CHAPTER TEN
Luke and Mara charged out the open entryway of cellblock AA23, lightsabers striking down brownshirts as they went. Jumping smoothly over the low pile of corpses in the portal, they moved against the soldiers in the hallway.
We need to work together on this, Luke, she sniped.
Then follow me, he shot back. He tumbled gracefully along the floor, rolling past the legs of the armored enemies and springing up again in their midst. His turquoise blade slashed high and low at his startled opponents.
Oh, don't you wish! With massive strides she surged toward his position, each swing of her violet weapon cutting savage swaths through the brownshirts' ranks.
The exit now cleared, the other four rose from behind the console and ran to join the pair of Jedi. Leia authoritatively cut in front of Han to be the first one out. As he burst after her he flashed an amazed glance at Lando, who shrugged in equal astonishment. Chewie let loose a rumbling Wookiee growl that caused a noticeable wave of alarm to shiver through the brownshirts.
Luke sensed the quartet arrive behind him and retreated two steps. He shifted his technique from attack to defense, blocking as many blaster bolts as he could.
Mara tried to do the same, but without his assistance it was difficult to defend in tandem.
The blaster rifle clenched firmly in her hands, Leia advanced deliberately. At least ten of the brownshirts already were down, and almost every shot of hers finished off another.
Han thought perhaps he was enjoying this a bit too much. His arms extended out in front of him, his twin blaster pistols wreaked havoc. From his flanks Lando and Chewie were dropping opponents with relative ease as well.
Then Mara sensed an enemy blaster bolt sail past and barely miss Leia's head. Luke, if we don't cooperate someone's going to get killed.
Fine, he snapped viciously. But I'm only doing this for her. Got it?
She felt him release the barriers in his mind at the same time she relinquished hers. The Force began to flow between them without disruption. Now they could sense each other's intentions and draw upon each other's perceptions in the Force.
In an instant their blades wove a tapestry of blinding light in front of them. Like the intricate cogs and gears of the most advanced droids, their shimmering lightsabers interacted with perfect precision to create an impenetrable shield against the brownshirts' incoming fire.
Leia had never seen anything like it before. But she refused to let it distract her from pouring a continuous stream of laser blasts into the remaining soldiers.
For a second Han wondered if his shots could make it out if the enemy's could not make it in. To his amazement, the Jedi's glimmering wall of light was completely porous for his bolts. So he continued the unrelenting barrage.
It did not take much longer for the surviving brownshirts to conclude that the situation was hopeless. Only about twenty remained. As one they turned and fled, not even bothering to lay down cover fire or protect their exposed backs.
As soon as the incoming fire ended, Mara and Luke stopped the movement of their blades and held the weapons at their sides.
"Cease fire," Luke called out.
"Let them go," Mara added quickly.
Han nodded to Lando and Chewie and lowered his weapons. Although he would have liked to chase down the brownshirts and teach them a lesson, he was well aware of the Jedi philosophy that one should kill only when necessary and only in defense. And now was not really the time for a metaphysical argument about combat tactics.
Leia was considerably more reluctant to comply. She could not bring herself to shoot fleeing men in the back, even as much as she hated them for their role in her captivity. But she burned off some of her anger by shooting at the floor just behind their heels and spots on the walls just after they passed them. When the last one disappeared from view, she shouted at them for good measure. "And don't come back!"
No one said a word to her about it.
"Which way now?" Han asked.
"Turbolift is no good," Mara decided aloud.
"Too easy for it to be shut off with us inside," Luke agreed.
The two Jedi looked at each other for a moment before they realized that the link in the Force had pulled their minds to think along the same line – and the instant they figured it out they cut the link off.
Leia broke the brief silence. "Which way to the stairs, then?"
"This way," Luke pointed with the tip of his lightsaber. "I think."
Han chuckled as the six of them began to jog down the hallway. "I hope you know what you're doing, kid."
---
A few minutes later they had made considerable progress toward their destination when they rounded a corner to see a massed formation of brownshirts cutting them off.
"Didn't we just leave this party?" Han laughed.
Chewbacca wrawled indignantly; clearly he did not see the humor in the situation.
Luke and Mara deflected away most of the incoming shots, but it was readily apparent that retreat was the only option.
"Back this way! Quickly!" Lando urged.
Without hesitation the others followed him.
After a few more rapid turns around corners they soon found themselves at a dead-end crossroads with another hallway.
"Which way?" Leia demanded again.
"Left-Right," Luke and Mara answered simultaneously.
The glare between the two Padawans could have frozen a wampa.
"When in doubt, always go right," Lando suggested quickly.
Leia was confused. "Why's that?"
"No reason," he chuckled. "It's just a rule we devised a few years ago. Faster than flipping a coin."
Leia did not find the idea the least bit insightful. "You guys are idiots."
"Hey, Princess," Han interjected to defend his friend, "I don't hear you suggesting anything better."
"Lay off her, Solo," Luke spat.
"I can take care of myself," Leia snapped, her face directing a blistering stare at her twin that caused him to flinch. She turned to face Han, her eyes still fiery. "Maybe not. But I still think you're an idiot."
With that she abruptly turned her back on him and consulted with Luke and Mara.
Shut out of the decision, Han looked to Lando and Chewie. "Wonderful girl! Either I'm going to kill her or I'm beginning to like her."
Before he received a response or a decision could be reasoned out, blaster bolts slammed into the wall next to Han and Lando and another wave of brownshirts came around the corner they had passed moments earlier.
Reacting instantly, Luke ran left and Mara ran right. With looks of utter disbelief on their faces, the others shook their heads. Leia took off after Mara while the three men followed Luke.
---
The two young women ran full speed down more plain gray hallways in the detention building. Really they had no idea if they were heading in the correct direction or not.
"Luke is going to pay for this," Mara growled. "I can't believe he left us."
"Don't let it get to you," Leia chuckled through her ragged breaths. "He's stubborn as an eopie."
"I know. It drives me mad."
"He gets it from our father. I'd think you'd be plenty used to that by now!"
Mara's grimace brightened. "I suppose I should be, huh?"
With a quick turn on her heel Mara let Leia burst past her. Her violet blade cut three swift arcs in the air and repelled blaster bolts straight back into the three brownshirts who had closed distance on them. She permitted herself a satisfied smirk before she spun around again to chase after her friend.
A few strides later Mara yelled out a warning. "Careful!"
Leia slid to a precarious stop at the edge of a retracted drawbridge over a wide and very, very deep ventilation chasm in the middle of the building. Mara rushed up beside her and looked out in disappointment at the situation.
Before they had any further time to ponder their predicament, more blaster fire flew at them from behind. Leia tapped buttons on the wall control pad and the blast door slammed down. To prevent their pursuers from opening it from the other side, she fired a shot with her rifle that exploded the electronics in a blast of sparks and bits of molten metal.
"Extend the bridge," Mara suggested.
"Oh, yeah. That. I think I just blasted it," Leia admitted, chagrined.
From a bridge doorway a few levels higher, a pair of brownshirts began to shoot at them.
"I'm on it," Leia said immediately. She braced the stock of the rifle against her shoulder and aimed high. Holding the trigger down strongly, she let the autofire mechanism kick in and sent a torrent of blaster bolts at their attackers. In no time at all two bodies tumbled from the platform.
She turned to see Mara withdrawing the thin rappelling cord from her utility belt. Leia glanced across the chasm to the open doorway several dozen yards opposite them.
"Can't we just jump?" she asked in surprise.
"What?"
"If you were alone you'd jump this, right?"
"Yes."
"So jump with me."
Mara stared into her eyes. "Are you sure?"
"Of course." Leia held the gaze intensely. "I mean, unless you don't think you can do it. I learned that the hard way with Luke a while back. If you don't believe you can do it, you fail."
"No. I can do it, no question," Mara insisted. "I just didn't think you'd want to."
"Whatever gets us out of here fastest is what I want."
"Okay. Let's do this." Mara flicked the cord back into her belt and clipped on her lightsaber. With both arms she grabbed Leia around the waist.
Leia slung the rifle's strap diagonally across her chest and wrapped her arms snugly around Mara's shoulders. Without really thinking she gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. When she received a puzzled glance in return, she giggled. "For luck."
"Hold on," Mara smiled. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and dipped her knees into a crouch. Pulling the Force into her body, she concentrated deeply.
Then she launched them from the platform.
---
The men came running around a corner, retreating from yet another squad of brownshirts. Han and Lando continued to send streams of bolts from the blaster pistols in both hands. Their black fatigues, such superb camouflage in the dark night outside, stood out starkly against the light gray walls and floor. Between them Chewie fired his bowcaster at the open targets they missed.
After these long, intense minutes of start-and-stop combat, Han was beginning to find the fighting far less thrilling. In fact, he was quite ready to get out of here. A quick glance at Lando and Chewie showed they clearly agreed with that sentiment.
A few seconds later Luke rounded the corner too. His blue blade swept gracefully in circles and ellipses in front of him, deflecting incoming fire into the walls, ceiling, and floor. He had decided he probably had acted rashly in cutting his connection to Mara and then leaving her and Leia behind. After a burst of Force-assisted speed caught him up to the Navy officers, he opened his mind again and searched for Mara.
She was drawing heavily on the Force too, so it took only a second to sense her. He felt her latch onto his presence as he attached to hers. While their conscious thoughts focused on their respective opponents, their subconscious minds went to work figuring out how to reunite the separated groups.
Luke's anxiety abated considerably. And something else occurred to him. For much of his life, he had considered Mara to be his constant adversary, his inimitable opponent, his nemesis, his enemy. This experience here on Xixus had shown him the truth. She might be a rival as much as a friend, but she most definitely was not an enemy. They were on the same side, allies in a desperate flight from this prison filled with brownshirts. For the first time he truly understood who the real enemy was, and it was not she. It troubled him to realize that he should have appreciated this long ago.
And then he felt a warm surge in his mind, revealing that in their linked state she simultaneously and independently had come to the identical conclusions.
Two more turns later and still making a fighting retreat, Luke smiled to see Mara and Leia join them from a side hallway. He flashed his twin sister a broad grin of apology, which she accepted with a gracious nod.
His eyes found Mara's and they shared a very brief but profoundly meaningful gaze.
I'm sorry about earlier, he told her sincerely.
Me too, she replied with equal sincerity. But let's talk later. To that he agreed with a wink. Wordlessly they pledged to fight in tandem for the rest of the escape.
While the Jedi were silent, Han grinned mischievously as he sidled up to Leia. "What kept you?"
"We ran into some old friends," she played along.
Han winked and tipped his head at Luke and Mara. "Well, I think maybe if we can just avoid any more Jedi advice, we ought to be able to get out of here."
Luke was about to bark a bitter rejoinder when Han's jibe triggered something in his mind. "Of course!" He plucked the comlink from his belt. "Artoo! Are you there?"
He was greeted instantly with a happy burst of beeps and bloops.
"Do you still have the security cameras?" An affirmative whistle. "Great! Get us out of here!" Within a heartbeat a stream of squawks, toodles, and whistles issued from the comlink.
Leia had not learned to understand astromech. "Well?"
"Follow me. We're almost there already!"
---
"We're out!" Han exulted.
With Leia, Lando, and Chewie on his heels he burst through an open doorway into a broad stone plaza. Although it still was late at night, the outdoor security lights had been turned on and illuminated the area with a brightness not too different from daytime.
"And Daddy's here!" Leia cheered in jubilation.
Several dozen yards away at the far end of the plaza the Lady Vader was easing into a repulsor-hover about ten feet off the ground. Its engines remained engaged, so rather than the usual rear boarding ramp a small hatch opened on the underside of the large wedge-shaped starship and a ladder began to descend.
From the plaza's left side Artoo wheeled toward the starship at top speed.
While the four of them ran forward as fast as they could, Han noted with great relief that no one was shooting at them. It seemed curious but he didn't really care why. He grinned and looked at Leia. "Not a bad bit of rescuing, huh? You know, sometimes I amaze even myself."
She laughed. "That doesn't sound too hard."
---
Luke and Mara charged through the doorway a few moments later, unceasingly deflecting blaster bolts from pursuing brownshirts. Mara flicked her hand and yanked with the Force to slam the blast door down behind them, causing the control panel to smolder and spark in flames. That probably would buy them enough time.
They ran to follow the group ahead of them when they both heard the distinctive sound. It could only be one thing: a lightsaber duel. Their minds still were linked for combat and simultaneously they looked to the right.
A short distance away Obi-Wan was defending vigorously against a young, blonde-haired woman dressed in black and fighting with a brilliantly red lightsaber. He was struggling more than they ever had seen him.
They understood the situation immediately. They had not sensed the Sith because she was powering herself with the dark side. And to be sure they did not sense what was going on and become distracted, Obi-Wan had suppressed not only the effects of his use of his powers but also the disruptions and tremors in the Force from the duel itself. The Padawans' mission was more important than his life.
Before Mara could react she sensed a surge of fear blast out from Luke. In an instant he ran toward the duel at top speed, powering his feet with the Force. In vain she reached out with her free hand to stop him.
"No, Luke, no!" she cried.
If he heard he did not acknowledge it.
For a split-second Mara wondered what she should do. Then she realized that even if Luke refused to do his duty, she must do hers.
She broke into a run.
---
When he reached the boarding ladder first, Han turned back and waved the others ahead while he scanned the plaza for any enemies. He saw no brownshirts. His jaw dropped, however, when he saw the lightsaber duel and then the speed of Luke's rush toward it. And he knew there was nothing he possibly could do to assist.
Lando already was up. Chewie wroofed a query to Han.
"Climb, furball!" he ordered without turning around.
With his considerable height the Wookiee bounded up the ladder in a blur.
Leia had followed Han's gaze and her face had become utterly pale. Now her twin brother had joined the duel between Obi-Wan and the Sith. It was by far the greatest possibility of him being killed that Leia ever had considered or even known about, much less seen with her own eyes. Her blaster rifle slipped from her grasp and clattered to the ground.
"Your turn, Princess," Han insisted firmly. "Time to go."
She ignored him.
He was about to physically shake her to her senses when Mara arrived.
"Leia, we have to go," Mara declared emphatically without augmenting her voice in the Force.
"But… Luke…" Leia's regal demeanor had vanished.
"He can't protect you unless you get on board," Mara said quietly. "You need to do it for him."
That message got through. "Okay," Leia whispered, wiping her eyes before she turned around and began to climb.
When her friend disappeared inside the starship, Mara looked down at Artoo. "Ready, buddy?" She received a reluctant but affirmative bloop as he rolled into position. "Jump!" she joked as she flicked her wrist and launched the astromech straight up into the hold.
Han pulled his eyes away from the duel to meet hers, his voice shaken and hushed. "Don't you… I mean… have to help?"
Mara shook her head sadly, then motioned for him to climb the ladder.
---
Luke had trained with his Master to fight in unison against a single opponent, yet as always was the case the reality of it was far different than the practice. The Sith did not look any older than he, but she was incredibly skilled with her blade. Maybe even better than Mara.
That was a very disturbing prospect indeed.
Obi-Wan was striking when he could, but mostly he was defending against the Sith's unfamiliar techniques. Luke attempted to take advantage and be more aggressive in his approach. He tried every strategy or series of swings that might pierce the Sith's defenses.
Nothing worked.
In the Force Luke could sense the titanic currents of energy coursing through the Sith. His Master was tiring and he already had expended considerable energy during their long escape from the depths of the detention building. She, on the other hand, seemed only to be growing more and more powerful by the second.
Deep inside his soul Luke felt his anger beginning to burn. He wanted this duel over.
Now.
---
When Mara pulled herself up into the narrow cabin hallway of the Lady Vader she heard her Master's voice in her mind.
How is she?
Well, she took over the moment we got her.
The response was simply a very relieved – and amused – father. Then she's fine. After a heartbeat the serious Jedi Master returned. Send Captain Solo up here. Get everyone else secured.
Yes, Master.
In the converted lounge Lando and Chewie already had pulled on their restraints in their seats. Mara quickly whispered in Han's ear before she gently led Leia to the front pair of seats, where they could strap in next to each other. Then Mara took Leia's hands in her own and squeezed them tightly.
Han tried not to be nervous when he arrived in the cockpit. Master Skywalker was seated in the pilot's chair with his back to Han, focused intently on the lightsaber duel visible out the front viewport. Dressed in a tight maroon Jedi flight suit, he was hunched forward ever so slightly, his gloved fingers grinding into the short gray hair on the back of his head. Han stopped in the open portal, unsure whether to proceed inside.
"I will be forever grateful for what you have done today, Captain Solo," the Jedi Master said calmly without turning around. "But we're not out of this yet." He paused momentarily, leaning forward just a bit more. "Take the port chair."
"Yes, sir," Han replied without hesitation, practically leaping into the designated co-pilot's seat. He quickly had scoped out the cockpit and concluded that this might very well be the most advanced combat starship ever built. And that interested him immensely.
"I need you to set all of the sensors to maximum," the distracted Master continued, "so we'll know what we're facing on the way out. Dial down the signal jammers as far as you need. They know we're here. I doubt we can fool them much longer anyway."
"Consider it done."
---
Luke's impatience was building. His feelings were perilously close to becoming a distraction.
He couldn't understand what they were doing wrong. The Sith continued not only to hold off all of their attacks but also to launch very dangerous offensives of her own. Only the need to parry a swift stabbing assault from Luke had prevented her from skewering Obi-Wan a few seconds earlier. And the woman's power continued to grow even as exhaustion beset the pair of Jedi.
It was impossible.
He tried to take the offensive again only to find himself parrying frantically against a vicious barrage of strikes aimed directly for his head.
Even with the Sith engaged in that maneuver, she still managed to evade Obi-Wan's counter-offensive.
This could not be happening.
---
Anakin's eyes faced the duel, but really they contributed nothing to his analysis. He followed every arc, swipe, parry, and block in the Force.
Two Jedi against one Sith, and it was a stalemate. Not good. For a moment it seemed Luke might land a spearing blow, but the woman slid away effortlessly. The melee continued unabated.
It was a grueling, sadistic dance of death.
"The sensors, Captain?"
"Fighters being scrambled from several locations in the city, sir. A dozen at least."
And more every minute, Anakin knew.
There were six lives aboard the Lady Vader, including the erstwhile prisoner they had come to rescue. Only two, a Master and his Padawan, were at stake in the combat yards away.
Every second they waited made their departure more difficult. He dreaded the thought of leaving his oldest, dearest Jedi friend and his son behind. But soon the calculus would give him no choice.
He could not sacrifice the others – even at that unbearable cost.
Anakin closed his eyes, clutched his hands to the top of his head, and concentrated more deeply and fiercely than he had in many, many years.
---
Luke's arms felt like rubber. His turquoise blade moved in slow motion. His feet slogged as if through mud. Every heartbeat he became weaker.
Obi-Wan was flowing in the Force and defending himself well enough, but he had run through all the possible offensive techniques he could think of and none of them had worked.
The Sith finally seemed to be slowing too, and yet she continued to control the tempo and flow of the duel against her two Jedi opponents.
It was only a matter of time, Darth Savager knew, before the starship would have to leave and she would stand triumphantly over a pair of corpses.
Luke tried another series of attacks at the Sith, but as before she parried them away.
Suddenly he heard his father's voice in his mind.
Swing down, Luke!
There was nothing to do but react. Heeding the words he swung low blindly, letting the Force guide his arms toward what his eyes could not see.
A terrible, awful, horrific sound filled his ears and an agonizingly painful wave of life energy screeched into the Force.
Instantly he was aware that the duel was over. His eyes came into focus again to see he and Obi-Wan standing over the young woman's dead body, bisected crisply at the waist.
Without speaking, master and apprentice deactivated their weapons and ran toward the waiting starship. Without turning his head around or breaking stride, Obi-Wan reached his left hand behind his back and used the Force to call the dead Sith's lightsaber handle into his palm.
---
The ladder retracted behind them and the hatch closed. Obi-Wan reached out and put a hand on Luke's shoulder. Their gaze was filled with relief and resolve.
Luke knew a lecture would be forthcoming about his recklessness. Later.
They stepped toward the lounge door when Luke heard his father's voice again.
Quickly. I need you.
Obi-Wan nodded and glided out of the hallway.
Luke nearly fell into the cockpit when the Lady Vader swerved sharply into the black nighttime sky and its engines engaged. He took the open starboard co-pilot's seat and strapped in tightly.
"Take the lateral cannons," his father directed. Anakin's hands were on the controls, tearing the starship over the dark city at a ridiculously unsafe speed.
Luke rested his fingers on the console and found the firing buttons for the four sets of directional guns he had been given. Apparently his father wanted to keep the rear-aimed cannons and all of the forward-facing weapons for himself.
"Captain?"
"Two dozen bogies, sir."
Anakin chuckled. "That many will make it interesting."
---
Anakin activated the pilot's forward display. The enemy starfighters still were far enough away that he could not track them easily in the Force to plan his strategy. The brightly colored holographic image showed three groups of pursuers closing in. For no particular reason he selected the one to port as the first engagement.
"Sensors on full, Master Jedi," Han reported.
"Excellent. Take the shields, Captain."
"Yes, sir."
Anakin brought the Lady Vader around and launched the drives to full atmospheric speed. The other two squadrons of enemies receded on the display as he charged the third.
Within seconds a formation of six Vyhrragian craft appeared against the utterly black nighttime sky. They were small white starfighters consisting of a ball-shaped cockpit with a large flat solar panel to each side. Their laser cannons opened fire at the Lady Vader even while they were well out of range.
Anakin flicked the thumb switches on his two-handed control stick. He smiled when Solo directed shield power to the fore in preparation for the initial encounter. The man clearly was an expert at space combat.
The Lady Vader's weapons had a considerably longer range than its opponents'. The same instant the targeting computers beeped Anakin squeezed his triggers and fired with all six forward-facing laser cannons at once. The front viewport lit up with the massive explosions of the enemy ships.
"All too easy," Anakin chuckled. "Argis' budget couldn't pay for starfighters with shields, apparently." He looked briefly over his shoulder to see Solo's jaw hanging open. "Captain, I haven't seen this kind of fighter before. What are they?"
Han regained focus from his total amazement at the Lady Vader's capabilities. "They're a new model from Sienar Fleet Systems," he explained. "They're called TIEs – twin ion engines. Highly maneuverable, short-range snub fighters with heavy cannons. Good basic ships for a fleet. Or for piracy. They'd give an X-Wing some trouble, that's for sure."
"Interesting," Anakin nodded, already looking out the viewport again while he steered the Lady Vader into a steep climb.
Secured to his station in the rear of the cockpit and his interface arm spinning rapidly, Jaytoo blooped and toodled indignantly. Wiping out the first batch of TIEs had taken them off course for the rendezvous point with the cover team above Xixus, and now Anakin was going to have hurry to make it before the remaining TIEs cut him off. He flipped a switch to override the default atmospheric restrictions on the drives and ignored the wailing alarms about the hazardous speed.
"Why would Sienar sell to Argis?" Luke asked quietly from the starboard-side co-pilot's chair. "Don't they have any social responsibility at all?"
Han chuckled. "Their only responsibility is to their shareholders. Profit is all that counts. And Argis is buying. Massive quantities at that."
"So even if they're aiding and abetting a major war, they don't care as long as they make money?"
"Not everybody shares the Jedi Order's concern for life, kid. Peace is bad for business when you're in the business of making weapons."
"And don't forget, Luke," Anakin pointed out without turning around, "the Senate has not yet declared war or even invoked the Trading With the Enemy Act. Sienar may be acting unethically, but they're completely within the bounds of the law. Until the Senate puts a stop to it, anyway."
Luke shook his head. "Well, I still think it's disgusting."
"Stay sharp! Here we go," Anakin cut off the conversation. They were close enough now to the enemy fighters that he deactivated the forward display and dropped his mind fully into the Force. Jaytoo whistled excitedly in anticipation.
The Lady Vader burst out of the atmosphere with laser blasts from the TIEs crashing into its rear shields.
The three men reacted in great surprise when they looked out the front viewport. Blazing toward them at full speed, lasers cannons firing a barrage at the TIEs, were four X-Wings.
The plan had called for only two, the maroon-and-white Jedi X-Wings being flown by Danaé and Sarré.
Yet there also was a pair of standard orange-and-white Navy X-Wings.
"What? Who's that?" Han wondered to Luke, who could only shrug. They didn't have to wait long for the answers.
Anakin had set the comlink to broadcast in the cockpit because he preferred to fly without a headset or helmet.
"You're late," Danaé's voice teased as the X-Wings sailed by overhead.
Anakin did not respond to his daughter but instead spoke sharply to the person whose presence he had sensed instantly in the Force. "What are you doing here?"
"Getting my daughter back," snapped Padmé's voice.
Now Anakin really wished he'd worn a headset after all. Captain Solo and Luke did not need to hear this conversation. "I've already taken care of that."
"Really? Looks to me like you could use some help."
Anakin's Force perceptions told him that the X-Wings, which now were looping back for a second pass, already had destroyed four of the eighteen pursuing TIEs. He pulled the Lady Vader into a tight loop to come around on a pair of TIEs; he could sense that the Vyhrragian pilots did not think he was capable of that maneuver. He also was pleased to discover that Captain Solo was continually adjusting the shields perfectly, having no difficulty at all keeping pace with his aggressive flying.
"This is too dangerous," he chastised her. "You shouldn't be here."
"Excuse me? Do I have to go through the list again with you?"
"That is not the point right now!"
"Isn't it? Battle of Naboo. Senate plaza on Coruscant. Leaving Coruscant in the Blue Hawk. Battle of Geonosis. And that's before we were married. Then there was…"
"Fine. You win."
"I win what?"
Anakin sighed deeply as he squeezed the triggers and blasted the two TIEs into oblivion. "You win the right to get yourself killed if you want to. I won't exclude you again."
"Thanks." Padmé paused long enough to destroy another TIE. "Liar. Yes, you will."
"That's why you love me."
"True."
---
In their jumpseats in the converted lounge Leia and Mara released hands to try to regain their balance from being thrown side to side repeatedly as the Lady Vader made its fighting escape from Xixus.
Mara laughed as she grabbed at sides of the seat bottom for leverage. "Your father is completely incapable of flying with the inertial compensator at a hundred percent, isn't he?"
"I'm afraid so," Leia frowned with false sternness. "He has no regard for passengers or co-pilots. He loves the feel of the g-forces too much."
Mara held down her lurching stomach through another wrenching arc. "It wouldn't be so bad if he weren't such an excellent pilot."
"Ow!" gasped Leia as her chest slammed into the harnesses. "That's true. You know, I simply can't wait to take a shower. I feel so wretched right now."
"Soon, I'm sure," Mara nodded. "I brought along your favorite jumpsuit, actually. It's in one of the bins in the bunks."
"Thank you so much!" For a moment the swerving slowed. "I know it never would have occurred to the guys to bring me something else to wear," she chuckled.
"That's why I'm looking out for you."
"By the way," Leia asked quietly so the others behind them couldn't hear, "where did you find this Captain Solo? He's a pretty crazy guy, from what I can tell."
"He responded to the Navy's emergency bulletin from the Invictus. He and his buddies called off their vacation to assist in your rescue."
"Are you serious?"
"I sure am."
"He really is crazy."
"Yeah," Mara smiled wickedly, "but have you seen him?"
Leia's eyes brightened and she grinned mischievously too. "Oh, I know. Did you…" She was cut off by having to concentrate on holding herself down in the seat.
"Nope," Mara winked. "He seems nice, but he's not really my type."
"Not a Jedi, you mean?"
"Something like that," Mara laughed. "He's all yours."
"That's very generous of you," Leia laughed along. I suppose I could think about it…
---
When his father flew the Lady Vader directly between them, Luke used the port- and starboard-aiming laser cannons to finish off the final two TIEs.
"More on their way, sir," Han stated calmly. "We'd better get out of here."
"I agree, Captain," Anakin nodded. "Nice shooting, everybody," he cheered into the comlink. "Time to go. On my mark." He waited until Jaytoo beeped that he had confirmation for all five ships.
"Now."
The four X-Wings shot away first, zipping from view in unison.
Jenny took a deep breath. She was surprised at her calm during the battle, considering how long it had been since she had flown, much less in combat. She didn't feel like she really had contributed much, but it was important to Padmé that she had come along and that made it worthwhile. She closed her eyes to rest for duration of the micro-jump back to the Invictus.
Sarré's hands were shaking when she released her grasp on the control stick. Although she had trained extensively for situations like this as part of being Leia's senatorial handmaiden, this was the first time she ever had experienced space combat as a pilot. It was far more stressful than she had expected; it gave her renewed appreciation for Bryon's career when she realized he did this all the time. She tried to calm her frenetic heartbeat by focusing on the fact that in a few short minutes she would get to see Leia again.
Danaé was very glad to leave Xixus behind. As hard as she had tried to avoid thinking about Oga, her thoughts had tormented her throughout the entire skirmish. Was her Master still on the planet somewhere? Was he dead? Should she fly down and look for him? She had managed to suppress those distracting troubles long enough to help the Lady Vader escape, but as soon as she popped to hyperspace they roared back in full. She took a calming breath and resolved to ask for help when she returned to the Temple.
Padmé could not keep the silly grin off her face. They had done it. Leia was safe. She was back. Onboard the Lady Vader with Ani. She was so delighted she couldn't even begin to comprehend it; she thought perhaps she had not been this happy since Leia won election to the Senate. She ran her gloved fingers through her hair and tried in vain to control her breathing. The exhilaration of combat had a tendency to do this to her, and it had been a long time since she had experienced it. Her heart was racing and the thrill of victory coursed through her veins. It was a powerful emotion. And she couldn't wait to be alone with Ani again because she loved the way he reacted when she was like this.
When they felt the Lady Vader rock into smooth flight, Mara and Leia unstrapped from their seats and headed straight toward the bunks. From her face and Force presence Mara thought this was the happiest she had seen Leia since Jarren's death. After retrieving the clean clothes for her she sat guard outside the refresher on one of the beds, just to be sure that Leia could relax and feel at ease.
The stars outside the viewport shifted to long streaks of light. Han simply shook his head back and forth in awe. The Lady Vader was a masterpiece. He had kept score during the battle with the TIEs. Antilles two and Bellion two. The Skywalker girl three and Lady Skywalker three. Luke three and Master Skywalker five, not counting the six before they reached space. Some of that, of course, was Master Skywalker's skill as a pilot, but much of it was attributable to the Lady Vader itself. It almost was enough to make Han wish he had this ship instead of the Falcon. Almost.
Luke took a calming breath and let his hands fall into his lap. He was tired. Very tired. He was profoundly pleased they had rescued Leia, but he had no idea what would come next. Fighting linked to Mara had been unlike anything he had experienced before, even all the times he had fought side-by-side with his Master. And then he and Obi-Wan almost had died. It was the first time it ever had been a close question. Now that the escape really was over he could release his concentration, and instantly his mind flooded with everything his supreme Jedi training had suppressed during those anxious moments. When he shook himself back to reality minutes later, he realized he had been thinking about his parents and his siblings and even Mara – and Jenny. Yes, Mara. And Jenny. Definitely Jenny. But not Ralli Gialla – not even once. He took another deep breath. He had a lot to think about indeed.
Anakin sat back in the pilot's seat and smiled. They had done it. Leia was safe. She was here. Onboard with him. He could sense her in the Force, still upset and angry but also relieved and excited. He was bringing her home. Although it nearly had been a disaster, Obi-Wan and Luke had slain the Sith. That too was something to celebrate. Plus, he had the most kills in the battle with the TIEs – as if there had been any doubt. And his heart soared when he considered the mood his angel was going to be in when they landed.