I dedicate this story to the men and women of the Second World War. From those on the homefront to those who fought on the various theaters across the world. May we never forget their actions, and those who made the ultimate sacrifice to bring about a better world. Let us continue to honor them, and those who continue their legacies.

I also dedicate this story to the many Star Wars alumni who are no longer with us, for they brought to life a galaxy far, far away. May the Force be with them all.

Alex McCrindle (General Jan Dodonna; A New Hope) 20th April 1990

Peter Cushing (Grand Moff Tarkin; A New Hope) 11th August 1994

Alec Guinnes (Obi-wan Kenobi; Original Trilogy) 5th August, 2000

Christopher Lee (Count Dooku; Attack of the Clones; Revenge of the Sith) 7th June 2015

Drewe Henley (Red Leader; A New Hope) 14th February 2016

Eric Bauersfeld (Admiral Ackbar; Return of the Jedi; The Force Awakens) 3rd April 2016

Kennie Baker (R2-D2; Original Trilogy, Prequel Trilogy; The Force Awakens) 13th August 2016

Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia; Original Trilogy; The Force Awakens) 27th December 2016

...

October 14, 1944

Herrlingen, Germany

Field Marshal Erwin Rommel knelt in the woods, after being left alone by Generals Wilhelm Burgdorf, Ernst Maisel, and SS Master Sergeant Heinrich Doose. In his hand, he held a cyanide pill that would end his life, but ensure the safety of his wife and son. He thought back to all the years he had spent in service of Germany. From the Great War under Kaiser Wilhelm to the Greater German Reich under Adolf Hitler.

He snorted at the thought of the Austrian Corporal. He knew that Hitler was a madman from the beginning, from his spewing of hate about "inferior" races to his fascination with the occult. All of the years where he was loyal to him, but he supposed that his luck had finally run out. He had disobeyed his Führer's orders many times, from protecting Jews in France to honoring POWs he had captured during his time with the Afrika Korps, but Hitler had never tried to remove him from his position. He was too important to be removed from command. That Changed with the plot to assassinate the Führer. Rommel had known that there were those in the General Staff who planned on overthrowing Hitler to call a ceasefire with the Western Allies, but he never considered being part of it. Hitler was the leader of Germany, and for better or worse, Germany was his country and he owed his loyalty to the Fatherland.

Had he known that it would result in the death of himself and the threatening of his wife and child, he may have considered joining them, but he had been too much of a patriot to do it. He had the word of General Burgdorf that his wife and son would be taken care of, but when it came to Hitler, one could never be sure. He thought about all of the choices he had made throughout the war and said, "Would I have done anything differently?"

He shrugged thinking to himself, I probably would.

"Good-bye, Lucia, Manfred," he said to himself. "I pray that you survive the madness that I have left behind." With those last words, he popped the cyanide pill into his mouth and bit into it.

Five minutes later General Burgdorf looked back to see Rommel was slumped over, having taken the cyanide pill. He and the others grabbed the body and placed it in the car and drove back to the village to phone Rommel's wife to inform her of his death.

Rommel woke up with a gasp. He was on a bed, but not one could be from any house he knows of. As his vision began to focus, he saw how white and clean the room looked, and it had a peculiar smell. One of disinfectant and other chemicals.

Must be in some sort of medical station, he thought to himself. Did the cyanide not work? Was I brought back to life? Questions began to run through his head. Was the SS holding him, or was this some sort of Allied operation? Before he could answer any of them, the door to his room opened, but not like a normal door. This one slid open, and in came a grey-colored robot. "I am pleased to see that you are awake, General." It said in a mechanical voice. "For a while be believed that you might not survive."

Rommel just stared in shock at what had just spoken with him. "Where am I?" was all Rommel managed to say.

"You are aboard the medical frigate HMS Loch Fada," the robot replied. "You were lucky. When your ship was attacked, the compartment you were in was exposed to space and…"

Rommel listened with only half an ear. It was all so much to take in. He was on board a British vessel, and what exactly did this contraption mean by "exposed to space"? All this meant that the cyanide pill didn't kill him, but what did that mean for his wife and son? The robot didn't seem to notice that he had been ignoring him and would have continued until he heard it say, "Your wife and son are also here to see you as well."

That caused him to look up at the machine and said, "Send them in please."

"Of course, General," it replied. It opened the door and in came his wife Lucia and son Manfred.

He was shocked to see them there with him, but he didn't care. To see them here instead of in the hands of the Gestapo lifted a weight off of his shoulders. "It is good to see that the both of you are safe," he finally said. He wanted to ask more, but he didn't know where to begin. "Do you know where we are heading?"

His wife answered, "We are heading to the Albion System, to get us as far away from the Reich as possible."

"I don't think we want to have the SS coming after us, especially since you defected to the Allies," he son said.

Defected to the Allies? he thought to himself. Obviously his final thoughts had resulted in something happening, but he wasn't sure if all of this was real. He assumed that everything would reveal itself in time. For the moment, he was just glad to have his wife and son with him.