For a split second, Luke thought his father might actually let him kill the Emperor. It was what he wanted, what he'd tried to recruit Luke to do. So the Jedi was surprised when a flash of red light appeared between him and his target. Vader blocked Luke's cut, shoving his son backwards as Palpatine laughed.
"Why?" Luke shouted, panting from the exertion as Vader slashed at him again, forcing Luke backwards towards the enormous viewscreen. A sudden commotion in space caught his attention: the Rebel fleet had arrived.
Palpatine's laughter grew louder, filling the room. "Your friends have arrived!" he called, and Luke looked up in alarm, wondering if the old man was referring to the fleet or if Leia and Han had been brought in. In spite of the constant barrage from Vader, Luke was relieved to see that it was still only the three of them in the room. He was holding onto his focus at the moment. If Leia was under threat by the Emperor…he hated to admit it to himself, but the temptation to use the Dark Side might become too strong.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Leia craned her neck as the door to the cockpit opened, trying to catch of glimpse of anything out in open space. The shuttle had turned around and was accelerating away from their original trajectory. Spotting her interest, their guard stepped in front of her, blocking the view.
"Is there a problem?" Han spoke up, growing uncomfortable with the combination of the trooper's obvious anxiety and his proximity to the princess. "We turned around."
As Han hoped, the trooper turned his attentions away from Leia. "One of your little ships got in our way," he said derisively.
Han chuckled. "Your pilot sure turned tail and ran quick for a problem with a little ship. Maybe you should go give him a pep talk."
Stepping closer, the trooper bent down, his helmet close enough to Han's face that the ex-smuggler could see the stubble sprouting on his chin in the reflection. "Why don't you save yourself some trouble and shut your mouth, scum?"
Leia's eyes widened as she silently willed Han to stop antagonizing the man. Stormtroopers were typically highly disciplined, and this man's departure from protocol made her very nervous. But Han was enjoying himself.
"If you want to surrender now, I'd be happy to accept," Han said.
Without a word, the stormtrooper lifted a heavily gloved hand and punched Han in the face. Leia screamed, struggling futilely against her bonds to intervene. She once again watched helplessly as Han slumped forward, unconscious.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Chewbacca had his bowcaster up and ready as the first AT-ST pilot popped out of the upper hatch. The walker stopped and vibrated, sending Ewoks flying to the forest floor with sickening thumps. Doing his best to avoid any furry collateral damage, the Wookiee fired, hitting the man in the neck and flinging him into the branches of a nearby tree. The body slid down and hit the ground in a crumpled heap, immediately falling victim to vicious blows from a crowd of angry Ewoks.
With a mighty roar, Chewbacca launched himself at the AT-ST, catching the open cockpit door and swinging himself over the opening to stop the troopers inside from pulling it closed against his assault. Flipping the crossbow around, he used it as a cudgel, bashing it methodically into the remaining soldiers as they struggled to aim their blasters at him. One got a shot off, singeing fur. Growling menacingly, Chewbacca stuck his weapon behind him, holding it to the roof of the AT-ST with his foot as he abandoned his wild beating and reached into the cockpit with two hands. The machine ground to a halt as he ripped the pilot from his seat, pitching him over the side to the sea of Ewoks before jumping in and taking over the helm.
He gave a withering glance to the two unconscious troopers that were slumped inside the cabin, not wanting to waste time by ejecting them. The angle of their necks suggested it would be a mere formality, in any event.
Grabbing out his comlink, he hailed Derlin.
"I have the AT-ST," he said, hoping Derlin still had the protocol droid nearby. There was a moment of confusion, and then Threepio's voice came through.
"Major Derlin asks you to repeat that, Chewbacca," Threepio said quietly.
"Tell him I'm on my way back with the AT-ST," Chewbacca said, finding the machine surprisingly easily to operate.
-A/n sorry to stop this in a weirdly abrupt spot. Not much feeling like writing anymore today. Hope any Boston readers are okay. -radioboca