The Awakening
Chapter Ten: Weakness of an Enemy
The weakness of an enemy forms part of our own strength.
- Proverb of Unknown Origin
"Let's check out how Luke's faring," Biggs suggested to me as we got off the elevator at the main hangar, where our fighters awaited us. Around us, bustling flight crews used the larger elevators to lift the fighters stored in lower level hangars onto the staging area in the main hangar. Each pilot would then perform a final checkout on his or her assigned fighter.
"Yes, let's find Luke," I agreed heartily. The need to connect with something familiar and dear in this foreign environment was great.
Amazingly, we swiftly spotted Luke through the crowd at a distance. He was just standing there, a pensive, disturbed expression twisting his features. Mari and Leia were with him. Their own faces were perfect reflections of Luke's grave mood as they spoke with him quietly.
"Wow, Luke's gotten pretty important for the Princess to personally visit him," my boyfriend observed, whistling long and low. "She must be really grateful to him for that rescue."
An unsettling notion buzzed about in my head. Our brief separation had had more repercussions than I'd previously believed. We were beginning to move in different, albeit similar, circles. It bothered me very much to consider the possibility that if we were to live past today, we could drift apart without even realizing what was happening.
"Is that Mari?" Biggs guessed, breaking my depressing train of thought. He was correctly pointing toward my cousin.
"Yes," I confirmed, tugging on his sleeve. "Come on, I'll introduce you to Mari, and we can wish Luke luck at the same time. See, we're killing two birds with one stone."
"Perhaps we'll even get acknowledged by the Princess," Biggs quipped.
As could be expected, Luke's spirits lifted considerably at our entrance onto the scene. He wasted no time in introducing Leia to Biggs and me. Underneath her formal public exterior, the Princess seemed quite friendly and sincere in a more casual capacity. "Any friend of Luke's is a friend of mine," she proclaimed to us. Still, knowing the large amount of people she encountered each and every day, I wondered if Leia would remember Biggs and me should we all survive and meet again.
Next, I introduced Mari to Biggs. My boyfriend showed impressive deference to her, for he'd never crossed paths with a Jedi before. Sure, Biggs'd known Ben, but Biggs was never aware of the old man's status as a Jedi until after Ben's death. Most of all, my boyfriend respected Mari for her role as an active member of the Rebellion.
"So, Carithlee, how did you unearth Biggs in this huge place?" Luke asked once introductions were over.
"We ran into each other right after my flight simulation test," I responded, my face turning a little pink. How should I explain the rest of our time together without revealing anything too personal?
Luckily, Biggs stepped in and saved the day. "Luke, I should apologize. Carithlee and I were so busy catching up on our affairs that we didn't have a chance to speak with you before that meeting on the Death Star."
"It's alright. I'm just grateful to be able to see you at all. Dashé Borreno, Carithlee's other cousin that's here, is far too busy at the moment to stop by, or else you and I would've met her, too." Luke smiled. "Dashé is a former Imperial Senator just like Leia. Of course, since you and Carithlee, had the opportunity to talk, you probably already know the whole story."
My boyfriend nodded, and the comlink on Leia's utility belt crackled with a request for the Princess' presence in some other part of the hangar. "Well, it looks like duty calls," she sighed. She moved her eyes carefully over Luke, Mari, Biggs, and me, favoring us with an appreciative expression. "I want to thank all of you in advance for your help in this extremely dangerous enterprise. May the Force be with you as you enter into battle."
"May the Force be with you, too, Your Highness," Mari intoned with her same tone of homage that she used on Dashé. We all repeated Mari's sentiment to the Princess, and with that, Leia hurried off to her destination.
Mari eyes Luke, Biggs, and me with an appraising look. "I need to head out, too," she remarked, nodding to the nearby landspeeder that would swiftly transport her to the Coral Star. To my surprise, Dashé sat inside at the driver's wheel! When my eyes made contact with Dashé's, she grinned and waved at me.
"What's going on?" I asked in confusion.
"Dashé's going to be running the canon guns for me while I fly the Star," Mari informed me with an ironic smile. Biggs, Luke, and I smiled back at her with equal irony, though the discovery should've come as no surprise to us, considering the unusual circumstances we'd found ourselves in. Mari then walked away, adding a friendly warning over her shoulder: "Don't take too long with your story-swapping."
"I wish we had that much time to spare," Luke lamented, but his face quickly lit up with anticipation. "We'll talk afterwards, all right?"
"Sure!" Biggs and I simultaneously agreed, our own hearts aching with inflated faith that we'd all make it back alive. After all, what else was there to comfort us?
Biggs headed toward a cluster of waiting fighters. I followed him, for my ship was parked in the same direction as my boyfriend's. Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks and whirled around.
"It's going to be just like old times, Luke," Biggs declared to our best friend, who was wistfully watching us leave. "We're a couple of shooting stars that can't be stopped!"
Luke and I laughed. We'd used to reassure ourselves with that cry when we piloted starships of sandhills and dead logs behind the flaking, pitted buildings of Anchorhead…years and years ago.
& & &
The sleek, venomous metal of my X-wing completely filled my vision. R5 was being snuggled into the droid socket behind the fighter cockpit, so I mounted the cockpit entry. Farther down the hangar, Biggs had already settled into his acceleration chair and was signaling to his ground crew. Luke, Biggs, and I were going to be in the same squadron: Blue. Mari and Dashé would be in Green squadron with Dashé serving as Green Leader.
Slipping into the cockpit seat, I studied the various controls amidst the steady, overpowering thunder of pilots activating their ships' engines. My confidence increased steadily as ground attendants started to wire me via cords and umbilicals into the ship. The X-wing instrumentation was necessarily simplified, and as Luke had indicated, much like our old skyhoppers.
When my ground crew had done their part, I commenced the final check of all controls. It abruptly occurred to me that I was no longer an individual functioning solely to satisfy my personal needs. Something now bound me to everyone in the hangar. Not that I could escape the rush of the togetherness anyway. All around me, scattered scenes of good-bye were taking place – some serious, some kidding, all with the true emotion of the moment masked by efficiency.
A voice crackled into my helmet, ordering me to begin my take-off. I touched a small lever, and the ship rolled forward, slowly but surely, toward the gaping mouth of the temple. The rest of the fighters joined me in the sky outward from the moon, out past the oceanic atmosphere of giant Yavin, out to meet our technologic executioner.
"Blue squadron, this is Blue Leader," my superior announced over the intership pickup. "Adjust your selectors and check in. Approaching target at one point three." A moment later, after warning Blue Two about being two far out of the formation, Blue Leader announced, "This is it. All ships, stand by to lock S-foils in attack mode."
One after another, us members of the Blue squadron gave the appropriate reply: "Standing by…"
The double wings of the X-wing fighters split apart like narrow seeds. Each fighter now displayed four wings, its wing-mounted armament and quadruple engines deployed for maximum firepower and maneuverability. Ahead, the Death Star continued to grow. Surface features became visible as I recognized docking bays, broadcast antennae, and other man-made mountains and canyons. Something began to buffet my ship, almost as if I were back in my skyhopper, wrestling with the unpredictable winds of Tatooine. I experienced a bad moment of uncertainty until Blue Leader's calming voice reached my ears.
"We're passing through their outer shields. Hold tight. Lock down freeze-floating controls and switch your own deflectors on, double front."
The shaking continued, worsened. Not knowing how to compensate, I did exactly what I should: remained in control and followed orders. After that point, the turbulence was gone, and the deadly, cold peacefulness of space returned.
"That's it, we're through," Blue Leader proclaimed quietly. "Keep all channels silent until we're on top of them. They're not expecting much resistance."
Though half of the great station remained in shadow, we were now near enough to discern individual lights on its surface. In fact, the thousands of lights scattered across its curving expanse gave it the appearance of a floating city. Except for Luke, this was the first sighting of the Death Star for everyone else, and we didn't hesitate to verbally express our nervous amazement.
"Cut the chatter," Blue Leader ordered. "Accelerate to attack velocity."
Grim determination showed in my face as I flipped several switches above my head and began adjusting my computer target readout.
"Red Leader," Blue Leader called, "this is Blue Leader. We're in position. You can go right in. The exhaust shaft is farther to the north. We'll keep them busy here."
"We're starting for the target shaft now, Blue Leader. Stand by to take over if anything happens."
"Check, Red Leader. We're going to cross their equatorial axis and try to draw their main fire. May the Force be with you."
The four squadrons split into two main groups. Blue and Green squadrons dove directly to the bulge of the space station far below, while Red and Yellow squadrons curved down and north over the surface. It wasn't long before energy weapons, electric bolts, and explosive solids ripped out at Blue and Green squadrons. We crisscrossed back and forth across the station's surface, firing at whatever looked like a decent target. There were some close calls, but hardly any casualties occurred during this time.
Out of nowhere, a technician back at Yavin 4 reported on a fresh wrench that'd been thrown into the works: "Squad leaders! We've picked up a new set of signals from the other side of the station. Enemy fighters coming your way!"
Those damned TIE fighters appeared the instant the news was out. It was all we could do to protect ourselves from the Imperials, much less prevent the TIEs from attacking Yellow and Red squadrons, which were trying to execute the first run on the exhaust port. Soon, the death count for all four squadrons steadily rose at an alarming rate. Eventually, Red Leader, another with two wingmen, broke through to fire off proton torpedoes at the exhaust port. However, the proton torpedoes missed their mark, and TIEs immediately shot down Red Leader and his wingmen before they could try again. Subsequently, their demises signaled the end of the failed first assault. Blue and Green squadrons needed to join with the remnants of Yellow squadron and start the second assault.
"Blue squadron, this is Blue Leader. Rendezvous at mark six point one. All wings report in."
This time, only a few of us were still alive to proceed to the next phase of the attack: Biggs, Luke, Blue Two, Blue Ten, Blue Twelve, and me.
Dodonna himself came on the air: "Blue Leader, this is Base One. Double-check your own attack prior to commencement. Have your wingmen hold back and cover for you. Keep half your group out of range to make the next run."
"Copy, Base One," Blue Leader answered. "Blue Ten, Blue Twelve, join me." Two ships leveled off to flank Blue Leader. "Blue Five, take Blue Two and Blue Three with you. Hold up here out of their fire and wait for my signal to start your own run."
"Copy, Blue Leader," Luke acknowledged. "May the Force be with you. Biggs, Wedge, let's close it up."
Together, the three fighters assumed a tight formation above me as Blue Leader told me, "Blue Thirteen, you're the odd man out, so join Yellow and Green squadrons for defense."
"Copy, Blue Leader," I replied, extremely nervous to be away from Biggs and Luke for the first time. We'd constantly backed each other in all moments of danger.
Luckily, I swiftly caught a glimpse of the Coral Star in the firefight below and headed toward Dashé and Mari. I made contact with them since Dashé was Green Leader and needed to be informed of Blue Leader's decision to send me to her. Dashé heartily welcomed my participation in the fray.
Meanwhile, Blue Leader's attempt at the exhaust port failed. He was the only one left alive after his two wingmen fell to TIE firepower and barely had the opportunity to institute his next command: "Blue Five, move into position. Start your attack run. Stay low and wait until you're right on top of the exhaust port. It's not going to be easy."
"Are you all right?" Luke inquired with deep concern at a TIE hot on Blue Leader's tail.
"Don't worry, I'll shake it."
Within a short period of time, though, the pursuing TIE fired off a shot that slammed into Blue Leader's X-wing and set one starboard engine ablaze. The gyrating fighter then plowed into the station's surface.
"We just lost Blue Leader," Luke murmured absently. I could hear the palatable helplessness in his voice. No one else dared speak in that awful, gloomy silence, not even the Yavin 4 base leaders. Amazingly, however, Luke somehow managed to muster enough energy to at last call out, "Close it up, Wedge. Biggs, where are you?"
"Coming in right behind you."
Soon after, Blue Two interjected with an update of his own. "Okay, Boss, we're in position."
From this instant on, Luke's date with destiny had begun. First, the three fighters tentatively skimmed the trench, searching intensely for the exhaust port as they dodged exploding bolts from surface guns. Unfortunately, three TIEs also materialized at the precise moment Luke finally found the exhaust port, causing his torpedoes to go wild and explode innocuously far to one side of the minute opening. In order to confuse the enemy, Luke and his wingmen fled the trench and raced off in three different directions. All three TIEs turned and followed Luke.
Luke darted between defensive towers and wove a tight path around docking bays, managing to lose two of the TIEs. Nonetheless, the single remaining TIE that stayed close behind him inflicted damage to one wing. R2 attempted to repair the sparking mess while my best friend eventually ditched the menacing TIE. Blue Two and Biggs had to evade TIEs as well, but the trio met up again and commenced their second run. Once more, energy bolts reached out for them, passing harmlessly to both sides. To complicate matters, the wing wound on Luke's X-wing opened up. Nevertheless, R2 successfully closed it up just in time for the second appearance of the same three TIEs Luke had eluded earlier.
Biggs and Blue Two crossed behind Luke, trying to draw the coming fire away from him and confuse their pursuers. One TIE ignored the maneuvers, continuing to gain inexorably on the Rebel ships. This TIE fired a shot that ripped into Biggs' fighter. A loud, desperate shout sounded over the speakers, blending into a final agonized scream of flesh and metal. Biggs' X-wing burst into a billion glowing splinters that rained down on the bottom of the trench.
"We lost Biggs," Blue Two announced.
My eyes began to water, and I wiped them away angrily, fighting to control my inner despair. The heavy Rebel casualties had already affected me deeply, but the death of one so close to me was almost unbearable. It took all the self-control in me to remain in the moment and focus on not getting myself killed. To this day, I have no idea how Luke, being much closer to the action than I, pulled himself together, especially for what happened next.
Luke flew just in front of Wedge, slightly to port side. Energy bolts from the pursing Imperials streaked close about them. Both men crossed each other's path repeatedly, once again striving to present as confusing a target as possible. Suddenly, Blue Two started fighting with his controls when several small flashes and sparks landed on his control panel. One small panel exploded, leaving molten slag behind.
"I've got a bad malfunction, Luke. I can't stay with you," Blue Two declared.
"Okay, Wedge, get clear."
Blue Two mumbled a heartfelt "sorry" and peeled up out of the trench.
"Carithlee, go to Luke and back him up," Dashé commanded me. She didn't have to tell me twice; I instantly piloted my ship toward the surface of the Death Star.
A near lethal explosion burst close behind Luke, clipping R2 where it rode on the damaged engine. "Damn, I've lost R2," Luke swore in frustration.
Unless I got lucky, I probably wouldn't be able to reach Luke in time to prevent one of the TIEs from catching the bobbling fighter with a crippling shot. However, help did come, albeit from a very unexpected source: Han Solo. The powerful Millennium Falcon easily whipped past me, dove toward the trench, and used its far-reaching canon guns to take out one TIE. The two remaining TIEs narrowly avoided the Falcon as it swept by overhead. Unfortunately for the TIEs, this aversion only caused their huge fins to get tangled up with each other, and a small explosion ensued from the contact. One ship completely erupted into flames as a result of the explosion before it collided with the trench walls. The other TIE, though damaged from the explosion, did not detonate like dynamite and instead began spinning helplessly into the endless reaches of space.
"Han, you came back!" Luke cried gleefully.
"You're all clear, kid," Han reassured Luke. "Now blow this thing up so we can go home."
This pep talk was followed by a reinforcing grunt, which could have only been produced by Chewbacca. I looked up through the canopy and smiled wryly, shaking my head in amazement, and pulling in beside the Falcon so that I could also protectively shadow Luke.
Suddenly, one of the Yavin 4 leaders came on the intership pickup. "Base One to Blue Five, your targeting device is switched off. What's wrong?"
"Nothing," my best friend murmured, barely audible. "Nothing."
Puzzled and somewhat alarmed, I strained to stare down at Luke's X-wing at a distance below me. What the hell was Luke doing? He needed that targeting device to help him properly home on in that tiny shaft.
Before I or anyone else could react out loud, though, Luke released his torpedoes, perfectly hitting their mark. "You did it, Luke, you did it!" I shouted even as Han, Luke, and I frantically raced away from the trench back into open space.
"Good shot, kid," Solo complimented Luke, having to raise his voice to be heard over Chewbacca's unrestrained howling.
"Yes, you did a great job, Luke," Mari added, the knowing tone in her voice suggesting that she was fully aware of the reason why my best friend had just acted so strangely. Later on, Luke would tell me all about the moment he made history. At that juncture, however, I had no time to ponder anything as I joined several X-wings, Y-wings, and two freighters to accelerate away from the Death Star toward Yavin 4.
Behind us, small flashes of light marked the receding space station. Without warning, it ignited into a brilliant conflagration, which was brighter than Yavin's far-off sun. For a few seconds, the eternal night of space turned into day. Space filled with countless microscopic metal fragments and propelled past our retreating ships with the power of the liberated energy from the station blow up. The collapsed residue would continue to consume itself for several more days, forming for a brief span of time the most impressive tomb in that corner of the cosmos.
& & &
A cheering, gleeful throng of technicians, mechanics, and other inhabitants of the Alliance headquarters swarmed around each fighter as it touched down and taxied into the temple hangar. A few of the other surviving pilots, including myself, had already vacated their ships and were waiting to greet Luke as he arrived.
Once Luke's X-wing landed, a far smaller and more restrained crowded formed on the opposite side of his fighter. It consisted of a couple of technicians and 3PO, who watched as the humans mounted the scorched ship and lifted a badly burned hulk from its back.
"Oh, my! R2? Can you hear me? Say something!" 3PO pleaded, bending close the carbonized robot. Its unwinking gaze turned to one of the techs. "You can repair R2, can't you?"
"We'll do our best." The tech 3PO had spoken to studied the vaporized metal, the dangling components. "That R2 unit has taken a terrible beating."
"You must repair R2! Sir, if any of my circuits or modules will help, I'll gladly donate them…"
3PO and the techs move slowly away, oblivious to the noise and excitement around them. I, too, was preoccupied like them, only for a much different cause: Biggs' death. R2 could be fixed with spare or dominated parts, but it was impossible for Biggs, once broken, to be put back together ever again.
A lithe figure, robes flowing, stepped up to me in a very unsenatorial fashion. "I'm very sorry about Biggs, Carithlee," Leia lamented solemnly.
I started at Leia's statement, although I still managed to compose myself enough to reply with heartfelt gratitude, "Thank you, Princess." Bitter tears stung my eyes. "Biggs truly gave his life for a great cause."
Leia placed a comforting hand on my arm. "Yes, he did, and so did the people of my world Alderaan and many of the pilots here that I personally know. However, I don't allow myself to give in to my despair. Despite everything I've lost, I still have lots of comrades with whom to share my quest for obtaining justice for this whole galaxy. You, too, are not alone either, Carithlee," Leia assured me, sweeping her free hand toward Luke.
My best friend was still the center of attention of the carnival atmosphere and had been joined by Han and Chewbacca. The three of them battled to discover who could compliment each other the most. When it came to congratulatory backslapping, though, Chewbacca won by default. There was laughter as the Wookiee looked embarrassed at having nearly flattened Luke in his eagerness to greet my best friend.
"I knew you'd come back, Han," Luke exclaimed passionately, "I just knew it! I would've been nothing but dust if you hadn't sailed in like that!"
Solo had lost none of his smug self-assurance. "Well, I couldn't very well let a flying farm boy go up against the Death Star alone. Besides, I was beginning to realize what could happen, and I felt terrible about it. I couldn't leave you to maybe take all the credit and get all the reward, Luke."
Han and Luke both laughed as a thunderous, authoritative voice called out, "Han Solo, do you really wish to be personally associated with a Rebel victory?"
All eyes turned toward the figure that had just spoken: Dashé. She was making her way through the thick crowd, silently flanked by Mari, to stand expectantly before Han. Surprisingly, the Corellian didn't appear nearly as nervous as I would've thought he'd be at Dashé calling his bluff. In fact, the concerned glance Han threw Luke's way indicated his reluctance to let down my best friend. Nevertheless, I knew this instance wouldn't be the last in which Solo's immense pride would be tested against his heart of gold.
"Yes, Senator, I do wish to take credit for my part," Han calmly mouthed.
Dashé smiled with pleasure. "Then, you, along with Luke Skywalker and the Wookiee Chewbacca, shall be rewarded with metals at our celebration." Her attention swiftly switched to Leia. "Princess, you must present the metals to them. After all, this victory wouldn't have been possible without your brave sacrifices to get the plans we needed."
Leia's face colored a little, but she bowed deeply, very graciously accepted the commendations bestowed on her by Dashé, and expressed her great willingness to preside over the metal ceremony. As I listened to Leia, Luke's eyes locked onto mine. The intensity of his gaze very quickly attracted the Princess' attention.
"Go to him," Leia whispered when she finished her short public speech.
Unable to hold back any longer, I ran into Luke's arms. He hugged me as he spun me around, half-laughing, half-crying with me. How wonderful it felt to be reunited!
The instant Luke set me down, Han was standing before me to flippantly ask, "So, Carithlee, are you going to give me a second chance like Luke did?"
"Sure, why not, since you saved my ass, too," I responded with equal sassiness. In spite of all the impertinence shown to me, however, I could still discern Solo's sincere wish to win me over in his own way.
Following my exchange with Han, I acutely sensed for the first time the curious throngs watching me with probing eyes. Embarrassed, I suppressed the urge to turn away. Coincidentally, and to my eternal relief, Dashé took this opportunity to whisk us away in preparation of the celebration.
& & &
For the first time in thousands of years, the spacious throne room of the temple was filled to the rafters. Hundreds of Rebel troops and techs stood assembled on the old stone floor, gathered together for one last time before dispersing to new posts and distant homes. These massed ranks of pressed uniforms and polished semi-armor were truly arrayed together in a fitting show of Alliance might.
The banners of the many worlds supporting the Rebellion fluttered in the gentle breeze that had formed inside the chamber. At the far end of a long, open aisle stood a vision gowned in formal white, barred with chalcedony waves – Leia's signet of office. Several figures appeared at the opposite side of the aisle. One, massive and completely covered in fur, showed signs of running for cover, but was urged on by one of his companions. It took several minutes for Luke, Han, Chewie, and 3PO to cover the distance separating them from Leia.
They stopped before Leia, and I flashed an encouraging smile at them from my advantageous position next to Dashé and Mari among the dignitaries seated nearby. There was a pause, and a gleaming R2 joined the group, moving to stand beside a radiantly polished 3PO. Chewbacca shuffled nervously, giving every indication of wishing he were someplace else. Solo nudged his comrade again as the Princess stepped forward with the metals. Simultaneously, the banners tilted forward in union. All those gathered turned to face the dais. Leia placed a metal first around Solo's next, then Chewie's – having to strain to do so – and finally around Luke's. She made a signal to the masses, and the rigid discipline dissolved as every man, woman, and mechanical present was permitted to give full vent to their feelings. As for myself, I couldn't help rushing out again to give Luke the hug he deserved. This time, however, I wasn't mortified for displaying personal emotion in front of a crowd.