Chapter 11
Han and Winter blasted oncoming Stormtroopers, providing cover fire for the droids as they approached the bunker. There were not many coming since the Ewoks and the Jedi were proving to be a major distraction for the Imperial forces. Winter brought a soldier down just as the droids reached the bunker.
"We're coming!" Threepio wailed as he ambled behind R2-D2.
Han motioned with his left hand, ensuring that Winter was providing adequate cover. "Come on!" he shouted. Then, the smuggler quickly took a shot at another oncoming soldier.
The astromech droid wheeled towards the terminal on the wall by the door and extended its uplink jack and plugged into the system. Beeps came from the R2-D2 as he went to work on overriding the system.
"Artoo, hurry!" a worried Threepio shouted, flailing his arms as he stood behind his companion.
Suddenly, a Stormtrooper rose from the bushes and took a shot. The blaster bolt impacted R2-D2, knocking the droid away from the terminal with a wail. Han took revenge on the Imperial, gunning him down with a precise shot.
Artoo's domed head spun as its body smoldered. Suddenly, its compartment doors opened and sparks emerged from its body. The astromech droid was effectively immobilized by the blast, earning immediate attention from Threepio as the protocol droid looked down at its wounded friend.
"Oh, Artoo!" Threepio lamented. "Why did you have to be so brave?"
Winter continued to scan the perimeter for more troopers. "What now?" she asked. "Should we call Kyle?"
"No," Han said. "I suppose I could hotwire this thing."
Winter sighed in defeat. "I'll cover you," she told him.
Meanwhile, Kyle and Kyp had their hands full against the bulk of the Imperial forces. Both Jedi were making use of Force jumps to bound over their enemies to draw fire away from the Ewoks. Kyle's use of Vaapad provided a protective shield against blaster bolts as he landed on the branch of another tree.
Kyp landed beside him, holding his lightsaber vertically in front of his face. "There's too many of them!" he complained.
"We need to give them more time to disable the shield generator," Kyle said. "If we don't beat this army, we'll never get off this moon. Just keep taking out those walkers. Without the armored units, the Ewoks will have an easier time handling the infantry."
Just then, another AT-ST rounded the tree, firing indiscriminately at retreating Ewoks. Kyle locked his lightsaber blade before throwing his weapon at the walker's legs. The blade sliced through the durasteel without resistance and the walker toppled to the ground. Kyle called his lightsaber back to his hand with the Force and said to Kyp, "Let's go!"
The Millennium Falcon performed a barrel roll to avoid incoming shots from enemy fighters while the gunners pelted the TIEs into oblivion. Lando leveled the freighter and continued his course towards the Star Destroyers as he desperately tried to communicate his orders.
"Yes!" Lando clarified. "Move as close as you can and engage those Star Destroyers at point-blank range!"
"At that close range, we won't last long against those Star Destroyers!" he heard Ackbar reject.
"We'll last longer than we will against that Death Star and we might just take a few of them with us!" Lando replied.
"Follow General Calrissian's orders," Thrawn said. "The Emperor is bent on placing us in a trap. He will not risk firing on his own ships."
Thrawn's Star Destroyers were finally within firing range of the Imperial blockade. The Chiss Grand Admiral realized that he was about to put his hopes firmly with the Rebellion. He knew the Emperor was willing to destroy everything to achieve his goals. His limited study of Sith art told him as much. Closing in on the enemy would not hinder the superlaser.
But it was the only logical course of action. Thrawn's honor demanded that he should only go down in a fight.
"Open fire!" Thrawn commanded.
The Executor unleashed the first barrage against the Empire's forces. Thousands of turbolaser batteries from Rebel Star Destroyers drew the attention of the enemy, diverting the Imperials from the starfighters that could exploit weaknesses. It was combat not seen since the Second Battle of Coruscant in the Clone Wars.
The Rebels were drawing first blood against the Imperial fleet.
Rebel fighters closed in, avoiding crossfire and attacking the control towers of enemy Star Destroyers. The shield generators of one ship exploded, leaving the vessel vulnerable to Rebel fire.
"She's gonna blow!" an X-Wing pilot shouted as the Star Destroyer went up like a brilliant fireworks display.
"I'm hit!" exclaimed a Y-Wing pilot before he crashed into a control tower, the generators exploding with the fighter.
The battle outside the Death Star may have been a sight to behold for an audience of gods if not for the conflict inside the battle station's throne room. Anakin refused to hold back as he fought his former master. The two men dueled on numerous occasions, each knowing the other's style. Anakin was no longer encumbered by the cyborg armor he wore for two decades, but the Emperor was not inhibited by the ravages of old age. Darth Sidious was a ferocious duelist in old age and Anakin assumed that he must have been equally dangerous in his youth.
Both men exhibited superhuman speed as they tried to exploit the weaknesses of the other. Red and orange seemed to blur into a brilliant cyclone of plasma. Every stroke met a counterstroke, every lunge a parry. Darth Sidious was a maelstrom of darkness drawing in enormous reserves of power Anakin never witnessed in his life. He recognized the technique as Force Rage, but never understood just how potent it could be until that moment.
Anakin danced around his opponent and attempted to lunge through an opening. But Sidious turned the attack against him with the blinding speed of Ataru. Anakin relied on a simple Juyo technique to blunt the brute force of the Emperor's assault. The Chosen One shifted forms frequently, using one-handed and two-handed styles to flow with the duel.
It was in one such moment that both men locked sabers. Anakin said nothing as he stared into the fiery eyes of the Dark Lord of the Sith. Sidious grinned.
"It is pointless, Lord Vader," the Emperor taunted. "Strike me down and I shall rise again. Only your hatred can destroy me."
Anakin struggled against the Sith Lord's Force enhanced strength. Doubt seeped into his mind, reminding him that the Emperor rose from the grave once before and could do it again. There had to be a way to end the cycle once and for all.
Luke and Apostas approached each other, the other duel a distant echo as brother and sister prepared to battle again. Apostas's gaze was a blazing fire, while her brother had one of hope. Luke raised his green energy sword to high guard as his sister moved to attack. Djem So could easily overpower Makashi, but he was not fighting to kill.
Focusing on the defensive, Luke gave little ground to his sister as she employed her form with impeccable grace and precision. He tried to break through the Sith's mental walls, hoping to find something that would allow him to save her.
Darth Apostas was a solid wall of duracrete. Twisted and evil.
Luke leapt into the air to avoid being backed into the wall and somersaulted over his sister's head. He used a Force push to knock her off balance, which succeeded. Luke landed behind her and called her lightsaber to his left hand, disarming the Sith Lord.
"It's over," Luke told her. "We don't have to fight."
Darth Apostas turned to address her brother, speaking with a hint of sorrow. "The Jedi are our eternal enemies," she said. "We have no choice but to fight. One of us must die."
Apostas knelt before her brother and looked up at him. "Kill me," she offered. "Take off my head with my own weapon. Or are you too frightened to do what is necessary?"
Luke stared at her with his mouth opened. "Leia, I can't," he said. "It's not the Jedi way." He deactivated the lightsabers and lowered his guard. "I'll take you into custody, but don't ask me to take your life."
"Then I'll just have to take yours!" Apostas bellowed as she extended her hands and blasted Luke with Force lightning.
Luke tried to stand his ground, taking the worst of the damage as he tried to call on the Force to shield him. Apostas rose to her feet as Luke fell to his knees, dropping the lightsabers he held.
"Leia!" Luke gasped as his defenses crumbled. Just at the moment he reached his weakest point, he felt a surge in the Force. A gentle, familiar hand was giving him new wells of strength.
"Our memories," a female voice said as Luke stood.
The Force lightning expanded around Luke and radiated outward, much to the dismay of Darth Apostas. She tried to pour more energy into her assault, but Luke grabbed her, dissipating the flow of the Force. His body glowed a bright orange as he channeled his power into her.
Luke saw every single image at the speed of light as he acted as a conduit from beyond. It was his mother and father, Bail Organa, Obi-Wan Kenobi, memories of the past long gone. Luke could feel his mother's touch on his shoulder. Padmé Skywalker transformed into the Maiden of the Force, giving him a glimmer of hope.
Apostas fell and crumpled before her brother. Luke felt the power wane and events move in slow motion as he rushed to grab her. The once proud Rebel leader collapsed into his arms.
"Leia!" Luke yelled. His sister was unconscious from the sensory overload, peaceful in the arms of her brother.
"I'll watch her," Luke heard his mother say. "Your father needs you."
Luke set his sister on the cold durasteel floor before he retrieved his lightsaber. He looked to the struggle his father faced against the Emperor and stood, activating his weapon with a snap-hiss. He jumped into the fray, landing next to Anakin.
The Emperor broke the saber lock and gazed at father and son. "So you defeated him apprentice," Sidious said. "It makes little difference."
"Leia's fine," Luke told his father.
"Good," Anakin said. "But what took you so long?"
Luke smirked despite himself. "Let's do this together," he said.
"You took the words right out of my mouth," Anakin remarked.
The two Jedi charged at their opponent, who now had to deal with the father and son duo. Sidious would focus on one Jedi and have to turn his attention to the other in order to keep from being cut to shreds by the hurricane. Sidious drew them up the stairs to his throne, utilizing the high ground to give him the advantage.
It did little to serve him. Anakin was a gambler by nature and his son was calm and determined, much like Obi-Wan. But a Sith never fought fair. The Emperor called on objects from the throne room to fly towards his enemies, allowing him to ascend the stairs as the Jedi turned their attention to slicing through every object.
Sidious laughed once he reached his throne, mocking Luke and Anakin. "Observe the end of your futures, Jedi," he said.
Chewbacca swung on a vine towards an enemy AT-ST walker, giving a primal yell as he soared through the air and landed on the roof of the transport. He opened the hatch and yanked the crew out of the ship with the assistance of Ewoks, who were joining him in the attack. The inexperienced Ewoks took control of the AT-ST, nearly causing the Wookiee to fall.
But Chewbacca regained his balance and climbed into the Imperial machine. He quickly pushed his allies out of the way so he could handle the controls. The hijacked walker fired on the Imperials, confusing them with unexplained friendly fire. One walker went up in an explosion as Chewie blasted it.
The Wookiee observed the Jedi leaping through the trees before they landed on abandoned speeder bikes. He laughed triumphantly as the Jedi took off, following Chewie's lead in hijacking enemy equipment.
Han cursed as he tried to make sense of the tangled mess of wires. After five minutes, he felt as if he was making no progress. But doing what he did best, Han could not admit defeat. Instead, he said, "I think I got it!"
With a loud whoosh, a second blast door closed, placing the Rebels in an even worse predicament. Winter glared at Han before asking, "Do you have anymore bright ideas?"
"Incoming!" Threepio wailed as the whine of speeder bikes grew closer.
Han and Winter aimed their weapons at a pair of speeder bikes, but relaxed when they noticed Kyle and Kyp were the riders. Kyle hopped off the speeder bike and drew his lightsaber. "We got back here as fast as we could," he said.
"Just get the door open!" Han barked.
"Cover us," Kyle said to Kyp as he ignited his glowing blue blade. The Jedi approached the blast doors and plunged his weapon into the durasteel. It provided resistance, but slowly burned away as Kyle cut a circle into the blast doors.
Kyp deflected blaster bolts behind Kyle, proving his worth in a battle as Han and Winter lent supporting fire.
"Got it!" Kyle exclaimed as the durasteel fell inward. "Go! I'll cover you!"
"Do as he says!" Han told Winter, who dove into the bunker first.
"Wait for me!" Threepio said as he ambled into the entrance.
Han fired off a couple of more shots at the Stormtroopers. "Get inside, Kyp!" he said. "Kyle can handle this!"
Kyp looked to Kyle, but the older Jedi just said, "Go!"
Kyp looked indignant as he ducked behind Kyle and rushed into the bunker.
Han patted his friend on the shoulder and said, "Thanks."
"Just blow up that shield generator," Kyle said as another pack of Stormtroopers rushed to assault the Rebels. Kyle tossed Han his backpack, which contained enough charges to do the job.
Han fired off one last shot before diving into the bunker. Kyle stood behind them all, deflecting blaster bolts with his lightsaber as the other Rebels rushed to do their duty.
