When signs of the battle has first broken out, Anna and Tyler were in the bar yet again, talking about nothing in particular. That's when the alarm bells had gone off, sounding off throughout the caverns and tunnels of the base. The pilots had all engaged, and Anna caught the last glimpse of the Falcon as it took off, ready to fight. She was to remain on the ground, and even though nothing had landed yet, people were racing through the halls, trying to lock everything down. Tyler stayed close to her, his own blaster in his hand, ready if he needed to use it. Anna gripped her saberstaff, desperately trying to find Fable in the sea of people that flooded through the tunnels of the base.
"I'm sure she's fine," Tyler said, sensing Anna's anxiety. "She can take care of herself."
"It's not her I'm worried about," she said. "It's the one she's with."
"Who?" Tyler asked. "Jaalib."
Anna nodded. "I don't trust him," she said simply as they reached the training room where Fable and Jaalib had last been seen. "Not after what happened on Redcap. Who's to say that he won't turn against us."
"He's renounced the Dark side," Tyler said. "That doesn't seem like an easy thing to do."
"True," Anna agreed. "But he still is responsible for Fable going over the edge of that cliff and nearly dying."
"Then if anything, she shouldn't trust him," Tyler pointed out.
"She's in love, love blinds you from seeing the true intentions in people," Anna grumbled.
"Is that why you're rushing to see who lands first?" Tyler asked, his voice suddenly challenging.
"No," she said sharply, knowing exactly what he was referring to. "Although, something isn't right, I can feel it through the Force. Something up there is not going according to plan."
"What do you mean?"
"I'm not entirely sure. I can't place it, but something's off."
She shook her head, trying to rid herself of the distractions. Though she could feel that something was wrong, she could not think about it right now.
She grabbed her comlink. "Has anyone landed on the base?" she asked.
"No," Leia's voice was surprisingly calm. "Our pilot are doing an outstanding job of keeping everyone at bay. Stand by, even though they're trying their best there might be one transport ship that gets through."
"Where's Fable?" Anna asked.
"Is she not int he training room?" Leia asked.
Anna glanced around. The room was dark, and she couldn't feel her sister's presence anywhere in the room, or Jaalibs for that matter. "No," she said. "They're both gone."
"That's not good," Leia said. "I'll try to track them down. In the meantime, keep yourselves safe and make sure that the lockdown goes as smoothly as possible."
Anna threw her head back and dropped her arms to her sides. "What's going on?" Tyler asked.
"No one knows where Fable or Jaalib are," Anna said. "We need to find them."
"Leia's orders were clear," Tyler said, grabbing Anna's shoulder.
"She's the last of my living family," Anna snapped. "She's the only thing I have left."
"Do you really believe that?" Tyler asked, his voice suddenly soft. Anna gave him a confused look.
"It's the truth," she said. "I know it is."
"She may be your blood, yes," Tyler said. "However, you do not realize that there are others out there looking out for you. Leia thinks of you like a sister. I'm sure that from what I've seen of Han, he thinks in the same way." He trailed off.
"What?" she asked, grabbing his elbow.
"You're… I care a great deal about you Anna," he said. "I know that your heart belongs to Luke, and as much as I may not approve, you did fall in love with him when he was still Light, and he now has the possibility to come back. I love you…" He stopped, while she just remained frozen on the spot. "But during these past few weeks, I've had a chance to reflect on it all. I thought I was in love with you romantically. I really did, but I'm not. You are like a sister to me, Anna, which is what a realized when you were in a coma, and there were a few days when I worried that you would never wake up again. It was during those times when I talked with Leia and Han, and I realized that the feelings I had for you were fabricated, mostly because I wanted to protect you from him. When I saw him on Coruscant, I thought that he was gone, but I don't know the Force. I know that you still believe in him, and I want to help you get him back."
At that moment, the sound of frantic footsteps grew close to the door, and they both turned quickly. Anna breathed easy as she saw a familiar redhead enter the room.
"Thank the Maker you're all right!" she breathed.
"I'm fine, don't worry," Fable said. "Jaalib got a transmission from the Empire. It's something you need to see."
Anna visibly stiffened as Jaalib's name was mentioned, by Tyler rubbed her back, trying reassure her. "Just see what he has to say," Tyler said. "You told me that something was wrong didn't you?"
Anna nodded, and looked up at her sister. "Do you feel it too?" she asked.
Fable shrugged. "In the heat of a battle, I can't tell much," she said, retreating from the doorway as Anna and Tyler walked out. "Why? Do you feel something."
"Something isn't right with Luke," Anna said. "From what I can very faintly tell through the Force, he's distressed."
Fable paused for a moment, as though she too was reaching out through the Force to confirm Anna's suspicions. When she came back, she just shrugged again.
"You're more in tune with him," Fable said. "I can't even find him in the Force."
"His spirit is very faint," Anna said, and her voice carried a worried tone. "I'm afraid that he's in danger."
"He's not out on the battlefield," Fable said. "From what Deke has told me, the only ships that have come from the Star Destroyers are Lumiya's shuttle and several stormtrooper transports. Surely they wouldn't hurt one of their own."
"I doubt it," Anna said. "But I haven't felt distress like this through the Force ever before. It must be bad, whatever is going on."
They quickly made it through the hallways to the main control centre, where Jaalib good next to Leia. Anna gritted her teeth, still not overly-thrilled that Jaalib had just been accepted into the ranks so easily. However, she knew that it was a reality that she must accept. He looked up as she stopped next to him.
"This may be a bit difficult for you to see," Jaalib said.
"I am not weak Jaalib, I want to know what's going on," she said sternly. "Don't waste my time."
Leia sat back in her seat, and Anna turned to look down at the former princess. "General Adam Shay has gone mad," Leia said. "He has made secret plans to eliminate the three Force warriors that serve the Empire, at least, in this battle. He has captured Luke, and no one knows where he's gone. No one is speaking."
"What do you mean?" Anna asked. "Palpatine would never have approved something like this."
"Shay is going behind Palpatine's back," Jaalib said. "The transmission was from a trusted source by both myself and the Alliance, and I can say with utmost certainty that it's true."
"How?" Anna asked.
"That we're not sure of," Leia said.
"What's the plan, then?" Anna asked, her eyes wide and her voice more and more carrying a stressed tone.
"There is no plan," Leia said, dropping her gaze. "If Vader is gone, and Luke is captured by his own people, then there is nothing we can do. Unfortunately, it's over."
"It hasn't even begun," Tyler snapped. "What was the point of this battle, then?"
"We did not expect Shay to go against his own," Leia said sharply, matching his tone of voice. "The fact that he managed to get the rest of the fleet on his side is surprising."
"He has a way with words," Anna said. "What about Lumiya?"
"Her shuttle is still fighting," Leia said. "She's completely overwhelmed, and I think that she won't last long. Not by herself. It's all a plan by Shay to get rid of the Force users, and I don't know why. His motive must have been building up for a while now, he was just looking for an excuse to act on it."
"I'm going up there," Anna said firmly. "If he's in danger, then I need to get him out of there."
"No," Leia said, standing up. "That is suicide."
"I cannot just sit here while Luke may or may not be alive," Anna spat. It was nothing personal against Leia, but Luke was the man she loved after all, and she wanted to do whatever she could to get him back.
"Even if you managed to get past that blockade of Star Destroyers, how do you know which one he's on?" Leia asked. "Or where he even is?"
"Leia, the Force works in strange ways," Anna said, returning her voice to the normal, even tone that she usually spoke with. "I can feel whenever he's near, and if I can get to Shay, I can end it all."
Fable moved and placed a hand on her sister's shoulder. "I will fight with you," she said. "You were there to bring the man that I love back, I can only return the favour for you."
Tyler too moved forward to stand beside her. "I will help you too," he said.
Leia ran her hands down her face, and stared up and her console as if she was searching for answers. "You do not have ship," she said. "Deke has the Prodigal."
"We do not need a large ship," Anna said. "Do you have any X-wings?"
"Of course, but—"
"Perfect, we'll use those."
"You will not be concealed. They will spot you straight away."
"I am the master of stealth, Leia. Besides, don't you think that they would recognize the Prodigal as well?"
Leia glanced over her shoulder at Jaalib who turned away. "I would normally be with you on this, Fable, but Leia is right," he said. "This mission is suicide. They'll shoot you down before you get close to them."
"We at least need to try," she said. "I don't want to look back on this and say that there was something that we could've done. If I die doing it, so be it. Many others have fallen before me."
Jaalib ended the argument there, seeing that she had made up her mind, and her stubbornness would not allow her to move on it. He sighed and nodded to Leia. "They will not do anything unless you let them go," he said. "I can see that they're minds are made up."
The former princess settled back down into her chair and placed her head in her hands. It was clear that she was really struggling with this sort of a decision. Even though Luke was her brother, was it worth risking some of her best fighters to same him?
"Fine," she finally said. "Bring him back, and take Adam Shay out."
"You have my word that we will," Anna said. "I will get answers as to why he did this, and I will bring Luke back to us." And take the Emperor out with him, she thought, but didn't say it. It should go without saying that the Emperor was long past his time. If she was going in, she was going to end it tonight.
"Gear up," Anna said, seeing that both Tyler and Fable were looking as her for direction.
The Empire would fall tonight, she vowed to herself.
Luke spun on his heel, slamming his body against the wall of the tiny cell he was imprisoned in. There was barely enough room to sit, and his hand were still locked in binders in front of him. It was dark, with the only light coming in through a high light source embedded in the ceiling. He was frantic, trying to find a way out, but the blast door would not move no matter how hard he channeled the Force, and he had no idea where he was. After he had been taken off of his shuttle, he remembered a sudden wave of pan hit him from the back of his head, and he had blacked out, waking up in this tiny holding cell.
Shay had gone mad, surely. He stood no chance of winning the battle now, which Luke did not care about, but he had no idea what awaited him when the General returned. Even if Shay's hatred was targeted toward Force users, this was personal. If it wasn't, he never would have taken Luke off of the shuttle and locked him in a tiny room. However, Luke needed to get out, from whatever way possible. He could feel the Dark side tightening its grip on him with every passing minute. He felt as if all of senses were on edge, hypersensitive to everything around him.
Surely the Emperor would not back the General on something like this. It would cost him the best warriors that the Empire had, but Shay didn't seem to care. His personal agenda had trumped everything, whether to not it was to the Emperor's knowledge, Luke did not know.
Through the Force, he could still feel that his father and Lumiya were alive. Even though he didn't like her in the least, if she died, Shay would win. She needed to stay alive, and if they could set aside their differences for a few moments, then Luke and her would be able to take the General down. However, considering her stubbornness, he doubted that she would listen, not even to save her own life. He sighed, looking up at the high ceiling of the cell, wishing for some miracle to break him out of the cell. He didn't know if he was aboard a Star Destroyer, or on a shuttle, or even on the Arbran surface. It was killing him to have his connection to the Force cut off by the binders, but he could still feel presences through it, though they were faint. He placed his head in his hands, at a complete loss of what to do. He felt utter hopelessness, even though he hoped that something about Shay's betrayal came into the hands of the Rebellion. As far as he was concerned, they were both fighting a common enemy now. He slid down the wall, forcing himself into an uncomfortable sitting position, the walls closing in around him. There was nothing left that he could do but wait, and hope.
The two Astin sisters and Tyler walked briskly through the hallways, coming up with a quick plan. While the two girls spoke with such confidence, Tyler couldn't help but think that he had made a grave mistake coming with them. He couldn't offer them much, he wasn't a soldier. He could barely aim a blaster, and had only learned in the past week while Anna was still in her coma. He was hardly ready total on the General of the Empire. However, he could not afford to look fearful, and he fully trusted Anna and Fable.
"Alright Tyler, you know how to fly one of these things?" Fable asked.
"I'm not outstanding at it, but yeah," he said.
"Good," Fable said. "There are droids loaded into each one, and they should all be warmed up, so all we have to do is get close enough to the Star Destroyer. They'll all be on watch for anything coming at them, so you have to stay sharp and make sure your comlink is active. We'll figure our plan of attack once we're out there."
Anna climbed into one of the X-wings, and smiled as familiar beeping sounded behind her. She turned to see the blue and white astromech droid that had accompanied her on multiple missions. "Hello, Artoo," she said. "Let's go get your master back, shall we?"
The droid responded with frantic beeping, and she prepared the ship to take off. "Alright Fable, you lead the way," Anna said into her comlink.
"Okay," Fable responded. "Just stay close, everyone. This will not be easy, so we all have to be focused."
The three X-wings all flew out of the ship in harmony, Fable leading the way, with Anna and Tyler following close behind. As they exited the atmosphere of Arbra, only then did they see the battle that was going on in the meantime.
Imperial ships were hardly anywhere to be seen, aside from a few TIE fighters and several Star Destroyers, however, they were not firing, and the TIE fighters seemed to be fighting lazily, as if they weren't really engaged in the battle at all. However, there was one Lambda shuttle that was being relentlessly pursued by several fighters, including a certain YT-1300 light freighter.
"Deke seems to be doing a hell of a job trying to bring that shuttle down," Tyler said, and Anna could feel her sister's pride. "I wonder who that is."
"Lumiya, most definitely," Anna said. "Shay's trying to make her death look like an accident, a casualty in battle. That's why he's not sending out any fighters."
"Then this is our window," Fable said. "Bank off, see if you can sense where Luke is, Anna. You have a stronger connection to him than I do."
"Copy," Anna said, and the three X-wings all peeled off from the battle, while Anna tried to concentrate on digging through the Force, trying to unearth wherever Luke may be.
"Third Star Destroyer," she finally said. "Right in the middle of the fray, of course."
"Shay obviously wants to keep him alive for something," Fable said, and the though of it made Anna's skin crawl. Luke would be able to defeat Shay easily if they were matched one-on-one, but Shay was never a fair fighter; never had been, never will be.
"Come up from underneath," Fable said. "Make sure your weapons are ready. If and when they start firing, you need to be sharp."
The three began to fly underneath, and were met instantly with a barrage of canon fire. "Take these out as best as you can," Fable said. "The other Star Destroyers will not engage, not with three X-wings."
It had been a long time since Anna had been behind the cannon of a ship in the heat of battle. It had dated back to her days as a smuggler, as the memory was blurry. However, this was no time to be getting caught up in memories. She needed to have a clear mind, at least, as clear as she could make it considering the circumstances. She narrowed her eyes as she fired at the cannons, smiling to herself as she struck one of them down. Even though she hadn't flown very much in the last few months, it was coming back to her easily, and soon, she felt as though she was her old self again, flying freely with no boundaries like she once had, commanding the situation.
"There's an open space up on the side of the ship," Fable said. "We'll only have one shot, so once you're clear, get up there and head right for it. With any luck, we'll be able to get there."
Anna looked up, seeing that there was in fact a space to enter the docking bay, but she was slightly suspicious of it. "Are you sure that it's not a trap?" she asked, clearly skeptical.
"No," Fable said honestly. "But we have to try, don't we?"
"This truly is suicide," Tyler said.
"You volunteered to come with us, Tyler," Fable said sharply. "We will be fine, I promise you."
Fable pulled up first. "All of you, go at once," she said. "Maybe we can overwhelm them if it is a trap."
Anna and Tyler followed her, and hissed her annoyance when she felt one of the cannon's blasts clip her X-wing. "I hope that's not going to be too bad," she said to herself, but she could hear Fable snickering on the other end.
"Something you want to say?" Anna asked.
"Not really," Fable said. "Is Artoo okay?"
The little droid beeped from behind the cockpit. "Yes, he's fine," Anna said. "I don't think I caused too much damage."
"Let's hope not, we still have to fly home," Fable said. "Come on, there isn't any time to waste."
Fable reached the space first, pulling up the ship as hard as she could coming to a complete stop in the empty docking bay. Anna and Tyler had more graceful approaches, and were quickly out of the ships before Fable had even pushed up the roof to the cockpit of her own.
"You stay hidden, Artoo," Ann called up to him. "We'll be back shortly with your master."
Artoo gave her a few short beeps, and she smiled at him before she pulled her saberstaff out from her cloak. "Any signs of stormtroopers?" she asked as she reached Fable and Tyler.
"None," Fable said. "It's like they've all disappeared. There's no officer in sight."
"Shay must've pulled them back," Tyler said. "This might have been a trap."
"Then keep your blaster up," Fable said, pulling her own lightsaber from her belt. "Can you feel him, Anna?"
"Yes, but he's very weak," she said. "He's slipping away every moment. We need to find him fast."
Luke was slumped awkwardly against the walls of his cell, while a figure stood in the small doorway. His arms ached and there was blood running from his nose, but he didn't seem to care. His yellow-tinged eyes bore into the figure, but he made no movement.
"Even now, you are weak," the voice of the General rang out in the small cell, and Luke only saw his boot rise above his face before pain exploded in his nose and chin. He shoved the General away, but didn't do anything else to retaliate.
"Why won't you fight back?" Shay cried. "Do I need to get your dearly beloved here?"
Luke's head shot up. He could feel Anna's presence, his force connection was weak but it was there. Shay leaned down and grabbed Luke's face in his gloved hand.
"Where is she, Skywalker?" he asked threateningly.
"If you think I'll tell you, you're delusional," Luke said between breaths. Shay's assault had been quick at first, and Luke had no time to defend himself. Now, there was nothing he could do. He did not have the Force, and he could barely even stand. He could feel that there was something broken in his leg, but he didn't move too much in order not to draw attention to it. If Shay spotted any weaknesses, he would most definitely take advance of it. Shay let go of Luke's face, pushing him away forcefully as he did so.
"If you aren't going to tell me, then maybe getting rid of one of the two Force users will get you to say something," Shay said. "Lumiya first? I'll make sure her death is painless."
"I do not care for her," Luke said. "She is nothing but an evil woman, set on bringing those around her down and gathering more and more power. Do you really think that I'd care if you killed her?"
However, the truth was, Luke did still care for her, in the depths of his heart that had not been tapped for years. He wanted to bring Lumiya back to the Light side, to show her a better way to live. He believe that she could come off of the Dark path, just as he planned to do. He watched cautiously as Shay turned the cylindrical object in his hand that was none other than a detonator.
"You're going to explode her shuttle as make it look like the Rebels defeated her," Luke said, realization dawning on him.
"That took you quite a long time to figure out," Shay spat. "Last chance, where is Anna Anara-Astin?"
Luke lifted his arms, showing his binders to Shay. "These cut me off from the Force," he said. "I could've told you exactly where she was if you had not put me in these. Now, I can barely feel her. I only know hat she is alive."
"That was not the answer I was looking for, Skywalker," Shay growled, and pressed the button on the top of the detonator, flattening it against the top.
Out above the surface, right near one of the Star Destroyers, the shuttle that housed one of the great Force warriors exploded. Across the Force, her death was felt, by both the Light and the Dark.
Anna and Fable stopped dead in their tracks, knowing that Shay had claimed his first of the Force users he was out to destroy.
Luke winced as the death ripped through him even though he was cut off from the Force. He felt as she was disintegrated into nothingness, as if she had never existed in the first place.
Even Leia sat back in her chair, and Jaalib glanced down at her. "I never thought I'd see the day when we would feel sympathy for her," he said softly.
However, there was one Force-sensitive individual that was not sad, but that was angry. The Emperor rose from his seat in his shuttle, knowing instantly that something was wrong. The disturbance in the Force was too great. He closed his eyes, getting in touch with the Force, reaching out, then pulling back once he got his answer. When he reopened his eyes, they were so angry that it would make a Royal Guard cower in fear.
"Set course for General Adam Shay's command ship," he called into the cockpit. "The Dark Lady of the Sith has just been killed."
"So you did care for her?" Shay asked. "I'm sure Anna would love to hear that, the fact that you were in love with the Dark Lady."
Luke's head shot up, and he winced at the pain that prodded him in the back of the neck. "I was not in love with her," he said honestly. "I only felt her death through the Force, that's it."
"I thought you were cut off from the Force?" Shay asked, clearly testing him.
"I can still feel deaths," Luke growled. "Just as I can feel that Anna is still alive."
"Yet you haven't told me where she is," Shay said.
"I don't know where she is!"
"And I don't believe you!"
Shay's voice got very powerful, and Luke shifted in his uncomfortable position.
"Let's see, shall we hit Vader next?" Shay asked, turning his back to Luke. "The Maker knows how close he and you are. One might even ask if you were related."
Luke lashed out at Shay's feet with his good leg, hitting the General square in the boots. Shay turned quickly, and without missing a beat, delivered a swift kick to Luke's leg. The Dark Jedi cried out, slumping back against the wall.
"You do not know anything about me, General," Luke growled, but his voice was getting weaker and weaker. His head was beginning to ache, and he wondered if Shy and done some serious damage.
"Oh, I know that Vader is your father," Shay said.
"Anakin Skywalker was my father!" Luke spat.
"They are the same person, are they not?" Shay asked. "Physically, yes. Mentally, maybe not. As far as I am concerned, he is your father."
"And how did you come across this information?"
Shay laughed. "I have connections everywhere Skywalker. In places where you can only dream of, I know someone. It's not like it was that hard to find, either."
At that moment, there was a shuffle behind Shay, and he turned on his heel to face the stormtroopers.
"You better have good reason for interrupting me," he growled. "Or else you will pay for it."
Luke had never seen Shay so brutal before. He was a strategist, and was never one to go out in the field. However, all of those time he went into the Undercity of Coruscant, he must've picked up some traits and techniques. Luke now understood why Anna would run from a man like this, and to be afraid to wander the galaxy with him in such a high position of power.
"Sir, we've confirmed that there are three X-wings that have just landed in Hangar Seven," the stormtrooper said, keeping his voice even. In his mind, Luke made a mental note that they were still on a Star Destroyer. As for which one it, was he had no idea.
"What else?" Shay asked sharply, clearly annoyed.
"There are three Rebels that are now on the ship," the stormtrooper continued. "Two women and a man, and they look to be armed."
Shay looked at Luke with a sarcastic smile. "Looks like you're dearly beloved walked right into my hands," he said. "This will be far too easy." He stepped out of the door and looked at the stormtrooper. "Good work," he said. "Close this cell, stand guard, make sure he cannot get out. There will be hell to pay if he gets out at all. You six, come with me. We are going to end this war, and we will end it tonight."
"Yes sir," the stormtrooper said, and Luke dropped his gaze as the blast door slammed shut, encompassing him in near darkness once again.
Please Anna, be strong. Be that woman that I fell in love with months ago. You can defeat him.
The Star Destroyer had been eerily quiet for the first few minutes that they were on the ship, but now, formations of stormtroopers jogged the hallways, their blasters raised to their chests, looking for the three Rebels that were harboured on the ship. However, what the Rebels had on their side was that they were all incredibly stealthy, and it surprised even Fable.
"I didn't think you you'd be as light on your feet as you are," she commented to Tyler as they stayed pressed up against the wall of a corridor, trying to plan out their next move while Anna tried to reach out to Luke with the Force.
"I lived in the forests of Theed for a few years, so you learn how to be stealthy when you want to eat," he said. "Taught me quickly how to be sneaky, and how to get away without much of an altercation, if any."
"That will come in handy here," Fable said. "Not many can keep up with a Jedi."
"I get that feeling," he said. "Any leads?"
"Not really," Anna said. "It feel like he's on the other side of the bloody ship."
Fable smiled as her sister's language came through. "You said he felt weak," she said. "Maybe that's why you're not getting a good sense of his presence."
"Then we need to hurry," Anna said. "Do any of you have an idea of where the cells are? If Shay has him, he's probably locked up somewhere."
"No," Fable said. "Our only option is to scan the corridors and not get caught by stormtroopers."
"Sounds like a flawless plan," Tyler said.
"This is not the time for sarcasm," Anna said sternly. "Come on, let's move."
They jogged quickly down the hallway, always looking behind them and listening for the signs of any approaching stormtroopers. Shay would have the ship on high alert now, as he would know that they were there. Anna led the way, with Fable bringing up the rear, and Tyler was sandwiched in the middle, his blaster in his hand, pointed just over Anna's shoulder. She stopped suddenly, and he nearly ran right into her. The faint voice of a man was coming closer, and by eh sound of it, he was not happy.
She jogged a bit further, where there was another corridor, and the others quickly followed her, flattening themselves out against the wall, listening for any signs of the approaching man. By the sounds of it, he had stormtroopers, and several of them.
"Search the entire area around the hangar," he said. "Do not kill them, bring them to me, unharmed. They'll try to get to Skywalker, so ensure that you set everything up so that they come out of hiding easily."
Anna mouthed "Shay" to the two behind her, and they nodded, watching as he strode by the corridor, six stormtroopers following in formation behind him. He walked with an authority that she had never seen in him before, and she could tell that he meant business. Hs conversation faded out as he put some distance between the two groups, and Anna was the first one to step out of their hiding place. The thing with Star Destroyers was that everywhere you were, there was always the chance of someone blowing your cover.
"If we don't run into any stormtroopers, then we're going the wrong way," Fable said.
"So they're baiting us?" Tyler asked.
"Seems that way," Anna said. "Let's just see if we can find wherever they're keeping him first, then we can talk battle strategy. Until then, stay alert, and for the Maker's sake Tyler do not point that thing right near my head."
"Do you have anywhere else?" he asked.
"Away from me," she said.
"Your lightsaber scares me but you don't see me complaining."
"I've had over a year of experience with this thing."
"Okay, children, now is not the time to argue," Fable hissed. "Let's go."
Anna led them again down the corridor that Shay had come from, always keeping in touch with Force, and she felt Luke's presence still though it was still getting weaker. Something was happening to him. If Shay had hurt him…she gripped her lightsaber tighter in her hands, but let out a breath shortly afterward. Keeping her emotions in check was proving to be more and more difficult, considering everything that was happening around her. She needed to keep a level head, as her sister was. She needed to control her emotions.
They had a good run where they didn't running any stormtroopers, but when they finally did again, it was not a measly six that Shay had taken with them. There must've been two dozen of them, maybe more, all standing outside of a small blast door. Anna peeled off before they were any closer, and pressed her back up against the wall of the corridor just off to the side.
"Alright," she said. "Tyler, you're going to go in and cover us. Fable, you stick with me, and we'll take them out." She gave Tyler a quick look. "And try not to shoot us."
"You don't trust me?" he asked.
"Oh I trust you, but do I trust you with that blaster?" she asked rhetorically. "No."
"Alright, alright," Fable said. "You ready, Tyler?" she asked.
"Not in your life," he said honestly. "I'm scared to death."
"I will not let anything happen to you, Tyler," Anna said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You have my promise. Just keep me safe, and I'll be able to uphold it, okay?"
Tyler nodded. "Alright," he said. "Let's go get him back and take this General down."
Anna smiled at his urgency, and motioned for him to get right to the edge of the wall. "Let us know when you have about a third of them distracted," Fable said. "We'll run in after that."
Tyler nodded, bringing the blaster up to his chest and taking a deep breath, closing his eyes. He opened them once again, and went to turn quickly and open fire, when he was suddenly frozen to the spot. He flattened himself back against the wall, shooting a quick glance at Anna and Fable, who seemed to know exactly what had happened. Anna hadn't felt he cold presence in a long time, certainly not this close. The Emperor was here.
She moved quietly, carefully peering out of the corridor to see him standing among the bodies of the stormtroopers that had been standing, and alive, not one minute ago. He was not accompanied by anyone, which was rather strange, as he almost always had his Royal Guards around him. However, this time, he stood alone, leaning on his cane, his face obscured by his hood. He was staring at a blast door, one that was firmly shut, and Anna narrowed her eyes as he slid it open with his hand, almost effortlessly. He raised his head, and she quickly ducked back into the corridor.
She gave Fable a worried glance, of which her sister returned. Whatever his intentions were, it was clear that he was not supportive of Shay in this endeavour. Although there was always a part of Anna that had known that the Emperor would never back Shay, she couldn't put any faith in him whatsoever. He was the reason they were here, he was the reason they were still fighting. If he would have died on the Death Star, this would all be over, and she would still have Luke.
It was then when his cold spoke sliced through the air. "What has happened to the General?" he asked.
"He's gone mad." Anna's eyes widened. It was Luke, no doubt, but he sounded incredibly weak, as if all of the life was draining out of him, and he could do nothing to stop it. "The Dark Lady…"
"She is one with the Force now," the Emperor said sadly. "I felt it through the Force."
He raised his head, and turned to his right, where he scanned the corridor. "I can feel the three of you," he said. "It is no use hiding from me. I will not harm you."
Anna's knuckles turned white, and she looked back at Fable for answers. The red-haired Astin just shrugged, and Anna tightened her grip on her saberstaff. She motioned for Tyler to stay put, and Fable pushed herself off of the wall. The two Astin sisters then walked out into the corridor, in plain view of the man they had grown to detest.
"What are you doing here?" Anna asked sharply.
"Relax, girl," he said dismissively. "I am not here to harm you or your companions."
"You were at one point," she growled.
"That was a different time," he said. "My ranks are being torn apart, and I cannot have that happen. My apprentice is in danger, as well as my other Force warriors."
"There is only one left," Anna said. "Lumiya is gone."
"I know that," he said. "Her death was made to look like an accident, it seems, but I can assure you that it was planned. Any General who wants to win a war with minimal casualties would not send out a shuttle with one of our most fierce warriors by itself, with hardly any backup. That is beside the point. Why are you here?"
"Luke is in danger," she said, not bothering to lie, the Emperor would be able to tell if she was. "I need to get him out of here."
"You will not be taking him," the Emperor said.
"Is that so?" Anna asked, clearly challenging him. "You are unarmed, you have no guards. Do you expect me to back down without a fight?"
The Emperor shook his head. "Of course not," he said. "That is not who you are. Such is clear when I see you walk on that leg that Bane Werth severed."
She gave him a sharp glare, but did not engage. He was going what he usually did, trying to provoke the Dark feelings within her. Still, she said nothing.
"You have failed to protect your own warriors," Fable said from behind her. "Lumiya is dead, you kept Vader under for as long as possible, trying to choke him out of the ranks, and now you can't even protect your own apprentice. There is no hope for you to get of of this Star Destroyer with him, not while we're here."
"You're mistaken," he warned. "You say that I am unnarmed, but how do you know for sure? You say that I have no guards around me, but how do you know for sure? You do not. That will be your downfall, and why the three of you will not live to see the Arbran sunrise tomorrow."
"And you will be the one to kill us?" Fable asked.
"I do not have to be the one to deliver the fatal blow," he said. "I gave the General my orders, and even though he has turned on my Force warriors, he still has a chance of carrying out my commands."
Anna glanced over at her sister, trying to read something, but she got nothing. Fable's expression was neutral, as she had worked on controlling her feelings before the battle. They could both read into the underlying message that the Emperor had laid in front of them.
"And again, you are under the assumption that we will go down without a fight," Fable said, igniting her lightsaber. "Of which you do not have any idea."
The Emperor smiled, taking a step forward toward them, but neither of them moved. "It has been a long time since eI have heard your name, Fable," he said. "The last time it was spoken in my presence was when Jaalib Brandl spoke of you." His face darkened as he said the name, as if it was leaving a sour taste in his mouth. "The traitor. He abused my trust and went against me."
"And for good reason," Fable snapped. "Who in their right mind would ever serve you?"
While Fable and the Emperor went back and forth, Anna looked over the leader's shoulder, trying to catch a glimpse of the figure that was undoubtably inside of the blast door. However, he had not made a single move, or gave any signs that he was still breathing. She could still feel his presence though the Force, but as it had ever since the there of them had arrived on board the Star Destroyer, it weakened with every moment that passed.
"Answer me one question," Anna said. "Why, in all of your power, do you choose to stand there with your apprentice and not send your guards to kill Shay?"
"As I've said before, girl, you assume many things about me that are untrue," he said. "My guards are scouring this Star Destroyer now for the General."
He didn't say anything more about his plans, and Anna began to feel the creeping feeling of mistrust once again. Surely, if he had wanted to kill anyone on the ship, he would have done so by now. She was unclear over what his true motives were, as he had been less that direct about the entire situation. He watched them carefully, and Anna hard Tyler shift on the wall beside them. Everything was still for a moment, as if they were not in a war, and that the only thing that anyone could focus on was the person standing in front of them, not fifty feet away.
As they stood in silence for a beat, the sound of an igniting lightsaber cut through the air. The Emperor cried out as a magenta blade pierced through his chest, and both Anna and Fable staggered back. The blade retreated as quickly as it had appeared, and the disturbance that it sent through the Force was incredibly powerful. Even Tyler winced as the body slumped to the floor, joining those of the stormtroopers.
Holding the lightsaber at an awkward angle, was none other than Shay. He tossed it to the side. "I always thought that you would come running back to me," he said, his gaze trained solely on Anna. She stepped back as he approached her, but didn't ignite her saberstaff. Fable's was still humming and crackling, and she raised it in a defensive position.
"You will not need that," Shay said.
"Really?" she asked. "Because I doubt that you just threw away your only weapon."
However, the only thing Anna could think about as that time was Luke. His spirit and presence in the Force was draining fast, and before she even knew what she was doing, she raced past Shay, getting her shoulder up so that she could knock him to the ground, and rushed toward the blast door that was still wide open. She ignored Fable's pleas to stay put, and even though she wanted to listen, her heart was overriding everything. She dropped to her knees as she saw the figure lying awkwardly in the tiny room.
It was Luke, but she had never seen him so weak before. Not even the night on the Death Star had taken this big of a toll on him. There was blood running down the side of his face and from his nose, and his leg looked as though it was broken. His eyes were closed, and even though he was still alive, he was only barely holding on.
She fought as rough hands pulled her up from her spot, and she swung the hilt of her saberstaff right at the mask of a stormtrooper. It connected with him, and he staggered away, allowing her to get herself into a position to fight. She ignited it, the two pearl-white blades shooting out of either end, but right as she was about to swing it, she saw Fable and Tyler, both watching her, surrounded by stormtroopers, their weapons gone.
"You really thought you could save him?" Shay asked.
"You're mad!" she screamed. "You're giving up this war, for what?"
"The answer is quite simple," he said. "I have dealt with Force users for far too long, been told that I was below them, all because I couldn't wield something that could hardly give anyone an edge in battle. I am erradicating that now."
"So this is a power quest, is that it?" Anna asked, swinging her blades around to warn the stormtroopers back.
"You could say that, yes," he said, and the fact that he seemed so pleased with himself made her sick to her stomach. She wanted to take him out right then and there, and she was sure that she would've been able to, but there was someone else who needed her help. She closed her eyes, calling upon the one person on the Star Destroyer that she could trust.
Anakin, she thought. We need you now, your son needs you. He doesn't have much time left.
She repeated it over and over in her mind, swinging her blade every time that she felt the presence of a stormtrooper move toward her. She was completely in touch with Force, not needing anything else but it, to guide her. It acted as every one of her senses, and when she opened her eyes again, she saw her sister standing just off to the side, and knew exactly what had happened. Tyler was as clueless as ever, but Anna was willing to give him a break.
"Let's stop playing games, shall we?" Shay asked. "I've been playing them with you for several year now, it's time to end it all."
"You cannot kill me, Shay," she warned. "You cannot kill any of us."
"We'll see about that," he said, and turned to his troops. "Go, get her."
She swung her blade threateningly at them, and even Shay stepped back from the white light. "You're not getting me," she said confidently. "Nor my sister, or Tyler. This is over."
asghjkl
Did everyone make it through that okay?
This chapter took me so much time to write, it's over 8k words and is almost a short story in itself. Anyway, I hope it wasn't too long, I got in a groove and didn't want to break it up into separate chapters. But, it's still not over (the next chapter is still the battle, but it's going to be less than half of length this one was). hopefully the jumps between POVs were not too awkward.
Double update today because why not.