeders do need some repairs before we can actually use them. Luckily its nothing too serious. All I need to do is readjust the anti-gravity stabiliser, rejigger the throttle on the other one, and recharge the batteries.” Daxter explained.

“How long will it take?” Ghost was afraid to ask.

“If I didn’t have the tools needed for these repairs, then at least five hours. But luckily for us, I do have the tools. So it shouldn’t take no longer then fifteen minutes… Aren’t you glad I decided to tag along now.” Daxter said with a smirk under his helmet. Ghost can tell that he’s smirking underneath his helmet just by the tone of his voice. One of the many advantages of fighting with someone he’s known for years.

As Daxter began working on restoring the damaged speeder bikes, Ghost started thinking back on the mission they’ve had on Felucia during the Clone Wars. Both that mission and the one they’re on now are kind of the same when he thought about it. Both took place on a planet teaming with plant life, both involved damaged vehicles that needed to be repaired in order to progress, and both had high stakes. The only thing missing was another Bull Rancor for them to fight.

“Hey Dax.” He slowly spoke out. Daxter only stopped to look back briefly before getting back to working on the speeder bikes. “For what it’s worth, I am happy you’re here. I’m just worried about Thunder, Boomstick and the rest of our men that I just up and abandoned.”

“They’ll be alright, Ghost. Each and every one of us know you still care deep down. Your just doing what you believe to be right for the Empire.”

Ghost couldn’t think of anything to say in response to that. Like X-Ray, Daxter was just too kind to the other clones around him. He’s seen the things Ghost had done ever since the Jedi Purge at the end of the Clone Wars. He just couldn’t understand why he was still willing to follow him after all that. Going so far as to abandon the others just to potentially be stuck on this forest moon with him.

If X-Ray was the heart of the team, then Daxter would be considered the soul. Because he seems to be the only one left among them that still has one.

“How did I ever get so lucky to have a brother like you?” Ghost asked rhetorically.

“Who knows.” Daxter responded as he was still making adjustments to the bikes. “The universe works in mysterious ways. All I do know is that I am thankful for the life I was given, even if it was just to fight in a war. Fighting a war means nothing if you don’t share a bond with the soldiers you fight along with. If we didn’t have that, then what are we fighting for?”

Ghost took a moment to let Daxters philosophical words sink in. He never thought about war that way before. All he ever saw from the wars he’s fought in, is that they were fighting for peace and freedom to the galaxy. He never realised that the so called peace would be pointless to work hard for if you fought alone.

Throughout the years since their creation, he’s seen many clones forming bonds far stronger than even the most potent of romances. Bonds that have helped each of them through the tough times they’ve had. Not one clone was alone throughout the two wars. They all had someone watching their backs, someone to pass their stories onto, someone to share moments of victory with.

Ghost then approaches Daxter and places his hand on his shoulder. Daxter stops what he was currently doing and turns back towards him. He then places his own hand on top of Ghosts.

“No matter what happens you always somehow manage to find a way to lift our spirits. I don’t know how you do it, but I am thankful that you can fix our hearts just as effectively as you fix machines… Had I really gone alone, I believe I would’ve failed and ended up dying alone on this planet. But now I know we have a better chance to win if we fight together. As long as we still have our bonds, no threat is a match for us. So make sure you fix up those speeders as quickly as you can. For we have our other brothers up there who are depending on us.” Ghost said with great inspiration.

Daxter saluted his commander and replied with a “Yes sir”. He then proceeded to fix the speeder bikes at a much faster rate than he was going before. He and Ghost were determined to see this mission through to the end no matter what. They will the Rebellion crushed, they will see order and peace be restored to the galaxy. This they knew.

Miles above Endor, the huge ariel dog fight between the invading Rebel ships and the entire Imperial fleet continues to rage on. Sigan was still observing the battle from the bridge, but he was still not allowed to interfere. He as well as every other Star Destroyer were ordered not to attack by the Emperor himself, claiming that he has something special in mind for dealing with them.

Sigan didn’t know what the Emperor was planning, but a little voice inside of him is saying that it’s probably a bad idea.

From the looks of things so far, he’d say that the Empire is winning against the Rebels. He hadn’t heard any news from Ghost and his squad yet, assuming that they were back on the Death Star. He then places his hand into his left pocket, feeling for the holodisk that Ghost had given him before leaving.

He was told by Ghost not to watch this until the battle was over. Why this was he had no idea. But he’s grown to respect Ghosts wishes, even if he didn’t fully understand them.

He would contact Orion Squad, but their signals were still jammed due to the frequency of the shield generator on Endor. But what he didn’t expect was to be suddenly contacted by them instead. He quickly patches them through while they were still in range.

“Commander? What is the meaning of this? Your supposed to be on the Death Star.”

“Actually Admiral, this isn’t Ghost. It’s Boomstick.” He heard on the receiving end of his earpiece.

“What’s going on? Where’s your commander?” Sigan demanded.

“He’s fighting the Rebels with us, sir.” Thunder spoke up in defence. “We couldn’t just stand by and watch the Rebels attack our men, we needed to help them.”

“Admiral.” A random pilot called out to Sigan. Sigan looked in his direction and takes a look at the screen he was pointing at. The screen shows the TIE Demolishers tracking beacon…which was coming from Endor.

Sigan then immediately responded to Thunder and Boomstick upon realising what’s going on. “You say Ghost is with you, fighting against the Rebels?”

“Yes sir.” Boomstick replied.

“Then care to explain to me why the TIE Demolisher is currently on Endor and not involved in the battle?”

There was silence on the clones end. They should’ve known that Sigan can’t be that easily fooled. Thunder eventually decided to confess, seeing no reason to lie anymore.

“He and Daxter are down on the surface of Endor hoping to stop the Rebels from destroying the shield generator.”

Sigan was only mildly shocked by this news, but he knew Ghost well enough to pull a stunt like that. He really wished that their signals weren’t jammed right now, all so he could call Ghost and tell him the consequences for going against his orders.

He then thinks back on when Ghost gave him the holodisk. Did Ghost give him that disk in case he were to die? Does this disk contain any final words of wisdom or some kind of requests that he wanted him to carry out in his place? If that was the case then why him? Why not have either Thunder or Boomstick have it? Sigan to them was just another non-clone, he’s their admiral and ally. Yet he chose to entrust something valuable to him…Sigan didn’t know what to make of this at all.

He was then snapped out of his train of thought by a loud voice booming over the bridges speakers, along with the sound of an alarm.

“Warning, Death Star is fully armed and operational. All Star Destroyers must steer clear immediately!”

“WHAT?!” Sigan as well as several other of the ship’s crew cried out in shock.

Without time to think, Sigan shouted down to the ships pilots, telling them to shift the ship into reverse and be clear of the Death Stars laser.

The Conqueror as well as every other Star Destroyer quickly move backwards out of the Death Stars range, trying so hard not to crash into any of the other Star Destroyers behind them in the process.

“So that’s why the Emperor ordered us not to attack. He wanted to use the Death Star to wipe out those ships.” He thought to himself. “But that’s dangerous! If the blast is any higher than 5% power, it’ll be powerful enough to wipe out not only the Rebels, but also take out a lot of Star Destroyers in the aftershock. Has the Emperor gone mad!?”

Thunder and Boomstick were taking part in the space battle over Endor alongside the 501st and the rest of the Imperial Army. In terms of fighter numbers, they have the Rebels outmatched. The only problem they have are the huge Mon Calamari cruisers. Because the Emperor ordered that the Star Destroyers are forbidden to attack, a lot of their fighters are getting picked off one by one by the cruisers turrets.

“Grrr, this would’ve been a lot easier if we had the TIE Demolisher.” Boomstick frustratedly.

Both Thunder and Boomstick were piloting a TIE Bomber since their ship is being used by Ghost and Daxter. They were able to take out Rebel fighters just fine with it, but without the immense firepower of the Demolisher, they can’t do anything against the cruisers.

“Can’t argue with you there, Boom. But Ghost is still our Commander, and whatever he says goes.” Thunder explained.

“Well I still wish we had it instead. Would’ve come in handy against those cruisers. Especially since the Star Destroyers aren’t attacking for some reason.”

“The Emperor said he has a plan for dealing with them. For all our sakes it better be a good one.” Thunder commented while performing a barrel role and blasting a Y-Wing to bits.

They then begin to notice that the fleet of Star Destroyers is backing away from the fight in a hurry. Causing the two clones to wonder why.

Boomstick then notices that the Death Stars super laser was powering up and taking aim at one of the Rebel cruisers. And of all the cruiser they could’ve attacked first, they had to aim for the one they’re currently swarming around.

“THUNDER, GET US AWAY FROM THAT CRUISER NOW!” He warned him.

Boomstick then reaches for the control panel and literally punches the throttle, sending their Bomber flying away from the action at top speed.

The Death Star soon unleashes its first laser blast at the Rebel Cruiser, blowing away like dust in the wind. Many Rebel fighters were consumed by the explosion, as well as a couple TIE Fighters. The shockwave of the blast ended up hitting their Bomber, causing their ship to spin out of control.

Boomstick held onto the side of his chair, trying so hard not to fall all over the place. While Thunder was desperately reaching for the controls in hopes of levelling out the ship again.

“That blast came from the Death Star? But they told us its weapon systems weren’t operational yet.” Boomstick reminded his brother.

“The Emperor was willingly withholding that information from us. Probably in case there were Rebel spies among our ranks or something.” Thunder speculated. “But how in the hell was that blast so damn powerful?! The readings say it only unleashed 1% of its power.”

“Well it does have Kyber crystals as its power source now, since the Mygeetan crystals were destroyed with the first Death Star.” Boomstick pointed out.

Thunder then notices that the Death Star is preparing to fire its super laser again at the next Rebel cruiser. Panicked, he steers the bomber well away from any and all Rebel cruisers to ensure they don’t get caught up in the blast again. They barely survived the first one as it is.

As they continued to battle the Rebel fighters, they notice that the huge group of them were being led by the Millennium Falcon. The same ship that escaped them on Hoth. Well this time, they won’t be able to get away a second time. Thunder pushes forward on the throttle, heading full speed towards the falcon.

“What are you doing?” Boomstick asked.

“That ship is the same one that escaped us on Hoth. We can’t let it get away again… It looks like its leading the Rebels to attack the Star Destroyers, probably to act as protection from the Death Star.”

“What makes you think the Death Star wouldn’t fire at them while in close proximity to fleet?”

Thunder nervously gulped before saying the harsh truth of what he thinks is gonna happen. “I don’t think the Emperor cares if any Star Destroyers get caught in the blast. All he cares about is wiping out the Rebels once and for all… Kinda like Ghost.”

“But Ghost doesn’t care about that anymore. You heard what he said.” Boomstick reminded him about the talk they’ve all had on the Death Star before the Rebels arrived.

“Yes I remember. But unlike Ghost, the Emperor doesn’t care how many of us are killed as long as he gets what we want.”

“So what do we do?” Boomstick asked, almost scared of what the answer might be.

“The only thing we can do is destroy the Rebels before the Emperor does. Hopefully Ghost and Daxter are almost finished with their mission. We’ll need their help if we are to win this battle AND survive.”

Back on Endor, Ghost and Daxter have finally got the speeder bikes up and running again. It took them way longer then they would’ve liked, but that didn’t matter right now. They still had a mission to complete.

Blasting at full speed, Ghost and Daxter dodged all obstacles that stood in their path, making a beeline for the command centre. They as well as their men have all fought like hell to get to where they are now. Giving up now would’ve been pointless as well as shameful. All those lives they’ve lost, all the sacrifices they’ve had to make. It can’t all be for nothing.

Suddenly out of nowhere, a vine popped out of the ground just as Daxter was about to pass over it. Daxter ends up getting clotheslined by the vine, knocking him off his speeder bike and sending him to the ground. His speeder bike ended up crashing into a big rock and explodes on impact.

Ghost quickly applied the brakes on his bike and brought it to a screeching halt (even though the bike had no wheels) He rushes over to Daxters side and checks his body for any injuries, to which he was relieved to find that there weren’t any.

“Are you alright?” Ghost asked, worried for his brothers wellbeing.

“I’m ok, just got the wind knocked out of me.” Daxter reassured him. He then looks over at the vine and examined the two trees it was tied to. “That was no accident. Someone set a trap for us.”

Ghost then takes a look around, using his thermal scanner to check for any Rebel spies. But there were no Rebels to be found.

“Hmm, this looks too traditional to be the work of Rebels. And I doubt they were short on supplies when they came here. This was set up by something else. But what?”

Ghost and Daxter suddenly look up upon hearing the sound of a horn being blown. It came from high above the many trees standing around them. Ghost manages to catch a glimpse at the one responsible and was in utter bewilderment over what he was seeing.

“Ghost, they’re around us.” Daxter warned as he heard the sounds of many lifeforms closing in on their position.

The ones responsible for setting the trap soon reveal themselves to them, having the two clones completely surrounded. They were outnumbered. But for some reason Ghost wasn;t scared. Instead, he was actually laughing at what was transpiring around him.

“You have got to be kidding me.” Was all Ghost could say in response to the ridiculousness of their situation. “You mean to tell me that we stopped by a bunch of Ewoks?! I don’t know whether to feel insulted that it was they who set this trap, or laughing my head off for thinking these living stuffed bears stand a chance against us.”

One of the Ewoks reacts to Ghost as if he was reacting to his insulting of them and pints his spear at him. Ghost only continues to laugh as the spear broke upon traying to break through his armour.

“These Ewoks just said that they were not expecting more space demons to arrive this far out of the battle they’re fighting right now.” Daxter translated. “I assume that the Imperial forces we have stationed down here are the space demons they’re referring to.”

“What?” Ghost said in shock as he turned back to Daxter, completely ignoring the Ewoks. “Are you saying that these pathetic native creatures are helping the Rebels fight the Imperials at the command centre. And are somehow WINNING?”

Daxter only gave him a slight nod in response. He cannot blame Ghost at all for his reaction. Next to Jawa’s, the Ewoks were among the most annoying creatures the Empire had ever encountered. Now knowing that they played a huge role in ensuring the Rebels succeed in their mission makes him just as mad as Ghost.

One of the Ewok chieftains, fed up with being ignored and not taken seriously by the two invading Stormtroopers, he decided to lash out agianst the Purge Trooper. Grabbing a hold of his leg and beginning to repeatedly smash his fists into him. But his small weak punches didn’t do so much as scratch or even dent his armour.

Ghosts laughter was soon replaced by annoyance as he lifted his leg the Ewok chief was latched onto. He then proceed to pull his leg back and to everyone’s surprise – including Daxter – manages to kick the Ewok so high and far off the ground, freeing his leg from his grasp.

The Ewok was sent flying backwards through the forest until it managed to hit the base of a tall tree. The impact caused the Ewoks spine to shatter upon contact, causing it to cry out in agonising pain. But it’s suffering didn’t end there. It soon ended up falling to the ground below, and somehow gets impaled on his own spear. And to add even more insult to injury. One of the tree’s branches broke off and ended up falling on top of the Ewok, killing it instantly.

All the other Ewoks were in utter shock at that they’ve just seen. That was just so brutal, some of them even ended up fainting from the sight of such horror. And some even ended up running away in terror as Ghost started down at them, his vizor glowing bright red.

But there were some Ewoks that didn’t run. Instead, they decided to stay and fight their much larger and more experienced opponent. They were so weak, so foolish, that Ghost didn’t even bother drawing his lightsaber.

He instead decided to pick up the Ewok that fainted by its leg and proceeded to beat the others to death with it. Daxter just stood there in shock at what he was seeing unfold before his very eyes. But he cannot deny that there was a small -very small – part of him that actually enjoyed the show. These Ewoks knocked him off of his speeder and caused it to crash and explode. He had worked so hard on restoring those speeder bikes. Is it too much to ask that he have this one moment of payback?

After Ghost had finished off the last of the Ewoks, he looks down at the one he was holding and was surprises to see that all that was left of it was the leg he was holding onto. He then looks around the area and was met with the sight of blood stained grass, bushes, rocks and trees. As well as the corpses of a dozen abused Ewoks. He then noticed the rest of the Ewok he’d been using as a weapon laying far across from where he was.

“Huh, and I thought Boomstick was the only strong armed one of us.” He thought to himself. He then tossed the severed Ewok limb aside and approached his speeder bike. He then uses its blasters to cut the vine in half, clearing the path for him and Daxter.

“With your bike destroyed your gonna have to ride in the backseat with me. Will that be ok?”

“Huh? Oh yeah that’s fine.” Daxter stuttered.

“You’re not upset by the way I dispatched those Ewoks are you?” He asked curiously.

“Normally I would be. But after that stunt they pulled with the vine I didn’t feel a thing for them… I honestly don’t know who’s worst. Them or the Jawa’s.”

“We’ll ask Thunder and Boomstick once we complete the mission and return to the Demolisher. Now fasten your seatbelt, cuz I’m not slowing down.”

Daxter was about to point out the fact that speeder bikes didn’t have seat belts for some strange reason, but Ghost was already full speed heading towards the command centre.

“There’s the shield generator, I can see it up ahead.” Daxter pointed up to the giant satellite dish standing taller than every single tree on the planet.

Ghost began picking up even more speed as they were closing in on the shield generator.

But they were suddenly caught off guard by the sight of a giant pillar of fire erupting from the command centre. The blast soon consumed the entire shield generator, blowing it to pieces.

“NO!” Ghost shouted at what he’d just seen. This causes his speeder bike to swerve and almost crash. But Daxter was able to readjust the bikes balance, giving Ghost a chance to properly bring it to a stop.

The two clones got off of the bike in order to get a proper look at what had just happened. They were too late. The Rebels have succeeded in destroying the shield and leaving the Death Star vulnerable to attack.

Ghost was so consumed with rage that he ended up punching a rock that was sitting next to him, and actually managed to crack it like a glass ball.

“If I hadn’t let those Ewoks get to me, we could’ve made it in time!” Ghost shouted at himself, once again feeling like he is to blame for this unfortunate outcome. “It’s over.”

“Not yet it isn’t.” Daxter reassure him. “Look down there.”

Ghost and Daxter took cover behind a log and see the destroyed command centre below them. Outside of it were a huge gathering of Ewoks and a small band of Rebels. And to their surprise, Han Solo and Princess Leia.

Seeing them again made Ghost anger begin to flare up once again. He should’ve known they’d be the ones to lead this attack. But he continued to look around the area to see if Luke was with them. But there was no such luck.

“It’s them!” Ghost whispered to Daxter. He then begins reaching for his rifle, but Daxter grabs his arm, stopping him.

“What are you doing? If you attack them you’ll give away our position. You and I cannot take them all on alone.”

Ghost pulls his arm away and places his rifle back in its holster. “You’re right. No point both of us getting killed today… Get back to the ship and help the others.”

Daxter attempted to object to this, but Ghost leapt over the log and quickly got to the bushes below before he had a chance to.

Ghost quietly got closer to the big clearing they were all in, trying so hard not to make a sound and alert them to his presence. Once he’d gotten close enough he reached into his satchel and pulled out a couple of grenades.

“You Rebel scum are not gonna get away from me a second time. If I’m dying today, I’m taking all of you with me!”

Ghost then got out of cover and threw the grenades towards the group of Rebels and Ewoks. The majority of them get caught off guard by the sudden appearance of the Purge Trooper and end up getting ripped apart by the explosion.

Only Han, Leia and a small group of Rebels and Ewoks survive the explosion and get behind the walls of the destroyed command centre, using it as cover against him.

“Come out and face me you damn Rebel scum!” Ghost shouted out to them. “You’ll all pay for killing my brothers!”

“Great, it’s that Purge Trooper again.” Han said to Leia while returning fire towards him using his pistol.

“It’s Ghost.” Leia corrected him.

“You know him?” Han asked confusedly.

“He’s the leader of the 501st legion. A highly skilled group of clones that fought in the Clone Wars.”

“What?” Han looked directly towards Leia, not believing what he’d just heard. “I thought all clones were destroyed.”

“Not the 501st. They were too valuable to the Empire to decommission… And he’s no ordinary clone. My father has seen the things he and his squad have done.”

“Well as famous and skilled as he is. At the end of the day it’s all of us against him alone. He stands no chance at winning.” Han assumed as he continued firing at Ghost.

A group of Rebels attempted to flank Ghost so that they could take him out from behind. But they were all soon gunned down by Daxter, equipped with his shotgun and his backpacks super battle droid arm.

“I thought I told you to get back to the ship!” Ghost briefly yelled back at him, trying not to take his eyes of the enemy.

“And what? Let you have all the fun; I don’t think so… You should know by now that my mind has been made up ever since we joined the Empire. I’m sticking with you no matter what, even if you ordered otherwise.” Daxter replied stubbornly.

Ghost wanted to threaten to kill Daxter if he didn’t turn back now while he still could. But it would’ve been pointless, as Daxters stubbornness would persuade him to continue fighting by his side even if he did kill him. So instead of fighting Daxter, he focussed on fighting his enemies.

“If you insist on staying, then can you at least draw their fire so I can throw another grenade at Han and Leia. If we can just kill them, then that’ll be good enough.”

“You got it, boss.”

Daxter then does as instructed and moves further away from his position. He pulls out a portable turret from his backpack and places it on the ground. The turret automatically sets itself up and open fires on the Rebels and Ewoks.

With the majority of the Rebels focused on Daxter and his turret, Ghost reached into his satchel and pulls out another grenade. He then begins to aim it at the ruined command centre, hoping to kill Han and Leia for good.

“One more thermal detonator will finish you off!”

But as Ghost was about to throw it, a sudden blaster bolt flies out of nowhere and impacts the ground where Daxters turret was. The blast ended up destroying the turret and knocking Daxter backwards.

“DAX-!” Ghost attempted to cry out, only to be silenced by another massive blaster bold impacting the ground near him. Its shockwave sending him flying backwards towards the area where their speeder bike lay.

Ghost quickly got back up and dashed towards Daxter. When he approached him, he was horrified to see the state he was in. Daxters legs had been blown off by the heavy blaster fire, leaving only his upper torso intact. His helmet had been discarded so that he could freely cough up blood without it flooding the inside of it.

Noticing that Daxter was losing blood fast, Ghost quickly reaches into his satchel and grabs a bottle of X-Ray’s enhanced bacta liquid. But he was shocked to see that all of the bottles have been smashed during the blaster collision.

“No no no no NOOOO!”

“Forget about me, Ghost.” Daxter said weakly. His cheeks were soon beginning to lose colour, implying that he’s still losing blood fast.

“I am NOT gonna lose you too! So you can forget about me abandoning you!” Ghost yelled down at his fallen brother.

He then quickly ignites his lightsaber and uses its intense heat to cauterise his legs, slowly stopping the blood loss. Daxter cried out in agonising pain upon feeling the hot blade make contact with the nubs his legs used to be.

His screams draw the attention from the Ewoks who alert the one who shot them to their presence. From out of the bushes, an AT-ST commandeered by the Rebels emerges. Ghost could not believe their bad luck right now. There was no way he could fend off an AT-ST alone while tending to Daxters wounds.

He looks back at Han and Leia who were still hiding in the ruined base, then down at Daxter, then at the approaching AT-ST, and then back at Daxter again. He soon realised that he was gonna have to make a choice. Either sacrifice Daxter and kill the Rebel leaders for good. Or Save Daxter and retreat back to their ship, but lose their chance to end the Rebellion forever. This was a tough choice, but Ghost knew exactly what the right one was. 

After he finished closing Daxters wounds, he picked him up and dropped him over his shoulders, onto his back. He then started running like hell for his speeder bike.

“Hold on tight Dax, I’m getting you outta here.”

“But what about the Rebel leaders?” He weakly asked.

“Forget them! They’re not more important than you! Not this time, not ever!”

Daxter formed a smile when he heard those words. It took a lot of strength due to the blood loss, but it was worth it to know once and for all that the old Ghost is finally back.

Ghost placed Daxter on the back of the speeder and used some of the vines hanging from the tree as rope to tie him down so he doesn’t fall off. He then quickly climbs onto the speeder himself and starts it up.

The AT-ST finally managed to make its way up the steep hill they were on and was now within sight range of them. It then manages to step on Daxters discarded helmet, smashing it to pieces.

“Hold onto me tight. Whatever you do, don’t let go!” Ghost ordered Daxter before blasting the speeder off at full speed in the direction of the TIE Demolisher.

The AT-ST was obviously too slow to catch up with them now. But that didn’t stop it from firing upon them. Ghost continuously swerves the bike left and right in order to avoid the incoming blaster fire.

They were now miles ahead of the AT-ST, they just need to clear a little more distance and then they’ll be well out of its firing range.

“Ghost.” Daxter weakly uttered to his brother.

“Hang in there a little longer, Dax. Just a few more feet and we’re home free. Once we get back to the Conqueror we’ll give you a blood transfusion. As for your legs, we can always have them replaced. You always wanted to have augments after all-

“GHOST, LOOK OUT!”

As he was speaking, another blaster bolt from the AT-ST came flying towards them. Ghost attempted to steer the bike away from it, but he wasn’t quick enough. The blast soon impacts the ground in front of them, causing their speeder bike to swerve out of control again.

Ghost and Daxter soon end up falling off their bike and end up falling in a ditch. Their speeder bike explodes as soon as it makes contact with the tree in front of it. Both Ghost and Daxter end up passed out in the ditch, unaware of the fact that the AT-ST is still slowly making its way towards their location.

The battle over Endor was reaching a turning point for the Empire. The Death Stars super laser had taken out a large number of the Rebel cruisers, and their fighters were being severely depleted. The Rebels are now on the cusp of defeat, and victory is well within the Empires reach.

In a desperate attempt, the Rebel squadron led by the Millennium Falcon attempt to attack the fleet of Star Destroyers directly, hoping to take a few of them down with them should the Death Star open fire on them again.

The fleet began attacking the closest Star Destroyer, concentrating their fire on their shield generators first, then going for their engines, causing the Star Destroyer to lose altitude and crash into the one next to it.

Sigan clenched his fists, attempting to hide his anger from his subordinates. He knows that the orders were to not engage the Rebels under any circumstances. But if there’s one thing he has learned from the years of serving with Orion Squad, it’s that there’s a limit to how far you’ll go when following orders.

He then remembers something Ghost had once said to him in the early days of the Empire when they first met.

“Good soldiers follow orders. But great soldiers fight for what they believe to be right, even if it goes agianst said orders. Commander Fang taught me that during my rookie days on Kamino.”

Ever since the Rebel Alliance had first emerged and the many deaths they’ve caused, Ghost ended up forgetting that lesson. But his brothers stuck by him no matter what, and helped him remember.

Sigan knew he’d get into so much trouble for what he was about to do. If he somehow survives this battle, he’ll most likely face execution for treason against the Emperor. But this needed to be done if he was to save the 501st, win this war, and see his family again on Mandalore.

“Pilot. Have all cannons open fire on the Rebel cruisers.”

The ships control crew all turn to him in surprise. They never would’ve expected their Admiral of all people to go against the Emperors wishes.

“But sir, the Emperor said-

“I know what he said!” Sigan interrupted him, not wanting him to state the obvious. “But I cannot stand here and watch those Star Destroyers be taken out. I’ll accept whatever punishment he will dish out. It’s worth saving our comrades over. Now shut up and target those Rebels!”

With little to no choice, the ships controllers lock the cannons onto the Rebel fleet in front of them and open fire. Several Rebel fighters and one of the cruisers gets hit by the bombardment of blaster fire and explodes.

The Remaining Rebel cruisers soon switch targets and begin to attack the Conqueror. The Conqueror however was protected by the much larger Executer that happened to be hovering over it, providing protection from the blaster fire above.

“Admiral, this is Thunder, please come in!”

Sigan quickly picked up on Thunder and Boomstick’s signal and put him through. But upon hearing how clear his voice was coming through, he started to worry on the reason for why that is.

“Thunder, Boomstick, what’s going on out there? I can hear your voices much clearer than before.”

“That’s what we’ve been trying to warn you about… The shield generators been destroyed, Ghost and Daxter have failed.”

“What! No… Have you contacted them?” Sigan asked, rather than express his concerns on the situation.

“We’ve tried multiple times, but he hasn’t picked up.” Boomstick spoke up worriedly. “What if they’re-

“Don’t you dare finish that sentence!” Thunder shouted back at his brother. “The Ghost and Daxter I know would never allow themselves to die on a vegetable patch like Endor, especially to these Rebel Scum. They’re probably just dealing with their own problems down there. They’ll be here to help us; I know it.”

“Let’s hope your right. For now I need you and your men to protect the Death Star from the Rebel fighters. My crew and I will keep the cruisers preoccupied. Failure is not an option!” Sigan ordered in desperation.

“Yes sir!” They both replied before cutting the connection. Sigan once again turns his attention towards the massive battle continuing outside his window.

He couldn’t help but notice that the Rebel cruisers have stopped attacking the Conqueror and are now targeting the Executor instead. He could only catch a glimpse of what was going on as the Conqueror was located below and behind the Executor. But he started to worry as the Executor had lost its bridge deflector shields.

Suddenly a flaming Rebel fighter started plummeting towards the Executors bridge and actually managed to rip right through it, causing the Super Star Destroyers systems to shut down and causing it to lose altitude.

The look on Sigans face was pure horror, as he noticed the Executor was slowly falling towards the Death Star. And the Conqueror just so happened to be within its trajectory path.

“It’s coming right at us! We gotta turn this ship around!” One of the pilots panicked. “Orders Admiral?!” another called out to him.

Sigan was too stunned to form any words out of his mouth, His mind was flooding memories of his past as he could see his very eyes flash before his eyes. There was no escape for him now and he knows it.

“Abandon ship!” One of the officers aboard cried out to the entire crew. To which they had no hesitation in complying.

Sigan continued to stare out the window at the back of the Executor that was slowly heading his way. While his crew scurried out of their seats and made a dash for the exits, Sigan instead chose to approach the window to properly see his demise.

“What are you doing Admiral?! We must get off this ship before it’s too late!” One of the officers shouted, practically begging him not to throw his life away like this.

“An honourable captain always goes down with his ship.” Sigan calmy spoke up without turning back to face him. “Save yourselves if you wish. But I would rather die with honour then to flee from the Rebels and admit defeat. On Mandalore, honour is what we stand for.”

With that said Sigan continued to stare out into space. Soon the entire bridge was empty. Silence began to fill the room – apart from the sounds of the battle outside – Sigan continued to think about his life up to this point. He thought about his childhood on Mandalore before the Clone Wars. He thought about graduating the academy and being made a royal guard by Duchess Satine. He thought about how he met his wife and got married, which led to the birth of his children. Children who were still waiting for their father to return. He thought about losing his eye to the Darksaber, wielded by Darth Maul. And lastly, he thought about meeting the 501st and becoming their Admiral. And then eventually, their friend.

Sigan was proud of the life he had lived up till this point. And he did not regret any of the choices he has made along the way, especially joining the Empire. Because of his sacrifices, his family have evolved from poor commoners to living a dream life filled with luxury. And he was proud of the bonds he has made with the old clones from the Clone Wars era. Throughout the years they have shown him what it truly means to be a soldier, and he will never forget it.

He then pulls out the holodisk Ghost had left him, deciding that now was the perfect time to listen to the last words of his clone friend. As soon as he activated it, a holographic image of Ghost appeared before him, without his helmet on. Which made him happy, as he wanted to hear his final words while looking into his eyes.

“Hello Sigan. If you’re watching this recording, then it means either I’m dead, or you will be soon. When we first met all those years ago, I honestly didn’t see either of us getting along at all. Every Imperial Officer and non-clone we’ve met in the Empire treated us clones like garbage. But you were different. I realised this the day you told me your story about your family on Mandalore. Though you were another non-clone, you had the heart of a 501st soldier. I liked to think that Lord Vader knew this too, and that was why he made you Admiral of the Conqueror-

-It is because of the bonds we’ve made that I am entrusting you with this mission should you survive the final battle and retire. This holodisk contains coordinates to a planet my brothers and I have been hoping to spend the rest of our lives on once we retired. If the inevitable happens and we die, I want you to find our graduation metals and take them there. There you will meet someone whom we’ve made contact with after the battle of Hoth. Show them the medals and tell them Orion Squad sent you. Once that’s done, I want you to build a memorial not only to us, but all the brothers we’ve list throughout both wars. That way, the whole universe will know the story of what we’ve done for them-

-And if you were to die and I for some reason survive, I will do the same for you. I will track down your family and tell them stories about you.  I will tell your children on how you died saving us all.”

Tears started to form in Sigans eye as he quietly listened to Ghosts final words. He then collapses to the floor, his back turned away from the Executor that was nearing its collision with his ship.

“Though you were a non-clone, part of me saw you as a reincarnation of our older brother Fang. While I will never know what he would’ve said or thought about the Empire and the decisions I’ve made. I know he would’ve liked you. He would’ve viewed you as I do now. A brother from another bloodline. It has been an honour serving with you, Cornelius Sigan. I will look forwards to the day we meet again.”

The hologram of Ghost then shuts off, and was then replaced by a bunch of coordinates Ghost had mentioned before. Sigan typed the coordinates into his gauntlet and a hologram of a planet appeared before him.

Upon seeing this planet, Sigan couldn’t help but chuckle to himself. He remembers overhearing the members of Orion Squad talking about their retirement plan for a long time. And the fact that they chose this planet of all places made him feel a little envious. This planet was the second one the clones have fought on during the start of the Clone Wars. It’s cities and landscapes were regarded as one of the most beautiful in the galaxy. A fitting place for clones who wanted to retire.

The whole bridge began to glow orange from the plasma emanating from the Executors thrusters. The time has come. Sigan got back up on his feet and stared out into space as the Executor grew closer.

“Sorry Ghost, but it looks like you’ll have to do this task yourself.” He then looks down at a photo of him and his family he held in his hand one last time before accepting his demise. “Tell my family, I will always love them.”

Sigan then closes his eye and stands his ground as the Executor finally collided with the bridge of the Conqueror, causing it to explode on impact. The Conqueror was soon destroyed, bits and pieces of it soaring through space, some of them even crashing into both Rebel and Imperial fighters. The explosion was strong enough to knock the Executor forwards, causing it to begin its plummet down towards the Death Star.

Thunder and Boomstick watched in horror as the Executor erupted into a massive pillar of fire that consumed the entire vessel. The blast was ten times bigger then the Conquerors. Strong enough to even consume other Star Destroyers that happened to be too close to it.

The two clones took a moment to mourn over the death of their Admiral, the 501st clones still aboard and the ships entire crew… This was a dark moment for the Empire, one form which they will never recover from.

Thunder then noticed that the Millennium Falcon and the other Rebel fighters were heading towards the unfinished section of the Death Star. Thunder regained his composure and steered the TIE Bomber in the same direction.

“What are you doing?” Boomstick asked, caught off guard by Thunder suddenly turning the ship around.

“Enough is enough, Boomstick! I have had it with these goddamn Rebels! There’s a limit to how much of this carnage I can take. We’re gonna stop them once and for all.”

“We’ll never catch up to them in this ship. Bombers were made to be tougher and more powerful at the cost of enhanced speed.” Boomstick pointed out.

“We don’t need to be smart or fast to know what they’re planning. They’re gonna attempt to destroy the Death Star by going inside it and attacking the main reactor. And we’re going in after them!”

“You can’t be serious! You’re not actually thinking of flying us inside the structure of the Death Star. There’s way too much machinery in there, meaning very little space for us to manoeuvre around in. We’ll crash before we get a chance at destroying them.”

“If it’ll be a tight fit for us, then that goes double for the Millennium Falcon. I just want to actually see them die before claiming victory.” Thunder replied. “Besides, I’ve always been the best at flying out of all of us.”

“Yeah with a jetpack!” Boomstick corrected him. Thunder however ignored him and continued onwards, flying across the surface of the Death Star, and following the Rebels in the direction of the unfinished area.

They then soon see an X-Wing perform a loop-de-loop and head straight down into one of the exhaust ports of the Death Star. It was then followed by the Millennium Falcon, wasting no time traveling down the Death Stars inner workings.

“Hold on, Boom. We’re going in!” Thunder announced as he too performs a loop-de-loop straight into the Death Stars exhaust port, following a couple TIE Fighters and Interceptors.

“This isn’t gonna end well.” Was all Boomstick had to say as he nervously looks away from the window in fear of their ship crashing into the many thousands of machinery in their path.

Ghost was the first one to regain consciousness. He slowly gets back up and checks his surroundings. He notices his speeder bike in ruins and on fire laying under the tree it crashed into. He then hears the sound of huge mechanical footsteps closing in on his location.

He peered out of the hole he’d fallen into and was shocked to see that the AT-ST that had shot at him is much closer than it was before. With no time to lose he rushed over to Daxter, who was breathing very heavily and whose skin began to look pale. Ghost picks him up and flips him onto his back, trying to climb out of the ditch as fast as he can.

“G- Ghost.”

“Don’t speak. Save your strength until we get back to the Demolisher.” Ghost quicky talked back as he finally got out of the ditch and made a run for it.

The AT-ST had no idea of where they’d gone, and the smoke emitting from the flaming speeder created the perfect cover for them as he ran like hell away from it.

“We’ll never make it.” Daxter warned him. “Not without the speeders… It’s too late.”

Ghost ignored him and kept running, struggling to maintain his grip on Daxters arms as he ran. Eventually his legs decided to give out and he ended up collapsing to the ground with Daxter laying in his arms.

“You can’t…get us both out, Ghost. I told you it’s too late… You can’t save me.”

“Yes I can!” Ghost raised his voice in denial. “I’ve already lost Apex and X-Ray, I’m not gonna lose you too!”

“Just- Just shut up and hold me… please.” Daxter weakly begged his brother.

Ghost started to feel an overwhelming wave of pain wash over him upon hearing those words. He knew more than anyone that those were the words of someone who has given up and is now on the brink of death.

Ghost removes his helmet and tosses it aside, allowing him to properly look his brother in the eyes while holding him close.

“I won’t survive the trip back to the ship. And even if I do, there won’t be any help waiting for me…Everyone’s too busy fighting the Rebels… You have to leave me here, so you can save yourself.”

“I’m not giving up on you!”

“You have to Ghost. Otherwise Thunder and Boomstick will die.” Ghost was shocked buy this. He’d almost forgotten that Thunder and Boomstick were taking part in the battle above Endor. Now that the Death Star was unprotected, there’s every chance they won’t survive. Unless Ghost makes it back to the Demolisher in time to save them.

“Our brothers need you, Ghost. Only you can save them. Please don’t sacrifice the rest of the 501st just to save me…It’s not worth it.”

Ghost really, REALLY wanted to protest. But he knows in his heart that Daxters right. But he can’t lose him like this. Daxter was the one he was closest with ever since they were kids growing up on Kamino. Whenever he was feeling down, Daxter was always the one who lifted his spirits. Whenever he made a mistake he always was the first to forgive him. He kept on believing in Ghost no matter what, even when he was at his lowest point. There has never been a clone like Daxter before, and there never will be ever again.

“There’s something… I want to say to you.” Daxter spoke up again, barely struggling to form words at this point.

“You’re not going to say goodbye!”

“No, not that… Ghost. Everything you’ve done for us.” He starts to cough up more blood as he was fighting so hard to keep himself alive long enough to say his final words. “I know it wasn’t easy… But you always put the needs of others before yourself. For me… For Orion Squad… For the 501st… For the galaxy… You gave us all a life worth dying for.”

“The Empire was never worth all those deaths. I truly thought it was something the galaxy needed to ensure peace… But I was wrong. Had I realised that sooner-

He was interrupted again by Daxter. He didn’t want to waste his final moments listening to Ghost, waiting for his chance to speak again.

“I’m not talking about the Empire. I’m talking about us. Being a soldier was more than our purpose for existence. It was a life filled with adventure, danger, and freedom… When the Clone Wars ended, we thought it was the end of all that. But you gave us another chance at living our lives by joining the Empire. Granted it wasn’t all great. But I wouldn’t have changed anything had the opportunity presented itself.”

Ghost did not expect that at all. Was that really how his brothers felt when they joined the Empire? Ghost always though that joining the Empire was his biggest regret. But if this was really how his brothers felt, then maybe he wasn’t as bad a leader has made himself out to be.

“Do you still have your journal?” Daxter asked.

“Of course I do. I left it in the Demolisher in case one of us didn’t make it back. Why?”

“Over the years you’ve been spending most of your free time writing down in that book, recording our every mission, actions, and feelings… Very few beings in the galaxy know who we truly are. Few knew what hardships we’ve been through. But with that journal, they will know our story. That we were more than just genetically augmented force sensitive clones.”

“But we’re not heroes.” Ghost pointed out.

“But we’re not villains either.” Daxter countered him back. “We’re just simple men trying to make our way through life in the universe.” He then takes Ghosts hand and holds it tightly, to which Ghost responded in kind. “I just wanted to say…thank you. You’ve given us all a great life…Make sure the whole galaxy knows it.”

Daxters grip on Ghosts hand soon began to loosen as he slowly begins closing his eyes, letting out his final breath. His body then goes limp in Ghosts arms, and his hand soon falls to the side and hits the soft grass underneath him.

Ghost could no longer hold back his tears. He hugged Daxter tightly as he screamed and cried into his chest, completely filled with grief for his fallen brother. He continues to hold him for quite some time, refusing to let go. Even though the sounds of the AT-ST were now nearing his position.

Ghost slowly looked up from Daxters chest, and his facial expression changed from heartbroken sadness to rage. Whoever was piloting that AT-ST was responsible for robbing him of another one of his brothers. His mind completely blinded by a thirst for blood and a desire for vengeance.

The AT-ST soon reached the wreckage of the crashed speeder bike, but its two passengers were nowhere to be found. It began to scour the area for them, believing that they’re still alive somewhere.

As the AT-ST began to walk on again, it was suddenly hit with an explosion that went off on its right side, taking out its secondary guns. The AT-ST looked up and saw that it had come from Ghost who was standing on top of the branch of a tall tree.

The AT-ST opened fire on him, but Ghost leaped off the branch and began swinging around it on a vine. He then throws a flash grenade at the AT-ST, blinding its mysterious pilot.

The AT-ST began firing its blasters randomly in all directions, trying so desperately to hit him. Ghost then came around for another attack and had his lightsaber equipped. He throws the lightsaber at the AT-ST with such precision  that it managed to slice off its blasters, rendering it defenceless.

Ghost soon performed a forwards roll upon landing on the ground and managed to catch his lightsaber as he got back up. He then proceeded to carve his yellow blades through the joints in the AT-ST’s legs, severing them and causing the two legged vehicle to fall over forwards.

“What’s wrong? Are you not enjoying yourself anymore!” Ghost taunted to whoever was inside the downed AT-ST.

He then leaps onto the top of it and proceeds to plunge his lightsaber into the top hatch, cutting it open. What he didn’t expect upon finally opening the hatch was a blaster bolt to the face, causing him to drop his lightsaber onto the AT-ST. The impact being strong enough to knock him backwards and fall off the AT-ST.

Luckily for Ghost he had his Durasteel helmet on, protecting his face from being blasted. But now his helmet was too badly damaged, causing his visor to glitch out, obscuring his vison. Forcing him to take it off and toss it aside.

Suddenly the mysterious Rebel finally emerged from the downed AT-ST, and Ghost was shocked to see that it was yet another old ally he used to know from the Clone Wars… The Wookie warrior turned smuggler, Chewbacca.

Chewbacca stood on top of the AT-ST and points his bowcaster at Ghost. The two of them stare each other down for a few moments, until Ghost was the first to break the silence.

“Chewbacca?” Was all he could mutter as he was still shocked by the reveal of him being the one who killed Daxter. “Of all the Rebels, why did it have to be you?”

Chewbacca lowers his bowcaster slightly to address Ghost, speaking in his native language. Telling Ghost that he remembers him, and he knows about all the things he has done. Chewbacca then let out an anger induced roar at Ghost. His reason being he knows that it was Ghost who had killed his old friend Tarfful.

“I did not kill Tarfful, Sigan did. But you have no right to call me a murderer when it was you who killed Daxter.” He points over to where Daxters body lay. “My brother, someone who has saved your life on Kashyyyk, repaired your city walls, and saved your people was killed by you!

Chewbacca responds by reminding Ghost that he and his brothers decision to join the Empire is what made him do this. He then reminds him of all the things he’s done for them on Kashyyyk during the Clone Wars. Reminiscing on the time when he and Orion Squad worked together alongside Master Yoda to take down a massive Super Tri-Droid. He was a hero as well as a friend. But now, he’s nothing but a mass murderer.

“You know something Chewie. Your right!” Ghost shouted back.

Now it was Chewbacca’s turn to be shocked. He didn’t anticipate Ghost straight up admitting that he’s a murderer. But none of that changed how he currently feels right now, and he was glad that his friends Han and Leia wasn’t around to see what he was about to do.

“That anger your feeling towards me right now. I had that very same anger the moment your friend Luke Skywalker destroyed the Death Star. And then again when you destroyed the shield generator, leading to many more my brothers losing their lives… I really wanted your friends dead for what they’ve done. But now I don’t care anymore. I made a promise to Daxter as I held him in my arms. That I would leave this rock and make sure their deaths weren’t in vain… I don’t want to kill you Chewie, but if you try to get in the way of that promise… You’ll give me no choice but to kill you.” Ghost threatened his old friend.

Chewbacca growled in response to his threats. He then remembers Han’s warning of not pursuing Ghost, fearing that he’d kill him. But he couldn’t just let the one responsible for Tarfful’s death and his peoples enslavement get away with it. Blinded by thoughts of revenge, Chewbacca picked up Ghost’s discarded lightsaber.

Ghost pulls his rifle from his holster and takes a stance in preparation for Chewie to use his own lightsaber against him. But instead to his shocking surprise, Chewbacca decided to actually break his lightsaber in two, snapping it like a twig. Sparks of yellow energy flew out of both sides as the Kyber crystal inside them has been shattered. He then tosses the broken lightsaber halves aside. The two lightsaber halves soon explode into a million pieces due to the matrix overloading from the intense grip strength of the Wookiee.

“I don’t need a lightsaber to kill you.” Ghost taunted him, not at all phased by his lightsaber breaking. It wasn’t even his to begin with, it was stolen from a Sentinel guard during the Jedi purge. Why should he care if its broken.

The two of them then quickly take aim at each other with their weapons and fire a single blaster bolt at each other. Chewie manages to blast Ghosts rifle right out of his hands. Ghost achieves the same results with his shot, rendering the Wookiee unarmed.

“Fists it is.” Ghost muttered before running up to Chewbacca and laying a well-placed punch at his face, knocking him back a bit. Chewie however shook it off and responded with a brutal claw swipe across his face. And without his helmet to protect him, Ghost almost got knocked out by that intense slap. Had he been a regular clone, that slap probably would’ve snapped his neck.

Chewbacca then proceeded to pick up Ghost and started pulling on his arms, attempting to rip them right out of their sockets. Ghost had to act quickly to save himself by kicking Chewie in the face, causing the Wookiee to drop him.

Ghost then quickly made a dash for his discarded rifle. But he was stopped by Chewbacca who managed to hit the back of his knees with a big stick he found, knocking Ghost to the ground. Chewbacca then went over to a huge boulder and using all his strength, actually managed to lift it off of the ground.

As Ghost crawls towards his rifle he notices that a huge circular shadow was looming over him. He turns around horrified to see that Chewbacca was standing over him with the massive boulder held up over his head.

There was no time to reach the rifle, his lightsabers been destroyed, and he’s all out of grenades. There was nothing he could do to stop him. Chewbacca then asked Ghost to say hello to Tarfful for him as he was about to drop the boulder on him.

Ghost then notices that Daxters body was lying beside him. Dying alongside his brother. He couldn’t have pictured it any other way.

Suddenly he had an idea on how he could turn this situation around. He once again faces Chewbacca with his own final words to him.

“No. How about you say hi to Apex and X-Ray.”

Before Chewie could understand what he meant, Ghost slaps his hand onto Daxter right wrist, hitting the buttons on his gauntlet. Daxter backpack then activates and one of its mechanical arms appears out of it and ends up firing a single blaster bolt at the Wookiee’s shoulder. This causes Chewbacca to lose concentration on the boulder he was holding up, and it ends up falling on top of him.

Ghost quickly grabbed his rifle and points it at Chewbacca, who was still alive but now pinned under the large boulder. He tries to push it off but the boulder was too heavy for him to move. He wasted all of his strength trying to lift if over his head.

Ghost looked down at his former friend turned enemy. He notices that he could kill him with a simple blaster bolt to the head, but he also realised that he could simply walk away while he still can. So that was exactly what he did.

Chewbacca growled in pain as Ghost started to walk away from him. The Wookiee soon ended up gasping for air as the weight of the boulder was cutting off his air. If he didn’t remove the boulder in time then he would die.

Ghost then for some reason started getting a flashback to the battle of Kashyyyk during the Clone Wars. He remembers Boomstick being trapped inside an overturned turbo tank which was getting crushed by a giant tree branch. He and his brothers were unable to get him out. He would’ve died if it hadn’t been for Chewbacca.

This causes Ghost to stop walking forward and just stand there, constantly looking back at Chewie and then back forward again, divided on what he should do. On one hand, Chewbacca was responsible for the death of Daxter and several other clones when he and Han gave Luke the opening he needed to destroy the Death Star.

But on the other hand, he saved Boomstick’s life and got he and his Squad to safety. He even risked his life in helping them take down Kraken and his Super Tri-Droid. It was those moments that made him his first ever non-clone friend.

He then remembers Tarfful’s dying words to him. It didn’t have anything to do with the situation he was currently in, but they were words that had stuck with him ever since they first reached his ears. He looks back at Chewbacca one last time, who was now nearing death as his struggling agianst the boulder only made things worse.

With all those thoughts and memories finally quieted down, Ghost rushed over to Chewbacca carrying the massive stick he use on him earlier, an plunges it under the boulder. Ghost then pushed against the stick with all his strength, allowing Chewie to free his arms and help push it off him to the side.

Once the boulder was finally out of the way, Chewbacca held his sides which were sore from the intense weight of the rock. He then lets out a couple coughs until he was finally able to get his breath back.

Once he has recovered, Ghost helps him up by extending his hand to him, to which Chewie inevitably accepts. He then asks Ghost why he would save him after killing Daxter and then later him.

“I saved you because I still owed you a debt for saving Boomstick on Kashyyyk. Consider us even now.” Ghost responded.

But before Ghost could walk away again, Chewbacca growled at him once more, claiming he’s not done with him yet.

“Trust me Chewie, revenge isn’t going to bring you peace. Believe me I know… My obsession with stopping the Rebels got so many of my men killed. It turned me into someone I’m not. I don’t want you to make the same mistakes I did. Take your involvement in the destruction of the Death Star and soon the second one as compensation and abandon this path you’ve chosen. It’s not too late for you.” Ghost calmly told him. Because of their past friendship, he did not want to see Chewie become like him. Not while he still had a family to return to.

Chewbacca responded by asking him how he could trust him and how he won’t just come back with reinforcements.

“When I leave here today, I’m not going back to the Empire. There won’t be an Empire anymore once this battles over. Whether we win or lose it doesn’t matter. Without my brothers fighting beside me I’m nothing but a clone without a purpose. My time will come soon, but first I’ve got a promise to keep.”

With that Ghost once again takes his leave. Chewbacca however still refuses to let him go and aims his bowcaster at him the moment he picked it up. He tells Ghost that there’s no reason for him not to kill him now and get it over with.

This causes Ghost to turn and face him once more. “You won’t shoot me, Chewie. Because you owe me a life debt now. I could’ve left you to be crushed to death, I could’ve shot you while you were pinned down. But I chose to save you. You owe me. And A Wookiee always pays their debts, ain’t that right?”

Chewbacca was at a loss for words. He really got him there with that one. He had an urge to kill him just for using his own tribes words against him. But if he really valued his people, he would never disregard their ways of honour. With no choice, Chewie lowers his bowcaster and asks Ghost what he wants.

“I want you to return to your Rebel friends back there and tell them that you were successful in killing me and Daxter.”

Chewbacca was now confused by Ghosts request. Why would he want him to lie about killing him when he could make it the truth by actually killing him? Ghost then picks up his discarded and damaged Purge Trooper helmet. He gives it one last look before tossing it to the Wookiee Rebel.

“They’ll most likely ask for proof of your victory in battle. That should be more then convincing enough… I don’t want your Rebel friends hunting me down if they discover I’m still alive, not while I still have one last mission to complete.” Ghost explained to him. “Turn around and walk away, and don’t even think about looking back or else I will kill you. I have shown you mercy, now you must uphold your end of the bargain.”

Chewbacca looked down at Ghosts helmet before looking back up at the now former Purge Trooper. He responds by giving him a respectful nod. He then does as instructed and begins walking back towards the destroyed command centre. Ghost watched him the entire time, making sure he actually did keep his promise.

“Goodbye Chewie. I hope for both our sakes we never cross paths again.”

Once Chewbacca was out of sight, Ghost began making his way back to the TIE Demolisher. But he stops one last time to look down at Daxters body. He gives his brother one final salute before finally heading off deep into the forest.

Within the Death Stars inner structure the Millennium Falcon and three Rebel fighters carefully fly down its exhaust vents hoping to find a safe route to the main reactor. Not too far behind them was Thunder and Boomstick in their TIE Bomber, who were followed by a couple TIE Fighters and Interceptors.

“Now we’ve got em! There’s no escape from here.” Boomstick mocked as he is reaching for the trigger for the bombers missile launcher.

But he was stopped by Thunder who grabbed his arm without taking his eyes off the Rebels. “Don’t! if we fire rockets, bombs or even blaster bolts in here we could accidently blow up these pipes!”

“Then how are we gonna stop them?” Boomstick asked.

“The only thing we can do is aim at the Rebels very carefully, or hope they crash into structure sides before they even reach the main reactor. Now for once in your life be silent, I need to concentrate.”

Boomstick rolled his eyes and sat back down in his chair, watching Thunder steadily fly the bomber through the maze of pipes and machinery.

Once they were flying in a straight line, Thunder used this opportunity to take out one of the X-Wings at the rear, causing it to crash into one of the massive red tanks below.

They then notice that the Rebels started to split up at a crossroads junction, forcing the TIE Fighters to split up. Clever, but not clever enough to warrant them cancelling their pursuit of the falcon.

“Tight squeeze up ahead!” Boomstick warned him as they were heading towards a narrow space.

The Millennium Falcon barely managed to fit through it, losing its satellite dish and receiving a couple scratches as a result. The TIE Bomber however was able to fit through it just fine. One of the advantages of TIE Fighters being small one man ships.

“That was too close!” Boomstick commented.

“Too bad that wasn’t enough to kill them.” Thunder replied. “No matter, another opportunity will come.” He reassured him.

They continued their assault on the Rebels. Thunder only had a few opportunities to take out some more Rebel fighters, but nowhere near enough time to take out the falcon itself.

Soon the Millennium Falcon and that one remaining X-Wing enter a massive open area. In the centre of the room was the Death Stars main reactor core. Once they take it out, the second planet killing station goes boom.

Thunder and Boomstick soon enter the main reactor room and quickly circle around the room to try and cut the Rebels off.

“We’ve got em now!” Thunder exclaimed as he fires their ships blasters at maximum power.

The Rebels however ignore their attack and instead focus their blaster fire on the main reactor. The X-Wing takes out one of its power regulators, casing the core to begin sparking electricity everywhere.

Thunder swift moves the bomber side to side in order to dodge the electrical strikes. As soon as the X-Wing leaves, the falcon begins attacking the core itself.

“Thunder, we’re too late! They’ve already blown up the power regulators. The core could explode at any minute, we’ve gotta get out of here now!”

“No! They can’t get away with destroying the Death Star AGAIN!” Thunder yelled angrily. Like Ghost he was sick of the Rebels always managing to find some way to win in the end.

“Screw the Death Star, we need to save ourselves. Now shut up and punch it!”

The TIE Bomber quickly performed a 180 and made a full throttle dash towards the exit, chasing after the Millennium Falcon. Thunder attempted to blasted the falcon, but was almost caught off guard by the massive fire ball that is erupting from the core and quickly heading towards them.

“We’re not gonna make it!” Boomstick blurted out. He may not be the smartest out of Orion Squad but even he can recognise a hopeless situation when he sees one.

“If we’re going down, we’re taking them with us!” Thunder shouted angrily.

He once again open fires on the Millennium Falcon, unleashing everything they’ve got at it. Unfortunately, all his efforts only resulted in damaging the falcons engines, slowing it down a little. But not enough to get consumed by the erupting explosion heading their way.

As the falcon was closing in on the exit, so was the explosion that was nearing Thunder and Boomstick. They both knew what was gonna happen. They both took hold of each other’s hand and accepted their fate. This day is lost, and so has the Empire.

“Hang on brothers.” Thunder started speaking his final words.

“We’ll be joining you soon.” Boomstick continued.

The two clones then closed their eyes while still holding each other’s hand. The explosion then consumes their TIE Bomber, it’s explosion quickly blending in with the bigger explosion erupting out of the exhaust port just before the Millennium Falcon busted out of there in time.

As the Rebels moved their fleet away from Endor, the second Death Star soon exploded into a gigantic rainbow like blast, similar to the first Death Stars explosion but way bigger. Big enough that it was able to reach out to the entire Imperial fleet and cover it in multi coloured flames.

The moment Ghost uncovered his TIE Demolisher he immediately got inside, booted up its systems and took to the skies. He was in a hurry to get off world and join in the final battle agianst the Rebellion.

As he was exiting Endors atmosphere, we was suddenly blinded by a flashing of multi coloured lights. Ghost started to lose control of the ship for a moment, but he was able to level out and keep it hovering in the sky. He looked up at the sky and saw what appeared to be an aurora borealis forming above him. Beyond the rainbow lights, he could see…fire!

He instantly blasted full speed upwards, trying to get back into space as quickly as possible. Once he finally exited the planet’s atmosphere, his eyes might as well be burning on the horrific sight that lay before him.

The massive explosion caused by the destruction of the second Death Star had finally subsided, leaving behind what he could only describe as a massive graveyard of destroyed Imperial ships. It wasn’t even a graveyard. There weren’t many big chunks of the fleet floating about in space, most of the debris was made up of small burnt out pieces of metal. There was not a single Star Destroyer or even TIE Fighter to be seen.

Tears once again began to form in Ghosts eyes. He’d been crying and shouting so much lately that both his eyes and throat started to hurt. He no longer had the capacity to vent his sorrow. All he could do was just sit in silence and watch what remained of the Empire drift aimlessly through space. Ghost didn’t even know if Thunder, Boomstick and Sigans bodies were out there. If they were caught in the explosion, then there probably wasn’t anything left of them to mourn over.

And just like back in the Clone Wars, Ghost didn’t have proper time to mourn, as he notices that the Rebel Fleet was heading for Endor. The TIE Demolisher did have the fire power to take on the fleet if he wanted to, but without his squad backing him up, he was in no position to fight back.

He still had a promise to make to his brothers, and he wasn’t gonna risk killing himself over this. With no other choice, Ghost turned the ship around and prepared to jump into hyperspace. He looks back at the Rebel fleet one last time as the Demolishers hyperdrive booted up.

“Now I understand what you meant, Tarfful. You said that name Ghost was fitting for someone like me… In the end, I alone would survive the end of the Empire… Congratulations you Rebels. You have won.”

The TIE Demolisher then jumped into hyperspace. Fortunately for him the Rebels were preoccupied with celebrating their victory in the Galactic Civil War. But what was also unknown to Ghost was the fact that an Imperial Shuttle had managed to survive the explosion, and is making its way down to Endor.

And the one piloting the shuttle was the newly anointed Jedi Master, Luke Skywalker…And his father.

Galactic Empire Journal Entry 44 – Location: Endor

“For years, my dreams have been nightmares, and it all leads back to Endor. Right before my eyes, the Death Star had once again been destroyed. All of the 501st, including Boomstick and Thunder, my squad members whom I’ve known since I was created on Kamino, disappeared in the rainbow of fire. When I saw that ball of flame vaporising the entire fleet, my entire sense of self died with the ships. I couldn’t hold my tears back any longer; because the Empire, and all the 501st fought for was over… We had died in vain.”

To Be Continued