Hey, everybody. Back with another chapter.
Let's get to it.
RandomFanAuthor: Yes. That is coming very soon.
Guest DCDGojira: Yes, he will.
Guest: I may do that.
rangerhero: I'm not entirely decided on the specifics. However, I will say that Luke won't be too angry at the Terrans. He'll realize when he talks to Adams that not too many Terrans know the truth. He may have some ill feelings, but he won't let it affect his ability to work with the Terrans.
Sectooper: Feel free to do so. I may or may not be able to include them all, as the invasion of Earth will not be as expansive in this story as when the Separatists did it, as more of the combat will be in space. But please, send me suggestions.
Chapter 39- Prisoners in Cloud City
In the cockpit of his SR-71D Blackbird, Lt. Col. Tyler Noyes glances again at his navigation display. He has just one minute left until the end of his hyperspace run.
Noyes is a Blackbird pilot of the 99th Reconnaissance Squadron. After the fight between Vice Admiral Montgomery's task force and Death Squadron, the Terran Starfleet had been looking for both Death Squadron and the Millenium Falcon. After no results for a week or two, Fleet Admiral Zambellas had ordered the commander of the 99th to dispatch his Blackbirds on recon runs around the Outer Rim. They had so far located one of the Star Destroyers from Death Squadron, but that was it.
Noyes was on his third reconnaissance mission in four days. This time, his target system was Bespin. The Admiralty had just recently heard that the Falcon had had some trouble with its hyperdrive and other systems prior to the Battle of Hoth. Because of that, Grand Admiral Thrawn had ordered more reconnaissance missions closer to Hoth.
Right then, he hears over his radio, "Tyler, how much longer?" It's his reconnaissance systems officer, Captain Karl Raeder, in the rear cockpit.
"About 45 seconds. Everything set?" Noyes asks.
"Everything's ready to go," Raeder says.
"Alright. Get ready to start," Noyes says.
Noyes monitors the navigation display carefully. As the Blackbird gets close, he reaches forward and grasps the hyperdrive throttles. Finally, when it reaches the end of the run, Noyes pulls back on the hyperspace throttles, and the Blackbird drops out of hyperspace over Bespin.
Almost immediately, Noyes' eyes open a bit wider as he sees the Executor over Bespin. He watches the massive ship as the Blackbird approaches the planet. While the SR-71D does have a cloaking device that does a very good job of hiding the Blackbird from sensors, the Executor still could've detected them emerging from hyperspace.
Thankfully, as he approaches the planet, he sees no sign of the Imperials noticing them or trying to intercept them. Even if they had detected them emerging from hyperspace, spotting the Blackbird against the darkness of space was not going to be easy.
"You got the photos?" Noyes calls back to Raeder.
"Yeah," Raeder responds simply.
Noyes takes the Blackbird into the atmosphere. At the moment, the Blackbird is travelling well below its maximum speed. However, now that he's in atmosphere, it's almost guaranteed he's going to be spotted. So, Noyes reaches for the sublight throttles and says, "Going full power in 3, 2, 1." He then shoves the throttles to full power. The Blackbird jumps forward from the extra thrust, accelerating quickly past Mach 1 and climbing quickly towards Mach 3.
Noyes holds the Blackbird steady on a course towards the main city on Bespin, Cloud City. His recon pass will take the Blackbird about 30,000 feet over the city, right on the fringes of Bespin's atmosphere.
"Cameras ready!" Noyes calls out to Raeder.
Noyes holds the Blackbird steady as it accelerates past Mach 3. Within moments, the Blackbird streaks over Cloud City. Raeder uses the reconnaissance equipment and cameras to snap photos of the city and gather any other data they can.
Within seconds, the run over Cloud City is over. Noyes pulls back on the throttles as he begins a turn to the right. Although the SR-71D is slightly more maneuverable than atmospheric versions of the SR-71, it still takes a very long time for them to make a 180 degree turn.
Once he completes the turn, Noyes begins the climb out of Bespin's atmosphere. As the Blackbird climbs out Bespin's atmosphere, Noyes calls back to Raeder, "Setting the coordinates for hyperspace jump."
Finally, they climb out of Bespin's atmosphere as Noyes is setting the coordinates for the hyperspace jump. Finally, Noyes says, "Coordinates set. Making the jump to hyperspace in 3, 2, 1." Noyes pulls the hyperspace throttles, and the Blackbird jumps to hyperspace.
(Naval Station Norfolk, Earth)
"We have so far found no sign of most of Death Squadron, or the Millenium Falcon," Admiral Wu Shengli, one of the Admirals of the Terran Starfleet Admiralty, says to the other members of the Admiralty.
"Have we received any word from Admiral Zambellas of the results of the Blackbird searches?" Admiral Eliezer Marom asks.
"Nothing yet," Admiral Shengli says.
Then, Admiral Philip Jones leans forward and says, "We have a report from Admiral Zambellas on another front. Most of the Rebel fleet has rendezvoused with our task force in Wild Space. However, there are still some ships of the Rebel fleet scattered across the galaxy. We also have confirmation that other Imperial warships not considered a part of Death Squadron have been hunting them down, including an Executor class Super Star Destroyer."
"The situation since the Battle of Hoth. I am thinking that perhaps it may be time to deploy the Freedom to the Andromeda Galaxy," Admiral Marom says.
Silent until now, Thrawn finally speaks up. "No. Our intelligence reports have shown that the Emperor is increasingly considering an attack on Terra. For the time being, we must keep the Freedom in the Home Fleet to guard against any attack against Terra. We have ships already searching for the remaining Rebel ships. We must focus our attention on locating the Millenium Falcon and retrieving Kelly Adams and Princess Leia," he says.
Right then, there is a knock on the door. A moment later, a Korean officer enters the chamber.
"Pardon me, Admirals. I have just received an emergency transmission from Admiral Zambellas," the officer says.
"What is it, Captain?" Thrawn asks.
"The report stated that an SR-71D, just hours ago, flew a reconnaissance mission over Bespin. They not only discovered an Executor class vessel over the planet, but one of their photos captured the Millenium Falcon on a landing platform in Cloud City," the officer says.
The Admirals exchange a glance. Thrawn nods once and says, "Thank you. You are excused." The officer nods politely and walks out.
Thrawn looks back at the men of the Admiralty. "If the Millenium Falcon and an Executor class vessel are both at Bespin, it stands to reason that Lord Vader is on the planet and has found them. Lord Vader is also not one to remain on Bespin longer than necessary if he has already captured Captain Solo and his friends. If he is still on Bespin, he has a reason for remaining there," Thrawn says.
He then pauses for a moment before he says, "We know that Luke Skywalker disappeared after the Battle of Hoth and has not been seen since. I believe that Lord Vader is holding Captain Solo and his friends on Bespin in the hopes of drawing Skywalker to Bespin so that he may capture him. The Emperor will want Skywalker brought to him in an attempt to convert him."
"What do you suggest we do, Thrawn?" Admiral Jones says.
Thrawn looks over at Admiral Jonathan Greenert, who is the member of the Admiralty who does most of the coordination between the Starfleet and the Terran Jedi Order. "Are there any Jedi close to the Bespin system?" he asks.
"Yes. We have Ahsoka Tano aboard the Bismarck, and a new Jedi Knight, Simone Biles, is aboard the Scharnhorst. Both of them are less than a day's trip away through hyperspace," Greenert says.
"Excellent. While together they may not be capable of defeating an Executor class vessel in combat, they are more than capable of distracting it," Thrawn says. He pauses for a second, then says, "Send a message to Admiral Zambellas. Instruct him to send the Bismarck and the Scharnhorst to Bespin, with orders they enter the system from different directions. If forced to divide its fire among multiple targets from different directions, an Executor class vessel will not be able to destroy any of our ships as quickly as it would otherwise. This will allow our ships enough time to send a rescue force down to Bespin to rescue Captain Solo and his friends."
"I agree with Thrawn's plan," Admiral Jones says after a moment.
"As do I," Admiral Greenert says. The rest of the Admirals also voice their agreement.
"Send the orders to Admiral Zambellas," Thrawn says, the smallest of smiles gracing his lips.
(Cloud City)
Kelly feels consciousness returning to her. As she slowly opens her eyes, she looks right into the mask of Darth Vader.
Silence reigns for a few moments before Kelly says, "I thought you'd be taller."
"Terrans. Always trying to use humor in dire situations," Vader says.
"What can I say? It helps ease the tension," Kelly says. It's about this time when she realizes she's restrained by her wrists and ankles.
Vader steps forward. "I must commend you. You have come far and are quite brave for someone of your age. But even you are as naught before me," he says.
Vader then leans in a bit as he says, "I can see why you won the heart of Skywalker." He pauses to watch Kelly's expression change, then says, "Do you think that your relationship with Skywalker is unknown to the Emperor?"
Kelly stares back into Vader's mask, glaring at him. "What do you want from me?" she demands.
"Right now…I wish to know where Luke Skywalker is. And once you tell me, I will keep you my prisoner until the time is right. Your father has caused me much suffering. He must pay for all that he has done, and you will help me make sure that he suffers," Vader says.
"Never gonna happen," Kelly says fiercely.
"We shall see," Vader says before stepping back to allow stormtroopers forward. Kelly glares at them, determined not to give in.
(Prison cell, one hour later)
"Why are they doing this?" Leia asks as she kneels down over Han.
Han just stares up at the ceiling before he says, "They never even asked me any questions."
Then, the door opens again. This time, two stormtroopers come walking in, carrying Kelly between them. Once they get in, they let her go and let her fall to the ground. The troopers then walk back out of the cell.
Leia hurries over to her friend's side. "Kelly! Are you okay?" she asks.
"Just peachy," Kelly says in a hollow voice. Leia leans down and picks up her friend, taking her over to a bench to lay her down.
"What did they do to you?" Leia asks.
"They tried to get Luke's location out of me, and information on Earth's defenses. But when you're related to Samuel and Calvin Adams, you learn to be tough," Kelly says with a chuckle.
Right then, the door opens again, and this time, Lando and two of his men walk in. Leia glances over her shoulder and whispers, "Lando's here."
Han brings himself to his feet. "Get out of here, Lando," he says angrily.
"Now, shut up and listen to me. Vader's agreed to turn Leia and Chewie over to me," Lando says.
"You?" Han asks.
"They'll have to stay here, but at least they'll be safe," Lando says.
"What about Han and Kelly?" Leia asks.
"Vader's given Han to the bounty hunter, and he's taking Kelly with him," Lando says.
"Vader wants us all dead!" Leia says.
"He doesn't want you at all. He's after somebody called, uh, Skywalker," Lando says.
Kelly sits bolt upright. "Luke?" she says in fear.
"Lord Vader has set a trap for him," Lando says.
"And we're the bait," Leia surmises.
Han then stands up and says to Lando, "Perfect. You fixed us all real good, didn't you? My friend." And as he ends, he punches Lando in the face.
Lando's guards instantly knock him down. One is ready to start beating him, but Lando quickly motions for him to stop. He then looks down at Han and says, "I've done all I can. I'm sorry I couldn't do better, but I've got my own problems."
"Yeah, you're a real hero," Han says angrily and sarcastically. Lando just looks at him before walking out with his guards.
(Some time later)
Kelly glares at the stormtroopers escorting her and her friends. Vader had apparently sent for them not long ago. Before leaving the cell, stormtroopers had put a collar around her neck that would allow them to shock her if she did anything stupid.
As they go through a door, they pass into a large, dark chamber with mist floating out of several vents. Kelly also notices a lot of heavy machinery around.
The stormtroopers lead them along some walkways and past some Imperial officers until they reach the center of the chamber, where the biggest equipment is located.
Kelly can hear 3PO badgering. Chewie had partially put the droid back together, and is carrying what he has assembled so far and the rest of his parts on his back.
The stormtroopers lead them over near where Lando is standing. As they stop, Vader enters the room, his breathing echoing throughout the chamber.
As they stand there, Han leans towards Lando a bit and asks, "What's going on, buddy?"
Lando glances back at him out of the corner of his eye and whispers, "You're being put into carbon freeze."
Across the chamber, Kelly sees Boba Fett approach Vader. "What if he doesn't survive? He's worth a lot to me."
"The Empire will compensate you if he dies," Vader says to Fett. Then, gesturing to the stormtroopers, he orders, "Put him in!"
Chewie howls loudly. Then, as a stormtrooper walks up to take Han, Chewie grabs him and throws him over the edge.
More stormtroopers converge on Chewie. Fett starts to raise his blaster, but Vader makes him put it down.
As she sees this, Kelly decides she can't just do something. Closing her eyes, she reaches out through the Force. All around, things start to shake and several pieces of machinery start to creak and spark. But before she can do much, one of the Imperial officers activates the collar. An electric shock runs through Kelly, making her scream and fall to her knees in pain.
As she does, Chewie is still trying to attack the stormtroopers. Han, however, puts himself in front of Chewie and yells, "Chewie, stop! Stop! Hey! Hey! Listen to me, Chewie! Chewie, this won't help me!"
Chewie starts to calm down as stormtroopers manage to get some cuffs around his wrists. Han looks Chewie in the eyes and says, "Hey, save your strength. There'll be another time. The princess-you have to take care of her. You hear me?"
Chewie growls sadly. Han and Leia then look at each other before leaning in and kissing each other. They manage to hold their kiss for a few moments before stormtroopers pull Han away and push him onto a circle in the floor.
"I love you," Leia says.
"I know," Han responds simply.
The attending Ugnaughts bind him with a rope. Then, they step away as the circle Han is standing on begins to lower. Kelly watches, still panting from the shock. She watches as Han slowly disappears from sight before mist suddenly erupts from the tube he just descended into.
After several moments of mist billowing up, a claw reaches down into the tube. It then raises back up, bringing something with it.
Several Ugnaughts move towards it. They seem to do a quick inspection before pushing it over. The massive slab hits the ground with a bang, and Kelly's eyes widen as she sees Han frozen in carbonite. She feels a tear come to her eye as she sees her friend encased in the carbonite.
Lando walks over and kneels down beside the slab. After a second, Vader demands, "Well, Calrissian, did he survive?"
"Yes, he's alive. And in perfect hibernation," Lando says.
Kelly feels slight relief that at least he's still alive, but recognizes it doesn't make the situation much better.
Vader turns to Fett. "He's all yours, bounty hunter," he says. He then turns towards the Ugnaughts and orders, "Reset the chamber for Skywalker."
An Imperial officer suddenly walks up to Vader. "Skywalker has just landed, lord," the officer says.
"Good. See to it that he finds his way in here," Vader says.
Lando walks over towards Leia and Kelly. As he pulls Kelly back to her feet, Vader says, "Calrissian, take the princess, Jedi, and Wookiee to my ship."
"You said Leia and the Wookiee would be left in the city under my supervision!" Lando protests.
"I am altering the deal. Pray I don't alter it any further," Vader says before turning and walking away.
Kelly feels her heart sink, feeling that all hope is lost. Completely distracted, she doesn't see the knowing glance that Lando and his lieutenant, Lobot, exchange.
And, I'll end there. Hope you liked this one.
I figured it was about time for Thrawn to show up again, so I decided to have him make a brief appearance here.
So, next chapter will cover Luke's duel with Vader, and the escape from Cloud City. Although, in this, it will be just as much of a rescue as an escape. I will have it up tomorrow, hopefully. Until then, please leave a review and stay tuned!