Executor received the Phoenix as per Emperor Vader's orders, then immediately departed for the system where the rogue Grand Admiral Thrawn had taken the Death Star. Admiral Piett should have appeared nearly overcome by all the things that have occurred over the last ten hours, but Obi-Wan watched him closely and saw no signs of confusion about the man. This one's a good man, the Jedi master mused. Ani might just be able to pull this off if he's got a few of this type of officer at his disposal. Funny how he was starting to think of Vader as Anakin again. That was not only funny, though. It was dangerous.
"I haven't heard about any more calls from any other survivors. I'm thinking that Skywalker and his group might be the only survivors." Obi-Wan heard the words, and knew they were probably true. In which case, he and Jixton were going into the middle of a floating graveyard. He looked down at his own hands. How could he have not seen the Force in them before? He was alive! How could Anakin have tricked him so easily?
"Look, Admiral, we don't know for sure until we get there, but even if the worst happened, and we lost just about everybody, Vader's orders were to get any survivors out of there," Jixton reminded him.
"Indeed. To that end, we've prepared for the possibility that we'll have to send probes inside, scanning section by section, looking for active life forms. Once they're located, retrival operations will begin," Piett explained.
"Yeah, as long as the Authority doesn't start getting in our faces," Jixton mumbled.
"I don't believe that will be a problem. The Emperor has support, and I am confident that he will be able to convince the government of the Corporate Sector that this is not an act of war on the Empire's part," Piett countered.
"This will certainly be Vader's first big test as Emperor, won't it?" Obi-Wan mused aloud.
"That's enough of that rebel talk out of you, sir!" Piett snapped. "Now, you said that you think they were located in the brig? That would confirm what the report on the tracking on the communicator they used said; the serial numbers matched. That's good for them, at least for now. Bad for us, as we try to get them out..."
"What's the brig connected to?" Jix asked.
"Lots and lots of hallways, sir, that are most likely completely free of oxygen. How we will get to them, and how we will be able to supply them with vac suits to make the rest of the trip out of there, are going to be our two biggest challenges," Piett admitted.
"There is always a way, Admiral. The Force is with us that they survived this long," Obi-Wan said.
For a moment, Piett just stared at Kenobi. And then, he breathed, "You're a Jedi like the Skywalker boy, aren't you?"
"Actually, I'm Skywalker's Jedi Master. I was also Vader's Jedi Master, just for the sake of trivia," Obi-Wan smirked.
"You're the lord Emperor's Jedi Master? That is certainly why he sent you! I had no idea that you were still among the living! If he sent you, then you certainly will succeed!" Piett declared. He actually looked quite relieved.
Obi-Wan was a bit surprised by this. "You have a great deal of faith in Vader, don't you?" he commented.
"I've worked with him many times, on many missions, and he has never let me or his men down. With him come the rest of the top people, as well. All of us have always known a mission was serious if Vader was to lead it. The late Emperor knew this quite well, too," Piett answered, then moved off. He had little time to chat with Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Once they reached the star system of the Corporate Sector that the Death Star orbited like a dark moon, Obi-Wan and Jixton had already formed a plan..."Piett's a good guy, but he's by the book, and I'm beginning to think that we can't wait to have probes search the place. By the time he gets done with Imperial procedure, they might run out of air. You think maybe we ought to just go on ahead with the Phoenix to get them out of the brig, since we know already that they're there?" Jix asked.
"Makes sense to me. Get the vac suits we need, and then meet me aboard the Phoenix!" Obi-Wan told him.
But once aboard the Nubian ship, Obi-Wan began to have a few reservations about the plan they'd concocted. As he put on his vac suit, he explained to Jixton, "I'm afraid I'm not the best pilot in the galaxy. Some of those corridors, even the larger ones, are going to be difficult to navigate," Obi-Wan admitted.
"Oh, geez. You're asking the wrong person for help, you know. The only way I can really fly is on autopilot. Getting them out of the brig, that's going to be a snap for me. Getting to the brig in the first place will be a bitch."
Obi-Wan instantly thought of Ani. Getting into the brig would be a snap for him! But he was on Coruscant! Even if he were to come out here, to this remote system, he'd never get there in time to save Luke and the others. Obi-Wan would have to do the piloting! But maybe... The Jedi Master reached out into the Force, seeking his former padawan, his former Jedi brother...
/Anakin? Can you hear me from so far away?/
From thousands of light years away, a soft voice slipped into Darth Vader's mind. It was no mistake whose voice it was. /Master?/
/Anakin, I need you. We need to save Luke and the others, trapped in the brig of the Death Star. To get there, Jixton and I need to fly as close as possible to the brig's location in order to get some vac suits to them and get them out. But your piloting skills are so much better than mine, I need you to guide me through those close spaces with the Phoenix./
/Say no more. I shall be in my meditation chamber at once. Keep your mind open to mine, and we will navigate those corridors together./
Obi-Wan hoped he was doing the right thing. Opening his mind to Vader was a risky proposition at best. But then again, his own padawan's mind would to be open to him, wouldn't it?
Very interesting, that could be...
A few minutes later, Obi-Wan dimly heard Anakin in his mind. /Are you ready?/
/Yes, Ani. We're heading to the Death Star now. We expect to be taking the north pole in./
Vader bit his lip under his helmet. /Better nix that idea, you'll never get the Phoenix far enough into the station to reach the brig without getting killed. You'll need to take one of the paths originating from the equator. Preferably the east, that should take you closer than any of the others./
Obi-Wan gulped a bit as he flew the Phoenix closer to the surface. For a silent moment, he contemplated the fact that Luke had done something like this a few years back, on another Death Star. /Can you see what I'm looking at, Anakin?/
/It's very dim, but yes, I can see. Going in is the easy part, Obi-Wan. It's when you start navigating through every nook and cranny of the Death Star that you'll need my guidance./
Obi-Wan slowly piloted the Phoenix through the eastern entrance. With the scanner on, he could see a holgraphic diagram of his current location, and he immediately noticed what Ani was talking about. The passages seemed to get narrower and narrower. He had to struggle not to allow fear to creep into his heart. He was never the greatest pilot, and this task he'd taken upon himself would be difficult for Rogue Squadron! Jixton seemed a bit too mellow; most likely, he had no clue about how unsure Obi-Wan was.
Obi-Wan thought to himself, Use the Force. The Force is my ally, and a powerful ally it is. Let the Force flow through me! He meditated on these simple, powerful words as he began his flight deeper into the Death Star. /Obi-Wan. I can see the corridors much more clearly now! If you go right, you can pick up some speed!/ The Force could tell Obi-Wan, in it's own way, that Ani was correct. So, he veered right, the Phoenix slid through the pass, and Jixton began to slouch in his seat.
"Piece of cake," Jix smiled. Obi-Wan paid him no mind. The Force, along with Anakin's guiding words, were all he needed.
Luke began to sense a strong presence of the Force. "Master Yoda, can you feel it too?" he asked softly, not wanting to use too much air.
"Yes, it is Obi-Wan, we sense," the Jedi Master answered.
"Can he sense you two?" Han asked them.
"Sure," Luke answered. "In fact, I think he needs a beacon." Luke closed his eyes and merged his consciousness with the Force. Reaching out to Obi-Wan, he found not only the Jedi Master but another consciousness that was very far away yet somehow amplified by the Force itself. "Father?" he whispered so softly that only Force-enhanced ears could hear them. How happy Luke felt at that moment! The only thing that linked them all together was the most powerful thing of all, the Force! /I'm here! We're all here, and we're all waiting for you./