Time to extend the credits on this story...again. GArcher has progressed from merely working out the
plot to actually doing some of the writing! Possibly a reason for the delay in uploading this chapter,
we need to agree on a lot more!
As alway, George Lucas owns everything, we are just wishful thinkers.
DESTINY
Chapter 3
The Princess slept heavily, her exhaustion had proven overpowering and for hours she had lain motionless
on the hard cabin floor. The intercom had buzzed twice but went unheard, as did Lando's knocking. After
pressing his ear to her door he walked away, happily convinced she had at last taken his advice and was
getting the much needed rest he had been insisting upon.
From within her cabin a commanding voice broke the silence "Leia!"
Still she lay there, unmoving.
"Leia!" calm and determined, the voice called her again, this time she groaned quietly and curled herself
tighter as she attempted to shut out any intrusion on her sanctuary.
For a third time her name was called. Now she moved to wrap her head in her arms, letting her annoyance
be known as she mumbled incoherently, but the intruder would not be satisfied until she acknowledged
him. She forcibly opened her eyes and raised her head, straining her vision in the direction of the voice.
For several moments she wondered if she were dreaming while her mind took in the sight before her and
endeavoured to make sense of it.
Just as he had appeared to Luke on the frozen wastelands of Hoth, Obi-Wan now stood before an
incredulous Leia. She slowly pulled herself into a sitting position, silent as the ghostly Jedi delivered his
message.
"You have a birthright which outshines anything that has gone before in your life, Leia. You are the
daughter of a Jedi!" Obi-Wan spoke with the quiet dignity befitting his fellowship, but his eyes betrayed
his sorrow. "Years ago, I was unable to suitably train Anakin Skywalker, who was to have been the most
powerful of the Jedi. He turned from me to the Dark Side and became Darth Vader." Leia listened, but could
not comprehend what was happening. She couldn't even be certain she wasn't dreaming the whole meeting.
Questions raced through her mind, but she was given no opportunity by the visitant to speak as he relayed
his message with urgency. "Now, for the second time, I have failed and this day Luke Skywalker stands
united with his father." Leia sat frozen to the spot, her eyes brimming, slowly shaking her head in disbelief
as Obi-Wan continued unabated. "You are the daughter and the sister of Skywalker...and the last hope of
the Order of the Jedi."
"NO!" Leia began to raise herself from floor, her voice trembling from the shock and the reluctance to accept
what she had heard.
Obi-Wan paid little regard to her distress as he continued to impart the importance of her duty.
"You will go to the Dagobah System and seek out Yoda, the Great Jedi Master. There you will learn the ways
of the Force." At last recognizing the anguish in her heart, Obi-Wan lowered his voice and spoke gently to
the girl. "There are times when decisions are difficult. Search your heart and you will know I speak the truth.
Trust in the wisdom of your short years and you will understand which is to be the right path for you." Leia
stared blankly, her eyes a mixture of sorrow and turmoil while the Jedi persisted "You will need to sacrifice a
part of yourself in order to save those whom you love the most and to restore peace to the galaxy. The path
of good is not always easy and decisions are often painful."
The tears now streamed down Leia's cheeks as a final warning was made by the fading apparition. "If you do
not heed me now, many more will suffer the fate of Alderaan."
As quickly as she was visited, she was alone again. For a long time Leia stood motionless, numb with shock
and arguing with herself the legitimacy of what she had just witnessed. It made perfect sense to convince
herself that the sudden appearance of Obi-Wan was nothing more than a product of her stress and fatigue,
but her heart spoke differently.
She had long carried the burden of guilt for the destruction of her home planet and now, it seemed, the fate
of every being waited on the choice she must make at this moment. She reasoned that Chewbacca would
find Han and release him. Even if he had to follow the trail until his death, she knew the Wookiee would not
abandon him. As well, Generals Dodonna and Rieekan would continue to lead the rebellion without her
assistance. And Obi-Wan's message was real! From deep within her soul, she understood this was true.
Her duty did not lay with Han or with the Alliance, her courage was needed more crucially elsewhere, no
matter how much she yearned for it to be otherwise.
With her heart breaking, she prepared herself to follow Obi-Wan's direction and made her way to seek out
Chewbacca.
However, the upheaval of Leia's world was far from over and it appeared tragedy was to be the order of the
near future, for as she slid herself behind the controls of her X-wing, news was broadcast throughout the
frigate that the base on Anoat was under devasting attack from the Empire and it was feared the outpost
would not withstand the onslaught. For a brief moment she sat stunned and confused. Why would the
Emperor mount an offensive on such a remote base? What purpose could it possibly serve him? As R2D2
was lowered into position behind her, Leia suffered a horrifying realization of the truth. From now on there
would be no doubt in her mind of the veracity of Obi-Wan's message. The strike was not of the Emperor's
doing! This attack was proof that Luke had betrayed her in every way! It was his hand all over it! He had
revealed the whereabouts of the tiny Anoatian base and it was only a matter of time before he laid bare the
entire secrets of the Rebel Force!
She looked down onto the floor of the Docking Bay meeting Chewbacca's sorrowful gaze. Only moments
before he had almost crushed her with his farewell embrace as he promised to bring Han back to safety. She
smiled sadly at the Wookiee who was none too happy about her plans to leave the relative safety of the
Alliance and set out by herself into the distant and unpredictable Dagobah System. He had insisted she
stay with him, but soon discovered his menacing growls had little effect on the Princess. Now, not only was
Leia without the two most important men in her life, one of them was embarking on a course of destruction
which would undo everything she had ever fought for and believed in and she was powerless to stop it. She
quickly heaved herself out of the cockpit and slid her way down the ladder. Chewie called out for her, but she
ignored everything as she purposely made her way into the Control Room and to General Rieekan, with the
intent to give the order for all bases to evacuate and rendezvous in space, only to be informed on her arrival
that a second base, the important tracking station on the Yavin moon, had also been destroyed with fatalities
numbering in the hundreds.
Leia stayed long enough to see the evacuation order passed out and once again fought off the concern
and advice from her collegues as she made her way back to her X-wing and blasted off in the direction of
Dagobah.
****
Darth Vader stood tall on the bridge of The Executor as his objective began to flourish, but despite this early
victory, the Dark Lord was uneasy. He sensed there was movement afoot, a disturbance in the Force, but as
yet he was unable to establish just what was occurring. He paced a short distance, silently searching for the
source of his concern, an action which always unsettled the Officers who sat with their backs to him. Vader
sensed this stirring to be something close, familiar yet unknown. Something which threatened the outcome
of his plan. But what? Could it still be Obi-Wan? No...YODA! The feelings of the old master came flooding
through the force. Vader's arrogance had not clouded his judgement so far as not to know that alongside the
Emperor, Yoda was still the most powerful force presence in the universe. Although old and weak, he was
still capable of destroying the Sith and any plans that Yoda had must not reach fruition. Yoda must be
destroyed!
Oblivious to the relief of the Deck Officers, Vader left the Bridge, treading a determined path in the direction
of the Docking Bay to meet with Luke who stood waiting dutifully. "Our immediate plans for the Princess will
need to be delayed." Vader spoke in a tone which suggested concern, almost alarm! "Elimating the rebellion
is not as acute as destroying the Jedi once and for all!" Not fully understanding, Luke attempted to argue,
but Vader grasped him by the arm and led him towards their waiting ship. "I have sensed the Jedi stirring.
Your turning has caused great anguish for them and they will attempt, once again, to bring a balance to the
Force."
Luke stopped and looked up at the Dark Lord. "But how can this be, Father? Obi-Wan himself told me,
that I was the final hope of the Jedi. There is only Yoda..." Without finishing his sentence, Luke saw that
this was the very source of Vader's concern, but still failed to see the significance and shook his head. "No,
Yoda is old now...and becomming weak! His powers are no match for us!"
Vader raised a dominating hand to his son to quiet him. "Do not under estimate Yoda. He is still powerful
and must be addressed as such. While the Jedi still survive, our power will not be absolute!" Vader resumed
walking, motioning for Luke to follow "There is something which I cannot see clearly, but I sense it to be
dangerous to us. You must take me to Yoda and together we must destroy him!"
"Yes, Father. And after we are successful...."
"After the last of the Jedi is abolished, I will leave the fate of the Princess in your hands. You may decide the
appropriate way to eliminate her and her rebels!"
Luke smiled and continued walking alongside Vader. Father and son were leaving nothing to chance as they
boarded their ship for Dagobah. With the Emperor's assassin already en route, it appeared they had fully
prepared themselves for victory.
****
Leia was grateful to have the auxiliary back up of R2D2 and allowed the droid to take over the control of the
X-wing. In truth, she found it a necessity. She wasn't that skilled as a pilot, as well, she was in no fit state to
even comtemplate the navigation, so she intended to use this opportunity for sleep. But her mind was a jumble
of recent tragedies and she found herself simply staring into the vast blackness of space as the ship hummed
it's way along.
It was the droid's distressed whistles and squeaks which brought her attention back to the present. It seemed
R2 had lost control of the vessel, but the instruments showed no sign of any electrical or mechanical failure.
They were descending perfectly onto Dagobah! In her confusion, Leia let her thoughts be heard to no-one in
particular, "There are no settlements anywhere near us. This can't be a tractor beam!" Without any manual
assistance, they cut their way through the planet's thick fog without so much as mild turbulance and landed
softly on a solid rock form amidst the landscapes many bogs and marshes.
Leia released the hatch and breathed the damp air. For a while she simply sat and pondered her predicament.
"Well R2, there's no-one here to welcome us!" With that, she climbed down and stood beside the ship, vainly
attempting to see through the murky air and into the distance. "Well, at least we landed on rock." she sighed,
then added bitterly "Do you have any idea why I came here!"
"Anger is not a fitting beginning for anything." The voice was calm, but it still shocked Leia out of her wits
and she spun around in alarm. She almost laughed from relief upon spying the small, green creature who
leaned heavily on an old branch for support, but thought better of it when she read the expression on his face.
No matter how small, this creature was in no mood for follies and Leia shuddered nervously as he approached
her. "I would have chosen you before the other." he spoke "But you both presented a great danger and now
there is no time for regrets. We must act quickly!"
"I don't understand." Like Luke, Leia was not prepared for Yoda as he was "I was given a message from a
Jedi Knight....Obi-Wan Kenobi." she explained, "He insisted that I come here."
"Yes, yes!" Yoda stepped forward akwardly, "Obi-Wan insists on many things. But there is no time for
delaying further." He stopped beside her and stood himself poudly as he clicked his stick on the rock beneath
him. "I am who you search for. I am Yoda!" He eyed the Princess with seriousness that unsettled her "And
you have little time to learn many things which will save you!"
Before she could respond, the fog was disturbed violently and the roar of engines could be heard not far in
the distance. Yoda's tone changed to one of urgency "Quickly, quickly! We must leave and search for a
safer refuge!" He tapped Leia's leg with his stick in order to to hurry her back into the X-wing "Already we
are in danger...must leave immediately!" Leia moved aside, allowing Yoda to go before her. Once he had
seated himself, she stepped onto the ladder but was knocked down onto the cold, damp rock by what she
could only describe as a heavy blow from some unseen hand. She lay stunned and was unable to respond to
Yoda's order to hurry. Two figures began to appear through the mist, then the unmistakable flash of two red
lightsabres. "LUKE!" It was a spontaneous reaction for Leia to call out his name on seeing him, in her heart
she still hadn't come to terms with his departure to the Dark Side. She lay helpless as the two dark figures
towered above her. One red beam shone high above the head of one, the other beam already coming down upon
her. She closed her eyes in terror and waited for the crisp red light to strike through her. Then came a sudden
reprieve! From his position in the cockpit, Yoda was able to return the attack upon the Sith lords. Without so
much as lifting a hand, he made them defend themselves from debris he hurled at them through the force. Leia
watched Luke recovering on the ground just as Vader was struck off balance by a hurtling log, bringing both him
and his weapon of murder down. Leia saw her chance and ran for the X-wing.
Yoda lifted the ship. It hovered just above the ground and turned ninety degrees. The thrusters fired and
with a roar, the X-wing lifted it's bow and began to disappear into the thick Dagobah air. With a show of
his tumultuous anger, Vader lurched forward and heaved his lightsabre the departing ship. The blade flew
through the air, only narrowly missing the the ships burners and it disappeared.
end chapter 3
plot to actually doing some of the writing! Possibly a reason for the delay in uploading this chapter,
we need to agree on a lot more!
As alway, George Lucas owns everything, we are just wishful thinkers.
DESTINY
Chapter 3
The Princess slept heavily, her exhaustion had proven overpowering and for hours she had lain motionless
on the hard cabin floor. The intercom had buzzed twice but went unheard, as did Lando's knocking. After
pressing his ear to her door he walked away, happily convinced she had at last taken his advice and was
getting the much needed rest he had been insisting upon.
From within her cabin a commanding voice broke the silence "Leia!"
Still she lay there, unmoving.
"Leia!" calm and determined, the voice called her again, this time she groaned quietly and curled herself
tighter as she attempted to shut out any intrusion on her sanctuary.
For a third time her name was called. Now she moved to wrap her head in her arms, letting her annoyance
be known as she mumbled incoherently, but the intruder would not be satisfied until she acknowledged
him. She forcibly opened her eyes and raised her head, straining her vision in the direction of the voice.
For several moments she wondered if she were dreaming while her mind took in the sight before her and
endeavoured to make sense of it.
Just as he had appeared to Luke on the frozen wastelands of Hoth, Obi-Wan now stood before an
incredulous Leia. She slowly pulled herself into a sitting position, silent as the ghostly Jedi delivered his
message.
"You have a birthright which outshines anything that has gone before in your life, Leia. You are the
daughter of a Jedi!" Obi-Wan spoke with the quiet dignity befitting his fellowship, but his eyes betrayed
his sorrow. "Years ago, I was unable to suitably train Anakin Skywalker, who was to have been the most
powerful of the Jedi. He turned from me to the Dark Side and became Darth Vader." Leia listened, but could
not comprehend what was happening. She couldn't even be certain she wasn't dreaming the whole meeting.
Questions raced through her mind, but she was given no opportunity by the visitant to speak as he relayed
his message with urgency. "Now, for the second time, I have failed and this day Luke Skywalker stands
united with his father." Leia sat frozen to the spot, her eyes brimming, slowly shaking her head in disbelief
as Obi-Wan continued unabated. "You are the daughter and the sister of Skywalker...and the last hope of
the Order of the Jedi."
"NO!" Leia began to raise herself from floor, her voice trembling from the shock and the reluctance to accept
what she had heard.
Obi-Wan paid little regard to her distress as he continued to impart the importance of her duty.
"You will go to the Dagobah System and seek out Yoda, the Great Jedi Master. There you will learn the ways
of the Force." At last recognizing the anguish in her heart, Obi-Wan lowered his voice and spoke gently to
the girl. "There are times when decisions are difficult. Search your heart and you will know I speak the truth.
Trust in the wisdom of your short years and you will understand which is to be the right path for you." Leia
stared blankly, her eyes a mixture of sorrow and turmoil while the Jedi persisted "You will need to sacrifice a
part of yourself in order to save those whom you love the most and to restore peace to the galaxy. The path
of good is not always easy and decisions are often painful."
The tears now streamed down Leia's cheeks as a final warning was made by the fading apparition. "If you do
not heed me now, many more will suffer the fate of Alderaan."
As quickly as she was visited, she was alone again. For a long time Leia stood motionless, numb with shock
and arguing with herself the legitimacy of what she had just witnessed. It made perfect sense to convince
herself that the sudden appearance of Obi-Wan was nothing more than a product of her stress and fatigue,
but her heart spoke differently.
She had long carried the burden of guilt for the destruction of her home planet and now, it seemed, the fate
of every being waited on the choice she must make at this moment. She reasoned that Chewbacca would
find Han and release him. Even if he had to follow the trail until his death, she knew the Wookiee would not
abandon him. As well, Generals Dodonna and Rieekan would continue to lead the rebellion without her
assistance. And Obi-Wan's message was real! From deep within her soul, she understood this was true.
Her duty did not lay with Han or with the Alliance, her courage was needed more crucially elsewhere, no
matter how much she yearned for it to be otherwise.
With her heart breaking, she prepared herself to follow Obi-Wan's direction and made her way to seek out
Chewbacca.
However, the upheaval of Leia's world was far from over and it appeared tragedy was to be the order of the
near future, for as she slid herself behind the controls of her X-wing, news was broadcast throughout the
frigate that the base on Anoat was under devasting attack from the Empire and it was feared the outpost
would not withstand the onslaught. For a brief moment she sat stunned and confused. Why would the
Emperor mount an offensive on such a remote base? What purpose could it possibly serve him? As R2D2
was lowered into position behind her, Leia suffered a horrifying realization of the truth. From now on there
would be no doubt in her mind of the veracity of Obi-Wan's message. The strike was not of the Emperor's
doing! This attack was proof that Luke had betrayed her in every way! It was his hand all over it! He had
revealed the whereabouts of the tiny Anoatian base and it was only a matter of time before he laid bare the
entire secrets of the Rebel Force!
She looked down onto the floor of the Docking Bay meeting Chewbacca's sorrowful gaze. Only moments
before he had almost crushed her with his farewell embrace as he promised to bring Han back to safety. She
smiled sadly at the Wookiee who was none too happy about her plans to leave the relative safety of the
Alliance and set out by herself into the distant and unpredictable Dagobah System. He had insisted she
stay with him, but soon discovered his menacing growls had little effect on the Princess. Now, not only was
Leia without the two most important men in her life, one of them was embarking on a course of destruction
which would undo everything she had ever fought for and believed in and she was powerless to stop it. She
quickly heaved herself out of the cockpit and slid her way down the ladder. Chewie called out for her, but she
ignored everything as she purposely made her way into the Control Room and to General Rieekan, with the
intent to give the order for all bases to evacuate and rendezvous in space, only to be informed on her arrival
that a second base, the important tracking station on the Yavin moon, had also been destroyed with fatalities
numbering in the hundreds.
Leia stayed long enough to see the evacuation order passed out and once again fought off the concern
and advice from her collegues as she made her way back to her X-wing and blasted off in the direction of
Dagobah.
****
Darth Vader stood tall on the bridge of The Executor as his objective began to flourish, but despite this early
victory, the Dark Lord was uneasy. He sensed there was movement afoot, a disturbance in the Force, but as
yet he was unable to establish just what was occurring. He paced a short distance, silently searching for the
source of his concern, an action which always unsettled the Officers who sat with their backs to him. Vader
sensed this stirring to be something close, familiar yet unknown. Something which threatened the outcome
of his plan. But what? Could it still be Obi-Wan? No...YODA! The feelings of the old master came flooding
through the force. Vader's arrogance had not clouded his judgement so far as not to know that alongside the
Emperor, Yoda was still the most powerful force presence in the universe. Although old and weak, he was
still capable of destroying the Sith and any plans that Yoda had must not reach fruition. Yoda must be
destroyed!
Oblivious to the relief of the Deck Officers, Vader left the Bridge, treading a determined path in the direction
of the Docking Bay to meet with Luke who stood waiting dutifully. "Our immediate plans for the Princess will
need to be delayed." Vader spoke in a tone which suggested concern, almost alarm! "Elimating the rebellion
is not as acute as destroying the Jedi once and for all!" Not fully understanding, Luke attempted to argue,
but Vader grasped him by the arm and led him towards their waiting ship. "I have sensed the Jedi stirring.
Your turning has caused great anguish for them and they will attempt, once again, to bring a balance to the
Force."
Luke stopped and looked up at the Dark Lord. "But how can this be, Father? Obi-Wan himself told me,
that I was the final hope of the Jedi. There is only Yoda..." Without finishing his sentence, Luke saw that
this was the very source of Vader's concern, but still failed to see the significance and shook his head. "No,
Yoda is old now...and becomming weak! His powers are no match for us!"
Vader raised a dominating hand to his son to quiet him. "Do not under estimate Yoda. He is still powerful
and must be addressed as such. While the Jedi still survive, our power will not be absolute!" Vader resumed
walking, motioning for Luke to follow "There is something which I cannot see clearly, but I sense it to be
dangerous to us. You must take me to Yoda and together we must destroy him!"
"Yes, Father. And after we are successful...."
"After the last of the Jedi is abolished, I will leave the fate of the Princess in your hands. You may decide the
appropriate way to eliminate her and her rebels!"
Luke smiled and continued walking alongside Vader. Father and son were leaving nothing to chance as they
boarded their ship for Dagobah. With the Emperor's assassin already en route, it appeared they had fully
prepared themselves for victory.
****
Leia was grateful to have the auxiliary back up of R2D2 and allowed the droid to take over the control of the
X-wing. In truth, she found it a necessity. She wasn't that skilled as a pilot, as well, she was in no fit state to
even comtemplate the navigation, so she intended to use this opportunity for sleep. But her mind was a jumble
of recent tragedies and she found herself simply staring into the vast blackness of space as the ship hummed
it's way along.
It was the droid's distressed whistles and squeaks which brought her attention back to the present. It seemed
R2 had lost control of the vessel, but the instruments showed no sign of any electrical or mechanical failure.
They were descending perfectly onto Dagobah! In her confusion, Leia let her thoughts be heard to no-one in
particular, "There are no settlements anywhere near us. This can't be a tractor beam!" Without any manual
assistance, they cut their way through the planet's thick fog without so much as mild turbulance and landed
softly on a solid rock form amidst the landscapes many bogs and marshes.
Leia released the hatch and breathed the damp air. For a while she simply sat and pondered her predicament.
"Well R2, there's no-one here to welcome us!" With that, she climbed down and stood beside the ship, vainly
attempting to see through the murky air and into the distance. "Well, at least we landed on rock." she sighed,
then added bitterly "Do you have any idea why I came here!"
"Anger is not a fitting beginning for anything." The voice was calm, but it still shocked Leia out of her wits
and she spun around in alarm. She almost laughed from relief upon spying the small, green creature who
leaned heavily on an old branch for support, but thought better of it when she read the expression on his face.
No matter how small, this creature was in no mood for follies and Leia shuddered nervously as he approached
her. "I would have chosen you before the other." he spoke "But you both presented a great danger and now
there is no time for regrets. We must act quickly!"
"I don't understand." Like Luke, Leia was not prepared for Yoda as he was "I was given a message from a
Jedi Knight....Obi-Wan Kenobi." she explained, "He insisted that I come here."
"Yes, yes!" Yoda stepped forward akwardly, "Obi-Wan insists on many things. But there is no time for
delaying further." He stopped beside her and stood himself poudly as he clicked his stick on the rock beneath
him. "I am who you search for. I am Yoda!" He eyed the Princess with seriousness that unsettled her "And
you have little time to learn many things which will save you!"
Before she could respond, the fog was disturbed violently and the roar of engines could be heard not far in
the distance. Yoda's tone changed to one of urgency "Quickly, quickly! We must leave and search for a
safer refuge!" He tapped Leia's leg with his stick in order to to hurry her back into the X-wing "Already we
are in danger...must leave immediately!" Leia moved aside, allowing Yoda to go before her. Once he had
seated himself, she stepped onto the ladder but was knocked down onto the cold, damp rock by what she
could only describe as a heavy blow from some unseen hand. She lay stunned and was unable to respond to
Yoda's order to hurry. Two figures began to appear through the mist, then the unmistakable flash of two red
lightsabres. "LUKE!" It was a spontaneous reaction for Leia to call out his name on seeing him, in her heart
she still hadn't come to terms with his departure to the Dark Side. She lay helpless as the two dark figures
towered above her. One red beam shone high above the head of one, the other beam already coming down upon
her. She closed her eyes in terror and waited for the crisp red light to strike through her. Then came a sudden
reprieve! From his position in the cockpit, Yoda was able to return the attack upon the Sith lords. Without so
much as lifting a hand, he made them defend themselves from debris he hurled at them through the force. Leia
watched Luke recovering on the ground just as Vader was struck off balance by a hurtling log, bringing both him
and his weapon of murder down. Leia saw her chance and ran for the X-wing.
Yoda lifted the ship. It hovered just above the ground and turned ninety degrees. The thrusters fired and
with a roar, the X-wing lifted it's bow and began to disappear into the thick Dagobah air. With a show of
his tumultuous anger, Vader lurched forward and heaved his lightsabre the departing ship. The blade flew
through the air, only narrowly missing the the ships burners and it disappeared.
end chapter 3