Alternate Universe Trilogy Vol 1 The Clone Emperor

by Sonic Sculpture

This is an alternative to the derivative works licensed by Lucasfilm that were intended to follow Return of the Jedi. I don't think things turned out quite so neatly. The story has been rewritten to redress issues cited in prior reviews.

3. Chapters 5 and 6

Chapter Five: Jungle Gym

The inhabitants of Saleucami were more than simply hospitable. The rebels were all afforded celebrity status. Their allowable inability to eliminate the new embodiment of the Emperor notwithstanding, the destruction of both Death Stars still represented an almost implausible accomplishment. Considering all the resistance to Imperial control that could easily have been obliterated, it was approximately beyond belief that only one target had actually been destroyed. It had of course been Alderaan, and to the dismay of many. But the second Death Star had not even gotten off a planet-pulverizing shot when the rebels assigned it to nonexistence. They were heralded as heroes. It took some getting used to.

The promise of assistance, with regards to the final campaign on Coruscant, made it unfortunately easy for most of the leaders to be tempted with delay. However, Leia knew there was still one more stop along the way, at least for her. Windu had assured her that his trainees would try to respond to the transponder's summons. But their transport was uncertain and their aid would be far more effective if they were appropriately armed. She was holding the proper weaponry for such supernatural soldiers and in the coincidentally correct number. She was also less apprehensive about her chances of getting inside the Jedi Temple if she were enjoying the aid of such well-armed accomplices.

Kappelian was elsewhere along the Outer Rim, far from the normal trade routes and nowhere near either Kamino or Geonosis. It was a world that consisted almost entirely of untamed jungles, separated only by equally savage seas. At the time Windu chose it, out of necessity, he was unaware of Yoda's exile to the surprisingly similar, primary planet of the Dagobah system. Since Leia knew nothing of Luke's tutelage under that ancient Jedi Master, such a comparison could not even occur to her. But she knew there could be no impediment in reaching the primordial destination, whether the rest of the Alliance chose to accompany her or not. She decided it would be best to express her impatience to the other leaders and was surprised by the nature of the debate into which she walked.

"Luke's gonna our need help!" General Solo was ardently insisting. "We've got more than enough ships going to Coruscant. The orbital stations are our only concern. It's not like we're going up against the Imperial Fleet. They're gonna be going after Luke and the Star Killer. That's where we need to send the bulk of our force!"

"By adding our ships to your own, we can assemble an impressive armada. I am not so certain of the wisdom of splitting that force," the Prefect complained. "The inhabitants of Coruscant will be reassured by the coming of such a Coalition. We could therefore be certain that they will resist the Emperor's return, if in fact he survives. Do you really think we can make a decisive difference in what the Jedi Master is trying to accomplish?"

"If he fails to assassinate the Emperor, then it will be up to us to destroy that station; otherwise, any further resistance is futile!" Han impassionedly argued. "The Death Stars were nothing compared to this thing! Ideally, both the Clone Emperor and the Star Killer need to be eliminated; and, if he sadly manages to kill Luke, we may have the chance to do both at the same time! But we have to actually be there in order to do either!"

"What if Commander Skywalker discovers some way to destroy the station while the Emperor is aboard and elects not to take the chance of failing in a fair fight?" the Prefect pressed. "If our ships are in close proximity, they could be obliterated right along with the Imperial Fleet! We could all be killed! Do you really believe such sacrifice to be justified?"

"If the Clone Emperor, the Star Killer, and the Imperial Fleet are all destroyed;" Leia interjected, accidentally startling them since they were unaware of her entry, "then, there would be no more need for the Alliance. We'd have accomplished our end. I'm not sure I understand your objection. So what if we're unable to show up at the celebration? It's not like we won't be remembered."

"Well said," somebody in one of the back rows invisibly agreed and quickly received almost unanimous, if somewhat subdued, support. Leia recognized the voice of Wedge.

"I see your point," the Prefect patiently replied. "At least, I see your point as far as it relates to the Coalition; however, it would be pretty irresponsible of me to sacrifice every ship we have for the planetary defense of Saleucami in order to augment the armada of the Alliance. I'd being willing to put half our vessels at such risk. But I must insist that the others are all consigned to the campaign on Coruscant. I'll allow the respective captains of each craft to select their assignments, unless there are an overabundance volunteers for the confrontation with the Imperial Fleet."

"You are most gracious," Leia smilingly said with a bow before anybody else could respond. She could see that Han and some of the other leaders had been counting on a larger contingent of ships from Saleucami for the engagement at the Star Killer. But she knew the Prefect's first responsibility was to his people and their planet. He was already doing much more than anybody could reasonably ask.

Glancing around at the rest of the rebel leadership, Han asked, "How do we divide up the Alliance? We need to send some of our ships to support both fronts, don't we?"

"Actually, I've got a further and even more immediate request than that," Leia softly said when no one else instantly responded. "There're four Jedi currently on Kappelian. I need to go get them and give them the lightsabers that were recovered on Utapau. If I'm going to be successful at getting into the Jedi temple, their assistance might very well be incalculable. Whoever takes me to Kappelian will probably be going directly to Coruscant from there, so we really need a strategy that addresses all these concerns."

"Of course, I'd like to take you there in the Falcon. In fact, I'd be pretty disappointed if it didn't work out that way," Han quickly interjected. Suddenly however he looked very introspective and he had the tenor of somebody who was thinking out loud as he quietly concluded, "But the smaller, more maneuverable ships would stand to make the greatest difference in the encounter at the Star Killer, and the larger vessels of the Alliance would make the most impressive display to the people of Coruscant. Did I just talk myself out of being your ride?"

He anxiously raised his eyes and looked at her as he asked the question, apparently hoping she would contradict him, but Leia grinningly replied, "You are only thinking like a leader, General. Truthfully, your talents would be wasted on a trip to the capital. You and the Falcon played no small part in the destruction of both Death Stars. When it comes to taking on such Imperial installations, you may be the most experienced officer we're got. If the recommendation were mine to make, I'd tag you to lead the assault. I also have to believe that Luke's best chance of coming back from this thing alive is if you are there to pull him out. I therefore have to agree with your assessment regarding the distribution of our ships, even if it unfortunately sends us across the galaxy from each other."

As Han sighed in obvious exasperation, Chewbacca gurglingly agreed. C-3PO had nothing appropriate to say in response to the announcement but wished, and not for the first time, that R2-D2 was still in their assembly. The little astrodroid would certainly have expressed some sentiment. But the rest of the gathered leaders quickly agreed with the proposition. Admiral Ackbar essentially insisted on taking Leia to Kappelian on his vessel since his cruiser, the Forthright, would clearly be leading to delegation to Coruscant.

"I won't be there to coordinate the assault of the smaller ships, but I do have some recommendations," he added. "I'd advise splitting them into three squadrons. Of course, General Antilles will retain command of Rogue Squadron. Generals Solo and Calrissian should take the other two. One squadron should probably be committed to defending the battle station. Another could offensively engage the Imperial Fleet. The third one should be positioned to support whichever of the other squadrons requires it most. I'll leave the division of the actual duties to the individual commanders. May the Force be with us all."

Lando was given command of one of the smaller cruisers from Saleucami to use as the flagship for his squadron. There was a little talk about the possibility of allocating the rebels' medical frigate to the campaign at the Star Killer; but space wars tended to result in deaths, not injuries, and that particular vessel actually possessed the least amount of armament of any ship in the Alliance, nor was there any time to outfit it more offensively for the operation. Being a diplomat, rather than a soldier, the Prefect logically elected to accompany the delegation to Coruscant. He was well aware that, leading the envoy, his cruiser and the Forthright would make an impressive pair.

As the meeting came to a close, Wedge and Lando came over to express their well wishes to Princess Leia. Han and Chewy were already flanking her. It looked like C-3PO was suddenly uncertain of the entire situation but was politely waiting for everybody else to have their say. Leia turned first to Wedge Antilles.

"I want you to know that I hadn't forgotten about you serving in the assaults against both Death Stars, and I'm very glad you're going to be leading Rogue Squadron for this engagement," she said. "It's just that Han, Chewy, Luke, and I were all actually onboard the first Death Star before it finally came against our base at Yavin and was destroyed. If someone ends up having to go aboard the Star Killer to help Luke get off that thing, Han probably has the best chance of finding his way around."

"I wasn't worried, Princess," Wedge laughingly replied. "And I'm not too concerned about you winning your way into the Jedi Temple. I saw the recordings of your fight with the battle droids on Utapau. I wish I could be there when an actual Jedi Knight enters it for the first time in decades, but I'll be busy making sure your brother can come back to you. May the Force be with you."

"And with you as well, General Antilles," Leia replied, hugging him lightly.

Lando looked Han in the eye as he kissed Leia on the hand while Chewy chuckled; after which, he gazed affectionately upon her, saying, "With Han and Wedge both busily backing up your brother, I suppose I should make it my priority to see that your preferred pirate makes it back to you. Don't get me wrong, Princess. Han is a born leader, but you might actually make him responsible as well. I'll look forward to our next meeting."

"As will I, General Calrissian," she politely replied, bowing in return.

Leia gently told C-3PO that there was no place for a protocol droid in a battle at the edge of the galaxy but that her embassy might actually find use for such service. C-3PO silently assented to the change in station, not expressing any disappointment at how the reassignment prevented any possibility of reunion with the robot's mechanic counterpart until after the conflict was concluded. If anyone had observed the way the droid glanced back at the Millennium Falcon while following Leia and her party to the Forthright, they might have said it actually looked wistful. Han and Chewy had come to see her off, but they both had eyes only for the princess.

Leia took some additional time securing the extra lightsabers in one of the storage compartments, which allowed the rest of the crew of the Forthright to assume their flight stations, leaving the princess essentially alone with her longtime, cherished companions. Exercising an incredible amount of restraint, considering his substantial strength, Chewy very gingerly hugged her goodbye. His bewailing bellows betrayed how truly devastated he was by the separation. He then quickly turned and trotted off the ship. C-3PO feigned confusion about how the safety harnesses were supposed to snap, pretending not to be aware of the two lovers, giving Han and Leia at least the similitude of a moment alone.

"That thing you said about not showing up for the celebration," he began mockingly as he took her in his arms. "I'm planning on being there, and you'd better be there too!"

"I've done some pretty foolhardy things in my time, more in fact since I met you, but I am nowhere near daring enough to disappoint a decorated leader in the Alliance," she said, smiling impishly. "Now kiss me already."

She did not have to say that twice; though, since they were on the verge of laughter, that particular kiss was somewhat sloppy. However, they did much better on the second much more determined attempt. They lingered in each other's arms just as long as they dared, knowing that the Forthright was about to be sealed for spaceflight. Han was just turning to leave when the communication officer announced receipt of a message from Luke Skywalker.

"He's taking the Star Killer to the Hoth system," the technician said. "That entire area of space is pretty much unpopulated. If he fires that thing there, only the ships that follow him into the system will be endangered. It sounds like he has found an appropriate place for the endgame. Good luck, General Solo, and may the Force be with you. We will hope to see you and the other successful squadrons back on Coruscant."

"My compliments to the Admiral," General Solo responded; and then, with a nod and a half-smile at Leia, he turned and strode from the cruiser. She could not help but notice how gallant he looked as he marched off to assist Luke in engaging the Imperial forces.

"We'll see him again," the communication officer confidently said. "Don't worry."

He noticed the way Leia paused and looked off into space before she finally replied, "Yes, I'm sure we will."

Through the porthole, she watched as Han returned to the Millennium Falcon. Only moments after he had disappeared up its ramp, the Forthright lifted from the ground and assumed its flight path. Their next scheduled stop was the jungle world of Kappelian. It suddenly occurred to her to wonder how she was going to find four people on an entire planet. It was certain to be covered with all kinds of other life signs. And the Jedi would not be advertising their presence. It was almost as if she could hear the voice of Master Windu in her mind in response to the question. Just use the Force, Padawan.

Londle and his wife, Tysha, had been billeted onboard another of the rebel cruisers. Considering how quickly the techs on the Corellian craft had gotten wise to his electronic incursion, it seemed unlikely that his assistance would be of very much advantage in the engagement at the Star Killer; but, if he were captured, he would certainly pay a dreadful price. And his wife would surely be made to suffer as well, since she would not be parted from him. However, the orbital stations around Coruscant might represent an opportunity for him to contribute to their campaign in a critical way. And the presence of such a high-ranking Imperial turncoat at the capital could also be of immense influence in forestalling any further fighting.

Leia had grown quite fond of the couple, although they had really only spent a brief time together. She was suddenly aware of just how much she had been deprived of the friendship of her familiars. The protocol droid was an almost constant companion, but it did not offer the same level of interaction. She was almost always aware of her ethereal instructors; but at a time like this, they only served to remind her of just how temporary the human condition really was. That was indisputably not the type of reassurance she required. She wondered if anger at isolation was perhaps one the most prevalent paths to the Dark Side.

Once they had made the jump into hyperspace, she suggested that C-3PO take the opportunity to power-down for a while. Then, she unfastened her harness and made her way forward. Some of the other rebels onboard the Forthright were known to her. And it made sense to her to seek them out. The embassy to Kappelian, which she had aspired to undertake, was far removed from anything she had ever experienced. Consequently, she found herself feeling somewhat apprehensive about the assignment. She was much more used to (what her grandmother had called) aggressive negotiations; but the rest of the crew seemed to sense her uncertainty, and they rose to the occasion.

The demonstration of her newfound skills, in rescuing the Prefect, had propelled her to a sudden celebrity status - even more so than her heritage, rank, or involvement in the other engagements of the Alliance. Many of the rebel recruits were young enough not to know the difference between a Padawan and a full-fledged Jedi Knight. For that reason, she was generally looked upon as the latter. During the overnight stay on Utapau, some of them had seen holo-recordings of her brief encounter with the two battle droids. They tended to look at the lightsaber, which hung from her belt, as they conversed with her. It was somewhat amusing to her, but she tried not to let it show.

By the time they engaged the sub-light engines and dropped into normal space, the atmosphere on the Forthright was almost festive. A glance at the screens silenced them. The entire planet, being breathtakingly displayed there, looked like one immense nature preserve.

"Princess," one of the scanner technicians offhandedly observed, "there's an almost unbelievable amount of biomass on that incredibly wooded world. Where do you want us to begin our search?"

"Assume an equatorial orbit," she softly instructed. "I'll let you know from there."

"Any of my technicians will gladly surrender their station to you so you can use it for your search," the admiral respectfully offered. "You have only to ask."

"Thank you, sir," she replied. "But technology won't actually be of any assistance in helping me isolate the individuals for whom I'm looking. Please give me a few moments."

Everyone immediately fell silent as they regarded her questioningly. But she simply stepped in front of the main viewing screen and then stood there wordlessly. She could clearly feel the crew's confusion, since they did not understand what she was doing. Not wanting to be distracted, she ignored the intrusive emotions of everyone around her. Her ability to be mindful of the Force was of paramount importance. She shifted her focus to her world before her, feeling the thickly forested globe that was rotating beneath her feet.

After several moments, she pointed to the image and said, "There, along that coast, where that river empties into the sea. That's where their encampment is located. You will need to come in low over the forest behind it. They have a defensive battery that's aimed in the direction of the ocean. We can use one of the widest places in the riverbank to set the cruiser down some ways inland; and then, you should probably stay with the ship. I'll make the final approach by myself. If they respond with force before I am able to identify myself, it would be best if nobody else were endangered."

"Calculate the course and initiate the descent," the admiral ordered. Turning back to Leia, he said, "You might want to strap yourself back in until we've touched down on the planet. The atmosphere is especially thick, not surprisingly for so foliated a world. Entry in a ship this size is probably going to be uncomfortably bumpy."

"Then I'm glad I had 3PO switch himself off," she cryptically replied. "I'd have heard about it all the way down."

Suddenly understanding that the princess had been talking about her protocol droid, the Admiral laughed uproariously, saying, "You've got a droid that hates flying? That has to be about the funniest thing I think I've ever heard!"

The rest of the crew was amused as well. And as Leia made her way aft again, she could still hear their laughter on the bridge. She was glad to be making planetfall amidst such jocularity, since she how no idea how the four Jedi would receive her. If their skills were superior to hers, she realized it was possible that she might be overly optimistic in assuming an ability to approach their campsite with impunity. But she was not aware of an alternative, and her disembodied instructors had not even been able to supply any.

Admiral Ackbar had not been exaggerating about the turbulence, and she was glad she had elected to leave C-3PO inactive. As the view through the portholes cleared, she got her first look at the utterly untamed landscape. She was instantly able to understand why the Jedi had been able to remain undiscovered in such a savage environment.

As the Forthright finally came to rest on an exceedingly wide swath of riverbank, one of the technicians used the craft's intercom to observe, "There is an immense amount of biological signatures between here and the river's mouth. And some of these signals are of very substantial size. I'm not able to isolate anything humanoid. But considering all the backscatter, I'm not the least surprised. Please take a blaster along with you. I am afraid lightsaber-swinging natives may not be the most immediate of your concerns out there."

"Thank you, I will," she politely replied as she unfastened her harness, collected the lightsabers from Utapau in a pouch, and moved to the rear hatch. Opening the weapons locker, she holstered a fully charged blaster. But she then unclipped the lightsaber from her belt as she activated the airlock and stepped within its confines. She was stunned by aromatic atmosphere in which she was enveloped as the equalization cycle completed.

It was not just the primordial nature of the environment that stirred a profound sense of apprehension in her. Being ever mindful of the Force all around her, she was instantly aware of the predatory intellects that had just become conscious of her presence outside the cruiser. She sensed uncertainty in the rapacious regard that was being aimed at her, and she decided it would probably be best to remain out in the open and proceed along the riverbank. It would give her the most room to maneuver and the most time to prepare a response if she were attacked, though it would also regrettably maximize the watchful eyes to which she would be exposed.

Carefully picking her path across the sandy surface, she moved towards the distant mouth of the mighty river. As she made her way, her mind continued to return to the fact that she only knew where the encampment had been placed. But she still had no idea as to why that particular location had been selected. Arguably, it had to offer an assortment of advantages to its occupants. It disturbed her that she had not yet been able to discern what precisely those benefits might be, since it seemed increasingly likely that she would come to understand them through experience rather than wisdom.

She was very aware that her progress was being shadowed. Just behind the line of exotic plants on either side of the riverbank there were creatures moving. They seemed reluctant however to break cover and attempt any open assault. But she also knew that such an encounter was inevitable. Eventually, one of the most formidable of the jungle's marauders would have to test her response. She really was not surprised when it turned out to be a group of pack-hunters.

Even for top predators, their size was alarming. It looked like any one of them could have taken down a Bantha all by itself. They were quadrupeds with extremely developed hindquarters that facilitated bursts of unbelievable speed. The hue of their hair matched the coloration of the canopy from which they emerged, giving them the unlikely ability of blending into the background. Their teeth and talons were terrible. And their aggression was easily the equal of their considerable size. Aware that their emergence had already been observed, they snarled as they charged from under the copious canopy.

As they breached the barrier and became visible, emerging in unison from multiple places, they quickly converged on her location. Obviously, they hoped to overwhelm her. The activation of her lightsaber's bright blade seemed to give pause to the closest of her opponents; but it was only the hesitancy of uncertainty, not the trepidation of recognition. Their resolve remained unwavering, and they implacably continued to close. Taking up a position in the middle of a relatively smooth circle of sand, she prepared to receive them.

If she instead had made the mistake of focusing on how fearsome they were, things would not have gone well. But all of her attention was on the Force and the weaknesses in their attack that it was revealing. Beheading the first marauder that reached her, Leia then effortlessly sidestepped the second. It whirled just in time to receive a killing thrust from her hissing blade as its body fluids boiled around the sudden insertion and the cut was almost instantaneously cauterized. It too was dead before it even hit the ground.

Her surprising back flip made the third one miss as well. She hewed its hindquarters as she landing lithely behind it. It was not a killing stroke and she regretted the necessity of simply maiming it, but her actions were determined by need. She turned just in time to skewer the fourth member of the pack-hunting party. A fifth she flung off its course with a concussion wave in the Force. Although winded, it turned and ran back into the jungle. A sixth animal followed it without even attempting to actually engage her. It had apparently seen how useless and potentially lethal the gesture would have been.

Leia turned her attention to the wounded one. The injury was far from superficial. As the creature looked back over its shoulder, she could see the pain written in its eyes. Her slice had severed its spine, paralyzing everything behind the effected area. Eventually, it would die; but probably not before scavengers tore it helplessly apart. She was unwilling to let it suffer so needlessly. She raised her lightsaber's blade, fully intending to alleviate its agony. But as she saw the fear on its face, she instinctively realized that it was not in response to what she was about to do.

Turning, she saw the sizable swarm of airborne attackers. They were already in the act of descending towards her position. The distraction of being otherwise engaged had kept her from apprehending their approach. The insect-like intruders streaked down out of the sky and with obvious intent. She swung her lightsaber defensively over her head as she backed away from the powerless predator. It cried out in terror as it realized the horrific fate to which it had just been inescapably consigned.

With a burst of Force-induced speed, Leia left the riverbank. It seemed unlikely that the fearsome flyers would be able to follow her into the forest, so this is where she was forced to flee. There were certain to be other predators there. But something land-based would be easier to face than such a numerous assembly of airborne attackers. She had to wonder if she had perhaps just discovered the unknown quantity upon which the Jedi were relying to defend the backside of their seaside-based situation.

Having gained the concealment of the canopy, she systematically silenced herself and used the Force to scan her surroundings. The arrival of the swarm had caused the other inhabitants to scatter. There was nothing in her immediate area. After seeing how she handled the attack of the pack-hunters, the other predators had quickly lost interest in her anyhow. She waited and watched to see what the swarm would now do.

After feasting on her fallen foes, the insect-like invaders soared back up into the sky. They circled several times and then headed toward an area of low hills on the other side of the river. Presumably, she thought, it should be safe to return to the water's edge; she could not be certain however how wise it would be to close the final distance to the Jedi campsite while entirely exposed. Regrettably, she had no idea if it would be any safer to sneak up on and consequently surprise them instead. But she still believed it'd be best if she enjoyed an occasion to survey the situation once there. She therefore chose to stay behind the line of vegetation. As soundlessly as she could, she resumed her trek.

Although she was a considerable distance above the equator of Kappelian, the heat was substantial enough to be distracting. She tore a pocket from her jumpsuit and cut its fabric into strips in order to fashion a makeshift headband. This kept her from constantly having to wipe the perspiration out of her eyes, an action more distracting than even the heat. While stopped, she sipped from her canteen; and then, she was quickly underway again.

Moving as silently as the undergrowth would allow, it was not long before she began to perceive the sound of the surf. It was still distant, but she knew the campsite was now quite close. She decided to pause once more, this time to wipe the wetness from the hilt of her lightsaber. She had been deliberately shifting it back and forth from hand to hand in an attempt to keep it relatively dry. The technique had not been very successful. Now, since it seemed as if she were about to reach her objective, she decided it would be best to actually prepare the weapon for possible deployment. Her seemingly inconsequential timing truly could not have been any more exact.

She had only just finished drying the shaft of her lightsaber when she suddenly felt compelled to activate it. The blade extended just in time to intercept an airborne dart. As her blade was incinerating the first projectile, others quickly accompanied it. Interposing the fountain of laser light between herself and the speeding projectiles, Leia executed a series of apparently impossible, gymnastic maneuvers. Her superhuman actions carried her to cover. Hoping she would not be forced to use the knowledge offensively, she was able to discern the location of her attackers. She decided to opt for a diplomatic solution.

"Hold your fire, Jedi Knights!" she loudly shouted. "I am the Padawan Princess Leia Organa! I'm here at the bidding of Master Mace Windu whom, I'm also aware, was your mentor!"

"I don't know how you're able to name our instructor!" a male voice hollered in reply. "But your information is incomplete! He died years ago, so you can hardly be here at his bidding!"

Leia knew the others were using the opportunity to change to positions where they could take aim against her through her cover, so she yelled, "Hold your positions! While you're correct about the Jedi Master's passage, you apparently don't yet understand the consequence! Since he transformed into the Force as a servant of light, his essence yet endures! It's possible for you to commune with your old instructor! If you will not listen to me, perhaps you'll listen to him!"

"Can it be?" Leia heard a female voice ask from somewhere uncomfortably close at hand, apparently of the male to whom she had been talking.

"I have lightsabers for all four of you!" Leia added. "I'll trade them for no more than a few minutes of your time! It's absolutely imperative that we take counsel together!"

"Extinguish your blade and come forth," the male voice finally answered. "You won't be harmed unless we determine some untruth in what you're saying. But you'll begin by revealing to us your entire intent, for we have discerned that you're yet withholding much essential information. To begin with, by whom have you been so trained?"

Leia did as instructed. The four Jedi quickly surrounded her. All were humanoid. The male, with whom she had been speaking, and one of the females both appeared to be of one race. The other male and female seemed to be similarly related to each other. There were primitive weapons in their hands, but Leia had no doubt of their prowess with these archaic armaments. Trusting that honesty alone would now be able to induce the desired result, she decided it would be best to tell them even those things that would be the most difficult for them to hear.

"I was trained by Jedi Master Luke Skywalker, my twin brother," she said. "We're the children of Anakin Skywalker, the Chosen One, who for a time became Darth Vader."

"Chosen only to destroy the Republic and bring about the Empire!" replied the other male, raising both his voice and his roughhewn weapon. His female companion touched his arm and gently discouraged him as she nodded for Leia to continue.

"It is not as you think, or I might very well ask you to kill me," Leia softly responded. "Years after becoming Darth Vader, and in order to save my brother's life, Anakin turned upon and defeated the Emperor, perishing himself in so doing. But unknown to anybody, Chancellor Palpatine had already had himself cloned by the Kaminoans. And the Clone Emperor, Darth Chrysalis, now rules in his place."

"Such a succession of Sith Lords could be endless!" exclaimed the sapphire-skinned male with whom Leia had first spoken.

"There will be no more such clones, my brother has already seen to that," Leia said in reply. Seeing the questioning looks on each of their four faces, she explained, "Acting as agents of the original Emperor, the Geonosians designed a dreadful weapon, a battle station with enough fire power to obliterate an entire planet. My adoptive father, Senator Bail Organa, and all the other inhabitants of Alderaan died when it was unleashed. I am part of an Alliance against the Empire, which Luke also joined. As part of our rebellion, he was able to destroy that first Death Star. Later, while Grand Master Yoda was training him, construction began on a second Death Star. It was aboard the second station that Darth Vader ultimately rebelled against the original Emperor and killed him. That second Death Star was subsequently destroyed. But there was an even more dreadful weapon about which we knew nothing. It is called the Star Killer, because it can actually destroy a star. Luke acquired control of the station and then used it to eliminate both Kamino and Geonosis, where it was built."

"You speak of your brother as a Jedi Master, not a servant of the Dark Side, and yet he's destroyed two star systems?" the sapphire-skinned male incredulously demanded.

"We're in communion with members of the Jedi Council, with whom it's still possible for you to meet," Leia patiently replied. "There will be no more Storm Troopers, clones of the Emperor, or Geonosian doomsday machines. But a part of our purpose was to draw Darth Chrysalis away from Coruscant. In order to accomplish this assassination, Luke is willing to sacrifice himself, and certainly the Star Killer must be destroyed. Since it can't be replaced and is now so essential to the endurance of the Empire, the Clone Emperor will have to try to take it from him. Of course, I hope my brother can achieve his ambition without losing his life. But while Darth Chrysalis is otherwise engaged, my assignment is to enter the Jedi Temple and alter the transponder code to summon whatever remains of the Jedi. I am also to use my father's influence to try and recall the Galactic Congress."

"Master Windu seemed to be convinced that we were the very last of the Jedi," said the sapphire-skinned male. "Obviously, you and your brother came along later. But have you any real reason to believe there are others?"

"The Shroud of the Dark Side apparently prevented the few who actually remained from being able to discern each other," Leia replied. "But I'm certain there are others."

"How do you know?" asked the sapphire-skinned female.

"Although the passage of time caused them to transform into the Force, some other Jedi Masters did escape. Having subsequently been reunited with all the ones who went before, they've revealed that they took and trained apprentices just as Master Windu did. I must summon these trainees to the Temple to help with the restoration of the Republic. We may even be called upon to depose Darth Chrysalis if he should somehow survive," Leia answered. And then, as she opened the pouch and distributed the lightsabers, Leia added, "Two of the blades are blue, and the others are both green. Select for yourselves whichever you wish. But I've said all I can to convince you. Are you ready for me to show you how to commune with the Jedi Council? I am certain that Master Windu in particular earnestly desires to speak with you."

It had not escaped her attention that the other male and female were nearly emerald in completion; and so, it did not surprise her when the lightsabers were divided in such a way that they complimented the skin color of each respective recipient. She had already concluded that it was far beyond simple coincidence for there to have been exactly four such weapons recovered. Now, it seemed as if even the color of their arcing discharges had been foreordained. The realization was also obviously apprehended by those same recipients as she told them from whence the weapons had been retrieved. But she was still waiting for an answer to her previous question.

"I'm Xan," the sapphire-skinned male suddenly announced. Indicating the female of similar coloration, he added, "This is Priella. The other male is Mox. With him is Mardra, his cousin. Thank you for bringing us such renowned weapons. Now if you would please, show us now how we may commune with our Master and the Council upon which he has again taken his place."

"Is there a place we can go where we are relatively certain to remain undisturbed?" Leia asked. "I'd hate for us to be interrupted by one of the many predators on this planet, some of the worst of which it seems are airborne."

"Artificial structures are subject to the sudden storms that sometimes sweep in from the sea," Xan replied. "But there's a cave near here that serves as our main habitation. It should suffice for the occasion. But tell us, how did you get here? And how did you know where to look for us? We chose this location years after our Master was taken from us."

"Admiral Ackbar is the supreme commander of the Alliance against the Empire," she replied. "His cruiser, the Forthright, is sitting in a wide clearing along the riverbank, some distance upstream. As for the other, I used the Force to determine where to look for you. But you found me first, having ostensibly been informed of my arrival by the same ally."

As she turned and followed them in the direction they indicated, she used her com-link to contact the cruiser and let everyone know about her success. She explained that there might be some delay in her return to the Forthright, since the Jedi were taking her to see the cave that served as their homestead. She decided not to try and explain what they were doing, since she knew the logical conclusion would be that they were going to collect their personal items. They had not yet volunteered to come with her to Coruscant. She believed however that their meeting with the Jedi Council would seal their service. It seemed unreasonable to think that Master Windu would be unable to persuade them.

"Should we perhaps reposition the Forthright, so it will be in closer proximity to you now that you've made contact?" Admiral Ackbar asked. "That swarm you encountered is still in the area. I'm sorry we didn't pick them up on our scanners in time to warn you. We could keep you from having to return this way by setting the cruiser down on the beach."

"That would be unadvisable," Xan unexpectedly replied, turning to Leia. "There are some incredibly large creatures out in the ocean. They might be attracted to something as shiny as a spaceship. Apparently, the bottom drops off very near the shoreline in this area. Consequently, they can come very close without being observed. It's one of many reasons we selected this spot. Any kind of craft that made the mistake of landing along the coastline wouldn't last long. We're essentially surrounded by such natural defenses."

"Admiral, it sounds like it would be much safer for you to stay where you are at least for the time being," Leia advised him. Ackbar indicated his understanding and signed off.

The group began an ascent toward a rocky outcropping. Xan told Leia that this was where the cave was located. Despite the size of their party, the predators still refused to allow them passage without at least attempting to accost them. Having abandoned their primitive weaponry in favor of their lightsabers, the four escorts were able to discourage the would-be assailants by simply slashing at the foliage with the bright blades. Feeling that it might be important to demonstrate her prowess as a Padawan, Leia unleashed a concussion wave in the Force against any creature that drew close enough to her. Her companions vocally agreed with her option.

"This must've been an awfully challenging place to live," Leia observed.

"It's essentially all we've ever known," Mox replied. "I don't think it was ever Master Windu's intention to harden us the way that, let us say, Darth Maul was forged by Darth Sidious. The decision to select this system was necessitated by the desperate situation at the time. Arguably however the effect was essentially the same. The four of us may be much more resilient that would be normal for Jedi our age. As the daughter of Darth Vader, whom we knew as Anakin, you're probably only years younger than any of us."

"If you would please, I would appreciate it very much if you would only refer to my father as Anakin," Leia softly said. "He was forgiven for the many terrible things he did. Although he has made himself most available to my brother, he also serves as one of my mentors. Please remember that he served on the Jedi Council with Master Windu. Having fully renounced his allegiance to the Dark Side, he serves there still. Perhaps I should advise you that you are probably about to encounter him in that capacity."

"Your father maimed our Master," Mardra replied. "Palpatine would have died before actually becoming the Emperor if it hadn't been for your father's treasonous interference. Master Windu had defeated Darth Sidious and was about to slay him when Darth Vader intervened. Only if our master instructs us so will we refrain from the use of his Sith title."

"He killed Younglings," Mox added, affirming his sister's sentiment. "This is what he was doing while we were fleeing from the capital. He'd have killed us if we'd been there."

"I was unaware of this," Leia honestly admitted. "And it is not my intention to instruct you, since I am a simple Padawan. Let us rather agree with the will of your Master in this matter. Perhaps it was out of place for me to say anything at all. I'm very sorry."

"We accept your apology," Xan replied, anxious for a resolution to the disagreement. "We understand that you might have no knowledge of the evils that were commented by your father."

"That is not entirely true," Leia rejoined as she unleashed a concussive wave at yet another approaching predator. "For many years, my brother and I did not know anything about our father. We didn't even know about each other. And Anakin was also obviously unaware of us. Right before meeting Luke for the first time, I was captured and held as a prisoner on the first Death Star. My father performed the interrogation. I've still got scars from that encounter."

Priella actually stopped in her tracks, turning to ask, "And yet, you forgive him?"

"It was only because of the miracle of a transformed life that he transformed into the Force as he did," Leia evenly answered. "His repentance was no ruse. How then could I call myself clean if I didn't rise to reciprocate? I didn't grow up on a jungle world, but I've served as a diplomat all my life. There can be no permanent peace without repentance, reconciliation, redemption, and restoration. And eternity is the ultimate arbiter. Perhaps your Master was taken from you before he'd taught you these truths. Refusal to forgive is a path to the Dark Side."

While Leia was willing to pacify the foursome in specific areas, in order to reinforce the friendship that seemed to be forming, truthfulness demanded that she finally make a stand. The warrior princess was not about to let herself be cowed by the callousness of her companions, no matter how essential was their support. Such a shortcoming in their discernment represented a serious cause for concern, because it might ultimately impact their ability to provide effectual support when it came to restoring the Republic. It was no longer a disagreement about simple aesthetics.

"We understand what you are saying," Xan finally responded when no else seemed able to answer. "And I am sure the Jedi Council will have more to say about the subject."

Raising his hand to make certain he had everybody's attention and to preempt any further inflammatory remarks, he silently indicated that they should resume their ascent. They quietly continued up the trail. And the further up the pathway they progressed, the more completely exposed it became. With progressively less concealment from behind which to launch their ill-fated assaults, attacks by predators became far less frequent.

From just outside the entrance to the cave, the view was stunningly spectacular. It reminded Leia somewhat of the forest moons of Yavin and Endor but more savage. She wondered how the Ewoks were doing, which resulted in a disturbing perception that they were somehow in danger. Since she believed the Empire was unaware of their aid to the Alliance, she could not imagine why there would be any plans against them. Not wanting the distraction of such a concern, since she now needed to instruct her escorts in how to commune with the Council members who had transformed into to Force, she dismissed the apprehension. The Ewoks were not the only ones in danger, and she needed to stay focused on the business at hand. Only by accomplishing her mission could she minimize the loss of life – on whatever world.

"We usually light torches, which is why we installed the grating system," Priella said. "But our lightsabers should provide ample light for the occasion."

At first, her statement seemed mysterious. But as they slowly progressed down the passage, Leia soon saw that long, vertical slots had been carefully hewn in the rock face on either side of the tunnel. And as the last person in their procession, which was Priella, passed by each set of slots, she would turn and secure the passageway behind them.

From out of one of the vertical slots, she slid a grating so that it extended all the way across the tunnel. Then, using hewn access ports, which were located on the side of the grating away from the tunnel's mouth and adjacent to the slots, she reached in and used a spike to secure the grating in its place. As Leia correctly surmised, the narrow access ports led back to places where it was possible to secure the spike all the way across the vertical slot. This made it impossible for anyone, or anything, coming down the tunnel to reach the locking mechanism. There were three such gates in series.

"Of course, since the gratings are made out of wood and only lashed together where their beams connect, it might be possible for something to chew right through them," Xan said in response to Leia's questioning look. "But while it was engaged in that effort, we'd be shooting it with poison-tipped darts and arrows. If it somehow made it to the last gate, we'd be sticking spears through the openings and stabbing it too. On the outside chance that anything could get through all that, there's a place at the back of the chamber where we've tunneled almost all the way outside. If we really had to, we could quickly excavate our way out of here."

"That's good to know," Leia impishly answered.

"Right," Xan laughed in reply, unable to resist her jest. "We used wood gates instead of stone slabs because we usually employ firelight in here. We needed the tunnel to stay ventilated. Now that we've got lightsabers, thanks to you, even that's no longer a worry."

"I see," Leia said, nodding. "If we're secure, we'd probably better get started. I don't doubt that you're all anxious to speak with Master Windu. Are you ready?"

When they all indicated that they were; she taught them the required technique for communing with those who had transformed into the Force. Not surprisingly, they were very adept students. In a matter of minutes, they were conferring with the Jedi Council. Master Windu was obviously overjoyed at being reunited with his previous apprentices.

"The day for which I'd been preparing you has finally arrived," he somberly said as he turned suddenly serious. "We have an opportunity to bring the Empire to an end. But you must be ready to do whatever is required."

"We are," Xan assured him. But then, he asked, "Is it true that Anakin has resumed his place on the Jedi Council?"

"He is currently communing with Luke, but yes," Windu replied, aiming a measuring look at the man. "He finally accomplished himself what he prevented me from doing. It is of course extremely unfortunate that the Emperor had already engineered a successor. But tell me, why do you ask?"

"Leia has respectfully requested that we all refrain from using his Sith designation," Xan carefully responded.

"More than anyone else possibly could, I understand why you feel the way you do," Windu replied. "But her request is reasonable. Anakin did renounce the Dark Side. Even now, he is helping to undo all the evil that he enabled. Blame the deception, not the one who was so deceived. What she told you is true. In the face of repentance, the failure to forgive is a path to the Dark Side. Perhaps I should have spent more time cautioning you about the consequences of a vengeful attitude. Killing unnecessarily is the suicide of the soul. Only the purity of true repentance can cancel out a transgression, and the sacrifice of restitution may also be required. Do not look upon the Jedi as the ultimate instruments of justice. Destroyers bring destruction down upon themselves. If you cannot be satisfied with your privileged position as preservers of the peace; know that only ambassadors of reconciliation serve a higher calling, and aspire to such a highly honored office instead."

"Thank you, Master Windu," Xan said, bowing. After that, each of the other three got a chance to spend a little time with their old instructor. He was quick to remind them that they now enjoyed such access whenever the need arose. He concluded by encouraging them to accompany Leia to the capital and help her in whatever way they could. They all promised to do so. As Windu and the phantasmal figures faded, a troubling rumble could be heard from outside the cave. Its reverberations echoed ominously down the length of the rocky corridor.

"Oh no," gasped Mox. By the emerald illumination of his lightsaber's bright blade, his green skin looked almost ghastly.

"What's wrong?" demanded Leia, breathlessly. "What was that?"

"Get the cruiser on your communicator!" Xan yelled. "If you can't get through to them from down here, go to the mouth of the cave just as quickly as you can! Tell them to take off!"

As Leia tried to comply, she discovered that she had no signal in the cavern; and as she raced back toward the entrance to the cave, she shouted over her shoulder, asking, "What's happening? Why do they have to take off?"

Priella who had come with her to open the gates replied, "The storms on this planet can strike without warning. And their intensity can be almost beyond belief. The river will be struck with a flash flood, which is why the bank is so wide in many places. You've got to tell your friends to get out of there."

"Shouldn't I just have them come and pick us up?" Leia asked as her brow furrowed with an uncharacteristic frown.

"There's no time," Priella replied, panting as she systematically slid each of the three gates aside in swift succession. "By the time you hear thunder, it's already too late. They need to climb above the atmosphere just as quickly as they possibly can. They'll have to return for us after the storm has passed. We should be safe enough here, but they need to lift off immediately."

Using Force-induced speed to sprint the rest of the way to the entrance, Leia finally succeeded in getting a signal; and as she heard the voice of Admiral Ackbar, she yelled, "Admiral, get your ship out of there! You need to initiate an emergency climb! Stay above the cloud ceiling until the storm has passed! Do it now!"

A few moments later, Leia saw the Forthright streaking into the sky. Lightning licked the atmosphere all around it. It barely evaded the funneling fingers of cyclonic cloud that reached out as if they were actually eager to ensnare the escaping spacecraft. The very air appeared angry in a way she had never before observed. The sky looked surreal, as if it were only an animator's approximation of how such a storm should probably appear. The upper extent of the horizon was altering incessantly, making it seem as if the jungle below it were changing as well.

In reality, it was. Torrents of tornadic force were ripping vegetation from the verdant canopy and flinging it into the air. Caught in the updrafts, debris floated like butterflies on the unbelievable breeze. The sky seemed practically packed with particulate. Peculiarly, however, some of the suspended substance in the nightmarish atmosphere seemed to be moving with premeditated intent. It did not seem obedient to the wildly whipping wind.

Carefully touching Priella on the shoulder with one hand and pointing with the other, Leia asked, "What are those?"

Before Priella could reply or even ascertain the answer, Leia's mastery of the Force enabled her to identify the quantity in question. The airborne mass was composed of the same insect-like creatures before which she had been forced to retreat while making her way along the river. The storm's sudden onset had stopped them from returning to their customary confines. As a consequence, they were now seeking a substitute shelter. And they were heading directly toward the cave.

"I've got a very bad feeling about this," Priella finally replied. "As fast as you can, get back inside!"

Leia needed no further encouragement, having seen the approaching invaders quite close-at-hand. Turning, she raced back into the cave. Following close behind her, Priella carefully closed and fastened each gate in series. Leia shouted down the tunnel, alerting the other occupants to the impending arrival of the insect-like intruders. The trio brought their blowguns, bows, and quivers; but Leia believed they would all have the unfortunate occasion to use their lightsabers too. Having the external armor of arthropods, it seemed a forgone conclusion that the invaders would all be particularly resistant to such primitive projectiles – even if the tips were dipped in poison.

The one advantage, possessed by the quintet, was the fact that the tightness of the tunnel prevented the invaders from approaching the gates with more than a few soldiers at a time. This maximized their opportunity for firing at the few in front. In order for them to chew through the bindings, the intruders all had to hold their heads at specific angles. Between this and the arrows of the archers being guided by the Force, the first ones to reach the outer gate were quickly deprived of their eyesight, rendering their initial efforts extremely imprecise. And since the poison had been introduced so close to their brains, they quickly succumbed.

But their desperation was beyond belief. The cadavers were shoved aside with such force that they were severed in the process, and they were quickly replaced. The insects were also astonishingly adept at digging. Exposed to the fury of the storm, the ones that had been trapped outside the tunnel were widening the entrance. And they were doing it quite industriously, while the ones inside the tunnel were also trying to widen its walls.

Despite the diligence of the defense, the first gate finally fell. The insect-like soldiers surged forward, falling with ferocious fervor upon the second obstacle. Since the targets were now closer, it was possible for the archers to strike them with even more force. The determination of the intruders however more than made up for the seemingly incidental attrition. It was like picking pebbles out of an avalanche and hoping, thereby, to stave off its ultimate approach.

Echoing down the tunnel, from somewhere outside the entrance, they began to hear a sound that was curiously similar to the reports of their arrows striking against the armor of the invaders. In response, the mass of soldiers surged forward again. It seemed to be of no consequence that there was really nowhere for them to go. Something outside was driving them desperately forward. Leia looked questioningly to her four friends.

"Hail, and very big stones by the sounds of it," Priella explained.

All at once the second gate shattered, unable to endure any longer the pressure of the biomass that was mindlessly pushing against it. Spinning shards of its aggressively sundered structure ricocheted off the walls, but the sounds were lost amidst the rush of the advancing army. Blinking in disbelief, everybody quickly got their lightsabers ready.

"This last gate is the strongest of all!" Xan yelled above the noise of the approaching throng. "But they're probably going to thrash when we stab them through the spaces, so be sure your lightsabers do not slash the grating! Our weapons could accidentally make very short work of this last line of defense!"

"Didn't you say there was a way we could get out of here if we had to?" Leia asked.

"Yes, but I don't like our odds in a hailstorm! And large predators will have laid claim to every alternative place of shelter!" Xan shouted in reply just as the first of the intruders reached the third gate. But as he and the others stabbed between the grating's squares just as quickly as they could, and he realized how swiftly they would soon be overcome, he looked at Priella and cried, "Do it!"

"Come with me!" Priella shouted at Leia, and then she quickly receded back into the blackness of the cave. Leia followed after the glow of her companion's blue blade.

Reaching the large chamber at the end of the tunnel, Leia scrambled up the steps of the roughhewn stairway that extended upward from its furthest end. The excavation very intentionally ended just short of the surface. Priella had already situated herself and was preparing to plunge her bright blade into the interposing stone slabs, almost immediately overhead. Leia could see that they would have to employ levitation to protect themselves from the descending debris, but she was also aware of a safer and speedier alternative.

"Wait! Come back down from there!" Leia said with unintended authority. And then, as Priella complied anyway, she softly explained, "There may be a simpler solution."

Holding her lightsaber to the side, using it only to illuminate their surroundings, Leia motioned for Priella to stand across from her so that they were both facing the blockage. Holding up her hand, she indicated that she was preparing to release a concussion wave in the Force. Priella did likewise. The obstruction swiftly fell before their combined force.

The portal opened on some extremely wicked weather, but they were out of options. Priella turned and shouted to the others, telling them that their emergency escape route was ready. In the interim, Leia decided to use the opportunity to distinguish herself. She was the first to brave exposure to the inclement elements. The size of the hailstones had diminished somewhat, but being pelted by the little pellets was still unpleasant. Cringing, she crouched beneath the icy cascade and wincingly waited for the others to all emerge.

Because the mesh of the gratings was so finely knit, she had been afraid to use her blaster before. But now that it was a simple matter of needing to cover their escape, she pulled her weapon from its holster and waited to collapse the portal. Soon, all four of the others expeditiously emerged. She then continuously fired into the opening until she had reduced its edges to rubble and fused the fallen stones together. While she was finishing this, the strength of the hailstorm was steadily diminishing; but multiple vortices were still visible right from where they were standing.

Leia turned to Xan and asked, "What should we do now?"

He anxiously looked back over her shoulder in the direction of the tunnel's mouth as he unexpectedly answered, "Get to high ground, and just as quickly as we possibly can."

She needed no explanation. She could already hear the sounds of the approaching wings. Some of the swarm had still been outside and waiting to funnel their way into the protection of the passage. The use of the blaster had drawn their attention, and the fact that the hail had subsided was actually working to the inconvenience of the escapees. It was now necessary to meet the menace in the open, exactly what they had been hoping to avoid.

Propelled by their employment of the Force, they raced to the top of the bluff under which the cave system passed. Having achieved this objective, they spread themselves out across its crown. Leia used her blaster in an attempt to dissuade the intruders from completing their approach. It did not have the intended effect. It seemed as if the rest of the swarm took offense instead to the killing of its constituents. Everybody readied their lightsabers. They did not have long to wait.

Overlooking the verdant jungle, and against the backdrop of the swirling sky, the five defenders engaged the nightmarish swarm. The flashes of their singing lightsabers were practically indistinguishable from the fingers of lightning that were falling on the forest all around them. Even though the winged Geonosians had not participated in the conflict in their abhorrent arena, the scene was nevertheless evocative of that notorious encounter as the five apparently overwhelmed Jedi refused to yield to such superior numbers.

Mox and Mardra closed ranks, fighting back to back, as did Xan and Priella. With a blaster in one hand and her lightsaber in the other, Leia became the critical third point of their impenetrable triangle. The falling carcasses of the insect-like attackers rolled down the embankment like some kind of morbid avalanche, coming to rest amidst the crusted covering of steaming hailstones. The haze, being produced by their evaporation, made the entire forest look like some kind of battlefield as the report of Leia's blaster fire was lost in the throbbing thunder of the extraordinarily tumultuous storm.

Predators began to appear at the bottom of the bluff, drawn by the deluge of death. One of the cyclonic columns was approaching their position, and the swarm was starting to relent. But now that carnivores were also encircling them, it seemed as if there would be no opportunity for the Jedi to retreat. The coming of the funnel cloud finally dismissed all that remained of the airborne attackers. The few survivors violently veered away from its appallingly proximate presence. Suddenly understanding the traumatizing imminence of the tornado, the scavengers on the assaulted side of the rise all scattered. A pathway had opened for Leia and her four friends, but in the most improbable and undesirable of directions.

"We have to retake the cave!" Xan cried as he leapt from the pinnacle of the bluff.

Master Windu would have been proud of their prodigious deed as the other four all followed. As if the force of gravity were of no effect, though the uprising winds may have aided them as well, they all arrived with seemingly impossible impunity at the opening to the tunnel. Brandishing their lightsabers, they powerfully proceeded to secure again the same environs from which they had so recently fled. This time, Leia had no reservations about using her blaster. Even if she collapsed the tunnel upon their enemies, they would still have an alcove in which to shelter from the storm.

Understanding that this was indeed an option, Leia deliberately allocated part of her firepower to the stone ceiling. The shards of shrapnel that erupted in response to those discharges were almost as effectual against their armored opponents as the laser blasts would have been themselves. The underground channel choked, first with the fallen and then with its own catastrophic collapse. Industrious diggers though they were, it was very easy to see that the incarcerated insects would not be able to escape before the twister had swept by their position. The sound of it was like the engines of a Corellian cruiser.

The whirlwind buffeted the bluff for a few moments and then moved on, but the sky was still undulating like a living thing. There was no safe place for a cruiser under such a precarious canopy. They were back to waiting out the storm. They were now without the guardianship of the gates; but the power pack in Leia's blaster still had almost half of its charge and, equipped as they were with lightsabers, the five of them made a formidable fighting force anyway. They sat just inside the entrance to the passageway and surveyed the devastated jungle lying before them. The traumatic transformation, which had been brought about by the violence of the storm, was almost beyond Leia's ability to believe.

The river, which had looked so serene in its initial setting, was now a raging torrent of whitewater. From their position within the base of the bluff, they could just discern the place where it swept into the surging sea. It was rife with refuse. Plant stalks the size of logs littered its surface. Creatures could be seen clinging to some of these. Others were already dead, their bobbing bodies no longer making any efforts to orient themselves in the storm-swollen watercourse. Many of the now lifeless forms were unknown to Leia.

"If the beach is so dangerous, where do you suggest we go to get picked up by the cruiser? It really doesn't look like there even is a riverbank anymore," Leia asked, adding the comment. After all the excitement, she was almost desperate to make conversation. However, another question suggested itself to her and, before anyone could respond to her initial inquiry, she asked, "And what happened to the ship that brought you here?"

"We scavenged it a long time ago," Mox replied. "It wasn't flight-worthy anymore. As for the pickup point, we should probably go back to the top of the bluff. But not just yet."

"I'm not in that big a hurry," Leia jokingly said. "After all, we've got such a nice view."

"Breathtaking, isn't it?" asked Mardra, in the same teasing tone. "Makes me almost sad to be leaving this place."

"You'll get over it, I'm sure," Mox lightheartedly replied, chuckling. "And probably just as soon as you board the cruiser."

"You always were the sentimental type," she chidingly replied, elbowing him lightly in the ribs in response to which he of course feigned serious injury. Everyone laughed.

"I think the weather will clear up pretty soon," Xan optimistically observed. Turning to Leia, he explained, "The storms often blow out as fast as they came in, especially if they come from inland like this one did. The storms that come in from the sea usually give us more forewarning, but they're worse than this and take much longer to move by."

He had no sooner than said this when a shaft of sunlight suddenly stabbed through an abrupt opening in the easing atmosphere. The clouds quickly began losing their sickly coloration as the source of the disturbance was swept out to sea. Leia had never seen a super-cell thunderstorm before. From its backside, the height of the immense wall cloud was almost beyond belief. It was difficult to accept that her four friends had lived most of their lives in close proximity to such storms.

"You can probably go ahead and contact the cruiser," Xan suggested. "All they have to do is follow your signal down. If we just take our time climbing back up the bluff, they'll probably get there about the same time we do."

Looking warily around, just in case any of the opportunistic predators saw the break in the weather as an occasion to attack, they abandoned the enclosure. The trickiest part of the ascent was provided by the wetness of the terrain. They saw many animals, but all of them were occupied with the remains that had been left by the previous battle. And by the time they mounted the summit, the shining descent of the Forthright could be seen in the quickly clearing sky. Never before in all her life had Leia been so elated about seeing any ship, not even the Millennium Falcon.

She was quite surprised when Londle and Tysha ushered them aboard the hovering cruiser; but Londle explained, "All along, the plan was for the Forthright to take you down to the planet. They wanted me on one of the other cruisers in case we had company."

"I take it then that you're expertise in infiltrating Imperial systems didn't end up being required," Leia impishly postulated.

"Fortunately not," Londle laughingly agreed. As everyone strapped in and the cruiser headed back toward space, he continued, "When the prospect presented itself, since the Forthright had to leave the atmosphere, my wife and I asked to transfer over. I thought it would be much easier to plan our strategy for Coruscant if we were all together. But I am happy to see that you were successful, despite the obviously inclement conditions down there. Would you please introduce us to your new friends?"

"Londle and Tysha Eisley," Leia said with suitable ceremony and, indicating each of the foursome in turn as she gave their names, continued, "it gives me great contentment to acquaint you with Jedi Knights Xan, Priella, Mox, and Mardra. And it pleases me even more to tell you that they've already agreed to help us with the campaign on Coruscant."

Once the Forthright had rejoined the rest of the cruisers, and they had all made the jump into hyperspace, Leia took her new friends forward and introduced them to the rest of the crew. Because of their substantial distance from the capital, they would now have plenty of time to clean up, eat, rest, and generally recover from their ordeal on the jungle world of Kappelian. However, Leia was well aware that all they had endured might really have only constituted training for their upcoming operation. But she was very reassured to have seen all the jungle Jedi in action already. Each certainly possessed the prowess she would have expected from the Padawans of Jedi Master Mace Windu.

When they reassembled later, before launching into their discussion of how best to accomplish their objective on Coruscant, Leia thought it advisable to bring the others up to date on everything that had happened since their exile; at least, as far as she knew it herself. C-3PO helped her fill in some of the absent details, as did Londle Eisley.

As soon as the Forthright had made its jump into hyperspace, Admiral Ackbar came back to join his passengers; and with the very first substantial pause in Leia's recitation, he good-naturedly observed, "I'm so glad to have you back aboard, Princess. Your droid woke up and thought he'd been sold into service aboard a spaceship again. We were at our wits' end trying to reassure him. I guess something like that happened to him before. He says he woke up on a space freighter and couldn't even remember how he'd gotten there. I guess that must be why he seems to hate spaceflight so much, poor guy."

Everybody laughed at the Admiral's comical condolence. C-3PO obviously believed the concern to be genuine, even thanking the Admiral. This elicited even more laughter, which the protocol droid did not seem to understand. Leia was so winded from laughing by the time she was finally able to return to her narration that she was nearly gasping at the end of each sentence. She was glad for the continued assistance of the others in her storytelling, both mechanical and human. Even Tysha found opportunities to contribute.

As she ended the history lesson, she posed a query of her own, asking, "I thought it was common for a Master to have only one apprentice, so isn't it a bit strange for you all to have been trained by Jedi Master Windu?"

"Part of that relates to the necessities of the situation," Xan replied. "There was only one Jedi Master between us. Truthfully, it was usual for Younglings to all begin under a common instructor, only later to be paired with their own specific mentors. But even the Sith have apparently engaged in training several students, and not out of such necessity. Darth Sidious seems to have engaged in serious overlapping concerning the tutelage of Dooku and Darth Maul. Of course, Jedi Masters have the special distinction of not using their students to eliminate each other. But it sounds to me like Palpatine was even trying to take on Luke as an apprentice while your father was still serving as his subordinate."

"I meant no offense by the question," she was quick to reassure them. "It's just that I don't think even the Jedi Council really knows how many will respond to the changing of the transponder code. I suppose it would be overly optimistic to think that there could be other pockets of Padawans out there. I'm just hoping there's a positive response. It's no small thing we're trying to accomplish, and we can use all the help we can get."

"I hope Jedi Master Skywalker is able to return and lend his support," Londle added.

"We wouldn't even be here if it hadn't been for his determination to intercede on our behalf," Tysha agreed, squeezing her husband's hand. Looking intently at Leia, she said, "And I'd have almost certainly ended up a widow on Utapau if it hadn't been for you. We hope only the very best for you and your brother."

"He certainly made very short work of Darth Maul; or, rather, his clone," Londle said. "And he now has that dreadful, double-ended lightsaber. I don't care how much younger the new Emperor is, I don't think he stands much of a chance against Luke."

"I'm afraid Darth Chrysalis does have one serious advantage," Leia softly admitted, even though she was very appreciative of the attempt that was being made to reassure her. Looking at her four new friends, she explained, "I didn't mention this before, since I don't like thinking about it; but this is why I'm so anxious to see how many Jedi respond. If the Clone Emperor should survive his encounter with Luke, we'll be forced to deal with him ourselves. Unfortunately, his chances of winning all such contests may hinge on the fact that the Kaminoans apparently increased his midi-chlorian count, and considerably. He told Luke that he's now the most powerful being that has ever lived."

"Whatever," said Mox, astounding her with his surprisingly dismissive attitude. "But there's still something you're forgetting."

"What's that?" she asked, obviously mystified.

"As the children of the Chosen One, you and your brother must now be fulfilling the prophecy," he said, his voice resonating with the sound of reason. "Artificially increased midi-chlorian counts aside, the two of you are destined to bring balance to the Force."

Chapter Six: The Cleansing of the Temple

Coruscant: once the capital of the Galactic Republic and now the infamous seat of the Imperial Throne. Each time Leia set her eyes upon the planet, she was struck by just how overwhelming was its visage even from the distant vantage point of outer space. Its entire spherical surface was so unbelievably industrialized that the soaring silhouettes of its respective commercial regions could be observed even from orbit. As a diplomat, she had visited many exotic worlds, but none of them presented such a patently mechanized panorama. Nothing in her experience could be compared to Coruscant.

With all the interstellar comings and goings, Imperial and commercial, she knew the number of people on the planet at any given time tended to fluctuate crazily. But all such nomadic behavior notwithstanding, no less than five hundred billion sentient beings were known to call Coruscant their home; and except for a comparatively small percentage of the population, this also represented the number of inhabitants that had been essentially enslaved by the Empire. More than she desired to see any of her loved ones alive again or even to survive herself, she longed to deliver the downtrodden of all the worlds where the perfidy of Palpatine had prevailed. The hope of her heart was to do nothing less than bring liberation to a galaxy that had been beguiled into forfeiting its freedom, even at the cost of her life. She returned her attention to the heated discussion that was taking place between Londle Eisley and Admiral Ackbar.

"I'm sorry, but there's just no way around it," Londle was saying. "The Forthright and maybe a couple of the other cruisers can make planetfall together. The others all need to remain in orbit and engage the orbital platforms. Using my Imperial codes, I'm sure I can fool one of them into letting those ships descend; but once the first platform is attacked, the Imperial operators on the surface will close the shields against further incursion."

"Ground forces are certain to be at least as much of a concern as their space-based defenses," Ackbar argued. "Even the compliment of three cruisers might not make much of a difference in assisting the infiltration of the Jedi Temple. If Princess Leia is unable to complete her mission, this will all have been for nothing."

"As I'm sure you're aware, Admiral," Londle patiently replied, "those platforms are as able to bombard the surface as they are to deter an interstellar attack. It's imperative that we eliminate them. They effectively hold Coruscant as their captive. It will do no good for Leia to force her way into the Jedi Temple if someone on an orbital platform just blows it away while she's inside it. As long as there is communication between the platforms and the shield operators on the surface, the danger of such a bombardment remains too real. In my opinion, we should drop the Jedi, and as many of our soldiers as we can spare, as close to the Jedi Temple as we can get them; and then, we should use the three cruisers to destroy the shield generators for that sector. The rest of the fleet will have to eliminate the orbital platforms."

"What about the other shield generators?" Admiral Ackbar pressed. "As long as they remain functional, the rest of the surface will be closed to space. As you pointed out, just as soon as they realize that the platforms are being attacked, the shield operators on the surface are certain close off the areas above their respective parts of the super-city. How do you recommend that we deal with them?"

"They'll still be vulnerable to ground attack," Londle timidly answered. "Once word of the rebellion spreads, maybe we won't even have to concern ourselves with them. There is also the possibility of using the underground access-ways, between the sections of the city, to slip in strike-teams. At full power, those city shields will even stop ground traffic."

"With all those shields operating at full power, there will be incredibly intense storms on the surface wherever they intersect," Ackbar argued. "It's not like the Storm Troopers won't anticipate an attack through the connecting tunnels. They may decide to demolish them in order to help seal their perimeters. They may even wait until they have detected our soldiers inside."

"Ultimately, this planet may have to be won back a sector at a time," Londle replied. "But I still wouldn't discount the resourcefulness of its citizens. While they're policing the perimeters of their respective sectors, the Storm Troopers will also have enemies at their backs. And let us not forget that they'll have to defend those broad boundaries while also protecting the shield generators. Surely, they won't be able to do both indefinitely. It's not like they're going to be resupplied."

"Perhaps you're right," Ackbar disappointedly agreed. "I was just hoping for a much more expeditious solution. The longer it takes to secure the capital, the greater the risks of collateral losses. The emancipation of Coruscant could produce a cascade effect. But before anything like that can happen, it needs to be effectively freed. As long as pockets of Imperial oppression actually remain, the ultimate advantage of a victory here won't be realized."

"Admiral, sir, I'm receiving some very interesting transmissions," the communication officer, Jarma, interjected. "It seems that the Galactic Congress has been recalled. Quite a few of the ships on approach are of diplomatic designation. This helps us, doesn't it?"

"Perhaps in a number of ways," Londle replied, before Leia could answer. "Admiral, I think we should contact the Prefect's cruiser and have him request an approach path, on behalf of his entire delegation. It would save my codes for the assault on the platforms. I already uploaded them to the computers on every cruiser in our fleet. Of course, that will mean that his will have to be one of the two cruisers that go with us. But after all, he is a diplomat, not a soldier. And I would contend that his greatest contribution could be made on the surface."

"I agree," Admiral Ackbar decidedly answered. Turning to the communication officer, he then said, "Put me through to the Prefect's cruiser."

While the Supreme Commander of the Coalition was having his conference with the Ambassador from Saleucami, Priella apprehensively turned to Leia and said, "I don't get it. Why would the Clone Emperor recall the Galactic Congress? What could conceivably be the advantage for him in that?"

"I'm not sure," Leia pensively admitted. "But I have a very bad feeling about this."

"You must not be the only one," the senior scanning technician, Uti, replied. "Quite a few ships from the diplomatic delegations are remaining in orbit while the ambassador's craft makes the descent alone. Maybe they're supposed to provide options for extracting their representative if things go really wrong. But that means our other cruisers won't be the only ones left in orbit. That's sure to make them seem much less conspicuous."

"This whole thing is just getting easier by the minute," Mox chuckled. "Maybe by the time we get down there, they'll have the red carpet rolled out for us as well."

"Somehow, I really don't think Leia gave us these nice lightsabers just to help us get off Kappelian," Mardra curtly commented as she nudged him good-naturedly. "Although I suppose I wouldn't be too terribly disappointed if we didn't end up having to use them."

"Speak for yourself," Xan replied. "Those Storm Troopers stopped being servants of the Republic decades ago. Even if Darth Chrysalis is destroyed, they're not going to just lay down their arms. They'll keep fighting until the last one is dead. I hope Londle is right about the inhabitants emulating our example and rising up in resistance. If they can't win back their respective sectors in short order, I'm afraid they're likely to all find themselves being held hostage by some incredibly desperate soldiers. While we certainly have some unexpected advantages going for us; things could easily turn really ugly very quickly."

"The Prefect's ship is now alongside, as is the cruiser with the largest compliment of ground soldiers," Jarma announced. "We've been given clearance to make our descent."

"Advise the other two cruisers to follow us in," Admiral Ackbar ordered. "And tell the rest of the fleet to wait until we're well inside the radius of the shield before starting their assault."

Everyone watched the unknowingly waiting world as its angle in the viewing screen abruptly altered. Flanked by a formidable pair of spacecraft that were both more massive than frigates, the Forthright began its descent into the atmosphere of Coruscant. Not one of the rebels failed to recognize that this was exactly what they had dreamt of for years.

"Fortunately, the Jedi Temple isn't that far from where we're expected to land," the chief navigational officer, Khyzo, offhandedly observed. "And with an all-out space war erupting overhead, the deviation in our descent may not even be immediately detected. We could be on the ground before there's actually a response."

"So much the better," Uti replied. And then, he added, "If the soldiers can disembark quickly enough, we might all get away with touch-and-go landings. We could conceivably claim that the atmospheric discharges and the establishment of the shield interfered with our ability to receive the beacon. If so, we could all be on course for the shield generator before anyone's aware of what we're doing."

"Jarma, as soon as the shield goes up behind us, contact the tower and them we've lost the beacon," Admiral Ackbar instructed the communication officer. "Tell them we are going to divert to the nearest large, open area; otherwise, we run the risk of colliding with other ships on similar approach paths. Send across to our escorts and tell them what we are going to do."

"With pleasure, Admiral," Jarma excitedly answered while the sprawling skies above Coruscant buffeted, as they embraced, the three swiftly descending cruisers.

Only moments after Khyzo announced that all three ships were within the boundary of the shield, Uti exclaimed that the rest of the craft, comprising the Rebel Coalition, had already engaged the closest of the orbital platforms. Almost instantly, the ray shield was erected in response. The glow of its iridescence stretched across the sky, but above and behind the three cruisers. They had effectively penetrated the Imperial perimeter. Jarma quickly contacted the tower and informed its technicians of the make-believe emergency.

"I've located a big open area between the Imperial Parliament Building and the Jedi Temple," said Uti. "It's not large enough to facilitate setting down all our ships. We'll have to execute our touch-and-go landings in swift succession. I'm sending the coordinates to the navigation and the communication consoles."

"I've got them," Khyzo confirmed. "I'm adjusting course. We're pretty close already."

"Our escorts have received them as well," Jarma added. "They're following us in."

Still strapped into her seat just behind Uti and looking over his shoulder, Leia said, "The Jedi Temple is nowhere near the shield generator. It's actually a pretty innocuous landing site. You may not earn any Imperial attention until you lift back off and fly in the wrong direction."

"Yeah!" Mox laughed. "I'm pretty sure somebody will notice that!"

"Admiral," Jarma suddenly said. "The tower technicians have calculated our course and they're advising us that the area towards which we're heading is not large enough to facilitate setting all three ships down. They are instructing us to proceed along a different vector. How do you want me to respond, sir?"

"Send a garbled reply," Admiral Ackbar replied. "Just be creative. You've only got to buy us a few more minutes. We're coming up on the drop-zone already."

Few of the rebels had ever seen the capital. It was difficult for them to comprehend a city of such planetary size. And up close, it was even more inconceivable, as metallic structures rose like mountains all around the descending ships. The coming of the three cruisers did interfere somewhat with hover-traffic. But the Jedi Temple was probably the least used structure in the entire city. The travelers on the nearby sky-lanes were easily and automatically rerouted as the ponderous spaceships assumed such extraordinarily unusual situations. Like dirigibles, the dreadnaughts each drifted down in succession to disgorge their unlikely issue. Night was falling, but it did little to hide the disembarkation.

After the purging of the Temple, the first affront of Anakin as Darth Vader, all of the confiscated weapons had been secured in an underground vault. Although it was really little more than a museum, several platoons of Storm Troopers rotated through watches in strategic locations all around and inside the basically abandoned building. Some were aware of the individuals who were illicitly disembarking in the unauthorized landing zone, so they rushed to intercept the interlopers. They encountered a quintet of lightsabers.

The ancient armament of those who ally themselves with the Force had rarely been seen in the capital over the last two decades; and then, only when wielded by one of the Sith. On uncommon occasions, Darth Sidious had elected to display his disappointment with someone in his command by summarily executing them in this fashion. It was more usual for both he and Darth Vader to kill directly through a lethal application of the Force, Vader with strangulation and the Emperor with his lightning. But lately, as assassination attempts had increased, the original Emperor had taken to executing his would-be killers publicly. To maximize the deterrent value of these merciless showpieces, Palpatine had starting using his lightsaber to perform vivisections on his helpless victims. Unbelievably, it did not stop the attempts.

The Storm Troopers were so intent on engaging the invaders, not one of them even thought about taking a shot at the departing cruisers. With their shields still down, due to their proximity to the prior passengers, it might have been possible to disable one of the dreadnaughts with a well-placed laser blast. But the rebels understood how immediately they needed to eliminate the witnesses to their arrival. After deflecting the initial barrage of blaster-fire, the Jedi used Force-induced speed to reach the surviving soldiers before any of them could use their communicators to convey news of the incursion.

The Storm Troopers were aware that the Jedi constituted the greatest threat. And as a result, a few of them focused their searing salvos only against their lightsaber-swinging opponents; but those that turned their weapons against the other rebels, instead, caused serious losses. The Jedi spread out, trying to deflect as many laser bolts as possible, but the Imperial positions were far too defensible to take without incurring terrible attrition.

Wading through a hail of deflected laser-blasts, the Jedi finally reached the enemy's strongholds. Unable to assail their seemingly indomitable attackers, the Imperial soldiers finally fell. But the rebels knew that only part of the Imperial forces had been eliminated. Many more remained; no small number of which were certain to be inside the Temple.

Londle had not been able to provide the necessary codes for gaining access to the ancient edifice. A search of the slain soldiers yielded no indications. They needed to get into the building before any attempt was made to contact the missing sentinels. It would have been easy to affect entry with lightsabers, but alarms would have been activated.

As they stood there and confronted the keypad, without the proper code, the jungle Jedi discussed the possibility of simply incurring the assault that the alarms would bring; but Leia maneuvered her way in front of the foursome and said, "Please, give me a few moments."

She could see now the wisdom of her instructors in explicitly training her to use the Force to deal with such electronic locks. It took her a minute to perform the manipulation; but as everyone else looked on, the access opened and the alarms remained silent. Her newfound friends gazed at her with sudden respect.

"Well done, Padawan Princess," said Priella. "Having already seen you in action, I'd say you're ready for the Jedi trials. I wonder if your spectral teachers can even make you a Master. If not, we may have to assume that honor ourselves."

"I still hold out hope that my brother will return to finish what he started," she said in reply. "But I wonder if it would now be wisest to leave our rebel friends to safeguard our exit. The transponder is in the much closer confines of the lower level, not a good place for a firefight. Lightsabers would provide the best response in such a confining location and offer less of an occasion for damaging the very device we're intending to employ."

There was general agreement on the adoption of this tactic. Leaving the rebels just inside the entrance, the five Jedi headed off into the expansive structure. It had not been possible to hide the bodies of the slain Storm Troopers. And it was only a matter of time before an unanswered radio-check evoked an aggressive investigation anyway. As the two groups took hopefully temporary leave of each other, Leia wondered out loud about the success of the Forthright and its flanking cruisers. However, they decided not to run the risk of making contact since a rogue transmission from inside the Jedi Temple might be detected. They simply had to trust that their friends were doing well.

Admiral Ackbar had immediately instructed Khyzo to lay in a course directly towards the shield generator. He also had Jarma inform the flanking craft of his intrepid decision. The other two cruisers (the Skyward and the Exordium) swiftly followed. Admiral Ackbar also deliberately declined from rising above the hover-lanes, knowing that the scattering speeders would interfere with anybody at the generator who was attempting to take aim against the encroaching cruisers. Some of the operators of the tiny vessels were unable to respond quickly enough to keep their vehicles from being flung aside by the shields of the enormous starships, but their emergency guidance systems all effectively prevented any subsequent collisions. The three cruisers began to appreciably close the distance to their objective as the screens on their bridges displayed the data on their destination.

With almost every Imperial ship having already been scrambled and sent into space, there was nothing of substantial size to oppose them. But there were numerous batteries scattered all around the shield generator, all of which were fully manned. And they would become progressively more concentrated in the area immediately around the target. The shields of the massive vessels all began to register impacts from the extremely powerful energy weapons. In truth however, the shielding that surrounded the dreadnaughts was far more formidable than anything the Imperial emplacements were actually designed to destroy since their defensive force field was supposed to prevent any ships of such size from directly engaging their emplacement. If the cruisers had been incapable of returning fire, they would have been in trouble. But that of course was not the case.

One by one, the batteries were obliterated. Admiral Ackbar allowed first the Skyward and then the Exordium to take the lead, making it possible for the most heavily assaulted ship to fall back and recycle its shields. But as they were about to finally accomplish their approach, the Forthright resumed its position at the point of attack. When their scanners detected that the shield generator was itself also shielded, he ordered the entire armada to unleash a simultaneous assault. The field-generating facility flashed into nonexistence before their appreciative eyes. As it did, the shield above that sector of the ecumenopolis disappeared with it.

Various types of individuals could be seen as they came out from the places where they had been sheltering from the ferocious onslaught. They all applauded the victorious vessels. The technicians aboard the three ships shared their enthusiastic sentiments as cheers and backslaps were exchanged. Ultimately, Jarma announced that the Exordium and the Skyward were awaiting orders.

"Set course for the nearest orbital platform," Admiral Ackbar instructed Khyzo. "We need to help General Madine finish eradicating the Imperial canopy, then the citizens of Coruscant will really have something to celebrate."

Since the man had once been an Imperial officer himself, the admiral had carefully reserved Crix Madine for leading the engagement against the orbital stations, at least in his absence. Armed with a complete collection of current codes, thanks to Londle Eisley, and intrinsically understanding Imperial procedure, General Madine certainly seemed the best choice for assuring the campaign's success. It really represented just one more in a series of wise decisions on the part of the Admiral.

The moment the Forthright and the other descending cruisers had passed within the perimeter of the planetary shield, General Madine initiated the Coalition's attack against the nearest of the orbital platforms. Because of how unanticipated was the assault and how unexpectedly non-responsive the station's defensive systems all suddenly became, the first of the platforms was very swiftly destroyed. The rebels fully expected an instant reprisal, but not one of the other ships in orbit initially reacted to the station's destruction; and so, the various craft of the Coalition set course for the next such station.

As the rebels began to close on the second station, some of the other vessels in the upper atmosphere finally did respond. Several of them were obviously Imperial resupply ships, already in route to some of the stations. Although they were not nearly as sizable as cruisers, they were all of stalwart Corellian construction and known to wield firepower far beyond what would be expected for ships of such diminutive dimensions. As a result, the rebels were understandably apprehensive. But for unknown reasons, it seemed as if some of the diplomatic craft were responding as well. This was at least as worrisome as it was unexpected.

The next few seconds proved to be pivotal. Some of the diplomatic ships moved to intercept the Imperial response. Others assumed approaches that clearly indicated their intent to aid in the assault against the next orbital station. The Coalition's leadership had never been certain of their ability to actually neutralize all the Imperial platforms, but they had also never dared to hope for the acquirement of such last-minute assistance. As the unforeseen allies moved to come alongside the ships of the coalition, they signaled their accommodating intentions.

Apparently understanding how their neighbor had been disabled, the technicians on the next station began changing their command codes. As a consequence, its defensive systems were still mostly online and able to respond to the approaching ships. Two craft were crippled in the exchange. One was a Coalition cruiser and the other was one of the diplomatic vessels. But before the life-support system of either ship had fully failed, most of the survivors were successfully transferred to the medical frigate. With the destruction of the second station, still more diplomatic craft joined the Coalition's cause.

Not all of the Imperial ships had been intercepted. They all rallied around the next in the series of orbital platforms. The resulting exchanges were very intense. A cruiser from the Coalition, the Macrocosm, was totally destroyed. All hands aboard were lost. Another of the rebel cruisers was badly damaged, as were two ships belonging to their consulate accomplices. These had to withdraw from the campaign, falling back to the vicinity of the medical frigate. Indeed, almost all the remaining craft of the expanded Coalition endured some kind of damage; but more diplomatic ships were arriving almost by the minute, and many were electing to engage in the conflict. For every ship the rebels lost, there was at least another to rapidly replace it. The third orbital station was also finally destroyed.

The airfields on the world below had not been entirely empty, and even the smallest of the remaining Imperial ships were soon scrambled. The advantages of Eisley's codes promptly evaporated, as the Imperial technicians, understanding the electronic incursion, wisely altered their encryptions. No longer was there a possibility of stealthy subterfuge. The space war had become a slugfest, a contest of numbers. The fourth orbital platform was finally eliminated, but only at extreme cost. Because they were leading the assault, many Coalition cruisers were lost.

Just when it looked like the rebels might not have the sufficient force to remove the final two stations, the three cruisers returned from their campaign on the surface. Aided by another influx of diplomatic dreadnaughts, the last orbital platforms were obliterated. The canopy had been successfully removed. Unfortunately however, only a single hole in the planetary force field had been created; but this was not an obstacle that could be circumvented from space. The ray shields over the encapsulated areas were still strong enough to withstand any bombardment.

"Now it's a ground war," Admiral Ackbar observed. Spinning to Jarma, he said, "Ask the diplomatic ships if they would kindly remain in orbit and advise us if anything Imperial comes out of hyperspace. I think the only actual soldiers are on our cruisers, so we need to take our ships to the surface. But be sure to extend my deep appreciation to our allies for their timely aid."

The various diplomatic delegations quickly agreed to comply with the Admiral's wise request. Having secured that assistance, Admiral Ackbar instructed the commanders of the remaining Coalition ships to execute a descent onto Coruscant. After two decades of undeserved exile, it was finally time for the rebels to call upon the capital. That historical importance was not lost on a single member of the Coalition's forces as they victoriously descended upon the supreme seat of Galactic authority.

Of course, every Imperial installation in the unshielded sector made ready to receive the invaders. A hail of weapon's fire erupted upward at the armada of descending ships. The overstrained shields of the cruisers barely got them below the cover of the buildings.

While it might seem reasonable to assume they then received a welcome that would suit such heroes, the streets were actually full of soldiers instead of well-wishers. Due to the elimination of the shield generator, the Storm Troopers had no central location left to defend. As yet, they were unaware of the incursion at the Jedi Temple. They emerged to engage the occupants of the unwelcome craft, converging upon the cruisers in numbers that took even the Admiral by surprise.

Turning to Jarma, Ackbar said, "Tell the commanders of all the cruisers to have their gunners set their weapons for stun, maximum dispersion. We'll have to use the batteries to clear the streets and make them safe for disembarkation. But it wouldn't be advisable for us to take chances on possibly bringing down any of the buildings. With the power of our scanners, we should be able to isolate the pockets of Storm Troopers. Tell them to advise us when their scopes are clear."

Minutes passed while he waited for the reports to come back and certify an at least temporary safety. Once they did, he ordered the disembarkation. All of the other cruisers opened their outer hatches and, in tight formations, the rebels streamed into the streets. Blaster fire quickly followed as the soldiers of the Coalition rushed to assume defensible positions. The Forthright however continued on course for a prearranged landing zone.

Most of the cruisers had been able to set down at least somewhere in the vicinity of the Parliament Complex. Admiral Ackbar intentionally ordered the Forthright to return to the same open area close to the Jedi Temple from which the strike force had previously deployed. The admiral wondered just how soon it might be wise for him to try and make contact with anyone on that team. He knew better than to take the risk of possibly giving away their presence by sending a signal that might be intercepted, but he also wanted to talk to Leia.

After taking their leave of the other rebels near the entrance to the Temple, she and the jungle Jedi had quietly worked their way into the structure. The way the building was laid out, it was not possible to go directly from the foyer to the lower level. It had been a couple of decades since a Jedi Master had walked its halls. If there had been alterations or improvements in the meantime, which might easily have happened while it was being converted into a museum, she was worriedly aware that the directions of her instructors might ultimately be proven inaccurate. Her hope was that all had simply been preserved.

They discovered a legend that displayed the structure's layout. Being after hours, it was not lit; but the safety lights and the illumination of their lightsabers proved adequate for the occasion. The schematic revealed no overt discrepancy with the descriptions she had received from her mentors. By activating their lightsabers however they apparently alerted a pair of nearby Storm Troopers to their presence, but concussive waves in the Force had rendered the watchmen unconscious before either could even squeeze off a shot. They were then silently dispatched and their bodies allocated to a pair of alcoves.

"We've still got some ground to cover before we can get below," Mardra softly said. "I wonder if we should maybe clear the upper levels first."

"The longer it takes for us to reset the transponder," Xan quietly replied, "the greater the chances of somebody observing our handiwork outside. Our escape route becomes useless if the building is surrounded whether there're still Storm Troopers inside or not."

"I was just thinking about the rebels at the entrance," Mardra explained. "But I guess you're right. We should go for the primary target and an expedited extraction."

"That sounds like military jargon," Leia whispered, quietly amused. "Didn't you grow up in a jungle?"

"You're insinuating that I actually grew up?" Mardra jokingly asked in reply.

Leia's snicker in response did not prevent her from perceiving that a second pair of Storm Troopers was moving down an adjacent hallway and exactly in their direction. As she motioned to the other Jedi, they all seemed to melt right into the shadows along the perimeter of the faintly lit passage. The Storm Troopers never even knew what hit them. Once again, the Jedi were careful to conceal the evidence of their lethal industry.

The closer they got to the staircase, which was indicated as the access to the lower level, the more apprehensive Leia became. She could not qualify her concern, nor could she adequately express the nature of her unease. The jungle Jedi seemed to share only a rumor of her restlessness. She had no idea why that would be. But the perception also seemed to remind her of something; she just was unable to place it. Because the others seemed so unaffected, she thought it might be prudent for her to take point. Pursing her lips, she cautiously led the way down the staircase.

In her mind, her mentors had shown her the way to the transponder controls. But as they reached the bottom of the stairway and she looked all around, nothing appeared as it had in the visions. Although the uppermost portion of the structure seemed to conform to the earlier images, as nostalgically recollected by her instructors, the lowest level bore almost no resemblance at all. This brought her up short.

"Everything's been changed down here. And I can't imagine why the Emperor would have done that," she said in a hushed whisper; and then, as she pointed into the darkling distance, she quietly concluded, "But the transponder control was in the outskirts, over in that direction."

As quietly as they could, they all moved forward. Leia's perception of peril increased with each step, but no cause for the disconcerting sensation suggested itself. The lowest level appeared to be completely unoccupied. The faint hum of machinery could be heard in the distance, but nothing more imposing than that. And the only lights to be seen were from the Archive indicators. The facility had obviously been extensively refashioned, and for reasons about which they could only guess, but it was at least still there. Leia thought that the Emperor had only maintained it so he could add to it as he expanded his realm.

Finally, they reached the corridor along the outskirts of the basement. With so much having been unexplainably altered, Leia had been afraid that they would find no trace of the transponder system. Almost unbelievably, it was still there. She asked the other Jedi to stand watch at the corners while she preformed the reprogramming. It took her longer to complete the task than she had anticipated, but she ultimately succeeded. If any other Jedi really remained, and they could by any means acquire the necessary transportation, they would soon be on their way to Coruscant. Despite her uneasiness, she smiled.

"Hopefully, we will soon be having some very helpful company," she softly said.

Turning from the transponder controls, she silently indicated to the others that it was time to exit the corridor. They noiselessly moved toward the place where the hall opened into the large, underground chamber. Seen from this vantage point, along the outskirts of the no-longer-quite-so-spacious-room, it was suddenly obvious to Leia that a substantial part of its original area had been paneled off and its many machines had been squeezed into a smaller space. The revelation made her worriedly wonder what precisely had been concealed within those walled-off areas. It was as if her insight had only been waiting for her to ask the right question.

She abruptly realized why the disturbing sensation had seemed so familiar, recalling the event during which she had experienced it before. It had happened on Utapau while she was leaping down to the lower landing platform. That is where she had encountered the aggressive attitude of the artificially intelligent battle droids for the first time. And this is what she was feeling.

Even though she definitely did not want to believe what her supernaturally extended senses seemed to be telling her, there could hardly be any doubt. And because they had come from Kappelian, the jungle Jedi had no experience with the mechanized menaces; which explained why none of them shared her perception. The manufactured mentalities of warrior robots were not networked with the Force in the same ways that those of living opponents would be. Since they had only just acquired their lightsabers, her friends had never even trained with drones. They were without any point of reference whatsoever for recognizing the peril that was upon them.

They had walked right into a trap. The inhuman awareness, which had impassively allowed them to enter, now had no intention of letting them leave. Even as she arrived at this disturbing deduction, the apparently seamless walls began to inexplicably separate, disgorging the death-dealing droids that had all but disappeared while Leia was only an infant. She barely had time to activate her lightsaber in response.

"Battle droids!" she cried as she raised her cryogenically arcing blade of glistening, green energy. As her friends reflexively followed her example, and just in time to deflect the first incinerating salvos, she intently added, "If at all possible, we should try to do this without damaging the Archives. The Republic may need them."

"Right! No problem!" Mardra sarcastically countered as she deftly deflected a laser blast into ceiling. "Would you like us to review the records, while we're at this, and see if there's anything checked out that's overdue?"

The bright rounds were coming at them with such speed that it was difficult to send them back at their originators, but Leia found the breath to respond, "Some of this could be reconstructed from navicomputers, but only the information about position and stellar motion. The historical and cultural references are at least as important. But since they're the result of centuries of research, they're approximately irreplaceable!"

"Spread out!" Xan interjected. "With all of us grouped together like this, there aren't enough options for deflecting their fire! Just don't get yourselves surrounded! Be aware of what's behind you!"

"Right," said Leia, turning and sprinting away. Lines of blazing bolts trailed her blur.

Leia's thoughts were moving almost as fast as she was. Her adoptive father and a few of the other statesmen finally figured out that Chancellor Palpatine had been behind the Separatists, the Droid Army, and even the Clone Wars themselves. After declaring himself Emperor, Darth Sidious apparently dispensed with the devices he had used to create the crisis and afford himself the opportunity to make his unparalleled power play. Although it was widely supposed that most of the automated army had been decimated during the wars, its final elimination had never actually been established.

She had to wonder if it was possible that the Emperor had somehow anticipated the end of his supply of Storm Troopers. Was his foresight so formidable that it had perhaps even revealed to him just how advantageous it would be to return to his old designs and prepare a robotic response? The idea was alarming. What if all the dangerous deeds, in which she and the rebels had engaged, were already taken into account in the insidious schemes of the Emperor? What if they had not even forced his hand but actually played right into it? She found herself suddenly assailed by such a storm of unexpected doubts.

But what about the death of the original Emperor? Did that not demonstrate a failing in his foresight? He did not actually become Darth Chrysalis, because the clone only had the experiences of the original. Would Palpatine have willingly sacrificed himself in order to expedite the emergence of his manufactured successor? Even if he had believed that his life was nearing its end, would a Dark Lord of the Sith so readily surrender it? Would that not fly in the face of everything they advocated? Far from being infirm, the Emperor had certainly still been powerful enough to electrocute Luke. Her fears were unfounded, and she was easily wise enough to suspect their sinister source.

It abruptly occurred to Leia that the Dark Side of the Force had taken up residence in the Jedi Temple. It rained against her resoluteness in much the same way as the hail of laser bolts that she was diligently deflecting. But her only weapon against the internal attack was her mind and her faith in the correctness of her course. For too long had evil made its abode in the very edifice of integrity. It was time for the Temple to be cleansed.

There was only one possible answer: she and her friends had simply stumbled unto some kind of emergency strategy, a last ditch tactic to facilitate the retaking of Coruscant if ever its citizens were to somehow slip the shackles of their Imperial imprisonment. The battle droids had helped the Emperor into his position of utter authority; consequently, he obviously believed that they could also help him hold onto it. She and her friends needed to demonstrate this belief as unfounded. But it was easy to see that such ambition would not be easily achieved. The robots were innumerable.

Amidst all the laser fire, she could see that the openings in the walls extended back beyond the area of the spacious room's original border. They had been augmented with excavation. However, it looked as if they opened only into the lowest level of the Temple. At first, this seemed strange to her; but then, she realized that the Archives would be put at risk in any attempt to eliminate the battle droids with one massive assault. They were effectively holding as hostage the very history of the Republic. But, she understood, this meant that the way she and her friends had come in was also the only way out.

"Fall back to the stairway!" she shouted above the constant discharge of the robots' blasters. "If we can't keep them contained, we need to let them exit the Archive! But one of us needs to watch our backs just in case there are any Storm Troopers still upstairs!"

"Mox and Mardra, back-to-back! Priella, you're with me!" Xan shouted. "Leia, wait at the back wall until we get close to staircase; and then, use the Force to race between us and straight up to the landing!"

"Why do I always feel like such a fifth wheel?" Leia playfully asked in reply, bouncing a laser blast back toward the battle droid that had just fired it at her. Her friends however elected to treat her comical inquiry as rhetorical as they speedily assumed the requested formations.

The oldest of the jungle Jedi had barely been born when the Clone Wars first began on Geonosis; and so, they were unaware of the historical parallel of Obi-Wan and Windu standing back-to-back as they fought entire battalions of battle droids. Paired in this way, the four defenders began to irrepressibly force a passage across the underground room, leaving Leia in the outskirts of the Archive. Although she was apparently abandoned, the droids fortunately focused most of their attention on the Jedi who seemed to be trying to get away. But the four lightsabers cut an irresistible swath through the frenzied laser fire.

Leia found that she had to fight in order to keep her emotions in check. In the Clone Wars, the engagements with the Droid Army had happened almost exclusively along the Outer Rim. Now suddenly, the infamous automatons, essentially missing from the history of the Republic for decades, were not just already within the confines of the capital; they had even violated the very sanctity of the Jedi Temple. She felt like she knew what Obi-Wan had experienced while he watched the slaying of his instructor. She was becoming angry, and she could not afford to be distracted by such a reaction.

Once again, she had to resist the temptation to be empowered, even temporarily, by the Dark Side. And truthfully, it was a titanic struggle. But she ultimately succeeded, and in the very cosmic sanctuary where her father had faltered – a failure that had dreadfully resulted in his willingness to mercilessly end the lives of Younglings.

It was no small feat for the pairs of jungle Jedi to deflect every bit of firepower away from the various Archive systems. There were simply too many laser bolts to angle them all back at their originators. All around Leia, there were smoking craters in the walls from the shots that had not come close enough to be a threat. The ceiling was starting to look like the surface of a volcanic moon, covered with smoldering craters.

As her four friends finally approached the bottom of the staircase, Leia saw the look Xan gave her. He wisely did not want to give the battle droids any overt indication of the fact that Leia was about to attempt to charge right though their ranks, but she intrinsically understood his soundless instructions. Pushing off from the wall, almost in the same way as a competitive swimmer, she used the Force to propel herself to a superhuman speed. As she swept through the interposing army, she whirled her lightsaber all around herself. The battle droids were unprepared. She achieved her passage with impunity.

On up the staircase she raced, not arresting her ascent until she had already arrived upon the lower landing. She came to a stop right in between a pair of very startled Storm Troopers. The sounds of the battle in the basement had attracted their attention. But her abrupt arrival was altogether unanticipated. She had dispatched them both before either of them could even squeeze off a single shot. More so than the echoing footsteps, which could barely be heard above the battle, the Force alerted her to the approach of others.

Backing into the corner of the landing, she deactivated her lightsaber and seemed to dissolve into the shadows. Because her friends had only just arrived at the bottom of the stairway, it would be impossible for the Storm Troopers to take aim against them without first descending to the landing. She patiently waited for them to start down the staircase; and then, she unleashed a concussion wave in the Force. It slammed into the surprised assembly of soldiers.

The Storm Troopers all lost their footing and fell. Most of them also lost their grip on their respective weapon as they clumsily careened down the staircase, rolling to the feet of the Padawan Princess. It was a very simple matter for her to finish off her momentarily defenseless foes. She turned her attention to the upper hallway, but it lay quite obviously empty. The first pair of Storm Troopers had apparently already summoned the others. It seemed as if the compliment of the Temple had effectively been reduced to battle droids and rebels.

Looking back out over the lower level, she was understandably disappointed to see that the attrition among their mechanized opponents had not been appreciable. Although the smoldering sections of many demolished battle droids were scattered all throughout the Archives, their ranks seemed to be impossibly inexhaustible. More were still actually emerging from the excavated extensions beyond the original boundaries of the perilously populous basement. She wondered how many of the automated assassins there actually were. The Shroud of the Dark Side had concealed this aspect of the Emperor's industry. The rebels had no plan in place for meeting so sizable a force.

The jungle Jedi began backing up the stairway. Though this action actually exposed them to additional opponents, the gaining of the high ground gave the Jedi a much more matchless advantage. They were in a far better position to effectively aim the laser bolts that their lightsabers were deflecting. As a consequence, the weapons fire from the more distant of their robotic opponents was actually helping to decimate those closest at hand. In only moments, a wall of refuse began to arise around the base of the staircase as the bodies of decisively damaged droids began to accumulate.

Seeing the success of her four friends, Leia decided that her wisest course of action would be to check on the rebels whom they had left at the entrance to the Temple. It was her hope that they had remained undiscovered. The Storm Troopers seemed to have all converged on the landing; but, as the sentries were responding from their different areas of responsibility, she knew there was at least a chance that some of them had elected to cut across the foyer.

As she neared the entrance, she heard the unmistakable sounds of blaster fire. And as she approached the area of engagement, she was surprised to see a very substantial assembly of Storm Troopers. As appallingly pinned-down as were the rebels, she had to wonder if some of the Imperial opponents had perhaps come from outside the building. If this was the case, since there was an army emerging from the basement, the situation of the strike team was now completely compromised.

Letting loose with a war cry as she supernaturally propelled herself into the midst of the melee, Leia deliberately drew the attention of the Storm Troopers. They were startled by the sight of her glittering lightsaber and even more surprised by her expertise with the ancient weapon. It was a fierce fight, but in moments she had vanquished victoriously.

"They're onto us," said Major Buja, the highest ranking among the survivors; whom, she was devastated to see, were few. "I heard them on their com-links. Reinforcements will be here any minute. We won't be getting out of here the way we got in."

Glancing around and certifying that the survivors were all able to travel, Leia replied, "As quickly as you can, come with me."

As she led them back into the expansiveness of the Temple, Leia used her com-link to contact Xan and tell him that the entrance had been compromised. Her design was to lead the surviving rebels up to one of the landing bays. They had been uncertain of their ability to gain access to any of these areas from outside, though she hoped to find them functional, but she had no idea if there might be a speeder still stored there. If there were not, they would have to rely on being extracted by a drop-ship from one of the Coalition's cruisers; provided, of course, that one of the cruisers was even available to attempt such a rescue.

"We're not going to be able to keep these battle droids bottled up down here, they're just too many of them," Xan replied, pausing to intercept a series of salvos. "Some of the droids are sure to follow us, but we can easily outdistance them; so, we'll fall back to join you up at the bays. I'm sure they understand that the presence of Jedi in the Temple has to mean there's a situation outside. That may minimize the pursuit, but that may not be a good thing for the rest of the rebellion."

"Yeah, I know," Leia unhappily agreed. "And once the battle droids disperse through the city, it's going to be a lot harder to eliminate them. I wish there was some way for the cruisers to zap them without destroying the Temple at the same time."

"If you figure that one out, let me know," Xan responded, amidst the telltale sound of deflected laser fire. "We'll see you upstairs."

By the illumination of her lightsaber, Leia could see the questioning expressions on the faces of the pursuing rebels; and so, she said, "The basement is full of battle droids. We eliminated some of them, but there's still a substantial army. We'll have to figure out how to deal with them, but we were at least able to change the transponder code."

"If I recall correctly, battle droids are usually controlled from a centralized location," Buja observed. "If we can determine where that is, we might be able to deactivate them."

"I like the way you think," Leia laughingly replied. "But do you have any ideas about how we could determine where the signal is coming from?"

"There was a droid army that invaded Naboo once," he replied. "The signal was sent from the Federation ships in orbit, but I rather doubt that the source in this case is orbital. We might be able to isolate the transmitter with the scanners on one of our cruisers."

"We need to contact them anyway just as soon as we reach the landing bay. It's not like our presence here hasn't already been detected," Leia agreed.

A few of the rebels had been injured in the firefight; but, between their determination and the aid of the others, they finally made it to a nearby bay. There were no speeders.

Leia looked around disappointedly; but then, she strode to the nearest set of landing bay doors and confidently toggled the controls to open them. Despite decades of disuse, the doors slid obediently aside. A scene of widespread warfare was revealed. The rebels were surprised to see just how quickly the rebellion had broadened. Firefights appeared to be erupting all over the city. But something in the foreground immediately caught their attention. The Forthright was descending toward the same square where the rebels had originally disembarked.

Aiming a tight-beamed transmission at the descending cruiser, Leia conversationally said, "Greetings, Admiral. We accomplished our mission, but we're really hoping you can send a drop-ship to pick us up at these coordinates. Our losses were much heavier than expected. I think we can get all the survivors on a single ship. And I'm sorry to say it, but we've got another problem. Please use your sensors to see if you can determine where the battle droids in the basement are getting their command signals from."

"Battle droids in the basement of the Jedi Temple?" Admiral Ackbar asked in reply.

"Unfortunately," Leia disappointedly replied. "And not just a few of them either. What about our extraction request, can you help us out here?"

"Our gunners are securing the landing zone; but as soon as they do, I'll send a ship for you," Admiral Ackbar replied. And then, he asked, "Are you able to hold where you're at for a few minutes?"

"We've got wounded here, but we're still waiting for the other Jedi," Leia responded, trying not to sound impatient. "Once they get here, some of the battle droids may not be far behind them; so, we'll need to evacuate as soon as we're all assembled."

"We've locked onto your signal, and we'll get you out of there just as quickly as we can," Ackbar replied. "But if the droids are getting their transmission from a local source, it's going to be hard to isolate it. There's a lot of weapons fire in the immediate area."

"Just do what you can, please," Leia courteously requested. "We'd have to destroy the Archives to eliminate them where they are. And if we have to take them out one at a time, it will seriously extend this campaign. Having the Galactic Congress recalled is not going to help us if the robots are actually a threat to the representatives. And I've no idea if that might be the case."

Now that she had almost recovered from the initial shock of their puzzling presence, Leia was trying to determine what the battle droids' immediate objective might be. It was her fear that they would head for the Parliament Complex and there was no way to know what their intentions would be when they reached it. A pre-programmed response could easily include orders to eliminate anyone who was trying to occupy a position of power, since it seemed reasonable to assume that the battle droids represented an emergency defense against sedition. The delegates could be easily be perceived as doing just that.

A drop-ship left the Forthright only moments before the battle droids burst from the entrance to the Temple. Since they did not see the launch, the robots had no reason to connect the two craft. They opened fire only on the heavily armored cruiser, and not on the vulnerable ship that had just disembarked. The jungle Jedi entered the bay just then.

"Our ride is on its way," Leia reassured them. "And the Forthright is trying to isolate the command signal for the battle droids. But with so many energy weapons discharging, it isn't going to be easy."

"We've only got about a minute or two before they'll be in here," Mox said. "We may have to make one last stand while everyone's loading up. As Jedi, I wish we knew some special code for sealing this bay."

"I guess we could close all the hatches and lightsaber the controls," Xan tentatively suggested. "I hate the idea of damaging the Temple, but we've got to cover our retreat."

"If we're successful in everything we're trying to do here," Mox replied, "we'll be able to come back and repair any damage we've done."

The five Jedi nodded at each other in silent agreement; and then, they went around and electronically locked all the doorways that led back into the building. Once each had been secured, they used their lightsabers to sunder the controls. Leia used the Force to pull down the doorway to the open bay. Her idea was to use levitation and sling it at any robots that made it inside before everyone had loaded up. They needed to give the ship a chance to get clear.

"If that's not enough, we could always stay behind and leap out after the drop-ship is safely away," Priella suggested. "We can't give the battle droids the opportunity to fire on it while it's pulling away. At point blank range, they might get lucky and shoot it down."

"If we have to jump, we could find ourselves right in the middle of the ones that just left the Temple," Leia apprehensively observed. "But if that's what the situation requires, we'll just have to chance it."

Seconds later, the drop-ship arrived. The injured were ferried aboard first; but before they had even all been loaded, the presence of battle droids was noisily announced at all the doorways. As quickly as they could, the other rebels scrambled aboard. In only a few moments, punctures began to appear in the interposing obstacles as the ruinous robots subjected the doors to concentrated firepower. The Jedi reactivated their lightsabers and stood ready to intercept any salvos. Initially however, the battle droids focused only their need to expand the smoldering portals. They did not fire through them.

"Come on!" shouted the last rebel to board the drop-ship. "Everybody's onboard now but you!"

At that moment, one of the doorways caved in. A torrent of robots came rushing into the bay. Pointing in the direction of the dismantled landing bay door, Leia used the Force to send it sailing at the startled battle droids. Since they were without options for evading the slab of improbably airborne metal, many froze in place. They were actually propelled right back between the melted doorjambs. With her right hand extended, Leia continued to hold the slab in place as she carefully climbed backwards into the drop-ship.

Speaking specifically to the other Jedi, who understood her intent, Leia said, "I need you to help me hold it there while we're pulling away. I'm still having trouble manipulating things I can't see."

"That's normal," Xan replied as he waved his hand toward the ship's outer door and sealed everyone inside. "It's a skill that improves with the application. Pilot, get us out of here before they find any other ways in."

As the jungle Jedi helped the Padawan Princess maintain the metal barricade, now invisible to everybody aboard, the drop-ship lifted from the landing bay floor and flew out into the night. The skyline was however awash with an unusual amount of artificial light. Various sections of the sprawling city were obviously under siege, and firefights seemed to be in progress at almost every major intersection over which their course caused them to pass. Rebels, Imperial soldiers, battle droids, and even armed civilians all appeared to be participating; but it wasn't immediately evident whether any of these contestants were actually cooperating with each other.

The Forthright had not been able to stay on the ground; at least, not if there was to be any hope of receiving the drop-ship. However, enough of the ground-based batteries had been eliminated for the cruiser to stay on station at altitude. Aiming his craft towards the shimmering spectacle in the sky, the pilot brought his craft back to the flagship of the Coalition.

As they were finally closing on the landing bay doors, Leia used her com-link to ask, "Admiral, have your techs had any luck in identifying the source of the droids' command signal?"

"We have not been able to identify the nature of the aberrant transmission," Admiral Ackbar replied, "but there is a strong signal coming from a domestic location. We believe it is the Emperor's quarters in the Imperial Annex Dome, which he has totally taken over. That particular facility however remains the most secure in the city. We can't reach it."

"Then we should approach it from the air," Xan concluded. Activating his own com-link, he then said, "Admiral Ackbar, this is Xan. I think we should drop everybody else on the Forthright. This sounds like a job for the Jedi. If you would please, have your pilot fly us above the structure where those quarters are located. Of course, we'll need to see a grid reference for the transmitter's position. And then, we'll take care of neutralizing it."

"I would recommend that we simply bombard the building," Ackbar replied, "but the most formidable of the remaining batteries are situated all around it. I'll get the Skyward and the Exordium to help us create a distraction. Lieutenant Dlanzs, climb into the upper troposphere and descend on your target directly from above. That should get you where you need to go, but you may need to abandon the Talons and accompany the Jedi. You probably won't get your ship back out of there in one piece. I'll leave that to you."

"Thank you, Admiral," the pilot responded. "Once they've surveyed the situation, I'll obey their instructions."

"Admiral Ackbar," interjected Londle Eisley, using the com-link at his station on the Forthright, "I'd like to go with the Jedi, sir. My codes might yet be of some use inside the Imperial Palace. I'm fully qualified to pilot that drop-ship. I could even replace Lieutenant Dlanzs."

"Perhaps," Ackbar replied. He then asked, "Do you have any objections, Dlanzs?"

"Sir, if I strafe the rooftop and drop them behind the resulting smoke screen, it might buy them some extra time," Dlanzs replied. "I could veer away after that and make it look like it was just an unsuccessful assault. The Imperial Guard might not even realize that it was actually the deployment of a strike team if we pull it off correctly. Of course, I would have to attempt to get the Talons back out of there or it all would've been for nothing."

"Sounds pretty risky," the admiral responded. "And I'd rather lose the shuttle than an officer like you, but I do see the possible advantage. If you're absolutely sure you want to take such a terrible chance, I'll let you try. But don't attempt to affect your escape with an ascent. Use the force of gravity and accelerate down into the city. You might just be able to stay ahead of the gunners that way."

"Aye, sir," Lieutenant Dlanzs replied as he maneuvered the Talons into the docking bay on the Forthright.

As the rebel passengers were disembarking, Londle and Tysha came alongside the ship. From her vantage point near the hatch, Leia saw them approaching. See could see that they were holding hands. Although it did not surprise her than the woman had come to see her husband off, she wondered why it did not seem as if there was any attempt in progress to dissuade him. Tysha seemed to accept her husband's decision. As she saw Leia at the top of the gangplank, Tysha seemed to understand the unspoken question.

"We already owe you our lives," Mrs. Eisley answered. "But if you should fail in what you're trying to do here, they're forfeit anyway. The Empire will certainly see to that. We must therefore do whatever we can to assist you, regardless of the risks. You saved my husband once before. I'm more certain that he will be safe in your company even than I am if he stays on this ship. If the Forthright were to fall while he is off assisting you, he could yet survive me."

"With Admiral Ackbar on the bridge, I really don't see that happening," Leia replied, smiling. "But I appreciate the vote of confidence. I'll try to make sure it's not misplaced."

Leia lightly embraced Tysha, who then hugged her husband one more time before letting him board. Londle assumed the copilot's position, and the shuttle swiftly slipped back out of the docking bay. Lieutenant Dlanzs quickly executed a climb into the upper atmosphere of Coruscant. Once there, he carefully calculated his rapid descent toward the top of the Imperial Palace.

"They've stopped admitting any delegations, so there would be no point in trying to pass ourselves off as a diplomatic vessel," said Dlanzs. "This is going to have to go like clockwork. As soon as I've fired the blasters, I'll pull up behind the smokescreen. You'll need to jump out as soon as I hover. I won't even be touching down. Once you're clear, I'll pull away and execute my emergency descent into the city. Hang on. Here we go!"

From their extreme altitude, the capital system's star was just beginning to peak out over the horizon. Lieutenant Dlanzs initiated the dramatic dive. The city-covered surface of Coruscant seemed to rush up toward them, made visible by the multitudinous lights of its industrial and residential districts. Glancing at the grid, still visible on the displays, the Jedi familiarized themselves with the location of the transmitter. Not surprisingly, though unfortunately, it was situated deep within the Imperial Executive Annex.

"The admiral wasn't kidding about all the defensive firepower," Dlanzs observed as they supersonically approached their target. "The cruisers are closing on the complex."

Nearly inverted in the air, the nose of the ship was pointing right at the confrontation. The air was rife with laser fire as the Imperial batteries unleashed an eruption of energy at the three Coalition cruisers. The network of emplacements appeared impenetrable.

"Maybe you had better just ditch this ship and come with us," Leia insistently said to Dlanzs. "I've got a very bad feeling about this."

"We stick with the plan," he confidently replied. "You've got an awful lot of ground to cover inside the structure before you'll reach the transmitter. And the less resistance you initially encounter, the greater the chances of your success; otherwise, you could find an entire army already positioned to repel you. One word of advice though. This building is no longer a residence hall for itinerate senators. Watch out for ray shields. Eisley and his special codes won't do you any good if you're all trapped inside a force field somewhere. But there's an astrodroid in the hold that you can take with you. R9-Z5 has saved my life a few times. He's got hover technology, so he'll have no problem keeping up with you. In fact, since he's armed, he can also double as a defender. I've just transferred his control over to you. Get ready to deploy."

Londle and the five Jedi had no sooner than reached the shuttle's main hatch, being joined by a new robotic accomplice, when Dlanzs let lose with the blasters. As he pulled up to hover behind the ensuing smokescreen, everyone but the pilot abruptly bailed out. The hatch quickly closed behind them, and the Talons angled away. They watched as it soared down into the city, careening toward the cover of the skyscrapers and somehow finding a seam between the blasting batteries. It looked the drop-ship was actually going to make it.

The single high-energy shot that struck it would not have destroyed it except that the impact caused it to bounce into a nearby building. The collision was catastrophic and the craft seemed to simply disintegrate upon impact. Although horrified, the rest of the strike force had time to do nothing but turn wordlessly away from the sorrowful sight.

When the lieutenant had suggested that the astrodroid could keep up with the Jedi, he had actually been making an erroneous assumption. Of course, none of the servants of galactic integrity deemed it appropriate to correct him, and the inclusion of Eisley also put serious restriction on their ability to use supernatural speed. Nonetheless, they raced to the nearest doorway and, upon finding it locked, waited for Londle and the new robot.

Turning to the Imperial turncoat, Xan said, "We could just use our lightsabers to get inside, but we'd be sure to set off alarms. Is there anything you can do?"

Londle had R9-Z5 plug into the computer interface that was situated just beside the doorway. Using his command codes and the astrodroid's access, he was able to bypass the security protocols. The door slid softly open. No alarms sounded.

"They don't know we're here," he said as he looked with distinct satisfaction at the astrodroid's display. "I've disabled all the sensors along our most immediate route to the transmitter. I took them out in entire sectors, so it'll look just like a major malfunction"

"Excellent!" Priella exclaimed.

"We'll see," Londle replied. "Right now the cruisers are keeping everyone very busy. But against so much firepower, they won't be able to maintain that diversion. Eventually, somebody's going to notice the system failure. And when they do, soldiers will be sent to investigate. With them all deactivated, I can't use the sensors to monitor anyone entering the sectors where we're going. Fortunately however we've also got the scanners on the astrodroid to alert us of their approach. But between the energy backscatter from all the blaster fire and the thickness of the building's superstructure, we may not get very much forewarning. We'd better hurry."

As she was preparing to step through the doorway, Leia turned to Londle and said, "You and the astrodroid should stay about twenty paces behind us, just in case."

The strike team entered the Imperial Palace, previously called the Executive Annex Dome. Londle did not have to make a conscious attempt to fall back behind the Jedi. He found himself hard-pressed to keep up. R9-Z5 could have done somewhat better, but it had heard Leia's instructions; and so, the astrodroid stayed very close to the ex-officer. But without the sensors to activate the defensive systems, they encountered neither ray shields nor any other type of electronic obstacle. They finally arrived, without incident, at the entrance to the Clone Emperor's actual quarters.

"This is where it gets dicey," Londle quietly announced as he examined the security console. "I'm sure none of my codes will help us here, and I am probably going to set off alarms just by making the attempt. I would say your lightsabers are the best option. But we need to work swiftly once we're inside. The sensors around and beyond the doorway are all coded with the same access cipher. Our forced entry is certain to be detected."

"Then it can't be helped," Xan replied as he looked to the other Jedi. Understanding his intent, they all activated their lightsabers.

With the five of them working together, the door fell away very quickly. Trailed by the astrodroid and Londle Eisley, they entered the Imperial quarters. By using the same grid reference that had been displayed on the Talons, R9-Z5 quickly located the console that was sending the signal to the army of battle droids. And only moments later, the slashes of five lightsabers had reduced it to smoldering scrap metal. Just for good measure they also decimated every other control console throughout the entire residence. Showers of electrical sparks rewarded their luminous efforts. A quick glance through the ray shielded window revealed a sudden lull in the firefights in the direction of the Jedi Temple.

"You did it," Londle excitedly breathed. "The robot army has been eliminated."

"We did it," Xan replied, turning to him. The Jedi's smile was made visible only by all the emergency lights.

"Right," Londle grinningly agreed. "But now, how are we gonna get out of here, and what are we gonna do about those blaster batteries?"

"They're set up to repel a frontal assault," Xan answered. "I doubt if they'll be able to withstand a ground attack from the rear. We've only accomplished part of our mission."

"If you were still in uniform, you might be able to walk right out of this place," Mardra added. "But with things the way they are, it'd probably be best for you to simply return to the rooftop with the astrodroid, reseal the doorway, and wait until the building is secure. With so many Imperial soldiers to engage, we'll be doing good to keep ourselves alive."

Facing the disappointment in Eisley's eyes, Leia said, "Your life is worth much more than the amount of aid you could give us with your lone blaster. You should fall back with R9 and secure the rooftop for the next rebel landing."

Squaring his jaw, Londle replied, "Okay, when you phrase it that way, I guess I can accept such an assignment."

All eyes turned suddenly to the astrodroid. The whistling warning that it was emitting reminded Leia of another and exceedingly esteemed droid. And no one needed any type of explanation for the outburst. Everyone understood what the robot was telling them.

Sounding amazingly like another Jedi, whom he had never actually met in the flesh, Mox excitedly said, "Here's where all the fun begins."