BODHI STARED at the comm system for a moment, unsure what to do. Outside, he saw AT-ACTs heading for the rebel commandos, and he froze. What could he do to prevent those walking tanks from killing them all?

Baze stood up then, and he had a rocket launcher hoisted over his shoulder. He aimed it at the nearest AT-ACT and pulled the trigger. A rocket blasted out of the launcher and smashed right into the front of the machine, catching it on the side of the cockpit like a boxer’s right cross.

For a moment, Bodhi thought that might do the trick and bring the walker down. The gigantic machine just shook off the attack, though, and kept going.

Baze, Chirrut, and anyone else standing near them was doomed, Bodhi knew. They couldn’t outrun a machine like that, and they had no way to stop it.

Another missile streamed out of the sky just then and exploded against the side of the AT-ACT. The blast shook the machine, and smoke began pouring from it.

Bodhi scanned the sky to see where the help had come from, and he spotted a fleet of X-wings zooming overhead. The rebels on the beach sent up a cheer, and Bodhi joined them.

Hope surging in him, Bodhi slid down from the cockpit and into the shuttle’s cabin. Corporal Tonc was right behind him.

“All right,” he said to the others. “Listen up. We’re going to have to go out there.”

They stared at him. It was literally a war zone outside, and no one wanted to leave the relative safety of the cargo shuttle. Bodhi didn’t wait for them though. He began gathering up the gear he needed.

“What’re you doing?” Tonc asked.

“They closed the shield gate,” Bodhi said. “We’re stuck here. But the rebel fleet are pulling in. We just have to get a signal strong enough to get through to them and let them know we’re trapped down here.

“For that we need to connect to the communications tower. Now, I can patch us in over here, the landing pad, but you have to get on the radio. Get one of the guys out there to find a master switch. Get them to activate the connection between us and that comms tower, okay?”

Tonc glanced at the others. He seemed to be the one selected for the job by default.

“Then go!” Bodhi shouted at him.

Tonc went.