Chapter 4 – The Imperial Palace
The rebels were truly grateful to have R2-D2 with them. Without him, they would probably never have found their way through the Imperial Palace. Thanks to a map the droid had downloaded into his memory banks, he could navigate through the twenty thousand rooms and fifty connected structures. While R2-D2 led them through the palace, the rebels took the time to admire the architecture and design.
Each area of the palace boasted different styles and motifs from throughout the galaxy. The interior walls were made of cortosis, a valuable lightsaber-resistant metal, and the floors were decorated with expensive marble tiles from Wayland. Public areas were illuminated by natural light that shone through large transparisteel panes. The rebels encountered very few people until they reached the Grand Corridor.
The Grand Corridor was a towering hallway that wrapped around the entire palace and connected the sub-passages that led to the other areas of the palace. Some areas of the chamber were said to be large enough to house an Imperial star destroyer. The corridor was constantly bustling with activity. Millions of tourists and palace staff used the corridor as a place of recreation and socialization. Lining the corridor were rows of exotic ch'hala trees which continuously changed color according to sound vibrations. There were many displays of artwork and craftsmanship from across the galaxy, including paintings and sculptures. The upper tier of the Grand Corridor was lined with numerous shops and restaurants whose balconies overlooked the busy corridor below.
The rebels were just as captivated by their surroundings as the tourists. Even Luke was awestruck. As they walked down the hallway, the rebels passed a large portrait that caught Luke Skywalker's eye. It depicted a young woman in an elegant red dress with gold trimming, a matching headdress, and white face paint. Luke couldn't help but notice that she somewhat resembled Leia Organa. He read the description on the bronzium plate situated underneath the portrait:
Commissioned by Emperor Palpatine in memory of Senator Padmé Amidala; former Queen of Naboo, successor to the Emperor, and dear friend who lost her life in the Jedi Rebellion.
Don Dain approached Luke and asked, "Do you know this woman, Skywalker?"
Luke shook his head. "No, but she resembles Princess Leia, don't you think?"
Dain studied the portrait and answered, "I suppose, in a way."
Luke pondered the meaning of these words. He observed, "The 'Jedi Rebellion' obviously refers to the Great Jedi Purge that marked the beginning of the Empire. The wording, of course, is exaggerated." Technically, it had not been a rebellion; the Emperor simply called it that to make the Jedi appear as villains, thus easing the transition into the New Order.
Dain pointed out, "Actually, it was a rebellion. The Republic was replaced by the Empire, thus turning the Jedi into enemies of the state. In this way, one could say that the Jedi were rebels themselves, just as we are." Dain cringed at the thought of relating himself to the Jedi, whom he disliked for personal reasons.
"I suppose that's true," acknowledged Luke. He continued to stare at the portrait. He wondered aloud, "Does this mean that Senator Amidala was killed by the Jedi? Or was she killed by the Empire? Or perhaps she died of some other cause?"
Dain answered, "Unfortunately, we may never know the truth; not that it matters. This was more than twenty years ago. If the Liberation of Coruscant is a success, any more unnecessary bloodshed can be prevented."
The rebels had been walking for what felt like an hour when they noticed that the rest of the crowds were leaving. Lando Calrissian pointed out, "We'd better get out of here quick, or the stormtroopers will know something's wrong."
Luke asked, "Artoo, where's the next exit that will take us to the command center?" R2-D2 beeped in reply. Luke repeated, "The kitchens? That's our most direct route?" The droid beeped an affirmative and began to explain his reasoning. Luke interrupted, "That's okay, Artoo. We don't need an explanation. Just lead the way." So the intrepid group of rebels followed the astromech droid down the corridor and into a hallway leading deeper into the palace.
Lando said, "I just hope the other groups are successful. They'll need to rally all of the rebel sympathizers on the planet if we're going to win."
Unfortunately, the rebels were unaware that they were being spied on. The ch'hala trees in the Grand Corridor weren't simply for decoration; their sound-sensitive nature allowed them to serve as microphones, allowing the Imperial officers in the command center listen to conversations in the corridor and gather intelligence on suspected terrorism or intrusion. In the command center of the palace, Ysanne Isard, the Imperial Head of Intelligence and commander of the palace, was listening to the rebels' plans.
She sneered. "So, Skywalker is with them, and they're planning to take over this planet. Well, we're going to be ready for them when they do." Isard then began barking orders to the other officers. "Tell all of our security and defense forces to be on high alert. Tell them that there are rebels gathering supporters, and they must be caught! No doubt the rebel fleet is on its way. I want all available ships prepared for battle! And have a security team go down to the kitchens to search for the rebel intruders."
As soon as Moff Arndt heard Isard's announcement regarding the rebel's impending attack, he went down to the dungeons to check on Ahsoka Tano. She was still trapped in the energy field, barely conscious and unable to move. Arndt smiled deviously. "Your friend, Luke Skywalker is here. He's on his way to rescue you. Does that make you happy?"
Ahsoka answered meekly, "Don't… under… estimate… Luke."
Arndt laughed. "Oh, I promise you, I won't. When he comes for you, I will have set up all of the security precautions available. I will have guards, elite troops, autoturrets, mines, laser fields – the works. Oh, and did I mention, the other prisoners will be used as living shields? They will be put in danger as well. Will Skywalker be able to save himself, along with the entire detention facility? I highly doubt it. Besides, a Jedi is supposed to be willing to sacrifice himself for the good of others. He will fall into my trap. And you will be the bait."
Ahsoka raised her head and looked angrily into Arndt's eyes. "You… monster."
"You don't know how much it pains me to put you in danger like this. I wish I could just keep you forever. But we all have to make sacrifices. Just like you did." After that final word, Arndt grabbed Ahsoka's head and pulled her into a deep, passionate kiss. She tried to push him away, but she was too weak.
Once Arndt finally released her, Ahsoka begged, "Please, leave me alone. Why do you do this to me?"
Arndt gave a menacing, toothy smile. "What's the point in having something if you can't put it to good use?"
After leaving the Grand Corridor, the rebels found themselves in a dark hallway. Night was falling on Coruscant, and the palace's tourist attractions were closing. Now, any activity was suspicious to the Empire. Many of the rebels used flashlights to illuminate the hallway, and R2-D2 used his built-in spotlight. Luke briefly considered igniting his lightsaber to use as a lantern, but decided against it, believing that its soft hum echoing off of the walls would give away the rebels' location.
R2-D2 continued to lead them, using the downloaded map to determine the correct turns. Dain asked, "What if the droid leads us astray, and we end up captured by the Empire?"
Luke answered, "Artoo would never make that mistake. He's never let me down before."
"There's a first time for everything," pointed out Dain.
"Quiet!" whispered Lando, stopping in his tracks. "I think I just heard something." After listening for a few seconds, he said, "Ah, it's probably nothing. My imagination must be getting to me." He continued to walk forward down the hallway.
Suddenly, Luke felt a disturbance in the Force. Once he realized what it was, he grabbed Lando by the arm and pulled him back. Not a second later, two panels in the wall opened to reveal arc casters, which immediately began to fire bolts of electricity at the spot where Lando had previously stood. After a few seconds, the weapons retracted back into the walls.
"Whew!" exclaimed Lando in alarm. "Thanks for that, Luke. I owe you one." He smiled gratefully at Luke.
But there was no time for thanks. Luke reached out with the Force and said, "There are more traps lining this hallway. It appears that the Empire has activated the security systems."
"Is there any way to avoid them?" asked one of the rebels.
Luke shook his head. "No. Artoo, can you find another way to the command center?"
R2-D2 beeped an affirmative and went back up the hallway, turning into a room on the right-hand side. The rebels followed the droid. The room they had entered was a kitchen – a rather large kitchen, probably used for banquets or other large events. Long, metal counters, ovens, freezers, and other contraptions lined the walls of the room and divided the center of the room into rows. At the moment, the kitchen was empty and the lights were off. There was another door at the opposite end of the room, presumably leading into another hallway.
As soon as the entire group was through the doorway, however, the lights went up and blasterfire erupted around them. After their eyes had adjusted to the light, the rebels saw that a dozen stormtroopers had been crouched behind the counters, waiting to strike. Quickly, the rebels ducked behind the nearest counter and drew their weapons. A firefight was soon underway, with soldiers from both sides popping up from behind the counters periodically to take shots at their enemies. Luke jumped onto the counter and, with his lightsaber, deflected shots away from the rebels and, sometimes, back at the stormtroopers.
The fight lasted for a few minutes with neither side gaining any ground. Even with a Jedi on their side, the rebels were still hard-pressed as more and more stormtroopers arrived to replace their fallen comrades. Red bolts of energy flew this way and that, smashing cooking utensils, scorching the steel appliances, ricocheting off of the counters, and hitting rebels and stormtroopers alike. The air was filled with a cacophony of blaster discharges, clanging metal, and death screams.
Finally, Lando ordered a retreat. "We can't stay here! Get out! Go!" By his command, the rebels filed back through the door and into the hallway. Luke lingered to provide cover for their escape. Before he could leave, however, a force field popped up in the doorway.
"No!" exclaimed Luke. He swung at the shield to test its strength, but the blade of his lightsaber simply bounced off. He was now trapped in a room and surrounded by Imperial forces. Stormtroopers began to pour into the kitchen, firing their blasters at their single enemy. Luke struggled to protect himself from the blaster bolts. He knew that he couldn't defeat the stormtroopers just by deflecting their shots; he would have to kill them in close-quarter combat. But he was pinned against the back wall. He had no momentum to push forward. He needed a distraction.
Thinking quickly, Luke ducked behind the counter and used the Force to lift several pots and pans that were strewn about the floor. He threw them in the direction of the stormtroopers and leapt after them. Just as he had planned, the cookware pummeled the stormtroopers, stunning them for a few seconds. But that was all the time that Luke needed to land in front of them and begin cutting them down. His lightsaber flowed seamlessly through the air around him, neatly and effortlessly slicing through the troopers' armor. Some of them attempted to throw punches or kicks at Luke, but he could always anticipate the blows through the Force.
In just a few minutes, all of the stormtroopers were dead, so Luke ran out into the hallway to rejoin the other rebels.
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