*Author's note: Sorry this chapter took longer than usual, I was having
trouble working it out, plus I liked making you all sweat with the cliff
hanger.I'm so evil I know. Please, please review.
Chapter 8:
"What is it captain?" Governor Tarkin asked from behind his desk to a small blue hologram standing in the middle of the room.
"Sir, we have captured a Nubian ship that had come into orbit with the planet, it matches those used by the rebels." Captain Veers explained to his aging commander. "We have found no life forms on board, but all the escape pods have been jettisoned, I have sent teams to locate these pods. The rebels will be caught."
Tarkin stroked his chin in contemplation. "Double security around Valorum."
"Yes sir."
***
The small group of rebels held their breaths as the last of the scanning crew walked past them. None understood exactly how they weren't being spotted, considering there weren't very many good places to actually hide on the small Nubian cruiser. Obi Wan closed his eyes and continued to call upon the force, creating a fog in the minds of their opponents giving them their cover. When the last two walked down the ramp of the ship he relaxed, feeling almost completely drained. Padme put a hand on his shoulder to inquire of his condition, he answered her with a wink and led her out of their small hiding place.
"How did they not find us?" Captain Typho was still stunned.
"The force can have a strong impact on the weak minded. Right?" Padme answered, and Obi Wan smiled at her.
"Well you may of hidden us thus far master Jedi, but how will we get past that tractor beam?" Panaka asked with a hint of anger in his voice.
"I'll deal with that." Obi Wan simply answered. Padme looked at him with a worried glance. "You take the team to the detention area and rescue Chancellor Valorum I will take out the tractor beam."
"By yourself?" Padme began to protest.
"I'll have an easier time, I used to command a ship similar to this one during the war, I know where to go." He softened his features for her. "Don't fear M'lady."
"We will rendezvous back here in 30 minutes." Padme commanded, looking Obi Wan in the eyes.
"Yes M'lady." He bowed his head in appliance. Padme turned away from him and he turned and whispered to captain Typho. "If I'm not back in 30 minutes, leave without me."
"Sir?"
"There are more important things at stake here than my life. Protect the mission at all costs captain." Obi Wan ordered, and Typho nodded. "And, protect her as well." Obi Wan added. He looked at Padme again, and noticed she had heard his orders.
"I will not leave you." She stated.
Obi Wan sighed. "You will if you have to." He stated with a stern tone. She wouldn't back down. "But you will not have to." He compromised. He then turned and silently made his way down the ramp of the ship.
"May the force be with you Obi Wan." Padme said beneath her breath.
****
Dorme could feel her heart beating a million miles an hour as she fumbled with a blaster, pulling it out of the weapons closet. She looked over at Siri and admired how calm the woman seemed to be.
"Go to the children." Siri commanded her.
"What about you?" Dorme asked, holding the blaster tightly.
"I have to get my light saber." Siri admitted, feeling embarrassed. "I will meet you in the children's room in 5 minutes." Suddenly the two women heard loud pounding on the main doors of the palace. "No matter what you hear, get the children out of the palace. I will try to contact Bail Organa." Dorme nodded and the two women headed towards the stairs.
"Wait. Leia is on the other side of the palace in her mother's room!" Dorme exclaimed, her nervousness getting the best of her.
The pounding became more and more insistent and the smashing of glass was now heard throughout the building. "I'll get Leia, stay with the other children, we will meet you outside." Dorme left Siri and ran up the stairs while Siri raced to the main foyer to see what was happening.
She stared into the dark room, keeping to the shadows. She saw dark figures through the windows, with the familiar silhouette of clone troopers. . . sorry storm troopers. She found herself even in the heat of it all remembering back to the invasion of the temple, her heart rose up in her throat. 'Concentrate.' She reprimanded herself.
Suddenly shards of glass rained down around her as storm troopers dropped down from the skylight. Siri then tried to protect herself from being cut as she ran towards the grand stair case. Troopers noticed her and open fired as she ran past them. Using the aid of the force she dodged the blasts with grace. More troops crashed through the windows at the top of the stairs and stopped her in her tracks. She kicked on square in the abdomen and threw him down the stairs. Two more came at her, one grabbed her from behind and she flipped him over her shoulders and caused him to crash into his fellow soldier. More blaster fire rained down on her and she ducked and ran for her room. She shut the heavy door behind her and searched for her light saber. She could hear in the back of her mind Obi Wan reprimanding her about throwing her weapon across the room. /This weapon is your life/.
A smile crossed her lips when she found the silver cylinder, but quickly faded when she heard a child scream. "Leia."
****
Blaster fire echoed through the metallic walls of the star destroyer as Padme and her team marched into the detention area. The security guarding Valorum was taken by surprise as they were cut down one by one. When the fire ceased Padme ran down the hall of cells until she found Finis Valorum sitting on a stone bed, with his head in his hands.
"You know we don't have time for this Chancellor." Padme said as she opened the door, and Valorum smiled when he saw her.
"How?" He asked, confused.
"We'll tell the grand rescue story when we are as far away from here as possible." Padme answered, helped him to his feet and led him down the hall.
Two guards grabbed Valorum as they emerged back into the main room. Padme walked up to captain Typho.
"That was way too easy." Captain Typho stated under his breath to Padme.
Suddenly an alarm was heard all around them. Everyone pulled out their blasters.
"I have a bad feeling about this." Padme stated as she glanced over at Typho.
****
Obi Wan silently made his way to the computer generator on the lower level of the star destroyer. He knew these kinds of ships very well and had no problems eluding any obstacles. As he found the room that held the ships computer he noticed that there was no troops to be found, he began to worry about the rest of the team. His worries were justified when he saw Padme and her team pinned inside the detention area, fighting for their lives through one of the security screens. He thought for a moment about the situation and he then pulled out his light saber, thrusting it into the computer. Suddenly the ships lights went out, and the emergency ones flickered on creating an iridescent glow. The ship then tilted to the left, sharply almost causing Obi Wan to lose his balance.
***
"What is happening?" Captain Veers screamed at his pilots.
"Sir, something has happened to the computer, it's not responding." The head pilot answered. "We are on a collision course with Courascant."
"Get the computer back online." Veers commanded.
"There's no time sir, we have ten minutes to evacuate." The pilot stated, beads of sweat showing on his brow.
"Sound the evacuation." Veers screamed.
***
The team of rebels stood with their backs against the wall preparing for the worst when the troops firing on them suddenly stopped.
"What's going on?" Panaka asked, astonished.
"I don't know." Typho answered his uncle.
They then heard the evacuate command and realized the ship was going down.
"I'm guessing the Jedi took out more than the tractor beam." Panaka stated with a huff.
"Then I suggest we follow their example and evacuate." Padme ordered and the team cautiously made their way into the hall, only to find troops running around finding escape pods. "Let's move." Padme commanded and the team headed for their ship.
****
Siri ran out of her room and looked down the dark hall and found Leia cowering in a corner, holding her hands over her ears. Siri quickly picked her up and ran towards the stairs. More troops were crashing through the windows, and had finally forced the door open. Siri realized there was no way of escape and quickly put Leia in a closet.
"Leia, you must stay here, and stay quiet." Leia looked up at Siri with tears in her eyes. She clutched her toy blaster tightly and nodded. Siri then closed the door and activated her light saber.
Troopers came at her from all sides and she deflected all their blaster fire. She then began to fight back, slicing through blasters and killing clones. Just when she thought she was making headway she noticed more storm troopers coming through the door, only this time they were followed by a tall, dark man with a black cape flowing behind him. Siri's heart stopped at the sight of him. The room was silent with the exception of the low hum of Siri's light saber, and the heavy rhythmic breathing coming from the dark man.
"Leave this one to me." Darth Vader commanded in his rich deep voice. "Find the others, and eliminate them."
The troops obeyed and fled the room, leaving Siri staring up at the emotionless black mask of a murderer.
***
Obi Wan raced out of the computer generator room, only to find the confusion his actions had created. He then started to make his way back to the ship when he noticed four crimson guards talking to the ship's captain. Obi Wan ducked into the shadows as captain Veers passed by him.
Obi Wan looked at the crimson guards again. He knew there was only one reason for Royal guards to be on this ship. "Sidious." He stated under his breath. He looked down the hall back towards the Nubian cruiser, then back to the royal guards. His mind raced with possibilities. He suddenly felt the dark side all around him. He knew he was so close to the line that it almost frightened him. He glanced once more down the hall that he was supposed to be going down and then moved from his hiding place.
The crimson guards were dead before they knew what hit them.
*TBC!
Chapter 8:
"What is it captain?" Governor Tarkin asked from behind his desk to a small blue hologram standing in the middle of the room.
"Sir, we have captured a Nubian ship that had come into orbit with the planet, it matches those used by the rebels." Captain Veers explained to his aging commander. "We have found no life forms on board, but all the escape pods have been jettisoned, I have sent teams to locate these pods. The rebels will be caught."
Tarkin stroked his chin in contemplation. "Double security around Valorum."
"Yes sir."
***
The small group of rebels held their breaths as the last of the scanning crew walked past them. None understood exactly how they weren't being spotted, considering there weren't very many good places to actually hide on the small Nubian cruiser. Obi Wan closed his eyes and continued to call upon the force, creating a fog in the minds of their opponents giving them their cover. When the last two walked down the ramp of the ship he relaxed, feeling almost completely drained. Padme put a hand on his shoulder to inquire of his condition, he answered her with a wink and led her out of their small hiding place.
"How did they not find us?" Captain Typho was still stunned.
"The force can have a strong impact on the weak minded. Right?" Padme answered, and Obi Wan smiled at her.
"Well you may of hidden us thus far master Jedi, but how will we get past that tractor beam?" Panaka asked with a hint of anger in his voice.
"I'll deal with that." Obi Wan simply answered. Padme looked at him with a worried glance. "You take the team to the detention area and rescue Chancellor Valorum I will take out the tractor beam."
"By yourself?" Padme began to protest.
"I'll have an easier time, I used to command a ship similar to this one during the war, I know where to go." He softened his features for her. "Don't fear M'lady."
"We will rendezvous back here in 30 minutes." Padme commanded, looking Obi Wan in the eyes.
"Yes M'lady." He bowed his head in appliance. Padme turned away from him and he turned and whispered to captain Typho. "If I'm not back in 30 minutes, leave without me."
"Sir?"
"There are more important things at stake here than my life. Protect the mission at all costs captain." Obi Wan ordered, and Typho nodded. "And, protect her as well." Obi Wan added. He looked at Padme again, and noticed she had heard his orders.
"I will not leave you." She stated.
Obi Wan sighed. "You will if you have to." He stated with a stern tone. She wouldn't back down. "But you will not have to." He compromised. He then turned and silently made his way down the ramp of the ship.
"May the force be with you Obi Wan." Padme said beneath her breath.
****
Dorme could feel her heart beating a million miles an hour as she fumbled with a blaster, pulling it out of the weapons closet. She looked over at Siri and admired how calm the woman seemed to be.
"Go to the children." Siri commanded her.
"What about you?" Dorme asked, holding the blaster tightly.
"I have to get my light saber." Siri admitted, feeling embarrassed. "I will meet you in the children's room in 5 minutes." Suddenly the two women heard loud pounding on the main doors of the palace. "No matter what you hear, get the children out of the palace. I will try to contact Bail Organa." Dorme nodded and the two women headed towards the stairs.
"Wait. Leia is on the other side of the palace in her mother's room!" Dorme exclaimed, her nervousness getting the best of her.
The pounding became more and more insistent and the smashing of glass was now heard throughout the building. "I'll get Leia, stay with the other children, we will meet you outside." Dorme left Siri and ran up the stairs while Siri raced to the main foyer to see what was happening.
She stared into the dark room, keeping to the shadows. She saw dark figures through the windows, with the familiar silhouette of clone troopers. . . sorry storm troopers. She found herself even in the heat of it all remembering back to the invasion of the temple, her heart rose up in her throat. 'Concentrate.' She reprimanded herself.
Suddenly shards of glass rained down around her as storm troopers dropped down from the skylight. Siri then tried to protect herself from being cut as she ran towards the grand stair case. Troopers noticed her and open fired as she ran past them. Using the aid of the force she dodged the blasts with grace. More troops crashed through the windows at the top of the stairs and stopped her in her tracks. She kicked on square in the abdomen and threw him down the stairs. Two more came at her, one grabbed her from behind and she flipped him over her shoulders and caused him to crash into his fellow soldier. More blaster fire rained down on her and she ducked and ran for her room. She shut the heavy door behind her and searched for her light saber. She could hear in the back of her mind Obi Wan reprimanding her about throwing her weapon across the room. /This weapon is your life/.
A smile crossed her lips when she found the silver cylinder, but quickly faded when she heard a child scream. "Leia."
****
Blaster fire echoed through the metallic walls of the star destroyer as Padme and her team marched into the detention area. The security guarding Valorum was taken by surprise as they were cut down one by one. When the fire ceased Padme ran down the hall of cells until she found Finis Valorum sitting on a stone bed, with his head in his hands.
"You know we don't have time for this Chancellor." Padme said as she opened the door, and Valorum smiled when he saw her.
"How?" He asked, confused.
"We'll tell the grand rescue story when we are as far away from here as possible." Padme answered, helped him to his feet and led him down the hall.
Two guards grabbed Valorum as they emerged back into the main room. Padme walked up to captain Typho.
"That was way too easy." Captain Typho stated under his breath to Padme.
Suddenly an alarm was heard all around them. Everyone pulled out their blasters.
"I have a bad feeling about this." Padme stated as she glanced over at Typho.
****
Obi Wan silently made his way to the computer generator on the lower level of the star destroyer. He knew these kinds of ships very well and had no problems eluding any obstacles. As he found the room that held the ships computer he noticed that there was no troops to be found, he began to worry about the rest of the team. His worries were justified when he saw Padme and her team pinned inside the detention area, fighting for their lives through one of the security screens. He thought for a moment about the situation and he then pulled out his light saber, thrusting it into the computer. Suddenly the ships lights went out, and the emergency ones flickered on creating an iridescent glow. The ship then tilted to the left, sharply almost causing Obi Wan to lose his balance.
***
"What is happening?" Captain Veers screamed at his pilots.
"Sir, something has happened to the computer, it's not responding." The head pilot answered. "We are on a collision course with Courascant."
"Get the computer back online." Veers commanded.
"There's no time sir, we have ten minutes to evacuate." The pilot stated, beads of sweat showing on his brow.
"Sound the evacuation." Veers screamed.
***
The team of rebels stood with their backs against the wall preparing for the worst when the troops firing on them suddenly stopped.
"What's going on?" Panaka asked, astonished.
"I don't know." Typho answered his uncle.
They then heard the evacuate command and realized the ship was going down.
"I'm guessing the Jedi took out more than the tractor beam." Panaka stated with a huff.
"Then I suggest we follow their example and evacuate." Padme ordered and the team cautiously made their way into the hall, only to find troops running around finding escape pods. "Let's move." Padme commanded and the team headed for their ship.
****
Siri ran out of her room and looked down the dark hall and found Leia cowering in a corner, holding her hands over her ears. Siri quickly picked her up and ran towards the stairs. More troops were crashing through the windows, and had finally forced the door open. Siri realized there was no way of escape and quickly put Leia in a closet.
"Leia, you must stay here, and stay quiet." Leia looked up at Siri with tears in her eyes. She clutched her toy blaster tightly and nodded. Siri then closed the door and activated her light saber.
Troopers came at her from all sides and she deflected all their blaster fire. She then began to fight back, slicing through blasters and killing clones. Just when she thought she was making headway she noticed more storm troopers coming through the door, only this time they were followed by a tall, dark man with a black cape flowing behind him. Siri's heart stopped at the sight of him. The room was silent with the exception of the low hum of Siri's light saber, and the heavy rhythmic breathing coming from the dark man.
"Leave this one to me." Darth Vader commanded in his rich deep voice. "Find the others, and eliminate them."
The troops obeyed and fled the room, leaving Siri staring up at the emotionless black mask of a murderer.
***
Obi Wan raced out of the computer generator room, only to find the confusion his actions had created. He then started to make his way back to the ship when he noticed four crimson guards talking to the ship's captain. Obi Wan ducked into the shadows as captain Veers passed by him.
Obi Wan looked at the crimson guards again. He knew there was only one reason for Royal guards to be on this ship. "Sidious." He stated under his breath. He looked down the hall back towards the Nubian cruiser, then back to the royal guards. His mind raced with possibilities. He suddenly felt the dark side all around him. He knew he was so close to the line that it almost frightened him. He glanced once more down the hall that he was supposed to be going down and then moved from his hiding place.
The crimson guards were dead before they knew what hit them.
*TBC!
