Author's Note: I am so excited about the Obi-Wan Kenobi series! The series stars Ewan McGregor, reprising his role as the iconic Jedi Master and also marks the return of Hayden Christensen in the role of Darth Vader! THAT IS SO AWESOME! This is literally what we've all been waiting for for so many years!
I don't own Star Wars or its characters
I only own Lisa Naberrie Skywalker and my other OCs. Enjoy!
Sparks of Rebellion
Chapter 68: Return of the Jedi Part 2
Meanwhile…
In the Second Death Star, Darth Vader and an imperial officer walked to the landing platform, where an imperial shuttle was coming to rest.
There were thousands of imperial troopers in tight formation inside the docking bay.
The shuttle's ramp lowered and Darth Sidious came out causing the Sith Lord to bow at seeing him.
"Rise, my friend."Darth Sidious ordered.
Darth Vader rose and fell in next to the Emperor as he slowly made his way along the rows of troops.
Darth Sidious and Darth Vader began to walk with the Emperor's courtiers, the royal guard, Jerjerrod, and the Death Star elite guard following from behind.
"The Death Star will be completed on schedule."Darth Vader stated.
"You have done well, Lord Vader."Emperor Sidious declared. "And now I sense you wish to continue your search for the young Skywalkers."
Darth Vader was silent at the Emperor's respond since he had the crave to continue looking for his children.
"Yes, my Master."Darth Vader responded.
"Patience, my friend."Emperor Sidious instructed. "In time they will seek you out. And when they do, you must bring them before me. They've grown strong. Only together can we turn them to the Dark Side of the Force."
"As you wish."Darth Vader answered.
"Everything is proceeding as I have foreseen."Darth Sidious sneered.
Darth Sidious laughed sinisterly as they pass along the vast line of Imperial troops.
As Vader escorted his Master through the Death Star, he wished he could see the future so clearly.
Palpatine had lured Anakin Skywalker to the dark side, re-created him as a cybernetic monster and remained the more powerful of the two Sith Lords.
Although Luke and Lisa Skywalker had defeated Vader at the first Death Star, evaded him on Hoth, and escaped him at Bespin, but the Sith Lord did not believe his son and daughter could resist the Emperor's power.
Luke and Lisa had to join him.
He cannot lose again.
In Dagobah…
Luke, Lisa and Artoo arrived on the swamp planet after landing their X-Wing in the jungle.
Lisa wore a dark blue coloured tunic, grey capri-length pants with black boots and a black belt that held her two lightsabers. Her blonde hair was styled in a ponytail.
Dangerous creatures lurked in this swamp; but to a Jedi, none were evil.
Voracious quicksand mires waited still as pools; tentacles mingled with the hanging vines.
Both Luke and Lisa knew them all, now, they were all part of the living planet, each integral to the Force of which they, too, were pulsing aspects.
However when they arrived to Yoda's home, they found the Old Jedi Master terribly ill.
"Hmm. Those faces you make."Yoda said. "Look I so old to young eyes?"
Luke and Lisa sat in a corner of the small house staring at the 900 year old master.
"No...of course not."Luke answered.
"You still look fine."Lisa agreed.
"I do, yes, I do! Sick have I become. Old and weak."Yoda chuckled and pointed with a crooked finger. "When nine hundred years old you reach, look as good you will not. Hmm?"
Yoda chuckled at this, coughed and hobbled over toward his bed.
"Soon will I rest."Yoda declared. "Yes, forever sleep. Earned it, I have."
Yoda sits himself on his bed with great effort.
"Forever sleep?"Lisa questioned in worry.
"Master Yoda, you can't die."Luke said.
"Strong am I with the Force, but not that strong!"Yoda said. "Twilight is upon me and soon night must fall. That is the way of things...the way of the Force."
"But we need your help."Luke responded. "We've come back to complete the training."
"Master Yoda, you can't leave us now."Lisa replied. "You haven't finished teaching us."
"No more training do you require."Yoda declared. "Already know you that which you need."
Yoda laid back on his bed.
"What were already have."Lisa murmured.
"Then we are Jedi?"Luke assumed.
"Ohhh. Not yet. One thing remains: Vader. You must confront Vader."Yoda reminded while shaking his head. "Then, only then, Jedi will you be. And confront him you will."
Luke and Lisa were silent for a long moment, trying to gain their courage.
They knew this would be their test, it could not be otherwise. Every quest had its focus and Vader was inextricably at the core of the twins' struggle.
However, they both needed an answer to a certain question that they've been recently thinking about since their encounter with Darth Vader at Cloud City.
It was a type of question that was too agonising to put into words.
"Master Yoda...is Darth Vader our father?"Lisa asked.
Yoda's eyes were full of weariness and compassion, but then he turned painfully on his side, away from the two siblings.
"Mmm...rest I need."Yoda said. "Yes, rest."
Luke and Lisa looked at the old master, trying to give the old one strength, just by the force of their love and will.
"Yoda, we must know."Luke said.
Yoda shut his eyes as he lowered his ears.
"Your father he is."Yoda admitted.
Pure looks of shock grew on Luke and Lisa's faces as they were both completely silent, now trying to consume what Yoda has told them.
Darth Vader, the Sith Lord and the Emperor's second-in-command of the Empire was their father.
Formally known as Anakin Skywalker, the Hero with No Fear and the Chosen One, who was said to bring balance to the Force.
"Told you, did he?"Yoda asked.
"Yes."Luke replied.
"I…I always had a feeling, but I didn't want to believe it."Lisa said quietly.
She wanted to keep the moment frozen, to shelter it here, to lock time and space in this room, so it could never escape into the rest of the universe with this terrible knowledge.
This unrelenting truth.
"Unexpected this is and unfortunate..."Yoda started.
Luke and Lisa glanced at Yoda with bitter looks.
"Unfortunate that we know the truth?"Lisa guessed.
Yoda gathered himself up with an effort that seemed to take all his strength.
"No. Unfortunate that you rushed to face him...that incomplete was your training."Yoda answered. "Not ready for the burden were you. Ferus and Obi-Wan would have told you long ago, had we let them...now a great weakness you carry. Fear for you, I do. Fear for you, yes."
A great tension seemed to pass out of the old master and he closed his eyes.
"Sorry."Luke apologised.
"We didn't mean to make it hard for any of you."Lisa answered with a hint of shame.
"Remember, a Jedi's strength flows from the Force. But beware. Anger, fear, aggression. The dark side are they. Once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny."
Yoda leaned forward, and beckoned the Skywalker twins close to him.
Luke and Lisa crawled over to sit beside their master.
Yoda continued as his voice increasingly became frail.
"Luke...Lisa...Do not...Do not underestimate the powers of the Emperor, or suffer your father's fate, you will. Luke, Lisa, when gone am I…"Yoda started and coughed. "The last of the Jedi will you be. Luke, Lisa, the Force runs strong in your family. Pass on what you have learned, Luke...Lisa…"
Yoda used the last bit of strength to finish his sentence.
"There..is...another...Sky...Sky...walker."Yoda finished.
Then the last member of the Jedi Council caught his breath before closing his eyes forever.
There was silence in the room after Yoda's last breath.
Luke and Lisa stared at their dead master as he disappeared in front of their eyes.
The Skywalker twins then left Yoda's home in boundless grief.
How could such a one as Yoda be gone forever?
It felt like a black, bottomless hole had filled their hearts, where the part that was Yoda had lived.
But also what's worse that they had learned the person behind the disturbing mask of Darth Vader was their own father.
Tears fell down from Lisa's eyes as she followed Luke from behind.
Now that they knew this horrifying truth it was something they had to tell their friends.
But this also meant it was now something that they would have to tell their own children, grandchildren and later be told by the next generations of their family.
If any of them ended having any of those that is.
Luke and Lisa made their way back to where their ship rested.
Artoo rushed up, beeping their excited greeting; but Luke and Lisa were disconsolate and could only ignore the faithful little droid.
The little droid whistled a brief condolence, then remained respectfully silent.
"I can't do it, Lisa."Luke declared. "I just can't."
"Me neither, Luke."Lisa agreed, shaking her head. "This is too much."
"Yoda will always be with you."A familiar voice spoke.
Luke and Lisa's eyes widen at the sudden voice causing them to turn around swiftly to see the shimmering image of Obi-Wan Kenobi standing behind them.
"Obi-Wan."Luke and Lisa whispered in unison.
There were so many things the twins wanted to say, they rushed through their minds all in a whirl, like the churning, puffed cargo of a ship in a maelstrom.
Lisa took a few steps past her brother to speak to the Force ghost.
"You lied to us."Lisa retorted, her voice calm but with a hint of anger in it. "You told us Vader betrayed and murdered our father."
"Your father, Anakin, was seduced by the dark side of the Force."Obi-Wan declared. "He ceased to be Anakin Skywalker and became Darth Vader. When that happened, he betrayed everything that Anakin Skywalker believed in. The good man who was your father was destroyed. So what I told you was true...from a certain point of view."
"A certain point of view?"Luke questioned.
"You and Uncle Ferus made them sound like they were two different people."Lisa retorted.
"Luke, Lisa."Obi-Wan spoke gently, "You are both going to find that many of the truths we cling to depend greatly on our point of view."
Luke and Lisa looked at Obi-Wan with frowning expressions.
"I don't blame either of you for being angry."Obi-Wan coaxed. "If I was wrong in what I did, it certainly wouldn't have been for the first time."
Luke and Lisa both lowered their hidden anger as they both sat on a stump to listen to the deceased Jedi Master.
Artoo pedalled over, silent, just to offer a comforting presence.
"Anakin was a good friend. When I first encountered your father, he was already a great pilot. But what amazed me was how strongly the Force was with him."Obi-Wan explained. "After my Master Qui-Gon's death, I took it upon myself to train Anakin in the ways of the Jedi. My mistake was thinking I could be as good a teacher as Yoda. I was not."
"Excuse me, Obi-Wan. I don't mean no offence, but Uncle Ferus told me the Jedi Council weren't great either."Lisa stated with a firm tone. "They honestly treated our father unfairly and he lost Ahsoka after she was accused for a crime she didn't even commit. He wasn't allowed to express his feelings and was never taught how to deal with them other than shove it down. Obi-Wan, despite your efforts, you were too engulfed in the outdated teachings of the Order to really help our father on what he really needed help on. So, you can't really blame him for joining Darth Sidious when he offered our father what he wanted. The Jedi's arrogance and hubris created Darth Vader and they and the rest of the galaxy paid the price."
"Lisa is right."Luke agreed with a nod. "The Jedi didn't realise that their lack of emotions created a barrier between themselves and the people they were trying to protect."
"Your Aunt Nadia told me the same thing."Obi-Wan admitted. "Including my foolish pride. The Emperor sensed Anakin's power and he lured him to the dark side. For the Council's actions, they had given terrible consequences for the galaxy."
Lisa notice a shade of sadness in Obi-Wan eyes.
It was the expression that someone would have after losing someone very important to them.
Putting that aside, it was horrible.
Horrible because of what their father had needlessly become.
Horrible because Obi-Wan and the members of the Jedi Council weren't even perfect.
Horrible because the dark side could strike so close to home, could turn such right so wrong.
And yet…they had a feeling.
A feeling that Darth Vader must yet have a spark of Anakin Skywalker deep inside.
"There is still good in him."Luke declared.
Obi-Wan shook his head remorsefully.
"I also thought he could be turned back to the good side."Obi-Wan stated. "It couldn't be done. He is more machine, now, than man—twisted and evil."
Lisa frowned. "We can't kill our father."
"You should not think of that machine as your father."Obi-Wan declared."When I saw what had become of him, I tried to dissuade him, to draw him back from the dark side. We fought in Mustafar and your father fell into a molten pit. When your father clawed his way out of that fiery pool, the change had been burned into him forever—he was Darth Vader, without a trace of Anakin Skywalker. Irredeemably dark. Scarred. Kept alive only by machinery and his own black will."
Luke and Lisa were deadly silent at Obi-Wan's declaration.
"So it is because of you he looks like a killing machine?"Lisa assumed.
Obi-Wan didn't reply, looking down with a look of sadness and guilt.
Luke looked down at his own mechanical right hand.
"We tried to stop him, but we couldn't do it."Luke said.
"In the end it was our friends who ended up saving us."Lisa complemented.
"To be a Jedi, you must confront and then go beyond the dark side. The side your father couldn't get past. Impatience is the easiest door for you like your father."Obi-Wan explained, looking at Luke. "Only, your father was seduced by what he found on the other side of the door, and you have held firm. You're no longer so reckless now, Luke. You are strong and patient. Like Lisa, you are ready for your final confrontation."
"I can't do it, Obi-Wan."Luke responded.
"Neither can I."Lisa added. "I would never be able to kill our own father."
"Then the Emperor has already won."Obi-Wan sighed. "You were our only hope."
Luke and Lisa became saddened at Obi-Wan's reply before they remembered something.
"Yoda spoke of another."Luke commented.
"Is there another Skywalker?"Lisa asked.
"The other he spoke up of was your sister."Obi-Wan said with a dry smile. "The one who was born before you, Lisa and after you, Luke."
Looks of awe appeared on Luke and Lisa's faces, visibly jolted by this information.
"But I'm Luke's only sister."Lisa responded. "We are twins."
Once again Obi-Wan put a gentle inflection in his voice, to soothe the turmoil brewing in his young friends' souls.
"To protect the three of you against the Emperor, you were separated when you were born."Obi-Wan stated. "The Emperor knew, as I did, that one day, with the Force on their side, Skywalker's offspring would be a threat to him. For that reason, your triplet sister has remained safely anonymous."
Luke and Lisa were both dumbfounded of this knowledge.
Lisa always knew a part of her was missing, but that ended when she became reunited with Luke after discovering they were siblings.
However, she still didn't felt fully completed when that happened.
Then she thought about it.
Pawn in a castle conspiracy?
Cribs mixed, siblings switched and parted and whisked away to different secret lives?
Yet a sibling born before her, but was born after Luke?
Impossible.
Lisa knew who she was.
She was Lisa Naberrie. A member of House Naberrie, a prominent family from Naboo, with many of its members before her being involved in public service. She played two important rules during her time in Naboo; a Princess and a Queen. Despite being secretly a Jedi, in the public of eye of her people, she was the beloved Queen of their home planet. Just like her mother before her.
Her older twin brother?
He was Luke Skywalker, raised on a Tatooine sand farm by Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru, raised in a life without frills, a hardworking honest pauper.
What was the things she and Luke had in common?
They were siblings.
Both were force sensitive and born to a Jedi-turned-Sith Lord.
However, when she thought about the other Skywalker, only one person could match that description and the missing piece inside her.
A certain tomboyish princess that became a close childhood friend of hers and both of them were raised in politics in different worlds.
"Leia!"Luke and Lisa gasped in unison. "Leia is our sister!"
"Your insight serves you well."Obi-Wan exclaimed with a nod and quickly became stern. "Bury your feelings deep down, Luke and Lisa. They do you credit, but they could be made to serve the Emperor."
Luke and Lisa tried to comprehend what their old teacher was saying.
So much information, so fast, so vital...it almost made them swoon.
"When your father joined the Emperor, he didn't know your mother was pregnant. Ferus and I knew he would find out eventually, but we wanted to keep the three of you as safe as possible, for as long as possible. You Luke, I took you to live with your uncle Owen on Tatooine. Leia became the adopted daughter of Bail Organa and Queen Breha of Alderaan, making her a Princess of Alderaan. And you Lisa, Ferus took you to Naboo to live with your mother's family."
Luke and Lisa looked down smiling, upon discovering Leia was their sister.
If Leia was their sister, that mean all three of them were triplets.
Lisa had seen Leia multiple times in her youth and both attended the Apprentice Legislature to become politically-minded youths.
But she always had a feeling that her and Leia's relationship was more stronger than friendship.
"You cannot escape your destinies, Luke and Lisa."Obi-Wan instructed, eyeing Luke and Lisa. "Keep your sister's identity secret, for if you fail she is truly our last hope. Gaze on me now, Luke and Lisa. The coming fight is yours alone, but much will depend on its outcome and it may be that you can draw some strength from my memory. There is no avoiding the battle, though—you can't escape your destinies. You both will have to face Darth Vader again..."
In the Death Star...
The uncompleted half of the Death Star could be seen immediately beyond the window, shuttles and transports buzzing around it, men with tight-suits and rocket-packs doing exterior construction or surface work.
In the near-distance beyond all this activity was the jade green moon Endor, resting like a jewel on the black velvet of space and scattered to infinity, the gleaming diamonds that were the stars.
"What is thy bidding, My Master?"Darth Vader asked.
Darth Sidious slowly rotated his chair until he faced Vader.
"Send the fleet to the far side of Endor."Darth Sidious ordered. "There it will stay until called for."
"What of the reports of the Rebel fleet massing near Sullust?"Darth Vader asked.
"It is of no concern."Darth Sidious said dismissively. "Soon the Rebellion will be crushed and the young Skywalkers will be ours. Your work here is finished, my friend. Go to the command ship and await my orders."
"Yes, my master."Darth Vader answered.
Darth Vader rose and exited as the Emperor turned back to the galactic panorama beyond the window, to view his domain.
In a remote and midnight vacuum beyond the edge of the galaxy, the vast Rebel fleet stretched, from its vanguard to its rear echelon, past the range of human vision.
The Rebel Fleet included Corellian battle ships, cruisers, destroyers, carriers, bombers, Sullustian cargo freighters, Calamarian tankers, Alderaanian gunships, Kesselian blockade runners, Bestinian sky-hoppers, X-wing, Y-wing, A-wing fighters, shuttles, transport vehicles and manowars.
Every Rebel in the galaxy, soldier and civilian alike, waited tensely in these ships for instructions.
They were led by the largest of the Rebel Star Cruisers, the Headquarters Frigate.
Hundreds of Rebel commanders, of all species and life forms, assembled in the war room of the giant Star Cruiser, awaiting orders from the High Command. Rumors were everywhere, and an air of excitement spread from squadron to squadron.
At the center of the briefing room was a large, circular light-table, projected above which a holographic image of the unfinished Imperial Death Star hovered beside the Moon of Endor, whose scintillating protective deflector shield encompassed them both.
Han, Chewbacca, Leia, Ferus, Nadia, Zack, Gwen, Threepio, Artoo and R2-KT stood together among the crowd.
Senator Mon Mothma entered the room as Lando walked over to the group.
Everyone greeted Lando with a cacophony of cheers, laughs, beeps, and barks.
"Well, look at you."Han chided, straightening the lapel of Calrissian's new uniform and pulling on the insignias: "A general!"
"I'm a man of many faces and many costumes."Han commented. "Someone must have told them about my little maneuver at the battle of Taanab."
"Hey, don't look at me. I just told them you were a 'fair' pilot."Han said. "I had no idea they were looking for someone to lead this crazy attack."
Lando smiled. "I'm surprised they didn't ask you to do it."
"Well, who says they didn't."Han remarked. "But I ain't crazy. You're the respectable one, remember?"
Leia moved closer to Han and took his arm protectively.
"Han is going to stay on the command ship with me."Leia exclaimed. "We're both very grateful for what you're doing, Lando. And proud."
Suddenly, at the center of the room, Mon Mothma signaled for attention and the room immediately fell silent.
"The data brought to us by the Bothan spies have been confirmed."Mon Mothma announced. "The Emperor has made a critical error, and the time for our attack has come."
Mon Mothma turned to a holographic model of the Death Star, the Endor moon and the protecting deflector shield in the center of the room.
"We now have the exact location of the Emperor's new battle station. The weapon systems on this Death Star are not yet operational. With the Imperial fleet spread throughout the galaxy in a vain effort to engage us, it is relatively unprotected."Mon Mothma commented and paused before letting her next statement register its full effect. "Most important, we have learned the Emperor himself is personally overseeing the construction."
A volley of spirited chatter erupted from the assembly.
This was it.
The chance.
The hope no one could hope to hope for.
A shot at the Emperor.
Mon Mothma continued when the hubbub died down slightly.
"His trip was undertaken in the utmost secrecy, but he underestimated our spy network. Many Bothans died to bring us this information."Mon Mothma declared, her voice turned suddenly stern again to remind them of the price of this enterprise.
Then Admiral Ackbar stepped forward and raised his fin to point at the holographic model of the force field emanating from Endor.
"Although uncompleted, the Death Star is not entirely without a defence mechanism."Admiral Ackbar instructed. "It is protected by an energy shield which is generated by the nearby Moon of Endor, here. No ship can fly through it, no weapon can penetrate it. The shield must be deactivated if any attack is to be attempted. Once the shield is down, the cruisers will create a perimeter while the fighters fly into the superstructure, here and attempt to hit the main reactor..."
Admiral Ackbar pointed to the unfinished portion of the Death Star.
"Somewhere in here."Admiral Ackbar finished.
Another murmur swept over the room of commanders, like a swell in a heavy sea.
"General Calrissian will lead the fighter attack."General Ackbar declared.
"Good luck, buddy."Han complemented.
"Thanks."Lando said simply.
"You're gonna need it."Han added.
Admiral Ackbar yielded the floor to General Madine, who was in charge of covert operations.
"We have acquired a small Imperial shuttle."Madine declared smugly. "Under this guise, a strike team will land on the moon and deactivate the shield generator. The control bunker is well guarded, but a small squad should be able to penetrate its security."
This news stimulated another round of general mumbling.
Nadia turned to Ferus to tell him something.
"I wonder who they found to pull that one off?"Nadia murmured.
"General Solo, is your strike team assembled?"Madine called out.
Leia looked up at Han, shock quickly melting to joyous admiration.
"My squad is ready, sir, but I need a command crew for the shuttle."Han responded and looked questioningly at Chewbacca, and spoke in a lower voice. "It's gonna be rough, old pal. I didn't want to speak for you."
Chewbacca shook his head with gruff love, and raised his hairy paw.
"That's one."Han complemented.
"Here's two!"Leia shouted, sticking her arm in the air and spoke softly to Han. "I'm not letting you out of my sight again, Your Generalship."
"I'm in!"Gwen admitted, raising her hand up.
"What my sister says."Zack remarked and rose up his hand as well.
"I'll join too."Nadia exclaimed with a small smirk, earning a surprised look from Ferus. "Hey. I've been in many fights since the Battle of Christophsis."
Ferus smiled at his wife and their children for their courage to take part in the mission.
"I guess I'm in as well."Ferus answered.
"And I'm with you guys!"
"Same for me!"
Two yet familiar voices were raised from the back of the room.
They all turned their heads to see Luke and Lisa standing at the top of the stairs.
Cheers went up for the last of the Jedi in the room.
"And that's eight."Han added with a hint of joy.
Gwen ran up to Luke and hugged him warmly as Lisa shared a smile with Ezra.
The brunette felt a special closeness to him all of a sudden, which she attributed to the gravity of the moment, the import of their mission.
But then she sensed a change in him, too, a difference of substance that seemed to radiate from his very core, something that she alone could see.
"What is it, Luke?"Gwen whispered.
Gwen suddenly wanted to hold Luke; she could not have said why.
"Nothing."Luke murmured quietly. "I'll tell you someday."
"All right."Gwen answered with a gentle smile. "I'll wait."
Han, Chewbacca, Lando, Wedge, Ferus, Nadia and several others crowded around Luke and Lisa all at once, with greetings and diverse sorts of hubbub.
The assembly as a whole broke up into multiple such small groups.
It was a time for last farewells and good graces.
Artoo beeped a singsong little observation with R2-KT to a somewhat less sanguine Threepio.
"I don't think 'exciting' is the right word."Threepio answered.
Soon everyone went to the docking bay to prepare for their latest fight.
Before heading inside the Millennium Falcon, Luke and Lisa spoke to Ferus and Nadia about what they learned from Yoda and Obi-Wan back in Dagobah.
"I guess both of you now know the whole story?"Nadia said.
"Yes, Aunt Nadia."Luke responded. "Also, that Leia is our sister."
"I'm sorry for not telling you the whole truth."Ferus apologised with a hint of guilt. "I should've told you everything. But I didn't-"
"It's okay, Uncle Ferus."Lisa assured with a smile. "It doesn't bother us anymore. We forgive you."
Lisa gives Ferus a hug causing him to hug her back.
Luke and Lisa began heading inside the Millennium Falcon to join Leia, Zack and Gwen as Nadia notice Ferus saddened expression.
"Luke and Lisa both are Jedi like Anakin."Ferus commented. "But she and Leia both lead the battle. Bold. Strong. Padmé's blood flows through the two of them."
Nadia gives Ferus' hand a gentle squish to ease his grief as they headed inside the Millennium Falcon.
Chewbacca supervised the final transfer of weapons and supplies to the shuttle and oversaw the placement of the strike team.
Han stood with Lando between the two ships, saying goodbye.
"I mean it, take her!"Han insisted, indicating the Falcon. "She'll bring you luck. You know she's the fastest ship in the whole fleet, now."
Han had really souped her up after winning her from Lando.
"Thanks, old buddy."Lando thanked. "I'll take good care of her. You know I always flew her better than you did, anyway. She won't get a scratch on her, with me at the stick."
"I've got your word—not a scratch."Han replied.
"Take off, you pirate."Lando said. "Next thing you'll have me putting down a security deposit."
"See you soon, pal."Han declared.
The two men parted and each walked up the ramp into a different ship.
Han entered the cockpit of the Imperial shuttle as Luke and Lisa were doing some fine tuning on a rear navigator panel.
Chewbacca, in the copilot's seat, was trying to figure out the Imperial controls.
Han took the pilot's chair and Chewbacca growled grumpily about the design.
"Yeah, yeah."Han answered. "I don't think the Empire designed it with a Wookiee in mind."
Leia walked in from the hold, taking her seat near Luke.
"We're all set back there."Leia said.
Chewbacca growled as he hit the first sequence of switches.
The Wookiee looked over at Solo, but Han was motionless, staring out the window at something.
Chewbacca, Leia, Ferus, Nadia, Zack and Gwen both followed his gaze to the object of his unyielding attention—the Millennium Falcon.
Leia gently nudged the pilot.
"Hey, you awake up there?"Leia asked.
"I just got a funny feeling."Han mused. "Like I'm not going to see her again."
Chewbacca, hearing this, took his own longing look at the Falcon.
Leia put her hand on Han's shoulder.
The Princess of Alderaan knew he had special love for his ship and was reluctant to interrupt this last communion. But time was dear, and becoming dearer.
"Come on, Captain."Leia whispered. "Let's move."
Han snapped back to the moment.
"Right."Han agreed. "Okay, Chewie, let's find out what this baby can do."
Han and Chewbacca fired up the engines in the stolen shuttle, eased out of the docking bay and banked off into the endless night.
In Vader's Star Destroyer…
The bridge of the Star Destroyer was a hive of activity. Messengers ran back and forth along a string of controllers studying their tracking screens, monitoring ingress and egress of vehicles through the deflector shield. Codes were sent and received, orders given, diagrams plotted.
It was an operation involving a thousand scurrying ships and everything was proceeding with maximum efficiency until Controller Jhoff made contact with a shuttle of the Lambda class, approaching the shield from Sector Seven.
"Shuttle to Control, please come in."Han's voice ordered.
A voice broke into Jhoff's headset with the normal amount of static.
"We have you on our screen now."Controller Jhoff replied into his comlink. "Please identify."
In the Shuttle Tydirium…
"This is Shuttle Tydirium, requesting deactivation of the deflector shield."Han replied.
"Shuttle Tydirium, transmit the clearance code for shield passage."Controller Jhoff ordered.
Up in the shuttle, Han threw a worried look at the others as he spoke into his comlink.
"Transmission commencing."Han responded.
Chewbacca flipped a bank of switches, producing a syncopated series of high-frequency transmission noises.
Leia bit her lip, bracing herself for fight or flight.
"Now we find out if that code was worth the price we paid."Leia complemented.
"It will work."Han remarked. "It will work."
"I hope so."Gwen said quietly in a calm voice with a hint of fright.
Chewbacca whined nervously as Ferus and Nadia shared worried glances with each other.
Luke and Lisa stared at the huge Super Star Destroyer that loomed everywhere in front of them.
It fixed their eyes with its glittering darkness, filled their vision like a malignant cataract, but it made more than their vision opaque.
It filled their minds with blackness too and their hearts.
Darth Vader was in that Star Destroyer.
"Vader is on that ship."Luke declared.
"You're just jittery, Luke."Han denied. "There are lots of command ships. But, Chewie, let's keep our distance, without looking like we're keeping our distance."
Chewbacca growled at the smuggler.
"I don't know, fly casual."Han insisted.
"They're taking a long time with that code clearance."Ferus stated bitterly.
"What if it doesn't work?"Zack questioned. "The Alliance would do nothing, if the Empire's deflector shield remained functioning."
"Zack, don't say such things."Nadia said with a small smile. "It will be alright."
Gwen tried to clear her mind, tried to focus on the shield generator she wanted to reach, tried to push away all feelings of doubt or fear she may have been giving off.
Lisa continued staring at the Star Destroyer.
The blonde haired and her brother could feel Darth Vader's presence through the Star Destroyer.
"We're endangering the mission."Lisa spoke up in a kind of emotional resonance with her brother and their secret sister. "We shouldn't have come."
"Hey, why don't we try to be optimistic about this?"Han insisted.
"He knows me and Lisa are here."Luke warned.
"Come on, kid, you and your sister are imagining things."Han scoffed.
"Luke and Lisa are right."Ferus agreed with a small glare. "There's a dark presence on that command ship. Vader's definitely in there."
Chewbacca growled in a grim tone.
In Vader's Star Destroyer…
Darth Vader stood quite still, staring out a large view-screen at the Death Star.
He thrilled to the sight of this monument to the dark side of the Force. Icily he caressed it with his gaze. Like a floating ornament, it sparkled for him.
Tiny specks of light raced across its surface, mesmerising the Dark Lord as if he were a small child entranced by a special toy. It was a transcendent state he was in, a moment of heightened perceptions.
And then, all at once, in the midst of the stillness of his contemplation, he grew absolutely motionless: not a breath, not even a heartbeat stirred to mar his concentration. He strained his every sense into the ether. What had he felt?
His spirit tilted its head to listen.
Some echo, some vibration apprehended only by him, had passed-
No, had not passed.
Had swirled the moment and altered the very shape of things.
Things were no longer the same.
There was something on that shuttle.
Something very familiar.
The Sith Lord walked down the row of controllers until he came to the spot where Admiral Piett was leaning over the tracking screen of Controller Jhoff.
Admiral Piett straightened at Vader's approach, then bowed stiffly, at the neck.
"Where is that shuttle going?"Darth Vader demanded quietly, without preliminary.
Admiral Piett turned back to the view-screen and spoke into the comlink.
"Shuttle Tydirium, what is your cargo and destination?"Admital Piett asked.
The filtered voice of the shuttle pilot came back over the receiver.
"Parts and technical personnel for the Sanctuary Moon."Han answered.
The bridge commander looked to Darth Vader for a reaction.
He hoped nothing was amiss since he knew Lord Vader did not take mistakes lightly.
"Do they have a code clearance?"Darth Vader questioned.
"It's an older code, but it checks out."Admiral Piett replied immediately. "I was about to clear them."
There was no point in lying to the Lord of the Sith. He always knew if you lied; lies sang out to the Dark Lord.
"I have a strange feeling about that ship."Darth Vader declared.
"Should I hold them?"Admiral Piett suggested.
"No, let them pass."Darth Vader ordered. "I will deal with this myself."
"As you wish, my Lord."Admiral Piett said with bow, partly to hide his surprise.
The Admiral nodded at Controller Jhoff, who spoke into the comlink, to the Shuttle Tydirium.
In the Shuttle Tydirium…
Luke, Lisa and the rest of the group waited tensely.
The more questions they were asked about things like cargo and destination, the more likely it seemed they were going to blow their cover.
Han looked fondly at his old Wookiee partner.
"Chewie, if they don't go for this, we're gonna have to beat it quick."Han ordered.
Then the static voice of the controller broke up and then came in clearly over the comlink.
"Shuttle Tydirium, deactivation of the shield will commence immediately."Controller Jhoff announced. "Follow your present course."
Everyone but Ferus, Luke and Lisa exhaled in simultaneous relief; as if the trouble were all over now instead of just beginning.
Luke and Lisa continued to stare at the Star Destroyer, as if engaged in some silent, complex dialogue.
Chewbacca barked loudly.
"Hey, what did I tell you?"Han said with a grin. "No sweat."
Leia smiled affectionately. "Is that what you told us?"
Han pushed the throttle forward, and the stolen shuttle moved smoothly toward the green Sanctuary Moon.
Inside the Star Destroyer…
Darth Vader, Admiral Piett and Controller Jhoff watched the view screen in the control room as the weblike deflector grid read-out parted to admit the Shuttle Tydirium, which moved slowly toward the center of the web to Endor.
Darth Vader turned to the deck officer and spoke with more urgency in his voice than was usually heard.
"Ready my shuttle."Darth Vader ordered. "I must go to the Emperor."
Without waiting for response, the Dark Lord strode off, clearly in the thrall of a dark thought.
Next we are going to see our heroes in Endor including Luke and Lisa confront Vader:)