Chapter 25: Chancellor in Peril

Sidious stood looking out of the Gorgon's bridge viewports. There was a glint of plasteel in the distance of space and an enormous fleet shot out of hyperspace. Anakin was back, already!

XxX

Executor II Bridge

"Lord Skywalker, incoming transmission from Gorgon!" Cried the comm officer.

"Patch it through."

"Yes sir."

Anakin stepped back as a hologram materialized in front of him. Sidious appeared right on the bridge.

"Greetings Lord Vader."

"My name is Anakin."

"Anakin. I should give you a friendly warning."

"That I should be weary of the your face might deform at any second?"

"Must you through petty insults at me? No, that is not it. Mon Mothma is aboard my ship."

"I suppose you can prove it to me."

"Yes, I can in fact."

The hologram flickered and changed to the camera view of a hall. Mon Mothma walked down it, cuffed and flanked by storm troopers. Anakin cursed. He really wanted to just destroy the Gorgon. Now he had to capture it, or perhaps he would just board it. The image changed back to Palpatine.

"You see. I am taking her to the throne room here. I trust you know where that is."

"Well stay where you are while I come rescue her."

"No, I am going to the throne room and Lady Traya is accompanying me."

"Fine. We have nothing to discuss now."

Anakin looked to the comm officer and cut his hand across his neck. The officer nodded in understanding and abruptly ended the communication.

"Alright. Concentrate all fire on the Gorgon. Crippling shots only, take out their engines and then their turbo lasers. I am going to board it. Admiral Piett is in command." Anakin called to the crew, he turned to Mara who stood behind him. "Come with me, I'll need help and I know you want to kill Traya."

"I thought you would never ask."

XxX

Anakin and Mara piloted brand new TIE interceptors. Each wore a space suit since the ships gave up life support for maximum maneuverability. Mara Jade mirrored Anakin's moves precisely, he was glad, she wasn't a bad pilot. He dodged a barrage of on coming turbo laser pot shots from the Gorgon and punched the accelerator. His interceptor shot forward in a spinning roll. Mara copied him bringing them each a step closer to the Gorgon. Anakin growling in anger as an entire attack squad of TIE fighters appeared on his targeting screen. Behind him.

"MARA!" He cried into the internal comm of his helmet.

"Yeah Skywalker?" She asked as she dodged oncoming fire from six TIE's that had broken away from the twelve TIE attack squadron behind Anakin.

"Any suggestions?"

"No a one."

"Lets thread the needle."

"That is the oldest trick in the book, besides there are to many!"

"Alright."

"Rouge squadron. Do you copy?" Anakin asked through his comm, changing the channel. Rouge squadron was an X-wing squadron, and very successful having thwarted a few Imperial operations through bombing runs.

"I copy Lord Vader." Said Wedge Antillies voice from the comm connection.

"SKYWALKER!"

"Well I'm used to calling you Vader, what do you need?"

"I have six TIE fighters on my tail." Anakin cried dodging more fire from the TIE's.

"So? I thought you were supposed to be a good pilot."

"Mara Jade is with me! We are trying to rescue the Chancellor."

"MARA JADE? Okay we'll be right there."

"If you think I am going to be the oh you are my hero kind of girl to you after you help me then you are wrong Antillies." Mara said through the channel.

"Well I still should help you." Wedge replied and seconds later three fighters on Anakin's tail vanished, then the other three. Anakin smiled. Let up on his speed and got into formation with Rouge squadron. He looked at his targeting screen, one of the TIE's was just bouncing in and out of the crosshairs. The split second it came in once more Anakin fired. Two green laser bolts erupted from the interceptors cannons and tore into the TIE sending it spinning and dissolving in its own exploding fuel. Rouge squadron took care of the rest seconds later.

"Thanks Skywalker." Mara said.

"Hey!" Wedge yelled. "We helped."

"Well Skywalker got the first one off my butt and he is really the only one I feel comfortable thanking."

"Aw come on, he's married and he's old."

"IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH ROMANTICE ATTRACTION TO HIM!" Mara bellowed so loud Anakin had to turn down the volume on his comm.

"They what is it?"

"I don't fancy dating a general such as yourself."

"But—"

"Jade out." And Mara cut her connection with Wedge for good. Seconds later Rouge squadron left and Mara switched her comm back on. They were nearing the Gorgon. It grew bigger and bigger in Anakin's viewport until it filled it entirely. Anakin looked his ship into a shuttle hanger. Although all TIE fighters were meant to dock in hold mechanisms they were structurally capable of sitting on their wings for landing. Anakin and Mara brought their ships into the hanger and lowered them slowly on repulsor lifts. The touched down smoothly and each leaped out of their cockpit.

They ran out of the hanger wordlessly and cut down several approaching strom trooper bands. Each was to focused on the task at hand to say a word. They reached a turbo lift and Anakin knew exactly what floor to go to. His finger hit a button and while the lift shot up both he and Mara shed their pilot suits. Under hers Mara wore a completely black skin tight suit. She also had leather boots on. Anakin wore only tight fitting under mesh and his pilot suit's boots. The turbo lift doors peeled open and Anakin and Mara stepped out into a hallway with a door at the end. They both ran to it and it opened automatically letting them into the Gorgon's throne room.

Atop the platform on the chair and surrounded by a ray shield cage sat Mon Mothma. Sidious and Traya stood on either side of the cage and when Mara and Anakin entered both walked down the stairs to meet them.

"This time you will die." Traya said.

Anakin smiled and his nostrils twitched. This room smelled rank. He looked up past Sidious and Traya and saw the remains of Qui-gon and Xen, still lying in the same spots they died in.

"You sick tyrant!" Anakin cried.

"Well the only other choice would be to incinerate them." Sidious said coolly. "And I like to keep them as memoirs of how powerful my partner is."

That was it. Anakin launched himself at Sidious and Mara at Traya and their final duel began.

Next and Last Chapter: The Last Duel

Note: My next project of this will be a full and completely new redo of my fic the Unknown Son, which Darth Gladiator45 is currently helping me on with a few plot bugs.