Chapter 14
Troop reinforcements were arriving at the command center to meet the Imperial threat on the surface of Dantooine. The main Rebel base was surrounded, so a makeshift command center was being erected in short order thanks to the help of ex-Imperial engineers sent by Thrawn.
Fresh arrivals from Keldan and the Kessel Campaign were preparing for battle. The Millennium Falcon was just the latest of the new arrivals. Han, Lando and Chewbacca escorted Yoda down the exit ramp, where a former Imperial officer named Captain Sol Thorn was waiting for the aging Jedi Master.
"General Yoda," Thorn said, "we are awaiting your orders."
"Reclaim the Rebel base, our priority must be," Yoda said as he ascended a ramp to the open command center. Numerous officers were operating terminals to direct the assembled units.
Gunships loaded with Stormtroopers flew over the command center before landing near the Millennium Falcon. Yoda stared at the situation and noted the irony. Years ago, he was betrayed by his soldiers and now he was once again commanding a battle for a side whose motives he found suspicious.
"General Yoda, what shall we do?" Thorn asked.
"Concentrated around the Rebel base, the Imperial forces are," Yoda said. He then looked to Han and said, "Aid us in drawing them out, you will. Command of the air forces, I grant you General Solo."
"General?" Han said, trying to choke back the shock. "Well, I guess my crew won't object."
"Wait for me!" Yoda heard C-3PO wailing as he ascended the ramp.
Han groaned. "I am not taking Goldenrod with me," Han said.
"Oh, such a situation would be dreadful," Threepio said. "If it is okay with Master Yoda, I will remain here at the command center."
Yoda nodded. "You can stay," he told the droid. The Jedi then walked over to a hologram of the Rebel base. It was projected over the center of the command post and it displayed the Imperial forces surrounding the base in a ring of durasteel.
"Attack at these points," Yoda ordered. He pointed to spots on opposite ends of the circle. "To keep the ring, move their forces they must."
Yoda then pointed to the assembled Stormtroopers and walkers. "While the enemy is soft, attack they will," the Jedi said. "If take the Rebel base we cannot, we must break a hole in their defenses."
"Will you remain here, General?" Lando asked.
"No," Yoda replied. "Into the field, I must go. A dark presence, I have sensed."
Darth Apostas stepped down the boarding ramp of the Sith Infiltrator. The Imperial forces waited outside the Rebel base, their inaction confusing her. The reality then hit her like a block of duracrete. Vader was going to draw Luke into a confrontation aboard the Executor. It was the only reason the battle was taking place.
"And to think I came all this way to save you," Apostas grumbled.
Suddenly, the Sith felt a spike in the Force, one that could only belong to a Jedi Master. "Yoda," she said. "Perhaps it is time to show you who is the master now."
Outnumbered. Divided. Both words described the Rebel situation with accuracy. Luke was forced to make do with what forces could be spared in space since Admiral Ackbar believed saving the Rebel base was a high priority.
But Luke could not dwell on it. All he could do was his duty, his duty to the Rebellion and the Jedi.
The action around Luke was frantic, but the Imperial forces he was engaging seem to be lacking their deadly precision. He let loose another quad laser burst, vaporizing his fourth kill of the day, as he flew by the hull of an Imperial Star Destroyer.
"Good shot, Farmboy," Mara said.
More TIE Fighters flew out to engage the Rebels in an attempt to swarm them with overwhelming numbers. Luke heard the screams of a pilot over the comm just before his fighter exploded.
"Keep your cool," Luke advised as he flew away from the Star Destroyer and straight into a trio of TIE Interceptors. Luke and Mara fired in unison, taking out the trio without a second thought.
"Rogue Leader, they're replacing their losses faster than we are," Wedge said. "There seems to be a lot coming from the Hammer.
Luke stretched out with the Force and discovered Wedge was correct. Very few Star Destroyers were launching fighters. But there was something odd about the pilots coming out of the Hammer.
"They're droids!" Luke exclaimed. "The Empire is using droids against us."
"General Skywalker, that's absurd!" Admiral Ackbar said. "The Empire has nearly limitless resources. Why use droids against us?"
Luke sighed, knowing the answer. "This battle is a diversion," he said. "Vader wants me alive."
"Master?" Mara asked.
"Wedge, Mara and I are going for the Executor," Luke said. "Give us some cover fire."
"General?" Wedge asked, unsure of his orders.
"Just trust me, Wedge," Luke said. "The real battle will be fought on the Executor itself."
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The Millennium Falcon flew over the Rebel lines with gunships and fighters. Han was prepared to hit the Empire with everything he could before pulling away. He was not comfortable leading, but Luke trusted Yoda and Han trusted Luke. And Han's crew trusted him. It was a chain of trust that the former smuggler refused to break.
The Imperial lines drew closer with every second. "Let them have it!" Han bellowed.
Every attacking ship opened fire.
Missiles and bursts of plasma rained death upon the Imperial lines. Explosions gouged holes in the ground, throwing people and equipment into the sky. The Imperials returned fire when they could, knocking down a few gunships.
But it was not enough. Han flew his freighter over the Rebel base and to the next target. "Fire!" he commanded.
Confusion ran rampant through the Imperial lines as the aerial forces spread more death and destruction through their lines. Imperial troops were scrambling in attempts to fill the gaps.
"Let the cavalry have them now," Han said.
Chewbacca growled, They're launching fighters!
"I see it, Chewie," Han said to his copilot.
TIE Fighters began wreaking havoc on the gunships before the Rebel fighters scrambled to the defensive. The Millennium Falcon climbed before performing a sharp turn. The gun turrets fired bursts of red plasma at the TIE Fighters.
"Force, there's a storm of them!" Winter yelled.
"Just keep firing!" Han yelled. "I'll keep flying!"
Yoda rode in an AT-AT walker as the first Rebel forces assaulted the Imperial lines. The confused troops rushing to reinforce their lines were now forced on the defensive. The first positions were quickly overwhelmed by blaster cannon fire.
"Breached, the line has been," Yoda said. One small victory had been achieved, but the battle still needed to be won.
Two X-Wings flew past the gauntlet of Imperial fighters on a course for destiny. Bursts of plasma flew around the Jedi, prompting Artoo to wail. Even though Artoo was inaudible in space, Luke got hints of the droid's distress through the Force.
The Super Star Destroyer Executor loomed in Luke's vision. "There it is," he said.
"What are you planning to do about those shields, Farmboy?" Mara asked.
Luke focused as he drew on the Force to create a "hole" in the shields. The feat required a tremendous amount of concentration and he was flying towards an open hangar bay with only faith in his abilities driving him forward.
The X-Wings flew through the hole and Luke relaxed his use of the Force. The fighters landed in the hangar bay unopposed, but the Jedi already noticed Stormtroopers gathering to apprehend them.
The canopy to Luke's X-Wing burst open. With a Force assisted leap, he flew into the air and his green energy blade emerged to deflect the first round of blaster bolts. Luke landed on his feet, diving full into the Force to guide the movements of his blade.
Mara landed next to Luke and joined her purple blade to his column of defense. Within a minute, all the Stormtroopers lay dead, victim to deflected blaster bolts.
"I thought you said Vader wanted you alive," Mara said. It was a rhetorical statement meant to get under Luke's skin.
Luke ignored the intent of the remark. "You of all people should not underestimate the hold of the dark side," he said before deactivating his lightsaber.
