The Emperor's Trap
After waiting for half an hour sitting at the base of a tree, Cindel couldn't shake off her doubts of the plan. Her mind went back to when Teek found the battle machines and the amount of guards that were not around. Cindel reached into her side pouch and pulled out her extra communicator then looked to Teek as a plan formed in her head. "Teek" she said as she adjusted herself to her knees just as Teek came close to her "I want you to take this" Cindel started out while showing him the communicator. "Go back to where you found those war machines, see how many more are there and if you see anyone from the Empire, see if you can get some information from them" Cindel explained as she placed the ear pieces in his big pointy ears and the microphone to he cross strap. Teek nodded his head as he understood her instruction "And remember to be careful when it comes to be unseen?" Cindel added to him before he was getting ready to zoom off. Teek chirped a respond as he smiled at her and nodded his head to her. Teek turned and took off into the woods and out of her sight and Wicket along with the droids. 3PO walked to Cindel as she rose up to her feet "Excuse me Miss Cindel but what is the purpose of you sending Teek off like that?" he asked curiously. "As much as I want to trust Han's optimism, I can't ignore all the other facts that I saw" Cindel explained 3PO looked around them and asked "What facts?". Cindel pointed at the bunker "The small band of scouts that were so easily apprehended" then Cindel turned and looked down the path they took that brought them to the bunker, same one that Teek just took. "Then the war machines that Teek found at the shield generator, something isn't right here 3PO, I have to know what it is" Cindel explained as she placed her ear piece into her ear and spoke into her microphone. Wicket walked up to her and asked as he looked up to her "Trouble?" he asked still puzzled "Probably Wicket, we will see. Teek, are you there?" she said, she waited a few minutes before Teek responded back to her.
The little fast critter made it right back where he found the war machines, he looked around quietly and counted several of the war machines, suddenly he came upon some Imperial soldiers. Teek slipped up closer to them and hid behind the foot of one of the AT walkers, and listened to their conversation, he held up his microphone up for Cindel to pick up on their conversation. "The rebels have entered the Bunker, Commander" said one Trooper to a well dressed superior officer "Excellent, how many?" he asked "Counted about 13 humans and one Wookie". The commander turned and gave command to a group of a few squads "Head over there now, apprehend them then prepare a shuttle to take them to Lord Vader" he said. Teek became worried like Cindel as he rose up and quickly made his way back to Cindel who's heart was racing with fear as she finally realized what was going on. "We were set up!" she exclaimed as she looked up to were she knew the battle station was at, with Wicket, the droids and finally Teek with her, all of them sharing the same fearful concern.
Up in space, in the nearly completed battle station, Luke with his hands cuffed in binders was being escorted by Vader in an elevator heading up to the Emperor's chamber. The elevator opens, Vader and Luke enter the room and walked in an even pace side by side toward the escalating stairs. They made their way up to the top then made their way across the dark space to stand before the throne where the Emperor was seated. Father and son stood side by side beneath the gaze of the Emperor as the chair turned to face them, Luke saw a very old man all in black with a hood. Vader bows to his Master in respect while Luke stood and did his best to lock away his friends from his mind to prevent the Emperor from using them to his twisted advantages. "Welcome, young Skywalker. I have been expecting you" the Emperor said with vindictive politeness "You no longer need those" he added and with the slightest gesture of his finger. With a slight surprise, Luke's binders fall away, clattering to the floor, he looks down at his own hands now freed. He then looked back at the Emperor who commanded his red-cloaked guards to leave the chamber "Guards, leave us!" then the Emperor turned his attention straight at Luke.
"I'm looking forward to completing your training. In time you will call me Master" he said with great confidences in his voice. "You're gravely mistaken. You won't convert me as you did my father" Luke said with his own confidences "Oh, no, my young Jedi" Palpatine said as he rose from his throne "You will find that it is you who are mistaken...about a great many things" he added as he walked directly toward Luke and Vader. He stopped once he was close to the father and son, "His lightsaber" Vader said with respect as he held up his son's lightsaber to his master. "Ah, yes, a Jedi's weapon" Palpatine said as he took hold of the lightsaber in his cold gruesome hands, Luke looked at his weapon as it was passed from his father to Palpatine. "Much like your father's, by now you must know your father can never be turned from the dark side. So will it be with you" Palpatine said with a sinister smile at Luke "You're wrong. Soon I'll be dead...and you with me" the young Jedi proclaimed strongly. Palpatine broke into an evil laugh while still focusing on the boy "Perhaps you refer to the imminent attack of your Rebel fleet?" he insinuated to Luke who looked sharply at Palpatine. "Yes, I assure you we are quite safe from your friends here!" the dark lord proclaimed as he turned and walked away from Luke and Vader "Your overconfidence is your weakness" Luke shot at Palpatine. "Your faith in your friends is yours" Palpatine shot back with a quick and sharp turn to him while holding the lightsaber in both hands this time.
Vader finally spoke to Luke without any emotion "It is pointless to resist, my son", Palpatine was now back in his throne looking back at Luke. "Everything that has transpired has done so according to my design" spoke now again with an angry and vindictive voice "Your friends up there on the Sanctuary Moon" Palpatine then pointed out to the outside of the battle station. "Are walking into a trap, as is your Rebel fleet and just as I can see it; your sweet maiden on the Moon has already detected my plan. It was I who allowed the Alliance to know the location of the shield generator. It is quite safe from your pitiful little band. An entire legion of my best troops awaits them" Palpatine wasn't done. Luke reacted with angry at the thought of Palpatine talking about Cindel "Yes, Lord Vader mentioned that young and beautiful creature to me, she is bound to be powerful soon enough". Luke didn't understand what the Emperor was implying about Cindel but he still wondered about the trap that was set up for his friends. "If she is powerful then my friends will be all right" Luke said, Palpatine turned and put up a fake concern manner to him "Oh...I'm afraid the deflector shield will be quite operational when your friends arrive" he said then gave off an evil smirk to Luke which set Luke on flames.
Back on the Moon, inside the Bunker, some Imperial solders were startled by Han, Leia, Chewie, and the Rebel strike team bursting through the double doors. "All right! Up! Move! Come on! Quickly! Quickly" Han commanded with his blaster to them, they did what he commanded of them, rose up and moved away from their seats. "Chewie!" Han commanded his Wookie friend to watch them while Leia went to the main control panels and glances at one of the screens. "Han! Hurry! The fleet will be here any moment" she tells Han nodded to her then turned to one trooper "Charges! Come on, come on!" he barked up a command then got a charger tossed at him, Han immediately caught it.
Meanwhile outside the Bunker, Cindel kept trying to figure out how to warn Leia and Han but she had no way of reaching them or even reaching Lando. 3PO explained to her "I am terribly sorry Miss Cindel but the shield generator is causing a great disturbances in the communicator" he said, Cindel then turned and looked at the Bunker still seeing that the rebel and their one captive was still there. "My communicator is down but…" she then stopped and looked at R2 "R2's isn't, he can reach Leia's communicator and then" Cindel was interrupted by 3PO's panic announcement. "Oh my! They'll be captured!", Cindel looked down and say a fleet of Imperial solders surrounding her Rebel team members with their captive and some other others rushed into the Bunker. "Oh no!" Cindel exclaimed looking down at the bunker, R2 suddenly started bleeping in excitement. "Miss Cindel I am afraid that R2 is telling you he has received a message from the other droids with Lando and his fleet, they are under attack by a number higher than theirs" 3PO translated for R2. Cindel turned and grunted in anger "He set us up everywhere, he must have allowed us to know all about the shield generator!" she said then squatted down.
Wicket rushed to get her attention "We make the balance against them, come Cindel hurry to Ewok village!" he said urgently, Cindel already knew that Wicket meant to hurry to get the Ewok assembled. "R2, 3PO stay her and out of sight till we get back, come one Wicket, Teek!" she commanded and ran with her two friends into the woods. Teek already dashed ahead of Cindel and Wicket, by the time they made it to the village, all Ewok warriors were prepared for battle with a white horse for Cindel. With her camouflaging shawl off, Cindel climbed on her horse and headed off with her friends and family. Cindel was ready now to fight for her family, her friends and the cause that she strongly believed in, she was no longer the child that needed to be protected by her parents, her brother or Mace. Cindel vowed to die for all that she loved.