Chapter 25…
Coruscant. It had taken Mara and the crew another solid day to reach the city-planet. Mara sat in the pilot's seat of the Fast Pace, and gawked at all the lights. They alone could display just how many lives were at stake. Unconsciously, Mara re-adjusted her hands on the controls as Weo watched by her side.
Not bothering to glance at the other woman, Mara spoke, "You ready for this?"
"Ready?" Weo came back, and blew out an exaggerated whine. "Oh, there's no 'ready' in this, sister. I have my restraining belt on. That's about as ready as I'm gonna get."
Mara smiled, but still didn't turn to her. For the past day, they had attempted to strategize how they could reach Leia Organa Solo without alerting Retafured to their presence. It was true that through the Force, Mara was close enough to the capital planet to merely reach out and alert Leia that way…
Of course, when has anything ever been that simple? While Leia was close by, she was busy speaking with an ambassador on a nearby transport vessel. Mara had already contacted her, but there was no way Leia could help them enter Coruscant from their present state. They were too close to the vast planet to move away. In all essence, they were on their own.
"Chadal…Traya," Mara called out over her shoulder. "You ready?"
"As much as Weo," Traya replied. With the Force, Mara could tell the man was sweating.
As the Fast Pace soared past the positioned satellites hovering around Coruscant like an electronic halo, their transmitter was quick to receive the call.
"This is Coruscant security," a voice sizzled through the comm system. "Identify yourself, then wait for an escort vessel."
"I'm sorry?" Mara called back as she zoomed the ship closer to Coruscant's atmosphere. "What was that?"
The man sighed, and repeated, "This is Coruscant security. Slow your vessel to according limits, and give your identification marks."
"What?" Mara shouted back. "Describe our ship's parts?"
"Slow your vessel!" he yelled that time. "I'm not asking again!"
"What?" was Mara's last reply. Flipping a switch of the console, the angry cries of the other being went dead throughout the ship.
With that, Mara gave Weo a sardonic smirk; she asked, "Gee, you think they fell for that one?"
"Playing dumb?" Weo replied, and then shook her head. "By this point, I don't think we are."
Mara didn't have time to laugh. The Force rippled as if Mara was in the center of a field full of stormtroopers; hands clasped to the ship's controls, she stared down at the planet and gasped. A whole squadron of New Republic starfighters was racing up to greet them. Even a few modified X-wing fighters, and B-wings. Mara licked her lips. She hadn't expected that much of a welcoming party.
"Looks like they've tightened security," Chadal called from behind. "Good thing we have our restraining belts!"
"Hold on!" Mara shouted, and jerked the controls to the right.
The Fast Pace spun off from the starfighters in front of them like a speeder gone mad. Flipping over once, Mara immediately sensed the fighters behind her.
The Force shook. She yanked at the controls again. The vessel launched upwards, and then down as it avoided blaster fire. Coruscant's lights were becoming bright in the viewpoint. Pulling deeper into the atmosphere, other bystanding transport vessels mutated into a new line of blockade.
Chadal shouted; Weo and Traya cursed.
Mara swerved their ship from one port to another, almost clipping a Mon Calamari ship's outer satellite saucer. Her comm system was blinking like crazy. Everyone wanted to speak with them.
The Force was in her grip. She felt it—flowed with it. The sensation was calming, but her body was still a rigged board. The security fighters kept right behind her, never deserting their tail. No matter how many maneuvers she spewed out, there was no losing them.
A blaster bolt jostled the ship. Mara blinked, clenching the controls in her hands.
Weo checked the systems. "Back shields just went dead!" she shouted, and tossed a look at Mara.
From behind, Traya's curses rang throughout the cockpit.
Chadal only spoke one thing. "We are going to die."
"Just keep the optimism up back there!" Mara snapped, and then switched on the comm system again. There were no more chances of a peaceful getaway. If she allowed the Fast Pace to be shot down, then the entire human race would crash with it.
The angry voices of the starfighter pilots, Coruscant's ground security, and even a few bystanding transport vessels hissed through the cockpit like Traya's cursing. Pressing the output button, Mara shouted, "We don't want to fight you! You have exactly two seconds to call off your fighters before I turn my guns your way."
Static engulfed the comm, and then, "All right, peaceful explorers," a voice snapped back, "then, would you mind explaining why you're running off?"
"Your two seconds are up," Mara reported. "Just remember, I warned you."
"Warning noted," the man replied darkly.
The comm was silent.
From her right, Weo frowned at her. "Don't tell me you actually expected that to work?"
"No," Mara explained, "but, I had to try. It's a Jedi thing."
"Okay—" the last of Weo's statement trailed off into a gasp.
The Fast Pace abruptly soared upwards. Drawing the controls back to her chest, Mara groaned. The vast lights of Coruscant shifted to the stars of space. The ship rumbled with her piercing roll as if it was ready to split into two. Clenching her teeth, Mara snapped the controls to the left. Darting upwards from Coruscant, the ship was almost in a tailspin.
Everyone shouted in panic.
Everyone but Mara.
The Force consumed her. She breathed with it, becoming a part of it. She could see the fighters in the back of her mind…see them attempt to pull off the same maneuver. Some passed through in their tiny ships. Others were losing altitude, their vessels not willing to follow behind. One veered too far to the left—
The tiny starship couldn't manage. The low orbiting satellite was small, but the size didn't matter. The fighter collided with it the same it would another ship. The explosion was like a dim spark of life, and then nothing.
Mara winced. Her hands loosened on the controls, her heart pounding with guilt. Nonetheless, the Force was still blaring, and her emotions were still set; after another second, she found her composure again.
And, just as she had pulled the Fast Pace up through the wild atmosphere of Coruscant, she allowed it to plummet.
Yanking the controls away from her body, she twisted them right. The tip of the vessel spun back toward the planet. The other starfighters would have never expected the move. None were prepared.
Too close, the fighters scrambled to escape.
Mara had one in her sights. She pressed the button at the tip of her controls. Without the Force, there was no doubt in Mara's mind that she couldn't pull off such a feat. Nevertheless, as the energy filled her, her vision crisp in both her eyes and mind, the red sparks of fire rang from her ship, and snagged the fighter. Its wing instantly fractured as if made from rotted wood; the pilot ejected from his ship. Mara passed by without another thought, moving toward the others.
They were not ready, either.
She fired again.
Again, another pilot ejected.
Then, another.
She was on to the fourth one when a wild wave of the Force zipped up her back. Even set in her emotions, a breath of air was forced out of her lungs. There was no Force needed. The mass of ships shooting up from Coruscant to greet them was visible to all peering eyes.
"Mara," Weo gently muttered, and pointed.
"Yeah," Mara mumbled back, her lip trembling.
Reaching out with the Force, she closed her eyes for the last seconds of peace her and the rest of the ship's crew would endure. The few tiny moments, however, did not go to waste.
Pushing out with her mind, Mara called out for the last ounce of hope—to the only one who had a chance of helping them.
Uh, Leia?
Mara's voice struck Leia like a bantha howling three inches from her ear. Scurrying across the hangerbay of the Imperial Palace from Ambassador Niea's vessel, Leia Organa Solo almost collapsed.
Her sister-in-law was strong and determined. So was her plea.
Gasping, Leia grabbed the edge of her light blue dress, and elevated its bottom off the ground. Other Senators pitched her funny looks as she darted down the vast corridor of the Palace, her long brown strands falling from their pins.
Waves of fighters were there to block the way. Inner city speeders sped up from the lowest parts of the atmosphere to create a barrier for the single vessel before it could reach the vast city-planet. There were too many for Mara to count. Even with the Force.
"Well," Weo spoke from her side, "I think we can consider this the blunder of our plan."
"Or, an omen," Traya replied, gripping the edges of his seat.
"Or, an execution," Chadal added.
With that, Mara merely huffed. "Again, your optimism is sending me to tears, guys. Thank you."
They spoke nothing after that. Of course, it probably wasn't Mara's retort that had silenced them. The first surge of Coruscant fighters wheeled passed, sending off a wave of firepower as they flew.
The next group to come in was just as deadly.
"I think this can be considered a blunder, yes," Mara muttered as she twisted the controls this way and that.
It didn't matter. Coruscant's fighters were in every direction. There was no escape. Even with the Force, with all her abilities, Mara knew they were losing.
Then, it happened. It wasn't so much as a relief as a feeling of comfort…a dim glow in the middle of all the chaos. At first, Mara thought that somehow—some way—Leia had found a ship and decided to join the fight.
Nonetheless, as the presence drew closer, Mara was already thanking the Force. It didn't take long for it to reach her. As it did, the comm system on the Fast Pace beeped.
Jerking at the controls, Mara swiftly flipped on the comm before going back to the fight.
"Need a little help?" the voice of Corran Horn said through the system.
"Yes!" Mara shouted back, and corkscrewed her ship to avoid another blast. "Yes, Corran…please! I'll even marry you. Just help!"
"A proposal—wow. I'm flattered."
"Help, Corran!"
"I'm here—I'm here," he called back.
An X-wing shot through the vast sea of Coruscant fighters. Spinning one way, it screamed as a tide of red fire discharged from the ends of its wings. The other ships seemed to hesitate at that, unsure what had just transpired. Mara could sense their shock.
Its affect was only momentary. Half of the ships broke off, following Corran. The others…
Blasts came and went. Fire hit her ship. She replied with her own blaster power. The fighting continued.
"You must have really pissed them off, Mara," Corran spoke, his voice strained.
Groaning as she throw the Fast Pace into another round of turns and twirls, the Force shot up her back. "You've got five behind you, Corran!"
"You have seven!" he shouted. "Didn't you notice we're a touch outnumbered?"
"Corran!" Mara screamed as she watched his ship disappear through the middle of the starfighters and vessels.
Her heart pounded. Goosebumps formed on her arms and legs. The Force tried to calm her, but there was no use. She attempted to sense for his presence, but the belt of starfighters wouldn't allow her to do anything but dodge blaster bolts.
Then, just as easily as it had vanished, the X-wing of Corran Horn came to Mara's side. Mara sucked in a breath in relief, and scorned, "Don't do that."
"Wasn't trying to," he replied. "In fact, three were still tailing right behind me…then suddenly stopped pursuit."
"What?"
"They—," he paused, and then yelled in a feverish tone, "Mara—look!"
Corran didn't have to say it. Slowly, the immense body of ships dropped their attack. One after another, they reverted towards the Coruscant as if connected by an invisible cord.
"What in the worlds—" Weo started, but Mara already had a hand on the comm.
Switching the frequency, the voice of Coruscant's security spoke, "Repeat—unmarked freighter. You're permitted to venture forward. Courtesy of one Leia Organa Solo."