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Skywalker Resurgent Ch.5: "There's No Moon..."
A field of rock and flaming debris greeted us as we came out of hyperspace. Shockingly, rather than Alderaan being the debris, Alderaan was surrounded by the debris. The planet was still there, but it had been completely devastated by impacts, presumably from the debris field. My brain tried to make sense of the sight for several moments. No one in the cockpit spoke as we all took in the sight and I'd be surprised if we all weren't struggling to make sense of what we were seeing. After those few moments of consideration, my mind reached the only logical conclusion as I took notice of what was missing from this image.
The Death Star had blown up Alderaan's moon.
Massive chunks of the former moon circled the planet in what was once the moon's standard orbit. As we watched, great swathes of flame that stretched across the landmasses of the planet could be seen from even this far out as chunks of the moon had already impacted the surface with cataclysmic force. Dark clouds flowed through the planet's now turbulent atmosphere as massive amounts of dust and debris were thrown up into the air in quantities that would surly block out light from the local star. I could imagine the seas churning as impacts caused tsunamis to wipe out entire coastlines, settlements kilometers inland and would throw the tides and currants into behaviors that would make even the idea of rebuilding many of them utterly impossible.
That fear and horror Kenobi and I had felt in transit...it wasn't the immediate destruction of Alderaan, it was the planet being devastated. Did Alderaan's moon have a settlement on it? What was Tarkin, that madman, thinking by blowing up the moon? Is this the consequence of not being able to find Leia, but still having her ship and crew to indicate her guilt? A punishment he's decided to hand out against the people of Alderaan based on only the circumstantial evidence he had against Leia?
"No..." came a horrified whisper beside me.
I turned to see Leia staring at her home engulfed by an apocalypse. Tears of rage, horror, and sorrow were forming at the corners of her eyes as she beheld the destruction of the world she called her home. Her emotions were such a pit of despair and anger, I quickly found myself having to block her out of my senses as she unknowingly put out such energies that it felt like I might drown in them by simply being in such proximity to them.
"It's...it's gone," Han said, aghast and baffled by what he was seeing. "What in the hells could have happened here? Some...some kind of disaster on the moon that blew it apart?"
"No," Kenobi refuted before I could. "It was destroyed. By the Empire."
"It would have taken at least a hundred capital ships bombarding the moon for over a standard day to destroy it like this," Han denied. "Why even keep it up that long? What would be the point when they could just bombard targets on the planet instead? It makes no sense! Why would the Empire punish Alderaan like that?"
"...We have to get down there," Leia insisted quietly, then repeated herself more loudly. "We have to get down there! I have no idea if my father is still alive, but we have to find out!"
"Approach may be difficult," Kenobi remarked, pointing at the planet. Looking towards the planet and the scanners, we could see there were three Star Destroyers positioned around the planet.
"Now what are they doing there?" I wondered aloud. A followup attack? They looked to be too close if the Death Star was meant to be used against the planet for a second strike.
"They're blockading the planet," Han answered grimly a moment later.
"What?" I asked, turning to him. "What makes you say that?"
"Positioning," Han explained, pointing to the three ships. "They're just outside the debris and close enough to intercept ships coming or going. I recognize the formation and they're not deploying any ships to provide relief to the planet. It has to be a blockade. The Imperial Navy does the same to planets they make examples of. They're there to ensure nobody arrives to assist and nobody leaves while the lesson is being delivered."
I didn't ask how Han could know such a thing, knowing that he must've seen his fair share of brutality delivered by the Empire during his own time as an Imperial officer.
"But why would they do this?" Han asked aloud.
Chewie yowled something and pointed at the scanner before any of us could answer.
"What is it?" I asked, trying to peer forward at the display.
"Something approaching us," Han answered shortly as he fiddled with the controls and stared in confusion at the display. "Massive. I don't...Chewie, check the status of the scanners. This doesn't look right."
"What is it?" I repeated.
"Some kind of rogue moon or small planet," Han answered, turning the ship away from Alderaan. "It's right near the hyperspace limit, but not on the navigational charts. Damned thing is nearly on top of us."
The Falcon stopped turning as we saw the object come into view. I felt the knot reform into my gut as I immediately recognized the object. Kenobi must've recognized it by my descriptions, because his next words were an explanation to the rest of our companions.
"That's no moon," Kenobi whispered softly. "It's a space station."
"That's absurd," Han protested. "It's too big to be a space station..."
Han's voice trailed off as the logic of his words was rejected by what his eyes were telling him. Even from this distance, we could see that the shape was all wrong for it to be a natural planetary body. The surface was too uniform in shape and color. We could also see that the angle of the one visible crater was too smooth to be anything other than artificial.
What was worse was that we were already close enough that all of this detail was visible to the naked eye. We had dropped out of hyperspace right in the path of the Death Star as it made its transition through the system.
I wasn't going to say it aloud, but I had a very bad feeling about this.
"Turn the ship around," Kenobi ordered quietly as he stared at the Death Star, unblinking.
"Yeah," Han agreed without protest. "I think you're right about that. Chewie, start the calculations for our exit, prepare to draw auxiliary power for the engines."
Chewie growled an agreement. But before either of them could do anything, the Falcon rocked suddenly around us.
"What's happened?" Leia exclaimed, grabbing the edge of Chewie's seat to keep herself steady.
"We're caught in a tractor beam, it's pulling us in!" Han exclaimed as he began messing with the controls just above his head. "It's no good! They've got us!"
Dread settled into the compartment after Han's words. The Death Star drew us in closer and more details became visible as the fear became almost palpable in the cockpit. I think Han might've been about to suggest struggling anyway, but Kenobi interrupted him by placing a hand on his shoulder, causing him to turn and look at him.
"You can't win," Kenobi informed him. "But there are alternatives to fighting."
~Skywalker: Resurgent~
It wasn't as tight a fit as one might have imagined between four humans, two droids and a wookiee, but it wasn't exactly comfortable. The compartments weren't meant to hold people in them, but Han had quickly explained that he had installed them to avoid detection by Imperial customs checkpoints and the occasional inspection crew that decided to board him. As such, they had some rudimentary protection and insulation from most portable scanners. Although thankfully, not enough insulation that we were totally oblivious to what was going on just above us.
Of course, that wasn't going to do much to help us avoid detection from Vader. Thankfully, Kenobi and I had both worked on suppressing our presence in the Force long before we came here. It wasn't a perfect defense; we had to continuously focus to keep it active and it was less likely to work if another Force sensitive individual was actively looking for us. Also, I didn't think it'd completely fool Vader but I assumed it was sufficient as - like in the original encounter - the man hadn't come aboard himself to start tearing apart bulkheads in search of us.
After we heard the last of the stormtroopers heading down the ramp, we finally decided to try our luck and come out. The deck plate came up and slid silently to the side as the one next to it followed a moment later. After uncovering the hidden compartments beneath, Han first emerged from one with his blaster out and ready to fire, just in case. A moment later, I came out and held up my own blaster as I looked around.
"Damn good that you had these compartments," I noted.
"I use these compartments for smuggling," Han grumbled. "Never thought I'd be using them to smuggle myself."
"We're not out of this yet," Leia said. "We need to plan how we're going to get out of here. With the tractor beam active and this thing looking to grab ships coming in to the system, we'll never get far enough to reach hyperspace before they snatch us again."
"They'll also be bringing in a scanning crew and equipment next," Han noted glumly. "These compartments may hide stuff from the lower-tech stuff they use on less developed Imperial worlds, but I'll bet a place like this would only have the top of the line stuff. I'm not looking forward to seeing how these compartments hold up to hiding from that level of scrutiny."
"As it so happens," I said, grinning. "I have an amazing plan."
~Skywalker: Resurgent~
Not even twenty minutes later, we ambushed the two techs that came aboard with scanning equipment. As per Imperial procedure, the hanger was quarantined off after the primary search has been completed and the ship was determined not to be an immediate threat to the station or personnel. After incapacitating the two technicians - a simple matter for two Jedi, a wookiee, a smuggler, and a rebel princess - Han was able to lure the two stormtroopers left standing guard onto the ship with ridiculous ease.
While Kenobi elected to stick with his robes and Chewie and the droids weren't wearing disguises for obvious reasons, Han and I had snagged the stormtrooper armor for ourselves. Leia went with one of the technician uniforms, hiding most of her distinctive hair inside the cap that came with it. When she inquired why she couldn't get one of the sets of armor, I thought she wanted to hit me when I answered her with;
"Don't you think you're a little short to be a stormtrooper?"
Joking aside, I pointed out that the armor wouldn't completely hide the fact that she was a woman to anyone who got a decent look at her. While the Empire had a number of female officers, technicians, and service personnel, there weren't any female stormtroopers. Blame it on politics, blame it on the fact that Palpatine or at least the dudes who he worked with were misogynists, blame it on whatever, but the Empire didn't allow women to serve in the Stormtrooper Corps. Leia grumbled in agreement that a female technician was less likely to draw attention than the only female stormtrooper in the galaxy.
After that, I was almost appalled with how easy it was to walk up to the hanger control room and take the two techs standing by in there by surprise. Han had waved at the control room and mined a comms malfunction towards the window overlooking the hanger. It provided a distraction while the rest of us walked up the single set of stairs that led to the control room. We made quick work of the group, having taken all of them by complete surprise. Chewie had even killed the one that had opened the door for us by making a savage swipe at his unprotected skull as the man stood there shocked by our appearance.
"'Empire's best and brightest,' my ass," I grumbled, removing the comm and access equipment from the technician and moving his body out of the way of the control consoles.
Thankfully, none of these guys were clones, or I imagine it would've been more of a struggle to take them down, advanced age or not. As much as I supported the idea of the Empire recruiting its own military instead of growing them, there was a very clear drop off in quality of the average soldier which had led to the 'quantity is a quality all on its own' approach by the Empire. I had a few theories of my own as to why this was so easy, both in the original film and now, but seeing it for myself had me shaking my head.
"Training certainly hasn't improved over the years, by my own experience anyway," Han agreed, setting his blaster on the console and taking a seat in the now vacant chair with a sigh. "Good work so far though, kid. You've gotten us this far, at least."
"And we'll get further still so long as we keep being careful," I said, glad to have that stupid helmet off. How does anyone expect to actually fight in one of those?
"Next, we'll need access to tractor beam systems," Leia remarked.
Artoo beeped near the terminal and Threepio turned to translate for us. "We've found the main computer access point."
"Plug in. That should give us all the necessary access to the station network," Kenobi ordered.
Artoo expended a manipulator device from his chassis and plugged it into the small socket besides the terminal. There was a pause of several seconds as Artoo gained access, but he then beeped several times in success.
"He says he's found the main controls to the power relay for the tractor beams in this sector of the station," Threepio translated helpfully. "He'll attempt to display the precise location on the main monitor."
We all watched as the main display in the control room ceased displaying sensor readings and status reports of hanger bay systems and switched to schematics of the Death Star itself. Even for a capable droid like Artoo, it took a few seconds to draw a path and narrow it down enough to be considered easily legible by organic minds. The station was just that damn big and complicated.
"The tractor beam is coupled to the main reactor in seven locations in this quadrant of the station," Threepio continued translating Artoo. "A power loss at one of these main junctions will cause a malfunction in the controls and allow the ship enough time to leave."
As he finished, we watched as a specific section of the station was highlighted with a path indicating the best route Artoo was able to calculate to reach it. Based on the scaling of the station, the path would take one nearly three hundred meters deeper into the station. That was three hundred meters through corridors, maintenance passages, and past any number of station personnel that would be transitioning the same passageways.
"I don't think this will be a team effort," Kenobi said, turning to the rest of us. "I must do this part alone."
"Whatever you say," Han agreed, retaking his seat at the console and making himself comfortable. "This trip has been more than what I'd bargained for already. I'll just wait here."
Leia shot Han a dirty look as she asked, "Will you be able to make it fine on your own, general?"
"Perfectly fine," Kenobi assured her with a smile. "Give me approximately one standard hour to make it there and back and we'll blast out of here. Captain Solo, will you be able to have the Millennium Falcon ready at about that time?"
"Hey, the Falcon could blast her way out of here in a moment's notice," Han said, with Chewie giving a vigorous nod and a grunt of agreement. "Just make sure that relay is switched off before we try it. Otherwise, it'll be one short trip."
"Indeed it would be," Kenobi agreed. "So I'd best make sure I do it right."
Kenobi stepped towards the hatch leading out of the control room, only to have me standing in his way, a mutinous expression on my face.
"I'll be better moving on my own," Kenobi waved me off. "Besides; nobody ever notices an old man out for a stroll."
"I'm serious," I said to him. I was quiet so as not broadcast what I was sure to be an argument to the others. "You shouldn't go alone. I could come with you and we could handle this faster by working together."
"You'll be needed here to defend the others, Luke," Kenobi gently rebuked me and while also being quiet. "The two of us moving together would just make it harder to remain undetected and one of us should stay here to defend the others and ensure their escape. Those plans are simply too valuable for us to take any unnecessary risks. I can handle this just fine on my own."
"I disagree," I insisted. "We've talked about this. It's not necessary. You didn't take me seriously when I told you years ago that this is where you might die and you're being far too casual with the likelihood of it happening now that we're here."
"Because if this is where my time ends, then so be it," he replied. "I made peace with my own death a long time ago. You are the future Luke, not me."
"No," I denied. "No, you don't get to make that kind of call on your own. I say differently. Cut the 'will of the Force' act and start thinking about yourself as more than just a Jedi or, or some pawn to be sacrificed!"
"If I don't make it back," Kenobi told me gently. "Then you're well equipped to handle things without me. I've trained you well and you have a natural talent for the Jedi arts unlike anyone I've ever seen. You'll do just fine without me, if it comes to that."
"That's not your call to make," I argued, starting to get emotional. Marshaling my feelings, I grew stern as I jabbed my finger at his chest. "You will do everything in your power to avoid confronting Vader, do you hear me? You will avoid a confrontation with him and if he somehow manages to sense you, you will delay him and escape back to the hanger with us where we will all escape."
Smiling at my obvious concern for him, Kenobi placed a hand on my shoulder.
"The Force will be with you," he said. "Always."
And like that, he was out the hatch and making his way down the corridor and deeper into the station.
Ignoring the others for the moment, I sat down in the chair by a console, leaned back into it, and pinched the bridge of my nose in frustration.
'Damn him,' I thought.
~Skywalker: Resurgent~
Years Ago...
We were taking a break from my latest round of exercises. Kenobi wanted me to use the Force to enhance my own strength and stamina and to draw upon it for relief when I had overexerted myself. Accustomed to multitasking my training since out times together were typically shorter than I'd have liked, I had continued speaking and had used the lesson to start talking about how we were going to survive an encounter with Vader.
"The man's a pure juggernaut in personal combat," I explained, picking up my canteen from the shady spot beside the dwelling I had left it at. "Apart from his own formidable skills as a duelist before Mustafar, now he's arguably improved his combat style with his cybernetically enhanced strength while sacrificing the mobility he once enjoyed. While no longer nearly as flexible or maneuverable in a fight, you could drop a TIE fighter or an AT-ST on him and he'd shrug it off, even without the Force."
"A rather specific example," Kenobi said dryly.
"Which is why you need to start thinking and practicing techniques to avoid direct strikes. I can't really simulate his striking power with just my arms, but I'm thinking we can switch up and pretend so that you can get some practice in too," I said, taking a gulp of water as I cooled off.
"I'm sure I'll be up to the task," Kenobi assured me. "Your own lessons are more important."
That was the answer I had actually expected from him, but it was also the one I hadn't wanted to hear. Resealing my canteen and putting it back down, I turned and faced Kenobi.
"I think we should focus more on this," I argued. "What's your deal with this?"
"Pardon?" he asked.
"I mean, why aren't you taking this more seriously?" I asked directly. "You've been pretty aloof about the fact that I informed you that you die at Vader's hands while trying to ensure our escape. This is the third time I've brought it up and you have once again brushed it off when I've tried to brainstorm with you about a plan. Why is that?"
"Specifically, you told me that I become one with the Force," he corrected me. "That's a very different thing than mere death."
"Maybe to you," I argued. "But I thought the point was to survive and live to fight another day. As much as I'm sure you love the idea of being a ghost and creeping the hell out of me by popping though a wall one day, I'd much rather prefer you be around physically to tell me to sharpen my stance or how to breathe or whatever else you can criticize me with."
"You know from your visions that death isn't the worst fate to befall a Jedi, Luke," Kenobi told me. "You've provided some form of confirmation that I will still be able to provide you with necessary guidance from beyond the veil of death. That admittedly, was my greatest concern with passing on too soon. But you already have much of the knowledge you'll need to advance your own training without me, if necessary."
"Hell, Kenobi," I said exasperated, throwing my arms out. "What do you think I'm even doing here? I came to you for guidance because you're the best there is and you're just writing yourself off! What about, y'know, actual practice? What about all that experience you have that the Alliance could really use?"
"We all die sometime, Luke," he told me. "If my death is for a purpose and helps set Anakin even partially back down the path to the Light Side, then it is a life well spent."
That response alarmed me, but not as much as I realized why he would say something like that.
"You think your death may be necessary," I uttered in realization.
"Perhaps it is," he defended. "You've been adamant about your own role in pulling him back from darkness. I'm not convinced that I don't have the potential to play a role, myself."
"What the hell, Kenobi?" I asked. "Does your own life mean so little to you that you throw it away so casually? Do you think I warned you so that you could repeat the incident and die anyway?"
"It's not that I will seek death," Kenobi assured me. "But I am content in the knowledge that if it should prove necessary, all will be well. I have already done right by you, the future of the Jedi and of the galaxy. Perhaps when you're older, you will understand."
"I think I understand well enough," I argued. "Tell me; is this a Jedi's willingness to die for a cause talking right now, or is it coming from Obi-Wan Kenobi the person? We've talked about some of my ideas for the future of the Jedi Order, but were you never including yourself in that future? Because I certainly was and I'm pissed off now that I consider that maybe you weren't!"
"A Jedi's life is also often one of sacrifice," Kenobi reminded me reproachfully. "As is controlling one's emotions. Our path has always been of understanding and in serving the will of the Force. Those are concepts you should already be acquainted with, Luke."
"Acquainted, nothing!" I fired back. I jabbed a finger in the older man's face. "Following special insights, Force visions, or even vague prophecies is one thing. But I'm telling you about a specific incident where your life could be in serious danger and you're not taking it seriously!"
"Control your emotions, Luke," he returned sharply, pushing down my finger as he answered. "I am asking that you trust me and respect my own wisdom and experience on this matter. I have thought long and hard about what you've told me and have made my peace with it. The death you have described is one that will be in service to a higher purpose and I am content with that, as you should be."
I stared at Kenobi in anger and struggled with the rising anger and sadness within me. As childish as it seemed, I had grown attached to the old man and didn't want him to die, let alone by throwing his own life away. He had started out as an icon in my mind, but had quickly become what I considered a friend and confidant. His willingness to allow himself to die felt like a betrayal to me.
"Now, I think it'd be best if you went home for the day," Kenobi informed me. "We'll continue your lessons another time."
That day, I went home still angry and frustrated with the old man. The drive back hadn't helped me cam down one bit as I kept going over the conversation in my head. One of the gonk droids was obstructing my path to my workshop, so I kicked the damn thing over to get it out of my way. While overall amused by my admittedly childish tantrum, Owen and Beru asked me what had happened. I told them that I was just upset by a fight I got into with a friend and not to worry about it. They didn't press for details, which I was grateful for, but instead let me vent in peace. Still, I meditated pretty hard that night in order to vent my frustrations. Once I had calmed down and started thinking straight again, I was still upset by my mentor's lack of regard for his own life.
I don't know what I expected from him, but this certainly wasn't it! I hadn't realized how hung up on the notion of self-sacrifice he might be and it frustrated me that he would resign himself to death like that. I tried to see the things from his perspective, but that didn't help me as much as I'd have liked. He said that he'd not throw his life away, but it still sounded to me like he was all too willing to do so.
I ended up broaching the subject two more times since that day. Each time, I had the distinct impression that I was communicating my point to a wall. Kenobi made all the right sounds and said all the right things to try and appease me on this, but I still sensed something was off during those conversations. It didn't take long for me to figure out that it was because he wasn't really listening to me.
Well if he wasn't going to take this seriously, I'd just have to work on my own plan without him.
~Skywalker: Resurgent~
The Present...
We passed the time in a tense quiet as we waited for the agreed upon time to elapse before moving back to the hanger. Artoo perused through the available station reports for anything of use, but most of it was station readiness and after action reports from the firing of the super laser. Leia grilled Artoo for more information about Alderaan with Threepio translating for her, but there was little available information for him to report on. We did get confirmation that the three Star Destroyers were originally the Death Star's escorts and had been detached on the orders of Grand Moff Tarkin to blockade the planet and only to act upon ships attempting to leave the system or land from elsewhere.
Leia had seethed at the news and we had all been appalled at the seeming lack of information on what was going on groundside on Alderaan. Apparently, the information was either classified or nobody on the Death Star deemed it of any more importance that a whole planet was burning nearby and they weren't supposed to interfere or allow for any help to come for them.
I had also taken what Han and Leia both called an unnecessary and risky decision. I had put my stolen helmet back on and had walked back into the hanger to the Falcon to retrieve the special bag I had brought with us. I hadn't taken it with us when we had taken the control room since I was worried about arousing suspicion, but I now considered it a worthy risk since it seemed there was a scarcity of Imperials around.
I had taken a confident walk back down the ramp with the bag in one hand and acting like it was entirely normal for a lone stormtrooper to be carrying items off of an impounded ship. Nobody stopped me, although I had felt my heart quicken at the tension as I spotted a small group of stormtroopers walking the opposite way as me when I had exited the hanger again. I had set down the pack with a sigh of relief once I had gotten back to the control room. Han and Leia had asked what the hell was so important that I had to take such a risk, but I had told them it was an insurance policy in case we needed it in order to make our getaway. Han had asked me if I was hiding a bomb in there, but I had quickly assured him that I wasn't. At least, not like he was probably thinking.
Upon my return, I also asked Artoo if there was any information on the ambassadorial ship seized by Vader and the status of its crew. There was only a short report made in the logs by one of Vader's officers that the ship had been found, but that all aboard had been killed in an attack. I asked Artoo if any of the prisoner logs could corroborate this and he confirmed that there wasn't anyone matching his own knowledge of the ship's crew being held. Leia quietly thanked me for considering the crew of her lost ship, clearly ashamed at not having even considered them in her rush for information about Alderaan. I assured her it was completely understandable and told her not to worry about it.
Han smartly decided to keep his mouth shut during this exchange. Even he sensed that a smartass comment wouldn't help in this situation.
On the inside, I was somewhat relieved that we wouldn't have to run off and attempt to rescue any of the crew. On the other hand, that was probably over a hundred rebels lost to either the boarding action or execution after surrender. I wasn't completely blind to the tragic loss that was for Leia and the Alliance.
'Especially,' I thought morbidly. 'Since there might be a sudden shortage of Alderaanians in the galaxy for her to talk to or be a princess to now.'
As we neared the hour mark Kenobi had given for himself, we ran into a problem. A squad of stormtroopers had come up the hanger elevator and had taken up position near the hanger entrance and the ship's ramp. We'd need to take them out before we could regain access to the Falcon.
"I can rush them with my lightsaber and take them out that way," I offered. "But it'll probably be loud. There's no guarantee one of them won't be able to send out a distress signal before we take them down."
"We might have to risk it," Han said, frowning. "There's always the chance more could show up or be passing through the hanger on their way to somewhere else. Luke, can you...?"
Han trailed off and didn't finish whatever question he was going to ask. The five stormtroopers we were watching had all hustled over to the other side of the hanger bay and out of sight.
"Where are they going?" Leia asked aloud.
"Doesn't matter," Han said. "Now's our chance. Let's move!"
We all started moving across the hanger towards the Falcon's still open ramp. As we crossed, I turned my head to the side and saw exactly what I had feared seeing.
Darth Vader.
Anakin Skywalker.
My father.
Seeing him on a screen or someone cosplaying as him did no justice to how absolutely terrifying this man looked to me. For starters, he was big. At least seven feet tall and broad as a door. He looked like he could tank a charging grizzly bear, he was so solid looking. A heavy black bodysuit covered his body completely with steel colored stripes denoting the presence of a heavy chest piece and shoulder pads that protected his upper body. His helmet was eerily skull-like in how it's bulbous eyes protruded from above the nose/mouth vent. The small control box on his chest stood out but even that didn't appear to me as a weak point due to the last fact; I could sense his presence in the Force by looking at him.
Now that I was was looking right at him, I wasn't sure how I had missed it before. His presence in the Force was like a swirling storm, full of thunder and lightning. I had sensed anger and I had sensed rage from people who were ready to kill, but this was on a whole other level. It was the Dark Side manifested in a way that I had never seen before and was now acting upon the physical universe in front of me. Even worse was what was clearly the focus of this storm.
Kenobi was standing with his lightsaber drawn and in a basic ready stance. Across from him, Vader mirrored him with a similar stance, but exuded strength and power while Kenobi was clearly on the ropes. His stance wasn't as firm and he had clearly been holding Vader off for a while now, but was nearing the end of his own strength. Years of isolation on Tatooine had clearly not done the man's fighting skills any favors. Even when teaching me, I had suspected that Kenobi wasn't anywhere near the level he was at when he first defeated Anakin on Mustafar. Now, he was clearly feeling each and every year of inactivity as my father's cybernetically enhanced limbs rained down blows on the aged man.
"Damn it all, Kenobi," I swore under my breath. "The one thing I told you not to do, you go and do it."
But like hell was I going to let it end like this for the old man.
Turning to Han, Chewie, and Leia, I spared only a moment to ask their help with what I was planing. "When I give the word, shoot out the hanger door control panel."
Not waiting for them to respond or give them a chance to ask questions, I turned towards the battle and dashed forward. The stormtroopers, who had been standing and staring with apparent uncertainty at the confrontation, never saw me coming.
At least, right up until the moment the snap-hiss of my lightsaber alerted them and I was already slashing through the first trooper.
The others brought their blasters around and stumbled back to try and get some distance from me, but it was useless as I worked my way down the line of soldiers with terrifying ease. I felt the rush of combat run through me as I deflected a few panicked shots from the troopers. The next trooper was cut down by a cut across his torso that went right through his armor. The two after him died when I deflected some of the blasterfire back at them and sent them smoking to the deck.
I cut through the last trooper as he sent more panicked and inaccurate shots my way, which I deflected down and into the deck. I rushed forward and neatly bisected him with my lightsaber as I rushed past him, my true objective now behind him.
Both Vader and Kenobi turned as they saw me dispatch the stormtroopers with ease. Vader's expression was obviously unreadable, but Kenobi's was one of pure dread and horror. Did he think this was a suicidal charge?
"Luke, no!"
I didn't respond as I deactivated my lightsaber and finally unslung the small pack I had been carrying for just this scenario. It was nice to know that I wasn't hauling the damn thing everywhere just to never use it. Grasping the strap with one hand, I pulled a medium-sized cylinder out of the bag with a handle crudely welded onto its outer casing. Discarding the concealing bag and grasping the handle, I blasted the cylinder forward with a burst of Force Push strong enough to send it flying, but not to hard as to burst the container. The canister went flying across the space between me and the two combatants.
"Dodge this, ya durasteel plated edge lord!" I shouted, my heart pounding as the adrenaline flowed.
With no sign of hesitation or surprise, Vader lifted his hand and halted the bag at the point about halfway between us.
"Pitiful," he intoned. His voice was just as terrifying as the films made it out to be. A deep baritone that seemed to resonate and carry through to the ears of everyone around.
"Distraction," I clarified, smirking.
Using the other hand that I didn't use to assist my throw, I raised both up towards the pack. I didn't even try to wrest it from the Sith Lord's powerful grip. Instead, I added to it with my own and crushed the container by applying tremendous force to the canister's middle section.
My ears rang from the ensuing explosion as the pressurized container burst and sent its contents outwards and in every direction.
~Skywalker: Resurgent~
One of the first problems I had to tackle early on was what to do if I fought Vader.
All of my ideas tended to end either with 'DO NOT' or to play to our familial connection and hope he won't whoop my ass long enough for me to manage an escape, since I'll be relying on his desire to keep me alive under those circumstances. But that still left the problem of how to escape, since I was sure that he'd be doing his best to capture me at that point and maybe just outright kill me if he didn't believe me or I didn't manage to convince him fast enough.
I didn't plan on keeping him in the dark for too long about being his son, but I was also wary of the risk and how that might change events to reveal it now. No matter what, he Death Star needed to be destroyed and I was hesitant to alter or overly influence the events that I was certain would lead to that outcome. Never mind what the Emperor would use it for, that psychopath Tarkin would doubtlessly use it for the worst reasons in the worst places. I distinctly recalled a piece of source material where Tarkin's ambition was to take the Death Star back to Coruscant and blow up the planet, the Emperor, and every important Imperial official, not to mention the countless civilians living on the planet. He practically fetishized having the Death Star be the 'true' center for galactic power and order. Even discounting that particular source, the man was a cold and calculating monster. In order to achieve my idea of a more stable and peaceful galaxy, he'd have to go.
But the question remained; how to defeat Vader if/when we encounter him? I thought up all of the anti-Jedi weaponry used by Mandalorians, the great fights of Jango and Boba Fett, the stories from Atton Rand in how he went about killing Jedi, and I even recalled a short lecture given by HK-47 about how to plan for and assassinate Jedi. Overall, nothing stuck out as particularly effective in my circumstances. The most effective method of killing Vader I could come up with involved orbital bombardment and not only was that unavailable to me inside the Death Star, I wasn't actually trying to kill him. Even scaling it down didn't seem to help since small arms were ineffective and anything larger would be impossible to carry.
I'd considered maybe acquiring some Mandalorian weaponry and tech since much of it was also effective in combating Force users, but that was a bust too. You can't just buy stuff like that on Tatooine and the only Mandalorian I knew who hung around there sometimes was Boba Fett, and I didn't dare ask him for access to his stuff. I prefer my body to with its present number of holes, thank you. Even in the best case scenario, there's no way I could afford whatever price he set just for looking at something like his flamethrower.
It had been quite a puzzle. Where had all those other Rebel soldiers and Jedi failed that I could triumph? My mind kept coming back to the response, 'fighting him at all was a mistake,' but that didn't help so I just got more and more frustrated. Eventually, I realized that was probably the answer all along; don't fight him at all.
Switching tracks, I instead started trying to think of ways to disable his suit. What little I knew didn't seem to help at first. I'd seen him get affected by Force Lightning on several occasions, but was that the electricity that disabled him or the harmful Dark Side energies in the lightning? I'd started drawing up plans for a gun that fired electricity, but became dissatisfied with it while doing so. I didn't have the experience or materials necessary to make one that I could be satisfied with carrying around and would work in a combat setting.
Again, I got frustrated. I lamented that I couldn't just throw a flashbang in his face and run like hell. Then, I realized that was exactly the right idea. A flashbang itself probably wouldn't do much, but I recalled an old-fashioned countermeasure that is similar to a flashbang for electronic scanning devices.
What about using a chaff bomb?
I became enamored with this concept once I had it. This galaxy didn't utilize chaff as a countermeasure for their fighters, so it was unlikely that Vader had ever seen it used before. Chaff was actually a very simple and old-school recipe once you knew it. I just collected a bunch of scraps of paper and coated them with an aluminum-like substance before shredding them into little confetti-sized pieces. It took some experimenting to find something that would work, but I was able to use my macrobinoculars in my work shed on Tatooine to eventually devise a working formula that could be used against HUD technology. Since the tech in the macrobinoculars and in helmet HUDs all relied on the same basic principals, I was confident this would still affect whatever version Vader used.
The materials I experimented with would also eventually become a fiberglass/aluminum mixture of my own design that was incredibly similar to the almost fur-like substance put out by aircraft on Earth to jam radar locking equipment. I had decided to include both the aluminum confetti and the fiberglass materials into my final mixture since I was running short of materials I had purchased at that point and I figured using both would give me the best chance of having some sort of positive result with whatever HUD tech Vader had in his visor. Kinda sloppy, but I needed something that would work at least a little and give me a few seconds with which to act.
I packed all of this in to a sealed and pressurized canister a bit thicker than one of the larger commercial fire extinguishers one may find on Earth in almost any building. I tested my design by using an actual fire extinguisher I built on my own and was satisfied with the pressure tolerances I'd guessed necessary for my idea to work. I thought it was fitting to use a fire extinguisher, considering that I was also packing the canister with pressurized white smoke to help add to the confusion of the device going off. A little bit of research into chemistry led me to a simple, yet effective formula consisting of potassium-chlorate, sugar, and baking soda, which would generate a sizable smoke cloud considering how much I was packing into the container.
Finally, I had to come up with a delivery system. To get the desired effect, I'd have to keep the canister a certain size. Trying to build a gun large enough to fire it would take more time and be heavy as hell once finished. I'd have to be as strong as a Wookiee to be toting around a firearm that large. I also ran into problems with developing an efficient triggering mechanism to actually set the thing off once I wanted to use it. Eventually, I decided that just throwing it telekinetically and then crushing it with the Force was both simple and effective.
Concealing my finished canister inside of a nondescript grey bag I had found lying around, I kept it in my workshop in anticipation of the day that I might need it. I didn't tell Kenobi what I was working on, since I didn't want to risk him interfering and maybe stop me somehow but I always kept the thing in sight and ready to go for the day we'd need to get off of Tatooine.
I had affectionately nicknamed it the Kenobi Life Insurance Policy, or KLIP for short.
~Skywalker: Resurgent~
A loud bang filled the hanger as a small but powerful explosion had occurred. Thick white smoke covered the area around us in a radius of several meters. Within it, scraps of what looked like confetti began falling from the ceiling, having been thrown everywhere from the small, nonlethal explosion caused by the casing bursting open.
Not wanting to waste a single second and having already memorized exactly where the two combatants were standing a moment ago, I rushed forward with a burst of Force assisted speed and came to a stop right beside where I both sensed and remembered Kenobi was standing.
"Time to go!" I said quickly, making sure he knew it was me so I didn't end up being cut in two.
Not allowing him a moment to protest or ask questions, I grabbed the much older man around the waist, being mindful not to be cut on his lightsaber, and rushed us back into the hanger. Now clear of the smoke and the immediate area surrounding where I believed Vader to be, I turned my head to look behind us. The good news was that the smoke had begun to dissipate and the confetti bits had almost all stopped falling, allowing me to see fairly well. The bad news was that the smoke was clearing and the confetti was almost gone, meaning Vader could likely see better as well.
Vader was standing where I believed Kenobi and I were both standing just a moment ago. His red lightsaber was still ignited and there were angry red marks on the bulkhead where more than one slash had clearly been delivered in anger and - literally - blind frustration.
'He must've only just missed us,' I thought, realizing that we had just barely escaped death.
Now, the dark figure had turned to see where we had gone and I could actually feel his rage as he poured it into the Force so close to us.
I was about to yell for Han or someone to shoot the door control when a pair of blaster bolts whizzed past my vision and did exactly that. The door control sparked and detonated a small explosion of its own as the components fried and melted under the combined firepower. This triggered the emergency damage control functions for the bulkhead, quickly closing the heavy blast door and blocking off Vader from following us into the hanger.
"KENOBI!" came a loud, deep, and furious yell just before the heavy door slammed into place.
Looking up at the ramp to the Falcon, I saw both Han and Leia waving me to hurry the hell up and get on board with one hand each while they held their blasters in their other hands. I didn't see Chewbacca or the droids, so they must've already gotten on board.
"Move it, kid!" Han shouted.
I didn't need telling twice as I raced up the ramp, right behind them with Kenobi under one arm as I half carried his stumbling form alongside me. Leia slapped the ramp controls as the ramp began to retract into the ship and Han bolted for the cockpit, likely to assist Chewie with takeoff.
Throwing one last look over my shoulder before entering the ship, I saw the sealed hatch glowing and warping near its center as a red lightsaber blade was beginning to pierce and cut through the secure bulkhead. Not fast enough to make a difference, but I doubt Vader cared all that much about the chances of success with how furious I could tell he was.
'Fucking hell, he has a temper,' I thought with a slight chill running down my spine.
I was more than slightly relieved as I felt and heard the engines of the Falcon powering up and the ramp sealing behind me as I half carried my mentor further into the ship.
~Skywalker: Resurgent~
I hauled Kenobi up onto the couch and set him down as gently as I could. He was breathing heavily and just lied limply there on the couch once I set him down.
I hadn't ever been more aware of my teacher's age than I was now. Kenobi was always this figure of stability for the last three years of my life and whenever we trained. Seeing him like this and having pulled him away when he was literally moments from death had struck me harder than I had thought it would. Where the hell did Han keep the water bottles on this tub?
"What you did..." Kenobi panted a bit as he spoke. "Was incredibly...reckless."
"I believe the words you are looking for are 'thank you,'" I told him.
"Vader nearly defeated me," Kenobi said as I grabbed a spare cushion to prop up his upper back on the couch. "Even together...we wouldn't have been able to beat him."
"Like I was going to let you die here," I answered him. "I told you not to get detected by him. And what did you do?"
"It's likely he-"
"You got into a saber duel with him!" I interrupted him. "Which was exactly what I told you to avoid doing! What the hell is the matter with you?"
"He confronted me while I was returning-"
"What would have been the point if you'd died, huh?" I interrupted again, not letting him finish speaking. "You've called me the future of the Jedi, haven't you? Did you never stop to think of the role you could play in that future?"
Kenobi just lay there tiredly and didn't reply to me.
"Did you ever pause to think what your death at Vader's hands might mean for me trying to turn him back?" I asked. "You were his friend and mentor. You know him better than anyone else alive and mean more to him than almost anyone alive, even as an enemy! Don't you think I'll need you and all the help I can get to not only push my own plans for the future forward, but to keep Vader from slipping back into old habits?"
Kenobi still didn't reply, but now he wasn't even raising his head to meet my gaze as I spoke.
"You don't get to throw your life away like that, General Kenobi," I informed him. "You told me once that a Jedi's life is often one of sacrifice, right? That we follow the will of the Force and act in service to a greater good? Well, as the future of the Jedi Order, I'm telling you that you don't get to quit like that. Not on me, not on the galaxy, but most importantly not on yourself. You're going to survive all of this for as long as possible and you're gonna help create the future I want for this galaxy. And if you should die in service to that cause, it will not be because you quit, but only after you've done your damned best to ensure you've given your friends and this galaxy the best possible chance for a better future. Do you hear me, Obi-Wan Kenobi?"
I stopped my tirade there for the moment and allowed Kenobi some room to answer. He didn't respond verbally and still wouldn't meet my gaze, but he did nod jerkily in acknowledgement of my words. For now, I'll be satisfied with that.
A moment later, Han came out of the cockpit and into the lounge.
"We're not out of the woods yet," Han informed us. "We've got a wing of TIEs moving to intercept us. Luke, I need you in the dorsal gunner's seat!"
I patted Kenobi's shoulder one last time, giving him one last look before stepping up and towards the ladder leading to the gunnery seats.
We'd continue this discussion later, but for now? It was time to wipe out some TIE's before we make our escape.
AN: Since we've all seen the movies, I'm not going to waste time with the canon events that aren't really necessary to the story. You don't really need an extra few paragraphs describing shooting down a wing of TIEs in the Falcon's gunnery seats. If it means that much to you, the original clip on Youtube is free.
I'll admit to having struggled a bit with how exactly to save Obi-Wan. When I wrote the very first chapter, I was starting to think that I couldn't do it in a plausible way. In my approach to writing, if it can't be done well, then it shouldn't be done at all. A lightsaber fight would have been ridiculous. Vader is a juggernaut in combat and has decades of experience on my MC. Even with Kenobi, the odds are stacked against us. Then I considered distracting him by having Luke shout 'father!' and use the opportunity. However, that reveal felt too soon for my tastes. Vader is also still extremely volatile and may not even be paying attention since he's so focused on finally killing Obi-Wan.
If all I have to do is distract him for a handful of seconds, how do I do that? By hitting him with something he's probably never seen before. As far as I know, Star Wars doesn't make any mention of chaff being used as a countermeasure. Vader's helmet has a HUD that allows him to see past that mask, so why can't it be used against him, even for a few seconds? Yeah he'd probably figure it out and never let it happen again, but it seems like a viable tactic if used properly this one time.
I'm certain I'm going to get some flack from at least some of you in the reviews about how I should have done something different or how Alderaan's moon being blown up instead of the planet was a cop out and a dumb move, but I'll just have to find some way to live with that criticism. I'm trying to explore some new ideas and I'm certain not everything I write will be popular. I only ask that you keep an open mind here.
Also, if you haven't seen the Mandalorian yet, I highly, highly, HIGHLY advise you check it out. If you love Star Wars enough to read fanfiction about it, you're gonna love watching that show. There's lots of strong story elements from old westerns and I'd go so far as to say it's some of the best Star Wars content we've gotten in a long time. I can already hear that first reviewer asking me if I could incorporate one or more of the characters from the show.
As always, I love to read your reviews! Until next time!
