I don't own Star Wars or any of the characters.
Luke and Leia sat amongst the other young pilots in the debriefing room. An old man with gray hair and a beard, dressed in a tan military uniform of the Rebel Alliance, stood at the front of the room. Luke had told Leia that the man was General Jan Dodonna, the leader of the rebellion on Yavin.
A virtual screen came alive, showing to all the blueprints to the Death Star. General Dodonna stood before the screen, explaining the plan to take down the Death Star.
"The battle station is heavily shielded…and carries a firepower greater than half the starfleet. Its defences are designed around a direct large-scale assault. A small, one-man fighter should be able to penetrate the outer defense." explained General Dodonna.
"Pardon me, sir, but what good are snub fighters against that?" asked a pilot.
"Well the Empire doesn't consider a small, one-man fighter to be any threat or they'd have a tighter defense." responded General Dodonna.
The image of the Death Star enlarged until it showed the massive spaceship's only weak spot.
"An analysis of the plans provided by Prince Luke and General Tano has demonstrated a weakness in the battle station. The approach will not be easy. You're required to maneuver right down this trench and skim the surface to this point. The target area is only two meters wide. It's a small thermal exhaust port right bellow the main port." continued explaining General Dodonna.
Leia was shocked by how small the target was. A few of the other pilots were also astonished, but none said a word about the impossibility of the maneuver.
"The shaft leads directly to the reactor system. A precise hit will start a chain reaction which should destroy the station. Only a precise hit will set up a chain reaction. The shaft is ray-shielded, so you'll have to use proton torpedoes." stated General Dodonna.
The General continued on with his speech. A young pilot who was sitting beside Leia seemed to believe the maneuver that the General was talking about to be impossible.
"That's impossible, even for a computer." quietly exclaimed a pilot.
"No, it's not. I used to bull's eye womp rats in my T-16 back home. They're not much bigger than two meters." quietly responded Leia.
The pilot looked over Leia, almost as though to check if she was lying. Leia rolled her eyes. She was used to this treatment all the time back on Tatooine. A lot of people found it hard to believe that a 'fragile' girl like Leia was capable of doing anything that involved physical labor. It was a good thing Leia had learned to let such comments and looks slide off her, or else she was sure that Luke and Ahsoka would have had to take her lightsaber from her.
"Then man your ships, and may the Force be with you." concluded General Dodonna.
Everyone was dismissed from the room. Luke had Leia stay behind for a few moments to talk to her privately. The Alderaanian prince and Tatooine farm girl avoided eye contact with each other as they spoke.
"How are you taking everything?" asked Luke.
"I'm pretty sure we can take down the Death Star." replied Leia.
"That is not what I mean." said Luke.
"I know. Everything just keeps happening so fast. One moment I'm just an average farm girl and the next I'm a Jedi fighting in a rebellion against the Empire that is responsible for the death of my father, master and everyone else I cared about. And on top of that I find out I have a twin brother and become the apprentice of my Jedi father's old Padawan. So pretty much a normal day for me." sarcastically said Leia.
Luke put a hand on Leia's shoulder, finally able to look her in the eye.
"I am just as confused as you are Leia. In just one day I lost my home world, my parents were killed, and I watched my Master be tortured by the Dark Lord himself. Then to discover that I have a twin sister, and that my Master knew about it all these years, it was almost too much for me to handle. But we have no time to be worrying about ourselves. There is still a war to be won." exclaimed Luke.
"You're right. Once this whole thing is over, I'd really like to get to know you better, Luke. I'd really like to know some more about my brother." confessed Leia.
"As would I about you, my sister." replied Luke.
The Skywalker twins shared a silent moment of understanding before parting ways. Luke went with Ahsoka to prepare for the attack on the Death Star. Leia meanwhile went to the hangar to see to it that her ship would be ready in time for takeoff.
Han and Chewbacca were loading the reward Prince Luke Organa had given them onto the Falcon. A frown tugged at the corners of Leia's lips when she realised the smuggler was actually leaving. How could Han leave at a time like this? The rebels were going to attack the Death Star. Couldn't they see that they needed his help? It just went to prove Leia's initial thoughts on the smuggler. Han really was nothing more than a selfish, self-centred, money grabbing, frigid excuse of a nerfherder.
"So, you get your reward and your just leaving, then?" flatly asked Leia.
"That's right, princess. I've got some old debts I've got to pay off with this stuff. Even if I didn't, you don't think I'd be fool enough to stick around here, do ya?" questioned Han.
Han put down the crate he had been carrying.
"Why don't you come with us? You're pretty good in a fight. We could use ya." offered Han.
"Sorry Flyboy, but I've made a promise to someone that I'd stick around after the battle. I also promised Master Tano that I would be her Padawan. I gave my word, Han, and I plan on keeping it." stated Leia.
Leia began to walk away, trying her best to keep the tears forming in her eyes from falling. She heard Han call out to her, and stopped. Leia turned around and faced the smuggler for what she knew would be the last time.
"Hey, Leia. May the Force be with you." said Han.
"And with you, Han." replied Leia.
Leia walked over to the ship she was going to pilot. Luke and Ahsoka were standing by the ship, apparently having waited for the former farm girl for a long time. Luke smiled at his new found twin sister, but grew worried when Leia did not return the smile.
"What's wrong, Leia?" concernedly asked Luke.
"It's Han. He's leaving. I thought he changed his mind. I guess I was wrong." sighed Leia.
Ahsoka gazed at her newest Padawan. The Togruta Jedi suspected there was something more to Leia's reaction to Han leaving. The daughter of Anakin almost seemed sad when she mentioned that the smuggler was leaving, not enraged as Ahsoka assumed she would have been.
"One of the first things a Jedi has to learn, Leia, is that we all follow our own path. None can chose it for us. Each decision we make affects all those around us. And instances that seem bad at the moment will often have happened for a pacific reason. We simply have to trust in the Force and have faith that it will guide us." explained Ahsoka.
Leia simply nodded, not saying a word. Ahsoka sighed. The Togruta Jedi knew someday her newest Padawan would understand the ways of the Force, even if most of its mysteries remained a secret. Leia would just have to have faith that everything would happened as it was destined to occur, just as Ahsoka had long ago.
Ahsoka knew that if she had not been expelled from the Jedi Order then she most likely would not have survived the Purges. If she had not survived the Purges, then she would not have been able to train Luke and Leia. And if she was not there to train the Skywalker twins then who would?
A voice over the loudspeaker told for all the pilots to get in their ships. Ahsoka looked at her Padawans. Luke and Leia looked at their Master, pushing all other thoughts to the side for the moment.
"You two better get strapped in. The ships will be launching soon." told Ahsoka.
Leia began to board her ship. Luke lingered by Leia for a few more moments, wanting to have one last farewell with his sister before boarding his own ship.
R2 was slowly lowered into Leia's ship. The workers who were lowering R2 into the ship noticed how old a beat up the little droid was.
"This Rs unit of yours is pretty old. Sure you don't want a new one?" asked the worker.
"Not on your life. That little droid and I have been through a lot together." stated Leia.
Luke laughed from the ground. The prince looked up at the worker whose face was still slightly stunned from the glare Leia gave him.
"Better hope General Tano did not hear you say that. She and R2 went through a lot in the Clone Wars. She's as protective of R2 as she is towards me." lightheartedly said Luke.
The worker froze for a few moments. He quickly got over it however, going back to his job of loading R2 onto the ship. Luke had a feeling that once the droid was safely in place, the worker would run for the hills.
C-3PO, who had been hanging back until that moment, finally stepped forward.
"Hang on tight, R2. You've got to come back." said C-3PO.
R2 beeped at the golden protocol droids.
"You wouldn't want my life to become boring, would you?" commented C-3PO.
Pilots all over the hangar were strapping themselves to their ships. Helmets were slipped on as the last few tests on each of the pilots' ships were made. With the last few tests completed, all the ships took off.
Ahsoka walked through the control room, C-3PO not far from the Togruta Jedi's side. Ahsoka wished that should could have helped Luke and Leia, but the Togruta knew she was of more use to everyone commanding things from within the base. Besides, Luke and Leia were both Skywalkers. It would take more than a world destroying space station like the Death Star to stop a Skywalker. Anakin would let nothing stop him, and Ahsoka knew both her Master's son and daughter were the same.
"Standby alert. Death Star approaching. Estimate time to firing rage, fifteen minutes." announced a voice over the loudspeaker.
Ahsoka's thought turned towards Luke and Leia for a split second. The Togruta woman prayed to the Force that her Padawans would come out of this battle alive, unlike their father son long ago. Regaining herself, Ahsoka put all her attention on commanding the battle from the base.
In the vacuum of space, the rebel fleets grew closer and closer towards the Death Star. The pilots each sounded off their designation within their squadron.
"Red Four standing by." said Luke.
"Red Five standing by." reported Leia.
The squadrons dove into battle. The leaders of the Red and Gold squadrons were the first to instigate the attack. The other pilots followed the plan, remaining aware of their surrounding at all times.
Lasers fired from the Death Star. Ships scattered to try and avoid the shots. Most were unharmed, for the moment at least, but not all got away unscathed. Leia's ship was grazed by one of the enemy's laser blasts. The Tatooine farm girl reacted quickly to keep her ship from spinning out of control.
"Leia, are you alright?" worried Luke.
"I'm fine, Luke. They just grazed me. I'm going to take the shot, Luke. Cover me." responded Leia.
"Sure thing, Leia." replied Luke.
Shots continued to be fired from both sides. The rebels grew closer and closer to their target every moment. At the same time the Death Star grew closer and closer within range of destroying the Rebel base. If the Death Star got within range of the base, no amount of knowledge on the enemy's weapon's weak point would turn the tide towards the rebels. Everything would be over with. There would be no escaping the Empire then.
TIE fighters descended upon the rebel pilots. The rebel squadrons and TIE fighters met in battle. Ships from both sides were shot down, more so from that of the rebels. Things were starting not to look good. The rebels had to fine that weak point soon, before there were no pilots left to fire on it.
Leia almost sighed in relief when the remaining rebel pilots found the trench from the blueprints. It wouldn't be long now before they came to the exhaust vent. After that it was only a matter of taking the shot and getting out of range before the entire Death Star blew.
The battle suddenly became a blur to Leia. All around her more and more rebel ships were shot down. Three new TIE fighters had taken up the pursuit of the remaining rebel ships. The TIE fighters were slowly picking off the rebel ships.
Without warning, Leia found the comm. link had gone dead. There were no incoming or outgoing transmissions. Leia was completely cut off from the other ships.
"Leia, can you hear me?" asked Luke.
"Luke! How are you contacting me? My comm. link's dead?" questioned Leia.
"Master Tano once told me Jedi could speak with those they shared a strong bond with telepathically. I think that is what's happening to us, Leia. Try thinking what you want to say." suggested Luke.
"I'll do it if it's the only option I have. I'm cut off from everyone else, Luke. I'll need you to be my eyes." sent out Leia.
Luke warned Leia of any approaching TIE fighters that grew too close to her. Leia did the best to try and do the same for her brother. She was still relatively new to using the Force. But with Luke helping guide her, Leia was sure she could complete the mission. It was a good thing too, because the target just came in to range.
I'm sorry if the battle scene seems a bit rushed. I'm not very good at writing them. Comment if you like the story and I'm sorry for the late update.
