Chapter 9 – Gears of the Empire
R2-D2, being an astromech droid designed for starship navigation and repair, was equipped with dozens of tools stored inside his cylindrical body. While Luke Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano had been speaking, the droid had begun repairs to Luke's X-Wing starfighter. When Luke and Ahsoka left her ship, R2-D2 had already reconnected the broken wires in the bottom right wing and was fixing the damaged engine. The missile hadn't hit it directly, so only the engine housing had suffered any severe damage. Once Luke had welded down the metal plates Ahsoka had given him, he would be able to return to Echo Base on Hoth where the rebel technicians could repair it more permanently.
Ahsoka's ship, on the other hand, wasn't in as good a condition. When Luke shot the left engine, he had blown through the housing, turbine, and exhaust pipe. While the former two could be replaced, Ahsoka didn't have any metal suitable for patching the pipe. Everything that was strongest didn't have a high enough melting point. If Ahsoka tried to fire the engine, it would melt completely, causing more damage.
"What are you going to do now?" asked Luke.
Ahsoka replied, "I'm going to have to sneak into the Imperial base and steal the metal I need."
"Are you sure that's a good idea? If the Empire catches you…"
"I don't really have any other choice," Ahsoka interrupted. "Besides, I've broken into plenty of places without getting caught. I'll be fine."
"I can go with you, if you want," offered Luke.
"No, thanks. Just go back to your Rebellion and tell Solo that I'll be coming after him in a week."
Luke didn't want to leave Ahsoka. He was excited by the prospect of meeting a Jedi survivor. He wanted to learn everything he could from her so he could piece together what he knew of his father's life. He didn't think it was wise for her to dwell on the past and let it control her life. But he understood her pain. The Empire had burned down Luke's home on Tatooine and killed his aunt and uncle. He had seen many friends within the Rebellion killed around him, including Biggs Darklighter, who was one of Luke's childhood friends and a rebel pilot shot down by Darth Vader during the attack on the Death Star. If those losses had been painful, Luke couldn't imagine how Ahsoka felt after seeing almost everyone she had known mercilessly killed.
Keeping this in mind, Luke nodded and replied, "Well, you should at least have a weapon." Luke drew his blaster from its holster and handed it to Ahsoka. "And remember; if you ever change your mind about joining the Rebellion, I can put in a good word for you."
Ahsoka smiled. "That's very generous of you, Luke." She shook his hand and said, "Maybe we'll meet again sometime."
Luke couldn't think of anything else to say, so he climbed into his X-Wing and closed the cockpit canopy. Praying that his makeshift repairs would hold, Luke started the fighter's engines and activated the repulsorlifts. Once the ship was airborne, he fired the engines and took off, disappearing into the sky. Behind him, Ahsoka and her ship shrunk until they were no longer discernible.
Once they were in space, R2-D2 beeped a question, which was relayed onto the cockpit's monitor. Luke answered, "Well, what can I do about it? She's been through a huge trauma, seeing her fellow Jedi die around her. If she wants to run away from it, then fine." R2-D2 whistled a comment, to which Luke replied, "Just set the nav-computer. We're going back to Hoth." R2-D2 complied, and the X-Wing jumped into hyperspace, leaving Gederon behind.
It was nearing 2100 Galactic Standard Time, and the daily solar eclipse on Gederon was about to begin when Ahsoka Tano approached the Imperial base. She wore a backpack containing essential supplies and tools, and two holsters in which she held her two blasters; the pistol she had found on her ship and the blaster Luke had given her. She had been walking through the rainforest for a few hours, mostly observing the colorful flora and fauna, but also running through her plan in her head. She couldn't let herself be captured again, knowing that the Empire wouldn't be as lenient as the Rebellion was. They would use their infamous torture machines on her, discover her true identity, and probably execute her on the spot. She had to be extra careful once she was inside the base.
Ahsoka reached the edge of the base and observed the area. The complex was surrounded by a four-meter tall energy fence. Even if she managed to get over the fence, she would still have to get past the stormtrooper sentries that were positioned every six to ten meters and the entire base personnel marching around. Ahsoka decided that there was no point in trying to break in during light hours. She would have to wait until the eclipse when it would be dark and most of the base would be asleep.
She pulled out a pair of macrobinoculars and scanned the base beyond the fence. She saw the low, round-roofed buildings positioned in a circle around the central tower. Each building was connected to the tower at one end and had a set of large sliding doors at the other. Ahsoka figured that she could find the metal she was looking for in one of the buildings. To confirm her theory, she saw the doors of one building open to reveal that it was an armory and supply shed. If she could just get in and get out quickly without any difficulties, everything would be fine.
Darkness fell, and the Imperial base was deserted except for the sentries standing at the fence and the guards in the tower sweeping the area with spotlights. But that was not enough to stop Ahsoka from trying to enter the base. Also, she had a plan of execution that would work. She stealthily climbed one of the tallest trees she could find and crawled out to the edge of the strongest branch. Then she cleared her throat and let out a screech, imitating the cry of a beast she had heard earlier. Just as she had hoped, it was enough to scare all of the smaller animals and birds into a panic. The frenzy caught the attention of the sentries, who raised their blasters and pointed them into the trees. Ahsoka took advantage of the distraction and jumped from the tree branch, over the fence, and into the base. Quickly, but quietly, she broke into a run, sprinting to the nearest building, swerving left and right to avoid being hit by the spotlights.
Incredibly, she reached the building without even being detected. She crept along the edge of the complex until she reached the armory she had noticed earlier. Now, she just had to break into the building and search for the metal. The sliding doors were protected by an electronic combination lock. Luckily, Ahsoka had just the tool she needed in her backpack – a digital code-breaker. She also pulled out a tool kit, which she used to remove the panel on the lock. She plugged the code-breaker into two wire ports and activated the device. It then began to feed millions of code combinations into the lock, searching for the right one. Within seconds, the doors slid open and Ahsoka slipped inside, closing the doors behind her.
Ahsoka turned on a pocket flashlight and surveyed the room. It was filled with crates containing blasters, tripod cannons, ammo packs, tools, electronic parts, and spare metal plates. Ahsoka was relieved to find that one of the crates contained the type of metal she needed to fix her ship. She slid six plates into her backpack, figuring that it was more than she needed. While she was there, she also decided to restock her weapons. She grabbed a handful of ammo packs, a standard blaster, and a sniper rifle. Satisfied that she had everything she needed, Ahsoka went back to the doors.
As the doors slid open, however, Ahsoka heard a voice ask, "What's that?" Afraid that she had been discovered, Ahsoka stepped back against the wall and the doors slid shut. But then she heard the stormtrooper again, this time right outside the door. "Who's in there?" Thinking quickly, Ahsoka scurried to hide behind a stack of crates. Not a second after she had disappeared from sight, the doors slid open and two stormtroopers walked in. They turned on the lamps attached to the barrels of their blasters and scanned the room. "I thought for sure I saw something," said the first trooper.
The second trooper lowered his blaster and surmised, "The doors are probably malfunctioning again. Stay here and see if you can figure out what's wrong while I go look for an engineer."
Ahsoka peeked over the crates to see one of the stormtroopers leave the armory while the other crouched down in front of the control panel, inspecting it. Ahsoka assumed that the first stromtrooper would soon be back with an engineer, and the second one wouldn't leave by then, so she couldn't exit the base that way. There was only one other thing to do. She would have to go through the other set of doors into the tower. Then, she would have to find another way out of the base.
Certain that no one was looking, Ahsoka snuck to the back of the building and went through the doors into the tower. She found herself in a dark hallway with a black floor and dark grey walls with dim florescent wall lights. The hallway appeared to run in a circle along the walls of the tower. Closed doors lined the walls. Ahsoka figured that if she travelled down the hall, she would come to the doors leading into another building through which she could escape.
Ahsoka walked slowly and quietly down the hallway. Even though there was no one around, she half-expected someone to jump out at her from the darkness. She supposed that that was how the Empire discouraged intruders and kept order. They intimidated people into cooperating. Anyone who stepped out of line was severely punished, or even killed. It was quite a change from the system Ahsoka used to know.
Ahsoka remembered the days of the Galactic Republic. Following the supposed destruction of the Sith, the galaxy saw a one-thousand-year era of peace and prosperity. The Jedi Knights were the guardians of peace and justice, and the Galactic Senate created the laws that provided a foundation for the new society.
But when the Clone Wars began, the galaxy was thrown into turmoil. Chaos and crime spread to even the safest places, putting everyday citizens in danger. The senators began accusing each other of corruption, placing their own needs and desires ahead of those of their constituents. The number of Jedi began to dwindle, and the public condemned them for violence. Ahsoka would soon discover that these events were engineered by Supreme Chancellor Palpatine to destroy the Jedi Order, replace the Republic with a new Galactic Empire, and proclaim himself Emperor. He tricked the people into believing that this change would be good, only to betray them by turning them into slaves to his will.
Ahsoka's thoughts were interrupted when she heard echoing footsteps. Someone was coming, and there was nowhere to hide. As the footsteps grew louder, Ahsoka darted through a door leading into another hallway. To her horror, however, it turned out to be a dead end. Suddenly, the ground lurched, and Ahsoka felt herself pressed downward by gravity. She realized that she was in a rising elevator. That meant that someone in a floor above her had called the elevator, and would discover her when it arrived. Ahsoka's only option was to hit the button of the floor above her and get off there.
Thankfully, there was no one in the hallway on the floor Ahsoka was on. She decided it was too dangerous to risk taking the elevator again, and that she would have to find an emergency staircase. This hallway was even darker than the one on the ground floor, which made it even scarier. Still, Ahsoka travelled on, as slowly and quietly as she could. As she passed one door, she heard muffled voices.
"The intruders defeated most of the squad we sent. The two stormtroopers who returned reported that one of them was dressed in a rebel pilot jumpsuit and carried a lightsaber." Ahsoka realized that this man was talking about Luke. She decided to listen more just in case they had discovered anything that they could use against her. "They say he deflected their shots, and then the Togruta used a rotary cannon to gun down the other troops."
"Are you suggesting that this rebel was a Jedi, Governor?" asked a distorted voice. Ahsoka guessed that this speaker was addressing the first person via hologram. "You know how hard I find that to believe."
"Believe it or not, Governor Jerjerrod," replied the first speaker, Moff Arndt. "I'm merely relaying what my troops reported. In any case, the X-Wing was seen fleeing the system not long after the attack."
"What do you know of the other, the Togruta?" asked another distorted voice.
"We crossed her description with our records. It turns out that she was a bounty hunter named Ashla Fett."
"A bounty hunter?" repeated Moff Jerjerrod. "Why would a bounty hunter associate herself with the rebels?"
Arndt replied, "The troopers reported that she and the rebel were preparing to fire at each other. I don't believe that they were in league. They were probably fighting and shot each other down. I assume the rebel defeated Fett, for only his ship escaped, and the second squad we sent reported that Fett was nowhere to be found."
"That doesn't make this rebel a Jedi," snapped the second voice. "If you can prove your theory, please do."
"He cannot, Admiral Ozzel." Ahsoka was surprised by this new voice. It was much lower and deeper than the others, even as a holotransmission. "Nevertheless, you should consider the possibility."
Ozzel scoffed, "But, Lord Vader, we are already hard-pressed to track down the rebels. If we begin concerning ourselves with a Jedi that may not exist, or may not even be associated with the Rebellion…"
Darth Vader interrupted the admiral. "There is a Jedi in the Rebellion. I know this for a fact. During the attack on the Death Star, when I joined the battle myself, I was about to shoot down the pilot who fired the fatal shot when my fighter was damaged by the Millennium Falcon, a cargo freighter that had brought Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi onto the station. I could also sense that the Force was strong with the pilot. And now, we have a report of a rebel pilot who wields a lightsaber and presumably defeated a bounty hunter. These could be coincidences, but the Force tells me differently. The pilot who destroyed the Death Star is a Jedi. That is why it is of utmost importance that this person be identified and captured. He must pay for this highest degree of treachery."
Ahsoka was shocked by what she had heard. Combining what she knew with what Vader had said, she hypothesized that Luke Skywalker was the pilot who destroyed the Death Star. But she couldn't be sure. And she didn't have time to think. She had to escape from the Imperial base. She hurried down the hallway until she found a door labeled "emergency staircase." Ahsoka went through the door and jogged down the stairs to the ground floor. Fortunately, at the bottom of the stairs was an emergency exit leading outside.
Ahsoka was outside the building, but she still had to make it across the base and over the fence without anyone discovering her. The eclipse was almost over, and within minutes she would be clearly visible from the tower. She couldn't wait any longer; she ran toward the fence. As she drew nearer, she realized that there was no way over the fence from the inside. Why hadn't she thought of that before? She had to think quickly of a way to escape. She could fire a grappling gun at a tree, but gravity would cause her to swing into the energy fence. And there were no overhanging branches that would allow her to avoid that circumstance. She couldn't wait for the front gate to open, obviously. The only way was to somehow jump over the fence.
But it was four meters high. Ahsoka wouldn't be able to clear it. Unless… no, she would never go there. There had to be another way. But there was none, and time was running out. Ahsoka had no other choice but to use the Force. However, she hadn't performed a Force-jump in years. Could she still do it? Could she clear the fence? The only other alternative was to surrender to the Empire, which was definitely not an option. Ahsoka was almost at the fence. She closed her eyes and focused on propelling herself upward. And then she jumped.
For a few seconds, Ahsoka felt weightless. She sailed through the air, eyes still closed, praying that she would make it. When she finally felt the ground beneath her feet, Ahsoka opened her eyes and saw that she was standing on soft grass. She heard a nearby stormtrooper sentry ask, "What was that? I just saw something jump over the fence!" Several nearby troopers raised their blasters and activated their barrel lamps, but it was too late. Ahsoka had run into the rainforest just as the area lit up. Not a moment later, the sun appeared, illuminating the rainforest. The eclipse was over, and Ahsoka had escaped.
Ahsoka ran back to her ship, amazed that not only had she succeeded in her escape, but also that she had used the Force. Part of her had always thought that she had lost her talent after all those years. And yet, she had jumped over a four-meter-tall fence. She didn't know whether she should be happy for her success, or sad for reaching into her past. Either way, she had escaped with everything she needed to fix her ship.
While she worked to fix her ship's engine, Ahsoka thought about what she had heard Darth Vader's hologram say about the rebel who destroyed the Death Star. Was it possible that the rebel was Luke Skywalker? She went through the facts in her head. The Millennium Falcon, Han Solo's ship, had brought Obi-Wan Kenobi to the Death Star. Luke was a friend of Solo's, and he had known the Jedi Master. Vader had sensed that the Force was strong with the rebel pilot. Luke could use the Force and was a rebel pilot. Solo saved the pilot by shooting Vader's starfighter, just like he would save a friend. And Luke was an accomplished pilot, which would be instrumental in destroying the Death Star with one shot. The more Ahsoka thought about it, the more certain she was that Luke was the pilot who destroyed the Death Star.
If the Empire captured Luke, they would kill him. Could Ahsoka stand by while Darth Vader killed Anakin Skywalker's son? Could she betray one of her dearest friends? Or should she help Luke? There was nothing she could have done to save Anakin, but maybe she could save Luke. But that would mean throwing away her new life and trying to piece together her old one. A life that she had sworn never to dwell upon again.
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