Edited!

Disclaimer: Not mine

Someone commented on Biggs being Luke's childhood friend, not Wedge, I know that, Wedge even mentioned it. Wedge and Biggs became friends at the Academy and were going to defect together.

Chapter 27

Obi-Wan smiled as he found the short message from Luke, reading it quickly. He was going to ask Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan to marry him. What was it with Skywalker men and royalty? He just prayed this story had a happier ending.

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Palpatine stared down at the boy writhing at his feet. He was such a disappointment. "You were to be my heir, instead you will be nothing," he let up a little and Luke groaned, uncurling slightly to look up at him.

"Mas…"

"Dispense with the pleasantries young Skywalker. We both know you do not see me as your Master, despite all I have given you. This is your last chance, give yourself over to my teachings, to the Dark Side… or die."

Luke slowly pushed up to his hands and knees panting for air. He had suffered Force lighting before, but never like this. What had he done?

"Did you think I knew nothing of your plans? Of your betrayal?" he always expected betrayal form the Skywalker's, it was the way of the Sith for the Apprentice to kill the Master one day, but Luke was no Sith. He would barely even touch the Dark Side under the most extreme circumstances let alone give himself to it. He would have been the perfect heir, instead he was a massive disappointment. Perhaps it was time to call on the skills of Kamino once again, with genetic material from both Skywalker's maybe they could create a perfect Apprentice for him, aged to adulthood and flash trained like the clone troops had once been.

Luke struggled to his knees, looking up at the Emperor, seeing his death in his eyes. He had nothing to lose so he pulled his lightsabre to him from where it had come free during his torture, igniting the blade. Palpatine laughed even as Luke rushed the stairs. Crimson blade met burnt orange as they began fighting, any other day and Luke would be sure of his sabre skills even against the Emperor, but not after that lightning attack. They traded several blows and then Luke screamed in agony and then stagged back, falling down the stairs.

"Foolish boy," Sidious shook his head but then raised his hands and the lightning began again.

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Cody grabbed her arm as Leia swayed dangerously, pushing her down onto the seat. "My Lady?" He called in alarm even as she clung to his arm.

"Luke." She whispered, eyes wide.

"Princess?" Cody called, gently shaking her slightly to try and get her attention. He'd seen that look before, on the Generals he had served but not on a Senator. she'd come when Luke was hurt before…was it possible she had some sort of Force sensitivity?

"Luke's in trouble….so much pain," she bit her lip, fighting back tears even as Cody activated his commlink to try and raise his General before contacting the ship to find out where he was. What he learnt was not good.

"The General was summoned by the Emperor, Princess. There is nothing we can do."

Leia hesitated but then her chin went up, brown eyes pinning him. "Then take me to the Palace, Commander. I won't leave him."

"General Skywalker ordered me to protect you, taking you to the Emperor would be disobeying that order."

"If we don't go Luke may die."

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On Mustafar, Vader was jerked out of his medicated rest within the bacta tank as another's agony slammed into him. Luke…his son was in pain unlike anything he had ever felt from the boy. There was fear too…and a growing weakness. No! He would not lose his son too, not her child! He gathered his strength and threw everything he could down their link. He reached for more and found a bond that had never fully severed, and he reached for her strength too.

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Ahsoka snapped awake, hands reaching for her sabres in reaction to the emotions slamming into her from two directions.

"Ahsoka?" Rex sat up in alarm, the fog of sleep fading quickly as he yanked on his shirt, eyes scanning for danger but there current safehouse was silent.

She closed her eyes and reached, shocked to find Vader desperately reaching to her for aide…. not for him. She felt Luke's pain and waning strength and didn't hesitate to lend her strength to the boy. "We need to go, Coruscant. The Emperor is killing him," she whispered before scrambling up.

"Who?"

"Luke."

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Obi-Wan clutched his chest, swaying on his feet, he grabbed the counter, forcing himself to breathe deeply. He closed his eyes and focused… Luke…no not the bright boy he had watched over. No! not this time, he gathered his strength and sent it to Luke, their bond was not strong, especially over such a distance, but he would help.

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"The Emperor is awaiting my report," Tarkin looked out at Jedha, seeing the last shuttle clear the atmosphere.

"One had hoped that he and Lord Vader might have been here for such an occasion," Krennic, balled his gloved hand into a fist.

"And I thought it prudent to save you from any potential embarrassment."

"Your concern is hardly warranted."

"If saying it would only make it so," Tarkin taunted.

"All Imperial forces, have been evacuated, and I stand ready to destroy the entire moon."

"That won't be necessary. We need a statement, not a manifesto. The Holy City will be enough for the day."

"Target Jedha City, prepare single reactor ignition," Krennic ordered and the men moved to obey.

"Sir, we're in position, ready to..." Pterro said only to be cut off.

"Fire!" Krennic yelled and Pterro swallowed nervously.

"Commence primary ignition."

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Cody was torn, he had to protect her, but he couldn't lose another General. He still dreamt of seeing Obi-Wan fall from the cliffs, the dreams were better since learning the fall hadn't killed him, but he still hated them. The thought of abandoning this General, the one who had done so much for them… He called out to the pilot to change course for the Palace. "I hope you know what you're doing," he muttered and then watched as she got up and went to the weapons locker, despite the rocking of the shuttle, grabbing a blaster, shaking his head. She checked it over expertly and then looked at him, one eyebrow arching, and he sighed, "General's going to kill me." Soon they landed, and Cody made sure she stayed behind him as there moved inside. "Any idea where?"

"Throne room," she answered tightly, and he led the way up through quiet halls, thankful it was night. Another advantage was that the Palace had once been the Jedi Temple, a place he had known well, some of the back routes still existed. They heard the screams before they reached the room and broke into a run, Cody happy to find she could keep up with him.

Cody shoved the massive door open and then froze at the sight of Luke writhing on the black floor, screaming in agony as lightning flew from the Emperor's raised hands and into Luke. Leia didn't hesitate, didn't think, she brought the blaster up and fired. They watched in shock as the Emperor was hit, sending him flying off the stairs to land with a very loud thud. Leia ran to Luke while Cody covered her before moving to check the Emperor, finding the man still breathing, blood on his lips, as he gasped and chocked.

"Or….d…" he gasped out, he could order the clone to kill Skywalker…he turned the Force to trying to stem the bleeding and heal his lungs, until help arrived.

Cody stared down into yellow eyes before raising his own weapon and firing, ending the reign of Emperor Palpatine. "For my General and brothers," he whispered before returning to where Leia knelt beside Luke, his head cradled in her lap, tears falling down her cheeks. "Princess?" He called in alarm, had they been too late? Leia slowly gripped Luke's arm and raised it into view and Cody felt like throwing up for the first time at the sight of an injury. His General's hand was gone, severed just above the wrist by what he knew was a lightsaber blow.

"The Emperor?" She asked, forcing her voice to remain steady.

"Dead, Princess," he answered as he pulled the small emergency medkit from his armour, injecting Luke with the pain medication before splinting the limb.

"Is the crew of the Eclipse trustworthy?"

"Fully loyal to the General," he answered as he finished what he could do.

"Then tell them to have a medic standing by and get the shuttle closer. Can we keep this death quiet for a while?" She ordered, using all her training to keep from throwing up or collapsing.

"No one comes to the Palace unless summoned, but his guards can't be far," Cody answered as he took up guard position, where were the guards?

She hesitated and then pulled out her second com and activated it, speaking quietly and quickly. While she did that Cody called her guards at the Embassy, telling them to get back to the ship. "The Palace will soon be under Alliance control; they'll keep the guards quiet until either Vader returns, or Luke is on his feet," She informed Cody once she was done.

Cody nodded and then holstered his blaster, moving to lift his General, he was lighter than he looked. Leia stood and took a deep breath, picking her blaster up to cover Cody, their roles swapped for now. They quickly returned to the shuttle and got Luke strapped down on the single emergency bunk, Leia got him hooked up to the medical monitors there, knowing it would alert the medics on the ship, while Cody got the pilot to launch.

"Eadu…Krennic…" Luke groaned, and Leia tried to sooth him.

"It's alright Luke, you're safe."

"Stop…. go…Eadu." His head thrashed weakly and she looked to Cody who frowned but then pulled his commlink to contact Yularen.

"Admiral, prepare to leave for Eadu once we are aboard, General's orders."

"Understood Commander."

They soon docked with the Eclipse to find the medics waiting for them. Leia followed them to the medical bay while Cody went to speak with Captain Needa and Admiral Yularen.

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"A coded message from Captain Andor, sir. Weapon confirmed. Jedha destroyed. Mission target located on Eadu. Please advise," communications officer Lewin panted as he caught up to the General in the Temple halls.

"Destroyed?" Draven was shocked but then he nodded. "Proceed. Tell him my orders still stand. Tell him to proceed with haste and keep to the plan. We have no idea what he is building for the Empire. We have to kill Galen Erso while we have the chance," Draven ordered, despite people like Mon Mothma and Viceroy Organa wanting the man brought in alive. They were too soft, the Senate held no power, even if they did they would never go against the Emperor or the Skywalker's.

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Obi-Wan sat down, breathing deeply, feeling more drained than since the end of the war. But Luke was alive and…the shroud of the Dark Side had lifted. Was it possible? After all these years…the Emperor was dead? Had Luke done it even suffering under an attack?

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Ahsoka suddenly relaxed in the co-pilots chair, eyes wide. "Oh,"

"What is it? Luke?"

"He's alive. But…it's gone."

"What is?" Rex took her hand and she squeezed his.

"The Emperor…I think," she admitted softly. "It was like an explosion and then the Dark Side Shroud is just…gone."

"So, change course?" he asked, bringing them out of Hyperspace. She closed her eyes, focusing on Luke and then rattled off a location which Rex quickly entered, going to lightspeed as soon as the course was spat out by the navicomp.

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Vader collapsed as something snapped within him, panicking as he reached out only to relax as he felt Luke, still alive but deeply unconscious. The weak bond to Ahsoka was still there so… he was stunned, shocked. The Emperor was gone. That changed everything.

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Yoda frowned and looked out at his swamp. Something had changed in the Force. There had been a massive surge in the Force, like a battle, and then utter stillness. For the first time in decades the Shroud of the Dark Side was gone. What had happened? Was it time to leave his exile?

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Leia sat by his side as Luke floated unconscious within the bacta tank. She glanced over as the door opened and admitted Cody who moved to watch his general. "The medics say he'll heal. They've begun work on a prosthetic for once he's out of the tank," she told him before he could ask and saw his shoulders relax.

"Did they say how long he'll be submerged? Our ETA is two days and we have no idea why we're going to Eadu."

"He should be out by then. They said there was a lot of nerve damage."

"Force lightning isn't pretty, I've never seen an attack so violent before. I honestly don't know how he survived," he placed a gloved hand against the tank, hating to see the boy he had watched grow up floating so lifeless.

"You've seen it before." She tucked a leg under her, glad for the white medic tunic and pants she'd been given in place of her gown.

"During the war, it was a favourite attack of Count Dooku. Never saw it kill anyone but his was never as strong and if that attack was what you sensed then it was far more sustained than any I have heard of," He attempted to reassure her, and she smiled at him. The doors opened, and Jesse walked in with the rest of her guard, making her smile shakily at them. Jesse saluted her and his Commander before they took up guard posts around the room but out of the way. When Leia began to sway in fatigue Cody had them escort her to her quarters, despite her protests. "The General would not be happy if we allowed you to become ill, Princess." That had her following them out. Cody arranged a roster of men to guard the General while he was vulnerable, knowing he too needed rest.

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"Viceroy Organa!" Bail turned from his conversation with Mon Mothma to see a private running over.

"What is it?" They were all on edge over the mission to Jedha.

"Word from Imperial Centre sir. The Emperor is dead, and the Palace is under our control."

"What? How?" He asked in shock and fear for his daughter.

"Princess Organa called our people in to take control of the Palace, the Emperor was already dead, and she was seen leaving with an injured General Skywalker as well as a single Stormtrooper."

"Most likely his Commander," Mon Mothma commented.

"She ordered them to allow no word of the Emperor's death to reach the rest of the Empire."

"It makes sense, as soon as word breaks there will be chaos," Bail agreed but what had she been doing there? Had Skywalker killed the Emperor? He knew young Skywalker held no love for the Emperor so that would not be a shock but for him to confront him alone was not at all the plan, had something forces his hand without help close by? Leia had believed Luke would help them and it appeared he had, but what would his Father do now? Did this make the current mission worthless? Should they call Captain Andor back?

"According to intelligence reports the Eclipse has left orbit of Imperial Centre, possibly to seek outside medical aid for the General."

"Speak of this to no one until we know more," Mon Mothma ordered.

"Yes ma'am."

Bail turned to Mon Mothma. "I will return to Alderaan in case Leia needs me publicly."

"Of course, be careful my friend."

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Leia and Cody sat in silence as the medics removed Luke from the tank and then took him to surgery. Finally, after twenty-two hours Luke was awake and with a temporary prosthetic attached.

Leia moved quickly to his side and kissed him gently, something that surprised but pleased the still groggy Luke. "I'll be alright," he promised, taking her hand in his. "How did you find me?"

"I don't know…. I just knew you needed us." She smiled softly at him. "The Emperor is dead, I shot him," she whispered, shooting a look at Cody, if it got out that he had done it then he could be in trouble. But a distraught fiancé killing the man to protect her intended would be looked on with sympathy. "I had some Alliance people take control of the Palace to keep it quiet until you recovered, or your Father returned."

"Good. Though I'm not sure what to get you as a wedding gift to compare to the one you have given me," he smiled, even as he ran through some simple Force exercises to help flush the anaesthetics faster, wanting to be alert.

"Sir, we're two hours out from Eadu, what are your orders?" Cody knew why the Princess was taking responsibility and was amazed she'd do that for him.

"Eadu…." Luke frowned, trying to remember why he had set course for the planet. All it held was a research station. He reached into the Force slowly, exposure to Force Lightning always affected his abilities but he felt it, a chance to change the future for the better. "Imperial and Rebel forces are converging there; we need to calm it down. Leia, can you contact whatever ships are here and get them to stand down?"

"I can try, it depends who gave the orders." Her Father was the real power in the Alliance, not her.

"Alright, I will deal with the Imperial Forces….and Director Krennic." He shifted on the bed and Leia leant in to kiss his cheek.

"Rest Luke, there's nothing we can do till we arrive."

Luke nodded and settled down on the bed, closing his eyes. He reached for his Father and was hit by a wave of relief and protective rage. He let him see what had happened and felt his shock over who had killed the Emperor. He gave him their destination and Vader agreed with his actions while letting him know he would return to Imperial Centre to begin paving the way for his son to take the Throne.

"General?"

Luke opened his eyes to find Admiral Yularen standing in the doorway, Cody stiff and radiating disapproval of the interruption while Leia stood at the side of his bed. "Admiral?" he pushed up with his flesh hand and Leia helped him sit up.

"A ship dropped out of hyperspace and is requesting permission to dock, they said you could confirm?"

Luke closed his eyes and reached out before smiling. "Let them dock, arrange rooms near mine."

"Luke?" Leia asked curiously.

"Ahsoka and Rex," he answered softly before looking to Cody. "Meet them?"

"Yes Sir." Cody left to head for the landing bay, watching the ship as it came to settle on the deck. The engines shut down and then the ramp lowered, and Cody grinned at the two walking down, shaking his head. "Should I list this as bravery or rashness?" he asked, and Rex laughed although he was obviously tense and on edge.

"Both?" Ahsoka asked rhetorically. She offered her arm and Cody accepted, clasping arms with her before moving to his brother who embraced him.

"Do you want to see the General? He's still in sickbay,"

"What happened Cody? All I felt was pain and…he was fading," she spoke quietly as they walked, feeling the eyes on them. She was non-human, female and was carrying lightsabres, there was no way for her to be discreet on a Star Destroyer. Give Rex some armour and he could easily blend in.

"The Emperor summoned him, not entirely unusual. I received intel there was trouble, the Princess insisted on coming along so we went to the Palace. We…" he took a deep breath. "We found him being tortured by the Emperor. To defend her fiancé, Princess Leia shot and killed the Emperor."

Ahsoka frowned, there was something not quite right about that story, but she wouldn't ask, not in as public an area as the hallways. They followed him into a turbolift and then came out on a residential level where Cody led them to one of only four doors.

"Those are the Generals quarters, the Princess' are next to his," Cody explained.

"And you?" Rex asked.

"Two levels down, officers level."

"I need to see Luke," Ahsoka told Cody who hesitated but nodded. "Get some rest Rex."

"You sure?" He asked, looking to Cody who nodded, she would be safe with him. Ahsoka smiled and kissed his cheek. "Alright." He went into their room and put their bags down before deciding to clean up.

Cody led the way back into Luke's room in medbay, Ahsoka on his heels. They found him dozing with Leia at his side, holding his remaining hand.

Leia gasped in shock at seeing a figure she hadn't seen in years. "Fulcrum?"

"Princess," Ahsoka smiled at the girl before moving to stand on Luke's other side. "You look horrible."

Luke laughed and then coughed, groaning, "thanks."

Ahsoka lay her hand over his chest, closing her eyes. She'd never trained as a healer, but she had picked a lot of tricks up over the years. She gently reached out with the Force to Luke who lowered. His shredded shields without her even having to ask. She winced in sympathy and gently went to work helping him heal from the damage done by the Emperor. Luke sighed, eyes slipping shut as he fell into a healing trance. Ahsoka opened her eyes and smiled at Leia, "he'll be fine," she promised.

"Thank you," Leia whispered, nodding to her and Ahsoka spotted the necklace she was wearing.

"I recognise that, Senator Amidala used to wear that exact necklace."

Leia blushed slightly, "it was an engagement present from Luke. Apparently, his Father bought it for his Mother."

So that was where all of the credits her old Master had managed to scrounge had ended up. "It looks god on you. Now, he'll sleep at least ten hours, so you are going to go have a shower, a meal and some sleep." Leia went to argue but Ahsoka glared and Jesse moved to escort her, leaving the rest of his men behind to keep guard over their sleeping General.

TBC…