Chapter 14
Padmé hit the send button with relish, glad to finally be done with the initial assessments of the repairs to the Jedi temple. It was by no means the end of the matter; once the building was made stable and habitable, they would begin rebuilding it to new heights. For now though, the first stage of giving the Jedi a home was under way.
She stretched and checked her chrono. It was evening, about the time when the ground troopers performed their training drills. She grabbed her blaster, hoping to join them. She was under no illusions that she wouldn't need it and it would be good to get some practice in before they reached scarif.
It was still strange to stride down the stark corridors of the imperial ship, receiving respectful nods from the staff she passed on her way. She recognised some of the officers from rebellion dossiers, but most were unfamiliar faces, ranks unidentifiable except for the darker stripes where the imperial badges had been hastily removed.
The firing range deafeningly loud, packed with storm troopers in neat rows as they advanced on simulation targets. She was directed to a smaller training room off to one side by another unfamiliar officer, the smirks cast in her direction making her wish she could show them what she was actually capable of. She fingered her blaster, wondering if perhaps it would be an idea to try one of the more powerful imperial ones as well.
In the end, she spent a good half hour blasting targets with her little gun. It was a rathe nice facility with little targets that popped up at different ranges and advanced on her along tracks almost silently. She was breathing heavily by the time she finished a drill, so she almost missed the applause from the black figure just inside the doorway.
'Vader. What are you doing here?' She sighed, wiping carbon off the blaster muzzle with a rag.
'I assumed if you were down here that you'd finished with the paperwork.' He replied, strolling over. He pressed the button combination on the control panel, closing down the range. 'We will arrive at Scarif in twenty minutes, walk with me?'
She nodded and they strolled from the room. This time there were no looks, the troopers were so focused on performing their manoeuvres immaculately in front of their commander that they weren't even spared a glance.
'What are we expecting?' She asked quietly once they were in the deserted corridors.
'We have no idea, but either Tarkin has already retrieved the plans, or hopefully he will still be in orbit.'
'So what, we just blow up the station if he's there?'
'I believe a single fighter, manned by myself will be able to make the shot. If he's not there... we pursue Tyrannus and hope that we find the Death Star before Tarkin completes the firing mechanism.' Padmé gulped, glancing at his expression. They walked in silence until they reached the command room where Obi Wan waited.
'Padmé, how did your training go?' Obi Wan asked kindly but his attention wasn't on her. Instead, he was surveying the projection of Scarif. She answered with some meaningless summary, equally as interested in the planet before her. It was mostly oceans, rocky islands with tropical growth in winding chains that suggested frequent volcanic activity. There was only one large building, a spire with a web of artificial connections to the surrounding islands. More concerning was the planetary shield, which wouldn't be a problem unless Tarkin had managed to override Vader's codes. If he had... she hoped the Executor had the power to blast them through, although she doubted it, not if Tarkin had managed to maintain the fleet that had guarded the Death Star.
Someone tapped on the door and it slid open to reveal a nervous looking young pilot. His hands shook as he stepped in, and although Padmé and Obi Wan were cast quick glances, it was clear he only had eyes for Vader. The imposing commander turned to face him.
'Your lordship, er...that is, majesty...' the poor man stumbled, looking around as if hoping someone would correct his form of address.
'Lord Vader will suffice. Commence your report, pilot.' Vader sighed, and the pilot took a deep breath, standing up straight and looking off into the distance.
'The Death Star is in orbit around Scarif, the planetary shields engaged but the gate is open.'
'Very good.' Vader went as if to dismiss him, but the pilot suddenly spoke over him, surprising considering how nervous he had seemed.
'Sir, I couldn't help but notice an unusual ship in the hangars of the Death Star.'
For a moment there was dead silence, Vader turned back to face the pilot, his expression deadly. The pilot went white.
'You approached the Death Star.' He growled.
'Yes Sir, a supply ship arrived moments after I did, so I flew in his sensor shadow to get a closer look. I wasn't spotted mi'Lord, I swear it. But this ship Sir, it was an old red Nubian.'
'An old red Nubian.' Vader repeated and the terrified pilot nodded his head. 'You are certain you were not seen?'
The pilot nodded his head frantically. Vader turned away, bracing his arms on the holoprojector and staring into the blue projection of Scarif. Dead silence reigned, the pilot shifted, waiting for dismissal. Padmé took a breath to ask what that ship meant.
'Pilot, proceed the the hangar 16, you will find a ship in bay 12. Prepare it for combat, you will be the pilot.'
'But Sir, that's your ship.' The pilot stuttered, looking both amazed and terrified at the same time.
'And now it is yours, I will be flying my Eta.' He finished shortly, which the pilot seemed to realise was a dismissal. He fled with profuse thanks, the door sliding shut behind him. There was a moment of silence.
'I'm assuming that red ship isn't Dooku.' Obi Wan sighed tiredly and Vader shook his head.
'I knew it was too easy. Sidious owned a red Nubian, a gift from when he was senator.'
For a moment Padmé's thoughts stalled. Emperor Palpatine was still alive. She had seen his palace decimated with her very eyes, but somehow he had survived that? She couldn't believe it, but the two force users seemed convinced and she had long learned that they tended to be right about these things.
'Forget blowing it up. This time I will kill him with my own blade.' Vader vowed, his eyes gleaming with a cruel light.
From there everything became a flurry of activity. She would go down to the shield generator with a battalion and ensure that it was closed. If Palpatine was planet-side, he wouldn't be escaping when their backs were turned. In the mean time, Obi Wan and Vader would search the battle station.
The soldiers that we're to escort her were the same ones that had sneered earlier in the ranges, she could tell because their commanding officer needed to visit the ship's barber. They settled into silence grudgingly when she took the stage in the briefing room, but at least there were no rude comments as she brought up the hologram of the shield ship. Her plan was brief, simple and thoroughly vetted by the two more experienced warriors, so she was at least somewhat confident as she delivered it.
Twenty minutes later she stood aboard a troop carrier, armed with her blaster and the fanciest com unit she'd ever seen. The soldiers had seemed surprised that she'd joined them, and she noticed too late that all the grey uniformed officers had disappeared. She wasn't going to ask where they had gone, so she just stood in the packed transport and it shifted and rumbled - clearly troop carriers didn't warrant the kind of gravity compensators she'd seen in the imperial shuttles.
A shot shuddered through the ship, she grabbed onto the netting to stay upright and tried to peer out through the small window. The clone next to her shuffled out of the way.
'Looks like about half a squadron of ties Ma'am.' The clone offered as she ducked and weaved to try and get a count.
'Thank you,' she replied, tensing slightly. 'Please pass on to the captain to broadcast instructions to protect the Death Star on all frequencies those ties are equipped to receive. An old encryption will ensure the decryption is automatic.'
The clone nodded in consideration before passing the message through the packed throng. Several more impacts shook the ship, then suddenly several ties whizzed past the window, joining the stream heading to defend the Death Star. Hopefully they would arrive and be redirected back in this direction just in time for the two force users to sneak behind them. Perhaps she could be good at this commanding thing.
They landed with a heavy crunch, then there was a change in pitch of the motor as the portable magnetic shield powered up beneath them. A pair of clones carrying a plasma torch opened a circular hatch in the floor, dropping down into the small shielded space. A moment later acres smoke filled the transport, then a loud clang signalled that the troopers had finished. Moments later a call came up from below and troops streamed through the opening.
Padme ended up in the middle of the crowd, hesitating only a moment as she jumped down to the exterior surface of the ship. It was disconcerting to stand in the vacuum of space, even if she knew the glowing ring signalled the edges of the magnetic shields. From here she could see the remaining three troop carriers clamping down on the station surface and cutting their own entrances. Things were progressing nicely so far.
She dropped through the hole into the ship below where troopers waited. Already they were working on the door at the end of the corridor. She drew her blaster and took off the safety.
The hail of laser fire was returned with an immediate volley of their own when the door finally opened. The imperial soldiers dropped through the hole in the ceiling still, rolling quickly for cover and joining the fire. A group rushed forwards in a brief lull, and for a moment there was a mess of shouts and smoke, then everything fell quiet.
A pause.
'Move up!' Someone bellowed from the next corridor and she dashed forwards at the head of the remainder of the clones. The blast door slid shut behind them, then a second heavier shield slammed over it as the room they'd just left depressurised. The transport with its magnetic shield was gone.
Someone shot down the corridor and her blaster hummed as she returned fire. Perhaps it was her shot, or one of the other five that felled him, but nobody paused as they jumped over the body and rushed to the next blast door. Shots pinged over her head and she dropped to the floor with enough force to wind her, then shuffled into cover as she struggled to draw in a breath. For a long minute blaster fire was exchanged, then the blast doors slid open and her cover wasn't cover anymore.
A bang and a flash of light, then blue smoke poured out from the room they'd just opened. She quickly popped off a couple of shots down the left hand corridor, then dove into the blue smoke.
She slammed into a console of some sort and was quickly joined by a pair of clones. They seemed surprised to see her there, but she ignored that and ordered them over to the next console to leave space for the next group. Her blaster wasn't really suited to much more than the occasional shot, and it was beginning to get warm in her hands, so she grabbed the rifle off one of the enemy troopers and joined the clones in laying down some covering fire. Her breathing came in harsh pants as the butt of the weapon slammed repeatedly into her shoulder, the acrid smoke burning her lungs.
Someone ran infront of her and she barely managed to stop firing before she hit them. She tossed the rifle aside and followed them down the corridor to the blast doors for the command room. There was a moment of confusion as the other team joined them and they fired on each other, before realising that they were friends. A squad of clones rushed up with a crate, pulling out several heavy charges the size of her torso. Padmé ducked behind another console for cover and covered her ears.
A ground shaking boom, and she jumped up, blaster drawn as she rushed up to the doorway. The floor was damaged but the breaching charges had done exactly as planned and completely obliterated the door. Unfortunately some of the shrapnel had damaged the equipment but the far console seemed undamaged. It was easy pickings to drop the dazed officers and technicians and then she was pressing the large red button on the console. Blue rippled across the gap, sealing the planet.