Chapter 7 - Escaping
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I manage to catch a grip on the railing outside and pull myself up. As soon as I'm safe, I reach back to help Luke up after me. Seriously, if we would have left, this could have been avoided. Now I don't know how we're ever going to get back to the Falcon in time. In fact, it might be a better idea if they'd leave rather than waiting for us to attempt to get back inside the building and then fight our way there. I am going to have a serious talk with Luke once we get out of here. If we get out of here. Because I'm beginning to have great doubts.
We pause for a moment to collect ourselves before standing up. "If he's too close by, there's not going to be any way of escape," I remark, glancing around. The only thing on either side of the structure we're standing on is a bottomless shaft. Otherwise, our only escape would be the doorway nearby, leading to a similar type of place we just came out of.
"We're not here to escape. We're here to defeat him."
"Well, we haven't been having any such luck so far," I nearly snap, about ready to lose control. There's nothing I can do to stop the agony slowly tearing me apart. I can't hurt my master. I can't. But if I don't, he'll kill me. He already proved as much.
Luke bravely sets off towards the door although I can clearly see his fear. He's not sure we can defeat Vader, but he's going to try anyway. Hesitantly, I follow. I know this is the only hope we have in getting back to the Falcon or even our X-wing fighter, for that matter. I'd much rather have to sit in Luke's lap again than stay here even a fraction of a second longer. I cautiously peer around the corner, and seeing nothing, step inside with Luke close behind.
Danger suddenly screams through the Force and I activate my lightsaber just as Vader's blade swings towards us. I didn't even register him standing there until now, not that it's surprising. Luke hastily activates his as well and joins the fight.
From the intensity at which Vader's swinging his lightsaber now, I'm pretty sure he's done playing. He quickly forces both of us onto the defensive, and soon we've backed out of the structure all together, and we're on the relatively narrow reactor shaft that's over nothing but a very long fall into oblivion. Sparks fly as an occasional stray lightsaber blow strikes the railing.
He throws a sudden powerful Force-shove my direction, that sends me flying backwards. I drop my lightsaber somewhere during the flight. Panic surges through me, and I barely manage to catch onto the edge of the railing at the end. If I hadn't, I'd be falling down the shaft right below me now. Maybe… maybe it's a good thing I'm all the way out here. At least I won't have to fight anymore.
The same moment, he knocks Luke off balance, who falls onto the ground. Vader holds his lightsaber only a foot away from him. "You are beaten. It is useless to resist."
With a bit more clamoring, I finally manage to drag myself back onto the shaft in a position that I won't fall from. There's no way I'll be able to intervene, though, without risking being thrown right off the shaft. Considering it seemed like that's exactly what he was going for, he'll probably try again if I get close enough.
Luke edges along the ground away from the lightsaber. The moment he's far enough, he swings his lightsaber into Vader's before scrambling back to his feet. A few seconds – and swings later – Luke hits Vader on the shoulder with his lightsaber, which only serves to increase the intensity of the battle. Clearly, he's had more than enough playing. Please don't kill Luke.
Luke hastily backs up further onto the last part of the shaft, the same part that I'm on now. A stray swing of Vader's lightsaber cuts through some part of the complex and sends it flying. Luke attempts to parry the next blow, but Vader swings higher, cutting off his hand. My eyes widen in horror. It's not that I haven't seen people lose hands before, but it's just… this is Anakin doing this to his own son. Never ever could I have guessed he'd fall this far.
Luke screams, barely managing to keep his hold on the railing with his other hand. He slowly begins backing down the ledge that leads to where I'm holding on.
"There is no escape," says Vader, "Don't make me destroy you. You do not yet realize your importance. You have only begun to discover your power. Join me and I will complete your training. With our combined strength, we can end this destructive conflict and bring order to the galaxy."
I know he's looking at me even though I can't see his eyes. It's as though it's boring through me. "Ahsoka, you do not need to fight me. Join me. We have fought together in the past, and we can do so again in the future." There's something almost entreating in his voice, and if he wasn't the Sith Lord I see before me, asking me to help him dominate the galaxy, I would join him in a heartbeat.
"I will never help enslave the galaxy to a dictator," I return confidently, staring at where his eyes are without fear. "The Anakin I knew would never have asked such a thing from me."
"The Anakin you knew is dead," he snarls, anger flaring out into the Force. His focus turns back to his son, and I suspect he is willing to consider me expendable, not a pleasant thought to be sure. "Luke, it is not too late. You can still join me, and I will let her go."
Vader deactivates his lightsaber as Luke reaches the same thing I'm holding onto. Reaching over to him while carefully holding on myself, I help him onto the edge of the complex. Now what are we going to do? There is no escape. Except by falling maybe. I glance down. There may be something we could catch onto down there, but then what? It's not like we'd be escaping from there either. Vader would find us before Leia, and we wouldn't be any better off. If we survived the fall, that is.
"I'll never join you!" yells Luke.
"If you only knew the power of the Dark Side. Obi-Wan never told you what happened to your father." I know where he's going with this conversation. He's going to tell him the truth. The truth Obi-Wan and Yoda never did. If only I'd had a chance to tell him earlier.
"He told me enough!" shouts Luke, "It was you who killed him." Oh, if only you knew.
"No. I am your father."
Luke stares at him in shock and then shakes his head in denial. "No. No. That's not true! That's impossible!"
"Search your feelings. You know it to be true."
"No!" screams Luke.
"Luke. You can destroy the Emperor. He has foreseen this. It is your destiny. Join me, and together we can rule the galaxy as father and son. Come with me. It's the only way," Vader urges him.
I glance down the shaft behind us, then exchange a look with Luke. There's only one more thing we can do. It's our only hope now. The only chance of escape. Even if Vader's anger at me has momentarily decreased, it won't last. Luke obviously knows what I'm thinking. My gaze turns back to my master for what I hope won't be the last time. I don't want to do this, but I know there's no choice. Luke and I let go simultaneously, my grip instantly shifting to him, so we don't lose each other in the fall. Then we're falling. And falling. And falling.
A strange feeling of deja vu washes over me. It almost reminds me of back when I was running, trying to escape my master and the clones. When he managed to find me. I remember the nearly desperate expression on his face as he asked me to come back, to stop fighting, but I refused. I wonder what would have happened if I'd listened. Would it still have gone the same? But then the clones caught up, and I jumped onto ship far below, where they couldn't reach me.
Anakin – Vader reaches through our bond briefly. "You left me. Again." The pure rage in his voice is enough to make me shiver, but there's nothing else I could do. If I'd stayed a second longer, he would have killed me. He was going to unless Luke stopped him. And – and in that moment, I was too scared of him to stay.
I suddenly feel us being sucked into an exhaust pipe along the side of the never-ending shaft. At long last, I finally manage to catch myself, and Luke lands next to me. Ignoring the spinning in my head from such a long fall, I manage to sit up. Luke struggles into a sitting position as well.
Suddenly, the grill below us falls open and we both go tumbling again – this time straight onto some pipes hanging in the middle of the air over nothing at all. Great. I manage to grab ahold of them, and then help Luke get a good grip as well, which is hard for him considering that he only has one hand, plus being in terrible pain.
"Ahsoka…" Luke moans.
"Try calling Leia or someone through the Force," I advise. It's our only hope, and I'm not even sure it will work. Otherwise, we'll be stranded here forever and die, or wait until Vader picks us up, which I'm sure he will. Neither option sounds pleasant. Next to me, I can feel Luke reaching out with the Force, trying to contact her.
I struggle to keep my grip on the pipes, using the Force to maintain my balance. With one hand, I hold onto Luke, just to ensure he won't fall since he's at a severe disadvantage.
Moments later, though it feels more like an eternity, I spot a light moving closer to us in the darkening sky. As it zooms closer, I can tell that it's the Falcon. Honestly, I'm surprised it worked. If Leia's not Force-sensitive, it shouldn't be possible. It flies closer, and once it's within range, the hatch on top opens, and we both let go and fall through.
Speeding up my drop, I land first. Hurriedly, I stand up and turn back to Luke, slowing his fall right before he lands. Lando helps both of us in through the hatch just as I catch sight of three approaching TIE-fighters, which have already begun firing on the ship. I should have expected our escape was still far from over. As the ship rocks from the fire, Lando scrambles back to the cockpit. Luke follows, half-supported by me.
Leia jumps up and crushes him in a hug as he steps in. "Oh, Leia," he murmurs.
"You're back," barks Chewbacca happily.
"All right Chewie, let's go," advises Lando, sitting down in the pilot seat.
"We better get him medical attention," I remind Leia. She nods, and we both help him out of the cockpit, taking him into another room on the ship where there is a medical droid and cot. He lays down on it, and Leia has the droid begin tending to his injury.
Deciding that I'd probably be of better use elsewhere, I leave the room to return to the cockpit in case there's anything I can do to help. Apparently, Leia has the same idea. I want to stay with Luke, the only person who has some idea what I'm feeling now, but we need to get out of here.
"We'll be back," she tells Luke before hurrying after me.
The ship is rocking from the laser fire as we both arrive. Lights are flashing on the control panels, and Lando and Chewie are desperately trying to keep the ship under control while firing back at the TIE fighters at the same time. Suddenly, another ship appears on the scanner.
"Star Destroyer," I observe. I have the feeling that that's Vader pursuing us. Just what we need. Not.
"All right, Chewie. Ready for light speed," says Lando nervously.
"If your people fixed the hyperdrive," replies Leia. There's another explosion and then a green light flashes on panel next to her
"All the coordinates are set. It's now or never," Leia declares.
"Exactly," agrees Chewbacca.
"Punch it!" commands Lando. With a shrug, Chewbacca pulls the lever. And of course, because this is exactly what we need, nothing happens. The Wookie howls in rage.
"They told me they fixed it!" protests Lando frantically, "I trusted them to fix it. It's not my fault!" Chewbacca just growls angrily in response, before rising to his feet and storming out of the cockpit, glaring murderously at Lando. I hurry after him. Maybe there's something I can do.
I follow him into another room of the Falcon where Artoo is busy assembling Threepio. He now has one leg attached, and in much better shape than he was when I last saw him. Chewie and I hurry over to the hyperdrive and immediately get to work trying to fix it, ignoring the droids squabbling in the background. I can't really see anything wrong with it.
I want nothing more at the moment than to crash on a bed for the next week, but that's not an option. We can't let Vader catch us, and if we don't move quickly, that's what'll happen. I want to talk to him, but that won't work right now.
Suddenly, Artoo zooms over and plugs himself into the wall, ignoring Threepio yelling at him to come back from the other side of the room. Go for it, Artoo! If anyone can fix the problem, he can. Seconds later, the Falcon zips out into hyperspace, and I breathe a sigh of relief.