Chapter 28: Not Over Yet.


As soon as the Falcon took off and escape from the Death Star, Ahsoka let out a sigh of relief. She couldn't believe that they had escaped, and yet she couldn't help but feel as though this whole ordeal wasn't over yet. And Anakin, oh god Anakin, she looked back at Kalifa who wasn't saying anything. She couldn't even believe what her daughter must be going through. Anakin had sacrificed himself so that they could escape.

Feeling sorry for Kalifa, Ahsoka sat down next to her and put a hand on her shoulder, Kalifa looked up at her when she did this and smiled. Ahsoka was grateful for that. "Hey," she said as calmly as she could. "Are you OK?" Kalifa gave her a look that said that she wasn't OK at all, "I know," Ahsoka sighed "stupid question." She then pulled her daughter in for a hug, to which she realized that she hadn't done in a long time. "I can't imagine what you must be going through."

"I watched him." Kalifa said still hugging Ahsoka, "He-" she struggled at getting her sentence out, "he sacrificed himself, so that we-" tears started to come from Kalifa's eyes "do you know what the worst part is, Mom?" Ahsoka didn't answer her daughter's question "I can't even believe he's gone." Kalifa let go of Ahsoka and stood up walking towards the exit of the cockpit. She then said the words that Ahsoka knew what was coming "I hate him." Kalifa said softly and she took a deep breath, "I hate Vader."

Ahsoka figured that now would be the time to tell her the truth, "Kalifa-" she started to say but she was interrupted by some of the Falcon's machinery, the warning signal, something was following them. Han came rushing into the room quickly followed by Luke, Leia, Chewie and the Droids.

"Come on kid." Han directed this at Kalifa who nodded "we're not out of this yet." Han then rushed outside the room, Kalifa then walked away from her mother and said.

"What was that thing you wanted to tell me?"

Ahsoka wanted to tell her daughter so badly, that it hurt, but for some reason she wasn't going to, given what her daughter had just been through, she wasn't ready. "It can wait, do what you need to." Amazingly Kalifa understood and left the room. For a girl just turning 16 years old, Kalifa was pretty mature for her age.

The doors of the cockpit closed and Kalifa headed towards the Falcon's main gunnery "So, how do these thing's work?" she asked as she prepared herself.

"Just point and shoot kid, it's that easy" came Han's voice from the other gun. At this Kalifa smiled and switched on the targeting and saw that TIE Fighter's were following them "how many can you see on the scanners?" Han asked her. Kalifa looked at the scanner which showed 3 TIE Fighters following them.

"Just 3 at the moment." She shouted back and at this Han smiled and switched on his gun. Just in time too as the TIES appeared outside the windows. "Are you ready?" Kalifa asked as she prepared herself too. Although never having worked on a weapon like this before, she got the hang of it.

"I'm as ready as I'll ever be!" Han shouted back and with that the battle began, it took a while for Kalifa to get her first shot as the TIE in front of her was being annoying, it dodged every single shot that it threw at her and sent lasers at the Falcon which Han wasn't to pleased about, "Try and keep the ship in one peice kid!"

"I'm doing my best!" Kalifa snapped back at him but, then she noticed something that was happening around her, and was it Kalifa's imagination or was she hearing Anakin's voice speaking to her? No this was the same thing that happened on the Death Star, she quieted her mind and pulled the trigger. The fighter in front of her screen blew up almost instantly and with this Kalifa laughed "ha, ha, I got him!" She called as she watched the explosion happen. "Han! I got him!"

At this Han smiled and turned his chair round to face her gun area, "that's great kid." He turned back to face his TIE and warned her, "don't get cocky!" Kalifa shouted something but Han couldn't hear it as he was too busy focusing on his own fighter which was proving to be really annoying, if Kalifa got her's easy then Han was having a real hard time trying to shoot the damn thing. Every time Han fired the fighter avoided, like it was being clever. But this was all of Han's plan. He waited for the right oppertunity and there! He had it, the TIE had come within range of his Targeting computer, he took a deep breath and pulled the trigger.

The second TIE exploded just as Han fired. With that he sighed in relief just as Kalifa destroyed the final fighter. "Chewie!" Han called into his comlink, "set a course for Yavin IV." Chewie let out some grunts and followed Han's orders, he then exited the gunnery quickly followed by Kalifa.

"Oh," Kalifa said as she came out of the gunnery, "that was." She smiled and hugged Han, which was unexpected "Amazing, that was such a rush, I've fired blasters before but never." Han cut her off and let go,

"Don't mention it kid, but I doubt that's the last of the Empire we'll be seeing today." At the mention of the Empire, Kalifa couldn't help but agree, as she entered the cockpit and wondered what Darth Vader must be planning now.

In truth Vader wasn't planning anything at all, "Sir!" A Stormtrooper said as they brought in the body of the Seventh Sister, "one of the men found her like this."

"Put her down there, Vader said just as Govener Tarkin entered the room. Vader was having too much of a good day to let Tarkin ruin it, the Sister's death only fuelled his anger, but Skywalker's that was motivation to finish what Vader started.

"Lord Vader." Tarkin said as he looked at the body of the Sister, "I'm sorry for your loss." He clearly wasn't but Vader ignored him, Tarkin then turned his back in Vader which gave Vader the perfect oppertunity, he hated Tarkin, Tarkin was something he needed to be rid of, "I trust you're plan worked then?"

"To which plan are you referring too?"

"The tracking device," Tarkin said referring to the device which was placed on the Millennium Falcon before it's escape, "I'm putting a lot of faith in you, Vader this had better work."

"How dare you question my plans?"

"I dare because the Emperor-" that did it for Vader, he ignited his blood red Lightsaber and stabbed Tarkin straight through the heart, killing him almost instantly.

"I," Vader whispered ever so softly as Tarkin died, "don't care what my master thinks. I have my own plans. Of which don't concern him or you" Vader took his Lightsaber out of Tarkin's body and ordered two Trooper's to take it and the Sister's away, "my plans are my own concerns." Vader said softly, "soon we'll be together again, and nothing will stop us." The Trooper's then left the room leaving Vader to contemplate his thoughts...