A/N: Thanks to everyone who is following this story. We are gearing up for some things to start really happening - so buckle up!
Reviews are always appreciated!
It is Your Destiny…
The Eclipse
Han had not heard from Luke or his ground team in over a day. The time was drawing near for the aerial assault to assume their position over the Endor moon. He could only hope that Luke had been able to penetrate the local defenses and disable the shield generator. The timing of the mission held no room for waiting and holding back for any guarantees. There was an entire fleet ready for the quick jump through hyperspace to converge on the Empire's second super weapon.
Admiral Ackbar, Cracken, Madine and almost every general, admiral or fleet commander the Republic had was outside his viewport and waiting for his signal. The Republic was throwing nearly everything it had at this offensive and if it were to go sideways, then the Republic might just go along with it. The weight of this responsibility wasn't bared easily by Han.
This hadn't been the life that he had envisioned for himself. He had wanted excitement, sure, and maybe even a little bit of notoriety, but he preferred hanging back in the shadows, swooping in at the last minute, performing some heroic feat and disappearing back into the shadows before the applause ended. At the end of this he would either be dead or filling out a mountain of paperwork. To Han, there was little difference between the two.
"Commander Solo? Are we all clear?"
The voice over the intercom broke into his thoughts and he shook his mind clear. Second guessing his life's choices would have to wait. With only his faith in Luke Skywalker, a Jedi no less, he depressed the intercom button and said to all that were listening, "Let's do this. May the Force be with you and good luck."
The Pride of Tarlandia
"I don't trust him."
Thrawn turned toward Mara Jade. "I don't either, but that is unimportant. After our victory at Endor, he will serve us well as yet another symbol of their defeat."
"I sense duplicity regarding his commitment to us," Mara Jade countered.
"His commitment does not concern me," Thrawn answered truthfully. "He could be a Jedi Grand Master or the Emperor himself as long as he stands at our side when we return to Coruscant, that's all that matters." In fact, Skywalker's duplicity may even play out better for them in the end. How better to get the remaining Republic forces to lay down their weapons and join him than to show them one of their own standing beside him.
"I disagree," Jade grumbled.
He looked over to her. This woman he would have to keep close to him as well. "Then you shall have the honor of taking him to task," Thrawn said, impatiently. "But after I see my plans through."
She turned her face away from him and looked out to the viewport and replied crisply, "Understood."
Somewhere in the Outer Rim Territories
Leia had jumped and skirted across the cusp of the Outer Rim. After how long, she did not know, she found herself at the edge of Wild Space happening upon a planet that was not on any of her star charts. It beckoned to her invitingly with its Dark energies making her wonder just how random those jumps had been. With no more energy to question these types of things, she pulled back on the lever of her X-wing and steered her ship toward the strange, unknown world. Perhaps here she would find the answer to it all. Or perhaps here she would find her end. She contemplated both possibilities with an aloof detachment. She was ready for anything.
The Eclipse
Luke, it seemed, had not gotten the shield down. As Han in the Eclipse, along with a few medical frigates, had stayed behind, he could only stand by and watch and listen to the melee that ensued. Instead of happening upon a half-finished super weapon, the Republic forces had been met by an entire Imperial Fleet. Blip after blip on his viewscreen disappeared and his heart sank. Everything, his world, the universe that supported it and all that he had come to believe in was crumbling before his eyes and he was powerless to do anything about it.
Somewhere out there in the fray was his best friend and his ship. He thought back to the scene of the towering Chewbacca and the flamboyant Calrissian walking toward the patient hulk of metal that was the Millennium Falcon and Lando's parting promise of "Not even a scratch."
Damn it all now, he thought, there wouldn't be anything left of her to scratch. He wanted to go back, so desperately did Han want to turn back time to be back anywhere than where he was now. He thought of Nar Shaddaa, of the peddlers and of Salprud's cold ale. Everything had been going so well for him. He enjoyed working as a smuggler, even though it had all been pretend, it had felt comfortable...right. That persona, that bravado and carefree attitude had been so easy to slip into and so difficult to shed.
He swore then, as the intercom crackled with urgent directives and final pleas, that he would-
"The shield is down! The shield is down! I'm going in!"
Lando's voice broke into his thoughts and he stared at the screen in disbelief. Resting his hands on the console he stared intently at the remaining blips of Republic ships that were on the screen. We just might survive this, Han thought hopefully. And if I do…
Somewhere in Wild Space
The planet was called Kesh and it was a long-forgotten, or hidden, planet of Sith. Leia had been received coolly and with great suspicion. The people on the planet had some maniacal devotion to the Sith teachings and were patiently awaiting a second coming of their kind.
A planet full of Sith! Leia's blood curdled to think of what unleashing these creatures on the universe would do to the Republic, especially now when so many of the Order had been fallen in this latest massacre. She hid her revulsion down deep and, as unsettling as it was, she appeared to have just enough Darkness within her to convince the Sith that she was one of them.
With only her StealthX to return home in, she wondered frantically on what should be done. As idle as this planet had lain for centuries on end, it seemed her arrival had stirred something up inside of them. Ever the diplomat and ambassador, Leia did her best to study and understand these people, only to find that hatred and deception were at the heart of everything they did or said. It was exhausting, to tread so deviously through each and every conversation she shared with them.
After spending one fitful and fearful night, she decided that she could not stay much longer for fear of exposure. Twisted thoughts and darkness swelled inside of her and heinous ideas kept teasing at her subconscious. Something was happening to her and whether it was these people, this planet or something else just as sinister, she did not know. When she closed her eyes, she saw herself slaughtering all those Force-sensitives on all those worlds. And when she opened her eyes to dispel the images, a fire simmered inside of her. A fire, she felt, that would need little encouragement to engulf and consume her.
"I've got to get out of here," she said to herself, wondering how long she could stave off the hatred and the lust for murder that was quickly filling her heart.
The Pride of Tarlandia, somewhere in Deep Space
Mara Jade approached the viewport of The Pride of Tarlandia and stood next to Grand Admiral Thrawn. "Any word from Endor?"
Thrawn looked down at the readouts on his console. He had purposefully kept his ship away from the construction site of the Imperial's new plaything and out of the fray that would be their total destruction of the Republic fleet. "I am assured all is going to plan, however…,." the chiss hesitated for a moment. "I feel our guest may become more invaluable if a backup plan becomes necessary."
"Where is he, anyway?"
"He requested a few items. I can only imagine that he is making use of them now."
"Items? Such as?"
A very distinctive sound came from the entrance to the bridge and the pair turned around to look that way. In the doorway stood a towering figure dressed all in black. The light reflected off of his helmet, revealing a blank, menacing stare. As the figure walked toward them, a long cape flitted in his wake and the sound of labored breathing thrummed through his mask.
"Ah, Darth Vader, I presume?" Grand Admiral Thrawn smiled, he could not have envisioned a more perfect transformation for the Jedi's Chosen One if he had dreamt it up himself. "Care to join us as we witness this moment of triumph?"
Kesh
She had made her decision. Whether it was right or wrong no longer mattered to her. What it might do to her soul was of no consequence whatsoever, for what did she need her soul for any longer? She was utterly alone and dejected and had no one to worry about disappointing or leaving behind. Whatever was happening to her, this planet was surely making it worse so she dressed, packed her little bag and headed resolutely for her ship.
"Where do you think you're going?" A young Sith questioned, her eyes flaming with anticipation and bloodlust.
"My ship," Leia replied, her tone cold.
"But how will you take us all in just the one ship?" Another Sith asked, eyeing her cautiously.
"I can send more ships," she lied. "But I'm leaving." Even in the brief time she had spent with them, she knew what an unforgiving sin it was to be or appear to be weak among these vile creatures, so she added, "And I'll kill anyone who tries to stop me."
The sound of a few dozen lightsabers humming to life filled her ears. Leia stopped, took a deep breath and embraced that untapped well of strength that she felt swirling at the pit of her stomach. And then she turned around to face her pursuers, switched on her own lightsaber and raised it high.
The Eclipse
Han had to do several double takes before he would believe what his eyes were seeing. Several enemy blips were quickly disappearing from his screen. That, combined with a raucous eruption of celebratory hoots and hollers on the bridge, confirmed it. He exhaled a breath, stepping back from the holoscreen, accepting the handshakes and claps against his back as in the corner of his eye, he caught the last digitized embers of a large explosion disappear from the battlefield.
They had done it.
The super weapon was destroyed, taking with it most of the Imperial fleet and the remaining Republic ships were reverting into realspace all around the Eclipse. Those that were small enough to dock in her bays were clamoring for positions to land. Han had made his way down to the hangar bay, anxiously awaiting the return of one ship in particular. The Millennium Falcon ambled slowly into the large bay that she had vacated just a few days before. She was scorched, bellowing smoke from everywhere and her sensor dish was missing, but she was there and that, for now, was enough.
Cries of: We did it! We did it, echoed throughout the hangar bay and Lando and Chewbacca exited the Falcon and ran toward Han. The Wookiee hugged him and ruffled his hair and Lando smiled and patted Han on the back as if they had been lifelong friends.
Luke arrived next, the only being in the crowd that looked grim and stoic.
"What is it?" Han asked.
"Arch," Luke said.
"What about him?" He replied, looking around the hangar bay for the man in question.
"He tried to sabotage the mission. He's the reason we almost didn't get the shields down and when I tried to confront him he fought me and left."
"What do you mean he left?"
"He flew up to the space station and left us there."
"He was on it?" Han said, looking out toward the viewport as if he would find Arch there.
"I think so. I felt him," Luke said. "He's gone."
"This doesn't make sense," Han replied, running his fingers through his hair and looking around, the hangar bay suddenly filled with suspects instead of friends. "How could we not have known?"
"We did know," Luke replied. "Leia knew."
Han's eyes shot back at Luke. He was right, of course. This was what Leia had predicted. Leia. He had almost forgotten how upset he was with her. He had almost let the joyfulness of the moment erase all that pain that had settled upon him as of late. Thoughts of Leia brought it all back down around him and he felt today's victory shrink into insignificance.
"This isn't over yet," Luke said, interrupting Han's thoughts.
"It is for me kid," Han replied flippantly.
"I only hope we're not too late," Luke replied, his face going pale.
"What? What now?" Han asked, losing his patience but fearing for the kid.
"It's Leia. She needs our help. It's the Dark Side, I can-"
"The Dark Side? The Force? I'm tired of all this," Han said, looking over at his battered freighter, a perfect reflection of how he felt. "Look, I have to get this ship and all these people back to Coruscant. I can take you as far as there."
Luke looked at him for a long moment, but his thoughts seemed to be elsewhere. "Sure, Han. You must do what you think is right."
Kesh
Leia Skywalker's hands were slick with blood and she slipped on the ladder as she hurriedly climbed into her X-wing. She had to slash down at another hand grabbing at her ankle before sliding down into the conform seat and lowering the canopy. She began the warm-up sequence. Her little ship rocked under the continued assault, her astromech droid chirping worriedly.
"It's alright," she replied as she began to lift off of the planet. Down below there were at least a dozen Sith lying dead or dismembered from her lightsaber blade, from her hand. The remaining Sith were either fighting amongst one another in their bloodlust fueled frenzy or raising their lightsabers up toward her departing ship and waving them angrily. "It's alright," she said again, not quite believe the words herself as she pointed the nose of her X-wing toward the sky.
As her StealthX slipped away from that strange planet, she whispered aloud, "I know what I'm doing."
It was becoming far, far too easy to lie...