Chapter 8 – Destiny Fulfilled
Jobe led the way down the corridor. Charii followed absently behind him, eyes cast downwards. How could Biggs just leave me? she thought to herself. After all we've been through together, he just runs off to his friend without me? She couldn't understand. Was it him? Or was it her? She was on her way to the medic, now. Perhaps she was overreacting because of her condition and Viaan's assault.
"Oh, my Stars!" exclaimed Jobe ahead of her. "It's her, it's really her!"
Barely looking up, Charii said, "That's nice, Jobe." Her thoughts were miles away.
"H-hello your h-highness," stuttered Jobe to the woman in white before him. Charii looked up now, slightly intrigued by what he said, not really registering the implications. Jobe was blushing profusely, staring at the woman, a dumb smile plastered on his face.
The woman answered politely, "Hello." But then she caught sight of Charii and the odd look spreading across her face, "Do I know you? What's wrong?"
Charii's face was a mask of terror. It was Viaan! She was here! Charii slumped against the corridor wall and collapsed onto the floor with a sickening thud.
The last thing she heard was Princess Leia - or was it Dark Lady Viaan? - calling for a medic.
(-O-)
Charii began to regain consciousness. She thought she heard a droid speaking from seemingly miles away.
"...very strange, Master Jobe. The Callites, as I understand it, were a genetically engineered race, designed by some long lost civilisation to produce clones for various purposes..."
Was it was talking about her? It was hard to tell. She tried to focus her attention on the voice.
"...only females. There is no male of the species. They reproduce by taking a copy of..." She lost the voice a moment, then, "It's actually rather fascinating. I had to access some ancient records..."
She blacked out again, but only momentarily. The voice came again, stronger this time.
"...Unfortunately, of the two within her, only the male copy survived. In fact, it looks to be part Callite, which is unheard of. But it looks very healthy, which is something..."
Charii tried to speak, shocked by what she heard. "My child?" she said faintly.
An ungainly medical droid leaned over her. "Yes, Miss Charii. I am Ubi-nine, medical android, and have just examined you. Your male child is in perfect health. Please don't sit up just yet."
Charii then realized she had been struggling against his unrelenting, yet gentle strength in a vain attempt to get to her feet. She stopped resisting and settled back down onto the examination table. "What of the female? Did you say she's... gone?"
"I am afraid so, ma'am. The stem it was growing from looked like it was crushed by some terrible force." Charii realised just how right he was: the Dark Force of Lady Viaan. But he wouldn't know that, "The other had similar scarring, and yet the developing foetus is in perfect condition. Quite remarkable." Charii remembered Yoda's last, healing touch, and thanked him silently.
Jobe came to her side, smiling down at her gently, "You shocked the Princess back there. And me!" Concern was evident in his face and voice, "How are you feeling?"
"Miserable," she answered. With that, Ubi-nine placed a small device against her wrist. It hissed softly and a cool sensation washed over her. "Can you both do me a favour? Please don't tell Biggs. Not yet. I want to... surprise him."
They both seemed to agree, but it was hard to tell. Within moments she had fallen asleep.
(-O-)
Biggs and Luke attended the pilot's mission briefing together. The plans of the Death Star that Luke and his group had recovered proved a boon to the Rebellion. The techs had found a critical weakness in the Death Star's design which could be exploited by small fighter craft, giving the Alliance a hope at destroying the huge battle station. The pilots listened, watched, and asked questions throughout the briefing. But Biggs' mind was hearing another voice: Commander Q's.
"...Someone discovered a major flaw in the design of that machine, and even as it approached the base, they attacked... The plan failed, unfortunately. Even though that friend of yours almost did it, so the story goes. But he was shot down by Darth Vader himself as he was targeting the vulnerable point of that Death Star. So close, apparently. But it wasn't to be. Vader vaporised him and then took out the Corellian and his ship. The Death Star survived the attack and it was just a matter of time before all the rebel ships were destroyed, even the disabled craft that were limping away from the battle... And then the Death Star cleared Yavin and targeted the fourth moon..."
Biggs knew he had to do something during this upcoming battle. He still wasn't sure what, but he knew deep down it would make all the difference. But Commander Q's tale had excluded his involvement in the battle, of course. Could his small contribution make the difference? Could he help destroy this Death Star and stop it from being just the first of an entire fleet of Death Stars? His innards reeled as he thought about it.
The briefing ended and the pilots exited the room. On their way out, Luke grabbed Biggs' shoulder and introduced him to Han Solo, a scruffy Corellian smuggler and his Wookiee co-pilot, Chewbacca, who had been watching the briefing from the doorway. Biggs detected some tension between Solo and Luke, which he soon learnt the source of: Han wasn't joining the fight.
Under other circumstances, Biggs might have tried to convince Solo to change his mind. But his own mind was already full of doubts and worries, that he just politely commented that each person must make up their own minds and left Luke and Solo to themselves.
Walking up the corridor on his own, trailing behind the other pilots, Biggs was suddenly stopped short by a hand on his chest. Charii stood before him! A wave of emotions hit Biggs. He'd forgotten all about her!
"Charii..." he said lamely, not sure what to say.
"Where are you going, Biggs?" she asked him, a strange look on her face. "Why didn't you come see me? I've been in the medical room since you left. Where have you been?"
Biggs tried to take her hand, but she held it back. "I've been busy, Charii. Are you all right?"
"Yes, I'm fine," she replied, although it wasn't very convincing to Biggs. She turned to point at the receding pilots behind her. "Are you going with them?" Concern suddenly appeared on her face. "You're not going to fight that Death Star are you?"
"Yes, Charii. Luke and I are both in Red Flight. I'm his wingman. But what did the medical droid - "
But Charii cut him off mid sentence. "Don't go, Biggs!" she implored. "You mustn't!" She looked up into his eyes, desperation in her own.
"Why Charii? I have to. They need me up there," he replied.
She pleaded again, "Don't go, Biggs. For me. Please don't go," and she started to cry.
Biggs tried to hold her again, but she took a step back. "Promise me, Biggs," she said. "If you really love me, promise you won't go!"
"I can't do that, Charii," he said sadly. "I love you, but I'm going."
Anger flared in Charii's eyes and she yelled at him, "Damn you, Darklighter!" With that, she ran off down an adjoining corridor, leaving Biggs standing alone.
Biggs watched her go, wanting to follow, but he knew he didn't have the time to chase her down. And he wasn't sure it would do any good anyway. Perhaps it was better this way. They'd be flying out as soon as the ships were ready.
He followed after the pilots.
(-O-)
Charii eventually made it back to her room. She hadn't been there since they'd first flown out to Dantooine. It was empty, except for the three cots she and two other female rebels shared. Her roommates were probably busy helping the Rebellion. She fell onto hers, crying like a school girl. Seeing Biggs in the corridor, walking off to the hangar bay, had triggered something in Charii. She'd intended to tell him that she was having his son. Their son. But instead she panicked - and gotten angry - when she realized he was flying off to battle without even saying goodbye.
Worse still, she heard Yoda's words in her mind, "You must loose the one you love."
She muffled her sobs with a pillow, choking on her anguish.
A soft knocking on the door made her catch her breath. "Biggs?" she said, turning over, hope flaring momentarily within her.
"No, Miss Charii. It's me, Jobe." A concerned Jobe entered the room, and sat on the foot of her bed. "Mr. Biggs sent me to make sure you were okay."
Charii sat up reluctantly and asked, "Has he gone?"
Jobe nodded. "They flew out a few minutes ago." Charii started crying again. "What wrong, Charii?" he asked.
In between her sobs, she managed to say, "Biggs won't be coming back. He's going to die." And she collapsed onto the bed again.
With the mixture of intense emotions flooding through her and the medications she'd received, she cried herself to sleep.
(-O-)
Biggs Darklighter piloted his X-wing silently as the whole of Red Flight breached the atmosphere of the fourth moon and raced around the massive planet Yavin. There was some chatter between the pilots as they realigned their formations and checked their equipment, but Biggs kept to himself as his thoughts went dark and foreboding.
The meeting with Charii had sunk Biggs' heart. He found it almost impossible to say 'no' to her, but in this case he had no choice. He just had to go. They needed him and he knew he could make a difference. Why couldn't she see that? And yet the guilt of denying her weighed heavily upon him.
In the fighter bay where the pilots were all preparing to fly out, he'd gone searching for Jobe or even George, hoping to relay a message to Charii before he himself got onboard his X-wing. He luckily found the ex-Imperial accountant prep'ing several fighter craft not far from his own, and gave him a simple message for Charii. He also asked Jobe to do him a favour, should things not work out as he hoped.
Jobe had looked sad, but nodded in agreement. He finished his prep work and went in search of Charii. Biggs had then gone back to his ship, where he encountered Luke again. He put on a brave face, smiling at his young friend and reminisced one last time, "We're a couple of shooting stars!" He'd then run off to his craft, climbed aboard and waited for the signal to depart.
Biggs now flew beside Luke, their two craft both opening the S-foils in unison as they approached the huge grey target before them: the Death Star. "Look at the size of that thing!" said one of the pilots, voicing everyone's thoughts except Biggs'. He'd seen it before. The flight leader quickly suppressed further chatter and ordered them to raise shields, double front.
Their ships were buffeted badly as they penetrated the outer defences of the Death Star, but their size and shielding allowed them to slip through where larger ships would have been forced to retreat. The huge space station filled their field of view as they flew closer and closer. Gold Flight, consisting of the Y-wings, started their attack runs, flying into the axial trench, while the X-wings of Red Flight flew cover, attacking the towers and installations on the surface of the massive machine. Gold Flight's first run failed.
Then the fighters came. TIE fighters in wave after wave, picking off rebel craft left and right. Luke, Biggs and the rest took down many enemy craft, but they seemed to be replaced just as quickly by more TIEs.
(-O-)
On Yavin 4, the intercoms throughout the Rebel base were channelling the communications between the fighters and the base as well as ship to ship transmissions. Groups of people stood around the speakers, listening and praying, hoping against hope that one of the attack runs would succeed. It seemed almost impossible, now that the TIEs were attacking. At last count, over half the Rebel craft had been downed.
Jobe sat in Charii's quarters, listening to the intercom there as quietly as he could. He'd picked out that Biggs was Red Three. He even caught his voice now and then. Both he and Skywalker were alive.
Charii stirred in the bunk across the room. Jobe turned the intercom down, but Charii said, "It's all right, Jobe. Turn it up. I need to hear this." Her red rimmed eyes stared vacantly at the wall as Jobe nodded and slid the volume bar back up.
"It didn't go in. It just impacted on the surface," came the voice of Red Leader. They heard him then order another attack run. It was Red Five with Red Three and Red Two flying cover.
Jobe turned to Charii and said, "That's Luke Skywalker, Biggs Darklighter and Wedge Antilles." His words were restrained; matter-or-fact, but the tension in eyes belied that. Charii only hung her head a little more, a tear dropping to the floor, splashing into small droplets of sorrow.
They listened as Luke ordered the three fighters into the trench at full throttle, hoping to keep the Imperials off their backs. It seemed to work at first, but soon they heard Wedge report that a deadly advanced TIE prototype with two wingmen was coming in even faster. "I'm hit!" he yelled.
(-O-)
Biggs watched as Wedge pulled his fighter out of the trench beside him. Wedge's ship was damaged and almost useless. It was up to Biggs now to protect Luke on his own. Just as he knew all along. He'd do everything and anything he had to.
The trench walls raced closely by outside his canopy. Biggs flew an erratic course, trying to confuse the Imperials racing up behind him. He employed every trick he knew from his days in Beggar's Canyon racing against Luke, Fixer and the rest of his old buddies. Up, down, left, right, feint this way, feint that way. He did it all.
And yet the lead Imperial in the prototype TIE steadily drew up on him, tracking his progress, anticipating even his most reckless manoeuvres. He was good, whoever he was. Better than Biggs himself.
Luke was ahead of him in Red Five, maintaining a fast but steady course as he attempted to lock onto the exhaust port. Biggs needed to give him more time. He knew the shot was hard, and Luke couldn't afford to start evasive manoeuvres. It was up to Biggs to cover Luke. But the TIEs were closing in much faster. If he didn't do something to slow their progress, they'd overtake Biggs and pick off Luke in no time.
The words of Ben Kenobi came unbidden to Biggs, "You must make a great sacrifice for him - for Luke." A cold feeling came over him as he finally realised the truth of those words. In the next few seconds, Biggs realized he'd known he was going to sacrifice his very life for Luke. In fact, he'd known it all along, but just hadn't admitted it to himself. But now was the time.
"When your mind says go, you must stay." These last words of Old Ben suddenly made sense as Biggs realized what he must do. He had to delay the Imperial as much as he could. Under any other circumstance, with such a fierce opponent out manoeuvring him, he'd have flown up and out of the trench, loop back down and try and take out the enemy from behind. But with Luke only moments ahead of him,. that would leave the TIE a free shot at Luke. And this guy was easily good enough to hit on the first attempt.
So Biggs would have to try something else. On instinct and years of experience, Biggs checked his scanners, looking for something; anything that could make a difference.. And, yes, there it was. A ship bearing down at them at an incredibly crazy angle. It looked like Solo's ship, the Millennium Falcon, coming to the rescue! Even so, the Falcon couldn't intercept them in time. Not unless Biggs did something to delay himself and the TIEs behind him.
He hit his reverse thrusters, momentarily disengaging his main engines, effectively making his X-wing stop in mid flight for just a second. Biggs was thrown forward with the sudden change of velocity, his harness holding him from smashing through the forward window of his canopy. The drastic manoeuvre had the desired effect. The TIE behind him also braked a moment, the uncanny reflexes of it's pilot reacting to Biggs' tactic. Just as he'd hope.
Unfortunately, it also left Biggs' X-wing vulnerable to an easy attack. The TIE fired, vaporising Biggs Darklighter.
Biggs' last thoughts were of Charii as his ship disintegrated about him. He hoped Jobe would pass on his message to her.
(-O-)
Charii went numb. Tears flooded from her eyes and her chest felt a huge pressure as the news sunk in. Red Three was destroyed; Biggs was dead.
She heard Jobe cry out, "NO!" and pound the wall with his fist. His scream sounded as agonised as her own grief. But she was silent, unable to voice what she felt inside.
All Charii could think of were her last words to the man she truly loved, "Damn you, Darklighter..." Such hateful words. Cruel, thoughtless words. When she really wanted to share her joy with him about their child, not shout abuse at him.
Those words would haunt her for the rest of her life.
(-O-)
In the main hangar, George stood listening to the broadcast as Red Three was reported as destroyed. The huge box of machinery he was holding slipped from his grasp and went crashing to the floor. Other droids and human technicians turned to look at him, but George just stood there silently, unmoving, his wide shoulders slumped.
It was George's first moment of grief.
(-O-)
The Millennium Falcon fired on the TIEs, but only just in time. Luke's ship had been hit, taking out Artoo-Detoo, and in seconds he would have been vaporized himself. But Solo and Chewbacca managed to hit the wingmen of the Advanced TIE prototype, sending them colliding into the ship, hurtling it out into the void.
Skywalker was saved and free to attack the Death Star. Ben's voice came to Luke, "Use the force, Luke. Let go."
Moments later, Luke disengaged his targeting computer, fired his torpedoes, scoring a direct hit and flew out of the trench.
The Death Star blew up just as the techs had said it would. A chain reaction in the core spread throughout the station, obliterating it. The mechanical menace was destroyed and the Rebellion was saved.
(-O-)
On Yavin 4 the cheers throughout the base were deafening. "The Death Star is destroyed. The Death Star is destroyed!" came the almost hysterical announcement. People ran through the corridors and hangars in joyous abandon. Hugs, kisses, hearty slaps and massive grins pervaded the base.
But not in one room. Charii and Jobe sat together, silent. Tears ran down their cheeks, falling to the floor.
Finally, Jobe tried to speak, but found his voice choked. He tried again, this time managing to say, "He loves you, Charii. He told me to tell you that, should he..." He sobbed a moment. "Should he not return."
Charii clung to Jobe, as a howl of grief escaped her.
(-O-)
The celebrations were cut short by the Rebel commanders. A brief ceremony was performed where everyone's fallen comrades were remembered and mourned and thanked. It was a solemn experience. Many good pilots were lost. Good men and women. They would be missed.
As the ceremony ended, the base started to organize its evacuation. The Rebels couldn't stay very long before the Imperial Navy came to investigate the Death Star's "disappearance". Won't they be surprised! thought many of the Rebels. But best they be gone before their arrival. With so many ships lost, they could barely defend themselves.
Within forty-eight hours, the base was empty. The last of the Rebel craft flew out to various divergent rendezvous points. Many would be hoping to find new recruits en route. With the victory over the Empire, it was hoped that the formerly uncommitted, but sympathetic worlds would now find courage enough to join the Rebel Alliance.
One craft made a stop at a planet recently visited by the Rebellion, but now considered relatively safe from further Imperial attention. At least for now. Three creatures disembarked, two of them waving goodbye and thanks to the pilot who had brought them there. The third carried a large container, unburdened by its massive weight.
Kel Whestler piloted the craft away from Dantooine. One of the few survivors of the Battle Of Yavin, as it was being called, he had felt it his duty to help the three. Rebel command saw no reason to protest. The box of hyperdrive parts wouldn't be missed as there weren't that many craft in need of repair. The Rebellion had more spares than actual craft at this time. He flew off into the upper atmosphere and into space. Soon he and his remaining passengers and cargo were gone.
George, Jobe and Charii headed to the old abandoned base. The Hope Remains was waiting for them. But Charii felt little hope, now. Except maybe for the small bright spark within her. The child of the man she loved. A miracle gift from a forgotten Jedi.
And yet those last words kept eating at her mind, "Damn you, Darklighter!"
(-O-)
Author's note: Yet again, thanks to those few of you that went to the time and trouble to read the story of Biggs and Charii. It was a lot of fun to write and I do have an idea of a sequel/prequel (combined), giving Charii, Jobe and George a little more action and a disclosure of the events I hinted at in Chapter One (what happened on the trip from Bestine to Yavin inbetween the two stories).
So stay tuned! Hopefully I'll start that some time in the very near future!
And let me know of anything you liked or disliked about the story. I know it ends on a bit of a downer, but that was inevitable, I'm afraid.
Oh, I noticed a small flaw in my time travel logic: Biggs and Charii return to "themselves" at Dantooine, twenty something years earlier. But what about George? I can only say he looked the same twenty years ago as he did on Dagobah, and he got thrown across from Bolraan to Dantooine by the power of the Force. (If you don't follow my logic, don't worry... I don't half the time, either!) Hmmm, I might need to update the story a bit. Oh well, can't be perfect!
Thanks!