Never Going Back

Chapter 16- A Fool's Hope

Noelle clutched the handles of her ship as she approached the planet Lothal from hyperspace. The last time she was here was almost two years ago with Ahsoka, Kanan and Ezra before they went on their Malachor mission. How different had things been back then, she reflected.

She truly hoped Lothal was her answer. Perhaps things ended where they began. Sometimes painful endings paved the way for new beginnings.

As she came out of hyperspace, she gasped at the sight before her. Lothal was completely surrounded by Imperial ships. Everything was out of control and on fire. Senator Organa certainly hadn't been kidding about the whole planet being under Imperial lockdown. It was lucky for her he had given her a fake ID card with an Imperial permit. She would be in a real sticky situation otherwise.

She took a deep breath in anticipation. Things couldn't get much more dangerous from here could they? Maybe the heart of the storm was the best place to be. All she knew was she needed to find Ezra and Kanan and enter the Jedi Temple, where hopefully she would get her answers.

"Imperial permit please," came the monotone voice of a trooper from the transmission Noelle picked up.

"Transmitting now," she replied tiredly. Fingers crossed, Liana Nandirr would work as a fake identity for now.

Noelle held her breath as she waited for the green light from the ship.

"Approved."

Good, she thought. She was able to enter the planet with no troubles thanks to Bail. The Empire wouldn't even know she was here.

Or would they?

~~~~~

Vader gazed intently out the window of the Star Destroyer orbiting the planet of Lothal. His master could sense the presence of the ex-Jedi since she left the planet. Lotrora using his dark magics.

She had gone to Tatooine. To Alderaan. Now to Lothal.

What did she hope to find there?

Vader couldn't anticipate what her goal was– until now. She wouldn't have come back to Lothal if she wasn't searching for something.

The planet reminded him of well, himself. Broken, burnt to a crisp and bent to the will of the Empire, but all done for the greater good.

He would find her. It was only a matter of time before he captured her and delivered the information she possessed to Sidious. Last time he had broken her, but she had escaped.

This time there was no escape. She was a fool, Vader thought with a cruel smile. Lothal was inescapable. This time she would either leave with him, or she would die.

~~~~~~

Noelle pulled the dark grey cloak over her head and around her face to block the toxic fumes from the burning. Lothal was a disaster. She had never seen a planet so terribly destroyed as this one.

Lockdowns and restrictions were called safety. Obedience was called loyalty and the officers and people in charge pretended to care, but anyone with half a brain knew it wasn't true. Noelle couldn't imagine how these poor citizens were living. Now she knew why Ezra had been so desperate to come back here. Not only were they his people, but they were his people subject to intense cruelty and suffering.

And as far as she could tell, no one was standing up to them. Everyone was too afraid– except Ezra.

Noelle sighed to herself as she wandered aimlessly through the streets of the Capitol. She should probably get off the streets given that there was a curfew. Fake ID wouldn't protect her forever and she didn't want to attract any attention. But she still needed to find the whereabouts of the rebels. Hearing of them from the Empire likely wouldn't be hard given they were the only ones on the whole planet.