The Darkest Lord
Chapter X: Death Star Destruction

Luke Skywalker wasn't the same person he had been when he traveled through the forests of Yavin two weeks previously. The spirit of an ancient Sith Lord had violated him, entering his body and stripping him of all control that he had over himself. He had been locked away in the darkest recesses of his own mind and it had been worse than any level of Hell possibly could be. He likened his experience to being clinically brain dead. His own body had been a prison from which there was no escape. He was simply trapped, unable to breathe or move even the slightest muscle by himself. That in itself would have been enough to change him forever. Unfortunately, that had not been all that there had been to it.

Exar Kun had been one of the darkest Sith Lords to ever live. Even the Dark Lord, Bane, and the Emperor himself would have been hard pressed to produce a blacker void of existence than Kun lived in. That abyss that the ancient Dark Jedi had carried with him for four millennia had engulfed Luke. While he had been paralyzed within his own body, that evil had tortured him. It perused his mind and exploited his own darkest memories in order to gain power over him. The death of his aunt and uncle, which he had tried so hard to repress, suddenly seemed so real to him. He would never see either of them again. His uncle, who had worked so hard to put food on the table every night, had died at the hands of Imperial soldiers who were still alive. The man, despite his gruff and occasionally strict parenting style, had loved him. The twin suns of Tatooine had beat down on the man's back for nineteen years as he had worked on the farm to produce the much coveted water that was so scarce within the Dune Seas. His aunt, on the other hand, had always treated him like her own. She had been kind and loving. When he had been a child, she had tucked him into bed most nights and read stories until he fell asleep. She had spent the little money that the family had had to buy him his speeder when he had turned eighteen, even though it had nearly indebted them to Angio the Hutt. That was all gone now. They would never smile at him again. They had been slaughtered like animals by people that wanted to suppress and subjugate their citizens in order to live more comfortably. The Emperor and Darth Vader were sick men. They both deserved to die!

Interestingly enough, however, the dark thoughts and emotions were not the only thing that Kun had left inside of his host's body. Just as Kun had been able to draw on Luke's memories and thoughts in order to familiarize himself with the galaxy around him, Luke could pull certain thoughts that had not faded from when the Dark Lord was destroyed to the surface of his mind. Kun had kept most of his thoughts and memories shielded from the part of Luke's mind that he had been sealed away in, but not all. The Jedi and Sith knowledge had flowed freely, as it would have been no use to his prisoner. It was now.

In the course of two weeks, Exar Kun had inadvertently taught Luke Skywalker more about the Force and how to manipulate it than any Jedi Master had ever been able to teach his or her student within two months. His potential had been unlocked within the blink of an eye. His lightsaber, which was lying on the ground beside him, no longer seemed like a foreign weapon without practicality. Instead it looked like a friend that he had neglected for several weeks unjustly.

His eyes darted from the weapon that his father had left to him before he had died, to the Dark Lord that stood over him, hand extended towards him. This man had vanquished Exar Kun from his body, so the young moisture farmer was grateful to him, but that didn't mean that he would unwisely let his guard down. He accepted the hand offered to him and allowed Darth Malak to pull him to his feet.

"My name is Luke Skywalker," he said politely with a thankful nod.

Malak lifted the fallen lightsaber that the young man had been eyeing thoughtfully off of the ground and brought it to the boy's chest level, pointed away from him. A cushion of air supported the weapon as it hovered in front of its owner. Deciding that the man before him was sincere, Luke took the weapon and clipped it to his belt, thankful to know that it was in its rightful place.

"I am Darth Malak," the bald human replied as he folded his arms.

The young Jedi remembered the name from when Bastila had described her experiences in the past. Malak was Darth Revan's apprentice and a former Jedi Knight who had become famous during the Mandalorian Wars. Mechanical jaw aside, the Sith Lord was not what Luke had pictured. He had expected someone like Revan, who was dressed in thick armored robes and kept his face covered. In any case, it didn't matter. He had saved his life and Luke took that as a sign that he could trust the Dark Lord for the time being.

"When you said, 'come with me,' where did you mean for me to follow you to?" Luke asked.

"This planet is a dead world, Luke Skywalker," the former Jedi replied. "I am offering you transport off world."

"And from there?"

The question caused Malak to chuckle. He had considered taking Luke back to the Star Forge. Revan had been on Alzac for two weeks now and it was likely that he would be leaving his apprentice could make it back to the superstation. Once the Lord of the Sith returned to their base of operations, he would discover that his apprentice had nearly killed the woman that he loved, leaving her in a catatonic state from which she would probably never wake. On top of that, he had left her in the care of a treacherous old woman who had probably injected poison into the dying woman's IV out of spite. All in all, Malak did not want to be near Revan for quite some time. Nonetheless, he would have to deal with it. Perhaps bringing someone as powerful as Luke before the Dark Lord would be enough to assuage his anger… or it would lead him to take Luke as a new apprentice after he killed Malak.

The Dark Lord pushed the thought out of his head and scratched his bald head. "The planet Rakata," he answered. "You could be of use to the Sith Empire there."

"Why would I want to work for the Sith?" Luke tested.

"Because I can feel the torment inside of you, boy. You want power. You want the power to destroy Darth Vader for what he did to your family." Luke's eyes widened at the fact that his mind had been read without his knowledge. "You want the power to kill the Emperor and impress that little Jedi friend of yours. I can bring you that."

"Why would you want to help me?" he challenged again.

The former Jedi actually chuckled at this one. "I just lost one of my most powerful students," he pointed out in reference to the fallen Bandon. "You would serve as a more qualified replacement. Join the Sith and you can have your revenge."

Luke turned his options over in his head for a moment. Two weeks ago, he would have rather died than join the Sith. Bastila had warned him of their ways and how terrible Revan and Malak were in particular. She had also told him of the evil of the dark side and how his dark emotions would only make him weak. He was now starting to doubt the validity of that statement. He felt good. He was completely focused on his anger towards Darth Vader and something was running through him like a wildfire. It was a new feeling, one that he could not describe. It was like an adrenaline rush that could not be paralleled by any drug or chemical stimuli of which he could think. If this was the power of the dark side, then he liked it.

Still, Luke did not know the differences between the Jedi and the Sith ways. Assuming that the two orders functioned the same way, except that one honored the light while the other thrived on darkness, he bowed before Malak, as he would have before Ben Kenobi, and said the words, "I will serve you, my master."

Despite the mischaracterization of his position, Malak didn't bother to argue the point. Instead, he laughed. He laughed with his dark, cold mechanical laugh that caused shivers to run down his new student's spine. Things could not be going better for the Sith Empire.

Thirty-seven ships, thirty-six starfighters and one very agile medium sized corvette suddenly shot out of hyperspace. All of the pilots were instantly aware of the moon-sized space station before them and there was no question as to whether or not they were in the right place. Commander Carth Onasi switched on his comm. link between the other eight pilots in his squadron, along with the one that connected him with the Corellian Corvette that was serving as the only capital ship for the mission.

"Red squadron, sound off," he ordered. One by one, all of the pilots counted off their numbers until Daru Tenjel said the final number. "Rebel I, this is Red Leader," he spoke into the comm. "all units are accounted for and we are beginning our assault on the target."

"Copy that, Red Leader," Admiral Forn replied. "Good luck, Carth."

The Republic pilot didn't respond. Instead, he addressed his pilots. "Lock S-foils in attack positions," he ordered. "And good luck." All around him, he saw the X-Wings unfolding and changing modes. The somewhat out-of-date pilot simply hoped that he knew what he was doing as he pressed the release button on the dashboard, causing his ship to switch to attack mode like all the others. The controls were similar, yet there had been a lot changes and improvements over the years and he'd only had two weeks to master them. Still, he was by far the most experienced dog fighter in the Alliance and the troops needed a seasoned veteran to lead them into battle against the Imperials.

A loud siren went off, accompanied by a flashing red light on his dashboard. He glanced down and saw three groups of three unidentified bogies coming his way. "Imperial fighters," he warned his men. "Prepare to engage."

The small battalion of TIE fighters soared towards the swarm of Rebel starships, bursts of green plasma firing from their cannons. Carth quickly jammed his control stick to the left, causing his X-Wing to go into a barrel-roll. All of the others in his squadron did the same and no damage was taken. "Return fire!" he ordered.

Several X-Wings began to open fire on the TIEs. Jets of red superheated plasma rocketed through space, forming a wave of energy that threatened to overwhelm the Imperial ships. Most of the Imperial fighters were able to curve upwards, avoiding any damage. One unlucky ship, however, caught a plasma shot on its wing, causing it to spin out of control. Another nearby fighter happened to be too close and the two collided, causing them both to explode.

Carth smirked as a general cheer buzzed into his ear through the intercom. "Don't get carried away," he warned them. "We haven't won yet."

Aboard the Rebel I, Bastila Shan stood beside Princess Leia, observing the slowly developing space battle. There was no panic coming from the Death Star, which told her that the Imperials were either unaware of their presence or they were unconcerned. Judging by the TIE fighters, she deduced that it was the latter of the two. Taking a deep breath, she tried to reassure herself that she would be able to handle her part of the mission. The Jedi Code ran through her mind, though it brought her little comfort at the moment.

Despite her relatively insignificant amount of training in the Force, Leia was able to sense something amiss coming from Bastila. She glanced at her, diverting her attention from the battle momentarily. The princess could clearly see the look of uncertainty drawn on the Jedi's pale features.

"Bastila, you can do this," her apprentice assured her.

"The dark side is strong within that station," the Jedi Knight answered. "Darth Vader is aboard."

"Ignore him," Obi-Wan Kenobi stated as he came up behind the two women.

They both turned to him, surprised by his presence aboard the ship. "I thought you had stayed on Yavin," Leia stated as she folded her arms. "What are you doing here?"

The Jedi Master did not answer as he strode to the window, gazing out at the Death Star. He crossed his arms over his chest as he watched the X-Wings do battle with the Imperial TIE fighters. The other two did the same. "Darth Vader is not your concern, young Bastila," the older Jedi explained. "His will cannot be so easily bent. You have neither the years, nor the experience to accomplish such a feat. Concentrate your efforts on the soldiers."

She nodded, though she didn't exactly feel much better about herself. Knowing that it was time to enter the battle herself, she fell to her knees and folded her hands in her lap. Her eyelids slid shut and she began to concentrate. The raging battle outside of the hull of the Rebel I was unheard in the vacuum of space, but the ambient noise around her screamed in her ears. Each breath taken Princess Leia and Master Kenobi rang louder in her ears than the high pitched hissing sound of two lightsabers crossing in a heated duel. Her mind needed to tune such distractions out in order to perform efficiently. The blaring hum of near silence was overwhelming as the other two in the room tried to remain quiet so as not to disturb her. Even so, she suddenly felt that each and every tiny sound was like an explosion in her ears. She couldn't focus on the task at hand, even though the mission may very well have depended on it.

Without the Battle Meditation, the battle was a struggle for the Rebel pilots. Wedge Antilles was hard pressed to keep enemy fighters off of his back. He had taken some damage that was worth considering and his astromech droid was having trouble with repairs. His shields were down to sixty-nine percent and the ships hadn't even made it close to the Death Star yet. Four X-Wings had already been destroyed; their pilots killed. Those in his squadron had been reporting serious damages and the battle had only been going for less than twenty minutes.

"This is Rogue Leader," he said into his intercom. "Come in Rebel I."

"This is Rebel I," Admiral Forn answered from the bridge. "Go ahead Rogue Leader."

"The situation doesn't look good, Forn," the young pilot answered.

Bastila opened her eyes and stood up. "I can't do it," she cried out in anguish. "I can't!"

Leia put her hand on her master's shoulder confidently. "How is it done?" she asked. "I'll do it."

"You can't!" the Jedi Knight answered. "It's too difficult."

"It needs to be done."

"But…"

"Bastila!" Leia cried. "The Rebels won't last long if we don't move quickly!"

"But…"

"We can do this. You've taught me meditation techniques. Teach me this one." Leia reached out and took Bastila's hands into her own.

Something inside of Bastila snapped. She nodded at her apprentice and fell back to her knees. Leia slid off her headset and handed it to Obi-Wan. "General Kenobi, take over," she ordered as she locked eyes with the other young woman. "Bastila, we can do this."

The two Jedi closed their eyes and began to concentrate. Leia didn't know what she was doing. She knew how to meditate on the Force and how to feel it flow through her. Its warmth had touched her, like the heat of a young star being born into the universe. Its infinite power had touched her, though she could only grasp at it and try to make it her own. Its true energy slipped through her fingers, however, like water. Despite all of this, she didn't feel nervous. With Bastila, a woman she respected and secretly looked up to as a Jedi Knight, she felt that she would be able to accomplish this. Ironically, Bastila's security came from the fact that Leia was there to support her and supplement her powers with her own. The Force began to flow between the two women. Obi-Wan watched them both, having never seen a Jedi Knight as young as Bastila and a padawan with as little experience as Leia perform a successful mind meld. More importantly, he had never heard of two Jedi performing a dual Battle Meditation.

The Jedi Master knew the facts surrounding the two Jedi before him. Bastila was a nineteen year old Jedi with the training equivalent to that of a padawan. She had not undergone the Trials of Knighthood. Her Battle Meditation was probably the only reason that she had been brought forward in time. As far as training went, she was nothing exceptional. Her lightsaber skills were average and her Force forms were modest at best. Leia was even less outstanding. She had never held a lightsaber before. She did not know how to act as a living extension of the Force, rather than an individual who would simply wield its power. She did not understand different forms of Force application. At best, she could only move a few objects with her mind and simply feel the presence of the Force during intense meditation. The odds were highly stacked against the two. Yet the power in the room was nearly palpable. The atoms in the air were charged with energy as the two worked with one another. Their raw potential, which was very great for both, was playing a greater factor than any level of training. The Living Force worked through them. It flowed freely between the two. They acted as an amplifier, increasing the power in the air and redirecting it towards the battle field.

"Wow!" Carth Onasi and Wedge Antilles both gasped simultaneously.

A complex system of work began to work between the two Jedi. Leia's natural Force energy was far greater than Bastila's and provided the oomph that they needed to affect all of the Rebels and the entire Imperial force aboard the Death Star. Her natural reservoir of Force ability was a pool that Bastila was able to reach into and manipulate. The waters of that pool were either converted into moral and high spirits with one hand, or despair, darkness, and hopelessness with the other.

Leia had never been in such close contact with the Force before. As previously mentioned, she had been able to grasp at wisps of its energy by herself through long hours of deep meditation. Now, for the first time, it surrounded her. Its very essence had consumed her and she felt more alive than she ever had in the past. It was breathtaking, what she was feeling now. The light of the entire galaxy was shining upon her and she felt for the first time what it truly meant to be a part of the Force.

The battle suddenly turned for the Rebels. Within mere minutes, they were able to flank the Imperial fighters that were firing upon them. Most of the TIEs that had been dispatched from the Death Star were destroyed quickly. A few had the good sense to flee. These unfortunate Imperials were quickly tailed by the unforgiving Commander Onasi, who gunned them down without incident.

Aboard the Death Star, the situation was critical. Darth Vader stood inside of a conference room, along with the moffs that had been placed in command of the superstation. The Imperial officers, like all of the other Force blinds inside of the monstrous technological masterpiece's confines, had been overcome by a gripping terror and exhaustion that no one could explain. Even the Dark Lord, who was without doubt one of the most powerful Force users currently in the galaxy, could feel its effects. His sheer will power was all that prevented him from falling apart like the Stormtroopers in the halls.

Vader folded his arms and scowled beneath his armored helmet. That Jedi that had invaded his mind a few weeks previously was aboard the Rebel ship that was just out of firing range of the Death Star's defenses. She was harming the Empire's efforts. He needed to find a way of rendering her efforts ineffective. He turned to one of the officers who seemed to be in the most in control of her actions.

"Do not dispatch anymore TIE fighters," he told her. "Activate the Death Star's auto-turrets to deal with the Rebels. Our men are worthless now."

"Yes Lord Vader," she replied.

The Dark Lord turned away and stormed out of the room, towards Hangar Seven, where his personal TIE Interceptor was waiting.

As Vader traveled towards his ship, the Rebel pilots were able to break through Imperial forces and make their way towards the Death Star itself. The twenty-three remaining X-Wings and seven remaining Y-Wings soared towards the massive superstructure in a single formation. The slower moving Y-Wings lagged behind their speedier allies, but they still made good progress. Within just a few minutes, the distance between the ships and the Death Star was closed and the Rebels began to comb the surface of the Imperial's greatest weapon.

"Head straight for the trench," Carth ordered. "Y Squadron, you're in charge of destroying this damn thing. Don't worry about enemy fire. We'll cover you."

"Roger," the leader of Y squad answered.

The Y-Wings broke formation and dove towards the trench. Carth watched confidently as they entered and began towards the exhaust port. Interestingly enough, there didn't seem to be any TIE fighters around, leading him to believe that they had destroyed all of them already. Thinking the Y's to be safe, he decided to secure their position, rather than provide complete cover.

"Rogue Squadron," he spoke into his comm. "Make for the hangars. I want two X-Wings stationed outside of each one. If any Imperials try to send out more ships, send a torpedo into their hangar."

"Copy that," Wedge replied.

"Gold Squadron, fan out around the Death Star. If anymore TIEs are coming, take them out." Carth waited for an affirmation before he continued. "Red Squad, follow me. We'll give cover to the Y-Wings."

"Yes sir," his men reported.

He threw the control sticks forward, causing his X-Wing to go into a dangerous dive, which he aptly pulled out of as he entered the trench. Large turrets had already sprawled up from the ground of the Death Star. Green plasma bursts rained towards the X and Y-Wings, catching several of them off guard.

"Damn!" Carth swore as he saw three of his ships explode around him.

"Two Y-Wings down," someone reported.

Carth repeated his profane swear and shook his head. "Return fire," he ordered.

Red and green plasma bolts fired in each direction, creating a deadly volley of energy within the trench. Sparks filled the trench as blaster shots from the turrets and starfighters landed on the walls. Several of the turrets were destroyed as they progressed through the trench, though none of the X-Wings were.

Further along in the trench, however, beyond the range of any of the Rebel ships' scanners, an unusual turret popped up out of the hull and began to charge. This small weapon, while insignificant looking, was actually a scaled down version of the Death Star's superlaser. It had no where near the power of its larger counterpart, though, with only about one thousandth of the power. Still, it was more than capable of finishing off a couple of starfighters, which was its only purpose. A green light began to build up as it charged its energy. A moment later, a jet of emerald colored plasma spiraled through space. It ripped through the wing of an X-Wing and went directly through the nose of an oncoming Y-Wing. Normally, the loss of two men would be cause for mourning, but under the current situation, it was only worse. The trench was very narrow, ending at approximately ten meters. From wing to wing, the X-Wings barely had enough room to fit. The pilots had to fly carefully in order to avoid collisions with one another. When two ships lost control, it resulted in a pile up that scrapped four additional ships.

Carth groaned angrily. "Watch out for that laser," he warned.

Another blast tore through the tightly-knitted cluster of ships, trashing three more. Carth roared in frustration, knowing that they were easy targets for that laser's targeting system. He pulled up, bringing himself out of the trench. No longer needing to avoid the myriad of obstacles within the channel that formed a ring around the station, the Republic commander activated his X-Wing's thrusters, propelling him forward. As he went, he saw another jet of green spiral beneath him. He didn't even want to know how much damage that one had done.

He quickly switched on his targeting computer, which was currently locked on to the exhaust port at the very end. He keyed in a quick command, causing it to redirect to the much closer laser. His thumbs jammed down on the button on top of his control stick, sending a proton torepedo down towards the automatic weapon. A large explosion rocked the Death Star, knocking several soldiers off their feet. The laser was trashed by the attack. Contented, Carth fell back into position with the rest of his men.

"Report. How much damage did that last attack do?" he asked.

"We've lost the remainder of our Y-Wings," someone responded. "We'll have to make the attack ourselves."

"That makes things more difficult," the pilot said with a sigh. "How many X-Wings are left here in the trench?"

"Four," one of the other pilots answered.

"Alright."

"Carth!" Wedge's voice came through the intercom over a buzz of static. "The Imperials have pulled our X-Wings manning the hangars in with advanced tractor beams."

"I thought we disabled those permanently," he growled in response.

"Apparently not. The pilots are dead, Carth. The Imperials destroyed the ships before we could respond."

"Forn, did you get that?" he asked.

"Yes Red Leader," the admiral responded. "We're recalculating our options. There are eight X-Wings remaining and no Y-Wings."

"Don't add any more to the trench," Wedge advised. "It's a good thinning point. They'll slaughter us!"

Carth nodded, although no one could see it, and increased his thrusters to a dangerous point. He had to swerve and roll and do every conceivable stung imaginable just to avoid colliding with the structures within the canal.

"Carth, what are you doing?" Forn cried over the comm.

"I'm fine," he replied. "I'm ending this mission before we lose anymore men."

"TIE Interceptor coming your way!" Wedge warned. "Unidentified vessel in pursuit."

"What?" Forn and Carth exclaimed at the same time.

"YT-1300 freighter," Wedge confirmed. "Coming in fast."

Several jets of green plasma rained down towards Carth, which he narrowly avoided. He glanced down at his scanner and saw a newer model TIE fighter approaching. More plasma bolts tore through space, attempting to wipe the X-Wing out of the sky.

"Wedge, I need cover!" he called out.

"I'll never make it in time!" the younger pilot despaired as he attempted a futile rescue mission.

From within his TIE interceptor, Darth Vader adjusted his targeting computer, centering Carth's X-Wing. The Rebel starfighter lurched out of the way just before the Dark Lord fired, causing him to pause. That Jedi that was warping the minds of those aboard the Death Star was becoming a real nuisance. Even with increased vigor, the pilot in front of him would never have been able to outmaneuver him if he was at his maximum potential.

"I will kill you," he seethed under his breath as he readjusted his computer sights. Carth swerved back and forth in order to avoid enemy fire, but the black armored Sith Lord was finally able to target him. They fell into a rhythm with one another. Vader began to mirror his prey's movements, realizing that they weren't random at all. They just appeared to be. Once the two starships were moving in the exact same fashion, it became much simpler to lock on.

"Goodbye," he said as he rested his finger on the trigger.

Vader's ship suddenly lurched, causing him to misfire. The two green jets of plasma hit the trench wall harmlessly, while Vader slammed into the other side, skidding across its metal surface. With a loud groan, he was able to pull his ship upwards in order to avoid collision with any surface of the Death Star. As he went, a gray freighter soared past him and he realized that that ship had fired on him.

Aboard the Millennium Falcon, Han Solo laughed to himself as he watched Vader's ship go sprawling for safety. "Better run," he muttered. The rouge smuggler opened a channel between himself and Carth's X-Wing by keying a few commands into the system.

"Alright Carth, show me how good you really are. Let's blow this joint and go home!"

Carth was unable to believe his ears when he heard the Han's voice but he wasn't about to argue with him. He turned to his targeting computer and saw that he had five seconds until he reached the target point. The seconds ticked downwards on his computer until they finally reached zero. A white torpedo fired from the X-Wing's cannon, towards the thermal exhaust port. The Republic pilot watched as it slid smoothly into the target and he knew that they didn't have much time left.

"We have to move fast!" he cried out. "All ships, fly out of here. This place is about to blow!"

None of the surviving pilots needed anything else to get them moving. All of them reversed their course and set thrusters to maximum burn. The last four X-Wings, along with the Millennium Falcon, soared towards the Rebel I.

Bastila Shan and Princess Leia both stood up, watching the Death Star closely. A loud cheer erupted the moment that the monstrous machine exploded, sending debris and rubble out in every direction. The two women turned to one another and pulled each other into a close embrace.

"We did it!" Leia cheered.

Obi-Wan watched the two with a satisfied smile and turned away. They didn't notice as he left the room. The master and the apprentice deserved their moment of triumph.

Four X-Wing starfighters, along with a single medium sized Corellian corvette, and a YT-1300 class light freighter gracefully slid into the hangar of the Massassi Temple back on the fourth moon of the Yavin system. Several garage crew workers instantly ran towards the ships that they had doted on for so many months, eager to inspect them for any damages and begin repairs. The pilots soon began to emerge from their X-Wings and the astromech droids were quickly ejected. The boarding ramps of both the Rebel I and the Millennium Falcon descended and those aboard quickly ran out.

Carth Onasi dropped down from his X-Wing and saw that Princess Leia was rushing towards him. She flung her arms around his neck and pulled him into a close hug. "You did it." The two broke apart and she cast him a coy smile. "And you said we would all die."

The pilot chuckled and glanced over her shoulder. She saw this and turned around. Her eyes lit up as Han Solo came towards them. Before the smuggler to get to Carth, whom he was actually trying to speak with, Leia rushed him too. "I knew you wouldn't just abandon us!" she screamed with triumph. "I knew it!" She planted a soft kiss on his cheek and hugged him closely.

Hugs all around. Carth thought with a smile as the princess ran to embrace Chewbacca, who was standing not far behind Han. The two men approached each other and Han offered his hand to Carth. With a nod, the Republic commander took it and they shook briefly. "You did good," the scruffy smuggler said in earnest. "I'm impressed."

"Wouldn't have happened if you hadn't shown up," the older man pointed out. "I owe you my life."

"Don't mention it."

"Where did you go, anyway?" Carth felt compelled to ask.

Han turned back towards his ship and pointed at the boarding ramp. Obi-Wan Kenobi was standing beside a small, little green alien that looked oddly similar to the Jedi Master who had briefed Carth and the strike team that had attacked the Spirit of Revenge. The two were engrossed in a deep conversation and seemed to be unaware of what was going on around them.

"Who is that?" he asked.

"His name is Yoda," Han replied. "The old man sent me to Dagobah to go find him. Apparently he's a Jedi Master."

"More Jedi," the pilot groaned as he rolled his eyes. "Just what we need."

"Jedi trouble?" his ally asked.

"I'll fill you in later."

Before they could continue, Bastila and Leia approached them, both with very wide smiles on their faces. "Forn wants us all to head over for debriefing. He says we can celebrate later," Leia explained.

"Let's go then," Han agreed.

The briefing went as expected. The Rebel officials congratulated everyone who had survived and then they all took a few minutes to mourn those who had been lost in the assault. Once the official routine was over, they were dismissed. Before anyone could start for the mess hall for some well deserved celebrating, Obi-Wan intervened. "I'd like everyone to meet outside for an important discussion," he told them.

Grudgingly, they all agreed. Five minutes later, Carth Onasi, Han Solo, Chewbacca, Princess Leia, Bastila Shan, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Jedi Master Yoda were all assembled in a large circle, just outside of the hangar. Obi-Wan began to discussion.

"First off, I want to congratulate all of you myself," he began. "Carth, your piloting skills were beyond what I can begin to describe. You are one of the most talented men I know. You did well."

"Thank you, Master Kenobi," he replied gratefully.

"And you two," he said as he turned to Bastila and Leia, who were standing beside one another. "What you two accomplished today was beyond what most of the Jedi Masters of the Old Republic could have imagined. I am very proud of the both of you." They turned to each other and then back to Obi-Wan with wide grins on their faces. "But there is something that must be considered," the Jedi Master continued. "Such a feat could not have been accomplished normally. You two unwittingly broke the barrier that separates your minds from one another. Are you aware of that?" The joyous tone of the meeting suddenly seemed a bit darker at the old man's somewhat reprimanding remark. The two women looked at each other uncertainly before Bastila spoke up.

"Master Kenobi, I don't understand," she answered. "What do you mean."

"Powerful in the Force, you two are," Yoda replied. "And now, very close. I Force bond, I do detect."

"A Force bond?" Han asked. "What the hell is that?"

"It is a mental link that two Jedi can form between one another," Obi-Wan answered. "It is common for such links to form between a master and her apprentice, though I have never heard of one developing so rapidly."

"Nor have I," Yoda agreed. "Nor have I seen one so strong before. See you, I can, in her," he said with a gesture from Bastila towards Leia. "Interesting."

"What does a Force bond do?" the princess asked, still unsure of what they were trying to tell her.

"People that are bonded to one another are dependent on one another. You will be able to see glimpses into each other's mind. Some of your feelings will show through Bastila and vice-versa."

"A powerful tool, it can be however," the small green Jedi Master pointed out. "Much more rapidly, your training will go," he said to Leia.

"How does that work?" Carth asked.

"Complicated, it is," the Jedi answered. "Allows an apprentice to learn through her master, it does."

"Whatever Bastila does, Leia will feel. I always thought of it as a combination of hands on training and studying."

"I don't know how I feel about this," the princess stated as she backed away. "I need to think."

"Of course," Obi-Wan said understandingly. "But I would advise you not to take too long. The Death Star may have been lost but the Emperor is still a child of the dark side. We cannot begin to celebrate until he has been destroyed."

"Agreed," Yoda stated firmly.

Leia nodded and turned away. Bastila watched her apprentice go, noting that she could feel some of Leia's confusion herself. "Interesting," she commented.

"Knight Bastila," Yoda said, pulling her mind from the bond momentarily.

"Allow me to introduce Jedi Master Yoda," Obi-Wan stated with a gesture towards the short Jedi. "Former Grand Master of the Jedi Order."

"Grand Master," the knight repeated. Yoda nodded.

"A pleasure it is, to meet you," he replied. "Powerful, your Battle Meditation is. Impressive to see it is, in someone so young."

"Thank you, Master," she responded with a respectful bow.

"You are welcome," he said warmly. "Master Kenobi," he said as he turned to his old friend. "More there is to discuss?"

"Yes. It is in regards to my new apprentice."

"Ah yes," the green alien said with a nod. "Informed me of young Skywalker, Captain Solo did."

"He's been captured."

Han's eyes widened at the news. He had been curious as to where the kid had been since he had arrived, but he hadn't feared anything. No one had mentioned that he had been involved with the Death Star attack, so he had assumed that the boy was still alive. Yoda was having a similar panicked reaction. He shook his head gravely and sighed loudly.

"By the Empire?" he asked.

"No. By a spirit," Bastila answered. "It was my fault."

"No it wasn't, Bastila!" Carth interjected. "You've been beating yourself up for two weeks because you couldn't stop a very powerful Sith Lord. We're lucky that you're alive! You never did anything wrong."

"I thank you for your kind words, Carth, but if Luke hadn't stayed behind to protect me, he wouldn't have been captured."

"Who captured him?" Han interrupted.

"You wouldn't know him," Carth snapped, not appreciating the interruption. "And what if he had just followed us back to the base? What if he took Leia and Obi-Wan instead? What then?"

"Luke was defenseless. If he had been with Master Kenobi, he would have been safer!" she insisted.

"That's not true," the older Jedi argued. "I am not as powerful as you seem to think."

"You're still wiser than I am," she responded.

"Seriously, who has Luke?" Han asked again, which was followed by a loud groan from Chewbacca.

"Enough!" Yoda cried out. "Tense, you all are. Calm, you must be. Knight Shan, who has Luke Skywalker?"

Bastila sighed and her rain cloud colored eyes met the alien's green ones. "A Sith Lord from my time, Master Yoda," she answered despairingly. "He was Darth Revan's predecessor in the line of Lords of the Sith. He was killed before the Mandalorian Wars, but his spirit has lied dormant here on Yavin ever since. His name is Exar Kun."

Yoda remained silent for several moments before he looked up to Obi-Wan. "Meditate on this, I must. Failed, Master Kenobi, you have not. Nor you, Knight Shan. A powerful Sith Lord, Exar Kun was. Could have defeated him, even I could not."

"We have to find Luke," his master stated. "At all costs."

"The Force, I feel, will bring him to us. Patient, we must be."

"So now what?" Carth wanted to know.

"Celebrate, you should. Earned it, you all have."

Damn right. Carth thought with a smirk. The group turned away from the two Jedi Masters and started inside. Chewie growled something insulting about Yoda's scent, which only Han understood. "You said it, Chewie," the smuggler agreed.