Certain Points of View
Thanks to Austin Morgan, rollergath, Alex876 and Straw HatPiratesFan2022 for favouriting and following this story
Hangar 101 of the Death Star was a scene of great activity as the battle station's entire complement of staff and Stormtroopers stood smartly to attention to greet the shuttle Sidious One, the Emperor's personal shuttle. Vader and Jerjerrod watched as red-robed Royal Guards disembarked from the shuttle then they both bowed respectfully before the hooded black-robed form of Emperor Sheev Palpatine as he made his way down the shuttle's ramp. "Rise my friend." Palpatine said to Vader, who got to his feet and walked beside his Sith master
"The Death Star will be completed on schedule." Vader said as he and his master walked across the hangar.
"You've done well, Lord Vader." Palpatine acknowledged in his sinister croaky voice, "And now I sense you wish to continue your search for young Skywalker."
Vader was silent for a moment, then answered, "Yes, my master."
"Patience, my friend." Palpatine told him, "In time, he will seek you out. And when he does, you must bring him before me. He has grown strong. Only together can we turn him to the Dark Side of the Force."
"As you wish." Vader acknowledged
"Everything is proceeding as I have foreseen." Palpatine smirked, and he cackled evilly as he and his apprentice walked on.
~8~
Luke had managed to make a considerably more dignified landing on Dagobah compared to his previous visit to the swamp planet and was now sat inside Yoda's hut. Luke was sorry to see that the wise old Jedi Master's health had deteriorated badly over the past year, for Yoda was clearly very ill to the point where even walking across the hut took a great deal of effort. "That face you make..." Yoda said hoarsely, "Look I so old to young eyes?"
"No. Of course not." Luke said politely
"I do. Yes, I do." Yoda admitted, "Sick have I become. Old and weak. When 900 years old you reach, look as good you will not, hmm?" he managed to joke. Luke smiled, glad that Yoda's wit was as sharp as ever, but his smile faded when Yoda let out a terrible hacking cough as he hobbled over to his bed. "Soon will I rest." Yoda said, sitting down on the bed, "Yes. Forever sleep. Earned it I have."
Luke realised what Yoda was saying. "Master Yoda, you can't die." he protested
"Strong am I with the Force, but not that strong." Yoda told him as he gave Luke his gimmer stick and lay down in the bed, "Twilight is upon me, and soon night must fall. That is the way of things. The way of the Force."
Luke helped tuck him into bed. "But I need your help." he said, "I've come back to complete the training."
"No more training do you require." Yoda told him, "Already know that which you need."
"Then I am a Jedi." Luke realised
"Oh!" Yoda chuckled, then let out another terrible cough. "Not yet. One thing remains: Vader. You must confront Vader. Then, only then, a Jedi will you be." And confront him you will."
Luke swallowed, deciding that now was his only chance to get to the bottom of something that had been troubling him for the past year. "Master Yoda... is Darth Vader my father?" he asked
Yoda turned on his side, facing away from Luke. "A rest I need." he said, "Yes, rest."
"Yoda, I must know." Luke pressed gently
"Your father he is." Yoda confirmed. A cold chill ran down Luke's spine as he processed this revelation. "Told you did he?" Yoda asked
"Yes." Luke nodded numbly
"Unexpected this is. And unfortunate."
"Unfortunate that I know the truth?" Luke frowned
"No." Yoda croaked as he turned round to face Luke, "Unfortunate that you rushed to face him... that incomplete was your training... that not ready for the burden were you."
"I'm sorry." Luke sighed, realising that rushing off to face Vader on Bespin had been a naïve mistake.
"Remember... a Jedi's strength flows from the Force." Yoda told him, "But beware... Anger, fear... aggression... the Dark Side are they. Once you start down the dark path... forever will it dominate your destiny." His voice became increasingly croaky. Yoda knew that his end was imminent, so he decided to try and tell Luke everything he needed to know now while he still had the chance. "Luke... Luke... do not... do not underestimate the powers of the Emperor... or suffer your father's fate you will. Luke... when gone am I... the last of the Jedi will you be. The Force runs strong in your family. Pass on what you have learned. Luke... there is... another... Sk... Sky... walker." Yoda finished weakly, then his eyes fluttered closed and he stopped breathing.
Luke could only watch sadly as Yoda's body disappeared into thin air, the Jedi Master becoming one with the Force.
~8~
Artoo was just finishing up some touch-ups on Luke's X-wing when Luke returned. Luke turned to face Yoda's hut and saw the glow from the fire inside go out, meaning that the fire had died, the last sign of Yoda's life going out. Artoo realised that Yoda must've died and beeped a condolence to Luke.
"I can't do it, Artoo." Luke sighed, "I can't go on alone."
"Yoda will always be with you." a familiar voice said
"Obi-Wan." Luke murmured as he saw the Force spirit of Obi-Wan Kenobi appear. "Why didn't you tell me?" Luke questioned as he approached Obi-Wan, "You told me Vader betrayed and murdered my father."
"Your father was seduced by the Dark Side of the Force." Obi-Wan replied, "He ceased to be Anakin Skywalker, and became Darth Vader. When that happened, the good man who was your father was destroyed. So what I told you was true... from a certain point of view."
"A certain point of view?" Luke frowned
"Luke, you're gonna find that many of the truths we cling to depend greatly on our own point of view." Obi-Wan said gravely, "Anakin was a good friend and a brother to me. When I first knew him, your father was already a great pilot, but I was amazed how strongly the Force was with him. I took it upon myself to train him as a Jedi. I thought I could instruct him just as well as Yoda. I was wrong." he finished gloomily
"There is still good in him." Luke said
"He's more machine now than man... twisted and evil." Obi-Wan said
"I can't do it, Ben." Luke told him
"You cannot escape your destiny. You must face Darth Vader again."
Luke shook his head. "I can't kill my own father."
Obi-Wan sighed. "Then the Emperor has already one. You were our only hope."
"Yoda spoke of another." Luke pressed
"The other he spoke of is your twin sister." Obi-Wan said
This was news to Luke. "But I have no sister." he said
"To protect you both from the Emperor, you were hidden from your father when you were born." Obi-Wan explained, "The Emperor knew, as I did, if Anakin were to have any offspring, they would be a threat to him. That is the reason why your sister remains safely anonymous."
Luke had been listening intently to all this and suddenly, the penny dropped for him. "Leia!" he realised, "Leia's sister."
"Your insight serves you well." Obi-wan commented, "Bury your feelings deep down, Luke. They do you credit... but they could be made to serve the Emperor."
~8~
Near the planet Sullust, the entire fleet of the Rebel Alliance gathered ready for their ultimate mission; the assault on the new Death Star. Flagship of the fleet was the Mon Calamari cruiser Home One, where the mission briefing was to be held. Personnel all gathered in Home One's conference room and chatted amongst themselves as they waited for the briefing to start. Han had been checked over by the medical staff and passed as fit for duty. He strode over to where Lando was standing. The former baron administrator was looking very dapper in a general's uniform. "Well, look at you. A general, huh?" Han remarked
"Someone must've told 'em about my maneuverer at the Battle of Tanaab." Lando shrugged
"Well, don't look at me, pal. I just said you were a fair pilot." Han said, "I didn't know they were lookin' for someone to lead this crazy attack."
"I'm surprised they didn't ask you to do it." Lando remarked
"Who says they didn't? But I ain't crazy." Han replied, "You're the respectable one, remember?" And he and Lando shared a laugh. Han then turned to Malia, who was wearing the red flight-suit of the Alliance's Blue Squadron complete with commander's rank insignia. "And look at you, Angel. Squad leader now." Han commented
"Yep, got promoted six months back." Malia replied, "Dunno why Ackbar asked me to lead the squadron, but I just couldn't refuse."
"Well, congratulations. You deserve it... Commander Lars." Han winked
"You too... General Solo." Malia winked back
Just then, a chime sounded to signify that the briefing was starting, so Han sat down in-between Leia and Chewbacca while Malia joined her squadron. The lights dimmed and Rebel High Council leader Mon Mothma stepped forward to begin the briefing. "The Emperor's made a critical error and the time for our attack has come." she announced, "The data brought to us by the Bothan spies pinpoints the location of the Emperor's new battle station." She activated a hologram of Endor and the Death Star orbiting it. "We also know that the weapons systems of this Death Star are not yet operational. With the Imperial fleet spread throughout out the galaxy in a vain effort to engage us, it is relatively unprotected. But most important of all, we've learned that the Emperor himself is personally overseeing the final stages of the construction of this Death Star. Many Bothans died to bring us this information." she finished gravely, "Admiral Ackbar please?"
The Mon Calamari Admiral Gial Ackbar stepped forward to take over the next stage of the briefing. "You can see here the Death Star orbiting the forest moon of Endor." he began, "Although the weapon systems on this Death Star are not yet operational, the Death Star does have a strong defence mechanism. It is protected by an energy shield which is generated from the nearby forest moon of Endor." The hologram demonstrated a shield being projected from Endor and around the Death Star. "The shield must be deactivated if any attack is to be attempted."
'That's gonna make our job tougher.' Malia thought to herself as she paid attention to the briefing.
Ackbar enlarged the projection of the Death Star and removed the shield from the projection. "Once the shield is down, our cruisers will create a perimeter while the fighters fly into the superstructure and attempt to knock out the main reactor." he explained as the hologram showed the Death Star's hypermatter reactor, "General Calrissian has volunteered to lead the fighter attack."
"Good luck." Han said to Lando, "You're gonna need it."
'That we will.'" Malia thought to herself.
"General Madine?" Ackbar called
The Corellian General Crix Madine stepped forward to deliver the final stage of the briefing. "We have stolen a small Imperial shuttle." he announced, "Disguised as a cargo ship and using a secret Imperial code, a strike team will land on the moon and deactivate the shield generator."
Several murmurs from the audience sounded at this news. "Sound dangerous." Threepio remarked to no one in particular
"I wonder who they found to pull that off." Leia remarked to Han
Han was about to answer her when Madine did it for him. "General Solo, is your strike team assembled?" he asked
"Uh, my team's ready, but I don't have a command crew for the shuttle." Han replied
Chewbacca growled and put his hand up immediately.
"It's gonna be rough, pal. I didn't wanna speak for ya." Han told him. "That's one." he told command
"Make it two." Leia said immediately, "General, count me in."
"I'm with you too." Luke announced as he made his grand entrance, stepping in next to Malia.
"Hey, stranger. Where've you been?" Malia smiled, hugging her cousin. Then she noticed that Luke looked like he had something on his mind. "What's wrong?" she asked him
"I'll explain later." Luke told her, and they settled back to listen to the rest of the briefing.
As the briefing finished, Artoo beeped something to Threepio about their upcoming mission.
"'Exciting' is hardly the word I would choose." Threepio muttered
~8~
Presently, Malia was in Home One's hangar giving her B-wing the once-over ready for the attack on the Death Star. Luke had joined her and was telling her of what he'd learned on Dagobah. "So it's true, then." Malia said gravely, "Vader is your father."
"Yes. Ben and Yoda confirmed it." Luke said, "They said I have to face him. I don't know what to do, 'Lia. I can't kill my own father."
"Maybe ya won't have to." Malia assured him, "I don't know the first thing about Jedi and the Force, but I think our destiny is something that we decide."
"There's something else." Luke continued, "I have a twin sister."
Malia nearly dropped the tools she was holding. "What?! Who?"
"Leia." Luke replied, "Leia's my sister."
"Really?" Malia stared, "Well, I guess this explains why you and her have always had that close bond with each other." Then she smiled. "Hey, that means Leia's my cousin too!" Then she became serious. "You need to her this." she told Luke
"I know." her cousin replied, "But I don't know to even begin. I'm still processing all this myself. But I will tell her."
"Hmm, you have to." Malia told him, "This is huge. Honestly, it seems like everyone's got secrets these days. Still, we've got a job to do." she said steely, "Good luck, Luke."
"You too, 'Lia." Luke replied, "May the Force be with you." Both cousins hugged then Luke set off to where the captured Imperial shuttle was stationed.
Presently, Han and Lando arrived in the hangar. "Look, I want to take her." Han said, gesturing to the Millennium Falcon, "I mean it. Take her. Ya need all the help you can get. She's the fastest ship in the fleet."
"Alright, old buddy." Lando laughed, "I know what she means to you. I'll take good care of her. She-she won't get a scratch. Alright?"
"Right." Han nodded, and made his way towards the shuttle. Halfway up the boarding ramp, he stopped and turned back to Lando. "I got ya promise. Not a scratch."
"Would you get going, you pirate?" Lando laughed, then gave his friend a salute. "Good luck."
"You too." Han nodded, and resumed his walk up the ramp.
~8~
Han walked into the shuttle's cockpit where the rest of his command crew were ready. "Got her warmed?" Han asked as he sat down in the pilot's seat.
"Yeah, she's comin' up." Luke replied as he commenced pre-flight checks.
Chewbacca howled, complaining that the shuttle's seats weren't very comfortable.
"Yeah, well, I don't think the Empire had Wookies in mind when they designed her, Chewie." Han told him dryly, then he stared meaningfully out of the window at the nearby Falcon.
"Hey, you awake?" Leia asked, putting a hand on Han's shoulder
"Yeah, I just got a funny feeling... like I'm not gonna see her again." Han replied gravely
Leia patted his shoulder reassuringly. "Come on, General. Let's move." she said, going back to her seat.
"Right." Han said, getting back on topic, "Chewie, let's see what this piece of junk can do. Ready everybody?" he asked his crew
"All set." Luke replied as everybody fastened their seat restraints.
Artoo beeped as the shuttle's engines powered up.
"Here we go again." Threepio commented
The shuttle lifted off and flew out of the hangar. Once it was clear, the wings lowered for flight and the shuttle flew to a safe distance from Home One. "Alright, hang on." Han said as he activated the hyperdrive lever and the shuttle made the jump to lightspeed, destination: Endor.
~8~
Two TIE Fighters flew in patrol formation across the surface of the Death Star and past the Emperor's Tower, a spire on the battle station's uppermost northern hemisphere which housed the Emperor's throne room. Palpatine had called Vader to the throne room to receive orders. "What is thy bidding, my master?" Vader gave the traditional Sith greeting
"Send the fleet to the far side of Endor." Palpatine ordered him, "There it will stay until called for."
"What of the reports of the Rebel fleet massing near Sullust?" Vader inquired
"It is of no concern." Palpatine said casually, "Soon the Rebellion will be crushed and young Skywalker will be one of us. Your work here is finished, my friend. Go out to the command ship and await my orders."
"Yes, my Master." Vader bowed and left the throne room.
Palpatine turned and looked out of the huge observation window at space outside. 'Soon, young Skywalker, you will be mine.' he thought to himself.
Author's notes: And so we say goodbye to Yoda and hello to Emperor Palpatine. Any scene with Palaptine is pretty much a highlight of ROTJ as Ian McDiarmid was so entreatingly evil in the role. I can guarantee I will be doing all of Palpatine's scenes in this story, as to omit then would be blasphemy! Note that Malia has had a promotion in the ranks of the Rebel Alliance. She now holds the rank of Commander and is in command of Blue Squadron. According to Wookiepedia, Blue Squadron flew B-wings at the Battle of Endor and I wanted to give the B-wings a bigger role than they had in the film, so it made sense to have Malia pilot one and be in command of their squadron. The funny thing is, Blue Squadron wore red flight-suits while Red Squadron wore orange ones! At least Grey Squadron and Green Squadron got flight-suits that matched their squadron names! I am no longer positive with covid and will be back at work tomorrow, so updates to this story won't be as frequent from now on. So, hope you like this chapter and hope to see ya next time!