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The Saga of the Chosen One, Chapter 12
By TVfan
Geonosis's Rings
Twenty T.I.E. fighters fired wildly as a lone freighter-like craft escaped into hyperspace ahead of them. On board the craft, five men, all in the uniforms of T.I.E. fighter pilots sat around a small table, drinking a warm beverage. One of the ten rebels who had built the craft in secret on the Imperial prison world came back to check on them.
"Well, Lt. Darklighter, you and your friends have certainly found an excellent way to distract the Imps," the man smiled, "I believe this was the first successful escape from Geonosis."
"And probably the last," Biggs sighed, "The Emperor has a habit of purging the sections of the military from which someone has defected."
"Then it's good we left when we did," the former rebel prisoner said, "Before some other T.I.E. pilots voiced their willingness to defect."
"So where do we go now?" the second T.I.E. pilot asked, "The nearest Rebel base?"
"The ship does not have the range to reach a Rebel base that the Empire will be hesitant to attack," the rebel said slowly, "We're headed to Tatooine. There we can catch on with a smuggler of some sort, who can get us to the Rebellion."
"Aren't there Rebel facilities on Tatooine?" the third T.I.E. pilot asked.
"None that are worth mentioning," the rebel answered, "Mostly listening facilities to try and see what the Empire or the Hutts are up to on the planet."
"How long will it take us to reach Tatooine?" Biggs asked.
"It'll take us at least five hours," the rebel sighed, "Our hyperdrive is not the most powerful model, and we are running without most standard safety precautions. We can not go any faster."
"Just do the best possible," the third T.I.E. pilot said, "We just want to get away from the Empire."
On board the Imperial Star Destroyer that Biggs' squadron had flown from for its patrol, things were not so 'cheerful'. A Rebel ship had risen out of Geonosis's atmosphere and charged one of his squadrons that was running a standard 'combat space patrol'. At first it seemed as if the ship would be destroyed quickly and without mercy, but the Rebel escape ship was somehow armed with laser cannons and destroyed the lead T.I.E. in its initial charge.
The Star Destroyer captain was prohibited from firing a full barrage on the fleeing Rebel escape ship, as the T.I.E. squadron turned around and pursued the ship into the rings around Geonosis. What further complicated the problem was that the Rebel escape ship had just rocketed into hyperspace, and there was no sign of the T.I.E.s that chased after the escape ship.
"Calculate all possible directions of that ship according to their last known trajectory," the captain barked to the crew pit to his left, "I want to know all possible planets they could have headed to."
The captain then turned to a lower ranking officer that was standing behind him.
"Launch all recovery droids," the captain ordered, "Find our lost fighters and their pilots."
"Yes sir," the officer answered.
The captain meanwhile turned to stand near the bridge windows and watched out over the blackness of space and the asteroids that made up Geonosis's rings. A few minutes later an officer from the left crew pit approached him.
"Yes?" the captain growled as he turned to face him.
"The computers have finished the necessary calculations," the officer answered, "That ship, really could be headed for almost any point in the galaxy, given how hyperspace routes run. But, more then likely they generally headed in a straight line, but they would still be traversing over a large section of the galaxy."
"Just give me a list of planets that that escape ship could be headed toward," the captain ordered.
"Yes sir," the officer squeaked, "The planets are, Tatooine, Nelvaan, Ando, Rodia, Falleen, Druckenwell, Kalarba, Rhommamool, Denon, Devaron, Duro, Corellia, Fondor, Abregado, Byss, N'zoth, Csilla."
"The closest planet is Tatooine," the captain said, "They'll head there to get a more suitable ship. That escape ship won't be able to go very far very fast. Even in hyperspace."
The captain then approached the right crew pit.
"Let our stations on Tatooine know that there will be a Rebel escape ship coming to their planet in the near future," the captain ordered as an officer that he had ordered to recover the lost fighters and their pilots came running back in.
The captain noticed that he looked fearful.
"What is it?" the captain growled.
"The droids found and recovered the fighters, sir," the officer reported.
"What is the status of the pilots?" the captain asked.
"That's the thing, sir," the officer answered nervously, "The fighter's pilot seats are missing. The pilots ejected from their fighters."
"How could you know the seats were missing?" the captain demanded.
"The fighters were all in one piece," the officer answered, "and parked. I believe the pilots were defectors, sir."
"Defectors?!" the captain gasped.
"That would be the only logical explanation, sir," the officer answered, "Why else would four T.I.E. fighters be parked with their pilot's seats ejected?"
The captain growled in rage and fear.
"Do you know what this means?" the captain roared.
"If the Emperor finds out about this?" the officer answered, "Yes."
Home One
"Admiral, a lone Imperial frigate has dropped out of hyperspace in front of us," a Mon Calamari sensor operator reported.
"Alone?" Admiral Ackbar questioned, "And how did it find us?"
The Mon Calamari officer didn't the chance to answer as a holo-channel opened, on a Rebellion frequency, and an image of Han Solo appeared.
"Hello all, this is Han Solo with your weakly ship delivery," Han Solo said with a smile through the channel.
"Solo?" Admiral Ackbar questioned, "I wasn't told that you would be rendezvousing with the main fleet."
The image of Solo chuckled, "That's because I'm not supposed to with this delivery, and uh… I kinda need to talk with Senator Iblis."
Ten minutes later, Han Solo and Chewbacca sat across from a very angrily looking Senator Iblis.
"You were supposed to rendezvous with the Liberty over Myrkr," Iblis said in a low threatening tone.
"I know, sir," Han began.
"You do realize that Ackbar could have ordered a barrage to be fired on you?" Iblis questioned.
"Hey, I was under the impression that you didn't really care about what happens to me?" Han asked, "He didn't fire on me and you got your ship."
"But the crew for this ship is on the Liberty," Iblis growled, "Our fleet now has to head for Myrkr to complete your delivery."
Chewbacca growled something, which sounded like the wookie was half-laughing. Han chuckled slightly himself at Chewbacca's growl, but regained his composure.
"That wouldn't be a good idea, sir," Han answered, "It's the reason why I arrived here instead of at Myrkr in the beginning."
Iblis raised an eyebrow and looked at the smuggler with a slightly perplexed look on his face.
"What happened?" Iblis questioned.
"Well, sneaking the ship out of the dry docks at Corellia went off without a hitch," Han said with a cocky smile, "Although me and Chewy had to lay some charges in the main mess hall of the dry dock facility to get the crew of the ship leave it to counter the assault."
"That fact that you ship is obvious," Iblis grumbled, "What happened that forced you to come here?"
"Well, just after we jumped into hyperspace, we were contacted by the Liberty," Han explained, "They were just leaving the Myrkr system and said that we couldn't make the rendezvous with them."
"Did they say why?" Iblis asked.
"Said something about catching a spy among the new recruits for the ship I just smuggled to you," Han answered.
"A spy?" Iblis asked.
"That's what they told me," Han answered, "Whether or not the Empire had a trap laid for the delivery I don't know."
Iblis sat back heavily in his chair and sighed. He then looked over to see that the smuggler was sitting there with the same confident face that he had walked in with.
"Did they tell you where they were going?" Iblis questioned.
"No," Han answered, "Only that they were leaving Myrkr. I'd suppose it'd be to make sure there aren't any other spies that the Empire sneaked aboard their ship or amongst the crew for this ship."
"Well, you did well in bring the ship to us," Iblis sighed, "You'll be paid, and if your report is correct about the Empire sneaking spies into the Rebellion, we might have some serious problems."
Danuta
Kyle Katarn looked up at the massive metal structure that made up the Imperial fortress on Danuta. It had to have stood at least twenty stories, and all the ground level doors were magnetically sealed from the outside. The only way he could get in would be to blast a hole in the wall, and that would attract the attention of the fort's garrison. Monitoring the fortress, however, was proving to be much easier then he had anticipated, as he had met up with a small five man Rebel observation team.
"How strong is the Imperial force here?" Kyle asked in a very serious voice.
"At least five legions," the first man answered, "One legion for every four floors."
"Five?" Kyle gasped.
"From what we've seen," the first man answered, "It could very well be stronger."
"Great," Kyle grumbled.
"If I may ask, why are you taking such an interest in this fort?" the second man asked, "It allows the Empire to control Danuta, but in the large scheme of things, the fortress is for the moment, unimportant."
"Yeah," the third man nodded, "Even if the Rebellion were to take control of this planet, the Empire would still control the sector."
"Only because the Rebellion is not strong enough to begin trying to take control of planets that are truly under Imperial control," Kyle answered, "And the planets that we already control are largely isolated and useless to the Empire, and half the time they are contested between the Rebellion and the local government."
"So, again, why are you interested in the Imperial stronghold?" the first man asked.
"The Empire has sent some very important design plans to that fortress," Kyle answered, "It is my mission to retrieve them."
The five men all shrugged and then sighed.
"We're not going to be able to get in this way," the fourth man said flatly, "And we don't have the ammunition or weaponry to fight the garrison in the fortress, even if it were only one legion."
"We'll need to sneak in," Kyle answered, "Pose as Imperial officers on inspection and confiscate the plans."
"Do you think that will work?" the third man asked, "The Imperials are very record oriented. We'd need authentic data-pads with the orders to inspect the fortress or transfer the plans just to get in, and they would also need to contact whoever 'ordered' the transfer and/or inspection to confirm the transfer."
"It's still all doable," Kyle answered, "I can get in contact with others who can help us get all the authentic paperwork that will be needed. That will be easy. The problem will be getting the uniforms and coming up with the right 'names' to make them believe that we are Imperial officers."
Kyle then turned and began to walk away, back towards the group's hidden base, and where his ship was hidden.
"Where are you going?" the first man asked.
"We're going to need to go back to Home One to get the counterfeit order data-pads and get our person to play the part of confirming the orders," Kyle answered, "And even if we could get that already, we'd still need to go off world to get the uniforms. If we raid a smaller instillation on this planet, the main fortress here would be notified."
Coruscant, Imperial Senate Building
"You dare to criticize Imperial Policy?" Palpatine roared in the Senate chambers, "Especially when you voted for the current policy!"
"I voted that the Empire should fight, yes," Leia answered, doing the best she could to hide her force signature, "I did not vote for many of the policies of corruption and in some cases murder of innocents who are not part of the Rebellion."
There were a few minor mumblings of agreement heard throughout the chamber. Leia had found herself in a tight position. It was becoming quite obvious to many members of the Senate that the Senate was rapidly losing its power as the governing body of the Empire, but many of the Senators didn't leave it because they felt that it was the only rightful government that the Empire had. Leia had to play that sort of part if she was to continue to act as the Rebellion's chief spy within the Imperial government.
"There are no innocents in war," Palpatine growled, "Remember that Senator Organa."
"Your Majesty, I've visited over half a dozen planets on the Senate's behalf," Leia argued, "On YOU'RE behalf. Half of them had no Rebel presence whatsoever the other half had barely any Rebel presence. All of them looked as if the entire Clone Wars had been fought on those planets."
"Don't lecture ME on the Clone Wars, CHILD," Palpatine growled, "Your rhetoric is faulty. The Rebellion is everywhere and on every planet. And anyone who remotely sympathizes with it is an enemy of the Empire."
"But we don't know who does and who does not," Leia argued, "By my count, three fourths of the people that I met were Imperial supporters and the remaining fourth merely want to stay away from the present fighting."
"Then why aren't I receiving reports of Rebels being turned in by the thousands?" Palpatine questioned, "You think this war ought to be fought morally, then perhaps you'd like to answer a few TACTICAL and STRATEGIC questions."
"I am not a military person," Leia answered, "as Alderaan is a pacificist planet, but I refuse to believe that starving innocent people or having the Inquisitors arrest them for questioning is a viable option for fighting the Rebellion."
"And what would be?" Palpatine growled.
"Fighting only the Rebellion," Leia answered, "The more the Imperial Military is ordered to fight the Empire's people, the more willing they are to listen to the Rebellion."
"Then how are we to find the Rebellion?" Palpatine asked, "The only planet they control is Mon Calamari, which is insignificant to the rest of the galaxy and their fleet is scattered and always on the move. We can not locate the Rebel 'capital' or many of the individual Rebel cells."
"I do not know," Leia sighed, essentially letting Palpatine win.
"Good," Palpatine smiled, "Then there will be no more questioning of Imperial Strategy in the future, understood?"
"Yes, your Majesty," Leia answered in defeated voice.
"That woman infuriates me!" Palpatine screamed as he made his way into his office below the main Senate chambers.
"It is perhaps time to consider permanently dissolving the Senate," Sate Pestage spoke from one of the office windows, "While they as a whole support you there are many that are like Organa and believe that the war against the Rebellion shouldn't be waged the way it is."
"You mean they all have connections to the Rebellion?" Palpatine asked, "Are you sure, because Senator Organa is the only one who carries connections to the Rebellion through the Force."
"I meant nothing of that nature," Pestage answered, "But many Senators, particularly those from many Mid-Rim, Inner-Rim, and Core worlds seem to share the political statements that Organa has made on the Senate floor."
"Perhaps," Palpatine grumbled, "But the time is not right. Organa has made too many political alliances that have strengthened their position. By rule they can't repeal anything I do, but I can't make every rule I want the way I want it, and if the Senate was dissolved now, Organa would simply lead them to the Rebellion."
"Of course, your Excellency," Sate Pestage bowed.
"Everything right now depends on the Death Star," Palpatine spoke in a quiet voice, "Once the Death Star is ready, I will have the military strength to force any and every planet into submission. Mon Calamari will be obliterated from the universe."
At that moment a small holo-communicator turned on at Palpatine's desk, revealing now Grand Moff Tarkin. Palpatine gave a slight sigh and faced the holo-image.
"Report," Palpatine said firmly.
"You will be pleased to know, my Emperor that the Death Star will be ready to make its journey to Coruscant for its official commissioning in one week," Tarkin said with a confident smile.
"The Death Star is ready?" Palpatine questioned.
"It is very close to completion," Tarkin answered, "It will be ready for commissioning in a week."
"Excellent," Palpatine smiled, "Then you can expect my arrival at the Maw Installation in a week. The Death Star will be commissioned there, understood?"
"Of course, my Lord," Tarkin's image bowed and then flickered off.
"Victory is near," Palpatine said with a smile.
Senate Building Hanger
"This is a bad idea, Leia," Obi Wan spoke as he followed Leia into the Tantive IV, "Bail will contact us when it is time to rejoin the Rebellion."
"There is nothing we can do here anymore, Master," Leia answered as they entered the ship.
"So we actively join the fleet and begin fighting?" Obi Wan asked, "Palpatine will only use it as an excuse to tighten control even more."
"There's nothing the Senate could do to stop him from doing so, even if we don't do this," Leia answered, "I understand your concern, Master, but realistically speaking, we have no choice."
Obi Wan only sighed, "I'm just fearful that this will get you hurt. Your father hasn't seen you since you were born, and your brother has no memory of you. It doesn't seem right to me to run this risk now."
"We must take the risk, otherwise, the Emperor will kill them anyway," Leia sighed, "I'm sorry it has to be like this, Master, but it has to be."
Obi Wan sighed, knowing that what Leia said was true. He looked up as the space doors to the hanger opened, revealing the darkened skies of Coruscant. The completely urbanized planet had lost all the light and vibrancy that it had had during the Republic when he and Leia had first arrived, and it had seemed to grow darker ever since. And despite his personal feelings, he had received vague warnings in the Force that Leia's undercover mission wouldn't be effective much longer.
"You're right," Obi Wan sighed, "You show a great deal of wisdom for a Jedi of your age."
"I have an excellent teacher," Leia said politely back, "Besides, aren't I still officially an apprentice?"
"I believe I've taught you all that I can," Obi Wan answered as the air-lock doors of the Tantive IV shut behind them, "Now we are going to find out if it was enough."
Home One
"Spies?" Mon Mothma asked in a nervous sounding voice.
"According to what Solo reported, yes," Iblis answered, "The Empire is employing spies in an attempt to get close to us."
"Has the Liberty contacted you in anyway?" Anakin asked in a curious voice from beside Admiral Ackbar.
"Only long enough to say that they are 'safe'," Iblis sighed, "Other then that, their fate is for the moment uncertain."
"This might actually be a connection to a string of minor Imperial victories over small units in various parts of the galaxy," Ackbar commented, "Two Imperial supply convoys that we'd targeted to hit were ambushed by Imperial forces. According to the survivors, the Imperial warships were waiting for them."
"They must have snuck spies in through our basic recruiting areas," Organa commented, "Which means any and all of our basis and operations are in jeopardy."
"All of them?" Padme asked, "Can they do that? I mean Palpatine's admirals haven't been the best of leaders."
"One doesn't need good generals to use spies," Iblis answered, "They're there to provide information."
"How can we counter these spies then?" Mothma asked.
"I'm not sure we can deal with them," Ackbar commented, "Spies generally try to keep their cover as long as possible. The Jedi in the Rebellion would have to interrogate each and every soldier in the Rebellion and probe their minds completely in order to gain the truth."
"And Luke and I are the only Jedi actively with the Rebellion at the moment," Anakin sighed, "We can't interrogate everyone, and that isn't the Jedi way. We don't invade and probe people's minds, even if that would be the most effective way to get certain pieces of information."
"Then what can we do?" Mothma asked, "If we are being spied on, we must do something to stop it."
"To deal with the spies, I believe we must tighten security," Iblis answered, "Spies will always be a constant threat, but if we make it difficult for new recruits to go straight to command positions, it will limit their exposure to our more vital secrets."
"Is there any way to stop the spies from getting in, altogether?" Organa asked.
"That would require almost a full scale interrogation when we recruit new troops," Iblis sighed, "Which wouldn't stand all that well with those who aren't Imperial spies as well as with Imperials."
"I'll let you hand the tightening of security then," Mothma said to Iblis, "You have better knowledge of security measures then the rest of us."
"Of course, Madam President," Iblis nodded, "In the meantime, it would be best that we make contact with General Dodonna and tell him to make preparations to transfer the Dantooine base. Tell him to keep the destination secret and to thoroughly inspect each and every ship for tracking or homing devices."
"Where should we move the Dantooine base to?" Mothma asked.
"Yavin IV seems like a good idea," Anakin suggested, "It's out of the way from many of the main routes, and the ruins on the jungle moon will allow our troops to train for more urban warfare-like stages that will come when we end up having to capture planets from the Empire."
"You think we'll have to attack whole planets?" Padme asked in a concerned voice.
"The Emperor and the Imperial Army are not about to hand them over," Admiral Ackbar pointed out, "And he is tightening his grip on every planet he controls. We will have to directly attack planets when we get down to the final stages of this war that we are embroiled in."
"And when the time comes for us to 'attack' planets," Anakin tried to comfort her, "We will probably be viewed as liberators rather then conquerors."
"I hope you're right," Padme sighed.
Nearly an hour later, Kyle Katarn's ship landed in the hanger bay of Home One once more. Kyle found Anakin waiting for him once more.
"You have the plans already?" Anakin asked.
"Not yet," Kyle answered, "But that's only because getting in is rather difficult. The Danuta fortress is too powerful for a lone man to go in blasting, and if the fleet concentrates and attacks, we'd run a greater risk, but if I and these five gentlemen with me could sneak in as a mix of Imperial officers and Stormtroopers we might be able to simply grab the plans with little effort."
"That would work, but we don't keep a supply of Imperial uniforms," Anakin answered, "When Imperial defectors join us, their uniforms are largely taken apart to be sewn into Rebel uniforms later."
"Getting the uniforms, actually, isn't our biggest problem," Kyle answered, "We need authentic looking orders, which we can easily forge, but the Imperials will want confirmation from the officer who wrote them."
Anakin nodded slowly, "Sounds good, although you didn't need to come to me to report your plans."
"Actually, we need you to play the part of the confirming officer," Kyle answered, "I've heard some rumors that have traveled through the ranks about your connections with Vader."
"Darth Vader is a clone of me," Anakin answered, "But he is encased in a cybernetic body and is now more machine then man, according to the holo-images I've seen of him."
"Isn't there someway you could duplicate the look and his voice?" Kyle asked, "All I need is roughly five minutes for you to tell the officer in charge of the fortress that the orders I deliver are legit."
Anakin sighed, and thought about some of the junk that had been thrown away into Home One's various garbage units. Much of it was computer parts from various things they had stolen from Empire that had to be gotten rid of if they were left running.
"Give me an hour to get everything ready," Anakin sighed, "I suppose I can help you out."
"Relax, I don't actually need you to come along, but I will need a specific holo-channel frequency so I know where to send the message to when they ask for confirmation of my 'orders'," Kyle answered.
Anakin nodded, "And I can give you the frequency for this hanger. No problem."
Bespin
"Master Yoda, Mother, I've returned," Mara Jade spoke as she walked back into the apartment that she, her mother, and Yoda shared, "And we have another recruit."
Both the elderly Master Yoda and Kira Jade came out to see that Mara had in fact returned with one of the former Temple younglings. The boy now looked like he was between seventeen and twenty five. Yoda looked on and frowned as he sensed that the former youngling, like the others that they had gathered back together, was so out of practice that he could only just barely touch the Force. But still, it was good to see that the former youngling had been recovered.
"Successful you were," Yoda spoke slowly as he stepped forward, "Good it is that the Emperor found you, he did not."
"Your Padawan tells me that you have been regathering the Temple younglings?" the former youngling asked.
"Yes," Kira Jade spoke as she stepped up beside Yoda, "Palpatine's political enemies have begun their rebellion against his rule. He is sure to tighten his grip and increase his pressure on his Inquisitors to find any youngling that escaped with Anakin Skywalker from the temple."
"So we were hidden to keep us safe from the Inquisitors," the former youngling sighed, "And now we're being gathered to protect us from the war."
"Untrained you are," Yoda said slowly, "Dangerous if the Emperor discovered you, you would be."
"I'm afraid I'm a bit out of practice, Master Yoda," the former youngling spoke to the aged Jedi Master, "the family that kept me safe was very friendly to me and to the Jedi Order, but I had to give up my lightsaber for my protection. I don't think I'll be able to help."
"We gathered a handful of other former younglings," Kira answered, "They are all in the same condition as yourself. We're hoping that my daughter, Mara, and the current Jedi Knights who are younger then Master Yoda can either resume your Jedi training."
"And if that fails, you and the others would all have the option of joining the Rebellion if you wished," Mara commented, "But we have to wait until we've recovered all of the others until that decision can be made."
"How many more do you need to recover?" the former youngling asked, "because if I can't resume my training, I'd gladly join this 'rebellion' if they're fighting the Empire."
"Difficult to see," Yoda sighed, "Found some, Palpatine has. Others have already joined the Rebellion."
"Can you tell when all available younglings have been recovered?" the former youngling asked.
"When time is right, know I will," Yoda answered, "For now, gather strength on this station, we will."
"Will the Empire be able to find us?" the youngling questioned.
"They have the capacity to find us, but it is unlikely," Kira answered him, letting Yoda rest a little, "The present Baron Administrator of Bespin is a very decent person. He loves money, but he's a decent person."
Danuta
"Sir," Imperial technician in the main fortress called over to a nearby officer, "We have a shuttle coming in."
"A shuttle?" the officer asked as he walked over and then looked at the sensor readouts, "Where is the ship?"
"It just dropped out of hyperspace, sir," the technician answered, "It has not come from a ship."
The radio then crackled to life as a message came into the Imperial fortress.
"Shuttle Yerita to Danuta fortress, requesting deactivation of the fortress deflector shield," the voice asked.
"Shuttle Yerita, what is your purpose?" the officer immediately questioned, keeping the technician from answering.
"Admiral Beter is on an official inspection," the voice on the other end of the radio answered.
"Admiral Beter?" the officer asked, sounding slightly confused, "But he commands the two Star Destroyers that patrol this sector. Why would he come in only a shuttle?"
"That is none of your business," another voice cut in, sounding angry, "Just deactivate the shield. NOW!"
"Yes admiral," the officer said in a frightened voice, "Right away."
The officer then turned to the technician and ordered, "Do as he says."
Five minutes later a clean white Imperial shuttle landed in the Danuta fortress's main hangerbay, which was located in the fortress's center spire. Kyle Katarn and the five rebel agents, three of whom were dressed as Imperial officers and two were dressed as stormtroopers, slowly walked down the shuttle's gangplank to observe the fortress's commander waiting at attention for them with a modest contingent of stormtroopers to act as 'guards'.
"Admiral Beter, this is an unexpected pleasure, do what to we owe for your presence?" the commander asked.
"My mission is two-fold, Commander," Kyle answered, doing his best to mimic Beter's voice, "One is to inspect the fortress. Insure that it is up to full standards."
"Of course, sir," the Commander nodded.
"The other is to insure the transfer of the Death Star Plans to Coruscant," Kyle finished.
"You know about it, sir?!" the Commander asked, sounding surprised.
"I was instructed by Lord Vader, personally, to transfer the plans," Kyle answered.
"We will need confirmation of your orders, Admiral," the Commander said in a business like tone, "Just to make sure. The Emperor had the plans placed here for security purposes."
"Vader told me they would be safer in his possession," Kyle answered.
"We just want to make sure," the Commander said raising his hands in a defensive posture, "Wouldn't want to take the risk that you received false orders."
"Of course not," Kyle answered, "Let's go over to the man holo-communications link. I'll contact Vader, myself."
The commander nodded and lead Kyle and the five Rebel agents to a nearby office that was for the moment devoid of any Imperial officers. The five disguised agents stood outside the door while Kyle walked in with the fortress Commander. He presented a small holo device to Kyle, and he quickly set up the link that he promised.
Once activated the holo-channel opened to reveal the image of a man in a black armored costume.
"What is it?" 'Darth Vader' growled icily.
"Commander Gireq, my Lord," the commander said quickly and in a fearful voice, "Admiral Beter tells us that you ordered him to transfer the Death Star Plans to Coruscant."
"I did," 'Vader' answered, "And do I detect a tone of mistrust in MY orders?"
"No, my Lord," Commander Gireq bowed, "We just weren't sure they were from you."
"Allow the Admiral to carry out his orders Commander," 'Vader' said firmly, "Or I will conduct my own inspection of your base."
"Yes, my Lord," Gireq saluted and bowed in complete fear.
Kyle then deactivated the holo-device.
"Shall we be on our way?" Kyle asked.
"Of course, Admiral," Gireq answered, "Which will you prefer to do first?"
"I believe that I would prefer to make sure the plans are secure," Kyle answered, "If that is all the same to you."
"No problem, Admiral," Gireq said weakly, "We've had reports of Rebel spies being active on Danuta, and we had to be careful."
Home One
Anakin sighed as he removed the costume that he had worn to appear to look Darth Vader. After redressing himself in his Jedi robes, he found Mon Mothma waiting for him in the hallway outside the door to his room.
"Are you looking for, madam President?" Anakin asked as he approached.
"I just wanted to see how your progress in getting the Death Star plans is coming," Mothma spoke in a calm voice.
"Largely, they're coming along very well," Anakin answered, "Your agent, Kyle Katarn, is proving to be quite skilled."
"One of our previous covert agents recommended him," Mothma said, "You can trust him. He's been well trained to deal with these sorts of missions."
"I think there is more to him then simple training," Anakin countered, "He's Force Sensitive."
"How do you…?" Mothma began to ask.
"Any Jedi can sense another Force Sensitive when they're in close proximity," Anakin explained, "At times, many Force Sensitives don't know they are until a Jedi, or in Palpatine's case, a Sith, tells them they're Force Sensitive."
"Are you wanting to train him?" Mothma asked.
"Ultimately, the decision should be left to him," Anakin answered, "But given the times and the situation my Order is currently in, it is imperative that he be trained. Any 'dark' Jedi is a potential Sith apprentice. And any untrained Force Sensitive is a potential 'dark' Jedi."
"I'll let you talk to him about that," Mothma sighed, "I'll have to persuade Garm and the Recon-X Division to allow it, if he agrees, but I don't think it should too much of a problem."
Anakin nodded, "What do you want done with the Death Star plans once we have them? Where do you want them sent?"
"That is something to bring up in a major meeting," Mothma answered, "If I were to accept any sort of strategy without discussing it with the others…"
"Meet with them individually," Anakin offered, "It will allow them to voice their opinions without starting a major argument."
Mothma sighed, "Very well. What are you suggesting?"
"If what Admiral Ackbar says is true, and this thing is as big as a moon," Anakin began, "I doubt it has been built to deal with our fleet. Were too scattered and at the moment insignificant for that thing to be effective."
"But if its main weapon has the capacity to destroy a planet…" Mothma began to argue.
"And that's exactly what I think it is designed to do," Anakin said firmly, "The Death Star was built to be a super weapon to frighten star systems into following Palpatine's commands."
Mothma gasped in horror.
"Our ships could maneuver to avoid the main weapon," Anakin continued, "But its secondary armament, which would be a Star Destroyer's primary armament, would be more then enough to deal with our fleet. Our only hope is to lure it to a planet and find a weak spot and hit it with practically every starfighter we can muster."
"But you said that thing was built to destroy planets!" Mothma gasped.
"It probably has to come within both a certain range and have a clear line of sight and radio transmission to the target planet," Anakin answered, "Which is why I propose that plans be sent Yavin IV, along with the main base. I also propose we send every available starfighter squadron to Yavin IV as well. If and when a weakness is found, it will be something that only a starfighter can exploit."
"But it could destroy our base!" Mothma protested, "And with most, if not all our starfighters, it could ruin the entire Rebellion!"
"It's a risk, I'll admit," Anakin sighed, "But Yavin IV is a moon to a larger gas giant. The Death Star will most likely have to orbit the planet Yavin before it can target Yavin IV, which will give the starfighters time to exploit its weakness."
"That sounds like an awfully risky strategy, Anakin," Mothma sighed.
"I'm sorry, but that's how I do things," Anakin answered, "Luke and I will be there. We'll find a way to destroy that thing. I assure you."
Danuta
"Here you go Admiral Beter," Commander Gireq said as he handed Kyle a small datapad that contained the Death Star plans.
"Thank you Commander," Kyle answered and began to walk away, "My men and I will now carry out our inspection."
Gireq began to follow them.
"Alone," Kyle said in a threatening voice.
Gireq stopped and nodded, "Of course, Admiral. It's your decision."
Kyle nodded and then walked out with the five disguised rebel agents with him. Gireq then sighed and looked back at the computer files that he had pulled the Death Star plans from. He was curious what had made the Emperor or Vader think that the fortress was unsafe, but he was glad that his business in it was over. A small communications screen however came up near the door.
"Commander!" the technician on the other end reported.
"What is it?" Gireq questioned.
"You've got an incoming holo-message," the technician answered, "He wants to speak with you right away."
"Very well," Gireq sighed, "Send the message through to down here."
A few seconds later a holographic image appeared in front of Commander Gireq. When he saw it, he nearly fell to the ground in surprise and fear. The holo-image was of Darth Vader.
"Lord Vader?!" Gireq gasped.
"Calm yourself," Vader commanded, "I'm just informing you that six Rebel spies stole a shuttle from a sector in which I was inspecting. I have traced the shuttle's location to Danuta and am on my way. Should you encounter the shuttle Yerita, you are to destroy it at once."
The holo-image then faded out as the transmission ended. Gireq was now seized with fear. The shuttle that brought Admiral Beter to Danuta was really run by Rebel spies, which meant that he had just given the most top secret Imperial technological plans to the Empire's greatest enemies. He quickly raced forward to the fortress's main alarm systems and pressed the button that activated them.
"Attention all men," Gireq screamed into it, "The man posing as Admiral Beter is a Rebel spy! I want him and all of his accomplices executed on sight! No matter what the cost!"
Kyle and his compatriots were more then halfway back to the hanger when they heard Commander Gireq scream is orders. Two lone stormtroopers came out from around the corner, but all five of Kyle's teammates opened fire on them, and both were killed quickly. More stormtroopers soon appeared in the halls behind them.
"So much for an easy escape," one of the five rebels grumbled.
"Try to conserve your ammunition as much as possible," Kyle ordered as they ran, "Or grab a stormtroopers rifle when we run by the body. We don't want to become embroiled in too many fire-fights. Especially when we're almost out of here."
Maneuvering through the fortresses hallways wasn't too difficult, as the fortress's layout matched those of fortresses that Kyle had been assigned to before he defected to the Rebels. Dealing with the stormtroopers turned out to be slightly easier then what he had expected. None of them apparently knew precisely where he and his associates were and were trying to man every hall and doorway. Even with five legions of stormtroopers, this policy spread their numbers out far too thin and Kyle and the disguised Rebels were able to overwhelm and defeat the stormtroopers they came into contact with, mostly by surprising them before they could call for help.
Their hopes for an easy escape, however, were dashed when they arrived in the hanger. Twelve stormtroopers were attempting to place mines on their shuttle. There were also at least ten more stormtroopers chasing them. Fortunately there was only one door that led in or out of the hanger.
"Get them away from the shuttle!" Kyle ordered as he quickly jammed the doors behind them, hoping the stormtroopers behind them would be slowed down enough for them to escape.
It soon progressed into a major fire-fight. The stormtroopers outnumbered Kyle and the disguised Rebels, but they had little or no cover. Four were killed in their initial attack and a further four were killed while the stormtroopers reacted and tried to get to cover.
"It doesn't look like they've attached any explosive to the shuttle yet," the second disguised rebel commented as he landed a lucky shot on another stormtrooper.
"That'll be some good luck for us then," Kyle answered, "Come on. We've got to deal with the remaining stormtroopers before we can escape."
The remaining battle went rather quickly. Without numerical superiority, the stormtroopers lost a lot of their bravery and only managed to slightly wound one of the disguised Rebels before all of the remaining stormtroopers in the hanger were dead. Kyle then led his men into the shuttle. They were fortunate to do so. Just as they took off, the door exploded and the stormtroopers that were outside the hanger burst in and fired on the fleeing shuttle.
"That'll set the Empire back awhile," the third Rebel laughed as the shuttle made a fast-paced escape for outer space, "We'll beat the Empire yet!"
"We only have their plans," Kyle answered, "That doesn't mean victory is assured. For all we know, the plans will prove that the Death Star is invincible."
As the shuttle began to leave Danuta's atmosphere and enter outer space, they found a lone Star Destroyer waiting for them. The massive warship quickly took them under fire, and Kyle had all he could do to keep the shuttle from being destroyed in on shot.
"We might not even make it out of the system," Kyle gasped as he raised the shuttle's shields and speed away from both the Star Destroyer and Danuta.
Aboard the Imperial Star Destroyer Devastator, Darth Vader stood and watched the small shuttle get outside the gravitational field of Danuta and jump into hyperspace. His crew had not been particularly successful in hitting it with turbolasers, which would have done more damage then the lighter laser cannons did. Unfortunately, as much as he wanted to chase after the shuttle, there was something he needed to investigate on Danuta. Commander Gireq had seemed unnecessarily fearful when he had contacted him.
"Should we follow them?" the Devastator's captain asked from behind him.
"Not at the moment," Vader answered, "The tracer is still aboard the Yerita. We will find the shuttle, no matter where they go."
"Your orders, my Lord?" the Devastator's captain asked.
"Prepare my shuttle," Vader ordered, "I have a few questions for the commander of the Danuta fortress."
Dantooine
Red Squadron was on a routine patrol of the area around the planetary system that Dantooine was in when a lone transport freighter appeared out of hyperspace. Lt. Porkins as the flight leader quickly ordered the squadron of X-Wings to converge on the freighter. They received a radio message from the ship as they began to get close.
"This is Marx Karl of Rebel 'watchtower' facilities on Tatooine," the messenger said quickly as the X-Wings began to circle the freighter, "We have a few escaped prisoners from Geonosis, seeking to rejoin their comrades, and a few Imperial defectors."
"Give us the passcode before you'll be permitted to land," Lt. Porkins ordered coldly, taking the message that there were Imperial spies trying to infiltrate the Rebellion very seriously.
"Padawan," Marx Karl answered.
"Very well," Lt. Porkins answered, "Skywalker, Antilles, escort the freighter down."
Luke and Wedge's fighters broke off and followed the freighter as it slowly went about its descent to the planet's surface. The other X-Wings remained on their patrol. Both Luke and Wedge landed and quickly exited their fighters as the freighter landed. They were both curious about who the freighter had brought with them. As they approached they saw several men slowly make their way out. Several men in what appeared to be prison uniforms were ignored at first as the grey-black uniforms of T.I.E. pilots followed them. However, one of the Imperial pilots was someone the Luke recognized.
"Biggs!" Luke exclaimed with a smile and rushed forward.
"Luke!" Biggs exclaimed and met his childhood friend halfway.
"You know this guy, Luke?" Wedge asked from where he was standing.
"Yeah, this is Biggs Darklighter," Luke answered "He was my best friend growing up."
"Well, your friend is wearing an Imp uniform," a Rebel soldier who had come to see all the commotion grumbled.
"I wanted to change the Empire from within," Biggs answered, "Make it better. A place where the Rebellion wouldn't have to exist. All my compatriots and I found was that there is nothing in the Empire that can be redeemed."
"I'm glad you all came here to join the Rebellion," Luke said with a smile, "It'll be like old times."
Biggs smiled.
"How can you be sure he ain't a spy?" the soldier grumbled again, "I say we arrest them until they can prove themselves as loyal."
"That isn't necessary," one of the ex-Geonosian inmates countered, "Lt. Biggs Darklighter and his compatriots here helped me and my friends escape from the prison world of Geonosis. He is trustworthy."
"Plus there is no sign of any treachery in the Force," Luke added, "These guys aren't spies."
"The Force?" Biggs asked curiously.
"It's a long story," Luke answered as he led Biggs and the others into the main hanger, "One that will be best told over a good drink and while sitting down."
Tantive IV
Captain Antilles of the Tantive IV, no relation to Wedge Antilles, stood with Leia and Obi Wan as a holo-communication message came in to the ship.
"Princess Leia, I trust you'll be able to get these plans to the Rebellion command?" the holo-image of Kyle Katarn asked.
"We'll do the best we can," Leia answered, "But what about you? Don't you need help?"
"I'm on my way to the Toprawa system right now," Kyle answered, "My ship is stashed there. Once there, we'll leave this Imperial shuttle there for the Empire to find. Meanwhile, it is imperative that you get these plans the Rebellion command. The fate of the galaxy will depend on it!"
With that, the holo-image flickered out.
"Where to now?" Captain Antilles asked.
"We must get these Death Star plans to where they are needed," Leia answered, "Which will probably be with the Rebellion's main fleet. Can you contact Home One?"
"Of course," Captain Antilles answered.
"Then do so," Obi Wan told him, "I sense that a great battle is approaching."
To Be Continued…