Chapter Text
All it takes is a single voice to cause chaos. All it takes is a single voice to call out and remind the people around them of their oppressors’ wrongdoings. All it takes is a moment – a mere second – for people to rise up, and fight – to feed the spark of rebellion into a roaring ember.
Moments ago, the capital city of Lothal was calm. Citizens were going about their mornings, some setting up store fronts or stands in the marketplace and others stumbling out of or going into bars to drown themselves in their own misery. No matter which group you were a part of, a vast majority of them were glaring at the Imperial Stormtroopers patrolling the streets from over their shoulders and whispering insults towards them when they were out of earshot.
When the Empire was first formed almost fifteen years ago, the Lothalites had welcomed the new regime onto their planet and offered them their industries in return for prosperity and security. However, the disdain for the Empire grew more apparent as they overstayed their welcome – stripping the planet of its resources, burning down farms, forcing people to work in their factories, and arresting so-called “treasonous” individuals left and right. For years now, the people of Lothal had been fed up with this and began to silently root for the rebels who had the courage to stand up and help those in need – making their displeasure be heard despite being labeled criminals by the Empire they sought to topple.
The most notable names of those brave individuals were the rebels of the Ghost Crew – who had rumored Jedi among them – and the Fire Lily, a local smuggler and thief who used her heists as an excuse to take jabs at the Empire and litter the streets with a majority of the food and supplies she’d steal from them. Really, the only difference between them was the fact that the Ghost Crew were willing to freely show their faces, while the Fire Lily liked to keep her identity hidden as much as possible while she committed the crimes that made her famous – operating only in the shadows of star flecked night.
Naturally, sentients were curious creatures, and the question of the Fire Lily’s identity and appearance was often debated upon, and rumors often created about her. The most popular theory was that she had flaming auburn hair that reminded the people of the feathers of a phoenix – a mythical being that rose up from the ashes weighing it down. In this case, though, the Fire Lily had every intent of rising up against the Empire and breaking it down until it was nothing but crumbling debris at her feet.
When this specific rumor (which wasn’t too far from the truth) had reached her ears thanks to the incessant whispers in the streets of really any city on Lothal, she had laughed. The Gotal she was purchasing a jogan from looked at her strangely for it, but she didn’t care and told him he better believe she was going to rise up against the Empire’s oppression. But what would be even better was if she could encourage the citizens to revolt with her. However, in the years she’d been active as Lothal’s Fire Lily, that had yet to happen on a large and organized scale. Despite this, she still had hope that it would happen one of these days.
The previous evening had gone as it normally did for the Fire Lily – stealing a crate of weapons, selling them for credits, sending a few Stormtroopers running for the hills, and finally making her way into the capital to lose herself to drunkenness. After all, her pseudo-brother was gone, and she had no one there anymore to tell her that alcohol would not make her permanently forget about the whispers of her past that plagued her mind. So, she made it a challenge for herself to get as drunk as possible before the sun crested up over the horizon so she could sleep it off during the day and get back to work at night.
The shitty thing was that the job last night had gone a bit later than usual, making her a little less drunk when dawn finally painted the sky with streaks of bright pinks and oranges. However, this wasn’t a usual morning either. With the morning light shining through Lothal’s landscape and cities, a familiar, yet unexpected voice began to speak out over the Empire’s repetitive propaganda just as the Fire Lily was bringing a half empty mug of lum to her lips.
“We’ve been called criminals, but we are not.” The voice was sure and confident in his words, no trace of fear for the Empire’s inevitable wrath in them. The boy it belonged to sounded young, however, the final cracks of puberty threatening to break through. To the Fire Lily, his age was just a testament that the adults of the galaxy weren’t the only ones affected by the Empire’s iron hold on them. “We are rebels. Fighting for the people. Fighting for you.”
A smirk of pride lifted the corner of the Fire Lily’s lips while her fellow bar patrons went eerily quiet, hanging off of every word the young rebel said. Going off of their widening eyes, she assumed the rebel’s words were effectively piercing through the drunken haze that clouded their minds – making them realize just how right he was. Why were they still standing for the Empire’s lies? Why weren’t they doing anything about the oppression that weighed down on them like these brave rebels were?
Their near simultaneous looks of comprehension had a huff of amusement exhaling from the smuggler’s nose. It’s about damn time. In the corner, the few off-duty Stormtroopers who had gathered for a drink went rigid – glancing around at the other patrons like they were a pack of ravenous Loth-wolves.
“Carina,” the Rodian bartender called to her in hushed whisper. He shot the Fire Lily a quick side glance before his eyes flitted back to the screens over the bar. “Isn’t that Ezra?”
Setting the mug down on the bar with a soft thunk, a smile grew on her face as she too watched the monitors. A twinkle flashed in the cold blue of her irises. “It is indeed, Drix. I’d take credit for this newfound courage of his, but I think I’ll willingly hand that credit to Hera of the Spectres. Let it be known that she can be rather persuasive when-“
In the second Ezra completed his rousing speech, the monitor fizzled out when a resounding explosion nearby shook the entire building – and the city itself – on its foundations.
“Dank farrik!” The Fire Lily hissed, her head pivoting all around like she could find the reasoning of the explosion on the walls. “What was that?!” For a moment, a gleam of worry shone in her eyes. Was Ezra caught in the blast? No. He couldn’t have been. He wouldn’t be stupid enough to be in whatever tower he was beaming his message off of. He was smarter than that, and she knew Hera’s crew was smarter than that. Plus, she taught him to be cleverer than to be a sitting Mynock. She knew she did.
The Rodian, Drix, turned to her – his bluish green eyes frantic. “I don’t know. But you should go home. I have a bad feeling about what’s about to happen, and you don’t need the Empire finding out-“
Holding up a slender hand, she stopped him. You don’t need the Empire finding out who you are or your connection to him in case something happens.
Though she had long since wanted her fellow Lothalites to rise up and fight, she knew a singular riot wouldn’t be enough. What it would do, though, is stoke the fire of rebellion. Something that was needed in these parts of the Outer Rim. She knew there would be some who were captured, and if she stayed and fought at the front lines, she would be one of those people. She couldn’t be captured. Not yet. She needed to stay out of harm’s way as much as possible in order to remain a source of hope for the people of Lothal. And by pulling this, the Spectres had put a large target on their backs – especially now since the rumors of Jedi among them had long since reached the Empire’s ears.
In her mind, her capture would spell disaster. Not only would it snuff out the people’s hope of freedom, but she was quite sure that the Empire would be delighted to find out that Carina Bridger – the pseudo sister to the young Jedi Ezra – was the thorn in their side better known as the Fire Lily of Lothal. However, if that worst case scenario should ever come to pass, she hoped that her capture could also be a source of inspiration to the people of Lothal. To go down fighting rather than not at all – it was an honorable and memorable ending.
When she glanced over her shoulder to stake out the main exit of the cantina, she noted how the other Lothalite patrons were now glaring down the Stormtroopers like they really were a pack of ravenous Loth-wolves. The Stormtroopers fumbled with putting their helmets on and getting into defensive positions, but it was far too late when the other patrons – once fearful of the Empire’s wrath – were actively cornering the soldiers in. Their rifles were stolen before they could even draw them, and outside, Carina could hear the vague sound of blaster bolts being fired – making her doubt that the streets were faring much better. At least no one’s been shot in here yet. She imagined a more brutal beatdown was about to occur to these Stormtroopers, though. A beat down she wasn’t about to stop either.
“Yes,” Carina finally said, turning back around and taking a quick swig from her mug before hopping off the bar stool she’d been perched on. “I think I might take you up on that offer to go home. I’ll pay you extra if you let me go out the back.”
Drix nodded, gesturing with a green hand to follow him. Without hesitation, Carina obeyed, rounding the bar while digging around in her pockets for some spare credits. The echo of violence and curses being shouted in the main room of the cantina resounded all the way to the back door. Carina braced herself for what she would face outside as she handed the Rodian the remainder of the credits she had on hand.
“Thanks, Drix. Stay safe,” she told him when he opened the door for her.
“You too Carina.”
She gave him a pat on the shoulder as she passed, stiffening at the blaster fire that was much clearer in the open – echoing off of the walls of the narrow alleyway she found herself in. As soon as the back door to Drix’s cantina slammed shut, Carina sighed, already mourning the loss of the burn that alcohol brought to her throat and the pleasurable buzz it brought to her head (said buzz that felt like it wore off the minute Ezra started speaking over the monitors). She almost wanted to curse Ezra for interrupting her early morning routine and not allowing her to get as drunk as she normally would, but she’d let it slide this time. Being drunk wouldn’t exactly help her odds of getting back to her apartment safely through the chaos.
Besides, this was a good thing. If this caused the Empire to begin to really sweat, then they would take drastic measures to gain a tighter grip on the people to make them behave – which would inevitably make the people’s opinion of the regime worse. The rebels had made their move, and it was the Empire’s turn to reciprocate with a move of their own. And Carina was eager to see what kind of move they’d end up making.
In order to avoid the riots and shooting in the main streets, Carina stuck to the back ways, allowing her to easily navigate out of the city without being spotted. A smirk of triumph tugged at the corner of her lips, but it fell almost instantly when she noticed two Stormtroopers blocking her path on the very edge of the city. It wasn’t too difficult for them to detect her presence – especially when the early light of Lothal’s sun shone down upon them. Honestly, these Troopers didn’t know how lucky they were that night was giving into day. Because if it were the light of Lothal’s moons shining their silvery rays onto the planet’s surface, Carina was confident that they wouldn’t even mark her presence before their lights were out.
“Where do you think you’re going?” One of them asked her, raising his blaster rifle. His tone was accusatory, like she had something to do with the riots. Which wasn’t exactly incorrect if you looked at it from a certain point of view. After all, it was Carina who told Ezra years ago that he needed to take risks to survive. And what a risk this was.
A gust of wind blew by, rustling the blades of grass just beyond the Troopers’ guard, and freeing a few stray strands of auburn hair from the tight bun it was tied in at the back of her head. Taking in a breath, she tried her best to calm her mind and prepare to handle this in the most civil way possible. Well, as civil as you could get with a couple of Imperial goons, anyway.
“Home,” she replied with a roll of her eyes. Maybe she should just kick their asses and be done with it. Wouldn’t that be quicker? “Why do you ask?”
“Don’t be dense,” the other Trooper spat, raising his weapon when Carina took a small step forward. “There’s a coup going on in the city and that’s exactly where you came from.”
“Really? Oh, I didn’t realize.” Carina’s hand hovered over her heart, feigning ignorance. She fought back a chuckle as she continued her way forward, trying to push her way past the two soldiers. “Let me pass. My son is waiting for me.” A lie, of course. One she used more often than she liked. However, who was she to feel guilt over it when it proved to be effective time and time again? Plus, it made her realize that some Imperials did, in fact, have hearts hidden somewhere under their cold and intimidating façades. There were some who were willing to sympathize with the “young, single mother returning home to her helpless child” trick.
Today, however, was apparently the exception as the first Stormtrooper scoffed at her excuse and shoved her back with the barrel of his rifle. “No one is going anywhere until the situation within the city settles down.”
Now, there were two ways she could handle this. She could either continue with the lie and bring out the waterworks and accuse them of not letting her care for her “son” (which was actually a bottle of Corellian whiskey she was nursing back home, but that was beside the point), or she could end this with a little violence.
If her dear mother were still with her, she’d probably be pleading with Carina to go with the first option. It was passive and didn’t involve anyone getting hurt – something her mother would appreciate. But Carina had plans for when she returned home…important plans that included digging out the aforementioned bottle of Corellian whiskey from under one of the many loose floorboards in her apartment and drink that along with a few bottles of other things until she passed out. Yes, her mother would definitely be disappointed with her life choices, so really, it didn’t matter how she handled the two Troopers if she was already a disappointment.
“Forgive me, mother,” Carina mumbled for probably the millionth time since she had gotten to Lothal.
As she approached the first Trooper for a second time, she imagined his brows knitting together in confusion under that shiny white helmet of his. “What are you-“ A grunt escaped him when Carina sent a swift kick to his stomach, knocking him off balance. Swiping the rifle from his loosened grip, Carina pointed it at the other Trooper, aiming for the joint that connected his bicep and forearm. Pulling the trigger, she frowned at the fact that she’d missed – having hit his shoulder instead. The shot, however, still got the result she wanted since he dropped his rifle in a yelp of pain, clutching his injured shoulder with his opposite hand. She blamed the miss on the rifle being way too clunky. She preferred the light weighted blaster pistol that was holstered at her hip – which she really should’ve grabbed first and shot both of them without any hassle. Why didn’t I think of that earlier, damn it!
“You bitch!” Shifting her attention back to the first Stormtrooper, Carina clicked her tongue at the name before charging at him.
“That is no way to speak to a lady,” Carina advised, hitting him across the head with his own rifle the second she came within range. The Stormtrooper collapsed with a pained grunt, unmoving when he hit the ground, and seemingly lifeless until a shallow breath was taken in by his unconscious form. Glancing back at the other Trooper, she found him on his knees – whimpering like a child who had lost his mother. It was pitiful and not something you’d expect to see from a soldier of the mighty Empire. With a sigh and roll of her eyes, Carina flicked the clunky rifle’s settings to “stun” and aimed it at him again. All it took was one little squeeze of the trigger to have the whimpering stop and the Trooper to crumple over onto his side, unmoving, just like his friend.
Her gaze pivoted around the area for a brief moment, making sure no reinforcements were coming before she hummed to herself in satisfaction. She let the rifle fall from her fingers, the weapon hitting the ground with a clatter. Eventually, someone would notice the two Troopers’ silence, and she sure as hell wasn’t going to stick around for when another Imperial caught wind of what happened to them.
Stepping over a limp arm and into Lothal’s seemingly infinite rolling prairies, another gust of wind whirled around her, sending an involuntary chill slithering down her spine as she strode through the whispering tall grass. About a click out from the edge of the city, a speeder bike was hidden in the grass, laying on its side. Admittedly, it was always risky to leave it out in the open, but if it did end up being stolen, well, the Empire didn’t necessarily make it a challenge to provide her with a replacement whenever she needed one. With a grunt, Carina lifted it upright before swinging her leg over the seat and powering it up, continuing on her journey home.
“Home”, of course, wasn’t anything extravagant. It never was for anyone on Lothal unless you lived in the Imperial Complex at the center of the capital – though even that was probably miniscule for the Imps who lived there. However, she liked to think that out of all the possible places to live on Lothal, the abandoned LothalNet tower she’d claimed for herself years ago was the best. The view of the planet’s terrain was incredible, and it provided her with a semi-clear view of the stars no thanks to light pollution from the capital nearby. It was also in the middle of nowhere, and anyone who came across it likely turned the other way upon seeing its rusted, unused, and rotting appearance.
From first glance, it wasn’t exactly the place where someone as notable as the Fire Lily would be living as comm towers weren’t great places to settle down and live out of – especially not one that had been abandoned since before the Clone Wars when Carina moved in. So, the threat of a break in wasn’t too high. That didn’t mean it hadn’t happened, it just didn’t happen often. Despite that, it was still inconspicuous enough for a wanted rebel to hide away from the public eye. But not for much longer.
Stomping on the brakes as soon as the tower came within view, Carina scrambled off the bike and dove into the grass to avoid being seen by the LAAT/le patrol gunship that was landing nearby. Her heart pounded against the confines of her chest, and thoughts of what the appearance of that type of ship showing up outside her supposedly inconspicuous roost could mean raced through her mind. Ever since the Empire took power, Carina recalled seeing that specific model of patrol ship only one other time during an ISB raid years ago. And judging by the figure dressed in black that marched out of the gunship with purpose in his step and a couple of Stormtroopers flanking him, Carina’s thundering heart sank when she realized that that was exactly what was happening.
It didn’t help her nerves when she noted that it wasn’t just an ISB agent and a couple of troops, oh no. Whoever this guy was, he was prepared for anything during his unwelcome visit to her formerly “inconspicuous” home. The tower’s perimeter was crawling with Stormtroopers who had arrived via a few troop transports that were all stationary on the right flank of the structure.
How did they find her? What or who was it that could’ve led them to her? Not many knew of the location of her home – maybe one or two of her most trusted informants, Ezra, and Hera’s Spectres. But Hera’s crew wouldn’t rat her out like that – she was sure of it, no matter if they were compromised or not. And she was sure Ezra would rather die before he told the Empire of the home he’d shared with Carina for years. It had to be one of her informants, then. One of them must be compromised and chose to betray her in exchange for their freedom. She couldn’t blame them if that was the case – she’d do the same if she was in their position. Carina knew the feeling of longing to be free quite well; to go and do whatever you pleased (within reason, of course). Still, the feeling of betrayal didn’t settle well in her mind – but that was a concern for another time.
Quite honestly, she was expecting the Empire to go hunting for her informants sooner than they did. It seemed as though they finally quit the direct approach in trying to capture her and instead used the knowledge of someone close to her against her. Carina assumed it was that ISB agent’s doing – he likely had a sharper mind than the other Imps below his station (going off the officers she’d previously come across). If she had to guess, this ISB agent was the same man who Hera told her of – the one who’d adamantly hunted them across the system and beyond for weeks (weeks that had probably turned months now; it had been a while since she last spoke to the Twi’lek captain and her crew). From what it sounded like, he had a vendetta against them especially. She wasn’t sure why, and honestly she couldn’t give a Bantha’s ass, but she considered herself lucky that he hadn’t come after her until now. Because when she last saw him months ago, Carina regarded him as a dangerous foe as she watched him - locked in melee combat with the Spectres’ resident Lasat, Zeb.
What was his name again? Something with a krill I think. Kornelius? Is that it?
No matter what his name was, she was screwed. By the Clans, she was really screwed, wasn’t she? Her heart pulled her towards the tower, begging her to defend her home or grab the thing they could possibly use to trace her ties back to the identity she’d buried before making a run for it. Either way, there was a high chance she’d be captured, or killed. There was no way she could face a highly trained ISB agent and a squadron of Stormtroopers alone (and slightly tipsy too).
Her mind, however, pleaded with her to run now and figure things out later after the Imperials left. It was the cowardly choice, and it wouldn’t look good on her reputation if anyone found out, but strategically, it was the only choice that allowed her to remain a free woman. Questions would no doubt arise from the thing she wanted to keep out of Imperial hands – she didn’t keep it as well hidden as the other things (things which Ezra had never found in the eight years he’d been with her and things which would make life worse for her if they were in the wrong possession).
In the end, it was up to her which way she went down: taking the coward’s way out and ruining her reputation or fighting until her inevitable defeat was handed to her. There was little deliberation to make up her mind. She knew exactly how she wanted this end.
Taking a slow, and measured breath, Carina steeled herself and climbed to her feet. There was no way she could fight her way to the top, not with the number of Stormtroopers patrolling the grounds. There was a better chance for her to get shot dead if she charged in blaster a blazing, especially in her (slightly) alcohol ridden condition and without the thing she wanted to retrieve from her apartment – her spear. Two Troopers were guarding the door to the turbolift up, and she could see another guarding the main door to the apartment. There were another twelve roaming the plains around the tower, and she wasn’t sure how many were in the apartment itself, but she knew for sure that that was where the ISB agent was heading.
I’ve never gotten the chance to fight an ISB agent. This will certainly be one hell of a fight. One that may just be my last. So much for remaining out of harm’s way. Forgive me, people of Lothal. Let my fall inspire you to continue this fight in my absence, for I refuse to run from this. My honor is threatened, and I refuse to be a coward and run from a challenge again.
As she marched down to the door of the turbolift, her eyes flitted back and forth to the eyes watching every stride she took. Despite this being an ISB raid, Carina kept the thought in mind that this was definitely a trap for her too. Why wouldn’t it be? There was no way it wasn’t just going off of the helmet that the agent was wearing upon his head and the number of Troopers he brought with him. Five Stormtroopers at maximum was what she considered necessary for a raid. Over twelve was overkill unless you were trying to pin down the Fire Lily and clip her wings.
“Hey!” One of the Troopers at the turbolift barked as she approached. “What do you think you’re doing here?!”
“I could ask you the same question,” Carina answered, narrowing her eyes, and placing a hand on her hip when she halted in front of them. “What the hell are you bucketheads doing in my home?!”
The second the word “home” fell from her lips, the two soldiers exchanged glances before returning their attention to the human woman in front of them.
“This is your home?” The second Stormtrooper asked, gesturing to the tower behind him with his rifle.
Carina nodded. “It is. In fact, I don’t know what I did to deserve this kind of attention from the Empire. I am a law abiding citizen of Lothal, and I know for a fact that whoever you think you’re looking for here, you won’t find them.”
Again, the two Stormtroopers glanced at each other, then engaged in a quick, murmured conversation until finally, the first one spoke up.
“Come with us.” He beckoned her forward while the second Trooper opened the turbolift, ushering her inside before following.
When the turbolift jolted upwards, it was silent. Too silent. Carina’s hand drifted to the holster at her right thigh, ready to draw the pistol at any moment to get rid of these two, but she thought better of it. The sound of a blaster going off – whether it was an actual bolt or stun blast – would echo off the walls and alert whoever was guarding the top of the turbolift door that something was amiss. And before she could even reach her apartment, she could be staring down the barrel of a blaster rifle once the door opened again.
It didn’t take much longer for the door to open, and the Stormtrooper standing guard outside was visibly shocked to see her there with an escort, but after a quick once over, he moved aside and let them pass without a word. Alarm bells were starting to blare in her brain, telling her that her intuition of a trap was undoubtedly correct, but there was nothing she could do about it now. She was cornered in the Loth-wolves’ den.
Her escort followed her at a very close distance as she walked around the tower but stopped her as they reached the front door. Carina could hear muffled voices and movement coming from inside, and when she tried to step forward to open the door and interrupt whatever search party was ripping through her home, a gloved hand wrapped around her left wrist, holding her back. Whipping her head around to glare daggers into the Stormtrooper, she wrested her wrist from his grasp but ultimately missed the other one stepping forward and knocking twice on the door. All movement and voices within halted until one single muffled voice became legible to her ears.
“Continue searching the apartment but be on guard for anything. And if you see the Fire Lily, shoot her, but I want her alive. She won’t answer for her crimes in death, and I don’t plan to allow her to run from justice forever.”
But I can certainly try.
Her gaze hardened once again as the door snicked open, and sure enough, out walked a familiar figure. Calm hazel eyes that were colored a warm gold in the morning sun met irises of icy blue. She marked how the malicious grin that spread across his face crinkled his eyes ever so slightly.
“Well, well, well. Who do we have here?” He chuckled. “This is quite a surprise, but a welcome one. Hello, Fire Lily. You have excellent timing. I thought I’d have to wait for hours for you to show up, but here you are minutes after my arrival. It’s an absolute pleasure to see you again.”
“I can’t say the same, Agent,” Carina grumbled.