DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN STAR WARS OR ANY ASSOCIATED CHARACTERS
Sorry for the delay on this chapter, but it has been a crazy week, what with university shutting down because of the corona virus. We're even fighting each other for toilet paper now, I mean what is this, doomsday preppers? Anyways, here's the latest chapter. There's a little surprise at the end. Enjoy!
Chapter 25
"My Emperor . . . what you ask is nigh impossible," the feeble officer explained to the dark lord.
On board the Executor, Vader had convened a meeting of the highest ranking naval officers in the Empire. Orbiting over Coruscant, the dreadnaught now served as the temporary headquarters of the plot to destroy the Rebellion. In attendance were Thrawn, Piett, Konstantine, Zsinj, as well as many others.
With no warning, the man suddenly seemed short for breath, dropping his datapad and grasping his neck. His face turned beet red as he clawed at his throat, desperately fighting for some small ounce of oxygen. Arrayed around the conference table, the admirals watched as their Emperor executed the man at the foot of the massive table.
"Is there anyone else who thinks that finding the Rebellion will be impossible?" Vader asked threateningly.
Thrawn cleared his throat. "My Lord, the Rebels may have retreated underground with their victory, but word will have spread of their victory. The entire galaxy will now be looking for their next move, which will be all-out war against us, which they do not have the capability to sustain."
"What are you getting at?" Konstantine questioned.
Thrawn smirked and sighed, clearly annoyed by the lesser intelligence of his fellow officers. "The Rebels will be looking for recruits. Either by liberation, or simple addition."
"Who do you suggest they will turn to first?" Piett asked.
Thrawn stood, clasped his hands behind his back, and began to pace back and forth at the foot of the table, directly across from Vader. "There are several possibilities for where they will turn. The first being sympathetic worlds. But those worlds will not want to risk the full might of the Empire until they are sure that the Rebellion can win. They will therefore have to turn to oppressed worlds that we are putting rebellions down on, or recruit mercenaries. Since the Rebellion has no funding of any kind, the only option left is to liberate a suppressed world."
Vader nodded, impressed with the Chiss' reasoning. "Then what, in your opinion, is the most likely world for them to turn to?"
Thrawn held up a hand, two fingers extended. "There are currently two worlds that are in open rebellion against the Empire, and have been since its foundation. Malastare is the first. The Dugs are relentless and refuse to bow to us, so they remain a possibility. However, I believe the second option is more likely. The wookiees of Kashyyyk have never bowed to the Empire, and have even attempted to seclude a few Jedi from yourself, my Lord Vader. I have no doubt that Kashyyyk is where the Rebellion will turn to next."
"Very well," Vader said, rising to his feet. "Admiral Piett, escort the admirals back to the hangars, see to it that they board their shuttles. Admiral Thrawn, a word in private."
Vader crossed his arms, waiting for the others to file out of the room, before sitting back down again, his expressionless mask trained on the Chiss. "Your mind is truly sharp, Grand Admiral."
"Thank you, my Lord," Thrawn gave a small bow.
Vader pointed a gloved finger at him. "But do not presume to undermine my authority. We will lay in wait for the Rebels on Kashyyyk, but I will be on the surface. I will crush their forces on the ground, so long as you prevent their escape with Admiral Piett. This victory will be my first as Emperor, solidifying my power."
Thrawn bowed once more. "As you wish, Lord Vader," he said through clenched teeth before straightening and heading out the door, leaving the dark lord alone with his thoughts.
"Ah, the wookiees, an excellent idea, General Skywalker," Admiral Ackbar, the Mon Cala, nodded in respect.
Home One's bridge was bustling with activity. Several of the leading Generals and Admirals, including Han, Luke, Leia, Chewie, Obi-Wan, and Anakin, along with a dozen others, were gathered in the center, overlooking the holoprojection of Kashyyyk.
Anakin smirked. "And I'm sure Chewie would be excited to see some of his own people again, isn't that right?"
The tall, hairy creature, who towered over Han next to him, roared in agreement. Han chuckled, making a crossing motion with his arms. "Hold on, now. How exactly do you plan on freeing the fuzzballs? Their entire planet is under Imperial occupation, and what's left of their people has scattered to their swamps, which are impossible to traverse on foot."
Anakin glanced to Luke, who rubbed the back of his head and looked away. Han glanced between the two Jedi, irritation spreading across his features. Anakin turned back to the projector and highlighted an area of the planet. "This is the Origin Tree. The largest tree on Kashyyyk, and also their most sacred. Chewie tells me that most of their warriors would have fled there, using it as a base to launch a guerilla campaign on the Imperials. They're led by Tarfful, Chewie's old war buddy and fellow General. He's the leader of the freedom fighters down there, the very first to ever take up arms against the new Empire."
Han crossed his arms. "Yeah? What about it? I just told you, it's impossible to get there on foot."
Anakin nodded. "I know, and the branches and terrain make it impossible for a ship to carry you. So one option remains . . . vines."
Han blinked, disbelief plastered on his face. "I'm sorry, did you say vines? As in swinging on them?"
"I did," Anakin nodded. "And me, you, Chewie, and Luke are leaving first thing in the morning."
Han ran a hand through his hair. "Boy, I should have paid Jabba back."
That comment earned several chuckles around the table, until Luke asked the question they were all thinking. "So what will the fleet be doing while we're slogging in the mud?"
It was now that Obi-Wan stepped forward. "Once your team establishes contact with Tarfful, you will contact the fleet. We will enter the system and begin landing ground troops here, on Kachirho Beach. The Imperial headquarters is situated there. We will coordinate attacks, and within a day or so, the planet should be ours."
"Should be?" Leia asked. "That's not much of a guarantee."
Anakin shrugged. "It's kind of our area of expertise. When things don't go as planned, we Jedi are at out best."
"Yeah, but what about the rest of us?" Leia muttered, but no one heard.
Anakin looked around the room one last time, seeing no objections to his plan. He clapped his hands together enthusiastically. "Excellent. With the wookiees on our side, we'll be unstoppable. Dismissed."
As their shuttle dropped out of hyperspace, Anakin thanked the Force they were in a stolen Imperial one, otherwise the fleet of star destroyers would have blown them to bits in seconds. He veered to the right, passing directly over the hull of one of the destroyers. He accelerated to the quickest speed he dared without seeming unusual, aiming for the planet's surface.
He glanced back to Doom when an officer contacted them, asking for clearance codes. It was already agreed upon that Doom would stall as long as possible, since they didn't actually have a proper clearance code. All they needed was enough time for Anakin to hide them in Kashyyyk's dense fog and thick foliage. Once they entered the atmosphere, he heard Luke and Rex strap themselves in. All at once, Anakin was reminded of Dagobah when they entered a massive cloud. He had to resort to using the Force to guide him, at least until they emerged from the condensation. Their shuttle nearly collided with the canopy of one of their massive wroshyr trees.
Veering right, he avoided the trees only to incline into a dive once again, weaving around each trunk towards their landing site. It was a small clearing on the outskirts of the Origin Tree's area. From there, they would follow the River of Origin, where they would enter the area controlled by Tarfful and his warriors.
Once they'd covered the shuttle in camouflage netting, Chewie led the way off into the jungle. Rex and Luke walked behind with Anakin, Doom in front of them, following the wookiee.
"Father, what's our guarantee that we'll even find the wookiees? For all we know, they're extinct. Mon Mothma even said that the massacre that occurred here almost made her give up hope for a diplomatic solution to this war," Luke asked.
Anakin indicated Chewie in front of them, leading the way with Han at his side. "As if Chewie weren't enough, Tarfful will find us. He won't like trespassers in his territory. And diplomacy has long since failed us. The only way we're going to win this war is by taking down the Empire altogether, starting with Vader. Once he goes, there will be a civil war, and all the factions will try and vy for power. That's where we come in. We swoop in and form the New Republic right under their feet."
Luke nodded in understanding. He personally didn't believe that violence would solve all of their problems, but he'd never fought a full-scale war like the one they were about to wade into. Everyone else present, save for Han, had. He would respect Rex's words: 'experience outranks everything.'
They walked for what seemed like days, covering foot after foot of mossy rock, flowing water, and hard bark. Feeling the Force flow around them, Luke was filled with extra reserves of power. He stepped forward to match Anakin's stride. "Have you felt it?"
Anakin nodded. "Yes, the Force is very strong in this place. But it can also mask danger, be wary," the Jedi Master cautioned as he drew up the hood of his camouflaged poncho. Luke did the same, as well as Han, for a deluge had suddenly appeared. Within minutes, they were drenched from head to toe in icy water. Every few seconds, a droplet as big as Luke's head would hit one of them in the shoulder, no doubt falling from the massive trees overhead.
The rain made the moss slippery, several times they almost all lost their footing, save for Chewie, who was bred for this environment. Han was having the worst time of it, his knee-high leather boots weren't meant for this type of terrain. Chewie had to alternate between navigating and catching his best friend every time he slipped on the treacherous moss-covered bark.
The journey through the trees was starting to become monotonous. They would alternate between travelling in the branches and on the ground, Chewie leading them the whole way. At one point, they descended into a putrid swamp, smelling even worse than Dagobah. The only reason Han agreed to follow was because Chewie assured them that Tarfful and his group would be just on the other side. The swamp also doubled as a ravine of sorts. On the far side, they could see their destination, a sheer cliff face covered with vines, but there were several hundred yards of bog to wade through first.
Rex and Doom shifted uncomfortably when the dark water rose to their abdomens. The clones had no doubt that their armor would be stained a shade of dark green afterwards. When they reached the wall, Chewie began the climb, all the others begrudgingly following. The climb was hard. The cliff had been cut by the river below that had turned into the swamp over time, leaving no visible handholds. They were forced to use the sharp, thorny vines as leverage, making some grateful for their gloves, while others cursed themselves for not bringing any.
The two Jedi summited just after Chewie, as they were not weighed down by their gear, since they had none. As Rex and Doom's helmets appeared over the top, Anakin and Luke bent down to haul them up before calling encouragement down to the cursing Han, whose leather boots and lack of gloves had him fuming. When Anakin finally grabbed the smuggler's forearm and pulled him up, Han ben over, hand on his knees, cursing in Huttese, making Luke and Anakin cringe at some of the more vulgar words. Han finally stood straight, muttering something about it being the last time he follows a wookiee anywhere.
"What now, Chewie?" Luke asked, glancing around at the dark trees, then up towards the massive canopy of the Origin Tree.
Chewie simply nodded towards the trees, unslinging his bowcaster and setting it on the damp ground. Anakin and Luke followed suit, their three lightsabers coming to rest on the ground. The other three complied as well, and once all weapons were on the ground, they heard wookiee growls. Several dozen of them emerged from the trees, silent as prowling nexu.
Anakin's eyes narrowed out of habit. He knew that they were there to enlist the help of the wookiees, yet his senses warned him out of reflex. Years of war will do that to a man, as he felt Rex and Doom tense up as well. The wookiees surrounded them, a variety of bowcasters and heavy Imperial blasters pointed at them. No one made so much as a sound until their ranks parted, allowing a massive mottled grey and brown wookiee through. He wore shoulder and chest armor, secured by two belts like the one Chewie wore as a strap for his satchel. Chewie roared and smiled in greeting, stepping forward to press his forehead to the wookiee's. He turned back to Anakin and growled excitedly.
"He says this is Tarfful, and he wants to know what we're doing here," Anakin translated before launching into the wookiee native language. As he spoke, the fire seemed to ignite in Tarfful's eyes, the sharp teeth of the wookiee baring themselves in a fierce grin.
"So run me through this again," the Princess of Alderaan said, nudging the older Obi-Wan. Taking a breath, he motioned to the holoprojector.
"When we arrive, Admiral Ackbar engages their fleet here, while we make our way past in the gunships and land troops on this beach here. From there, we advance to the Imperial Command Center, where Anakin and his team will meet us from the other side," Obi-Wan explained, motioning to separate parts as he spoke.
Leia nodded approvingly as the doors to the Pride's conference room slid open, announcing the arrival of Ezra and the other Spectres. "How's it going?" the young Jedi called out.
Obi-Wan smirked. "Absolutely wonderfully."
Ezra chuckled lightly at the evident sarcasm. "Well that's good, because we're coming up on Kashyyyk."
Obi-Wan nodded, recusing himself from the conversation and strutting purposefully towards the bridge. All of the clones had taken to him instantly, as he still retained his charisma during the reality change. Many of the Rebels, though, had only heard his name in reverent stories told to them by their parents of the Hero With No Fear and the legendary Negotiator.
Even as he stepped onto the bridge, looks were directed his way, marked with awe, as if this simple man in a tunic was some sort of god. If Anakin were here, he would revel in it, and indeed he had at first, because many of them had the same thoughts about him as they did Obi-Wan. They couldn't believe that these two mythical Old Republic heroes were actually fighting with them. If only they knew that one of them was also fighting on the opposite sideā¦.
As the ships dropped out of hyperspace, Home One and the Pride immediately banked left, aiming for the enemy fleet stationed nearby. As soon as the first shots streamed off of the Pride's hull, Obi-Wan turned and nodded to Alpha, signalling him to take over, before heading for the turbolift. He was joined by Wolffe before the doors could close.
When the Jedi Master raised an eyebrow, Wolffe just shrugged. "I can't always be up with the fleet. My blood itches for some combat."
Obi-Wan chuckled dryly. "Yes, well, I have a feeling you'll get plenty of it today."
When they arrived in the hangar, it was alive with activity. Clones and droids ran this way and that, ferrying ammo onto the several dozen gunships being boarded by the landing crew. On the opposite side of the massive hangar, five Tank Lifters prepared to grab onto the massive AT-TEs that would aid in their assault on the beachhead.
Boil came trotting up to Obi-Wan and Wolffe with a salute. "The men are ready and standing by, sir."
Obi-Wan nodded. "Good. Let's get this under way."
Boil nodded and ran off to give the order as Leia joined them, walking to the closest gunship. "You weren't going to leave without me, were you?" she smiled.
Obi-Wan fought the urge to roll his eyes, instead opting for a smile. "Oh, yes, you definitely remind me of your mother."
"You knew my mother?" she asked.
Obi-Wan winced at the question. "Neither the time nor place for such a conversation, my dear. If we survive this battle, perhaps I will tell you of her."
Leia closed her mouth at that, seemingly satisfied with the Jedi Master's proposal. With a nod from Obi-Wan, the occupants of the gunship reached up to grasp the handles as the blast doors closed and the transports dropped out of the hangar, headed for the planet's surface. The guships shuddered when they breached the atmosphere, but all aboard were accustomed to the sensation, save for Leia. The Princess steadied herself and glanced down. She was outfitted much the same as Endor, a mottled green poncho covering her torso, but she disregarded the helmet this time, opting for a simple hair bun. Her defender pistol was strapped to her right thigh as usual, and she felt oddly safe surrounded by all of these experienced soldiers.
At first, she had thought the clones were insane. The fact that they could joke around mere moments before they might die seemed like insanity to her, until she realized that it was probably a coping mechanism. Each of them had accepted that some, most, or perhaps all of them would not be there in a few hours, only heightening her respect for them. She nodded to the few who looked their way, receiving them in return.
Once they were low enough, the pilot opened the blast shields, allowing daylight to stream in through the small slits. Flashes of green flew past, along with dark brown. Below, a large ocean or lake partly obscured by thick fog could be seen, the gunship's shadow dancing across the rolling waves.
"We're coming up on the drop zone," the pilot relayed on the intercom. All the troopers immediately went about the final checks of their weapons, pointing them experimentally, as well as checking their cartridges. Wolffe and Boil made several hand signals with their hands that Leia didn't understand, yet everyone else seemed to. She even noticed that Obi-Wan, for all his wisdom and experience, even produced his lightsaber from his belt and ran his hand across it. Wanting to fit in, Leia pulled out her defender pistol and flicked the safety off, holding it at a ready position.
They felt the gunship begin to lower, and the red light came on above their heads. As soon as the motion stopped, the light switched to green, and the doors slid open. The clones and Obi-Wan leapt out, immediately taking fire from up the beach. After shaking herself, Leia quickly followed. Glancing back, she spied the AT-TEs touching down behind them, their main cannons opening fire towards the massive steel structure hundreds of yards up the beach. Sand exploded all around her as red bolts of energy impacted the beach.
Covering her eyes until the dust settled, she looked for the pale blue glow of Obi-Wan's lightsaber. When she found it, she made her way there in haste, hurdling fallen trees and impact craters. Diving forwards and pressing her back to the bank of sand that Obi-Wan and his squad were taking cover behind, Leia paused for a breath. Sure, she'd been apart of the Endor raid, but she'd never actually fought in rank with the other troops, spending most of the time sheltered by the bunker or inside of it.
The clones didn't seem fazed at all. Commander Wolffe returned fire on the enemy stormtroopers, his gray wolf-patterned armor as intimidating as could be. Boil stood next to him, his DC-15 carbine firing in short bursts. Obi-Wan's lightsaber moved gracefully, yet swiftly. Every time it moved, a blaster bolt was deflected, but it almost seemed effortless, as if the Jedi never had to think twice about it.
Then, as if an unspoken order, the entire squad dove over the embankment and charged onto the next one, leaving Leia sitting behind, looking stupid. She figured that if it was safe enough for them, it would be for her, so she followed, this time utilizing her pistol to fire at the enemy. A pair of AT-AT walkers was making their way towards them, but the combined firepower of all five AT-TEs ripped one apart, while Obi-Wan's saber sliced through the legs of the other two.
And so, once the clones had finally formed into a solid battle line, they advanced, barely hindered, towards the Imperial Command Center. They had taken the Empire completely by surprise it seemed with this tactic, giving them no time to recover, and smashing their light defenses for such an important building.
In less than an hour, the Command Center was within reach, and the clones were beginning to get confident. They had lost very little of their number, and the Imperials seemed all but defeated. At least until they were outflanked by a massive force appearing from the treeline.
As soon as Anakin's dual sabers had completed the circle in the door, Tarfful's broad shoulder quickly sent it inwards. The massive wookiee was the first to set foot in the building, Chewie and the others next, followed by the rest of their small squad. They'd split their forces. The majority of Tarfful's army would attack the outer defenses while a small team, this one, lead by Anakin and Tarfful, would infiltrate the Command Center and take control of it. Obi-Wan's attack was already under way, as they could hear the blasts from the cannons outside.
As they made their way through the hallways, it was eerily quiet. Too quiet for Anakin's taste. When he reached out with his feelings, he felt nothing, as if it were obscure to him. He glanced at Luke, silently relaying his doubts through their mental bond. When they turned a corner, two death troopers whirled around at the sound of their footsteps. Roaring a fierce challenge, Tarfful charged forward, smacking one over the head with his bowcaster, then dropping into a crouch and punching the other on the inside of his knee, forcing it outwards at an unnatural angle. The man crumpled to the ground, screaming in agony before Tarfful pounded him on the helmet with his fist, knocking him out cold.
Anakin chuckled at the awesome power of wookiees, silently reminding himself to never get on their bad side. He nodded to the towering resistance leader before drawing his sabers, keeping them at the ready. When they found the command center, they found it completely empty. The wall at the far side was one giant window, giving them a great view of the battle on the beach. Just below them was a large landing pad, and beyond were the last Imperial defenders, almost completely surrounded by the clones. He could see Obi-Wan's pale blue saber moving back and forth in the distance, feeling the exertion through their unusually strong mental bond.
Even as they watched, Anakin was filled with realization when an entire second army of white-clad stormtroopers emerged from the forest on either side of the clone line, accompanied by AT-ATs and AT-STs. Anakin stepped forward, and would have broken the window and rushed to their aid if it weren't for the sudden chill that went down his spine. Whirling around, he was confronted by Vader. The Dark Lord was flanked by the two inquisitors from Ilum, as well as an entire squad of death troopers.
Anakin clipped one saber back to his belt, igniting the other, but holding it at his side. Luke copied the motion as the Rex, Doom, Han, Chewie, and Tarfful brandished their blasters and bowcasters. Vader's only response was the bone-chilling sound of his respirator.
The two sides stared one another down, eyes flitting back and forth, until Vader spoke. "Unfortunately, Grand Admiral Thrawn must be commended once again. He predicted all of your moves down to the last detail. This insignificant Rebellion dies today."
Anakin scoffed. "Insignificant? This Rebellion has blown up your Death Star not once, but twice. That doesn't sound like insignificance to me, only arrogance on your part."
With a small hand signal from Vader, the death troopers, a dozen in total, fanned out, heavy repeating blasters pointed at the small band of rebels. Anakin responded by raising his saber, Luke doing the same, while their comrades took cover behind nearby command consoles.
Opposite the two Jedi, the inquisitors ignited their dual blades, holding them at their sides while Vader produced his single blade, making a fist with his left as he held it down at his right. "Today, you have met your match, Skywalker," the Dark Lord spat.
Anakin rolled his eyes. "You couldn't beat me last time, what makes you think you can now?"
"Last time, my goal was not to kill you. That is no longer the case," Vader announced as he dashed forward, his inquisitors following behind. Anakin responded by matching their charge, meeting Vader in the middle of the room with his blue blade while Luke fended off the attack from the two inquisitors. Unfortunately, though Anakin was a match for Vader, Luke had difficulty dealing with two sets of dual blades, and was losing ground.
Blaster bolts began flying left and right of them as Anakin disengaged the blade lock and went for a low sweep, followed by an overhead slash. Vader's blade flicked to the two positions, there to block both, before counterattacking. One-handed slashed and swings from Vader, pure strength behind them, forced Anakin backwards. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Luke get force-pushed towards the glass window, shattering it and falling towards the landing pad below. In alarm, Anakin made to follow, but vader cut him off, a swing aimed at his head forcing Anakin to duck and roll before having to bring his blade up to prevent himself from being cleaved in two. Deciding not to risk a look at Luke, Anakin focused all of his attention on Vader. The Dark Lord was right, this was not at all like their first duel.
While his father fought himself in the command center above, which was illuminated by flashed of blue and red, Luke was falling backwards with every step. It was all his green blade could do to keep himself from being eviscerated by the red blades of the inquisitors. He was also having trouble with the differing styles. The smaller sister was all about speed and grace, while the larger brother was dominated by power and strength. The differing styles complimented eachother, making Luke grow tired very quickly.
So he found himself forced backwards yet again. When his back was to the edge of the platform, his enemies gave him a small respite while they grinned triumphantly, knowing that there was nowhere for him to go.
"You're lucky our master wants you alive, Jedi," the sister taunted, her pink lekku twitching with excitement.
The brother grinned, his red lips parting to show sharp, yellowed teeth. "But he didn't say you had to be whole."
Before the two inquisitors could leap at Luke, red laserfire coated the platform where they were standing, forcing them to backflip away. Looking to his left, a blue and silver-patterned luxury ship was headed their way, a large fin rising above it, the cannons on the front smoking from the recent fire. When it reached the platform, it halted, banking to the right, and a door opened. Dropping down in front of Luke, a figure ignited a dual-bladed blue lightsaber.
