Chapter 1
The quiet space above Tatooine was interrupted by the sudden emergence of two ships. The first was fast and sleek, a corvette CR90 of Corellian design, and the signature ship of the Royal Viceroy Bale Organa of Alderaan; the Tantive IV. Impressive in size and speed, it was known for its use in the Rebel Alliance as Blockade Runners, functioning as a transport for troops and cargo with fast maneuverability and a very capable set of sublight and hyperdrive engines.
As impressive as this ship was, however, it was dwarfed in comparison to its massive pursuer, an Imperial Star Destroyer. Large enough to house 20,000 men with dozens of turbo blasters, ion cannons, tractor beams and a fleet of Tie Fighters, this massive ship was a force to be reckoned with. The fact that it was an Imperial pursuer alone was enough to strike fear into those unlucky enough to demand one's attention, but this was no ordinary imperial craft, nor did it house an ordinary crew. Darth Vader, loyal servant and enforcer of the Emperor himself, was on board and obsessed with stopping the Blockade Runner and confiscating the important information in which it held; Information vital to the both the Empire and the pathetic Rebel Alliance to which this ship clearly cast its allegiance, despite the Viceroy and his daughter's positions within the Imperial Senate.
Notwithstanding its speed, the Tantive IV could not outrun the Star Destroyer. Ion cannons began bombarding the smaller vessel with precise blasts, penetrating the shields, being careful to only slow it down, not destroy it. The small craft's stabilizer fin soon became the focus for attack, a known weak spot on Blockade Runners. Housed directly above the main reactor, sever damage to the fin could often cause the main reactor to overload, forcing a total shutdown of the engines. Once this occurred the ship could easily be pulled into the Star Destroyer's massive docking bay by tractor beams.
On board the smaller ship, the crew, resigned to the inevitable fact that they would not escape, braced themselves as they prepared for battle. Their orders were clear; protect the princess at all costs. Not one man on board would hesitate to give his life for her. Though Alderaan is a peaceful planet, these warriors were among the few who knew there were times that diplomacy and negotiation were not enough.
The Princess watched them with a heavy heart, having known many of them all her life. Captain Antilles had been present when she'd been born and had been like an uncle to her. To see he and his men sacrifice their lives for her was almost more than she could bear. She had to constantly remind herself that it was for much more than her that they were giving their lives. The fate of every being in the galaxy was now being decided by the events transpiring on her ship.
Time was running out and she knew it. All would be lost if she did not secure the sensitive information they'd intercepted from the very Star Destroyer pursuing them. Though diplomatic immunity had been an effective tactic to get out of other, less dire offences, the Emperor would not let this bold maneuver slide. They'd stolen top-secret documents that proved the existence of the most destructive and terrible weapon ever created. In addition, these documents also held the key to destroying this weapon. She had known from the moment they intercepted these plans that they would not be able to get them back to her father before capture. The only way to ensure that they made it safely into his hands and the hands of the other leaders of the Rebel Alliance was through a man many in the galaxy thought dead, including the Emperor himself; a man who now resided in seclusion on the planet below.
She pulled out a com and secretly paged the R2 unit her father recommended as a carrier of the documents should she be captured. Known in the past for its unusually independent and resourceful nature, it was their only chance in safely removing the plans from the ship without the Empire's detection. Usually accompanied by a protocol droid known for its big mouth, she requested the small astromech come to her alone. Two small chirps in the com indicated an affirmative; the droid was on its way.
R2D2 maneuvered expertly through the chaotic shuffle of crew, determined to reach the princess. Struggling to keep up, C3PO, his companion and friend (at least as far as droids were capable of having such a bond as friendship), waddled after him, never once stopping his nervous chatter; a signature trait when the droid was in full panic mode. Ignoring most of his complaints and overly dramatic statements, Artoo concentrated on the task at hand. "Did you hear that?" Threepio yelped. "They've shut down the main reactor. We'll be destroyed for sure. This is madness!"
They hurried down the main corridor away from where the crew waited with weapons drawn for the imperial boarding party. The ship began to shudder as the Star Destroyer's tractor beams took hold.
"We're doomed!" Threepio stressed.
'We'll be fine. The Empire has no reason to destroy us,' Artoo reassured his companion in a series of beeps and whistles only a machine could comprehend.
"There'll be no escape for the princess this time," the protocol droid continued.
'She'll be safe. She's protected under the Imperial Senate and the royal house of Alderaan,' Artoo replied, drawing closer to where the princess waited.
The ship shuttered as it entered the docking bay of the Star Destroyer. Loud screeching noises and hollow echoes could be heard as metal met metal. A moment later the ship settled completely.
"What's that?" Threepio asked, his voice growing even more distressed.
A loud hissing could be heard as plasma cutters began slicing through the reinforced main doors, followed by an explosion. Smoke filled into the hallway as Imperial Stormtroopers, dressed in white armor with cold, fearsome helmets, began entering the ship only to be met by intense fire from the crew. Blaster bolts rained around them as both stormtrooper and crewmember alike fell in agony.
The crew began to retreat as they soon became overwhelmed. Running past the two droids, the two found themselves in the middle of an intense battle.
"I should have known better than to listen to you, you oversized bucket of bolts!" Threepio cursed.
'I didn't say you had to come with me! That was your own choice!' Artoo retorted.
They turned off the main corridor and found themselves alone for the time being. A mist began to form as cool and warm air mixed, causing a foggy blanket to encompass the ship. Artoo expertly maneuvered through the corridors and halls, his sensors seeing what his optical receptors could not but Threepio became confused and soon found himself separated from his small companion. Satisfied that for the time being no harm would come to his friend, Artoo quickly picked up speed, making his way towards the princess.
The whole thing felt like a dream. Captain Antilles watched as one by one his men fell to the precise blasts of an Imperial stormtrooper. Screams of the wounded and the strong stench of burnt flesh overtook his senses. The madness of battle was almost more than he could handle. Soon he found himself alone with the enemy, his men having been exterminated by the cold, indifferent imperials.
"Drop your weapon! You are under arrest!"
Tempted to take out as many as he could before they cut him down in a hail of blaster fire, he reconsidered. The more time he could buy the princess, the better. Dropping his blaster to the ground he raised his hands, allowing the troopers to arrest him.
"Take him to Lord Vader for questioning," the squad leader commanded.
The princess finished her message and nodded for R2 unit to stop recording. She retrieved the disk with the stolen documents and inserted it into the droid.
"R2D2! Where are you!" Threepio called from nearby, clearly desperate to find the astromech.
Looking around nervously, the princess nodded again and Artoo rolled away. Dressed in white and wearing a hood, the young senator resembled a beautiful apparition, as she appeared to fade into the smoggy atmosphere. The small droid couldn't help but fear he would never see her again. The daughter of Padme Amadala, his former master, she reminded him of her mother in more way than one. If the documents he carried had not been so important he would have sacrificed himself if knew it meant her escape.
As he approached the end of the corridor he could see Threepio waiting for him nervously.
"At last! Where have you been?" his companion demanded in a way that indicated he really didn't care where he had been as much as he cared about getting off the ship.
Sounds of blaster fire began to draw closer as Artoo maneuvered through the ship.
"They're heading in this direction. What are we going to do? We'll be sent to the spice mine of Kessel or smashed into who knows what!"
Ignoring the protocol droid's panicked statement, he continued on. He didn't have time to waist reassuring his friend, neither did he think it would do any good. He certainly didn't feel it was a good idea to tell him he was heading for the escape pods; that would send his companion into a full panic for sure. He would insist they surrender rather than risk being destroyed in an escape attempt. Artoo was not going to let the princess sacrifice herself for nothing. Threepio could surrender if he wanted to but that was a choice he would have to make once they reached the pods and not a moment sooner.
Captain Antilles walked down the corridor with his captors, hands bound in front. His heart sank as they stepped over and around his fallen comrades. That he still lived while they had died felt wrong. A Captain should never surrender, not when his ship was lost. His wounded pride was mildly comforted by the thought that he would soon join them. Lord Vader was on board now and though some of his men had been captured, there was only one person that the sith was truly interested in taking prisoner and Antilles knew it was not himself.
As if summoned by his thoughts, the dark lord appeared before them. The armored escorts quickly scattering away from the sith's imposing presence, leaving him alone to deal with the prisoner as he chose. Encased in black armor and a dark skeletal mask, there was no mistaking who he was. The rhythmic sound of his life support system pumping air in and out of his mechanical lungs only added to that confirmation.
The binders on his wrists fell away by themselves as the menacing figure approached; he wanted him to fight, he wanted him to attempt escape. To just kill a man who couldn't defend himself took all the sport out of it, and Lord Vader was a man known for enjoying the sport of a kill. There weren't many who could challenge his skills, not that the captain imposed any sort of threat to the sith warrior, but any fight was a good fight.
"Lord Vader," he said, working hard to show no fear. "We are honored to have you on board, but I can assure you this is a consular ship on a diplomatic mission on behalf of the Imperial Senate. This ambush will not be looked upon lightly."
"I have no time for your games," Vader said, his mechanical voice doing nothing to interrupt the automatic breathing. "You will tell me what you did with the transmissions you intercepted."
"I know of no transmissions-"
His voice was cut short as the dark figure reached up with lightning fast reflexes, grasping his throat. In his panic he failed to realize he was being lifted off the ground until his nose was within inches of Vader's mask. His face, pale and strained, reflected back to him in the dark armor. He clawed at the dark man's hand to no avail as the pounding of his own heartbeat drowned out all other sound.
"Lord Vader," an approaching imperial trooper addressed the dark lord. The blank mask gave Antilles only a cursory glance before continuing. "The Death Star plans are not in the main computer."
This seemed to anger the dark lord as his murderous grip on his throat tightened. "Where are the transmissions you intercepted?" He again demanded, this time with more force in his voice.
"We intercepted no transmissions!" The world began to fade as the blood supply to his brain was cut off. "This is a consular ship on a diplomatic mission-"
"If this is a consular ship then where is the Ambassador?" Vader demanded, squeezing harder.
'This is it,' Antilles thought as a peaceful feeling overcame him. The bones in his neck snapped but he did not notice. His spirit had already escaped into the great void beyond.
She maneuvered quietly through the ship, careful not to expose herself. She knew it was only a matter of time before she was captured but she needed to buy the R2 unit as much time to escape as possible. By now even Lord Vader had surly boarded. Anything she could do to draw their attention off the tiny droid, she would.
She paused at the edge of a corridor as the echoing clank of approaching armored boots grew near. Taking in a deep breath she risked a peak around the corner.
"There she is," one announced. "Set your blaster for stun."
Determined not to go without a fight she stepped out of her hiding place and fired, hitting one of the three troopers square in the chest. Turning to run she heard the blast a moment before she felt it. The world quickly faded as she fell to the ground.
C3PO followed Artoo in miserable frustration as the approached the escape pods. Already on the verge of temporary system shutdown his processors and circuit breakers struggled to keep from overloading as it buckled under the assault of another surge of panic. The astromech couldn't possibly be thinking what he thought me may be thinking.
He helplessly watched as Artoo proved his fears to be valid and activated the pre-launch sequence on the nearest pod before entering.
"Hey!" Threepio helplessly pleaded, knowing his efforts would bare no fruit. "You're not permitted in there, it's restricted. You'll be deactivated for sure."
'What do you think will happen if you stay behind? If you're not going to think before you speak you should keep your mindless philosophical views to yourself.'
'Think before I speak? Keep my mindless philosophical views to myself? The nerve!' The protocol droid scoffed to himself.
"Don't call me a mindless philosopher, you overweight glob of grease! Now come out before somebody sees you."
'This is the only way I can get the secret plans off the ship. The whole mission depends on it,' Artoo replied without budging. 'I suggest you get in if you're coming. The pod will launch soon.'
"Secret mission? What plans? What are you talking about? I'm not getting in there!"
'I haven't got time to argue with you. If you're not coming I'd appreciate it if you'd shut up and leave me alone.' Artoo replied angrily.
Threepio's mind began racing with replies to the astromech's rude remarks when a nearby explosion nearly threw him off his feet. Flames and sparks erupted from a nearby panel, which was enough to send him rushing into the pod without further debate.
"I'm going to regret this," was all he could reply as he settled in.
Artoo responded with only two words but Threepio refused to acknowledge them. He was programmed to ignore profanities after all.
The small pod shook violently as it launched, propelling itself away from the Star Destroyer towards the planet's surface below. The two droids sat in uncomfortable silence as they watched the Imperial craft through the rear view port. Artoo refused to speak but Threepio, clearly relieved to be safely away from the destructive atmosphere of the Blockade Runner, decided to forget the argument for now.
"It's funny," he contemplated. "The damage doesn't look as bad from out here."
'The ship sustained an electrical overload to the main reactor and the stabilizer fin needs to be replaced. Besides that the damage is pretty minimal. The repair will be costly but the ship can be saved.'
Threepio looked at his friend, relieved to see Artoo had calmed down. "Are you sure this thing is safe?"
'We'll land safely. The odds are in our favor.'
That was enough to calm him for now. He was sure there'd be plenty to worry about once they landed but for the time being he would use the short flight as an opportunity to relax. His system was overheating from the stress of the last hour and he needed to cool down.
"I hope this planet is pleasant as Alderaan. We've been on that ship for far too long."
Artoo gave no reply as he turned his dome away from the protocol droid. Threepio took the silence as a sign he was still mad and decided not to push the issue. This flight would be much to short to argue the entire trip.
Darth Vader stood in silence, ignoring the shuffle of storm troopers as they continued to vacate the Blockade Runner. The ship had been scanned and all prisoners had been removed save one. As soon as the ship was completely empty, it would be launched into space and destroyed. All evidence that the ship had ever been seized must be erased, including the crew who had manned the treasonous craft. The Senate must never know of what occurred here.
His heart began to accelerate as a squad of stormtroopers approached with the last prisoner, Leia Organa. The beautiful young senator always had this affect on him though he could never quite place the reason. He'd rarely seen her before she took her father's seat in the Imperial Senate. The Viceroy had always been very protective of his daughter, careful to keep her away from the public eye, and had fought to keep her from replacing him when he stepped down from the Senate. Vader had never thought much of it until he saw her on the Senate floor. He watched in awe as she fearlessly took on the more corrupt representatives and policies. She reminded him in many ways of Padame, though he refused to linger on that thought too long. Even her dark hair and eyes, the way she wore her hair. Looking at her now he could almost see his beloved wife.
Known as a Rebellion sympathizer, Organa had long been on the Emperor's personal watch list, though until now, she had never actually done anything to indicate that she herself was in fact a rebel. He often wondered had Padme not died, would she have sympathized with the Rebellion as well? Could he have been facing her instead of the young princess right now? Would he have had the courage to do what his duty and oath to the Empire required?
"Lord Vader, I should have known," she spat defiantly.
Forcing himself to push thoughts of his wife away, he glared at the princess, seeing her for who she truly was, a rebel and a threat to the Empire.
"Only you could be so bold," she continued. "The Imperial Senate will not sit for this, when they hear you've attacked a diplomatic-"
"Don't act so surprised, your Highness," he cut her off. "You weren't on any mercy mission. You passed directly through a restricted system. Several transmissions were beamed to this ship by Rebel spies. I want to know what happened to the plans they sent you."
"I don't know what you're talking about," she replied, giving nothing away. "I'm a member of the Imperial Senate on a diplomatic mission to Alderaan-"
"You're a part of the Rebel Alliance and a traitor," he insisted. He turned to her armored escorts in disgust. "Take her away!"
He watched as they escorted her away, furious he'd let his emotions get the better of him when she first arrived. Having no reason to stay onboard, he quickly followed as they vacated the ship. Commander Trefield, having clearly been waiting for him as he exited the craft, approached and maintained Vader's fast pace.
"Holding her is dangerous. If word of this gets out, it could generate sympathy for the Rebellion in the senate."
How these officers irritated him. Rising quickly through the ranks with only classroom experience and ideals, they often thought their opinions move valuable than they actually were.
"I have traced the Rebel spies to her," Vader irritably replied. "Now she is my only link to finding their secret base."
"She'll die before she tells you anything."
Vader stopped, giving the commander a stern look. "Leave that to me," he warned, poking Trefield's chest with a stern finger. The approaching footsteps of another officer attracted their attention, momentarily breaking the tension between the two.
"Send a distress signal and then inform the senate that all aboard were killed,"
Vader instructed the commander before turning to the other officer.
"Lord Vader," the officer began, snapping to attention. Vader could see the man was nervous at having to interrupt their discussion. "The battle station plans are not aboard this ship, and no transmissions were made. An escape pod was jettisoned during the fighting but no life forms were on board."
Vader turned back to the Commander. "She must have hidden the plans in the escape pod. Send a detachment down to retrieve them. See to it personally, Commander. There'll be no one to stop us this time."
Though Vader's voice was masked by a mechanical verbalizer, the threat his words carried did not escape the commander's ears. Find the plans on the planet or face Vader's wrath; something few officers in his position ever survived. Officers in the Empire were, after all, expendable.
"Yes Sir," he replied nervously.
Vader watched as the commander left. Part of him hoped the man would fail in his effort just so he could have the satisfaction of personally squeezing the life out of the man's body. His dark mask hid the smile that graced his scarred lips at the thought. 'I may kill him anyways,' he considered. 'Yes, I may just do that.'
