Chapter 15
Cell Blocks and Tractor Beams
With his breath filtering through the helmet, he decided once again that he made the right decision to leave the Empire all those years ago. This thing was the worst. But it so far helped him walk about the space station unnoticed so as much as he disliked it, the helmet was going nowhere.
Still, every time an officer neared, or even another stormtrooper, he felt awkward like they would just somehow magically figure it out that he just wore the uniform as a disguise as opposed to being one of the faithful. All this because he took the wrong job. How did that keep happening to him?
Han pushed such thoughts aside and focused on his task. Nearly to the tractor beam power control junction, he would have to keep all of his wits about him if he intended to pull it off. A lone stormtrooper walking the halls was one thing. A lone stormtrooper fiddling with a power console where he shouldn't be was something else altogether.
Still, something strange was going on. Every now and again he came upon an officer or small group of stormtroopers that seemed to be on something. They'd stare right past him, or walk around in a cloudy daze. Spice was widely illegal in the Empire, so it wouldn't make sense for military officers to be using it at all, let alone while on duty in the Empire's newest toy.
Whatever the reason, Han took full advantage of it. Whenever he came across one of these befuddled soldiers, he knew to skip right by, no awkward conversations or head nods, no signaling which way he was going on the turbolifts to keep others from joining him. Just go.
Eventually he came to what he set out for in the first place. And upon seeing it, he had to shake his head. Who the hell built this station? Who approved its design decisions? The TIE launch pit next to the Falcon back at the hanger he understood, but it shared the exact same problem as what lay before him.
Lack of railings.
Specifically in this case it seemed outright insane. A long, narrow, walkway stretching across a chasm punctuated by extending just slightly to circle the large power pylon tied to the tractor beam. All without a single. damn. railing. It made no sense. Especially given just how much the Empire loved regulations. He couldn't even imagine the safety code violations involved in this.
But that's why he was a simple pilot and not a bureaucrat.
Still, safety code violations or not, he had to go out there and risk his neck to get the Falcon free. He only hoped that Chewie had the hyperdrive working, otherwise it would be a very short trip. Especially if that Mara Jade was issuing the orders to 'capture them'.
Reaching the pylon, Han again shook his head. The control panel was on the opposite side. He would have to shuffle around it with his back to the bottomless pit in order to access the power controls. For a brief moment, Han glanced down the edge of the walkway and he felt his stomach sink. What a stupid move! He knew better than to look down!
After a moment of consideration and even debating on trying to find another way, Han reached into the utility belt on his armor and pulled out the grappling hook. After attaching it some sturdy framework, he coiled out some of the fiber-cable and held it in one hand. With each step he took he fed more of the line out, giving him enough slack to advance a little more.
Maybe it wasn't the bravest move, but Han Solo had survived this long in life knowing the difference between bravery and suicide and going without a lifeline seemed far too close to the latter.
Han worked way around, just about to reach the controls and then it happened.
Almost too quickly for him to realize what was going on.
Just as he reached the controls, someone else came from the other side. A bearded man in brown robes. The pair looked at each other for a split second before the other lanced his hand out and Han found himself propelled into the open air.
For a moment all he could hear was the whistling of air around him, then the reeling of the line attached to his belt. The fibercord raced out of its housing and Han fumbled for it, fearing that it would simply run off the line when it was out.
His gloved fingers managed to catch the cord and suddenly he wasn't falling but swinging. At some point his helmet flew off and he nearly hit the opposite wall before swinging back the other way. Dangling precariously over the pit he could only look up at the underside of the walkway and then at his attacker as he came into view; staring at him with a completely baffled look.
"Hey!" Han called up, trying to wrap the cord around his hand to give himself more leverage. Instead he slipped a little and struggled to grip the fibrecord tighter. "Hey! A little help here?"
"Hello!" the man said. "That's quite the trick, anchoring yourself that way. You'll be alright once some of your fellow troops arrive. In the meantime I can't have you following me so you'll just have to hang about for a while."
"Wait! No! I'm not a stormtrooper!"
"I'm sorry what?"
"I'm not a stormtrooper!" Han said, feeling himself slipping a bit more. "I'm a pilot I snuck down here to deactivate the tractor beam so I could get my ship off of this damn station!"
"You can't be serious," the man shook his head. "Was yours the Corellian light freighter?"
"Yeah and I'll tell you all about it once you help me up!"
"Oh! Of course, right…" the man said and reached his hand out.
Han opened his mouth to point the obvious out to the guy, that he was far out of reach but then he felt some sort of invisible… force… press against his body and he began to rise. At first he scarcely believed it, he wondered if he'd hit his head or something. But as he continued upward he couldn't deny what was happening. Somehow this guy up there was levitating him to safety.
Soon enough Han hovered just in front of the platform even as his… rescuer guided his hand over, causing Han to drift to the side until his toes scraped the walkway and the invisible force disappeared, depositing him on solid dura-steel.
"I'll just be a moment," the man called on the other side of the pylon. "I'm deactivating the tractor beam."
Han barely heard him. His heart still pounded from the entire experience. His eyes shot to the grappling hook and he almost felt the urge to kiss it. The man might have magically helped him back to safety but the hook saved his life.
"Alright," the man crept around the pylon before standing before Han, his arms folded together beneath his robes. "Now that we've gotten that taken care of, my name is Obi-wan Kenobi and I'd like to book passage on your ship."
Biggs wanted to take Luke aside, to a nice quiet place where he could explain everything. He'd ask his friend what had happened and what lies the assassin had told him. Then he'd fill him in on the truth and counter every argument that had been put in his friend's head.
Unfortunately, he was in quite literally the worst place in the entire galaxy to attempt such a thing. The moment the stormtrooper saw them, he drew his blaster and fired a shot square into Boba Fett's chest, sending the bounty hunter flying backwards. Even as Leia, Winter, and Bail returned fire, the stormtrooper latched onto Luke and threw them both behind the cover of the central control console.
In the time he'd been with the Rebel Alliance, Biggs learned one over arching fact about stormtroopers. They were wildly inconsistent. For every five that couldn't seem to hit the broad side of a sandcrawler, there might be three or more that actually knew what they were doing.
And this one… this one knew what he was doing.
Before they had a chance to find cover of their own, he began pumping blaster bolts their way, driving them back into the corridor. They returned fire, and while they had him woefully outnumbered, he had the only good cover. While he ducked behind the console desk they flattened their backs against the walls, hoping to keep themselves out of his sights.
"This is some rescue!" Bail said. "You had a plan for getting in and out, you didn't have a back up?"
"Maybe you'd like it back in your cell Father!" Leia barked back at him.
Biggs forced himself to not listen to them as he peered around the entrance. The stormtrooper still laid out blaster shots but he could see Luke peeking up over the edge of the console as well. The two of them locked eyes and Biggs threw back his head, trying to signal his friend to join them.
Luke shook his head.
Somehow in the chaos, another blaster joined theirs in the fray, blasting at the lone stormtrooper. Fett appeared, backing into the hallway, his blaster spitting bolts with every step until he reached them. A charred, black mark shown off on his armor but otherwise he looked fine.
"Good thing G0-T0 had this armor built to specification," He muttered. "Someone cover me so I can get down there and end this!"
"Not while Luke's down there you're not!" Biggs said.
"Who is this Luke?" Bail shouted.
"His friend Luke Sky… Skywalker!" Leia yelled. "Somehow he got mixed up with the Empire!"
"Skywalker?" Bail said, his face growing pale.
"What do we do then Biggs? We can't stay here long!" Winter said. "Either we have to deal with this stormtrooper or find another way out because he's probably already called friends!"
"Then I suggest we bring out some friends of our own!" Bail said taking aim at the console and letting a bolt loose into the circuitry.
"What the hell are you doing?" Fett yelled.
"Creating a distraction," Bail said. "Darklighter, you get to Luke as soon as-"
He didn't have time to finish the sentence. Even as he spoke, the electronic chain reaction his blaster bolt created short circuited the computer and behind them, the cells opened up. The guards and officers from earlier rushed out, but so too did other prisoners. Some were officers and soldiers thrown in there for dereliction of duty, others were miscreants and scoundrels in the wrong place at the wrong time. And in the middle of it all a couple of wookiees, left over from the slave labor they performed to build the monstrosity, roared above the crowd.
Where as before the battle was simply one of party 'A' attacking party 'b', suddenly the detention block erupted in chaos and confusion. Was it a good plan? Probably not, but it allowed them to do what they needed to do. Move. The guards they trapped earlier rushed at them, only to be intercepted by other former prisoners and all too quickly the fighting overtook them and spilled into the main control room.
Biggs seized the moment and went after Luke. An officer assaulted him but Biggs knocked him back with the butt of his rifle before finally reaching his friend. He grabbed Luke's arm but quickly had to duck down when the stormtrooper blasted away at him.
Luckily, one of the wookiees had broken through and latched onto the stormtrooper, dragging him into the fray. Biggs looked to Luke again and shook his head, so much confusion in his face… what had the Empire done to him?
"Come on!" Biggs yelled over the commotion. "We have to get out of here!"
"What's going on Biggs!?" Luke pulled back. "Are you trying to kidnap Princess Leia for the Rebellion?"
"Kidnap her!?" Biggs said. "Luke, she's on our side! Always has been! Now come on!"
"I can't!" Luke said. "Biggs! The Rebellion killed my family!"
Biggs tried to respond but the lieutenant from earlier had managed to reach them, he lunged at Biggs, only to receive a blaster bolt in the back for all of his troubles. Winter neared, blaster barrel smoking and she ducked beneath the console desk.
"We're going for the tubolift!" Winter said. "It's now or never Biggs."
"Luke, you've got to come with us!" Biggs said. "I promise I'll explain everything! We're not the bad guys here I swear!"
Already, Leia, Bail, and Fett had broken through the crowd, heading for the turbolifts. Guards tried to get at him but couldn't do much as they were the only ones with blasters at this point. Biggs urged Luke again and finally his friend nodded and stood up, joining them at the doors.
The lift-car reached its destination and the doors hissed open. At this point Biggs expected anything. He expected a car full of stormtroopers, the crimson haired assassin rushing after her prize, even Darth Vader himself, but to his great surprise it lay empty before them.
Unfortunately what he needed to worry about wasn't what was in front but rather behind.
Upon seeing the open and empty liftcar the former prisoners surged forward; each trying to get ahead of the next in their attempt to get to freedom. The prisoners clawed, and shoved, and trampled, and howled in their attempts, when they finally reached there, they hit with the force of an oncoming speeder.
Biggs and the rest of the group stumbled into each other as the prisoners scrambled to get in. Before anyone else could move, Fett fired several shots into the crowd then stumbled to his feet and jammed the door button. Biggs managed to get his head up just in time to see Luke be pulled back from the door by the mob. Then the door shut and the lift took off.
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
Mara's instincts had stood on edge every since they came to the Death Star. How could they not be when her mission lay at the tip of a vibroblade? She'd had a near miss with Vader's blood test. Had she arrived earlier she might have been able to replace the entire sample and thus throw Vader off the scent. As it was, all she had time to do was change enough markers that Luke hadn't read as Skywalker's son.
At least now she knew why her Master wanted him so much. She saw his midi-chlorian count. No one had one that high. He must have inherited his father's gifts. Gifts that rightfully belonged to the Emperor. Once she brought Skywalker before her Master, he would either train him or kill him.
But Mara needed to get them off this battle station if that were to happen.
She had been on her way to the Millennium Falcon to confirm that the security had indeed eliminated Solo and his pet wookiee, in fact she even got so far as to board the loading ramp and see Solo's body prone on the ground, then something stirred in the Force.
Her Master had taught her enough that when such stirrings occurred, it was best not to ignore them. Soon she found herself wandering down the corridors near some of the energy pylons that fed the station, particularly the tractor beam. All Imperial ships, Death Star included, carried backdoor access codes that only the Emperor and his highest agents knew. When the time came to take Luke and the Falcon, Mara had intended to deactivate the tractor beam that way but the thought had occurred to her to disable a pylon as a backup.
That still didn't explain why the Force had brought her down here.
Still, this was where the disturbance was strongest, and her eyes easily noticed the tell tale signs of mental manipulation by a Force user. Someone had been messing with the minds of guards and officers in the area. Her brows knit together as she puzzled about who it might be. Vader and Luke were the only other Force users on the station beside herself. Vader would have no reason to use a mind trick and Luke didn't even know that was possibility.
Abruptly she came into one of the pylon control rooms and stepped onto a narrow bridge. Her eyes, she decided, must have been playing tricks on her. She stared at a dead man and a vision of the Jedi from the ancient past. A couple of blinks and she knew her sight didn't betray her. Solo had survived somehow and he did indeed stand next to someone dressed exactly like a Jedi Knight. Quietly as possible, Mara approached, her blaster drawn.
"Well hello there," the Jedi noticed her first. "And who might you be? A friend of Captain Solo?"
"Hardly," Solo said. "She's an Imperial assassin, she sent a team to my ship to kill me and my co-pilot."
"A team that obviously failed in its task," Mara said. "Tell me Solo, did you even give them a chance to fight back or did you just shoot them in cold blood?"
"I don't think I need to justify myself to the likes of you sweetheart," Solo said. "Maybe next time you have a problem with me you come to me face to face instead of sending a disguised team to do your dirty work for you."
Mara rolled her eyes at him but otherwise didn't respond. Her focus turned to the Jedi. Her initial instinct was to assume he was simply a fake, but the fact that she'd seen evidence of Force manipulation boxed that idea out.
"And who are you?" she said. "Some burnt out padawan that somehow survived the Purges? Darth Vader is the one you're looking for if you want to settle that score."
"Believe me," the Jedi said. "Vader and I do have an account to settle, but I'm much more interested in getting off this station at the moment."
"I'm afraid that won't be happening," Mara said. "See, Vader is watching me too closely for me to take a shuttle. I need Solo's ship to get off myself. Somehow I don't think he'd be very hospitable to me as a passenger."
"I'd take a page from the droid and space you," Solo said.
"And I'd do what I should have done myself," Mara said, squeezing the trigger of her blaster.
A crimson bolt spat out of the barrel, aimed right at Solo's head, but with a familiar snap/hiss, the Jedi's lightsaber flashed out and deflected it. The Jedi took a defensive stance, putting himself in front of Solo. This confirmed two things to Mara. One, this man was no pretender. He was clearly trained in the Jedi arts. And two, her blaster would do her no good.
"Here," the Jedi handed a comlink to Solo without taking his eyes off of Mara. "Get to your ship, contact the Princess and let her know to rendezvous with you there. I'll be along shortly."
"Princess…" Mara narrowed her eyes as Solo disappeared down the corridor. "…as in Princess Leia Organa I take it?"
Mara peered at the Jedi and for a moment she thought she remembered seeing him in old holo-vids with footage from the Clone Wars. She knew the princess had been in search of Obi-wan Kenobi and this man looked… no it was impossible.
"I can feel the Force in you," the Jedi said. "Clearly you've had training in its ways. I'm warning you that now would not be a good time or place for you to test those skills."
"I was trained by the Emperor himself," Mara ignited her lightsaber. "Taught at his feet to accomplish any goal. You will not stand between me and mine."
Without another word, Mara launched herself at him, only to have her lightsaber caught by his. She called upon her training and came at him from one angle and then another. Each time he answered with easy blocks. To her frustration, at no point did he actually appear to be working hard to stop her. His face remained passive and almost nonchalant. Finally realizing that she was going to have to work for it, Mara withdrew, collecting herself for her next attack.
"It is as I suspected," the Jedi said. "You're master has taught you only the most basic forms. Mostly the Shii-cho with perhaps a hint of Ataru, more than enough when dealing with the odd gangster or political dissident but I'm afraid you'd fall short in any contest between the two of us."
"We'll see!" Mara fired herself at him again. This time she put everything she had into her attacks. Her blade whirled in every conceivable direction, driving at any perceived opening and she began to push the Jedi back. Strike after strike he retreated until he nearly reached the doorway Solo had fled from.
Unwilling to let her prey go so easily, Mara called on the Force and somersaulted over him, blocking his path. She held her blade out in front of her in triumph, having finally put this supposed Jedi in his place. Then she noticed the ease of each breath as it came out of his mouth, the calm look he wore on his face and the near pity in his eyes.
At no point had this been an actual challenge for him. In fact, he then nodded her direction and Mara looked down to see several clean cuts across the fabric of her pants, sleeves, and most horribly, along her torso. Not only had she not been a threat, he'd left ample evidence that he could have ended their contest at any time; all without leaving an actual scratch on her.
"Who are you?" Mara wrinkled her brows, fighting back an inkling of fear.
"My name is Obi-wan Kenobi," he replied. "If I had the time I would like to know your name my dear and even try to persuade you away from the Emperor's service. However, I really must be going so I will ask you to stand aside, otherwise I will be forced to end this."
"Obi-wan Kenobi?" Mara said. "That's impossible, Kenobi should be in his sixties! If he's alive at all."
"Oh I'm very much alive," Obi-wan said. "Let's just say I've… aged well."
"Cute," Mara said, dropping one hand to her side. "Whoever the hell you are, you're right, you've got me outclassed in lightsaber combat. But that still won't do you any good. I can defeat you."
"Please don't-" he started but Mara drew her blaster in a flash and fired it at him, slashing at him with her lightsaber at the same time. Then, to her horror, he merely sidestepped her blaster shots, blocked her attack and with a disappointed sigh, swept his hand through the air.
The Force hit her like a battering ram, knocking her feet out from under her and flipping her off the bridge. Mara didn't scream, she didn't cry out, finding she really only had time to watch the Jedi exit the room after so easily bested her. She barely had time to latch onto the ledge, already feeling her fingers slipping.
Perhaps, she thought as the wind raced around her. Perhaps he was Obi-wan Kenobi.
"Kid, you okay?" Cody said.
Luke's head pounded and his arms strained in muscles he never even really knew he had; the result of being dragged away from the door by the mob. A mob that now lay mostly dead or returned to their cells. Shortly after Biggs and his group escaped, the officers and guards managed to access emergency hold out gear and pacified the crowd. Luke just thanked his stars that they hadn't included him in the fray.
"I'm… I'm alright," Luke said as he looked up at the stormtrooper, who had lost his helmet in the fight. To Luke's surprise he was… old. Battle scars lined his face and once jet black hair had faded to a dark grey. Luke had no idea stormtroopers stayed in the service so long.
"Good," Cody said. "Now I want some answers. You were talking to them, you know them. Tell me what's going on."
For a moment Luke considered not breathing a word of his short conversation with Biggs, but he couldn't really come up with a reason not to. Besides, this stormtrooper had thought of protecting him immediately upon seeing what he thought was a threat. Luke had grown slightly leery of trusting people lately but this man's actions spoke quite clearly.
"Biggs was a friend of mine," Luke said. "He's with the rebellion or at least says he is. He was trying to get me to come with him."
"And you were going to go?" Cody said.
"I…" Luke stopped himself, worried he might get in trouble. "He has some answers that I need. Plus he and Princess Leia have apparently found some old Jedi named Obi-wan Kenobi and I need to-"
"Kenobi?" Cody said. "Kenobi is here?"
"I… I don't know," Luke said taken back by the sudden urgency in the stormtroopers voice. "Based on what I was told I think so. Did you know him?"
"Just a bit," the stormtrooper said, gathering up his helmet. "And if he's here then there's one place he's going an I have something to do I should have twenty years ago."
"I'll come with you," Luke said.
"Sorry kid, stay with the guards here until we're given the all clear signal, trust me, you don't want to be near a Jedi when things go south."
"You don't understand," Luke approached the stormtrooper. "I have to get to Kenobi. He killed my father."
"You're father?" Cody said. "Who's your father?"
"Anakin Skywalker."
Cody's eyes narrowed and for a moment even grew angry. Then he pulled his helmet back on and picked up his blaster. Luke remained where he stood as the stormtrooper activated the lift and then turned back to face him.
"Stick close to me kid, and if I say you run, you run." Cody said.
Luke nodded and moved for the lift. Then his eyes caught the glint of metal on the ground. Cody was busy surveying the damage around the room and Luke took the opportunity to pick the small object up. One that he recognized by now, one he'd even learned a bit about.
A lightsaber.
Someone most have dropped it in the riot. Luke quickly clipped it to his belt. He'd prefer a blaster but at least he knew he could deflect blaster bolts with it. He still didn't know how truthful Mara had been with him, but he knew he could use what she taught him. He could only hope it would help him when they found Kenobi.
"He is here."
"Obi-wan Kenobi?" Tarkin said. "What makes you think so?"
"A tremor in the Force," Vader said. "The last time I felt was in the presence of my old master."
"Surely he must be dead by now," Tarkin stood from the table and approached the dark lord.
"Don't underestimate the Force," Vader said.
"The Jedi are extinct, there fire has gone out from the universe," the com-unit beeped even as he spoke. "You, my friend, are all that's left of their religion."
The officer on the other end announced the emergency happening down at the detention level, the exact same level Viceroy Organa had been held at, and where his daughter was to be kept as well. Tarkin immedaitly ordered all sections of the station to be on the alert.
"Obi-wan is here," Vader said, certainty in his voice. "The Force is with him."
"If you're right, then he must not be allowed to escape," Tarkin said.
"Escape is not his plan," Vader said. "He is the last of the Jedi and the greatest. I must face him, alone."