Teen Titans / Star Wars crossover: A Galaxy Far, Far Away

Chapter 14: Battlefront

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Don't own either franchise

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Chapter 14: Battlefront

"Luke, you don't need to go!" Leia was adamant.

"But I do, Leia." They were on a first name basis by now. "You surely don't expect me to sit on the sidelines and let Biggs and the others go to their death, do you?"

"Actually, yes I do."

"Well, I can't."

He thought she paused for a moment. Then, "Well, then come down here."

"'Here'?"

"Yes, as in right here? You have heard the term, right?"

Oh, he thought, alright. Anything to get rid of her. She could be so annoying sometimes…

He stood in front of her, helmet under his arm. She reached up, put her arm around him, and drew him down to her face, as though for a kiss. Whut the f-* Then he felt the sharp sting on the back of his neck. Just as everything went black, he heard her say, "You're our only Force-user, Luke, maybe the last Jedi. The Rebellion can't afford to lose you.

"And...I can't afford to lose you, either."

The fight was short but not sweet. The rebels were outnumbered and outfought. In no time, they were reduced to drifting slag. "Now, my apprentice. Another example of the power the Death Star." And soon, the moon of Yavin joined Alderaan as drifting slag in the night.

…..

Luke came to in an infirmary. Leia was sitting by his bed. "You!" He shouted, "You drugged me!"

"I sure did. And if you're waiting for me to say I regret it, you're going to be waiting a long time."

"Why?"

"I told you. You're our only Force-sensitive. The only one we know of, besides the Sith, anyway. You really want that kind of imbalance? You have to look at the bigger picture, Luke. We have to, at any rate."

"Biggs…"

"All dead, Luke. They went into a battle that was already lost, to buy us time to evacuate as many as we could, just as you would have. Admit it. It was just your stubborn male pride at work."

"And if it was?!"

"Hey," said Han, just then coming into the room, "I hear the kid's alright. In fact," he glanced down the hallway, "I could hear 'im all the way down the hall."

"Han? You...you're alive? And you're here?"

"Han stayed behind to cram as many survivors as he could into that little rust bucket of a ship. He did pretty good." She looked up, and actually smiled at the mercenary.

"Hey, I don't work for free, you know."

Her smile faded. "You'll be reimbursed, don't worry. Now," she said, getting up and turning to Luke, "as soon as your hormones fade, we can talk. Robin still needs you to get him and his lover to Dagobah. Marek's already admitted he can't train you any more, at least not in the ways that matter. Says any training he could give you would conflict with what Ben taught you, and I don't doubt it.

"Besides, I don't trust him."

"Says the woman who narked me."

She patted him on the shoulder. "You'll get over it." And she left.

Han's gaze followed her. "Wow. Like 'em hot and spicy like that."

"You can have her. Where are we, by the way?"

"Ice planet. Name'a Hoth."

…..

Light-years away, in the conference room of the crime lord Jabba the Hutt. "Ah, Dr. Jaggers. How have you been?" But warning bells were going off in the Hutt's mind. Even though alien to humanity, the Hutt could tell something was wrong. Very wrong. "Dr. Jaggers?"

"My lord." He bowed respectfully. "I'm here to deliver the specs on the weapons systems I and my team have come up with. I think you'll be pleased with them." He placed a sheaf of folders on the table in front of the crime lord.

"Your countenance denotes bad news."

Jaggers exchanged a brief glance with his colleague. "Yes, my lord. In further researching these same weapons systems, we were able to back-engineer much of the plans for the Empire's superlaser. It...isn't good."

"Before you begin." Jabba leafed through the stack of folders. He'd have his own specialists go over them later, but he perused the abstracts. They did look impressive. And entire weapons system that could rival that of the Empire...good work. "Alright." He tossed the folders to one side. "Off the record," he said, as the recording apparatus continued to function. "What's the bad news?"

Jaggers spread his hands in a hopeless gesture. "My lord, it may be nothing. I sincerely hope it is. But if not…

"Then the Empire has been playing with a fire that could consume the entire universe."

…..

Hoth, the commissary: "Can't get over how she suckered me." Luke was sharing a beer with Han in an isolated corner of the room.

"She's a woman. That's what they do." Han took another pull on his beer.

"And what about you? How'd you end up here, anyway? I thought you were gone after getting that reward."

Han hesitated. "I...well, let's just say, I couldn't pass up the chance to bill the rebellion for a head count. I've sent 'em my bill." Another pull. Luke could tell there was more to it than Han let on. Well, let it pass. He was still angry.

"All those men and women...Biggs...all dead."

"And you'd've been right up there with 'em. Much as I hate to agree with Her Royal Highness, she's right about that. You'd've been throwing your life away on a lost cause. As it is, we managed to save most of the people on Yavin. Count that as a victory, kid. It's the only way."

…

"My lord? It occurs to me…."

"Yes, my apprentice?"

"In light of our victory here….perhaps a name change might be in order?"

"And that might be…?"

"What about...the Victory Star?"

"Hmmm…" rumbled the Dark Lord. "I'll take your suggestion under consideration, my apprentice. But," he mused to himself, almost inaudibly, "it would be most fitting."

He didn't notice Asmodeus's slight quirk of a smile…

….

Hoth: "So, you know where this 'Dagobah' is?" Robin was bundling a still-comatose Starfire into the back of the X-wing...one of the few remaining in the rebel fleet.

"I've got the coordinates." Luke's tone was surly. He powered up the ship, while Robin secured himself in the rear of the fighter.

"Luke?" A totally unexpected voice came from the ground. It was Leia.

"WHAT?!"

"Luke, could I have a word with you, in private?"

"And if I refuse?"

"Then you don't get clearance to take off. Now come down here."

Once down. "Okay. Here I am. Now what is it?"

Her eyes were downcast. "I know you're mad at me…"

"Gee. What was your first clue?"

"...for not letting you run headfirst into certain death and robbing the rebellion of a valuable resource." He said nothing, not meeting her look. "I...just wanted to say...I'm sorry."

"'Sorry'?"

"Yes. I apologize for deceiving you like that. I don't apologize for saving your life...don't expect me to." He still said nothing. "Luke...it's all I've got. I am sorry for tricking you like that...sorrier still that it had to happen. But it did. Now if you want to wallow in the past….well, I can't help that. But don't. For your own sake, don't.

"I know what it's like to hold onto old grudges. Believe me, I know."

Now he looked at her, full in the face. She seemed apologetic, her expression softer than he'd ever seen. "Oh, all right. What's done is done, I guess. BUT." He held up a warning finger. "Don't EVER do me that way again."

"Don't make me." Unexpectedly, she suddenly reached up, drew him down, and pecked him on the lips. "For luck," she said. Then she turned and almost ran away.

Now what the fuck was that all about?

…..

Beast Boy took to hanging around the fighter pilots, as did Cyborg. He noticed Raven seemed to always be in the background, somehow.

But without Robin, it fell to him and Cyborg to supplement the vastly depleted rebel forces. Most of the new pilots were complete noobs, having never flown a fighter (or anything else) before (in truth, neither had he, except in simulation). But compared to them, he was an old grad. He and Cyborg spent most of their time coaching the younger pilots, knowing most of them wouldn't last a moment against Imperial forces. But they were all the rebels had.

All the while he wondered if this was how it felt, for a commanding officer to send troops into battle, knowing they wouldn't come back. Just throwing away lives like numbers? He couldn't see it.

The first night at their new base on Hoth, he was on the verge of sleep when he felt a familiar presence in bed beside him. He didn't have to ask who it was. He could feel the warmth of her naked body up against his back. And, as before, he'd drawn her hand over his body, closing his fingers around hers. No words needed to be spoken; they both knew that the base could, and had, supplied her with new clothes, even new pajamas. So she was naked, in bed, with him, because she wanted to be. "G'night, Raven."

"Good night, Garfield." And he felt her plant a light kiss on his shoulder just before drifting off to sleep.

It became a routine thing. He'd be drifting off to sleep, and feel her just behind him. He would pull her hand over his, and they'd both drift off to sleep.

But he began to wonder why.

Where was this going?

…..

Light-years away: Jabba the Hutt settled in for the bad news. "Alright," he rumbled. "What is this 'fire' the Empire seems to want to light?"

Jaggers handed him another folder, one he'd kept back. Jabba had wondered why he'd done so. He opened it, but the advanced mathematics were beyond him. Jabba normally pretended to be rather stupid, the better to lull his enemies into a state of complaisance. But now was not the time for that. "What am I looking at?"

"Those," said Jaggers, "are offshoots of the same mechanics that the Empire's primary weapon taps into. And as I said, it may never come to this. Believe me, my lord, I truly hope I'm being alarmist, but…"

"Get to the point, Dr. Jaggers. You mentioned a universe-threatening event?"

"I did. Note the areas marked in red, milord. This is where things could go so very wrong.

"Have you ever heard of 'strange matter' milord?"

"Aside from that detestable meal I was served last ten-day, no, can't say I have."

"Strange matter is a type of matter built up from quarks, certain kinds of quarks called strange quarks. It normally only happens at the core of neutron stars, or under similar extreme conditions."

"And this is a problem because…?"

Another glance at his associate, who seemed to cringe into his lab coat. Jaggers drew a deep breath. "Milord, strange matter is stable. More so, in fact, than what we call normal matter.

"The thing is, as I said, it only forms under extreme conditions. Conditions like a neutron star, maybe a black hole, or...at the beginning of the universe, the 'big bang.'"

"Doctor…"

"Please, milord, I'm getting there." He looked positively miserable. "The thing is...it appears that strange matter is, is contagious. It can emit packets, called 'strangelets,' that can cause other, more normal matter to convert to strange matter. And then, they, too, emit more strangelets, converting other matter into...well." He spread his hands. "A chain reaction. With, with no end in sight."

"Extreme conditions…." mused Jabba, rubbing his chin. "Such as the Death Star's superlaser?"

"Exactly, milord."

"It's a good thing this hasn't happened, then." He raised an eyebrow, inviting comment. Dr. Jaggers' expression grew more somber, confirming Jabba's worst suspicions. "Or has it?"

"Milord, one of my staff had family out towards the Oberon sector, far off the beaten path. That was, as near as we can place it, where the Imperials first tested their superweapon. Naturally, they wouldn't test it anywhere near known space, for fear of giving the rebels a head's-up. And of course, it resulted in complete destruction of the test site.

"However, there were several nearby deep space probes within two light years of the test site. They have failed to report in.

"One might be coincidence. Two, maybe more coincidence.

"But there have been no less than three such probes failing to report. Again, possibly coincidence.

"But yet another probe, less than a light-year out from the test site, has now fallen silent. It...corresponds to an expanding sphere of...influence radiating outward from the test site."

The room was very quiet while Jabba dissected what he'd been told. "But wouldn't the Empire's own physicists have been aware of the dangers here?"

"Perhaps not, milord. We only found it out by accident. And, to be truthful," another glance at his colleague, "from what I've learned from scientists who've defected, the Empire insists upon a very...shall we say, strict schedule. Delays are...not received well.

"And it could well be that one or more of the Empire's, shall we say, forcefully recruited? Scientists may have had...his or her own reasons for 'overlooking' the inherent danger."

Again, Jabba was silent. Then, "So what have you come up with, as a countermeasure?"

"That's just it, milord. There doesn't appear to be one."

More silence. Then, "I...see. Well, Dr. Jaggers, you've done well in bringing this to my attention." Now he was all business. "I want you and your group to begin developing weapons systems based on what you've given me. Detail a subset to determine if, indeed, there is a 'cure' for this...enormous gift...the Empire has bequeathed us. And, if not, our options.

"I think it safe to say you'll all be receiving substantial bonuses in your paychecks. More than usual, I mean." He waved at them. "That will be all for now, doctor." After they left, he turned to Bib Fortuna. "Bib, I want a run-down on all of our forces, focusing on ship building. See what old favors you can call in, but take no such action until I know more.

"We may," he mused, "have just gone to a war footing with the Empire."

…..

Hoth, the fifth night: Once again, Garfield felt Raven's presence behind him. And, once again, jaybird naked. And once again, he drew her in, closing his fingers around and through hers. She sighed, as though in immense relief. "Rae?"

"Mm?"

"Do we need to...talk?"

"'Bout what?"

"You know about what, Rae."

She sighed again, her breath warm up against his back. Now was as good a time as any, she guessed. "Garfield...I know I'm being an enormous tease to you. I can tell; empath, remember? And, and I'd like nothing better than to, to respond to you in the way you'd like me to. But I don't know if I'm ready.

"The other day, in the shower. I was ready to, to fuck your brains out, right then and there." He could tell, from the way she said it, that she was having to force herself to say the word "fuck." "But you weren't ready then. But I was ready to just ignore that and just be all over you.

"Now...now, you're ready, but...I don't know about me. I know I want to, or rather, I want to want to, if that makes any sense.

"So...I guess what I'm saying is...if you want to….okay. I'm game. I've teased you enough." He could feel her tensing up.

He half-turned over. "Now, Rae. You know me better than to think I'd do anything that would hurt you. Now, don't you?"

She nodded. "That's one thing I love about you, Garfield. And, yes, I said the word, love. As in, 'I love you, Garfield Logan." And he could hear the smile in her voice, there in the darkness. "I hope I'm using that word correctly." Her smile faded. "I've...never experienced love, not like that.

"I thought I felt that way towards Malchior, but he was only using me, trying to seduce me, to get me to do what he wanted me to do. He damn near succeeded, too. I think on some level, I sensed that. It just didn't do me any good at the time.

"So I honestly don't know what to say, Garfield."

He clasped her fingers tighter. "Rae...that was enough. For now. Nobody's forcing any issue here, after all. I just wondered. I wondered if maybe I was doing something wrong…"

"Never!" Her head jerked up in surprise.

"Well, it's not exactly like I'm all that experienced, you know. So I wondered."

"Well, you're not doing anything wrong. Take it from me; I've done enough wrong things to write my own book."

"Well, alright the-*"

"Garfield?"

"There...there is a favor I'd like to ask."

"Rae...you know you only have to ask."

"It's a big one."

"Lay it on me."

"It's two-fold. One, would...would you mind losing the sleep pants? Permanently?"

"Lose the…"

"Sleep pants, yes."

"O-kay." And he shucked out of them as best he could, her drawing back to give him some room. "Okay. No more sleep pants."

"Now...would you turn over facing me?" At his expression, "I mean it, Garfield. Just turn facing me, okay?" He did, and she came back into his embrace. He could feel her hand caressing him...down there. "Hm," she said in an amused tone, "It seems I have been giving somebody a hard time now, haven't I?" She laughed softly at his expression. "I'm sorry, Garfield. I don't mean to laugh.

"But now...the other part of my favor...?

"Would you kiss me goodnight?"

"Kiss you?"

"I've never had a goodnight kiss, Garfield. Not even from my mother. I'd like to see what it feels like." And I'd like to see what it feels like, to be held like this.

To be continued…