I really need to get into a good action sequence. I need to find away to get one in there, it'll be at the end probably which is soon approaching. Anyway enjoy another snippy chapter with cuts from one thing to another, not to worry though. I am tying up all the story lines into one with this and the next chapter so we'll be focusing on one or two things instead of three or four. But all of this must happen for the fall of the Sith.
Chapter 10: Loyalties
It was clear the three cargo ships were not expecting to see a fleet of Nebulon-B frigates in their path. Anakin took full advantage of their momentary confusion.
"Fire on their weapons only! Don't hit anything else, especially their engines; make it look like we want to capture them by disarming them. Send out the X-wings." He ordered.
"Yes, general!" a crew member replied and relayed the order throughout the fleet.
"Officer!" Anakin called and looked to Luke. "Ready out ships."
XxX
Both father and son lifted off in a hanger lit by red alarm lights and shot into space, flying side by side they sped towards the three transports ships which were producing TIE fighters from their hangers like crazy. Three groups of five TIEs sped towards Anakin and Luke.
"This is where the fun begins." Anakin said through his comm, this reminded him of his old days as a Jedi Knight, back before the dark times, before the Empire, before Obi-Wan fell.
The enemy ships began to open fire; Anakin switched all available power to his forward deflector shields and was correct to assume Luke did the same. The green bursts of raw laser hit a few inches away from the hull of Anakin and Luke's X-wings and dissolved into nothingness. It was their turn now. Anakin fired back, explosions of blood red laser erupted from each cannon on his ship's wings, one TIE fighter was hit dead on and began to dive, gasses engulfing it in what looked like a blazing fire. It burst into blue-white sparks several thousand feet below them.
Only fourteen left, great. However two groups of the five broke off as some nameless squadron of B-wings flew past. A smile crept onto Anakin's face, for the first time in a long time he was able to let loose and enjoy what he was doing, his smiled widened as Luke pulled into a death roll be side him and shot down another TIE, two left, coming straight for them.
"Steady son," Anakin said. "At the last minute pull up, pull back, and then fire."
"Got it."
"Ready… pull up!"
Anakin pulled the yoke of the ship back and his craft shot straight up, pinning his back to the seat, he rolled over, flying upside down, though there was in fact no upside down in space as there was no gravity to pull someone down to a surface, thus no surface to stand on, no way to go upside down, so technically Anakin could have said the two TIE fighters, and the three large cargo transports, plus the Nebulon-B frigates were all upside down and he in fact was right side up. He pushed these foolish thoughts out of his head and killed the last TIE, she he swooped around and continued on his former course to the closest transport.
Luke stayed parallel to his father as they weaved their way through the battle area, killing Imperials and dodging laser blasts. The transport ships getting closer every second until their iron gray hulls filled Anakin and Luke's view ports.
"Prime your missiles." Anakin ordered.
"Priming," Luke replied as the details of the hull became disturbingly clearer.
"Fire!" Anakin cried at the last second, releasing the missiles and pulling up hard, he looped around as both missiles launched their tracking devices and exploded on the hull, creating large, circular scorch marks but doing little real damage to anything. Luke mirrored Anakin, however something went terribly wrong, only one missile fired and completed its job, the other was lodged in its launcher and by the time Luke had resumed his place next to his father the missile detonated, chewing his entire right wing off which sent the ship into a whirling spiral.
"LUKE!" Anakin roared.
"DAMN IT!" Luke cried as the spiraling became more intense.
Anakin had a split second to make a decision, one that could mean the life, or the death of his only son, one small, minute, one little error could destroy Luke's ship and rip it to shreds stained with the blood of its pilot. Anakin sunk into the Force and the world around him slowed, almost to a halt, the spins Luke's ship took went by so slowly that Anakin could count each one and have time to take a gulp of coffee (which of course he did not have with him). Anakin set his sights on Luke's other wing; this was either suicide, or pure brilliance. Anakin hoped with all hope it was the second one, for if it was the first…
Without the slightest hesitation Anakin pulled the trigger and Luke's other wing disappeared, morphing into a cloud of superheated gas and shrapnel. The ship straightened out and leveled with the hanger bay of the Danticore.
"Damn it, the blast fried my controls!" Luke shouted.
"Thank the Force it didn't kill you." Anakin replied quietly, mostly to himself. "Can you slow down?"
"No!"
"Hold on, speeding up."
Anakin's X-wing shot forward, taking a position in front of Luke's.
"I'm releasing a tow cable. Shut your engines down."
"I cant!"
"Use the Force!"
Anakin waited intently as the tow cable latched on to Luke's craft and stuck, he felt a ripple in the Force and saw Luke's engines die.
"Hold her steady, I'm taking you it." Anakin said and switched comm channels.
"Captain?" He asked.
"Yes sir?" the captain returned.
"Order in a full retreat, let the cargo ships escape, we're done here."
"Aye General Skywalker."
XxX
Mara gripped the hilt of her lightsaber as she stood outside Raz's apartment, doing her best to mask her presence. Her knuckles whitened as she gripped her unlit weapon, she could not sense Raz's presence either, just brief flashes of somewhat of… a signature odor that she could not lock on to. This worried her because she had no idea what to expect. Her lightsaber at the ready she stormed into the apartment and found a blood red blade at her neck. She looked to her right and was met by the sight of Raz Vena's flawless face, bathed in a sinister scarlet light. She realized the apartment itself was nearly completely dark; it had little furniture and was as run down as the entire ghetto regions of Nar Shaddaa.
"Well look who we have here," Raz said. "So how did you escape? Empire, I knew you were an agent."
"Listen Vena I'm only here to—"
"Shut up! You're here to kill me, I'm not blind, now take one last breath and pray to whatever god you worship."
"Wait!" Mara cried, taking a gamble and attempting to show good faith she released her grip of her lightsaber hilt and let it fall to the ground. Raz half snickered and kicked it away. "I'm only here for information!"
"Bull! Why should I listen to you?"
"Are so blind that you cannot sense it?!"
Mara released her mental shields and allowed Raz entry to her mind, she searched it for several long moments, reviewing what she had found over and over again to be sure, from what she could tell Mara was not being deceitful.
"You mentioned information?" Raz asked.
"I need it to kill that hideous son of a bantha, the Emperor!"
"Really?" Raz said, her interest sparked, she sensed no deceit at all, in fact there was sincerity in Mara's voice, a cold, cruel, vengeful sincerity.
"Yes."
Raz half smiled and deactivated her weapon, Mara turned to face her, Raz crossed her arms and studied Mara for a moment before speaking again.
"What can I tell you?"
"The location of Siri Tachi." Mara said, cutting to the point quickly. Raz frowned.
"There are prices in this world… Mara, is it? Certain things that cannot be paid, I can't tell you anything about Siri."
"Damn it, this isn't a negotiation, I need to know now! It could mean the end of the Emperor."
"I can't tell you."
"There is no can't Raz, there is only what you will do, and what you will not do. Now will you tell me what I need to know?"
"No."
"But why, you've sided with the Emperor?!"
"No! Mara you should know that the world is never clear cut, nothing is predictable and there is more than black and white. Siri was the one who taught me the kick ass skills I use today to deal with scum like the Emperor."
"I fail to see the problem…"
"I betrayed her! I abandoned her on Azure a long time ago when she was being pursued by the Emperor. What she lost…. I will not tell you."
"I know who Siri's husband is. Darth Vader, he used to be Obi-Wan Kenobi before Siri was supposed to have died. He always thought the CIS had her executed, but he was wrong, it was the Emperor. Help me find Siri, I can bring her back to her husband, you can settle the debt you owe her."
"It's not that simple. You don't know what my betrayal cost her… she's not only lost her husband."
"Well she can regain him if you tell me where she is."
"Mara… I've tried to be honorable and I've gotten off that path, working for Karrde wasn't exactly great, I've done it all not only to protect myself, but Siri. I will never forgive myself for what I cost her. Her child's blood might as well be on my hands."
"You left her… so she had to leave her child…'
"Yes. I don't know what happened but I'm betting her baby is dead."
"I see… I told you, if you help her bring her husband back to her…"
"I know, but before I told you where she is you had to know that. I assume the Emperor wants you to kill her."
"Yeah, fat chance."
"Good, I believe you, because if you were lying I would just kill you…. Siri is on a place that she thought was safe, I've been keeping the best tabs I can get on her, I wanted to help her if she was in danger."
"Where is she?"
"Coruscant."
XxX
Every procession was the same when an important Imperial figure came to the Death Star, a Lambda class shuttled touched down before about a legion of high ranking storm troopers, officers, and pilots, dressed in full uniform, and standing at attention. The greeting party, formally led by the traitorous and as far as Obi-Wan knew, late Grand Moff Tarkin, however it was now led by the most high ranking official found on the Death Star at the time, Admiral Motti.
Motti bowed respectfully to his superior, feigned respect that is.
"Lord Vader, welcome, your visit is unexpected…"
"Save any formalities Admiral, the location of the Rebel base has been found. What is the status of the Death Star?" Obi-Wan snapped urgently.
"It is fully operational sir." Motti replied.
"Excellent, the Emperor will be pleased to hear that." Obi-Wan said.
"Sir, may I inquire as to the status of the traitor Tarkin?" Motti asked, choosing how he phrased it and crafting his tone carefully. He believed Tarkin was dead, if so then he would finish the job, he had his own ambition to take over the Empire and it would be harder without Tarkin though.
"Grand Moff Tarkin is dead admiral," Obi-Wan replied, it sparked his curiosity as to why Motti would even care, Tarkin was continuously rude to all those under his command and used terror and fear to keep them in line, much like Obi-Wan himself did, so why would one of his abused servants even care what happened to him? "Now take me to the communications room. I must contact the Emperor, we have to move quickly."
"Of course sir."
XxX
"Rise Lord Vader." Sidious commanded, or rather his huge holographic image, both were just as menacing and hideous. Obi-Wan stood upon the black pad in the view of the camera, the room was dark and the hologram was the only source of light whatsoever. "What is the status of the Death Star?"
"It is completely operational, my master." Obi-Wan replied.
"Excellent," Sidious said disturbingly happily. "Set a course for Yavin IV, your fleet and the Death Star, both will be used for the attack. I am not interested in prisoners Lord Vader, do what must be done, do not hesitate, show no mercy, your former Padawan Anakin will most likely be there, as well as Masters Windu and Yoda."
"It will be done master." Obi-Wan said without hesitation. "However it will take about twenty four hours to reach Yavin IV with the Death Star."
"Very well," Sidious said distantly and looked off camera. "Wait a moment Lord Vader."
He stepped off camera, Obi-Wan could hear a bit of mumbling that he could not quite make out between the Emperor and some other person. However what he heard next was loud and clear, a shrieking scream of "WHAT!?" rang throughout the room in the Emperor's voice. There was the sound of a burst of lightning, and a bloodcurdling scream followed by a thud. Sidious stepped into camera view again, obviously seething with rage.
"Tarkin has escaped!" Sidious barked. "The warden did not wish to tell me, he is certainly not glad he did."
"How is that possible?" Vader asked, baffled.
"Apparently Tarkin somehow killed the storm trooper who was going to execute him, they found the man naked on the floor. Tarkin must have stole his armor and escaped."
"I will concentrate on Tarkin after the Rebels are defeated master. He will die." Obi-Wan vowed.
"Good, is there anything else?"
"Yes."
"What is it?"
"I believe Admiral Motti was working with Tarkin and is also a traitor."
"Interesting… at the first sign of betrayal kill him."
"Any particular way?"
"Use your imagination Lord Vader, now go and destroy the Rebel Alliance."
Man this chapter was so long, I originally planned for a huge other scene to take place but I had to end it because it would be too long for me, instead you'll see it in the next chapter. And then, maybe, just possibly, you'll finally get the truth about Siri Tachi. Also sorry for the delay in updating, school stuff, just got out so hopefully I'll be more productive.