Escaping the Death Star

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Luke, Malia, Han, Leia and Chewbacca all stood in the corridor outside the rubbish compactor, Artoo having unlocked the door. Han and Luke had ditched their Stormtrooper armour, while the women both brushed themselves off. "If we can just avoid any more high-born female advice, we ought to be able to get outta here." Han said, giving Leia a pointed look, who in turn gave him one back.

"Well, let's get movin'." Luke said

"Yeah, the sooner we get outta here, the sooner we can all have a shower." Malia muttered, uncomfortably aware that her still-wet tunic was showing off more of her figure than it normally would've done.

Suddenly, the creature inside the compactor made a howling noise, startling Chewbacca, who promptly scurried off away from the door. "Where're ya going?" Han huffed, then he aimed his blaster at the creature in the compactor.

"No, wait, they'll hear!" Leia hollered, but it was too late.

Han fired at the creature, the sound of the shot echoing throughout the corridor. Fortunately, no Imperial seemed to hear. "Come here, ya big coward." Han said to Chewbacca, who shook his head stubbornly, "Chewie, come here!"

"Listen..." Leia said to Han as she moved in front of him, "I don't who you are or where you came from, but from now on, you do as I tell you. Ok?" And she walked purposefully down the corridor.

"Look, Your 'Worshipfulness'." Han said indignantly as he walked after her, "Let's get one thing straight. I take orders from just one person: me!"

"It's a wonder you're still alive." Leia shot back

Malia chuckled at this. "Oh, I like her." she sniggered to Luke.

Han wasn't so amused. "No reward is worth this." he grumbled as they followed Leia.

~8~

Obi-Wan was just finishing disabling the tractor beam when he saw a platoon of Stormtroopers arrive on the walkway. "Give me regular reports, please." the commander said to two of his troops.

"Right." one of the troopers acknowledged, then the commander and the rest of the platoon walked away, leaving the two remaining troopers to guard the walkway.

"Do you know what's going on?" the second trooper asked his mate

"Maybe it's another drill." the first trooper replied grumpily

"You see that new VT-16?" the second trooper asked as they both turned around to face the way they'd just come.

"Yeah. Some of the other guys were telling me about it." the first trooper replied, neither of them seeing Obi-Wan shimming around the tractor beam control, "They say it's quite a thing to see..." Obi-Wan tapped the side of the control tower to distract the troopers. "What was that?" the first trooper questioned

"Ah, it's nothing." the second trooper waved him off, "Outgassing. Don't worry about it."

While the two troopers were distracted, Obi-Wan snuck off across the walkway.

~8~

Luke, Malia, Han, Leia and Chewbacca crept into the control room overlooking hanger 327. "There she is." Han said, looking out of the window at the Millennium Falcon below.

"C-3PO? Do you copy?" Luke said into his comlink

"Yes, sir." Threepio acknowledged

"Are you safe?"

"For the moment." Threepio replied, "We're in the main hangar across from the ship."

"We're right above ya, stand by." Luke said and put the comlink away.

"You came in that thing?" Leia said to Han, looking at the Falcon incredulously, "You're braver than I thought."

"Nice." Han grunted, "Come on!" And the group hurried off down the corridor.

Presently, they ran right into a group of Stormtroopers. "It's them! Blast 'em!" the commander ordered, only to be promptly blasted by Han.

The rest of the Stormtroopers ran off back the way they came. "Get back to the ship!" Han yelled to Luke and the women as he and Chewbacca ran off after the troopers.

"Where're ya going? Come back!" Luke yelled after them, but the smugglers had already gone.

"He certainly has courage." Leia commented

"Or a death wish." Malia remarked

"Come on." Luke said to the women, and they hurried off the other way.

~8~

Han ran after the Stormtroopers, screaming like a nutter. He sped round a corner to see that the troopers had led him to a hangar full of troops. He quickly shot one then doubled back and ran off, reuniting with Chewbacca on the way and they both hurried back the way they'd came, Stormtroopers in close pursuit.

~8~

Luke, Leia and Malia ran down another corridor, the two cousins exchanging fire with pursuing Stormtroopers. They sped round a corner, only to find themselves standing on a small platform overlooking a vast chasm. "Whoop! I think we took a wrong turn." Luke said as they screeched to a stop at the edge of the platform.

"Ya think!" Malia stared. She could see another platform directly opposite, but there was no bridge linking them.

The pursuing Stormtroopers opened fire on the trapped trio, so Leia quickly shut the door to protect them. "There's no lock!" she groaned as she checked the door controls.

Luke shot the control panel, destroying it. "That oughta hold 'em for a while." he said

"Quick! We've gotta get across. Find the controls that extend the bridge." Leia ordered

"I think I just blasted it." Luke realised

"Oh, great. We're trapped!" Malia groaned, "Ya know, that door's not gonna hold forever!"

Luke quickly pondered their predicament. He was still wearing his Stormtrooper belt, which featured a grabbling hook and his eyes fell on some girders overhead, giving him an idea. But before he could put his idea into practice, a blaster shot struck the wall right next to them and the trio looked up to see Stormtroopers on a platform overhead. Both cousins swiftly returned fire, Malia managing to hit one, causing him to fall to his death. "Gotcha!" she crowed, but there were plenty more where that trooper had come from.

Luke fired at the remaining troopers, forcing them to fall back behind their door. "Here, hold this." he said to Leia, passing her his blaster, then he took out his grabbling hook and readied it.

The Stormtroopers came back out of hiding and fired on the trio. The two women returned fire and Leia managed to down one of the troopers, then she noticed the door behind them rise slightly. "Here they come!" she warned

Malia shot one of the remaining troopers on the platform. "Take that, ya murdering Bucketheads!" she spat

Luke threw his grappling hook at the girders and the hook clamped on. Luke quickly checked that the cable was secure then he got ready. "Come on." he urged the women

"Is that thing gonna hold all three of us?" Malia asked uncertainly as she and Leia grabbed hold of the cable.

"Guess we'll find out." Luke replied, and all three took a running jump and swung across the chasm, landing safely on the platform on the other side. Leia and Malia both took pot-shots at the troopers attacking them from behind while Luke unhooked his grappling hook and the trio ran for it.

~8~

As Obi-Wan made his way back towards hanger 327, he saw a platoon of Stormtroopers hurry past, none of them even noticing the Jedi. "We think they may be splitting up." one of the troopers said to their commander, "They may be on levels 5 and 6 now, sir."

As the troopers disappeared down the corridor, Obi-Wan could sense that Vader was near, so he took his lightsabre from his belt and continued on his way, knowing that his destiny was coming closer and closer.

~8~

Han and Chewbacca raced down a corridor, Stormtroopers in close pursuit. "Close the blast doors!" one ordered, and a pair of blast doors began to close.

Han and Chewbacca sped up their sprint and dived through the blast doors which closed behind them, trapping the troopers on the other side. "Open the blast doors! Open the blast doors!" one hollered.

~8~

As Obi-Wan reached the last corridor before hangar 327, he stopped in his tracks. There in from of him was Darth Vader, a red-bladed lightsabre in his hand. As the Sith Lord walked slowly towards him, Obi-Wan ignited his blue-bladed lightsabre and prepared himself for what he knew would be his final fight. "I've been waiting for you, Obi-Wan." Vader said, "We meet again at last. The circle is now complete. When I left you, I was but the learner. Now I am the master."

"Only a master of evil, Darth." Obi-Wan said grimly and swung a blow at Vader, who blocked it. Master and former apprentice then exchanged lightsabre blows, their blades clashing.

Obi-Wan held his own splendidly despite his age, but Vader had the upper hand. "Your powers are weak, old man." he taunted

"You can't win, Darth." Obi-Wan retorted calmly, "If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine." And he and Vader exchanged more lightsabre blows.

"You should not have come back." Vader told his former master, relishing in this chance to get back at Obi-Wan for what he had done to him during their last meeting 19 years ago which had left him in need of his life support suit to stay alive.

And so the two old enemies continued their fight.

~8~

Han and Chewbacca reached hanger 327 to find five Stormtroopers guarding the Falcon. "Didn't we just leave this party?" Han grumbled, then he saw Luke, Malia and Leia come hurrying up. "What kept you?" he asked them

"We, uh, ran into some old friends." Leia answered

"The ship alright?" Luke asked

"Seems ok, if we can get to it." Han replied, "Just hope the old man got that tractor beam outta commission."

Suddenly, the five troopers on guard moved away. "Look, they're going." Malia said

"Now's our chance. Go!" Han urged, and the quartet made a break for it.

~8~

"Come on, Artoo, we're going." Threepio said to his counterpart, and the two droids scurried across the hanger towards the Falcon.

~8~

As Luke and Malia hurried across the hanger, they suddenly saw why the Stormtroopers had moved, for Obi-Wan and Vader were duelling right in front of the hanger and the troopers had gone to spectate. "Ben?" Luke stared

"What is that?!" Malia stared, Vader's terrifying appearance rattling her.

Obi-Wan saw Luke in the corner of his eye and gave a knowing smirk. He drew his lightsabre back and closed his eyes, ready to accept his fate. Vader swung a blow at Obi-Wan and struck him in the shoulders. Obi-Wan's empty cloak and lightsabre dropped to the floor.

"NO!" Luke cried in despair, while Malia clasped a hand to her mouth in horror. Luke's cry attracted the Stormtroopers' attention and they swiftly turned on the two cousins, who both in turn fired furiously at them.

"Come on!" Han urged the cousins

"Luke, Malia, come on!" Leia called, "It's too late!" But both cousins were too enraged to listen and continued to blast away at the Stormtroopers.

"Blast the door, kids!" Han called, and Luke fired at the door controls, which sealed the blast doors and prevented Vader from getting to them.

Luke and Malia then continued to fire their blasters angrily at the Stormtroopers. "Die, you Bucketheads, die!" Malia snarled furiously

Suddenly, Luke heard Obi-Wan's voice call out to him; "Run, Luke, run!"

Snapping out of his fury, Luke grabbed Malia's hand and they both raced up the Falcon's ramp.

~8~

Han and Chewbacca took their places in the Falcon's cockpit. "I hope that old man got the tractor beam outta commission or this is gonna be a real short trip." Han said, "Ok, hit it!"

Chewbacca pulled a lever and the Falcon's engines powered up. The freighter reversed out of the hanger, turned on it's axis and sped away.

~8~

Luke sat gloomily on one of the seats in the passenger compartment, Malia beside him. Leia came up beside them and put a blanket over Luke's shoulders to comfort him while Threepio and Artoo remained respectfully silent.

~8~

"We're coming up on their sentry ships." Han said grimly, "Hold 'em off. Angle the deflector shields while I charge up the main guns." he ordered Chewbacca as he got to his feet and moved to the back of the ship.

~8~

I can't believe he's gone." Luke said sadly

"There wasn't anything you could've done." Leia consoled him

"That's what he said." Malia sighed, leaning against the table with her head in her hands.

Just then, Han joined them. "Come on, buddy. We're not outta this yet." he said to Luke, moving to a ladder, "Malia, give Chewie a hand."

So Luke joined Han by the ladder while Malia and Leia both went to the cockpit.

~8~

Luke climbed down the ladder to the Falcon's ventral quad laser canon turret while Han climbed up to the dorsal turret. Both men took their seats, put on headsets and prepared their cannons. "You in, kid?" Han asked into his headset, "Ok, stay sharp."

~8~

The Falcon shuddered from distant laser blasts as Malia and Leia joined Chewbacca in the cockpit. Malia sat down in the pilot's seat, while Leia took the seat behind her. "Here they come." Leia said grimly as four TIE Fighters swooped past the windscreen and opened fire on the Falcon, one of the shots striking the ship's aft section.

~8~

Luke and Han opened fire on the TIEs, their quad lasers pounding away at the hostiles. "They're coming in too fast!" Luke grumbled

~8~

Two of the TIEs made a strafing run and struck the Falcon's underside, the resulted shudder knocking Threepio off his feet and into a storage cabinet.

~8~

"Well, there go the lateral controls." Malia said as she checked the damage readout

"Don't worry. She'll hold together." Han said over the radio

~8~

"Hear me, baby? Hold together." Han muttered to his ship as he continued to fire at the attacking TIEs.

~8~

Artoo used his fire extinguisher to tackle a fire that enemy fire had caused.

~8~

As the TIEs continued to buzz around the Falcon, one of them strayed into Han's line of fire and he swiftly destroyed it. "Ha ha!" the smuggler laughed

One of the other TIEs strayed into Luke's line of fire and he was able to destroy it. "I got him. I got him!" he cheered

"Great, kid. Don't get cocky." Han called to him.

~8~

"Still two more of 'em out there." Malia warned as the two remaining TIEs came round for another pass.

~8~

One of the TIEs made a strafing run on the Falcon's ventral side and Luke was able to pick it off, while the final TIE made a run on the ship's dorsal side and Han swiftly annihilated it. "Phew." he said in relief as he removed his headset.

"That's it, we did it!" Luke cheered

~8~

"We did it!" Leia laughed in relief

"Yes!" Malia cheered, pumping her fist in the air, "Ha ha! Oh, that was good!"

~8~

"Help! I think I'm melting!" Threepio wailed as he lay in a tangled heap of wiring, "This is all YOUR fault!" he accused Artoo.

Artoo could only titter in amusement.

~8~

Darth Vader walked into the Death Star's control room where he met Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin, the battle station's commander. "Are they away?" Tarkin asked

"They've just made the jumps into hyperspace." Vader replied

"You're sure the homing beacon is secure aboard their ship?" Tarkin asked, "I'm taking an awful risk, Vader. This had better work."

Author's notes: And so our heroes have escaped the Death Star but lost Obi-Wan. Still, his Force spirit will still be there to guide Luke on his journey. Malia kinda takes a back seat this chapter but at least she gets to shoot Stormtroopers, which is quite a cathartic release for her after what they did to her parents. I was watching Rogue One today, which is undoubtedly the only good Star Wars film produced under Disney's auspices. That film is proof that Disney can do great Star Wars films when they let people who actually understand the franchise call the shots. Who doesn't love K-2SO? Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter and see ya next time for the arrival at the Rebel base.