Star Wars Rebels: Paving a New Road

Chapter 6: Lay of the Land

"A city planet of one trillion beings and the Head of Intelligence wants us to find a few hundred we've never even seen before? Hope he has a hell of a timeshare on Alderaan."

- Task Force 00's Sergeant Sythe, on hunting down confirmed and potential rebels in the Imperial capital

The sun had begun to rise on Coruscant, and Ezra realized how long the transport had been moving since the Ghost crew had arrived on Coruscant; they had been moving for hours now at least. He sat up in his seat and called for Obrim. "Where are we going? Are we getting close?"

"Not much further," the man replied. "We're just taking a bit of a detour to throw off any potential trackers. If we're found out, or if Stock is located, the Whiplash cell is done for."

"What's so crucial about Whiplash anyway, if you don't mind my asking?" Zeb inquired.

"This cell has connections within every branch of the Imperial Army," Jaller replied. "If we were found out, the Rebellion would lose its intel edge. We wouldn't be completely destroyed, but it would set our efforts back years."

The airbus began to decelerate, indicating that the rebels were close to their destination. "We're the longest-running cell in the Rebellion. When the Clone Wars ended, we started."

"That's nearly fifteen years of effort," Hera remarked, impressed. "How have you remained hidden for so long on one planet?"

"Trade secret," Obrim replied, half-serious, half-jesting. He went up to the pilot's cabin to check on something, and turned back to the cabin. "We're arriving at Stock now. Brace yourselves; it's a little jarring for first-timers."

Ezra reached for his fastening strap and tensed his muscles as the shuttle bus began to shake. His teeth chattered as the vibrations became more and more violent, and suddenly, stopped. He looked outside of the vehicle, and noticed the outside was now pitch-black, which didn't at all help with his jet lag.

The hiss of hydraulics indicated that the landing gear had been extended, and the Specters began to stand up. Jaller and the other Whiplash agents stood as well, and began filing out when the door on the shuttle opened. When the were outside, Ezra couldn't believe what he was seeing; it seemed as though they were inside a giant, hollowed cylinder, the top of which couldn't be seen from where they were.

"Welcome to the Stock," Jaller Obrim announced. "Our headquarters for our cell, hiding in plain sight of the Empire."

The Phoenix rebels were dumbstruck at the sheer size and scale of the base; they could see speeder bikes and hovercars flitting back and forth across the diameter of the interior, with multiple levels undoubtedly housing dozens of operatives.

"It's so...big!" Ezra stated, at loss for words.

"It's a big planet kid," Obrim replied. "For every 1,000 patriotic Imperials, there's going to be at least one Rebel at heart amongst them. And we're only ever finding more who are willing to join our cause and fight for their rights. And with so many people, we need a whole lotta room to fit them all."

"And you've never been found?" Ezra inquired.

"Well," Jaller replied, "I wouldn't go so far as to say that..."

"There is a cost for our secrecy," a new voice said. The Phoenix rebels turned, and saw a nearly forty-year-old man approaching them, who stood tall and proud, but had a haggard look, stress lines outlining his face, his hair drawn and looking rather thin.

"These the new recruits?" the man asked Jaller.

"Yes, they are."

The man sized them up with a quick one-over, then extended his hand to Kanan. "Welcome to Whiplash, Caleb."