Chapter XII: The Dawn of Hope
CAPTIAN BOW'S LOGBOOK
FIFTH DAY IN THE FIFTH YEAR OF THE HORDE'S OCCUPATION OF ETHERIA
While on a mission to rescue Castaspella, who is being held prisoner in the, now Imperial controlled, Kingdom of Brightmoon, I made a wonderful discovery.
I ran into Queen Angella, she was alive and well and so was She-Ra and Glimmer, who I was told were on missions of their own, this is the best news I've received all day.
"Bow, thank goodness, you're alive," she said with smile as we embraced.
"The same here, I was afraid you were a goner," I told her as we broke our hug.
"It takes more than Imperial torture to do me in," she told me jokingly, "we're on our way to liberate Brightmoon and from the look on it, you're doing the same thing," she commented notice I heading in the same direction.
"Sort of we're on our way to rescue Casta who is being held prisoner in the kingdom," I explained to us.
"Then join us, Bow, we need a warrior of your skills will be needed in this mission," Angella told me as she looked to Leia who nodded in approval.
I knelt before her, "I swore on the Sword of Uriel to be loyal to you until death, and I intend to keep that oath, therefore I will follow you to ends of Etheria and back," I told her I drew my sword and placed it before her.
"Thank you, Bow," she said indicating that I should stand up and did so.
Angella explained to me that we are heading to the Gemstone Tunnels benath the kingdoms to sneak into Brightmoon and retake the kingdom.
We marched for about two hours until we came a cave, the entrance to the tunnels.
"Now we have to do is hope, Glimmer succedded in her mission," Angella said as marched into the heart of the cave and began our journey to Brightmoon.
PRINCESS GLIMMER'S DIARY
FIFTH DAY IN THE FIFTH YEAR OF THE HORDE'S OCCUPATION OF ETHERIA
While mother, takes the rebels through the Gemstone tunnels to enter Brightmoon, I must try to get in where they store their two-legged walking machines and steal one so I can clear a path for mother to enter the city.
Before we left, Leia gave me a suggestion, she told how Luke and a friend of his were able to rescue her, by disguising themselves as Stormtroopers, so I decided to try it.
I had two of her troops dress up as Stormtroopers and pretend that they capture me, I had even put on some stage makeup to make it look like I was beaten and weak.
We marched from the Whispering Woods, all the way to the outskirts of Brightmoon where they kept their walkers.
When arrived, we stopped by two Stormtroopers who started to question us.
"What are you doing here, TK-909?" one the troopers asked one of my allies.
"We found this intruder outside the kingdoms, Lord Vader demanded the prisoner remain alive, so we brought her here as she would go any further," the solider on the right informed his 'superior.'
The guard looked at me, I was on my knees, "please sir, I'm so weak, my mother's dying, she's out in the woods, we surrender, just help us," I told him sounding as weak as I could.
"All right, we'll detain her until…" was all he was able to get out before my compatriots shot him and a battle broke out.
While they were fighting, I used my powers to get transport myself into one of the walkers.
"Now let's see if I can get this thing started," I said I looked around for the button that turns it on, I searched around until I saw a lever marked 'primary activation.'
I pulled and soon the console started to light up, now I needed to know to make this thing move; I saw that there were two levers on each side of me, I pulled them and soon I felt the massive machine move.
I soon found the controls for the cannons and aided my comrades by blasting the Stormtroopers until only my allies were standing, "It's all clear," I heard one of them say through the comlink.
"Okay thank you," I replied through the consoles comlink and left to go help mother on her mission, I can only hope that they are safe.
QUEEN ANGELLA'S JOURNAL
FIFTH DAY IN THE FIFTH YEAR OF THE HORDE'S OCCUPATION OF ETHERIA
We had marched through Gemstone Tunnels and made into the kingdom, I could tell that Glimmer was successful in her mission to clear us a path as we made to Castle Brightmoon with little problems but our greatest challenge still awaits us.
We approached the back gates of the castle, it was the least guarded entrance of the palace.
Leia looked at the entry code keypad and asked, "How are we going to get into the castle?"
I looked at the keypad and then to her and said, "Let's hope the Empire didn't change the combination," as I typed in my clearance code and hope it would work.
A few seconds later, the doors opened and we entered the palace.
I was in shock at what had happened, Castle Brightmoon had been annihilated my only comfort had been that the ancient chapel, deep beneath the Castle had been sealed up so no one could get in.
"This place is in ruins," Leia commented as we walked through the halls to the throne room where I had a feeling the empire set up the heart of their regime here.
As we were walking we came across the hall leading to prisons, "This is where our journey splits up for now, good luck Bow," I told him pointing in the direction that would take him to the prison.
"Thank you, your majesty," he said as went to go find Casta and we continued on our way to the throne room.
We encountered very little resistance until we made our way into the Grand Hallway, the hall that leads to my throne room; we found it overrun with Stormtroopers.
"How are we going to get past all these Stormtroopers?" Leia asked me worriedly.
"I have an idea, trust me," I said with a smile, right now I am worried about Bow and how his mission to save Casta is doing and also of She-Ra and her mission to defeat Vader, may Light Hope watch over us all and grant us victory.
CAPTAIN BOW'S LOGBOOK
FIFTH DAY IN THE FIFTH YEAR OF THE HORDE'S OCCUPATION OF ETHERIA
After me and Angella part ways, I made my way to the castle's dungeons.
I was surprised how little resistance we encountered, no doubt they had been called to deal with Angella and Leia's retaking of the palace, which gave us a chance to get Casta out of here.
We walked through the massive corridors for at least an hour until we came to a lone cell at the end of the hall, inside I saw a Casta, lying unconscious on the ground, and I could tell she was severely injured.
I turned to one of Leia's troops and asked, "Lt. Daniels, do you think you can blast the lock on the door?"
He thought for a moment and then without commenting blasted the lock causing the door swing open.
I walked in and examined Casta, her pulse was sluggish, "Casta, can you here me," I said gently shaking her so she'd come to.
There was no response at first, but then she began to say, "nev…er, I….'ll never reveal the sec…ret to…," and then she drifted into unconsciousness again.
"We have to get you out of her Casta," I told her as I picked her up and carried out of the cell.
"Come on men, let's get out of…," I began to say before an announcement come over the castle's broadcast signal; it was Queen Angella they had been successful in retaking the palace.
We did have not time to celebrate, however, Casta needed medical attention and fast, I turned to Daniels again and asked, "How soon can you get Casta aboard the Inspiration?"
"As soon as possible, sir," he replied as I ordered him to signal a transport to take Casta there and gently handed Casta to him.
"Right away, sir," he said as he ran off to take Casta to safety.
"All right, as for the rest of you, we're going to throne room to help Queen Angella," I told them as we headed for the room, as we left I could not help but to think about She-Ra and how she was doing on her mission, I hope it went as well as ours.
THE JOURNAL OF COMMANDER LUKE SKYWALKER
22 YEARS AFTER THE END OF THE CLONE WARS
I couldn't believe it, in a brazen act of defiance against Darth Vader, She-Ra jumped off the face of a cliff to her death.
Even Vader was seemingly shocked by this turn of events, he looked off the side of the cliff as if he couldn't grasp that someone would rather die than join the Dark Side of the Force.
"An ignoble end to such a worthy adversary," Vader said as he turned back to me, "now for you Young Skywalker," he said as he went to strike me.
"Why bother with him, Vader, you haven't finished with me," I heard a female voice say.
I looked behind Vader's figure and saw She-Ra on her Flying Unicorn; it was a miracle that she had survived a fall.
"Clever, woman, but you are no match for the Dark Side," he said as he threw his Lightsaber at her.
"You shouldn't throw things, Vader some might get hurt," she retorted as she plucked Vader's sword from the air.
"I need no weapon to finish you woman," he said raising hind and ripped She-Ra off her horse, "You should have stayed dead, because those who turn refuse join the Sith will meet their…," he said before I ambushed him and prevented him from harming She-Ra.
"You are strong in the Force, but you lack focus," he said as he grabbed my hand, "now you shall know the power of the Dark Side," he continued as he pulled my hand back, breaking it.
The pain was intense and wasn't sure how long I would last, but thankfully he relented and before he could continue She-Ra struck a major blow to him.
I got up and went to help She-Ra, she had Vader on the ground, his control box was damaged and was having trouble breathing, I thought she was going to kill him, but she just stood with her saber pointed at his heart.
"Go, Vader leave this place and never return," she told him sternly.
"Why don't you destroy me, I am already near death, end my existence on this plane, strike me down," Vader rasped as he looked at her.
"No, I will not kill you," she told him, "now go, before I summon reinforcements," she told him as he got up and left the mountain.
Once he was gone, she turned off her lightsaber and clipped it back on her belt and collapsed on the ground.
"She-Ra! Are you okay," I said as I caught her before she could get hurt and gently sat her up.
"Yeah, Luke, I just feel drained that's all, that battle took a lot out of me," she said as she stood up and steadied herself.
"I thought you were a goner She-Ra," I told her as I took her hand and helped her to back to her horse.
While we were leaving, I heard a noise behind us, I turned around and saw the massive doors of the structure open up and heard a voice say, 'Welcome She-Ra and Luke Skywalker,' who or whatever is in that building seemed to be expecting us.