A/N: Hello all; I was just noticing some new countries are reading this fic! Cool! I love it when new ppl show up to join our fun So, wanna give a holla out to Cyprus, Paraguay, Bulgaria, and Belarus! Welcome guys! I hope you're enjoying the fic. Anyways, we left Vader and Luke with some pretty crazy stuff going on; so let's get to it! As always, MANY thanks for every country that reads, and also to my reviewers. Onward!
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SW Ep. IV: Dark Assassin Ch.35—Firestorm
Luke neatly dodged another blast from the Sith; apparently, the dark lord was no longer amused at this 'game' they'd been playing.
He probably didn't like watching chunks of his DS getting blown up. Luke smirked.
Too bad; because he wasn't done yet.
He saw Fade flinch in his peripherals. "What is it?" he asked.
The dark lord has decided to finish the duel, was the somber reply, I am still able to hold him at bay; but he is quite certain now you have a Force-empowered ally. I was attempting to conceal my presence within your own.
Luke nodded. They had all known Fade's anonymity wouldn't last either. Luke gripped the controls harder, thinking.
He was keeping Vader busy by dodging in and around the dismembered debris created by the last mega-blasts. Noc was still sending rockets and torpedoes in all directions, the long-distance ones. Fade was Force-dueling harder with Vader as the dark lord attempted to breach her defenses to get to Luke.
Luke's brow furrowed. Why was the Sith not trying to stop any of their firepower? He could have utilized the Force to destroy any of the 'Starazor's' weaponry before it could damage the battle-station. It was almost as if Vader didn't care about the DS at all.
Luke's breath stilled as he dived the ship through a needle-like opening between some fallen towers.
Vader didn't care about the station, so…why?
Why was he even here?
Luke could only imagine it was at the Emperor's behest; having his right hand present to ensure the rebellion's destruction while he cemented his own tyrannical hold back at Coruscant.
The disbanding of the Imperial Senate was only a matter of time, after all. Despots didn't want any rivals for their power, it was too… inconvenient.
In the distance, he could feel the ecstatic relief of Red Leader as he shot the proton torpedoes at the thermal exhaust port.
Luke let himself hope…against his better judgment he allowed the tiny flickers of—
"It's a hit?" Home One asked exuberantly.
Luke saw the flashes of light that signaled the torpedoes had missed the port.
"Negative," was the weary reply, "negative, it didn't go in; just impacted on the surface."
They were running out of time; the DS was nearly around the planet; the chronometer told Luke they only had two minutes left.
When that super-laser had the moon in its sights…Luke's stomach twisted.
You are running out of options, little assassin, Vader suddenly told him, and Luke jolted before he could stop himself. Your tricks and…questionable weaponry is most impressive, but still not enough to save your friends.
More deaths flickered in the Force. Only Biggs, Wedge and a few others were left.
Luke sighed; what was he going to do!?
Surrender, was the answer, surrender now and I shall spare the surviving pilots.
Luke swallowed hard. It was tempting, he couldn't deny it.
You would not truly consider surrender, Fade told him firmly. Noc chirped angrily at him.
"Guys, Biggs," Luke said, and another terrible thought had been in the back of his mind ever since their escape from the DS. "And what about Tank? If we destroy the Death Star, he'll die too."
Fade put her head down; clearly she'd been haunted by the same thought. Yes, she conceded, but if we do not, what other option is there?
Surrender assassin, Vader pressed forebodingly, there is no other way.
The main canon, Luke desperately thought, how do we deal with that canon!?
The answer slapped him in the face. He was an idiot!
"Some assassin I am," he muttered, changing their trajectory abruptly, "Noc, how much firepower to we have left."
Noc clucked his tongue at him, as if that were the stupidest question in the universe.
"That much?" Luke asked with icy pleasure. "Good."
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Vader knew he had fractured the boy's resolve, he had nearly pushed the young assassin into surrender.
Until, he'd sensed a shift in the child's mindset, something…diabolical had percolated in his mind, and the boy had unexpectedly thrown off Vader's words and swerved his ship in a new direction.
A Nubian skiff…like the one he'd seen so long ago, on a blazing inferno of a world.
He shoved the thought away and maneuvered to keep the boy in his sights.
Vader let himself grin, even as an intuition grew inside of him what the boy's new ploy was.
The child had proven himself creative and clever, Vader had sensed him realize that that dark lord had no care if the DS was blasted to atoms or not, demonstrating the assassin's own shrewdness.
And, however he had acquired such an inexplicable creature…whatever it was, as an ally, Vader took as a very promising sign.
Anyone worthy of a creature who was clearly some strange anomaly in the Force was definitely worthy to be his apprentice.
Vader wanted to shake his head in disbelief; just earlier this very day he would never have considered such an absurd notion before…an assassin as his right hand?
There were Sith-assassins, Palpatine had them trained and employed for his own twisted purposes, but there was a universe of difference between a Sith-assassin and a full Sith Lord, a One of Two.
And Vader was fully aware of every Sith-everything the Emperor kept to carry out his bidding—though Palpatine wasn't aware of that as yet—and Vader had sifted through their ranks, seeing if any of their number would be a worthy second…and they had each fallen short.
Proved wanting.
Vader had wondered, especially after Celeste Morne, if he would ever find a right hand.
He wondered no longer.
This boy, however incomprehensible he was in some ways…had proven an enemy deserving of Vader's respect.
And Vader respected precious few people.
When they cleared the horizon and Vader could get a clear visual of the main canon, he smiled.
Ah; the boy was going to destroy the DS's main canon, very clever indeed.
No canon meant no threat to his rebel friends. How wise; weakly sentimental, but wise.
Vader was quite certain the rebellion would dearly miss this boy's aid when he was standing at Vader's right hand, ruling the galaxy.
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Leia clenched the rim of the viewing pit. Ben put a hand on her shoulder.
"Luke won't fail," he whispered, his voice partly smothered by reports coming in of the evac.
The base was nearly empty; good, at least if the DS fired—
Lives would still be lost, Leia knew.
There was no 'lesser of two evils' scenario, not really.
She chewed her lip, watching Luke's skiff wreak havoc all across the super-weapon.
She thought about what Luke had told her, about his past.
Little did everyone know that this was a super-weapon vs. super-weapon battle.
"He's taking so many risks," she murmured; and they'd lost already so many pilots.
She couldn't bear for Luke to be one of them.
General Dondonna heard that part. "Princess," he tried to console, "he is, but you can clearly see what endless talent he has; if anyone can do this, it's your new smuggler friend."
'Her new smuggler friend.' She thought of Han, now long gone.
"Yeah," was all she could say.
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Luke kept his gaze solidly on the DS's surface as the main canon came into view.
Because it was suddenly so thick with turrets and blaster towers he had to suddenly break off to avoid the ship getting bombarded with enough blaster-power to level a continent.
Luke was frustrated, but not surprised; when Vader had tapered off his attack at the last minute, Luke had rationalized there could only be one reason why.
Surely Vader had even less concern over the canon's vulnerability than he did the trench.
Leia's voice was suddenly over the comm. "Luke, the Death Star will clear the planet in 30 seconds, it's got to be soon."
"I know," was the grave reply. "Don't worry, Leia," he stonily added, "I won't fail."
He had other options, after all. He looked to Noc.
"Noc, launch the new smart-pedos."
Link and Mouse's special project they had done in their spare time.
To keep from getting bored and into trouble, they'd said.
Noc fired all 12 of them. The smart-pedos were equipped with a full computer system capable of detecting attacks and preform all defensive maneuvers.
Luke watched, his stomach fluttering excitedly as the weapons easily evaded all bombasts from the DS's canon defenses, their on-board systems beeping and calculating new trajectories that will take them to the target in one piece.
At least they had been until Vader's TIE swooped down, and he crushed them with the dark side.
Luke slouched in his chair as their fireballs announced his failure.
This sight displeases you, Vader taunted, perhaps you'd care to take in this instead. He gestured to Luke's left in the Force. Luke peered over—
No; the moon, he could see Yavin 4.
He yanked hard on the controls; he had to destroy the station, now.
Do you think I will allow you? Vader asked frostily, haughtily.
Luke ignored him. He wouldn't let Vader distract him any longer.
He had to get to that port.
Surrender child, save what remains of your friends.
Then Luke felt it; two more pilots were gone.
Only Biggs and Wedge were left.
He swallowed, hard, feeling the anger rise afresh.
I never did learn what that word meant, he snarled to the dark lord.
He tried to not shudder at the Sith's chilling, approving smile in the Force.
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Vader watched the remaining two pilots in the Force frantically struggle to save not only their puny lives, but the lives of their pathetic rebellion.
Of course, Vader had sensed the rebels 'secretly' launching evac vessels from the moon's far side; under the Imperial radar.
He snickered, fools; as if they had the means to conceal anything from the Sith.
No; he needed the rebellion alive, alive and functioning. The larger the rebellion grew, the more unstable the Empire came…the more destabilized the Empire, the more Palpatine's authority was undermined.
A leader who cannot squash insurrection is questioned by his own government, by his own ruling class. For now, the Emperor was feared and obeyed, but if the rebellion continued to expand, to gain more members, more worlds, a time would come when the Imperial citizenship would clamor for a new leader.
A role Vader would step in to fulfill—after overthrowing his 'master.'
With his apprentice at his side.
No one would tremble before Palpatine after seeing how impotent he truly was in keeping the galaxy under his heel.
While Vader had to admit that the old man's cagey scheme to destroy the Galactic Republic and institute the first Galactic Empire had been brilliant, it was clear that seventeen years later, Palpatine's time had run out.
His purpose was served: to bring the Sith Order back into domination.
Now, new leadership was needed to bring true peace and order to the galaxy.
That was Vader's destiny.
The assassin had reached his friends, who were trying to reach the trench where a weakness no doubt lurked in the station.
Vader sighed; ah, the naïve youth, each believing he could single-handedly save the galaxy.
Foolish, idealistic; much like Anakin Skywalker had been.
For a fleeting moment, Vader realized that this mysterious assassin was actually much like Anakin Skywalker, long ago.
All the better; Anakin had gained the wisdom at the end of his life to realize the Sith were the only path to true power.
This boy would learn the same.
The formidable skiff easily pelted every TIE in the vicinity, the other TIEs now wary and keeping their distance from the rebel trio.
The three ships made for the trench.
Vader followed.
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"What about that tower?" Wedge asked worriedly.
"I don't care about the blasted tower," Luke said harshly, "I told you, fall back to Yavin 4. I'll take care of this."
"We're not leaving you Luke," Biggs emphatically said.
Luke sighed. He hated it when Biggs was stubborn. "Biggs, what about…Tank?"
Biggs was quiet. "Did you contact him? Maybe he could get away-?"
Biggs had meant contact him through Fade of course.
Luke nodded. "Yeah, we did…on the way here actually."
"And?" Biggs' tone said plainly he already knew the answer.
"He said he won't abandon his post," was the mournful reply.
A grieving sigh. "All right, well…we've got to do this."
He didn't even hide his misery. He knew Luke felt the same way.
Wedge made a point of not asking what was going on; sensing it was a private thing.
"All right," Luke said returning to business, "you two can stay back there, but the first sign of trouble you fall back. My ship's plating can take a lot of punishment; you guys' can't."
"Sure thing boss," Wedge emotionlessly said, clearly hating the idea of being useless.
Luke felt him close in again; Vader.
"Fade, we can't let him get Biggs and Wedge." It was selfish; he wouldn't deny it.
He had so few friends, and Biggs was so important to him, had been a close friend for so long.
Fade nodded, sensing his roiling emotions no doubt. I will do what I can.
Luke nodded, a knot of guilt forming in his throat.
Why couldn't he have been so concerned about all of the other pilots, now dead?
No, Ben had been wrong; his father would be far from proud of him.
Not when his morals were so severely skewed.
Jedi were the epitome of virtue and honor; no selfishness, ever. Not even possession was allowed.
He could feel the shaft drawing near. Then Vader.
Green death spewed at Wedge, striking one of his foils.
"I'm hit," the man said, clearly alarmed, I can't stay with you."
"Get out of there Wedge, you can't do any more good back there," Luke said firmly.
"Sorry!"
"Biggs, go with him!"
"Not a chance!"
"I'm not gonna let you do anything stupid!"
"Covering you isn't stupid; besides 'stupid' is your exclusive province."
Luke ground his teeth, his face warming from the frustration taking him over.
Luke, Ben's voice was abruptly in his head, like a cool breeze, calm down.
Biggs is-!
I know, but your fear and anxiety will not help anyone, clear your mind; trust the Force.
Listen to him, friend, Fade put in soothingly.
Luke exhaled, blowing his angst out with it.
The shaft was so very near; but he could sense the DS firing up as well, taking aim at the rebel base.
He held onto his calm.
You are moments from failure, Vader cut in, slashing into his calm like a toxic blade, now I will teach you what surrender means.
He fired at…Biggs!
"No!" Luke screamed.
But, something large and disc-shaped dived seemingly from nowhere and took the brunt of the blast.
"Hey kid! Did I miss much?"
Han!
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A/N: I hope you enjoyed! Please leave a review! Remember, Ep. V is coming soon!