Chapter 15
Luke and Mara walked to the turbolift. R2-D2 followed them, eager to help in any way. Luke held out his hand for the astromech droid to stop moving. "Stay with the ships, Artoo," Luke said. He turned to the droid and said, "We'll contact you if we need anything."
Artoo moaned.
"Don't worry," Luke said. "We'll be fine."
Artoo rolled away just as the turbolift doors opened. Luke and Mara stepped into the lift and began riding it up.
"I've heard stories about Vader, Luke," Mara said. "Darth Vader was instrumental in destroying the Jedi in the Jedi Temple. Even some of the greatest duelist in the order could not beat him."
"This is my battle, Mara," Luke said. "But I'll need your help. I fear my father will not easy to bring back to the light."
"But what if he can't be redeemed, Luke?" Mara asked. Luke turned to his apprentice, noticing she was worried.
Before Luke could say anything, the turbolift quickly stopped moving and the doors opened. Two dueling droids each wielding a double-bladed lightsaber stood outside.
"We'll worry about that later," Luke said before he activated his green sword with a snap-hiss shortly before Mara's violet blade emerged.
The droids activated their crimson blades in response to the threat.
Luke and Mara stepped outside and each assumed stances for their respective forms. Luke fell into a threatening Djem So stance while Mara was poised for a swift Ataru maneuver.
The droids spun their sabers before separating. One moved against Luke and the other against Mara.
Luke could not use the Force to anticipate the droid's actions, but noted the familiar Shii-Cho stance it used. Before one blade could collide with his head, Luke pivoted and a loud crash resulted from the collision of energy swords. The droid was forced to withdraw and attempt to thrust the other end of its weapon at Luke's legs.
Luke sidestepped the blow and lazily sliced through the hilt of the droid's lightsaber, turning one weapon into two.
Mara circled her opponent before thrusting her lightsaber towards the droid's waist. The machine parried her blow with the lower blade, forcing the Jedi to back away from the droid's lightning riposte. She shifted her position quickly to regain the offensive advantage.
Violet plasma blazed downward through the droid's left arm. Mara's upward swing sliced the saber in half. Undaunted, the droid wielded the remaining half of his weapon.
Luke met both scarlet swords with a parry in front of his face. The droid attempted to use the momentum of the offensive to drive the Jedi Knight back into the turbolift where close quarters would result in a deadly struggle.
Luke's responses were rapid, aided by the Force. The droid was shifting into a more difficult Makashi form to deal with Luke's Djem So. Luke had very little experience combating the technique, but he still had a few tricks to deal with droids.
A swift thrust from one crimson blade was parried by Luke's emerald sword. Their blades connected to where Luke had a clear shot at the weapon. With a downward push, Luke broke the saber lock and sliced through the droid's right arm. The droid barely wasted a second by retaliating with the saber in its left arm.
But Luke was deep in the Djem So form. He rapidly parried the droid's blow and turned defense into offense. Luke drew back and swung his blade, slicing through the emitter matrix of the enemy lightsaber. Before the droid could do anything, green plasma sliced through its neck.
Mara continued to dance around her opponent, forcing the droid to switch to Soresu. She cursed to herself, remembering that Soresu was Kyle's preferred form and he always seemed to best her. Crimson plasma raced through the air to parry each of Mara's blows.
But it could not parry the blow that mattered. Mara drew back before swinging widely. The lack of a second arm made the droid's defenses very penetrable. The violet blade sliced through the droid's torso and the machine collapsed. Before the droid could strike at her feet, Mara plunged her lightsaber down through the droid's head.
The only sound left was the hum of Luke and Mara's lightsabers. "Next time, we're taking the stairs," Mara said before she closed her weapon.
Yoda leapt down from the AT-AT walker and into the fray. His green lightsaber was like a guiding torch for the Rebel armor. The Jedi Master spun too rapidly for any blaster bolts to hit him. Yoda managed to deflect every single shot with ease as he surged through the Imperial line.
The fray of battle grew distant as the line melted away to reform. The Rebel base was open for the taking.
Or so it seemed. A single woman stood between Yoda and the base.
"Master Yoda," Darth Apostas said. A smile crept onto her face.
"Lady Apostas," Yoda said.
"I have been eager to test my skills against a worthy opponent," Apostas revealed before drawing her lightsaber. She depressed the activation stud to ignite her scarlet energy blade.
Yoda leapt forward, his blade spinning with the turns of his body. Apostas parried the first of Yoda's blows and then the second. Yoda moved rapidly around her legs as her ripostes soared towards him.
Masters of the Force stared at each other as their blades locked. "Your father's skill with a lightsaber, you have," Yoda said.
"I have become more powerful than him," Apostas replied. "No Force wielder is a match for me."
A Force push threw Yoda away from the Sith Lord.
Apostas held out her left hand and poured a tremendous amount of power into a Force lightning barrage.
Yoda held out his lightsaber and attempted to catch the lightning with his blade, but it was too much. But he could stop the dark energy with his hands. It was a skill very few possessed.
Yoda pushed against the lightning, sending it back towards Apostas. The Sith Lord winced as she was forced to collect her own lightning with her lightsaber as she poured more fuel to the fire. Once again, they stood at a stalemate.
Apostas ceased firing lightning at Yoda. She grabbed a piece of debris with the Force and hurled it towards the Jedi Master.
Yoda grabbed the debris with the Force and threw it out of the way. He called his lightsaber back to his hands and leapt at Apostas.
The Sith was ready for the Jedi, easily shifting back into close combat. Her blade swept low and high to meet Yoda's blows and she tried to thrust for Yoda, only to find her efforts severely thwarted.
In an act of desperation, Apostas used a technique to blind Yoda temporarily. It worked long enough for Yoda to back away from the Sith. Instead of taking advantage of her situation, Apostas ran.
Once Yoda's vision cleared, he pursued her.
+
Kyle's X-Wing emerged from hyperspace and straight into a battle. Only the Force allowed Kyle to move quick enough to avoid a collision with a TIE Fighter. "That was close," he said.
But the TIE Fighter decided that Kyle was prey and doubled back to engage him.
The Jedi quickly fired his quadlasers, blasting the TIE Fighter into oblivion. He used the Force again to search for Leia. He could sense her in the middle of a struggle with his master on the planet.
"Hang on, Master," Kyle said before he began flying towards Dantooine. "I'm coming."
+
Darth Vader entered the bridge. It was almost time to face his son and he needed few distractions. Admiral Piett looked to him, waiting for orders.
"Leave the bridge," Vader said. "Everyone must clear the bridge and go to the secondary bridge."
Piett seemed uncomfortable with the order, but did not question him. "As you wish, my liege," the officer said before he left the Dark Lord's presence to issue the order to clear the bridge. It did not take long for everyone knew what would happen if Darth Vader was displeased.
Han Solo continued to fly support for Rebel ground units. The Imperials were quickly abandoning their positions around the Rebel base, leaving smoking remains of equipment behind. He flew by the Rebel base, only to witness a sight he never thought he would see.
Leia was battling Yoda outside the base and she appeared to be holding her own. Han winced, but continued to fly. There was nothing he could do except focus on the battle.
"I hate you, Leia Organa," Han said.
Chewbacca said, She deserves to be stranded in the Shadowlands for all she has done.
"Well, I can't pretend to understand the Shadowlands that much, but I hope Yoda finishes her," Han stated. He was through grieving. He had to be his own man. Even if Leia could be redeemed as Luke hoped, there would be no place for her in his life.
"You're weak, Solo," Han said to himself. "You were always weak."
You are strong, Chewbacca said. But you are weak if you don't pay attention to where you are flying.
Han grunted as he pulled the Millennium Falcon away from the surface again, giving his gunners more room to do their work as another wave of Imperial fighters moved in to attack.
