Note: Ravan is pronounced Ra-van the A after R making the ah sound. Why I am I telling you this? Read and find out.
Chapter 8: Tantive IV
Luke was surprised to see two legions of storm troopers, a squad of medium ranking officers, Admiral Ozzel himself, and Lord Vader standing at attention in shuttle hanger 10 of the Devastator, standing to greet him. She pilot flew the Lambda class shuttle into the magnetized hanger area smoothly, just as its wings folded and its landing struts ejected. When it landed the entire ship buckled downwards, and bounced back up slowly. The pilot flicked a switch and Luke heard the ramp lower and the hydraulics activated. He stood up from the co pilots seat and turned to head down the ramp. Where it began to slope down an honor guard of two storm troopers waited for him.
They marched with him on either side as he began his descent into the sterile, metallic smelling hanger bay. The bright lights bounced off the tips of the storm trooper's helmets, they raised their guns, clamped their right foot on the ground and turned to face Luke as he stepped onto the black floor of the hanger bay. Admiral Ozzel bowed, Vader just stood. Luke bowed to him.
"Welcome Luke." Vader said. Ozzel extended a hand and Luke shook it.
"Hello Lord Vader." Luke said.
"Follow me." Vader replied, he made a remarkable attempt at a military turned and began walking down the wide aisle of storm troopers, still standing at attention. Ozzel boots squeaked loudly as he too turned. Luke followed. When they exited the hanger bay Vader dismissed Admiral Ozzel to the bridge and once he was out of earshot looked to Luke.
"It is up to me, young one, to give you a Sith title. I have been thinking and I will give you a name similar to that of one of the greatest Sith Lords, Darth Revan. Henceforth you shall be known as Darth Ravan, replacing the E with an A. May your name strike terror into the hearts of those who stand against the Empire, my young apprentice."
"Thank you… master." Ravan answered.
"Now I will give you a tour of the Devastator." But just as he turned the intercom of the ship buzzed and a young lieutenants voice issued over it.
"Lord Vader, please report to the command bridge. Repeat; Lord Vader, please report to the command bridge."
It sounded somewhat like Vader grumbled.
"Our tour will be postponed until later it seems, my apprentice. Follow me to the bridge."
"Yes my… master."
XxX
"Ah, Lord Vader I have bad news." Said Admiral Ozzel as Ravan and Vader came onto the bridge. Ravan gazed around in awe, the bridge was huge, with so many electronic devices and computers.
"Yes, what is it Admiral?" Vader asked. There was a twinge of annoyance in his voice, he did so despise bad news.
"I am not sure of all the details, wait a moment." Ozzel turned. "Captain Piett!"
A younger looking man, probably in his late twenties or early thirties who had been gazing out of the bridge viewport approached them. Piett originally captain of the ship Accuser had been promoted to captain of the Devastator.
"Yes Admiral?" He asked.
"Please give Lord Vader the… information." He said. Piett turned to Vader, looking nervous.
"Lord Vader the… Death Star plan… have been er… stolen."
Vader's annoyance was hit by a proton torpedo and it exploded into fury. He whipped his hand to the side and a passing storm trooper was hurled into the air. He flew the length of the bridge and crashed into a control console. Ravan watched as blue lines of electricity ran up and down his body, slowly electrocuting him to death.
"STOLEN!" Vader yelled. "STOLEN? Captain Piett how could this happen!"
"We still are not quite sure sir." The captain answered, his voice unnaturally calm. "It seems they infiltrated an Imperial base and sliced into our computers, they transmitted the plans to a Corellian Corvette called the Tantive IV, after that it seems it made several hyper space jumps to throw us off it."
"Where did it jump to?" Vader hissed.
"It first jumped to Tatooine, then to Ren-var, and we lost it from there."
"You said the ship's name was the Tantive IV?" Vader asked. "Did you run a check on it?"
"We did sir. It seems it belongs to an Alib Ganora."
"That sounds like a Twi'lek name." Admiral Ozzel said thoughtfully.
"Alib Ganora?" Vader questioned the air, thinking. "That sounds a lot like an alias. Alib, hmm... A…L…I…B….Wait a minute, B A I L would spell Bail, and G A N O R A, Organa. Bail Organa. If I am correct they will be headed to Alderaan. Set your course for the Alderaanian hyper space exit and we will intercept them. How long ago with this found out?"
"We were notified right after Admiral Ozzel reached the bridge." Piett answered.
"We have more than enough time. Prime the engines and set the course. Have the fleet do the same."
XxX
Ravan quickly learned when Vader said "we have more than enough time" it also meant we have five full hours to stand on the bridge of the Devastator. Vader had put his fleet on yellow alert, strictly for intercepting the Tantive. Captain Piett busily moved about the bridge, doing duties that Admiral Ozzel had instructed him, while the Admiral himself stood behind the radar screen, watching it intently and sipping on a bottle of Corellian Ale. The bridge was totally silent, like space and like the fleet. And then, it happened. Space rippled right in the view of the bridge, there was a glint of plasteel and bang, the Tantive IV shot out of hyperspace. Vader smiled underneath his mask as he saw the look on the pilot's face through the Force.
"Lock onto it immediately!" Vader said. "Get a tractor beam and pull it in. Rouse an armed search party, I don't want anything going unchecked."
"Yes sir." The tactical officer answered.
"Fire on it, crippling shots only, kill its guns. Do nothing to the engines." Vader commanded, knowing on this particular type of ship the main reactor was basically right in the engine maintenance bay and if they shot that then they would kill everything, including the plans, they had to verify their existence.
Seconds later all turbo lasers on the Devastator turned their gun barrels at the ship speedily trying to get away and fired. Green turbo laser blasts lanced out, smacking into the shields of the Tantive.
"Tell Captain Pellaeon to move his ship into an intercept course and fire his tractor beam."
"Yes sir."
Vader looked to the left as a star destroyer began to move, it came right into the Tantive's course and before the ship could make an evasive maneuver or anything it fired its tractor beam. The ship to ship bridge comm cackled.
"This is captain Pellaeon, we have the Tantive now Lord Vader, awaiting further instructions."
"Lock another beam on it." Vader told his tactical officer.
A minute later he answered.
"We have it sir."
"Captain Pellaeon," Vader addressed through the comm. "Release the Tantive we have it locked now."
"Copy Lord Vader, releasing now."
Vader watched as the small little Tantive flew backwards in space to the tip of the Executor's hull and then went down. Vader waited for a few minutes.
"Sir," Said the tactical officer. "I have confirmation the Tantive is locked in. We are connecting to its air lock now."
"Good, have the boarding party ready and reinforcements standing by. There may be a hundred rebels in the ship. I am going down to board." He turned to Ravan. "You come with me."
Note: Please read the note at the top if you did not do so already. Ravan was not Luke's original Sith name in the first but it doesn't matter to me. Ravan sounds much more evil. Also thanks so much for all the reviews, seriously fifteen already and only eight chapters, that seriously is a record for me, keep 'em comin' and I'll try to reply to as many as possible. And I was going to upload this yesterday but I am still having problems!