Author's note: Just to let everyone know, I've finished the remaining chapters for this season so now it's only a matter of releasing them gradually.
Demons in the Dark
Attack on Utapau! In an unexpected and sudden move, the Empire has launched an attack on the sinkhole world of Utapau due to supposed connections to the Rebel Alliance! After several days of violent skirmishes and dwindling defenses, the Utapau Committee has contacted the Alliance and called for aid in this time of need!
After heeding the call, the Alliance has sent forth an attack force to help the natives hold their own. As General Rahm Kota and Commander Luke Skywalker lead the charge, the tide of the battle seems to be finally turning in their favor…
Utapau
A massive battle had erupted in Pau City. Through the skies, X-Wings and Y-Wings fought alongside Porax-38 starfighters and dactillions as they fended off the TIE fighters and TIE bombers. On the ground, the rebel troopers and stormtroopers clashed with their vehicles backing them up. Luke lunged forward and cut down various stormtroopers as he went.
"Commander Skywalker, they're starting to flank us" said a rebel trooper.
"Keep pushing forward" said Luke "We're starting to break them, we just need to do it a bit longer" Unbeknownst to Luke, a dark trooper snuck up behind him and aimed its blaster at him. Suddenly, Kota rode up on a male varactyl and pounced on the cyborg, ripping it apart. "Thanks for that, Kota"
"Stay focused, we're not far off winning this battle" said Kota "We just need to push it a bit more" He rode off, running over every stormtrooper in his path.
Meanwhile
Han and Chewbacca flew through the sky in the Millennium Falcon, blasting down every TIE fighter in his path. Chewbacca started growling.
"You're right, they are starting to swarm all over us" said Han "Man, that's what I hate about TIE fighters; no matter how many you shoot down, there's always a good couple hundred of them ready to swarm you. Corea, there's about fifty more TIE fighters ready to come in on us"
"I see 'em" said Corea "Boy, these Imperials sure love sending all these fighters into their doom"
"That's the general idea" said Han "Cannon fodder"
"Captain Solo, this is Commander Jemek of the Utapau Skyforce" said an Utai pilot who flew next to the Falcon "The TIE fighters are taking my ships down easily but your ship seems to be doing well. Can you lead the charge and provide some cover for us?"
"With pleasure, commander" said Han. The Utapaun starfighters lined up behind the Millennium Falcon as it flew through the TIE fighters and shot them down. "Got ya'!"
Meanwhile
Kota rode through the battle when he saw an AT-ST walking up to him. As he sped up to it, he ignited his lightsaber and cut off one of its legs, causing it to collapse.
"Kota, we've reached the Imperial outpost" said Luke through his comlink "It's about seven minutes from where we last met earlier"
"I'm already on my way" said Kota. He turned around and rode off back in the direction he had come in.
Meanwhile
Luke and a group of rebel troopers being backed up T2-B repulsor tanks and AT-RTs rushed forward against the Imperial encampment which was set up on higher ground. He looked up at the stormtroopers who were shooting down at them.
"We need to get up there" said Luke "We take out their command post, the rest is sure to follow" The Imperial field commander looked down with scorn.
"Send the spider droids down to deal with them and continue shooting" said the Imperial field commander "I'll be off to retrieve tanks to break them. If they come up here, fall back and get ready for my next order"
"No" said a voice. The Imperial field commander turned around to see Commander Cody. "Let me deal with them" The Imperial field commander nodded and ran off.
"We're almost there" said Luke as he deflected the stormtrooper shots "Prepare cabals, we'll have to make a dash for it" Suddenly, a group of dwarf spider droids leapt down and started attacking them.
"Spider droids!" exclaimed a rebel trooper.
"Stay in formation, they're trying to shock us so we make a mistake; we just need to stay calm about this" said Luke. As the dwarf spider droids swarmed them, Luke leapt up onto one of them and stabbed it down with his lightsaber. He then looked over at the others that were coming his way and an idea immediately popped into his head. He leapt onto another dwarf spider droid and then onto the ledge, grabbing onto it.
"Stop him!" snapped a stormtrooper. The stormtroopers attempted to shoot and push Luke off but he ignited his lightsaber and slashed them down before leaping up onto the ledge.
"That wasn't so tough" said Luke. Suddenly, a laser bolt shot right towards him but he was able to deflect it with his lightsaber. He looked over at Cody who stood there with his blaster poised. "Careful, you almost hit me that time"
"Funny" said Cody "You take me for some dimwitted stormtrooper, don't you?"
"Well; to be fair, you've got some shiny armor that makes you look different" said Luke "So that's a plus, I guess?"
"Ha ha!" said Cody sarcastically "Now why don't we settle this man-to-man, rebel; without your lightsaber"
"Why; do you want fairer competition?" smirked Luke.
"No" replied Cody "I merely wish to see whether you're actually a good fighter without your lightsaber" As Cody dropped his blaster, Luke reluctantly dropped his lightsaber.
"Alright, then I guess let the better man win then" said Luke. The two charged at each other and engaged in a fist fight, with Cody showing surprisingly superior strength as he grabbed onto Luke's wrists and pushed him back. "Okay, not what I was expecting. How did you get so strong?"
"Suit augments my strength, giving me the advantage" replied Cody.
"Oh boy!" said Luke. Cody threw another punch at him but he dodged it. He lunged for his lightsaber but Cody shot out a cable and shocked him with it.
"No, you're not going for that" said Cody. He walked over to Luke and attempted to stamp him out, but Luke rolled to his side and summoned his lightsaber to his hand; slamming it down upon Cody, only for him to block it with wrist and activating a shield on it.
"Shields, huh?" said Luke "You've really got all the things figured out, haven't you?"
"You have no idea" said Cody. At that moment, a group of 2-M hover tanks turned up just outside the stormtrooper encampment. The Imperial field commander appeared from the hatch and looked out at the fighting Luke and Cody with his electrobinoculars.
"A Jedi?" said the Imperial field commander "We have to end him quick; aim all weapons at him and open fire with full force"
"But sir, Commander Cody is still in firing range" said a stormtrooper pilot within a hover tank "Should we inform him first?"
"Negative" replied the Imperial field commander "We have a perfect position, we shouldn't waste it. Blast them!" The hover tanks shot at Luke and Cody, destroying the ledge they were on and crumbling off into the sinkhole. "Got them!" Luke desperately held onto the remains of the ledge. He got a quick glimpse of his lightsaber rolling off but summoned it to his hand. Suddenly, the ledge crumbled off more. Luke quickly looked down at the bottom of the sinkhole and noticed that Cody had disappeared. Suddenly, the ledge crumbled off more
"Well, I certainly can't hang around here much longer" said Luke to himself. He swung himself back up and landed at the top again.
"There he is!" exclaimed a stormtrooper. The stormtroopers began shooting him again but he ignited his lightsaber and started deflecting the shots.
"At this stage I should really stop expecting a warm welcome at times like this" said Luke to himself.
"The Jedi, he's still there!" snapped the Imperial field commander "Full blast again!"
"But sir—" said the stormtrooper pilot again.
"Just do it!" snapped the Imperial field commander. The tanks began firing again but Luke desperately rolled to the side to avoid the shots, causing the blasts to hit the stormtroopers instead.
"Oh boy; it just end, does it?" said Luke.
"Fire again!" snapped the Imperial field commander. The tanks fired at Luke again, and he only just avoided it; but he looked down at the crumbling ground around him.
"Geez; if these things fire enough times, I might not have enough ground to walk on" said Luke to himself. He looked down at the battle between the rebel troopers and the dwarf spider. "Well, it's certainly more inviting that staying up here"
"Fire at will!" snapped the Imperial field commander. The tanks fired again but Luke leapt down onto a dwarf spider droid and avoided the shots.
"We've lost him, sir" said the stormtrooper pilot. The Imperial field commander frowned.
"Luke, you there?" asked Han out of Luke's comlink.
"You bet" replied Luke into his comlink as he stabbed the dwarf spider droid with his lightsaber "What is it?"
"We've caught sight of the Imperial encampment and we're readying a bombing with the Y-Wings, but we've also caught sight of you and your men around the same area" replied Han "Think you could clear out?"
"I'll do what I can" replied Luke "Everyone, retreat; the encampment's about to be bombed!" He and the rebel troopers retreated and ran out of the area.
"Finally, they're retreating!" said the Imperial field commander.
"Watch out!" exclaimed a stormtrooper. A group of Y-Wings flew down and bombed the encampment area until it was barren and devoid of any life. Luke looked back at the singed area before it slowly crumbled off into the sinkhole below.
"Well…we've dealt with that then" said Luke.
Later
As the sun went down, Luke and Kota sat before a strategy table of the plains of Utapau and the Imperial base that was located there. Tion Medon stood before them
"Your scouts have finally located the Imperial base" said Kota "It's off on the plains"
"Once it's gone, the rest of the Imperials should follow" said Luke.
"And my people will be safe from them" said Medon.
"For a time, yes" said Luke.
"What do you mean for a time?" asked Medon.
"We're saying that while you're in a neutral position like this, the Empire will continue to attack you" replied Kota "And the longer it goes on for, the more dangerous it will be"
"I know, but it goes against our tradition of neutrality" said Medon "Long have we remained neutral in such wars, but once again we are forced to make a choice"
"And it is one that could define the future of this planet" said Kota.
"True" said Medon "Should we join, it could a target for the Empire; but the Empire will attack us nonetheless. This is hardly the first time"
"So what did happen in that battle years ago?" asked Luke.
"Shortly after the declaration of the Galactic Empire, they tried to enforce their influence here further" replied Medon "We held our ground, but it wasn't enough; with the help of leaked information of our defenses, they occupied us and we were fighting our own war with them ever since. The Empire had more important systems to deal with, so their presence there wasn't as much as it could have been, but they were still on the winning side. We would have lost if your Alliance hadn't broken the Empire's hold a few years ago. It enabled us to turn the tide of the campaigns"
"How did the information get leaked?" asked Luke.
"My head-of-security was the one responsible" replied Medon "At the formation of the Empire; he approached the Committee and told us that we should join the Empire, claiming that it would be the most logical direction. He said that the Empire was the only true sense of order in the galaxy; and that if we wanted to survive it, we should become a part of it"
"I'm guessing that didn't go over well" said Kota.
"You have no idea" said Medon "We had heard the stories about what happened to systems that opposed the Empire, but we had also heard stories about systems that bowed down and it wasn't much better. So he defected, using his knowledge of the planet's defenses as a way to buy himself into the Imperial academy. To think, for almost a hundred years I thought that I could count upon Tame Cronos to protect us"
"I'm sorry, who?" asked Luke.
"Tame Cronos, he was the head-of-security who betrayed us" replied Medon.
"Tame Cronos" said Luke.
"Do you know him?" asked Medon.
"I do" replied Luke "He's an Imperial general and he's recently been behind quite a few Imperial projects. He also seems…to want to be more than just a general"
"That does not surprise me" said Medon "After his defection, we uncovered evidence that he was secretly trying to take my place as chairman of the committee; he was merely acting loyal so he could gain his ends. I guess I trusted him just too much"
"We'll prepare the Y-Wings for a bombing run in the morning" said Kota "Hopefully with the right timing we might be able to catch the Imperials off-guard"
"In the meantime, I will discuss things with the rest of the Committee and I will mention your offer of joining the Alliance; but I fear they may not agree to it" said Medon.
"If you don't try, nothing will change" said Luke. Medon walked off.
"Skywalker, inform the troops of our plan of attack" said Kota
Meanwhile
Han and Chewbacca were doing maintenance on the Millennium Falcon.
"Well; she got beaten up a bit in the battle, but I think she'll be alright ultimately" said Han. Chewbacca growled. "She's been through a lot worse, Chewie; I mean, all these years of smuggling and engaging in dogfights should be a testament to that" Chewbacca huffed. "Hey, come on!" Chewbacca growled again. "Okay, fine; but still, we'd better work hard on this. Tomorrow's going to be a big day according to Luke; we're going to reduce the Imperial base to ground zero" Suddenly, there was a large explosion on the other side of the room. "WOAH!" Chewbacca growled. "Did you see that?" Chewbacca growled again. "That was so…sudden" At that moment, Corea ran up to them.
"You guys have to come quick!" said Corea "Explosives just went off at the other end!"
"Yeah, I saw that" said Han. The three of them rushed off to where the explosion went off and found a large steaming pile of wreckage and ash with various rebel troopers and pilots surrounding it. "What happened here?"
"A bomb took us off-guard" said Jemek "From what we've been able to salvage, it seems to have been planted here intentionally"
"Any casualties?" asked Han.
"Only the Y-Wings, they appeared to have been the main target" replied Jemek.
"Are you certain?" asked Han.
"It was planted on a Y-Wing around the other Y-Wings" said Jemek.
"Disabling our bombers on the very night before we start our bomber run" said Han "That's not suspicious at all, is it? Luke, I've got news for you" From atop the hanger bay, two large bat like creatures with large red eyes, horrid grey skin, brown fur, four limbs, and large wings looked down at them.
"We did it, Vesper; their bombers are gone!" said Mren (one of the bat creatures).
"They'll soon be more of them" said Vesper (the other bat creature) "And they'll be more prepared next time" At that moment, Luke and Medon stepped out. "Wait; that Human, the one with the blonde hair!"
"What about him?" asked Mren.
"On his belt, a lightsaber!" said Vesper.
"What about it?" asked Mren.
"Lord Vader told us that should we ever find a rebel with a lightsaber we should hand them over to him; alive, if possible" said Vesper "It would seem that one has crawled right into our grip. This is an opportunity that we cannot ignore"
"But look at this crowd; we can't just get past them" said Mren "He may be in our grip but he is out of our reach at this very moment. We cannot get him"
"Not now, but we will eventually" said Vesper "We just need to watch carefully and wait, bidding our time until we eventually snatch him up. With that, Utapau will be ours"
Meanwhile
Cody carefully scaled down the wall of the sinkhole with his cable, finding footing at the very bottom next to the water.
"Better be careful now" said Cody to himself "One wrong step and I slip right in. Now all I have to do is find a way out of here without the rebels seeing me" As he carefully scaled across, a spear suddenly shot forward and hit the wall just next to him. "What the heck?"
"Intruder, intruder!" said a voice in Amanese. Cody turned his head around to see a group on Amani gathered on an island near him with their spears and other tribal weapons at the ready. "Kill him before he brings more!"
"These guys!" said Cody to himself "I really have to stop talking to myself"
"He looks like he's reaching for his comm!" snapped an Amani in Amanese "Stop him!" They began throwing rocks at him, aiming at his head. They then began throwing spears at him again. Cody looked down at the water and leapt into it.
"He's in the water!" snapped an Amani in Amanese "Alert the chief!" Several of the Amani ran off to alert the rest of their clan. Cody looked around and saw the entrance to an underwater cave just ahead of him. He extended his hand out and shot his cable out at it. He began to reel into it when something suddenly grabbed him by the foot. He looked back to see a large nos monster holding onto his foot. He pulled out his blaster and shot it in the shoulder, causing it to let go of him. The creature bellowed and chased after him, but Cody shot back at it various times in the head until it was dead and its body floated to the surface. As Cody reached the cave, he swam in and pulled himself out of the water.
"Finally!" said Cody. He pulled himself up and collapsed onto the rocks, pulling his helmet off and spitting out water. As he lay on the ground regaining his breath, he looked up at the roof and it wasn't long until he heard familiar voices.
"When have I ever let you down?"
"Very well; the burden's on me not to destroy all of the droids until you arrive"
Meanwhile
"I've spoken with Ackbar, he'll send more Y-Wings to us" said Kota as he sat down at the strategy table "But it will take some time to organize them; it seems we'll have to postpone the bombing run"
"We've got bigger things at hand" said Luke "That attack was no accident; the Imperials know of our plan, we have to reevaluate it"
"Damn!" said Han "And I just got the Falcon all fixed up"
"Yep, looks like we're going to be spending here longer than we originally planned" said Luke.
"I still don't understand, my sentries say that they saw no Imperials in the area" said Jemek.
"They could have used shadow troopers" said Han "Wouldn't be the first time"
"I don't know, I can't shake the feeling that there's something else at work here" said Luke.
"It's turning out to be quite a long night" said Kota "Commander Skywalker, Captain Solo; you are excused. Take the night, I'll take it over from here; you'll need your rest"
"Thank you, Master Kota" said Luke. He and Han stood themselves up and walked off.
"So what do you reckon it is?" asked Han.
"After the explosion, shadow troopers were my first suspicion as well; so I examined the area, but it just…wasn't them" replied Luke
"How do you know for sure?" asked Han.
"No footprints" replied Luke "On occasion when we've encountered shadow troopers, I've looked around at the location they were at and I noticed footprints in the terrain. There was a layer of dirt in the hanger but no footprints"
"So, some invisible floating creature snuck in and planted a bomb on a Y-Wing?" said Han "Sorry, but I just can't picture any of those in the Imperial army"
"The Empire hasn't been above hiring native forces to help them" replied Luke.
"I brushed up on this planet before we arrived" said Han "Native species: Pau'ans and Utai; as well as a few Amani colonies. I mean, I think I've seen a few Toydarians around; but I think we would have noticed a big blue winged blob just coming in and tinkering with a Y-Wing"
"Then what if it's something else?" asked Luke "Something unseen"
"Then that's going to take some time to figure out" said Han "Let's just look up on the holonet and go through a complete history of Utapau" At that moment, something swept down and grabbed Luke by the shoulders. "Luke?" He looked off into the distance and saw Vesper carrying Luke off. "Luke!" He pulled out his blaster and aimed it at Vesper before realizing what would happen if he shot. "Damn it!"
Meanwhile
"Let me go!" said Luke as Vesper flew him through the caverns "Let me go!" He tried struggling but it was no use. Suddenly, Vesper stopped in a large grotto and dropped Luke just next to the deep water. As Luke got himself up, he reached for his lightsaber; only for vesper to snatch it off him.
"We have you now!" snarled Vesper
"Who are you and why did you capture me?" asked Luke.
"I am Vesper" replied Vesper "And I have taken you prisoner to advance our progress"
"That…doesn't really explain much" said Luke.
"It doesn't have to" said Vesper. Luke carefully looked around the grotto and at the tunnels he was brought through. "Attempt to escape at your own peril, rebel; you won't get far"
"We'll see about that!" said Luke. As he rushed forward, Vesper leapt in front of him and snarled. However, Luke force-pushed him out of the way and climbed up into the caverns ahead.
"Brothers, stop the prisoner from escaping!" yelled Vesper before letting out an ear-splitting screech. Suddenly, countless more bat creatures that were wrapped upside-down from the ceiling opened their eyes and started flapping their wings screeching. Luke looked up at the ceiling and almost gasped at the sight of it.
"Oh…unwise" said Luke. The bat creatures started flapping around the cavern, swarming him. "Go away! Go away!" They began encircling around him and trapping him off.
Meanwhile on Ryloth
Qila walked up to his hut with a supply of herbs in a bag on his back when he felt a strange tremor in the Force around him. He looked around at everything around him.
"No, it's nothing" said Qila to himself "Just relax" As he entered his hut, he felt the very same tremor again and sighed. "I suppose it is worth meditation"
Meanwhile
"And then; it was gone, taking Luke with him" said Han "I tried to shoot it down but then I realize what would happen to Luke if I did. Splat!"
"Were there anymore of them?" asked Kota.
"Not that I could see" replied Han "Luke mentioned that he thought something different was behind the bombing; do that bat thing was the one?"
"Possibly" replied Kota "The fact that it took Skywalker is definitely worth suspicion; although it could have simply been an animal acting in a territorial or predatory way; could you tell if it was sentient or not?"
"I only got a brief glimpse of it, but how could you tell from the way it looks?" replied Han "A lot of people think that Wol Cabasshites are non-sentient"
"But what about behavioral patterns?" asked Kota.
"Like I said, only a brief glimpse" replied Han "But whatever it is, it has Luke; and we have to get him back" said Han.
"I'm afraid I might know what took him" said Jemek as he walked up to them "After you described the creature, it reminded me of something I heard of as a child; so I did some researching and finally found something" He pulled out a holodisc and inserted it into the strategy table which brought up a hologram of one of the bat creatures. "They're called the Chiropters; they descend from Iukvik, the darkest of Utapau's nine moons. Due to the shadowy environments and never seeing the light of day, they evolved to survive in the environment. For millions of years our two societies remained parallel from each other, until space travel reached their planet about two decades before the Clone Wars struck and they began travelling to our world"
"So what happened then?" asked Han.
"Upon arriving on Utapau, they sought our civilization out at once" replied Jemek "Tion Medon, as you know, welcomed them and offered them an equal place in our society. Unfortunately, the Chiropters weren't so kind in return; they were a very aggressive species and they wanted to be the dominant species. A civil war broke out for control of the planet; and for a long time, the Chiropters were the winning side. But luck ultimately came to our side. You see, the Chiropters had evolved on a shadowy moon so they were nocturnal and their eyes were very sensitive to bright light; and during the most pivotal battle within this short period, we saved by the sunrise. The Chiropters retreated back into their caves; and now that we had discovered this weakness, we made sure that we spent the remainder of the war using it to our advantage. Eventually, they surrendered; most went back Iukvik, but there were suspicions that some of them stayed behind here; waiting, biding their time for the right moment"
"And now we know for sure that those rumors are true" said Han "Now can we just find Luke and bring him back. Can't I just take the Falcon and go after him? I mean, it's got some real firepower to show those bat freaks who's boss"
"Actually, we've examined the cave you said Skywalker disappeared into" said Jemek "It's too cramped for any of your vehicles to enter; and as you know, that's all it takes for a bad accident"
"What are we going to do then?" asked Han "I mean; it's too dangerous on foot, right?"
"I said your vehicles, I didn't say any of ours were ineffective" replied Jemek.
A few minutes later
Han mounted up onto a dactillion who screeched and flapped its wings around.
"Easy there!" said Han whilst trying to calm it down. Chewbacca mounted the dactillion and growled. "If we had a bucket list, Chewie; we certainly should tick this off"
"Heads up!" said Corea. She leapt up onto the dactillion's back, startling it.
"Watch it!" said Han "This ain't a vehicle, it's a live animal; you scare it and it will do something unpredictable"
"So, does this mean I can whatever I want to the Falcon?" smirked Corea.
"Eh; don't be getting any ideas, young lady" said Han "Alright, let's set off; yah!" The dactillion let out a screech and lifted off; flying over to the cave Luke disappeared into. Chewbacca growled.
"Chewie's got a point; why need us, wouldn't it be stealthier to go alone?" asked Corea.
"I need to concentrate on the flying, you two are the backup" replied Han.
"Right" said Corea "Define backup"
"There's bound to be more of them in there and I'll have my hands full with the big bird here" replied Han "I'll need you two to shoot them down to keep them off my back; these guys are intelligent and ferocious, so they'll attack the dactillion and keep and then we'll be trapped"
"And left to have the flesh ripped off our bones" said Corea.
"Not my ideal way to die" said Han. As they flew into the entrance of the cave, a sticky slime-like substance with a bright blue glow dangled over them.
"Gross!" said Corea.
"Shhh!" said Han quietly.
"Sorry!" said Corea quietly "What is this stuff?"
"Look up carefully" replied Han quietly. Corea looked up to see large foot-long glow worms dangling from the ceiling with a distinct blue light. "Giant glow worms, they hang from the ceiling; don't worry, they're harmless" At that moment, they flew around giant moths with cerulean and crimson colors that were half the size of banthas that were perched on the walls.
"And what are those things?" asked Corea quietly.
"Goliath moths, they live in the caves and fly out at night" replied Han quietly "Don't worry, they're harmless as well; unless you provoke them of course"
"You sure no a lot, Han" said Corea quietly.
"It pays to brush up on a planet's information before arriving" said Han quietly.
Meanwhile
Luke was crouched on the ground with his hands bound by chains and being loomed over by the Chiropters.
"Keep him in plain sight" said Vesper as he walked up to a hologram projector "I will inform Lord Vader of this finding; he will be most pleased"
"So this is what it's all about?" snapped Luke "You're working with the Empire?" Mren punched Luke in the head.
"Silence!" snapped Mren. Vesper brought up a hologram of Darth Vader.
"Lord Vader, we have news for you" said Vesper.
"Have you destroyed the Y-Wings as instructed, Vesper?" asked Vader.
"We have" replied Vesper "And we have informed the other Imperials of the rebel plan as well. But we have something else to show you, a particularly intriguing prisoner"
"Show me" said Vader. Vesper gestured to the Mren who pulled Luke forward. "Jedi!"
"You know?" asked Vesper.
"I have had meetings with this particular Jedi in the past" replied Vader "I will need further proof however; show me his lightsaber"
"Very well" said Vesper "He pulled out Luke's lightsaber and ignited it"
"Yes, that is his lightsaber" said Vader "But why capture him?"
"I merely wished to prove ourselves worthy" replied Vesper.
"Explain yourself" said Vader.
"Remember the deal; when this is over, we get Utapau" said Vesper "Under your permission and loyalty, but ours nonetheless"
"Yes" said Vader "I will honor that deal. Take the Jedi the Imperial base and tell them to put him under maximum security; I will be there shortly to collect him myself"
"Understood, my lord" said Vesper whilst bowing his head. The hologram turned off.
Meanwhile
Han stopped the dactillion in a small cavern in the cave.
"Stay there" said Han quietly as he and the others slid off.
"Why are we stopping?" asked Corea quietly.
"We're here" replied Han quietly "We're continuing on foot"
"How can you tell?" asked Corea quietly.
"I can smell the guano from here" replied Han quietly "Chewie, got those flashlights and smoke bombs I asked you to bring?" Chewbacca groaned and nodded. "Perfect!"
"I get it; those are for distractions, right?" said Corea quietly.
"You bet" said Han quietly "These things are sensitive to bright light, so we'll use this to blind and distract them to collect Luke"
"We'd have to find him first" said Corea quietly.
Meanwhile
"You, my Jedi, will be our salvation" said Vesper.
"Damnation more like it" said Luke.
"You heard Vader; he'll allow us to keep Utapau" said Vesper.
"It's a lie" said Luke "It always is with the Empire; everything Vader tells you is merely a ploy to make you work for him. If you're lucky; once he's done with you, he'll merely cast you aside"
"Trying to scare us?" said Vesper.
"I'm trying to warn you" said Luke. At that moment, Han, Corea, and Chewbacca snuck up behind some stalagmites and watched carefully.
"Nothing you say can change my mind, Jedi" said Vesper.
"There's Luke" said Han quietly.
"Then let's get him!" said Corea quietly as she grabbed one of Chewbacca's smoke bombs.
"Woah woah woah!" said Han quietly as he stopped her "We need to position ourselves well" He licked his finger to check the air current. "We're not downwind, good. Chewie, do you think you could get a good run to Luke?" Chewbacca looked carefully and nodded. "Perfect!"
"Chain him up at the other end of the grotto" said Vesper.
"Oo, I guess that's our cue!" said Han quietly "Chewie, the flashlight; Corea and I will throw the bombs" Chewbacca groaned in response shortly before lifting the flashlight up and turning it on at the Chiropters.
"What is this!" exclaimed Mren as he and the others covered their eyes and cringed back.
"NOW!" yelled Han. He and Corea threw the smoke bombs at the Chiropters before they and Chewbacca rushed in, grabbed Luke, and pulled out.
"Han, what are you doing here?" asked Luke.
"Saving you, what does it look like?" replied Han "Alright, let's make a dash to the dactyl!" As the smoke cleared, Vesper looked on and hissed.
"After them!" snarled Vesper. He and the other Chiropters in the cave opened their wings up and flew after them.
"Looks like we've got company!" said Corea.
"Oh heck!" said Han. He looked back at the Chiropters that swarmed towards him. "We have to get out of here fast!" He and the others mounted the dactillion and flew off down the tunnels.
"Han, we have to go back; one of them has my lightsaber" said Luke.
"Then deal about it later when we're not dead" said Han.
"They're not exactly being sold off free at street corners" said Luke.
"Ha ha; maybe if you try a joke a little funnier, those things might just laugh themselves to death" said Han "Can we just stay on topic, which is "we have to escape now or we'll get ripped to bits". Chewie, Corea; time to put that backup to good use"
"Aye aye, Captain!" smirked Corea. She and Chewbacca began shooting at the Chiropters continuously, shooting down numerous ones in the process. "Hey Chew, think you could put that flashlight to good use on them?" Chewbacca growled, turned the flashlight back on, and waved it around, causing several of the Chiropters to fly out of control and crash into the ground. "Got 'em!"
"Not all of them" replied Han.
"Those cursed!" snarled Vesper.
"There's so many of them" said Luke.
"Good thing not all of them stayed" said Han. As they passed the goliath moths, the large insects were easily provoked and started flying alongside them. "Alright, we're almost out" They flew out of the cave with the goliath moths fluttering around them. "Yeah!" As the Chiropters reached the cave entrance, they hissed and stayed back out of the light.
"What are you waiting for; put your protection goggles on!" snapped Vesper. He and the other Chiropters pulled out goggles and put them on, allowing them to fly into the sunlight.
"They're…able to go into sunlight!" said Corea.
"What?!" exclaimed Han as he looked back "Damn it! I thought I had this covered!"
"The Empire must have given them those" said Luke "They're working for them"
"Brothers, attack!" snarled Vesper. The Chiropters swarmed at them.
"Jemek, we have a situation here" said Han into his comlink "These bat guys are after us and they have these goggle things that allow them to see in the light"
"That's not good" said Jemek out of his comlink.
"Yeah, think you could shoot them down or something?" asked Han.
"I'm afraid not" replied Jemek "You and your dactillion are still out there; if we open fire, we'll run the risk of shooting you down as well"
"Oh, right" replied Han "Any suggestions?"
"Try to land your dactillion back here so we can have a clear shot" replied Jemek.
"Right" said Han "Chewie, Corea; try to clear a path for us back to the landing pad"
"It'll be my pleasure, Han" said Corea. She and Chewbacca began shooting at the Chiropters around them, but the creatures were too fast and they only got a few of them.
"Damn!" said Corea. Luke looked carefully throughout the swarms of Chiropters until he saw Vesper, still carrying his lightsaber on his belt.
"There it is" said Luke. He stood up carefully on the dactillion and tried to balance himself.
"Luke, what are you doing?" asked Corea. At that moment, Luke leapt off and grabbed onto one of the Chiropter's feet. "Luke!"
"What's happ—" said Han before realizing what was happening "Oh no! Jedi boy's going off again!" Chewbacca growled. The Chiropter screamed and tried to shake Luke off, but he held on tight. He looked over to another Chiropter and leapt across to it. He did it over and over again until he finally reached Vesper and grabbed onto him from the back.
"Get off me!" snarled Vesper.
"He's crazy!" said Han "Well, that settles it; that old man's madness indeed rubbed off on him"
"Incoming!" exclaimed Corea. Mren screeched and dived down, slamming into the dactillion and causing it to cry out in fear.
"Hold on, guys!" exclaimed Han.
"I'll kill you all!" snarled Mren "I'll suck you dry!"
"No thank you!" said Han as he pulled his blaster out. He tried to aim at Mren but the constant shaking and spinning made it difficult. But within the madness, Chewbacca aimed his bowcaster and charged it up. Just as Mren lunged at Han, Chewbacca shot him and sent his body falling down into the sinkhole below. "Great to know you've always got my back, buddy" Chewbacca growled in response.
"You play a very dangerous game, Jedi!" snarled Vesper.
"I only play it when it's worth it!" said Luke. He extended his hand out, summoned his lightsaber, and ignited.
"No!" snarled Vesper. He instantly shook Luke off, causing him to fall off down into the sinkhole.
"Luke!" exclaimed Han "Hold on extra hard!" He dove down at high speed until they were directly underneath Luke with Chewbacca catching him. "Try to be more careful next time you do another stupid and dangerous thing; because who's going to save your butt if I'm not around?" He flew the dactillion up onto a platform and got himself off.
"After them!" snarled Vesper. He and the other Chiropters flew down towards the platform.
"Um, Jemek; think you could do something about this?" asked Han.
"Aim and fire at them!" yelled Jemek. The Utai at the turrets opened fire on the Chiropters, blasting a lot of them down, until the remaining ones retreated back into the cave.
"Halt!" said Jemek "There, they're all gone"
"Yeah, you may want to keep a close watch on that cave entrance and every other one around the area" said Han.
Meanwhile
Qila sat in deep meditation, letting his mind drift back to his days as a Jedi, even remembering the events that led him to where he was now.
"Through the strength of the Force, I wish inner peace" said Qila 'By the power of the Force, I wish to see what troubles it" Suddenly, visions flashed before him so fast that he could not. "What is it? What is so powerful that it sends a tremor all the way to me?" Suddenly, he began to hear powerful breathing and an image of Vader appeared before him with a strange yellow energy appearing behind him.
"This is the day of reckoning for the Jedi!" said Vader "Your return ends now!"
"No!" exclaimed Qila "It can't be!" He leapt up and ran over to the window, opening it up and looking outside with shock. "It can't be…such death…such destruction…I can't…I can't…" As he slowly calmed himself down, he heard his own voice echoing in his head.
"Qila…Qila, it's time…"
"I…I can't…" said Qila "I can't go back…not to that…"
"You don't have to rejoin the Jedi, but you can't stand by and let lives be lost…"
Qila looked up at the sun, closed his eyes for a brief moment, and turned around towards a large cabinet. He opened it up and looked at the Jedi ceremonial robes that lay within. He then closed his eyes and extended his hand out, summoning lightsaber pieces to his hand. He slowly arranged the pieces together, bringing a lightsaber crystal into the middle of it, until eventually a lightsaber hilt lay in his hands.
"It's long overdue" said Qila. He ignited the golden blade of it.
Meanwhile
As Luke looked down at his lightsaber, Han sat down beside him.
"Good to see it's still shiny" said Han "You know; what you did today was extremely risky and extremely idiotic"
"You're one to talk" said Luke.
"Eh; at least when I make dangerous decisions, they're at least for something that's worth it" said Han "I mean, I love my blaster but I wouldn't risk my life if it's so far out of my reach. Do you seriously care about that lightsaber more than your own life?"
"It's not like that" said Luke "This lightsaber belonged to my father; Obi-Wan gave it to me so I could honor him, so I intend to"
"Right" said Han "I suppose you could really use that thing; seeing as how those bats told the Imperials our plan, this campaign's going to go on longer than we'd originally hoped for" At that moment, Kota walked up to them.
"Skywalker, Chairman Medon is coming" said Kota "I think they may have made their decision" Luke stood himself up.
"Chairman Medon, I trust the Committee has made its decision" said Luke.
"We have" said Medon "After much debate, the Utapaun Committee has come to a unanimous decision; we will indeed fully join the Rebellion's cause. I hope the decision is not costly"
"Do not worry, you will not regret it" said Luke. At that moment, a rebel trooper ran up to Luke.
"Commander Skywalker, we received a message from Princess Leia Organa on Corellia" said the rebel trooper.
"What did she say?" asked Luke.
"She invites you and Captain Solo back to Corellia" replied the rebel trooper "She says it's for a special occasion"
"Well, here's the thing; we're kind of caught up in this whole extended battle thing and we can't really make exceptions" said Han.
"Do not worry, I'll take full command in the meantime" said Kota "If Princess Leia requests for you personally, then it is best not to disappoint"
"Right" said Han "Chewie, prep the Falcon; seems we'll be giving her worshipfulness a visit" Chewbacca growled.
Meanwhile
"I am very disappointed in you, Vesper" said Vader "You had the Jedi and yet you failed to keep him"
"You must understand, Lord Vader, that we were caught off-guard" said Vesper "I am deeply sorry for this loss"
"That is not good enough" said Vader.
"I know" said Vesper "But simply give us one more chance, we'll retrieve the Jedi and help you claim—" Vader started force-choking him.
"No" said Vader.
"Lord Vader!" wheezed Vesper.
"I realize as of late that I have been relying too much on pawns recently, and it has cost me dearly; but no more!" said Vader shortly before he snapped Vesper's neck "This time, I will deal with things myself!"
Author's note #1: I originally intended the villains to be Sugi arms dealers; but since they were already involved with the unused Utapau arc, I decided to create a new species in the form of the Chiropters. The goliath moths are also an original creation of mine.
Hellman76: I actually haven't played Saints Row so I wouldn't know about Johnny Gat.
ahsokatano191: Thanks for reviewing; I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far. In answer to your question from before; yes, there is something going on between Luke and Ahsoka
Just a Crazy Man: I haven't heard of Awakening Rebellion, is that a mod for Empire at War?
CT7567Rules: Don't worry, I intend for Rex to appear in full armor.