Renegade

4 BBY, Lothal

"It's not looking good!" Erne had worried.

"The last two years in Lothal have been very tough, and back here in Hefta things aren't looking good anyway." he continued as he told Jon through a holo message.

"What happened?"

"Here in Bafta, everyone's now a prisoner. Every single civilian and it's all the empire's doing!" he started.

"Well here people are getting killed left and right, it's genocide," Jon replied. He hid under his covers and talked quietly. It was nighttime in Lothal. A very cold night. He cuddled up in his thin blanket and talked with his brother.

"What? That's impossible! And BAD too!" Erne claimed.

"Why, what's wrong?"

"People here claim that a Jedi escaped from here and headed to Lothal to save the people being oppressed here!"

"A Jedi?!" Jon growled. "Hey shut up!" a comrade across the quarter yelled out in his sleep. "Alright, I know what to do!" Jon began as he quietly spoke his plans to Erne. He planned to leave the trooper corps and rescue the people of Lothal and Hefta.

The next day had started the same, only another genocide mission. But now it was in Lothal at the Torkafa Hills! People who were held in the Imperial camps of Lothal had created an uprising that went under-watched by the base. Attacking the camps guards, they planned to fight! This time didn't look so good.

Several other battalions and went before they would. So by the time Jon's battalion would get there, it was already a loss for the natives.

Jon's ship touched down below the Hills and as he got out he watched the horror before him. Hundreds of people were tortured, whipped and killed. Some were running left and right carrying their babies with them. It was a disgust to Jon's heart and made him very angry.

A group of people stood on their knees with their hands raised ready to be killed in surrender. Among them was the Jedi claimed to be here, Bothka. Along with him was a spy of the name Enodo who longed to look for a way out.

Bothka was an ageing Harch male but was also very intelligent. Based on Erne's data about this man: him ending up on the Rebellion's side was not only dangerous but a loss for the Inquisitorious program. Bothka was an average six-foot with common attire that blended in with every civilized planet. Enodo was a common man turned spy who served the rebellion since his birth but failed to see the good in it. He often was seen wearing a leather jacket, white shirt and grey pants. Common spy!

As the two were plotting their next moves, Bothka began reciting 'I am one with the force' over and over. Enodo would stare at him thinking about a man who had just lost his mind.

"Would you stop that? That doesn't help..." he quietly stated.

"Enodo don't be rude!" Bothka bravely said as if nothing worried him. Truly the force was with him

"Hey, you two! Quiet..." a trooper barked out as he awaited orders from Squad Leader Paxton.

"Alright everyone settles down!" Paxton began! "Today is a celebration for the Empire, the celebration of the cleansing of Lothal!" as he said troopers began hailing their guns in celebration.

"Fire at my mark!" As soon as Jon heard this, he snapped. It was as if the force had smacked him at the head and gave him a wake-up call. He ran up to Lam and prepared to unleash his plan to rescue the locals of Lothal.

"Hey Lam, set your gun to stun!" he began. "What? Why?"

"Go! Now. No questions! Fire at the troopers you see!" he finished as he switched his fire to stun.

"READY! AIM..."

Before they could fire, Jon and Lam began firing at all troopers surrounding them. With the trooper falling on the floor one by one, the locals grabbed the trooper guns and helped the two fire at the remaining troopers. Some witness the ordeal and began to call in for reinforcements.

"Everyone get to cover! Reinforcements approaching!" As Jon commanded, the group of locals bunched up and hid behind covers.

"Jon what is going on?!" Lam shouted out as blaster fire screeched through the air.

"We are rescuing these poor people!" Jon said smiling. "Erne is already finished rescuing people from his base now he's headed here with a freighter full of survivors."

"Well, what do we do?" Lam asked as he returned fire to the troopers.

"We need to buy him enough time to get here and load in passengers!" Jon finished. "Everyone fight for yourselves until the rebellion comes to you!" he chanted. Bothka also found his Jedi weapon, ignited it and ricocheted the blasts back to the troopers and provided more cover for the locals. At the same time, Enodo would drive in an E-Web and proceeded to fire round after round of blaster fire.

After a while, the freighter cut through the atmosphere and landed near the locals. The troopers sighed in relief of the reinforcements they'd just received, but alas it wasn't. Out came Erne sliding down the sand and escorted people into the ship covering them. Women and children ran into the ship at his cover. Jon glanced over the ship and who does he see? His old buddy Beethree firing at the true enemy.

"What happened to you?" Jon asked.

"I was reprogrammed! Now I serve the rebellion and those oppressed by the troopers," she claimed in apathy! "Also justice for droids too!"

Meanwhile, as Enodo and Bothka were covering the locals from fire, Enodo had second thoughts on Jon and his acts.

"Are we really trusting a stormtrooper?" Enodo surveyed as he blasted.

"Yes we are, we asked of the force and the force provided! Let's hope he's not a loyalist!" Bothka replied as they gazed at Jon getting to work.

The ship prepared to leave the planet but there was too much fire directed at it! Enodo went straight to work and boarded the ships turrets to return fire. Lam also did the same and boarded a separate turret and began firing. Jon and Erne stood guard at the entrance and covered the remaining locals from further fire until something caught Erne's eye!

A woman and her child were running towards the ship with their belongings as fast as they could. Troopers began chasing them to try and catch up to them. Yet with Erne's speed, he ran off and caught up to the two and jump kicked the chasing troopers. It was a brave act but exposed him to open fire. Jon escorted the two in but he watched as his brother tried to fire back while running towards the ship.

As Erne began running back, snipers from across the plain began taking shots. One, two, one two! Four shots pierced his back as he ran to the ship. He fell at Jon's legs and looked up at him in pain.

"Hey-ng bro!" he grunted heavily as his breath went away.

"Erne! Erne stay with me!" Jon shouted as he picked him up and set him down the floor of the ship.

"Launch-uh t-the ship Beet-three!" he struggled.

"Hey don't you do that!" he said as tears beads started trickling down. "STAY WITH ME! Oh my God!"

"Hey- don't...worry! We did well here today!" he gulped in the words. "I am one with the force, and the force is with me!" he said as his breath went away! Jon's head fell upon him as other's watched in horror. Enodo glanced below and left away as he saw Bothka's truth unfold. Lam fell to his knees to comfort his friend.